SOCIAL MEDIA INSIGHTS: These Are The Six Most-Discussed Topics On Social Media Right Now

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The Most Discussed Topics On Social Media (Prollie)
Analyzing more than 5,000 social media accounts in the U.S. from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Tumblr, Prollie looked at the six most frequently posted and shared topics right now. Technology and social media took the top billing, closely followed by food, drink and travel. Movies and television was in third place. Prollie found that searches also tended to cluster around these topics. Top niche passions being discussed on social media recently include surfing, classical music, and surprisingly — the island of Nantucket. Check It Out >

Google Makes Play In Messaging Space (The Verge)
Google fixed its messaging fragmentation problem on Wednesday, releasing Hangouts, which fuses Gmail and G+ Chat into a cross-platform text and group video messaging app. Although late to the game, over-the-top messenger apps are hot right now; people sent more messages using chat apps than SMS in April, all while Google sat on the sidelines. Read >

Google+ Undergoes Redesign With 41 New Features (Sprout Social)
Google's social network, Google+, looks a whole lot different starting today. The new design is responsive and will adjust to different screen sizes. As social media usage grows on mobile devices, this feature has become a requirement for any self-respecting site. The social network also has a new multi-column layout with lots of customization options. The new look certainly has a Pinterest-inspired feel to it. This is a big change for the network's 390 million monthly active users. Read >

Organic Posting Is Most Popular Social Media Ad Tactic But Not The Most Successful (Kenshoo Social)
According to a recent survey, 73% of paid social advertisers have posted on branded pages, which they don't have to pay for. Meanwhile, 56% have bought social media ads, and 40% have paid to promote content. That said, advertisers who were most pleased with their results were those who utilized promoted content to drive awareness. Read >

6 Takeaways From One Company's Social Media Meltdown (Forbes)
When you need a reminder of what not to do on social media, just remember Amy's Baking Company. The boutique bakery, which is notorious for attacking its customers on Yelp who post negative reviews, completely tarnished its reputation this week when it took to Facebook to spew curses and taunts at its followers. In light of this PR hara-kiri, Forbes shares six takeaways so you can avoid a similar fate. Read >

Twitter Reveals Tips For Highly Effective Tweets (Twitter)
Twitter analyzed 20,000 promoted tweets randomly sampled from a three-month period to discover four findings about effective call to actions. Basically, it seems, all you have to do is ask.

Ask for a download. Explicitly asking people to download accompanied by a link increases URL clicks by an average of 13%.

Ask for a Retweet. Explicitly asking people to retweet increases retweets by an average of 311%.

Ask for a follow. Explicitly asking for a follow increases followers by an average of 258%.

Ask for a reply. Explicitly asking for a reply increased replies by an average of 334%.

Balancing Social Media Risk and Employee Policies (Law.com)
Social media is establishing a new precedent in law. In today's world where every employee — from the loading dock to the C-suite — is connected to social media, employers need to clearly articulate their expectations for appropriate sharing of company information. The key message here is to identify social media restrictions and reinforce the policy. Read >

How Social Media Can Make Or Break Professional Athletes (ESPN)
An athlete's social media presence has become so important in valuing a their marketability, that it could someday be viewed as important as a player's physical stats, theorizes ESPN. Similar to how businesses need to control the conversation around their brand on social media, professional athletes need to control their image. Read >