George Hotz, Sony Settle PS3 Hacking Suit

Sony and hacker George Hotz, better known as geohot, have been involved in a lawsuit since Hotz jailbroke the PS3 and posted his exploits online. The PS3 had been notoriously hard to crack, and Hotz’s accomplishment allowed owners to bypass many of the PS3′s internal security measures. Sony sued Hotz for computer fraud and copyright infringement among other things.

On January 27th, Sony won a temporary restraining order that barred Hotz from distributing any information on the hack and also forced him to surrender his computer and materials to Sony. Due to issues regarding proper venue for the suit, last month Sony was granted access to the IP addresses of users who visited Hotz’s blog in order to establish jurisdiction.

This battle has spawned outrage from people who see Hotz’s first amendment rights trampled by a large corporation with enormous resources. Many question the right Sony or any corporation has to influence the use of personal property – basically if you buy it, it’s yours, end of question.

Today, Sony and Hotz have posted a joint statement on the PlayStation blog. In the statement, we learn that the two came to an agreement rather quietly on March 31st. In the agreement, Hotz is permanently banned from disseminating his methods for hacking the PS3.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (“SCEA”) and George Hotz (“Hotz”) today announced the settlement of the lawsuit filed by SCEA against Hotz in federal court in San Francisco, California. The parties reached an agreement in principle on March 31, 2011. As part of the settlement, Hotz consented to a permanent injunction.

Both parties expressed satisfaction that litigation had been quickly resolved. “Sony is glad to put this litigation behind us,” said Riley Russell, General Counsel for SCEA. “Our motivation for bringing this litigation was to protect our intellectual property and our consumers. We believe this settlement and the permanent injunction achieve this goal.”

“It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier,” said Hotz, “I’m happy to have the litigation behind me.” Hotz was not involved in the recent attacks on Sony’s internet services and websites.

In the action, SCEA accused Hotz of violating federal law by posting online information about the security system in the PlayStation 3 videogame console and software that SCEA claimed could be used to circumvent the security system in the console and allow the playing of pirated videogames. Hotz denies any wrongdoing on his part. Hotz’s motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction was still pending before the federal court in San Francisco but a preliminary injunction was issued requiring Hotz to take down the postings challenged by SCEA.

“We want our consumers to be able to enjoy our devices and products in a safe and fun environment and we want to protect the hard work of the talented engineers, artists, musicians and game designers who make PlayStation games and support the PlayStation Network,” added Russell. “We appreciate Mr. Hotz’s willingness to address the legal issues involved in this case and work with us to quickly bring this matter to an early resolution.”

What do you think about the Sony / Geohot suit? Is it a first amendment issue? Let us know how you feel.

Facebook Ups Ad Prices 40%

The first quarter of 2011 started off strong in the U.S. for online marketing, with search marketing growing 17 percent year-over-year, according to a new report from Efficient Frontier.

Facebook advertising is getting more competitive, with Cost Per Clicks (CPCs) increasing by 40% Quarter on Quarter (QoQ). Display advertising also showed positive signs with a 300% increase in exchange ad inventory and a 30% Cost Per Thousand (CPM) decline, indicating gains in reach and efficiency within the ad exchanges.

“The strong showing for digital marketing in the first quarter of 2011 was in line with our prediction of a 15% to 20% increase in spend in 2011,” said David Karnstedt, President and CEO, Efficient Frontier.

“We’re also seeing great demand for Facebook’s ad products as the social networking giant’s ad offerings continue to evolve. This is all solid evidence of an economic recovery, and that marketers are seeing tremendous results when they intelligently allocate their marketing spend and optimize across channels.”

Google continues to have the majority of overall market share in SEM spend and clicks since the Bing-Yahoo! integration. However, Bing’s ROI is currently higher than Google’s ROI. Bing’s ROI has increased 10% YoY while Google’s ROI has decreased by 12% YoY. While the revenue per click (RPC) on Bing is 12% lower than Google, the CPCs on Bing are also lower than the CPCs on Google, which is driving Bing’s higher ROI.

