ImaginativePRO Blog

GOOGLE+ REACHES 62 MILLION USERS SAYS PAUL ALLEN, COMSCORE SAYS 67 MILLION, COULD HIT 300 MILLION BY END OF 2012

Google+ New User Count Climbs Rapidly

According to Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com and unofficial traffic analyst for Google's social network, Google+ now has more than 62 million users.  That’s not 62 million active users, though — a point that everyone covering these numbers seems to have missed.  It’s just the number of total users. And specifically, it’s the number of new surnames that Allen’s team has tracked being created on the service.

Because Google has aggressively integrated G+ into many other properties, including its top navigation bar and the OneBox, one would expect a certain baseline amount of sign-ups from among the hundreds of millions of people using other Google products.

The real question is how many people are returning after creating their accounts, which Allen doesn’t try to answer.

But there’s support out there for Allen’s latest numbers, from someone trying to answer the usage question. Last week, comScore told us that G+ had grown to 67 million monthly unique visitors in November, up 2 million from October. That’s significantly more than the 50 million total users that Allen reported at the end of the month.

The reason could be that the web measurement firm’s methodology includes sampling browsing habits from people who have monitoring software installed on their computers. It has been measuring traffic to plus.google.com, meaning it counts anyone who clicks through within a given month, but not G+ related traffic elsewhere. Thus, while it does show active usage, it is not measuring users, just visitors.

Click Image To Enlarge

What can we take away from Allen’s new data, given the remaining question? Growth could be accelerating: more people are signing up now than in previous months, with nearly a quarter of the total user base in December alone, and around 625,000 new users per day at this point. One assumes that at least some of that acceleration is due to engagement (people using the service and inviting new friends to join, who then also start using it regularly. Coupled with comScore’s numbers and you can guess that the site is growing both in total size and engagement.

Allen’s big conclusion, based on the most recent growth increases, is that the service could reach 400 million users by the end of 2012. If that turns out to be the case, I’m sure active usage will also be increasing. But the question remains the same: how many G+ users stay active?

Click Image To Enlarge

Next up in the G+ traffic saga: product head Bradley Horowitz has promised new numbers that aregoing to shock everybody. Let’s hope they includes monthly active user counts and not raw sign-up totals like the 40 million number Google previously released in September.

For Google+, User Count Is A Journey Not A Race

That’s a good thing because Google+ missed the starting gun. And its ”invite only” launch strategy saw all its disconnect users flailing independently. But in the long run that might not matter much, because Google+ doesn’t need a critical mass or tons of engagement. It needs signups so it can get its identity layer under users of its other products. That way it can turn everyone’s searches, mapping, email, and more into fuel for its ad targeting engine.

While the 62 million count cited today by analyst Paul Allen might not sound like much, it’s a start, and the projected 293 million count by the end of 2012 is important. Our writer Eric Eldon breaks down that Allen’s count is of total users, not active ones. That’s worse, but the good news for Google is that the sign up rate is increasing. Its variety of in-roads to the service including the top navigation bar across Google products are work.

With enough cajoling, users are registering even if their social network needs are already being met by Facebook and Twitter.

Google may never beat those services in terms of engagement with a content stream. That’s even while taking a differentiated macronetwork approach of letting you efficiently manage Circles of any type of relationship from best friends, to loose acquaintances, to followed celebrities. But that’s fine because Google isn’t a dedicated social company out to make the world more open and connected.

At its core, Google is an online advertising company that offers a range of features to draw your time and data. It cares a lot about making great products, but they don’t drive the business directly. In that vein, Google+ doesn’t need to have the best news feed, it just needs users to sign up once and stay signed in.

If it takes Google 4 years to start catching up to Facebook in terms of user count, so be it. The company has plenty of money to burn so it can take this long-term approach. What matters isn’t when, but if if it can eventually grow its registration base large enough for Google+ to produce ROI.

As Larry Page said on the 2011 Q3 earnings call, by “baking identity into all of our products… you’ll have better, more relevant search results and ads.” When Google’s average user can be served high CPC ads for lawyers while they search for nearby restaurants because yesterday they searched for lawyers, then the journey is complete.

COMMENTARY:   I have a feeling that Google+ is going to kick Facebook's butt within four years. That's my estimate.  Facebook fatigue is setting in, and Google+ is only going to get better, as more features are added and social becomes more integrated within the Google API.  

Courtesy of an article dated December 27, 2011 appearing in TechCrunch an article dated December 27, 2011 appearing in TechCrunch 

 

COMSCORE: "IT'S A SOCIAL WORLD: TOP 10 NEED-TO-KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING AND WHERE IT'S HEADED"

 

comScore recently released our global social networking report, “It’s a Social World: Top 10 Need-to-Knows about Social Networking and Where it’s Headed,” which we certainly encourage you to download if you haven’t already. And while the report offers a comprehensive global view of what’s happening in social media, I thought it might also be interesting to drill down into the latest snapshot of the U.S. social networking market.

Top 10 Need To Knows About Social Networking and Where It Is Headed

View more presentations from turk5555.

In light of recent IPO activity in this market, and rumors of more to come in 2012, it is worth understanding why the U.S. market is stronger than it has ever been before and how it’s managing to accommodate the emergence of several upstarts.

The data shown here for the leading social networking sites focuses on visitation to the primary web pages for the selected sites via home and work computers, and excludes any activity from mobile phones & tablets. While these mobile channels contribute to incremental audience and engagement – in some cases, significantly so – it is important to recognize that this data looks at each site through a similarly defined universe of computer-based web usage. Many of the social networking sites covered are household names by now, while others have gained prominence in the past year.

Facebook is still the undisputed leader the U.S. social networking market with 166 million unique visitors in November. The average user spent 6.6 hours per person engaged on the site during the month, an increase of 37% in the past year. These outsized audience and engagement numbers should not be a surprise to anyone at this point. Meanwhile, Twitter.com and Linkedin.com have been jockeying over the past several months for the #2 spot in audience size. In November this is how they measured up.

• Twitter - Eked out the second position with 35.4 million unique visitors.
• LinkedIn - Right behind with 35 million unique visitors. Myspace currently owns the #4 position with 25 million visitors, but it has seen a steady decline in audience over the past two years.

Click Image To Enlarge

Outside of these established players, there are three upstarts worth mentioning.

• Tumblr - One of the most consistent growth stories over the past year has been Tumblr.com, which now boasts 15.9 million U.S. visitors – an increase of 131% since November 2010, with the majority of that surge happening since April 2011. What is significant about Tumblr is not just its growing audience but how highly engaged its users are, with the average one spending 2.4 hours on the site per month. Its engagement numbers are now second only to Facebook.
• Google Plus - Just behind Tumblr is Google Plus, which has received a great deal of attention this year, with 15.2 million U.S. visitors in November. While Google Plus nearly matches Tumblr from an audience standpoint in the U.S., it does not yet attract similar levels of user engagement on its primary web pages. Importantly, these figures account for activity on plus.google.com and do not include engagement with the Google Plus toolbar or other distributed content throughout the Google network of sites. Given Google’s strategy of integrating Google Plus throughout its network, including Google Search and YouTube, it will be interesting to see if increased exposure to this extended social functionality exerts any gravitational pull towards the primary Google Plus experience.
• Pinterest.com - One final social network that deserves some attention is online pinboard Pinterest.com. The site, which first came onto the comScore radar in May 2011 with 418,000 unique visitors, has surged over the past six months to nearly 4.9 million visitors. Also significant is that, like Tumblr, Pinterest is exceptionally sticky and keeps it users engaged for long periods of time. In November, the average visitor spent nearly an hour and a half on the site over the course of the month and more than 15 minutes per visit, ranking it third on consumer engagement.

