I was reading reports that General Motors is planning to offer Twitter capability for drivers who use the company’s OnStar security, communications, navigation and diagnostics system.

GM offers OnStar as a subscription service in the US and Canada for vehicles it sells in those markets that have the factory-installed OnStar equipment. The service currently has more than five million subscribers in North America (see the  Wikipedia entry if you want detailed information about OnStar).

According to a GearLive post yesterday – this story is an exclusive, they say – Twitter integration is coming to OnStar which you would use in the same way as you use OnStar to make or receive a cellular phone call – hands free and voice activated.

While in your vehicle, you can use OnStar to submit and retrieve tweets (messages) via your Twitter account. Using OnStar’s Voice-Activated Hands-Free Calling system, and having your voice converted into text, you can provide updates which would appear in the “What are you doing?” section of your Twitter homepage. It is also possible to listen to a tweet that was sent to you by someone else after it has been converted into voice. You can send and receive tweets without having to type or read anything.

You’ve been able to do something similar for quite a while now with TwitterFone – call in your tweets from your mobile phone and the service converts your voice recording into text and then tweets your message. Your voice recording is also available.

I’ve used that service and it’s pretty neat.

It’s amazing the imagination at work from so many people with so many products and services that work with Twitter.

The OnStar deal, if it is real, is another indicator of how mainstream Twitter has now become.

Is it an April Fool’s Day joke or the real deal? GearLive says it’s the real deal.

If Twitter and OnStar isn’t, I’d say it’s only a matter of time before someone offers something like this, somewhere.

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GM were pioneers when FastLane launched in January 2005, setting a standard for the measurable benefits of executive blogging and directly engaging with customers.

Indeed, GM became the early poster child for corporate blogging.

GM in the US continues to embrace social media, deepening its reach with additional blogs such as the FYI Blog, a channel for “the many voices of GM’s employees and friends and attempts to put a human face on our diverse activities,” as the blog describes its goal.

One thing GM hasn’t done is extend its public social media reach into the heart of traditional communication such as online resources for reporters and others interested in GM and its business which are designed for direct social engagement.

GM Europe, though, has done exactly that with the launch last week of the GM Europe Social Media Newsroom.

This new online resource for journalists and PRs from GM’s European subsidiaries offers a library of press releases and other media information about GM’s brands in Europe – Cadillac, Corvette, Saab, Hummer, Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet – on a website that’s designed for engagement and for sharing.

Every release or article is comment- and trackback-enabled so, just as with a blog, you can tell GM Europe your opinion about any of the content on the site, either directly on the site or linked from your own blog or website.

The site has RSS feeds so you can easily subscribe to the content and comments. You can save or post any press release or news article to any one of over 30 popular social bookmarking and sharing sites including Digg, del.icio.us, Facebook, Newsvine and StumbleUpon.

And there are links to GM photos – the company’s and well as those taken by GM customers and fans – on Flickr and to GM videos on YouTube.

Quite a comprehensive social offering for the media, not to mention PRs and interested bloggers.

About the only thing needed to make this resource really compelling is offering press releases as social media releases. Maybe that’s to come.

It’s quite interesting to also note that the site provides all content under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license, meaning you can use, adapt and share any of the content under the terms of that license.

And unlike the US-focused GM Media Center, the GM Europe Social Media Newsroom requires no registration – it’s openly available on the internet.

I do like the site’s strapline:

Product news and downloads for the online reporter

I’d say that description extends well beyond traditional mainstream media reporters. Wouldn’t you?

A great move by GM Europe, one that I would find valuable if I were an automotive journalist, PR or blogger (and I do find it valuable as an interested communicator). As far as I can tell, no other major car manufacturer offers anything similar.

Could be another pioneering step from a company that continues to innovate in social communication.

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“eBay Says Online Retailers Need To Innovate”

"Online retail is rapidly maturing but we are not doing enough to innovate," Mr. Briggs said. "I am offering a call to action to the industry to innovate more."

Mr.Briggs pointed out that online spending is often less than traditional retail spending. He also said retailers need to create their own ideas and mimic what others have done.

"There is a lot more to offer than just free shipping," Mr. Briggs said. "Free shipping is important but when I go to Web sites and look at how the marketing is done, there has to be more than free shipping to compete."

Mr. Briggs said that brands should give up control and listen more to the consumer in order to innovate.

He cited the example of eBay Motors. eBay saw that users were selling cars on the site but a category did not exist. Users were listing cars in categories like toys, and sales were not increasing. Since the addition of eBay Motors, the online retailer has sold 2.5 million cars a year.

"Our system of innovation is more than what is inside the four walls of our company," Mr. Briggs said. "We are trying to let the users help us shape how we create our Web site and offer products to customers."

“The good news is that all of the attackers’ control sites mentioned in the previous blog have now been taken offline!” Liam OMurchu noted in their update. “However, I am sure that the attackers will regroup and set up new servers.”

