Google launches social search ‘Search plus Your World’

Here at Rocktime we’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about Google+, reviewing the benefits of Google+ for businesses , the best practice use of Google+ and the current market and consumer trends that make the introduction of Google+ so attractive in terms of engaging on this social channel.

Kicking off 2012 with a bang, this month Google rolled out a brand new mode for its search results called ‘Search plus Your World’ (SPYW for short).

So what does this actually entail? As explained on the Google Inside Search page, if you’re logged into your Google+ account, you’ll now receive personal search results including photos from friends (and yourself!), content from circles, G+ profiles and related people and pages.

What does this mean for businesses and brands?

Google says that generic search results are less meaningful than content that is personally relevant. With SPYW this translates into friends and followers on Google+; which now has an astounding 62 million registered users. Google+ is on track to reach 400 million users by the end of 2012. If ever there was a time to psych yourself up and put together that Google+ page that’s been languishing for months, now is the moment! We’ve talked before about how interesting circles and ripples could prove to be with G+, and now it looks like it can pay off in terms of spreading your name and in search engine results as well. These changes are a step closer to full ‘social content integration into search results’. Google is giving priority to G+ content over Facebook, Twitter and blogs etc.

Unsurprisingly, not everyone is thrilled by this announcement, and you can imagine why. Twitter especially has been quite vocal about their opinion. And you can understand why companies like Facebook and Twitter would be worried; though whether this new approach to search has the power to truly shake things up remains to be seen.

Social is not about a specific social network, product, or channel anymore; it is about people, their conversations, and the insights these reveal. We’ve moved from channelled experiences and brand-controlled messages to empowered consumers in a channel-neutral marketplace. Just as we may take notice of a trend on twitter, do a search on Google, then watch a video on YouTube, check out the reviews on our mobile in our lunch break, tell our friends on Facebook, and then contact the company via their website; this can also all go on within Google+.

If you want to get develop a strategy for the Google+ channel and Search plus Your World, why not get in contact with the Rocktime Sales team
We have been helping clients to engage on the social networks for four years. Our maxim in 2009 was ‘Listen Learn Engage’, then in 2011 it evolved to ‘Inform Inspire Interact’, now in 2012, with the innovations in Google+ our maxim has evolved yet again to ‘Reach Impact Influence’. You are welcome to discuss with Flashlight, our Search Marketing Team at Rocktime, what advantages we could help bring to your business through social search (social media and search engine marketing)..



Author: Fiona Anderson & Alice Cheetham

Geek Video of the Month

Oh how exciting! It’s 2012 and what better way to start the year then; one of the world’s largest tech shows? Well ok, it might not be for everyone, but 9th of January saw the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas. The three day event draws 1,000’s of journalists and enthusiasts to see what technology the new year brings, with companies such as Samsung, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to name but a few.

Why not take a look over the highlights of the show this year, from tablets to TV’s and laptops to smartphones and gadgets galore.


Author: Alice Cheetham

Social Media Crisis Management

The Flashlight Search Marketing Team at Rocktime Digital Agency work with a number of our clients advising them how to respond in social media. Working with the client we talk about the types of negative customers who can contact your company via social media such as: the unhappy customer, the misguided twitter follower, the all time negative poster.

We help our clients understand how to access, evaluate and respond to negative comments and on some rare occasions how to report the negative commentators. During social media crisis management the objective will be to rectify the situation and act upon a reasonable solution as soon as possible.

We will also ask our clients to consider sharing negative stories with others to show that they are eager to improve service. Being honest, open and authentic in social media is crucial for effective communications. Should you wish to find out more about social media management please call in and talk to Rocktime Sales about the search marketing team's experience and how they can assist your organisation in monitoring your customers social media communications. The Flashlight Search Marketing team would be happy to work with your organisation, creating a flowchart to advise how to “assess, evaluate and respond” to circumstances as they present themselves.


Author: Sarah Griffiths

The winning Geek Video of 2011 is...

Our regular readers will know that each month we share with you our 'Geek Video' of the month. Each month videos are submitted to me, by the technical team, or clients and a monthly winner is chosen.

Without further ado, drum roll please!
Our top Geek Video for 2011 is...

The EXODesk! Featured in our December Geek Video of the Month. Sadly Santa didn’t bring me one for Christmas this year, but maybe next time.

Our highlights and runners up include this demonstration of some cool science with Quantum Levitation from November, and this fantastic infographic by Digital Life, on the future of digital from June.

Why not check out some of our previous Geek Videos and pick out some favourites yourself.

If you come across anything interesting, or find a Geek Video you think is worth featuring, why not let us know.


Author: Alice Cheetham

Tech Trends of 2012

Happy New Year readers, hope you all had a lovely Christmas break.

We thought to share with you some of the best posts we have spotted on the WWW about tech trends people expect to emerge in 2012, enjoy:

Five tech trends to watch in 2012 from Mashable

Five key marketing trends for 2012: Are you being served, from Econsultancy

Ten tech trends that will be big in 2012 from Pocket-lint

Tech trends for 2012 Video from Reuters TV

We will also be joining in conversations with the IEEE (the world’s largest technical professional association) Facebook page next week as they will be posting news from the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and providing updates in the form of video interviews with IEEE experts about the top consumer electronics trends in 2012.

Our Technical Manager, Andy, also pointed out a few personal top items to keep an eye on;

• The increasing use of NFC as it becomes available in more mobile devices. This has many uses including sharing web addresses from posters or paying for items with a “wave” of your mobile.
• Glasses-free 3D TV which will be shown as CES.
• More mobile focused sites using frameworks such as JQuery Mobile, Kendo UI Mobile and responsive design.
• 4G mobile network

If you have spotted any further posts on technical trends that you would like to share with us, feel free to leave a comment below.

In summary: 2012 seeks to be a rather exciting year with more emphasis on sophistication on the tools we currently use. The Rocktime team are most excited about mobile-social opportunities for our clients, as well as increasing collaborations with niche communities and gaining access to a whole lot of channel data.

Integrated Digital Marketing campaigns with a targeted focus is a must to achieve true ROI. As a team, along with sharing updates on our activities, we are looking forward to sharing further insights with you on further technical trends, devise use, channel strategies and ROI this year, watch this space.


Author: Sarah Griffiths