Our final news round-up of the year saw more 2010 trends take
centre-stage. Google's search getting more mobile and personal (long
awaited, and sure to shift the market), and the paid for consumer
content movement continued to push forwards (sure to trundle forwards,
though with far less likelihood of success).
Government policy made headlines with a storm around the Digital Economy
Bill and the 50p broadband tax that got the green light in the UK's
pre-budget report. Linked to this is the way regulators will play a much
bigger role in 2010 - the first spotlight will be on the MS/Yahoo tie-up
and the second on privacy. Facebook's lead on safety (giving kids a
special "panic" button) is a shrewd move in delivering what's needed,
and here in the UK we've been helping the Information Commissioner's
Office develop the thinking around what's needed for the hundreds of
thousands of small firms now routinely using personal data.
You'll find lots more ideas to fuel your strategy in the news, research
and data we've written up below. Click on the links for 50 full stories,
forward around to colleagues, and let me know if you need more of the
background as you develop your own 2010 digital strategy.
Best from all @ Digital
Danny Meadows-Klue
Founder and Chief Executive
Digital Strategy Consulting
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Data and statistics
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
Here are the latest stats and figures from the
past month.
Largest UK
internet sites
Sites ranked by visits for the week ending 5th
December 2009
Top 10 overall search terms: UK
Search terms ranked by clicks for the weeks ending 5th December 2009
Worldwide internet audience - Time
spent
Time per person for top 10 parent companies, Worldwide, October 2009
Worldwide internet audience
Global audience reach for top 10 parent companies, October 2009
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Trends
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
50p broadband tax gets green light in pre-budget report
The government's controversial broadband tax
has been given the go ahead by chancellor Alistair Darling in his
pre-Budget report. The £6-a-year levy will be imposed on all
households with a fixed line phone. The money made will be put into a
fund to ensure rural areas of the UK do not miss out on super-fast
broadband services.
Keep reading...
11/12/2009
Government plans to put all public services online by 2014
Nearly 100% of government transactions will be
carried out online by 2014, saving £400m in three years, according to
a new report. The Putting the Frontline First report outlines how the
government expects to free-up money for public services by
streamlining back-office processes.
The government hopes that putting all services online will lead to
better services and free-up staff to deal personally with individuals.
Keep reading...
09/12/2009
Web
giants unite to fight Government's Internet copyright plans
Internet giants Google, Facebook, eBay UK and
Yahoo have joined forces to fight one of the measures in the
Government's proposed Digital Economy Bill. In a joint letter to
business secretary Lord Mandelson, Google, Yahoo!, Facebook and eBay
have expressed "grave concerns" about plans in the Digital Economy
Bill to give ministers powers to amend copyright law without primary
legislation.
Keep reading...
03/12/2009
Broadband tax 'could treble for homes with multiple lines'
The new 'broadband tax' will be applied to each
phone line rather than per person, leaving nearly two million
households paying up three times the £6 announced by the government,
according to a new report. A document, leaked to the Conservatives and
reported in The Times, shows the Treasury stands to gain a
further £30 million annual windfall by applying VAT to create a tax
upon a tax. Plans by Revenue & Customs show that ministers will apply
the tax to each phone line rather than per customer - affecting more
than 1.7 million homes with more than one phone line - and will also
add VAT to the cost.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
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Social networking
www.digitaltrainingacademy.com/socialmedia |
Google links with Twitter, MySpace and Facebook for real-time search
Google has unveiled its much anticipated
real-time search service, the result of a series of partnership deals
struck with leading social networks Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
Amit Singhal, Google fellow, introduced the real-time section during
an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
"We are here today to announce Google real-time search," Singhal
said, describing it as: "Google relevance technology meets the
real-time web".
Keep reading...
09/12/2009
YouTube to start charging for ad-free shows?
Google is in talks with US TV networks to
charge viewers for streaming ad-free shows on YouTube, according to
reports. Technology website All Things Digital reports that that
"preliminary discussions" are taking place in the US between Google,
which owns YouTube, and some of the major television networks. The
move would see viewers charged around $1.99 to watch episodes of their
favourite shows online, without any adverts, the day after they were
first broadcast on TV.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
Facebook forms safety board, gives children 'panic' button
Facebook and other networking sites are to
install panic buttons enabling children to alert administrators if
'inappropriate' material is posted. The Sunday Times reports that 140
companies, charities and other groups have signed up to the code and
that Home Secretary Alan Johnson is set to announce the new scheme
today (Tuesday). The initiative also includes the obligation for sites
to provide 'safe search' facilities, allowing parents to restrict
access to offensive pages. The government will also launch a national
advertising campaign aimed at parents, teachers and kids.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
Facebook use smashes social media records
This week the audience of socnet giant Facebook
broke the 350m user barrier, setting new records for social networking
both globally and here in the UK. The national numbers see Facebook's
audience rise to a staggering 23m uniques a month, but the
jaw-dropping statistics are in the frequency of use. Half of all
British Facebook users return daily, confirming the platform's
position as the most engaging social media player.
