Amazon Updates the Kindle Lineup

In a recent press event, Amazon, the makers of the popular Kindle e-reading device, announced the next generation of Kindle devices.

Kindle:


The good old Kindle we all know and love, right? Wrong. Although it keeps the simple, one word name, the new Kindle is a very different looking device. With the same 6 inch screen size as its predecessor, the new Kindle weighs 30% lighter (6 ounces), most likely due to the most noticeable difference: the new Kindle has no keyboard. Instead of using the keyboard, one navigates the device using the new five way controller, as well as four other small buttons.

The New Kindle

Download books over Wi-Fi (no 3G option this time around), and read them wherever you go, with up to a month of battery life on a single charge. Also, as Amazon is marketing strongly, the Kindle can be used even in bright sunlight, because of its black and white e-ink display.

The most compelling aspect of the new Kindle is it's price. The new device is the cheapest Kindle ever, at $79 if you choose "special offers" (click here to get an overview of what special offers is). If you choose not to go for the special offers, you'll pay $109 for this new e-reader.




Kindle Touch:

The Kindle Touch

At first glance, the Kindle Touch looks almost identical to the Kindle. The main noticeable difference is the Touch's lack of buttons. However, no buttons are needed, due to the Kindle Touch's 6 inch, e-ink, thouchscreen display.

Other than the touchscreen display, the Kindle Touch is almost identical to the regular Kindle. Another big difference is the 3G capabilities. The Touch is the only new Kindle that is available with a 3G model. With the always connected convenience of a cell phone, without any monthly fees or yearly contracts. The Wi-Fi version costs only $99, while 3G capabilities will cost you $149.


Kindle Fire:

The Kindle Fire

Probably the most anticipated update to the Kindle family is a color tablet device, called the Kindle Fire. The fire comes packed with a 7 inch color screen (something completely new to the Kindle brand), a 14.6 ounce weight (about the weight of a can of beans), a dual-core processor, and 8GB of storage. The body of the device is simplistic yet pretty, with no visible buttons.

The Fire runs Android, with an Amazon skin that makes it look like a completely new OS. Amazon is marketing the Fire as more of a multimedia player than a tablet computer, and, since it doesn't run the Android Market, that's really what it is. You can, however, download apps from the Amazon Appstore, which has, as Amazon says, "thousands of apps and games". You can download this content via the built in Wi-Fi, as this device has no 3G built in.

The Fire seems to revolve almost solely on Amazon's content. You download music from the Amazon MP3 store, apps from Amazon's Appstore, and movies from it's own video store. As always, books are also downloaded from Amazon's own service. This is an Apple-like strategy (with Apple's iTunes store), and is probably one of the reasons that Amazon can sell this device for only $199.

The new Kindle Fire is available for pre-order now, and will ship on November 15.

Driving, and driving traffic through the website

Working for a digital agency (www.mrmworldwide.com), I come across various digital marketing requirements from clients. One common client requirement is - website redesign/ changes. And familiar client remarks in such cases are – “Make it look different from the existing website”, “Identify best practices from other website and let’s incorporate the same”. On the face of it, it looks like a very common and straightforward ask …. But the truth is far, far true.

Sheryl Crow sang- A change would do you good. But the truth is, as humans, we seek familiarity. Be it the people we meet, the road we take from home to office, and in majority of the cases the food we eat….we tend to seen familiarity; so would it not be true even for our other habits including online. Yet, when as digital marketers we think about redesigning a website, we mostly seek complete change in the design including structural changes with little regard to the impact on user path

A casual glance into any website analytics would show that at-least 30% of the traffic would be that of repeat visitors. While the frequency of repeat visitors is generally not mapped (which is done either through cookie based tracking or IP based tracking); we can safely assume that there would be substantial amount of regular users to the website. This would be higher so, if the website is the primary source of interaction that the customers have with the brand, the product, or the company. As marketers, we all would be aware of the 80|20 principle. We also would be aware of what the marketing pundits keep repeating – your core customers are the most important ones. If we were to compare the website traffic basis what the pundits say – then should not our focus be on the loyal, rather than on the casual and the passerby

