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The Real Life Social Network: Google, Online Relationships & Influence

The future of the Web is social. What does that mean? Google is trying to figure it out.

The company's previous attempts to corner the social Web, like Google Wave and Buzz, fizzled or failed to sustain much, well, buzz.

But the company is making waves online with a new 216-page slide show that tries to explain how we interact online and how we use those interactions to make purchasing and reading decisions.

It's a long, fascinating document, notable more for its clarity of thought than for any mind-blowing insights.

via www.theatlantic.com

 

The Real Life Social Network v2

View more documents from Paul Adams.

 

Trend Watch: Social Media in the UK 2010 [Video]

This is a little video produced by Ireland-based PR firm Simply Zesty that explores the state of social media in the UK.

The video includes some interesting social media stats and other demographic information, including: 85% percent of the UK population is online and they spend over 6 hours on social media sites every month, nearly 60% of them read blogs and 64% have their own profile on a social network.

Trend Watch: Is Starling the Future of Social TV?

Let's face it. The shift away from traditional broadcast media isn't the only signal that television is going social. Consider the changes in content development and distribution, audience measurement models and advertising.

Consumers can expect more interactivity, personalization and portability as audiences increasingly consume TV entertainment on devices other than the idiot box in their living room. The implication of these changes is so strong that its time to begin considering the future of TV.

As more and more people get iPads and other devices that allow them to sit on the couch and socialize with friends during their favorite TV shows.

In this video Kevin Slavin, president of Starling, talks about how they are enabling social TV and how they expect this trend to impact both consumers and traditional broadcast TV/media companies.

Study Reveals Shift As Social Networks Become “Social Entertainment”

Research released last week by Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, shows that consumers believe social networks provide a higher value experience compared with other forms of entertainment.

Edelman’s annual Trust in the Entertainment Industry survey, now in its fourth year, also reveals that the Internet, as a source of entertainment, is second only to television.Edelman’s fourth annual Trust in the Entertainment Industry

The survey of 1,000 18-54 year olds in the United States and United Kingdom analyzes the issues that influence consumer trust in entertainment companies.

Key findings

• Study reveals consumers in UK and US recognize social networks as entertainment

• Seventy-three percent of 18-24 year olds in the US and 61 percent in the UK see social networks as a form of entertainment.

• Fifty percent (US) and 56 percent (UK) of respondents aged 35-49 also consider social networking sites as a form of entertainment.

Internet & TV

• In the US, the rise of the internet as a frequent source of entertainment is most dramatic in the 18-34 group, rising from 27 percent in 2009 to 42 percent in 2010.

• In the US, 32 percent of 18-54 year olds look most frequently to the web for entertainment (compared with 58 percent watching TV). 

• The internet also ranked second in the UK, with 30 percent turning to the web most frequently, compared with 57 percent watching TV.

• Internet is second only to TV as a frequent “source of entertainment.”

Freedom of Content

• In the 2008 study, free content was the dominant issue.  This year’s study shows it is the ability to access content across devices, not cost, that is of significance to consumers.

• 65 percent of US respondents think it is important that they are able to access their entertainment on a number of different devices.
• 59 percent of UK respondents think it is important that they are able to access their entertainment on a number of different devices.
• 58 percent (US) and 53 percent (UK) of consumers state they would be willing to pay for content if they were able to move it across devices.

Spending

• Spending on entertainment continues to stay strong according to this year’s results.

• On average, US respondents spend $47 per month on entertainment content.
• On average, UK respondents spend £25 per month on entertainment content.
• 83 percent of US and 76 percent of UK consumers state that ease of purchase influences their decision to pay for content.
• In the UK consumers who think social networking is a form of entertainment are more likely to have spent more money on entertainment in the last year.

Impact on Trust

• Those that state that they trust entertainment companies are also more willing to pay for content.
• Quality  (65 percent US and 58 percent UK) and Pricing (65 percent US and 58 percent  UK) have the most impact on consumer trust.
• 32 percent of UK consumers and 28 percent of US consumers trust entertainment companies.

Related: Trend Watch | Google, Sony & Intel to Launch Google TV

Weekly Wrap: NBC's Social TV, Blocking Bieber, Will.I.Am on the Music Industry, Google TV Roundup, Facebook's Influence on Girls, Age of Curation, Aussie Gen Z's & More!

