StorefrontBacktalk » Blog Archive » $5 Billion Made Selling Virtual Gifts: Is There A Lesson There For Folk Selling Real Gifts?

It might be the ultimate in retail technology: A way to make huge profits by selling things that do not need to be acquired, stocked or shipped. But these items—perhaps a diamond-lined collar for a virtual pet or a special power in a shared game—are becoming big money. Virtual goods sales are projected to hit $5 billion this year, according to The New York Times.

But virtual goods are hardly free. The paper of record said the revenue was “all for things that, aside from perhaps a few hours of work by an artist and a programmer, cost nothing to produce.” Would they have said the same thing about a bestselling—albeit basic—applet? What is software other than the work of artists and programmers? The more important thing about virtual gifts, though, is what they say about the gift buyers. As Winston Churchill’s Web designer said, “Never before have so many spent so much on so little.” Is this pent up demand for immediacy? Entertainment? Is it a sign that consumers are now ready to embrace micropayments? Regardless, $5 billion is nothing to virtually sneeze at.

$3.4 Billion for Smart Grid Projects? Let’s Make a Broadband Deal! « Fighting the Next Good Fight

Yesterday, the Feds awarded $3.4 billion to 100 smart grid projects across the U.S. There were about 400 total proposals. Since these are 50-50 matching grants, that means total dollars being queued up by these entities for smart grids is quite substantial.

For public and private sector organizations seeking broadband ARRA grants or planning to build networks without these grants, this smart grid investment could have stimulating effect. Those who stand to really benefit are urban areas submitting broadband adoption and public computer center proposals, and urban areas that may have given up on ARRA altogether after seeing the NOFA rules.

Big picture view

The best way to describe things so you see why yesterday’s news is important is to break down a smart grid into its main components.

There is the smart meter device that’s attached to (or built into) water, gas and electric utility meters at commercial and residential buildings to collect data on energy usage. The data collected can help utility companies manage their energy resources more effectively. Utilities can also communicate with these meters, sending data, commands to turn down air conditioners, queries to find the source of water leaks, etc.

Smart meter devices generally have their data aggregated to another computing device mounted at some point in the neighborhood, maybe one aggregation point per 100 dwellings (a hypothetical number). Then all of the aggregation points have to traffic their data back to the utility or wherever else it needs to go.

Overall, the smart grid can also be tapped to manage mobile utility workforces who can communicate with office staff and smart meters, as well as access office computer networks, via wireless mesh built into the grid and handheld mobile devices. The grid is also envision as a cost effective way to move energy such as that collected on windmill farms from one point of the country to another.

A primary intersection between smart grid and broadband potentially exists through the data backhaul infrastructure of the grid. A community’s fiber network can provide the backhaul for this aggregated data. Or a utility can build its own fiber backhaul and determine how to make that fiber available for local government and other institutions for their use. These stimulus grants went to public utilities, so local government and the community can have some influence in a discussion on the matter.

The mechanics of this whole smart grid are complex, but you get the big picture view. All of the things people are talking about doing with smart grid, such as moving “green” energy from windmill farms and proactively managing energy usage, require at some point a fast data connection. That means fiber (the ideal) or possibly super-fast fixed wireless. 

How to leverage the opportunity

Community broadband projects that survive the first phase of cuts in the NOFA round 1 funding process will soon go into a due diligence phase where NTIA/RUS will ask applicants to clarify and fine-tune their proposals. If an applicant is in an area that won one of these smart grid grants, they need to get with the smart grid winner ASAP and determine how the broadband proposal can be tweaked to incorporate, or integrate with, aspects of the smart grid project.

The end goal for NOFA applicants would be to strengthen the business case or the technology strategy of the broadband proposal. For the smart grid grant winners, this collaboration can lead to a better overall infrastructure that moves their data more efficiently. You can even contact the 300 applicants that didn’t win a grant. Smart grid is pretty important in utilities’ future plans, so they should at least listen to what you have to say. 

Urban areas definitely need to jump on this opportunity with both feet. Public utilities in Philadelphia and Baltimore are just two major cities that won big grants, and these are areas that have little or no chance at getting an infrastructure grant. But if big cities have broadband adoption and/or public computer center proposals in the queue as Philly does, they possibly can work out a way to tap into aspects of the smart grids wireless network or backhaul. Because the network infrastructure would already be paid for, NOFA applicants can make a stronger case for financial sustainability of the project.