It is said familiarity breeds contempt. But, in many a case this might not be true. Imagine your email interface - be it the local desktop Outlook, or the free webmail services. In all the cases the links to relevant folders are on the left column. It has been so for a long, long time. Even when the email service providers enhanced their product interface by giving global links to folders on the top and bottom of the page, they did not disturb the left column links. Why? Because they did not want to upset the familiarity that people have been used to

A few days back, the traffic police in Gurgaon, the place I stay, converted few two way roads into one way. This was done to ease the traffic. The first couple of days it was chaotic on these roads. People knew where they want to go, but reaching there was becoming difficult. Another funny thing that I noticed was, even though the roads had become one way, people were wary of driving on the extreme right (which earlier was the opposite direction lane), they still stuck to the left lane. That’s how regulars become ‘conditioned’ to a particular path.

Similarly, I’m sure that even though the webmail service providers have provided other global links within the mail box, most people would still be conditioned to the left column browsing. And if keeping your core audience happy is your objective, and if they form a substantial traffic to your website, it is necessary that there are familiar elements in design and navigation so as not to confuse them. What is necessary as part of website redesign is to make it more effective, not different. And the best practice is to understand your current customer behavior on and off the website rather than how other websites look

Cheers

Santosh

Driving, and driving traffic through the website

Working for a digital agency (www.mrmworldwide.com), I come across various digital marketing requirements from clients. One common client requirement is - website redesign/ changes. And familiar client remarks in such cases are – “Make it look different from the existing website”, “Identify best practices from other website and let’s incorporate the same”. On the face of it, it looks like a very common and straightforward ask …. But the truth is far, far true.

Sheryl Crow sang- A change would do you good. But the truth is, as humans, we seek familiarity. Be it the people we meet, the road we take from home to office, and in majority of the cases the food we eat….we tend to seen familiarity; so would it not be true even for our other habits including online. Yet, when as digital marketers we think about redesigning a website, we mostly seek complete change in the design including structural changes with little regard to the impact on user path

A casual glance into any website analytics would show that at-least 30% of the traffic would be that of repeat visitors. While the frequency of repeat visitors is generally not mapped (which is done either through cookie based tracking or IP based tracking); we can safely assume that there would be substantial amount of regular users to the website. This would be higher so, if the website is the primary source of interaction that the customers have with the brand, the product, or the company. As marketers, we all would be aware of the 80|20 principle. We also would be aware of what the marketing pundits keep repeating – your core customers are the most important ones. If we were to compare the website traffic basis what the pundits say – then should not our focus be on the loyal, rather than on the casual and the passerby

It is said familiarity breeds contempt. But, in many a case this might not be true. Imagine your email interface - be it the local desktop Outlook, or the free webmail services. In all the cases the links to relevant folders are on the left column. It has been so for a long, long time. Even when the email service providers enhanced their product interface by giving global links to folders on the top and bottom of the page, they did not disturb the left column links. Why? Because they did not want to upset the familiarity that people have been used to

A few days back, the traffic police in Gurgaon, the place I stay, converted few two way roads into one way. This was done to ease the traffic. The first couple of days it was chaotic on these roads. People knew where they want to go, but reaching there was becoming difficult. Another funny thing that I noticed was, even though the roads had become one way, people were wary of driving on the extreme right (which earlier was the opposite direction lane), they still stuck to the left lane. That’s how regulars become ‘conditioned’ to a particular path.

