Although it is technically impossible to obtain over 100 followers in this hypothetical situation, it is still interesting to see Twitter summed up like this.
Informal Insight
Aug 17
Aug 14
Interesting update on social networking stats. If you want to check out all the stat sources click here.
Some of the highlights:
- If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest between the United States and Indonesia
- % of companies using LinkedIn as a primary tool to find employees….80%
- Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passé…In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen
- Facebook USERS translated the site from English to Spanish via a Wiki in less than 4 weeks and cost Facebook $0
- More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook…daily.
It seems anyone who would still consider social media to only be a fad are only kidding themselves. This doesn’t mean that Facebook will remain king (see MySpace a few years ago), but like it or not, social media is here to stay. What is particularly interesting is how social media will be used to deliver tailored content in the future, and I mean more specific than advertising unlimited diaper bags, formula, and diapers to people who are listed as engaged on Facebook. It will actually be advertising that is useful to the targeted person. It’s not quite there yet.
Aug 04
This phone = awesome. Not sure how it resembles the previous Chocolate though? Oh well, I’m over it.
Jul 29
Twitter just launched their redesigned their site. Now they assume that new visitors know what Twitter is, so you are no longer greeted with “Twitter in Plain English.” Instead they show you the latest tweeting trends as an effort to become the world’s watercooler. The redesign finally utilizes what Twitter is good at: aggregating what everyone is saying. If you already have a Twitter account, the only way to see this new design is to log out.
It is great to finally see Twitter move out of the stage where they felt like they needed to explain themselves. Now they can actually use the homepage for a purpose beyond convincing people to use Twitter.
Jul 28
Who doesn’t love a good microsite? Mad Men just came out with a new one that allows you to “Mad Men Yourself” as a way to advertise the upcoming season. The result is a custom character in the 60’s ad style you see above. The concept is simple and borrows from the idea from the Simpsonize Me microsite, but it is always fun to create your own custom character for a show.
Jul 26
I guess some people get lucky and get it right the first time and some spend $1.2 billion in their last rebranding effort alone. Either way, it is fun to see the progression of Pepsi.
Jul 21
How people share content on the web. I guess Facebook is the number one site to do this? Who knew?
Jul 14
Bing is now considered credible?
Who thought we would see the day when Microsoft was shaking up the search engine market with their own creation? Apparently, they havedone just that with Bing. The once laughing stock of search has somehow emerged from the criticism and become a search engine that (according to the NYTimes) has gained respect.
Granted, this couldn’t have been hurt by their multi-million dollar campaign that is still underway. After launching in May, Bing is claiming an 8% increase in users in June. This is no small feat, especially when considering Google is not only the name of a search engine but has also become a verb.
Does this mean that Bing will dethrone Google anytime soon? No, probably not. It would take a 3x increase in share to beat Yahoo and 8x for Google. However, I don’t think Google will dethrone Microsoft with their new OS either. There is a reason Microsoft was successful in their OS creation and the same is true of Google and search. However, Bing does provide for some friendly competition, and in a medium that is quick to adapt and change, this will always be a good thing.
I’m sure Bing will create some advances in search that were not considered by Google, which will force all search engines to adapt and improve their methods. This won’t happen overnight, but it definitely will happen.
It seems like Bing is the main search engine with the potential to shake things up as Yahoo has been struggling financially. Bing provides a type of competition that Yahoo cannot. This is because Yahoo seems to be focusing less on innovation and more on just staying afloat. Bing has hit the ground running with what they claim is an improved search platform (I’m not convinced yet) and an over the top launch that blanketed the web, including a live infomercial. This has resulted in them being bigger than Digg, Twitter, and CNN.
I think we can all agree that search is far from perfect. Overall, I really don’t care which search engine comes out on top, as long as it improves search beyond what we currently have. I’m still a Google person, but it is because I’m used to it and Bing didn’t really provide anything that was overly new and exciting when I gave it a test. However, Bing is now a player in the market, and they have shaken things up much more than I or anyone else thought possible.
Jul 06
» ABC Shows Make their Debut on Hulu With Grey’s Anatomy
Via mashable:
“Earlier this year, Disney purchased a stake in Hulu, paving the way for ABC shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, and Desperate Housewives to be made available on the video streaming website. Today, the rollout has started, with several episodes from the fifth season of Grey’s going up on the site.”
I wondered when this was going to happen. I guess they are going for a slow transition. More shows are said to be coming this week, but Hulu will not say which. This is part of Hulu’s “Days of Summer” campaign where they announce a new major video/show on the site each day of the summer.
Jul 01
Jun 27
Jun 17
Ads People Hate
This is oh so true. Here is a list of the 10 most annoying online ads, according to the Business Insider:
- Banner ads below headers
- Ads that look like content
- Dancing ads
- Auto-expanding half-page ads
- Banners next to logos
- Billboards in the top right corner
- Google text links interrupting content
- Ads with hidden close buttons
- Interstitials
- Page Take-overs
Jun 08
Most creative agency site: a fully interactive online portfolio using only YouTube videos. An agency called Boone Oakley has created what basically adds up to an online portfolio, but they do not do it in a traditional way. You happen to be looking at their home page. Try it out! You can click any of the links on the side, and you will be taken to another video. The timeline is labeled, so you can skip to what you are interested in.
Wow, don’t you just love creativity?
Via: Digital Buzz Blog
Epix: If Hulu and Netflix Streaming United
A new online video site is currently in the works. The name of the site is Epix, and it is aiming to provide premium movies, at no cost and commercial free. How? The site plans on partnering with cable and satellite providers to include this site with their monthly subscription, but no specific plans have been announced. The site will provide popular and current movies, similar to how Hulu does tv.
Mashable was able to obtain an early preview. To see their impression of the site, visit their blog. The site is closed to the public at the moment, but according to the NYTimes, people can begin signing up for a beta test account sometime today. I see no link yet, but we’ll see what happens.
The future of this site is still uncertain, but if successful, it could change how video is used online. This type of partnership between cable/satellite companies and online video sites has yet to be seen on any major level, but Epix could be the first. Unfortunately, this means that some users might be on the outside, if their cable/satellite company doesn’t want to become involved. However, the site is still in development, and their plans could change. There is still the option for Epix to adopt commercials or even a subscription fee. Either way, this is definitely a site to keep an eye on in the future.
Jun 06
Lots of Apple rumors out there for what will happen during Apple’s Worldwide Development Conference. This one caught me off guard: the iPhone Nano.
Via: geekystuff
