LiveBlogging Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg At Web 2.0
LiveBlogging Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg At Web 2.0: Revenue, Fundraising, Growth and Products.
LiveBlogging Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg At Web 2.0: Revenue, Fundraising, Growth and Products. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stage with John Battelle at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco this afternoon, at about 2 pm.
Like Jerry Yang yesterday, Zuckerberg has a lot to talk about regarding the state of Facebook, and its future.
Our real time notes from the interview are below.
Battelle is talking about how much Facebook has changed over the years, joking that Zuckerberg now wears tennis shoes, not just sandals.
First question, Battelle ask Zuckerberg about new financing rumors and trips to Dubai. Zuckerberg remains silent. In response to the question “Do you need money?” Zuckerberg says “no.”
Social Networks Provide Richest Source of Opinions from Members Willing to Share, LinkedIn Study Reveals
Anderson Analytics Utilizes SPSS Predictive Analytics to Demonstrate Social Networks Offer Market Researchers Easy Access to Key Influencers, Decision-Makers
The vast and varied online social networks provide market researchers with an efficient and effective new medium to obtain opinions from today’s decision makers, most of whom are more than wiling to share their views. That’s what a study announced today by Anderson Analytics and SPSS Inc. found after surveying members on behalf of the highly popular professional networking site LinkedIn.
The study reveals that 86 percent of LinkedIn members who responded to the survey were not part of other online survey panels, and a majority of the respondents surveyed (66 percent) had decision-making power or influence over purchase decisions. These same members were also more active on LinkedIn and had the most “connections.” This shows that market researchers have the potential to efficiently reach the richest source of qualified opinions, and also reach the “influencers” of the group.
Using SPSS Predictive Analytics data and text mining software, Anderson Analytics was also able to identify four distinct categories of networkers from the 30 million users within LinkedIn. These segments – “Savvy Networkers,” “Senior Executives,” “Late Adopters,” and “Exploring Options” – illustrate how market researchers can identify disparate groups and then best communicate to these individuals, based on their participation levels on the networking site.
The popularity and increasing importance of Web 2.0 and Social Networking Services (SNS) have marketers scrambling to understand how to take advantage of this unlimited raw intelligence and get direct access to the subscribers.
SNS, like LinkedIn, are changing how firms understand – and respond – to customers’ needs, wants and behaviors. These sites represent a tremendous opportunity for marketers to communicate with hard-to-reach segments through targeted advertising. And, the connected nature of SNS also makes word-of-mouth marketing especially attractive.
Tom H. C. Anderson, managing partner at Anderson Analytics, said, “Our findings prove that SNS provide market researchers with a more focused population of respondents who are willing to participate in surveys and offer honest feedback on their preferences, motivations, and intentions. The use of SNS is also more economical, easier and an efficient way to reach millions of consumers who could never be found in focus groups or research panels.”
The use of SPSS Predictive Analytics data and text mining software enables market researchers to explore “unstructured” information within SNS to pull key concepts and extract sentiments, such as emotional responses, preferences and opinions, and draw more reliable conclusions of customers’ behaviors and attitudes by particular segments.
Olivier Jouve, vice president of corporate development at SPSS, said, “SPSS Predictive Analytics software gives market researchers the ability to easily capture feedback, analyze ‘Voice of the Customer’ data, segment different groupings of individuals, and then deploy those results to optimize marketing efforts that reduce customer churn, improve satisfaction, or increase revenues.”
The four categories of networkers were distinguished by analyzing behavioral and attitudinal data such as number of connections, logins, usage style, and networking interests. They are defined as:
* “Savvy Networkers” (9 million) are likely to have started using social networking earlier than others, are more tech savvy, and more likely to be active on other SNS sites like Facebook. Savvy Networkers have the most connections (61 on average) and are more likely to use LinkedIn for almost every purpose other than job searching. Savvy Networkers have the second highest personal income ($93,500) and usually have “Consultant” in their job description.
