Posts Tagged ‘Trends’

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Facebook Grows Again

Depending on where you fall on the scale with Facebook—whether you love it or hate it—yesterday’s announcement of a new Comments plugin will either please or bother you. One of the changes is that comments will be sorted based on social relevance; if a particular comment receives a lot of attention through likes or replies, it’ll move up the list. But what’s more intriguing (or possibly, annoying) is that your comments on a partner site can now be shared on your Facebook Wall.

A Broader Way of Sharing

What does this mean? Let’s say you post a comment in response to an article you’ve read at The Economist (one of Facebook’s partner sites). This action will now get posted to your Facebook Wall for all your friends to see. Now they’ll have an opportunity to either read the article—which they may never have seen—or even participate in the conversation. And here’s another feature: if they respond to your comment on Facebook, that can/will (?) appear on the partner site as well.

So Who Benefits?

Well for one, the partner sites, with increased traffic and potentially new, repeat visitors. Facebook, of course, will grow its sphere of influence across the web and integrate even more with sites beyond its own URL. And finally, if you’re into sharing your experiences with the internet, then you too could gain from this new model. But I must say, I hope Facebook puts some filters into place. I’m sure there’ll be times when you don’t want your comment to be shared with others. After all, everyone has a little something they like to hide, don’t they?

Posted: March 2, 2011 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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Data: the Next Frontier?

Unlimited Talk

I don't care. I want data.

Was anyone truly surprised when wireless carriers revealed pricing plans to use Apple’s new iPads over their networks? I don’t think so. No carrier divulged their data plans until the day before the iPad was released and probably with good cause. You just need to look back at the launch of the iPhone in Canada, when Rogers published their data plans well in advance of the smartphone’s release. Potential buyers were outraged at the data cap and this prompted Rogers to create a limited-time, high-volume data plan which has since returned with the launch of Apple’s iPhone 4 (assuming, of course, you can actually find an iPhone).

So what’s all the fuss about data? Well, as I’ve often suggested to those who’ve asked, it’s not the phone that cost money, it’s the data plan. Take a look at my plan. I have 1GB of data usage per month; however, I never used more than 15% of it. So why not switch to a cheaper package? Well, it’s not that simple. I would lose other features that I do use and in the end, I wouldn’t save that much money. When the iPad was released, I—like many others—quite foolishly (or naively) expected that we’d be able to use these new devices on our existing data plans. Not so. I would be required to purchase an additional plan to use the iPad, even though I’m wasting 85% of my existing plan.

And so, here’s an obvious wedge for carriers to use in a fight for my monthly mobile dollar. In the past year, Canada has seen more than a few new players enter the mobile market–Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Moblic, Rogers’ own Chatr. The big telcos–Bell, Rogers, Telus–have tried to counter with discounts on voice but for me—and a growing number of subscribers, as usage trends indicate—this means nothing. I want better prices for data. And I don’t think I’m alone.

So, as stated in today’s Globe and Mail, is data the new front in the wireless war?

Posted: September 20, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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Should Bricks & Mortar Stores Offer Free WiFi?

Photo of woman using her mobile phone and shopping

As reported by Mobile Marketer, mobile audience media company JiWire released a study outlining an increase of people accessing the Internet via their handsets. A growing majority of mobile users are shopping and browsing the internet outside their homes and that got me thinking: should a brick and mortar store offer you free internet access?


I’m guessing most retailers would answer with a “no”. Why? Comparison shopping. I myself have been at a Costco with a DVD in hand and used my iPhone to check if it was cheaper at Future Shop or Best Buy. Granted, it was a labourious process; checking prices over a 3G network on non-mobile optimized websites is simply annoying. But what if the store I’m at makes this process easy?


Radical, I know. You’re inviting me to check prices at a competitor? And make it easy?


But what if that company is confident enough in its pricing and focused on something else: like a great customer experience? And what if they can add more value by my being there—right now? Something like the ability to scan a product and send me to a price comparison chart of their own. How would this affect your purchase decision?

Posted: February 24, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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