‘Facebook’

Two persons were arrested and jailed four years each for inciting the recent UK riots which have left several buildings and vehicles damaged as well as numerous people dead. They apparently used the Social Media giant, Facebook to create posts for stirring an uprising in London about the killing of a young man by police.

It would be easy to condemn them and applaud the authorities for taking swift action, but even though they have certainly been guilty of creating chaos and causing large scale disruption and injuries because of their Facebook posts, the usage of Blackberry phones and Twitter to distribute false messages and thereby creating complete panic throughout the UK, must also be taken seriously.

Governments Want Control Over Social Media

Perhaps even more disturbing than the usage of Twitter, Facebook, and Blackberry as social media tools to create such uproar is the reaction by governments. The British Prime Minister David Cameron told the UK parliament that they may need to consider means for stopping the usage of social media tools by suspected perpetrators of violence and crime. Not only the UK government, but also the countries in the Middle East want more control over the usage of social media networks and tools.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have expressed concern about the power of social media and from October 2011, some tools available in Blackberry will be on the ban list in the UAE. The sending of messages and accessing the Internet with Blackberry will for instance be banned in the UAE.

What Makes Blackberry So Powerful As Social Media Tool?

Unlike Facebook and Twitter where messages can be public, the PIN associated with Blackberry ensures that messages stay private through encryption. This means that Big Brother cannot access private conversations amongst BBM users.

With Blackberry being cheaper than smart phones such as Android based handsets, more than 36% of the UK youth has Blackberry and thus access to completely private means of communication. It should not be a problem, but with Egypt brought to its knees through the usage of social media to stir protest action against the government, China already on the receiving end of the power of Facebook, and the Middle East fearful of losing control, one can appreciate the disruptive power of Blackberry. Governments want to have access to messages which can be used to stir the crowds into action, but with the encrypted Blackberry messages they can only speculate. There is no audit trail to follow unless the government authorities can get the PINs, but such would only be possible by court order.

Twitter, Facebook & Blackberry Become Social Media Scapegoats

To make Blackberry, Twitter, and Facebook the culprits is wrong. Although the social media tools encourage communication and are potentially dangerous weapons in the hands of terrorists, the applications have also been used to create awareness of legitimate causes. Although the Internet is filled with child pornography and has opened a whole new world of crime, it is also an essential tool for communication and information retrieval. The same applies for telephones. If one is to use telephones to create a stir, the governments will not be able to ban all phone calls. The postage system cannot be shut down if a terrorist organisation uses it to distribute letters calling for the overthrow of a government. In the same sense then, the social media network tools cannot be blamed or banned, and nor should the governments invade the privacy of the users.

Governments Use Social Media Such As Flickr

The UK government used Flickr to post photos of the people participating and stirring the London riots and did not consider privacy issues when they did so. One has to dig deeper. Governments are concerned with the power that social media gives to users. Instead of the governments being in control of the media and usage thereof to create the desired image and control over the masses, the people have realised that they have the power of communication. With such then, governments become more accountable to their citizens and it must be a scary thought.

Legitimate Concern Of Governments Regarding Power Of Blackberry, Facebook & Twitter

At the other end of the spectrum one must appreciate the concern regarding such tools and how easily Twitter became a tool for sending false messages and thus creating panic. Some form of control may be needed, but it does make a person uneasy to think that someone is viewing your messages and if they don’t like how you express yourself, you may land up in jail.

Facebook Exerts Control Over Some Sites

Facebook blocked a site earlier this year and came out to say that it was done by error. Some journalists and users don’t believe it since the site was blocked, unblocked upon investigation by a journalist and then blocked immediately after. Every user who tried to access the site received the same message of site blocked. In addition, all links to the site and any articles about the incident were also blocked. The site was about the June strike and promoted a peaceful action, but some speculate that Facebook was not too happy about such and thus not impartial. When it was used in the toppling of the Egyptian government, management was quite happy with the role of Facebook, but closer to home and their attitude may have changed. Users have expressed concern with the partiality displayed by the social media giant.

Is Social Media Too Powerful?

It begs the question of whether social media tools have become powerful communication tools or instruments of potential war. Another question raised by the London riots is whether Blackberry should open up its messages for investigation to ensure protection for governments and citizens. It does seem reasonable, but who determines the potential danger to the stability of a country? In some Middle Eastern countries even mentioning concern with fuel price hikes can land one in deep water and as such encrypted Blackberry messages protect freedom of speech.

