Juma, Nectar form alliance

Juma Technology and Tellme, part of Microsoft, have a strategic alliance to deliver speech self-service on Tellme's on-demand platform, reports TMCnet.

The Tellme service is an addition to the managed services portfolio of Juma's software subsidiary, Nectar Services.

With Tellme, Nectar is expanding the software-as-a-service offerings in its Enterprise Session Management portfolio. Nectar's global channel partner community will have the ability to bring these on-demand speech self-service solutions to market.

Many retailers are emphasising self-service online gift registries to cut costs, but are missing out on opportunities to connect shoppers with their brand through personalised customer service, The E-tailing Group says in a new study, according to Internet Retailer.

"Merchants must weigh these options to determine the right mix of technology, resources, branding, and service to ensure they present their brand in its best light to garner the greatest short-term dollars, yet still make a lasting impact on each shopper," says Lauren Freedman, president of The E-tailing Group.

The study, based on a fourth-quarter 2009 survey of 26 gift registries, says the best online registry and related shopping experiences involve compelling online merchandise, helpful online guides and checklists, and branding messages that explain registry features and benefits.

The idea of ad-sponsored Tweets has been the subject of controversy, with some saying advertisements within a Twitter user's stream could distort the user's authority, reports Tech Crunch.

Ad.ly, which started last year, aims to link up advertisers with Twitter users and then distribute links to marketing campaigns through the user's tweet streams with full disclosure.

The advertising platform is officially rolling out its self-service platform for advertisers and revealing a few interesting stats about the ad service. Ad.ly's platform is designed to be self-service for both Twitter users and the advertisers.