It was announced and demoed back in March, and now it’s finally here: the Wired Magazine iPad application. When iPad was first announced, many thought that Wired Magazine’s version for the device would be the one to redefine the way we look at magazines. From the looks of it, it doesn’t disappoint: there’s a lot of interactive content (June issue features an interactive map of Mars), as well as slide shows, video and music. It’s also a hefty download: 527 MB is more than enough to store a lot of multimedia content, but you might want to download it over Wi-Fi instead of 3G. The app is available in the App Store for $4.99. For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: App Store , Facebook , Twitter Tags: apple , conde nast , ipad , Wired
Is it Time for the FDA to Chime in on Drug Company Tweets? Xconomy For many of their communication and marketing needs, the challenges posed by Twitter are only beginning to be understood. It's hard to present balanced …
Uit recent onderzoek van videoplatform TubeMogul is gebleken dat microblog Twitter een steeds grotere rol gaat spelen als het gaat om het aanjagen van verkeer naar een video. Het aantal keren dat er vanaf Twitter naar een video wordt verwezen is i……
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OK marketer, put yourself in these shoes (they’re more like boots actually). Your state government is facing massive budget shortfalls. Teachers are being laid off. Draconian cuts to vital public services are being announced left and right. And amid this tumult, you are the one tasked with using your marketing prowess to stave off disaster itself. The above paragraph probably makes you feel better about your own challenges, but think for a second…given the above situation…and very little resources…what would you do? Social media marketing for a social cause At the end of May 2009, the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) found itself in this very position after learning about massive cuts in state funding that threatened to close 220 California state parks. In response, this nonprofit organization quickly launched a multichannel effort with its agency, Adams Hussey & Associates, that included direct mail, telemarketing, email, and social networking. I want to focus on that last part for this blog post. Because what amazed (and impressed) me the most was that CSPF used Facebook to shape the larger conversation about this topic. Before I get to that, let’s look at how CSPF used Facebook. They optimized their existing Facebook fan page to promote awareness, discussion, and (hopefully) attract new activists and members. “Find us on Facebook” language and graphics were featured in every email and all over the site. The “Friend Get a Friend” campaign launched on Tuesday, May 26, on Facebook via an update to 517 fans – “This year’s cuts are ten times as bad, so we need ten times the fans on Facebook.” The update explained to recipients the imminent threat parks were facing and set a deadline and a goal – 5,000 fans by Friday (May 29). The second Facebook update was sent on Monday, June 1 at 12:12 p.m. PST, stressing a 24-hour deadline and asking for fans and petition signatures. The California budget committee was scheduled to meet on June 2, so media coverage was at its height. The Facebook factor shapes the conversation “The California State Parks Foundation, the lead public organization advocating keeping the parks open, had its fan base on Facebook increase from 500 to 33,000 in the past two weeks, reports Jerry Emory of the Foundation.” – Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle , Sunday, June 21, 2009 Now this next part is truly impressive. With just two updates on Facebook (and in all fairness very smart cross-promotion through other channels), CSPF created a proof point for keeping the parks open, helping them meet their “promote awareness” goal. That’s right, the Facebook campaign itself actually entered the public debate. The massive growth of this fan page caught the media’s attention and was mentioned on several TV news spots and in national news articles. They took advantage of a timely and newsworthy story (the California budget cuts were all over the news on- and offline) and created a talking point to meet their communications goals (several news oulets mentioned the Facebook growth as evidence of a grassroots swell). As mentioned in the beginning of this post, raising awareness wasn’t their only goal. So let’s take a look at some of the other success metrics. Those two simple Facebook updates (aided by the cross-channel campaign) have helped raise several hundred thousand dollars in nonmember, one-time gifts. In addition, CSPF more than tripled the size of its email list and acquired many new activists that are being converted to donors online and via the telephone. CSPF is routinely using social media now. A subsequent Facebook and Twitter promotion gained 285 new members in four days, and their Facebook page has now grown to 54,000 fans. Other success metrics were a little harder to meet. While California’s budget that was passed at the end of July 2009 did not close the originally proposed 220 parks, budget cuts forced nearly 150 to partially close or reduce services. What you can learn from this case study Nonprofit organizations are a natural fit for social media campaigns. People (who believe in your cause) want to help, often don’t want to expend much time or money, and want to look good to their friends, family, and social network. A social media campaign lies at the nexus of these three motivations. And, most importantly, it gives your fans an easy way to act. Of course, the benefit isn’t limited to for-profit corporations. To wit, the Pepsi Refresh Project uses social media to leverage those same motivations. And this isn’t just a side project for Pepsi. They made a strategic decision to use a social media activism campaign as their main 2010 marketing push…instead of the Super Bowl. This is the first time in 23 years that Pepsi has not advertising during the Super Bowl. So what can you learn from CSPF? When creating a social media campaign, keep a few important principles in mind: A tight deadline always spurs action online. When supporters can get instant feedback on the effects of their efforts (seeing fan numbers grow) it makes them even more motivated. The best campaigns cross pollinate. CSPF didn’t just use Facebook. It also used direct mail, telemarketing, and email in a tightly integrated fashion, including a custom URL for the Facebook fan page. Even better, add other social networking platforms to the mix, such as Twitter. Be clear. While social media has grown explosively, not everyone you reach will be clear on every convention of every social media platform (which are constantly subject to change). As opposed to showing first-time Facebook fan page visitors the default “Wall” tab (which has no clear call to action), CSPF created a pseudo “New Fan” landing page that included three simple buttons: “Click ‘Become a Fan’ above to join the conversion!” (Please note, as of last month, Facebook replaced its “Become a fan” terminology with the “Like” button) “Join CSPF” “Take Action” Institute back-end tracking on clicks and conversions to determine where supporters are coming from (this is one thing CSPF would do differently next time). Mapping an effective media strategy I found this case study while perusing an early draft of an upcoming book from MarketingSherpa. To read the entire case study, along with ten other case studies from leading companies and 27 real-world examples of what works, order your copy of the soon-to-be released Social Marketing ROAD Map Handbook: A method for mapping an effective social media strategy . If you do so by May 28th, you’ll save $100 and get a free bonus gift. I want to thank Lead Author Sergio Balegno for letting me take an early look at his research, even though he was still editing it as I poked around. And full disclosure: While Sergio and I are not related, MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa are sister companies. Related Resources The MarketingExperiments Quarterly Research Journal, Q1 2010 (Social Media Marketing begins on page 51) Social Media Marketing in Four Steps Facebook and Omniture: A welcome step in social media measurement Please Be My Friend: Taking the first step beyond just being on Facebook Develop Your Social Marketing ROAD Map Strategy
[Startup watch] Het Nederlandse initiatief Fashiolista, een soort Twitter voor mode, is een maand geleden gelanceerd als side project….
