HootSuite blog – Social Media Dashboard

Last week, HootSuite released a version for Android – Google’s open mobile platform. It turned out so well that now HootSuite has acquired the company behind the development of this Twitter client – Swift App.

This acquisition is indicative of HootSuite’s support of this open source platform which is now available on dozens of different handsets by manufacturers organized under the Open Handset Alliance.

Consider reading the whole press release to see the quote from the CEO and more breakdown on reasons for the deal: HootSuite Acquires Android Developer Swift App.

Swift, Lightweight and Cute

Swift App was helmed by ace mobile developer Sebastian Delmot @sd who will assist HootSuite in further development as a mobile adviser. He previewed the news to his band of enthusiastic followers saying:

“NEWS FLASH: @swiftapp has partnered with @HootSuite and it’s now “HootSuite for Android”. More info at http://hootsuite.com/android.”

Plus he celebrated the released by issuing a “Cute Alert” for the”Robots Need Love” video featuring music by @DanManganMusic and assured his followers that his the app is in good hands.

Android Flashback

Like HootSuite iPhone, HootSuite Android features multiple Twitter accounts, message scheduling, realtime search, keyword tracking and on-board statistics in the Full version. HootSuite will continue to evolve the app with Facebook integration on the docket.

You likely caught the Android/iPhone “Pygmy Owl” release news roundup post with dozens of pundits chiming in about the release including Mashable, TechCrunch, GigaOm, Leo Laporte, Robert Scoble, and ReadWriteWeb, along with dozens more including many Android specific news outlets (see even more via the HootSuite Delicious stream).

Know your Robots

The Android open source mobile platform is now available on handsets from a variety of manufacturers members of the Open Handset Alliance who have produced phones such as the Motorola Droid or Google’s own Nexus One manufactured by HTC. The software is open source under an Apache license meaning that vendors can add proprietary extensions without submitting those back to the open source community.

In case you aren’t overwhelmed by all the news coming from HootSuite HQ – including Foursqaure and MySpace launch – here’s a dossier of info and articles about the Android mobile platform plus discussion about industry trends and market share:

Android Market: http://www.android.com/market/

Open Handset Alliance: http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/

Android (OS): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)

Android (list of devices): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices

Swift App: http://www.swift-app.com/

“The importance of HootSuite’s Android app” Kristen Nicole, Appolicious

“The Android app from HootSuite is significant, however, as it expands the company’s reach and validates the launching of multiple versions of a single mobile app.  As Google’s mobile platform, Android continues to gain market share, and offer itself as a viable alternative to the iTunes App Store.  With adoption for Android devices increasing, so too does the need to have a single mobile app on multiple mobile platforms.”

HootSuite releases Android Twitter app because “Robots Need Love, Too” by Andrew Kameka, Androinica

“Desktop Twitter client HootSuite has made the jump to mobile with a new app for Android. It seems Android Twitter apps are born faster than the average American birth rate, but HootSuite has the brand recognition to carve its own lane as “the professional Twitter client” geared towards people who need analytics and other business-centered features.”

Andrew also share the QR codes – thanks for that.

Computer World – Seth Weintraub

In October, 2009, Gartner Inc. predicted that by 2012, Android would become the world’s second most popular smartphone platform, behind only the Symbian OS, which powers Nokia phones and is very popular outside the US. Meanwhile, BlackBerry would fall from 2nd to 5th place, iPhone would remain in 3rd place, and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile would remain in 4th place.[90] Taiwan’s Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) predicted that in 2013, 31.8 million Android phones and 126 million Android-based portable products would ship.[91]

Analytics firm Flurry estimates that 250,000 Motorola Droid phones were sold in the United States during the phone’s first week in stores.[92]

“In the last month the iPhone has lost 3.2% of its marketshare compared with RIM and Android both gaining considerably.   This isn’t just a monthly blip either, at least with regards to Android.    Google’s phone market has grown 44% over the past quarter and almost doubled over the past year while the iPhone has lost around 5% and 10% of the overall market over those same periods.”

hootsuite news acquisition, android, HootSuite, mobile, news, phone, swift

The web is full of clever money making ideas, and NYC model Tanaya adds another to the mix with “She Wears Your Tee“. Basically, she sells a promotional service based on the humble t-shirt — and her ability to look good wearing it:

Companies such as L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, and Lucky Jeans have hired me for thousands of dollars a day to help promote their brands but I am offering my services to you for a fraction of that cost.