Efficient Frontier saw significant momentum in Facebook advertising throughout the last several quarters. Advertisers want to take advantage of the full capabilities in the Facebook Marketplace to engage with their fans and promote their brands. Because of this, spend on Facebook is growing. The analysis shows CPCs have grown by 44% QoQ, indicating that Facebook is becoming more competitive as advertisers realize its significant value.

The LeBrons Becomes A Regular YouTube Series

NBA star LeBron James has a new cartoon called The LeBrons, which has made its debut on YouTube, and is sponsored by HP and Intel, as Google points out. I also saw a Bing commercial in there.

“Born from a Nike campaign that was very popular on YouTube, The LeBrons features four versions of James: Kid, Athlete, Business and Wise,” explains YouTube sports manager Andrew Bangs. “The show is intended for young audiences but has references and scenes for basketball and music fans, too.”

You can see the first episode above. Here’s the second:

To be honest, I don’t find it nearly as entertaining as the 1991 Saturday morning cartoon Pro Stars, which featured sports legends Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and Wayne Gretzky:

Admittedly, I had a little trouble remembering what that cartoon was called, so I searched YouTube for “michael jordan bo jackson cartoon,” and in the results “The LeBrons” appeared at the top as a promoted video.

The show will have new episodes released weekly, via The LeBrons channel.

YouTube is said to be spending about $100 million to commission the creation of original content for new premium YouTube channels, as the site gets revamped into a more traditional TV-style format, in terms of channels. This will include a redesign of the YouTube homepage, which should make the site more connected TV-friendly.

YouTube also announced its new live streaming channels and platform last week, which should also be an important part of YouTube’s evolution into the mainstream living room experience.

Google Images Search Showing Fresh Images

If you search for something using Google Images that is trending, timely or specifically newsworthy, your results will now show recent images first. Results will be shown with timestamps on the bottom right corners.

Google has been showing recent results in normal search for a while, but the recent results were just spotted for images this morning. If I search for ‘Rory McIlroy” (the young Irish golfer), I am not given image results listed by recency. But if I search “McIlroy Masters,” I am given images from yesterday’s golf tournament at the top of my page.

This is not the only change to Google images search as of late. At the beginning of the month, they made improvements to the “similar images” feature.

Thanks to Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Land.

Windows App Store: Are The Screenshots Legit?

Several screenshots have begun to float around promising to be the first glimpse of the Windows 8 app store. Though the screeshots appear to be running in Windows 7, which some have speculated that they’re prepping legacy versions of Windows, while others are calling foul.

Do you think these screenshots are the real deal? Let us know what you think

The Windows App Store, as it’s being called, features Microsoft Software, along with third party software including Firefox, Angry Birds, and Opera to name a few. Personally, it seems a bit odd that Microsoft would want to promote their competitors on their app store home screen. Does anyone else find this a bit odd?

The images were first noticed on Cnbeta, but the legitimacy of the images have have yet to be confirmed. With that in mind, some people have begun laying our reasons why these are clearly fakes.

Some of the reasons they give are…

• Won’t be available for Windows 7
• Can’t use the App Store name, as it is trademarked by Apple
• Microsoft wouldn’t abandon the Marketplace for an App Store

It also looks like the screenshots first showed on the Neowin forums back in January, which would seem to definitely make them fakes. Take a look for yourself, and draw your own conclusions.

Well, now that you’ve seen the screenshots, what are your thoughts? Real or Fake: leave a comment with your answer

Google Trends Hot Topics Not Updating

We like to check out Google Trends from time to time to see what the country is searching for. According to Google Trends at the time of this writing, the top ten “Hot topics” are:

1. kelly clarkson

2. radio

3. beck

4. shutdown

5. boehner

6. shooting

7. masters

8. garcia

9. kyrie irving

10. anonymous

Interestingly enough, they are the same as they were last week. Normally, they are updated frequently throughout the day, and it seems like “shutdown” would be unlikely to make the top ten now that the government shutdown in the U.S. has been averted.

The list has been checked from multiple locations by different people. All of those tested are seeing the same list. Let us know if you’re seeing an updated version.

The “Hot Searches” part of Google Trends appears to still be updated. It’s showing keywords as of 2 minutes ago at the time of this writing. Yet, Hot Topics remains unchanged.

