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• Media Decoder Blog: Turner Broadcasting Invests in Funny or Die

  NYT > Media & Advertising

  By BRIAN STELTER

  16 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  The deal with the producer of online comedy videos includes collaboration with two Turner brands, TBS and Adult Swim, on both content and advertising sales.

• THE INTERNET HAS A REPUTATION PROBLEM

  AdPulp

  David Burn

  15 May 2012 | 3:49 pm

  We’re both in the brand identity game. So, let’s put our heads together on this. The Internet needs an identity refresh. Please understand that this is #probono work, since there is no real client and no one to bill. We all own the Internet, right? It’s a community garden and thus our undertaking to improve it is a just cause. Plus, our investment of free labor in the future of the Internet’s brand will be noted by a Wikipedia editor. I won’t bore you by presenting the brief for the reinvented Internet brand, but I know you need a strategy statement of some kind.

• The Fallacy of Information Overload

  Brian Solis

  Brian Solis

  15 May 2012 | 6:50 am

  Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise.  Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More…

• Are you falling behind when it comes to mobile?

  Drew's Marketing Minute

  Drew McLellan

  13 May 2012 | 12:04 pm

  I think it is fascinating in a “I don’t get it” sort of way.  We all know that mobile is where digital is headed.  We’ve all repeated the “by 2015, the #1 way we will access the internet is through our smart phones” and yet… it seems like most people are lollygagging along when it comes to getting onto the mobile train. Is your website mobile optimized?  Are you learning more about mobile ads?  Are you thinking about how you’re going to accept mobile payments? Or do you look like this infographic? Browse more infographics.   You might…

• Houston Reporter Does In-Depth Analysis of Fake ‘Onion’ Story

  PRNewser

  Tonya Garcia

  16 May 2012 | 9:24 am

  When we saw The Onion article “Fracking Industry Now Largest Employer Of Recent PR Graduates,” we retweeted it as a joke. When Houston Business Journal reporter Deon Daugherty saw the story, she decided to investigate. The article cites “a study” that says companies that make a business out of fracking are hiring more PRs than other industries with a bad rep — tobacco, for instance — because they’ve got a lot of spinning to do. Upfront, Daugherty says she knows this story is a parodyStill, she contacted Ed Davis, GM of PR firm Fifth Ring and “a…

• 

  NYT > Media & Advertising

• Media Decoder Blog: Turner Broadcasting Invests in Funny or Die

  By BRIAN STELTER

  16 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  The deal with the producer of online comedy videos includes collaboration with two Turner brands, TBS and Adult Swim, on both content and advertising sales.

• Media Decoder Blog: Viacom and Time Warner Cable Reach Deal on App for Streaming Programs

  By AMY CHOZICK

  16 May 2012 | 1:26 pm

  The companies reached a settlement that will allow users to stream shows from Viacom's channels through Time Warner Cable's TWCable TV app.

• Dish Network’s Hopper Cuts Ads and Causes Tremors at TV Upfronts

  By BRIAN STELTER

  16 May 2012 | 1:26 pm

  As with past technological threats, network executives are closing ranks against a Dish Network device that undermines the broadcast business model.

• Media Decoder Blog: Clear Channel Buys WFNX, Venerable Boston Rock Station

  By BEN SISARIO

  16 May 2012 | 12:37 pm

  The station, which was founded in 1983, had a role in popularizing grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 1990s. If the deal is approved, Clear Channel would add a fifth station in the Boston market.

• G.M. to Quit Facebook Ad Campaign Worth $10 Million a Year

  By TANZINA VEGA

  16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  The loss of $10 million in ad dollars does not represent a financial disaster for Facebook, but it is a public relations headache so close to the company’s initial stock offering this week.

• 

  AdPulp

• THE INTERNET HAS A REPUTATION PROBLEM

  David Burn

  15 May 2012 | 3:49 pm

  We’re both in the brand identity game. So, let’s put our heads together on this. The Internet needs an identity refresh. Please understand that this is #probono work, since there is no real client and no one to bill. We all own the Internet, right? It’s a community garden and thus our undertaking to improve it is a just cause. Plus, our investment of free labor in the future of the Internet’s brand will be noted by a Wikipedia editor. I won’t bore you by presenting the brief for the reinvented Internet brand, but I know you need a strategy statement of some kind.

• 10 Easy Steps You Can Take Today To Achieve Social Media Stardom And Make Buckets of Money

  David Burn

  12 May 2012 | 3:36 pm

  If you’ve been paying attention these past few years, you know by now that the world is most definitely your oyster. Thanks to the game changing power of the Internet, you can disrupt markets, wear a sarong to work and never answer to a clueless boss again. Sure, it may sound too good to be true. But trust me when I say that doubt will get you nowhere. On the other hand, the more you believe in yourself, the more others will believe in you. So without further ado, here are TEN THINGS YOU MUST DO TODAY to UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR NETWORK and INSURE YOUR LONG TERM PROSPERITY… 10. Put…

• When You Replace Bad Habits, You Make Room For Better Ones

  David Burn

  11 May 2012 | 9:59 am

  My recent post where I discussed kicking my blogging habit lacked clarity. Ergo, I’ve got some explaining to do. I thought this line from the post would carry weight: “By blogging I refer to the light- to medium-weight updates that often refer to a primary source.” But it didn’t. I also thought this line would also make things clear: “To be clear, I’m not walking away from AdPulp, I’m changing my daily routine.” But it didn’t. If I simply followed the example set by other well read bloggers, I would have written a post titled, “Blogging Is…

• I Like Your Jacket. And I “Like” Your Jacket.

  Dan Goldgeier

  9 May 2012 | 9:19 am

  Here’s an interesting use of Facebook in the retail space. A Brazilian retailer lets you see exactly how many people “like” a particular item of clothing. According to Springwise, C&A’s new “Fashion Like” initiative uses special hooks on the racks in its bricks-and-mortar store to display Facebook “likes” in real time, giving in-store shoppers a clear indication of each item’s online popularity. Now, here’s my question to all you AdPulp fashion lovers: If many people like a piece of clothing, would you be more inclined or less inclined to…

• Next Week In Portland, Share Your Vision For The Web

  David Burn

  9 May 2012 | 9:01 am

  WebVisions is on next week in Portland. I know you’re busy making commercials and stuff, but why not push back from the machine for a day or two? Entering its 12th year, the conference kicks off with studio tours, parties and networking events on Tuesday, followed by one day of workshops and two full day of sessions, panels and keynotes. This year’s keynotes will be delivered by Baratunde Thurston of The Onion, the authors of Make It So, Nathan Shedroff and Chris Noessel, and Laura Fitton of Hub Spot. Some of the other presentations that I will likely want to cover include:…

• 

  Brian Solis

• The Fallacy of Information Overload

  Brian Solis

  15 May 2012 | 6:50 am

  Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise.  Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More…

• Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience

  Brian Solis

  10 May 2012 | 7:56 am

  Social media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media…

• The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design

  Brian Solis

  7 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  The future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the…

• The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business

  Brian Solis

  2 May 2012 | 9:17 am

  I’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million…

• Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.

  Brian Solis

  30 Apr 2012 | 8:21 am

  Frank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…

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  Drew's Marketing Minute

• Are you falling behind when it comes to mobile?

  Drew McLellan

  13 May 2012 | 12:04 pm

  I think it is fascinating in a “I don’t get it” sort of way.  We all know that mobile is where digital is headed.  We’ve all repeated the “by 2015, the #1 way we will access the internet is through our smart phones” and yet… it seems like most people are lollygagging along when it comes to getting onto the mobile train. Is your website mobile optimized?  Are you learning more about mobile ads?  Are you thinking about how you’re going to accept mobile payments? Or do you look like this infographic? Browse more infographics.   You might…

• Going viral = out of your control

  Drew McLellan

  8 May 2012 | 5:38 am

  It seems like one of the goals I hear more and more is… “and we want it to go viral.”  I translate that to mean — we want a lot of people to see it. But rarely when someone says they want something to go viral, do they really understand the implications of that.  The biggest one is — the minute it begins to go viral, it begins to take on a life of its own and it is beyond your control. Let me give you a very tangible example.  My daughter and several of her college friends decided that they wanted to jump into the Sh*t People Say meme that was started in…

• 9 Keys to Wicked Awesome Landing Pages

  Drew McLellan

  5 May 2012 | 10:21 am

  Note from Drew:  Every once in awhile I like to open up the blog to a guest with a depth of expertise that I think you’ll benefit from.  Here’s Jason Well’s take on landing pages. A few weeks ago I spoke at SES New York about mobile PPC and SEO. I touched briefly on mobile landing pages. After the presentation one of the attendees walked up to me and said, “thanks for covering mobile landing pages, but most people still need help on their standard landing pages.” He was right. Especially in the B2B world, ‘regular’ landing pages are still critical. While keeping in…

• What can you learn from a small town?

  Drew McLellan

  30 Apr 2012 | 4:20 am

  Turns out, quite a bit. The whole concept of having a marketplace is blurry today.  It used to be — you sold stuff to your neighbors because they were the only ones close enough to buy from you. But today the world is one “global small town” where all your customers can talk directly to each other and every one of them can buy from you or from the guy on the other side of the planet. In their book Small Town Rules (click to buy it on Amazon*) authors Becky McCray and Barry Moltz take a look at what works in a small town and help us understand how those same rules apply to us,…

• What is the next step?

  Drew McLellan

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:31 am

  That’s the question you should ask yourself as you create any marketing piece.  ”What is the next step I want the prospect to take?” Whether it’s a Facebook fan page, an enewsletter, a TV spot or a blimp with your logo on it — you have earned their momentary attention.  What are you going to do with it?  Where do you want to take the conversation/connection from here? Do you want to give them the opportunity to contact you? Do you want them to share your content? Do you want them to ask you a question? Do you want them to laugh so hard that they have to tell…

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  PRNewser

• Houston Reporter Does In-Depth Analysis of Fake ‘Onion’ Story

  Tonya Garcia

  16 May 2012 | 9:24 am

  When we saw The Onion article “Fracking Industry Now Largest Employer Of Recent PR Graduates,” we retweeted it as a joke. When Houston Business Journal reporter Deon Daugherty saw the story, she decided to investigate. The article cites “a study” that says companies that make a business out of fracking are hiring more PRs than other industries with a bad rep — tobacco, for instance — because they’ve got a lot of spinning to do. Upfront, Daugherty says she knows this story is a parodyStill, she contacted Ed Davis, GM of PR firm Fifth Ring and “a…

• Beware of Pinterest Spam!

  Tonya Garcia

  16 May 2012 | 8:26 am

  McAfee is warning that hackers have created “toolkits” that allow people to quickly and easily create pins or images that actually facilitate malware distribution and the spread of other forms of spam. Requests to repin before content is delivered is usually a sign that something’s up. Bloomberg has gathered some cautionary tales. With the skyrocketing interest in Pinterest, it’s no surprise that some would try to capitalize on the popularity with a scam. This in-depth infographic offers up lots of info about who’s using Pinterest. Note that PR is number six on…

• Nasdaq OMX Launches Media Intelligence

  Tonya Garcia

  16 May 2012 | 6:37 am

  Nasdaq OMX Corporate Solutions has launched Media Intelligence, a software-as-a-service platform for media monitoring and analysis. The platform also allows users to contact consumers and social media followers directly. Media Intelligence brings Critical Mention’s broadcast monitoring capabilities into the fold. Monitoring and other data for tens of thousands of online, news, and broadcast outlets as well as three million social media sources are now available. Nasdaq OMX acquired London-based SaaS provider Glide Technologies in October. Since then Nasdaq has pumped up that offering as…

• GM’s Decision Not to Advertise On Facebook Not Such a Big Deal After All

  Tonya Garcia

  16 May 2012 | 6:18 am

  Everyone is buzzing about the news that General Motors has pulled its $10 million in advertising from Facebook. The reason cited is the advertising is having “little impact on car purchases.” We’ve never noticed any GM advertising and, when taking into account that GM is the third largest advertiser in the U.S. ($1.8 billion) behind P&G and AT&T, it’s not that big of a spending cut for them. With $872 million in quarterly advertising revenue, its not too critical for Facebook either, though of course, the company would want to hang on to an advertiser. In the…

• Business4Better Conference Coming in 2013

  Tonya Garcia

  16 May 2012 | 5:12 am

  UBM, parent company for PR Newswire, has partnered with the city of Anaheim, C.A. and other local organizations for the Business4Better Conference, an event focused on best practices, tools, and networking for corporate social responsibility programs. The conference will take place May 1 and May 2, 2013. Click here to learn more. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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  Digital Influence Mapping Project

• The Quality of the Conversation on Facebook Matters

  John Bell

  14 May 2012 | 8:51 am

  Last September Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse, used data to reveal that “Engagement on the Facebook walls of leading brands is down 22%.” He plotted engagement metrics on the top 300 brand pages. His hypothesis is that brands are not delivering long term value in favor of quick bumps from overuse of coupons and offers. More recently the Facebook Timeline innovations seemed to improve overall engagement. According to Simply Measured, the change brought a 14% Increase in Fan Engagement. The format and the much industry-discussed launch called for lots more pictures and video…

• The Quality of the Conversation on Facebook Matters

  John Bell

  14 May 2012 | 8:50 am

  Last September Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse, used data to reveal that “Engagement on the Facebook walls of leading brands is down 22%.” He plotted engagement metrics on the top 300 brand pages. His hypothesis is that brands are not delivering long term value in favor of quick bumps from overuse of coupons and offers. More recently the Facebook Timeline innovations seemed to improve overall engagement. According to Simply Measured, the change brought a 14% Increase in Fan Engagement. The format and the much industry-discussed launch called for lots more pictures and video…

• Just-in-time or Too-little-too-late in Social in Mexico? - The Agency Side

  John Bell

  9 May 2012 | 12:35 am

  Agencies have their own too-soon and too-late conundrum. Almost all marketing and communications firms are paid to deliver business results today. Maybe, maybe they are working towards a 2-3 year horizon on a brand project. Too few are independently investing in the future but rather look to client initiatives and projects to justify a new solution in mobile, community marketing, employee advocacy or any of the other innovations that stand to radically change how we market. The rapid growth of new behaviors like those in Mexico will not likely change, meaning, we are all ‘settling in’ for…

• Will you be Just-in-time or Too-little-too-late in Social in Mexico?

