by Dan Leahul,revolutionmagazine.com
Photo sharing site Flickr has announced its service is now fully integrated with Twitter, while Apple's iPhone is close to overtaking Canon as the most widely used camera device on the Flickr website.
The new Flickr2Twitter service lets users upload existing Flickr content directly into their Twitter stream, using a short Flic.kr url.
Users can also use email to upload Flickr photos to Twitter by email a special '2Twitter' web address, which sends out an automatic tweet.
The partnership will put a dent TwitPic's erstwhile reign as the most popular Twitter photo client.
Also, according to Flickr stats, the iPhone is close to overtaking Canon's Digital Rebel SLR camera as the most preferred device used by Flickr users.
The website shows that on average about 6,000 users upload their pictures from the Canon Digital Rebel XTi, the most popular camera on the site, while about 4,000 users are uploading pictures from their iPhone's.
Use of the Canon has been on a slow decline since the website's launch, while the iPhone is steadily gaining users.
The iPhone is presently the second most popular device on the site, beating out the smaller Digital Rebel XSi, the Nikon D80 and the Canon 40D.
02 July, 2009
01 July, 2009
Twitter and Facebook help deaf blind charity Sense target 18-30 audience
by Noelle McElhatton, marketingdirectmag.co.uk
Sense, the UK's largest deaf blind charity, has launched a social media campaign to raise its profile amongst younger consumers.
The campaign by RMG Connect involves populating various social networks such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter with content from Sense.The campaign creative revolves around people’s senses, asking people to identify how they use their senses in their everyday lives.
A Facebook page called Sensebook allows users to become fans, sense-tag their friends in photos which highlight different senses, provide status updates about their senses and participate in discussion forums.
Sensori is a Twitter feed that showcases all twitter updates or tweets that reference any of the five senses in real-time.
The agency has also created a dedicated microsite for Sense where the target audience can view and navigate between all the sites quickly and easily.
There will also be a Flickr and Youtube feed showing videos and images relating to senses, and a sense.org link which drives viewers to the Sense website.
Dave Woods, executive creative director at RMG Connect, said the challenge was to make people in the 18-30 year old age group aware of deafblindness."#
By using the social media sites where our target consumers connect with friends, we can set out on a fun mission to raise the profile of all senses on the web, which is traditionally all about sight and sound," Woods said. "
By instigating a light-hearted, interactive discussion, it's a shorter step to raising the more serious issue of having to live without two of your senses."
Alessandra Moscadelli, new media coordinator for Sense, comments: "Deafblindness affects 250,000 people in the UK, so it’s a hugely important issue. We want to raise awareness amongst people of all ages and backgrounds."
Sense, the UK's largest deaf blind charity, has launched a social media campaign to raise its profile amongst younger consumers.
The campaign by RMG Connect involves populating various social networks such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter with content from Sense.The campaign creative revolves around people’s senses, asking people to identify how they use their senses in their everyday lives.
A Facebook page called Sensebook allows users to become fans, sense-tag their friends in photos which highlight different senses, provide status updates about their senses and participate in discussion forums.
Sensori is a Twitter feed that showcases all twitter updates or tweets that reference any of the five senses in real-time.
The agency has also created a dedicated microsite for Sense where the target audience can view and navigate between all the sites quickly and easily.
There will also be a Flickr and Youtube feed showing videos and images relating to senses, and a sense.org link which drives viewers to the Sense website.
Dave Woods, executive creative director at RMG Connect, said the challenge was to make people in the 18-30 year old age group aware of deafblindness."#
By using the social media sites where our target consumers connect with friends, we can set out on a fun mission to raise the profile of all senses on the web, which is traditionally all about sight and sound," Woods said. "
By instigating a light-hearted, interactive discussion, it's a shorter step to raising the more serious issue of having to live without two of your senses."
Alessandra Moscadelli, new media coordinator for Sense, comments: "Deafblindness affects 250,000 people in the UK, so it’s a hugely important issue. We want to raise awareness amongst people of all ages and backgrounds."
29 June, 2009
Institute of Cancer Research debuts web campaign
Becky Wilkerson, marketing week
The Institute of Cancer Research has launched a web campaign to help raise awareness of the importance of research into the disease.
The ‘One Hundred Faces' activity, which celebrates the charity's centenary this year, features 100 pictures and stories of people who have experienced or been closely touched by cancer, and their hopes for the future.
It also tells the story of advancements in cancer research, through those who have been personally affected by cancer.
The ICR's vision is to help create a world that is free from the fear of cancer as a life-threatening disease.
The Institute of Cancer Research has launched a web campaign to help raise awareness of the importance of research into the disease.
