Companies need to be socially engaged and develop a great online reputation to attract and keep talent these days, according to a comprehensive study of U.S. employers and workers from Spherion Staffing Services.
The study revealed the importance of a company’s social media practices, reputation and beliefs on how well businesses attract and engage their workforce.
According to the Emerging Workforce Study, nearly half (47 percent) of workers strongly agree/agree that when they consider new employment, a company’s online reputation will be equally as important as the offer they are given. However, only 27 percent of companies believe social media outlets are influential on how a candidate views their organization.
Employees who are highly satisfied with their employer’s online reputation are nearly four times as likely to have high job satisfaction (76 percent) than those workers who are not satisfied with their employer’s online reputation (20 percent).
Forty-five percent of all workers believe a company’s social media outlet is influential when choosing a new employer.
Only 44 percent of companies strongly agree that “having a great online reputation is important to our organization.”
Employers Lack Belief and Effort in Building Corporate Mission
The Emerging Workforce Study found that only 54 percent of employers strongly agreed with the statement, “our organization works hard to promote our culture and mission as a company in both online venues and in our day-to-day operations.”
Only 46 percent of employees say their company is extremely/very effective at communicating their corporate mission.
Only 51 percent of employees say their company follows-through on their mission extremely/very well.
Current State of Employer’s Social Media Practices
The number of companies that have a social media strategy increased by 21 percentage points (to 45 percent) since 2009.
However, among those companies that have social networking initiatives, the percentage that felt their social media strategy was successful increased only slightly, from 24 percent to 30 percent.
This year’s study revealed a significant increase in the number of companies utilizing nearly every social outlet listed, with Facebook clearly leading the bunch with 61 percent of companies using the tool.
A majority of Americans (90%) believe people remove confidential documents from the workplace, even though most adults (79%) say taking confidential files outside the office is grounds for termination, according to File Trek’s January 2012 Document Security Survey of 2,625 Americans aged 18 and older, conducted online by Harris Interactive.
The study also shows a generational gap in attitudes towards handling confidential files in the workplace. While a majority (68%) of the Millennial generation (those age 18-34) believe it is acceptable to remove confidential files out of the office, only 50% of the 55+ age group believe the same.
Adults 55 and older are significantly more likely to believe someone should be fired for taking confidential information than their younger counterparts (86% vs. 74% of those ages 18-54).
What employees dread most
The fear of being accused of taking confidential company files made the top of the list (72%) of what employees dread most in work situations. Followed by adults knowing a coworker has shared confidential information outside the company and have managers confront them about it (53%).
The only job offenses that ranked higher than removal of confidential information as grounds for termination were sexually harassing a coworker (85%) and incompetence on the job (82%) – and not by much.
Adults found this misuse of confidential files more of a fire-able offense than managers having sex with a direct report (64%) or not doing what their boss instructs (57%).
“Business leaders need to be aware of the changing attitudes toward company IP in the modern workplace,” said Dale Quayle, CEO of FileTrek. “Today’s workforce believes information is an asset to be shared, and while companies have benefited from this collaborative attitude with new technologies and increased productivity, there are risks too. Few cloud services provide the security necessary to track where their confidential data goes. It’s critical for today’s management teams to be more IP aware to ensure data security.”
Though 40% of adults believe it is never acceptable to remove confidential company information out of the office, the report found there are circumstances for which they believe it is acceptable:
o 48% – when boss says it’s okay to do so
o 32% – to finish a late night project from home instead of having to stay at the office
o 30% – to work over the weekend or while on vacation
o 16% – when it is confidential information about themselves
o 2% – when it can be brought back to the office before the boss knows it was gone
o 2% – to show something to family or friends who promise to keep it confidential
Most adults stated that if they were going to risk taking documents, they listed exporting the data to a USB drive (55%) as the most popular manner.
FileTrek is designed to allow secure file sharing, project collaboration, and the ability for managers to track content and data with enhanced compliance-friendly audit reporting. The solution is easy to use, transparent to users and can scale across thousands of desktops and mobile devices to maximize individual and workgroup productivity.
Nearly 75 percent of consumers in drug and grocery stores would switch brands if offered real-time mobile promotions delivered to their smartphones while shopping in a store aisle, according to the second part of Aisle Buyer’s mobile shopping survey.
The least brand conscious group consists of 25-34 year-old shoppers, with 82 percent willing to switch brands if they received a mobile offer for a competing product while in the store.“Mobile Shopping Survey Series, Part 2: CPG Shopping Behavior.”
What we found most interesting about this survey is that while it focuses on drug and grocery store shoppers, we suspect it applies more broadly to packaged goods. It also points out that mobile promotions marketing is going to be very, very big.
The survey also found that 81 percent of smartphone owners go to grocery and drug stores prepared with a list of items to buy. Of this group, only 8 percent list specific brands to purchase.
This indicates that a large majority of shoppers are making brand decisions while they are in the store aisle, providing a unique opportunity for brands and retailers to influence pre-purchasing decisions via a customer’s smartphone.
Other key findings from the survey include:
90% of 25-34 year-old smartphone owners expressed interest in receiving instant offers for the things they were already shopping for through a grocery or drug store-based mobile shopping app
When they are in a grocery or drug store aisle, smartphone owners’ purchasing decisions are based on:
Price/everyday low value (76%)
Promotions/getting the most for their money (58%)
Coupon availability (51%)
Brand loyalty (38%)
Generic or store brand availability (26%)
New products from existing or emerging brands (22%)
Brands must adapt to the online world
“For years, brands have relied on traditional in-store shopper marketing tactics such as endcap displays, dump bins and sampling programs to influence the purchase decisions that are being made in the store aisle. But today’s shopper has become increasingly tech savvy, and brands need to adapt their age-old strategies to remain competitive in our new online world,” said Andrew Paradise, AisleBuyer’s CEO.