Google has yet to respond to request for comment.

Facebook, Baidu Said To Enter Social Networking Deal

Social networking giant Facebook may finally have found a way to do business the world’s most populous country. According to new (but unconfirmed) reports out of China, Facebook’s partnered with Baidu and will help establish a fresh social site as a joint venture.

The move would make sense for a number of reasons. Consider that Facebook itself is banned in China, and Mark Zuckerberg would risk incurring all sorts of negative press if he tailored it to allow for government censorship (or worse yet, government spying). Launching a new Chinese site on his own would be risky, too, since local rivals would have big head starts in terms of built-in audiences.

As for what Baidu would get out of the deal, it simply comes down to Facebook’s social networking expertise, which is impossible to deny.

Then we should take into account the fact that Facebook and Baidu have been getting quite cozy in the last four or so months, with Mark Zuckerberg touring Baidu’s headquarters, a Baidu exec suggesting Facebook enter China, and a group of Baidu’s leaders supposedly visiting Facebook in California.

Anyway, the original report about Facebook and Baidu forming a partnership came from Sohu.com, quoting “unidentified employees at the Chinese search-engine company,” and it was in part translated by Mark Lee.

Not much in the way of additional details is available at this time, and the launch date of whatever the two companies may be working remains a complete mystery. Be sure to stay tuned for further developments.

A Google A Day – Google Trivia Game

Google announced the launch of a new Google-based trivia game for which it has partnered with the New York Times. It’s a daily puzzle called A Google A Day, where players are asked to use their “creativity and search skills on Google” to answer questions. It will appear above the crossword puzzle in the Times.

You don’t have to be a New York Times subscriber to play though. Google has set up a site for the game at agoogleaday.com, which features a game-specific version of the Google search engine, which players are supposed to use. It’s called Deja Google, which Google describes as “a wormhole inspired time machine that enables you to solve today’s puzzle spoiler free by searching the Internet as it existed before A Google a Day launched.”

@agoogleaday
A Google a DayA Google A Day, Google’s daily search puzzle is kicking off! Try solving today’s question: http://goo.gl/BxsfC 37 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

This version of the search engine excludes real-time updates and other things that are “likely to include spoilers as people post the answers to the puzzle online.”

“As the world of information continues to explode, we hope A Google a Day triggers your imagination and helps you discover all the types of questions you can ask Google—and get an answer,” says Google user experience researcher Dan Russell.

There are actually questions from today, dating back to 04/07. You can look at past questions and answers, and share them with friends via Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, and email. You can also follow the questions via Facebook and Twitter.

Sounds like part of a “social layer” doesn’t it. Games are certainly a major part of social, and it will be interesting to see if Google continues to introduced fun little things like this, which could actually have a big impact in terms of user numbers.

It keeps users using Google to search too, even if it’s only “Deja Google”.

iPad To Continue To Lead The Tablet Market Through 2015

Apple’s iPad will continue to account for the majority of the global media tablet market through 2015, according to a new report from Gartner.

Because of the popularity of Apple’s iPad, iOS will account for 69 percent of media tablet OSs in 2011, and represent 47 percent of the media tablet market in 2015.

“Seeing the response from both consumers and enterprises to the iPad, many vendors are trying to compete by first delivering on hardware and then trying to leverage the platform ecosystem,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.

“Many, however, are making the same mistake that was made in the first response wave to the iPhone, as they are prioritizing hardware features over applications, services and overall user experience. Tablets will be much more dependent on the latter than smartphones have been, and the sooner vendors realize that the better chance they have to compete head-to-head with Apple.”

Google’s Android OS is on track to increase its global share of the media tablet market from 20 percent in 2011 to 39 percent in 2015. Analysts said Google’s decision not to open up the Honeycomb, its first OS version dedicated to tablets, to third parties will prevent fragmentation, but it will also slow the price decline and ultimately cap market share.

“Volume will be driven by support from many players, the ecosystem of applications for tablets getting more competitive and some platform flexibility allowing lower price points,” said Roberta Cozza, principal analyst at Gartner.

