the midden

"If you think finding black dolls for girls is hard, try finding black action figures or super..."

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:14:00 -0600

“If you think finding black dolls for girls is hard, try finding black action figures or super heroes.”

- (WSJ)

"Why do we think the interests of Salon and its audience translate into products? Because, in various..."

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:40:00 -0600

“Why do we think the interests of Salon and its audience translate into products? Because, in various ways, things matter to all of us. They make statements, they offer solutions, they express or create emotion.”

- Richard Gingras, Chief Executive of Salon Media

Just in time for Cyber Monday, eight retailers launch m-commerce sites (via Internet Retailer)

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:26:57 -0600

Just in time for Cyber Monday, eight retailers launch m-commerce sites (via Internet Retailer)

The Ten Commandments of Social Media

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:04:31 -0600

The Ten Commandments of Social Media

Google in Japan: "A foreigner who learned some Japanese" (NYT)

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:20:31 -0600

Google in Japan: "A foreigner who learned some Japanese" (NYT)

Study: Males vs. females in social networks via Royal Pingdom...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:35:50 -0600

Study: Males vs. females in social networks via Royal Pingdom & barking robot

"America’s first Twitter Christmas got under way in earnest on Friday."

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:50:30 -0600

“America’s first Twitter Christmas got under way in earnest on Friday.”

- Buying, Selling and Twittering All the Way - NYTimes.com

Europe Approves New Cookie Law - WSJ

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:53:10 -0600

Europe Approves New Cookie Law - WSJ

Brand tweets sends twitterers searching

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:15:01 -0600

Brand tweets sends twitterers searching

"Speaking for Google at the PubCon conference, Matt Cutts said page-load performance is already a..."

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:43:30 -0600

“Speaking for Google at the PubCon conference, Matt Cutts said page-load performance is already a factor in the search ad AdWords quality score and there is now a strong push to make it a factor in the organic ranking algorithm.”

- comScore Puts Page-Load Time Under Microscope - MarketingVOX

New Apps Disable Texting while Driving

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:40:04 -0600

New Apps Disable Texting while Driving

"Participants in the study looked at 52% of [web] ads that contained only text, 52% of ads that had..."

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:31:00 -0600

“Participants in the study looked at 52% of [web] ads that contained only text, 52% of ads that had images and text separately and 51% of sponsored links on search-engine pages. Ads that got a lot less attention included those that imposed text on top of images (people looked at just 35% of those) and ones that included animation (it might seem movement is attention-grabbing, but only 29% of these ads garnered a look).”

- Eyetracking: Why We Watch Some Web Ads and Not Others - TIME

Glyde

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:47:00 -0600

Glyde’s approach is to attract people using a slick, uncluttered Web site that cuts many steps out of the e-commerce process.

Using the site’s catalog of products, sellers indicate the item they want to offer and specify its condition. They do not have to upload a photo or type in a product description. The site suggests the market value; if the seller adjusts the price, they are told how many cheaper items are ahead of theirs in the queue.

Buyers, on the other hand, see only one listing for each product and never learn the identity of the seller. Unlike on eBay, there are no feedback scores, a measure of a seller’s reliability that many online shoppers have become accustomed to consulting.

Behind the scenes, Glyde determines which seller will fulfill a purchase by calculating the best price and the fastest delivery time, and by assessing the quality of each seller, including how responsive they have been in past transactions.

Glyde takes a 10 percent fee on each completed purchase, and charges $1.25 to the seller for the envelope.

Buyers pay by credit card, and Glyde keeps the money until the buyer receives the item and indicates satisfaction with it. “If a buyer’s money is not in the seller’s hands until the buyer is happy,” Mr. Rothman said, “it’s much harder to game the system.”

Glyde Aims to Simplify Online Sales of Used Media - NYTimes.com

Amazon PayPhrase Tries to Make Paying Online Easier

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:12:12 -0600

Amazon PayPhrase Tries to Make Paying Online Easier

Branded barcodes cheer Japanese shoppers - via The Telegraph...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:33:32 -0600

Branded barcodes cheer Japanese shoppers - via The Telegraph & @derekeb

"Households in Kenya are willing to spend up to 50% of their income for communication costs (mobile..."

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:02:33 -0600

“Households in Kenya are willing to spend up to 50% of their income for communication costs (mobile phones).”

- Steve Song quoted in: Fascinating trends of mobile web and implications for web 2.0 for development

“What Would Jakob Do?” badge comes with the World...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:36:24 -0600

“What Would Jakob Do?” badge comes with the World Usability Day Super Bundle from Optimal Workshop

"This is the first case that I’m aware of in which a Facebook update has been used as alibi evidence...."

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:04:08 -0600

“This is the first case that I’m aware of in which a Facebook update has been used as alibi evidence. We are going to see more of that because of how prevalent social networking has become.”

- Atty John Browning in His Facebook Status Now? ‘Charges Dropped’ in the NYT

Mobile Marketing Turns Some People On, Some People Off

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:57:00 -0600

Demographically, consumers who like mobile marketing tend to be young men. They are cell phone-centered and more likely to use social media. On the other hand, those who don’t like mobile marketing tend to be slightly older women who are not as centered around their cell phone or use social media.

(…)
Since June of 2008, the percentage of people who don’t like mobile marketing has increased. 66.8% don’t like text ads (v. 63.5 in ‘08), 60.2% don’t like voicemail ads (v. 56.8% in ‘08) and 59.6% don’t like video ads (v. 56.1% in ‘08). The percentage of people has also increased for those who say marketers need permission prior to sending an ad (58% v. 55.6% in ‘08) and those who think they are an invasion of privacy (52.1% v. 49.5% in ‘08).

“Marketers are excited about the potential of mobile marketing, but they need to beware,” said Gary Drenik. “Cell phones are perceived by consumers as a very personal form of media and unwanted messaging could be interpreted as an invasion of privacy. There is a risk in the mobile space of turning consumers off and have a negative impact on ROI.”

Big Research

GM, Kellogg, Nestle Beat to the Tweet as Squatters Take Over...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:47:26 -0600

GM, Kellogg, Nestle Beat to the Tweet as Squatters Take Over Twitter Names - Advertising Age - Digital