Similarly, I’m sure that even though the webmail service providers have provided other global links within the mail box, most people would still be conditioned to the left column browsing. And if keeping your core audience happy is your objective, and if they form a substantial traffic to your website, it is necessary that there are familiar elements in design and navigation so as not to confuse them. What is necessary as part of website redesign is to make it more effective, not different. And the best practice is to understand your current customer behavior on and off the website rather than how other websites look

Cheers

Santosh

Driving, and driving traffic through the website

Working for a digital agency (www.mrmworldwide.com), I come across various digital marketing requirements from clients. One common client requirement is - website redesign/ changes. And familiar client remarks in such cases are – “Make it look different from the existing website”, “Identify best practices from other website and let’s incorporate the same”. On the face of it, it looks like a very common and straightforward ask …. But the truth is far, far true.

Sheryl Crow sang- A change would do you good. But the truth is, as humans, we seek familiarity. Be it the people we meet, the road we take from home to office, and in majority of the cases the food we eat….we tend to seen familiarity; so would it not be true even for our other habits including online. Yet, when as digital marketers we think about redesigning a website, we mostly seek complete change in the design including structural changes with little regard to the impact on user path

A casual glance into any website analytics would show that at-least 30% of the traffic would be that of repeat visitors. While the frequency of repeat visitors is generally not mapped (which is done either through cookie based tracking or IP based tracking); we can safely assume that there would be substantial amount of regular users to the website. This would be higher so, if the website is the primary source of interaction that the customers have with the brand, the product, or the company. As marketers, we all would be aware of the 80|20 principle. We also would be aware of what the marketing pundits keep repeating – your core customers are the most important ones. If we were to compare the website traffic basis what the pundits say – then should not our focus be on the loyal, rather than on the casual and the passerby

It is said familiarity breeds contempt. But, in many a case this might not be true. Imagine your email interface - be it the local desktop Outlook, or the free webmail services. In all the cases the links to relevant folders are on the left column. It has been so for a long, long time. Even when the email service providers enhanced their product interface by giving global links to folders on the top and bottom of the page, they did not disturb the left column links. Why? Because they did not want to upset the familiarity that people have been used to

A few days back, the traffic police in Gurgaon, the place I stay, converted few two way roads into one way. This was done to ease the traffic. The first couple of days it was chaotic on these roads. People knew where they want to go, but reaching there was becoming difficult. Another funny thing that I noticed was, even though the roads had become one way, people were wary of driving on the extreme right (which earlier was the opposite direction lane), they still stuck to the left lane. That’s how regulars become ‘conditioned’ to a particular path.

Similarly, I’m sure that even though the webmail service providers have provided other global links within the mail box, most people would still be conditioned to the left column browsing. And if keeping your core audience happy is your objective, and if they form a substantial traffic to your website, it is necessary that there are familiar elements in design and navigation so as not to confuse them. What is necessary as part of website redesign is to make it more effective, not different. And the best practice is to understand your current customer behavior on and off the website rather than how other websites look

Cheers

Santosh

[HOW-TP] - Use OS X Lion's Hidden WiFi Diagnostics App

SOURCE: CultofMac



Apple has included a nice app in Mac OS X Lion that you can use to gather all kinds of diagnostic information from your wireless network. The app provides really technical information about the network that most users might find puzzling perhaps that is why Apple decided to hide it. Today’s tip will show you how to uncover this handy wireless network utility.

The app named Wi-Fi Diagnostics is in the /System/Library/CoreServices folder. The folder isn’t normally accessible to you so you need to get there by going to the Finder and either going to the Go menu and selecting Go to Folder or by using the keyboard shortcut Shift-Command-G. A dialog will open so that you can enter /System/Library/CoreServices and press Return. A folder will open and you will find Wi-Fi Diagnostics inside of it. Just double-click it to open it.

Once you launch the app it gives you four options:

1. Monitor Performance which displays network signal strength, transmit power, noise level and data rate.
2. Record Events which maintains a log of what is going on with your Wi-Fi network.
3. Capture Raw Frames collects and retains information about all the data going into or out of your Mac via Wi-Fi.
4. Turn on Debug Logs does exactly what is says – logs of debugging information is collected to help you troubleshoot your wi-fi network.