If governments, such as the UK government, are allowed more control over social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry, the very next step may be government manipulation of emails, the Internet and then also landlines, wireless networks and not too long, and the whole world succumbs to dictatorship while the freedom of speech principle takes a backseat.

Mobile sites and their usage grow by the day. Also known as mobi sites or as some write it mobisites, are fast overtaking normal desktop based websites. According to a DotMobi study the growth of new mobisites is enormous showing that from over 149 000 in 2008 to more than 3 million such sites have been registered in 2010. In addition, the social media networks such as Facebook have large numbers of users which login to the social applications by means of their phones. According to Facebook the figures suggest more than 199 million users which login to their site via their mobile phones.

With every new technology there is resistance and there is embracement. The resistance normally comes from those who have already invested a lot into an existing technology and don’t want to re-invest in the new technology, but a business owner that wants to survive changes must adapt. The pc website market is shrinking and mobile market growing.

One may argue that there is no reason to create a mobile website if the users can login from their phones in any case, but there are several differences between mobi sites and the conventional websites which should be noted. In short, the mobile user doesn’t find the conventional website mobile friendly. With loads of heavy graphics, Java scripts, Flash and other bandwidth intensive design tools, the mobile user gets a slow loading page which isn’t easy to navigate.

More and more mobile users migrates to the mobisites specifically designed to fit well on their mobile screens, load faster, browse easier and take up less bandwidth as well as memory. Of course mobi sites are not as visually stimulating as the conventional websites and don’t show the same versatility, but users on the move want sites which can be used on their mobile phones with ease.

One can continue to design only the conventional website and have the mobile users struggle to use the site, but if they find something more user friendly, they will leave the site immediately, never to return. The younger generation of Internet users are also experts on mobile usage and if you don’t want to see your market dying a slow and agonizing death, you will need to create a mobisite and a conventional website.

Don’t think of the mobi site as portable site only. It is far more than that. It is an innovative and advanced way of interaction with the visitor. Modern consumers carry powerful computers in their hands and pockets; used as phones as well. They want to get value for their money and with more mobility offered rather browse from their phones and tablets than from desktops. Studies have shown that desktop usage is still huge during the day, but mobile usage surpasses that during the evenings. The users browsing during the day do so from their offices at work where desktops are connected via the network, but once they leave office they migrate to mobile usage. As such website owners need to take notice and adapt their interaction with users.

Some important considerations for creation of mobi sites are:

• Create a site that can use the mobile device capabilities.
• Mobisites must be created with loading time in mind. The site should load in two clicks and thus under ten or twelve seconds.
• Browsing should be easy without the need to zoom in.
• The mobile site must provide enough incentive for interaction through means of competitions, discount coupons and prize draws.
• People on the move love sharing and the mobile site must make it possible as well as be so addictive as to ensure return and viral marketing.
• Convenience is another reason for using mobile websites. People want to interact where they are and as such you need to ensure that the mobisite can be used on the spot and in-store for specials.
• Mobile users want to find information rather quickly and as such they don’t want to wait for pages to load or have to go through several menu steps to get the information.
• Don’t just re-design a desktop website to fit on a smaller screen, but run two distinct sites which can ensure that both desktop user and mobile user requirements are met.

Smart Phones are Taking Over

Bandwidth changes to 4G and the lower lag enables mobile users to surf fast. With that then, more users migrate to mobisites in South Africa because of our slow connectivity via desktop. The majority of new handsets can connect to the Internet. With four times more mobile users than desktop users in the world including South Africa, there is thus a big untapped market available for the innovative thinker, willing to create a stunning mobisite. Studies furthermore indicate that about a third of mobile browsing is done for local content. This means that the mobile user is on the lookout for businesses in their immediate environment and thus more geographically targeted.

