Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Thanks emarketing class students!

Thank you to all the fine students who contributed to this blog and allowed us to secure the #1 Google spot for the term "emarketing class" (at least at the time of this post). It was a great class and I hope that each of you came away with something that you'll use in your careers.

Feel free to keep in touch and let me know if you have questions. Also, please feel free to click on the ads on this blog...remember, I'm a poor PhD student ;-) .

Best regards,

Kevin
www.kevintrainor.com (feel free to link back to this site to help my ranking there too!) ;-)
kevin.trainor.googlepages.com/home

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Online Gaming Paper for e-marketingclass by Marc Kellner

The history of online gaming originates in 1970 when a number of computer researchers created the first interactive online game called “ADVENT.” The game was very basic and was in text form, with simple commands controlling the navigation. The game took place in an online “forest” and the user commands a character and chooses different commands to perform different actions. The significance of this game is that it helped create the concept of networked gaming. The basic principle behind network gaming is that it allows users to play simultaneously with each other rather than just against a computer. This game and others like it were ran through bulletin board systems where results of users were posted. Eventually, once programming capabilities had grown to the degree that the computer could handle the task of running the opposition MUD’s (Multi-User Dungeons) were created.

The first MUD was created in 1979, and was designed by two programmers from Essex University. These games began to display what we know as a true multiplayer game. The games were virtual online environments where players would control characters, and based on predetermined parameters the character would react to different situations. The breakthrough with this game and others like it is the players could interact with other players while playing the game simultaneously. Keep in mind these games aren’t what we would expect to see today, but this timeline will show a progression of breakthroughs in technology.

Next on the timeline are first person shooters. The first of this type was developed for the Macintosh system in 1989. The game was called “A-Maze-ing” and is considered to be the first three-dimensional first person shooter. These are the games that players of this era will relate to. In 1994 a company named ID software released a game called “Doom.” Set in a different world a soldier is left stranded to combat numerous aliens on a multitude of levels. With great graphics, the possibility of playing with up to four players simultaneously, and several sequels, Doom is one of the best selling online games of all-time. After the Doom craze was “Quake.” Now with the possibility of playing with 16 players simultaneously the Quake craze is still booming with the recent release of Quake III. The advantage to Quake is that no internet subscription is needed to play online, once the game is purchased, a simple click on the multiplayer icon and a player is “up and running.” The real time strategy games I had mentioned that were played on bulletin board systems also got a facelift around this time as well. Blizzard Entertainment had released three games all around the same time: “Diablo,” “Starcraft,” and “Warcraft” all very popular hits among the online world that involve strategy and real time playability while delivering 3-d graphics any solid gamer craves. The real bonus for a user in these games is a player’s user ranking. In each game there is a certain way to tabulate scores at the end of each game, and that score is made public. The players scores are kept for a virtual season and then reset, this allows new users a chance to compete with the old, and also keep the game competitive for longer periods of time.

With the type of games Blizzard has created has inspired programmers to go one step further with “Massive Multiplayer Games.” An example of such a game is “Everquest.” Similar to the real-time games like Starcraft, which are held in large worlds, these games take 3-d one step further with much smoother graphics and many more players. These games run most efficiently on high-end graphics cards with strong processors to stream through all the extensive programming. These massive multiplayer games require multiple servers to support the numerous users. Everquest for example is run from a series of computers that all sit in an office in San Diego, California. The game has over 30 servers which each run an independent version of the game. There are an average of 18,000 people registered on each server and at least 15,000 people online at all time across all the servers.

Gaming is still gender biased and is marketed as such. Most gamers are young males who have at least a little bit of tech savvy. Recently however, to break through these stereotypes programmers have created games that reach other target markets. “Dance Dance Revolution” fun for all ages and genders has been a huge hit and a marketer’s dream because of the health benefits from game play. A new guitar game has recently been released with the same principles; sales will tell if this game will have the same success.

