Google is to launch a new cloud storage service called ‘Google Drive’ next week, according to reports.

People will be able to pay for more storage, but prices are not yet known, Read Write Web reported.

It is expected to allow users to put their files into Google Drive and access them on their desktop, mobile phone or tablet. The report stated that the service will work on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS – all via drive.google.com.

Instead of surfacing a list of blue web links, the new Google search engine, will also present more facts and direct answers to search queries at the top of the results page.

By employing ‘semantic search technology’, the world’s most popular search engine is going to endure its biggest makeover yet, as it attempts to stay ahead of the curve and maintain its spot as the market leader.

The changes, which will see more answers, rather than just web links, surface on each search results page, resemble Wolfram Alpha’s approach, a British computational search engine which tries to answer queries, rather than supply a list of websites.

Google now seems to moving towards the same model and may soon begin providing one answer to a search query, instead of thousands of links to different sites.

Since the rise of Twitter and information updates in real-time, Google has been trying to update its core search service, to make it as relevant and timely to each user.

Pinterest’s potential isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. But if you’re a digital manager, you need a clear point of view on this for those you advise.

Yes, there’s hype, butPinterestis the front edge of at least two important digital marketing trends.

This is the first in a series of three posts taking a strategic view of what’s shaping-up to be 2012’s breakthrough new social network.

What’s Pinterest?

Pinterest, in case you haven’t heard of it, isTumblr with some different features. Like Tumblr, it allows you to post your own stuff, as well as stuff you find around the internet, with the click of a button.

Where Tumblr is a blog variant, Pinterest lets you set up sub-blogs built around a particular interest or topic. So you can post all thecute pictures of pugson one board and all the picturesabout the economyon another. It also lets you search everyone else’s boards easily.

That’s really about it. One friend described it as “Delicious for pictures”. Of course, delicious is text-driven and used by guys, while Pinterest is a scrapbook designed to drive relentless word-of-mouth referrals among women and apparently, Silicon Valley investors.

The size of Pinterest’s splash

So why is there so much buzz around this? The numbers: The site beta-launched in March 2010 and is still invite-only.

Despite this, the user base surpassed 10m in December, and according to Google DoubleClick, now has 21m worldwide unique visitors per month.

Forrester analyst Darika Ahrens sums up Pinterest’s allure below:

Pinterest is well known for having a demographic of 18-34-year-old, upper-income women from the Midwest - if that’s not who you sell to, then Pinterest may not be for you,’’ she said. “I’d ask, can you afford to be playing with pretty pictures when there are other, more urgent, interactive marketing priorities?’

Of course, as women make a huge range of purchase decisions for themselves and others (think travel, health care, home goods, food) having first-mover advertage can be an attractive proposition to many brands.

One of the things I appreciate about Pinterest is who uses it. When I look at the people I’m connected to on Google+, most of the posts I see are from a small number of tech-savvy ‘early adopter’ social media windbags.

They post a lot. But I don’t see ordinary people on G+. Not as they are on Facebook, and Pinterest. There are many more ordinary people in this world. Unlike G+ and Twitter, Pinterest didn’t have to jump a chasm to get to a majority market, its where they started.

And Pinterest is easy to use. Lots of people don’t get Twitter, or the value of an unstructured stream of 140 character utterances. But organizing collections of inspiring images is a natural, even reflexive task. Its social media, but with only the need to curate images you like. That’s a low barrier to participation.

The social media hype cycle is suggesting the solar system has a new axis called Pinterest. Is it wrong?

• SJ Mercury News: Pinterest, not Facebook, is Silicon Valley’s hottest social network. (Guess it’s too late to get in on Facebooks’s IPO.)
• CNBC: “He credits the fast-growing site Pinterest for amplifying his online sales to 50 percent of his current business. On the site, he can let his art speak for itself.” (Was it speaking for someone else on another site?)
• Tire Review (not making that up):Is Pinterest of Any Interest for the Tire Industry?
  
