While all hype in these modern times is focused around social networks – I can’t help but wonder about how email fits into the mix. Certainly, some user types and certain contexts would be more likely to result in an email than others. I think this begs for attention. The forgotten share…

Yep, a post about the old school art of emailing…

According to a recent post on Techcrunch around 13% of users are sharing content over email, second only to Facebook. (Published 16^th Feb, 2010)

Furthermore a recent study by the Pew Institute titled “Understanding the Participatory News Consumer” reports that 75% of news consumers had experienced receiving news via email. (Published 1^st March, 2010)

Why?

Last month the New York Times published an article titled “Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It’s Awesome”. The article reveals details of an extensive study which focuses on what content is most frequently emailed from the New York Times site via a partnership with  researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (Reported: 8^th Feb, 2010). While clearly a bit of a thin share on the New York Times part (commercially protected findings), they do disclose a few gems…

Essentially people were likely to share hot content (20% from the home page), and that they are more likely to share positive content over negative. By contrast 30% of the content that was shared during their six month study was from the science section.

In short, it is thought articles that changed or challenged the sharers view of the world around them was more likely to be shared because people are seeking an emotional communication when they share articles. Apparently awe and anxiety are great motivators for wanting a shared experience. #contentstrategy

Introducing an email share tracking tool

Recently, at work we stumbled upon Tynt Tracer via copying and pasting. It’s a service and analytics tool which appends an article / page’s url to whatever the user copy and pastes. It makes sharing so much easier for emailers, bloggers and IM users to name a few. It also supplies site owners with analytics around how many copies have taken place and how many visitors actually click through on those specific shares (via copy & paste actions). When the receiver of a Tynt enhanced link clicks on an attribution link they will also see the original text highlighted in page and in context. Genius!

Network share of the share

A few days ago another outstanding piece of share statistical intrigue hit the rounds:

Five New Studies Show Facebook A Marketing Powerhouse, from the Social Media Examiner highlights Facebook’s  impressive dominance on all data accounts.

The question however, remains…

Which social networking sites (or email shares) are the most affective in terms of traffic outcomes (click throughs, not only shares)?

Which sites/ activities deliver the most page impressions after arrival (quality of traffic)?

Which sites/ activities deliver the most time on site once users visit via a social network (engagement).

Can someone do this bit of work for me?

Have you been thinking about the email share? Or is it a forgotten art of the share?

So, as I become hopelessly addicted to podcasts, I have a desperate urge for the fix of sharing them with others. So, as promised to a few friends, here is a list of what I’ve been captured by recently, with more lists to come as I go.

Oh, and please send your suggestions – I’m always on the look out.

On The Media
Website | iTunes
For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of “making media,” especially news media, because it’s through that lens that we literally see the world and the world sees us. | Published: Monday’s EST time, WNYC, USA

The Moth
Website | iTunes
Open mic unscripted story telling. Usually 15 – 20 minutes,  amazingly well told personal stories. | Published: Tuesday’s EST time, Non-for-profit, New York

Future Tense
Website | iTunes
Exploring the social, cultural, political and economic fault lines arising from rapid change. | Aired: Thursday 8.30am repeated Friday 12.30am | Published: Thursday’s, Radio National, ABC

Media Talk USA
Website | iTunes
Jeff Jarvis and a regular panel of media commentators analyse the latest developments in the US media and tech worlds. | Published: Monthly, The Guardian

This American Life
Website | iTunes
This American Life exploring a different theme, every week by telling the stories of everyday people. | Published: Monday’s EST, Chicago Public Radio

News Limited has launched a new site called “The Punch” aimed at news opinion and debate. Launched only two days ago this site already claims to be “Australia’s best conversation”.

The Punch is primarily presented in a blog format which I always think is much more ‘new media’ than the traditional online newspaper format which dictates what editors think you should be reading about, rather than what is just in, most viewed, or most commented on – all formats which lend to an event based or audience driven information hierarchy.

This effort has left me very curious about News Ltd’s broader strategy. They link to their competitors, twitter and even go as far as presenting some of their harshest critics in the “Sites We Like – our web survival guide.” Perhaps someone over there actually gets this web thing!?

Then sigh, I read they will be considering a subscription model down the track.

And I hear – they are not paying contributors. Ho hum. Could it be that big corp got sold on the idea that this awesome new media format could open up opportunities to advertise all over free contributions? Equaling low cost (hopefully), high profits (hopefully) and all off the backs of other people’s good will? This is the primary lash back or concern being talked about today – and rightly so.