“The new licensing model Google has introduced with Honeycomb enables Google to drive more control, allowing only optimal tablet implementations that don’t compromise quality of experience. This might mean that prices will drop at a slower pace than what we have seen in the smartphone market.”

Research in Motion’s QNX OS, used on the forthcoming BlackBerry Playbook tablet, will offer users a consistent expereince across its entire prorduct portfolio and create single developer community.

It will take time and significant effort for RIM to attract developers and deliver a compelling ecosystem of applications and services around QNX to position it as a viable alternative to Apple or Android. This will limit RIM’s market share growth over the forecast period,” Ms. Milanesi said.

“It will be mainly organizations that will be interested in RIM’s tablets because they either already have RIM’s infrastructure deployed or have stringent security requirements.”

Gartner analysts said platforms such as MeeGo and WebOS, which currently have a weak presence in the smartphone market, will have a limited appeal unless they can grow that business.

“Smartphone users will want to buy a tablet that runs the same operating system as their smartphone. This is so that they can share applications across devices as well as for the sense of familiarity the user interfaces will bring,” Ms. Milanesi said.

“Vendors developing on Android should be prepared to see more cross brand ownership as some users might put OS over brand when it comes to the purchasing decision. Improvements on usability and brand recognition are the strongest differentiators they can focus on.”

Google Launches Messages For Japan

In the aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in northern Japan, there has been an outpouring of support from people all over the world – both emotionally and financially. We’ve heard some great stories about how technology has aided the victims, both in the hours immediately following the disaster and the rough days afterward.

In the hours following the original 9.0 magnitude quake, Apple stores in Tokyo allowed people to use their wi-fi to access sites like Twitter and Facebook in the hopes of contacting loved ones across the country. They eventually let entire families of employees sleep in the stores as well. In the days following the initial disaster, Google launched Person Finder, a service that allowed for real time updates on the location of people across the country. YouTube later provided a video companion to Person Finder that allowed victims in shelters to post videos to worried family and friends across the world.

Google has just announced a new site, messagesforjapan.com, to help in the relief effort. On this site, users can write their messages of support to the Japanese people and they will be automatically translated and posted using Google Translate. Along with writing messages, users can easily donate to the relief effort through links to multiple charities such as The Red Cross Japan, Save the Children and Give 2 Asia. So the new site falls into both the emotional and financial support categories.

The site’s interface is simple, with three basic options. You can write your messages and have them translated, read the messages as they roll in and access the messages through a global map. Google notes that since the translation will be done automatically, it will not always be perfect. But for me and the many people around the world moved by the disaster, being able to communicate in fractured Japanese language is better than no Japanese language.

On the official blog post, Google also adds that they have raised over $5 million dollars already through their crisis response page. Good job, humanity.

Adobe Launches Creative Suite 5.5

Today, Adobe announced a new version of its popular Creative Suite software. The company has always aimed to enable Web designers and developers to produce quality products, and the new Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium is no exception.

Do you use Adobe’s Creative Suite? Tell us what you like about it.

According to Scott Fegette, Adobe’s Senior Product Manager on the Creative Suite Web team, CS5.5 “helps Web pros work more efficiently and quickly without having to go back to school and learn a whole new slew of skills or technology.”

While CS5.5 includes updates to Adobe Flash Catalyst, Adobe Flash Builder, Adobe Device Central, and Adobe Acrobat X Pro, the biggest updates come through Adobe Dreamweaver and Adobe Flash Pro. Through CS5.5, both Dreamweaver and Flash Pro enhance the workflow and sharing experience for Web developers.

“We really sort of tried to gear all of our work in CS5.5 just to make it much more easier for Web professionals to either transition their existing projects, sites, and applications to a multiscreen experience, or in some cases, just literally start from scratch with a green field, dedicated mobile project,” said Fegette.

In terms of Adobe Flash Pro, CS5.5 provides a new feature called Scale Content with Stage that allows users to scale proportionately and quickly. In the past, it could take a long time for users to convert animations and movie clips. Through this feature, this same action could take a matter of seconds.

Adobe also made significant advances in HTML5, specifically its authoring tools and its support of jQuery mobile framework integration for browser-based content. In addition, it allows PhoneGap integration for the development of native and mobile apps. In other words, these improvements eliminate extra steps for developers and make their experience more seamless.

