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Google Update: Who Are the Biggest Losers?

posted on February 28, 2011

When Google set its sights on removing content farms from search results, everyone expected Demand Media to be the biggest loser. But according to a data set provided by Sistrex Demand Media’s biggest offender eHow, not only didn’t take the bullet, they actually gained in a few areas.

So who did take the hit? Sistrex compared one million keywords before and after the change and announced that the top three biggest losers were WiseGeek.com, ezinearticles and Suite 101.

WiseGeek’s owner told the Wall Street Journal:

“We got unfairly lumped with a lot of players that had much lower-quality content. We’re not perfect, but I vouch for the quality of our content.”

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What Exactly Are We Trying to Keep Private on the Internet?

posted on February 25, 2011

Most people would think twice about typing their social security number into an online profile, but what about your driver’s license number? What about your grades? The organizations that you work for or even your mother’s maiden name?

The Center for Media Design at Ball University conducted a very interesting study about what kinds of information people are willing to share. Rather than hand out a questionnaire, they asked the students to write down categories of personal information on slips of paper. Then they had them drop the slips into boxes based on how comfortable they would be sharing that information.

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(Almost) Everybody Loves Facebook

posted on February 25, 2011

This week’s not surprising fact is that 52.2% of internet users log in to Facebook at least once a month. eMarketer says that number will climb to 62% by 2013 and after that, Facebook will simply take over the entire internet and we will all be made slaves to the “like” button.

Okay, that last part is mine, but eMarketer is an expert at predicting things and if they say that 152 million people will be logging on to Facebook by 2013, I believe them. Here’s a chart:

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Next on Oprah: Smartphone Addicts and the Women Who Love Them

posted on February 24, 2011

Are you addicted to your smartphone? Be honest? Would you break out in a sweat if you lost if for more than an hour? Or even more telling, would you fish it out of a public toilet?

Crowd Science surveyed 800 smartphone users and 1 in 5 said they were addicted! The others. . . . pure denial. 26% of the smartphone junkies were iPhone users while only 13% of BlackBerry owners admitted to jonesing for a cell phone fix.

The heaviest feature users landed between the age of 30 and 49, which is older than most would imagine. It’s nice to know that 89% of those surveyed believed in a phone code of honor saying that it’s bad karma to break-up with someone via text message even though smartphones make it oh, so easy.

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American Idol and UFC Make Facebook Part of the Show

posted on February 24, 2011

In another sign that Facebook is taking over the world, American Idol and mixed-martial arts masters UFC are both moving forward with applications that make the social media site a big part of their plans.

This past January, UFC offered two exclusive mixed-martial arts fights on their Facebook page and watched as 130,000 new people clicked the “like” button. After that, they were sold on the concept and began making plans to do it again and again.  Says UFC president Dana White:

“What I like about the Facebook part of it is the social media portion of it. It’s people connecting with other people. My thing is, and this is my philosophy about fights, everybody wants to see a fight. The problem is letting everybody know that it’s on.”

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And MySpace Came a Tumbling Down

posted on February 23, 2011

I feel bad for MySpace. They came to us with a plan to socialize the internet. It was an easy way for everyone, from the student to the CEO to get together and share their interests, their thoughts and the ups and downs of their day. With a single click, strangers from across the world could become friends. It’s like that old Coca-Cola commercial where people of every race, creed and color stand hand-in-hand while they learn to sing in perfect harmony.

So what happened? How did MySpace go from harmony to off-key? Is it simply a case of not being the popular kid on the block anymore? Even after the recent upgrades, are they still that far off the mark?

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Most People Leave Twitter Because it’s Pointless

posted on February 23, 2011

52% of people who stopped using Twitter said they did it because they realized Twitter was pointless. Imagine that. The stat comes from the latest installment of ExactTarget’s Subscribers, Fans and Followers report. This one is called “The Social Breakup” and it’s all about why people stop following a brand on social media.

Yesterday, we talked about Facebook. Today, it’s all about Twitter.

On the upside, people said they liked Twitter because the messages were short, it provided unprecedented accessibility and even more than email or Facebook, Twitter was seen as a two-way street. Though more than half the people who started a Twitter account have stopped using it, the ones that stay are very active and they’re ready to engage in conversation.