Almond Peak Industry News

Inside Nokia's Struggle Against iPhone

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:30:58 +0000

Nokia new top-of-the-line smartphone sells for $200 less than Apple's cheapest iPhone 4S. But under the hood, Nokia actually pays more for the phone's components, underscoring the challenges of competing in the cutthroat mobile marketplace.

In the News: BlackBerry Crushed, Walmart Targets Best Buy and more

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:42:00 +0000

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion saw its shares slump today after warning Wall Street that it's forecasting an operating loss for the first quarter. With the company hiring bankers at JPMorgan and RBC to explore a sale, investors worried and layoffs looming, the Canadian government dismissed rumors of a possible takeover.

Other brands in the headlines:

Best Buy store closures spur Walmart ads.

Disney Channel joins the TV Everywhere brigade.

Exxon Mobil shareholders approve executive pay.[more]

Facebook's post-IPO slump continues.

Groupon steps up its game as a competitor to Square.

Harlem Globetrotters land major Chinese sponsor.

Kayak postpones IPO on Facebook jitters.

Levi Strauss names new president of global retail.

Planned Parenthood endorses Obama as Romney's camp corrects app typo.

Sally Hansen magnetizes nail polish.

Sony rejects online-only console.

Starbucks talks up its corporate citizenship programs.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange loses appeal in extradition case.

Sony's Aragon: Music Unlimited service has greater reach, more devices than competitors

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:00:49 +0000

Michael Aragon

with Michael Aragon, vice president and general manager of digital video and music services at Sony Network Entertainment

Sony Entertainment's mobile strategy covers the gamut-- from gaming to music to movies. But the company hasn't always presented a unified strategy when it comes to its content portfolio. Nor has it been the most visible player in the music space, particularly when compared to competitor Apple. But the company is now hoping to raise its profile. FierceMobileContent Editor-in-Chief Sue Marek recently spoke with Michael Aragon, Sony's vice president and general manager of digital video and music services about the company's new Music Unlimited service iPhone app and the company's overall mobile strategy.

FierceMobileContent: How important is mobile to Sony Entertainment's overall strategy?

Aragon: Mobile is extremely important to us. Mobile is a part of our content evolution. We launched our Unlimited Music service for Android and now we have launched our iOS app. We have added some new features to Android and you will also see some new features for iOS.

FierceMobileContent: You have decided to use the app model with the Music Unlimited service and also from what I understand you have done the same with Crackle, the video service. Do you see Sony evolving from the app model to HTML5?

Aragon: Crackle is handled by Sony Pictures. The video portion I handle is video on demand and electronic sell-through content. We have deals with all the networks and the studios globally. Crackle is really just Sony Pictures content. But we are working closely with those guys. To answer your question, I am not ready to comment on our plans with HTML5 other than to say we understand it is extremely important and offers a lot of flexibility. In terms of how we develop our applications and software, it's going to be important for us to move forward. We are looking at it to see if HTML5 is an opportunity for us to increase our service.

FierceMobileContent: You've stayed with Android and iOS. Do you think you might explore other platforms such as Microsoft Windows Mobile or RIM?

Aragon: Yes we are exploring other platforms. We are trying to make sure that we are covering the platforms that are predominantly used by consumers. Android was the first step for us because we are partners with Android and we make Android devices.

But we also know that there are loyal Sony customers that also use other devices like the iPhone so we want to address those. As far as Windows and RIM, we are evaluating those opportunities and they are compelling platforms. It's a matter of priorities and figuring out what is important for us to do next.

FierceMobileContent: How do you view mobile operators? Do you want to work with them on business models?

Aragon: Our relationship with them continues to evolve. When we launched PlayStation Vita, we had a mobile partner because those devices are 3G enabled. We do view them as partners and there are opportunities to work with them. If you look at mobile billing-that is an area that we are exploring where we would work with operators.

But right now our concern is that we have scale. We are a global company and we have to have our content across many devices and in many countries. The priorities that we have set so far are with device coverage and also territory coverage with size of company.

Our other priority is user experience. With our apps we want the user experience to look and feel similar. The Vita, the iOS and the Android app all have the same user experience. For us that is important.

Sony has taken some lumps for having disparate user experiences. We needed to make sure we came out with the music service that we got it right and that the experience is the same across the different platforms. And we did. These operating systems are very different but the user experience is the same. That is where our focus is.

How we work with mobile operators, there are benefits to it and challenges to it. For us it is an evolution. Their networks are important to us.

FierceMobileContent: How is the PlayStation Vita doing? It was talked about a lot in February when it launched.

Aragon: I can't speak for the PlayStation team, but from the service perspective it is doing incredibly well. The Vita on the video side is the No. 2 most watched screen for video for Sony. PlayStation is No. 1 because people watch lots of movies on it but the Vita is No. 2. That's huge considering we included the connected TV, the Blu-ray player and tablets in that mix.

The same thing with music, the Vita app is about as popular as our Android app in terms of usage. And that's pretty big. And there aren't as many Vita's as there are Android phones. Consumers really like the Vita application. You will see a lot more games coming from Vita in the next few months. It's only going to get better.

FierceMobileContent: How do you differentiate your Music Unlimited service from the competition? And is it difficult when you are a label to work with other labels?

Aragon: The labels have always been good to work with. They are excited about the international reach that Sony offers. We also have a portfolio of devices and cover a lot of countries. That's not an issue. When we launched video services, it was important to have other studios working with us. It's the same with music. We want people to know that we have 15 million global tracks from dozens of labels. All the major labels and a lot of the indies.

What's different? Over the first year of the service, our focus has been on putting features out there that are critical to the consumer, such as mobile apps and caching. The other thing that differentiates us is device coverage--we have the broadest coverage of devices in the market. We have a game console, Blu-ray players, Android and now the iOS app.

What you will see from us the future, leveraging the fact that we have other digital services with hundreds of thousands of accounts globally, and leveraging those to create a more unique and integrated experience with music. For example, instead of the games feeding you music, you can draw on these millions of music tracks to give you a personalized experience. That's what we are thinking about.

Facebook Start Folding Instagram In To Their Mobile App

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:18:44 +0000

When Facebook announced that they were acquiring Instagram earlier in the month most people wondered how they would integrate the service in to their own offering. Mark Zuckerberg himself went to great lengths to say that they would be keeping the service alive and independent although not everybody took that at face value. Today we are seeing the very start of the merging of these two products with a very subtle but important addition to the Facebook app. What is becoming clear is the huge emphasis that Facebook are placing on the battle for mobile and the lightening speed they are executing at. In a matter of weeks they have moved from a place where they had one main app that was slow and cumbersome to a place where they have 5 apps that people are using on a daily basis and that Facebook are now throwing their marketing muscle behind and cross promoting…

Instagram

The new addition to the main Facebook app is very subtle but it is a first step in blending all of Facebook’s apps together and making it one seamless experience. The small Instagram icon appears in the bottom right hand corner of all images taken with the app and clicking on it launches the Instagram app in one seamless experience. You are pushed straight in to the Instagram app forcing you out of Facebook and you can only imagine that this will help Instagram grow their user base massively over the coming weeks. The interesting thing to watch is if this is the only link up between the 2 apps or if it is simply the first step towards a far deeper integration.

Cross Promoting Apps

With over 500 million users accessing Facebook via mobile devices it is clear that they have a massive amount of traffic that they can play with. What we are seeing now is Facebook starting to flex their huge marketing muscle and drive users to their various apps. I now have 5 Facebook apps installed on my phone that I use on a regular basis (Instagram, Messenger, Camera, Page Manager and the main Facebook app). The interesting thing is that Facebook clearly recognize that their main app is too slow and cumbersome and they are happy to push users out to dedicated apps for individual actions. If you look at any of the charts in the app store you will see that nearly all of these apps are in the top 10 of their various categories.

