VirtualWorld.ca
It's a Virtual advertising world after all!
Montreal web advertising company Acquisio is doing well during these times. Aside from Montreal, it also has offices in Seattle and London, and plans for New York. Acquisio's software helps digital media agencies buy, track and manage Internet advertising for customers.
What is their advice?
Use Internet advertising. The Internet eliminates borders. It eliminates distance. It’s the easiest way to discover new markets by far, and it’s the cheapest, and you can do it yourself from home, using Google AdWords. It’s really easy. You can watch your statistics and see how many clicks you got, you can see how many people filled out your forms, how many people called if you’re doing call-tracking. It’s a very powerful way to invest in advertising and see your return on investment.
To read the full article, click below:
http://www.bwob.ca/profiles/montreal-firm-rides-web-advertising-wave-worldwide/?WT.mc_id=HBCA_110205_10CMBZZZe13361R
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Cyber Monday
VirtualWorld.ca
Today is Cyber Monday, the follow up to the Black Friday shopping extravaganza.
Did you get any good online deals on Cyber Monday? I heard there were huge lineups for discounted RIM Playbooks in one country, and the crowd got unruly when a rumour started to spread that the Playbooks were sold out.
Early indications show that Black Friday spending was up over last year, we have to wait and see how Cyber Monday compares once all the numbers are in.
It's a Virtual World after all!
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Today is Cyber Monday, the follow up to the Black Friday shopping extravaganza.
Did you get any good online deals on Cyber Monday? I heard there were huge lineups for discounted RIM Playbooks in one country, and the crowd got unruly when a rumour started to spread that the Playbooks were sold out.
Early indications show that Black Friday spending was up over last year, we have to wait and see how Cyber Monday compares once all the numbers are in.
It's a Virtual World after all!
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
Twitter continues to make inroads into Social fabric
VirtualWorld.ca
Twitter continues to grow more popular almost every day. The latest examples I've seen of Twitter making inroads into everyday life are:
Mexican pro soccer team putting Twitter handles on the backs of players game shirts. So, when they are playing a game you would see @Halvarez or @Roberto_S. To me this is a great way for the team to get the public to visit the players Twitter sites, and promote the club.
Seeing Twitter handles on protest boards and signs. I've seen some Occupy Wallstreet type protests where the people carrying signs have also put their Twitter handle on the sign. Great move, an instant way to get people to visit your Twitter site and see your message. This will probably transfer over to sports events and other places where people display signs.
Live voting and interaction on tv shows. The tv show X Factor with the music competition has a special Twitter feed set up where the judges and contestants send out tweets, and the public can interact with them. You can also vote now through Twitter.
What will we see next from Twitter and how it is used? It's a Virtual World after all!
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Twitter continues to grow more popular almost every day. The latest examples I've seen of Twitter making inroads into everyday life are:
Mexican pro soccer team putting Twitter handles on the backs of players game shirts. So, when they are playing a game you would see @Halvarez or @Roberto_S. To me this is a great way for the team to get the public to visit the players Twitter sites, and promote the club.
Seeing Twitter handles on protest boards and signs. I've seen some Occupy Wallstreet type protests where the people carrying signs have also put their Twitter handle on the sign. Great move, an instant way to get people to visit your Twitter site and see your message. This will probably transfer over to sports events and other places where people display signs.
Live voting and interaction on tv shows. The tv show X Factor with the music competition has a special Twitter feed set up where the judges and contestants send out tweets, and the public can interact with them. You can also vote now through Twitter.
What will we see next from Twitter and how it is used? It's a Virtual World after all!
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Saturday, October 8, 2011
RIP Steve Jobs
VirtualWorld.ca
The virtual world shines a little less this week.
I was driving home from work on the day Steve Jobs died, and heard the news on the radio. It was hard to believe it was true, because although he had had health issues in past years, there was no notice about how serious his condition had become.
I remember back when Apple was a fringe company, Mac lovers in the 90's were the minority under the PC. Then, once the ipod era began and Apple started the release of their new generation of products, the company grew into a major tech player.