The U.S. social networking market has never been stronger, and the current dynamics suggest that while Facebook clearly remains the leader, there is room for some other players in the market to emerge and become successful in their own rights. We’ll be keeping an eye on how their audiences and engagement continue to grow as we head into 2012.

COMMENTARY:    I just love Pinterest because of the variety of incredible content users post there.  Looks like a subject for a future blog post.

Courtesy of an article dated December 28, 2011 appearing in comScore

 

READWRITEWEB'S "TOP 10 STARTUPS FOR 2011" REVEALS SOME COOL INTERNET AND MOBILE APPS, BUT WHICH ONES ARE THE WINNERS?

What happened to startups in 2011? E-commerce and mobile payments continued to grow, and group buying startup Groupon went public. Facebook, the biggest social network around, expanded in a huge way, announcing Timeline, frictionless sharing and a settlement (finally) with the FTC. It also swallowed up many promising startups, including group messaging service Beluga, social network-enhancing service Friend.lyand software company WhoGlue.

The mixing of social gaming and mobile payments, social network alternatives to Facebook, consumer cloud storage and apps that actually make you feel productive (read: not like you're just wasting more time online) came out on top as just a few of the most important startups of this year.

This year's top 10 startups list is a combination of companies that launched in 2011, and others that gained considerable attention. We chose these startups based on how they've changed or disrupted their niches and how they've influenced trends this year and for the year to come. They are listed in no particular order. Take a look after the jump.

Fab.com: Social Shopping That Works

Fab.com wasn't always as glamorous as it is today. The site first launched in April 2010 as Fabulis.com as a "cross between Facebook and Yelp" specifically designed for gay male consumers. Yet by February 2011, the site had come to a serious halt with 130,000 members, only 30,000 of which were active. Co-founders Jason Goldberg and Bradford Shellhammer decided to trash it and start over, retaining only the social graph and a flash sales feature that had already been working quite well called "Gay Deal of the Day." In the wake of total mainstreamification of the gay market - Glee, Lady Gaga, gay marriage becoming legal in New York and Don't Ask Don't Tell finally being repealed - the need for gay niche sites was declining. Instead of closing down the site for good, Goldberg and Shellhammer decided to reinvent it as Fab.com, a flash sales site aimed at the design-conscious shopper (who may or may not be gay and male). The experiment worked.

By September 2011, Forbes reported that member numbers were up to 600,000 and sales were in the six-figure range. Shellhammer handpicks every product that is sold on the site. It doesn't rely on email blasts or fatigue-inducing daily deals. And unlike other flash sales sites, merchants who sell on Fab.com don't lose money on their products.

To make the e-commerce experience more social, Fab.com launched its Live Feed, which aggregates everything that the site's users are buying, liking, tweeting and sharing about on the Web. The new feature is opt-in, meaning that Fab users don't one day wake up and realize that everyone in their network knows their purchasing habits. As I said in my 2012 predictions post, this social networking-turned-flash sales site will continue to grow. Fab.com's only real competitor in the flash sales market is Gilt Groupe.

Dwolla: Mobile Payments That Act Like Cash

Apparently Des Moines, Iowa, is the mobile payments capital of the U.S. It is also the home of mobile payments platform Dwolla, which has been on the RWW radar this year. Here is how it works: Sign up for Dwolla, load up your account and then head over to a retailer that's using Dwolla for mobile payments. The company says it is working on partnerships with banks and financial institutions so that money can go right from user's bank account to the retailer.

Dwolla sees itself more like Visa than a PayPal type of mobile payments solution, except it uses cash instead of credit. Its main competitor is Square, which offers Square Card Case, except that relies on a user's smartphone and the retailer's iPad cash registers. Dwolla is much simpler.

Users benefit from Dwolla's location and social features, and that it's basically digital cash rather than credit-based money. In that way, Dwolla acts like cash in your wallet, except it's digital and your wallet is your smartphone. And at the end of the day, Dwolla wants to partner with retailers to make this concept work. Its "Grid," which launched back in June, works like Facebook Connect for payments - a user's personal information is stored on Dwolla, not the merchant's servers. If a third-party app wants to connect to Dwolla, it has to first ask permission just like Facebook Connect. That's one way Dwolla makes users feel more in control of their accounts, which are also based entirely on cash. Dwolla transactions are 25 cents regardless of the amount unless it is under than $10, in which case it's completely free. PayPal, on the other hand, always charges 30 cents per transaction plus 2.9% of the transaction.

Zaarly: Mobile Local Commerce Comes To Your Neighborhood

Zaarly is one of the few startups on our list that did in fact launch this year. It launched in May 2011, positioning itself as a mix between Craigslist "For Sale" section and an online auction house. To use it, sign up for a Zaarly account, post what it is you want to buy and how much you're willing to pay, and then sit back and wait for folks to submit bids. The kicker here is that you select the time frame for the product you want, and the distance you're willing to travel. This brings a more instantaneous element into the entire mobile local commerce experience. Zaarly shares your request to its company Facebook and Twitter pages in addition to the web and mobile versions of the site. After enough bids come in and the buyer is satisfied, they pick one and either pay with cash or the Zaarly integrated payment system.

Whereas EBay is entirely bidding based, Zaarly acts more like the local commerce facilitator. Zaarly users don't need to limit themselves to stuff, per se. They can also post about errands they need done and tasks they want someone else to do for them, from "delivering a candle" to "finding an indie music expert to make me feel cool again." The company raised $1 million in its seed round from investors such as Ashton Kutcher, Ron Conway, Paul Buchheit and Chicago's Lightbank, which also backed Groupon. In late October, it raised $14.1 million from Kleiner Perkins and Sands Capital Ventures, just to name a few.

BankSimple Finally Launches, Rebrands Itself As Just Plain "Simple"

Web-native bank BankSimple said it would launch in 2010, but waited until nearly mid-way through 2011 to send its social Web application out into the world. The idea behind BankSimple is simple: Create a Web-based bank that let users deposit checks by photographing them with its mobile app. Make cash withdrawals from ATMs anywhere without the obnoxious fees. Receive recommendations and value-added services based on the private data that you provide.

While the "location optional" feel of BankSimple seemed great, in the wake of Occupy Wall Street and people transitioning back to local credit unions, the idea of putting all of your money into the cloud felt a bit less appealing. The service finally launched in late September, but raised concerns about the security and potential sale of customer data. In November, BankSimple rebranded to just "Simple" and officially opened for business. It is not actually a bank, but it does work with FDIC-insured banks that handle a user's money.

Path: If You're Serious About Not Being On Facebook

In the second to last month of 2010, former Facebook Platform Manager Dave Morin, Napster Co-Founder Shawn Fanning and quite a few star investors launched Path.com, the social network that isn't about size, popularity or social status. Friend lists are small and personal. Path notifies you immediately when someone looks at a photo of something you post. It is essentially a "path" of your life as you go, which is essentially what Facebook Timeline wants to be. Except on Path, things stay small. The company calls itself an app that helps you "share life with the ones you love" by streaming your life, taking you on one big ego trip.

