Microblogging, Meet “Megablogging”: Post to WordPress via Twitter
Let’s face it: nobody has the attention span to read more than 140 characters anymore. So WordPress’s latest effort—mobile microblogging cross posting to a regular blog—totally makes sense.
Actually, it’s really not a bad shot. Based on an API interface, you can now cross post Twitter updates (with geotagging) to your WordPress account. And really, if all you have to say fits in 140 characters, that’s pretty cool.
Of course, this also shows that WordPress’s tech team isn’t too worried about Twitter. And honestly, why should they be? Yeah, Twitter is popular and gets a lot of hype, but really, it serves a different purpose than full-sized blogs. Twitter is great for one-on-one, fast conversations (like public IM, I guess), and for interacting. It’s less great for . . . well, anything that takes more than 140 characters, for one.
Interestingly, this capability also lets you read WordPress blogs you’re following—through Twitter. Of course, this uses teasers with links, rather than trying to abbreviate 400-word essays, tutorials or rants into 140 characters.
All you need to do this is a Twitter client with custom API support. The official announcement from Matt Mullenweg includes a walkthrough on setting it up on the mobile client Tweetie 2.
What do you think? Should WordPress be more worried about competition from Twitter, or is it better to go the all-inclusive route?
Google’s Nexus One Phone; Like Shooting Media Fish in a Barrel
Google is the master of creating demand, and it started with a single tweet:
Since then, technology and gadget bloggers have been in a frenzy not seen by me since the iPhone was first announced. I’m not about to get into the many details of Google’s Nexus One phone–I’m going to take a different angle, below–but you can read all about the unlocked Android phone, here, here, and here. Oh, and here’s what it looks like:
So, what’s my take on this?
The media frenzy!
OMG! I don’t know how much Motorola and Verizon spent trying to hype up the launch of the recent Droid phone, but that publicity doesn’t compare to what Google has accomplished over the weekend.
How smart was Google? It handed out free phones to Google employees, either didn’t tell them to keep quiet about it, or actively encouraged the discussions, and let the details slowly leak out. All weekend long, I’ve seen post, after article, after post hit the web. Right about now, everyone that doesn’t own an iPhone is currently drooling over becoming a Google Nexus owner–and there are probably a few iPhone owners feeling the same way too!
Perhaps Google has realized that it’s just not that good at artificially creating excitement with its own advertising. The company became the world’s #1 search engine via word of mouth. Could it own the world’s #1 cell phone the same way?
Ahhhhh To Be Young and Mobile
It appears that it is finally safe to say that if mobile hasn’t completely arrived it is certainly in the room and recognized for its potential. Should we declare 2010 as the ‘Year of Mobile’? Sure, why not. There will be others and honestly it means nothing to hype it. Let’s look at what’s actually going on at street level.
Over at the ZDNet’s Between the Lines blog, Larry Dignan tells us about a survey from the Bernstein Research’s Jeffrey Lindsay did some research among 360 smartphone users that follows up some initial research he did in the mobile advertising space. Here is some of the information that you may find interesting
- 67 percent of respondents said that smartphones increased their Internet usage for personal use and 45 percent said work related usage rose.
- 95 percent of users use the same search engine for the PC and mobile.
- 37 percent of respondents say they are clicking on more paid search links and seeing more display adds. Users 18 to 34 found mobile ads to be more relevant than their PC counterparts. Older users panned mobile ads across the board.
As Dignan points out, I agree the major piece of data to be gleaned from this is the fact the younger the mobile user is the more likely they will be responsive to mobile ads. The older users referred to breaks out in this chart below.
I’m not surprised by this and I hope the rest of the industry will take heed. When it comes to mobile there may not be an audience unless your product or service skews young. This is likely to change over time but for now it’s the younger set that will allow mobile and advertising to be used as a phrase while others think that the separation of the two is the better way to go.
Why I’m NOT Drinking The “Real-time Local Search” Kool-Aid
I’m hearing more and more about “Real-Time Local Search” – that phrase is popping up everywhere; but I’m just not buying the hype that positions it as some amazing new essence that businesses and consumers must embrace… sorry.
