Norton's Notes

Google launching a new operating system

So last night Google announced that it is launching a new operating system to rival Microsoft. Google started life as a simple search engine focused on the quality of search results, with minimal advertising on its home page, and it grew its user base through good old word-of-mouth. Today it is a monster brand which has expanded into a plethora of web based areas which help most office based workers do their jobs.

Google's statement reads:

“Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.”

Five ways Google helps me to do my job as a social media specialist:

1. Google and Google Toolbar - In my opinion it is still the best search engine
2. Google Mail - use it for a number of email accounts
3. Google Analytics - use this to analyse posts and content on this blog
4. Feedburner - I use this service to stay on top of my subscribers
5. Google Reader - I have used this although personally I prefer Feedemon to read my favourite blog posts

There are many questions still to be answered about the new system but if it is good as its other services I may well consider making the switch myself.

So the question is would you change to Google's new system and use it rather than Windows?

Technorati Tags: Google,Microsoft

Is the blogosphere about to be regulated?

A recent report from the Associated Press has revealed that in the US the FTC is considering regulating the blogosphere. The reason it is considering this is to stop undisclosed sponsored blog posts.

Frederic Lardinois comments:

According to the FTC, bloggers who don't disclose that they received freebies once these new rules go into effect could become the target on an FTC investigation. These new guidelines (PDF), possibly with modifications, will most likely go into effect later this summer, and would mark the first time that the FTC tries to patrol the blogosphere.

I have to agree that I dislike the idea of conversation which has been created by blatant give-aways which are not revealed to the readers. I also hate the thought of bloggers being paid for posts which appear genuine. Thankfully most bloggers write their own content because they enjoy it not because they simply get freebies.

To be honest I don't think the blogosphere needs regulating and I think it would be extremely difficult to police more than 180 million blogs anyway. I think it should stay self-regulating with good practice and bad highlighted by other Internet users.

I don't think this is realistically going to happen and I don't see any reason for it but I hope this doesn't mean our Government in the UK will start looking at this area too as I think it would be a waste of time and resources.

Clever viral video from Samsung

You all know how much I like a good viral, well Samsung is reportedly about to release a new 12 mega pixel HD camera (WB1000) next week and to generate some excitement it has released this clever viral video.

Real or not real - you decide? Either way it's very entertaining - so hat tip to the creators.

Vanity causes Facebook traffic to reach record heights

Unless you have been hidden under a large rock recently, you will know that Facebook has just launched its username URL tool which enables you to get a personal URL free, instead of using the exceptionally long ones which were automatically generated.

Vanity took over me and I got my own but I got pipped to the post by another Chris Norton - so my Facebook URL is now: http://www.facebook.com/chrisnorton2 

With the launch of this new service, thousands flocked to Facebook to make sure they secured their very own URL over the weekend. In fact, Robin Goad of Hitwise is reporting that web traffic hit record levels and Facebook was the second most visited site in the UK just behind Google.

Something which did amuse me about this though was one clever individual secured the URL: http://www.facebook.com/default.aspx.

If you want to have fun with it, you can choose what you want for your profile or one of your pages. If you are interested in changing your URL it's really simple, just click here and follow the instructions.

Book review: Barack Obama "Dreams from my father"

I have just finished reading a book written by the current US president. Don't worry he wrote it before he got the job. Basically, it is his story of how he grows up in Hawaii apart from his father who lives back in Kenya. It is a really heart warming story of his quest to fit in in and to make a difference.

A particular poignant part of the book is when he reaches New York and has to sleep the night in a back alley as he has no money and nowhere to stay. I suppose the book gives you a new belief that with the right dedication and hard work anyone can achieve anything.

I also found it interesting when he talks about visiting his family as an adult who he has never even seen as a child.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand Obama a little better. It is an open, friendly and honest account of his life told in a very personal manner. In fact, it is so honest that in the preface, which he re-wrote in 2004, he openly admits he winces at some of the wording because he wrote it in a different political era. I found it refreshing and quite inspiring - have a read and let me know what you think?

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Dreams from my father,book review

10% of Twitter users are responsible for 90% of Twitter usage

I have just read a very interesting post from Stan Schroeder regarding Twitter usage in May 2009. In his post Stan discusses a new Harvard Business Review study as revealing:

Most Twitter users don’t actually use the service much, or even at all. In fact, 10% of active users are responsible for over 90% of all Tweets.

To be honest I think we should have noticed this ourselves. Many of my former colleagues and contacts have starting Twittering in the last six months some very regularly and some more sporadically. What I have noticed is with most of them the immediate enthusiasm seems to die off after a few days.

