Do Sales Rise as Discoverability Cost Increase?

As the roles across the value chain of the various publishing sectors change we find ourselves asking, how much does it cost to acquire a new customer, to retain them and to do business with them in an environment where prices remain at best unstable and at worst are falling?In the old world costs are fairly well defined, but in the new world these become far more complex and all tend to add small increments to the overall cost of doing business

Who should do what, and spend what to promote what, is an interesting challenge with authors, publishers, retailers all trying to be the communications hub with their consumers? The buzz word today is 'discoverability' and how we can all channel our resources (money and effort) to making it work.

Google, Twitter, Facebook all are about advertising and maximising their opportunity for businesses to pay to be see over the crowd. If you want to be seen at the top of the search then search optimisation is a key and money is the answer. If you want your tweets to resonate then again money is the answer and now Facebook is to join the game which gives you details on how many people have viewed what has been written.

Anything that gets searches, tweets and events and posts ‘seen’ is fair game and with it obviously comes an army of helpers to enable businesses to exploit these facilities at an additional cost. Facebook now plan is to introduce their new post service in the US and has begun tests in New Zealand. The cost is thought to be $7 a post and obviously could raise significant revenues for the social giant.

What is clearly now starting to appear is a whole series of new toll boths and additional cost options to doing business on the internet, or as some would suggest – doing business. Social and Search giants are not alone in creating new additional and compelling charges , the banks, insurance and other financial institutions have done it for years. The questions are now whether the market can sustain the overall costs, who should respond and how and who should channel their resources elsewhere? 

It is after all easy to spend money but often much harder, or increasingly harder, to make it>  

Half The UK Registered on Facebook!

Experian Hitwise’s latest report claim that social networks are the UK’s favourite online destinations. Facebook and Twitter registered 2.4bn Internet visits in the UK in January and Facebook claim that it now has 30 million registered users in the UK alone which equates to half the population!

This comes at the same time that the BBC released its latest stats for the iPlayer, which reveal that more people than ever, some 125 million hits, were streaming live content through over the service. They also claim 2.1 million requests were delivered to the iPad alone in February. The total hits in the month was down from 162 million to 148 million but interestingly some 23 million of these were from Virgin Media iPlayer TV requests.The BBC also claim that there are proportionally more daytime and late-peak users of the service and the majority of users are under 55.

The blurring of the entertainment and social services is seen as one of the main drivers in UK traffic. Sites such as Facebook are increasingly hosting content from entertainment sites and this is driving more social interaction and stimulating more take-up. This in term attracts more businesses to advertise, promote and generally position them on the social map.

There are still strong calls, especially in the EU to tighten security on the social networks and EU law and directives. The main EU thrust today remains focused on "the right to be forgotten", letting users "withdraw their consent" to their data being held. It is felt that service providers should prove that they need to keep the data, rather than individuals having to prove that collecting their data is not necessary.

So we are now clearly seeing a step change from the vertical web services of email, blogs, flikr, youtube etc to one which overlays these within a social network construct that is wider in its appeal and deeper in its richness. Mobile technology such as tablets and smart phones are enablers that now are increasingly permanently connected. It doesn’t mean that the verticals disappear it merely means that these become the feeds that are consolidated through the likes of Facebook.

With half the UK population apparently signed up it clearly now says that we are starting to socially communicate, interact with media, express ourselves and collect and share content and opinions.

Twitter Buys Tweetie

To date Twitter, has been happy to allow others to tools built has started to take control. However, Twitter raised $100 million in September and now has a war chest with which to change that. Twitter has started by announcing that it has agreed to acquire Atebits, a start-up that makes the Tweet apps for Mac and iPhones and also that it ‘assisted’ RIM (Research in Motion) to build an “official” Twitter app for BlackBerrys.

When Twitter realized it needed its own search engine, it bought Summize, which made one. It also has bought Mixer Labs, which helps developers build location-based services now it looks like they want the apps and have bought Atebits. So will Twitter accommodate up to start-ups developers such as Tweetie, Twitterrific and UberTwitter , or acquire them, or do it themselves?

It cannot hire engineers quickly enough to support the explosive growth of the company, so buying other features is a way to grow quickly.

The acquisition is Twitter’s third. It previously acquired Summize.

Social Networks Grow Up

What do we really know about the use of the technology we now take for granted and part of everyday life. Who uses Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, SMS, Blogs and what drives their usage?

An interesting article in the New Your Times raises many questions about the user demographics and use of this new communication world.

New technology often is first adopted by the young and then permeates to the older generations and we assume the young drive adoption of technology. According to comScore, today’s new ‘must do’ service Twitter, has a demographic that consists of only 11% of its users being teenagers. It appears that Twitter may have buck the trend. We have already reported on Ivy Bean who twitters and is 103!

