L&S Unscripted

Almost daily, we talk about, preach, practice and prove that social media is truly important and significant. The evolution of it is remarkable, and it only continues to provide more and more each day.

As of late, the focus has been on the money making – or saving – one can do with these services. Several new offerings have hit the social scene, presenting opportunities to further market and sell products and services. Moreover, consumers can reap the rewards of the special deals. 

Twitter recently released @Earlybird, a new service that gives followers exclusive deals from Twitter’s advertising partners. This is the social media platforms take on the recent upsurge in online deal offerings.

An equally beneficial sales driver, yet slightly different concept by Facebook developers, called Payvment, is a social network ecommerce platform that allows users to set up a free storefront. This application is a one-stop shop, allowing all the marketing, sales and administrative functions to be done within Facebook.

And we would be completely amiss to leave out Groupon, with its daily deals via email and Twitter, customized to your geographic locale. Additionally, it was just announced that Groupon will now be customizing its offerings to the specific users, treading into customer relationship management waters. The daily offerings will start to be geared more towards each individual’s specific interests rather than the entire audience.

These services parallel each other in terms of an overall goal – the utilization of existing social networks to market and sell products. What better way to drive sales and market products than directly with the relationships that are already established.

Making – and saving – money via social media channels is simple and essentially free. See what kind of ROI your business can get with these great tools.

Practically everyone – and everything – has a Facebook page now. From your grandparents to your favorite restaurant and even “campfires,” it seems there is a page for all of our interests and connections. So, why does my bank seem to be missing from Facebook?

I decided to look into a few banks in the area, and my findings were rather unexpected and startling. The presence of local banks on Facebook is somewhat lacking.

A bank’s presence on Facebook makes perfect sense. What better way to connect and build relationships with customers, both current and potential. When engaging on a different, digital level, other than within the banking establishment itself, consumers will feel like they have a deeper relationship with their financial institution.

The amount of time people spend on Facebook is significant and growing every day, so there is a great opportunity to spread the word about your bank’s products and services. Let consumers know about the latest offerings, incentives and news going on with your bank. Get them talking, give them feedback and learn about their banking desires.

I personally want to do business at a bank that embraces technology and change, stays on the edge of the latest advancements and services and really shows that they want to build a deep, understanding relationship with me as a consumer.

U.S. Bank has a strong following and does a great job connecting with consumers online, offering polls, encouraging conversation and linking to services such as mobile banking and careers.

Charles Schwab facilitates discussions, informs consumers of their corporate social responsibility efforts and connects to its other social media presences on Twitter and YouTube. 

Another active social networker, Citibank, offers news of its latest offerings, connects to its blog and asks consumers to help in changing Citi for the future.

Local banks need to start building up their online presence, as Facebook is not just a fad anymore. With over 400 million active users, the service will be around for a while and only continue to advance.  The benefits of a social media presence may be surprising.

I love, love, love Fourth of July fireworks. As a little teaser for this weekend’s festivities, I decided to see what was out there for online build-your-own display games, and how easy they were to use. Here are some of the top Google results, and how they rate …

Bored.com

All you have to do it click! Only gives you the traditional umbrella-kind of fireworks, but you can choose from some exciting backgrounds like “Grand Finale at the Carnival” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Also filed in the “Dumb” section of bored.com, so maybe there’s no coolness bonus points.

Maylin.net

Another click to shoot. Again,there’s only one kind of firework, but the response time (click to boom) is very quick. Especially considering the game was posted in July of 2002, like, pretty much dinosaur times for the internet.

It came and went so fast, it almost has a “did-I-just-say-that-out-loud?” feeling to it.

Eight days ago I didn’t know an official “Social Media Day” existed. Today the Sioux Falls observance of Mashable‘s global celebration is in the rear view mirror. Now it’s time to reflect.

The mention of “social media” generally sparks either enthusiasm or scorn. It’s like Glee. You either love it or hate it. In this digital Blitzkrieg, Switzerland is more the size of Liechtenstein.

Read the rest of this entry »

“If they had a major in Social Media, that is what I would want to do.”

“How can I use this?”

“I use Twitter. I’ve got a handle on it. What’s this FourSquare thing?”

These are just a few of the comments overheard during the Sioux Falls celebration of Social Media Day on June 30, 2010.  Launched globally by Mashable and hosted locally by Lawrence & Schiller, Social Media Day was designed to celebrate the revolution of media becoming social.

