January 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Web 2.0 to earn enterprise cred in 2008
The majority of IT departments that currently view Web 2.0 technologies as trivial, consumer-grade frivolities will eat their words by year's end and instead lead the charge to implement RSS, mashup, and social networking technologies, according to a recent report from Forrester.
Despite only 24 percent of companies citing Web 2.0 technology as a purchasing priority for 2008, Forrester remains convinced that the people-centric value add these technologies offer will soon make believers of 42 percent who have not yet earmarked a dime for blogs, wikis, RSS, mashups, and social networking in the coming year.
Why the anticipated change of heart? End-user desire for said tools will overwhelm CIOs into admitting that IT is already tapping the fledgling paradigm internally for managing and tracking IT projects. Moreover, "enterprise Web 2.0 tools will be a high-impact, low-cost method to show leadership and innovation," according to the report.
In other words, catch the wave before someone else benefits from championing a Web 2.0-influenced move.
Top on the docket, according to the survey, will be enterprise RSS technologies for keeping workers on top of the flow of information at their companies.
At the bottom of the list of currently slated enterprise Web 2.0 projects is buzz-worthy social networking, with 20 percent of companies testing the waters or having a look. But the drumbeat for internal social networking solutions is loud, Forrester contends, and by year's end, such profile-based networking tools "will eat up much of the limelight" of Web 2.0's gala entrance into the enterprise.
Other assertions in the report that could hold up to scrutiny include the potential for enterprise mashups to eat into the portal, search, and EAI (enterprise application integration) markets. Empowering end-users to discover knowledge assets through a mashup framework is certainly a compelling proposition, but as Forrester does admit, the chief obstacle -- other than IT buy-in -- to such technologies is cultural, as process re-engineering, change management, and training loom large as impediments to such paradigm shifts.
Posted by Jason Snyder on January 28, 2008 11:12 AM
March 03, 2007 | Comments: (0)
NYT: Cisco will buy social network Tribe.net
The New York Times is reporting that networking giant Cisco Systems will announce that it is purchasing social networking site Tribe.Net next week.
The paper, citing anonymous sources, said that Cisco is purchasing the "underlying technology" assets of Tribe, an early mover in the social networking scene, but will not take over management of the Tribe.net social network.
Cisco will combine Tribe's technology with software it acquired in February with Five Across to help its customers -- such as TV networks and cable TV companies, create online environments for their employees and for their customers.
It's not clear, from the Times article, when Cisco will announce the acquisition, but it's likely that it will be part of SVP Charlie Giancarlo's speech at next week's VoiceCon Conference, where he will "discuss how companies use technology to enhance meaningful collaboration and gain a competitive advantage," and "provide insight into the evolving communications experience within the workplace and will highlight next-generation technologies that are enabling new capabilities and categories of communications and collaboration," according to the Cisco Web site.
That all sounds well and good, but there's skepticism already that Cisco has what it takes to play in the trendy social networking space. The times quotes Internet legend Marc Andreessen, now of Ning saying "The idea that Cisco is going to be a force in social netwokring is about as plausible as Ning bein ga force in optical switches."
Posted by Paul Roberts on March 3, 2007 06:28 AM
December 28, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Second Life buzz plagued by fuzzy numbers
Those of us here in Massachusetts know that numbers count. After all, we're residents of one of just a handful of states in the country that is shedding population. And, as we all know, fewer people means less clout -- politically and otherwise.
The same thing is true, more or less, in virtual worlds like World of Warcraft and Second Life. Having a critical mass of users draws in other users, who draw the attention of advertisers, sponsors and partners -- a kind of virtuous cycle.
That's why recent posts at blogs like ValleyWag that question game maker Linden Labs' census of their Second Life virtual community touch a nerve. The game, which has been around since the late 1990s, has been riding a wave of publicity and favorable press coverage this year, as established firms like IBM, Intel and Sun Microsystems, media players like The Sundance Channel, not to mention press outfits like Reuters and CNET have set up outposts in Second Life. Reporters were drawn by the buzz, and by stories of Second Life users setting up shop and supporting their First Life selves through Second Life commerce -- admittedly, a cool development. For corporations, however, the lure was clearly Linden's claims that a population of 2 million tech-savvy users (the figure is one million in company press releases) awaited them and their products in Second Life's sprawling geography.
