Posts Tagged ‘facebook’
Friday, February 1st, 2013
 Social media not only influences IT purchase decisions, it drives many of them, according to UBM Tech‘s annual Social Media @Work research. The study found that social media now plays a critical role in the business technology market.
Study highlights include:
- Social media influences and drives IT purchase decisions: 66% of tech professionals say that they have used social networking sites to obtain information for a technology purchase.
- 92% of IT respondents have taken one or more actions as a result of using social media, including visiting a vendor web site, or contacting a vendor directly for more information, and registering to download content such as research or a white paper.
- Social media is gaining credibility among IT professionals: 42% of respondents say that social media is “productive” — an increase from 36% two years ago. The percentage of respondents who describe it as simply “fun” decreased by 6 points.
- Social media has also gained credibility with tech marketers – the majority of tech marketers surveyed now have a business presence on all four of the major social networking platforms, with close to 90% maintaining a business presence on Twitter and Facebook, 84% who have a business presence on LinkedIn, and about three-quarters on YouTube.
“Social media is now completely ingrained into the workflow of business technology decision makers,” said Scott Vaughan , UBM Tech’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This poses challenges for tech marketers who lack resources to develop and execute effective, cohesive social media strategies. Our report incorporates practical tips to help even the most time-strapped tech marketers leverage social media as part of their overall marketing strategies.”
The full report, including strategies that marketers can use to maximize social media to engage IT decision makers, can be downloaded from CreateYourNextCustomer.com, an online resource for technology marketing best practices, research and solutions. Access the free report at http://bit.ly/WzkiMy; registration is required.
Tags: business technology, buying decisions, facebook, IT, LinkedIn, social media, Social Media@work, twitter, UBM Tech report, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, IT, LinkedIn, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | No Comments »
Friday, February 1st, 2013
 What does Facebook’s Graph Search mean to brands and marketers? While brands can’t use it to discover more about their fans, some marketers see opportunities in it nonetheless.
Malcolm Gladwell assessed what it might mean for brands in a Huffington Post article, noting that “brands with multiple locations will soon find their Facebook strategy turned on its head.” He explained that the value of marketing on Facebook “is about to shift dramatically and disproportionately form the brand level to the local level.”
That means, he adds, that local pages are as likely to show up as brand pages.
Sally Falkow took a look at how it might be useful at Content Management News.
Sarah Skerik, PR Newswire’s vice president of social media has four tips on how to double down on local presences and increase fan engagement.
They include offering Facebook friends early-bird alerts about new products or special sales, partnering with local charities or groups, and setting up real-life opportunities for people to things such as taking photos they’ll share on Facebook.
Craig Smith over at wedu, also took a look at how Facebook’s Graph Search will change digital marketing.
Here’s wedu’s infographic summing up:
Tags: digital marketing, facebook, Graph Search, increase engagement, infographic, tips, visibility
Posted in Best Practices, Facebook, infographic, Marketing | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
 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.
Further findings from the study include:
- Online Corporate Reputation Impacts Worker Behavior, Employers Lack Belief
- 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.
Tags: attract talent, clear mission, corporate blogs, engaged workforce, facebook, mobile texting, online reputation, social media
Posted in Internet/New Media, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture | No Comments »
Thursday, January 17th, 2013
Consumers want marketers to invest more in email, Facebook and the Web, according to a new study by global interactive provider ExactTarget (NYSE:ET).
ExactTarget’s Marketers from Mars study found 33 percent of consumers want marketers to invest more in email, 24 percent want marketers to invest in the brand’s website and 22 percent of consumers want marketers to invest in creating a better Facebook experience.
“Consumers are moving from single channel interactions into multi-channel relationships,” said Jeff Rohrs, ExactTarget’s vice president of marketing.
Here at the TechJournal, we want to point out there is some disconnect between marketing practices and consumer preferences. Also, whenever we look at percentages, we always consider the number not cited. If 49 percent prefer something, 51 percent preferred something else.
Key findings of the research include:
 Email
- 45 percent of marketers prefer to interact with brands on email compared to 36 percent of consumers with a smartphone, and 49 percent of consumers who do not own a smartphone
- 93 percent of marketers and 49 percent of consumers have made a purchase as a direct result of an email marketing message
- 93 percent of consumers subscribe to at least one brand’s email, remaining consistent compared to 2010
 Facebook
- 21 percent of marketers prefer to interact with brands on Facebook compared to 31 percent of consumers with a smartphone and 26 percent of consumers who do not own a smartphone, making it the second most common place both marketers and consumers look to connect with brands online
- 58 percent of consumers have “Liked” a brand on Facebook, a 20 percent increase since 2010
- 41 percent of marketers report they have made a purchase as the result of a message they saw on Facebook, compared to 21 percent of consumers
-
 Just call me Larry. Twitter
- Among those actively using Twitter, 58 percent of marketers and 46 percent of consumers follow brands to receive advanced notice about new products
- 61 percent of marketers Follow at least one brand on Twitter
- 12 percent of consumers Follow a brand on Twitter, a 7 percent increase since 2010
To download the complimentary research, visit www.exacttarget.com/MarketersFromMars.
The study is based on a survey of more than 1,200 U.S. consumers and more than 400 U.S. marketers.
Tags: consumer preferences, email, Exact Target, facebook, Marketers from Mars, twitter
Posted in Best Practices, Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, smartphones, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
Who has the most power to effect change today? If you think it’s the world’s political leaders, you’re in the minority.
According to a new study from Havas Worldwide, the single greatest agent of change is “the people, empowered by social media.”
It’s part of a shift that is seeing the responsibility for solving our most pressing challenges shared not just by the world’s governments, but also by citizen-consumers and businesses.
Anyone following the news in recent years has seen the seismic shifts in power via movements sparked by social media such as Twitter and Facebook and YouTube videos.
Agents of change
Thirty-five percent of the sample cited social media-empowered citizens as the greatest agent of change, while 25% picked “government/politicians,” 24% said “what we consume,” and 16% chose “corporations and companies.”