NBC Turns Television into a Social Media Game: The endeavor is a network-wide initiative designed to leverage the presence of show fans on social networks and incentivize them with points for engaging with content — i.e. watching videos on NBC.com, Liking shows, chatting and recruiting friends.

Points can be redeemed for goodies like NBC merchandise, show previews, virtual goods, badges and sweepstakes entries. [Mashable] 

Creating a Content Driven Community: When you create a content-driven community, don't forget to set measurable goals, establish meaningful benchmarks, evaluate results, and document what moves the needle for the business. Every business already has an organic community: its employees, partners, and, depending on its degree of involvement, its customers. [Conversation Agent]

Will.I.Am: "The Music Industry is Gone": “The band of the future is not going to be a singer, a guitarist and a bass player. It will be a singer, a guitarist, a bass player and a code writer – the guy who does apps, computer animation. That is a group. It is going to be about self-contained content-providers.” [Harlem Loves]

Google TV Round Up

Guide to Google TV's Ecosystem [TechCrunch] | What We Know So Far About Google TV [Search Engine Land]| Google TV Has Arrived [Mashable] | Here's What Google TV Looks Like [BI] | Google TV Explained [Logitech]

Overwhelmed? Welcome the Age of Curation: Still don’t believe we live in the Age of Curation, of which the iPad is just a recent manifestation? Go save everything you run across to read later using Instapaper, even from your Twitter and newsreader feeds (themselves forms of curation), which you can then read on the functionality-curating iPad and Kindle devices. Related: Trend Watch | Content Computing [Video] [Wired] [Barking Robot]

Study: Facebook Is a Major Influence on Girls: A study of eight to 15-year-olds for National Family Week found 40% of girls identified Facebook as one of the most important things in their lives - compared with 6% of boys.

Parents were found to underestimate the significance of technology. Asked to name the three most important things in their lives, the most popular choices for girls were friends, family and then Facebook and MSN. [BBC]

Connecting with Generation Z: Meet Generation Z, otherwise known as The Naturals. Give them any label you like, but you better make sure your business understands this powerful new generation of consumers that has never known life without the internet. Related: Those Digital Natives? Not So Savvy. [nineMSN] [BarkingRobot]

Why Twitter Radically Reworked Its Trending Topics Algorithm: How to keep Twitter from seeming like "an inane playground for hormonally cracked-out tweens." Related: Blocking Justin Bieber > New Tweetdeck version allows you to block all Justin Bieber related Tweets. [AdAge] [Mashable]

Trend Watch: Google, Sony & Intel to Launch 'Google TV'

Google will make an ambitious bid to extend its reach into the living room when it debuts its Internet television software this week.

Through a joint initiative with Sony, Intel and other prominent technology and consumer electronics companies, the Web search giant is expected to showcase technology that TV viewers can use to flip seamlessly among familiar shows, YouTube videos and home videos on their sets.

The new software, called Smart TV Google TV, will allow TV viewers to flip seamlessly among television programming, YouTube videos and home videos. The new television platform is expected to be built into Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. (via LA Times)

Update: Google TV Roundup

Guide to Google TV's Ecosystem [TechCrunch] | What We Know So Far About Google TV [Search Engine Land]| Google TV Has Arrived [Mashable] | Here's What Google TV Looks Like [BI] | Google TV Explained [Logitech]

2010 Social Media Matters Report: Majority of Top Media Destinations Are Social

According to research conducted by BlogHer and iVillage “2010 Social Media Matters Study,” co-sponsored by The Nielsen Company and Ketchum, social sites are now a frequent destination for nearly three-quarters of Internet users.

Social Media Matters 2010

Respondents’ top daily media activities were social as well. Watching television is still on top, but Facebook was the next most common media destination visited every day.

The study found similar rates of usage among men and women, and pegged the percentage of weekly social media users at 73% of the online population.

via www.emarketer.com

Here are some of the other key findings in the 2010 Social Media Matters Study:

• Blogs trail only search engines as the preferred media source for product-purchasing information for BlogHer users.

