English langauge now accounts for less than 40% of blogs, with Japanese and Chinese language blogs in second and third place (in terms of popularity).
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Pause in rate of blog growth
Blog growth, which is down from an average of 160,000 new blogs per day in July to 100,000 new blogs at the end of September. Technorati’s latest State of the Blogosphere report shows continuing growth in the number of active blogs, with over 57 million blogs currently being tracked. Blog numbers has slowed slightly since the last quarter, something Technorati put down to more effective measures at limiting the number of spam blogs (aka 'splogs') listed.
English langauge now accounts for less than 40% of blogs, with Japanese and Chinese language blogs in second and third place (in terms of popularity).
English langauge now accounts for less than 40% of blogs, with Japanese and Chinese language blogs in second and third place (in terms of popularity).
Monday, November 06, 2006
THE PR search engine
Contantin has done it again.
Here is his introduction:
If you want to search across all the PR blogs, wikis, and news feeds included in the PR & Communications Blogs List, you can use a custom search powered by Google Co-op:
BT slugging it out - again
Increasingly, broadband is allowing people to contribute back to the net rather than just being passive downloaders of content, reports the BBC. But, while uptake has helped the UK to the broadband fast track, lack of speed compared to other countries could still see it derailed.
Experts warn the UK is falling behind its European counterparts when it comes to speed. In the UK the fastest speed currently on offer is 24Mbps (megabits per second) although typically the fastest people will get is about 8Mbps. French surfers are enjoying around 24Mbps as standard. BT does not plan to roll out its next-generation broadband until the middle of 2007.
Broadband is certainly holding our attention - with high-speed surfers spending around six hours more online each week than those still using dial-up.
Experts warn the UK is falling behind its European counterparts when it comes to speed. In the UK the fastest speed currently on offer is 24Mbps (megabits per second) although typically the fastest people will get is about 8Mbps. French surfers are enjoying around 24Mbps as standard. BT does not plan to roll out its next-generation broadband until the middle of 2007.
Broadband is certainly holding our attention - with high-speed surfers spending around six hours more online each week than those still using dial-up.
Keeping up with like minded people - marketers note
BL Ochman reports that most big brand sims in Second Life are empty or have little traffic despite massive MSM media coverage, and many events are poorly attended. "That's because brands aren't creating or joining groups -- the most fundamental aspect of the metaverse's social structure, says Linda Zimmer in Business Communicators of Second Life."
At the same time she has reported on how Penguine, the publishers and others are opening a new presence, a virtual one, in SL.
It goes without saying that there is no point in moving in and then not joining the community. Its just like moving house. Some people just don't know how to get out and become a member of the community - I wonder how the marcom executives get a life if they can't get one in a virtual community?
At the same time she has reported on how Penguine, the publishers and others are opening a new presence, a virtual one, in SL.
It goes without saying that there is no point in moving in and then not joining the community. Its just like moving house. Some people just don't know how to get out and become a member of the community - I wonder how the marcom executives get a life if they can't get one in a virtual community?
Why blogging matters - six expert views
Dan Greenfield - VP Corporate Communications - EarthLink – Bernaisesource
Invites you to join a converastion with:
David Armano - Creative VP - Digitas – Logic + Emotion
Peter Blackshaw - CMO - Nielsen Buzz Metrics – Consumer Generated Media
David Churbuck - VP Global Web Marketing - Lenovo – Churbuck
Dan Greenfield - VP Corporate Communications - EarthLink – Bernaisesource
Eric Kintz – VP Global Marketing Strategy - Hewlett-Packard – Marketing Excellence
Will Waugh – Senior Director, Communications - ANA – Marketing Maestros
Technology has enabled customers to dramatically change their attitude towards marketing. As a result, they are tuning out in increasing numbers and talking back. Customers are shifting massively their entertainment and information consumption away from traditional media to the new web space.
Invites you to join a converastion with:
David Armano - Creative VP - Digitas – Logic + Emotion
Peter Blackshaw - CMO - Nielsen Buzz Metrics – Consumer Generated Media
David Churbuck - VP Global Web Marketing - Lenovo – Churbuck
Dan Greenfield - VP Corporate Communications - EarthLink – Bernaisesource
Eric Kintz – VP Global Marketing Strategy - Hewlett-Packard – Marketing Excellence
Will Waugh – Senior Director, Communications - ANA – Marketing Maestros
Technology has enabled customers to dramatically change their attitude towards marketing. As a result, they are tuning out in increasing numbers and talking back. Customers are shifting massively their entertainment and information consumption away from traditional media to the new web space.