The Havas Worldwide survey was fielded online by Market Probe International among more than 10,000 adults in 31 countries.
Additional findings:
We don’t trust politicians to do their jobs: The survey respondents live under a variety of forms of government, but few are satisfied with the results they’re seeing from their political officials.
- Fewer than 4 in 10 (39%) say they have moderate or a lot of faith in their national governments, while only slightly more (42%) have faith in their local governments.
Social media is motivating and empowering people to push for change: Faith in government may be diminished, but people are taking advantage of digital communications to get informed about issues and try to make a difference themselves.
- Eighty-eight percent of the global sample use social media at least once a day, and 45% say it has made them more politically aware/active. The latter is especially true of two subsets within the sample: leading-edge Prosumers (62%) and millennials, defined here as ages 18-34. Fifty-four percent of millennials say social media has made them more politically active, compared with just 24% of those aged 55+.
- Forty percent of the global sample believe social media has made them more influential/powerful, including 57% of Prosumers and 49% of millennials.
- A third of the sample already use social media to change the world for the better, and 42% expect to use it more in the future to promote worthy causes.
Ordinary citizens with extraordinary ability
“Six in 10 of our study respondents—and nearly 8 in 10 Prosumers—believe social media gives ordinary citizens an extraordinary ability to influence others and create change,” said Marianne Hurstel , vice president, Havas Worldwide’s BETC and global chief strategy officer, Havas Worldwide.
“This sentiment is especially prevalent in emerging markets, where 68% agreed with this statement, compared with 49% of those in developed markets. In places where control has traditionally been in the hands of the few, social media may well offer the single most important pathway to power.”
People want businesses to step in where government has failed:
- Seventy-three percent believe that the more powerful corporations become, the more obligated they are to behave ethically and with the public interest in mind. In fact, more than two-thirds (68%) say businesses bear as much responsibility as government for driving positive social change.
- Seventy-six percent want corporations and government to work together to make the world a better place.
- Sixty-one percent would like their favorite brands/companies to play a bigger role in their local communities.
- And 6 in 10 expect corporations to play an increasingly vital role in addressing the world’s major problems.
Adding to the pressure on businesses to get involved is the widespread sense that they are better equipped than government to get things done:
- Sixty-three percent say that, in general, businesses are better run than governments.
- Around two-thirds of Prosumers (67%) and 55% of the mainstream think corporations are better positioned than governments to combat climate change.
“We’re entering the age of damage, where social media has empowered people to hold businesses accountable,” said David Jones , global CEO of Havas and author of Who Cares Wins: Why Good Business Is Better Business.
“As corporations have grown in size and power, people are expecting more from them. They want big business in general—and their brand partners in particular—to play a role in driving positive change and to work toward the greater good rather than acting solely on the basis of their own agendas. Consumers are rewarding those businesses that take the lead and punishing those that don’t.”
To learn more about the study and to download the “Communities and Citizenship: Redesigned for a New World” white paper, see: www.havasworldwide.com/prosumer-report.
Tags: ethics, facebook, Havas Worldwide, political change, Prosumers, social media, Twiter
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | No Comments »
Monday, January 14th, 2013
Users of Facebook and other social networks should beware of allowing their self-esteem—boosted by “likes” or positive comments from close friends—to influence their behavior.
It could reduce their self-control both on and offline, according to an academic paper by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia Business School that has recently been published online in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Here at the TechJournal, we think the researchers may be drawing questionable conclusions from their studies.
Titled “Are Close Friends the Enemy? Online Social Networks, Self-Esteem, and Self-Control,” the research paper demonstrates that users who are focused on close friends tend to experience an increase in self-esteem while browsing their social networks.
Losing self-control seen
 Afterwards, these users display less self-control. Greater social network use among this category of users with strong ties to their friends is also associated with individuals having higher body-mass indexes and higher levels of credit-card debt, according to the paper.
“To our knowledge, this is the first research to show that using online social networks can affect self-control,” said coauthor Andrew T. Stephen , assistant professor of business administration and Katz Fellow in Marketing in the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration.
“We have demonstrated that using today’s most popular social network, Facebook, may have a detrimental affect on people’s self-control.”
Stephen coauthored the research with Keith Wilcox , assistant professor of marketing at Columbia Business School. The paper includes the results of five separate studies conducted with a total of more than 1,000 U.S. Facebook users.
How the research was conducted
In the researchers’ initial study, participants completed surveys about how closely they’re connected to friends on Facebook. Then they were split into two groups: one group that wrote about the experience of browsing Facebook and another group that actually browsed Facebook.
Both groups then completed a self-esteem survey. Regardless of whether the participants wrote about Facebook browsing or actually browsed the site, the participants with weak ties to Facebook friends did not experience an increase in self-esteem, but those with strong ties to friends had an enhanced sense of self-esteem.
Stephen and Wilcox’s second study evaluated why Facebook users with strong ties to friends were more likely to experience an increase in self-esteem.
Participants were prompted to browse Facebook for five minutes. Some were told to pay attention to the status updates and other information people were sharing with them. Others were directed to concentrate on information they were sharing.
When Facebook boosts self-esteem
The researchers concluded that browsing Facebook only increased participants’ self-esteem when they were focused on the information they were presenting to others.
“We find that people experience greater self-esteem when they focus on the image they are presenting to strong ties in their social networks,” said Wilcox.
“This suggests that even though people are sharing the same positive information with strong ties and weak ties on social networks, they feel better about themselves when the information is received by strong ties than by weak ties.”
Cookies, granola bars, and word puzzles were part of the methodology of the third and fourth studies, which established the link between self-esteem and self-control.
Participants in the third study were instructed either to check Facebook or read the CNN.com news website, then choose between eating a granola bar or a chocolate-chip cookie. Those who had browsed Facebook were more likely to choose the cookie.
Facebook browsers gave up
Participants in the fourth study were given anagram word puzzles to solve after either checking Facebook or reading TMZ.com, a celebrity news and gossip website. The Facebook browsers were more likely to give up on the puzzles.