The company has also revamped its pricing and subscription models to give customers the latest versions of their software without being locked into 18-month cycles. Adobe is giving customers both long-term and short-term options with prices starting at $89 per month.

“The hope is that, literally, as soon as people get it installed and take a look at it, it’s just immediately going to feel like a natural extension of the skills they already learned,” Fegette added.

Google Music – PushLife Acquired by Google

Google has acquired PushLife, a mobile media sync/streaming service, for an undisclosed sum (which is rumored to be about $25 million).

Google is expected to launch Google Music very soon to work with the Honeycomb version of Android. Last week, some apparent images of the service leaked. Now this.

Here’s the announcement from PushLife:

Here’s a demo video of PushLife from MobileSyrup:

We talked previously about how critical Google Music may be to Google’s social strategy, which is critical for Google overall – bonuses at the company are rumored to be tied to the success of its social endeavors.

Google Music would compete directly with iTunes and Amazon, but could also help the company in its battle for user attention with Facebook. Music is very much a part of the social media landscape. Apple is trying to capitalize on this with Ping.

PushLife has social features, as well as one-click song purchases something that Android users have come to greatly to appreciate from Amazon’s service.

GoDaddy Elephant Killing Video Mysteriously, But Heavily Edited

Since the controversy blew up around a video of GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons killing an elephant, the video has been edited heavily.

Should the video have been edited, removed, or left alone? Tell us what you think.

Parsons is still in the video, but gone are the series of stills of Parsons posing proudly with the elephant’s carcass (as pictured above). Also gone are various pieces of text and captions that appeared over the actual footage of the elephant being shot.

For example, the captions used to read, “Bob Parsons fires first,” then “Bob Parsons fires again. Both shots hit home. One bull is killed. The rest stampede out of the field unhurt.”

A caption that appears now, is, “The plan works. Only one bull is killed. The rest stampede out of the field unhurt.”

The video used to begin with the text, “Of everything I do this is the most rewarding. This video shows one typical night and day.”

That’s now gone.

Also gone is the incredibly bizarre use of the AC/DC song Hell’s Bells, which used to play over top of footage of the villagers slaughtering the elephant’s corpse.

Also gone are the close-ups of many of the villagers wearing GoDaddy hats.

This was all detailed when we initially covered the incident.

Parsons says he expected the backlash. He is quoted by a Fox channel in Phoenix as saying, “I kind of figured that this might happen. So be it, I’m not ashamed of what I did. All these people that are complaining that this shouldn’t happen, that these people who are starving to death otherwise shouldn’t eat these elephants, you probably see them driving through at McDonald’s or cutting a steak. These people [Zimbabwe villagers] don’t have that option.”

If he’s not ashamed, it seems odd that the video has been mysteriously edited to this extent. If it is just a matter of PR, it also seems very odd that GoDaddy hasn’t issued a press release on the matter. As of the time of this writing, Parsons has not tweeted since April 1, at the height of the media and customer backlash.

Since the video hit the web and the backlash began, GoDaddy’s competitors have been capitalizing on it, offering deals to customers who switch to their services. NameCheap also used the opportunity to raise over $20,000 for Save the Elephants. Venovix launched a “NoDaddy” campaign with a similar goal, looking to raise money for the International Wildlife Foundation.

Another interesting nugget that surfaced over the past week: The Baltimore Sun referenced an interview they did with Parsons last year, in which he said he had majored in accounting by chance, simply picking the first thing in the booklet. He is quoted as saying, “Had I opened [the booklet] backwards and become a zoologist, I have no idea what I’d be doing.”

Has GoDaddy handled this scandal well? Share your thoughts.

Social Network Users’ Bill of Rights: Yay or Nay?

With all the privacy concerns over the last year, it is not really surprising that Social Networking User Bill of Rights have been proposed. Although the idea of this type of Bill of Rights has been around for some time, no idea has ever had the power to stick.

Do you like the idea of a social networking user bill of rights? Tell us why or why not.

