Strategic Social Networking - Archive

New TV Apps Get the Cable Bundlers Scrambling

May 15th, 2012 | Posted by admin in app | business process | Features - (0 Comments)

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

BranchOut Could Surpass LinkedIn

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

Zynga Spends Big Money for Hit Games

April 26th, 2012 | Posted by admin in business process | Gaming | News - (0 Comments)

According to the article, “Zynga Flashes $1.8 Billion Searching for the New FarmVille: Tech”, on Bloomberg.com, Zynga, the largest publisher of mobile games is on the prowl for a new “hi-growth” hit. The enormously successful now publically-traded company is in a great position to acquire new development talent. The company has more than enough resources and no debt to speak of to go shopping. Following the successful $180 million acquisition of OMGPop, creators of the mobile game “Draw Something”, Zynga is poised to continue buying out start-ups that suit their unique, if unorthodox, business model.

The article describes the Zynga model:

“To help persuade entrepreneurs to stay, Zynga offers stock units that vest over two or more years. Unlike many Silicon Valley acquirers, the company typically doesn’t structure deals around performance incentives, or so-called earn-outs, which reward founders with extra cash or stock after their product gains a certain number of users, hits a revenue goal or meets some other business objective.”

While Zynga seems to have the resources and know-how to continue to expand their mobile game portfolio the article mentions some concerns and disagreements with the way Zynga does business. Analyst Arvind Bhatia questions the sustainability of continuing spending the large sums Zynga has been offering and the company has a done relatively poor job in keeping the talent that it recruits. Their strategy demonstrates a lot of confidence so we may just have to sit back and watch to see if their plan is justified.

Derek Clarke, April 26, 2012

Will Google Beat the Competition or Back Down

Google is re-examining their plan regarding Wallet, Google’s mobile-payment app, due to staff changes and slow acceptance in the market. Wallet allows users to pay for purchases on the spot by tapping a mobile device. This story is outlined in an article, Google Reconsiders Wallet Strategy Due to Slow Adoption, on

Rick Oglesby, an analyst at Boston-based research firm Aite Group, has this to say:

“They are in a bit of a re-evaluation pattern right now. It’s going much slower than anticipated.”

Also, a comment from Nate Tyler, a spokesman for Google:

“We continue to work hard to develop Google Wallet and build the partner ecosystem to make it possible for everyone to pay with their phones and get great deals while shopping,”

Whether Google will meet the fierce competition and succeed with Wallet is yet to be determined, however, as doubtful as it may seem presently, you can be sure Google will not be backing down. The popularity of the smartphone and projected revenues for this industry will keep Google moving forward with development of this project.

Sandy McIntosh, March 28, 2012

Angry Birds the Driving Force when Shopping for a Smartphone

Rovio, the creator of Angry Birds, the popular puzzle game for touchscreen smartphones, is currently not available on Microsoft’s mobile phone Windows. This information has caused a stir on the Internet, and featured in an article, Angry Birds Shouldn’t Seal Your Smartphone Choice, on Information Week.

Richard Windsor, an analyst from Nomura, made this comment in a report:

”This is a worrying development for Windows Phone because it suggests that Rovio does not have much confidence in its future. As the standard version is already number one on the Windows Phone app store, it gives a strong indication that no one else will expect to be making money writing for this platform either.”

It is hard to believe a game would be the driving force when shopping for a smartphone, but the new Angry Bird game seems to be doing just that. However, Rovio Chief Executive Mikael Hed counters with this comment in a recent Reuters article:

“We are working closely together with Nokia to bring our games to their platforms. Our mutual goal is to bring the best possible experience to our fans, including all fans using Windows Phone devices.”

Sandy McIntosh, March 27, 2012

Using The New iPad To Boost Business

Apple’s latest version of the iPad has hit the market and sold millions. The popular iPad, with the right apps, promises to increase productivity for business in many ways. The advantages of the new iPad are presented in an article – How To Do Business On Your Brand New iPad

In a separate article, David Zumini, digital marketing specialist at CompanionLink Software, has this opinion on the iPad and how business productivity can be boosted:

“The iPad needs to get smarter. It already knows your schedule, your contacts and your location. What if it could automatically coordinate your schedule based on the time, your location and your open calendar slots? What if it could automatically send a text message to your appointments if it detects that you’re running late to a meeting? What if your iPad could provide you with important information about a new contact based on who you both know, your social profiles, and more?” 6 Things You Wish Your iPad Could Do for Business

It looks as if the iPad can be a worthwhile tool to help streamline many necessary tasks that are encountered throughout a day on the job. And, when you learn all the appropriate apps for a particular purpose, the more productive and profitable you can be.

Sandy McIntosh, March 22, 2012