Everything Amazon Owns
Beyond Social Media Show, Episode 275
BL and David discuss the astounding array of businesses Amazon owns; the Area 51 search for aliens joke that 400,000 people have signed up for; major updates to Google My Business; how Pittsburgh helped power the first US Moon Landing; Pinterest adds videos; Shoelace is Google’s latest attempt at building a social network; a hilarious parody influencer apology video; Ikea’s new Soffa Sans typeface; using text messages to solicit local reviews; dangerous dongles and much, much more.
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Best Digital Cases
Trolling for Aliens
It’s a joke, but that hasn’t stopped 400,000 people from signing up for a Facebook event to raid Area 51 in search of aliens on Sept 20.
- Trolls and True Believers Sign Up to Raid Area 51 to See Aliens
- Facebook event: Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us – Hosted by Shitposting cause im in shambles
Google My Business Upgraded
Google began rolling out features in Google My Business to help businesses promote quality services and make their profiles on the site unique and descriptive.
- Google My Business Profiles Upgraded, Quality Becomes Mandatory
- Google My Business adds more branding tools, introduces searchable @shortnames
Pittsburg Goes to the Moon
Google Arts and Culture and Heinz History Center team up to mark the 50th anniversary of the American moon landing with a multi-media exhibit.
- Google Arts & Culture: Pittsburgh Goes to the Moon
- Smithsonian Screening: The Day We Walked on the Moon
- Google Arts & Culture
Pinterest Video
Businesses on the platform will now have a dedicated tab for video content, an updated video uploader and more.
- Pinterest unveils new video capabilities for brands
- More ways to discover inspiring video on Pinterest
Influencer Apology Video Costume
Brilliant parody.
Google’s Taking Another Shot at a Social Network
Google has a beta of Shoelace, an invitation-only hyperlocal mobile social network for people who want to find others to join them in activities like sports and attending shows.
Soffa Sans
Ikea releases free ‘Soffa Sans’ font made of couches.
- IKEA releases free ‘Soffa Sans’ font made of couches
- Episode 31: IKEA Social Crowdsourcing Catalog on Instagram
- Episode 43: IKEA Popup Store on Train
- Episode 58: IKEA Holds Sleepover for 100 in UK Warehouse
- Episode 66: IKEA’s Motivational Mirror
- Episode 119: IKEA’s The Other Letter Commercial
- Episode 270: IKEA Recreates Famous Living Rooms
YouTube Giving Moves Out of Beta
A new way for nonprofits to raise money, YouTube Giving features include Fundraisers, Community Fundraisers, Campaign Matching and Super Chat for Good.
- How to donate to a nonprofit on YouTube
- How nonprofits can raise money on YouTube
- YouTube Social Impact Website
- Activate your nonprofit on YouTube
Text Message Reviews
TGK Automotive of Chanhassen, Minnesota has a clever local marketing strategy.
Worst Digital Cases
Everything Amazon Owns
Few corners of retail are untouched by Amazon. You’ll be amazed by Buzzfeed’s list of the scope of businesses, brands and subsidiaries owned by Amazon.
- These Are All the Businesses You Never Knew Were Owned by Amazon
- Amazon plans nationwide broadband—with both home and mobile service
Dangerous Dongles
Mousejacking is still a thing.
Quote of the Week
Shiny New Stuff
Netflix at Work
Netflix at Work is a new Chrome extension that lets you watch Netflix at work by faking that you’re on a conference call.
- Netflix at Work Chrome Extension
- This Chrome extension lets you disguise Netflix as a Hangout to slack off at work
- Netflix Hangouts
Sign Generator
AddLetters lets you create your own custom message with refrigerator magnet letters, as graffiti on a brick wall, as a ransom note and much more.
Surround For Brackets
An extension for the Brackets code editor that lets you easily wrap a set of tags around a chunk of code.
- Surround for Brackets
- Episode 188: Brackets Code Editing Software
Politics
The Graphic Novelization Of The Mueller Report
Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden collaborated with Archer illustrator Chad Hurd to bring the Mueller Report to life.
- We hired the author of ‘Black Hawk Down’ and an illustrator from ‘Archer’ to adapt the Mueller report so you’ll actually read it
- Episode 274: Stars Read The Mueller Report
Pro Tips
You can add videos to your Google My Business listing
Videos need to be:
- Up to 30 seconds long
- Up to 100MB in size
- 720p or higher
You’ll need to make sure your video is taken at your place of work and relates to your business, otherwise, it will be removed by Google.
Optimizing your Google My Business listing is a simple process that will have a positive effect on your SEO. However, many local businesses overlook the opportunity.
Email List Growth Tactic
Attract your target audience with compelling content, offer a content upgrade to subscribe, reinforce their excitement, and draw them further into your site from the subscription confirmation page.
The Daily Numbers
