Presentation on Online Audience Development

Here's a presentation that I gave last week.

Online Audience Development

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: marketing onlineaudiencedevelopment)

Readings from around the web...

WSJ.com: Agencies Know The Score on Web Tracking

A discrepancy between Google click data and comScore's estimates of those data before they were released caused the Web-measurement firm's share price to plunge last week. But on Madison Avenue, the difference wasn't much of a shock. Rather, it was another reminder that the science of tracking Internet usage is still far from perfect.

Digital-advertising executives say they have long taken comScore numbers with a grain of salt and don't plan on curtailing their use of the Reston, Va., research firm because of the Google flap. "We have not expected the numbers to be 100% accurate," says Sarah Fay, chief executive of both Carat and Isobar US, ad companies owned by Aegis Group. "I think that comScore has been as good as anything we've had previously."

MediaPost's SearchInsider: More on The SEM People Problem

People are just as important as automation in today's PPC search environment, and I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss additional characteristics that mark ideal SEM candidates. I hope this article is of value to those staffing in-house or agency search teams, as well as prospective candidates seeking to enter this very exciting field. So what other characteristics make for a successful SEM professional?

Digital Natives: Letting the Internet Explain Itself -- A Video Roundup


I love this blog: Since we first started blogging here in November, we’ve generated a lot of text…but that’s all rather analog, very not digital at all. In the spirit of a more digital post, I’d like to share a few of the best videos I’ve found explaining the Internet. These videos showcase — with the added benefit of graphics and sounds — many of the same ideas we’ve been discussing on this blog and why we find Digital Natives so fascinating.

Micro Persuasion: A Few Tips on Managing Information Overload

Web 2.0 Trends by Morgan Stanley

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Presentation given at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco on October 18.

Highlights from Ad:Tech Archives

I came across this great archive of highlights from the Ad:Tech New York 07 event that went down last week. They include some juicy excerpts:

• Follow the Money: Why Some Advertisers Successfully Use Emerging Media and Why Others Can Not - Or Will Not
• Tales from the Bleeding Edge
• Brand Nation: Leading Marketers Share their Vision
• Route CGA: Put the Prize Money Down!
• eCommerce Marketing: The Art of Customer Acquisition
• Extending Your Reach: Leveraging Mobile Content to Drive Your Brand Message
• The Online Female Consumer
• Defensive Branding 101: Troubleshooting Your Brand in the Age of Consumer Control
• Britney Spears: the Social Media Gift that Keeps on Giving
• Multi-Platform Advertising: An Out-of-Body Experience?
  
• Global Perspectives on the Digital Revolution

Jango: Social Internet Radio

Jacob Resneck at Cool Hunting just turned me on to Jango through his post.

Already, I struck sonic gold. I set up a Ben Harper station (get to my stations here), and I heard "Down in Mississippi" by Eagle-Eye Cherry and Vernon Reid. I've never heard it before, and I loved it.

The idea behind Jango is simple. You like music, your friends like music. Why not make it a social event. Share songs with friends, discover new friends through the songs and artists you love.

It's currently in private beta. I've got three beta invites burning a hole in my pocket. Let me know if you'd like one.

Here's an excerpt of what Jacob had to say:

The interface couldn't be more simple. Simply type in a musical artist you like and the site will play their songs. You can also specify how broad your tastes are by setting it to play only the artists you have identified or you can opt to hear artists it considers to be in the same genre. This isn't risk free. After adding a few classic rock bands the site began playing The Eagle's "Hotel California." Luckily by clicking on the frowning face icon, I was able to banish that song from ever playing again. Conversely, you can tag songs you like and the site will make sure to keep them in the mix.

It's brand new to me today, so I'm not really sure what the differences between this and other offerings are. Until now, I've been relying on iTunes and Yahoo Music. Although Fred Wilson turned me on to his StreamPad widget on his blog.

OpenSocial Continued...

Find more screencasts like this on Ning Network Creators


This week's big news was Google's announcement regarding OpenSocial (see my post earlier in the week).

Fred Wilson wrote a great post on the way in which Google opted to announce the release through bloggers (read his post: No Conflict No Interest - Or How to Launch a Platform in 2007).

The blogsphere was on fire with talk regarding the launch (links from Techmeme - thanks, Fred for turning me on to another site) :

Dan Farber / Between the Lines: Is Facebook the next Netscape?

Saul Hansell / Bits: Google's OpenSocial Is Not a Facebook Killer

Terrence Russell / Epicenter: Ning Co-founder Previews Open Social in the Wild

Donna Bogatin / Insider Chatter: Ning: Your Own Facebook in 30 seconds, Religion & SEX Okay!

Deepak / TechBizMedia: Does Google want to be your platform?

Alexander van Elsas / Alexander van Elsas's Weblog …: Good news: the user is back, and he won't be ignored this time!

