The business model by which software and services are offered free-of-charge for basic features, but require a payment for advanced features, is predicted to become the norm in 2012.

• The use of freemiums–in which applications are free for basic use, but payments are required for advanced features–will intensify in 2012, making it entirely possible that by this time next year all relevant iOS applications will be free in most categories. In 2011, the number of freemium applications in the top 250 at the Apple App Store topped 88 percent, according to Allied Business Intelligence (ABI Research). The freemium business model uses in-application advertising and purchases for income, a trend that ABI Research predicts will extend to 100 percent of the top iOS applications by the end of 2012.”Freemium isn’t just about monetizing anymore, it’s also about marketing,” said ABI Research senior analyst Aapo Markkanen. “The threshold for consumers to download free apps is really low, so more people end up using and recommending them, which gives those apps a bump in distributors’ rankings that paid apps fail to draw.”Apple’s App Store has a head start over Google’s Android Market, since iOS started offering in-app purchases in 2009. Google’s Android Market, on the other hand, is slated to convert to the freemium in-application purchase model in 2012.

  To be sure, some categories of iOS application will continue to be paid, such as navigation applications because they require complex online databases for the street indices. Today, more than 25 percent of the top iOS navigation applications are still on the paid model. However, in some categories, such as lifestyle, entertainment and games, the freemium model has almost completely taken over the iOS application space, with only with 3, 5 and 6 percent of those applications still being paid, respectively.

  Freemium cloud services are also spurring the whole mobile enterprise social-collaboration market, which ABI Research predicts will top $1 billion in 2011 and grow to $3.5 billion by 2016. Today, the number of social interactions over mobile devices is increasing exponentially, according to ABI Research, prompting cloud-based platforms to leverage their multi-modal capabilities of delivering the same content to different devices.

  The popularity of these multi-modal social-media applications is fueling the expectation that cloud-based services should also offer user communication and collaboration tools. Likewise, expectation for freemium, rather than paid-based services, is also rising, allowing cloud-based services to offer their social-media tools for free to boost their ratings, and in-turn, paid subscriptions.

Taken from: http://www.smartertechnology.com/c/a/Social-Business/Freemium-Spreading-to-All-Apps/?kc=STNL01022012STR4

We wish you all a healthy and happy new year.

If you offer local services, you should make sure that your website is listed correctly. This week’s article will help you to improve your results.

In the news: Google Places causes problems, Google seems to support anonymous reviews, Google’s position on slow websites and more.

If you offer your products or services in a particular area, it is very important that your website is listed in Google Places.

How to optimize your Google Places listing

How your website is listed in Google Places depends on several things. For example, bakeries in Los Angeles are listed differently than Honda dealers in Knoxville. The location of your business, the industry that you’re in and the keywords that you are targeting and other things influence your listing in Google Places.

You can submit your website to Google Places by going to http://www.google.com/local then click on
You can submit your website to Google Places by going to http://www.google.com/local then click on
Put your business on Google Maps

Ranking element 1: your address

If you want to get high rankings for keywords that are related to a particular city then your business should be located in that city. If you want to be found for local searches in London then your business must have a physical address in London.

Ranking element 2: your business category

You must make sure that your business is listed in the correct category in Google Places. If you sell cars then your website should not be listed in the real estate category. You can specify the correct category when you submit your website to Google Places (see below).

Ranking element 3: keywords in your business name

If your business name contains the keywords for which you want to be found then you increase your chance of getting listed in the Google Places results on Google’s first result page. If you have a restaurant, it will help your rankings for the keyword “restaurant” if your business name is “Peter’s Restaurant”.

Ranking element 4: citations of your business

Citations (also called “web references”) are mentions of your business name and address on other web pages, even if these web pages do not link to your website.

For example, a yellow pages directory or the local chamber of commerce might list your business without linking to your website. The more citations your business has, the more likely it is that it will be listed for local searches. Citations have a similar effect on local searches as backlinks have on regular website listings.

Try to get your website address listed on as many websites as possible to show Google that your business is real.

Ranking element 5: you should have positive reviews

Google Places is basically a recommendation search engine. It recommends local restaurants, plumbers, hotels, etc. in the search results. If the recommended businesses offer poor products and poor services then people wouldn’t continue to use Google Places.

Positive reviews and ratings help Google to gain more confidence in your company. The more positive reviews your company has, the better. Encourage your customers to write a positive review if they are satisfied with your products and services.

Ranking element 6: proximity to the searched location

If your business is located near to the searched location then it is more likely that it will be displayed in the search results. If you have a hotel near the Museum of Modern Art then it’s likely that Google will show your Google Places listing for search terms such as “hotels near moma”.

You can submit your website to Google Places by going to http://www.google.com/local then click on

Read more: http://www.free-seo-news.com/newsletter446.htm#facts

Although the latest versions of Firefox, Safari and Chrome now block history sniffing, users with other browsers, such as Internet Explorer, or outdated versions are vulnerable to attacks.

