Archive for December, 2011
Friday, December 30th, 2011
 With high profile security breaches in the news throughout 2011, security firm Agiliance sees dramatic changes ahead for the security industry in 2012. It’s list of predictions for the coming year in security focus on mobile, cloud computing, legislation, and social media.
These predictions are based on the company’s engagement with Global 2000 companies, government agencies, fellow security vendors, industry analysts and security consultants, as well as market research it conducts on a regular basis.
Topping the list is Agiliance’s prediction that organizations will recognize that risk is security’s new compliance.
A risk-based approach and holistic view of the organization’s IT infrastructure will be driven by further consumerization of IT, challenges related to social media as an instrument in cyber warfare, stricter enforcement and new legislation focused on data protection, threat information sharing, and incident disclosure, as well as the emerging need to assess cloud service providers’ ability to enforce security policies and continuously maintain an adequate compliance posture.
“For many years, complying with government standards and industry regulations has been seen as a check box in the lengthy list of IT security tasks,” said Torsten George, vice president of worldwide marketing at Agiliance.
“In 2012, we will see progressive organizations applying a risk-based, continuous approach to security. By doing so, they will be able to make risk visible, measurable, and actionable.”
Specifically, Agiliance expects dramatic changes in the following areas:
Mobile Devices and Social Media
New products and services will emerge that deal with the necessary delineation of employer-owned versus employee-owned data on mobile devices.
These products will go beyond anti-virus and malware software to deal with embedded strong authentication, secure mobile operating systems scanners, mobile operating system vulnerability scanning, and data segregation / encryption. For social media threats, existing security tools’ capabilities will be extended to cover monitoring of social media networks to tackle the emergency of social media cyber warfare.
Cloud Computing Security
Agiliance predicts an acceleration of efforts to create standards around cloud security, primarily driven by the data consolidation efforts of the U.S. government as well as wide-ranging support of the Cloud Security Alliance. Independent, continuous monitoring of cloud service providers’ security controls will become a standard part of service level agreements.
Legislative Initiatives
Agiliance predicts that, in the second half of 2012, a government mandate will be passed that will lead to a pro-active Information Security Risk Management system and related best practices to tackle cyber security threats.
Similar to stricter enforcement policies of the HiTech Act by the HHS, regulations penalty cases will surge in 2012. Furthermore, privacy audit is becoming a major driver behind security tool investments as organizations are coming up short on audits relating to data breaches, disclosure notifications, data handling, attribution, and incident closure.
Anti-Cyber Crime Collaboration
Sharing of sensitive threat information will become essential to prevent widespread cyber attacks across different verticals and industries. Nowadays, cyber criminals are coordinating their efforts and are well-versed in sharing vulnerabilities and attack methodologies. They even have their own online communities where they exchange information.
This is unmatched by the commercial sector and government agencies. As a result, Agiliance predicts that the increase in cyber security attacks and data breaches will lead to the introduction of a formal information sharing database that will be made accessible to a broader group.
Risk is Security’s New Compliance
With more than 365 security incidents reported this year to date, affecting over 126 million records, cyber security attacks have become a mainstream event in the industry.
Based on these changes, Agiliance predicts further increase in demand for software tools that are able to aggregate data from existing security tools and information management applications to make risk visible, measurable, and actionable.
These tools will not only provide advanced reporting capabilities, but interconnectivity to ensure that remediation actions can be triggered and followed through easily. To better describe the capabilities of these tools, analysts will create a new software category called Security Risk Management.
For the in-depth predictions, data, and accompanying graphics, please see Agiliance’s 2012 IT Security Predictions:http://www.agiliance.com/forms/WhitePaperReg.html?doc=Security_Predictions.
Tags: Agiliance 2012 security industry predictions, anti-crime collaboration, cloud computing secuirty, cyber security legislation, mobile security, risk management, social media
Posted in Cloud, Internet/New Media, IT, Mobile, Security, smartphones, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
 Shopatron, which sells an eCommerce solution for branded manufacturers, has released its predictions for the web’s impact on retail shopping in 2012, and they all point to one thing—the web and mobile are fundamentally changing the way people shop.
