Blog Talk - WebProNews

Podcasts Help Radio Listening In UK

Neville Hobson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:52:38 -0400

One of the reasons I often hear as to why podcasting took off in the US is because of the poor choices available from radio.

Homogenized content and script-reading presenters wherever you listen are among the anecdotal statistics thrown about.

Google Has To Give Up Personal YouTube Data

Andy Beal — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:44:37 -0400

Just yesterday, I had a conversation, agreeing that the only thing that could topple Google, would be privacy. The same day, a judge presiding over the Google/Viacom case issued a court order requiring Google to turn over your personal data.

Google Changing Name Of Picasa To 'Google Photos'

Chris Smith — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:02:11 -0400

The Google Operating System blog reports that Google is likely changing the name of their Picasa photo sharing service to “Google Photos”.

A few other features are due to rollout as well, including licensing options, email photo uploads, and tagging of people in pics.

Online Advertising Spending Is On The Rise

Andy Beal — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:17:37 -0400

As an internet marketer, any report of an increase in online ad spending brings a smile to my face. And a new forecast by ZenithOptimedia is the latest reason for happiness.

Presidential Candidates And Their Tech Policies

Robert Scoble — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:04:18 -0400

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which US Presidential Candidate has the best tech policy?

I went off to Google to answer that question. Here’s the searches I did:

McCain tech policy

Obama tech policy

New Digital Music Service To Help Fight Aids In Africa

Gino Cosme — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:46:20 -0400

(RED), the nonprofit organisation co-founded by Bono, is starting a new digital music service (via NYT) in September that will contribute a share of profits to

Traditional Media vs. Bloggers

Trevor Jonas — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:42:52 -0400

OK, so the headline is admittedly a bit sensational, but it got you reading, didn't it? I've been meaning to share some observations and thoughts on the changing media landscape for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it. Until now.

Facebook Wins Lawsuit

Janet Meiners — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:30:04 -0400

Social networking site ConnectU sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for stealing their idea. They allege he used the source code they hired him to create for their site.

Legal P2P Might Be Coming To The UK

Bruce Houghton — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:25:51 -0400

The UK may have legal music via P2P licensed at the broadband ISP level by the end of the year, according to the Register. The British government apparently pushed for talks between ISP's and the music industry as a preferred solution to legislation.

Search Marketing for Non-Profits

Mike Moran — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:23:15 -0400

Jim Evans contacted me a while back hoping I could help him with his master's thesis on search marketing for non-profit organizations. I helped him a little bit, and he graciously agreed for me to post his work for my readers. It's long (about 70 pages) but it's a great overview of search marketing research. The most interesting part to me, however, starts on page 37, where Jim talks about Google Grants, a program that provides non-profit organizations with free advertising in the paid search listings.

Charter Postpones Ad Targeting Plan

Andy Beal — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:38:06 -0400

It looks like privacy concerns have put Charter Communications ad targeting plans on hold.

As we reported last month, ISPs are sitting on a wealth of personalized data, but lawmakers have expressed concerns over the methods used to tap into that data–especially "deep packet inspection."

A Humourous 'Yahoo! Resignation Letter Generator'

Navneet Kaushal — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:28:16 -0400

With almost everything clouded in the shroud of uncertainty and with all the rumors of a management shift at Yahoo! Inc, it has become too cumbersome for our readers to handle. Hence, I thought, there should be something afresh to wake up to.

Google Launches New Ad Planner

Andy Beal — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:25:36 -0400

I wonder how many people in the interactive advertising industry are feeling suckered by Google this morning.

For the past few years, Google has continually downplayed its threat to ad agencies and marketing technology companies. “We’re not a threat, we just want to help,” tends to be the main theme.

Nokia Buys Mobile Platform 'Symbian'

Andy Beal — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:32:56 -0400

Yesterday’s news that Nokia acquired location based social network Plazes, was worthy only of making our Pilgrim’s Picks.

MySpace Falls To Facebook In Worldwide Traffic

Bruce Houghton — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:04:24 -0400

For the first time, Facebook surpassed MySpace in traffic worldwide. In the US, however, MySpace is still ahead of Facebook with 73.7M unique visitors in May vs. 35.6M for Facebook. TechCrunch has more analysis.

