A drawn out history of stuff

How fast is your site

2012-02-13T09:16:00.000Z

Nice little tool on the Level 3 website, Total Site Performance

I compared www.totaltele.com with some of our competitors and we're looking pretty good, the image below illustrates us against Informa's telecoms.com

They also let you download a nice little video showing how fast you are compared to the 'rival'

Useful #Hashtag Tools

2012-02-13T09:06:00.000Z

Sprout Social wrote a useful article on finding the best Hashtags - some of the best tools they flagged are:

What the Trend: http://whatthetrend.com/
It tells you what's trending right now and why. And you can follow @wtt for the latest trending hashtags.

#tagdef http://tagdef.com
Tool to generate definitions of Hashtags - sadly seems a little under-populated

Trendsmap http://trendsmap.com/
Nice graphical interface showing what's trending, where and lets you pick up on who's talking about it + list of globally trending users.

Twubs http://twubs.com/
Really nice idea of groups built around #hashtags. Includes and interesting looking conference solution.

All useful additions to the standard hashtags.org

Building the Mobile Web

2012-02-02T16:11:00.000Z

Came across the Mashable article 8 Tools For Easily Creating a Mobile Version of Your Website, just when I needed it!

Really surprised firstly that there were so many self-service options, secondly that those I tried were so easy to use, and thirdly that they were so cheap!

Can't claim to have tried them all, but especially like Wirenode, which seems to have a following from big names. Quickly and easily build a demo site for Total Telecom: http://totaltele.wirenode.mobi

Time and Date - great tool

2012-02-02T10:17:00.001Z

Love this website www.timeanddate.com/ especially the function to work out international dialing codes - really useful.

Quick web pages, but why?

2012-02-01T17:46:00.000Z

I just created this page on CheckThis

It was quick (very), easy (very) and possibly pointless... Why wouldn't I create a blog page, just Tweet it or something else. Maybe it will grow on me?

TechCrunch wrote an article on it Between Nothing And ABlog - which is probably just about true...

Visualisation Tools for Infographics

2012-02-01T12:52:00.000Z

Infographics are big business and to make them you need decent visualisation tools.
Make Use Of wrote an article on tools, and these are a couple of the best...

Many Eyes from IBM - http://www-958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/

Great tool, easy to use, just as long as you format your data right.
Example of the Global 100 Top 10

StatSilk - seems like a great tool for visualising maps, but quite complex to use - at least without applying yourself.
Really like this example: http://www.statsilk.com/maps/world-stats-open-data

Who is your MVF (Most valuable follower)

2012-02-01T09:23:00.002Z

Nice little App from Alex Taub that identifies your Most Valuable Follower: http://mvfapp.com

It left me underwhelmed when I tried it on my own Twitter account, but was much more interesting when I tried it on @totaltelecom and it identified @nimbuzz who I didn't even know followed us and has over 1 million followers of their own.

Beside that, I quite like Bunchie...

Social Media Monitoring Tools

2012-01-26T15:02:00.003Z

Never come across these guys before, but just been looking at DreamGrow's 48 Free Social Media Monitoring Tools. It's quite an eye opener on the scale of this industry that they come up with 48, and bet even this is nothing like comprehensive, especially as most seem to revolve around Twitter!

Haven't had time to play with even a fraction of them, but a couple that seemed interesting include:
HowSociable www.howsociable.com

monitter www.monitter.com

and I particularly like twazzup www.twazzup.com

Glacing around DreamGlows site, reveals that they hail from Estonia - for all the difference that makes - but they seem to have some quite interesting tips and thinking: www.dreamgrow.com

UK Company Financials

2012-01-24T09:45:00.000Z

Been playing with DUEDIL www.duedil.com Interesting tool, especially the way it links with social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook). Shame it doesn't run properly on iPad (Yet)

You know the where, not the what

2012-01-23T08:47:00.000Z

You know this is true, you no longer remember what something is, you know where to find it.

Business Insider wrote a little article Here's How Google Search Is Destroying Our Memory based on a study by Harvard professors (full report) but this isn't just about Google, it's about the internet and technology.

Think about it, you use a search engine to visit a website, even when you know the URL, you rely on your phone to keep your numbers, rather than remember them. Modern life is killing our braincells...

Kendic Radio

2012-01-18T22:26:00.000Z

The story of Kendichttp://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/halcyondays/1950s/kendic.php

Pioneers are doing it for themselves

2012-01-16T10:04:00.001Z

Just been reading how Research have grown their Twitter followers in the past year. They're one of the companies shortlisted for the Media Pioneer Awards at this years Specialist Media Show.

They've done a really good job growing their Twitter followers, so definitely some ideas to pick up on here.

Actually all the companies shortlisted for the MPA are interesting (especially of course us, Total Telecom) with some really good tales of how smaller companies manage to either do things that the big boys do by throwing lots of money at them, or even achieving things that many of the big companies aren't trying or managing to do.

The Specialist Media Show this year takes place on 24 May 2012 in Birmingham at Think Tank, the science museum.

spread.ouch

2012-01-09T13:47:00.000Z

Came across a blog post of @terrycrosby promoting spread.us that made me wince.

At a quick glance, offering users the opportunity to share all of your content as soon as you publish sounds like heaven for the publisher, but in reality its a damaging development that harms your credibility as the content creator and that of those who share, as they are indiscriminately sharing articles that may not even have read, let alone considered worthy of sharing.

I know from experience, having inadvertently signed up @totaltelecom for spread.us through The Next Web that it certainly gets you noticed, but only with comments like - what's the deal, why are you retweeting everything they publish, etc. It's not a desirable response to get, and in time will damage your reputation as one to follow (NB this is not knocking TNW's content, that I actually think is very good - but I still don't want to retweet it randomly)

Thinking further, this is perhaps not too dis-similar to brands who ask you to Like them on Facebook or retweet them in return for some reward, it is just another step along the road to diminishing the value of trusted recommendation via social media, but at least that might be a step back towards the value of true journalism...

