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Fun vs Informative: Meet the Screens

posted on August 5, 2010

trendy iphoneA new study called “What’s on their Screen, What’s on their Minds” by Microsoft Advertising says that the “screens” we use for entertainment each have a distinct personality that impacts how and when we use it. So allow me to introduce you to The Screens.

The computer is the middle brother in the family. He’s a work horse. He’s “informative” (67%) and “productive” but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to party. 58% said that their computer was more fun than their TV but mostly they expected to learn something or get something done when they booted up this box. How’s that for a one-sided relationship?

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Some Facebook Advertisers Upping the Ante In a Big Way!

posted on August 5, 2010

Facebook may have figured out this whole revenue thing after all. According to some recent comments by Facebook’s COO the advertising community has embraced the social media giant’s platform in a way that is music to Facebook’s ears. In other words, it is making the Facebook cash register ring!

Bloomberg Businessweek reports

Facebook Inc.’s biggest advertisers have boosted spending by at least 10-fold in the past year as the social network crossed the half-billion user mark, becoming more alluring to marketers that want to reach a broad online audience.

Some advertisers have increased spending by as much as 20- fold or more, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in an interview. The site’s ad prices have held steady even as user growth fueled a surge in inventory, or pages that can carry ads, she said.

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Pilgrim’s Picks for August 5

posted on August 5, 2010

We are one day away from the start of the weekend!

While you’re making plans, enjoy these Picks:

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Did Google Just Sellout Over Net Neutrality? Update: No!

posted on August 5, 2010

What a difference four years make in the Net Neutrality war.

June 7th 2006

Google believes that forcing people and companies to get permission from, and pay special fees to, the phone and cable companies to connect with one another online is fundamentally counter to the freedom and innovation that have defined the Internet.

August 4, 2010

Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.

Oh Google, say it ain’t so!

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ShopLocal Brings Local Circulars to Facebook and MSN

posted on August 5, 2010

shoplocalShopLocal has made the news twice this week with two major players taking on their virtual circular technology. Facebook and MSN have both begun incorporating ShopLocal apps into their systems in order to bring localized deals to the consumer.

On Facebook, ShopLocal is integrating local sales circulars into corporate fan pages. When a user visits a brand site on Facebook, the application looks at their profile to determine their geographic area then presents the proper circular for their city. Vikram Sharma, CEO of ShopLocal says;

“We know that 49 percent of visitors to corporate fan pages go there to gain information on sales and special offers and another 45 percent come to learn about products. ShopLocal’s toolkit helps retailers across the country capitalize on this social shopping phenomenon.”

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Google Place Page Owners Can Now Respond to Reviews

posted on August 5, 2010

Google’s Place Pages are becoming increasingly critical to the ability for local businesses to capitalize on their online presence. With mobile increasing in popularity (is it the year of mobile this year or is that next?) and more people who actually do searches understanding maps (meaning that while we, the industry, prattle on about these options they are only as good as the searchers’ understanding of them) this element of local search will only increase in importance.

Google knows this and has finally responded to one sore spot in the whole place page experience for business owners: being able to respond to reviews. The Google LatLong blog tells us

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Google Wave Shuts Down; Google Refuses to Admit it Sucked

posted on August 4, 2010

It promised so much…

A “wave” is equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

But, in the end, it just plain sucked…

Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects.

Some may say, “Google Wave was just ahead of its time,” but that’s just sucking up to Google. Google Wave was one of those ideas where the company starts with “hey, this is cool, this will change everything” instead of “hey, what problem can we solve for people?”