Spinning the Web

This video is the fourth in a series of annual reports on media convergence. The statistics are great (although very USA-centric) and the message is clear – the social media revolution is no longer ‘the next big thing’, it is a phenomenon happening now.

The most interesting soundbite it pulls out suggests that what fits inside our pockets now will, in 25 years, fit inside a blood cell.

What do you think?

This presentation provides some great top-level insight into the changing habits of web users. Particular highlights include the rising popularity of video content online (and the relevant drivers for this) and the channels of brand communication that are popular with users.

This is by no means the only presentation offering statistics like these, but there is certainly a common theme among them all: brands that aren’t engaging online are missing the growing commercial opportunities and are falling behind.

Stribe is a new plug and play programme that allows you to create a customised social network that sits alongside your website – allowing your visitors to connect and engage with each other, as well as with your content, without leaving your site.

Stribe is a finalist in the this year’s Techcrunch50 and looks set for success, at least in the short term. This is a concept that many organisations will love – but it will be the uptake from website visitors that will determine its success.

Bespoke social networks are nothing new – Ning has made them easier than ever to create – but Stribe is the first option we’ve seen that attaches a network overtly to an organisation’s website content. Indeed, the innovative interface could add a lot of value for Ning if they were to look at partnering (or even purchasing) the start-up.

The opportunities are vast, but there needs to be careful thought around the purpose and policing of such a network in order to make it attractive to join and revisit. Also, with current online successes such as Posterous aggregating online identities rather than creating new ones, Stribe is going against the grain to some extent.

Interesting to see who takes it on. We might even try it out on the Manifest London website so keep your eyes peeled.