Monthly Archives: November 2009

Open-Xchange, the leading provider of open source groupware, today announced enhancements that vastly simplify the aggregation of e-mail and contact information — personal and business — giving users access to their data anywhere, anytime and with any device.

To improve ease-of use, the latest enhancements introduce a wizard that eases the setup for new and existing Open-Xchange users. The wizard configures the subscriptions of external mail accounts from Google, GMX, Web.de and many others, along with social and business networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Xing and others, as well as the push synchronization of mobile phones.

“Open-Xchange creates a data hub that gives end users control over their data,” said Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange. “Using open and standardized data formats provides users and organizations with the freedom and security to use social web services for the benefit of their business, without many of the lock-in dangers inherent in such social web services.”

Additional new features include:

Open-Xchange is used by more than 15 million users worldwide as hosted and on-premise business-class e-mail and groupware. On-premise customers can update their installations immediately with the new version of Open-Xchange 6.14; Software as a Service customers will benefit from the new features as soon as their provider updates their accounts.

Anyone can try the latest Open-Xchange improvements for free at a special preview website, http://ox.io.

A detailed description of all new features of Open-Xchange can be seen at http://software.open-xchange.com/OX6/doc/feature_overview_6_14_20091105.pdf.

About Open-Xchange Open-Xchange is the innovator of scalable and integrated open source e-mail and collaboration solutions for enterprises, academic institutions, and government authorities. The company provides on-premise versions called Open-Xchange Server Edition and Open-Xchange Appliance Edition, along with Open-Xchange Hosting Edition, which enables web hosting companies to provide an easy-to-use and feature-rich application delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS). The Open-Xchange Hosting Edition is architected to integrate into a hosting provider’s existing infrastructure, such as authentication, provisioning, billing, and e-mail storage and does not require that these systems be replaced.

Open-Xchange AG is a privately-held company headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany with offices in Olpe, Germany and Tarrytown, N.Y. For more information, visit www.open-xchange.com.

It’s no surprise that the way we communicate with people is changing. Some call it the Communication Revolution and it’s characterised largely by the use of Web 2.0 technology and websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, otherwise known as Social Networking & Media.??

With this in mind, Michelle Fischer of Creative Leadership, and Linda Parkinson-Hardman of Grow a Better Business, invite you to contribute to their research into the trends that are taking place within the context of Social Media and Recruitment. by completing the following questionnaire at Survey Monkey before Friday 18th December.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9m00FDmhA781rOYugN7hnw_3d_3d??

You’ll be asked questions about Your business use of Social Media, and particularly when recruiting new staff.

The questionnaire is completely anonymous, although you’ll need to leave your name if you’d like to receive a copy of the White Paper and be eligible to win the thank you prize of a bottle of France’s Finest Champagne. This will be given to a lucky participant chosen at random at the end of the research project. The interim report will be out before Christmas.

If you’ve any questions about any element of this research, please get in touch with Michelle at Creative Leadership on 01202 853647 or Linda Parkinson-Hardman on 01305 755607

Verizon Wireless and iSkoot, a leading provider of mobile Web services, today announced the availability of Social Beat, the free social media application that allows Verizon Wireless customers nationwide to simplify their mobile social networking with a single app.

Running on the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G network, Social Beat makes it easy for Verizon Wireless customers to stay fully connected to popular social media sites, including Facebook®, MySpace™ and Twitter®. Social Beat also displays more than 50 customer-selected feeds from the hottest names in news, sports and entertainment sources, which can be viewed in one central location. Customers can easily view and manage their social networks through live feeds and real-time notifications.

‘Social Beat fits well with what Verizon Wireless customers crave – easy access to all of their social media network sites in a single app,’ said Jennifer Byrne, director of business development for Verizon Wireless. ‘iSkoot’s app is available on many of our feature phones and offers an intuitive, easy on-ramp for our customers as they bring their social networking communities into their handsets.’

When customers sign in to Social Beat, they can easily view friends’ activity, news feeds, status updates and new photos. Customers can even post new status messages and tweets, send comments and messages, and receive updates from their personalized news section through a single stream on their mobile phone in real time.

‘Social networking is the fastest growing sector in mobile, and together with Verizon Wireless, we are able to offer a simple but powerful app that allows consumers to easily stay connected to their social media network even while they are on the go,’ said Mark Jacobstein, chief executive officer of iSkoot. ‘Because our solutions do the heavy lifting in the cloud and deliver communications to a single platform, service providers can bring social networking and news feeds to almost any mobile device they offer regardless of the technology.’