At the Sioux Falls meetup, we wanted to not only celebrate but also share and learn. Nearly 60 people took us up on the offer. We’re happy with the turnout, especially when compared to other, larger, metro areas.  Using online registrations as a guide, Sioux Falls was on par with Kansas City, Orlando and even Singapore.

Here are some observations from the L&S’ers who lead conversations on Facebook, Twitter, Fourquare, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr and What’s Next:

“My impression of the event was that is was really fun,” says Eric Ellefson, who was manning the FourSquare table. “The audience was quite diverse and most of them were astute on the general presence of Social media.”

Courtney Lotzer overheard the following at the Facebook table. “The world is moving so fast. I thought about my kids when we were talking today. I realized I shouldn’t be talking to them about being a doctor or lawyer someday. Talking specifics just puts them in a box. Their profession probably hasn’t even been invented yet.”

“The general feeling I got, and it might be imagined, was that people were past Twitter,” observes Miles Rausch, leader of the Twitter discussion. “From overhearing other conversations, Twitter had been a gateway for people, and they felt they had it figured out. It’s simple and ubiquitous; no one wants to discuss drinking water. It almost felt like, “I use Twitter. I’ve got a handle on it. What’s this FourSquare thing?” ”

“There were conversations for a broad range of people – from one guy who knew nothing about Twitter who was taking notes, to the group of college students who shared stories of how they use foursquare at school,” notes organizer Michelle Adrian. “I also learned how foursquare can be more than just a challenge game between friends, how it can be used in customer loyalty strengthening, especially retail.”

As frightening and painful as it may seem, there once was a time before smartphones and high tech digital devices. With the advancements and benefits these products have provided so far, it is often hard to imagine life without them.

Today, there are many phone applications and texting services designed to influence behavior and improve health. And with smartphones essentially becoming an extension to our limbs, this could not be a better combination.

Upon searching the terms “health” and “exercise” within BlackBerry App World, a number of applications appeared, encompassing various facets of the term. Exercise regimens, calorie counters, the ability to connect to friends working out, weight loss programs, statistics trackers and general healthy living practices are all options we can access via our mobile device.

When these offerings are right at our fingertips, it is hard to come up with excuses not to participate. Our health can be greatly changed by something as simple as downloading an application and following the often basic, straightforward procedure.

The smartest designed and most successful apps keep things basic and do not require too much thought. When there are just a few clicks or buttons to push, users are likely to use it; however, if the app requires several steps, people are more likely to get discouraged.

Health Txts is a text service that allows consumers to choose relevant health related messaging and have it sent to their mobile device. The service is free for three months, but must be reactivated at that time. Standard text messaging rates do apply.

FitBit is a digital device that tracks exercise activity, sleep patterns and calorie consumption and burning. The device can be synced with computers, where the data may be uploaded, viewed and shared with friends, family and coworkers. Additionally, users can collaborate and set goals with their connections. The FitBit runs at about $99 and can be purchased directly from the website.

The path to a healthier and fit lifestyle gets easier every day. And the future will only bring about more evolution in this mobile health arena.

Throughout history, we have enjoyed being entertained by media. Whether attending old opera house productions, cozying up at a drive-in theater or viewing our favorite movie at home via On Demand, we have always been good at consuming media. It should come to no surprise, then, that the internet has only fueled this common human behavior.

Certainly we have all logged into Facebook to be delighted by our friends posting new photos. Or perhaps we received an e-mail forward with a link to a hilarious YouTube video.  These are all great ways to share and experience multimedia, which in today’s digital world is an important part of having an online presence.

Video, in particular, has become somewhat of a phenomenon online. In fact, in a recent research study conducted by Metacafe, 50 percent of all respondents surveyed (ages 8-64) said they watch video online at least once a week. This statistic has increased from 43 percent in the same survey conducted last year.

And according to most, this trend is not going to change in the near future. Men are currently viewing more videos online than women; however, online video viewership for women aged 18-24 jumped 27 percent in the past year.

While the amount of content being distributed online continues to snowball, it’s safe to say that these percentages will only continue to climb as people have more to view. To date, short-form videos are the most popular videos to view. More and more people are flocking to sites like YouTube to view not only homemade silly productions, but informative pieces as well.

Among the respondents who watch online video, 75 percent said they regularly watch professionally produced short-form videos. These users also stated they believe this type of video is similar to what they would watch on TV, like commercials or a television program.