Keep reading...
07/12/2009
MySpace takes on Spotify with music streaming site
MySpace has launched a UK version of MySpace
Music in a bid to compete directly with streaming sites like Spotify
and Last Fm. The service, already available in the US, Australia and
New Zealand, claims it has "the most comprehensive catalogue" on the
internet, and will allow users to buy DRM free downloads via a
partnership with iTunes. It will offer free streaming access to entire
back catalogues of artists on both major and independent labels.
Keep reading...
04/12/2009
Yahoo plugs email and Flickr into Facebook
Yahoo will let users of its email,
photo-sharing and other online products link their content and
activities directly into Facebook.
Yahoo's support of the Facebook Connect service, which it said it
expects to begin in the first half of 2010, represents an important
move in Yahoo's efforts to tap the popularity of social networking and
underscores the growing clout of Facebook, which now counts more than
350 million worldwide users.
Keep reading...
03/12/2009
It's official: Twitter to launch commercial accounts next year
Twitter has confirmed it will be rolling out
paid-for business accounts next year, as the micro-blogging service
looks for new ways to monetise its service. The paid-for commercial
accounts would offer extra services to help companies tweeting to
understand how the service is working for them, providing analytics,
statistics and feedback. The plans were revealed by twitter co-founder
Biz Stone in an interview with the BBC. Stone stressed that the micro-blogging
service would remain free at a fundamental level, on both personal and
commercial fronts.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
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Advertising
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
Digital advertising spending: UK
Paid for search dominates with two-thirds of the digital advertising
spend during the first half of 2009
Online advertising spending: UK
Online advertising overtakes TV for the first time during the first
half of 2009
Microsoft cements Yahoo search ad deal - but still awaits regulator
approval
Microsoft and Yahoo have finalized the terms of
a broad search and advertising agreement intended to help them compete
more effectively with Google. The deal was first announced in July,
letting Microsoft's new Bing search engine to power Yahoo's search
results. In return, Yahoo will provide premium search-advertising
services for both companies. They had hoped to finalize the deal in
late October but needed more time to work out the details.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
Yahoo puts users in control of ads they see
Yahoo has just launched its Ad Interest Manager
designed to make online advertising more transparent. The opt-in
service gathers information based on searching habits to provide
relevant advertisements to the user. The Ad Interest Manager site lets
the user see a summary of their online activity on Yahoo's content
network. They can then determine their level of exposure to
interest-based ad served by the Yahoo Ad Network.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
Google teams up with TiVo for TV ad data
Google has teamed up with TiVo in the US, in a
bid to capitalise on TV ads. TiVo will provide Google TV Ads with
second-by-second viewing patterns of time-shifted programs in order to
"enhance the measurement and accountability of ad impressions," the
companies said in a joint statement. Google TV Ads is a 2-year-old
initiative from the Internet search giant for auctioning off
television ad inventory on a CPM basis, charging advertisers only for
the ad impressions viewed.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
Google buys ad targeting firm Teracent
Google has bought ad targeting software firm
Teracent for an undisclosed sum. The move will give the search giant
software that will help its display ads better target web users.
Teracent's software selects elements of ads, such as images and
colours, that can be optimized for users based on criteria such as
geographic location and language. Teracent was founded in 2006, and is
based in California.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
New
metric unites print and online under one currency
The Newspaper Society has launched Locally
Connected, which it claims to be the UK's first integrated print and
online audience currency. In the first research released using the new
metric, the trade body has revealed that local media websites increase
the unduplicated reach of regional and local newspapers within their
circulation areas by 14%, particularly among upmarket and core middle
age groups.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
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Accelerating Digital Brands: Could we help your team achieve more?
www.DigitalTrainingAcademy.com/skillsassessment |
It's never mattered more. The web, search,
email and social media have become the critical tools every firm has
to get right. Yet most digital strategies deliver less than half their
potential. Why?
We've spent ten years helping agencies, brands, business services and
governments find the right digital strategy for them. From building
new online entertainment sites to finding new ways to connect with
customers, we're front-line practitioners who share our knowledge and
skills with others.
Not only do we help companies get this right we also coach their teams
to build their knowledge and intuition.
Let us help you make 2010 the year digital strategy becomes the
strategy.