Social Media Outs Jose Canseco’s Political Aspirations?

Wed, 30 May 2012 18:45:23 +0000

The headline this morning from USA Today says it all: “Jose Canseco: Governor of Massachusetts?”

The always controversial former baseball great is turning heads with some provocative comments he made on Twitter from his mobile device this week.

“Can a cuban born american be a mayor or governor in new england?” Canseco asked on Twitter. “I am here to help and want to do good for all the people.”

The MLB legend went on to delve into some of the issues he feels passionately about.

“I have now learned of air quality problems in Sudbury ,lack of dog neutering and road repair everywhere ,and lack of $ for FDs & PDs,” he continued, only adding what he will do – apparently – as an elected official. “I will make it possible to turn right on red in Danvers and will bring hispeed internet to Braintree and solve the power outage in Fenway.”

Incidentally, the spelling and grammatical errors above are his… not mine.

“Politics is easy if you use your ears and not your mouth,” he concluded. “Just listen you government morons listen.”

So did Canseco really just express his interest for running for Governor of Massachusetts on Twitter?

What do you think? And, more importantly, do you think he could actually be elected? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.

Top Names in Tech, Mobile Come Out for Digital Living Conference and Showcase

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:40:34 +0000

Some of the biggest names in mobile and technology are coming out for a major conference that gets underway next week.

On Wednesday, Parks Associates announced the keynote speakers from AT&T, Best Buy, and Verizon for CONNECTIONS: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase at TIA 2012, which spans June 5-7 at the Gaylord Texan.

The event will end just in time for Apple’s WWDC to kick off the following week on June 11th.

The keynotes at CONNECTIONS will address the impact of broadband proliferation and the widespread adoption of connected and mobile CE devices.

With over 70% of U.S. households subscribing to broadband in 2012, consumers are turning to the Internet for both entertainment and home management. One-third of U.S. broadband households regularly use the Internet to watch shows and movies on TV. When presented with a variety of IP-based home monitoring and control services, nearly 65% of U.S. consumers consider at least one energy- or security-related interactive service as highly appealing.

“Consumers are starting to value services and devices within the context of the connected lifestyle,” said Stuart Sikes, president of Parks Associates. “Our keynote speakers all bring unique expertise in matching consumer demands to new solutions while leveraging strong brand names to ensure successful deployment.”

The speakers confirmed today include:

Kevin Petersen, Senior Vice President at AT&T Digital Life and AT&T Services.
Mike Ritter, Chief Marketing Officer, Consumer and Mass Business Markets for Verizon.
Kristen Bowring, Senior Director, Platform Lead Home and Energy Management, at Best Buy.

To learn more about the forthcoming gala, click here.

Google+ Adds New Local Listings Tab for Businesses

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:30:00 +0000

A company's listing on Google will be available to users across Google search, maps, mobile and now Google+.

Welcome to the future : 3D motion computing

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:09:49 +0000

Now this, is pretty awesome. You have 3D. You have motion sensors like Kinect. You have tactile displays on mobile devices such as pinch to zoom. But you don’t really have a combination of all 3 in one device. Yet. Leap Motion 3D is a new device currently in development that offers you the ability to control your screen and interact with sites and apps in a number of ways, based on incredibly accurate motion sensors. 200 times more accurate than other devices, such as Kinect, currently on the market. To get an idea of just how amazing Leap 3D is, check out the demo video below :

Leap 3D works through a motion-sensing device that is likely to cost as little as $70 when it’s launched. It’s so impressive because it can track motion accuracy down to 0.01mm , meaning you can control by pinch to zoom or minute finger movements that allow you to interact with different properties on screen in a completely new way. Add in 3D for a bit of extra fun and this product is set to transform our PC and TV experience significantly.

As well as the sensor, Leap Motion are also developing a SDK, which means that the possibilities of this will be opened up significantly and you can expect to see some pretty exciting iterations available when it launches. And it looks like there’s plans for a Leap App Store in which you can access apps, which developers will be able to charge for. Unfortunately, it’s not available to purchase yet, but if you’re a developer interested in working on the platform, you can register for advanced access here, or anyone can request a pre-order here (expected to ship December 2012 or early Jan 2013)

Goodbye mouse. Goodbye investing in screen-wipe companies.

Why Facebook Sucks For Reaching Your Audience

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:07:56 +0000

This is a guest post by Michael Silverman, author of Capturing Community.

Every day, thousands of small businesses across the world dump millions of marketing dollars into social networks. With the rise of successful social media measurement tools, targeting your audience as a marketer has become a more refined science.

Then again, who’s really listening?

When I open my browser and wander mindlessly to Facebook, I’m not always sure what I’m looking for. Chances are a good number of people who liked your page act the same way. As connections between people and brands grow, newsfeeds are flooded with new, sometimes unrelated information threatening to steal your thunder.

How do you make your brand stand out in a stream of white noise? More importantly, how do you draw customers to your brand page to play on your turf? Engaging with a status update is one thing; having a meaningful conversation with few distractions is another.

For smaller consumer-oriented businesses with thin resources, you have a choice. You can spend all of your time and energy on creating a Facebook presence that focuses on high engagement. But just because a customer or potential customer comments on your status update doesn’t mean they’ll return to engage in meaningful conversation (or buy your product or services, for that matter).

Or, you can bypass the noise and engage your audience in a targeted venue, where conversations happen organically and audience members are receptive to your message. Niche online communities fit the bill here. If one doesn’t exist where you need it, you have the ability to create one of your own.

Social Networks Are Not the Same as Online Communities

Marketing professionals tend to lump social networks and online communities into a shapeless mass called social media. Those same marketers tend to focus more energy on Facebook and Twitter because they can be sure their audience lives on these networks.

Wouldn’t you rather be sure your audience is hearing what you’re saying and engaging in a productive dialogue? It’s clear that true brand impact is measured by how often your audience interacts with your content—not by how many people like your brand page on Facebook.

Online communities narrow the focus of the conversation. They keep members on topic. They encourage networking and interaction between people who may never have met but share passions about the same subjects. And an important reason why they’re more effective than social networks is that they are venues specifically branded for these purposes.

Think about it this way: Would you ever throw a party in a library? Cultural inclination and logic tell us that, no, we most certainly would NOT throw a party in a library, go see rock music at a funeral home, or build a chair in the middle of a congressional meeting.

Venues have a way of invoking strong emotions that help shape our perspective on acceptable and unacceptable interaction. These emotions are tied to visual, aural and cultural cues. For that reason and others, Facebook and LinkedIn satisfy different roles in the personal and professional lives of their users—mainly, networking based on real-world connections. Online communities, on the other hand, focus conversation down to the things that matter most to your audience, greatly increasing the frequency of new, valuable connections and conversations.

The B2B Conundrum and How One Online Community Solves It

For businesses in the B2B realm, Facebook presents an even greater challenge. Is the venue right for the conversation? Many marketers find it difficult to facilitate meaningful B2B conversations in a personal environment like Facebook.

They turn to LinkedIn or Twitter. Both venues provide B2B value—but we meet the same obstacles. How do you stand out against hundreds of related or unrelated brands and contacts competing for that same mindshare? How do you know your audience uses these universal networks to seek out the information you’re readily providing?

