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Tag Archive: online

The Rise of Social Television

Written on April 19, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

A couple years ago, every indication pointed to social media being the killer of traditional media. Everyone was caught in the hype. En masse we all seemingly believed that life was going to change as we knew it. It was going to be the end of email. The end of print media. The end of TV. And the start of a new age. The age of online video. The age of free content. The age of social media. But what happened? What change really occurred?

Well, for one, the flames of traditional media are still burning. And buring bright. Yes, print media has taken a hit. And the music and film industries haven’t quite been the same. But social media and other new age media have hardly conquered the traditional medium. Or any medium for that matter other than their own. The new world is undeniably reshaping and redefining everything we knew before us, however much has to be said to the adaptations and manifestations that are occurring within the traditional media realm.

The writing itself is on the wall. If advertising dollars are an indication of anything, they are an indication of audience size. Although internet advertising is posed to grow over the coming years from $25.8 billion in 2010 to $44.5 billion in 2015, TV still leads by a significant margin and will continue to lead by a significant margin growing from $59 billion in 2010 to $68 billion in 2015. If you can understand where the advertising dollars are heading, you can ultimately understand where our eyes are, where we are, spending there fair share of time.

And though online content and social media are claiming their territory on daily life, TV still remains a fundamental aspect in our everyday activities and decisions. It’s power and influence is uncanny and profound. So much so that there is very notable deviations on the strength of impact that TV has on us versus that of our online behaviour. To paint a clearer picture, TV advertising has the most impact on buying decisions at 83% versus online at 47%. Those are numbers you simply can’t shy away from.

Much of this can be attributed to the fact that the TV viewing experience has advanced exponentially. Further, with a massive shift away from remote desktop internet access to mobile access in the form of laptops, smart phones, tablets and even onto television sets themselves, it has increased usage of multiple media channels and experience that occur at once. The fascinating correlation here is that although the internet age might have moved us away from our wood paneled TV-sets and meagre cable access in favour of the web, advances in technology have brought us all back into one room. Watching and accessing multiple screens at once.

The convergence of multiple media access points will have profound effects on who we are. The social media phenomena has made 1 out of every 11 people on this planet a Facebook user in just over half a decade. Twitter has become the impromptu information outlet and real-time opinion hub. And the usage, users and time spent in these mediums only seems to be on the rise. Social media has recharacterized the online world and established a growing social paradigm. One that is far reaching.

Television and social media have been always thought to be on course to collide, creating an impact that would deeply change everything as we know it. It was to be an impact so colossal that destruction of one or the other would be the only suitable and evident outcome. Mistakenly and blindly we believed this. Television and social media are not opposing forces. They are inherently drawn to one another. They harness an attraction that only further amplifies itself and recontextualizes what it is to be television and social media.

The attraction between the two has acted as a catalyst in creating something that is truly enlightening, social television. This emerging collaborative nature encompasses both the participation of real-time televised experiences while participating in real-time social conversations. Conversations that are not only directed at friends and family but ones that are open to a world of opinion, judgement and decision.

One is just as crucial as the other. Social television will continue to thrive simply because it feeds off of our behaviours to be part of something greater while at the same time creating a very active viewing experience. It provides the content and breaks the ice. And will grow to a greater influencer and facilitator capacity. It’s up to us to interpret, decipher and enjoy what it is at hand. Make no mistake, social media is not the TV killer nor will it ever be. They are two forces of nature that will further continue a very beneficial self-perpetuating cycle as they increasingly become drawn and attracted to each other.

The rise of social media and the enhancement of the TV experience has formulated an advanced dynamic. From the encouragement to use Twitter hashtags during live programming to the content focused Facebook status updates, social television will play a greater inclusive, integrated and real-time role. It was never really a matter of when one would overwhelm the other. It was about understanding the intricacies and impacts they have and will continue to have on each others relationships. It is about the harmoniousness existence between the two.

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Social Media and the Amplifier Effect

Written on March 16, 2011 by Josip Petrusa

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The internet and it’s introduction into commercial use profoundly changed the world we live in. So much so that many of us could hardly remember a time pre-internet. It has engulfed our daily lives. It has transformed the way we go about everything. And most uniquely, once we follow the chronological time line of communications, we experience the vast ambiguity and grandness of unlimited information and access to it.

Just as previous methods of communications amplified information, stories, news, products and celebrity, the internet has undeniably been acting in the same amplifying manner. Well, at least to the degree that is has continued down the previously established path communications has taken to amplifying information stories, news, products and celebrity. But then something significant happened. Something manifested in the commercialization of the internet.