How to influence nespapers 'social media' experiments
The moves by some publications into 'social medi' was examined last Saturday by Erick Schonfeld. He posted about how people can influence some of the ideas currently being tried by some publishers and how they can be influenced.
He writes:
Watch out for some people in the publicity industry using these idea - and comming to grief.
He writes:
Gannett newspapers are turning to their readers to help research and write stories in a new "crowdsourcing" initiative. The idea is to tap into the knowledge, and even investigative zeal, of readers to help cover stories for the papers. It sounds like USA Today wants to look more like Digg.
But figuring out how to tap into the culture of participation without abandoning journalistic objectivity is going to be tricky. Once people figure out that they can influence what goes on the front pages of Gannett's 90 local papers across the country, they will try to game the system. As Digg is finding out, giving the crowd a voice comes with its own set of issues.
Watch out for some people in the publicity industry using these idea - and comming to grief.
Who is offering homes for your content
By Erick Schonfeld, Business 2.0 Magazine has an interesting view about file sharing start-ups.
I list them here but he has some excellent comments.
I list them here but he has some excellent comments.
| Sharing Made Simple | |||
| Several new services hope to profit from letting people exchange big digital files. | |||
| SERVICE | HOW IT WORKS | COST | BUSINESS MODEL |
| AllPeers | Transfers files to your buddies through a BitTorrent-based add-on to Firefox. | Free | Content delivery fees, peer-produced media sales |
| Glide | Stores and shares digital media via browser-based "desktop" or smartphone | 300MB free; $5/month for 1GB; $10/month for 4GB | Subscription fees, software licensing |
| MediaMax | Stores digital photos, movies, and other files on the Web | 25GB free; $5-$30/month for 100-1,000GB | Subscription fees; software licensing; advertising |
| Myfabrik | Sends links to shared files stored on the Web or a Maxtor Fusion hard drive | 1GB free; 49 cents/month for each additional GB | Subscription fees, software licensing |
| Pando | E-mail attachments initiates BitTorrent-based P2P transfer backed by server | Free | Content delivery fees, advertising |
| YouSendIt | Sends links to uploaded files good for 14 days; designed for business use | 100MB free; $5-$30/month for more | Subscription fees |
| Zapr | Turns any file or folder on your PC into a shareable Web link | Free | Advertising |
The future of blogging
We'll know more about blogs next week, when Technorati publishes its quarterly review of the 'sphere. I suspect we'll see some shakeout in terms of bloggers who have begun posting less frequently.
Frank suggests that the novelty of blogging must be wearing off, if not for the writers, then for the readers.
Well I disagree.
There will be churn. There is a limit to the total number which will be limited by population/broadband penetration of the internet.
Mostly there will be new widgets (video on my blog - woweeee!), there will be more excitement in new areas of blogging - politics this week, economics next.
Most of all will be the realisation by organisations that they need digital footprint.
The loss of competitive edge for today's sales and long term sales growth will be tied to the number of comments and hyperlinks that add to the on-line property.
Its an asset, stupid!
It delivers people to your online store who will buy your fastest and slowest moving stock on-line and at minimal cost.
Companies need web pages that link to their site - economic fact.
Blogs are good at creating loads of such pages - Internet fact.
Shakeout, maybe, diminution? only if the facts of economic life pass organisations by.
Frank suggests that the novelty of blogging must be wearing off, if not for the writers, then for the readers.
Well I disagree.
There will be churn. There is a limit to the total number which will be limited by population/broadband penetration of the internet.
Mostly there will be new widgets (video on my blog - woweeee!), there will be more excitement in new areas of blogging - politics this week, economics next.
Most of all will be the realisation by organisations that they need digital footprint.
The loss of competitive edge for today's sales and long term sales growth will be tied to the number of comments and hyperlinks that add to the on-line property.
Its an asset, stupid!
It delivers people to your online store who will buy your fastest and slowest moving stock on-line and at minimal cost.
