Web Trends : Apple’s iAds

The other day over the Easter break my five year old nephew asked me a straight forward technology based question, he said “Uncle, can you fast forward the adverts on the television because I hate adverts, they are so boring?” When I got in front of the television, I realised he was watching live TV, and explained to him that generally you can only fast forward adverts if you are watching a recorded program, or if you have paused live TV at some point earlier and you are simply catching up to the point of live transmission. Obviously, I had to use other words and maybe showed some examples of how this would work, but I thought wow, do the next gens really hate adverts? Not really, I feel that that the next gens really don’t react to passive media because their world from day dot is all about interactivity. Therefore until the Internet has converged with the TV, (and we really are not too far away from that) then television adverts cannot create conversions like true digital advertising currently does.

During my experience of using the Internet, I realised a long time ago that adverts as a minimum need to be interactive. If I as a consumer have any interest in a company’s product or service, then what I need more than anything is an emotional interactive experience. To date, I have only come across a small number of these styles of adverts. The first was a banner advert for Gran Turismo 4. It was not just a simple banner advert, it was an invitation to interact with a brand that I love. The advert asked me to play a few videos, and position the in built camera within the video to a point that would capture, what I thought would be a great photograph. The images were then submitted into a competition. I was on that advert for 2 hours, yes that’s right, 2 hours. That is the power of digital advertising, yet still thousands of companies spend thousands of pounds on boring click through adverts.

Now Apple has announced that it is going to allow developers to create adverts that are exactly this type in nature. So when you see an advert, you know that you are not just going to click through to a boring brochure based website, but you can look forward to a fully interactive emotional experience.

Apple told the world about apps, even though Windows Mobile users were already using apps. Now Apple is going to tell the world about creating interactive adverts even though it’s nothing new. But they are going to do it on the mobile, so how long is it going to take the rest of the digital media to catch up?

Watch a demo of iAd below courtesy of lightstab :

Get Funding For Your Project By Using Social Media.

Do you need cash for a personal project without sacrificing any ownership of your idea, then Kickstarter may be for you. Kickstarter is a New York based website that allows its users to create a project with a set cash objective and deadline. Other users are then open to making contributions towards the project, however contributions are not made until the total cash objective has been met. For providing this service Kickstarter takes a 5% commission.

US based users are the only ones currently allowed to create projects, but users all over the world can make contributions right now. There are plans to roll out the full service to other countries in the future.

This is not only a simple and effective idea, it is also carries a solid E-commerce model to boot.

Find out more about Kickstarter at :

http://www.kickstarter.com/

If you like Kickstarter, you may also be interested in :

http://www.indiegogo.com

What Does Sony Mean To You?

With the rise of 3D TV during this year Sony is looking to push forwards on all technological fronts. Recently re-styling their Japanese retail store in line with Apple’s clean cut style, they are also looking to launch an online content service that will no doubt be available across their TV’s, Consoles and the Web.

Sony don’t tend to innovate like they used too, and it looks like Apple have been holding that title for the last decade. But with a vast number of loyal customers, a distinct design style of its own and a brand as big as Coca Cola, Sony will not have to try to hard to win new customers.

Content Courtesy of The New York Times :

Sony is working with Google and Intel on Google TV, a platform for a new generation of televisions and set-top boxes that will make it easier to browse the Web on TV screens. The first devices featuring the technology are expected to be on sale this summer.

Read the full article at :

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/technology/29sony.html

See also :

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/technology/18webtv.htm

The Digital Economy Bill.

If somebody steals your electricity and commits a crime, is it fair to have your electricity supply vastly reduced, and in some cases cut off. The analogy here is broadband and this is an extreme case, but still possible and not fully covered by the new bill.

In addition to digital areas like Domain Names, Definitions of Broadband, Video Games Age Classifications and more. the government are going to introduce some new legislation with regards to all the illegal downloading that’s going on.

Unfortunately this is not going to put a stop to it, and no matter what deterrents are put into place, evolving technology will offer a new route to sharing, and it will no doubt be even harder to track.

A demonstration against the bill not receiving a proper debate being planned. If you would like to make your voice heard then visit :

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/extremeinternetl

Content courtesy of The Daily Telegraph :

More than 10,000 Britons have demanded a parliamentary debate on the Digital Economy Bill, which is currently going through the House of Commons. A protest is also being organised for this Wednesday at Parliament about the Bill which is likely to be rushed through parliament in the so-called “wash-up” period immediately before the election. …Read More.

Web Trends : Where Is Facebook Headed?

Facebook is in its prime. Having received $240 million from Microsoft and introducing the Ad system in 2007, the number of users has gone from strength to strength. But where is Facebook going?

At the moment Facebook can not only be accessed directly but through various other sites and platforms like Xbox. This is thanks to the free Facebook Connect APIs which allows developers to create new bridges with Facebook.

Does this mean users spend less time on the main site? Or does this mean Facebook’s current definition changes as users migrate but stay connected. Maybe Facebook will break up into smaller more focussed areas. Will the groups become more advanced allowing users to control more of what and how they share?

Whatever happens, Facebook’s mix of users and games certainly is a very successful partnership, and as games inevitably improve, this part of Facebook certainly has the potential to grow into something exciting. And with its 400 million cross generational worldwide users, it’s database is a world-class directory when you want to find someone. Many companies now have a Fan Page, allowing social communication to go beyond just your friends but to include brand loyalty. So even though Facebook is a huge beast, some parts are going to be the key to driving the future Facebook forwards.

In the meantime Facebook have been working on the main site strategies, like today’s semantic update on the keywords advertisement system. Fresh thinking like this can only add value. As Mark Zuckerberg continues to evolve Facebook, it will be an interesting journey to watch considering we are moving into a very strong phase of social media from plethora of companies.

Find out more about Farmville at : http://www.farmville.com/

Update 16th March 2010

Facebook ousts Google as most popular U.S. site.

Read more about this article at :

http://ow.ly/1mVyY

Update 22nd April 2010

Following the F8 conference yesterday, it looks like we can now see what Facebook has been up to. Replacing the Connect Tool with Social Plug Ins and in the process attempting to connect users relationships with their online engagements through semantic meanings.  In the words of Zuckerman himself  “the most transformative thing we’ve ever done for the web.”

Find out more about the next evolution of Facebook at :

http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/377

Find out more about the latest on Facebook, unofficially at :

http://www.allfacebook.com/

“Star Trek Online” was recently released for PCs, allowing fans from the original TV series as well as the moviegoers who enjoyed Abrams’ reboot, to create a virtual character and explore space, the final frontier.

Star Trek Online – New York, NY (February 2, 2010) – “Atari, SA, one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, and acclaimed developer Cryptic Studios™, are proud to announce the bold new PC MMO, Star Trek Online.”

Read the full article courtesty of the New York Times at :

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/02/18/technology/tech-us-videogames-startrek.html

Find out more :

http://www.startrekonline.com/splash?redir=frontpage

Yahoo! & Microsoft – Completion of U.S., European review clears way for agreement to move forward.

“The Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance is a major initiative between our companies to create a competitive choice in search for advertisers and consumers.” It’s been on the table for a while but now it’s time for action. Estimated completion 2012.

Find out more : http://www.searchalliance.com