Thursday, June 30, 2011
TDL-4 creates 4.5 million PC ‘indestructible’ botnet #security
New malware TDL-4 has features that may make it indestructible, enslaves over 4.5 million PCs in early 2011
According to Kaspersky Lab, a new TDSS rootkit variant called TDL-4 has infected more than 4.5 million PCs worldwide in just the first three months of 2011. The security experts say that this sneaky malware is one of the most technologically sophisticated threats to date. Because of upgrades from the previous TDL-3 incarnation, this new TDL-4 has the ability to create a botnet that is practically ‘indestructible’.
#Google #Analytics & Webmaster Tools Now Track the Impact of Tweets, Likes and +1s
Social Plugin Tracking generates three reports: Social Engagement, Social Actions and Social Pages. Social Engagement tracks behavior changes (time on site, pageviews, bounce rate, etc.) for visits from social plugins. Social Actions tracks the number of social actions users take on your site, and Social Pages compares your pages on the number of social actions they are receiving.
These tools give website owners a great deal more insight into the impact of social on their websites. Tracking social just makes sense, especially as social sites drive more of the web’s traffic. We also suspect that Google also wants to encourage more sites to adopt the +1 Button. Raw data showing that +1s increase web traffic is the most convincing thing Google can provide.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Guy Kawasaki’s 5-Step Guide to Becoming an Enchanting Authority | Copyblogger
Guy’s (unofficial) 5 steps to gaining your own stamp of approval from readers and customers:
- Validation
- Prognostication
- Social proof
- Past performance
- Personality
Check out the details and the great quotes at the source..
Proxama unveils #NFC Murder Mystery #game • NFC World
SUSPECT:A phone-based dossier sets the scene
NFC specialist Proxama has devised a hi-tech version of a traditional murder mystery game that is designed to show businesses how easy it is to use NFC tag reading to transfer information to mobile phone users.
#Google #Mobile Revenues to Hit $14B in 2015 - Mobile and Wireless - News & Reviews - eWeek.com
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) could earn as much as $14 billion from mobile-ad sales in 2015, or nearly half the $29 billion it banked in online ads combined in 2010, according to a financial research firm.
American retail #banking: As #internet and #mobile banking take off, the #branch is evolving - The Economist
When interest rates are low, as they are today, the appeal for banks of online deposits grows relative to those harvested in the branch, points out Aaron Fine of Oliver Wyman, a consultancy. The reason is that traditional banks hold a lot more non-interest-bearing and low-interest deposits than direct banks typically do, and the profitmaking opportunities from reinvesting these in wholesale markets shrinks dramatically as rates fall. Indeed, most retail banks will suffer more from this lost “carry” than from more-publicised regulatory curbs on overdraft and card fees. ING Direct’s all-in costs per dollar of deposits are now slightly below those of the typical large bank—though they would jump back above if interest rates rose substantially. Online banking is “an implicit bet that rates won’t rise too far,” says one banker.
Moreover, the branch’s role is evolving. Fewer customers use it for routine services, such as withdrawing or transferring funds, but many still value it for more complicated transactions (see chart). Even as BofA trims its network, it is hiring more branch specialists in mortgages, investments and small-business banking. It announced this week that it will double the number of financial advisers in its branches by the end of 2011. Many Americans who bank predominantly online or on their iPhone still consider the density of nearby branches an important factor when choosing their provider, according to surveys.
One option for the cost-conscious bank is to replace traditional branches with cheaper mini-branches, staffed by two or three employees trained to give advice and loans as well as man the counters. Huntington Bancshares is opening 100 such outlets in Giant Eagle grocery stores across Ohio. These cost 85-90% less than normal branches to build and 50% less to run, says Stephen Steinour, the bank’s boss. But Huntington is investing heavily in internet and mobile banking, too—and thus “moving towards channel agnosticism”.
- Capital One and ING Direct seen as a good match (thebankwatch.com)
- Bank of America: From 'Hand to Hand Combat' to $8.5 Billion Capitulation (blogs.wsj.com)
- BofA Wants To Foreclose On BofA Building (huffingtonpost.com)
- Capital One looks for big bank role with deal for ING (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Jay-Z "Decoded" Campaign Wins Integrated Grand Prix And Titanium At Cannes
| New York agency Droga5 continued its hot streak at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity with big wins for its Bing/Jay-Z "Decoded" campaign in the key Titanium/Integrated Lions category. The campaign won the Integrated Grand Prix and nabbed a Titanium Lion, winning over a jury that was “looking for the bravest idea.” |
| Jury chair Bob Scarpelli, the chairman of DDB Worldwide, acknowledged that the definition of an integrated campaign has shifted and that today, “the best ideas are integrated into culture.” Scarpelli called the campaign, which has also picked up Grand Prix in the Outdoor and Film Craft categories, “bold, innovative, interactive, immersive. It’s creating media.” There was no Titanium Grand Prix awarded. |
| Read more at www.fastcompany.com |
Friday, June 24, 2011
#Data is the new platform, and #social is the intelligence — #Tech News and Analysis
Michael was on hand to present the Accenture Technology Vision 2011, a cross-industry research project that takes stock of the evolving trends in IT and how they will impact business and society as a whole. The research team looked into 400 hypotheses based on input from scientists, architects and engineers. They found fifty that held true, which they consolidated into eight trends:
- Data takes its rightful place as a platform.