The ‘One Hundred Faces' activity, which celebrates the charity's centenary this year, features 100 pictures and stories of people who have experienced or been closely touched by cancer, and their hopes for the future.
It also tells the story of advancements in cancer research, through those who have been personally affected by cancer.
The ICR's vision is to help create a world that is free from the fear of cancer as a life-threatening disease.
24 June, 2009
Generation Y: We're just not that into Twitter
Sharon Vaknin, Webware
Given that Generation Y is often pegged as narcissistic, lazy, having high expectations, craving the limelight, and other such flattering characterizations, one might expect we'd be Twittering as if it were breathing. After all, Twitter is known as a place where people expose the most minute details of their lives--missing the bus, stubbing a toe, toasting an English muffin.
But a recent survey from Pace University and the Participatory Media Network shows that only 22 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds use Twitter, while 99 percent have profiles on social networks.
This may seem surprising on the face of it, but as a member of the Millennial Generation myself, I have some theories as to why it might be true. To see why we're not into Twitter, I'll have to revisit the start of the social-networking timeline: MySpace.
We Gen Yers spent hours on MySpace customizing our profiles and making them perfect representations of us (or rather, who we wanted to be). We couldn't wait for our friends to comment a new photo: "New pic, please comment!" MySpace made many of us feel popular, or even famous. I remember posting a new profile picture and refreshing the page in anticipation of responses.
Jean Twenge, psychologist and author of "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement," calls this phenomenon "self-branding." People use MySpace as a portal for creating their own personal brand, Twenge says, complete with photos, custom banners, gossip, and fans (friends). One of the most successful self-branders is Tila Tequila, who tactfully used MySpace to achieve status as one of the users with the most friends on the site, and later parlayed that fame into a career as an MTV reality star.
Though we weren't international superstars, my friends and I were content on MySpace. But fast-forward a couple years to Facebook. It proved to be a difficult transition: where were all the flashing graphics, purple fonts, and exhaustive, multimedia-laden About Me sections? Why weren't the number of photo comments shown? Every user's profile looks the same, and at a glance, it seems self-branding is not easily attained.
The clean design of Facebook deemed decked-out profiles and artsy photos passe, but the site provided us with a new form of self-expression--"What are you doing?" status updates, which became the new platform for what Twenge describes as my generation's narcissistic need for attention.
What Facebook intends as a forum for sharing, Gen Yers see as a game of show-off. A quick look at my news feed and I see "Melissa" (name changed to protect the innocent) is having "one of the funnest nights of her life," and "beer and vodka make a interesting combination oww." 'Nuff said.
Brendon Nemeth, a 22-year-old San Franciscan whom I met this spring, says he updates his status to "keep family and friends informed on what's going on that's interesting in my life."
We no longer impress our friends with profiles that represent us through our creative flourishes, but rather with profiles that spell out what we're doing. (Out of fairness, our status updates don't always revolve around happenings at the local bar; plenty of us want to share our work promotions or volunteer activities, too.)
When Facebook implemented its news feed, users formed groups to oppose the feature. Now our status updates are lost in a flood of information, including quiz results, wall posts (not our own), and links. An update is posted, two minutes pass, and it's nowhere to be seen. Some of us even resort to reposting our updates just so they grab the attention they deserve.
On her blog, Twenge suggests that the kids of Gen Y aren't interested in their community, they are interested in themselves: "Younger generations are more individualistic and are higher in self-esteem and narcissism. There have been no changes in 'communal' traits."
I'd have to agree. We do anticipate seeing our friends' activities, but what we really look forward to is what they think of our activities--we want to be "cyberstalked," preferably in the form of replies to our self-published content. Nemeth says that "there are times when I update my status to induce a reaction." Reactions are what drive us to add photos, update our status, and write on our friends' walls.
So where does Twitter fit in?
Twitter's microblogging platform is what many Gen Y's may describe as "like Facebook, but just the status update." What is the point of that? We like to consolidate, so Nemeth explains that he doesn't "want to join another community, just tell people what (he's) doing." We have everything we need on Facebook.
Based on Twenge's theory, a good explanation of my generation's lag in joining the Twitter mania is that there isn't an obvious way to achieve a self-brand on Twitter.
Participating on Twitter requires a fan base that knows why you are unique, special, and deserve attention. Fan base aside, the Web site's interface paves a short path for cyberstalking--there is nothing to find past a user's status.
For example, Sally went to a great party last weekend, but where are the photos? Who went with her? These features, which Gen Y's value so much, are missing.
As much as I like to know what my friends are doing, updates on Twitter happen so fast there really isn't time to react. More importantly, my friends don't have time to react to my activities.