Chris Anderson in The Long Tail would say this is the effect of democratization of the web. Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point would effectively describe it to that titled effect. With Nassim Taleb’s Black Swan taking due part in explaining the truly unprecedented existence and nature of it. And though the internet increasingly became an amplifier of everything the world had to offer as a result of easy-access, the sudden increase of amateur creations and exposure to a seemingly infinite world, social media has established itself as the ultimate amplifier.

Social media essentially represents the manifestations and the evolution of our behaviours and actions within everything online, digital and web-orientated. And it has allowed everything to become online, digital and web-orientated. When I say everything, I literally mean everything. The good, the bad, the useless, the insightful, the profitable, the embellished, the lucky, the emotional have all been amplified. The amplifier effect bares no bias. Nor does it give privilege or favour anything directly. It’s sole purpose is to amplify, everything. It is everything we are in this social media world. It is everything we perceive to be through are own perceptions.

The further we continue to use social media extensively, the further we will continually see an unprecedented levels of growing social media manifestations. From the growing precedence of measuring influence and significant effects of social authority on search, to the gamification and brandification of our social presence, the amplifier effect will impose behaviours of amplification on to our social media actions activities.

The resulting impact of this has glorified, popularized and hyped events, actions and individuals that were ordinary, everyday and commonplace pre-social media into something beyond wild expectations and possibility. It promotes existence and creates validity. Social media itself has fallen victim and benefactor to the cruelty and kindness of this effect. Ubiquitous and transient, as it pushes you forward towards unlimited opportunity with one hand, it drags you into nothingness with the other. An on-going cycle of self-perpetuation and metamorphosis.

The reality of the is situation is that the majority of what occurs within social media and the world around it really has no definitive explanation, other than the information we borrow from existing disciplines. The greater our intelligence grows and the more we become capable of doing the more our understanding of everything around us seems to lessen. In fact, much of anything we have today can be credited to a series of random, lucky and unexpected occurrences and manifestations. The cause of this lays in the very essence of the amplifier effect. Think about everything you’ve done, witnessed and completed to this point. What brought you there? Why were you drawn by it? What conveyed you to this present time? We are all active proponents of amplification, whether you choose to believe it or not. We are effected by it and the amplifications surrounding us.

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Entering the One Conversation Age

Written on November 22, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Just over a month ago, I was taking my seat at the final day of the Pivot Conference in New York City. Waiting intently, I was quite eager to hear Brian Solis and Jeanette Gibson, of Cisco, discuss the topic of conversational marketing. After a great discussion regarding conversation, marketing, listening and monitoring, and all that social media jazz, an intriguing thought hit me. And it’s something I’ve been thinking about for some time.

So, as question period began, I stood up and walked towards the mic ready to make my comment and ask a question that really goes against our understandings of current social media conventions. But it’s something my clever and curious self has been thinking about for some time. To paraphrase my remark, I asked how the two of them felt about the notion that in fact everything that is occurring is all aspect to one conversation instead of our perceived notions of multiple and many conversations.

Both Brian and Jeanette answered my question to the best way they perceived it. But I had the underlying feeling that they were somewhat perplexed and confused by what I had meant. And I can’t really blame them. My theorem, though simple, is complex for a question and answer period. The simple end of it would be the conversations we have across all varying platforms is in fact relatively the same rather than being different. Equally, our conversations do not simply end within one platform but actually continually exist from one to the next across everything we have available.

With the real world increasingly merging with the online, social and mobile ones, our abilities to communicate and converse with each other is becoming exceedingly important and imperative. The result of this has made aspects of Facebook, text messaging, tweeting and anything else all relative to one and the same conversation rather than having multiple ones. Where once it was almost taboo to talk about what we shared on Facebook, texted or tweeted, as if we were ashamed to say we were doing it but everyone was doing it, has become commonplace in everyday life.

Nothing simply pertains to itself. Everything is an aspect of a greater series of thoughts, ideas, notions and conversation. Now, rather than Facebooking, tweeting and texting in separate spheres of conversation, we are having a one conversation on a platform, continuing on the next and intermingling across communicative tools while keeping the same conversation. So an example would be that, the same conversation might begin in a morning text message, continue over Facebook, then continue over email, then continue over tweeting, and back to texting. Or in any given combination across varying channels the conversers find pertinent during their time of conversation.

The immediate problem with all of this is we understand social media to be a series of different conversations. And though different conversations will undoubtedly occur between different individuals, no conversation can be said to exist solely within the confines of a particular platform. Increasingly, many of us are going on with the same conversation. My one conversation age notion definitely throws a wrench into our ability to monitor and listen to the social universe. And everything we’ve come to bear and understand.

But then reality itself threw a significant wrench into our current notions, ideologies, thoughts and conversations. Last week, Facebook made one of the most fascinating announcements to occur in a while. They announced the launch of a new messaging system that would involve releasing it’s own email service. There was more than some interesting sentiment towards this. But as Mark Zuckerberg said himself, “it’s not email” nor will it replace conventional email.

