Vimeo has a far superior design to that of YouTube, can not wait to try out some API’s… http://www.vimeo.com/

A couple of days ago we posted screen shots of a new search interface being bucket tested by Google that lets users vote up or down on search results. The resulting interface was very Digg-like, and included a total vote count, etc.

Today Adrian Pike, the CTO of startup Tatango, noticed that the interface changed yet again and now includes user comments. Like Digg, each comment has an up or down vote feature as well, and Google is using thumbs up and down icons that are exactly the same as those on Digg. The comments show the username of the person leaving it, and clicking on it shows their Google account profile.

Also, Google shows the total number of votes both up and down on each result. If you hit the X down vote button, the result is immediately pulled off the screen.

He sent in the screen shot above as well as two videos. We’re working on the videos and will post them shortly.

Update: First Video, where Pike’s access to the new search features was temporarily disabled. The new interface subsequently came back up, we are still uploading that video:

The applications are pretty good mobile versions of the standard experience. MySpace, which we reviewed last week, provides users with most key features of the service, and they’ve added some nice touches like the ability to upload photos from the iPhone camera. You can download the application here (and add me as a friend).

Facebook’s iPhone app is clearly better. They had a bit of a head start with their web app last year that was at the time the finest example of an iPhone-specific website. The new iPhone app was created by the same guy - Joe Hewitt - and includes deeper integration with the phone. Tap on a friend’s name and call them. Or use the included Facebook chat application and skip those text messages. One big problem with Facebook on the iPhone - it takes forever to load and the application crawls, just like the web version.

Location? Hello?

But both MySpace and Facebook miss the real opportunity to drive usage growth on the iPhone - location awareness. The reason? Privacy concerns. The lost opportunity? Huge potential user growth and connections.

Social networks today rely on friends of friends or real world connections to drive growth. But a handful of iPhone-only social networks actually help drive new connections in the real world. And the backbone of those applications is location awareness.

I’ve written about this opportunity repeatedly in the last year. In February I speculated on the demand for an iPhone-only social network to drive real world social interactions: “I think an iPhone-only social network…would be a huge hit…if it had presence awareness and was able to tell you both where your friends are and what they are up to. And also let you meet new people around you who were open to it.”

In April I saw a demo of the new product Loopt was building for the iPhone. It had all the features I suggested, and more.

Users of these new social networks can choose to notify other users when they are physically close to them, and show a picture, first or full name, and basic profile information. If you’re both in the same bar or at the same conference, you can browse and filter other users to find a date or do a business deal.

And you know how awkward it is when you run into someone that you sort of know but have forgotten their name or what they do? Your phone can see them coming and alert you. That means you can have richer conversations with people you are acquainted with but don’t know very well.

These new social networks can help you meet new people, remember details of the people you already know, and find your friends when they’re nearby.

MySpace and Facebook are sitting on the sidelines while these new networks try to get a foothold. And it’s all because of privacy concerns and fear of litigation.

Privacy (and those pesky Attorneys General)

The media loves nothing more than to talk about sexual predators lurking around the big social networks. Both MySpace and Facebook have had to make big changes to their privacy policies, particularly how they set up accounts for minors. So when the product guys say “hey, let’s add a feature so that any MySpace user can see the basic profiles of any other MySpace users near them,” the lawyers freak out.

Certainly privacy rights need to be considered, and Loopt has already had some problems with unintended invites going out (although this hasn’t happened to me and I’ve been using it since launch). But they can be addressed by allowing users to opt out of showing others their location, or only showing it to certain types of people (by age range, sex, friends of friends, etc.). And minors can be permanently segmented from older age groups as well.

To be fair, both MySpace and Facebook have said they will eventually roll out location based services to help users meet each other. It’s unlikely any of the early networks will get an insurmountable lead on the new platform anytime soon, so they can take their time with their lawyers to make them comfortable. But if they wait too long, or release overly-restrictive products, that may change.