As Jon Mitchell wrote in his smartly titled post "Path, Timeline and Worship of the Self," the big difference between Path and Facebook Timeline is that Path is closed, though you can choose to syndicate your content to Facebook or Twitter. Some have said that Path is what Facebook should be, a space for real friends not thousands of Facebook "friends" that you've met twice. In the wake of social Web overload, could Path be the way to bring some balance to your socially networked life?

Pinterest: Start Pinning Pretty Pictures And Forget About Socializing 

2011 was a big year for visual social bookmarking site Pinterest, which is growing at rapid speed. It launched in March 2010. During the week ending December 17, the site received 11 million visits, which is 40 times what it received six months prior. We first wrote about it in September 2011 just as it was gaining speed on the social Web. The concept is quite simple: Users sign up for the site and then add the Pinterest bookmarklet to the browser. Find an image on the web and then "pin it" to the site based on category and a brief description. Users with the iPhone app can snap a photo and do the same thing. Pinterest's user interface is wholly visual. Sites like Delicious and Q&A social network Quora are starting to look like Pinterest, too. Ben Silbermann, a West Des Moines native and the CEO of Pinterest, noted that the first people to understand and use the site were women in the Midwest. Pinterest is growing larger everyday. Don't be surprised if you see a steady stream of email invites continuing well into the new year.

SCVNGR: The Gamification Of Location-Based Commerce

We've been keeping a close eye on SCVNGR since 2010. A Google Ventures-backed mobile location startup launched in 2010, initially vowed to beat Facebook Places. The now 22-year-old founder Seth Priebatsch launched SCVNGR as the game layer on location. Initially, it was a consumer product, but has since changed the mobile payments game all together with its game dynamics. Earlier this year it launched LevelUp, a platform that brought together gameification and daily deals, allowing users to receive better deals so long as they keep using the system and unlock levels with merchants as they go. The LevelUp app gives its users a personalized QR code that ties to debit/credit cards that are already in the system, but not on the device itself. Bringing together mobile payments to location-based games is unique from both Foursquare and the now-defunct Gowalla. We'll keep a close eye on SCVNGR in the coming year.

Evernote: How To Organize Your Life

Evernote CEO Phil Libin said that only 13% of its users had the Evernote Web version, which indicates one thing and one thing only: It's all about the app. Initially only a product used by professionals, Evernote has expanded to many new users, including students. Evernote added ways to share with individuals over Facebook and email, the former of which felt pretty slow in coming. Evernote made its Windows app more social, updated its Chrome extension for better web clipping, added audio for Macs and greatly improved its Android app. When it scored $50 million in new funding from Sequoia Capital, Libin boldly declared that the company would be around for another 100 years. Evernote updated its iOS app with rich text editing within notes, mobile access to shared notebooks, search features and a new way to look the app using a passcode.

Everything seemed to be going well for Evernote this year until the introduction of its Evernote Hello app, which is supposed to help users remember people they meet in real life by taking their picture. Unfortunately, it's only available for iOS and it assumes that the user is willing to hand over his or her phone to a stranger. ReadWriteWeb's Joe Brockmeier notes that this could be awesome, if "Evernote is using Hello as a prelude to acing contact management features into Evernote." If it does, this could be a great way to manage contacts. Even better, it could collaborate with LinkedIn's CardMuncher iPhone app to sync everything up. Next up, Evernote wants to conquer the world of "Read Later" apps; it just added its "Clearly" clean-reading extension to Firefox. We named Evernote one of the top 10 consumer Web products of 2011. It is certainly one to watch in 2012.

Dropbox: Consumer Cloud File Sharing At Its Best

Last but not least is Dropbox. It is a concept so simple that you'd think someone else would have thought of it sooner. Basically, Dropbox is a folder that syncs to the Internet, and allows for super easy file sharing between users. Gone are the days of YouSendIt megafiles. Just go for Dropbox. BusinessInsider named it the world's 5th most valuable startup, but is it? A complaint against Dropbox was filed with the FTC, stating that Dropbox misled users about its security and privacy, which is sure to scare any startup. But despite this little roadblock, it has nailed down its place as a key player in the consumer cloud right alongside iCloud.

COMMENTARY:   All excellent choices for Top 10 startups for 2011.  I have already written about or used three of them:  Path, SCVNGR and Zaarly.

• Zaarly - I loved using Zaarly.  I was looking for something, posted what I wanted, and within just a few minutes had two responses.  Checkout my blog post dated November 28, 2011.   Watchout Craigslist.
• Path - I originally discovered Path in 2010 and in a blog post dated November 15, 2010, and found their concept of a mobile social network limited to only 50 friends a bit limiting.  I didn't think much about Path's business concept which I felt was more philosophically-based, non-sensical, didn't offer much in terms of features, and placing a limit of 50 close friends would limit their growth.  In a blog post dated February 2, 2011, I reported that Path had raised $8.5 million in venture capital from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Still, I didn't see the need they were filling in the marketplace.  I wrote:  "John Doerr, if by the remotest chance you read my blog post, please contact me at your earliest convenience and explain to me why you invested $8.5 million into Path.  Thanks in advance."  Well, it looks like I was right about Path, because in a blog post dated December 1, 2011, I announced that Path had reinvinted itself into a "Smart Journal," that puts your news stream announcements on auto-pilot based on what you do and where you go during the day or night.  Now you can add up to 150 friends. Path still remains a lightweight, mobile-only, private social network (150 friend limit), but with added features making it more fun for its users.  They now have one million users, but I wonder how many of them are truly active, and what's their strategy to monetize the site.   Time will only tell, but let's hope that Path co-founders Morin and Mierau are on the right Path.      
• SCVNGR - In a blog post dated January 5, 2011, I wrote:  "SCVNGR has a few similarities to foursquare, but that's where the similarity ends.  SCVNGR is a gaming platform, that allows merchants, museums, schools, clubs, etc. to create their own unique games called Challenges and Treks that earn points towards Rewards.  This makes the user experience a lot more fun, interactive and varied.  User's never know what to expect next because merchants have full control over the games they create, they can add as many games as they wish, and often as they wish to keep things fresh and interesting for users."   SCVNGR founder and Princeton dropout Seth Priebatsch says he is "building game dynamics on top of the world," replacing social networks and loyalty programs, which he considers out-of-fashion and not very good. I like the business concept of a social network that uses game dynamics to effect individual behaviors.  Merchants can create their own games in the form of "challenges."  If you complete the challenge you win.  Stupid things that Millennials and teens are likely to do, "take a picture of a drunk sleeping on a sidewalk," for instance and you win a free Coke.  Anyway, there's no end to these games, and this goofy kid named Seth just might be on to something, but we will just have to see if he can change the world.  

Courtesy of an article dated December 23, 2011 appearing in ReadWriteWeb

NO KOREAN DICTATOR KIM JON IL'S BODY LAID TO REST, THIRD SON EUN AND GENERALS WALKED ALONGSIDE LIMO CARRYING CASKET

Click Image To Enlarge

SEOUL—North Koreans bade farewell to dictator Kim Jong Il Wednesday as his body was borne around the snowy capital of Pyongyang in a motorcade that was broadcast on TV a few hours after it happened.

Click Image To Enlarge

Tens of thousands of North Koreans gathered along the procession route, which began and ended at the palace built for his father, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, and where visitors had lined up for the past week to view his body under a glass case.

