Native and Mobile Web: The Right Tool for the Job

The last day of panel sessions kicked off with a heated, albeit nerdy, discussion. With representatives from Tumblr and Facebook present, two platforms that have clearly mastered the mobile platform, I was anxious to hear about how one should evaluate the appropriate mobile execution for their client. Instead, the session got off to a pretty technical debate about native/web hybrid vs. 100% mobile web, with representatives on the panel sitting firmly in one camp or the other. But before I dig into the specifics, it’s important to outline the four different solutions that were discussed:

• Native Application – An application written specifically for the device operating system (OS). It is not cross-platform and it requires you to install and upgrade. Example: Mint.com iPhone app
• Native/Web Hybrid – An application written specifically for the device OS that relies on native elements like navigation, settings, etc., but employs web services to provide dynamic content experiences. Example: Facebook, Tumblr
• Locally Rendered HTML – An application that requires installation, but locally renders HTML and stylesheets to provide a dynamic, web-like experience. Example: Flipboard, New York Times
• Mobile Web – More specifically, HTML5. Site requires you to access through the browser application or shortcut icon, but uses HTML5 to create a custom for mobile experience, all using the browser’s built-in display functionality.

And while the panel did not land firmly on one side or the other, they did offer pros and cons to each which I thought I’d share, rather than taking a position (since honestly, I’m still not 100% sure which way I’d lean).

Native / Web Hybrid

• Pro: Allows you to take advantage of the best of both worlds. You can access the native widgets for each OS, but also provide dynamic content.
• Pro: You can easily monetize your app by listing it in the Apple app store.
• Con: Given the native application shell, creating a native/web hybrid has a slightly higher barrier to entry since it requires a programmer familiar with the iOS code.
• Con: Requires a specific content strategy.

Mobile Web

• Pro: Programming a mobile site can be achieved by most developers. A much lower barrier to entry compared to the note above for hybrids.
• Pro: Mobile web allows for the use of HTML5 and responsive layouts and can take advantage of the same content applied for tablets and web, even if just a portion of it.
• Pro: Gets around some of the restrictions imposed by the Apple app store.
• Con: On the flip side, a mobile website is much harder to monetize… at the moment.

So, I think the key takeaway is that there are many ways to take your content to the mobile device, but understanding what your business strategy is, what content you want to share, and who your audience is will greatly influence which way you go. I think the one point everyone agrees on is that brands can no longer sit on the sidelines; a mobile presence is required for all brands.

Pinterest Explained: Q&A with Co-Founder Ben Silbermann
Practically a full house, we attended a great Q&A session with Ben Silbermann, the man behind Pinterest led by entrepreneur/investor/blogger Chris Dixon.  It was an hour conversation where Ben talked freely about his aspirations and inspirations and his goals for the future development of his fasted-growing social media service.

What I really enjoyed listening to was how he walked us through his personal journey from when he started at Google up to the his company’s success today. He always reinforced how important it was to stay focus even through rough times and keep yourself surrounded with the people who are passionate for the right reasons.

Some other interesting points he made:

• His core inspiration for starting Pinterest came from simply how he saw life—as a world of collections.
• His team worked through the usability of his site all on paper.
• He strongly believes that you show that you have put as much time into the product as you expect out of your user.
• His goal is to never try and out perform his clone competitors. His focus is always on creating the best product.
• And at the end of the day in addition to developing Pinterest, his team is the most exciting thing he’s building these days.

The Facebook Customer Service Challenge for Brands

The last session of the day and of our entire SXSW excursion discussed the usual obstacles faced when using a Facebook brand page as a customer service tool. This panel was certainly a popular one as it was a packed house and it had every right to be with equally (if not more) popular panelists Mark Williams of LiveWorld, Bryan Person of Social Dynamx, Eric Ludwig of Rosetta Stone, and Molly DeMaagd of AT&T. From tips on how to handle difficult customer inquiries or how to deal with the new Facebook Timeline format, the well-spoken speakers shared some of their insights on the best use this social channel in handling customer inquiries.

