According to the latest release of Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), the first Android platform statistics for 2014 by Android Developers, Android version 4.1 to 4.3 Jelly Bean has acquired the maximum share which is 59.1 percent of the total Android market share. Whereas the newly launched Android version 4.4 KitKat has also garnered good strength in the market with 1.4 percent of the over all share. While the older versions like 2.3.3 and 2.3.7 Gingerbread and 4.0 Icecream Sandwich are losing their market share substantially, which is just 21.2 and 16.9 percent respectively. Based on a new study of the Android market share, the distribution of shares for different Android versions can be seen here.
If we check the records from 2nd Dec 2013, Gingerbread and Icecream Sandwich both suffered a substantial loss in their market shares by 2.9 and 1.7 percent respectively. Froyo also marked a decrement in its share by 0.3 percent. Loss in these previous versions does not only affect the Jelly Bean shares but Kitkat also fetched some of the shares. Whereas, Honeycomb remained unchanged with 0.1 percent of the overall market share. A previous study of Android Market Share by Wikipedia shows:-
After the launch of Jelly Bean in late 2012, many Smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, HTC etc. opted for the Jelly Bean installed devices. And those devices which were upgradable joined the league of Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean is able to acquire such a large market share because of the abundant availability of such devices in the market. Local vendors like Micromax, Huawei, ZTE, Karbonn etc are playing a vital role for the Android market share by decreasing the average selling price and offering devices with latest versions of Android at prices which are much less than the other global vendors.
Starting Q3 2012 and up to Q4 2013 the number of Android Smartphones sold in the market were powered by the Jelly Bean Android version. Looking at the current scenario, it is quite evident that Jelly Bean is the dominant platform when it comes to Android versions. Jelly Bean is largely responsible for taking Android Smartphones far ahead of the other Smartphones which ran on different Operating Systems like iOS, Windows etc.
Focusing on the newly launched Android version KitKat, with the sleekness and simplistic usage that this version offers, it is highly likely that Kitkat will be skewing the shares of Jelly Bean and will also maintain a strong hold over other mobile operating systems, even in the near future.
This year’s edition of the annual Consumer Electronics Show aka CES 2014 has just ended and like all the preceding editions prior to this one, a lot of companies have showcased new products and services that have amazed everyone. While this highly acclaimed and renowned electronics and technology trade show isn’t open to the general public, it certainly provides companies with a platform and an opportunity to test the waters for their new and upcoming products. As a matter of fact, many of the products that have been displayed at the CES may not even make it to the assembly line in a real world consumer market. They are concepts of what future products could turn out to be.
An area of prime focus for many companies at this year’s CES was wearables, or more simply – wearable gadgets. When you consider a person using hearing-aids you’ll realise that the basic concept of wearable gadgets has been around for quite a while now but surprisingly this segment of the rapidly developing technology sphere is one which hasn’t seen any remarkable development. So much so, that about 5-6 years ago this was a virtually non – existent segment. But now the winds of change are blowing and we can see that more companies are foraying into the unchartered territory of wearables. Although this segment is still in its nascent stage right now, one thing is certain that there will be a lot of action over here in the years to come.
The big story at the CES 2014 has been the huge number of announcements made by both technology biggies and many new comers in the wearables segment. It is interesting to note that due to the infancy of this segment, there are no established players, no market leaders, no trend setters and no set standards of performance as of now. The field is spilt wide open, it’s anybody’s game and anyone can come forward and take charge.
A look at the major announcements with respect to wearables at the CES 2014:
Watches:
Casio STB-1000:
The latest offering from Casio looks very much like a Casio G-Shock but is quite different from one. The STB-1000 is a watch from Casio that can be paired with your Smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 and can be used to monitor certain fitness apps and also display notifications.
ZTE BlueWatch:
Chinese telecom giant ZTE showcased the BlueWatch this year. It’s got a monochrome LCD screen that isn’t touch sensitive. The BlueWatch uses Bluetooth 4.0 to connect with any Android Smartphone (iOS connectivity isn’t available yet) and can display notifications. It also displays weather, can be used to control music, has a find-your-phone app and acts as a fitness tracker. There is an option to operate a paired Smartphone’s camera through this smartwatch.
Pebble Steel:
The Pebble Steel isn’t radically different from its predecessor the Pebble. It has retained all the strengths of last year’s model but now comes with better finish and improved build quality. A new LED light on the bottom left corner of the watch lights up whenever the Pebble Steel is being charged. I think this is a good addition. It is available in two colour options – Brushed Stainless and Black Matte. Pebble has thrown in a leather strap in the box as well so that users can switch between steel and leather. It also has a brand new antenna around its steel body to help improve Bluetooth connectivity. There are partner apps from ESPN, Pandora, Yelp and Mercedes Benz, etc. The Mercedes Benz app synchronises with new generation Mercedes Benz cars and displays information such as tire pressure, service schedule and can also be used to control certain in-car features.
MetaWatch Meta:
MetaWatch roped in former Vertu designer Frank Nuovo to design and create the Meta. Now this watch may not be significantly different from the Pebble Steel in terms of performance but it has been positioned towards the higher end of the market and will be touted to sell on the basis of its premium, designer feel. MetaWatch has used premium quality metals, leather and glass in the Meta.
Wristbands:
LG Lifeband Touch:
The LG Lifeband Touch can be called more of a fitness device that anything else. It does everything that is expected out of a smartwatch but focuses more on the fitness monitoring and activity tracking aspects. It can also be used to control music, display notifications and silence calls. It can be easily paired with popular fitness apps like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal .
Razer Nabu:
Borrowing certain design cues from Nike’s Fuelband is the Razer Nabu. This device works like a pedometer and also displays notifications from both Android and iOS phones. I like how the Nabu’s buckle is actually a micro-USB charging port (a la’ Fuelband) and also the unique ‘Handshake’ social system. The Handshake feature allows the Nabu’s user to bring about a social transaction (sending friend request, following on Twitter, etc.) with a fellow person wearing the Nabu whenever a handshake is detected.
Sony Core Smartband:
This water-proof Sony Smartband Core uses data from your phone’s GPS logs and monitors your phone’s operating behaviour to track all your activities. It keeps a track of all activities such as sleep patterns, levels of socialisation, etc. It notifies the wearer about any incoming calls, texts or notifications by means of an LED light and vibration motion. This band has a removable core that can be worn in multiple ways.
Tech-Jewellery:
This year’s CES also saw some companies show-casing an all new kind of wearable device, the tech-jewellery. Two brands, Netatmo and CSR displayed bracelets and pendants respectively. Netatmo’s June bracelet is primarily a UV sensor that’ll alert the wearer if he/she has been exposed to sunlight for too long and can also help him/her decide on the SPF levels in the sunscreen he/she is using. It is available in three colour options, gold, platinum and gunmetal.
