Women Entrepreneurs Take Advantage of Internet March 12th, 2010

From online businesses and blogs to the social media sphere, women today have a powerful online presence that is blowing the doors wide open on new entrepreneurial opportunities. Consider for a moment how social technologies have helped level the playing field. Using online tools, women can market their abilities to a global audience, gain unprecedented access to key decision-makers, and tap new avenues to raise capital. Blogs, webinars, and social tools have become excellent forums for demonstrating personal expertise. And ingenuity — combined with the Internet’s broad reach — has proven to be a powerful combination for online entrepreneurs, with women often leading today’s innovative online offerings.

Consider some of these success stories highlighting how women are seizing broadband’s big opportunities:

Huffington Post—A nationally syndicated columnist and author of twelve books, Arianna Huffington founded the Huffington Post, which has become the top-ranked blog in the world, according to Technorati. She has been named to Time Magazine’s world’s most influential people list.

Blurb—Interested in making, producing and selling a book? Eileen Gittens, the co-founder and CEO of Blurb, offers an online print-on-demand publishing service, printing everything from novels to cook books. In just two years, the company’s revenue grew from $1 million to $30 million.

Flickr—The image and video sharing site was started by Caterina Fake, an American businesswoman who harnessed Web 2.0 technology to create the service–which ultimately sold to Yahoo for a high eight-figure deal.

Ning—Creating a personal social network is easy with Ning, which hosts more than one million social networks on its platform, and adds nearly 4,000 new social networks each day. The site is the inspiration of co-founder and CEO Gina Bianchini.

PopSugar—What Lisa Sugar translated a passion for following celebrity news and trends into a network of blogs that ultimately attracted high-end advertisers and funding from Sequoia (the same company that funded Google and YouTube).

MyYearBook.com—And, apparently, you’re never too young to start an online business. When she was just 15, Catherine Cook founded MyYearBook.com, a site featuring innovative social games that has grown to 3 million members and produces annual, seven-figure sales.

Interested in learning more about women leveraging broadband-powered opportunities? Click here to see coverage of the Blogalicious D.C. event hosted by NextGenWeb.

That’s Entertainment! The Oscars Online March 8th, 2010

How do televised events like the Oscars draw both a broader and younger audience?  This year, in addition to doubling the number of best picture-nominated films, the 82nd Annual Academy Awards launched a social media campaign replete with smartphone apps, a trivia competition, and live Twitter feeds from the award ceremony.

To kick off Oscar’s social media makeover, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences streamed the nominations announcement live on Facebook – encouraging fans to watch and share their reactions with friends.  The free Oscar smartphone app, downloaded approximately 25,000 times, shared trailers of nominated films and encouraged users to make their own winner predictions.  And Oscar.com captured viewer data for its marketing efforts by encouraging consumers to register to receive mobile alerts, participate in the site’s “Live Challenge” trivia game, and receive email updates and other communications.

Social media even helped catapult a relatively unknown film to “Best Animated Feature” status.  With a limited budget, the company promoting “The Secret of Kells” chose to market the movie via social media.  The filmmaker’s blog, which chronicled the movie’s production since 2005, helped promote “The Secret of Kells” Edinburgh Film Festival win.  Screenings were scheduled at animation schools, and a viral word-of-mouth campaign on Facebook and Twitter propelled the fan base from there.  Animator and “super-fan” Jamie Bolio served as a citizen publicist, promoting the film and sharing DVDs of the production with the Los Angeles cartooning industry.  While the film didn’t take the top award on Oscar night– it’s widely agreed the picture would never have been in contention without this creative online effort.

For those who find the red carpet more fascinating than the awards, ABC streamed its live red carpet show at Oscar.com for two hours prior to the show, and attached it to a Facebook discussion engine.  There was even a designated spot on the red carpet for celebrities to answer fan questions posted on the Academy’s Facebook page.  And if you missed acceptance speeches or want to see the extended, backstage version, Oscar.com has all of these clips and more ready to view at a click of a button.  Now that’s entertainment your way brought to you by broadband.

What Are We Sharing Online? February 25th, 2010

Today, broadband’s rich reading resources — from online newspapers and magazines to blogs — help feed our knowledge of the world, and let us easily share articles and ideas with little more than a click of a button.  But what kinds of stories are we compelled to share online, and why?  That subject is now an area of focus among researchers – and you may be surprised by the findings.

Recently, a University of Pennsylvania study analyzed The New York Times list of most emailed articles over a period of six months.  The researchers examined the content and other factors such as placement in the newspaper and online.  Contrary to the frequent media perception that sensationalism and negativity sells, they found the majority of readers e-mailed articles with positive themes.  Stories that were “awe-inspiring” and long articles on “intellectually challenging” subjects were the most popular fodder for forwarding.  And although 20 percent of the most emailed articles were featured on the Times home page — 30 percent were in-depth science articles with headlines such as “The Promise and Power of RNA.”

