Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
Thursday, February 16th, 2012
 Business bloggers would like CEOs to acknowledge the mistakes and excesses of corporate America to show that they are in-touch with reality, even if the CEO’s company has shown no bad behavior, according to a survey by the 10 company and Gotham Research Group, of prominent bloggers who cover corporate and business news.
“The bloggers we surveyed expressed a desire for CEOs—particularly those in the financial sector—to explicitly acknowledge the corporate excesses of the last several years, even if their companies were blameless,” says Dr. Jeff Levine, founder of Gotham Research Group.
“There’s something more authentic and relatable about a leader who can admit that mistakes were made.”
This recognition shows CEOs are more aware of what average employees and consumers are thinking, according to the bloggers interviewed. Emotional intelligence is now seen as a crucial job requirement for any executive.
Almost any CEO statement regarding a shortage of financial resources for their company initiatives or lack of raises and better benefits for their employees is viewed with skepticism, especially if there is a perception that CEOs are inordinately well-compensated or receive large bonuses. One blogger commented, “I hate it when they cry poor, and I know they just got a big bonus.”
Authenticity is a critical factor in CEO assessment
Perceptions of a leader’s authenticity play a critical role in the overall assessment of a CEO’s ability and performance, according to the bloggers surveyed. CEOs perceived as “inauthentic” by bloggers were not only considered to be less likeable than authentic CEOs, but also thought to be less capable and less effective leaders.
Bloggers expressed a universal sentiment that CEOs who display any of the following traits are inauthentic by definition:
- Lack of courage. Bloggers believe that CEOs are too tightly handled and scripted – and, as a result, too tentative not only in their public statements, but in their actions.
- Failure to engage in unscripted “give and take.” Bloggers believe they should have an opportunity – even if only once a year – to ask questions, preferably in-person, and get a glimpse of the real person inside the CEO.
- Failure to acknowledge and discuss their company’s challenges. Bloggers are always on the lookout for potential problems that can undermine the companies they cover. A CEO who is not similarly vigilant is viewed with suspicion.
“Authentic CEOs are real. They avoid corporate-speak and engage in a dialogue that is specific and honest,” says Clare DeNicola, principal and co-founder of the 10 company. “When a blogger is looking to speak with the person in charge, he’s looking to speak to the ‘person,’ not the ‘in charge.’ It can’t always be corporate jargon and unfettered optimism.”
While bloggers surveyed said that no CEOs are getting blogger relationships right today, the CEOs who were most often named as being authentic were Warren Buffet, Herb Kelleher and the late Steve Jobs.
Top five phrases that signal inauthenticity
Survey respondents identified the following phrases as red flags:
- This deal is a win-win. Bloggers say that few business deals, if any, are really win-win – particularly in the current economic climate.
- Thinking/working/planning outside the box. The phrase is viewed as classic corporate-speak.
- We’re not here to talk about the past. This is seen as a cliched, not-so-clever diversionary tactic designed to avoid an unpleasant topic.
- We are an innovative company. Innovation has become an empty promise – something that many companies say they stand for, but few, if any, can actually deliver.
- Executive X is stepping down to spend more time with his family. This phrase is code for an executive who is being forced out of a job.
The report is based on findings from 10 one-on-one in-depth interviews with prominent institutional bloggers who cover corporate and business news for top-tier national, regional, and trade news outlets, conducted in December 2011.
Tags: authentic leaders, best practices, business bloggers
Posted in best practices, Blogging, Business advice, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
 Madonna's "DanceOn" is one of YouTube's new premium channels Apple Inc.’s licensing agreement for its new ebook authoring program is “mind-boggingly greedy and evil,” according to Ed Bott in ZDNet.
Bott says its restrictions on marketing books elsewhere, such as for Kindles or Nooks, or Android tablets goes further than any other license agreement he’s ever seen.
Since the success of a book is often dependent upon it’s being widely available in a variety of formats, that part of the agreement may be a deal killer for many authors.
Amazon, on the other hand, says some of its authors are making a bundle via Kindle Direct Publishing.
Tumblr up to 15 million pageviews a month
Tumblr, the visually oriented social blog platform that has been growing rapidly in recent months, now reaches 120 people a month, according to Quantcast.
Tumblr supports 42 million blogs which have so far resulted in 16 billion posts.
The platform’s features include an easy way to share the blog posts of people you “follow.” It lacks comments and photo-tagging, but no one seems to miss those much.