  John Bell

  7 May 2012 | 12:27 am

  Marketers around the world are trying to figure out when to divert resources to use social media behaviors and technology in their marketing, communications and customer service. Too early and the best conceived plans on Facebook or customer communities will not produce enough results to survive the next budget season. Too late and an organization can find itself chasing after consumer behavior and losing reputation, if not business, to competitors.  We have big multinational clients who are deploying Facebook community management as quickly as possible in 50+ markets. Many of these…

• The Importance of Professional Conversations at WOMMA

  John Bell

  25 Apr 2012 | 12:51 am

  In this past Sunday Review in the NYTimes, Shelly Turkle from M.I.T. offers a compelling case that our adopted digital behaviors may be satisfying our compulsion for 'always-on' connectivity while at the same time robbing us from the benefits of true conversation.  This rings true to me. The effort needed to engage in a typical conversation is greater than that needed to constantly be referring back to email and IM. And the payout, the value to us as human beings of that conversation, is also greater, or, at the very least, is a critical value in and of itself.  The value…

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  Adrants

• Affiliate Ball During Affiliate Summit to Feature Ice-T & Coco, Mix Master Mike

  16 May 2012 | 12:21 pm

  Get ready! It's time for another Affiliate Ball. Taking place Monday night, August 13 during Affiliate Summit in New York, Affiliate Ball, organized by Darren Blatt, will feature Ice-T & Coco, Beastie Boy Mix Master Mike along with other surprise artists.

• Deepak Chopra, YouTube Stars And the Human Approach to Marketing

  16 May 2012 | 11:11 am

  And now it's time to get deep at Internet Week. Breath deep. Relax. Close you eyes. Cross your legs. Ready? Good. It's time for Deepak Chopra!

• Joan Rivers to E*Trade Baby Creators: 'Go F%#k Yourselves'

  16 May 2012 | 9:02 am

  We knew who would win various CLIOs earlier this month but last night during Internet Week, the CLIOs held their award ceremony at New York City's American Museum of Natural History.

• Search and Social: A Love Affair During Internet Week

  16 May 2012 | 7:48 am

  In an Internet Week panel entitled Search & Social: A Love Story, Mashable Business Editor Todd Wasserman sat down with About.com Director of Research Laura Salant and Buddy Media VP of Analytics and Insights Tami Dalley to discuss the interplay between and the roles search and social currently play.

• Patton Oswalt to Host 16th Annual Webby Awards

  15 May 2012 | 12:22 pm

  Don't miss it. Wait, miss what? The Webby Awards!

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  Being Peter Kim

• Sharing "Social Business By Design" #SBBD

  Peter Kim

  1 May 2012 | 5:01 am

  Today is the official publication date of Social Business By Design. It's been a whirlwind three-year journey from the original blog post that introduced the world to "social business" to a full book describing how to make strategy and tactics succeed. If you're starting on your social business journey, this book will provide you with a roadmap explaining the whys and hows. Last week, Dion explained why we wrote the book and outlined its key features. If you're a seasoned social business practitioner, you'll find value in the frameworks, outlines, and visual thinking. As one early…

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  AdWeek: AdFreak

• Meet the Three Products That Just Won a Place on Walmart's Shelves

  16 May 2012 | 1:12 pm

  Walmart's "Get on the Shelf" contest, which saw more than 4,000 inventors and small businesses compete for the chance to get their product into Walmart stores, has wrapped up, and the winners have been announced. They are: HumanKind Water, PlateTopper and SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit. Wait, really? Huh. Well, at least two of the three are ethical companies. HumanKind gives 100 percent of its net profits to organizations that provide access to clean drinking water in underdeveloped communities worldwide. And PlateTopper—a plastic gizmo that covers food on plates, replacing…

• The 20 Most-Viral Ads of 2012 (So Far)

  16 May 2012 | 10:23 am

  It's only the middle of May, but already we've had some runaway viral hits in advertising this year. Unruly Media, which runs the global Viral Video Chart, has just released a list of the most-shared ads of 2012 (so far). We've posted the top 20 below. It's a varied group of spots—with dancing and singing, cursing and fainting, running and good old-fashioned pitching. President Obama even makes an appearance. Check out the full list after the jump. And don't resist the urge to share. Finnair Snobby ad people largely despise flash mobs and/or spontaneous dancing as a…

• Man Proposes to Woman via Audio Ad on Pandora

  16 May 2012 | 8:04 am

  Nerdy couples are awesome. They do nerdy things for each other that cause both of them to squeal in delight. Recently this phenomenon has extended all the way up to nerdy marriage proposals. We've seen the infographic proposal, the crowdsourced Photoshop meme proposal and the Web banner-ad proposal. Now, a man with an apparent appreciation for radio commercials has proposed via Pandora ad—with the audio professionally recorded by a voice actress. The guy offers a play by play over on his Tumblr. He writes: "She heard her name, and then heard it again, and she started picking up…

• Google Shows You Where an Email Goes After You Hit Send

  16 May 2012 | 6:48 am

  Google takes us backstage with The Story of Send, which explains what happens when you send an email. It's kind of like they're asking themselves why they're so awesome, and then answering that question, but it's still a clever way of both congratulating their renewable-energy efforts and explaining the inner workings of something people do every day without necessarily understanding the mechanics of it. I also think they're getting sick of all the remaining jokes about tubes, so they're trying to nip that mess in the bud once and for all. Either way, it's evidence…

• Guinness Turns a Submarine Into a Branded Underwater Bar

  16 May 2012 | 6:23 am

  What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Sign him up for a tour of duty on the Guinness submarine! The vessel comes complete with a "deep-sea bar" and Austin Powers pop-art interior design with lots of rubber discs simulating bubbles. This is no dive bar! The groovy environs were built by architects at London's Jump Studios, working from concepts by Evelyne Gridelet, who won a "Sea Experience" competition celebrating the brand's 250th anniversary. Guinness's promotional line, "Alive inside," was the contest's theme, and it thankfully held true…

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  Marketing Pilgrim - Internet News and Opinion

• CNBC Details How Americans Really Feel About Facebook

  Cynthia Boris

  16 May 2012 | 11:36 am

  How do you really feel about Facebook? Do you trust it? Would you give it your money? Is it fun? Is it safe? These are just a few of the questions asked in a recent AP-CNBC poll and the answers they got. . . well. . . they weren’t exactly surprising. But hey, we love data here so let’s take a look! Who is on Facebook? Facebook is a keeper for most of the US. 56% of all Americans have a Facebook page. 3 in 10 use it everyday with younger users visiting more often. Those who don’t have a page, 35% say they have no interest or they have better things to do with their time. 22%…

• Twitter’s New Email Digest Makes Top Content More Visible

  Cynthia Boris

  16 May 2012 | 10:53 am

  Twitter used to be one of my favorite web destinations but in recent months I’ve nearly walked away from it thanks to the overwhelming overflow of information. It’s what happens with social media, you start following a few people you really enjoy then you add the obligatory follows and work follows and brand follows and soon it’s too much to handle. I only follow 126 people and I get a new tweet every minute. What about the people who follow 300 accounts? Keeping up is impossible. (Cue the trumpeters) Announcing the new Twitter Email Digest! The digest is broken into two…

• IAB Launches Digital Media Sales Certification Program

  Frank Reed

  16 May 2012 | 8:01 am

  Ever have a bad experience with a sales person in the interactive space? That question is kind of like asking if you have ever felt the urge to breath first thing in the morning. I come from the sales side of the ISP and SEO industry as part of my interactive background. In my time, I did OK. In that time I also saw MANY who did not do OK and wondered what they said in an interview to get hired. That’s the way it is with most sales positions which is why turnover is so high and ‘opportunities’ are more than most other job segments. Part of the trouble is the learning curve…

• Study Says Social Media Ad Spend (US) Will Hit Almost $10B by 2016

  Frank Reed

  16 May 2012 | 7:31 am

  In a shocking development, a research company has chosen this particular week, of all weeks, to post their forecast for what is in store for social media ad spending in the US over the next several years. Do you think it was just dumb luck that it coincides with Facebook’s IPO ? Hey, who can blame BIA/Kelsey for jumping on the train that is the Facebook IPO Express? Here is the picture version of this predicted US social media spend through 2016. Let’s consider the whole Facebook IPO thingy in light of these numbers. In 2011, Facebook did somewhere in the neighborhood of $3…

• OK, So GM Pulls $10M in Facebook Ads, So What?

  Frank Reed

  15 May 2012 | 11:42 pm

  Could this Facebook IPO be over with already so we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming? Please?! Every Tom, Dick and pundit is putting in their heavily discounted two cents (it’s like there was a Groupon for pre-IPO Facebook hype and speculation and everyone appears to have bought it) and it is getting pretty silly. The latest chicken little concern is the pulling of Facebook ads, to the tune of $10 million, by General Motors. Here is the tweet from the Wall Street Journal’s Dennis Berman that set all of this in motion. In the world of “no good tweet goes…

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  Strategic Public Relations

• Will Facebook Unveil a Mobile Device?