The new messaging system itself is not going to be a email killer as many believe, considering Facebook’s half of a billion user network can be perceived as a threat. Rather, this new messaging system itself is going to innovate and enhance the way we communicate. A system itself that involves a cross-platform approach by incorporating everything from email, to instant messaging, Facebook messaging and texting all into own messaging locale.

And this where I had my “a-ha” moment. The one conversation age has begun. As this new messaging system begins to role out, Facebook will effectively be creating a single platform across which all conversation can take place. Though I don’t believe it will replace anything, as everything that we currently use has established its place and use, I do believe it will usher in a new generation of conversation agents and the way we will converse as we go into the future.

Think about the many young individuals within the Millennial generation, and those after them, that have hardly established a variety of different communicative means and how they will be incorporated into this. Equally, think about the simplicity and seamless ability this offers. At this point in time, many of us can reach the same individuals across more than a variety of different channels often resulting in the same type of channeled response. We all also weigh these different channels by different standards resulting in different levels of conversation.

Why settle for more channels, communicative tools and platforms? The greater amount of different accounts we have the greater amount of time we have to spend attending to them. Many of us would die for an “all-in-one” solution. There’s more than a series of third party applications that have attempted this but nothing this significant as Facebook’s proposition. Call this what you like, a Facebook takeover, cloud communicating or whatever else. In an ever-growing era of mobile and social technologies, the one conversation age has begun. One conversation is becoming the emerging reality.

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Yes, I Read Weekly Flyers. Why Traditional Marketing Won’t Simply Disappear

Written on November 19, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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We’re in a great time of disruption and innovation. Old ways versus new ones. Traditional versus non-traditional. And the list goes on and on. Much of this can be seen within the Millennial generation and their perspective on the world. An increasingly online, social and mobile life is more than evident. But what about everything traditional?

There are more times often than not when my technologically based life has to resort to traditional means to get answers, information and everything I need. And though, the internet has been around for some time and though we’ve been able to accomplish some absolutely extraordinary things, I’m amazed when the Best Buy weekly flyer is a far superior experience than the Best Buy website itself.

As a Millennial that is more savvier than many, there is an assumed oxymoron at play here. To observe a blogger, tweeter, avid BlackBerry user and someone that could hardly be pulled away from their laptop take a seat at the kitchen table and look through my bundle of weekly flyers is, well, a paradox.

The unmistakable reality and dilemma here is that technology has not reached that point where it has replaced everything. The resulting factor of this is that I’m forced to use traditional methods simply because sometimes they are significantly better, simpler and more efficient than their technological realities and variants.

Often, most of us are simply looking. If we do need something specific, internet search is king. But for the sake of simple browsing, exploring, comparing and seeing what’s out-there, there is no social media, online or mobile experience that is as simple and seamless as flipping through the flyer that is delivered to your door. And of course there are exceptions here. Though chances are, and good chances at that, I will take a look at the flyer. I can’t reciprocate the same mutual feeling towards the same technological elements.

Much of this same thinking can be applied to any method of traditional media and marketing. I watch TV because it’s a far superior experience than it’s online counterpart. Why wait to watch it after unless I really have to? I read books because e-books lack the functionality of being a book you can flip through back and forth.

The dilemma here is that Millennials, such as myself, are looking for the most optimal and best experiences in everything. And though technological and digital means have created some very good alternatives and new creations, they have yet to truly replace traditional methods. Don’t get me wrong here, I completely understand traditional methods are losing ground. But that’s only a natural aspect that occurs when something new is introduced into an existing environment.

A great example is that I enjoy reading newspapers simply due to the fact that I can quickly glance over everything and see all the articles at once. However, unless an interesting tweet or Facebook share came across my way, I can hardly say I would take the same approach to even read it online. Like with anything else, the internet has had a significant impact on the industry. But it has to be understood that the internet has simply provided a series of new and different experiences, not replacements. Everything traditional still very much exists.

Don’t be fooled here. The Millennials shouldn’t be assumed to be just like everyone else. We are quite different. But the quandary we face and introduce is that we do respond to traditional methods and means simply because our online, social and mobile world is clumsy, clunky and a serious hassle to get through sometimes. For that reason, we are forced to use traditional methods. Like many Millennials, I’m waiting for traditional innovation to really occur and for true technological extravagance to take place.

I’ll hardly follow Best Buy on Twitter, “like” them on Facebook or even visit their website unless I’m looking for specific answers or unless I mistakenly threw out their weekly flyer. It’s not because I don’t want to. I have no need to most of the time. The weekly flyer is the best, simplest and most seamless approach we have available both in-home and in-store. I’m not denying a fascinating new-age is upon us and people won’t embrace that. But as someone with all the savviness, social media understanding, online presence, digital know-how and gadgets, I’ll happily be reading this week’s flyer before I even think about doing anything else.

