Or 'Scope' if you're down with the kids.
Excellent platform that allows you to broadcast live from your phone about whatever. Last night we picked up on a house fire live from Cork (yep, all safe) and an excellent DJ Scratch set from Brooklyn.
But there's lots of really interesting stuff that eats into your battery. Live sports too although it found itself in hot water with the NFL over copyright. The UFC too had to issue 'take down' notices as fans broadcasted fights live.
Indeed you can broadcast corporate events but frankly, it doesn't fit with the audience really......
It's owned by Twitter and that gives you options to share feeds. It started as a news feed in 2013 for showing protests in Istanbul but it has developed into more Social since Twitter took over (or bought it for something rumoured to be circa 50 million usd).
Highly recommended by Streamabout. (And no, no one asked us or paid us to say that. Unfortunately!).
Twitter, like everyone else these days, is driving online Video.
So much so, they've introduced a new format - 'Firstview' - giving advertisers 24 hour access to timelines with video. What it means is, that when a user goes onto Twitter in a 24 hour period, they'll see a sponsored video at the top of their feed.
It's the top spot, just one below an organic tweet, so it will be seen.
Only available in the US just now, but it's coming.
Video is driving Twitter.
Streamabout are driving Video.
We make them, we place them.
And Twitter wants them.
Twitter have launched to get ways to get the Twitterati talking about brands.
Looking at increasing the character length (from 150) - but importantly, a new Ad format that encourages people to tweet the advertisers message to their followers.
And that's far better, far more native, than it coming from the brand itself because a "friends" recommendation or tweet, is way more powerful. When the message is tweeted, the brand thanks you.
Called 'conversationals' it will have an easy button that when you click it, will be a pre-populated tweet with the advertiser message (as distinct from a simple 'retweet') which will include any photo or video. It can be amended or just tweeted as is.
But it comes from you. If you're influential, that's a big bonus and it might get a conversation started. And....it can be targeted at those big influencers only or those in the demographic with large followings.
If it's engaging or interesting it will work but the content will be king.
Say it's something like, "Who'll win the Aldi Baking Competition?" or "Who's the Gillette man of the match?" rather than, "Aldi make great bread", it will work.
It's all about native.
Square will start trading today on the NYSE at 9 usd per share, on opening. This gives it a valuation of 2.9 Billion usd.
It's the Jack Dorsey company, or was, now that he's back at Twitter.
It lost 54 million usd in Q3 2015, a higher loss y-o-y and they've yet to make a profit, although that doesn't really bother us. But the valuation does.
It's a mobile payments company (www.squareup.com) largely at retail point-of-sale for Small businesses. Big deal - we've seen a 100 of these types of companies.
So what's getting Square the profile and huge valuation?
The presence of Jack Dorsey. And if you want a view....that's 2.9 BILLION of madness.....enough already.
UPDATE - It opened today at 11 Dollars 20 Cents. Range was 11-13 Dollars but priced at 9 Dollars. So this is real positive. Still makes no sense though....but remember, it has to CLOSE over 9 Dollars.
Bit of a revival in the Twittersphere with better than expected numbers this week.
Q2 Revenue of 502 million usd was +4% better than expected. Active monthly users at 316 million was up from 302 million and up from 288 million end last year.
That's growth in the face of what was considered a "flat" curve. So no, more people are actively using Twitter. 80% active on mobile giving 88% of the revenue (398 million usd).
It has cash of 3.6 Billion usd and shares gained +5% on the day with of course, Jack Dorsey doing all the talking (and straight talking by all accounts).
But what this does it raise expectations for Q3 and in particular, growth in users as well as, revenues. The shares have fallen back now somewhat.
So it's a bit of good news that has to be sustained and therein, lies the difficulty. Hung by your own success.
(Postscript Wednesday - after hours trading in shares showed at nearly -13% decline in prices at one stage. So there was an offload......which seems to be about comments made about the slow user growth - Monthly active Users MAU's).
Twitter is in talks to acquire Flipboard valuing it at circa 1 Billion USD.
Mike McCue who started Flipboard was of course, a Twitter Board Member until he left to do Flipboard and generate about 50 million USD a year in Revenues.