No question Steve Jobs was a creative genius, he gave the world products that millions enjoy and use in everyday life, and his innovations will continue to be seen in new products I'm sure. You have to wonder if Apple can be the same company without him.
It is sad to see him go at the age of 56. What else could he have done if he'd had another 10 or 20 years, we are only left to imagine.
Here is a little write up from a younger person on Steve Jobs
http://mygirlweb.blogspot.com/2011/10/steve-jobs.html
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The virtual world shines a little less this week.
I was driving home from work on the day Steve Jobs died, and heard the news on the radio. It was hard to believe it was true, because although he had had health issues in past years, there was no notice about how serious his condition had become.
I remember back when Apple was a fringe company, Mac lovers in the 90's were the minority under the PC. Then, once the ipod era began and Apple started the release of their new generation of products, the company grew into a major tech player.
No question Steve Jobs was a creative genius, he gave the world products that millions enjoy and use in everyday life, and his innovations will continue to be seen in new products I'm sure. You have to wonder if Apple can be the same company without him.
It is sad to see him go at the age of 56. What else could he have done if he'd had another 10 or 20 years, we are only left to imagine.
Here is a little write up from a younger person on Steve Jobs
http://mygirlweb.blogspot.com/2011/10/steve-jobs.html
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Ning.com sold for $200 Million
VirtualWorld.ca
It's a virtual world after all.
Virtual Social Networking site Ning.com has been sold for $200 Million to Glam Media. Ning allows you to create your own social networking site, usually around a theme that people share a common interest in. People can sign up to your network, share comments, photos, video and more.
Read more about the sale here:
http://breakingnewsworld.net/2011/09/ning-sold-for-200-million/
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It's a virtual world after all.
Virtual Social Networking site Ning.com has been sold for $200 Million to Glam Media. Ning allows you to create your own social networking site, usually around a theme that people share a common interest in. People can sign up to your network, share comments, photos, video and more.
Read more about the sale here:
http://breakingnewsworld.net/2011/09/ning-sold-for-200-million/
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Sunday, September 4, 2011
Call of Duty virtual game Conference in LA
VirtualWorld.ca
Virtual world spurs large LA conference this weekend. Were you there?
Call of Duty is a hugely popular multi-player game, with millions of fans worldwide. A two day event was planned this weekend for thousands of fans to celebrate the game, and enjoy a performance by Kanye West.
“It’s really in response to the strength of the ‘Call of Duty’ franchise and the passion of our fans,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, which organized the event. “We have fans who play our game every day – more than they go on Facebook – and enough fans in multiplayer every day to fill the 80 largest sports stadiums in the world.”
Talk about a popular virtual world! To read more on this event, go to:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/video-games/gaming-news/call-of-duty-fans-flock-to-la/article2151711/
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Virtual world spurs large LA conference this weekend. Were you there?
Call of Duty is a hugely popular multi-player game, with millions of fans worldwide. A two day event was planned this weekend for thousands of fans to celebrate the game, and enjoy a performance by Kanye West.
“It’s really in response to the strength of the ‘Call of Duty’ franchise and the passion of our fans,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, which organized the event. “We have fans who play our game every day – more than they go on Facebook – and enough fans in multiplayer every day to fill the 80 largest sports stadiums in the world.”
Talk about a popular virtual world! To read more on this event, go to:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/video-games/gaming-news/call-of-duty-fans-flock-to-la/article2151711/
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Saturday, August 13, 2011
Angry Birds company valued over $1 Billion?
VirtualWorld.ca
Angry Birds game company valued at over $1 billion dollars?
Rovio, the Finnish company behind the wildly popular Angry Birds mobile game and other titles, might get funding that valued the total company at over a billion dollars.
The virtual world continues to evolve and is especially lucrative for gaming!
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Angry-Birds-catapults-Rovio-1-cbc-227916050.html
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Angry Birds game company valued at over $1 billion dollars?
