The Beals Media Update

Quote of the Day

2012-06-07T07:59:00.001-05:00

A very interesting (and forward thinking) approach for a carrier...

"...I mean shifting our focus from building connections, to create amazing interactive and personalized experiences that transcend devices, platforms, content and networks..."
~ Rob Bruce, President of Rogers Communications

Mindblowing Stats from Cisco's VNI Forecast

2012-06-06T17:02:00.001-05:00

Some interesting new stats from CISCO's annual Virtual Networking Index....the 2 that really jumped out at me though were:

*Residential*

- Globally, Online Music is expected to be the most highly penetrated
residential Internet service ―in 2011 there were 1.1 billion users (63
percent of residential Internet users); in 2016 there are forecast to be
1.8 billion users (79 percent of residential Internet users).

*Global File Sharing*

- By 2016, global peer-to-peer traffic is projected to account for 54
percent of global consumer Internet file sharing traffic, down from 77
percent in 2011. On a quantity basis, however, the amount of peer-to-peer
traffic is expected to increase from a rate of 4.6 exabytes per month in
2011 to 10 exabytes per month by 2016.

MIRACAST makes content sharing easier!

2012-06-04T11:31:00.001-05:00

Last week, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced that it's finalizing it's certification program for Wi-Fi devices to support display applications, and that it has defined a new mark to designate products that have passed certification. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast devices make use of a Wi-Fi connection to deliver audio and video content from one device to another, without cables or a connection to an existing Wi-Fi network. These devices connect directly, so you can do things like watch videos from a smartphone on a big screen television or share a laptop screen with the conference room projector to collaborate in real-time. Televisions, set-top boxes, notebooks, handsets and tablets are among the device types which will be certified.

A Birthday Reflection from SPARKPEOPLE

2012-05-17T15:43:00.001-05:00

"What matters most in life is often viewed as peripheral to the things that we usually focus on. Passion takes a backseat to production, wellness to working and balance to busyness. The old adage that "life is not a dress rehearsal" is so true and yet we act to the contrary by putting off what is truly important or indulging in things that are not.

On your birthday, stop focusing on your age and start meditating on your life at this exact moment. How can you make it better? During the next year, reshuffle your priorities. Spend more time with family and friends, take care of your body and health by eating well and exercising regularly, and offer to help others in need. Discover what matters most to you, and make your daily life into a true reflection of those ideas, beliefs and attitudes..."

Digital Media Primer For Geeks

2012-03-09T12:36:00.001-05:00

Christopher 'Monty' Montgomery from Xiph.org

Today, I stumbled onto an awesome video by the open source Pholks over at Xiph.org and it was so good that I had to share it with everyone!

It's narrated by one of my new geek heroes named Christopher 'Monty' Montgomery (who btw - is quite good on camera) and the superb video is worth watching more than once to let the plethora of information really sink in. I really appreciate the humor that he throws in and the educational aspect of the technical data is not boring in the slightest thanks to his un-intimidating style. In essence, the video "presents the technical foundations of modern digital media via a half-hour fire-hose of information."

To be honest, I thought I already knew a lot of the basics, but apparently there is so much more to it all - especially digital video. Personally, I really like the way he ties basic telephonic/broadcast history with accepted scientific theory and fast forwards the evolution and quagmire of standards into the story line, poignantly simplifying the essential, BIG topics everyone should comprehend before claiming to be a digital media geek..

It's well worth the listen, trust me. Also, it's quite apropos and impressive that the entire production was shot and edited on open source software :-)

Some Impressive Apple Stats

2012-02-28T08:59:00.001-05:00

"...According to Apple, more than 315 million iOS devices have sold as of Jan. 24. Apple's cloud-based music service iCloud with iTunes Match launched in November, and has garnered 85 million users. There are now 225 million active iTunes users and 20 million songs on iTunes. Users have downloaded 16 billion songs from iTunes, and Christmas Day 2011 alone saw more than 140 million downloads from iTunes. (Source: Billboard)..."

I wonder if these numbers are US only though....?

Do We Really Need a Next-Gen Audio Standard...?

