@Ford: Give Social Media Some Credit

We only actually like 36% of what shows up in our stream: study

(NEWSER) - A new study in the Harvard Business Review confirms what you probably already know if you've spent any time on Twitter: Just 36% of tweets are actually worth reading. Another 39% are "just OK," and a full quarter aren't worth your time. That's according to 1,443 users, who evaluated 43,738 tweets. The tweets that scored the best were funny or exciting thoughts, tweets that shared information or asked questions, and even self-promoting tweets—particularly those that included links. More»

Mercedes installs new system, swears it's safe

(NEWSER) - Facebook has found its way inside what could be its most unlikely device yet: a car. Mercedes-Benz will soon be installing Facebook in its new cars, with a specially-designed, bare-bones version that, it hopes, minimizes the chance of someone crashing off the road while using it. The app, which was designed by Mercedes and will be announced at CES this week, focuses on a limited range of location-centric tasks—it will, for example, alert you to any friends who are nearby, or any businesses you've "liked." More»

It's not a great time to ask customers to tweet 'luxury' suggestions

(NEWSER) - It’s been a rough stretch for Qantas. First, the Australian airline abruptly stranded customers around the world amid a contract fight with its unions; then those talks collapsed entirely; this week, the firm ticked off customers again with a contest on Twitter . It asked people to tweet their “dream luxury in-flight experience,” and customers were happy to oblige, Reuters reports. One wrote that luxury was “more than 3mins notice that the whole airline is on strike." More»

Ex-boss never changed account password

(NEWSER) - If you’re going to fire the guy who ghostwrites your tweets, it’s probably best to change your password. Otherwise, that fired employee might just log in to your account to take his revenge. That’s what appears to have happened to one Mark Davidson, an "Internet sales & marketing professional" who recently sacked one of three ghostwriters. An ex-employee has been writing tweet after tweet ridiculing his former boss , Mediabistro notes. More»

Guess what? A lot of them should be followed by the general public

(NEWSER) - The US Army has some rules for social media use—but even if you’re not a soldier, you might do well to adhere to some of those rules. From the Atlantic Wire :

• On Facebook: DO “spell check every post prior to posting; the Army’s reputation is at stake.”
• On Facebook: DON’T “use social media (teen) language in professional posts (ex: i wanna b ur bff 2day & 4evr)."