Detroit Automakers Attract Talented, Young Workforce with High-tech Vehicle Software

Taken from The New York Times, by Jaclyn Trop

Despite the overwhelming amount of news about Detroit's financial woes and hardships, there are signs of growth and change, particularly for software developers and information technology specialists.

U.S. automakers like Ford, GM and Chrysler are hiring software developers to create new apps for their year 2014 models. These new job openings require highly skilled talent and offer substantial pay as well. Several small companies have set up shop in Detroit as demand for these skilled positions grows.

Detroit Labs, a smart phone app developer, recently has made the shift to in-vehicle applications as demand for this product grows. Detroit Labs has produced apps for Dominos, Chevy, and Quicken Loans. According to a New York Times article, the company has grown tenfold since 2011 and continues to add jobs this year.

U.S. automakers are expected to hire numerous software developers and information technology specialists as desire to implement in-vehicle apps increases. Detroit is carving out a place in the high tech, software industry and continues to be a place where young, talented workers in this field are flocking.

Click here to read the original New York Times article:  

Larry Eiler

Leading Michigan Universities Help Breed Entrepreneurs

A recent study by the University Research Corridor (URC) discovered Michigan State University (MSU), University of Michigan (U-M) and Wayne State University (WSU) graduates "have started or acquired businesses at double the national average rate among college graduates since 1996."

The study also revealed "URC alumni were 1.5 times as successful as the average U.S. business owner at keeping those start-ups and acquisitions alive in the past five years."

All three schools recently have revamped their programs to encourage start-up endeavors by students, faculty and staff. MSU and U-M offer entrepreneurship specializations, while WSU offers the Adams Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program for MBA students and alumni.

URC universities, which work together to help strengthen, transform and diversify the state's economy, are breeding talent for Michigan's future and providing education for graduates to pursue their own business ventures.

Jim Price, a serial entrepreneur and adjunct lecturer of entrepreneurial studies at University of Michigan's Ross Business School recently said in an interview with Concentrate Media, "We're doing two things right in our public university system: attracting young talent, and probably more importantly, fostering an environment where it's safe to explore, safe to push the envelope, and safe to fail."

To read the condensed URC report or the full 88-page report, click here 

To read Concentrate Media's full interview with Jim Price, click here 

Katie Joly

Email is Crushing Twitter, Facebook for Selling Stuff Online

Taken from Wired, by Marcus Wohlsen

In the age of social media, email still reigns as the king of customer acquisition.

According to a recent report by Custora, a predictive marketing analytics company that helps online retailers better understand and market to customers, online retailers have quadrupled the rate of customers acquired through email to nearly 7 percent over the past four years.

During that same period, "Facebook barely registered as a way to make a sale. The small percentage of people who connect and buy over Facebook has stayed flat, while Twitter didn't register at all."

For the report, Custora analyzed data from 72 million customers shopping on 86 different retailer sites over a two-year period.

Custora identified that "email customers were nearly 11 percent more valuable than average, while Facebook customers were just about average, and Twitter customers were 23 percent less valuable than average during the two years following that first click."

For details, click here 

Lori Stratton

Disruptions: Social Media Images Form a New Language Online

Taken from The New York Times, by Nick Bilton

The latest social media technology may change mobile-to-mobile communication forever. Social media users are using photographs through Instagram, Vine, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter to communicate with one another rather than sending text messages.

Facebook reports users share 300 million images every day, while Snapchat users share 200 million images a day. Last December, Snapchat users only sent 50 million images a day.

As this trend increases, companies that provide image-sharing capabilities are growing as well. Snapchat recently raised $60 million in financing, valuing the company at $860 million.

CTIA, the wireless industry's trade association, reported text message rates are falling and image message rates are rising. As technology develops, communication and language practices will change as well.

For details,click here

Taylor Modrowski