You can use this handy tool to troubleshoot and resolve Wi-Fi network problems or simply to impress your friends and family.

 


 

 

 
 

Introducing Timeline -- a New Kind of Profile

Great FEATURE!! Just can;t wait to sign up!

A New Class of Social Apps on Facebook

Sensor Technologist - Shwetak Patel, 2011 MacArthur Fellow

5 Android Apps you Need: App 5

This is the final post of a five part series. Read the fourth post here.


So we've been pretty productive with our first four apps, and it's time to have some fun. If you follow sports of any kind, this free app from ESPN.com, is a great download. Called ESPN ScoreCenter, the app puts sports news, videos, scores, and more, in the hand of the user.

The app allows you to what's going on in tens of different leagues, including the big ones like NFL, MLB, and NBA, and the smaller ones, like Formula 1, NCAA Water polo, and Cricket. The app offers live scores, news, videos, and more for free, ad-free, from ESPN.

LauncherPro for Android

Although the design's not the prettiest, it's definitely a lot better than many other apps, making this sports-lover's app a sure download. It can be downloaded for free from the Android Market, or ESPN.com.

Now, I promised in the App 2 post that App 5 would contain a special bonus app. So, here goes.

Everyone knows that User Interface design isn't one of Android's strong points. It may be a powerful system, but iOS leaves Android in the dirt as far as UI. The good thing about Android, is that you're not stuck, and here's an app that'll make your phone just a little more pretty.

A free app from a developer named Federico Carnales, LauncherPro completely changes the look of your Android device, hopefully for the better. It is also extremely customizable, so check out the pics below, and see if you like it. If you do, it's a free download from the Android Market.


Hope you enjoyed this series, bye for now.

[HOW-TO] -Jailbreak Using Redsn0w 0.9.9b1

SOURCE: Cydiahelp
The iPhone Dev Team today released a major update, Redsn0w 0.9.9b1, which they’ve promised to release with so many major improvements and features. Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 is now available for download with many major improvement and features. Below, we’ve made a quick walk-through inside the Redsnow 0.9.9b1 version.


Once you start Redsn0w 0.9.9b1, you get a totally new screen asks you to choose either “Jailbreak” or “Extras”. Once you get to Extras, you’ve a lot of options to do.

First of all, Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 extras include the Just Boot option which is made for those tethered-jailbroken devices. Tethered means you have to connect your device to your computer every time it reboots and choose Just Boot option from Redsn0w so it opens again.
Second option in Redsn0w 0.9.9b1: Pwned DFU, this option is made for those restoring via iTunes using custom IPSW firmwares cooked by Sn0wbreeze or PwnageTool. Putting your device in Pwned DFU mode will bypass so many errors that would appear without it.
Recovery fix is the next option. It’s the same as many apps as Recboot and TinyUmbrella which allows you to get kick your device out of Recovery mode (or enter it) which may be caused by iTunes errors while restoring.
The most important option is that SHSH Blobs, it includes many options inside it. Here’s the options:

• Fetch - fetch current partial blobs on your iOS device.  Should complete in under 10 or 15 seconds.  Puts the set PARTIAL of blobs on your computer as a plist.  Checks if Cydia already has a full set for this device and build.  If not, it submits this partial set and returns Cydia’s acknowledgement or rejection.
• Verify  – cryptographically verifies existing blob files from either redsn0w, TinyUmbrella, or Cydia server.  You can select a whole bunch of blobs to verify at once if you want (like the TinyUmbrella directory).
• Submit  - both verifies and submits one or more blob files to Cydia.  This lets you copy your entire TinyUmbrella cache of blobs up to the Cydia server.
• Query - queries the Cydia server for all available full or partial blobs for a given set of ECIDs.
• Stitch – stitches either FULL or PARTIAL blobs to a STOCK or CUSTOM IPSW.

Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 also includes an option called Select IPSW which is for picking non-public IPSWs, or overriding auto-detection.
Need more clarification? Well, we’ve made a quick guide to jailbreak iOS 5 beta 7 using Redsn0w 0.9.9b1:
Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 Guide:
STEP 1: Download iOS 5 beta 7 firmware for your iOS device from here then download Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 from the links given at the end of the page.
STEP 2: Open Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 and then choose Jailbreak to be able to jailbreak your iOS device:



STEP 3: Now you’ll have to follow the on-screen instructions to enter the DFU mode.

STEP 4: Once Redsn0w identify your iOS device, you’ll get a message telling you which IPSW file it needs.

Note: In our case you’ll need to get back to Extras and Select IPSW as we’re on beta but for public firmwares, you’ll be able to select it directly.
STEP 5: Finally, you’ll select Install Cydia and then Cydia will be installed successfully on your iOS device.


One of our team members have made a quick video walkthrough for our readers, hopefully watch it:

Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 for Windows
Download Redsn0w 0.9.9b1 for Mac OS X

Has Social Media come of age?

One of the main characteristic of any mass media is its ability to impact the society. Be it the newspapers, television or radio, each had played its part, in terms of changing views and shaping the society.

In the recent past, there have been many news articles about the impact of social media in the civil society movements… Be it Coffee Party in America, The elections in Iran, the civil movements in Tunisia, Egypt (#Twitterrevolution) and other Arab countries...or, closer home, the Team Anna’s anti corruption movement in India…. Social media usage has become an important tactic in terms of spreading awareness and mobilizing support.

The question is - has social media come of age?

If you look at the history of mass media… it has always been associated with politics. In fact, it is referred to as “fourth estate”, the other 3 being Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Traditional mass media was and has been controlled by a few (Just imagine, more than 90% of mass media consumed in the US is owned by just 6 media companies), and is limited by its ‘real estate’ – print area, bandwidth, or time… Mass media has always been used as a mass communication system to reach the public.

The relatively new Social Media however is built on a different model. The characteristic of social media is that it is not limited by any ‘real estate’, and more importantly is a mass communication system for the public. On the same platform, one can either broadcast or send a personal message.
There are 3 distinctive features for any mass media –

- The reach
- The information
- Influence on the people/society

The Reach:

The Internet boom took place in most countries during the mid 90’s. Majority of the social media consumers are the people who grew up with the Internet. Of the 640 Million Facebook users, more than 70% of the users are under 34 years…and close to 50% of the users under 25 years (source: checkfacebook.com). According to worldinternetstats.com, there are 2.1 Billion internet users in the world. If we assume that at-least 40% of these users are on social media, we are talking about close to 800 Million users globally. Looking at the sheer numbers, the social media surely fits into being called a mass media

The information:

Any mass media is known by the quantity and quality of information it disperses. Nobody can doubt the quantity of the information… be it a foursquare update on one’s check-in into a local bakery, or a Facebook update of a traffic jam on your way to work, or a tweet about environmental impact of discarded laptop batteries, linking to a blog or YouTube video..there are millions of such updates happening every minute, globally

But, when it comes to quality of information, most of the stuff seen in social media is found wanting. It is known fact, that ‘noise’ is the biggest factor that impacts effective flow of communication. In the traditional media, information flows from a professional few, and a lot of ‘filters’ before it is actually transmitted to the users… But in social media, the number of professionals and the reason for filters do not exist. Hence, there is a lot of information created, but very little percentage of that is of substance… It is early days of social media, but ‘filters’ for information has already begun… be it the search engine algorithms, or the social bookmarks, or user reviews… it is just a matter of time, before the perfect mouse trap in terms of social media filters is created

Influence on the society:

The influence of mass media shapes our concepts of who we are, what is important to us, and how we live our life. Majority of the social media users are the youth. Most information in the social media is created by the youth for the youth. Where as in today’s world the society is being led and shaped by people with experience. Most Decision Maker’s in our society still belong to the classic era of media, and have only adapted to social media (or for that matter, Internet) pretty late. However, the divisional lines between traditional media and social media are diffusing. It is a world of convergence media; Where-in each media feeds of the other for information seeking and broadcasting… You’ll find traditional media tweeting about their articles and liberally seeking information from other people’s tweets… so too, you will find tweets and updates based on the information the user gets from print, TV or radio.