Interesting to see the parade of web companies using her promotional services already – the days are selling out and she’s a better “ad” than Chris Pirillo’s chest.

NYC Fashion Model Tanaya wear Shirts for fun and profit

Lucky for us, Tanaya is a HootSuite user. Hence, she offered a true assessment of our contribution to the social web in her January 23, 2010: Hootsuite “release”:

Hootsuite is a great tool for Twitter users. Hootsuite allows you to manage and track links, auto-shorten, have multiple accounts, and even pull data. Hootsuite supports Facebook, Twitter, and more. You can even schedule tweets to go live at a later time! Get Hootsuite at http://www.hootsuite.com, and make sure to get the iPhone app as well.

xoxo, t

How it works:

Go to my calendar, find the day that you want to advertise on, and click Buy.

Send me your smallest shirt at least two weeks before your ad date.
*Don’t have a shirt? Contact me and I will help you.

Wait for your day to come and think of ways to make it more successful for YOU. I will try help you reach your goal. Whether it be promoting the grand opening of a new store or increasing the followers on your twitter account. We can work together and even create special offers and incentives for my viewers.

hootsuite news fashion, nyc, she wears your tee, t-shirt, tees

G4Tv.com’s Attack of the Show featured HootSuite in the Feb. 3, 2010 episode Top Twitter Tools Review. They do a stellar job of sharing the key benefits of using our beloved social media dashboard (and they seem to be using HootSuite as well).

Here’s how they set it up: “Nothing is more important than letting the world know about your current status in 140 characters or less. Check out our favorite Twitter apps that allows you to microblog your heart out.” ~ enjoy the vid!

Read more: Attack of the Twitter
Follow @aots

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Reach Magazine with HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes

The new issue of Reach Magazine features Boys Co, Carlie Wong and HootSuite complete with mug shot on the front cover and a “day in the life of Ryan Holmes” narrative inside.

The article: “The Who’s Who of HootSuite” by Melissa Welsh delves into the day-to-day events of a start-up company from early wake-ups to constant connectedness plus sheds light on Ryan from his attire to yogic practice with at least 2 mentions of his hair :

When Ryan Holmes rolls over in his bed in the morning, regaining consciousness from an unusual lapse of solitary respite, instead of stretching a lazy limb to grasp a cup of coffee like most morning inefficient people, his fatigued fingers clasp his iPhone. They rest but for a moment, until they jump into action typing, checking email.

Tumbling out of bed, the tweet update is the next item of business, even before as much as a morning bite or sip of herbal infused tea. With Holmes’ dog Mika in tow, the pair take a quick jaunt down the streets of downtown Vancouver’s east-side and enter the doors of Invoke media’s trendy work studio, just off Dunlevy Avenue, to begin the already started work day. Their entrance diverts my eyes from the black, blue and white art graffiti on the walls of the foyer.

We sit in one of the office’s boardrooms; the walls and table are white. Holmes sits in front of me, dressed in a red plaid shirt and jeans. A baseball hat dons his head, covering a crop of slightly disheveled ginger hair.

Even though his days are filled with navigating the convoluted and interconnected roads of the virtual social networking hemisphere, he seems at ease. Perhaps it’s a bought of clarity that he managed to hold onto from his yoga session the night before.

Not only does Ryan’s dog Mika get name-checked but also manages to get in the photo – peering out the window keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Ms. Welch goes on to explain about HootSuite features like admin/editor control, integration points beyond Twitter including Facebook, a list of recent awards and some solid quotes from ‘Tenacious R.’