CSR showcased a Bluetooth enabled pendant that alerts its wearer about notifications, calls and texts.
Glasses
Epson Moverio BT-200:
Billed in as smart-glasses, these next generation augmented smart glasses from Epson are directly aimed at the Google Glass. The Moverio BT-200 weighs about nearly half of what its predecessor the Moverio BT-100 used to weigh. This two-piece unit consists of a set of glasses and a control unit that runs on Android 4.0 and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It projects a transparent screen in front of both eyes and can respond to head movements. The Moverio BT-200 will be the perfect device for augmented reality media and gaming.
GlassUp Eyeglasses:
GlassUp introduced its Eyeglasses at the CES this year. This set of tech-shades is also targeted at the Google Glass. This light-weight and trendy device can report in-coming emails, texts and other such notifications and can be connected to an Android or iOS device through Bluetooth and a set of dedicated apps. GlassUp only allows the user to view the notifications. To reply to these notifications, the user will have to use his/her Smartphone.
Oculus Rift ‘Crystal Cove’:
The new Oculus Rift ‘Crystal Cove’ has been branded by many as the next big thing in the gaming industry and rightly so because the 3D experience provided by this device is just surreal. It has a highly accurate motion tracking system that responds to multiple kinds of head movements. The good thing about the Crystal Cove is that unlike its predecessors, this unit appears to be in an almost production ready stage.
When Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) bought Android Inc. in 2005, theirs were the most vouched for Smartphones with the WOW factor. Both Sony’s Xperia and HTC’s Android phone had taken the market by storm when they were released. Their phones still command respect and good reviews, but their market share has been on a constant decline, unfortunately.
Android market has become too crowded and both of these companies are now thinking of taking a walk down the Windows lane before it also becomes cluttered.
Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) has been struggling to make its mark in the Smartphone market. Although it has been one of the earliest manufacturer’s to ride on the bandwagon of Smartphone wave, it was left way behind by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (KRX:005935), LG and other Android manufacturer’s. Currently it is the 9th largest manufacturer with around 10 million mobile phones shipped during Q3 2013 as compared to 8 million devices shipped in Q2,2013.
The sale of Sony Devices have been growing stronger in the past few quarters. Sony sold around 8 million devices in Q1, 8.6 million devices in Q2 and 10 million devices in Q3 of 2013.
Sony currently command’s a market share of only 2.1% in Q3 2013 , which is way better than 1.9% that it commanded in Q2 2013.
Sony, which has for some time now, been manufacturing Android based phones is now trying to make a Windows phone. Sony has had a history of making Windows based phones, it had launched Xperia X1 way back in 2008 , when windows based phones were not even considered strong contenders.
Dependency on one OS manufacturer and too much competition in the Android market may have forced the company to start considering making windows based phones. With Windows phones on resurgence lately and not many options available, Sony may be thinking of making an entry into the market right on time.
“We don’t want to be a single OS manufacturer, I don’t think it’s a viable position in the long term,We enjoy very much a good collaboration with Google, we’ve been working with them for a long time and have a level of maturity with that discussion, that’s good. But at the same time, Google has a relationship with direct competitors.” -Pierre Perron, head of Sony Mobile Europe
With Sony not able to make a mark with it’s Android based Smartphones it may be time for it to re-enter the Windows Smartphone market and take a lead, before the market becomes cluttered with more vendors and the going gets tough.
HTC Corp. (TPE:2498) was one of the earliest OEMs to use the Android platform and has benefited largely with an increase in popularity of an Android based platform. Riding on the wave, HTC became America’s top Smartphone seller in Q3 2011. But in 2012 and 2013 HTC suffered financially and its sales have dropped down to only around 2 million units in Q3 2013.The sales figures are currently in total contrast with reviews of HTC’s flagship Smartphone HTC One
HTC is currently struggling to make a mark in the Android segment and is considering switching completely to a Windows based platform. Its Windows based phone, the HTC 8S and 8X saw good sales of around 400,000 – 500,000 units as per IDC. This placed HTC as the third largest Windows based maker after Nokia and Samsung.
Another initiative for HTC to switch to the Windows platform is the offer from Microsoft to remove a potential ban on HTC phones because of an injunction by Nokia against HTC. The injunction is because of Qualcomm Inc.’s chip used by HTC which infringes some of Nokia’s patents.
Both Sony and HTC have nothing to lose if they switch to a Windows based environment. The Windows smartphone market is currently on the go and eating into Android’s market and it is the right time for both of them to enter and as mentioned above, more in the case of HTC
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the world’s most valuable brand, introduced thin (probably the thinnest) light-weight MacBook Air in early 2012. Since then the much desirable product has witnessed many rounds of improvements, upgrades and enhancements to ensure the best ROI to users who are buying MacBook Air out of their fascination and affordability. The product is a definite target of the user segment which has deep pockets and is ready to splurge on original software, as we all know, it is rather difficult to find pirated pieces for Mac OS.
A power-packed laptop, loaded with 4th generation Intel i5 processor and all day long battery back up (12 hours with 13.3” MacBook Air) is probably the best-of-breeds one can ever expect in a Laptop. Before, I actually draft the points – critically important to know before you reach out to your pocket – here is a quick preview of what lies below the hood:
13.3” in MacBook Air (Mid 2013)
13 inch LED Display
1.3 Ghz Dual Core 4th generation i5 processor
Intel HD 5000 graphics card
4GB DDR3 RAM
128 GB/ 256 GB SSD Storage
1X Memory Card Slop supports upto 500 GB storage
720 px HD Web cam
WiFi 802.11
Bluetooth 4
3 x USB 3.0 Ports
1x Thunderbolt Port
Upto 12 hours battery backup
Max OS X Mavericks
You can find many detailed videos and text reviews of MacBook Air over the web, so I am really not going to burn my efforts on them. But it’s important to know the communication capacity of MacBook Air and a few adaptability to latest upgrades, Apple has introduced to MacBook Air recently. These aspects must be taken into consideration before you actually order any variant of MacBook Air (mid 2013).
Advanced Version of USB 3.0 Port: The Biggest Pain
The latest mid 2013 Apple MacBook Air is loaded with an advanced version of USB 3.0. This means, a majority of USB 2.0 external devices and many of USB 3.0 devices do not work flawlessly with MacBook Air. Simple activities like transferring data from earlier versions of the external HDD, setting up your smart watch or connecting your network dongle could result in a periodic fight. Using an external USB cable between an external USB device and MacBook Air solves the issue many a times, but it’s like making a simple process more complex. Even if your MBA detects an external USB device somehow seamless functionality remains the challenge, frequent disconnections, failing to recognise external devices are a few challenges you may encounter on a regular basis.
