Blog
News, insight and tips from the social web.
The Hoop blog covers the evolving digital landscape, social media, mobile communications, content marketing and also includes 5 top finds and Fish on Friday. Feel free to make comments.
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5 top finds #27 »
An intriguing marketing ploy involving cats (no, not the Ikea cat video), an impressive use of HTML5, 20 tips for mobile optimisation, Google's (ridiculous) spending habits and drawing some 3.2million dots (no, really). It's 5 top finds...
1. Catvertising
This morning, here at Hoop towers, we were talking about how best to control our recently discovered rodent situation. After an intense discussion, we had a collective epiphany; we could simply follow Toronto's John St.'s lead and open a catvertising arm. Visit YouTube to understand what we're on about (trust us, it's worth it).
2. Canvas & HTML5 with 9elements
What happens when you combine HTML5, tweets mentioning "love" and "HTML5", a bit of music and some serious development talent in the form of 9elements?
"HTML5 experiment" is the wonderful result. Beautiful work!
3. Mobile optimisation with Conversion Conference London
If we were to summarise this year in two words, they would be "Go Mobile". We've been going on about being ready for the mobile revolution for the majority of 2011 – and 2012 promises to be no different.
If you still need convincing (although if you follow the Hoop blog we hope you don't), SEOptimise has a great list of 20 tips you should be thinking about when joining champions of mobile first. Well worth a read.
4. "Hi, I'm Google and I'm a (shopping) addict"
It's technology conference Le Web this week. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt had the 2pm slot on the main stage yesterday and delivered some extremely interesting tidbits. It turns out that, on average, Google are buying one company every week – they bought 57 this year!
As usual, TechCrunch has the lowdown.
5. A hero with a pen, pencil and RSI
Multi-talented web developer Miguel Endara appears to have a serious bit of skill with a pen and pencil. He recently spent an astounding 210 hours creating 3.2million(!) dots on a piece of paper.
That may sound a little pointless – but when you see the finished product you'll be as blown away as we were. You can watch the video on Vimeo.
Categories: 5 top finds
Tags: cat video, Digital strategy, Google, HTML5, Mobile, Mobile First
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Search goes social »
What is social search and why is it important?
Google doesn't like Facebook and the feeling's mutual. Both Silicon Valley heavyweights are competing for supremacy and, to start with, it looked like Facebook had won the first round. But we're not writing Google off just yet...
Facebook are without a doubt one of the biggest companies in the technology space. They've got the biggest social network in the world with 800m active users – and they predict they'll be the world's first 1bn-strong network by the end of 2011. Facebook were (and, to an extent, still are) pretty much unrivalled in the social space until Google launched their latest attempt at a social network in July.
Prior to launching their social network, Google rolled out the '+1' this April – which was seen by many as an attempt to compete with Facebook's 'Like' button (which, after being released in April 2010, is currently used on around 2bn posts a day).
Google described the '+1' as:
"...digital shorthand for "this is pretty cool." To recommend something, all you have to do is click +1 on a webpage or ad you find useful. These +1's will then start appearing in Google's search results."
Earlier this week, Google announced that their '+1' button is being "served 2bn times a day", which may not match Facebook's 'Like' button statistics (the 'Like' button is actually being used 2.3bn times a day) – but it's close. This isn't just Google encroaching on Facebook's social space; the '+1' button hints at something bigger.
Google+ has only been open to the public for just over a month, but it's already doubled its user base from 25m to 50m and is growing at 4% a day (with a predicted 2m new users signing up every day). Admittedly, Google+ is quite a way off Facebook's numbers, but Google might not be after Facebook's crown after all. When we first covered the social network on the Hoop blog we said:
"If Google can fit the rest of their portfolio (search, advertising, mobile, video, blogging to name but a few of their other services) into this social venture, they'll have something that none of the other networks have. A truly social all-web encompassing experience."
Google aren't pinning all of their hopes and dreams on Google+ (although it's fair to say it's important to them). The social network will do them well, but it won't ever become their primary source of income. Advertising is, and, for the foreseeable future, will continue to be.
It's the '+1' button that is going to make or break their attempt to become social. Google+ is just a novel way to encourage people to sign up for a Google profile – which then gives Google access to users' social data but more importantly the '+1' in search. A 'truly social' search experience.
Google thinks this is the future; personalised results to each and every search query – with results (paid and organic) ranked using recommendations from people in your social circles.
Because, after all, you're just asking Google a question. And they want to give you the right answer.
So is the +1 button the key to unlocking Google's future; or is social search a flash in the pan? Feel free to leave us a comment below or let us know in via email or Twitter.