The projections also foretell an era of “no boundaries” shopping, fueled by growth in mobile and social networking, as well as the omnipresence of the web in general.
A key prediction in Shopatron’s report relates to mobile shopping.
From January to December 2011, the percentage of visits to Shopatron brand partner stores from mobile devices grew from 6.5% to 12.2%. Greg Squires, Online Marketing Manager for Shopatron, predicts that number will grow to 18-20% by the end of 2012.
“We have seen rapid growth in mobile this year, with visits to our mobile optimized client stores approaching double what we saw at the beginning of the year,” says Squires. “And we expect that number to nearly double again in 2012. With this level of traffic, we recommend that brands pay special attention to their mobile presence and mobile marketing tactics in the coming year.”
Shopatron also predicts social networking will have a stronger influence on retail purchasing behavior in 2012. Mr. Squires specifically predicts significant growth in the use of Facebook advertising.
Currently, about 50% of Shopatron clients using the company’s online marketing services are investing in Facebook ads or Facebook shops. He expects that number to reach 70-75% by the end of next year.
“There’s an undeniable shift happening,” notes Shopatron SVP of Marketing, Mark Grondin. “Consumers are being conditioned to expect that they can shop anywhere, anytime and any way they like. Not just in stores, but also on their computers, their phones, their tablets, their TVs and soon on their refrigerators. Brands and retailers that don’t accommodate them are going to lose sales and loyalty.”
To receive Shopatron’s predictions for retail eCommerce in 2012, you can download the whitepaper 10 Ways “Online” Will Change Life for Brands and Retailers in 2012 or listen to an online presentation of the report on-demand on the Shopatron website.
Tags: Facebook marketing, Shopatron predictions for web shopping, web and mobile shopping
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
 Smartphones are becoming the go-to device for many consumers who want to take photos and videos on the fly – and that’s slicing into the sale of some low-end cameras and camcorders.
According to leading market research company The NPD Group’s new Imaging Confluence Study (who names these things?), the share of U.S. consumers taking photos and videos on their smartphones has grown, while the camera and traditional camcorders share has declined.
The percent of photos taken with a smartphone (Apple iPhone or any other smartphone) went from 17 last year to 27 this year while the share of photos taken on any camera dropped from 52 percent to 44 percent.
“There is no doubt that the smartphone is becoming ‘good enough’ much of the time; but thanks to mobile phones, more pictures are being taken than ever before,” said Liz Cutting, executive director and senior imaging analyst at NPD.
Camcorders, low-end point and shoot cams hit by switch
“Consumers who use their mobile phones to take pictures and video were more likely to do so instead of their camera when capturing spontaneous moments, but for important events, single purpose cameras or camcorders are still largely the device of choice.”
Camcorders and lower-end point-and-shoot cameras appear to have taken the brunt of the movement to smartphones. According to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service, the point-and-shoot camera market was down 17 percent in units and 18 percent in dollars for the first 11 months of 2011.
Pocket camcorders were down 13 percent in units and 27 percent in dollars and traditional flash camcorders declined 8 percent in units and 10 percent in dollars.
There were, however, positive growth segments of the market.
Detachable lens cameras increased by 12 percent in units and 11 percent in dollars over the same time period, with an average price of $863; and point-and-shoot cameras with optical zooms of 10x or greater grew by 16 percent in units and 10 percent in dollars, with an average price of $247.
Tags: camcorders, Imagaging confluence study, NPD Group, point and shoot cameras, smartphones
Posted in Hardware, Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports, video | Comments Off
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
 The Internet is a crowded place.
Nearly five million domain names were added to the Internet in the third quarter of 2011, bringing the total number of registered domain names to nearly 220 million worldwide across all domains, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief, published by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world.
The increase of 4.9 million domain names equates to a growth rate of 2.3 percent over the second quarter of 2011, and marks the third straight quarter with greater than 2 percent growth.
The Internet saw the addition of 4.5 million domain names in the first quarter (a 2.2 percent increase) and 5.2 million domain names in the second quarter (a 2.5 percent increase).
The .com and .net Top Level Domains (TLDs) experienced aggregate growth in the third quarter, reaching a combined total of 112 million names. New .com and .net registrations totaled 7.9 million during the quarter. This is a 5.9 percent increase year-over-year in new registrations.
