Canadians Love Donuts…and Social Media

By Mark Evans in Social Media, Uncategorized 4 Comments Tags: , , ,

It should come as absolutely no surprise but a new eMarketer report has discovered that Canadians are really into social media – almost as much as we’re into double-doubles (aka coffee with two sugars and two creams), hockey, Justin Bieber, maple syrup and hockey.

eMarketer expects by year-end about 15.1 million online users in Canada will have visited social networking sites at least once a month, an 11% increase from from 13.6 million in 2009. By 2014, 18.4 million Canadians are expected to visit social media, boosting penetration to 68% from 59%.

It’s no surprise Facebook is, by far, the most popular social media service with 9.6 million unique visitors a month but a surprising runner-up is Windows Live is 543,000 visitors, while Twitter is third with 344,000. Given there are more than three million Canadians registered with Twitter, I would have thought the service would have more traffic.

While the Canadian population is enthusiastic about social media, the same can’t be said for Canadian companies, who are continuing to take a fairly cautious and measured approach. This includes major consumer-facing companies such as Canadian Tire and Loblaw that should be all over social media but have stayed on the sidelines.

When I created ME Consulting in January 2009, I didn’t set myself up as a social media consultant because there did not seem to be enough corporate activity to generate business. The landscape started to change about a year ago as a growing number of companies started to explore social media.

As a result, 2010 has seen a healthy amount of corporate activity but I wouldn’t describe it as a wave or flurry. My take is corporate Canada is probably two or three years behind the U.S. Some of it has to do with the fact Canada tends to lag behind the U.S for most online trends even though we have high Internet penetration rates.

And I think part of it has to do with the fact many senior executives aren’t into or using social media so pulling the trigger on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a blog can be a difficult strategic proposition even though it makes complete sense.

Below, you’ll find two charts from eMarketer. The first shows social media penetration rates, which seem low given Canada’s has the eight-largest Facebook population in the world, the fourth largest Twitter population and the highest penetration (68%) for YouTube. As well, it is puzzling to to DeviantArt and Classmates.com in the top-10 – neither one I would consider a social network. And what the heck is Skyrock, a service that I’ve never heard about before.

Is Facebook the New AOL?

By Mark Evans in Social Media 18 Comments Tags: , , ,

Does anyone remember AOL?

I’m not talking about the AOL that is scrambling to stay competitive but the AOL of a decade ago that was, in many respects, the Web for millions of people.

AOL created a user-friendly online ecosystem that met all your needs – email, content, services and, of course, access to the Internet (albeit via dial-up). It was a wonderful walled garden that meant there was really no need to wander out into the Wild Web. For AOL, it was a lucrative business. For AOL customers, it was Web Lite: convenient, easy to use and understand but dull given all the exciting things happening on the Web.

In the end, AOL’s walled garden became irrelevant as people discovered the Web had so much more to offer than the limited view offered by AOL. It was a great ride but AOL’s efforts to be all things to all people came to an abrupt end as consumers sought more choice and freedom.

So, what’s the connection between Facebook and AOL?

The key link is Facebook’s growing ambitions to be the destination for its 550 million users. By launching new services such as Places, Deals and e-mail (and offering an option to make Facebook your http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/21/facebook-homepage/), Facebook wants its users to spend most, if not all, of their time in Facebook. This is above and beyond the 5.5 hours/month the average Facebook already spends on Facebook.

While offering more services makes Facebook a more multi-dimensional service, it is also starting to make Facebook more complicated and confusing. From its roots as a service to communicate and share with friends and family, Facebook now wants to be a lot more. In fact, you could argue it wants to be everything.

It begs the question: what is Facebook and what is its role?

The big danger for Facebook is as it drives to become all things to all people, it risks becoming a cluttered landscape that will start to suffer from offering too many choices. It’s sort of like going to eat at a restaurant with a menu that goes on and on and on. While there are lots of options, making a decision is a major challenge.

And as Facebook looks to offer every popular service, it threatens to becoming a good, but not great, at any of them. At the same time, its users could start to feel that Facebook is trying to be too much, which could drive them to other services as a way to keep control.

Maybe this is just a small indicator but a blog post on TechCrunch by Jon Evans caught my attention because it’s a influential voice taking a serious poke at Goliath – something I haven’t seen enough of amid Facebook’s tremendous growth.

“I dislike Facebook because they’re mediocre. They have a platform and opportunity unlike anyone else, ever—and what have they done with it? Nothing. None of their so-called innovations are actually even remotely so. Copying Twitter was smart, but hardly new; ditto Foursquare. They called Facebook Groups an innovation; it’s a basic feature they should have implemented years ago. Now they’re laughably trying to claim that integrating email into their messaging system is a world-shaking revolution.”