Solution: Carry one external USB connector, avoid using USB 2.0 external devices and if possible, try to find out the latest drivers of your external devices.
Sudden Death: Don’t Upgrade to OS X Maverick 10.1
No, I am not saying no one should upgrade to Maverick, but if you have got anything to do with USB issue stated above, then refrain from acting as the ‘most advanced element’ on this earth. While using USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 external devices on the MacBook Air powered by OS X 10.1, you may face the sudden reboot, widely known as Sudden Death issue. Once the MBA (MacBook Air) restarts after sudden death, it throws a pop-up ‘Report to Apple’ in 190 lines of technical explanation. While paying close attention to these lines you will see ‘CPU Panic’ as the main reason. Here is what it says, in detail:
However, the satisfactory aspect of this situation is that you don’t lose you data or files you were working just before it went for Sudden Death. But all that browser dependent work, the likes of email drafting, online coding etc, would be a definite loss unless there is an auto backup set on your relative server.
Solution: While Apple is yet to address this issue, the best solution is to refrain from upgrading to OS X 10.1 if you use, so called, outdated USB devices.
Delicate Mouse Pad Area:
Laptops are meant for a bit of rough handling and when you talk about super lightweight laptops, chances are high that you may use it in a more portable way. Many of us rest our palm near the TouchPad mouse area on the MacBook Air (MBA), especially when the MBA is on your lap. Be warned that this is the area with the thinnest coating where the Sound Chip of MBA rests right next to the mouse pad below the hood. A bit of heavy load on the sideways of the mouse pad and you may end up damaging the chip, which will result in no sound coming from your MBA.
The above are the few important aspects that you must consider before you shell out a heavy price to own an Apple MacBook Air. All these aspects are experienced, discussed issues with Apple team and are not just a sneaked piece from any other source. It’s also equally important to quote that Apple DOES NOT have a replacement policy for MBA , MBP (MacBook pro) or iMac – unlike iPhone and iPad. If you encounter any issues with MacBook you will have to get it repaired no matter how many days, months or years old your MacBook is.
Having said all that, I must conclude with the fact that the MBA is definitely one of the best in-class products available in the market. And despite of a few challenges, it’s really tough to settle down with non-Apple products.
A new trend that we noticed in the tablets and hybrid notebooks that were revealed at CES 2014 was the use of a dual-boot operating system. Devices like the Asus Transformer Book Duet and Micromax LapTab both offer Windows 8.1 and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean to users in a single device.
Neither Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) nor Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) will undoubtedly be happy about such dual-booting products. However, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTL) seems to be completely sold on the idea, and will probably support OEMs in creating such products by subsidising the required technology. Most probably, they will also assist in marketing such 2-in-1 hybrid notebooks, as they have done so with Ultrabooks in the past couple of years. Intel wants to ship around 40 million tablet units powered by their chipsets this year and they seem to use all tactics they can in order to achieve this target.
Intel dual booting tablet
As of now, only a handful of tablets running Android have been powered by Intel’s processors because they do not offer any significant advantage over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon or MediaTek’s SoCs (System On A Chip) that are based on ARM’s architecture. But Intel’s new BayTrail-T chipsets are of a unique kind, which can run Android and Windows operating systems on the same platform.
Micromax Canvas LapTab
Micromax has revealed the world’s first Windows Android dual-boot tablet, Canvas LapTab. Asus, at the same event, revealed – the Transformer Book Duet, which runs both Windows 8.1 and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean in dual-OS mode. While Micromax Canvas LapTab is powered by a low-performance 1.46 GHz Intel Celeron processor, the Asus Transformer Book Duet is powered by the powerful Intel Core (i3/i5/i7) series of processors. Also, Micromax’s offering requires users to reboot the device to switch operating systems, while no such restrictions exist on the Asus device.
If Intel manages to provide a hassle-free dual-booting tablet, such as the Asus Transformer Book Duet, which can switch between operating systems within 4 seconds, people might actually be interested in buying such devices. But making such a device is neither easy nor cost-effective because it needs more storage and longer development time. Operating system licensing fees also add to the cost of the device. Still, according to recent reports, Microsoft is considering dropping the licensing fees for Windows Phone. At the same time, Android does not have any licensing fees, as Google gives it away for free on the condition that manufacturers include Google’s services like Gmail and the Play Store on their devices.
But what is the need for dual-boot devices? Windows is better for productivity-related apps such as Microsoft Office, while Android is better for entertainment-related needs such as media consumption and games. According to a report, Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT combined, Microsoft’s tablet market share was a meagre 3% in Q2, 2013. Currently, there are only 100,000 apps and games on the Windows Phone Store, which is around 8-10% of what Android and iOS app stores offer. On a dual-boot device, however, if users can’t find a required app or service, they can fall back on Android.
Intel’s chips can run conventional apps, while tablets based on Qualcomm chipsets are compatible with Windows RT apps only. It is no wonder, then, that Microsoft is looking to merge Windows Phone and Windows RT with the release of Windows 9, which is codenamed Threshold. AMD is also said to be working on chips that can power both Windows 8 as well as Android. Consumer interest in Windows tablets has been lukewarm, to begin with, and has waned as time went by. Intel’s latest ploy to offer Windows tablets that can also boot into Android will not only work as bait to get more tablet manufacturers interested in using Intel chipsets in the upcoming tablets but also in getting consumers more interested in Windows tablets.
In August last year Steve Ballmer announced that he would be retiring in a year. It left many gaping at the decision and trying to understand why this decision was taken, when Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was in the middle of a transition from a software company to an OEM.
In a press release followed by the announcement, Ballmer mentioned that Microsoft is currently in a phase of transition and he wanted the company to have a new CEO who can provide direction to the company right from the start and shape Microsoft as per their vision.
“There is never a perfect time for this type of transition, but now is the right time.We have embarked on a new strategy with a new organization and we have an amazing Senior Leadership Team. My original thoughts on timing would have had my retirement happen in the middle of our company’s transformation to a devices and services company. We need a CEO who will be here longer term for this new direction.”
While transition from Bill Gates to Steve Ballmer was rather smooth, Gates had handpicked Ballmer for the job. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer shared the same vision and sight for Microsoft. But the transition this time is not that simple, anyone who would be appointed in place of Steve Ballmer may not share the same vision.
