Chrome, Extensions, Google+ & Facebook.

Anything wrong with this picture?

It's how I am now browsing the web: Google Chrome browser. A ton of Google Chrome extensions. A Google+ header. A collapsable bar of all of my bookmarks.

In reflection, it is pretty interesting. Speaks to how large a role Google and Chrome play in my web experience. And (I think) the opportunity Facebook has to influence my web experience with a toolbar / souped up extension / browser / etc. Their reach on and off Facebook is wide enough that it just makes sense.

iOS5: Apple's Web 'Reader' is Awesome. But Also a Trojan Horse for Ads?

It's been a year of chess moves between Google, Apple, Facebook and Twitter. For example, look at the last few weeks alone:- Google+ launches as Google's social effort (and its good) - iOS5 is announced with Twitter as a key integration - Facebook is rumored to be working on an HTML5 app store of sorts And is this yet another? One of iOS5's little-discussed features is the web "Reader" tool. When clicked, it converts a webpage to an optimized, stripped page for easier reading... think iBooks for the web. It's great and I find myself using it all the time.

The obvious thought is that it is a way to better integrate the web with iBooks and iTunes. But the next thought is: this is a way to boost iAds throughout the mobile web. They have stripped everything but the text / images and have created a clean reading experience with plenty of room for ad units. Strikes me as another chess move... this time directed at Google and Facebook's ad businesses.

regular page:

and using Reader:

Facebook Favorite Places

As Facebook Places ramps (via mobile, deals, etc), Facebook has started promoting Favorite Places. It is a module that asks users which Place they prefer (this or that). The two choices seems to be either Places you have checked in or have explicitly liked:

Once you vote, two new places are presented.

You have a choice to few your favorite places - which lists all of the places you voted for in an expanded window. However, it is not accessible via a webpage, tab, etc. For this to ultimately be useful, I imagine that will change - and it will effectively create some sort of social map. This seems to be a test to gather data and determine what the output can / should be.

Lots of ideas on that:

- Better page / brand recommendations - Facebook Places overlayed on a social map - Deeper mobile integration with location and notifications - Deeper Deals integration - Way to collect / share deeper data with page-owners and advertisers

Five Reasons (And Screenshots) to Not Overlook Google+

The Google+ launch has been well received and, for the most part, I have been very impressed by the product (it feels more complete, usable and social than other recent Google products). But they still have a long, long way to go to earn share from the social giant, Facebook. I am not saying that Google+ will take down Facebook (far from it), but here are five reasons not overlook it just yet. I think that Google has created something that lives between Twitter's public world and Facebook's 'private' world - and they will arrive upon interesting use-cases / audiences:

Universal, new header that extends across Google properties and their enormous reach

From the header to the search results: promotion / inclusion throughout the SERPs

Ability to create a robust contact platform - between GMail, Google+, Apps, etc

Notifications are key to engagement & retention. Google has ample opportunity to deliver notifications: email, screen real estate, etc

Mobile: we know a hefty percentage of Facebook's activity is via mobile. Google has enormous reach as well (Android, iOS, search, etc).

Also worth noting the new mobile header / cross product promotion for mobile

The Difference Between Marketing Emails & Notification Emails. Facebook & Twitter Demonstrate.

Groupon, Rue La La, Gilt Group, etc have built big businesses atop big email lists and great email marketing. Twitter has beefed up their email efforts by delivering notifications for retweets, mentions and favorites by your followers. It's a powerful engagement lever unlike anything else (except perhaps for mobile notifications). And Facebook is masterful at sending targeted emails about core engagements / activities: mentions, photo tags (so important, viral and underrated), deals, etc.

