Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

Social Media, Web 2.0 and Internet Stats

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

I came across a terrific post from Adam Singer listing some mind-blowing statistics. These numbers tell a very powerful story about the power of Social Media.

As our digital and physical lives blur further, the internet has become the information hub where people spend a majority of their time learning, playing and communicating with others globally.

Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of just how staggering the numbers are of people collaborating, researching, and interacting on the web.

Google search stats:

1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) - approximate number of unique URLs in Google’s index (source)

2,000,000,000 (two billion) – very rough number of Google searches daily (source)

$110,000,000 – approximately amount of money lost by Google annually due to the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button (source)

24,400 – number of people employed by Google (December, 2008)

68,000,000 – the average number of times people Googled the word Google each month for the last year (source: keyword tool)

$39.96 - the average cost per click for the phrase “consolidation of school loans” in AdWords (source: keyword tool)

1,430,000 - the number of Google results for “Robert Scoble”

136,000 - the number of Google results for “Admiral Ackbar”

Wikipedia stats

2,695,205 - the number of articles in English on Wikipedia

684,000,000 – the number of visitors to Wikipedia in the last year

75,000 - the number of active contributors to Wikipedia

10,000,000 – the number of total articles in Wikipedia in all languages

260 – the number of languages articles have been written in on Wikipedia

(source)

YouTube stats

70,000,000 – number of total videos on YouTube (March 2008)

200,000 – number of video publishers on YouTube (March 2008)

100,000,000 – number of YouTube videos viewed per day (this stat from 2006 is the most recent I could locate)

112,486,327 – number of views the most viewed video on YouTube has (January, 2009)

2 minutes 46.17 seconds – average length of video

412.3 years – length in time it would take to view all content on YouTube (March 2008)

26.57 - average age of uploader

13 hours – amount of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute

US $1.65 billion in Google stock – amount Google Inc. announced that it had acquired YouTube for in October 2006

$1,000,000 – YouTube’s estimated bandwidth costs per day

(sources here, here and here)

Blogosphere stats

133,000,000 – number of blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002

346,000,000 – number of people globally who read blogs (comScore March 2008)

900,000 – average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period

1,750,000 – number of RSS subscribers to TechCrunch, the most popular Technology blog (January 2009)

77% - percentage of active Internet users who read blogs

55% – percentage of the blogosphere that drinks more than 2 cups of coffee per day (source)

81 - number of languages represented in the blogosphere

59% – percentage of bloggers who have been blogging for at least 2 years

source

Twitter stats

1,111,991,000 – number of Tweets to date (see an up to the minute count here)

3,000,000 – number of Tweets/day(March 2008) (from TechCrunch)

165,414 - number of followers of the most popular Twitter user (@BarackObama) – but he’s not active

86,078 – number of followers of the most active Twitter user (@kevinrose)

63% – percentage of Twitter users that are male (from Time)

Facebook stats

200,000,000 – number of active users

100,000,000 - number of users who log on to Facebook at least once each day

170 - number of countries/territories that use Facebook

35 - number of different languages used on Facebook

2,600,000,000 – number of minutes global users in aggregate spend on Facebook daily

100 – number of friends the average user has

700,000,000 – number of photos added to Facebook monthly

52,000 – number of applications currently available on Facebook

140 - number of new applications added per day

source

Digg stats

236,000,000 – number of visitors attracted annually by 2008 (according to a Compete survey)

56% - percentage of Digg’s frontpage content allegedly controlled by top 100 users

124,340 - number of stories MrBabyMan, the number one user, has Dugg (see updated number here)

612 - number of stories from Cracked.com that have made page 1 of Digg (see all 41 pages of them here)

36,925 – number of Diggs the most popular story in the last 365 days has received (see story here)

Xbox just might be cool now

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

I’m a huge Wii fan. Never owned an Xbox… never cared to. But their new product announcement just might be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen - and launching the way we live, play and work - in to lightspeed.

Now, the video is pretty darn cool, but how it actually works might be totally different. And I have to admit - it’s just slightly creepy. But still cool. Did I mention that?

Nonetheless, this viral video is at the top of the AdAge charts for the week of June 8, 2009.

You can view more on Project Natal from XBOX’s website.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — This week’s No. 1 spot belongs to XBox’s Project Natal video, whose 1,090% growth over last week is a record for the chart.

What drove the increased views? First of all, the body- and facial-recognition technology, which lets you control a video game without a controller, is pretty compelling — so it’s not surprising the demo has been worth its share of pass-along. But Project Natal also got an enthusiastic endorsement from Jimmy Fallon when he featured it on his show June 10. Mr. Fallon, “The Office’s” John Krasinski and “True Blood’s” Stephen Moyer played “Ricochet” and “Burnout Paradise.”