Microsoft has appointed a search committee to look for a replacement for Steve Ballmer. The committee is headed by John Thompson, former CEO of Symantec (SYMC) and a current board member of Microsoft (MSFT). Steve Luczo, chairman and CEO of Seagate Technology (STX) and a Microsoft board member, Chuck Noski, former chief financial officer of Bank of America (BAC) and a Microsoft board member along with Bill Gates would be the other members of the search committee. The search committee would also be helped by Hedrick & Struggles (HSII) — a search firm to help them.
Who Will Be The New CEO
Ever since Steve Ballmer’s announcement, there have been many names doing the round for the position. It has been a mixed bag containing both – internal and external names. The whole process doesn’t seem to be progressing in the direction Microsoft had hoped for. After the exit of two contenders – Microsoft’s former executive Stephen Sinofsky and Ford’s present CEO Alan Mulally – from the race recently, the whole situation is apparently taking an ugly shape. In August last year, Microsoft had announcement that the hunt for a new CEO would be finish by early 2014 and sitting in January 2014 now, the company is left with few options in hands to juggle. Here is a list of some of the names which are thought to be in contention:
Tony Bates: He’s in charge of Skype and also manages business development and evangelism for Microsoft. He has previously worked at Cisco Systems (CSCO).
Stephen Elop: He was the head of Microsoft’s business division from 2008 to 2010.He left Microsoft in 2010 to become the CEO of Nokia (NOK). With the focus shifting on mobility devices he may be the person leading the race.
Julie Larson-Green: She was said to be the heir to the throne after Steve Ballmer’s departure. She is currently in charge of Microsoft’s devices division. She has been heading one of the strategic growth areas of Microsoft and may be one of those serious contenders.
Kevin Johnson: He was an ex-Microsoft employee who left Microsoft to run Juniper Networks (JNPR). Kevin was associated with Microsoft’s Windows division.
Qi Lu: Ex-Yahoo employee, he currently heads apps and service engineering for Microsoft.
Tami Reller: She has been with Microsoft since the acquisition of Great Plains Software in 2001. She now runs marketing for Microsoft.
Challenges for The New Microsoft CEO
As Steve Ballmer mentioned in his press release, Microsoft is currently in a phase of transition and is facing challenges due to a market shift from the conventional computing devices to mobility devices i.e. Smartphone and tablets. Another transition that company faces is the shift from software to hardware and services.
While Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) have already taken a lead in both of these new emerging market segments, Microsoft had been a late entrant in the mobility segment. It is still struggling to make its mark in the mobility segment.
Mobility Market
Better late than never, Microsoft launched its two Windows tablets labelled – Surface running on Windows RT and Windows 8.The initial launch of Surface devices didn’t live up to expectations. As per a report from Bloomberg, Microsoft had ordered 3 million RT’s eventually had to contend itself with selling less than 2 million devices.
With the initial lackluster performance of Surface devices, Microsoft came up with an improved and upgraded Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro devices at the end of 2013. Both the devices are Windows 8 based. Market has responded well and both the devices are running out of stock with major retailers in North America. With exact sales figures still to be out for Surface 2 devices, it can’t be said if this sell out is because of good market management or because of short supply.
The challenge for the new CEO would be to consolidate it’s acquisition of Nokia and leverage upon it to make a mark in the Smartphone market.
Software Market
Finally Microsoft has managed to salvage some of its lost reputation in terms of innovation with Windows 8. Windows 8 has managed to account for around 7.41% of the market share. This is more than the market share of all the versions of Apple’s iOS. Microsoft has managed to provide an environment and not just an OS to its users. It has provided users with an interface integrating its cloud services, gaming, storage and e-mail facility, which provides a seamless experience across devices.
The new CEO would have to drive this strategy of providing the seamless integration across all of Microsoft devices and provide an environment that provides at least the same features and applications as provided by Google and Apple.
While Ballmer had received plenty of criticism for not reading the computing trends on time, he was still able to keep Microsoft intact and growing. The new CEO of Microsoft would have to possess some of Ballmer’s and Gates’ charisma and abilities, but also, he/she should have the ability to respond to computing trends in a timely and correct manner.
Bill Gates: Top Choice Of Readers
Few weeks back we asked our readers about their preference for Microsoft’s new CEO and guess what, the company’s Founder Bill Gates, who has also been ranked as the most admired personality in the world, has emerged as the best suited CEO for Microsoft. Though, he openly admitted about his restricted vision about the mobile industry, vital for Microsoft’s growth in coming years. Nearly 37% of people participating in the poll picked Bill Gates, followed by Someone Else (27%). Just 17% of respondent said that they wanted to see Stephen Elop as the next Microsoft CEO while Kevin Turner emerged as the last choice with just 6% of votes.
Today, while the race is still on and the scenario is changing with new announcements and developments, we would like to ask you – “Who do you think, can best fit in Ballmer’s shoes ?” You can cast your votes below :
An increasing demand for informative articles, news and blogs over a period of time has pushed several networking sites like Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) and other most visited websites by users to provide well designed informative content. People generally like keeping themselves updated with the latest trends and news happenings in different fields. Facebook recently revamped its news feed algorithm to provide user relevant news as more and more users were browsing for informative content on the site.
Buzz Feed Ranked No. 1 With 5.6 Million Shares Followed By Huffington Post With 4.8 Million Shares!
Earlier we had analyzed top media publishers in November which received heavy traffic via user engagement on Facebook. Huffington post was the premier media publishing site in November with over 20 million engagement rate (likes & shares). But in December 2013, Buzz Feed overtook Huffington post with over 5.6 million shares with a mere 2,983 article posts whereas Huffington post was 2nd highest with 4.8 million shares with over 16,947 articles both via Facebook. If we compared the likes on Facebook, Buzzfeed recorded a massive 13.5 million likes, whereas Huffington post garnered 12.4 million likes.
Upworthy recorded 2.9 million shares (6.2 million Facebook likes), NY times 2.6 million shares (and 4.4 million likes), CNN 2.01 million shares (4.3 million likes on Facebook) and BBC with 1.8 million shares were other prominent media publishing firms in the list. Viral Nova and Independent journal review were latest new additions to the top 10 leading media publishers list on Facebook. Media publishing firms saw an increase of 170% in referral traffic from Facebook in the last 1 year. People are increasingly browsing for informative news on social media sites.
More than 30% of U.S. adults were reported to consume news on Facebook. Smartphones and tablets have evolved into powerful media publishing platforms which has made the outreach of news easier with a super fast internet and comfortable browsing features of various social media networks. Of the total Facebook user-base of 1.189 billion, more than 874 million or 73.5% users browse through mobile devices. People are increasingly spending their leisure time during work hours on social media sites networking and browsing to consume trending news.