2012-02-21T10:57:00.001-05:00

Apparently, Neil Young is looking for a wealthy sponsor to help invent/promote a new hi-fi digital format that lets listeners experience more of a studio playback experience

So....while I'm waiting to win the lottery to help him with this commendable quest...are there any takers out there?

Seriously though , while vinyl is still very cool, and I agree mp3 is outdated, how many average people complain about the fidelity of CD/DVD's or quality rips made from them?

While philosophically I agree with the concept of pursuing the most realistic preservation and dissemination of the "realness" and magic in the bits, the sad truth (and reality that we live in) is that today/tomorrow's generations consider the fidelity of download stores and streaming options "good enough."

What say you....?

CES 2012 Musings

2012-01-19T13:18:00.000-05:00

I recently attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held January 10-12th in Las Vegas. Although attendance has waned in the last few years, this year was a strong showing with over 150,000 attendees and ~20,000 new products that were introduced.

On Day 1, against my better judgement, I took a meeting away from the Convention Center, and even though I left the show floor reasonably early at 3pm (show closes at 6pm), taking the monorail was probably not the best idea, although the cab line was even longer. Lesson learned for next year - either stay on the show floor OR stay on the strip. Otherwise, there's too much wasted time going back & forth.

This year I didn't walk the floor very much, as I had back to back meetings every day, but I did get a sense of what was buzzing from my social media feeds and the blogs, etc. (My iPhone was the most important item besides my wallet). Besides this being the last year for Microsoft to Keynote, one couldn't help to notice how touch is out now and gestures are in (i.e., wave & voice). Two other predominant trends this year we're the proliferation of wireless automotive infotainment and connected healthcare & wellness products. The low cost sensors that are now available make the collecting and monitoring of bio-metric data - not only affordable - but seamless with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and 3G/4G.

The last meeting of the last day of the show, was actually my favorite. We met with an innovative software company who hired legendary, world-renowned music producer/mixer/engineer Jack Joseph Puig to be their Director of Creative Innovation, which sounds like a really cool gig. Anyway, when we walked into the suite, I immediately recognized him and was stoked to not only have the opportunity to meet with him and his colleagues to discuss business, but posing with him was the cherry on top! That memorable highlight will be hard to beat next year...but I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Todd Beals and Jack Joseph Puig

What Are The Next Form Factors in CE Products?

2011-12-28T10:42:00.001-05:00

According to Sarah Rotman Epps, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, there are some cool new form factors we should be watching for to get commercialized/productized in the next couple years.

Wearables
Embedded Devices
Surfaces
Flexible Display
Miniprojectors

Personally, I think Health & Fitness products are beginning to drive real demand for "wearables". What do you think? Do people really want to track their bio-metric data and monitor lifestyle behavior? And based on what's hitting the market now, are the manufacturing suppliers and R&D labs in tune with what consumers really want out of their wireless gadgets?

The Social Media Probook

2011-11-21T20:45:00.001-05:00

Looking for some cool new social media resources? Then look no further than The Social Media Probook (#Probook), launched a few months ago from Eloqua and JESS3. It’s a 42-page free eBook collaboratively written by a cross-section of social marketers from brands and agencies, analysts, and social support professionals across both business-to-business and business-to-consumer industries. (Thanks to Sarah Evans for the tip!)

The #Probook was developed to respond to issues organizations are dealing with right now. A few of the topics covered include:

· Social operational models for businesses

· Critical elements for scaling social globally

· Practical uses for geo (location-based apps)

· 10 “rules” for social advertising

Web version: http://media.eloqua.com/documents/ProBook.pdf

Print version: http://media.eloqua.com/documents/ProBook-Print.pdf

The Grass Is Always Greener...

2011-10-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

I know that a lot of my Hoosier friends & colleagues often wonder why I moved from sunny Florida to Indianapolis 5 years ago, especially since I’m such a water person, but after 30 years in the Sunshine state, it seemed like the time was right for ‘change.’ And as much as I like the seasons here, the reduced traffic and the slower, simpler life, I’ve often found myself daydreaming about moving again…to get near the ocean again…to be near more culture. So you can imagine my surprise when I recently read that CNN Money Magazine just named the City of Westfield one of the best places to live in America. In fact, Westfield was ranked #48 out of 100 – and #1 among all other Indiana cities!

