Continue reading Off-Platform Key to Social Media Survival and Success

Off-Platform Key to Social Media Survival and Success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) has been decent recently about integrating tools outside its own realm into its newer products. Take, for example, Outlook. The most widely-used corporate email client has lost ground in recent years to web-based email alternatives that allow email usage without a locally-installed application.

From looking at the newer Outlook 2010 (which has not been released yet), Microsoft is trying something new: making Outlook a central communication hugs that not only handles corporate email, but integrates such social networking services as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

Continue reading Microsoft Pulls Facebook and MySpace into Outlook

Microsoft Pulls Facebook and MySpace into Outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Social Media Backlash?

Social Media Backlash? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Mark Zuckerberg knew then what he knows now ... Facebook would be more like MySpace, which is now owned by News Corp. (NWS). And, he's willing to admit this in public.

In a six-minute on-stage interview with TechCrunch, Zuckerberg went on at length about the social media platform's privacy settings, which have been the subject of unending debate. He says that he'd make more data public by default if he could start Facebook again. Though Zuckerberg cites Internet trends that indicate a reduced concern with privacy, the real reasons are more likely financial.

Continue reading Facebook Wants to Be MySpace

Facebook Wants to Be MySpace originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Does anyone remember Friendster? For about ten minutes seven years ago, it was the hottest thing in social networking. The site that effectively kicked off the social media movement didn't stay in vogue long, however, eventually riding a wave of user referrals to Asia. Meanwhile, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter came along, taking over the sector -- and the hype that comes with it.

Well, Friendster is worth something to somebody, it seems. The company is due to be sold at the end of the month for $100 million. The social networking service is tops in Asia, which is where more than half of its 100 million-strong user base can be found.

Continue reading Friendster to sell for $100 million

Friendster to sell for $100 million originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who needs venture capital money when you have litigation? Facebook was awarded $711 million in damages Thursday in an anti-spam case against Sanford Wallace, an internet marketer. The popular social networking platform went after Wallace for tapping its users' accounts without their permission and sending fake posts and messages.

Wallace has quite a reputation for spamming, having gained the nicknames "Spam King" and "Spamford" back in the 1990s, when he was good for up to 30 million spam e-mails a day.

Continue reading Facebook picks up $711 million; Spam King faces jail time

Facebook picks up $711 million; Spam King faces jail time originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) makes it easier to search for websites, e-mail messages, passages from books and videos. Where you haven't heard much about Google's search capabilities -- or Google in general -- is the music business.

But, that's about to change. On Wednesday, the search giant announced that it was partnering with music services such as Pandora, Lala, News Corp's (NASDAQ: NWS) MySpace, and Rhapsody by RealNetworks (NASDAQ: RNWK) to help users find, listen to and ultimately buy music on the web.

Continue reading Google wants eardrums, not just eyeballs

Google wants eardrums, not just eyeballs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Rupert Murdoch loves MySpace, but is it paying off?

Rupert Murdoch loves MySpace, but is it paying off? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All that click counting is well and good. And growing page views are an advertisers delight. But how much time are people really spending looking at various web sites?

Jay Meattle at Compete.com has a great breakdown of where people spent most of their time on the web in December 2006. Some of the results are surprising.

Twenty domains account for fully 39% of time spent online. MySpace.com (a division of the News Corporation, NYSE:NWS ) was the big winner, taking a lion's share of 11.9% viewing time (27,999,906,051 minutes) followed by Yahoo! Inc.(NASDAQ:YHOO) with 19,898,123,587 minutes. According to these figures, 11.9% of ALL TIME online was spent at MySpace.com!

The big surprise is Google, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG). It came in only fifth with 2.1% (4,959,635,138 minutes). The figures for YouTube (#12 with 1,327,25, 263 minutes) were separate, but even if you add them together they don't get close to Yahoo.

Also, some sad(to me) appearances in the top 20: Neopets.com at #18, accounting for 0.3% of viewing time with 593,851,415 minutes, and adultfriendfinder .com at #19 for 0.2% of viewing time with 575,584,893 minutes.

Maybe Christmas is a lonelier time for some.

Counting time, not just traffic, on the web originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. to sell MySpace? Who would buy it? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In what I consider to be a brilliant move by Fox, the television network says that will be airing reruns of popular Fox Network television shows online, at MySpace.com, during the upcoming MLB Baseball playoffs.

The playoffs and resultant World Series end-up preempting several prime-time Fox shows during the October and November timeframes, so instead of forcing customers to watch baseball on their television networks, Fox is giving customers a choice of tuning into reruns of popular Fox shows online.

That, for one, is the a defining example of giving customers choice in the digital age that is integrating television broadcasting with Internet distribution. In fact, the space continues to morph more and more, and the only critical piece missing is an easy, very cheap and popular device for transferring content or even a computer screen's signal into the living room television.

Devices such as the upcoming iTV from Apple will do just that, as already many other gadgets being sold by many companies do. But, so far, the cost is more than it should be (get it down to less than $100). It is also unknown if the interfaces and designs on the current products are as well-designed as Apple's iTV will surely be. If you have one of these devices, comment on it -- I would love to hear how it works.

