Tagboard

In our internal meetings you’ll often hear “wouldn’t it be cool if…” followed by a pie-in-the-sky idea or dream of how Tagboard might be used. Last year, when the Mariners announced Safeco Field would be retrofitted with a new, state of the art, HD video scoreboard screen, we said, “wouldn’t it be cool to have Tagboard on that screen?”

Last night, we got to see that dream fulfilled at the Mariners’ Home Opener, against the Houston Astros.

Tagboard, shown on MarinersVision, April 8, 2013

Just one week prior we were thrilled with the opportunity to deploy a tagboard in Live Mode on the screen for the Open House event the Mariners hosted — an opportunity for them to show off the new screen while broadcasting the season opener game from Oakland. After seeing the results (see screenshot below), the Mariners sought to make Tagboard a regular element of the gameday experience, and commissioned us to create a fully custom display.

Great night in Oakland, better night in Seattle. All sorts of #Mariners trends, led of course by #OpenHouse twitter.com/Mariners/statu…

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners)

April 2, 2013

The #OpenHouse hashtag trended in Seattle during the Open House event where the tagboard was being displayed

Unlike the Live Mode version of the web experience, where the display runs in a browser, the experience we developed for the Mariners runs locally on a Mac Mini in the Safeco Field control room, and utilizes our private API. Their team of moderators hand-select social posts using the standard web interface — from anywhere — and are also able to fully interact with the content; Liking/Favoriting, Replying, Retweeting, etc.

The Mariners social team is able to quickly and efficiently manage posts that appear on the big screen using our simple, standard web interface

For us, this project has represents more than just a milestone of success for our newly-formed company and product. We truly feel like we’re doing things we’ve only dreamed could happen.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6BqSdkAapI

Think Tagboard can help you realize your dream? Drop us a note, we’d love to chat about how we might do just that.

This week, Tagboard is in New York to set up the third installation of our Live product for Audi’s booths at the major North American auto shows. Tagboard’s first two installations (for the Los Angeles Auto Show and the Chicago Auto Show) were highly successful in drawing attention to our client’s booth and in promoting social engagement with the brand. We’ve learned some really great things about how effective Tagboard has been in bringing the #Audi conversation from multiple networks together in one place - both for attendees of the shows, as well as for fans of the Audi brand looking to follow the show online.

Los Angeles Auto Show Audi Installation featuring Tagboard

Chicago Auto Show Installation

For the Audi installations, Tagboard created a rich, animated video loop that displays moderated and curated social media content using our aggregation technologies. All design and production – from the animations and transitions, to the images and textures – was done in-house by Tagboard’s design team. Audi’s goal with using Tagboard was to promote social engagement by featuring  user-generated social media content beautifully, in real-time, on a 30-foot screen above their showcased cars. The featured content is proving to be a great way to increase engagement with the Audi brand for mobile users at the convention center, while giving users at home a platform to experience the show by following the conversation from each of the major social networks. Whether it be video, snapshots at the event, or text tweets, the curated page illustrated the most exciting parts of the auto show. And with the convergence of both the web-based platform and the Live Tagboard, users can share in the experience of show-goers.

Curation was a key feature of the Audi project. Because of the volume of content being uploaded using the hashtag #Audi at any given moment, Audi needed a way to highlight the best content. Our curation features enabled Audi to display high quality and engaging content that is consistent with the Audi brand messages and themes, thus telling the brand story in the most effective manner. Home viewers were then able to view quality content without having to sift through similar posts by multiple users, out-of-focus images, and irrelevant content.  

Andrew Elliott, Social Media Specialist for Audi of America, said to the Audi Progress journal that having social integrated into their booth at the auto shows was a way to “break down the barriers between platforms to bring the entire conversation about diesel and fuel efficiency together in one place,” and at the three shows we’ve done with Audi so far, we’ve seen the Tagboard do exactly that, and we’ve been so pleased with the results. 

A big thanks to the Audi team! 

If you’re interested in having a Tagboard Live at your next event, let us know via the request form, or find us on Twitter.

It’s been about two months since Vine was introduced, but already it is one of the most compelling new social networks online. Why? Mobile video is definitely one reason. But we also think its native hashtag support has a lot to do with it.

So, that’s why we’re extremely excited to announce the introduction of Vine as one of the provider networks Tagboard aggregates. Now when you search any hashtag on Tagboard, it will now include matching Vine posts with that hashtag (provided the Vine has been published to Twitter).

People are already posting great mobile video using Vine, and we can’t wait to see how they start using the service to add to the global conversation, linked together using hashtags.

We thought carefully how to integrate Vine, and felt inline-playback was extremely important. So, when you see a Vine post (on desktop), simply click on the poster/preview image to start the video — inline!

(A big shout out to Chuck Skoda, one of our engineers, for figuring out how to integrate Vine so seamlessly.)

Additionally, Vine videos play automatically in our newly introduced Live Mode, and add a great dynamic to any event using Tagboard to display social media content on a large screen.

Post a Vine with a hashtag, and try it out today! Let us know what you think!

