What We’re Reading | Week of June 18, 2012
Ashley: We often talk about the increasing importance of mobile content as users shift their consumption to mobile devices, but its not often that we review the staggering numbers of video consumption and therefore video ad consumption. In May 2012, Americans viewed over 10 billion video ads. That’s right, 10 billion ads in just one month. From YouTube to Hulu and online TV streaming, we are consuming video at staggering numbers. It’s a good reminder on the importance of diversifying your advertising.
Susan: Here comes the dude? In the “now we’ve seen everything category”: for the gentleman that is not satisfied with the “honey do” shower, there’s a niche network just for you. TheManRegistry.com allows grooms to not only register but also find vendors. There’s even a “Groom 101″ section and a blog. Read Fast Company’s interview with Chris Easter, the man behind this resource for grooms (groomsource?), here.
Andy: Holy guacamole! A new Louisiana State Law requires sex offenders to list their criminal past on their social networking pages. According to the article:
social networking sites… have been removing sex offenders from their web pages for years… the law is designed to cover any possible lapses by social networking sites…The new law, signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal earlier this month, builds upon existing sex offender registration laws, in which the offender must notify immediate neighbors and a school district of his or her residency near them…
A part of me thinks this is great, the other part of me thinks this may be taking some things a bit too far which could result in the creation of a chaotic stir that isn’t really necessary. I watch enough Law and Order to know that people do not take kindly to anyone known as a “sex offender” and having that all over Facebook and other social sites seems like it could lead to trouble. What do you think?
Sadie: People are singing praises about Microsoft’s new Surface tablet. Microsoft has quietly been watching Apple’s success, taking notes, and applying improvements to their own products. What does that mean? A tablet with a kickstand and a pressure-sensitive, removable keyboard that doubles as a cover. Gartner Inc. analyst Caroline Milanesi says “They are saying it’s a different world now and are trying to put the sexy back into the Microsoft brand.”
Amanda: Even if your target consumer is not someone who has recently visited Disney World, favors Good Housekeeping, and has had alcohol in the last month, learning about Pinterest users can be beneficial for nearly any company hoping to better position themselves on the social media platform. Check out this infographic from Modea on Pinterest users’ favorite brands, occupations, political parties and more.
Paula: The CTO of Twitpic just took a month break from social media. He says it was to add value back to his life and he feels like it did. While he’ll be returning to social media now, it won’t be in the same way again, only where he sees social media adding a real value to his life.