Those claims, and Linden's habit of snaring gushing and often uncritical write-ups from the technology press got under the skin of the folks over at ValleyWag, where contributors like Clay Shirky, in the truest tradition of muck raking journalists, developed an "incohate irritation" with Second Life and began poking around a bit behind the the pr blitz. In recent weeks, Shirky has been questioning, loudly, Second Life's claims to have two million or even one million unique participants, and the media's tendency to simply parrot those numbers without demanding proof from Linden that they're for real.
To quote Shirky: "There isn't one million of anything human inhabiting Second Life. There is no one-to-one correlation between Residents and users. And whatever Residents does measure, it has nothing to do with paying customers. The number of paid accounts is in the tens of thousands, not the millions (and remember, if you're playing along at home, there can be more than one account per person. Kits, cats, sacks, and wives...)"
No doubt, Second Life has plenty of enthusiastic participants. But for companies like IBM that are sinking thousands (tens of thousands? millions?) of their own money into creating virtual islands in Second Life, there's a big difference between a person who's paying a monthly subscription and logging on regularly to their account, and someone (like me, for instance) who downloaded Second Life's software a year ago to take a spin in the virtual environment, but never signed up or paid a return visit. It's not clear how many me's figure into that one or two million users figure -- or whether any of us do. It's also unclear, as Shirky points out, whether Linden is counting registered users or just their avatars in their census data. As more advertising and marketing dollars pour into Second Life, companies should (and probably will) be asking Linden for ham, not spam, when it comes to the real number of users active in Second Life.
And, as ValleyWag noted yesterday, at least one marketing executive at IBM, David Berger, may have heard Shirky and others. In a blog post, Berger says the company, which claims 1,000 employee users of Second Life and 12 virtual islands, may start asking "tough questions" and "exert(ing) leadership" amid the hype over virtual worlds.
Posted by Paul Roberts on December 28, 2006 10:43 AM
December 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Jaxtr has begun a private beta of its click-to-call VoIP system for social networking (SN) sites, and nabbed high-profile LinkedIn co-founder Konstantin Guericke as CEO to give the start-up a boost.
Founded by entrepreneurs Phillip Mobin and Touraj Parang, Jaxtr bypasses all the headsets and hybrid phones by linking up tradition phones via VoIP and a call-back system.
In other words, users register their phone numbers with Jaxtr and when someone clicks to call, they enter their phone number. The click activates the system which phones the clicker on their elected number and connects them to the Jaxtr user.
Tech Watch made its first Jaxtr call to Parang, and it worked flawlessly, but in private beta fashion, our test of the service has not functioned properly.
Guericke said the key control panel, which allows users to switch between routing Jaxtr calls to voice mail or as live calls, was not quite ready for release, but would be soon.
Jaxtr users embed some code in their blogs or social network profiles, and voila. The code is tested with MySpace, Tagged, Friendster, Hi5, Xanga and Google's Blogger. But Guericke said it should work with any service that allows embedding of code in a page.
Jaxtr provides local phone numbers that allow callers to take advantage of the cost benefit of VoIP, eliminating international long distance charges. Twenty-nine national markets in Europe, the Americas and Asia are served. Initial countries range from United States to most of Western Europe to Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Australia.
Guericke told InfoWorld a certain set of minutes would remain free for the time being, but he said their were many ways to monetize the service, such as via people who would be willing to pay additional per month for a set number of minutes; and via businesses, which could use it for easier access for customers/clients. Think lawyers and real estate agents, he said.
He said SN was "all about connecting" but said the problem Jaxtr was addressing was that "you're not always at you computer."
There are obviously many ways it could be used, and I've already begun thinking how InfoWorld readers could leave voice comments about stories by clicking if Jaxtr was tied in to one of the audio-blogging systems.
The other standout thing with Jaxtr is that it is immediately -- well, not for me quiet yet with initial trial -- able to deliver VoIP to the masses by tying in to the one technology anyone wanting to be in touch already has -- a phone.
Interested in checking it out? Apply for private beta testing at Jaxtr.com, and a public beta is expected in one to three months, Guericke said.
