youtube
Modeling The True Value Of Social Networks: 2009 Edition
Fascinating report plotting the market value of the main social networking sites. Facebook comes out tops.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/03
"Slain Lawyer's YouTube Video Plunges Guatemala into Crisis, Protests Form on Facebook."
There are still those who dismiss the potential impact of social media and refuse to consider how to use it for their businesses. It's impact can be very powerful indeed, as this story about a Guatemala lawyer and his YouTube video shows. Facebook is being used to organise widespread protests against his murder. It is very real; the Guatamala government cannot ignore it, and nor can anyone else.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/g
"Ad-Supported" - The Scariest Words On The Web
I have watched the latest developments in on-line advertising with some concern. The chief culprit, in my view, is the Flash movie. It is technically very clever and some of the things that creative people can do on this tiny pallet are breathtaking, they really should qualify for some sort of award at the Oscars.
And therein lies the problem. When you visit a web site it is because you are in search of something, a piece of information, some news, whatever. It is not likely to be because you want to watch the adverts on it. However good they are, however clever or entertaining, they are still a distraction from the real purpose of your visit. The same applies to television. Advertisers don't seem to have got the message, ironically enough since messages are what they seek to communicate: the viewing public hate adverts. We want to watch our favourite programmes and so advertising breaks are an annoyance and a distraction, even though we all know that the very entertainment we enjoy is "ad-supported". So why am I concerned?
BBC Bandwidth Bandits
It's really helpful that a row has broken out between the BBC and Internet Service Providers over the new iPlayer service which lets people download and watch television programmes on their PCs. The network is already under severe strain due to the growing popularity of video-sharing sites such as YouTube and this brings the problem into sharp focus. While the BBC isn't causing that problem, they are exacerbating an already difficult situation.