Domain Brief Highlights New Use Categories for gTLDs
The latest issue of the Domain Name Industry Brief focuses on some of the new use categories that are likely to emerge out of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) plan to introduce new generic TLDs (gTLDs).
The article examines how the new gTLD process could herald the emergence of a wide range of new uses for gTLDs that could change how Internet users interact with the global addressing system.
These new use categories include gTLDs that represent specific brands, hobbies, geographic locations, cultural communities, internationalized domain names, industry sectors and specific Internet-enabled services.
Verisign publishes the Domain Name Industry Brief to provide Internet users throughout the world with significant statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry and the Internet as a whole.
Copies of the 2011 third quarter Domain Name Industry Brief, as well as previous reports, can be obtained at:http://www.verisigninc.com/DNIB.
Posted in Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 The TechJournal begins its annual holiday vacation next week. We’ll be off until Tuesday, January 3.
While we may post a few items during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, eWire will suspend publication until Jan. 3.
Until then, TechMedia and the TechJournal staffs wish you a safe, happy holiday season.
Thanks for reading us, and we hope to bring you an even better publication in 2012.
See you then.
Tags: Techjournal holiday vacation 2011
Posted in Internet/New Media | Comments Off
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 Texting while driving in Utah could be costly. So how do you feel about the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation for a national ban on talking or texting on a cell phone while driving? We know many tech execs, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs who are so attached to their smartphones – even while driving – they approach cyborg status.
But we have also seen way too many drivers weaving, traveling inappropriate speeds, cutting across lanes and running off the berm while trying to talk on a phone and drive. One study said that in terms of causing accidents, using a phone while driving ranked right up there with driving drunk.
Regardless of how you feel about the call for a national ban on cell phone use while driving, many states already have tough restrictions in place.
If you have an accident while texting and driving in Utah, for instance, it will cost you $10,000. Utah comes out on top ofInsuranceQuotes.com‘s list of the 10 toughest states for texting while driving.
InsuranceQuotes.com reviewed laws of the 35 states (along with the District of Columbia) that ban text messaging for all drivers. The review took into account fines and penalties for texting-while-driving offenders.
In Utah, the fine for texting while driving soars as high as $750, the second highest fine in the country. But it’s the rest of the state’s anti-texting law that earns Utah the distinction as the toughest state for texting.
If you get into an accident while texting and driving in Utah, you face serious jail time (up to 15 years) and up to a $10,000 fine. If there’s a fatality, you could be charged with a third-degree felony and face even more jail time and fines.
Here are the nine other states that make the InsuranceQuotes.com list of the toughest states for texting-while-driving offenders:
2. Illinois.
3. Wisconsin.
4. California.
5. New York.
6. Connecticut.
7. North Dakota.
8. Georgia.
9. Michigan.
10. Oregon.
To learn more about the 10 toughest states for texting while driving, see: www.insurancequotes.com/toughest_states-texting_while_driving.
Tags: California, Coinnecticut, Georgia, Illinoois, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, state texting while driving laws, Ten states toughest on texting while driving, Utah, Wisconsin
Posted in Hardware, Internet/New Media, Legal, Mobile, smartphones, Studies, surveys, reports, TechLife, Telecommunications | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 Flat screen TVs use less power than older cathode ray models. A new study, “Energy Consumption of CE in U.S. Homes in 2010,” shows that despite their popularity in American homes, consumer electronics (CE) account for a relatively small share – roughly 13 percent – of the average U.S. home’s electricity consumption, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
There are nearly 2.9 billion CE devices in U.S. households and an average of 25 devices per household, including battery-operated CE devices.
Home use of CE devices equaled 13.2 percent of overall residential electricity consumption and 9.3 percent of residential primary energy consumption. Within that 13.2 percent, televisions accounted for 34 percent, PCs 16 percent, and set-top boxes 13 percent.
For instance, the study estimated the installed base of televisions rose to 353 million in 2010 from 342 million in 2009, though unit energy consumption declined slightly (details on page 101 of the report) because of the shift from legacy cathode ray tube TVs to more efficient flat-panel TVs.
