“It’s too early to say”. “The jury is still out” and “It’s difficult to tell” because things are not so easy. But in the running popularity wars of Facebook and Twitter, while Twitter catches up on its share of traffic, it has to be said that Facebook is reflecting maturity. Notwithstanding a lot of bull from personal users who have been long time facebook fans, Facebook managed to roll out changes which reduced the functionality gap between itself and twitter and while both have now made their pages more manageable by tweaking…
Selected by zyaadaguy
-
Social Media and New Markets
-
The new effective social business model – Facebook wins
15 Nov 2009 | 1:24 am -
IPL in tweets: media partners, sponsors and the brand valuations
12 Nov 2009 | 11:25 pmIf you follow the brand valuations for the IPL here, you would note the vertical cliff between revenues after season 1 and season 2. Also, the same is likely to repeat again in season 3. However, most of us would find the pricing for outdoor/theatrical rights for IPL coverage which in fact may not cover public radio and is unclear about use of team logos etc, seems to have been a cheap affair for ESD. OR, if Lalit Modi has done his job right, then there is as of now a very minimal revenue share for the TV network, the teams and the On ground sponsors are also getting away scotfree..it… -
Our ‘zyaada’ social Footprint | zyaada.mobi
28 Oct 2009 | 7:18 amAlso, our technorati rank is 8 now (Top 0.6% and better). The mix of financial and marketing posts is published together at http://twitterone.mobi ( not a dotmobi site) while http://zyaada.mobi republishes our marketing effort on mobile…(dotmobi) -
Sports Marketing – a good game for Twitter
21 Oct 2009 | 12:19 amMLB.com just joined the social media revolution in a way that is still as obvious, but probably hasn’t found its way into public domain. The question is if sharing the brand with Twitter officially makes it business-friendly for the sport, ( or consumer brand and advertiser like P&G, Sprint ) In fact as one might feel to be important , does this spread of ‘co branded’ Twitter and MLB/NFL/IPL/NDTV/BofA count for more than the reputation management and the catching up? Before we move on with the discussion, let’s give the @mashable it’s due MLB.com Shows You… -
A leg of tweets …with IPL n between – Distraction or Brands?
15 Oct 2009 | 12:57 amBarack Obama is learning testimonial marketing on the ground for healthcare, clunkers are away and superbowl is already 2/3rds sold with Red Sox and Cardinals falling away to give a sticky brand even with fat expenses for Yankees, Phillies and both the LA franchises ( Dodgers – NLCS and Angels – ALCS, for the newbies) In Asia, IPL has taken root, Champions League has shown the other Cricket brands in the Commonwealth and probably US has a couple of teams switching from Soccer to T20 Cricket this time Closer to where it hurts, Apple is redesigning Disney retail ( one last time?)…
-
An investment Blog
-
The October MF report | Advantage zyaada
9 Nov 2009 | 3:49 amThe Data is courtesy http://amfiindia.com (AMFI) October turned out to be buoyant for the entire economy with retail and auto sectors reporting a 30% + uptick in sales and mutual funds also adding a neat INR 20000 Crores or $4.33 billion. However individual fortunes were mixed as some fund houses managed to lose in Assets under management in the cracker season. UTI MF grew further by INR 3260 Crores or $720 million, and even Tata MF growing by INR 2500 Crores or $550 million. A small player like Kotak grew its corpus by INR 1350 Crores or $ 300 million. It is definitely a market whose time… -
What China might learn from India | Advantage zyaada
27 Oct 2009 | 12:21 amA First rough draft I hate writing influencing stuff for these ‘namakool’ government people..a true laissez faire capitalist as bollywood would say today – but much as I like to disappoint wooden leg intelligentia (sorry Saugata, not you) and unfortunate colleagues who cannot see the depth and incisiveness of my decisions ( only some times, as most of my followers and poachers would attest from the last 15-20 years, i have quite some intellectual property when it comes to establishing the kingdom’s fine traits and setting up the next wins. Well, this introduction… -
Dual Listing requests and other cultural ‘absurdities’
25 Oct 2009 | 2:41 amGlobal businesses must have more of these war stories. We will see them again. If only that European and now African businesses are using recessionary conditions and development as excuses to bring down their hammer on the world. For this, they are using parochial and hithertho untenable institutions / policies that were at the root of all the misdemeanours of socialism and then for some of the backwardness of France, Western Europe and the black Continent that they successfully colonialised 200 years ago. MTN is not the onl one from South Africa. There is going to be more than one Dubai… -
Let’s see some Temasek muscle
24 Oct 2009 | 8:23 pmIndia WSJ reports today that Temasek is planning to add to its investments in India and China. Temasek recently completed its bond issue of $1.5 billion (Bloomberg). As of 2007 itself, Temaseks holdings in India included a 5% stake in Airtel and amounted to over 4% of its global portfolio at over $3 billion. It would have risen further in Dollar terms today with SGD having appreciated to 1.394 SGD to USD from 1.71 levels then. They began in India (2004) with a 9% stake pick up in ICICI Bank, then at its vaunted peak, and 7.7% in Matrix Labs. They also bought a 5% stake in Apollo Hospitals and… -
Dual Listing – A Cultural Gap?
24 Oct 2009 | 9:47 amGlobal businesses must have more of these war stories. We will see them again. If only that European and now African businesses are using recessionary conditions and development as excuses to bring down their hammer on the world. For this, they are using parochial and hithertho untenable institutions / policies that were at the root of all the misdemeanours of socialism and then for some of the backwardness of France, Western Europe and the black Continent that they successfully colonialised 200 years ago. MTN is not the onl one from South Africa. There is going to be more than one Dubai…
-
The Bankwatch
-
The ugly side of globalisation | security breach in Spain impacts German credit cards
19 Nov 2009 | 6:44 amCourtesy of Finextra. More than 100,000 German credit cards have been recalled by banks following a suspected security breech at an unidentified Spanish payment processor Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Security -
The coming media crisis and parallels with the financial crisis
12 Nov 2009 | 6:57 pmA general thread that has been building for me for some years now is highlighted in a few things I have seen recently. The thread is my hatred of advertising and in particular online advertising. For me it lies in the same category as junk (paper) mail except worse. I can simply throw paper junk mail out as one package, so it is not intrusive. Online advertising is horribly intrusive because it is pervasive. I use lots of things to ensure my online experience is minimally interrupted by ads In 2004 people were asking about blog business models. Now it is social network business models. I have… -
On Bank Systemic Risk, International Integration and Capital Requirement | Turner Discussion Paper
2 Nov 2009 | 5:15 pmThere has been much talk of systemic risk since the financial crisis hit. I see it more as a crisis of banking and banking confidence, and the debate on systemic risk is critical because it exists because of Government intervention and protections, implicit and explicit. The latest from Lord Turner of the FSA is a discussion paper, that reviews systemic risk and provides as good a discussion on that topic as I have seen. What it particularly interesting is how the insights raise the prospect of penalising globally integrated banks over nationally independent organizations with higher capital… -
“Rally fuelled by cheap money brings a sense of foreboding” | ft.com
22 Oct 2009 | 11:34 pmGillian Tett voices her concerns here, based on background discussions with bankers. We are not out of the woods yet, despite the equity markets. Rally fuelled by cheap money brings a sense of foreboding | FT Yet, if you talk at length to traders – or senior bankers – it seems that few truly believe that fundamentals alone explain this pattern. Instead, the real trigger is the amount of money that central bankers have poured into the system that is frantically seeking a home, because most banks simply do not want to use that cash to make loans. Hence, the fact that the prices of almost… -
Is the utility bank/ risky bank model workable?