Can you say Google Phone anyone? Smart venture, guys. How long will it be before Google will make Jaxtr the next YouTube? Jaxtr will just need to prove it is as easy as pie, amass users and Google can't live without it. VoIP made simple, with SN buzz? It will be a bidding war between Google, who could blend it into its properties Blogger and orkut quickly, and its Google Talk system, and Yahoo.
Watch this space.
Posted by Mike Barton on December 18, 2006 04:35 PM
December 06, 2006 | Comments: (0)
No, this is no neo-con, or Hawk, hangout for dropouts from the Bush administration, as the name might suggest. This site has always been pure geek, mainly for swapping code. But now it too has become a real social network -- for social software and social shopping?
D'oh. So much for the idea that social networking is changing the world; well maybe with social software dev, but we can't forget the power of change one gadget at a time.
Enough slagging off Hawkee.com, gathered from my read of the TechCrunch post, which notes:
Scott Aikin, the founder of Hawkee, said he tried to make sure that he had all of the "basic social networking" features. So you can create a profile with a picture, leave comments for your friends, send private messages, etc. But you can also read your friend's recommendations, snippets, and scripts, almost like their own personal blog. [Highlight] You can also search the electronics that they have tagged in their wishlists when it comes to gift giving time.
I guess we all have to pay the bills, which highlights the concerns over a social networking (SN) bubble. How will these networks be monetized if no gadget shopping links? Is this the silver bullet to save SN?
Talk back to us, below.
Posted by Mike Barton on December 6, 2006 09:12 AM
October 06, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Social networking's not just for kids
Google's move to pick up YouTube for a whopping $1.6 billion is a clear move toward achieving its social networking ambitions. Yahoo, in its purchase of Jumpcut and its rumored vie for Facebook, clearly has similar aspirations.
If you have any doubts as to the monetary potential of the red-hot social networking market, consider a recent study by comScore Media Metrix revealing that a growing number of 35 to 54 year olds are using sites like MySpace, once thought to be a haven for youngsters. (Reston, Va.-based comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, provides Internet audience measurement services.)
What that means is, people with more spending power than teens and 20-somethings are flocking to these kinds of sites, and that spells big opportunities for generating tons of advertising dollars.
According to the study, 38.5% of combined users on MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and Xanga are between the ages of 35 and 54. MySpace, which has 55,778 users, boasts the highest percentage of that age group at 40.6%. Next is Xanga; 35.6% of its 8,066 users are in that 35 to 54 year-old age range. 34.5% of the mere 1,043 users on Friendster are 35 to 54. Finally, Facebook can boast that 33.5% of its 14,782 users are 35 to 54 years of age.
Here's how the numbers break down, as provided by comScore Media Metrix:
|
Demographic Profile of Visitors to Select Social Networking Sites Percent Composition of Total Unique Visitors August 2006 Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix |
|||||
|
|
Percent (%) Composition of Unique Visitors |
||||
|
Total Internet |
MySpace.com |
Facebook.com |
Friendster.com |
Xanga.com |
|
|
Unique Visitors (000) |
173,407 |
55,778 |
14,782 |
1,043 |
8,066 |
|
Total Audience |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Persons: 12-17 |
9.6 |
11.9 |
14.0 |
10.6 |
20.3 |
|
Persons: 18-24 |
11.3 |
18.1 |
34.0 |
15.6 |
15.5 |
|
Persons: 25-34 |
14.5 |
16.7 |
8.6 |
28.2 |
11.0 |
|
Persons: 35-54 |
38.5 |
40.6 |
33.5 |
34.5 |
35.6 |
|
Persons: 55+ |
18.0 |
11.0 |
7.6 |
8.1 |
7.3 |
Looking at the study broadly, Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix had this to say in a written statement:
"While the top social networking sites are typically viewed as directly competing with one another, our analysis demonstrates that each site occupies a slightly different niche. MySpace.com has the broadest appeal across age ranges, Facebook.com has created a niche among the college crowd, Friendster.com attracts a higher percentage of adults, and Xanga.com is most popular among younger teens. There is a misconception that social networking is the exclusive domain of teenagers, but this analysis confirms that the appeal of social networking sites is far broader."
Posted by Ted Samson on October 6, 2006 12:04 PM
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