Google Android and South Africa

The Google Android platform is already widely used worldwide and although still not the most popular platform in South Africa, it is making inroads in the mobile operating market. Google Android is growing rapidly with more than 17% of the market already belonging to the platform as evident in the sales figures of more than 190 000 Android mobile handsets sold daily. Android is currently just behind the Symbian and closing in on the gab. The secret to a successful mobisite is adaptability for various platforms. As such it is extremely important to cater to Android, Windows, Symbian and Apple to name, but a few of the big players.
The implications are important for any business owner. Whether you are a publisher of content or a seller of products you need to also cater to the mobisite user. Many website owners still only think of mobile platforms such as iPhone or Blackberry, but with Android mobile handsets becoming more popular the web browsing is fast moving from desktop to on the go mobile browsing via mobile handsets. New entrants to the market will also mean more platforms to cater for and as with any new trend, businesses that want to capture a large share of the market, need to move fast to get a foothold in the new browsing environment.

You can make your current website mobile friendly or you can create a custom mobisite to ensure targeted design for various platforms. Google has indicated that mobile browsing has grown even more than expected. The news headlines have shown that mobisites have grown with more than 2000 percent, not something that can be ignored if you are a serious marketer. The top performing websites also offer mobi sites to their users. Even if your site doesn’t count under the top 10 000 or so, you can easily ensure a user friendly mobisite experience.

Google Androids are so successful because Google has ensured variations. There are various types ensuring more choices for the consumer. Androids are well priced and personalisation is not compromised. Full integration with various Google applications is possible including vital applications such as Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome and Gmail. With Androids running on open source Linux, new developments are possible while the consumer is not expected to pay additional license fees for such.

It has been said that Android products can easily outperform Blackberry products in South Africa. Although South Africans are slow to catch on to Android when compared to the US, the Google Android mobile market is growing steadily. The mobile networks in South Africa need more development to ensure that unlimited data offerings can become a reality. The networks need upgrading to be able carry larger number of mobisite users. With the expectation being that South Africa will also receive more bandwidth over time because of the cable which has been laid under the sea, business owners have a lot to look forward to.

What do you love? The answer is simple and yet so complicated. Google has quietly launched a new search interface bringing together a full twenty of their products at one page. The interface is still in progress and if you are already curious you can type www.wdyl.com in your browser address bar. Don’t leave out the www. as without it, you will get the 404 error message.

WDYL is the latest in a range of products added to the Google product stable. The Google Social Network named Google Plus has also been rolled out recently, but you need an invitation at this stage to join. “What do you love?”  is a question that provokes an answer and hats off to Google for the new service. In short, it is a search interface with simple search bar and the question of “What do you love?” The user can type in a search phrase, press the heart and get numerous Google services and products about the topic or covering the topic on one page.

Must admit, it is at first a bit overwhelming when all the widgets appear at one page. It works best with broad terms and as such is the ideal tool for the person who wants to know everything there is about a topic or wants to start a search, but doesn’t want to have to click on every Google product and then return to the normal search page for additional searches.

WDYL is the search tool for people not familiar with all the Google products and thus the ideal introduction to such. Most people don’t think about the 20 different products every time they type in a search, but with “What do you love?” you can get a quick view of how the topic is covered across Google products. With a message at the bottom of the search page stating “more coming soon” we can expect even more of the product in the near future.

Example Of How It Works

Upon typing in a search for paintball at the “What do you love?” search page, the results page delivered several means of exploring the topic further including:

• Explore paintball in 3D.
• Measure popularity of paintball on the web.
• Watch videos of paintball on the web.
• Find books about the topic.
• Translate paintball in 57 languages.
• Start a discussion group about the topic.
• Call someone about the topic.
• Scour the earth for it.
• Find patents about it.
• Search blogs about the topic.
• Arrange an event.
• See pictures of paintball.
• Email someone about it.
• Get alerts.
• Search for it on the move through mobile search.
• Organise a debate.
• Get news on the topic.
• Find paintball nearby.
• Access stuff on the web faster.

At the upper right corner of the search engine page you still have a search bar which can be used for more searches. Don’t even think of being too specific as the results will be disappointing, but if you plan to create awareness of a product searched for, it is the search engine to use. You can in an instant add an event to your Google Calendar as reminder about the topic, email people from your Google mail account, create a discussion group, organise a debate, and get more alerts about the topic.

No Facebook

The Google +1 button is neatly tucked on the left side of the search screen just below the scrollbar. You can utilize the scroll bar for easy navigation through the long list of product pages. From Picasa to YouTube, Google Maps, and Books are represented on the search page. You can view posts about the topic searched for at Blogger or quickly create your own about the topic. If you wanted to know how popular the term is one the Net use the trend finder.