The energy efficiency gains of this trend were detailed in a separate study earlier this year, “Power Consumption Trends in Digital TVs.”
“This landmark study provides a recent and comprehensive assessment of CE energy consumption, which is helpful to policy makers and others interested in efficiency trends,” said Douglas Johnson, CEA vice president of technology policy. “Energy efficiency improvements in consumer electronics are driven by innovation, competition and market-oriented programs such as ENERGY STAR.”
The study was commissioned by CEA and conducted by the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems to quantify the electricity consumption of CE products in U.S. households in 2010.
Devices covered in depth in the study include: audio-visual equipment, audio video receivers, Blu-ray players, DVD players, televisions, video game consoles, set-top boxes (cable, satellite, telco and stand-alone), computers and peripherals, PCs, computer speakers, monitors, networking equipment and printers.
“Given the quick pace of change in our industry, it is important to have a comprehensive assessment from time to time,” Johnson added. “Too often we have seen unnecessary government mandates advanced on the basis of poor data and analysis. We hope this latest study is a welcome contribution to current and future policy and program discussions.”
The Fraunhofer report follows a study released by the Brattle Group last month that estimates U.S. energy consumption will drop five to 15 percent by 2020.
According to the authors, economists Ahmad Faruqui and Doug Mitarotonda, the drop will occur due to an increase in ENERGY STAR appliances, less usage of incandescent light bulbs, incentives that encourage users not to consume as much energy during peak hours, and other programs that raise awareness of people’s energy consumption.
Tags: CEA, energy consumption by consumer electronics
Posted in Energy, Hardware, Studies, surveys, reports | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 One thing marketers always have to take into account is where their consumers are and more of them moved to the sunbelt last year than to any other states.
Texas gained more people than any other state between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011 (529,000), followed by California(438,000), Florida (256,000), Georgia (128,000) and North Carolina (121,000), according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates for states and Puerto Rico.
Combined, these five states accounted for slightly more than half the nation’s total population growth.
“These are the first set of Census Bureau population estimates to be published since the official 2010 Census state population counts were released a year ago,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves.
“Our nation is constantly changing and these estimates provide us with our first measure of how much each state has grown or declined in total population since Census Day 2010.”
The United States as a whole saw its population increase by 2.8 million over the 15-month period, to 311.6 million. Its growth of 0.92 percent between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, was the lowest since the mid-1940s.
“The nation’s overall growth rate is now at its lowest point since before the baby boom,” Groves said.
California remained the most populous state, with a July 1, 2011, population of 37.7 million. Rounding out the top five states were Texas (25.7 million), New York (19.5 million), Florida (19.1 million) and Illinois (12.9 million).
DC led growth
Among states and equivalents, the District of Columbia experienced the fastest growth between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, as its population climbed 2.7 percent. This marks the first time it led states and equivalents in growth since the early 1940s. D.C. ranked 35th in percent growth between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
Following D.C. in terms of percent increase between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, were Texas (2.1 percent), Utah (1.9 percent), Alaska (1.8 percent), Colorado (1.7 percent) and North Dakota (1.7 percent). North Dakota was 37th in percent growth between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
The only three states to lose population between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, were Rhode Island (1,300 or -0.12 percent),Michigan (7,400 or -0.08 percent) and Maine (200 or -0.01 percent).
Nevada, the nation’s fastest-growing state between 2000 and 2010, ranked only 27th in population growth between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, increasing by 0.8 percent.
During 2012, the Census Bureau will release 2011 estimates of the total population of counties and incorporated places, as well as national, state and county population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.
The Census Bureau develops state population estimates by measuring population change since the most recent census. These are the first set of population estimates to be based on the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau uses births, deaths, administrative records and survey data to develop estimates of population. For more detail regarding the methodology see
Tags: California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, states that gained the most population 2010-2011, Texas, U.S. Census
Posted in Government/Defense, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 Amazon hopes that people unwrapping their Kindle Fires as well as tablets, MP3 Players, mobile phones, and computers this Christmas will head to its new “Best of Digital Store,” to find books, movies, music and Android apps for their devices.
