1. 42 percent of U.S. online adults visited government sites in July and on that note, U.S. government started OpenID pilot.

2. Nearly a quarter of US households watch TV online, up from 20 percent last year.

3. In 8 years, online video consumption will be measured in exabytes!

4. Social networking sites accounted for more than 20 percent of all display ads viewed online, although more than half of media plans in 2010 will include social media.

5. Gmail users have highest email click through rate, near 31 percent, and speaking of click-through, the best day for Facebook branded content click through is Tuesday.

Pre-paid credit cards for teens

Imagine the opportunity here. A market which spends an incredible amount of time online, with (in most cases) nothing but disposable cash which is already topped up on a card and ready to be spent online – on whatever they choose.

The card is available to 13 – 18’s, costs only $5.95 to setup and can be topped up to a maximum of $1000 spend limit.

In a way, we could look at it as prepping the next generation of consumers, acclimatizing them to the process of shopping online.The card comes with a catch (albeit a very minor one), the holder of the card needs to have an active MySpace account.

Concert tickets, clothes, iPods, pre-paid pone credit, music – all the things that teens would typically have to ask Mum and Dad to buy for them, they will now have the flexibility to buy themselves online.

It’s great that ANZ have identified this opportunity, but perhaps it would be wise to extend the offer to Facebook account holders – not just MySpace.

With two thirds of all teens using some form of social networking site, the sky’s the limit.

When you think about this new generation of shoppers, and the existing online market – do you really have a reason not to take your business online?

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1. For the first time ever, digital media use exceeds that of radio, newspaper, TV and other traditional mediums among small and medium-sized businesses.

2. Prediction on the future of media in 2014: the days when all the media agency did was plan and buy a campaign will be long gone.

3. Text messaging now supersedes voice use on mobile devices, with an average of 486 text messages sent or received per month, compared to 182 calls.

4. Within 12 months, 82 percent of brand marketers will use social media.

5. Four out of five online Americans visit social networking sites, and on that note, Facebook was among the top five web sites for first time, right behind Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL.

1. Facebook acquires FriendFeed, makes a go at Google.

2. Google gets the social networking bug, makes a go at Facebook.

3. Facebook finally gains ground with largest US advertisers.

4. Facebook grows twice as fast as Twitter.

5. Majority of young adults choose streaming TV shows on Web over watching traditional TV.

Please join us LIVE online Thursday, June 18 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST at Bank of America’s Small Business Community where I will be covering:

Cost Effective Strategies to Go Global

My version of it is: Going global on the cheap (or shoestring). This is my second event with BofA so I am thrilled to be back in the saddle again with all of you!

Some of the questions I hope to address are:

• How do you leverage social media and networking platforms to grow a business globally?
• What’s the most effective way to hire and maintain (nurture) independent contractors worldwide while building a global empire during a tough economic time?
• Is Twitter important? Can it help reach a global audience? If so, what should you be doing to tap into it?
• What are some key elements involved to run a fit-for-fast-growth type of global small business?
• Where do you turn to find out if an overseas market is ripe for your type of product or service offering?

So whether you are thinking of taking your business global or are already crossing borders, please join us and feel free to start asking your questions NOW to ensure I get to them! Look forward to connecting with you there.