I’ll be at shop.org in Vegas tomorrow and throughout the week networking, talking to a few companies about some shared ideas and offering my thoughts and opinions about the industry in general. If you’d like to grab a drink, my schedule is fairly fluid, so the best way to reach me is jbuechler@gmail I’ll be checking the iPhone regularly so if you have that # you can reach me there as well.
-Jeff Buechler
Advertiser number for three major search engines lower in Q2, with MSN’s down nearly 20 percent. Google was down6.4 percent while Yahoo’s increased slightly .o3% . 12 month advertiser growth for Google, Yahoo, and MSN were -8.5 percent, +9.8 percent, and -6.7 percent, respectively.
ChannelAdvisor in a cost savings move, laid off/terminated 35 or so people…about 15% of its work force. This number included 4 Vice Presidents which had been terminated a few weeks ago.
I am not sure what I will be doing in the future, but I will be exploring a number of options.
Data taken from From TechCrunch and Swivel. List from TechCrunch.
Bloggers getting arrested is on the rise. While not large numbers, there is a disturbing trend of citizen journalists increasingly being targeted by law enforcement ( five arrests in 2003 to 35 last year). From Saudi Arabia to Iran to the USA, bloggers are being subjected to pressures to edit and censor information that intrenched orginizations are striving to limit.
Whether it is legitimate law enforcement, quaisi-military extremists or in the case of corporations take down notices or civil lawsuits, bloggers are drawing attention to themselves from institutions that have strong incentive to limit their exposure to the public light.
The full list can be found at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pw-ZWbusBKYaNxZ7Gl40MDg by Erick Schonfeld
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/12/blogging-is-not-a-crime/
From Yahoo
by Glenn ChapmanTue Aug 12, 4:02 AM ET
“In the end, it was hackers at DefCon that got hacked.
After three days of software cracking duels and hacking seminars, self-described computer ninjas at the infamous gathering in Las Vegas found out Sunday that their online activities were hijacked without them catching on.
A standing-room crowd cheered admiringly as Tony Kapela and Alex Pilosov showed them how they were “pwned” by a simple technique that could be used to “steal the Internet.”
“Pwned” is popular computer and video game culture slang playing off the word “owned” and is used to describe someone being totally dominated or humiliated online or in-game.
“It’s a nearly invisible exploitation,” Kapela said while revealing a hack that exploits fundamental Internet routing procedure to hijack online traffic unnoticed. “A level of invisibility that is unparalled.”
The beauty of the technique presented by Alex Pilosov and Kapela is that hackers don’t need to break into websites or plant malicious computer code to control and tamper with data travelling the Internet, the presentation showed.
Instead, the Internet is duped into sending people’s data to hackers.
“Someone can passively intercept traffic,” Kapela explained. “We can store, drop, filter, mutilate, grope, or modify data heading to you.”
The tens of thousands of networks handling traffic on the Internet are programmed to trust each other for the best routes for data.
The choice of optimal routes is made instantly; decided by a network claiming the longest numerical Internet addresses for data destination.
A hacker can hijack traffic to and from websites of choice by adding enough numbers to computer addresses to have his or her network automatically deemed the best path for the data.
“We construct the man-in-the-middle attack on the Internet,” Kapela said, referring to a classic hack in which someone gets between a computer user and their online destination.
“Internet routing is inherently trust based. We told the route that we know the best way to an address. A hacker could blast a lot of spam or launch a lot of phishing attacks.”
Kapela and Pilosov proved their point by displaying for the rapt audience email, online searches and other online activity conducted that afternoon on the Internet connection used by DefCon attendees.
Hackers could use the attack to block access to websites or send traffic to bogus Web pages crafted to look like legitimate websites such as Twitter or Google, according to Kapela.
“Imagine all the wonderful stuff you could insert,” Kapela said. “You can hijack stuff from China or the opposite. It may already be happening. Who could tell?”
The presentation capped a DefCon gathering attended by more than 8,000 people.
Hackers shared ways to crack everything from mobile telephones, computer games and social networking websites to electronic hospital records and high security locks used at the White House.