We’ll have more to say on this shortly - our goal is to have iPhone users at our meetups and conferences be able to network with each other, swap contact information, and meet new people. Hopefully by our big August Capital party on July 25, TechCrunch readers will be using their iPhones for a little social networking.

Pandora’s internet radio has always been one of those sites that was really cool in concept, but too inconvenient to ever go mainstream. The service was long tied to computers only, and while it eventually expanded to special internet radios and some mobile phones, it still has yet to become a household name. But with the launch of Pandora’s new iPhone app last Friday, it looks like the service is about to hit critical mass. It’s a free, mobile, digital radio station that only plays music you like and lets you skip the stuff you don’t. And it rocks.

The personalized music service employs a small army of 50 musicians to create a “Music Genome” that describes each song according to 600 attributes. Listeners input a few of their favorite artists, and the site analyzes the Genome to serve up an endless stream of recommended music.

We introduced the app last Friday, when we called it our “flat out favorite application so far”, and since then it hasn’t failed to impress. Streamed music plays flawlessly over Edge and 3G networks - during a 40 mile drive I didn’t once run into any kind of skipping or static. Even better, the app currently has no advertisements playing, though we can probably expect that to change.

Unsurprisingly, Pandora’s usage stats are overwhelmingly positive. Pandora is currently the fourth most popular free app on iTunes (behind Apple’s Remote, AIM, and WeatherBug), and has reportedly been seeing a new listener every 2 seconds. Usage over the weekend hit an all-time high for the service, with 3.3 million tracks streamed to iPhone listeners alone. Perhaps more impressive is the retention rate of listeners, who are averaging over an hour of listening per day.

If there’s one thing that could kill the service, it’s ads. Pandora is going to need to monetize the app somehow - let’s hope it allows us to pay an upfront fee (say, $10) to avoid the annoying interruptions that have made listening to traditional radio a painful experience.

It appears that the beta for Facebook’s new user profiles is now live. To check out what your re-designed profile will look like, just head to www.new.facebook.com once logged into your account. This will not change your actual profile yet, but it will show you what your profile will look like when the re-design goes live.

As expected, The Wall/Mini-Feed are the default view on your profile, while there are tabs for Info, Photos, and Boxes (applications). There are also options for creating your own custom tabs, though at the moment, they don’t seem to be working properly.

Several other features, like the Notes tab I tried to create, aren’t working as I’d expect, so let’s just call this a work in progress for the moment (Facebook has not officially announced that the beta is open). But check it out and let us know what you’re experiencing, as the end is clearly near in the long wait for the new Facebook profiles.

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Starting today Google has integrated results from Code Search as snippets in the main search results page. Code Search was launched by Google in October of 2005 as a seperate vertical search property. As the name suggests, Code Search indexes and parses source code on the web and provides users a simple but flexible search and repository browsing interface.

For a Google property such as Code Search, integration into the main large-scale traffic flow via the primary search results page is an indicator of product maturity. Previously seperate properties such as Finance and Maps followed a similar development and audience exposure path.

Users of Code Search are able to locate reference implementations of common algorithms or routines, or search for best or worst practices amongst the code published and available. and queries filter based on license, language, package and more. Code Search competes with both Krugle and Koders, startups that were both founded prior to the launch of the Google code search service but that both provide their own unique features respectively.

Last week Google announced a number of improvements to Code Search, namely improved code highlighting, browsing (especially with larger projects) and ability to refine results based on class, project, file etc.

Updated (Bottom) Like Last.fm? Want it on your iPhone or iPod touch? Pay a visit to Apple’s App Store [iTunes], and you can. Announced today, Last.fm’s mobile application for the iPhone and iPod touch is now officially available for download, either through the iTunes storefront for directly from the mobile device(s). (Browse to the ‘Music’ category to find it. It isn’t yet listed as a social network, and cannot be found in the ‘New’ menu.)