Among their top recommendations: “The Social Nework” in movies, “Angry Birds” in apps, and Issacson’s biography of Steve Jobs in books.
We have already downloaded the Angry Birds, Pandora, Atari’s Greatest Hits, MapQuest and the Words with Friends apps for our own Kindle Fire, as well as the Night of the Living Dead zombie game. The Fire does indeed work better since the 6.2.1 software update delivered the week before Christmas.
Historically, Christmas day is the largest day of digital sales on Amazon.com, followed by December 26. Last year, from Christmas Eve through December 30, Amazon customers purchased over three times more digital content, including Kindle books, magazines, movies, TV shows, music, and digital games as compared to the weekly average for the year.
“People everywhere will unwrap mobile devices over the holidays—Kindles, MP3 players, smart phones and tablets—and as soon as they’re out of the box, it’s only natural to want to load them up with great digital entertainment,” said Craig Pape, director of Music at Amazon.com.
“Not surprisingly, we see the largest jump in digital product sales on Christmas and during the week following the holiday. With the introduction of Kindle Fire this season, millions more customers will be shopping for new digital content. This year, we’re making it easier and more convenient than ever to get all the content they want – along with some hot deals on digital – all in one place.“
 Cover of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography. Here is a preview of the recommended must-haves in the Best of Digital Store. More can be found at http://www.amazon.com/bestdigital
| Top ten recommended Kindle books: |
| 1. “Steve Jobs” by Walter Issacson |
| 2. “11/22/63” by Stephen King |
| 3. “The Art of Fielding” by Chad Harbach |
| 4. “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” by Laini Taylor |
| 5. “The Circus Ship” by Chris Van Dusen |
| 6. “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle |
| 7. “A History of the World in 100 Objects” by Neil MacGregor |
| 8. “The Litigators” by John Grisham |
| 9. “Then Again” by Diane Keaton |
| 10. “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons |
|
| Top ten recommended magazines: |
| 1. Us Weekly |
| 2. Cosmopolitan |
| 3. Vanity Fair |
| 4. National Geographic |
| 5. O, the Oprah Magazine |
| 6. WIRED |
| 7. Glamour |
| 8. Better Homes & Gardens |
| 9. Reader’s Digest |
| 10. Men’s Health |
|
| Top ten recommended movies: |
| 1. The Social Network |
| 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 |
| 3. Bridesmaids |
| 4. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest |
| 5. X-Men: First Class |
| 6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas |
| 7. Crazy Stupid Love |
| 8. You’ve Got Mail |
| 9. Cars 2 |
| 10. The Fighter |
|
| Top ten recommended TV shows: |
| 1. Walking Dead |
| 2. Arrested Development |
| 3. Lost |
| 4. Breaking Bad |
| 5. Sons of Anarchy |
| 6. The X Files |
| 7. Sesame Street |
| 8. Glee |
| 9. Parks and Rec |
| 10. Friday Night Dinner |
|
| Top ten recommended albums: |
| 1. Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials |
| 2. Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More |
| 3. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon: Experience Version |
| 4. Adele, 21 |
| 5. Bon Iver, Bon Iver |
| 6. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto |
| 7. Foster the People, Torches |
| 8. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues |
| 9. Wilco, The Whole Love |
| 10. The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow |
|
| Top ten recommended Android apps: |
| 1. ESPN Score Center |
| 2. LinkedIn |
| 3. Quickoffice Pro |
| 4. The Weather Channel for Android |
| 5. EasyTether |
| 6. Exchange by Touchdown |
| 7. Pandora |
| 8. Urbanspoon |
| 9. MapQuest |
| 10. Zillow Real Estate |
|
| Top ten recommended Android games: |
| 1. Angry Birds |
| 2. Words with Friends |
| 3. Bejeweled 2 |
| 4. Atari’s Greatest Hits (Missile Command Free) |
| 5. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline |
| 6. Plants vs. Zombies |
| 7. Top Girl |
| 8. Fruit Ninja |
| 9. Cut the Rope |
| 10. Little Piano |
|
| Top ten recommended digital video games: |
| 1. Battlefield 3 |
| 2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 |
| 3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution |
| 4. Dead Island |
| 5. Saints Row: The Third |
| 6. Dungeon Defenders |
| 7. Magicka |
| 8. Disney Universe |
| 9. Sonic Generations |
| 10. The Sims 3 |
|
| Top ten recommendations for digital software: |
| 1. Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010 |
| 2. Office Mac Home and Student 2011 (Family Pack) |
| 3. TurboTax Deluxe Federal + E-file + State 2011 |
| 4. Norton 360 Version 5.0 |