22 Oct 2009 | 10:51 pmMartin Wolf makes a persuasive argument that regulatory division between financial utilities and risk takers (casinos in his words) is impossible. Why curbing finance is hard to do | FT Martin Wolf First, the border between utility and casino banking is impossible to draw. For Mr Kay, the utility is the payment system and protection of deposits. This would leave all lending – including to households and businesses – inside the casino. For those in the US who hark back to the Glass-Steagall Act, the distinction is between commercial and riskier investment banking. … … Mr…
-
Obamanomics
-
Arizona borrows $700M line of credit for 2009| Phoenix Business Journal
19 Nov 2009 | 12:10 amzyakaira notes: To date the Jobs report at recovery.gov is showing jobs being created in non existent (congressional) districts, Arizona RE is still down 75-90% over 2007..it all happened here and they are borrowing more from a private bank, why doesn’t the Obama Administration print for them? We know ist is irreproachably above the law and all that but the stimulus has a lot of these funds still available!! Jobs are not really happening, mortgages are not being denominated in the numbers provided for.. and the Healthcare bill not fall short unless we find where the real money would be… -
Wells Fargo Settles Lawsuit Over Auction-Rate Securities – DealBook Blog – NYTimes.com
18 Nov 2009 | 8:33 pmWells Fargo said on Wednesday that it had agreed to buy back $1.4 billion in auction-rate securities it sold to investors before the market for those securities dried up last year.The decision settles a lawsuit brought against the firm by California’s attorney general for violating the state’s securities laws. Wells Fargo also agreed to pay the state’s expenses related to the lawsuit.The brokerage arm of the bank marketed the securities, which resemble corporate debt and whose interest rates were regularly reset by auctions, as an alternative to cash for years, even after analysts… -
Paulson busy buying banks | MarketWatch
13 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pmAs you see below, Paulson’s fund has added BAC, Citi, Indymac, GS and even State Street using the enhanced corpus from shorting the world’s top banks against the MBS boom in 2007 when we had tipped over in volumes and quality of MBS/Sub-Prime Interestingly, Dimon’s JP Morgan does not figure in this list. In an earlier article we had also brought out media reports of his play on the Kraft Cadbury deal! It wouldn’t be surprising if he gets a couple of ME And Asian investors in his hedge funds in a couple of months. He is sitting on a pretty pile and it will be much… -
John Paulson Doubles Bet on Cadbury | DealBook (NYtimes)
11 Nov 2009 | 7:01 amzyaada notes: Also do follow the Cadbury’s valuation stories at Advantage zyaada’s http://advantages.us John Paulson, the hedge fund manager whose wagers against the United States housing market earned him billions last year, has doubled down on his bet on Cadbury, Bloomberg News reported.Mr. Paulson’s hedge fund, Paulson & Co., increased its stake in the British confectioner the same day that Cadbury rejected a $16.7 billion bid from Kraft Foods.According to a filing with Securities and Exchange Commission, Paulson & Co. now owns 28.5 million shares, or 2.08 percent, of… -
Can Apple mark a Lifestyle return?
19 Oct 2009 | 11:07 pmThe Advantage zyaada analysis follows later Here is the result and comparisons from Marketwatch.com Apple Inc. on Monday reported a 46% increase in its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings as the company posted higher revenue than a year ago led by better-than-expected sales of iPhones, Mac computers and iPods. Apple (AAPL 202.40, +12.54, +6.61%) said it earned $1.67 billion, or $1.82 a share, on revenue of $9.87 billion. During the same period a year ago, Apple earned $1.14 billion, or $1.26 a share, on $7.9 billion in sales. Apple’s results topped the estimates of analysts surveyed by…
-
Guy Kawasaki
-
The 19 bloggers Inc. thinks you should read
6 Nov 2009 | 6:20 pmInc. named 19 bloggers that you should read. We’ve aggregated them all in one place: Inc19.alltop. -
How to Get Found
4 Nov 2009 | 3:29 pmThe reality is that people and technology is getting better and better a blocking out unwanted interruptions—aka, “marketing.” Brian Halligan is the CEO of HubSpot, and he explains in my post on the American Express Open Forum “how to get found.” It’s all about creating great stuff and letting Google et al do what they do: find great stuff. -
How I tweet
2 Nov 2009 | 8:47 amBy popular demand (and some complaints), I’ve done a FAQ with myself about how I tweet. Hope this helps you use Twitter for your business too. I explain how I use ghostwriters and why I repeat my tweets among other “unusual” practices. -
Current Twitter Demo Script
28 Oct 2009 | 2:26 amThis is the set of links that I used to demo Twitter by going down through this list to show why Twitter is such a valuable marketing tool. Introduction Home page Profile page Monitor Search Guy Kawasaki or Alltop Starbucks VIA introduction Search for “Prius” or “Civic” Sell Dell Outlet Kogi BBQ Support Comcast Cares Engage JetBlue Virgin America Fandango Prospect Camaro Camaro near Palo Alto Advanced searches Surfing or skateboarding (shows how to eliminate extraneous results such as “surfing the web” How I Tweet - Find Alltop MyAlltop helped me find this. -
How to Avoid Twitter Cluelessness
26 Oct 2009 | 4:24 pmOver at the American Express Open Forum blog, I explain how to not look clueless on Twitter. The first five ways are: Don’t tell other people how to tweet. Don’t tell the world that you unfollowed someone. Don’t ask people why they unfollowed you. Don’t constantly tweet mundane updates and babble. Don’t use a small picture for an avatar. To read all ten and why they impugn your intelligence, click here.
