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New TV Apps Get the Cable Bundlers Scrambling

May 15th, 2012 | Posted by admin in app | business process | Features - (0 Comments)

The television industry along with cable and satellite companies is embarking on major changes in the way TV programs are accessed. In a perfect TV viewing world you could tailor your personal TV viewing based on interests. Technology to do just that is in the development stage and is being driven by technically conscious consumers. This subject is discussed in a recent New York Times Article, “In Search of Apps for Television.”.

The article explains how digital media executives perceive the evolution:

“I’ve told my bosses, this is beachfront real estate. Buy in now,” Lisa Hsia, executive vice president of digital media at NBC Universal’s Bravo channel.

There is still a lot of room for debate in relation to the deployment.

According to the article:

“The question that hasn’t yet been answered is whether television viewing will consist of a single app that mimics the pay TV bundle or a series of different apps that together form a content experience,” said Jon Miller, the chief digital officer at News Corporation, which owns Fox Broadcasting and cable channels like Fox News and FX.

The TV apps currently available are limited to Internet connected devices and don’t affect the TV viewing from cable and satellite companies, but this new proposed technology threatens to change things on an economic scale. When the bottom line is at stake it gets companies scrambling like nothing else. Will networks, cable and satellite providers meet consumer demand and make a custom solution affordable as well as relevant? We at SSN Blogwill be watching and commenting as the evolution continues.

Sandy McIntosh, May 15, 2012

Zwoor Mobile App Zeros in on Trade Show Content

May 10th, 2012 | Posted by admin in app | crowdsourcing | marketing | mobility | smartphone | social media - (0 Comments)

Zwoor, a mobile app tool for conferences and trade shows, has enhanced their event app with a photo taking feature. According to the press release, “Zwoor.com Mobile App Adds Picture Taking to the Conference and Corporate Event App – Attendees Can Now Create and Share a Candid View of Collective Knowledge Via Photos” the improvements are delighting event attendees.

The app offers the ability to categorize data and pictures based on a particular event agenda. The app also integrates with social media avenues and provides candid insight. With the ability to generate real-time analytics and content with photos, this new feature provides a way for attendees to zero in on sessions and in-conference events relevant to their particular focus.

The app isn’t just adding value to the attendees either. Event planners using Zwoor possess new methods that demonstrate value for business planning purposes.

Ken Burns, External Relations at Zwoor, explains the development as a continuous innovation cycle:

“With the monthly drumbeat of innovation, Zwoor.com continues to lead the industry on the richness of features for mobile apps. Our “free demo app for your event, with no commitment to buy” shows how confident we are in the value and quality we provide.”

Traditionally, trade shows are overwhelming with lots of content and big crowds cramming everything in over a short duration of time. It is often grueling and time consuming to achieve for attendees and event planners to achieve maximum benefits of the event. Zwoor offers the ability to reduce costs, maximize reach and increase engagement. That sounds like a win for any conference or event planner..

Sandy McIntosh, May 10, 2012

Is Google Drive Proposing Personal Data Privacy or Not?

May 9th, 2012 | Posted by admin in cloud computing | networking | News | Privacy - (0 Comments)

Google Drive is a cloud storage and sync service from Google and is an extension of Google Docs. Google Drive gives the user 5 gigabytes to start with and offers extra storage for a low monthly rate. In the article, “Will Google Drive Snoop Inside Your Data? Google Needs To Be Clearer”, privacy issues are discussed. Also proposed in the article is a “by permission only” clause to be built into the license agreement to protect user privacy.

In the blanket license for Google Drive Google states:

“The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones.”

In its “terms of service” Google continues:

“You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.”

The information in this article suggests Google may have built loop holes into their blanket license agreement for their own use for future gain. When a service offers cloud storage of personal data privacy of that data should be guaranteed and the number one objective. We ask what is the fair exchange for the “free” service and the pay-back for offering the storage space in a land where nothing is “free” and consumers pay less attention to their own privacy in the glittering gold of social networking and cloud computing?

Sandy McIntosh, May 9, 2012

Klout Offers Perks and Insight Via Brand Squads

May 8th, 2012 | Posted by admin in branding | marketing | News | social media - (0 Comments)

Klout, a company that provides social media analytics to measure a user’s influence across her or his social network, has announced a new product called Brand Squads. This new app allows social network users a central place to involve others that meet certain criteria. This information is outlined in an article, Klout Launches Brand Pages to Help Companies Engage Influencers.

