As Google Sites Surpasses 10 Billion Video Views, Do TV Networks Still Matter?

September 29th, 2009 • Industry News, Studies & Research
Tags: comScore, google, youtube

Do traditional TV networks still matter? Recent attempts by networks to find online video business models has revealed the tension between the networks’ willingness to experiment and their desire to control how their content is distributed.

In August, online video reached another all-time high with more than 25 billion videos viewed during the month, according comScore. With YouTube accounting for 99% of its video views, Google was able to rake in more than 10 billion video views in total for the month of August in the U.S. — an increase of more than a billion views in just one month. comScore also credits the internet giant with nearly 40% of the total market share for all online video views. Other notable findings from August 2009 include:

• The average online video viewer watched 582 minutes of video, or 9.7 hours.
• 120.5 million viewers watched nearly 10 billion videos on YouTube.com (82.6 videos per viewer).
• 44.9 million viewers watched 340 million videos on MySpace.com (7.6 videos per viewer).
• The average Hulu viewer watched 12.7 videos, totaling 1 hour and 17 minutes of videos per viewer.
• The duration of the average online video was 3.7 minutes.

No More Sidestepping The Issues: Sidewiki

September 28th, 2009 • Emerging Technology, Publishing, Social Business
Tags: aggregation, annotation, commenting, feedback, google, platforms, Sidewiki

Last Wednesday, Google announced the launch of Sidewiki, the latest addition to the Google Toolbar… and potential anxiety instigator for brand managers everywhere. Google describes Sidewiki optimistically, saying:

“Help and learn from others as you browse the web.”

“Contribute helpful information to any web page.”

“What if you could learn from others who have visited a page before you?”

Simply put, Sidewiki allows you to comment on or annotate any website. Continuing its mission to make information relevant and readily available, Google has tossed another knowledge management tool into the ring. As we already do with Twitter, Facebook or Get Satisfaction, we can learn from the experiences of others and throw up flags and gold stars to help each other out (an optimist’s view). Seth Godin became the first case study for Sidewiki with his “Squidoo/Brand Jacking” scandal last week (a bit on that here). Unable to comment on Seth’s blog or the Squidoo page about ‘Brand Pages’, readers looked to Sidewiki to collect their frustrations.

This tool bares some considerable power and issues to consider. Sidewiki represents another avenue to be monitored and engaged… or not… depending on your strategy. Whether you participate or not, it is another cog in the social branding process. Users of Google Toolbar and Chrome will see comments and annotation right next to your web page, whether you like it or not. That’s where the difference lies. Even though comments will be displayed right next to their web page, publishers don’t control the feedback platform. It can’t be turned off or moderated. Co-creation of content is the oft sited holy grail of brand/consumer relationships. In this case, Google is facilitating the co-creation of your brand on their turf and plastering it right next to yours.

Sidewiki comments on Seth Godin's blog

Time for some perspective: not much is new here. There are no shortage of tools that host and aggregate annotation and feedback. In that regard, Sidewiki is just another tool on the list. The importance and principles of listening, learning and engaging to create good relationships remain. Sidewiki should provoke you to again consider: how do you want to participate in the creation of content that contributes to how you are defined?

As a user, my biggest concerns using any feedback platform are realibility, relevance and civility. Google is touting an algorithm for Sidewiki that will present comments in order of their quality and utility rather than order of submission. Beyond the relevance of your comment, it also considers feedback from other users, previous entries you’ve made and a few other unnamed ’signals’ (more on that here).

In what seems to be an attempt to reconcile the issue of where the content resides, Sidewiki offers an API allowing developers to work with its content. I’m presuming we’ll see the API used to replicate the functionality of Wordpress plugins that aggregate Twitter commentary on blog posts in the near future.

I’m looking forward to seeing the evolution of Sidewiki and the use of its API. As always, listening and learning will pave the way to success.

Twitter’s Latest Valuation: $1 Billion

September 25th, 2009 • Industry News, Social Networks
Tags: TechCrunch, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, twitter

(Image via TechCrunch)

Twitter, the hot microblogging service, is set to close a round of financing of around $100 million that values the three-and-a-half-year-old start-up at $1 billion, according to The New York Times.

Twitter’s last round of financing, raised in February, valued the firm at $250 million, meaning Twitter has quadrupled in value in less than a year.

