And here is a fantastic shot of one lit up with a black light:

Fuchida67 and his friends:

And one from a funny series of photos that we’re not sure how he produced:

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Some key takeaways quoted from the report:

• Despite the economic slowdown forcing marketers to modify their spending, 82 per cent of Canadian business leaders and senior marketers say they will spend as much or more on social media in 2009 than they did this year. That’s more than for any other marketing communications discipline.

• Nearly four in five Canadian marketers (78 per cent) say senior management supports greater investment in social media. That’s up dramatically from 54 per cent a year ago.

• Canadian business leaders say it would be a mistake to cut back on social and digital spending in tough economic times, with 7 in 10 recommending increased investment.

• Two-thirds of Canadians (65 per cent) who use social media say social media tools are important for learning about products, services, organizations and brands, up from 59 per cent a year ago.

• The number of business leaders who say they are less familiar about social media than their customers has fallen to 17 per cent, down from 26 per cent a year ago.

• Just 7 per cent of Canadian business leaders see social media tools as a fad, down from 15 per cent a year ago. And one in two (46 per cent) say social media tools have forever changed the communications landscape and are becoming more important than communications tool such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines.

• Nearly four in five Canadians (79 per cent) say they have used social media tools. That’s up from 71 per cent a year ago.

Despite all the dark news about the economy it looks as though social media is here to stay.  There will definitely be a bit of rethinking going on in 2009 as companies start demanding more accountability and metrics around social media campaigns, but this latest poll certainly shows that there is a growing commitment to the social media model of marketing and consumer dialog.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Best New Start Up

Best Technology

We have achieved quite a bit this year, from being the first to bring live video broadcasting to Blackberry to letting you socialize from your phone on many of today’s most popular models including Blackberry, the iPhone, Nokia and many more.  So head on over and give us your vote!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

• “New members will either deploy compatible Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the ecosystem through products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices.”

And perahps not to be outdone by all the news, Garmin announced that they’d be joining the alliance as well.  This brings the total number of members to 47, covering nearly every mobile phone manufacturer and network operator.  Engadget makes a good point in saying that those NOT involved with the alliance are starting to really stand out, notably, Nokia and AT&T.  But this is not surprising given Nokia’s investment into Symbian and AT&T’s involvement with Apple.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

The latest research by Gartner Research shows some interesting movement in the smartphone market, principally that the iPhone is seeing unprecedented sales and growth at the expense of all other device manufacturers and operating systems.  The numbers, which only represent the sales and market share from the 3rd quarter 2008, show an astonishing 327.5% gain for Apple from this time last year:

Granted, the release of the 3G iPhone in Q3 certainly has elevated these numbers, but it is remains pretty stunning that in Q2 of 2008 Apple only commanded 2.8% of the market share and now holds 12.9% of the market.  And for the first time Apple has outsold Windows mobile, something that many industry analysts didn’t even see happening, or if they did, not so soon.

No doubt, Symbian is still the world leading smartphone OS, but they saw their lead erode by 7.1% in a matter of months from 57.1% in Q2 to 49.8% in Q3.  JKOnTheRun asserts, probably accurately, that Symbian will continue to slip as they have no new phones available and the recently announced N97 won’t hit the market for six months so people may hold off buying a new Nokia knowing that the N97 is right around the corner.  Apple has been riding pretty high lately, it will be interesting to see if they can keep it going.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

What is particularly telling, though, is how Apple’s platform and App store is transforming the business of game development:

• “The revenue share offered by Apple to games publishers is incredibly attractive. The danger is that if operators do not respond with a similar business model, publishers faced with low margins may simply exit Java completely, thereby reducing consumer choice in the longer term.”

Apple offers a revenue share of 70% with developers.  This is in stark contrast to another finding of the report: while ad-funded downloads are growing in popularity, the revenues accrued from advertising are unlikely to be sufficient for developers or operators.  Basically, the old models are failing and Apple’s model could emerge as the only game in town.

Aside from what this means for Apple, there were some other interesting findings, primarily that in developing nations gaming on mobile phones is growing due to lack of internet connectivity and actual gaming consoles.  Some other key points:

• China and the Far East will remain the largest regional market for mobile games throughout the period covered by the report.
• Global revenues from in-game advertising will rise significantly from 2008 to 2013.

