http://www.webkitchen.ie Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:35:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 [1]A new survey from Pew about Facebook [2] has thrown up some startling revelations about how we all use the service. The stand out figure from the survey was the fact that if you enabled the “friends of friends” setting and you han above average amount of connections then millions of people could be looking at your photos. As they day themselves Facebook users can reach an average of more than 150,000 Facebook users through their Facebook friends; the median user can reach about 31,000 others. At two degrees of separation (friends-of-friends), Facebook users in our sample can on average reach 156,569 other Facebook users. However, the relatively small number of users with very large friends lists, who also tended to have lists that are less interconnected, overstates the reach of the typical Facebook user. In our sample, the maximum reach was 7,821,772 other Facebook users. The median user (the middle user from our sample) can reach 31,170 people through their friends-of-friends. Although the number won’t be in the millions for most people it is a start reminder of the scale of Facebook and the consequences of ticking certain boxes on the site that might seem fairly minor at the time. The survey used Facebook logs of hundreds of users and had some other interesting findings including… 40% of Facebook users in our sample made a friend request, but 63% received at least one request Users in our sample pressed the like button next to friends’ content an average of 14 times, but had their content “liked” an average of 20 times Users sent 9 personal messages, but received 12 12% of users tagged a friend in a photo, but 35% were themselves tagged in a photo PIP Facebook Users 2.3.12 [3] [4] [5] [1] http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/facebook-study-your-photos-could-be-seen-by-close-to-8-million-friends/attachment/screen-shot-2012-02-03-at-18-05-36/ [2] http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Facebook-users.aspx [3] http://www.scribd.com/doc/80388854 [4] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6HDIEjME8hy6GzhQa5c9qCvSAx4/0/da [5] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6HDIEjME8hy6GzhQa5c9qCvSAx4/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/facebook-study-your-photos-could-be-seen-by-close-to-8-million-friends/ [1] For the 50 million people who use Dropbox [2], you can never have too much free space for uploading your images, files and videos. However for free accounts, they cap the storage space to 2GB, but for those testing out a new photo import feature to automatically upload photos, they can get an extra 4.5GB to play around with. To avail of the offer, users are required to download a beta version of their software as well as testing out a feature which uploades photos and videos to the service. In a forum post on their site [3] created yesterday, Dropbox stated that for every 500MB of photos and videos users automatically uploaded, they receive another 500MB of space. Counting the initial 500MB for the first photo import, users can get up to 5GB of space through this feature. The service allows users to import photos from cameras, phones and SD cards onto the site as well as uploading or downloading files in a batch. The company strongly recommends users to create a backup of their Dropbox files first before they try out the beta as the feature is being tested out for any bugs that might crop up. There are a number of other factors highlighted on the post for users willing to test the feature out.  Such details include the feature isn’t available for Mac 10.4 and Linux, importing from your iPhone requires you to unlock your phone and enter your password before importing, otherwise it will claim to find no photos and (worryingly) Galaxy Nexus smartphones take a lot of time to connect on OS X as it pretends that every image on the device is a photograph, so an estimate bar – which measures in minutes – is required. This isn’t the first time Dropbox has offered more space to users under certain conditions. For example, they allow users who take a tour of the site or tell their friends an extra 250MB for each action while being a student grants you 500MB. Full details about the beta testing can be found on the Dropbox forum [4]. [5] [6] [1] http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/social-media-tips/your-complete-guide-to-navigating-the-current-online-privacy-shift/attachment/dropbox_logo/ [2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriabarret/2011/10/18/dropbox-the-inside-story-of-techs-hottest-startup/ [3] http://forums.dropbox.com/topic.php?id=52900 [4] http://forums.dropbox.com/topic.php?id=52900 [5] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/i_gDLP4DwyVZ9cVeA7k99leWOaE/0/da [6] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/i_gDLP4DwyVZ9cVeA7k99leWOaE/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/dropbox-will-allow-users-5gb-of-free-space-for-testing-beta-product/ With over 200,000 companies using their service, its safe to say that social media business site Yammer has become a quiet success in its own right. Now as we come into February, the company has revealed some of the more striking statistics from 2011, and have experienced growth in three key areas. The first being the number of corporate users which increased from 1.6 million to 4 million, the number of paid sales grew from 300,000 to 800,000 and the average deal size increased by 21% overall. Also out of the 200,000 companies that Yammer has using its site, roughly 85% of those make up the Fortune 500 list . It’s very impressive how the company has grown even tripling its number of employees over the year from 80 to 250. With the company reportedly in the process of raising $40 million this year [1], 2012 is shaping up to be a very bright year for the site. [2] [3] [4] [1] http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/05/after-a-breakout-2011-yammer-is-working-on-a-big-new-funding-round/ [2] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/facebook/volkswagen-giving-away-the-world-s-first-complete-facebook-vehicle/attachment/45265-revision-2/ [3] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/BerA4Iq_TkpMte3O1QJw84WWN38/0/da [4] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/BerA4Iq_TkpMte3O1QJw84WWN38/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/yammer-experiences-triple-sales-growth-for-2011-planning-to-raise-40-million-in-2012/ Ireland (and Dublin in particular) is a fantastic place to be in digital.  