Twitter is becoming a Powerful Tool for Political Communications

Twitter, which was created by a 10-person startup in San Francisco called Obvious, is a heady mixture of messaging, social networking, "microblogging" and something called "presence," shorthand for the idea that people should enjoy an "always on" virtual omnipresence.

Twitter's rapid growth made it the object of intense interest and a fair amount of ridicule, as it was derided as high-tech trivia or the latest in time-wasting devices. But its use in Iran in the wake of the disputed presidential election of June 2009 to organize protests and disseminate information in the face of a news media crackdown brought it new respect.

"Twitterers" or "tweeters" send and receive short messages, called "tweets," on Twitter's Web site, with instant messaging software, or with mobile phones.

When a user is logged in through the Web or a cellphone, it asks one simple question, "What are you doing?" Users answer in 140 characters or fewer. While some of these tweets have the profundity of haiku, most are mundane, like "Sure is pretty out tonight" or "My eyes itch. I am very aggravated."

Unlike most text messages, tweets are routed among networks of friends. Strangers, called "followers," can also choose to receive the tweets of people they find interesting.

In April 2010, Twitter rolled out a much-anticipated plan for making money from advertising, finally answering the question of how the company expects to turn its exponential growth into revenue.

The advertising program, which Twitter calls Promoted Tweets, will show up when Twitter users search for keywords that the advertisers have bought to link to their ads. Later, Twitter plans to show promoted posts in the stream of Twitter posts, based on how relevant they might be to a particular user.

In its short history, Twitter has become an important marketing tool for celebrities, politicians and businesses, promising a level of intimacy never before approached online, as well as giving the public the ability to speak directly to people and institutions once comfortably on a pedestal.

But someone has to do all that writing, even if each entry is barely a sentence long. In many cases, celebrities and their handlers have turned to outside writers - ghost Twitterers, who keep fans updated on the latest twists and turns, often in the star's own voice.

It is not only celebrities who are forced to look to a team to produce real-time commentary on daily activities, but also politicians like Ron Paul, who have assigned staff members to create Twitter posts and Facebook personas. Barack Obama's presidential campaign used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

In 2009, people in Iran and Moldova created their own searchable tags on Twitter to organize protests against their governments and share information with each other and the world. In April, Moldovans used the network to rally more than 10,000 young people against their country's Communist leadership. And in June, Iranian opposition supporters angry over presidential election results used Twitter and other forms of new media to share news on rallies, police crackdowns on protesters, and analysis.

With the authorities blocking text-messaging on cellphones, Twitter has become a handy alternative for information-hungry Iranians. While Iran has also tried to block Twitter posts, Iranians are skilled at using proxy sites or other methods to circumvent the official barriers.

In a notable moment during the Iranian protests, State Department official e-mailed Twitter to request a delay in scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran.

Twitter complied with the request and briefly postponed its upgrade. The episode demonstrated the extent to which the Obama administration views social networking as a new diplomatic tool. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talks regularly about the power of e-diplomacy, particularly in places where the mass media are repressed. (source: The NY Times)

Android is gaining Users faster than expected. It may overtake Symbian soon

I suppose that it's just as well that Apple's Steve Jobs is used to being at the bottom in terms of market share, because it's about to happen again. According to Gartner research it will happen by the end of 2010, when the Android mobile OS will have surpassed both Apple's iOS and Research In Motion's BlackBerry operating system to reach second place behind only Symbian. By 2014, according to the report, Android and Symbian will be approximately equal in market share.

Interestingly, this growth to parity with Symbian is happening about two years sooner than Gartner had predicted in 2009. What's happened, of course, is that Android has been adopted by a wide variety of manufacturers this year, and it's selling a lot of those devices at prices far lower than Apple sets for the iPhone. In the United States, where Nokia's presence is relatively low, Android is expected to reach the top spot by the end of 2010. (source; eWeek)

There are many reasons for the explosive growth of Android phones. In the United States, there are a lot of users who can't use the sole iPhone carrier, AT&T, and a lot who could but don't want to, either because they're happy with whatever company provides their wireless service now or because AT&T's service has gotten a poor reputation due to problems with iPhone service.