I acknowledge that it’s useful to have a label to refer to this concept, but is it revolutionary? [...]
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Are Social Media Users Just Technologically Advanced Coupon Clippers?
Ok, let’s get everything out on the table before we really get going here. Social media helps brand build a following of people who believe in the brand. It creates little armies of brand zealots that do all the promotion for you on a grassroots level. It is the next level of the evolution of the online commerce experience because Internet users are so savvy that they will understand that to experience a brand is to live the brand is to make the Earth safe for the rest of us mere mortals! Oooops. Sorry. I got a little caught up in the hype of social media.
Now for the reality check? Social media users like deals. Sure they may ‘engage’ with a brand a little more but they are really just looking for a deal. A coupon. A discount. Not brand nirvana.
At least that’s what a study from Razorfish as reported by MediaPost is telling us.
Much has been made of the ability of social media to help brands connect with consumers in new and deeper ways — to establish a “dialogue” with users through various interactive tools that blend seamlessly into their online activities.
But a new study suggests the key to engagement on social properties comes down to old-fashioned direct marketing techniques like offering discounts and special promotions. “Based on our research, it’s not so much about some type of ’shared passion’ for a brand’s values. Largely, it’s about deals — pure and simple,” states the 2009 FEED report from Razorfish examining consumers’ digital habits and attitudes.
What the ……?! Are you trying to tell me that when I put my head down on my pillow at night I really am not smiling about how much Dell, Zappos and Rackspace care for me on a deeper than e-commerce level? You mean it’s because I am just using them for their discounts? I feel so cheap.
Makes sense though. Maybe we need to take a step back on this whole social media deal and understand what is really going on. Sure there are levels of engagement that could not be experienced by brands or their users until the Facebook’s and Twitter’s of the world came along. What we need to be careful of is forgetting that human behavior doesn’t just change on a dime. In fact, I would posit that this is going to be how the VAST majority of people embrace social media for the foreseeable future. Not because they want to engage with a brand but because they want the brand they like for less cash.
Some other quick findings included
Of those who follow a brand on Twitter, for example, 44% said access to exclusive deals is the main reason. And on Facebook and MySpace, 37% cited special deals as the main reason they have “friended” a brand. The report points to companies such as Starbucks, which has amassed nearly 5 million fans and soared to the top of Facebook brand pages by offering coupons for free pastries and ice cream.
Razorfish identified customer service as the other key driver of consumer interaction in social media, with 33% friending a brand on Facebook and MySpace for that purpose, and 24% on Twitter. Companies such as Comcast, Zappos and Virgin have all gotten high marks for using the latter as a customer relations management (CRM) tool.
Now, this is where you create the brand zealots. When you solve their problems using social media then you are on to something. To think, though, that social media is selling more product because of the buying experience is a bit much when you are talking about the masses.
So for all of you who are seething at my position that the ‘feel good’ side of branding with social media is over-hyped please make your case with your comments. Meanwhile I am off to Dunkin’ Donuts for a discounted dozen beauties followed up by a dollar off cup of something from somewhere.
Google Paid $1 Billion Too Much for YouTube? What Will It Pay for Twitter?
The big news this morning is a CNET report quoting Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s admission that he paid around $1 billion too much for YouTube.
Here’s an extract from Schmidt’s deposition in the ongoing Viacom suit:
Schmidt: I believe YouTube was worth somewhere around $600 million to $700 million.
(Viacom Attorney) Baskin: And you communicated that to the board?
Schmidt: I did.
Baskin: What methodology did you use to come up with that number?
Schmidt: My judgment.
Baskin: Was it based on cash flow analysis? Comparable companies? What were you using as the basis for your judgment?
Schmidt: It’s just my judgment. I’ve been doing this a long time.
Baskin: So you orally communicated to your board during the course of the board meeting that you thought a more correct valuation for YouTube was $600 million to $700 million; is that what you said, sir?
Schmidt: Again, to help you along, I believe that they were worth $600 million to $700 million.