-
Breaking Tweets
-
One in six Americans go hungry
17 Nov 2009 | 8:44 amA new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows more Americans are going hungry. USA TODAY reports, forty-nine million people in American households one in six went hungry or had insufficient food at some point in 2008, the highest number since the government began tracking the problem in 1995.Twitter users in the United States are wondering why they don’t hear more about this. Some users are being thankful for what they have in these tough times. SexyNexBoy73 (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)That is so sad. Economic news – CNNMoney.com >1 in 6 Americans goes hungry 16… -
Obama in China: Twitter users in region address Beijing visit
16 Nov 2009 | 8:57 pmAs part of his first tour of Asia, U.S. President Barack Obama met Tuesday with Chinese leader Hu Jintao in Beijing, participating in a summit to discuss a number of issues, per BBC. @stevebruskCNN tweeted the following about the event, “CNN live now…President Obama and President Hu make comments after their meeting in Beijing. Unlike many such events, no questions allowed.” Twitter users in China are paying close attention to Obama’s visit to their country. Annie_He (Beijing) #Obama talks abt human rights, the police arrests 20 dissidents & activists. -
Swine flu challenges airline travelers
13 Nov 2009 | 12:02 amThe push to prevent others from being infected with swine flu is causing conflict between airline travelers. Tampa Bay Online reports the staff at United Airlines suspected passenger Mitra Mostoufi had the flu and forced her to get off the plane and stay in Tampa as she was trying to return to her home in Hawaii on Monday. Mostoufi and other sick travelers are finding it difficult to travel by plane if airlines know they may potentially have the disease. Twitter users question if what airlines are doing is appropriate and are scared of catching the disease on planes: KGMB9 (Honolulu,… -
Munich doctors make breakthrough in breast reconstruction
12 Nov 2009 | 2:17 pmDoctors in Bavaria have become the first in Europe to test a new post-mastectomy plastic surgery procedure that uses pig tissue. News24 reports, after giving replacement breasts made from pigskin to six women in Germany, doctors in Munich detailed the new method on Thursday, saying it results in fewer scars for mastectomy patients. Twitter users are feeling optimistic about this breakthrough. One user is even having a little fun and warning people of the pig breast cancer flu. AngelaSS (Royston, Georgia) Make sure you don’t catch the pig breast cancer flu! http://tinyurl.com/yfdrdfw… -
TwitPics: Twitter users celebrate U.S. Veterans Day with photos
11 Nov 2009 | 12:59 pmThe United State’s celebration of Veteran’s Day dates back to after World War I. First designated a holiday by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, current President Barack Obama honored the day by speaking at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. today.Twitter users were attending parades around the country, and also posting pictures of their own favorite soldiers. @kevin_oates (Venice, CA): Great photo from Hyundia's video board in Times Square from the Veterans' Day Parade @d1ane (Milford, MI):WWII Sailor at Memorial Day parade in Milford MI--INCREDIBLE turnout of…
-
Neuromarketing
-
The Outsider Effect
16 Nov 2009 | 4:52 amTrying to juice up your next ad campaign? Develop a clever new product strategy? Research shows that adding an outsider to the mix can improve the thinking of your team and produce better results. According to a study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Better decisions come from teams that include a [...] -
Management Lessons from Airplane Crashes
9 Nov 2009 | 6:40 amAirplane crashes don’t happen often, and when they do they are no doubt among the most-studied failures in any industry. Most bad business decisions, by contrast, are pushed into the past as quickly as possible. That may be one lesson – studying why a business strategy proved to be a failure might prevent similar failures [...] -
Emsense Raises $9 Million
3 Nov 2009 | 9:09 amNeuromarketing firm Emsense has raised $9 million in additional capital. The new round was led by an investment from Technology Partners with existing investor the Foundry Group also participating. This funding will allow EmSense to continue its global expansion in support of its many market research partners. The funds will also enable the company [...] -
Want Some Emotion with That Website?
3 Nov 2009 | 5:01 amAs a web community guy, one of the most common problems I see is the failure to communicate emotion properly when people interact online. A remark intended as humorous can be perceived as a personal attack, or an expression of sympathy can be taken as cruel sarcasm. While I always suggest caution (particularly [...] -
College Branding: What if Harvard Moved Next Door?
2 Nov 2009 | 5:06 amWhy do most college branding efforts end up as meaningless pablum? I think it’s because most colleges have been relatively insulated from the effects of devastating competition. In fact, historically there have been major barriers to competition in the cozy world of higher education. The biggest have been geography, cost, and reputation. [...]
-
Wall Street Journal
-
Oprah, in Tears, Sets End Date for Show
20 Nov 2009 | 4:42 pmIn a live broadcast from Chicago, a tearful Oprah Winfrey announced that she's leaving her long-running program "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2011. -
Weak Power Demand Dims Outlook
20 Nov 2009 | 4:40 pmElectricity sales remained weak in the third quarter, prompting speculation that the sluggishness could persist even after the U.S. economy rebounds. -
Congress Wants Tighter Oversight of Fed
20 Nov 2009 | 4:40 pmMany Democrats and Republicans praise Bernanke, but some say the financial crisis requires an overhaul of the Fed's responsibilities and tighter congressional oversight. -
Ireland Demands: World Cup Rematch!
20 Nov 2009 | 4:38 pmFrance's victory over Ireland on Wednesday night, propelling them to the World Cup, has created a firestorm, thanks to the manner in which it was decided. -
Dividend Payers Return to the Fore
20 Nov 2009 | 4:33 pmStocks with payouts had been trailing their yield-free rivals for most of the year, but are now pulling ahead. And the trend may last.
-
The investment blog on Post
-
ITC's Fortune has great competition
18 Nov 2009 | 8:42 amThe 26/11 hit Taj Hotels have two brands competing with ITC's Fortune and others in the mid-market segments like the Quality Inn. However Only Fortune and Taj's Gateway have plans to be in the Tier II towns dotting the country's landscape like the pilgrim towns and those with significant merchant trade. The Taj Gateway for example wants to add 30 new hotels by 2015 in locations like Jalandhar, Mysore, Raipur and Gondia ( Mint - November 18 ) The answer is not that simple however. The available accommodation would definitely make a profitable niche but will not reduce the shortage… -
The new Marriott partner
9 Nov 2009 | 8:18 amAs told to UTV today (yup the one with Bloo..before it) New Leisure properties for phoenix count to 4, not less Marriotts for a measly INR 340 Crores. It is definitely a great sign for India's challenged 5-star infrastructure with Nitesh and other such mid tier players like Parsvnath seemingly here to stay on the scene. Marriott now adds properties in Agra and Mumbai in sharing with Phoenix. Phoenix Mills was a great turnaround story of India's new Lifestyle Economy with one of the first conversions of old mill compounds to modern mall and office space. The Indian Leisure and Lifestyle… -
The October rise in AUMs | Advantage zyaada
9 Nov 2009 | 3:54 amThe Data is courtesy the amfiindia.com site of AMFIOctober turned out to be buoyant for the entire economy with retail and auto sectors reporting a 30% + uptick in sales and mutual funds also adding a neat INR 20000 Crores or $4.33 billion. However individual fortunes were mixed as some fund houses managed to lose in Assets under management in the cracker season. UTI MF grew further by INR 3260 Crores or $720 million, and even Tata MF growing by INR 2500 Crores or $550 million. A small player like Kotak grew its corpus by INR 1350 Crores or $ 300 million. It is definitely a market whose time… -
Busy Season Credit Policy | Advantage zyaada
27 Oct 2009 | 12:10 amI hate writing influencing stuff for these 'namakool' government people..a true laissez faire capitalist as bollywood would say today - but much as I like to disappoint wooden leg intelligentia (sorry Saugata, not you) and unfortunate colleagues who cannot see the depth and incisiveness of my decisions ( only some times, as most of my followers and poachers would attest from the last 15-20 years, i have quite some intellectual property when it comes to establishing the kingdom's fine traits and setting up the next wins. Well, this introduction is probably embedded into my names and… -
20 Tweets from Friday - Part Deux | zyakaira
18 Sep 2009 | 9:49 amRural Distrbn: Current FDI limits / Foreign Investment limits of 20% / 49% in DTH may go up to allow foreign media investors to catch upabout 6 hours ago from HootSuiteUnitech Telenor has revised capital participation terms putting responsibility on Telenor to fund all expansion, ready with 8500 towers..about 6 hours ago from HootSuiteNew Islamic Bank Al Baraka to take off in Kerala based on Shariat principle of Bai al salam, distribution of profit and est of a social fundabout 7 hours ago from HootSuiteChina's bear trend unlikely to be braked but may recover…
-
NYT: Deal Book
-
Ron Paul Defends His Plan for Fed Oversight
20 Nov 2009 | 3:26 pmDefending himself against critics, Representative Ron Paul of Texas played down concerns on Friday that his amendment to give Congress sweeping new oversight powers over the Federal Reserve would compromise the central bank's political independence. -
Hershey Considers a Counterbid for Cadbury
20 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pmHershey is considering bidding for Cadbury, a proposal that would top the $16.7 billion hostile bid from Kraft, people briefed on the matter told DealBook on Friday. -
Morgan Stanley Reaches Deal on Barclays Loan
20 Nov 2009 | 11:24 amMorgan Stanley is handing over Crescent Real Estate Equities to Barclays Capital, winning forgiveness of a $2 billion loan that financed its acquisition of the real estate business in 2007. -
BofA's Ideal Chief: the One Who's Leaving?