 

North Korea's military held a funeral procession for leader Kim Jong-il, led by his successor son Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang. Courtesy of Reuters.

The casket bearing Mr. Kim's body was carried atop a black limousine covered in white chrysanthemums, the flower used for mourning in both Koreas. Several dozen other sedans followed behind, carrying members of Mr. Kim's family and leaders of his authoritarian government.

Click Image To Enlarge

Mr. Kim's third son, Kim Jong Eun, walked at the right-front corner of the limousine during brief ceremonies on the palace grounds before and after the procession, which lasted about two hours.

Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law Jang Song Thaek and several generals who were close to him also flanked the car during the ceremonies at the palace, reinforcing other TV images since his death that his son, who is now expected to take control of North Korea, is being protected and guided by his associates.

And, the crying began in earnest along the funeral procession.  

It's a Crying Shame (Click To Enlarge Images)

Even the ruthless dictator's youngest sun Kim Jong Eun who takes over for his departed father cried too. He's crying because he is taking over the reins of power, and probably thinking, "Oh, shit, I'm in charge now."  

Click Image To Enlarge

Choi Jong-kun, professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul said. 

"The point they're trying to make is the leadership is pretty stable.  The key thing they want to put out is that succession is going smoothly."

North Korea provided few details about the event and its state-run news agency didn't release information about it until TV broadcasting began, which was at least two hours after it started. Some South Korean TV stations relayed the North's broadcast of the procession for about an hour, then returned to regular programming.

The coverage occasionally showed mourners along the procession route speaking fondly of Kim Jong Il. The mood appeared predominantly somber and calm, although North Korean TV cameras picked out some scenes of people doubled over and even flailing their arms in apparent anguish.

A woman soldier whose name wasn't given said on the North Korean broadcast said. 

"The falling snow brings me even more tears because of thoughts about the general's toils.  It's as if my heart is being torn to pieces."

The event clearly stretched the capabilities of North Korea's TV broadcaster, one of the chief manufacturers of the regime's projection of might and power. The organization didn't have enough cameras and transmission equipment to cover the motorcade route, resulting in several long stretches in which the procession was out of view. During those times, the broadcaster simply showed shots of crowds waiting for the procession. The 40-kilometer route took the motorcade through much of central Pyongyang .

The procession resembled the one held after Kim Il Sung's death in 1994. At that time, Kim Jong Il walked beside his father's hearse, which appeared to be the same vehicle used Wednesday.

North Korea plans a nationwide memorial event at noon Thursday, when citizens will be asked to observe three minutes of silence. After that, gun volleys will be fired in Pyongyang and nine other provincial capitals, and vehicles will blow whistles, horns and sirens in a final salute.

North Korean state TV broadcast a two-hour tribute to Kim Jong Il on Wednesday morning, chiefly showing images of him as a young man.

Many of the images appeared to be from the 1970s and '80s, when Mr. Kim was rising up in his father's government and aiming to secure his role as the country's eventual leader. The last 30 minutes of the broadcast were devoted to his time as leader.

A narrator said as the image showed Mr. Kim handling products like toilet paper and children's clothes. 

"He always took responsibility for the living of all people.  He always took care of all North Korean people with his warm love."

COMMENTARY:    The death of Kim Jong Il does not end of pain and suffering that the Kim family has inflicted on its people.  An estimated 1 million North Koreans are imprisoned in Russian-style gulags where they work as slaves and hundreds them die every day of exposure and starvation.  Let there be no doubt, that although the North Korean people are crying for their fallen dictator, they are probably deeply relieved he is gone.  But, don't hold your hopes. His son Kim Jong Eun is a real work of art from what I have read.  Kim Jong Il by-passed his two older brothers because they lacked the "meanness," wanted in a future leader and dictator.   I have a feeling we will be hearing from him very soon, as he tries to proove himself to his little rat rogue nation.  In a previous blog post dated December 20, 2011, I reported on Kim Jong Il's death, and you can see more images of the young pudgy new dictator.

Courtesy of an article dated December 28, 2011 appearing in The Wall Street Journal

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHINA LAUNCHES ITS OWN GPS NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM, TRACK SHIPS AT SEA AND PRESENTS MILITARY THREAT TO U.S.

BEIJING—China has begun operating a homegrown satellite navigation service that is designed to provide an alternative to the U.S. Global Positioning System and, according to defense experts, could help the Chinese military to identify, track and strike U.S. ships in the region in the event of armed conflict.

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System started providing initial positioning, navigation and timing services to China and its "surrounding areas" on Tuesday, Ran Chengqi, a spokesman for the system, told a news conference.

 

In July 2011, China launched its 9th Beidou Navigation Satellite System GPS satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China's Sichuan Province. 

He said China had so far launched 10 satellites for the Beidou system, including one this month, and planned to put six more in orbit in 2012 to enhance the system's accuracy and expand its service to cover most of the Asia Pacific region.

The system isn't as believed to be as accurate as the U.S. GPS. Nonetheless, China has made significant advances in the field thanks to a spate of satellite launches since 2009, according to a paper by Eric Hagt and Matthew Durnin published in the Journal of Strategic Studies in October.

 

They wrote.

"Although China still has a long way to go before it has continuous real-time tactical coverage, even of a regional maritime environment, it now has frequent and dependable coverage of stationary targets and at least a basic ability to identify, track and target vessels at sea.  

Based purely on capabilities, with a space-based reconnaissance system as the backbone, China is clearly acquiring greater ability not only to defend against intruding aircraft carriers but to project force as well."

China's Ministry of Defense didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Beidou—which means Big Dipper in Mandarin—is run by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., one of the main state-owned contractors for the Chinese space program, which is largely controlled by the Chinese military.

Visitors look at a model of the Beidou navigation system in Shanghai in May.

China began building Beidou in 2000 with the goal of creating its own global system—called Compass—with 35 satellites, by 2020. The only other operational global system apart from GPS is Russia's Glonass, although the European Union's Galileo system is due to be completed by 2020.

Beidou, like GPS, will provide free civilian services that can be used in conjunction with commercially developed applications for use by drivers in private cars, monitor commercial trucks and ships and assist in natural disasters. It has the added advantage of supporting SMS messages, according to Mr. Ran.

He didn't mention potential military applications at the news conference, a transcript of which was provided by the information office of China's State Council, or Cabinet.

But the system will also give the Chinese military an alternative to GPS, which was developed by the Pentagon and is still controlled by the U.S. government. The U.S. could, in theory, disable or deny access to the system by others in the event of a conflict, although it says it never has done so in the past.

Military Use of Beidou GPS Satellites 

Military experts see Beidou as part of China's efforts over the last 15 years to develop capabilities designed to deny or hinder U.S. naval access to waters around its shores in case Washington tries to intervene in a conflict—over Taiwan, for example, which Beijing sees as a rebel province.

Beidou could be used in conjunction with other satellites, drones and related technology to help track U.S. ships, position its own submarines and other vessels, and guide antiship ballistic missiles towards their targets, according to military experts.

It also gives China a significant tactical advantage over neighbors with whom it has territorial disputes, including India, which is developing its own regional satellite navigation system but doesn't expect to complete it for several years.

China still lags behind the U.S in terms of how long, and how accurately, it can monitor any part of the globe from space: GPS, which was launched for civilian use in 1995, now consists of 30 satellites and can be accurate to within less than 10 meters, or 33 feet, although the U.S. military has access to more precise readings.

