Web analytics is a very important element of online marketing. It?s sometimes seen as dull and boring, perhaps because of the amount of numbers, data and statistics, but the truth is web analytics can be very powerful and useful, and provide you with new insights into how people interact with your website and new opportunities to attract visitors.
Web analytics is not just limited to your own website. Certain social media platforms like Facebook also have their own analytics (Facebook Insights) and now, the most recent addition is Pinterest Web Analytics. The popular social platform announced this recently on their blog.
What is Pinterest?
As you might know, Pinterest?is a tool that allows you to ?collect and organize the things you love?, basically by??pinning? photos onto boards, that you create. For business owners and marketers, Pinterest can be an interesting channel as you can create your own board, upload photos related to your business and thereby connect and engage with your target audience. Depending on the type of business you have, Pinterest can be a valuable source of traffic.
Pinterest Web Analytics
So back to web analytics: what is this new Pinterest Web Analytics? Here?s Pinterest?s own explanation:
Bloggers, businesses, and organizations often ask us, ?what are people pinning from my websites?? These website owners help create the content on Pinterest and we wanted to help them understand which pieces of content people find most interesting.?Web Analytics gives site owners insights into how people are interacting with pins that originate from their websites.
What are the features?
Pinterest explains that if you have a verified website, you will get information about
how many people have pinned from your site
how many people have seen these pins
how many people visited your site from Pinterest
This seems like a useful tool to analyze if and how Pinterest is working for your business.
In addition, they will show you a selection of your most re-pinned, most clicked, and most recent pins so you have a better idea of what?s popular.
Impression of what Pinterest Web Analytics looks like.
How To Get Started
Follow these steps:
Get early access to Pinterest?s new look.
Make sure you have a verified website. If you have a website listed on your profile with a check mark next to it, you?re verified.
Once your website is verified, go to the top right menu and click on Analytics.
Start exploring! Change your date range to see how things have changed over time or download your analytics to sort through the data on your own time.
I think the new Web Analytics will be very helpful in better understanding your target audience and which content is most popular. Like web analytics in general, this tool helps you gain important insights to make better informed decisions, identify poor performing areas and capitalize on opportunities. I suspect Pinterest will be rolling out even more features in the future, but for now, this seems like a good start. For more information, visit Pinterest?s blog article.
Anticipating explosive growth in video communications, Cisco is readying product improvements designed to simplify the management of videoconferencing traffic and to streamline its use for employees.
The products, announced Tuesday, include new software for adjusting network resources based on video requirements, and a new cloud-based virtual meeting room service for its video-as-a-service hosting partners.
?We?re giving tools to IT managers to better deploy, manage and support video traffic on their networks and help eliminate some of the fears of adding video on the network,? said Roberto De La Mora, Cisco?s senior director of unified communications marketing.
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?We also are expanding our cloud video-as-a-service options via a new on-demand virtual meeting room service we?re making available via our hosted collaboration partners,? he added.
An internal Cisco survey of enterprise desktop video conferencing forecasts an increase in usage from 36.4 million users in 2011 to 218.9 million by 2016, and IT professionals are demanding more and better tools for providing and handling this type of network-intensive video communications, he said.
The Cisco TelePresence Server and TelePresence Conductor products are getting a software upgrade designed to make adjustments to network resources based on video conferencing session requirements.
Available today, the upgraded software will recognize the requirements of the end point devices of different video conferencing session participants, for example allocating more bandwidth to people using large, high-definition displays, and less to those using a smartphone.
The Cisco products will be able to provision network resources in this more ?intelligent? manner even to end point devices not made by the company, as long as they comply with codec industry standards.
The technology should help IT departments make more efficient use of their network resources, and ultimately lower costs, without changing their existing hardware, De La Mora said.
A similar enhancement is being made to Cisco?s Medianet Services Interface (MSI), a software component that is embedded in video endpoints and collaboration applications for enhanced network resources usage based on policies and configurations set by IT administrators. This upgrade will be available before the end of this month.
In addition, Cisco plans to deliver in this year?s first half deeper integration between its high-end TelePresence products and its midrange WebEx products, so that customers will be able to have both types of users on a single video conferencing session sharing the same two-way voice/video and content.
Currently, the only integration point in this scenario is voice ? TelePresence and WebEx participants can?t see each other in the video conference, nor share their desktops and content.
Finally, Cisco will launch by the end of March a new cloud service for its Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) partners: on-demand virtual meeting rooms, which De La Mora likened to conference call bridges, except for video conferencing.