Science Online - Unconference #Conference

2012-01-09T09:14:00.001Z

Been reading with interested Bora Zivkovic's article in Scientific America about ScienceOnline2012 what he terms the Unconference. It's a really interesting model, planned late and pretty free-flowing.

Lots of elements to like too, nice Online Agenda, use of a Wiki, and loads of social media, including Google+

Sure there's lessons that can be learnt and incorporated into other events, although I wonder how unique this is an academic environment and also how well it works in terms of sponsorship etc - they don't seem to promote supporting partners on the website.

TrasactSocially - social payment

2012-01-08T08:29:00.000Z

What a neat idea! Get someone to pay for something by promoting your product or service. Not sure how TransactSocially make money though...

Anti-social media?

2012-01-08T07:06:00.001Z

Lot's of quite interesting debate going on at the moment about whether your social media presence in relation to work really is yours?

Deb McAlister whote this piece on her Distributed Marketing blog

Who Owns Your Linked In Profile?

View full story at http://distributedmarketing.org/2011/06/10/evolving-rules-for-social-media-compliance-and-privacy/

also Cleland Thom in Press Gazette has just written a article about journalists Twitter accounts in the light of the PhoneDog saga in the US: http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/8505

Definately an area to watch. Are private and work interests colliding? Where's the next logic step, can companies start censoring friendships established in their time?

Everything You Need to Know About CES [INFOGRAPHIC]

2012-01-06T23:07:00.001Z

Love this, picked up via News.me Everything You Need to Know About CES [INFOGRAPHIC]

The graphic isn't exciting, but what was launched at CES is worth a look.

View full story at http://mashable.com/2012/01/06/ces-infographic/

Service Indicators

2012-01-05T16:41:00.006Z

I thought I'd heard at New Year that Twitter had been down in Japan. Clearly it wasn't down all the time as apparently 4 seconds into 2012 they were sending 6,939 tweets a second - a new record - and indeed the Twitter blog reports record breaking twits across the globe. There's quite a nice animation illustrating this on the blog.

Whilst trying to satisfy my curiosity I did however come across a useful looking tool Web Service Status that seems to monitor a whole range of web services and let you know when they are down.

It didn't however address my issue with Digg which looks like the image shown here whenever I visit, whatever browser I visit on, but according to Web Service Status it is alive and well. Anyone else find this? I don't Digg it!

Obsessing with Impact

2012-01-05T09:19:00.002Z

Just been reading Haydn Shaughnessy, Forbes article, Who Are the Top 10 Power Influencers in Mobile? It flags up a new tool I hadn't come across before, TRAACKR

To my mind, this falls foul of the same issue as other measurement tools such as Klout in not really measuring influence, but measuring how loudly and how often people shout and at how many people.

In itself there's nothing wrong with this, but it is a mistake to confuse this with influence. If you look at how these tools work, measuring Reach (size of audience), Resonance (basically interaction) and Relevance, you can see how this is equated to influence, but to my mind this is not the same thing as someone who is truly influential, who changes how people think and how they look at issues.

I think the only way to measure influence is to research real opinions of who is influential, and I don't believe there is a machine that can yet do this.

It would be interesting to compile a people powered list of Power Influencers in Mobile, and without belittling any of the names on the TRAACKR list, I suspect non of these will feature. In the meantime I find tools such as this great for identifying people, who are no doubt significant in their field, but whom in some cases I've never heard of!

Related: 5 Tools That Help Measure Your Social Media Influence Social Media Examiner

Social business in 2012

2012-01-04T22:37:00.001Z

Nice article featuring 12 Social Business Predictions for 2012 it quite insiteful, with the possible exception that it's all going mobile. Not sure if @dhinchcliffe has been on a commuter train lately, but it's all GONE mobile!Article is worth a read and a look back at as time progressesView full story at http://www.dachisgroup.com/2011/12/social-business-predictions-for-2012/

Buzzwords for #media - yuck!

2012-01-04T15:56:00.001Z

Steve Ballmer: Traditional media will not bounce back | Media | guardian.co.uk

2009-06-25T08:40:00.000Z

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer: Traditional media will not bounce back | Media | guardian.co.uk: "'I don't think we are in a recession, I think we have reset,'"

True true true - yes there may be some pick up in some sectors, but fundamentally we're moving away from ad funded print.

This however does not mean print does not have value. There will always be people who only want to read in print, most people prefer to read print, and some things - especially the complex - are better in print.

Print will survive, the model will change.

How much will you pay for content

2009-06-04T09:44:00.002Z

B-to-B Ad Pages Plummet 29 Percent in Q1 - B2B @ FolioMag.com

2009-06-03T07:35:00.000Z

B-to-B Ad Pages Plummet 29 Percent in Q1 - B2B @ FolioMag.com: "B-to-B Ad Pages Plummet 29 Percent in Q1"
Computing (ubc telco) down 45%

However not all doom & gloom a study by Wharton School in the US finds most WOM discussions are sparked by advertising.

Magazines bites the dust

2009-05-06T07:44:00.000Z

The normally upbeat Jeff Jarvis tries his hand as the prophet of doom. Whilst you can't argue with his logic - especially based on his experience (below) I can't help feeling he has missed the point. People like the magazine medium and as a result it will survive and companes will launch magazines. It remains a tough challenge, but get the model right and magazines work - now what shall we launch...

Jeff's experience: "The economics of magazine launches are simply terrifying. In 1990, I created and launched Entertainment Weekly at Time Inc and it burned through an astounding $200m before becoming profitable. No one is going to invest that kind of money again. If anybody would have, it was the privately owned and daring Condé Nast. Oh, well."

Amazon: Now One-Third Of All U.S. E-Commerce

2009-05-01T10:26:00.000Z

Some readers don't seem surprised, but I find it unreal that Amazon can be accounting for 1/3 of US e-Comm. Surely there must be other retailers with online operations they make some dent on Amazon?

Doesn't this raise questions of anti-competitive behaviour, or is this where the web is still like the wild west, or is the web the ultimate in self policing, i.e if Amazon prices ceased to be competitive everyone would know anyway and move away from Amazon?