Any way you want to slice it, Evans is making a pretty cutting statement that I think reflects the concerns many people may have about Facebook but reluctant to publicly express. Let’s face it, Facebook is a good service but far from perfect.

The more Facebook attempts to become a bigger part of your online existence, the more concerned you should get because there’s a danger in being too tied and too connected with a single service that wants to know more of who you are and what you do. It’s the same reason why people should be cautious of tying themselves to tightly to Google and all the services it offers.

Despite Facebook’s growth, I have always been ambivalent about it. Facebook can’t be ignored because it has become too popular and useful as a communications and marketing vehicle. At the same time, it is important to remember Facebook has aggressive ambitions that may not always align with the needs or wants of its users.

At one time, AOL seemed unstoppable and invulnerable because it was so big and dominant. But that strong position didn’t last because as AOL pushed forward to hammer home its dominance, the online landscape shifted on it, and users found different and better ways to use the Web.

I’m not suggesting Facebook faces the same fate but the similarities can’t be ignored or denied.

Is Black Friday Really a Good Thing?

By Mark Evans in Social Media 1 Comment Tags: , ,

As Americans recover from watching too much football and eating too much turkey, many people, including cross-border shopping Canadians, have shifted their enthusiasm to shopping to take advantage of all those sweet great “Black Friday” deals. (Note: Anyone expecting deep discounts from Apple will be disappointed.).

While consumers love bargins, the question is whether it’s a good thing for them. The prospect of getting something for significantly less than what it cost even yesterday encourages people to want things they don’t necessarily want or need.

Sure, this is the way capitalism works; you need to feed the beast to keep the fires roaring. But it doesn’t mean it’s healthy for the economy, personal debt or the environment when you think about all the old stuff that gets thrown out when the new, shiny stuff comes through the door.

When the economic downturn sent the North American economic landscape into the proverbial toilet in 2008 and 2009, it seemed like many people have suddenly realized that rampant consumerism was not a good thing. This included the crazy idea maybe buying less or buying high-quality products that lasted longer were good habits.

Alas, the frenzy for Black Friday makes it more than apparent few people learned anything about how and why to shop.

Could You Cut the Cable or Satellite Cord?

By Mark Evans in Media 12 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Although it’s more of a murmur than a rumble, there appears to be growing attention on cord-cutting. I’m not talking about wood as those of us north of border prepare for another long, cold winter but people who have decided they no longer need cable or satellite service because most, if not all, of their video needs are being met by online services.

Fabrice Taylor had an interesting column in yesterday’s Globe & Mail that talked about his own decision to cut the chord, as well as the fact the number of U.S. cable and satellite subscribers dropped by 216,000 in the second-quarter, the first time it had ever declined.

In the scheme of things 216,000 is a drop in the bucket compared with the 10s of millions of subscribers still coughing up a growing amount of dollars each and every month. But it does signal that consumers now have an option to get their video fix – be it movies, documentaries or television shows. With higher-speed networks and a growing number of devices to watch video, the Web is becoming a more viable and attractive platform.

This is a movement that will likely gain more traction as services such as Hulu, NetFlix and iTunes make it even easier to access online video anywhere, any time on any device, including smartphones.

The big obstacle facing cord-cutting is live sports – something that is available on pay-per-view but not readily available through an online service. If the professional sports leagues come around to offering games on a pay-as-you-go basis, it could dramatically jump-start the cord-cutting trend.

Last weekend, for example, I watched an NFL football game via online service. It wasn’t a legitimate service but, nevertheless, hinted at what was possible. If I could purchase the game of the week (e.g. New England vs. the New York Jets) for let’s say $4.99 from NFL.com, that would completely change how I would consume television.

That said, I do not expect the professional sports leagues in North America to change how they do business in the near future. The television deals from ESPN, NBC, Fox and CBS are too lucrative to consideration alternatives. We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars.

So while professional sports may not be part of the cord-cutting movement, everything else is on the table. As more services become available and more people get their heads around the fact they really don’t need to have cable or satellite service, cord-cutting could go from a murmur to a rumble in no time at all.

Have you cut the cord? If so, how do you consume your video these days, and what services do you use?

Six Questions to Ask a Social Media Consultant

By Mark Evans in Social Media 3 Comments Tags: , ,

With social media emerging as more of a mainstream corporate activity, there is not surprisingly plenty of demand for social media consultants to provide strategic and tactical insight and counsel.

In a recent blog post, Chris Kleff outlined nine different criteria to evaluate a social media “expert”. While the list offers some good ideas, there is too much focus on numbers as opposed to critical thinking.