The devilish details 

When contemplating the details of making this work, the first thing I always consider is the politics. Big utility companies in big cities mean potentially big political headaches trying to integrate the efforts needed to make this whole vision work. On the other hand, no risk, no reward, no pain, no gain.

There are a number of technology and potentially complex standards issues at play that have to be worked out. Different smart grid companies use different technologies for the devices that sit on meters, and this can play havoc with getting the data to a standard backhaul pipe such as a fiber or a WiMAX network. Not all of those devices are built around IP-based technology.

While those who understand WiFi networks’ potential to improve utility meter management praise the use of wireless mesh by some smart grid companies, some of these companies use different wireless than 802.11. Looking at which smart grid projects receive funding will help determine what standards should start to shake out. Did the IP-based projects get the lion’s share of the awards?

Bottom line? It’s clear where there is the potential for an intersect, and why it behooves broadband stimulus applicants to meet with utilities winning smart grid grants. But everyone involved must be prepared for a lot of work to make the integration happen.

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Explore posts in the same categories: Broadband stimulus, Making the business case, National broadband strategy, Smart grid, Strategic thinking

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Article - Axis works to make IP cams easier to install


Systems integrators get their hands on new products from Axis as they test out improvements designed to make installation easier. Integrators divided into teams to compete, and the fastest team installed 3 cameras in less than 4 minutes.
Systems integrators get their hands on new products from Axis as they test out improvements designed to make installation easier. Integrators divided into teams to compete, and the fastest team installed 3 cameras in less than 4 minutes.
Photo by Geoff Kohl for SIW/IPSW


Oct. 20, 2009 -- At the Axis Channel Convergence Conference last week in Austin, Texas, channel and vendor partners enjoyed a look at the direction IP video is heading. Axis, considered one of the top companies producing IP networked video surveillance products (and one of the top camera vendors globally in terms of marketshare), brought together a number of its top channel partners (systems integrators) for three days of training, product roadmap discussions, and industry analysis.

One of the top focuses at the event was how Axis products are developing to make projects easier for installing partners. The company had already showcased such solutions as a snap-in, can-style enclosure for its M3011 dome camera, but that's only part of the story for Axis' product line. I had a chance to hear from Axis Director of Sales Larry Newman as he showcased improvements that will affect your lives as installers and end-users.

Without going into model specifics, here's what we're seeing from Axis that are improvements designed for easing the task of deploying cameras:

  1. Modular units: Design is separating enclosures from camera heads and even mounting units, which allows for step-by-step installation
  2. The screws: In one case, Axis recognized the challenges that side-mount screws can have for installers and switched the position on these screws to make them vertical, and easier to reach with an electric screwdriver/drill from below.
  3. Covering the circuit boards: A simple addition of a plastic cover ensures mounting screws can't be mistakenly drilled into the vital circuit board.
  4. Threads: They've adopted the National Pipe Thread Standard for pole-mount type cameras which means you're likely to get a fast install when you're 20 feet up on a cherry picker.
  5. A new video monitor: Their hot new product isn't even a camera, but a handheld video monitor (the T8412) for setting focus and other camera functions.
  6. Sun covers: Sounds simple, but it's a welcome addition to control glare issues for domes.
  7. PTZ start-up smarts: The engineers have implemented a start-up protocol for their forthcoming higher-end outdoor PTZs that checks humidity/condensation inside the enclosure before starting up to ensure you don't short out the camera. Additionally, the camera start-up checks temperature to make sure it is warm enough to start moving PTZ parts, and if it's not, it turns on the heater to warm things up to a safe level for starting the PTZ camera.
  8. Pixel counting: A part of the software running for the cameras allows installers to select any area of the image and do a real pixel count, which lets you know if you're getting enough pixels on target for identification purposes of someone or something in a scene.
  9. Remote focus: Point the new cameras at the area of interest, then let the software do the actual focusing, instead of trying to do micro-adjustments while on your 16-foot ladder.
  10. PoE encoders: New encoders allow PoE pass-through for powering of devices.
  11. P-iris: This is a new iris technology developed by Axis and the Kowa company that allows for micro adjustments to maintain focus. It's not an Axis-exclusive technology, and we may see this appear in other camera companies products.
  12. Hot swap on encoder racks: We've been seeing hot swappable drives on NVRs and DVRs and on network storage, but this takes that concept to their dense encoder racks, meaning you don't have to shut down the entire encoder rack to swap a single encoder blade.