A group of people representing various constituencies began to pen the Bill of Rights at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference last year. Christina Gagnier, Partner with Gagnier Margossian LLP, is among the advocates of the proposal and said that they thought the rights would be an effective way to communicate the message since Americans are accustomed their own federal Bill of Rights.

The rights cover areas such as the amount of information that can be collected and shared with others, the act of deleting or modifying data without policy, data portability, and other challenging issues in the online social space. Another part of the debate around the Bill of Rights is whether or not it should be a government mandate.

Although some people believe that the government would better enforce it, others believe that it would only lead to more regulation, which is the same reaction that some people had regarding the “Do Not Track Me Online Act of 2011.”

Privacy is tricky because many privacy laws in place today are specific to individual industries, such as HIPAA for the health industry. The online sector is especially difficult because it would be hard to determine whom the legislation directly impacts. For example, would it strictly be for social networks, or would corporations be included as well?

At this point, there are 14 Social Networking User Bill of Rights. Users can visit its site and vote in favor of them or against them. Additionally, they can propose new rights for review.

“I think we’ve jumpstarted the conversation, and so we just want everyone else to be involved,” said Gagnier.

How would such a Bill of Rights impact users?

Is the Kiwi the Most Overvalued Currency?

During recent interviews with the Forex Blog, both Mike Kulej of FX Madness and the team at Action Forex imparted their beliefs that the New Zealand Dollar is currently the world’s most undervalued currency. Since I hadn’t written about the Kiwi in a few months, I decide to some research, ad came to a slightly different conclusion. In keeping with the spirit of debate, I’d like to defend the opposite premise- that the New Zealand Dollar is now one of the world’s most overvalued currencies.



There are two principal reasons for the Kiwi’s perennial appeal with forex traders. First, New Zealand frequently boasts some of the highest interest rates in the industrialized world. Before the credit bubble burst, New Zealand’s benchmark interest rate was a whopping 8.25%. Moreover, because of its association with Australia, investors are quick to ascribe to it (dubiously) a greater sense of security than they would to emerging market economies with similarly high interest rates. For example, while Brazilian rates are usually higher, the markets less apt to lump the Real together with the Australian Dollar, even though it’s arguably a closer fit than the Kiwi.

While it’s hard to predict New Zealand trade dynamics, we can say with relative certainty real interest rate levels will remain low for the foreseeable future. Two recent earthquakes have threatened an economy that is already in trouble (projected GDP growth in 2011 is only 1.3%). Over the next 12 months, the markets have priced in only 50 basis points in rate hikes. “Nothing here will change the RBNZ’s intentions to keep monetary policy at ‘emergency’ levels for the rest of this year,” summarized one analyst. Meanwhile, the CPI rate is currently at 4.5%, and is generally tracking commodities prices higher.

Thus, it is continually one of the most popular target currencies for carry trades. The extent of this phenomenon is such that turnover in the Kiwi is 100x greater than its GDP would imply. As I pointed out in an earlier post, this is the highest ratio of any currency in the world. In fact, “Dr Alan Bollard, Governor of the Reserve Bank [of New Zealand], once described it as an international standard of value that just happens to be used by a small country as its money.”

The credit crisis should have shattered the myth of the NZD as a stable currency, since the NZD lost 50% of its value in a matter of months. In addition, the benchmark rate has been lowered to 2.5%, a record low. When you take inflation into account, the rate is -2%, which as far as I know, is among the lowest in the world. When you factor in consecutive budget deficits for the first time in two decades and the (unrelated) explosion in public debt, it baffles me that yield seekers would still be interested in holding the Kiwi.



The other source of strength is the perception that the Kiwi is a commodity currency. To be fair, the production and export of agricultural products (dairy, meat, wool, etc.) makes a significant contribution to New Zealand’s economy. In addition, the prices for such agricultural staples have been rising faster than prices for imported goods, to the extent that the terms of trade have widened further in New Zealand’s favor. Unfortunately, this is ultimately irrelevant, since the aggregate balance of trade is currently in deficit, where it has stood for most of the last decade. If prices for energy and traditional commodities continues to rise, the current account deficit would at risk for eclipsing the record 6% set in 2008.

