According to International Telecommunication,
in 2010, 6,100 billion text messages will be sent.
The Social Network
On October 13, I went to see The Social Network, the movie about Facebook and its founders. I already blogged about the movie here, saying I couldn’t wait to see it, so I was very happy that the Association for Internet Marketing (the AIM) invited me to go see the Belgian avant-première.
Mobile Vikings allows you to make free phone calls using wifi
As you can see from the banner on the right, I am a Mobile Viking - and proud to be! Two months ago I transferred my number from Mobistar to Mobile Vikings and ever since I've been calling and sending free text messages for only 15 euro per month. Of course, this is what the average provider is offering you, but with Mobile Vikings I'm surfing the web completely free. No little than 2 (two) Gb are included in the 15 euros!! This matches Mobile Vikings philosophy of providing free mobile internet everywhere.
Facebook, the movie
In 2009, Ben Mezrich wrote a book called 'The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal' and depicted how Facebook's founders invented Facebook and saw their social network become the biggest in the known universe. Mezrich was not unequivocally positive, as can be deducted from the book's title. Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, is said to visit decadent parties and have sex with tons of girls. As you can imagine, this upset certain Californian billionaires...
Now that the book is turned into a movie called 'The Social Network' by David Fincher Zuckerberg and Co. are even more pissed. They are constantly lobbying the movie's producers; but without result. The rumour goes that one scene contains Sean Parker, co-founder of both Napster and Facebook, with in the background some topless teenage girls serving coke to partygoers.
Can't wait to see the movie!
Telenet test breedbandinternet in je auto
Sinds juni voert Telenet tests uit over het gebruik van breedband internet ...in je auto! Dat meldt De Standaard. De mogelijkheden zijn legio.
De technologie is gebaseerd op het 4G netwerk of Long Term Evolution (LTE) netwerk.
Telenet verwacht dat 4G een realiteit is in België tegen 2012.
De technologie is gebaseerd op het 4G netwerk of Long Term Evolution (LTE) netwerk.
Telenet verwacht dat 4G een realiteit is in België tegen 2012.
Summer trends on Social Media in Belgium
According to Alexa, Belgium can be considered rather conservative concerning social media websites. With a second place in its Belgian Top Sites rankings, just behind Google, Facebook is omnipopular in Belgium. According to GoogleAdPlanner some 3.800.000 Belgians visit Facebook regularly.
Youtube is the third most popular website among Belgians. Wikipedia is on spot 8.
Compared to January 2010, with a ranking 13, Belgian Netlog switches places with Blogger that becomes number 12.
Compared to January 2010, Badoo is the top winner, with a gain of 36 places on Alexa's Belgian Top Sites list. Badoo is a UK based international social networking site available in 16 languages (also in Dutch).
Twitter use in Belgium nearly doubled the passed year. The website jumps 26 places and becomes the 21st most popular website among Belgians.
LinkedIn, which is mostly aimed at professionals and business networking jumps 23 places and hits spot 44.
Other winners are blog service WordPress (8 places) and photo sharing service Flickr (5 places).
Big loser is MySpace (that loses 24 places in the Alexa ranking compared to January 2010). Netlog loses 1 place.
Youtube is the third most popular website among Belgians. Wikipedia is on spot 8.
Compared to January 2010, with a ranking 13, Belgian Netlog switches places with Blogger that becomes number 12.
Compared to January 2010, Badoo is the top winner, with a gain of 36 places on Alexa's Belgian Top Sites list. Badoo is a UK based international social networking site available in 16 languages (also in Dutch).
Twitter use in Belgium nearly doubled the passed year. The website jumps 26 places and becomes the 21st most popular website among Belgians.
LinkedIn, which is mostly aimed at professionals and business networking jumps 23 places and hits spot 44.
Other winners are blog service WordPress (8 places) and photo sharing service Flickr (5 places).
Big loser is MySpace (that loses 24 places in the Alexa ranking compared to January 2010). Netlog loses 1 place.
Use Social Media for Investor Relations?
Is it possible for a company's Investor Relations department to use Social Media? Of course, not every platform will be as efficient to communicate an IR department's message. Also, today, traditional IR management remains possible without Social Media. What is more, a lot of financial analysts and traders indicate they do not use social media, because their bosses won't allow them access to websites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.
However, already today, these media are being used for IR by some international companies. If Stock Exchange Enlisted Companies want to be pioneers, or want to keep up with the pioneers, they have to be present on Web 2.0.
