Home / Blog / Google /online video /television /youtube
Subscribe via Email
Subscribe via RSSPosts Tagged ‘social media’
Top 3 Social TV Trends Emerge from CES News Announcements [Video]
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, happening this week in Vegas, is a sure bet for the inside track on the latest innovations in social TV and the convergence of traditional television and the exploding world of online video. As I explain in TheTVNews video commentary below, three CES news stories stand out for me as big-picture trend indicators. This blog post also provides links to the stories themselves so you can get more details.
Bottom line, the difference between being online and watching TV is blurring as a hybrid experience of the multi-screen experience and social TV comes to the forefront. Contextualized advertising, watching TV with friends who aren’t actually in the room and integrated TV/web browsing are just a few of the changes I expect to shake up the way we think about watching television as well as the TV industry itself.
1. Google TV Isn’t Going Away
Despite its slow start, Google TV is re-emerging as its Android platform is being integrated into more and more Internet-enabled TV sets. Thus, Google is re-entering the TV market via at least four TV manufacturers: Sony, Samsung, LG and Visio. All four will be including Google TV into their internet-enabled televisions.
2. Social TV is Already Attracting Significant Investments
The social media and mobile Internet revolutions (and I don’t use the term “revolution” lightly) have led to the rapid growth of people using mobile devices to interact while watching TV. This has resulted in an assortment of “second-screen,” social TV solutions, which allows users to hang out on the “virtual couch” with their friends while watching TV. The fact that one of these apps, Zeebox, has just received at eight-figure investment from the News Corp-controlled pay-TV firm BSkyB shows how serious this new media playground is becoming. Neat Zeebox promo video and more details here. (Meanwhile, Forbes magazine thinks GetGlue has taken the social TV lead.)
3. TV Advertising Gains New Power
I think this is great news for small businesses. Google AdWords has already fueled Google’s approach to becoming a $40 billion/year company. Now its TV Ads product is expanding its reach through a new deal with a major cable system operator (MSO). Google TV Ads has signed a new deal with Cox Media, the ad sales extension of the big cable operator Cox Communications.
We can only hope that our ever-splintering attention level will serve as motivation for content-creators to offer deeper meaning, connection and context, within whatever social platform we happen to be sharing, at any particular moment.
If you’d rather watch than read, my video report starts at about 20 seconds into this clip:
Stay tuned.
Tags: ces, social media, TV
Posted in Google, online video, television, youtube | No Comments »
Hits of the Week: Early July 2010
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Welcome to a new feature of this blog. “Hits of the Week” (which we hope to offer weekly) will provide “linky goodness” i.e. valuable links posted to our ComBridges company Facebook page and Twitter feed. Here, we gather, in one place for your convenience, bunches of links to free PDF’s, articles and other resources. Please let us know if you find this service to be valuable. Thanks!
A Professional Research Perspective of Brand Engagement via Social Media
Highly recommended, Engagementdb is a very interesting resource, even for smaller companies who are interested in social media brand engagement. I especially recommend their excellent FREE PDF Report. 
It’s nice to see “engagement” made measureable at the highest level. Clearly, relationship/engagement is at least as important (and probably more important) than simply the gross number of “eyeballs”/visitors. The focus on these kinds of results is shifting appropriately from volume or quantity of “hits” to quality of engagement (at minimum, some kind of “conversion”). Are you tuned in to your organization’s quality of engagement? Click here to check it out.
Fast-paced Video Illuminating ROI for Social Media
Despite the annoying music, this video offers useful content if you still doubt the business-savvy economic value–in the vernacular, ROI (return on investment)–available from investing your time INTELLIGENTLY in social media.
A Peak Behind the Curtain of a Major Brand’s Social Media Command Center (VIDEO)
More mainstream social media… pretty cool music VIDEO too promoting Gatorade’s social media team, er, I mean “COMMAND CENTER”! Can your sports drink do this? Visit Gatorade’s Command Center to see more.
“It’s about the PEOPLE, silly.”
Via Seth Godin. As a business owner, I know that there is nothing more important than the highly capable, talented members of my team. Read valuable insights & perspective.
“Every company is now a media company.”
A great reminder, via Adam Ostrow & John Battelle
Great Graphics, Visual View of Social Media Today
You gotta love good Infographics. Especially when they tell a story. In this case, big companies are adopting social media. More are using Facebook and Twitter than blogs, but it’s a big majority who are involved. See what these charts tell you.
