February « 2010 « Five Feet of Dynamite

Social Media News 2/22/10

Monday, February 22, 2010

It’s back! Social Media News has been on hiatus for a couple weeks, as my client work (and spending time with my Valentine) always comes first- but I am getting back on track with this week’s update.

In the social media sphere, change happens in a blink of an eye. While I was on break from blogging a lot of big things happened in this space, most notably the release of Google Buzz. The buzz about Buzz is that it’s Google’s latest life-streaming social media portal. Like Twitter and Facebook, Buzz allows users to keep in touch with friends and by sharing status updates, links, photos, and more.

Is Buzz a formidable threat to Twitter and Facebook? Maybe, but probably not. Buzz is integrated with Google’s email platform Gmail, and I’m guessing Google thought that would be a good way to gain immediate adoption en masse. But for many internet users, email use is in decline as social media use continues to rise. If Google had released Buzz two or three years ago it could have gained real traction, but unfortunately many would-be early adopters have already abandoned their Gmail accounts in favor of Facebook messaging (which is moving towards a full webmail service, code named Project Titan).

Also while I was off the grid, I missed a couple of birthdays. Flickr and Facebook both turned six years old this month. That’s a pretty long time in Internet years; do you think they’ll make it another six?

Google Buzz

If Google Wave Is The Future, Google Buzz Is The Present – TechCrunch

Google Buzz: What It Means for Twitter and Facebook – Mashable

Google Will Ask Buzz’s Early Adopters to Confirm Privacy Choices – Wired

Google Buzz May Help Its Rivals More Than Itself – MediaPost

Facebook

PayPal and Facebook Credits Will Play Nice After All – Mashable

The Fun of Facebook Measurement – Gilligan on Data

Facebook Moves Towards World — Not Just Social Networking – Domination -MediaPost

Social Media: Strategy

5 Ways Airlines and Hotels Can Drive Revenue with Social Media – Mashable

HOW TO: Deal With Negative Feedback in Social Media – Mashable

How Much Blog Would a Blogger Blog If a Blog Chucked Its Comments? – MediaPost

Checking In, Checking Out [a great article summing up the latest location-based mobile/social apps] – MediaPost

Leave a Comment » | Social Media News | Tagged: apps, facebook, google buzz, google utility, Google Wave, social media, social media marketing, social media measurement, twitter | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Maisner

My blog post about iPad (because every blogger has one)

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Apple iPad

I’ve been trying really hard not to write a blog post about iPad- simply because the bloggersphere is absolutely flooded with iPad blog posts and everyone has an opinion. Alas, I am weak. I need to get this out of my system. I have just two points that I want to make, and I’ll do my best to keep it short.

Point #1

The iPad is not like other eReaders. Many observers and critics believe that the iPad will be a huge threat to Kindle and Nook. Even if Apple does land a deal with Harper Collins and even though Apple will allow publishers to control the pricing of eBooks, there is just one little nagging feature about the iPad that makes me believe that it won’t draw crowds of eBookworms overnight… the iPad’s LED screen.

Ever wonder why Nook and Kindle seem to have a bland, black and white, 1980’s type of electronic screen? It’s because the technology behind this digital display is known as eInk. The screens in the Kindle, Nook and other eReaders are designed to have a low res screen that does not support animation and has a very low refresh rate. This is to reduce eye strain.

The iPad is equipped with an LED screen, a standard for notebooks. So while the iPad will support eBooks, the biggest consumers of eBooks (those eBookworms) are likely going to stick with devices that are most comfortable for long periods of reading. The iPad is nice for magazine browsing, where color is important for flashy photos and rich content. But for those people that buy the most eBooks, the iPad will not replace a conventional eReader.

Bottom line: the iPad is not an eReader category killer.

Point #2

The iPad is not like other Netbooks and Tablets. A Netbook is a slimmed down laptop PC meant for basic computing and generally runs on web-based applications. They are small, light weight, and generally inexpensive. The WiFi enabled iPads can be considered as Netbooks, given that the iPad will primarily be used to access the web and Apple Apps. Also, many Netbooks do not have conventional hard drives, and the iPad is like these devices because it only contains a solid-state flash drive.