Tech Trader Daily - Barron’s Online : Amazon: Now One-Third Of All U.S. E-Commerce: "Amazon: Now One-Third Of All U.S. E-Commerce"

75% of ads below the fold go unnoticed

2009-04-30T07:25:00.000Z

Good case for buying the best...
How To Know Your Web Ad Is Working - Forbes.com: "'below the fold,' in industry parlance--where research has shown that 75% of ads go entirely unnoticed."

All in a flap

2009-04-29T13:07:00.000Z

Probably no surprise - thousands sign up for Twitter, but huge numbers dropp off after the first month.

Clearly the focus on the inane is going to deter many users from keeping going, look at what I've just distilled after 5 random visits to our followers:
- ha! i also just saw that.
- Awake at 6:17 listening to classic blues radio
- Awww! That's TRAGIC!
- Why can't I doodle on my trackpad with a pen thing? I like drawing giants penises on Jon Stewart. Apple- Doodleytrackpad! Stat!
- Dear Target, today was my last day of dealing with you not having 50% of my shopping list items in stock. We are SO THROUGH.

Out of context you could shout, but what is the context and what does it mean for me? Zip.

Twitter is a great tool for distribution of headlines etc, but from most peoples viewpoints, what is the purpose. I don't care that you are in Frankfurt, had ravioli for dinner, or that you need a haircut.

Get real, get a business model, get a purpose for a neat service!

Tweet and run: Twitter users flee site after first month | Digital | Revolution: "Tweet and run: Twitter users flee site after first month"

Pipl - People Search

2009-04-28T15:02:00.001Z

I love this - people are not really that easy to find on the web, but if you know a little you can find a lot with this!
Pipl - People Search: "Free People Search"

Financial Times readers asked for input on leader columns | Media | guardian.co.uk

2009-04-28T12:08:00.000Z

I can't decide if this is really progress or a cynical ploy to encourage trumpet blowing.
Financial Times readers asked for input on leader columns | Media | guardian.co.uk: "Financial Times readers asked for input on leader columns"
http://blogs.ft.com/arena/

Slide Continues: B-to-B Ad Pages Fall 28.6 Percent in February - B2B @ FolioMag.com

2009-04-22T13:47:00.000Z

ABM set out to depress us all - but I think we knew it anyway...
Slide Continues: B-to-B Ad Pages Fall 28.6 Percent in February - B2B @ FolioMag.com: "Slide Continues: B-to-B Ad Pages Fall 28.6 Percent in February"
The shame is that print seems to be being passed over in favour of more measurable mediums without any real recognition of the degree of engagement and influence that it offers.

How To Monitor Online Conversations

2009-04-01T17:04:00.000Z

How To Monitor Online Conversations: "How To Monitor Online Conversations"

Interesting to see how interest in this has suddenly multiplied

Buzz Marketing for Technology: Social Media is better for the Consideration Phase

2009-03-25T23:25:00.000Z

Interesting pick up from Paul Dunay on "How Buyer Identify Professional Services Providers". Not rocket science, but anology to social media is neat - you can see how it works. It works everywhere, why do I read Paul - people say he's good!
Buzz Marketing for Technology: Social Media is better for the Consideration Phase:

Zucker On The Media - Forbes.com

2009-03-19T06:23:00.000Z

Zucker On The Media - Forbes.com: "We believe in ubiquitous distribution, and we want our content to be available, frankly, everywhere. We're not interested in having people steal our content--we want to make it available ... We are in periods of experimentation, and we're not afraid to try things and then stop things. No risk, no reward. What we're still in the process of is finding an economic system that supports that, and it's still not there."

Eight Things I Hate About You

2009-03-16T09:20:00.000Z

I like this from David Koretz of MediaPost - it's actually eight things he hates about himself, but the thoughts there....

1. Getting friended on Facebook after a business meeting. Can we please preserve the last ounce of formality that is left in business? I can live with you wearing jeans to our meeting, but save faux friendship for faux friends.

2. Writers and bloggers that need to use "in full disclosure" in their articles. This is the bizarre combination of someone with enough self-awareness to know that they are doing something wrong, but insufficient dignity to stop doing it. If you need to issue a disclaimer in your article, don't write the article.

3. People who start sentences with the phrase "to be honest with you." It is the fastest way I know to convince the other person you are full of crap.

4. Competing with your BlackBerry. Whether in a meeting, or on a dinner date, leave your BlackBerry at home (or at least in your pocket)! It is the fastest way to demonstrate to a client or date that you are "not that into them."

5. People that wear Bluetooth dongles in their ears. I have said it before, and I'll say it again: put the dongle down.

6. Consultants. When will you finally learn that their interests will NEVER be fully aligned with yours? Consultants try to maximize their fees (as they should), not maximize your ROI. It is not the consultant's fault, though. It is the fault of the person hiring them for not acknowledging what team they play on.

7. Using CTR to measure success. The notion that it is better to focus on the wrong metric rather than no metric is asinine. Focusing on the wrong metrics ensures your staff will not be successful. Brand advertisers should be measuring for brand impact, and performance advertisers should be measuring revenue. Nobody benefits from CTR as a primary metric.

8. Anyone who still believes ad networks actually sell "blind." As long as there is a financial incentive to disclose your brand, you will never have blind ad networks. You will only have companies that commoditize your inventory.

Digital Marketing: The Golden Rules of the Web - Advertising Age - DigitalNext

2009-03-12T17:01:00.000Z

Nice little round up on the do's and don't of digital marketing. I especially like the death of viral - after all who wants a virus??
Digital Marketing: The Golden Rules of the Web - Advertising Age - DigitalNext:

PR 2.0: Are Blogs Losing Their Authority To The Statusphere?

2009-03-12T10:00:00.000Z

Very long post from Brian Solis which isn't always totally clear, but I think the crux of his arguement is that:
a. blogs are losing out because there are too many of them
b. people are starting to favour the instant message ability of the likes of Twitter
PR 2.0: Are Blogs Losing Their Authority To The Statusphere?:
Worth a quick scan...

