Social networks continue to roll out for consideration. Obviously musicians and music marketers have to decide where to draw the line on involvement but, if you're hitting the wall on new communication and marketing channels, make a note of these in case they start taking off. Microsoft's Socl just launched and has some Pinterest-type qualities that work especially well for distributing visual content. Pheed is a celebrity-driven social network that has some interesting features including paid content and event options.
Microsoft Enters With Socl
Microsoft's Socl launched to the general public this week and it's worth noting in the same way that any social product from a major corporation is worth noting. Look, there it is!
Between Apple's Ping and Google's Plus it's become pretty clear that big tech companies launching social networks can be a mixed bag. Though Google+ is picking up momentum it's never taken on that must have quality that sites like Facebook and Twitter have achieved and newer successes like Pinterest and Instagram suggest a shift away from earlier styles of social networks exemplified by Facebook.
Socl definitely follows the visual trend established by Pinterest and is a nice platform for sharing visual images. That makes it a ready candidate for setting up an account for broadcast and keeping an eye on things in case people start getting more involved or interested in that content.
Mark Hachman takes a deep dive into the Socl experience at ReadWrite.
Pheed's Fueled by Celebrities
Pheed is an interesting new social network that got a lot of press when it launched in October. It has a nice look that keeps things simple. One of the more interesting features is the ability to offer your content for a fee and to charge for live broadcasts.
Pheed is taking a celebrity-focus to fuel the site with celebs apparently on board before launch given their immediate involvement. That's a two-edged sword for musicians considering Pheed for social marketing. Celebs give it an entertainment focus but they also tend to suck the air out of the room and attract a crowd that simply wants to feed on celeb content and periodically post a quick love note to that celeb.
Pheed is worth keeping an eye on to see how things develop, particularly to see if paid content and/or events take off but it's not a must have at this point.
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