What follows is based on my own research. Let me begin with Wal-Mart who started tweeting with @walmartnews only since January 13, 2010. The account is used on a daily basis; mainly for tweeting on Corporate Social Responsability but also on Industry related news like the company's strategy and, when relevant, on Q or Y results. The Wal-Mart account is followed by 1,740 people and promoted on investors.walmartstores.com. To control the account, an application called CoTweet is used. Wal-Mart also has several other (local) Twitter accounts that are used for Marketing and Customer Relations.
Wal-Mart also has a YouTube channel which exists since February 11, 2006 and is of course used for distributing commercials, but also features clips on CSR. At least every day, someone comments on a Wal-Mart video clip.
Although Wal-Mart has several Facebook pages (one has has about 1,193,000 people ‘liking’ it and almost every hour somebody posts to its wall), it does not use Facebook for IR.
Companies that do use Facebook for Investor Relations are Cisco and Lafarge. The Cisco Facebook Page also links surfers to a myriad of other social media accounts. Several other Facebook Pages, several Twitter accounts, several blogs, two Flickr accounts and two Youtube channels. One of those channels has a ‘Financial’ playlist, which features clips with CFO Frank Calderoni and CEO John Chambers discussing the quarterly Results. Allegedly, Chambers prefers video to text because of his dyslexy.
Other companies using Twitter for IR are KBC Group (a bank and insurance company) and Bekaert (a steel manufacturer) who post links to their press releases on their Twitter account. Bekaert even launched a separate 'annual report' website which constantly links to social media.
Interactive billboard against agression
Public service employees in the Netherlands face aggression and violence on the streets more and more often. Onlookers unfortunately do not intervene often enough when they encounter a situation like this. A live interactive billboard in Amsterdam and Rotterdam is used to place people in a similar situation witch confronts them with their inactivity. A great idea!!
Rumors on Google working on iPad competitor
The American newspaper Wall Street Journal claims to know that Google, together with Verizon, is working on a tablet computer. The device will be the result of a deepening synergy between Google and Verizon and should be a fearsome rival for Apple's iPad that connects to wireless networks via AT&T.
Verizon's CEO Lowell McAdam said: "We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience." However, he declined to give any further details on the timing and manufacturer of such a tablet. Google and Verizon already brought out smartphones together, like the Motorola Droid, which runs on Google's Android software.
Google confirmed that it is working on hardware and carriers to create lightweight computers that run its software.
Verizon's CEO Lowell McAdam said: "We're looking at all the things Google has in its archives that we could put on a tablet to make it a great experience." However, he declined to give any further details on the timing and manufacturer of such a tablet. Google and Verizon already brought out smartphones together, like the Motorola Droid, which runs on Google's Android software.
Google confirmed that it is working on hardware and carriers to create lightweight computers that run its software.
Google Chrome is faster than lightning (but does it guarantee privacy?)
The last couple of weeks Firefox constantly blocked and I got ennoyed with those "That's embarrasing"-screens. I do have to admit I always have alot (alot!) of tabs open. Nonetheless, a couple of days ago, I started using Google's browser Chrome and up 'till now I like it! It's lean and smart and seems to be stealing alot of browser market share from Internet Explorer. IE saw its share go down to 60% and Chrome saw it up to 7% in the couple of months it's been launched. Chrome seems to (be able) to handle those myriad tabs better. Or at least Chrome's extensions.
And here's the rub! Most of those extensions seem to infiltrate your browser history and personal settings. That is why, up 'till now, I haven't installed any extension. First I would like to have some certainty about privacy...
In any case: Chrome is fast,
or so its makers claim in their bizarre but beautiful commercials...
And here's the rub! Most of those extensions seem to infiltrate your browser history and personal settings. That is why, up 'till now, I haven't installed any extension. First I would like to have some certainty about privacy...
In any case: Chrome is fast,
or so its makers claim in their bizarre but beautiful commercials...
Belgians do not trust social network sites
:
:
The Belgian media agency InSites Consulting tested an audience of 2.800 internet users in 14 different countries.
They found that Belgian internet users are reluctant to trust Facebook an other social network sites, or in any case the companys behind the sites.
Only 28% of Belgian surfers say they trust Facebook. 34% has considerable doubts about Facebook's trustworthiness.
This was even worse for local social network site Netlog. Only 21% of Belgian surfers trusts the Belgian-based SNS (which is available in more than 30 languages and mostly targets teenagers).
44% distrusts Netlog.
Remarkably, sites that target professional audiences get more confidence.
LinkedIn, for example, is trusted by 42% of Belgian surfers.
"Consumers hear alot of crazy stories about privacy policies, but mostly they are just not well informed" says InSites Consulting.
InSites discovered 81% says to think twice when putting something on the net.
79% indicate they are more reluctant to accept online 'friends'.