| 5. Microsoft Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade (Home Premium to Professional) |
| 6. Quicken Deluxe 2012 |
| 7. Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for Windows |
| 8. Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set for Mac |
| 9. PaintShop Pro X4 |
| 10. Anime Studio Debut 8 |
|
Tags: "Lost, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, Amazon Best of Digital store, Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, Atari's Greatest Hits, Bejeweled 2, Breaking Bad, Bridesmaids, Florence+the Machine, Glee, Harry Potter, Mumford& Sons, Sign No More, Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson, The Social Network, Walking Dead, Words With Friends
Posted in Amazon, Angry Birds, games, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Mobile, mobile games, smartphones, social media, TechLife, Telecommunications, video | Comments Off
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 Legal firms show a high degree of reliance on broadly defined social media marketing programs, with 81% of survey participants reporting they already use social media marketing tools and another 10.1% saying they plan to deploy social media marketing elements within six months, according to a sruvey by Vizibility Inc. and LexisNexis.
Furthermore, reliance on social media tools and how they’re measured differ significantly by firm size. Larger firms in particular need to get smarter in how they use social media to attract new business the survey suggests.
See infographic below for a visual display of the findings.
The survey found that a clear majority of participants consider social media an important part of their overall marketing strategy, with nearly half (48.5%) reporting that social media is “somewhat important” while another 31% believe the tools are “extremely important” to their total marketing efforts. A minority, 5% of responding firms, report not using social media.
“You have to measure the results from social media to justify it. Our new data reveals a split between small and large firms in social media marketing objectives,” noted Lawyers.com(SM) Editor in Chief and LawMarketing Blog author Larry Bodine.
“For example, among small firms, almost 71% of participants in practices with five or fewer attorneys said that they rely on social media marketing to generate new business. In contrast, among respondents from big firms with 100 or more attorneys, only 37% measure social media success this way. Large firms better get smart about social media if they expect it to produce new work.”
Social media use by lawyers may be overstated
Actual social media use among lawyers, however, could be overstated. This survey, as well the 2011 American Bar Association (ABA) Technology Survey Report, both recorded that 63.5% and 62% (respectively) of individual attorneys say they have LinkedIn profiles.
A search on LinkedIn, however, reveals only 393,338 U.S. profiles with the keywords “attorney,” “counsel” or “lawyer” in the current job title. This is less than one-third of all U.S. attorneys and half the rate of usage as reported by the participants of these two surveys when extrapolated across the 1.2 million attorneys in the United States.
“Of the respondents to our survey who reported that their attorneys had LinkedIn profiles, less than 20% said they were completely up-to-date,” said Vizibility founder and Chief Executive Officer James Alexander (http://vizibility.com/james).
“In the face of a recent BTI Consulting Group survey, which found that one in two legal decision makers are less likely to hire an attorney if their credentials could not be verified online, this discrepancy exposes an immediate action item for lawyers and legal marketers.”
In addition to ensuring that professional profiles are up-to-date across online legal directories and profile sites, the new research also reveals basic search engine optimization best practices for social media are not being followed.
For instance, inthe United States only 4% of legal titles on LinkedIn profiles contain the word “Lawyer,” as compared to 23% with the word “Counsel” and 73% with “Attorney.”
Yet, of the average monthly Google searches for these three keywords, 38.8% contain the word “lawyer,” 3.5% contain “counsel” and 57.7% contain “attorney.” To ensure placement in search results, marketers need to ensure that professional profiles contain the keywords being used by the buyers of their services.
This infographic visualizes the survey results (Infographic courtesy of Vizibility Inc.)
Click for a larger version
Tags: infographic, legal services use of social media, Vizibility Inc.
Posted in infographic, Internet/New Media, IT, Legal, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
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