iJunkies by Erik Sass

Prepare to be astonished: On average Americans spend 2.7 hours per day using mobile Internet, with 91% using it for social purposes, according to a survey by Ruder Finn, a global PR agency. First of all, I find the figure of 2.7 hours to be remarkably -- perhaps even implausibly -- high. Sure mobile Internet use is popular, and getting more popular -- anyone who goes to a media conference can't fail to notice that. But 2.7 hours per day? My god, where is everyone doing this? ...Read the whole story

  • Kellogg Increases 2010 Ad Spend, Triples Social Media by David Goetzl

    Multiple marketers, including Kraft, have recently spoken about lower pricing helping ad dollars go further in 2009. Now, Kellogg appears to be the first to signify the more bang-for-buck trend will continue into 2010. ...Read the whole story

  • Google Buzz Could Become Web's Open Social Hub by Laurie Sullivan

    On the surface it may appear that Google simply created Buzz as a social network add-on for Gmail. But in reality the Mountain View, Calif. search engine launched the beginning of a hub that could eventually connect to forums, third-party PC and mobile applications, as well as other social sites. ...Read the whole story

Facebook Moves Towards World -- Not Just Social Networking -- Domination by Catharine P. Taylor

Let's just say it: Facebook rules. But I'm not talking about Facebook kicking MySpace to the curb some time ago, or Facebook's user base being much larger than Twitter's. I'm talking about Facebook vs. Google. Social networking vs. search engine-ing. In the last few weeks, I've seen a preponderance of data pointing to a few ways Facebook is ruling -- in ways I never thought it would. ...More

  • NBC Rations Olympics Content While Social Media Grouses by Wayne Friedman

    You can't see all of your precious Olympic sporting events live on NBC, even though the Olympics are in North-American-friendly time zones. The men's downhill skiing event is an important piece of any Winter Olympics -- but it didn't run live. NBC ran it delayed in prime time. NBC saves its best stuff for prime time -- some live, some not -- and then parcels out events over a three- or five-hour period like crumbs for pigeons. We're the pigeons -- and we continue to follow the trail. ...More

  • Offerpal Befriends Direct And Brand Marketers by David Berkowitz

    One emerging business model that has caught on in social media is not particularly social at all. The model, especially prominent in supporting the booming social gaming business, allows marketers to target consumers with cost-per-acquisition deals that earn consumers points or virtual currency in the games. Among the best known players in this field is Offerpal, which says it reaches more than 150 million consumers. After missing the company's CEO George Garrick last month both when he was in New York and I was in San Francisco, we finally caught up on the phone for an exclusive interview. ...More