One Week: Facebook's FB.me and Google's Goo.gl

I wrote on Saturday that Facebook had rolled out a new URL shortener, FB.me (covered on InsideFacebook here):

Today, Google announced their own shortener: Goo.gl. Interestingly, it is available only on the Google Toolbar, as a Chrome extension and with Feedburner.

Like Facebook, it is clearly a move into penetrating the real-time web and its culture of sharing / clicking. It is also a way to determine trending and velocity while delivering analytics to publishers, users and brands.

And as it pertains to brands, it will be interesting to watch whether brand plays a role with URL shorteners... or whether success is a function of in-application / in-site availability (for instance, all things being equal, FB.me should win on Facebook). The real battle will be for off-domain activity - Google's toolbar is a powerful tool here and Facebook Connect could / should play a key role as well. As TechCrunch notes, off-site scale matters:

Up until now, bit.ly has moved quickly to become the standard shortener. But the sheer volume of short links which both Facebook and Google can produce could soon overwhelm the number of bit.ly links. It’s the data behind the links, however, which is valuable. Whoever can gather the most unified view of all shortened links will end up winning.

How long before Twitter announces their shortener?

Facebook Rolls Out FB.me URL Shortener

I have noticed that mobile alerts from Facebook have shifted from m.facebook.com to fb.me URLs. While it certainly creates a cleaner URL, it will be interesting to see if this is a step towards other larger initiatives:

- user analytics / fan page data - integration with feed posting and FB Share - focus on 'notes' and external link sharing - Facebook Connect integration (?)

And, based on the above opportunities, it will be interesting to see how (if at all) this impacts folks like Bit.ly (who have become prevalent on Facebook after dominating Twitter).

Dynamic Twitter Results Now Appearing Within Google SERPs

This is my first time seeing Twitter results integrated within a Google search results page. The below query is for "Windows 7" and you will notice a dynamic Twitter 'widget' in-line with other results. The unit scrolls automatically through the most current Twitter results for that query.

Like the recent Chrome Extensions, this is lightweight, minimalist and is visually very clean... in fact, it is so clean and flush within the standard search results, that it is almost confusing. The widget's animation is what visually separated the Twitter results from the web results.

When you click see all results, you arrive at a full-page Twitter search results page. It looks and behaves similarly to the in-page unit - though it is cleaner and includes Twitter user-icons.

The Bit.ly Google Chrome Extension Is Also Awesome

I just raved about Google Chrome extensions and, in particular, the Brizzly extension. Well the Bit.ly Chrome extension is also great:

Once the extension is installed, it allows you to easily post to Bitly and access analytics (much like the bookmarklet I have written about)... but the other feature is the seamless inline preview of the URL.

The below screenshot captures a hover on a Bit.ly URL with high-level metrics (total clicks) and links to deeper information. Like Chrome and the other tested extensions, this is lightweight, fast and simple:

Chrome Releases Extensions, Including Brizzly (Both are Awesome)

Google Chrome has released their "Chrome Extensions" library with nearly 400 functional extensions... and, just like the browser, the extensions are light weight, functional and great looking (the icons animate, have gloss, and so forth). From installation to interaction, the extensions continue to separate Chrome from Firefox in speed and experience. Of course the inventory of Firefox extensions is large, but Chrome will get get there and the initial launch has content from Gmail, Bit.ly, Google Tasks / Calendar, eBay, Brizzly, etc.

For Twitter and Facebook fans, try the Brizzly extension. You can easily post and read content within the window. The user experience replicates that on Brizzly.com (such as inline media)... all from a lightweight extension atop the browser:

Facebook Fan Pages Now Available for Google Search / SEO

A relatively major announcement came out at the end of today's Google Search Event - Marissa Mayer announced that Google will receive real-time access from Facebook Fan Page updates:

“Facebook will be providing us with a feed of updates from public profile pages, also known as Facebook pages,” says Mayer (more on TechCrunch).

This is a significant move for:

- Google, who receives unique and valuable real-time content... that is tied to branded search terms - Brands, who should see increased traffic to their fan pages... and consequently be able to attract larger audiences (ie 'fans') - Facebook, who should see an increase in their SEO traffic much like the vanity URLs they recently introduced

For brands and marketers, this means that Facebook updates should be crafted in ways that are conscious of consumers both on-Facebook (ie their fans) and off-Facebook (conducting searches on Google).... just as they do while crafting blog titles, Twitter posts, and so forth.