It's excellent too, Flipboard is one great brand but struggling to generate new users. Notably too, since it's no longer automatically pre-installed on Samsung phones.
What it does is a news reader, allowing the user to nominate news feeds they want and get them in a very stylish format which they "flip". Beautifully actually.
It also has video ads and it's hard to see how it fits into the vision of Twitter. Except this. Mike McCue will probably come with it.
On the Advertising Revenue side, it looks like Facebook and Google are hoovering it up leaving 'second tier' companies such as LinkedIn, Yelp, Twitter (who's shares fell -26% last Tuesday) and even those less established like Snapchat/Vine, finding it hard to make Ad progress.
Those second tiers are showing time and again, that their Ad revenue is growing, but slowly and too slowly for investors.
The dominance of Facebook and Google is more than likely, to continue and so that 'gap' will widen.
In 2014, both Google/Facebook had more that 30 Billion US Dollars (60%) of the 49 Advertising Billion spent - that's dominance. Which is why those other businesses need to move into niches - as LinkedIn has done for recruitment - for as long as Facebook/Google have the largest audiences (over a billion users a month) they'll always get the Ads.
Video too is where the Ad growth is and Google's YouTube is well positioned whereas for others, their video offerings are unclear and poor.
Of course too, these shares of tech companies are particular high, so one bump in the road causes real pain. Investors won't wait.
But even so, that Ad revenue gap will widen in display advertising between Facebook/Google and the others. Now, that's a problem.
Twitter shares closed yesterday down -18% and they're down today.
Getting a hammering. Their previous worst day trading was a drop of 24%.
It comes on foot of leaked disappointing Quarterly results.
The leak was a series of tweets by another company clarifying numbers by mistake from the investor relations website. It has rocked the market.
Revenue of 470-485 million is well below the expected 538 million and possibly some margins are down. Average monthly users are 302 million and advertising revenue has jumped +72% year-on-year.
But this isn't a good day for the company or for Dick Costolo. You can get him on Twitter....
YouTube is 10 years old and without it, businesses like Streamabout, simply wouldn't exist. So hats off to YouTube...but....
What seems to be changing its dominance, is market behaviour and audience reaction. Bought by Google for 1.6 Billion usd in 2006, it's still not profitable despite revenues of 4 billion usd in 2014 - that's about break-even (which is ridiculous even in itself).
Faced with competition such as Vimeo, Vice, Vine, Snapchat and so on, makes life a bit harder for YouTube but their biggest threat is Facebook. The point is that when I see a video on a friends page on Facebook, it's probably something that I might like too - because they're friends and because they'll be 'like minded'. On YouTube, I have to search and search albeit through subscribed channels. So the viewing relevance is very different.
Facebook looks like a video sharing site, YouTube looks like a video hosting platform especially as you can upload video to Facebook directly rather than sharing a YouTube link giving Facebook ownership of the Ads.
The recent YouTube kids version marks a great initiative which brings back audience relevance as does, some of the channels - notably in Sport. But it's not as effective as Facebook even with over a billion monthly views. Facebook has 50% more views and produced nearly 3 billion usd in profit last year.
The growth of autoplay on Facebook (where videos automatically play when you see them) and currently on trial with Twitter - but not on Youtube - is a big failing.
One wonders is YouTube becoming complacent?
But one thing is for sure - it's all about Video, Video and more Video.
Another Facebook milestone this week as announced by Business Insider, achieving 2 million active advertisers, a +33% increase on July last year.
Facebook is therefore gaining ground on Google but leaving Twitter in its wake at 60,000 advertisers. Google has 4 million.
These advertiser relationship growths, point to a healthy future and the opportunity to grow the revenue (spend) per advertiser in the longer term. If you have that many clients, you're going to grow.
If Facebook keep developing their Search capabilities, they could really extend into Google territory and we know that Facebook continues to grow its users year-on-year.
But importantly too, is shows the advertiser move away from traditional. If digital wasn't of real, core interest, they wouldn't be building these relationships. It's coming, it just has taken longer than we thought.
By all reports, Twitter are considering video previews for their new Video Ads.
What it means is that when a video ad pops up in your feed, you'll get an automatic play (auto play) of 6 seconds like a trailer. Then, if that interests you, you click it, to play the video in full.
And advertisers will only be charged when the Ad is clicked so they'll benefit from the 6 second trailer, for free.
Facebook video ads are fully autoplay, whereas YouTube's are click-to-play and so Twitter is really doing the best of both. It's a really good, clever idea too.
It also means that advertisers will only be paying for those who really, really want to see the video because they'll have been interested by the preview trailer.
It's a great way for Twitter to get into that growing, exploding digital video ad space. And if you need online video ads....it's what Streamabout do!
'Video is eating the media world'. So says NewsWhip.
According to Pew Research quoted in their story, 63% of Americans watch online video and 36% of those, watch news video clearly driven by smartphone usage.
They suggest (and I agree) five ways to use video.
Firstly, Facebook. If you have a lot of fans, Facebook can be your TV Channel. I note in Ireland for example, Radio Station FM104 have over 200,000 likes and so a video placed there, reaches a big audience immediately and a potentially huge audience if some of those share again.
Remember too, that those "likes" are potent because they already "like" what you're doing.
Secondly, use short clips to draw attention to long clips.
Not a bad idea either, as video viewers always look at video length first so if you make a shorter version, they'll be more disposed to view that first. So it's almost a "preview".
Thirdly, explain things using video. In other words, simple video can demonstrate how things work (like a graphic) which illuminates a story. Interesting but a bit of a fringe idea.
Fourthly, Twitter 'video cards' allow videos to be played in a timeline and draw attention to the video. And using Twitter as a strong video teaser is a good idea.
Lastly, they also point to Vine and Instagram. Although limited in length, they work on those platforms quickly so the user can be enthused even with very short clips.
I think overall, they're looking to ways in which video can be promoted. A really important issue that's often overlooked. Creation of content is only one side of the equation, distribution is the important other.
Get a video company that can help you with both.
Streamabout. So there.
The USA Ferguson riots again highlight the role of Social Media, notably Twitter, in news.
The news of the shooting first appeared on Twitter, long before any Media arrived and was well tweeted before any coverage. Equally too, people shared pics and video of armed police, tear gas and so on, assuming the role of traditional TV news. In fact, Social Media activity became the news story in itself.
A greater proportion of black people use Twitter than white with some 22% of African Americans on Twitter according to The FT. This shoots to 40% of 18-29 year old African Americans versus 28% of young white people and Jack Dorsey (twitter founder) was a presence at the protests.
He in turn used his Social Media to further the stories and the images.
Interesting too, that law enforcement were slow to get behind the Twitter stories and to utilise it for themselves. When you don't, you lose control of the story and they did.
The use of Social Media in news is now so prevalent that it's hard to see the traditional provision of news crews at scenes with reporters, as adding anything to the story. They even get there late, compared to the immediacy of Social Media.
Perhaps we need to re-think that?
Perhaps what's needed is an army of Twitterers available to report reliably and immediately for news.
Ferguson has shown us that we are moving into a new game.
Lovely bit of hacking it has to be said.....
Russia's PM Dmitry Medvedev had his Twitter Account hacked and a bit of fun was had by all.
You have to understand that his official account is well followed by journalists and government because it's considered reliable.
The first tweet was 'Crimea is not ours. Please retweet'.
The second announced that he was "resigning to become a freelance photographer".
Which prompted the Russian Government to issue a statement saying that he actually wasn't going to be a freelance photographer and that it was false. Funny.
The denial actually appeared on Bloomberg.
Just goes to show, don't believe all you hear on the Web.
As we're coming to the end of The European Elections, it's pretty clear that an anti-austerity vote will prevail as well as, or as a consequence, a shift to the extremes, left and right.
Success for National Front in France, Golden Dawn in Greece, Sinn Fein and Independents in Ireland, UKIP in England and so on, show the shift. It does point to a de-stabilisation of Europe.....but it's absolutely clear that these parties were more techy and it helped them.
Can you win an Election in the future, without a clear strategy and focus on Twitter? Unlikely.
The reason too is the declining impact of traditional TV throughout the day and their political restrictions. Twitter doesn't have any of that.
Building audiences on Twitter is now key to getting elected as much as being active on Twitter. It's more important than local clinics.
Indeed, parties are opening special Twitter accounts where constituents can tweet in issues for comment or to generate response. Like the freephone telephone numbers of old. Twitter help.
Twitter has also said that it's happy to facilitate (in a media way) any campaign commercially, which shows it recognises its own role. Furthermore it fundamentally reduces the role of National media supporting one candidate or one party over another. Those days, it seems, are going.
And what that shows is the democratisation of Elections. Twitter is unbiased (save the opinions from those you choose you follow) and it's free as well as being national or global.
It's allowing poorly funded political groups, whom in the past wouldn't have large media access, an opportunity to be heard on a level playing field. The party that does a good job on Twitter, will probably be the one that makes ground.
And that's a good thing.
Twitter continues to take a bath.
More than 120 million shares were traded on Tuesday with a price fall of -18% down to under 32 us dollars a share - an all time low. It's up on the 26 us dollar November IPO price but well down on the post IPO surge of over 70 us dollars.
It's a slide but accentuated this week by the expiration of 'lockups' in shares with 470 million available to come onto the market for the first time.
The co-founders, CEO and large investors have indicated that they'll continue to hold the stock...but for how long? They hold about 205 million shares - leaving circa 265 million available to possibly trade and 120 million were.
Tuesday's volume in traded shares though, is an all time high and indicates large stock offloads. Less that 20% of Twitter shares had been traded to this point.
Twitter are suffering from a general downturn in tech stocks but in particular, it is driven by concerns that Twitter hasn't found a way to generate substantial revenue - yet. And monthly active users are down. Negative sentiment.
That concern is at the core of this. As well as, legal or not, probable market short selling which will in turn create a downward dynamism in the share price.... possibly.
Add to that, those staff holders of shares who have an opportunity to "get rich" following the release of their shares from the lockup, will be nervous of these drops and possibly, look to sell, rather than wait. Further adding to the decline.
Not a good time for Twitter.
But fundamentally it shows that an IPO has benefits especially for tech companies. However, there's also a darkside. It can ruin you.
Twitter and Facebook are ramping up their proposition as TV's "second screen" social media in order to get some of those TV Ad budgets...but they've a good bit to go. They're not getting traction.
16% of online Americans use second screens when watching TV prime time says Nielsen. Only half of them then use their Social networks to talk about TV shows - so that's all pretty low numbers. A big jump perhaps, but still in its infancy and becoming a struggle.
Consequently, Social Media isn't yet the way to use product promotion in relation to TV advertising. And this game might be up for Twitter/Facebook, or at least, be a much longer term play than they anticipate.
The problem here is that Social Media is an alternative to TV not an add-on.
Relating them together under the "second screen" proposition, isn't effective.... rather than, what they should be doing, is driving Twitter/Facebook as being different and offering other choices to TV.
But Twitter/Facebook want to get their hands on TV advertising spend now to show revenue potential because of share price issues...they'll be waiting.
The fact is that traditional TV broadcasting is dying, nothing surer, as audiences get fed up with scheduling of content at times that don't suit them and see better alternative content through either online broadcasts (Hulu, Love Film, Netflix) or online video (YouTube, Vimeo).
TV audiences are in terminal decline and TV stations are compensating that loss of viewers by increasing their rates to compensate. So advertisers are paying more for lower views and that simply won't stand. They are diametrically opposed.
So in time, advertising budgets on TV will switch to online. They've been slow to thus far, but like big ships, they take time and they will. Basic inertia, largely on the part of their Media Agencies, coupled with a generational belief in the power of TV advertising, means it will take time.
A lack too of new digital media understanding and confusion about formats, still gives digital media a "fog" over it. But that will clear.
Already there is an understanding amongst large brands, the traditional TV advocates, that they "need to do more online", but they're just not clear about what.
Social Media second screen offerings from Twitter and Facebook are not it.
Social Media alternatives to TV, such as broadcasting their own content, are it. In other words, they should be taking TV on and not be part of it.
Twitter TV? Facebook TV? online newspaper TV?
What Twitter/Facebook are currently doing is seeking short term revenues, whilst at the same time, being deflected from where they should be long term. They should be content providers onto huge platforms which they already have with massive subscribers.
Traditional TV is over as broadcasters and the TV stations need to realise that their long term play is as content providers into Social media platforms. And not, as Nielsen shows, the other way around.
US tech stocks are taking a bit of a hammering from US investors this month.
A 275 billion usd hammering.
About 14 companies have lost about 20% of their stock market values which brings us back to the crashing sound of 2008.
Business Software companies like Workday, Fireye and Splunk have been hit hardest down -30/40%. Biotech is down but Facebook has fallen -22% from its March highs (having spent 19 billion on What's App). Twitter and LinkedIn are down circa -40% from highs and even Google is down -12%. Netflix too are feeling the draught.
Of course, this comes on foot of a flood of tech IPO's which in itself, creates a supply and demand issue (too much supply potential) and indeed, reflects a correction on the initial high levels of capital raised. Temporary? perhaps but these rallies tend to naturally gather momentum and continue to slide as nervous investors get cold feet and exit.
It may affect the Alibaba float with a value of 200 Billion usd which is quite extraordinary. Although there could also be a view that these downward corrections actually bring realism to the market and is better for forthcoming IPO's. In other words, lower valuations are more realistic.
But other issues could be at play too - the Russian/Crimean problem is not helping, growth bringing interest rate rises, and general economic matters. It could also be the first sign of another Internet bubble and crash as I know well from 2000. Hopes then were dashed because of the optimism on future earnings didn't materialise (and nor too, did investors know what they were buying into).
If you want a view, it's that it's a correction on insanely high valuations based on unachievable revenues. And investors who got in for a quick bullish gain are realising that. So they're offloading long term...they'll tend not to come back.
A market correction alright, but nothing temporary about it. Planet Earth.
It's been a tough old week for Twitter.
In its first filings to Wall Street since their IPO, things have gone downhill. Investors are worried.
Twitter's US growth has largely stagnated and international growth is up 8 million users on the same yoy period. Small enough.
Now with 187 m users internationally and 54m in the US, giving it 241m overall in Quarter 4 2013. In Quarter 3, that was 232m, so that's the worry because it's a small increase and USA stagnated.
US Advertisers account for over 70% of Twitters revenue.
And it's all impacting on the share price.
Early stage poor growth like this, is really considered badly with the shares down circa -25% on the week. That's a massive offload.
It is only one quarter of data, and revenue in 2013 was 665 million usd, up from 317 million or +110% and EBITDA was up +256%. But these numbers never got a look in, so in some ways, the dissemination of information didn't help.
Twitter still has a large advertising reach and it's still growing its users and its revenue. But the fluid typical ipo investors, may continue to depart and that's a problem.
IPO investors tend to be more 'punters' and get frightened easily.
That's not good news for Twitter but it's likely that some maturity will come into the market in time....if that is, investors are prepared to wait.
Cut a long story short...
My Iphone (5S 64 running ios 7) was choc full of music downloads. I know, it's a lot of Albums, but consequently I didn't have the phone capacity to download apps or really do anything. And there's no bigger phone.
So I got my fab iTunes Cloud account, transferred the albums off the phone, up to the cloud to stream/download in due course when I need to and now, my phone capacity was back.
So I downloaded Flipboard.
Now I had just forgotten how much my life had fallen apart without Flipboard. I had become a nervous wreck. Lonely, unstable. I stopped showering (okay, I'm exaggerating here, but you get the drift).
Instantly I got my techy stuff back, my music, my art, my books, my news, my videos...the upgrade is even better...if that was possible.
Flipboard's Mike McCue is a genius and although the Twitter App comes close, this is the best of them all. The image above is from Wired where they say Flipboard was a favourite App of Steve Jobs. That does not surprise me.
And it's free.
Treat yourself for Christmas.
Download it now and live again.
