US Banker reports: Banks can expect to achieve revenue gains of up to 10 percent over the long term by catering to the online and social media tastes of Generation Y, according to a survey report released today by Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group.
These younger consumers, over half of whom have Webcams and log on to YouTube five times a day, say they are eager to use banks' online tools for budgeting and savings. Though not yet high earners, Gen Y'ers are professing high levels of trust in financial institutions that deliver professional advice in areas like debt reduction and long-term savings, and do so through interactive or social media.
"They are interested in and are coordinating quite frequently with friends, family, and peers using different types of social media," said Jorgen Ericsson, global lead for Cisco IBSG's financial services practice that provides technology consulting to executives of global Fortune 500 companies.
"For the specific question — how do I shape my financial future — they really want to get professional advice" through social media. But other than pilot projects in online personal financial management, most banks are still not adequately speaking to Gen Y'ers through the channels they use. More than 33 percent of younger consumers, for example, would be willing to have a "completely" virtual relationship with their bank by interacting with advisors through online video, according to the Cisco survey, which polled 1,055 consumers across all age groups in the fall. That trend is at odds with "the general perception of many established bankers who believe that video is unappealing to customers and not mature technology," said Philip Farah, the director of the financial services practice at Cisco IBSG. Prior to the survey, Cisco IBSG officials were skeptical that banks, particularly large national institutions, would score well with younger consumers.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Acxiom launches social media matching and targeting service
Brand Republic News reports: Data services giant Acxiom has launched a service with the ability to identify whether a client's customers are active in social media from their opted-in email addresses.
Acxiom is marketing the Relevance-X Social tool and associated service in the UK, inviting a number of marketers and agencies to a launch event at wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd last night.
The service, which Acxiom describes as "uncovering customers' social footprint", has already been used by US clients including an FMCG company for the launch of an energy bar as well as automotive companies.
Acxiom takes opted-in customer email addresses supplied by a client and searches social media sites for profiles which are registered with the addresses. Sites its US and UK service works with include Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.
At a basic level it can build a picture of a group of customers through data such as the social networks they belong to, the number of friends they have, and how communicative they are.
Add-on services include creating campaigns to address these customers, for example with "member get member" activity that offers them an incentive to talk to their friends about a client's brand, and tracking those campaigns.
Steven Plimsoll, vice-president for multi-channel marketing services at Acxiom, said: "Social media can now be a two-way street. It's about listening to feedback from customers and using it to enhance innovation and service delivery, as well as to drive promotions, accelerate product launches and inspire purchases."
Acxiom is marketing the Relevance-X Social tool and associated service in the UK, inviting a number of marketers and agencies to a launch event at wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd last night.
The service, which Acxiom describes as "uncovering customers' social footprint", has already been used by US clients including an FMCG company for the launch of an energy bar as well as automotive companies.
Acxiom takes opted-in customer email addresses supplied by a client and searches social media sites for profiles which are registered with the addresses. Sites its US and UK service works with include Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.
At a basic level it can build a picture of a group of customers through data such as the social networks they belong to, the number of friends they have, and how communicative they are.
Add-on services include creating campaigns to address these customers, for example with "member get member" activity that offers them an incentive to talk to their friends about a client's brand, and tracking those campaigns.
Steven Plimsoll, vice-president for multi-channel marketing services at Acxiom, said: "Social media can now be a two-way street. It's about listening to feedback from customers and using it to enhance innovation and service delivery, as well as to drive promotions, accelerate product launches and inspire purchases."
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Trackur = Reputation + Social Media Monitoring
Online reputation and social media monitoring tool designed to assist you in tracking what is said about you on the internet. Trackur scans hundreds of millions of web pages--including news, blogs, video, images, and forums--and lets you know if it discovers anything that matches the keywords that interest you.
Using sophisticated social media monitoring and filtering technology, Trackur is your online reputation guardian. It does the heavy-lifting for you--scanning the web for any mention of your name, brands, and products--so you don't have to.
Plans starting as low as $18 per month.
Check out this new tool @ www.trackur.com.
Using sophisticated social media monitoring and filtering technology, Trackur is your online reputation guardian. It does the heavy-lifting for you--scanning the web for any mention of your name, brands, and products--so you don't have to.
Plans starting as low as $18 per month.
Check out this new tool @ www.trackur.com.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
How Campaigns + Causes can use foursquare
1. What is foursquare? foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. The tool was developed to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but to also encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways. Most importantly for campaigns though, it allows your supporters to easily notify their networks that they are volunteering and working in your campaign office.
2. foursquare is located @ www.foursqaure.com
3. How do I get it on my phone? Foursquare apps are available for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre. If you don't have one of these phones, you can always use their mobile website or if you prefer to check in via SMS (US only) you can send a text to 50500 (like this: @ Advocacy 2.0 Campaign Office ! Makin’ dials!)
4. Where is foursquare available? foursquare anywhere in the world! Check-in at the Statue of Liberty in NYC, the Golden Gate Bridge in SF, Java Joes in DSM or Ben’s Chili Bowl in WDC.
5. What is a check-in? When you notify foursquare where you are, that is called "checking-in". You can check-in from parks, bars, museums, airport, post offices, restaurants... really anywhere. When you check-in foursquare will let your friends know where they can find you and award you points and badges based on your adventurousness.
6. How does foursquare know where I am? The foursquare apps for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm use GPS to show a list of nearby places. To check-in, just choose the name of the place you are at from this list of nearby places. If they don't have the place you are looking for you can always add it to their listings. Don't worry, foursquare doesn't know where you are unless you check-in to tell them your location.
7. It is important that you add your campaign office(s) to the list of venues/places. To do so, go here and provide the necessary information - http://foursquare.com/add_venue. The more details you provide the better as maps are usually connected to network notification tweets and posts when people check in at your site/venue.
8. What is "The Mayor" all about? If you have been to a place more than anyone else foursquare will crown you the "The Mayor" of that place. Presently lots of bars and cafes are now offering "Mayor Specials" - a free coffee or appetizer or maybe a special discount to the mayors of their venues. Watch out though - once someone else comes along who has checked-in more times that you, they can steal the "Mayor" title back from you. There is no reason a campaign and campaign office(s) couldn’t offer similar prizes and recognition for volunteers – like hats, stickers, access to special briefings, etc. Register your campaign office and prizes/specials here - http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGpIS0R2U3YwXzVSczhYRFpyakVfSHc6MA
9. For ideas and photos on how small businesses are using this feature click here - http://foursquare.com/businesses/
10. Remember - If someone wants to become mayor of a certain location they will need to have uploaded a profile photo
11. What are badges? Badges are little rewards you earn for doing checking-into interesting places. For example, staying out late on a school night or frequenting too many karaoke bars. A lot of their badges are tied to venue "tags". People use tags to describe the places on foursquare (e.g. jukebox, pool table, fireplace, pizza, etc)
12. The site is constantly adding new badges and would love to hear your suggestions. – make sure your campaign office(s) are listed and suggest a badge for “phone dials,” “precinct walks,” “sign assembly,” etc.
13. How does one I earn points? Most foursquare check ins will earn you points. You can earn points for your first check in at a certain place or by adding a new place to our listings. The site displays a list of the users who have racked up the most points on the "leaderboard". The idea is that the more you experience, the more places you visit, etc. the higher your score for that week. The leaderboard resets every Sunday at midnight.
14. Here's how points are currently awarded: +5 points for your first time checking-in at a venue, +5 points for adding a new venue, +1 point for per check in, increasing by +1 with each check in (e.g. your 1st check in of the day is +1, 2nd check in of the day +2 points, etc)
15. What can I do with these points? Not clear yet – there were discussions in December 2009 to tie points to charity but nothing final.
16. Remember – now with extensive social network acceptance, most volunteer activity and campaign support doesn’t have to take place in a vacuum. From donations to outright posts of support, adding foursquare to your social campaigning efforts will allow supporters to easily display their volunteer work. In addition, the site provides another tool for you to reward volunteers in a fun and socially integrated way.
2. foursquare is located @ www.foursqaure.com
3. How do I get it on my phone? Foursquare apps are available for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm Pre. If you don't have one of these phones, you can always use their mobile website or if you prefer to check in via SMS (US only) you can send a text to 50500 (like this: @ Advocacy 2.0 Campaign Office ! Makin’ dials!)
4. Where is foursquare available? foursquare anywhere in the world! Check-in at the Statue of Liberty in NYC, the Golden Gate Bridge in SF, Java Joes in DSM or Ben’s Chili Bowl in WDC.
5. What is a check-in? When you notify foursquare where you are, that is called "checking-in". You can check-in from parks, bars, museums, airport, post offices, restaurants... really anywhere. When you check-in foursquare will let your friends know where they can find you and award you points and badges based on your adventurousness.
6. How does foursquare know where I am? The foursquare apps for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm use GPS to show a list of nearby places. To check-in, just choose the name of the place you are at from this list of nearby places. If they don't have the place you are looking for you can always add it to their listings. Don't worry, foursquare doesn't know where you are unless you check-in to tell them your location.
7. It is important that you add your campaign office(s) to the list of venues/places. To do so, go here and provide the necessary information - http://foursquare.com/add_venue. The more details you provide the better as maps are usually connected to network notification tweets and posts when people check in at your site/venue.
8. What is "The Mayor" all about? If you have been to a place more than anyone else foursquare will crown you the "The Mayor" of that place. Presently lots of bars and cafes are now offering "Mayor Specials" - a free coffee or appetizer or maybe a special discount to the mayors of their venues. Watch out though - once someone else comes along who has checked-in more times that you, they can steal the "Mayor" title back from you. There is no reason a campaign and campaign office(s) couldn’t offer similar prizes and recognition for volunteers – like hats, stickers, access to special briefings, etc. Register your campaign office and prizes/specials here - http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGpIS0R2U3YwXzVSczhYRFpyakVfSHc6MA
9. For ideas and photos on how small businesses are using this feature click here - http://foursquare.com/businesses/
10. Remember - If someone wants to become mayor of a certain location they will need to have uploaded a profile photo
11. What are badges? Badges are little rewards you earn for doing checking-into interesting places. For example, staying out late on a school night or frequenting too many karaoke bars. A lot of their badges are tied to venue "tags". People use tags to describe the places on foursquare (e.g. jukebox, pool table, fireplace, pizza, etc)
12. The site is constantly adding new badges and would love to hear your suggestions. – make sure your campaign office(s) are listed and suggest a badge for “phone dials,” “precinct walks,” “sign assembly,” etc.
13. How does one I earn points? Most foursquare check ins will earn you points. You can earn points for your first check in at a certain place or by adding a new place to our listings. The site displays a list of the users who have racked up the most points on the "leaderboard". The idea is that the more you experience, the more places you visit, etc. the higher your score for that week. The leaderboard resets every Sunday at midnight.