  Kevin Dugan

  14 May 2012 | 5:49 am

    Based on Facebook's recent app store news and a string of mobile acquisitions, I'm wondering when it will launch its own device?It's something I predicted yesterday during the weekly BraveAdWorld podcast. My colleague Taylor Wiegert and I discuss it during the weekly news items. It's probably my first prediction. That may tell you how strongly I feel about it. But it's not like I'm going out on a limb.The prediction is based on my last post with CNET's overview of the need for digital ecosystems for certain brands to succeed in the future. A digital ecosystem includes the device, a…

• The Power of Unassuming Brands (a lesson from Signal P&G)

  Kevin Dugan

  6 May 2012 | 11:25 am

  The Signal P&G event brought together brands we see in the news almost daily -- from Twitter and Facebook to Coca-Cola and more. But the brands on Procter & Gamble's dais getting less media attention, or perhaps less positive media attention, were more interesting that day. Presentations from Amazon, AOL and Nokia taught me to reconsider the power of unassuming brands.These companies are not startups or unknowns. But news coverage can suggest that new brands may "kill" more established brands. Stories with only one clear winner, atop a pile of competitors, make for shareable…

• TidyCat's Social Media Team Stops a Stink Over Its #lifestinks Campaign

  Kevin Dugan

  8 Apr 2012 | 9:58 am

  TidyCats latest ad campaign spans online and offline to get consumers sharing about what stinks in their lives. But one of their ads created its own stink. To the brands' credit, they were listening and responded in less than 24 hours to stop a possible catfight with consumers.Billboards localize the campaign by referencing what stinks in each market. I'm imagining traffic in Los Angeles, rain in Seattle and there are plenty of opportunities for the NYC subway. These examples are all harmless, even humorous, locally relevant and make TidyCats' point that #lifestinks.Don't Trash the the…

• Instagram's Android Launch Complete's the Picture for Brands

  Kevin Dugan

  4 Apr 2012 | 5:37 am

  With 1 million downloads made in the first 24 hours of its release, Instagram's long-awaited Android app has clearly been well-received.The Android release was a bit of a tidal wave as you can only access the platform via its mobile app or using your app login to use web-based options that tap into the Instagram API.More users mean more potential for your audience being on the platform. So here's a quick recap of Instacontent, from here and elsewhere, to help users get their sea legs with an app that's gotten a serious second-wind. Watch How Brands Do: There are a variety of brands with an…

• Hunger Games' Social Media Lesson? The Need for Real-Time (Data) and Longer Lead Time

  Kevin Dugan

  26 Mar 2012 | 11:36 am

  The word of mouth and promotional frenzy around Lionsgates' Hunger Games has been deafening. It helped the film break box office records -- before it even opened it seemed.While I may never see the movie (I'm not the target audience), one thing I'm first to admit is that I really like how the movie was marketed.According to this article in Forbes, the key to The Hunger Games' social media success can be attributed to the use of real-time input from fans and a healthy lead time to build momentum for the film."Lionsgate adopted a ongoing continuous process for  improvement based upon user data…

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  Seth's Blog

• Digital analogs are no longer sufficient

  Seth Godin

  16 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  The parking meter was rebooting. I guess we're supposed to walk to the other end of the garage and find one that's working. We're seeing digital awareness coming to just about everything. In this case, it was the parking meter near the library. Of course, it's not really a parking meter, it's a centralized fee collection system that saves the town a lot of money. It's easier to collect from, certainly, it doesn't waste the time of meter readers (who get alerted as to what spaces aren't paid for, as opposed to checking them all) plus it doesn't let a new parker enjoy a few minutes of the last…

• Hard work on the right things

  Seth Godin

  15 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  I don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters. It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring the rest. Both parts are difficult, particularly when you are surrounded by people who insist on fretting about and working on the stuff that makes no…

• Worldliness

  Seth Godin

  14 May 2012 | 2:41 am

  Intelligence is the combination of knowing a lot about a little while you also know a little about a lot. Deep domain understanding helps you create analyses. Your ability to understand how a particular system (no matter how small) works allows you apply a confident analysis to new systems you encounter. Once you know everything there is to know about nuclear physics, soccer or the praying mantis, it makes it easier to understand new systems. At the same time, it's impossible to be smart without also being aware of the wider world. That's because it's the random interactions and the…

• The reason the customer is always right...

  Seth Godin

  14 May 2012 | 2:08 am

  If you insist that they are wrong, they stop being your customer* (if given half a chance). People spend their time and attention and money in places that make them feel valued. *There's nothing wrong with asking customers who are wrong to leave. Just be sure you do it on purpose.

• Dedicating the merit

  Seth Godin

  13 May 2012 | 2:02 am

  For an author, one of the nicest parts of the traditional book is the dedication page. The dedication is far more than an acknowledgement to someone who helped you write the book, it's a permanent signpost, a capstone to the work of a year or more. Even if the person you've dedicated the book to can't read it, the writer benefits from the knowledge that a connection was made and that a memory was preserved. Here's the thing: you can dedicate just about anything. A project, a meeting, a tweet. You don't have to tell anyone but yourself. This blog post, like all the posts before it, has a…

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  PR-Squared - Social Media Marketing and Public Relations

• Seven Principles of Content Marketing

  Todd Defren

  14 May 2012 | 11:20 am

  Now that we’ve all agreed that “Content is King (Again),” and Content Marketing is all the rage, maybe it is time to think about some easy-to-follow tenets.  Let’s keep this simple. Follow a 70/30 Rule – 70% of content curated, 30% branded.  Why? Because the rest-of-the-world is at least 70% more interesting than your brand; and, promoting external content builds social capital, makes grateful fans of influencers. All content should be SHAREWORTHY.  Don’t publish junk.  Better to be quiet than to queer the signal-to-noise ratio. All content should benefit…

• Seriously, This Is Gonna Be Cool: The Corporate Social Media Summit

  Todd Defren

  4 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  Next month I’ll be moderating a panel at the Corporate Social Media Summit, which is being held June 13-14 at the New Yorker Hotel in NYC.  It’s gonna be a great time, with an impressive list of corporate attendees, including SHIFT clients such as McDonalds and H&R Block, among many others (Whole Foods! Dell! Lego! Mercedes!). I’ll be moderating the panel on “Reputation preservation and enhancement: Use social media to maximize the impact of your brand.”  I’ll be joined by McDonald’s Heather Oldani, Director of U.S.

• Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

  Todd Defren

  29 Apr 2012 | 5:22 am

• SHIFT Communications Named Digital/Social Agency of the Year

  Todd Defren

  24 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am

  Shameless self promotion time. Hang on. Wow, wow, wow. We are busting at the seams over here.  Today the Holmes Group named SHIFT Communications the 2012 Digital/Social Agency of the Year – with “honorable mentions” in the category going to behemoths like Edelman, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick. This marks the 3rd time in the last few years that SHIFT has nabbed “agency of the year” honors.  We were the “Agency of the Year” according to the American Business Awards, and the “New Media Agency of the Year” (again via Holmes) back in 2008. Both times we were psyched.  But this…

• What’s Old is New Again: Earned Media Can Be Your Hub

  Todd Defren

  23 Apr 2012 | 6:17 am

  I was catching up with a former client recently.  We launched their company a coupla years ago, and by almost any measure, it is now considered a hot commodity.  They have tons of social media fans, lots of inbound media requests, do a lot of great content marketing, etc. We originally parted ways, very amicably, because they had reached a degree of success that no longer warranted as much proactive effort (and, being a startup, they were wisely watching their burn rate). During our catch-up session, this company representative described a newfound fever within the company to get more…

• 

  CJR

• Debating Amendment One in North Carolina

  16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  NORTH CAROLINA — Last week, North Carolina voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment One to the state constitution, defining marriage as between one man and one woman only. The May 8 vote—coming a day before President Obama’s declaration of support for gay marriage—produced renewed national debate about gay marriage as well as jokes portraying this state as backwards. Amendment One...

• What's the right price for ebooks? (updated)

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Author Chuck Windig, GigaOm's Mathew Ingram, and TechDirt's Mike Masnick all took on the question of ebook pricing recently, arguing that production costs (you know, minor details like advances, editors, etc.) don't or shouldn't factor into the end price. Ingram writes that "It doesn't matter what e-books cost to make," and Masnick follows with "Nobody Cares About the...

• How I got that story

  16 May 2012 | 4:50 am

  In March 2011, Lisa M. Hamilton, a writer and photographer, began a series of road trips around rural California. She had a grant from the Creative Work Fund—a San Francisco-based foundation that supports collaboration between artists and nonprofits—to tell stories that would help bridge the cultural divide between the rural and urban parts of the state. Initially she...

• Logue jam

  16 May 2012 | 4:50 am

  “Catalogue” can also be spelled “catalog.” “Dialogue” can also be spelled “dialog.” But “monologue” is rarely spelled “monolog.” The Americans are at it again. The combining form “logue” is French, descended from Latin, and it indicates an engagement of some sort, a discourse, if you will, between people or things. People browse “catalog(ue)s” to “discuss” what items to buy; a...

• Audit notes: Commercialization, GM and Facebook, Saverin's taxes

  15 May 2012 | 9:15 pm

  Conor Friedersdorf makes a nice catch on Tom Friedman's Sunday column bemoaning the commercialization of seemingly all aspects of American life: For example, his column is bizarrely titled, "This Column Is Not Sponsored by Anyone," despite the fact that right above it on NYTimes.com there is a banner ad for a Citi/American Airlines credit card. But Friedersdorf...

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  MediaShift

• Daily Must Reads, March 16, 2012

  16 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  The best stories across the web on media and technology, curated by Lily Leung 1. E-book pricing lawsuit moves ahead (NYT) 2. General Motors plans to pull the plug on its Facebook ads (WSJ) 3. Despite its huge population, Google+ is a 'virtual tumbleweed town' (Businessweek) 4. Bitly may be launching a real-time viral search engine (The Verge) 5. Flipboard now does audio, too (Time) 6. Research explains how journalists verify information on Twitter (Poynter) Subscribe to Daily Must Reads newsletter This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».

• How Design Links Storytelling to Social Enterprise

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  That a story can give voice to a cause and incite a social movement is an old concept. But at a recent gathering of more than 100 documentary filmmakers, social entrepreneurs and designers, the real question was not whether stories can make change happen, but how to make storytelling a systemic part of how a social enterprise disseminates its message and gathers support for its cause. So how do you link storytelling to social enterprise? In a word, design. That was the message at a lively panel discussion on April 30 at the Brower Center in Berkeley, Calif. Titled "Designing Change," the…

• Could Facebook, Twitter Be Charged Under Thailand's Computer Crime Act?

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  On June 3 of last year, MediaShift published the article "Crisis in Thailand Leads to Net Crackdown, Censorship" on the harassment journalists and netizens faced as political clashes arose in the country. Many of the comments in a long thread following its publication mentioned the monarchy. Some of the comments were just opinions, but according to the lese-majesté law, they could be considered a threat to Thailand's national security. According to the Computer Crime Act -- the first text the Thai government adopted after the coup d'état in 2006 -- such comments could become crimes. Let's…

• Journalism and Digital Education Roundup, May 15, 2012

  15 May 2012 | 1:17 pm

  The best stories across the web on journalism and digital education 1. Students with computer science degrees are in high demand this year (Bloomberg) 2. Libraries in this county are buying, not leasing, e-books (Boing Boing) 3. Tax increase could bring iPads to classrooms in S.C. (Island Packet) 4. Teacher behind Calif. school's iPad program gets laid off (NBC) 5. Students in Vancouver work off "the cloud" (Vancouver Sun) Get the weekly Journalism Education Roundup email from MediaShift This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».

• Daily Must Reads, May 15, 2012

  15 May 2012 | 10:25 am

  The best stories across the web on media and technology, curated by Lily Leung 1. Former head of Murdoch U.K. newspaper empire faces charges in hacking scandal (NYT) 2. Facebook bumps up its share price (Washington Post) 3. Should This American Life fact-check David Sedaris stories? (Poynter) 4. With a new CEO in place, can Yahoo focus on becoming a great media company? (GigaOm) 5. MarketWatch founder Larry Kramer is named publisher of USA Today (Politico) 6. Adweek requires you to share some articles in order to finish reading them (Scott Kidder) Subscribe to Daily Must Reads newsletter This…

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  Journerdism | Will Sullivan's Stompin' ground for journalists and nerds.

• My next adventure: DC with the BBG

  Will Sullivan

  7 May 2012 | 11:11 am

  I have some pretty big news: I’m leaving Lee Enterprises to work for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Office of Digital and Design Innovation as their Mobile Products Manager in Washington D.C. I know what you’re thinking, “Did he say the BBC?” Nope. So who are they and what do they do? The BBG‘s mission is, “To inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.” It’s an independent agency of the federal government focusing specifically on delivering journalism to countries who don’t have a…

• New Poynter eye-tracking study focuses on tablet design and user experience

  Will Sullivan

  20 Dec 2011 | 9:13 pm

  Tablets have been around for a while, it's time we finally learn how people use them. Well, SND STL was amazing and is finally in the books. After a little recovery and catch-up-on-reading time, I’ve found my next side project: The Poynter Institute’s new eye-tracking study, focused on tablet design and user experiences. I remember when the previous eyetracking studies were released it was kind of like this kid on Christmas morning. I’ve regularly referred to them and re-read them throughout my career and now to be involved in the project now is amazingly humbling…

• 31,556,926 opportunities but a link blog ain’t one.