Nearly 75% of internet population worldwide browse social networking sites, the craze of social media is steadily rising not only because of their lucrative networking features but also because of innovation and change brought about by these sites to evolve as a complete package site. Social networking sites like Facebook are trying to emerge as the daily-go-to sites for web users across the globe by including all possible requirements of users like news consumption, brand engagement, network with friends and a lot more. Facebook’s referral rate to websites on the mobile platform increased by a whopping 253%.
Media publishing websites are likely to flock onto different networking sites due to a rising trend of reading news by web users on these sites. Networking sites like Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), LinkedIn Corp, (NYSE:LNKD) and other such networking sites are preferred by users to consume news. Twitter is widely known as an information network used by media publishers to spread news outbreak of latest events. LinkedIn has also started the influencer’s program and channels program to educate users with informative content.
We had discussed earlier about social ads spending across the globe, which was reported to be increasing steadily on a Q-O-Q basis in both developed as well as developing states. This is due to the increasing usage of networking sites and innovative ad features developed by Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), Instagram, Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Pinterest and others. In the developed states of North America, social ads spend per user in 2014 is estimated to be around $32.82, which was 240% more than the next closest competitor Western Europe with $13.71 per user. According to a press release by BIA/Kelsey, social ads in the U.S. are estimated to be around $11 billion by 2017, with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 18.6%.
Locally Targeted Social Ads Revenue Estimated To Rise Up By 26.4% Up To $3.6 Billion.
In the graph below, we can see that the overall social ads spend is expected to reach the $7.1 billion mark by the end of this year, and may further rise up till a massive $11 billion in the next 3 years (2017) or so. Even in the case of local markets in the U.S., social ads are widely adopted by advertisers mainly due to the extra sophistication associated with various social media sites’ ads and an increased usage of social networking sites by Americans. Locally targeted social ads spend will grow at a 26.4 percent CAGR, and reach up to an estimated $3.6 billion by 2017.
Ad initiatives by Facebook to deliver more specific advertising models to brands in the form of the custom audience feature, location-based ad targeting, age and gender based ad targeting, FBX, news feed ads and a lot more has lead to a rise in ad investment not just by global brands but also local brands in the U.S. Marketers from SMBs and local businesses can now target specific users via the Custom Audience feature if they have their contact details (Facebook id or email id or phone number), the location-based ad targeting of their customer base is confined to certain geographic regions, gender based ad targeting of products is suited to a particular gender group and a lot more similar ad options which are much more deliverable and optimized marketing budgets significantly.
Twitter on the other hand had introduced keyword targeting, lead generation cards, introduction of visual tweets to provide more deliverable results to advertisers. Pin board style photo sharing website Pinterest, which has attracted more than 70 million user worldwide had introduced related pins, gift guides, gift feeds and a lot more exciting features to aid brands. Instagram also introduced brand ads within a user’s feed in the form of soothing engaging images embedded with smart content.
A majority of social ad spend is likely to sway in favor of mobile ads specific to Smartphones and tablets due to an explosive rise in their usage in North America. More than 178 million web users access Facebook in the U.S. to share stories, have discussions, consume news and for various other purposes. Facebook although has a mere 199 million user-base or about 16% from the U.S and Canada, its advertising revenue from these states accounts for $832 million which is about 46% of the overall Facebook revenue.
The micro-blogging site Twitter, which derives 88% of its ad revenues from the U.S. in spite of having a mere 24.3% of users from the state. 1000 timeline views in the US generate $2.58 in revenues, which is approximately 7 times the revenue generated by 1000 international timeline views ($0.36) on the Twitter platform. When it comes to driving website traffic, Facebook’s referral traffic to brand websites recently sky rocketed by 170%, on the mobile platform it’s referral rate went up by 253%. Visual tweets increases re-tweet rate by over 150%. Pinterest accounts for over 17.46% of e-commerce revenue from social networking sites in the U.S.
With the above mentioned stats and data points depicting exuberant success which social media has provided to the advertisers in the U.S, there are very little chances of brand advertisers avoiding investment on social ads in the future.
‘’Social networks are evolving their ad products and features to improve performance, Native social formats, including video, and mobile-social advertising will be the principal marker drivers.” said Jed Williams, director of consulting and senior analyst, BIA/Kelsey.”
A website with great web design is perfect when it comes to generating income. When you are looking forward to earning money from your pages, you have to make sure that you are also focusing on one of the most important aspects, web design.
When people visit a certain site, they also assess how it looks. When they find it dull and complicated to navigate, it is possible that they are going to look for another website. This is the reason why you have to consider simplicity and functionality when you are working on your web design Phoenix. And if you want to generate a good amount of revenue, you can consider these tips:
Choose to use simple and easy to remember domain names for your website. Before trying to think about the programs that bring money to your website, you have to focus first on creating a perfect website. One of the things that you need to consider is your domain name. The reason why some websites are easily visited are their simple and easy to remember website addresses. You should consider short names for the websites in order for you to make sure that they will easily remember it.
Seek experts help when it comes to web design. When it comes to making the page look presentable and functional, you can get the help of professionals who are experts when it comes to this task. If you think you can do it, you can personally use a program or a software that can be utilized for this purpose.
Look for the best ways to maximize your site for Google AdSense. One of the best ways to earn money from your website is to sign up for Google AdSense. With this, you should know the best ways to use the different methods that are available in posting ads to your site. You should consider the best methods that can make your site look more presentable.
Sign up for Affiliate Programs. Affiliate marketing is an activity that enables you to earn by advertising the products of a certain company and serving as a portal to the site where the product is being sold. With a good web design, you will be able to present the advertisements properly and visitors will surely visit your site every now and then.
Choose the best ways to advertise your own products. Finally, one of the ways for you to earn money from your website is to advertise your own product. With this, you do not have to rely on the help of other people who are into advertising. You can advertise your product and earn from your own efforts. You can also advertise for other people. With this, you will be able to earn money from the cost of advertising that they will pay you.
All in all, there are different ways for you to make sure that you will earn money from your website. All you need to do is to focus on the important aspects of making your site look better and easy to navigate.
Author Bio:
Sunny Popali is SEO Director at www.tempocreative.com. Tempo Creative is a Phoenix inbound marketing company that has served over 700 clients since 2001. Tempos team specializes in digital and internet marketing services including web design, SEO, social media and strategy.
Internet penetration rate across the globe is steadily rising day-by-day, so is the social network penetration (social media sites and messenger apps together) as users are getting acquainted with various networking sites like Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), QZone and messenger apps like QQ, WhatsApp, WeChat and others. People are being specific as they prefer social networking sites/apps which are related to their purpose of visit. Personal interaction and networking has totally shifted from social networks to messenger apps. News consumption trend is shifting slowly towards social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and others. Photo sharing, video sharing and brand engagement is the most happening activity among well-known apps like Instagram, Vine and Pinterest.