Looking at these statistics, video is undeniably an important part of being heard online for businesses. Internet users are seeking a specific benefit, whether it’s to be informed or simply entertained, and there is a significant need to consume. Whether you are building a social media presence online or perhaps building a web site, video components should definitely be an element included in any digital project.

On Wednesday, June 30, thousands of people around the world will be celebrating the transformation of media into a social dialogue. Connect with local social media enthusiasts at the official Sioux Falls Social Media Day Meetup and share your ideas, experiences and questions.

Lawrence & Schiller is hosting the Sioux Falls event at Champps Restaurant (41st & Western) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Enjoy half-price drinks and free appetizers as well.

Sign up at http://bit.ly/b8NZnF. Share the event details with others who are social media experts, casual users or those who want to learn more. Flex those social media muscles and spread the word on everything from Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn. You could even post a YouTube video showcasing your excitement. Include #smdaysf in your tweets about the event.

Conversations will focus on:

• Facebook
• Foursquare
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• YouTube and Flickr
• What’s Next

Bring your ideas, experience and questions about these social media platforms and your suspicions about what’s next in the social media world.

Before my morning stop at Starbucks or even brushing my teeth, I immediately roll over in bed and turn to my BlackBerry. I of course check any missed calls or texts, but then go straight to my email, followed by a quick Facebook overview and glimpse at Twitter.

It is a habit – one that may seem slightly ridiculous. However, it’s becoming a habit for more and more consumers. A recent report by ExactTarget sheds a little light onto the behavior of online consumers and what this means for marketers, as well as our tendencies as consumers.

Online consumers can be grouped into three different categories: subscribers, fans or followers. Subscribers opt in to emails from businesses, fans “Like” businesses on Facebook and followers do exactly that, follow businesses on Twitter.

When a consumer goes to email first, they are said to be more apt to interact with brands online, looking for offers, promotions and information on new products or services. A vast majority of online consumers are subscribers, coming in at roughly 93%.

Those who initially go to Facebook, about 38% of online consumers, are said to be more interested in entertainment or showing support of a brand, rather than obtaining promotions and deals.

Only about 5% of online consumers are followers on Twitter. These individuals are most likely to engage with brands via Twitter.

So, what does this mean for marketers? Consumers using email, Facebook and Twitter are interested in brands and companies they like. They want to see offerings, promotions and be engaged by the content provided on these services. Finding a good balance of deals, consumer interaction and brand advocacy is crucial across all social media channels.

It is wise to cross-promote your business through the different social media services, beings consumers utilize the different services for different reasons. Getting a Facebook user who has “Liked” your company to opt in to your emails could drive more sales when you offer great deals via email.

Mashable, the mecca of all things social media, has declared June 30^th Social Media Day. They figure there’s no better way to celebrate the birth of social media then to get together with fellow social media enthusiasts and well … socialize! In person! With other people!

Anyway, to help rally social media users, Mashable will be hosting meet-ups in New York and San Francisco. Don’t feel left out if you don’t live in either city, though, Mashable is encouraging communities to set up their own Social Media Day gatherings throughout the country, and even offers a handy organizing tool called Meetup.

Several cities and towns throughout the country are indeed organizing their own Social Media Day celebrations. Some communities are hosting speakers, while others are holding networking events.  You can check Meetup to see if something is already scheduled in your neck of the woods.

Social media has revolutionized the way we live. It has changed the way we communicate, share our lives, build relationships and perform our work. Love it, hate it or remain confused by it, but social media has touched every single one of us. So it’s probably appropriate (if not more than a little ironic) to celebrate it at a personal gathering with a large group of your “friends”.

May 31^st was the official “Quit Facebook Day” according to quitfacebookday.com. Facebook has been under some intense scrutiny regarding its privacy policies in the last month. According to the site, there were about 35,000 people committed to quitting, but with more than 400 million active users, Facebook had nothing to worry about with the Memorial Day attempt.

Quitfacebookday.com also says “Having peer support helps, but the way to quit Facebook is not to start a group on Facebook about leaving Facebook.” Good point. With that said, I of course went on to check Facebook and there actually is a Facebook page named “May 31: Quit Facebook Day” with over 7,000 members who “like” it. After reading the posts on it is apparent people are following this page just to monitor the movement and have no interest in cancelling their Facebook account.

