A Social Strategist Perspective

From the Blog

Jun
23

You can’t hit a home run unless you step up to the plate.

Posted by Tom Dressler at 7:28 am

  • What ad agencies could learn from IDEO
    Published: June 22, 2011
    Source: Creativity_Unbound

    I had the privilege of spending this afternoon at IDEO’s Cambridge office, just up the street from MIT.  A few of my Mullen colleagues and I got the full  IDEO treatment – an overview of their beliefs, a tour of the offices (team rooms, 3-D printers, proto-type lab) and attendance at afternoon tea, where a new designer shared his silk screen portfolio and a few amusing stories behind his posters while we all indulged in strawberry shortcakes.

    We’re living in a time when the diminishing impact of traditional advertising and the consumer/citizen’s ability to control and influence media and content requires all of us to get better at creating utility, experiences and baked-in brand qualities, not to mention social value, if we’re to serve and guide clients in their behavior, actions and branding efforts.

    IDEO should be one of our benchmarks. Ironically, they’re as interested in the tools and tactics needed to generate awareness for their creations and inventions as we are for the methods behind their accomplishments.  So we have something in common.

    Clark Scheffy, a lead designer, shared some of his and IDEO’s key beliefs.  Worth noting that in IDEO’s capabilities presentation there are few facts, no boring stats, and no “selling,” just a philosophy that is hard to argue with.

    Design can have a huge impact on the world around us

    The idea that design can create new products, change behavior, solve problems, and build solutions is key to IDEO’s belief system and to their entire approach to problem solving. It’s not about research; it’s about creativity and inventing stuff – products, methods, experiences – that effect real change. From programs like Keep the Change, to vaccines that don’t require needles or medical professionals to administer them.

    Magic happens through diversity of experience and perspective

    You can sense this just from meeting the people at IDEO.  Designers, UX professionals, former consultants eager to be more creative, former ad agency types, printers, musicians, strategists, chefs. You notice diversity in accents, skin color, age, gender. IDEO’s approach to collaboration and team problem solving (asking for help is more important than having an idea) is part of the culture.

    Inspiration can be found in many places and in many ways, but you have to get out there.

    In advertising we depend too much on query and focus groups. IDEO gets out there. They check into hospitals and strap cameras to their foreheads to improve health care. They live in a van with three other people on the edge of the beach to better connect with surfers when designing board shorts. Their designers balance checkbooks with ordinary people when working on banking products. It’s less about size of sample and more about proximity to those whom a product or brand strives to serve.

    You get to great by experimenting

    Their mantra, “Think to build. Build to think,” says it all.  They’re famous for their prototyping, but the idea of finding the answers in the building, embracing an iterative rather than linear process, brings to mind Lean Startup-type thinking rather than the typical ad agency assembly line approach.

    Knowledge across categories and industries yields better ideas

    How many times have you had a client ask for experience in their category?  Do you have car experience?  Packaged goods?  We may know that it matters more to them than to the ability to generate ideas that work. But IDEO takes the offensive and markets aggressively the value of that range of experience. Perhaps we should package that feature a little bit more effectively.

    Success comes from vision and action

    Plenty of firms do research, discover insights, hand over some data and move on.  IDEO refuses to take on projects that don’t have an actionable outcome. It makes me think that agencies should take (or consider) the inverse approach, requesting more of a role in the invention and creation of what it is that gets advertised or communicated in the first place.

    We’re most successful when we work with not for a client

    No doubt many of us are working this way. But within the advertising industry there remains a bit of the “creative magic” that only a few people are able to conceive. When that’s the case we work in silos and in isolation from our clients.  The “creative team” goes away and does their thing off in a corner. Great when you’re making a TV spot, but if you’re creating a digital experience, or developing an eco-system or inventing a new service, it’s definitely better to work jointly with our partners.

    My favorite quote from Clark came in side conversation during a tour of the office.  “There’s no such thing as a boring brand or assignment.  Just un-exciting people.  We strive to work with exciting people.”

    That may be the best take-away of all.

    Image snagged from Ideo’s site.

     

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Jun
08

Posted by Tom Dressler at 1:13 pm

  • Google Releases Stable Version of Chrome 12
    Published: June 8, 2011
    Source: Mashable!


    Google Chrome 12 is now the stable release of Google’s web browser, bringing several improvements in security, privacy and graphics capabilities.

    Chrome now checks downloaded files for malware, and Google claims it has designed the feature in such a way that it doesn’t have to know which URLs you visited or which files you downloaded to be able to detect malicious files.

    You can now also fine tune the data that websites store on your computer, including Flash Player’s Local Shared Objects (also known as Flash cookies), directly from Chrome.

    On the graphics front, Chrome 12 includes support for hardware-accelerated 3D CSS, which enables some nifty effects such as rotating and scaling videos. Try this Chrome Experiment to see some of the new features in action.

    Finally, Chrome 12 brings several minor improvements such as an improved interface for setting a homepage and searching for Chrome Apps directly from the address bar.

    Google Chrome 12 is available at www.google.com/chrome. Existing users will be automatically updated to the new version in the next couple of days.

    More About: browser, chrome, Chrome 12, Google, google chrome, web browser

    For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:

  • 7 Steps to the Perfect Social Media Plan
    Published: June 7, 2011
    Source: Social Media Today - The world's best thinkers on social media
    Do you dream about the perfect social media plan? The perfect social media template? Many business leaders wanting to get social dream about it.  They think they need it. The social media magic template. The one that includes the perfect strategy, tactics and themselves as the social hero of their company and social superstar of their market niche! You know the social media template I am talking about.
  • 21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue
    Published: May 11, 2011
    Source: Copyblogger

    image of idea spreading

    Sometimes you’re just flat out of ideas.

    It’s not a matter of talent — you’ve written great stuff in the past. But lately, when you go back to the well for a fresh idea, it’s coming up dry.

    This happens to the best of us — even veterans who consistently produce quality content have their off days.

    Yet they continue to write.

    They may grumble about how hard it is to get going and create something solid, but they still do. Again, and again, and again.

    They aren’t super-human, and they don’t have magical content-producing powers. So what is the secret?

    They do it by pulling out the well-worn toolbox of strategies for creating awesome content.

    Steal content and ideas

    If you’re flat-out exhausted and out of ideas, then get them from somebody else — either content, or ideas, or both.

    I’m not talking about real stealing, of course — it’s more like “borrowing with the author’s blessing”.

    Done right, this can produce some valuable content that the authors you “stole” from will thank you for using!

    1. Curate content. Find your ten favorite websites, and then find your favorite post on each of them. Publish a post listing these top ten posts, and explain why you like them. You don’t even have to think about being creative, and everyone you feature there will appreciate it. This is what we do with our Best of the Web feature, and there are lots of other examples.
    2. Ask friends for ideas. If you’re tapped for ideas, then reach out to your friends and colleagues, and ask them what they’d like you to write about. You can do this with offline friends, or with like-minded online entrepreneurs. If you’re not already part of a mastermind group, then reach out to a few bloggers that are about as big as you are, and suggest starting one. I’m in a mastermind group with Jon Alford, Paul Wolfe and Caleb Wojcik, and they’ve all been a great help to me.
    3. Ask your audience. You can kick the last strategy up a notch by reaching out to your audience. This can be done in several ways — it can be as simple as running a “what would you like me to write about” post (which is a bit lame), or it can get more interesting by asking for their input on a problem, as Marcus Sheridan did to create his tag-line, or by asking a question so that you can compile their answers into another piece of content, like nittyGriddy’s free blog posting schedules e-book.
    4. Do an interview. There are lots of reasons why interviews are great for blog content, but right now let’s focus on the simple fact that it’s a lot easier to write a handful of interview questions than it is to write an entire post! Plus, it can be a great way to connect with really interesting people. (I got to interview Randy Komisar, who is my hero in the business world – and all I had to do was ask!)
    5. Solicit guest posts. This is a great source of content, and it’s easier than most people think – find a handful of blogs that are your size or smaller, whose content you really like, and invite them to write a guest post for you. They’ll be flattered, and happy to get exposure to your audience. They’ll work hard to bring their A game, and not only will you get a great post, but they’ll happily tell their contacts about it, and bring you a few new readers in the process.

    Create content without creating content

    If you have to create your own content, then there are a whole bunch of ways to do it without “creating content”.

    In other words, you can write something great without having to be creative or original.

    This doesn’t mean that the content won’t be good — only that you’re going to rely on creativity and originality that has already been percolating in your mind.

    1. Create a best-case study. Think about your favorite blog, company, or product, and write a post about why you like them so much (like Marlee Ward did about Rise, Pushing Social, and IttyBiz). Explain what you think they’re doing right, and what others can learn from their example.
    2. Create a worst-case study. Same thing, but focus on a blog, company or product that you hate. This can be even more interesting, particularly if it’s a popular offering. Explain your frustrations with it, explain why it is successful anyway, and explain what you would do differently.
    3. Write a review. Think about a product that you like, and are happy to endorse, and write a review about it. No need to get too creative, just explain what you like about it, and why. And then write what you don’t like about it, and why — easy peasy. You can kick it up a notch by contacting the company and asking them to donate a product that you can raffle off to blog commenters, like Kristy Hines did with an IBM ThinkCentre M90z.
    4. Explain your success. Think about a time when something went really right for you, and write a post explaining how you got it to happen. Don’t just brag about successes — explain all of the steps that you took to get there. Draw out the lessons that you learned from the experience, the lessons others can learn as well. This is what I did when I shared how I landed Guy Kawasaki on Problogger.
    5. Explain your failure. If there’s anything that people love reading about more than a great success, it’s an epic business failure. A post about your most challenging experiences is likely to be powerful just by virtue of how intense the original experience was for you, and you don’t have to make up anything original or creative — just tell it like it is (or, was), and explain what you learned from the process.
    6. Link to old favorites. Go through your archives, and make a short list of your old favorite posts that newer readers probably haven’t read. You can even do a quick deconstruction, and explain what you were thinking when you wrote the posts, what worked, and what didn’t.

    Borrow some name recognition

    Okay, so maybe what you really want is to find a great original idea to write about, but it just isn’t happening.

    In that case, all you need is a creativity jump-start; a useful constraint that can send you off in the right direction.

    The idea is to take two unrelated things, and force them together into a really interesting post. It’s really easier than it sounds.

    Start by picking something that your readers are interested in, and then pick something unrelated, that your audience will be familiar with.

    Merge them together into a post with a headline that goes something like:

    Are you starting to see the pattern?