14. Here's how points are currently awarded: +5 points for your first time checking-in at a venue, +5 points for adding a new venue, +1 point for per check in, increasing by +1 with each check in (e.g. your 1st check in of the day is +1, 2nd check in of the day +2 points, etc)
15. What can I do with these points? Not clear yet – there were discussions in December 2009 to tie points to charity but nothing final.
16. Remember – now with extensive social network acceptance, most volunteer activity and campaign support doesn’t have to take place in a vacuum. From donations to outright posts of support, adding foursquare to your social campaigning efforts will allow supporters to easily display their volunteer work. In addition, the site provides another tool for you to reward volunteers in a fun and socially integrated way.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Social Campaigning: Tips + Ideas for LinkedIn
Here are some tips for campaigns or causes that will help keep you out of trouble and help you maximize your LinkedIn usage:
Share your LinkedIn profile on your other social media channels - i.e. your blog, Facebook, Twitter, email signature, etc.
Make the most out of your recommendations/endorsements - these can be used on your personal website as well as on the LinkedIn site
Actively participate in asking and answering questions - this will place your name in front of a lot of people that care about the same issues you care about
Don’t forget to update your profile with new and relevant information to keep things current - i.e. when you switch jobs, work on new projects, acquire new skills, post a new presentation, expand your reading list, make travel plans, etc.
Use the “Companies” section to see which companies you have a direct link with and then get introduced to the right person at that company
Use the various LinkedIn applications to share or gather information from your network
Don’t forget to include a photo of yourself so people can see who you are
Remember to put your contact information should someone want to email you directly or be connected to you on LinkedIn
Create your own groups based on topics and interests you care about – provide information, action items, news clips and leadership to your group
Share your LinkedIn profile on your other social media channels - i.e. your blog, Facebook, Twitter, email signature, etc.
Make the most out of your recommendations/endorsements - these can be used on your personal website as well as on the LinkedIn site
Actively participate in asking and answering questions - this will place your name in front of a lot of people that care about the same issues you care about
Don’t forget to update your profile with new and relevant information to keep things current - i.e. when you switch jobs, work on new projects, acquire new skills, post a new presentation, expand your reading list, make travel plans, etc.
Use the “Companies” section to see which companies you have a direct link with and then get introduced to the right person at that company
Use the various LinkedIn applications to share or gather information from your network
Don’t forget to include a photo of yourself so people can see who you are
Remember to put your contact information should someone want to email you directly or be connected to you on LinkedIn
Create your own groups based on topics and interests you care about – provide information, action items, news clips and leadership to your group
NYTimes, NYU to launch new hyperlocal site
LostRemote reports: Earlier this year, NYTimes.com partnered with City University of New York (CUNY) to power a local site in Brooklyn, serving Fort Greene and Clinton Hill residents. Today, the Times announced a partnership with New York University to launch a hyperlocal site in the East Village. The Local East Village site will be developed by NYU’s journalism faculty and students, and it’s scheduled to launch later this fall. The project will tie into a new class, “The Hyperlocal Newsroom,” which in part will help teach students how to contribute
Here is a link to a story I reported almost one year ago - NYT Going Small - on The Gray Lady's push for small readerships based on hyper local publications.
Here is a link to a story I reported almost one year ago - NYT Going Small - on The Gray Lady's push for small readerships based on hyper local publications.
HuffPost is Back to School
This looks more serious than Rodney Dangerfield's adventures back on campus. The Washing Post reports The Huffington Post is launching a College section in collaboration with more than 50 campus newspapers, such as the Harvard Crimson and Stanford Daily. The section, which will include bloggers, has the goal of becoming "a virtual hub for college life in America."
Bloomberg Acquires Eagle Eye Publishing
BtoB reports: Bloomberg's latest expansion is into the government market. The financial media giant is acquiring Eagle Eye Publishing, which provides databases on federal procurement. Government spending is one area of the economy that continues to see reliable growth.
Bloomberg is making a major push to secure media, information and communication assets inside-the-beltway.
Bloomberg is making a major push to secure media, information and communication assets inside-the-beltway.
Twitter, Facebook to Boost Oscars
New York Post reports: Twitter, Facebook and other sites that cover the Academy Awards are expected to build support for the broadcast, creating a water-cooler effect on the Web, say marketing experts. Social media allow younger fans to "have a group experience and keep a dialogue going."
Being apart of the "gossip chain" has never been easier and more important for brands, causes and campaigns. Furthermore, any real Hollywood PR or Marketing professional should be thinking about how they can engage movie fans that tweet or post comments about movies they are promoting or stars they rep on March 7th.
Being apart of the "gossip chain" has never been easier and more important for brands, causes and campaigns. Furthermore, any real Hollywood PR or Marketing professional should be thinking about how they can engage movie fans that tweet or post comments about movies they are promoting or stars they rep on March 7th.
Social Campaigning: Tips + Ideas for Facebook
Here are some tips for campaigns or causes that will help keep you out of trouble and help you maximize your Facebook usage:
When leaving comments or joining groups/fan pages: don’t spam, be respectful, and add value. This will help you gain friends and create meaningful interactions.
Fill out your profile as completely as you feel comfortable. Provided information on where you went to school, easy ways to be connected, employer(s), addresses to offices, website and list other social media networks where you are a member or active.
If you have a blog or any other type of site where you create content, make sure that content feeds into your Facebook page automatically, so that you don’t need to keep posting links. Use Notes application to automatically link blog posts to your fan page.
Leverage email by promoting your fan page to your email list.
Don’t be afraid to send messages. If you’re connected with someone, then introduce yourself and see how you can make something happen.
Review the groups on Facebook and see which ones are relevant to your candidacy or legislative objectives. You can always slice your groups by interest category or by your network. If you care about tax policy, find the active tax pressure groups and join in the conversations.
Update your status on campaign activity, interesting articles, columns supporting your candidacy, highlights from the campaign trail, recent campaign success, etc.
If someone comments on your Facebook wall or sends you a message, respond to him or her in a timely and positive fashion.
Try using the Facebook ads to reach a target audience or constituency. The cost is very reasonable and similar to Google Ad Words.
Do a Facebook search to find companies, organizations, causes, clubs or people with whom you might want to connect.
Use Facebook events as an earned media and organizing tactic.
Remember “+1” – ask attendees of event or fan page supporters to invite other people they know to generate viral growth of your campaign.
Promote voter registration and key campaign/election dates.
One easy way to reward volunteers is to name them an officer for a campaign group.
Deadlines are a big motivator.
When leaving comments or joining groups/fan pages: don’t spam, be respectful, and add value. This will help you gain friends and create meaningful interactions.
Fill out your profile as completely as you feel comfortable. Provided information on where you went to school, easy ways to be connected, employer(s), addresses to offices, website and list other social media networks where you are a member or active.
If you have a blog or any other type of site where you create content, make sure that content feeds into your Facebook page automatically, so that you don’t need to keep posting links. Use Notes application to automatically link blog posts to your fan page.
Leverage email by promoting your fan page to your email list.
Don’t be afraid to send messages. If you’re connected with someone, then introduce yourself and see how you can make something happen.
Review the groups on Facebook and see which ones are relevant to your candidacy or legislative objectives. You can always slice your groups by interest category or by your network. If you care about tax policy, find the active tax pressure groups and join in the conversations.
Update your status on campaign activity, interesting articles, columns supporting your candidacy, highlights from the campaign trail, recent campaign success, etc.
If someone comments on your Facebook wall or sends you a message, respond to him or her in a timely and positive fashion.
Try using the Facebook ads to reach a target audience or constituency. The cost is very reasonable and similar to Google Ad Words.
Do a Facebook search to find companies, organizations, causes, clubs or people with whom you might want to connect.
Use Facebook events as an earned media and organizing tactic.
Remember “+1” – ask attendees of event or fan page supporters to invite other people they know to generate viral growth of your campaign.
Promote voter registration and key campaign/election dates.
One easy way to reward volunteers is to name them an officer for a campaign group.
Deadlines are a big motivator.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Mayor Gavin Newsom = Twitter Prince
NYT reports If only the Twitterverse had polling places. Forget this lieutenant governor business — @gavinnewsom could run for president.
Samepoint, a social media search engine based in Manhattan, yesterday named Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, “America’s Most Social Mayor.” The start-up company accorded Mr. Newsom the title after running a formula that primarily considered the number of politicians’ followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook.
Mr. Newsom, with almost 1.4 million followers on Twitter, far outstripped the mayor in the No. 2 spot, Cory Booker of Newark, who has just shy of 1.1 million followers. In comparison, @mikebloomberg, the Twitter account for the New York City mayor and, incidentally, “new media” mogul, has slightly more than 16,000 followers.
San Francisco’s chief executive is, in fact, the fourth-most-followed politician on the service. He trails only President Obama, former Republican presidential candidate and current senator John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor.
Mr. Newsom’s ascent into the Twitterati pantheon is the result of a calculated effort by his staff to increase his political reach. But it is just as surely driven by the personality of a mayor genuinely enamored by new technology.
Recall his second inauguration in early 2008, when Mr. Newsom chose to make his first public (-ish) appearance at a virtual fireside chat with Philip Rosedale, the creator of the virtual world Second Life. In an expansive digital auditorium, Mr. Newsom spoke about environmental policy before an audience of avatars — most were flamboyantly-coiffed humans, but also present were a frog, a penguin, and at least two robots — that presumably represented real San Francisco citizens.
More recently, the mayor has invited Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg.com and two Twitter co-founders and friends, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey, to make appearances on his radio show on 960 AM.
Brian Purchia, a spokesman on the mayor’s communications team who was first brought in as a “new media director” for Mr. Newsom’s 2008 reelection campaign, recalled that it was during a trip east for President Obama’s inauguration in 2009 when the mayor appeared struck by the potential role of social media in even electoral politics at the highest level.
Mr. Newsom delved into Twitter upon returning to San Francisco, aides say. He tweeted four, five times a day, often mixing personal tidbits (“Just finished running through the Presidio down to Golden Gate Bridge — hard not to love this city!”) with flashes to his followers casually promoting media appearances (“If anyone is awake — will be on CNN and Morning Joe in a few minutes”), a glance at his tweets show.
It was a budding preoccupation in those early months. Mr. Newsom eagerly responded to tweets directed at him, saying “I agree” to users who mentioned him in a comment or firing off “thank yous” to users who wrote him, half a dozen at a time.
The mayor, inseparable from his iPhone, staffers say, also live-tweeted the birth of his daughter.
