The second half of 2010 saw the launch of Google’s Hotpot, a reaction to Facebook’s own location-based social network “Places”, in turn a reaction to the trail blazed by Foursquare. Both companies seemed to be taking a leaf out of the other’s book – Google adding a social element to their search engine and Facebook adding a business element to their social networking site. This post is not related to anything as trivial as a Harry Hill style “which is better…FIGHT!!!” scenario; my interest is purely in the ever changing search environment and how both companies are edging towards a middle ground of ‘social search’, and the inevitability of search becoming a far more  personalised, social activity.

So, first things first; what are Hotpot and Places? Let’s start with Facebook Places.

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So much of what is written about social media is aimed at or references a corporate/enterprise market. Often for small businesses it is very difficult to see how these tales of brand engagement and social media strategies really apply to them. So this post is an attempt to demystify social media a little by using as an example musicians and bands who talk directly to their fans through online platforms. Of course, not all of them do. Record companies handle a lot of it these days while many bands are virtually silent. I’m not talking about them. Instead, I’m taking the likes of The Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, 50 Cent (yes, even 50 Cent) and older bands like The Levellers as examples; artists who are using differing techniques or platforms, to in some way engage with their fanbase via the internet.

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