Here are some of their best points:

• Constantly look at efficiency tools & staffing capacity and needs on a daily basis. Time is of the essence so make sure you are as efficient and well-staffed as possible
• When taking the conversation off-line, do it in a matter that doesn’t stifle the conversation. Stay human & transparent.
• Investigate how your fans engage before dedicating attention to a certain channel on your strategy. You don’t want to misdirect resources.
• When staffing customer service social teams, writing skills and passion for what the company is about are crucial.
• When you personify your brand page, make sure you follow the “feelings not facts” philosophy.

Last year, I discovered that one of the charms of SXSW is that you never knew what kind of random scene you would stumble upon as you made your way from one campus to the next. This year has been no different. Below are a few random photos and videos collected from the past few days:

Ask.com provides free power, sugar and caffeine on a daily basis to keep the festival goers charged and moving forward. While recharging their phones, Lahaina and Mila made a new friend.

On Sunday, Jimmy Fallon hosted one of the top panels for the interactive festival, focusing on the digital sport. In typical Jimmy Fallon fashion, his introduction of the panel was clever AND entertaining.

One thing I’ve been impressed with this year is how accessible they have made the festival to attendees of all ages…

Then, on your average walk between sessions you might stumble across one of the most famous competitive eaters in history…

And if you’re lucky, they will pose with you for a picture.

Then, just as you think you’ve seen it all, you stumble across Wonder Woman changing a flat tire on her invisible… pedicab?

Needless to say, when you mix this many unique personalities from all over the world in one location, you are bound to experience some entertaining memories that will remain with you for a very long time. I can’t wait to see what next year holds!

When news broke of the Penn State Scandal, the conversation took a life of its own on Twitter

Unless you have been hiding under a rock the past two weeks, the Jerry Sandusky and Penn State child abuse scandal has dominated headlines, talk/radio shows, and all forms of social media. And through the course of events, I have been particularly fascinated with how Twitter has been used (or not used) to take advantage of what it is good for: pushing out information instantly and engaging a broad audience that you may have no immediate connection to. Being the digital geek and spaghetti western fan that I am, I have selected a few examples from the past two weeks to highlight how Twitter was used or could have been used, and broken them down into the good, the bad, and the ugly.

However, before I go any further, I should note that as a Penn State graduate and husband to a wife who devoted hundreds of hours working with The Second Mile organization as a student, I was particularly transfixed by the unfolding events of this tragedy and consequently more obsessed and affected personally than the average American by the situation. And while this is not intended to be an op-ed, I do want to say that my heart goes out to the victims and their families, and also to the students, alum and all those associated to the University who are still trying to make sense of everything. My prayers are with you.

The Good: Twitter as a Breaking News Source
On November 5, the investigation into Jerry Sandusky became public knowledge as the formal grand jury presentment was released and Sandusky was formally accused of making sexual advances or assaults on eight boys. At the time, the news item was a footnote on ESPN’s website, and a small headline with local Pennsylvania news outlets. As a dedicated Penn State football fan, I needed more information, and not able to find anything of value on the web, I turned to Twitter to learn more. I did a quick search on Jerry Sandusky and found several Penn State users using the hashtag #PSUCharges to comment on the news. By following those users, I built a list of about 10–15 sources, most local to the State College area on Twitter that posted updates every 5–10 minutes over the next week. Not only did I have the latest news and information about the events as they happened, I also had an insight into what the students were going through and what the mood was like on campus, including photos and videos, as those local users retweeted tweets posted by Penn State students. Twitter continues to prove itself as the top source for breaking news and I recommend you use it as such for personal use, or as a means to disseminate your own news. Since Google ended their agreement with Twitter, real-time information is harder to come by in Google search results, and until Google Buzz catches on, you cannot rely on a search engine to surface the latest news.

