NinetyTen News & Social Networking Blog
What is a Private Social Network
Always wondered what a private social network is? But hate them big presentations that seem to last for hours and explain very little.
Well why don’t you check out this very quick guide to what is a private social network.
http://www.slideshare.net/ninetyten/what-is-a-private-social-network-11515506
Filed under: News by andrew | 13 Feb 2012Top
See our latest article - Association Management
Check out the full article here http://slidesha.re/yMZxiC
Filed under: News by andrew | 06 Dec 2011Top
Expanded spheres of influence
Extract for the Financial Times 29/11/2011 for illustraction purposes only
When Simon Rabin, the co-founder of London-based mobile commerce business Txt2Buy, set up the company in 2008, he faced the same problem that confronts many aspiring entrepreneurs: how to obtain funding.
He and his partner, both recent graduates, set up shop in Mr Rabin’s bedroom with a couple of computers and a broadband connection and set about building a network that would enable them to launch a start-up. “The only tool we had available to us was the internet,” he says.
They focused on mining the professional networking site LinkedIn to target the type of funder they believed were most likely to favour a business such as theirs: “It was a bit like going to a networking event, holding up a megaphone and saying, ‘Venture capital, London, tech start-up’, and everyone comes over,” Mr Rabin says.
But, he adds, for a pair of 23-year-olds just starting out, it offered a credible platform. “It gives you the opportunity to present yourself in a way that means people are willing to engage with you,” he says, pointing out that LinkedIn enabled him to connect with relevant individuals without having to deal with “gatekeepers” such as PAs. He cites one prominent venture capitalist who was impossible to get hold of via the conventional channels. Yet five minutes after Mr Rabin sent him a personalised LinkedIn request, a face-to-face meeting was set up. “I would not have got in front of him otherwise,” he says.
Mr Rabin’s experience demonstrates how platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are changing the ways in which communities are formed. But it also highlights the importance of making online and offline networking tools work in sync rather than have one replace the other.
Networking, of course, is not new. In an article published by Harvard Business Review in January 2007, Insead professors Herminia Ibarra and Mark Hunter described how successful leaders used three types of network. Operational networks, which could include key colleagues, suppliers or customers, enable you to get your job done more efficiently. Personal networks build on professional links with “kindred spirits” outsid
e your operational network. Such contacts might not be essential to accomplishing day-to-day tasks but they provide the types of links, through professional associations, personal interest groups or alumni groups, that can provide important outside information. And strategic networks are about building contacts among those beyond your immediate control who will be able to help you reach strategic, long-term professional goals.
To view the rest of this article please visit http://on.ft.com/rFkOJV
Filed under: News by andrew | 29 Nov 2011Top
NinetyTen at the IofAM Social Media Workshop
Both the Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Adcock and Senior Developer Jules Copeland would like to thank everyone who attended the seminar and are looking forward to seeing you in the future. They hope the seminar provided a useful insight into modern technology and the uses of private social networks for associations and welcome all feedback.
For more information or a meeting you can contact us on 020 7494 2821 or alternatively write to Andrew@ninetyten.com
Filed under: News by andrew | 05 Oct 2011Top
NinetyTen at the IofAM AGM
(Online Communities for member engagement – NinetyTen at IofAM London 2011)
Andrew Adcock, Chief Marketing Officer of NinetyTen, will be presenting “Online communities for member engagement” at the IofAM on the 5th October 2011.
See how NinetyTen is separating the business from the social buzz and how social media has evolved from the old paradigm of one-way relationships to the new paradigm of multiple relationships and multiple players.
Research shows that although most membership bodies are exploring ways to engage with social media, only 5% have been successful in implementing and gaining the desired results.
Our experience tells us that membership bodies are aware of the need to implement a social media strategy but are confronted with doubts about their ability to understand the technology and how to make the most of it.