HCS partners include AT&T, Sprint, Telefonica, Verizon, Vodafone and other service providers, systems integrators, wholesalers and resellers that provide cloud-hosted Cisco collaboration software to their customers.
Juan Carlos Perez covers enterprise communication/collaboration suites, operating systems, browsers and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Juan on Twitter at @JuanCPerezIDG.
In August 2011, I outlined why I believed that Chrome was more important to Google than Android. At first blush, this sounds kind of crazy, but when you look at the bigger strategic picture it makes sense. With former Android head Andy Rubin relocating to work on other projects at Google, and Chrome head Sundar Pichai taking over Android, it means that the Android and Chrome teams are now under unified leadership. This, I believe, is the signal that Android and Chrome are on a path to merge.
To understand the business side of things, it is important to remember that Google makes the vast majority of its revenue from search. Google?s web properties generated advertising revenues of $8.8 billion in Q4 2012 alone. Google doesn?t release exactly how much it makes from Android, but I don?t believe they make even close to $8 billion from it annually, let alone in one single quarter (as they do from web-based advertising).
Android has been a relevant strategy to give hardware makers a chance to compete with Apple. But as we can see from various market developments, it appears the hardware vendors now either want to forego Android and minimize their dependence on Google, or create their own solutions entirely. I?m thus convinced that Android as we know it today will look very different ? if it exists at all ? five years from now.
This is where Chrome and Chome based hardware comes in.
Chrome Hardware Right now Chromebooks are still in their infancy. They?re rapidly developing and getting better with each generation, but I don?t believe they?re even close to Google?s bigger vision. The Chrome web app solution is getting more apps but not at a level or pace necessary to gain a critical mass relevant for the mass market. This is where Android and future Android app development will play a role.
Google has a large global developer base for Android but not yet for Chrome web apps. Chrome is designed to run only apps developed for the web, where Android is designed to run apps that are installed. Once these two development environments merge, developers will be able to design both Android and Chrome web apps with the same set of tools, consistency and unified application stores. Google, with its expertise in cloud services, could bring a cloud-based virtual Android environment to Chrome, perhaps giving us the ability to run Android in the browser, seamlessly, on all Chrome hardware.
The other benefit Android brings to Chrome is an environment built for touch-friendly applications. Google just released its Chromebook Pixel, which is a touch based Chromebook. The only problem is there aren?t really any touch-based Chrome web apps. Android is built for touch, and those assets will bring value to touch-based Chrome systems down the road.
The Future of Chrome Hardware What this ultimately leads to is new Chrome-based hardware. Right now, Chrome OS is stuck in a clamshell, PC-like form factor. The merging of Android into the Chrome OS solution could open the door to Chrome OS-based phones and tablets as well. As we know, the Chrome OS solution allows for extremely low-cost hardware because of how light a client it is, which means that a Chrome-based solution for phones and tablets could conceivably lower cost barriers.
This seems hard to imagine now, especially given that in China you can purchase an Android tablet for $45. Regardless, Chrome and Android merging would do more for hardware solutions than if the two remained separate.
The Browser This merging of Android and Chrome has traditional browser-based value as well. The Chrome browser runs on all Windows PCs (with the exception of Windows RT), Macs and even iOS devices. What if Android ? and more, importantly Android apps ? could be used from within any Chrome browser on any device? This would drastically increase the potential reach of Google?s services across the computing spectrum.
Since Google makes so much of its revenue from search, they need to make sure their search and web based assets remain front and center on all key hardware platforms. As companies like Samsung, HTC, Sony and even Amazon or Facebook look to take Android further for their own benefits, they take them further from any benefit to Google. Google knows its search being front and center runs the risk of being usurped by those looking to use Android for their own benefit and not necessarily Google?s.
Google must be aware of this, and the merging of Google and Chrome OS will give them more opportunities to keep their services front and center. Google first bought Andy Rubin?s Android, Inc. and used it to drive new growth for themselves and others. I view this merger as if the Chrome team just bought Android and will now use it for further growth.
Bajarin is a principal at?Creative Strategies Inc., a technology industry analysis and market-intelligence firm in?Silicon Valley. He contributes to the?Big Picture?opinion column that appears here every week.
Lindsay Lohan will be headed to rehab, not jail, as punishment for her latest criminal offenses. During a court hearing on Monday, Lohan's lawyer negotiated a deal that has the actress pleading guilty to probation violation, reckless driving and lying to a police officer. (The charges are connected to her June 2012 car crash.) In exchange, Lohan will serve her 90 days of jail time in a locked-down rehab facility, after which she'll be in therapy for 18 months and on probation for two more years. She's not exactly getting off scot-free, but even so: Is this sentence harsh enough to scare Lindsay straight? Is anything?
