Spheres of Influence » Content

Google + Like Facebook for Grownups?

Pamela — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:01:00 +0000

So I've received one of the coveted early invites to join Google+, the search behemoth's full force foray into social media. Does it live up to the hype? Some have described it as Facebook for Grownups. Others say it's fun but "empty" due to the current dearth of users, due in equal measures to the current invite-only membership as well as the fact that Facebook currently holds so many users who may not want to add yet another social media site to their daily roster. After my brief examination of the site and its features - because, to the emptiness point, I currently have only 4 friends - I think both assessments carry some weight. As someone who is a bit of a Facebook junkie, I can actually see myself migrating to Google+ over time - provided that more of the people I want to connect with do, as well.

Virgin Partners with Google to Offer Chromebook on Select Flights

Pamela — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:25:46 +0000

Virgin America announced that starting tomorrow and running through September 30 they will offer passengers on select routes the opportunity to check out a Chromebook laptop for use in-flight. The Chromebook is Google's web-optimized machine, running Google's Chrome OS. The offer is available to passengers traveling from the airline’s hub in San Francisco to Boston, Chicago O’Hare and Dallas.

Report: tablet usage to reach nearly 25% by early 2012

Pamela — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:51:59 +0000

An estimated 12% of the U.S. Internet population, ages 8 - 64, owns or uses a tablet (an estimated 29 million consumers) and that number is expeted to almost double to 23% or 54 million consumers by early 2012 according to "A Portrait of Today's Tablet User" a report by Magid Media Futures Sponsored by the Online Publishers Assocation. The report surveyed 2,482 people between the ages of 8 and 64 between April 15 and April 20, 2011 to determine who tablet users are, how they use tablets, and how they feel about content and advertising on the devices.

The Rise of the Tablet

Pamela — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:48:49 +0000

There's an interesting post over at Fast Company Design about the influx of new tablets coming to market over the past few years. As technology has improved, tablets have become more powerful which has helped them increase not only in utility but in popularity. The key question that author Ryan Coulter posits is how the addition of tablets into a user's current arsenal of smartphone and laptop evolves the role of all three.

Alaska Airlines Replaces Manuals with iPads

Pamela — Tue, 31 May 2011 18:53:44 +0000

Alaska Airlines announced last week that all of the carrier's pilots will be receiving iPads loaded with flight manuals by mid-June. Alaska Airlines is the first major domestic airline to use the iPad this way, replacing up to 25 pounds of paper flight manuals that pilots must have on hand at all times during active duty. The iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds.

MANAGING ALL THAT INFORMATION IN THE UNIVERSE…

Lisa Kagel — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:32:47 +0000

For me, one of the best parts of the web is also one of the most overwhelming aspects of it: how to manage and track all of the information I find. Although I haven’t found an application that extends a 24 hour day into 48 hours – which would go a long way in helping me keep up with everything I want and need to know – I can tell you about some tools that get me 50% of the way there.

What it is: A web based aggregator that pulls together content from all kinds of sites that you can subscribe to and collects them in one customized web page.

OMMA Global 2010…Some Takeaways

Lisa Kagel — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:52:50 +0000

I attended OMMA Global this week, one of the many conferences happening up in NY for Advertising Week. I was able to capture some nuggets of information that made the two days worthwhile. You can find out what other people thought through the twitter stream.

I've been in the interactive space for 16 years (wow that makes me feel old!). What really struck me over the course of the two days is how much more there is to know and how much more specialization there is at this juncture. It's not just about content for the web - it's about optimizing content across PC, Mac, Mobile, HD screens at conferences, etc. It's not just about Social Media - it's about social networks, blogs, micro-blogging, crowdsourcing, bookmarking, video, etc. It's not just about mobile - it's about iPhone, iPad (and iPad wanna-be's), Android, Blackberry, Windows. You get the idea - digital has become a much more layered and complicated industry - and what's amazing is the short amount of time that all of these new areas of expertise have developed.

Digital Trends to Watch in 2010

Lisa Kagel — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:50:50 +0000

From a digital marketing perspective, the landscape continues to evolve. These are some of my picks for issues that I’ll be watching this year. What will you follow in 2010?

Writing for the Web

Adriane Vail — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:47:01 +0000

It would be easy to dive right in and begin talking about how to write for the web—things like keep copy concise and scannable, use bulletpoints, and other pieces of “conventional” wisdom that many of us have heard before. But first, shouldn’t we understand how users read on the web? According to Jakob Nielsen: “On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.”