Overall, the message from Axis in this regard is that they have been focusing on imaging and camera features, and now they're really getting to a point where they've had enough time in the field to make the small improvements (like something as simple as moving screw slots) that take their product line to the next level.

That said, there were also some pretty hot new products being showcased at the conference, but most of these aren't out yet, so stay tuned as the company releases those.


Article - It's official: UTC to acquire GE Security


GE Security is being sold to United Technologies Corporation (UTC) for $1.82 billion, the two companies announced today. The deal includes the purchase of eight manufacturing facilities and the efforts of approximately 4,700 employees, who produce and represent a variety of security products, from the Simon alarm panels to TruVision cameras, and a mix of software-based security management systems like the Topaz and Facility Commander solutions. The deal also includes GE Security's fire alarm systems business, which stemmed heavily from GE's acquisition of Edwards Systems Technology (EST).

The sale price of $1.82 billion is little more than what the company paid for the Edwards fire business five years ago, when it spent $1.4 billion to bulk up its fire business. Earlier this year, in April 2009, GE sold a portion of its security business off to French company SAFRAN for $580 million. In that deal, GE relinquished 81 percent of its ownership of that "homeland protection" business unit, which was a sub-category within GE Security. GE Security also sold its Edwards Service unit to Atlanta, Ga., contracting company Carter Brothers in March 2007. That unit was the service division of EST; it included 10 branch operations and 150 employees.

Much of GE Security was the result of acquisitions. Besides the purchase of Edwards Systems Technology in 2004, the company bought then-defunct high-definition video surveillance firm CoVi (Feb. 2008), access control company Casi-Rusco/Interlogix (2002), networked/IP video company VisioWave (June 2005), and digital and fiber optic data signal transmission systems International Fiber Systems/IFS (April 2003).

UTC itself has made significant acquisitions to move its business into the security space. It purchased Lenel Systems in March 2005, bringing aboard one of the world's leaders in access control systems marketshare (the Casi-Rusco systems which GE owns are generally thought to be strong competitors to Lenel's solutions). On the fire systems side, UTC Fire & Security owns the Chubb, Kidde and Marioff brands, as well as fire and security systems integration arm Red Hawk, which UTC purchased in September 2006. Marioff was acquired in September 2007; Kidde was acquired in April 2005; Chubb was acquired in 2003; Initial Electronic Security Group was acquired Match 2007. UTC Fire & Security also includes the Onity access control business (formerly TESA Entry Systems before the UTC acquisition).

UTC's President and CEO Louis Chenevert said the move "strengthens our North America footprint, extends our capabilities and complements our existing fire and security businesses." Chenevert said the acquisition was expected to be "earnings neutral" in 2010 due to the costs of restructuring and general transaction costsbut would be profitable for UTC starting in 2011.

GE Security has operations in 26 countries. The acquisition still awaits standard regulatory approval.


U.S. to speed up broadband plan - South Florida Business Journal:

Following criticism about slow progress, two U.S. agencies charged with distributing federal stimulus money for broadband infrastructure projects say they will streamline the process by cutting the number of funding rounds from three to two.

The

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the

U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration outlined the new plan for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s broadband grant and loan programs in a statement issued Tuesday.

The two agencies have authority to fund a total of $7.2 billion for projects that will expand access to and adoption of broadband services. Of that funding, NTIA will use $4.7 billion for grants to deploy broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas in the U.S., expand public computer center capacity and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service, of which RUS will use $2.5 billion in budget authority to support grants and loans to help broadband deployment in primarily rural communities.

The first round of funding – about $4 billion – produced about 2,200 applications requesting nearly $28 billion – almost seven times the amount of funding available in the round – for proposed projects touching all 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia.

The agencies expect to start making awards in December.

For the next round, the federal agencies are seeking recommendations on how to improve and speed the application process, and better achieve the stimulus program's goals. The agencies plan to announce the rules for applying for available funds early next year.