- Analytics is driving a discontinuous evolution from business intelligence.
- Cloud computing will create more value higher up the stack.
- Architecture will shift from server-centric to service-centric.
- IT security will respond rapidly, progressively—and in proportion.
- Data privacy will adopt a risk-based approach.
- Social platforms will emerge as a new source of business intelligence.
- User experience is what matters.
10 kick-ass features in Google Analytics v5 | Internet Marketing Strategy: Conversation Marketing
Google Analytics version 5, coming soon to a browser near you, addresses some major shortcomings. Here are ten features you’ll want to check out, the moment they’re available:1: Multi-touch attribution
This is the big one. The brass ring. The Big Woo. You can now track how different channels, like organic search and pay-per-click marketing, contribute to each conversion on your site. Until now, you could use first- or last-click attribution.
If you don’t know what this means, and the implications for marketing, read my 2-part post about attribution.
A simple example: I can do a quick Venn diagram showing how much different marketing types contribute to each other:
check out the link to see the rest of the features..
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Marriott creates Facebook game for international recruitment | Springwise
At My Marriott Hotel on Facebook, gamers begin by managing a virtual hotel restaurant kitchen, including buying equipment and ingredients on a budget, hiring and training employees, and serving guests. Much like in the wildly popular Farmville game, players earn points for happy customers but lose points for poor service; they’re also rewarded when their operation turns a profit. The game can be played in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Mandarin, and after playing in the restaurant portion of the game, users can then move on to other areas of hotel operations. The video below demonstrates the game in action:
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Internet Might Kill Us All
| The ultimate in asymmetric warfare |
| While hacker attacks against banks and commercial institutions make good press, the most troubling portents of the next war were the Stuxnet attack on the Iranian centrifuge facilities, the compromise of the RSA security system and the penetration of American defense contractors. These weren’t Lulz orAnonymous hackers, these were attacks by government military projects with thousands of programmers coordinating their efforts. All had a single goal in mind: to prepare to use the internet to destroy a country without physically killing its people. |
Klout Comes to Facebook Fan Pages « Measuring Online Influence: The Official Klout Blog
Today, we’re proud to announce that we’re partnering with Involver to allow brands to provide customized experiences to their Facebook fans based on Klout Scores. Besides the number of fans, brands know surprisingly little about who those people are, their potential reach, and have little ability to message them individually. Now, with this partnership, brands can choose to give different offers, promotions, or messaging to fans based on their Klout. We’re excited to have Audi on board as our first partner on their Audi USA fan page.
Read the full press release below:
Klout Comes to Facebook: Brands and Agencies Can Now Engage Facebook Fans Based on Klout Scores
Involver App, built in SML™, allows brands and agencies to customize engagement, promotions, and offers to reward influential fans
SAN FRANCISCO – June 22, 2011 – Involver Inc., the web’s most trusted social marketing platform, and Klout, the standard for influence across the social web, today bring Klout to Facebook, giving brands a new way to engage with their most influential fans, and rewarding consumers based on their influence, as measured by Klout. Facebook has been largely devoid of the ability to filter how brands focus their attention. This integration marks the first time brands can engage with their fans on Facebook using the Klout scoring system.
Audi USA, the brand with the most actively engaged Facebook fans, has deployed the new Klout app to engage with its nearly 4 milion fans in a more customized and personalized way. Live now on Audi’s Facebook fan page, users will receive a customized brand experience, tailored to them based on their Klout score. On Audi’s Facebook page, fans who sign up to get their Klout Score will receive a custom digital Perk.
With this integration the Klout app is fully developed in Involver’s SML™, which means brands and agencies can incorporate a user’s Klout scores to dynamically change the content/interaction with the Involver platform applications. An agency or brand can create highly customized experiences across the spectrum of Klout scores, unlocking the ability to uniquely target connected influencers.
By partnering with Involver, Klout’s Facebook app is easily deployed to more than 400,000 brands and agencies using Involver’s platform. The Klout app is available as a free application and with progressivly more features enabled as a part of Involver’s Professional, Business, and Enterprise offerings with advanced features including deeper customization, and content control based on Klout scores.