The news of the new valuation was first reported last week by the blog TechCrunch. This morning, details about some of the new investors and the timing were added by the Web site of The Wall Street Journal.

So, faithful readers, is Twitter worth all of the fuss? No one has quite figured out a business model for Twitter yet, but obviously the company is generating a lot of buzz. It was just a few years ago no one could understand why Twitter was getting so much coverage, but now it’s raising money with a billion dollar valuation. Did the early explosion of coverage make that happen? Or was the early coverage simply serving as a predictor that it would eventually happen?

Microsoft Tests Social Media Monitoring Product

September 24th, 2009 • Emerging Technology, Industry News, Measurement
Tags: Looking Glass, microsoft

Microsoft has developed a social media analytics tool that’s designed, among other things, to improve a marketing organization’s ability to adjust to social media phenomena on the fly.

Called “Looking Glass,” the product is still in prototype and will only be available to a few companies in the near term. It sends e-mail alerts when social media activity picks up considerably. The sentiment (i.e., negative or positive) of that chatter and the influence level of the content creator are reported in the alert. Digital flow charts show what days of the week generate the most activity on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and other social media sites.

But interweaving social media data with reporting from other campaign channels may turn out be Microsoft’s most significant contribution to the already mature field of social media analytics. Feeds from social media sites can be connected to other business elements like customer databases, CRM centers and sales data within an organization. The data integrate via Microsoft’s enterprise platforms like Outlook and Sharepoint.

A handful or so companies will begin testing Looking Glass in the coming weeks. According to a spokesperson, the company hopes to release it to the broader marketing public sometime next year.

While testing the system during the past nine months, Marty Taylor Collins, a group marketing manager for Microsoft, said the information acquired on at least two occasions saved her department from a serious misstep. First, the tool halted her team’s plan to discontinue an ad campaign when it helped them discover that a lead character had quietly become popular. In another instance, a PR disaster was averted during the beta-test release of Windows 7, after a system crashed just after launch.

“We love to push out content and [social media] is a great channel for that,” she said. “But if you are not using it as a listening tool, then you are really not getting the complete benefit of a Twitter or a Facebook because a part of [your] job is to watch the conversations on the wall.”

As a possible example for everyday organizational uses, an electronics manufacturer could find out if an angry blogger is at all connected to one of its bigger distributor or retailer customers. Or an automaker could overlay its sales and support data information in the tool and analyze those factors with what’s being said about its brand or car models at Facebook.

More on the Microsoft blog.

Swift Response to Net Neutrality Proposals

September 24th, 2009 • Industry News, Legal Issues
Tags: communications, FCC, net neutrality, The Progress and Freedom Foundation

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Monday proposed stricter rules to ensure that wireless and wireline Internet providers don’t block or slow traffic over their networks, a widely anticipated move that drew swift criticism from the telecommunications industry.

In a speech before the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Julius Genachowski outlined plans to codify and expand “open Internet” guidelines first endorsed by the FCC in 2005. The Obama appointee said that instances of carriers obstructing online telephone services, intentionally degrading peer-to-peer file sharing and preventing access to political content, threaten to stifle technical advances and compromise the free flow of information.

“We have an obligation to ensure that the Internet is an enduring engine for U.S. economic growth, and a foundation for democracy in the 21st century,” Genachowski said.
Telecom trade associations and free market groups generally portrayed the announcement as unnecessary government meddling with the potential to undermine investment and complicate the legitimate need to manage traffic, spam and malware.

The FCC’s original policy stated that network operators can’t stop users from accessing lawful Internet content, applications and services or prevent them from connecting “non-harmful” devices, such as smart phones. On Monday, Genachowski advocated additional rules to prevent broadband providers from discriminating against particular types of content or applications, by for instance degrading service, and to ensure that carriers are transparent about the way they manage their network.

Open access advocates and online companies like Google Inc. of Mountain View have long argued that allowing carriers to throttle traffic based on sites or applications creates de facto gatekeepers with the power to pick online winners and losers. They applauded the announcement on Monday.

“This is a pivotal moment for the future of the Internet,” said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press, on a conference call today.

In particular, he said the rules would the stop telephone and cable companies from pursuing their stated intention of beginning to sell “prioritization or quality of service” to companies. “Under such a model, the carriers would essentially say: ‘We can’t guarantee your application will work unless you pay us and then we’ll make sure yours work at the expense of others.’ That business model of pay for play . . . replicates the commercial market power that we have in every other dominant media form (including radio, television, magazines and newspapers). It reverses the most exceptional and dynamic thing about the Internet, which is that it is open.”

