Categorie: social

How To Manufacture Desire

Desire, Opinion, social, Startups, TC

Nir Eyal2Type the name of almost any successful consumer web company into your search bar and add the word “addict” after it. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Try “Facebook addict” or “Zynga addict” or even “Pinterest addict” and you’ll soon get a slew of results from hooked users and observers deriding the narcotic-like properties of these web sites. How is it that these companies, producing little more than bits of code displayed on a screen, can seemingly control users’ minds? Why are these sites so addictive and what does their power mean for the future of the web?

We’re on the precipice of a new era of the web. As infinite distractions compete for our attention, companies are learning to master new tactics to stay relevant in users’ minds and lives. Today, just amassing millions of users is no longer good enough. Companies increasingly find that their economic value is a function of the strength of the habits they create. But as some companies are just waking up to this new reality, others are already cashing in.

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How To Manufacture Desire

Addictiveness, Desire, Nir Eyal, Opinion, social, Startups, TC

Nir Eyal2Type the name of almost any successful consumer web company into your search bar and add the word “addict” after it. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Try “Facebook addict” or “Zynga addict” or even “Pinterest addict” and you’ll soon get a slew of results from hooked users and observers deriding the narcotic-like properties of these web sites. How is it that these companies, producing little more than bits of code displayed on a screen, can seemingly control users’ minds? Why are these sites so addictive and what does their power mean for the future of the web?

We’re on the precipice of a new era of the web. As infinite distractions compete for our attention, companies are learning to master new tactics to stay relevant in users’ minds and lives. Today, just amassing millions of users is no longer good enough. Companies increasingly find that their economic value is a function of the strength of the habits they create. But as some companies are just waking up to this new reality, others are already cashing in.

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5 Reasons Why Your Facebook Store Might Be Struggling

Doron Simovitch, ecommerce, Facebook Commerce, fCommerce, Opinion, social, Social Shopping, Startups, TC

facebook-storeBeware, the sky is falling! Or at least that’s what we’re hearing from some experts on F-commerce following announcements from a few big name retailers in recent weeks that they are shuttering their stores on Facebook.

Going as far as to suggest that the “F” in “F-commerce” now stands for “failure,” these critics are boldly asserting that F-commerce’s days are numbered and that the entire concept is destined to soon be but a footnote in the pages of tech history.

Frankly, such claims are more than a little mind-boggling. Whenever a new medium like F-commerce emerges, companies are naturally uncertain on how to approach it and it always takes some time before strong and effective strategies emerge. Think back to when the Internet first caught on – it was uncharted territory for everyone but now, just about every business has in-house employees that handle things like online reputation, SEO, SEM and more.

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5 Reasons Why Your Facebook Store Might Be Struggling

ecommerce, Facebook Commerce, fCommerce, Opinion, social, Social Shopping, Startups, TC

facebook-storeBeware, the sky is falling! Or at least that’s what we’re hearing from some experts on F-commerce following announcements from a few big name retailers in recent weeks that they are shuttering their stores on Facebook.

Going as far as to suggest that the “F” in “F-commerce” now stands for “failure,” these critics are boldly asserting that F-commerce’s days are numbered and that the entire concept is destined to soon be but a footnote in the pages of tech history.

Frankly, such claims are more than a little mind-boggling. Whenever a new medium like F-commerce emerges, companies are naturally uncertain on how to approach it and it always takes some time before strong and effective strategies emerge. Think back to when the Internet first caught on – it was uncharted territory for everyone but now, just about every business has in-house employees that handle things like online reputation, SEO, SEM and more.

Lees meer

Highlight Needs To Let You Switch Off ‘Friend Of Friend’ Notifications Before SXSW

apps, Highlight, mobile, social, TC

photoAmbient location app Highlight is a big deal. Eldon likes it, Scoble likes it, MG and Mike like it and Grindr fan Charlie Cheever likes it. More importantly, I like it.

Before you call me out for being slightly narcissistic with the above statement (which wouldn’t make me at all unique in my field), here’s why the fact that I like it is important; In case you haven’t noticed, I am a female, which means I am an indicative use case for an app that forces you to constantly broadcast your location.

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Highlight Needs To Let You Switch Off ‘Friend Of Friend’ Notifications Before SXSW

apps, Highlight, mobile, social, SXSW2012, TC

photoAmbient location app Highlight is a big deal. Eldon likes it, Scoble likes it, MG and Mike like it and Grindr fan Charlie Cheever likes it. More importantly, I like it.

Before you call me out for being slightly narcissistic with the above statement (which wouldn’t make me at all unique in my field), here’s why the fact that I like it is important; In case you haven’t noticed, I am a female, which means I am an indicative use case for an app that forces you to constantly broadcast your location.

Lees meer

On The Shoulders Of Giants: Y Combinator Demo Day Brings The Future To Computer History Museum

social, Startups, TC

y combinator demo dayEvery year, Y Combinator Demo Day, where the latest batch of incubated startups make their pitch to investors, seems to get a little bigger. Now, for the first time since the event began in 2005, it’s moving to a new home — the Computer History Museum.

At the last Demo Day, in August (they’re held twice a year), you could already sense that the gathering was outgrowing YC headquarters in Mountain View. Organizers pushed out the walls to accommodate a larger audience, and in order to speed through the 63 presenters (an increase of nearly 50 percent), each company was limited to a few minutes of speaking, meaning they had to give rapid-fire pitches instead of full demos. There was even a tiny stage erected for the demos.

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On The Shoulders Of Giants: Y Combinator Demo Day Brings The Future To Computer History Museum

social, Startups, TC

y combinator demo dayEvery year, Y Combinator Demo Day, where the latest batch of incubated startups make their pitch to investors, seems to get a little bigger. Now, for the first time since the event began in 2005, it’s moving to a new home — the Computer History Museum.

At the last Demo Day, in August (they’re held twice a year), you could already sense that the gathering was outgrowing YC headquarters in Mountain View. Organizers pushed out the walls to accommodate a larger audience, and in order to speed through the 63 presenters (an increase of nearly 50 percent), each company was limited to a few minutes of speaking, meaning they had to give rapid-fire pitches instead of full demos. There was even a tiny stage erected for the demos.

Lees meer

Foursquare And Glancee Are Cool, But Here’s Why I’m So Excited About Using Highlight At SXSW

apps, mobile, social, Startups, TC

Austin SunriseThe crowds and hype of South By Southwest make the massive Austin tech and media conference the perfect place for launching, well, any sort of app that needs crowds and hype to break out of tech circles and into the mainstream. So what can we expect to blow up next week, like Twitter, Foursquare, GroupMe and Beluga have in past years?

Highlight is what I’m placing my bets on — and not for what it is today, but for what it could become. That is, the long-sought replacement for business cards.

Lees meer

Foursquare And Glancee Are Cool, But Here’s Why I’m So Excited About Using Highlight At SXSW

apps, mobile, social, Startups, TC

Austin SunriseThe crowds and hype of South By Southwest make the massive Austin tech and media conference the perfect place for launching, well, any sort of app that needs crowds and hype to break out of tech circles and into the mainstream. So what can we expect to blow up next week, like Twitter, Foursquare, GroupMe and Beluga have in past years?

Highlight is what I’m placing my bets on — and not for what it is today, but for what it could become. That is, the long-sought replacement for business cards.

Lees meer