With social media becoming much more about the user and their long-term relationships with the brand and not so much about directly monetizing those relationships, companies are now looking for new ways to Engage, connect and establish a relationship with users. Find out how this is achieved with a private social network and see a live demonstration of NinetyTen Engage Platform presented by Jules Copeland, Senior Developer, NinetyTen
Engage is a dedicated social networking solution designed specifically for
membership bodies, associations, societies, charities and other organisations to enhance member relations, drive conversation, monitor feedback and promote engagement using NinetyTen’s proven social media platform.
For you and your organisation Engage can be the easiest way to implement social media and deliver real and meaningful results.
Filed under: News by andrew | 26 Sep 2011Top
Companies need to upgrade sites to reclaim identity
An extract from the Daily Telegraph, 07/08/2011 (with changes for commentary purposes)
There are approximately 130 million websites online. However, the majority of them are built using technology which is over a decade old – a crazy thought when considering that these destinations, make up the fabric of the very web we expect to be right up to date.
Jason Rosenthal, the chief executive of Silicon Valley website creation company is hoping to alter this trend of building sites with old technology, that fail to take into account the crucial social elements of web 2.0.
A few weeks ago a platform which offers the tools for anyone to create their own website, opened its first office outside of the US, right in the heart of London’s Soho Square. It is hoping to bring its easy one-stop shop suite of website creation tools, to the UK on a larger scale, and is specifically tackling small to medium sized British businesses.
The company caused a stir last year among the thousands of its website creators and the technology press, with its controversial decision to phase out free accounts and only support paying customers’ websites.
Rosenthal, the person behind the decision to cancel the free option, told The Telegraph that the company had finally turned a profit for the first time last August and the success of the paid-for only model had allowed the company to expand overseas.
Co-founded in Silicon Valley in 2004 by high-profile internet entrepreneur and Facebook board member Marc Andreessen has typically been a go-to place when a big brand is a building a smaller product and the company want to create a dedicated spin-off microsite which has social features, such as chat forums.
The platform is focused on helping companies and individuals build social communities around their content using video plug-ins, blogs and live-streaming technology. It has 90,000 current paying customers who have built websites using the technology.
For instance Radiohead’s and 50 Cent’s fansites have been created using this social media platform. But now, according to Rosenthal, talking to me at Ning’s Palo Alto headquarters, the company is focused on becoming the de-facto platform for both individuals and companies to build their websites upon and re-claim their online identities.
“Now when you ‘Google’ a company, lots of different results come up such as their Yell page, their Qype page, and then their Facebook page – and sometimes you need to scroll to the second page of search results to find the company’s actual website, which is the identity they should be controlling online and using to interact with current and potential customers. And yet it’s no where to be seen and nothing new is happening on it,” explains Rosenthal.
He remembers all too well when he headed up product development at Netscape, the first mainstream browser in the nineties, just how difficult it was to get businesses to even build a website. “We went around telling companies of all sizes that they needed to build their own site and be in charge of their own identity online. But most of them laughed and said they had their own ‘channel’ on AOL (the then main ramp onto the web in its nascent days and latterly the acquirer of Netscape) so why would they need their own site? Fast forward to now and most businesses have accepted the facts and created a web presence – but now those sites need modernising and the social elements of the web added in.”
Rosenthal thinks we are at the tip of the iceberg for businesses’ sites going social but most small to medium sized businesses think it’s too tough and costly to change their site and approach.
“We think within the next three to five years the entire web will be rebuilt around social and mobile,” he asserts.
He defines six key features which make a website ‘social’: blogging, photo-sharing tools, group functionality, video capability, forums and events pages.
And he is obviously keen to plug his own company as the platform upon which businesses can easily make their websites Web 2.0 and fully social.
Social platforms are a good choice for businesses who understand the need to put social and mobile (as these sites also help with the development of smartphone apps) at the front and centre of their business, but don’t have a huge budget or amount of time to employ a dedicated web developer to create a site from scratch.