Social Network Penetration Is 26% Compared To Internet Penetration Rate Of 35%!
Out of a total global population of 7.1 billion, more than 35% or close to 2.4 billion folks are internet users or have web access. This has aided growth rate of social networks as more than 74.7% of the internet population now accesses social networking sites. This is also equivalent to 26% of the overall population.
If we analyze social network penetration based on major geographic regions, penetration is highest in case of developed states of North America, Western Europe and Oceania countries (Australia, New Zealand and surrounding islands) and is growing at a steady rate in developing regions of Middle East, South East and Central Asia. North America remained at the top with a 56% social network penetration, followed by Western Europe, Oceania, and South America with 44% each and East Asia with 43%. Social network penetration in developing economies of South East Asia (26%), Middle East (24%), Africa (7%), South (7%) and Central Asia (5%) were below the world average of 26%.
If the data above is interpreted in comparison with internet penetration in the respective states, we can observe that a majority of internet users have embraced social networking sites or apps for communication, story sharing and other purposes. In North America, nearly 69% of internet users have embraced social networks and messaging app services. In Western Europe 76%, Oceania 69%, South America 93% and East Asia 95% of internet population of respective countries have embraced social network and messenger apps successfully for their daily tasks.
Facebook Was Most-Used, Followed By QQ, QZone And WhatsApp!
The social media titan Facebook emerged as the leading social networking site used by over 1.184 billion (as per Q3 report total user base is 1.189 billion) in spite of the ban on Facebook usage laid by governments in countries like China and Russia (to aid local players in the social media industry) else it could have added close to another half a million odd users to the networking giant’s website. Next highest was instant messaging software service called as QQ by Tencent holdings which has amassed over 816 million users, QZone – social networking site by Tencent has over 632 million users. WhatsApp, teen’s favorite messaging service apps has over 400 million users worldwide. It is interesting to know that of the top 4 social networking sites, 2 of them are messenger apps.
Messenger apps have totally stolen the thunder from networking sites and is increasingly being adopted by Smartphone and tablet users worldwide. More than 1.3 billion users use messenger apps to have private or group conversations as it is easy to use and requires minimal data usage.
Google Plus was 5th highest with 300 million registered users attributing to the fact that the search giant has forced users using various Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) products (comment on YouTube, review the +post Ads in various sites driven by Google ad Network, Place reviews in Google City Expert program) to sign-up for Google Plus. LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE:LNKD) with a niche user-base who browse and network on the site for serious business related discussions and to seek information via knowledge rich platform services like the Influencer’s program and channels program. San Francisco based Twitter was widely used by eminent personalities, media firms and other intellectual elite group of folks who could capture the essence or main theme of cheeky 140 char tweets depicting the entire message or actual situation and voice their opinions/replies in form of short messaging services.
Social network penetration is bound to rise in future with an increase in internet usage as more people now prefer social media sites and messenger apps to communicate rather than traditional SMS or voice calls. Messenger apps have evolved themselves to help data transmission in voice, picture and video formats. Even social networking sites are now widely used for brand engagement, news consumption, content-sharing, launch any social movement or create awareness and a whole lot more.
India is witnessing an exponential growth in terms of digital media usage as more people are consuming digital media and adopting latest trends in arenas like social media, mobile devices, OS preferences and a preferred web browser. India is the 2nd largest Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) country, the 2nd fastest in terms of Smartphone adoption. It is one of the most prolific markets for technology giants like Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd (KRX:005930), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and social media majors like Facebook, Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR) and others. An Infographic by leading digital marketing strategy provider Ethinos depicts digital consumer trends in India in terms of the Smartphone market share, tablet market share, most-preferred browser, Operating Systems and a lot more.
Internet connectivity is booming as the overall internet connections rose up to 205 million in November 2013, with an annual growth rate of 40%.
Broadband connections as per November 2013 were 15.36 million, which is 2.4% more than the February 2013 tally of 15 million.
In rural India, more than 68 million people access the web, whereas in urban India more than 85 million users are internet users.
If we analyze broadband speeds country wise, India averages around 4.15 Mbps, which is much less than some of the other prominent countries like the U.S.A (20.74 Mbps), Sweden (42.05 Mbps), Romania (49.85 Mbps), Singapore (52.78 Mbps), Hong Kong (71.43 Mbps).
If we analyze the Smartphone market share in India, the trend was somewhat similar to the one at the global level, as more than 34% of them used a Samsung Smartphone, Micromax was used by 21%, Karbonn by 10% and Apple by a mere 1%. A majority of digital consumers in India are price sensitive, hence they prefer to opt for mobiles with quality features at an affordable price.
Samsung turned out to be dominant mainly due to its affordable pricing with quality features. Although Apple devices had top quality features, they were much above the average price rate and were affordable only for a few of them.
In terms of Operating System share, Android bagged a 90% share when compared to 10% by the rest of the OS like Windows, iOS and others.
As of 2013, in India, the mobile handset market was dominated by Smartphones with 11.1 million handsets which in an increase by 123%, feature phone usage decreased by 3.7% and rested at 51.8 million.
Tablet market in India was ruled by Samsung with a 19% share, followed by Micromax with 8.5%, Karbonn with 7.8% and Datawind with 6.4%. Apple was not even in the top 5 mainly due to its price-point. Android OS was the most preferred in case of a tablet with an 88% share, while Blackberry Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) held 1%, Windows held 1% and iOS held a 10% share.
If we analyze the desktop browser market share, Chrome was the most used with a 49.5% share, next in line was Firefox with 29%, IE with 15.4% and Safari with 2.19%.
Mobile browser market share was dominated by Android with a 25.68% share, 23.68% went to Opera and 19.23% was Apple’s share.
The first decade of this millennium witnessed the fight between desktops and laptops to garner share in the emerging devices market. The second decade is witnessing another fight to garner the market share of the device market, but this time it is between tablets and laptops. Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) owned Android is likely to keep flourishing year-over-year with nearly 20% annual growth.
A study by Gartner predicts that the market for devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) would grow by 7.6% to 2.5 billion units in 2014 and further by 6% in 2015 to 2.6 billion units. This evolving market is currently in a consolidation phase with tablets, PCs and mobile phones, all trying to gain or keep their foothold in the market.
According to the report, the market for mobile phones is in a phase of consolidation as the usage will see a rise of about 5% for 2014 to 1.9 billion units and by a further 3% to 2.0 billion units. On the other hand, the market for tablets is predicted to increase by 47% to 264 million units in 2014 and by a further 23% in 2015 to 324 million units.
