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Writer Edward Willett (@ewillett) asks, “Despite passion on the printed-book side, ebook sales continue to soar, and ebook readers are becoming better, cheaper, and more ubiquitous. How can a lover of text-on-dead-trees continue to defend his/her choice?”

Science may offer some ammunition in the ongoing debate. For instance, a study conducted last year by Jacob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group, a California-based usability consulting firm, tested three different ways to read e-books – on the PC, the Kindle 2, and the iPad – against the reading of paper books. Nielsen found that those reading any of the ebook versions were as much as 10% slower than those reading the printed versions. (Reading on the PC was the slowest — and least popular — of all.)

[Also see Singularity Hub’s (@singularityhub) “New Study: You Read Slower on Kindle, iPad than with Print.”]

[For a contrasting article, see TeleRead’s (@paulkbiba) “Jakob Nielsen’s e-reading speed study isn’t the final word].”

But “another study emerged from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz that, according to the lead researcher, Professor Dr. Stephan Füssel, provides a scientific basis ‘for dispelling the widespread misconception that reading from a screen has negative effects.’”

Perhaps, in the end, it all comes down to personal preference.

Read this in full.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you set your publishing agenda while taking into account the personal preference of your consumers.

A new comScore (@comScore) survey says mobile social networking is on the rise, with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn seeing their mobile audiences grow by at least 50% each in the past year.

More than 72 million Americans accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device in August 2011, an increase of 37% in the past year. The study also finds that more than half of mobile users read a post from an organization, brand, or event while on their mobile device.

Over the last year, Facebook’s mobile audience doubled to 57 million users. Twitter saw its mobile audience grow 75% to 13.4 million people. LinkedIn has the smallest mobile audience of the three, but still experienced a boom in the past 12 months, expanding by 69% to 5.4 million users.

Read the news release in full.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you identify blue ocean strategy for your brand, especially in the mobile environment. And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Above Infographic by Schools.com (@schoolsEDU)

Also see our previous blogpost, “College Students Use eReaders More, But Still Like Print.”

trendwatching.com (@trendwatching) says the consumer arena has moved beyond the ‘old’ model of consumption (brands produce, consumers buy). “Now, here’s yet another twist on consumers making the most of their assets and possessions: RECOMMERCE.”

It’s never been easier for consumers to unlock the value in past purchases. Novel brand buy-backs, exchange schemes, online platforms, and mobile marketplaces offer smart and convenient options for consumers keen to ‘trade in to trade up,’ alleviate financial strains, and/or quell environmental and ethical concerns.

RECOMMERCE is now increasingly affecting even consumers’ initial purchase decisions. Just as they do when buying a car or a home, consumers are factoring an item's resale value into the cost of ownership for an ever-wider range of purchases.

3 drivers behind the RECOMMERCE phenomenon:

1. NEXTISM: Consumers will forever crave the new and exciting experiences promised by the ‘next’.

2. STATUSPHERE: The growing status boost that comes from being savvy and shopping (environmentally) responsibly.

3. EXCUSUMPTION: Cash-strapped consumers embracing creative solutions.

Read the full report.

Stay informed with SomersaultNOW dashboard's Research and Future tabs.

Mary Meeker, partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (@kpcb), explores in the slides below the significant trends shaping the Internet today. She says the mobile revolution is still in its infancy and poised for tremendous growth.

Her presentation zeroes in on the newest breakout trends driving e-commerce, including local commerce, the global race to adopt mobile devices and apps, and the latest innovations in online payments; the evolving social space comes under Mary’s scrutiny as well. She says the mega-trend of the 21st century is empowerment of people via connected mobile devices.

KPCB Internet Trends (2011)

See the report in full.

The health of America’s congregations remains a challenging situation, according to a new report from Hartford Seminary’s (@HartSem) Faith Communities Today.

A Decade of Change in American Congregations 2000-2010 shows that despite efforts at innovation, bursts of vitality, and increased civic participation, faith communities are entering this decade less healthy than they were at the turn of the century.

In 2010, more than 1 in 4 congregations had fewer than 50 people in the pews. And although the number of megachurches doubled in the last decade, the growth of the evangelical church seems to be plateauing and their congregations beginning to shrink.

·         Fewer members

·         Older members

·         More tech-savvy

·         Less funds

·         More fights

Read the report in full.

The findings dovetail those of the Barna Group’s report, State of the Church, announced in July. A story in the Sun Sentinel says that study, covering 20 years, finds a general slide in adult church attendance and volunteer work at churches, and that most people don’t normally read the Bible or trust it to be totally accurate. Yet 84% of Americans call themselves Christian, and half say they’ve made a “personal commitment” to Jesus.

Also see Religion News Service (@ReligionNewsNow) article “Trends For US Churches Mostly Pointing Down, Says Report.”

Mark Coker (@markcoker), founder of ebook distributor Smashwords, wanted to know how readers discover ebooks. So he posted a survey at the ebook forum Mobileread (@mobileread), “challenging readers to select the single most common criterion they follow to discover their next read.”

To capture a broad range of usable data, I suggested 12 answers, one of which was “Other.” Respondents were allowed to select one answer only since I wanted to identify the single most important discovery criteria.