Largely as a result of the digital communication tools on which we were raised, a big part of my generation wants to know what the cyberworld thinks of us, and we want its inhabitants to pay attention to us. How can they do this if they're following 300 other people?
For the Millennials to make the move, Twitter will have to find a way to integrate the self-branding features MySpace gave birth to and Facebook nurtured. Even if they're packaged in 140 characters or less.
Given that Generation Y is often pegged as narcissistic, lazy, having high expectations, craving the limelight, and other such flattering characterizations, one might expect we'd be Twittering as if it were breathing. After all, Twitter is known as a place where people expose the most minute details of their lives--missing the bus, stubbing a toe, toasting an English muffin.
But a recent survey from Pace University and the Participatory Media Network shows that only 22 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds use Twitter, while 99 percent have profiles on social networks.
This may seem surprising on the face of it, but as a member of the Millennial Generation myself, I have some theories as to why it might be true. To see why we're not into Twitter, I'll have to revisit the start of the social-networking timeline: MySpace.
We Gen Yers spent hours on MySpace customizing our profiles and making them perfect representations of us (or rather, who we wanted to be). We couldn't wait for our friends to comment a new photo: "New pic, please comment!" MySpace made many of us feel popular, or even famous. I remember posting a new profile picture and refreshing the page in anticipation of responses.
Jean Twenge, psychologist and author of "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement," calls this phenomenon "self-branding." People use MySpace as a portal for creating their own personal brand, Twenge says, complete with photos, custom banners, gossip, and fans (friends). One of the most successful self-branders is Tila Tequila, who tactfully used MySpace to achieve status as one of the users with the most friends on the site, and later parlayed that fame into a career as an MTV reality star.
Though we weren't international superstars, my friends and I were content on MySpace. But fast-forward a couple years to Facebook. It proved to be a difficult transition: where were all the flashing graphics, purple fonts, and exhaustive, multimedia-laden About Me sections? Why weren't the number of photo comments shown? Every user's profile looks the same, and at a glance, it seems self-branding is not easily attained.
The clean design of Facebook deemed decked-out profiles and artsy photos passe, but the site provided us with a new form of self-expression--"What are you doing?" status updates, which became the new platform for what Twenge describes as my generation's narcissistic need for attention.
What Facebook intends as a forum for sharing, Gen Yers see as a game of show-off. A quick look at my news feed and I see "Melissa" (name changed to protect the innocent) is having "one of the funnest nights of her life," and "beer and vodka make a interesting combination oww." 'Nuff said.
Brendon Nemeth, a 22-year-old San Franciscan whom I met this spring, says he updates his status to "keep family and friends informed on what's going on that's interesting in my life."
We no longer impress our friends with profiles that represent us through our creative flourishes, but rather with profiles that spell out what we're doing. (Out of fairness, our status updates don't always revolve around happenings at the local bar; plenty of us want to share our work promotions or volunteer activities, too.)
When Facebook implemented its news feed, users formed groups to oppose the feature. Now our status updates are lost in a flood of information, including quiz results, wall posts (not our own), and links. An update is posted, two minutes pass, and it's nowhere to be seen. Some of us even resort to reposting our updates just so they grab the attention they deserve.
On her blog, Twenge suggests that the kids of Gen Y aren't interested in their community, they are interested in themselves: "Younger generations are more individualistic and are higher in self-esteem and narcissism. There have been no changes in 'communal' traits."
I'd have to agree. We do anticipate seeing our friends' activities, but what we really look forward to is what they think of our activities--we want to be "cyberstalked," preferably in the form of replies to our self-published content. Nemeth says that "there are times when I update my status to induce a reaction." Reactions are what drive us to add photos, update our status, and write on our friends' walls.
So where does Twitter fit in?
Twitter's microblogging platform is what many Gen Y's may describe as "like Facebook, but just the status update." What is the point of that? We like to consolidate, so Nemeth explains that he doesn't "want to join another community, just tell people what (he's) doing." We have everything we need on Facebook.
Based on Twenge's theory, a good explanation of my generation's lag in joining the Twitter mania is that there isn't an obvious way to achieve a self-brand on Twitter.
Participating on Twitter requires a fan base that knows why you are unique, special, and deserve attention. Fan base aside, the Web site's interface paves a short path for cyberstalking--there is nothing to find past a user's status.
For example, Sally went to a great party last weekend, but where are the photos? Who went with her? These features, which Gen Y's value so much, are missing.
As much as I like to know what my friends are doing, updates on Twitter happen so fast there really isn't time to react. More importantly, my friends don't have time to react to my activities.
