Posts tagged Makes
What makes Coca-Cola the No-1 SuperBrand in Social Media?
May 17th
Who else has completed more than 80 years of Olympic Partnership with largest-ever activation? Which brand has ever covered more than 275,000 miles across 186 countries in 365 days? Who gets the credit for activating a campaign that made fan cast nearly 910,000 votes, almost 7.3 million sabotages and accounted for virtually 3 million YouTube [...]
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[Beauty pictorial] What makes Seo In young a spring goddess? – Yahoo! Philippines News
May 16th
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[Beauty pictorial] What makes Seo In young a spring goddess?
Yahoo! Philippines News Last year, Seo In Young launched her own beauty brand 'Edgy Fit' in collaboration with Coreana Cosmetic, and she recently shot seasonal beauty pictorial for brand new 'Kill Heel Swing Mascara.' Seo In young creates a lovely look with pony tail and … |
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Carl Icahn Makes Dell Buyout Offer: Let's Fire Michael Dell!
May 10th
Notorious activist investor Carl Icahn has officially filed an offer for Dell that would let investors keep their stake in the company while forcing out CEO and founder Michael Dell. See his full interview with Bloomberg below:
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YouTube Adds Email Notifications, Makes Uploaded Videos Private by Default
May 7th
YouTube has announced new functionality, including an email notification system, alerting users when the video is done processing, and the ability to control when the video is published, keeping it private until it’s deemed “ready” by the user.
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How Hashtagging Your Instagram Photos Makes Them More Popular
May 3rd
For such a seemingly minor detail, the Instagram hashtag is remarkably powerful. Anecdotally, the hashtag has long appeared to lead to a flood of “likes’ from fellow Instagram users. Now there’s data to prove it.
By analyzing over 1 million Instagram photos, self-described social media scientist Dan Zarrella found a strong correlation between hashtags and likes. The more you tag your photos, the more likely you are get a virtual hat tip from your fellow Instagrammers.
(See also: Instagram Now Lets You Tag Friends, Brands and Selfies)
How Instagram Hashtags Work
As the contextual connective tissue that ties related images together, hashtags grease the wheels of photo discovery and get your pouty-faced mirror selfies and vintage-tinted lattes seen by more people. That exposure, in turn, results in more taps of the “like” button.
If you’ve ever taken the time to go back and tag your older photos, you’ve seen this in action: one after another, a parade of strangers will instantly start tapping the heart-shaped ‘like’ button under the image, sending a flood of virtual love your way.
Of course, the results will vary depending on which hashtags are used. Super-popular tags like #love, #me, #cute and #instagood are naturally going to lead to more exposure, simply by virtue of the fact that those tags are popping up all over Instagram and a higher volume of people will wind up tapping on them.
Driving Photo Discovery on Instagram
Along with geolocation tag pages, the pages for individual hashtags are one of the few areas of Instagram that let you break out of your own immediate network and peruse photos you wouldn’t otherwise see. When you add a given hashtag to your photo, the image winds up on that tag’s page, where it’s seen by hordes of new people. Since most tags are at least somewhat descriptive, the images one finds by tapping on them are more contextually relevant than, say, the tween selfies and cat pics found on the app’s Explore tab. That relevancy is what drives so many of those likes.
Of course, like everything on the Internet, Instagram hashtags can be gamed for self-promotional purposes. Tags like #followforfollow, #like4like and #followback are used quite frequently as a sort of logrolling currency. If you like my photo, I’ll like one of yours or better yet, I’ll follow you.
Tactics like this might seem a little slimy, but they’re incredibly effective, accordion Zarrella’s data. The 11 top tags that garner the most likes seek some kind of reciprocal behavior. Nature-related tags like #sky #clouds #sunset and #nature are also highly correlated with frequent taps of the “like” button.
See Also:
- How To Get More Followers On Instagram
- Top 10 Most Popular Tags On Instagram
- When Is The Best Time To Post On Instagram?