Let’s take a look at Built In Chicago, for example. Focused on connecting Chicagoland tech entrepreneurs and professionals, the niche community site recently made the transition to Drupal to handle its explosive growth. But how did it get so big in the first place?

The answer is simple: Built In Chicago is specific to geographic and topic-based limitations. By filtering out the white noise, the community is left with only the most valuable content and members. The site has found success connecting tech recruits with companies; taking the conversation offline to great networking events; and building a foundation of direct feedback to young entrepreneurs.

The most enriching interaction and networking happen within the walls of the community site. Developing a presence on sites like Built In Chicago is much more effective than appealing to your audience over Facebook. And if your niche doesn’t have a strong online community, you have the opportunity to create it. The same concepts apply for a B2C audience.

Any marketers out there finding more success in targeted communities than on Facebook?

Pure Genius: What Won't Richard Branson Slap the Virgin Brand On?

Wed, 30 May 2012 16:01:00 +0000

From his humble roots as a seller of vinyl LPs to the spotty youths of Great Britain, Sir Richard Branson has extended the Virgin brand name from record shops to an array of businesses including airlines, mobile phones, space and deep sea travel, hotels, bridal boutiques, cheeky health clubs, beverages (including vodka, cola and wine), gaming, banking and beyond. Now Brits will soon be finding the Virgin brand on another product: water.

The home of the elastic brand today announced a partnership with Israel-based Strauss Water to rebrand its Strauss Water UK business as Virgin Pure, a system that filters water straight from the plumbing system to provide consumers with chilled or boiling water “at the touch of a button.”

"I love businesses that help to improve our way of life,” Branson stated. "Pure, chilled and boiling drinking water at the touch of a button means no more lugging bottles home, waiting for filter jugs to trickle through or kettles to boil for that great cup of tea."[more]

It's a bit of a culture changer for all those tea drinkers out there. (No more putting the pot on for a cuppa tea? That's positively unBritish!) Undeterred, Virgin and Strauss see the UK market potential for their water systems at more than 10 million homes.

“Currently 20% of UK households choose bottled water as their primary source of drinking water and another 20% use filter jugs,” the Virgin Pure announcement notes. “This represents 10 million British households who already drink bottled or treated water over standard tap water. With this market potential of over 10 million British households, the new partnership offers the best solution for people who are looking for a convenient hot and cold water solution.”

The new Virgin Pure website has details on products and pricing "from 50p a day." The systems cost from £299 to £379 (including installation) and the filters will need to be replaced every six months and the UV system that purifies the water every year. A Water Club subscription is part of the pitch, offering seven years of repair and parts replacement.

One thing's for sure: the next time Branson, a self-promoter par excellence, splashes water on an obnoxious TV host, you can be sure it’ll be Virgin Pure.

Fiksu Report Shows iPhone App Downloads Keep Dipping

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:48:49 +0000

Is the Apple App Store losing momentum or is a late spring and early summer download dip to be expected?

According to a new report from Fiksu – the fast growing mobile app user acquisition platform – mobile app downloads continued to decline in April 2012, while the cost to acquire loyal users simultaneously picked up.

Movement in the social networking and games categories in the Apple App Store introduced new mobile advertising opportunities and heightened competition, causing the mobile marketing costs to increase, the report suggests.

The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index (which measures the average aggregate daily download volume of the top 200 free U.S. iPhone apps) dropped by 4.9 percent to 4.23 million daily downloads, down from 4.45 million in March.

Despite the dip, no one at Apple is going into panic mode with regard to this apparent download dilemma.

“April’s continued downward trajectory of app downloads was expected, as no major events sparked discovery during the month,” said Micah Adler, CEO of Fiksu. “Additionally, app marketers continued to scale back their use of robotic install tactics in response to Apple’s policy on third-party marketing services.”

“However, we observed more aggressive advertising spending as marketers moved out of the first quarter lull and began to seek new opportunities to compete for rank especially in the dynamic social networking and games categories, which experienced volatility during the month,” Adler concluded.

Boku Brings Mobile Billing Option to T-Mobile

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:29:29 +0000

On Wednesday, Boku confirmed that they have become an approved carrier-billing gateway for the T-Mobile Mall.

According to the partners, the partnership enables T-Mobile’s app and game developers to accept in-app payments from T-Mobile’s 34 million subscribers.

Applications and games will be distributed and marketed through the T-Mobile Mall, and transactions completed using Boku will be billed directly to a subscriber’s T-Mobile bill.

Developers can integrate in-app payments into their Android app with BOKU’s 1-TapTM SDK for Android. This will increase consumer conversion and expand their global customer reach simply by dropping the BOKU Android SDK into their application.

All told, the deal simplifies mobile services for customers, particularly the purchase experience as it eliminates the need to manually enter credit card information.

“With this agreement,” Boku says, “T-Mobile customers will be able to access the T-Mobile Mall’s portfolio of games and use mobile payments to purchase a wide variety of in-app content within downloaded apps, including virtual goods found in online games from publishers.”

Kixeye, ngmoco bringing 'Backyard Monsters' to mobile

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:15:52 +0000

Gaming firms Kixeye and ngmoco will partner to bring the popular Facebook real-time strategy game Backyard Monsters to iOS and Android devices this summer via the Mobage social gaming platform. Backyard Monsters--which will herald Kixeye's first expansion to the mobile channel--challenges players to build up empires, harvest resources and fight off monster attacks. The title has racked up more than 20 million game installs, with more than 175 million hours played worldwide. Release

Digital Chocolate founder Trip Hawkins resigns, company to narrow gaming focus

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:52:04 +0000

Digital Chocolate founder and CEO Trip Hawkins is stepping down, although he will remain with the mobile and social gaming firm in a consulting and advisory role. Digital Chocolate President Marc Metis, who joined the company in 2009, will serve as interim CEO.

Trip Hawkins

Multiple reports indicate Digital Chocolate also has laid off about 180 employees. The company did not respond to FierceMobileContent's request for confirmation prior to deadline.

Hawkins announced his decision on his blog. "For its next stage of growth, Digital Chocolate is narrowing its focus and it made sense to get more streamlined," he writes, adding the move coincides with the 30^th anniversary of the day he founded and incorporated gaming giant Electronic Arts. Hawkins launched Electronic Arts after exiting his role as Apple's director of strategy and marketing.

Hawkins founded Digital Chocolate in 2003, and the company quickly emerged as a major player in the nascent mobile gaming segment, raising close to $56 million in venture funding on the strength of titles including Crazy Penguin Catapult, Tower Bloxx and Brick Breaker Revolution. Over time Digital Chocolate shifted its platform to emphasize social gaming experiences but failed to keep pace with leaders in the space, touting just 6 million monthly users compared to Zynga's (NASDAQ:ZNGA) 250 million.

Hawkins said he will "remain involved in digital media and games."

For more:
- read this Digital Chocolate blog entry
- read this VentureBeat article

Fiksu: iPhone app downloads drop 5% in April

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:19:01 +0000

Downloads from Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store slipped 4.9 percent in April 2012, reaching their lowest level since the iPhone 4S launched last October, according to mobile user acquisition platform Fiksu.

Click here to view the charts from the Fiksu study.

The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index, which measures the average aggregate daily download volume of the top 200 free U.S. iPhone apps, reports that consumers downloaded an average of 4.23 million iPhone apps per day last month, down from 4.45 million a day in March. Fiksu's Cost per Loyal User Index, which measures the cost of acquiring a loyal user for brands who proactively market their apps, increased by 12.3 percent in April to $1.46, up from $1.30 in March.

Fiksu said April's decline in iPhone app downloads was expected: "No major events sparked discovery during the month," said CEO Micah Adler.