Many of the Tumblr blogs are visually oriented with minimal text – they cover movies, film stars, fashion, sex, illustration. Many illustrators do creative work such as redesigning their own posters for well known movies.
Just about any topic imaginable is on the platform somewhere, though. We’ve found it both useful and a pleasant way to “spend” time, but if you’re not careful, an hour will zip by as you page through the blogs you follow.
Youtube up to 4 billion pageviews a day
Reuters says YouTube has seen its pageviews soar 25 percent to 4 billion a day in the last eight months.
Google says 60 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s up from 48 hours in May.
Google simplified the YouTube Web site and is emphasizing its premium channels from celebrities such as Madonna (DanceOn), the Onion News Network, and others.
It is working with director Ridley Scott on a short filmfestival channel with $500,000 in prizes. Short films are standard fare on the film festival circuit as well as online.
Google has said it will spend $100 million on channel partnership such as those to boost its premium, original content.
Tags: Apple author's license agreement, DanceOn, ed bott, Madonna, pageviews, Ridley Scott, Tumblr, YouTube, ZDnet
Posted in Amazon, Apple, Blogging, Google, Internet/New Media, Marketing | Comments Off
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
 Eversave, one of the daily deal sites targeting women and their families, has compiled a list of eight tips to help consumers from being overwhelmed, supplying pointers to help them be smart about their use and purchases of daily deals.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of a one-day-only deal and feel like you’ll miss out if you don’t buy, but a deal isn’t really a deal if it’s not right for you.”
Daily deals are an excellent way to save money, explore new restaurants and try new experiences. However, Eversave wants consumers to think before they spend. Eversave asked eight expert bloggers for their best advice on how to use daily deals.
Tips include (also, see infographic below text)
- Just say no. “Only purchase deals you actually need and will use,” says Rachel Gordon of Mashup Mom. “It’s easy to get caught up in the urgency of a one-day-only deal and feel like you’ll miss out if you don’t buy, but a deal isn’t really a deal if it’s not right for you.”
- Limit the number of deal sites. Ashley of Frugal Coupon Living recommends limiting the number of deal sites to which you subscribe. “Choose sites based on your location and likes.” Sites like Eversave cater to women and frequently offer member perks whereas other sites might offer more nightlife-related deals that better suit your lifestyle.
- Keep track of expiring deals. Devon Weaver of Mama Cheaps sorts her deals by expiration date and then keeps them in a three-ring binder. “Stay organized! Keep purchased deals in a binder sorted by expiration date or mark those dates on a calendar. Setting up alerts on your phone works great, too! Now you’ll always know when a deal is about to expire.”
- Keep them handy. Keep your deal vouchers where you will see them and use them. Whether it’s in the glove compartment of your car or in your wallet, make sure you have your deals handy. Advises Karen of Koupon Karen, “Print out all your daily deal vouchers and keep them in folder near the door. Then when you are on the way out, you can grab the folder in case you want to use any of them while shopping.”
- Don’t let a good deal go unnoticed. “Shop deals early in the morning so you have time to share the best offers with friends,” says Beckie of Infarrantly Creative. “Some deal sites, like Eversave, offer credits and incentives when you share a deal and your friends purchase them too.”
- Remember birthdays and holidays. Andrea Deckard of Savings Lifestyle buys deals as gifts. “Create a list of potential gift recipients. Make notes of special wants, needs and sizes for each person. Watch the daily saves to purchase items on a discount,” she says.
- Don’t forget date night. Deb Sutherland of Frugal Living and Having Fun likes to get ideas from deal sites on where to plan date night. She said, “With all the various restaurants, hotels and attractions they introduce through their deeply discounted daily offers, dating has never been so much fun and affordable.”
- Only buy from reputable deal sites. According to Liza of Addicted To Saving, consumers should really make sure the deal site they are buying from is a trusted source. “I want to see that there is a customer service team available in case I have questions or concerns.”
“Yes, as a daily deal site, it might sound crazy that we are telling consumers how to use, buy – or in some cases – not buy daily deals. However, we want consumers to spend and use their daily deals smartly.”