The Bad: Twitter as a Form of Crisis Communication Management
The University knew about this investigation, and they also knew that the information would become public knowledge on November 5. And while most of the sports world was focused on the LSU-Alabama football game set to take place that night, which some argued was a game between the two best college football teams in the nation, Penn State’s public information department had an opportunity to set up a social media crisis response team, outline a strategy of information dissemination, and get ahead of the impending media storm. Social media has proven to be a critical component of any crisis communication management strategy, and as an example, Penn State could have established their own hashtag, could have set up a Twitter profile dedicated to distributing updates, facts, and contact information. This team (and I emphasize team as something this large would require many people) could also have used Twitter to engage the media in real time, and headed off the propagation of the multiple rumors that were flying fast and furiously. Sadly, Penn State stumbled out of the gates and chose to take a reactive approach which demonstrated their incompetency, led to the distribution of misinformation, and further fueled the media frenzy. As a digital strategist, it pained me to see my alma mater fall so short on something that should be PR 101 at this point and urge you to recognize the power of Twitter and never underestimate its value in defending your brand.

The Ugly: Twitter as a Means to Expand Your Audience
It became very clear at the outset of the media blitz that Twitter would not be exempt from sensationalism reporting, furthering personal agendas, and driving eyeballs, listeners, or in this case, followers. I have never been as disgusted as I was seeing people who styled themselves as “news” media shamelessly spouting off complete ignorance, conjecture, and speculation, taking advantage of an emotional and personal tragedy to make a name for themselves. What, ideally, should have been basic fact reporting turned into a contest to see who could denounce Penn State officials most vehemently, who was more against child abuse and Penn State, and who could criticize Penn State alums or students the hardest for being upset. 140 character pearls of wisdom have been tweeted and retweeted, effectively making the rounds within the Twitterverse similar to the email chain letters of old. And while I was personally disappointed with the content, I could not argue with the fact that these personalities were exposing themselves to new eyeballs, effectively growing their audience.

Finally, one other lesson I learned the hard way: use Twitter with caution when attempting to get work done at the same time. If you’re not careful, you will quickly get sucked in reading tweets, news articles, trading messages with users, and ultimately getting nothing done. Not that I’m speaking from experience…

Ever since every major brand has announced their entrance into the daily deals arena (Google, Facebook, AT&T, Amazon, Gilt, Groupon, etc.) I’ve been wondering who was going to be the first brand to create an application to aggregate all of this information into one easy-to-use interface. I mean, if you’re like me, you don’t want to comb through 10 emails a day from 10 different sources, or have to download 10 different applications to what is probably already a crowded smartphone home screen.

At first, my thought was that the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial would be crushed by Facebook and Google, since they already have your attention each day, and integrating a daily deal into that user experience is a no-brainer, and sure to drive usage if it involves recommendations from trusted sources like your friends.

However, today Foursquare announced that they will be integrating multiple daily deals partners into their application for their 10 million plus users. They intend to offer you, the user, the deal that makes the most sense for you, based on the types of establishments you’ve checked into, your geographical proximity, and whether or not your friends have checked into the location offering the deal. While they are launching this new feature in the US with a handful of partners (AT&T, LivingSocial, Gilt City, Zozi, and BuyWithMe), it is easily scalable and may become the de facto mode to purchase a daily deal if you are an avid Foursquare user.

Here is a screenshot of what the deals will look like (from Foursquare’s website).

Foursquare Integrates Daily Deals

It’s still early, but I like where this is heading…

Back in November, Google rolled out the instant preview capability within their search results. And at the time, a lot of fanfare was made about how this will speed up the end user’s search behavior by giving them a better idea of what they would see, before they clicked on the result.

However, after doing a little impromptu poll around the office and of my friends and family, not surprisingly, most didn’t even know what the magnifying glass on their search results meant, let alone know that the instant preview option was available.

Now let’s take it a step further. On April 25 Google rolled out this same instant preview technology to the Adwords results that you and I see. Same DC United example, but this time with the paid search Google Adwords highlighted on the right hand side.

So what does this all mean? Well, if you read some accounts of this change, it may mean that advertisers will benefit because a potential customer can preview the website before clicking on the ad (Reminder: Adwords are PPC or pay per click — so the advertiser only pays when we click on their ad), thus sending more qualified traffic to the destination website. Others think that it puts a significant onus onto the publisher or advertiser to make sure that their site (or the landing page they are linking to in the ad) is optimized for the preview.