S. Fla. MSAs tumble on Best-Performing Cities index - South Florida Business Journal:

South Florida did not fare very well on this year’s Best-Performing Cities index, complied by the

Milken Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., and

Greenstreet Real Estate Partners in Miami’s Coconut Grove.

The report is considered to be a scorecard for the economic vibrancy of metropolitan areas.

Florida’s metropolitan areas tumbled as the economy took a toll on jobs and the depressed housing market.

The Miami metropolitan area fared the worst, falling to 179 in 2009 from 117 last year. The West Palm Beach metropolitan area was No. 175, tumbling 70 places from No. 105 in 2008. The Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area also fell 70 spots, to No. 131 in 2009 from No. 61 a year ago.

“One glance at the list of metros recording the biggest declines reveals the extent of the housing bust in Florida,” the report noted.

Twelve of the 20 metropolitan areas experiencing the biggest declines were in Florida.

“Much of the economic growth through mid-decade in these metros was driven by residential and commercial construction activity, and this sector has ground to a halt. Several of these metros are also dependent on travel and tourism, which plunged late last year,” according to the report.

The Pensacola area fared the worst, not only in the Sunshine State, but nationwide – falling 124 spots to No. 157 from No. 33 last year.

Nationwide, the Hartford, Conn., metropolitan area fared the best, climbing 101 spots to No. 48.

The good news, according to the report, is that the economy appears to have bottomed out. The question, however, remains: When will there start to be a recovery?

Click here to see the full report.

Anti-Trust Class Action Filed by Huntington Subscriber Against Comcast Cable - Huntington News Network

May 19, 2009

  Anti-Trust Class Action Filed by Huntington Subscriber Against Comcast Cable
Judge Chambers Steps Aside as He Subscribes to Comcast

  By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter

  Huntington, WV (HNN) – Gordon Ramey II, a Huntington cable television customer has filed a federal anti-trust complaint against Comcast Cable Communications (et. al.) due to mandatory rental fees for “cable box” or “set-top-boxes,” which are mandatory to view premium and/or digital cable. Since Comcast commands more than 50% of the United States cable market, the requested class action complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, alleges that the company’s actions “constitute an unlawful tying arrangement resulting in an impermissible restraint of trade” that violates federal and West Virginia laws.

  The case had been assigned to Judge Robert Chambers, but Chambers, himself a subscriber to Comcast Cable, disqualified himself.

  “Although I am not a named plaintiff, I assume I am a putative member of the class as I am a current subscriber of cable services from Comcast,” Judge Chamber wrote in an April 30, 2009 ruling. He “out of an abundance of caution” voluntarily recused himself from the case. He cited Canon 3 of the Code of Conduct for Judges that “implies that even membership in a putative class may disqualify a judge who has a contractual relationship linked to the proceeding.”

  As a result, U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin has been assigned to hear the case.

  As explained in the complaint, subscribers to the digital and/or premium can at their discretion purchase their own cable box; in fact, Comcast has a policy that allows it to occur:

  Comcast has a published policy that states: “If you plan to purchase cable services that we scramble or encrypt, such as premium, pay per view or digital services, you should make sure that any set-top converter or navigation device or digital cable ready television … that you purchase from a retail outlet is compatible with our system… Upon your request, we will provide you with the necessary technical parameters necessary for any set-top converter rented or acquired from retail outlets to operate with our cable system.”

  However, the complaint alleges that “customers are instructed that they cannot use set-top cable boxes purchased or rented from retail outlets to view Comcast’s premium channels and/or digital cable services. By doing so, Comcast “requires, forces and/or coerces members of the Class who wish to have more than one cable box, to rent the cable box directly from it even though cable boxes are available on the open market.

  The complaint is not an attempt to obtain reduced fees for the channels as it states that “members of the class could purchase a cable box from a manufacturer of their choice and use it to view the digital and/or premium cable channels paying Comcast only for the digital/premium channel service and not the additional cable box charge.”

  Rental charges, according to the complaint filed April 10, 2009, suggest that the company provides one free set top cable box but “for each additional cable box charges $8.90 for rental of a basic set-top cable box, $15.40 for a High Definition-capable set-top cable box and $20.90 for a High Definition-capable set-top cable box with DVR functions.”

