These are my links for October 28th through November 1st:

• People that ‘like’ branded content aren’t customers- study – Yet more research into consumers interaction with brands in social media, this time funded by YouTube, shows users are motivated by different draws to share online – impressing and entertaining their friends is critical. Fans may ‘like’ products they aren’t yet customers of.
• Internet worth £100bn a year to UK economy – New research shows UK is 6th most e-dependent nation, with a value of £100Bn (60% from consumption) and net exporters of E-goods, employing 250,000 in the e-commerce sector with growth predicted at 15%.
• Virgin to roll out 100MB broadband from December – Superspeed broadband hits the UK in full force this Dec – Virgin’s 100Mb (though note the upload speed is only 10Mb) broadband sets the benchmark for other providers to offer faster connection at affordable prices, encouraged by a government fund of £300M for rural broadband, this could see Britain finally catching up with the rest of the world in our connectivity.
• Planning and managing a digital strategy white paper – This is a really fantastic e-book from marketing consultancy Red Ant and covers all the considerations and planning processes you should be thinking about when planning an digital strategy. It is particularly focused around campaigns and using different methods to measure financial and non-financial success and return on investment. Brilliant!
• How to Make Users ‘Stick’ to your site – Great article from web designer’s perspective on how to develop ‘sticky’ content on your site, one of my big soap box topics. Great content, encouraging engagement and great design all increase how often, for how long and how visitors will come back to your website.