20 Nov 2009 | 10:02 amRichard X. Bove, the outspoken bank analyst, believes that the best person to lead Bank of America is the man who's leaving the chief executive post. -
CF Claims 3 Seats on Terra's Board
20 Nov 2009 | 8:48 amCF Industries announced Friday that all three of its nominees were elected to the board of rival fertilizer maker Terra Industries, potentially ending an 11-month takeover battle.
-
NYT: World Business
-
Stocks Finish Lower on Economic Concerns
20 Nov 2009 | 2:46 pmInvestors are increasingly wondering about the speed of the economy recovery and they are questioning the fast-paced rise of technology stocks. -
Off the Charts: An 11-Year Journey From Leader to Laggard
20 Nov 2009 | 1:53 pmSince 1998, the dollar’s weakness has been a major contributor to the United States stock market’s fall from global grace. -
Your Money: Financial Advice From the Divorce Trenches
20 Nov 2009 | 1:41 pmSome advice from those with firsthand experience of divorce may help you avoid the financial pitfalls of a split. -
Shortcuts: When ‘Customer Service’ Seems Anything But
20 Nov 2009 | 1:36 pmSometimes it is hard to remember that the person on the other end of the phone line is not the enemy, but staying calm can help. -
Ohio Sues Credit Rating Agencies
20 Nov 2009 | 1:29 pmIn the suit, the state’s attorney general asserted that Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings provided misleading ratings that led to hundreds of millions of losses for state funds.
-
TARP Results Blog
-
GMAC Hoping Geither Still Wearing "Sucker" Name Tag
27 Oct 2009 | 4:42 pmGMAC, already the recipient of $12.5 billion in cash and $7 billion in loan guarantees from the US Treasury is looking to land another $3 to $5 billion from taxpayers that the government would hold as preferred stock, according to the Wall Street Journal. Most of us can appreciate the difficulty of being in the business of providing car loans at a time like this -- fewer people are buying cars (except during the "Cash for Clunkers" period), and those who want to buy cars are less likely to pass the now more rigorous screening process. Most people are hanging onto cars longer, and,… -
Car Czar Writes off $20 Billion Given to GM - It's a Start
22 Oct 2009 | 4:29 pmSteven Rattner, the man appointed "car czar" by President Obama, suggested at a speech given to the Brookings Institution that the $50 billion in bailout money given to GM is now probably only worth $30 billion. However, it isn't really $30 billion. It's more like 1% of $30 billion.The shares of what used to be GM now closed today at about 63 cents per share, less than one-half of their value in May. The current market cap of what used to be GM (now called Motors Liquidation) is $388 million. 60% of that is $232 million. Let's point out that what the taxpayer… -
Treasury "Failed" in AIG Bonus Hearings
14 Oct 2009 | 10:27 amIn testimony today before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the special inspector general for the TARP program gave the Treasury Department -- and Timothy Geithner's management -- a failing grade, according to the Wall Street Journal. "This was a failure of communications, a failure of management," special inspector general Neil Barofsky testified. Associated Press states that Barofsky testified that "Geithner is 'ultimately responsible' for regulators failing to rein in massive bonus payments..." You can read about the AIG bonus payments at one of our prior… -
Creating Second Class Banks
13 Oct 2009 | 5:11 pmI've struggled over the past few weeks on the issue of the "pay czar", Kenneth Feinberg, of the federal government having the opportunity to structure the compensation of the highest-ranking people in the firms who have received, or will receive, US bailout money. Europe is also in the process of putting similar limitations in place.After careful deliberation, I must say that this concept -- not just the execution -- is wrong, and for many reasons, the most important of which is that it creates a second-class of company in an otherwise free market environment competing for… -
Ken Lewis Agrees to Leave Bank of America at Year End
30 Sep 2009 | 9:02 pmThe public story is that Ken Lewis, Bank of America's CEO, has chosen to retire from the bank at the end of the year. The underlying story is probably much more salty.Lewis has been with the bank for 41 years, being from all accounts an exemplary executive until the last several years. He has been at the helm while disaster after disaster struck. Destruction of shareholder wealth? Absolutely, as the current stock price has finally climbed back to 1996 prices -- yes, anyone who bought shares in the from 1996 to 2008 has...lost...money. Taking on business risks that are too…
-
trendsspotting blog
-
The “unfriend” Social Cycle: Social Networks Beahvior Patterns
18 Nov 2009 | 6:19 amThe New Oxford American Dictionary has chosen ‘unfriend’ as its word of the year. To ‘unfriend’ means to remove someone from your friend list on a social network like Facebook or MySpace (and we extend that to a similar pattern of “unfollow” in Twitter). “Defriend” came in as a close rival, but unfriend takes it one step further by employing a more active and abnormal “verb sense” of the word ‘friend.’ Earlier we had stated some of the facts on Social networks: An average Facebook user has 120 friend. In general he/she general… -
Twitter users share early adopters symptoms
12 Nov 2009 | 10:16 amRecent findings of a Pew Internet study revealed, Twitter is being extensively used as a status update service to keep in touch. Youth (age 18 -44), social network users and users with access to mobile internet show early Twitter adoption symptoms. The study – Twitter and status update, was conducted in September 2009, amongst a sample of 2,253 adults, 18 and older. The key Highlights of the research indicates: 1. One in every Five Internet user Now on Twitter 19% of internet users say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others (up… -
For a Better (Digital) World
3 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amIn a beautiful thought-provoking project of Jonathan Harris (creator of We Feel Fine – one of the first social web emotion visualization projects), Harris shares some touching personal insights with artistic inspirations relevant to a digital world. In this “World Building in a Crazy World” – Harris suggests 1-2-3 principals for a world building idea – “a universal idea executed simply, with an element of play, nostalgia or beauty”. Enjoy. Tweet This Post Plurk This Post Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Ping This Post Reddit Stumble This Post -
Halloween through Location Based Applications
1 Nov 2009 | 7:11 amGoogle Latitude or other location based applications working through mobile phones can let you track your kids whereabouts during Halloween. Aside from tracking, many of those applications can be used (note privacy concerns) for sharing the Halloween experience. Locations of retailers selling costumes and decorations can also be found by using applications as Poynt. To improve the Halloween experience, Zillow.com, have created a Trick or Treat Housing Index, which presents the top-five neighborhoods to maximize candy harvesting. The index uses four equally weighted data variables: Zillow… -
Google Wave: Invite Led Viral Campaign