Influence vs Fame
I’d call it “Influence vs Eyeballs” but being clear about what it means to develop influence in today’s social media world makes this short ProBlogger piece well worth reading, IMHO. And in a related short blog post, Seth Godin reminds us that “If all you are doing is increasing number of digital spectators, you are unlikely to earn the conversion that you deserve.” Read more about “Fans, Participants and Spectators.”
Stay tuned and please comment and send feedback. Thanks!
Tags: social media, social media marketing
Posted in blogging, branding, e-marketing, facebook, internet marketing, online video, small biz e-biz, social media marketing, youtube | 2 Comments »
Conan O’Brien Gets “The World Has Completely Changed.” Do You?
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
(Note: Read & scroll down please. Two [2] cool video clips below…)
I gotta love the fact that social media has become so powerful that a TV comedian like Conan O’Brien is having very tangible personal experiences that not only wake him up to the fact that “the world” as he says, “has completely changed.” But, as he illuminates in the video clip below from an interview at Google, his social media realization is in stark contrast to how far the execs at NBC apparently are from understanding how social media works (i.e. the audience has new powers). Duh. 
Of course, this is just one example of the fact that dramatic changes that are upon us due to the explosion of social media. More video “evidence” is detailed in the 2nd video clip below.
Also, please note that when you click “play” on the Conan YouTube clip below, it is set up to play starting at the segment at 15:27 where he describes what happened to him because of Twitter (about 3+ minutes total) in the aftermath of his fall out with NBC when they gave “The Tonight Show” back to Jay Leno (“the other gentleman”). At some point, you may want to watch the whole 48-minute clip. It’s quite funny.
Now… especially if you are still wondering about the importance of social media—but probably, in any case— I highly recommend the following visually dynamic and informative YouTube video, “Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh)” from the authors of the book, “Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business
“Social Media is not a fad, but a fundamental shift in how we communicate.”
— Erik Qualman
Yes, the changes are that big.
Do you “get it” or are you still sitting on the edge of the social media “pool” thinking about jumping in?
Tags: conan, conan obrien, NBC, social media, social media marketing, twitter
Posted in facebook, Google, internet marketing, social media marketing, TV Industry, twitter, video, youtube | 1 Comment »
Twitter Tools & How to Build More Consumption of Your Media
Monday, April 19th, 2010
This Tuesday’s edition of TheTVNews.tv which is shown immediately below, features the links, tools and resources that can be found below the video. Enjoy!
- Comcast’s TV Everywhere Finds “Interactivity” Doubles Online Video Consumption
Beet.tv interview with Karin GIlford, Senior VP Fancast & Online Entertainment, Comcast - Twitter + Video = Magic! (And Engagement!)
from Marketing Pilgrim by Jordan McCollum
Report on research that specifically noted significantly increased video viewing times when visitors came from a more personal Twitter user’s recommendation vs from a search engine via SEO. Engagement rules! - Twitter Launches A New Guide For Media Organizations: http://Media.Twitter.com
This site’s launch included a TV-relevant story of how cable’s Oxygen network used Twitter (and other networks) to hold a “social viewing party” as an cable TV program episode was broadcast. The “social viewing party” helped boost ratings 92% over the previous year. (As a control the network only did this on the East Coast. The West Coast, which didn’t hold a “viewing party”, only saw a 14% increase). More details: http://media.twitter.com/90/oxygen-live
- Twitter Journalism: Where News & Tweets Converge
Featuring links by and about the journalist’s slice of the Twit-o-sphere
- Read Twitter as a Daily Newspaper
Check out my newspaper edition of Twitter. Through the magic of computer programming, this page is based on who I follow on Twitter and the content of my tweets:
http://paper.li/joncombridges
Make your own: http://www.paper.li
Tags: commentary, media, media consumption, social media, social media marketing, TV, TV Industry, twitter
Posted in search engine optimization, social commentary, social media marketing, television, TV Industry, twitter, user generated video | No Comments »
Super Bowl Ads Still Lack Social Media Marketing Success (Mostly)
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Thanks to everyone who participated in our live, interactive Super Bowl Commercial Rating Party in partnership with TheTVNews.tv, the TV industry’s only daily video newscast. (Watch this space and TheTVNews.tv for details on our Oscars Party.)