Another key driver of Internet sharing is social media.  According to Facebook, 5 billion pieces of content are shared on the site every week, including links, photos, and videos.  Based on statistics from Gigya – a company that powers sharing widgets on more than 5,000 content sites – Facebook and Twitter are dominating about three quarters of all items shared via social media channels.  Facebook leads the pack with 44%; Twitter comes in second with 29%; Yahoo accounts for 18%; and MySpace makes up 9%.  As you can see, many of us prefer to broadcast links, rather than sharing them via email.

Thanks to the dynamism of the Internet, a vibrant online community is sharing inspiring and uplifting stories that give us a common bond regardless of any physical distance.

2010 Olympics Online February 24th, 2010

No matter what your favorite competition, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver have much to behold. Now, thanks to broadband-powered websites, social media and mobile applications, following the athletes’ competitive journeys and hearing their personal experiences has never been easier or more exciting.

Missed Apolo Ohno or Lindsey Vonn’s victories? No problem. You can view videos of the winning events on NBCOlympics.com, hear exclusive interviews with the athletes, and even catch the medal ceremonies. The site also features a “Tweet Sheet,” featuring Olympians latest messages via Twitter, which share the daily excitement and disappointments that come with these fiercely competitive games. You can also see Twitter updates from the International Olympics Committee (IOC), broadcasters such as Canada’s CTV, and OlympicHealth – a site that showcases how individual athletes train.

Of course, there’s plenty going on over at Facebook, as well.  The “Vancouver 2010 Olympics” Facebook page has more than a million fans. The page features updates from athletes and showcases pictures of the day’s greatest moments. The IOC, which sponsors the page, is also using Facebook to host a fan photo contest and reward winners with free tickets to events.

If you’re looking for Olympic-related updates on the go, mobile broadband is bringing abundant options to consumers. For those in the Vancouver area for the Olympics, the smartphone application Foursquare has partnered with The New York Times to share writers’ recommendations on area restaurants, attractions, and entertainment options.  Keeping connected to live results, medal counts and more is easy thanks to Yahoo’s mobile site profiling the games.  NBC offers a similar website that invites users to sign up for mobile alerts so they don’t miss a minute of coverage. And for die-hard fans, the mobile app, AsapWinterGames delivers an array of Olympic-related tweets to your mobile device.

Thanks to broadband you no longer need to stay tuned to the tube exclusively to experience the exciting events and results of today’s Olympics. From replays to real-time stats and stories, the high-speed Internet is keeping us connected in the way we choose, when it’s most convenient for us.

Neighborhood Watch: Sites Promote Safety February 18th, 2010

Thanks to broadband, urban living is growing safer with the help of web tools designed to aid citizens and law enforcement officials alike.  From tracking crime hot spots to traveling via public transportation or bike routes, social media is arming consumers with knowledge to keep them better protected.

Choosing where to live, but don’t know which neighborhoods are safest?  Before you commit to a new locale, consult apartment data tracking websites, such as ApartmentRatings.com or Zilpy.com, which provide neighborhood crime statistics.  Or, for more specifics, CrimeReports.com features interactive crime mapping that leverages the data of nearly 700 law enforcement partners across North America.

You can also navigate your city more safely thanks to broadband-powered tools.  HopStop.com and publicroutes.com provide point-to-point travel information for subway and bus routes, as well as city guides to find local restaurants and attractions.  And transportation blogs, such as the Seattle Transit Blog, provide a more interactive forum to discuss local travel incidents and trends.  Social media also extends to avid urban bikers.  For example, NYC Bike Maps provide interactive views of the city’s bike routes, and Crashstat displays data regarding bike and pedestrian injuries.  Overall, the tools provide an overview of the best and most dangerous areas to bike in the city.

Finally, social media and web tools are not just for private citizens anymore; public officials are mining these data-rich resources to track local crime trends.  CrimeReports.com gives local law enforcement officials an overview of the crimes occurring in their vicinity.  Similarly, police departments are tapping into social media to solve crimes.  The Boston Police Department regularly uses Facebook and Twitter to track down bicycle thieves.  The LAPD used YouTube to find the criminals responsible for breaking into Lindsay Lohan’s home.  And in Minnesota, police used online crime maps to catch criminals following a series of burglaries.

From tweeting public safety messages to posting updates online, broadband is bringing greater knowledge to citizens and law enforcement officials, which translates to a safer environment for everyone.