If people kept their enthusiasm and treated Twitter as a social network where you can share tips, stories and expertise they would find it so much more beneficial. I suppose this all boils down to how you use Twitter as many people use it differently. If people are careful and set up themselves properly, follow interesting people with similar interests and make an attempt to ensure it doesn't take up too much time it can be a fantastic business resource for developing your contacts. Not only that but its great fun.

The other point which I found interesting from the study was that more women (55%) are on Twitter than men. Don't ask me why this is though?

If you use Twitter feel free to follow me here.

 

Technorati Tags: Twitter Usage,Stan Schroeder,Harvard Business Review

Newspapers start to name social media editors

I read an article in the Guardian that claims that the New York Times has named its first social media editor. When I first read the title I wondered what the job would actually entail. The article quotes a memo from Jonathan Landman, which describes her role in a practical sense as:

"Working closely with editors, reporters, bloggers and others to use social tools to find sources, track trends, and break news as well as to gather it. She will help us get comfortable with the techniques, share best practices and guide us on how to more effectively engage a larger share of the audience on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Flickr, Digg, and beyond."

I have to tip my cap to the New York Times as I think this is a step forward. However, I think hiring one person to do this maybe a slight misjudgment. If it only has one person, I hope that person is then going to train the other writers on how to use social media properly. Let's not get too bogged down on the publication because it hired one person though because if it is addressing social media properly and engaging in conversation - I think this still has to be seen as a positive step.

The real question though is is this a one off or are we seeing the start of a new journalist trend towards hiring more social media specialists in the traditional media?

Technorati Tags: social media editors,new york times

My family holiday in La Pineda

Warning this is not a PR Post*

I am glad I can finally post this after having serious broadband issues all week. My family and I have just returned from a lovely trip to northern Spain in a small beach resort called La Pineda.

We liked the resort because it was not overly commercial and its only an hour from Barcelona - so there are lots of things to do. While we were there the F1 championship came to town and Barcelona FC played in their version of the FA Cup Final.

We stayed in a huge hotel complex called Estival Park which is a four star hotel sporting  three separate hotels and a huge variety of facilities such as a Spa, Tennis Courts, Kids Club and several swimming pools etc etc.

The staff in the hotel were really friendly towards the children and the food was nice and varied every evening. So if you are looking for a quiet family holiday which isn't going to eat into your exceptionally high PR salary this could be the hotel for you. We went half board but after three days we upgraded to all inclusive which helped us beat the terrible exchange rate we are getting at the moment.

I promise I will be back to the PR and social media in my next post.

Technorati Tags: La Pineda,Estival Park

How to select the right social media company

I read an interesting dual post from Todd Defren and Paula Drum offering some top tips for social media marketers.  I won’t go through all of the points but the text that really stuck out to me was this:

“Your agency needs to walk the walk – I hate paying an agency to learn on my dime. When we started three years ago, social media was so new and changing so rapidly that we were all learning together. Today there are many different agencies that are building expertise in social media including public relations firms, interactive agencies and newly formed agencies focusing on social media. As you select an agency partner make sure that they don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk. Are they active in social media? Does the agency blog or twitter? Judge the agency not solely on their pitch, but also on their actions.”

I think this is brilliant advice. There are lots of good agencies and consultancies out there doing some great work in social media. I am sure there are some which aren’t very good too. So the million dollar question is how do you find the good companies if you don’t know this new and developing area very well?

Here are my top ten tips for finding a good social media company:

1. Does this individual or consultancy have a blog? If yes read the posts to get a feel for their breadth of knowledge. Does it get comments?
2. Does this consultancy have a Twitter stream and are its individuals on Twitter? Do many people follow them?
3. Does it have a dedicated YouTube channel?
4. Do any of its current clients stand out at you?
5. Does it have any case studies demonstrating the usage of social media?
6. Do you recognise (or have heard of) any of its senior team members?
7. Is its newsroom or website social? For instance, can you share posts, comment or bookmark things etc?
8. Are they on Linked in? Or Xing?
9. How long has the company or individual been active in the social media space?
10. Ask other social media users for their advice – we can be a friendly bunch you know.

This is certainly not a definitive list but if you search around and do your research you will soon be able to tell which companies are both talking the talk and walking the walk.

Technorati Tags: Todd Defren,Tips,Paula Drum

A quick tip to protect your social media identities

Working in the magical world of social media, we are regularly looking to create accounts for clients across various social platforms and often - it is a well known client - we find that a particular account has been already taken by a cyber squatter.

To ensure a client’s identities are easier and quicker to find you need to identify a common username across multiple social media sites. I have been using a tool which does this called namechk. Basically it’s a service which allows you to type a username and check for its availability.

Brian Solis has also referred to another similar service known as Knowem which seems to be pretty good. Has anyone had any serious problems with cyber squatting?

Technorati Tags: social media identity,namechk,knowem,Brian Solis,cyber squatting