    Just to get your brain going, here are some of the things that you can plug into the “fascinating hook” part of that equation:

    1. Use a movie. Use either the name of a movie, or a character from that movie. Think about the last movie you’ve seen, and think about what you can learn from that movie about your topic of interest. There’s always something there, if you dig deep enough. It doesn’t have to be a recent movie, either — it can be an old favorite, like the Princess Bride, which Brian references in his Inigo Montoya’s Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words
    2. Use television. Same idea, but this time pick a television show that your audience is likely to watch. That’s what Jon Morrow did in his super-successful Mad Men Guide to Changing the World with Words post, and I did the same when I wrote Desperate Housewives on Writing, Storytelling and Selling. For extra credit, you can make a list of the top five TV shows you can think of, and do keyword research to see which one is hottest.
    3. Use a book. Just make sure it isn’t a book about your subject matter (“What How To Win Friends and Influence People Can Teach You About Winning Friends and Influence People” is kind of lame). As long as it’s off-topic, you’re good to go. It doesn’t even have to be the book, it can be the author (“What Tolkien Can Teach You…”), a poet, or even a line out of a poem.
    4. Use a comic. There’s a reason why they’ve been remaking movies about Superman, Spiderman, the X-Men, and half a dozen other, more obscure comic book characters. Unless it is a spectacular failure, you can pretty much count on a certain volume of sales at the box office. By the same token, if you lean on the super-powers of one of these characters, your post should perform just as well!
    5. Use a celebrity. This is a blanket category for any kind of icon that your audience would recognize. It could be your favorite pop star, movie star, or blogging star (whether it’s a big name like Brian Clark, or an equally awesome but slightly lesser known blogger like Jk Allen) … as long as your audience would recognize the name, it should be solid.
    6. Find out what’s trending. While we’re on the topic of celebrity, take some time to see what else is currently trending. Visit google.com/trends, click on the “More Hot Searches” link, and pick something from the list.

    Get inspired

    The last thing you can do when you’re fresh out of ideas is to recharge and get inspired.

    This may sound difficult when you’re looking at a desk covered in crumpled note papers with lousy ideas, but it can be done.

    There are at least four ways to do it.

    1. Go for a walk. This is the generic advice that you’ve probably heard a hundred times before. If you just can’t do it anymore, then take a break, go for a walk, and get some fresh air. It’s not quite that simple, but it’s close: we all have routines and practices that are good at triggering high performance mental states. It’s just a matter of finding the right triggers for you.
    2. Go to the theater. The theater is a fantastic source of ideas — much better than just going to a movie, because there’s so much more atmosphere, and so much more happening, which means there’s that much more for you to deconstruct and draw analogies from. Find a show in your area, get out of the house, and come back refreshed and ready to start writing.
    3. Explore new cultures. No, no, I’m not suggesting you book a vacation every time you’re out of ideas. You don’t have to fly half-way around the world — why not start with an authentic restaurant? Go somewhere that you aren’t familiar with, and really pay attention to the experience. All of this is fodder for analogies that can get your creative juices flowing.
    4. Tell your story. This is if you’re ready to kick yourself into overdrive, and write a post about an experience that is powerful and deeply personal. For this, you’ve got to dig deep, and pull up a formative story in your life — share a real crisis that you overcame, and how you became a better and happier person for it. This isn’t an easy thing to do, but you don’t really need original content, because it’s all stuff that has already happened to you. And the results are stories that stick with people for a long time, like Danny Brown’s failed suicide attempt, Jon Morrow’s childhood fight for survival, and Brian Clark’s subdural hematoma.

    Bonus #22 — Write when you do have ideas

    You can fall back on these strategies when you’re fresh out of ideas and don’t feel like writing, and with a bit of discipline you’ll be able to create a really solid post.

    But that doesn’t make it easy.

    The reality is that when you’re feeling uninspired, it isn’t the best time for you to do your writing. That’s why the last strategy is to do the writing when you are feeling inspired.

    Write a handful of articles and keep them in an “emergency posts” folder, to run when you absolutely don’t feel like writing.

    And of course, you can use any of the ideas described in this post as a starter for filling up that folder. So go to it — start writing! But first, join the discussion …

    Which of these methods has worked for you? Which one do you plan on trying first? Leave a comment below and let me know.

    About the Author: Danny Iny is an author, strategist, serial entrepreneur, and proud co-founder of Firepole Marketing, the definitive marketing training program for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-marketers. Visit his site today for a free cheat sheet about Why Guru Strategies for Blog Growth DON’T WORK… and What Does!.

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  • 40+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
    Published: May 23, 2011
    Source: Mashable!

    social_media_events_guide1

    Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences.

    Here are some tips on how to network, share your information and promote your event using social media:

    Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.

    May 23-24, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Produced by Mediabistro and SocialTimes, Social Media Optimization Conference (SMOC) is a two-day event dedicated to social media optimization and social advertising. Boost search engine visibility, increase linkability, and fuel your readers’ desire to share your content. Industry leaders will also show you how to get results whenadvertising on the social web in terms of strategy, targeting, privacy, and metrics. Our experts include Brian Solis (author, Engage), Rohit Bhargava (SVP, Digital, Strategy & Planning Group), Gary Ware (Covario), and many more. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.

    May 23, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Hosted by Our Social Times, Social Media Marketing & Monitoring 2011 will bring together leading marketing and PR experts, brands, agencies and journalists for an intensive one-day conference. Following this sell-out event last year, join us for an update on the latest strategies, tools and techniques in social media marketing. Topics include: community management; blogger outreach; influencer analysis and engagement; Twitter marketing; geo-location marketing; social gaming; social media monitoring and Social CRM. Register and use the promo code Mash1 to save 10%.

    May 24-26, 2011, New York, NY: BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world’s largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!

    May 24-26, 2011, San Francisco, CA: All About the Cloud — Save $100 with the promo code PRMMASH to attend the software industry’s leading ISV conference on Cloud Computing. (Note: discount valid off the individual non-member rate only and does apply to current attendees.) You’ll join an anticipated audience of more than 500 senior executives from ISVs, resellers, and platform / technology providers, as well as the industry’s leading analysts, bankers, venture capitalists and the media. Key networking events include: a Golf Tournament, a Speed Networking Event, a Mardi Gras-themed Welcome Reception and an offsite Networking Reception featuring the Microsoft Rock Band Challenge. For details, including registration information, please visit AllAbouttheCloud.net.

    May 24-26 2011, Gateshead, UK: Thinking Digital is an annual conference where the world’s greatest thinkers and innovators discuss the latest ideas, innovations and technologies. The conference provides an experience like no other, stimulating new thinking and new ideas. It’s about what you’ll learn, and who you’ll meet. Our eclectic schedule means you’ll listen to world-class authorities, meet amazing people, be entertained and outrageously inspired! When you leave Thinking Digital you’ll know about things that you previously didn’t even realise existed and have become part of our unique community. Register with the promo code TDCMASH and save 10%.

    May 25-27, 2011, Portland, OR: WebVisions explores the future of web design, technology, user experience and business strategy in a punchy, new format! The all-star lineup of speakers includes author Douglas Rushkoff, design strategist David Armano, mobile researcher Rachel Hinman, usability expert Jared Spool, design ethnographer Kelly Goto and many more. Take advantage of package deals for workshops and conference passes, discounts on hotels, and networking events and after hour parties. Register here and save up to 30% off the Standard Admission rates! rates.

    May 25, 2011, London, UK: The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards aim to showcase genuine innovation in corporate sustainability and reward those who take sustainability to the very heart of their business. Enter the awards today at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards to get the recognition you deserve. Winners will be invited to a ceremony held in London in May and will feature in a supplement published on guardian.co.uk. All entries meeting the criteria will be added to the new Guardian Sustainable Business best practice exchange – an online database allowing sustainability professionals to share their learning. Enter before February 7th at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards.

    May 29-30, 2011, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing – The Way Forward – It is undeniable that social media has fundamentally transformed and evolved the architecture of business, communications, and the dissemination of information and influence. In July 2010, Facebook announced it had over 500 million users worldwide,of which at least 15 million were in Middle East.Survey findings also indicated that one out of five Facebook users is from Asia or Middle East. Participants at this two-day conference will be exposed to the intricacies of corporate social media strategies tailored for your industry. Participants would gain insights to maximizing the usage of social and establishing and maintaining a good relationship with consumers, thus effectively introducing their brands online and engaging long-term relationship with the audience. For more information, please click here.

    June 3-4, 2011, Victoria, BC, Canada: Last year’s event was the largest social media event in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. This year’s Social Media Camp will feature more time, more sessions, more speakers, more exhibitors and more sunshine! This year’s keynote speakers are the critically acclaimed authors of “The Now Revolution”, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund. Whether you are an avid Facebook user, interested in learning about Twitter, or you’re trying to grow your business by leveraging social media tools – there is something for everyone at this event! Register and use the promo code MASHABLE to save $50!

    June 5-9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The 2011 Semantic Technology Conference (SemTech) is the world’s largest educational conference for the community of executives, technologists, researchers, investors and customers who are involved with semantic technologies. The SemTech conference draws together more than 1,000 forward-thinking technology and business leaders from around the world, representing the entire marketplace of vendors, developers, researchers, start-ups, investors and customers. SemTech 2011 features five days of presentations, panels, tutorials, announcements, new company/product launches, and conversations. It’s a place for new learning, professional networking, and business development. For details and registration, visit the site. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.!

    June 6-8, 2011, Boston, MA: The Art & Science of Integrating Traditional & Social Media Marketing – Measure Up, is the world’s most comprehensive cross-dimensional view of marketing measurement best practices. With a focus on return on investment (ROI) as it relates to the integration of traditional, online and mobile activities; specifically, social media, this event explores analytics across the entire marketing mix and incorporates those results into marketing strategies and tactics to drive higher revenue, profit and brand share. Register and use the promo code XU2308MASH and save 10%!