• Operators need to reduce data charges further for out of bundle customers to encourage casual mobile Internet usage and thereby stimulate the mobile entertainment market

Looks like mobile entertainment will only grow.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

• “New media allows for a degree of freedom and autonomy for youth that is less apparent in classroom settings. Youth respect one another’s authority online, and they are often more motivated to learn from peers than from adults. Their efforts are also largely self-directed, and  the outcome emerges through exploration, in contrast to classroom learning that is oriented toward set, predefined goals.”

The study further found that youth are mostly using social networking and social media to extend their face-to-face friendships.  They are exploiting the “always on” nature of the internet and mobile communication to keep in constant contact. However this, along with the permanent nature of so much internet interaction is not without it’s pitfalls, but therein lies another valuable lesson young people are learning: to navigate this new medium gracefully.

As Read, Write, Web puts it:

• “It’s a new world for those privileged enough to have access to the web. The consequences of these changes will unfold in years to come.”

Indeed, in the future we may very well see a break between those that have developed these skills and those that have not.

• “Contrary to adult perceptions, while hanging out online, youth are picking up basic social and technological skills they need to fully participate in contemporary society. Erecting barriers to participation deprives teens of access to these forms of learning. Participation in the digital age means more than being able to access “serious” online information and culture. Youth could benefit from educators being more open to forms of experimentation and social exploration that are generally not characteristic of educational institutions.”

So regardless of the detractors, it looks more and more like it will be a social media world in the future.  Unfortunately it might take this fresh generation of social media savvy people to transform corporate culture’s understanding and use (or misuse) of this exciting new medium.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

To nominate Next2Friends in the Best Mobile category go here:

To nominate Next2Friends in the Best Technology Innovation/Achievement category go here:

To nominate Next2Friends in the Best Design category go here:

And, of course, feel free to nominate us for whatever you like at the Crunchie 2008 nomination page!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

The commercial, which was attempting to be light-hearted, ended up offending mothers by insinuating that, among other things, they’re doing it because it’s fashionable.  It’s easy to see why some would be offended, it is a poorly crafted message that seems condescending.  And, as Jeremiah Owyang states, it is hard to imagine that Motrin tested this message before pushing this ad out.

But by Saturday it was the most Tweeted subject on Twitter. By Sunday there was a video up on YouTube highlighting the angry Tweets along with photos of mothers and their babies.  And by Monday the issue had made it to the New York Times blog.  Around that same time an apology had been issued by Motrin along with a promise to pull the offensive ad.

Now, many top marketers and social media thinkers have spoken on the things Motrin did wrong.  Jeremiah Owyang’s “Lessons” are well put:

Lessons Learned

• Always test your campaign with a small segment first

• Always have staff on hand to be prepared to respond during the weekend

• Don’t launch a campaign right before the weekend unless you’re prepared to respond

• The participants have the power, so participate

• For better or for worse, more influencers are talking about Motrin than ever before

All is Not Lost

There are a couple of winners in this scenario.  The biggest is Social Media.  You can bet that if companies didn’t consider Social Media in their campaigns before, many will now.  And ultimately Motrin wins something for the added bump in brand awareness, regardless of the negative nature.  That’s one small step for Motrin and one giant leap for Social Media.  Thanks Motrin!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

We are proud to announce that the Next2Friends Social Suite is now available for the iPhone.  That’s right, owners of one of the most talked about phones in the world can now utilize the Next2Friends bundle of mobile tools to snap and upload photos in two clicks, easily interact with one another from their phones, create opinion polls on the move and meet others based on their real time proximity.

It’s been great getting to know all of our new members. There have been hundreds of new photos streaming to the site from all those iPhones through Next2Friends SnapUp.  Here’s one:

We want to extend a warm welcome to all our new members!  Thanks for making Next2Friends an even better place to be, and by all means, drop by and say hello!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

“The study, conducted by Dynamic Markets on behalf of AT&T, reveals:

• 65% of employees surveyed say that social networking sites have made them and/or their colleagues more efficient
• 63% say they have enabled them and their colleagues to achieve things that would not otherwise have been possible
• 46% say they have sparked ideas and creativity for them personally

The Top 5 social networking tools being used as part of everyday working life are:

1. Companies’ own collaboration sites on intranets (39%)
2. Internal forums within the company (20%)
3. Company-produced video material shared on intranets (16%)
4. Online social networks, such as LinkedIn and Facebook (15%)
5. External collaboration sites on the web and internal blogging sites (both 11%)

The study and corresponding White Paper look at many aspects of Social Networking in the workplace.  Perhaps the most telling were the predictions.  They read like Social Media commandments:

