Iron Man Toon

4 Reasons Why Wearable Computers Are OVERHYPED

The Wearable Computing technology trend is fascinating but immature. Those involved in the movement need to think past the technology and consider the real-world practical implications of how the tech impacts society. There are four main challenges to broader adoption of wearable computers: interoperability, stigma, etiquette and privacy.

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Rudies All Around

Rudies All Around

Cold calling and blast emailing is rude. Is social selling the answer?

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News Readers

Living without Google Reader

On July 1st 2013, Google will shutter Reader. You can either move your feed to a similar RSS reader or adopt a news reader like one of these: Flipboard, Zite, Pulse or Currents. Read on for advice on what you should do.

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Social Business By Design

Everything That Can Be Social, Will Be.
Although short, this was a usefel outline of what it takes to become a social business.

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Top Tweets: The Rise Of Contextual Social Networks

The Rise Of Contextual Social Networks #commsocial http://schedule.sxsw.com/2013/events/event_IAP407 Panel Colleen Taylor – Reporter, TechCrunch Nate Johnson – VP of Marketing, Path Sarah Leary – Co-Founder, NextDoor Francesca Levy – Editor, LinkedIn Today   Top Tweets @jennifer_dubow: Now it’s my turn to geek out in #commsocial panel at #sxswi on Contextual Social Networks. @JennyMack: #commsocial kicking off …

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Beyond Mobile: Where No Geek Has Gone Before

Josh Clark, who also invented the super-popular running program “Couch To 5K” program, led the audience through the future of mobile. The entire presentation is at the bottom, but here are some highlights.

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gun

How to fix the “gun issue” and why it won’t work

Gun Control That Could Work and Why The “Gun Problem” Is Intractable.

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4 Reasons Why Wearable Computers Are OVERHYPEDRudies All AroundLiving without Google ReaderSocial Business By DesignTop Tweets: The Rise Of Contextual Social NetworksBeyond Mobile: Where No Geek Has Gone BeforeHow to fix the “gun issue” and why it won’t work

Nov 17

5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 11-17-12

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Marketing, Movember, Technology

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5 Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

I hate cancer. I bet you do to. This month I’m growing a moustache as part of Movember. If you can, please donate $10 to killing cancer here: http://MoBro.co/iamreff

MT5 Edition: #62

Stories This Week: Texting declines, Agile Marketing, what Ads are effective?, mobile payments takes a step back, must have social tools

1. OMG! Text messaging in decline for the first time

[cNet] A wireless industry research report says both messaging revenue and total volume declined in the third quarter in the U.S., a first for both.

My Take: Apps like Apple’s iMessage and social networks (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) are stealing traffic from traditional SMS based communications. Thank gawd. Never a huge fan of texting.

2. 10 key principles of agile marketing management

[ChiefMarTec] In a nutshell, agile marketing adapts management methodologies from agile software development (and agile project management) and applies them to marketing teams.
My Take: I learned about Agile Marketing at the recent Inbound Marketing Summit where Scott Brinker and Frank Days were on a panel 

Agile Marketing

Agile Marketing

Old School Advertising Preferred

Old School Advertising Preferred

3. Consumers, Marketers Disagree on Effective Ads

[eMarketer] Internet users think TV ads are more effective than online placements
My Take: Trying to unpack this….a cynical view is internet don’t want ads polluting their playground. That makes sense especially when, until recently, online advertising has been so “ham handed”.  However, when viewing Ad viewing through the user experience the differences come to the surface.

  • Print magazines are a “lean back” activity. Consumers flip through them while killing time or relaxing in general.  People pick up a magazine when they have  a few minutes to themselves and while in “lean back” mode they are more open to an Advertising message.
  • Online is a “lean forward” activity – especially when considering mobile.  When online, people are in task mode. They are trying to get something done and online Ads interrupt their activity and potentially cause the user to lose their train of thought. Very frustrating.
These lines blur a bit when considering online digital magazines and in this case I feel the tactile experience of print wins over the screen experience.