The malware, dubbed Trojan.Bayrob, runs a sophisticated man in the middle attack that intercepts traffic to eBay Motors. It arrives by email and shows the victim a photo slideshow of a vehicle purportedly up for auction.

Along with the slideshow program, the email brings along the Trojan and drops it onto the PC. When the victim clicks on the link to a legitimate auction, the Trojan fires up and intercepts web traffic. It delivers phony feedback pages to the victim, for example.

The idea is to entice the victim to complete the auction and submit a payment. Once submitted, the criminals grab the money and likely move on as quickly as possible.

People who avoid launching executables arriving by email should be able to easily avoid this Trojan. Though its control servers are offline, Symantec expects those behind the scheme will regroup and launch it again with new servers backing the Bayrob Trojan.

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Whatever it is can’t be good for people whose systems pick up this new bit of nastiness. Symantec said in its Security Response Blog that the attempted use of a man in the middle attack in this manner is “very unusual.”

When the Trojan infects a system, it implements a local proxy server that listens on port 80, the default port for http traffic. It alters the local etc/hosts file to force traffic through the proxy if the user tries to visit one of these URLs:

My.ebay.com
Cgi.ebay.com
Offer.ebay.com
Feedback.ebay.com
Motors.search.ebay.com
Search.ebay.com

The Trojan then connects to one of several other servers to grab files. These will be used to deliver the fake eBay pages in the browser window. Symantec said the Trojan downloads ten fake pages, but that number could change.

One of those fake pages shows a high feedback rating. Since eBay visitors tend to rely on feedback to determine if they should bid or not on an auction, a deceptive feedback rating could dupe them into bidding and finishing a transaction.

“The exact motive behind the Trojan is still a mystery since at the time of writing the servers are not sending down the %item_number% and %seller_name% variables that may show which auction the user should be redirected to, and without which, the Trojan will not start to show fake pages,” said Symantec.

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It isn’t a secret why the top affiliates do well in the eBay Affiliate program. Lily Shen, senior manager for the program, said the ones who fare best are the ones who work hard.

Those who do a lot of testing, optimizing, and targeting of their efforts have been successful. The hard work keeps them ahead of others and allows them to capitalize on trends.

This holiday season, the biggest trend involves console gaming. Both Sony and Nintendo released their next-generation gaming machines in November, and the nimblest affiliates worked to keep their sites in front of potential visitors.

Through the year, Shen said she has observed that affiliates with a focus on fashion have done really well, particularly on the revenue side. Affiliates earn commissions on revenue from sales originating from their sites and ads, and from new active user referrals.

There is an area where affiliates may find more room for profit. I asked which area of eBay might be underutilized by affiliates, and Shen told me eBay Motors. Parts and accessories offer an opportunity that may be overlooked.

The success eBay has enjoyed has not kept them from looking for ways to improve it. A beta text of contextual listing delivery to websites, called eBay AdContext.

This test has been available by invitation to some eBay affiliates. It differs from the conventional affiliate program in that it automates the process that places listings on a webmaster’s site. Current affiliates use an editor’s kit to manually select the type of ads to be displayed; AdContext automates this.

Shen said the AdContext service should be generally available sometime in the first half of 2007.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

If you’ve worried about the risks associated with a company blog, this article should help a lot.

General Motors gets it…

General Motors is an example of a company that is doing corporate blogging right, according to Charlene Li, principal analyst and blog writer at Forrester Research. Many GM fans anxious to get their hands on the new Pontiac Solstice expressed frustration at the product not getting to market. So the company had the person in charge of that project blog about some of those frustrations, explaining what was taking so long and recognizing the prospective buyers’ feelings. It talked about certain dealerships getting limited early editions of the car and the vast amount of testing needed to help ensure customer safety. “The ROI is infinite–it’s the enrichment of people,” Li says.

Still have questions about corporate blogs? Allow us to explain or email me with your questions.

Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world’s most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.

You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.

GM has taken a beating in the auto industry in recent months. They reported a massive $1.1 billion dollar loss during the first quarter. Gasoline prices continue to remain high and in turn have killed the sales of new SUVs. This has hammered GM and Ford sales alike. Even after the layoffs and retirement, GM will still produce 5 million vehicles a year, far too many vehicles when you’re having problems moving the ones you have.

GM also faces exceptionally stiff competition from foreign automakers like Toyota as they prepare to add a hybrid to their top-selling Camry line built in Georgetown, KY. Another major point is the rise in healthcare costs. Wagoner said healthcare costs tack $1500 onto the price of each vehicle.

The problem with the layoffs is they won’t affect salaries or healthcare costs for at least a couple of years. Based on United Auto Worker (UAW) contracts, which go out in 2007, workers keep most of their base pay and their healthcare benefits. GM actually has more retirees than active workers at this stage in the game and their current market share is 25%.

