December 2012

Judge Cred: Will Google Authorship Help Writers?

blogging

‘Content is king’ as the old maxim goes and whilst there’s still an infinite amount of truth in that statement, the intriguing sub-plot that developed over the past decade or so could perhaps be framed as ‘visibility is a close second’.

Many a beautifully scripted site bearing gifts of great content has got lost in the vast, cacophonous sea of information that is the internet.

From early paid link schemes, through unnatural links to the frowned-upon ‘carpet-bombing’ practises of Link Farms, there’s been an ongoing search for new and improved ways to optimise website rankings.

The algorithms used in search engines have long been the subject of much keen analysis (and equally keen tinkering with a view to manipulating) but the latest phase in online behemoth, Google’s development intends to restore some much-needed transparency and trust to the SEO process with Google+ Authorship Markup.

// more

27 December 2012 by Nichola Stott

2012: The Year Video took a Giant Leap

felix jump

2012 has been an exceptional year for web video, with Psy's taking the world by storm and Felix Baumgartner's huge leap from space.

With record-breaking numbers of viewers watching content online, video has also played a massive part in the growth of companies globally.

Just take a look at YouTube's statistics to see how mind boggling the 'video revolution' has become, for example: 500 years of YouTube videos are watched every day on Facebook. Crazy!

We've pulled together a few interesting statistics from the past 12 months to sum up how web video has also been impacting on businesses.

// more

21 December 2012 by Colleen Thomas

Geeks on a Plane: Investment with a Twist

GOAP

Dave McClure exports the experts.

His brainchild, Geeks On A Plane arranges to ship VCs and experienced entrepreneurs and journalists to far flung places in order to research and invest in foreign startups. 

This month, they came south to New Zealand and I met the team at a speed pitching competition hosted by the Icehouse Incubator.

// more

20 December 2012 by Chinwag Team

Instagram Faceplants, Flickr Back From Dead

Instagram's Head in Your Hands Moment

What a bizarre couple of weeks for the image conscious, or at least the photographically-minded, first Instagram severs it's close ties with Twitter, then ratchets up user anger with a dramatic changes in its terms, enabling it to sell users' photos.

Meanwhile, over at Flickr, the once beloved haunt of pictures the product development wheels have cranked into high gear with numerous updates including a well-received and surprisingly snazzy mobile app.

// more

18 December 2012 by Sam Michel

Chinwag and SXSW Join Forces and Announce "Doing Business in the USA" Conference

masterclass

We're very excited to announce our latest event in the USA, working with our friends at the amazing SXSW Interactive festival, we're announcing a one-day masterclass, "Doing Business in the USA", designed for international digital firms expanding into the US taking place on Fri 8th March 2013 in Austin, Texas.

Backed by SXSW and building on Chinwag's experience within the Digital Mission series, helping UK firms expand internationally this official SXSW event provides the essential guide for Founders, CEOs and C-level executives planning to enter or expand their business in North America.

// more

18 December 2012 by Francesca Heath

Shop on the Hop: Mobile Commerce To Boom in 2013

asos

Consumer confidence in mobile shopping is at an all-time high, with the majority of shoppers planning to buy Christmas gifts on their phones - 73% of whom have not done so before. Is this global phenomenon here to stay and what are the opportunities for forward-thinking advertisers?

As well as consumer trust in mobile shopping growing, around one in three customers are planning on spending over half of their festive budget via mobile, avoiding the traditional Christmas crush in favour of shopping on their own terms.

// more

13 December 2012 by Dr KF Lai

One Flew the Cuckoo's Nest: Instagram Ends Integration with Twitter

twitter instagram

In the latest social media battle, Instagram has switched off their integration with 'Twitter Cards', the app used to display multimedia within tweets - meaning we're no longer treated to twitterfeeds enhanced by beautiful photography (albeit mostly of cats and food).

So why the move back to 140 characters, a link and strangely cropped images? Speaking at Le Web '12 last week, Kevin Systrom, Instagram's founder and CEO, said the decision was "an evolution of where we want links to our content to go."

// more

10 December 2012 by Lauren Cotton

Fanboys Ahoy! The Man Who Put the 'i' in iMac, iPhone, iYouNameIt [video]

New Mac by Stefan Yasin

"Snow is falling all around me.
Children playing having fun.
Trains are cancelled. Shops are heaving.
It's the season of MacBooks and shiny iPads. 
Merry Christmas everyone."

I'm in a musical mood, so sue me ;-) And those Applistas everywhere are struggling to resist the urge to splurge on a shiny new metallic toys from the wizards in Cupertino.

But, I hear you cry, who put the "i" in iMac, iPhone, iPad? And did you know that Steve Jobs hated the name originally? And had an alternative...

Ken Segall (@ksegall), the ad-man Apple turned to, talks about his naming fame and his book, Insanely Simple about the principles that guides the company and makes it stand out from its competitors, in this video from Thinking Digital 2012.

// more

6 December 2012 by Sam Michel

Rapid Response: Optimising the Customer Journey

stopwatch

It’s complex. It’s personal. It’s the modern customer journey. 

We’ve taken huge steps forward in understanding how ‘they’ interact with ‘us’, and a few things are clear:

  • The journey is complex
  • It involves multiple touch points
  • It is driven by unique influences and behaviour
  • To engage, we must get personal

// more

4 December 2012 by Tony Lawes

Digital Mission to New York, Feb 2013 - First Group of Companies Announced

We recently announced the exciting news that the Digital Mission will be returning with its fourth expedition to New York next Spring, from 18th - 22nd February 2013. The trip is coinciding with Social Media Week New York in order to allow companies to explore the 150+ events, covering extensive topics along the vein of social media throughout the week.

We are very thrilled to announce that the first set of companies have been chosen for the mission and are all set to venture out to NYC in Feb. See below for information on the companies as well as their contact details in case you want to get in touch prior to the trip.

// more

3 December 2012 by Francesca Heath