Companies need web pages that link to their site - economic fact.
Blogs are good at creating loads of such pages - Internet fact.
Shakeout, maybe, diminution? only if the facts of economic life pass organisations by.
Is PR ready for the video revolution?
This is getting to be boring. Every day, it seems, I tell of a new video news medium.
I wonder how the PR industry is coping?
Friday, it wasn't just Dow Jones who launched a bunch of online video channels (see "Dow Jones TV: Can Print Guys Do Video?), so did CNNMoney.com.
So did 60 local newspapers in the UK.....
So now we need to find the capabilities that turn us into video experts....
I wonder how the PR industry is coping?
Friday, it wasn't just Dow Jones who launched a bunch of online video channels (see "Dow Jones TV: Can Print Guys Do Video?), so did CNNMoney.com.
So did 60 local newspapers in the UK.....
So now we need to find the capabilities that turn us into video experts....
Blog style - a new form of magazine?
B2Day is finally pulling back the covers on Business 2.0 Beta, its new experiment with blogging at the magazine.
As Its editor has mentioned, from now on, the blog you are reading will be called The Next Net and the official Business 2.0 blog will be B2 Beta. What they are doing is essentially launching a mini-network of blogs all written by B2 staffers (including reporters, editors, and even our art director and a photography editor), and collecting all the posts on B2 Beta.
This is interesting for PR people. From now on they will be pitching to a blogger, not a journalist.... I wonder what the Journos will say on their blogs about time wasting pitches - will they name names?
As Its editor has mentioned, from now on, the blog you are reading will be called The Next Net and the official Business 2.0 blog will be B2 Beta. What they are doing is essentially launching a mini-network of blogs all written by B2 staffers (including reporters, editors, and even our art director and a photography editor), and collecting all the posts on B2 Beta.
This is interesting for PR people. From now on they will be pitching to a blogger, not a journalist.... I wonder what the Journos will say on their blogs about time wasting pitches - will they name names?
Typepad gets voice message widget
The millions of visitors to blogs now have a new option for leaving their comments. They can record messages in their own voices using a computer microphone. The Evoca Browser Mic. available as a Widget for TypePad, now makes it possible for blog readers to leave voice comments using the Typepad blogging platform.
THE DOUBLE PARADOX
This is a case study from 1999. It is still relevant today:
Critically, there is an issue of the real effect of activism on reputation and the effect of reputation on the value of companies.
Is the effect of the internet on markets more potent today than ten or even six years ago?
Do the financial markets reflect the trading patterns of companies under pressure from Internet activism?
Is there a parallel for, say Dell and in the blogging era.
Perhaps its time to re-visit the effects of on-line activism.
It was a chill morning in London on October the 16 1986 and a day that was to createThere is a lot to take out of this.
one of the pivotal events in Internet Activism. It was the day when a campaign was
started to put McDonalds in the centre of anti-corporatism by a number of activists.
It gave rise to the longest civil court case in history between David Morris and Helen
Steel and McDonald's.
The appearance of a Web site created by the activists, came in February 1996 when
Morris and Steel launched the McSpotlight site from a laptop connected to the
internet via a mobile phone outside a McDonald's store in Central London. The
Website was accessed more than a million times in its first month. It was headline
news across the world.
By any standards, the McSpotlight site is big and has an amazing amount of content.
A large part of the content is critical of McDonald's and some is allegedly libellous.
£60,000 settlement against Morris and Steel, the Web site was accessed 2.2 million
times.
The first paradox is that McDonald's won the court case but the allegations are still on
the Web site available to this day (and is mirrored across the world so that if it is
turned off in one country, its content can be accessed from another).
The second paradox is that with so much criticism about the company available for all
to see, the company remains one of the most successful food retailers in the UK and
across the world. McDonald's ten years after the court case was the largest and best-known global foodservice retailer it had more than 24,500 restaurants in 116 countries. Its share price was four time higher than when the McSpotlight site was launched and dividends per share were up 44%.
It there a linkage between corporate performance and Internet criticism? Will there be
a link as the Internet expands?