The media (and several lawmakers) would like Facebook to be more transparent in their privacy practices. We surveyed participants in the L&S Research Panel to see what those locally thought of this hot topic. We found that generally people are not aware of what Facebook is actually doing with their information, and they are not concerned about it right now. It appears the lack of concern can be attributed to users feeling they are in control of what is being shared with others. Not one participant was concerned with their information being shared with marketers, which is the main criticism privacy advocates have had with Facebook. So, users are either unaware of what Facebook has been accused of sharing or are indifferent.

We found that: 

• 70% of those surveyed do not feel any differently about Facebook despite increased scrutiny of its privacy policies.
• Only one person on the L&S Research Panel has actually committed to quitting Facebook.

Participants were also asked to describe their Facebook usage. Here are some of my favorite comments…

“I use it to stay in touch with friends. I like that I have myself completely hidden from those that I don’t want to share information with. I don’t like that I have to keep checking my privacy settings.”

“I am a little obsessed with it (Facebook), admitting it is good, right? ”

“(Facebook helps me) Stay connected to friends and family. I control who sees what information.”

“(Facebook is an) easy way to communicate and receive communication in mass. I do not like a couple of technical details and I think they need to be very careful with change. (Changing Fan to Like was not a good move IMO.)”

“It’s the surest way to reach many people because they check their Facebook account more often than email.  I don’t like all the extra games and apps”

“I use Facebook to connect with friends and family that I don’t necessarily get to see that often.  I love the fact that we can connect, but don’t like all of the gaming updates and I am concerned that my information (about me and my family) could get out there for anyone to see.  If that is the case, I would delete my page.”

Anti-Facebook groups will continue to surface, but for now average users seem content with the privacy policies and continue to enjoy the company’s services.

With the soaring popularity of mobile EVERYTHING, we often recommend the use of Foursquare to our travel clients. It’s an engaging way for people to track the places they go and the things they do (or want to do).

But like many other social media avenues, Foursquare is built on a foundation of consumer, not marketer, activity and interaction. So it gets a bit fuzzy. How exactly do you encourage consumers to promote your business within a platform built by the people, for the people?

Well, there are several ways. First of all, Foursquare offers some simple things businesses can do to get in on the action. First of all, get listed as a location. Do a search for your business – if nobody has added it yet, there will be a link to add a vendor. Once you’ve created a profile for your business, you can create specials that Foursquare users can unlock based on their activities. For example, if a visitor checks in at your restaurant, they might get a free appetizer with the purchase of an entrée.

Tourism groups throughout the country are also using Foursquare as part of larger digital marketing efforts. The Pennsylvania tourism board recently rolled out a summer campaign called “The Fantastic Roadtrip-a-Matic”. The effort includes tips placed at 100 locations throughout the state, which visitors can unlock by checking in at these locations on Foursquare. Visitors can also earn Pennsylvania-themed badges based on their activities. A “PA 4 Score and 7” badge is earned by three visits to PA historical sites, for instance.

Currently the restrictions in Foursquare are minimal – anybody can enter a new vendor. There also aren’t a lot of restrictions on how organizations are designated – Pennsylvania, Chicago tourism, and other CVBs are set up as “people,” not vendors. As Foursquare grows in popularity, it will likely go the way of Facebook, where organizations now must be specifically designated as clubs, cities, pages, etc. Businesses would be wise to get in on the Foursquare action while it’s easy to do.

This weekend marks the unofficial kickoff to the summer season. Grilling, outdoor get togethers, family, friends & socialization are all components to the Memorial Day weekend festivities. I have assembled a little “how to” guide for this weekend’s holiday – social media style.

1. Google search the history of Memorial Day to learn about the origins of the holiday.
2. Read through some cooking blogs to figure out the latest trends in grilling or summer desserts, such as grillmaestro.com, getyourgrillon.net or simplyrecipes.com.
3. Wish all your Facebook friends a “Happy Memorial Day” or set up a Facebook event to celebrate the weekend with those friends.
4. Hit up the Memorial Day sales, but first make sure to print off all of those email coupons and offers.
5. Check in to the various locations you visit over the weekend via Foursquare.
6. Share some of the highlights of your weekend by posting photos or videos on your Twitter account.
7. Most importantly, take some time to disconnect, relax and really enjoy the kickoff to a great summer season!

Have a great Memorial Day!

A variety of companies — from the likes of Google and Microsoft to hospitals and doctors’ organizations — have stepped up efforts to promote electronic medical records (EMR). EMRs allow health systems, like Sanford Health, to create a single storage point for a patient’s personal health information and the elimination of redundant questions and additional paperwork.