Although tech savvy SEOs may be well aware of all the Google widgets, the average user is not and for such it is a great service. With WYDL, Google gets the chance to market these widgets to the general search population. With the Voice, Gmail and Moderator widgets Google tempts users to make use of the services. In a sense, “What do you love?” is almost just another version of iGoogle, just more user-friendly and visual.

It is amazingly easy to use. The first fear of being taken away from the page upon selecting one of the widgets was ill found. Google has thought of everything and upon clicking the Gmail option, another tab opened with a little message about “paintball” already in the message box. All that needs to be done is to add recipients before clicking the send button. The recommendation words “Hey this is awesomely awesome” are already placed in the subject field of the Gmail message. Google obviously ensures that should you want to recommend WDYL that you will not have a hard time in doing so.

You will find Google Buzz, SketchUp, and Chrome, but you will not find Facebook like options. Facebook and Twitter once again fall to the side. The Chrome feature is just as useful for further web searches and for anyone who has to do a school project on a broad topic, WDYL will work great.

Will WDYL Replace Normal Search?

Not likely, as the organic search results can hardly be displayed effectively on a page full of widgets, but for Google Chrome users it may become their new homepage and a good starting point to search. Since each widget opens in its own tab while the “What do you love?” page remains open, it is simply the new search interface. For a broad search you will use the search at WDYL, but for more advanced searches you will make use of Google Chrome.

Will “What do you love?” Take Off?

Well let’s hope so. Launching a product without even discussing it on your blog is secretive and with such the average user who isn’t following the latest Google trends will hardly become aware of such, unless someone notifies them. Looking at the Gmail message composition, mentioned earlier, it may just be a case of Google leaving it a secret because people struggle to keep secrets and love to share their new discoveries with other. WDYL, if marketed by means of a secret viral marketing campaign, can thus become the next hot topic at campuses and discussion forums.

It is the digital age and any business without a solid online presence has to work harder, invest more and wait longer to expand their market share and increase profits. A business needs a website and online marketing campaign to effectively compete with the millions of other businesses in the world. It is possible to simply make use of secondary sites for online promotion such as directories, social media such as Facebook, forums, auction sites, online shopping facilities and blogs to attract the attention of possible customers, but to truly benefit from an online presence a business needs a an online site and a well planned marketing campaign. A few more reasons are provided below as answer to the often asked question of “Why does a business need a website and online marketing campaign?”

Information To Help With Decision Making

Consumers require information to make decisions as to whether or not to make use of a company’s services or to buy a product. A business can hardly be open 24/7, but with a website they can. The website offers the opportunity to give enough information about the company, products, and services, ensure that questions are answered and that the client can get in contact with a representative. The information can be displayed in a visually attractive format and trust can be built through regular online communication.

Convenience For The Consumer

If you are looking for a more convincing answer on the question of “Why does a business need a website and online marketing campaign?” consider the convenience offered. Mr. X doesn’t want to get in his car and drive 10 km, fight traffic, struggle to get a parking spot, wait in line to be served and then have to decide whether or not to buy product A or B under pressure. He loves sitting at home or office and browsing the Net. Email communication is more his style and if he really wants, he can simply call the customer service line. He can make a decision in his own time, place the order and make payment without ever having to go the through the process described earlier.

Mrs Y loves shopping, but uses the website to get more information about the product. She wants to feel the fabric that she will buy and as such uses the website as her first point of decision making. There are many more scenarios that can be described, but the bottom line is that it offers a convenient facility for the consumer. The choice of interaction lies with the consumer, but information, pictures, and feedback opportunities are available 24/7.

Additional Outlet

Having an online presence can be seen as having an additional outlet. It serves as an entry point to your business. Instead of having to be at every exhibition or having to open offices in every possible town, you can have one website and reach consumers around the world. It is thus also a cost effective way of expanding your reach.

Additional Customer Communication

The customer gets another means of communicating with your company through online application forms, ordering facilities, feedback forms, email, chat facilities, forums and blog comments. It becomes a two way street of communication and thus an essential tool for building trust and improving customer relations.

