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Apple has undoubtedly created a new frontier for mobile marketing that will see advertisers leap at the opportunity to reach customers in a brand new way.

Apple’s unveiling of their newest gadget created a ripple of excitement and few signs of skepticism as techies awed at its design while others saw it more as an oversized iPod. The new device – approximately 9 times the size of an iPod – offers users a media-consuming touch screen device that is set to compete with a variety of different products already available on the market.

For the critics that believe this is simply a large-scale iPod, there are a variety of functions and applications that are fundamentally changing the way we consume new and old media.

Of all media, book publishers had the most vested interests in the interface and capabilities of the iPad. Set to be a direct competitor with Amazon’s Kindle, the e-book experience that Apple is creating is far beyond the simplicity of reading an e-book. The “sexiness” of the page turning and high-resolution screen partnered with the Apple brand add tangible and intangible value respectively to what Amazon could never match.

Along with gaming and visual media such as movies and television, the iPad’s screen allows users to dive into a growing variety of products available through iTunes.

But the noticeable technical and visual aspects of the iPad are not what strike us the most. With the iPad, Apple has created a new platform that presents an assortment of content in a more personal way. This new frontier has created a dynamic market of mobile marketing possibilities that advertisers are drooling over.

It is no coincidence that Apple recently acquired Quattro Wireless – a specialist in mobile advertising. The potential gains for mobile marketing is massive and with devices like the iPad carving out new opportunities, Apple has set themselves up for huge future returns. And since the iPad does not support Adobe Flash, marketers are being forced to develop new kinds of ads, rather than adapting Web ads.

As such, an entirely different approach to mobile ads could come sooner than expected. The mobile platform offers advertisers the same tracking and reporting that comes with traditional Internet ads, and it reaches their audience wherever they are, given they have access to an internet connection – something that is becoming the norm in most major metropolitan cities.

Windsor Holden, a principal analyst at Juniper Research, predicts worldwide mobile ad spending will quadruple to $6 billion or more, by 2014.

The opportunity is significant, and the only question that remains is: How will advertisers integrate their offers into the platform that match the needs of their target audiences?

Original post:
Apple Unveils iPad and New Approach to Mobile Advertising

The announcement of Google’s Nexus One phone combined with the pressure from Droid and other touchscreen technologies may finally have the iPhone worried, if not on the run.

So what could Apple do to quickly show that its iPhone is not going to let anyone see it sweat? There’s a pretty simple answer, if Apple is willing to do it.

Allow third-party applications to run in the background.

Recent ads for the iPhone celebrate the fact that you can continue a phone call while searching the Web for restaurant reservations and buying flowers online. Sure, you can do that – as well as playing iTunes music while doing other activity on your phone.

But if instead of iTunes, you prefer to listen to Pandora, then you’re stuck. You can’t do any other activity on your phone and hear Pandora’s tunes at the same time since Apple restricts third-party applications from running in the background.

Since you can do that on the Android and the Palm Pre, Apple has finally found themselves at a competitive disadvantage.

But Apple’s own development guidelines seem staunchly rooted in keeping the third-party apps out of the background, even if it means inconvenience for its users:

“Only one iPhone application can run at a time, and third-party applications never run in the background. This means that when users switch to another application, answer the phone, or check their email, the application they were using quits. It’s important to make sure that users do not experience any negative effects because of this reality. In other words, users should not feel that leaving your iPhone application and returning to it later is any more difficult than switching among applications on a computer.”

The blogging community is pining for this change to be made by Apple – and if a Google phone comes along with more muscle and background apps running, they may bolt.

“Background apps. From Twitter, to IM and VoIP apps (that are simply impractical to use with just PUSH), background apps are a must have,” wrote one blogger on Monday.

Whether this comes with a next generation version of the iPhone will be interesting to see, especially if an iPhone 4.0 is already floating around.

What is an easy step Apple can take to stave off the impending Google phone wave? Allow users to run apps in the background.

More:
Background Apps Can Help iPhone Compete

Recently, the web was abuzz with reports of iPhone vulnerabilities that surfaced after it was found that jailbroken iPhones changed the root, or administrator, password to the phone’s Secure Shell, or SSH. As a result, someone could connect to the jailbroken phone using a remote access tool and basically have the ability to see and steal anything stored on the device. Of course, this exploit only affected those who applied the jailbreak to their phone. Those still running the official Apple code were thought to be safe.