One seminar included a way to remotely turn off pacemakers regulating people’s heartbeats.
A cavernous room was devoted to a non-stop “capture the flag” contest in which players hunched over laptop computers battled to seize and keep control of a network set up for the game.
Nightly “Hacker Jeopardy” drinking games required teams of players to correctly answer geeky computer questions with those giving wrong responses punished by having to guzzle beer.
Another contest challenged hackers to slip malicious software code past increasingly sophisticated anti-virus programs.
Hackers also faced off in lock picking contests; Guitar Hero video game competitions, and computer simulated shooting used by police for firearms training.
Hackers also competed in making spy balloons that floated above the casinos.”
I am completely ill equipped to attend, but I really enjoy being around people more clever and interesting than I am. i’ll have to make it next year. —Jeff the noob
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080812/tc_afp/usitinternetcrimehackerdefcon
A new high of nearly half (49 percent) of all internet users use search engines on a typical day, up from about one-third in 2002 – and closing in on the use level of email (60 percent of those online use email each day) – according to a new analysis from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Umm…only half the people? I guess there are a lot of grandparents getting on the interwebs to check their email hoping to hear from their chlidren. -Jeff
Adapted from Marketing Vox
Use of ad networks increased form 5% of total ad impressions sold in 2006 to 30 percent in 2007, according to the “Digital Pricing Benchmarking Study” from Bain & Company. Yet as online publishers see growth rates of 20-30 percent in ad revenue, the advertising opportunities leaves publishers with excess inventory that they sell to ad networks at up to 90 percent discounts versus direct sales rates, Bain said.
That’s because unless you are unkown and simply trying to get eyeballs…they simply don’t work, regardless of the desperation of marketing managers.–Jeff
http://www.marketingvox.com/ad-networks-surge-cpms-plunge-040343/
Recently Congress has been investigating the user’s privacy with the growingly pervasive ‘opt-out’ advertising programs such as those run by NebuAd. The Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter on August 1 to Microsoft, Google, AOL and a number of other companies, asking for information on whether or not personal data had been collected, what restrictions were placed on the collection and how the information was used. The companies were given until August 8 to respond.
NebuAd’s deep packet inspection was the lightning rod that drew increased congressional scrutiny and Google recognized this and promised to place its answer online for open inspection.
Google has since posted its reply. Google by categorically stating that it does not engage in deep packet inspection while serving advertising and posits that most other advertisers do not as well. According to the company, Google’s privacy policy is founded on three principles: providing transparency, choice, and security.
Google goes on to say that it has been an active participant in the FTC initiative to develop privacy principles and hopes that these principles “will be adopted widely by the online advertising industry and will serve as a model for industry self-regulation in jurisdictions beyond the United States.” The letter concludes with a pledge to work with to create a uniform federal privacy law.
Other Google points:
Do no evil? You decide.
What is Live Search cashback?
Microsoft Live Search cashback is “The Search That Pays You Back”. Find great deals on millions of products from hundreds of brand name stores that you know and trust. You will be able to earn cashback savings based on a percentage of the product price. Your savings will be paid to you via your choice of a deposit to your PayPal account, direct deposit to your bank account, or a check in the mail. It’s that simple! For the complete program terms and conditions, see the Microsoft Service Agreement.
How do I sign up?
You can sign up one of two ways:
Go directly to the signup page; or
The first time you click to visit a store using Live Search cashback, we’ll ask you for your email address for a one-time account set up. Then, look for an email from us (cashback@microsoft.com) within a few hours. This email will step you through the simple process of completing your account sign-up.
Is a Live Search cashback account really free?
Yes! There are no costs, hidden fees or extra charges to you.
Why do I need an account?
To receive your cashback, you need to provide us some basic information so we can communicate and send your savings to you. You can read our complete program terms and conditions, but rest assured that your cashback account is free, and Microsoft does not sell, rent, or lease our customer information to third parties. For complete information on how Microsoft uses and protects the information that you provide, please see the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement.
Who is eligible for Live Search cashback?
