ItsDevelopmental - content + technology + people

Where is the mobile innovation in B2B publishing?

The Apple iPad 2 launches today which made me think about how much mobile innovation has or has not been going on in B2B publishing.

Seems to me that nothing much has happened apart from sites being optimised for mobile (which is important, clearly) and apps being launched that provide content feeds or services very closely related to feeds of content. 

Looks like the progression goes - put print content online, put online content on an app. So where is the game changing innovation in B2B to match the game changing innovation in technology?

I'm ever so slightly playing devil's advocate here but on a serious note for the last couple of years I have heard people talk about building for mobile first and then scaling on to desktop (if that is required).

If you have worked in B2B publishing you will know the types of sevices that could work well on mobile devices. These services would look quite different to article rich web site content, which is the problem for publishers with a print mindset/legacy.

It is a tough one for publishers, but just because we choose to think readers do not have a sense of humour so we tend to think they do not use mobiles.

 

Video: the digital story of the nativity

Clever, funny and thanks to Kev for pointing it out.

Can social media tools provide customer insights for publishers?

Very interesting interview with Louise White, Incisive Media Group marketing MD at Incisive Media Group, over at The Media Briefing.

What stood out for me is the fact that the use of social media is still in its infancy in the B2B market. Hold that thought.

Also, Louise makes good points about data and the fact that spreadsheets and dashboards on customer usage don't in themselves help you make decisions - it is the intelligence that comes from this data that enables you to know what to act on. So, gaining this insight - by talking to customers - is key to giving the data value.

Now, back to social media. This is the big challenge for B2B publishers - customer insight generally comes from hiring specialist consultancies to go out and talk to customers. But social media tools provide us with the opportunity to talk to customers on an ongoing basis. Can the new tools provide this feedback service?

This will be an interesting area for publishers - as customers get more savvy with social media so publishers have an opportunity to build engagement and start opening up new feedback channels.

What then becomes interesting is how publishers organise themselves to engage with customers - is that a marketing job or a content job or a customer service job?

 

 

What next for the web?

Find out by following one of the premier conferences on hot trends for the web - Le Web - which is currently taking place in Paris.

Check out #leweb hashtag on Twitter and follow the likes of Adam Tinworth who is doing a sterling job live blogging from the conference. Below is a live stream.

There is also a feed of posts from Le Web bloggers.

 

Video: Hacks and hackers at RBI

Great to see my colleagues at XpertHR get the honours. Better still the fact RBI hosted the event and is now looking to provide data journalism training for journalists.

 

 

Hacks and Hackers at RBI from John Thompson on Vimeo.

Putting science fiction into planning for the future

Just seen this on boingboing . . . interesting to see how Intel 'futurecasts'.

 

Viral video: from Old Spice to Sesame Street to The Sun newspaper

An important lesson when thinking about making a highly shareable video: work out how you can piggy back on what others have done. It happens a lot on Youtube, especially in the form of mash-ups.

Here are two iterations of the hugely successful Old Spice advert - reworked to engage with a different audience. [H/T to @adders]

 

Microsoft Kinect - taking online learning to the next level?

Kinect, Microsoft's gaming innovation looks incredible. To say hands-free is an under-statement -- the system, which hooks up to the Xbox 360 requires no wires or handcontrollers to connect the gamer to the screen.

An infra-red camera 'sees' what movements the players are making - more about that here (and great to see a UK lab come up with the innovation) - allowing the users to interact with the screen.

This development could have a big impact in the online learning arena. Take the business space -- maybe helping people with soft skills such as presentation skills, communication skills etc. And what if it could handle groups?

Certainly would be amusing to see execs in meeting rooms 'interacting' with their plasmas.

Video: the Cassius singing mouth iphone app

Props to Nick Burcher for sharing this.

 

Cassius - I Love U So
Uploaded by edbangerrecords. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

What they want, when they want it - in print

Enjoyed this article by Steve Hewlett on how newspapers can make money from content.

Steve highlights the latest development from the Independent, the i - a 20p daily tabloid for commuters.

Why is this interesting? Because it is trying to provide content in the right format, at the right place and time, as summed up in this quote . . .

His i is designed specifically to meet the needs of a particular group of consumers at a particular point in their day. It is in that sense perhaps better thought of as a "service" for people who do want news, information, analysis and even comment but delivered in a way that suits them when and where they want it.

The idea of a paper for commuters is not a new one obviously, but the idea of providing a more tailored service for a particular group of readers like this is interesting.

Let's face it, newspapers desparately need to reinvent how they engage with their readers so it is good to see some experimentation -- let's see if it works.