Baskin: And am I correct that you were asking your board to approve an acquisition price of $1.65 billion; correct?
Schmidt: I did.
Baskin: I’m not very good at math, but I think that would be $1 billion or so more than you thought the company was, in fact, worth.
Schmidt: That is correct.
Is anyone really shocked by this? Did the jaw of any Pilgrim not drop when the purchase price was originally revealed? I mean, Google paid $1.65 billion for a company that had no discernable revenue. It paid that price based Schmidt’s "judgment."
It paid based on hype.
Which leads us to Twitter. And you thought you’d get to read at least one post without mention of Twitter. 
You see, Twitter is the modern-day YouTube. It has all the hype and none of the revenues. If you removed hype from the math, Twitter is worth a couple hundred million. Throw hype and momentum back into the mix and Twitter is easily worth more than what Google paid for YouTube.
All Twitter needs to do is create a rumor that one of the big tech companies–Microsoft for example–is sniffing around. That’s what caused Schmidt to abandon logic:
And they had indicated to us that they would be sold, and we believed that there would be a competing offer–because of who Google was–paying much more than they were worth.
Sometimes you buy a company based on what it would be worth if your biggest rival got its hands on it. To Google, that was worth the extra $1 billion. Now we just need to see how badly someone wants to get their hands on Twitter!
CMO Summit Thoughts
For the past day and a half I have been able to listen to some of the leaders in the world of marketing discuss the trials and tribulations of marketing’s corner office dwellers: CMO’s. As I discussed yesterday there are plenty of specifics from these marketing leaders and I will likely be talking about some of the details in the near future.
For now though I think it may be good to just give some general impressions regarding the “State of the Marketing Union”. Honestly, it’s not much different than the rest of the world in that the dizzying pace of ‘progress’ causes a variety of reactions ranging from fear (not directly admitted by anyone at the conference but talked about in general) to wide-eyed enthusiasm. To a large degree the type of industry certainly plays a large part in how a marketer tackles the whole marketing enchilada of traditional channels, online strategies, social media engagement, measurement and about a thousand other things. It’s because of the sheer breadth of areas needing to be covered that the best of breed of these folks come to the conclusion that despite the hype, not all companies are cut out for all marketing activities. The smart ones know when and where to say no.
A common trait that is obvious as well is the energy level and the enthusiasm of the best executive level marketers. Despite all the technology and all the rules that must be followed (or at least considered before they are broken) there is no substitute for passion. Marketing is about numbers for sure. It needs to be sliced and diced and rearranged so it makes sense and performs well. We get that.
From what I could tell, though, is that really good marketing is more about passion than anything else. It’s hard not to get excited about someone’s product when they have an infectious enthusiasm about it themselves. People like Mike Indursky of Burt’s Bees, Steve Wilder of Intuit and Michael Williams of the San Francisco 49er’s are more salesman than marketer. I mean that in the best possible way though. They don’t come across as ‘pitchmen’ but more like advocates. They truly believe that if you, the consumer, engages in their brand experience then you will have a better day because of it. They make you very curious about what they represent and people are likely to at least give their stuff a try based on the their belief in their product.
So what is the secret sauce of effective marketing in a world that has been turned upside down by information overload? It’s no different than what makes a good relationship a good relationship. It’s about genuine, sincere and transparent communication and letting someone make a decision on their terms. A decision that is usually pretty personal and quite unique. It’s not a decision that is made because you are a male between the ages of 25-39. Nope, it’s quite the opposite. Very few people will respond exactly the same just because of age and gender. They react the way they do because they are an individual. That’s what makes marketing both frustrating and exciting in the same breath. The more we learn the less we know for sure. People are complex and so are their buying habits and the new media opportunities are simply exposing people as the complex folks that they are. Marketers are now tasked with figuring that out and showing an ROI in the process. Oh and the expectation is that it needs to be done yesterday.
Mike Indursky put it pretty succinctly in his description of the old favorite of marketers; the bell curve. You know the scenario. There are 10% of your customers that love you to death and another 10% that would rather see you dead. The middle 80% or so exhibit inconsistency at best and indifference at worse. Indursky’s thought is as a marketer you want to create a U curve where the majority of people have made a decision either way on your product and are convinced by their experience, not your manipulation, that they love or hate you.
