Google Launches Groupon Rival

Back in December, S2EO reported on Groupon's decision to reject an offer by Google to acquire the start-up for an estimated $5 to $6 billion. 

Well, it looks like Google is fighting back by launching its own daily deals service, Google Offers. Much like Groupon and other competitors like LivingSocial, Google Offers will send daily alerts to consumers about deals at local businesses such as restaurants, fitness centers, and stores. People can begin signing up for the alerts this Thursday on the Google homepage.

Meanwhile, Groupon apparently has plans to make its shares open to the public, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) for Groupon is expected to be between $15 and $20 billion.

Do you plan to sign up for Google Offers? What do you think of Groupon's plans to go public? Let us know below.  

Want to Get the Most Traction on Your Social Media Efforts? Try Fridays

Maybe it's because it's the end of the work week and people are already slipping into weekend mode or maybe it's the fact that there are fewer posts for users to comment on overall at the end of the week, but two independent studies confirm: Engagement on social networks is higher on Thursdays and Fridays than other days of the week.

In fact, engagement on Facebook pages is 18 percent higher on Thursdays and Fridays than the rest of the week, with Thursdays being the slightly better day to post. Conversely, Fridays seem to be the best day to engage users on Twitter, according to Twitter Chief Revenue Officer Adam Bain.

Although there are likely many factors at work, one reason for the spike in engagement at the end of the week seems to be that fewer people are posting during this time—which means that there are fewer posts to compete for users' attention.

Regardless, the research is certainly important for marketers to keep in mind as they try to get the most out of their social media campaigns.

What do you think of the research? What days of the week do you see the most response for your posts? Do you tend to engage more on social media networks at the end of the week? Let us know below.