The fifth investigation, an online field study, examined the relationship between online social network use and offline behaviors associated with poor self-control.
Participants completed a survey asking about their height and weight, the number of credit cards they own and the amount of debt on them, and how many friends they have offline, among other questions.
Fatter, poorer, and less credit-worthy?
“The results suggest that greater social network use is associated with a higher body-mass index, increased binge eating, a lower credit score, and higher levels of credit-card debt for individuals with strong ties to their social network,” the researchers wrote.
Personally, here at the TechJournal, we’re deeply skeptical of these findings.
Implications for policy makers?
Stephen and Wilcox say the five studies have implications for policy makers because self-control is an important mechanism for maintaining social order and well-being.
“It would be worthwhile for researchers and policy makers to further explore social network use in order to better understand which consumers may be particularly vulnerable to suffering negative psychological or social consequences,” the authors wrote.
What do you think? Does using Facebook affect your self-control? We’re heavy users of social media and we have a credit rating higher than 99.9 percent of people in the U.S., we aren’t fat and have minimal credit card debt.
Tags: facebook, research, self-control, self-esteem, social networks, tech culture
Posted in Facebook, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Friday, January 11th, 2013
 Would you find it easier to give up pizza or social media? Some New Year’s resolutions are tough to keep. Especially those aimed at cutting back on junk food consumption.
As of today, most Americans will hit the crucial ten day threshold, the moment where resolutions begin to waver and people succumb to their cravings.
And when it comes to making sacrifices in 2013, most say it would be easier to give up social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for the entire year than favorite foods such as pizza, potato chips and french fries.
Of 1,000 individuals surveyed, 39 percent expressed difficulty giving up pizza and other favorite foods versus only 25 percent for social media platforms like Facebook.
Cyber Security products a growth market
 The global cyber security market is set to be worth $68.34bn in 2013, as exceedingly high-demand continues for information security systems across governments, global militaries, and the private sector.
The Global Cyber Security Market 2013-2023 report comments that: ‘Cyber security is one of the strongest growth markets in the defence & security industry at present.
Moreover, the cyber security market transcends traditional defence spending: the private sector remains very insecure in regard to the cyber threat and the increased importance of safeguarding intellectual property is certain to ensure that higher spending is necessary across all areas of industry and commerce.
Lastly, the threat to national infrastructure cannot be discounted as a major area of spending. Taken altogether, cyber security represents a major growth market which will reward both vendors and purchasers.
Real Estate agents turning to Facebook over web pages
N-Play, which provides agent-centric real estate applications and services on Facebook, has reported that 150,000 real estate agents have become members of its social media services platform during 2012.
Agents are looking to social media as the next frontier to reach and connect with customers.
Traditional websites and web marketing services, that until now have been industry necessities, are being displaced with Facebook business pages and real estate applications. This includes the ability to promote services and listings, search for properties, collaborate with customers and connect with new prospects.
“The website is dead for the average real estate agent,” said Mark Bloomfield , CEO of N-Play, the provider of the Real Estate Agent Directory on Facebook.
“As an agent, unless you are willing to shell out substantial dollars each year on website technology, advertising and search engine optimization, you’re not likely to create enough new customers for cost justification.”
He added, “Because this market is now controlled by the big real estate consumer portals, the average agent is just throwing away dollars to compete on the web for customers. As a result, the agent website has been marginalized and an underperforming asset for many years. It’s not going to get better moving forward. It’s time to change the marketing paradigm to compete, and social media is doing just that for agents,” he said.
Tags: cyber security, facebook, junk food, Net-go-round, New Year's resolutions, pizza, real estate agents, social media, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Security, social media, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
 International Data Corporation predicts that video game sales for console systems will rebound from a tough 2011-2012 as new platforms hit the market.
“2011 and 2012 were tough for many console game disc developers and publishers,” says IDC’s Lewis Ward, manager of its gaming service.
“With the advent of eighth-generation consoles, starting with the Wii U, historical norms strongly imply that game disc revenue will stop bleeding in 2013 and rise substantively in 2014.”
“The console ecosystem is in a state of flux since these platforms need to support an ever-growing array of non-gaming features and services at the same time that game distribution and monetization is moving in a digital direction,” said Ward, research manager of IDC’s Gaming service.
“At the same time, it doesn’t appear that alternative platforms — set-top boxes from cable companies, Web-connected smart TVs, and so on — are positioned to materially disrupt the trajectory of the ‘big 3′ console OEMs in 2013 or 2014. Discs will remain the console game revenue mainstay for years to come.”
Key takeaways from the new forecast include:
- In December 2012, PS3 system shipments eclipsed the number of Xbox 360′s shipped worldwide, despite the PS3 launching a year later than the Xbox 360 (an estimated 77 million bundles versus approximately 76 million bundles shipped)
- Nintendo’s Wii U will find an audience; global bundle shipments will exceed 50 million by year-end 2016
- The volume of packaged game discs shipped will decline an average of roughly 3% per year through 2016, as console spending shifts into digital channels
Consumers want car connections
 Consumers want digital connections in their vehicles, says a study of more than 2,100 US adults by Johnson Controls.
Some of the key findings from the study include:
- Interest in greater connectivity via one’s vehicle is high. 84% of vehicle owners1 would like to control the features in their vehicle via a touch-screen infotainment system; 83% want to get updates to vehicle infotainment systems delivered wirelessly; 76% would like to connect to the Internet using their vehicle as a Wi-Fi hotspot; 67% would like to download applications directly to their vehicle; and, 61% would like to pay for something using a debit or credit card linked to the infotainment system in their vehicle.2
- Safety is the single most important feature3 in the selection of a vehicle (75%). The delivery of vehicle infotainment safely will be critical to consumer adoption and consumption. The second tier of important features includes vehicle diagnostics (49%) and navigation (42%).4
- Smartphone apps most associated with a vehicle include: Maps/navigation = 52%; News = 45%; and, finding locations = 34%.