The most-selected answer was “Recommendations from fellow readers on online message forums, blogs and message boards," with 29% of respondents choosing this. By contrast, only 4% selected, “Personal friend/family member recommends it to me.” I think this is fascinating, because it implies readers might trust the collective wisdom of strangers and online acquaintances more than they trust the recommendations of immediate friends and family. At the risk of placing too many eggs in this basket, remember 71% selected something else....

What to make of the results? How might authors and publishers focus their e-publishing efforts based on the data?

·         Target readers who are active in online communities because they influence their fellow readers

·         Maximize the availability of your book so readers can randomly stumble across it and sample it

·         Boring titles, unprofessional cover images and poorly written book descriptions are instant turn-offs

Read this article in full.

Also read our previous blogpost “Where & Why We Buy Books.”

More research on a variety of topics is available on the SomersaultNOW dashboard under the Research tab. Stay abreast of the latest information with this helpful online resource for publishing and marketing executives.

On Mashable (@mashable), Ryan Matzner (@rdm) of Fueled (@Fueled) explains how marketers need to think differently when it comes to the mobile space.

Users on the Web are notoriously distracted and hop around from page to page. Mobile users are distracted even further. Their devices are buzzing with push notifications from their apps, text messages and emails are constantly popping up on the screen. They might be standing in line at a grocery store, waiting for a movie to start, in a taxi, in an elevator or walking down the street. These scenarios — and mobile use in general — are defined by 3 key factors:

1. Pockets of Use. Picking up their mobile device is a secondary task. They’re just trying to fill up a pocket of time while doing something else. Users have just a few moments to check their phone or look up a piece of information while they’re completing a primary task (waiting in line, elevator, etc.).

2. Perpetual and Inherent Distraction. Traditional web users may face distraction from email, chat and the infinite number of other webpages they could be on, but when those users land on a page, they typically stick around until they become bored or want to check out some other piece of information on the web. Mobile users, on the other hand, face perpetual off-device distractions — use of their mobile device is secondary. Byrne Hobart, founder of investment research firm Digital Due Diligence, observes that mobile marketers are “writing for an audience that’s in the middle of something else.” They might be waiting for their subway stop, their floor on an elevator, their line to be called at Whole Foods, a friend to show up at a restaurant. Point is, the number of off-device distractions for mobile users is limitless.

3. The (Very) Small Screen. Mobile devices have tiny screens — they simply do not fit a lot of content. It’s critical that marketers keep this in mind as they write copy. What will fit onto a user’s screen without scrolling?

Read this in full.

Also see this excellent article by John Jantsch (@ducttape), “There’s Really No Such Thing As Mobile Marketing.”

The following chart is from the paidContent (@paidContent) article “Chart: Mobile Business Booms, Data Use Surges to 48%” by Ingrid Lunden (@ingridlunden). It shows that marketers need to be thinking about the mobile environment at all times.

According to a report by Warc (@WarcEditors), over 90% of major brand owners are now using social media; and believe social media has yet to yield tangible revenues.

The report is based on research by Booz & Co (@BoozCompany) and Buddy Media (@BuddyMedia) of executives from 100 companies. The study focuses on social capability priorities, key areas for investment, the evolving role of partners, and major issues related to organization, talent, and metrics that companies are confronting through social media.

·         Marketing departments are primarily responsible for social media efforts.

·         94% of firms list Facebook among their top three social priorities, followed by Twitter (77%), YouTube (42%), blogs and branded platforms (25% each), LinkedIn (13%), and location-based tools like Foursquare (8%).

·         94% think adapting and reacting quickly is essential to social media success.

·         93% think having an internal “owner” and “champion” for social media is vital.

·         Advertising and promotions are the main use for sites like Facebook and Twitter (96%), ahead of the 88% using them for PR, 75% for customer service and 56% for market research.

·         40% of companies employ social media for sales purposes; 46% think they deliver purchases and meaningful leads.

·         90% tie social media benefits to brand building, 88% stimulating buzz, 81% securing consumer insights, and 78% to enhanced marketing effectiveness.

·         Only 38% say their CEOs have this issue on his or her personal agenda.

Read the research report.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) guide your brand’s social media strategy. And use the SomersaultNOW dashboard to stay current on news and resources related to social media marketing.

This article by DailyFinance (@daily_finance) says that, “from a city planning perspective, churches that occupy dead mall space are godsends.”

As malls across the country empty out, it's no wonder their remains are being scavenged. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a third of America's indoor malls are currently in “financial distress.” Retailers are leaving indoor and strip malls for popular outdoor “lifestyle centers,” those cutesy, mixed-use developments that resemble the Main Streets their predecessors helped destroy.

Meanwhile, it is no news that Protestant churches in the American suburbs are growing and franchising. The Hartford Institute for Religious Research defines a megachurch as a Protestant congregation with more than 2,000 members, and estimates that their numbers have grown from 350 to more than 1,200 since since 1993.

Most of the churches DailyFinance identified that reside in malls or former malls fit the Institute's description. According to its 2008 survey, which got responses from about a third of the nation’s megachurches, most practice a generic form of evangelism, view themselves as contemporary, and regularly adjust worship styles to meet demand. While individual church practices vary, many are “seeker friendly” in that they use technology, pop music, and relatable sermon topics to reach non-churchgoers.

Read this in full.