Connected Shelter from the Storm February 11th, 2010

We in the tech world like to bring demonstrations to Washington to talk about all the potential of broadband in our lives—from health care to small business to reducing our carbon footprint to keeping in touch with work and community.  Over the past week, the entire nation’s capital became a living laboratory of just how important broadband has become in our modern lives and connected economy.

Through nearly a week of snow, ice, blizzards and their aftermath, Washingtonians kept key components of our city and our government working.  We both sought and shared information and assistance.  And, as the days wore on, we even relied on the social nature of online community to stave off cabin fever.

Approximately 50 million Americans have been affected by ‘Snowmageddon.’  From the federal government to small businesses, schools and community centers, closings have been rampant.  But thanks to broadband, many of us – including the staff here at USTelecom – have stayed connected and conducted business (almost) as usual.

How has the high-speed Internet kept commerce from careening to a halt?  Telework tops the list.  As the National Weather Service urged citizens to stay home, many of us seamlessly shifted to our home computers trading emails with colleagues and marching diligently toward our deadlines.

What’s at stake for the public and private sectors?  Productivity and cost.  The federal government loses an estimated $100 million each day its Washington offices close.  Fortunately, agencies such as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have enabled more than 80 percent of eligible staff to telework – promoting productivity despite weather conditions and defraying the costs of a federal shutdown.  White House staff also continued to work through the storm via broadband, and President Obama supports increasing the rate of federal employees with teleworking capabilities to 50% by 2011, which would be a 10-fold increase from 2009.  And while the FCC may have had to postpone some of its meetings, Chairman Genachowski sent an email to staff acknowledging those at the agency who were “working hard from home.”

Another benefit of broadband?  The power to communicate with and help others.  Snowmageddoncleanup.com encourages people to offer and receive help – a stuck car here, an elderly neighbor in need of a shovel there and a virtual city of good Samaritans.  And for those looking for some good old-fashioned, cold-weather fun, the Internet was a big help there, too.  High-spirited (and safe) snowball fights have been a fixture of city parks, and social media helped organize 2,000 snowball-lobbing enthusiasts, who descended on Washington’s Dupont Circle last weekend.

The days of disconnection when weather strikes are ebbing, thanks to home broadband – and our desire to stay on track and in touch.  We often talk about online community as something separate and apart from ‘the real world.’  As the sun shines on our city once again, perhaps one lasting lesson is that they were never quite so far apart as they seemed.

The Super Bowl Goes Social February 9th, 2010

From big game buzz to entertaining commercials, the Super Bowl consistently captivates attention and fuels water-cooler conversations.  Now, social media is taking the talk to the next level – engaging football fans in online conversations and providing new channels for consumers to view and even vote on ads.  And, with 51% of the Super Bowl audience watching the game for the commercials alone, social media gives advertisers new opportunities to create a stir.

Several companies used Facebook tie-ins to broaden their brands’ Super Bowl buzz.  Coca-Cola invited its Facebook fans to share a virtual Coke bottle in order to watch a preview of its big game commercials; for each virtual gift shared, the brand donated $1 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.  Pepsi famously decide to forego Super Bowl advertising, and devote $20 million to a social media campaign called the Pepsi Refresh Project, which encourages consumers to submit their ideas for potential funding from the corporation to reinvigorate their communities.  Has Pepsi’s gamble worked?  So far, Alterian SM2 data shows Pepsi attracted more Super Bowl mentions and greater online reach than any Super Bowl advertisers.

What kind of online chatter occurred around the big game?  According to Initiative, 75% of all Super Bowl advertisers saw the number of blog posts about their companies double, and more than 30% of advertisers saw a three-fold increase in blogs. From YouTube to Hulu, websites easily allowed viewers to watch, vote and comment on their favorite commercials.  Even the NFL got into the social media game this year, encouraging fans to send tagged tweets and Flickr photos to the NFL for their website.

Twitter surged to an estimated 720,000 Super Bowl tweets, and based on Twitter chatter alone, Doritos was named the winner for “most effective brand to advertise on the Super Bowl telecast,” according to Mullen and Radian6’s BrandBowl 2010.  And for die-hard football fans, Cincinnati Bengal’s wide receiver Chad Ochocinco created his own online news network, OCNN, to showcase the opinions, videos, tweets and photos from Ochocinco and other football stars.

The social life of the Super Bowl online has taken off, and the benefits of broadband-powered media are heightening entertainment and building brand exposure to new and exciting levels.

Defining Social Media Success February 4th, 2010

Customer loyalty. Branding. Networking.  From the corporate level to individuals, social media success means different things to its users, and how you measure its effects is a relatively new and perhaps less precise area of assessment.  Here are a few ways to examine the progress and impact of your company’s efforts on the social media frontier:

Traffic.  Not all social media is easily quantifiable, but you can start by tracking the number of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, Delicious bookmarks, Diggs, as well as existing website traffic.  Also note benchmarks such as SEO rankings and referrals and customer satisfaction scores.