Rovio, the Finnish company behind the wildly popular Angry Birds mobile game and other titles, might get funding that valued the total company at over a billion dollars.
The virtual world continues to evolve and is especially lucrative for gaming!
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Angry-Birds-catapults-Rovio-1-cbc-227916050.html
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Saturday, July 23, 2011
Apple to surpass Exxon as most valuable company
VirtualWorld.ca
It's a virtual world after all!
iPhones, ipods, ipads, and digital tunes have created the recipe for Apple to become the most valuable company by market cap in the coming months.
Apple's market value will rise to $480 billion over the next 12 months, surpassing Exxon as the most valuable company on earth, according to the updated price targets from analysts following the iPhone-maker's blockbuster earnings report this week.
The Steve Jobs-led tech giant could even see its market value climb above $600 billion, according to the most bullish forecast on Wall Street from Ticonderoga Securities. That would top Cisco's record market capitalization of more than $550 billion reached in 2000 at the height of the Internet bubble.
read full article here:
http://t.co/zmhvCLl
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It's a virtual world after all!
iPhones, ipods, ipads, and digital tunes have created the recipe for Apple to become the most valuable company by market cap in the coming months.
Apple's market value will rise to $480 billion over the next 12 months, surpassing Exxon as the most valuable company on earth, according to the updated price targets from analysts following the iPhone-maker's blockbuster earnings report this week.
The Steve Jobs-led tech giant could even see its market value climb above $600 billion, according to the most bullish forecast on Wall Street from Ticonderoga Securities. That would top Cisco's record market capitalization of more than $550 billion reached in 2000 at the height of the Internet bubble.
read full article here:
http://t.co/zmhvCLl
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Thursday, June 23, 2011
Facebook.com lawsuit by Winklevoss Twins ended
VirtualWorld.ca
The Winklevoss twins, famous to anyone who has seen the Social Network (Facebook) movie, have abandonned their lawsuit against the social networking giant.
The Winklevoss twins, famous to anyone who has seen the Social Network (Facebook) movie, have abandonned their lawsuit against the social networking giant.
Social.com domain name sells for $2.6 Million
VirtualWorld.ca
The price of virtual real estate keeps going up!
News came out this past week that the domain name Social.com has been sold for $2.6 million dollars.
This domain name had been put in auction recently with an asking price of $5 million and a starting price of $2.5 million. During the auction the domain received an offer for $2.5 million but no higher, and didn't meet reserve. After the auction closed without selling, the prospective buyer made a further offer of $2.6 million and the domain owner accepted.
The person who owned the domain was the original registrant since 1995. At that time it was free to register a domain name. He only had to wait 16 years and one domain name has made him a millionaire!
Still no word on what Social.com will be used for, but with the popularity of social media and social networking, it will probably be related to something like that.
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The price of virtual real estate keeps going up!
News came out this past week that the domain name Social.com has been sold for $2.6 million dollars.
This domain name had been put in auction recently with an asking price of $5 million and a starting price of $2.5 million. During the auction the domain received an offer for $2.5 million but no higher, and didn't meet reserve. After the auction closed without selling, the prospective buyer made a further offer of $2.6 million and the domain owner accepted.
The person who owned the domain was the original registrant since 1995. At that time it was free to register a domain name. He only had to wait 16 years and one domain name has made him a millionaire!
Still no word on what Social.com will be used for, but with the popularity of social media and social networking, it will probably be related to something like that.
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Virtual Coupons Lead to $4 Billion
VirtualWorld.ca
Who ever knew that an investment in virtual coupons could return so well?
Eric Lefkofsky's initial investment in Groupon was a cool $1 million back in 2008. At the current IPO price range, this investment could end up being worth in the $4 billion range now.
The virtual world continues to grow and this is just one more area that seems set to boom.
To read more about Eric Lefkofsky and Groupon, click the link below.
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/112867/how-to-earn-4-billion-on-coupons-wsj
Who ever knew that an investment in virtual coupons could return so well?