    June 6, 2011, New York, NY: It’s time to make plans for Realtime NY 11, a full-day immersion entirely about business on the mobile, social and realtime web. Learn how innovative executives from brands like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Delta, Citibank, IBM, and the NHL are using realtime tools to listen and respond to customers, create new opportunities and build bottom-line value. Realtime, mobile and social technologies fundamentally change how consumers and businesses interact. At The Realtime Conference you’ll see real case studies about real brands and meet the social media business pioneers who are driving real value. 10 hours of hardcore learning and networking. Plus wi-fi, power, breakfast, lunch and cocktails. Register with the promo code MASHABLE to save 20%

    June 6-7,2011, New York, NY: Federated Media presents The Conversational Marketing Summit: Leading agencies, marketers, platforms and entrepreneurs come together for our industry’s most rigorous and thought-provoking annual 2-day gathering, the Conversational Marketing Summit, to benefit from a discussion about what we’ve learned so far and get a jump on what the future has to offer. We aim to bridge the innovations of the internet with the practice of marketing.  Please join us!  More information and registration details at http://www.federatedmedia.net/events – Register with promo code CmMash to save 15%!

    June 7-8, 2011, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo Europe is the largest pan European Affiliate and Performance Marketing Conference. With over 1000 delegates, a diverse conference programme, a focus on quality, knowledge transfer and unparalleled networking opportunities with delegates and key industry figures from around the world, a4uexpo Europe is a must attend educational and networking event. Whether a new or established affiliate, agency, entrepreneur, search specialist, merchant or network – a4uexpo is the conference for those serious about making an impact in Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Register with the promo code MASHABLE25 and save €25 on a full conference pass for a4uexpo Europe.

    June 7-8, 2011, Seattle, WA: Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world – Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced Seattle. Check out the full agenda, featuring two days of experts-only sessions, keynotes and the highest-level networking anywhere. Don’t wait – SMX Advanced has sold out 4 years running. Register with partner code smx100mashable and you’ll save $100 and secure your spot.

    June 8, 2011, Singapore: With the phenomenal growth of apps worldwide, Asia is the next big market to watch out for. Planet of the Apps Asia is the leading event dedicated to mobile applications in Asia. The two day conference plus a dedicated masterclass day brings together the mobile application ecosystem in one location. The event will shine on a light on the latest innovations and showcase the latest solutions in the world of mobile applications. Be part of this definitive event and network with professionals from all around the globe.

    June 14, 2011, London, UK: 20 social media experts will be speaking at the Social Media Results Conference – From Engagement To ROI. Procter & Gamble, Barclaycard, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, Mothercare, Lonely Planet, American Airlines, Kodak Ltd, Comic Relief, Vue Entertainment, Cisco Europe, Phones 4u Limited and many more will be discussing their real-world, actionable social media insights on how to drive the customer journey with consistently genuine interaction and fully integrated, targeted social media campaigns. Click here to download/view the conference program.

    June 15-18, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya: The spotlight in AfriTech Kenya 2011 will be on “Brand building using a digital platform”. It’s projected to be the largest gathering of digital media gurus and industry shapers in the African continent. The conference will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on June 15-18, 2011. Outstanding business luminaries, philanthropists, government decision-makers and investors will be participating during this four day historic summit. For more information and to register, please visit afri-tech.com.

    June 15-16, 2011, New York, NY: “Exploring the State of NOW” – The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) will be taking place June 15-16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y, where we will continue to explore the effects of the real-time web on both business and on people. This event is expected to be the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and “we” the people. #140conf exposes you to the power the Internet has to disrupt businesses, change lives and create serendipity. You will leave with a fresh outlook on how the real time web can be used in your business or personal life to actually do something meaningful. Register TODAY and take advantage of the “Early Bird” prices.

    June 16, 2011, London, UK: The Augmented Reality Summit is designed to explore this new dynamic reality and provide delegates with the perfect opportunity to uncover Augmented Reality in full and explore the opportunity’s AR brings any brand or company. The AR Summit is positioned at the forefront of this exciting continually developing new industry. Whether you are a Brand, Advertiser or Agency, Technology provider or Developer looking to meet key industry figures, keep up with the latest developments, technology’s & tools or simply to network with other from the world of AR – Register and use the promo code ARMASH to save 25%!

    June 20-21, New York, NY: At the new ALL FOR ONE Marketing Show presented by DM Days, you’ll learn how Domino’s, FreshDirect, Grey New York and other top companies maximize ROI by leveraging customer insight and data to successfully integrate marketing channels. You’ll walk away with concrete examples of successful campaigns from marketing experts and thought leaders. Register with the promo code DM730 and save $200!

    June 20, 2011, New York, NY: Games for Change is the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact. The Games for Change Festival is the largest gaming event in New York City and the only international event uniting “games for change” creators, the public, civil society, academia, the gaming industry and media. Register before April 15th and save 30%!

    June 21-22, 2011, New York, NY: The Second Annual Corporate Social Media Summit is ‘the’ event for big business using social media. This year we have speakers from Dell, Best Buy, Kodak, Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines and many more. They will share best practice to help your company leverage the power of social media for better marketing, customer engagement and enhance profitability. The conference is designed for corporates like you – and our agenda is based on three months of research with your peers. Download a brochure here for all the info you need. Register and use the promo code MASH11 to save 10%.

    June 21-22, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Content Monitization West 2011 is a unique opportunity to find out how to drive revenue and profitability from different content and formats across a wide variety of channels. 60+ senior level speakers from will help you sort out the best short and medium term strategies for delivering revenue through digital content. With its focus on west coast industries, you’ll dig deep into how the film, music and games sectors are driving new sources of revenue. Plus the publishing, sports, TV and news sectors will provide detailed information about how to monetize rich media content. Register online at dcm-west.com and use the promo code DCM MASH for early booking discounts.

    June 23 - 24, 2011, Chicago, IL:  SOCIAL CUSTOMER 2011 is a high-level executive summit that focuses on using smart social CRM programs to improve customer loyalty, enhance brand experience and increase revenue. Hear from game-changing organizations such as Chicago Bulls, Verizon, PepsiCo, Dell, Bloomberg, Rosetta Stone, H&R Block, Godiva, Dominos Pizza and more! Also hear our keynote presentation by Becky Carroll, Social Media Correspondent, NBC 7 / SAN DIEGO, Author, THE HIDDEN POWER OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. Organizations must embrace today’s empowered customers, so if you are a business leader who is looking to deliver world-class experience via social networks, this event is the #1 place to be. Join the conversation and register today (Save $200 with the promo code SYX243).

    June 27-29, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Future of Web Apps (FOWA) is coming to Vegas. After successfully running shows in Miami and London, the conference hits Vegas for the first time in June. A conference for web developers and entrepreneurs, there are 3 days of jam packed web fun including a day of workshops and 2 conference days of two tracks. As well as App Clinics and Expo Area, you can learn and network with people who have passion for the web! Register with the code FOWA_MASHABLE and receive 10% off our 2 day conference passes.

    June 28-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Produced by AllFacebook, AF Expo is your how-to guide for Facebook marketing and development. This two-day event is your inside look at Facebook innovations and technology issues jointly impacting marketers and social developers. Packed with case studies and real-world perspectives, AF Expo offers attendees a sneak peek at the latest Facebook data, demographics and design issues. Our experts include Tamara Mendelsohn (Director of Marketing, Eventbrite), Joseph Adolf (Manager, Digital Marketing, JetBlue Airways), Mark Rose (VP Product, Visa), Clara Shih (author, The Facebook Era), and many more. Register with promo code MASH to save 15

    July 14-16, 2011, Dallas, TX: The Big Design Conference is an intense day of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, Gaming, Mobile, Usability, Design, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge. Experts include Beverly Robertson (President, National Civil Rights Museum), Russ Unger (Director of UX, Happy Cog), Jeremy Johnson (Director of UX, Game Stop), Brian Sullivan (Usability Principal, Sabre), Joshua Clark (author of Tapworthy), Jared Spool (Founder, User Interface Engineering), and many more. Mashable readers receive 20% off conference registration by using the code MASHABLE during the checkout process.

    July 27-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Join us at the premiere of ePharma Summit West, the sister event to The ePharma Summit, the largest, longest running and most respected digital marketing event for the Life Sciences Industry. Network and join the conversation with hundreds of fellow thought leaders from top Pharma, Biotech, Device and Health Science companies. Register as a Mashable reader with the promo code XP1656MASH and save 10%.

    August 1-3, 2011, San Antonio, TX: The eduWeb Conference is the event for you to meet, share, explore, and learn from your higher education peers on topics including mobile apps, branding, web site analytics, social media strategic planning, and web development. eduWeb offers four tracks: marketing communications; design and development; social media; and information architecture. Register with the promo code 11Mash and save $50!

    September 6-8, 2011, Cleveland, OH: At Content Marketing World, you’ll learn how to transform your marketing department into a storytelling factory, engaging your prospects and customers in all the right channels with the right messages– including social, mobile, email, online and even print and in-person strategies. Through 24+ breakout sessions and amazing keynotes led by worldwide experts, you’ll get the tools you need to be a successful content marketer. Plus, you’ll experience the best of what Cleveland has to offer, starting with our opening night reception at the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Register and use the promo code mash to receive $100 off the current price of a ticket.

    September 11-14, 2011, Denver, CO: Come join the best and brightest of the iOS development community at 360|iDev, the first iOS developer event to be held by the developer community! Speakers include many leading community members, and app store success stories. With over 40 sessions, including hands-on training the sunday before the conference, 360|iDev offers more content than any other iOS developer event in the world. Register and use the promo code iosmash to save 20% of the ticket price.

    September 12-13, 2011, Renaissance Glendale, Phoenix, AZ: The third Social Media Optimization Summit event, presented by Multifamilypro, brings together small to mid-sized business owners with an interest in putting social media to work successfully within their organizations in ways that are proven to generate results. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts. The unique “See it. Hear it. Do it.” approach allows attendees to learn by doing, and begin immediately applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. See what others are saying about the event and register now at optimizationsummits.com and use discount code Mashable to save $100!

    September 20, 2011, Chicago, IL: Federated Media presents Signal Chicago: The Marketing in Real Time Conversation. We will be focusing on the theme of “Marketing in Real Time.” From “real time bidding” on new demand-side and exchange platforms to “real time messaging” of location-based services, marketing has time-shifted into the present tense. A new suite of tools and services have evolved which enable the marketer to have conversations with customers in real time, creating both challenges and opportunities.Please join us!  More information and registration details at http://www.federatedmedia.net/events – Register with promo code SIGMash to save 15%

    Sept 21-22, 2011, London, UK: ad:tech London is the UK’s essential free to attend event for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the latest interactive media, advertising and marketing trends. The event unites advertisers, media owners and agencies to harness the power of digital and deliver real marketing ROI. Alongside the exhibition, there is also a conference featuring 100+ international speakers for serious digital innovators and marketers. Mashable readers can take 20% off their conference ticket price. Register online now with the promo code MASH11 at www.ad-techlondon.co.uk.