Mr. Ran said Beidou was accurate to within 25 meters and would reduce that to 10 meters by the end of next year. The Chinese military may also have access to more accurate data, but because China has fewer satellites, it cannot monitor the same spot for as long as the U.S.

China's plans to develop a satellite positioning system are thought to date back to 1983 when Ronald Reagan announced plans to build space-based missile-defense systems in what became known as his "Star Wars" speech.

Beijing's plans gained momentum after its military leaders noted the importance of GPS for U.S. forces during the first Gulf War in 1991. Five years later, Chinese military commanders were frustrated when they couldn't locate two carrier groups that the U.S. deployed near Taiwan after China fired missiles into the sea off the island's coast in a failed attempt to influence the outcome of an election there, according to several defense analysts.

China launched the first two satellites of an experimental system called Beidou-1 in 2000 and made it available to civilians in 2004, but the service wasn't popular as its associated devices used to access the system—called terminals—were relatively large and much more expensive than GPS ones.

The system has been used, however, to coordinate the movement of Chinese troops, to help border guards patrol in remote areas, and to track fishing vessels in the South China Sea, according to Chinese state media.

In 2007, China launched the first satellite of its second-generation system, called Beidou-2, which is thought to use cheaper terminals and, unlike its predecessor, doesn't require a ground station.

Mr. Ran said Beidou was now being used by more than 100,000 clients in China and had been used to help track government vehicles in the southern province of Guangdong, and to assist disaster-relief work after an earthquake in the western province of Sichuan in 2008.

He said it was compatible with the world's other major global satellite navigation systems, and encouraged Chinese and foreign enterprises to help develop terminals that could use the Chinese network.

A preliminary version of the system's Interface Control Document, which allows foreign and Chinese entities access to its basic technical data, was made available on the system's website, beidou.gov.cn, from Tuesday, he said.

China Warns U.S. Over Naval Survellance Operations in South China Sea

The South China Sea is another potential flashpoint as tensions have been rising this year between China and neighboring countries that also claim territorial waters there. Beijing has repeatedly accused the U.S. of meddling in the issue and has warned it to cease surveillance operations in the area.

 

China has voiced its strongest warning in weeks to the United States on the South China Sea issue. It's urged the US to stay away from the issue, which is the spotlight of rising tensions between China and Southeastern countries in recent weeks.

It comes after the United States and Japan agreed to deal with the issue together with Southeastern nations in their just-concluded cabinet-level talks, and escalating tensions over the disputed waters.

Celebrating their 50 years of alliance, the United States and Japan are seeking greater influence in regional security. A joint statement was released after the Security meeting in Washington, setting new common strategic objectives with wider range.

Hillary Cliton, US Secretary of State, said,

"Our agenda today embodied in the documents that we have just released reflects the breadth and depth of our alliance. We are cooperating more closely on a wider range of issues and challenges than ever before."

Apparently alluding to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the statement urged the maintenance of maritime safety and security based on freedom of navigation.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto agreed to deal with the matter together with Southeast Asian nations, with Clinton saying China's naval activities are creating tension in the region, reported by Japanese media.

For China, it's an arm extended too far. The country voiced its most direct warning to Washington on Wednesday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai urged the United States to leave the South China Sea dispute to the claimant states. And US involvement may make the situation worse. He said China is greatly concerned by frequent provocations by other parties in the waters.

Tensions in the South China Sea have risen in recent months after Vietnam held a live military drill in the waters. Vietnam and the Philippines took unilateral actions to occupy parts of the islands in recent decades, which have belonged to China's territory since ancient times.

China has long called for bilateral ways to resolve the disputes through dialogue. It believes foreign intervention may only complicate the already tense issue.

Cui Tiankai, Chinese Vice FM, said,

"US should leave the South China Sea dispute to the claimant states. US involvement may make the situation worse.  China was greatly concerned by frequent provocations by other parties in the waters."

China Confirms "Carrier-Killer" Missile

This year, China confirmed for the first time that it was developing an antiship ballistic missile that the Pentagon says may already be basically operational and eventually capable of hitting a moving aircraft carrier up to 1,700 miles, or 2,700 kilometers, from China's shores.

 

The anti access version of the DF-21(D) Anti Shipping Ballistic Missile ASBM is designed to counter the power projection capabilities of the American Navy's carrier battle group. The examination of the steps the Chinese military would follow to use this weapon are presented in this two part video

Click Image To Enlarge

COMMENTARY:   Why would China sacrafice its new-found wealth, rising standard of living, international prestige, and lose its best and biggest customer--the U.S.A.   It doesn't make sense to me that they should be taking us on, making these incredible threats.  The South China Sea is international waters.  They just can't claim it's theres and ban us or any other nation from sailing ships through it.  

Make no doubt about it that the U.S. is working on or has technologies to shoot down the DF-21 anti-carrier missle.  We will know when they launch those missle, and retaliate accordingly.   And, even if they succeed in sinking a U.S. super-carrier, we have nuclear ballistic missle submarines off China's coast that would immediately launch their multiple warhead Trident missles to destroy their military bases and cities, killing perhaps most of the Chinese people.   We also have B-2 stealth bombers and the F117 stealth fighters to disable their command and control systems.   

President Obama has done the right thing by stationing two nuclear carriers off of China's coast to protect Taiwan and our other interests in the area.  I have also spoken with three Chinese tech bloggers, and they are scared shitless that their country is taking such an aggressive stance.  Let's just hope that the Chinese don't do something stupid.  

I did look into the Beidou Navational Satellite System and you can read all about it HERE. 

Courtesy of an article dated December 27, 2011 appearing in The Wall Street Journal

PLAYBOY'S HUGH HEFNER IN A CUSTODY BATTLE WITH EX-FIANCEE CRYSTAL HARRIS OVER A PUPPY, DETAILS OF 'THE BREAKUP' AND MORE

 

Shortly after Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris ended their engagement in June, the Playboy mogul said Harris let him keep Charlie, their shared Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

The Puppy "Charlie"

Charlie, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel dog 

But now, Hefner, 85, says he and his former fiancée, 25, are still going back and forth about who gets permanent ownership of the pooch.

Hefner told PEOPLE on Thursday at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

"We both love the puppy.  I told her if she wants to keep the ring and the Bentley, then maybe I can keep the puppy. I [hope] we will work it out."

Playboy July 2011 Cover

Click Image To Enlarge

The Ring

Click Image To Enlarge

The Bentley

Click Image To Enlarge

The Wedding Invitation

Click Image To Enlarge

The Wedding Cancellation

The Wedding Ring Auction

An unnamed source claims that

"Crystal couldn’t bear to look at the ring anymore because it brought back bad memories”

So naturally, the logical step is to put that bad memory up for a very public auction. While prior reports claimed Hefner paid $90,000 for the ring, Christie’s only set an estimate of $20,000-$30,000 on the ring. The lot description on the Christie’s reads: 

A diamond ring. Set with a circular-cut diamond, weighing approximately 3.39 carats, to the circular-cut diamond hoop, mounted in platinum.

A diamond isn’t always forever, sometimes it’s only for 6 months, especially for Hugh Hefner’s ex-fiancee Crystal Harris.

Click Image To Enlage

The Big Cry

Crystal Harris has revealed she called off her wedding to Hugh Hefner because she couldn't cope with the Playboy mogul's lifestyle.

