Facebook is in the news regarding their infrastructure being solely dependent on the web and open source technology. Facebook is, in essence, relying on the web and open technology for its continual success. Unlike other large technology companies that have product offerings of software and/or hardware as their main interest, Facebook appears to be betting on their future success exclusively utilizing user-generated content and various types of open source technology. This open environment is development in a public, collaborative manner with user interaction, and can be a huge savings for consumers. This information is summarized in an article – Facebook’s 11 Biggest Technology Bets – InformationWeek.com/News/Development/Open-Source/

The article states:

“Facebook has the opportunity to succeed. The question is whether the company has the technology and talent to turn user attention into ad revenue.”

Carlos Icaza, an adviser to several startups and Fortune 500 companies offered this from the article:

 “Facebook, as big as it is, is also nimble and can move quickly and adapt quickly. The one thing that Facebook has is that it is not platform-specific. That is, after all, what gives it its edge.”

And, Google’s Vic Gundotra states this from the article:

 “The Web has become the dominant software platform.”

Facebook apps also play a major role in future business growth for Facebook. In addition, they are betting on their many users to prefer their UI, apps, and platform over other online services. Also, Facebook plans to introduce file storage and file sharing services comparable to the main players in that industry, to keep those millions of users happy.

According to eMarketer, Facebook made almost $500 million from its virtual currency in 2010. This virtual currency promises to not only pay for itself, but also help to bring Facebook to the forefront in terms of revenue. Facebook plans to catch up to Google, Apple and Microsoft and with the help of their millions of users every month, investors are betting on them to do just that.

Sandy McIntosh, May 22, 2012

Could technology consumers’ dual obsession with all things mobile and social finally, literally pay off? According to the Chicago Tribune article “Money Goes Mobile in Cutting-Edge Tech Tools” the recent Finovate Spring 2012 conference announced some new products from 64 privately funded companies that can take existing mobile technology and use it for a variety of money making and money saving purposes.

Among the most interesting of the presentations were representatives from TweedlePay and GoalSaver, whose use of pre-existing social technologies have made it possible to develop and launch useful money-oriented products in a short amount of time. TweedlePay used the structure of Twitter and the functionality of BancBox to create a Tweet-based payment system. GoalSaver utilizes s familiar social networking format to improve the saving process for a particular goal (like college or buying a home) in a public environment where friends and strangers can track a user’s progress and even make monetary contributions.

SaveUp, another uniquely mobile method for saving money is described in the article:

“We turn savings into a game,” SaveUp CEO and co-founder Priya Haji said as she went through her seven-minute pitch in front of several hundred bankers, investors and bloggers at the San Francisco conference that ended Wednesday. “You save money, you earn credits, and you use your credits to win sponsored prizes from companies like Banana Republic and Virgin Airlines.”

Some of these new products could easily improve the way we handle money electronically by simplifying and streamlining buying and investing on the web. Those that integrate existing technology may be the first to find success since they are already familiar to the public, though consumers may want to approach with caution initially. Social networking sites like Facebook have already seen major security issues concerning user data, and with the addition of more private information and connectivity, networks like this will need to prove that their data protection passes the test. Startups with similar functionality but of a smaller, tighter scope may find themselves on top in the long run if security issues emerge. That said, these and the other products point to a simpler, more connected way of managing money in the near future.

Derek Clark, May 17, 2012

On the eve of Facebook’s debut as a publicly traded company, a new concern has arisen according to the Washington Post article “Facebook Warns Potential Investors That Mobile Is An Even Bigger Risk Than Originally Disclosed”. The Facebook mobile app, which is largely responsible for the continued growth in the numbers of their “daily active users” (DAU) is behind the mounting worries, as a lack of advertising on the mobile platform is decreasing income and revenue as their DAU numbers climb.

From the article:

“The revised mobile warning seems especially pertinent after Facebook reported a disappointing first quarter. Facebook made $205 million in net income on $1.06 billion in revenue in Q1 2012. The revenue figure was six percent lower than in the previous quarter, and the income number means that Facebook made $28 million less than it did in the same quarter last year.”