1. Corporations Will Change the Way They Communicate
2. Corporations Will Change Their Vision
3. Corporations Will Change Their Organization
4. Collective Intelligence and Customer Experience Will Lead Innovation
5. Networking Will Be Key to Employee Excellence
6. Employee Mobility Will Increase
7. Corporations Will Adapt Their Motivation and Career Path Systems
8. IT/Telecoms Applications Will Mutate
9. Corporate Adoption Will Happen at Different Speeds
10. Social Networking May Allow Increased Revenue

You can read the corresponding explanations in the White Paper but the titles are sufficient to get an idea how sweeping the changes brought about by Social Networks and Social Media will be on the corporations of the future.  Changes that we have believed in from the beginning at Next2Friends.  Even if half these predictions come true we’re still looking at a revolution in the way people communicate, collaborate and get their work done!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Another was Aimen learning to make kissing noises:

But what got our attention was a video shot this week of Aimen rolling out roti.  Like all kids she is growing up fast, but because of Next2Friends we have gotten to watch it all take place from the other side of the world!  Truly amazing!  And such a great example of the way that mobile tools can truly bring us closer.  Keep the videos coming Hash, and because of Next2Friends, we look forward to watching your beautiful daughter grow even more!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Monetizing social networks and mobile tools is a difficult task.  There are scores of innovative products out there that just don’t have a clear path to making any money.  This is particularly true for applications such as Live Mobile Broadcasting.  Sure, nearly everyone who sees it wants to do it, but few are willing to pay for it, and it hasn’t reached a point where a large enough swath of people even realize the possibilities it holds.

Available Solutions

• Real-Time Mobile Video Broadcasting (Live):

Broadcast quality video from the world’s most popular mobile handsets to the web in
real-time.

• Real Time Mobile Social Suite:

Stay connected with your friends and community when on the move. Upload
photographs, ask questions, user tagging to build a closer connection with members
and a full dashboard to keep you informed of your friends latest activities.

• On-Line Communalities and Corporate Portals:

Real- time mobile to web interaction within a community driven and secure
environment including;

• Member Profiles for self promotion, connecting with others posting videos and photos, upload and play MP3s, blogging and wall posting capabilities.

• Chat (IM) with members online with our online chat tool. Create closer relationships with your friends and customers.

• Send text, audio or video emails to your members and community. Stay connected.

• Create opinion polls to find out what people think about your latest campaigns and products. Poll all Next2Friends members or only your online community and obtain real-time video back.

• Find people ready to engage with you in the real world based on specific demographics and profile information.
• Communities pages with advance search capabilities on members and content.
• Viral widgets and content distribution.

If you have an idea for a way your company could incorperate our real time mobile tools or special brand of social networking please drop us an email.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

The Pew Internet and American Life Project conducted research in June that outline this shift.  In 2008, nearly half of Americans (46%) used the internet, email or a text messaging to get news about the presidential campaign, share their views, or mobilize others. Further, the most common online activities were watching online videos, social networking and making campaign donations.  In many cases use of these technologies have doubled or tripled since just 2004.

• 35% of Americans say they have watched online political videos - nearly triple the level of the 2004 race.
• 10% say they have used social-networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace to gather information or become involved. Two-thirds of internet users under the age of 30 have a social-networking profile, and half of these use social networking sites to get or share information about politics or the campaigns.
• 6% of Americans have made political contributions online, compared with 2% who did during the entire 2004 campaign.

Jeremiah Owyang did some quick election day social networking number crunching as well.  He found that in nearly all instances Barack Obama has far outpaced John McCain in the use of Social Media.  Barack Obama has 380% more Facebook and Myspace friends, almost a 1000% more Youtube views and 240 times the number of Twitter followers.  Will this mean that he will be the next President of the United States?  Not necessarily, but you can be sure that future elections will have a growing Social Media component. Good luck to both candidates and regardless of who wins, it will be interesting to see how our new leader deals with the difficult times ahead.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

The first large blog to break our news was Gizmodo, the highly trafficked gadget and tech blog.  Several others followed suit including JKOnTheRun, TheNextWeb, and dozens of others.

Next was a great article by Mike Butcher from TechCrunch around the BlackBerry Bold release.

AppAppeal, a web based application review site, also had some great things to say.

But perhaps the best part of all this activity is that we’re welcoming scores of new folks from around the world into our community.  It’s very exciting to watch this platform we’ve created become useful to people in all the ways we imagined it could.  One of our new members is Anthony Papillion, an enthusiastic tech writer and creator of CajunTechie.com.  He not only wrote a nice piece on Next2Friends he made a comment that really means a lot to us:

“Next2Friends has an incredible community that immediately makes you feel welcomed and comfortable - even when you’re a newbie making stupid mistakes.”

