CXOTalk series by Vala Afshar and Michael Krigsman

The world of IT and Marketing is evolving faster than any other stream within our businesses. In the new social economy, we have to not only be up to date on the latest and the greatest but also strategically decide when, what and how to implement some of these changes to stay relevant in the marketplace.

Luckily, there is a weekly web show that is hosted by CMO of Enterasys, Vala Afshar and CEO of consulting and research firm Asuret, Michael Krigsman every Friday at 4pm EST on Google+ Hangouts. Vala and Michael host these sessions with high profile C-suite leaders to discuss the challenges faced by all of us in IT and Marketing in 2013.

I have been attending these sessions religiously for the past few weeks and I love the fact that these are authentic, real and non-scripted. Guests have included very high profile leaders such as Dion Hinchcliff, Kim Stevenson (CIO Intel), Ekaterina Waler, Guy Kawasaki and more.

This Friday, Vala and Michael will have Ben Haines, CIO at Pabst Brewing.

Click here to add to your calendar: https://plus.google.com/u/1/101981322245962603627/posts?hl=en. Do also make sure you follow and join the discussion on Twitter with #CXOTalk during the sessions.

Facebook Home redefines the mobile rules

Why just compete? Why not redefine the rules.

Facebook announced “Home” today, a new way of experiencing Facebook on the Android platform. Contrary to what analysts predicted, Facebook Home is not an mobile app and it is not another mobile OS either.  It is an experience layer. A springboard that sits on top of the operating system and lets the user experience their mobile device through the lens of their social network.

Facebook Home will be available both pre-installed on the new HTC First devices and also is downloadable on other Android devices on April 12th. It is a whole set of features that Facebook-izes the mobile Android experience. It includes Cover Feed, in which you get your friend’s photos and status updates as soon as you turn on the phone. There’s also Chat heads, which are Facebook messages you can get and respond to even while using other apps. Very strategic and competitive in redefining how people experience the network on their mobile device.

Watch out Google, Whatsapp and Flipboard. Facebook is competitive, and they are serious. 

Facebook’s Director of Product Joey Flynn didn’t hold back critiquing the messaging app competition.

Highlighting some of the flaws with the messaging services, Flynn explains that messaging apps require you to close the app you’re in right now to view a message. “You should really be able to talk to your friends no matter where you’re at on your phone and no matter what app you’re in,” he says. “And your friends shouldn’t just be siloed off into these apps. With Chat heads, you can talk to whomever and wherever on your phone.”  Facebook wants us to think of Chat heads not as a competitor, but as the next evolution of messaging.

This allows Facebook couple of really strong competitive plays:

1. Gain back momentum from mobile messaging platforms like Whatsapp, Tango, Google Talk, Skype and others.
2. Re-position itself as a mobile ‘experience’ destination and continue building mobile revenue streams.
3. Experiment with content curation experience and compete with Flipboard, Pulse and others.
4. Build on Facebook Social Graph Search to competitively play in Google’s own playground.

Just imagine what a total experience allows Facebook. It gives them the power and the edge to progressively take the share away from Google services and others. And before Apple fans tout their closed ecosystem, just wait for the jailbreak. ;)