Cell Phone = Convenience
17% of cell owners say the best thing about their phone is that it is convenient; http://eicker.at/MobileConnectivity
17% of cell owners say the best thing about their phone is that it is convenient; http://eicker.at/MobileConnectivity
Mobile phone owners like the convenience and ease of connectivity; http://eicker.at/MobileConnectivity
Convenience lets mobile connectivity shine. Drawbacks: connections, interruptions, bills; http://eicker.at/MobileConnectivity
As long as virtual world’s dev moves along ubicomp’s, the Metaverse may become convenient; http://eicker.at/MetaverseResearch
Social networking is repeatedly described as fun, great, interesting, convenient; http://eicker.at/SocialNetworkingAdoption
Pew: 65% of online adults use social networking sites – most popular with women; http://eicker.at/SocialNetworkingAdoption
Pew: “Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social networking sites. … Among internet users, social networking sites are most popular with women and young adults, but most of the growth over the past year came from adults over age 30. Looking at overall usage, wired seniors grew their ranks the most over the past year; 33% of those ages 65 and older now use the sites, compared with 26% one year ago. … Looking at usage on a typical day, 43% of online adults use social networking, up from 38% a year ago. Out of all the ‘daily’ online activities that we ask about, only email (which 61% of internet users access on a typical day) and search engines (which 59% use on a typical day) are used more frequently than social networking tools.”
Pew: “The frequency of social networking site usage among young adult internet users under age 30 was stable over the last year – 61% of online Americans in that age cohort now use social networking sites on a typical day, compared with 60% one year ago. However, among the Boomer-aged segment of internet users ages 50-64, social networking site usage on a typical day grew a significant 60% (from 20% to 32%). … In a separate question, when social networking users were asked for one word to describe their experiences using social networking sites, ‘good’ was the most common response (as seen in this word cloud). Overall, positive responses far outweighed the negative and neutral words that were associated with social networking sites (more than half of the respondents used positive terms). Users repeatedly described their experiences as ‘fun,’ ‘great,’ ‘interesting’ and ‘convenient.’ Less common were superlatives such as ‘astounding,’ ‘necessity,’ and ’empowering.'”
Google: Social Search will now be mixed throughout results, adds notes, connects social media; http://eicker.at/SocialSearch
Google: “First, social search results will now be mixed throughout your results based on their relevance (in the past they only appeared at the bottom). … Second, we’ve made Social Search more comprehensive by adding notes for links people have shared on Twitter and other sites. … Third, we’ve given you more control over how you connect accounts, and made connecting accounts more convenient. … As always, you’ll only get social search results when you choose to log in to your Google Account. We’re starting to roll out the updates today on Google.com in English only and you’ll see them appear in the coming week.”
GigaOM: “Google is slowly finding its social legs and is rolling out a set of improvements to its search product that help it keep pace with rivals, who are increasingly weaving social signals into search results. … It’s not the social layer that Google is said to be working on. But it’s another sign that shows Google is figuring out how social fits into its existing properties. The pressure is on the web giant to sort out its strategy in search as rivals like Bing and upstarts Blekko, Greplin, Wajam and others bring the fight to Google.”
FC: “This is a clever, if subtle, way to inject a little extra social relevance into Google’s core business of search, and it will make Googling something seem a little more personalized than simply interacting with a blind, international giant digital tool. It also differentiates it from competitors, like the fast-growing Bing… Will this trick work to convince us Google’s good at social media? Is this the very first layer of social network technology that may become the rumored Google Me social network? We can’t tell. Maybe we’ll Google it up and see what our friends, co-workers and that girl from the coffee shop we once Twittered think.”
RWW: “This, however, is personalization taken to another level. This is personalization in the form of looking at who you know, who you’re connected to on various social networks, and ranking content according to who created it and who shared it. We were told that Google will even go a step further and look at content shared by friends of friends. … Your friends don’t have to even have a Google profile for their content to show up in your search. If you’re friends with them on Twitter and you connect your Twitter account, you can see what they share on Twitter in your search results. … A move to create another, stand-alone social network would seem like folly to some, especially with the company’s track record when it comes to social. This move, on the other hand, feels just right. Gather the information and use it as yet another signal on what is relevant to your search.”