Eric Lefkofsky's initial investment in Groupon was a cool $1 million back in 2008. At the current IPO price range, this investment could end up being worth in the $4 billion range now.
The virtual world continues to grow and this is just one more area that seems set to boom.
To read more about Eric Lefkofsky and Groupon, click the link below.
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/112867/how-to-earn-4-billion-on-coupons-wsj
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Zynga article in Vanity Fair
VirtualWorld.ca
Some of the most popular virtual worlds and games out there include Farmville and Cityville. Both of these games are made by a company called Zynga. Mark Pincus is the founder of Zynga, and you can read all about him and his company in the following online article at Vanity Fair.
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/06/mark-pincus-farmville-201106
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Some of the most popular virtual worlds and games out there include Farmville and Cityville. Both of these games are made by a company called Zynga. Mark Pincus is the founder of Zynga, and you can read all about him and his company in the following online article at Vanity Fair.
http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/06/mark-pincus-farmville-201106
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Thursday, May 5, 2011
Twitter Buys TweetDeck
VirtualWorld.ca
Just out today, Twitter looks to have bought TweetDeck in the ever changing virtual world.
The price is in the $40 to $50 Million range.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110502/tc_atlantic/reporttwitterbuystweetdeck37273
If you aren't familiar with TweetDeck, here is some info from their Twitter page:
Just out today, Twitter looks to have bought TweetDeck in the ever changing virtual world.
The price is in the $40 to $50 Million range.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110502/tc_atlantic/reporttwitterbuystweetdeck37273
If you aren't familiar with TweetDeck, here is some info from their Twitter page:
TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook and more.
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Sunday, March 27, 2011
What is Dabble.in?
VirtualWorld.ca
Dabble.in soon to join the online virtual world!
Dabble.in looks to be a new social networking site to do with what people are interested in 'Dabbling in'.
I learned about the site from posts on Twitter, if you sign up three people through your link, you get to do an early beta test. Right now, Dabble.in is just a one page sign up site. You can also watch a video by clicking 'P' on your keyboard that gives a hint as to what the site is about.
I joined, but so far have not got an email from them. Right now, it looks like many people are signing up and we'll wait to see how it unfolds.
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Dabble.in soon to join the online virtual world!
Dabble.in looks to be a new social networking site to do with what people are interested in 'Dabbling in'.
I learned about the site from posts on Twitter, if you sign up three people through your link, you get to do an early beta test. Right now, Dabble.in is just a one page sign up site. You can also watch a video by clicking 'P' on your keyboard that gives a hint as to what the site is about.
I joined, but so far have not got an email from them. Right now, it looks like many people are signing up and we'll wait to see how it unfolds.
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Monday, March 14, 2011
Twitter's Amazing Virtual World Stats
VirtualWorld.ca
It is amazing how fast the Virtual World can grow!
Today Twitter released some stats on it's growth since it began in 2006, and the numbers are quite impressive.
http://blog.twitter.com/2011/03/numbers.html
Here are some of the high points:
# of tweets
• 3 years, 2 months and 1 day. The time it took from the first Tweet to the billionth Tweet.
• 1 week. The time it now takes for users to send a billion Tweets.
• 50 million. The average number of Tweets people sent per day, one year ago.
• 140 million. The average number of Tweets people sent per day, in the last month.
• 177 million. Tweets sent on March 11, 2011.
# of accounts
• 572,000. Number of new accounts created on March 12, 2011.
• 460,000. Average number of new accounts per day over the last month.
Mobile use
• 182%. Increase in number of mobile users over the past year.
The growth of Twitter has truly been incredible to watch. I remember back in the spring of 2008 (or was it 2007?) hearing about this new site called "Twitter". I checked it out and saw how it worked. I decided to sign up and knew that having a cool username was a great thing. Almost everything I tried as a username was still available, big city names, cool words and so on. I registered a few city names and left it at that. I wish I had picked up a few more good handles for different interests I have, but there was no way of knowing how big Twitter would become. Now that they are getting over half a million new accounts per day, it must be really hard to get a good username!
