FTC... actually trying to help the consumers online?

Yes its true. I didnt believe it at first either, but the FTC is actually trying to help consumers online with a proposal and rulebook/framework, companies should follow when collecting data about consumers. "This proposal is intended to inform policymakers, including Congress, as they develop solutions, policies, and potential laws governing privacy, and guide and motivate industry as it develops more robust and effective best practices and self-regulatory guidelines”

 

Some of the ways it plans to protect consumes is by including "reasonable security for consumer data, limited collection and retention of such data, and reasonable procedures to promote data accuracy".  This all seams fine but it is highly dependant on what the definition of "reasonably" means.

 

For us in the tech world though i think the main focus is going to be on what this "Do Not Track" mechanism is it going to be. Could it be a button on browsers that lets you go invisible for a period of time or forever? and if it is dont we already have something similar to that on the big three browsers already (IE, Firefox and Chrome). Internet Explorer has in "InPrivate" browsing, Firefox doesnt have a name for it, it just gives the option for private browsing under the tools tab and Chrome has the cleverly named "incognito window".

 

This would be a little different in that it would be like a flag or billboard saying to the outside  world and business dont track me! As opposed to not keeping cookies and other tracking data on your own machine for others on the client side to see.

 

If this type of option were given right on the browser i dont think marketers and businesses would be happy about it because i think everyone would have the "Do Not Track" option/button on by default everytime they get online. Think about it not many people know there browsing habits are being tracked all the time ( and if they do they dont think much of it) and if something were to say it as bluntly as "Do Not Track" as soon as they logged on i think thats the first button they would press even before doing something as common as checking email.

 

Thats not to say everyone is doing something "illegal" or "wrong" online its just a matter of personal privacy. It would be like having an invisible floating camera follow you around everyday and then one day someone tells you about it and gives you the option to remove it. Again everyone would be smashing that camera ("Do Not Track") regardless of whether it was helpful to you in the past or not.

 

So again this issue isnt one sided. As a consumer its good (anything that helps prevent Identity theft and fraud is good); as a business its leaning towards the more work and resources side which makes it a little more negative...  what do you guys think?

  

 

sources/ links 

 

1. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/12/privacyreport.shtm

 

2. http://www.ftc.gov/os/2010/12/101201privacyreport.pdf

 

3. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-new-do-not-track1-2010dec10,0,121956.story

Google and Groupon is a no go...

Google seems to be expandig its future revenue streams by buying every potential break out tech company it can find. Everyone knows about the youtube purchase and that startup company called android back in 2005, that had a great idea for a mobile OS. As a matter of fact this is what they just picked up today.

 

This doesnt mean that google is the "bad guy" who is just picking up startups for the profit. Many of these companys do far better with google as an umbrella of sorts. Being part of google gives them access to resources that they would never have on there own and it still allows them the freedom and creativity they would have if they were on there own. Take android for instance Android phones are now the fastest selling smartphones on the market (yes even more than iphones). I have no doubt the company would still be doing great without google, just because of there open strategy and quality of there software, but i think that because its part of google it was brought to the masses alot sooner and integrates better with the plethora of google services many of us use on a daily bases, such as gmail and google maps.

 

Now this past week google has been in talks with internet coupon giant Groupon for a possible buyout between 5 and 6 Billion. Sadly those who wanted to see this deal go through are out of luck it was just called off yesterday. Check out the article here.

 

This brings up a serious question for groupon now because as competition increases (especially in the internet startup business) its only going to get harder and harder to turn a profit, even though its been doing very well so far. And it wont make a decision about an IPO until next year. What do you think the best option for Groupon is now that it wont have the protective umbrella of google to back it up?

Social Media Marketing

Online social media is ever expanding. At first i remember when i was in highschool the new cool thing was having a myspace, then when i got to college this thing called facebook was just started and you needed a college "@.edu" extension to sign up for this new "better" myspace. Now having a facebook is the norm and anyone can get one.

 

Because of this new trend of checking your facebook/myspace and twitter daily; online advertisers and marketers have an entirely new market to go after. Im sure everyone has seen the side adds in facebook saying "videogame tester wanted" or "automotive locksmith".

 

Now we get to the point where its so easy to advertise online that small business basically need to do it. Combine this with social media advertising and you have a gold mine for potential customers right? I mean if you can get people talking about your business between theyre friends, then youve got the best type of ad system out there because people trust theyre friends opinions more than say a billboard or tv commercial. Now lets take it a step further and actually make a company facebook or representative friend them on facebook now youve really got your hands in theyre pockets right?

 

This may seam good at first but think about it, what if that customer didnt like your company, then you've just lost out on the 250+ friends of theres. Not only that but how much time would you be willing to spend on facebook or tasking an employee with spending company time on facebook (keeping up the customer/friend relationships) when they could be working? there are even companies emerging now that are dedicated to social media marketing such as socialmaediamarketing.com

 

I think its ultimately the small businesses decision as to how many and what type of resources are put into social media marketing because it depends highly on the type of business in question (ex:restaurant vs dry cleaners). What do you guys think?

Neuromarketing

When someone hears the word Neuromarketing, at first it sounds like something out of science fiction, with similarities to a relatively recent movie Minority report in which there is a futuristic world of tech far beyond our own. In actuality this is a concept being used right now.Car manufacturers are experimenting with using brain waves to do basic functions such as opening the door and turning on a light all with just a thought. check out the article here

Imagine if this technology is being developed right now then neuro marketing should be a piece of cake right? well its not as easy as it seams. Neuro marketing involves finding out what the individual person likes and then gears the upcoming ads or marketing techniques to that person.

There is an issue with this however that many skeptics are discussing, the thought of subliminal advertising and to a minor extent some form of mind control. Thats not to say people are going to all go out and buy toothpaste everytime they they see a  colgate ad but it can definately influence a person.

Proponents of neuromarketing say that its not nearly that advanced. It can tell whether a persons reaction is positive or negative but it cant tell if the positive reaction was excitement or just mild amusement. Lets not not take away from the fact that it does help the consumer in a way by targeting the individuals exact needs and taking out all the extras. For instance a ten year old who plays video games doesnt care about commercials about car insurance. So what do you think? Is neuromarketing worth it?