Where I've been this week in the social web's places and spaces:
- For Linkedin members, SaaSblogs Software as a Service Group, the discussion rages over the question "SaaS & XaaS: What Makes Up A Service - Part 2?", latest poke:
SaaS and many ISVs have made the transition – however difficult that might be. But when it came to marketing the product – they are still selling it as a technology – even if they see it as embodying special expertise for their market and not as a service.
- Also for Linkedin members Why do so many marketing professionals not know how to use linked in properly? caught my eye.
- Facebook is king of the social networks, but the New York Times claims there is a Facebook exodus. If you have nearly 300m members and 5% churn then that is a lot of people who potentially want to broadcast their "bad news" story about FB. From a social media strategy perspective it makes no difference whether they exit or not.
- Signed up for the Black Diamond continuing education program of the Social Media Academy. It's an exciting professional program, and I'm looking forward to participating with the other Certified consultants and business managers.
- Is your brand taking advantage of some of Twitter''s lesser-known marketing opportunities? iMedia has a good set of examples.
- Read that J.C. Penney Co., the third-largest US department-store chain, bought ads on Facebook to draw users to its own page (as US back-to-school shopping got under way). Said Nick Bomersbach, vice president of the retailer’s jcp.com. J.C. Penney’s Facebook page went from having about 22,000 "fans" to almost 500,000.
- Forrester Research says that Australians spent $23b online in 2008, with estimated growth of 9% annually to $32b by 2012. eBay's Deborah Sharkey quoted statistics from the Australian Payments and Clearing Association indicating that 43% of the $23b spent online in 2008 went overseas, reported David Trewern from the Australian Online Retailer conference.
- Telstra announced the closing of its original blog Now We Are Talking "After a review of where we were headed with our online communications and how best to engage with important stakeholders like you, we have decided to close our nowwearetalking website and develop a new, more engaging, interactive site under the main telstra.com umbrella".