• Among BlogHer users, 96 percent read blogs weekly or more often.

• BlogHer users are more active than average women across the board on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.

• As for iVillage users, message boards and forums were second only to conversations with friends and family as the preferred source of product-purchasing information.

• 73 percent of respondents from the iVillage community said they share topics on message boards and forums that they would not share on social networks. Of those, relationships (61 percent), health (45 percent), and work-related issues (39 percent) were the top topics they would not share on social networks.

• 31% higher than the total online population for Gen X generation

• 3.6 percent of iVillage community members post on message boards or forums every day.

Related: Millennials, Men Watch Most Online TV

Report: 79% of Viewers Interested in Interactive TV Programming & Advertising

Ensequence, a provider of interactive TV services, announced the results of their March 2010 poll of more than 2,000 U.S. adults.

Their research, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that 45% of TV viewers said they would "likely consider" changing from their cable, satellite or telco service if another provider offered interactive TV with their favorite shows.

Here are some of the key highlights from the report:

Interactive Programming

• 55% of drama viewers want to interact (up 5pp from 2007), and 30% of drama viewers would like to set recordings and reminders for upcoming episodes.

• 74% of reality viewers want to interact and 55% of reality show viewers would vote for contestants.

• 70% of sports viewers would like to interact while watching a sporting event (up 5pp from 2007), and 40% of sports viewers would like to get scores, news and information from other live games and matches.

• 17% of television subscribers would definitely or probably switch service providers to get interactive features.

  Interactive Advertising

• 73% of viewers would like to interact with TV commercials for a product they are interested in using their remote control.

• 58% of viewers would request free samples (up 9pp from 2007).

• 43% of viewers would locate a local retailer who carries the product (up 2pp from 2007).

  T-commerce

• 45% of viewers who subscribe to a paid television service are at least somewhat likely to purchase a product from a 30 or 60-second spot.

• 37% of viewers who subscribe to a paid television service are at least somewhat likely to purchase a product they are interested in during a show that they are watching.

Related: Gen Y Wants TV to Get More Social

Twitter Research: U.S. Demographics, Community Behaviors & Media Usage Stats

Twitter Usage In America 2010 is a new report derived from the Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Series. This study presents three years of tracking data from a nationally representative telephone survey (via landline and mobile phone) of 1,753 Americans, and was conducted in February 2010.

The report details new data on the awareness and usage of Twitter, along with user demographics, status updating behaviors, brand following activity and even an early look at location-based social networking.

Twitter Usage in America 2010

Highlights of the study include:

• Awareness of Twitter has exploded from 5% of Americans 12+ in 2008 to 87% in 2010 (by comparison, Facebook's awareness is 88%;

• Despite equal awareness, Twitter trails Facebook significantly in usage: 7% of Americans (17 million persons) actively use Twitter, while 41% maintain a profile page on Facebook;

• Nearly two-thirds of active Twitter users access social networking sites using a mobile phone;

• Twitter is a natural "companion medium" to other media channels--in particular to live TV. This trend also dovetails with the rise in multi-platform media consumption and consumer interest in simultaneously watching TV and engaging in real time communication via Twitter or using social tv iPhone/iPad apps like tvChatter and/or Miso.

• 51% of active Twitter users follow companies, brands or products on social networks;

• Twitter usage among African-American's hovers around 25%, more than double the percentage of African-Americans in the current US population. This could also be attributed to the fact that minority youth tend to use mobile devices to access the web and therefore are more inclined to participate in mobile social networking activities like Twitter.

Facebook and BBC iPlayer Lead U.K. Online Video Growth

While monthly video viewing in the U.S. may be showing signs of leveling off, the British market is in serious growth mode. As in the U.S. Google's YouTube has the lion's share of that market, with slightly less than half of all videos served. While the market fragments quickly from there, the TV networks are growing rapidly.

The BBC more than doubled its videos viewed last year to come in second place. Each visitor to the broadcaster's site consumes 15.7 videos a month. Before many U.S. networks and Hulu started pouring prime time onto the Web, the BBC was developing its robust iPlayer portal and player.

While the BBC’s video viewing audience tends to be male and spread between the ages of 25 and 54, Channel 4 skews heavily toward the 15-24 year old age group. The site was visited evenly by males and females but women watched five more videos then male viewers on the site during the month.

