Pinning Down the Origins of Brand Engagement on Pinterest
May 17, 2013
Brand engagement has typically stemmed from brands themselves. Pinterest is another platform for that typical path to be carved out by brands as they create boards and pin images. However, a recent study by Digitas and Curalate shows that users are carting the bulk of brand engagement. The article ”Pinterest Fail: 70% of Brand Engagement is Generated by Users” covers more on this study created using stats from over 10 million Pinterest pins, comments and likes. 120 brands were examined for the study.
Fashion retail and automotive industries are lacking in their emphasis on Pinterest. Only 18 percent of fashion brands pin items on Pinterest but the average retail pin receives about 46 repins.
We learned from the article that electronic and visionary brands are on top of their Pinterest game:
“‘Aspirational products such as cars should do well on Pinterest. It’s unfortunate to see the auto industry stuck in first gear,’ said chief executive of Curalate Apu Gupta. ‘The industry needs to leverage the heritage of their brands to tell compelling visual stories that create emotional connections with consumers.’ One industry that was found to be very active in the Pinterest community was electronic brands. Digitas and Curalate found that 47 percent of electronic industry pins were made by brands. The study found that pictures of e-health devices proved to be very popular on the site.”
Using Pinterest for marketing purposes has become easier in the last several years because of their analytics offerings for verified brands. Why are 100 percent of companies not utilizing it? Well, some industries may be more apt to pick up on brand engagement opportunities than others. Others may see users starting their brand engagement for them and not want to interfere with what is already working. Let’s remember that Pinterest was designed with the intention for content to spread organically.
Megan Feil, May 17, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Abuse of Spy Software Discovered
May 17, 2013
A recent article from Business Insider reports that there is a large body of evidence supporting the idea that governments are using sophisticated spy software. ”This Powerful Spy Software is being Abused by Governments Around the World” has the details on the report and findings by The Citizen Lab, a digital research lab at University of Toronto that has found this software is being used against groups like human rights activists.
The report is called “For Their Eyes Only: The Commercialization of Digital Spying” and zeroes in on surveillance software called FinSpy. This technology remotely scans webmail and social media networks in real time. Additionally it collects encrypted data.
According to the article:
In December 2011 WikiLeaks began publishing FinFisher brochures and videos, which tout the software as enabling governments to monitor targets who ‘regularly change location, use encrypted and anonymous communication channels, and reside in foreign countries.’ Another remarkable thing about the FinSpy, Jean Marc Manach of OWNI notes, is that it can take control of any major operating system while none of the top 40 antivirus systems can recognize it.
There are 36 countries that host FinFisher Command and Control Servers including the United States. During the end of Mubarak’s rule, dissidents found a contract from Gamma mentioning a $380,000 license to run the software for five months. In addition to governments, we wonder what companies use FinFisher as well.
Megan Feil, May 17, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
The Growth of Global Search Spending
May 17, 2013
What is going on with search? According to Search Engine Watch in “Kenshoo Global Search Spending Grows 15%, CPCs Drop In Q1” the trends point to global search spending going up, but the costs-per-click are in the doldrums. Kensoo’s Global Search Advertising Trends tracked the search trends and found many positive factors: click-through-rates are up 62%, search spending is 15% up year-over-year, and the total spending is up 32% from 2011. It all looks great, but then the global average CPC dropped $0.39.
It seems the search market is an inevitable seesaw, but what is making it rise and descend so much? Possibly the lack of marketers who have not caught onto mobile. The immediate culprit would be social media, but the just might be a red herring:
“Social media is certainly sucking up all the buzz, but is this what’s depressing CPCs? Not according to Aaron Goldman, CMO of Kenshoo. ‘Social is certainly hot, but we’re not seeing it cannibalize search budgets,’ Goldman said. ‘Rather social is being funded from other channels, such as display and offline.’ He adds that social ad platforms including Facebook Exchange are taking budget from other ad exchanges and networks.”
We’ll just pin it on a bunch of economic factors that mesh together and form near indecipherable tracings. Bet your dollar that Google will be affected; the Google Glasses won’t be able to protect them from this burn if it continues.
Whitney Grace, May 17, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Enterprise Search Europe Spring 2013
May 16, 2013
The enterprise search show ended today, May 16. The presentations, except the one by Stephen E Arnold, were scintillating, thought provoking, and solid evidence that enterprise search is the crown jewel of enterprise software systems. Forget the grousing about Fast Search & Transfer, Autonomy, and the millions upon millions poured into outfits trying to generate a profit by licensing software which makes it easy to locate a needed document using a traditional personal computer, a laptop, or a notebook computer. Mobile phones and tablets are, alas, not yet the camels inside the enterprise search tent.
I learned about the importance of knowing what users want. I learned about providing users with systems which auto suggest, display relevant links, and eliminate the annoying task of reading a document to determine if it has useful information for the user.