Statistics For Online Video Viewing

Bruce Houghton — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:01:49 -0400

134 million people in the us went online to watch an astounding average of 81 videos for a total of 11 billion videos in April, the latest figures released by comScore.

Social Media is Like Woodstock on the Net

Kimberly Krause Berg — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:41:10 -0400

I caught this statement in a discussion elsewhere. It went something like, “I don’t think people over 40 get social media, whereas kids love it.” Having seen this sentiment mentioned before, I thought I’d express my feelings on the matter.

I’m 50 years old. I get the whole social media gig. It’s like Woodstock on the ‘Net, where people gather together for several minutes, days, weeks, months and years to hang out, talk, share, listen to music, run around naked and slide in the mud.

AT&T New Browser - Pogo

Stephen Pitts — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:51:15 -0400

AT&T stepped into the online realm last year with the purchase of ingenio, and now they have launched their very own browser called Pogo, now in invitation only beta. TechCrunch has invitations for this limited beta.

Essentially, it looks and acts a lot like Firefox. Here are a few screenshots from the new browser:

Who Is Searching For You On Google?

Andy Beal — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:48:13 -0400

You know that just about any mention of "reputation" and "Google" is going to get my attention, so I was eager to hear about Ziggs.com. My local CBS affiliate WRAL, teased me that the new service will tell you who is searching for your name on Google.

No way!

No, really. There’s just no way.

Ask Privacy Link

Navneet Kaushal — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:12:12 -0400

Ask.com has announced. that it has added a direct link to its privacy policy via a "Privacy" link conveniently placed on its homepage, thus, easing the growing concerns of the privacy watchdogs.

Why I Like FriendFeed

Robert Scoble — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:13:38 -0400

Over on FriendFeed, which I joined in March, I’ve been quite busy. I’ve moved a bunch of my blogging time and Google Reader time over to it. How does that time translate? Well, into a few things:

1. Comments. (Those are items I’ve commented on — 1,893 so far)
2. Likes. (Those are items I’ve liked — 3,003 so far)

A few minutes ago I just passed 3,000 “Likes.”

New Internet Board Game- Googolopoly!

Navneet Kaushal — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:11:21 -0400

We have all played 'Monopoly' the game, as we grew up and still on weekends or on family picnics or getaways, Monopoly is one of the preferred games. However, Monopoly's 'monopoly' is about to end. Google has introduced an all new Googolopoly Game.

Teens Only Spend 11.5 Hours Online Per Week

Jordan McCollum — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:07:49 -0400

Who knew? A study by OTX finds that on average teens (aged 13-17) spend 11.5 hours online a week (yep, not a day . . . no comment on how many hours I spend online a day. . . .). Nearly a quarter of teens spend over 15 hours online per week, while 45% spent eight hours or less online.

Technorati's New Blog Advertising Network

Andy Beal — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:06:27 -0400

It makes sense when you think about it. While Technorati is a great social media search engine, it doesn’t exactly have a sound revenue model. Until today.

TechCrunch is reporting a 9am PST launch of Technorati Media, a new CPM ad network for blogs of all sizes.

Will Major Appliances Ever Be Purchased Online?

Dave Taylor — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:57:43 -0400

Reading the latest issue of Consumer Electronics publication TWICE I came across their list of the top 100 Major Appliance Retailers and was struck by how there are no online companies on the list.

9 Million Mobile Users Shop Via Cell Phone

Rene LeMerle — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:45:11 -0400

That's right - 9 million US mobile users turned to their mobiles to make purchases. Not just to research where to buy, but to actually burn a whole in their credit cards via their cell phones.

Nielsen Mobile detailed the new report, which sees purchasing of goods and services via mobile phones on the rise. And guess which gender likes spending more via their mobiles. Wrong - it's men. 4.9 million men vs 4.3 million woman indicated they have made a purchase via their phone.

Time's 50 Best Websites

David Berkowitz — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:37:44 -0400

Today Time.com is launching its 50 Best Websites for 2008 list. There are some personal favorites represented like Kiva, Mint, and Geni (I like four-letter sites), some I think are premature like Search Me, one or two I think would have been more fitting for 2007 or earlier like Yahoo Answers, and a bunch I haven't heard of and will have to check out soon.