4. Why plastic cards aren’t going away in mobile payment future

[GIGAOM] Google is reportedly poised to follow PayPal’s lead by introducing a plastic payment card. The moves show that payment systems can find value in plastic cards, which can be accepted everywhere and can get around hardware limitations that hold back some technologies like NFC.

My Take: At first this was a head scratcher – why are tech companies taking a step back to analog solutions instead of pressing digital?  David Talach, vice president of strategic partner development at point of sale equipment vendor VeriFone, says:

“This is about smart companies making smart moves to use what exists today, quickly leverage that and bridge to mobile and NFC tomorrow,” he said.

5. 24 Must-Have Social Media Marketing Tools

[SoMeExaminer] I like tools….you like tools. And this is a good, up to date list.

My Take: Pay attention to Pocket. Stephanie Simmons uses Pocket the way I do. It integrates well with Buffer.

 

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Nov 10

5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 11-10-12

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Marketing, Movember, Technology

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5 Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

I hate cancer. I bet you do to. This month I’m growing a moustache as part of Movember. If you can, please donate $10 to killing cancer here: http://MoBro.co/iamreff

MT5 Edition: #61

Stories This Week: Most retweeted tweet ever, Google – beyond search, Mary Meeker on the US balance sheet, Nate Silver’s best week ever and Movember Games

1. Election coverage: most retweeted tweet ever?

[BBC] The words “four more years”, coupled with a photo of Barack and Michelle Obama embraced in a hug, have become the most retweeted Twitter post ever and is featured on the front cover of the Economist.

My Take: The best news source on Election night was Twitter who set up a dedicated page (no longer available) to cover the event. That feed was given to noted reporters and pollsters to provide up to the minute, trustworthy information.  They consistently broke accurate and insightful news well in advance of major networks.

Most Retweeted Tweet Gets Front Cover Treatment

Most Retweeted Tweet Gets Front Cover Treatment

2. Google ‘Now’ Moving Well Beyond “Search” With Mobile Assistant

[SearchEngineLand] Almost exactly three years ago when Google employee Marissa Mayer described “the perfect search engine”. She said it would be one “that could understand speech, questions, phrases, what entities you’re talking about, concepts. It would be able to search all of the world’s information, [find] different ideas and concepts, and bring them back to you in a presentation that was really informative and coherent.” Google Now provides a first glimpse into that future, it anticipates your needs based on past behaviors and activities.

My Take: Search won’t disappear but it will used less and less as augmented reality and platforms and apps begin to leverage the data we pour into them. Finally consumers will see tangible benefit from the data they give away so freely.

3. Meeker’s Address on the State of USA Inc.

[NYTimes] Ms. Meeker, a former Morgan Stanley star analyst turned venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, gained attention last year with a report on USA Inc., looking at the government as a corporation whose budget was sorely out of whack.

USA Short 102412

4. Nate Silver drives home a victory for data science

[VentureBeat] During Tuesday’s presidential election, one geek distinctly came to the forefront because he used “big data” to correctly predict all 50 states. His name is Nate Silver, and he’s so good with numbers he might be a witch.

My Take: Score this a win for science over art.  Nate Silver killed it by accurately predicting the presidential race as well as all 50 states.  Here’s Nate on the Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Nate Silver
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

5. Google Brings you Movember Games

[Google]

Welcome to Movember Games! Four motion-sensing games designed
to get your Mo into shape for Movember. Choose a game and begin your journey towards moustache mastery.

Movember Games

Movember Games

 

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Nov 03

5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 11-3-12

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Marketing, Technology

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5 Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 Edition: #60

Stories This Week: Apple’s e-wallet end around, Twitter’s election map, LinkedIn adds influencer discovery, 5 SEO tips and Summly keeps things short

1. Forget the E-Wallet — It’s Apple’s Passbook That Will Transform Retail

[AdAge] Although Apple is lagging in “Near Field Communications or NFC”, the technology that makes e-wallets possible, they are leap-frogging the competition with a software based solution that solves the underlying problems facing consumers and retailers.

My Take: Leave it to Apple to focus on Apps to solve the challenge. It’s perfect in it’s simplicity.  People know how to use apps and they are already comfortable with online payments. This is genius. Google, your technology-based solution just became irrelevant.