It is also worth noting that this is a continued SEO effort by Facebook: vanity URLs, widgets, badges, etc. Certainly there are other compelling reasons (product, strategy, etc) behind these products... but SEO must be one of them!

Learning from Expresso Fitness: Make the Workout Interactive & Social

As an athlete and sports-enthusiast, I am disappointed by the news that Expresso Fitness is "turning out the lights" (according to the Wall Street Journal). Expresso makes interactive, web-connected stationary bikes for high end gyms. The machines monitor your workout while having you compete against the computer and/or other bikers on interactive courses. All of your activity is monitored, logged and available through the web-based system. I have logged hundreds of miles on these machines and, from a consumer perspective, I love the products... and I'm not alone, they usually have members lined-up waiting to use them. The trouble of course is that they are expensive to produce and expensive for the gyms to purchase / maintain (which is in part why there is usually a line - there is short supply). For full utility, they also need to be connected to the web (many gyms simply do not have this capability - even higher-end gyms).

I do believe there are opportunities in the sporting world (Athletes' Performance is a Polaris company and beRecruited's userbase and business are growing terrificly). While Expresso Fitness itself may not be the answer, I applaud them for:

- adding connectivity and interaction to the workout - it improves the actual workout and incents activity

- adding social to the gym - from contests to online activity, social 'game mechanics' make working out more enjoyable and consequently more effective. Brands like Athlete's Performance, Core Performance, and p90x understand this and are doing it in their own unique way

- adding analytics to workout - I love data - from the web to my golf game to my Facebook usage... data makes any routine more effective and productive

Google Acquires AppJet (Creators of Etherpad) - Congratulations!

Dogpatch Labs resident Appjet - makers of the the collaborative, realtime document editor EtherPad - has been acquired by Google. As announced on their blog, AppJet will be joining the Google Wave team and "the EtherPad team will continue its work on realtime collaboration." Congratulations to the entire team!

Etherpad is a unique product and an engineering feat: it allows "really real-time" collaboration where users can create, edit and converse in documents at the same time. The applications are obvious and range from education to note taking (several Dogpatch Labs events were covered via Etherpad) to product planning (used during the Rails Rumble competition).

The fit within Google - and particularly with Wave - is natural: according to Techcrunch, "The two products share some overlapping features, but AppJet has built technology that can be deployed behind company firewalls. If Google ever decides to roll out Wave as an enterprise product, which seems logical, this technology and the team’s experience could prove valuable."

The Etherpad team is excellent and comprised of a cluster of ex-Googlers: CEO Aaron Iba, CTO J.D. Zamfirescu, and COO Daniel Clemens. They are sharp, savvy, hard working (an understatement) and highly collaborative with other entrepreneurs. They will be missed around Dogpatch Labs - but they will certainly add great value to Google and the Wave product.

a comment on TechCrunch's initial article... from another Dogpatch Labs resident:

More coverage: TechCrunch: Confirmed: Google Acquires AppJet, The Maker Of EtherPad Venturebeat: Google acquires AppJet. Maybe Wave will become usable now GigaOm: Google Buys EtherPad Maker for Google Wave

Dunkin Donuts Uses Maurice to Drive Facebook Tab Clicks

So much of the best content on branded Facebook Fan Pages is within custom tabs - which most fans fail to recognize and click. Dunkin Donuts (who always does a great job with their social media campaigns) has a clever solution: use the Facebook logo to drive viewers / fans to the click the special tab.

Facebook now allows users to use large, skyscraper-esque icons... allowing brands to creatively insert specific messaging. Facebook automatically crops the top section of the graphic into the 'feed icon' (which is why the Dunkin Donuts logo is prominently placed at the top). Dunkin uses the remaining space to insert marketing messages and offers - currently that includes the "Maurice" character - but typically it is reserved for promoting the Dunkin Donuts "Fan of the Week" (users are entered by uploading unique photos of themselves drinking Dunkin coffee).

There are lots of possibilities - but this particular example is a clever way to drive usage of their custom tab while also spotlighting fans to their 960,000 Facebook fans... a unique, ego-satisfying contest!

The "Meet Mauirce Tab":