Currently seeking investors, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his advisors must come up with a strategy and launch a revamped advertising initiative soon, if they hope to make their move into the public sector count. It is a bit shocking that this came as a surprise to Zuckerberg and Co., as a number of popular applications have positioned banner ads on the top and bottom of their interfaces for years, and these ad placements have been largely tolerated the app-happy mobile customers so far. Facebook should also be aware of the advantages of their design, as users on other platforms are already coping with the rising number of customized ads in their news feed.

Derek Clark, May 16, 2012

The television industry along with cable and satellite companies is embarking on major changes in the way TV programs are accessed. In a perfect TV viewing world you could tailor your personal TV viewing based on interests. Technology to do just that is in the development stage and is being driven by technically conscious consumers. This subject is discussed in a recent New York Times Article, “In Search of Apps for Television.”.

The article explains how digital media executives perceive the evolution:

“I’ve told my bosses, this is beachfront real estate. Buy in now,” Lisa Hsia, executive vice president of digital media at NBC Universal’s Bravo channel.

There is still a lot of room for debate in relation to the deployment.

According to the article:

“The question that hasn’t yet been answered is whether television viewing will consist of a single app that mimics the pay TV bundle or a series of different apps that together form a content experience,” said Jon Miller, the chief digital officer at News Corporation, which owns Fox Broadcasting and cable channels like Fox News and FX.

The TV apps currently available are limited to Internet connected devices and don’t affect the TV viewing from cable and satellite companies, but this new proposed technology threatens to change things on an economic scale. When the bottom line is at stake it gets companies scrambling like nothing else. Will networks, cable and satellite providers meet consumer demand and make a custom solution affordable as well as relevant? We at SSN Blogwill be watching and commenting as the evolution continues.

Sandy McIntosh, May 15, 2012

Zwoor, a mobile app tool for conferences and trade shows, has enhanced their event app with a photo taking feature. According to the press release, “Zwoor.com Mobile App Adds Picture Taking to the Conference and Corporate Event App – Attendees Can Now Create and Share a Candid View of Collective Knowledge Via Photos” the improvements are delighting event attendees.

The app offers the ability to categorize data and pictures based on a particular event agenda. The app also integrates with social media avenues and provides candid insight. With the ability to generate real-time analytics and content with photos, this new feature provides a way for attendees to zero in on sessions and in-conference events relevant to their particular focus.

The app isn’t just adding value to the attendees either. Event planners using Zwoor possess new methods that demonstrate value for business planning purposes.

Ken Burns, External Relations at Zwoor, explains the development as a continuous innovation cycle:

“With the monthly drumbeat of innovation, Zwoor.com continues to lead the industry on the richness of features for mobile apps. Our “free demo app for your event, with no commitment to buy” shows how confident we are in the value and quality we provide.”

Traditionally, trade shows are overwhelming with lots of content and big crowds cramming everything in over a short duration of time. It is often grueling and time consuming to achieve for attendees and event planners to achieve maximum benefits of the event. Zwoor offers the ability to reduce costs, maximize reach and increase engagement. That sounds like a win for any conference or event planner..

Sandy McIntosh, May 10, 2012

Google Drive is a cloud storage and sync service from Google and is an extension of Google Docs. Google Drive gives the user 5 gigabytes to start with and offers extra storage for a low monthly rate. In the article, “Will Google Drive Snoop Inside Your Data? Google Needs To Be Clearer”, privacy issues are discussed. Also proposed in the article is a “by permission only” clause to be built into the license agreement to protect user privacy.

In the blanket license for Google Drive Google states:

“The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones.”

In its “terms of service” Google continues:

“You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.”

The information in this article suggests Google may have built loop holes into their blanket license agreement for their own use for future gain. When a service offers cloud storage of personal data privacy of that data should be guaranteed and the number one objective. We ask what is the fair exchange for the “free” service and the pay-back for offering the storage space in a land where nothing is “free” and consumers pay less attention to their own privacy in the glittering gold of social networking and cloud computing?

Sandy McIntosh, May 9, 2012

Klout, a company that provides social media analytics to measure a user’s influence across her or his social network, has announced a new product called Brand Squads. This new app allows social network users a central place to involve others that meet certain criteria. This information is outlined in an article, Klout Launches Brand Pages to Help Companies Engage Influencers.