I’ve always said that, “It’s a great place to raise a family and enjoy a bigger house for less money”, but I had no idea that all the other variables in the equation caused it to rank so high. So, the next time you hear me complain about being landlocked or “stuck” in Indiana, please remind me about the Blessings of making so many wonderful new friends, being able to afford a finished basement to entertain guests & family, the great schools, the upcoming Grand Park Sports Complex, the World-class jazz clubs and all the friendly neighbors/residents in our awesome neighborhood at Maple Knoll…

Just sayin’……

A Principal of Good Design

2011-10-25T05:56:00.000-05:00

Here’s a great quote I saw recently in the NY Times w/r/t Apple’s chief designer Jonathan Ive’s successful approach…."Good design is as little design as possible - less but better - because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity." -Dieter Rams, 10 Principles of Good Design

Habla Espanol?

2011-10-03T12:48:00.001-05:00

Apparently, "new 2010 census data shows that Hispanics are the second largest group in the US, at more than 50 million and 16.3% of the population. It's grown 43% since the 2000 survey and is the fastest growing sector of the population." (thanks Audio4cast!)

I Lost 50 lbs in 6 months !!

2011-09-29T08:36:00.000-05:00

OK, today is pretty exciting for me as I hit my goal weight of "175" after losing 50 pounds in 6 months and I feel great!! Many of you are asking how I did it and the answer is simple. Go to: MySecretToWellness.com and opt-in to find out how easy it is to control your weight and improve your health. (Praises to God for giving me the willpower, thanks to Stefany for being such a great coach - and a special Shout Out to Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen!!)

TechCrunch Disrupt: Interactive Sheet Music for iPads

2011-09-15T06:41:00.001-05:00

San Francisco’s annual technology conference TechCrunch Disrupt recently ended and one of the coolest companies I read about in attendance was Tonara, who makes sheet music available for iPads. As musicians played on stage, an interactive bar moved along to show their exact place in the sheet music – AND - the pages turned automatically. Very cool! According to the NY Times Blog, “Musicians brought on stage showed how the technology coped with multiple people playing different instruments simultaneously. Banging in the background did not seem to confuse the software. The judges, however, dismissed sheet music as a small market and questioned whether the company could get rights to contemporary music. A show of hands by the musically inclined in the audience, however, showed that there was at least some potential market.”

My Notes from Today's AMA Webcast on Mobile Marketing

2011-08-31T13:03:00.003-05:00

(First off, thanks to American Marketing Association (www.ama.org), HubSpot and Readytalk Web Conferencing Platform for sponsoring the webinar - #GoMobile)

iPhone growth is 10x faster than the original growth rate of AOL
Mobile coupons generate 10x the redemption rate of traditional coupons
Search is twice as prevalent on mobile web than on a PC (and focus is on "local")
Not just for teens: The average age of a person who is sending text messages is 35
Top 3 uses of smartphones are: email (82%), directions(63%) and Social Media (62%)
It only takes 1 line of code to determine the type of devices visiting your site (helps render the right version of your site)
Popular banner ad platforms are iAd (Apple), Millennial Media (independent), and AdMob (Google)
Potential banner uses: GPS determines the user's location, share coupon codes & promotions, share contact info
Sendza is a good solution for SMS: www.sendza.net
Mobile paid search has less competition that regular search
Games and weather are the top 2 apps used on smartphones
www.MobileCommerceDaily.com is a good resource to learn more about mobile media
Claim your business on top Location Based Services (LBS)
What your website looks like on mobile devices: www.mobilemoxie.com
Free mobile tool from HubSpot: www.websitegrader.com

Does Social Media Ruin Your Current SEO Strategies?

2011-08-25T11:52:00.001-05:00

Here's a great primer on SEO and how it's being affected by Social Media written by Neil Patel. The truth is, the primary Search Engine algorithms are constantly being tweaked, so what worked last year (or last quarter) may no longer be relevant.

"In SEOMoz's 2011 Search Engine Factors Ranking report, almost 132 SEO and social media experts predicted that social signals at the page level and domain level would have a greater impact on search engine rankings than traditional SEO factors."