- When it comes to downloading smartphone apps to a vehicle via an interactive screen, vehicle owners who use downloaded apps on a weekly basis would prefer traditional channels. 62% have a preference for where they would download an app for their vehicle, and of those with a preference, 60% would prefer downloading from an existing app store (e.g., App Store for iOS, Amazon Appstore for Android), 38% would prefer a new app store for vehicle-specific applications, and 37% would prefer the app maker’s website (e.g., Pandora, Google Maps).
- When it comes to accessing a vehicle app, vehicle owners who use downloaded apps regularly want apps they know and are comfortable with. Two-thirds (64%) want the menu options in their vehicle to be the same as on their smartphone (i.e., a full list of menu options available).
Social media stock tracker launched
 WebMediaBrands Inc.’s (Nasdaq: WEBM) SocialTimes launched the Social Media Stock Tracker covering the weekly stock performance of companies within the social media and Internet sectors such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Zynga, and Groupon.
Each weekly report, published on Saturday mornings, discusses key developments and provides analytical commentary on the most interesting and controversial events that impact the public companies in these sectors.
The Social Media Stock Tracker is prepared by Nathan Drona, a former senior analyst in equity research with coverage of the Internet and media sectors and the former director of a global hedge fund focused on technology and life sciences.
He was also a senior investment banker focused on M&A for international companies in technology and life sciences, and has been a board director for several public and private companies.
Tags: apps, connected cars, facebook, Google, IDC, infotainment, LinkedIn, Microsoft, social media stock tracker, Sony, video console games
Posted in Facebook, games, Google, Internet/New Media, IT, LinkedIn, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
 Executives at leading investment banks are projecting measured growth in initial public offerings (IPOs) on U.S. exchanges in 2013, according to a new study by accounting firm BDO USA.
Exactly half predict an increase in U.S. IPOs in the coming year, although only 8 percent describe the increase as substantial, while almost one-third (31%) forecast activity as flat compared with 2012.
Just 18 percent expect a decrease in offerings on domestic exchanges. Overall, bankers predict a 6 percent increase in the number of U.S. IPOs in 2013. They anticipate these offerings will average $250 million, which projects to $34 billion in total IPO proceeds on U.S. exchanges.
“In 2012, the number of U.S. IPOs was relatively flat with activity in 2011, but total proceeds raised were the second most in the past ten years, trailing only the pre-crisis high of 2007.
2012 IPO proceeds (minus Facebook) were smaller than 2011
However, more than a third of 2012 proceeds were attributable to the Facebook IPO and, absent that offering, proceeds would have been the lowest since the height of the financial crisis in 2009,” said Brian Eccleston, a Partner in the Capital Markets Practice of BDO USA.
“If you remove Facebook from 2012 figures, the bankers’ projections for the coming year represent an approximate 28 percent increase in proceeds.”
Absent the Facebook offering, the size of the average IPO in 2012 was considerably smaller than 2011 and capital markets executives identified several contributing factors for this trend.
The most frequently cited factors were valuation pressures that forced offering businesses to cut prices (47%), smaller businesses pursuing offerings (31%) and companies offering a smaller percentage of the business in the deal (13%).
IPO Threats
When asked to identify the greatest threat to a healthy U.S. IPO market in 2013, more than a third (37%) of capital markets executives cite the threat of tax increases and government spending cuts and a similar proportion (34%) highlight global political and financial instability.
High unemployment (11%), constrained bank lending (10%) and competition from foreign exchanges (4%) are identified as threats by small minorities of the participants.
Industries
In terms of how individual industries will fair in 2013, approximately two-thirds of the investment banking community are predicting a continued increase in offerings in the healthcare (69%), technology (67%), biotech (67%) and energy (65%) verticals.
A lesser majority (54%) forecast a jump in real estate offerings. No other industry is predicted to achieve an increase in IPOs by a majority of the survey participants.
The healthcare and real estate verticals experienced the biggest jump in confidence (+19%) when comparing the 2013 and 2012 IPO forecasts by industry. (See chart below.)
| Industry |
|
|
% Projected 2012 Increase |
|
% Projecting 2013 Increase |
| Healthcare |
|
|
50% |
|
69% |
| Technology |
|
|
73% |
|
67% |
| Biotech |
|
|
59% |
|
67% |
| Energy/Natural Resources |
|
|
72% |
|
65% |
| Real Estate |
|
|
35% |
|
54% |
| Industrial/Manufacturing |
|
|
27% |
|
33% |
| Consumer/Retail |
|
|
23% |
|
30% |
| Media/Telecom |
|
|
39% |
|
29% |
| Financial |
|
|
16% |
|
26% |
(Proportions of Capital Markets Executives at leading Investment banks expecting U.S. IPO activity to increase in 2013 in specific industries versus the percentage from 2012 survey.)
Tags: 2013 IPO growth, BDO study, Biotech, facebook, Healthcare, media/telecom, real estate, technology
Posted in IPOs, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
 Total volume and proceeds raised in the 2012 IPO market increased over 2011, despite the slowdown in activity during the fourth quarter, according to IPO Watch, a quarterly and annual survey of IPOs listed on U.S. stock exchanges by PwC US.
PwC says the IPO market continued to outperform as a sector in the fourth quarter, despite a pullback. And, despite a pause in Q4 IPO pricings, a considerable number of companies are filing under the JOBS act, which “bodes well for the IPO market” in 2013.
Following a strong performance in October, the market pulled back as companies waited for clarity on U.S. fiscal policy, PwC said.
138 companies completed IPOs
For the full year, the IPO market saw 138 companies completing their IPOs as of December 13, 2012, raising total proceeds of $40.7 billion, compared with 134 companies that had completed their IPOs for all of 2011 raising $35.5 billion, according to the survey.
Although the 2012 volume of IPOs surpassed 2011, the value raised — when excluding the $16.0 billion Facebook IPO — was only $24.7b, which was a 30% decrease in proceeds raised.