Plus with the aftercare – and tutorials, updating a businesses website is less painful than it might initially seem.
In the digital age businesses have the greatest opportunity to get to know their customers around the world and attract new ones too.
But they cannot do this with a web 1.0 site that allows no dialogue. The majority of the web is in need of an urgent upgrade.
Filed under: News by andrew | 19 Sep 2011Top
Security fears drive move to block social media
An extract from the Financial Times, 06/09/2011 (with changes for commentary purposes)
NEARLY a third of UK companies are blocking their employees from using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in reaction to growing fears about internet security, according to a new study.
Highly publicised hacking incidents, such as the attack on Sony earlier this year, are causing a "knee-jerk" reaction among companies to clamp down on employees’ internet use, says Andrew Wyatt.
There was a 20% rise in the number of UK companies blocking access to social media in the past year, the Clearswift study finds. Some 53% of managers had identified social media use as a concern.
"It is clear that we have seen some significant changes in attitude towards social media use in the last 12 months. Businesses have reacted to the series of high profile data leaks and have become increasingly nervous about its usage from the workplace," says Wyatt. "Social networking sites often have little to do with data loss incidents, but they have become guilty by association, because they are seen as having an impact on a company’s brand."
Banks have long had policies blocking employees from accessing social networking sites but now several other industries are looking to limit use.
At Royal Dutch Shell, the Anglo-Dutch energy company, employees are not blocked from accessing Facebook, but if they log on to the site from work they are greeted with a pop-up screen that reminds them not to use personal sites during business hours.
Security and compliance issues were the key reason for banning social media. Last month Bayer, the pharmaceuticals company, was reprimanded by the UK pharmaceutical industry regulator for using Twitter to promote two high-profile prescription medicines. Earlier this year the British pharmaceuticals industry issued specialist guidance on using Twitter to promote such medications.
Filed under: News by andrew | 06 Sep 2011Top
Upgrading sites to reclaim identity, Web 2.0
An extract from the Sunday Telegraph, 07/08/2011 (with changes for commentary purposes)
Social features have become crucial to any web offering, but outdated technology means that few businesses are realizing their potential
There are approximately 130 million websites online. However, the majority of them are built using technology, which is over a decade old – a crazy thought when considering that these destinations make up the fabric of the very web that we expect to be right up to date.
Netscape was the first mainstream browser in the nineties, fast forward to now and most businesses have accepted the facts and created a web presence – but now those sites need modernizing and the social elements of the web added in.”
We are at the tip of the iceberg for businesses’ sites going social but most small to medium sized businesses think it’s too tough and costly to change their site and approach. It has been said that over the "next three to five years the entire web will be rebuilt around social and mobile” applications. But what are the key features that make a website ‘social’, well they are: blogging, photo-sharing tools, group functionality, video capability, forums and events pages.
As a business any site that has already been created can be easily exported onto these platforms and they offer high levels flexibility, customization and are well priced to. Plus with the aftercare – and tutorials, updating a businesses website is less painful than it might initially seem.
In the digital age businesses have the greatest opportunity to get to know their customers around the world and attract new ones too. But they cannot do this with a web 1.0 site that allows no dialogue. The majority of the web is in need of an urgent upgrade and it is time for business to reclaim their identity and upgrade to facilities offered in web 2.0
Filed under: News by andrew | 19 Aug 2011Top
Announcing the launch of the I-N-DIAMONDE business network powered by NinetyTen [Press release]
NinetyTen Ltd
16 June 2011
Announcing the launch of the I-N-DIAMONDE business network powered by NinetyTen
NinetyTen Ltd, a London-based provider of enterprise social networking technology, announces the launch of the new I-N-DIAMONDE network, a standalone solution to connect affluent business professionals of Indian origin worldwide.
