Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Google Zeitgeist 2010: Justin Bieber + iPad + Chatroulette = Oil Spill” plus 4 more

Google Zeitgeist 2010: Justin Bieber + iPad + Chatroulette = Oil Spill
Wikileaks Drama Forces Twitter to ‘Explain’ Trending Service
Android Devices Being Activated Around 10 Million Per Month Rate
Twitter’s Huge! Or is it?
Internet Explorer 9 Will Offer Do Not Track Option

Google Zeitgeist 2010: Justin Bieber + iPad + Chatroulette = Oil Spill

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 06:43 AM PST

As is tradition for this time of year, Google has released its annual Zeitgeist–the most popular search queries for 2010. Sure, there are other search engine “top query” lists, but we all know that Google is the king of search.

Something different this year: Google has an interactive map of searches and a pretty engaging video that sums up the year in search.

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Wikileaks Drama Forces Twitter to ‘Explain’ Trending Service

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:57 AM PST

Apparently, Twitter would rather not be the target of Wikileaks supporters who have been taking down sites around the globe if there any indication of a slight against the document leaking entity. Who wouldn’t?

People have been wondering aloud for some time as to why certain things that are "popular" are not seen as trending in Twitter (an example is #iranelection). The Wikileaks concern has a lot of people talking but it's not necessarily trending in Twitter. So the question is in the forefront again but this time Twitter is talking.

Twitter explains a little about their trending offering in their blog

This week, people are wondering about WikiLeaks, with some asking if Twitter has blocked #wikileaks, #cablegate or other related topics from appearing in the list of top Trends.

The answer: Absolutely not. In fact, some of these terms, including #wikileaks and #cablegate, have previously trended either worldwide or in specific locations.

Actually that part was the not so veiled "Please don't touch us, please!" cry to hackers. Now for the trending explanation. First what a trend is.

Twitter Trends are automatically generated by an algorithm that attempts to identify topics that are being talked about more right now than they were previously. The Trends list is designed to help people discover the ‘most breaking’ breaking news from across the world, in real-time. The Trends list captures the hottest emerging topics, not just what's most popular. Put another way, Twitter favors novelty over popularity (as BuzzFeed noted in a great article & infographic earlier this week).

Possible translation: Twitter Trends has nothing to do with substance but everything to do with helping to increase levels of ADHD in an already distracted world. Wow, that was revealing and a little bit sad all at once.

It continues with an explanation of what makes a trend a trend.

Twitter users now send more than 95 million Tweets a day, on just about every topic imaginable. We track the volume of terms mentioned on Twitter on an ongoing basis. Topics break into the Trends list when the volume of Tweets about that topic at a given moment dramatically increases.

Sometimes a topic doesn't break into the Trends list because its popularity isn't as widespread as people believe. And, sometimes, popular terms don't make the Trends list because the velocity of conversation isn't increasing quickly enough, relative to the baseline level of conversation happening on an average day; this is what happened with #wikileaks this week.

Possible translation: I really don't know since there has been no other story getting the attention that Wikileaks has this week and the plot thickens everyday as more big players get taken out by Wikileaks supporters. How much more ‘velocity’ does a subject need?

In the end, Twitter, like any other major site doesn't want to be the target of hackers. That makes sense. Playing on the Internet though, and proclaiming to have the pulse of the world through your product (in this case, tweets) but not really reflecting what is being talked about is well, suspicious at best.

What's your take? Does Twitter trends really reflect what people are talking about that is important or is it just about The Bieb and other novelty subjects? If it really is about novelty over popularity does that change how you view Twitter's ability to really tell us what is important in the world?

Android Devices Being Activated Around 10 Million Per Month Rate

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:32 AM PST

Earlier this week it was reported by Fortune that the growth of Android devices had stalled in the 200,000 per day range. In the "Hey, we can't be perceived as growing at just ridiculous speed but rather at ludicrous speed” (gotta love Spaceballs) world we live in, Andy Rubin, Google's Android leader, tweeted yesterday.

Fortune then did an about face by saying the following

That passes Apple’s iOS, that passes Blackberry . That even matches any figures that Symbian has ever put up. Google is closing in on an astounding 10 million phones per month. Recall that Apple just had its biggest quarter ever with 14.1 million iPhones sold.