All good things must come in threes. That's the only reasoning I've got to justify the fact that Funny or Die ? a website focused on comedy shorts ? is making a full-length comic biopic about Steve Jobs, dubbed "iSteve."
Though we're calling it the third, it'll actually be the first in wide distribution, because it will be released on the website on April 15, before the other films hit theaters or digital channels.
?In true Internet fashion, it?s not based on very thorough research ? essentially a cursory look at the Steve Jobs Wikipedia page,? Ryan Perez, who wrote and directed the third Steve Jobs biopic, explained to the New York Times. ?It?s very silly. But it looks at his whole life.?
Funny or Die informed NBC News that the movie is still being edited, but it should clock in somewhere between 60 and 75 minutes.
Justin Long, known for his roles in "Dodgeball" and "Waiting" ? not to mention Apple's "Get a Mac" ad campaign ? is playing the part of the late Apple co-founder. The New York Times' Brooks Barnes adds that James Urbaniak ("Venture Bros.") and Michaela Watkins ("Saturday Night Live," "Enlightened") will be in the movies as Bill and Melinda Gates, while Jorge Garcia of "Lost Fame" plays Steve Wozniak.
"We were kicking around the idea of making a fake Steve Jobs movie trailer, and as often happens in a writers' room, the joke kind of escalated," Allison Hord, who produced "iSteve," told the Times.
"iSteve" is expected to be a lighter counterpart to the other two biopics, one starring Ashton Kutcher and the other being penned by Aaron Sorkin. While the the Kutcher flick premiered at Sundance, its release date was pushed back. And the Sorkin version is still only in pre-production.
?We might not be the best, but we will be the first,? Perez joked while speaking to the New York Times.
Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her onTwitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her onGoogle+.
Study shows rising rate of propofol abuse by health care professionalsPublic release date: 18-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Abuse of common anesthetic has 'rapid downhill course,' reports Journal of Addiction Medicine
Philadelphia, Pa. (March 18, 2013) Abuse of the anesthesia drug propofol is a "rapidly progressive form of substance dependence" that is being more commonly seen among health care professionals, reports a study in the April Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
"Propofol addiction is a virulent and debilitating form of substance dependence" with a "rapid downhill course," write Drs Paul Earley and Torin Finver of Georgia Health Professionals Program, Inc, Atlanta. Their study identifies some emerging characteristics and consequences of propofol abuse among health care professionals.
Propofol Abuse: Rates and Risk Factors
Data from an addiction center specializing in substance abuse problems among health care professionals identified 22 patients treated for propofol abuse from 1990 to 2010. Propofol is a drug widely used to induce anesthesia for surgery and sedation for other procedures. It is commonly used because it has a rapid onset and quick recovery time, with fewer side effects than other anesthetics.
The number of health care professionals treated for propofol abuse increased steadily during the period studied, although increased recognition by addiction center staff may have played a role. The patients were thirteen physicians, eight nurses, and one dentist. Most of the physicians and all of the nurses were anesthesia providers, who had ready access to propofol.
Patients using propofol were more likely to be women, compared to health care professionals abusing alcohol or other drugs. Most propofol abusers had depression, along with a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse. In addition, most of the propofol-abusing health care professionals reported a family history of substance abuse, and a higher than expected number had family members with schizophrenia.
The patients generally started using propofol to get to sleep. However, they quickly developed characteristics of addiction, with propofol becoming a preferred drug of abuse. Most patients came for addiction treatment within a few months after starting to use propofol. Five patients came to treatment after a single propofol binge.
Side Effects of Propofol Abuse 'Begin Almost Immediately'
"When humans abuse propofol, unintended side effects begin almost immediately," Drs Earley and Finver write. About half of propofol abusers entered addiction treatment after dramatic events such as car crashes or other injuries. Some sustained facial injuries when they passed out immediately after injecting propofol.
Five patients were admitted into treatment when they were discovered unconscious. These characteristics reflect the "narrow window between desired effect and unconsciousness" and the rapid loss of control over propofol use, according to the authors.
"Propofol dependence is a rapidly progressive form of substance dependence seen in 1.6 percent of all health care addiction cases reporting to treatment," Drs Earley and Finver conclude. Within the limitations of the data, the study suggests that propofol abuse by health care professionals is increasingparticularly among physician and nurse anesthesia providers with ready access to anesthetics.