“Given that a majority of shoppers enter stores with only rough shopping lists, they are incredibly impressionable when they are in the aisle. As brand marketers look for new ways to feature their products when shoppers are considering the competition, they should look no further than something consumers already have in hand – their smartphones.”
Additional data from the survey series will be shared over the coming weeks.
About the Mobile Shopping Survey Series
The Mobile Shopping Survey Series is a national survey designed to provide insight into the in-store shopping behavior of smartphone owners. The three-part survey was conducted in February 2012 via Zoomerang, an online survey services provider, and is based on 1027 respondents. The survey is sponsored by Boston-based in-store mobile commerce provider AisleBuyer.
For Boomers, the ideal shopping experience is about getting a good deal on a decent product. For Gen Y, it’s more about a stimulating, sensual, “sharable” experience.
Think sensible shoes vs. smart phones.
This practicality divide is among the many discoveries in a new in-depth study on retail byBrodeur Partners, which is introducing quantitative social science to the often subjective practice of communications, branding, public relations and social change initiatives. The Brodeur Partners’ Retail Relevance 2012 Study used maximum difference scaling methodology to precisely identify what is most and least relevant in a shopping experience.
The study asked 2,000 American consumers to think of their favorite place to shop and identify those elements that were most and least relevant.
Sharability of the experience and “association” (I’m ok if people know I’m associated with it) are twice as important to Gen Y (18-34) as to Boomers (55-plus).
Sensory appeal and the ability of a retailer to “make me smile” are one-third more important to Gen Y than to Boomers.
Practical decisions drive choice of retailers for 8 out of 10 Boomers, but only half of the Gen Y respondents.
“Put simply, younger shoppers view their ideal shopping experience as less functional and much more social, expressive and sensory-driven,” said Jerry Johnson, Brodeur’s executive vice president of strategic planning.
“Retail shopping is probably more intertwined with social networking than we’ve realized. When a Gen Y consumer checks in to a retailer on Foursquare or ‘likes’ a retailer on Facebook, that’s very valuable to a retailer.”
“Peers by nature are ready to have the experience their friends just did.”
And though sensory experiences clearly matter, Johnson warns retailers that they can’t simply barrage the Gen Y consumer with loud music, seductive smells and images of beautiful bodies: the research indicates retailers need to focus equally on the social aspects of the experience, and be a brand with which a consumer would want to associate.
Brodeur’s ongoing research
The survey builds upon relevance research Brodeur released a year ago, which found that many companies have “leading relevance indicators,” or main ways consumers connect. For example, they may primarily excite (Apple, Target and Red Bull) or communicate shared values (Ford) or stand for dependability (Wal-Mart). High relevance scores correlate with superior growth and performance, according to that research, even when a company is dwarfed by industry juggernauts.
Do you watch TV programming on a smartphone? How about an Internet-connected tablet or computer?
A sea change is under way in how consumers are tuning into their favorite TV programs or other video content. Although the trend cuts across demographics, younger, tech-savvy consumers seem to be leading the shift.
As part of a series of random, on-the-street interviews, several Washingtonians recently told Verizon that they are either watching video programming on multiple devices wherever and whenever they want, or wish they could.
It’s all about enhancing the borderless lifestyle for our customers and being able to download or stream on-demand and TV programming to multiple devices from the Internet or other services,” said Chris Anderson, director of consumer marketing for Verizon.
“This is particularly true of those young ‘techknowledgeables’ between the ages of 25 to 39, who covet the mobility and freedom technology is providing them when it comes to accessing their entertainment choices on their own terms.”
Verizon is focusing a new marketing campaign on young, tech-savvy apartment residents in various FiOS markets, includingWashington, where the advanced fiber-based Internet, TV and voice service is available in apartment buildings and planned communities.
The campaign includes immersive digital advertising, an emphasis on social-media engagement and local events involving prospective customers. Verizon will seek to reach these young professionals in places where they spend a great deal of time, such as gyms, restaurants, pubs, movie theaters, malls and transit centers.
TechMedia’s Digital Summit 2012, slated for May 9-10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, is offering an Early Bird rate until March 16.
More than 50 expert panels and presentations by thought leaders will cover topics such as Customer Engagement, SEO, Analytics, Usability & Design, Paid Search, Email Marketing, Ecommerce, Online Video, Facebook & Twitter Marketing and many more.
This year you can also sign up for a pre-conference event that offers a dozen more sessions covering social media from fundamentals to advanced features and usability & design. The 5-hour long workshops are designed to provide take-aways you can put to work as soon as you get back to your office.
TechMedia events sell-out, so it’s always a good idea to register early. Do so by March 16 and get the Early Bird rate of $245.
From March 17 to April 13, registration will be $295, and after April 14 rises to $345.
To some it may seem like we’ve always had them, but the world of eReaders is still fairly new.
But, as Apple releases its 3rd iPad to the world, it seems like they are here to stay. This past summer, 15% of Americans said they use an electronic reader device such as a Kindle, iPad or Nook to read books while 85% did not.
Fast forward seven months, and that number has almost doubled – now almost three in ten U.S. adults (28%) are using one of these devices to read books while 72% are not.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,056 adults surveyed online between February 6 and 13, 2012 by Harris Interactive.
Unlike some new technology, there is not a great divide by age when it comes to eReader use. Among Echo Boomers (ages 18-35) and Gen Xers (aged 36-47) 30% currently use an eReader and that number just drops slightly to 28% among Matures (ages 67 and older) and 24% of Baby Boomers (ages 48-66).
I’ve been using a Kindle for several years now and do the majority of my reading on it. But I have noticed that some friends with e-readers are not as addicted to theirs as I am to mine. But the content of books have always been what’s most important to me, not their form.
But I’d be willing to bet that when writing shifted from words carved on rocks to paper, someone complained about the lack of permanence in the new medium.
In the future, though, this study suggests you’ll see significantly more people reading on Nooks, Kindles, and tablets.