Dave McClure / Master of 500 Hats: Google Open Social + Friends vs. Facebook Platform (aka …

Chris Messina / FactoryCity: OpenSocial and Address Book 2.0: Putting People into the Protocol

Alan Patrick / broadstuff: DUODEKAPUS SCOBLEIENSIS SOCIALIS MEDIANENSIS

Ouriel Ohayon / MYBLOG by Ouriel: Open thought on OpenSocial; Why is Google really doing this

Brian Oberkirch / Like It Matters: Open Open Open — Kudos to Google for setting up to dominate …

Duncan Riley / TechCrunch: Pringo Powering Social Network From Yokohama

David Spark / Spark Minute: Facebook vs. Google-Encroaching on each other's territory

Christopher Carfi / The Social Customer Manifesto: Cerado Haystack To Support OpenSocial API

Justin Smith / Inside Facebook: Google throwing its weight behind OpenSocial

John Dowdell / JD on EP: Where does the data live? Can you help me out here?

Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com: OpenSocial opens new can of worms

Kevin Gamble / Hightouch: OpenSocial: The why — I've broken away from Scrabulous long enough …

Charlene Li / Groundswell: Google OpenSocial will (hopefully) make social apps more relevant

Don Tapscott / Wikinomics: Google, OpenSocial, and competing in the Web 2.0

Harry McCracken / Techlog: OpenSocial: Google Opens Up Social Network Platforms

Bill Tancer / Hitwise Intelligence: OpenSocial - Can it Compete with Facebook?

Charles Hudson / Charles Hudson's Weblog: OpenSocial - Is Opening Up the Answer?

Mashable!: The First OpenSocial Screencast — You've probably seen a lot …

GraemeThickins / Tech~Surf~Blog: Andreessen: Any Site Can Now Be a 'Social App'

TechCrunch did a nice job of putting together a Google OpenSocial Image Gallery.

Blurb.com

When I uploaded birthday pictures to my Flickr account, I came across Flickr's relationship with Blurb.com. It integrates with Flickr and allows you to create several types of books that they'll print and ship to you.

The following is from their welcome email after I signed up:

Welcome to Blurb, the only creative publishing service that’s simple and smart enough to make anyone an author – every parent, traveler, blogger, cook, photographer, poet, entrepreneur, pet owner, everyone. (This means you.) As a registered member of the Blurberati, you’re now part of a growing community of people who are passionate about books – reading, making, and sharing them.

Looking for bookmaking ideas, tips, and inspiration? Check out our Blurberati Blog. Got an inspiring story about making your Blurb book? We’d love to hear about it.

If you haven’t already, download BookSmart and start creating your book anytime. Not sure where to begin? Visit our Web site to explore your options.

We look forward to seeing you in print.

The Blurberati

From their tips email on getting started:

Now that you've discovered Blurb, let the bookmaking commence. Hopefully you've downloaded Blurb BookSmart™ and started to create your first book.

HERE'S HOW EVERYTHING WORKS:

Step 1 – Download BookSmart, Blurb?s free bookmaking software for Mac or PC.

Step 2 – Launch the application and decide what size book you want to make. We currently offer 7x7, 8x10, 10x8, and Large Format Landscape 13x11 sizes. Prices start at $12.95.

Step 3 – Choose your layout from hundreds of professionally designed options and start to get creative.

Step 4 – Make your book. Add photos, slurp your blog, write stories or captions, whatever you want. Interested in some book ideas? We've got those for you.

Step 5 – Preview and publish. When you feel like your book is ready for print, click the Preview Book button in the lower right corner of BookSmart. View your book and print it out for a thorough review. (It also helps to run spellcheck if you've included any text.) If it looks good, select Order Book from the Publish menu. This will upload the book to Blurb.

Step 6 – Order your book. When the upload is complete, you can go through our secure checkout and purchase a copy of your book from the Blurb Web site. You'll have your book in 7 to 10 business days.

Need more inspiration? Let Blurb be your muse. Our blog is loaded with tips and ideas to help you get started. Check out what others are creating in the Blurb Bookstore. And of course, visit our online Help area if you have questions, suggestions, or need assistance.

Happy bookmaking,
The Blurberati

Financial Software Makes the Move to Web

"Financial Software Makes the Move to Web" from The Wall Street Journal:

The Web is slowly but relentlessly changing the way people use computers,
including the use of everyday pieces of software. Personal-finance software,
such as Quicken or Money, has long been a mainstay for home computers, but
it's another example of something you can now do online.

Mint.com is allowing users to move their financial tracking online.

I'm not currently using this. My wife Theresa and I have been using Quicken for years, but we are continuing to look for ways to move household critical software to online versions. This allows us to check info and interact from multiple machines at home, on the road or in the office. Plus, it makes switching to new computers and recovering from hard drive crashes much easier.

Have any of you been using Mint?

What other bloggers are saying about Mint:

• Online Tech Tips Post
• TechCrunch: Mint Wines TechCrunch40 Top Company Award
• Mashable: 40+ Resources for Managing Your Money Online
• The Consumerist: 4 Online Budgeting Services Reviewed