A Week In Digital
Facebook adopts ‘panic button’
Facebook this week deployed a panic button on its site in order to combat cyberbullying and online abuse. This comes after Facebook had pressure placed on it by the mother of murdered UK teenager Ashleigh Hall to install some kind of tool to protect young people from sexual predators. Facebook initially resisted, but apparently agreed after 44 police chiefs signed a petition in aid of the tool.
YouTube aims to take over television
While they already lead the market in online and mobile, YouTube have launched a new product called LeanBack which picks out high-definition clips and automatically serves up a constant stream of one video after another based on a viewers’ likes and dislikes. This diet of video becomes more personalised as users do not have to think about what they want to see next or click on the website every few minutes.
Google Maps gets URL shortener
Google Maps has solved the problem users have been facing of extremely lengthy web addresses that made passing them on to friends rather difficult by creating a new feature which shortens Maps URLs – they are now being hosted at Goo.gl and will be handy for sharing links on the likes of Twitter where character space is at a minimum.
Over 5 billion mobile phone connections worldwide
More than a billion mobile phone connections have been added to the global tally in just 18 months, according to Wireless Intelligence, making it the most prolific consumer device on the planet.
There are now more than five billion connections worldwide and in many regions, penetration exceeds 100%, where there is more than one connection per person in the country – proving what we know already – that mobile is something we should be taking very seriously.
Mysterious chicken drumsticks internet viral
This week people have uncovered a mysterious internet viral which nobody really understands the meaning of. When people type the numbers 2204355 into Google and hit the I’m Feeling Lucky button, they are treated to a video of a man dancing with chicken drumsticks. The viral has generated interest worldwide - a Facebook group has started and the URL has been secured. Is this the future for brands and guerrilla marketing?