And here is a new, more generic email notification from Facebook: an alert that a friend likes a link. This is a less engaged action, for instance, than a mention, reply, or photo tag... but it begs to be clicked because: 1. it is a friend who took an action upon one of your actions, and 2. the email is intentionally broadly worded ... not much is revealed - so you want to see more

Whatever the size of your email list, you should think about email as a critical lever for driving engagement around relevant notifications. Of course, flooding users with emails will have negative consequences - but in general, if your users are active, they want to be alerted of activities related to actions they already took. That is a confusing statement - but it's important! So let me repeat and dig in:

- if your user explicitly took an action - such as post a link, favorite an article, etc - and something related to that action since occurred - users want to be alerted because it is tied to *their* actions / behaviors - this is very different, for instance, than getting product updates from the service... This is the different between marketing emails and activity emails... and users have a limited tolerance for marketing

Apple, Twitter, iOS5 and Facebook's Phone Integration (Welcomed or Not)

The more I play with Apple's iOS5, the more impressed I am with the Twitter integration.And the more aware I am of the potential impact it has on Twitter... But why isn't Facebook integrated instead or along with?

Lots of people have tried to answer this question, but perhaps the below screenshot is a partial reason.

There have been several occasions over the last week that I have misplaced a phone number and turned to the Facebook App to access the contact's number - and place the SMS / call. That's a powerful, threatening concept. And it makes sense: the majority of my contact list is now connected via my Facebook contact group. And those profiles have become complete enough that they usually include an email, phone number, etc.

Surely there is more to the conversation between Apple :: Twitter and Apple :: Facebook, but it fascinating to realize how much of your phone activity can be supplemented - or even replaced - by Facebook.

Facebook Deals Continues to Get Interesting.

I have written a fair amount about Facebook Deals and why it is interesting & worth keeping an eye on.... and it's timely as Groupon nears its IPO and Google & Amazon begin to enter the space more aggressively. On a side note: I continue to believe that Google be a leader in the space. Android + NFC + merchant / buyer market share give them several leverage points. Facebook Deals is clearly a work in progress - and it's not clear what kind of priority it is internally. However, there are signs that it could be interesting and powerful. Here is yet another reason to believe so:

1. I received the following deal via email. Remember that deals are all about email... and Facebook has the largest, most engaged email list on the web.

2. The deal directs me to the merchant's Facebook Page. This is really important. I am not being directed to Facebook.com/deals.... in fact, there is no link to get there. The integration between Pages & Deals takes advantage of:

A. the vast collection of merchants already on Facebook

B. further extends the importance of operating a Facebook Page

C. further extends the importance of driving Fans and rewarding engagement

D. connects Deals to Facebook Ads. Advertising on Facebook is more effective when it keeps users ON Facebook. This is yet another model for advertisers & merchants to make conversions work on Facebook.

Utilize the Mobile App Update Section. Examples of FourSquare, Path & Square.

Maybe I am too much of a geek, but I actually enjoy reading application version updates. I assume most people do not read them thoroughly (many do not regularly update their apps either), but it is a really simple way to communicate with users and share what's new. It is so simple to do... and yet so often forgotten.

Most app updates read something along the lines of: - "fixed crashes" - "fixed various bugs" - "app runs faster"

In fact, I've seen many that say "the free version now has ads". Yeah, that's going to make me download the update!

Here are three great examples from three great apps: Foursquare, Path and Square. I particularly like the Path update because the app underwent a significant product change... this update is their first opportunity to introduce existing users to the changes. Of course, the app experience itself should also introduce / familiarize those changes.... but this is such an easy way to get started. And because so many developers overlook it, the mere attempt to communicate changes distinguishes these apps:

Facebook Deals New Treatment: Overlaying Friends & Places.

While it is a relatively minor update, I love the new UI / treatment being used on Facebook Deals. Facebook is now overlaying your friend's names / images atop deals they have either purchased or liked. It is similar to the super-effective Facebook Facepiles. The treatment is simple, good looking and effective... after all, it adds familiarity and some urgency to the deals.

Equally important, Facebook is including the Page or Location offering the deal. You can see an example of this in the lower deal (Iron Horse Vineyards).

This is important because I believe that Facebook Deals will (or should) ultimately be a uniting force between Places, Deals, Events, Groups, and Local Ads. This is a small, small step.