Donagh Mc Sweeney

LinkedIn is by far one of the most popular and successful social networking websites on the internet. A popular network with business professionals, it launched in 2003 and just last months it reached a milestone 50million membership.

Along with success comes a responsibility to its users to provide an exciting and beneficial service that enables people to network with others efficiently. Today came the announcement by Principal User Experience Designer, Kevin Bury that LinkedIn is currently in the process of redesigning certain aspects of the website.

According to Kevin Bury there will be four main goals/areas of the redesign.

1. A global navigation bar at the top of the page that provides convenient access to all LinkedIn services.
2. Simplified local navigation within each of the LinkedIn areas (Profile, Contacts, Groups, etc.).
3. More room available for page content. Less scrolling.
4. A cleaner, less-cluttered look.

The most dramatic change is the doing away of the sidebar, with LinkedIn deciding that top navigation is the way to go. Why they feel it’s necessary to change is anyones guess!

There is also a slight change to the profile page, although not that dramatic (bar the already mentioned sidebar of course).

What do you think of the new designs?

Social media analytics is an area that businesses should take a closer look at if they are to fully grasp the power of the Internet.

Over the last 18 months there has been a huge influx of enterprises becoming actively involved online in an attempt to boost the performance of their organisation. Networking approaches can differ from person to person and from organisation to organisation, while naturally results can also vary.

One of the big reasons that some succeed while others fail is because of analytic analysis. Every business knows that for something to succeed you need to know how you are performing and how to better yourself, yet when it comes to social networking many never follow through with this vital requirement.

A major factor that contributes to the lack of social media analysis by organisations is a lack of understanding. People may understand how social media functions, yet not know how to analyse their performance on them. This can be attributed to a new and often complex analyses methodology when it comes to social media. Are you active on a lot of networks? How much exposure does social media bring to your business? How long do you spend online? These are all questions that organisations should be asking themselves if they are to successfully analyses their online efforts.

To help organisations monitor and analyses their social media campaigns Loopthing have launched a new application called OpenScore.

OpenScore is an application that will assist you in your web analytics by presenting you with a detailed breakdown of how your business brand is performing online.

The technology works by analyzing a number of factors and data from some of the most relevant social media sources across the web such as Facebook, Twitter, RSS, Google, Digg, StumpleUpon, Blogs, Media files (video, audio, imagery) to name but a few. Specifically factors such as activity rate/presence on Internet ; time; level of visibility to others; the amount of media files they upload; the amount of information they provide about themselves and the amount of people talking about them on the Internet are some of the most important factors analyzed. Each factor carries its own weight in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of online activity.

Not only will OpenScore show you how you have been doing on the social web, it will also suggest to you where you should be going. Customized advice and detailed statistics will be available to all members that avail of OpenScore that will point you in the direction of a successful marketing campaign online.

Social media analytics is an up-and-coming area within the social media world.  As consumers move online at an ever increasing pace, organisations need to join them if they are to succeed in an ever changing marketing place. Only by knowing where you’re currently placed can you know where you need to go.

Here’s a post that I previously wrote for the Loopthing blog.

Technology has transformed the world of enterprise into what it is today. Walk into any office around the globe and you are 99% certain to see desktop computers, telephones, fax machines, mobiles and printers in operation. The use of these technologies is pretty much a must for any business that wants to succeed in an ever changing market, but it’s also recognised that associated costs can often be high. With businesses concerned with curbing costs like never before, I’m going to explore a number of open source options that can significantly save money when it comes to computing.

Desktop computers are a vital component for almost every business worldwide. Word processing, product development, image creation and research are just some of the common activities associated. However I’m sure you won’t be surprised at all when I say that computers can be by far the most costly piece of equipment for a business. Between the actual physical computer hardware and all the necessary software, costs can spiral. If you’re looking for cheaper alternatives consider the following options.

Operating Systems

When buying a computer the operating system (OS) that runs it can often be already pre-installed, more than likely with a Microsoft OS such as XP or Vista. This can add extensively to the cost. Consider the alternative, buy a computer without an OS pre-installed.