With all of this in mind, it’s tough to understand how the New Zealand Dollar could be closing in on a post-float (30 year) high against the Dollar, last set in 2008. The New Zealand Dollar has recovered most of its post-credit crisis losses, despite a lack of fundamental support. Its recovery has even outpaced the rise in the New Zealand stock market. In short, I’m inclined to agree with TD Securities: ” ‘If ever there was a dangerous time to enter a NZD carry trade this is it: the NZD is increasingly stretched, with the risk-reward now squarely being the NZD declining from here’…if the NZD breaches prior record highs, ‘it could be an attractive time to trim some net longs.’ ”

5 Facebook Insights Metrics to Track – And Why

By now, if you work in the digital arena, you’ve most likely taken a glimpse at Facebook Insights. After all, many people have responsibility for managing online communities, like Facebook, and need to track metrics and report back to management on a semi-regular basis.

Admittedly, Facebook doesn’t offer the most comprehensive suite of data out there. In fact, some folks have figured out work-arounds to install Google Analytics on their Facebook page for more in-depth information.

But, Insights actually probably serves most brands just fine. It provides basic data that can tell you a lot about if and how you’re fairing on the platform.

My question is this: Are people just reporting likes and basic interactions? Or, are they really diving into the data, grabbing the right data and translating that into actionable intelligence for the brand?

Some are. Some aren’t.

Today, I thought we’d take a look at five key metrics I’ve found to be useful for most brands and how you can take that basic data and make it work for your organization’s marketing efforts online.

* Tab Views. Just like reviewing Google Analytics on your blog, one of the first things I always want to know is where people are going on my site. On Facebook it’s no different. Which tabs are fans viewing? Here’s where to find out.

What to do with the data: I had a client where after reviewing Insights recently, we discovered a decent amount of folks were visiting their Discussions tab. Only one problem: We didn’t have any content on that tab. This data forced us to rethink that a bit. People were expecting content in that tab–why? After some discussion around that question, we came up with a strategy I believe will help us improve engagement with “fans” and ultimately, help this client achieve its goals online.

* External referrers. What are your biggest referral sources online? For most, this will probably be either your Web site or Twitter. But, invariably, other sites will work there way in the mix, too. Why are those sites popping up? It’s your job to figure that out.

What to do with the data: This one depends on your goals. If you’re trying to drive people to your Facebook page from other channels, this is a great metric to check what’s working and what’s not. If Facebook traffic isn’t necessarily one of your top goals, it’s still worth running down those obscure Web sites that drive people to your page. Maybe it’s a site that picked up a blog post our CEO wrote a while back (maybe there’s a strategy there). Maybe it’s a single tweet a huge influencer in your industry made a week ago. Whatever the case, it pays to investigate–remember, the more informed you are with rich data points, the more effective your decision-making will become.

* Post Feedback. You’ll find this data under “Interactions” in your Page Overview section. It measures the number of “Likes” and comments made on the posts in your News Feed.

What to do with this data: Really, you’re looking for the percent increase month-over-month here. If engagement and two-way feedback are among your goals, this is a key stat to track. What’s more, don’t forget to check out the number of “Likes” and “Comments” throughout the month. Where were your spikes? Did they occur where you wanted them to occur? Did the number of “Likes” and comments on a certain post surprise you? Grab all this information here.

* Monthly Active Users. This metric represents the number of folks who have interacted with (Liked or commented) or viewed (don’t have to be fans) your page or its posts.

What to do with this data: First, look at the percentage growth or decline month-over-month–that should give you a good indication of how many people are visiting and interacting with your page compared to the last couple months. Then, look at the number against the “Lifetime Likes” number directly to the left–how does it stack up? Remember, the Monthly Active Users number doesn’t just reflect fans–it also picks up non-fans. So, again, if one of your goals is engagement, this comparison is a good one to grab–and it should be a pretty high ratio.

* Page Views. This number represents the total hits to your Facebook page–and it includes fans and non-fans (including those who aren’t logged it to Facebook). You can find it in the Users tab under “Activity.”

What to do with this data: Here’s where you can really see what days of the week people are hitting you page–and how the spikes correspond with your content. It might make sense to overlay this chart with the days you post–great way to determine which posts might be encouraging fans to click on your actual page (remember, this isn’t about News Feed views–it’s about actual Facebook page views).