There are a number of considerations. The first is that all this happened a long time
ago. In 1997, at the end of the court case and 18 month after the launch of
McSpotlight, the on-line population was 57 million (in 1999 it was 179 million) of which
only 960,000 were in the UK (over 10 million in 1999)
Today, the McSpotlight site is really a gateway site for people who are interested in
anti-corporate activism. Compared to many other activist issues, McDonalds is a
relative side show.
McDonalds significance for most people is its brand strength. It is a company that
delivers on its promise (caviar no, fries yes, silver service no, in a box with a paper
tissue yes). In this respect it is trusted by consumers.
The apparent double paradox is, in fact a matter of timing and the fast changing
dynamic of the Internet.
The Consumer Opinion pages of Yahoo show a list of rogue sites which reputation
managers should visit to see examples of what may affect them at any time.
Smaller brands in a virtual community ten times as big, may not be so lucky. So just
when should a company get scared of the Internet?
Critically, there is an issue of the real effect of activism on reputation and the effect of reputation on the value of companies.
Is the effect of the internet on markets more potent today than ten or even six years ago?
Do the financial markets reflect the trading patterns of companies under pressure from Internet activism?
Is there a parallel for, say Dell and in the blogging era.
Perhaps its time to re-visit the effects of on-line activism.
Eleven Years ago - The Internet and PR
Eleven Years ago this week Dr Reginald Watts, Dr Jon White, Tom Brannan and David Phillips explored the future in a Public Relations future gazing symposium.
This is how I introduced the Internet:
‘The new media will enfranchise the individual
with more one-to-one, one to many and many to many communication which will be
easy by personal ‘phones, E-mail and video conferencing. Person-to-person-to machine
and database communication will be more important, electronically managed
and more global. Increasingly this broth threatens brands and corporate reputation and
needs professionalism to immunise (our organisations) or doctor the effects of the
brew.
‘In its most perfect form, reputation management sustains relationships with publics
in a state of equilibrium during both evolution and in crisis. This enhances corporate
goodwill (a tradable asset).
‘The big change is that many-to-many global communication brings with it loss of
‘ownership’ of language, culture and knowledge and that there is a breakdown in
intellectual property rights, copyright and much plagiarism. This is already a major
problem.
‘News now travels further and faster and is mixed with history, fantasy and
technology. Reputation in crisis is even more vulnerable. At a growing rate, the new
media uses reputation as ‘merchandise’, stripped from the foundations which created
it, then traded for pieces of silver - and at a discount’. ...
(IPR symposium in 1995)
This is how I introduced the Internet:
‘The new media will enfranchise the individual
with more one-to-one, one to many and many to many communication which will be
easy by personal ‘phones, E-mail and video conferencing. Person-to-person-to machine
and database communication will be more important, electronically managed
and more global. Increasingly this broth threatens brands and corporate reputation and
needs professionalism to immunise (our organisations) or doctor the effects of the
brew.
‘In its most perfect form, reputation management sustains relationships with publics
in a state of equilibrium during both evolution and in crisis. This enhances corporate
goodwill (a tradable asset).
‘The big change is that many-to-many global communication brings with it loss of
‘ownership’ of language, culture and knowledge and that there is a breakdown in
intellectual property rights, copyright and much plagiarism. This is already a major
problem.
‘News now travels further and faster and is mixed with history, fantasy and
technology. Reputation in crisis is even more vulnerable. At a growing rate, the new
media uses reputation as ‘merchandise’, stripped from the foundations which created
it, then traded for pieces of silver - and at a discount’. ...
(IPR symposium in 1995)
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Internet corrupted by fraudsters, liars and cheats - suprise!
In PR we have known for over a decade about its potential and the associated hazards have been well documented for nearly as long.
The creator of the world wide web told the Guardian that the internet is in danger of being corrupted by fraudsters, liars and cheats. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the Briton who founded the web in the early 1990s, says that if the internet is left to develop unchecked, "bad phenomena" will erode its usefulness. He warns that "there is a great danger that it becomes a place where untruths start to spread more than truths, or it becomes a place which becomes increasingly unfair in some way". He singles out the rise of blogging as one of the most difficult areas for the continuing development of the web, because of the risks associated with inaccurate, defamatory and uncheckable information.
'Managing Your Reputation in Cyberspace' originally published by Thorogood and now available here, showed a wide array of potential threats. It was also one of the first publications (Shel Holtz was the other key author at the time) to seek solutions.
