Today, I read a fascinating report today from Mobile search engine, Taptu, which outlines trends in the “Mobile Touch Web” (i.e. content that can be run on “any touch screen device equipped with a Webkit- based mobile browser.”)  Taptu “analyzed, categorized and measured more than 100 million sites on the mobile touch Web and classified them by 20 categories and 200 sub-categories”, and this report provides insight into the areas of emerging importance in this space.  (more…)

The mobile app store landscape is growing and evolving quickly, and keeping up with the latest information when you’ve already got a day job is tough.  One of the most useful ways to keep up-to-date is to watch what some of the mobile analytics vendors are writing about on their blogs and white papers.  One of the best and most recent cross app store information resources I’ve found is from Distimo.  (more…)

Back in 2007, I covered a study conducted by UMASS Dartmouth researchers on the use of Social Media within the Inc. 500, which concluded that the hype behind social media was real and that companies were successfully engaging with it.  The same researchers (Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Eric Mattson CEO, Financial Insite) have continued to study the Inc. 500’s use of social media for three years running.  The 2009 study is now available online, and the results show that “social media matters and is here to stay,” with 91% of respondents using at least one social media tool (versus 77% of respondents in 20080 and 43% saying that social media was a “very important” part of their marketing/business strategy.  (more…)

Jeff & Lisa in Prague 2005

I rarely talk about personal topics on my blog, but today, I’m writing to ask for your help, following the death of one of my oldest friends.  Over the summer, Jeffrey B. White lost his battle with cancer at the age of 32.  At the time of his passing, Jeff was a freelance journalist based in Berlin, Germany.  His articles were published in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The American Lawyer, LegalWeek, World Politics Review, PopMatters, the international edition of Der Spiegel, Gadling (AOL’s travel blog), the Patriot Ledger (where he was once a staff reporter),  the Prague Post (where he was formerly a news Editor), and a variety of other noteworthy publications.

Jeff was an amazing guy – intelligent, witty, and he had a great sense of humor.  I’d known him since I was three years old, and together with his younger brother, Greg, we grew up together on a series of memorable family vacations which started when Jeff’s dad was transferred from our home town in California to the east coast and ended all too quickly this summer.  We managed to survive childhood, adolescence, Boston College and most of our 20s together before Jeff developed Eye Melanoma, a particularly rare and aggressive type of cancer. (more…)

Today is the last day of DEMOfall 09, and I’ll be live blogging about what I see.  Please refresh your page regularly.

It’s 9:30am, and we’re close to kick off…

First up Nubli - a 90 second alpha pitch…

• Nubli figures out which emails and contacts are the most important to you and presents them in a prioritized view
• Cuts the clutter in your inbox. (more…)

I’m blogging live from DEMOfall 09 in San Diego California… I’ll also be live tweeting.  The show is about to start shortly.  Please refresh your browser regularly.

The show is starting now… First up an introduction video.

Now the intro to the conference – Chris Shipley and Matt Marshall are thanking partners and talking about the format for DEMOfall 09.  VentureBeat has launched DEMOBeat.  VentureBeat also talking about VentureBeat Profiles, which is the integration of their Profiles acquisition.

Chris Shipley says now is the best time to be starting a company and innovating.  Hewlett-Packard Co is first up to bat… They’re a DEMO veteran. (more…)

The University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research recently completed a longitudinal study on how Forbes Magazine’s list of the US’s 200 largest charities used social media in 2007 (their first year studying the topic) vs 2008.  The charities interviewed include well known names like Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, Habitat for Humanity International and Easter Seals.  This research represents one of the first statistically significant studies of its kind, and it shows that in 2008, big non-profits were “leading both corporations and universities..in their familiarity with, usage of, monitoring of and attitude towards social media.”  (more…)

Having trouble convincing your organization to invest in social media?  You’re not the only one.  Many of my prospective clients are in the same boat.  They understand that social media can be used to help their organization grow and manage customer perception, but unable to estimate a realistic return on investment grounded in a real-life case study, they have trouble rationalizing a significant investment in social media.  Unfortunately, there aren’t enough companies that measure AND talk openly about the dollar-value ROI of their social media investment.

One company that is talking openly about their social media ROI is Dell, who today announced that since June of 2007, they’ve earned more than $3 Million in revenue via Twitter alone.  (more…)

You hear that? … What about that? …  Still can’t hear it?  What you’re probably not hearing is the sound of people talking about your brand online.  Right now, you could be missing tens, hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions of consumer led conversations about your brand.

Unconvinced?  If you’re based in America, how many times in the last six months have you heard a friend utter the word “Snuggie” or a “ShamWOW!” versus the number of times you’ve actually seen an advertisement for a “Snuggie” or “ShamWOW!”?  If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably heard the words uttered and seen them printed on social networks more than you’ve actually seen the commercials.  Brands infiltrate both in person and online conversations every second of every day.  While you can’t eves drop on every voice to voice conversation about your brand, it’s now easy to find out what people are saying about your brand online. (more…)

According to a new survey, published by The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, “the hype” around social media “is real.”  In November and December or 2006, U Mass Dartmouth’s Center for Marketing Research, under the direction of blogging researchers Eric Mattson and Nora Ganim Barnes, completed a telephone survey of “Inc. 500” list to find out if and how they’re using social media.  The “Inc. 500,” published every September by Inc. Magazine, is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.  According to the executive summary, existing research shows that 8% of Fortune 500 companies have a public blog, and the U Mass team set out to find out whether the use of social media was the same in companies that were “selected by growth rate rather than revenue.” What they found was encouraging.  Fast growing companies are utilizing social media at much higher rates than earlier research indicates for Fortune 500 companies.  In the executive summary, the researchers write:

“As one of, if not the, first studies of social media adoption with statistical significance, this research proves conclusively that social media is coming to the business world and sooner than many anticipated.”

The full results of the study will be published throughout 2007 in a variety of journals.  Keep your eyes peeled for an article in The Journal of New Communications Research coming this March. The researchers from U Mass have promised to send me a link the the article soon as it is available. When they do, I’ll post it in this blog. In the meantime, the executive summary is well worth a read.

Included in the summary are several interesting graphs. The highlights include:

• When asked how important social media was to a company’s business/ marketing strategy, most respondents felt that it was important:
  • 26%= Very important
  • 40%= Somewhat important
• When asked what type of social media companies used, responses were as follows:
  • 33%= Message/Bulletin Boards
  • 27%= Social Networking
  • 24%= Online Video
  • 19%= Blogging
  • 17%= Wikis
  • 11%= Podcasting

I can’t help but wonder: Did social media help propel the responding companies into the Inc. 500, or is it just coincidence?  Then again, I’m still wondering, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”