Video games have been, and judging by current trends, will always be popular and part of a highly profitable market. Online games especially have an advantage because these games are played on the largest and cheapest advertising medium: the Internet. Many games have their own web sites and are affiliated with other companies to advertise other similar games that players would be interested in. These companies have used several business models to stay afloat among the years and the Advertising Model seems to be used more and more with the rising popularity of the Internet and increases in technology. Some companies have used television commercials to try to find new consumers, campaigns for “Quake” and “Fight Night” have been successful on t.v. and have actually brought gamers to buy each individual system to play these highly sought after games.

Why do these players spend so much time with these online games and are there any benefits? Everyone has their hobby and some argue that playing a video game is a waste of time, however these online games are a way for people to interact. They inspire competitive natures within players and for some, these games are a source of confidence. Some also argue these games can cause an addiction and even a decrease in intelligence; however it is still case by case whether or not these statements are true.

Until recently online games were thought of as only able to be played through a computer with an internet connection. Recent technological advances for example with the Playstation 3 have allowed users to play without a computer. Sony has fused wireless “Bluetooth” technology with these advanced 3-d systems to allow gamers to play a vast number of games through their system. The sky is the limit with what’s to come. The next thing to expect could be virtual reality; only time will tell when and where these new advances will come.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Online Food Ordering

Abby Laner

Original link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/fashion/05fast.html?ref=style


An article from the New York Times on August 5, 2007 discusses the restaurant industry’s growth in the online community. The article talks about how many restaurants are changing their telephone ordering and using online ordering methods instead. The article states that customers can “order online before pulling into a drive-through; they can text-message and order, and soon, they will be able to experience one-click ordering from their cell phones, for pickup or delivery.”

These particular restaurants have experienced a large growth in the number of sales from carry-out sales because of the new technology. Many Americans use Blackberrys and other hand-held devices to keep track of their daily routines and now the option of ordering by clicking through a cell phone seems to be appealing to many people around the country.

A manager from Domino’s Pizza said that the online ordering has grown immensely within the past several years. He predicts that pizza will soon be one of the top 10 items purchased online within the next 12 to 24 months.

I believe the option of online ordering is becoming even more popular among business men and women who are often too busy to leave the office and go to lunch. They can order food while at their desk and have the food dropped off to their office much easier than leaving or even calling in an order. Even the cash option has faded because many people simply enter their credit card numbers into the system and they are saved and used again for each purchase that is made.

The article also explains how the college community is adjusting to the new technology of online ordering. Www.campusfood.com offers a way for students to log in and enter their state and school name. From this screen, the system will direct the student to local restaurants who are currently accepting online orders. The order can be made and payment options and delivery times are shown for the student.

Many people prefer to use the online ordering system because of the convenience and also because it lowers the chance that the order will be messed up or inaccurate. By using the computer to type the exact order, no orders will go without a side of fries or onions on the side. This option makes it much easier for people of different backgrounds who may not speak very good English.

Not surprisingly, pizza is on the top of the list for online orders, but other different kinds of foods are also climbing the list. According to the article, Chipotle began its online ordering a year ago and the orders from the first half of this year are already up 100,000 from last year.

Overall, people are starting to use the online ordering more rapidly. It is giving consumers more power over their orders and is much more convenient than other ordering options.

Ads on this page...

As you return to this blog, keep an eye on the Google Ads that get displayed on the left navigation. These ads should reflect the content of the blog so as we develop a more cohesive theme to our blog, the displayed ads should become more relevant to our topic. Given the broad nature of our blog, it is unlikely that we'll see dramatic changes but we have already seen changes, even if only subtle.