Ryan Holmes at HootSuite HQ with dog Mika

The software’s universal usability has caused HootSuite to take home a number of notable awards. This past year alone, HootSuite has won Mashable’s Open Web Award for Best Twitter App, a Shorty Award for Best Application, and most recently a Canadian New Media Award for Best Social Media Application. The software was also finalist in the prestigious 2009 Forrester Groundswell Awards.

“It’s such an honor,” Holmes said, taking his hat off to rake his fingers through his tousled hair. “I think we have pretty good gut instincts on stuff.”

But even though Invoke may seem to be doing impossibly well, Holmes knows even award winning companies will always be in a competitive process. Sitting at the sleek white table, leaning forward, this rather inconspicuous-looking man is actually a tenacious businessman.

“It’s all been grinding,” Holmes said, adding that while the company’s reputation helps, you as an entrepreneur have to make things happen. “Nothing is owed to you, you have to earn things.”

Download the entire Reach Magazine issue to learn more about Ryan and Melissa’s conversation about the behind-the-scenes happenings at HootSuite.

hootsuite news HootSuite, interviews, mika, reach magazine, ryan holmes, ryan's hair

As part of their mission of “Uniting the Tech Community,” online tech news source Techvibes partnered up with Carlson Media for a series of one-on-one interviews with leaders in the Vancouver tech community hosted by Victoria Revay – spokeswoman for many fine companies.

The video came at a great time in which the “incubating company” Invoke Media was launching HootSuite & ow.ly into an orbit of it’s own.

“Up in this second episode is Ryan Holmes of Vancouver’s Invoke Media. Invoke is an interactive agency that has been in the news of late after spinning off it’s HootSuite social media dashboard and raising $1.9 Million from outside investors.”

Watch the TechProfile: Ryan Holmes of Invoke Media and HootSuite and jump in with your comments about Ryan’s remarks.

TechProfiles: Invoke Media from Justin Carlson on Vimeo.

hootsuite news business, CEO, HootSuite, interview, Invoke, ow.ly, ryan holmes, techvibes

While many folks were eagerly watching Apple’s new release sideshow, you may have noticed HootSuite was included in list designed to showcase emerging companies with a significant chance of success in our home province of British Columbia. The list is created by business analysts after data-gathering and research so it’s not “just another popularity contest” (not that there is anything wrong with those ).

Specifically, HootSuite was included in the “Emerging Rockets 2010 – Internet, Wireless and New Media” category. Joining HootSuite on the Emerging Rockets list are some other fine Internet, wireless and new media companies: Aegis Mobility, AppSocial, EcoBuddies, Mobidia, Mingleverse, Tagga Media – congrats to each.

Here’s how the Rocket Builders describe themselves:

Ready to Rocket is a unique business recognition list that profiles technology companies with the greatest potential for revenue growth. Each year, based on analysis of trends that will drive growth in the information technology sector, Rocket Builders identifies twenty-five (25) private companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the trends for growth. This selection methodology has been an accurate predictor of growth with “Ready to Rocket” companies exceeding the industry growth rate. Also, many of these companies raise investment capital and each year many of the profiled “Ready to Rocket” companies are acquired.

Follow along with Ready to Rocket’s news via Twitter: @readytorocket and/or #r2r. Also worth reading the follow-up stories about the 2009 awardees.

Of course, Techvibes is covering the story with 2010 Ready to Rocket list announced and we’ll keep an eye out for more coverage.

Vancouver’s Rocket Builders announced their eighth annual Ready to Rocket 25 list this evening naming 25 privately held BC companies that are “best positioned to capitalize on the 2010 technology sector trends that will lead them to faster growth than their peers”.

hootsuite news awards, emerging rockets, lists, ready to rocket

With recent news about adding funding partners and the newly-released social media iPhone app, the web is brimming with articles about HootSuite. But of particular interest to us are the people and companies who are using the social media dashboard in inspiring and interesting ways – plus teaching others how to spark social media-powered campaigns designed to grow audience and spread messages.

