October 30, 2009, 2:01 pm
In my post ‘Hear your customer’s tweet’ , I mentioned how companies and research agencies are looking to collaborate with small setups that have been tracking tweets or messages posted to social media websites in order to cull out information related to their company. Google recently launched ‘Google Social Search’ which will help users/companies not only track who is commenting what about a particular product/service but also help tracking comments from various social media websites based on the conditions set by the user. When I say conditions, it simply means that Google Social Search allows you to form groups of individuals whom you trust that will ensure guidelines are set for the kind of information is required from the search.
As rightly pointed out by Gary Boomer, President of Boomer Consulting, mentioned in his article, apart from tracking information and comments on websites, its important for companies to create communities where people with similar preferences and choices can be grouped to get an unbiased opinion about the company’s product/services. This can be similar to forming a panel for panel discussion. Information from social media websites is usually in a crude form, spreading from one medium to the other like wild fire. Creating a community would lead to a more focused approach to monitoring and tracking information in a format desirable by the company.
Continue reading ‘Google Social Search: Step in the right direction’ »
September 25, 2009, 10:58 am
A “tweet tweet” here and a “tweet tweet” there, here a “tweet”, there a “tweet”, everywhere a “tweet tweet”! Since its inception in 2006, Twitter which is now being called the SMS of the internet has now become a worldwide phenomenon. A social networking and a micro-blogging technique (as quoted by media), twitters are being used by every Tom, Dick and Harry to celebrities ranging from actors to sports personalities to businessmen. So discussions (or as they are called tweets) range from what an individual person is doing/thinking/wanting to do to voicing their opinions about product/service/issue/likes/dislikes……In short, what can be done on Twitter is anyone’s guess. Boundaries are unlimited, except for the character limit of 140 
Most importantly, companies around the world are using Twitter to track consumer responses about their company’s product/services or about any feedback related to a company’s website, logo or even the paint on the company’s HQ office building. Although tweets are unsorted comments posted by any one around the world, a collective feedback is largely valuable for companies to understand the ground realities of their online presence.
Continue reading ‘Hear your customer's tweet!’ »
September 14, 2009, 3:59 pm
The usability of Digital TV or Direct-to-Home (DTH) services is now not just restricted to being a channel service provider. With an aim to become as interactive as possible, DTH service providers have been tying up with various internet websites and re-writing the very definition of ‘convenience’ for its customers. From ordering movies and pizza at the touch of your button (and a debit from your bank account) to booking travel tickets, jobs or even your better half, digital TV is really trying to do it all!
The first stage of innovation was the introduction of personalized channels, with the customer being able to select channels as per his/her liking. This was followed by interactive channels where customers got to see stats and other data points related to their program offerings (e.g. cricket score card and other statistics shown during games). With the development in technology, the digital services providers have now become a medium to order services with tie ups with Pizza Hut, Bharat Matrimony, Yatra.com and the like. With the advantage of being connected to individual users through satellite, digital services have an abundance of services that they can branch out to offer, to a point where actual TV programs may be long forgotten!
Continue reading ‘Digitally Connected!’ »
