Updates from February, 2010
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#RusTechDel
Ivan Komarov
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Happy New Year!
Ivan Komarov
It is hard to start New Year in Russia. We have 10 day holiday and tonight is the last of them — so call Old New Year, a New Year celebrated by old calendar. It falls on the 13-14th of January — the same way Russian Orthodox Christmas falls on th 6-7th instead of 24-25th of December.
So… Happy New Year to those, who I have missed!
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New Network Idea
Ivan Komarov
I am just generating ideas. But some also work! Like the one I wrote about in my previous posts. The previous post was the form… or you secret gate to mobile screens of anyone on GSM. Anonymous access. Interesting? Huge power! But it is totally legal too. Do you want to try? Then you have to write what you can do with it as a response to this post. Then I will send you the code. The codes will be changed frequently so it does not make any sense to share them with other people. Just enjoy yourself — I will be updating you on upcoming changes of password.
Network Idea. A network where the goal is to connect to as many people as possible so that you can make money from advertising to them.
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Social Networks Are Like Universities? Non-Profit?
Ivan Komarov
OK, new thought of a retired economist. All these big social networks making little to no money — may be Anderson right in the sense that money is not important. It is not the economy of money. It is (my beloved as judged by my PhD thesis) non-monetary economy… Have to think more about it. Money does not matter… Well, it matters but corporations creating social networks are like… universities! Like science labs. Like military. Like a lot of the government. It just cannot make money and should live either off some body else’s endowment or direct subsidies. Hmmm…
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Business Idea for App Developers
Ivan Komarov
So you develop applications and want to earn money?
Another way: sell advertisements on your customers’ phones.
In other words. Say you develop an application. Instead of asking for money, you ask the user for the mobile phone number and permission to send 1 message a day via USSD which will no clog the person’s phone memory. Easy. Some people will cheat putting the card in an extra phone. But most will consume ads.
Then sell ads to cell phones. I know that Eyeline (http://eyeline.mobi) has the technology to implement this: send USSD to any phone on the planet.
So: but USSD transactions, sell ads on the phones, and get paid for apps.
But to have it all smooth we need a market — one that sells and buys USSD transactions, one for USSD ads, and one for applications.
By the way, those can be any applications.
Ads can be targeted!
Think about it.
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social media
Ivan Komarov
What the F**K is Social Media: One Year LaterView more documents from Marta Kagan. -
Expensive phones in Russia
Ivan Komarov
Of course Russia is the freest telecom country — no loyalty what so Fxxxing ever. Buy a SIM card at TELE2 (Tack så mycket). Pay like nothing. Coverage like your village only. ))
Well, the story is. Phones are expensive.
My wife had her phone stolen. Professionals. SIM card gone in a second. Had the phone with the stupidest camera. Who can tell me why there are cameras of .3 MP? What is it for? For a thumbnail producer? A teaser? “I have been there… Here is a nail size photo. Nope, you can see larger. You will see the SQUARES of color.”
Telecom people often do not think.
Anyway. We thought: let’s upgrade to a phone with OKish camera. At least 2 MB. (So that you can say, hey, here is a cell phone picture!)
What do I find? Nutting, or close to that. Fly phone for 120 bucks. “Fly away.” So I order it. Good that Internet shops in Russia are also the freest in the world (they don’t have the payment option). So when I got my i…PAQ, I called and canceled. The girl was happy (not to go to my side of town?).
Fly was $120. The Cheapest. My iPAQ was $250. With everything (except for Mac OS or Android).
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USSD and SIM
Ivan Komarov
You just never know it all.
I have an upgrade! I got myself an iPAQ. Yes, not an iPhone. Not a gPhone. A times (sic!) cheaper – they tricked me of course in Metro about VAT but still, 8000 rubles which is about $250, for a device which:
Has 3G (so I can access fast Internet in many places around Novosibirsk)
Quad band (can use in the States)
QWERTY keyboard (Ow, I am liking it now!)
Windows Mobile (so I can use Skype)
WiFi (so I don’t need to take out the biggie — Dell 1525)
Touch Screen (which is really used with non-Microsoft programs like Skyfire which rightfully got next round of financing recently)
SD card slot (so my $5 1Gb card can have photos)
3MP camera (stinker, but OK)
Oh, yeah, GP freaking S!
Cool ah? Seems like everybody’s home now. ) It’s called 914, business manager. Gee, call it a blogger or so.
Anyway. So I have it. Of course, I already know where a hard reset is and all that. I used to play with those devices when I was in Vito Technology. (At the time we designed cool navigation software SmartMap.)
Roight. And then I am asked to send an SMS. Wait! Before I tried to get settings for 3g (though it is easy to set it up nowadays without any settings). I see *111# does not work. Big deal. May be a glitch (so call Galich – our tech guru guy).