Progress never stops. I would point out that Stephen E Arnold’s slide showing that precision and recall were making incremental progress over a decade. The flat line was in sharp contrast to his utterly fantastic suggestion that the complexity of modern search systems and their costs were increasing. One Scandinavian business development professional said to Mr. Arnold, “So you think the costs of search are going up like that, like the take off of the jet plane.”
Mr. Arnold, I overheard, said, “Yep, especially when the systems don’t work as advertised, require expensive unbudgeted investments, and produce more complaints than changing the health care dental deductible.” The Scandinavian shook his head in disbelief and wandered off in search of more comforting conversation.
A screen capture from Stephen E Arnold’s anomalous presentation. The cost and complexity curves rise more aggressively than the precision and recall curve. Who needs relevance when modern systems can deliver search without the user’s performing any intellectual effort prior to accepting what a system delivers.
I did come away with three broad thoughts once I cleared my mind of the fog of confusion that Stephen E Arnold’s obfuscation machine delivered.
First, Apple’s and Google’s conferences sell out in a very short time. Perhaps some of those turned away from the Apple and Google events could pick up a few IQ points and simultaneously get the inside dope on the hottest enterprise application — enterprise search? Two enterprise search vendors generated more than $100 million in revenues in the 45 year history of the enterprise search sector’s lifetime. Definitely enterprise search is the go to market. Measured in terms of academics, advisors, and unemployed home economics majors, search is where the action is.
Second, the technology on display was a great refresher for me. I learned about users’ dissatisfaction with search a decade ago. If I understood the presenter, user dissatisfaction is unchanged. About half of those who use an enterprise findability system are not thrilled with the experience. Progress is, it seems, modest. On the other hand, consistency in user opinion helps size the magnitude of the opportunity. I have not attended an enterprise search event for several years. I must admit I don’t think I missed any important developments. The content was, in my opinion, familiar.
Third, the technical bits had to bite and claw to get podium time. The outlier Stephen E Arnold actually used some equations. No other presenter made that mistake. The majority of the presentations focused on management issues. There were variously described as “governance,” “content management,” and planning. For those with an MBA and a love of enterprise search, there are, I concluded, many opportunities for consultants. Several of the folks who sell their expertise pointed out “I am not a technical expert,” “I can’t code,” and my favorite “Enterprise search is just one of the specialties I have.” Ah, billable time for uninformed advice. A career tip.
What’s the future of enterprise search?
One speaker said, “Search is not a good word to use.”
No kidding.
Edward Stephens, Stephen E Arnold’s more intelligent cousin, May 17, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
LucidWorks Stories the Evolution of Big Data Search
May 16, 2013
Dan Kuznetsky is a trusted authority in enterprise search. He brings his expertise to the topic of search in Big Data in his latest article for ZDNet, “Evolution of Search in Big Data as Told by LucidWorks.”
After a discussion of how LucidWorks is contributing to the open source community through its participation in the Apache Software Foundation, Kuznetsky goes on to explore this interesting development model:
“LucidWorks is one of a growing number of technology companies that are building products based upon open-source software that was created in products hosted by the Apache Software Foundation. It is fascinating how they are cooperating to build the basic technology and then focusing on different competitive market niches. Each time I mentioned what I thought was a competitor, the folks from LucidWorks pointed out that those companies are partners that are trying to use their individual strengths together to serve the market. This is an area that is worth watching.”
Kuznetsky hit on the strength of LucidWorks and the rest of the value-added open source market. Innovation is encouraged, many benefit, but each company finds a niche that makes it profitable, but also useful. In this way, innovation is encouraged, open source development is encouraged, and users benefit from continuous improvement and support for the solutions in which they invest. Sounds like a win-win.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 16, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
A Visiting Computer Renaissance in France
May 16, 2013
France was once the basin of western culture and artists flocked there to seek inspiration. While France may not have the renaissance going on, it did host the Computer Human Interface conference for 2013. Reminiscent of past artists, technology professionals and researchers flocked to the conference to see the latest developments in how humans interact with machines. CIO has the details in the article, “Future Of Computer Interaction On Display In Paris.”
The conference’s goal is that people across different technology fields can cross-pollinate their ideas. There is also a mini trade show dubbed the interactivity section where attendees can try the newest toys. Some are advances in medical technology, others are tools, but some are beyond bizarre:
“Some projects have seemed more like science fiction. For example, in 2012 researchers from Meiji University in Japan changed the taste of food by adding electricity to it. Their reasoning was that electricity could mimic the taste of salt and by adding electricity to certain foods, people could decrease their salt intake. The electricity diet has yet to go mainstream.”
It sounds like the “World of Tomorrow” exhibition that used to be at the World’s Fair. It fits in with the Paris scene even more, since the Eiffel Tower was built for such an event. Just imagine that this technology will one day be commonplace.