Sure the recent press is reaffirming but it’s really comments like these that act as our guide.  Our goal is and always has been to strengthen connections and build community through technology and if members are understanding and valuing the community we’ve built then we’re doing our job.  Thanks everyone and we’ll see you on Next2Friends!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

A handful of announcements this week regarding the Android OS add momentum to the uptake of Google’s nascent mobile platform.  First, ASUS, the well known computer hardware manufacturer, has announced it’s intention to create Android based handsets for release by mid year 2009.  Looks like they will be testing the models in the Taiwanese market first then bringing them to the west.

Asustek’s 3.5G P552w PDA phonePhoto: CJ Liu, Digitimes, October 2008

Second, Motorola has announced that it will be using the Android platform for nearly ALL  of it’s mid-level phones.  This was an even greater pledge than was first thought a few weeks ago. Motorola also announced that they will be cutting the number of operating systems that they build for from six to three.

Android is very much in it’s infancy.  It is only availble on one handset, the G1 by HTC, but there is very serious work being done to ensure its spread.  Google has begun talking to some of the leading universities in the US about building curriculum around Android.  Universities like Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon.  And companies such as Motorola are using Android in products other than mobile phones such as set top boxes for TV.

Add to all this that just this week WalMart and T-Mobile announced they will be offering the HTC G1 at all WalMart stores for $148.88.  Putting an Android phone into one of the nation’s most heavily trafficked chains is definitely a good idea.  It will be interesting to watch the sales numbers.

The future could be bright for this open source platform.  As many others have predicted, we may be set to watch a showdown between an “open” model (Android) and a “closed” model (Apple OS).  This could very well be the Apple verses PC struggle of the new millennium.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

As you can see they’ve devided people up into 6 different categories based on their level of involvment with social media.  So to find the information Forrester compiled data from tens of thousands of people in North America, Canada, Europe and Asia. Their results were very telling.

All categories have seen an increase besides “inactives”.  The number of “spectators” increased by a whopping 21 percentage points.  That means more people are on the sidelines watching the action even if they aren’t participating by being “joiners” or “critics”.  But “joiners”, “collectors”, “critics” and “creators” all saw an increase over the past year.  But let’s return to those “inactives” a minute, they’ve nearly halved over the year!  That’s right, that means the number of people untouched by technology is shrinking.

As Josh Bernoff puts it on the Forrester blog, “If you think social technology is about to become a universal phenomenon, we just handed you a nice little bundle of evidence.”  Indeed you did!

Use of social media has seen it’s greatest growth among people 33-45 years old, with 45-54 year olds also posting modest gains as well.  Josh puts it best again,

“It will soon be no more remarkable that your grandmother reads a blog than that she reads email. Social content is going mainstream. Social content ranks high on search engines because it changes so frequently and gets linked to more often, so more and more online adults are becoming exposed to it, accepting it, and embracing it.”

Not sure we’re ready for that one, grandma, are you reading this!?!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

And here is another shot of his new daughter, Madalyn, sleeping. She looks quite content!

Keep the broadcasts coming Jason, congratulations to you and your beautiful new family!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

The Bold is a fantastic new phone that features all the goodies you’d expect, Wifi, 3G connectivity, a 2MP camera, and the ability to connect to almost any network worldwide, to name a few.  Add to that having a display about which CNET writer Bonnie Cha says, “I was absolutely blown away. I can pretty much say I’ve never seen a better-looking display on a smartphone.”

Next2Friends Live turns a mobile phone into a live video broadcasting tool.  Live video broadcasting from mobile has been notably absent for BlackBerry devices, owing largly to the difficulty in working with the BlackBerry OS.  Next2Friends set about correcting this early this past summer.  There just were too many ways that live mobile broadcasting could be useful to the primarily business set who use BlackBerrys, from tradeshows to conferences to beaming images back home while traveling.

Singing up for an account is free and Next2Friends Live is just one of the mobile offerings from Next2Friends.  Our Social Suite is comprised of SnapUp, truly two click photo capture and upload to the internet, Ask, real time opinion polling, and Tag, real world profile matching.  Besides providing a comprehensive set of real time media tools, the Social Suite delivers much of the functionality of the website to mobile so members can look at and comment on photos, read emails and follow their friends’ latest activity from anywhere.

