DataSift Adds Instagram, Facebook Page + Google+ Data Sources
DataSift, an enterprise social data company, has added Instagram, Facebook Page and Google+ data to its managed data offering, and partnered with analytics and visualization vendor Tableau on data integration.
Nonrenewable Energy Sources- Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Coal
What themes of Human Geography go best with Nonrenewable energy sources: Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Coal
Tags: coal, energy, natural-gas, nonrenewable, petroleum
Facebook To Reveal “Home On Android” Sources Say Is A Modified OS On HTC At 4/4 Event
Facebook just invited press to an event at its headquarters on April 4th to “Come See Our New Home On Android”. Sources tell us it will be a modified version of the Android operating system with deep native Facebook functionality on the homescreen that may live on an HTC handset. The evidence aligns to say this is the Facebook Phone announcement people have been speculating about for years.
One source recently told us to be on the look out for a Facebook mobile press event in early April where the social network would reveal an altered Android OS running on HTC. It’s said not to be a full-on rewrite of Android, but rather a “flavor” that will have all sorts of extra Facebook functionality built in. We’ve also heard it referred to as an “application layer”. Imagine Facebook’s integration with iOS 6, but on steroids, and built by Facebook itself. It could have a heavy reliance on Facebook’s native apps like Messenger, easy social sharing from anywhere on the phone, and more.
Rumors we’ve heard say that the project could actually be called “Facebook Home”, and it’s hallmark would be a heavily Facebook-ified mobile phone home screen. This could include Facebook news feed stories and data splayed out right on the home screen, along with easy access to Facebook apps.
Now we’ve received the invite to this supposed event we were told to watch for, and other signs seem to verify what our sources are saying. The announcement would align with what MG Siegler reported in January. It looks like MG might have been right about what was happening, but just with the wrong timing. It syncs up with 9To5Google’s new report that Facebook and HTC have been developing a joint ad campaign.
Finally, it meshes with AllThingsD‘s 2011 report that Facebook was building a phone with HTC. However, one source says that several key members of the Facebook OS team have left the company including Rasmus Andersson who recently went to Dropbox. That may have prompted Facebook to scale back its ambitions from true fork of Android to this more subtle modification.
In addition to a modified OS, I think Facebook could launch a more basic homescreen replacement similar to the SO.HO, Nova, or Go launcher for Android that would be compatible with standard versions of Android. This would give users a Facebook-heavy homescreen experience with much of the features described above, but without deeper operating system hooks and data access. As a complement to its modified OS, this Facebook Home Launcher would let Facebook’s new mobile developments extend to a wider range of devices beyond HTC. If Facebook really wanted to play it safe it could reveal this launcher instead of an OS modification, but more likely I see it as way for its work to gain greater reach.
Some think Facebook may be too small and young of a company to manufacture its own devices without thoroughly distracting itself, but it’s already got many building blocks of a mobile operating system. Its recent developments around VoIP could let it develop a Phone app alternative. When possible, Facebook could route calls over its self-built open sourced Skype alternative, and use normal a cellular connection if a call’s recipient isn’t equipped with the right Facebook app.
With deeper control of a modified operating system would come huge opportunities to collect data on its users. Facebook knows that who you SMS and call are important indicators of who your closest friends are. Its own version of Android could give it that info, which could be used to refine everything from what content you’re shown in the news feed to which friends faces are used in ads you see.
This announcement might not be a Facebook Phone, but rather a Facebook phone — one where everything the user sees is social by design, even if the handset’s innards are made by someone else.
TechCrunch » Social
Josh Constine
Twitter Is Finally Preparing To Release Its Advertising API In Q1, Say Sources
People have speculated that 2013 will be the year that Twitter will reach $ 1 billion in advertising revenues. That strategy could get a boost very soon with the entry of mass-market advertising: Twitter is finally gearing up to launch its advertising API some time in Q1. Aimed at large advertisers and their agencies, it will give them the ability to launch scaled-up campaigns across the social network, and it also opens the door to more sophisticated targeting and analytics tools in the process.
According to several sources, the company has started briefing social media marketing agencies, which help brands and big advertisers plan and buy ads on social networks like Twitter, with conversations taking place just before the holidays.
“I have been in discussions with Twitter and they contacted us right before the holidays saying it was getting close to having their advertising API ready,” one executive said.
TechCrunch also spoke with a would-be advertiser, who said that his agency advised against changes in their Twitter ad strategy in the short-term “because their API will be changing” in Q1 of this year.
