Introducing a New Social Media Analysis

Today’s the day! SMA has a new design and an expanded mission. From the beginning, I meant for the site to be the online trade journal for the social media analysis business, and I think this is a big step toward that vision. Things are changing around here; I hope you like them.

New Content

SMA’s redesigned front page is the most obvious change, and that new design has a purpose. The original, blog-style design put too much emphasis on the most recent posts. Long articles dominated the page when they appeared. The new layout gives articles more time on the front page, and new sections make it easier to find the articles. Speaking of which…

New Themes

The site has several new themes to go with all that space. In addition to the industry news and roundups that have always been here, you’ll find articles on these themes:

Guest Posts

That’s a lot to cover, which is where the next piece comes in. SMA now invites guest posts from anyone in the field on any of the themes above. Write for SMA explains more, and you can see the first examples now.

Thanks to YouScan (The Value of Visual Insights) and Talkwalker (Find the Right Tone for Nostalgia Marketing Using Owned Data) for being early contributors. I think we’re off to a good start. Check out their posts, and then let’s plan your company’s posts.

Email Edition

SMA has long been available by email, but the old layout had limited room for articles, and the daily delivery could be a bit much. Starting this week, email delivery is weekly, with a streamlined design for a quicker view of what’s new. The email will have the week’s posts, plus a list of events and updates in the company directory.

Updated Directory

The company directory has been part of SMA since 2011, and it’s freshly updated with 382 listings. Industry insiders have expected consolidation since the earliest days, but I was surprised to remove 257 entries of companies that have left the market, plus 49 entries redirected to reflect acquisitions and a few name changes. Profiles now include links to Sina Weibo accounts, and the Slideshare links have been removed.

Work in Progress

In case you didn’t know, SMA is a one-person shop, and I do my own tech. Today has been an exercise in the platform showing me what I missed, but I’m sure there’s more. If you find something I missed—or for suggestions, questions, or anything, please use the shiny new contact form.

Discover the new project

How does third-party data get from the source to the end user? Follow the exploration at the Data Market Study, also sharing discoveries and insights in a newsletter.

Sponsors