Looking ahead, 13% of Americans say they are likely to purchase an eReader in the next six months, while 77% are unlikely to do so and 10% are not at all sure. In July, 15% of Americans said they were going to purchase an eReader in the next six months.
Reading and Buying Books The rise of eReaders may actually be a positive for publishing companies who are embracing electronic books. Among those who are currently using an eReader, three in ten (29%) say they typically read more than 20 books in an average year, while one in five (21%) say they read between 11 and 20 books and one-quarter (24%) read between 6 and 10 books.
So, almost three-quarters of eReader users are reading 6 or more books in an average year. Among those who do not use an eReader, the numbers are reversed as one in five (18%) typically reads no books in an average year, one in five (19%) typically reads between 1 and 2 books and one in five (21%) typically reads between 3 and 5 books.
So, three in five non eReader users are reading 5 or fewer books on average in a year.
Purchase behavior is similar. Over one-third of those who do not use an eReader (36%) say they do not purchase any books in a typical year while one in five eReader users purchase over 20 (20%) and between 11 and 20 books (21%) in a typical year.
So what? Is the printed book dead? Probably not dead, but it is becoming easier to imagine a world without as many printed books. Whether it is Apple, Barnes and Noble or Amazon driving this change, the change is coming and they are gladly adding new devices to make Americans look for the next and greatest one.
TABLE 1
USE E-READER
“Do you use an electronic reader device, such as a Kindle, an iPad or a Nook, to read books?”
Base: All adults
Total
2010
Total
2011
Total
2012
Region
Echo
Boomers
(18-35)
Gen. X
(36-47)
Baby
Boomers
(48-66)
Matures
(67+)
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Yes
8
15
28
30
30
24
28
No
92
85
72
70
70
76
72
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February
TABLE 2
LIKELY TO GET AN E-READER
“How likely do you think you will be to get an e-reader device within the next six months?”
Base: Adults who do not use an e-reader
Total
2010
Total
2011
Total
2012
Region
Echo
Boomers
(18-35)
Gen. X
(36-47)
Baby
Boomers
(48-66)
Matures
(67+)
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Likely (NET)
12
15
13
13
16
14
8
Very likely
3
4
3
3
2
4
5
Somewhat likely
9
11
10
10
15
10
4
Not likely (NET)
80
76
77
77
71
79
80
Not very likely
21
25
2
28
22
28
33
Not at all likely
59
50
50
49
49
51
47
Not at all sure
8
10
10
8
13
7
11
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February
TABLE 3
BOOKS READ IN A YEAR
“How many books do you typically read in an average year? If you are not sure, please use your best estimate.”
Base: All adults
Total
2010
Total
2011
Total
2012
e-Reader
Uses
Doesnot use
%
%
%
%
%
0
9
15
14
2
18
1-2
14
14
15
7
19
3-5
20
20
19
16
21
6-10
16
15
19
24
16
11-20
21
16
14
21
11
21+
19
20
19
29
15
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February
TABLE 4
BOOKS PURCHASED IN PAST YEAR
“How many books have you purchased in the past year? If you are not sure, please use your best estimate.”
Base: All adults
Total
2010
Total
2011
Total
2012
e-Reader
Uses
Does not use
%
%
%
%
%
0
21
32
29
10
36
1-2
17
17
15
11
17
3-5
22
17
19
21
18
6-10
17
15
14
18
13
11-20
11
10
12
21
9
21+
12
9
11
20
8
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February
Growing user satisfaction with mobile TV on tablets will push average monthly viewing times to 186 minutes per month in 2014, according to Juniper Research.
The Ideal Device
The report, ‘Mobile TV: Applications, Devices and Opportunities 2012-2016′ finds that as users become more accustomed to viewing content on tablets, and as a wider range of content becomes available on tablets, consumers will increase their viewing times.
This increase will be most apparent in North America where there is already significant mobile TV usage, and where internet TV services such as Hulu and Netflix are extremely popular.
A tablet is the ideal device on which to consume mobile TV content — their large screen sizes and intuitive user interfaces allow almost everyone to browse for and watch content.
We find even the smaller 7-inch size of the Amazon Kindle Fire fine for watching online video – whether full movies or from YouTube or other services. In fact, the first thing we did was watch Eleanor Powell dancing with Fred Astaire on a YouTube video to show it off to a friend. It’s the convenience, portability and ease of use that makes tablets so handy.
Videos generally look great on the small screens, too.
TV Everywhere
Another driver for this growth is the continued integration of mobile services into pay-TV packages. Tablets can offer a richer viewing experience when used alongside traditional television by allowing the user to access supplementary information such as plot synopses and actor biographies. These devices also enable users to view pay-TV content or to watch catch-up services when away from home, extending the reach of traditional TV services.
According to report author Charlotte Miller, ‘Consumers are already accustomed to timeshifting thanks to DVRs such as TiVo and Sky+; what mobile TV allows them to do is placeshift. This allows users to watch their pay-TV content anytime, anywhere and on any device — the TV experience is no longer confined to the home.’
The number of users of streamed mobile TV services on smartphones will increase by 2.8x between 2011 and 2016.
The majority of broadcast mobile TV users will be from the Far East & China.
Subscriptions will make up the vast majority of mobile TV revenues.
The ‘Mobile TV ~ What’s On?’ whitepaper is available to download from the Juniper websitetogether with further details of the full study, ‘Mobile TV: Applications, Devices and Opportunities 2012 – 2016′.
March Madness may be an exciting time for college basketball fans around the country, but it is a stressful season for IT professionals whose job it is to maintain network security and functionality.
In fact, in a recent survey of 500 IT professionals conducted by Braun Research on behalf of Modis, 42 percent of IT professionals say March Madness historically has impacted their network. Of those affected, 37 percent report their networks have slowed down, while 34 percent report March Madness activity has essentially shut down their networks for a period of time.
Starting in the second week of March and extending through the first week of April, March Madness is the NCAA‘s Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. It ranks as one of the most popular annual sporting events in the nation.