Source: T-Zine
:
The Belgian media agency InSites Consulting tested an audience of 2.800 internet users in 14 different countries.
They found that Belgian internet users are reluctant to trust Facebook an other social network sites, or in any case the companys behind the sites.
This was even worse for local social network site Netlog. Only 21% of Belgian surfers trusts the Belgian-based SNS (which is available in more than 30 languages and mostly targets teenagers).
44% distrusts Netlog.
LinkedIn, for example, is trusted by 42% of Belgian surfers.
"Consumers hear alot of crazy stories about privacy policies, but mostly they are just not well informed" says InSites Consulting.
InSites discovered 81% says to think twice when putting something on the net.
79% indicate they are more reluctant to accept online 'friends'.
Source: T-Zine
Wikipedia for dummies
Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia that everybody can contribute to and edit articles in. Wikipedia was founded in 2001 by Americans Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Wikipedia is one of the most frequently visited sites in the world. The name is a combination of 'wiki', which is Hawaian for 'fast' and affix '-pedia', which obviously refers to 'encyclopaedia'.
Before 2002, Wikipedia tried to raise money via advertising. Users did not like this, however. Now, the website is managed by Wikimedia, which survives on donations.
In 2001, less than a year after its founding, Wikipedia contained more than 20.000 articles in 18 languages. Today, the website has 15 million articles in 262 languages.
On september 9, 2009, the English Wikipedia reached 2 million articles and became the world's biggest encyclopaedia. It broke the Yongle Encyclopedia record, which had been the biggest since 1407.
Source: De Standaard
Before 2002, Wikipedia tried to raise money via advertising. Users did not like this, however. Now, the website is managed by Wikimedia, which survives on donations.
In 2001, less than a year after its founding, Wikipedia contained more than 20.000 articles in 18 languages. Today, the website has 15 million articles in 262 languages.
On september 9, 2009, the English Wikipedia reached 2 million articles and became the world's biggest encyclopaedia. It broke the Yongle Encyclopedia record, which had been the biggest since 1407.
Source: De Standaard
Wikipedia is for men
The average Wikipedia contributor is 25, has no wife, no kids and high educated. He writes 6.4 hours per week for Wikipedia. Only 12.5% of the contributors are women.
As we all know, Wikipedia is the product of a worldwide network of volunteers, whose work is used by millions all around the world.
Research, conducted by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation behind Wikipedia and the United Nations University Merit, disclosed that both volunteers and users are mostly men.
Only 30% of Wikipedia's users are women. And a small 12.5% of Wikipedia's contributors are women.
When researchers asked women why they did not contribute, they indicated they knew too little and had no information to contribute. Also, one out of four women say they do not feel comfortable editing other people's work.
One out of three gives the most obvious answer: "I do not have the time to contribute".
Having free time is quite important to contribute to Wikipedia. On average, a volunteer spends 6.4 hours per week contributing and editing. If you add up every contributer's hours Wikipedia has 5.091 people working full time for the encyclopaedia.
Since free time is so important to contribute to Wikipedia, mostly students are represented among the volunteers. Also, mostly high educated people are writing and editing articles.
Curiously, most Wikipedia contributers think classic encyclopaedias are more trustworthy than Wikipedia. But Wikipedia is faster and easier to consult.
Source: De Standaard
As we all know, Wikipedia is the product of a worldwide network of volunteers, whose work is used by millions all around the world.
Research, conducted by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation behind Wikipedia and the United Nations University Merit, disclosed that both volunteers and users are mostly men.
Only 30% of Wikipedia's users are women. And a small 12.5% of Wikipedia's contributors are women.
When researchers asked women why they did not contribute, they indicated they knew too little and had no information to contribute. Also, one out of four women say they do not feel comfortable editing other people's work.
One out of three gives the most obvious answer: "I do not have the time to contribute".
Having free time is quite important to contribute to Wikipedia. On average, a volunteer spends 6.4 hours per week contributing and editing. If you add up every contributer's hours Wikipedia has 5.091 people working full time for the encyclopaedia.
Since free time is so important to contribute to Wikipedia, mostly students are represented among the volunteers. Also, mostly high educated people are writing and editing articles.
Curiously, most Wikipedia contributers think classic encyclopaedias are more trustworthy than Wikipedia. But Wikipedia is faster and easier to consult.
Source: De Standaard
Facebook gets more dynamic
Recently, Facebook changed an important aspect of its Community Pages. Before, you had to 'join' Pages about Eminem or Lagavulin. Since March, you can 'like' them, like you 'like' a friend's status update or photograph. This offers Facebook users the chance not to commit yourself to a Page by joining and be in the fans list, but still express affinity.
