SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.

This week, we asked: What’s your reaction to the news that Facebook is preparing to offer 15-second video ads on its network?

  • Hate it: 60.26%
  • Don’t care: 21.79%
  • Not sure: 10.58%
  • Love it: 7.37%

Most SmartBrief on Social Media readers seem to hate the idea of unprompted video ads coming to Facebook. Reports hold that the ads will be muted by default, but will begin playing without users interaction. I think the decision to mute the ads is a smart one — nothing is more annoying that loading a page and being automatically bombarded with audio from a video ad you have to scroll to see or, more likely, turn off.

I suspect that readers dismay has less to do with the fact that the ads will use video, than with the prospect of yet more ads invading the Facebook experience. (read more…)

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.

This week, we asked: Would you use a two-step authentication process to secure your social media accounts if such a service were available?

  • Yes: 75.80%
  • Not sure: 14.65%
  • No: 9.55%

Recent security breaches at Twitter have certainly gotten SmartBrief on Social Media readers’ attention. But even before the Associated Press was hacked, Twitter was already working on a multifactor security solution, which should shortly be available to all users.

Security experts are uncertain, however, as to whether these kinds of security features will actually protect users from such attacks. I think readers would be wise to embrace a two-step security solution — but not rely on it. The truth is that we’re always going to be in an arms race with hackers and other malevolent Web forces. (read more…)

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.

This week, we asked: How you do feel about Twitter’s recently announced multimedia partnerships?

  • I’m unsure: 62.26%
  • I’m excited: 26.42%
  • I’m unhappy: 11.32%

Count me among the almost 6 in 10 SmartBrief on Social Media readers who aren’t yet convinced that Twitter’s multimedia content plans are a good idea. Twitter is all about bite-sized content. How does that translate to multimedia?

I applaud Twitter’s initiative in experimenting with video using Vine. But I have to say, I haven’t seen many six-second videos worth sharing so far. As a feature, it’s not totally without its uses, but it’s never going to be what people come to Twitter for.

Twitter has also recently announced a series of partnerships with traditional TV providers, such as BBC America, allowing for integration of second-screen content. (read more…)

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.

This week, we asked: Did your organization temporarily stop posting to social networks following the Boston Marathon bombing?

  • Yes: 52.94%
  • No: 47.06%

Last week saw social media at its best and its worst. Social networks helped share important information, reunited loved ones and gave people an outlet for their grief in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. But social networks were also used to spread rumors and share a variety of insensitive remarks. There’s a lot to unpack about the pitfalls and best practices for using social media in a crisis, far more than this one post can contain. So let’s focus on one area: best practices for corporate social media posts after a traumatic event.

A brand has three options when a crisis hits. They can:

  1. Keep posting your usual content as if nothing has happened.
  2. (read more…)

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues.

This week, we asked: Who controls the social media efforts at your organization?

  • Someone in the marketing department: 51.39%
  • Someone in the public relations department: 17.59%
  • No one person controls all the organization’s social media efforts: 13.43%
  • The CEO, owner or sole proprietor: 8.80%
  • Someone else within the organization: 4.63%
  • Someone outside the organization: 2.31%
  • Someone in the IT department: 1.39%
  • Someone in the sales department: 0.46%

It makes sense that a company’s social media presence would have its beginnings in the marketing or public relations departments — after all, those are the most public-facing parts of an organization. But if you look at the adoption path of any other office technology, you’ll find that no tool stays in the hands of a few people for very long. (read more…)