“Baby girl.. ” he announced at shortly before 2:00 p.m on September 18 last year, only to add, moments later: “Jen doing great.. Not sure she is happy I am on twitter ..”
For all his contentious moments with the local news media, those highly personal touches, along with the occasional spelling mistake — Mr. Newsom is dyslexic — helps explain his mass appeal online, where Mr. Newsom is able to directly reach his followers, Mr. Purchia said.
“No. 1 is because they know it’s him,” Mr. Purchia said. “Only the mayor could tweet from his kid’s birth. It’s authentic.”
It also helps that this city has one of the highest densities of Twitter users in the country, and Mr. Newsom, who paid a visit to Twitter’s San Francisco offices, has been listed on the Twitter website as a “featured” user. His number of followers skyrocketed afterward.
But as engaged and immediate as Mr. Newsom was with his followers in those early months, he has cooled off since the New Year as the on-call reality of digital celebrity finally set in. This was, perhaps, an ironic awakening for a politician accustomed to having handlers and gatekeepers give him distance from his constituents in real life.
In recent months, Mr. Purchia said, Mr. Newsom has gained so many followers that he has had to all but stop responding to messages. The mayor appears to be tweeting less, and his aides say the percentage of tweets sent by himself as opposed to staffers is now about “70-30.”
“It got to the point where he had a bit of trouble keeping up,” Mr. Puchia said. “The problem with Twitter for politicians is that you’re very popular. It’s getting really difficult to respond but people ask why he’s not responding.”
The number of his followers has also steadily declined in the past month by about 10,000, to roughly 1,379,000.
Still, Mr. Newsom remains active and regularly seeks questions on Twitter for his weekly Youtube broadcast (another instance of his bypassing the traditional outlets). In return, he seems to receive mostly mild questions and plenty of lavish compliments from his followers — a far cry from the highly charged atmosphere that typically surrounds budget talks in City Hall this time of year.
But judging by the more critical replies, it seemed true that what attracted and fascinated people about Mr. Newsom’s online presence in the first place was the immediacy and authenticity. And for some in laid-back, logged-on San Francisco, a growing sense of distance seems to suggest a technological romance on the wane.
On Thursday, after Mr. Newsom said that said he was accepting questions for his Youtube address, Greg Dewar, a well-read blogger who writes the N-Judah Chronicles, seethed in a tweet:
@njudah: What a load of crap. Any time you use @gavinnewsom to talk about a real issue, like Muni, his spokesdroids blow ya off!
Samepoint, a social media search engine based in Manhattan, yesterday named Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, “America’s Most Social Mayor.” The start-up company accorded Mr. Newsom the title after running a formula that primarily considered the number of politicians’ followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook.
Mr. Newsom, with almost 1.4 million followers on Twitter, far outstripped the mayor in the No. 2 spot, Cory Booker of Newark, who has just shy of 1.1 million followers. In comparison, @mikebloomberg, the Twitter account for the New York City mayor and, incidentally, “new media” mogul, has slightly more than 16,000 followers.
San Francisco’s chief executive is, in fact, the fourth-most-followed politician on the service. He trails only President Obama, former Republican presidential candidate and current senator John McCain and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor.
Mr. Newsom’s ascent into the Twitterati pantheon is the result of a calculated effort by his staff to increase his political reach. But it is just as surely driven by the personality of a mayor genuinely enamored by new technology.
Recall his second inauguration in early 2008, when Mr. Newsom chose to make his first public (-ish) appearance at a virtual fireside chat with Philip Rosedale, the creator of the virtual world Second Life. In an expansive digital auditorium, Mr. Newsom spoke about environmental policy before an audience of avatars — most were flamboyantly-coiffed humans, but also present were a frog, a penguin, and at least two robots — that presumably represented real San Francisco citizens.
More recently, the mayor has invited Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg.com and two Twitter co-founders and friends, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey, to make appearances on his radio show on 960 AM.
Brian Purchia, a spokesman on the mayor’s communications team who was first brought in as a “new media director” for Mr. Newsom’s 2008 reelection campaign, recalled that it was during a trip east for President Obama’s inauguration in 2009 when the mayor appeared struck by the potential role of social media in even electoral politics at the highest level.
Mr. Newsom delved into Twitter upon returning to San Francisco, aides say. He tweeted four, five times a day, often mixing personal tidbits (“Just finished running through the Presidio down to Golden Gate Bridge — hard not to love this city!”) with flashes to his followers casually promoting media appearances (“If anyone is awake — will be on CNN and Morning Joe in a few minutes”), a glance at his tweets show.
It was a budding preoccupation in those early months. Mr. Newsom eagerly responded to tweets directed at him, saying “I agree” to users who mentioned him in a comment or firing off “thank yous” to users who wrote him, half a dozen at a time.
The mayor, inseparable from his iPhone, staffers say, also live-tweeted the birth of his daughter.
“Baby girl.. ” he announced at shortly before 2:00 p.m on September 18 last year, only to add, moments later: “Jen doing great.. Not sure she is happy I am on twitter ..”
For all his contentious moments with the local news media, those highly personal touches, along with the occasional spelling mistake — Mr. Newsom is dyslexic — helps explain his mass appeal online, where Mr. Newsom is able to directly reach his followers, Mr. Purchia said.
“No. 1 is because they know it’s him,” Mr. Purchia said. “Only the mayor could tweet from his kid’s birth. It’s authentic.”
It also helps that this city has one of the highest densities of Twitter users in the country, and Mr. Newsom, who paid a visit to Twitter’s San Francisco offices, has been listed on the Twitter website as a “featured” user. His number of followers skyrocketed afterward.
But as engaged and immediate as Mr. Newsom was with his followers in those early months, he has cooled off since the New Year as the on-call reality of digital celebrity finally set in. This was, perhaps, an ironic awakening for a politician accustomed to having handlers and gatekeepers give him distance from his constituents in real life.
In recent months, Mr. Purchia said, Mr. Newsom has gained so many followers that he has had to all but stop responding to messages. The mayor appears to be tweeting less, and his aides say the percentage of tweets sent by himself as opposed to staffers is now about “70-30.”
“It got to the point where he had a bit of trouble keeping up,” Mr. Puchia said. “The problem with Twitter for politicians is that you’re very popular. It’s getting really difficult to respond but people ask why he’s not responding.”
The number of his followers has also steadily declined in the past month by about 10,000, to roughly 1,379,000.
Still, Mr. Newsom remains active and regularly seeks questions on Twitter for his weekly Youtube broadcast (another instance of his bypassing the traditional outlets). In return, he seems to receive mostly mild questions and plenty of lavish compliments from his followers — a far cry from the highly charged atmosphere that typically surrounds budget talks in City Hall this time of year.
But judging by the more critical replies, it seemed true that what attracted and fascinated people about Mr. Newsom’s online presence in the first place was the immediacy and authenticity. And for some in laid-back, logged-on San Francisco, a growing sense of distance seems to suggest a technological romance on the wane.
On Thursday, after Mr. Newsom said that said he was accepting questions for his Youtube address, Greg Dewar, a well-read blogger who writes the N-Judah Chronicles, seethed in a tweet:
@njudah: What a load of crap. Any time you use @gavinnewsom to talk about a real issue, like Muni, his spokesdroids blow ya off!
Kevin Rose's 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs
ReadWriteStart reports: Kevin Rose, Digg's founder, spoke this week at Webstock in Wellington, New Zealand and covered 10 amazing tips for entrepreneurs. They were truly insightful - and obviously came straight from the heart and soul of someone who worked a day job and built his dream after hours. This is our take of what he had to say.
1: Just Build It: You don't need anyone's approval and in fact, you probably won't get it, so don't even try.
2: Iterate: Build, release and iterate. Make a list of the features you want to create over the next six months and get going! For small companies, once a week; for larger companies, maybe twice a month.
3: Hire Your Boss: Make sure you hire people that you would want to work for, who challenge you and you can learn from.
4: Demand Excellence: Ensure staff are committed to and understand your vision. Passionate, committed staff have a tendency to rub off on people. There is nothing like a new junior developer who runs circles around everyone to get people hyped up and raise the bar! Stay involved in the hiring process as long as you possibly can.
5: Raising Money: The higher your evaluation is, the more equity you have to work with. Beg, borrow and steal. Be creative about finding ways to cut costs. For example, tell the bar you are having a "birthday party" instead of a corporate event (which they would charge you $5,000 for). Rent servers, don't buy them. Don't just take the cash, make sure your investors can add value. Stick with angel investment. Venture capital mean board meetings, which is a huge sap on time and resources.
6: Hack the Press: Hit up the lower-end bloggers at your favorite tech blog. They have just as much opportunity to write about your product as any other blogger on the team. Attend the after-event parties. The same crowd that attends the events also goes to the parties, but the parties are free.
7: Invest in Advisors: Give away a small amount of stock to advisors (which they can vest after a few years) who you can call on in a pickle or for general advice as issues arise. Set the ground rules so you and the advisor know how much time you have access to.
8: Connect With the Community: Hold a live town hall where you can collect feedback and get advice from your users.
9: Leverage Your User Base to Spread the Word: Facebook notifications is a great example of how to do this.
10: Analyze Your Traffic: Pay attention to how people are using your site, and then learn and evolve. Use Google Analytics to understand and track traffic sources and entrance and exit paths.
1: Just Build It: You don't need anyone's approval and in fact, you probably won't get it, so don't even try.
2: Iterate: Build, release and iterate. Make a list of the features you want to create over the next six months and get going! For small companies, once a week; for larger companies, maybe twice a month.
3: Hire Your Boss: Make sure you hire people that you would want to work for, who challenge you and you can learn from.
4: Demand Excellence: Ensure staff are committed to and understand your vision. Passionate, committed staff have a tendency to rub off on people. There is nothing like a new junior developer who runs circles around everyone to get people hyped up and raise the bar! Stay involved in the hiring process as long as you possibly can.
5: Raising Money: The higher your evaluation is, the more equity you have to work with. Beg, borrow and steal. Be creative about finding ways to cut costs. For example, tell the bar you are having a "birthday party" instead of a corporate event (which they would charge you $5,000 for). Rent servers, don't buy them. Don't just take the cash, make sure your investors can add value. Stick with angel investment. Venture capital mean board meetings, which is a huge sap on time and resources.
6: Hack the Press: Hit up the lower-end bloggers at your favorite tech blog. They have just as much opportunity to write about your product as any other blogger on the team. Attend the after-event parties. The same crowd that attends the events also goes to the parties, but the parties are free.
7: Invest in Advisors: Give away a small amount of stock to advisors (which they can vest after a few years) who you can call on in a pickle or for general advice as issues arise. Set the ground rules so you and the advisor know how much time you have access to.