Meanwhile, the “Beer and Porn” video from Bud Light made its debut in the No. 6 spot. The video has been out since February but for some reason took off last week. Visible Measures, which tracks the video traffic for the chart, did a little investigating. Wrote Matt Cutler, VP-marketing and analytics: “We do not believe this ad ever saw TV air time and seems to have been quietly leaked back in February on the web. Subsequent copies were uploaded intermittently ever since, but the campaign appears to have taken off at the end of May when it was covered by Time magazine.”

More evidence that offline mentions can drive online views?

In second place, falling 50% of the views since the week before, is the new Carl’s Jr. Portabello Mushroom Burger. I still love this video though. Truly defines viral messaging!

Breaking in to the countdown, a new BudLight video at #6. Um, hysterical.

And super fun, at #7 and up 11%, the TMobile Dance. Think, Evolution of Dance, times 300.

Have I ever mentioned that I have the coolest job, ever? I love getting to share all the great things that are Social with you guys :) Thanks!

I’m a big fat secret-giver!

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

I just had someone ask me today about linking an article on their blog that was written by someone else. There’s definitely a protocol for doing this, but it’s absolutely acceptable! In fact, I’m always flattered when I see that someone has linked to one of my articles. Part of having a successful blog is to share information from a variety of sources (I call this, doing your research) to provide different viewpoints on various topics.

I frequently link to other blogs’ articles and authors. These people are great, and I want to share the knowledge with as many other people as I can. So I wanted to first talk about how to appropriately post a blog written by someone else on their blog.

1. Start off with a little personal statement about why this blog is relevant, what you liked about it, or how you may know the author. Maybe why you’re choosing to use this blog, or share this bloggers ideas. Personal statements are a great way to let the reader know that you’re doing the research for them - not just being lazy and reposting something you found.

2. Make sure you ALWAYS credit the original author. You will always want to take the time to link the author’s name to their website or blog main page. Think of it as free advertising for them, and a Thank You for allowing you to share their ideas with your readers.

3. Link to the original article or research. I like to do this at the end. Something like “View the entire article here” (and link the article to the word “here”). If the author has a newsletter, forums, or anything that allows people to communicate with them, you can also post those links. (i.e. “Sign up for the newsletter here”)

4. Use Digg. It’s a great blogging resource tool to read and repost. If you’re not familiar with Digg, go check out their website.

I frequently find blogs to share and repost. So I also wanted to share some of my favorite blogs with you.

Sales Training: Jeff Shore’s Blog
Do It Yourself Marketing: Meredith Oliver’s Internet Hotline
*Consumer Engagement: Content to Commerce
Social Media Marketing: 10e20
Realtor Social Media: Real-Tech Guy
Social Media: Social Media Rockstar

Some Random non-work related funspots:

FailBlog
Awkward Family Photos

[b] Blog (The Becker: Photographer)
Funny Cats

*Content to Commerce is actually my favorite “fun” marketing blog! I would highly recommend you check them out. They’re incredibly knowledgeable about all things fun in social media - like iPhone apps, commercials, viral videos and more!

Enjoy!

Amazing mobile app lets you see the world ‘through online eyes’

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Written on June 17, 2009 – 2:12 pm
Martin Bryant, Co-founder, Social Media Café Manchester

//

LayarWhile the tech blogosphere goes iPhone 3.0 crazy today, here’s a reminder that there’s a lot to be excited about elsewhere in the mobile world too.

Layar is a new ‘Augmented Reality Browser’ for Android phones. Forget everything you’re used to about searching the internet, Layar throws that all away. By holding your phone in front of you and looking through its camera lens you can actually see the world ‘through the eyes of the internet’.

Imagine you want to know which houses in your area are for sale – just hold up your phone and Layar will point out which ones around you are on the market and how much they are. Phoning the estate agent is just a touch of the screen away.

Created by Dutch firm Sprxmobile, Layar offers a range of different ‘layers’ of information that can be displayed. This could be really useful for all sorts of applications from tourist guides to browsing shop stock without having to bother going inside.

Layar is due to launch today in the Netherlands on the Android App Store. Releases in other countries, including the UK, USA and Germany are planned for later in the year. Sprxmobile will be working with commercial partners in each country to ensure plenty of local data is available on launch.

This video shows just how exciting Augmented Reality in mobile devices can be.

link to video

link to article

Social Media in 15 Minutes a Day

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

My favorite social media blog and marketing company posted this super useful blog about social media in 15 minutes a day. I loved the post and even took a lot of their advice!

Social Media in 15 Minutes a Day

The constant “market research” I do with my clients, blog readers and newsletter subscribers points to one major theme: it feels like there’s just not enough time in the day to devote to social media.  Business owners and professionals logically know that it can benefit them, but they freeze up or freak out when they see all of the tools and options available out there.

