Steve Rubel, stalwart A List Blogger, explains how he is winding down his blog in favour of “micro blogging” – using Twitter and the like. Is this a trend? Is it the end for the blog as we know it?

Technorati Tags: blogs

How do you measure influence on the web? The number and quality of links was the traditional way, but now David Brain, ceo of Edelman Europe is trying to develop a more comprehensive model which tracks influence across large numbers of social networks.

Technorati Tags: metrics, rankings, social media

Social networks will define media consumption in the future – or so says Dan Scheinman, senior vice president of Cisco Systems’ Media Solutions Group. Though it may sound like an activity relegated to high school and college kids, social networking is going to be the avenue for marketers and media companies to reach consumers and enterprise customers alike, Scheinman said.

Technorati Tags: predictions, social media

Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff has some sensible advice for those developing software or delivering internet based content – stop calling your customers “users”.

Try, just for a day, to stop using this word. You’ll be amazed at how differently you think about the world. Web users become people looking for information.
Application users become employees trying to get stuff done. Users of your Web site become customers….User-generated media becomes amateur media.

Technorati Tags: online

Robert Scoble is comparing Facebook to blogs and concluding that Facebook has something extra… The key? True two way interaction, in his view.

Technorati Tags: blogs, social media

Emap has acquired Torcello Publishing, which publishes the online-only Infrastructure Journal, for GBP 20 ($40) million as it looks to ramp up its portfolio of construction titles. That portfolio already includes such exciting names as Construction News, Ground Engineering and New Civil Engineer. Infrastructure Journal ceased trading in print some years ago.

Technorati Tags: b2b, magazines, online

Facebook will do over $100m in revenue this year and “is not interested in selling” according to a PaidContent piece.

Technorati Tags: social media

Reuters CEO Tom Glocer is blogging from inside the prestigious Allen & Co Sun Valley Conference in Idaho. Nothing too remarkable in the posts, but more remarkable in who’s posting. Incidentally it looks to me that Glocer has chosen to blog on Community Server, the same platform we are using on FlightGlobal and FWI to host our forums. I like the “Roller” function. You can also see pictures of Glocer with all sorts of famous people – The Queen, Vladamir Putin, Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela and Ehud Ulmert, the Israeli prime minister.

Technorati Tags: blogs, media

Charlene Li of Forrester has an interesting post on the effective use of YouTube as a marketing vehicle. It’s very powerful, but there are a few tips:
1. it’s got to be funny
2. it’s got to be authentic
3. it’s got to be original
4. it’s got to connect with the product.

Can our marketing people do this, I ask myself?

Technorati Tags: marketing, video

Robert Scoble has some thoughts about the changing balance of power between the contributors and the medium. Why can’t he charge for access to his Facebook friends list, he asks? Good question.

Technorati Tags: advertising, social media