Social Beat is available now to Verizon Wireless customers as a free download on more than 20 feature phones, including the LG enV™, enV2™, enV3™, the LG Chocolate™, and Chocolate™ 3, as well as many other popular Verizon Wireless handsets. Customers can download Social Beat from their wireless phones by selecting Get Going in the Media Center/Get It Now®, by texting SOCIAL to APPS (2777) or by visiting the online media store at http://www.mediastore.verizonwireless.com or http://bit.ly/socialbeat

ASOS.com, the UK’s leading online fashion store, has launched ASOSreviews.com, an exciting Twitter-powered feedback and reviews micro-site. The site follows ASOS.com’s hugely successful launch of ASOS Life, an online community that facilitates interaction and conversation between the brand and its consumers.
James Hart, eCommerce Director at ASOS.com, said ‘ASOSreviews.com is a great way for us to keep in touch with and be open about the real-time feelings of our customers. Its bright, visual nature gives us nowhere to hide and I’ll be making it not only visible to our customers but to all of our colleagues at ASOS HQ as well. It’s also a great feedback tool and the great thing is that the loop is already closed as our customer care team already monitor and respond to tweets directed at us 24/7. We are excited about the launch of the site and have some interesting plans for its future development.’
ASOSreviews.com aggregates and displays positive and negative tweets about the brand, and encourages users to tweet their opinion about their ASOS.com experience. The site also visualises the overall sentiment of the brand and displays an interesting word cloud overview of what people are saying.
Charles Dalton-Moore, Managing Director of thruSITES, the social media development firm that built the site, said ‘ASOSreviews.com is designed to give a snapshot of customer sentiment on ASOS.com whilst encouraging ASOS.com’s online community to engage with and talk about the brand. We very much admire ASOS.com’s boldness in launching the site and taking the leading social media approach of any fashion retailer. Many other companies out there have yet to wake up to the reality of social media and should take ASOS.com’s example of learning from and engaging with their online community.’
About thruSITES
thruSITES is a London-based strategic web design and development agency specialising in community sites and social networks, plus social media apps and widgets for a range of networks. thruSITES works with large multinationals and government organisations, directly and via top marketing agencies, as well as smaller clients and web entrepreneurs. http://www.thrusites.com
About ASOS.com
Established in June 2000, asos.com is the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer. With over 25,000 branded and own label products available, and 1000 new lines added each week, asos.com is rapidly becoming the market leader in the UK online fashion world. Aimed primarily at fashion forward 16-34 year olds, asos.com attracts over 5.6 million unique visitors a month and has 2.7 million registered users. http://www.asos.com