Categories: Insight
Tags: Content management, Content strategy, Digital strategy, facebook, Google, Google+, SEO, Social search, User centred thinking
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5 top finds #17 »
We thought we'd make your Friday a bit more enjoyable, so here's this week's 5 top finds. A new animation from Wallace & Gromit's makers, a discussion on beautiful web design, being asked for money by the American Government, growing your own bike and an innovative marketing ploy to get a job at Google.
1. The world's largest stop motion animation, shot entirely on a mobile phone
Do you remember Dot? We wrote about her a few months back, and today her makers are again getting some love on the Hoop blog. Aardman and Nokia again join forces to produce the world's largest stop motion animation, "Gulp", shot over five days on the Welsh coast using the Nokia N8. You can see the video here but it's the "Making of" that really blows us away. Superb stuff.
2. An insightful editorial on web design
We were impressed by this TechCrunch article, entitled "The Beautiful Internet". Whilst we agree with most of what Devin Coldewey (rather brilliantly says), we were a little concerned about his point about getting "the great unwashed" from their older browser versions. Which was wonderfully summarised in this piece from Isolani.
Web development isn't about getting everyone on the newest browser iteration, it's about catering to your target audiences' needs.
3. Apple has more money than the US Government
We followed the US Government's wheeling and dealing to raise the debt ceiling with baited breath last week. When it was announced that Apple had more cash in the bank than the 50 states of America, our jaws hit the floor.
But we knew things were really bad when the US Government gave us a ring and asked for our money.
4. Bamboo bikes
We've featured wooden bikes on the Hoop blog before, but none as innovative as this one. The above trike wasn't built into the above shape, the bamboo was grown (yes grown!) by its builder Alexander Vittouris as an entry for a competition run by Good Design Australia. Amazing!
5. Google, hire m.e
We've all been there, finding the perfect job but not quite knowing how to apply. If you're Matthew Epstein, you spend $1,200 on a moustache, a website and a video and you end up getting phonecalls from Microsoft, Google and Amazon three days after launching your "employ me please, Google" marketing strategy. Kudos to the guy, we're impressed!
Categories: 5 top finds
Tags: Apple, Bikes, Design, Digital strategy, Google, Mobile, Sculpture, Twitter
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Cracking the QR code »
Are Quick Response codes the next big thing or are they a waste of time?
QR codes are a type of 2D barcode that can be read by smartphones or dedicated scanners. They are the evolution of the regular barcode, as they are able to store more information and character types than barcodes and can be printed on a smaller area. Originally developed in Japan by a subsidiary of Toyota in 1994, QR codes have yet to really take hold outside of Asia.
Until the rapid introduction of the smartphone into mainstream culture, the QR code remained relatively unknown. But as the number of people owning phones able to read QR codes increases (30% of British and 31% of American mobile phone owners now have a smartphone), more companies are starting to advertise using the matrix barcodes – a process known as mobile tagging.
[Image from Mashable]
In July of last year, clothing company Calvin Klein pulled the 'normal' advertising from two of its New York billboards and one in LA. What then appeared was a giant QR code directing to CK's promotional video for a new product (a video deemed too saucy to be shown on the billboards – hence the Get It Uncensored tagline).
Calvin Klein aren't the only company using mobile tagging to stoke brand interest. Home plus, Samsung and Tesco's South Korean subsidiary, recently produced a campaign centred around a virtual supermarket utilising QR codes in Seoul – with the simple aim of expanding their online and offline market share.
[Click here to watch the video]
Home plus put up billboards in subway stations with their range of products, accompanied by QR codes. The displays were designed to look exactly like those in actual stores, from display layout to the merchandise. Customers were able to use their smart phones to scan QR codes, putting products in their online shopping carts.
The innovative use of QR codes doesn't stop there; the city of Amsterdam are starting to use QR codes on a new signage system this summer and an American artist has even started producing QR code art. The Salvation Army is even putting QR codes on t-shirts!
However, there are problems with the emerging trend of QR code use.
Because there's no one universal standard for 2D barcodes (see 'Typical 2D Code'), a standard code reader has yet to be developed. This could be one of the reasons why smartphone manufacturers have yet to pre-install code readers on handsets – slowing the QR code's move to mainstream.
Consumers also have to know what a QR code is (and there are multiple versions), before they know to download the right reader app, photograph the code and wait for the app to decode the QR (wonderfully illustrated in a tweet from Matt King below).
So smartphones have to have the right app and consumers have to know what the technology is. But other companies are also wary of the 2D barcode novelty.