The bottom line is that marketers now more than ever need to understand how search engines are ingesting and using this plethora of behavioral data so they can quickly react and adapt their marketing plans to achieve a competitive advantage in this (as Neil put it) socially-optimized world that we live in.

Also, according to the post, "Social media is impacting search engine results and if you want to get more traffic from search engines, you need to do 3 things:

Build an active, engaged presence on social networking sites
Optimize your sites for social media sharing
Encourage your readers to share your content

However, to maximize your coverage, it's still highly recommended to maintain your traditional SEO strategies while the market quickly shifts....

Quickening Trojan & Malware Growth On Smartphones

2011-08-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I've always thought that MACS were generally safer than Windows machines, based on personal experience with the blue screen of death. That is not so true anymore, as Apple machines gain market share in the home and corporate environment. Fast forward a few years and I feel pretty safe on my iPhone too...but the truth is that mobile users have a 30 percent likelihood of clicking on a malicious link too. The explosive growth of smart phones (especially Android) has apparently inspired bored hackers to invent new forms of entertainment for themselves.

"Web-based threats such as phishing attacks do not discriminate based on platform, while others, such as Websites containing browser exploits, are targeted at a specific operating system." In other words, when you click on on a dangerous link in an email or a Social Network post, you can land on web pages that can be harmful to your phone's OS and your personal information !!

According to this CNET article, there are new techniques to distribute the malware, including "malvertising" in which mobile ads direct users to a malicious site that automatically downloads malware when visited.

Even worse, there are approved Apps out there that seem safe upon initial installation, but then when upgrading later, you are then infected.

BE WARNED: To stay safe, mobile users should only download apps from trusted sources, pay attention to the address of URLs they click on, and be on alert for unusual phone behavior that could signal an infection.

Cool Infographic Creation Tool = WORDLE

2011-07-14T10:23:00.002-05:00

I discovered a cool site today called www.Wordle.net

You can quickly and easily create a creative keyword infographic to embed or link to - for free!

Enjoy :-)

STAT-Of-The-Day:

2011-07-07T13:56:00.001-05:00

"A new report from Informa Telecoms & Media predicted that the worldwide sales of Internet-connected TVs this year would outstrip game consoles for the first time. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are slated to sell 37 million game consoles this year, but consumers will buy 52 million connected TVs from companies such as Samsung, Sony and LG ." Folks, this is a major shift in consumer behavior and will require lots of useful apps - free and paid! Smart TV's are a new touchpoint to bring content, services and messaging to consumers with minimal development and no investment in hardware...

33% of Americans Using Smartphones (COMSCORE)

2011-07-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

Smartphone Platform Market Share

"76.8 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in May 2011, up 11 percent from the preceding three month period. Google Android ranked as the top operating system with 38.1 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers, up 5.1 percentage points. Apple strengthened its #2 position with 26.6 percent of the smartphone market, up 1.4 percentage points. RIM ranked third with 24.7 percent share, followed by Microsoft (5.8 percent) and Palm (2.4 percent)." (COMSCORE)

Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Feb. 2011 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
	Feb-11	May-11	Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Google	33.0%	38.1%	5.1
Apple	25.2%	26.6%	1.4
RIM	28.9%	24.7%	-4.2
Microsoft	7.7%	5.8%	-1.9
Palm	2.8%	2.4%	-0.4

3 SEO Trends for 2011

2011-06-17T15:54:00.001-05:00

Trend Number One: Exact-Match Keyword Domains Going Away

Trend Number Two: Social Media Directly Affects Search Result

Trend Number Three: More End-User Usage Data Playing Into Search

(Source Article is HERE and the Research is HERE)

Useful Marketing Research Sites

2011-06-17T08:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jamie Turner over at The 60 Second Marketer for sharing these 28 sites which are all free!