Audi today released the final social media video installment documenting behind-the-scenes considerations that shaped its entries in this year’s Los Angeles Design Challenge, a competition associated with the upcoming L.A. Auto Show involving Southern California automotive studios.
As part of the design process, the Audi design team leveraged social media as an interactive forum through which to solicit consumer insights. Using the Audi Facebook page as a central hub, the team was able to engage Audi fans – and regular Facebook users alike – in a variety of ways, including discussion threads, polls and feedback on photos and videos. This resulted in an active conversation between the Audi designers and the consumers they were targeting.
With its nearly 400,000 fans, the Audi Facebook audience is composed of passionate brand enthusiasts who have a mutual affinity for automobiles. They yielded feedback for the design team that proved uniquely thoughtful. Additionally, the broader Facebook community was welcome to participate as well, increasing the potential input. Collectively, Facebook participants played a key role in shaping the design and functionality of the Audi models submitted for the competition.
Case in point: the prevalence of communications tools in the final Audi designs. When engaging with Facebook users for input on the topic of connectivity, the Audi Design Team received overwhelming demand to stay in touch with users’ digital worlds – even behind the wheel. Taking this insight to heart, the design team developed a driving experience that, while solitary, enabled seamless communication through a host of channels including messaging and social networking integration via mobile broadband.
In fact, a large number of design elements in the final products can be credited to Facebook users.
“Often, we’d encounter decisions in which both options had merit from a design perspective,” said Jae Min, Chief Designer, Design Center, California. “In those instances, it was especially useful to field input from the Facebook users. After reviewing the feedback, we would eventually notice a consensus formed among the community which shaped our final designs.”
The theme of this year’s competition, titled “YouthMobile 2030,” asked design teams to envision automobiles appealing to young people of the future. Many major automakers participate in this annual competition that challenges their respective California design studios to push the limits of their expertise and imagination.
The Audi Design Team developed two complementary models meeting these criteria: the accessible Audi eOra and the aspirational Audi eSpira. Both cars function as extensions of one’s body and its senses. Using next generation vehicle control logic, they take even the smallest body movements and gestures of the driver into consideration to provide an unsurpassed command of the drive. The sportier eOra has a smaller footprint has unmatched agility.
Participating Facebook fans said having a stake in the design of these groundbreaking vehicles was empowering and rewarding. While engagement through social media is nothing new, transcending the virtual world to create something tangible is more novel for brands.
“It was really nice to see that Audi cared enough to listen,” said Joe Zamani an active member of the Audi community on Facebook who participated in the regular Design Challenge queries on the page. “The fact that they felt our opinions were worth taking to heart was encouraging. It shows what a valuable resource social media can be when ideas are turned into something real.”
The Los Angeles Design Challenge results will be revealed on December 3, 2009 during the L.A. Auto Show.
The latest Audi web video captures the final stretch of the Los Angeles Design Challenge and the Audi design team’s creation process. Audi partnered with entertainment and marketing production agency Trailer Park to create the video.
To view the latest Audi L.A. Design Challenge web video, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w98a4qLZAE
To visit the Audi Facebook Page, go to: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=115498098436 – /audi?ref=ts
ABOUT AUDI
Audi of America Inc. and its 270 dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. The Audi lineup is one of the freshest in the industry with 23 models, including 12 models launched during model years 2008 and 2009. Audi is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. In selling one million vehicles worldwide in 2008, AUDI AG recorded its 13th consecutive record year for sales growth. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

Twitter has taken the online social networking community by storm. Millions of users post updates throughout the day that are now going well beyond the classic tagline of just “what are you doing?” Rather, what is posted on Twitter contains a wealth of information about ones life experiences.

Just like a diary or journal, a stream of Twitter updates come together to tell a story. A new service recently launched by 140bio.com now allows users to publish those experiences as their very own printed “microbiography.” Produced on quality white stock paper with full color glossy cover, paperback microbiographies are great for archiving life’s greatest moments, whit and observations. 140bio.com makes it possible to preserve and reminisce about those events with a 5″ x 8″ paperback version of personalized tweets.

140bio.com is also pleased to announce that the shipping fee will be waived for a limited time.

Visit http://www.140bio.com for more information or follow us on Twitter for specials and other promotional events @140bio

7Summits, a new type of Social Business Agency, announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Jive Software designed to deliver more end-to-end social business solutions for enterprises through a combination of Jive’s Social Business Software (SBS) and 7Summits’ Strategic Framework for Applied Social Media.

7Summits provides Social Business Strategy and related services that leverage Jive’s SBS to deliver custom, tailored social communities. Jive SBS is applied to key business imperatives including Customer Service, Product Development, Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, and Operations to drive measureable business value. Beyond Facebook and Twitter, an organization building its own community provides more customer insight, direct communications and the ability to measure the effectiveness of how these conversations affect behaviors that directly relate to business performance. Jive’s SBS platform is the proven market leader. 7Summits has focused on building solutions with the platform that should garner interest across industries.

“7Summits is all about Applied Social Media for Business and Jive’s Social Business Software has everything that is needed to deliver on your Social Business Strategy. With Jive’s SBS, we can easily and efficiently execute a strategy that has a direct and measurable impact on improved revenue, reduced cost or both” said Paul Stillmank, President and CEO of 7Summits. “We believe in Jive so much that 7Summits’ web experience is powered completely by Jive. But don’t just listen to us; Gartner and Forrester have ranked Jive at the top of the pile in recently published analyst reports.” Stillmank served as part of Jive’s Expert Panel discussion at JiveWorld09.

“Leveraging social business software and applying social media constructs for business benefit is about more than just technology. Customers need strategy, measurement, and levers to know when refinement and action is needed. We are pleased to have an industry visionary in 7Summits to help us provide a complete solution for our customers”, said Robert Brown, Senior Vice President of Client Services, Jive Software.

About Jive Software Jive frees people to engage in open, natural business conversations and workflows that typically are trapped inside of emails, phone calls or meetings. As the leading enterprise-class suite of SBS applications for Global 2000 companies and governments, Jive combines social networking software, collaboration software, and community software into the first solution to effectively manage employees, customers, and partners on a unified platform built for tens of thousands of users and millions of page views.