Tags: Eversave, Frugal Coupon Living, get the most from a daily deal site, Infarrantly Creative, Koupon Karen, Mama Cheaps, Mashup Mom, Savings Lifestyle
Posted in best practices, Blogging, infographic, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Viewpoint | Comments Off
Monday, January 16th, 2012
 Blogs trump social networks as a source for purchasing advice for all online women. 84% of the women in the BlogHer community report they made technology purchases based on blog advice versus only 56% relying on advice from social networks. A significant 69% of U.S. women online say they rely on blogs versus only 53% turning to social networks.
All women online said they use manufacturer websites regularly for information about products, but report the information on these sites have little influence on their final purchasing decisions.
“No one earns the trust of women online better than other women online, especially when you’re talking about the devices she depends on to stay connected and productive,” said Elisa Camahort Page, Co-founder and COO of BlogHer Inc.
“The good news is that our Consumer Electronics Study provides insights into how best to resonate with women, and it’s not on corporate sites, traditional or social.”
Marketing to Women: What Works and What Doesn’t
Women were asked which marketing approach creates the most favorable impression of a consumer electronics brand.
The number one approach, selected by 52% of respondents, is to make sure the product is being marketed on “blogs, websites or forums” they already visit regularly.
This response signals that having a noticeable presence on sites customers already frequent can be a key strategy for brands. Women are seeking recommendations from their online friends, not just brand messages, with women choosing reviews by bloggers as one of the three most favorable marketing approaches (28%).
When building awareness online, it’s critical that brands consider the mobile experience, particularly for some demographic groups. Almost 60% of adults under the age of 50 use their mobile phones during the purchase process.
Additionally, a large percentage of African Americans and Asians report having used their mobile devices when shopping for consumer electronic devices (70%), vs. 58% of Hispanic/Latinos and 45% of Caucasians.
As a group, most respondents identified themselves as “price-conscious” shoppers (47%), over “early adopter” (7%) or “leading edge” shoppers (23%), so offering discounts is understandably a top marketing approach, selected by almost half of women online. Price consciousness may also explain why Apple’s iOS devices were the runaway choice of respondents when asked which device they would want if a “gadget genie” could give them any product for free.
With the consumer electronics market now reaching $186 billion in the U.S., and women influencing $90 billion-worth of those purchases (Consumer Electronics Association, 2007), the BlogHer Consumer Electronics Study reveals the widespread impact of blogs, social networks, and mobile phone usage on the consumer electronics marketplace, representing a call to action for brands and retailers alike.
Tags: blod advice drives electronics purchases, BlogHer, blogs trump social networks, mobile, social networks
Posted in Blogging, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Mobile, social media, Tech Culture | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
 In their Backstories blog this week, HighBeam Research, part of Cengage Learning, named their top 10 blogs in five research categories: medical, legal, education, technology and current events. Backstoriesis the go-to resource guide featuring in-depth information for writers, academics and anyone seeking the history and trends behind breaking news.
“There are so many outstanding research blogs that our staff had quite a challenge and a lot of fun coming up with these lists of our favorites,” says Matt McCloskey, Marketing Director of HighBeam Research.
“In the end, we chose blogs that have a fresh perspective on their topic and offer deep insight and analysis. The list varies from very well-known blogs that are already go-to guides in their field and some that we feel have the potential for growth.”
The lists of the top 10 blogs in each category can be found in Backstories at the following posts:
Our only quibble is that they should include the TechJournal.
As mentioned in Backstories’ education research blog post, “When looking for understanding and information, most people turn first to the Internet, and in return, people with information are sharing it via online sites and blogs.” Sharing these top blogs offers the perfect opportunity to build on HighBeam Research’s primary objective.
Tags: Backstories, current events, education, medical, technology, top ten blogs in legal
Posted in Biotech, Blogging, Education, Internet/New Media, IT, Legal, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture | Comments Off
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
 It really is a social world: Internet users spend one of every five minutes online social networking and more than half the world’s Internet population visited Facebook in October, according to a new report from digital measurement firm comScore.
The report It’s a Social World: Top 10 Need-to-Knows About Social Networking and Where It’s Headed, analyzes the current state of social networking activity around the globe, providing key insights into how social networking has influenced the digital landscape and implications for marketers operating in this social world.
“The emergence and widespread global adoption of social networks has vastly influenced human interaction on an individual, community and larger societal level, and underscores the convergence of the online and offline worlds,” said Linda Boland Abraham, comScore CMO and EVP of global development.
“Regardless of geography, social networks are weaving themselves ever more intricately into the fabric of the digital experience, opening a world of new opportunity for business and technology.”