Keep visiting/posting to the blog and include a link to it on as many other sites as possible. Great job so far, keep it up!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Jessica Bell
Internet Marketing
Kevin Trainor
August 7, 2007


Senate Asks FTC to Oversee Internet Safety

Internet has become a major part of Americans everyday life. We can shop, bank, book travel, watch movies, listen to music and so much more. However, along with all the perks of being an internet user there comes risks. Personal identity and financial risks are at the top of the list. Above these risks with the internet is the even scarier risk being the safety of children. Children are using the internet at an extremely young age for both leisure and academics. With such young children having knowledge of how to access the web, they are still too young to grasp the complete concept of how the web can be dangerous to them or realizing what they may be getting themselves into. Due to this fact Senate has asked the FTC to invest more efforts in promoting internet safety. According to the article I found, “Senate Asks FTC to Oversee Internet Safety” it sounds as though the Senate wants to generally make the public more aware of the dangers that come with the internet, but more importantly put emphasis on making children more aware of how to be safe. They are instructing The Federal Trade Commission to provide tutorials for school aged children focusing on the effects of ‘cyberbullying’ and child pornography. They are doing this because children have high potential to delve into unknown areas of the internet and stumble across predators without even being aware they have put themselves in jeopardy. A child being susceptible to dangers like this is a problem that is always going to be there with internet usage. Senate wants to try to lessen the impact by increasing their knowledge. I felt this article was relevant to our class discussions because of the safety issues surrounding social networking. The article barely touches on the usage of Facebook and MySpace but I feel these are two sites that can potentially pose a major threat to youngsters. They are two of the most visited sites by young people. At this point both social networks have been opened to the general public and virtually anyone can open an account on these sites. It seems like this should be a major issue focused on when trying to keep children safe. It would be very easy for someone to create an account on these websites and portray themselves as someone other then who they are. Kids should be explained the dangers of posting too much personal information and pictures on these sites. These sites are a great way for adults and for younger individuals to stay in touch with friends in a way they would normally not be able to. However, when it comes to the safety of minors they can pose a large threat. I think it is great that Senate has put safety of minors on the internet as a priority but they should certainly focus some efforts directly on social networking.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/zd/20070806/tc_zd/212927;_ylt=Ag3OP02QzFLqtMQUSkY9yTv6VbIF

e-marketing class summary 2

This article posted on Newstandard explains how marketers are using invasive means of getting consumers personal information and yet Congress has done nothing to protect the general population over the age of thirteen from the invasion of online privacy. Marketers such as AOL, Microsoft, Google as well as other advertising firms are a “broad-scale invasion of the privacy of Americans” claims Jeff Chester director of CDD. According to this article these companies use the one–to-one marketing tactic which requires knowing where the online consumer lives and what they are interested in. The companies gather this information by using “cookies” a small text file of information that certain web sites attach itself to a user’s hard drive while the consumer is online. Although most internet users are unaware of how their personal information is being used internet companies such as Google, Myspace, The Facebook, and AOL posts a privacy policy warning their consumers that their information may be tracked, collected and stored. If the consumers read the companies privacy and do not agree with the terms of use it could limit the services that are available to them. The article continues to state that there are privacy advocates fighting for “opt-in” standards meaning that there will be no data collected about the web users unless they agree in advance.
This article can help online companies and marketers to better understand how some online browsers feel about information being gathered about them for marketing purposes. Marketers can take this information and find ways to build trust from there consumers. They can do this by putting in opt-in standards like The Facebook and Myspace that make sure that the online user agrees to the terms of use and is aware that information may be gathered about them before they are able to use the website. Online companies can also state more specifically what kind of information is going to be gathered about them in the privacy contract.
More importantly this information is relevant to the consumers and online browsers because not everyone might know that information is being gathered about them and cookies are tracking where you browse on the internet. This article can also help consumers be more aware of what kind of information they are giving away when they go on the internet. Online browsers should make sure they read the terms of use and privacy policy’s thoroughly before logging onto the site or agreeing to the terms of use.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3916