So while, in today’s context, social media may not directly influence the society at large… it can indirectly influence the people who influence the society… (eg. the traditional media). However, as more and more internet generation people becomes decision makers…the impact of social media on the society and popular culture would become strong

So has social media truly come of age?? I’d dare say, yes. However, there are some things that social media needs to overcome to be accepted as a powerful and influential medium by all… The concentration of the users should not be skewed to few locations, there should be stronger filters to reduce the noises, and more importantly wait for few more years

Cheers

Santosh

Has Social Media come of age?

One of the main characteristic of any mass media is its ability to impact the society. Be it the newspapers, television or radio, each had played its part, in terms of changing views and shaping the society.

In the recent past, there have been many news articles about the impact of social media in the civil society movements… Be it Coffee Party in America, The elections in Iran, the civil movements in Tunisia, Egypt (#Twitterrevolution) and other Arab countries...or, closer home, the Team Anna’s anti corruption movement in India…. Social media usage has become an important tactic in terms of spreading awareness and mobilizing support.

The question is - has social media come of age?

If you look at the history of mass media… it has always been associated with politics. In fact, it is referred to as “fourth estate”, the other 3 being Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Traditional mass media was and has been controlled by a few (Just imagine, more than 90% of mass media consumed in the US is owned by just 6 media companies), and is limited by its ‘real estate’ – print area, bandwidth, or time… Mass media has always been used as a mass communication system to reach the public.

The relatively new Social Media however is built on a different model. The characteristic of social media is that it is not limited by any ‘real estate’, and more importantly is a mass communication system for the public. On the same platform, one can either broadcast or send a personal message.
There are 3 distinctive features for any mass media –

- The reach
- The information
- Influence on the people/society

The Reach:

The Internet boom took place in most countries during the mid 90’s. Majority of the social media consumers are the people who grew up with the Internet. Of the 640 Million Facebook users, more than 70% of the users are under 34 years…and close to 50% of the users under 25 years (source: checkfacebook.com). According to worldinternetstats.com, there are 2.1 Billion internet users in the world. If we assume that at-least 40% of these users are on social media, we are talking about close to 800 Million users globally. Looking at the sheer numbers, the social media surely fits into being called a mass media

The information:

Any mass media is known by the quantity and quality of information it disperses. Nobody can doubt the quantity of the information… be it a foursquare update on one’s check-in into a local bakery, or a Facebook update of a traffic jam on your way to work, or a tweet about environmental impact of discarded laptop batteries, linking to a blog or YouTube video..there are millions of such updates happening every minute, globally

But, when it comes to quality of information, most of the stuff seen in social media is found wanting. It is known fact, that ‘noise’ is the biggest factor that impacts effective flow of communication. In the traditional media, information flows from a professional few, and a lot of ‘filters’ before it is actually transmitted to the users… But in social media, the number of professionals and the reason for filters do not exist. Hence, there is a lot of information created, but very little percentage of that is of substance… It is early days of social media, but ‘filters’ for information has already begun… be it the search engine algorithms, or the social bookmarks, or user reviews… it is just a matter of time, before the perfect mouse trap in terms of social media filters is created

Influence on the society:

The influence of mass media shapes our concepts of who we are, what is important to us, and how we live our life. Majority of the social media users are the youth. Most information in the social media is created by the youth for the youth. Where as in today’s world the society is being led and shaped by people with experience. Most Decision Maker’s in our society still belong to the classic era of media, and have only adapted to social media (or for that matter, Internet) pretty late. However, the divisional lines between traditional media and social media are diffusing. It is a world of convergence media; Where-in each media feeds of the other for information seeking and broadcasting… You’ll find traditional media tweeting about their articles and liberally seeking information from other people’s tweets… so too, you will find tweets and updates based on the information the user gets from print, TV or radio.