What about you? What Facebook Insights metrics do you look at from month-to-month? And, more importantly, what do you do with that data?

Originally published at Communications Conversations

Mobile Software’s For Forex Trading

Forex Mobile Trading Software is the most advanced technology that facilitates you to do the business of currencies trading, even though you are traveling. With the help of Forex Mobile Trading Software, you will able to perform the trading activities at any point of time and at any place in the world.

Similar to PC Based Forex Trading Programs

Majority of the Forex Mobile Trading Softwares are akin to the Forex Trading programs on your personal computer. You have an additional benefit of its mobility, as you can easily take this with you anywhere you move.

User Friendly and Easy to Use

The Forex Mobile Trading Software is quite comprehensive and simple to use. You also have an option to acquire the improved edition of a Forex Mobile Trading Software for your handy personal computer. It therefore, does not matter whether you are travelling or not, as you can carry the latest currency details with the actual prices with yourself.

Able to Connect to Trading Platform

With the help of a Forex Mobile Trading Software, you will be able to make utilization of your internet based mobile instruments that comprise of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and phones. You can hook up with the trading program offered by the broker in order to have details about the prices and other important information.

Forex Mobile Trading Software Serve Multiple Purposes

With the help of Forex Mobile Trading Software, you will have an access to the current prices in the market. You will be able to view the details with beautiful color charts. You will also be able to view past and present details of actual transactions, risk study, position, margin, and account statements. The purpose of Forex Mobile Trading Software is to facilitate the trader in the best possible manner to access the market.

You can also put an end and certain boundaries for order execution with the help of Forex Mobile Trading Software. Hence you have an opportunity to either execute protective orders for open positions or to go for newer trades at particular echelon chosen by the market.

Flexibility of Forex Mobile Trading Software

You can remain in touch with the market round the clock during the whole week and also from any place across the globe with the help of Forex Mobile Trading Software. Besides this, the refined Forex Mobile Trading Software also facilitates you to acquire the latest information about the markets and rates prevailing there.

You can easily continue your trading activities.

Guidelines for Using Forex Mobile Trading Software

Just with some easy guidelines, you can utilize the Forex Mobile Trading Software in a rational way. Primarily, you need to sign in your account by giving your username and password. Once you sign in, you will be required to make the selection, i.e. the price. This is the foremost step in order to start the trading.

Subsequently, the Forex Mobile Trading Software will require the other factors, such as currency pair. Besides that, you also have to make a choice either for buying or selling. This will be tracked the information, such as, bid for selling or bid for buying.

The verification windows in Mobile Forex Trading Software will facilitate you to finish your activity. Forex Mobile Trading Software also provides you with the various options to open trades not only for a particular day, but also for the whole week.

Security in the Forex Mobile Trading Software

The use of Forex Mobile Trading Software also provides the safety, like the one provided by internet sites, i.e. HTTPS and SSL (Security Socket Layer). These are the systems that provide maximum security nowadays.

 

People who liked this Post also read

• Benefits of Online Forex Trading
  Since its inception in 1994, online Forex trading has not only become widely popular amongst the people across the world, but it has also replaced the conventional method of Forex trading to a larger extent. With the help of online Forex trading, even peo...
• Small Forex Managed Account
  Small Forex managed accounts is a good technique, especially for the novice investors. The small Forex managed account can be opened even with a small sum of US$250. It gives you profit from 5 to 20 percent on monthly basis. The profit depends upon how ef...
• Overview of Forex Trading
  If you want to make some real profit in forex trading market then you should acquire authentic information about this industry. Make a good trading plan and strictly follow it to attain stability in forex trading business....
• Get a Forex Prediction Software
  In order to become successful in online Forex trading business, you do require proper guidance. In this regard Forex prediction software based on neural network computing technology proved to be quite helpful to you. It will help you in taking more approp...
• Trade the Forex Market to Make Money
  The Forex trading business has become very popular around the globe since last couple of years. If you acquire the proper knowledge of this business, you will be able to earn good profit. Nowadays, this business can be done with the help Forex trading sof...