  Under the plaintiff’s class action claim, it alleges a violation of the Sherman Anti Trust Act by “improperly tying and bundling its digital and/or premium service with the required rental of a set-top cable box.” Due to a monopoly in cable markets and its dominance in the industry, the company’s “sufficiently strong economic power” , cable box competitors have “little motivation” or are “foreclosed” from entering the market, since Comcast which has more than 50% of the cable market.

  Ramey’s attorneys allege that the cable provider purchases the boxes from Motorola or Scientific Atlanta “at a fixed and low cost… only to turn around and rent the same boxes to the class with full knowledge that members of the Class have no choice but to pay the rental fees.”

  In addition, the complaint maintains that the Federal Communications Commission has “a regulation requiring the cable industry to separate the descrambling and other security capabilities of a cable box and place the capabilities in a separate device, which is called a CableCARD.”

  The complaint admits that Comcast has the cards available, but describes it as inferior to the rental boxes. On its website, the cable provider states that customers who opt for the credit card size plastic in a “small one-way Digital Cable decoder” (which fits inside an expansion port in newer televisions) does not allow those customers to take advantage of interactive services, such as On Demand and Pay Per View offerings. It too is “a piece of equipment that the customers rent from Comcast just like a digital set-top box.”

  YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY OF THE SUIT BY CLICKING HERE.

  Editor’s Note: Although the complaint alleges a monopoly by Comcast, it should be noted that subscribers could elect to purchase satellite provided service i.e. Direct TV and/or Dish Network, which do compete with Comcast. Further, it is the understanding of HNN that the City of Huntington’s franchise agreement with the company has expired and it has been extended, much like the city employee collective bargaining agreements, on a month by month basis. A class action request and civil complaint outline grievances of a party or parties (“plaintiffs”) against the defendant. Under the litigation process, the company must now “answer” (give its version of the issue) after which the Court will assign a scheduling order so that the parties attorney’s can work through the legal and/or factual issues. If not settled, the plaintiff has requested a jury trial.


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Twitter, LinkedIn Cut Deal - We're Still Waiting for the Big Announcement

Twitter, LinkedIn Cut Deal - We're Still Waiting for the Big Announcement

Written by Marshall Kirkpatrick / November 9, 2009 9:00 PM / 23 Comments

twitterlinkedin.jpgTwitter and LinkedIn are announcing a deal tonight that will allow LinkedIn users to publish status updates to their Twitter profiles and pull in some or all Twitter updates to their LinkedIn accounts.

Wait a minute...the two social media companies with some of the most valuable, interesting data on the web made a deal and what do we get? Spammy Twitter streams clouding up our LinkedIn feeds and an occasional uptight Tweet on Twitter that was born inside LinkedIn? We're still waiting for the meaty announcements everyone says are coming someday soon - that Twitter and LinkedIn are open for business.

I don't mean to be too grouchy, but this looks like just one more sweetheart Silicon Valley deal that has limited imagination and represents a lost opportunity for the kind of innovation everyone expects these kinds of companies to drive.


In the announcement video recorded by LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman and Twitter's Biz Stone, both talked about how Twitter is great for business. What did they mean, though? They meant it's a marketing platform, a way to get your message out further, etc. If you have something you want to say to everyone on LinkedIn, why not say it on Twitter too?

But is business just about broadcasting your marketing message? What about the listening part of doing business, thoughtful analysis, responding to actionable information and market conditions? Conversations with your customers and business partners?

Twitter is arguably better for listening than it is for broadcast and conversion of marketing messages. This kind of cross-posting deal falls short of the huge potential latent in the data both of these companies control and instead appeals to the craven broadcast-model of marketing. Challenging that broadcast-model is where many people believe social media derives its meaning.

What could this look like? It could look like an option to view the employer and job title of anyone you see on Twitter or through a 3rd party Twitter interface. It could look like Twitter opening up its fire hose for unfettered 3rd party analysis and development - then you'd see social graph and content analysis done that gave a big boost to the User Experience on LinkedIn. ("This LinkedIn user has been conversing with friends on Twitter who were talking about 'mobile,' 'Wisconsin' and 'gaming' over the last 2 weeks.")