8: Connect With the Community: Hold a live town hall where you can collect feedback and get advice from your users.
9: Leverage Your User Base to Spread the Word: Facebook notifications is a great example of how to do this.
10: Analyze Your Traffic: Pay attention to how people are using your site, and then learn and evolve. Use Google Analytics to understand and track traffic sources and entrance and exit paths.
Here's The Screen That Will Obliterate Microsoft's Browser Share In Europe
SAI reports: As part of its settlement with the EU, Microsoft will start showing Internet Explorer users in Europe the screen below, prompting them to select a browser for their computer.
With this new choice, it's likely Microsoft will lose its position as the dominant browser in Europe. Robert Andrews at paidContent notes that Firefox already has 39% of the browser share in Europe, versus Internet Explorer's 45%.
In and of itself, this is not a huge deal. Browsers aren't cash cows. However, Microsoft uses its dominant browser position to drive traffic to online properties. Without a strangle hold on the browser market, it will lose traffic to those sites.
With this new choice, it's likely Microsoft will lose its position as the dominant browser in Europe. Robert Andrews at paidContent notes that Firefox already has 39% of the browser share in Europe, versus Internet Explorer's 45%.
In and of itself, this is not a huge deal. Browsers aren't cash cows. However, Microsoft uses its dominant browser position to drive traffic to online properties. Without a strangle hold on the browser market, it will lose traffic to those sites.
Tech industry warns that Obama administration seeks to kill free websites
SFGate Politics Blog reports: A coalition of Internet companies called NetChoice warned today that the Obama administration's Federal Trade Commission is angling for a new rule that would require web site visitors to "opt in" to allow web operators to collect information for advertisers to target ads.
Executive director Steve DelBianco warned that such a rule would "devastate" free websites by eliminating targeted advertising. Consumers seldom "opt in" to allow web sites to collect data on the personal interests they manifest by clicking on articles or advertisements.
DelBianco used an example of a reader named Grant looking at a golf article. "The web site ought to be able to tick a box saying Grant likes golf and use that to serve ads" and share "non-sensitive" data with Nike to buy the ads, as opposed to selling blind and irrelevant ads for baby diapers.
The FTC won the broader rulemaking authority it needs in the House-passed financial reform legislation but it is meeting Senate resistance. DelBianco predicted that such a rule would up-end the advertising model that now drives the Internet and require ad-supported websites, including blogs, to find a new source of revenue. NetChoice members include Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Yahoo, eBay, AOL, and several web merchandising groups.
Executive director Steve DelBianco warned that such a rule would "devastate" free websites by eliminating targeted advertising. Consumers seldom "opt in" to allow web sites to collect data on the personal interests they manifest by clicking on articles or advertisements.
DelBianco used an example of a reader named Grant looking at a golf article. "The web site ought to be able to tick a box saying Grant likes golf and use that to serve ads" and share "non-sensitive" data with Nike to buy the ads, as opposed to selling blind and irrelevant ads for baby diapers.
The FTC won the broader rulemaking authority it needs in the House-passed financial reform legislation but it is meeting Senate resistance. DelBianco predicted that such a rule would up-end the advertising model that now drives the Internet and require ad-supported websites, including blogs, to find a new source of revenue. NetChoice members include Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Yahoo, eBay, AOL, and several web merchandising groups.
Democrats Losing Young Voters
From PoliticalWire: A new Pew Research poll finds young voters "played a big role in the resurgence of the Democratic Party in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but their attachment to the Democratic Party weakened markedly over the course of 2009."
The Democratic advantage over the Republicans in party affiliation among young voters "reached a whopping 62% to 30% margin in 2008. But by the end of 2009 this 32-point margin had shrunk to just 14 points: 54% Democrat, 40% Republican."
The Democratic advantage over the Republicans in party affiliation among young voters "reached a whopping 62% to 30% margin in 2008. But by the end of 2009 this 32-point margin had shrunk to just 14 points: 54% Democrat, 40% Republican."
Skaters and Snowboarders Most Buzzed About Athletes at Olympics
The Nielsen Company analyzed online discussions among 25 high-profile athletes and medal winners involved in the Winter Olympics and found that American speed skater Apolo Ohno is the most buzzed-about athlete so far. Although he’s won just a silver medal in these Vancouver games, Ohno was the most blogged, tweeted and discussed amid his quest to pass Bonnie Blair as the most decorated American at the Winter Olympics. Ohno was followed by American snowboarder Shaun White and Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili who was tragically killed in practice prior to the opening ceremonies.
Athlete Buzz for 2010 Olympic Games (Feb 9-16)
1 Apolo Ohno - USA Speed Skating
2 Shaun White - USA Snowboarding
3 Nodar Kumaritashvili - Georgia Luge
4 Lindsey Vonn - USA Alpine Skiing
5 Johnny Weir - USA Figure Skating
6 Alexandre Bildeau - Canada Freestyle Skiing
7 Bode Miller - USA Alpine Skiing
8 Hanna Kearney - USA Freestyle Skiing
9 Seth Wescott - USA Snowboarding
10 Gretchen Bleiler - USA Snowboarding
Source: The Nielsen Company"
Athlete Buzz for 2010 Olympic Games (Feb 9-16)
1 Apolo Ohno - USA Speed Skating
2 Shaun White - USA Snowboarding
3 Nodar Kumaritashvili - Georgia Luge
4 Lindsey Vonn - USA Alpine Skiing
5 Johnny Weir - USA Figure Skating
6 Alexandre Bildeau - Canada Freestyle Skiing
7 Bode Miller - USA Alpine Skiing
8 Hanna Kearney - USA Freestyle Skiing
9 Seth Wescott - USA Snowboarding
10 Gretchen Bleiler - USA Snowboarding
Source: The Nielsen Company"
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Better Super Bowl Championship Condiment?
2009 Heinz for Pittsburgh Steelers or 2010 Tabasco for New Orleans Saints?
I love 'em both!
I love 'em both!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Let's (Canada) join the digital broadcasting revolution
Let's join the digital broadcasting revolution - The Globe and Mail: "In the Internet age, a complete overhaul is needed for Canadian-content policies"
Gawker Media Makes Its First Acquisition
NYT reports: Gawker Makes Its First Acquisition
Gawker Media, the eight-year-old online publishing heavyweight founded by Nick Denton, announced its first acquisition on Monday, the New York boldface name guide CityFile.
Mr. Denton would not disclose the sale price. He indicated in a memorandum that he had looked at other acquisition targets in recent months, and said “if online media is consolidating, we’d rather be a consolidator than consolidatee.” But he reiterated the company’s belief that it is “usually more effective to build than buy.”
Remy Stern, the editor and publisher of CityFile, will become the editor of Gawker next week, replacing Gabriel Snyder, who said in a separate memorandum: “I’ll put this as plainly as we’d report any other masthead ouster: I am being canned.”
Mr. Snyder said he was uncertain about the reasons for his ouster.
Editors tend not to hold the top job at Gawker for very long; Mr. Snyder has been in the position for the last 16 months.
“Building this Web site into what it is today — a big operation with 11 writers, a regular source of national news and a challenger to the mainstream media organizations that it once mocked — has been the best job of my career,” Mr. Snyder wrote.
Gawker set a new traffic record last week, topping four million monthly readers for the first time.
The gossipy Gawker Media has sought to look and feel more like a major media company with a portfolio of titles, Gawker being the third-biggest in terms of unique visitors. In its advertising one-sheet, the company says the Gawker title “dishes the nation’s most current and cutting gossip across media, entertainment, technology, and business.”
As to how CityFile will fit in, Mr. Denton said it would serve as the centerpiece of Gawker’s “new topic and people pages.” On Twitter, he called CityFile a “people directory” of 2,144 notable New York names. (What kind of people? The most-viewed files in the last two weeks were the ones for Olivia Palermo, Anderson Cooper, Anthony Bourdain, Tinsley Mortimer and Bee Shaffer.)
In the memo, Mr. Denton asked, “Does this mean Gawker is going on an acquisition spree?” He answered accordingly:
Well, it’s a question of scale. Each of the Gawker titles does already have more than 1m US visitors a month — making them usually the largest or second largest blog title in their category. Nevertheless the threshold of advertising success does continue to rise and we’re increasingly competing online with TV and newspaper groups.
Moreover, we’ve long actively managed our portfolio of properties, selling Consumerist to Consumers Union last year, for instance — or closing down unsuccessful properties. To achieve critical mass in entertainment and tech, we have indeed looked at a few opportunities in the last few months. If online media is consolidating, we’d rather be a consolidator than consolidatee. And revenue growth of 22% in 2009 provides the resources. (Deal ideas? Contact Gaby Darbyshire.) Don’t get too excited, however. The successful launches of Jezebel and io9 confirmed our belief that it’s usually more effective to build than buy.
In an e-mail message, Mr. Denton said that Chris Batty, Gawker Media’s head of sales, was a financial backer in CityFile.
Gawker Media, the eight-year-old online publishing heavyweight founded by Nick Denton, announced its first acquisition on Monday, the New York boldface name guide CityFile.
Mr. Denton would not disclose the sale price. He indicated in a memorandum that he had looked at other acquisition targets in recent months, and said “if online media is consolidating, we’d rather be a consolidator than consolidatee.” But he reiterated the company’s belief that it is “usually more effective to build than buy.”
Remy Stern, the editor and publisher of CityFile, will become the editor of Gawker next week, replacing Gabriel Snyder, who said in a separate memorandum: “I’ll put this as plainly as we’d report any other masthead ouster: I am being canned.”
Mr. Snyder said he was uncertain about the reasons for his ouster.
Editors tend not to hold the top job at Gawker for very long; Mr. Snyder has been in the position for the last 16 months.
“Building this Web site into what it is today — a big operation with 11 writers, a regular source of national news and a challenger to the mainstream media organizations that it once mocked — has been the best job of my career,” Mr. Snyder wrote.
Gawker set a new traffic record last week, topping four million monthly readers for the first time.
The gossipy Gawker Media has sought to look and feel more like a major media company with a portfolio of titles, Gawker being the third-biggest in terms of unique visitors. In its advertising one-sheet, the company says the Gawker title “dishes the nation’s most current and cutting gossip across media, entertainment, technology, and business.”
As to how CityFile will fit in, Mr. Denton said it would serve as the centerpiece of Gawker’s “new topic and people pages.” On Twitter, he called CityFile a “people directory” of 2,144 notable New York names. (What kind of people? The most-viewed files in the last two weeks were the ones for Olivia Palermo, Anderson Cooper, Anthony Bourdain, Tinsley Mortimer and Bee Shaffer.)
