Management Blog

The next Twitter?

Just when you thought social media couldn't be any more invasive comes 12seconds - a video blog that enables people to use their mobile phones to make video status updates.

According to The Age, 12seconds is a video version of the microblogging site Twitter; it works by allowing people to share moments in their lives within a 12 second timeframe.

12seconds developer Sol Lipman says the short time frame is perfect for video microblogging. Anything more, it's claimed, would result in a boring message.

Business applications are already emerging for 12Seconds. The Roger Smith Hotel in New York City has started using video microblogging application to inform 'followers' of its restaurant's special of the day.

How wikipedia broke all the rules

There can be very little doubt the collaborative encyclopedia wikipedia has changed the way the people make sense of the world.

But where did the inspiration for this game changer come from?

In a 3.5 minute video interview with The Times, wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales discusses the website's genesis and the benefits of rejecting top-down innovation models.

John Lennon goes to work for charity

Twenty-eight years after his death, John Lennon has made a television commercial to support the One Laptop Per Child charity, Reuters reports.

The campaign aims to provide children in the world's poorest regions with tough, solar-powered notebook computers.

The latest and greatest web jargon

Wired magazine has been keeping a close eye on the latest Web 2.0 jargon... here are some emerging buzzwords that could be coming to a water cooler conversation near you:   

Frolleague - a work colleague you've accepted as a friend on Facebook; this can be a dangerous relationship when a frolleague who is also a supervisor stumbles upon compromising information

Twiller - a thriller novel that takes place via the micro-blogging tool Twitter; apparently twillers are massive in Japan with readers eager to consume 140 character story installments

Sound blasts - a 10 minute plus snippet of newsmaker statements; this updating of the traditional sound-bite was popularised by Obama via YouTube during the US elections

Google's new customised feature

Google's search engine has received an extensive overhaul, The Australian reports.

The internet monolith now allows web users to edit, delete, rate and share search results in a move that brings social networking features to the search engine arena.

According to Google the key benefit of the SearchWiki is the ability to customise searches that are performed on a regular basis.

Users must be signed up to a Google account in order to use the service, which only applies to their search results.

Getting to know Web 2.0 networkers

When it comes to social networking no two users in the same, a new book on the risks and opportunities of the Web 2.0 world argues.

According to a recent Financial Times review of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernof, there are four types of users.

These include: creators - people who develop their own content; critics - comment posters; joiners - people who sign up for online communities; and spectators - people who only read and watch.

Li and Bernof say companies need to understand which of these categories the majority its audience fits into before launching a social networking site.

For example, 'alpha mums' are generally 'spectators'; accordingly any website aimed at this group should be geared towards users who like to read rather than create content themselves.

Web users lose patience

Web users are ruthless and selfish creatures, new research authored by web usability guru Jakob Nielsen reveals.

Nielsen claims consumers of online content have little patience when exploring web sites. He says web users are task driven: they arrive, complete their task and leave quickly.

With this in mind, it's suggested any attempts to hold the attentionof web users - such as promotions - should be avoided.

According to the BBC, web users are also easily frustrated with add on features like widgets and applications that extend the time it takes for a web page to fully load.

Who's afraid of Web 2.0?

Businesses are refusing to harness the power of Web 2.0 applications such as social networking, blogs or wikis despite believing the pursuit would be profitable, The Australian reports.

Recent research indicates 50 per cent of companies in the Asia-Pacific region consider Web 2.0 as being a business opportunity while just 8 per cent see it as a threat.

Commentators say there are few examples of successfully implemented Web 2.0 sites in Australia, however companies including Telstra, LendLease and AMP are testing applications.

Lawyers embrace webcasting

A growing number of law firms are embracing new media by providing clients with webcasts of staff testimonials, briefings and law related news, smartcompany reports.

British firm Allen & Overy currently has around 200 webcasts on its site; locally, Australian legal eagles Gadens and Clayton Utz have put a toe in the water with a combined total of 12 webcasts.

While Gadens and Clayton Utz both use in-house staff to present their webcasts, Brisbane's Carter Newell Lawyers are reported to have recruited a newsreader to present scripts written by lawyers.

R U into IM?

Proving that instant messaging (IM) isn't just for teenagers, many online retailers are using the new media tool to get up close and personal with shoppers, Business 2.0 reports.

It's claimed a growing number of new media experts believe IM will revolutionise online shopping by helping merchants establish meaningful relationships with customers as they shop.

By way of example, the article looks at a US real estate broker who has used IM to more effectively engage online customers; a move that has apparently lead to US$12 million worth of new sales.

However, communications experts warn that IM will not work in conjunction with hard sell tactics as it is too easy for a customer to simply close down a chat box when pressured.