Some characteristics of the patients studiedincluding their history of depression and childhood trauma and patterns of physical injuryhave important implications for identification and treatment of propofol abuse by health care professionals. Drs Earley and Finver add, "Outcome studiesare needed to help solve the difficult decisions of when and if a propofol-abusing health care professional should return to their high-risk work environment."
###
About Journal of Addiction Medicine
The mission of Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, is to promote excellence in the practice of addiction medicine and in clinical research as well as to support Addiction Medicine as a mainstream medical specialty. Published bi-monthly, the Journal is designed for all physicians and other mental health professionals who need to keep up-to-date with the treatment of addiction disorders. Under the guidance of an esteemed Editorial Board, peer-reviewed articles published in the Journal focus on developments in addiction medicine as well as on treatment innovations and ethical, economic, forensic, and social topics,
About the American Society of Addiction Medicine
The American Society of Addiction Medicine is a professional society representing over 3,000 physicians dedicated to increasing access and improving quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention, and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addictions.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Study shows rising rate of propofol abuse by health care professionalsPublic release date: 18-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health
Abuse of common anesthetic has 'rapid downhill course,' reports Journal of Addiction Medicine
Philadelphia, Pa. (March 18, 2013) Abuse of the anesthesia drug propofol is a "rapidly progressive form of substance dependence" that is being more commonly seen among health care professionals, reports a study in the April Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
"Propofol addiction is a virulent and debilitating form of substance dependence" with a "rapid downhill course," write Drs Paul Earley and Torin Finver of Georgia Health Professionals Program, Inc, Atlanta. Their study identifies some emerging characteristics and consequences of propofol abuse among health care professionals.
Propofol Abuse: Rates and Risk Factors
Data from an addiction center specializing in substance abuse problems among health care professionals identified 22 patients treated for propofol abuse from 1990 to 2010. Propofol is a drug widely used to induce anesthesia for surgery and sedation for other procedures. It is commonly used because it has a rapid onset and quick recovery time, with fewer side effects than other anesthetics.
The number of health care professionals treated for propofol abuse increased steadily during the period studied, although increased recognition by addiction center staff may have played a role. The patients were thirteen physicians, eight nurses, and one dentist. Most of the physicians and all of the nurses were anesthesia providers, who had ready access to propofol.
Patients using propofol were more likely to be women, compared to health care professionals abusing alcohol or other drugs. Most propofol abusers had depression, along with a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse. In addition, most of the propofol-abusing health care professionals reported a family history of substance abuse, and a higher than expected number had family members with schizophrenia.
The patients generally started using propofol to get to sleep. However, they quickly developed characteristics of addiction, with propofol becoming a preferred drug of abuse. Most patients came for addiction treatment within a few months after starting to use propofol. Five patients came to treatment after a single propofol binge.
Side Effects of Propofol Abuse 'Begin Almost Immediately'
"When humans abuse propofol, unintended side effects begin almost immediately," Drs Earley and Finver write. About half of propofol abusers entered addiction treatment after dramatic events such as car crashes or other injuries. Some sustained facial injuries when they passed out immediately after injecting propofol.
Five patients were admitted into treatment when they were discovered unconscious. These characteristics reflect the "narrow window between desired effect and unconsciousness" and the rapid loss of control over propofol use, according to the authors.
"Propofol dependence is a rapidly progressive form of substance dependence seen in 1.6 percent of all health care addiction cases reporting to treatment," Drs Earley and Finver conclude. Within the limitations of the data, the study suggests that propofol abuse by health care professionals is increasingparticularly among physician and nurse anesthesia providers with ready access to anesthetics.
Some characteristics of the patients studiedincluding their history of depression and childhood trauma and patterns of physical injuryhave important implications for identification and treatment of propofol abuse by health care professionals. Drs Earley and Finver add, "Outcome studiesare needed to help solve the difficult decisions of when and if a propofol-abusing health care professional should return to their high-risk work environment."
###
About Journal of Addiction Medicine
The mission of Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, is to promote excellence in the practice of addiction medicine and in clinical research as well as to support Addiction Medicine as a mainstream medical specialty. Published bi-monthly, the Journal is designed for all physicians and other mental health professionals who need to keep up-to-date with the treatment of addiction disorders. Under the guidance of an esteemed Editorial Board, peer-reviewed articles published in the Journal focus on developments in addiction medicine as well as on treatment innovations and ethical, economic, forensic, and social topics,
About the American Society of Addiction Medicine
The American Society of Addiction Medicine is a professional society representing over 3,000 physicians dedicated to increasing access and improving quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention, and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addictions.
About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company with 2012 annual revenues of 3.6 billion ($4.6 billion).
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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Public release date: 18-Mar-2013
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