Because many games occur during standard business hours, fans often attempt to monitor their favorite teams real-time by watching the games online at work. The increase in web usage can put added stress on the stability and operation of office networks.
Increase in streaming content a problem
In response to the increase in streaming content, some IT departments institute procedures that block or slow down web video. Other IT professionals, specifically those who do not block or slow down/throttle streaming content and video within their organizations (35 percent) say March Madness has impacted their network (55 percent) with 48 percent saying it has slowed it down and 43 percent saying it caused their network to shut down.
“With the increasing popularity and availability of streaming video, it has become easier than ever for workers to watch sports games at their desk—and March Madness is a time when streaming sports content consumption is at an all-time high,” said Jack Cullen, president of Modis.
“It’s an event that boosts office morale and builds camaraderie for many American workers, but it can put a significant burden on office networks, and the IT professionals responsible for maintaining them.”
Many IT departments prepared
Many IT departments are already prepared for the risks March Madness can pose to their network. According to the survey, 65 percent of respondents report their department takes action to hinder or prevent the consumption of streaming video.
This includes blocking streaming content (64 percent), throttling/slowing down streaming content (64 percent), and instituting a company policy that bans streaming (62 percent). Perhaps to help mitigate disappointment among employees, almost half (45 percent) of IT professionals say their company offers workers an alternate location to watch games.
Some other findings include:
IT professionals keep an eye on employees. To protect the office network, 42 percent of respondents say they monitor employees who are trying to access March Madness video streams. A smaller number (27 percent) simply trust employees to be honest and not visit sports sites while at work.
IT departments in different regions handle streaming content differently. Interestingly, IT departments in the South are more likely than those in other regions to not take any action against streaming content (58 percent) compared to the Northeast (14 percent), Midwest (27 percent) and West (26 percent.)
IT professionals’ personal opinions also vary by region. Three in four (75 percent) IT professionals say employees should not be allowed to watch sporting events like March Madness during the workday. When divided by region, IT professionals in the Midwest (49 percent) are less likely to feel this way compared to other regions (96 percent in the Northeast, 79 percent in the South, 75 percent in the West.)
March Madness can be maddening to IT professionals. The preparation, execution, and consideration for March Madness season adds stress to the lives of 29 percent of IT professionals.
Network stability is a key reason for blocking content. Of respondents, 82 percent block streaming content primarily to maintain a stable office IT network, while 71 percent do it to remove any distractions in the workplace.
Networks are vulnerable during other online activities. Throughout the year, there are other key moments and web activities that cause concern for IT professionals. Respondents said networks can be negatively impacted by Cyber Monday/holiday shopping (43 percent), general daily usage of social media sites (42 percent), as well as major tennis championships (37 percent).
The employee/IT relationship is still healthy. Though 54 percent of IT professionals often or sometimes receive feedback from employees complaining about their content-streaming, or specifically March Madness policies, 71 percent still believe employees find their respective content-streaming policy to be fair.
“To ensure that the office network remains operational for the workforce as a whole, IT professionals need to make tough decisions,” said Cullen. “In the end, a fully functioning network with streaming video restrictions is better than no network at all. When users can’t access the web, it’s the IT department who has to be on task to fix the situation.”
Nearly 1 in 7 U.S. Internet users visited online tax sites to compile information and begin filing their 2011 tax returns, according to comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world
This number represented a gain of 15 percent versus January 2011, likely driven in part by ramped up ad expenditure among online tax preparers.
Among online do-it-yourself (DIY) tax preparation providers, comScore data indicated that Intuit leads the market with nearly 60 percent of all tax units or returns filed onlinebetween January 1 and February 18, 2012. The three largest DIY online tax preparation providers (Intuit, TaxACT and H&R Block) accounted for more than 90 percent of DIY tax units filed online.
“While a large segment of Americans have become comfortable with filing their taxes online, the strong gains in the category this year seem to be propelled by increased marketing activity on the part of the key tax prep providers,” said Brian Jurutka, comScore senior vice president.
“During the first several weeks of 2012, we saw the top three DIY online tax prep providers dominate the category, representing more than 90 percent of all online filings, with Intuit alone accounting for a majority of the market. It will be interesting to see whether the overall growth in the category is sustained and how market shares among tax prep providers may shift as we approach tax filing day on April 17th.”
Top 3 DIY Tax Preparation Providers Account for 9 in 10 Online Tax Units Filed
An analysis of the share of online tax units or returns filed through online tax preparation services from January 1 – February 18, 2012 shows Intuit’s TurboTax service accounting for 58.7 percent of all self-prepared units filed online. TaxACT, recently acquired by InfoSpace, ranked second with 17.8 percent of tax units, followed by H&R Block which rounded out the top 3 with 15.8 percent share. Altogether, these three services accounted for 92.3 percent of tax units filed online during this period.
Online DIY Tax Preparation Provider Share of Online Tax Units Filed*
January 1, 2012 – February 18, 2012
Total U.S. – Home and Work Audience
Source: comScore Tax Benchmarker
Online Tax Preparation Provider
Share of Online Tax Units Filed
January 1 – February 19, 2011
January 1 – February 18, 2012
Intuit – TurboTax
57.5%
58.7%
InfoSpace – TaxACT
18.7%
17.8%
H&R Block
15.4%
15.8%
Other
8.4%
7.7%
*Non-Free File Alliance (FFA)
35-44 Year Olds Are Fastest Growing Demographic for Taxes Category
A demographic analysis of visitation to the Taxes category shows growth to be spread out across all segments, with 35-44 year olds displaying the highest growth rate, having increased 24 percent from January 2011 through January 2012. Users between the ages of 25-34 and 45-54 followed, with each segment posting gains of 15 percent from the previous year. The 35-44 year old demographic, which previously ranked behind 25-34 year olds in terms of category visitation, now accounts for the greatest share of the category at 25 percent.