So, what are the other traditional players doing? Hmmm…  Now, I know there are some really smart people at News, but I also know it is harder to get those agendas up the reporting lines. So, well done.

At any rate it’s very interesting that they have decided to build a more collaborate offering off their traditional platform, although I know not user groups will see News Ltd as a trustworthy source to such a service. So, what are people saying about it on twitter?

What others are saying:
Punch no Knockout for Journalism

Crickey Counterpoint: two verdicts

@uxrob: News launches http://www.thepunch.com.au/ “Australia’s best conversation”. Nice idea but feels like a flame war waiting to happen.

@mpesce Quoth Crikey: Opinion is not journalism.” I call bullshit. Journalism has always been opinion. Sooner we face that, the better.

Totally agree – controversial launch…  I’m sure the debate will be hot and agendas will be transparent. I’m going to watch and read more. The idea is good, the murdoch aspect is one more agenda among many in this rapidly changing media landscape of survival during the death of print and the vocal control this industry once had. Another addition to conversation is always good by me…

Really keen to learn more about this:

http://www.thepunch.com.au/

Ben Self is the founder of Blue State Digital which was responsible for the online social media activities that helped fundraise millions of dollars for the Obama campaign to presidency. As he is introduced at Fairfax Digital’s Media09, Ben Self is credited with engaging the largest civic involvement in US politics in history. The Obama campaign  is the most successful start up in internet history to date.

Self explains that Obama knew he was never going to raise money for his campaign in the traditional way.

“What Obama did,” Self says “was to gather 10,000 people together at a rally and ask each and every one of them to use their mobile phones to sms a number and pledge five bucks”. Certainly not a big ask but there you have it – $50,000 in 50 seconds.

This sort of activity is a great example of how Obama focused on a grass roots campaign rather than doing the traditional fancy dinner party for maximum donations of $2300. Read the rest of this entry »

Meg Pickard, Head of Communities & User Experience – The Guardian (London)

There are many ways for users to consume content online, begins Pickard. They consume, react, curate and create. Unfortunately we spend most of our time and efforts engaging them to consume and not enough engaging users to react, curate or create.

UCG or user generated content is considered a pretty dry term by Meg, she’d prefer to think of it as users expressing themselves about stuff they are passionate about.

People also tend to get social media and social networking confused. To often the media tends to provide social media tools in a separate environment to the content, rather than having that engagement interacting with the content.

Read the rest of this entry »

Meg Pickard, Head of Communities & User Experience – The Guardian (London)

…on, developments at the guardian.co.uk, how to receive user feedback and designing for your mum.

Life at the Guardian

Meg jokingly calls her self an ‘insultant’ for the Guardian (internal consultant), but in all seriousness highlights the value of having someone responsible for focusing on the user agenda, constantly asking ‘why are we doing this?’ and ‘why would people want that?’. If you don’t know what your really asking of your users, then they most certainly won’t get it either.

Meg describes her job as understanding cultures and spotting patterns of which her background in anthropology is proving useful.

Innovation

The web has changed and now there is a much greater desire to be “of the web and not just on it.”

Some of the things Meg and the Guardian team have been thinking a lot is new ways for streams of information to talk to one another.

Read the rest of this entry »

Carolyn Little, Guardian News and Media North America at Media O9

Now is the age of free. People expect not to pay.

Newspapers need to do more than repackage their content for online purposes. Read the rest of this entry »

http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php

There isn’t alot new. But lets take a look… Which are the features we notice right away…?

• The interface doesn’t say “Profile” anymore… its my name!
• Introduced in page tabbed navigation to deal with the long scrolling page issue
• I have to navigate to status updates… sort of liked the random ones.
• Photo news feed – see more photos than before…
• Interesting stuff like My Flickr, Delicious links, RSS Feeds are hidden

A little humor pre serious reading… http://www.flickr.com/photos/arbernaut/2476955162/in/set-72157604470275439/

Check out:

• State of the media 2008
• Politics 2.0
• Futureofjournalism.org.au

“What! What did you say? Anyone can do it too?”

The world is in a frenzy. They’re all discussing UGC or UCC. (yep another acronym to further alienate us – user generated content and user contributed content). More and more we’re hearing people talk about citizen journalism. By definition citizen journalism involves public participation in the generation of news content.

So! The common people are expressing views, creating content and sharing it.

The common people are playing an active role. Hmmmm…. Read the rest of this entry »

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