Average IPO size decreased
 The current year lacked the large number of billion dollar plus IPOs in 2011, and saw the average IPO size in 2012 decrease to $180 million when excluding Facebook, which was a reduction of 32% from the average IPO in 2011 of $265 million.
The IPO market began robustly in the fourth quarter, with October IPO volume equaling that of March – both months were the highest of the year with 21 IPOs. IPO proceeds during October reached the second-highest monthly level of the year, after May, which included the Facebook IPO.
Retreat began in November
IPO activity began to retreat in November as investors turned their attention to the Presidential election and fiscal outlook.
All told, there were 33 U.S. IPOs in the fourth quarter of 2012, surpassing the 29 IPOs in the third quarter of 2012, and 28 IPOs in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Total proceeds raised in the fourth quarter were $6.3 billion, down 5 percent from $6.6 billion the third quarter of 2012, and down 3 percent from $6.4 billion in proceeds in the corresponding quarter in 2011.
IPOs outperformed as a sector
 IPOs continued to outperform as a sector in the fourth quarter, with stock price gains exceeding broader equity market returns.
On a quarter-to-date basis, all 33 IPOs that priced in the fourth quarter of 2012 increased their price by an average of 11 percent on their first day of trading, and averaged a return of 12 percent after one week.
In addition, on a quarter to date basis, all 33 IPOs are on average 21 percent above their issue price, again outperforming the S&P500, which showed a quarterly decline of approximately one percent.
According to PwC, despite the pause in IPO pricings during the fourth quarter, the runway for entering the public markets is active as reflected by the considerable number of companies that are filing under the JOBS act.
This underlying volume of activity bodes well for the IPO market as we enter 2013.
Tags: 2012 IPO market, 2013, facebook, IPO Watch, PWC
Posted in IPOs, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
 UPDATED: A rash of Tweets about people deserting Instagram are just one sign of the trouble the company may be causing itself with a just announced policy shift.
The company, acquired by Facebook three months ago, is claiming the right to sell or license any public Instagram photos without paying for them or even informing the photographers.
Instagram posted a response to all this saying “We’re listening.” It says it is not its intention to sell user photos and plans to update the policy language to make that clear. It also says it has no plans for using posted photos in ads.
Here’s the language of the new policy causing consternation:
“Some or all of the Service may be supported by advertising revenue. To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.”
It’s number 2 under the Rights section.
If Instagram users don’t delete their photos and account by January 16, they may be giving Facebook the rights to sell their photos pretty much forever.
Blogger, author and software developer Reginald Braithwaite wrote and posted a funny “translation” of the new policy.
It reads, in part:
“Dear Users:
You are not our customers, you are the cattle we drive to market and auction off to the highest bidder. Enjoy your feed and keep producing the milk.”
We suspect Instagram/Facebook may alter the policy if the Internet storm that’s brewing creates some cyber gale force winds.
If you don’t want to take any chances of the company selling your photos, however, Wired published this handy guide on how to download your Instagram photos and delete your account.
Here’s what CNET has to say about it all. — Allan Maurer
Tags: delete Instagram account, facebook, Instagram, intellectual property policy, photo licensing rights
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, Legal, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Monday, December 17th, 2012
If you have tweeted a major retail brand on its own Twitter account but never received a response, you’re not alone. Most top retailers have signed up on the major social networks, but many are using them haphazardly or sporadically, Twitter in particular.
While 90 percent of the brands surveyed in Acquity Group’s 2012 Brand eCommerce Audit are on Twitter, less than 27 percent actively participate in Twitter conversations with consumers.
That means 73 percent leave customer tweets unaswered – which may be worse than not being on the network at all.
The Audit, which evaluatedInterbrand’s 2012 Best Retail Brands on customer engagement across major digital channels, including big browser, social, and mobile, found that every brand on the list except one has a Facebook page.
And 45 out of 50 are on Twitter, only 12 brands had a cohesive presence across all five of the major social networks analyzed (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube).
Avoid haphazard use of social media
“Although most brands are signed up for the major social networks, many struggle to understand how they fit into their overarching business strategy. As a result, our audit revealed several critical areas of improvement when it comes to actually connecting with consumers across social channels,” said Jay Dettling , executive vice president at Acquity Group.
“The important take away for brands is to avoid haphazard or sporadic use of social media. When a new social media channel is introduced, brands need to take the time to analyze the potential impact and return, and develop a solid strategy from there.”
Brands were most active on YouTube, with 80 percent of the brands leveraging the channel at an 85 percent engagement rate.
Top scoring brands in social interaction
Even though the majority of companies (56 percent) have yet to utilize Instagram, the brands with a presence on this platform also had a high level of interaction (79 percent).
Pinterest was identified as the most popular up and coming social network, with 60 percent adoption and 70 percent interaction. According to Dettling, these findings demonstrate the growing importance of engaging consumers through videos and visuals.
The 10 brands scoring best overall in social interaction include, in order of ranking: Target, Home Depot, RadioShack, Bath and Body Works, Nordstrom, Gap, eBay, Coach, American Eagle Outfitters and Banana Republic.
To download the full Brand Audit report, visit www.acquitygroup.com/brandaudit2012 .
Tags: 2012 Brand eCommerce Audit, Acquity Group, American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, Bath and Body Works, business strategy, Coach, ebay, facebook, Gap, Home Depot, Nordstrom, Pinterest, RadioShack, Target, twitter, YouTube
Posted in Ecommerce, Internet/New Media, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Thursday, December 13th, 2012
Nearly half – 47 percent – of Americans use social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and spent billions of minutes social networking in 2012. The research organization ProCon.org asks, is that good for society?
Pro: Proponents of social networking sites say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access to educational support and materials; facilitate social and political change; and disseminate useful information rapidly.
Con: Opponents of social networking say that the sites prevent face-to-face communication; waste time on frivolous activity; alter children’s brains and behavior making them more prone to ADHD; expose users to predators like pedophiles and burglars; and spread false and potentially dangerous information.