Key findings highlighted in the report include:
- Social networking is the most popular online activity worldwide: Social networking accounted for nearly 1 in every 5 minutes spent online globally in October 2011, ranking as the most engaging online activity worldwide. Social networking sites now reach 82 percent of the world’s Internet population age 15 and older that accessed the Internet from a home or work computer, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe.
- The importance of Facebook cannot be overstated: In October, Facebook reached more than half (55 percent) of the world’s global audience and accounted for 1 in every 7 minutes spent online around the world and 3 in every 4 social networking minutes.
- Microblogging has emerged as a disruptive new force in social networking: In recent years, microblogging has taken hold as a popular social networking activity on a global scale. In October, Twitter reached 1 in 10 Internet users worldwide, growing 59 percent in the past year. Other popular microblogging destinations seeing rapid adoption include Chinese site Sina Weibo, with its audience growing 181 percent in the past year to rank as the tenth largest social network in October. Tumblr, which ranked twelfth worldwide in audience size, grew 172 percent in the past year.
- It’s not just young people using social networking anymore – it’s all age groups: Although young users age 15-24 still represent the most highly-engaged segment of social networkers, with an average of 8 hours per visitor spent in the category in October, social networking is catching on among older age segments across the globe. In fact, people age 55 and older represented the fastest-growing age segment in global social networking usage, with the penetration of social networks in the segment increasing nearly 10 percentage points since July 2010 to 80 percent in October 2011.
- Mobile devices are fueling the social addiction: In the U.S., 64 percent of smartphone users accessed social networking sites at least once in October 2011, with 2 in 5 smartphone owners connecting via social networking nearly every day. In the EU5, 45 percent of smartphone owners accessed social networks on their mobile device during the month, with nearly 1 in 4 doing so on a near daily basis.
Top 10 Most Engaged Social Networking Markets Worldwide
The widespread adoption of social networking highlights the global appeal of this online activity. Of the 43 markets individually reported by comScore, 41 markets saw at least 85 percent of their respective online populations visit social networking sites inOctober 2011.
Analysis of the most highly engaged global social networking markets revealed that Israel led all countries with visitors spending an average of more than 11 hours on social networking sites during the month. Argentina ranked second at 10.7 hours, followed by Russian (10.4 hours) and Turkey (10.2 hours). The United States, at 6.9 hours per person, did not even rank within the top ten countries for social networking engagement.
Top 10 Global Markets by Average Social Networking Hours per Visitor
October 2011
Total Audience: Visitors Age 15+, Home/Work Location*
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
| |
Average Hours
per Visitor
Spent on Social
Networking Sites |
| Worldwide |
5.7 |
| Israel |
11.1 |
| Argentina |
10.7 |
| Russia |
10.4 |
| Turkey |
10.2 |
| Chile |
9.8 |
| Philippines |
8.7 |
| Colombia |
8.5 |
| Peru |
8.3 |
| Venezuela |
7.9 |
| Canada |
7.7 |
*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
Tags: comScore report It's a social world, demographics of social networking, importance of Facebook, microblogging, mobile devices fueling social addiction, web analytics
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, games, Internet/New Media, IT, Mobile, mobile games, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture, TechLife, Telecommunications, video | Comments Off
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
 Social media tools are now present on most corporate intranets with 61% of companies reporting at least one social media tool available to some or all employees.
The most popular Intranet 2.0 tools are blogs (75%), discussion forums (65%), instant messaging (63%), and wikis (61%) while social networking for employees and microblogging are on the rise at 43% and 42% respectively.
These are the results of a new Social Intranet Study, released by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and Prescient Digital Media.
The study was conducted earlier this year and examines social media use on corporate intranets and the magnitude, use, and popularity of social media by employees and executives. More than 1,400 respondents participated in the survey, representing organizations of different sizes and a diverse range of industries, from around the world. The results reveal rapid adoption of social media on the corporate intranet in the past year.
Employee collaboration & engagement top reasons
The leading need or reason behind Intranet 2.0 implementations is employee collaboration (78%), followed closely by employee engagement (75%). Of organizations that do not have at least one social media tool, 18% cite lack of executive support as the primary barrier to implementation, and the same number (18%) cite other, bigger priorities preventing them from implementation.