Fiksu also credited the drop to marketers' ongoing push to stop exploiting robotic installation services that artificially inflate App Store rankings. A statement posted to the Apple Developers page in early February reads: "When you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership."

Adler added that Fiksu observed "more aggressive advertising spending as marketers moved out of the first quarter lull and began to seek new opportunities to compete for rank, especially in the dynamic social networking and games categories, which experienced volatility during the month."

For more:
- read this release

5 Ways to Master Social Media Multitasking

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

These tips and inexpensive tools can help streamline your efforts across multiple social media sites.

Sector Analysis: Mobile

Mike Fletcher — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

The role of mobile in media is constantly evolving, so Mike Fletcher spoke to a number of industry experts to find out the five things marketing directors must know about the future of mobile.

Advisers still shaky on social media policy

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:53:22 +0000

(Reuters) - As the securities industry finally warms up to using social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, regulators are discovering that brokerages and investment advisers are off to a rocky start.

Internet traffic to grow four-fold to 2016 - Cisco

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:28:00 +0000

(Telecompaper) Annual global internet traffic will reach 1.3 trillion GB in 2016, according to the latest forecast from Cisco. Monthly traffic will increase nearly four-fold from 2011, to an estimated 110 exabytes in 2016, while hourly traffic is expected to reach 150 petabytes by the same date. The increase in IP traffic is driven by the growing number of connected devices. Cisco expects that by 2016, there will be nearly 18.9 billion networked devices ― equal to almost 2.5 connections per person ― compared with 10.3 billion in 2011. There will also be more people accessing the internet (3.4 billion in 2016), faster bandwidth (average 34Mbps vs 9Mbps in 2011) and more people watching online video (traffic of 1.2 million video minutes per second in 2016). Cisco also expects that by 2016, over half of the world's internet traffic will come from Wi-Fi connections. These will increasingly be over mobile devices and TVs, as the percentage of consumer internet traffic coming from PCs is expected to drop to 81 percent in 2016, from 94 percent last year. Global mobile internet traffic is forecast to grow ten-fold from 2011 to 2016, to 10.8 exabytes per month, or 130 exabytes annually.

Dutch mobile market decline slows to 2.7% in Q1

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:20:00 +0000

(Telecompaper) The Dutch mobile industry generated EUR 1.45 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2012, down 2.7 percent compared to the same quarter last year and a decline of 4.5 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, according to Telecompaper's quarterly market monitor. The annual decline slowed to 2.7 percent, from 4.2 percent in the same period last year, due to a smaller impact from cuts to termination rates, the market researcher said. Nevertheless, voice revenue was still lower, and the growth in non-voice revenues, from services such as SMS and data, was not able to compensate. For the full year 2012, Telecompaper expects the Dutch market to show a decline of around 2 percent to EUR 5.9 billion in service revenue. In terms of customer numbers, the Dutch market (including MVNOs) saw an increase of 3.3 percent annually to 20.9 million at the end of March. KPN's market lead weakened to 47 percent of all subscribers, while Vodafone saw its market share increase to 29 percent, and T-Mobile was stable at 25 percent.

Apple CEO Cook: 'Stay tuned' for deeper Facebook integration in iOS

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:50:51 +0000

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook hinted future versions of the iOS mobile operating system will integrate more closely with Facebook's social networking platform, urging consumers and media to "stay tuned."

Click here to watch select moments of Tim Cook's appearance.

Speaking Tuesday at the All Things D conference, Cook said "[Facebook has] their own way of doing things. But people can say that about us as well. But just because you have different views doesn't mean you can't work together. We want to provide customers simple, elegant ways to do the things they want to do. And Facebook has hundreds of millions of customers. And anyone with iPhone or iPad wants to have the best experience with Facebook on any device. So stay tuned."

Cook's statement echoes comments he made during an Apple shareholder's meeting in February. At that time, Cook said he considered Facebook a "friend" of Apple, adding "We do a lot with them. Our users use Facebook an enormous amount. I've always thought the two companies could do more together."

Official word of a closer Apple/Facebook relationship could come as soon as Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference, which kicks off June 11. Many onlookers are expecting Apple to announce its iOS 6 operating system update at the event. Apple unveiled iOS 5 in October 2011, introducing deep integration with the Twitter platform allowing users to sign in once and then tweet directly from all Twitter-enabled apps--among them Photos, Camera, Safari, YouTube and Maps--with a single tap. Twitter signups tripled in the week after iOS 5's release.

On Tuesday, Cook suggested iOS 6 also could bring improvements to the iPhone's Siri voice recognition software. He said Apple has "a lot of people working on it" and that it plans on "doubling down" on the feature. "I think you'll be really pleased with some of the things that you'll see over the coming months on this," Cook said. "We've got some cool ideas about what Siri can do."

For more:
- read this Next Web article
- read this Verge article

Tiny chip inserted in the sole of a shoe can charge the wearer’s cell phone

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:12:34 +0000

The ubiquity of cell phones has inspired countless creative ways to keep them charged, whether it’s through a pedal-powered table, a charging handbag or a USB-equipped urban bicycle — to name just a few recent examples. The latest spotting? A tiny chip insertable in the sole of any shoe that gathers and stores energy as the wearer walks.

The brainchild of Kenyan entrepreneur Anthony Mutua, the new technology was on display earlier this month at the Science and Innovation Week taking place in Nairobi, according to a report in Kenya’s Daily Nation. The technology consists of an ultra-thin chip of crystals that generate electricity when subjected to pressure; placed in the sole of a shoe, it gathers energy when the wearer walks, runs and moves about. A phone can then be charged via a thin extension cable that runs from shoe to pocket, or energy can be stored in the crystals for charging purposes later. Mutua charges KES 3,800 to fit any shoe with one of his chips, and he offers a two-and-a-half-year guarantee.

Mass production of Mutua’s chips will reportedly begin soon thanks to funding from Kenya’s National Council of Science and Technology. Mobile and energy entrepreneurs the world over: One to get involved in?

Website: www.ncst.go.ke
Contact: info@ncst.go.ke

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

App turns smartphones into routers for peer-to-peer shared mobile internet coverage

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:04:45 +0000

We recently reported on Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble’s wifi-blocking wallpaper, which aims to make home and business networks more secure against unauthorized use. San Francisco-based startup Open Garden, however, is focused on democratizing internet access and is looking to boost mobile broadband coverage by sharing devices’ connectivity in densely populated areas.

Fed up with the ‘closed’ nature of mobile networks and their patchy connectivity outside of urban areas, the founders of Open Garden – entrepreneur Micha Benoliel, internet architect Stanislav Shalunov and developer Greg Hazel – set about creating an app which effectively enables the hardware in mobile devices and laptops to act as a router, which others can connect to. Using peer-to-peer technology, each device with the app installed can broadcast their connectivity across a 20-meter radius, meaning that business centers with a high density of notebooks, smartphones and tablets can have guaranteed internet connections. The app works with devices that are connected to the internet through 3G/4G, wifi hotspots or femtocell bases. Although users will need to share some of their connection, Open Garden seeks to break down the restrictions placed on mobile devices by carriers, which often mean customers experience a lack of connectivity even when another brand’s broadcasting signal could get them online.

The startup aims to encourage larger businesses to change the way they operate their mobile internet provision and to learn to share in order to generate extra income and provide a better service. Mobile phone operators – is this territory you would explore?

Website: www.opengarden.com
Contact: shalunov@opengarden.com

Spotted by: Matthew Smith

Barclays looks to step up its social media as UK banks trail

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:38:34 +0000

Banks have been traditionally poor when it comes to social media and that hasn’t really changed much over the last year. Relative to their size they have few followers between them on Twitter and only sporadic presence on Facebook, but at least one is trying to change that.

5 types of content to increase traffic, engagement, and shares

Wed, 30 May 2012 09:16:45 +0000

Internet users are fed with content on every transaction. This content comes to us in many forms – it can be tangible or intangible, it can come from websites, blogs, social networks, vlogs, podcasts, and even mobile. Every single website you browse or picture you view on Flickr is a form of sharing and viewing content, making content the undisputable king of the online world.

Kroes plans net neutrality recommendations

Wed, 30 May 2012 07:42:00 +0000

(Telecompaper) EU Commission vice-president Neelie Kroes has announced plans to create new recommendations on net neutrality for ISPs, requiring they provide more details to consumers on the quality of internet services. The announcement comes alongside the release of the EU telecom regulator Berec's survey of over 400 fixed and mobile internet providers on net neutrality issues. It found that at least 20 percent and potentially up to half of EU mobile broadband users have contracts that allow their provider to restrict services like VoIP or peer-to-peer file sharing. Around 20 percent of fixed operators (across virtually all EU member states) apply restrictions such as limiting P2P at peak times. The EU commissioner said she wants to provide consumers with more transparency and choice in their internet services. She plans three recommendations: for ISPs to require clear information on actual, 'real-life' broadband speeds, more detailed information on limits to the service, such as quantified data ceilings rather than 'vague' fair-use policies, and restrictions on marketing 'internet' service that gives access to less than the full internet.

Sprint to shut down iDen network in 2013

Wed, 30 May 2012 06:15:00 +0000

(Telecompaper) Sprint announced it will shut down its iDen network by the end of June 2013, moving customers to its Sprint Direct Connect PTT service on its CDMA network. The mobile operator will start informing customers next month, providing offers for switching to the CDMA network. Sales of iDen devices are also being halted across channels. Sprint Direct Connect was launched last October and features push-to-talk, broadband and rugged handset options. Its coverage will be expanded in the course of 2012. The iDen shutdown is part of Sprint's Network Vision plan, which will consolidate its range of network technologies, expand coverage and prepare for the launch of LTE.

UEFA EURO 2012 Expands Digital and Social Outreach to Engage Fans

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:04:00 +0000

‘It’s all about you!’ is the rallying cry for the new UEFA.com website, giving fans one-stop shopping for all things UEFA EURO 2012, delivering coverage of the upcoming Union of European Football Associations tournament in 12 languages and confirming the official 23-player squad lists.

Content for all UEFA digital/mobile platforms and publications for more than 160 journalists, correspondents, editors, photographers, coordinators, web producers, translators and interpreters working from eight host cities, combines with innovative features for the final tournament, kicking off June 8, including:

Customisable MatchCentre - expert commentary, live photos and tweets, videos, polls, statistics, lineups and heat maps and a Tournament Map as an interactive guide to EURO.
Player Browser - users can compare and contrast the 16 squads and browse the editorial and data profiles of all 368 players
Facebook, Foursquare, Google+, YouTube and Twitter links, and fans can tweet questions in the continuing #Ask feature that has featured Xavi Hernández, Steve McManaman and Pierluigi Collina.

The International Broadcast Centre in Warsaw is the editorial, coordination and production hub, coordinating with UEFA HB and with ICT for hosting and live applications. The French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish sites are managed from the IBC and produced and monitored at respective agencies in Lyon, Munich, Milan, Lisbon, Riga and Madrid. The Chinese, Japanese and Korean sites will be taking the finals to Asian markets.[more]

Twenty-four reporters and 16 camera crews are following the 16 finalists to provide fans with the live on-the-ground insights and data via text, video, audio and social media.

Sponsored content around the tournament includes giving fans the chance to play McDonald’s Fantasy Football and Hyundai Predictor, vote for Carlsberg Goal of the Day and Man of the Match, follow the race for the adidas Golden Boot, and peruse a rich array of Castrol statistics and view, vote and share in the Canon Photos section.

And in a smart example of branded local marketing around UEFA, Coca-Cola has partnered with ScanLife to place QR codes on all Coca-Cola Classic and Coca-Cola Zero Products in Spain, sending users to UEFA's EURO 2012 videos and Coca-Cola SmileWorld.

"The results we have seen are extremely impressive," said Paco Rodriguez, Digital Manager at Coca-Cola Spain. "Thanks to intelligent QR Codes from the ScanLife platform we are able to constantly surprise our consumers with new content, strengthen our position in the mobile space, and understand what interests our consumers."

The codes can be scanned by any QR Code reader application, like ScanLife (or Bidi in Spain) and with any barcode reader. "The partnership with Coca-Cola shows that barcode scanning with smartphones has reached a global tipping point," said ScanLife CEO Mike Wehrs. "ScanLife's platform adds value by helping brands deliver customized and context-driven content to their customers right from their product, and learn from those interactions."

Brand R.I.P.: Chrysler, Microsoft and Sprint Axe Underperforming Sub-Brands

Tue, 29 May 2012 22:29:00 +0000

Three companies that announced they're culling their brands today:

• Chrysler is killing off the Jeep Compass and its Town and Country minivan, formerly the bestselling minivan in America.

• Microsoft is phasing out the Zune brand in favor of Xbox-branded media and apps‎.

• Sprint is shutting down Nextel iDEN network next year‎.

Survey & Infographic: Are Small Businesses Ready for Mobile Marketing?

Tue, 29 May 2012 19:52:20 +0000

To kick off small businesses month, the folks over at Web.com produced a survey and infographic on how small businesses are leveraging the mobile channel. Among the many stats, it was revealed that 84% of small businesses currently using mobile marketing have seen a sizable increase in new business.

The company surveyed 500 small business owners with under 100 employees and found that while 69% of small businesses consider mobile marketing crucial to their growth in the next five years, a majority of them are yet to fully leverage the medium.

“With more and more consumers specifically searching for local businesses on their mobile devices, it is imperative that small businesses invest in a mobile presence,” said David Brown, chairman and chief executive officer of Web.com. “Having a mobile presence can be a huge competitive advantage for small businesses trying to attract local customers by instantly introducing a potential customer to their business’ products and services in a mobile-enhanced way.”

Among the findings, the survey also revealed that . . .

U.S. Small Businesses Maintain Good Web-Presence But Still Lack Mobile Presence: While 60% of small businesses surveyed have a website, only 26% have a mobile-friendly website (same layout/content as standard site adjusted to suit your smartphone screen) while an even smaller percentage (14% of small business owners have a stand-alone mobile website (content/layout designed specifically for mobile purposes).
84% of Small Businesses Currently with Mobile Presence See Increase in New Business Activity: Out of the 500 small business owners surveyed, 14% have a stand-alone mobile website, of which 84% indicated that they have seen an increase in new business activity due to their mobile marketing efforts. This alone serves as validation to make the move into mobile for the majority of small businesses that are skeptical to invest in mobile efforts.
While Mobile Search Becomes Mainstream, Small Businesses Still Not Ready to be Found Via Smartphones: There is a large gap between the rapidly increasing mobile search volumes and the majority of small businesses lagging behind in mobile search strategy. Over 61% of small businesses currently do not have a mobile search strategy and are missing out on consumers trying to find them via a smartphone device.
Biggest Hurdle to Embrace Mobile is Limited Time and Resources: It’s not surprising that time and resource limitations prevent small businesses from entertaining new solutions to market themselves. The survey revealed that 64% of small business owners are also acting as their one-person marketing team. This puts pressure on the small business owner to wear multiple hats and find the time to build a mobile presence besides running other aspects of their business.
64% of Small Businesses Will Spend More on Mobile Marketing This Year – 2012 might be the year when mobile-savvy small businesses increase their spend on mobile marketing initiatives. 64% of small business owners surveyed expressed an intention to increase their mobile investments this year, with only 33% indicating that their mobile spend this year will remain the same as last year.

The full survey results can be downloaded here, and Web.com produced the following infographic using the results:

The State of Social Media in 2012 – Brian Solis Video Interview

Tue, 29 May 2012 19:39:57 +0000

We’ve spent the last months, if not years, talking about influence.

As social media use increased, so did the need for tools that could measure how effective our online activities actually were, especially in the case of brands who included social in a more structured marketing strategy.

In this interview by Maria Petrescu of Intervistato.com she asks Brian crowd sourced questions on a wide range of topics that essentially skims, dives and delves into where social media is in 2012 and its role as a change agent in society and business.

Does Klout Measure Influence?

During this interview with Brian the matter of influence has been discussed in detail, starting from the very definition of influence and what these tools really measure, which is, in Brian’s opinion, social capital as it relates to how someone might interact in Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.

He also discusses influence measurement services like Klout and PeerIndex, that assigned a number based on several variables, from true reach to network size. It is arguable, though, whether this number actually reflects the influence we

have online. Most social media specialists say it doesn’t, because influence has a very precise definition, and that is the ability of changing behavior and cause effect, whereas the number these online influence tools provide is a mash-up of too many factors. Whether the individual factors actually make sense taken one by one, that’s another issue.

Olivier Blanchard, the author of Social Media ROI, says that even though the final Klout number isn’t very interesting, the other measurements are quite well done. The important thing is the use one makes of the data.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What is Happening with Content Curation?

Another topic Brian analyzed is the one of content curation and its adoption.

As the tools for content curation will become more and more effective and “glamorous”, they will see a drastic increase in use during 2012. There are several startups that are going in that direction, such as Searcheeze or Scoop.it, that are intended as content curation tools and that allow users to customize the page they put together from several points of view. For instance, Scoop.it offers a business plan that allows brands to insert their own logo on top of the page, instead of the Scoop.it one, thus creating a branded, personalized page that can become a great way to acquire customers by engaging with them in a new and useful way.

The Importance of Content in Advertising

On the matter of advertisement and media properties, Brian has a very distinct vision: “Ads are never the center of attention on web pages, every test shows that the most important thing is content”.

The natural conclusion is that advertisement must become so fascinating and clever that it actually becomes worth sharing by itself, thus turning into something completely new and different from what advertising meant until now.

Other social media related topics have been explored during this 30 minute interview with Brian Solis, who most of you probably know as the author of “Engage!” and also “The End of Business as Usual“. I invite everyone to view the full interview.

Guest Author: Maria Petrescu is a Psychology student and co-founder at Intervistato.com, a crowdsourcing interviews blog: anyone can propose someone to interview and a question to ask.

More Reading

Image By KEXINO

Placecast Named OnMobile Top 100 Winner

Tue, 29 May 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Placecast is honored to be chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the 2012 OnMobile Top 100 winners. Companies...

Groupon Tinkering with Mobile Payment Solution

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:50:31 +0000

Groupon may be ready to take on the likes of Intuit and Square with its next offering – a mobile payments platform that could shake up this growing industry and its leading players today.

Speaking in confidence to Reuters, two unnamed sources confirm that the daily deals giant is now actively testing in the field a new mobile payments platform with a select few Groupon merchants.

Groupon’s nascent payment service comes with an Apple iPod Touch, and a case that wraps around the back of the device, which allows merchants to swipe credit cards, the people said. They did not want to be identified because the service has not been officially announced, and is in an early testing phase with some Groupon merchants.

If the offering successfully makes it out of testing with the company’s blessing for national launch, the service will likely be competitively priced and perhaps significantly undercut the transaction fees charged by Intuit and Square.

Would you be inclined to use a Groupon-branded mobile payments service?

Smartphone app monitors users’ skin condition over time

Tue, 29 May 2012 14:08:12 +0000

We’ve seen a number of tech-enabled efforts aimed at monitoring user health, including not long ago the Skin Scan app focused on melanoma. Recently, however, we came across a related effort from Japanese Fujitsu Laboratories, Color Frame — a mobile app designed to help users track the condition of their skin over time.

With their smartphone’s camera, users of Color Frame begin by taking four photos: one around the cheekbone, one beside the nose, one beside the cheek, and one around the mouth, according to a report on DigInfo. The photos of these areas are framed by a small color wheel placed on the skin, allowing the app to detect and adjust to the ambient lighting conditions. Next, the user presses the app’s “Analyze” button, and in return they’re shown the submitted images along with a set of scores assessing factors including spots, dullness, and pore size. Results can be saved for future comparison, making it possible not only for users to monitor their skin condition over time, but also for retailers to demonstrate the effectiveness of their products, as DigInfo notes. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Reportedly slated to begin this year, Fujitsu’s service will target Japanese women initially, and could soon prove an invaluable tool for marketing makeup and skin care products. One to help regionalize for other parts of the world?

Website: www.fujitsu.com
Contact: www.fujitsu.com/global/contact

Google Produces Guide to Mobile Marketing

Tue, 29 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Google needs to follow its own mobile marketing advice.

Samsung launches Music Hub mobile music service

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:31:00 +0000

(Telecompaper) Samsung has announced the launch of the Music Hub cloud-based mobile music service, available in European markets from 29 May. The service will initially be available on the new Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone in France, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy, and will be extended to a wider range of devices and countries soon. It is based on technology from subsidiary and mobile content service provider mSpot, with tracks provided by digital music service 7digital. The service will be offered free, allowing customers to preview and download paid music and store it in a digital locker accessible across devices. A Premium Version for GBP/EUR 9.99 a month will also allow users to upload their own music collection to the digital locker and access unlimited streaming and personalised radio stations.

LG Mobile launches One Direction competition on Twitter

Matthew Chapman — Tue, 29 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

LG Mobile is pushing its L-Series smartphones with a One Direction ticket giveaway run via Twitter.

Innocent tops the 2012 Social Brands 100 list, Starbucks, Ford and charities score highly

Tue, 29 May 2012 07:16:06 +0000

A year is a long time in social media. Last year we had the first Social Brands 100 list and it was topped by Dell. Today the second Social Brands 100 is launched and it is all change at the top.

4 Reasons Why Brilliant Communities Are More Valuable than Your Social Media Strategy

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:51:08 +0000

Ever feel like you’re just going through the motions with your social media strategy?

You aren’t alone. Marketers are finally understanding the bigger picture: how many ‘likes’ you get doesn’t necessarily translate to more sales. As a result, savvy social media strategists are measuring engagement metrics—how often their audience members interact with posted content and each other through their channels.

But when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, you’re still presented with some pretty clear obstacles. How do you encourage more visits to your page? Even if you get visitors, how long will they stay before something else draws them away? Will users who engage with a status update or other piece of content continue to discuss after an initial post?

Social Networks have an Identity Challenge

Social networks have an identity problem. Audience motivations and perspectives don’t always align with the expectations of a brand.

Online communities, on the other hand, arrange themselves around clearly defined goals, messaging and values. Imagine what a brilliant online niche community offers to the business trying to reach a clearly defined audience. Filter out the white noise and engage your target audience directly.

How is an Online Community Different from a Social Network?