In October of last year we were approached by Audi USA with an idea: they wanted us to power their 30-foot LED screen at the LA Auto Show. At the time, the only way to experience Tagboard was online, at tagboard.com. We were thrilled with the opportunity to take our product beyond the web, and proved that using Tagboard for live events was a “no brainer”.

Today, we’re expanding on the idea of Tagboard for live events with a new feature: Live Mode. Now any tagboard can be equipped with a mode that is designed specifically for large, wide, public screens.

Live Mode updates automatically, animates beautifully, and looks great, all in real time. And, as expected, all of Tagboard’s moderation and curation tools apply to Live Mode, making this a perfect feature for live events, parties, conferences, sporting events, concerts, weddings, and just about anywhere a large screen is used to display social content.

As part of our initial launch of Live Mode, we partnered with The City Church in Kirkland, Washington, for their large youth conference, GC Conference.

Our theory was that integrating Tagboard on the large screen would drive engagement.  What we discovered was exciting: not only did we validate our theory (see the chart below), but we were surprised (again) by how much delight and user engagement the large-format tagboard delivered. Justin Jaquith, Communications Manager for The City Church, explains why in this 90-second video:

We took a snapshot of the event hashtag usage stats over time to demonstrate the effectiveness of Tagboard Live Mode on audience engagement. The chart above shows hashtag use, with dramatic spikes and drops in social post volume, illustrating the effectiveness of Live Mode. These spikes coincided with times when the conference screen was showing the tagboard versus other content.

This week, our team is headed to the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, where we will be using Tagboard Live Mode at several high-profile parties and events. Please stay tuned to our blog for more information on where you can find us and check out Tagboard Live Mode.

Want to use Tagboard at your next event to boost interactions with your brand’s hashtag? Contact us through our Tagboard request form today!

It’s your big day and you want to make sure to document every moment of it. You’ve hired a photographer, or have a friend with a pro-sumer camera who will be in attendance, but what many are doing now is crowd-sourcing their wedding day photos using a custom Hashtag, creating an entirely new feel to the traditional wedding day documentation. 

Take a look at Ryan and Laura’s nuptials. Documented and relived using #RyanLaura for their special day:

At the wedding, guests snapped photos using their smart phones and shared them on their favorite social networks. 

Ryan and Laura even continued using their hashtag to document their honeymoon, and their life as a married couple. Scrolling down through the timeline is like watching the story of their relationship as it has unfolded.

Using a unique hashtag as a way to display your wedding photos is a great way to get people involved in not just being there at your wedding, but participating in the documentation. You’ll also get memorable photos of things you may not have thought about taking photos of.

Take these for example:

A great example of the little details that sometimes go unnoticed by a photographer so eager to catch the moments between the Bride and Groom and their guests. But telling guests to use a specific hashtag for your wedding is the perfect way to capture their memories about your special day as well. 

A recent article in the Huffpost Wedding section asked users what they thought of using custom hashtags for weddings. What do you think? 

Tagboard has been used to display real-time updates on a monitor or screen at events, and is the perfect solution for weddings incorporating a hashtag. Tagboard is able to display the last seven days of content on a monitor, due to Twitter’s API limitation, but with an upgrade to the “Party Mode,” which enable curation of the tagboard, posts stay up forever, acting as a virtual photo album for the couple to share with friends and family. 

A recent article in the Huffpost Wedding section asked users what they thought of using custom hashtags for weddings. What do you think?  

If you have questions about using Tagboard for your wedding, or are interested in enabling “Party Mode” on a screen on your big day, feel free to contact us.

Yesterday was a big day for us here at Tagboard, as we were given the opportunity to feature a live Tagboard page at the Open House party for YouTube’s new “Creator Space” in Los Angeles using their #YouTubeSpace hashtag. 

500 YouTube “creators,” were invited to enjoy a night of drinks, food and networking - - what they weren’t expecting was a live, interactive Tagboard on a wall-sized projection screen. 

Take a look:

What we noticed was that at the beginning of the night, attendees were intrigued by the visual aggregation of the #YouTubeSpace hashtag, but as soon as they realized their photos were being incorporated onto the Tagboard in real-time, the experience became even more interactive. 

Attendees stood in front of the screen while they had their photo taken, then would take another photo of themselves pointing at the picture they had just taken, while it was on the live screen. 

The live screen became a centerpiece for conversation and collaboration and was a great way for YouTube to promote their brand. 

To follow the #YouTubeSpace conversation, check out the tagboard page here and view the gallery of our favorite photos on Facebook: http://bit.ly/YouTubeTB

First off, welcome to Tagboard. It looks like you’re interested in getting started using Tagboard and we’re here to help.

Tagboard is a tool that allows anyone to search hashtags across networks, including Twitter, Instagram, App.net and Facebook. To get started, you’ll just need a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account. 

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to begin using Tagboard:

To Sign In:

First, click the Sign In button at the top right and choose the platform you’d like to use. Once you’ve done so, the platform you’ve chosen will have a blue “Signed In” button to the right. 

