Archive for May, 2009
Why isn’t Zillow dead?
Things are very good at Zillow,” Rich Barton, CEO of the online real estate company, was telling me. We’re in the thick of the worst economic crisis of a generation and a depressed real estate market, so this means that Barton is either a very clever CEO or an audacious liar. I was at first inclined to believe the latter, but left the interview convinced of the former. He’s a canny Web entrepreneur.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Zillow. In October, Barton laid off about 25 percent of Zillow’s staff. He said he did it because he “couldn’t forecast” his business and had to assume the worst scenario. However, the trough following the 2008 bust ended up not being as bad as he thought it was going to be for Zillow, and the company is now back up to its October 2008 staffing level of about 130 people.
Zillow is currently growing, but in a different way than it was before. Page views and unique visitors are up. The site had 8.8 million unique visitors in March, which is a 70 percent year-over-year growth. Zillow has the twice the users at this point as Barton’s team originally projected. However, the revenue per unique user is down to a third of what he expected it would be.
Rich Barton builds cheap sites that focus on expensive audiences.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Social Media, The Economy on May 15th, 2009
Facebook phishing attack sought passwords
By Suzanne Choney
A Facebook e-mail phishing scheme was discovered early Thursday among users of the popular social networking site who may have inadvertently clicked on a fraudulent Web link included in a Facebook message to them.
The bogus link took users out of and away from the real Facebook to a fake Facebook site, where they were asked to log in again, giving their passwords, which may have been captured by those behind the scheme.
Facebook said e-mails with the fake link were blocked within the first few hours of being sent out, and that those who may have fallen for the ruse have had their passwords automatically re-set “so that any data the bad guys have becomes useless very quickly,” said company spokesman Barry Schnitt.
Users who did bite on the phishing lure will receive an e-mail from Facebook notifying them that their passwords have been re-set.
One version of the e-mail went like this: “Richard sent you a message. Subject: Hello. “Check 121.im” with “121.im” as a Web link and fake Facebook page.
The phishing scam grew rapidly because accounts that were compromised “immediately sent out hundreds of messages, all with the same content, with the same link,” Schnitt said. He said it is “too early to tell” how many of Facebook’s 200 million users were affected by the scam.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Facebook on May 14th, 2009
eBrand Media Research Brief: TV elevates brand status and perception of quality for young people
By Tom Polanski, EVP, eBrand Media and eBrand Interactive
According to study results released by MTV Networks International, reported by MarketingCharts, television remains the most effective medium for reaching today’s youth, and it also is most efficient for introducing young people to brands and helping to shape their decisions about purchasing. The study finds that one in four young people between ages 12-24 report that they first see or hear of brands or products from TV ads, and 60% claim that TV ads play a role in their brand decisions.
A brand’s appearance on TV elevates its status and gives it an image of quality among youth, the study found. In addition, young people tend to trust TV channels, with the majority of youth reporting they have a favorite channel that they always tune into (80% in US, 73% in UK, 70% in Germany and 88% in India). Japanese youth have much less affiliation to particular TV channel (38%).
Though TV is important to youth in and of itself, it also is one of the most dominant ways of directing youth online, with both TV and Online media becoming increasingly interrelated, says the study. Both media contribute to the pathway to purchase, though the study reveals that brand image matters more on TV, while information and validation matter more Online.
71% of the respondents agree that the internet makes choosing a brand easier, while blogs, review sites and social networking sites are increasingly important in affecting brand decisions. Website reviews are the fourth most important factor for movie decisions (behind friends, TV and cinema ads) and they play an equally important part as official websites when youth are looking to purchase electronic items.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Teen Talk, Trend Tracker on May 13th, 2009
Three powerful principles for success
By Brian Tracy
There are many similarities between business and war. In both cases, the victor is the one who uses superior strategy against his or her competition.
There are three principles of military strategy you can apply to your work every single day. The first idea from the military is called the Principle of Maneuver.
The principle of maneuver says that you should be clear about the goal, but be flexible about the process of ach ieving it. According to the Menninger Institute, this quality of flexibility is the most important single quality that you will require for success in times of rapid change.
Be Open to Continuous Feedback
A key peak performance quality for you is to “accept feedback and self-correct.” Peak performers are those who can take information from their environment and even if the information is contrary to all of their planning, they can accept the information, modify their plans, and continue moving forward. They are always open to new ideas and insights.
Learn What You Need to Know
The second military principle you can use is the Principle of Intelligence. This principle of intelligence means simply, “get the facts!”
Posted by Tom Polanski in Personal Growth on May 12th, 2009
The sorry state of broadband in the United States
By Wendy Davis
In 2000, the U.S. ranked 5th worldwide in broadband penetration, with 2.5 broadband lines per 100 residents. At the time, the No. 1 country was South Korea, with 8.4% penetration.
By 2007, however, the U.S. had slipped to 22nd place, with 21.5 broadband lines per 100 residents, lagging behind countries such as Bermuda (36.7), South Korea (30.6) and Japan (22.5).
Those stats were compiled by Free Press for its new 123-page report examining the current state of broadband in the U.S.
Not only do penetration rates lag, but service in America is also more expensive and slower than in many other countries. The average U.S. price is $53 per month — more expensive than in 21 other countries — while average advertised download speed is 8.9 Mbps, slower than 13 others. By comparison, Finland offers the cheapest service at $31 a month (with advertised download speeds of 13 Mbps), while the fastest country is Japan, with an average advertised downstream of 93.7 Mbps (for $34 a month).
What accounts for this situation? Free Press says “massive policy failures” of the last eight years are to blame.
Posted by Tom Polanski in Trend Tracker on May 11th, 2009