    September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: Search and Social Hawaii is an elite conference unlike any other that will provide you with the strategies and complete know how to thrive in this ever changing environment. Each day begins with morning sessions around the hottest topics. With Keynote Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. and speakers from corporations such as Real Networks, Network Solutions, AT&T, Microsoft Bing and Logitech. Afternoons are spent in a relaxed environment including planned activities in which individual attendees can get to know speakers and each other on a more personal level continuing the discussion and building long lasting relationships. Register and use the promo code SSWootMash to save 10%.

    September 29-October 1, 2011, Atlanta, GA: As pet owners, bloggers, consumer brands and those connected to the industry – including veterinarians – continue to build upon social media & marketing, pet social media education & networking is an extremely important aspect to mobilizing efforts and to address the challenges faced by pet owners. Whether you use YouTube, Twitter, Dog/Catbook or online forums to gather & share information about pets, it’s increasingly important for this community to have a face-to-face forum. Established in 2009, the BarkWorld Conference & Expo is the only pet social media conference covering ALL facets of social media & pet education. Our 2011 annual conference will focus on many topics, including: how to take great photos your pet & use it online, how to build/design a blog & monetize, mobile applications, metrics/SEO, pet food demonstrations, promoting your pet/business via social media and using online forums. Join us for this 2 ½ day conference. You’ll be amazed with the information you’ll walk away with and the new connections you’ll make; your well-trained, leashed, pet is welcome. Register with the promo code MASH2011 to receive a 25% discount.

    October 1-6, Boston, MA: At DMA2011, you – and 10,000 marketing peers from around the world – will find everything you need to develop and execute the real-time integrated marketing campaigns that drive measurable bottomline results for your brand. Listen to 300+ marketing experts and gurus talk about social, mobile, mail, search, data, attribution, and more. Plus, you’ll find hundreds of technologies in the Exhibit Hall, the only one of its kind in the world! Register now with the promo code AN504 and SAVE $250!

    October 5-6, 2011, Seattle, WA: The first annual Seattle Interactive Conference is a two-day event celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world’s most innovative cities. SIC brings together entrepreneurs, developers and online business professionals from throughout the U.S. and beyond for a powerful combination of in-depth presentations, networking opportunities, and uniquely Seattle social events. Attendees have the rare opportunity to explore disruptive technologies and business models with visionary thinkers and peers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and much more.

    October 9-11, 2011, Scottsdale, AZ: Join 200 of your advertising and PR agency friends at BOLO 2011. This event champions the marketing stalwarts, showing you how to leverage today’s digital marketing trends and technologies for economic advantage. Hear from industry thought leaders such as Scott Stratton, President of UnMarketing, and Jay Baer, author of The Now Revolution. From analytics and targeting to social media and agency management, the topics are cutting-edge and chosen to help your agency stay ahead of the curve in digital. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE for 10% off.

    October 17-18, 2011, New York, NY: Pivot is the only conference focused purely on how major brands, agencies, marketers and content creators can succeed by understanding, accessing and influencing the emerging Social Consumer. Hosted by Brian Solis, a noted social marketing consultant to major brands worldwide and author of Engage, the self-help handbook for winning the new marketing game, Pivot delivers two full days of unique content and experiences that illuminate the altered marketing landscape, delivered by transformational thinkers, technologists, entrepreneurs and entertainers. Register with the promo code MASH20 and save 20%!

    October 26-27, 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria: The only digital industry event for Central and Eastern Europe and one of industry’s premier events in Europe. At the Webit Expo & Conference, more than 6000 people from the CE Europe’ digital ecosystem gather together. Amazing line up of world renowned international and local speakers in the conference programme and some of the top service and technology providers among the exhibitors. Webit Conference programme includes The Main Stage (inspiring keynotes from the leading digital companies in the world), Webit Dev Camp (where platform owners meet the developers of CEE), eGov Summit (regional government officials and world CEOs in discussion on e-gov, e-health, etc), The Creative Lounge (the world’s creative minds gathered together). Register with the promo code WEBMASH and save 10%!

    November 3-5, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: BlogWorld & New Media is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world’s largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!

    November 16-18, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit is the only word of mouth marketing conference where research and measurement integrate with online social media and offline conversations. The Summit is a year-end review of BEST and NEXT practices in word or mouth and social media marketing in addition to future trends. WOMMA Summit showcases through leadership from some of the innovative and forward thinking. Go to www.womma.org to learn more about the event and use code WOMMASummitMASH when registering for the event.

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  • Social Media Strategist
    Published: June 2, 2011
    Source: Recent Wordles


    Characteristics, skills, platforms and services of a social media strategist

 

No Comments | Read more
Jun
08

Today’s Topics

Posted by Tom Dressler at 11:49 am

  • Today's World IPv6 Day: Google, Bing, Facebook and others test out new addresses for 24 hours
    Published: June 8, 2011
    Source: Engadget
    Described as a "test flight" of IPv6, today marks the biggest concerted effort by some of the web's marquee players to turn us all on to the newer, fancier web addressing system. Internet Protocol version 4 has been the template by which we've addressed everything connected to the web so far, but that stuff's now nearing exhaustion, so the future demands a longer, more complex nomenclature to tell our smartphones, tablets, printers, and other webOS devices apart. For end users, June 8th won't really feel too different from June 7th -- this will be a change that occurs mostly behind the scenes and there's an IPv4 fallback option if you can't connect in the modern way -- but Google does warn that a very limited subset of users may experience connectivity issues as a result. Hit the links below to see how well prepared for the future you are.

    Today's World IPv6 Day: Google, Bing, Facebook and others test out new addresses for 24 hours originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink   |  sourceWorld IPv6 Day, IPv6 readiness test  | Email this | Comments
  • Content Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing [infographic]
    Published: May 12, 2011
    Source: The Content Marketing Revolution

    I love infographics.  I especially like this one from Marketo because they use our own B2B Content Marketing stats in it, combined with some of their own research on content marketing.

    Now, all kidding aside, the rise of content marketing has nothing to do with stopping anything with traditional marketing.  Actually, we need both. The home runs occur when content marketing and traditional marketing work together to help tell the same story.

    Enjoy!

    Content Marketing Infographic

  • America's Cup to revolutionize live sports coverage
    Published: May 9, 2011
    Source: The 34th America's Cup

    Connecting viewers to the racing in ways not previously possible, the America’s Cup will transform the way people see the sport. With breakthrough graphics, athlete’s view cameras and onboard microphones, viewers will see and hear the quick decisions being made, the athleticism of the sailors, the raw power of the boats – live, as the teams fly over the water as speeds of up to 35 mph.

    “Extreme sport lovers will flock to this new America’s Cup because of the broadcast,” said Richard Worth, Chairman, America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA). “From heart-pounding maneuvers at breakneck speeds to capsizes that result in two-story falls for the athletes, viewers will not just see the action, they will feel like they are right in it.”

    See more from Auckland here

    The backbone of this new experience is also a breakthrough in sports broadcasting – augmented reality from a helicopter. This will be the first time live graphic insertions have been done from a moving platform.

    Developed by the same team that developed the yellow first-down line widely used in the broadcast of American football and the Race/FX tracking and highlighting system used in NASCAR, this revolutionary graphics system will have a similar effect on the America’s Cup, connecting new audiences to the sport by creating greater understanding. The superimposed graphic elements will be used as technical aids for viewers, such as ahead-behind lines that can enable audiences to clearly see who is leading the race.

    “The America’s Cup has always pushed the technology envelope throughout its history,” said Stan Honey, Director of Technology, ACEA. “Previous America’s Cup broadcasts have featured graphics on an animated view of the race. This next step in the evolution is intended to allow broadcasters to use graphic elements to explain the sport, while enabling viewers to simultaneously see the live action of the race.”

    Driven by a GPS system that can track the America’s Cup catamarans to within a two-centimeter accuracy on the race course, event organizers quickly saw the opportunity to leverage the system for on-the-water management of the sport. Telemetering of the course will allow for rapid movement of marks and controlling course limits, while use of real-time overlap and zone-entry determinations will enable umpires to make the most accurate decisions ever possible.

    “From a technology point of view, it's a completely new world for us; the way it's going to be umpired, the way the race management will work. But the vision to transform this next Cup is going to soon be a reality,” said Mitch Booth, Skipper, China Team. “We've always believed in it, we expected it would be possible, but to prove to the sailing world and the sporting world that now it can be done is something we're supporting fully.”

    The GPS system was just one of several that received a thorough shakedown in New Zealand through test period involving America’s Cup teams from United States, Sweden, China and New Zealand.  Event organizers plan to stage additional test sessions in Europe and North America as they prepare for the inaugural America’s Cup World Series event in Cascais, Portugal this August. 

    The AC World Series is a regular circuit of regattas that will bring America’s Cup-level racing and experience to top international venues. Some of the world’s top athletes will test their physical strength, endurance and mental agility as they compete over a punishing nine days for the chance to win the first AC World Series.

    Televised to expose millions more fans to the sport of high-performance sailing, the AC World Series will feature both fleet and match racing at each event. At the end of each AC World Series season, a champion will be crowned. The AC World Series events provide the fans the only opportunity to see all of the America’s Cup competitors racing together.

  • Netflix Now The Largest Single Source of Internet Traffic In North America
    Published: May 17, 2011
    Source: TechCrunch

    Netflix video streaming is now the single largest source of peak downstream Internet traffic in the U.S., according to a new report by Sandvine. The streaming video service now accounts for 29.7 percent of peak downstream traffic, up from 21 percent last fall.

    That puts Netflix above HTTP websites (18 percent), BitTorrent (11 percent), and YouTube (10 percent) as a source of downstream traffic during peak times in North America. (BitTorrent still accounts for half of all upstream traffic). As whole, “real-time entertainment” (which is mostly video streaming, but also includes streaming music) accounted for 49 percent of downstream traffic in March, 2011, versus 19 percent for P2P file sharing, and 17 percent for Web browsing.

    Video files are so big that it does not take much usage for it to take over in terms of bandwidth consumed. But these numbers definitely point to a future where video accounts for more and more of the traffic on the Internet. As recently as last November, Web video alone accounted for an estimated 37 percent of Internet traffic.

    But as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings points out, bandwidth to the home keeps increasing along with demand—he expects a gigabit to the home to be commonplace within ten years. As he told me earlier this month, “streaming is the core of our business,” but he also points out in the video below that most of the video to the home is cached on the edge of the network rather than going through the backbone.


