A netbook is a much smaller and cheaper version of a laptop. Netbooks (short for “Internet Notebooks“), also known as “mini laptops” and “mini notebooks”, are ideal for travelling and for home but what about for the office? Does it make sense to shrink your I.T. budget and our screen size? We look at whether netbooks are really worth your while.

1. Price

Netbooks are ultra-cheap. You can pick up a decent netbook for under $600, less than half what you’d pay for a laptop. However if you plan to use a netbook regularly in the office then you may want an external (bigger) monitor & keyboard which will set you back another $200 - $300.

2. Mobility

A typical laptop weighs between 2kg and 3kg and with a 15″ screen they can be difficult to use when you’re travelling. Netbooks, however, weigh less than 1kg and with screen sizes ranging from 7″ to 10″ are ideal for use “on the go”. Netbooks also have a lower power draw so their batteries can last 2 - 3 times longer. You can buy netbooks with built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or 3G cards which makes connecting to the Internet easy no matter where you are.

TIP: Look for netbooks with SSD (Solid State Drives). These are better than the traditional hard drive models because there are no moving parts so they’re less prone to damage if (and when) they get knocked about.

3. Performance

Netbooks are much slower than your typical laptop. They use low voltage processors usually with 1GB memory (RAM). You’ll find that you can simultaneously run multiple Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc), accounting software and a web browser without any issues. However, when you start to run graphics applications, videos or websites with lots of Flash your netbook may grind to a halt.

TIP: You’ll get the best performance if you run Windows 7 (starter edition) or Linux. You may also need to schedule your anti-virus software to run the scheduled scan of your hard drive after hours.

4. Screen size

The netbook’s small screen (7″ to 10″) can give you eye strain if you’re on it all day. Popular netbook models allow for a maximum screen resolution of 1024×600 but anything below this doesn’t let you to view the whole width of a web page at any one time (so you have to scroll the page back and forth to read a full line of text, which can get very frustrating).

TIP: Make sure your netbook has a VGA connection so you can connect it to an external monitor.

5. Other considerations

Netbooks usually don’t have CD or DVD drives. Small keyboards can also make it difficult to type so you may need an external keyboard when you’re in the office.

The Bottom Line

If you need a second computer for the home or a travelling companion then the price, weight, mobility and battery life of a netbook make them hard to go by. If you’re in the market for a Dell or Samsung netbook then make sure you grab an extra saving from PowerBuy first. However, if you spend most of your working day in the office in front of your computer, then we suggest you spend extra to get a laptop, because even the slightest performance degradation can add up to hours of lost productivity for you and your staff.

As explained on their blog, Twitter trends ‘began as a way to shed light on popular conversations’. It’s great being able to discover what’s happening in the world. It’s even better if you can only find out what is happening in your own backyard. Half the time trending topics were irrelevant, mainly because the Australian Twitter community is so much smaller compared to the US or the UK. Big news & events that took place in Oz (or even just in Sydney) were reduced to a whisper in a sea of voices. But this latest functionality sends this whisper right next to your ear. Hear! Hear!

Twitter Local Trends vs Google Social Search

As the next step towards social search, Local Trends on Twitter can be more relevant than Google’s Social Search, where search engine results are personalized based on your social circle of friends.

Twitter local trends taps into the national consciousness. When you’re looking for current events that are taking place locally, it doesn’t help if Google is pulling information from Facebook profiles where half your friends may live somewhere else.

Applications of Twitter Local Trends

Just yesterday, the train tracks across Sydney experienced heavy delays during peak hour due to multiple signal failures and lightning strikes on the Blue Mountains line. This had to happen on the day where all my tasks were completed before close of business which meant leaving work 15 minutes early. But eventually the ride home took longer than expected.

If only Local Trends had rolled out a day earlier. If only Twitter’s trends already had targeting abilities to Sydney, Australia (they are still working on this, by the way). There would have been a chance of hearing about the train delays before leaving work. I can imagine the trending topics on Twitter just before shutting down my computer:

• #Cityrail
• #Trainfail
• ‘I dislike Cityrail very much’
• The list goes on.

Drinks at the pub would have been a better use of my time instead of waiting on a cramped platform only to stand in a stuffy, overcrowded train.