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It is amazing how fast the Virtual World can grow!
Today Twitter released some stats on it's growth since it began in 2006, and the numbers are quite impressive.
http://blog.twitter.com/2011/03/numbers.html
Here are some of the high points:
# of tweets
• 3 years, 2 months and 1 day. The time it took from the first Tweet to the billionth Tweet.
• 1 week. The time it now takes for users to send a billion Tweets.
• 50 million. The average number of Tweets people sent per day, one year ago.
• 140 million. The average number of Tweets people sent per day, in the last month.
• 177 million. Tweets sent on March 11, 2011.
# of accounts
• 572,000. Number of new accounts created on March 12, 2011.
• 460,000. Average number of new accounts per day over the last month.
Mobile use
• 182%. Increase in number of mobile users over the past year.
The growth of Twitter has truly been incredible to watch. I remember back in the spring of 2008 (or was it 2007?) hearing about this new site called "Twitter". I checked it out and saw how it worked. I decided to sign up and knew that having a cool username was a great thing. Almost everything I tried as a username was still available, big city names, cool words and so on. I registered a few city names and left it at that. I wish I had picked up a few more good handles for different interests I have, but there was no way of knowing how big Twitter would become. Now that they are getting over half a million new accounts per day, it must be really hard to get a good username!
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thanks for Applying - What is your Facebook?
VirtualWorld.ca
Latest item of interest I saw on the net involving the Virtual World - Employers asking for applicants Facebook page info, and even passwords.
Over at GeekTown.ca there is a post stating that a police department was asking applicants for their Facebook login info. They want to know everything about who they are hiring. Other places are also starting to ask for at least your Facebook page, so they can check it out. Most of the comments to the post are against this, saying it is a privacy issue. Will people start creating a fake Facebook page for circumstances such as this? Would you give this information to a company you wanted to work at?
Always remember, never put anything on FB or anywhere else online if you want it to be private.
The Virtual World continues to evolve!
See the full post here:
http://www.geektown.ca/2011/03/employers-asking-job-applicants-for-facebook-passwords.html
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Latest item of interest I saw on the net involving the Virtual World - Employers asking for applicants Facebook page info, and even passwords.
Over at GeekTown.ca there is a post stating that a police department was asking applicants for their Facebook login info. They want to know everything about who they are hiring. Other places are also starting to ask for at least your Facebook page, so they can check it out. Most of the comments to the post are against this, saying it is a privacy issue. Will people start creating a fake Facebook page for circumstances such as this? Would you give this information to a company you wanted to work at?
Always remember, never put anything on FB or anywhere else online if you want it to be private.
The Virtual World continues to evolve!
See the full post here:
http://www.geektown.ca/2011/03/employers-asking-job-applicants-for-facebook-passwords.html
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Sunday, February 13, 2011
Will Twitter Get Bought?
VirtualWorld.ca
Latest news I've heard is that Twitter is in early talks with Google AND Facebook about a possible buyout. Latest financing done by Twitter places the company value in the $6 to $10 billion dollar range. Twitter has really grown in the last two years, and many businesses and media advertise their Twitter accounts actively. It seems to be a simple idea, but Twitter offers something not found elsewhere - short bits of information from a diverse base of users in real-time. And now that it is searchable, there is a lot of value in that information. A post on Twitter potentially can be seen by ANYONE online, whereas a post in Facebook is usually only visible to your friends. We are seeing lately how powerful Twitter can be in cases of social upheaval - like in Egypt. So will they get bought out? We'll see, but I don't think the site has reached it's full development yet, and maybe the owners will want to hang on until they do that.