So while, in today’s context, social media may not directly influence the society at large… it can indirectly influence the people who influence the society… (eg. the traditional media). However, as more and more internet generation people becomes decision makers…the impact of social media on the society and popular culture would become strong

So has social media truly come of age?? I’d dare say, yes. However, there are some things that social media needs to overcome to be accepted as a powerful and influential medium by all… The concentration of the users should not be skewed to few locations, there should be stronger filters to reduce the noises, and more importantly wait for few more years

Cheers

Santosh

Has Social Media come of age?

One of the main characteristic of any mass media is its ability to impact the society. Be it the newspapers, television or radio, each had played its part, in terms of changing views and shaping the society.

In the recent past, there have been many news articles about the impact of social media in the civil society movements… Be it Coffee Party in America, The elections in Iran, the civil movements in Tunisia, Egypt (#Twitterrevolution) and other Arab countries...or, closer home, the Team Anna’s anti corruption movement in India…. Social media usage has become an important tactic in terms of spreading awareness and mobilizing support.

The question is - has social media come of age?

If you look at the history of mass media… it has always been associated with politics. In fact, it is referred to as “fourth estate”, the other 3 being Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Traditional mass media was and has been controlled by a few (Just imagine, more than 90% of mass media consumed in the US is owned by just 6 media companies), and is limited by its ‘real estate’ – print area, bandwidth, or time… Mass media has always been used as a mass communication system to reach the public.

The relatively new Social Media however is built on a different model. The characteristic of social media is that it is not limited by any ‘real estate’, and more importantly is a mass communication system for the public. On the same platform, one can either broadcast or send a personal message.
There are 3 distinctive features for any mass media –

- The reach
- The information
- Influence on the people/society

The Reach:

The Internet boom took place in most countries during the mid 90’s. Majority of the social media consumers are the people who grew up with the Internet. Of the 640 Million Facebook users, more than 70% of the users are under 34 years…and close to 50% of the users under 25 years (source: checkfacebook.com). According to worldinternetstats.com, there are 2.1 Billion internet users in the world. If we assume that at-least 40% of these users are on social media, we are talking about close to 800 Million users globally. Looking at the sheer numbers, the social media surely fits into being called a mass media

The information:

Any mass media is known by the quantity and quality of information it disperses. Nobody can doubt the quantity of the information… be it a foursquare update on one’s check-in into a local bakery, or a Facebook update of a traffic jam on your way to work, or a tweet about environmental impact of discarded laptop batteries, linking to a blog or YouTube video..there are millions of such updates happening every minute, globally

But, when it comes to quality of information, most of the stuff seen in social media is found wanting. It is known fact, that ‘noise’ is the biggest factor that impacts effective flow of communication. In the traditional media, information flows from a professional few, and a lot of ‘filters’ before it is actually transmitted to the users… But in social media, the number of professionals and the reason for filters do not exist. Hence, there is a lot of information created, but very little percentage of that is of substance… It is early days of social media, but ‘filters’ for information has already begun… be it the search engine algorithms, or the social bookmarks, or user reviews… it is just a matter of time, before the perfect mouse trap in terms of social media filters is created

Influence on the society:

The influence of mass media shapes our concepts of who we are, what is important to us, and how we live our life. Majority of the social media users are the youth. Most information in the social media is created by the youth for the youth. Where as in today’s world the society is being led and shaped by people with experience. Most Decision Maker’s in our society still belong to the classic era of media, and have only adapted to social media (or for that matter, Internet) pretty late. However, the divisional lines between traditional media and social media are diffusing. It is a world of convergence media; Where-in each media feeds of the other for information seeking and broadcasting… You’ll find traditional media tweeting about their articles and liberally seeking information from other people’s tweets… so too, you will find tweets and updates based on the information the user gets from print, TV or radio.