However, a presentation (pdf) by Swiss iPhone developer Nicolas Seriot shows that even iPhones that have not been jailbroken are still at risk of malware infections from apps purchased directly from the iPhone app store. To show this, Seriot created a proof-of-concept app called SpyPhone to show how attackers could invade users’ privacy. This app compromises a user’s private data using only officially sanctioned Apple APIs. It makes use of no hacking techniques and no links to a user’s Facebook or Twitter account. In his presentation, Seriot went on to explain exactly what a rogue developer could do with a malicious app:

• Gain access to the address book with the ability to steal entries and even modify entries without the user’s knowledge
• View the browser history and YouTube searches much like traditional spyware does
• Steal account information and user passwords from keyboard cache records
• View the stored screenshots used to produce the iPhone’s famous 3D transition effect
• Guess your location by tapping into the GPS and geotagged photos on your phone

While Apple thoroughly checks each app before it is approved for the store, Seriot went on to further explain that by using simple encoding techniques and encryption, it would be quite easy for a malicious developer to disguise the payload from the reviewers.
What can be done?

Since the iPhone and the app store are such huge money makers for Apple, you can guess that this summer’s release of the iPhone’s OS 4 security concerns will top the list. Additionally, you can probably expect more to be done by developers to encrypt stored data used in their apps, and to overwrite any data that is no longer in use to prevent it from being accessed. While the community would hope that these changes would come out of a sense of responsibility, Apple will most likely be looking at ramping up security efforts from the third-party developers as a result of being in the news twice for security concerns. In the mean time, as an iPhone user, you can do the following to protect yourself:

• Research the developer of any apps you purchase. Visit their web site and poke around a bit. Make sure that they are legitimate.
• Keep an eye on your phone. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, take it in and have it looked at.
• Clear the browser cache frequently. You can also clear your keyboard cache using the Reset keyboard dictionary utility. If this is done often enough, it may help overwrite any stored screenshots as well.

Download the source code for the SpyPhone project at social coding collaborative development site github.

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Jailbreak Shows iPhone Apps Vulnerability

When I talk SEO, most people new to internet marketing want to know what keywords are and how to use them.  Many still think that appropriate keyword usage is just keyword stuffing at it’s best.  ::sigh::

There is never a reason to ‘fool’ the search engines with keyword stuffing, unless you are a Tool.  And, yes, I mean tool as in a clever way to say jerk, not tool as in a useful thing that get’s stuff done.  But, I digress…

Search engines like keywords.  They literally eat them up.  By understanding keywords and SEO, you are helping both Google, and Yahoo!, to provide relevant results (disclaimer, I work for Yahoo!).  Keywords tell search engines what your site is about.  Using keywords in ‘key’ places is what makes your site appear high up in search engine results pages (SERPs).  If I want to rank well for the term SEO, I’m going to use ‘SEO’ all over my site.  But, it’s not just the main word that’s important.  The words that often appear with ‘SEO’ are key as well.  Words like relevance, SERPs, H1 tags, keywords, etc. tell the search engines that they can trust my usage of SEO, because there are other words that usually appear with this word in natural language groupings.

In my daily wanderings, I found this SEO tutorial for the person who is new to SEO.  I hope it helps.

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SEO For Noobs

I’m very impressed to see these thoughtful blogging guidelines from the US Air Force. Corporations should take some notes from these very clear tips, that also leave room for creative response.

See original here:
Air Force Blogging Guidelines

Nowadays, almost everyone is aware of how popular online video is and that growth is accelerating. In fact, eMarketer.com reports that by 2012, the online video audience is expected to encompass 88% of the American online user population – or 190 million people. Whew!

Popular Online Video Hubs

Of course, as we also know, the most popular video sharing website online today is YouTube. With an astounding 92 million users, YouTube is unquestionably the most popular online video hub on the Internet today.

That said, another popular site for online video is at MySpace. Although this site attracts 55 million users, and it does not even come close to emulating YouTube’s current success, these numbers are not too shabby.

However, since online video is growing in popularity, other businesses do want a piece of this Internet pie. Hulu.com, for instance, is now growing in popularity and as of July 2008, a comScore study determined that the site had a 1% market share. Independent sites such as Breaker.com are also a part of this unique mix as well.

Top Tier Companies Use Online Videos to Market

With this type of ever-increasing popularity, it is not surprising that companies that include Apple, Kodak, and Nintendo are advertising through online videos. After all, online videos are an extremely effective way to market a brand and enhance a company’s overall online marketing presence. Also, market research shows that, in general, videos with humor – as well as user-generated videos – tend to be the most popular.

Want to Market Via Online Video Channels Too?

Well, you are in luck as online video marketing is a very affordable way to market a product or service when compared with more traditional marketing methods.

Some tips to help you:

• Remember not to make the video a blatant advertisement. If you do go this route, it will only turn off consumers and you can be assured that they will not share this video with their friends.
• Remember to make the video humorous or memorable in some other manner i.e. shock value
• Make the video a “short and sweet” one. As consumers have short attention spans when it comes to online video, videos should be approximately between fifteen and thirty seconds long.
• Market your online video on relevant blogs, forums, email lists, and social networking sites in order to obtain maximum exposure

All in all, bad economy or not, the online video marketplace will only continue to expand in the future. Thus, it makes complete sense to take advantage of this affordable and effective form of advertising.