What do you think?
What do you think? We find social networks alert us to news, ideas, and people we wouldn’t encounter otherwise. We work from a home office and they serve as the water cooler, break room, and gossip hotline as well as a source of information we find useful or entertaining.
In addition to in-depth pro and con research, the ProCon.org social networking website contains a historical background section, videos, photos, over 200 footnotes and sources, and Did You Know? facts including:
- Social networking sites are the top news source for 27.8% of Americans, ranking below newspapers (28.8%) and above radio (18.8%) and print publications (6%).
- Students who used social networking sites while studying scored 20% lower on tests, and students who used social media had an average GPA of 3.06 versus non-users who had an average GPA of 3.82.
- 35 global heads of state, every US Cabinet agency, 84% of US state governors, every major candidate for US President, and more than 40% of top global religious leaders are on Twitter.
- 10% of people younger than 25 years old respond to social media and text messages during sex.
- In July 2012 Americans spent 74.0 billion minutes on social media via a home computer, 40.8 billion minutes via apps, and 5.7 billion minutes via mobile web browsers for a total of 121.1 billion minutes on social networking sites in one month.
Tags: facebook, LinkedIn, News, ProCon.org, social media networks, studying, time spent, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, social media, Tech life/Culture, Twitter | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Social media has long been a powerful tool for raising awareness and today social sites are being used to raise funds.
In 2012, social networks became such successful sources for contributions that the concept is now commonly called social giving. MDG Advertising’s new infographic conveys this global trend toward social giving.
Tags: facebook, fundraising, nonprofits, social giving, social media
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
Surging numbers of emails cause workers to spend countless hours sorting, filing, flagging and tagging instead of focusing on action items, according to research conducted by Varonis, which sells data governance software.
In fact, 43% of those surveyed routinely abandon their inboxes altogether in favor of a virtual coffee break.
The study, questioning employees about their digital habits and vices, found that nearly a quarter receive between 100 to 1,000 emails and one in ten workers now faces more than 10,000 emails in their inbox.
Three approaches to dealing with the deluge
In their struggle to stay on top of this email deluge, the study has revealed three different approaches: 34% of those questioned are ‘filers,’ clearing their inbox on a daily basis and filing messages into folders.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, hoarders — who never delete messages — make up 17% of the workforce. The majority of respondents, at 44%, appear to practice a hybrid of both practices to stay on top of their mailboxes.
Of all those surveyed, 40% spend 30 minutes or more every day managing their email, in addition to reading and responding, equating to 120 hours every year.
Here at the Techjournal, we wish we could limit the time we spend dealing with email to 30 minutes a day. Yet it remains our number one communications option. Listening to streaming music services such as Pandora, or even online NPR streams can take some of the pain out of it.
However, a small but telling niche of 6% admitted to completely giving up on maintaining control over their email.
David Gibson, VP of Strategy at Varonis, said, “We see a growing trend of people struggling and in some cases even giving up on — or deleting — their entire inboxes. It also appears that over-stretched employees are seeking more ways to clear their heads by taking virtual coffee breaks to browse the web or social networks.”
In fact, the research found that 43% of respondents switched off by scanning the web for news, followed by 28% who listened to music while working.
C-level execs turn to social more than employees
Surprisingly, C-level employees and managers were more likely to take refuge with social media than employees, with over a quarter of management taking to twitter and nearly a third to Facebook. In comparison, just 1 in 10 employees uses Facebook, with even fewer workers tweeting at work.
“Whether they are distracted by a host of different media or simply slaving away to deal with their inboxes, if employees can’t regain control of the volumes of work they are bombarded with they are likely to make mistakes.
Nearly two thirds of those we surveyed reported a mishap as a result of sending an email by mistake — 1 in 20 even cited compliance issues as a result of a wrongly sent email.
The only way to throw workers a life belt is by utilizing automation to help them organize, manage and prioritize their email in a way that gives them visibility over what is important, when and to whom,” said Gibson.
To download the full digital habits research report, visit http://www.varonis.com/research/#digitalhabits
Tags: email deluge, facebook, social media refuge, twitter, Varonis research
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
CEOs at Inc. 500 companies are significantly more active on social media channels than their FORTUNE 500 counterparts, according to a new study conducted by Domo and CEO.com, an online resource that lets busy executives stay up to date on the latest news and best practices in business management.
The 2012 Social CEO Showdown, which was created to compare and contrast the social media habits of CEOs from the Inc. 500 and the Fortune 500, revealed that Inc. 500 CEOs are 13 times more likely to be active on Twitter than CEOs at America’s largest companies.
Inc. 500 CEOs are also 5.3 times more likely to be on Facebook, 3 times more likely to be on LinkedIn, 15 times more likely to be on Google Plus, and 4.8 times more likely to blog.
All told, 79 percent of Inc. 500 CEOs have a social presence on at least one network. By comparison, 30 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs have a social media presence.
CEOs at larger firms have higher Klout scores
However, in terms of Klout scores, which measure the influence of individuals based on various social media data points, CEOs at the largest companies rank 28.5 percent higher than their fast-growth counterparts.
Similarly, Fortune 500 CEOs who are on Twitter have more than 4 times the number of followers than Inc. 500 CEOs. These findings suggest that CEOs of America’s largest companies still have enormous power in the social world, but are not doing enough to take advantage of their position.
Here’s an infographic detailing the study’s findings:
Tags: facebook, Fortune 500 CEOs, Google Plus, Inc. 500 CEOs, social media use, twitter
Posted in infographic, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
Best practices that top brands implemented during 2012 include offering social expression capabilities and rewards, creating social list and curation opportunities, enabling social discovery features, and using Interest Graph data, according to 8thBridge’s second annual Social Commerce IQ report.
The study revealed a number of new best practices as compared to the 2011 report, including an extended focus beyond simply increasing social network presence to include creating richer social shopping experiences that are directly integrated with, and driven from, the top players’ ecommerce sites.