There are many FREE open source alternatives out there such as Fedora which can be downloaded from the internet in minutes. Being part of the open source family means that you can distribute it and install it on as many computers as you want. Simply download it, put it on a disk, pop it into the CD-drive and you can install it yourself. I should say that Fedora doesn’t support all the popular software that you might find on XP or Vista, but it does offer good alternatives (some of which are explored below).

Office Suites

When it comes to office suites the Microsoft Office packages are by far the most popular pieces of software found in offices worldwide. The popular Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Visio and Publisher are words know to every marketer, PR consultant and CEO, but do you know how much Office costs? To buy the most recent Office offering (office 07) as new, Office Professional 07, can set you back a cool €600 ($499.95 in the US). Is it really worth the money?

The open source developed Open Office offers some brilliant alternatives which are really in my opinion just as good. The Open Office suite contains Writer for word processing (instead of Word), Calc for spreadsheets (instead of Excel), Impress for presentations (instead of PowerPoint), as well as Draw and Base (instead of Visio and Access respectively). Again as an open source developed piece of software, it is complete free to use and install on all your computers, whether personal or commercial. Any files you have can be saved in a format that can be read by someone using the Microsoft Office suite so you don’t have to worry about interoperability.

Photo Editing

Photo Editing is something which in the not so distant past was something that only concerned a small amount of business individuals, but now a lot more enterprises are becoming more and more interesting in photo software as social media and new content requirements envelope the web.

If you’re looking for something a bit more advanced than Microsoft Paint, Adobe Photoshop is one of the biggest names out there in the field. It’s a tool which allows you to do pretty much anything and everything with any image. It’s used by designers and photographers worldwide on a daily basis and truly is an extremely powerful piece of software. I’ve used it on many occasions enjoyably. The downside is of course again the cost which is approximately €200 for the latest version, Photoshop CS4.

The Gimp is a powerful alternative to Photoshop. It’s actually one of the most popular overall open source programs. I use on an almost daily basis and I have to say it’s much easier and friendlier to navigate and grasp than Photoshop. It’s also just as good when it comes to photo editing. One of the biggest issues I have with Photoshop is its sheer size and drain on older computers. It’s a product which can kill a computers speed in moments.  The Gimp is by far smaller in size and friendlier to all computers. As an open source product, it’s free to use and distribute under the open source licence.

Servers

Most businesses realise that sharing information is a valuable asset when it comes to communication, PR, marketing and sales. Information can be shared internally in an office block from computer to computer, as well as online through a business’s own website. This is where we come to the territory of servers.  A server is basically a combination of hardware and software designed to provide services to clients. It serves information to them.

When it comes to servers, the open source developed CentOS is extremely popular. It’s easy to manage, incredibly stable and very secure (when configured correctly). On the other side of things is Windows Server 08 which in itself is a good service. It’s popular with many people. In my opinion, when it comes down to it CentOS is by far the better option as it’s free and as already stated, very secure.

Email Client

Emails come part and part with business, particularly office based ones. I come in every morning and my email client is the first thing I open. I’m guessing a lot of you are the same right? Microsoft Outlook 07 is one of the most popular options out there at the moment as it comes bundled in the Microsoft Office Suite. I must admit my usage of it has been limited to only a handful of uses, in which I never quiet took to it.

Thunderbird 2 is the open source alternative which really captivated me. Mozilla, the organisation behind the Firefox browser, offer Thunderbird for free and it’s pretty easy to get it up and running. You can also customise it as much as you want by installing additional add-ons such as calendars and foreign dictionaries.  Both programs will do essentially the same thing, with minor differences in each but if you’re looking at the cost side of things Thunderbird is free while you’ll have to pay big bucks for Outlook.