Needless to say, if sheer volume is enough to make Android a threat to the iPhone market position then it's a threat for sure. With a run rate of between 20-30 million activations in a quarter (This is a guess but who knows when the 300,000 number first occurred etc) the Android world is running hard and fast.

One can only wonder if this would have happened in the same way if iPhone hadn't limited itself to the AT&T network from the start. Also, once they eventually move away from the exclusive network model (whenever that is) will those who have already committed to an Android device make the switch to iPhone. For me personally, I doubt it very much but I have learned to "never say never".

This battle is an important one for marketers to keep their eyes on because it could shape what they build and who they build for as they try to get their messages out to the mobile world.

We've asked before but will ask again: Android or iPhone? Which do you use? Do you ever intend to switch platforms? What would sway you to make such a move?

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Twitter’s Huge! Or is it?

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 11:24 PM PST

If you had to guess, what percent of American internet users would you say uses Twitter? 30%? 15%? 10%?

According to the latest report from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, the answer is 8%. Eight! How can that be? Twitter is one of the most popular social media services. Famous people Tweet every day. Twitter is used to help raise money during a disaster and detectives in England are being trained to use the service to help track criminals. So how can it be that only 8% of internet users are hanging with the bird?

In September’s Pew Report, it was noted that 24% of internet users used Twitter or “another service to share updates.” This time around, the researches asked a more specific question, namely, “Do you use Twitter?” Can’t get more specific than that.

Since 74% of Americans are internet users, that means only 6% of the entire adult population of the US is Tweeting.

Not surprisingly, the report shows that people aged 18-29 are more likely to be Twitter users, as are African-Americans and Latinos. Urban dwellers are twice as likely to use Twitter than their country cousins and that makes perfect sense, too.

To make matters even odder, Pew asked the Twitter uses how often they check their Tweets. 24% said several times a day while 21% said infrequently to never.

Of those that are posting, 72% said they post personal updates, 62% post work updates and more than 50% share news and retweet. Tweeting locations and sharing videos landed in the lowest spots on the chart.

If these numbers are true, does that change your opinion about the usefulness of Twitter as a marketing tool? Or are you convinced that it’s the helping your business succeed?

Internet Explorer 9 Will Offer Do Not Track Option

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 04:06 PM PST

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that they’re taking steps to assure user privacy with a new Do Not Track option in Internet Explorer 9. The announcement comes on the heels of a highly disputed recommendation from the FTC that would make tracking an opt-in only scenario.

Experts have complained that asking web users to turn on the ability to track them would be devastating for small business owners who depend on tracking to tightly target ads. Others have said that such a move would be impossible to regulate due to the wide variety of browsers and ad delivery systems.

Microsoft has come up with a middle-ground solution that, if it appeases the FTC, could be the way of the future.

Internet Explorer 9, which is due to be released early next year, will come equipped with “Tracking Protection.” Using this feature, consumers will be able to click on an ad and disallow the 3rd party offering the ad from tracking them in the future. These 3rd parties are added to a “Tracking Protection List” which is saved in the browser settings. Microsoft has a short demo video on the blog announcement that shows a single web page with two different sets of tracking elements. They choose one element and on refresh, those ads are automatically blocked leaving a white space where they would have appeared. They go in again and choose element B and the original ads return and these ads disappear.

The main difference between IE 9′s Tracking Protection and the FTC’s proposed Do Not Track option is that the user must turn on the option and actively work to filter out unwanted ads. If the FTC has it their way, it will be the other way around. Filtering will be the default and users will need to flip a switch if they wish to be tracked.

From a marketing standpoint, Microsoft’s solution is the best one. This way, consumers who worry about tracking can opt out, but those who don’t understand it or don’t care won’t be affected. It truly is the “Don’t Call List” of the Internet.

The question is, will giving consumers the option of opting out be enough to satisfy the FTC? It’s unlikely that the average casual Internet user will even be aware of the option, let alone figure out how to use it. My mother may not like the idea of having her movements tracked, but I can’t see her actively clicking around to find and deactivate all of the 3rd party delivery systems on her favorite webpage.

What do you think? Does the government need to get involved in protecting the privacy of surfers? Or is Microsoft’s solution the perfect compromise?