The 25-year-old blonde, who was due to marry the 85-year-old at his mansion on Saturday, feels 'relieved' the ceremony has been called off but regrets 'disappointing everybody.'  

In a tearful interview with America's Entertainment Tonight, she said: 'I wasn't the only woman in Hef's life. I didn't feel comfortable in my heart knowing that and getting married to him, because a marriage is between two people.

Click Image To Check For Tears

Crystal told Entertainment Tonight.

'That's not what our relationship was.'  

Hefner has long been famous for having multiple girlfriends and it seems he had no plans to change his ways. 

She also blames 'stress' of having to deal with legal experts for her shock decision. 

She said.  

"We had to deal with lawyers, I never had a lawyer for anything. I'm going to pre-nup lawyers and lawyers to do a show - we had a two-hour special on Lifetime underway - lawyer meeting contracts, all kinds of stuff.. it was crazy."  

Pre-nups and nasty lawyers have a tendency to do that to some gold digger chicks.

"The View" Interview

 

COMMENTARY:   The Pope warned the world during his traditional serman on the eve of Christmas about, "too much glitter during Christmas," which is why this article had to be my very first post-Christmas blog post.  It's so apropos.  

What a life of pure ecstacy and glitter.  The Pope must've been thinking of Hef and the Playboy Mansion girls when he said there was just too much glitter during Christmas (i.e. the over-commercialization of Christmas) and that the problems of the poor, sick and down trowden are swept under the rug. 

When the 85-year old Playboy mogurl Hugh Hefner became engaged with Crystal Harris, the 25-year old Playmate and live-in at the Playboy Mansion, I got visions of little "Hef" baby boy or girl running throughout the Playboy mansion, but it was not to be.  Instead, the world was shocked to receive this Tweet from Hef:  

 "The wedding is off. Crystal has had a change of heart." 

Crystal later reponded with this post on her website.

"After much deep reflection and thought I have decided to end my engagement with Hef. I have the utmost respect for Hef and wish him the best going forward.  I hope the media will give each of us the privacy we deserve during this time."  

Hef invited over 300 people to the wedding using Papeterie custom-made invitations (see above), which called for a pink Romona Keveza gown and Torrance Bakery strawberry cake. 

If Hef and Crystal had beeen married, this would've been Hef's third marriage, and her first.  Hef filed for divorce in 2009 from his second wife, former playmate Kimberly Conrad.  He was previously married to Mildred Williams, whom he divorced in 1959. 

Harris's manager Michael Blakey tells PEOPLE. 

"I heard the sad news today this morning. The split was a mutual decision and the two remain good friends." 

The Final Talley

So  just how much did Hugh's relationship and engagement to Crystal Harris cost him?  Here's  a rough estimate:

• Playboy Mansion room and board from January 2009 to October 2011 ($10,000/mo) - 22 months x $10,000 = $220,000.
• Weekly Playmate Allowance ($1,000 per week) - 96 weeks  x $1.000 = $96,000.
• Playboy Playmate fee - $1,000,000
• Playboy travel and entertainment for things like dinners, trips, parties, etc. ($2,000  per month) - 22 months x $2,000 = $44,000.
• Engagement ring - $90,000
• Bentley Continental GT automobile - $170,000
• Gifts and other goodies - $50,000
• Wedding costs and reception - $150,000 
• Attorney's fees - $25,000
• TOTAL:  $1.750,000

I was very conservative with the cost estimates, and I left out the costs of music and singing lessons, recording, etc. that Hef paid to help out Crystal pursue her music career, so Hef probably paid out about $2 million just for Crystal when it's all said and done.

Here's the video of Crystal Harris' debut album "Club Queen."  Was it money well spent?

 

On the positive side of the ledger, the July 2011 "Runaway Bride" issue sold 450,000 issues at the newstand at $4.95 per issue for total newstand sales of $2.250 million.   After deducting printing and distribution costs, Hef netted about half or $1.250 million, so he only lost about $750,000 on Crystal Harris.   The publicity he got was worth at least that, and probably more, so when it's all said and done, the engagement was a win-win for Hef and Crystal.  Crystal got her music career launched and Hef sold more Playboy mags. 

I did find the following video of Crystal at a pool party at the MGM Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, dancing and drinking champagne with another very beautiful and curavacous Bunny friend. Notice that they are leafing through a magazine, probably the Playboy "Runaway Bride" July 2011 issue. 

 

Anyway, Heff is a whole lot happier now, with his two new girlfriends, and attendant harem.  What a life. 

Courtesy of an article dated December 26, 2011 appearing in CNN

TESLA MOTORS ANNOUNCES ITS MODEL S ALL-ELECTRIC SEDAN PRICING AND OPTIONS FOR 2012

In a press release dated December 20, 2011, Tesla Motors announced the pricing and options for the Model S all-electric sports sedan.  The Model S prices start at $49,900 and depending on the size of the rechargeable battery and numerous options, goes up from there.

Click Image To Enlarge 

 

PRESS RELEASE

December 20, 2011

We’re 10 days away from 2012. Around the office, we’re calling it The Year of Model S.

In anticipation of what is sure to be the most exciting year in Tesla’s history, we’re pleased to announce final pricing and options for United States reservation holders. This pricing will be in effect for all current US reservation holders. Due to volatility in currency rates around the world, we are not able to announce pricing outside the United States at this time. We expect to announce pricing about six months prior to the start of deliveries in those areas.

 

There have been a lot of rumors about price increases lately. I'm happy to say that all Model S pricing remains unchanged, including the basic version with the 40 kWh battery at the price we announced in 2009 of $49,900 after federal tax credits. $49,900 includes our game changing 17" Touchscreen, 19" Wheels and a Universal Mobile Connector with three adapters that will allow you to charge at home and on the road.  This is an incredible car at an incredible price.

 

We will also stick to other commitments we made earlier this year regarding delivery of an 85 kWh battery in mid-2012, a 60 kWh battery about three months later and the 40 kWh battery around the end of the year. We are very proud of our battery technology and will offer warranties up to 8 years with unlimited mileage. That's another industry first from Tesla.

 

The Tesla team has worked extremely hard over the past three years to create a car that will far exceed your expectations and set a new benchmark for innovation and excellence in the automotive world. With the Model S, our aim was to create the best car in the world, not simply the best electric car. We believe we have achieved this goal.  

 

In support of that goal, we have developed options that allow you to create a car that is perfect for your needs. Perfect for the way you see your car. We start with an all glass panoramic roof beyond what what you've experienced in any other car that is as close as you can get to a year round convertible. Add foldaway rear facing third row seats and your Model S becomes the only car in the neighborhood that kids want to ride in. For the music lover, we have a stereo that will knock your socks off. And we have put together a Tech Package that will take the most innovative car ever produced to the next level.

 

Speaking of going to the next level, Model S Performance accelerates from 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds, faster than a Porsche 911 Carrera. It includes a Nappa Leather interior, exterior carbon fiber accents, Active Air Suspension and high performance tires and wheels. That's the way Tesla spells Performance. With an incredibly low center of gravity, Sport Tuned Traction Control and a high performance drive inverter, your favorite place to drive will be first in line at every red light. The Tesla Model S Performance Sedan will be available at start of production. Fasten your seat belt!