What do I think? Well, first of all, you have to convince me that a large percentage of the ad-clicking population even knows that the preview exists. I’d love to see the stats, but I just don’t buy that a significant number of people are currently interacting with the preview feature, let alone have it influence their ad-clicking experience. So, my thought is that it’s not something a brand or advertiser needs to pay too much attention to at this point, other than ensuring that your site at least shows well in the preview. Second of all, supposing that the ad preview does influence the total number of ad clicks. Given that so much of their revenue derives from Adwords, do you really think Google will allow this experiment to continue if it truly decreases clicks and thus decreases advertiser spend? I’ll take a quick stab and say, “no.” Regardless, I’ll be interested to see how this shakes out.

What I do know is that I’m glad I’m not a search marketer. I have a lot of respect for this profession given that you are held to immediate, measurable results by your client, all while dodging every bullet Google fires at you on a daily basis. For the rest of us standing on the sidelines… thanks for giving us something to comment on.

Last week, as most of you probably heard, Google finally unveiled the much talked about, Project Emerald Sea, which has officially been called, Google Plus One (or +1, there still seems to be some debate about how to write it). And now that the dust has settled somewhat, and the various search engine optimization authorities have had a chance to parse through the publicly-available information, I thought I’d spell out the basics and provide you with some helpful links. So, let’s get started…

What IS Google +1?

Google +1 is essentially Google’s version of a Facebook “Like” button, and it will appear next to both organic search results and Google Adwords. In honor of the Washington National’s season just starting, I’ve included two examples below. One version of the search engine results pre-click, and one version post-click.

Google +1 Example (pre-click)

Google +1 Example (post-click)

Also, here is Google’s official product launch video that walks you through +1.

I don’t see this +1. How do I see it?

The +1 feature is only visible to users who have created a Google profile which could be a Gmail address, Google Reader account, etc. And if you are one of the few who has not created a Google account, you can create one here. If you still do not see the feature in your search results, Google may not be done fully rolling the feature out. If you do NOT see it, you can sign up for the +1 feature for your account here.

What does this mean for my search results?

When performing an organic search, your results may be influenced by people within your “network” who have +1′d something or others on the web who have +1′d it. In other words, it functions very similarly to how Google’s social search works now, but now on top of seeing results that your connections on Twitter or other social networks have shared, you will see items that they may have +1′d.

Who makes up your +1 Social Network?

• People in your Gmail & Google Talk chat list
• People in your “My Contacts” group in Google Contacts
• People you follow in Google Reader or Google Buzz
• Other connections from other social networks will be integrated soon

What does this all REALLY mean?

Well, in the short term, I don’t see this having much of an impact as it will take some time for people to get into the habit of +1ing a result, and depending on the size of a searcher’s network, it may have no influence at all (assuming you have no friends or do not participate in other networks). However, should this catch on, and Google begins to integrate the results +1′d by folks outside of your network, “liking” a site could dramatically change the search result landscape.

In reality, the +1 button is a natural and logical extension of their social search and probably a next step towards creating their own social network as a few people are hypothesizing. Which is OK by me. I wouldn’t mind seeing search results that have been validated by my friends versus results that may have been artificially “gamed” by an SEO expert. In fact, SEOMoz has a great article speaking to the correlation of social metrics to Google rankings, and they believe that inbound marketing is going to overtake SEO as the primary function of SEO professionals. In other words, we’ll have to work harder to engage our target customers across social channels to get links, shares, likes, comments and +1s if we want to generate relevant and substantial traffic to our sites.

At the end of the day, regardless of what new feature or variable is integrated into Google search, it boils down to having a good, quality product, and a website that contributes valuable, relevant content to your audience. And isn’t that what we should be worried about?

But don’t just listen to me, learn more about +1 and form your own opinion. Here are a few links to get you started:

Official Google page: http://www.google.com/+1/button/
Official Google post: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/1s-right-recommendations-right-when-you.html
Google News results for +1: http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=Google+%2B1
Search Engine Land Article: http://searchengineland.com/meet-1-googles-answer-to-the-facebook-like-button-70569
Techcrunch Article: http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/30/google-plus-one/

The final day of panels is upon me. And while I’m completely grateful for the experience and have learned so much, and met so many great people, I am ready to get home and see my family.