  • VMware management iPad client awaiting approval
    Published: March 17, 2011
    Source: TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

    VMware users who've been waiting for the promised iPad server management client may soon be able to stop holding their breath. The company has revealed that it's currently in the queue for the App Store and awaiting approval from Apple after originally promising that it would be available by the end of last year. It was promised twice, in fact, including in this YouTube video in which a beta version of the app is demonstrated.

    Fredrik Sjöstedt, VMware's director of product and solutions marketing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will only say that the vCenter client was handed to Apple "fairly recently," and because of the mysterious ways in which Apple's approval process works, he can't say when it will be made available to users.

    The app has been designed from the ground-up to include the features most likely to be useful to IT staff when out and about, but it won't have all the features of the desktop version. It will show the status of a virtual machine and any alerts, and it will have the ability to suspend, stop or restart a virtual machine and show its memory and CPU use.

    The new app will follow last week's launch of the View Client for iPad, through which iPad users can access virtual Windows desktops (and, frighteningly, make it look like your iPad is running Windows).

    VMware management iPad client awaiting approval originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
  • Time Warner Cable to Launch Live TV Streaming iPad App [Update: Now Available]
    Published: March 14, 2011
    Source: MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - Front Page

    Time Warner Cable iPad app prototype discussion - Part 1
    (Additional videos: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)
    The Associated Press reports that cable and Internet giant Time Warner will release a new iPad application tomorrow morning tha...
  • Mossberg says the iPad is the top 2010 product
    Published: December 27, 2010
    Source: TUAW

    Wall Street Journal tech journalist Walt Mossberg says the iPad is "amazing" and his favorite product of 2010. He added that "with the new iOS 4.2 operating system and its huge selection of apps, the iPad continues to stay ahead of the competition."

    No arguments from here. Apple has redefined the tablet form factor, after years of talk about it from Microsoft, who has yet to really produce anything that has caught on with the public.

    Mossberg gave his number two ranking to 4G networks, saying they are something "to watch closely in 2011." His third place was a tie between two phones, the Samsung Galaxy S and the iPhone 4.

    Mossberg also had some thoughts on the worst products of 2010. He cites the Dell Streak tablet as a failure that is "too big to be a phone, yet too small to be a tablet."

    He also dissed Google TV as not being ready for prime time, suffering from a confusing user interface and a clumsy keyboard.

    Mossberg says the iPad is the top 2010 product originally appeared on TUAW on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
  • Mossberg says the iPad is the top 2010 product
    Published: December 26, 2010
    Source: TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

    Wall Street Journal tech journalist Walt Mossberg says the iPad is "amazing" and his favorite product of 2010. He added that "with the new iOS 4.2 operating system and its huge selection of apps, the iPad continues to stay ahead of the competition."

    No arguments from here. Apple has redefined the tablet form factor, after years of talk about it from Microsoft, who has yet to really produce anything that has caught on with the public.

    Mossberg gave his number two ranking to 4G networks, saying they are something "to watch closely in 2011." His third place was a tie between two phones, the Samsung Galaxy S and the iPhone 4.

    Mossberg also had some thoughts on the worst products of 2010. He cites the Dell Streak tablet as a failure that is "too big to be a phone, yet too small to be a tablet."

    He also dissed Google TV as not being ready for prime time, suffering from a confusing user interface and a clumsy keyboard.

    Mossberg says the iPad is the top 2010 product originally appeared on TUAW on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
  • Evernote Blogcast
    Published: December 27, 2010
    Source: blog.evernote.com
  • Plugged In Online
    Published: December 25, 2010
    Source: www.pluggedin.com
  • 7 Predictions for SEO in 2011
    Published: December 22, 2010
    Source: SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog

    Posted by randfish

    It's that magical time of year when all of us who foolishly assumed the mantle of clairvoyance last December check up on our abilities and repeat our arrogant presumption again. Not surprisingly, something compels me to try again, despite the odds, but I am feeling a bit whimsical tonight, so let's make a game out of the prediction practice. 

    For each prediction (mine and others), we can grade using the following points system:

    • Spot On (+2) - when a prediction hits the nail on the head and the primary criteria are fulfilled
    • Partially Accurate (+1) - predictions that are in the area, but are somewhat different than reality
    • Not Completely Wrong (-1) - those that landed near the truth, but couldn't be called "correct" in any real sense
    • Off the Mark (-2) - guesses which didn't come close

    The rule is - if the score is lower than +1, the blogger/industry leader/author isn't allowed to make predictions for the coming year.

    So let's mark up my 8 predictions from last year and see whether new predictions are permitted:

    1. This Real Time Search Thing is Outta Here (+1) - technically, it's still around, though far less prevalent. I said "In 2010, I think this fades away. Perhaps not entirely, but we won't be seeing it for nearly as many queries with the prevalence we do today," which, on the scoring scale, probably deserves a "partially accurate."
    2. Twitter's Link Graph is the Real Deal (+2) - my guess seems oddly prescient when compared to Google + Bing's interview a few weeks back. "Google's not going to just take raw number of tweets or re-tweets. I think we're already seeing the relevance and reputation calculations in their decisions of which tweets and sources to show in the real-time results, and I expect that algorithms/metrics like PageRank, TrustRank, etc. will find their way into how Google uses the real-time data." I wonder if my luck can last.
    3. Personalized Search is Here to Stay (-1) - The title of this guess would make you think I'd got it right, but the substance is lacking. I noted that "If it's proven that you can get organic benefits by attracting PPC clickthrough, this may be the new "paid inclusion" for 2010, and could drive bid prices up massively as companies compete not only for paid listing clicks, but for the chance to earn "organic" positioning as well." Personalization bias didn't go towards brand exposure, and it actually hasn't got much stronger (apart from the localization element, which I didn't predict). Technically, it's still around, but it didn't become the juggernaut I thought it would.
    4. It's Going to Be a Two-Engine 80/20 World (+2) - Google's market share of web searches sending external traffic is likely very close to this (although Comscore reports only 66%, those numbers are heavily biased due to non-web-search "search" activity counted in the figures). A far better source would be something like StatCounter's referral data from the 15 billion pageviews/month on 3 million+ websites, which reports 81.88% for Google, and ~18% for Bing/Yahoo!. Given that Ask.com, Cuil and Yahoo! all folded their search operations this year, and Facebook/Twitter/Somebody Else Big hasn't entered the field, I'm giving this a "Spot On."
    5. Site Explorer and Linkdomain Will Disappear (+1) - Linkdomain is gone (at least in the US, and soon in most other countries), but it appears we'll still have until 2012(ish) with Site Explorer, so I'm giving this a (possibly slightly generous) rating of "partially accurate."
    6. SEO Spending Will Rise Dramatically (-1) - This one depends on the meaning of "dramatically." SEMPO's data suggests that 43% of marketers "expect" to spend more on SEO, but this is down 2% from 2009's survey. SEOmoz's own survey unfortunately doesn't compare apples to apples (we haven't asked the same question multiple years in a row and thus can't compare well). As of now, no new sources have come forward with data we're aware of (Forrester + eMarketer being the usual suspects). Thus, I'll give a "not completely wrong," since we really don't know.
    7. 2010 is the Year of Conversion Rate Optimization (-1) - Again, I'm going to say this was "not completely wrong" but it's also very tough to measure. We've had more speakers on CRO at search and marketing events of all varieties. Anecdotal reports would indicate CRO is becoming a more common and popular practice for organic marketers, but without solid numbers, it's hard to know. We can presume, however, that if there aren't lots of studies and data reports touting it, this probably wasn't "the year."
    8. More Queries Will Send Less Traffic (-1) - Given the launch of Google Instant, the personalization and localization of results, increased ranking inconsistency and more universal/vertical results in the SERPs, I'm going to say this is possibly near the mark, but not definitively correct. Google Instant, in particular, appears not to have moved the needle much on search demand and queries sending traffic. In fact, the only reason this is "not completely wrong" is due to my clever non-prediction of how many queries would send how much less traffic. :-)

    Tallying the numbers, I'm seeing +6 and -4, for a total of +2, which means new predictions for 2011. I also invite you to analyze some of the many lists of predictions for this past year here. If my calculations are correct, Mashable and TechCrunch are out of the predictions business (the latter just barely) while the New York Times' Bits Blog should continue (though, like me, they made some pretty pansy predictions).

    Without further ado, my predictions for SEO in 2011:

    #1: Someone Proves (or a Search Engine Confirms) that Clicks/Visits Influence Rankings

    I'm taking a chance on this one, but I've been hearing from more and more SEOs that there's some correlation between earning clicks and moving up in the rankings. In 2011, we'll get confirmation, either through testing or an admission from an engine that click-through-rate from the SERPs, visit count outside of search (or diversity of sources), or other usage-based data is in the ranking algorithm (or a method they use to help ID spam).

    Clicks/Visits Matter

    #2: Google Local/Maps Adds Filters and Sorting

    The big reason Yelp is so much better than Google Maps/Local for finding a good local "place" isn't just the reviews (which Google aggregates from Yelp anyway). It's the filters that let me sort by features/pricing/proximity/open status/etc. Google's been playing the silly game of forcing users to choose search queries to enable rough, imperfect filtering, but 2011 is going to see the search engine shift to a model that allows at least some important filters/feature-selection.

    Local Filters in Yelp

    #3: Social Search Will Rise

    There's power in social media search, and Google/Bing's efforts to date have been lackluster at best. I suspect in 2011, we'll see the nascent beginning of search that leverages Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn connections to find results from your friends. It's possible this will start niche-based only (search articles your friends have shared, ala Trunk.ly), but it could also be broader - possibly something from Facebook or Twitter themselves.

    #4: Rank Tracking Will Be Possibly Through the Referral String

    Google's been slowly growing the percent of queries that contain the numeric position of the result in the referral data. Given how much this information means to marketers (even those who realize it's frequently not telling the whole story), and how much automated scraping/requests goes through each day, I'd venture to guess that Google will increase this further and maybe even add some support for it in GA (why force your engine to work harder and your impressions counts to suffer unnecessarily?)

    #5: Mobile Will Have a Negligible Effect on Search/SEO

    For years, I've heard the prognostication that SEO and search are going to be flipped on their heads once mobile query usage takes off. I'll boldly predict that not only will mobile usage of search NOT skyrocket in 2011 on the long-awaited J-curve, but that the mobile and normal web browsing experiences will continue to merge toward a single experience, thus negating much of the need for mobile-specific sites and SEO. They'll always be mobile-related marketing opportunities in games and local (though these are hardly limited to mobile devices), but  mobile SEO will pretty much just be "SEO."