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Online Video Marketplace Continues to Grow

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Help Children In Ethiopia With Your XMas Shopping

Let’s see if I got this right

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Testing Facebook Connect

Jeff Pulver is putting together a conference and is looking for speakers.

So I’m putting out this “Call for Speakers” and looking for creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to come forward and pitch me about a topic they are passionate about and would like to speak about. (Practical talks are also welcome.)

What I hope to bring together is a gathering of people with a variety of backgrounds and industries and together explore the future of where things are going and what business models will be used to provide the dollar returns needed to get us there. I expect to bring together people from across the worlds of: Media / Internet / Communications / Entertainment. Something I would call a “MICE” event.

If you are interested in speaking at SocComm, and or would like to suggest a speaker, please contact me ASAP. The deadline for speaking proposals is December 5th but the first to approach me will be the first I consider for the event.

If you are interested in pitching your idea to him, do it via email.

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In 1999, I met a young man named James. James was an 18 year old kid who had just finished his stint in foster care. At 18, they handed him a few hundred bucks ($200 if I remember correctly) and the clothing on his back and told him goodbye. Overnight, James had no home, the clothing he was wearing and $200.

James had nowhere to go so he came to our church looking for a place to stay. We helped James, but what James needed most was a job. We searched for a position for him, but at 18 he was unwilling to swallow his pride and take our charity for more than a few days. We got a call only a few days later from a bus stop. James was leaving and before we could get to him (and we tried to get there in time), he was gone.

I can’t help James. I know no more about him than I’ve stated above. He is a ghost, but one that reminds me constantly of the need for a real adjustment phase for foster kids.

Fosters don’t have much opportunity to get a job. They aren’t given a suit, aren’t given any more than a high school education and they have no one to push them to get fabulous grades so that they can get a scholarship. They begin their life knowing that no one really cares about them personally, though many (like me) may have the urge to help them.

What can we do?

1. Support Foster Initiatives
Volunteer to teach foster kids to sew, use a computer or whatever it is that you do. You can also donate.
2. Donate Backpacks
Foster kids get transferred often, and this happens during the oddest hours and under emotionally impactful circumstances. Many times these kids transport the very small amount of treasured belongings they have in a garbage bag. This just isn’t right! Keep your eyes open for flyers that ask for donations or get up off your couch (where I’m sitting right now) and call your local DeFACS office (listed in the white pages under ‘yourstatehere’ Department of Family and Children’s Services) to inquire about offering them bags.
3. Support Back To Work Initiatives
Suits for work for those who cannot afford them.
4. Pay attention
Pew Foster Care – Studies adoption and foster care and makes recommendations. Pay attention to what they say.
5. Donate to CapitalOne’s college scholarships for Fosters.
6. Hear about life from foster kids
Check out this magazine for foster teens by foster teens.
7. Become a CASA
Court Appointed Special Advocate – I’m going to do this!
8. Adopt
Here, Here or Here.
9. Donate for change.
Dave Thomas was a foster kid and his legacy gift was to create an organization that helped fosters.
10. Stop Foster Care
Long range plan that’s worth taking a look at. Jim Casey was the founder of UPS.
11. Help them get a job
Jim Casey’s Foster’s to work initiative

Do you have a heart for foster kids? I’d love to hear how you would impact their lives.

Read more from the original source:
BlogActionDay – Aging Out of Foster Care

BizTechDay is October 25th at the Hilton in San Francisco. Tim Ferris, of 4 Hour Work Week fame (you may have seen my own praises for his book here), is the keynote, and if he was the only speaker there, the conference would be worth more than the $250ish that it costs. Of course, he’s not the only speaker though, the lineup is fab (below).

The organizers are setting up a genius bar, much like the Apple Stores’ famed guru corner, and I’ve been asked to be the Blog Monetization genius (woot!). If you are thinking of attending, but are still on the fence, let me know as I have a significant discount for 5 people (significant=discount of $150).