Skittles pulls Twitter feed from homepage - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

2009-03-05T09:39:00.000Z

This story kept popping up yesterday and in my naivety I went to check it out, thinking Skittles was some innovative social networking platform that I'd never heard of. But alas no, Skittles are small roundish sweet things...
Skittles pulls Twitter feed from homepage - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic:

The importance of social technology

2009-03-04T09:27:00.003Z

Researchers Forrester have surveyed 1217 technology decision makers and come up with some interesting stats - based on US firms with more than 100 employees:

- of those who buy networks & telecom, only 6% are deemed 'inactives' i.e. don't use any social media, whilst most (89%) are deemed spectators - i.e. read blogs and other social media posts.

- a surprisingly high proportion either create or comment on (critics) others posts.

- 74% of those surveyed in this sector, continued to read social media sources whilst at work.

However - whilst you should ignore social media at your peril - it seems that it is trusted sources such as peers and traditional editorial driven information sources that have the greatest impact on the decision making process, with most social media falling right to the bottom.

Good news for traditional media, but how much is this changing, and how much are the social media forms being under-estimated. Do you want to admit you made a decision based on social networking activity? It's probably not quite there - YET...

Media Trends 2009

2009-03-03T23:06:00.002Z

Top Rank asked “What 3 digital marketing channels & tactics will you emphasize in 2009?” Here are the top ten tactics selected:
Blogging (34%)
Microblogging (Twitter) (29%)
Search engine optimization (28%)
Social network participation (Facebook, LinkedIn) (26%)
Email marketing (17%)
Social media monitoring & outreach (17%)
Pay per click (14%)
Blogger relations (12%)
Video marketing (10%)
Social media advertising (7%)

Full list is HERE

Good fit with Forrester Research findings "sponsored conversations" are a cost-effective way for brands to ignite word of mouth online.

How to: events

2009-03-03T23:03:00.000Z

The secrets of Light Reading:

Multiple channels are important for attendee development, said Joseph Braue, group director and senior VP of United Business Media’s Light Reading unit. Braue said Light Reading typically conducts one or two webinars prior to a physical event in order to develop attendance. “We also focus on our core Web site and not on dedicated event sites,” Braue said. “Twitters, blogs, video and stories about the event by editors all stay on our home site.”

Braue added that Light Reading, with content aimed at the telecommunications industry, extends the value of its events by hosting a complementary virtual event three months following a physical one

Read more

Cisco - multi-platform

2009-03-03T22:58:00.001Z

So this is how to win Cisco
Marilyn Mersereau - senior VP-corporate marketing "We don’t buy media traditionally anymore. We approach major organizations—it could be CNN, for example—and come up with 360-degree programs that offer print, Web, TV and even product integration into a show. "

LinkedIn Skyrockets as Job Losses Mount - Advertising Age - Digital

2009-03-03T17:16:00.000Z

Traffic up as jobs down - but where are they all going?
LinkedIn Skyrockets as Job Losses Mount - Advertising Age - Digital: "LinkedIn Skyrockets as Job Losses Mount"

Community Engagement » The Buzz Bin

2009-03-03T08:21:00.000Z

Not rocket science, but interesting non-the-less
Community Engagement » The Buzz Bin: "Community Engagement"

Interview: Wired's Chris Anderson on the 'free' business model | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

2009-02-27T08:33:00.000Z

You've got to love him - Chris Andrerson trys to coin another new phrase "Freemium" His points valid, but I hate to imagine life if clients start talking about freemium services - it might just turn me to violence!

FIPP Website | Emap Inform to make all magazines A4

2009-02-25T16:43:00.000Z

Sensible but dull - bit like Emap really!
Wouldn't it be sad if we end up in a world of just A4 magazines...
FIPP Website | Emap Inform to make all magazines A4: "Emap Inform to make all magazines A4"

B2B buyers have very high social participation

2009-02-25T13:00:00.002Z

Some very interesting research from Forrester showing just how strongly B2B buyers use social media.

69% of them said they were using this technology for business purposes and only 5% say they don't use it at all, plus 55% of these decision-makers were in social networks.

Research is based on 1200 buyers in American and European countries.

Forrester have also produced a webinar: Define Your B2B Social Media Strategy

Reality Sinks In at Online Advertising Confab - Advertising Age - Digital

2009-02-24T16:48:00.000Z

Reality Sinks In at Online Advertising Confab - Advertising Age - Digital: "publishers face extinction if they think advertising is going to save them"

Wow a harsh view of reality from IDG, but is it true? Surely this is just the next stage of evolution and a new form of advertising will shine through. Afterall wasn't radio going to kill print, TV radio and the internet TV? Surely as long as companies produce products and services that need to be sold to consumers (business or private) then they need to promote them in some way - or is some form of advertising Marxism going to take over whereby all buyers have perfect information and no longer need advertising to influence their choice?

Whatever the reality, the message of diversification is surely a good one.

FT.com / Companies / Media - Google tops list of superbrands again

2009-02-24T08:20:00.000Z

FT.com / Companies / Media - Google tops list of superbrands again: "Google, a business built on its ability to compile lists, finds itself sitting on top of a particularly impressive one. For the second year running, the US-based search engine company is top of the annual Business Superbrands survey, a list compiled not with algorithms but from the opinions of 1,500 business executives."

Digital Domain - Everyone Loves Google, Until It’s Too Big - NYTimes.com

2009-02-23T17:13:00.000Z

So does it matter how big Google gets? A New York Times story reports "as recently as July 2005, Google was ahead of Yahoo in market share by just six percentage points, at 36.5 percent to 30.5 percent, according to comScore, the market research company. Today, however, that advantage is much wider, at 63 percent to 21 percent."

So that's great isn't it? You master Google, you master the world, no need for SEO companies, no need to spread your search budget, no need to go else where.