• There’s already a service whichclaims to analyze one’s influencethrough Pinterest.
• Heck, the U.S. Army has evenput out a manual on using the site. (File under: You know you have too much money when…)

Is Pinterest for real?

This just has the feel ofColor– remember Color? Less than a year ago itscored $41m of investmentfor its photo-sharing app from Sequoia and Bain Capital. And in social media it was everywhere — for all of two weeks.

Then everyone forgot about it after realizing its business model was the classic “Make something cool and hope Google buys it.” (And believe me, I have nothing against that business model. All offers cheerfully considered, Mr. Brin.)

More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9290-what-is-pinterest-and-why-should-anyone-care

Facebook is investing further in its outreach programme to retailers to bring clarity to the term “social commerce” and promote social integration on their websites.  

Gavin Sathianathan, Facebook’s strategic partner manager, is leading the social network’s bid to promote social commerce in the UK and said that agreed definitions are a key building block in its evolution. “It’s really important we nail what we mean by ‘social commerce’,” he said. “At Facebook, we do not equate ‘social commerce’ with opening a store within the network.”

The comments follow a story last week in which retail brands including John Lewis and Reiss told new media age that selling items via social networks, such as a Facebook Store, was not on their 2012 agenda, favouring to hone their m-commerce strategies instead (nma.co.uk 19 January 2012).

Defining social commerce, or “f-commerce”, simply as a transactional store on Facebook is a restrictive way of thinking, according to Sathianathan. “From a defininiton perspactive, it’s important we’re all clear on that,” he saidd. “When I talk to retailers about this, I try to make it clear that it’s about how we can bring social media to bear on the purchase process, be that in a Facebook store or not.”

Most of the discussions taking place between Facebook and retailers centre on integrating Facebook functionality, such as a Like or Shar’ buttons, into their own websites, according to Sathianathan.

Top of Facebook’s priority list are supermarket and FMCG brands, while those that have experienced notable success in their f-commerce strategy stem from the fashion and ticketing vertials, according to the social network. 

“We talk a lot to FMCGs and grocers [whose goods or services are not necessarily social] and talk to them about the social aspects of their products,” said Sathianathan. “For instance, a can of baked beans may not be social but the meal you have them with could.”

Earlier this week, Unilever used its Facebook storefront to help debut its Lynx Attract for Her brand – the first time it has attempted to appeal to female audiences with the brand (nma.co.uk 23 January 2012).

The FMCG giant sold all 100 cans it was offering via the platform, retailing for £3.25 each, within two hours of launch in a campaign that met most of its initial performance metrics.

More at: http://www.nma.co.uk/news/facebook-urges-clearer-understanding-of-social-commerce/3033576.article

Yesterday, Google rolled out yet another new feature for Google+ that lets you start a conversation directly from search results - and contribute to a topical Google+ stream.

In a post on Google+ (of course), associate product manager Alex Unger said that if you search for a keyword of phrase like basketball from within Google+, you can then create a post directly from the results shown.

He added that all you need to do is look for the share box, and you’ll see an opportunity to “join the discussion” about whatever you’ve searched for.

This means that when you post from the search results page, it automatically includes a link back to the original search stream. This way others can join the active conversation as it unfolds.”

This is yet another move to position Google+ as a central hub – as well as more closely connecting search and social functions.

Up until the announcement of this new feature, you could only comment on an existing post or share an item when searching for something on Google+.

This now removes one step in the search and share process, which makes it easier to start a conversation and keeps people in the Google loop.

More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8733-google-lets-you-start-a-conversation-directly-from-search-results

Starting with ‘smart TV’, YouGov says that only 15% of UK consumers say they will own one within the next 12 months. A multi-country study was carried out in November 2011 with almost 13,000 respondents and the full findings on technology device ownership, content and attitudes is due for full release in Q1 2012.