Ads to be added to up-and-coming widgets

Michael Ronshausen

Max Levchin, the co-founder of Paypal, is currently undertaking a voyage into the world of marketing via widgets. Widgets are the high-tech shorthand for the mini-applications planted on the personal pages of online social networks such as Facebook and Myspace. Levchin’s widget company, Slide Inc., is the number one widget-maker to date. Upon looking at a Myspace pager these widgets can be noticed by such names as “slideshows,” “funpix,” or “skinflix.” Success of the widgets are known to be the ease of use to make the application add excitement and uniqueness to one’s personal page. Now, Levchin believes marketing within these widgets could be a profitable venture. Here’s the catch, instead of making the advertisements a nuisance to users, they will only deploy the advertisements if they are user-initiated.
I feel that this this marketing strategy could become a useful tool for marketers as a shift from television, radio and newspapers are turned to the internet. I, for one, know that many people ages 18 - 25 view individual’s personal webpages that include these widgets almost daily. Not to mention that it was reported that at least 221 million people were exposed to widgets from the beginning of the year until May. I can remember many times I would view someone’s Myspace page and view their pictures through these very same applications discussed. When understanding the recent success of Myspace and Facebook, which has recently tripled they’re customers, this type of advertising could easily be a new way for marketers to target directly to the type of consumers companies are trying to reach
The main problem that marketers will face, is that Levchin will make these advertisements available only if they are user-initiated. Although many people view advertisements as annoying, its surprising how many people are already a walking advertisement for companies already. Slide Inc.’s senior advertising director, Sonya Chawla say’s "We are really good at getting people to take things and include them on their social networking pages, "We think we can persuade our users to become brand ambassadors." And isn’t that statement true? What better way to ad your own personal flavor to your webpage, by showing a clip of a movie currently out in theaters rather than simply just adding it as one of your favorite movies.
Although Slide Inc. is the number one widget-maker, they have yet to show a profit. After companies such as AT&T and Viacom’s Paramount Pictures have they’re way, making an impact in exposure of their products, Slide Inc. might just make their way to crossing that line.
Article can be found at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20147281/wid/11915829/

"We Know What You Ought To Be Watching This Summer"

The Wall Street Journal article, “We Know What You Ought To Be Watching This Summer,” explains new software that lets e-marketers follow up with consumers based on the attributes of the products they purchase. The software was developed by ChoiceStream Inc., a Cambridge, MA firm.

Previously, marketers like Blockbuster Inc. relied on the obvious, recommending a second horror flick to a customer who previously rented a horror flick, the article notes. But with ChoiceStream the company digs deeper, looking at such features as the complexity of a movie’s plot and whether the movie relied more on plot or characters.

The software then combines what it finds with older data to come up with a recommendation for the customer. The article points out that retailers know improved recommendations keep customers online longer.

ChoiceStream’s CEO believes marketers will appreciate a relationship tool that’s modeled after mom-and-pop stores, where operators get to know customers on a personal basis. The CEO calls it “the most important way of building loyalty.”

The article goes on to explain how the ChoiceStream software found that a Blockbuster customer, who is an adjunct professor of marketing, liked “edgy, urban movies.” Combining this finding with knowledge about his previous purchases of a musical and a documentary, the software came up with a recommendation for a movie called “Rize.”

The article mentions two other companies offering second generation software that makes recommendations. It notes that eBay is working on a way to help buyers find the things they “had no idea” they were looking for, which analysts feel will help the online auction company increase revenue. EBay uses a product offered by a company called Stumble Upon, that looks at customer browsing history.

Overstock.com considers customers’ tastes, then sends them emails. A customer who prefers sleek styling in jewelry would not get an email about “ornate or chunky jewelry.” CEO Patrick Byrne also mentions, as noted above, the benefits in getting to know the customer on a personal basis. He compares it to a Nordstrom salesperson being able to recommend shoes to a customers she’d sold dresses.

The article points out older software grouped customers according to similar products purchased, with a system known as “collaborative filtering,” but that the system requires huge amounts of data and fails for new products.

It adds that basing recommendations purely on past purchases doesn’t work for products purchased as a gift, something Amazon.com discovered from customers who complained. But Netflix’s customers still appreciate being grouped with other customers according to the way they review movies. Pandora.com uses an approach similar to ChoiceStream’s. It looks for musical attributes among 400 it tracks, including the singer’s type of voice. Another music provider, eMusic.com uses ChoiceStream.

