say “apparently” because I haven’t researched the competition in any depth. For example, Mark Holtom of Eventricity recently shared some very solid research that found event-based contacts were twice as productive as any other type. I spoke earlier this week with SQLStream , which offers software to execute queries against data streams such as stock market prices, Web logs and credit card transactions. These queries can include on-the-fly calculations such as moving averages, as well as scans for patterns like a sequence of failed log-in attempts. Back to SQLStream. MORE >>

My research into mobile marketing systems generated a conversation last week with Brian Deagan, CEO of Knotice. As I wrote on April 3 , Knotice stands out because it promises to integrate mobile marketing with email, Web and interactive TV campaigns. Brian confirmed that this is their specialty. On the other hand, there is a whole non-digital world out there including direct mail, telephones, print media, retail, and so on. There are broader-scope enterprise marketing systems and CRM systems that encompass those, although their mobile capabilities may be limited. Time will tell MORE >>

Research firm Gleanster released its free “Gleansight” report on marketing automation late last month. was principal author for much of the document and drafted the survey questions, although I didn’t write the individual vendor profiles or administer the survey. I’ll also share in the revenues, which come when vendors pay for the names of people who download the report.) Although I’m obviously biased, I do think it’s an excellent product and highly recommend it. Many readers of the report will be most interested in the vendor profiles and survey-based rankings. Back to the data. MORE >>

Up on the dais were Jim Berkowitz of CRM Mastery, Esteban Kolsky of ThinkJar, Brent Leary of CRM Essentials, Ray Want of Constellation Group, and Denis Pombriant of Beagle Research Group. I caught an all-star panel on social CRM today at the CRMEvolution conference in New York. You won’t find a more distinguished set of gurus, and moderator Berkowitz asked appropriately incisive questions. Yet my final impression was that social CRM is a problem in search of a solution. Maybe it was because the speakers kept emphasizing the need to define strategy and goals for any social CRM project. MORE >>

The primary goal was to speed and simplify user navigation, which its research found was the root cause of 70% of user problems. Summary: Eloqua10 provides much-needed update to Eloqua's user interface and a new reporting infrastructure for “revenue performance management”. Neither change is revolutionary but both substantially improve the company’s competitive position within the crowded B2B marketing automation industry. Eloqua is slated to officially release its long-promised Eloqua10 system on November 21. Let’s start with the interface. The new interface is a huge improvement. MORE >>