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Is the Social Media Privacy Issue Really A Privacy Issue?

Written on November 15, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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For some time now, the privacy issue has been at the forefront of all social media discussion. And a serious one at that. Whether it is one of the many individual angles we each face or one of corporate interest based on our employers or business, our understandings and use of social media will keep the privacy issue a hotly contested one.

After all, it should be. Shouldn’t it? We’re entitled to the preservation of our privacy. Aren’t we?

Well there are many realities to this situation. Yes, we are all entitled to a level of privacy. However, we all must understand that we freely give up certain liberties for the free and unpaid use of social media services. And we should be allowed to interact with any individuals we choose in any manner we choose. But we must understand that people do observe and monitor our actions for their own reasons, with possible implications arising from that. And round and round we go.

The debate here is imperative, necessary and extremely crucial. So much so that many individuals and users have taken the privacy issue into their own hands. Many of which have been accomplished simply by implementing a social lifestyle of preventative measures that are undoubtedly indicative and pointing towards a want for greater privacy.

And what better example to dissect than the king of the social media itself, Facebook.

From our early care-free and willy-nilly days on Facebook, many of us, with a few years experience, have taken on preventative behaviours. The most immediate example would be that of limiting all aspects of our profiles and search to only our “friends”. Equally, many us began removing tagged photos from our profiles. Not to mention the deletion and short-listing of “friends” for any variety of reasons.

Then the clever approaches started to come forward and take form. The use of pseudonyms has become common and widespread. Further, individuals began to remove en masse wall-posting capabilities on days prior to their birthdays. I guess we all have our own feelings towards a day of mass messaging. Interestingly, many of these users have begun to keep and implement this setting throughout their online tenure. And even removing the wall from their profile.

But the most fascinating aspect to come out of all of this is something that came out of an article I read over the weekend.

As a blogger and someone immersed in social media, I’m intrigued on a geekish level by elements such as the numbers behind it all. Recently, I’ve been noticing a fair share of profiles disappearing and reappearing both on my personal profile and blog fan page. At first, I thought nothing of the fluctuations. But on closer observation I began to realize a small group of my “friends” were deactivating and reactivating their profiles on a regular basis.

What’s truly amazing here is the article I came across expressed how a growing number of the youngest Facebook users, the Millennials, are continually taking an extreme offline approach by deactivating their profile when logging off Facebook and reactivating it when logging back on, in order to preserve the greatest amount of privacy and control on to their social profiles. Just as surprising is the idea that these same users still want to have a social presence and be part of Facebook in all it’s glory but only in a manner when they’re physically online. Imagine what effect this will have to online relationships, gaming and brand pages if this trend continues.

Understandably, privacy is a serious element within the world of social media. But, if we truly wanted to be private and ensure that privacy, why participate? And on the other hand, why participate if we want extreme levels of privacy in an inherently social setting? Why not log off forever and not place ourselves in this predicament? Even with all the preventative measures we take, we only lessen any consequences but still understand our privacy can be compromised.

So is this all really a matter of privacy, or is the privacy issue itself really one of control? Our concern clearly doesn’t reflect our actions. And there has yet to be the slightest significance of user-revolt. We all know that the internet and what we put on it will last forever, as everyone from Facebook, to corporations, to the government will be listening and recording. This is not about the privacy of our information. This is about us controlling who we are. This is about the having the ability to control our increasingly online presence and lives.

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For Millennials, Online Friends Are Real Friends

Written on October 21, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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It’s been exactly a week since I’ve written my last post and I apologize for that. Though you shouldn’t assume by any means that I was slacking off. In fact, I was more than busy.

Earlier in the week, I attended the Pivot Conference in New York City. And for those of you that don’t know what Pivot is I’ll explain. Pulled straight from their about page, Pivot is “the marketing conference for brand marketers that seeks to understand the style, attitudes, technologies, and preferences of the 18-34 year-old consumer.” So how could I not be there. Not only to hear what they had to say about Gen-Y and Millennials but also to represent Gen-Y and Millennials. Further, I was on a virtual panel for IBM earlier this morning representing Millennials. Stay tuned for that article tomorrow.

Not only was it a pleasure to meet many great colleagues for the first time in-person, it was an idea filled and thought provoking experience. And anyone following my #pivotcon tweets would’ve realized this. So without further adieu, today’s blog post, inspired by those many great online colleagues I met.

From the early days of social media, well the early days of Facebook, many of our so-called “friends” equated to people we’ve always known. In fact, the very purpose of Facebook itself was created as a means to literally keep up with friends. And one-by-one, we all started requesting virtual friendship with our friends.