2. Twitter Launches Election Map to Track Candidates’ State-by-State Messaging

[Wired] Twitter launched a new interactive map on Thursday that measures the effectiveness of President Barack Obama’s and Governor Mitt Romney’s tweets on a state-by-state basis.

Twitter Election Map

Twitter Election Map

3. LinkedIn Adds Discovery Tools for Influencers Network

[Mashable] LinkedIn is rolling out a couple new tools to make it easier for users to find celebrities, business leaders and personalities to follow from the social network’s roster of about 150 “thought leaders.”

My Take: As we’ve seen with other LinkedIn features, they are trying this feature out with a limited set of accounts, but don’t be surprised when this feature becomes available to all.  Pair this with the recent release of “endorsing skills” and LinkedIn’s existing targeting system Voila! you’ve got yourself a influencer measurement system that is better than Klout.

4. 5 Steps for Building Links that Improve Search Results

[MarketingSherpa] Many marketers struggle to implement link building, especially with the myriad of consistently changing factors search engines use to rank pages. With the April launch of Google’s new Penguin update, new struggles and questions have emerged.

My Take: I selected this article because SEO optimization is a very technical topic and this is a nice primer on how to get starter. Yet I was left wanting more information about how to use your content to build links beyond the obvious options of your blog and social media outlets.

If you’re up for an hour of video watching…

5. Summly iOS App Delivers News in Screen-Sized Summaries

[Wired] Last year, then-16-year-old Nick D’Aloisio developed and released the app Summly to be a CliffsNotes for the web. Today the app grows up with an innovative redesign and a more focused set of summarizing skills.

My Take: I tested a beta version and here’s my take:

I like:

  • Putting the news in a “snackable” form is a novel idea. 
  • The sharing animations are attractive but not distracting
What I didn’t like:
  • My initial test was sharing the wrong URL 
  • I don’t find the swipe UI to be intuitive: Swipe up for more info. Swipe down to go to the main menu and side to side for more stories. I keep swiping up and down incorrectly.

Summly

Summly

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Oct 27

5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 10-27-12

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Marketing, Technology

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Jeff Cutler <3's this post

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5 Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

Let’s call it the not-talking-about-Apple-because-there-is-no-way-you-missed-that-news-edition.  That’s a crisp and pithy subtitle – yes?

This weeks starts Movember, a $5 donation is a great way to say thanks for laying down this awesome content each week – donate here.

MT5 Edition: #59

Stories This Week: Future of TV & video advertising, the importance of social entrepreneur, biggest sites of social publishing, Microsoft launches a tablet, B2B Content Marketing

1. Where Are TV and Video Advertising Headed? My 10 Bets for 2020

[AdAge] Dave Morgan places bets on where video advertising is going.

My Take: I’m disappointed that program bundling is predicted to be a primary delivery mechanism for program packaging. Everyone wants a-la-carte pricing and I’lll be surprised if someone doesn’t figure out a way to give customers what they want.  Also, there weren’t any predictions on the impact of a second screen on TV advertising and honestly, connecting the TV to the tablet at a fundamental level is going to drive commerce. Imagine when you can purchase the jeans the actor is wearing or even bet on whether or not the kicker will make the field goal. Maybe those innovations will occur beyond 2020.

2. Social Intrapreneurs Are Just As Important As Entrepreneurs

[FastCo] Working to create change inside a company–or being a “systempreneur” working to change an entire system–can be just as valuable to society and the economy as charting your own course.

Theory and Reality of How To Tackle Problems

Theory and Reality of How To Tackle Problems

My Take: This outlines three types of corporate entrepreneurs:

  1. Intrapreneurs – change agents working to develop entrepreneurial solutions from inside
  2. Social intrapreneur - someone who works to develop and promote practical solutions to social or environmental challenges
  3. System intrapreneur - focus on mobilizing resources to tackle challenges and search for innovative new solutions
How many projects are actually developed to rationalize a predetermined solution? The image above really resonated with me.