Latest news I've heard is that Twitter is in early talks with Google AND Facebook about a possible buyout. Latest financing done by Twitter places the company value in the $6 to $10 billion dollar range. Twitter has really grown in the last two years, and many businesses and media advertise their Twitter accounts actively. It seems to be a simple idea, but Twitter offers something not found elsewhere - short bits of information from a diverse base of users in real-time. And now that it is searchable, there is a lot of value in that information. A post on Twitter potentially can be seen by ANYONE online, whereas a post in Facebook is usually only visible to your friends. We are seeing lately how powerful Twitter can be in cases of social upheaval - like in Egypt. So will they get bought out? We'll see, but I don't think the site has reached it's full development yet, and maybe the owners will want to hang on until they do that.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Facebook Deals Launches in Canada
VirtualWorld.ca
The real world is becoming more virtual.
Taking a page from Groupon and all the other group deal buying sites, Facebook has launched Facebook Deals in Canada.
Surprisingly, FB isn't charging stores for using this service. The deals are meant to be for people on the go with smartphones, and don't involve printing out a paper coupon.
Some of the stores already using the service are Chapters Indigo, Dynamite, Garage, and Joe Fresh. Considering there are 10 million users of FB in Canada, expect a lot more stores to try it out. It may even get FB some more Canadian users, when those who aren't on FB find out there are deals to be had.
I think it makes a lot of sense for FB to do this. They have a large audience and the information on where people live. If you are out for a night of shopping, you can use your smartphone to quickly find any deals in the mall or store you're at. Right now, you need a smartphone to use the service.
Read the full article here:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Facebook-launches-new-feature-capress-1939345831.html?x=0
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The real world is becoming more virtual.
Taking a page from Groupon and all the other group deal buying sites, Facebook has launched Facebook Deals in Canada.
Surprisingly, FB isn't charging stores for using this service. The deals are meant to be for people on the go with smartphones, and don't involve printing out a paper coupon.
Some of the stores already using the service are Chapters Indigo, Dynamite, Garage, and Joe Fresh. Considering there are 10 million users of FB in Canada, expect a lot more stores to try it out. It may even get FB some more Canadian users, when those who aren't on FB find out there are deals to be had.
I think it makes a lot of sense for FB to do this. They have a large audience and the information on where people live. If you are out for a night of shopping, you can use your smartphone to quickly find any deals in the mall or store you're at. Right now, you need a smartphone to use the service.
Read the full article here:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Facebook-launches-new-feature-capress-1939345831.html?x=0
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Friday, January 28, 2011
Egypt blocks Facebook and Twitter
VirtualWorld.ca
Egypt is blocking Virtual World activity. There are huge protests going on in Egypt right now, and much of the organizing and information transfer is happening online, through email and texting but also on Facebook and Twitter.
Think how fast organizing a protest can be when all you have to do is send out a tweet on Twitter about it, or list it in your Facebook post. Instantly, thousands of people can see it and act on it. And others can even re-post the news to their followers or contacts, creating a viral news effect.
This kind of use of social networking probably wasn't expected at Facebook and Twitter when they first started out, but both are perfect platforms for this kind of service.
Egypt is blocking Virtual World activity. There are huge protests going on in Egypt right now, and much of the organizing and information transfer is happening online, through email and texting but also on Facebook and Twitter.
Think how fast organizing a protest can be when all you have to do is send out a tweet on Twitter about it, or list it in your Facebook post. Instantly, thousands of people can see it and act on it. And others can even re-post the news to their followers or contacts, creating a viral news effect.
This kind of use of social networking probably wasn't expected at Facebook and Twitter when they first started out, but both are perfect platforms for this kind of service.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
China is taking over the Virtual World
VirtualWorld.ca
Chinese internet use is climbing. I read over the weekend that within 5 years, Chinese will be the language most used on the internet, moving ahead of English.
According to this article, there are now 457 million Chinese internet users, and it's still growing fast. Mobile phones with internet access is helping the trend, and it's astonishing to think that the number of people using the internet in China right now is greater than the ENTIRE population of the US.
For more details, click below:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Agency-China-Internet-capress-2250075737.html
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Chinese internet use is climbing. I read over the weekend that within 5 years, Chinese will be the language most used on the internet, moving ahead of English.
