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Social networking, blogs and gaming sites click with Canadians

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The popularity of social networking and blogging among Canadian Internet users is not limited to teens and young adults, as a new poll by TNS Canadian Facts suggests that a sizeable number of middle-aged surfers are frequenting these types of web sites.

The poll found that online teens and young adults are the heaviest users of social networking sites, with 83% of 13-17 year olds and 74% of 18-29 year olds having visited at least one such site. Not surprisingly, older people are less likely to have spent any time on sites such as Facebook and MySpace, but the incidence is still quite high among middle-aged and older online Canadians. Six in 10 people in their 30s have visited at least one social networking site and 45% of those in their 40s have done so. Among those 50 years and older, one-third claim to have visited such a site.

While less interactive, blogs also are a key communication tool. Half (50%) of online Canadians use blogs, with teens and young adults between 18 and 29 the most likely to access them (73% and 64%, respectively). The most popular types of blogs are focused on entertainment/gossip, technology, and sites dedicated to specific hobbies. Less popular blogging topics include politics, fashion, and sports. [Read more…]

Originally posted on June 12, 2007 @ 10:46 pm

Sony joins blogosphere, launches official Playstation blog

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Sony Playstation BlogSony Computer Entertainment America launches the new blog on the block, the Playstation.Blog — Sony’s official developer blog that features the latest newsbits, opinions, game annoucements aned updates, and other related posts about Playstation products and services as blogged by Sony executives and PR reps.

“PlayStation.Blog is a bit of work in progress, we see it as a place where we can share with you our company’s collective insights, opinions and perspectives on all things related to SCEA, PlayStation and the industry we play in,” says Patrick Seybold, SCEA’s PR manager in the blog’s first official post.

Just like similar gaming blogs such as Gamerscore and Major Nelson, Playstation.Blog is Sony’s way of joining the viral marketing bandwagon and connecting with Playstation gamers, giving them the opportunity to speak out their thoughts and opinions through commenting so as to create a healthy give-and-take relationship between the producers and consumers.

Through the comments section, SCEA hopes to get a feel of what the gamers want and expect so that they can provide answers to relevant concerns and improve their services as well. Seybold adds, “a blog like this is really about you and the things you want to hear, share and discuss with us. With that in mind, you’ll notice that comments are enabled – and encouraged – so tell us what you want to see here and we’ll do our best to make it happen.”

Originally posted on June 12, 2007 @ 7:05 pm

Get that dollar under control, please

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So I’m looking at my Paypal account and realize I won’t be moving any money anytime soon. The dollar’s down, has been for quite some time, and that means us non-US people make less for the same work. Blogging is usually paid per post and when a fluctuating currency is used you can find yourself doing the same work for less money, without you adjusting your prices. Meanwhile, nothing much have changed for your American employer which means they won’t like it if you up your rates.

I lost equivalent of a grand (perhaps more when you read this, or less, depending on how the dollar moves compared to the Swedish crown) recently, just due to the dollar being down. That sucks.

The blogosphere is paying in dollars, but being a non-American blogger suddenly pays less. Will that change?

Originally posted on June 11, 2007 @ 4:45 am

Odiogo adds listen button for enabling read aloud blog posts

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odiogo-listen.jpgOdiogo, a service which lets online publications and blogs create audible versions of content, announced yesterday an easier way for users to interact with this audio content. It’s called the Listen Button and it’s designed to be embedded in an article or post near familiar buttons like email and print.

The Listen Button, when clicked on, opens a player which reads aloud the currently displayed article. This new feature is apparently already in use by a variety of Web sites, including the Online Edition of the Jerusalem Post and the popular tech gadget blog The Red Ferret Journal.

Odiogo added the free Listen Button “has been adapted for major blogging platforms. Starter kits have been developed to quickly install the button on blogs developed in the WordPress, Blogger or TypePad environments.”

Originally posted on June 8, 2007 @ 1:46 pm

Six Apart enhances TypePad blogging features

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typepad-updates.jpgPopular blogging software company Six Apart, in addition to launching Movable Type 4 Beta this week, also announced some updates for TypePad, its hosted blog service. These updates were among some of the most requested in a recent TypePad customer survey.

Prominent among the new features is TypePad pages. Pages found on traditional websites, said Six Apart, like “About Us,” “Our Products,” or “Contact Us,” can now be created in TypePad using a wide variety of new themes and layouts designed expressly for professional and business users. These new themes and layouts can also be used for blog pages as well.

Other new TypePad features include integration with Windows Live Writer and also enhanced visitor statistics such as a graphical presentation showing historical visitor information and a downloadable Excel file for deeper analysis.

Originally posted on June 8, 2007 @ 1:10 pm