Here’s where you can find me today (I hope):

11:00AM – Shaping the Future with Small Moves, Smartly Made

Most companies are content to pursue adaptation strategies in times of high uncertainty – sense and respond quickly to events as they unfold. While adaptation is certainly valuable, it misses a much greater opportunity – the ability to shape entire markets or industries in ways that create significant advantage for the shaper. While most disruptive innovation strategies focus on a single company betting heavily on a disruptive approach to the market, shaping strategies emphasize the opportunity to mobilize a very large number (thousands and, in some case, millions) of other participants to leverage investment and accelerate learning. As a result, shaping strategies can succeed with small initial moves, smartly made, that set big things in motion. This talk will review examples of successful shapers in the past to determine the key elements that determine the success of shaping strategies

12:30PM – Real-time Marketing in a Connected World

Brands must learn to connect in real time or get left behind in today’s on demand environment. They must think like real-time publishers, where timely messages are attuned to consumers’ current needs. This session explores what it means to be a “marketer in the moment,” and how brands need to reinvent themselves to remain relevant. This session is sponsored by iCrossing.

2:00 PM – Keynote Simulcast: Blake Mycoskie, TOMS Shoes

In this visionary talk, Blake Mycoskie shows you how to succeed in a new era of relentless competition and heightened social awareness. Why is philanthropy your best competitive advantage? How do you make money and do good simultaneously? How are the two acts intertwined? At TOMS — a self-sustaining, for-profit company — the act of giving is the cornerstone of its business model, integral to its financial success. In a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works, Mycoskie shares counterintuitive ideas (“In tough times, give more!”) that you can apply to your own business. His bold, winning strategies are proven, and have been talked about by Bill Clinton, the Obama administration, and the hundreds of thousands of customers that have joined the TOMS Movement by buying a pair of shoes. Inspired, inspiring and most of all practical, Mycoskie presents a new direction for business, offering TOMS as his prime case study. After hearing him speak, you too will know why giving just makes sense.

3:30PM – Advanced Integrations of Social Media Analytics

Learn how to analyze social media data to accelerate the success of any initiative and impact business. Featuring evaluations of popular social media monitoring tools, in-depth analysis of social media metrics, exercises on valuing social media activity, demonstrations of how social media data can be crossed with data sources such as site traffic data from Google Analytics/Webtrends, proprietary customer data or structured market research data, and case studies from some of the world’s top brands. This workshop is for individuals who want to measure social media to develop deeper understanding their businesses and achieve marketing success.

All in all, another fascinating, diverse set of panels to attend. Should be another great (and exhausting day).

You can keep up with the latest by following me on Twitter @psubuzz or Foursquare, reading my SXSW blog series, and catch some of the sights and sounds of SXSW on Flickr.

Yet another busy day ahead. Managed to make it into 3 out of the 4 targeted panels, stumbled into a brilliant presentation and then, sadly, had to walk out on the keynote as it was completely and utterly useless (founder of 4chan.org) – but that’s for another post.

Below is my “planned” itinerary for the day:

11:00am – 5 Steps to Bulletproof UX Strategy

12:30pm – Designing a Seamless Web to Mobile Experience or Q&A With Google & Bing On Website Ranking

2:00pm – Keynote Simulcast: Felicia Day

3:30pm – The Future of Microformats

5:00pm – OAuth, OpenID, Facebook Connect: Authentication Design Best Practices

You can keep up with the latest by following me on Twitter @psubuzz or Foursquare, reading my SXSW blog series, and catch some of the sights and sounds of SXSW on Flickr.

After having grand plans to follow the schedule I had outlined for myself yesterday, I was quickly thrown off guard by realizing that a few of the panels I wanted to see were being held at a hotel across the lake and almost impossible to attend if I wanted to catch a few panels back at the convention center. To that end, I’m a little disappointed that the 10 different “campuses” they have set up are not within the immediate vicinity and hope that in the future, they can try to work out a better system to allow folks to get from one place to another.

