Source: Shutterstock Happy New Year! Welcome to 2010…this is your year. Let’s build upon the lessons we learned in 2009 in order to help us continue on our journey towards earned relevance. The Greatest Hits of 2009 Part VIII 1. The Second Life of Second Life 2. The Science of Retweets on Twitter 3. Teens Adopting Twitter 4. Social Media Accounts for 18% of Information Search Market 5. The Future of the Social Web 6. The Competition for Your Social…
The Greatest Hits of 2009 Part VII
Source: Shutterstock As 2009 comes to a close, we’re inspired to take what we learned this year and apply it to the uncharted year that lies ahead. Our resolutions for 2010 must include learning and participation. With an open mind and an open heart, we can continue to learn, grow, and in turn, teach those around us to make 2010 a banner year for new media literacy and change. The Greatest Hits of 2009 Part VII 1. One in Five…
The Future of Interactive Marketing
Source: Shutterstock Forrester recently released a new report tracking the future of US interactive marketing through 2014. Authored by Shar VanBoskirk, with Christine Spivey Overby, Niki Scevak, and Angie Polanco, Forrester predicts that interactive marketing is poised to grow at a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Even though interactive marketing will approach $55 billion by 2014, the report also observes that not all industries will keep pace with this growth. Retail and financial services are expected to dominate the…
We’re Spending More Time with Social Media: Advertisers Follow
Source: Shutterstock The attention dashboard is rapidly emerging as the online hub for sharing and discovering information, connecting us to people, content, and events in real-time. According to research, we’re already spending more time in social networks than we are in email. New studies are only fortifying these findings, documenting an increase time spent specifically in Social Media and blogs. In fact, the Nielsen Company reports reports that time spent on social networks and blogs accounted for 17 percent of…
Introducing The Social Compass
An excerpt from my next book… A compass is a device for discovering orientation and serves as a true indicator of physical direction. Inspired by a moral compass, The Social Compass serves as our value system when defining our program activities. It points a brand in a physical and experiential direction to genuinely and effectively connect with customers, peers, and influencers, where they interact and seek guidance online. The Compass features the artistic talents of Jesse Thomas and JESS3 the…
FTC Values Sponsored Posts at $11,000 Apiece
What follows is the unabridged version of my latest post for TechCrunch, “FTC Values Sponsored Conversations at $11,000 Apiece“ Source: Shutterstock In May, I reviewed the proposed Federal Trade Commission guidelines that would ultimately affect and change how brands employ endorsements into their marketing, advertising, and communications programs. Today, the Federal Trade Commission made good on its threat promise by releasing its final revisions to the guidance it gives advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in…
FTC Seeks Wisdom of the Crowds on the Future of the News Media
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking your input regarding future of news media in advance of its upcoming workshops. The FTC seeks to explore the digital impact on consumption behavior and its correlating effects on the the business of publishing and journalism. The workshop will be held on December 1-2, 2009 and will consider a wide range of issues, such as Internet-related changes in advertising and the way people receive news, ideas for reducing costs and restructuring news organizations, potential…
Twitter to Finally Cash-in on Twitter Sensation
Credit Over at VentureBeat, Matt Marshall is reporting that Twitter will introduce its first revenue-generating series of premium services. In an interview with co-founder Biz Stone, it was revealed that Twitter is in the initial phases of introducing commercial accounts to businesses seeking detailed analysis of activity in and around the brand on the popular network as well as other data not available to Twitter users directly. In the next phase, Stone indicated that Twitter may also debut a new…
New Media University: Twitter 101 for Business
Over the years, I’ve actively called for Twitter to contribute to its own culture and direction by leading instead of following. It would effectively serve as a source of inspiration and orientation for consumers and the businesses hoping to connect with them, which would ultimately increase the alarming 40-percent user retention pattern. I suggested that the company actively define user scenarios and offer a quick-start guide for the unique groups of users seeking guidance in order to not only increase…
Facebook Advertising to Surpass MySpace by 2011
MySpace has been losing “face” over the course of the last year. With sliding traffic and attention as well as shifts in management and reductions in staff, MySpace is not only a place for friends, but also a place for skeptics. According to a Compete.com, Facebook received 122,559,672 unique visits in June 2009 twice that of rival MySpace, which realized only 60,973,908 unique visitors. In year-over-year comparisons, Facebook volume skyrocketed with 248.17% while Myspace slightly recoiled, down 5.65%. The good…