With this in mind, here’s a round-up for reviews, tutorials, punditry and accolades from the past fortnight.

Mashed up for Business

First off, a double does of Mashable and American Express Open Forum – the wise minds and info curators @mashable contribute knowledge to AmEx’s space for SME’s and entrepreneurs to share tips and tactics.

Mashable’s Barb Dybwad (perhaps the coolest Twitter handle ever) shares Essential Social Media Tools for the Small Business which includes CoTweet as well as HootSuite:

If your small business has a presence on Twitter, you’ll want to look into two great and free tools for managing your account: CoTweet and HootSuite. You can think of them essentially as Customer Relationship Management tools for Twitter.

Both services offer a similar core functionality, allowing you to manage multiple individual accounts, give multiple authors access to individual Twitter accounts, search for keywords and monitor saved searches over time, and get message notifications based on certain criteria. Beyond that, each service has its own custom features — and which app is right for your business will depend on who in your organization needs to use it and what functions you need to access in your business.

Another @mashable writer Leah Betancourt contributed 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Social Media Panic which appear on Mashable and Am EX Open Forum and provides practical tips for busineses to get over the glassy-eyed feeling when adding social media-powered campaigns to their marketing mix – of course her tips include using HootSuite for tracking.

The notion of getting into social media might seem overwhelming for any small business. Spending time upfront before launch to create a plan with goals that includes how to translate that social media presence into dollars will go a long way toward achieving success.

Some examples of metrics to look at are: How many visitors came to your site from a social media site; Conversion (i.e. how many people clicked through to your site and then bought a product or service), Falls said. In minimal terms, be able to say something like: I spent X dollars and was able to track X amount of revenue (or percentage).

Link shorteners can help track click throughs on Twitter. Twitter tools such as Seesmic (), TweetDeck (), HootSuite () and others can help users track mentions, direct messages and @replies.

Hoots for Growth

Inc.com published Lori Highby’s experiences building her web design business in How to Use HootSuite for Business (article is dated Feb 1, 2010 which is in the future ~ whoa) – again practical advice for entrepreneurs:

I use HootSuite to streamline the process. It lets me manage multiple accounts on one dashboard. I can schedule tweets in advance instead of logging on every time I want to send one. When I write a new blog post, HootSuite automatically sends a tweet to my followers. If I’m reading an interesting article online, I can click on the Hootlet feature in my browser’s Favorites bar to send out a tweet with the story’s name and URL. A stats feature lets me see how many people clicked on any given link so I can tailor future tweets accordingly.

I also use HootSuite to keep track of tweets containing certain keywords. Anytime someone mentions Keystone Click, for example, it appears on my HootSuite dashboard. I sift through the responses at the beginning and end of each day, tracking both positive and negative feedback and reaching out to potential customers. I use the search term Web design company to scour Twitter for prospective clients.

BtoBMagazine’s Rich Karpinski addresses businesses looking to gain a foothold with their outreach methods in Twitter tools for teams – As Tweeting evolves into a group activity, applications offer options – and includes a comment from the Chief Executive Owl:

While many marketers still use standalone clients or even Twitter.com for their tweeting, the convoluted workflow requirements for keeping up with Twitter, not to mention all the other social networks, scream for a more capable tool. HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes, for instance, calls his company’s app “the ultimate social media dashboard,” and in recent months has added LinkedIn and Facebook postings to its Twitter core. HootSuite counts Dell, Fox and MSNBC among its customers.

Author Holly Reville created a video about how to use Hootsuite to Manage Multiple Accounts & Schedule Tweets – Holly Reville is a humanitarian, an entrepreneur and an author and founder of Xpressive Marketing, specializing in corporate training, cause and social media marketing. (Note: Subscribe to Holly’s YouTube channel for more). Here’s the set-up:

Let’s face it in today’s busy lifestyles we can all use a little help making it easier to keep up with our Social Media efforts. Hootsuite.com is a valuable tool for doing just that. It gives you the ability to manage multiple twitter accounts and schedule tweets ahead of time. Check out this video to learn how!