Facebook is the big up-and-comer in U.K. video, however and clearly the one to watch. The social network saw the number of videos viewed rise 205%, to 42.6 million in February.  

The importance of Facebook to all online businesses, including video, was underscored last week by no less a video maven than Mark Cuban, co-founder of HDNet.

In a post at his blog, Cuban mused that Facebook has become the new Internet, the place we now go to fill time in much the same way we channel surf TV. With its increasing knowledge of users and alternative means of discovering content via social sharing, he sees the network as a challenge to two of the biggest stakeholders in the digital universe.

via www.mediapost.com

Social TV: Relying on Relationships to Rebuild TV Audiences

"The viewership for live television broadcasts has generally been declining for years. But something surprising is happening: events such as the Winter Olympics and the Grammys are drawing more viewers and more buzz.

The rebound is happening at least in part because of new viewing habits: while people watch, they are using smart phones or laptops to swap texts, tweets, and status updates about celebrities, characters, and even commercials."

via www.technologyreview.com

Trend Watch: Daytime Is The Next Frontier For Cable Networks

Cable networks get a lot of credit for ratings gains made against broadcasters. But the one area where they've done little damage to broadcast is daytime. Still, this could soon change.

If cable networks have any current say in this day party, it probably comes from the big news personalities-hosted programs from news channels: Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN. 

In pursuit of this daypart, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network will soon launch. And Martha Stewart is already ramping up a multi-hour programming block on Hallmark Channel.

Cable daytime is starting to show some solid support from advertisers as well. According to the Wall Street Journal, major daytime advertiser Procter & Gamble has followed Oprah Winfrey to her new cable network, becoming a multi-year sponsor.

Ratings are still generally higher for daytime TV shows on broadcast stations versus that of cable. But the distance between the two TV platforms looks to be getting closer.

via www.mediapost.com

(Sorta) Related: Razorfish Digital Mom Report

Nielsen: TV Viewer Loss Blamed On Video Games

Television's prime time is video games' prime time.

Television viewer erosion is the result of a fractionalized viewership -- which is due, in large part, to cable viewing and Internet usage. But a lot of video game usage is also contributing, especially in the evening hours between 7 and 11 p.m.

A new study by the Nielsen Games measuring division says Xbox 360 usage, for example, hits nearly 25% between 7 and 11 p.m, with men around 23% and women's usage at around 17%.

Xbox 360 users are comprised of 45% 18- to-34-year-olds, 31% 12- to-17-year-olds, 13% 2- to-11-year-olds, 7% 35- to-44-year-olds and 3% 45- to-54-year-olds.

via www.mediapost.com

(Sorta) Related: Google Adds TV Episode Search

Trend Watch: How TV Viewing Became a Social Experience

Do you ever watch television and surf the net at the same time?

If you do, you might already be sharing your thoughts about TV programmes on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Social TV, where people exchange opinions about the content they are watching, is a fast-growing trend.

After nearly 75 years of television sets being at the heart of the living room, the focus is shifting away from the box to take in other technology in the home.

Now anyone with a web connection, a computer and access to the same TV channels can share comments live during a broadcast.

via news.bbc.co.uk

Related: TV Chatter iPhone App Helps TV Get Social

Report: Millennials, Men Watch Most Online TV

The advantages of watching television shows online are straightforward. When comScore asked cross-platform TV viewers in December 2009 which factors would make them choose to watch online, being able to watch wherever and whenever they wanted, as well as to pause and play shows at will, were the top reasons.

But the “overall viewing experience” still tilted in television’s favor, and younger adults remain the most likely group to watch TV shows on the Web.

According to consumer electronics site Retrevo’s “Gadgetology Report,” 23% of Internet users under 25 watched “most” of their TV on the Internet, compared with 8% of all online adults. Under-25s were also less than one-half as likely to say they watched no TV on the Web.

comScore reported that 54% of cross-platform viewers overall were under 35, compared with just 30% of those who only watched traditional television.

Retrevo found that like young adults, men came in ahead in terms of watching most or all of their TV online. They were nearly twice as likely as women to say they did so.

 via www.emarketer.com