News

LinkedIn simplifies its home page -- LinkedIn has relaunched its home page with a more spartan design the social network hopes will lead to more interactivity and visits. Other changes include analytics and traffic displayed on your LinkedIn profile and other pages. The tile-style layout of the new home page will allow each section to function like its own widget. Read more

Twitter and Foursquare partner to improve location in tweets -- When I drive into a new geographic location, Foursquare notifies me of places nearby that match my interests. That's something twitter wants to do, leading to a partnership with Foursquare next year that will add geo-based features to tweets. Read more

Facebook adds call-to-action buttons for Pages -- Seven new call-to-action buttons are available for Facebook pages, including Book Now, Contact us, Shop Now, Sign Up, and Play Game. Using the Sign Up button, Dollar Shave Club has converted 2-1/2 times more users than before adding the button. Read more

Microsoft accepts Bitcoin -- Bitcoin was declared dead by a lot of observers some time ago, but since then, a number of vendors have quietly begun accepting the virtual currency. Microsoft is the latest, accepting payments in Bitcoin from US users for purchases from Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox games, Xbox Music, and Xbox Video stores. Read more

Google opens research program to develop Internet-of-Things standards -- Google is inviting research proposals from academics who want to participate in a "cross-disciplinary expedition intended to address the complex challenges and opportunities before us as we explore the next generation of systems, services, and interconnected devices." It's the first phase of a larger Google program to develop standards for the Internet of Things, which is fast becoming a reality with interconnected thermostats, smoke alarms, home lighting, and even cooking tools like crock pots. Read more

Vessel aims to compete with YouTube -- Good luck with that. Vessel is the brainchild of Jason Kilar, a former Hulu CEO, who hopes video fans will pony up $2.99 a month to watch the videos from YouTube stars three days before they're released to YouTube. An ad-supported version will also be available, with creators opting to paywall their work for three days or more for a cut of subscription revenue, or syndicate their videos on the free service and earn a share of the ad revenue (which they already get from YouTube and Facebook). Alec Baldwin will premiere an original series on Vessel next year. Read more

Prezi enables live presentations from anywhere -- Prezi fans rejoice. The "zooming" presentation platform has introduced a new feature that will let you deliver a presentation remotely to audiences anywhere in real time. Read more

Mobile and Wearables

Mobile will change the face of content marketing -- Despite the fact that attention is shifting to mobile screens, most of the marketing on mobile has been awful. Marketers face a challenge: develop mobile content that will drive engagement and transform mobile consumers into brand ambassadors. Examples of companies that have started down this road include Ford Motor Company, which has partnered with extreme sports stuntman and YouTube star Devin Graham to create a video series presented to Graham's existing base of 2 million YouTube subscribers, creating a new mobile audience for Ford. Read more

Messaging apps are a bigger deal than you thought -- Of the 58 minutes per day the average smartphone owners spends on his or her phone, 55% is spent communicating (talking, texting, and emailing). Mobile messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Kik, Vibr) plan to bundle these services in order to keep you on their app for all your communication needs. That would mean your audiences will spend less time on the services where you have invested your time and money to engage with them. Read more

Line buys streaming music service -- It may not seem like that big a deal -- especially for communicators -- by Line's acquisition of Microsoft's Mixradio music streaming service is another sign that the host of mobile messaging apps are taking some bold steps to keep you on their services when you use your phone. Line doesn't have the user base of Facebook's Messenger or WhatsApp, or China-based WeChat, but the addition of a streaming music service could boost its prospects. Read more

Workplace adoption of wearables on the rise -- Wearables will be a $70 billion market by 2024, and the workplace is playing a big part in the adoption of the fashion-focused tech category. A PricewaterhouseCoopers study found 77% of respondents believe increased worker efficiency and productivity is a key benefit of wearables; 46% said companies should invest in wearables for their workers. The insights employers can glean from the data produced by wearables is likely to have a huge impact on existing benefits and rewards programs. Read more

Trends and Analysis

The future of privacy -- A Pew Research study on the future of privacy found a slight majority of respondents -- 55% -- don't believe an accepted privacy-rights regime and infrastructure will be established in the next 10 years. Many of those answering both "yes" and "no" said the online life is inherently public, with one suggesting that "privacy will be the new taboo and will not be appreciated or understood by upcoming generations." Read more

Video is still the domain of the desktop -- More than 200 million Americans will consume video on a digital device next year, representing two-thirds of the population, and most of them will watch those videos on a traditional desktop or laptop computer. A survey by HUB Research found 59% of videos were viewed on a computer in 2014, compared to 27% on a tablet and 23% on a smartphone. These numbers represent a slight increase for mobile devices and a 3% decline for computers, but it's clear that the larger screens still dominate. A similar Adobe Systems study found nearly three-quarters of US digital videos were started on computers. Read more

Marketers struggle with cross-channel campaigns -- Only 27% of digital marketers are integrating their campaigns across all digital channels, and less than 25% say their efforts are integrated across online and offline channels. Part of the problem, according to survey sponsor Marin Software, is that programmatic and biddable digital ad buying becomes more common, it's more of a challenge to interact across different departments with their own budgets to create cross-channel campaigns. The range of devices (like smartphones) is another obstacle to cross-channel marketing. Read more

PR needs to take the lead in defining and instilling company character

This week on FIR

• On episode 786 of The Hobson & Holtz Report, Neville and I look at the growing importance of microcopy, Twitter's role in reducing the 24-hour news cycle to 2 hours, the need for PR agencies to pay more attention to Glassdoor.com, and the launch of the Social Media Charter for the U.K. financial service industry. We also look at the uptake of Applie devices in the airline industry, the increased reach you get with employee ambassadors, Apple's hiring of fashione xperts in advance of the Apple Watch launch, and what Facebook's new search features means for brands and publishers. And, Dan York shares his weekly Tech Report. Listen
  
• Zoetica Media CEO Kami Huyse shares her road to her current position in the latest episode of Chats with Chip. Listen
  
• Jerod Morris, VP of Marketing for Copyblogger Media, joins Glenn Gaudet to talk about social media and the impact of content on episode 41 of AMP Up Your Social Media. Listen
  
• Doug Haslam joins Chip Griffin to talk about the FTC crackdown on social media disclosure, whether the angry social mob phenomenon is back, and the impact of the Sony hack on communicators in episode 2014.23 of the Media Bullseye Roundtable. Listen
  
• On episode 42 of AMP Up Your Social Media, Glenn gaudet chats with Brad Young, global content strategy leader for Dun and Bradstreet, about the significance of content marketing and strategy. Listen
  
• Top social media influencer Bryan Kramer, CEO of PureMatter, joins Mitchell Levy for episode 53 of Thought Leadership. Listen
  On episode 394 of Inside PR, Gini, Joe, and Martin offer up their predictions for 2015. Listen

• I'll be in Washington, D.C. on January 21 and 22 for a talk with internal communications staff at my client, the International Monetary Fund.
• In February, I'll join Ann Wylie in Santa Fe, NM, for a two-day writing workshop.
• In March, I'll speak at Ragan's Digital Employee Communications Conference in Chicago.
• I'll speak at a Ragan conference devoted to visual communications and infographics in Portland, Oregon on April 23 and 24. in Portland, Oregon.
• Ann Wylie and I are bringing our two-day writing workshop to Thrivent Financial in Minnesota in April.

Spend two days in Santa Fe with Ann Wylie and me

Visit us at Holtz.com.