We all hope our events, publications, and outreach win over members, possible members, and the general public. So what online content is best suited for that purpose? Find out in today’s Social Media Roundup.

Win Experts and Influence People

Which Type of Online Content Most Influences Consumers? http://t.co/ikWuGC6rjB via @marketingprofs

— DMO (@davedmo) April 1, 2014

Ayaz Nanji over at Marketing Profs wrote about a recent Nielsen study of what online content influences consumers.

Based on tests with 900 people, Nielsen discovered that expert reviews, defined as “credible, third-party online articles,” were more effective than user reviews or branded content.

The two key reasons that consumers were so keen on expert reviews? Independence and information. People inherently distrust companies  to objectively evaluate themselves, making third-party assessments critical. Then there’s the educational advantage of these reviews:

“Consumers perceived expert content to be more informative: On average, they found it 10 percent more informative than user reviews and 8 percent more informative than branded content,” Nanji writes.

So for every bit of effort put into e-newsletters and social outreach, remember that an endorsement from an opinion leader or a write-up in the traditional press could yield even greater rewards.

(ht @davedmo)

10 Years of Too Many Emails

Happy 10th birthday, @gmail – http://t.co/7Nmbuwgn83 (via @TIME) pic.twitter.com/pwIfpxGPGt

— The Webby Awards (@TheWebbyAwards) April 1, 2014

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Gmail, which began way back when as a side project at the search-engine titan Google and has since evolved into one of the biggest email services in the world.

Time magazine Technology Editor Harry McCracken chronicles Gmail’s journey, from initial skepticism to its widespread adoption.

And, of course, with its launch coming on April Fools’ Day, many wondered if Gmail might actually be a prank.

“If you’re far enough ahead that people can’t figure out if you’re joking, you know you’ve innovated,” Georges Harik, a product manager at Google at the time of Gmail’s birth, told McCracken. “Primarily, journalists would call us and say, ‘We need to know if you’re just kidding, or if this is real.'”

For insights into the creative and technical processes that foster such groundbreaking initiatives, check out McCracken’s full article. (ht @TheWebbyAwards)

(NemanjaZs/ThinkStock)