People are reading more because of eBooks. Bezos: You are going to see significant growth rates; http://j.mp/2z0dvN
Ponemon poll: Web users will trade privacy for security and convenience; http://j.mp/12Kt5w
Pew: “Mobile phone owners like the convenience and ease of connectivity, but rue that they can be interrupted more easily, have to pay the bills, and face bad connections. – Some 85% of American adults now own a cell phone of some kind, and these devices mean many things to their owners: an always-available link to friends and family, a pocket computer, or a time-saving tool – even an actual telephone. … 17% of cell owners say the best thing about their phone is that it is convenient. 12% like the ability to call or talk with others at any time. 11% like that their cell phone can help them get assistance in an emergency. 9% say that using the internet, email, or apps is the best thing about their mobile phone. 8% cite the ability to connect with family. … However, the convenience and constant connectivity that these mobile devices offer also comes with a downside in the form of annoyances, interruptions, and cost. … Overall, cell owners are far more likely to view their phone as a time-saver than as a time-waster. … For many cell owners, their phone is an essential utility that they check frequently, keep close by at all times, and would have trouble functioning without. – 67% of cell owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls – even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating. … 44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night. 29% of cell owners describe their cell phone as ‘something they can’t imagine living without.’”
Pew: “The Good and Bad of Cell Ownership – When it comes to the positive aspects of cell phone ownership: 17% of cell owners say that the best thing about their phone is that it is ‘convenient.’ 12% like the ability to call or talk with others at any time (this includes phrases such as ‘making phone calls,’ ‘talking with other people,’ or ‘calling whenever’). 11% like that their cell phone can help them get assistance in an emergency (this includes phrases such as ’emergencies,’ ‘safety,’ or ‘security’). … 24% of cell owners say that the worst thing about cell ownership is that they are constantly available and can be reached at any time. 15% say that the cost of cell ownership is the thing they like least. 12% cite problems with bad reception, poor signal, or dropped calls. 8% cite problems with battery life as the thing they like the least. 8% point to interruptions from telemarketers and other unwanted callers as their primary annoyance.”
Pew: “Barriers to Adoption – Some 15% of US adults do not own a cell phone at all, and we presented these non-adopters with an open-ended question in which we asked them to tell us the main reason why they do not own one. The largest proportion of these non-owners say that a lack of need or interest is the main thing standing in their way: 38% don’t need a cell phone or are happy with their landline, while 11% say that they don’t like cell phones or simply aren’t interested in purchasing one. Economic factors are the second-most common reason given, as one in five non-owners (21%) say that they do not own a cell phone because they are too expensive. … What is keeping non-smartphone owners from upgrading? In addition to asking why people might not own a cell phone in the first place, we also asked the 40% of the population that owns cell phone but not a smartphone to tell us the main reason why they do not own a more advanced device. Overall, cost plays a much more prominent role for upgrading to a smartphone, than it does for deciding whether or not to get a cell phone in the first place. A total of 37% of non-smartphone owners mention price in one way or another as the main reason why they haven’t upgraded…”
Pew: “The Impact of Mobile Phones on People’s Lives – When it comes to the positive impacts of cell phone ownership, fully two-thirds (65%) of cell owners say that mobile phones have made it ‘a lot’ easier to stay in touch with the people they care about, while just 6% say that their phone has not improved their connections with friends and family at all. Roughly half of cell owners say that their phone has made it at least somewhat easier to plan and schedule their daily routine, and to be productive while doing things like sitting in traffic or waiting in line. … Those from higher income households are more likely to say that their cell phone makes it easier to schedule their daily routine, and to be productive throughout the day. At the same time, cell owners with a household income of more than $75,000 per year are significantly more likely than other cell owners to say that their phone makes it harder to disconnect from the demands of the workplace. … Overall, cell owners are far more likely to view their phone as a time-saver than as a time-waster. Some 33% of cell owners agree with the statement that their phone ‘saves you time because you can always access the information you need,’ while just 3% agree with the statement that their phone ‘costs you time because you are constantly distracted or interrupted.’ The largest proportion of cell owners (56%) say that the time costs and time savings offered by cell phones pretty much balance each other out. – Smartphone owners have especially positive attitudes towards their phones’ time-saving capabilities. Some 44% of smartphone owners say that their phone saves them time because they can access the information they need at all times – double the 20% of non-smartphone owners who say the same.”
Pew: “Cell Phone Attachment and Etiquette – In spite of all this time spent using, checking or otherwise interacting with their phones, most cell owners are more likely to get complaints that they are not responding quickly enough to calls or contacts, than to get complaints that they are spending too much time with their devices. When we asked about three separate issues with their cell phone usage that might annoy or lead to complaints from the other people in cell owners’ lives, we found the following: 39% of cell owners say that people they know have complained that they don’t respond promptly to phone calls or text messages. 33% say that people they know have complained that they don’t check their cell phone frequently enough. 12% of cell owners say that people they know tell them that they spend too much time using their cell phone.”