Android phones, on the other hand, are available from every carrier in the United States, and they're made by nearly every company that builds smartphones.

This wide range of choices means that you don't have to do things Apple's way if you don't want to. And you don't have to use your smartphone in any particular way because of the number of form factors and interfaces available for Android devices. Giving users a range of choices has always worked well, and it works even better when that range of choices is also less expensive than the alternative.

Apple is trying to combat the market-share erosion caused by Android devices by letting other carriers sell the iPhone. In the United States, it appears that T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless will be getting the iPhone in the near future. However, the chance of Apple actually pulling off an Android upset is remote. The iPhone is too expensive for many buyers who are looking for a phone that's smart enough, but still affordable. Android can offer that, while Apple has been going after the high end of the market and that isn't going to change.

It's the long run that's the most interesting, however. Just as Gartner missed the mark on Android growth last year, it's very likely the predictions are also too conservative this year. The reason lies in the nature of the Symbian market and Nokia's smartphones. Symbian has a large market share due to a preponderance of legacy devices, legacy here being another term for "old." While much of the world has a much lower level of turnover than happens in the United States and Western Europe, old phones are still going to be replaced when they die or when they fail to meet their users' needs. Nokia, with its aging phone population, faces that turnover much sooner than does the Android world.

So what's going to happen is that a portion of those old Nokia phones are going to be replaced with Android devices, while a much smaller portion of Android devices will be replaced with Symbian phones. Nokia's market share will sink while Android's market share grows. I think the crossing point will happen sooner than predicted in 2014 and could happen as soon as the end of 2012.

At that point, Android devices will be tops in market share globally, not just in the United States. Nokia's share will continue to erode, as will RIM's and Apple's. Unless Apple can find a way to step up its development rate or provide a broader choice in models, it's likely that the popularity of iPhones will decline fairly quickly. RIM will have a similar problem with the BlackBerry, but not to the same extent. RIM has a solid business base that the other makers don't and can't get a part of. But that's not going to keep RIM at the top of the heap, either.

There is, of course, a wild card. Microsoft is getting ready to release its new phone and its new Windows Phone 7 operating system. If the Redmond team can get past the clunky interface and vague models showed in earlier versions of Windows Mobile and the ill-fated Kin line, and if the company can sell those phones at a highly competitive price, then you may see Microsoft gaining significant market share. Right now we don't know what will happen, but remember, one reason Windows has such a huge part of the computer operating system market today is because Microsoft let anybody sell Windows, and machines running it were far cheaper than those running the Mac OS.

If Microsoft does the same thing with phones, then it could be a factor that upsets all of those carefully (or not-so-carefully) thought-out predictions. We'll have to see, but I think Android is still going to come out on top.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media.

Posted on Wed May 6 2009

There are a million ways for businesses to use social media well, and only a handful of ways to do it horribly wrong. So why do companies keep falling into the same traps?

The answer is easy: human nature. And as we all know, humans are constantly beset by malicious temptations.

So as a public service, I've decided to break down the Seven Deadly Sins that make social media go sour. (Click on any one of the tips to learn more.)

1. Lust: Loving your customers is great, but take it slow.

2. Gluttony: Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

3. Greed: It’s hard to shake hands while you’re reaching for someone’s wallet.

4. Sloth: Always avoid the temptation to “set it and forget it.”

5. Wrath: There are a lot of people out there itching for a punch in the nose, but you’re not the one to give it to them.

6. Envy: Don’t be dissuaded by other people “doing it better than you.”

7. Pride: Stay humble, rock star.

If you're a glutton for insight, read on after the jump.

1. Lust: Loving your customers is great, but take it slow. In the ribald days of 2006, a business would sign up on MySpace and then start “friending” everyone with a pulse. These days, lusting after fans like that will get you labeled as desperate — or even as a spammer. So keep it in your pants and truly get to know the first people who connect with your brand. In return, they might just love you for life.

2. Gluttony: Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Once companies decide to take a seat at the social media table, they often dig in with gusto. The downside: They want to be everywhere at once, spreading themselves across the Web instead of being strategic and focused. You don’t need accounts on all social networks — just the right ones.