Having said that, I would not have stumbled onto the first panel I attended on Saturday, Time Travel: Interfaces for Geotemporal Visualization, had I read over the description ahead of time, which was all about data visualization (a topic near and dear to our fearless leader, Judy). I think what was most interesting about this panel though was that it was being given, not by designers or product folks, but university professors, engineers and researchers. And quite frankly, a lot of the discussion was over my head as the different options for visualizing the time or data axis were debated, but hearing some best practices for data display from the people who are pioneering the field was fascinating.

Below are just a few tips that I picked up:

• 1/3 of our brain is just dedicated to visual processing – so we should be doing more to cater to this part of our brain rather than just relying on text to communicate
• We are often tempted to use color to denote changes over time – the panel cautioned in doing so since the brain struggles to identify small differences in color – so keep that in mind when determining which axis to apply color to
• Animation is often used to show an evolving timeline, which is great, except that when time is in motion, you cannot directly compare two time slots and therefore sufficiently analyze differences
• Time is often thought as the fourth dimension – is social data the fifth dimension?
• Depending on what information you are communicating, multiple methods might be used (i.e. linking a map to a timeline – Trulia Hindsight)

After being completely blown away by the amount of brain power in the room, it was time for the main event, the keynote presentation from Seth Preibatsch, the designated “Chief Ninja” for SCVNGR. The line to get into the ballroom where he’d actually be speaking was over 1,000 people long, and people began lining up two hours prior to his talk. Keep in mind that every keynote, every day, is simulcasted into every single room featuring a panel, so you can watch a keynote from the luxury of a much less crowded room, in comfort. These people must have known something that I didn’t, because I shook my head and said no thank you.

Well, Seth did not disappoint. His whole presentation was centered around how “game play” is set to become the next layer of information to be integrated into web-based products (based on the premise that the social layer is the current “layer” of data being integrated and consumed). He believes that by motivating people through game play, you can accomplish great things within society and used our current educational system as an example of a gaming ecosystem that is broken due to a lack of engagement. For example, grades represent a moral hazard of game play -  you have kids learning for the wrong reason… to earn a grade, rather than to actually learn the material. Grades therefore become a status mechanic and a poor reward. You want to earn an “A” or become a “valedictorian.” Also, as a student, you have the potential to move in a negative direction and “Fail” rather than a grade dynamic that is based on progression (think experience points in a game). Wouldn’t it be great then if kids learned at their own pace, without experiencing failure, because they wanted to learn, rather than because they would achieve a piece of paper with letters on it? In other words, put the power back into the hands of the “players” and not to the “platform.”

Two business examples Seth used to illustrate using the art of game play (though to different mechanisms) to drive their business objectives were Groupon and American Express. Groupon acquires new customers using “communal gameplay” by stating that the deal only takes place after 50 people take advantage of the Groupon. They then raise the heat a little bit but adding in the “countdown mechanism.” By creating a definitive end time, it has been shown that activity tends to spike exponentially as the countdown approaches 0. And the whole time they are creating this gaming environment, they are building their email list to market to you again tomorrow. Meanwhile, AMEX focuses on building loyalty by engendering our need for status and exclusivity, or in game play terms, “leveling up.” And to think all they did was create different color cards, each with different perks and status associated to it. And while none of us could actually name what the perks are for Black card members… wouldn’t we all die to have one?

Having said all of this, these two paragraphs will not do his presentation justice, so I encourage all of you to check out his presentation deck here.

And after hearing such an inspirational talk, it was time to unwind a bit and play some foursquare with some of my new Austin friends, as well as redeem the mythical “golden ticket” Foursquare was handing out to a select few of lucky SXSW-goers to attend their free concert on Monday night. I’m not exactly sure how I unlocked this sought after badge, but I was not asking any questions…

After hitting only 1 out of my planned 4 events from yesterday, due to various geographical challenges, I’ve tried to be a bit more selective in where I’ll be today. The “planned” itinerary includes:

11:00am: Building Fences in the Sky: Geo-Fencing Has Arrived

12:30pm: How Social Networking Is Changing Advocacy

2:00pm: Keynote Simulcast: Christopher Poole

3:30pm: HTML5? The Web’s Dead, Baby

You can keep up with the latest by following me on Twitter @psubuzz or Foursquare, reading my SXSW blog series, and catch some of the sights and sounds of SXSW on Flickr.