In the memo, Mr. Denton asked, “Does this mean Gawker is going on an acquisition spree?” He answered accordingly:
Well, it’s a question of scale. Each of the Gawker titles does already have more than 1m US visitors a month — making them usually the largest or second largest blog title in their category. Nevertheless the threshold of advertising success does continue to rise and we’re increasingly competing online with TV and newspaper groups.
Moreover, we’ve long actively managed our portfolio of properties, selling Consumerist to Consumers Union last year, for instance — or closing down unsuccessful properties. To achieve critical mass in entertainment and tech, we have indeed looked at a few opportunities in the last few months. If online media is consolidating, we’d rather be a consolidator than consolidatee. And revenue growth of 22% in 2009 provides the resources. (Deal ideas? Contact Gaby Darbyshire.) Don’t get too excited, however. The successful launches of Jezebel and io9 confirmed our belief that it’s usually more effective to build than buy.
In an e-mail message, Mr. Denton said that Chris Batty, Gawker Media’s head of sales, was a financial backer in CityFile.
Google rolls out ad plan for buzz social network
Andrew McCormick of marketingmagazine.co.uk reports: Google is approaching brands to run personalised ads around Buzz, the social network it has launched to rival Facebook and Twitter.
The commercial model for Buzz is based on the ad system it uses for Gmail. This works by detecting the subject matter of email conversations and targeting the user with relevant messages.
‘There are certainly ways to offer relevant and targeted ads via Buzz,' said a Google spokesman. ‘Currently, ads appear next to Buzz posts in the Gmail inbox, but there aren't any ads on the Buzz tab itself. For now, we're focused on building a great consumer experience. We'll work on more monetisation opportunities later.'
However, media buyers claim that Google is already seeking brands to run ads on Buzz to test their effectiveness.
Buzz lets users share videos, photos and status updates, and is the latest attempt by Google to grab some of the success enjoyed by social media sites.
While Google's Orkut social network is popular in Brazil, and India, its social networks have so far failed to resonate in the UK or the US.
Google hopes to change this by basing its latest venture on Gmail, which has 176m users worldwide.
Jim Clark, senior technology analyst at Mintel, said that brands should take Buzz seriously rather than view it as just another potentially irrelevant ad platform.
‘Google has a track record of innovation,' he said. ‘If it manages to tie in its other services, Buzz can become massive as one central area where Google can push all its apps.'
But Molly Flatt, WOM evangelist at word-of-mouth marketing agency 1000Heads, argued that Google could miss out on Buzz becoming mass-market by preventing links to outside sources from being published within it.
‘The likes of Twitter actively send us into new spaces via outlinks, helping us collide with truly unexpected discoveries, not the inevitably irrelevant automated "recommendations" Buzz offers,' she said. ‘By posting up the videos and posts linked to in the same window, Buzz prevents users from investigating the original source.'
Clark added that while brands should not abandon other effective platforms, they should investigate Buzz sooner rather than later.
‘As long as Facebook has the traffic levels it currently enjoys, brands should focus on that,' he said. ‘But Buzz is an emerging social network and brands should get in early.'
The commercial model for Buzz is based on the ad system it uses for Gmail. This works by detecting the subject matter of email conversations and targeting the user with relevant messages.
‘There are certainly ways to offer relevant and targeted ads via Buzz,' said a Google spokesman. ‘Currently, ads appear next to Buzz posts in the Gmail inbox, but there aren't any ads on the Buzz tab itself. For now, we're focused on building a great consumer experience. We'll work on more monetisation opportunities later.'
However, media buyers claim that Google is already seeking brands to run ads on Buzz to test their effectiveness.
Buzz lets users share videos, photos and status updates, and is the latest attempt by Google to grab some of the success enjoyed by social media sites.
While Google's Orkut social network is popular in Brazil, and India, its social networks have so far failed to resonate in the UK or the US.
Google hopes to change this by basing its latest venture on Gmail, which has 176m users worldwide.
Jim Clark, senior technology analyst at Mintel, said that brands should take Buzz seriously rather than view it as just another potentially irrelevant ad platform.
‘Google has a track record of innovation,' he said. ‘If it manages to tie in its other services, Buzz can become massive as one central area where Google can push all its apps.'
But Molly Flatt, WOM evangelist at word-of-mouth marketing agency 1000Heads, argued that Google could miss out on Buzz becoming mass-market by preventing links to outside sources from being published within it.
‘The likes of Twitter actively send us into new spaces via outlinks, helping us collide with truly unexpected discoveries, not the inevitably irrelevant automated "recommendations" Buzz offers,' she said. ‘By posting up the videos and posts linked to in the same window, Buzz prevents users from investigating the original source.'
Clark added that while brands should not abandon other effective platforms, they should investigate Buzz sooner rather than later.
‘As long as Facebook has the traffic levels it currently enjoys, brands should focus on that,' he said. ‘But Buzz is an emerging social network and brands should get in early.'
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Jeff Jarvis on Buzz
BuzzMachine: "Jeff Jarvis - Buzz: A beta too soon"
As soon as Buzz was announced — before I could try it — I tried to intuit its goals and I found profound opportunities.
Now that I’ve tried it, reality and opportunity a fer piece apart. It’s awkward. I’d thought that I had wanted Twitter to be threaded but I was wrong; the simplest point quickly passes into an overdose of add-ons. Worse, Google didn’t think through critical issues of privacy — and it only gets worse (via danah boyd). I won’t go as far as Steve Rubel and some others, who instantly declared Buzz DOA; there is the essence of something important here (which I think will come out in mobile more than the web). But there’s no question: Buzz has kinks.
I was going to use that line in the headline — that Buzz is a beta too soon — but the irony is that Buzz is the one product Google did not release as a beta. Big mistake, I think.
In fact, even if Buzz had been released as a beta to a small audience, I’m not sure all the problems would have surfaced because it takes a lot of people using it to surface those problems: unwanted connections and too much noise.
As soon as Buzz was announced — before I could try it — I tried to intuit its goals and I found profound opportunities.
Now that I’ve tried it, reality and opportunity a fer piece apart. It’s awkward. I’d thought that I had wanted Twitter to be threaded but I was wrong; the simplest point quickly passes into an overdose of add-ons. Worse, Google didn’t think through critical issues of privacy — and it only gets worse (via danah boyd). I won’t go as far as Steve Rubel and some others, who instantly declared Buzz DOA; there is the essence of something important here (which I think will come out in mobile more than the web). But there’s no question: Buzz has kinks.
I was going to use that line in the headline — that Buzz is a beta too soon — but the irony is that Buzz is the one product Google did not release as a beta. Big mistake, I think.
In fact, even if Buzz had been released as a beta to a small audience, I’m not sure all the problems would have surfaced because it takes a lot of people using it to surface those problems: unwanted connections and too much noise.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Text "Haiti" to 90999
The American Red Cross said that it has raised $32 million for Haitian earthquake relief through $10 mobile donations, with more than 3 million people texting the word "Haiti" to 90999. The organization said that it so far has received more than $15 million of the donations, through advances paid by wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Need Motivation and Inspiration?
Read
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Seth Godin
Crush It
Gary Vaynerchuk
Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don’t
Kevin Maney + Jim Collins
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk
Al Ries + Jack Trout
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
Charlene Li + Josh Bernoff
Ogilvy on Advertising
David Ogilvy
Visit
Brian Solis – PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com/
Seth’s Blog
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
Web Ink Now
http://www.webinknow.com/
ConversationAgent
http://www.conversationagent.com/
A VC
http://www.avc.com
Mashable
http://www.mashable.com
tompeters!
http://www.tompeters.com/
Follow
Loren Feldman – 1938 Media
@1938
http://www.1938media.com
Gary Vaynerchuk – Vaynerchuk Media
@garyvee
http://garyvaynerchuk.com/
Scott Monty – The Social Media Marketing Blog
@ScottMonty
http://www.scottmonty.com/
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Seth Godin
Crush It
Gary Vaynerchuk
Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don’t
Kevin Maney + Jim Collins
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk
Al Ries + Jack Trout
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
Charlene Li + Josh Bernoff
Ogilvy on Advertising
David Ogilvy
Visit
Brian Solis – PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com/
Seth’s Blog
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
Web Ink Now
http://www.webinknow.com/
ConversationAgent
http://www.conversationagent.com/
A VC
http://www.avc.com
Mashable
http://www.mashable.com
tompeters!
http://www.tompeters.com/
Follow
Loren Feldman – 1938 Media
@1938
http://www.1938media.com
Gary Vaynerchuk – Vaynerchuk Media
@garyvee
http://garyvaynerchuk.com/
Scott Monty – The Social Media Marketing Blog
@ScottMonty
http://www.scottmonty.com/
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Bummed Out by Super Bowl Ads? So Are Advertisers.
MediaMemo reports: Underwhelmed with last night’s Super Bowl ads? So are the people who paid for them.
The majority of TV ad buyers say they think their spots are less useful than they used to be. At least according to a new study from Forrester-ANA, which surveys top advertisers: 62 percent feel TV ads “are not as effective” as they were two years ago.
The Forrester (FORR) study is full of nuggets that will cheer those who want to radically transform the TV ad model. For instance:
Ad buyers have reduced the amount they are spending on TV and are now allotting just 41 percent of their budgets to the boob tube, compared with 58 percent in 2008.
66 percent think DVRs “will destroy or reduce the effectiveness” of the 30-second ad.
They overwhelmingly hate the existing metrics used to measure TV programming.
63 percent think Google (GOOG) will dominate “tomorrow’s big advertising winners,” ahead of cable operators (53 percent), cable networks (47 percent) and broadcast networks (nine percent).
So when can we declare traditional TV ads DOA? No time soon. Even in decline, TV ads are a $70 billion business, give or take a billion, and it’s going to take a lot effort to move an industry that size–even mighty Google has had no luck to date.
The majority of TV ad buyers say they think their spots are less useful than they used to be. At least according to a new study from Forrester-ANA, which surveys top advertisers: 62 percent feel TV ads “are not as effective” as they were two years ago.
The Forrester (FORR) study is full of nuggets that will cheer those who want to radically transform the TV ad model. For instance:
Ad buyers have reduced the amount they are spending on TV and are now allotting just 41 percent of their budgets to the boob tube, compared with 58 percent in 2008.
66 percent think DVRs “will destroy or reduce the effectiveness” of the 30-second ad.
They overwhelmingly hate the existing metrics used to measure TV programming.
63 percent think Google (GOOG) will dominate “tomorrow’s big advertising winners,” ahead of cable operators (53 percent), cable networks (47 percent) and broadcast networks (nine percent).
So when can we declare traditional TV ads DOA? No time soon. Even in decline, TV ads are a $70 billion business, give or take a billion, and it’s going to take a lot effort to move an industry that size–even mighty Google has had no luck to date.