“While the popularity of social media tools on corporate intranets is rising, only about one-quarter of frontline employees and executives alike rate their intranet social media as good or very good. Dissatisfaction rates are even higher. Without a proper plan, adequate investment, and the requisite change management and communications, most intranet social media initiatives will fail,” says Toby Ward, President of Prescient Digital Media.
According to survey data, 30% of organizations rate their overall satisfaction with intranet social media tools as good or very good; 26% rate these tools as poor or very poor. Only 28% of organizations rate employees’ satisfaction with Intranet 2.0 tools as good or very good and 28% of organizations rate executives’ satisfaction with Intranet 2.0 tools as good or very good.
Other survey findings:
- Intranet content
Traditional corporate communication information dominates most intranets:
- 96% of intranets have communication information such as news and policies.
- 86% have company information such as organizational charts, company vision, values, etc.
- 82% have employee directories.
- 81% feature standards and compliance information.
- 70% have HR applications.
- Technology
The survey also explored technology platforms for intranets and found that Microsoft continues to dominate the enterprise collaboration or intranet 2.0 market:
- 55% of organizations with Intranet 2.0 tools are using Microsoft SharePoint.
- WordPress and Facebook (employee groups) are becoming popular Intranet 2.0 products and are currently used in 23% and 22% of organizations with at least one social media tool.
- Chief contributors
Not surprisingly, communication staff are the biggest social media contributors, followed closely by HR, marketing and IT:
- 79% of organizations with Intranet 2.0 tools have communication staff as regular contributors.
- 57% of organizations have HR staff as regular contributors.
- 51% of organizations have marketing staff as regular contributors.
- 49% of organizations have IT staff as regular contributors.
To download the complete survey report, see: http://news.iabc.com/index.php?s=54&cat=52.
Tags: chief contributors to company blogs, company blogs, employee engagement & collaboration tools, Prescient Digital Media, social media tools on company Intranets
Posted in Blogging, Internet/New Media, IT, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture | Comments Off
Monday, December 5th, 2011
 A new study from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs shows that content marketing is now responsible for 26% of total B2B marketing spending. In addition, 60% of marketers plan to increase content marketing budgets in 2012, with a full nine of 10 organizations surveyed now using content marketing.
The most popular content marketing tactics include articles (79%), social media (excluding blogs) (74%), blogs (65%), and eNewsletters (63%).
“One of the most interesting findings was what we term the ‘confidence gap,’ in which marketers use tactics but are unsure of how effective they are,” says Joe Pulizzi, Founder of the Content Marketing Institute and co-author of Managing Content Marketing.
“While uncertainty still exists, marketers are becoming increasingly more confident in the content marketing tactics they are using. This increase is especially notable with blogs, case studies, videos and webinars/webcasts.”
Other notable findings include:
- On average, B2B marketers employ eight different content marketing tactics to achieve their marketing goals.
- Every major social media channel is seeing increased adoption, often by 15-20%.
- 60% report that they plan to increase spending on content marketing over the next 12 months, compared to 51% in the previous study.
- Marketers, on average, spend over a quarter of their marketing budget on content marketing.
- Last year, only 55% of marketers used outsourcing in some capacity. This year, 62% of B2B marketers use a mix of insourced and outsourced content.
B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends is the second annual survey from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs about content marketing in the business-to-business (B2B) space to date. Over 1000 B2B marketers from diverse industries and a wide range of company sizes were surveyed in August 2011. The full content marketing research report can be found at the Content Marketing Institute.
Tags: 8 content marketing tactics employed by b2b, B2B content marketing, b2b marketers to increase content marketing spend 60 percent, blogs, case studies, social media, webcasts, webinars
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
PR Newswire has launched The Earnies, the first community-chosen awards program dedicated to earned media campaigns executed through social media channels.
“Social media and owned media have completely redefined earned media and forced PR and marketing professionals to strategically rethink the old model, embrace the new opportunities, leverage all influential channels and consistently engage with audiences through social conversations that are ongoing,” said Rachel Meranus, vice president, Marketing & Communications, PR Newswire.
“The Earnies will recognize how communicators are doing so innovatively and successfully.”
The Earnies award program, which is open to individual practitioners as well as brands and organizations, focuses on the unique approach and strategy used to implement a campaign.
Hosted on the AGILITY@work web site, all submissions will be reviewed by an independent panel of social media thought leaders.
