The term “cord cutting” has gained a lot of attention over the past couple of years as more pay-TV alternatives have become available. A report from ISI Group indicates that cord cutting is becoming a trend since a growing number of people are dropping their cable subscriptions and switching to broadband or satellite TV operators.
However, information from Bernstein Research and Business Insider Intelligence suggests that pay-TV subscribers are increasing. To provide some clarity to the conflicting research, WebProNews spoke with Bryan Gonzalez, the Director of Social Entertainment Labs at the Entertainment Technology Center at USC.
According to him, there are many challenges to cutting the cord. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of bandwidth. He told us that this problem would likely increase as families grow and attempt to bring more rich content into their homes.
Another challenge is the fact that it’s difficult to get the most current content through subscription services such as Netflix and Hulu. Gonzalez believes that many consumers have tested the waters with these Internet options but are now going back to more traditional content methods.
Going forward, he told us that Internet services would “definitely” play a big role, but that cable, satellite, and broadcast options would still be prominent. He expects to see a hybrid model at some point in the future.
Have you cut the cord? Or, are challenges getting in the way? Please share.
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Mar 13th, 2012. 
Facebook took the big step earlier this week when it filed for its initial public offering. The news had been rumored for a while, and the social giant finally took the plunge on February 1st.
It’s clear that users have played a big role in building Facebook, but what does the IPO mean for them? According to Chris Treadaway, the founder of Polygraph Media as well as the author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day, Facebook will improve the user experience but will be very focused on increasing its revenue.
While there are concerns over how big and powerful Facebook will become, especially in light of all the data it has, Treadaway doesn’t think that people will simply drop the service. As he explains, Facebook provides many benefits for its users and has become a huge part of society. For these reasons and others, he says it would be difficult for the trend to change so quickly.
Another group that has influenced the growth of Facebook is marketers. The Facebook platform offers a unique opportunity for marketing, and both marketers and advertisers have taken advantage of it. Treadaway tells us that, with its IPO, he expects Facebook to become more involved in lead generation with consumers and sellers of consumer goods.
In addition, he said there would likely be more tools going forward to accommodate Facebook’s greater push toward behavioral ad targeting.
What are your thoughts on Facebook’s IPO? We’d love to know.
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Feb 4th, 2012.
On this 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Americans all across the country are reliving their memories of the tragic attacks. Memorial services, monuments, and other commemorative proceedings have all taken place, and continue to take place, to remember the fallen.
One of the latest attempts at remembering the tragedy and what life was like both before and after it occurred is through a new mobile app. The app is called “110 Stories” and incorporates augmented reality to let users put the World Trade Center back into the New York City skyline. It also serves as a platform for people to share their stories about the Twin Towers, the tragedy, and how it impacted their lives.
Brian August, the creator of the app, told us that as a lifelong New Yorker, he wanted to develop such a platform for a long time but that the technology didn’t exist. With all the advances in smartphones, he saw an opportunity for his ambition in an app.
110 Stories is currently available on iOS and Android platforms, and shares stories on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and, of course, on 110Stories.com.
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Sep 11th, 2011.
When Netflix raised its prices last month, users reacted in a big way. Through social sites like Facebook and Twitter and even on Netflix’s company blog, users responded to the announcement with thousands of negative remarks.
Will users abandon the site as a result? And is the company’s reputation tarnished? WebProNews spoke to Bryan Gonzalez, the director of Social Media Labs at the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, who told us that he didn’t think the impact would be that significant for either Netflix or the users.
Although some users could actually drop Netflix, they would have the chance to see what other services are available. On the Netflix side, Gonzalez said that users might realize just how valuable its offerings are.
What do you think the impact will be?
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Aug 5th, 2011.
The business-oriented end of social networking just got smarter thanks to the “Apply with LinkedIn” button that makes applying for a job as easy as clicking your mouse! The company’s goal has always been to facilitate the connection of businesses, employees and employers via the internet in the new wave of communication. Now the site has expedited the job market even further.
Essentially the new feature works like the “Like” button on Facebook or the “Tweet” button used on third party sites to share something with your followers. By applying this way, a user submits their LinkedIn profile basically as their resume, with no cover letter. If the user has connections to that company, they can then ask for a referral for the job via LinkedIn as well.
Some say that this will make it extremely easy for employers to search through candidates for a job. LinkedIn profiles are easily readable, accessible at the click of a button, and are paperless. But could this mean the end of the hard copy resume too?
Probably not. The button is a good idea in theory, and could definitely work for chain stores and retailers – big companies with large turnover rates and jobs that require little experience or are easily trainable. However, for companies and business who wish for a more personal connection with future employees or believe that a LinkedIn resume is as good as a Facebook profile, it might not work so well.
In this type of job market the “Apply with LinkedIn” button could be used as the easy way out for job searchers – if applying for one hundred jobs is this easy, why not right? Employers could definitely be flooded with unqualified candidates and if some rely on the internet application they may never find a job.
Overall this could be a good idea by LinkedIn to move the hiring process onto the web, but I don’t think the resume is dead just yet. Until all communication is transacted via robot, the personal cover letter, phone call and thank you note will never die.
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Jul 25th, 2011.
