Wearables may be strengthening their grip in the tech marketplace, but will Fitbit have what it takes to go the distance? As the eight year old company which makes wearable health devices is set to raise between $350million and $500million from an initial public offering (IPO), it is a good time to ponder whether this … Continue reading
Category Archives: Social Media
Charity hit by animal welfare ‘hacktivists’ forced to cancel fundraiser
A children’s charity fundraising night at the local dog racing track has been cancelled following an online campaign by an animal welfare group. Once again, social media has taken centre stage. The Brighton based Rockinghorse charity, which raises money for seriously ill children, has been cancelled the event after a social media campaign by the … Continue reading
Yahoo faces U.S. privacy class action
U.S. tech company Yahoo Inc is to face a class-action lawsuit in America. It is accused of illegally intercepting emails sent to Yahoo Mail accounts from non-Yahoo Mail users and using the content to focus advertising and boost revenue. Yahoo is accused of copying and analysing non-Yahoo Mail users emails, including attachments, in order to create “targeted advertising” for an estimated … Continue reading
Snapchat CEO reveals plans for future
Snapchat CEO, 24 year-old Evan Spiegel, has said that an initial public offering (IPO) is “really important” for the ephemeral social media platform. Since it launched in 2011, Snapchat has grown to 100million registered users actively engaging with the platform each day. Of those, 65% upload ‘snaps’ – photos, pictures and videos – which are shared … Continue reading
What can Apple bring to the subscription TV party?
There have been no formal announcements, but rumour and speculation is already turning into believable fact around Apple’s entry into the subscription television market. Although Apple TV hardware has been around for a few years, it has lost out in part to the likes of Google’s cheaper Chromecast offering and other similar products in recent months. This has not been … Continue reading
Up Periscope: the future of live broadcasting from your smartphone
New apps, including Periscope and Meerkat, can make anyone with a smartphone into a live newscaster. For business, this could mean a rethink of how live events are delivered and what can be done to protect valuable online and offline content. I joined the Arise News team to discuss the impact of live social broadcasting on … Continue reading
Mobile operators plan to block mobile advertising
Whether it is a win for the consumer or a warning to Google, the possibility of blocking mobile advertisements could be the biggest game-changer in marketing since the introduction of mobile advertising less than ten years ago. It is estimated that the mobile internet market is worth $69billion this year alone, with that set to rise … Continue reading
The YouTube Election
In the run-up to the General Election, I contributed a guest-blog to Byfield Consultancy, a specilaist legal PR and Communications agency in London. An earlier version of the blog can be viewed on the Byfield Consultancy website and is, in part, reproduced below. The YouTube election YouTube reached its tenth birthday in April 2015 and the … Continue reading
Was it worth the wait? Apple launches its smartwatch
After years of conspiracy theories, anticipation and disappointment, Apple finally launched its catchily named AppleWatch on 24 April 2015. Will this change the horological world the way that the iPhone changed the mobile marketplace, or is this one innovation too far? First indications are that the AppleWatch will dominate the smartwatch market from day one. … Continue reading
Huff Post Live interview: Facebook faces class action claim in Europe
A 25,000 member class action has been considered against Facebook by a court in Austria. Following alleged breaches of EU privacy law, mass surveillance and involvement in the NSA’s Prism snooping programme, privacy campaigner Max Schrems has officially filed the complaint which is currently being considered. A decision on whether the claim can succeed to a full consideration is … Continue reading