Klout’s David Temple explains:

“Brand Squads” are Klout’s way of giving influencers a place to be recognized and have a direct impact on the brands they care about most.””

Temple continues:

“Previously, brands had more simple pages with just their Klout Score. Brand Squads is a different twist on brand pages, where top influencers for brands have a chance to be recognized and have an impact on the brand.”

With this new app from Klout social media users have an opportunity to access brand data and ultimately win perks. Klout reports data based on influence to companies that offer these perks. Looking at the bigger picture companies that participate can acquire marketing data that could be useful to impact future sales. Klout’s app offers a seemingly win-win for consumers and brands. We raise the question of privacy with all of this tying of brand to social network users there is a degree of shared information. It makes us wonder, do consumers even realize what they give up to win  those perks?

Sandy McIntosh, May 8, 2012

StumbleUpon has Stumbled On Success

May 3rd, 2012 | Posted by admin in app | Facebook | News | social media - (0 Comments)

StumbleUpon, a product that allows sharing of photos, videos and web pages by those that share the same interests has recently grown in web activity by almost 5x in three years. After some setbacks and an acquisition by Ebay the company re-grouped, improved their user interface and was able to stand on its own again as a separate company. Additionally, their integration with Facebook Timeline helped to add to this growth success. This information is outlined in the article, “StumbleUpon Reaches 25M Registered Users, Plans For Global Expansion And API”.

CEO Garrett Camp states in the article:

“If we continue at this rate, we could see hundreds of millions of users.”

Camp also says:

“Last December, StumbleUpon unveiled a redesign intended to make the service more friendly to new users and to brands. Then earlier this month, it released an app that integrated with Facebook Timeline. Both changes are starting to make a difference in the company’s growth and usage.”

It sounds like Stumbleupon has stumbled upon success. However, success like this doesn’t happen by accident. The company is successful because it did the necessary homework and listened to their users. Additionally, plans are in the making for an API and expansion in Europe leading to more successful ventures, or so it seems.

Sandy McIntosh, May 3, 2012

Businesses Find New Uses for Facebook Timeline

May 2nd, 2012 | Posted by admin in branding | Facebook | marketing | social media - (0 Comments)

While a number of us are still learning to accept the shift to Timeline on Facebook the article, “5 Ways Businesses Are Using Facebook Timelines”, explains how some companies are taking advantage of the format shift in creative ways. Most merge the technical changes with design in previously impossible ways including branding via the now-more-visible app, highlighting photo albums to display whatever product they feel deserves the most attention and utilizing the “about” section to share strategic marketing information.

Another innovation mentioned is the use of Milestones.

From the article:

“Interesting Milestones may work better if your company has some history. Coca-Cola, founded in 1886, has the benefit of a long and interesting history, so they can show their products from 1916 and how they have since evolved.

But you still may be able to get creative with product releases and things that you have accomplished.”

With the way the new format displays photos the most impressive marketing uses of Timeline are those that blend the technical changes with the graphic. Impressive though they are there will be a finite amount of ways to exploit the layout in eye-catching or useful ways. Now that these opportunities have been discovered they will be repeated by most companies and organizations that see them and may come to lose their luster unless Facebook tweaks the format again allowing for more customization and creativity.

Derek Clark, May 2, 2012

 

BranchOut Could Surpass LinkedIn

May 1st, 2012 | Posted by admin in app | business process | Facebook | LinkedIn | mobility | networking | social media - (0 Comments)

It looks as if LinkedIn’s days may be numbered according to the article, “LinkedIn’s Biggest Competitor Is a Facebook App That Just Hit 25 Million Users”, on Mashable.com. Facebook app, BranchOut, could eventually surpass the popular professional networking site with 25 million registered users (and growing) already part of the application. With an internal team of only 45 people BranchOut is focused and well-organized and supports job postings and recruiters much like LinkedIn. One major way they differ is the group of potential users.

“Although reaching 25 million registered users looks less impressive when compared to LinkedIn’s 150 million, there are 850 million Facebook users for whom joining BranchOut is just a matter of accepting the app’s permissions. On Thursday, BranchOut announced a $25 million round of funding, bringing its total venture capital backing to $49 million.”

