Facebook looks for the next wave of shared content
Fitness, books and movies will form the backbone of shareable content this year, Facebook's Dan Rose said at the All Things D conference. Tools exist for users to share their media consumption and activities, and more such tools are likely on the way from TV providers, he said. Adweek (2/12)
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LinkedIn-owned tool lets e-mail marketers watch the action
LinkedIn-owned SlideShare is unveiling a content analytics tool called Send Tracker that allows e-mail marketers to "watch" customers interact with content. "Users receive a real-time notification via email when recipients look at the content. It records how much time the person spent on each page and whether they clicked or copied the content," writes Laurie Sullivan. Similarly, Switch offers a Switch Mobile reporting tool geared toward real-time tracking of experiential marketing campaigns. ZDNet (2/12), MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (2/12)
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Social networking is going local
Companies such as Nextdoor and Topix are helping people find lost pets, discuss neighborhood crime levels and stay abreast of local news and events, Ryan Tate writes. "[T]he capitalists behind global social networking at scale now see some potential in putting next-door neighbors in touch with one another," Tate writes. Wired.com (2/12)
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Ideas in Action

The decline and fall of Saga Zone
Saga has pulled the plug on Saga Zone, its social network for users 50 and older, after the site was overwhelmed with inappropriate and offensive content. "An online free-for-all might be alright for other social networks such as Twitter but expectations are different when there is the Saga logo in the top right-hand corner," spokesman Paul Green says. The Drum (Glasgow, Scotland) (2/13)
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Research and Reports

CEOs warm to social media, but mostly as passive users
About 71% of CEOs say they use social media as part of their professional lives, according to a study by The Conference Board and the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University. Many executives said they use social media passively, reading others' posts rather than publishing content of their own, although Twitter proved to be the exception to that rule, the study says. MIT Sloan Management Review online (2/12)
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SmartPulse

Are you concerned about social media fatigue among your fan base?

Yes	59.66%
No	40.34%

Should you be worried about social media fatigue?: Brands that focus on word-of-mouth marketing targeted at influencers and multichannel efforts that lure fans with clear incentives will find their social media efforts remain relevant to users, SmartBrief's Jesse Stanchak writes. "If you do a better job of adjusting to compensate, it could even be a good thing for your brand, as your confused competitors get left in your wake," Stanchak writes in SmartBrief's SmartBlog on Social Media.

Do you use a dashboard to manage your social media content? 

Yes

No

The Takeaway

Why social media marketers are saying no to social dashboards
Social media marketers are spurning social-marketing dashboards in favor of publishing each Facebook or Twitter post by hand, just like regular users, Tim Peterson writes. That "artisanal" approach can help marketers humanize their content and avoid overly sanitized or standardized content. "We've learned it's totally acceptable for content not to be Hollywood-polished," says Michael Kelly of Red Vines. Adweek (2/12)
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Social Shareable

Is it a dragon? Is it a dinosaur? No, it's a fake
In the 1690s, an Italian engineer produced the remains of a dragon that he claimed to have trapped and killed. Some believe the bizarre, impressively winged specimen may have been a pterosaur, but scientists say that it was likely a fake concocted from parts of a bear, fish and dogs. New Scientist/Short Sharp Science blog (2/7)
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Editor's Note

Your SmartBrief has a new look
Noticed a change? SmartBrief on Social Media has the same valuable content but with a reworked design to make reading and sharing stories easier, especially on mobile devices. Have feedback on the change? Send it our way!
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SmartQuote

Brands need to be acting more and more like people." -- Chris Tuff of 22squared, as quoted by Adweek Share: