ShareThis is elegant, compact, easy to use and does everything it needs to, it’s widget design at it’s best. I suppose if a system like this is going to be truly effective then it needs to be on every single article on every site. You can get a browser plugin to make this possible but only a certain sort of person (one interested in technology most likely) is going to install it.

sharethis.com

ShareThis makes a WordPress plugin that provides an unobtrusive way for your visitors to post your site content to various social bookmarking sites, or send a link via e-mail & other communication channels (like Facebook and MySpace) to a friend”

ShareThis is a great tool for individuals and brands to leverage their engaged users to virally distributed content for them.

If Microsoft, Mozilla or Apple build a sharing tool into their browser by default then systems like these will have a massive impact. Ideally they will all build in the same tool.

With Google’s Open Spcial perhaps something like this is possible to implement even if it’s not exacty the same tool in each browser perhaps they could all be based on the same principle.

User recommendation is  going to be so important for the web in the future.

Users own the content so much more now we just press publish and hope our ideas are good enough to inspire them. This is a good thing!

ShareThis

I think it’s great, it gives more meaning to the act of submitting a link, users get something back that is of genuine value to them. This is surly destined to become an important part of Digg in the future should they choose to develop something like this themselves. It could be great for user retention.

Once the system is refined more options could be opened up using this system. Isolating the different strands of links on the main Digg site so you can get suggestions for the strand you view the most. Video suggestion, sport suggestions, entertainment suggestions etc.

The information Digg collect is of course very valuable for advertisers who will be able to present messaging or links to users based on the interests. While this might be seen as invasive by some commentators I think it’s beneficial to the user that they get relevant commercial messages. Lets not kid ourselves these products have to make money if they are going to continue to develop.

Here are my Digg Suggestions. The links it’s giving me at the moment are not of particular interest really but then I hardly ever use Digg, I set it up over a year ago to plug some articles for ZOO.

I will now to try and let Digg learn a little about what I like. Hopefully this can pick out some interesting stuff for me once I choose to Actively Engage with it.

Digg will know about me, what I like and dislike, but I will get given links I will be interested in so I will save myself time. I’m happy with that deal.

ShareThis

It’s an interesting development because tracking the engagement with adverts found within a content based website rather than in search results is important for the fture of those content based websites. The playing field isn’t exactly level in terms of what a client gets from advertising in search results or on content based sites.

The experience for a user is a very different one and the attitude toward the advertisment will also be different. When searching users are already activly engaged in finding content or products so the dynamically displayed ads Google presents in its “Sponsored Links” bar will be far more attractive an option than an advert displayed on a content based website. In this situation the advert needs to serve a different purpose.

Firstly the experience of the advert found on the content based website is far more visual and brand based than a text link. This is why in the past impression based advertising based CPM is currently employed for display advert. The click is not the complete object of the activity but the display of a message to a user.

In Video Egg’s Ad Frames promo video they use Microsoft as an example of a client who is already using the system. Microsoft are clearly very interested in engagement with brand messages be in their own or their clients.

http://www.microsoft.com

The Engagement ROI is a fully integrated reporting capability within the Atlas Media Console currently available through Microsoft. Value is assigned and measured on a real-time basis and takes into account the impact that recency, frequency, size and ad format (such as rich media and video) have on a consumer’s online path to action. Engagement ROI is designed to allow advertisers and publishers to manage their campaigns with greater insight and control than previously available through third-party ad serving.

The beta officially begins on March 1, with results expected to be available before the end of the second calendar quarter.”

It will be interesting to see the results of the beta.

ShareThis

Active engagement is the next step in the development of the web. Users will become increasingly involved in carrying out an action or process in order to reach the content they desire and engage with it, this is Active Engagement.

Active Engagement can be for example implementing and RSS feed into your net vibes account, defining the parameters around which that RSS feed will display and then visiting the content that is flagged up for them.

An actively engaged audience is more connected to the network and it means more to them than a passive engagement.

These theories have more development to go but this is the basis.

ShareThis

- How can we actively engage a web 3.0 audience with the increasingly sporadic behaviour of online audiences.

• - Is brand loyalty low on the web? Maybe, Maybe not.
• - Traffic is actively shared and exchanged too much?
• - Does this breed a more or less engaged user?
• - Are Google really looking on this unfavourably?
• - How does this help if it only drives US traffic higher?

(more…)

ShareThis

Along with iGoogle this is a massivly important development in online publishing.

This will allow users to easily build and maintain their own dynamic digital space with which they we become actively engaged.

(more…)

ShareThis

This system is brilliant for advertisers and consumers. Obviously the engagement of actively watching a video is far more meaningful than passively watching a trailer in an mpu so advertisers get far more value from their investment. Users have to actively make the decision to engage with the advert which is better than bombarding them with the advert. How the deal works for publishers may be difficult.

ShareThis

Loads more is going to happen around accountability in online advertising, the whole publishing industry need to be ready for it and reactive to the issue.

The “trust gap” in online advertising mentioned by the gentleman in the Ad Frames video is also going to be an be an increasingly big issue for online advertisers and media buyers, they are going to grab hold of this sort of information and start demanding more from publishers.

To watch the Ad Frames promo video read more.

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ShareThis

NuComony look really interesting and I think they are worth keeping an eye on over the coming year.

http://blog.nuconomy.com

“The winners will be the organizations that will not just have the most accurate information about their users but the ones that will know how to translate this information into better user experience in the most efficient way.

This is our vision in NuConomy and we were happy to see that WPP shares our vision.

Like oil was the fuel behind the factories, web analytics is the fuel that powers this digital economy.

We just started to scratch the surface of the potential of using insights from web analytics to create new experiences. Web advertising still a long way to go to. We expect to see a lot of innovation in both those places and NuConomy will take a major role there.”

I think this company sounds great, they have a good philosophy and an investment from WPP gives them real credibility going forward!

Related links:
Nuconomy Emerges To Provide Next Generation Site Analytics
Advertising giant invests in Israeli start-up NuConomy
WPP takes stake in web analytics start-up NuConomy

ShareThis

As options increase for users as to where they will invest their time online it will become more important to create lasting and connected relationships. This will maintain and build the amount time they choose to invest with our digital products

ShareThis