While BranchOut certainly seems to be on track to meet or exceed LinkedIn’s numbers the article makes some good points about potential hazards the app’s team may meet as they gain users. One is that being part of such a large platform means that the small development team will have to react to the many changes Facebook will surely make, and fast. Another roadblock could be that if Facebook decides to create their own career section BranchOut could easily be made irrelevant. Not to mention eventually they would have to go after LinkedIn’s user-base,many of whom already have vast, intricate professional connections on their competing site. That said LinkedIn may want to form a strategy to prevent such hemorrhaging.

Derek Clark, May 1, 2012

 

Zynga Spends Big Money for Hit Games

April 26th, 2012 | Posted by admin in business process | Gaming | News - (0 Comments)

According to the article, “Zynga Flashes $1.8 Billion Searching for the New FarmVille: Tech”, on Bloomberg.com, Zynga, the largest publisher of mobile games is on the prowl for a new “hi-growth” hit. The enormously successful now publically-traded company is in a great position to acquire new development talent. The company has more than enough resources and no debt to speak of to go shopping. Following the successful $180 million acquisition of OMGPop, creators of the mobile game “Draw Something”, Zynga is poised to continue buying out start-ups that suit their unique, if unorthodox, business model.

The article describes the Zynga model:

“To help persuade entrepreneurs to stay, Zynga offers stock units that vest over two or more years. Unlike many Silicon Valley acquirers, the company typically doesn’t structure deals around performance incentives, or so-called earn-outs, which reward founders with extra cash or stock after their product gains a certain number of users, hits a revenue goal or meets some other business objective.”

While Zynga seems to have the resources and know-how to continue to expand their mobile game portfolio the article mentions some concerns and disagreements with the way Zynga does business. Analyst Arvind Bhatia questions the sustainability of continuing spending the large sums Zynga has been offering and the company has a done relatively poor job in keeping the talent that it recruits. Their strategy demonstrates a lot of confidence so we may just have to sit back and watch to see if their plan is justified.

Derek Clarke, April 26, 2012

Soundrop Offers Selective and Friendly Music

April 25th, 2012 | Posted by admin in app | business process | mobility | News | social media - (0 Comments)

Spotify, a music streaming service that offers streaming of selected music, is expanding their web and mobile device offerings and attracting major investors. Soundrop, a social media music-selection style app that allows users to interactively share music, appears to be one of the main reasons for Spotify’s growth status. These facts are presented in the article, “Turntable Rival Soundrop Says 35m Tracks Went Through its Spotify App in March; Funding Coming in Weeks”.

From the article:

“We have reason to believe that the license model for streaming music players will change and that it will be legal to use a streaming music player in bars, cafes, restaurants and shops. Soundrop is a perfect tool for all of these businesses to engage their guests and customers with. You can imagine checking in with your phone to your favorite café and be able to either vote on the music that is upcoming or add your favorite tracks.”

This social music service app seemingly makes the idea of listening to “rooms” and sharing music with others wherever they are physically more user friendly. Also Soundrop’s proposed CRM data management feature is certain to entice the professional music community.

Sandy McIntosh, April 25, 2012

Gnip and Tumblr Partner to Boost Social Media Content

April 24th, 2012 | Posted by admin in branding | business process | News | social media - (0 Comments)

Gnip, a social media data provider, has sealed a partnership deal with the blogging service Tumblr and is the focus of an article, “Gnip Signs Deal to Syndicate Tumblr Firehose“.

Gnip is linked with a full suite of social networks and plans to expand that social content with help from Tumblr then sell to enterprise customers to improve marketing strategies.

Chris Moody, President and COO of Tumblr, conveys this from the article:

Tumblr is a rich medium for longer-form content that has seven different options for what users can post. As a result, Tumblr is incredibly visual but also offers an immense amount of text based content (5 million text based posts per day).

In these posts, we see conversations happening on Tumblr that aren’t happening elsewhere on topics that aren’t typically discussed on other platforms. For Land Rover, that was a picture they posted that received 5,000 notes on Tumblr and almost no notice anywhere else. For Urban Outfitters, it was a picture a photographer posted of a piece from one of their new collections that received over 1,000 notes and almost no mention elsewhere.

For brands these viral activities matter a lot in areas like product development and brand management.

On a side note, and not to play down this huge growth pattern, I wonder if the influx of new people embracing the various social networks in general has anything to do with this vast number of social media activities?

Sandy McIntosh, April 24, 2012