The net neutrality debate has heated up in the wireless arena in recent weeks, as controversy swirled over Apple Inc.’s decisions to block various applications from its popular iPhones. Notably, it denied the Google Voice app, a potential competitor to Apple’s carrier partner, AT&T Inc. Similar disputes have arisen over smart phone makers discouraging the use of their devices as wireless modems for laptops. How the proposed rules would affect these issues will depend on their final form.

Genachowski invited feedback from the industry, consumers and others, and said the FCC will hold public workshops as it begins the rule making process.

“This is not about government regulation of the Internet,” Genachowski said. “It’s about fair rules of the road for companies that control access to the Internet.”

Read more here.

A Truly Remarkable Experience

September 22nd, 2009 • Clients, Events
Tags: Be Remarkable, Client, Diageo, Event, Guinness, Ottawa

This year, we’re proudly celebrating the 250th anniversary of Guinness and last weekend we went to Ottawa with Guinness master brewer Fergal Murray for a truly remarkable experience. In celebration of its 250th anniversary, Guinness asked Canadians what they would consider to be a “remarkable” experience. Of over 800 entries submitted, Simon Halpin’s request to tour Canada’s local breweries and record the stories of the people who run them, stood out as it embodied the core characteristics of Arthur Guinness himself: inspiration, dedication, ingenuity and effort.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Simon moved to Canada at the age of four. His uncle worked at Guinness from a young age and later became a brewmaster in Kilkenny for Smithwicks. Simon’s entry was inspired by a memory of his uncle coming to Canada with a goal of meeting local brewers to learn about their passion for the business. This passion for the craft is the spirit behind the gathering on September 19th.

Guinness fulfilled that remarkable experience for Simon at Ottawa’s Heart and Crown pub and invited local craft brewers to join. Simon had his experience, lucky Guinness socks in tow (see the image above), and the event was a great success enjoyed by all.

com.motion was proud to hear that Simon will be starting his own blog to share his remarkable experience with friends, family and fellow Guinness lovers.

Simon’s experience will become one of a handful of remarkable experiences that Guinness will fulfill in celebration of its 250th anniversary this year.

Augmented Reality for Wifi Hotspots

September 18th, 2009 • Augmented Reality
Tags: hotspot, wifi, wireless, worksnug

If you’re a road warrior or just someone who’s out of the office occasionally, there are times when you need to connect your laptop to the Internet.

Locating a Wi-Fi connection can be a challenge because it’s difficult to find places that offer Wi-Fi and get information about what those places are like such as whether they serve good coffee and food, and whether there are enough places to sit.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of tools and services that are making it easier – and more interesting – to find places offering Wi-Fi.

One of the most intriguing is Worksnug, which is creating technology that uses augmented reality to “find the nearest and best places to work”.

Although Worksnug has yet to launch, a video on its Web site shows how you can use an iPhone app and the iPhone’s camera to scan a particular location. As you scan, information about places with Wi-Fi appears on the screen. If the service works as well as Worksnug suggests, it would be truly innovative and cool.

Worksnug is slated to launch in London and San Francisco before expanding to other places around the world. Unfortunately, Toronto isn’t on Worksnug’s priority list but you never know what a little lobbying might do!

To see a demo of Worksnug, check out this video.

Vintage’s “Taste Ontario” Event

September 17th, 2009 • Clients, Events
Tags: bryan feheley, com.motion News, Lynn Eastep, Taste Ontario, Wine Council of Ontario

Veritas Communications Promotes Lynn Eastep to Senior Vice President, com.motion North America

September 11th, 2009 • com.motion News
Tags: com.motion News, Lynn Eastep

As managing director at com.motion HQ here in Toronto, I am honoured to be the one who gets to announce the promotion of Lynn Eastep from General Manager to Senior Vice President for com.motion North America. Lynn is an absolute firecracker, as anyone who has had the fortune of meeting her will testify, and we are thrilled for her in her new position. Lynn will continue to add exponential value to all of our clients, particularly when it comes to integrating online and offline Word of Mouth. With more than 15 years of digital communications experience, Lynn has delivered award-winning and sophisticated marketing solutions for Fortune 500 corporations, major government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and household-name consumer brands.

