It appears that Virgin Atlantic is preparing a major push into social media with the launch of a community site called Vtravelled.
Vtravelled will be a dedicated travel portal which aims to tap into the 'inspirational' travel market, allowing visitors to organise and share their travel plans with friends and family.
Virgin Atlantic will soft launch the site on 28th February to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members staff, cabin crew and Richard Branson's VIP contacts, and it is then hoping to recruit 2m founding members ahead of a public rollout in June, extending the community to a worldwide audience.
This follows Virgin Atlantic sacking 13 staff in November for using Facebook to criticise its safety standards and calling its passengers "chavs".
The travel market has come under increased pressure from the economic downturn, and according to ComScore, unique visitors for airline sites have fallen by an average of 19%, while in December 2008 Virgin Atlantic's traffic dropped 15% year on year, down to 372,000 unique users.
Phase one of Vtravelled will see Virgin Atlantic help ignite ideas for new trips by featuring 800 destinations with a strong focus on images and maps. It's then understood the airline is considering bringing a booking service onto the site in a bid to monetise traffic.
The site will also include “Trip Pods”, enabling travellers to put together their travel plans, to which friends can be invited to join the area, share photos, notes and chat. Brands will also be able to sponsor a Trip Pod, allowing users to view possible itineraries created by companies.
Virgin Atlantic believes there is a gap in the market that could be filled with inspirational ideas, and is aiming to associate itself with this sort of stimulation, hoping people will think of the site when making a travel decision. They also believe the global site will be a way for people to find personal travel content.
The site will be targeted at people who take holidays more than three times a year, with a focus on UK and US audiences. It plans to position it as a must-visit destination and aims to be the only truly global travel community site.
Their move follows a number of social media projects by rival airlines. Last year British Airways capitalised on the travel community market with the launch of Metrotwin, a social site twinning the best of London and New York.
This month Air France and KLM jointly launched social network Bluenity, enabling passengers to share tips from fellow customers.
EasyJet is also creating a dedicated portal allowing users to explore destinations and book flights. A redesign of its site to improve functionality is due to be rolled out this quarter, followed by the incorporation of its Inflight magazine site, which features destination information and downloadable phrasebooks.
Wednesday
Google to replace hard drives with Gdrive
Google is believed to be on the verge of launching Gdrive, a new free service which will allow users to store the entire contents of their hard drives on the internet.
According to reports, Google is looking to launch Gdrive next year, and would potentially mean that any device with an internet connection could perform the tasks of a PC.
The free service would be powerful enough to boot up programmes and, potentially, a Google operating system, and would be an extension of Google's current online data storage product tied into its Gmail email offering, which allows users to store documents and images.
However there are concerns among privacy campaigners over whether it is a good idea to allow such a quantity of commercial and private data to be available online, and with Google’s past reputation on privacy, would you trust them?
Gdrive would rival Microsoft’s Sky Drive which offers 25GB of free storage, but has a limit of 500MB per file. The current beta version of Sky Drive automatically synchronises files across the PC, mobile and web.
According to reports, Google is looking to launch Gdrive next year, and would potentially mean that any device with an internet connection could perform the tasks of a PC.
The free service would be powerful enough to boot up programmes and, potentially, a Google operating system, and would be an extension of Google's current online data storage product tied into its Gmail email offering, which allows users to store documents and images.
However there are concerns among privacy campaigners over whether it is a good idea to allow such a quantity of commercial and private data to be available online, and with Google’s past reputation on privacy, would you trust them?
Gdrive would rival Microsoft’s Sky Drive which offers 25GB of free storage, but has a limit of 500MB per file. The current beta version of Sky Drive automatically synchronises files across the PC, mobile and web.
Friday
3D desktop scanner
Borrowing technology used in medical imaging, the Real-View 360 3D desktop scanner scans any object that fits on its rotating base, and produces a full three-dimensional electronic depiction on a computer screen.
Artists, designers and manufacturers will likely welcome the capability to produce realistic digital interpretations of physical objects and send images of prototypes or renderings to clients or press agents.
But with cheaper versions of the device also coming to market, the technology will not be reserved for the professional. eBay sellers, for instance, will soon have the perfect device to produce realistic images for their online auctions.