  Will Sullivan

  20 Dec 2011 | 8:46 pm

  For me (and many others) the end of the year always is a time to reflect and think about the past and future. This year is no different; it’s been an amazing whirlwind of layered and sometimes overwhelming experiences with some of the most fantastic people I’ve ever met. From my RJI fellowship, election to the ONA board (and the plethora of committees and projects I’m tied to for that now), helping lead the SND St. Louis conference, and promotion to Director of Mobile News for Lee Enterprises just to name a few big projects, plus all my work helping co-direct the NPPA Multimedia…

• E-Books offer an interesting opportunity for newspapers

  Will Sullivan

  27 Oct 2011 | 12:12 pm

  This Oct. 27, 2011 blog post is mirrored from an internal site at Lee Enterprises, my current employer. I thought it might be handy to those outside the company too, so I’m cross-posting it here. It’s easy to get caught up in all the razzle-dazzle of mobile and tablet apps when we think about new products, audiences and revenue opportunities but, we shouldn’t neglect or ignore the potential that e-books can offer also. Apps are great for providing utility and new technical products and functionality and e-books can compliment that by leveraging our core strength or…

• Android’s new “Ice Cream Sandwich” OS offers several upgrades for publishers and journalists

  Will Sullivan

  24 Oct 2011 | 12:05 pm

  This Oct. 24, 2011 blog post is mirrored from an internal site at Lee Enterprises, my current employer, where I blog regularly about mobile, tablet and emerging tech. I thought it might be handy to those outside the company too, so I’m cross-posting it here. While IOS 5 launched a couple weeks ago and has received much fanfare, Android announced their version 4.0 upgraded mobile operating system last week with several interesting new features for journalists. While there’s plenty of interesting interface improvements and futuristic-features like facial-recognition security,…

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  MediaShift Idea Lab

• The State Decoded Turns Laws Inside Out

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Semantically, legal codes are smooth, shapeless balls of text. They're programmatically inaccessible, useless to software -- and most people. There's simply nothing on which to get a purchase. As qualitative data, they're inaccessible to quantitative analysis. This is the problem that the State Decoded project seeks to solve. The State Decoded's job is to turn legal codes inside out, bringing their substructures to the surface to make them understood more easily. By reducing laws to their smallest possible units, indexing them via every possible metric, and exposing all of those internal…

• OpenCourt: When Is Intent a Criminal Act?

  15 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Traditional media organizations cover big cases, and they do it well. Part of what's neat about streaming normal courtroom proceedings as a part of OpenCourt's efforts is being present for the interesting hearings that would otherwise fall through the cracks. For instance, in a scene about a week ago that echoed a plot line from the film "Minority Report," a local defense attorney moved that a charge against his client should be dismissed on grounds the state would essentially be criminalizing a state of mind. Both sides in the case agree the defendant, charged with attempt to commit a crime,…

• How to Decode State Law Histories

  14 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  A rich source of information about laws is found in the history data that accompanies each law in most states, but you've probably never noticed it. For example, Virginia's Freedom of Information Act has a series of exemptions spelled out in § 2.2-3705.1 which has a cryptic series of numbers listed below the law, in the section titled "History": 1999, cc. 485, 518, 703, 726, 793, 849, 852, 867, 868, 881, § 2.1-342.01; 2000, cc. 66, 237, 382, 400, 430, 583, 589, 592, 594, 618, 632, 657, 720, 932, 933, 947, 1006, 1064; 2001, cc. 288, 518, 844, § 2.2-3705; 2002, cc. 87, 155, 242, 393, 478,…

• How FrontlineSMS Users Could Monitor Kenya's 2013 Elections

  10 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  The FrontlineSMS user community has seen a growing number of user meet-ups across the world in recent months. It's exciting to see community members come together and share opinions and experiences on our software. This is a guest column by FrontlineSMS user Joseph Owuondo, who attended a recent meet-up in Nairobi hosted at the FrontlineSMS offices. The FrontlineSMS meet-up held in Nairobi at the beginning of April brought together a number of organizations, individuals and experts who focus their work on elections and conflict resolution-related issues -- and who all have an interest in the…

• ROFLCon Attendees Get a Memes Blast From the Past

  9 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  It's 2012. Nerds are in, and Internet memes can actually make you famous IRL. But way back in 2000, things were different. YouTube didn't exist, and a video had to be sent around as an email attachment. (Remember RealPlayer?) Your mom yelled at you for tying up the phone line, and GeoCities plastered banners all over your creations. At ROFLCon, the past was well-represented during a recent presentation by Eric Wu of Eric Conveys an Emotion (founded in 1998); Zblofu of Zombocom; and Jonti Picking of Weebl's Stuff. They were all online in the '90s, but things really exploded in 2000. revisiting…

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  Poynter. » MediaWire

• Software developer revives debate about whether journalists should learn to code

  Steve Myers

  16 May 2012 | 12:51 pm

  Coding Horror | Learn Code the Hard Way | Highgroove Studios | NPR | Esmoov This week’s debate in the software development community about whether everyone should learn to code shows that journalists aren’t the only… Read more

• How tiny Silverton, Colo., saved its newspaper (and ended up on the ‘Today’ show)

  Andrew Beaujon

  16 May 2012 | 11:39 am

  “Today” Silverton, Colo., has a population of 637 in the last census, but it didn’t let its newspaper die, Bob Dotson reports on “Today.” The San Juan County Historical Society agreed in 2009 to become publisher of the Silverton… Read more

• Stearns: Journalism needs more foresight than hindsight

  Julie Moos

  16 May 2012 | 9:11 am

  Free Press’ Josh Stearns worries about “hindsight journalism” and proposes instead: “We need a journalism of exploration and investigation, a journalism not afraid to wander or to fail. For in those forays into the wild, the complex, the unknown,… Read more

• John Derbyshire finds new home for columns

  Tracie Powell

  16 May 2012 | 8:43 am

  The Atlantic Wire Fired National Review writer John Derbyshire has found a new niche for his commentary. The Atlantic explores Derbyshire’s new job as a columnist for VDARE, which publishes anti-immigration and anti-multiculturalism content, and is… Read more

• Valérie Trierweiler, France’s new first lady, is a journalist

  Andrew Beaujon

  16 May 2012 | 8:17 am

  The New York Times Maïa de la Baume profiles Valérie Trierweiler, whose partner, François Hollande, was just elected president of France. Trierweiler (her last name will henceforth serve as a useful shibboleth for sorting out who was paying attention… Read more

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  SteveOuting.com

• Dangerous idea: Embrace journalistic algorithms! #jcarn

  Steve Outing

  29 Apr 2012 | 4:53 pm

  My poor blog gets neglected, but fortunately there’s the monthly Carnival of Journalism thought-fest, which I try to participate in every month, if possible. At least the Carnival prevents me from completely ignoring my blog! This month’s Carnival prompt is a fascinating one. Put forth by University of Southern California professor Andrew Lih and his students, the provocative question is: “What is your most dangerous idea for journalism?” Here’s my answer in a video (at the urging of Lih, to get Carnival folks out of their text habit, I suppose): In the video I…

• Journalism’s impact: Is it becoming less than that of social media? #jcarn

  Steve Outing

  24 Mar 2012 | 8:38 pm

  It’s that time of month again: Carnival of Journalism! And this month’s question (a tough one, by Greg Linch) is: “What’s the best way, or ways, to measure journalism and how?” … To define it a little better, the real question is: How do we best measure the impact of journalism. OK, it’s going to take someone smarter than me to give a good direct answer to that. I’m sure one or more of my fellow Carnival-goers will rise to the challenge. When I look at the question, I can’t help but get sidetracked into thinking how social media (i.e.,…

• Carnival of Journalism deadline is Feb. 24!

  Steve Outing

  17 Feb 2012 | 10:32 am

  The Digital News Test Kitchen at CU-Boulder and I are hosting this month’s Carnival of Journalism, a monthly blogfest in which anyone can participate by answering the Question of the Month. I’d been wanting to play host to a Carnival, and got my wish for February, thanks to Carnival overseer David Cohn. Here’s the question: “What emerging technology or digital trend do you think will have a significant impact on journalism in the year or two ahead? And how do you see it playing out in terms of application by journalists, and impact?” Got an opinion? A good answer? A…

• Can good journalist + good capitalist = possible?

  Steve Outing

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:21 pm

  This month’s Carnival of Journalism, hosted by Michael Rosenbaum, asks the provocative question: “Can a good journalist also be a good capitalist?” I’ll probably open myself up to charges of being “ageist,” but here goes… Working at a university journalism program (University of Colorado Boulder), I’ve come to the conclusion that the next generation of journalists will be better capitalists than older journalists. Because what I’m seeing on this campus, and I’m sure it’s similar at other university journalism programs, is a…

• Carnivals and holiday trees, for journalists and technologists

  Steve Outing

  9 Dec 2011 | 5:07 pm

  I missed the last couple Carnivals of Journalism, but it’s time for me to get back into the groove. This month there is a question each for journalists and for technologists. My question is: If you are a journalist, what would be the best present from programmers and developers that Santa Claus could leave under your Christmas tree? I’ll overlook the pro-Christian slant (hey, what about under the FSM tree?!) and play the game. What I’d like to receive is a written contract from some developers and technologist friends committing to spending a year of their time working on…

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  Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) - Understanding News in the Information Age

• Newsweek's Cover After Obama Updates Stance on Gay Marriage

  lsanthanam

  16 May 2012 | 5:32 am

• Ford, Chrysler Not Following GM in Facebook Ad Pullout

  lsanthanam

  16 May 2012 | 5:30 am

• Ads on Facebook: A Story of Pizza

  lsanthanam

  16 May 2012 | 5:27 am

• Time Inc.'s Money and This Old House Partner for Editorial Supplement

  lsanthanam

  16 May 2012 | 5:14 am

• At USA Today, Larry Kramer Gets Back into Digital Journalism

  lsanthanam

  16 May 2012 | 5:03 am

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  Lost Remote

• Mass Relevance raises $3.3 million in new funding

  Cory Bergman

  16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  Another burst of cash for the quickly-growing social TV space: this time, Austin-based Mass Relevance has closed a $3.3 million series A round led by Austin Ventures. The company says it plans to use the investment to accelerate growth among media, entertainment, consumer brands and retailers. It’s hard to believe that Mass Relevance launched 15 months ago. Today, the social filtering and display service — which is hooked into Twitter’s firehose for real-time curation — serves 120 clients including the “Big Four” networks, 7 of the top 10 cable networks and…

• Comcast rolling out Skype for TV with social features

  Cory Bergman

  16 May 2012 | 11:39 am

  These days, millions of people call their friends and family on their computers, but Skype is steadily making inroads on TV sets, too. Comcast announced today that its Skype for TV service just launched in Seattle and Boston, with eight more markets launching by the end of the week. The $9.95/month Xfinity add-on includes an HD camera, Skype adaptor and full-keyboard remote control. Once you’re wired up, you can access your Skype contacts — even import from Facebook — and video call from your TV. Here’s a grandma who’s clearly thrilled with your call: Beyond the…

• Turner Broadcasting invests in social video site Funny or Die

  Cory Bergman

  16 May 2012 | 7:55 am

  When Funny Or Die launched in April 2007 — a startup co-founded by Will Ferrell — it enjoyed an early-mover advantage in jumping on the wave of socially-shared video. Today, it sports 1.7 million Facebook fans and 3.8 million Twitter followers who help contribute to the site’s 6 million unique users and 60+ million video views per month. Those numbers — and Funny or Die’s creative track record — has led to a minority investment from Turner Broadcasting, part of a strategic partnership announced today spanning content and sales. For starters, Turner’s…

• SNL to stream live backstage on the Color app

  Cory Bergman

  16 May 2012 | 7:28 am

  I was confused when I first saw an email about an app named Color and its upcoming debut on SNL. After all, Color launched as a photo-sharing app that used geolocation to serve up photos near you. But in recent months, Color has pivoted into a live streaming app that ties to Facebook. And coming this Saturday, SNL will be streaming 30-second blurbs from backstage via Color — all part of a Verizon promotion for its 4G service. Got it? Ok, things move fast these days. Let’s start with features on the new Color app. Download, authenticate through Facebook, and it serves up photos and…

• Univision announces social video network UVideos

  Natan Edelsburg

  15 May 2012 | 8:23 pm

  As the upfronts roar on, Univision (they reach 97% of Hispanic households in the US) is the latest TV brand to make major digital and social announcements. The network announced today at their upfront the launch of UVideo Digital Network and a brand new social experience with Facebook. We interviewed Kevin Conroy, president of Univision Interactive Media and Enterprise Development about the big announcements. According to their announcement, “Univision will kick-off live chats with its personalities and celebrities through Facebook Platform.” As part of the launch of the UVideos…

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  Online Journalism Blog

• Journalism Reloaded – What journalists need for the future

  alexandrastark

  16 May 2012 | 6:51 am

  In a guest post Alexandra StarkSwiss journalist and Head of Studies at MAZ – the Swiss School of Journalism, argues that it’s time for journalists to take action on business models for supporting journalism. Stark proposes a broadened set of skills and a new structure to enable greater involvement from journalists, while also fostering further teaching of such skills. Ask a journalist if his or her job will remain important in the future: “Of course,” he or she will answer while privately thinking, “What a stupid question!” Try changing this stupid question just a bit, asking:…