Whatever the case may be, both occupational data (LinkedIn) and social messaging data (Twitter) are rich green fields for mashups and analysis - but these two companies are holding back the tide of innovation by refusing to offer a clear path to their data by outside partners.

LinkedIn partners with next to no one. Only large, established organizations like Business Week, the New York Times and now Twitter get access to LinkedIn data. Other services all around the web will tell you stories about reaching out to LinkedIn for API access and getting the cold shoulder.

We wrote about this concern three weeks ago ("LinkedIn Hits 50 Million Users; Still a Roach Motel") and the company told us then and today that big changes are coming to its API soon. That's great. That's something to look forward to, if cautiously. We're years into the LinkedIn Platform today and there's only a select few partners doing anything there so far.

Likewise, Twitter is fabulously open with its data in some ways (on a per-item basis) - but it's leaving a substantial number of outside developers frustrated because they can't get their hands on the full feed of Twitter data (the fire hose) to analyze. Startup companies that do appear to have relationships with Twitter tell us things like "We won't describe our relationship with Twitter to you and neither will anyone else who has one." That's charming. It's unclear whether anyone but Google and Bing have access to all the Twitter data.

Twitter investor and real-time web guru John Borthwick told us in another conversation today that he believes Twitter is just in its early days as a company, that there's nothing mysterious going on. "I'm hoping there will be a click-thru EULA [End User Licensing Agreement] to the firehose [someday]," he wrote. (Emphasis added.)

That sounds good.

So everybody's working on the wide-open web that so many of us want to see? Standards and APIs and open platforms to facilitate a new era of innovation are right around the corner?

Sounds great. For now though what we get is a little cross-network message broadcasting. Hopefully it's just the beginning.


Comments

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  1. LinkedIn is so damn frustrating with their data. Two years of automated rejection letters for API access. If you aren't having coffee with Reid, you aren't getting access.

    Then there's the "sweetheart" deals that remind us how the Suggested User List was born.

    Anyway, I suppose it's cool that the platforms will talk, but outside of broadcasting, I can't see a use for it. Personally, I don't want either stream co-mingling. My LinkedIn profile wears a suit, perfect grammar and a smile, my Twitter stream has tattoos, strong opinions and occasionally curses. Opt-in only please!

    Let's hope LinkedIn has bigger plans to appeal to the developer network.

     Posted by: Justyn Howard Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 9:16 PM



  • This could be as bad as AOL connecting to usenet.

    At least we know that something better will be created in response.

     Posted by: Kurt Sussman Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 9:19 PM



  • This deal will probably only be good for 1-way corp tweets (read that not real social networking)

     Posted by: Alan Bleiweiss Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 9:24 PM



  • Nice mix: a skeptical eye on the deal, with a well-articulated ideal for what the Web should be.

    I agree with Justyn, I like that there is/was no cross-pollination of streams. Of course, I do have separate professional and personal Twitter accounts, which makes it easier to keep the work-a-day and party personas separate.

     Posted by: Yong C. Lee Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 9:27 PM



  • Accurately posed questions regarding intent, outcomes & fear of loss of real innovation. Agree w/all major points--stay aggressive.

    Posted by: CarolAckerman | November 9, 2009 9:50 PM



  • Thanks for the supportive comments, folks. I know I'm hoping for the best from all this! I love the internet.

     Posted by: Marshall Kirkpatrick Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 9:52 PM



  • Watch out gentle Tweeters, LinkedIn has some of the most onerous and rapacious user agreement terms of any online service "now known or in the future discovered"...

     Posted by: Alastair Jamieson Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 10:05 PM



  • Nice redux of the essential facts + issues in play here.

    So, Twitter & LinkedIn are betrothed. But, shall we call the offspring TwinkedIn...or Litter?

     Posted by: Michael J. Russell Author Profile Page

    | November 9, 2009 10:05 PM



  • What a curmudgeon you seem even if you are right.

    Posted by: Bob Boynton Posted on FriendFeed

      | November 9, 2009 10:37 PM



  • Finally I will not feel so bad about leaving the LinkedIn status without updates for months - after all, LinkedIn is not the destination I visit daily (unlike Twitter). So at least now I will actually say something on LinkedIn regularly - even if it's not officially on LinkedIn.