Elsewhere, consumers at large could use the device to send brands desired alterations to existing products, with a view to having them updated and modified according their own tastes and desires.
Artists, designers and manufacturers will likely welcome the capability to produce realistic digital interpretations of physical objects and send images of prototypes or renderings to clients or press agents.
But with cheaper versions of the device also coming to market, the technology will not be reserved for the professional. eBay sellers, for instance, will soon have the perfect device to produce realistic images for their online auctions.
Elsewhere, consumers at large could use the device to send brands desired alterations to existing products, with a view to having them updated and modified according their own tastes and desires.
Global internet audience surpassed 1bn in December 2008
The global internet audience surpassed 1 billion in December 2008, according to ComScore World Metrix.
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest share of internet users at 41.3%, followed by Europe (28%), North America (18.4%), Latin America (7.4%) and the Middle East and Africa (4.8%).
The most popular internet property in December worldwide was Google Sites with 777.9m visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites (647.9m visitors) and Yahoo Sites (562.6m visitors). Facebook.com has grown 127% in the last year to 222m visitors, meaning it now ranks as the seventh most popular internet property in the world.
The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest share of internet users at 41.3%, followed by Europe (28%), North America (18.4%), Latin America (7.4%) and the Middle East and Africa (4.8%).
The most popular internet property in December worldwide was Google Sites with 777.9m visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites (647.9m visitors) and Yahoo Sites (562.6m visitors). Facebook.com has grown 127% in the last year to 222m visitors, meaning it now ranks as the seventh most popular internet property in the world.
Airport movie kiosks
Logan Airport, Boston USA, has just unveiled the Moviecle airport kiosk which serves downloadable in-flight entertainment to travelers.
The movie kiosk allows passengers to download digital content – including movies, TV shows, travel guides and games – onto their laptop.
A full-length film can be transferred in just two minutes, which means the kiosk can be a mere pit stop between security check and departure gate.
More Moviecles are expected to appear in airports across North America over the coming year – just one of several new innovations designed to distribute movies in this post-illegal download climate.
Wednesday
Fresh & Easy takes up Twitter
Fresh & Easy, the US retail chain and owner of Tesco, has signed on to social networking website Twitter to communicate with its customers.
The convenience store chain's Twitter profile already has over 900 customers signed on to receive regular updates, and the company's management is using the website to announce new store openings or seasonal offers, while answering customer queries and solving issues with a human response.
One customer asked why stock was "a little sparse" over the last couple of visits - Fresh & Easy replied that stock tended to be lower at the end of the day due to shipping schedules. They even joked with a customer about the large number of people attending a store opening in California, with a link to a Flickr page showing a photo of the queue outside the store.
The chain also offers recipe suggestions and updates about its charity work in the US, and also keeps customers updated with a company blog.
Other US corporations using Twitter to engage customers include McDonalds, which uses the website for its annual Monopoly competition, and Starbucks who have over 30,000 followers, and recently used Twitter to debunk myths that the company was funding the Israeli army after a number of customers began to boycott its stores.
However, companies in the UK have been slow to take up the microblogging service, and Tesco itself does not have a Twitter page. Virgin Media has a Twitter page but only has 94 users signed up to receive updates!
The convenience store chain's Twitter profile already has over 900 customers signed on to receive regular updates, and the company's management is using the website to announce new store openings or seasonal offers, while answering customer queries and solving issues with a human response.
One customer asked why stock was "a little sparse" over the last couple of visits - Fresh & Easy replied that stock tended to be lower at the end of the day due to shipping schedules. They even joked with a customer about the large number of people attending a store opening in California, with a link to a Flickr page showing a photo of the queue outside the store.
The chain also offers recipe suggestions and updates about its charity work in the US, and also keeps customers updated with a company blog.
Other US corporations using Twitter to engage customers include McDonalds, which uses the website for its annual Monopoly competition, and Starbucks who have over 30,000 followers, and recently used Twitter to debunk myths that the company was funding the Israeli army after a number of customers began to boycott its stores.
However, companies in the UK have been slow to take up the microblogging service, and Tesco itself does not have a Twitter page. Virgin Media has a Twitter page but only has 94 users signed up to receive updates!