“The device market continues to evolve, with buyers deciding which combination of devices is required to meet their wants and needs. Mobile phones are a must have and will continue to grow but at a slower pace, with opportunities moving away from the top-end premium devices to mid-end basic products” – Ranjit Atwal, Research Director at Gartner.
The market for laptops is decreasing and would shrink by 7% in 2014 to 278 million units and by a further 3% in 2015 to 268 million units. The study also contains some good news for the laptop market, it predicts that only 8% users would replace their laptops with a tablet. Apart from tablets the other segment which is predicted to grow rapidly are the ultramobiles. Study predicts that this segment would grow by 57% in 2014 to 40 million units and by a further 37% in 2015 to 64 million units.
Android continues to be the favorite choice among all the devices mainly because of biggest catalog of mobile phones and tablets. The report claims that Android operated devices would grow by 26% in 2014 to 1.1 billion users and by a further 13% to 1,3 billion users. Windows remains the second most favorite OS, courtesy PCs and it is expected to grow by 10% in 2014 to 360 million users. While iOS/Mac OS user-base is expected to grow at a constant pace by 29% to 344 million users in 2014 and by 15% to 397 million users.
In the Smartphone market, Android has almost eclipsed the presence of other OSs, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) owned iOS is the only mobile platform that is challenging Android up to a certain extent. 64% of Smartphones across the globe are powered with Android, while the Windows Phone OS is trying to find its grounds by exploring a few out-of-the-box strategies.
Gartner claims that Blackberry is poised to be wiped out from the market as it presence will be restricted to a negligible 10k devices by 2015. Though Blackberry’s new CEO is trying to revive the market, the company will have to bite the bullet to outpace the closest competitors like Windows Phone OS or iOS.
As the first quarter of 2014 has kicked off, marketers from various B2C and B2B firms are busy collecting data, stats, figures and ideas to frame their marketing strategies, allot budgets and a lot more. According to a survey of over 500 marketers by webmarketing, which discovered top challenges and priorities of marketers in 2014, a majority of respondents from the B2B sector stressed on lead generation as both, the top priority and a major challenge, whereas in case of B2C, driving sales was the prime objective and measuring ROI was a major challenge ahead of them in 2014.
Generating Leads Was The Top Priority Of Nearly 41% of B2B Marketers and 18% Of B2C marketers.
Of the different priorities addressed by responding marketers, generating leads was a major one for nearly 41% of B2B marketers, whereas in case of B2C, hardly 18% bothered about the same. Generating leads is indeed vital in both the arenas but in case of B2B, it is an uphill task, as it requires more strategic planning, task orientation, execution and the procedure is generally lengthy and time-taking.
In case of B2C, generating leads depends mainly on emotional choice of consumers as they buy things based on their needs and depths of their pockets. Generating leads in B2B requires a lot of efforts in optimizing an efficient mixture of inbound and outbound marketing strategies. Comparatively in B2C, leads are generated with lesser efforts but it takes immense efforts to attain desired sales rates and have a continuous revenue flow throughout. Whenever a product is launched by a B2C firm, there will definitely be one or the other person who would be in need of that product, so it easily helps in generating initial required lead to kickoff sales. But the tougher part comes later when marketers require optimum sales and need to drive a consistent revenue flow.
Driving sales was the top most priority of nearly 40% of B2C marketers. Due to high-levels of competition between various competing rival brands, it is important for a brand marketer to keep innovating and reducing profit margins to provide better deals for sustaining the above average sales rates.
Getting back to priorities of marketers, driving sales was voted as the next highest priority by 27%, improving brand awareness by 17% and increasing website traffic by 11% of B2B marketers. For B2B firms when an entire scenario is set up with effective planning and a lead is generated, then driving sales is not an uphill task as the playground is totally set for customer acquisition. Hence, it was voted as the 2nd most important priority.
In case of B2C, improving brand awareness was the 2nd highest priority supported by 27% of respondents, generating leads was 3rd in line of priorities upheld by 18% of B2C marketers in the survey. In the B2C section, maintaining prominence in a particular brand category is tough due to emergence of multiple rival competitors, hence improving brand awareness from time to time is important through various ads.
Lead Generation Is Yet Again A Major Challenge For 21% Of B2B Marketers And Measuring ROI For 25% Of B2C Marketers.
When marketers were asked about major challenges, nearly 21% of B2B respondents yet again claimed lead generation as a major challenge ahead of them in 2014, whereas producing enough quality content was 2nd in the list of challenges supported by 20%, converting leads in customers was the 3rd in the list. Basically, in case of B2B, generating leads requires a lot of ground work, cold calling, digging in contacts and a lot more. Lead generation in B2B is similar to seeking water in a barren desert, but once the lead is acquired a majority of work is done as the initial research survey and analysis conducted is good enough to push the captured prey into the customer acquisition list.
Producing quality content was another major concern, because the entire process of grabbing a customer from the market depends mainly on the type of content which the brand firm levies or market upon. High-quality content with rich media sources and all essentials that a customer needs will highly influence the customer and thereby affect the lead generation process.
In case of B2C, about 25% of marketers stressed on measurement of ROI as a major concern. Conversion of leads into customers was the 2nd most voted challenge by 22% of B2C marketers. In B2C arena, marketers generally adopt various strategies like social media marketing, public events, blogs, informative articles, YouTube ads and a lot more. They also achieve partial results from all these marketing efforts, but the major concern lies in standardization of returns or ROI from a particular marketing campaign. It is not possible for a brand to invest on every single marketing method. Hence, it is important to know which of the marketing tactics has generated hefty returns and which strategy failed to work. So that next time they can allot budgets smartly and focus more on the most profitable marketing strategy.
Inevitability of social media presence is now a fact that brand marketers across the globe must live with, but very few have grasped the main essence or meaning of the word social media and are managing their social media brand accounts in an automated or impersonated fashion. Sadly, very few marketers realize the importance of brand humanization to provide a more lively and interactive feel to brand followers or customers and pursue a long-term relationship with customers on various networking sites like Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Pinterest, Instagram and others. Brand followers, fans or customers are usually excited to engage with brands on social networking sites, hence brand humanization can play a crucial role in enhancing the user’s experience.
The micro-blogging site Twitter has variety of features which users use actively but many brand account holders fail to realize the importance of its usage. Actions on social media platforms which form a part of brand humanization hardly costs anything much for brands but the returns are quite immense in terms of loyalty amongst customers. Brand accounts need to drop down to the level of any other common Twitter user and effectively use – follow, re-tweet, favorite tweets of their customers or highlight relevant mentions by non-followers/followers on their brand pages. Twitter users are generally super excited if a big brand or famous personality re-tweets or favorites their tweet. It inculcates a loyalty factor and helps build a long-term relationship with customers.