    Posted by: clavier | November 9, 2009 10:51 PM



  • This post can apply to any partnering with Twitter. Don't expect anything deep from only 140 characters.

    Posted by: BLOGBloke | November 9, 2009 11:53 PM



  • This will change the reputation of Linkedin and I dont know that it will be positive or negative. However Twitter will be in better.

    Posted by: facebook applicaitons | November 10, 2009 12:34 AM



  • I have been posting my tweets to LI for some time and from a business point of view its been very beneficial. Indeed often I get more click-throughs from the LI post of a link than the open twitter world, so for me its win/ win.

    What the article misses is the duality of the relationship... LI to push and twitter to listen. The innovation is not necessarily in the technology, but the applications we the users put this technology to. Having some synergy between platforms can only reinforce the validity of the tool/ channel. Isolation we have seen is not sustainable in the long term.

    For me a sustainable approach to twitter is a marketing/ communications usage rather than a social network - or in the least it is the 'glue' between social networking networks providing the 'here and now' connection.

    LI has been very successful, but not in the way of many of the social networking sites. For many LI is not a daily visit, however for those of us involved in the LI groups it is a valuable communication channel which certainly is growing from strength to strength.

    Mike
    http://twitter.com/rapidbi

    Posted by: Mike | November 10, 2009 1:53 AM



  • I agree. If this is the extent of the tie-up, it shows a huge lack of imagination.

    Posted by: Kenny | November 10, 2009 2:42 AM



  • I suppose it's cool that the platforms will talk, but outside of broadcasting, I can't see a use for it. Personally, I don't want either stream co-mingling. My LinkedIn profile wears a suit, perfect grammar and a smile, my Twitter stream has tattoos, strong opinions and occasionally curses.

    Posted by: Andre Stegplatten | November 10, 2009 3:03 AM



  • It would be nice to be able to communicate through Twitter with LinkedIn personalities IMHO:

    it would open up LinkedIn to some degree if everyone on Twitter would be able to send a message to a LinkedIn member.

    Anyway, it's one more Twictory... Twitter is the XXI Century's Who's Who.

    Posted by: jansegers | November 10, 2009 4:53 AM



  • It all looks like we're heading for more spam in Linkedin. All that spam from Twitter is now going to be redirected to Linkedin.

    Posted by: Ahmad Barirani | November 10, 2009 6:13 AM



  • LinkedIn's offered a great way to "listen in" on Twitter for the past year with its Company Buzz application: http://bit.ly/UQ3pL -- this is the next step in making those conversations bi-directional.

    Posted by: Frank Chu | November 10, 2009 6:22 AM



  • Is this news coming out right now, because Linkedin has been getting a lot of press lately for botching a lot of their features, like company profile page highlighted on Techcrunch.

    BTW. When is the last time anyone actually checked their Linkedin profile? Me, 3 months ago. It is not a destination site. It is like HI5 or Friendster implementing Twitter widget to their network. No one cares.

    Posted by: Jason B | November 10, 2009 7:38 AM



  • For Twitter, doesn't this effectively mean 10s of millions of new, business-oriented, high-income, users? Seems obvious to me from their point of view. Who cares if it's useful? They're "building a user base before making profits" right?

    Posted by: Mark Drapeau | November 10, 2009 8:46 AM



  • I'm not mixing the two!

    Rex Dixon

     Posted by: Rex Author Profile Page | November 10, 2009 8:51 AM



  • net net: makes it less easy for anyone to be other than who they are (or who they've been lately).

    I hope it pushes us toward de-professionalization and re-humanization, and not the reverse.

    Remember when blogging was just a bunch of people (who happened to work somewhere) talking? And then we worked together sometimes as the years went by? I'm thinking we're circling back around to that. Seeing the guy you know as a serious suit on LinkedIn tweet about a leaky bath tub or pissy neighbor could be an important re-integration, small as it may seem.

    Posted by: jeneane | November 10, 2009 8:55 AM



  • Enjoyed the analysis here. I'm also finding mixed reactions to the Linkedin Twitter alliance through TipTop's real-time semantic search engine at
    http://www.feeltiptop.com/Twitter%20Linkedin/.

     Posted by: Gregory Author Profile Page | November 10, 2009 11:09 AM



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    Samsung Techwin unveils new DVR

    Samsung Techwin's new 4-channel SVR-470 DVR with built-in LCD monitor.