Today, Facebook is innovating and updating this. Since Community Pages are not run by individuals, they don't have a wall or send updates to users' feeds. Instead, they will import streams of related, public content from user status messages.
For example, if you write a status update like "I love this new product at Wal-Mart", Facebook will recognize the term 'Wal-Mart' and will import my update to the Wal-Mart Community Page.
Also, Community Pages will include relevant information from Wikipedia under a special tab.
For more information, check out Mashable.
Today, Facebook is innovating and updating this. Since Community Pages are not run by individuals, they don't have a wall or send updates to users' feeds. Instead, they will import streams of related, public content from user status messages.
For example, if you write a status update like "I love this new product at Wal-Mart", Facebook will recognize the term 'Wal-Mart' and will import my update to the Wal-Mart Community Page.
Also, Community Pages will include relevant information from Wikipedia under a special tab.
For more information, check out Mashable.
Improved Google Docs
Do you think those MS Office tools are way too expensive? Looking for a better alternative? Maybe Google Docs can help you.
I used to think Google Docs was really clumsy and did have the necessary tools to shape my documents how I'd like to. Now, this has all changed. Slowly but surely, Google is able to compete with MS Office. Plus, your documents are available on every computer, so no hassle with memory sticks; you can share files with friends directly, so no hassle with e-mails and twenty 'final' versions of one document. And on top of that: it's completely free!
Google Documents now allows you to make drawings, graphs, charts, presentations, spread sheets, text files - and to share them with your team. Everybody who's working in a team on a shared document is familiar with the problem: several team members edit a document and in the end important adaptations get lost.
Now, everything is stored in the 'cloud' so everybody works in one and the same document. You can chat with other users, while editing a document. You can work with several users in one document at the same time and adaptations are shown live on screen. Letter by letter you can follow changes made by team members.
Source: T-Zine
I used to think Google Docs was really clumsy and did have the necessary tools to shape my documents how I'd like to. Now, this has all changed. Slowly but surely, Google is able to compete with MS Office. Plus, your documents are available on every computer, so no hassle with memory sticks; you can share files with friends directly, so no hassle with e-mails and twenty 'final' versions of one document. And on top of that: it's completely free!
Google Documents now allows you to make drawings, graphs, charts, presentations, spread sheets, text files - and to share them with your team. Everybody who's working in a team on a shared document is familiar with the problem: several team members edit a document and in the end important adaptations get lost.
Now, everything is stored in the 'cloud' so everybody works in one and the same document. You can chat with other users, while editing a document. You can work with several users in one document at the same time and adaptations are shown live on screen. Letter by letter you can follow changes made by team members.
Source: T-Zine
BBDO, a worldwide advertising agency
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network which was was founded 1928 by four Americans named Barton, Durstine, Osborn and Batten. It is the largest of three global networks (BBDO, TBWA and DDB Worldwide) in Omnicom's portfolio.
The agency has 17,200 employees in 287 offices in 77 countries.
BBDO aims to deliver the 'Total Work'. "At BBDO, the Work encompasses every kind of creative content that can touch the consumer and reinforce the brand". The company's extensive list of clienst includes: The Economist, Pepsi, Ikea, FedEx, BBC News, General Electric, Campbells, Gillette, Motorola, Chrysler, Pfizer, Wrigley and Unicef among many others.
BBDO distinguishes between 'Above The Line' and 'Below The Line' communication. ATL focuses at mass media campaigns, BTL wants to create small, local or specifically targeted (often inexpensive) campaigns. However, the company is aware that boundaries are shifting and constantly goes 'Through The Line'.
Source: BBDO, Wikipedia, guest lecture by J. Vandepoel (VVL BBDO)
The agency has 17,200 employees in 287 offices in 77 countries.
BBDO aims to deliver the 'Total Work'. "At BBDO, the Work encompasses every kind of creative content that can touch the consumer and reinforce the brand". The company's extensive list of clienst includes: The Economist, Pepsi, Ikea, FedEx, BBC News, General Electric, Campbells, Gillette, Motorola, Chrysler, Pfizer, Wrigley and Unicef among many others.
BBDO distinguishes between 'Above The Line' and 'Below The Line' communication. ATL focuses at mass media campaigns, BTL wants to create small, local or specifically targeted (often inexpensive) campaigns. However, the company is aware that boundaries are shifting and constantly goes 'Through The Line'.
Source: BBDO, Wikipedia, guest lecture by J. Vandepoel (VVL BBDO)
Not Chinese or English, but 'Globish' to become world language
'Globish', a simplified version of English is to become the most important language of the 21st Century. 'Globish' counts as little as 1.500 words and has no grammar. The term was coined by the French ex-IBM manager Jean-Paul Nerrier in 2007.
