But thanks to an overtaxed infrastructure, the profitable vein could shrivel

Everyone knows about the 1849 “gold rush,” when eager entrepreneurs from all over the world flooded California in hopes of striking it rich. In just six years, though, the rush was over, leaving in its wake a few millionaires but a lot more paupers.

The Internet is kind of the gold rush of the 21st century. eBay, iTunes, and video sharing site MetaCafe are all ways in which modern prospectors are making money (some a little, some a lot) online. Video, the hottest of Internet content, could also be the most lucrative. The New York Times yesterday reported that “how-to videos” could be the biggest revenue generator of user-generated vids: A Florida-based producer, whose clips are on varied topics like “how to turn a flashlight into a laser” and “how to simulate a gunshot wound,” earned more than $102,000 in a year from MetaCafe, which pays content owners according to how many views their videos garner.

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What do Finnish road trippers, SMS, and U.S. Senator Larry “Widestance” Craig have in common? Something about public bathrooms…

Meanwhile the impending recession, coupled with worse-than-expected revenues, can force most companies to cut back on things like holiday bonuses, paid overtime, and any staff that goes beyond a skeleton crew. But tightened belts at Google still comes out to “leading the good life” for the rest of us working shmoes….

Did the two preceding paragraphs have you scratching your heads? Then you obviously haven’t seen the fourth episode of Outside The Inbox: Video Edition-mobileStorm’s weekly online humor and news show that attempts to entertain as well as educate.

So check it out. The first one who posts a comment to this blog correctly answering the question about Finland and a certain senator wins… bragging rights.

http://www.mobilestorm.com/videos/

Eydie Cubarrubia
Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm
“I’d rather you text me”

Effectiveness and Open-Rates:

While email marketing is considered one of the most effective ways to communicate with leads and customers, social media can sometimes be just as if not more effective. I’ve heard different stories from small-sized websites how their open rates with messages via sites like MySpace or Facebook were higher than email open rates of the same size databases. Moreover, their social network responders are more active than email ones, which can lead to better ROI and more sales. Social websites are perfect for viral marketing, which can yield quicker results than an email campaign. They are also, relatively, a new phenomenon so marketing on them can give you an advantage against your competitors, assuming you start today.

Downsides and Dangers:

Social networks are as effective as they are dangerous for your online activities. The nature of these sites is that they are people-driven, opinionated. This is especially true of the most active members, who will constantly leave comments and feedback, for better or worse. This can lead to trouble if you do something “wrong” by the subjective opinion of these social leaders, who collectively can damage your reputation within the community. This is particularly true if you are a corporation like Ford or Red Bull, which have established major presences on these sites.

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Game publishers do got game!

There’s been some naysaying recently regarding mobile advertising. Forrester Research said in a new report that despite mobile’s promise, marketers have several challenges to overcome—such as the fact that only 7 percent of users trust text-message ads, though consumers far prefer SMS to ads that appear on cell phones while surfing the Web.

But it would be short-sighted to write off mobile ads. First, Forrester said that more consumers said they could not live without their cells than without other communications devices like desktops and laptops. And as the research firm pointed out, “text messaging is more likely to be successful than mechanisms involving mobile data, including couponing and [two-dimensional bar] codes”—meaning that mobile is ideal for specific types of ads. But smart marketers don’t rely on upbeat statistics alone. In that regard, they should look at the game industry to see how mobile marketing can be leveraged in the savviest way possible.

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