Author: Nadya
| Posted at: 5:33 PM |
Filed Under: How To,
SEO
|
Web is going through significant changes: soon enough web users will be able to use their own language characters, which so far were strictly Latin.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has announced the major technological shift during its board meeting in Seoul, South Korea (acc. to BBC).
It seems that the new web shape will become attractive to millions of potential new users, who will be able to register domain names in multiple-language scripts, which means that apart from the common domain names as : .com, .gov, .co.uk, .net, the web shift will firstly apply to the so-called "lesser-used group of domains /the country codes" as: .uk, .nl, .cn, .kr, etc.
So, even though the web democratisation releases its main standard - the one based on a single, universally recognized script - will it create more opportunities for local enclosures or perhaps new online scams?
Author: Nadya
| Posted at: 7:07 PM |
Filed Under: How To,
SEO
|
Is technology "pushing" everybody and even "everything" to talk? The reason I'm wondering is that nowadays information society which caused this overwhelming data overload, followed by media fragmentation is now creating conversations across both offline and online platforms. Brands are becomming more interactive, given "voice" to maintain conversations with consumers, otherwise they just risk to become simply...unnoticed.
Online platforms are now recognizing the need to shift from simly "broshure"- based content (full of "silent" data) towards an interactive - based one, offering consumers more touch-points to get a better knowledge of brands through...personalization!
Google was planning long ago to offer more integrated and personalized solutions, so that in several weeks from now it will mark a shift from a simply informational search engine to a social search - Google Social Search, as part of Google Labs experiment. This basically means that from now on everything we search for could be related to the same search tasks chosen by our friends, peers and simply the connections linked from the public Google profile, such as the people we're following on Twitter or FriendFeed.
Also, Google will integrate Gmail: posting searched items of our chat buddies and contacts from our friends, family, and coworkers groups. Additionaly, Google will involve Google Reader, using subscriptions as part of our social search results.
This way, Google Social Search will deliver content posted on search results boards from social networks including Twitter, YouTube and Blogger when users are browsing their iGoogle profile.
Here's how Google sees its new social search function:
Since the project is now on its experimental level, Google has also opened a Feedbackplatform, waiting to hear more public views.
The Lesson for Today:
1. Social Networking platforms are likely to link tight to search platforms in the future, following the "global grouping by interest" trend, which motivates the success of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc. Would you even think 10 years ago that you'd have so many people around the globe, whom you'd never meet, but who share same views you do?
2. Service/product integration across all platforms is being better supported by such social strings, as: transparency (open-source brand, being open to public views and judgement - feedback platforms), relevancy (offering firstly the relevant content), personalization (we all like to be addressed by name, right?)
Author: Nadya
| Posted at: 2:46 PM |
Filed Under: How To,
Social Media
|
Today WARC (World Advertising Research Center) announced a new Facebook Ad strategy to be focused on "demand generation" purchase stage, meaning that brands are expected to get higher awareness when there's obviously a higher demand rate.
Social networking platform, accounts at the moment for over 300 million users worldwide and is only predicted to grow in the future. Moreover, Sheryl Sandberg (chief operating officer) reported that around half of Facebook audience visits its portal at least once a day.
There's an interesting comparison on the Avarage Time Spent on Site per month: WARC reports that the typical user spends 5.8 hours viewing material hosted on Facebook each month, compared with the total of 3.3 hours recorded by Yahoo, ranked in second place on this measure.
Also, according to some analysts, at the moment there're over 1 million accounts opened either in-house or by third prties to promote certain brands. Sandberg confirms that the Web 2.0 initiatives from corporate perspective have multiplied more than compared to this period a year ago. For example, below is an example of one of many Starbucks's applications on Facebook:
Facebook's Ad strategy aim is to reach as many consumers as possible, thereby creating consideration and demand, while the bottom delivers the final purchase (Saindberg, WARC).
It's interesting that Google, serves those at the latter stage of this process, and who are interested in looking for a specific product, while Facebook aims at those at the beginning.
Moreover, there's a number of social networking platforms, such as VKontakte (Russia), Hi5 who aim at contextual advertising. Thus, in case a group member would show an interest in a certain product during the group discussion, he would immediately receive invitations to accept other groups related to the product/service mentioned. Obviously, this approach reflects a more of a "push" method, rather than harnessing consumer experience, which leaves question marks in front of the effectiveness of contextual advertising on social networking platforms.