What is becoming evident is that the older generations that are driving the real growth of social networks today. Today teenagers only account for 14% of MySpace and 9% of Facebook and we doubt very many use Linkedin. Forrester Research have issued a report that claims that the use of social networks by people aged 35 to 54 grew 60% in the last year.

So we have to now understand what people use these sites for and how and what they communicate.

Is the drive in older users merely a ‘catch up’ and a need to be hip, or is it driven by wider social aspects such as the need to belong to communities, find kindred spirits and express views? Teenagers tend to be more social and live in school and social communities, often with a wide range of friends and communicate on a one to one basis. However, this is often not the case of older generations who now have the opportunity to connect with others they may have never met otherwise.

One would assume that the older generations would be more concerned about privacy and having their feelings, thoughts openly available to what some may say are total strangers, but a look at many members pages shows a willingness to share and express.

If social networking services are to be part of the publishing marketing mix these demographics and social needs need to be understood and not assumed. What will drive the older audience? What is the key to engage with them? Does it require a tight vertical perspective or interest which will probably demand more than just books, or can it survive on a generalist pitch and book alone? We see the re-emergence of the social network sites BookRabbit and Sellstudentsstuff.com and we ask what is different this time?

Soundbite Tsar?

Twitter is a thing you either love or hate. It certainly belongs in the real time world but often 140 characters brings out both the best and worst of worlds, with many searching for those extra words not written. The UK Conservative leader, David Cameron was caught on radio saying, ‘Too many twits can make a Twat’ and unfortunately had to apologise for his use of words.

Now the experts in political spin doctoring, the Labour Party, have given their MP Kerry McCarthy, ahead of the next election, the job of improving the party's use of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. So we have a Twitter Tsar in the making.

Can you imagine some of the classic twits from this government: ‘Gordon’s on holiday back in 8 weeks, enjoy’ or ‘In debt and want a loan on very good rates, call us’.

McCarthy denied politicians were jumping on the bandwagon by using sites like Facebook and Twitter, arguing they were merely an extension of traditional campaigning. She told LabourList, "Rather than being something completely new, campaigning using new media is simply doing what we've always done in a new setting - and rather than replacing traditional ways of doing things, it is about making traditional campaigning methods even more effective." She even described John Prescott, who blogs on the Gofourth website as "one of the best communicators - no soundbites, no pretensions - just very natural", a "great example" of how to use the internet to get a political message across. McCarthy also said: "Voters will increasingly be searching the web to find out what we think about the issues – all our candidates need to start building up that online collateral from now."

Twitter, Facebook, blogs, you tube, text all are today’s communication vehicles and therefore its safe to assume they will be used by all. The question is whether spam and sounbites will replace commentary and detail?

Twitter Sees Stella Growth

Twitter has gone from the 969th most visited UK website to the 38th, the 5th most-visited social network and Traffic to the site grew by more than 2200% from May 2008 to May 2009, according to web analysts at Hitwise. The stats even exclude people accessing their Twitter accounts via mobile phones and third party applications such as Twitterific, Twitterfeed and Tweetdeck.

Twitter has been the fastest growing major website in the UK over the last 12 months and given its high public profile certainly is one of the most talked about today.

Interestingly it is failing to drive sales and against Google’s 30% and Facebooks 15%, Twitter only gets 9.5% of its traffic clicking through to transactional websites. However, Dell, claims to have generated $3m in sales via Twitter, but appears to be the exception rather than the rule today.

Like others before them they now have to find the money and hold onto the eyeballs but they have already provided that YouTube news moment in getting news out of Iran and disciplining all to those all to few characters.

Twitter Captures The News

We all remember Flight 1549 crashing on take off from New York and almost hit George Washington Bridge, captured on a mobile and downloaded on YouTube. News no longer waits for the next edition or even the news broadcast slot, it’s instantaneous and captured by everyone with a mobile with a camera.

Techdirt today offers a useful and insightful way in which how and what we communicate is still evolving. Twitter may not seem the right vehicle to capture events in a few words but it constant stream of twitter can provide views and thoughts uncensored, unedited and raw as they happen.

Today it has given us insights into the troubled post election Iran which have been posted on the Iran Twazzup page . This view into Iran was made possible by Twitter and the ability of thousands of people to easily communicate on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere. It's really quite impressive, and I'm hard pressed to see how anyone could look at what's coming out of Iran via Twitter, and then claiming that Twitter isn't a useful or different communication tool. It doesn’t mean every comment is genuine, nor that each is worth the read, but together they capture a movement and within them there are those gems which truly capture news.

We can think back to disasters that happened in the last half of the 20th century and what would have been different if we had Twitter and You Tube and of course the mobile phone. Would the fog that surrounded Hillsbough or Bloody Sunday still be with us today. Would we have sorted out what happened on that grassy knoll in Dallas.
Techdirt also reported that Twitter’s data center partner, NTT, have actually chosen to delay some critical updates, knowing that cutting off communications from Iran just as so many people are relying on it would be a disaster.

News tomorrow will be broken by the person on the street with a smartphone.