22 Oct 2009 | 2:24 pmSearch Engine giant Google, has shown the world how it is reshaping the way communication happens over the internet with the soft launch of Google Wave. And it has done so in a way it knows best – through invite based viral marketing. The internet witnessed tremors of excitement when 100,000 exclusive invites to Wave were sought after by surfers who were curious, passionate, and addicted to Google. A sense of Déjà vu is hard to avoid. Google sent out similar invites when it launched Gmail in 2007, to build hype. Privileged invites led marketing has been a potent weapon that Google has…
-
NYT: Front Page
-
Obama Raised Issue of American Held in China
20 Nov 2009 | 3:57 pmThe Chinese government has held an American oil geologist on suspicion of stealing state secrets for nearly two years, prompting President Obama to raise the issue during his visit to Beijing. -
Hacked E-Mails Fuel Climate Change Skeptics
20 Nov 2009 | 3:55 pmThe e-mails and documents hacked from a computer server at a British university will undoubtedly raise questions about the actions of some scientists. -
Hershey Considers a Counterbid for Cadbury
20 Nov 2009 | 3:48 pmHershey is considering bidding for Cadbury, a proposal that would top the $16.7 billion hostile bid from Kraft, people briefed on the matter told DealBook on Friday. -
Students Continue to Protest California Tuition Increases
20 Nov 2009 | 3:40 pmStudents occupied campus buildings at Berkeley and Santa Cruz on Friday, the day after a 32-percent increase in tuition was approved by the University of California Board of Regents. -
Arrests in Europe Over Soccer Fixing Investigation
20 Nov 2009 | 2:45 pmGerman law enforcement officials arrested 17 on Friday in connection with what was described as the biggest match-fixing scandal yet uncovered in European soccer.
-
NYT: Business
-
Your Money: Experienced In Love And Money
20 Nov 2009 | 4:35 pmSome advice from those with firsthand experience of divorce may help you avoid the financial pitfalls of a split. -
Patient Money: How to Find Mental Health Care When Money Is Tight
20 Nov 2009 | 4:12 pmHot lines, online groups and organizations that charge fees on a sliding scale are options for finding help. -
Shortcuts: When ‘Customer Service’ Seems Anything But
20 Nov 2009 | 4:12 pmSometimes it is hard to remember that the person on the other end of the phone line is not the enemy, but staying calm can help. -
Europe’s Bank Tightens Loan Rules
20 Nov 2009 | 4:03 pmIn a move to prepare the ground to unwind emergency liquidity measures, the European Central Bank has tightened rules for collateral it accepts against loans. -
Shares Finish Lower on Doubts About Recovery
20 Nov 2009 | 4:01 pmInvestors are increasingly wondering about the speed of the economy recovery and they are questioning the fast-paced rise of technology stocks.
-
WSJ: Real time economics
-
Dodd: Bernanke Confirmation ‘Not Necessarily’ a Foregone Conclusion
20 Nov 2009 | 2:57 pmSen. Chris Dodd (D., Conn.) today announced that Ben Bernanke’s reappointment hearing will be held on Dec. 3, the same day as President Barack Obama’s jobs summit, and said the Federal Reserve chairman’s confirmation isn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion. Bernanke’s reappointment has been widely expected to move through the Senate fairly smoothly. In August Sen. Dodd issued a statement supportive of the Fed chairman. “Chairman Bernanke was too slow to act during the early stages of the foreclosure crisis, but he ultimately demonstrated effective… -
TARP’s Capital Purchase Program: In With a Bang, Out With a Whimper
20 Nov 2009 | 2:07 pmTreasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said this week that he’s working to put TARP “out of its misery” and the government will move one step closer to that goal on Saturday, when the deadline for banks seeking to access government funds expires. After funneling more than $200 billion into 690 financial institutions, the Treasury will stop taking applications for firms that want government funds. Treasury has extended the deadline in the past but officials believe the markets have strengthened enough that banks in need of capital can now raise it from private sources, rather than the… -
Mass Layoffs Slow, but Remain High
20 Nov 2009 | 1:28 pmThe number of workers fired in mass layoffs dropped for the second month in October, the Labor Department said Friday. A total of 217,182 people lost their jobs last month as part of a mass layoff of at least 50 people, 30,824 fewer than the previous month, adjusted for seasonality. The number of laid off workers also fell by 13,148 year over year. Layoffs remain high, though. The number of people let go in mass layoffs since the beginning of the year reached 2.6 million, the highest since the department started recording the data in April 1995. The manufacturing sector counted for 36% of… -
Geithner Not the First Treasury Secretary to Spar With Lawmakers
20 Nov 2009 | 11:42 amThursday’s shouting match between Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and lawmakers on the Joint Economic Committee raised eyebrows but Mr. Geithner isn’t the first Treasury Secretary to find himself publicly sparring with a Senator. In 2002, then-Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill got into a tense, emotional exchange with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd over, of all things, which of them grew up in a ditch. The volley began when Mr. Byrd suggested that Mr. O’Neill, who had come to Treasury from aluminum giant Alcoa Inc., was not looking out for the interests of those less… -
Axel Weber, Unplugged
20 Nov 2009 | 9:58 amEuropean Central Bank watchers have been buzzing in recent months about Bundesbank President Axel Weber as one of the potential successors to Jean-Claude Trichet in 2011. Bundesbank President Axel Weber. (AFP/Getty Images) Weber’s appearance on a banking conference panel Friday offered some clues what ECB meetings might look like under a Weber presidency. He gives as good as he gets. And ECB press conferences would never be the same. Weber repeatedly blamed the financial crisis on lax risk management at banks, and was equally forceful in stressing that monetary policy was not to blame.
-
NYT: Most E-Mailed
-
Raymond Carver’s Life and Stories
20 Nov 2009 | 2:42 pmCarol Sklenicka’s biography and a long-overdue “Collected Stories” spotlight Carver’s growth as a writer and illuminate his poisonous relationship with the editor Gordon Lish. -
Movie Review | 'Broken Embraces': Almodóvar’s Happy Agony, Swirling Amid Jealousy and Revenge
20 Nov 2009 | 11:59 amCan there be such a thing as exuberant melancholy? I can’t think of another way to describe the spirit of “Broken Embraces.” -
Movie Review | 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon': Abstinence Makes the Heart ... Oh, You Know
20 Nov 2009 | 11:51 amThe big tease turns into the long goodbye in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” -
36 Hours in Rajasthan, India
20 Nov 2009 | 11:29 amThe country is modernizing rapidly, sometimes too fast, but this spectacular old region endures, evoking rulers with giant mustaches and spectacular forts and palaces. -
Michigan Football Facing Hard Times on the Field and Off It
20 Nov 2009 | 9:15 amThe Michigan Wolverines, who play rival Ohio State on Saturday, are 1-6 in the Big Ten and could have their first two consecutive losing seasons since 1963.
