Topics Include: What People Are Actually Doing with Their Smartphones, Hodgson Exhibiting at EduWeb Conference, New Hires at Hodgson, hodgsonConsulting Participates in Second Annual Volunteering for Business Day

What People Are Actually Doing with Their Smartphones

by Brendan Magee

I’m often amazed at how skillfully and adroitly some people are able to navigate the treacherous sidewalks of my native city—Washington, DC—while simultaneously thumb-typing furiously on a BlackBerry, iPhone or other such device. I would imagine that smartphone addicts like these don’t really mind the occasional collisions with inanimate objects or pedestrians that inevitably result from such risky practices. And why would they? After all, who hasn’t, at one time or another, had the pleasure of face-planting on a crowded sidewalk or of coming within a hair’s breadth of being flattened by some SUV carelessly careening down a narrow street?

I would imagine that BlackBerry enthusiasts and iPhone fanatics alike must relish the derisive, schadenfreude-filled laughter that erupts from the mouths of passersby in the wake of particularly awkward spills or near-fatal encounters with motorized behemoths. No? At any rate, regardless of how the smartphone devotees feel, I think I’m beginning to understand why the BlackBerry has been dubbed the “CrackBerry.”

When confronted with events like the ones described above, I find that my bemusement at the “risking-life-and-limb-to-use-my-smartphone-on-the-street” attitude soon gives way to an intense curiosity—which smartphone app is so engaging that it’s more important than personal safety? It turns out that it’s probably Facebook. According to the results of a survey performed by Nielsen, Facebook Mobile is the most popular app on every smartphone OS except for Android, where it comes in second. The other especially popular ones—Google Maps and the Weather Channel—are decidedly more practical than frivolous in nature.

The upshot of all this is as follows: people are on Facebook even more often than you thought they were. That’s right—it’s no longer restricted to late-night stalking of old acquaintances or dilly-dallying in the workplace. Now, smartphone owners can peruse anyone’s profile or page at leisure, whether they’re on the bus or sitting in a waiting room.

Despite the recent brouhaha over Mark Zuckerberg’s nonchalant attitude towards privacy concerns, we can still acknowledge that Facebook ads are becoming increasingly well-targeted and tailored to specific users. I myself will grudgingly admit to buying a t-shirt from a company in California because of one such advertisement. Although I’m not usually an impulsive shopper, I found myself sufficiently enticed by the user-specific ad I saw that I made a purchase almost immediately.

If you haven’t incorporated Facebook into your company’s website, it might be time to consider making some changes to the way you present yourself on the web. After all, you don’t want your competitor’s Facebook page to be the distraction that leads to the untimely demise of some hapless individual typing away on his BlackBerry, oblivious to the garbage truck barreling down the road towards him.

Doing our part to distract mobile phone users throughout the Washington Region, hodgsonConsulting recently launched our Facebook page. Find us by searching for hodgsonConsulting or by going here.

Hodgson Exhibiting at EduWeb Conference

Garry is teaming up with Ektron to exhibit at the upcoming EduWeb conference July 26 - 28 at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile. With our recent expansion into the higher education market, we’ll be showcasing how Hodgson’s online education marketing knowledge, combined with Ektron’s content management platform, can positively impact a school’s business and marketing strategy.

The eduWeb Conference is an annual, internationally recognized event for the higher education community, attracting those who are involved in online strategy, marketing and technology. Attendees include those who have to communicate through their online presence to internal and external audiences, including marketing, PR, alumni, admissions / enrollment, advancement, student affairs, IT and athletics.

New Hires at Hodgson

I just did a review of last year’s articles and realized that we mentioned the recession / economic downturn / whatever we were calling it that month in over half of our newsletters. I guess I was a little fixated. So, I’m pleased to say that it looks like the Washington Region is rebounding, at least if you use our business pipeline as a leading economic indicator. To help keep up with the additional work, Hodgson has been quietly adding to our ranks. New team members include:

Sales and Marketing: Tom Murad, business development manager, and Brendan Magee, proposal writer.

Web Development: Josh Soldan and Thomas Stromberg, interface developers; and Sagar Mitra and Jacob Portnoy, application developers.

Project Management: Bilaal Ahmed.

James Valenzuela also recently transitioned to the Project Management team from the development side of the house. Hodgson is still looking for three more people to round out our ranks, so if you have recommendations, forward them to Michael Cox. Just think of us as doing our part to promote job growth in the metropolitan area.