Two topics that have been burning up our newsroom lately have been Facebook privacy and Twitter advertising. In the light of public and media scrutiny — and growing user frustration — Facebook has decided to roll out a simplified suite of privacy settings starting tomorrow. The company is also holding a briefing for Congressional staffers to explain what these changes mean and what the new tools will do in a way that both legislators and the citizens they represent can understand. But Mashable founder and CEO Pete Cashmore isn’t certain that Facebook’s current measures will adequately address people’s concerns. More changes to Facebook’s “buttons and levers” might be just another complication for users to navigate. Meanwhile, back at the Twitter ranch, the powers that be made the decision to ban advertisements from third-party apps . The move proved less than popular among most developers, some of whom had built Twitter-based ad networks that were rendered essentially useless with the new ban. Twitter said they wanted to “protect the integrity of the stream;” Cashmore said the truth is that Twitter will be building their own ad network. Have a look at this quick news brief from Cashmore on Bloomberg, and as always, let us know your opinions in the comments. Reviews: Facebook , Twitter Tags: ads , Bloomberg , cashmore , facebook , privacy , twitter
This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here . The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: Quirky Quick Pitch: Quirky is a social product development company founded in June 2009 by 23-year-old entrepreneur Ben Kaufman. Genius Idea: At its core, Quirky builds consumer products. It sells cable organizers , a modular spatula system , and double-sided USB sticks . It’s how they create and develop their products that really makes them stand out, though. Quirky describes itself as a “social product development company.” It essentially crowdsources product ideas and then places them at the mercy of Quirky’s thousands of users. The community votes on which ones they want to develop and then adds its input on things such as product aesthetics, design, logo, and even its name. The best ideas are then taken by Quirky’s team of engineers and designers and turned into 3D renderings. The next step is the most important one: the product is then placed on pre-sale, where anyone can buy the product. However, Quirky will only sell something if it hits a minimum number of sale commitments (usually under a thousand). Once that number is reached, the product is made and person who submitted the original idea gets a piece of the revenue pie. There are a few things to know before you go off designing tons of products for Quirky. First, it costs $99 to submit an idea. Second, even if your product is selected by the community, it doesn’t mean it will become a major hit. Finally, many products on Quirky still have yet to hit their minimum purchase requirement, and some of the products on sale on the site aren’t cheap. In the end though, we believe that Quirky is a killer tool for both entrepreneurs without the means to bring an idea into production and for geeks looking to buy useful — if not odd — products. The best ideas find their way to the top and are vetted by the community, which brings multiple perspectives and opinions to a product’s development. Quirky was founded by Ben Kaufman, who is the creator of Mophie , the popular iPhone and iPod accessory company, so it has some serious brainpower behind the company. You can learn more about the Quirky process here . Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today . Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platform for their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest – use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* ( please see website for official rules and guidelines ).” For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook , PHP , Twitter Tags: bizspark , Crowdsource , Product Design , Quirky , shopping
AT&T is rolling out a stopgap solution to its ongoing service woes in at least one major market: they hope to alleviate data congestion issues by blanketing New York City’s Times Square with free Wi-Fi. Any current AT&T customers with 3G smartphones or mobile broadband cards, or who have AT&T as their high speed Internet provider, will be able to hop on to what is essentially a giant hotspot being installed in the north central area of Times Square. Smartphone users should even automatically be switched over from 3G service and connected to the hotspot when they come within acceptable range. For now it’s just a pilot project, but if all goes well the company has said it will be considering free Wi-Fi implementations in other congested major markets in the U.S. It’s an interesting solution that shows the carrier is more than well aware of the service issues faced by customers in crowded locations, but it does leave other parts of the city (and country) out of luck for now. What do you think of the idea of alleviating cell bandwidth woes by providing free Wi-Fi? And would it be enough to prevent mass exodus if AT&T were to lose iPhone exclusivity? [via Boy Genius Report ] Image courtesy of iStockphoto , SVLumagraphica For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Tags: 3g , att , iphone , new york , NYC , smartphones , times square , wi-fi
Simple Sales Tracking Announces Twitter Integration for Social CRM Marketing I-Newswire.com (press release) (I-Newswire) May 25, 2010 – Twitter has grown into a massive community of people talking about everything. People are talking about your industry, …