- #Me: Instagram Narcissism And The Scourge Of The Selfie
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Google Expands List of “Generic” Top Level Domains and Makes Them Geotargetable
May 2nd
Typically, the country-code top level domain (ccTLD) is just that — a country code. For instance, example.co.uk has content for the UK and example.com.au has content for Australia. Usually, registration of these domains is restricted. You have to prove that you are operating the site from the…
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How “Not Provided” Makes BuzzFeed Think Google’s Search Traffic To News Sites Is Down
May 1st
Well look at that! Search traffic to news sites has dropped over the past eight months, according to how BuzzFeed tracks referrals to sites within its network. A change of user behavior? More like the result of “Dark Google” and “Not Provided.” Come on, I’ll explain…
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Why The Facebook-Parse Deal Makes Parse's Rivals Very, Very Happy
Apr 29th
Yesterday, Facebook bought Parse, a San Francisco startup with a service designed to greatly simplify the process of creating mobile and Web apps. Today, Parse’s rivals are doubtless celebrating because the (reportedly) $85 million acquisition effectively puts a big seal of approval on their techniques for automating some aspects of app development.
(See also: What Happens When Almost Anybody Can Build A Mobile Business App?)
In tech jargon, outfits like Parse are often called “backend as a service” (or, worse, BaaS) companies. But they could be better described as mobile cloud-service companies. They offer services designed to easily tie mobile apps into the cloud, providing a host of automatic “backend” functions such as data storage and connections to social networks. That allows developers to focus on the core elements that make their apps sing instead of doing a lot of complicated integration with cloud systems.
One of the companies paying closest attention to Facebook’s move is Boston-based Kinvey, one of Parse’s biggest rivals and a startup eager to see this cloud-service market really hit the big time.
What This “Validation” Means
Over the space of a few months in 2011, three startups effectively created this app-service automation market. Parse, StackMob and Kinvey promised easy cloud integration to mobile developers, but lookalikes quickly surfaced. Cocoafish (acquired by Appcelerator, Tiggzi (now Appery.io), FeedHenry, Applicasa from the startup end, new services from the likes of Sencha (Sencha.io) andeven Apple (iCloud) joined the fray. IBM and SAP now also offer similar cloud solutions.
(See also: Parse Offers “Backend as a Service” to Mobile Developers)
Some critics wondered if the industry segment had become too crowded and if all the outside entrants would doom the three original backend-service providers. They were small, their business models were unproven and their stories (i.e., “we provide backends so you don’t have to”) were quickly in danger of being drowned out by competition claiming the same thing. There was a time in 2012, before it raised its first venture funding, when Kinvey had serious doubts if it would make it.
Then these companies, which initially had started as developer tools, started turning into actual businesses. StackMob and Kinvey found that big companies were really interested in their services. Parse started attracting brands like the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, Hipmunk, Armani and the Food Network.
(See also: Bringing Enterprise Data To Your Mobile Workers)
It’s no coincidence that Facebook named Parse, StackMob and Kinvey (along with the likes of PhoneGap and Sencha) as preferred technology partners last week. These are companies with useful skill sets. All three have done extensive work with Facebook in the past.
Many in the tech community associate “validation” of a new technological or business approach with startup venture funding or outright acquisition. But the likes of Parse arguably found validation much earlier, with the arrival of big, high-profile customers.
“Lots of people are saying [the Parse acquisition] ‘validates’ the space,” said Sravish Sridhar, CEO and co-founder of Kinvey. “I disagree. The space was validated when brands like J&J, Aetna GSN and Cadillac began trusting their data and apps to BaaS.”
Sridhar has a point. But until Parse sold out, none of these startups had entered the “big money” realm of tens of millions in funding, revenue or acquisition. In that sense, the Facebook-Parse deal has definitely lifted the prospects of StackMob, Kinvey and the rest of their competitors.
Where Do These Startups Go From Here?
Parse reportedly had a long line of suitors. Facebook won the bidding, but Dropbox, Google and Yahoo also all apparently had interest, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Evelyn Rusli. A variety of other companies have also shown interest in the backend-service startups, including Salesforce (customer relationship management), Intel (chip manufacturing and developer tools) and classic enterprise service providers like IBM and SAP, which have acquired mobile enterprise application platforms (MEAPs) in the past.
Dropbox had also bid for Parse– didn’t meet fb’s offer though.. google & yahoo also expressed interest —
— Evelyn Rusli (@EvelynRusli) April 25, 2013
When parsing what the Parse acquisition means to companies like Kinvey and StackMob last night, Kinvey’s head of marketing Joe Chernov turned to Sridhar and said, “Do you know of any other tech space that has so many different kinds of big companies wanting to acquire its vendors?”
It’s a good question and one that should have the likes of Kinvey and StackMob hi-fiving, jumping in their seats and making plans for happy hour.