Suggested Improvements to Twitter Trends

As a platform that aims to be an information network and not just another social network, it will be exciting to see what further improvements will come moving forward.

Additional relevancy is possible if the conversations themselves could be filtered specifically to the location selected, either through the user’s profile information or through the IP address where the tweet was sent.

Using #Haiti as a resonant topic in the local, national and global sphere, it is challenging for one in Australia to discover on Twitter what people were doing locally to help those in need.

The tweets about Haiti written in Spanish or Japanese are not relevant to a native English speaker either. Being able to filter by language, would also be helpful.

What other improvements do you think can be made to Twitter Local Trends?

I’m no lawyer, but has Google’s venture into the mobile handset space finally gone a bridge too far? It’s a question worth pondering with Google’s release of the Nexus One cell phone as the search giant now has the ability to develop a mobile phone primed to take advantage of its software innovations and its globally dominant search platform - a huge advantage on other handset makers.

The argument could (and likely will) be made that Google built up its business and the Nexus One is simply an extension of those efforts. But that’s where I get the sense government regulators could disagree…

Google - Extending its Dominance Into Hardware

Google’s search dominance is overwhelming. In most developed countries it is the search platform of choice. In Australia, we’re talking a 90% market share. It is so dominant, the number one keyword query on Yahoo 7 Australia (now Bing Australia) is ‘Google’ (or at least it was according to Bill Tancer from Hitwise in 2009 SMX Sydney presentation). Clearly we’re dealing wih juggernaut that has embedded itself into people’s everyday lives and modified behaviours to become the overwhelming ‘default search platform’. It’s a phenomenal success and the good folks at Google should be commended for it.

Google’s Smartphone - A Competition Killer?

Where this gets tricky is when Google starts creating hardware. Suddenly you could have a phone that auto-updates to the latest Google software innovations. Imagine a phone that not only works seamlessly with the world’s preferred search engine, but has first mover advantage whenever Google rolls out a new update? Heck, why stop at phones? Imagine a TV, computer, fridge, or car that is fully integrated.

What is the competition to do? Develop a new search engine and try to beat Google at its own game? Yeah right. We’re talking ingrained behaviour here and one heck of a technological mountain to climb. That’s easier said than done. Just as the good folks at Microsoft’s Bing.

Antitrust Lessons from Days Gone By

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for innovation, competition and reaping the rewards of your hard work. But there comes a point where customers like you and me are ill served when a monopoly uses its strength in one area to dominate in other sectors. Recall how back in the day (1934 to be precise), the US government broke up United Aircraft (now United Technologies) - a holding company comprising among other things, a collection of airlines known as United Airline, an engine maker, Pratt & Whitney and a little aircraft manufacturer… known as Boeing. United Aircraft was deemed anti-competitive, because you simply couldn’t have an airline getting sweet deals from its own aircraft manufacturer and engine maker.

Now view Google’s foray into cell phones in this light, add the new ‘regulatory environment’ we find ourselves in, sprinkle a few competitors with an axe to grind (and with a penchant for litigation) and maybe… just maybe, Google’s finally pushed its luck into antitrust territory.

Is there a lawyer in the room?

PS: I would really like to see Brian’s point on PR transformation come true but I have no faith in Australian PR companies getting their act together just yet.

1. Traditional marketers finally realise that they’re overpaying for print and tv media (the eyeballs have mysteriously gone elsewhere) and immediately begin to appropriate more money to digital media.

2. Anyone other than Google gains market share in search. Google, we still love you (and would love you even more if you released the Nexus One here at the same time as you did elsewhere), but with a 90% market share we love competition even more.

3. Social media hype subsides and businesses realise that there’s a great opportunity to listen to their audience and have a real two-way conversation with their customers. After all, it’s not about technology, it’s about communication.

4. Australian companies stop bitching that they’re not making as much money from Google Adwords doing the same thing they were three years ago and start investing more in SEO where there’s better ROI.

5. Multinationals come to the realisation that markets are local and that managing all aspects of the digitial marketing message and technology from a foreign country is not the best option for success. “Think Global, Act Local” becomes the catch phrase for global business.