* “Senior Executives” (8.4 million) are somewhat less tech savvy and are using LinkedIn to connect to their existing corporate networks. They have power jobs which they are quite content with, and are likely to have been invited by a colleague, then realized how many key contacts were on the site and started building connections (32 on average). Senior Executives have the highest average personal income ($104,000) and have titles such as Owner, Partner, Executive or Associate.
* “Late Adopters” (6.6 million) are likely to have received numerous requests from friends and co-workers before deciding to join. They are somewhat less tech savvy and are careful in how they use LinkedIn, tending to connect only to close friends and colleagues and have the fewest number of connections (23 on average). Late Adopters have the lowest average personal income ($88,000) and have titles such as Teacher, Medical Professional, Lawyer, or the word “Account” or “Assistant” in their job description.
* “Exploring Options” (6.1 million) may be working, but are open and looking for other job options often on Careerbuilder.com, perhaps in part because they have the lowest personal income ($87,500). They are fairly tech savvy, and use SNS for both corporate and personal interests.
Study Methodology
The study was conducted by data and text mining 65,873 LinkedIn records (yielding overall statistics with an accuracy of +/-0.39 percent). Data visualization tools were used to understand how 1,000 U.S. and 1,000 international “seed” records were connected to their 51,873 first-level connections. Additionally, 793 LinkedIn members responded to a 10-minute survey (the survey sample provided statistics with a +/-3.48 percent confidence interval). The analysis was conducted by Anderson Analytics using SPSS Predictive Analytics data mining, text mining, and data collection survey software.
About Anderson Analytics
More than market research, Anderson Analytics is the first next generation marketing consultancy to combine new technologies, such as data and text mining, with traditional market research. Anderson Analytics helps clients gain The Information Advantage by combining the efficiencies and business experience found in large research firms with the rigorous methodological understanding from academia and the creativity found only in smaller firms. For more information, please visit http://www.andersonanalytics.com.
About SPSS Inc.
SPSS Inc. (Nasdaq: SPSS) is a leading global provider of Predictive Analytics software and solutions. The company’s Predictive Analytics technology improves business processes by giving organizations forward visibility for decisions made every day. By incorporating Predictive Analytics into their daily operations, organizations become Predictive Enterprises — able to direct and automate decisions to meet business goals and achieve a measurable competitive advantage. More than 250,000 public sector, academic and commercial customers rely on SPSS technology to help increase revenue, reduce costs and detect and prevent fraud. Founded in 1968, SPSS is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, please visit www.spss.com.
Fotoviewr Launched a New WordPress Plugin
Filed under: Blog Resources, Product Launches, Tech News
FotoViewr is making it even easier to embed 3D photo galleries into your blog with the FotoViewr WordPress plugin. You can now embed a FotoViewr gallery without having to mess around with any code. Enjoy the same familiar easy to use FotoViewr interface right in your WordPress admin page. Click here for more info.
Get new Flickr photos delivered to your Google Homepage daily with the FotoViewr Google Gadget. Click here for more info.
Doodle Brings Easy Event Scheduling to Facebook
Doodle, the Leading Online Scheduling Service, Releases a Facebook Application Which Allows the Facebook Community to Easily Schedule Events
Doodle announced today that it also provides its scheduling services to the Facebook community. The Doodle Facebook application allows users to easily find the best date and time for any kind of group event; examples include conference calls, family BBQs, business lunches, and team meetings.
Facebook users who have added the Doodle application can poll their friends for a date or time in a few simple steps. Invitations to participate in a poll can be sent via Facebook’s messaging system. And even people without a Facebook account can participate in the poll upon invitation by e-mail.
Doodle is confident that event scheduling will be a success within Facebook as well. “Doodle is a great extension to Facebook,” says Reto Laemmler, Vice President of End-User Products at Doodle. “While Facebook’s current features are good for managing events given a date, Doodle is the easiest, most efficient way to find the best date or time for a group event. And it is the first application to add this functionality to Facebook. We’re excited to find out how much the Facebook community will like the new Doodle application.”