So while, in today’s context, social media may not directly influence the society at large… it can indirectly influence the people who influence the society… (eg. the traditional media). However, as more and more internet generation people becomes decision makers…the impact of social media on the society and popular culture would become strong

So has social media truly come of age?? I’d dare say, yes. However, there are some things that social media needs to overcome to be accepted as a powerful and influential medium by all… The concentration of the users should not be skewed to few locations, there should be stronger filters to reduce the noises, and more importantly wait for few more years

Cheers

Santosh

iPhone 5 to be launch on Oct. 5?

This is my guess and looks like others on the Net also guessing the same thing. Its going to be OCTOBER 5.
Why? The date is significant and synonym to Apple next release of products i.e. iPhone 5 and iOS 5.
Together, we would expect to have iCloud launch with both iPhone 5 and iOS 5.
What do you think? Are you ready?

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Bead Soup September 2011 Reveal...

Welcome to my Bead Soup Reveal…

I know there is a lot to see with over 300 entries so I'll keep to mainly photos:

Marsha Neal Studio Bracelets.

Handmade Ceramic Beads & Fancy Jasper.

The small faceted Fancy Jasper Beads from Miri were perfect!

I have been stocking up on jasper stones since April.

Loved using one of my fairy ribbons with these silver & large hole beads...

Even made a slip on bracelet with the extra beads from the Bead Soup...

Here is a group shot of bracelets and necklace from Miri's Soup.

Beads on the work table, finding their place

Snapped with my iPhone during creation of the adjustable bracelet.

These will be my new fall layered look...

And can I tell you that after being part of this Bead Soup 2011…

That I am inspired…

No - obsessed (don't we all go there?)

Inspired to use some of these new beads…

And some of these lentil beads that have been around since last fall…

To make some actual finished work that will be available for sale very soon…

Strange Fruit performing at Longwood Gardens in PA, Sept 16 to 18, 2011.

It is all such a strange dance that we keep going around in isn't it?

I plan on stocking up on more of that Fancy Jasper.

So I need to sell more beads to buy more beads…

Want updates on my beads?

Sign up for my newsletter while you're here.

Thank you Miri for sending me those faceted beauties!

And Lori for hosting Bead Soup for me to have a deadline to work towards…

Thanks for stopping by!

Make sure to catch up with the 300+ other bloggers participating in this Bead Soup…

Click HERE to see all my 2011 Bead Soup posts.

Bead Soup September 2011 Reveal...

Welcome to my Bead Soup Reveal…

I know there is a lot to see with over 300 entries so I'll keep to mainly photos:

Marsha Neal Studio Bracelets.

Handmade Ceramic Beads & Fancy Jasper.

The small faceted Fancy Jasper Beads from Miri were perfect!

I have been stocking up on jasper stones since April.

Loved using one of my fairy ribbons with these silver & large hole beads...

Even made a slip on bracelet with the extra beads from the Bead Soup...

Here is a group shot of bracelets and necklace from Miri's Soup.

Beads on the work table, finding their place

Snapped with my iPhone during creation of the adjustable bracelet.

These will be my new fall layered look...

And can I tell you that after being part of this Bead Soup 2011…

That I am inspired…

No - obsessed (don't we all go there?)

Inspired to use some of these new beads…

And some of these lentil beads that have been around since last fall…

To make some actual finished work that will be available for sale very soon…

Strange Fruit performing at Longwood Gardens in PA, Sept 16 to 18, 2011.

It is all such a strange dance that we keep going around in isn't it?

I plan on stocking up on more of that Fancy Jasper.

So I need to sell more beads to buy more beads…

Want updates on my beads?

Sign up for my newsletter while you're here.

Thank you Miri for sending me those faceted beauties!

And Lori for hosting Bead Soup for me to have a deadline to work towards…

Thanks for stopping by!

Make sure to catch up with the 300+ other bloggers participating in this Bead Soup…

Click HERE to see all my 2011 Bead Soup posts.