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GMAIL USERS: We hope you’ll join the discussion over on Mashable’s Google Buzz account.
Google might have a made a major misstep in assuming that the people we communicate with the most in Gmail are the same people we want to automatically share the Google Buzz experience with, but new information confirms that Buzz is not being removed from Gmail.
The blogosphere is abuzz over a Search Engine Land report that Google might unlink the two products. In contacting Google, however, we received the following statement:
“No, we’re not planning to remove Buzz from Gmail. Among some of the features we’re considering is building a standalone Buzz experience in addition to the one in Gmail, but I can’t confirm anything right now.”
Since the launch of Google Buzz there has been a growing backlash against the autofollowing formula of the social networking service and the assumptions it makes about our relationships. As the complaints crescendo, Google has shown that they’re not afraid to take quick action with alterations to the product.
Last night Google made it easier to hide your followers/following list and block users, though Search Engine Land’s report indicated they may go much further:
“Google says it may end the marriage between Buzz and Gmail … [Google executive] Horowitz said Google is considering separating Buzz from Gmail, so that people can participate independently from email. The company might also allow people on Buzz to claim new names and redirect anyone seeking them at their old profiles to the new locations. Horowitz says Google also continues to look at ensuring search is a good way for people to locate the “right” people, as well.”
That information, however, clearly contradicts what Google just told us.
If you’re looking to better understand why there’s so much upheaval about Buzz working inside of Gmail, consider reading Harriet Jacob’s colorfully worded account of her experience with Google Buzz. Here’s a snippet from that post:
“I use my private Gmail account to email my boyfriend and my mother.
There’s a BIG drop-off between them and my other “most frequent” contacts.
You know who my third most frequent contact is?
My abusive ex-husband.
Which is why it’s SO EXCITING, Google, that you AUTOMATICALLY allowed all my most frequent contacts access to my Reader, including all the comments I’ve made on Reader items, usually shared with my boyfriend, who I had NO REASON to hide my current location or workplace from, and never did.
My other most frequent contacts? Other friends of Flint’s.”
Reviews: Gmail, Google, Google Buzz
Tags: Google, google buzz, privacy
href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/05/dec-comscore-video-data/&service=bit.ly">Online video viewing is more ubiquitous than ever. According to
href="http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/2/U.S._Online_Video_Market_Continues_Ascent_as_Americans_Watch_33_Billion_Videos_in_December?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+comscore+(comScore+Networks)" target="_blank">comScore, in the month of December 178 million people watched 33.2 billion videos, with the average viewer watching 187 videos per month in the U.S.
The astronomical numbers for December mean that viewers tuned into two billion more videos than in
href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/comscore-videos-november/">November, and that, as expected, a majority — nearly 40% — of those videos were
href="http://mashable.com/social-media/youtube">YouTube videos, with Hulu still coming in a very distant second place and accounting for 3% of video views.
What’s most interesting to us is that while these video-viewing numbers are giant, we’re not seeing too much fluctuation as to where online denizens are consuming this video content. Month-to-month Google’s YouTube maintains its commanding lead, while everyone else battles it out for a marginal piece of the video pie.
The month-to-month data clearly points to the fact that watching videos online is a trend that will continue to gain momentum, meaning that we can expect to see a few billion more videos added to next month’s total. The video sites we turn to for content, however, aren’t likely to change, so we can expect YouTube, Hulu and all the rest to continue to grow at the approximately the same rate.
[img credit:
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamjackson/" target="_blank">adamjackson1984]
Reviews:
href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337063-Hulu" target="_blank">Hulu,
href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336658-YouTube" target="_blank">YouTube
Tags:
href="http://mashable.com/tag/comscore/">ComScore,
href="http://mashable.com/tag/hulu/">hulu,
href="http://mashable.com/tag/online-video/">ONLINE VIDEO,
href="http://mashable.com/tag/video/">video,
href="http://mashable.com/tag/youtube/">youtube
src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/02/05/dec-comscore-video-data/” alt=”" [...]
This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
Now that the dust has settled and we know what the Apple iPad is, many people have begun trying to answer the question, “How can I justify spending the money to get one of these things?” There is certainly no denying that the iPad is a very cool looking device, but as a small business owner, do you really need one? And what about netbooks? Apple CEO Steve Jobs claims that the new iPad fills a niche for which netbooks were failing to deliver, but is that really true for business users?
Here, then, are reasons why you should go out and buy an iPad as soon as they’re available, and reasons why you shouldn’t.
Why You Need One
There are many reasons why small business owners could justify purchasing an Apple iPad. Though clearly aimed at casual users and touted primarily for couch web surfing and multimedia consumption, the iPad also has plenty of potential business uses. By creating a special iPad optimized edition of iWork, Apple’s productivity suite, Apple also clearly sees the iPad’s business potential. Their ultra-competitive announced price of just $9.99 for the app indicates that Apple plans to aggressively court business users, even if that is not necessarily their core customer.