The I-N-DIAMONDE network is based on a new concept of providing an online social hub, creating a unique place for business professionals to communicate, interact and develop a working relationship. Through engagement active members of the community are rewarded by being able to leverage unrivalled wealth of knowledge and connections. I-N-DIAMONDE is designed to benefit all users by providing in-depth look at information that is shaping tomorrow’s markets.
A prominent feature of the I-N-DIAMONDE network is a marketplace for business opportunities. This feature allows individuals to get exclusive access to business opportunities and deals. When combined with a live Q&A section, interactive events calendar and extensive industry news section everyone can collaborate with each other in a real time environment. This approach ensures they’ll never miss an opportunity for new business.
About NinetyTen:
NinetyTen is a London-based technology company committed to designing, developing and maintaining online community platforms and private social networks. With valuable experience in mobile social networking, NinetyTen custom-builds and maintains state-of-the-art social networks for both corporate and institutional clients. At each step of this process, NinetyTen is focused entirely on the clients’ needs while delivering superior Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) with dedication, innovation, and integrity. To date, clients of NinetyTen include NOKIA, Channel 4, Shop Direct and others.
To find out more about NinetyTen please visit http://ninetyten.com/
ENDS
Filed under: News by alex | 16 Jun 2011Top
ABDO Wins NinetyTen's Free Social Network Competition
NinetyTen in association with the Institute of Association Management held a competition for a free Engage private social networking platform for membership organizations.
Paul Neale, CEO of IofAM, picked at random the Association of British Dispensing Opticians to be the winner of a fully customized and hosted package including a 12-month SaaS subscription.
Michael Potter, Head of Marketing and Communications at ABDO, received the prize at the award ceremony on 1 June 2011. ABDO is celebrating its 25-year anniversary this year. The new NinetyTen Engage platform will be integrated with ABDO's website to provide personalized social networking capabilities for over 8,000 members with instant actionable insights for the association's membership relations team. With NinetyTen Engage, the ABDO will fully embrace Web 2.0 and ensure its leadership is preserved for the next 25 years and beyond. Congratulations!
Filed under: News by alex | 03 Jun 2011Top
Social Gaming and 'gamification' event coorganized by NinetyTen
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On 13 May 2011 NinetyTen together with Waves PR held the latest THUPR event. As always, THUPR was fun and engaging with main theme gamification and social games.
Filed under: News by andrew | 17 May 2011Top
Social network use ''set to explode'' in business world
The use of social networks within businesses is expected to take on greater significance in the near future.
This is according to co-founder of communications firm National Field Edward Saatchi, who told the London Evening Standard that he anticipates more firms to start utilising sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Millions of people already use the sites to socialise in their free time, so the idea of using them in the work environment should appeal to bosses.
Mr Saatchi believes that the use of private facilities on the websites can be more engaging and ultimately more productive than using emails to share information and ideas within a company.
"The concept of private social networks in business is going to explode," he told the publication.
It appears that Mr Saatchi is not alone in his prediction of a bright future for social networking in the workplace.
Last month, chairman and chief executive of Atos Origin Thierry Breton said that his company was setting out to eradicate emails among its staff in favour of "social community platforms".
Filed under: News by alex | 03 Mar 2011Top
Practical Reasons why Social Media is useful for Membership Organizations
Social networking has evolved rapidly in the last few years and most people have heard of social media. There are many networks and social tools available and it is a surprise that the majority of membership organizations do not use any form of social media. The normal route of having a website to supply members with news and information is useful but allowing them to participate in the “conversation” and to network with each other is proven to tremendously increase satisfaction.
But why is having a social network feature so important to members? My experience suggests the following:
1. Members want to be engaged. Until the arrival of social media, websites were used to store information and “push” it to members who come to look for it. This can be confusing and inefficient. Social media technology allows for information to find you based on your preferences and online behavior as well as those of others like you.
2. Members support what they help create. Allowing members to share what they think in an online community creates strong links to other web pages and social networks bringing more people to your website. It truly is natural SEO, at no extra cost. As your community evolves, your members and contributors will create more and more content.
