13 Controversial Facebook Firings: Palace Guard, Doctors, Teachers And More. BlackBerry outage made roads safer, police claim. According to media reports, police in the United Arab Emirates have given a surprising explanation for a dramatic fall in traffic accidents last week: drivers' BlackBerrys weren't working.
It's claimed that last week's worldwide BlackBerry outage, which frustrated business people around the world who were unable to communicate with their colleagues, had one positive result - less texting and reading of emails by people who should have been concentrating on driving instead. Road traffic accidents in Abu Dhabi are said to have dropped by 40%, and there was a 20% reduction in Dubai in the past week. According to The National newspaper, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, and Brig Gen Hussein Al Harethi, the director of the Abu Dhabi Police traffic department, both linked the drop to the service disruption experienced by BlackBerry users.
There may be another explanation for the reduction in mobile-phone related traffic accidents in the UAE, however. How to 'Mobilize' Your Social Media Marketing. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- A growing number of global firms agree social media presence brings in new business, resulting in higher revenue and profit. According to a survey last week by Regus, a firm that provides workplace solutions such as meeting rooms and video communication studios, 47% of firms surveyed said they use the strategy to find new business, an increase of 7% from last year.
"As businesses emerge from the downturn, they are increasingly reconsidering pre-recession working practices and opting for more flexible, competitive strategies," says Sande Golgart, a regional vice president for Regus. "More and more companies are leveraging [social media] to increase the loyalty of existing customers and as a successful acquisition tool. " Businesses in China and India are leaders in using social media to attract customers, according to the report, published Wednesday. Half of the U.S. firms surveyed said they used sites such as Twitter to engage customers. Twitter Business Guide.
Journerdism | Will Sullivan's guide to mobile, tablet & emerging tech ideas. World's Largest Professional Network. David Kaplan (@DaveHKaplan) Twitter Analytics on Foller.me. How Do These Tablets Compare. Why Hybrid Media Trumps Social and Mainstream | Viewpoint.