Anxious to turn your phone into a Facebook Home device? The app, which was due out today, still hasn’t hit Google Play. But it’s coming, Facebook reassures. NOTE: IT’S NOW LIVE, SEE Facebook Home Arrives On Google Play The Facebook Home site lists it as available for download, pointing here at the Google Play app store. Apparently, reports were that it was available to a few people for a limited time. But that URL now consistently generates an error. I asked Facebook what the situation was, and was told: You can expect to start seeing the download in the Play Store in the next few hours. Thanks! So, if you’re wanting the app, hang in there. It should be out shortly. There looks to be pretty good demand for it, given that it’s already a suggested term on Google Play, which means people have been searching for it in volume: The app should work for those in the US who have at least these phones: HTC One X HTC One X+ Samsung Galaxy S … [Read more...] about Facebook Home App Due Out On Google Play
Facebook home page
Yahoos Newly Redesigned Home Page Drops Flickr & Purple Logo
Business Insider has a screen capture of the reportedly soon to be released new Yahoo home page under Marissa Mayer’s new lead as CEO. Overall, I find the new look to be cleaner, tighter and a bit more organized. But one glaring omission is featuring Flickr on the options on the left. It was listed as the fourth option from the top and now it seems to be buried under the “more” option – at best. In addition, you can see that the logo is white on a blue background, removing Yahoo’s branded purple color from their Yahoo! logo. Before Screen Shot: As you can see, the changes are not huge but things do seem a lot cleaner and more organized. The search bar is more prominent, the logo is smaller and no longer Yahoo’s purple color that they’ve used over the past few years. Items are moved around a bit, news items are changed, the search button is a magnifying glass and some other changes. Many Flickr devotees are hoping that Marissa Mayer … [Read more...] about Yahoos Newly Redesigned Home Page Drops Flickr & Purple Logo
Move Over Search Box, Google’s Home Page Gets A Share Box
If you still don’t get how much Google is behind ensuring Google+ gets everything it needs to succeed, consider the screenshot below, showing how for the first time ever, Google’s home page now lets you do something other than search. You can share. Social is now coequal with search. Search, Meet Share OK, perhaps the coequal part is up for debate. After all, the search box remains the largest part of the page. But the new share box is pretty noticeable, showing up in the top right corner of the page: Until now, Google’s home page has never allowed you to directly do anything other than search. Navigation links leading to other Google services have long been a feature. But they took you away from the home page to do your business. Even when Google rolled out its iGoogle personalized home page, widgets for that weren’t allowed to touch the main and “pure” search page that people would see. Google has used its home page to promote products, … [Read more...] about Move Over Search Box, Google’s Home Page Gets A Share Box
Bing Terminates Relationship With Publisher Doing Tricky Home Page Switch
Is Facebook’s third largest advertiser really a site that tries to trick people into switching to Bing? Apparently not. Still, Bing’s not happy with the tactics and is ending its relationship with the publisher. The site, Make-My-Baby.com, now appears to have gone down. But earlier today, it was suggesting that people needed a plug-in to use it — one that would install a toolbar and change their search provider and home page to Bing. The site had allowed people to create baby characters. Not Facebook’s 3rd Biggest Advertiser An Ad Age article suggests that Make-My-Baby is Facebook’s third largest advertiser, based on a comScore report. But comScore tells me this isn’t so. “Make-my-baby was not one of the top advertisers on Facebook,” emailed spokesperson Andrew Lipsman. Postscript (2:40ET): Facebook also tells me that Make My Baby isn’t an advertiser at all. From an email that spokesperson Brandon McCormick sent: Not only is … [Read more...] about Bing Terminates Relationship With Publisher Doing Tricky Home Page Switch
14 Ways Facebook Homes In On Local Search
With the announcement of Facebook Home, Facebook has pushed the accelerator on its local mobile strategy, which was already in high gear, thanks to Facebook Local Search and its big brother, Facebook Graph Search. By the end of 2013, I expect the social media giant to further strengthen its hold as the #2 local search app; so, it might behoove local marketers to get a handle on exactly how their businesses are showing up in Facebook these days. There are numerous ways that local business data makes it into Facebook, including: “Link” buttons on local business sites “Share on Facebook” buttons from local review sites, local deal sites and other business directories Check-in apps Location data attached to images (e.g., from Instagram) Bing Local (Bing provides the default Web search on Facebook) Neustar Localeze (provider of the base US business listings data for Facebook Local Search & Facebook Place Pages) Business owners adding their own data So, make … [Read more...] about 14 Ways Facebook Homes In On Local Search