Would be interesting to find out in the future more advertising solutions offered by social media and search brands worldwide.
Author: Nadya
| Posted at: 6:43 PM |
Filed Under: How To,
SEO
|
Google announced today the launch of a major UK auction-based video ad platform for YouTube.
A couple of months ago major advertising media sources announced both Yahoo! and Google's intentions to bolster advertising solutions, by means of launching new advanced features and services.
For example, in June 2009 Yahoo! announced its new self-serve display advertising service, allowing companies to create their own online ads. The product provided advertisers with more than 800 display ad templates running across the Yahoo network of Web sites.
Instead, major Yahoo's rival - Google intended to test a new type of ad platform which aimed to showcase products in its sponsored links that would appear alongside search results.
Today Google has launched a major UK auction-based video ad platform for YouTube to increase ad revenues for the video-sharing site and attract new advertisers.
Promoted Videos serves thumbnail video ads against search results on YouTube, with advertisers bidding on keywords in an auction model. Newmediaage announces that it’s the latest in a series of moves by Google to create sustainable advertising formats on YouTube, but the first to place YouTube video ad results next to the site’s search results.
This way, Promoted Video results will replace the current text-based Sponsored Links results which are served through AdSense, although Google may continue to serve text links where there aren’t enough video ads in auctions.
Google is looking to capitalise on the huge expansion of the online video market, which grew 195% year on year, according to the latest IAB/PricewaterhouseCoopers figures (Newmediaage 1 October 2009).
The move coincides with the imminent launch of official long-form content on YouTube, with Google understood to have agreed deals with partners including ITV and Channel 4 (Newmediaage 21 May 2009) signifying a major ramp-up of the video-sharing site’s services.
The reaction of advertisers on Google's new move was generally a positive one, although a new dilemma appeared related to the most appropriate charging model: either CPC or reach/frequency model, since there's no guarrantee that a click would naturally lead to a view withough any possible drop-outs.
Primary source for this story: Newmediaage, 14.10.2009: http://ow.ly/uqoa Related sources: Utalkmarketing.com: http://ow.ly/uqtL Newstin.co.uk: http://ow.ly/uqux
Author: Nadya
| Posted at: 5:44 PM |
Filed Under: How To,
Social Media
|
Although there are already applications allowing Twitter users to post videos, by using extra platforms, such as: Twiddeo and Tweetube, Twitter comes up with a new option to extend its service portofolio, in addition to text tweets: real-time video tweets.
This will enable Twitter users to upload brief videos to their profiles directly from their mobile phones, laptops and other devices.
Although yet under discussion, Twitter's founders hope to boost site's performance by adding real-time video-tweeting as a new social-networking tool.
I saw an interesting picture these days of 2 logos standing next to each other (see below).
Although the colours and design concept were different, the overall look implied a similar brand identity: an apple standing for the idea of “freshness”. The first logo, belongs to Australian largest supermarket chain Woolworths (over 780 stores) and its counterpart logo - to Apple.
Woolworths changed its logo in 2008 as part of a rebranding to link its commitment to fresh food, insisting that the logo represents the letter “W”, rather than an apple. Still, when put together, the apple image would most probably come first.
Which was Apple’s response? They have now applied to IP Australia, the national body that regulates intellectual property (cited by Telegraph.co.uk), to have Woolworths' trademark rejected. The claimed motive leads to few differentiating features.
Moreover, Apple fears that the supermarket chain could place its logo on own-brand electronic equipment, which might be sold in direct competition to iPhones, iPods and Apple computers.
On the other hand, despite its cool image Apple is also known for being excessively aggressive when it comes to its trademark protection. Thus, it was involved in a 30-year legal spat with Apple Corps, the company set up by The Beatles to represent their interests. That issue has only been solved 2 years ago.
So has Apple any reasons for concern? What would you say? Btw, the Australian Woolworths has no connection to the failed UK retail chain of the same name.
Thanks to my Twitter pals for posting the related news links: Telegraph (http://ow.ly/tkoE), TG Daily (http://ow.ly/tkqP), Mashable (http://ow.ly/tkrd).