Largely as a result of the digital communication tools on which we were raised, a big part of my generation wants to know what the cyberworld thinks of us, and we want its inhabitants to pay attention to us. How can they do this if they're following 300 other people?
For the Millennials to make the move, Twitter will have to find a way to integrate the self-branding features MySpace gave birth to and Facebook nurtured. Even if they're packaged in 140 characters or less.
23 June, 2009
Allowing supporters to choose
Sue Fidler, Sue Fidler Ltd
For many years those of us who work with, for or as fundraisers have mumbled on about donor choice, while Comms have added the ubiquitous "we would like to contact you" opt in tick box and forgotten about it.
Now with the diversity of new media and the newer sibling social media our supporters are finally pushing us into putting our stories where they are, rather than the historical expectation that they will come to us. With the MySpace/Facebook/Bebo/linked-in networks, flickr and YouTube, twitter as well as blogs, RSS, web, email and SMS we all need a presence in a wide diversity of online spaces.
It is no longer enough to have a website and expect supporters to come. We need to proactively pull our audiences to the site with content that has a value to them. We must also pitch our features and core values in the wider network as that is where our new supporters are now living.
The challenge of course is both to be in all the right places so supporters can join us and to create enough content to keep it fresh and interesting. For smaller charities with a non-existent web team and over-busy Marketing and Comms staff the challenge is increased.
The best option is to design a marketing strategy for each channel, as we have learnt to do for direct marketing, phone, billboards and other offline channels. As we learn about the audience of each network we will learn to tailor the stories for that channel by the normal socio-demographic profiles.
Until we have a history to learn from we can still make educated guesses about the age and type of users by looking at the content of the most popular areas of the various sites. Just by knowing Bebo has a very young play profile while Linked-in has a professional middle aged user group we can start to apply the lessons we have learnt offline to our online supporters.
Alternatively we can produce a small number of stories and put them in all of the online spaces, adding them to our sites or blogs, offering an RSS feed and sending out both bulk emails and Facebook style updates to everyone who has joined our groups.
The later allows a smaller charity with limited resources to repurpose each piece of content simply by creating a precis to use in the shorter mediums. The downside is that people who have signed up to multiple channels, such as an email newsletter and a Facebook group, may get the story twice. Some of them might even opt out of one or other channel.
But then isnt that the whole point of choice - allowing people to chose which medium they want to engage with.
For many years those of us who work with, for or as fundraisers have mumbled on about donor choice, while Comms have added the ubiquitous "we would like to contact you" opt in tick box and forgotten about it.
Now with the diversity of new media and the newer sibling social media our supporters are finally pushing us into putting our stories where they are, rather than the historical expectation that they will come to us. With the MySpace/Facebook/Bebo/linked-in networks, flickr and YouTube, twitter as well as blogs, RSS, web, email and SMS we all need a presence in a wide diversity of online spaces.
It is no longer enough to have a website and expect supporters to come. We need to proactively pull our audiences to the site with content that has a value to them. We must also pitch our features and core values in the wider network as that is where our new supporters are now living.
The challenge of course is both to be in all the right places so supporters can join us and to create enough content to keep it fresh and interesting. For smaller charities with a non-existent web team and over-busy Marketing and Comms staff the challenge is increased.
The best option is to design a marketing strategy for each channel, as we have learnt to do for direct marketing, phone, billboards and other offline channels. As we learn about the audience of each network we will learn to tailor the stories for that channel by the normal socio-demographic profiles.
Until we have a history to learn from we can still make educated guesses about the age and type of users by looking at the content of the most popular areas of the various sites. Just by knowing Bebo has a very young play profile while Linked-in has a professional middle aged user group we can start to apply the lessons we have learnt offline to our online supporters.
Alternatively we can produce a small number of stories and put them in all of the online spaces, adding them to our sites or blogs, offering an RSS feed and sending out both bulk emails and Facebook style updates to everyone who has joined our groups.
The later allows a smaller charity with limited resources to repurpose each piece of content simply by creating a precis to use in the shorter mediums. The downside is that people who have signed up to multiple channels, such as an email newsletter and a Facebook group, may get the story twice. Some of them might even opt out of one or other channel.
But then isnt that the whole point of choice - allowing people to chose which medium they want to engage with.
22 June, 2009
Email marketing set to 'balloon' over next five years
Dan Leahul, revolutionmagazine.com
Spam filters be warned, new research predicts the amount email marketing is due to explode over the next five years, estimated that the average email inbox will receive more than 9,000 marketing messages annually by 2014.
Forrester research is predicting email spend to "balloon" to $2bn (£1.2bn) by 2014, a nearly 11% compound annual growth rate.
