Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Goodbye to my home delivered newspaper

Posted this yesterday on my Fast Company blog Media Tech. I love my Kindle and was not feeling real good about the inability of the Chronicle to show up on time, in front of my door and have gone to a much cheaper subscription on the Kindle. Check out my posting.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Twitter Monetization

Just posted on Harvard Business Review Web site. My blog on Twitter monetization. You see, lots of folks say Twitter has no way to make money. I disagree. I think that they will prove to be the most sophisticated business model of all. Read it and let me know what you think.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Latest Mediasmith Anvil

The latest Anvil is out. My interview with Adexchanger.com was featured where I talk about the need for brand protection being a major issue in the use of exchanges. Check it out. And opt-in while you are at it.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

New Media Options

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending Fortune's Brainstorm Tech. It was quite the event, with interviews by top Fortune writers and editors of folks like Biz Stone, Marc Andreesen, Mark Hurd and Jeffrey Katzenberg and others. Definitely worthwhile. PitneyBowes did some interviews to post on their blog and I was fortunate to be one of those picked to talk about my field. Check out my interview on the PB blog site where I talk about new media options. Both audio and transcribed version available.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Mid Summer 3 Day Weekend

Mediasmith is celebrating the mid-summer 3 day weekend today through Monday. Our operating theory is that the reason for the dog days in the end of August is because it will have been almost two months since the three day weekend of 4th of July. The Late July/Early August weekend is a logical place for a three day weekend as the other "summer" months have. This was started back at a hot creative agency I was a partner at in the mid 70's called Ted Thompson & Partners. We also had the best picnics, but that's another story.

My companies have pretty much celebrated this "holiday" since then. For Mediasmith it is on the official annual holiday schedule, with employees getting their choice of Friday or Monday off. In fact, some also use it as a floating summer holiday, which is cool too.

Help us by proclaiming this holiday next year for your company. Maybe some day we can take it national.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

CPW-The new metric for success!

There has been a lot of talk in the trade press and at conference that we need a single metric to make web seem simpler to the uninitiated. So, we've got the answer: it's CPW or Cost-Per-Whatever a client is trying to measure. Check it out at iMediaConnection

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

New Interview

Did an interview this week with AdExchanger.com about trends in digital media planning and buying and my views on ad exchanges. Check this out for some of my latest views on these and other digital media topics.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A History of Information

Just posted in my Fast Company blog Media Tech a pointer to Thomas Baekdal's piece called "Where is Everyone" with a great outline of the history of information. From "over the fence"/public marketplaces to today's social media, a very interesting view of the topic.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Google Profiles Competes in Social Media Space

Check out my newest posting on Fast Company Media Tech about the brand new Google profile. You can see an example of my profile by typing in David Smith and going to the bottom of the page. Click on the link and see all my various info. This is really cool. 

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

PR Engine for Twitter

Yet another Twitter use. Check out my recent FastCompany blog Media Tech regarding the Media Database which permits easy contact with the media, especially the tech writers and reporters. Also an easy way to follow them on Twitter if Twitter is a source of news for you.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Internet History

Good article from Crave/CNET.UK on the top 50 moments of internet history. Worth checking out! Pretty amazing list, even the honorable mentions.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Who's Counting?

Good article on Web metrics by Jason Pontin in MIT Tech Review. Jason got most of my quotes right and I am grateful for his use of my thinking throughout this article. MIT Technology Review definitely takes my venues up a notch! But there is one thing. We DO take audiences into account when we buy. We just don't buy TOTAL audience of a web site. Oh well, as the saying goes, call me anything you like, but just call me.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Consumer Connection

Check out my recently posted entry on my Fast Company blog, Media Tech. The use of Facebook Connect and Twitter alongside mainstream edit on sites is the latest in the integration of social media into the mainstream. Now you can chat with your friends or see what others are saying about an event while interacting with that event on the Web. No need to switch back and forth from one page to another. This integration of content and consumer content is facilitated by the open APIs of social sites like Twitter and Facebook. Amazing progress.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Video SEO, Video SEM