    Mobile SERPs
    _

    #6: Software Will Become an SEO Standard

    For the decade I've been in SEO, software and tools have always been a "nice-to-have" and not a "must-have" (with the possible exception of web analytics). In 2011, I see several SEO software companies growing to critical mass based on the market's demand, possibly including: Raven Tools, Conductor's Searchlight, Brightedge, SearchMetrics, RankAbove, DIYSEO and/or GinzaMetrics. Hubspot, while more of a CMS/holistic marketing tool, will also likely fit in this group as their SEO offerings get stronger. Oh, and SEOmoz's Web App could do pretty well, too :-)

    #7: We'll Start to Move Away from the Title "SEO" to Something More All-Inclusive

    For years, I've prided myself being an SEO and embraced the title, the community, the positives and the negatives that come with it. But with the search engines expanding so far afield in the signals they consider and the verticals/media types they include, I have to face facts - SEO today calls for much more of a talented generalist than a pointed specialist. We need to be savvy about and good at so many facets of organic web marketing that to call us "SEOs" is less empowering and more limiting than in the past.

    SEO Skills
     

    Now I'd love to hear some of your predictions for 2011 and see who's earned scores predicting 2010 that gives them the right to guess about 2011.

    p.s. I didn't take the obvious "Google's going to crack down on more link spam" or "Social's going to be even more important" prediction gimmes, because I just don't think I'd respect myself tomorrow morning.


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  • OmniGraffle 5 Diagramming Essentials
    Published: November 20, 2010
    Source: Creative Edge

    Create better diagrams with less effort using OmniGraffle

    • Produce high-quality professional-looking diagrams that communicate information much better than words

    • Makes diagramming fun and simple for Macintosh users

    • Master the art of illustrating your ideas with OmniGraffle

    • Learn to draw engaging charts and graphs to grasp your viewers attention to your presentations

    • A hands-on guide filled with visual step-by-step examples that cover both the basics and the advanced features of OmniGraffle

    In Detail

    If a picture is worth a thousand words, why settle for anything less? Creating good visualizations to substantiate your ideas is essential in today's corporate environment. Use OmniGraffle's remarkably powerful and flexible features to get your diagrams right. Although fun to use, it can get cumbersome to find out exactly how to get what you want.

    This book will teach you how to make stunning diagrams without spending much time and energy. No matter if you have never used OmniGraffle, or if you are using it on a daily basis, this book will teach you how to get the most out of this splendid diagramming tool. It will first teach you the basics of the program and then extend your knowledge to a higher level.

    The book will teach you to make eye-popping visuals using a lot of useful, step-by-step examples. It begins with covering concepts that beef up your basics of using OmniGraffle. The earlier chapters will teach you to prepare dazzling diagrams from scratch with the many stencils, shapes, and fonts that are included in OmniGraffle. As your understanding of OmniGraffle broadens, the book will go even deeper to explain the less understood features of the software. It also covers some handy time-saving techniques such as workspaces and keyboard shortcuts.

    By the time you reach the end of this book, you will have mastered OmniGraffle to turn your ideas into diagrams.

    The only book to teach you everything about the best diagramming software for the Macintosh

  • Social Coupon Wars Heat Up Between Groupon and LivingSocial
    Published: December 3, 2010
    Source: Inc.com

    First came the announcement that Google is poised to acquire Andrew Mason’s Groupon for between $5.3 and $6 billion, the search giant’s biggest acquisition to date. Now comes the news that Amazon.com has made a $175 million investment in Groupon’s largest competitor, Washington, DC-based LivingSocial, which was on our 30 Under 30 list this year. At the same time, Lightspeed Ventures, an initial investor, put an additional $8 million into the company. AOL’s Steve Case is also a LivingSocial investor. Get ready for a battle for the hearts and minds of social coupon-loving consumers everywhere as these two young companies duke it out for market share with the help of their selected Goliaths.

    A spokesperson for the company says that LivingSocial will “use this investment to maintain a steady drumbeat of worldwide market launches and overall business growth while continuing to serve more than 10 million subscribers across the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia in more than 120 markets.” LivingSocial, which currently books on average $1 million a day, predicts over $500 million in revenue in 2011. “To be the biggest player in the local commerce space there is no one better to work with than Amazon,” said Tim O’Shaughnessy, CEO of LivingSocial. “As the social shopping space continues to heat up, LivingSocial is committed to staying focused on providing the high level of quality that consumers and merchants have come to expect when working with us.” LivingSocial expanded its business by acquiring adventure excursion company Urban Escapes, also a 30 Under 30 company, in October.

    Over at Mashable, Laruen Indvik suggests that a Groupon acquisition by Google may actually benefit Living Social if the deal – still not a done deal as of this writing – doesn’t culminate in a smooth integration of the spunky start-up. “It certainly wouldn’t be the first startup that has gone to Google to die,” she says. But if the Groupon/Google deal does happen, can a full acquisition of Living Social by Amazon be far behind? Then both Groupon and LivingSocial will face similar challenges. And consumers will surely see the face of the social coupon industry change radically. What about Groupon founder Andrew Mason and LivingSocial founder Tim O’Shaughnessy? Maybe they’ll be able to ditch their desks like Mint.com’s Aaron Patzer did! Stay tuned.



  • How to Run a Brainstorming Session
    Published: November 30, 2010
    Source: Inc.com
    <strong>Be Creative:</strong> Make sure there are plenty of ways for people to externalize their ideas. Provide materials that people can manipulate, such as markers, bulletin boards, or even modeling clay.

    Peek inside any one of design firm Ideo's conference rooms, which speckle the globe from Silicon Valley to Shanghai, and you will see what looks like the Ten Commandments of brainstorming etched onto the walls.

    "Defer judgment!" reads one stencil, admonishing the room's occupants to think twice before shooting down a seemingly wild idea.

    "Be visual!" screams another one, amid ample whiteboard space and oversized sketchpads, which have spawned prototypes for some of the most innovative products of the decade, including the Apple mouse and the Palm V.

    Brainstorming is so ingrained in Ideo's culture that "we actually put these rules on our business cards and give them to everyone," says Brendan Boyle, a partner at the firm who also teaches creativity and design classes at Stanford University. "It's almost like we evangelize brainstorming."

    Each day, Ideo's staffers spit out hundreds of ideas, and probably burn through just as many PowerBars. Here's how they spark good ideas during brief sessions in the office, and how your company can, too:

    Running a Brainstorming Session: A Meeting of Different Minds

    Boyle recommends inviting a mix of senior and junior staffers from a range of disciplines—from finance to design to engineering—that would suit the end goal of the session. In other words, he says, "make sure you get the chemistry right."

    Keith Sawyer, a professor of psychology and education at Washington University in St. Louis, calls it "group genius," or the idea that innovation requires cross-pollination from seemingly unrelated fields. But in his book of the same name, he stresses that the people in the group must have enough in common to share the same vision.

    "There needs to be that feeling of, 'we're in this together, we're doing something that's really important, and we really need to pull together and get this done,'" he says. "Without that sense of ambition, diversity can actually be a challenge and make the team less effective."

    Dig Deeper: Rounding Up Staff Ideas

    Running a Brainstorming Session: Set up the Space

    "The worst way to do brainstorming is to just sit around and talk," says Sawyer, who recommends holding the session in a bright, spacious room that allows for standing up and walking around.

    Make sure there are plenty of ways for people to externalize their ideas. Provide materials that people can manipulate, he adds, such as markers, bulletin boards, or even modeling clay.

    Ideo uses easel-sized Post-it Notes to sketch out ideas as they flow. The method has led to many successful products, including that for the Jumperoo by Fisher-Price, which is similar to a doorway jumper for infants and toddlers but has a freestanding base.

    "Moms hated the jumper that hung from doorways because it blocked key passageways and they were scared it would fall down," says Boyle, who called a brainstorming session to solve the problem. "One thing we love to do is quick sketches, and out of that session was a quick sketch of the prototype that we made for the Jumperoo."

    The product, now five years old, sells about 1 million units a year and has become something of a YouTube sensation. With more than 6,000 videos of babies bouncing around in Jumperoos on YouTube, Boyle says, "people love that product—it was a tremendous success."

    Dig Deeper: Ready, Set, Innovate!

    Running a Brainstorming Session: Check Your Title at the Door

    Nothing kills a brainstorming session—or encourages brownnosing—like an intimidating authority figure, says Boyle, who recalled a meeting at his first job out of college, during which the boss came in and hijacked the brainstorming process. "Of course everyone sat back and agreed with him," he says.

    That doesn't mean the boss shouldn't attend, adds Boyle. He or she just shouldn't sit at the head of the table and assume control.

    That said, it's usually a good idea for someone to assume the role of facilitator, he advises, whether that means just standing in front of a whiteboard and jotting down ideas, or keeping staffers from dwelling on one idea for too long.

    Dig Deeper: Unleashing Employee Creativity

    Running a Brainstorming Session: It's all About the Quantity

    The goal of the brainstorming session should be to generate as many ideas as possible. Boyle notes that many brainstorming newbies make the mistake of trying to come up with the best idea, which encourages too much judgment.

    "You certainly don't want ideas being judged negatively, like, ‘Oh, that idea's terrible. We've tried it before,'" he says, since it can kill confidence and keep people from voicing less conventional ideas.

    At Ideo, about 75 to 100 ideas are generated per brainstorming session. Have the facilitator keep the momentum going by pushing for more ideas, similar to the way an auctioneer would push for a higher bid. "Tell them, ‘All right we just got to 50, let's get to 60, let's get to 75,'" says Boyle. "Once you reach your goal number, then you can go back and be ruthless and evaluate everything. Because you have more ideas, chances are that you'll probably arrive at a better idea."

    Dig Deeper: The 48-Hour Rule

    Running a Brainstorming Session: Make Generating Ideas a Part of the Culture

    "A brainstorming session is almost like a band-aid—a quick fix," says Sawyer. "It's not necessarily going to happen on Friday at 2 p.m., when we've got the brainstorming meeting scheduled."

    The best way to brainstorm, he says, is to infuse the process into your company's culture. In his book, he lauds the Delaware-based firm W.L. Gore & Associates, which makes waterproof fabric. Calling it "dabble time," the company asks its staffers to spend 10 percent of their week working on whatever they want.

