The eye-opening scenes of hundreds of people storming the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday January 6 - broadcast live and shown on television screens around the world - will have significant effects in the long term on society in general in ways that are hard to immediately imagine or understand. In the US, outrage at what happened that day is growing as greater clarity emerges on those events that many see as encouraged by President Trump. 'Insurrection' and 'sedition' are two … [Read more...] about Post Trump, a better system must start in America
Television
7/7 perspective 10 years on
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the July 7 terrorist bombings in London in 2005, known as 7/7. On the morning of Thursday, 7 July 2005, four Islamist men detonated four bombs - three in quick succession aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. As well as the four bombers, 52 civilians were killed and over 700 more were injured in the attacks, the United Kingdom's worst terrorist incident since the 1988 Lockerbie … [Read more...] about 7/7 perspective 10 years on
Fixing a polling system that’s out of sync
Reading the various reports, narratives and commentaries this weekend about the results of the UK general election that took place on May 7, the overall perspective I've formed on all of that is how could the expert commentators, opinion-formers and outcome-predictors have got it all so wrong? The election result produced a clear win for the Conservatives with a slender majority in the House of Commons (12 seats), and the virtual annihilation of the primary opposition political parties - the … [Read more...] about Fixing a polling system that’s out of sync
Scotland referendum results via WhatsApp and more
Tomorrow, the United Kingdom will not be the same no matter what happens in Scotland today as citizens there cast their votes in a referendum to decide whether Scotland will separate from the UK and become an independent country, or not. The campaigning is done; now it's up to the voters of Scotland to decide what they want for their country and the union with England that's been in place since 1707. Obviously media of all types - mainstream, social - and from all over the world are … [Read more...] about Scotland referendum results via WhatsApp and more
Valuable insights in 2014 #InternetTrends report by Mary Meeker
Last week, US venture capitalist and former Wall Street securities analyst Mary Meeker published her 2014 Internet Trends report that offers a deep-dive look into the trends, possibilities, probabilities, scope and scale of what the global connected world will look like in the coming few years. It highlights trends to pay attention to, offering keen insights into what's shaping this connected world: Key internet trends showing slowing internet user growth but strong smartphone, tablet and … [Read more...] about Valuable insights in 2014 #InternetTrends report by Mary Meeker
Smartphones preferred device for news among affluent consumers says BBC
The results of a new survey for BBC World News shows a surge in smartphone use for consuming news among affluent consumers compared to the general population. The BBC defines "affluent consumers" as the highest 20 percent income earners in each country surveyed. What the BBC describes as the world's first study into the use of mobile by affluent consumers - over 6,000 such people were surveyed in Australia, Germany, Sweden, India, Hong Kong and the US - shows a 15 percent yearly increase in … [Read more...] about Smartphones preferred device for news among affluent consumers says BBC
Broadcasting the wow factor
TV chat shows can be great platforms to introduce a new product, create interest in going to the cinema and see a hot movie, or any manner of things celebrity guests talk about and likely to attract a big audience. In today's sharing society, you also want to extend the reach of a topic and its wow factor by building buzz online. A cool product that played a big part in the latest The Graham Norton Show last night - undoubtedly the preeminent TV chat show in the UK, broadcast every Friday … [Read more...] about Broadcasting the wow factor
More possibilities with extended-time live video from Google+
Wow - now you can do a Google Hangout On Air (a live video broadcast) for up to 8 hours! That's a huge amount of additional time from the previous 1-hour-maximum you had. And remember: up to 8 hours means just that - you don't have to do 8 whole hours. Oh what possibilities! Here are just 4: A live idea-a-thon to flesh out thinking and ideas for brand engagement via live participation with brand owners, customers and fans on the social web. Live segments over a set period with … [Read more...] about More possibilities with extended-time live video from Google+