Essentially, the iPad is a big iPod touch that in theory provides a better typing experience (by virtue of its larger onscreen keyboard). Because the iPad will run any of the 140,000 iPhone/iPod apps right out of the box, any business use you already have for your iPod touch or iPhone (except making phone calls) will be available to you on the iPad — but bigger. With that in mind, the iPad could certainly become an asset to sales people who make presentations on the road (what’s more impressive — clicking through PowerPoint slides or manipulating product demos and data visualizations with your fingers?) or anyone who needs to easily monitor core business functions (server health, web site traffic stats, sales indicators, financial numbers, etc.) from the road using a relatively cheap and compact device.
Why You Don’t
What the iPad isn’t, however, is a replacement for your desktop or laptop computer. There are many features missing from the iPad, but two in particular could be deal breakers for serious small business users.
First, the iPad lacks a standard USB port. There will almost certainly be aftermarket accessories available to add USB support to the tablet, but the bottom line is that using the USB devices you already own, such as memory sticks and external hard drives, will not be easy or even possible with the iPad out of the box.
Second, and more egregious, the iPad, like the iPhone and iPod touch, currently lacks the ability to multitask. For Apple’s apparent target consumer — users who will use the iPad for casual web surfing, to watch movies, and to play games — not being able to run more than one program at the same time isn’t likely a big deal. But for business users, that’s a major setback. If you’re putting together a presentation or writing up a sales report, you need the ability to be able to refer to a web page or data locked in some other application while you work. For that reason alone, the iPad in its current form is not an ideal business machine.
What About Netbooks?
For about half the price of an iPad you could buy a very capable netbook (some come even cheaper when subsidized by a 3G data plan subscription). According to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, “netbooks aren’t better at anything.” But in many ways, a $299 netbook outshines the $499 iPad, especially for business users. If what you’re after is a machine that offers extreme portability and business critical features for a low price, a netbook might be a better option.
Netbooks have a number of advantages over the iPad. They multitask, they often have cameras (for video conferencing), they can generally run Windows (meaning they run Microsoft Office and Outlook), they support an open software ecosystem (meaning more choice and the ability to easily custom develop and deploy software for your organization), and they have standard ports and inputs. While they can’t match the iPad for cool factor, as far as business functionality, netbooks pack a lot of bang for the buck.
So which should you buy? That will come down to what type of device you need and its intended use. The iPad, however, is not a must-have purchase for all small business owners — at least, not in its first generation.
More business resources from Mashable:
- How Social Media Helps One Small Business Connect with Fans
- Social Media Marketing: How Pepsi Got It Right
- HOW TO: Take Advantage of Social Media in Your E-mail Marketing
- HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy
- The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration
- HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs
Reviews: Apple Ipad Tablet, Windows, iWork ‘09
Tags: apple, Apple Tablet, business, ipad, iphone, iwork, small business
Macmillan printed books and e-books began to return to Amazon last night following a dispute over Amazon’s $9.99 e-book pricing scheme. Under the agreement, publishers can now raise prices to up to $14.99.
Macmillan, which was later joined by fellow publisher Hachette, requested the price increases over fears that Amazon would undercut its hardcover sales.
Amazon reacted by pulling all Macmillan books, but later conceded to the publisher’s demands. Under the agreed agency model, Amazon will receive 30% commission on sales.
Will you pay up to $14.99 for e-books? Let us know in the comments.
[via The NYTimes]
Tags: amazon, e-book, hachette, Macmillan, money
2009 was a big year for social media moms, with brands like Huggies actively targeting this increasingly tech-savvy demographic. Brand outreach to moms via social networking will only increase in 2010, but as an eMarketer study points out, the method of that outreach is of vital importance — especially when using Facebook.
Lisa Finn and Lucid Marketing collected data from moms who are also Facebook users and found that most are neutral about ads that appear on Facebook, but 36% actively disliked Facebook ads.
However, in general, the study shows that moms are more receptive to marketing, as long as it is done in the right way. The survey showed that most moms use the social networking site to communicate with family and friends, but three-fourths of the respondents were Facebook fans of at least one brand. Even more interesting, perhaps, is the statistic that 16% of the respondents were fans of more than 10 companies or brands.
The most popular type of brand outreach for moms on Facebook? Coupons and pages with kid-oriented themes.
Here’s an excerpt from eMarketer’s blog post:
“Facebook is fertile ground for marketers to engage mothers and drive sales, but it needs to be done on their terms,” said Kevin Burke, president of lucid marketing, in a statement. “They have no time for brands that don’t ‘get it,’ but they do embrace brands that play by their rules.”
So what are the rules when marketing to moms on Facebook? This is what the survey recommends:
- Be respectful of their time
- Make it easy to share stuff like coupons
- Be straightforward
- Exclusive and special offers are a big pull
Are you a mom who uses Facebook? Tell us what you think of Facebook marketing in the comments!
Reviews: Facebook
Tags: facebook, facebook marketing, MARKETING, Moms, money
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