    "All of their new innovations emerge during this dabble time," adds Sawyer. "The idea is that new products emerge from the bottom up. They don't come from an R&D lab and they don't come from marketing surveys. They come from individual employees independently deciding how to pursue their time."

    Dig Deeper: Stuck? Pass the Play-Doh



  • Creative Kids Photography
    Published: December 1, 2010
    Source: Design Mom

    jason lee creative kids photography sistersjason lee creative kids photography sistersjason lee creative kids photography sistersjason lee creative kids photography sisters

    These images by coolest dad ever, Jason Lee, are fantastic! The sisters look so happy and loved, don’t you think? You can read an interview of Jason Lee here. Thanks for the link, Renee.

    P.S. — Speaking of fun and kids, my kids would LOVE this product.

    jason lee creative kids photography sistersjason lee creative kids photography sistersjason lee creative kids photography sistersjason lee creative kids photography sisters

  • Instagram Captures Their First Big Brand Partner: National Geographic
    Published: November 30, 2010
    Source: TechCrunch

    There seems to be a common cycle for many startups. First, you capture users. Then, you capture brands/celebrities. Then you capture revenues. Most startups never make it past step one, let alone steps two and three. The mobile photo sharing service Instagram rocketed past step one in about a week. And then kept going. Now it’s time to explore step two. Which is exactly what they’re doing with their first major brand partnership: National Geographic.

    The partnership seems like an obvious one since Instagram is all about great-looking pictures, and National Geographic is known for great-looking pictures. “National Geographic makes a ton of sense as an initial partner – they’re a fantastic company with such a rich visual history. Given that they’re so visually oriented, it’s a no-brainer that we’re going to be trying some interesting stuff out with them over the next few months,” Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom tells us.

    He notes that they’ve been talking to National Geographic for weeks about a potential partnership and what it could mean and how it could work. “Basically, we’ve been going back and forth — brainstorming ideas for how NG can participate in the community,” Systrom says. He says that it remains to be seen exactly how National Geographic will use the service, but says that engaging their fans will be a first priority.

    “They’d like to participate more actively with their fans through photos – whether it’s enabling people from around the world to tell their story through an interesting prompt/contest, or crowd sourcing images for an upcoming story — everything’s on the table,” he says.

    “They’ve also got a huge photographer/reporter base that could contribute images ‘on the ground’ as things happen — imagine a ‘live’ version of National Geographic. But again, this is all very early, and we’re excited to figure out how NG and other brands can fully utilize our platform,” Systrom continues.

    Systrom also notes that while they have been talking to other potential partners, they have nothing else to announce just yet. “Talking with brands has always been on our todo list – but doing so only really makes sense when you reach a certain scale to provide a big enough audience. Instagram is quickly becoming a standard tool in people’s social media toolkit, and it’s natural to start talking to brands about how they can leverage the visual nature of Instagram,” he says.

    He also declined to give any specific numbers in terms of their current userbase nuumbers, but it seems pretty likely that they’re already close to a million users (if not past the milestone).

    Things are pretty busy at the old Twitter office.


  • Instagram Captures Their First Big Brand Partner: National Geographic
    Published: November 30, 2010
    Source: TechCrunch

    There seems to be a common cycle for many startups. First, you capture users. Then, you capture brands/celebrities. Then you capture revenues. Most startups never make it past step one, let alone steps two and three. The mobile photo sharing service Instagram rocketed past step one in about a week. And then kept going. Now it’s time to explore step two. Which is exactly what they’re doing with their first major brand partnership: National Geographic.

    The partnership seems like an obvious one since Instagram is all about great-looking pictures, and National Geographic is known for great-looking pictures. “National Geographic makes a ton of sense as an initial partner – they’re a fantastic company with such a rich visual history. Given that they’re so visually oriented, it’s a no-brainer that we’re going to be trying some interesting stuff out with them over the next few months,” Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom tells us.

    He notes that they’ve been talking to National Geographic for weeks about a potential partnership and what it could mean and how it could work. “Basically, we’ve been going back and forth — brainstorming ideas for how NG can participate in the community,” Systrom says. He says that it remains to be seen exactly how National Geographic will use the service, but says that engaging their fans will be a first priority.

    “They’d like to participate more actively with their fans through photos – whether it’s enabling people from around the world to tell their story through an interesting prompt/contest, or crowd sourcing images for an upcoming story — everything’s on the table,” he says.

    “They’ve also got a huge photographer/reporter base that could contribute images ‘on the ground’ as things happen — imagine a ‘live’ version of National Geographic. But again, this is all very early, and we’re excited to figure out how NG and other brands can fully utilize our platform,” Systrom continues.

    Systrom also notes that while they have been talking to other potential partners, they have nothing else to announce just yet. “Talking with brands has always been on our todo list – but doing so only really makes sense when you reach a certain scale to provide a big enough audience. Instagram is quickly becoming a standard tool in people’s social media toolkit, and it’s natural to start talking to brands about how they can leverage the visual nature of Instagram,” he says.

    He also declined to give any specific numbers in terms of their current userbase nuumbers, but it seems pretty likely that they’re already close to a million users (if not past the milestone).

    Things are pretty busy at the old Twitter office.


  • Facebook Co-Founder Launches Social Network for Social Good, Jumo [IMAGE]
    Published: November 30, 2010
    Source: Mashable!


    Today, users can start connecting with all their favorite social causes in one online sphere, as Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has launched his much-buzzed-about social network, Jumo.

    Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign’s director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. At that time the site existed merely as a homepage featuring a rather intriguing survey box that asked the site visitor an array of questions from, “If you had a daughter tomorrow, which would you name her?” to “Would you say the world is getting better or worse?” Upon answering these queries, you could also submit your e-mail address to get more information as it came.

    Since the site first came on our radar, we here at Mashable have waited with interest to see what Hughes would reveal. Would the site have its desired effect: Bringing together those interested in social change to expedite global do-gooding? And, more simply, what would it look like? Would it be easy to use?

    A couple of months ago, we got a little more insight into the project when Hughes spoke at the Mashable & 92Y Social Good Summit in New York City about the inspiration behind Jumo — how, after the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake, he saw people reaching out to those in need and the incredible response of the online community.

    He also saw that reactions like this are not enough. Instead of having the doing-good-at-Thanksgiving-time mentality (i.e. being galvanized by big events and holidays), people need to be involved with their causes of choice year-round. And that’s where Jumo comes in.

    Jumo was designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, and with 3,500 organizations on board at launch, would-be philanthropists should be able to find and follow something of interest upon joining. (For comparison’s sake — Apple’s Ping had 2,000 artists two months out of the gate.)

    We have yet to actually get our mitts on the site, but Hughes gave us a walkthrough that revealed how easy to use and intuitive the layout is. In fact, it’s very similar to Facebook. Upon signing up via Facebook Connect, which lets you easily find friends on the site, you can begin to shape your Jumo experience by figuring out “What You’re Interested In” by way of selecting “Issues.”

    “This is to get a sense of who someone is, what they’re passionate about, what’s meaningful to them,” Hughes says. “It’s the first way to figure out what a person might want to see more of.”

    Every Issue also has a page that you can follow, allowing you to discover more organizations over time.

    After choosing your Issues, you can either drill down to find more specific Issues (think education reforms, schools, at-risk youth, etc.), or sort through “Projects” affiliated with that space and select which ones you would like to follow. You can also sort through Projects by location, finding those close to you, if you are so inclined.

    Once you choose your Projects and click “Done,” you’re transferred to your homepage, which, again, is very similar to Facebook’s. It even has a newsfeed of sorts with updates from all the projects, people and issues you’re following. It also has a “Talk” section showing social updates from Projects and people you follow.

    “Our real mission is to make it as easy as possible for people to be able to find these organizations and then connect with them in a substantive way,” Hughes says. The site even features its own “Like” buttons, which allow you to “Like” a news story or video posted by a Project you follow and share that story on your own profile page, which is basically a feed of your activity on the site. That way, you can see what your friends are interested in and check out Issues and Projects they might be involved with. You can also “Like” organization pages via Facebook “Like” buttons, thereby sharing that info with your Facebook friends.

    “It’s all geared to answer the question: What does [insert name] care about?” Hughes says.

    In addition to joining as an individual, you can also add Projects to the site — so long as they pertain to social or environmental issues. “We’re an open platform where anyone can create a profile or an organization page. You have to be vetted by the IRS to be able to receive any money from anyone on the Jumo platform [via a donation button], but anyone can create a page,” Hughes says.

    By joining Jumo, a Project can pull all its social streams into one place — Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, blogs, etc. That way, followers can check out a wealth of information on a single organization all in one framework.

    Again, Project pages are a lot like Fan Pages on Facebook, however the key difference here is that the focus seems to be less on the individual than on the organization. On Facebook, it’s more about the connections you make with friends than those you do with brands/bands/etc. Jumo focuses much more on creating a space where you can learn more about organizations, and thereby take action.

    At this juncture, you’re probably thinking: “So what does this site actually do? Isn’t this just another form of the infamous slacktivism?”

    “I think that when people click a ‘Like’ button or follow something on Twitter or sign up for an e-mail list, it’s the first statement of support for any interest,” Hughes says. “It doesn’t mean that they don’t then go out and do things like knock on doors and go to protests or go to rallies or go volunteer or donate. They do do these things.”

    “We can make it easier for people to connect with the professionals working in a lot of fields in order to make change happen. There are a million different groups out there working day in, day out to provide healthcare or education services, or do good government work and I think that our challenge is not to use social media to reinvent the engagement paradigm, but instead to support the work of the people who are out there getting the job done, day in, day out.”

    Reviews: Facebook, Flickr, Mashable, Twitter

    More About: chris hughes, facebook, jumo, social good, social media, startup

    For more Startups coverage:

  • Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Published: November 29, 2010
    Source: Smashing Magazine Feed
    Advertisement in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design  in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design  in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design

    How do you make decisions? If you’re like most people, you’ll probably answer that you pride yourself on weighing the pros and cons of a situation carefully and then make a decision based on logic. You know that other people have weak personalities and are easily swayed by their emotions, but this rarely happens to you.

    You’ve just experienced the fundamental attribution error — the tendency to believe that other people’s behaviour is due to their personality (“Josh is late because he’s a disorganised person”) whereas our behaviour is due to external circumstances (“I’m late because the directions were useless”).

    Cognitive biases like these play a significant role in the way we make decisions so it’s not surprising that people are now examining these biases to see how to exploit them in the design of web sites. I’m going to use the term ‘persuasion architects’ to describe designers who knowingly use these techniques to influence the behaviour of users. (Many skilled designers already use some of these psychological techniques intuitively — but they wouldn’t be able to articulate why they have made a particular design choice. The difference between these designers and persuasion architects is that persuasion architects use these techniques intentionally).

