Thursday, May 24th, 2012

rich twitter slim 300x169 From Dilma to Slim: Which Latin America Leaders Are Using Twitter and Why?

Carlos Slim has over 170,000 followers, but his twitter production surprises many.

By James Bargent

With close to 90% of Latin American internet users engaging with at least one social media platform, the region ranks second only to North America in adoption of this passing fad turned digital revolution. There are now over 118 million Facebook users and more than 55 million Tweeters in Latin America’s social network and where the internet-savvy have led, politics and business have followed.

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By Filipe Pacheco 

cybercrime 300x196 What Cities in Latin America are Most at Risk for Virtual Attacks? Buenos Aires is the most dangerous city when it comes to virtual threats in Latin America. Research done by the security company Symantec, in alliance with the research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces, shows that the capital of Argentina is the one with most users vulnerable to virtual attacks of many different kinds, ranging from thefts of passwords to social media threats. São Paulo appears in fourth place in the list, and Rio de Janeiro is fifth (see the whole list at the end of this post) — both are right after San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Bogotá, Colombia.

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Source: Reuters

The United States should move aggressively to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to promote its agenda in Latin America and help newly wired citizens cement political gains, said a new U.S. report obtained by Reuters.

Senator Richard Lugar said countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua still sought to curb economic and political freedoms, while other Latin American countries needed help buttressing emerging civil society groups.

Social media tools on the Internet, which played a central role in the “Arab Spring” uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, may be even more influential in Latin America, said Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Latin America does have the advantage of more mobile phone subscriptions, Internet users, broadband access, and secure Internet servers than the Middle East,” Lugar said in the preface to the report, which his office is expected to release on …

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Argentina ranks third in the world in social media usage

By Dan Berthiaume

Social Media 150x150 Latin Americas Social Media Adoption SoarsWhile Latin America does not yet represent the same type of social networking market as North America, Europe, or the Asia-Pacific region, social networking is rapidly changing the digital landscape of Latin America. According to a new study from comScore, “The Rise of Social Networking in Latin America,” in June 2011, 114.5 million people in Latin America visited a social networking site, representing 96% of the entire online population in the region.

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andres startup Serial Entreprenuer Sees Payoff of North South Hybrid Model

Barreto: Go global over local

By Dan Berthiaume

An increasing number of innovative global IT companies are launching in Latin America using a hybrid model where some employees and resources are located in Latin America and some are located in the US. Serial entrepreneur and Colombian native Andres Barreto, who at 24 has already launched three successful global technology firms, knows first-hand about the benefits the hybrid model offers.

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globant welcome 300x275 Globant Buys Nextive, Acquires U.S. Mobile and Social Media Talent

Globant CEO Martin Migoya welcomes the firm's growth, fueled partly by the creative tech approach of CTO Guibert Englebienne (at left).

By Dennis Barker

Well-known nearshore trailblazer Globant revealed parts of an ambitious, globally expansive growth strategy this week with the acquisition of a small and savvy mobile software developer in Silicon Valley. The acquisition, taken on face value, shows Globant is doing what very few Latin America-borne IT players have done in recent years: land onshore in the US, make an acquisition or two, and create US jobs in the process. (Outsourcing bashers, explain how such companies hurt the US economy.)

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Michael Widjaja 011 200x300 Social Media Management Emerges as Sweet Spot for Latin America Outsourcers

Latam just has more 'warmth' says Widjaja

 

By Patrick Haller

The Latin America IT and software development community is starting to become a stand-out location for social media management. At least that’s the opinion of Michael Widjaja, who is a Senior Executive with Accenture in Europe, and a private investor. Widjaja, currently on paternity leave in Buenos Aires, spoke to us about how LatAm can leverage this unique positioning, and also offered a set of views on the investment climate in the region.

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socialmedia 300x171 Friending Brazil: U.S. Companies Need to Tap Into the Countrys Social Media NetworkIt’s one way to find IT workers for your outsourcing operation, and to protect your company’s brand

By Josette Rigsby

Social media has become an increasingly important component of corporate marketing strategies and daily collaboration. But few U.S. organizations have extended their social media campaigns to the very large and expanding Brazilian market.

Each geography has its own style of social media etiquette and online behavior – and these regional idiosyncrasies will without a doubt have an impact on marketing activities — but it is time that U.S. companies operating in Brazil stop assuming that only Americans have embraced all things Web 2.0. It is time to get friendly with the continually expanding Brazilian social media environment.

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By Fernando LabastidaFernandoLabastida 5 Marketing Lessons from SXSW Interactive

I just spent five days at the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, a conference that focuses on emerging technologies such as social media, web 2.0, development tools, cutting edge marketing and startups.

It’s a wild and woolly cornucopia of ideas, networking, presentations and parties.

As somebody who is in the business of helping nearshore software development companies market themselves to U.S. buyers, I am always on the lookout for new ideas to help generate awareness and bring in customers. Since SXSW provided too many great ideas to list here, I narrowed down what I learned into five key lessons that Nearshore providers can implement in their businesses.
1. Think like a startup
SXSW Interactive is THE conference for startups. Many of them launched their products right there at the festival, or participated in …

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Muruzabal on the need for  a regional approach to nearshoring and why Mexico and Argentina are the best places to find talent.

By Tarun George

Capture Neoris Q&A Part 2: A Single Country Focus Doesnt Work in LatAm In Part 2 of his special interview with Nearshore Americas, Neoris CEO Claudio Muruzabal (#4 on our Power 50 Ranking) tells us why firms need to have a holistic approach to Latin America. He also discusses the  role of social media in outsourcing, and why the ‘labor arbitrage’ concept is old. Read on for more.

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