So. SMS. It does not send! Geez. SMS! Bill! Open your Gates! I need it!
Anyway. No SMS. No USSD 2. WTF. I don’t sleep 2 nights. I find – check SIM card.
I got a new one today – a replacement for my wife’s stolen one. (Beware of shopping mall thieves!) (Actually that’s how the whole story with buying a new phone happened.)
VIOLA! SMS sent. USSD 2 *111# works. New SIM. Old SIM and iPAQ can not work together. So beware of this.
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Social Media - Does It Work for Business?
Ivan Komarov
Found a good article at LinkedIn about social media. It almost got me completely distracted last year as I had been LinkedIning forever foregoing my responsibilities at other projects.
So is it good or bad? For one, here are some stats from a LinkedIn discussion:
Social Media Giving Execs the Willies?
The Center for Media Research has reported on a paper that reaches the conclusions that executives in many companies are worried about social media in some form or another. If it’s not how employees are wasting valuable company time as a result of their Twitter and / or Facebook fetishes (51%) it is about how their companies and brands are being represented in the social media world (49%). Legitimate concerns for sure but it is probably high time that executives stop wringing their hands about this stuff and just jump in with the rest of the sharks people.
About the study itself
The study providing a foundation for the white paper, “Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risks,” was conducted by Minneapolis-based Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law in July 2009. A total of 438 randomly selected management, marketing and human resources executives within companies across the United States completed the online survey, providing a statistical reliability of +/-4.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
So what other tidbits of information came along regarding executives and this terrifying animal known as social media / marketing / networking? Basically, there appears to be an understanding that putting their head in the sand will not be a good solution to the social media conundrum faced by many companies today. In other words, execs don’t seem to like the idea but they realize that they are going to need to face the reality. Some data for you
• 81% believe social media can enhance relationships with customers/clients
• 81% agree it can build brand reputation
• 69% feel such networking can be valuable in recruitment
• 64% see it as a customer service tool
• 46% think it can be used to enhance employee moraleMost are reactive rather than proactive as it relates to social media. Despite the head nodding about how it can help their business, the upper echelons of executives are just plain scared of what social media can do to their companies. As a result they are not really getting involved despite the recognition of the potential upside.
Those surveyed who are not using social media on a corporate basis say non-implementation is primarily due to concern about confidentiality or security issues (40%), employee productivity (37%) or simply not knowing enough about it (51%).
This may be why many organizations continue to prohibit workplace access to social networking sites. The study found that 40 percent of companies technically block their employees from accessing social media while at work. At the same time, 26% of companies use social media to further corporate objectives and 70% said they plan to increase the use of these new opportunities.
Ok, so which side of the fence are they playing on? Do they get it enough to do something or are they just saying it to look good? While these people seem to get scared about their employees wasting time less than 1/3 have put a formal policy in place around the use of the various social media outlets of which Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn etc etc and less than 10% have done any employee training around it.
Even though social media communication is growing, only one in 10 executives say they have staff who spend more than 50% of their time on such efforts, and only 13% have included social media in their organizations’ crisis communications plans.
Shared by Daryl Toor
Linkedin to me and send invite to:dtoor@attentiongroup.com
followme@twitter/prmarketingguruWell, this year has proved that sites like LinkedIn can be very good for business. Eyeline have had good success promoting ArrivedOK. I have established a good reputation as an expert on USSD with it. But then it started to eat a lot of my time. So I did some optimization.
Things are really evolving and I think it is possible to say where it is all going. It is going to be all digital and there going to be a lot of virtual. As Google is killing New York Times (sorry the fresh newspaper smell lovers), we also getting virtual communities killing bars and discos. Indeed – why spend money drinking when you can connect with hundreds of people and may be even see other people “scores” in milliseconds?
As to social media… well, I don’t think it is making money but does it matter? I think a lot has to do with liberal seigniorage by the US government anyway. Because you should have a plethora of money to wait for indefinite time sponsoring a bunch of people creating a virtual exchange of news for millions of, it turns out, aging people.
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Apple vs. Microsoft
Ivan Komarov
Ad Spend by Microsoft and Apple
I like this. It was always an interesting battle. Now with a new – it’s cheaper! – and – I feel for the guy! – twists.
It’s from an interesting article from The New York Times
What caught my eye is the breakdown of the spending on advertising. Well, outdoors is not counted (hmmm). Mobile is not there. I assume. Why? Should it be?
My first reaction was – yes, damned it – where is my beloved mobile? Better yet – Call 2 Service? But then I thought…
… well, advertising has different purposes. It’s interesting. This time the curve is really influenced by the ad war. Before it was INTRODUCTION of a new era (I am referring to 1984 Mac ad).
If you want to TALK to your customers, catching their attention, arguing, then TV is a really good place to spend your money, not limited screen media…