Sure, look who’s here – Google, Facebook, Zynga, LinkedIn, etc, etc, etc.  All the big guys are here (nearly!).  And lot’s of little guys too – DublinWebSummit, Tapadoo, Vlearning, So, Dublin is definitely a good place to start your digital business.  And there is plenty of help for budding entrepreneurs (much of it Enterprise Ireland assisted) through various accellerator and incubation programmes.  There is the Hothouse [1], M50 [2], CreateIreland [3] and Endeavour [4] to name but a few. One such program that’s getting a lot of airplay of the NDRC [5] (National Digital Research Centre) Launchpad accelerator programme, which is “focused on supporting the next generation of digital entrepreneurs to accelerate good ideas to sound start-ups”. The programme is designed for digital start-ups and 15 will be selected for the investment stage (which starts in mid-February). 70 start-ups, both national and international, recently applied for one of the small number of places. NDRC provides up to €20,000 per project in micro-seed investment to support the founders during the programme. In 2011, NDRC Launchpad was identified in the top six best accelerators in Europe.  NDRC has supported 30 start-ups through its Launchpad programme since 2009. With this number of applications for the 15 places, there is clear evidence that Dublin is the place to be and accelerator programmes are the thing to be in! Roll on new digital ventures. [1] http://www.dit.ie/hothouse/ [2] http://www.m50-enterprise.ie/index.html [3] http://createireland.ie/ [4] http://www.endeavour.biz/ [5] http://www.ndrc.ie/ http://www.webkitchen.ie/everyone-wants-digital/ [1]Despite Apple’s stringent nature with regards to putting up new apps on their store, their rigorous  approach has meant that the apps available are, for the most part, safe to download. Google’s Android Market gives developers less hoops to jump through, but that has increased the number of malware apps that are available to download from the store. Trading security for accessibility may have meant less hoops for developers to jump through, which in turn means more apps are made available and more choice for users, yet the susceptibility of infection still looms large when the app in question is from a small developer Now, Google Android have announced a new service developed to combat this problem. Codenamed Bouncer, the service provides an automated scanning of the Android Market for potentially malicious software which doesn’t require developers to go through an application process. Announcing it on their Mobile Blog [2], once an application is uploaded, the service immediately analyses it for known malware, spyware and trojans. If the system finds anything that indicates that an app is not all that it seems to be, it analyses the data against previously analysed apps to determine whether it’s malware or not. Android’s Vice President of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer said in his post that the percentage of device applications increased by 250% year-on-year and that the total number of apps downloaded from their market place went over 11 billion.  The biggest announcement was the decrease in the number of malicious apps downloaded from the market, dropping by 40% during 2011.  Speaking about the reasons behind this drop, Lockheimer said: “This drop occurred at the same time that companies who market and sell anti-malware and security software have been reporting that malicious applications are on the rise. While it’s not possible to prevent bad people from building malware, the most important measurement is whether those bad applications are being installed from Android Market – and we know the rate is declining significantly.” Other core malware prevention features include sandboxing, which places virtual walls between applications and other software on your Android device, preventing the spread of infection; Permissions which function similar to apps that you install on your Facebook profile – allowing you to determine what an app can and cannot do – and a Malware removal option. It difficult to determine how much of a drop in malware downloads Bouncer will bring with it, especially since -judging by the above quote where it’s malware and security companies that are spotting bad apps – Google’s approach towards tackling malware has been relaxed to say the least. Bouncer is a step in the right direction but it only highlights just how much Google really needed to up its game when addressing this problem. One large malware problem could be enough to undermine the work and reputation Android has developed, nor is there any real factor that could discourage developers from creating malware apps with offenders being booted out and losing their $25 developer registration fee. Yet with 11 billion apps being downloaded, Google will want to make sure that there is a follow up to Bouncer to ensure that a large malware problem doesn’t become a reality in the future. [3] [4] [1] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/uncategorized/coming-soon-our-new-web-app-called-share-o-meter/attachment/32338-revision-495/ [2] http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2012/02/android-and-security.