• German social TV project “Rundshow”: merging internet and television

  franzi

  16 May 2012 | 1:49 am

  In a guest post for OJB, cross-posted from her blog, Franzi Baehrle reviews a new German TV show which operates across broadcast, web and mobile. There’s a big experiment going on in German television. And I have to admit that I was slightly surprised that the rather conservative “Bayerischer Rundfunk” (BR, a public service broadcaster in Bavaria), would be the one to start it. Blogger and journalist Richard Gutjahr was approached by BR to develop a format merging internet and TV. On Monday night the “Rundshow” was aired for the first time at 11pm German time,…

• Dispatches’ Watching the Detectives: why journalists should be worried about the Communications Data Bill

  Paul Bradshaw

  14 May 2012 | 12:48 pm

  Consider these two unrelated events: A bill is proposed to record every contact (and possibly search) made by every UK citizen, to be available to law enforcement agencies and stored by communication service providers An inquiry into press standards and a leaked Home Office report both uncover the ease with which private investigators can access personal records through law enforcement and other agencies I’m worried about 1. because of 2. And tonight’s Dispatches: Watching the Detectives does a particularly good job of illustrating why. It is “the ease and extent to which…

• FAQ: Blogging inspirations, tools and trends

  Paul Bradshaw

  12 May 2012 | 4:39 am

  As part of the ongoing series of questions answered in public, here are another bunch: 1) What inspired you to become a blogger? Have you ever found it difficult to keep up regular posts/ stay dedicated to the same topic area? As someone teaching online journalism, I felt I should be exploring the medium myself. What inspired me to continue, however, was the community I found along the way. Yes, I sometimes find it difficult to post, but the great thing about blogging is that you have no deadlines to hit or boss to please, so if I can’t post for a while, I don’t – but as long as I have…

• ‘Chunking’ online content? Don’t assume we start at the same point

  Paul Bradshaw

  8 May 2012 | 8:11 am

  Online multimedia production has for a few years now come with the guidance to ‘chunk’ content: instead of producing linear content, as you would for a space in a linear broadcast schedule, you split your content into specific chunks of material that each tackles a different aspect of the issue or story being covered. Interfaces like these show the idea in practice best: The concept is particularly well explained by Mindy McAdams (on text), and Andy Dickinson (on video, below): “[T]ake an existing package and break it in to its key parts. Write a description of each chunk…

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  CyberJournalist.net

• Must Reads for May 15th

  Jonathan Dube

  16 May 2012 | 7:57 am

  Here are today’s must-read digital news stories from around the web: Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine Gets More Social – Katherine Boehret – The Digital Solution – AllThingsD Engagio Gives the Web a ‘Context’ Button An era of ‘spiky attention’ means live TV needs to be social (Wired UK) Panel Discusses Facebook’s Ability to Target Ads Externally | Adweek Facebook and Twitter Ad Spending to Double by 2016 [REPORT] Twitter and ESPN Plan Branded Campaigns Around TV Sports | Spark Capital Ross Levinsohn Lays Out His Vision for Yahoo…

• Must Reads for May 14th

  Jonathan Dube

  15 May 2012 | 7:57 am

  Here are today’s must-read digital news stories from around the web: Twitter Will Email You Top Stories From Your Feed MediaShift . Infographic: Moms Hold Big Influence Online | PBS EXCLUSIVE: A Q&A With An Airtime Tester – Business Insider NBA Is World’s First Sports League to 5 Million Twitter Followers New York Times Circ Gains Could Top Ad Losses by 2014, Says Analyst – Peter Kafka – Media – AllThingsD Jesse Angelo says things at his iPad news app, The Daily, are ‘going great’ – :: Future of Journalism Internet Week Highlights: Old…

• Think Web Video Can Challenge Upfronts and TV? Fuhgeddaboudit!

  Jonathan Dube

  14 May 2012 | 8:12 am

  “Google, Microsoft and AOL are hoping that their web video offerings and NewFront presentations will help them extract a healthy slice of the TV industry’s upfront money this year. Not happening.” Simulmedia founder Dave Morgan expains why.

• Must Reads for May 14th

  Jonathan Dube

  14 May 2012 | 7:57 am

  Here are today’s must-read digital news stories from around the web: Apple TV rumor mill makes millions as iTV ‘confirmed’ Original Content: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Nielsen: Mom center of online, offline life for families YouTube’s Video Views Are Falling — By Design AmEx Tests New Ways to Transact in Social Media As Video Goes Mainstream, TV, Digital Agency Execs Fight Over Who Owns It More startups added to social TV company directory My personal take: 3 reasons I don’t like newspaper paywalls  Publisher LegalZoom files to go public  OMG, is Amazon going to…

• Video: The future of technology, as seen in 1961

  Jonathan Dube

  14 May 2012 | 7:22 am

  This is a very cool look at how the future of technology was viewed in 1961, from a film AT&T commissioned shortly after AT&T had just announced its first modem. “This film not only serves as almost the birth of the information age, it also projects that technology far into the future.” The commercial products that would allow this connected, computer-communicating network? They’re basic, but at the time seemed radical: * The wireless Bellboy Pager, which was introduced commercially in 1962 * The Data-phone, which was supposed to revolutionize business…

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  blog maverick

• The Coming Meltdown in College Education & Why The Economy Won’t Get Better Any Time Soon

  markcuban

  13 May 2012 | 5:34 pm

  This is what I see when i think about higher education in this country today: Remember the housing meltdown ? Tough to forget isn’t it. The formula for the housing boom and bust was simple. A lot of easy money being lent to buyers who couldn’t afford the money they were borrowing. That money was then spent on homes with the expectation that the price of the home would go up and it could easily be flipped or refinanced at a profit.  Who cares if you couldn’t afford the loan. As long as prices kept on going up, everyone was happy. And prices kept on going up. And as long…

• Some Olympic Thoughts

  markcuban

  22 Apr 2012 | 4:43 pm

  My position on NBA players and the Olympics has not changed since I first wrote about it nearly 8 years ago. It was stupid then. It has not gotten any smarter. The following is an article put together by Brett Morris that provides an additional perspective and some more details that to me, re-enforce my position. ### When the Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade said he thought “guys should be compensated” for participating in this Summer’s Olympics, he received a great deal of public backlash for being “un-American,” and “selfish,” from all walks of life…

• The Greatest Business Risk You Don’t Know About – Your Business Will Be Sued Over Patents

  markcuban

  18 Apr 2012 | 11:53 am

  Your business is at risk. For a lot of money. No matter what type of business you are in,  you are susceptible to a patent infringement lawsuit.  The worst part about this risk is that there is nothing you can do to protect yourself.  You are a victim in a business world horror movie. Unfortunately , there is no one to scream “no don’t do it. Don’t open that door” and protect you. All the doors are open and the trolls are all attacking. Why wouldn’t they  ? Put yourself in the position of a patent troll.  If the laws changed in your industry so that if you…

• Dont Follow Your Passion, Follow Your Effort

  markcuban

  18 Mar 2012 | 12:47 pm

  I hear it all the time from people. “I’m passionate about it.” “I’m not going to quit, It’s my passion”. Or I hear it as advice to students and others “Follow your passion”. What a bunch of BS.  ”Follow Your Passion” is easily the worst advice you could ever give or get. Why ? Because everyone is passionate about something. Usually more than 1 thing.  We are born with it. There are always going to be things we love to do. That we dream about doing. That we really really want to do with our lives. Those passions aren’t…

• I Hope Yahoo Crushes Facebook in its Patent Suit

  markcuban

  13 Mar 2012 | 1:10 pm

  Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I hate patent laws. I think 99pct of the time they are anti-competitive, corruptive,  impede creativity and innovation and can kill small businesses. I think the ratio of patent law doing a good job protecting company IP vs it being used purely to negatively impact competitors or to troll for un-earned revenue is probably 1000 to 1, or worse. When I read that Yahoo was suing Facebook my immediate reaction was disdain. As I thought more about it, I came to realize that this case could be the water shed moment that causes enough people to recognize…

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  Media: Greenslade | guardian.co.uk

• Politician's payments to Mexican radio journalists were 'sponsorship'

  Roy Greenslade

  16 May 2012 | 4:29 am

  I reported a couple of days ago about a Mexican presidential candidate having paid journalists for mentions on radio outlets.The radio station named as receiving money, Grupo Fórmula, has since explained that these payments - made by Enrique Peña Nieto - involved sponsorship and/or adverts.The station was supported by the National Chamber of the Radio and Television Industry, which represents the owners of Mexico's radio and television companies.It sent a letter to the director of the Reforma newspaper, which broke the story of the payments, saying the sponsorship ads were clearly…

• Help at hand for journalists stranded by college closure

  Roy Greenslade

  16 May 2012 | 3:32 am

  When I wrote about the closure of the noSWeat journalism training college two weeks ago, there was an overwhelmingly angry response.Most commenters who had studied at the college (such as deskslave, alexnapierholland, redforever, Highfield and AJ1988) were highly critical of the facilities. Only one (RockyTheHack) appeared relatively happy with the experience.Perhaps the most telling comment of all came from a former tutor, hackster51, who was also critical of the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) for keeping accreditation in place for as long as it did.But the chair of…

• How Rebekah Brooks wrote the headlines in today's newspapers

  Roy Greenslade

  16 May 2012 | 3:02 am

  If Rebekah Brooks was angry when speaking to the press yesterday, then her mood may have been improved somewhat by today's newspaper coverage. Her decision to speak out set the news agenda, with most front page headlines reflecting her response to being charged with perverting the course of justice.The Daily Telegraph, over a picture of Brooks alongside her husband, Charlie, said: "'It's a witch-hunt': Rebekah Brooks comes out fighting."The Financial Times ran with "Brooks attacks hacking conspiracy charge", and The Times splashed on "Brooks pledges to fight 'unjust' hacking charges."The…

• Rebekah Brooks charges take the phone-hacking scandal to a new level

  Roy Greenslade

  15 May 2012 | 3:46 pm

  The decision to charge Rebekah Brooks with perverting the course of justice is a landmark moment in a scandal with a seemingly endless catalogue of landmark moments - and a further pointer to the unprecedented nature of an affair stretching back almost six years.Some commentators have argued that the public had become bored with the often arcane nature of the phone hacking articles in recent months.The evidence presented to the Leveson inquiry, so riveting for journalists, has also often appeared opaque to the outsider. It all somehow seemed so distant from the shocking discovery in July last…

• Flipper cleared! Dolphins are not gay or bisexual rapists after all

  Roy Greenslade

  15 May 2012 | 6:20 am

  Dolphins have been defamed. Six weeks ago, the Daily Mail informed us about The dark side of Flipper: He's a sexual predator who resorts to rape to get his way.And the Daily Telegraph also told a similar tale: "according to scientists", dolphins resort to "rape" to assert authority.Other news outlets around the world carried similar reports. Examples: bisexual and exclusively gay dolphins (MSN); male dolphins are bisexual, US scientists claim (Australia's News Ltd); and male bottlenose dolphins engage in extensive bisexuality (ZeeNews, India). These reports appear to be follow-ups to an…

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  The American Prospect

• Why Sex Matters

  Jaclyn Friedman

  16 May 2012 | 10:19 am

  We've been talking this week about ending sexual violence in conflict, both why it's an achievable goal, and why it's one that affects you. Now I'm going to get a little personal.  I'm a survivor of sexual violence. The details of what happened to me are unimportant to this story, but it's important to me that you know. The experience politicized me, and my anti-sexual-violence activism has taken a lot of forms over the decades. I've taught self-defense, written (and successfully changed) institutional policies, performed educational theater, marched and protested, walk-a-thonned,…

• Why Can't Journos Do Math?

  Andrew Gelman

  16 May 2012 | 8:36 am

  John shoots down David Brooks’s claim that “If you look at the fundamentals, the president should be getting crushed right now.” John points out (as does Ezra Klein) that if you look at the fundamentals, you’d expect a close election. OK, there are lots of ways of looking at politics, elections, and the economy, and I’m sure that some forecasts give Obama a bit lead. But that’s hardly a consensus reading of the fundamentals. The more parsimonious reading here is that Brooks was (a) misinformed and (b) didn’t know with whom to talk to get informed. I’m reminded of the…

• Crazy and Crazier

  Paul Waldman

  16 May 2012 | 7:52 am

  In the last few years, many different kinds of communication technologies have been democratized. For instance, up until not too long ago, making a film that didn't look amateurish was impossible without a whole bunch of equipment whose expense made it out of reach for almost everyone, not to mention the technical expertise required. But today, you can buy a professional-quality HD video camera for a couple thousand dollars and video editing software like Apple's Final Cut Pro for a couple hundred, and presto, you can make what looks to be a "real" movie. That means that a kid with a dream to…

• A State-Federal Standoff over the Death Penalty

  Garrett Epps

  16 May 2012 | 7:16 am

  A principled governor invoking “state’s rights” to defy federal policy. Aggressive local officials overriding state decisions. A federal court angrily affirming its own power. An anguished dissent attacking a power-hungry Congress.  United States v. Pleau has all the elements of a great federalism battle (including, by the way, largely symbolic stakes). But don’t expect to see Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee’s “state’s rights” stand hailed by Republican conservatives: Chafee is blocking the federal government in order to show his disapproval of the federal death penalty.