When Nerrier was working in Japan in the nineties, he noticed that Japanese, Korean and other non-English people could communicate better with each other in 'English' (or 'Globish') than with English or American business associates.
'Globish' has no idioms and can be used by 2 billion non-native speakers of English. Many Indian, Chinese and African people see 'Globish' as a liberating and modernising phenomenon.
Source: Express.be
When Nerrier was working in Japan in the nineties, he noticed that Japanese, Korean and other non-English people could communicate better with each other in 'English' (or 'Globish') than with English or American business associates.
'Globish' has no idioms and can be used by 2 billion non-native speakers of English. Many Indian, Chinese and African people see 'Globish' as a liberating and modernising phenomenon.
Source: Express.be
Brazilians are electronic readers
A study from Ghent University compared the reading behaviour of Brazilians, Europeans, Australians, people from the US and people from China (all between 18 and 60).
The general finding is that, more than anywhere else in the studied regions, Brazilians like to read magazines and newspapers online. More than 65% of all Brazilian respondents read electronic newspapers daily. This does not rise above 45% in any of the other regions. In Europe and the US, only 26.7% and 27.9% reads online newspapers daily. 32% of Americans never reads an online newspaper.
29.5% of Brazilians read online magazines weekly. In China this is 18.9%. Almost 50% of Americans never read online magazines.
When researchers asked what language respondents want to read in, alot of Chinese people indicated they want to read in English or even a combination of Chinese and English. Their motivation was the wish to improve their English.
Also read my blog entry on 'Globish'.
The general finding is that, more than anywhere else in the studied regions, Brazilians like to read magazines and newspapers online. More than 65% of all Brazilian respondents read electronic newspapers daily. This does not rise above 45% in any of the other regions. In Europe and the US, only 26.7% and 27.9% reads online newspapers daily. 32% of Americans never reads an online newspaper.
29.5% of Brazilians read online magazines weekly. In China this is 18.9%. Almost 50% of Americans never read online magazines.
When researchers asked what language respondents want to read in, alot of Chinese people indicated they want to read in English or even a combination of Chinese and English. Their motivation was the wish to improve their English.
Also read my blog entry on 'Globish'.
European technology consumer is rather conservative
Despite new fads like iPhone, iPad or Android, the average European technology consumer sticks to the trusted brands he has used since the digital revolution.
According to Reader's Digest Trusted Brands, not the latest stuff, but the brands he has known for years are what the average European consumer buys. When asked what cell phone manufacturer is most trusted, 47% answers: 'Nokia'. This is less than the 69% of last year, but still renders the Finish company number one on the list. For personal computers, HP Compaq is elected and not Mac. Canon for cameras.
Reader's Digest Trusted Brands is an annual consumer survey, involving more than 32,000 people in 16 European countries. The survey's primary objective is to find out which brands Europeans trust the most across a range of consumer product categories.
Reader's Digest Trusted Brands is an annual consumer survey, involving more than 32,000 people in 16 European countries. The survey's primary objective is to find out which brands Europeans trust the most across a range of consumer product categories.
Skinput transforms you skin into a touch screen
Skinput-technology makes it possible to use your skin as an input-surface for all sorts of mobile applications. By measuring and analysing the acoustic waves in your body produced when tapping your skin signals can be sent to a computer, or more interestingly a smartphone or music player device.
Devices like smartphones or mp3-players are compact and have a lot of power. However, they have very small buttons or gawky touch-screens which limits interaction. Earlier, tables or other hard surfaces were already being used as external keypads. A camera registered your finger's movements over the table and interpreted them as instructions.
However, the recent trend of being mobile always and everywhere inspired the people of Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University to develop Skinput, which uses tappings on your skin as an interface.
When tapping your skin with your finger, the touches create acoustic waves. There a two different types of waves: transversal surface waves which run away from the touch point over the skin's surface and longitudinal waves which run from the outside of our body towards our bones and back to the skin's surface. These waves are detected and analysed by a receiver worn around the arm. A different spot on your body creates a different wave. This allows for giving different instructions.
Source: FlandersDC, Techniline
However, the recent trend of being mobile always and everywhere inspired the people of Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University to develop Skinput, which uses tappings on your skin as an interface.
When tapping your skin with your finger, the touches create acoustic waves. There a two different types of waves: transversal surface waves which run away from the touch point over the skin's surface and longitudinal waves which run from the outside of our body towards our bones and back to the skin's surface. These waves are detected and analysed by a receiver worn around the arm. A different spot on your body creates a different wave. This allows for giving different instructions.
