E-Commerce Minute

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E-Commerce Minute: Tuesday -- July 28, 2009

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Today's Headlines:
The 4 Biggest Motivators for Social Media Marketing
The Neverending Quest for Qualified Leads
Big Blue Bolsters BI With SPSS Buy
The Bright Spots and Sore Spots of Apple Customer Service
Google Unloads Shriveling AOL Stake on Time Warner
Verizon Falters on Weak Enterprise Demand

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Podcast
Virtualization Reimagined (32:56 minutes)
One way of looking at an effective enterprise virtualization planning
strategy is to boil it down into three ingredients: the role
interconnections play in allowing physical servers to support multiple
virtual servers; the role and importance of CMDBs in terms of
deployment; and how outsourcing can maximize cost efficiencies.
http://www.ectnews.com/shared/audio/ect-gardner-2009-07-27.mp3

Today's Story Highlights

The 4 Biggest Motivators for Social Media Marketing
It's important to find a solution that provides a means for measuring
the effectiveness of a social media marketing program. Once a company
knows who its biggest influencers are, it becomes possible to target
them with appropriate messages and promotions. With any hot trend,
marketing companies quickly offer solutions that help companies take
advantage of the momentum.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67701.html

The Neverending Quest for Qualified Leads
In the past, businesses typically used lists of leads in a type of
marketing strategy that Michael Port, author of "Book Yourself Solid,"
refers to as "interruption marketing." The goal was to get in front of a
potential customer, book an appointment, and sell the product. However,
that model is changing into what Port calls "permission marketing."
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67704.html

Big Blue Bolsters BI With SPSS Buy
IBM has agreed to acquire SPSS, a Chicago-based company that makes
software to help businesses spot future trends as well as shifts in
consumer patterns and behavior, for $1.2 billion. Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM
said the acquisition of SPSS for $50 per share will boost its business-
analytics technology, which can also be used to help reduce credit risk
and increase customer loyalty.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67708.html

The Bright Spots and Sore Spots of Apple Customer Service
Ed Zitron's laptop caught on fire in 2006; his apartment could have
easily burned if he hadn't been at home. Infuriated, the account rep for
RLM Public Relations called customer service -- and his fury quickly
turned into unmitigated outrage. "The customer service rep could not
have been more uninterested or blasé about the whole thing. I
practically had to force her to give me an apology," he told
MacNewsWorld.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67702.html

Google Unloads Shriveling AOL Stake on Time Warner
Time Warner bought back Google's 5 percent stake in struggling Internet
company AOL for $283 million, according to a regulatory filing by AOL on
Monday. The price paid on July 8 is close to what Google estimated its
stake at earlier this year. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google bought
the stake for $1 billion in 2006, but in January estimated the
investment had sunk by more than 70 percent.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67707.html

Verizon Falters on Weak Enterprise Demand
Telecom giant Verizon's second-quarter profits fell 21 percent from the
same period last year, but much of the decline was attributable to
charge-offs due to previous workforce reductions and deteriorating
demand among business customers battered by the global recession. The
company announced plans to cut 8,000 more jobs in the second half of the
year.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67700.html

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About the E-Commerce Times
The E-Commerce Times is a free online publication that provides
daily news, special reports and success stories in addition to an
e-commerce products and services guide. The publication's tagline
is "E-Business Means Business," and its content includes
information on a wide variety of e-business topics, such as data
storage, network security, databases, B2B and B2C e-commerce, the IT
job market and the maneuvers of high-tech businesses.

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