Total Telecom

Make more Websites more sociable

It's all happening this week. Google launches Friend Connect to enable smaller websites to add social functionality. Whilst Comcast buys Plaxo bringing the prospect of social networking to the STB. This is surely a good idea, although it does fly in the face of the very same company looking at discouraging excessive internet usage....

Perhaps none of this was as much of a surprise as that which hit Larry Dignan when he found

We’ve been acquired: CBS buys CNET! CBS says this will help them make more of the advertising opportunities offered by the web - presumably that means ads for The Young & the restless on ZDNET? Or maybe we can expect to see the cnet

Spyware, viruses, & security forum presented by David Letterman... now that's making websites more social!

Watch, Listen & Get It... Our Network is Yours! - BTPodShow

Watch, Listen & Get It... Our Network is Yours! - BTPodShow

BT takes the next step towards being a media company rather than a telco, launching BTPodshow.

FT.com / World - BBC to launch magazine on US market

FT.com / World - BBC to launch magazine on US market

Really positive to see the BBC launching a significant new magazine and even more so to be doing it in the US.

Without doubt the magazine format is fit and well with repeated research studies showing that readers still favour magazines, especially as a source of indepth coverage and in recreational terms, but one must question how likely the BBC are to succeed in the US? It appears that it will be coming up against some formidable competitors with massive circulations and one must question what brand equity exists in the BBC magazines name in the US.

It would be very interesting to see their business plan. Where's the money? Are they planning to offer advertisers greater focus (presumably at lower cost) than the existing titles, or will they be looking to monetise this through subscriptions and newstand?

Google Wants to Help Web Sites Make New Friends - Bits - Technology - New York Times Blog

Google Wants to Help Web Sites Make New Friends - Bits - Technology - New York Times Blog

Wow this sounds great, if it's as easy as it seems. Work with Google and get all those fancy social bits via Friend Connect. Another step to Google ruling the world.

Also spotted this - nice little listing on driving traffic via article directories - bet you didn't know there were so many.

Internet Evolution - Editor's Blog - Survey: Mobile Web Potential Underused

Internet Evolution - Editor's Blog - Survey: Mobile Web Potential Underused

What a surprise we're basically using our mobile phones to communicate. Are we surprised, no. Surely the question is not how are you using the mobile web, but how would you like to use it.

If your mobile web experience is anything like mine (sorry O2) then the chances of me being able to use it for banking or similar service is minimal and I certainly wouldn't have confidence to do so. I certainly associate slow and lost connections with lack of security and wouldn't enter my bank details into a mobile phone browser - am I alone, even if the fear is irrational.

Seth's Blog: How to get traffic for your blog

How to get traffic for your blog

I've been on a mission this afternoon - how to drive traffic. Seth has a good list here, 56 ways to drive traffic. Some of them even contradict.  So what else, let's get listed by Technorati - neat widget of stuff unrelated to my blog, and I like my little ranking from BlogCatalog

My friends at Searchles provide another really neat social search and tag tool - check it out on my blog - and their blog has some good stuff

So what next, I'm open to suggestions....

Oh yes, must try SG's suggestion of Squidoo

Blogged with Flock

GMG, Apax reveal first Emap changes - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

GMG, Apax reveal first Emap changes - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

Confusion rules.
Emap Communications announces radical rebrand and henceforth will be called Emap.
Ex Informa man Gilbertson runs the show and decides that the magazine business should be called Emap Inform[a?]

Each division will develop it's own digital strategy so the perfect recipe for confusion will be the business crossing all four divisions with four digital strategies.

Bring it on, it's almost as good as RBI hoping to find buyers for print products when they are retaining the digital arms....

rexblog.com: Rex Hammock’s weblog » Blog Archive » Print is not a burden. Useless drivel is the burden. So ignore this post.

rexblog.com: Rex Hammock’s weblog » Blog Archive » Print is not a burden. Useless drivel is the burden. So ignore this post.
How right Rex is, print isn't going anywhere, and as recernt research by Total Telecom has illustrated print is as strong as ever. TT found the over 70% of telecom industry professionals still prefer to read indepth analysis in magazine format, and this surely reflects the endless reasons for doing so. Just a few include:

• something to read whilst traveling
• they like to take it to bed (!)
• get away from the computer screen
• finding it easier to absorb complex arguments in print

And maybe it's also the fact that print far from being a burden is simple - certainly far more simple than many web ideas / products - for example, who has had trouble with Yahoo 360's blogging product? After recently playing with this, I fear it will remain firmly planted on the sidelines!

Colin's Corner: IDG's move to "the third screen"

Colin's Corner: IDG's move to "the third screen"
So the guys at IDG are pretty smart, but it will still be interesting to see how fast mobile takes off as a true media form. At the moment the mobile web is a painfully slow place to spend time and this alone is enough to put people off. That said the game has moved on an incredible amount, especially as screens on mobile devices have not just increased in size, but in clarity.