Ryan Sommer

A Silicon Valley native and PR professional with a tech writing background, specialized in consumer web launches, product review programs, social media momentum initiatives, and blog relations in U.S. and European markets.

Being at the forefront of social media PR, I understand SEO's "white hat" relationship with it very strongly, and I am well versed with new tracking and reporting methods that come along with it.

In 2010 I relocated to the UK in order to work as part of global marketing team for a consumer web product, and I have worked in London ever since through freelance consulting to the burgeoning startup scene and with the digital marketing intelligence community Econsultancy.

Specialties: Branding, identity, community building, community relations, market research, social media relations, user acquisition, web browsers, mobile, desktop software, social networking, web standards, open source, identity/OpenID, design, music, gadgets, blogging, SEO, content marketing

Q&A with The Digitals judging panel: Lucy Dawson of Lloyd's

Entries for The Digitals, our new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce, are currently open.

To celebrate their launch and build a better understanding of what it is all about, we've invited several of the esteemed judges for a Q&A.

Lucy Dawson, Digital Content Executive at Lloyd's of London, is the third in the series.

by Ryan Sommer 19 February 2013 12:56pm 0 comments

Facebook's Graph Search explained for a five-year-old

Here at Econsultancy, we are big fans of the Reddit AMA, where a notable business person, politician, or often a celebrity sit down to answer point blank questions from the community. Recently, Lars Rasmussen, Facebook’s Director of Engineering, did an AMA and explained Graph Search in as simple a way as possible.

The thread, which reveals that Graph Search has been in development since Summer 2011, includes many elements a marketer can skip (including Rasmussen's experience on one of Zuckerberg's famous walks, and the "best and worst things about working at Facebook") but also the most straightforward "tech in non tech speak" explanation of Graph Search since Rasmussen was asked to explain it like he was talking to a five-year-old.

by Ryan Sommer 19 February 2013 19:00pm 3 comments

Is Twitter changing how content surfaces?

Twitter has been on an announcement binge as of late, and assuming it’s factual, and not just a bunch of PR...it's all very relevant to marketers.

As our Social Media Manager Matt Owen has already pointed out we get a lot of traffic (and hence new members) from Twitter, so these changes to search history and mobile search experience are important to us. I did some A/B testing with the old iOS app, and then the new one and came away unimpressed however. Twitter PR, feel free to send someone our way to correct any inaccuracies!

by Ryan Sommer 14 February 2013 18:24pm 2 comments

Start Me Up! A profile of Geckoboard

The importance of real-time data in business decision making is becoming more important for organizations of all sizes.

Our recent Best Practices in Data Management Guide by Chris O'Hara includes techniques for getting unique, actionable audience insights, however it is intended mainly for large business and Enterprise.

A new startup, Geckoboard, aims to bring real-time data intelligence to the lean business camp.

We interviewed the founder Paul Joyce for more info.

by Ryan Sommer 14 February 2013 17:17pm 0 comments

Q&A with The Digitals judge: Matthew Timms of Santander

Entries for The Digitals, our new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce, are currently open.

To celebrate their launch and build a better understanding of what it is all about, we've invited several of the esteemed judges for a Q&A.

Matthew Timms, Director, RBS acquisition at Santander UK, is the second in the series.

by Ryan Sommer 13 February 2013 13:11pm 0 comments

Q&A: Russ Lidstone of Havas on digital excellence

2013 may be the year that digital goes mainstream in business, and with that has come a multitude of predictions on key themes and trends.

Russ Lidstone joined Havas Worldwide in 2006 and became CEO in 2009. Since then he has overseen development of the agency's digital, search, social media (Cupola Lab) and channel capabilities, as well as integrate PR into the heart of the business.

Here Lidstone discusses data-driven marketing and great brands disseminated effectively across offline and digital channels.

by Ryan Sommer 11 February 2013 13:07pm 0 comments

Social commenting shootout: Livefyre Vs Disqus

Social commenting is hot, to the tune of $15m as evidenced by the latest funding round from LiveFyre, a dominant player in the space. This brings the startup’s total funding to $21m.

What exactly do the platforms LiveFyre and their competitor Disqus bring to your website or blog? Is one better than the other in any given area? Should comments even be “real-time” and “social?”

I did a bit of my own investigating, and these results are by no means scientific or conclusive.

I'd love to hear member thoughts (yes use our web 1.0 commenting system) if anyone out there has been using one or the other on their website for extended time and has feedback to share!

by Ryan Sommer 08 February 2013 14:46pm 20 comments

Q&A with The Digitals judge: Nicolas Roope of Poke

Entries for The Digitals, our new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce, are currently open.

To celebrate their launch and build a better understanding of what it is all about, we've invited several of the esteemed judges for a Q&A.

Nicolas Roope, Executive Creative Director at Poke, is the first in the series.

by Ryan Sommer 07 February 2013 14:53pm 0 comments

Six tips on preparing for #TheDigitals

As always, we are excited to see and hear about all the creative and stellar work that has been going on in digital marketing and ecommerce.

On 27 June, Econsultancy and new media age are awarding the best of the best in digital and hosting an unrivalled networking event in London to celebrate.

To find out if you’re the best of the best, first you'll have to enter The Digitals.

We’ve put together a few pointers to help kick start your entries...

by Ryan Sommer 28 January 2013 14:50pm 0 comments

Q&A: Jeremiah Owyang on Community Manager Appreciation Day

The role of a community manager is one that is becoming more strategic by the day in over all digital strategy.

While different brands may have different needs and approach, the impact and benefits of opening up discourse with your community/customers is such that everyone benefits, and hence the community manager is in high demand around the world.

Since today is Community Manager Appreciation Day (#CMAD) we are releasing the fourth and final installment in our series by JD Waldow on Online Communities, as well as getting some insights into the profession and the holiday created to celebrate it from none other than the day's creator, Jeremiah Owyang.

by Ryan Sommer 28 January 2013 15:07pm 0 comments