“The significant growth we’re seeing among 35-44 year olds suggests that advertisers may be focusing their media plans on this age segment as an area of growth,” added Mr. Jurutka. “In particular, tax prep services seem to be pushing the message that they can offer assistance to help consumers file correctly online, which may be appealing to a segment of the market that prefers conducting transactions on the web but may also have more complex filing needs.”
Growth in Visitation to Taxes Among Demographic Segments
January 2012
Total U.S. – Home and Work Audience
Source: comScore Media Metrix
When I first moved to the Research Triangle, NC in 1999, most people were still getting a daily newspaper delivered to their door in the apartment building where I lived. Within a year, the number of daily papers dwindled month by month and not long after, Sunday papers appeared at fewer doors as well.
By the time I bought a condo in 2010, one person in the apartment building I left and none in the development I moved to, received even a Sunday paper delivered to the door.
A recent study shows that print publications only get a fraction of their traditional ad rates for online advertising and most daily papers have trimmed their staffs repeatedly and thinned their papers to near anemia.
Book stores and publishers are also suffering from digital fall out. I distinctly remember the great pleasure I felt as a lifelong bookaholic when the first big box bookstores came to Charlotte, NC, several decades ago, although then and now I continue to shop at smaller, independent book stores.
Good-bye book bag
But for years, I’ve bought most of my books online and in the last two years, I’ve bought most in digital editions. For one thing, I can usually buy three or more new digital books for the price of a single hardcover. For another, my home is already full of books and other print materials. And finally, I love being able to carry an e-reader loaded with the equivalent of a substantial library when I travel. No more book bags for me.
It’s no secret that the traditional media industry is going through changes that are disrupting just about every aspect of its manufacture, distribution and revenue streams.
We suspect that one major problem is how long traditional media folks kept their heads buried in the sand regarding what is happening rather than pro-actively and boldly facing reality with innovation and creativity. — Allan Maurer
As mobile devices and applications extend the boundaries of the workplace, information technology departments must create new policies and procedures to keep the mobile enterprise accessible, available and secure, according to research released today by IT industry association CompTIA.
While PCs continue to be a major part of the corporate IT landscape, CompTIA’s Trends in Enterprise Mobility study reveals that laptops, ultrabooks, smartphones and tablets are increasingly essential to day-to-day business in a “post-PC” environment.
Tablet a top purchase choice
Smartphones are in place at more organizations than standard cell phones, and tablets are the top choice for purchase intent in the next year.
The CompTIA study also finds that 84 percent of those surveyed use their smartphone for light work such as email or web browsing. Individuals using tablets have an even wider range of uses, including note-taking, giving presentations and using their tablet as a communications device in lieu of a phone.
As a result, IT departments are building new policies governing behavior in a mobile environment; and implementing support structures and applications.
“Currently, the primary motivation for a business to adopt a mobility strategy is to enable a mobile workforce and ensure smooth operations,” said Seth Robinson, director, technology analysis, CompTIA. “However, the ability to connect to customers in a mobile environment is increasingly important. So any mobility strategy must address the needs of two different groups with distinct needs and requirements.”
Only 22 percent of companies in the CompTIA survey currently have a formal mobility policy. Another 20 percent were building policies at the time of the survey. These policies typically cover guidelines for mobile applications and corporate data, along with device guidelines.
Security considerations are the greatest risk involved in supporting mobility, at least in the view of 70 percent of IT staff surveyed for the CompTIA study.
Among the challenges they face:
Downloading unauthorized apps, cited as a serious concern by 48 percent of respondents
Lost or stolen devices (42 percent)
Mobile-specific viruses and malware (41 percent)
Open Wi-Fi networks (41 percent)
USB flash drives (40 percent)
Personal use of business devices (40 percent)
These types of incidents and others have prompted organizations to take various security measures. Requiring passcodes, installing tracking software and encrypting data on the device are among the most common steps taken.
Robinson said organizations must give serious thought to what shape their mobility policies will take.
“Issues such as mobile device management and mobile security are really in the beginning stages,” he said. “Mobile strategies also involve considerations such as mobile-optimized applications and the supporting infrastructure. Are you going to allow employees to bring their own mobile devices into the workplace? Which devices will you support? Organizations will have to strike a balance between business objectives and security objectives, which may not always be in synch.”
CompTIA’s Trends in Enterprise Mobility study is based on an online survey of 500 business and IT professionals in a variety of industries in the United States. Data collection occurred in November 2011. The complete report is available at no cost to CompTIA members who can access the file at CompTIA.org
The University of Southern California at Los Angeles and M.I.T. are the top two schools for studying video game design.
So says The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com) — one of the nation’s best-known education services companies, which today reported its third annual list naming the schools with the best programs to study video game design.
The new list, “Top Schools to Study Video Game Design for 2012,” recommends 50 schools in all. It names 10 undergraduate and 10 graduate schools in rank order to its respective “top 10″ lists and 22 undergraduate and 8 graduate schools as Honorable Mentions. The Company’s full report on the 2012 list is accessible now at http://www.princetonreview.com/game-design.aspx.
The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a comprehensive survey it conducted in the 2011-2012 academic year of administrators at 150 institutions offering video game design coursework and/or degrees in the United States and Canada.
The survey, which included more than 50 questions, covered a wide range of topics from academics and faculty credentials to graduates’ employment and career achievements.
Criteria for The Princeton Review’s school selections covered the quality of the curriculum, faculty, facilities and infrastructure. The Company also factored in data it collected from the schools on their scholarships, financial aid and career opportunities.