Helping Haiti

from United Nations Development Programme's Flickr photostream

Speaking of humanitarians, Brad came up with a plan to use HootSuite to schedule reminders to encourage followers to donate to Haiti even when the stirring images fade from the TV broadcast on Lawn with Gnomes post: Hacking Haiti Donations.

I gave to Haiti, did you? While I did give, it just felt like it wasn’t as much as I would like to or can afford at the moment. I thought maybe I’ll take time to work in a local charity? Reality of course set in, the reality that I’m a full-time student and hold a part-time job.

So what’s the idea/hack? It’s simple; 1) Sign up or sign into Hootsuite.

Love that first step and best wishes for your noble quest to help Haiti. BTW United Nations Development Programmer are using Twitter

Quick Hoots

The Marketing Tech blog’s pundit Douglas Karr offers some gentle copywriting advice: Dear Tech Marketers: Stop Marketing Features over Benefits and was kind enough to follow up to my comment:

Congratulations DaveO on the new digs! You’re working for a company with an amazing product. I especially love your iPhone app, I believe it to be the best on the market. Hopefully you can get this post over to your web marketing team, I believe it will help you improve your penetration of the enterprise market. Thanks for coming out and responding – it says a lot about HootSuite!

Blogger James St. John lends a hand to HootSuite’s support efforts with a re-cap of key features including using lists plus adding Facebook and Linkedin in The Professional Twitter Client, for serious marketeers

Seeking More?

hootsuite news amex, blogs, business, case studies, growth, hacking haiti, haiti, HootSuite, mashable, news, sme, tips, tricks

Big times here at HootSuite HQ as I arrived in the office yesterday and jumped right in with the ace team of developers and designers. No relaxing after the big announcement around here – instead the crew is on full throttle to continually improve the beloved social media dashboard.

But I’m not the only new face around here – over the coming weeks, I’ll introduce you to the versatile bunch who are diligently evolving HootSuite into what YOU want it to be (probably anyhow ).

I’m DaveO, Say Hello

Rather than introduce myself awkwardly in third-person, here’s what TechVibes published yesterday:

Dave Olson joins HootSuite as Community Director

“One week after announcing that they raised $1.9 Million from VCs and Angels, HootSuite is putting that money to work and have hired Dave Olson as their new Community Director.

Olson will be responsible for overseeing marketing, outreach, and support for HootSuite and already has a number of educational and aspirational campaigns planned to evangelize the social media dashboard to content makers.

Olson was an early user of the initial Bright Kit tool and has actively used HootSuite for promoting his own projects – so this appears to be a perfect fit on both sides.”

Naturally, you can follow me on Twitter @daveohoots ~ ping me with your ideas for outreach and community building activities (and yeah, I tend a blog called Ephemeral Feasthouse). Of course for support-centric inquiries, please use HootSuite Support on Get Satisfaction and follow @hootsuite_help.

Creating Content Compulsively

I truly enjoy creating and publishing content to an audience using web tools – and I enjoy teaching others how to share their musing and creations with like-minded enthusiasts the world over (perhaps you’ve caught my shtick at SXSW, Northern Voice, WordCamp Whistler or various media outlets?)

Since my earliest days, I’ve created fanzines, newsletters, chapbooks and audio programs. When I “discovered” the web living on the island of Guam in 1995, my jaw dropped as I learned anyone can post words and pictures, in color, for free or cheap. The next day, I began publishing my essays, stories and collections on the web and never looked back. A barrage or citizen reporting, podcast documentaries and a Twitter stream-of-consciousness all followed suit.

In previous professional incarnations, I’ve used HootSuite as, well … a user, so in my brief tenure, I’ve shared ideas about features, tune-ups and tweaks to add even more functionality. Stay tuned for more frequent announcements about what’s changing, plus I’ve learned a few new tricks which I’ll share in the coming months.

What’s on Tap?