But is it great? Lack of competition is unhealthy and Google isn't king everywhere (isn't that content?). I don't know if it matters, I'd like to know what you think, but where does this leave Yahoo and Live, more importantly where does it leave innovation? If Google dominate and the economy remains depressed, surely we're going to lose out on development? Already reports say Google is shelving less popular services. In the end the user is the loser, but how is it addressed. Whose to say Google should be stopped, the public is saying their great - voting with every click. Surely the solution also lies with the public - someone has got to do it better, so much better we change - look at Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and who remembers Friends Reunited - only ITV I guess I they count their (potential) loss.

What do you use Twitter for? | Media | guardian.co.uk

2009-02-23T14:27:00.000Z

Twitter has raised more money - lots of it - but seems to have no business model, but it does have ideas.
So maybe now is a good time to read in the Guardian
What do you use Twitter for?
Perhaps the true use is just driving people to other stuff you do as it seems remarkably good at that - see Econsultancy experiment.
It is a wonderful concept - tell people things they aren't really interested in in 140 characters or less, so they don't spend too long reading it.
By the way - this has been Twittered

The niche magazines riding out the gloom - Press, Media - The Independent

2009-02-23T10:17:00.000Z

OK - not many would advocate advertising in quite such niche publications, but the message is obvious - tightly targeted magazines are still important for their readers and as such make great routes to market...

The niche magazines riding out the gloom - Press, Media - The Independent

Devolve me - Charles Darwin - The Open University

2009-02-13T08:42:00.000Z

Is your marketing 21st century or are you pre-historic. Bit of fun, use The Open University Devolve me tool to journey back in time - or perhaps send your boss back in time...

Advertise when times are tough.

2009-02-12T09:01:00.003Z

There’s currently lots of analysis around at the moment demonstrating that companies that maintain or even increase marketing spend during a recession do better than competitors when the market improves, and do no worse (in terms of profit) than competitors during the recession.
An analyst called Tony Hillier from WARC has looked at the marketing and financial records of 1,000 companies held in the PIMS database, and classified them depending on whether their marketing spend had increased, decreased or remained stable during recession. He found that when the economy recovered, on average, those which had reduced their marketing spend experienced a small fall in profits. Those which had maintained marketing spend experienced a small increase. But those which had increased spend in the recession logged a substantial increase in profits during the economic recovery.
In a similar vein Professor Patrick Barwise of the London Business School has come up with three positive strategies for coping in a recession:
· Look for new creative, targeting or media opportunities. Slower market conditions can create new possibilities.
· Strengthen your market position against weaker rivals, through your marketing strategy.
· Keep going. The advantages of maintaining or increasing marketing effort are greater than the short-term benefits of reducing spend. Maintaining or growing ‘share of mind’ is much less expensive than trying to rebuild it later on.
The Financial Times have produced a few special reports lately on recession marketing and came up with a nice four scenario model based on combining two dimensions of brand equity at the onset of the recession and brand investments in the recession.

Brands in cell (1) run the distinct danger that their equity will be significantly eroded in the current recession. They start from a favourable position, but their behaviour will lead to a significant weakening of their position vis-à-vis private labels and the brands in cell (2). Managerial decision-making for these brands is overly cautious and focused on the short-term. These brands should emphasise activities that keep their customers satisfied (and, hence, retain them), rather than focus on cost-saving activities. Indeed, customers lost during the recession may never come back, even when the economy’s outlook improves again.
For brands in cell (2), the recession is an opportunity to pull ahead of their short-sighted competitors in cell (1). Their proactive behaviour will strengthen their (relative) position, not only in the recession period, but also in subsequent years. Brands in cell (3) are in the worst possible situation: they start weak, and their management makes the wrong decisions. They are prime candidates to be de-listed by retailers who are pushing their private labels in recessions – and many of them will. Their brand equity will decline, and many will not even survive the recession.
The brands in cell (4) have the opportunity of a lifetime to fight back. They start in an unfavourable position – their equity is low and, in normal times, it would take tremendous marketing investments to break through the competitive clutter. However, given that most brands cut back in recessions (and, hence, belong to cells (1) and (3), brands in cell (4) are able to increase their share of total market communication in the category dramatically by maintaining or – even better – increasing their marketing investments. But it is a risky strategy – if it is poorly executed, the anticipated increase in sales and profits will not materialise and the brand may be discontinued. The message is clear – keep marketing for success. Now the trick is persuading those holding the purse strings.

Interesting links:
- FT Special Report
- WARC

Should you Twitter?

2009-02-11T17:37:00.000Z

Frankly it's all most people do on Twitter, why do I care what you had for breakfast, what your packing for a long flight, or that your feet ache - and god knows what else. But should your brand be on Twitter?

Who knows, not me, but Paul Dunay is and so it's probably worth reading his post Brands that Tweet it's got some good links to some other thought provoking stuff...

Google RIP

2009-02-05T15:41:00.004Z

Premature maybe but Forrester report that over half of web users use multiple search engines, and only 20% use just Google.

A surprise and no surprise. Can you be bothered to change search engine, I doubt it, but do you have any loyalty to a search engine, again I doubt it.

Wonder what Googles share is if you counted searches carried out on specific websites who don't use Google for their search engine?

Paid content back in fashion

2009-02-05T15:41:00.000Z

Interesting article from Chris Anderson - of 'Long Tail' fame - pointing out that revenue models other than free still have their place online. It's common sense really and once again reinforces my favourite rant that the internet is just a delivery mechanism like any other. Same logic applies, if the content has true value than those wanting access will pay. If the content has little of no value, or is commodity in form then users won't.

The Economics of Giving It Away - WSJ.com: "The Economics of Giving It Away
In a battered economy, free goods and services online are more attractive than ever. So how can the suppliers make a business model out of nothing?"

How to win on Digg

2009-02-04T23:49:00.000Z

Why Digg's MrBabyMan is the king of all social media. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine: "I Can Digg It"

It's all in the headline - and perhaps your friends!

Mind the gap...

2009-02-04T17:25:00.000Z

That will be the gap between fiction and reality. As the BPA are considering non-request electronic circulation as qualified.