According to this article, there are now 457 million Chinese internet users, and it's still growing fast. Mobile phones with internet access is helping the trend, and it's astonishing to think that the number of people using the internet in China right now is greater than the ENTIRE population of the US.
For more details, click below:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Agency-China-Internet-capress-2250075737.html
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Friday, January 14, 2011
Top Online Marketing Trends for 2011
VirtualWorld.ca
Want to know where to focus your online maketing and social media efforts?
Here is a great article on hot trends in online marketing for 2011. I'm also posting it here so I can come back and re-read it when I need to.
The only thing I'd add is that you will need to have a good domain name as a backbone to your online marketing and social media efforts.
Click here to see the Top Trends in 2011
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Want to know where to focus your online maketing and social media efforts?
Here is a great article on hot trends in online marketing for 2011. I'm also posting it here so I can come back and re-read it when I need to.
The only thing I'd add is that you will need to have a good domain name as a backbone to your online marketing and social media efforts.
Click here to see the Top Trends in 2011
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Virtual Fail - Using Chapters gift cards on Kobo
VirtualWorld.ca
It's great that we now have a choice of ereaders to use, and among these is the Kobo. The Kobo reader website is at KoboBooks.com and the device is also sold by Chapters/Indigo in Canada.
For Christmas, we bought a Kobo for our daughter, and it was hard to get. Stores were running out, they were backordered online, but a family member was finally able to find one for us to give our child.
All great until we tried to use a Chapters gift card to order an ebook online at the Kobobooks.com site.
Here are some tips for the people at Kobo to get their site running a lot better.
- On the checkout page, PUT A NOTE saying that you have to enter credit card information even if you are using a Chapters gift card. It is a hassle to even have to enter a credit card when you have a gift card that will cover the full amount, but if those are the rules post it so it's clear! We didn't know to enter a credit card as well as the gift card info, plus we thought the site might charge the credit card. All of this could have been avoided if there was a simple note on the page. I'm sure many people are also having a headache with this.
- Don't ask for a credit card if someone is using a gift card. It isn't necessary. If there isn't enough on the gift card to cover the payment, you can always create an error message to that effect and THEN ask for a credit card or other payment option. People hate to enter credit card info when it isn't necessary.
- ANSWER requests for HELP promptly. I sent a message through their online Help center about a week ago over this problem. My wife sent another one a few days ago. Still no reply! I know it's just after the holidays, but a response within one or two business days is almost mandatory these days for a mainstream product. I found the answer to this problem by myself eventually by searching through online forums. You are competing with the Kindle, the Sony reader and others! You have to differentiate yourself and stand out through ease of use and great customer service!
- And a final note to Chapters/Indigo. If you are going to sell an ereader in your store, your store should also sell the ebooks that go on it. Why should I have to go to a completely different website and create another account somewhere else? If I were you I'd find a way with the Kobo people to let the books be sold through Chapters, with a Chapters account.
All in all, despite this checkout problem, I had the ebook we wanted on the Kobo within minutes after completing the order and it is ready to go. This isn't a tech or gadget problem, which would be a bigger issue to me. I think the Kobo reader is going to work well and now we'll be able to order with ease knowing how it all works. I don't want to scare anyone away from the device itself.
But the people at Kobo could learn a few things about improving customer service and ease of website use.
It's great that we now have a choice of ereaders to use, and among these is the Kobo. The Kobo reader website is at KoboBooks.com and the device is also sold by Chapters/Indigo in Canada.
For Christmas, we bought a Kobo for our daughter, and it was hard to get. Stores were running out, they were backordered online, but a family member was finally able to find one for us to give our child.
All great until we tried to use a Chapters gift card to order an ebook online at the Kobobooks.com site.
Here are some tips for the people at Kobo to get their site running a lot better.