You are as long as you:
Provide us with a valid email address and password for account access.
Are a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and at least 18 years of age.
Have a valid mailing address (a P.O. Box won’t work).
Create or have an active Windows Live ID and cashback account.
Adhere to the Microsoft Service Agreement.
How do I find Live Search cashback deals?
As you search on Microsoft Live Search (www.Live.com), look for this icon to let you know that cashback savings are available from Live Search. You can also search directly for cashback deals and participating stores at the Live Search cashback site. Your results will always clearly list the cashback amount and your bottom-line price.
Do I earn cashback on everything I buy at a store, or only for the item I found at Live Search cashback?
As long as you click on an eligible product or store link at our Live Search cashback site, you will earn cashback savings on all eligible purchases you make during your store visit (except for limited exceptions described in our terms and conditions). Different products may have different cashback percentage rates, so the rate for other products you buy may be higher or lower than the rate displayed on the Live Search cashback site for the product you initially searched for.
When do I get my Live Search cashback savings?
When you sign into your cashback account, you’ll see your current cashback balances, including pending, available, earned and paid cashback amounts. Live Search cashback purchases are listed in your cashback account as pending for 60 days from the purchase date in case you decide to return your purchase. Once you have passed the 60 days and your available cashback balance is more than $5, you can choose one of the payment methods listed in your cashback account. We will then send your cashback in approximately 14 days.
How do I get to my cashback account?
You can view your account information and the status of your Live Search cashback purchases any time from your Live Search cashback account. You also can get to your account from the cashback link at the upper right of any Live Search page, and then just click Your Account.
Does the contact information I provide a store have to match my Live Search account information to earn cashback?
No. The store should report any purchase to us regardless of the contact information you provide to them (name, address, email). But it’s critical that you provide us with a valid email address when you register to ensure you can complete your registration and access and collect your Live Search cashback savings.
I don’t see the cashback savings after I go to the store’s site. Is it working?
Yes! When you click the Go to Store button on Live Search cashback and make an eligible purchase, the store will notify us and we will put your cashback savings in your account. Just in case your purchase is not properly reported, it’s a good idea to save your order receipt.
A purchase isn’t showing up in my account. What should I do?
Most purchases appear as pending within a day or two, but occasionally a store may take longer to tell us about your purchase. If you made a purchase more than 7 days ago that isn’t displayed in your cashback account, contact us with your purchase details. We’ll get back to you just as soon as we can.
Can I use an alternative payment method (i.e. PayPal, Google Checkout, etc.) when I purchase from the Store and still get my cashback savings?
We can’t guarantee that your purchase will be reported to us correctly if you use an alternative payment method. We’re always looking to improve our service and will continue to work to support other alternative payment methods in the future.
What happens if I return, exchange, or cancel a purchase?
Returns, exchanges and cancelations are subject to the store’s return policy. If you return, cancel, or exchange part or all of a purchase, the store may reverse your purchase with us, and we won’t be able to pay you any cashback savings from that transaction.
What does it mean when my Live Search cashback is pending, available, earned or paid?
If your cashback savings is:
Pending – We wait 60 days after your purchase for possible returns, and then your cashback savings will be available for payment.
Available – You can request payment when your total cashback balance is at least $5.
Earned – All eligible orders that have exceeded 60 days have ‘earned’ cashback.
Paid – You have requested payment.
What do I do if I never get an email that tells me how to finish opening my Live Search cashback account?
Just click here to have us send you the Welcome email that gives you all the information you need to finish opening your account.
How do I change my Live Search cashback email address for receiving communications?
Just go to the email preferences page and give us the new email address you want for receiving all of your important cashback email communications.
Can I earn Live Search cashback for phone or in-store purchases?
Live Search cashback savings are currently only available for online purchases.
Can I get Live Search cashback if I don’t have an account?
No. You can still use Live Search to find products to buy, but we hope you want the extra cash!
Why are you paying me cashback?
We want to earn your loyalty and reward it with cashback savings for your everyday online shopping. We are “The Search That Pays You Back”!
http://search.live.com/cashback/faq
