How to Measure Social Media ROI for Business

Social media measurement is one of those topics about which everyone has an opinion, but nobody agrees on the solution. Here are a few pointers.

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Finding Information: Factors that improve online experiences.

The Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA) recently completed a survey about how people find information online. They've posted their findings online. In their own words, "...this report outlines key findings from surveys that explored factors that drive online experience as expressed by the three different subject groups – nonprofit organizations and cities, web designers and firms, and the general public." The survey’s major findings are summarized as:

• Designers underestimate the thresholds for an effective site
  
• Easy access to complete information is key to visitor enjoyment
  
• Good visual design and up-to-date information are critical
  
• Visitors want information fast
  
• Visitors want a broad range of topics
  
• Designers are overly optimistic about visitors’ ability to maintain orientation
  
• Visitors still need handholding
  
• Visitors point to the lack of breadth and depth of site content as causing an “Information Gap.”
  

You can view the information online or download the 17 page report in PDF at:

http://www.idea.org/find-information.html

Proud Member of the Pradipta 416

So I woke up this morning to have coffee, and used my iPod touch to check email. I was surprised to see a number of messages with the same title. Little did I know it would lead to some funny distractions throughout the day...

J.Y.

"Insound 20" - creative rock merchandising, that rocks

Insound, an established indie rock purveyor, has just launched "Insound 20". The promotion consists of "Limited edition t-shirts, shirts and hoodies designed exclusively for Insound by Jason Munn of the Small Stakes." The idea of creating a cohesive set of promotional items for a portfolio of bands is very smart. It's a great way to show off an umbrella brand, while also offering their music fans a unique keepsake. Kudos to Insound for some very creative, and well executed product marketing.

Apple posts "MobileMe Setup" instructions page

Apple has posted a page with instructions for setting up (or transitioning) to their MobileMe service that officially launches today. Configurations outlined include:

• iPhone/iPod touch + Mac - Requires iPhone 2.0 Software Update (available July 11).
  
• iPhone/iPod touch + PC - Requires iPhone 2.0 Software Update (available July 11).
  
• Mac setup - Set up just your Mac.
  
• PC setup - Set up just your PC.
  

It's still early in the switch over, so not all aspects of me.com appear to be available yet. The other note on this page states "To access your email from the web, go to www.me.com."

Cooper Journal: Bringing sanity to swat-team design projects

cooper.com: "In a perfect world, interaction design would begin when a product was still just a twinkle in a venture capitalist’s eye. In reality, many software products make it all the way through the development cycle with little thought to the users’ experience, and when executives, sales people, or QA testers finally get their hands on the functioning product and start sounding the alarm bells, interaction designers are brought in to clean up the mess. With increasing demand for design “swat teams” to rescue fully developed but flawed software that is scheduled to ship within months or even weeks, the critical question becomes: how can you avoid getting caught up in the chaos that frequently permeates “crisis-mode” engagements?..."

This is an excellent article from an authoritative source. Read the full article...