Klout’s David Temple explains:

“Brand Squads” are Klout’s way of giving influencers a place to be recognized and have a direct impact on the brands they care about most.””

Temple continues:

“Previously, brands had more simple pages with just their Klout Score. Brand Squads is a different twist on brand pages, where top influencers for brands have a chance to be recognized and have an impact on the brand.”

With this new app from Klout social media users have an opportunity to access brand data and ultimately win perks. Klout reports data based on influence to companies that offer these perks. Looking at the bigger picture companies that participate can acquire marketing data that could be useful to impact future sales. Klout’s app offers a seemingly win-win for consumers and brands. We raise the question of privacy with all of this tying of brand to social network users there is a degree of shared information. It makes us wonder, do consumers even realize what they give up to win  those perks?

Sandy McIntosh, May 8, 2012

StumbleUpon, a product that allows sharing of photos, videos and web pages by those that share the same interests has recently grown in web activity by almost 5x in three years. After some setbacks and an acquisition by Ebay the company re-grouped, improved their user interface and was able to stand on its own again as a separate company. Additionally, their integration with Facebook Timeline helped to add to this growth success. This information is outlined in the article, “StumbleUpon Reaches 25M Registered Users, Plans For Global Expansion And API”.

CEO Garrett Camp states in the article:

“If we continue at this rate, we could see hundreds of millions of users.”

Camp also says:

“Last December, StumbleUpon unveiled a redesign intended to make the service more friendly to new users and to brands. Then earlier this month, it released an app that integrated with Facebook Timeline. Both changes are starting to make a difference in the company’s growth and usage.”

It sounds like Stumbleupon has stumbled upon success. However, success like this doesn’t happen by accident. The company is successful because it did the necessary homework and listened to their users. Additionally, plans are in the making for an API and expansion in Europe leading to more successful ventures, or so it seems.

Sandy McIntosh, May 3, 2012

While a number of us are still learning to accept the shift to Timeline on Facebook the article, “5 Ways Businesses Are Using Facebook Timelines”, explains how some companies are taking advantage of the format shift in creative ways. Most merge the technical changes with design in previously impossible ways including branding via the now-more-visible app, highlighting photo albums to display whatever product they feel deserves the most attention and utilizing the “about” section to share strategic marketing information.

Another innovation mentioned is the use of Milestones.

From the article:

“Interesting Milestones may work better if your company has some history. Coca-Cola, founded in 1886, has the benefit of a long and interesting history, so they can show their products from 1916 and how they have since evolved.

But you still may be able to get creative with product releases and things that you have accomplished.”

With the way the new format displays photos the most impressive marketing uses of Timeline are those that blend the technical changes with the graphic. Impressive though they are there will be a finite amount of ways to exploit the layout in eye-catching or useful ways. Now that these opportunities have been discovered they will be repeated by most companies and organizations that see them and may come to lose their luster unless Facebook tweaks the format again allowing for more customization and creativity.

Derek Clark, May 2, 2012

It looks as if LinkedIn’s days may be numbered according to the article, “LinkedIn’s Biggest Competitor Is a Facebook App That Just Hit 25 Million Users”, on Mashable.com. Facebook app, BranchOut, could eventually surpass the popular professional networking site with 25 million registered users (and growing) already part of the application. With an internal team of only 45 people BranchOut is focused and well-organized and supports job postings and recruiters much like LinkedIn. One major way they differ is the group of potential users.

“Although reaching 25 million registered users looks less impressive when compared to LinkedIn’s 150 million, there are 850 million Facebook users for whom joining BranchOut is just a matter of accepting the app’s permissions. On Thursday, BranchOut announced a $25 million round of funding, bringing its total venture capital backing to $49 million.”

While BranchOut certainly seems to be on track to meet or exceed LinkedIn’s numbers the article makes some good points about potential hazards the app’s team may meet as they gain users. One is that being part of such a large platform means that the small development team will have to react to the many changes Facebook will surely make, and fast. Another roadblock could be that if Facebook decides to create their own career section BranchOut could easily be made irrelevant. Not to mention eventually they would have to go after LinkedIn’s user-base,many of whom already have vast, intricate professional connections on their competing site. That said LinkedIn may want to form a strategy to prevent such hemorrhaging.

Derek Clark, May 1, 2012