Attorney Linus Kafka is not a big fan of the new software. Because he values privacy he calls the software “creepy” and tries to sabotage it by ordering silly things, which to me seems like an expensive way to prove a point.

I enjoyed the article and hope you do, also. I can appreciate the possibilities of more sophisticated ways of getting to know consumers.

I thought mentioning Nordstrom in the article was interesting. Even though the company is legendary for providing personalized service, I came across an article in the early 1990s with the headline, “When Great Service Isn’t Enough.” The clothing retailer went into a slump after losing track of what its customers wanted. I believe it continued to stock formal wear after women started dressing more casual for work. Nordstrom has since recovered, and has a successful Internet presence.
link to article

Facebook VS ConnectU

This article is from BBC news published on July 07, 2007. The article discusses an ongoing battle for the right of Facebook networking connection. The creator of Facebook is facing fraud claims by three founders of ConnectU.

Mark Zuckerberg creator of Facebook has been accused of stealing ConnectU networking site idea while studying at Harvard. Founders of ConnectU (Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narenda) claim in collage Zuckerberg promised to finish writing computer code for the networking site. Instead he brushed then off and created Facebook.

ConnectU is created to connect networks online. Users create their own profiles, post pictures, write blogs and messages. Facebook has 31 million users against ConnectU 70,000 users. Searching through ConnectU site, I found that it was not user friendly and I found only 14 students from Kent State, including me, belong to this network, and only two have pictures. Last year Facebook turn down a 1 billion dollar from Yahoo for the rights. Facebook has expanded the user base of not just collage students but now high school student and with a valid email address. ConnectU is still based for collage students. Looking through Facebook page, the site also offers press releases, job positions (all in California), history and privacy claims.

Facebook has asked the Boston court judge to throw out the case. Zuckerberg is accused by Federal case of fraud and misappropriate of trade secrets. ConnectU has been asked to be given ownership of Facebook. Facebook lawyers have been stating that ConnectU has no evidence to support the allegations, only Zuckerberg’s ideas were significant enough to build the company.

What I think of this suit is that two rival networking sites and friends are at end meets. With different interest and behavior, they separated their different ways, only because one is successful now are the three other friends believe in their right of the site.

Online Profile

Kristen Perdue
Internet Marketing
August 7, 2007

Article Link: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6200935.html

Job hunters hire experts to clean up online image

New companies are emerging that can help job hunters clean up their online profile. According to the article, “Various surveys have shown that employers are using online searches to check out potential candidates, especially as some of the early Internet surfers become bosses themselves.” Information can be found on Google searches, blog entries, or even Facebook.com. While the number of employers using search engines or social networking sites in the hiring process is low, these numbers are still significant enough to not be overlooked. If there are even a few employers out in the business world not hiring people based on internet findings, then it is important to cleanup your profile.
In the application process, sometimes the Internet can work to your advantage, and other times to your disadvantage. The goal is to have your online profile work in a positive way for you. The first step recommended in the cleanup process is to Google your name and see if it pulls up any undesirable blog entries. If so, then you need to cleanup your profile. In order to do this, new technology is emerging to help. Companies like ReputationDefender.com will search your name beyond Google and give reports on their findings. Then if necessary, the company will do a cleanup ensuring links will not appear during an online search. Another company, DefendMyName.com, services both individuals and employers. The founder Rob Russo stated, “Online searching has taken on an essential role in the corporate world when people are scouting new employees. It is becoming an actual part of the hiring process along with a criminal background check.” This is why it is essential that you have a professional online profile.
As far as relating this article to class, it does address the topic of new Internet technology. Even more importantly, it addresses an issue that is crucial to everyone sitting in our classroom. I was unaware that employers were able to check things like Facebook.com during the hiring process, and I am sure others are as well. Almost everyone in our class is getting ready to graduate and step out into the business world. We all need to know that whatever we post on the Internet can be found by anyone who looks hard enough. What might have been okay for friends to see in college may not be acceptable to future employers. We put so much time in preparing for our interviews, but may overlook an issue like our online profile. This article is a reminder that we must not ignore things we post on the internet.
I also think this article relates to marketing yourself. When you market yourself it is the same as advertising or selling yourself to your employer. Having appropriate pictures and information on sites like Facebook.com is an excellent way to market yourself. You can use the Internet to your advantage. For example, if an employer was to look at your profile and see pictures of you overseas they might come to the conclusion you are a well-rounded individual. It is always important to be one step ahead of your competition, and having a good online profile could be that something extra you need.