Despite the movement to streamline the volumes of manila folders holding patient records, adoption of EMR technology is primarily dependent upon the medical professionals, namely the physician.  While doctors and medical personnel understand and value the importance and efficiency of EMRs, studies cite cost, reimbursement, and privacy issues as challenges to overcome.

“Patient Keeper“, a recently enhanced mobile application, “automates a physician’s duties such as viewing patient data from electronic records systems, ordering prescriptions or lab tests, and recording charges for services.” These are all tasks they might otherwise do manually or on another computer, so the firm’s software gives doctors the chance to do their work from virtually anywhere.

Over 23,000 clinics, including Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, IA, use the software on a variety of mobile devices such as the BlackBerry, laptops, PCs and now the iPad.

If there ever was a site that should have a mobile app, it’s TripAdvisor. Well, now they do. The enormously-popular travel ratings site boasts over 35 million comments and travel reviews. The new TripAdvisor mobile app was announced this week, and with it, users can browse reviews, find flights, get GPS directions and more via their mobile phones. So far, there are versions for iPhone and Palm Pre, and Android is coming soon.

For users without app-friendly phones, there was also a mobile site launched in March. Mobile visitors to www.tripadvisor.com are automatically re-routed to the mobile version of the site.

Now if they could just make and app that does my laundry, I would be sold. But this is a good start. Happy travel-apping!

Keeping 400 million people happy is no easy feat. Mark Zuckerberg, the mastermind behind Facebook, can certainly attest to that. Zuckerberg has to brace himself for a great deal of heat after each and every little tweak made to the site.

Facebook is an ever-evolving social platform that has an unbelievably strong and widespread user base. However, each time something is added, changed or moved around, an almost inevitable - and usually ridiculous - outcry immediately ensues.

This go around, the issues are regarding privacy. I have personally observed several status updates in regards to deleting accounts or being upset over these issues. But, in all actuality and rational mindedness, we need to take a step back and look at what we opted in to and have been putting out there.

Facebook is a FREE social networking utility, one where you post information to be shared with your peers and connections. Users need to be aware that what they post is certainly not private, nor should they have posted it if they intended it to be.

A large portion of the privacy issues relate to businesses marketing to users based on their conversations, interests and discussions. I feel this is brilliant and love having this personalized messaging based on what I do and say. It really is no different than Amazon suggesting books related to past purchases.

Technology, including social media, is all about evolution and change. Being a part of it involves embracing and yearning for new offerings and services. The progression I have seen on Facebook in my five or so years with the service has been smart, strategic, innovative and user-focused.

I eagerly anticipate what is to come with the platform and hope that at least a few more of the over 400 million users do as well.

Have you ever woken in the night just to hop on Facebook and see the latest happenings? Canceled a lunch date with a friend via Facebook wall? Experienced anxiety from the temporary inability to check your Facebook? Had a feeling of euphoria after seeing that you have 7 new friend requests, 3 event invitations, 4 likes on your new display pic and 5 wall posts?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you have Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) – a newly recognized disorder by psychologists. FAD stems from Internet Addiction Disorders and is the most common in the family of disorders.

Classified as a mental health disorder involving feelings of withdrawal, emotional disturbances, and interference of daily life, FAD is a more serious condition than we actually realize.  This new disorder can be somewhat debilitating and can really take a toll on a person’s social life. Many people have replaced good old fashioned face-to-face communication and interaction with virtual social networking.

I cannot deny the sheer popularity, multi-functionality and enjoyment that social platforms such as Facebook offer. However, finding that healthy balance of real, human interaction with virtual communication is vastly important. Social media is current and going to be a significant part of our future, so it must be embraced, just not excessively. As they say, everything in moderation.

And as ironic as it may sound, as I wrote this post, I had 2 Facebook notifications on my BlackBerry. Which leads into another topic of discussion and addiction disorder – BAD. I will save that for another day, as I have some social networking to catch up on…

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder

Two interesting articles came across my screen today – both pointing to the hold that mobile communication has on our daily lives. However, annoying as the constant interruptions may be, it appears that we are willing to engage in digital communications, 24-7-365.