Twitter declined to comment for this story — “We don’t have anything to share at this time,” a spokesperson told me. And it has not started sharing too many details about what the advertising API would entail, exactly, with agencies, “but we have been getting updates that state that it will be very close to what their current self-serve model is,” a source said.
Twitter first introduced advertising on its platform in April 2010, and the self-service tool that is currently in place lets companies, and their agencies, upload ads to run across the social network covering formats like Promoted Tweets.
But these are uploaded one at a time, which doesn’t work for large campaigns. “The value add that the ad API will bring is the ability to productively and efficiently grow and scale campaigns,” a source said. “One-at-a-time can be very time-consuming if you are managing multiple or very large campaigns for large advertisers. Also, it’s a challenge if you’re an ad agency operating in this manner.”
Launching an advertising API is something that has, reportedly, been long in the planning, with this Reuters story from July 2011 noting it would be coming “soon.” Equally in the air is whether Twitter will offer a separate advertising API, as Facebook does, or whether it would be rolled out as part of a wider update to its general API for other data calls: this was an idea Marketing Land floated in September 2012, when Twitter noted in its API 1.1 release terms that “Twitter reserves the right to serve advertising via its APIs (“Twitter Ads”). If you decide to serve Twitter Ads once we start delivering them, we will share a portion of advertising revenue with you per our then-current terms and conditions.”
But in either case, it does seem that this time around, the API is finally coming. Apart from several sources confirming that Twitter is talking up its advertising API, the startup has made several other recent moves that point to it super-sizing its commercial efforts.
On January 22, it opened up a way for advertisers to launch global campaigns across its different geographies (or to target several specific geographies at once), by adding support for different markets around the world. Twitter, which has 200 million monthly active users, says 70 percent of registered accounts are outside the U.S.
On January 17, it expanded its Certified Products Program, which allows brands and businesses to better measure how they are performing on the social network, and to better manage their engagement. The expansion added new partners in areas like engagement, data analytics and data reselling. Twitter also appointed Zach Hofer-Shall to manage the program and expand it further.
Part of that change, it seems, could see a further expansion of the role of those certified partners. A senior person at one of these partners, which focuses today on helping businesses manage their presence on Twitter, says that his company is soon planning to launch “something very unique with Twitter and advertising,” with the news planned for the next few weeks, which would also match up with the news of an advertising API.
Agencies say they are ready and waiting for Twitter to launch an advertising API. “We are very excited to include Twitter ad API capability once it becomes readily available for release because large advertisers are ready to scale campaigns there,” said Luis Caballero, the COO of Blinq, the social media agency bought by Gannett last year.
And the brands are waiting, too. “As an advertiser, we’re going to be taking more advantage of Twitter in 2013, and anything that they can do to enable this will be a good thing in my book,” one marketing head told me.
The timing of an advertising API is also worth watching in the context of Twitter scaling up revenues and speculation of an IPO. Like Twitter, Facebook derives the vast majority of its revenues from advertising. Facebook launched its first advertising API as a limited private beta in late 2009, before opening it up for wider usage in August 2011, about 10 months before its IPO.
Image: Twitterrific’s Ollie, The Icon Factory
TechCrunch » Social
Ingrid Lunden
Terrified of Public Speaking? 5 Sources of Inspiration
Speaking to a group of people is a challenge that terrifies most people — and it’s really terrifying if you’re an entrepreneur whose fate lies in your next big presentation. The idea that hundreds (or thousands) of people are watching your every move is downright nerve-wracking. But the ability to control and perfect one’s delivery in presentations is a rare and powerful skill that only a handful of people possess.
Before taking the stage at your next public speaking engagement, take a deep breath and learn from the best. I’ve compiled some of the strongest examples of public speaking that can be easily emulated by the everyday presenter. Here are 5 all-star orators to look to for guidance, and the attributes you can include in your next speech to excel on the mic:
- Steve Jobs: Relevance. The late Steve Jobs is a prime candidate for presentation case studies because when on stage, he is articulate, nimble and steadfast. Yet one of the most overlooked qualities was his ability to make even the most high-brow, technological jargon sound simplistic and even fun. For example, when introducing the iPhone in 2007, Jobs showcased and reviewed each product beforehand. He primed the audience for the complexity of the iPhone by showing its relevance to the previous products. Keep relevance in mind in your next presentation; it creates cohesiveness and resonance.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Inspiration. MLK was not only a fantastic orator, but he was also a phenomenal leader in a controversial movement, which gives him the attribute of inspiration. In his famous I Have A Dream speech, King is bold and declarative in his message — but more importantly, he features a call to action within his words. By setting an agenda with purpose behind it, he has given the crowd a clear direction and a path to results. He provided a solution to their hardships, and they followed him passionately. While you may not be rallying troops for a revolution, it is important to remember that every presentation needs a call to action. Without a sense of purpose and direction, you are just saying words.