3. Members value other perspectives. Regardless of your stellar reputation for professionalism and knowledge, members prefer it when they can compare different angles and points of view. An online community facilitates this flawlessly.
4. Members look to enhance their careers. Becoming an “expert” in the community not only adds to your members’ self-esteem but also to their prospects for further career development. They can include their community profile address in their CV
5. Members want to be noticed. It is much easier to get noticed in a community where you belong to a group with closely linked interests as opposed to one of the large online communities. A vibrant community is priceless when it comes to professional connections and networking.
6. Members want to be integrated. It is an effective way of quickly integrating new members.
The use of a social network platform to create an online community is the best way to engage your members in meaningful conversations and to afford them valuable networking opportunities.
NinetyTen in association with the Institute of Association Management is pleased to offer a Free Prize Draw for a NinetyTen Engage Platform integrated into your website and 12 months SaaS subscription worth £16,000. Please click here to fill out an entry form for your chance to win.
Filed under: News by alex | 15 Feb 2011Top
Free "Online Communities for Member Engagement" Seminar during the 2011 CHASE Exhibition
Having a website to supply members with news and information is good and allowing them to participate in the conversation or to network with each other is proven to tremendously increase satisfaction. Online communities allow for information to find your members rather than your members having to search for it. But why is having an online community on your membership site so important to members?
Alexander Nikolov, Chief Marketing Officer of NinetyTen and in association with the Institute of Association Management, will be answering these and many more social networking questions at the seminar on “Online Communities for Member Engagement“. It is part of the official CHASE Exhibition, starting at 9:45 am on Wednesday 23rd February 2011 at the Business Design Center in Islington, London N1.
Please call to reserve a place or click here for more information.
Filed under: News by alex | 14 Feb 2011Top
NinetyTen at CHASE 2011
NinetyTen will be exhibiting at Chase 2011 to be held on February 22nd to 23rd at the Business Design Centre, London N1. Please visit us at Stand 14.
We have 100 complimentary tickets that you can apply for by email. These are available on a first come basis.
Filed under: News by alex | 14 Feb 2011Top
NinetyTen Engage Free Prize Draw
NinetyTen in cooperation with the Institute of Association Management are giving away a free Ninetyten Engage social media platform integrated with your membership website and 12 months SaaS subscription worth £16,000. Please fill out the entry form for a chance to win.
NinetyTen Engage is the complete solution for private social networking designed especially for membership bodies and featuring our Advanced Intelligent Content Discovery Engine to:
· Enhance member relations;
· Drive conversation;
· Monitor feedback;
· Promote engagement.
NinetyTen Engage brings together seamlessly a comprehensive mix of user features by incorporating an online community onto your existing website.
Filed under: News by alex | 14 Feb 2011Top
NinetyTen co-organizes Content Creation, part of Social Media Week London 2011
We're proud to invite you to join us on 11 February 2011 for our next THUPR event on Content Creation: Social Reporting.
This event is part of Social Media Week London, so please sign up here:
An informal gathering for PR and social media professionals to learn about some new and interesting ways to create compelling content for social media, and some case studies to see how it's shared.
· Shooting video – top tips. Matt Gardner, Clear Blue Productions.
· New video technology – take video from any one on to any site. John Duffy, Nemisys.
· Oxfam’s ipadio broadcasts during the Haiti disaster. Mark Smith, Nemisys & ipadio.
· Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity project. Shehzaad Shams, Amnesty International.
· Pulling it all together with the press release. Rob Shepherd, Press Dispensary.
There will also be a 'Meta-tagging – top tips' sheet to take away. John Duffy, Nemisys.
And events will be recorded by the amazing Drawnalism.
Filed under: News by alex | 07 Feb 2011Top
The NinetyTen Christmas Party
NinetyTen's team gathered at our headquarters at 7 Cork Street in Mayfair for an afternoon of feast and celebration for the Christmas holiday.