How the Klout App Works
● A brand deploys the Klout App and configures it settings
● Once fan interacts with the application the brand is able to show different content based on users’ Klout scores. Like a “fan-gate” on steroids.
● Example: When a user above a certain threshhold interacts, they get access to special, unreleased content (a new trailer, product, coupon, etc.). That person is more likely to share it, and it’s more likely to catch on.“We identified Klout as a skilled partner to help us recognize and idenfity our Facebook fans with followings and influence,” said Doug Clark, General Manager, Social Media & Customer Engagement, Audi of America whom is currently using the application “We currently have over 3,500,000 fans on Facebook and we see this as a great tool to help manage and work more directly with our fan base.”
“Facebook represents a huge opportunity for brands to connect with their fans and deliver a unique experience,” said Joe Fernancez, founder and CEO, Klout. “The real value for brands comes in being able to personalize and customize that experience based on specific attributes of individuals. Involver helped us make Klout scores actionable for brands and agencies on the most influential social platform out there.”
“The new Klout app is particularly exciting for us because of the deep customization and personalization around fan engagement,” said Rahim Fazal, CEO and Co-Founder, Involver. “Brands like Audi have massive followings, and the logical next step is to empower those brands and their agencies to engage with their fans in specific, highly personalized ways.”
The Klout app is now available directly from Klout and Involver.
About Involver
Involver is the solution of choice for the world’s biggest brands trying to connect with customers on social networks. Over 400,000 brands and agencies — including Nike, Facebook, Cisco, and the NFL — use Involver to power their marketing efforts to a combined audience of over a billion relationships.Involver pioneered the first social app suite on Facebook and is now leading the industry with SML (Social Markup Language), allowing front-end developers to achieve pixel-perfect application development. Involver’s Audience Management Platform acts as a marketer’s system of record, bringing everything from app management and wall response/moderation to publishing updates and analytics into a single intuitive interface.
Involver is a Facebook Preferred Developer and a technology provider for Facebook’s internal marketing team, with applications like the Involver Leaderboard and Stories. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA with Offices in Austin, TX and New York, NY Involver was founded in 2007 and investors include Bessemer Ventures, Cervin Ventures and WTI. Learn more at www.involver.com.
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Training Secrets From Inside The Googleplex
Every other Friday, the company hosts a “Product Spotlight,” a dial-in conference call which Learning and Development Manager Debbie Newhouse tells Fast Company is run like a Jon Stewart-style “talk show" (well, minus any adult toy-themed spinning wheels). A moderator interviews a product manager about a particular new feature, as sales agents across the country, and around the world, listen in. Sometimes there are also slides or video to follow along with online, and the agents get to ask questions via chat. Maybe it's more like Leno.
“People learn best from experts,” Newhouse says, “but they learn best from experts who are not droning on and on.” The secret to the Product Spotlights, she says, is that rather than relying on product managers to dream up a course, the moderator simply guides them to the aspects of the product most relevant to the sales staff.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
UN declares Internet access a human right
As evidenced by the Facebook Revolutions and ensuing Middle East turmoil, the Internet is a powerful tool and one capable of change. Of course, its eliminating citizen use of the Web under oppressive regimes has also yielded consequences. Perhaps inspired by these effects, the UN has declared the Internet a human right. A recent report titled “Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression” declares that Internet access falls under freedom of expression.
While the report may have especially poignant significance for Middle Eastern nations, it applies internationally. “Each state should thus develop a concrete and effective policy to make the Internet widely available, accessible, and affordable to all segments of population.” The US National Telecommunications and Information Association (NCIA) are collaborating with the FCC to analyze the state of broadband availability in the country. Recent findings revealed that a five to 10 percent of American cannot access Internet speeds that allow basic Web functions. So if you think this is merely a third-world problem or issue with oppressive governments, you’d be wrong.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
#EBay acquires Magento, builds a commerce OS
By swallowing up Magento, eBay is building what it calls X.Commerce, an open platform that can offer a wide array of end-to-end services to merchants, providing everything from local inventory data and discounts to historical information on pricing, transactions and browsing. It then offers tools for payment and helps close the loop on transactions so retailers know how it all came together. EBay, PayPal and GSI, a digital marketing and e-commerce company that eBay is in the process of buying, would provide some of the basic building blocks for the platform. But X.Commerce would also incorporate other eBay assets and enlist the help of developers who could build on the operating system. EBay expects to share more about the X.Commerce platform at its newly renamed X.Commerce Innovate conference on Oct. 12 and 13. From the eBay press release:
It’s a big strategy move but one that has been tipped off by eBay’s recent acquisitions. With its pickups of RedLaser and Milo as well as its recent purchases of WHERE and Fig Card, eBay has been assembling the components for a deeper push into commerce, especially local transactions. RedLaser allows eBay to insert itself into comparison shopping as mobile consumers use their smartphones to help them shop. Milo helps connect users to the local inventory of products around them. With WHERE, eBay got not only a local guide for mobile users but also a location-based ad network and a deals service called WHEREBuys. That allows eBay to engage a user through an ad or deal; then, by integrating with PayPal for payments, it can close the loop on the transaction and theoretically charge a premium for it. Fig Card, a competitor to Square, also helps merchants accept mobile payments, which can include PayPal. And combined with GSI, which provides e-commerce infrastructure for large retailers and brands, eBay has solutions that appeal to both small and large companies.