This opens the growing world of digital circulation to the prospect of being span heaven - not surely something any careful publisher wishes even if it would make it easy to boost circulation numbers. Lot's of debate on their blog...

Roy Greenslade: Net news for free 'devalues information' | Media | guardian.co.uk

2009-01-26T08:46:00.001Z

'Giving away information for free on the internet while still charging 50 cents to $1 for the print version of the paper was one of the most fundamentally flawed business decisions of the past 25 years. Newspapers told their paying customers that the information truly had no value.' - Professor Paul MacArthur, Utica College, New York. (Via Gerry Storch)"

How true, but how hard for small media owners to ward off the actions of the big boys who set the expected rules of engagement for the internet. And then we even see the likes of the WSJ and FT giving up or slimming down previously successful paid internet models.

Content on the internet is like content in print or anywhere else and has value in the same way. Whilst we're at it, the same thing applies to advertising on the internet....

How Little Do Users Read? (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

2009-01-20T13:37:00.000Z

How Little Do Users Read? (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox): "there is a fixed time of about 25 seconds, plus an additional 4.4 seconds per 100 words."

This research suggests there is limited point to producing online articles in excess of 105 words and that readers only read 20% of what you right...

Don't forget text... it's why print will never die

2009-01-14T17:20:00.001Z

Steve Rubel has a nice post on his blog as to why text works for blogs, but we shouldn't forget that the world isn't in love with video - producers of video love video as a way to make money from clients.

Most of the points are true for all places text appears:

It's scannable - according to Jakob Nielsen users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average site visit and 20% is more likely

Three letters: SEO - For all that Google Universal Search has done to elevate video, search results are still largely made up of text and everyone wants better SEO

The workplace - It's much easier for cube-based workers to read text on the screen and get away with it vs. watching long videos. Watching videos (even work related vids) screams "slacker"

Mobile Devices - Yes, of course you can put a video on an iPhone. But it's work and requires planning. Text is easier to pull up in a nanosecond

Distribution - Nothing flies like text. It's so easy to cut and paste it and send it somewhere or to clip and re-syndicate it via email, RSS or social networks

Total Telecom

2009-01-09T08:50:00.000Z

Total Telecom: "Download the latest issue of Mobile Broadband Watch: 08 JANUARY 2009"
Issue two now available.
WiMAX in a fix
Nokia launches dongle
Alvarion wins deal
US MBB taking off
HSPA devices boom
and more............

MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL - Censured

2009-01-05T08:30:00.000Z

BPAI Reports Library Status Reason:: "NOTICE OF CENSURE MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL London, UK At a meeting of the BPA Worldwide Executive Committee held on December 9, 2008 the committee voted to censure MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL published by Informa UK Ltd. The December 2004 and December 2005 circulation audits resulted in substantial corrections to the circulation statements. As a result, the June 2007 and December 2007 statements have been audited and have been corrected prior to release BPA continues to find the circulation claims are incorrect, requiring corrections before release. Accordance with our rules, BPA Worldwide will continue to audit MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL’s circulation statements prior to release to ensure accurate circulation claims. This shall continue until successful completion of an audit resulting in no material changes to the circulation claim. BPA WORLDWIDE This notice expires January 15, 2009"

So what is MCI's true circulation... no body knows - happy new year!

Bloggers SEO Tips

2008-12-24T11:30:00.002Z

The Blogger's Guide to SEO - by Aaron & Giovanna Wall is pretty interesting - well worth a read.

Of special note, it highlights:

Wordtracker

Google Trends

Quinturq

Pligg

Power of print

2008-12-24T10:30:00.000Z

B-to-b publishers push new print titles despite brutal economy :: Media Business: "Our research of the C-suite shows there’s still a high comfort level with print," this is the view of McGraw-Hillin the USA - but is true globally and is especially to influence a senior level in the telecom sector. It's why Total Telecom still publishes a print magazine...

Total Telecom

2008-12-23T12:36:00.000Z

Total Telecom: "World Communication Awards 2008 Gallery"

Better late than never, but the photos from the 2008 World Communication Awards are now available on this Total Telecom microsite

Total Telecom

2008-12-23T08:46:00.000Z

Total Telecom: The ranking of the top 30 stories in 2008 is reproduced in Mary Lennighan's Friday Review. Great reading if you want to ensure you are placing your advertising in context...

Will this be the last MWC?

2008-12-18T20:53:00.000Z

Probably not, but would you place a bet on ITU World Geneva? Odds for cancellation, Rising?

The death of big shows? Not yet. Begining of the end - I hope so. Cost a fortune, deliver zip, work on the basis that no one dare no be there. However, now, people dare....

Scobleizer — Tech geek blogger » Blog Archive Are bloggers & social networks killing the big shows? «

Fusionbrand's Notes | Facebook

2008-12-18T10:40:00.000Z

Random ramblings from Marcus Osborne at FusionBrand - some definately interesting!

Fusionbrand's Notes | Facebook: "Random jottings from ad:tech Singapore
29 June 2008 at 00:35"

Total Telecom

2008-12-18T09:12:00.001Z

Every year Total Telecom publishes the Global 100 - our authoritative list of the top operators ranked by revenue and profit, as well as the biggest winners and losers.

Essential reading and an outstanding promotional opportunity. You can download The 2008 Global 100 Operators from Total Telecom

Talk to us now as you start thinking how to leverage this for 2009...

Forbes.com moves to increase personalization :: Media Business

2008-12-17T09:07:00.001Z

I've always had a strong regard for Forbes, as although their site is a little cluttered looking, they have been great innovators for integrating personalisation and communities.

Now I see B2B are reporting the next step in personalisation Forbes.com moves to increase personalization :: Media Business

Thought it was interesting on my most recent visit to their site that several elements are very similar to what will be appearing on the relaunched Total Telecom - watch this space...

Worth a play with the Forbes site

Debate on: social media to t/o world!