The 2012 SCIQ: Retail report covered more than double the number of companies as the 2011 study, which focused entirely on retail brands. View an infographic detailing the report’s findings.
The report also reflected a major shift in social commerce strategy that is perhaps best exemplified by increasing interest in Pinterest, which has been adopted among 78 percent of IR 500 companies in less than a year but has not generated a corresponding rise in traffic or sales conversion.
 Pinterest emphasizes curation and the concept of an Interest Graph that creates more meaningful connections based on things that interest people rather than simply who they know.
Wade Gerten, CEO of 8thBridge, said, “Three types of companies have emerged as leaders in this year’s report – the first is ecommerce companies that have deeply integrated social functionality into their sites, the second is ‘in-transition’ companies that do well in all social commerce areas, and the third is strong viral companies that score exceptionally well in social network branding and referral traffic.”
The top retailers identified in the SCIQ report included many who were new both to the SCIQ 25 list as well as this year’s IR 500 rankings. Based on a weighted total of four key success factors, the top 25 companies are:
- Fab.com
- DebShops.com
- Coastal.com
- Modcloth.com
- PetFlow.com
- ShoeDazzle.com
- JackThreads.com
- CafePress.com
- Birchbox.com
- Totsy.com
- Heels.com
- NastyGal.com
- Sears.com
- Ice.com
- Threadless.com
- WetSeal.com
- Store.NBA.com
- AE.com (American Eagle Outfitters)
- AMIclubwear.com
- Barneys.com
- CharlotteRusse.com
- Forever21.com
- OneKingsLane.com
- Aerie.com
- Spencersonline.com
Other key usage statistics emerged, including:
- Facebook upstream traffic is now 2.46%
- Pinterest upstream traffic is now 0.11% (low)
- Twitter upstream traffic is now: 0.06% (a distant third)
- 35% of companies researched had apps on Facebook that were not functioning and/or were out of date.
- 51% of companies have incorporated the Pin It button
Additionally, the report included results from a survey of 1,819 U.S. residents between July 9 and July 12, 2012, regarding their Facebook usage and interest in social commerce. Key findings include:
- 70 percent of respondents would rather hear about a new product from a Facebook friend, than from a brand.
- 57% have asked their friends on Facebook for advice before purchasing a product.
- 31% say they don’t share products on social networks, while 63% say they share on Facebook, 25% on Twitter, and 22% on Pinterest.
- 64% said that more Facebook “likes” on a product do not increase the likelihood that they will buy that product.
- 44% say they are most likely to discover new products compared to 21% on Pinterest and 13% on Twitter, but 37% don’t pay attention to posts about products.
- 56% do not share things on social networks to get rewards.
Tags: 8th Bridge, Best Practices, facebook, Pinterest, retail, Social Commerce IQ study, Top 25 social commerce leaders, twitter
Posted in Best Practices, Internet/New Media, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Monday, December 3rd, 2012
Social media marketing has gone from being a minor blip on the radar in 2007 to an essential in the retail industry, according to a new BDO USA survey.
The survey found that 86 percent of retail CMOs have included social media in their marketing strategies, continuing a dramatic rise from just four percent of retailers who did so in 2007. In a nod to its growing importance, retail CMOs say social media accounts for 10 percent of their holiday advertising and marketing budgets this year.
While many focus on Facebook and Twitter, many are also exploring Pinterest and mobile is on everyone’s radar.
With Google reporting that four out of five consumers plan to use their mobile devices to shop this year, it’s clear that mobile marketing is becoming increasingly important. Half of the CMOs surveyed say they have included mobile in their marketing strategy, up 39 percent from 2011, but still showing that many retailers are playing catch up with the platform’s exponential growth.
“Over the past five years, we’ve seen an enormous change in the way retailers are marketing to consumers during the holidays,” saysStephen Wyss, partner in the Retail and Consumer Products practice at BDO USA, LLP.
“The growth in social and mobile marketing gives retailers more opportunities to acquire and engage customers, and we expect the returns from the holiday push in these platforms to be significant.”
These findings are from the most recent edition of the BDO Retail Compass Survey of CMOs, which examined the opinions of 100 chief marketing officers at leading retailers located throughout the country. The retailers in the study are among the largest in the country, including 20 retailers in the top 100 based on annual sales revenue. The telephone survey was conducted in September and October of 2012.
Additional findings of the 2012 BDO Retail Compass Survey of CMOs include:
Digital channels see a bigger share of marketing dollars. While a majority of CMOs (67 percent) say their holiday marketing and advertising budgets are flat this year, there are notable shifts in the way budgets are being divided. Print advertising is the top expenditure for 42 percent of CMOs, but this year 31 percent say they will spend the most marketing dollars online, including social media sites.
This marks a 35 percent increase in the number of CMOs giving the most resources to online marketing and advertising over last year. Broadcast advertising remains the top expenditure for 22 percent of CMOs, down slightly from 2011.
Big data presents a big challenge and opportunity. Retailers were early adopters with big data, but the amount of customer data they now have access to through in-store purchases, email, social media, and e-commerce and mobile sales has skyrocketed. Nearly all (93 percent) of CMOs surveyed say they find it a challenge to integrate and manage the data, and 40 percent specify that it is “very challenging.” Still, the opportunity to use that data to provide better service and generate revenue is clear. By looking at what products are purchased together, and when and where they were purchased, retailers can glean insights on optimal product assortment and timing of merchandise introduction. Two-thirds of retailers (66 percent) say they will increase their use of customer data for targeting efforts in the next year.
Retailers focus on Facebook, many exploring Pinterest. Among the retailers who are incorporating social media into their marketing efforts, 99 percent say they are focusing on Facebook. In addition to engaging with consumers and sharing promotions on Facebook, more retailers, including Brookstone and Fab.com, are now able to use the platform for e-commerce.
Retailers are also looking to capitalize on the popularity of Pinterest, which is currently the third busiest site after Facebook and Twitter, according to comScore. One in five retailers say they are marketing on Pinterest this holiday season. Twitter also remains a popular site for 51 percent of retailers.