Back in March, Google quietly removed the support for QR codes in its location-based Places product (although their recent purchase of customer loyalty application Punchd may signal a change of heart). And if you're using QR codes on advertising underground, consumers won't be able to access your data – a problem American airline JetBlue faced with their recent ad on the New York subway. And, let's face it, QR codes aren't very pretty.
So, are QR codes worth your time and resources? Whilst they're championing the use of mobile (which we think is a fantastic idea), there is the issue of having to develop mobile-optimised content. And until there's an industry- or location-based standard 2D barcode, the QR code readers will have to be installed by mobile users, rather having the reader app pre-installed. Which relies on mobile users knowing what QR codes are.
Until businesses invest in the technology, it will take time to be fully adopted by the mainstream. But businesses won't invest until QR codes are adopted by consumers.
It's a chicken-and-egg conundrum that's still to be cracked.
If you have any thoughts on QR codes, or anything else you've seen on the Hoop blog, let us know via email, Twitter or in the comments below.
Categories: Insight
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5 top finds from the internet. »
We've collated another 5 of our top finds from the web.
1. Dear John
Our friend Katie a.k.a. RecruitGal, UK Recruitment Manager over at PepsiCo UK, recently wrote an open letter to recruitment agencies after missing 26 sales calls whilst on holiday. The letter's been causing quite a stir, with almost 12,000 views since it was posted 10 days ago.
Katie's also written a follow up post on how she thinks agencies can improve their tactics - which also makes for extremely interesting reading.
Read 'Dear John...' here and 'Dear John... Part 2' here.
2. Social media monitoring tools
We're always on the hunt for good social media monitoring tools. oneforty and KISSmetrics recently produced an infographic after surveying 150 social media professionals 'to learn about what their main concerns were when it came to social media monitoring'. You can download the infographic as a PDF here or see it online here.
3. Addicted to Digital
We read an interesting piece in the Observer by Jemima Kiss yesterday. In an increasingly technological age, we often wonder what it'd be like taking a step back and walking away from our smartphones, laptops, Twitter profiles etc.
Jemima wrote her attempt at kicking her 'digital habit'. It's a good read (even if it has caused a bit of disquiet in the comments).
Read 'How I kicked my digital habit' here.
4. Life + Times
Jay-Z has many strings to his business venture bow. There's not much the guy can't do. It seems he wants to add 'website editor' to his CV with the recent launch of his new site, 'Life + Times' ("just a bit of inspiration" according to the man himself). The site seems pretty good so far, head over and take a look!
Visit Life + Times here.
5. 12 year old twins tear it up.
It's not often we're wowed by a 12 year old on a skateboard. It's even less often when there are two of them! This edit from Ty Evans features the insanely talented Pierce and Chris Brunner, who appear to have been born with some serious skating skills. Well worth a watch!
Watch 'The Twins' here.
Categories: 5 top finds
Tags: Design, Digital strategy, Reputation, Social media
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5 top finds from around the web. »
After last week's 'A special 5 top finds', we compile another list of some of the cool things we've stumbled upon over the past week.
1. Retrofied Facebook advertising.
After our post about Facebook yesterday, we came across these wonderfully vintage-themed posters for social networks. Created by Moma Propaganda and 6B Studio for Maximidia Seminars, there were a run of these posters under the title of 'Everything ages fast. Update'. Truly awesome!
See the rest of the posters here.
2. The future of the web?
We spotted a great piece on HTML5 and the future potential of the web over on McKinsey Quarterly the other day. Well worth a read if web standards are your cup of tea!
Read "How new Internet standards will finally deliver a mobile revolution" here.
3. Boris Bikes.
We love our bikes here at Hoop. Most of us ride to work, some of us using the extremely popular 'Boris Bikes'. Whilst we love the scheme and what it's done to encourage new cyclists onto London's roads, we also have a few reservations about the system.
It seems The Economist shares some of them.
Do you agree with the points raised in the article? We'd be interested to hear your thoughts, feel free to get in touch and let us know!
4. 1924's Venturous Vegetables at the Frolic Grounds
Kate draws your attention to these wonderful illustrations from Venturous Vegetables at the "Frolic Grounds" - an illustrated story by T. Benjamin Faucett (New York: A. L. Burt Company, 1924). The book forms part of Faucett's Moon Queen series - which you can see on 50 Watts here.
5. T-Mobile does the Royal Wedding.
To celebrate the Royal Wedding and to get people talking about the brand, the creatives over at T-Mobile have done a rather amusing parody of a popular YouTube video. Judging by a few of the comments, some people haven't quite realised that it's a joke. Fingers crossed this is actually how the Royal Wedding goes down!
See the T-Mobile Royal Wedding video here.
Categories: 5 top finds
Tags: Bikes