• The Unecessary Radicalism of Citizens United

  Scott Lemieux

  15 May 2012 | 8:33 pm

  One of the many striking things about the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision is how poorly the facts of the case fit the extremely sweeping holding. The potential First Amendment issues involved with campaign finance regulation exist on a spectrum. Political editorials, even when published in corporate-owned media and attempting to influence the campaign, are obviously "pure speech" that can be restricted only in extraordinary circumstances. Direct donations to candidates, on the other hand, are further removed from pure speech and also raise serious problems of democratic…

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  Reportr.net

• Video: Curation as a way to separate signal from noise

  Alfred Hermida

  11 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  Steve Rosenbaum, author of Curation Nation, on the need to separate signal from noise. Speaking at the BBC spring briefing in London on May 4, Rosenbaum talked about the importance of sharing content that is interesting, valid thoughtful and useful.

• How the newspaper was made in 1942

  Alfred Hermida

  4 May 2012 | 1:33 pm

  The British Council has posted a wonderful video on the production of an issue of The Times during the Blitz in the 1940s. The film, called Morning Paper, follows the different stages of the process, from the daily editorial conference to the printing presses. “Britons are inveterate newspaper readers,” says the presenter. “The morning survey of events at home and aboard is for them almost a ritual.” Thanks to Richard Sambrook

• 10 best practices for Twitter for journalists

  Alfred Hermida

  2 May 2012 | 12:58 pm

  Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have become part of a reporter’s toolkit. Yet research shows that media outlets and journalists tend to approach these Web 2.0 services with a 1.0 mindset. In an attempt to help newsrooms, journalism professors Susana Herrera and José Luis Requejo have put together a list of 10 best practice guidelines for using Twitter. The article is published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies (subscription required). For the guidelines, the scholars looked at the academic research on Twitter and…

• Slides from ISOJ talk on Andy Carvin sourcing of the Arab Spring

  Alfred Hermida

  23 Apr 2012 | 8:36 am

  Here is the presentation I gave at the International Symposium on Online Journalism at UT Austin of our paper, Sourcing the Arab Spring: A case study of Andy Carvin’s sources during the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. The abstract is available on the papers site of the International Symposium on Online Journalism. Sourcing the Arab Spring: A Case Study of Andy Carvin’s Sources During the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions View more presentations from Alfred Hermida

• Rethinking journalism, tackling data, Twitter reporting and more from #ISOJ12

  Alfred Hermida

  21 Apr 2012 | 3:15 pm

  Here are the posts covering some of the highlights of the International Online Journalism Symposium for 2012 at UT Austin: Japan tsunami photos highlight human cost, study finds In the final research panel at ISOJ, Rosellen Downey, Erika Johnson, and Bailey Brewer, University of Missouri, looked at the coverage in photos of the Japanese tsunami. WSJ Raju Narisetti on the need to create great news experiences The last keynote at ISOJ was Raju Narisetti, managing editor, Wall Street Journal Digital Network Narisetti said the big challenge faces journalism is turning great content into great…

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  PRSA Tactics and The Strategist Online

• Internet Week recap: Buzzfeed on sharing and creating social content

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Internet Week recap: Buzzfeed on sharing and creating social content

• Internet Week recap: Billy Beane of the Oakland A’s discusses data

  13 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Internet Week recap: Billy Beane of the Oakland A’s discusses data

• PR lessons from JPMorgan trading and communications meltdowns

  13 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  As venture capitalist Roger Ehrenberg writes for Fortune.com, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has further fueled criticism of the Wall Street firm’s recent $2 billion trading loss by issuing a denial before knowing the facts.

• Deadline Extended: Join the Public Relations Journal Editorial Review Board

  9 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  PRSA is accepting applications and nominations to serve on the Editorial Review Board of the Public Relations Journal, the Society’s Web-based, open-access, peer-reviewed, quarterly publication.

• Do social media like Twitter and Facebook tap neurological need to share?

  9 May 2012 | 10:00 pm

  Do social media like Twitter and Facebook tap neurological need to share?

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  PUBLIC RELATIONS NEWS - Google News

• PBPRS presents: Men in PR and Communications, Man in the Mirror - NBC 10 Philadelphia

  16 May 2012 | 1:39 pm

  PBPRS presents: Men in PR and Communications, Man in the MirrorNBC 10 PhiladelphiaThe Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society is back with their annual Men in PR and Communication panel. The theme this year is "Man in the Mirror" which reflects on the role of image. Panelists include: German Cuadrado President of Men in PR,

• Wonacott Appoints Video Games PR Pro Mark Van Lommel as Account Director - Gamasutra

  16 May 2012 | 11:02 am

  Wonacott Appoints Video Games PR Pro Mark Van Lommel as Account DirectorGamasutra[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.] LOS ANGELES – May 15, 2012 – Wonacott Communications (Wonacott), a full-service independent public relations and and more »

• PR vet joins 20th Century Fox in NYC - Variety

  16 May 2012 | 10:56 am

  PR vet joins 20th Century Fox in NYCVarietyBy Rachel Abrams Twentieth Century Fox has hired public relations exec Louise Kaufman to head the studio's New York publicity office effective May 29. Kaufman, who has more than two decades' experience with companies including Summit and Paramount, and more »

• LANE PR Hires Jeff Bunch as Digital Account Director - Exec Digital (press release)

  16 May 2012 | 10:47 am

  LANE PR Hires Jeff Bunch as Digital Account DirectorExec Digital (press release)PORTLAND, OR and NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 15, 2012) - LANE PR, an independently owned public relations agency, has hired Jeff Bunch as digital account director. With nearly a decade of experience as a strategist, Bunch will develop creative and more »

• The Coker Group Appoints JMPR Public Relations As Agency Of Record - Sacramento Bee

  16 May 2012 | 9:20 am

  The Coker Group Appoints JMPR Public Relations As Agency Of RecordSacramento BeeBy JMPR Public Relations WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., May 16, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- JMPR Public Relations today announced it has been appointed as the agency of record for The Coker Group, overseeing media outreach for the family of companies that and more »

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  Latest articles from PRWeek US News

• Hendrick's Gin points out the 'unusual' in US cities

  PRWeek US

  16 May 2012 | 9:37 am

  NEW YORK: William Grant & Son's brand Hendrick's Gin will launch a campaign next month highlighting unusual elements of five US cities.

• Clabo to depart Applied Materials for HP

  PRWeek US

  16 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  PALO ALTO, CA: Howard Clabo, former MD and head of corporate communications at Applied Materials, will join Hewlett-Packard as its corporate media relations and executive communications leader.

• Ogilvy launches behavioral change practice

  PRWeek US

  16 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  WASHINGTON: Ogilvy Public Relations has launched the OgilvyEngage practice with the goal of helping clients enhance their business results and motivate behavioral change among consumers.

• Amstel aligns campaign with life's complexities

  PRWeek US

  15 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  WHITE PLAINS, NY: Amstel Light has kicked off a campaign to appeal to consumers' emotions by leveraging the complicated nature of everyday life.

• Nike's Jordan Brand holds PR agency review

  PRWeek US

  15 May 2012 | 11:32 am

  BEAVERTON, OR: Nike is reviewing PR agencies to find a partner for its Jordan Brand, confirmed a representative of the brand.

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  PR News

• GM Hands Facebook a PR Challenge

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  General Motors dropped Facebook from its ad budget on the eve of the social network's public stock offering....

• Consumers: Social Dialogue Not Really Two-Way Affair

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  "Liking" a brand on Facebook should be the start of a relationship between a consumer and a brand, not the end of a courtship....

• George Lucas a (Spiteful) Good Corporate Citizen

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  The filmmaker's neighbors refused to let him build a new studio, so he announced plans to build low-income housing instead....

• $2 Billion Loss? Here's Your $23 Million Pay Package, Jamie

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  JPMorgan Chase's CEO had a relatively easy time of it at the firm's shareholders meeting, while Morgan Stanley's CEO had to face two-dozen protesters at his company's annual meeting....

• Quick Study: Consumers: Social Dialogue Not Really Two-Way Affair; Amazon, QVC and Apple Most Popular E-Commerce Sites

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  ▶ Social Engagement Could be Better: A study finds that consumers expect a two-way dialogue with brands across the social Web, but rarely get it. A survey conducted by Lithium Technologies in April 2012 reveals that while 25% of respondents expect to hear back from a company when they tweet about a brand...

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  Trevor Cook

• Pygmies, giants and the conceits of those who do but report and teach

  Trevor Cook

  13 May 2012 | 12:24 am

  Professor Michael Jackson has written a great piece on how pygmies (academics, biographers, journalists and sundry others) contrive to deny that some people really are great. They sneer at the personal faults of great men and women and they use theory to deny that individuals matter. Here are some excerpts to give you a taste: I spend my life in academic circles. Round and round I go. While circling I sometimes notice what other people are saying. Can’t be helped. One of the things I notice them saying is a general contempt for, derogation of, and enthusiastic debunking of great men and…

• Sunbury 1974 (I was there!)

  Trevor Cook

  12 May 2012 | 2:41 am

• Federalism and education policy (Govt 1101)

  Trevor Cook

  7 May 2012 | 4:59 pm

• Paul Keating's Redfern speech (Govt 1101)

  Trevor Cook

  6 May 2012 | 5:11 pm

• Noel Pearson: indigenous development and culture (Govt 1101)

  Trevor Cook

  6 May 2012 | 4:53 pm

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  Wired PR Works

• SOBCon 2012 Pivot with Purpose then Karaoke

  Barbara Rozgonyi

  9 May 2012 | 10:24 am

  Over the weekend, I attended my fifth SOBCon, the successful online business conference. With only 144 people in the room, the two day conference is about as transformative as it gets. To see what I... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Gravity Free Outlaws and Icons Design Inspiration

  Barbara Rozgonyi

  7 May 2012 | 6:36 pm

  “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Steve Jobs What do you design? Communications, marketing, interiors, cuisine? Recently, I had the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 8 Superhero Super Powers that Save the Day for Small Business

  Barbara Rozgonyi

  4 May 2012 | 5:03 am

  Inspired by the opening of The Avengers today, today I’m challenging you to be a Superhero. You don’t have to wear a cape, fly through the air or leap tall buildings in a single bound to be a... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Social Media Club Chicago and SOBCon Team Up For One Night!

  Barbara Rozgonyi

  25 Apr 2012 | 6:53 pm

  It’s so phenomenal that it only happens once a year! On May 3, Social Media Club Chicago will host SOBCon’s opening event. As an SMC Chicago board member, I’m thrilled to invite you... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Art of Marketing Highlights

  Barbara Rozgonyi

  25 Apr 2012 | 7:44 am

  Because I had a marketing mastermind group meeting to go to first, I missed the start of The Art of Marketing. I wanted to meet Keith Ferrazzi and ask him to sign the book we’re both in: Success... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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  PerkettPRsuasion - The PerkettPR Blog

• PerkettPR Introduces our “Effective Executives” Interview Series

  Susan Sweenie

  16 May 2012 | 10:11 am

  PerkettPR is excited to introduce another interview series, “Effective Executives,” showcasing business leaders from top companies across the globe. Our goal is to continue to share insights, tips, tricks and suggestions from those who have seen it all. How do they work? What keeps them up at night? What tough lessons have they learned? We kick off this series with John Golden, CEO of Huthwaite. Founded on scientifically validated behavioral research, Huthwaite’s methodologies—which include the internationally renowned SPIN® Selling — guarantee sales success. Huthwaite…

• What’s behind our urge to share on social media?

