Archive for March, 2011
March 31st, 2011
With all the talk today dominated by the Google +1 Button (read the Independent review here), I wanted to offer you something completely different that Google has been working on.
Over at Google labs, they have been working on a new application called Google Talk Guru – Google says it is: “An application intended for chat (IM) users, including those using chat clients on low-end phones, allowing them to answer simple web queries from the context of their chat application. First invite guru@googlelabs.com to chat, and then send queries via your chat client. Categories supported include weather, translation, unit and currency conversions, and sports scores”
Another Google Labs products that I encourage you to take a look at is Google Body. A detailed 3D model of the human body. You can peel back anatomical layers, zoom in, and navigate to parts that interest you. Click to identify anatomy, or search for muscles, organs, bones and more.
You need Google Chrome 10 or Mozilla Firefox 4 to view it, i promise you it’s worth it!
Free Pressitt Social Media Newsrooms for Charities
March 30th, 2011
Pressitt the free social media news release creation and publishing site, which was co-created by Liberate Media, is currently offering all registered Charities free newsroom and matching templates, as part of its recently created newsroom service – read the full news release here.
To register you interest and claim you newsroom and matching release template please email us on charities@pressitt.com
Michelle Gilbert, head of corporate communications at Eurosport, comments: “Pressitt is an excellent service offering companies and organisations fast and effective social media solutions for their digital PR needs. We at Eurosport have been particularly impressed with Pressitt’s enthusiasm, high level of customer service and help in establishing our newsroom and leveraging our social media news releases. We are looking forward to a fruitful working relationship on these and other projects in 2011.â€
Pressitt is an advertising free platform which is highly moderated, meaning your news will only sit alongside recognised brands and organisations.
Current newsroom examples include the DFID and Eurosport.
Which age ranges are the most prolific users of social networks?
March 17th, 2011
We’re all fond of a good stat in the worlds of social and communications, so when a stat conversation breaks out about demographics on some of the leading social networks, you’re bound to get a whole range of different answers to the same question.
Earlier today, i was discussing the question that forms the title of this post: Which age ranges are the most prolific users of social networks? More specifically we were talking about Twitter and Facebook, and the assertion that the most prolific users of social networks are pushing towards the 35 and over age range. I spoke to a number of different people and each had a slightly different take on what the basic make up of age ranges would be. Each also had the stats to back up their argument, so which should we believe?
First off, we have to take into consideration where the stats come from, both in terms of a reliable source and the geographic region the stats are sourced from. Most stats are skewed towards U.S users, so if we are considering UK-specific or European users we have to dig a little deeper.
This is all fairly obvious stuff, but it’s worth pointing out because of the many sources that i’ve looked at today, the vast majority, even when they say they use the same sources, come up with separate answers.
Therefore, i thought it might be helpful to reference a few of the stats that i’ve uncovered and the differences between them.
In terms of infographics, these versions from Kiss Metrics and Digital Surgeons are easy to understand at a glance, and use reputable sources, but in terms of age ranges for Facebook there is quite a difference.
The infographic from Kiss Metrics shows a clear rundown of demographics, this was posted last month using Google Ad Planner and Twitter sources, among others:
Facebook – 57% – 35 or older
Twitter – 56% – 35 or older
Here’s the Digital Surgeons infographic using a range of Google and Facebook sources:
Facebook – 37% – 35 or older
Twitter - 53% – 35 or older
As for European research, the latest data from ComScore is a good guide, and the 2010 Europe Digital Year in Review, launched last month, is an excellent resource. See the overview here and below
ComScore say: “The profile of social networking users in Europe reveals an audience that generally skews younger, with 15-24 year olds representing 25.3 percent of users, followed closely by 25-34 year olds at 24.3 percent. While the breakdown of European visitors to Facebook and Twitter mirrors that of social networking site users in general, LinkedIn has an older age profile. Only 10.4 percent of its visitors are under 25 years old, while half of the site’s audience is between the ages of 35-54. This older age profile is understandable given the site’s orientation toward professional networking.”
Breaking down the figures for Twitter and Facebook in Europe, ComScore say:
Facebook
15 – 24: 27.1%
25 – 34: 24.6%
35 – 44: 20.4%
45 – 54: 15.6%
55+: 12.4%
Twitter
15 – 24: 28.1%
25 – 34: 22.5%
35 – 44: 19.9%
45 – 54: 15.9%
55+: 13.5%
So you could say the largest segment is 15-24 years old, but equally more than 60% of users are over 25; or about half of all social users are 35 or older. More specifically:
Facebook – 48.4% 35 or older
Twitter – 49.3% 35 or older
So, yes, most of the stats agree, social network users are older than many might expect, but it’s not quite fair to say the younger age ranges are disappearing. We should also be aware that the degree to which the age range is present depends on geographic location, and the source.
Facebook team features heavily on the Forbes rich list
March 10th, 2011
The latest rich list published by Forbes includes six, yes six, Facebook investors.
Highest placed of the six is of course Mark Zuckerberg, the social networking site’s CEO and president. He currently sits at number 52 up from 212 on the previous list, with an estimated wealth of $13.5bn.
Next up is Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder with an estimated wealth of $2.7bn, he is also the youngest billionaire on the list at 26 years of age.
The others included on the list are Sean Parker $1.6bn, Peter Thiel $1.5bn and Yuri Milner $1bn.
Finally, Eduardo Saverin, whose argument with Zuckerberg lead to a lawsuit, has an estimated wealth of $1.6bn.
Google’s founders are also well placed on the list. Sergey Brin and Larry Page both come in at No. 24 unchanged from a year earlier, though their fortunes have increased to $19.8 billion each from $17.5 billion each.
Android is the top smartphone platform in the UK and US
March 8th, 2011
A recent report in the Metro compiled by uSwitch based on data about which Smartphones people are buying and searching for, claims that the Apple iPhone 4 is no longer the favourite Smartphone in the UK
The UK’s new number one is the HTC Desire, which uses the Android operating system.
The Top Ten Most Popular UK Phones (according to uSwitch)
1.   HTC Desire
2.   HTC Desire HD
3.   HTC Wildfire
4.   Blackberry Curve 8520
5.   Samsung Galaxy S
6.   Apple iPhone 4 (16Gb)
7.   Motorola DEFY
8.   Sony Ericsson S500i
9.   Samsung G800
10. Samsung i600
The fall in popularity of the iPhone 4 has been linked to the HTC’s varying price points, making it more accessible to a wider range of people.
A report in Mashable from comScore points out that Google’s Android rose from 23.5% market share in America from October 2010 to 31.2% in January 2011, enough to secure first place from RIM’s BlackBerry. Making the Android platform the most widely used in the UK and America.
