Twitter Founders Talk About Company History

U.S. Business Fiber Access Up to 28%

Business fiber penetration increased to 27.7 percent in the United States and 18.4 percent in Europe at the end of 2010, according to new research from Vertical Systems Group.

New fiber activity in 2010 was substantially higher for the small and medium-sized business market segment than the enterprise segment, both for the United States and Europe, as you might expect.

Most enterprise locations already have access to fiber access connections.

StatFlash -2010 Fiber Penetration in U.S. and Europe

40% Of Google Maps Usage Is Mobile

About 40 percent of Google Maps usage is mobile, says Google VP Marissa Mayer. On Christmas day and New Years day there were more mobile usage of Maps than desktop instances, a first for Google products. Google Maps now has 150 million mobile users, she says.

Marissa Mayer: 40% Of Google Maps Usage Is Mobile (And There Are 150 Million Mobile Users

Skype Adds Advertising

Skype is going to be showing ads in its user dashboards in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Skype says the ads will appear "occasionally."

The initial plan is to show an ad from one brand per day in each of the markets where advertising is being sold.
The ads will appear in the Home tab in Skype for Windows, and Skype says it may experiment with ads in other areas as well.

The ads won’t interrupt your Skype experience, the company promises. You won’t suddenly see annoying pop-up ads or flashy banner ads in middle of conversations. Skype says it also might use non-personally identifiable demographic data (e.g. location, gender and age) to target ads.

Skype - The Big Blog - Advertising in Skype

Videotron to Launch 4G

Videotron Ltd. is testing and plans to roll out new HSPA dual carrier technology (a fourth generation platform) that will support mobile network speeds of up to 42 Mbps.

The company, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., said it has also introduced “direct tunnel” technology, “which sends mobile data over the network by the most direct route, reducing the latency delay on the network and thereby optimizing the effectiveness of data transmission.”

Videotron to roll out new HSPA technology | The Wire Report

SEO Versus Content Quality: SEO Gets Too Much Attention

Apple iPad 2 Review (Just for Fun)

SMBs to Boost Social Media and E-mail Spending in 2011 - ClickZ mobile

http://m.clickz.com/clickz/stats/2033634/smbs-boost-social-media-email-spending-2011?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%25253A+clickzstats+%252528ClickZ+-+Stats%252529&utm_content=Google+Reader

Girl Sells Spot in iPad 2 Line for $900, Nerd Pays Up -- Daily Intel

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/03/girl_sells_spot_in_first_spot.html

The Secret to Apple’s Success

http://l2thinktank.com/blog/2011/03/the-secret-to-apples-success/

Amazon Terminates Affiliate Program In Illinois After New Tax Law

Amazon is terminating its affiliate marketing program in Illinois after the state passed a new law requiring ecommerce companies like Amazon to charge sales tax in the state, even if they have no physical presence there.

Amazon's nationwide associates program lets anyone earn money for referring customers to Amazon, and it is said to be a significant source of income for many small web publishers.

Ironically, the law is supposed to protect small in-State mom-and-pop businesses from larger retailers such as Amazon. Amazon has faced similar laws in a few other states, and typically dissolves all in-State marketing affiliations when such laws are passed.

One might cynically note that such laws are supported by Amazon's competitors (large national chains) and obviously by tax collection interests. But the unintended consequences always seem to include damage to some local businesses who are Amazon affiliates.

Amazon Terminates Affiliate Program In Illinois After New Tax Law

Netflix Not Threatened by Facebook Video

“Nobody goes to Facebook to watch movies,” Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said. Netflix will eventually get shows from Warner Bros.’ sister company HBO by offering to pay the cable channel the “right amount,” he added. That's true. But one suspects the firm defense of Netflix positioning in online video is, at some level, part of the tug of war between Netflix bullish investors, and those who believe the valuation is too high.

Netflix Not Threatened by Warner-Facebook, Official Says - Bloomberg

Web players must help fund networks says new GSMA chief

Mobile operators have been arguing for some time that if over-the-top providers are going to take much of the revenue from the mobile data boom, they should also help invest in the networks to support it. It's the sort of thing that one hears in an ecosystem changing rapidly, with value and revenue distributions changing just as rapidly.

Franco Bernabe, former CEO of Telecom Italia and now the new head of the GSMA, says it is time to review the way networks are funded. Application providers won't agree. But it is hard to see how broadband consumption can keep growing, with matching investment, if additional revenue to build and upgrade the networks is not available. And one can argue such revenue will not be available if usage grows by two orders of magnitude while retail prices grow only linearly. 

For that reason, talk of two-sided business models will grow.

Web players must help fund networks says new GSMA chief - Rethink Wireless

BT UK Frustrated by Lack of FTTC Demand

Fiber access does not sell itself, BT has found. As it begins to market its new fiber-based access services, BT has found that consumer demand for 40 Mbps Internet access is less robust than some had anticipated.

"Cardiff has been given a head start by Openreach but some fiber-enabled parts of the city are proving to be a bit slow out of the blocks to take up the opportunities fibre presents," said Richard Hall,BT Openreach NGA Deployment Director for Wales.

"With the notable exception of Whitchurch, residents are proving slow to take advantage of the technology on their doorstep and so we are working with the local council to raise awareness and drive demand," he said.

In the U.S. market, service providers have not fared much better with sales of 50 Mbps or faster services, which largely remain products bought by business customers. Another typical U.S. market issue also could be a factor. Customers in these areas already can buy fast service from Virgin Media.

BT UK Frustrated by Lack of Superfast FTTC Broadband Uptake in Cardiff Wales − ISPreview UK

Kenyan Farmers Use Mobiles for Crop Insurance

Farmers in Kenya while purchasing seed and fertilizer for their crops can, at the same time, use their cell phones to scan a bar code on the products to purchase weather related crop failure insurance. They receive weather advisories on the same devises. Ultimately, if the rains are not sufficient or abundantly destructive they will receive payouts on those devises.



There are no forms to fill out nor claims to file. The entire system is automated on their mobile phones. This insurance scheme is the result of a partnership between UAP Insurance Company of Kenya, Safaricom Ltd., and two crop input providers (MEA Fertilizers and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture seed supplier).

African Farmers Insure Crops and Recieve Payments Via Cell Phones