Summary

These are just a number of comparisons between the most popular open source and closed source options out there. Open Source may not be for everyone. In fact it’s true that the biggest barrier to adoption by businesses is the dominance (in terms is usage) of the mainstream “popular” products already out there on the market. It’s clear though that many businesses are looking for ways to save cash and stay afloat in the current economy, and open source is one option that should be certainly considered.

Social media is a continuingly evolving environment, particularly for those of you that want to market your brand or product. There are many strategies that need to be considered before launching a campaign and you should ask yourself a number of questions such as…

1. What social networks are most popular with my target audience?

There are many networks spread out across the internet. The people that are actually actively participating in the some networks can be based on a number of criteria such as age, interests, occupation and location. You need to find the social network(s) that are relevant to you.

2. Where should I have a presence?

Things change quickly and frequently in the online world. MySpace yesterday is Facebook today. How should I adapt to these changes?

3. How much time should I spend online?

Time, time, time! It’s something that people always want more of! The amount of time you need to spend online in order to see results depends on you. If you’re the type of person that can work quickly, communicate your message and network effectively then you may only need a small portion of time. It’s also true that different networks have different need! How long can you apportion on a daily basis to your networking needs?

4. What’s approach should I take?

You need to strike a balance between ‘your’ needs and the ‘community’ needs. A strategic approach that is completely self serving will bring you little or no return on social networks! Engage with your target audience!

5. What do I want in return?

Settings goals are a must if you are to achieve anything! A return on investment will only be achieved when know where you currently are and where you want to be!

Think about it!

Many people fail to stop and ask themselves these questions! Knowing the answers will give you valuable insight into any social media strategy.

Social networking has become part and part of most of our lives over the last few years. What started off as a slight infatuation with the online world has become somewhat of an obsession for many. It’s not simply a “phase” people are  going through which will end sometime soon. It’s a ongoing trend affecting everyone these days and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by business leaders.

A new study by Robert Half Technology has found that many businesses are actively creating work policies in relation to the growing presence of online networking in their employees lives, yet the majority aren’t reacting positively!

The study, which was based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CEO’s across the US, has revealed that just over half of those asked have policies that completely ban their workforce from accessing sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and Loopthing.

• Prohibited completely   -   54%
• Permitted for business purposes only   -   19%
• Permitted for limited personal use   -   16%
• Permitted for any type of personal use   -   10%
• Don’t know/no answer   -   1%

The reasons cited by those on the majority side indicate that most tend to see social networks as a distraction, something that diverts their employees attention away from more pressing and important matters.

The study also reveals that nearly 1/5 of businesses believe that social networking can be a positive thing, but only for work purposes.

It’s not hard to see what the majority of organisations are not allowing employees engage online. Social networking sites are pretty secure on the technical side of things, but  it’s the people who use them that are a cause for concern within an organisation. Productivity, viruses, phishing, bandwidth usage, the disclosure of private information and brand damage are just some of the points that a company would think about when choosing to either allow access or implement a social media ban.

Software such as WebSense can be used to monitor web activity, so remember the next time you’re dying to update you’re online status, check first whether you’re company allows you to do so or you could end up in hot water. Or just use your iPhone!

The final arguments are being made and the last babies kissed as both politicians and campaigners rally for support in the Lisbon Treaty. As of midnight tonight a media blackout comes into force, forcing the key players to take a back seat and see how things play out.

By now all registered voters should have received their voting cards in the post! Along with this comes a leaflet that outlines all the key information contained in the treaty! If you’re still undecided, have a read through it!It might just help you decipher some of the conflicting arguments put forward by both sides.

There’s a lot of cryptic and confusing arguments being thrown around the place. If you want to sort the truth from the lies please visit the Referendum Commissions website for an impartial view on the treaty. By law the Commission is required to be 100% impartial! They’ve created a website specifically for Lisbon which is extremly informative called TheLisbonTreaty209!

Here’s a video from EuroNews that takes a look at both sides of the campaign.

Voting stations open at 7am Friday morning and don’t close until 10pm that night.

I’m voting YES, but whatever your decision, please come out and vote!