I have written blog posts and articles in the past about this topic, but I thought it would be useful to give a few specific bite-size strategies you can implement daily—and in a quick and painless way.  Assuming you have a profile set up on at least one of the major social sites—LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook—here are some simple tactics for “socializing” without stress:

  • Drop in to Facebook and check out who among your friends is having a birthday and wish them a happy one on their wall.
  • Update your status on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook all at once by using Ping.fm.  Ping.fm is a free service which allows users to post to multiple social sites simultaneously.
  • Scan the news feed on your Facebook Home page and comment on or “like” interesting tidbits posted by your friends.
  • Comment on high-traffic blogs in your niche.
  • Check out the activity in any groups you belong to on LinkedIn or Facebook and ask or answer a few questions there.
  • Head over to Twitter and post a helpful link, return new follows, share a picture by using TwitPic or poll your followers.
  • If you blog, set up the BlogLink and NetworkedBlogs applications on LinkedIn and Facebook to import your posts.
  • Request or write a recommendation on LinkedIn.
  • Send an update to your Facebook Fans or post an event to your profile.

The key is not to expect overnight results nor feel you need to spend hours a day on social sites in order to make any headway.  Choosing a handful of strategies and implementing them on a regular basis won’t take a ton of time or energy.  What it will do is build momentum gradually but steadily. This is what leads to relationships, word of mouth, traffic, subscribers and ultimately, more sales.

Pick one or two networks and focus on those—you don’t need to be everywhere!  Once you have your profiles up and running, it only takes a small investment of time per day to interact and leave your mark.  Remember, the more someone feels like they know and trust you, the more likely they are to buy.  In the meantime, take small steps everyday to build and strengthen those relationships with your friends, followers and contacts.

Read the original blog post here, written by Kenny Young.

Social media tips - from me!

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

I had the privilege of being interviewed by the uber-fantastic Meredith Oliver for her new DIY Internet Hotline website! This place is the bees-knees for anyone looking to jump into their own Marketing and just need a little help getting it going! Check out my interview below:


 Social Media Marketing Tips

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristen Weaver,  a web marketing expert, on how she is using social media to market new homes in the Orlando, Florida market. Kristen has pioneered social media marketing at her company and is one of the most progressive social media marketers in the industry. She is also a professional photographer and all around marketing maven! Her blog is the  www.thenewhomesalesguru.com and it describes her journey as a first time homebuyer. Check out our video interview and enjoy learning what Kristen does and how she does it!

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A testimonial of Social Networking

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

There’s a lot more to me than marketing new homes. In my spare time, I’m an avid photographer and have seen photographers use social media as their lifeline. One of those social media geniuses is The Becker - Chris Becker of Southern California. Not only is he a fantastic wedding photographer, but he’s really involved in social media, and his recent interview with liveBooks is a great testimonial to that!

©Becker

One of Becker’s signature wedding images. ©The Becker

So why am I bringing this up on a new home sales blog? Well, quite simply, it’s because social media can work for anyone who has a little bit of time and chutzpah to make it work!

The Becker is no different - he has integrated his Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Website and then - he did the unthinkable. He made his own social networking website - thebschool.com!

He’s a believer in social networking, and he makes it work for him.

“Your network is your net worth, so I’m always growing mine.” - The Becker

I wanted to share an interview he did with liveBooks about his integration of social media as a testimonial of people in other industries and how it can drive traffic, sales and branding!

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I’m a huge celebrity

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

You may have heard of the commencement speech at Tulane University by Ellen, but have you seen it? Truly inspirational and funny - about how to measure success, knowing what you stand for, and finding out who you are.

One of the best lines:

“…I didn’t go to any college at all. Any college. And I’m not saying you wasted your time, or money, but look at me, I”m a huge celebrity.”

The Right Site | Twitter

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
twitter-birdOh that cute little blue bird! What’s all this hype about anyways?? Well, Twitter has recently become a social media phenomena, gracing magazine covers, news broadcasts, athletes, celebrities and the average Joe alike. I like to think that the purpose of Twitter is to bring people a little closer together! I’m still waiting for the day that @spencerpratt responds to my Tweet about The Hills, and I love checking out @dwighthoward ’s tweets about the Magic win. They’re like close, personal friends - that I’ve never spoken to a day in my life.

And this, is TWITTER!(or “The Digital Macarena… thanks Joel McHale!)

twitter_icon

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The Right Site | Facebook

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

When people ask me about social networking, I generally get asked one question. Ok, well, 2 questions actually.

1. What site is best for me? and 2. How do you have the time to update everything?!

So in this blog, I’m going to attempt to answer both questions - and have it make sense! I wanted to write this like a “Choose your own Adventure” book - but alas, I’m not that clever! I’ll try to make it easy to follow, and concise!

I’ll be posting every so often, following the same format, on different social networking sites.

Today kids, we’re going to talk about FACEBOOK!

facebook_icon

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