You Are Never Too Old

Who said that the technology and digital revolution was only for the young? When Ivy Bean heard that a 97 year ago French woman was the oldest member of Facebook she decided to join. She soon attracted 5,000 friends and has 17,775 people waiting to be her friend. Unless you know someone older, Ivy from Bradford is now the oldest Facebook member at 103 years old and has now joined Twitter and already has 9500 followers!

Her daughter Sandra Logan, 61, said: "It has given her a new lease of life and she has met some marvellous people all over the world. She speaks to a woman in Norway who has named a cow after her."

Her latest twitters read :
‘hello im going to spend my morning reading papers ‘, ‘i have now reached 5,000 followers so im saying goodnight for today be back tomorrow thank you everybody ‘, ‘had a loverly afternoon with my friends here at hillside just had tea just having a chat with the staff.’

The PC may have past many of the older generation by and been seen by them as a mere expensive toy, the mobile may be viewed by many as a complex phone and only used as a phone, email may dominate our lives but unless you have others to email its not essential. Now thanks to new high-speed broadband connection in public libraries, thousands of pensioners are now able to only to join Ivy and learn new ways to communicate. This older group may now have found the way to start to be engaged in the digital world and influence its direction.

They may not have the disposable income but they have the time, a wealth of knowledge and experience and are historically heavy readers. Many may want to capture their own history and experiences, not necessarily for money but as a legacy, others to just find new friends. It is relatively easy to see many social communities develop that were not possible a few years ago.

Is it possible that we may start to see a shift, not only the source of content for the self publishing market, but also to break away from the current vanity publishing business models that may be seen to exploit vanity, more than encourage writing. We don’t need long works and these new tools demand shorter more focused content. Maybe it’s the older generation that will lead us to rethink the book in a digital form.

Well done Ivy and long may you enjoy twittering

Twitter Oldies

According to comScore the world of Twitter is exploding with just under 10 million is unique visitors in February.

The interesting piece however was not the growth but the demographic with 45 to 54 years being the largest user group.

Follow us on Twitter as we grapple with being snappie

Google Twittering: Update

On March 10th we asked ‘Google Twittering’ . This was prompted by an interesting column in eCommerce Times titled ‘Will Twitter Be Google's Next YouTube?’

Today the rumours just increased as a TechCrunch article, ‘Google-in-late-stage-talks-to-buy-Twitter’ claimed that Google is in advanced negotiations to acquire the micro-blogging site Twitter. Having just had a makeover and networked it search features, one questions whether this was mere window dressing for the sale.

Whatever happens Twitter valuation is increasing by the week as it finds its way into everyday vocabulary. Its search capability of ‘real time information’ must now have significant appeal to the likes of Google.

UK Primary Pupils to be Switched On?

They say that education should prepare you for the outside world and UK draft education curriculum plans drawn up by Sir Jim Rose, the former Ofsted chief, appointed to overhaul the primary school curriculum, certainly will shake the tree. The plans due to be published next month were leaked by the Guardian and include plans that require children to master Twitter and Wikipedia. They emphasise traditional learning such as phonics, the chronology of history and mental arithmetic, but now include modern media and web-based skills as well as a greater focus on environmental education.

The Guardian claim that the proposals would require, ‘Children to leave primary school familiar with blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter as sources of information and forms of communication. They must gain "fluency" in handwriting and keyboard skills, and learn how to use a spellchecker alongside how to spell.’

Irrespective of what the final paper says and what gets implemented, there is a clear shift towards new media and communications skills and the obvious questions will be raised about basics and dumbing-down.

Its amazing that technologies that are under ten years old are accepted as basic building blocks for children who themselves may only be a little older than the tools they are grappling with and whose parents may not be conversant with.

The other certainty is that we will be educating a generation to express themselves creatively very differently from those before them. This is not just a shift in how people read and consume media but how they create and express themselves and this will certainly change what we know as content moving forward.

Google Twittering ?

Just when you thought the world of acquisitions was slowing down we read today an interesting column in eCommerce Times titled ‘Will Twitter Be Google's Next YouTube?’
So when we have a company such as Google sitting on a war chest of some $15 billion the immediate question is not is not will they, but who? Apparently the speculation became rife earlier this week that Google is about to acquire Twitter. This was met by denial from CEO Eric Schmidt. Some point to a similar position they took proir to their acquisition of YouTube some two years ago.

So what is fueling the speculation? When questioned by Cnet Schmidt's replied he "shouldn't" discuss specific deals and that Google was "unlikely" to buy anything in the "short term."

So what would Twitter offer Google? Twitter is about now search in real time to what people are thinking about on any given topic. This would be complimentary mixing depth of Google’s indexed search with what’s on people’s thoughts now and then add in YouTube and there is one significant entity. We should remember that Facebook is now also updating its newsfeeds in real time so presenting a different threat from what is fast becoming a social Gorrilla.