The Princeton Review’s top 10 undergraduate schools to study video game design for 2012 are:
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA)
The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, BC)
Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH)
Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)
Becker College (Worcester, MA)
The Princeton Review’s top 10 graduate schools to study video game design for 2012 are:
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Bradley University (Peoria, IL)
Champlain College (Burlington, VT)
Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL)
DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)
Ferris State University (Grand Rapids, MI)
Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Miami University (Oxford, OH)
Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark, NJ)
New York University/NYU POLY (New York, NY)
North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)
Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
Ohio University (Athens, OH)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
University of Advancing Technology (Tempe, AZ)
University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)
The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, BC)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
DePaul University (Chicago, IL)
Full Sail University (Winter Park, FL)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
New York University/NYU Poly (New York, NY)
Parsons - The New School for Design (New York, NY)
Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT)
The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX)
University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
Visitors to the Princeton Review website area on this list http://www.princetonreview.com/game-design.aspx can access additional information about the schools’ programs and click on links to the schools’ websites.
“Academic and professional programs in video game design studies – from very specialized college majors to highly concentrated graduate degrees – have evolved tremendously over the past 10 years,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s Senior VP/Publisher. “We salute the schools on our list this year for their commitment to this burgeoning field and the innovative programs they offer. For students aspiring to work in this more than $10.5 billion industry and for the companies that will need their creative talents and skills, we hope this project will serve as a catalyst for many rewarding connections.”
The Princeton Review is also known for its annual rankings of colleges, law schools and business schools in dozens of categories which it reports on its website and in its books including The Best 376 Colleges and the recently published book,The Best Value Colleges.
The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.
Low interest rates don’t do much for a bank account, and that has had one good effect, says Sean Glass, partner with Novak Biddle Venture Partners. “There is more early stage capital around than ever because of the rate environment,” he says.
“When you have really low interest rates, people will take more risk with their portfolio. So there are a lot of angel investors who wouldn’t be in other times. More money available means more investors get a shot at it (creating a successful startup).”
Both Glass and Jaffe are among the dozens of investors, entrepreneurs and 60 presenting companies participating in the Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Wednesday and Thursday (Feb. 29-March 1).
Glass, who is also founder and CEO of Employ Insight, and a founder and executive board member of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute, says that while more early stage capital may be available, the flipside is that “We’re seeing a consolidation of late Series A rounds to mezzanine money”(often the final large round before an IPO or other exit).
“So,” says Glass, “We’re seeing a lot of entrepreneurs get started, but it’s getting harder to land that next round. They have to show traction a bit faster.” That contrasts with several years ago when companies that got seeded were fairly sure of a next round, he adds.
Glass says that signs the economy is getting better may not be such great news for entrepreneurs. “You would think it would be good for them, but it’s bad, because all of a sudden investors have alternatives with equal returns and less risk. It will take money away from the process.”
Glass says other changes are at work in the venture-backed startup economy.
Americane Entrepreneurs building a company now, for instance, “Will probably have to compete with someone outside the U.S., not just from firms in Boston and Silicon Valley. They may see competition from London, Rio, Santiago, and maybe Beijing. That’s why Groupon had to start going international early on, making sure it could win those markets.”
Pinterest could have done without so much early press
That means getting attention early on may not be the best thing for some companies. “My friend, the founder and CEO of Pinterest (Ben Silbermann) says he wishes the press hand’t started writing about them for another 12 to 18 months,” because the competition comes out of the global arena so quickly. “That makes it harder to build a new Facebook or Twitter,” says Glass.
Glass also says that many tech entrepreneurs don’t understand that many businesses may have good but limited potential. “A lot of tech startups can build nice $10 million to $15 million businesses but will never hit the scale needed to impact a venture firm’s portfolio.”
Businesses that do interest venture firms, he notes, “Need a large amount of capital to produce lots of profits quickly.”
Glass says entrepreneurs who can find a niche and build a company in a way larger firms can’t because they’re not geared to doing new things are going to “Get paid, because those big companies have cash and they want to buy growth.”
So, he says, “There will be options for exits and expect to see a lot of merger and acquisition opportunities.”
Interviewed by phone while in the Florida Keys, Glass says he sees evidence of an improving economy there. “There are people on the streets, restaurants are full, and the marina is full of boats – and they’re big boats.”
Glass says he’s looking forward to attending the SEVC, one of, if not the largest Mid-Atlantic venture event, this week. ”
Sometime in May, you’re going to be walking down Main street in Downtown Durham and pass by a glass-encased habitat at the front of a well-known coffee shop where a single entrepreneur or team of entrepreneurs will be feverishly working for your enjoyment.
You may stop in for a delicious coffee, you may just watch for a few minutes while lines of code are slung at some business problem that needs fixing. But when you walk away and go about the rest of your day, you’ll be thinking, “I should have thought of that.”
The Smoffice
You’ll be peering through the glass at The Smoffice, a so-crazy-it-has-to-work partnership between the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Durham Inc., Beyu Caffe, and a host of other local sponsors.
The idea is to give a single startup six months of free space in “the worlds smallest office” in downtown Durham, driving home the point that a startup doesn’t necessarily need big or fancy or cash or backing, but simply a great idea fostered in a stimulating and supportive environment.
It’s a rather artful statement on Durham as an up-and-coming startup ecosystem.
Of course, there are other bells and whistles, but these are grass roots bells and whistles, most importantly a nearby condo for potential out-of-town candidates, and also free custom office furniture, a tablet, assistance from experts in legal, accounting, and marketing, and finally connections to over 70 of the startups in downtown Durham.
The application process starts Wednesday, 2/29 (Leap Day, just to drive the quirkiness home), and more info can be found on http://www.thesmoffice.com
I’ll wait while you turn your world back rightside up.
So Who Did Think of That?
When people ask me how Durham has come from seemingly nowhere to emerge overnight as the most hypeworthy startup hub of the east coast, I give a varying array of reasons: The establishment of the American Tobacco Complex downtown, the low cost of space, the growing number of privately run support organizations, elves, etc. But usually I include one specific thing.
Or rather dude. Adam Klein at the Durham Chamber.