Source: FlandersDC, Techniline
How to clean up your Facebook account
Piled up a great number of friends on Facebook? Maybe you've turned your news feeds into one big mess... Here's how to clean up that shit.
As Mashable points out, Facebook offers an extensive list of options for fine tuning what individual applications and people can see or do on your Facebook profile (something which is missing on Twitter, I think).
You can hide people or things from your feeds. How? By simply clicking 'Hide' on items you don't want to see. You can bring the back via Options where you will find a list of all the things you've hidden.
Facebook is a place for friends, but admit it: only a small percentage of our Facebook friends are personal friends. You've also got alot of acquaintances, people from school or work or just people you don't know in your list. Facebook lets you organize all those 'categories' of friends into 'Friend Lists'.
All this doesn't rid you from all the annoying apps your friends are using. For example, if you're not interested in Farmville you don't want to see how your friends' crops are doing.
Change your 'Application Settings' (via 'Account') by looking what apps you've 'Authorized' (via 'Show'). You'll be amazed by the list you've accumulated over the years.
Source: Mashable
As Mashable points out, Facebook offers an extensive list of options for fine tuning what individual applications and people can see or do on your Facebook profile (something which is missing on Twitter, I think).
You can hide people or things from your feeds. How? By simply clicking 'Hide' on items you don't want to see. You can bring the back via Options where you will find a list of all the things you've hidden.
Facebook is a place for friends, but admit it: only a small percentage of our Facebook friends are personal friends. You've also got alot of acquaintances, people from school or work or just people you don't know in your list. Facebook lets you organize all those 'categories' of friends into 'Friend Lists'.
All this doesn't rid you from all the annoying apps your friends are using. For example, if you're not interested in Farmville you don't want to see how your friends' crops are doing.
Change your 'Application Settings' (via 'Account') by looking what apps you've 'Authorized' (via 'Show'). You'll be amazed by the list you've accumulated over the years.
Source: Mashable
Google faces charges by Rupert Murdoch
Media tycoon Ruport Murdoch wants to limit search engines' access to newspapers.
A while now, rumours have been spreading that news papers will charge fees for reading online articles. The Wall Street Journal, for example, already asks money for its web-based services. Other news papers will soon follow. At least, that is the wish of News Corp's 79-year old big boss Rupert Murdoch. News Corp is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company). The group editions papers like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Times of London, but also owns Fox.
News papers have been struggling with the problem of free content and find it dificult to survive on advertising income alone. Murdoch wants to rearrange the business model and is confident that readers of his products want to pay.
Nevertheless, a new problem arises. Next to online news papers, alot of information is to be found on Google. For free. However, Google - and other search engines like Bing - get their conent from those news papers. Murdoch wants to stop that. The Google model "produced a river of gold", but the content is "being taken mostly from newspapers" said this week at the National Press Club in Washington.
Only the headline and a couple of sentences should be allowed to be published on Google or Bing. If search engines would want to provide this kind of information, they should set up their own reporting.
Also the American Society of Media Photographers announced this week that they will charge Google for violating copyrights. The Union of Graphic Designers, the Association of Nature Photographers and some individual photographers and graphic designers have joined the case.
Sources: De Standaard, Bloomberg
News papers have been struggling with the problem of free content and find it dificult to survive on advertising income alone. Murdoch wants to rearrange the business model and is confident that readers of his products want to pay.
Nevertheless, a new problem arises. Next to online news papers, alot of information is to be found on Google. For free. However, Google - and other search engines like Bing - get their conent from those news papers. Murdoch wants to stop that. The Google model "produced a river of gold", but the content is "being taken mostly from newspapers" said this week at the National Press Club in Washington.
Only the headline and a couple of sentences should be allowed to be published on Google or Bing. If search engines would want to provide this kind of information, they should set up their own reporting.
Also the American Society of Media Photographers announced this week that they will charge Google for violating copyrights. The Union of Graphic Designers, the Association of Nature Photographers and some individual photographers and graphic designers have joined the case.
Sources: De Standaard, Bloomberg
BBDO Argentina, Sake and Nike+ tweet while running 10k
Responding of the current trend – set by Nike+ – of massive running events, BBDO Argentina and Sake invited 5 Argentinean celebrities, who would be running The human race 10k, to blog on their experience – live!
They were wearing an iPhone, strapped to their arms and an earphone. By hitting a button they were able to share their thoughts orally, while running the race. These voice messages were turned into text messages which were published at thehumanrace.com.ar/envivo, in their Twitter accounts and various other websites.
