A Regular Roundup of Social Media Musings
by Anna Gerz & Mike Wilt

This month’s collection of all things Social Media looks at the latest in the mobile landscape and a power player in hosted blogging solutions.

Apple’s Latest and Google’s New Frozen Treat

This month saw the release/announcement of new versions of the most popular mobile operating systems. With the mobile and social media worlds forever joined at the hip, these updates and the new features they herald have certain social implications worth watching.

Apple’s iOS5 and a fresh iPhone introduced Siri to the world. The voice-based digital assistant responds to voice commands, enabling hands-free operation of core iPhone features. These commands include social interfaces and dictation that, theoretically, further lower the barrier for social interaction. Adding voice command functionality to a mobile device may seem somewhat like a commodity. However,  with a quality interface, and significant market penetration, the new service offered by Apple could have an effect on everything from message tone to online shorthand. Not to mention implications on search. The takeaway: we talk differently than we type, and everything online to-date is very keyboard-centric.

For the fans of the little green robot, Google recently announced the most recent version of its Android operating system. Continuing the dessert-themed versioning trend, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) combines the tablet-centric Honeycomb version of the operating system with the last major smartphone-focused Gingerbread release. (Is anyone else getting the munchies?) The latest operating system attempts to simplify and beautify the classically clunky Android experience. Before my inner-tech-geek takes over, what does this change mean to B2B social media marketers? A streamlined user interface puts sharing (read: social media) front and center. With features like NFC data transfer and ‘instant upload’ posting your pictures to Google+ the instant the shutter closes, the operating system quietly becomes a sharing super phone. Technology you need to keep an eye on and may want to leverage.

Falling for Tumblr?

For months now, bloggers have been weighing the benefits of using WordPress versus Tumblr as their platform of choice. While the basic functionality of the sites is similar, Tumblr certainly seems to be the trendier option - but why? And is it the right choice for B2B marketers?

• Simplicity – Compared to the CMS WordPress, you can establish, customize and publish your content in a matter of minutes. Tumblr lowers the technology barrier that may damper some corporate blogging efforts; now all you really need to understand is how to log-in and type in your thoughts in order to post.
• (Explicitly) Social – Granted, WordPress does have sharing functionality, but it looks a little antiquated to Tumblr, which was created to facilitate community interaction with posted images and other content, as well as other users. Many WordPress blogs have recently updated capabilities to include social sharing, in order to supplement the RSS and email subscribers. Using Tumblr, it’s easy to share a post using a variety of other social platforms, or share some love with your fellow bloggers.

But all that glitters is not gold – or at least, not yet and not for B2B marketers. When it comes to the formatting and functionality offered to bloggers, WordPress still reigns supreme, as it requires more HTML knowledge to make formatting adjustments than Tumblr. Tumblr also pales in comparison when it comes to SEO, which is a crucial sticking point for many B2B marketers. While we are distracted by the “shiny features” that Tumblr offers, the inability to self-host, coupled with reports of frequent downtime, leaves us wary of recommending it for B2B users over WordPress for the time being. Back in December of last year, Tumblr received substantial funding, and though we’ve yet to see a real change in performance and functionality, it’s still a fun platform to explore.

And for our monthly items of note:

• Finding a Job You Will ‘Like’ – Ol’ Zuck looks to be encroaching on what would typically be thought of as LinkedIn territory with an all-Social Media job fair.
• Finally, a Facebook iPad App – Perhaps not earth-shattering news for the masses, but FB’s release of its HTML5-based iPad app reinforces the technology while delivering a long-awaited user experience to owners of the fabled slate.
• What your Facebook following is listening to – Spotify landed in the US over the summer to much consumer fanfare. Combined with similar feeds and recent updates to the Facebook layout, we are seeing the Ticker scrolling faster and faster. Is your message getting lost in the mix?

What has caught your social-savvy eye this month?