-
NYT: Media & Advertising
-
Talk to The Times: Editor for Digital Initiatives
20 Nov 2009 | 2:48 pmJim Schachter answered questions from readers. -
Winfrey Bets on Her Future With Cable
20 Nov 2009 | 9:23 amOprah Winfrey will end her daytime talk show in 2011 as she prepares to start a cable channel of her own. -
Google to Add Captions, Improving YouTube Videos
20 Nov 2009 | 4:43 amThe move is the first major step toward making millions of videos accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired people. -
Advertising: The Jonas Brothers Promote Xbox 360
20 Nov 2009 | 1:29 amThe band said it had been approached by many companies, but it wanted to endorse family-friendly brands. -
Suit Accuses Hartford Courant of Plagiarism
20 Nov 2009 | 1:23 amA lawsuit cites 11 Hartford Courant articles it says were largely taken from The Journal Inquirer.
-
NYT: Thomas L. Friedman
-
What They Really Believe
17 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmClean energy opponents believe global warming doesn’t exist because that is the only way their arguments make sense. -
Lost There, Felt Here
14 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmAmerica should still lead such efforts as saving the rainforests. But China’s days as a global free-rider should be over. -
Trucks, Trains and Trees
10 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmWithout a new system for economic development in the timber-rich tropics, the only Amazon your grandchildren will ever know ends in dot-com and sells books. -
Call White House, Ask for Barack
7 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmUntil the Palestinians and Israelis are serious about the peace process, the United States should get out of the picture. -
The Best Allies Money Can Buy
3 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmAmerica has been able to fight two wars with few allies because we’ve hired the help.
-
NYT: Gretchen Morgenson
-
Home Builders (You Heard That Right) Get a Gift
14 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmAnalysts say home builders will be among the biggest beneficiaries of a new tax break. -
From an Idea by Students, a Million-Dollar Charity
11 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmA broker shows high school students how to work the phones and raise real money for their charity. -
A Way Out of the Deep Freeze
7 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmJudges overseeing at least 23 class actions relating to auction-rate securities have dismissed them in recent months. What’s a trapped investor to do? -
Can Citigroup Carry Its Own Weight?
31 Oct 2009 | 9:00 pmCitigroup has received government aid several times in the past 80 years, and this time around, some investors see its infusion of federal cash as a good sign. -
When Shareholders Crack the Whip
31 Oct 2009 | 9:00 pmA landslide against board incumbents at Texas Industries is an example of what happens when shareholders act like the company owners that they are.
-
Topic: Technology
-
One in six Americans go hungry
17 Nov 2009 | 8:44 amA new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows more Americans are going hungry. USA TODAY reports, forty-nine million people in American households one in six went hungry or had insufficient food at some point in 2008, the highest number since the government began tracking the problem in 1995.Twitter users in the United States are wondering why they don’t hear more about this. Some users are being thankful for what they have in these tough times. SexyNexBoy73 (Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)That is so sad. Economic news – CNNMoney.com >1 in 6 Americans goes hungry 16… -
Obama in China: Twitter users in region address Beijing visit
16 Nov 2009 | 8:57 pmAs part of his first tour of Asia, U.S. President Barack Obama met Tuesday with Chinese leader Hu Jintao in Beijing, participating in a summit to discuss a number of issues, per BBC. @stevebruskCNN tweeted the following about the event, “CNN live now…President Obama and President Hu make comments after their meeting in Beijing. Unlike many such events, no questions allowed.” Twitter users in China are paying close attention to Obama’s visit to their country. Annie_He (Beijing) #Obama talks abt human rights, the police arrests 20 dissidents & activists. -
Swine flu challenges airline travelers
13 Nov 2009 | 12:02 amThe push to prevent others from being infected with swine flu is causing conflict between airline travelers. Tampa Bay Online reports the staff at United Airlines suspected passenger Mitra Mostoufi had the flu and forced her to get off the plane and stay in Tampa as she was trying to return to her home in Hawaii on Monday. Mostoufi and other sick travelers are finding it difficult to travel by plane if airlines know they may potentially have the disease. Twitter users question if what airlines are doing is appropriate and are scared of catching the disease on planes: KGMB9 (Honolulu,… -
Munich doctors make breakthrough in breast reconstruction
12 Nov 2009 | 2:17 pmDoctors in Bavaria have become the first in Europe to test a new post-mastectomy plastic surgery procedure that uses pig tissue. News24 reports, after giving replacement breasts made from pigskin to six women in Germany, doctors in Munich detailed the new method on Thursday, saying it results in fewer scars for mastectomy patients. Twitter users are feeling optimistic about this breakthrough. One user is even having a little fun and warning people of the pig breast cancer flu. AngelaSS (Royston, Georgia) Make sure you don’t catch the pig breast cancer flu! http://tinyurl.com/yfdrdfw… -
TwitPics: Twitter users celebrate U.S. Veterans Day with photos
11 Nov 2009 | 12:59 pmThe United State’s celebration of Veteran’s Day dates back to after World War I. First designated a holiday by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, current President Barack Obama honored the day by speaking at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. today.Twitter users were attending parades around the country, and also posting pictures of their own favorite soldiers. @kevin_oates (Venice, CA): Great photo from Hyundia's video board in Times Square from the Veterans' Day Parade @d1ane (Milford, MI):WWII Sailor at Memorial Day parade in Milford MI--INCREDIBLE turnout of…
-
Chris Brogan
-
The Serendipity Engine – Web 2 Expo Speech
20 Nov 2009 | 1:33 pmThis is my favorite keynote speech yet. It’s just 10 minutes long, and I feel pretty good about it. You’ll recognize bits of my storytelling from the last several conferences tucked into here in a new way, I hope. Enjoy this video. (Can’t see it? Click here) -
How Much Time Should I Spend On Social Media
20 Nov 2009 | 5:33 amHow much time should you spend on social media? In some ways, the answer is: “how long is a piece of string?” And yet, you can set up some simple guidelines. They might be a bit different than you think. By the way, I’m writing these from a business perspective, but remember that I think of religion and nonprofits and all kinds of other applications as business-related, too. Here’s how I look at it: Social Media Time Management The way I’d do it is to break it up into 4 chunks, and then you decide the amount of hours to devote (2 hours a day is a minimum for MOST… -
Start a Moving Business – Overnight Success
18 Nov 2009 | 7:30 pmIn this episode of the Overnight Success series, I’ve got an idea about what makes one successful: moving. But it’s not what you think. If you can’t see the video, click here. What do you think? -
Stop Humping My Leg
18 Nov 2009 | 9:13 amDear people trying to sell me on something new: stop humping my leg. You know what I mean. You’ve seen dogs do this, right? That’s what it feels like when you jump on me breathlessly to share your new product or service when you don’t really much know whether I’m the right guy for your services. I was recently leg-humped at Web 2.0 Expo, by someone I like, and who I think is smart and has a lot of good potential. The thing is, I politely declined a demo, and he persisted. Immediately, I shifted to my back foot. I felt defensive. I rolled up my interest and tucked it… -
Prioritize Your Social Media Efforts
17 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmThere aren’t enough hours in the day for all the chores that social media puts in front of us. The best writing I’ve found on how to manage your time in social media is via Amber Naslund’s social media time management series. Her efforts in crafting this should become a little ebook that you hand around to everyone. If you skipped over that link, go back, click it to open a new tab/window, and then read it when you’re done with this (or skip mine and read Amber’s- it’s that good). If you’re still with me, here’s what I want to say on the matter.