CMOs pursue a variety of mobile tactics to reach shoppers. When asked which kinds of mobile promotions they are most focused on, retailers are divided. Flash sales and daily deals are the top priority for 30 percent of CMOs, while 23 percent are most focused on text messages and 20 percent on mobile coupons.
Because mobile is still a new platform for marketers, they are exploring many avenues to reach and engage shoppers. This holiday season, retailers have been slowly rolling out new forms of mobile engagement, including in-store GPS and apps that provide product reviews.
According to the survey, the development of mobile apps is the primary tactic for 14 percent of CMOs, and another 14 percent cite QR codes.
Tags: BDO retail compass survey of CMOs, digital channels, facebook, mobile, Pinterest, social media marketing, twitter
Posted in Internet/New Media, Marketing, Mobile, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 30th, 2012
By Allan Maurer
 Jack Krawczyk of StumbleUpon is one of the presenters at the upcoming Dallas Digital Summit. When someone says “social network” you probably immediately think of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumbr, or Pinterest. But, says Jack Krawczyk, head of monetization at StubleUpon, “Email is the number one social network.”
Krawczyk says that’s backed up by research StumbleUpon did over the summer. “Our internal data shows that for every one share on a social network, we get two via email,” he says. “Email is an often overlooked and really intimate form of communications.”
Eyeglasses firm Wavy Parker, for instance, has a “super cool feature” that lets your webcam shoot a photo of you and then try a pair of eyeglasses on your face. “But the only sharing option is Facebook,” says Krawczyk. “When I first saw that my insecurity meter went off the charts. The only person I’d want to share it with is my wife via email to make sure I don’t l0ok like a goofball. That’s an area where email makes sense.”
 The State Farm robot attack video was shared primarily via email. A company that used email well, however, is State Farm Insurance, which ran a campaign with the idea that you never know when disaster might strike, letting users create a video in which a rampaging robot stomps their own house, then email it to friends. “They did a cool integration with Google maps. You typed in your address and they created this minute long experience of a robot walking through your neighborhood. That might not be something you want to share on Facebook,” he says, “because you don’t want everyone to know your address.”
But people did email the videos – including me. And Krawczyk is correct, it isn’t something I would necessarily want to post on other social media, but I emailed it to several friends.
It is a matter of broadcast vs. intimate sharing, he notes. “We looked at 13 different content veritcals, TV, websites and what people do, sharing to blogs, Facebook, Twitter, or send it to friends via email.”
They found certain topics best attuned to broadcast sharing include humor, music, technology, things that are easy to digest and allow quick, short conversations on social media.
But when it comes to more personal verticals, financial services, shopping, travel, they’re topics people prefer to email about. Krawczyk says, for instance, when shopping, he emails his “staff consultant – my wife,” for advice.
Krawczyk tells us that StubleUpon relaunched its mobile apps for iPhone and iPad in September, introducing the concept of “The slide.”
“Before you would go from web page to web page,” he says. “Now you see preview panes that let’s you decide quickly if you want to see the page.”
That way you don’t have to wait for pages to load on a mobile device. Feedback suggests users like having more control and “We’ve seen significant growth on iOS devices,” he says. “Now we’ll apply it to Android devices.”
Mobile has been an “awesome story” for StumbleUpon, he adds. “We’ve gone from zero to 15 percent on mobile and by the end of this year will hit 30 percent.”
As Head of Product Monetization at StumbleUpon, Krawczyk is responsible for the product management of advertising and partnership solutions. Focused on Paid Discovery, StumbleUpon’s social media marketing platform, Krawczyk has been working closely with brands to understand how to better engage brand promise with consumers who are in the mindset of discovery.
Prior to joining StumbleUpon, Krawczck was at Google where he worked on the development of Google+, and previously industry marketing management of Fortune 500 advertising relationships in the media & entertainment, financial services, travel and local services sectors.
He’ll join dozens of other top digital thought-leaders at the sold-out Dallas Digital Summit, Dec. 4-6. You can still add your name to a waiting list in case some registered cancel, and that does happen.
Tags: Allan Maurer, Dallas Digital Summit, email as social network, facebook, iOS, Jack Krawczyk, mobile, State Farm robot attack, StubleUpon, twitter, Waverly Parker optical
Posted in Best Practices, Events, Facebook, Internet/New Media, Mobile, social media, Twitter | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 28th, 2012
The ease of taking and sharing pictures is resulting in rapid growth of image traffic on mobile networks. Image traffic growth has surpassed video traffic growth for those markets with a high level of smart phone penetration, according to Flash Networks.
Image traffic grew 33 percent as compared with five percent growth for video traffic in the Americas and Europe for the last six months. Where smart phone penetration is lower, primarily in Asia, video traffic is still growing faster than image traffic.
Flash Networks has collected this data over the last six months from several Tier One Operator networks located in Europe, Asia and the Americas, collectively servicing over 200 million subscribers. Approximately 85% percent of the overall traffic was running on smart phones in saturated markets.
Mobile social networks increasing the flow
Mobile social networks such as Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook are increasing the sharing of images which is greatly contributing to the traffic surge on mobile networks.
Flash Network’s data revealed that Instagram version upgrade in September alone increased image traffic by 20% for operators in the Americas and Europe.
Other recent reports confirm the rising popularity of sharing images over mobile networks. comScore reported a nearly 8.5-fold increase in Instagram mobile users in less than six months. Diffbot reported that 36 percent of all links shared on Twitter are images, and 42 percent of all Tumblr posts are photos.
When we use Tumbr, Facebook or our tablet, we marvel at just how image addicted our society has become – and we’re no exception. We’ll scroll through hundreds of Tumbr posts and Facebook images. Google Plus is also image saturated, with photographer circles extremely popular.
Tags: facebook, Flash Networks, image traffic growth, Instagram, mobile networks, Pinterest, Tumblr, twitter
Posted in Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
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