- On the checkout page, PUT A NOTE saying that you have to enter credit card information even if you are using a Chapters gift card. It is a hassle to even have to enter a credit card when you have a gift card that will cover the full amount, but if those are the rules post it so it's clear! We didn't know to enter a credit card as well as the gift card info, plus we thought the site might charge the credit card. All of this could have been avoided if there was a simple note on the page. I'm sure many people are also having a headache with this.
- Don't ask for a credit card if someone is using a gift card. It isn't necessary. If there isn't enough on the gift card to cover the payment, you can always create an error message to that effect and THEN ask for a credit card or other payment option. People hate to enter credit card info when it isn't necessary.
- ANSWER requests for HELP promptly. I sent a message through their online Help center about a week ago over this problem. My wife sent another one a few days ago. Still no reply! I know it's just after the holidays, but a response within one or two business days is almost mandatory these days for a mainstream product. I found the answer to this problem by myself eventually by searching through online forums. You are competing with the Kindle, the Sony reader and others! You have to differentiate yourself and stand out through ease of use and great customer service!
- And a final note to Chapters/Indigo. If you are going to sell an ereader in your store, your store should also sell the ebooks that go on it. Why should I have to go to a completely different website and create another account somewhere else? If I were you I'd find a way with the Kobo people to let the books be sold through Chapters, with a Chapters account.
All in all, despite this checkout problem, I had the ebook we wanted on the Kobo within minutes after completing the order and it is ready to go. This isn't a tech or gadget problem, which would be a bigger issue to me. I think the Kobo reader is going to work well and now we'll be able to order with ease knowing how it all works. I don't want to scare anyone away from the device itself.
But the people at Kobo could learn a few things about improving customer service and ease of website use.
Did Facebook pay $8.5 million for FB.com domain name?
VirtualWorld.ca
The price of virtual real estate keeps going up!
Last year it was learned that Facebook had acquired the domain name FB.com from the American Farm Bureau Federation. What wasn't disclosed at the time was how much Facebook had to pay to get it.
Today a report from Reuters came out that:
“At their annual meeting in Atlanta, Farm Bureau officials on Tuesday said the organization earned $8.5 million by selling a couple of domain names but is barred from identifying the buyer.”
If you put two and two together, we now know what happened in the FB.com sale. It looks like this was uncovered at Tech Crunch.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/11/facebook-paid-farm-bureau-8-5-million-to-acquire-fb-com/
Facebook also owns the domain FB.me, which it uses for a url forwarding/shortening service. The price of good domain names keeps going up, because virtual real estate is becoming more in demand.
If you had owned FB.com and Facebook came calling, how much would you have asked?
-----
The price of virtual real estate keeps going up!
Last year it was learned that Facebook had acquired the domain name FB.com from the American Farm Bureau Federation. What wasn't disclosed at the time was how much Facebook had to pay to get it.
Today a report from Reuters came out that:
“At their annual meeting in Atlanta, Farm Bureau officials on Tuesday said the organization earned $8.5 million by selling a couple of domain names but is barred from identifying the buyer.”
If you put two and two together, we now know what happened in the FB.com sale. It looks like this was uncovered at Tech Crunch.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/11/facebook-paid-farm-bureau-8-5-million-to-acquire-fb-com/
Facebook also owns the domain FB.me, which it uses for a url forwarding/shortening service. The price of good domain names keeps going up, because virtual real estate is becoming more in demand.
If you had owned FB.com and Facebook came calling, how much would you have asked?
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Saturday, January 1, 2011
Facebook most visited website in 2010
VirtualWorld.ca
Facebook was the most visited website in 2010 with just under 9% of all US web visits.
Google was a very close second, and just ahead of Facebook if you include all the websites Google owns (like Youtube).
I am not surprised by this, with all the reports about how FB has been growing.
What site will be the most visited in 2011?
Happy New Year!
Facebook was the most visited website in 2010 with just under 9% of all US web visits.
Google was a very close second, and just ahead of Facebook if you include all the websites Google owns (like Youtube).
I am not surprised by this, with all the reports about how FB has been growing.
What site will be the most visited in 2011?
Happy New Year!
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