Here is a demonstration of how to get Next2Friends Live up and running on a BlackBerry Pearl, Curve or Bold.  Happy Streaming!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

We can’t help but marvel at the power of live streamed video to take us places we’ve never been while simultaneously showing us just how similar we are.  Anyone who’s been an adolescent (which should be all of you) should be able to relate to Drewligan and his buddies.  Here is a funny video of him in cooking class.  Not sure I’d eat those Drew!

Great stuff! Keep the videos coming!  Just try not to break anything…well, aside from a few hearts.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Essentially it is a widget that displays your live videos.  You can embed it into anywhere that will let you use HTML code, like Myspace or a personal website.  It’s quite simple to use, just copy the embed code from the landing page of your (or anyone’s) Next2Friends Profile, paste it and away you go:

Already members are jumping on this new tool.  Have a look at how new member and active blogger dotlizard has utilized the widget on her website.  It’s also great for musicians, lifecasters, and anyone with something to promote.  It’s pretty clear that fans of virtually anything appreciate the intimacy of live broadcasts from artists and personalities.  But that is not to count out how families and friends are using it to offer a window into their life’s little happenings for one another.  All great stuff, we’re quite pleased with the response so far and ask that you stay tuned for even more features in the coming weeks!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

44% of people surveyed have a blog (compared to 28% in 2006)
57.5% have a page on a social network (compared to 27% in 2006)
42% download video clips (compared to 10% in 2006)
34% of users share their opinions about music
55% share their photos online

Internet users do not rely on just the brands to inform themselves. While 69% visit brands’ official websites, 82% prefer to search for information on a search engine or to read people’s comments on personal profiles on social networks like Facebook, for example (55%). Internet users’ preferred method for exchanging information about a product is MSN Messenger (44.5%). E-mail comes in at a close second (42.4%), followed by blogs (30.4%), and social networks (27.6%).

Most telling is the 82% of people who prefer to search for a products online and read other people’s reviews.  Indeed, Jaramiah Owyang highlighted this phenomenon in his post titled, “Your Corporate Homepage is Really Google.com“.

You can have a look at the Slideshare presentation of the data:

Will This Extend to Mobile?

We think the answer will most certainly be yes, if the right tools exist.  IM is the most frequented channel for recommendations right now because it is the most ubiquitous.  It is present on nearly every social network and delivers immediacy like nothing else…well, almost.  We asked ourselves years ago what would happen if information between a person’s social networking profile and their mobile phone could flow seamlessly.  We didn’t want to stop at simply recreating the “sitting in front of your computer” experience on a mobile phone, rather, we’ve been tirelessly interested in the unique ways that the mobile phone can deepen the experience of social interaction.  And this directly relates to the way people interact with each other over brands.  Tools like Next2Friends Ask, where members can ask, respond and receive answers to media rich questions from their mobile, provide even broader possibilities and a level immediacy that just hasn’t been seen or utilized in this space yet.  Marry that to Real Time Video Broadcasting from Mobile and you can start to see how much farther this can go.  Indeed, this is just the beginning.  The future looks very bright for the wisdom of the crowd!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Next2Friends Live now works on the BlackBerry Curve and Pearl, some of the hottest selling smartphones today.  Here is a demonstration:

To start streaming from your Pearl or Curve all you have to do is head over to Next2Friends, complete the 60 second free signup and install the application!  Happy streaming and join us in welcoming the potentially millions of new live mobile broadcasters!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Engadget gave a great in-depth review of the device but here are a few highlights:

• To quote Engadget, “the most comprehensive global roaming capabilities of virtually any wireless device you’ll find anywhere, featuring EV-DO Rev. A, quadband EDGE, and 2100MHz HSPA for Europe.
• 3.26-inch 480 x 360 glass display that is actually a huge button.
• The ability to edit Word and Excel Documents and to copy and paste.
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 1GB of onboard storage with a slot for a micro SD

Many in the industry are singing the Storm’s praises.  Gizmodo thinks the clicking touchscreen (ClickThrough as RIM calls it) shows real innovative insight. Wired’s Gadget Lab thinks the screen is amazing too, calling it “the Storm’s prime-time killer feature and the reason why it gives the iPhone a run for its money.”  And again, throughout Engadget’s Paul Miller’s piece, words like “charmer” and “pretty” are sprinkled everywhere.

But like anything there are detractors.  Don Reisinger at CNET says the storm will never eclipse the iPhone.  He correctly notes that the Storm has really only captured the attention of gadget heads and technologists and falls far short of the cultural movement felt upon the release of the iPhone.  And NextWeb says, “It looks more like a direct reply actually (to the iPhone). A reply that quotes most of the original message too and doesn’t add much.”