Then, something truly significant started to take place. Facebook friends weren’t simply reserved for friends anymore. Old acquaintances, classmates and co-workers entered the mix. And once those resources became exhausted, the slightest of relationships and introductions warranted virtual friendship. From individuals you commonly see but have never met, to people you’ve met on vacation and anyone you bumped into at a bar. A simple hello was enough to justify Facebook friendship.

Once you add the dynamics of Twitter, everything seems to be even stranger. And how could it not be strange, with complete strangers following complete strangers. Doing the same in person would make you a creeper, stalker and psycho. Even enough to get the police and authorities involved. Our evaluation of real life relationships would definitely question our online ones.

And they have been questioned. There has been considerable criticism on this topic. How can anyone possibly keep up with thousands of new and emerging online relationships? And why would you bother if you can hardly say you’ve met any of them. Simply, many of our friends, followers and connections are just egotistical aspects of the numbers game.

The more the merrier. Right?

The real friends vs. online friends argument is one based on value, legitimacy and our traditional understandings of friendship. And depending on what side of the fence you are on, this is all either non-sense or the beginning of a brave new-world.

The emerging reality is this difference, this distinction between “real” and “online” doesn’t matter anymore. At the very least, it’s mattering less and less. Something that is very prevalent amongst Millennials.

For Millennials, online friends have become real friends. As the online world blurs into and becomes the real world, friends of various natures are becoming, well, friends. As our world broadens, as our communications continually advances we begin to truly enter a world where friends and friendships are not simply defined by someone we’ve met in person. Rather, meeting in-person, though something that is still truly valuable, becomes a method of communication as opposed to a defining characteristic.

I can already hear the naysayers, traditional believers and those fearful of our new and emerging world disagreeing frantically. There are more than a few negative impacts that come with extensive communications growth. But it shouldn’t be misunderstood that these negatives don’t already exist within the everyday world. And just as we learned to avoid and watch-out for certain signs of dangerous situations in the real world, we will equally learn to live online in the same manner. It won’t simply turn into a fearful world of predators and prey.

Unfortunately, there will be some circumstances that will be glorified to show how evil the online world is but this false perception should in no way dissuade or discourage individuals from creating very meaningful relationships online. Relationships that are genuine, great, caring and real. Though it would be a pleasure to meet everyone in-person, online communication is the most defining substitute ever created to cultivate real relationships anywhere in the world.

Social media has unknowingly established and created more than a few negatives and positives. And by no means should we all be scared to travel down this road in an orderly fashion. I have many relationships with individuals that I’ve known for years that are absolutely amazing. I also have many relationships that were created online that are equally as amazing.

As you read this I have 350 Facebook friends, 1327 Twitter followers, 576 LinkedIn connections and 106 Facebook Fan Page likes. Many of which I’ve met. Many of which I haven’t met. Though I’ll admit I haven’t sustained extensive relationships equally with everyone, the growing number of those I’m continually engaging with online are just as incredible as many people I’ve known in real life.

When I went to New York City for the Pivot Conference, I went not ever having met anyone in-person. Once there, we all met as if we were friends for sometime. It’s because we have been friends for sometime, only separated by the physical distance between us. Friendship is not defined by real or online conceptualization. Friendship is defined by the very essence as our abilities as human beings to interact with each other whether that be a lifelong relationship or someone you’ve come to know on Twitter.

Life online is still very much an infant idea. And many individuals incorporate traditional barriers within the online world. The fact remains that many of us, especially Millennials, are beginning to have more and more friendships created online. For us, the online world is part of our real world. For us, our online friends are real friends.

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Using the Millennials to Your Uncharacteristic Advantage (Part 2)

Written on October 1, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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The Millennials have had an unprecedented impact on just about everything. Their behaviour, actions and mode of thought are significantly different from anything we’ve seen before. And as I suggested in my previous article, the strength of the Millennials is more profound than often perceived. While they create a digital gap between themselves and their parents at one moment, they at the same time close that gap by actually being the providers of technological necessity.

Though the parents of Millennials are amongst the largest growing segment in area’s such as social media, they do not hold that same inherent behaviour and savyness that Millennials bring. As I alluded to in my previous article, though you might not understand the technological behaviour of the Millennials or even agree with it, you will undeniably use their strengths when needed. And as a result, they’ve single-handedly become the biggest influencers of their parents and those seeking answers Millennials can quickly find.

Beyond this, Millennials hold an established and significant level of influence over their Millennial colleagues. From aspects such as personal opinions, shared emotions, growing networks and instant communication, their level of influence on each other is overwhelming.