Having given it a try myself, not only can I attest to the fact that it is as visually appealing as one might expect, but it offers information a touch of finger. Artist bio, similar artists, upcoming events, and more. And in addition to the standard Love/Ban/Stop/Next options, you’re even given the option to buy tracks directly through the iTunes mobile download store. Convenient? Definitely.

My few minutes of time with the application brought occasional errors to the screen, and it did crash once, but for the most part it was smooth listening over Wi-Fi. The application is free to download, so your only loss is drive space. Having tested Pandora briefly on my device, I can conclude that both applications have obvious strengths. And while I prefer Pandora for the simple fact that launching a quick mix of my preset stations is dead easy and that music playback can be paused, rather than just skipped or stopped, as with Last.fm, today’s release is definitely appreciable in its own right. Last.fm devotees will no doubt be pleased.

Update: Last.fm is launching the application in a limited number of markets. As quoted from the Last.fm Blog:

“…we are initially rolling this out in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Spain. We’re looking at other locales but have to deal with licensing and a host of other issues. We assure you that we’re working on it.”

Let me know in the comments which apps you’ve tried so far, what you think of them, and which apps you’d like to see offered.

Top 10 iPhone Apps I’ve Used

1. Facebook - Yes, I still use Facebook as a second channel for interaction.

2. Twitterific - E-mail is still king in my life, Facebook is my second channel, but Twitter now comes in third.

3. WeatherBug - I’m a weather addict, what can I say. I need radar and this has it!

4. SuperMonkeyBall - First paid app and it’s amazing and will be the death of me.

5. NetNewsWire - I almost bought an iPod Touch a year ago, just so I could read my RSS feeds in bed via Newsgator’s iPhone version (the Kindle was twice the cost after you factor in price of feeds).

6. Evernote - Love it, they are genius and the application takes my note taking life mobile.

7. Jott - There were plenty of voice recorder options out there, but this was free and with a great name behind it.

8. Limbo - My choice right now for the mobile iPhone Social Network… However, it depends on what everyone else uses right?

9. South Park Imagination Land - How can you not download and pay for this?

10. Google Mobile - It’s Google, it’s mobile, and it’s very intuitive… Perfection!

That’s what I’ve used, which is fine and good. However, the 10 below would completely give me the ability to mobilize my life and leave behind the laptop some days.

Top 10 Desired iPhone 3G Apps

1. Google Reader - NetNewsWire is great, but until it syncs with Google Reader, it won’t be my ultimate RSS reader

2. Scrabulous - Scrabble is great and I paid for it, but it’s single player unless you pass the iPhone around. Imagine playing 10 - 20 games at once. It will be the only brain game you’ll ever need

3. FriendFeed - I’m shocked that nothing has come out yet, only a matter of time

4. Digg - RSS feeds are nice, but Digg should have a headlines and ability to Digg and see Friends Diggs online, with some networking features thrown in

5. SeamlessWeb - I love food and I order it whenever I’m too busy to cook, this would mean fun when ordering food

6. Eventbrite - Mashable plans events and eventbrite is our weapon of choice. I spend a few good hours on Eventbrite a week and if I’m travelling and at an event, this would be amazing there was a discrepancy with the guest list

7. WordPress Admin - I almost feel the one downfall of this would be the “Publish” button, there would have to be a 2nd prompt before any article is published, otherwise we’ll see some half done posts out in the wild

8. Skype - I’m paying for pro anyways but I’m not paying for any more than 450 minutes, let’s get this out ASAP (call forwarding from Skype will make this the sweetest phone ever)

9. Digsby - AIM is alright, but I’m on 4 different IM protocols. Digsby help me out!

10. Video with Sound - even if it’s 1 frame per second, it has to be possible

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But as the proliferation of social media platforms grow, participating can turn into little more than a giant time suck without some sort of structure behind it. With that in mind, we’ve put together a 5 step plan for kickstarting your company’s social media participation:

Step 1: Listen

Social media is a term we use to to discuss the tools that facilitate conversations. Before your company can be a part of those conversations, you need to know what people are already talking about so you can determine how you can best contribute.