Mojo launces videoblog
MojoPages, a new social search venture, has adopted a documentary-style videoblog to build buzz around its forthcoming launch, while engaging users even before a beta website has launched, to help with aspects such as design and usability.
The website, which will rank businesses in line with user ratings, aims to improve on standard directory-style services such as Yellow Pages.
MojoPages is based around a simple idea: “Do a great job and people will say great things. Offer poor services and/or inflated prices and you will be judged on those criteria as well”.
Source e-consultancy.
The website, which will rank businesses in line with user ratings, aims to improve on standard directory-style services such as Yellow Pages.
MojoPages is based around a simple idea: “Do a great job and people will say great things. Offer poor services and/or inflated prices and you will be judged on those criteria as well”.
Source e-consultancy.
Cancer Research podcast
Cancer Research UK is adding its voice to the digital airwaves by launching a brand new podcast this week.
The charity will produce a magazine-style programme every month, showcasing every aspect of Cancer Research UK’s work – from world-class scientific research to health awareness campaigns; from fundraising efforts to survivors’ stories and much, much more.
Friday, November 03, 2006
What is it like to get into Second Life?
The BBC's Mark Ward is taking the journey and reporting on it as well.
Now, I wonder about the experiences of others.... It would make a good story for Text100 and Crayon.
Now, I wonder about the experiences of others.... It would make a good story for Text100 and Crayon.
Freinds or markets
Andrew Lark has been talking about public relations evaluation again..
His latest contribution goes as follows:
I have a problem with the first.
There is a degree of truth but the key surely is the extent to which the constituent wants to engage their community with the organisation (introduce them to the organisation/ product etc). This may also be the extent to which they want to change the organisation, service, product, aims etc.
In evaluating relationships we need to look after the friend who seeks to offer their best knowledge, opinion, and contacts.
The 'Marketing Objective' is a small part of what we seek.
Surely what is most helpful is the value (not just money) that attaches to both the organisation and constituency.
His latest contribution goes as follows:
My view has been that the degree to which actions intended from any marketing activity - say downloads - occur is proportional to participation in that media by readers/ views/ the community. For this reason I like Scoble's idea on measuring media engagement.I agree with the last point. Reach is, these days, almost irrelevant.This will require a step-change in thinking by communicators. Rather than looking at the reach of publications, we need to think in terms of participation.
I have a problem with the first.
There is a degree of truth but the key surely is the extent to which the constituent wants to engage their community with the organisation (introduce them to the organisation/ product etc). This may also be the extent to which they want to change the organisation, service, product, aims etc.
In evaluating relationships we need to look after the friend who seeks to offer their best knowledge, opinion, and contacts.
The 'Marketing Objective' is a small part of what we seek.
Surely what is most helpful is the value (not just money) that attaches to both the organisation and constituency.
Job hunting to be bigger online
On-Line Recruitment is suggesting that over the next 5 years (to 2011), the e-recruitment market will grow significantly both in scale and importance.
The idea of six degrees of separation, allied to the Long Tail may mean there are other options when it comes to recruiting - or finding a job.
Indeed, some are predicting that recruitment will be close to travel – the most successful sector in terms of the online business model. A new Market Assessment report, E-Recruitment, from market intelligence providers Key Note, forecasts that by 2011 nearly 2.1 million jobs will be on offer via online recruitment websites, with a monthly average of 32.5 million unique visitors to these sites.Something in me suggests that this is not the way it is going to be.
The idea of six degrees of separation, allied to the Long Tail may mean there are other options when it comes to recruiting - or finding a job.
Hubble Bubble - more silly prices for companies
Social media site Reddit has been bought by Wired publisher Condé Nast for an undisclosed sum, said to be $65m. At that price it is an expensive acquisition.
Reddit, which enables users to suggest and rank stories, is a user-generated news aggregator, with stories rising to the top based on popularity. It is little cousin to Digg which is rumoured to be in talks with MySpace owner, News Corp.
Reddit, which enables users to suggest and rank stories, is a user-generated news aggregator, with stories rising to the top based on popularity. It is little cousin to Digg which is rumoured to be in talks with MySpace owner, News Corp.
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