  Jennifer Hellickson

  14 May 2012 | 2:36 pm

  Most of us take Facebook at, well, “face” value – a social network that “connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them,” as the site itself says. But peel back the façade of friends, likes, photos, apps and more, and you’re left with an extensive data set on human social behavior that intrigues scientists and psychologists alike. From CNN’s first-of-its-kind list of “The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers” to AllFacebook’s more recent post on “7 Facebook Personalities to Avoid” and even Vanity Fair’s take on “The Six Most Common…

• “Influencers Who Inspire” with Laura Fitton (@Pistachio)

  Susan Sweenie

  10 May 2012 | 10:21 am

  Our influencer Q&A today is with well-known inbound marketing evangelist, Laura Fitton. Laura “@Pistachio” Fitton is the founder of www.oneforty.com, founder and principal of Pistachio Consulting, co-author of “Twitter for Dummies“ and the inbound marketing evangelist at HubSpot. We had the chance to ask her some questions about her career, her passions and what 2012 has in store for her. Who has been the most fascinating person you have ever met? My daughter, S. How cliched is that? She is so unlike me. She is so preternaturally gentle and wise. I watch how she…

• Persuasive Picks for week of 4/30/12

  Vic Miller

  4 May 2012 | 7:22 am

  Women Are More Social – When It Comes to Social Media, That Is writes Entrepreneur’s Mikal E. Belicove reporting the results of Nielsen’s latest State of The Media report that shows women are the alpha players on the social media playground. In How Products Participate In Social Media, expert blogger Matt Compton explains that the evolution of the Internet and smart devices has created an amazing fabric of connected lives and now weaves together people’s connections with things, and brands are starting to “participate” in new and meaningful ways. –…

• Three tips for handling email overload

  Jennifer Hellickson

  1 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  There may be some debate over whether or not email is dead, but take one look at your email inbox each morning, and I bet you’ll beg to differ. As Peter Bregman reported in his recent Harvard Business Review blog, this affair with email is starting to really affect us in negative ways. According to an article he cited from USA Today, the number of lawsuits filed by employees claiming unfair overtime is up 32 percent since 2008. What’s to blame, in large part, for this increase? Email. And when you factor in devices such as smartphones, which we have with us – and neurotically check –…

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  Brian Solis

• The Fallacy of Information Overload

  Brian Solis

  15 May 2012 | 6:50 am

  Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise.  Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More…

• Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience

  Brian Solis

  10 May 2012 | 7:56 am

  Social media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media…

• The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design

  Brian Solis

  7 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  The future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the…

• The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business

  Brian Solis

  2 May 2012 | 9:17 am

  I’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million…

• Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.

  Brian Solis

  30 Apr 2012 | 8:21 am

  Frank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…

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  Pogue's Posts

• How Compatible Are Rival E-Readers?

  By DAVID POGUE

  10 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  Can you move one kind of e-reader e-book to another kind of e-reader? Readers respond to David Pogue's recent review of the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight and he gives his replies.

• The Prius V and Its Entune System

  By DAVID POGUE

  3 May 2012 | 12:19 pm

  The Prius V is the first Toyota to incorporate a new electronics system, which a new owner found to be a boon.

• Zipping Through Airport Security

  By DAVID POGUE

  27 Apr 2012 | 5:20 am

  David Pogue reviews the TSA PreCheck program, a streamlined security system that is being tested with three airlines (American, Delta and Alaska) at 12 airports.

• Tone-Deaf Lawyers Jeopardize the Draw Something Game

  By DAVID POGUE

  26 Apr 2012 | 11:46 am

  O.K., software industry, you've been put on notice: Nowadays, there's more to it than design, features and marketing. Sometimes, the success of your app can ride on the wording and placement of a single dialog box.

• There Is a Lot of Big Tech News

  By DAVID POGUE

  12 Apr 2012 | 11:06 am

  David Pogue expresses his thoughts on the flurry of tech news of the past week.

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  ReadWriteWeb

• Startup Swingers: Swapping Founders to Generate Fresh Ideas

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Remember "swinging"? Two people in a committed relationship go to a party with a bunch of other people in committed relationships. They all separate, find new partners for the evening and get jiggy. It may sound lurid and gross, but it’s the cool new thing for startup founders. Swapping Ideas, Not Spouses First, let’s be clear. We’re not talking about sex. We’re talking about Founder Swap, a June 1 event in New York where teams from six different startups will get together, trade partners for a day and go home with an injection of fresh ideas. The tagline? “Like Wife Swap but for…

• Google Goes Back to What It Does Well: Finding Things

  16 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Surprise! Google has completely transformed the way search works again. But this time, it's a kind of search that would have made the old Google proud. Today, starting with U.S., English-language users, Google unveils the Knowledge Graph. Search now looks at the words of your query and identifies the things in it. You're not just searching the Web anymore. You're searching the world. From Words to Things Most of Google users' queries are ambiguous. In the old Google, when you searched for "kings," Google didn't know whether you meant actual monarchs, the hockey team,…

• Read/Write Daily: Bionic Eyes That Can See Clearly

  16 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Today's theme is improving on life. Nature did a pretty good job of engineering some hardy life forms. But now we're able to tinker with life ourselves. We're further along than you might think. Researchers have lifted the lid on turtle evolution, a perfect demonstration that technology is natural. But now we have our own genetic ideas. We're able to triple the physical endurance of mice in the lab. This paper shows that high-resolution prosthetic human eyes are possible! Here are slightly and greatly more accessible articles about these bionic eyes. We've also developed low-cost artificial…

• Why the iPad Works for Writing

  16 May 2012 | 8:02 am

  When the first iPad launched in 2010, critics were quick to lampoon the device for being geared too heavily toward content consumption. The criticisms weren't entirely without merit, especially considering that the first-generation iPad didn't even have a camera, and external media slots are still nowhere to be found.  Over time, the iPad has evolved into something that's much more creation-friendly. It still doesn't compare to a desktop or laptop computer for many things, but it's great for quite a few others. Writing is one of them.  I happen to write things for a living, but the…

• The Truth About Why Yahoo's CEO Got Fired

  16 May 2012 | 7:02 am

  What's the takeaway from Yahoo's recent CEO fiasco? Don't lie on your corporate bio, for one, and make sure no one else has lied on your behalf. But the real lesson has nothing to do with falsified credentials. Sure, the world will remember Scott Thompson as the Yahoo CEO who got fired over a fake computer science degree, but the context is crucial: A battle with Yahoo shareholder Dan Loeb for control of the company. If not for Loeb, we may never have found out about Thompson's juiced resume, and he might still be CEO. The real lesson is: Beware the activist investor. Four months…

• 

  Techmeme

• Verizon sees revenue increase from shared plans (Sinead Carew/Reuters)

  16 May 2012 | 1:45 pm

  Sinead Carew / Reuters: Verizon sees revenue increase from shared plans  —  (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless should see an increase in date revenue after it offers new shared data plans this summer, according to a top executive for parent company Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N).  —  Verizon's intends to allow customers …

• Gmail now surfaces more information about contacts and circles when you search for them (Drew Olanoff/The Next Web)

  16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Drew Olanoff / The Next Web: Gmail now surfaces more information about contacts and circles when you search for them  —  The “socialification” of Google products continues with some very cool tweaks announced by the Gmail team today.  The product has improved its contact search and will now surface more information about them …

• In TV Race, Microsoft Has Lead, Forrester Says (Nick Wingfield/Bits)

  16 May 2012 | 1:15 pm

  Nick Wingfield / Bits: In TV Race, Microsoft Has Lead, Forrester Says  —  When it comes to the underlying technology providers that matter for mobile app developers, there's Google, Apple and everyone else.  Microsoft is one of the companies trying to claw its way out of the everyone else category.

• Apple asks the ITC to throw out five patents HTC received from Google last year (Florian Mueller/FOSS Patents)

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents: Apple asks the ITC to throw out five patents HTC received from Google last year  —  On the ITC document server, a new document entry just showed up that relates to an extremely interesting motion filed yesterday in the investigation of HTC's second ITC complaint against Apple …

• New figures by category - how many downloads does it take to reach the top of the free and paid iOS charts? (Kathleen De Vere/Inside Mobile Apps)

  16 May 2012 | 12:45 pm

  Kathleen De Vere / Inside Mobile Apps: New figures by category — how many downloads does it take to reach the top of the free and paid iOS charts?  —  App tracking company Distimo has released a new report revealing how many downloads it takes to get an app into the top 25 of the free and paid charts in the U.S. iTunes App Store — 38,400 and 3,530, respectively.

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  TechCrunch

• Why The Internet Doesn’t Make Us Care More About Politics

  Gregory Ferenstein

  16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  American politics used to be fun: frequent political carnivals in the 19th century would mix parties, parades, and political speeches in an endless stream of local civic life. As a result, America had an astonishingly high turnout, between 70-90%, in presidential and local elections. Yet, the Internet has never quite captured the emotional gravity of real-life engagement, and keeps tripping up multi-million dollar campaigns designed to inject life into an otherwise passive electorate. For example, take two technology initiatives that were widely predicted to dramatically increase democratic…

• It’s Time For A Larger iPhone

  Matt Burns

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Apple is currently ordering larger screens for the next iPhone. With the usual nonsense, the WSJ cited people familiar with the matter and stated these screens measure at least 4-inches diagonally. Production is set to begin next month, they say. The Journal better be right, though. A 3.5-inch screen is just too small now. At this point to say anything to the contrary is pure fanboi nonsense. The standard argument that consumers don’t want a large phone is tired and overused. Besides, it’s effectively proven wrong by the 20…

• More Google+ In Gmail: Improved Circle Integration, Circle Search and Quick Access To Contact Details

  Frederic Lardinois

  16 May 2012 | 12:44 pm

  The folks over at Google just love their Google+ social network and more and more Google+ features have been creeping into Gmail lately as well. Today, Google is bringing even more of Google+ to its email client. With this update, Google is especially focusing on adding a deeper integration with Google+ circles. You will now, for example, see profile photos from people in your circles when you select a circle in the left sidebar. You can click on those images to search for email from a specific contact. In addition, if you really take your Google+ circles seriously, you’ll be happy to…

• Bitly Kinda Says It’s Not Raising $20M, But Sorta Hints That It Is

  Anthony Ha

  16 May 2012 | 12:42 pm

  Is link shortener Bitly raising $20 million in new funding? The Verge says it is. In response to my email, a company spokesperson denied The Verge’s story, but in vague enough terms that it could probably turn around and announce a new round in the next few weeks or months. Here’s what the spokesperson told me: Want to quickly let you know that they’re always discussing potential funding and stay in touch with potential investors on an ongoing basis. Though, this article is not based on any facts. I’ll work with the folks at bitly to connect with you for the next…

• Viacom Gives Up Fight Against Time Warner Cable, Adds Channels to TWC iPad App

  Ryan Lawler

  16 May 2012 | 12:35 pm

  Customers of Time Warner Cable have some reason to rejoice today, as the cable company has gotten the go-ahead to add channels like MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central to its live streaming iPad app. The addition comes after the channels’ owner Viacom has settled its differences and resolved litigation with Time Warner Cable. The legal fight erupted last year, after Time Warner Cable released its iPad app, which lets subscribers stream live shows to tablets inside their homes. While many networks grumbled about the app, Viacom was most vocal in rejecting the app, taking its distribution…

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  Truemors - stories: just in

• Patrick Dempsey Feels He Is Finally Ready For The Big Stage

  Edmund Jenks

  10 May 2012 | 8:58 pm

  Dempsy Racing's new second car getting ready for its debut in the ALMS LMp2 Class (work order on screen). This Lola/Judd-powered B12-80 will join the field entering the American Le Mans Series presented by...read more

• Lotus Legion May Not Be Full Strength At Indy500 - UPDATED

  Edmund Jenks

  20 Apr 2012 | 6:11 pm

  With plenty to risk and little to gain by spending the money to race in Brazil, Bryan Herta and team co-owner Steve Newey will leave the Lotus Barracuda-BHA and Alex Tagliani's pit stall empty in Sao Paulo....read more

• IZOD IndyCar's Katherine Legge Supports Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

  Edmund Jenks

  5 Apr 2012 | 5:13 pm

  IZOD IndyCar Driver Katherine Legge Supports Toyota Pro Celebrity Race Drivers Lotus Dragon Racing driver Katherine Legge joined Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race competitors in Long Beach, Calif., on April 3 to ...read more

• Sunday Morning Tweet | ReTweets Review - Rush, Breitbart, & Etc.

  Edmund Jenks

  4 Mar 2012 | 12:24 pm

  Sunday Morning Tweet | ReTweets Review - Rush, Breitbart, & Etc.It is funny what one can get into during a Sunday morning when they are involved in New Media and are interested in Culture, Politics, and ...read more

• Lil Kim Eyebrow Pics: What Happened to Lil Kim's Eyebrows?

  NowPublic Staff

  1 Mar 2012 | 11:32 am

  Lil Kim is Back, but Her Eyebrows are Not Lil Kim showed up to rock BET's Rip the Runway on February 29, 2012, but something was not quite right: where were Lil Kim's eyebrows? TooFab described Lil Kim as sporting...read more

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  Mashable!