Creates Credibility

While exhibiting at an event or discussing options with a client you may find that the client wants more information. The clients and potential clients often request the website address. If you send an email to a client from a free email address not connected to a valid domain, your correspondence will more than likely be met with some scepticism, but a valid domain and domain based email will build trust with the potential client.

Why Does A Business Need An Online Marketing Campaign?

The second part of the question “Why does a business need a website an online marketing campaign?” has not yet been answered. The online marketing campaign is what ensures visibility. Just as offline marketing is essential to create brand awareness and to let the customers know where your business is and what you offer, you need a solid online marketing campaign to ensure that your website can be found amongst the millions of other online businesses.

Many small business owners create websites and simply think that should do the trick. A few months down the line someone may ask how the website works for them and they will say that it is not worth their while. The reason is straightforward enough – their site doesn’t get enough targeted traffic. It is one thing to optimize the site for search engine placement, but another to ensure that all links stay in working order, a solid rank is obtained and that users will find the site when searching.

An effective online marketing campaign should include a complete mix of marketing techniques. It is essential to establish the goals of online marketing, the budget, expected return on investment, target audience, and general purpose of the website before investing in Internet marketing.

With the digital business world being rather competitive, the website owner cannot afford to use a fly by night approach. It takes time to develop a strong online presence and with the online world changing rapidly attention should be given to the whole package including:

• Website design for easy navigation, readability, information value, and convenience.
• Branding through the website, banners, affiliate marketing, pay per click advertising, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, blogs and search engine visibility.
• Developing good ranking for particular keywords and ensuring relevance.
• Link building for higher ranking.
• Creating sticky content to ensure that the visitor stays longer and finds the site useful.
• Improving user experience through feedback forms, avatars, video content, and information.
• Improving visibility through YouTube channels and Facebook.
• Ensuring accuracy of information and professional display of information.
• Adding social media buttons such as Google +1, Facebook and Twitter.
• Creating a strong AdWords campaign and landing pages for higher sales turnover.
• Building relationships through newsletters.
• Using press releases to announce important business product launches.
• Market analysis and website traffic monitoring with tools such as Google Analytics.

The above elements are only a few of the important aspects of an online marketing campaign that can help to ensure a solid return on marketing spending and thus the growth of the business. In an age where millions of businesses have already shifted their focus to the online market, the question of why does a business need a website and online marketing campaign is almost too obvious. If you have not yet join the ranks of the online business world then do so now by getting immediate professional assistance through iLead Online for optimal success. Contact us for assistance today.

Google has introduced the Google+ on a limited scale at present. Before you jump on a search to join, it is at present open on an invite only basis. It may be because Google first wants to test the market and avoid unnecessary publicity and questions regarding Google Buzz or perhaps to create suspense. What is more important though, is whether Google+ can outperform Facebook or will be, yet another one of Google’s less successful social media network rollouts.

No doubt, Google is the best when it comes to search engines and many Facebook users don’t appreciate Facebook’s lack of concern about their privacy. Whether Google+ will replace Facebook completely will depend on the features offered, marketing of the social network, and of course integration with other applications. At this stage it is just another platform for social communication, but it can grow into a Google Giant.

There are positives and negatives as with all applications. The Google Plus, written as Google+ is perhaps not the best of names to select. For one, it definitely creates confusion with the Google +1 Button. Upon request to post about Google+ and Facebook, the original post was written about the Google+1 Button and Facebook Like, simply because of confusion. To further add to the confusion, the Google +1 feature in Google Plus differs from the Google +1 Button used for searches in Google. With all the plusses one can almost get into a state of total puzzlement and leave everything altogether out of fear of making a mistake when talking to people.

Google has named it a project rather than one of their new products with the idea that it would be seen as one of their features rather than a product taking on the social network giant Facebook. According to Google it is not intended as competition for Facebook, but rather another way of connecting and sharing, although it certainly comes across as a social network just as Facebook.

Similarities And Differences Between Google+ And Facebook

Facebook allows users to create specific groups and lists of contacts. The Google+ version is the Circles where the user drags and drops contacts into various Circles, allowing for sharing of information with specific groups only. If you are thus not comfortable sharing information about your cat that just died with the whole bunch of contacts, you will be able to select a Circle with contacts who will give the required sympathy. It will enable the user to split social and office life gossip. It is better than the friend lists in Facebook in the sense that the Facebook lists don’t give you the opportunity to selectively share information with a few friends. You can make group posts though with Facebook Groups. You normally end up making groups to share specific information with and it doesn’t have the easy drop and drag feature of Google+.