Full speaker list is here:

ONE FULL DAY of latest Web 2.0 Business Ideas that you can apply to your business right away. Here are just a few of the experts presenting at BiztechDay 2008:

Tim Ferris – New York Time Best Seller and Author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
George Wright – VP of Marketing, Blendtec (WillitBlend – one of the most successful Business YouTube Campaigns – 700% increase in Revenue)
Megan Casey – Editor in Chief from Squidoo.com
Scott Heiferman – Co-Founder of Meetup.com
Alex Craddock – Head of Small Business Marketing of Visa
Stephan M. Spencer – SEO Guru & Founder of Netconcepts.com
Christine Comaford – Mighty Ventures & Google Angel
Nish Nadaraja – Marketing Director, Yelp.com
Dan McComb – Co-Founder, Biznik.com
Adriana Gascoign – Director of Corporate Communications, hi5.com
Stu Carty – Regional Development Director, Constant Contact
Jack Mardack – Director of Marketing, Eventbrite
Vincent Lauria – Co-founder of Lefora.com
Jason Billingsley – Co-Founder Elastic Path Software
Scott Sigler – Pro-Podcaster and Author of INFECTED and CONTAGIOUS
Ian Griffin – Pro-Podcaster and President of National Speaker Association
Yaniv Bensadon – Founder of Fixya.com
Nicole Nicolay – Founder of MyTechOpinion.com
Christian Perry – Founder of Room Full of People
Ann Evanston – Regional Director of eWomenNetwork
Nancy Tubbs – Founder of FullCalendar
Patrick Schwerdtfeger – Founder of Tactical Execution
Angie Chang – Cofounder of Women 2.0
Robyn Tippins – Community Manager, Yahoo! Developer Network
Chris Pareja – Founder of B2B Power Exchange
Cesar Plata – Founder of EveryCircle.com
Pam Strayer – Awarding Winning Journalist and Media Creator
Rick Rochon – Founder of AdSymetrix.com
Elsa Chang – Community Manager, Yahoo! Local and Upcoming
Hazel Grace Dircksen – Social Networking Expert

See more here:
Genius at BizTechDay

After seeing a series of tweets from a broad range of cool men, I stumbled upon Chris Brogan’s newest site, Dadomatic. The site is a range of posts from men who are taking fatherhood seriously.

From Eric Peterson:

Children can be so inspirational. It’s neat to see how they grow and develop, and even teach adults important lessons. So, that was my toddler taught adversity lesson. Or maybe it was actually a lesson on “independence” or “perseverance” or “toughness.” At any rate, it’s another valuable lesson from a special child!

From Scott Wilder:

In the pursuit of evaluating my stewardship of time; I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve allowed deadly toxins to invade my schedule. Toxins in the form of people and activities that impare my ability to lavish love and attention on my bride and forthcoming child.

From Joe Hage (on a subject we’re also dealing with at home):

Four-year-old Lukey got in trouble today.

Hitting at school. This after yesterday’s “pushing game” at school and the day before’s “spitting at school.”

This site gives a voice to a segment of people who rarely get to really talk about parenting. We applaud women as mothers, single mothers, females in general who blog, but when do we pat men on the back for the roles they play in our children’s lives? My husband is an amazing father, and I’m so glad to be able to show him this site and give him a way to speak out on the amazing things he does with our kids.

My only suggestion is to have the author’s names link to their home blog so when people (like me) quote this blog, we can link back to them correctly.

Thanks Chris, for giving men a community like BlogHer. To quote Martha Stewart, it’s a good thing.

View original post here:
Dadomatic – BlogHim?

Much has been made of Obama’s slick use of social media, and while McCain’s team is doing a pretty good job w/videos, Obama is clearly doing a better job giving his supporters sharable media.

One easy way to get the word out is with buddy icons. I remember back when I was active in politics, our policy was to push out bumper stickers at every opportunity (dating myself here). Free advertising! Buddy icons are the new bumper stickers when it comes to politics.

Buddy Icons
Obama’s buddy icons, for use on Instant Message services and Twitter, are easy to find and he has a large variety encompassing children, women, veterans, etc. (19 in all). McCain’s do not exist.

In my own self-interest, as a McCain supporter, I’ll offer up a buddy icon for McCain. Kudos to Obama’s marketing machine for realizing that the easier you make it to share, the more likely people are to share.

See more here:
Playing Politics – Buddy Icons Are The New Bumper Stickers

I just got back from the Community Managers Meetup in San Francisco, which was held at the Thirsty Bear Brewery. There was only a small crowd, but I think that’s how it goes when you are just starting a new group. Rich Reader, a social media consultant, and Adam Jackson, Community Manager at Yoono (firefox extension based on your social sphere), were there. Some of the topics we discussed:

Keeping the objective in mind
– what do you want to accomplish?
Measuring Success
– Metrics, growth, engagement, etc.

Next month we’ll be discussing the tools we use to manage our community, including how we measure success (since it was an interesting topic this time). If you are a community manager and would like to join us, the group on Upcoming is Community Management Meetup. We meet once a month, somewhere in San Fran.

Likewise, if you are a business that wants to host us one month, we’d love to take this to a place with a whiteboard occasionally. Email me at robyn at sleepyblogger dot com.

The rest is here:
Community Managers Meetup #1

I’m trying out a new ad service which places links in my blog. Triggit’s Robert Dunn pinged me a while back and asked me to take a look, so if you have any feedback on the service, please let me know.

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Triggit