Category Archives: Main Page

How to survive a recession social network style

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Had a fascinating meet up with Bob Clarke of Beetlenut yesterday who set up and ran Business TV for BMW at the start of the 1990s. Apparently BMW used this communications tool, with daily broadcast’s to sales executives to help weather that recession, and came out after the downturn ahead of their competitors who didn’t invest in internal comms. As Bob pointed out this time round surviving the recession isn’t just open to those with the cash to throw at it. Social networking tools, many which are lightweight and relatively low cost, can give corporates the kind of internal comms they need to ride it out with their employees on side. Simple idea, nicely presented, thanks Bob.

PS: I mentioned to Shirley the Finance Manager in the evening Bob’s anecdote about a PLC with a manufacturing plant in Mexico, who post the PNL account at the end of the production line every day. Anyone who doesn’t understand what it all means can ask their workmate. Wonder how many PLCs think of that as a strategy, and have then implemented it?

From VC Fred Wilson (who according to Twitter is in sunny Soho right now, lucky man)

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Twitter Acquires Summize

“There aren’t many surprises in web technology given how well the media and the blogs cover the sector. And it’s even more so with our portfolio company Twitter which seems to attract a lot of attention for a host of well known reasons.

“Last month Twitter announced a financing but it was old news by then. Today, Twitter announced that it has acquired the leading Twitter search engine Summize. That was also widely reported last week and so it’s a bit of old news.

“But even though it’s old news, I think it’s big news. Twitter will now allow you to follow not only people but also ideas, concepts, names, thoughts, etc. And they will do that natively and via the API.  Those who follow the microblogging sector closely certainly have seen the potential of this, but now we can see it in action and use it.

“I wrote a short blog post on the Union Square Ventures blog about this transaction. Summize investor John Borthwick of Betaworks has a terrific blog post on the transaction on his blog.  And of course TechCrunch has a post on it as well.”

PS: wonder if the incoming smart engineers from Summize will also help avoid Twitter downtimes?  Should their logo be looking up a whale’s behind? Poll moment.