So there you go. It’s about passion and it’s about knowing. If you find yourself in marketing’s no man’s land of not being sure then maybe that’s why most CMO’s offices are equipped with revolving doors rather than wooden ones.
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Size Matters: Shorter is Better
In a world of 140 characters, URLs are a thing of the past. As Twitter has grown and gained in hype popularity, the URL shorteners have seen a similar rise—but the sprint for shortest URL may actually be over.
Back in May, Twitter abandoned its default support of TinyURL, a URL shortener that reduced URLs to 25 characters. Twitter moved to bit.ly, saving its users 6 characters to create 19-character URLs. (Yes, now you can add ROTFL with impunity.)
Now bit.ly is announcing an even shorter URL shortener: j.mp. J.mp will use all of the same tools that bit.ly has, but without all those extra characters. That’s right, now your URLs can be shared in just 17 (or 18) characters. Now you can add that extra ! (and/or 1) to give your tweet the oomph it needs.
Yep, in my tests, bit.ly could produce a string of five characters for its short URLs, and j.mp sometimes produced a string of six characters, thus negating half of its advantage.
Now, is it just me, or if you’re really trying to conserve characters, wouldn’t you make sure that the random string generated is as short as possible?
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MySpace Lags Behind Twitter in UK
Twitter, media sweetheart and microblogging service extraordinaire, has another coup to add to its list: they’ve now beat out MySpace in terms of most visits in the UK.
Remember MySpace? The overhyped media sweetheart before Twitter and Facebook? Hitwise UK reports that Twitter is now the 27th most visited website in the UK. This is a complete, stunning, and utter defeat to MySpace, coming in at a distant 28th 
. However, the traffic trends over time look pretty alarming:
However, Twitter is not the most popular social site in the UK. That honor belongs to the reigning champ, Facebook. YouTube was #2, Bebo came in at #3, and then Twitter and MySpace.
Meanwhile, Twitter may already be on the decline as far as media coverage goes. (Then again, being featured on 60 Minutes—heck, having 60 Minutes as a member—is probably a sign you’ve jumped the hype shark.)
What do you think? How long until Twitter takes out Bebo, YouTube and Facebook? Or will its limited utility limit its growth (someday)?
Twitter Works to Improve Location ID Service
According to a post on the Twitter blog there is some new activity around location capabilities of the service. At this point, the location information offered within the Twitter tool itself and the data that is supplied through an API, is spotty at best. Anytime you leave the data generation duties to the end user you have to expect that there may be some ‘inconsistencies’ and just plain bad data. While this does not happen across the board the risk does exist for a real GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) scenario.
Never fear, though, Biz is here! If you have any angst or concerns about Twitter not moving forward or living up to its hype, co-founder Biz Stone will fill you in on the Twitter blog. When Biz speaks, tweeters listen. Here’s some of what he had to say about new efforts underway to make the location options of Twitter better.
We’re gearing up to launch a new feature which makes Twitter truly location-aware. A new API will allow developers to add latitude and longitude to any tweet. Folks will need to activate this new feature by choice because it will be off by default and the exact location data won’t be stored for an extended period of time. However, if people do opt-in to sharing location on a tweet-by-tweet basis, compelling context will be added to each burst of information.
Stone goes on to give examples of being able to see tweets of those you don’t follow at events (i.e. concerts and other live events). He then goes to the other extreme of an earthquake but I suppose that’s the Bay area centric side of how Biz views the world.
The early versions of this service will not be seen on the Twitter site. Developers are being given the access to the data first so they can continue to build the tools that is helping Twitter spread via mobile apps etc.
I guess it depends on how you feel about being tracked by having your location pinpointed with the Internet’s version of cross-hairs: the crossing of lines of latitude and longitude. Smart move, by the way, to emphasize the opt in nature of this new option. The last thing any business needs these days is the appearance that they are tracking your every move. We’ll leave that to the government and Google.