2008-12-16T22:17:00.002Z

Interesting debate questioning whether email has had its day and will be surpassed by social media, some of which I've never heard of: Yammer, SocialCast and Pownce

So, what now for the email newsletter, can we replace it with something akin to a Twitter feed, or will we go from audience 32,000 to audience 32?

What we do know is that many will fail, and Pownce won't take on all comers - it shut on 15 Dec! - although it lives on through Six Apart who own amongst others MovableType

Earth shaking discovery

2008-12-16T17:14:00.002Z

Don't forget, you heard it here first...

New York consultancy Reardon Smith Whittaker have discovered that "having an understanding of their marketplace" was the most important client criteria for selecting an agency.

How hot is social media

2008-12-16T08:01:00.002Z

Definate case of mixed messages for 2009, with on one hand ad agency Atmosphere BBDO flagging that 2009 is going to be the year that social media takes off - especially on mobile and amongst B2B audiences whilst on his blog Peter Kim draws attention to 14 differing views, ranging from "Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball." to "The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies."

You can read the latter here: Social Media 2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Management Business social media 2009

Are you LinkedIn?

2008-12-15T16:26:00.001Z

Today, proberly, almost everyone is. But are you a member of the Total Telecom groups on LinkedIn?

We run two, our main Total Telecom Professional Network that now has almost 2,000 members and our new group, Mobile Broadband which is growing fast and complements the launch of Mobile Broadband Watch.

You can apply for membership of either:

Click here

Click here

We vet the membership quite closely and as a result are building really good discussions and have great quality members - plus we give the heads up to group members first on key initiatives and interesting news stories.

Let us know what you think, or if you run any interesting groups, plus what other platforms do you use?

Online Communities "pure business preservation" for publishers

2008-12-12T13:40:00.001Z

Yesterdays AOP conference flags how building online communities is increasingly vital to business media.

Highlights activities such as the FT's The Long Room and the strides made by Farmers Weekly Interactive - it is of course horses for courses, as would telecom professions get excited by a features such as 'What's in your shed'? Maybe we could do 'what's in your data centre'....

View the whole article at:
UK Association of Online Publishers (AOP) | News | Online Communities "pure business preservation" for publishers

Webcasts continue to be popular

2008-12-12T11:59:00.001Z

Although they are now commonplace, webcasts continue to be popular with clients. All singing and dancing video is great, but to achieve client and reader objectives, simple audio and slides often does the job. Most recently Total Telecom has worked with ExtendMedia to produce a cost effective but interesting webcast on making money from Broadband Video. You can see how this shaped up, here

The counter arguement for blogs...

2008-12-12T10:26:00.001Z

Social Media for the Masses » Adotas - interesting article on this advertising website that goes counter to my earlier post that corporate blogs are untrusted, arguing the importance of having a strong blog presence - above and beyond other social media activity.

Total Telecom 2009 Media Kit Now Available

2008-12-12T10:03:00.002Z

New media information now available to download:

Market for telecoms equipment & A-L

2008-12-12T09:58:00.001Z

Coinciding with Ben Verwaayen unveiling his strategy to turn round Alcatel-Lucent (covered on Total Telecom yesterday), A-L have also published new forecasts saying it expects the overall market for telecoms equipment to decline by between 8 per cent and 12 per cent at constant exchange rates in 2009 and expects itself to maintain a stable market share.

Whether they are right remains to be seen as is it is at odds with the Cobalt Corporate Finance's 2008 TMT Winter Survey where 91% of those surveyed said their sales figures for 2009 will be better than 2008 or flat, while 50% said they have seen no material impact from the credit crunch so far.

Mobile Broadband Watch Issue 1 out now

2008-12-11T17:10:00.001Z

Total Telecom has launched the first issue of Mobile Broadband Watch.
Download it now!

This is a new fortnightly free newsletter.

Get creative!

2008-12-11T12:24:00.006Z

More and more we're seeing clients using creative executions for online advertising, most recently the peelback.

It starts innocently enough as a little foldback corner on the screen

but as you click on it, real presence is generated, appearing to drag the entire screen open

And finally landing almost interstitual like across a large chunk of the screen

We love creative clients - as long as they get the experts to build the funky ad units!

At the moment both Nokia Siemens Networks and MTS are running this type of execution on Total Telecom, so check them out.

Report: Corporate Blogs Not Trusted - ReadWriteWeb

2008-12-11T09:35:00.002Z

Report: Corporate Blogs Not Trusted - ReadWriteWeb

B2B media effectiveness

2008-12-11T09:08:00.001Z

PPA Business Media | News has just published results of McGraw-Hill research that showed companies who continued to advertise during the 81-82 recession rose by 256% over those who had not.

Mobile Broadband Watch

2008-11-26T10:29:00.001Z

Total Telecom joins the fray of digital only publications with the launch of Mobile Broadband Watch, a new digital only fortnightly newsletter

Digital Magazines Thrive

2008-11-26T10:25:00.001Z

The rise if digital magazine versions continues apace. Interesting article on Digital Magazine News about how the IEEE are moving more to digital and seeing opportunities from doing so, whilst Ziff Davis announce that their flagship PC Magazine is to go digital only - a magazine with a 600,000 circulation.

B2B Websites 'Essential' to Business Decision Makers

2008-11-13T13:07:00.000Z

New research from AOP: highly valued and indispensable source of information

Company Insider

2008-11-06T23:51:00.002Z

Just implemented LinkedIn Company insider on this page - maybe I've done something wrong, but I don't see anything! Watch this space...

Maybe it needs some company names, let's try Emap, Informa, REED!!!

Vert Search Results

2008-10-21T21:42:00.005Z

Will this work???
My Custom Search Engine
Not a chance. Great idea but how do I embed the results? Anyone managed it?

It's time we ended our obsession with clickthrough rates - iMediaConnection.com

2008-10-21T09:59:00.001Z

It's time we ended our obsession with clickthrough rates - iMediaConnection.com

We all know click rates have fallen and continue to do so. At last someone from the agency side acknowledges that there are other true measures, which is especially important as more and more clients look at formats such as video.