Currently on the panel are David Armano, EVP of Global Innovation and Integration of Edelman Digital; Matt Johnston, CMO of uTest; Tim Moore, SVP/Social Business Architect of Maximum and CEO of CrushIQ; Liz Strauss, co-founder of SOBCon and owner of Successful-Blog.com and Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications.
From a shortlist of finalists selected by the panel, final winners will be determined by community voting through social media. The Earnies award program is being launched in the U.S., but is intended to expand globally next year.
The categories include: Best Use of Video in Social Media; Best Connection to Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook Audience; Best Case of “Lemons-to-Lemonade”; We Can’t Believe That Worked!; Best Outcome Based on Listening/Monitoring/Measurement; and The Earnies Grand Prix.
To learn more about the awards program, review the categories, read about the panelists and to enter a submission, visitAGILITY@work. The deadline to submit is December 20th, 2011. Join the conversation and follow the progress of the awards process on Twitter @AgilityAtWork. Final winners will be announced via @AgilityAtWork in early 2012.
Tags: awards for social media channel media campaign, CrsuhIQ, David Armano, Edelman Digital, facebook, LinkedIn, Liz Strauss, Matt Johnston, Maximum, PR Newswire Earnies, Pure Performance Communicaations, SOBCon, social, Successful-Blog.com, Tim Moore, twitter, uTest
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, LinkedIn, Marketing, social media, Twitter | Comments Off
Monday, November 21st, 2011
 Has TechCrunch seemed anemic to you since founder Michael Arrington left following a dispute with management? It seems to have less bite. Now, the Financial Times reports, top editorial and management talent is deserting AOL and TechCrunch.
FT says three top names left this month, including Brad Garlinghouse, head of AOL’s Silicon Valley office, Sarah Lacy, a senior TechCrunch writer, and Saul Hansell, a former New York Times reporter who was senior editor at the Huffington Post (now owned by AOL, as is TechCrunch).
TechCrunch already lost senior writers Paul Carr and MG Siegler, and rumors say it may also lose Heather Harde, the chief executive.
AOL bought TechCrunch for $25 million last year, but sacking Arrington was not the firm’s smartest move.
Music labels drop Spotify
More than 200 music labels from UK distributor STHoldings have dropped Spotify, saying in a statement, “We have concerns that these services cannibalise the revenues of more traditional digital services.”
The distributor also pulled its content from Rdio, Napster, and Simfy.
STHoldings said in its statement that it feels the music of its artists “Loses its specialness by its exploitation as a low value/free commodity.”
We’re not sure they’re right about that. While we’re not particularly fans of Spotify, which wants to tell everyone on Facebook every thing you listent to and requires a Facebook connection, we do use Pandora, which recently removed the 40 hour restriction on how much listeners can tune in free, and Radio IO, which streams FM quality music.
Both have introduced us to new music, new genres, and new artists and music purchases.
Windows Phone 7 marketplace features 40,000 apps and games
 We’ve tested half a dozen phones, including a Windows Phone 7 from HTC, and several phones running the Google Android system and the Windows Phone was had the most intuitive, easiest to use operating system. Microsoft was late to the smartphone game, but that may turn out to be an advantage.
We recently saw a Tweet from one of our most tech savvy friends and an Apple iPhone fan who tested a Windows 7 Phone for an article in another publication who said just about the same thing, admitting he was tempted to switch to it.
But when buying a smartphone, users want not just the phone but the apps that make them smart and Apple’s AppStore is loaded with 140,000 of them.
The Windows Phone Marketplace, though, now has more than 40,000 apps. Since many apps are just variations of others – there are multiple apps to do common tasks, from taking notes to losing weight. Developers are getting on the Windows Phone 7 wagon – there were only 35,000 apps available for it in October and 30,000 in August, so its adding 5,000 apps a month.
We’re not the only ones who think the Windows Phone 7 may grab a significant chunk of market – both Gartner and IDC have forecast that it will be the number 2 platform by 2015. – Allan Maurer
Tags: AOL, Apple AppStore, execs leaving AOL, Google Android, Internet radio services, iPhone, labels drop Spotify, Michael Arrington, Pandora, Radio IO, smartphone apps, Spotify, talent leaving TechCrunch, TechCrunch, trouble at TechCrunch, Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, Windows Phone apps
Posted in Apple, Blogging, Google, Hardware, Internet/New Media, IT, Microsoft, smartphones | Comments Off
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