You and I are both very much familiar of Facebook right? Therefore, most of the features of this social media network are indeed so recognizable to you, including search result feature.

Search results in Facebook are very important to a user, particular to me since I am a very avid user of this social site. Usually, I search for my long-time-no-see friends and relatives, my favorite bands, singers, movies, and everything that I like. Usually, they have their own fan or group page in Facebook; so how am I going to seek for it then? Well, plainly, the search toolbar is provided to let Facebook users search on what they wanted.

Well, with regards to their search results, Facebook is now innovating to improve it then! According to Matt McGee, “Facebook has changed its search results display — the drop-down that appears as soon as users begin typing in the Facebook search box.”

In other words, the search results display provides possible options of the things you are searching for even before you completely type the word or group of words. In addition, “the new display is organized into different content types, replacing the old version which showed results in a straight list format with no organization.”

So when you type the word “Google” for example, just like Matt McGee illustrated, the search results organizes the outcomes accordingly: Groups, Pages, Questions and People. At the bottom of the drop-down, there is a link that leads you to “more results on…” depending on what you actually search for from the beginning. On the next link, you will be provided with more options to satisfy your needs.

Right now, Facebook is constantly making their users become more interested in logging in to it in almost all times, and this includes the simple search bar that we often overlook at.

Ten years ago, I remember my classmate in high school went outside the school on lunch break. She said she’s going to open her Friendster account and upload her friend’s photos. My eyebrows raised high about what Friendster was all about, until I realized that I did the exact same trend she was after a few months.

I know this inclination is not surprising to you, especially if you are a Filipino. The Philippines had greatly embraced Friendster so great that even the most opened social media site in Internet cafes was Friendster. I remember how addictive students in all levels had become during Freindster’s era.

But now, Social Media has changed its phase when the “great” Facebook took place. Have you ever wondered how the Philippines switched from Friendster to Facebook? What could be the reasons?

Thomas Cramption wrote an article on the same issue,and there are some factors that Facebook has now that Friendster didn’t have before.

Quality, not Quantity
During Friendster’s reign, the users’ name was to get as many friends as possible. In fact, some of us even have more than one Friendster account, just to let the world know that we are so hooked with this social media site.

In Facebook, however, we are so careful with adding friends. We treasure each contact and even make sure that the person who adds us as a friend have a common friend in our list. To wrap up, Friendster is more on quantity as of Facebook on quality.

Tagging
I know you have done this so yourself, because you re-post your pictures and photos in your own account from someone else’s album during Friendster times. But now, since tagging is applied now to Facebook, you can already have a copy of the selected pictures that you want.

Status Update History
Based on experience, I never get to be so expressive in posting my status in Facebook in any Social media site. Shoutouts on Friendster is one unrecommended way to update your status because once you erase it, it’s gone forever.

Unlike Facebook wherein you are allowed to constantly update your status and keeps track of the previous status updates. That’s fun, is it not?

Live Chat
Facebook makes you chat with your online friends. That is one feature users love to commune with. Sadly, Friendster has none.

Sharing of videos, links, and images
This feature is so easy to execute in Facebook. Your shared videos, pictures, and links will be seen by your friends which they can easily respond since they can comment to it. Reaction and interaction is flooding in Facebook, wherein Friendster failed to do the same.

So it is not surprising that most people are switching to Facebook already. Have you still seen someone actively opened his or her Friendster account?

When was the last time you opened you Friendster account and updated it?

Social media have indefinitely conquered all ages –don’t be surprised when your grandmother has been very inclined with the usage of Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and other social networking sites.

Individuals in the mid-50’s which are social media users have increased its numbers over the years. Facebook alone has catered to ages ranging from 60-74; mostly with the purpose of communicating to some relatives and colleagues.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, social media users aging from 50 have grown dramatically by 88 percent all over the years while users aging 65 has doubled their numbers.

Overall, 26 percent of the internet users from 50 to 54 have been using Facebook and other social media networks. Researchers found that most of them go into social networking sites get in touch with their former workmates as they find potential jobs or getting ready for retirement and others for research and age related health issues.