About 7Summits Founded in 2009, 7Summits is a Social Business Agency with mission of helping their clients’ customers, employees and partners build their business. 7Summits refers to this as Applied Social Media for Business. 7Summits is dedicated to helping clients apply social media to drive business imperatives. The firm brings deep marketing and social media strategy expertise that helps organizations wade through the hype and focus on moving key operational metrics.

myRete is announcing WhosHere 2.0. The WhosHere 2.0 marquee new feature is WhosHere Voice. As long as both parties have a Wi-Fi connection, WhosHere Voice allows our 750,000 users to call any other user for free. The recipient does not even have to be in the app to take a WhosHere call.

There are two unique components of WhosHere Voice. First, each user controls who has permission to call them. Second, users do not give out any personal information to make or receive a call. Users do not have to give out a phone number, email or IM address to use WhosHere Voice. It ensures users all the privacy they desire to have on a caller-by-caller basis.

WhosHere Voice uses Apple’s iPhone SDK to create a Voice Over IP (VOIP) connection and completely avoids the mobile phone networks. As such, WhosHere users will not see any long-distance, roaming or international mobile phone charges.

Additionally, WhosHere Voice works on the iPod touch 2G further enhancing the utility of an already great device.

Bryant Harris, myRete CEO, said of WhosHere 2.0, “We are thrilled that we have accomplished two significant events in the social networking space. First, we have given our users unique and compelling feature; free, in-app calls without having to give out any personal information. Second, we have done something brand new on the iPhone and iPod touch; creating a social network that goes beyond texts and images to one where real-time voice conversations can happen.”

WhosHere 2.0 includes: *Requires an iPhone or iPod touch 2G and both parties to have a Wi-Fi connection ** Requires OS 3.0 or higher

WhosHere is a social proximity networking application that enables users to meet fri, potential dates or network through an exceptionally simple interface. WhosHere will show you matches that are near you or anywhere in the world based on your answers to a few questions about yourself and who you are interested in meeting. It takes the chance out of the chance encounter. When you find someone you want to talk with, you can send unlimited, free text and image messages to them, and make and receive free calls; all within the WhosHere application.

WhosHere runs on Apple’s iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S and iPod touch and is available for free download on Apple’s iTunes App Store and can easily be found at myRete.com/download. Users of WhosHere can find online help at myRete.com/support and on YouTube (http://YouTube.com/WhosHerebyMyRete). About myRete™

About WhosHere and myRete, Inc. WhosHere has approximately 750,000 users. Over 425 million free text messages and 11.5 million free images have been sent via WhosHere.

myRete, Inc. was founded in March 2008 with the singular focus of bringing an exceptional proximity networking experience to the iPhone and its millions of users. myRete’s product line includes the WhosHere client and WhosHere application server. Rete is Italian for “network”. Offices: San Mateo, CA and Alexandria, VA.

As part of its commitment to providing the best photo sharing experience for customers, KODAK Gallery launched a new application that allows users to share Gallery photos directly to their Facebook streams and profile pages. In a few quick clicks, Gallery members simply select favorite photos or albums and click the link to share on Facebook.
“KODAK Gallery’s Facebook application is part of the faster, more user-friendly Gallery, which helps members easily share their pictures in multiple ways,” said Victor Cho, General Manager, KODAK Gallery and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “The new KODAK Gallery was rebuilt from the ground up based on customer feedback, and this new Facebook application delivers a fun and easy way for people to share their pictures.”
To celebrate the launch and to thank customers for their help in creating the new site, KODAK Gallery is looking to give away ONE MILLION free photo gifts until November 20, 2009. The free gifts include all of Kodak Gallery’s great photo products valued at $15 or less including photo books, picture mugs, photo cards, mouse pads and prints. KODAK Gallery has enlisted the help of Thanks Man to help make the campaign a success. View Thanks Man’s video adventures of his quest to give out a million free KODAK Gallery gifts here.
Features of the new KODAK Gallery include: faster upload speeds to KODAK Gallery, streamlined creation tools and exclusive Photo Card and Photo Book designs.
About Kodak
As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.
To learn more, visit http://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.
Millions of people worldwide manage and share their pictures and create photo gifts online at KODAK Gallery –join today at www.kodakgallery.com