Find out how we can support you:
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Ecommerce and online
retailing
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
Top 10 retail search terms: UK
Search terms ranked by clicks for the 4 weeks ending 5th December 2009
Top 20 retail sites: UK
Search terms ranked by visits for the week ending 5th December 2009
Apple's Lala buy to pave way for iTunes subscription service?
Apple has bought US-based online music store
Lala for an undisclosed sum, fuelling rumours the company could be
adding subscription-based music services via iTunes. The New York
Times confirmed the purchase last Friday, citing a person with
knowledge of the deal. Lala lets users listen to a catalogue of around
8 million songs for free through the Web. According to Lala's site,
users can pay 10 cents for unlimited plays of a song; they can also
download an MP3 version for 89 cents.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
Police shut down over 1,200 illegal shopping sites in UK
More than 1,200 illegal internet shopping
websites that have made millions of pounds for criminals have been
shut down by Scotland Yard in the biggest operation of its kind in
Britain.
The sites claimed to sell heavily discounted designer goods, including
Ugg Australia Boots, ghd hair straighteners and jewellery from Tiffany
& Co and Links of London. Buyers either received counterfeit products
or nothing at all. It is also likely that their credit card details
have been used to fund other illegal activity. It is estimated that
British shoppers have spent millions on the sites but police are
convinced that by shutting them down consumers have been saved
millions more.
Keep reading...
07/12/2009
Johnston Press starts charging for online content
Johnston Press has become one of the first
regional UK publishers to start charging for its online content.
Johnston Press owns more than 300 local newspapers including the
Yorkshire Post and 'The Scotsman'. The move will see the publisher put
content from six of its titles behind 'paywalls'. From yesterday,
readers of three Johnston titles, the Northumberland Gazette, the
Whitby Gazette and the Southern Reporter, will pay £5 (€5.40) for a
three-month online subscription.
Keep reading...
02/12/2009
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Country focus: US
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
Top
10 US search providers
Two-thirds of all searches by searches by Americans are carried out
using out using Google, October 2009
US Internet audience - Time
spent
Time per person for top 10 parent companies, US, October 2009
US internet audience - Audience
reach
US internet audience reach for top 10 parent companies, October 2009
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Mobile
www.DigitalTrainingAcademy.com/mobilemarketing |
Google uses phone pics to conduct searches
Google has begun testing a new search product
called 'Goggles', which lets users scour the Internet with mobile
telephone cameras or spoken words in multiple languages. The service
uses online using pictures taken with cameras in mobile phones based
on its Android operating system.
"When you take a mobile phone camera and connect it to the Internet,
it becomes an eye," Google mobile search vice president of engineering
Vic Gundotra said while demonstrating Goggles in Mountain View,
California.
Keep reading...
09/12/2009
Vodafone tests priority network access for 'premium' subscribers
Vodafone is testing a new system that lets
business customers pay a premium for priority access to the network
during peak times. The technology, which was launched in Spain last
week, means that business customers can choose to pay a data tariff of
€49 (£44) a month to ensure enhanced access. Businesses are becoming
increasingly reliant on mobile phone applications beyond traditional
e-mail data services, but, as the number of smartphones has increased,
mobile networks have struggled to cope with thousands of customers
using iPhones to watch videos and other bandwidth-heavy applications.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
Google to debut first phone handset in 2010 - report
Google is planning to release its first mobile
device next year, according to a new report. Times Online reports that
an analyst is predicting in 2010, Google will launch their own
smartphone, running a new version of Android. The report says the
device will feature a larger-than-usual touch screen and a speedy
Qualcomm processor that trumps the one powering the iPhone 3GS. The
gadget will likely run the as-yet-unseen "Flan" version of Google's
Android operating system and support Google Voice, the phone
management service Google offers free that lets users ring their home,
work and mobile numbers through a special Google number.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
Tesco Mobile to sell iPhone
Tesco Mobile is to start selling iPhone 3G and
iPhone 3GS in Tesco Phone Shops and online through Tesco Direct in the
UK. The move is made possible through its joint venture partnership
with O2. The company sells exclusively Tesco Mobile branded services
in Tesco stores, online and through Tesco Direct, across the UK using
O2's technology and network.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
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Broadcasting
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
Top 10 entertainment websites: UK
Sites ranked by visits for the week ending 5th December 2009
Channel Five signs on demand deal with YouTube
Five has become the second broadcaster to sign
a deal with YouTube to show its programmes on the video sharing
website. The three-year deal follows a similar link up between YouTube
and Channel 4 last month. The move will see full versions of popular
shows from Five available on YouTube for up to 30 days after they are
broadcast, providing an alternative viewing method to Five's current
on demand service.
Keep reading...