Will other networks follow Fox's lead and play reruns for a segment of their audience during major sporting events? You know, at least for the wives that have no interest in sports playoffs? Well, that statement comes from the numerous commercials that depict ordinary housewives being bored to tears with sports of all kinds -- a typical marketing stereotype, you know. Seriously though, this move by Fox is really a head-turner. If only more television networks controlled an online empire like Fox does with MySpace.com.

Fox to broadcast shows at MySpace during MLB playoffs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Oct 2006 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MySpace video views topple Yahoo, Google and YouTube originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MySpace and Yahoo! battle on the fantasy front originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Sep 2006 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft's deal with Facebook could become hampered originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Rupert Murdoch's News. Corp purchased the incredibly-popular MySpace.com social networking portal, the global media behemoth promised not to distract the founders from what they do best -- provide a great environment for a certain age demographic. They said they would let MySpace continue to be the virtual "mall hangout" for millions.

So far, that has held true, and of course, News Corp. wants to have advertising displayed all over the social website to cash in on those lucrative and captive-audience ad dollars. To that tune, Google signed a rather high-profile deal with MySpace just a few weeks ago worth $900 million to do just that. Off to the races we all go now...

But are there signs of change at MySpace lurking beneath the proverbial covers? Recently, after some worry-filled days and nights, the MySpace laid-back, but intensely-focused, culture was uprooted as its headquarters was moved from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills, where News Corp. was consolidating its Internet properties. Tom Anderson -- co-founder of MySpace -- is now going through regular corporate drills like budget reviews and executive meetings.

MySpace is also about to roll out enhanced photo and video-sharing capabilities that will allow the site to complete with social photo-sharing and tagging communities like Yahoo!'s Flickr and YouTube -- two of the web's most popular sites for sharing photos and videos, respectively. Will MySpace be able to integrate advertising in such a way that it does not overwhelm and scare off its target market of teens and young adults? That remains to be seen. If it can, then Yahoo! and others may need to watch out. The community of the future may not be on Yahoo!'s immensely-popular portal, but on MySpace.

MySpace dances a fine line between independence and meeting financial targets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo's non-conundrum on losing the MySpace.com business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Aug 2006 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wal-Mart becoming a competitor to MySpace? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Jul 2006 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Was Rupert Murdoch placing a large bet when he decided to purchase MySpace.com for $580 million? Sure he was -- but the media baron knew that having an outlet for online advertising and eyeballs was going to be a big business. Yes, the MySpace.com contingent is nothing short of amazing. So amazing, in fact, that MySpace.com became the No. 1 leading web destination in the U.S. just recently, passing such Internet stalwarts like Google and Yahoo!

Keep in mind that MySpace.com is frequented by kids and teens more than anyone -- and Google and Yahoo! are frequented by just about anyone with a web connection. That fact speaks to the heart of the "MySpace generation" -- those who are spending much (if not most) of their leisure and social time online. Are malls and other physical hangouts on the decline? Hard to say -- but MySpace.com and text messaging are changing the social strata of today's kids.

As much as 4.5% of all web visitor traffic was sent to MySpace.com last week, making the social portal the most popular web-based destination in the U.S. Forget all those business trips being booked on Priceline or Hotwire, or all the email being sent at Yahoo! Mail. MySpace.com trumped them all.

With Google receiving so much press lately with the flood of product releases it's had, can it learn from MySpace? It can -- and that lesson is: make a compelling and personalized portal and people will show up. The more customized a web destination is, the more people feel in-tune with what's there instead of a cold, non-personal visit. Information by itself is good, but personal relationships can sometimes be better.

Why MySpace overtook Google as No. 1 U.S. web destination originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The MySpace search advertising dilemma -- who will win out? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 May 2006 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bambi Francisco, a columnist at MarketWatch, has a very interesting piece this week: MySpace-engine.

Despite being the second most trafficked site on the Web, MySpace is still a teenager when it comes to monetization. True, generating $200 million in revenues is no small feat (especially for a company less than three years old). Then again, companies like Google and Yahoo! are sucking-up much of the enormous amounts spent for online advertising.

So, why shouldn't MySpace jump into the search game? One idea would be to purchase a company like LookSmart (Nasdaq: LOOK). The company has made a comeback - and more importantly, has the necessary search infrastructure (which took hundreds of millions to develop over the years). And the market cap is dirt cheap: $95 million. In fact, the company has $44 million in cash and liquid securities.

According to Francisco, about 8.2% of Google's traffic comes from tools on MySpace.com. Interestingly enough, it is the biggest source of traffic for Google. So, it looks like a no brainer for MySpace to have its own search engine.

Actually, this morning, I talked with the CEO of a company called Foldera. It's a Web 2.0 collaborative tool focused on small to medium-sized businesses. His product also pushes lots of traffic to Google. "Why not try to monetize this large amount of corporate traffic?" he told me.

Yes, many online communities are asking themselves this question. And, with the huge amounts of money at stake in the online advertising market, Google will need to deal with fierce competition on all fronts - not just from Yahoo and MSN.

More competition for Google -- a MySpace Search Engine? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 May 2006 00:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.