Zagat Books A Table With Foursquare; Restaurant Maven Reaches For Mobile App’s Cool Factor
PaidContent reports: Location-based social net Foursquare is on a roll when it comes to netting high-profile media partnerships. The latest is restaurant reviews guide Zagat, the NYT reports. By hooking up with Foursquare, Zagat may be hoping to bid up its own cool cache. The reviews site’s image suffered a bit among media industry observers when it failed to find a buyer who would meet its for-sale price. The timing of this partnership comes right on the heels of deals of Foursquare’s deals with NBC Universal’s Bravo and Canadian commuter daily Metro.
The arrangement resembles the one Foursquare struck with Metro last month. Under that deal, Metro users recommend “tips” to other Foursquare users. With Zagat, users will also provide content to Foursquare, as opposed to just getting assigned a marketer’s branded “badge” when a user checks into a spot that’s marked by one of its media partners.
The Foursquare/Zagat feed serves as a platform for users to share recommendations of menu items with other members. Foursquare has been hitting stratospheric levels of hype the past several months, but the flurry of media arrangements it has struck in recent weeks and upcoming deals that are still in the works have made even the most cynical observers consider that there may actually be a serious business model at work here. The collaboration with Zagat could help Foursquare refine its business model and challenge directory sites like Yelp, whose reviews and recommendations app is also fairly popular.
Zagat is also bringing another content idea to Foursquare’s table. The restaurant reviews aggregator is creating a “Meet the Mayor” interviews series on its site, highlighting individual users who have signed in to a place more times than other users. Zagat hopes that the cross-promotion will drive users to its own site.
The arrangement resembles the one Foursquare struck with Metro last month. Under that deal, Metro users recommend “tips” to other Foursquare users. With Zagat, users will also provide content to Foursquare, as opposed to just getting assigned a marketer’s branded “badge” when a user checks into a spot that’s marked by one of its media partners.
The Foursquare/Zagat feed serves as a platform for users to share recommendations of menu items with other members. Foursquare has been hitting stratospheric levels of hype the past several months, but the flurry of media arrangements it has struck in recent weeks and upcoming deals that are still in the works have made even the most cynical observers consider that there may actually be a serious business model at work here. The collaboration with Zagat could help Foursquare refine its business model and challenge directory sites like Yelp, whose reviews and recommendations app is also fairly popular.
Zagat is also bringing another content idea to Foursquare’s table. The restaurant reviews aggregator is creating a “Meet the Mayor” interviews series on its site, highlighting individual users who have signed in to a place more times than other users. Zagat hopes that the cross-promotion will drive users to its own site.
@ Local Online: The Hyperlocal Rev Model: Sell Services, Not Just Ads
PaidContent reports: Buzzmachine’s Jeff Jarvis opened Borrell Associates’ Local Online Advertising Conference with an extensive report about the revenue possibilities presented to hyperlocal sites. Amid an flurry of stats that aimed to show that hyperlocal sites can attract thousands of dollars in revenue with just a s small support staff, his primary point was that sites in general need to do more than just sell ads and post news items. The need to sell services, including optimizing advertisers’ web presence across search and directories sites, as well as on social media and the mobile web. In terms of content, Jarvis rejects the notion that there’s too much content on the web, which many observers has said dilutes the value of major publishers’ ad sales. He pointed the value of establishing networks that filter the huge waves of content as the best way for media companies to recapture revenue. (Jarvis has posted an outline of his presentation, here.)
Jarvis also wanted to clear one other point up, before handing the things over to a panel presentation on hyperlocal. “I’m often misquoted as saying that I’m against the concept of paid content,” he said. “I’m not against it. I’ve got a book to sell right there”—he points to his What Would Google Do?—“I just don’t think it will work.” Speaking of Google, Jarvis offered current AOL (NYSE: AOL) CEO Tim Armstrong’s focus on hyperlocal blog network, Patch. Armstrong invested in Patch when he was still at Google (NSDQ: GOOG). After he became CEO of AOL, Armstrong decided to buy Patch and has said that he considers the site central to its local content strategy.
The first presented was Chris Hendricks, McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) Company’s VP of Interactive Media, who said that the newspaper publisher has been pursuing a hybrid hyperlocal content model of professional and amateur reporters. So far, the hyperlocal sites have contributed $2.5 million in revenue. The biggest site so far is the Raleigh News & Observer’s work with Triangle’s. That site did $500,000 in revenue last year. At that point, Jarvis praised him for doing God’s work. But when an audience member asked Hendricks if any of those revenues are being shared with the amateur contributors, he admitted that McClatchy wasn’t doing that yet, though they’re working on it. At that point, Jarvis said half-jokingly, “I take back what I said about God’s work.”
While McClatchy’s existing resources gives it an easy head-start when it comes to attracting users and advertisers. For others, it takes a mix of new and old media to gain any traction. Inn addition to becoming adept at SEO strategies, Mark Potts, CEO and co-founder of GrowthSpur.com advocated handing out leaflets outside the local supermarket to hosting gatherings at coffeehouses.“Marketing is the hardest part of this,” he said. “It takes a year or two to get critical mass on a local site.”
Chris Jennewein, president of U.S. Local News Network, also said that turning to the oldest media can help build a hyperlocal community. “We’ve put ads on billboards and on radio and those mediums still work pretty well.”
Jarvis also wanted to clear one other point up, before handing the things over to a panel presentation on hyperlocal. “I’m often misquoted as saying that I’m against the concept of paid content,” he said. “I’m not against it. I’ve got a book to sell right there”—he points to his What Would Google Do?—“I just don’t think it will work.” Speaking of Google, Jarvis offered current AOL (NYSE: AOL) CEO Tim Armstrong’s focus on hyperlocal blog network, Patch. Armstrong invested in Patch when he was still at Google (NSDQ: GOOG). After he became CEO of AOL, Armstrong decided to buy Patch and has said that he considers the site central to its local content strategy.
The first presented was Chris Hendricks, McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) Company’s VP of Interactive Media, who said that the newspaper publisher has been pursuing a hybrid hyperlocal content model of professional and amateur reporters. So far, the hyperlocal sites have contributed $2.5 million in revenue. The biggest site so far is the Raleigh News & Observer’s work with Triangle’s. That site did $500,000 in revenue last year. At that point, Jarvis praised him for doing God’s work. But when an audience member asked Hendricks if any of those revenues are being shared with the amateur contributors, he admitted that McClatchy wasn’t doing that yet, though they’re working on it. At that point, Jarvis said half-jokingly, “I take back what I said about God’s work.”
While McClatchy’s existing resources gives it an easy head-start when it comes to attracting users and advertisers. For others, it takes a mix of new and old media to gain any traction. Inn addition to becoming adept at SEO strategies, Mark Potts, CEO and co-founder of GrowthSpur.com advocated handing out leaflets outside the local supermarket to hosting gatherings at coffeehouses.“Marketing is the hardest part of this,” he said. “It takes a year or two to get critical mass on a local site.”
Chris Jennewein, president of U.S. Local News Network, also said that turning to the oldest media can help build a hyperlocal community. “We’ve put ads on billboards and on radio and those mediums still work pretty well.”
Monday, February 8, 2010
Gatorade "Journey" ad
In case you didn't get enough Super Bowl ads (there were 63 last night) - this one ran before the big game.
Economist: A special report on social networking
Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better - download full report - click here.
Social Media and Baby Boomers
Media Post's list of implications for marketers:
•Include social media in plans to reach Boomers: it is clear that social networks are not a passing phase for Boomers. Like others, they are finding that online social networks enhance their existing relationships.
•Join them at the networks they already frequent; don't create a separate unique network for them based on their age: Boomers want to connect with their friends and family across generations. They don't want to be segregated by age.
•Create "share worthy content": Boomers aren't just lurking on social networks, they are sharing and recruiting. Give them content they deem worthy of sharing or a reason to "recruit" others. For instance, the Facebook bra meme drew significant numbers of Boomer women into it; this was not a meme of just younger women. Organizations like Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF and other cause groups are finding tremendous success attracting Boomers as well as younger generations to their causes.
•Don't be afraid to incorporate video and pictures for Boomers to share: Half of Boomers on social networks have watched videos, uploaded pictures or read someone's blog.
•Finally, social media shouldn't replace traditional media yet for this age cohort: While Boomers are embracing social networks, they still spend significant amounts of time with traditional media -- television, newspapers and magazines -- more so than younger generations.
Political Spending Expected To Hit $4.2 Billion
MediaPost reports: Good news for TV stations -- but not so much for TV viewers -- is that future political advertising could turn into an "endless campaign." That's how Borrell Associates describes the new political advertising landscape, and in particular, the 2010 season, which is estimated to hit a record $4.2 billion.
A sizable piece of this big number comes from the recent landmark Supreme Court decision to give corporations the freedom to buy and attach their names to political advertising.
As a result of the high court's ruling, Borrell lifted its estimates 10% to the current $4.2 billion level. The group says about 75% of these dollars will be going to local TV.
All this would be a $1 billion-dollar improvement over the last big political advertising season -- 2008 -- which was estimated to have totaled just under $3 billion. It featured high-spending presidential and other political advertising efforts.
For the first time, Borrell expects 2010 political ad spending to surpass spending in a presidential year in the same decade.
Local TV advertising executives have always talked about the two-year cycle of the TV political advertising season, in which odd-number years have lower ad revenues and even-numbered years -- thanks to bigger presidential and more House of Representative and Senate campaigns -- have higher ad revenues.
Many industry executives believe the Supreme Court decision will change all this -- allowing corporations to buy political messaging all year round.
Internet political advertising spending is estimated to total $44 million in 2010, per Borrell. It will have rapid growth in the coming years -- more than doubling by 2012, going over the $100 million mark.
A sizable piece of this big number comes from the recent landmark Supreme Court decision to give corporations the freedom to buy and attach their names to political advertising.
As a result of the high court's ruling, Borrell lifted its estimates 10% to the current $4.2 billion level. The group says about 75% of these dollars will be going to local TV.
All this would be a $1 billion-dollar improvement over the last big political advertising season -- 2008 -- which was estimated to have totaled just under $3 billion. It featured high-spending presidential and other political advertising efforts.
For the first time, Borrell expects 2010 political ad spending to surpass spending in a presidential year in the same decade.
Local TV advertising executives have always talked about the two-year cycle of the TV political advertising season, in which odd-number years have lower ad revenues and even-numbered years -- thanks to bigger presidential and more House of Representative and Senate campaigns -- have higher ad revenues.
Many industry executives believe the Supreme Court decision will change all this -- allowing corporations to buy political messaging all year round.