In general, social networks make use of real-world relationships, visualizing how people map their personal connections. They don’t necessary hone in on a specific topic, interest or goal.

Online communities like LitReactor (for writers and avid readers) and Built In Chicago (for Chicago-based tech professionals and entrepreneurs) focus discussion around shared interests, regardless of previous personal interactions.

They occur both on B2B and B2C levels and span the gamut from professional interests to hobbies to like-minded group goals.

Consider the following four reasons a brilliant online community has more potential than your current social networking strategy:

1. Actual stakeholders willingly identify themselves.

There’s a mess of data on social networks. How do you sift through it to find your audience? Shouldn’t it be simpler?

Engaging the right online community ensures a prime selection of audience members—actual stakeholders who may be tied up in the topic on personal or professional levels. These are your key influencers—audience members with the potential to become brand evangelists or major customers. Within the walls of the community you’ll find a treasure-trove of behavioral and personal data.

2. Limit distractions and white noise.

Facebook feeds constantly update, cluttering your target’s attention with information that may or may not be related. You could be competing with a best friend, a comedian, a musician or another brand for that attention.

In most cases, a community newsfeed won’t update as rapidly. You know exactly why your audience visits: to network and converse around the community’s interest. Distractions are limited to content that doesn’t take your audience out of the mindset that makes them receptive to your brand.

3. Participate in targeted, unadulterated discussion.

An online community evens the score. It’s a venue where brands and customers can talk to each other on a personal level. With the support of the community, members are more likely to offer honest feedback. They feel protected by other members and expect fair treatment.

You have a clear opportunity to build a personal connection between your brand and your audience members. Inside an online community, you can engage on a more effective level around targeted content.

4. Members get a say.

The conversations aren’t the only pieces of content shaped by community members; in a strong community, members can shape the site as a whole. As a result, members have a stronger connection to the online community brand. Earn their trust, and your brand can enjoy insider status, too.

If you can’t find the right online community for your audience, you have an opportunity to create one. All it takes is putting the right communication tools in place and getting the word out.

Before deciding to build a community under the umbrella of your brand, consider the alternative. A brilliant community that represents the interests of your brand without explicit sponsorship means a level playing field and a true opportunity to engage with your audience.

Guest Author: Michael Silverman - In addition to founding and leading Chicago-based Duo Consulting, Michael Silverman has headed up a number of online community development projects for 15 years. He just launched the book on online communities, Capturing Community: How to Build, Manage and Market Your Online Community.

That Twitter-based hedge fund? It was “quietly liquidated” a month after launch

Mon, 28 May 2012 17:01:08 +0000

The idea of using social media sentiment to determine trades on the stock market sounded somewhere between ‘brave’ and ‘crazy’ when we first heard about Derwent Capital Markets’ Absolute Return Fund back in late 2010. It seems potential investors took something closer to the latter viewpoint, however. The firm has told the Financial Times [paywalled link] that the fund was “quietly liquidated” just a month after its launch last year.

That explains Derwent’s plans, reported by us last week, to repurpose the technology it developed to operate the fund as an online platform that individual traders can use to inform their actions.

Derwent’s system is based on academic research that found Twitter could be successfully used as an early indicator of changing sentiment around particular stocks and commodities. This allows Twitter data to be used to predict forthcoming price fluctuations in the market.

It seems the fund did reasonably well during its short life. London-based Derwent’s CEO and founder, Paul Hawtin told the FT that in the one month that the fund was open, it returned 1.86% in its sterling shares, ahead of the market and the average hedge fund. He didn’t go into much detail about why the fund was closed other than to say that hedge funds are a difficult product to sell.

Hawtin hasn’t responded to our request for more details today, but it appears that there simply isn’t much market appetite for investments powered by social media sentiment. The FT notes that other firms, including MarketPsy Capital, have also aborted plans for social media-powered hedge funds.

It seems that the market simply isn’t ready to put its faith in the wisdom of digital crowds just yet.

Facebook Working On A New Phone? Here Is What It Could Look Like

Mon, 28 May 2012 09:15:50 +0000

Every few months the rumor mill goes in to overdrive about a new Facebook phone that is about to launch and we have just entered another phase of heightened speculation. Everybody seems to be writing about the new project with some saying that the phone is already being built right in front of our eyes. We would be very surprised if Facebook did launch a full phone because they have shown time and time again that they are focused on the social elements of interactions between humans rather than hardware and we agree when people say that investors should run a mile if Facebook did try to build it’s own phone. Having said that Facebook doesn’t want to just become a mobile app on phones and needs to wedge itself in to the mobile space which it is clearly in the process of doing with a host of new apps. Some sort of operating system across all phones seems the most likely but if they were to go down the mobile route these mock ups show just how useful and fun a Facebook phone could actually be…

Could It Look Like This?

We spotted this over with our good friends the next web which shows some mock ups that were created up by a young New York based designer. He didn’t have any inside information to go on but looking through these mock ups you can clearly get the feel for what an actual Facebook phone might feel like and just how useful it could be…

Would It Work?

Although it would be incredibly hard to build a phone from scratch that takes on the likes of the iPhone and android you can see the appeal. Facebook messenger is the new choice communication tool for many. Your social circle and their telephone numbers are all on Facebook. You calendar is already there and you share most of the photos you take directly from your phone these days. Add in location based tools and a whole host of other features and a Facebook phone could be massively useful. It is nice to dream but we can’t see this happening anytime soon. What do you think? Would you use a Facebook phone?

Facebook shows impressive growth for daily active users

Mon, 28 May 2012 07:55:00 +0000

Facebook news has been dominated by their IPO disaster, peppered with various attempts at taking on mobile. But what about the Facebook service that’s at the centre of all this? What about the platform that people are using day after day, largely oblivious to developments within the company? Companies are still on Facebook, pouring dollars into ad spend and app development so it’s worth looking at how the platform is performing and how much of an appetite there still is amongst consumers.

Enter Andrew Chen, who has put together a nice study showing how Facebook’s daily active users as a percentage of monthly active users has grown from 2009-2012. This, impressively, is currently at 58%, following Facebook’s own public figures of 901 MAU and 526 DAU. And for anyone that might be concerned about Facebook’s overall growth, will be pleased to hear that this is increasing year on year, as in 2009 it sat at below 50 % :

This is an important figure to look at, because it puts the growth of Facebook overall into context. Entering new markets or increasing penetration in existing markets is one thing, but how much those new audiences stay around is another. This study shows that Facebook is not only retaining, but growing daily active users. In short, this means that Facebook isn’t going anywhere soon and that developments such as the Like button, Facebook Connect and social graph are all contributing to a ubiquitous Facebook experience that is sitting across different sites and continually contributing to an attentive, active audience.

Samsung Dishes on Facebook And Pinterest [Video]

Christopher Heine — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:21:00 +0000

ClickZ speaks with marketing director for the global brand about social media initiatives.

Start-Ups Vie in Managing Devices

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:18:53 +0000

A new wave of start-ups are trying to take away BlackBerry maker Research in Motion's business of helping companies manage mobile devices.

New CEO Success Buzzword: 'Openness'

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Openness, transparency and employee empowerment have become key to business success, a survey of global CEOs say. Social media can help you unlock it.

Zynga Defends Acquisition

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:13:50 +0000

Zynga is trying to provide some answers for its controversial acquisition of "Draw Something," a mobile game that was released only six weeks earlier and has since lost popularity.

Facebook Camera App Won't Have Ads - For Now

Christopher Heine — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:07:00 +0000

Looking to secure future monetization, the digital giant ramps up mobile prowess via acquisitions.