3. Greed: It’s hard to shake hands while you’re reaching for someone’s wallet. We’d all like to make money through social media, and if your business is strong, it’ll happen. But if all you do on your Twitter feed or Facebook page is spout off sales messages, no one’s going to stick around. Be yourself. Be helpful. Be a good listener. Then the money will come to you.

4. Sloth: Always avoid the temptation to “set it and forget it.” Starting a blog or creating a presence on a social network? That’s easy. Keeping it alive and growing? That takes commitment, adaptability and good-old effort. You would never open a storefront, then close shop two weeks later because of low turnout. Go for the long term, and plan accordingly.

5. Wrath: There are a lot of people out there itching for a punch in the nose, but you’re not the one to give it to them. Once you’re active online, you’re bound to get a few critics. Some will offer valuable feedback. Some will shout obscenities. You won’t have a hard time telling the difference, so focus on the ones who deserve a response. And no matter what, never lash out. Your scathing “private” e-mail will probably end up on 100 blogs before breakfast, and the Internet has a long (if not infinite) memory.

6. Envy: Don’t be dissuaded by other people “doing it better than you.” Someone will always have more followers, more blog comments, more write-ups in Wired. Focus on who you are and what your business has to offer, not on what the other guy is doing. And when you must steal an idea (because hey, it happens), find a way to make it so much bigger and better, no one can even recognize the original.

7. Pride: Stay humble, rock star. Successful social media really is easier than you’d think. If you plan ahead, pace yourself and listen more than you talk, you’ll strike a chord with existing customers and potential fans alike. It will open new opportunities and enhance your brand in ways you never imagined. But don’t let it go to your head. There’s always more work to do. (source:thesocialpath.com)

Texas Authority probes Google Search Engine Results Ranking

The Texas attorney general has opened an antitrust investigation into how Google ranks search results, the first United States case to strike at the heart of the company’s main search business.

The issue at hand — referred to as search neutrality — is whether Google manipulates results to thwart competitors and advance its own businesses. Some companies worry that Google has the power to discriminate against them by lowering their listings in search results or charging higher fees for their paid search ads.

“This whole issue of how Google treats these vertical competitors, that’s a big issue now,” said Gary L. Reback, a lawyer at Carr & Ferrell in Palo Alto, Calif., who has advised small companies that have brought antitrust cases against Google.

Google announced the inquiry by the Texas attorney general, Greg Abbott, on Friday after Search Engine Land, an industry blog, reported on it. Lauri Saathoff, a spokeswoman for Mr. Abbott, confirmed the existence of the investigation but declined to give more information because the review was not complete.

Don Harrison, Google’s deputy general counsel, wrote in a company blog post that Google’s responsibility is to its users, not to Web sites, and that the company’s priority was to “provide the most useful, relevant search results and ads for users.”

“Given that not every Web site can be at the top of the results, or even appear on the first page of our results, it’s unsurprising that some less relevant, lower-quality Web sites will be unhappy with their ranking,” Mr. Harrison wrote.

In his post, he said the Texas attorney general asked the company for information about a number of companies. It listed three — Foundem, a British shopping comparison site; SourceTool, a business search directory; and myTriggers, which collects shopping links.

Foundem is involved in the European Commission’s antitrust investigation of Google. The other two sites have each brought private suits against Google; a federal judge dismissed SourceTool’s suit this year.

In the blog post, Mr. Harrison also suggested the three companies were connected to Microsoft. He pointed out that Foundem belonged to the Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace, a European group co-founded by Microsoft, and that SourceTool and myTriggers were clients of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, the law firm that represented Microsoft on antitrust issues.

Industry analysts expect Google to continue to attract broader and deeper antitrust scrutiny as it dominates the Web search business and expands into new areas.

“We’ve got an investigation in Europe, and now we’ve got an investigation by one of our biggest state enforcement agencies,” Mr. Reback said. “The next question is, why isn’t the Department of Justice investigating this?”

There may be other companies involved in the Texas investigation, and the Department of Justice is looking at issues of search fairness related to Google’s acquisition of ITA, the flight information company. The company has also faced antitrust inquiries over advertising deals.

Google was contacted by the Texas attorney general in August, said Adam Kovacevich, a Google spokesman on policy issues. (source: The New York Times)