Filed under: News by alex | 29 Dec 2010Top
NinetyTen at the Internet Marketing Summit 2010
The 2010 Internet Marketing Summit took place on 22-23 November 2010 at the Radisson Blu Hotel London. It featured an extensive seminar program in with NinetyTen took part. Alexander Nikolov, Chief Marketing Officer, delivered a presentation on the new focus on retention in social media. The seminar was attended by executives from BoConcept, Easynet Connect, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, SPAR UK and other consumer brands. You can download a copy of the presentation here.
Filed under: News by alex | 24 Nov 2010Top
Ninety Ten Becomes PARN News Update Sponsor
Engaging members through social networks
Ninetyten is now an official news update sponsor of the Professional Associations Research Network. Look out for the upcoming feature on engaging members through social networks written by Ninetyten.
Filed under: News by alex | 28 Sep 2010Top
Unselling Social Media – NinetyTen at ad:tech London 2010
For the sixth year in the UK, the online marketing and advertising community will gather together at ad:tech London to reveal the latest trends and market figures, share best practices and address industry challenges. Publishers, advertisers, marketers and business owners attend ad:tech each year to discover the latest in digital and the tools and the knowledge to succeed in an ever changing interactive world.
Alexander Nikolov, Chief Marketing Officer of NinetyTen, will be presenting “Unselling Social Media – Customer Service Online Communities” at the Convert & Engage theater at 15:10 on 21 September 2010, the first day of the show. You are welcome to come and find out how social media has evolved since last year with social media becoming more about the customer and their long-term relationships with brands and not so much about directly monetizing those relationships.
NinetyTen will be exhibiting at stand #114. See you there!
Filed under: News by alex | 17 Sep 2010Top
Online Communities for Customer Service
What’s wrong with customer service? What’s next for customer service? Online communities are entering this space to create a new level of customer satisfaction. Social media and social networking technologies are making it possible to take the customer service conversation into the public domain for the first time. See why customers are loving it, want more of it and the 7 ways every business can benefit from this trend.
The presentation was first delivered at Social Media Monday London on 17 May 2010 http://www.socialmediamonday.com/customer-service-for-online-communities/
It was featured on the home page by the editors of SlideShare on 14 July 2010 http://slidesha.re/c4i1eK
Filed under: News by alex | 14 Jul 2010Top
Justin's video interview with Mobile Industry Review
We like going to Industry events here at Ninetyten towers. Once of the best mobile gatherings in the UK is Swedish Beers, held in London every now and again.
This months Swedish Beers was in collaboration with Mobile Monday to celebrate their 7 and 3 year birthdays respectively.
The guys over at Mobile Industry Review asked Justin about what to look out for over the next few months in the mobile industry as well as what we have been upto recently...
MIR Show - Week 45 - Justin Davies, Co-Founder of NinetyTen from Mobile Industry Review on Vimeo.
Filed under: News by davidh | 18 Nov 2008Top
Channel 4 launches 4iP with Ninetyten
Channel 4 Launches 4iP to Create New Digital Businesses with Help from NinetyTen
London, UK | October 15, 2008: NinetyTen has created the ideas submission system at the heart of a new Channel 4 venture which will stimulate public service digital media across the UK. The new venture, called 4iP (4 Innovation for the Public), officially launches on October 15th.
4iP will allow anyone to submit new digital business ideas at www.4ip.org.uk. 4iP will then uses the expertise of Channel 4's digital team to fine-tune the ideas and turn them into viable businesses.
In the first stage, the ideas are reviewed by Channel 4's team of digital managers who will suggest ways in which the ideas could be improved upon. The second stage will take some of the stronger ideas further, and use the knowledge base of Channel 4 to help build a financial and business plan around the ideas. As the ideas pass through 4iP’s network, the ideas will become more and more robust, with the strongest ideas coming out the other end with support from Channel 4.
