Episode 33 – The Power of Reviews, The Difficulty of the Internet, Social TV Platforms, and Google Mobile Dev. Partners

Author: Lori Highby

This week, our hosts Matt, Min, Anna, and Will reconvene to take a look at topics ranging from the power of reviews to new Google certifications that could help identify or accredit good mobile developers and so much more! Join us every Monday for new episodes of the Digital Natives podcast, where we help you get found!

The Power of Online Reviews [5:10]
The Difficulty of The Internet [14:25]
Social TV Platforms [21:25]
Google Mobile Developer Certification [24:35]

The Power of Online Reviews

Building your reputation on the physical world and the digital one are extremely important. In the digital space, in particular, online reviews have a profound effect on not only your reputation but also other digital factors like SEO. Our host Anna explores the possibilities, pitfalls, and hidden pieces of the power of online reviews for you!

“Five star ranked products get 54% of all ecommerce purchases and four star rankings are another 40% so that’s over 90% in the top two rankings.” -Anna
“I don’t think I would write a review if I was happy with a product but if I hated it I would be more likely to leave a review.” -Anna
“If I leave a positive review, it’s because I want to support the business more so than I want to review the product.” -Matt
“I always read through reviews before I buy anything and I always read the negative reviews before everything else because there are so many fake reviews.” -Will

The Difficulty of The Internet

Over the years, the internet and its various forms of advertisements have become… a little ugly, there are pop up ads, banner ads, side bar ads, and so many different visual features that assault you on many web pages. How did we get to this point and where will it go in the future? These are all questions Min looks to answer in this weeks episode

“You could click an article on Facebook and you’re assaulted by a newsletter pop with a tiny x to close, then you’re being bombarded with auto play vide, things that slide out from the side, sidebars with ads, and other various ads sprinkled throughout.” -Min

“Truly successful sites are constantly redesigning and updating to become more user friendly.” -Min
“Banner Blindness was cause by consistent, unobtrusive banner ads that users became desensitized to which ultimately escalated the intrusive advertisements we see today.” -Min
“615 million people have adblockers installed on their computers and phones.” -Min
“When companies give good incentives I’m much more likely to actually subscribe to a newsletter.” -Min

Social TV Platforms

YouTube is pushing major cable network providers to the side with its launch of YouTube TV, an online TV streaming option that rivals’ traditional providers in price and channels. Will seeks to lead the group through a conversation about what it means for the future.

“YouTube’s cloud DVR will let you record any show and watch it for 90 days afterwards.” -Will
“Twitter is working towards offering a very similar service in the near future.” -Will
“Soon, we’ll start seeing Facebook and all these other platforms integrate with other TV platforms so that they can turn into this one stop shop for everything.” -Will

Google Mobile Developer Certification

In their continued emphasis on mobile phones and optimization, Google has released its mobile developer certification which will list mobile web developers as Google Partners if they successfully become certified. To help break down the implications, Matt leads the group through ha discussion on what it means for you!

“By becoming a Google Partner, you get listed on Google’s partner page and you get a fancy little badge that can go on your website to help give you credibility!” -Matt
“Google is really focusing on Mobile and building that up and moving that way.” -Matt
“People still don’t know how to optimize a page for mobile, that’s a requirement in today’s digital space.” -Matt
“You have three seconds for site load and be displayed before users leave, the average load time is 22 seconds.” -Matt

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