Pope to launch YouTube channel
Catholic devotees will soon be able to watch online video footage and sermons by Pope Benedict XVI when the Vatican launches its own YouTube channel this week.
The channel, which is due to be officially unveiled on the 23rd January 2009 will use content supplied by Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center. Church events will also be covered in addition to the Pope's pronouncements and teachings. The channel aims to cater for everyone from the curious to the religion's more devoted followers.
The move onto YouTube will be one of the Catholic Church's biggest online developments since it launched its website in 1995. There is also a website dedicated to the Vatican City State featuring a webcam permanently trained on the tomb of the last Pope, John Paul II.
The channel, which is due to be officially unveiled on the 23rd January 2009 will use content supplied by Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center. Church events will also be covered in addition to the Pope's pronouncements and teachings. The channel aims to cater for everyone from the curious to the religion's more devoted followers.
The move onto YouTube will be one of the Catholic Church's biggest online developments since it launched its website in 1995. There is also a website dedicated to the Vatican City State featuring a webcam permanently trained on the tomb of the last Pope, John Paul II.
American Idol moves into Habbo
US TV show 'American Idol' is to join forces with Habbo, the online community for teenagers, as part of a brand extension that will include merchandising and sponsorship within an 'American Idol' virtual world.
Partnering with Habbo will bring a unique virtual experience to American Idol’s teen user base and will be a great opportunity to deepen the user's association with the show and increase the reach and interaction of the brand with their core viewers.
There are currently Habbo communities in 33 countries on six continents, and to date over 121m Habbo characters have been created with more than 11.5m unique users worldwide visiting Habbo each month.
Partnering with Habbo will bring a unique virtual experience to American Idol’s teen user base and will be a great opportunity to deepen the user's association with the show and increase the reach and interaction of the brand with their core viewers.
There are currently Habbo communities in 33 countries on six continents, and to date over 121m Habbo characters have been created with more than 11.5m unique users worldwide visiting Habbo each month.
YouGov launches social media tracker
Research firm YouGov has launched a quarterly social media tracker to monitor consumers' use of social networks and their levels of engagement.
There have been recent calls for social networks to put monetisation above growth in order to survive, and the report, the first part of research which is completed next month, aims to help advertising and media agencies understand user behaviour in a bid to increase monetisation.
The challenge for social network websites is to find a way to take advantage of their audience and make money from their product. Appealing to advertisers is an obvious route, but finding the best way to engage with those using this channel needs further consideration.
Obtaining a comprehensive, reliable profile of how people are interacting with social media - whether it's for staying in touch, sharing pictures or recommending new music or products - will certainly prove invaluable to agencies.
The research will be based on interviews with 2,000 consumers and will discover which social networks users are members of, how often they visit, and their reaction to the types of ads on the sites.
There have been recent calls for social networks to put monetisation above growth in order to survive, and the report, the first part of research which is completed next month, aims to help advertising and media agencies understand user behaviour in a bid to increase monetisation.
The challenge for social network websites is to find a way to take advantage of their audience and make money from their product. Appealing to advertisers is an obvious route, but finding the best way to engage with those using this channel needs further consideration.
Obtaining a comprehensive, reliable profile of how people are interacting with social media - whether it's for staying in touch, sharing pictures or recommending new music or products - will certainly prove invaluable to agencies.
The research will be based on interviews with 2,000 consumers and will discover which social networks users are members of, how often they visit, and their reaction to the types of ads on the sites.
Tuesday
YouTube launches new homepage ads to boost revenues
YouTube has rolled out a series of new and revamped homepage ads as Google continues its bid to boost the video-sharing site's revenues.
The new formats include the first click-to-play and autoroll expandable ads, as well as a masthead position, following testing with selected advertisers over the past few months.
The move comes a month after Google released data claiming YouTube users are 1.5 times more attentive to, and engaged in, advertising than TV viewers.
Google has been experimenting with ad formats on YouTube since buying the site for $1.76bn (£1.17bn) in 2006. In November it launched Sponsored Videos, a video ad auction model similar to the AdWords search product.