In an interview on NPR’s Morning Edition on Wednesday, automotive analyst Maryann Keller suggested GM’s problem hasn’t been too many workers; it’s been poor innovation and lack of vision. She suggested this was just a temporary fix and not a solution. She told NPR, “if you sell twice as many cars, they’d be $750 a car.”

The UAW also suggested this isn’t going to cure GM’s woes. They suggested GM needs to work on regaining some market share by offering the right mix of products and service.

“No one has a greater stake in the success of General Motors than UAW GM members – and no one has played a more vital role in GM’s strong gains in productivity and product quality,” said UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker “They’re doing their part to help GM meet the challenges of today’s fiercely competitive auto industry. We will do all that is possible to protect the interests of our members and their families.”

Economists also suggest GM needs to do something much more dramatic than cut a few jobs and let attrition take care of most of those because when looking at this, they haven’t done anything. GM loses just over 6000 jobs a year due to natural attrition. This means retirements, health issues etc. So looking upwards, one could say 18,000-20,000 jobs out 25,000. The other jobs will need to go through the UAW, which means they may or may not happen. This still leaves GM in the same boat they’re in now. Lack of innovation and vision needs to be addressed.

In his weekly email, Dr. Pete Morici of the Robert H. Smith Business School at the University of Maryland suggested GM is doing to little too late. He said Wagoner still hasn’t told shareholders how GM will turn things around through new products and cutting costs.

“By reducing capacity to make only 5 million vehicles a year, GM will still have too much capacity. By focusing solely on health care, Wagoner failed to address larger and more important compensation issues, among both managers and blue-collar workers,” said Morici. “By focusing solely on manufacturing efficiency, Wagoner failed to address chronic inefficiencies in platform and new model development, poor product choices and quality, and the costs imposed by the heavy weight of GM’s management and bureaucracy.”

Conspiciously absent from all this talk of changing things around at GM has been Kirk Kerkorian. He didn’t buy quite as much GM stock as initially offered only going up to 7.2% of the total share instead of the original 8.8%. This still makes his firm, Tracienda, the third largest stockholder at GM and some analysts feel the cuts were done to possibly curb fears of Kerkorian ruffling feathers.

In any event, GM has a while to go before bankruptcy as they have lots of available capital but bankruptcy will be inevitable unless they change the attitudes and vision at the top of the structure there. In order to grow, they need to offer something attractive, affordable and economical on gas. Until they do that, they will continue to lose ground.

John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

The governor partnered with Kathy Taylor, Secretary of Commerce and Tourism, Fred J. Hall, Chairman, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and GM Plant Manager Tyree Minner, to talk about the importance of rallying around GM during this pivotal time.

“This campaign is about celebrating one of Oklahoma’s great corporate citizens, as well as its hard-working and dedicated workforce,” said Henry. “GM has a tremendous impact on our economy, but its role in our state goes even deeper. This company is a major contributor to Oklahoma charities and various philanthropic organizations, and its commitment to Oklahoma is unparalleled. I look forward to working with GM and UAW officials as the company continues to play a pivotal role in our economy for many years to come.”

According to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the direct and indirect economic impact of the GM Oklahoma City facility to the state is in excess of $1 billion.

This isn’t the first time the state has rallied to support GM. After 2003 tornado tore though the plant, “a drop-everything-and-rebuild mission”, got production going just seven weeks later.

The state clearly intends to stand by GM and its employees. Many articles have speculated that the plant will close, but the company denies their accuracy.

“Something like that is pure speculation,” said Pam Reese, GM’s production spokesperson. “I have not seen anything or heard anything about this being it for Oklahoma City. This is a production and sales issue. It’s a market driven decision and not anything reflective of the people at Oklahoma City.”

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

The special items include charges for restructuring in Europe, U.S. salaried attrition programs, and facility impairments, partially offset by recognition of the recurring tax benefits above those reflected in the fifteen-percent rate used in GM’s adjusted earnings. These items had a net unfavorable effect of $265 million, or $0.47 per share in the first quarter of 2005. There were no special items in the first quarter of 2004.

“While most of our business units exceeded expectations, the results at GM North America (GMNA) were clearly disappointing,” said GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner. “We have well thought-out plans to address GMNA’s poor performance, starting with aggressive product introductions this year, value-focused marketing initiatives, and further reductions in our cost structure, where the greatest need is to address the challenging health-care cost situation.”

According to a Reuters article,

President Bush said in a CNBC interview broadcast on Tuesday that GM is “going to have to learn to compete.”

“In other words, if the consumer starts saying ‘we want a different kind of automobile,’ they’re going to compete once again with, say, the Japanese automobile manufacturers to … keep their lion’s share of market demand,” Bush said.

This has been GM’s biggest loss since 1992 when the company lost $21 billion.

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