3. The Biggest Sites In Social Publishing

[BuzzFeed] Newswhip has compiled a list of its “social monster” websites — the sites that are killing it on Facebook. And the mix might surprise you.

My Take: This list is a useful starting point for understanding what web presentation and content styles drive social engagement.  Want to know how to get more engaged with your audience? Check out what these websites are doing.

Sites That Drive Facebook Interactions

Sites That Drive Facebook Interactions

4. Microsoft goes Apple With Surface

[arstechnica] Big week for Microsoft. It announced its new operating system, Windows 8, and its first tablet named Surface.

My Take: Early reports on both the new OS and tablet are mixed, but what’s going to hurt Microsoft is it’s image.  I heard an IT wonk on NPR talking about how much of a change Windows 8 will be for Windows users (it has a very different interface) and that struck me.  Windows 8 will take some getting used to but people tend view these changes to Microsoft as challenges  rather a reason to get excited about the new features.  Can you imagine Apple users getting flummoxed over design changes? Apple fans celebrate updates! 

Microsoft needs these new releases to put them back on a path to technical relevance again.  The products are fine, but it may be too little, too late.

5. 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends [Research Report]

My Take: If you’re a B2B Marketer this report is quite informative you should check it out.

B2B Content Marketing Usage

B2B Content Marketing Usage

 

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Oct 20

5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 10-20-12

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Marketing, Technology

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Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 Edition: #58

Stories This Week: Pheed launches a new social network, which social network is most popular with teens?, what matters more on Facebook: audience or engagement?, the 5 stages of content marketing evolution and the future of mobile payments.

1. Pheed Launches A Social Network That Feels Like A Mash-Up Of Every Social Network You Use

[FastCompany] The new service pulls in elements of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud on a single platform to make content creation easy.

My Take: Wow revenue is built into the business model at launch instead of trying to retrofit a business model into a “cool app”. They have two revenue options for content creators: 1. subscription – where an audience can pay a fee to access exclusive content (think celebrities) 2. pay per view or download.  I also find it interesting that the development team, Kobo, favors a comprehensive solution (text, video, pictures) as an alternative to specialized apps (Twitter, YouTube, Instagram).  This bucks the “specialized app” trend that I’ve covered here extensively, but eventually I believe consumers will favor an “all in one” solution instead of “best of breed” apps.

Warning!

UPDATE: Saturday morning: Twitter yanks Pheeds ability to post to Twitter.

Twitter Age Distribution

Twitter Age Distribution

2. Facebook, Twitter, and teens: who’s winning the youth war

[VentureBeat] A recent Piper Jaffray survey of 7000 U.S. teens ranked Facebook first in importance to teens. Twitter came in second, and Instagram — owned, of course, by Facebook — came in third. Yet the results showed Facebook users aging and Twitter users growing younger.
My Take: 74% of Twitter users are 15-25?!?! Apparently, there’s whole world of Twitter that I don’t even know about.

3. Only 6% of Fans Engage With a Brand’s Facebook Page [STUDY]

[Mashable] Big brands like to tout the number of fans they have on Facebook, but a new study suggests they may want to start focusing more on the core audience who actually engage with their Page.

My Take: Marketers forget that not everyone who Likes their page actually sees their content due to EdgeRank. Fan engagement improves the number of fans that DO see their content. Marketers should focus on content and engagement strategies that pull in their audience.

4. The 5 Stages of Your Content Marketing Evolution

[ContentMarketingInstitute] Here’s a guide to power your own content marketing evolution. It’s also a checklist for what tools and adaptations you will need to make to take your content efforts to the next level.

My Take: This article is very useful in helping a small-medium size business get started in content marketing. Check it out.

Crestodina: Content Marketing Evolution

Crestodina: Content Marketing Evolution

5. Proximity Mobile Payments Set to Explode in US

[eMarketer] Consumers expected to pull out their phones to pay more and more

My Take: I’m not so sure about this study. Other studies have shown that it’s going to take a long time for a majority of Americans to feel comfortable with mobile payments. However, I do agree that convenience shopping (think Starbucks purchasing app) will lead the way on mobile payments.

 

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