Rush to fill gaps in website revenues

2008-10-20T07:22:00.000Z

A slowdown in online advertising, for years the fastest-growing part of traditional media businesses, is forcing newspaper and magazine owners to experiment with ways to shore up website revenues.... says the FT

AD-Q

2008-10-13T15:48:00.002Z

Didn't realise that Harvey were still going, or that AD-Q studies were still popular, but they are and people like Janes - who know a thing or two are doing them...

BBWF Europe 2009

2008-10-09T10:33:00.001Z

IEC Announces Broadband World Forum Europe 2009 in Paris
7-9 September 2009
Official Host Sponsor France Telecom-Orange

FIPP Website | It pays to advertise in a recession

2008-10-09T10:30:00.001Z

FIPP Website | It pays to advertise in a recession

Nice little piece from FIPP - why you should advertise in a recession, quoting Millward Brown as well as other opinion formers.

ContentNext 2.0: Life With The Guardian Media Group | paidContent.org

2008-07-14T10:40:00.001Z

ContentNext 2.0: Life With The Guardian Media Group | paidContent.org

I can sense the tear in Rafat's eye as he thanks all those who have supported him in getting rich. Just like the Oscars.

Still an interesting move if ContentNext were to merge with Emap Media. Wonder how independent it will be in a years time?

Electric! named most creative

2008-07-11T07:28:00.001Z

PPA | News

Considering Virgin almost started the customer publishing trend with John Brown Publishing being created out of Virgin records to satisfy the need for an inhouse magazine for Virgin Atlantic - it's good to see they keep up the trend.

Considering Virgin Media used to be the derided NTL - wonder if it's high or low voltage...

AddThis - #1 Social Bookmarking Sharing Button - Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Widget

2008-07-04T12:13:00.001Z

AddThis - #1 Social Bookmarking Sharing Button - Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Widget

Everyone else has probably seen this, but I didn't realise someone actually offered this compilation service. Bookmarking made easy!

The curse of Magazine News

2008-07-04T10:21:00.001Z

Welcome to CMP Information - Article Details

Not a month after the PPA's Magazine News features Gary Hughes as the saviour of CMPi and he's gone. It seems he's been a victim of his own success growing the business to such a point that each division deserves it's own CEO.

Great news for some well known names who are going to rise to the top, but wonder where GH will resurface. Who'd bet against him as a new CEO for Informa once the financiers decide what to do with it? (See FT Story)

What TFOSORCIM missed out

2008-06-27T09:53:00.001Z

Xobni: Email organization, search, and navigation for your Outlook inbox

I might look at this later, it INBOX backwards and apparently does what Outlook should do.

Or so I'm informed by a contact who just described Viviane Redding as The Lara Croft of Telecoms - now I'm worried about my sanity, take tips on websites from such a visionary...

A drawn out history of stuff

How fast is your site

Useful #Hashtag Tools

Building the Mobile Web

Time and Date - great tool

Quick web pages, but why?

Visualisation Tools for Infographics

Who is your MVF (Most valuable follower)

Social Media Monitoring Tools

UK Company Financials

You know the where, not the what

Kendic Radio

Pioneers are doing it for themselves

spread.ouch

Science Online - Unconference #Conference

TrasactSocially - social payment

Anti-social media?

Everything You Need to Know About CES [INFOGRAPHIC]

Service Indicators

Obsessing with Impact

Social business in 2012

Buzzwords for #media - yuck!

Hubspot have just published a glossary of buzzwords. The idea makes me cringe, but it's quite a useful list and includes a few gems I'd never heard of - even if as we've these things they go quickly out of date. For example, I thought Collecta sounded great, but alas it is no more.

Steve Ballmer: Traditional media will not bounce back | Media | guardian.co.uk

How much will you pay for content

B-to-B Ad Pages Plummet 29 Percent in Q1 - B2B @ FolioMag.com

Magazines bites the dust

Amazon: Now One-Third Of All U.S. E-Commerce

75% of ads below the fold go unnoticed

All in a flap

Pipl - People Search

Financial Times readers asked for input on leader columns | Media | guardian.co.uk

Slide Continues: B-to-B Ad Pages Fall 28.6 Percent in February - B2B @ FolioMag.com

How To Monitor Online Conversations

Buzz Marketing for Technology: Social Media is better for the Consideration Phase

Zucker On The Media - Forbes.com

Eight Things I Hate About You

Digital Marketing: The Golden Rules of the Web - Advertising Age - DigitalNext

PR 2.0: Are Blogs Losing Their Authority To The Statusphere?

Skittles pulls Twitter feed from homepage - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic

The importance of social technology

Media Trends 2009

How to: events

Cisco - multi-platform

LinkedIn Skyrockets as Job Losses Mount - Advertising Age - Digital

Community Engagement » The Buzz Bin

Interview: Wired's Chris Anderson on the 'free' business model | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

FIPP Website | Emap Inform to make all magazines A4

B2B buyers have very high social participation

Reality Sinks In at Online Advertising Confab - Advertising Age - Digital

FT.com / Companies / Media - Google tops list of superbrands again

Digital Domain - Everyone Loves Google, Until It’s Too Big - NYTimes.com

What do you use Twitter for? | Media | guardian.co.uk

The niche magazines riding out the gloom - Press, Media - The Independent

Devolve me - Charles Darwin - The Open University

Advertise when times are tough.

Should you Twitter?

Google RIP

Paid content back in fashion

How to win on Digg

Mind the gap...

Roy Greenslade: Net news for free 'devalues information' | Media | guardian.co.uk

How Little Do Users Read? (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

Don't forget text... it's why print will never die

Total Telecom

MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL - Censured

Bloggers SEO Tips

Power of print

Total Telecom

Total Telecom

Will this be the last MWC?

Fusionbrand's Notes | Facebook

Total Telecom

Forbes.com moves to increase personalization :: Media Business

Debate on: social media to t/o world!

Earth shaking discovery

How hot is social media

Are you LinkedIn?

Online Communities "pure business preservation" for publishers

Webcasts continue to be popular