For example, Kleff suggests a social media experts need more than 1,000 Facebook friends, a Klout score of more than 30, more than 500 connections on LinkedIn, and more than 2,010 Twitter followers.

To me, these metrics are secondary considerations when evaluating a social media consultant. All they do is confirm someone is walking the walk as well as talking the talk. Simply because someone has a large social media presence doesn’t mean they offer good strategic and tactical advice; it just means they’re active and engaged.

So if numbers don’t provide a good way to judge a social media consultant, how should companies do it? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Ask for real-world examples of how the consultant has provided social media services to clients, and the results of this work. It could be the size of a company’s social media footprint, the traffic it attracted, or the number of leads or sales. Look for tangible metrics to put the spotlight on their success. It also helps to ask for references.

2. Ask for insight into their approach and methodology to social media assignments or projects. Are they just providing tactical services, or does the consultant also focus on strategic and big-picture issues? How do they manage their assignments and projects? What are the deliverables?

If it’s only tactical services, it may be enough to get a company’s social media efforts jump-started if there is already a plan in place. If a company is starting from scratch, it is important to hire a consultant who can offer strategic and tactical services.

3. Look for someone who can deliver perspective about other areas such as communications, marketing or sales. Given social media doesn’t operate in a silo, it is important to work with someone who understands how different parts of a company’s operations can be aligned with social media from a strategic and tactical basis.

4. Look for someone who has knowledge of the world beyond YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and a blog. Try to get more insight into the social media services are emerging, and how they could be part of a long-term roadmap, as well as any niche services that a company could exploit. Challenge a consultant on why only the largest social media services should be embraced.

5. Get a handle on how a consultant’s connections and network. This will provide insight into how they could attract other kinds of services beyond social media. What often happens during a social media project is other needs emerge. It could be the need for a refreshed Web site, better messaging or blogger/media outreach. A good social media consultant will recognize these needs, and offer people or organizations who can help.

6. Finally, review a consultant’s social media presence but do so by looking beyond the numbers. On Twitter, for example, look at the kind of tweets they do. Are they informative and valuable, or inane and silly. If a consultant has a blog, what kind of insight and intelligence do they offer? Check out whether the consultant has a Facebook Page or a Facebook profile, as well as what kind of updates they provide. On LinkedIn, who are their connections, and what are the common connections that you share with the consultant.

These considerations should provide solid information about whether a social media consultant can provide good and valuable service. By just looking at the numbers of followers, connections or Likes, you’re really just getting a picture of how well and/or how frequently someone uses social media services.

(Note: This post originally ran on the Sysomos blog. To be transparent, I offer social media consulting services.)

The Samsung Galaxy is Ultra-Cool

By Mark Evans in Wireless 1 Comment Tags: , , ,

The Samsung Galaxy is ultra-cool. It’s a sleek, beautifully designed wireless device.

While you might say “Mark, you’re just another gadget geek excited about new, shiny toy”. And while that my be true, a far more significant consideration is how so many non-geeks see the Galaxy as cool. I’m talking about people like my hockey buddies, who enthusiastically show off their new Galaxy phones without any prompting. It is something I haven’t seen with any other non-iPhone device. No one has pulled out their Blackberry Torch to gush about screen, applications or the high-quality videos.

In a smartphone world dominated by the iPhone, the ability to be seen as “cool” is crucial to have any kind of success. The benchmark is so high that devices that aren’t cool have no chance of being widely adopted. Until now, no device has been able to capture the imagination of wireless users. The Galaxy has a huge opportunity to break the rule.

So, what makes the Galaxy so cool?

For one, it’s the design. Slightly longer than an iPhone but a bit slimmer than my iPhone 3GS, the Galaxy S Vibrant I’m evaluating has a nice, comfortable feel. The screen quality is top-notch, which is particularly important to watch videos and movies. In many respects, the Galaxy has the same features and functionality has the iPhone.

While iPhone users may suggest the key competitive difference is the number of applications within iTunes. Truth be told most of the major services are available for Android-powered smartphones such as the Galaxy. In a few minutes, I downloaded two of my go-to mobile apps, Twitter and Facebook. As a GMail user, I like the fact a GMail app came as a standard feature.

Perhaps the biggest appeal of the Galaxy is it seems like a viable alternative to the iPhone for people looking for a cool smartphone. These are consumers who may not want to become part of the Apple Nation, and have no interest in using a Windows-powered smartphone. Before the Galaxy, there wasn’t a compelling option to the iPhone.

Maybe the Galaxy is a cool, shiny toy but from the number of people now using them, it is definitely attracting a lot more attention than any other smartphone.

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