Twitter will be the next company to watch. It recently bought Boston-based Crashlytics and Bluefin for a total a little less than $200 million. Twitter is beefing up on its own application ecosystem (see: Vine and Twitter Cards) and could very easily find a place for backend services in its app efforts.
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HP: Leap Motion Technology Makes Us Awesome! (Now Buy Our PCs, Please)
Apr 17th
Hewlett-Packard has said that a partnership between itself and gesture-technology provider Leap Motion is an opportunity for “incredible user experiences.” But isn’t this really just HP casting about for something, anything, to set it apart from it competitors?
(See also Leap Motion-HP Deal: Gesture Control Goes Mainstream.)
Leap executives said Tuesday that they see HP’s clout justifying sales to other PC makers, as well as non-PC markets like surgery and automation. But how does HP benefit from all this? A bit of sizzle from one of today’s most hotly promoted technology firms, that’s how. (Asus announced its own partnership with Leap earlier this year.)
And boy, does HP need some sizzle right now.
(See also This Tiny Gizmo Could Be A Very Big Deal In 2013 – And Beyond.)
PC Market In Free Fall
Just last week, IDC and Gartner chronicled a free-falling PC market, dubbing Microsoft’s Windows 8 an anchor, when it was supposed to be a life preserver. Consumers are increasingly turning to tablets and phones as their “personal computing” devices. And without a viable tablet or phone offering (the Windows 8-based ElitePad excluded) HP must ride the barrel over the falls for at least the next two quarters. PC owners simply aren’t replacing their PCs as quickly as they once might, which makes Hewlett-Packard, the leader in the PC market, look especially vulnerable. HP’s PC shipments dropped by nearly 25% last quarter.
That’s not to say that the Leap Motion partnership is nothing but a smokescreen. HP representatives said that there are viable technical reasons for the deal.
“Our customers are looking for new ways to interact with, and create content,” an HP spokeswoman said in an email. “Leap Motion combined with HP technology and developer apps will offer incredible user experiences.
“Leap Motion’s not intended to fully replace existing input mechanisms like the mouse or keyboard, but rather to augment them and provide new and/or improved functionality,” she added. “Many creation and exploration tasks – like molding virtual clay or moving through maps – are intuitive in the real world but highly technical tasks when handled with computers. Leap Motion can help overcome the input barrier to give people a new interaction experience.”
What Leap Motion Really Means To HP
Reading between the lines, two things jump out:
- Expect HP to either commission or partner with a developer to ensure that the Leap Motion gestures are well represented with at least one showcase app, like Windows 8′s Fresh Paint app
- HP carefully avoided the use of the word “touch”
Navigating through a map doesn’t seem that difficult (pinch to zoom? Scrolling mice?) but sculpting a piece of virtual clay might be a fun experience using Leap Motion’s technology. Navigating in virtual space (as we did with the Leonard3Do at the Consumer Electronics Show this January) provides a new, fresh way of interacting with a computer. And that’s exactly what new technologies like Windows 8 hoped to offer.
HP declined to comment when asked if Leap’s technology was designed to replace touch, and another representative hasn’t yet responded to my question of whether the Leap peripherals would be bundled with HP’s (non-touch) desktop monitors. The latter capability would be quite useful, I think.
A Leap Ahead Of Touch?
In a way, I was really hoping that HP would position the Leap technology as a way to enable touch-like interactivity, but without gunking up the screen. It may seem a bit fussy, but who really wants to have to scrub off a fine glaze of Cheetos after lunch?
Bob O’Donnell, a PC analyst with IDC, said he sees the Leap Motion partnership providing another way of interacting with the PC, augmenting the mouse and keyboard. But he said it’s also pretty impressive.
And Leap Motion could also save HP – and consumers – some money: A 13-inch touchscreen costs a PC maker $65 or $70 more than a similar non-touch screen; Leap’s technology will probably be about $45, O’Donnell predicted. That’s a big difference, especially with touchscreen competition making them hard to come by these days. “Remember, these guys argue over nickels and dimes,” O’Donnell concluded.
At this point, the PC industry seems inclined to clutch frantically at whatever splinters it can to keep itself from drowning in sea of red ink. Will the partnership between Leap Motion and Hewlett-Packard be enough to save HP? Probably not, but it sure can’t hurt to try.
But here’s another thought: wouldn’t building a competitive tablet be a better idea for HP?