Internet political advertising spending is estimated to total $44 million in 2010, per Borrell. It will have rapid growth in the coming years -- more than doubling by 2012, going over the $100 million mark.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Team Obama = MacHeads
White House photo of the day and caption: White House staff and others use laptop computers to monitor President Barack Obama's live interview on YouTube in the Library of the White House Feb 1, 2010.
iPad discussed on Charlie Rose
Apple's iPad reviewed by Charlie Rose with a conversation with Michael Arrington, Walter Mossberg and David Carr.
Click here to watch the discussion:
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10848#schedule
Click here to watch the discussion:
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10848#schedule
Friday, February 5, 2010
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John McCain's Campaign Gets Social
MediaPost reports: Arizona Senator John McCain has launched an online video initiative capitalizing on the surge in social media marketing. The campaign relies on Sorenson 360's online video platform to help drive the former Republican presidential nominee's 2010 senatorial reelection effort.
The "Video Supporter Wall" of more than 500 video messages highlights key issues from a variety of supporters, from Steve Forbes to every-day United States citizens who have a Web or movie camera and can generate video content. The social media campaign aims to connect with potential and existing McCain supporters who want to hear about the issues or speak out on McCain's behalf.
"The strategy for the supporter wall is to provide a way for voters in Arizona to come to site and interact with the Senator," says Corey Vale, Internet director for the McCain 2010 campaign. "It's a way for supporters to hop on the Web site and tell others why they support John McCain."
McCain has about 510,000 fans on Facebook and approximately 1.75 million followers @SenJohnMcCain. Vale says McCain dabbles in other social media, from Twitter to Facebook, but the video supporter wall gives people a chance to interact and share their views in one place. With a click of a button and a Web camera people can make and upload videos to the wall, explains Sorenson Media CEO Peter Csathy. The wall connects supporters by tying them to the campaign or others who have the same passion to reelect the senator.
January comScore Video Metric data shows that more than 170 million U.S. Internet users watched online video in November. Online video viewing continued to reach record levels during the month, with nearly 31 billion videos viewed. Google sites, such as YouTube, account for 39% of all videos viewed online for that month in the United States.
The video offers a site feature, so people can search for videos via name, title or description. And although Sorenson's technology allows search engine bots from Google, Microsoft Bing, or Yahoo to pick up and index the videos, the clips remain behind a walled garden.
Sorenson Chief Technology Officer Michael Flathers says an API link between the McCain Web site and Sorenson's technology SquishNet provides the connection. "The video wall was implemented in less than 15 lines of code," he says.
Sorenson worked with Forty, a Phoenix-based marketing agency, to connect the video wall to the site. Forty designed the new McCain site from the ground up, from the overall strategy to building the site. The company worked with OVO, the campaign's branding agency, which designed the basic look of the site around the campaign.
The "Video Supporter Wall" of more than 500 video messages highlights key issues from a variety of supporters, from Steve Forbes to every-day United States citizens who have a Web or movie camera and can generate video content. The social media campaign aims to connect with potential and existing McCain supporters who want to hear about the issues or speak out on McCain's behalf.
"The strategy for the supporter wall is to provide a way for voters in Arizona to come to site and interact with the Senator," says Corey Vale, Internet director for the McCain 2010 campaign. "It's a way for supporters to hop on the Web site and tell others why they support John McCain."
McCain has about 510,000 fans on Facebook and approximately 1.75 million followers @SenJohnMcCain. Vale says McCain dabbles in other social media, from Twitter to Facebook, but the video supporter wall gives people a chance to interact and share their views in one place. With a click of a button and a Web camera people can make and upload videos to the wall, explains Sorenson Media CEO Peter Csathy. The wall connects supporters by tying them to the campaign or others who have the same passion to reelect the senator.
January comScore Video Metric data shows that more than 170 million U.S. Internet users watched online video in November. Online video viewing continued to reach record levels during the month, with nearly 31 billion videos viewed. Google sites, such as YouTube, account for 39% of all videos viewed online for that month in the United States.
The video offers a site feature, so people can search for videos via name, title or description. And although Sorenson's technology allows search engine bots from Google, Microsoft Bing, or Yahoo to pick up and index the videos, the clips remain behind a walled garden.
Sorenson Chief Technology Officer Michael Flathers says an API link between the McCain Web site and Sorenson's technology SquishNet provides the connection. "The video wall was implemented in less than 15 lines of code," he says.
Sorenson worked with Forty, a Phoenix-based marketing agency, to connect the video wall to the site. Forty designed the new McCain site from the ground up, from the overall strategy to building the site. The company worked with OVO, the campaign's branding agency, which designed the basic look of the site around the campaign.
Why Google Chrome beats Firefox and Internet Explorer
By Farhad Manjoo - Slate's Technology reporter.
I like to think of myself as the Dick Cheney of the Browser Wars—an unyielding proponent of greater and greater hostilities between the developers working on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Opera. As all these programmers compete with one another to make faster, more stable, and more intuitive browsers, we Web surfers keep winning. Just two years ago, nearly half of the folks online used Internet Explorer 6.0—the slowest, buggiest, most security-flawed browser on the market. Since then, Microsoft, spurred by its rivals' advances, has released the very good I.E. 8, which is now the Web's most popular browser. I.E. 6 is still around, but now that many sites (including Google) are dropping support for it, its share is sure to plummet. All hail the great Browser War!
Another benefit of this ceaseless conflict: Browsers keep getting faster. Mike Beltzner, the director of Firefox at Mozilla, told me recently that his browser's "javascript engine"—which runs complex, interactive Web applications like Gmail or Google Maps—is 20 percent faster in the new Firefox 3.6 than in the previous version.
Keep in mind that the previous version was released just last June. Can you think of anything else in the world that can get 20 percent better in only a few months? When I asked Beltzner how coders managed that feat, he pointed to his rivals. "Were there not other competitors who were just as interested in making Web browsers faster, I don't know if we'd be able to find the gains that we can find," he said. "Now it's a game of one-upping each other."
With apologies to Beltzner, though, I'm not going to recommend that everyone jump to the new version of Firefox. To be sure, Firefox is a fantastic browser, and if you're a fan, you'll do no wrong by upgrading. But even though I've been a Firefox devotee since its release, and even though it has long been my default browser, today I'm declaring a new allegiance. I've decided to switch entirely to Google's Chrome. You should, too.
This is not a recent infatuation. I've been using Chrome side-by-side with Firefox since the Google browser's debut in 2008. From the start, there was much to love. Chrome was deliciously fast—it started quickly, loaded pages in a flash, and never stuttered while playing Web videos. Chrome was the first browser to keep its different computational "processes" separated—each tab or browser plug-in is given individualized access to your computer's resources. That means that if one open tab encounters an error, the rest of your browsing session remains intact.
I also loved Chrome's minimal interface. Most browsers have two input bars at the top—an address bar and a search box. Chrome has one. Type in an address or a search term and Chrome will figure out what you want. Indeed, Chrome does something even better—it gives you search results right in the bar. Type in "jd salinger" and the first result in the drop-down list is the Wikipedia entry on Salinger. Want to visit your favorite political blogger? Type in "nate silver" and you immediately get a link to Silver's site, Fivethirtyeight.com. This is a terrific way to navigate the Web—you never have to remember URLs, or even the names of sites, and you don't even have to make a stop at Google to find what you're looking for.
But Chrome originally had a few shortcomings that kept me from signing up full-time. Firefox's main virtue is its flexibility—it's got a huge gallery of add-ons that give it many fantastic powers. There were many Firefox extensions that I couldn't do without, including ones that blocked ads and kept my bookmarks synchronized across computers. Until Chrome added these features, I couldn't leave.
With Chrome's latest upgrades, all that has changed. Late last month, Google released Chrome 4, the latest "stable" version of the browser. Bookmark syncing is now built in: Turn it on and your bookmarks are available on other computers running Chrome.
The browser now also runs Greasemonkey scripts, little bits of code that allow you to change how certain Web pages are displayed. Finally, and most importantly, Chrome now does extensions. It's already got a huge library of Firefox-style add-ons that improve many different parts of the browser. I installed several of them in one gulp, including AdBlock—a great though dubiously ethical way to keep lots of tabs open without slowing down your computer.
Now, some caveats. We all browse the Web differently, so your mileage may vary. I think Chrome is perfect for high-volume consumers of the Web—idiots like me who keep several browser windows open concurrently, each populated with dozens of tabs, and don't restart the browser for days and days on end. More casual Web users may find its unusual interface—and its lack of support for third-party interface add-ons like the Yahoo Toolbar—hard to get used to. Also, Chrome has far fewer extensions than Firefox does, so it's possible that you won't find a certain add-on program that you consider indispensible. And then there's Mac support—although Google did release a great Mac version of Chrome last year, it still lags slightly behind the Windows and Linux version, and will only get extensions support in a forthcoming release.
Still, most people would do well to switch, or at least to give Google a try. Chrome makes browsing a dream, and it just keeps getting better. The teams at Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Opera should take notice: Chrome's now the one to beat.
I like to think of myself as the Dick Cheney of the Browser Wars—an unyielding proponent of greater and greater hostilities between the developers working on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Opera. As all these programmers compete with one another to make faster, more stable, and more intuitive browsers, we Web surfers keep winning. Just two years ago, nearly half of the folks online used Internet Explorer 6.0—the slowest, buggiest, most security-flawed browser on the market. Since then, Microsoft, spurred by its rivals' advances, has released the very good I.E. 8, which is now the Web's most popular browser. I.E. 6 is still around, but now that many sites (including Google) are dropping support for it, its share is sure to plummet. All hail the great Browser War!
Another benefit of this ceaseless conflict: Browsers keep getting faster. Mike Beltzner, the director of Firefox at Mozilla, told me recently that his browser's "javascript engine"—which runs complex, interactive Web applications like Gmail or Google Maps—is 20 percent faster in the new Firefox 3.6 than in the previous version.
Keep in mind that the previous version was released just last June. Can you think of anything else in the world that can get 20 percent better in only a few months? When I asked Beltzner how coders managed that feat, he pointed to his rivals. "Were there not other competitors who were just as interested in making Web browsers faster, I don't know if we'd be able to find the gains that we can find," he said. "Now it's a game of one-upping each other."
With apologies to Beltzner, though, I'm not going to recommend that everyone jump to the new version of Firefox. To be sure, Firefox is a fantastic browser, and if you're a fan, you'll do no wrong by upgrading. But even though I've been a Firefox devotee since its release, and even though it has long been my default browser, today I'm declaring a new allegiance. I've decided to switch entirely to Google's Chrome. You should, too.