The traditional friend-to-friend, acquaintance-to-acquaintance and even person-to-person influence was always reserved for those few individuals you would always interact with. Just 5 years ago, before the mainstream boom of social media and mobile devices, our group associations were smaller, more intimate and based on established relationships. But thanks to technological advances, everything has been redefined and amplified.

Though the value of relationships has stayed the same, the way we approach and build them has changed forever. Just 5 years ago, our influence would only reach those simply around us on a daily basis. Now, each individual, each Millennial is a network in themselves. At any given moment, each Millennial is being influenced by the hundreds of different networks that are encompassed within all their supposed friendships.

From the ongoing publicly viewed conservations, shared thoughts and experiences, and pure but simple personal opinions, these characteristics have become the growing and defining moments of many of our decisions. As a result, the slightest influence will either persuade or dissuade our decisions and choices. By no means should we be considered naïve. Rather, we’re merely highly informed to just about everything that happens.

This should be no wonder as Millennials lead the way in many areas of social networking and mobile phone usage. The value and significance is known. And success always sounds like stories of lore from times past, since no one has been able to truly keep a sustainable effort. There have been flashes of brilliance with viral marketing campaigns. But like biological viruses themselves, these viral successes come and go only to be talked about as “remember when…” thought pieces for the future conversations.

What we know is that Millennials connect, share and absorb. Yes, absorb. To borrow a misquoted line from the Field of Dreams, “if you build it, [he] they will come.” And as usage rates increase in just about every field with the Millennials, the analogy does relatively hold true. So how do you penetrate the Millennial mind? How do you influence these influencers from the inside?

The reality is there is no straight answer but that shouldn’t suggest it can’t be achieved. It’s rather difficult to market and advertise to us because we’re looking where we want to look and not where you want us to look. A starting point would be to think like a Millennial. Understanding what values Millennials hold would be the next step. But the underlying factor in all of this is that Millennial-to-Millennial influence can’t be de-emphasized or misunderstood. Good or bad, the Millennials networks will decide everything for you.

Everything is always just one Facebook share, one tweet, one text away from a decision.

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The New Twitter is the New Standard

Written on September 17, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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This last Tuesday evening, Twitter announced a major redesign and launch of a new web interface. After watching the live-feed of the actual presentation, though I was amazed and absolutely impressed by it, I couldn’t help but think what a definitive game changer it will become. And with it rolling-out to all users over several weeks, we all had to simply wait and see.

But low and behold, by late morning Wednesday, I was amongst a “privileged” few who were using the New Twitter platform – hopefully this should show all my tweeps who weren’t otherwise convinced. Furthermore, every inclination I had to it’s game changing ability was made more than apparent. That’s when the ideas, comparisons and futurist thinking took over.

After spending more time playing around with it than anyone would be willingly to admit, of which was at least a few hours, the possibilities, opportunities and future success seemed endless. Though I won’t necessarily address all the new functionality of the New Twitter platform, I will address a series of issue that will not only bring glory to Twitter. And examine how Twitter will single-handedly change what we expect from the internet, social media and all social networking platforms.

Twitter has traditionally been known since it’s creation as a single column of incoming tweets. Other than being able to open a little profile window for tweeps within your stream, there was no sense or ability to stay on the same page after clicking a link. As the picture shows above, Twitter has created a two columned screen. The one on the left representing the incoming tweets, which also has an infinite scroll function. And the one of the right that opens into a new window when clicking on profiles, tweets and tweets marked as conversations, pictures and videos.

With that being said, one of the biggest weakness I’ve always found with anything online is the fact that you always had to move into a new window or tab after clicking a link. The New Twitter not only allows you to watch a tweeted video, but you can continue to observe tweets and send tweets simultaneously. Talk about the leveraged ability this presents to brands, advertisers, companies and everyone else tweeting their own work, photos and videos. It definitely promotes content sharing, while leveraging continuing tweeting and giving us the further ability to absorb more.

The new interface layout will definitely resonate with the Millennial generation, who are amongst the current lowest users of the site. It provides them their growing want for online content while keeping them on the same page and connecting further at the same time. Once the New Twitter becomes mainstream, get ready to see an unprecedented growth amongst this group. All the ingredients are there.

Being a Millennial myself, the New Twitter has created wants for a few more advancements, both equally within Twitter and further online. Why limited the 2nd column to tweets, conversations, profiles, tweeted videos and pictures? Why not open up the actual links within that column? I can only imagine this is the next step within Twitter’s future. But if Twitter created the capability to do this, no one would ever leave Twitter, because, well, you wouldn’t have to. Twitter could realistically become an interface network where everything runs through it. And if Twitter wants to fly me down to San Fransisco, I’d be more than glad to share an idea or two.