Whitney Grace, May 16, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
More Amazon Fees May be on the Horizon
May 16, 2013
According to CRN, “Growth Concerns Dog Amazon” and it may affect its clients across the board. The company’s stock sank 6% in recent markets and it only reinforces concerns for the company’s continued expansion. In the United States, Amazon is the largest Internet retailer, has seen slower revenue this quarter and it is not taking off in other countries. Amazon looks all right in its long-term plans, however. It continues to expand its digital products as well as SaaS capabilities that project well.
Amazon continues to steal business from physical retailers, even though they have found ways to reclaim some of the market. Amazon stock is trading quite high, but third-party (3P) sellers are generating profit:
“First-quarter 3P unit growth was 33 percent, down from a 40 percent growth rate in the first quarter of 2012, according to Ken Sena, an analyst at Evercare Partners…. In a 3P transaction, Amazon books commissions from third-party sales on its marketplace as revenue. That revenue is almost all profit, so as the 3P business has grown, Amazon’s gross profit margins have expanded.”
Amazon has spread itself thickly across many markets, so it might be seeing slow growth at the moment but it will pick up again. The company has stability, but in order to reclaim the lost profit they may look at raising fees. Tack on a few extra dollars, who will notice?
Whitney Grace, May 16, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
LucidWorks Gains Funding for Unlocking Big Data Opportunities
May 16, 2013
With the flood of interest in big data solutions and technology that can chop the masses of unstructured content down to size, we are also seeing much VC funding go towards startups in this area. Linux Today reports that “LucidWorks Pulls in $10M to Turn Open Source Data into ‘Business Gold’”
LucidWorks started as Lucid Imagination in 2008 and focused on provided support, training and consulting for open source search technologies Lucene and Solr. Opportunity arose when the company saw a need for open source search to become more accessible by entering into the big data market.
Providing a quick rundown on LucidWorks current technology offerings, the article tells us:
“LucidWorks product suite contains two development platforms that enable organizations to search, discover, and analyze their data. LucidWorks Search is built on top of Apache Lucene/Solr open-source search project and seeks to simplify and improve the process of building embedded search applications. The other product, LucidWorks Big Data, then helps businesses make sense of the data.”
We have been following LucidWorks since before their name changed and their exciting news comes as no surprise. As one of the leaders in open source enterprise search technology they will undoubtedly remain one of the top on our list to follow.
Megan Feil, May 16, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
ArnoldIT Announces New Gourmet De Ville Video Shorts
May 15, 2013
Gourmet De Ville, a new ArnoldIT information service launched in January of this year, will now be adding a video service to its print coverage of artisanal food and spirits.
Jasmine Ashton, editor for Gourmetdeville.com, will be hosting the weekly videos spotlighting innovative recipes and the latest industry trends.
Ashton remarked:
“I am very excited to be a part of this new service and look forward to sharing my insights on the craft food and beverage sector with viewers. I believe that the demand for information on gourmet food, beverages, and industry leaders is exploding. Gourmet De Ville makes high value information available in a concise, easy to understand format. Our videos will simply be another avenue to explore this content.”
In her first video, Ashton covers Limoncello Tiramisu. She introduces the video by saying:
“In Italy, it’s common to have a bottle of Limoncello brought out after dessert. The tangy lemon liqueur is believed to help you digest all that great pasta and rich sauces.
But we heard about a chef in Florida who makes Limoncello Tiramisu — an after-dinner drink and dessert all rolled into one.”
We are looking forward to watching Gourmet De Ville’s video coverage in the coming weeks and believe that they will be a refreshing addition to the content that is already available on the site.
Ric Manning, May 15, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Enterprise Search Climbing in Europe
May 15, 2013
Enterprise search is a must for American organizations, but new numbers show that enterprise search adoption is also on the rise for European organizations. Read more about the trend in the KM World piece, “Open Source, SharePoint, Big Data and User Experience Take Center Stage at Enterprise Search Europe.”
The author begins:
“Search has been steadily climbing up the attention ladder in many European organizations in recent years, according to Martin White, Conference Chair of Enterprise Search Europe which takes place in London on May 15-16. He identifies a number of reasons for this, ranging from a recognition of the power of open source search applications, the enhanced search functionality in SharePoint 2013, the fact that Big Data initiatives are causing organizations to look at wider issues of information discovery, and the need to improve user experience.”
The author goes on to explore the trend of European organizations seeing search as a long-term investment, and rightly so. When taking this long-term view, organizations are best off with a strong solution that produces results now, but offers a scalable and sustainable future. LucidWorks is one option for these companies who are new to the enterprise search market. Their open source foundation of Apache Lucene/Solr ensures a safe and promising future.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 15, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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