A Tablet PC is a slim laptop with a touch-screen interface. Some can be used with or without a stylus, and all Tablets can function without a physical keyboard (Tablets that have keyboards are called hybrids or convertibles). Most of the Tablets currently on the market run Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. This operating system is everything that Windows XP is, with additional features that support a tablet, such as pen sensitivity. So any program compatible with Windows XP will work on a tablet running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

In a sense, the iPad is trying to be both a Netbook and a Tablet, but it is not really good at being either of those things. The iPad operating system is based on the iPhone OS, not the Mac OS. This creates a lot of limitations, especially with productivity and creating. Many have called the iPad a giant iPhone, and this is why: The main purpose of the iPad is to run Apps.

If you’re looking for a Netbook, I’d say skip the iPad and wait for the Chrome Tablet. The folks over at Google have been working on the Chrome OS, known to be part of the Chromium Project. The goal is to develop an open-source operating system built with the web at the core, instead of a computer hard drive. It’s the cloud computing OS, and most ideal for a Netbook, which is why I believe the Chrome Tablet would be superior to iPad for this purpose.

Now if you’re looking for a Tablet, the question is “why?” Is it to have a productive mobile computer, or is it because you want a toy? I believe the iPad is a toy, it is really cool and very flashy- perfect for those long commutes on the train. I want one, I’ve been drooling over this device since its big reveal. But it’s not something that would help me be a better and more efficient Interactive Producer. For word processing, spreadsheets, and project management, a Tablet that runs Windows XP, though not as sexy, would help me get the job done.

Bottom line: The iPad is not a revolutionary Netbook or Tablet PC device.

What’s your take on the iPad? If you think I’ve got it all wrong, leave a comment and tell me about it.

3 Comments | Innovation | Tagged: chrome, chrome tablet, chromium project, eink, ereaders, ipad, mobile computing, netbooks, tablet pc, tablets, windows xp tablet pc | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Maisner

Social Media News 2/1/10

Monday, February 1, 2010

Apple’s iPad was the biggest news last week, drawing attention from every corner of the web. Within minutes of the announcement, hype turned into hysterics as the jokes started pouring in. Apparently #iTampon was the third most trending topic that evening. Many see the Maxi- I mean iPad as a huge threat to existing eBooks like the Kindle. I’m not so sure about that. Yes the iPad has a full color LED display, but one very important feature of a true eBook is eInk. This is a low res, black and white display with a low refresh rate that reduces eye strain, making the screen more like reading printed paper. To me the iPad is like a glossy magazine, but the Kindle is like a simple black and white novel. The bookworms that consume the most eBook content are going to stick with Kindle, and the iPad will appeal to people looking for a Netbook first, eBook second.

Interested in measuring ROI from your Facebook efforts? That’s about to become a little easier when Facebook rolls out its new conversion tracking tool. Facebook announced the upcoming feature at last week’s OMMA Social event in San Francisco. MediaPost embedded video from the discussion on this article.

Proctor & Gamble is officially in favor of social media marketing, embracing Facebook in particular and encouraging its brands to do the same. I found it interesting that in the article reporting on this topic, AdAge felt it was necessary to quote Ted McConnell, general manager-interactive marketing and innovation for P&G, with contradictory remarks from 2008. This one caught my eye:

“Who said this is media?” he said. “Media is something you can buy and sell. Media contains inventory. Media contains blank spaces. Consumers weren’t trying to generate media. They were trying to talk to somebody. So it just seems a bit arrogant. … We hijack their own conversations, their own thoughts and feelings, and try to monetize it.”

With this quote AdAge is perhaps trying to demonstrate a riff in P&G’s ranks, though the remarks were said over a year ago and I have the suspicion that it may have been out of context. Whether McConnell supports social media marketing or not, this is a great quote with a lot of truth behind it. We can’t treat social media as advertising, it’s an entirely different kind of game. Ignite’s Jim Tobin was on the same wavelength in a recent Web Trends episode when he said, ”The web is the worst place in the world for interrupting people.” I couldn’t agree more.

Facebook

P&G Embraces Facebook as Big Part of Its Marketing Plan – AdAge

Facebook Now Has Yahoo In Its Sites, Already Bigger In Pageviews (ComScore) – Tech Crunch

Facebook Develops Conversion Tracking Tool: What’s A Fan Worth? – MediaPost

Why Your Boss Hates Facebook – ReadWriteWeb

Baby Boomers and Seniors Are Flocking to Facebook [STATS] – Mashable