Quality.  While numbers of fans and followers serve as a good metric, companies should also assess the quality, not just the quantity, of connections they have.  An audience who is genuinely interested in your company or product is more valuable than high numbers of people who are not engaged.  On the individual level, though, many ‘weak’ ties may be beneficial — that distant contact might serve as a link to a new job, as opposed to just having your closest friends to help you.

Engagement.  Interacting with customers via social media is an excellent way to engage a loyal following.  With over 700,000 Twitter followers and more than 5,000,000 Facebook fans, Starbucks is a master of this strategy, engaging its customers on Twitter and encouraging Facebook fans to participate in open discussions and events.

Sales.  Today, some companies are seeing their social media efforts translate into sales by tracking paid searches and other channels.  For example, Dell linked its Twitter efforts to $1 million in sales, and Blendtec’s YouTube-driven “Will It Blend?” campaign resulted in “a five-fold increase in sales.”  The bottom line?  Engaging customers helps create customer loyalty, which often translates to profits.

ROI.  Social media is generally less costly than traditional marketing channels, such as advertising.  So look at how your budget is allocated across the marketing spectrum, and factor that in when considering your return on investment.

While social media is a relatively new arrival on the marketing scene, it represents tremendous potential to engage an audience in a low-cost and highly interactive way.  Broadband is speeding these exciting two-way communications nationwide – which are invaluable to a company’s customer relationships and their bottom line.

The Broadband-Enabled Smart Grid February 3rd, 2010

From the President and the FCC to the nation’s leading broadband providers, developing smart grid solutions is a hot topic, and for good reason. After all, implementing smart grid technology represents the 21st century evolution of the electric grid, utilizing new, broadband-powered innovations capable of advancing energy conservation and independence.

As the FCC puts the finishing touches on its National Broadband Plan, and considers the role broadband will play in its smart grid recommendations, U.S. telecom providers of all sizes and in all areas of the country are well positioned and ready to offer  innovative smart grid solutions. Building on years of substantial communications infrastructure investment, and with powerful national networks in place, these  providers possess the core competencies to support effective smart grid solutions.

Here are just a few examples of new partnerships underway.  Working in collaboration with Cooper Power Systems, AT&T offers smart grid sensors that will help utilities better manage their grid and SmartSynch. Along similar lines, Verizon Wireless and Ambient Corporation have developed Open Smart Grid Communications Architecture, an integrated solution for utilities deploying smart grid programs that leverages the reliability and breadth of Verizon’s network. Meanwhile, Qwest and Current Communications have a trial underway with Xcel Energy utilizing DSL to backhaul smart-grid data from connected homes.

From reducing resource consumption to increasing the reliability and efficiency of the power grid, smart grid solutions have much to offer. Given broadband providers’ capabilities and vision on this front, we will see many more innovative smart grid developments in the years to come that benefit consumers and our environment.

How Broadband Is Helping with Jobs February 2nd, 2010

As the President’s State of the Union address made clear, jobs and the economy are a leading priority for 2010.  As lawmakers look to create new jobs for Americans, broadband is already making positive contributions on this front.  As highlighted on our video wall, here is a snapshot of the ways in which broadband is helping in today’s economy:

Landing a Job.  Thanks to the high-speed Internet, researching the job market and viewing opportunities well outside your local area has never been easier.  According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 41% of Americans conduct this kind of job research online.  And a CareerBuilder study indicates that 45% of companies vet candidates by viewing their social media pages.

Higher-Paying Occupations.  Consider this: average hourly earnings in telecom are 42% higher than in manufacturing.  Furthermore, Broadband Information, Communications and Technology-enabled occupations are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs in the U.S. economy.

Working Remotely.  Thanks to the high-speed Internet, telecommuting expands work opportunities, particularly for those living in rural areas.  Today, approximately 39 million Americans telecommute – a number that is expected to grow to 63 million workers by 2016.  But are telecommuters as productive as their in-office colleagues?  According to Cisco, 7 in 10 of the company’s telecommuting employees experience increased productivity.

Investing in America.  The rapid rise of broadband is due in large part to U.S. broadband providers investing more than half a trillion dollars in U.S. communications infrastructure from 2000 to 2008.  Pro-investment and innovation policies have helped promote this significant expenditure, and consumers have reaped the rewards.  As highlighted in the recent NextGenWeb.org blog, “Study Finds Network Regulation Has Adverse Impact on Jobs”, regulatory changes could slow Internet-driven job stimulus.

With more work to be done to revive our economy, broadband will continue to play an important role in connecting Americans with expanded job opportunities, regardless of where they live.