As we’ve covered heavily over the past few weeks, the TV set will soon become a key device that people use to access internet content either directly via a games console (such as the Xbox 360) or other ‘plug-in’ box such as Boxee or YouView (a new partnership between major broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel Four as well as BT).

Inthe area of smartphones, YouGov says that 86% of smartphone users ignore advertising on mobiles. YouGov’s Smartphone Mobile Internet Experience study tracks consumer experience of smartphones, mobile internet and applications, quarterly. The next wave of the tracker begins in December 2011 with a report due in January 2012.

Now on the surface this conflicts with recent IAB research that suggests 82% of smartphone users and 73% of tablet owners they wsurveyed (a total of 600 people) said that not paying a subscription but having advertising on mobile websites was the preferred approach.

With regards to radio, YouGov says that just over one in five (22%) of 18-24 year olds have listened to the radio via a portable radio set (including DAB). However, over one third (38%) of this age group has listened to radio streamed over the internet.

Finally, tablets. Russell Feldman, associate director of technology at YouGo says that nearly one quarter (24%) of tablet users access the internet in bed – which supports another suggestion from IAB that tablets are the ideal ‘downtime device.

IAB stats from last month claim that more than 50% of tablet interactions were found to take place in the late evening (between 7 - 12pm) resulting in tablets being the most used device amongst owners in the evening. Tablet usage then accelerates during the weekends with 25% of respondents choosing to use their device during their downtime and 49% agreeing the tablet is the device that best allows them to be entertained.

More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8542-yougov-releases-consumer-predictions-for-2012

Ticketfly founder Andrew Dreskin says the music industry now turns around Facebook and Twitter when it comes to social networks. How does he see MySpace? “MySpace is pretty much an also-ran for what we do”.

The news about waning interest from the music industry (granted this is one example and there is still plenty of music on MySpace) follows recent reports that advertisers were abandoning Myspace as rumours of sale to Vevo swirled.

But music and advertising are not its only problems. There are also reports that the booming social games market is taking its leave too. Zynga is reported to be shutting down games on MySpace. Zynga is said to have axed several games on MySpace including ‘Mafia Wars’, ‘Fashion Wars’ and ‘YoVill

Read more: http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/04/21/music-and-games-firms-take-their-leave-of-myspace/#ixzz1K9ke1B6u

The conference concluded with a focus on major merchants and explored their needs and wants for new payment types. Representatives from Walmart, 7-Eleven, Inc., Macy’s and SUBWAY Restaurants each explained how they were looking for reduced costs, reduced lines, reliability, security, easy implementation and low maintenance associated with any new payment mechanism they deploy. In addition, they want the system to include the ability to offer rewards and promotions near-store and in-store.

That’s a pretty tall order for any new payment solution. Are the merchants being unreasonable? After all, each has tens of thousands of POS locations to worry about, employee training, employee turnover, software changes to make, capital decisions on hardware, and so on. Looking at it from that perspective, one can see why these retailers are among the many that brought extra comfortable lawn chairs to the battlefield sidelines. Maybe it won’t be such a quick war after all.

New TV and social media trend among the youth: study | Reuters

“Eight out of 10 respondents to the poll said they used Twitter, Facebook or other mobile applications to actively comment on shows and chat with their friends as they watch.

“The audience have already taken their seats and are ready to join the conversation,” James said. “It’s now up to the TV companies to tap into this huge and lucrative market.”

One of the key findings of the study was that Social TV is popular because it allows young people to instantly comment on their favorite shows to friends in different locations via the web or mobile phones.

The British survey discovered that the most common way to communicate is to use Twitter (72 percent), followed by Facebook (56 percent) and mobile applications (34 percent), while 62 percent of Social TV users like a combination of all three.

The study found that 34 percent of respondents described the trend as “fun,” 32 percent said it made television “more interesting” with 42 percent mentioned the “community” aspect of Social TV.