Lynn is connected to the industry and trend and is a strategic thinker with intense curiosity. She is, without doubt, an eclectic user of information, and to call her an engaging storyteller would be doing her a disservice! She is a team player who is passionate, curious, positive, and courageous.

The full news release is below, but if you would like more information, on Lynn or on com.motion, please let me know.

You can find Lynn online on Twitter as @lynneastep or connect on LinkedIn or just peruse her excellent blog posts on our com.motion blog.

Toronto, September 11, 2009 — Beverley Hammond, president of Veritas Communications today announced the promotion of Lynn Eastep to the position of Senior Vice President of com.motion North America, the agency’s growing social media and online communications practice.

Eastep, whose most recent position was General Manager, will oversee the practice that offers a full spectrum of social media and digital strategies to clients. She will also be responsible for business development across North America.

Prior to joining com.motion, Eastep held the position of Senior Vice President and Partner for Fleishman-Hillard Digital, where she drove social media program development for such clients as Nestle, AT&T, and Novartis. Prior to that she worked for UK-based Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) as Director, Internet Marketing for North America, and has been Webmaster for Progressive Insurance Corporation, the third largest insurance provider in the U.S.

She is the recipient of numerous industry awards including Silver Anvils from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), ADDY^® Awards from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and a Vision Award of Merit from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the Shop.org Innovation award.

“In her time at com.motion, Lynn has made a real difference for our clients business and for ours. She is known as a builder in the social and digital space, having spent many years – long before its emergence into the mainstream – developing smart, results-focused digital campaigns for major brands,” said Hammond. “She is an expert at grassroots community building and transferring those communities into results for brands by bringing digital ideas to life in traditional mediums from PR to Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing.”

About com.motion NA

The North American organization, com.motion helps businesses and brands amplify their marketing messages through the effective use of online communications channels. Our in-depth, collaborative approach builds strategic, successful online programs that connect our clients with their stakeholders in the places where they convene. As a practice of Veritas Communications we are able to design strong, integrated programs for a growing list of clients including Canada Dry Motts, Diageo and SUBWAY. com.motion is Toronto-based with a satellite office in Cleveland. Veritas Communications Inc. a member of the MDC Partners network (TSX and Nasdaq: MDCA).

-30-

For more information please contact:

Ed Lee

Managing Director, com.motion

lee@causeacommotion.com

http://bloggingmebloggingyou.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/edlee

416 482-2154

Facebook Connect Was What Pushed It Past MySpace

September 10th, 2009 • Identity, Social Networks
Tags: facebook, facebook connect, hitwise, MySpace

Traffic firm Hitwise says Facebook eventually overcame MySpace in terms of U.S. traffic as a result of the launch of its Facebook Connect universal log-in product, according to a post from analyst Heather Dougherty. Facebook Connect is the ability of the user to use a single portable identity–and most importantly, one password, rather than logging into multiple accounts across the network of Web sites.

“The number of Web sites participating in Facebook Connect has grown quickly to over 15,000 Web sites (globally) including CNN.com, NBC.com, ABCNews.com, Hulu, WashingtonPost.com, The Huffington Post, and others,” Dougherty’s post read. “And what is really interesting is to look at the year-over-year growth in the market share of visits to Facebook, because there is a clear uptick in the growth rate following the launch of Facebook Connect.”

And that growth spurt was what made it the biggest site of its kind in the U.S., according to the numbers. The social network officially surpassed MySpace in U.S. traffic during the week of May 30, Hitwise estimated.Facebook’s rapid growth made it pretty much inevitable that it would surpass the News Corp.-owned MySpace, once the clear leader in social networking. But even when Facebook passed MySpace in worldwide traffic, MySpace still had a pretty big edge in the U.S. Ultimately, Facebook passed MySpace in U.S. usage earlier than some thought it would.
If Hitwise’s numbers are accurate, it’s a big testament to the success of Facebook Connect, which launched in full last December.

MySpace has launched its own universal log-in product, MySpaceID, backed by partnerships with Google and Yahoo. But it’s Facebook Connect that has caught on among both the Web-going public and the marketing world.

Participation from Web sites in Facebook Connect also has strong implications to appear more often in the search results executed on Facebook resulting from member postings as search becomes a more prevalent activity within this large audience. Facebook now has more than 250 million active users worldwide.