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Lack Of Value Proposition Makes Facebook Phone Hard Sell For HTC
Apr 1st
Smartphone manufacturer HTC is no longer “quietly brilliant.” HTC now wants to be as in your face as possible to attract consumers from the likes of Apple and Samsung. What better way for HTC to make a major splash than by being the manufacturer of the so-called “Facebook Phone” that is expected to be announced this week?
That is, of course, if anybody actually wants a Facebook Phone. There is serious doubt if that will actually be the case. If nobody wants to buy a phone with tightly integrated Facebook skin, HTC will have spent a significant amount of time and probably a fair amount of money on a project that will see no tangible returns. That can be bad for HTC, a once-proud company with dwindling sales that only has so many bullets it can fire into the Smartphone Wars before its armory turns up empty.
A History With Facebook
For nearly two years, HTC has been rumored to be working with Facebook in the so-called “Project Buffy.” The project, named after Joss Whedon’s cult TV show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, is supposed to be a smartphone that runs some type of Facebook-styled mobile operating system on custom hardware. Facebook supposedly was looking for hardware engineers and mobile operating system developers to help turn the dream into reality.
The most likely outcome, as I pointed out in May 2012, was that Facebook would take a kernel from Google’s Android and fork it into its own operating system in the same way that Amazon has done with the Kindle Fire. According to TechCrunch’s Josh Constine, the operating system for the Facebook Phone will be less of a true fork from Android and more of an “application layer” – a skin on Android in the same vein of Samsung’s TouchWiz, HTC Sense and the now-defunct MotoBlur from Motorola.
HTC has worked with Facebook before. The Taiwanese mobile manufacturer released the “HTC Status” (also known as the HTC ChaCha) in 2011 with a “dedicated Facebook button.” That button was essentially a hardware feature that launched the Facebook Android app. HTC also made the “Salsa” with Facebook buttons that it showed off at Mobile World Congress in 2011.
You ever see anybody using a ChaCha/Status? Anywhere? Not bloody likely. And that could be a problem for HTC with this new Facebook Phone.
Identifying Consumers
As ReadWrite editor Brian Proffitt wrote this morning, Facebook is going to have a hell of a time trying to figure out who to sell this device to. Businesses won’t want it. Neither will teenagers.
In the smartphone industry, there is a very delicate line for success when it comes to mobile operating systems. Essentially, you need a value play for your core business to make it work. Apple’s value is the hardware and profit margins it reaps. Google’s value from Android is to learn more about its users so to be able to better sell them advertising. BlackBerry traditionally was aimed at enterprises but had no clear advantage for regular consumers, who switched to Android/iPhone when the value became clear. Similarly, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile CE faded when its value proposition (other than merely existing) was eroded by Android/iOS. Microsoft has not been able to build a consistent following of its new Windows Phone products because of that same lack of a value proposition.
Targeting the value proposition will make it difficult for upstarts to enter the field. For instance, what does Canonical really have to offer to consumers that is also of value to its core business with an Ubuntu mobile operating system? Same goes for Tizen or Firefox OS.
And now, apparently, for Facebook.
Facebook’s play is very similar to Google’s. The more it knows about its users, the better it can serve them advertising. A Facebook Phone would tell the social giant a lot about its users. It could then push users to its contextual Facebook Graph Search and serve them ads through it. Facebook could also integrate its various Android apps (Messenger, Camera etc.) and application store to offer more value and context.
You know what? Google already does that and probably will do it better. It has been imagining Android and its future for a long time and each successive iteration is better, more contextual and slicker looking than the last. Facebook has neither the experience or the time to match Android.
That leaves HTC in Lame Duck Limbo.
ReadWrite writer Brian Hall points out that Facebook might not even need a Facebook Phone. If Facebook lacks an original value proposition, then HTC is going to have a hell of a time trying to sell a Facebook Phone.
Bring In The Noise, Bring In The Funk
Where does that leave HTC in its battle to regain market share and respectability?
Basically, to make a lot of noise.
Expect a heavy series of marketing and advertising from both Facebook and HTC about a Facebook Phone. In autumn 2012, HTC said that one of the reasons it had fallen behind was the lack of effective marketing. At the time, we pointed out that HTC’s problems went way beyond marketing. That will likely be the case here as well. It doesn’t matter how much noise a company makes if it is selling a product that nobody wants.
Top image: Facebook “favorites” from Facebook Mobile.
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