Setting up some tools to monitor conversations is easy. The difficult part is choosing the keywords that will return the most usable results.

Here are some tools to get you started:

Social Media Firehose: Kingsley Joseph used Yahoo Pipes to create one RSS feed that aggregates results from Flickr, Digg, YouTube, FriendFeed and other social media sites.

Latest Blog Mentions Pipe: This is another Yahoo Pipe that will aggregate brand references across several major blog search engines, including Technorati, Icerocket and Google Blog Search.

Alltop: This website aggregates the top posts from the top blogs around the world. Because it divides the blogs into categories by topic, it’s also a great place to begin building your list of relevant blogs to read.

Be as specific as possible so that your searches return fewer results more relevant to your brand. This will take some time, but once you’ve discovered which keywords yield the results you’re looking for, you will discover a host of blogs, twitter profiles and videos relevant to your industry. We’ll use those results in step two below as we develop an internal social media strategy.

Step 2: Prepare

Social media platforms help facilitate conversations between individuals, not companies. Once you have a sense of what people are talking about, it’s time to identify the appropriate people inside your organization to participate.

Find the People

People want to have conversations with company representatives who are experts in their area, who are passionate about their work and who are empowered to act on the feedback they receive from the community. If you want to focus on the marketing vertical, then look to your marketing team. The same is true if you want to participate in social media platforms devoted to product development, engineering or package design. Part of this process should be to provide the proper training for these employees on social media participation.

Set Rules of Engagement

Make sure your company has a social media policy in place that offers guidelines to your employees on the appropriate way to engage in online conversations. Microsoft’s Channel 9 Doctrine is a good place to start.

Define Your Strategy

Social media is comprised of many different platforms. Rather than trying to participate in all of them, begin with one or two that seem to make the most sense. Having an engagement strategy will help to determine how much time employees will devote to social media communications, what will be the focus areas for engagement and of course, it will help to measure success.

Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang posted a list of social media strategies from enterprise corporations that’s worth a look.

Step 3: Engage

This is the fun part! Start leaving comments on blogs, uploading images to Flickr, building a community on Twitter or FriendFeed or whatever else that strategy entails that helps further the discussion and illustrates your company’s commitment to developing these online relationships. It might also be useful for employees to create a social media editorial calendar so that it’s easier to structure time to participate. You never know what might happen, as this example from Blendtec illustrates.

Step 4: Go Offline

As stated in step one, social media is simply a group of tools that help facilitate conversations, but there’s really no replacement for face-to-face interaction. Use trade shows and other events as opportunities to build even stronger relationships with the members of your online community. This could be in the form of an exclusive session, an informal breakfast or even a group picture on the event floor.

Step 5: Measure Success

Unlike other campaigns, measuring social media success begins by asking more questions:

– Did we learn something about our customers that we didn’t know before?
– Did our customers learn something about us?
– Were we able to engage our customers in new conversations?
– Do our employees have an effective new tool for external feedback and reputation management?

We also recommend using a tool like Trendpedia -a blog search engine that allows you to both track and graph topics as well as compare terms- to help benchmark your company against your competitors by running the exact same search and parameters before and after your engagement begins.

Conclusion

The potential payoff for corporate social media participation is enormous. These companies will have a better sense of how they are perceived by their target audiences, they will establish a two way dialog with key stakeholders and they will empower their customers to speak with them, not at them. But without a strategic approach to social media, it’s difficult to succeed. Hopefully this 5 step plan can help your company get started.

If you have any tips from your own experience establishing a corporate social media plan, please share them in the comments below.

[image credits: businessman - K Ripp;measuring tape - G&A Sattler]

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