UK: Social networking booms

UK: Mobile social networking booms

from editorsweblog

Social networks? Mobile? As both phenomena continue to boom, their intertwining seems inevitable.The Guardian reports that more than 10% of UK mobile phone users have accessed social networking sites, such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace via mobile devices.

According to Nielsen Mobile, of the UK's 48 million mobile phone subscribers, 21 million are also on a social networking site.

Out of this 21 million, about 25% used their mobile phone, each month in the first quarter of 2008, to visit a social networking site.

"Social networking is already a global phenomenon and mobile could be the next big thing in the space," said Kent Ferguson, the client services manager at Nielsen Mobile.

"There could be increased demand for mobile social networking driven by the flat fee price plans offered by the leading operators that give subscribers unlimited mobile internet access."

Nielsen's survey was based on interviews with about 10,000 mobile phone users in the UK.

UK: Liverpool Daily Post invites readers into the editorial process with blogs and videos

from editorsweblog

Today, The Liverpool Daily Post is giving its online readers a unique chance to peek into the paper's editorial process.

The Post will be running a live blog throughout the whole day, until next morning's edition goes the presses. 

Thanks to technology from Bambuser and Qik, the Post's journalists will stream video of themselves via their mobile phones, as they conduct interviews or work in the office.

The day's main editorial conference was also streamed online.

Readers of the live blog can submit ideas for stories and questions for journalists, about editorial decisions, design and more, both for the print and online editions.

"The success of the live blog during our local election coverage proved that our readers enjoy being a part of the newsgathering process, asking questions and sharing information," said Mark Thomas, Liverpool Daily Post editor...

U.K. Facebook Creatives Branded 'Illegal'

from ClickZ News Blog

A range of ads promoting credit and loan facilities on Facebook are in fact illegal, according to U.K. debt charity Credit Action.

The charity has said that a number of companies advertising on the social networking site are not providing information on their products that is required to satisfy U.K. advertising laws set out by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

An article on the credit action website reads, "If you've been on Facebook recently, you can't miss the adverts for 'payday loans' and credit cards. What you may not have realised is that many of these ads are breaking the law!"

The offending ads fail to state the annual percentage rate of interest (APR) of the loans being advertised. According to Credit Action, this information must be clearly displayed if the ad offers an incentive or interest-free period, makes comparisons with other lenders' products, or provides services tailored for those with poor credit histories.

Malcolm Hurlston, the charity's chief executive, said that some of the companies are U.S.-based lenders who may not be aware of U.K. advertising rules, but that others are from big-name firms who have been active in this country for some time.

"We must be sure that such creative products concur with existing rules and regulations and offer customers the full protection of the law," he told the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper.

Credit Action has written to the OFT complaining about the ads, but says that users should also report them to Facebook.

Offending companies include Payday U.K., Payday Advance U.K. and My Payday Online.

Ad Networks sector to grow by 60% in 2008 - new report

E-consultancy (press release) - London,England,UK
For higher online ROI talk to Latitude UK media spend on online advertising networks will grow by 60% in 2008 to an estimated £385 million, according to a ...

Online ad spend set to soar

IT Week - London,UK
The firm's 2008 Online Advertising Networks Buyer’s Guide, predicts that overall display advertisingwill grow by 30 per cent in 2008 to £770 million. ...