Here's a new twist for this year:

Obama Uses The Web To Fight Rumors

Andy Beal — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:23:36 -0400

There’s no doubt that democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama knows how to use the web to improve his chances of being elected this November. His campaign has used the internet to raise millions in funds and our own research has proven that Obama’s efforts have created a very positive online reputation.

UK To Ban Product Placement On TV

Neville Hobson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:19:30 -0400

One of the great things about digital TV and a personal video recorder (PVR) is the ease with which you as a viewer can wholly control what you watch.

With the exception of the news, I rarely watch TV as it’s broadcast. Instead, I programme the PVR to record things that I might want to watch, and then watch it when I have time.

Of course, one thing I always do when watching a recorded programme is skip through the ads.

That behaviour is pretty consistent among everyone I know who uses a PVR.

What Do You Think About Speech Technology?

Barry Welford — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:16:39 -0400

If it works for your blog, why not your bank?

This blog is created by using the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software from Nuance. Just dictate away and typo-free text appears on the screen. It works very effectively and rarely makes a mistake. It really is very impressive. It is one of the reasons why I believe that speech technology is the killer app for the mobile web.

The iPhone's Ultimate Role

Neville Hobson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:12:56 -0400

Watching the video of Apple CEO Steve Jobs giving his keynote address at Apple’s developer conference last Monday, I was struck by two things.

First, Jobs is a compelling presenter, a true showman and storyteller. Not a showman in the negative sense but in the sense of someone who really can - and does - engage with his audience.

Zappos Will Pay You To Quit

Pat McCarthy — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:00:54 -0400

As this past year at Yahoo! has been my first year working for what I’d consider to be a large company, I’ve become more interested in strategies around running and operating companies efficiently. My past experiences have been with startups or small companies where a lot of the challenges that larger companies face don’t exist.

Toddlers Get Their Own YouTube

Philipp Lenssen — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:56:50 -0400

Totlol is a community-moderated video site for “those between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.” Its video embeddings – like the Googleheads song – are based on the YouTube API, making for a customized, integrated look*.

The Internet's Influence For Home Buyers

Janet Meiners — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:41:33 -0400

Just what we want to hear - bad news about the housing market, but this time online. Turns out online searches didn’t have as significant impact on homebuying or renting decisions as we may have hoped. That doesn’t necessarily mean real estate sites should pull back their budgets though.

Internet Retailer Annual Guide

Greg Howlett — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:31:45 -0400

Today, Internet Retailer released their annual Top 500 Guide that chronicles the online retail industry in general and the top 500 online retailers in particular. As I am listening to their presentation of the report, I am typing these highlights.

Total E-Retail revenue hit $166 billion in the US in 2007, representing 6.3% of total revenue. The top 500 online retailers accounted for 61% of the total E-Retail revenue. Total retail growth was at 3.8% last year while E-Retail grew at a much healthier 21.8%.

UK Receives More Blog Traffic Than The U.S.

Andy Beal — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:43:16 -0400

Over the last 3 years, UK internet traffic to blogs and personal websites has grown by 208%, according to new data from Hitwise.

The web intelligence company has just released new data on blog readership in the United Kingdom which shows 1.19% of all UK web traffic flowed to a blog. (Not a single blog–that would be a great site to own–but to blogs in general)

Canada Finally Receiving iPhone

Manoj Jasra — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:32:25 -0400

The long awaited iPhone is finally coming to Canada as well as over 20 other countries on July 11th.

Conducting A Successful Webcast

Ken Molay — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:28:14 -0400

That's probably one of the stranger headlines the Wall Street Journal has run. Dana Mattioli has an article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal where she lists some of the ways people get in trouble on webcasts and webinars.

Utilizing Phones For Different Purposes

Robert Scoble — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:23:53 -0400

Everywhere I go I carry three phones now:

1. iPhone.
2. Nokia N95.
3. Nokia N82.

I also have a Blackjack II Windows Mobile smartphone that I occassionally carry.

I have three separate SIMs, er, three separate phone numbers (I only use one for voice calls, though, and my number is +1-425-205-1921).

So, why do I carry around so many phones?

Wal-Mart Starting To Use Behavioral Targeting; via Yahoo

Anil Batra — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:20:24 -0400

Yahoo has signed a deal with Wal-Mart under which Yahoo will start selling display advertising on Wal-Mart.