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OfficialGoogleMobileBlog+%28Official+Google+Mobile+Blog%29 [3] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/k9KmVpzlOrpyvdsJhF5VLNfZedY/0/da [4] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/k9KmVpzlOrpyvdsJhF5VLNfZedY/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/google-android-tackles-persistent-malware-problems-with-bouncer/ There has been a lot of speculation recently regarding a revamp of Facebook’s brand pages. As we speculated last week [1], many are expecting a February 28th rollout, which is only a few weeks away. But what will these new brand pages look like? Well, the best indicator of Facebook’s brand page improvements are usually derived from profile pages. When Facebook overhauled profile pages in 2010, brand pages were soon to follow, in the very same style. So back to the present, where Facebook have rolled out Timeline to its users, and it is fully expected that they will replicate the Timeline’s visual aesthetic to the full – and with good reason. Timeline is visually rich and could be exploited by brands, with lots of room for big visuals and app integration. So we thought we would try and see how a few of Facebook’s biggest brands could take advantage of the possible new look for brand pages. *NOTE: These are only rough mock-ups of how the new brand pages might look. McDonalds First we have the global McDonalds page – while still being very strong, lacks a major focal point. [2] Now, for the possible revamp. The first notable change is the cover photo. This would be the biggest visual area brands could utilise. The entire header of the page is ready to be filled with a banner ad displaying the latest offer, product or just showing the brand’s visual identity. This is a massive change from what Facebook are currently allowing – five microscopic sized icons at the top of the page, that can’t really give any visual impact. Also, it would be a much easier way of integrating and sticking videos/ads onto Timeline permanently. [3] Nike Next we have one of the biggest brands on Facebook, Nike. [4] Known for their slick advertising campaigns, their Timeline could provide a plethora of visual ideas for the brand. One thing Facebook could also integrate is its frictionless sharing applications. So, for example, Nike could pin their latest Likes and Pins on Pinterest, or share what movies they Like. [5] Mercedes Benz Finally, we have Mercedes Benz. Again, their current page isn’t bad at all, providing lots of information on dealers, products etc, as well as the usual photos and videos. [6]With a Timeline page, their Facebook presence could be dramatically transformed. In fact, the Timeline cover photo is perfectly suited to things such as cars. Car companies could display their latest model in a massive banner ad at the top of their page. Apps could be integrated with the page, bringing much higher engagement with current fans. [7]So there you have it, just a wild guess as to what Facebook’s rumoured new brand pages might look like. Do you think they will in fact use the Timeline style? Also, will they integrate apps on the page like our own profiles? Only time will tell, but it seems certain that brand pages will receive a long overdue revamp very soon. [8] [9] [1] http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/facebook-timeline-for-brand-pages-expected-to-arrive-on-feb-29th/ [2] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/search-engine-optimisation/new-diploma-in-online-marketing-announced/attachment/2025-revision-6/ [3] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/search-engine-optimisation/online-marketing-boot-camp-intensive-training/attachment/1687-revision-10/ [4] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/marketing/eircom-launches-mobile-broadband/attachment/1604-revision-3/ [5] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/search-engine-optimisation/import-google-analytics-goals-into-adwords/attachment/1630-revision-9/ [6] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/search-engine-optimisation/benefits-of-blogging-on-seo-search-engine-optimisation/attachment/1623-revision-5/ [7] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/search-engine-optimisation/digital-marketing-institute-testimonial/attachment/1612-revision-4/ [8] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/svzp6TjTDrd5aeg4ruLvY8pH-Oc/0/da [9] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/svzp6TjTDrd5aeg4ruLvY8pH-Oc/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/what-facebook-s-timeline-brand-pages-will-look-like/ [1]Google have been ordered by a French commercial court to pay €500,000 to a French mapping company after it was found guilty of abusing the dominant position of its Google Maps application [2]. The Paris court upheld an unfair competition complaint lodged by Bottin Cartographics against Google France and its parent company Google Inc. for providing free mapping services to some businesses. Bottin Cartographics provides the same services for a fee and claimed that Google’s strategy was to undercut competitors by temporarily swallowing the full cost until it gained control of the market. The court ordered Google to pay €500,000 in damages and interest to the plaintiff as well as a €15,000 fine. A spokesperson for Google France said that the company would appeal the decision saying that the service is both beneficial for both internet users and websites. While this is the first time Google has been convicted for its Google Maps application, the company has gotten into trouble before in France. During March 2011, the country’s data privacy regulator imposed a fine of €100,000 on the company for collecting private information while compiling its Street View service. [3] [4] [1] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/keywords/google-launches-url-shortening-tool/attachment/3101-revision-6/ [2] http://http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hpu8TuRZEBjM30sFn8c7QvMWNjXA?docId=CNG.108b2dd2393721c4759b1eec0730b297.171 [3] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/oOM4Rm0jw__HsBHYuzyFqHxQ8_w/0/da [4] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/oOM4Rm0jw__HsBHYuzyFqHxQ8_w/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/french-courts-order-google-maps-to-pay-500-000-for-unfair-competition/ [1]If you aren’t already on the visual sharing site Pinterest, then consider this another reason (among many others [2]) to sign up to the service. It has experienced the fastest growing site in terms of referral traffic than any other social media site [3]. Its volume of traffic is so great that if you combined the referral traffic of LinkedIn, Youtube, Google+ and Reddit, it still wouldn’t beat the growth experienced by Pinterest. The findings, compiled by content sharing company Shareaholic [4], looked at aggregated data from more than 200,000 different publishers, reaching a combined total of more than 260 million unique visitors every month. Overall, Pinterest only commands 3.6% of all referral traffic since January, with its nearest rival being Youtube (1.05%). The greatest site for referral traffic is Facebook which commanded 26.4% of all referral traffic last month, more than four times greater than its nearest competitor StumbleUpon (5.07%). Following those two sites is Google (incorporating services such as Google news, Google Images, Gmail etc.) with 3.62% and Twitter with 3.61%. Facebook is also notable as it was the second fastest growing referral site after Pinterest. What’s more impressive about this is that the site isn’t officially opened as it’s invite only: you either have to put yourself on a waiting list or have one of your friends who’s already on the service to invite you. The idea behind Pinterest is for users to find and share items and images they find online. This is all organised into categories and different pinboards that’s meant to appeal or inspire users.  [5] [6] [7] [1] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/?attachment_id=42148 [2] http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/smart-brands-get-on-pinterest-now/ [3] http://blog.shareaholic.com/2012/01/pinterest-referral-traffic/ [4] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SimplyZesty/~3/yd1EfIaulHo/shareaholic.com [5] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/marketing/online-marketing-full-time-boot-camp-or-part-time-evenings-training-course/attachment/5951-revision-9/ [6] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MkCdAdeFOeJ837A0zrp26a21N4M/0/da [7] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/MkCdAdeFOeJ837A0zrp26a21N4M/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/pinterest-the-fastest-growing-site-for-referral-traffic-beats-youtube-amp-linkedin/ [1]With the capabilities of Facebook’s open graph only beginning to be explored, career site Glassdoor have announced their new job search app ‘Inside Connections’, which helps you find a new job and see where your friends work via your Facebook account. Effectively an extension to what the site already does, the app scours your friends on the site and see what jobs are on offer. If one of your friends, or someone your friend knows, is linked with a company that has a vacancy, such results will appear at the bottom of your feed showing you what connections you have at a company. Once you’re logged in, you can read all the usual information associated with each vacancy such as anoynmous reviews and ratings, salary reports and interview questions and reviews. It allows you to get a feel for the company you’re interested in and develop a much better idea about whether its the best fit for you or not. Glassdoor say that 60% of all jobs are obtained through an inside connection and it’s through this principal that Glassdoor have created their app. It’s incredibly similar to LinkedIn in this regard, but since Facebook is more about social connections, there’s a much higher chance of you having a connection in an industry you’re interested in. While it’s at best an extension of their site, it’s a good example of a site using Facebook apps to enhance their product instead of tacking it on to gain more traffic. Not everyone is on LinkedIn and it’s perhaps easier to network with someone if you have a social connection as opposed to a professional one. The site has information on more than 150,000 companies from across the world and currently has more than six million job listings on its site. There are over three million reviews and salaries listed on the site to help your search. [2] [3] [1] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/marketing/learning-to-say-no/attachment/14961-revision/ [2] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/tNYavBSXWZrbwYYgr4l2yH7MrEM/0/da [3] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/tNYavBSXWZrbwYYgr4l2yH7MrEM/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/glassdoor-launch-inside-connections-use-facebook-to-find-your-dream-job/ [1]For the last couple of years [2], I’ve been writing [3] about the huge challenge [4] Facebook faces [5] when it comes to asserting its social networking dominance as consumers move from the desktop to mobile devices. The numbers within the Facebook [6] filing for its IPO were certainly impressive. Nothing really unexpected within the tech community, but the traditional media will of course lap it up with stories of billionaires and world domination. I want to stay focused on Facebook’s [7] mobile strategy with the company themselves admitting in their filing that it was the area with the biggest potential, but also a huge threat to their business going forward.More and more people (450 million) are using Facebook [8]on their mobiles but with no revenue streams and with Facebook unable to own the biggest