They also concluded that people of all ages get inclined to the usage of social media because it bridges the gap among different age brackets. Video connection, uploaded photos and daily updates connect every family and friends regardless of the distance. Younger generations utilize the social media air with professional networking, continuing education and activism.

Data shows that 92 % of individuals from 50 to 64 and 89 % of individuals aging from 65 above uses e-mail on a regular basis. While baby boomers and elder Americans read their news online. And gradual increase on the individuals over 50 which are inclined on using Twitter.

The study also supposed that more Y generation social media network users will grow monstrously in the upcoming years despite the fact that teenagers invented Facebook and 20+ adults have been its pioneer. And the possibility of taking over youth is just as big as the possibility of catching colds.

The most up-to-date development in the field of online marketing today is popularly by means of Social Media Optimization (SMO).  Through it, people are more transparent throughout the internet involving social networking in numerous social networking websites. However, this must be done in more helpful, useful, educational and wisely since everyone can access such process without restrictions to users capacity to do it and so their maturity.

As Social Media trends’ beneficial way is being discovered, a number of marketers are taking the chance publishing and enclosing their products online effortlessly. However, users most helpful way to promote marketers products is to have their own link about the applicable context.

This strategy has proven its effectiveness for it has been an excellent tool when it comes to marketing resources. But if these marketing strategies supporting their personal production are not in good systematization then their plan and effort will definitely put all into waste.

Currently, SMO or Social Media Optimization has continually expanded in diversity and advancement is widely available. Social Media trends technologies are powerful to engage with users to facilitate with supporting a product or service, even if the users are not officially employed relevant to the providing product or service.

Social economics has gotten more compound since then. The universal ease of use of social media tools yet delivers disadvantages for it could enable even more obstructive approaches to the automation of vital processes.

There are plenty of social websites that are improving their security for users’ safety because many certain websites are truly cannot be trusted to access. For such instances, more people have been in danger due to networking sites’ open to even criminals to do destruction to users.

Such incidents are terrifying and had actually happened in modern reality. Though Social Media offers variety of advantages however, to the other side of it are more disadvantages to users.

The speed of social media’s innovation is increasingly progressing. According to Nielsen Online, Twitter even had a record-breaking percentage of 1,382% on February 2009, “registering a total of just more than 7 million unique visitors in the UD for the month”, a statement of David Armano. Facebook even outwitted other social sites especially MySpace. With the status of Facebook nowadays, you may never know how far these social sites can contribute for tomorrow’s occurrence.

In the field of industry, business companies today embrace Social Media’s principles and marketing strategies to maximize their products’ increase. Pam Dyer, writer of Pamorama even stated that “we’re in the midst of a fundamental shift in communication” that’s why there are existing tools applied for social media which, however, results terrifically or slightly. This is based onto what trends the social media can maximize in order to gain the targeted allocation.

The lists below, as written by Gini Dietrich, are the five social media trends.

Video

YouTube has gained lots of subscribers for the past five years already. Watching a video is customary, but posting a video wherein viewers are free to write their comments and reactions is a lot more different. According to Dietrich, its online traffic was greatly affected and even quadruples when she posted a video. How’s that for a change?

Search

How would you like your site to be on the top list when a viewer searches for products on the search engines online? Well, that greatly affects how social media makes this possible. It must be understood how people looks something on the web. As an expert of Social Media, you must know how to go with the flow.

Location

I remember how presidential candidates penetrated Facebook during their campaigns to win for the previous 2010 election. Compared to the election campaign last six years ago, posters of numerous candidates were minimized this year. This is because they did all their operation online—less work, more results!

Mobile

Cash goes beyond than bringing lots of money paper on our pockets and wallets. With the innovation we have today, we can purchase anything what we want with just a scan away! The store can just scan our mobile phones and automatically gets the credit. They will simply deduct the amount from our check account. Isn’t it innovative?

Social Media Policies

These are the policies Dietrich enumerated and must be included in the conventional policies: Be responsible, authentic, and productive; considerate to the audience; respects copyrights; understands community, and more!

Now, reading these trends, what other trends are ought to be considered with?