Although it’s probably the worst mistake you can make as a journalist, it periodically happens to big media publications. Earlier today, Bloomberg sent a 17-page obituary of Steve Jobs over the wire, quickly retracting it with the following message: “An incomplete story referencing Apple Inc. was inadvertently published by Bloomberg News at 4:27 p.m. New York time today. The item was never meant for publication and has been retracted.”

There’s nothing much to be said about the gaffe itself: it’s awful but it happens. However, knowing that Steve Jobs has been battling pancreatic cancer for some time, one has to wonder if the obituary was a complete mistake or was it perhaps based on some facts about Apple’s CEO? Gawker read the whole thing (you can, too, it’s over there), and they claim that it’s just a generalized text about Jobs’ life and achievements, containing no specifics about deterioration of his health, which is good news. We’ll all probably know more if Apple comes forward with an official statement.

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Google Clues Developers in on Android Market

août 28, 2008 · Filed Under Mashable · Comment

Android Mobile Platform team member Eric Chu wants you to know that its content distribution system - an Apple App Store think-a-like by the name of Android Market - is going to be user-driven. All thanks to “Google’s expertise in infrastructure, search and relevance to connect users with content created by developers.”

As one might expect for a developer-targeted message, this notice, plus screen grabs, is perhaps similar to the ones Apple delivers to its own third-party coders. But it just goes to show that Google’s efforts are very much in conceptual emulation of the iPhone/iPod touch. It would be unjust to point out the subjective visual inferiority that one might view Android Market with. It may well prove more voluminous than Apple’s own storefront when all is said and done. But that is something of relative interest to developers and users alike. What precisely does this mean?

Chu writes that Google will regard Android Market with a similar perspective as that given to YouTube. The service will run on a three-step publishing process: merchant registration, software uploads (with any necessary information to describe to potential users the utility of their solutions), and, finally, publication. Google also intends to “provide developers with a useful dashboard and analytics to help drive their business and ultimately improve their offerings.”

Unlike the iPhone’s initial 2007 rollout, Android Market will arrive in tandem with the first handsets to launch with the Android platform installed. Whether this debut will be one marked by a full-fledged marketplace (with a payment structure in place, for instance) is not certain. Chu has only confirmed that developers “can expect support for free (unpaid) applications,” with an update allowing for financial transactions to be issued “soon after launch.”

This is in fact not so terrible a release plan, as it enables Google to trial this beta-to-be without fear of encountering disruptions to the system and loss of users’ interest to ultimately invest in paid downloads. But the company’s point about a YouTube-like software download experience could prove disabling. If Google offers any less of a vetting process than that given by Apple to its App Store, faulty designs could crop up in even greater number. It is imperative that Google ensure a solid quality-assurance experience as a mediator that exhibits both partial and impartial behavior as doorman to the palace.

As to the planned Android Market update, it will be September at the very earliest that US-based consumers will have a chance at Android. And if/when T-Mobile, the first carrier purportedly committed to releasing the first Android-based handset, does indeed celebrate the debut in the fall, Google may well deliver an update “on first startup.”

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SciVee’s Science Videos Get More Interactive With Virtual Posters

août 28, 2008 · Filed Under Mashable · Comment

How’s this for science trivia. SciVee, a science video upload site that’s been steadily growing itself for about a year now, has just this week unveiled a new option for users to upload feature material in the form of “postercasts” that enable users to complement their traditional video presentations with an interactive documentation component. The synchronous delivery of these is remarkably user-friendly.

SciVee offers quite a few viewing options to users not including the postercast dimension. Many are quite useful, too. If, say, you click a typical link on SciVee, you’ll generally see a normal-sized video, or a miniaturized video with a text-based column in the main column of the page. These layouts are sensible, particularly when the subject matter warrants prioritization of one component over another. Yet, what a postercast upload does is give viewers a large-size graphic that triggers a full-screen experience. I don’t think it’s too much to say that this is something which will pique the interest of quite a few site members and prospective registrants.

Now, SciVee isn’t likely to be out-and-out mauled by hits because of this addition to its toolset. Though Web video viewers are no strangers to scientific experiments, they’re normally more transfixed by YouTube-bound delights. The Mentos-plus-Coke mix, for one, which brought many millions of people to YouTube’s archive. Chemistry gone viral, so to speak. But some would likely prefer a more exclusive venue to observe science-related activities, particularly those with educational and serious academic connotations. So they’ll go to SciVee. Or JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), a site that recently grabbed the interest of the National Library of Medicine and commissioned to index the repositories of MEDLINE and PubMed.

It’s been proven in a number of cases that online efforts in the networking and media worlds to address niche interests is effective in building devoted communities. It is the classic outlook that the value of the long tail is high. And SciVee, as well as JoVE, seem to exploit the sector well, in focus and in delivery. SciVee, it should be said, makes for a remarkably stronger impact insofar as user experience, and a good bit more with Postercasts involved. But both are thorough in addressing their core pursuits.

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:SciVee to Launch Video Site for Scientists

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How to Find Statistics on Social Media

août 28, 2008 · Filed Under Mashable · Comment

Selling management on the value of investing time and resources into building an online community using social media is a challenge, and you need all of the support you can get. One way to convey the value of corporate social media participation is to leverage published statistics about who’s using social media platforms and how they are using it. There have been a host of new studies published recently that you can use to help make the case for your own company’s involvement:

The Society for New Communications Research recently published their report titled, “New Media, New Influencers & Implications for Public Relations” that provides several case studies illustrating how social media has benefited organizations like the American Red Cross, the Mayo Clinic and Quicken Loans. Among their findings, “Social media is rapidly becoming a core channel for disseminating information. Fifty-seven percent of this group of early social media adopters reported that social media tools are becoming more valuable to their activities, while 27% reported that social media is a core element of their communications strategy.”

One of the most popular studies is the Universal McCann’s Social Media Research Wave 3 research report, which looked at 17,000 Internet users in 29 countries. According to this study, social media can have a dramatic impact on your brand’s reputation. “34% post opinions about products and brands on their blog and 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs.”

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research recently released the results on the usage of social media in the Inc. 500. Of note here, “Just over one quarter of the Inc. 500 reported social media was very important to their business/marketing strategy in 2007. That number has increased to 44% just one year later.”

If you’re especially interested in stats about Facebook or other social networking sites, Comscore released some statistics earlier this month announcing the growth of social networking worldwide. Included is the statistic that social networking use grew 25% year over year worldwide, with notable increases in Europe and the Middle East.

Rapleaf released the results of their study examining the gender and age of social network users. Note that these two studies were conducted independent of each other, so don’t confuse the results between them.

As part of the promotion for their book Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernhoff created the Social Technographics profile tool where users can plug in some basic information and then see how participation varies among demographics. The resulting graphs are useful in illustrating the social media habits of your target audience. You can also use Trendpedia or BlogPulse to create interesting visuals examining keyword statistics about topics in your industry.

If you’ve seen some other relevant statistics that aren’t referenced here, please share the links in the comments section below.

Aaron Uhrmacher is a social media consultant. In addition to his posts on Mashable, he blogs about social media and communications at Disruptology.