    Carson, CA (November 5, 2009) – Samsung Techwin America-CCTV Division (www.samsungcctvusa.com), a global leader in the digital video security system industry, today announced the new Samsung Techwin SVR-470 – a 4-channel DVR with a self-contained 3.5” LCD on the front panel for convenient monitoring.

    “Small shops, retail and convenience stores, pharmacies, and gas stations are often without digital CCTV systems due to the high installation cost and space considerations,” said Henry Kim, Senior Product Manager for Samsung Techwin America. “Because the SVR-470 DVR is equipped with a built-in screen, the need for an extra monitor is reduced, lowering cost and space requirements. In addition, the H.264 image compression and Centralized Management Software (CMS) provided with this DVR offer a full recording solution making it ideal for any small business.”

    The SVR-470 employs the H.264 high performance image compression algorithm for excellent image recording quality. Equipped with a default 500GB HDD, it can record at least one month’s worth of data without compromising image quality. This system also has network monitoring options that are especially necessary for small-sized businesses; this DVR helps grasp real-time situations of one or more store simultaneously from any remote location.

    Samsung Techwin offers the most advanced digital security products available in the world. This technology coupled with its commitment to provide superior service makes Samsung Techwin an unbeatable solution in the Americas and around the world.

    All Samsung Techwin products are supported by a highly experienced team of Samsung Techwin industry professionals. For more information about Samsung Techwin and its products, please call 877-213-1222 or 310-632-1234, or go to www.samsungcctvusa.com.

     

    Lawmakers Float Bill to Boost Rural Broadband

    Lawmakers Float Bill to Boost Rural Broadband
    By Kenneth Corbin
    November 6, 2009

    Lawmakers are set to consider a measure next week to reform the federal subsidy paid to telephone companies to provide service to low-income and rural households to include broadband service.

    Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) this morning released draft language of a bill that aims to curb waste in the Universal Service Fund (USF) and shift money from phone to Internet service in areas on the wrong side of the digital divide.

    "The Universal Service Fund is broken," Boucher and Terry said in a statement. "The measure will expand who pays into the fund, cap the growth of the fund and modernize the fund by allowing its use for the deployment of high-speed broadband service."

    Boucher issued a nearly identical statement when he and Terry introduced a previous version of the USF reform bill in 2006.

    The House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, which Boucher chairs, is set to consider the measure at a hearing Nov. 17.

    The drive to reform the USF revisits a long-deferred item on the policy agenda at the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that oversees the fund.

    The FCC is currently working to develop a national broadband strategy due to Congress in February. At a conference in Washington yesterday, Brian David, a director of the FCC's National Broadband Task Force, hinted that USF reform would likely be included in the plan's recommendations.

    David also floated the idea of a federally recognized digital outreach service to speed adoption of broadband technology similar to the AmeriCorps program, as well as an education campaign similar to the media blitz the FCC spearheaded in advance of the digital television transition.

    "We are one of the last of the major countries to do this sort of plan," David said. "We are at a point in this technology ... where we are close to if not past the tipping point where it is no longer just an advantage to be online. It has become -- in our view, in my view -- a disadvantage fundamentally to not be online."

    Boucher and Terry's bill echoes complaints that the USF has failed to keep pace with the evolving demands of the telecommunications landscape, where

    Just yesterday, the leading lobby of the cable industry released a petition it submitted to the FCC calling for USF reform, claiming the program wastes as much as $2 billion annually funding telephone companies in areas where non-subsidized companies already offer service.

    The bill also drew early praise from AT&T (NYSE: T). Tim McKone, the telecom giant's executive vice president of federal relations, said the measure "recognizes that we cannot accomplish President Obama's goal of universal and affordable broadband for all Americans without also fixing the federal universal service fund."

    Under the bill, recipients of Universal Service funding would be required to provide high-speed Internet service within five years of its enactment, aiming to do for broadband what the fund did for telephone service. Broadband, defined by the bill as access with a download connection speed of 1.5 megabits per second, would be classified as a universal service, and the USF bidding process would be opened to wireless providers.

    "This bill brings the fund into the 21st century by modernizing it and allowing it to play a role in our country's plan for eventual ubiquitous broadband," Terry said.