Category Archives: Digital Week in Review

Digital Week in Review: Google guns for Apple with Motorola

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Interpublic sells half of Facebook stake; The Guardian
Interpublic Group, the US marketing services giant that owns ad agency networks including Lowe and McCann-Erickson, has sold half of its stake in Facebook for $133m. Michael Roth, the chief executive and chairman of IPG, said the “ubiquity” of Facebook has now reduced the strategic value of the investment, while admitting the value of the stake has skyrocketed.
The Takeaway:  Is Facebook losing its cache in the business world? Maybe a bit, but since IPG only owned less than 1% of Facebook, it’s not likely this will have a monumental impact. Continue reading →

Digital Week in Review: Twitter Acquires Sharing And Discovery Platform Bagcheck

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Google, Oracle Still Battling Over Android E-mail; PC World
Google and Oracle continue to tussle over a potentially damaging e-mail in the ongoing lawsuit over alleged Java patent violations in the Android mobile OS.
The Takeaway:  Oracle sued Google in August 2010, alleging that Android violated a number of patents held by Oracle on the Java programming language, which it acquired through the purchase of Sun Microsystems. Google has denied any wrongdoing. A trial has been scheduled for Oct. 31, but Alsup has indicated he’d like the companies to settle the matter before then. Only time will tell how this legal matter is settled. Like most cases like this, the complexities could favor either party. Continue reading →

Digital Week in Review: Google grabs facial-recognition ‘ware firm’

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Google grabs facial-recognition ‘ware firm’; The Register
Google has bought a facial recognition company called pittpatt.
The Takeaway: The acquisition looks a little curious in light of comments by Eric Schmidt at Google’s ‘Big Tent’ privacy conference in May to the effect that facial recognition technology creeped him out, and in which the company co-founder seemed to state that Google would not make use of such technology. Continue reading →

Digital Week in Review: Why Google + is Not the Facebook Killer it Thinks

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Why Google+ is Not the Facebook Killer it Thinks it is; Technorati
Google+ has attempted to usurp the King of Social Media, Facebook. While it will start things with a slightly changed interface, it will not be the change that we are all looking for, as the Google insight into social media is the same as it was, and the same as it will be until a fundamental shift in ideas occurs.
The Takeaway: Despite the majority of truly innovative products that Google has developed over the years, the move into the Social Media space makes Google and Google+ a big, yes, you guessed it, copycat. Continue reading →

Digital Week in Review: Google+, Facebook Skype and More!

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Google+ More Right than Wrong. For Now; Information Week
After several fizzled attempts at social networking — from Buzz to Wave — Google at last is getting it more right than wrong. Via its on again off again beta, Google+ is generating a ton of interest.
The Takeaway: So far, so good for Google. What’s less clear is whether Google can build this into a lasting impression product that gets long-term, engaged use from current Facebook users. There is a lot Google is going to have to do to get there. Continue reading →

Founding Fathers (and Monster Mothers): Gaga, The Pope, Biz, and Tom

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This week’s social media big news roll call reads like the setup of a joke.  Lady Gaga, The Pope, Biz Stone of Twitter and Tom of MySpace (remember MySpace?) are all making big online moves, and as we approach this weekend’s annual homage to the birth of America via keg parties and explosives (genius, I’m sure), the social media headlines belong to Founding Fathers and Monster Mothers.

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Digital Week in Review: Facebook Leads 2011 Online Display Ad Sales

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REPORT: Facebook Leads 2011 Online Display Ad Sales; All Facebook
Facebook will have a 17.7 percent share of the market for online display ad sales this year.
The Takeaway: That’s eMarketer’s latest forecast for 2011; in March the consultancy first said that Facebook was on track to outsell Yahoo and Google in the online display ad market. By contrast, Facebook had 12.2 percent of the online display ad sales market in 2010. And eMarketer expects the social network to take 19.4 percent of the online display ad market in 2012. Continue reading →

Digital Week in Review: Privacy Regulators See Red Over Facebook Facial Recognition

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Privacy Regulators See Red Over Facebook Facial Recognition; Search Engine Watch
The long worked on facial recognition technology recently released by Facebook is coming under attack from European Union regulators questioning its intrusion in to users’ privacy.
The Takeaway: The reality is that facial recognition is already here, and it’s not going away so the debate at this point should be a matter of figuring out how the technology should be used rather than if it can be created in the first place.

Why Facebook is Becoming Twitter and Twitter is Becoming Facebook; Shiny
While Twitter once tried to distinguish itself as an “information network” it has with its recent product announcements, like an improved Twitter.com and a native photo sharing service, put itself right up there to take on Facebook head-to-head in the battle for the social network crown.
The Takeaway: This is might prove to be a significant blow to Facebook which has for a long time been the preferred – or default – ‘connection’ mechanism for social sharing. Continue reading →