To prove that the satnav-hype has still not yet reached its peak, the runners positions and points of messages were shown on a Google Maps map. The fanemka-team believes that within a few years everyone will constantly have a personal satnav with them in their smartphones, like digital cameras are nowadays even found in the cheapest cell phones.
Read my other posts on satnav-technology related to communication and social media
First Belgian 4G test successful
Download speeds of more than 20 Mbps (peak around 32 Mbps?) were reached, which is comparable to regular wired networks. Also, uploads of about 6 Mbps should be possible, which is more than any wired internet connection allows.
The internet in figures
The internet is a vast country. 247 billion e-mails per day, 126 million active bloggers, 27 million tweets per day. 30.000 servers to store your idiotic Facebook Fan Pages.
And that's 2009. 2010 is bound to break all those records!
The American web agency Jess3 collected different statistics into The State Of The Internet.
And that's 2009. 2010 is bound to break all those records!
The American web agency Jess3 collected different statistics into The State Of The Internet.
'Hidden Facebook' has much more 'users'
Even though you might not have a Facebook account, mind you that Zuckerberg’s team knows who you are! The idea behind it is as simple as it is terrifying. When a new Facebook user signs up, he is requested to automatically let Facebook find friends. He can upload his address book which is then scanned for known Facebook users. But next to them, also people in his adress book without a Facebook account are saved in the Facebook archives. Also, names that are searched for, even if they don’t have an account are saved and analysed. That way the system can create your personal web of friends just as if you were on Facebook. The advertising possibilities are ample.
One might feel assaulted by this, but Facebook puts the responsibility for breaking people’s privacy with its users. It says this quite clearly in its terms of use. The thing is; who reads those?'
Satnav meets SNS
A while ago, Garmin brought out its new nüvi 1690. The satnav has lane assistance which always keeps you on the right track, photo navigation, ecoRoute fuel saving routes and park position recalls.
But what is really cool is that the device has a built-in mobile phone connection, allowing it to connect to a whole range of communication services like those of the TomTom LIVE range. Because of this technology, Garmin provides Instant Traffic information, Speed Camera alerts, Google Local Search and Telephone Directory, weather forecasts and Ciao! Friend Finder (Garmin’s Social Networking application which also features on the nuviphone range).
According to Garmin, Ciao! is a patentpending social network application that can link multiple networks onto one application. Caught in traffic and already late for an appointment? Put it on Twitter. Cruising around in your vacation? Immediately post your photo's on Facebook feeds via your satnav device.
On its site, Garmin says: "Imagine you’re out and about and you’re hungry. You really don’t want to eat alone. With one click in Ciao!, you can see the location of your friends who are near your location! Then you can use your phone to call, text or email them with the location of a restaurant and see if they would like to join you."
Sources: Gadgeteer, Garmin
But what is really cool is that the device has a built-in mobile phone connection, allowing it to connect to a whole range of communication services like those of the TomTom LIVE range. Because of this technology, Garmin provides Instant Traffic information, Speed Camera alerts, Google Local Search and Telephone Directory, weather forecasts and Ciao! Friend Finder (Garmin’s Social Networking application which also features on the nuviphone range).
According to Garmin, Ciao! is a patentpending social network application that can link multiple networks onto one application. Caught in traffic and already late for an appointment? Put it on Twitter. Cruising around in your vacation? Immediately post your photo's on Facebook feeds via your satnav device.On its site, Garmin says: "Imagine you’re out and about and you’re hungry. You really don’t want to eat alone. With one click in Ciao!, you can see the location of your friends who are near your location! Then you can use your phone to call, text or email them with the location of a restaurant and see if they would like to join you."
Sources: Gadgeteer, Garmin
Slim Facebook
Felt relieved too when Facebook introduced that ‘Ignore all’ button in the ‘Request section’? Not interested in 5 different kinds of ‘birthday reminders’ which fundamentally all do the same thing? ‘Geintse kádookes’ (Ghent gifts) are the last thing in the world that can spark your attention? Believe me, you are not alone out there! Recently I hear a lot of people complaining about the futile applications and connect-services distracting people from what they use Facebook for: as a supplement to other interactive communication media like e-mail and their cell phone.
Nevertheless – what is actually rather interesting – these curmudgeons, although complaining about Facebook, keep using it. Maybe an indication that Zuckerberg’s project is here to stay? As a matter of fact, these people should not even have to abandon Facebook anyway!
Recently Facebook Lite was developed. Introduced this summer in the United States and India, the stripped Facebook version is now also available in Belgium. When entering lite.facebook.com the site is introduced as a “faster, simpler way to keep in touch with your friends” and that’s just what it is. In that way it much resembles Twitter with the emphasis on short notifications about what users are doing or have done recently – a trend which has grown stronger and stronger with every new Facebook update.