The new formats include the first click-to-play and autoroll expandable ads, as well as a masthead position, following testing with selected advertisers over the past few months.
The move comes a month after Google released data claiming YouTube users are 1.5 times more attentive to, and engaged in, advertising than TV viewers.
Google has been experimenting with ad formats on YouTube since buying the site for $1.76bn (£1.17bn) in 2006. In November it launched Sponsored Videos, a video ad auction model similar to the AdWords search product.
Apple App Store reaches 500m downloads
Apple has announced that 500m applications have been downloaded via its online App Store.
The company's website claims that iPhone owners have downloaded 500m apps in categories from games to business. It adds that the service now offers visitors a choice of more than 15,000 premium and free apps.
The figure shows that demand for iPhone apps has continued to surge following an impressive start, which saw 100m iPhone Apps downloaded in the first 45 days following the launch of the App Store.
The company's website claims that iPhone owners have downloaded 500m apps in categories from games to business. It adds that the service now offers visitors a choice of more than 15,000 premium and free apps.
The figure shows that demand for iPhone apps has continued to surge following an impressive start, which saw 100m iPhone Apps downloaded in the first 45 days following the launch of the App Store.
Micro mobile: Wrist phone is launched
The world’s smallest 3G-enabled phone – a mobile phone worn on the wrist – has just been launched at CES in Las Vegas.
The device is meant to demonstrate that people may no longer need both a wristwatch and a mobile phone in their pocket, but could instead opt for a hybrid solution that combines the functionality of a mobile phone with the aesthetic and functional possibilities of the wristwatch.
It’s a design solution many manufacturers are now working on, as consumers in their 20s forsake wristwatches for the digital display on their mobiles.
The GD910 wrist phone by LG goes a good way towards this solution, with a product that features a tiny touchscreen that also allows for video telephony.
Aside for budding spies and James Bond types, the highly functional watch is yet another design likely to appeal to a growing mass of cross-culture workers dubbed the Bleisure (the blurring of the lines between business and leisure) generation.
The device is meant to demonstrate that people may no longer need both a wristwatch and a mobile phone in their pocket, but could instead opt for a hybrid solution that combines the functionality of a mobile phone with the aesthetic and functional possibilities of the wristwatch.
It’s a design solution many manufacturers are now working on, as consumers in their 20s forsake wristwatches for the digital display on their mobiles.
The GD910 wrist phone by LG goes a good way towards this solution, with a product that features a tiny touchscreen that also allows for video telephony.
Aside for budding spies and James Bond types, the highly functional watch is yet another design likely to appeal to a growing mass of cross-culture workers dubbed the Bleisure (the blurring of the lines between business and leisure) generation.
Monday
Burger King bribes people to remove Facebook friends
Burger King US has released a new Facebook application that gives users a free Whopper when they delete 10 friends from their profile page.
Facebook users can visit the Whopper Sacrifice website to install the application, and select 10 friends they wish to remove from their friend list for a free Whopper voucher.
Usually when a friend is removed on Facebook, no announcement is made, however the Burger King application creates an update to inform the deleted friend that they have been "sacrificed for a free Whopper" on their wall and also includes links to install the Whopper Sacrifice application or join the group.
Facebook users can visit the Whopper Sacrifice website to install the application, and select 10 friends they wish to remove from their friend list for a free Whopper voucher.
Usually when a friend is removed on Facebook, no announcement is made, however the Burger King application creates an update to inform the deleted friend that they have been "sacrificed for a free Whopper" on their wall and also includes links to install the Whopper Sacrifice application or join the group.
Puma’s virtual retro wardrobe
Puma has created an online application that lets users upload a personal photo to mix and match with past Puma clothing styles as part of their "I am 60" campaign.
The Puma Past Masher lets users create their own personalised fashion model where they can try out different styles from the 1940s through to the 1990s. Personal notes and comments can also be added to custom-designed images, which can then be exported to Facebook and Flickr.
Puma also features the most recent creations on its website.
The Puma Past Masher lets users create their own personalised fashion model where they can try out different styles from the 1940s through to the 1990s. Personal notes and comments can also be added to custom-designed images, which can then be exported to Facebook and Flickr.
Puma also features the most recent creations on its website.
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