Use Tagboard to Follow Conversations:

Tagboard is ideal for following hashtag conversations. Not only can you follow the same hashtag across multiple social networks, but the content is displayed beautifully, making the experience that much better! Start exploring your favorite hashtags by typing it into the search bar, or choose one of our featured hashtags to see some new and exciting Tagboards.

Click “Search” and it will take you to a board full of updates that include that hashtag. 

Audi has a premium custom branded Tagboard.

From this page you can share the tagboard with friends by clicking the “Tweet #Audi” button on the right.

Creating Your Own Hashtag:

There are many benefits to creating a Tagboard page for your hashtag. You can use a tagboard page as a brand manager, business owner, twitter chat organizer to promote a hashtag or to aggregate posts using a hashtag for weddings, parties, events, and social campaigns, to name a few examples.

To create your own Tagboard page for your hashtag, start by typing your hashtag into the search bar:

Once you’ve type in the name of your hashtag, you’ll be directed to a page with the conversation about that hashtag. Simply click “Create Tagboard” next to the hashtag name.

Next, fill out the form by writing a short, but detailed description of the hashtag, upload a square photo, and add your website link if you have one. Remember, capitalization matters and it’s generally best practice to capitalize the beginning of each word in the hashtag. 

Then, click “Create Tagboard.” You’re done! 

With owning your own hashtag comes the ability to have a branded page, the ability to moderate and curate posts on your Tagboard page. Simply set up your Tagboard page and let us know by filling out a request form. 

If you have any other questions or feedback about your experiences using Tagboard, we’d love to hear from you! Send us a message at feedback@tagboard.com 

Or, simply find us on Twitter or Facebook!

If there was ever any doubt about the power of instigating conversation using hashtags, yesterday was the day you realized you were very wrong. The Super Bowl, an event that regularly garners the views of just under half of the entirety of our nation, was THE year of the hashtag. 

With only 8 hashtags used in last year’s Super Bowl Ad line-up, and the primary focus on Facebook marketing, the massive movement towards using hashtags is undeniable. Of the 52 ads airing during the 5-hour span of the Super Bowl, 50% of the ads included hashtags. 

Top 4 Ads With Overwhelming Activity:

1. Audi - #BraveryWins

As partners with Audi for their digital campaign, we were excited to announce the custom Tagboard page. Take a look below:

The #BraveryWins hashtag yielded great responses from users - both in response to the ad as well as sharing moments in their lives when bravery won. It was a success on all fronts, and we’re honored to have been a part of the campaign. 

To see the conversation, click here: tagboard.com/braverywins

2. Budweiser - #Clydesdales

An emotional Budweiser commercial integrated the hashtag #Clydesdales to crowd-source a name for the newborn Budweiser Clydesdale and while the commercial wasn’t explicit about this effort, it warmed the hearts of viewers with a touching ending. 

To see the conversation, click here: tagboard.com/clydesdales

3. GoDaddy - #TheKiss

Twitter was ablaze with tweets about GoDaddy’s ad, #TheKiss, when model Bar Rafaeli swapped saliva with the nerdiest of nerds - and with a cacophony of smacking sounds that made us all want to turn the volume down. Although most comments were “#fail” and “Disgusting!”, if their goal was to draw attention to their brand and spark conversation, they surely succeeded, However, the sentiment was… overwhelmingly negative.

To see the conversation, click here: tagboard.com/TheKiss

4. RAM - #GodMadeAFarmer

While Ram didn’t include a hashtag in their ad campaign, the world was quieted during the commercial that it sparked a trending hashtag for their commercial. Women and men alike were awe’d. 

To see the conversation, click here: tagboard.com/GodMadeAFarmer

Ads that didn’t spark as much interest (with Links to their tagboard pages):

5. Taco Bell -  #LiveMas

6. Doritos - #Doritos

7. Tide - #MiracleStain

8. VW - #GetHappy

9. Best Buy - #infiniteanswers

10. Hyundai Sonata – #epicplaydate

11. Disney Oz – #disneyoz

12. Subway - #15yrwinningstreak

13. GoDaddy - #YourBigIdea

14. Samsung - #TheNextBigThing and #TheNextBigThingIsHere

15. M&Ms - #BetterWithMms

16. Calvin Klein - #CalvinKlein

17. Hyundai - #PickYourTeam

18. Toyota - #WishGranted

19. MiO Fit - #ChangeStuff

20. Fast and Furious 6 - #Fast6

21. Cars.com - #NoDrama

22. Bud Light - #HereWeGo

23. Subway - #FebruANY

24. Wonderful Pistachios - #CrackInStyle

25. Speedstick #HandleIt

26. GoPro - #GoPro 

As a whole, it’s clear that social media teams nation-wide are acknowledging the benefits of including hashtags in TV spots and even Twitter recognizes the immense growth. Twitter approximated that half of all tweets talking about Ads included hashtags in them, up from just one in five last year. 

And the best part? Hashtags haven’t reached their peak yet! 

Author: Mia Taylor, Social Media Manager

*All ads after kick-off were included in this post

Like and use #Tagboard? Try our new browser extension (for Safari and Chrome). Search a #hashtag from the URL bar! tagboard.com/tools

— Tagboard (@tagboard) September 6, 2012