6. I figure out a real business use for Google Wave, write a book, join the speaking circuit and retire to a beach side, golf resort.

7. Australians see new innovative tools and businesses created from the government’s $40 billion broadband implementation which leads to a faster rollout to all major cities across the country.

8. Online retailing crosses the chasm thanks to a few foreign retailers (Best Buy, Amazon, & Costco) invading our shores. Combined with strong experience and great technology, their immediate impact forces local retailers such as Harvey Norman, Myer and David Jones to get their act together just in time for the 2010 Christmas shopping season.

9. Entertainment companies realise that they can make more money by releasing their movies to DVD and online services such as Tivo & iTunes at the same time rather than pretending that there is still a chance to save the DVD.

10. More companies realise that there’s no advantage to paying extra (up to 18%) for the privilege to use mediocre technology to manage their SEM campaigns. A great strategy and strong people will win out for most advertisers.

11. Matt Cutts is finally persuaded to visit Australia for SMX Sydney in April, falls in love with this great country and decides to move down under.

Do you have any wishes you’d like to share?

Whether you’re a large company like Qantas or a smaller outfit, a single negative story can have a detrimental effect on your brand and ongoing business. Online, these stories tend to linger and can easily be found on search engines such as Google. If you’re a restaurant, a single blog post about’ a bad meal’ or ‘rats in the kitchen’ can be enough to turn customers away, even after you clean up your act. For many businesses, ignoring a customer complaint, negative story or review online is no longer an option.

Having a series of negative stories over such a short period of time would be be devastating for most. While the Qantas brand will survive, there’s no doubt the business could do a much better job of managing its reputation and responding to these issues online. Here’s just a sample of some of the comments posted on Twitter over the past 24 hours:

And…

While it appears that Qantas has done a reputable job offline to answer some of the issues head on, they have been eerily silent online. To date…

1. There’s been no mention of any of the issues on their website. This would have been a great opportunity to make passengers aware of the current issues and prepare them for the wait (and to let them know what Qantas is doing about these issues…)
2. There’s been no mention of the problems on Qantas ‘ Facebook Page. As far as new fans of the airline are concerned, life is just perfect at Qantas.
3. The business is invisible on Twitter where most of the critical comments have been posted (there have been 1,000 mentions of Qantas in the past 7 days alone - the majority being very negative).

So how does Qantas tackle these thorny issues? Obviously, there are always going to be technical problems, weather, or uncontrollable events that cause delays and inconvenience travelers. It’s inevitable, if you’re in the airline space. Ignoring these issues and hoping that they go away is, however, not the answer. If this is part of the strategy then heads need to roll to make way for a new way of thinking. It’s just not acceptable for any business to ignore what their customers are saying and pretend that life is rosy.

If we were Qantas, here’s what we’d do:

1. Use the website (specifically the home page) to tackle the delays or technical issues that pop up alerting travelers of the issues before they arrive at the airport. At least then travellers  have a chance to prepare both mentally and physically and might prove more understanding to the airline’s plight.
2. Update the Qantas Facebook Page with alerts. Don’t be afraid to mention when bad stuff happens. It’s inevitable, so be proactive. You will be praised if you tackle the issues head on.
3. Monitor the comments on sites such as Twitter and formulate a plan to provide feedback to your customers. V Australia does a great job of using Twitter for customer service and reputation management.
4. Hire knowledgable people who understand the online and social media space and get a plan in place quickly.
5. Create a long term PR strategy that tackles good and bad coverage in both the traditional and online forums at the same time (integration is key - it should not happen in isolation).
6. Fire your Public Relations company if they haven’t already brought up two of the five strategies mentioned above in the past year. If your agency isn’t up to date with the online world then it’s time to consider other options (we’ll even help point you in the right direction). Qantas has pioneered online sales in Australia so there’s no reason why the business shouldn’t take the lead when it comes to online PR.

Ultimately, there needs to be buy-in at the top starting with the CEO, Alan Joyce. As the brand ambassador, his input and support is critical for the business to take control of its brand reputation across all media. While it may be too late do much about the current crisis, there’s no reason to sit on the sidelines any longer.

What are your thoughts? What would you do if you were Qantas?