The first Advertising Age article reported the surprising findings from a recent Retrevo Gadgetology report. The report asked consumers “Would you answer a text when you’re “on the john”? Some 22% of online under-25-year-olds agreed they “could be interrupted.” Would you answer a text during sex? If you’re younger than 25, one in 10 of you would.  It’s a fascinating article about the control we allow our digital gadgets, and conversations, to have on our lives and relationships.

Ironically, while we may think that it’s the “younger generation” that is much more relaxed about the interruptions, a recent study by the Pew Research Center cites that teen cell phone owners are more likely than parent owners to get irritated when a call or text interrupts them. Nearly half of teen cell owners (48%) agree with that statement compared with 38% of their parents.

So with all these opinions, is mobile communication an erosion of common sense etiquette or just a natural extension of the conversations we have each day?  Its an interesting debate, but no matter what the outcome . . . its good to remember that you control your cell phone, not the other way around.

In the ever evolving realm of social media platforms, Google has just launched the latest utility – Google Buzz. This new platform has ease of use and convenience in mind, not to mention the extensive following and familiarity Google already possesses.

Similar to Facebook and Twitter, Buzz is a platform where friends can connect, share thoughts, photos, videos, chat and link accounts with other social media sites. But there are a few distinct characteristics that set Buzz apart from the rest. One being that Buzz is built directly into Gmail, giving it approximately 150 million immediate users from day one. This gives users a social media component in addition to full service email in one convenient stop.

Another delineating characteristic is Buzz’s slightly more advanced and selective privacy features. Users can switch from a public conversation thread to a private chat via Google Talk in Gmail. Furthermore, lists can be created that allow users to control which friends see certain content, while blocking others from that specific buzz. Users also have the option of making their Buzz public or just for friends.

After investigating my own Buzz, I found the convenience of the instant connections and only one login for Gmail and Buzz to be a nice component. I have not witnessed much activity yet, but I am sure that will soon change as users start to learn of this new utility and its many features.

Google’s omnipotent power and presence in the search engine and email markets will only add to the growth that Buzz may potentially see. As we all know, social media is advancing and gaining momentum daily. Keep your ears open as the “Buzz” is sure to spread.

Just the facts – A great post from our often quoted friends at the Center for Media Research, facts you can use during your reports, speeches and water-cooler arguments during 2010.  Ah, we love stats.

Mobile Phones

• U.S. mobile phone users 13+: 223M
• Number of mobile Web users: 60.7M (up 33% from 2008)
• Percentage of mobile devices that are smartphones: 18% (up from 13% in 2008)
• Percentage of mobile device owners that streamed audio: 8%
• Percentage of mobile device owners that viewed video via their mobile phone: 7%
• Percentage of mobile devices sold in Q3 2009 that were smartphones: 25% (estimated 40%-50 in 2010)

Source: The Nielsen Company, November 2009

Looking Ahead To Mid-2011

• Estimated smartphone user base: 150M
• Estimated mobile subscribers: 300M+
• Estimated users of mobile web: 120M
• Estimated users watching mobile video: 90M

Source: The Nielsen Company, November 2009

Growth of cellphone only homes in the U.S.

• 2009… 21%
• 2008… 18%
• 2007… 15%

Top 5 Smartphones (% Ownership)

• Blackberry 8300 Curve: 17%
• Apple iPhone 3G: 15%
• Apple iPhone 3G S: 12%
• Blackberry 9530 Storm: 6%
• Blackberry 8100 Pearl: 5%

Source: The Nielsen Company, November 2009

Top 5 Mobile Web Sites

• Google Search
• Yahoo! Mail
• Gmail
• Weather Channel
• Facebook

Top Social Networks on Mobile Phones

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter

Top 5 Mobile Video Channels

• YouTube
• Fox Interactive Media
• Weather Channel
• Comedy Central
• CBS

Internet

• 195M Active U.S. Internet users
• 160.3M People who accessed the Internet via a broadband connection: (93.3%… up 16% from 2008)
• 138.4M Unique viewers of video (up 11.4% from 2008)
• 11.2B Total online video streams viewed monthly (up 17% from 2008)
• 200.1 minutes Average time spent viewing online video per viewer monthly (up 12.5% from 2008)

Social Networking

• Facebook reaches 56% of the active U.S. Internet universe with an average usage of 6 hrs a month per user
• Facebook is the #3 site visited by users 65 and older
• Twitter grew 500% year-over-year
• Time spent on social networking sites in the U.S. increased 277%
• The average U.S. worker spends 5 hrs a month visiting social networks at the office
• 32% of all mobile web users visited a social network