• NBA Star Uses Twitter — And a Platypus — to Prank Sports Media

  Sam Laird

  16 May 2012 | 1:28 pm

  Around the sports media scene, Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee has a certain reputation: Quirky, unique, a bit out there, something of a laughingstock at times. Reporters and fans love to chuckle at his on-court goofiness. Examples abound, but here’s the best one: a legendary GIF of McGee throwing up a wild shot and then earnestly running back on defense — except his team still has the ball. This week, however, McGee decided to turn the tables on those who love to poke fun at a young millionaire basketball player just trying to do his best. On Monday afternoon, he posted this…

• Register Now to Join Mashable and Partners in Brazil for Rio+Social

  Zoe Fox

  16 May 2012 | 1:04 pm

  Registration is now open for Rio+Social, the historic meeting of social media, technology, global development and sustainability leaders during the UN’s Rio+20 conference. Policy makers, journalists, technologists and environmentalists are now invited to register and apply for accreditation to the free conference. Ten exciting new speakers were added to the Rio+Social lineup Wednesday, including entrepreneurs, UN leaders and philanthropists. Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation chief communications officer Kate James are among the…

• Thirst App Will Change The Way You View Twitter

  Emily Price

  16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm

  A new iPad application called Thirst might reinvent how you look at your Twitter stream. Using its own natural language processor, Thirst filters, organizes, and presents your Twitter stream in an engaging way, helping you find the tweets you want to read quickly and in context. “I wanted to make an app that no matter how often you check Twitter, these are the things you need to see, ” Thirst Co-Founder and CEO Anuj Verma told Mashable. The app is designed so it can be useful for people who check Twitter constantly throughout the day, as well as those who might only check Twitter a few…

• The Facebook IPO Timeline

  Stephanie Buck

  16 May 2012 | 12:32 pm

  If the Facebook IPO were a real person, we certainly wouldn’t blame it for posting braggy status updates. This infographic, created by our friends at mbaonline.com, imagines the road leading up to the decade’s most-anticipated initial public offering, as if it were documented on its own Facebook Timeline. As a Facebook user, give yourself a pat on the back for helping the company make it this far. You are one of 900 million, and you spend an average of 20 minutes per day surfing the network. That means Facebook’s usership logs 16,000 years of combined time on the platform…

• Facebook Fans Get to Pick Bonus Levels in ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD’

  Chelsea Stark

  16 May 2012 | 12:06 pm

  Activision is polling fans via Facebook on which levels will be included as additional downloadable content on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a rebuilt version of the classic games. It features seven levels from the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, released in 1999, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, which came out in 2000. Players will be able to skate all over classic levels such as “Warehouse” and “Mall” that have been rebuilt using the old maps. Starting Wednesday afternoon, fans will be asked to pick which of their favorite Tony…

• 

  NYT > Technology

• Gadgetwise Blog: Now on Pinterest: Scams

  By RIVA RICHMOND

  16 May 2012 | 1:11 pm

  It wasn't long before scammers and phishers found their way onto Pinterest, the growing social-network site.

• DealBook: Facebook Increases Number of Shares for I.P.O.

  By BEN PROTESS

  16 May 2012 | 1:08 pm

  Facebook will offer 421 million shares, 25 percent more than it had planned to offer, in response to high demand.

• State of the Art: VoiceLive Processor Listens, Then Harmonizes - State of the Art

  By DAVID POGUE

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  The VoiceLive Play is like a guitar stomp box, but for singers. It even supplies backup vocalists.

• Gadgetwise Blog: A Pocket-Size Recording Studio

  By JOHN BIGGS

  16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm

  Olympus's new LS-100 recorder may look like a piece of military machinery, but it is actually an eight-track recorder you can slip into your pocket.

• Bodies Inert, They Moved a Robot With Their Minds

  By BENEDICT CAREY

  16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm

  Scientists reported that a tiny brain implant allowed two quadriplegic people to manipulate a robotic arm with just their thoughts.

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  GigaOM

• Netflix launches sexy new web-based video player

  Janko Roettgers

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  Netflix just rolled out a completely revamped video player for browser-based viewing, and I gotta say, it’s pretty slick: Not only does it come with lightbox-like text overlays while a video is paused, users can also preview entire seasons of a TV show while they’re watching one episode of the show in full-screen mode. I was told by Netflix that this is currently rolling out across the web. The only downside of the new player seems to be that there can be some issues with Chrome on Mac OS – a warning screen told me to switch to Safari or Firefox for the best viewing…

• The newest phone app teens will hate but parents will love

  Kevin C. Tofel

  16 May 2012 | 12:22 pm

  With 11 teens killed while texting and driving per day, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that parents are turning towards apps to limit their kids’ phone use behind the wheel. The sad statistic comes from Chris Holbert, CEO of SecuraFone, which offers an app for iPhone and Android handsets that diables some phone features when moving 5 mph or more. SecuraFone doesn’t stop there though: It also allows parents to monitor where their kids are driving and how fast they’re going. SecuraFone was one of several safety apps featured on NBC’s Nightly News with Brian…

• Google launches Schemer app for the iPhone

  Janko Roettgers

  16 May 2012 | 12:05 pm

  Google’s social team has had a lot of love for iOS lately: Just days after rolling out a revamped iPhone app for Google+, the company now released an iOS app for its social activity service Schemer. The app mimics Schemer’s Android app in form and functionality, allowing users to tell the world what they’re plans are – and then join with friends for group activities. Schemer has been an interesting initiative for Google. The service launched under the radar a few months back, then opened up to the public in April. Schemer is using a separate branding, but it’s tied closely…

• ISwifter’s TheWorx iPad app recreates Facebook, but with games

  Ryan Kim

  16 May 2012 | 11:33 am

  Just days before Facebook’s big IPO, the company is getting a lesson from another Silicon Valley startup on how to improve its iPad app. ISwifter is showing how it can create a full-fledged Facebook app that also includes Flash gaming. TheWorx iPad app, a Facebook application that is set to go live next month, will provide users with access to status updates, their news feed and photos. But the kicker is that it will also give iPad users access to Facebook’s Flash-based games through an App Hub. Currently, iSwifter’s iPad app allows people to play thousands of Facebook…

• Calvin: A fast, cheap database that isn’t a database at all

  Derrick Harris

  16 May 2012 | 11:12 am

  Yale researchers Daniel Abadi and Alexander Thomson think they have developed the cure for Oracle and IBM dominance in the world of database performance, and it isn’t even technically a database. In a blog post Wednesday morning (and in a related research paper), the two researchers detail Calvin, a “transaction scheduling and replication coordination service” that they think can level the playing field between high-cost distributed relational databases and less-expensive, but limited, NoSQL and NewSQL databases. Abadi and Thomson aren’t dismissing either NoSQL or…

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  Technology Review RSS Feeds

• The Only Way Facebook Can Justify Its Valuation

  16 May 2012 | 1:16 pm

  "It would be really interesting if Facebook launched a credit card. In fact, it would be terrifying." Farhad Manjoo has pointed out that for Facebook to maintain its share price, it needs to figure out how to increase its revenue by a factor of ten. Going from $5 per user per year in advertising revenue to $50 per user per year is about as likely as Facebook going from 1 billion users to 10 billion, which I suppose is the other way the company could increase revenue proportionally, even if it requires an alternate Earth's worth of additional human beings.

• Brain Chip Helps Quadriplegics Move Robotic Arms with Their Thoughts

  16 May 2012 | 10:18 am

  It's the first study to show that brain chips can assist paralyzed people to perform complex real-world tasks. A paralyzed patient equipped with an implanted brain chip has been able to use a robotic arm to reach for and pick up a bottle of coffee, bring it close enough to her face so she could drink from a straw, and then place the bottle back on the table.

• "Data Killer" Erases the Evidence

  16 May 2012 | 6:27 am

  Need to wipe that hard drive fast? Think of it as a paper shredder for the digital age.

• Humanoid Robot Swarm Synchronised Using Quorum Sensing

  16 May 2012 | 3:14 am

  Proof-of-principle experiment shows how humanoid robots can co-operate on a large scale by copying the behaviour of social insects and bacterial colonies In recent years, various companies and labs have developed impressive humanoid robots that walk, shuffle and even run. Some even dance in groups of up to 20, performing sophisticated choreographed routines. 

• The Biggest Cost of Facebook's Growth

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 pm

  Running the world's largest social network will be a technical and financial challenge as it grows. Facebook is the gateway to the Internet for a growing number of people. They message rather than e-mail; discover news and music through friends, rather than through conventional news or search sites; and use their Facebook ID to access outside websites and applications.

• 

  MediaPost | Online Media Daily

• Socialcam Beefs Up Privacy Features

  16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  As with other social apps on Facebook, Socialcam spreads news about the videos people watch to their social networking friends. Socialcam revised its program so that it no longer automatically resumes sharing users' information with friends. Socialcam will keep sharing turned off until users affirmatively reactivate the feature.

• New Data Links TV, Video Data To Aid Cross-Platform Marketing

  16 May 2012 | 12:07 pm

  TV advertising and measurement technologies have begun to better link television and video data, as online marketers begin understanding the importance and benefits of multichannel marketing. The report analyzes embracing TV audience data as a viable "audience intelligence source."

• Ask.com Answers Call Of Seattle Residents

  16 May 2012 | 11:25 am

  Granting three wishes of Seattle residents this summer could pay off in clicks and searches on Ask.com's question and answer site. The "You Asked, We Answered" campaign polled residents in and around Seattle, asking them to vote on the one thing they most want to change about the city.

• IAB Debuts Digal Sales Certification Program

  16 May 2012 | 11:22 am

  The digital advertising world now has its answer to the legal profession's bar exam and Wall Street's Series 7 certification, courtesy of the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The trade group will offer an official certification for digital media sales executives starting next month.

• YouToo's Facebook App Uploads Video For TV Watchers

  16 May 2012 | 11:10 am

  Blurring the lines between old and new media, Youtoo just debuted a Facebook app, which encourages users to upload videos for TV consumption. Formerly AmericanLife TV Network, Youtoo TV can now be seen in 177 domestic cable markets; social-media platform Youtoo.com have been around since late 2011.

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  AllThingsD » Peter Kafka

• Harvey Geller, Universal Music Group's Top Lawyer, Is Out

  Peter Kafka

  16 May 2012 | 11:17 am

  Harvey Geller, Universal Music Group’s longtime lawyer, left the company earlier this week. A person familiar with Universal said Geller was now headed for another job but didn’t have other details. His name will be familiar to many digital-media companies, since he often led fierce and sustained battles against them on behalf of the world’s biggest music label.

• Facebook Is Still Figuring It Out. Will Advertisers and Investors Wait Around?

  Peter Kafka

  15 May 2012 | 7:42 pm

  There are a bunch of ways to explain away GM’s decision to stop spending ad dollars on Facebook. We’ll get to those. But there’s one thing that even the most ardent Facebook fan can’t argue with: Facebook advertising is very much a work in progress. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Facebook itself: “We believe that most advertisers are still learning and experimenting with the best ways to leverage Facebook to create more social and valuable ads,” the company says in its IPO filing. If you’re a Facebook bull, those words sound reassuring.

• Google Says Forced "Sharing" Is a Bug, Not a Feature

  Peter Kafka

  15 May 2012 | 11:38 am

  Google is offering publishers a new tool that lets them force users to “share” a story before they read it themselves. That can’t be right, can it? Not exactly. That scenario is what Gawker’s Scott Kidder encountered when he read a story on Adweek’s site today, but that’s not what’s supposed to happen. Instead, Kidder should have had a choice of filling out a one- or two-question survey or sharing the story on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Bug, not a feature, says a Google spokesrep, via email: Generally, Google Consumer Surveys are designed to show a…

• Cannes Ad Conference Roars for Twitter's Jack Dorsey

  Peter Kafka

  15 May 2012 | 7:02 am

  The Cannes Lions, the people who put on a giant advertising trade show every year in France, have named Twitter’s Jack Dorsey as their “Media Person of The Year.” The honorific comes as Twitter has begun ramping up its ad-selling efforts. For context: Previous winners include Google’s Eric Schmidt and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

• Pinterest Prompts a Start-Up's Pivot: Meet Curalate, an Analytics Engine for Images

  Peter Kafka

  15 May 2012 | 5:20 am

  Pinterest’s rocket rise may be slowing, but there are still lots of companies struggling to keep up with the image-sharing site. Apu Gupta wants to help: His Curalate promises to help brands and e-commerce companies track the use of their products on Pinterest, and eventually on other image-focused sites, too. Curalate’s pitch: You need basic information about the way users and potential customers are interacting with your products on Pinterest, but it’s very hard to do it on your own, because users usually don’t identify the products they’re…