Klein is one of those guys you see at all the startup-related events in the area, from the smaller, street-level meetups to the big fancy conferences. Because he’s so much better looking than me, I tend to stay away from him, but I have gotten to know him, and I’m floored by the things he’s done, and the things he didn’t do, to contribute to the growth of Durham’s startup scene.
When people think of the Durham Chamber, which admittedly isn’t very often because of the fact that 90% of what they do is support behind the curtain, they think of things like Startup Stampede, a program that put a handful of budding startups into a downtown Durham space with infrastructure and mentoring – like an accelerator, but without the cash and investment components, although said investment was in Durham itself.
See? Sneaky.
How to Start a Startup Stampede: Step 1 = Don’t Start a Startup Stampede
Klein now advises other chambers and government organizations from locals to regionals to the National Chamber on how to build a localized startup culture into a Stampede. His primary advice: Don’t do it, or rather, don’t start with the event, there’s a lot of prep work to do first.
For all the out-of-the-box thinking and risk taking that produced the Stampede, it was the months behind the scenes he and others spent talking to the local startup community and the greater business community.
This meant countless meetings with individual entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs, selling the benefits of Durham and listening, intently, to their needs and desires. This is not easy to do, since most of those lists of needs and desires usually start, ill-advisedly so, with “a boatload of working capital,” which of course the Durham Chamber does not have or have access to.
It also meant countless meetings with Durham companies, from giant corporations like HTC to establishments you wouldn’t expect to be a part of the ecosystem at all, like downtown’s Beyu Caffe. In these sessions, he’d sell the benefits of a sprouting startup community back to them, an equally difficult proposition when you’re talking about propping up a tax/customer base known for being broke and desperately seeking “a boatload of working capital.”
And finally, it meant getting out of the way — knowing what to provide, what to support, making it happen, and then letting it grow on its own, grass-roots, live or die.
I’m Looking at You, Every Other Startup Support Group
It took ages for all that to pay off in the form of Startup Stampede, and that, along with multiple other initiatives from both the public and private sectors, a metric ton of hard work from the startups themselves, a parsec of good press, and a half-dozen elves, is how the Durham startup ecosystem sprang up from “nowhere.”
With a couple of successful Startup Stampedes under their belt, Klein and frequent collaborator Matthew Coppedge from Downtown Durham Inc. knew that they had to evolve. They realized that in order to keep up with and properly serve Durham’s fledgling startup environment, they needed something new, something unique, and something bigger.
And because the Raleigh-Durham area has a reputation for being so vanilla that you can literally flavor your coffee with a few blades of grass taken from the finely manicured lawns of Cary, they knew it should push the boundaries a bit.
A bit.
So they went small.
A Tiny Window Into Durham
Klein and Coppedge know that there isn’t nearly enough attention on Durham as a startup hub, certainly within the area and definitely outside of it. So they hope that there are several marketing aspects that can be ramped up through the lifecycle of The Smoffice.
It will start with the application process, which will be worldwide and centered around the uniqueness of the space. This is not only meant to attract outside entrepreneurs to the program, but also serve as an introduction to the location and the culture, a huge and very important task in keeping the Durham startup ecosystem growing.
The marketing will continue with the live nature of The Smoffice itself, offering locals and non-locals alike a peek into how entrepreneurs can succeed in Durham, with or without a Smoffice and all the sponsors and connections, but because of a culture that promotes risk, acceptance, help, sharing, and support. At one point there was talk of a documentary, but I don’t know where that went. It’s a great idea though
InMobi, the largest independent mobile ad network, has announced the results of its comprehensive global Mobile Media Consumption Q4 2011 Survey, finding that mobile users spend more time consuming media on their device than on TV.
Key highlights include:
Mobile has surpassed TV in terms of time spent, with:
Mobile web users spending 27% of their media time on mobile
Spending 22% of their media time on TV
Mobile consumers recognize the impact of mobile advertising on purchase behavior and their willingness to transact over mobile, with:
Three quarters planning to conduct mCommerce activities within the next year (76%)
42% claiming that mobile advertising has introduced them to something new
Some of the most notable findings from the InMobi’s Mobile Media Consumption survey are:
Media Trends
On any given day, mobile web users spend 27% of their media time on mobile, 22% on TV and 32% online.
Availability, ease of use, and privacy are the top three driving factors to be on mobile
Social media, entertainment, and search are the top three mobile media activities among mobile web users. This popularity will continue to grow in the next 12 months
Mobile Advertising and Commerce Trends
Mobile, PCs, and TV are the most powerful media that influence the purchase decision among mobile users
66% of mobile users are just as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising
Advertising on mobile devices has led to mobile gaining tremendous popularity as a viable shopping channel, with
42% of respondents indicating that mobile ads have introduced them to something new
23% of respondents indicating that mobile ads save time and money
14% of respondents indicating that mobile ads have influenced them to buy via mobile
Naveen Tewari, CEO, InMobi, says of the survey’s findings: “Mobile devices are redefining the media landscape across the world. As we move into 2012, we will continue to see these trends rapidly accelerate as consumers rely ever more heavily on their mobile device. While the opportunities to exploit mobile media remain strong, the stakeholders across the industry will be confronted with ongoing questions and challenges which need to be addressed in order to meet the growing expectations of the customer.”
Reports say the iPad 3 may be announced the first week of March, although the release date may be later. AYTM Research (aytm) conducted research on what current iPad users are doing with their devices and what would motivate them to buy an iPad 3.
Social network users are becoming more active in pruning and managing their accounts. Women and younger users tend to unfriend more than others.
About two-thirds of internet users use social networking sites (SNS) and all the major metrics for profile management are up, compared to 2009: 63% of them have deleted people from their “friends” lists, up from 56% in 2009; 44% have deleted comments made by others on their profile; and 37% have removed their names from photos that were tagged to identify them.
Some 67% of women who maintain a profile say they have deleted people from their network, compared with 58% of men. Likewise, young adults are more active unfrienders when compared with older users.
A majority of social network site users – 58% – restrict access to their profiles and women are significantly more likely to choose private settings.