#Apple's iOS 5: all the details #iPhone
- And the first new feature: an overhaul of notifications. At last! A new Notification Center aggregates all your, well, notifications into one and is accessible by swiping down a menu from the top of the screen. Yes, just like Android. Small X buttons alongside each note allow you to dismiss it, though there's no "clear all" option for the more decisive among us. Notifications are also making their way onto the lockscreen, where swiping across a text message takes you right into it. A little something like Samsung's TouchWiz implementation.
- Twitter integration is also coming to iOS 5, with a single sign-in allowing a multitude of apps to make use of your Twitter credentials. That includes the Camera and Photos programs, finally letting you tweet images out directly from your galleries.
- Yay, there's now a camera button right on your lockscreen! The volume-up button is also doubling up as a physical shutter release key when you're in the camera app. Pinch-to-zoom is said to be available right in the app, while holding your finger down on a particular area will lock down exposure to optimize the shot for its particular lighting. Some new in-device editing options have also been added, including cropping, rotation, red-eye reduction, and a one-click enhance option.
- Headline feature: PC Free! No more cables required for syncing. Now we're talking. Setting up and activating a new iOS device can be done right on the device itself, and syncing will be wireless too -- there'll be no need to tether to a computer anymore. Over-the-air updates are also part of the new deal, and in better news still, they'll contain only the data that's changed, meaning you won't have to re-download the entire OS every time Apple opts to make a minor tweak.
- Another pretty significant novelty: iMessage. It's a messaging service exclusively for iOS users (irrespective of which device they're rocking), which comes with delivery and read receipts, an indicator for when the other party is typing, and the ability to push messages to all your devices. Kinda, sorta like BBM. You'll be able to send messages, photos, videos, and contacts. Group messaging will also be available. It works over either WiFi or 3G and looks to be making good use of Apple's new push notifications.
- Perhaps the biggest innovation of all in iOS 5, however, will be the way iCloud affects the use of your mobile device. Hit up our overview post of the company's new cloud-syncing solution to learn all about it.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
#REPORT: #Facebook Ads Surge Despite Lag In ROI
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| In contrast to more expensive advertising destinations like AOL and Yahoo! where CPMs can be $15 – $25 or even higher, Facebook is reportedly hovering at somewhere between $4 and $8. |
| The last finding from this report that stood out was that newspaper advertising dollars appears to be the greatest source of Facebook’s growth. |
A Detailed Look Into the Groupon IPO Filing
"Our business has grown rapidly as merchants and consumers have increasingly used our marketplace," Groupon wrote in the S-1. "However, this is a new market which we only created in late 2008 and which has operated at a substantial scale for only a limited period of time. Given the limited history, it is difficult to predict whether this market will continue to grow or whether it can be maintained. We expect that the market will evolve in ways which may be difficult to predict."
Other risk factors for Groupon include: failure to retain or acquire subscribers; failure to stave off net loses due to operating expenses; failure to add or maintain new merchants; failure to hold off competition and clones; failure to recover subscriber acquisition costs (marketing expenses such as the infamous Super Bowl ads); disruption of email chain or email restrictions; international growth problems.
Those are the highlights of Groupon's risks, though the S-1 does go on for about 10 more pages outlining potential harmful market conditions including government regulation of e-commerce or losing members of the managerial team.
Read more at www.readwriteweb.com
#QR Codes Going Mainstream
According to the research, almost 40 per cent of consumers are now familiar with the interactive matrix barcodes. Across all age groups 12 per cent of consumers have successfully scanned a QR code with their mobile phone and accessed the information it contained. This figure increases to 20 per cent among 18 - 24 year olds, and 15 per cent among 25 - 34 year olds.
On average, men (15 per cent) were more likely to have used a QR code than women (12 per ceng) and, of people who have interacted them, most have done so with QR codes on advertising and products (both 41 per cent).
Thursday, June 2, 2011
#Heist for #iPhone reaches 500.000+ downloads ((tags: game, mobile, iphone, heist, app, download, record)
As of today, The Heist (DOWNLOAD) has sold more than 500,000 copies and made$300,000. This makes it one of the fastest, if not the fastest-selling app ever made.