07/12/2009
Sony outlines plans for all-in-one online media network
Sony's chief executive, Howard Stringer, has
unveiled the technology giant's plans for an all-in-one online network
that pipes Sony's films, music, games and other content to its TVs,
Walkmans and PlayStation game machines. In an interview with reporters
this week, Stringer said the project, known as the Sony Online
Service, which will combine the company's digital content and
hardware. The company, based in Tokyo, expects to book its second
consecutive annual loss in the fiscal year that ends in March, after
losing 98.9 billion yen, or $1.12 billion at the current exchange
rate, last year.
Keep reading...
04/12/2009
BBC
may be forced to cut websites
The BBC Trust has said that the corporation's
online operation could be scaled back in the future following recent
criticism from industry stakeholders. The BBC was also ordered by its
internal regulator to rein in the activities of BBC Worldwide, its
commercial arm, after competitors complained that the corporation's
huge financial muscle was giving it an unfair advantage. The Trust has
also published an ongoing strategic review document for the entire BBC
operation.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
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Companies making the news
www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence |
Google CEO faces privacy backlash after talk show comments
Google CEO Eric Schmidt is facing a backlash
from privacy advocates following comments made during a TV interview
last week. When asked during an interview for CNBC's recent "Inside
the Mind of Google" special about whether users should be sharing
information with Google as if it were a "trusted friend," Schmidt
responded, "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know,
maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
Keep reading...
14/12/2009
AOL and Time Warner finally split after 10 years
AOL and Time Warner have formally split after
almost 10 years as one company. The companies merged back in 2001, in
what was dubbed the "deal of the century" at the time.
However, AOL soon started loosing market share as it was slow to react
to the shift from dial-up to broadband internet access. In 2002, AOL
had 26 million dial-up customers, now it has 5.4 million. However, it
still earns 43% of its revenue from these die-hard subscribers and
runs several successful media sites including tech blog Engadget. On
Thursday, investors will get their chance to rate AOL's prospects when
the shares start live trading. The occasion will be marked by AOL's
chief executive, Tim Armstrong, who will ring the opening bell at the
New York Stock Exchange.
Keep reading...
11/12/2009
Google expands personalised search to non-account holders
Google' has begun tracking the search behaviour
of all its users to offer more refined results and targeted ads,
expanding the service beyond those with a Google account. The move
will see Google using a cookie placed on users' machines to track
their search behaviour and offer personalised recommendations, even
when they are not logged into a Google account.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
News Corp joins US 'digital newsstand'
News Corp. is joining a new, independent
digital publishing consortium in the US, according to a news report.
The Financial Times reports that the consortium - which also involves
Time Warner's Time Inc., Conde Nast, Hearst Corp. and Meredith - could
be announced this week. The paper reported that the five US publishing
giants are set to this week target the e-reader market 'to wrestle
control of its digital future' from the market leaders Amazon, Apple
and Sony.
Keep reading...
08/12/2009
Google limits free news access to 5 a day
Google is to limit the number of news articles
users can read for free via its search engine. The search engine is
changing its 'First Click Free' programme so that readers would not be
able to look at more than five pages in one day. The programme lets
readers get around paying subscriptions or registration to news sites
by accessing news articles through Google.
Keep reading...
02/12/2009
Adconion buys video assets from Joost
Online advertising network Adconion Media Group
has acquired certain assets from the online video service Joost, for
an undisclosed sum. In June, Joost announced a change in its business
strategy to focus on providing white-label video platforms, and
Adconion plans to pursue this strategy.
Tyler Moebius, CEO, Adconion Media Group, said: "Through the
acquisition of the Joost assets we will be able to provide
advertisers, content owners and website publishers with an end-to-end
global video platform and cross-channel video and display ad-serving
solution."
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
Google reveals top UK search trends of 2009
Google has revealed the UK's top search trends
in 2009, with Swine Flu, the death of Jade Goody and the popularity of
Susan Boyle topping the list. Google's annual "zeitgeist", which
analyses the firm's search trends, revealed that top website searches
included Hotmail, eBay, Yahoo and social network Bebo. The fastest
rising search queries of the year included the BBC's iPlayer and Bing.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
US
magazine publishers unite for 'digital newsstand'
Four top US publishers, Time, Conde Nast,
Meredith and Hearst, are to launch a digital newsstand company for
publications in a variety of digital formats, according to a report.
Hailed as an 'iTunes for magazines,' the new company and service will
have the four rival publishers as equity partners. The New York Times
quotes an anonymous source familiar with the deal, which admits that
the publishers are eager to get more control over digital readership
while print circulation continues to go down.
Keep reading...
01/12/2009
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