About Doodle
Doodle is the leading online scheduling service (according to traffic comparison services like Alexa, Compete, and Google Trends) and is available in 25 languages. Doodle is provided by Zurich, Switzerland based Doodle AG that focuses on delivering a very simple and highly usable service which is free for end users. It requires no registration, no download, and no installation. Doodle AG’s main revenue streams are advertising and hosted, branded services for organizations.
Doodle was invented and first implemented in 2003 by Michael Naf, a Swiss computer scientist, to meet a personal need: finding a date and time to have dinner with several friends at once; a process in which e-mail messages and phone calls repeatedly failed. To also meet the needs of the fast growing user base, Michael decided to professionalize Doodle and founded Doodle AG in 2007 together with Paul E. Sevinc, a Swiss electrical engineer.
Reto Laemmler, Vice President of End-User Products and lead engineer of the Facebook integration, joined Doodle in early 2008. As the founder and former CEO of Xcellery, a Silicon Valley based company which he sold to Expresso Corp. in 2007, he is very experienced in building successful web-based applications and uses his background to drive the future development of Doodle.
Further Information
- Web Site: http://www.doodle.ch/
- Facebook App: http://apps.facebook.com/doodlepolls/
- Blog: http://doodle.ch/blog/english/
- Testimonials: http://www.doodle.ch/about/testimonials.html
The 7 Best Jobs for Facebook Addicts
Forget the warnings about staying offline during work. These jobs require you to log on
FbFund Developer Competition
Round 1 for the fbFund Developer Competition has begun! We are looking to fund talented developers and entrepreneurs with up to $250,000 non-recourse grants to build great applications on Facebook Platform.
In Round 1, the top 25 applicants will each earn $25,000 and have the opportunity to apply for Round 2, where the top 5 applications will each earn $250,000. We are seeking applications that best embody our guiding principles for social applications and have the potential to become Great Apps. In addition, applications should meet the fbFund criteria highlighted here:
- Originality of Concept: Does the application introduce a great idea in a new and unexplored area?
- Market: Is this application targeted to key audiences or meet compelling market needs?
- Social/Useful: Does the application enable people to interact with each other? Does it deliver real value to users (including entertainment)?
- Expressive: Does the application allow people to share more information?
- Intuitive: Is the application compelling and easy to use? Does it have a well-thought-out user experience?
- Potential: Can it be a real business someday?
- Team: Do you believe this team can execute and is driven to succeed?
Originality from Matthew Choi on Vimeo.
Applications are due August 29th, 2008.
Facebook To Announce Safety And Privacy Deal With 49 States
Techcrunch.com is reporting just now that The Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, is about to make an announcement at noon ET that he and the attorneys generals from 48 other states have negotiated a deal with Facebook to implement new safety and privacy rules, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. Facebook will be making its own announcement later on today. This comes on the heels of a comprehensive agreement the 49 states made with MySpace last January. (The lone holdout in both cases is Texas). As I noted back then:
Grouptivity Launches Social News On Facebook
Social News, like Grouptivity, is a combination feed reader/social bookmarking service. (Grouptivity raised a $2 million angel round in May, 2006. Ankesh Kumar, the CEO of Grouptivity, thinks he has a news app that taps into the viral hooks on Facebook. It is called Social News and it just launched.
Google’s PR Head Elliot Schrage Heads to Facebook
The Googlefication of Facebook continues, as Elliot Schrage, the search giant’s vice president of global communications and public affairs, takes the title of vice president of communications and public policy at the popular social networking site.
Time 100 Includes Ballmer, Jobs, Arrington, Zuckerberg
“You’re reading it here first … the tech-related members of the much-hyped Time 100 due to be announced on Time.com overnight and at newsstands Friday: Jay Adelson, Paul Allen, Michael Arrington, Steve Ballmer, Steve Jobs, Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy; Mark Zuckerberg.”
read more | digg story