On this blog channel, look forward to a variety of helpful discourse about enjoying this powerful paradigm where “regular folks” can have impact world events and share musings from recipes to revolutions.
Case Studies – analysis and knowledge sharing about unique HootSuite-powered social campaigns
Featured Users - all sorts of people and orgs are Hooting ~ from governments to rock bands ~ we wanna tell their stories
Tips and Tricks - think you know it all? betcha we can show you features and tactics you haven’t found yet – or perhaps will you show us?
Webinars – want to exchange experience and best practices about campaigns? great, we’ll schedule online sessions to discuss & teach
Meets the Owls - the devs behind the screens are the unsung heroes of tech-centric companies – we’ll introduce the folks who makes your tools
On the Road - with financing and a growing user base, we’re traveling to conferences and events to extol the HootSuite message ~ and meet the true believers

How do you Hoot?

I get a thrill from coming across projects using HootSuite in ways I’d never thought about before. Are you doing something unique and innovative with HootSuite? Are you running social-media-powered campaigns using HootSuite? Working for social change at a NPO/NGO? Maybe you are a record label managing multiple bands and fans? Drop me a note to share your kung-fu with the HootSuite nation.

Photo Credits:

Dave Olson in old-timey hat by kk+ Flickr
Dave Olson at WordCamp Whistler by Ianiv in Flickr

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Ryan Holmes, CEO of HootSuite, announced the finalization of $1.9 million USD of venture financing. The announcement comes on the heels of two significant releases including a HootSuite version for Apple iPhone and an update adding WordPress to the supported publishing platforms which already include Facebook, LinkedIn, Ping.fm and of course, Twitter.

The financing came from a high profile syndicate including Hearst Interactive Media, Blumberg Capital and prominent angel investors Social Concepts, and Geoff Entress.

CEO Ryan Holmes says, “This funding keeps HootSuite on track towards becoming the ultimate social media dashboard. We look forward to reaching wider audiences, and helping all manner of on-line projects and personalities communicate better with their audiences.”

HootSuite was created by Invoke Media in November of 2008 as a Twitter solution for its social media department and quickly evolved to provide brand monitoring, file-sharing, and social network integration. After only one year on the market, HootSuite has built a reputation as an essential tool for new marketers and consumers. Our more than 300,000 users include Whitehouse.gov, Disney, Time, Martha Stewart Media and SXSW.

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Chop your WordPress blogging time in half

A new year means new features! First up? We’ve added support for WordPress blogs. As with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you can schedule and cross-post content to multiple WordPress accounts. There is also a Home Feed for blogs you are following, as well as the ability to reblog posts you think are noteworthy. WordPress is the first blog platform officially supported by HootSuite, and we are very excited about the addition of this brand new feature. Initial support is for blogs hosted on WordPress.com, but support for self-hosted WordPress blogs is on the horizon.

Trending Topics Demystified

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why is that topic trending?!” We have — which is why we now offer explanations for why particular topics trend. Our iPhone app users have already been enjoying this feature; now our web users can check it out too. From now on, you can demystify the trending topics with the simple click of a button. (Move your cursor into the Search field to see the trending topics, and then hit the question mark.)

Link & Media Previews

We’ve also added the ability to preview URLs, so you can easily see what media is being shared. Preview your URLs, as well as most popular shortened URLs, including image-sharing sites like twitpic and ow.ly, YouTube videos, and more. The media preview feature has the added benefit of making your web surfing experience safer, by allowing you to see what you’re clicking on before you do so.

Auto-load more tweets

By popular request, we’ve also eliminated the need to click “More” to view more tweets. HootSuite now automatically loads more tweets when you scroll down to the base of a column. This works for any column, from your DM inbox to your Facebook home feed.

Check out the apps and plug-in directory

Take HootSuite to the next level with value-packed applications and plug-ins. Options for iPhone, Firefox, Chrome, Prism, Fluid and more. Check it out here.

HootSuite continues to evolve as a social media dashboard, and we promise to continue innovating with exciting new features.

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