More than half of social networking site users (58%) say their main profile is set to private so that only friends can see it; 19% set their profile to partially private so that friends of friends can view it; and 20% say their main profile is set to be completely public. Women who use SNS are more likely than men to set the highest restrictions (67% vs. 48%).
Half of SNS users say they have some difficulty in managing privacy controls, but just 2% say it is “very difficult” to use the controls. Those with the most education report the most trouble.
In all, 48% of social media users report some level of difficulty in managing the privacy controls on their profile, while 49% say that it is “not difficult at all.” Very few users (2%) describe their experiences as “very difficult,” while 16% say they are “somewhat difficult” and another 30% say the controls are “not too difficult” to manage.
Social media users who are college graduates are significantly more likely than those with lower levels of education to say that they experience some difficulty in managing the privacy controls on their profiles.
11% of SNS users have posted content they regret.
Male profile owners are almost twice as likely as female profile owners to profess regret for posting content (15% vs. 8%). Young adults are also more prone to say they regret some of their social media postings; 15% of profile owners ages 18-29 say they have posted content they later regret, compared with just 5% of profile owners ages 50 and older.
Young, tech-savvy consumers in the D.C. metropolitan area tell Verizon they are using several Internet-connected devices in their home and on the go, making broadband speed and anywhere access important lifestyle assets.
In on-camera interviews that Verizon recently conducted with randomly selected consumers in the District, these “techknowledgeables” provided testimony to their demand for access by listing as many as seven different Internet-connected devices.
They said they use the multiple devices for tapping into entertainment choices, as well as for staying in touch with family, friends and business colleagues, at home and on the go.
At the TechJournal, we suspect this is largely true of most tech “knowledegables,” (ugly word, that). We have at least seven Internet connected devices ourselves, a tablet, cell phone, PDA, two laptops, a netbook, and a Kindle – as well as two desktop home office computers. More and more, we think everyone in urban areas, at least, want those anytime, anywhere connections.
The comments from the DC area folks reinforce Verizon’s business focus to provide its FiOS customers with a borderless lifestyle when it comes to connecting to their favorite TV and on-demand movies.
(Note: Excerpts from those interviews can be seen by clicking here.)
“The candid comments from these denizens of D.C. echo many of the same messages we’ve been emphasizing in our hyperlocal marketing campaign focused on 25- to 39-year-olds, who make up a significant portion of multidwelling unit tenants,” said Chris Anderson, director of consumer marketing for Verizon.
“We launched the campaign in the Washingtonmetro area late last year and this week announced its expansion to the MDU markets in the New York City, Philadelphia,Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles metro areas.”
Many of the campaign elements used during the D.C. pilot – including immersive digital advertising combined with social media engagement, plus a concentrated presence of out-of-home advertising and local events with prospective customers – will be used in the four additional markets.
In these highly competitive areas, Verizon will seek to reach young professionals in places where they spend a great deal of time – gyms, restaurants, bars, movie theaters, malls and transit centers.
SodaHead.com, the web’s largest opinion-based social community, asked its users if they thought they were addicted to the Internet and 61% of respondents said “yes.” However, 39% said they could quit if they wanted.
When the numbers are broken down by gender, 64% of women admitted to an Internet addiction, compared to 55% of men. Internet addiction was present in every age group, however the younger voters were more likely to be hooked (73% of those between 13-17 and 71% of those between 18-24). The numbers decreased for older respondents with only 39% of those between 55-65 admitting to the addiction.
Companies need to be socially engaged and develop a great online reputation to attract and keep talent these days, according to a comprehensive study of U.S. employers and workers from Spherion Staffing Services.
A majority of Americans (90%) believe people remove confidential documents from the workplace, even though most adults (79%) say taking confidential files outside the office is grounds for termination, according to 
Nearly 75 percent of consumers in drug and grocery stores would switch brands if offered real-time mobile promotions delivered to their smartphones while shopping in a store aisle, according to the second part of 
For Boomers, the ideal shopping experience is about getting a good deal on a decent product. For Gen Y, it’s more about a stimulating, sensual, “sharable” experience.
The study asked 2,000 American consumers to think of their favorite place to shop and identify those elements that were most and least relevant.
Do you watch TV programming on a 
More than 50 expert panels and presentations by thought leaders will cover topics such as Customer Engagement, SEO, Analytics, Usability & Design, Paid Search, Email Marketing, Ecommerce, Online Video, Facebook & Twitter Marketing and many more.
To some it may seem like we’ve always had them, but the world of eReaders is still fairly new.
Growing user satisfaction with mobile TV on tablets will push average monthly viewing times to 186 minutes per month in 2014, according to Juniper Research.
March Madness may be an exciting time for college basketball fans around the country, but it is a stressful season for IT professionals whose job it is to maintain network security and functionality.
Nearly 1 in 7 U.S. Internet users visited online tax sites to compile information and begin filing their 2011 tax returns, according to comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: 
When I first moved to the Research Triangle, NC in 1999, most people were still getting a daily newspaper delivered to their door in the apartment building where I lived. Within a year, the number of daily papers dwindled month by month and not long after, Sunday papers appeared at fewer doors as well.
As mobile devices and applications extend the boundaries of the workplace, information technology departments must create new policies and procedures to keep the mobile enterprise accessible, available and secure, according to research released today by IT industry association 
The University of Southern California at Los Angeles and M.I.T. are the top two schools for studying video game design.
InMobi, the largest independent mobile ad network, has announced the results of its comprehensive global Mobile Media Consumption Q4 2011 Survey, finding that mobile users spend more time consuming media on their device than on TV.
Reports say the iPad 3 may be announced the first week of March, although the release date may be later. AYTM Research (aytm) conducted research on what current iPad users are doing with their devices and what would motivate them to buy an iPad 3.
Social network users are becoming more active in pruning and managing their accounts. Women and younger users tend to unfriend more than others.