On the negative side for the Circles – it is still a lot of work, especially if you have the 100 closest friends in a circle and another 900 contacts to organise. Apparently not the easiest to use in the beginning, it becomes a rather useful feature once you get the hang of it.

Newsfeed & Stream

Facebook has the newsfeeds which enable users to see what their friends have posted. One can stream updates, the most recent posts or everything.  Google+ has Stream, located at the top of the box where you post your status updates, photos and other content you want to share. You will select a Circle from which you want to get a stream unlike the Facebook newsfeed option that shares information about everything posted recently, updates or all.

Making It Easier To Share Information With Non-Google Plus Users

Google+ has a feature that enables you to still share information with users that only have email addresses and have not joined the network formerly by adding them to one of your circles. They will be able to see what you have shared with the particular circle of friends. You can also follow a person that has not added you as a friend, provided they share information publicly. What they share with their particular circles will still be a mystery. The only negative about sharing with people who have not befriended you is that you can easily fill their email inboxes since they will be notified when you post for a circle where their details appear.

Importing Contacts

At present you will not be able to import friends from Facebook. You will be able to use all the emails, but for understandable reasons, Facebook at present doesn’t allow for exporting of friend details to Google+. As such you will have to create your contact base in Google from scratch, but can use present Google contacts to get it jump started. The upside is that one can export details from Facebook to Microsoft and Yahoo!. Using the two you can then get your friend details to Google+. One should note that although contact information can be obtained, the contacts will not include their friends. This little glitch can make it difficult to get Google Plus to grow fast, especially because Google Buzz is not included in the picture as it will at first be kept separate and may never be integrated with the Plus project.

Plus & Like

Facebook has the Like option allowing one to show others what you think is worth considering or when you generally just like something. Google+ has the +1 button. You will +1 for the same reason. Just a note on the plus one buttons on the search and those offered in Google Plus. The two are not related. Nothing you +1 in the Google search feature will be related to your +1 in the social network. It is confusing. As such there is a +1 for the search which is not related to Google+ the social network. Facebook has a definite advantage here. At present the only way to see what a person has +1’d in the Google search feature is to view their Google Profile. Apparently the +1 of the social network and +1 button in the search will eventually be integrated, but not for now.

Hangouts & Huddles

Hangout is the one feature that may get Google+ off the ground and get Facebook users to join in the network. Hangout is the video chatting option where up to ten persons can at the same time chat by means of video. It is definitely something to consider for work meetings or friends who for instance, play Paintball together. Everyone in the particular circle can contribute to the conversation and it is done video based. As soon as a user launches a Hangout, the friends in the circle get a notification. Pretty soon everyone can join in and have a video chat. This is better than the Facebook chat at present and also a bit more private. It is for instance, possible to share a video to a whole group of people. The Huddles feature is the Google non-SMS chat feature for mobile applications. Information about the feature is still a bit limited and as such keep an eye on this spot for more about it in future.

In Summary

Google+ offers more privacy than Facebook and better organisation of contacts. It has the Hangouts and Huddle features. In addition, it also offers Stream allowing for high quality picture feeds. There are other smaller features such as Sparks (sparking conversation on a topic and allowing to follow a specific topic), and then the ability of mobile users to add their location. Facebook is extremely popular, not so private, yet, familiar to users. Facebook is rather easy to use and doesn’t have a confusing name. The Like is already integrated with searches whereas Google+ has kept the +1 for social and the +1 for search separate for their launch. Google has it made it possible to integrate various Google products such as the Google Profiles, the Chrome search toolbar and Gmail as well.

Facebook, however, still wins on the topic of user-friendliness and simplification. You need a Google Profile that will have some information displayed publically. The Circles feature is great, but with one user being able to have more than one email account, you may end up with a user in two circles receiving two notifications every time. It still has some glitches and for people familiar with Facebook there may not be enough incentive to make use of another social network. If Google+ focuses a lot of attention on the Hangouts feature, they may be able to get more Facebook users. Other video chat applications such as Skype may get the boot in the long run and Facebook will have to bring something better to the table to keep their users at home.