Here are our top five social media stories in the news this week:
1. Women Take Social Media Privacy More Seriously Than Men Do
In 2011, 63% of adults reported having a profile on a social media site (up from 20% in 2006). Fifty-eight percent say they have their profile set to “private” (meaning, only approved friends can view it). Nineteen percent say friends-of-friends can view their profile and 20% say their profile is completely public.
The breakdown: Sixty-seven percent of women reported having a “private” profile, compared to 48% of men. Twenty-three percent of men opened their profile up to friends-of friends, while only 16% of women did so. Men were also more open with their profiles, with 26% having a fully public profile. Only 14% of women reported the same settings.
2. Social Media Tech Startups Scramble for Facebook Ad Opportunity
Facebook continues to encourage companies to pay for ads on their site,
essentially making them pay to use their own fans to market to new
customers.
3. How Long Do We Spend on Social Media Sites?
As expected, Facebook is the winner. The average is 405 minutes spent (over the month) on the site by a user in January 2012.
4. Careless Social Media Use May Raise Risk of Identity Fraud
With much of your personal information listed in one handy place, some are taking advantage and stealing other people’s identities. Be smart about the information you list on your social media profile and be very careful about accepting friend requests from people you don’t know. One interesting piece of advice: “…if you post about your dog using its name on Facebook, you probably shouldn’t be using your dog’s name as any sort of password.”
5. Google’s New Privacy Policy Complicates Protecting Personal Data
Google’s new privacy policy is really about making money: “Google says that a primary goal of its approach is to simplify and enhance the Google experience, including by matching users with ads that should be of greater interest to them.
For example, someone logged in to his Google e-mail account who then uses Google’s search engine to research automobiles may be on the receiving end of an e-mail or exposed to an ad alerting him to a sale at the car dealership down the block. This approach is also likely to increase revenue for Google, which makes money each time a user clicks on an ad.”
Have you heard any interesting social media stories this week? Share them with us here!