Average Amount Of Follow Per Company With A Twitter Handle Is 4,314 (Amongst Fortune 500 Firms)
Social media is called so for a reason, users including brand accounts are expected to be more social and not end up resembling media publishing firms providing only updates and product promotion stories. It is important for marketers to engage with their customers in various formats like follows, re-tweets or mentions and a lot more is available on the Twitter platform.
If we analyze the number of follows by Fortune 500 firms on Twitter, observations made were summarized as below. Nearly 95% of all companies having Twitter accounts followed at least one user. If we look at the average amount of follows per company, the tally is as high as 4,314 with Whole Foods Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM), the world’s largest U.S based retail store providing natural and organic food following more than 545,726 Twitter accounts, 500% more than any other Fortune 500 company brand account.
Jet Blue Corp (NASDAQ:JBLU) was next in line with 107,247 follows, Star Bucks was ranked 3rd as it had registered more than 83,395 follows from Twitter accounts. Coco Cola (67,884 follows), StarWood (59,758 follows), Nordstrom (43,931 follows), Coca-Cola Enterprises (34,829), American Air (34,150) were the other prominent Twitter brand accounts which embraced the Twitter feature follow to its best and won the hearts of their brand fans. Follow is one of the unique social impressions on Twitter which creates an effect which is much more engaging than brand awareness, it totally changes the perception of users towards a particular brand in a positive manner.
Top 10 Fortune 500 Firms Favorite 660 Tweets On An Average Per Month!
If we analyze Fortune 500 Twitter accounts based on yet another exciting brand humanization feature favorite – JC Penney Co. (NYSE:JCP), a leading cloth brand store, was at the top with 1608 favorites in the last 30 days (last 30 days, as per survey dates mentioned at the end of this article).
Starbucks (815), Marriott International (798 follows), Liberty mutual Insurance Group (770 follows) and United Parcel Service (579 follows) were other prominent fortune 500 firms who favorited maximum number of tweets in a span of 30 days or so. Favorite feature is much more vital than follow, as follow is just a one time activity, whereas favorite can be used repeatedly to gain traction of brand followers and their tweeps. Brand accounts must carefully utilize this feature and favorite tweets of their customers selectively as continuous usage might give a different impression and make consumers feel that the act is programmed and not humanized.
An Average Of 268 Re-Tweets In A Month Were Registered By Top 10 Fortune 500 Firms (based On The Re-Tweet Count)
Let us analyze Twitter’s most appreciated and finest feature the Re-Tweet. The list of leading firms based on their Re-Tweet activity in the last 30 days was topped by America’s well-known chemical firm Monsanto Co. (NYSE:MON) with over 451 Re-Tweets. Next in line was Tim Warner with 369 Re-Tweets, Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) 348 Re-Tweets and Eli Lilly with 307. CA, ADP, Master Card and Live Nation Entertainment were other prominent firms with most Re-Tweets.
Whenever a Twitter user (including a brand account holder) Re-Tweets a particular tweet, the tweet is notified or appears in the main feed of all the tweeps for that user. Hence, it gains wide publicity or outreach. Re-Tweet is one of the most vital features of Twitter which is used by a majority of users to gain mass attention of users due to its viral nature. Brands must effectively use the above mentioned various brand humanization features to extract maximum benefits in terms of social currency from networking sites.
Insight Pool had conducted this survey amongst Fortune 500 firms. The data was aggregated starting October 25th through November 3rd 2013 for 418 companies with Twitter accounts. Twitter impression which included Follows, Favorites, Retweets and Lists, was defined as a subtle action that each brand can take towards an individual.
Creating fake profiles, increasing likes, fake followers, fake clicks, fake shares, fake reviews and fake accounts has now turned into a booming business. By 2014, more than 15% of social media reviews on various networking sites like Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE:LNKD), Instagram, Tumblr and others are expected to be fake. An average faker has 48,885 followers and follows 1800 people. Facebook also regarded as a stalker’s favorite website, has nearly 83 million fake accounts, out of which 97% of fake Facebook profiles which identify themselves as females, only 40% of real users are so.
Spammers and other businesses providing fake reviews in various formats (based on engagement type of a particular networking site) – do so with the help of fake or inactive accounts. Whether it is re-pins on Pinterest, re-tweet on Twitter or shares on Facebook as high as a 6 digit or a 7 digit figure or even more – all of it is possible to attain via the fake reviews business. Politicians, celebrities and famous personalities are keen on building hype by buying fake reviews in the form of followers and likes on their pages. Fake followers hardly add any engagement but only increase buzz or exaggerated hype amongst the networking users on the site.
An Infographic by WhoIsHostingThis reported interesting facts and figures in the vast business surrounding fake reviews. Key points are listed below.
Comedians, musicians, politicians, actors and other prominent personalities are amongst the most common ones who buy fake followers and fake reviews in the form of likes, shares and re-tweets.
If we analyze the top 15 Twitter personalities nearly 30.4% of them have fake followers and hardly 28.7% are real.
Renowned celebrities like Lady Gaga, President Obama, Shakira, and Oprah are reported to have 71%, 70%, 79% and 74% of fake followers respectively.
Leading video content site, YouTube and San Francisco based 140 character micro-blogging firm Twitter is reported to have 30% and 37% of fake following respectively.
Average price for generating fake reviews in the form of followers is surprisingly inexpensive and around $10 for 1k followers. Although, the price varies from one site to another.
On Facebook, 20k likes average for around $699, 5k followers on Pinterest is equal to $95 and on Twitter 1 million follower amounts to $1,750.
10k followers on Tumblr are equivalent to $484 monetary units, 250 comments on Blogs is charged $399 and about 100k views on Vimeo average at around $200.
Fake reviews like followers, likes, comments, shares and re-tweets are generated via fake accounts, hollow or inactive accounts.
Average age of a fake account is about 5 months and they generally have multiple followers without a profile photo.
About 75% of fakers are found advertising a website URL in their profile to generate more clicks or traffic.
After the launch of Jelly Bean in late 2012, many Smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, HTC etc. opted for the Jelly Bean installed devices. And those devices which were upgradable joined the league of Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean is able to acquire such a large market share because of the abundant availability of such devices in the market. Local vendors like Micromax, Huawei, ZTE, Karbonn etc are playing a vital role for the Android market share by decreasing the average selling price and offering devices with latest versions of Android at prices which are much less than the other global vendors.