platforms (they belong to Andoid and iOS) the future is slightly uncertain. As they say themselves: “We do not currently directly generate any meaningful revenue from the use of Facebook mobile products. Accordingly, if users continue to increasingly access Facebook mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers…our revenue and financial results may be negatively affected”. In truth, Facebook [6] have been in this tight corner for the last couple of years and they have been making some great strides (including their own rumored phone and mobile operating system), but as the story of the IPO shows there are still a lot of unanswered questions that investors will need to know about the future… Facebook Only Owns The Desktop Since it started, Facebook [6] has been a huge success first and foremost on desktops. They have over 400 million mobile users and that side of the business has been booming for the last twelve months. But in terms of revenue, nearly 100% comes from people clicking on ads or playing games while using the platform on desktops. Consumer browsing habits are fast moving from desktops to mobiles [11] though and Facebook finds itself in the tricky position of trying to navigate this change and find a solution that works across all the mobile platforms. They are clearly in the phase of acquiring as many mobile users as possible and are doing this with as much success as they did the desktop. However, making money from those users is going to be tricky because location based services, targeted mobile advertising and other mobile revenue streams have just not really taken off. Facebook Eating Its Own Revenues While it might seem like a great thing that Facebook [6] users are moving in increasingly large numbers from the desktop to mobile devices (including tablets), that will start hurting their own revenue as time goes on. To put it simply, there are ads on the desktop that a lot of people click on while no such ads exist yet on mobiles. There is no doubt that Facebook [6] will start to monetize mobile later this year and open up new revenue streams, but for now Facebook [6] is actually cannibalizing their own revenues by improving their mobile offerings. It will be interesting to see if and when Facebook [6] turn on their mobile ad platforms and what they look like. Facebook Deal with Apple Is Inevitable The IPO filing mentions the biggest threat as being the fact that Facebook [6] is reliant on two of the biggest platforms in iOS and Android. As they say themselves: “We are dependent on the interoperability of Facebook with popular mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Android and iOS, and any changes in such systems that degrade our products’ functionality or give preferential treatment to competitive products could adversely affect Facebook usage on mobile devices.” As there is very little chance of Google [17] and Facebook [6] ever working together in a meaningful way then the only option is really Apple. They are, of course, already in bed with Twitter baked in to their iOS5 operating system, but there is no reason why Facebook [6] shouldn’t be more deeply integrated into iOS. It would make both Apple and Facebook [6] more powerful and they have been very close to a deal of this nature in the past only for it to break down at the last minute. It won’t be easy for either side but the companies will eventually strike a deal and declare Android as the common enemy. The Five Year Plan Despite all the problems and perceived threats, Facebook have been making great strides in the last year in terms of getting their mobile strategy together. Their apps have improved drastically, they have beautiful tablet versions of their sites and they have accumulated a huge amount of mobile users. The desktop is still kind, but Facebook will need a strong five year plan that sees at least 30 or 40% of their revenues coming from mobile. It’s a very serious challenge and if I was investing, it would be my biggest fear but based on Facebook’s track record and their huge new pot of money, it is a challenge that I’m pretty sure they can pass with flying colors. [21] [22] [1] http://digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/blog/marketing/irish-universities-asleep-at-the-wheel-highlights-from-the-2011-digital-salary-employment-survey/attachment/21751-revision-2/ [2] http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/facebooks-big-problem-mobile/ [3] http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/facebook-owns-the-desktop-can-they-start-owning-the-mobile-this-week/ [4] http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/facebooks-big-problem-mobile/ [5] http://www.simplyzesty.com/facebook/could-facebooks-new-smartphone-project-stand-up-against-apple-google/ [6] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [7] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [8] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [9] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [10] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [11] http://www.simplyzesty.com/mobile/why-the-next-breed-of-agencies-should-be-100-mobile-plays/ [12] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [13] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [14] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [15] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [16] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [17] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/google/ [18] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [19] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [20] http://www.simplyzesty.com/category/facebook/ [21] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/R13qv4LW5TodjK8v0kSDDyKH6sg/0/da [22] http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/R13qv4LW5TodjK8v0kSDDyKH6sg/1/da http://www.webkitchen.ie/facebook-and-mobile-what-the-ipo-filing-revealed/