 

In order to make Pricing and Options as clear and easy to understand as possible, we arelaunching a new webpage today. We have included everything from Battery Specs to examples of the cool things you can do with Active Air Suspension. And don't forget to check out all the Charging Options at the bottom of the page. I'm not going to spill the beans too much in this post, but great things are about to happen when it comes to charging during cross country travel. More to come on that later...

 

In the meantime, thank you all for your continued support of Tesla. We appreciate everything you have done to help us get where we are today, and look forward to returning the favor by delivering the most exciting car you will ever own. Together let's bring a whole new meaning to the words Plug 'n Play!

 

Happy Holidays everyone. I can't wait for next year!

Click Images To Enlarge

COMMENTARY:   At the end of June 30, 2011, Tesla Motors had received 5,300 deposits towards the Model S sedan, but far short from the 20,000 that Tesla Motors forecasts for 2012-2013.  

In a blog post dated March 8, 2011, I profiled Tesla's Model S sedan, of which it has several versions: Basic Model S, and two others that get 230 miles and 160 miles, respectively, per charge. Consumers will pay for that extra battery capacity.  Here were the prices back in June 2011.

• Basic Model S - 160-mile range car selling for around $57,400 (as expected) before federal and state tax incentives. 
• Model S Long Range - 230-mile range car selling for around $10,000 more or $67,400 before federal and state tax incentives. 
• Model S Extra-Long Range - 300-mile range car selling for an extra $20,000 more of the basic Model S price or $77,400  

The battery pack, and cells in the battery pack, will be developed in conjunction with Panasonic.   

According to a previous blog post about Pike Research. 33,000 and 45,000 EV's will be sold respectively in 2012 and 2013, the remainder are hybrids.  Tesla expects to boost production of the Model S sedan to 20,000 units in 2013, which represents nearly half the total estimated by Pike for 2013.  That's pretty bold, but at this juncture, these are raw estimates.     

In a blog post dated January 2, 2011, I mentioned that Tesla Motors was on a very aggressive time schedule to start production of the Model S by mid-year 2012.  It certain appears like Tesla Motors is dead set on meeting that schedule, and from the looks of things 5,300 pre-orders is quite an impressive number.  If it can make good on its production time schedule, at $57,400 for the Basic Model S, that works out to $304 million in revenues or a gross profit of approsimately $76 million for 2012-2013.  I am betting Tesla Motors will do 12,000 Model S, but that's just a guess on my part.

However, I don't dare underestimate Elon Musk, who is quite an impressive entrepreneur.  He founded and runs both Tesla Motors and SpaceX.  SpaceX is the first privately-owned spacecraft company startup, which is developing the Falcon 9 multi-stage rocket to replace NASA's Space Shuttle.  SpaceX is already making money, I have a feeling it will go IPO sometime in 2012.  

Courtesy of a press release dated December 20, 2011 by  Tesla Motors

FACEBOOK LAUNCHES NEW 'SUGGESTED EVENTS' FEATURE TO HELP YOU DISCOVER EVENTS NEAR WHERE YOU LIVE

 

Feeling housebound by Facebook addiction? Facebook just released “Suggested Events,” which uses your own check-in information to point out events you might want to go to in the real world.

Suggested Events replaces the old Friends Events menu choice that was there before. We’re not seeing this new Suggested Events feature on all our accounts — it might have something to do with whether you’ve checked in anywhere yet on Facebook, or it could be another Facebook slow rollout — but if you’re one of the lucky ones so far, here’s how to access it:

Go to your Facebook Home page, and on the left side, click on Events. As usual, different events that are coming up will display on the right side of your screen.

But if you look underneath Events, there’s a new menu choice called “Suggested Events.” Click on that, and you’ll see a list of suggested events for later this week, next week, and on into the following months.

Click Image To Enlarge

So Facebook will be using information it's gathered about you to suggest more places to go? This is the kind of feature that might be considered "creepy" by some users, but others will welcome the suggestions that might actually have something to do with places you've been -- or places you're interested in going.

Anything to get us out of the house and away from all the screens can't be bad in my book. Oh wait, will Suggested Events be available on the iOS and Android Facebook apps? We've contacted Facebook to find out, and will let you know. In the meantime, how do you like this new feature?

COMMENTARY:   

[Update: Facebook tells me it is testing the feature, though it has now been rolled out to the entire user base. A spokesperson also says suggestions can be based on the music you listen to through Open Graph apps, which can help improve recommendations for those who checkin via Foursquare or don't share their location at all.]

By promoting offline interaction, Suggested Events should quiet critics who say Facebook weakens real human relationships and leads people to sit at home.  It has huge potential to generate good will for Facebook and make the service seem even more indispensable.  If you go to a great show, have a fun night out with friends, or meet someone new at a suggested venue, your perception of Facebook’s value to your life will undoubtedly improve.

If you go to lots of concerts, and Facebook effectively knows this because you check in to the venues or the events themselves thanks to a mobile feature added last year (possibly to collect data for this).  Now, Suggested Events recommends me concerts taking place at my favorite venues. The music industry stands to gain a lot from the feature, since concerts are thrown frequently, and occur at Places people commonly check in to.

NOTE:   In order for event check-in to work, and you do not presently subscribe to a location-based check-in service like foursquare, you must be subscribed to Facebook Places, which is a location-based check-in service app for your iPhone, iPad and Android phones (not available for regular BlackBerry phones).  You need to have the Facebook Places app turned on, so that your mobile device knows your GPS location.  Once turned on, Facebook Places will list a list of events. If you want to know more about a specific event, you click the CHECK-IN button for that event (see below)

If you’re in college, Suggested Events might recommend parties at campus dorms, whereas professionals might get clued in to meetups or conferences at local convention halls they visit. The feature also alerts you to Events hosted by Pages you Like, which could encourage more venues, performers, or production companies to officially host the events they throw. One day the feature might be able to show events where a band I Like was mentioned in the description.

With third-party apps you enter your preferences or upload them via Facebook Connect, but then also have to remember to visit. Facebook’s new native event discovery feature makes finding fun things to do a seamless part of every day browsing. That means more outings, more moments, more memories. And you know where you can display the photos, checkins, and status updates about those memories? Timeline.

CAUTION:  Facebook users should be aware that Facebook is a front for the CIA and used extensively by the NSA, Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies like the FBI to investigate and track your activities.   You certainly don't want these agencies to know your physical whereabouts through your cell phone running their Facebook Places app.   As I write this, Facebook is being investigated by a Congressional committee on internet privacy for tracking you by your cell phone even when its not turned on.  Once these bastards know your whereabouts, including where you check-in, who your friends are, they can build a profile around your daily routine, can even predict what you are going to do next.  So, even though Facebook's Suggested Events seems like a wonderful new feature, it could be used against you in a court of law.   

Courtesy of an article dated December 22, 2011 appearing in Mashable

IN SPITE OF THE TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN USERS, SOCIAL NETWORKS LAG IN CAPTURING ADVERTISING SPENDING, A POSSIBLE SOLUTION EXPLORED

Social networking now accounts for one of every five minutes spent online, making it the most popular online activity worldwide, according to a comprehensive new report from comScore. What’s more, it leads all content categories in the number of display ads delivered, accounting for more than 1 in 4 U.S. display ad impressions (28%).

Even so, the study found that social networking lags when it comes to attracting ad dollars, capturing 15% of spending on U.S. display advertising -- despite serving up more than a quarter of the impressions. Social networking in the U.S. is synonymous with Facebook, which alone served up more impressions in the third quarter than the four major portals combined.