Searching for video on the Web takes different tools and different processes. Mediasmith's Abe Snyder, Senior Media Planner (with me as editor) provides a basic tutorial talking about the current and future state of this process.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Andy Bourland, ClickZ Cofounder Dies

Andy was only in his 50's. He will be remembered by all who he touched as one of the good guys. Set an example by always being there for others. He died of a heart problem created by over radiation when they saved his life over 30 years ago. If you knew Andy, please post a note on his blog for his wife Jeanne. She is making a book for his children of everyone's thoughts and stories.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Digital Engagement-Bob Heyman's New Book

Mediasmith's own Bob Heyman, our Chief Search Officer just released his fourth book, titled Digital Engagement. You can get it at Amazon. Highly recommended. Also, check out his blog and feel free to comment. 

Monday, February 2, 2009

Tech Blunders on Super Bowl Spots

Just posted to my FastCompany blog, Media Tech my post mortem on the lack of integration between Super Bowl spots and technology. 

Jack-In-The-Box "didn't tell the web guys". They needed to buy more band width.

Intel didn't get 3D glasses into the grocery store. We were supposed to know that we had to drop by Target or Best Buy to get them.

And only 20% of all advertisers touted their spots via search the week before.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I Want My PrimeTime When I Want It

Just posted on my FastCompany.com blog Media Tech my rant about availability of prime time viewing on the west coast. Tell me again why I can't get 24 and other favorite prime time shows on the west coast once they have started in the east? There is no technology reason and I can't see a business reason either.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Anatomy of a Campaign

Seth Godin on a couple of companies doing things right relative to consumer communications.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Twitter's, Facebook's and the Web's record numbers

CNN, Twitter, Facebook all set new records yesterday. Check out my FastCompany.com blog, Media Tech for the latest info.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Search down in Q4 '08? Online up in '09?

Did you see the news from Efficient Frontier that search went DOWN in Q4?
Not the official numbers but interesting.
Overall, we had a late surge in Nov-Dec that helped our year last year.
Our online budgets are holding steady for 09. We are generally ok. And you know, ok is the new fabulous!
I think online display spending will be up 5-10% this year. We've had a couple of inquiries already, one from a Fortune 500 company re: emerging technologies (mobile) and one from a know brand name wanting to get into web display. There will be continued growth due to new entries in the markeplace.
For search, the growth will still be about 15%.
We know that bigger companies are doing some cutbacks, but more in traditional than web. So we think online will still be a growth medium.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

10 Ways Social Media Improved Lives in 2008

Awesome!

Yahoo's Use of Twitter to Filter News

Just posted on my FastCompany.com blog, Media Tech a piece about Yahoo's apparent breakthrough vs. Google news in a new search algorithm for news reporting. Taking advantage of the fact that Twitter has become a "first report" news venue when consumers witness events (like the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane crash), Yahoo's TweetNews uses recency and frequency of posts on Twitter rather than most links ala Google News.

Many of you have witnessed that Google News sometimes regurgitates old articles and posts due to their algorithm. Yahoo has definitely done a one up on Google with the leveraging of their new algorithm plus Twitter. 

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Digital media resolutions for 2009

My digital resolutions for 2009:
Figure out how to monetize Twitter.
Perfect the integration of social, emerging media tech and search with web display.
Help move industry metrics issues ahead.
Introduce a minimum of 2-3 new companies to the digital world.
For more, see my Fast Company blog, Media Tech.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Twitter Metrics

Here is a piece I did for MediaPost's Metrics Insider. It talks about the various metrics that are available for Twitter. Stay tuned, because more and more are happening all the time.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Video Growth on Web Galloping Ahead

Just posted on FastCompany.com for my Media Tech blog on the growth of Web video. Up over 30% vs. year ago. Over 12 billion views in November alone! Also made mention of the new LG announcement that requires no OTT box like Roku to stream NetFlix. LG's new HDTVs will stream directly from NetFlix. Heady days for the new video scene. And tough times for the traditional networks.