Falling CPMs, a high return on investment, and growing consumer use of social email accounts will fuel the use of email by direct marketing professionals, the company said in its annual Email Marketing Forecast.
David Daniels, Forrester analyst, said: "By 2014 direct marketers will waste $144m on emails that never reach their primary target. Successful direct marketing pros will alter their tactics to overcome inbox clutter and increase relevancy."
The study also found that retention email - email that recipients have "blessed" with their permission - will continue to replace paper communications and will make up the largest share of marketing messages.
Retention emails will account for more than one-third of all marketing messages in consumers' inboxes by 2014, representing increased competition for marketers.
While the bulk of the market will continue to deploy email marketing on a self-service basis, the growing complexity associated with data integration and new tactics to increase relevancy will drive healthy grow in use of email service providers, research found.
Spending on ad-sponsored newsletters will also double over the next five years as traditional print publishers face falling circulation and ad revenue.
Daniels said: "The use of email in social networks will be one of the biggest challenges for direct marketers. Over the next five years, marketers must bridge the gap between social and traditional inboxes with social sharing tools."
Spam filters be warned, new research predicts the amount email marketing is due to explode over the next five years, estimated that the average email inbox will receive more than 9,000 marketing messages annually by 2014.
Forrester research is predicting email spend to "balloon" to $2bn (£1.2bn) by 2014, a nearly 11% compound annual growth rate.
Falling CPMs, a high return on investment, and growing consumer use of social email accounts will fuel the use of email by direct marketing professionals, the company said in its annual Email Marketing Forecast.
David Daniels, Forrester analyst, said: "By 2014 direct marketers will waste $144m on emails that never reach their primary target. Successful direct marketing pros will alter their tactics to overcome inbox clutter and increase relevancy."
The study also found that retention email - email that recipients have "blessed" with their permission - will continue to replace paper communications and will make up the largest share of marketing messages.
Retention emails will account for more than one-third of all marketing messages in consumers' inboxes by 2014, representing increased competition for marketers.
While the bulk of the market will continue to deploy email marketing on a self-service basis, the growing complexity associated with data integration and new tactics to increase relevancy will drive healthy grow in use of email service providers, research found.
Spending on ad-sponsored newsletters will also double over the next five years as traditional print publishers face falling circulation and ad revenue.
Daniels said: "The use of email in social networks will be one of the biggest challenges for direct marketers. Over the next five years, marketers must bridge the gap between social and traditional inboxes with social sharing tools."
19 June, 2009
NCVO and the OTS launch Funding Central
The NCVO and the Office for the Third Sector (OTS) has launched Funding Central, www.fundingcentral.org.uk, the new free website for information about national, local and regional government funding, national, local or regional charitable funding, and EU funding.
Funding Central is for the whole voluntary and community sector, including social enterprises, and have relevant and up to date information on all funding opportunities aimed at helping voluntary and community organisations easily identify relevant funding streams at the touch of a button.
The site which goes beyond merely providing information will continue to grow and aims to build the capacity of organisations to successfully identify and apply for funding – whether in the form or a grant, grant in aid, contract or other financial opportunity.
Ben Kernighan, Deputy CEO at NCVO, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Funding Central. At this crucial time, Funding Central will be an invaluable website for organisations looking for up to date funding opportunities as well as offering advice and support.”
Angela Smith, minister for the Third Sector, said:
“Funding Central will make it so much easier for third sector organisations to find and apply for the funding they need to make a difference.
"The advice and information that Funding Central provides will help save charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises time and money spent searching for funding opportunities. I hope it will also open up opportunities to more organisations, particularly smaller ones, that might have been deterred from seeking government support in the past because of the information wasn’t so readily available.”
Funding Central is for the whole voluntary and community sector, including social enterprises, and have relevant and up to date information on all funding opportunities aimed at helping voluntary and community organisations easily identify relevant funding streams at the touch of a button.
The site which goes beyond merely providing information will continue to grow and aims to build the capacity of organisations to successfully identify and apply for funding – whether in the form or a grant, grant in aid, contract or other financial opportunity.
Ben Kernighan, Deputy CEO at NCVO, said: “We are delighted to be hosting Funding Central. At this crucial time, Funding Central will be an invaluable website for organisations looking for up to date funding opportunities as well as offering advice and support.”
Angela Smith, minister for the Third Sector, said:
“Funding Central will make it so much easier for third sector organisations to find and apply for the funding they need to make a difference.
"The advice and information that Funding Central provides will help save charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises time and money spent searching for funding opportunities. I hope it will also open up opportunities to more organisations, particularly smaller ones, that might have been deterred from seeking government support in the past because of the information wasn’t so readily available.”
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