Still, the 17% of time spent online using social media represents is roughly comparable to the 15% share of display ad dollars. Furthermore, much of the marketing on Facebook comes in the form of earned or owned media via brand pages and apps, rather than through paid advertising. Much of the paid advertising on Facebook is small, low-cost ads from long-tail marketers rather than high-cost campaigns from big brands.

The comScore report also indicates how other publishers and advertisers are benefiting by incorporating social media elements into ads. For example, 5% of all ad impressions viewed in the U.S. were “socially enabled,” allowing users to click through to Facebook or other social sites.

While the U.S. market accounts for the bulk of Facebook’s advertising, the social networking giant reaches more than half (55%) of the world’s global audience and accounted for one in every seven minutes spent online around the world and three of every four social networking minutes.

If Facebook were not blocked in China, imagine how much wider its audience might be. There are only a handful of other countries -- including Russia, Japan, Brazil and South Korea -- where the site is not the leading social property.

The report points out that Twitter is coming on strong, too. It now boasts one in 10 Internet users worldwide, growing 59% in the past year. Like Facebook, about 80% of its users are outside the U.S. Its expansion also reflects increasing adoption of microblogging services more broadly, including Tumblr, which ranked as the 12th-largest social network globally, up 172% in the last year. Chinese site Sina Weibo saw a similar audience gain in 2011.

The spread of social networking worldwide is not a strictly youth-driven phenomenon, either.

While young people are the most engaged users -- with an average of eight hours per visit --the activity is catching on with users of all age groups. People 55 and over, for instance, are the fastest-growing age segment, with penetration that has increased nearly 10 percentage points since July 2010 to 80% in October 2011. 

Mobile devices are also playing a part in driving social networking. In the U.S., 64% of smartphone users accessed social networking sites at least once in October, with 2 in 5 doing so daily. In the five largest European nations, 45% of smartphone users were social networking on their devices monthly, and nearly a quarter daily. Posting, or reading others' status updates, was the most common mobile social activity.

Among other highlights from the study:

• Google+ reaches an audience of 65 million monthly visitors globally.
• LinkedIn was the second-fastest-growing social network last year, behind Twitter, at 55%.
• Russian social network Odnoklassniki nearly matched Facebook in average time spent per visitor monthly, at 6 hours.
• Israel had the highest level of time spent per visitor, at 11.1 hours. (The U.S. was not in the top 10.)

COMMENTARY:  In several previous blog posts I have mentioned Facebook's problems with both small advertisers (only about 50% advertise) and large national advertisers, especially television advertisers (spending $60 billion annually).  This fits with the comScore's views expressed in the above article.  

The concensus of opinion among CMO's is that social media is not effective in what matters most to them: Sales.  CMO's view Facebook and other ad-supported social networks as "freemium" advertising platforms, and now prefer to use Facebook and other social sites to build a fan base, namely to connect and engage with their fans.  

The real value in having a fan base which has reached a critical tipping point, is the ability to generate buzz through the power of "free" word-of-mouth rather than through paid advertisements. So long as this dogma continues, I really doubt that spending on social media advertising will explode like the number of users has.  

Facebook and other social networks cannot rely solely on their "bigness" to generate sustained and predictable growth in advertising spending.  The ROI's simply are not there, and that is a huge problem for Facebook and other social networks relying on an ad-supported revenue model which have already reached a critical inflection point, something I have been preaching about since 2010.

At some point, Facebook must make a huge pivot in its business model to justify its huge predicted market cap of $100 billion after it goes public sometime in Q2 2011.  In fact, I truly believe that unless the social giant can develop sustainable and predicable revenue streams that generate the type of ROI's advertisers seek, it will have no choice but to begin charging its users (see my blog post of November 27, 2011).  Not all of them, mind you, but those that are not "paying their way" through generation of sufficient ad revenues or other revenue generating streams.

Courtesy of an article dated December 22, 2011 appearing in MediaPost Publications Online Media Daily  

CHINA'S SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION: OVER 500 MILLION INTERNET USERS CONNECTING AND SHARING, BUT UNDER WATCHFUL EYE OF THE GOVERNMENT

I've been extensively researching China's social networking scene for sometime now, and the market grabbed my interest due to its diversity, immensity and competitiveness of the market:

• January 17, 2011 
• February 12, 2011 
• February 16, 2011 
• February 28, 2011 
• April 11, 2011 
• June 12, 2011
• June 13, 2011 
• June 20, 2011
• June 27, 2011
• July 30, 2011 

In the U.S. Facebook, foursquare, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Zynga are the clear leaders in their respective social media categories (general social networking, microblogging, business social networks, location-based check-in services, video sharing and social gaming) respectively.  However, in China there is generally one dominant player and two major followers within each category of China's Social Media Ecosystem as you can see from the following graphic.

Click Image To Enlarge

As you can readily see from the above graphic, China has more than enough competition to challenge any American social network from Facebook to YouTube--that's how huge the Chinese social media landscape is.  Unfortunately, we will never know whether any of the above aforementioned U.S. social networking giants can compete, since all of them are banned in China.

Chinese social media expert Resonance China prepared the following infographic which describes China's social media space in great detail: 

Click Image To Enlarge

Unlike U.S. social networks, China's social networks are highly censored by the Chinese government.  There are quite literally 40,000 government employees charged with the task of reviewing social media posts for criticisms of the government.  The social networks also have their own staffs, usually representing two-thirds of their staffs, dedicated to policing their sites to make sure they are in compliance with China's censorship regulations.  First-time offenders usually get off with a handslap, but repeated offenders can be imprisoned.  Zuck, are you listening?

China's three largest social networks include microblogger Seina Weibo (NASDAQ:SINA), and general social networking and gaming sites Renren (NYSE:RENN) and Tencent (HGK:0700).  All three are public companies, but their stock prices have all but collapsed.  

• Renren has taken the biggest hit, dropping from a high of 18.01 on May 4, 2011 to 3.35 on December 23, 2011.  
• Sina Weibo has dropped from a high of 142.40 on April 19, 2011 to 55.79 on December 23, 2011.  
• Tencent has faired a bit better dropping from 224.80 on May 8, 2011 to 159.30 on December 23, 2011.  

Social networks going public in the U.S. have experienced similar stock price collapses as well.

• LinkedIn had a very successful IPO on May 19, 2011, going out at 45, and closing at 94.25 on its first day on trading.  However, it has suffered several ups and downs, ending at 63.79 on December 23, 2011.  
• Zynga, the social gamer, had its IPO on December 19, 2011. Its stock price went out at $10.00, popped to $11.50, but ended its first day of trading down 5% at $9.34 on its first day of trading. Apparently, its complete reliance on Facebook failed to generate the anticipated "Facebook Halo Effect," with investors viewing that association as a big negative rather than a negative. Zynga's stock price is now 9.39 as of December 23, 2011. 

Facebook, now trades solely in the secondary market at between $32.50 and $33.00 per share, is making plans for its IPO in Q2 2012.  That IPO could raise $10 billion for Facebook with a projected valuation of about $100 billion.  However, Zynga situation could be a warning to all U.S. social networks that they are not the "hottest" thing since slided bread.

Like the U.S., China's social network landscape has been growing rapidly, and there are now definite signs of saturation and reaching a critical inflection point.

Courtesy of an article dated December 21, 2011 appearing in Resonance China