Questioning All Advice, Rules And Best Practices For Social Media Success

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:30 +0000

I often get questions about how to do things to get better results in social media.

Some of those questions go a little like this: What’s the proper length for a video? Is a 2,000-word blog post too long? Should I use third-party apps to post to my Facebook Page? Should I have a Twitter Feed on my sidebar?

Sure, best practices say a video will keep more viewers engaged if it’s under two minutes. Usually posts over 1,500 words are a bit heavy. According to Facebook, there is no difference between posting directly or from an external source. Twitter feeds on your sidebar are not always a good idea.

But those are the wrong questions.

If things like these are determining how you operate in social media, you are putting your focus in the wrong places. Hear me out, I’ll give you 3 reasons:

Your actual work

The reason people will consume your work, services or whatever it is you put out there in the social universe is simply because your work is remarkable, not because your video is under two minutes.

When your focus is in adding value on people’s lives, the format and the medium are irrelevant.

Your real prospect

Erika Napoletano said it perfectly: “Quit acting like you’re Walmart.” Trying to please everybody is a huge mistake. People that don’t watch your entire 14-minute video or don’t read your 2,321-word post are most likely not your ideal prospect.

Put your time and energy on the ones that do and can’t get enough of you. Those are the ones that will keep coming back for more and eventually buy your products or services. In a way, you are filtering prospects.

Your marketing

Marketing is a testing game. If you limit yourself to following “best practices”, you will not find out what works best in your particular case. You might be taking advice from a blogger that recommends things in a certain way because that has work for her, maybe it will be different for you, maybe that blogger already tested several options.

Test a 5 minute video, go for 10 or 15 minutes and see how it goes. Test different days to post content, even the weekend. Test everything you do in social media. What works for others will not necessarily work for you.

In other words, your true fans will consume your message and your work, whether you post it on YouTube or on Vimeo, your content is 400 or 3,000 words. And they will find you whether you are or Twitter, Google+ or Instagram, because you produce amazing work.

Proof?

I have 2 examples for you…

Example #1: Marie Forleo

You probably know Marie Forleo, if you don’t you should. She has turned her business into a huge digital empire and as a personal brand, she is a powerhouse on her own. Even tough it’s clear that I don’t qualify as her target market, I follow her and periodically visit her site just to watch her mad skills for producing consistent awesome sauce.

What got my attention the other day while visiting the Marie Forleo Facebook Page, was that I could easily spot a few points where she clearly fails to follow conventional wisdom on how to manage a Facebook Page:

She uses Hootsuite to post and manage the page content, a third-party app. Best practice: Don’t use third-party apps to manage your Page
Some of her posts are not very visual, they don’t contain images. Best practice: People engage more with images. The Timeline was built for brands to be more visual
Sometimes she posts what appears to be a Tweet and even an RT. Best practice: Never post tweets on Facebook, people don’t like that
I even saw a few Hashtags. Best practice: Facebook doesn’t have Hashtags

For some of us those things are a social sins. So how does Marie get massive engagement on every single post? a simple status, a link, and even a quote? It’s like none of those things really matter.

Here is the reason why

Marie is focused on one thing, she has developed a brand, a message, a program, a platform and a user experience that makes people fall madly in love with her in a split second. As simple as that. She has built a world-class brand and a community of hardcore fans that are exactly the target prospect she aims to.

It doesn’t matter if she uses a third-party app, if she’s on Facebook or Google+ or how long her videos are. People are looking forward to whatever she puts out there next.

Example #2: My daughter

Yes, my daughter. A Visual Arts student at Cal State Fullerton where she also holds a part-time gig and very skilled at everything hand-crafted. She started doing crotchet for fun, which quickly translated into friends and family asking her for stuff but, at some point she decided she could use some extra cash.

You’d think that if she wanted to make a few sales on the Internet, she’d come to me for a quick tip or to her mom, the queen of business development. But no, she went right ahead to take a couple of pictures to post on Instagram. What? No strategy? no plan? no e-commerce? I mean this kid doesn’t even own a Paypal account! This has #epicfail written all over, right?

She made five sales with one picture.

No experience, no best practices, no etiquette, no platform, no e-commerce or technology of any kind other than her iPhone and clearly, no planning. From concept to production to marketing in one afternoon, without leaving her freakin’ room.

The takeaway: This kid is definitely ready to start paying rent!

Here is the reason why

When we start putting all these things in our heads, we create obstacles. We limit ourselves. We fail to focus on producing remarkable work.

What she did here was simply follow her intuition, she used Instagram because she likes it, she behaved as she does in real life and never questioned the format, the medium or the best practices simply because she never read a social media post before.

She smiles because she made 5 sales and she doesn’t know that out there, thousands of us are trying to figure out this complicated puzzle of how to do business online, debating best practices and worrying about how to measure ROI.

What do you think?

Photo credit: schtumple

5 Ways to Make Money with Your Twitter Account

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:19:11 +0000

Twitter is a key part of any social media marketing campaign.

However, you don’t have to have a blog in order to make money through Twitter.

There are several ways that you can make money through the social network without trying to sell your own products or services.

Twitter is a powerful platform unto itself, not just a conduit for marketing another site. You can create a Twitter account around a profitable niche — making money online, online education, or motherhood, for example — and amass a large number of followers interested in that niche. Then you can tweet links to interesting content from around the web, offering your followers something of value without ever having to create content yourself.

So how do you make money? The same way you do on a blog: Selling advertising, sponsored links, and affiliate marketing. Here are a few programs that can help you make money on Twitter:

#1. Sponsored Tweets

Sponsored Tweets is a well-known ad service for Twitter allows you to set your own price-per-click for ads that you tweet. You can choose the ads you tweet from a list of available ads that are updated regularly. You must have at least 50 followers, 100 tweets, and an account that is at least 60 days old to sign up for this service.

#2. MyLikes

MyLkes is an extensive ad platform can be used on Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and your blog. You get to choose ads from thousands of advertisers, and you get to schedule the time the advertisement will be tweeted from your account. You can earn as much as $0.42 per click, and you can get a payout weekly.

#3. Ad.ly

Ad.ly is another ad service that lets you send out advertisements in your tweets. However, you don’t get paid-per-click. Instead, you create a profile of your interests, then advertisers can choose your account to publicize a campaign. You agree to send out a specific number of tweets on a specific schedule, and you get paid a lump sum.

#4. Rev Twt

Rev Twt is a Twitter-based advertising service and is a pay-per-click platform. The more followers you have and the higher reputation you have, the greater access you will have to higher-paying campaigns. Payout is made via Paypal when you have reached $20 in earnings.

#5. Twittad

The Twittad platform claims to be one of the first sponsored-tweet networks. You are able to set your own cost-per-click, but you have to wait for advertisers to accept your bid. You will also have to identify your niche so that advertisers can match their products with you appropriately. Payment is made via Paypal when you have reached $30 in earnings.

There are many other ways you can make money with your Twitter account, including selling banner ads on your profile page, setting your own rates and selling direct sponsored tweets, charging to send a personal message to your followers, or charging for access to your private list of followers. These advertising services can also help you make money through pay-per-click advertising, which can be especially lucrative if you have a large following.

What About You?

Do you have any experience with any of these ad platforms? Were you successful with any of them?

Tell us about your experiences in the comments! Look forward to hearing your stories

Guest Author: Carlina Yepinski is the primary researcher and writer for networkmonitoring.org. Her most recent accomplishments includes graduating from Kentucky State with a degree in communications and computer science. Her current focus for the site involves server monitoring and it monitoring software.

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