General Research Data:
CNN Student News: (www.cnnfyi.com) U.S. and World news multimedia site tailored to the needs of students.
Conversion Tables: (www.convert-me.com) Convert length, area, speed, temperature, etc., into different units and systems.
eLibrary Research: (www.elibrary.com) Search any topic using a database of current newspapers, magazines, books and more.
Encyclopedia Britannica: (www.britannica.com) Online version of one of the world's most trusted sources of information on every topic imaginable.
Fact Monster: (www.factmonster.com) Designed for kids of all ages, this site offers an amazing array of facts and figures in addition to homework help, an almanac, dictionary and much more.
Gallup Organization: (www.gallup.com) Search thousands of poll results, special reports, societal trends and social audits.
Information Please Almanac: (www.infoplease.com) Online almanac offering millions of interesting and useful facts on a wide variety of subjects.
Internet Public Library: (www.ipl.org) An exhaustive collection of over 20,000 titles.
iTools Research: (www.itools.com) Collection of online research tools including dictionaries, translations, quotations and more.
Library of Congress: (www.loc.gov) Easy to use reference catalog for accessing the collections of the Library of Congress.
National Archives: (www.archives.gov) National Archives online director of U.S. Federal records.
Smithsonian Institution: (www.si.edu) User-friendly site from the world's largest museum complex and research organization.
U.S. Census Bureau: (www.census.gov) A wealth of basic information about the U.S., broken down on a national, state and local level.
U.S. Department of Labor: (http://stats.bls.gov) Bureau of Labor statistics site containing current labor statistics and links to hundreds of state and Federal agencies.
U.S. Federal Government: (www.fedstats.gov) Statistical information from over 100 federal agencies.

Competitive Intelligence:
Forrester Research (www.Forrester.com): One of the best resources for the latest trends and predictions in the technology industry.
Hoovers Online (www.Hoovers.com): Competitive intelligence on almost all publicly traded companies. Paid subscription necessary for in-depth research.
The List (www.TheListInc.com): A top-notch contact database with names, addresses, phone numbers and even e-mail addresses of key employees. Paid subscription necessary.
Securities and Exchange Commission (www.SEC.gov): Visit this site for annual reports and, more importantly, 10K filings, which provide threat and opportunity analyses for publicly traded companies.
Standard & Poor's (www.StandardandPoors.com): Analysts reports on industry trends as well as corporate profiles.
Plunkett Research (http://www.plunkettresearch.com): Another source for industry trends.

Demographics and Marketing Research:
MarketResearch.com (www.MarketResearch.com): A resource for research into a multitude of industries. Costs range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, but a good resource for solid, credible marketing research.
Trend Watching (www.TrendWatching.com): A web site devoted to consumer trends.
Google/Uncle Sam (www.Google.com/unclesam): This site searches government documents from federal and state websites. Good for demographic and census data.

Marketing Related Sites:
MarketinProfs.com, MarketingSherpa.com: Websites dedicated to sharing marketing knowledge from marketing experts. Excellent resources for recent thoughts and research in the field of marketing.
Ad Forum (www.AdForum.com): The best commercials from around the world.
Peppers & Rogers Group (www.1to1.com): The web site from one of the leaders in the world of CRM.
World Advertising Research Center (www.warc.com): Valuable research on the effectiveness of marketing, advertising, creativity, etc. Subscription necessary.

Quote of the Day

2011-05-19T13:25:00.001-05:00

"If you have the average consumer living room with an HDTV, a Blu-ray and an average quality audio system, you have more computational power than the most advanced missile in the world." - Dr. Levy Gerzberg, President & CEO of Zoran Corporation

13 Business Mistakes That Can Nearly Break You

2011-05-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

Here's some great practical advice fom Neil Patel, who is the co-founder of 2 Internet companies: Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics. (His blog is at Quicksprout.com)

Through his entrepreneurial career Neil has helped large corporations such as Amazon, AOL, GM, HP and Viacom make more money from the web. By the age of 21 not only was Neil named a top 100 blogger by Technorati, but he was also one of the top influencers on the web according to the Wall Street Journal.

13 Business Mistakes That Can Nearly Break You…Literally

- Don’t spread yourself too thin
- Pick the right business structure
- Don’t get ahead of yourself
- Be careful whom you trust
- Hiring doesn’t solve all of your problems
- Make your employees accountable
- Collect your money on time
- No detail is unimportant
- Time is not on your side
- Be cautious about advice
- Don’t be afraid of the unknown
- Money doesn’t solve problems,it causes them
- Emotions and business are a bad mix