Of course retailers are looking to convert their Facebook fans into sales, but simply uploading your full e-commerce offering into Facebook is not social commerce. It’s commerce within a social network. So rather than plonking everything you’re offering into Facebook just for the sake of it and hoping it’ll work, what a lot of companies have been doing is integrating social features into their own e-commerce websites and reaping the rewards this way. A great example that I came across recently was KLM’s “Meet & Seat”, where passengers can link their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles to the flight they’ll be on, in order to see who else is on board, and decide who you want to sit with – long before the flight leaves the ground. Here is a video explaining how it works:

While not strictly “social commerce”, KLM is giving us a great example of how social functionalities can be integrated into product and service offerings in order to enhance the social experience for the customer. Facebook stores are not going to go away, and I’m sure the big-wigs over in the US are working on a new strategy to keep big brand retailers interested in selling through the platform. What is clear is that there is more than one way to go about socialising e-commerce. It’s not that F-Commerce is a failure, but at the moment the successful companies are those that bring the social features of Facebook and embedding them in their commercial website.

That doesn’t mean most of us don’t want more money. But do we just casually share it with the world? No.

You see, this study by NetBase that compares what people say they want and what they share on social media is (almost) completely different. After monitoring social networks for the ‘I want phrase’, the company put together a top 10 of the most ‘requested’ things online by both men and women. They then compared it with a Harris study that asked “What is the one thing you want right now?” and came to the conclusion that what people say they want and what they share on social media is different. The article explains that people share items online based on emotions, but provide rational answers when asked about what they like.

That’s correct, but why should this become a big deal in the first place?

In my opinion the two surveys deal with two completely different things (see the image below). People share on social media their desires at that moment in time, but when asked for a survey “What is the one thing you want right now?” they think about something that’s really important to them. Also, I believe that during the Harris survey respondents were given set answers in order to help with the research process.

That’s it. Two completely different studies: one that deals with the ‘important’ things people want and the other that measures people’s impulsive needs. What I find even more interesting in this infographic is the fact that both men and women want most of the same things (and that most men think more about having a companion than sex).

Social Media World is Australia’s leading social media conference, and will take place as part of The Internet Show Sydney in November. Find out more here.

The ATO will be represented by Jane King, the Deputy Commissioner, Customer Service & Solutions.

Customer Service is an increasingly important benefit of social media, and the ATO have recognised this. Ms King will present on ‘How to shift your contact centre to social channels’.

Other confirmed speakers include Hungry Jacks, Foxtel, Avon, Johnson & Johnson and Myer.

Click here to find out more about The Internet Show in Sydney.

Average revenue per user in US is $9.45 while in Europe, the average revenue per user is $4.83. Global average revenue per use is $4.31.

As Facebook floats as a public company next week, pressure to increase average advertising revenue per user is expected to mount from shareholders.

Advertisers typically use Facebook as a cheap means of getting to lots of people with simple ads that appear on the right-hand side of a person’s page.

Currently, Facebook allows advertisers to contribute a wishlist of target audience, afterwhich Facebook places the advertisement on their behalf. Hence not allowing advertisers to deliver a targeted advertising campaign to the Facebook users.

This is going to be an exciting year as Facebook becomes a public company. Commercialisation is inevitable. And the opportunity for advertisers is huge if and when Facebook opens up its massive user database.

Are an advertiser, have you managed to leverage on Facebook effectively to achieve your business objective? Once again in 2012, Facebook experts will be conducting free seminars to share that with you in Sydney this November.

Sydney Morning Herald article

Malware attacks on smartphones and tablets more than doubled last year. Malware may be built to achieve several objectives- disrupt computer operations, amass private and confidential data or to get unauthorised access to computers.

BYO devices may make your workforce more mobile. But it creates a big risk of data loss through data theft as there might be huge amount of sensitive business data on mobile devices.

Therefore it is vital that you update the operating systems in your phone as a precautionary measure against malware. It is a simple step that every business should take.

Come November, experts from leading brands will share on how they are implementing BYO devices and the steps taken against security risks in Sydney.

The number of South Africans using the internet has significantly risen because of the impact of smartphones and mobile phones, a new study has shown.

Internet usage in South Africa grew 25% in the past year, according to the study by research company World Wide Worx and the howzit MSN online portal.

The 6.8 million South Africans using the internet at the end of 2010 jumped to 8.5 million by the end of last year.

The number was projected to increase to more than 10m people by the end of 2012.

> Click here to read the full article

Africa’s only internet business event. It is a technology showcase exhibition where attendees meet, network and do business with internet business decision-makers from Africa’s big, medium & small enterprises
In the current economic climate online is one of the few growing sectors. Businesses are investing more in migrating their businesses online and more on online marketing than ever before.

> Learn more about the show

> Make an enquiry

When you download a free mobile app, you will have to put up with advertising in the app. That’s how the app developer generate revenue. Most of the time, the advertising comes in the form of banner advertisements.

Very soon, one of the most popular game app in the world, Angry Birds, will be introducing video advertising in it. If you are in Australia, congrats, you will be the first to go on this. As an advertiser, how exciting to be given a new medium in this popular channel.

Adconion, an online advertising broker struck a deal with Rovio to deliver video ads to the free version of the Angry Birds game in Australia. Read the full article here.

Would be interesting to see how both the Australian consumers and advertisers are reacting to this in the coming weeks.

—————————————————————————–

Leading Australian brands gather to share their experience on customer engagement through mobile applications this November in Sydney.

As reported by ABC News

The trial will help determine the long-term feasibility of advertising on the site, potential revenue and the level of public acceptance.

Figures show the bureau’s website is one of the top 10 visited sites in Australia, with more than 3.3 billion page views recorded in 2011.

There will be strict guidelines about the type of advertising permitted on the site and the revenue generated will go towards meeting the bureau’s operating costs.

If this trial is successful, perhaps chances are that more government owned websites might be opened up for online advertising. And of course, advertising on state owned websites comes with a set of strict compliance rules.

Regardless, this means that marketers will have another avenue to reach out to a wider audience. How is the online marketing landscape changing? Leading online marketing experts will be sharing their take on the future this November in Sydney

Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are uniting to expand their online education programmes, while also inviting other colleges to come on board. The USD60 million venture, called edX, builds on MIT’s exiting MITx platform, and encourages video lessons, immediate feedback and a space for online laboratories.

For the full article, please visit Straits Times online.

Don’t forget to join us at the Digital Education Show Asia this September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Top Asian universities such as University of Tokyo, Korea University, National University of Singapore and more will be sharing on their experience and projects on e-learning. Download the agenda for more information.

As reported by The West Australian, “The Hunger Games” harnessed social networks such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, stoking interest in moviegoers. Since the release in March, “The Hunger Games” has made $375 million at the box office.

This meant Lions Gate marketers likely spent $15 million to $20 million less than a larger Hollywood studio might have, using a campaign heavier on television advertising, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp Chief Executive Jon Feltheimer said during a conference in Los Angeles this week.

Movie studios spent $2.9 billion last year to advertise their movies on TV, according to Kantar Media, which advises agencies and brand owners on media strategies.

What can be learnt from this instance is that you have to know your target audience well, where they frequent then reach out to them accordingly. Leading Australian brands will be in Sydney in November to share on how they are reaching out to their target audience and how effective those channels are.