-
NowSourcing
-
What to Expect from PPC Accounts During The Holidays
18 Nov 2009 | 7:44 pmBest Holiday Movie EVER ‘Tis the season to be selling. So many sites make a large percentage of their income during these last 6 weeks of the year. For some, it’s even make-or-break–especially with the year we’ve had. For those of you who spend your day running a business instead of PPC accounts, here is a brief rundown of what you can expect to see in your PPC accounts when you do have time to check them: More competition: This is probably the most obvious, but you need to consider what more competition means. Higher costs per click Lower click-through rates… -
Subreddit Takeover: A Social Media Coup
18 Nov 2009 | 3:26 pmIn what may be the first of its kind in the social media world, the little used and subscribed Football (/r/football) subreddit of Reddit.com was overthrown by the Soccer (/r/soccer) subreddit. Though things seem to have died down, yesterday’s events can only be described as a social media coup. The argument over “Football” and “Fútbol” will go on for eternity, but I never expected it lead to this. The thuggish Redditors (we’re teasing of course) from the disgruntled Soccer subreddit began their barrage yesterday evening, submitting every link relevant to… -
Twitter Adds (and Removes) Retweets (Beta)
11 Nov 2009 | 10:14 amSome of you may have noticed a new Twitter Retweet logo marking your friends’ RT’s. Since users, the originators of the term, have been utilizing “RT” (followed by the author’s @name) almost as long as Twitter’s been around, and applications such as Tweetdeck and Seesmic implemented the feature long ago, what took Twitter so long in adding such a simple and necessary feature? This is something I would have expected to be released prior to Twitter Lists. Let’s just assume they wanted to take their time, ensuring they didn’t leave anything out. -
Plurk Community: You’re Doing it Wrong
2 Nov 2009 | 7:36 amImage via CrunchBase I remember when Plurk first came out. At first glance its user interface was different but once you got to spending some time on the site, it was pretty cool. As luck would have it, Plurk also came around when Twitter was having some of its worst downtime in history. Take that, and some nifty enhanced features (conversations on one page, ability to share images and video, dancing bananas and it seemed as though Plurk really could have taken over the microblogging space. But it didn’t. Why? I would offer that Plurk ultimately didn’t listen to its… -
Facebook Share Released: Facebook Takes on Digg and Tweetmeme
29 Oct 2009 | 3:22 pmAs Facebook comes in to become one of the largest population groups in the world, it still finds its own flaws. Thanks to what can easily be assumed to be the influence of other social media sites, such as Twitter and Digg, the folks at Facebook have added yet another new feature. Facebook Share allows a member to post a link/video/image to their wall that they find interesting or useful. Beyond spreading the content around to a broader audience, Facebook Share keeps track of the exact number of times a link has been “shared.” Depending upon the amount of friends that are active…
-
Board Game Beast
-
Nov 19, Keyword Game
18 Nov 2009 | 5:27 pmWant to play Keyword game FREE online and enter REAL CASH tournaments? Now you can! Click to play NOW!Game: Keyword Play FREE or FOR REAL CASH online -
Nov 19, Klick, Klack and Roll
18 Nov 2009 | 5:12 pmWant to play Klick, Klack and Roll FREE online and enter REAL CASH tournaments? Now you can! Click to play NOW!Game: Klick, Klack & Roll Play FREE or -
Nov 19, Match Blocks
18 Nov 2009 | 4:56 pmWant to play Match Blocks FREE online and enter REAL CASH tournaments? Now you can! Click to play NOW!Game: Match Blocks Play FREE or FOR REAL CASH -
Nov 18, Klicker Klacker 2
18 Nov 2009 | 8:09 amWant to play Klicker Klacker 2 FREE online and enter REAL CASH tournaments? Now you can! Click to play NOW!Game: Klicker Klacker 2 Play FREE or FOR -
Nov 18, King Pin Bowling
17 Nov 2009 | 7:02 pmWant to play King Pin Bowling FREE online and enter REAL CASH tournaments? Now you can! Click to play NOW!Game: King Pin Bowling Play FREE or FOR REAL
-
Investment Banking News
-
Global Defense goes public
20 Nov 2009 | 3:53 pmGlobal Defense Technology & Systems Inc., a defense contractor that focuses on national security agencies, went public Friday on the Nasdaq stock market with an offering price somewhat below expectations. (GTECH) -
Stimulus-fueled SBA loans may run out
20 Nov 2009 | 3:10 pmSay goodbye to the 90 percent guarantee and reduced fees that sparked a rebound in Small Business Administration lending. -
Gates Foundation made $2.8B in awards in 2008
20 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pmOn Friday, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust posted their annual tax filings on the foundation’s website. The documents can be found here. -
Hawthorn Bank promotes Turner to president, COO
20 Nov 2009 | 2:50 pmHawthorn Bank has promoted David Turner to president and COO, a new position, effective Jan. 1. -
Stimulus breaks end Monday for SBA loans
20 Nov 2009 | 2:29 pmSay goodbye to the 90 percent guarantee and reduced fees that sparked a rebound in Small Business Administration lending.
-
U.S. News - Money & Business
-
Can a Culture War Manifesto Reach a New Generation of Evangelicals and Catholics?
20 Nov 2009 | 3:03 pmChuck Colson, Tony Perkins, and other Christian right leaders have released their "Manhattan Declaration." -
Obama Fails to Wow on the World Stage
20 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pmZogby says Obama's China trip was at best ho-hum. -
Today's Picture: Pakistani Private Schools as Alternatives to Madrassas
20 Nov 2009 | 2:51 pmPrivate schools in Pakistan are growing as parents seek alternatives to public schools and madrassas. -