Nevertheless – what is actually rather interesting – these curmudgeons, although complaining about Facebook, keep using it. Maybe an indication that Zuckerberg’s project is here to stay? As a matter of fact, these people should not even have to abandon Facebook anyway!Recently Facebook Lite was developed. Introduced this summer in the United States and India, the stripped Facebook version is now also available in Belgium. When entering lite.facebook.com the site is introduced as a “faster, simpler way to keep in touch with your friends” and that’s just what it is. In that way it much resembles Twitter with the emphasis on short notifications about what users are doing or have done recently – a trend which has grown stronger and stronger with every new Facebook update.
Sources: T-zine, Facebook Lite
Social network sites market is saturated
InSites, a Belgian internet consulting agency found that about 70% of Belgian surfers are on social network sites (which is in line with the global average of 72%).
What is remarkable is that most surfers have membership to two or more online communities. Most of those communities are for personal use. Only 16% of the Belgian sufers is member of a professional network like LinkedIn.
Most users visit their profile twice a day. Professional profiles like LinkedIn are only visited 9 times a month on average.
InSites claims that new SNS'es will find it more and more difficult to penetrate the market and find their own niche. Most surfers are happy with today's situation and do not want to change their community site or add one to their 'portfolio'. Steven Van Belleghem, managing partner of InSites: "There is a certain stability in the SNS market".
Source: T-zine
What is remarkable is that most surfers have membership to two or more online communities. Most of those communities are for personal use. Only 16% of the Belgian sufers is member of a professional network like LinkedIn.
Most users visit their profile twice a day. Professional profiles like LinkedIn are only visited 9 times a month on average.
InSites claims that new SNS'es will find it more and more difficult to penetrate the market and find their own niche. Most surfers are happy with today's situation and do not want to change their community site or add one to their 'portfolio'. Steven Van Belleghem, managing partner of InSites: "There is a certain stability in the SNS market".
Source: T-zine
Made ya look!
I got this from a book by Chip and Dan Heath, called 'Made To Stick. Why Some Ideas Die And Others Survive'. The authors explain that American flight attendants are required to make safety announcements before passenger planes take off. Everyone who's flown a plane knows the score: "sudden change in cabin pressure", "emergency exits in the front and back and over-wing".
Flight safety announcements are a tough message to bring, especially in such an environment. No one cares about what's communicated. The passengers don't and the flight attendant doesn't. Hearing a Republican explain why health insurance is not a good thing is fascinating by comparison.
A flight attendant named Karen Wood facing the challenge of giving the announcement said the following on a flight from Dallas to San Diego:
"If I could have your attention for a few moments, we sure would love to point out these safety features. If you haven't been in an automobile since 1965, the proper way to fasten you seat belt is to slide the flat end into the buckle. To unfasten, lift up on the buckle and it will release.
And as the song goes, there might be fifty ways to leave your lover, but there are only six ways to leave this aircraft: two forward exit doors, two over-wing removable window exits, and two after exit doors. The location of each exit is clearly marked with signs overhead, as well as red an white disco lights along the floor of the aisle.
Made ya look!"
When Karen wrapped up her announcement, scattered applause broke out. And if a well-designed message can make people applaud for a safety announcement, there's hope for all of us.
Source: 'Made To Stick. Why Some Ideas Die And Others Survive', Chip and Dan Heath
If you like this, buy the book
Flight safety announcements are a tough message to bring, especially in such an environment. No one cares about what's communicated. The passengers don't and the flight attendant doesn't. Hearing a Republican explain why health insurance is not a good thing is fascinating by comparison.
A flight attendant named Karen Wood facing the challenge of giving the announcement said the following on a flight from Dallas to San Diego:
"If I could have your attention for a few moments, we sure would love to point out these safety features. If you haven't been in an automobile since 1965, the proper way to fasten you seat belt is to slide the flat end into the buckle. To unfasten, lift up on the buckle and it will release.
And as the song goes, there might be fifty ways to leave your lover, but there are only six ways to leave this aircraft: two forward exit doors, two over-wing removable window exits, and two after exit doors. The location of each exit is clearly marked with signs overhead, as well as red an white disco lights along the floor of the aisle.
Made ya look!"
When Karen wrapped up her announcement, scattered applause broke out. And if a well-designed message can make people applaud for a safety announcement, there's hope for all of us.
Source: 'Made To Stick. Why Some Ideas Die And Others Survive', Chip and Dan Heath
If you like this, buy the book
Welcome
Welcome on my blog on communication strategies, online communication and communication in general.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)