To study history sniffing, the researchers built their own JavaScript monitoring technology. They used it to analyze the front pages of the top 50,000 Websites. They determined that 485 of those sites inspect style properties and that 63 transfer browser history to the network. “We confirmed that 46 of them are actually doing history sniffing, one of these sites being in the Alexa global top 100,” the UC San Diego computer scientists write in their paper (http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~hovav/papers/jjls10.html).

Although the researchers emphasize that history sniffing is not as dangerous as other vulnerabilities—such as malware that can steal your personal information—it can pose a risk, especially to businesses.

“History sniffing is unusual in effectively allowing any site you visit to learn about your browsing habits on any other site,” explained Shacham, “regardless if the two sites have any business relationship.

“I think people who have updated or switched browsers should now worry about things other than history sniffing, like keeping their Flash plug-in up to date so they don’t get exploited. But that doesn’t mean that the companies that have engaged in history sniffing for the currently 60 percent of the user population that is vulnerable to it should get a free pass,” said Shacham.

The researchers hope to expand their study to applications and Web 2.0. To determine if your browser is vulnerable to history sniffing, visit http://www.whattheinternetknowsaboutyou.com/.

Dec 7, 2010

1:00 p.m. Eastern / 10:00 a.m. Pacific (60 minutes)

Register: https://enterprise-secure-registration.com/index.php?page=register&assetId=726&partnerref=ESMSmartIT

Event Details

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Featured Speakers

Aaron Goldberg – VP, Market Experts Group – Ziff Davis Enterprise

Dave Sobel – CEO – Evolve Technologies

Elliot Markowitz – Vice President of Strategic Content Development – Ziff Davis Enterprise
Today’s businesses need to be more agile. When your IT staff is worrying about security, uptime and capacity, they are not driving innovation. Embracing virtualization for your IT infrastructure will streamline your IT operations, make your organization more efficient and competitive in the marketplace.

But there are many ways and entry points inside your IT infrastructure to embrace virtualization. Looking at a complete overhaul can be overwhelming and not necessarily the right approach. Many organizations first look to storage virtualization. Storage virtualization is arguably the most critical component to any overall IT virtualization approach. It’s where on demand capacity, security, privacy, compliance and new corporate capabilities all reside.

Join eWEEK for this live, interactive webcast, sponsored by IBM, and hear directly from industry experts as they discuss the importance of adopting a virtualization strategy. Attend this online-only event and learn the key areas to look at first and important role storage virtualization plays.
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Sponsored By IBM

Twitter Myths Explained

http://www.mythbusters.com/twitter-myths-explained.html

Twitter is surrounded by many myths — Learn the truth

People who don’t understand Twitter, think it’s completely worthless. To those of us who are Twitter-addicts, we know in our twittering little hearts that couldn’t be further from the truth. Find out the most common myths surrounding Twitter and tweet the truth!

Myth #1 – You have to know how to Tweet the ‘right way’

What’s great about Twitter is you can use it any way you want. Your tweets can be private – for friends and family only. Or, you can use Twitter for business purposes. There’s no right way or wrong way likewise there are no rules of etiquette. Use how it best fits your need and learn how to Twitter your way.

Myth #2 – All Twitter is good for is updating friends

Many people who don’t understand Twitter falsely think it’s only for letting your friends know what you’re doing on a blow-by-blow basis. Not so. Twitter’s main function is about status updates, but you can take it further.

Try photo sharing or mashups — where you combine Twitter data with another website. You can also use hashtags to your advantage. Hashtags attach to a tweet and make it searchable. Twitter people who use the service for business, politics, or as a marketing technique for celebrities use this feature.

Myth #3 – Unless you’re a celebrity – you won’t have many followers

Celebrities are always going to have many followers because… well, they’re celebrities. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have tons of followers in your Twitter account too — it’s just a little bit harder.

To build up a huge following, first you have to say something that’s worth listening too. Second, you’ll have to work at getting followers by filling out your bio completely, sharing pictures, using hashtags, and most importantly — keep on tweeting.

Myth #4 – Twitter serves no purpose

Where have you been? While Twitter began as just status updates, it quickly evolved into an important communication tool. With Twitter, people can network and get information out fast.

In 2009, Iranians used Twitter to organize government protests. People on Twitter stayed current on the news of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. With Twitter being available on several platforms like SMS, instant messaging, and of course, the Internet, this free service has become more than just a source of boring details. It’s a way to keep the world connected.

According to Nielson, Twitter grew 1,382% from February 2008 to February 2009. Even being misunderstood and surrounded by myths can’t stop Twitter from growing. Now that you know the truth about Twitter – tweet it!

Every now and then I do a reply-all and ask the addressees if they realize that their e-mail addresses are being forwarded to others. I do not have any nefarious intentions, but who knows where these things end up, especially in the ones that say ‘please keep this going’.