eBay To Go Window Now Open
Posted by keirsun on July 26, 2007 at 4:47 PM
eBay sellers now have an easy-to-digest option for showcasing eBay items on their blogs, websites, and social network profile page. It's called eBay To Go.
Hoping to "expand the reach of eBay listings to the rest of the internet," eBay To Go allows users to quickly create a widget that can be embedded on other sites. The widget can be used to showcase eBay items or favorite eBay search results.
Kudos to eBay for recognizing the potential of the embedded widget. After all, where would YouTube be without its embedded video playing on blogs (and search result pages) everywhere? eBay To Go's ease-of-use should also inspire users to share their eBay listings with new online audiences.
It would appear that eBay has also recognized the sales potential of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Bebo, etc.
Does this mean we'll see more online retailers opening the window for to-go clientele? Only time will tell, but I predict more than a few tasty widgets are currently being cooked up in the e-commerce kitchen.
YouTube Cameras from Casio and Sony
Posted by geoff on July 25, 2007 at 8:59 PM
New camcorders from Casio and Sony, due out in August and September respectively, are coming out with a decidedly YouTube-focused design.
This is interesting on two fronts; namely, it shows the growing influence social media is having on the public at large, and it serves as a reminder that social media continues to present advantageous business opportunities for companies willing to embrace this inevitability.
Both camcorders feature USB design for instant transfer to computers. The Casio YouTube camera has the USB connector built right into the camera, however, eliminating the need to carry a USB cable as well. It would seem that wireless functionality, allowing instant shoot-and-upload capability from anywhere users can get a Wi-Fi signal, would also be a useful feature. Perhaps they are saving that for YouTube Cameras 2.0!
Both cameras are set to retail in the $200-300 range, assuring they will disseminate into the mainstream pretty quickly. Why should this matter to your company, though? Well, ask jetBlue. They found out very quickly, when a few flights were grounded for extensive periods of time, how a handful of people with cameras and access to social media sites could wreak havoc on their brand reputation.
On a more positive note, companies can use these new YouTube cameras to do their own positive video PR. From posting videos of community service engagements, leaking footage of products in development, or simply creating vlogs to just say hello and stay in touch.
This brings me to another interesting point. Seeing as these are YouTube cameras, I thought for sure I'd have some nifty YouTube videos from Casio or Sony to embed in this post. Oddly enough, there weren't any on YouTube. Furthermore, there weren't any videos of these cameras or camera footage at Casio or Sony's websites, either. Seems like the marketing department is a few steps behind product development at both companies.
Still, there was a video review of the Casio Pure Digital camera that was worth sharing.
People like videos. Google Universal Search likes it, too. That means your company should start creating a plan to make videos a part of your online presence sooner, rather than later.
Book Clubs, Social Media, and Your Niche
Posted by geoff on July 23, 2007 at 4:33 PM
The concept of going social for many businesses is one that can often be met with uncertainty (at best) and skepticism (at worst). After all, most of the well-publicized social community sites don't always address a company's ideal demographic; and setting up a profile in hopes to be found can seem like a tremendous shot in the dark.
Leveraging the community aspect of social media in a way that addresses your already-established target audience, however, is one way to bolster bottom line success through social media.
Take Borders.com for example. They have partnered with social media site, Gather.com to create borders.gather.com. In preparation for the new Harry Potter book, Borders sent out an e-mail to Borders customers inviting them to participate in a conversation about the new Harry Potter book at Gather.com, generating more buzz for Harry Potter from a decisively Borders perspective. As a result, approximately 1,000 people responded.
Of course, Harry Potter is an atypical example. Still Borders.com reportedly sees spikes in sales for all of the books it features on Gather. Further, users link back to Borders with books that are also relevant to the discussion, giving those collateral books a little love, too.
This gets to the heart of what makes social media a successful avenue for many businesses: it finds people who like talking about the same things and puts them in the same place. Borders was smart in "organizing" these events, rather than putting it out there and hoping people find it. It's a simple technique, and likely one many other businesses can adopt.
For some businesses working in a small niche, the ability to bring interested parties together for discussion can be a first step toward becoming the knowledge authority in your field. You can also provide your customers a most valuable resource they may not have had before: each other.