Marcus Page, IS Business Development Manager from Channel 4 commented: “With 4iP we are being pro-active in finding original interactive media products & services, as digital platforms become increasingly important. NinetyTen's expertise in creating the ideas submission system was a key element in the overall creation of the 4iP website and over the last few months we have been impressed by their hard work and expertise.”
David Atkins, CEO of NinetyTen said: “4iP is a great way of harnessing the creative potential that’s here in the UK, so it has been a great project to be involved in. As we have experienced in the last few months, more and more businesses have started to understand that social networking technology like ours has become a fundamental part of their business - it is not just a nice-to-have any more.”
NinetyTen is a specialist provider of social media technologies that can be incorporated into new and existing digital media. The company was formed by an experienced team of technology entrepreneurs who have all founded and run a number of successful video, telecoms and digital businesses.
About 4iP
Announced as part of Channel 4’s Next on 4 strategic blueprint, 4iP is a major new initiative to encourage innovation on digital platforms, which aims to re-invent public service media for the digital age. A collaboration between Channel 4 and a series of regional development agencies and funding partners from around the UK, the editorial focus will be on working with the best talent, both individually and within digital production.
Over the next two years Channel 4 and our 4iP partners will be investing up to £50m in content and services which will help it deliver public purposes on new platforms, in new ways, for new audiences.
About NinetyTen
NinetyTen is an industry leading provider of social media technologies. The NinetyTen technology known as The Social Media Platform allows organisations to provide community based services to both their own employees as well as build consumer facing communities. The Social Media Platform uses a converged architecture to build Web and Mobile based solutions for customers.
For more information, please contact:
Sonus PR for NinetyTen
Martin Smith, Tel. +44 20 7851 4821, martin.smith@sonuspr.com
Filed under: News by justin | 15 Oct 2008Top
Justin interviewed by SMS Text News
Ninetyten is sponsoring the SMS Text News drinks on Tuesday 10th June (there are still a few places left at the last count), and Ewan MacLeod asked Justin to pop by and discuss what Ninetyten has been up to, as well as general musings on the current state of the mobile industry and what the future holds.
You can hear the podcast interview here.
Filed under: News by justin | 06 Jun 2008Top
What Services Can Trigger Growth in Mobile Internet Usage?
Having been involved with NinetyTen for some time now I am delighted to see the growth of our own mobile social network BuddyPing. In October this service was being used as a test bed and demonstration tool, and here we are 6 months later inching towards 200,000 registered users with a decent rate returning.
Although I like to view our BuddyPing application as an innovative application I believe that it's growth and the consistent usage we are seeing is evidence that consumers are becoming far more comfortable using mobile Internet services. This is very much inline with the view of several market experts I have had the opportunity to speak with recently. Everyone is holding their breath and waiting for the explosion in usage. So what will trigger it?
Can BuddyPing be that trigger? - On it's own no service or application can inspire a huge increase in usage, however services along with better handsets and improved rate plans from the operators are a fundamental part of the reason consumers are starting to use more mobile Internet minutes.
I believe that a combination of BuddyPing and services in the social media arena along side mobile search and sport related sites will ultimately be the most visited mobile internet sites and the services who can drive heavy traffic for mobile surfing. If you draw direct comparisons with the online world the most used websites are social networking site, search engines and news/sport related sites. It isn't a huge leap of faith to translate these consumer usage patterns into the mobile world.
How does BuddyPing become key? - The first and most important thing is that we keep growing at the accelerated rate seen this year. To maintain this growth spurt we are launching a new version of the application, which still provides the full functionality currently available, but more importantly we also allow users to communicate with the large online social networks, providing status and location updates as well as viewing their friends status and sharing media. I am confident this convergence of online and mobile will see us exceed a million subscribers by the end of the summer and become a key service when mobile Internet usage finally explodes.
Recent Posts:
- What is a Private Social Network
- See our latest article - Association Management
- Expanded spheres of influence