By way of follow up, Jeff and I did a segment on tomorrow, Wednesday 2/10′s show (my New Media / New Marketing starts at 2:50) discussing my view of the winner and loser Super Bowl advertisers in terms of social media marketing. We referenced Reprise Media’s Search Marketing Scorecard on the Super Bowl (a free PDF download) which points out a surprising fact: While 93% of the advertisers—who shelled out a reported average of $2.6 million for each spot—do have an official Facebook profile, (get this) only 5% promoted their social profiles in order to leverage or take better advantage of their massive investment (a.k.a. marketing expense).
The single biggest social media marketing loser was Denny’s. Here’s the link to Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
The viral marketing buzz winner was the Audi Green Police spot below which got the most Twitter buzz according to Trendrr (via a chart referenced in the Repris Media report):
Bonus Category: My “nominee” for the Super Bowl TV spot with “Best Script,” at least the script that hit closest to home for me had to be this creative “Man’s Last Stand” spot for Dodge Charger:
Too bad I don’t relate better to the product.
Bonus Just for Fun Video Link: Business Insider’s 10 Best Tech Super Bowl Ads Ever
Bonus Link #2: USA Today’s Super Bowl “Ad Meter” (pretty slick, including green screen video intro)
As always, your comments, suggestions, rants, and any other insights you care to offer are welcome via the comments space below. I look forward to hearing from you.
Tags: audi, dennys, gary vaynerchuk, social media, social media marketing, super bowl, super bowl ads, youtube
Posted in facebook, internet marketing, search marketing, social media marketing, television, TV Industry, twitter, video, youtube | 6 Comments »
MySpace: The Newcomer Takes Charge at #1
Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
Rarely do you see a new media property grow right past the biggest players in the game, but in the US market (at least?), the teen sensation MySpace is now bigger than Google and Yahoo with “a market share figure of 4.5% of all the US Internet visits for the week ending July 8, 2006″ according to a Hitwise report reported on by TechCrunch.
Hey, MySpace is so hot, just for the experience, I created my own MySpace page. It’s nice making new friends. Wanna be one?
Tags: social media
Posted in social media marketing | No Comments »
MySpace Adding 240K New Subscribers/Day!
Tuesday, June 13th, 2006
I knew MySpace was a major site growing very rapidly, but I didn’t realize that it’s pretty much off the charts. For example, did you know it’s the second biggest website on the web, solidly ahead of MSN, AOL, EBay & Google? MySpace generates roughly 30 billion monthly page views (10,593 per second) with users who are passionate enough to spend quite a bit of time there. TechCrunch has more data and links to the sources. Wow!
Tags: social media
Posted in social media marketing | No Comments »
Dark Day: Net Neutrality Defeat & NSA Spys on MySpace
Friday, June 9th, 2006
The Republican Congress did what many of us had feared and dealt a blow to Net Neutrality. Next the Senate will speak… Meanwhile, opponents of this move now include Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports.
And O’Reilly Radar quotes a report that reveals that the NSA may well be “funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves on social networks” (like MySpace). Beware!
Tags: social media
Posted in social media marketing | No Comments »
The MySpace Social Networking Media Space Explained… Kinda ;)
Tuesday, May 30th, 2006
The extraordinary, run away success of MySpace is way big. How big is it? So big that MarketingSherpa had to exclaim “Even My Dog Has a MySpace Account”, and then assign her researchers to write a special report. So big, 50 million ++ accounts and counting, that it requires reflection on why and what exactly is this “social networking” phenomenon?
Bottom line, it’s a new kind of media environment, er, channel, uh, platform… ok, aw right, a media space! Toward understanding this new myspace media space, I’d like to recommend this short perspective piece called Social Networks are the New Media by Robert Young on Om Malik’s blog (that’s his pic.)
Tags: social media
Posted in social media marketing | No Comments »
Simple AllYouCanUpload Site Does Blog & EBay Photos Right!
Tuesday, May 30th, 2006
Here’s another great pick from Michael Arrington at TechCruch, a simple site that let’s you post images for linking from your blog or EBay or whatever web page you like. It also will resize the images automatically if you wish. This saves the necessity of having server space and using FTP. And as the name implies, AllYouCanUpload is without limits in terms of disk space or bandwidth usage. Wow! As the site says: “1. Upload Your Images 2. Copy the Links 3. Post!” Simpler really is better. Arrington explains it well.
Oh yeah, did I say that it’s totally FREE? And you don’t even need to create an account (neither a user name nor a password is required). Just do it. (Really.)
Tags: blogs, social media
Posted in social media marketing | No Comments »