    There are 7 main weapons of influence in the persuasion architect’s arsenal:

    How do persuasion architects apply these principles to influence our behaviour on the web?

    Reciprocation

    “I like to return favours.”

    This principle tells us that if we feel we have been done a favour, we will want to return it. If somebody gives you a gift, invites you to a party or does you a good turn, you feel obliged to do the same at some future date.

    Persuasion architects exploit this principle by giving users small gifts — a sample chapter from a book, a regular newsletter or just useful information — in the knowledge that users will feel a commitment to offer something in return.

    Free-sample1 in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 1: Book publishers offer free sample chapters in the hope that you’ll reciprocate the favour and buy the book.

    That ‘something in return’ need not be a purchase (not yet, anyway). Persuasion architects know that they need to contact prospective customers on several occasions before they become an actual customer — this is why regular newsletters are a staple offering in the persuasion architect’s toolkit. So in return they may simply ask for a referral, or a link to a web site, or a comment on a blog. And note the emphasis on ‘ask’. Persuasion architects are not shy of asking for the favour that you ‘owe’ them. (By the way, if you’ve enjoyed this article, please share it on Twitter!).

    Seth-small in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 2: Seth Godin knows how to leverage the principle of reciprocation. This comes from one of Seth’s free PDFs and you’ll notice he’s not shy of asking you to return the favour. Large view

    Commitment

    “I like to do what I say.”

    This principle tells us that we like to believe that our behaviour is consistent with our beliefs. Once you take a stand on something that is visible to other people, you suddenly feel a drive to maintain that point of view to appear reliable and constant.

    A familiar example of this in action is when comments on a blog degrade into a flame war. Commentators are driven to justify their earlier comments and often become even more polarised in their positions.

    Flamewar in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 3: Flamewars.net contains many examples of people justifying their commitment to comments they have made on a blog posting.

    Persuasion architects apply this principle by asking for a relatively minor, but visible, commitment from you. They know that if they can get you to act in a particular way, you’ll soon start believing it. For example, an organisation may ask you to ‘Like’ one of their products on Facebook to watch a video or get access to particular content. Once this appears in your NewsFeed, you have made a public commitment to the product and feel more inclined to support it.

    Oxfam-facebook in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 4: Oxfam uses the principle of commitment in the knowledge that a small change in behaviour will lead to larger changes later on.

    Social Proof

    “I go with the flow.”

    This principle tells us that we like to observe other people’s behaviour to judge what’s normal, and then we copy it.

    Persuasion architects apply this principle by showing us what other people are doing on their web sites. For example, researchers at Columbia University set up a web site that asked people to listen to, rate and download songs by unsigned bands. Some people just saw the names of the songs and bands, while others — the “social influence” group — also saw how many times the songs had been downloaded by other people.

    In this second group, the most popular songs were much more popular (and the least popular songs were less popular) than in the independent condition, showing that people’s behaviour was influenced by the crowd. Even more surprisingly, when they ran the experiment again, the particular songs that became “hits” were different, showing that social influence didn’t just make the hits bigger but also made them more unpredictable.

    Proof in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 5: 1 million people can’t be wrong (from thenextweb.com).

    Some familiar examples of social proof on the web are, “People who shopped for this product also looked at…” feature and Amazon’s, “What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?”.

    Persuasion architects also exploit this principle in the power of defaults. They know that the default setting of a user interface control has a powerful influence over people’s behaviour. We tend to see the default setting as a ‘recommended’ option — the option that most other people would choose in our situation. There are many examples of this being used as a black hat usability technique, where additional items (like insurance) are sneaked into the user’s basket.

    Fig-6 in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 6: When you book a flight, RyanAir sneak travel insurance into your basket too.

    Authority

    “I’m more likely to act on information if it’s communicated by an expert.”

    This principle is about influencing behaviour through credibility. People are more likely to take action if the message comes from a credible and authoritative source. That’s why you’ll hear people name dropping and it’s also what drives retweets on Twitter.

    Fig-7 in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 7: A tweet from @smashingmag is likely to be retweeted because the brand has such authority.

    For design guidance, we can turn to the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab (founded by B.J. Fogg) as they have developed a number of guidelines for the credibility of web sites. These guidelines are based on research with over 4,500 people and are based on peer-reviewed, scientific research. Thanks to their research, we know that you should highlight the expertise in your organisation and in the content and services you provide; show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site; and avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.

    Persuasion architects exploit this principle by providing glowing testimonials on their web site. If it’s an e-commerce site they will have highly visible icons showing the site is secure and can be trusted. If the site includes a forum, they’ll give people the opportunity to rate their peers: for example, some web forums (like Yahoo! Answers) let users vote up (or down) answers to posted questions. The top ranked answer is then perceived to be the most authoritative.

    Uxex in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 8: UXExchange allows users to vote up and vote down answers to questions, ensuring that the most authoritative answer rises to the top.

    Scarcity

    “If it’s running out, I want it.”

    This principle tells us that people are more likely to want something if they think it is available only for a limited time or if it is in short supply. Intriguingly, this isn’t just about the fear of missing out (a kind of reverse social proof). Scarcity actually makes stuff appear more valuable. For example, psychologists have shown that if you give people a chocolate biscuit from a jar, they rate the biscuit as more enjoyable if it comes from a jar with just 2 biscuits than from a jar with 10.

    Persuasion architects exploit this by revealing scarcity in the design of the interface. This could be an item of clothing that is running short in your size, theatre tickets that are running out, or invitations to a beta launch. They know that perceived scarcity will generate demand.

    Related to this is the ‘closing down’ sale. One of the artists at my friend’s art co-op recently decided to quit the co-op and announced this with a sign in-store. She had a big rush on sales of her art. Then she decided not to quit after all. So pretending to go out of business might be a ploy!

    Fig-9 in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design

    Fig. 9: Phrases like ‘only 4 left in stock’ seem to stimulate a primal urge not to miss out.

    Framing

    “I’m strongly influenced by the way prices are framed.”

    This principle acknowledges that people aren’t very good at estimating the absolute value of what they are buying. People make comparisons, either against the alternatives you show them or some external benchmark.

    One example is the way a restaurant uses an “anchor” dish on its menu: this is an overpriced dish whose sole aim is to make everything else near it look like a relative bargain. Another example is the Goldilocks effect where you provide users with three alternative choices. However, two of the choices are decoys: one is an overpriced, gold plated version of your product; another is a barely functional base version. The third choice — the one you want people to choose — sits midway between the other two and so feels “just right.”

    Fig-10 in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 10: BT’s ‘Unlimited broadband and calls’ options seem deliberately overpriced compared to the ‘TV, Broadband and Calls’ option presumably since it wants to to boost its share of TV customers.

    Salience

    “My attention is drawn to what’s relevant to me right now.”

    This principle tells us that people are more likely to pay attention to elements in your user interface that are novel (such as a coloured ‘submit’ button) and that are relevant to where there are in their task. For example, there are specific times during a purchase when shoppers are more likely to investigate a promotion or a special offer. By identifying these seducible moments you’ll learn when to offer a customer an accessory for a product they have bought.

    Help in Persuasion Triggers in Web Design
    Fig. 11: After placing an order for a TV at the Comet web site, the designers encourage you to add other relevant items to your basket. This is exactly the right time to make the offer: once you’ve ordered the TV they remind you that you’ll need to install it.

    Where to go next

    Here are some great resources to find out more about persuasion architecture.

    • Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini: This is the book that started it all. Although it was first published in 1984, it still serves as a wonderful introduction to the research carried out in the area.
    • MINDSPACE: Influencing behaviour through public policy: A series of reports and guides from a UK Government think tank on how to apply these principles to improving public policy.
    • Design with intent: A blog by Dan Lockton, providing many examples of how designers use these kinds of technique to influence behaviour.
    • The behaviour wizard: A wizard-style interface that helps you work out how to create behaviour change, based on a model created by BJ Fogg.
    • The Nudge blog: A blog by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein that describes many examples of behaviour change based on what they call ‘change architecture’.

    Related Posts

    You may be interested in the following related posts:

    (ik) (vf)

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  • Mozilla is Designing a New Programming Language Language Called Rust
    Published: November 29, 2010
    Source: ReadWriteWeb

    Mozilla is designing a new multi-paradigm programming language called Rust. According to the Rust Project FAQ, the Rust team's goal is "To design and implement a safe, concurrent, practical, static systems language."

    Rust began as a side project by Graydon Hoare in 2006, and Mozilla got involved in 2009 once the project was mature enough to run some basic tests. The language is now published on Github, but is in no sense production-ready.

    Sponsor

    Here's a code sample from the Rust Language FAQ:

    Rust code sample

    Here's a list of features from the Language FAQ:

    Safety oriented:


    • Memory safe. No null pointers, wild pointers, etc. Automatic storage management.

    • Mutability control. Immutable by default. No shared mutable state across tasks.

    • Dynamic execution safety: task failure / unwinding, trapping, logging. RAII / dtors.

    • Typestate system: ability to define complex invariants that hold over data structures.

    Concurrency and efficiency oriented:


    • Explicit memory control. Layout and allocation control. Interior / value types.

    • Very lightweight tasks (coroutines). Cheap to spawn thousands-to-millions.

    • Stack iterators (effectively lambda-blocks w/o heap allocation).

    • Static, native compilation. Emits ELF / PE / Mach-o files.

    • Direct and simple interface to C code (switch stacks and call, ~8 insns).

    Practicality oriented:


    • Multi-paradigm. pure-functional, concurrent-actor, imperative-procedural, OO.

    • First class functions with bindings.

    • Structurally-typed objects (no nominal types or type hierarchy).

    • Multi-platform. Developed on Windows, Linux, OSX.

    • UTF8 strings, assortment of machine-level types.

    • Works with existing native toolchains. GDB / Valgrind / Shark / etc.

    • Practical rule-breaking: can break safety rules, if explicit about where and how.

    In addition to Hoare, other contributors include Ecma committee member Dave Herman and JavaScript creator and Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich.

    Ed Borasky recently commented here at ReadWriteHack: "We flat out don't need any more programming languages! What we need is *efficient* implementations of the ones we have now and IDEs / version control systems that enforce software engineering discipline."

    Do you agree? Do we have enough programming languages, or is there a need for more experimentation?

    Discuss

 

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