- Tony Hsieh: Conversation. As the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh is celebrated as an entrepreneur who brings a youthful glow to the business world. His company culture models have been written about and discussed in many circles, and his views on leadership are revered. What Tony brings to the table is the attribute of conversation in presentations. He talks to the audience as if they were in his living room, which makes them feel more comfortable and, therefore, more receptive to his message. Remember not to talk down to your audience; put yourself on the same level as the crowd and have a conversation. Audience engagement yields interactivity, which empowers the audience and increases your rapport with them.
- Chris Rock: Entertainment. Chris Rock is a legend on the comedy scene. He’s known internationally for his stand-up, as well as his big screen endeavors. Humor is a particularly powerful form of entertainment that can mold an audience’s perception, and Rock uses it to keep his audience intrigued and excited to receive his message. He is dominant but playful in his performances. Always remember the power of humor in your presentation; it warms the audience to your message and keeps them excited.
- Bill Clinton: Storytelling. Our 42nd President is regarded as a highly talented speaker and leader. One of Clinton’s strongest attributes is his ability to tell stories that enable the audience to be a part of the story themselves. By immersing the audience in a narrative — as shown in his 2007 Harvard commencement speech – they can truly experience the topic at hand, which gives them a sense of empowerment. And an empowered audience listens well and receives messages with more gusto because they feel as if they are more directly involved.
Everyone has a distinct way that they like to and are able to present, so use these cases as models for your own style of presenting. It is up to you to determine which attributes are favorable to your style, and to what degree you should apply them. If you embody at least some of these attributes, your next presentation will be solid, fresh and unique.
At 21 years old, Kenny Nguyen is the CEO/Founder of Big Fish Presentations, a presentation company that does presentation design, presentation consulting and commercial video production. The company has recently been featured in Inc. Magazine as one of 2012′s Coolest College Startups, and hosts the blog Hook-Line-N-Sinker for presenters.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.
Young Entrepreneur Council
Kenny Nguyen
Advanced Micro Devices hires bank to explore possible sale, sources say
Advanced Micro Devices has hired JPMorgan Chase to explore options, which could include a potential sale, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
Silicon Valley Most Viewed
Mountain View’s Violin Memory files for IPO, seeking valuation of up to $2 billion, sources say
Violin Memory, a Mountain View-based maker of flash memory for data centers, filed to go public last month under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, two people familiar with the matter said.
Silicon Valley Most Viewed
Oracle’s Larry Ellison eyes fellow billionaire’s Anschutz Entertainment Group empire, according to sources
Oracle Corp’s Larry Ellison, known for his taste for the finer things in life, is now intrigued by a multibillion dollar sports and entertainment empire.
Silicon Valley Most Viewed
Sources: Doctors Social Network Doximity Raises Another $17M Led By Morgenthaler Ventures
Doctors social network Doximity has raised another $ 17 million at a ballpark $ 80 million valuation led by Morgenthaler Ventures, TechCrunch understands from sources. We’ve reached out to the company for confirmation. That would make this Doximity’s Series B financing round.
In March last year it launched with a Series A round of $ 10.8 million from Emergence Capital Partners and InterWest Partners.
The free communication platform for healthcare professionals across the United States is tackling a large market. The market for mobile health apps is forecasted to quadruple to $ 400 million by 2016.
The startup was created by Jeff Tangney, Co-founder and Former President of NASDAQ-listed mobile health software applications maker, Epocrates. Not unlike LinkedIn, Doximity gives physicians a private network through which to connect and collaborate on patient treatment or identify experts for patient referrals. They can do that across iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and the Web, speeding up contact time with patients and facilitating treatments.
In November last year said it had over 30,000 doctors on the platform, or 5 percent of physicians in the U.S., or double the number using LinkedIn at that time. No doubt that has risen considerably.
Doximity competes with the much larger Sermo, which claims to be the largest online network exclusive to physicians.
Update: We initially reported that Doximity had raised $ 20 million and have since learned from reliable sources that the actual number was $ 17 million, with a valuation in the vicinity of $ 80 million.
We will be updating more as we hear back from other sources and from the company.
TechCrunch
Mike Butcher
Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Larry Page in secret patent talks, sources say
Google CEO Larry Page and Apple CEO Tim Cook have been conducting behind-the-scenes conversations about a range of intellectual property matters, including the ongoing mobile patent disputes between the companies, according to people familiar with the matter.
Silicon Valley Most Viewed