Either way there is one thing that is certain.  Touch screens are extremely intuitive.  Play with an iPhone for an afternoon and then return to your non-touch screen phone and see how many times you actually reach for the screen.  Touch screens reflect a deeper human truth; that we are tactile and understand the world largely through our eyes and our hands.  Watch a toddler for an hour if you have any doubt.  Indeed, touch screens are here to stay and we look forward to integrating with this exciting new movement in mobile at Next2Friends!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Read Write Web had some interesting commentary on the subject.  They noted that only 1% of Mobile Social Networks exist exclusively on mobile phones, the rest are extensions of some sort of web presence.  They further say that this does not speak well to the adoption of Mobile Social Networks. On the surface it doesn’t.

Perhaps more telling is a quote from the ABI Research site itself:

“The mobile social networking market is best described as emerging. With a very large number of startups and unformed business models shaped loosely around Internet-based equivalents, the mobile social networking industry has a long way to go before it reaches maturity and mass adoption.”

This is very much an emerging market with no clear winners or losers yet.  On the one hand you have such phenomonally powerful tools like live video streaming from mobile or instantly uploaded photos from mobile and on the other hand you have most people merely commenting and messaging back and forth using social networking giants as a courier.  Indeed, there hasn’t been a clear added social value that mobile necessitates.

Some point to Location Based Services, GPS Obsessed makes the argument rather well that if an already established platform like Facebook could integrate Location Based awareness into its mobile app, perhaps services like Geo Messaging could really take off.  Here’s an interesting graph they cite to support their argument:

Ultimately it could simply come down to accessibility.  We are still on the beginning curve of smartphone adoption with smartphones only commanding 15% of the US market (this is higher in many other countries).  We think we will see an ever growing base of people with high powered computers in their palm, and as that happens, so will the market grow for more heftier apps such as some of the cornerstones that Next2Friends is built on.  Either way it will be fun to see what the future holds!

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

And he clearly has an interest in music as well.  His videos offer a glimpse into the music world of Singapore and it is through them that we find that artists like Jimi Hendrix and the Police are classics nearly everywhere!  Have a look:

Very enlightening, keep the streams coming, the ablility to peer into other parts of the world so intimately is truly amazing.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

Much has been made of Dell’s new Inspiron Mini 9.  You can see a whole list of features here.  But the interesting part is the fact that there appears to be a space for a 3G card.  And this is just the latest in a long line of computers fitted with 3G connectivity.  Computers by Fujitsu Siemens and Lenovo come to mind.  And partnerships between mobile networks and computer manufacturers seem to be happening all over the place.  Add to that the fact that Europe has seen double digit growth in USB 3G dongles.

And peripherals to this sea change have also begun to surface.  This is T-Mobile’s 3G Broadband Sharing Station.  It allows multiple users to access a 3G data connection.

So is the future of the internet wireless broadband?  There are some interesting doubters.  Principle among them is Dean Bubley, author of the Disruptive Analysis blog.  He argues several points but in general thinks that the trajectory of embedded 3G cards in computers will not follow the same route as WiFi.

Either way, there is little doubt that the way we all connect to the internet will only grow in the future.

Next2Friends - It’s NOW!

“If budgets do begin to shrink in the coming months there will be a real temptation amongst Marketing Directors to start backing safe options such as TV advertising (where they hold historic data) rather than the right options (taking into account the rapid change in the way customers now consumer information).”

Indeed, it is in these rough financial times that Social Media becomes even more relevant as a marketing tool.  Make no mistakes, Social Media tools never can replace traditional media campaigns, Chris Brogan explains the confusion surrounding the situation.  It’s not the use of the tools that brings value, as Matt Peters also asserts, but how the tools are utilized. They are simply another way to engage with consumers, through methods such as dialog and word of mouth.  But what should be catching the interest of Marketing Directors around the nation is the fact that so many Social Media platforms are free!

Word of Mouth 2.0

Despite the exponential number of ways people can get information on products, word of mouth is still one of the chief influencers over people and the decisions they make.  Marketers can tap into the potential of Social Recommendation through sites like Yelp or Mystrands for absolutely nothing.  They can also use the real time media rich opinion polling features of Next2Friends Ask to get feedback on a myriad of things.  Or there is the simple tactic of raising visibility and engagement through micro blogging sites such as Twitter.  Some brands are seeing some success b