Interestingly, the New Twitter also highly reciprocates the a touch-pad and screen interface and functionality. There is no denying touch-screen technology is the future. And it seems Twitter is jumping on board before everyone else. Imagine the impact this will have to Facebook and YouTube. Although YouTube remains king of the video castle, I can only but wonder and believe other online video channel’s will garner significant growth from Twitter’s progress.

Equally, at a time where Facebook users are growing, there doesn’t seem to be the same coolness and overall sentiment that existed 2 years ago. Though it might be a little soon to say anything, but “Facebook who?” has become seemingly more realistic, if my just the slightest margin. But my hunch is Facebook won’t wait around but will match Twitter’s effort with the a sophisticated overhaul as well.

In the end, not only does Twitter win in this situation, but further they have set a new standard everyone else must follow. Aside from the better functionality and content distrubiton, amongst other characteristics, I can’t help but think the New Twitter is targeted towards the Millennials in hopes of getting them on board, since it offers significant aspects of what they want from an online source.

Further, this is an absolute big plus for brands, products, advertisers, companies and anyone looking to promote themselves. It encourages everyone to at least examine the tweet without missing anything and never leaving the page. I can only hope they pick up on this sense of new-age thinking and level the traditionalism behind.

And lastly, it will create a want for something greater. Why should we ever have to leave a page ever again? Why bother using anything else when everything I want is right there? Not only has Twitter raised the bar, they’ve changed the entire framework of the online game. And how we look at it. And how we think about it. And how we act on it.

So, forget about what you knew before. This is the new standard. This is the new online world. This is the New Twitter.

7 Quick Ways To Think Like A Millennial

Written on September 10, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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It’s always fascinating to watch companies, products and brands trying to target Millennials. Yes, we YouTube, Facebook, text, share and connect, but just because we do it shouldn’t suggest that if you do it we’ll necessarily tag along. Just like you shouldn’t assume that if we “like” a Facebook page, it gives you permission to go beyond that and clutter our news feeds. If we wanted all that clutter, we would’ve asked for it.

With all that being said, many miss the target when going after Millennials. Simply, it’s because they’re not talking, thinking or acting like Millennials. Here are 7 quick ways to get you thinking like a Millennial. I’ll admit, they’re a little broad. But be creative. Be open-minded.

If it’s slower than a text message, it’s too slow.
We’re highly optimistic, seemingly regardless of the situation. Don’t deceive us, but do give us something to be optimistic about.
We sleep with our smart phones. We eat with our smart phones. We go to the washroom with our smart phones. Well, you get the point.
There’s some great and cool technology out there. Use it.
Chances are we’re doing more than one thing at a time. So why do you market and advertise to us like we’re only do one thing at a time.
Any situation we’re in could possibly warrant us to tell someone else about it. Give us something good to talk about. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure to tell everyone about the bad.
Don’t interrupt our daily processes. It would be the equivalent of us interrupting you while you’re speaking. It’s, well, rude. But hold on a sec, I have to send this message…

Targeting the Millennial market is by no means an easy one. Will every suggestion we give ever really be taken into consideration and put forward? I doubt it. But if you’re smart about it, there are a series of clever and non-traditional ways that can be used, aside from the over-emphasis on social media marketing along with other obvious and quickly drawn conclusions. Effort is definitely being wasted in many area’s and missed in others. Though these 7 points don’t necessarily represent all that there is to know about Millennials, but they most certainly give you something to work with. Just remember, think like a Millennial. It’s easy, isn’t it?

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The Millennials Uncanny Ability to Absorb

Written on September 9, 2010 by Josip Petrusa

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Today’s post originally began as a response to a colleague’s request. Sidneyeve Matrix commented on my previous blog post suggesting my “observation about ‘the uncanny ability of Millennials to absorb’ deserves a separate post,” and that she would like to see my analysis on this behavioural trend. And though I myself replied that the posted would be finished yesterday, after I began writing, a whole can-of-worms seemingly opened up. So enjoy!

We’ve all heard about the many characteristics that make the Millennials something of a unique bunch. From their psychological make-up to their technologically advanced environment and web-savvyness, to say the world has never seen a generation like this would almost be an understatement.

The course of visible change that has occurred in this decade compared to the last is extraordinary. And we’ve already become highly adapted to these evolutions and advances within our daily environments. Though there might be a few arguable similarities, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that there are clear differences in the way members of Gen-Y have grown up and are continuing to grow up.

The Last 5 Years or So…

The world we see today is drastically different from that of even just 5 years ago. Well, let me rephrase that. The Millennial’s world is drastically different. How could it not be? Many aspects of daily Millennial life have never been daily aspects of life before. From how Millennials interact with media, to their social media life, understanding how they value brands, and understanding their personal extension and fascination with mobile devices, it’s absolutely amazing to see that all this has happened over the last 5 years or so.