Congress, Pentagon Look for Answers After Fort Hood
20 Nov 2009 | 2:48 pmWarning signs of the shooting that left 13 dead went unshared. -
Faith-Based Challenges Show a New Rift in the GOP
20 Nov 2009 | 2:43 pmConservative faith activists are poised to support challengers over establishment Republicans.
-
Inside Facebook
-
How Businesses and Brands are Stuffing Their Facebook Pages for Thanksgiving
20 Nov 2009 | 10:46 amWith Thanksgiving less than a week away – and one week until Black Friday – brands, local businesses and non-profits can use their Facebook pages to get shoppers ready for the holiday season, promote Thanksgiving dinners, recipes and ideas, and even help feed their communities. Brands With the economy still struggling, many national brands, retailers and online sellers have decided to start their holiday pushes this year even before Black Friday. A few pages have launched promotions already, but they are tied more tied into the holidays and not specifically Thanksgiving. Sears ran… -
ISG: Zynga Reaches 200M Monthly Active Users on Facebook, Spreads Beyond It
20 Nov 2009 | 10:07 amZynga has hit a new milestone on Facebook, and meanwhile, it has just launched a couple ways to increase its presence on the web: A stand-alone site for its hit game FarmVille and a new browser toolbar for Mafia Wars. The San Francisco company now has more than 200 million total monthly active users on the site, according to AppData. This measure is slightly deceptive, as we don’t have a way to tell how many of users play more than one Zynga game — some large minority of these users are being counted more than once, especially as Zynga cross-promotes its games. However, Zynga also… -
Facebook Growth Increases in Latin America, Argentina Now Largest Country in Region
20 Nov 2009 | 9:36 amAs we’ve seen in other parts of the world, Facebook continues to grow by more monthly active users every month in Latin America. This past month, it grew by 3.9 million users to reach 39.3 million monthly actives in the region, according to our Global Monitor report. This is up from the approximately 2 million it gained in September. Argentina and Mexico continue to lead the growth charts, gaining 637,000 and 772,000 new users, respectively. Argentina also passed Colombia to become the largest in the region, with more than 7 million monthly active users. However, Mexico has a larger… -
Alice In Wonderland Poster Art Released Through Mad Hatter’s Facebook Fan Page
20 Nov 2009 | 7:19 amMore movie companies are using Facebook to reward fans and followers of their films by offering everything from early trailers to choosing where a movie is released. Disney is the latest to cater to the Facebook crowd, giving fans of its upcoming “Alice in Wonderland” remake a first look at artwork from movie posters. The page for the Tim Burton adaptation of the classic story currently has close to 70,000 fans. Disney has been launching individual pages for characters, too, and the one for Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter character collected the most fans of the three (no… -
77Agency, Techlightenment Release First Advertising Tools Based on the New Facebook Ads APIs
20 Nov 2009 | 12:01 amWe’ve been covering Facebook’s gradual rollout of the Facebook Ads APIs in recent weeks. Now, we’re beginning to see the first tools built on top of the APIs come to market. This week, two London-headquartered agencies, 77Agency and Techlightenment, are showing off what’s coming soon. 77Ageny’s new Facebook Ads tool lets advertisers manage multiple accounts, track conversions, run custom reports, bulk upload multiple campaigns and ad groups, and manage bids in real time. The agency says it is planning to license its tool to its finance, fashion, entertainment,…
-
The Economist
-
This week's top stories [20 November 2009]
20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amOur top articles ranked by reader popularity.The Spanish prisonersAny drop to drink?Dollars, cents and sensibilityImposing limitsThis week's top stories [13 November 2009]The week aheadPleased to meet youWell connectedA job to doThe rise of slime -
Sod it
19 Nov 2009 | 11:48 pmThe latest plastic pitches are a goal-scorer’s delightIT’S official: the grass is greener in Europe. International football’s governing body, FIFA, has ruled that the soccer pitches in South Africa where the World Cup will be played next summer are not fit enough for the month-long competition. Pitches planted with locally grown kikuyu grass will have to be dug up and replanted with lush European rye grass. No matter that the European turf, bred for a damper and cooler climate, will require more water, fertiliser and maintenance. FIFA is adamant: the hardy local stuff is not… -
Name a famous Belgian
19 Nov 2009 | 10:17 amTwo minor but competent figures will be president and high representative of the EUA MAN who has been Belgian prime minister for less than a year and a British technocrat who has never held elected office were chosen by European Union leaders on Thursday November 19th to represent their 27 countries around the world, and lead their policymaking at the highest level. It seems odd to appoint people as little-known as Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton to such big jobs. For nearly a decade, EU politicians have been wrangling about a new rule book, calling for Europe to equip itself with… -
Settling for less
19 Nov 2009 | 2:57 amThe latest row over Israeli settlements in Palestinian territoryBINYAMIN NETANYAHU, Israel’s prime minister, came under pressure this week when news leaked of a new plan to build 900 homes in the occupied Jerusalem suburb of Gilo. His aides say that he knew nothing about the scheme before a local planning committee considered it.True or not, the latest settlement expansion is exasperating for those who have been involved, for several months, in negotiations between the United States and Israel. Mr Netanyahu’s colleagues are bristling that previous efforts to prevent new building… -
Caught early
19 Nov 2009 | 2:49 amDespite more suspected jihadist terrorist plots on western soil, there are still few attacks THE number of jihadist terror plots in Europe, North America and Australia has risen alarmingly in 2009, according to a report from Control Risks, a security consultancy. But plots are rarely successful, probably because of improved gathering and sharing of intelligence, better security (especially at airports) and bad planning. According to newspaper reports and court records, seven planned attacks were exposed between January and October this year and only one (a small and inconsequential attack on…
-
Washington Post
-
Centrist Democrat agrees to vote
20 Nov 2009 | 12:25 pmNeb. Sen. Nelson says he will vote to bring bill to the floor, leaving two senators undecided. -
A town divided on Afghanistan
20 Nov 2009 | 12:07 pmResidents of Winona, Minn., want the war to end, but are torn on what strategy will actually work. -
In hard times all roads lead home
20 Nov 2009 | 9:33 amLife, Interrupted | For 23 years, Melissa Meyer had advanced down America's path to success only to have it dead-end back where she started.
-
SEO, Marketing Blog
-
Paid Links and False ROI
16 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pmFound some interesting slides from SEOmoz that detail the pitfalls of buying links to improve your search engine rankings. The slides below suggest that buying links is a "quick fix" or instant gratification that can come back to haunt your site in time. It also recommends other tactics that will help you build your brand and gain natural links through SEO best practices. One of the most interesting charts is on slide #34, the cost of paid links over time. The graphic below suggests natural links offer the best ROI of any link building tactic. Paid links will continue to cost the site owner… -
Where did my PageRank Go?!
7 Nov 2009 | 8:27 amThis week I stumbled upon an interesting forum thread on Google Webmaster Central. It appears that Google Webmaster Tools has removed the PageRank metric from their site reports. In the post, a Google employee provides details on why PageRank was removed from the tool:We've been telling people for a long time that they shouldn't focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it's the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true. We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they… -
Twitter and the Hype Cycle
25 Oct 2009 | 6:15 pmIn early 2009, there was a lot of hype around micro blogging and platforms such as Twitter. The research group, Gartner, has produced a detailed report on where micro blogging falls in the hype cycle.Technologies tend to follow a cycle of adoption and Twitter is no different. While everyone in the media has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, many users have signed up only to leave their new accounts tweet-less. With a large number of people turned off by the technology, the hard core tweeters are still in full force. It's this core group that will see Twitter through the "trough".Now you will… -
What is Google Wave anyway?
2 Oct 2009 | 10:11 amWith all the hype recently, I thought it would be good to get the word out about what Google Wave actually does and how it is helpful. Below is a simple video that helps explain Google Wave in plain English.(thanks to cmilburndesign) -
Brother can you spare a Google Wave invite?
1 Oct 2009 | 10:31 amA while back I posted about Google Wave, the new chat, video, sharing wiz-a-ma-jig from Google. I would like to provide a review but I am still waiting for an invite to this app and would appreciate anyone who has an invite to share. If you do, please email or DM me on Twitter. I would be happy to link to you or do a review on your product or company.