This is not a recent infatuation. I've been using Chrome side-by-side with Firefox since the Google browser's debut in 2008. From the start, there was much to love. Chrome was deliciously fast—it started quickly, loaded pages in a flash, and never stuttered while playing Web videos. Chrome was the first browser to keep its different computational "processes" separated—each tab or browser plug-in is given individualized access to your computer's resources. That means that if one open tab encounters an error, the rest of your browsing session remains intact.
I also loved Chrome's minimal interface. Most browsers have two input bars at the top—an address bar and a search box. Chrome has one. Type in an address or a search term and Chrome will figure out what you want. Indeed, Chrome does something even better—it gives you search results right in the bar. Type in "jd salinger" and the first result in the drop-down list is the Wikipedia entry on Salinger. Want to visit your favorite political blogger? Type in "nate silver" and you immediately get a link to Silver's site, Fivethirtyeight.com. This is a terrific way to navigate the Web—you never have to remember URLs, or even the names of sites, and you don't even have to make a stop at Google to find what you're looking for.
But Chrome originally had a few shortcomings that kept me from signing up full-time. Firefox's main virtue is its flexibility—it's got a huge gallery of add-ons that give it many fantastic powers. There were many Firefox extensions that I couldn't do without, including ones that blocked ads and kept my bookmarks synchronized across computers. Until Chrome added these features, I couldn't leave.
With Chrome's latest upgrades, all that has changed. Late last month, Google released Chrome 4, the latest "stable" version of the browser. Bookmark syncing is now built in: Turn it on and your bookmarks are available on other computers running Chrome.
The browser now also runs Greasemonkey scripts, little bits of code that allow you to change how certain Web pages are displayed. Finally, and most importantly, Chrome now does extensions. It's already got a huge library of Firefox-style add-ons that improve many different parts of the browser. I installed several of them in one gulp, including AdBlock—a great though dubiously ethical way to keep lots of tabs open without slowing down your computer.
Now, some caveats. We all browse the Web differently, so your mileage may vary. I think Chrome is perfect for high-volume consumers of the Web—idiots like me who keep several browser windows open concurrently, each populated with dozens of tabs, and don't restart the browser for days and days on end. More casual Web users may find its unusual interface—and its lack of support for third-party interface add-ons like the Yahoo Toolbar—hard to get used to. Also, Chrome has far fewer extensions than Firefox does, so it's possible that you won't find a certain add-on program that you consider indispensible. And then there's Mac support—although Google did release a great Mac version of Chrome last year, it still lags slightly behind the Windows and Linux version, and will only get extensions support in a forthcoming release.
Still, most people would do well to switch, or at least to give Google a try. Chrome makes browsing a dream, and it just keeps getting better. The teams at Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Opera should take notice: Chrome's now the one to beat.
Toyota using Digg to connect with worried customers
Check out this email I received this afternoon from Digg:
Make News! Submit your Digg Dialogg Questions for Toyota's President Now
Toyota wants to hear from you
Submit and Digg your questions for Toyota US President Jim Lentz!
With the recent controversy surrounding the Toyota vehicle recall, one of the largest in history, we want to give you an opportunity to take your questions right to the top. Toyota US President and Chief Operating Officer, Jim Lentz, will be in the hot seat for our latest LIVE Digg Dialogg, where he will tackle your questions head-on. He'll be sitting down with us to provide perspective on what happened, what Toyota is doing about it, and what consumers need to know.
Submit and Digg your questions for Toyota's Jim Lentz
This is YOUR opportunity to make your voice heard - you can submit & Digg questions from now through Monday. The ones with the most votes will be asked in the Digg Dialogg LIVE at 2pm PT/ 5pm ET on Monday, February 8th.
Thanks,
The Digg Team
Also - here is a link to the online post: http://about.digg.com/blog/special-event-digg-dialogg-live-toyotas-us-president
Make News! Submit your Digg Dialogg Questions for Toyota's President Now
Toyota wants to hear from you
Submit and Digg your questions for Toyota US President Jim Lentz!
With the recent controversy surrounding the Toyota vehicle recall, one of the largest in history, we want to give you an opportunity to take your questions right to the top. Toyota US President and Chief Operating Officer, Jim Lentz, will be in the hot seat for our latest LIVE Digg Dialogg, where he will tackle your questions head-on. He'll be sitting down with us to provide perspective on what happened, what Toyota is doing about it, and what consumers need to know.
Submit and Digg your questions for Toyota's Jim Lentz
This is YOUR opportunity to make your voice heard - you can submit & Digg questions from now through Monday. The ones with the most votes will be asked in the Digg Dialogg LIVE at 2pm PT/ 5pm ET on Monday, February 8th.
Thanks,
The Digg Team
Also - here is a link to the online post: http://about.digg.com/blog/special-event-digg-dialogg-live-toyotas-us-president
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Marketers to boost mobile spend after measurement system launch
MarketingMagazine UK reports: Nearly 60% of marketers will invest more in mobile marketing following the launch of GSMA's mobile measurement system, according to a new report.
The GSMA and ComScore along with the five major mobile networks have unveiled the new measurement system today.
The COI and Marks & Spencer are some of the big advertisers supporting the launch of the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics, which has been in the offing for the past two years and aims to change the face of mobile advertising.
The GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association) represents the mobile communications industry worldwide, including more than 800 operators and 200 companies in the wider mobile market.
A report by O2 revealed that 58% of senior marketers said they would invest more of their marketing budgets in the medium once there was a better measurement of effectiveness, while 47% stated that better targeting would make them invest more in mobile.
The system aims to accelerate the sales of mobile advertising inventory and with new mobile audience metrics, media and advertising agencies, brands and publishers are expected to deliver better mobile advertising campaigns.
SMS is currently the most popular form of mobile advertising, followed by mobile internet sites, and then mobile internet ads and apps, according to O2's survey of 150 senior media industry professionals.
Nearly 70% of marketers have used SMS, while 62% have used mobile internet sites. Nearly 60% have used mobile internet ads, and 48% have used apps.
Shaun Gregory, managing director of O2 Media, said: "O2 welcomes today's announcement by GSMA. As our research shows, there is a clear appetite for an industry-wide measurement platform, and the launch of Mobile Media Metrics will more than meet this need.
"By allowing media professionals to track, trace and measure consumer activity, Mobile Media Metrics has the potential to liberate the true potential of mobile marketing."
The GSMA and ComScore along with the five major mobile networks have unveiled the new measurement system today.
The COI and Marks & Spencer are some of the big advertisers supporting the launch of the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics, which has been in the offing for the past two years and aims to change the face of mobile advertising.
The GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association) represents the mobile communications industry worldwide, including more than 800 operators and 200 companies in the wider mobile market.
A report by O2 revealed that 58% of senior marketers said they would invest more of their marketing budgets in the medium once there was a better measurement of effectiveness, while 47% stated that better targeting would make them invest more in mobile.
The system aims to accelerate the sales of mobile advertising inventory and with new mobile audience metrics, media and advertising agencies, brands and publishers are expected to deliver better mobile advertising campaigns.
SMS is currently the most popular form of mobile advertising, followed by mobile internet sites, and then mobile internet ads and apps, according to O2's survey of 150 senior media industry professionals.
Nearly 70% of marketers have used SMS, while 62% have used mobile internet sites. Nearly 60% have used mobile internet ads, and 48% have used apps.
Shaun Gregory, managing director of O2 Media, said: "O2 welcomes today's announcement by GSMA. As our research shows, there is a clear appetite for an industry-wide measurement platform, and the launch of Mobile Media Metrics will more than meet this need.
"By allowing media professionals to track, trace and measure consumer activity, Mobile Media Metrics has the potential to liberate the true potential of mobile marketing."
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Social Media for Government Event - March 22-25 in Dallas
Join me at ALI's Social Media for Government event on March 22-25 in Dallas.
Mention my name - "Marc Ross" - and receive 50% off registration fees http://bit.ly/3MJTDZ
Here are the details.
*********************
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GOVERNMENT
How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The
Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results
*********************
March 22-25, 2010 – Dallas, TX
Don’t miss out on these two exceptional discounts:
• Register by February 5 to lock in EARLY BIRD rates and save your organization $400!
• ALSO – mention “Marc Ross” and receive 50% off the current registration fees!
Hear practical advice, firsthand, on how to engage your employees and citizens by using social media from leading government agencies and organizations, including:
1. Transportation Security Administration
2. Microsoft U.S. Public Sector
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
5. GovLoop
6. City of Reno, Nevada
7. NASA, Langley Research Center
And attend my workshop, "Stakeholders And Supporters: How To Identify, Create, And Engage Your Social Media Efforts," on Thursday - March 25 from 830am - 1130am.
To register or for more conference details:
CALL: (773) 695-9400, x1 -or- Toll-Free within the U.S. (888) 362-7400, x1
ONLINE: http://www.aliconferences.com/conf/social_media_govt0310/index.htm
--- Mention “Marc Ross” and receive 50% off the registration fees!
Mention my name - "Marc Ross" - and receive 50% off registration fees http://bit.ly/3MJTDZ
Here are the details.
*********************
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GOVERNMENT
How To Engage Your Employees And Citizens By Using The
Latest Web 2.0 Technologies To Drive Communication Results
*********************
March 22-25, 2010 – Dallas, TX
Don’t miss out on these two exceptional discounts:
• Register by February 5 to lock in EARLY BIRD rates and save your organization $400!
• ALSO – mention “Marc Ross” and receive 50% off the current registration fees!
Hear practical advice, firsthand, on how to engage your employees and citizens by using social media from leading government agencies and organizations, including:
1. Transportation Security Administration
2. Microsoft U.S. Public Sector
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
5. GovLoop
6. City of Reno, Nevada
7. NASA, Langley Research Center
And attend my workshop, "Stakeholders And Supporters: How To Identify, Create, And Engage Your Social Media Efforts," on Thursday - March 25 from 830am - 1130am.
To register or for more conference details:
CALL: (773) 695-9400, x1 -or- Toll-Free within the U.S. (888) 362-7400, x1
ONLINE: http://www.aliconferences.com/conf/social_media_govt0310/index.htm
--- Mention “Marc Ross” and receive 50% off the registration fees!
AOL to Become Disruptive, Entrepreneurial
MarketWatch reports: As AOL completes layoffs that will eliminate a third of its employees worldwide, the company is eying both an expansion and a new home in Silicon Valley, in hopes of tapping the area for inspiration. AOL aims to create a new culture like a "well-funded start-up."
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Must Watch TV - Frontline's Digital Nation
PBS' "Frontline" series airs a documentary that looks at how the Web and digital technology has changed how we live our lives. It could make for a fascinating/thought-provoking evening. Tonight @ 900pm or check your local listings.
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