But once we take a step forward, these worldly changes themselves are already in the midst of change. Mobile devices are moving away from cell and feature phones to a world of smart phones, pads and tablets. I’ve already read and seen dialogue for “super phones” amongst current smart phone makers.

Social media fatigue and our constant want for communication has pushed our notions of “sharing” to notions of “connecting”. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll continue to share but we’ll be more concerned about connecting and communicating.

And how could we almost forget about how much more strategy is necessary for marketing to Millennials, instances of un-sponsored Millennials seemingly promoting brands by themselves, more Gen-Y involvement in product and brand success, and how they’re shifting the retail environment.

With the world changing around them, the Millennials have reacted and adapted. And they will continue to constantly react and adapt. But will you be able to match them?

Sharing, Connecting and… Absorbing?

There is no denying Millennials go online and frequent social networking sites. 78% of those aged 18-34 use social media. Equally mobile habits have also increased greatly. And rather than going into this, I implore you view this list of Millennial facts, which provide great online, social and mobile insights. Along with this, there is a series of continuing and growing statistical insights that shed light into this generation.

Millennials are avid YouTubers. While 13-17 year-olds represent 21%, 18-34 year-olds represent 36% of YouTube’s viewing audience, combining for a total of 57%. Of which, they had a significant viewing impact to the over 5.7 billion videos were streamed in the US just this past June.

Further, live streaming video has grown a significant 600% over the last year, with YouTube and Hulu increasing 68% and 75% respectively. And though live streaming itself still represents a small audience compared to others, a year-over-year gain such as this shouldn’t be overlooked. Equally, live streaming sites are 72% more likely to deliver to 18-34 males, who also represent about 30% of the total live streaming video audience.

Additionally, online video shouldn’t be mistaken for traditional TV and video content. With that being said, 41% of 18-34 year-olds watch live TV. With DVDs representing 15%, DVR at 12% and streaming video, via Netflix type sites, is at 7%. With 29% of those aged under 25 watching all or most of their TV on the web.

While all this is occurring, a full 15% of teens aged 12-17 and 18% of those aged 18-24 send over 200 text messages a day, which is about 6000 a month. Not to mention, the amount of emails, social media messages and the BlackBerry BBM use that might be occurring, amongst other forms of communication. And though 200 texts seems excessive, 29% of those same teens send over 100 text messages a day.

Call all this what you like. Sharing, connecting, or viewing, it can’t be denied Millennials are absorbing everything in their path. We have the executive decision to choose what we like. 5 to 10 years ago many of these numbers and aspects didn’t exist. And though they may have been using all this in some form then, the distinguishing fact here is that even though traditional outlets may have decreased they haven’t decreased to such a extent that everything else has been replaced with some new alternative. Rather, many of those levels still remain high while Millennials absorption of new-age technologies have been compounded on top.

Millennial Absorption

In the midst of writing my last blog post, I came across a Millennial theory that “rather than a sense of forward expansion, we’re seeing re-absorption and re-emergence of times past.” The impact of Millennial absorption is due the fact that Millennials are staying up to pace with everything that is being offered to them. As a result, Millennials themselves have reverted to absorbing many other aspects of what is currently available to them.

Even then new isn’t necessarily good enough. It’s the reason many of us watch classic sitcoms and re-runs. Or we simply watch an older DVD. Or spend our time online. Or download something. Or text. Or combine it all in one form or another. We do more while doing more. We are everywhere but we can’t be found. I can imagine how marketers, advertisers and brands must feel. At any given time, we can be online, watching TV and/or using our smart phones but you can’t reach us. Frustrating, isn’t it? There has been no greater time than now to have and execute the abilities of control and choice.

What’s most fascinating about all of this is the notion that all our sharing, connecting and viewing can actually be based on the premise of absorbing information. The Millennials have an uncanny ability to absorb. And much of what we do is done for the purpose of other individuals absorbing our information while we at same moment absorb what others have provided us. It’s a very cyclical and branched methodology. We do things to evoke a response, big or small. It’s the reason why we strategically share online. It’s the purpose behind everything we do. Why tweet? Why update Facebook? We all want people to see what we put up. Why bother otherwise? Why text if no one will text back?

But how much can we take? Like sponges, can we only absorb a certain amount of information? Will we ultimately over-flow and drown ourselves in content? Recent research shows our current lifestyle is changing our neurological processing patterns. So does that mean our minds will evenutally burn-out? Or continue to adapt and evolve? Call it a sense of higher sophistication, growing intelligence, need for attention, curiosity for the unknown or whatever else you like. One thing is for certain, as long as there is an urge, a need and a want for absorbing information, Millennials will continue to do what they do best. The question is, will you be able to keep up with them?

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