To Complain or Not to Complain


We have learned in emarketingclass that the internet has been a big facilitator in the change in power from sellers to buyers. We are no longer a supply and demand nation. Focus on entrepreneurship leads to much competition in the market place with everything from athletic apparel to roller bearings. As a result, marketing staff is required to find what people need. However, what people need sometimes goes beyond simply purchasing the product or service. Maintaining customer satisfaction with the brand or product is necessary to compete. The internet has made it increasingly easy for both consumers to get their voices heard and for companies to become aware of customer complaints. The World Wide Web has made for the death of distance, so when comments are posted, they can be immediately corrected.


Tamara E. Holmes writes about a woman whose flight was delayed four hours. Says Elaine Walker, “We passed the departure time and there were no announcements made,”. She was madder that the airline staff kept the passengers in the dark rather than simply acknowledging the delay. The story was not about bad airline service, though. Ms. Walker decided to write a formal complaint online to the airline. In turn, the airline responded by apologizing and giving her vouchers for her next flight.


Many unsatisfied customers simply leave angry and never directly express their concern to the company. Not only does the article emphasize the shift in power to the consumers, it informs readers how to voice their concerns properly by doing so online. Also mentioned from spokeswoman Sheila Adkins of the Better Business Bureau, “When a consumer files a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, we ask them first to submit it in writing on our Website”. After contacting the company in question, they have the option of working with the unsatisfied customer to right the wrong. The BBB does not have the authority to force the company to make amends. However, many companies are very interested in upholding their brand image and they do not want to be marred by a complaint as such.


There are also a variety of sites dedicated to voicing complaints about companies. This is very important for marketers to monitor. Not only must the company monitor its own website for complaints, they must also keep track of how the brand is portrayed elsewhere. From the class exercise, we learned that blogs, reviews, ad anti-product websites are many popular ways for consumers to voice opinions. E-marketers must also be aware of other means available such as complaint driven websites. How then might a company stay on top of brand image? The internet can be a very useful tool in managing customer relationships or it could be your brand’s demise. New sites pop up every day, and the effective marketer knows both how to find problems that may arise and how to fix them on the double.


Holmes leaves readers with a number of options to choose from. Knowing that companies want to amend any issues regarding satisfaction, the most obvious choice would be to write directly to the company. They get the message directly and most times immediately. Most companies would prefer this method because it ensures to an extent some privacy regarding the complaint. This method would apply to most people who simply just want to be heard. The perks of getting a “free lunch” are often an added bonus. However, some “terrorists” do not want to be reasoned with, and they may create a hate page dedicated to your product. Not every consumer can be reasoned with, however these sites must still be monitored so that expressed problems can be fixed. A firm might not be able to win everyone over, but it can definitely fix problems so they do not occur again.


http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=11&hid=104&sid=53c87dca-02b4-487d-8fb7-f62e25cf1e5c%40sessionmgr107

Article Summary 2 Craig Miera

Craig MieraArticle Summary 2
I found this article on ecommercetimes.com which deals with state of the mobile internet experience. It talks about how advertising directly through cell phones will reach $10 billion in just a couple of years. The article equates this form of media as a marketers dream because it is always on and you can target your audience directly. The article also deals with “rub” the rub is the vast majority of websites that are not properly adapted to mobile environment. The result of the “rub” is a very poor user experience. According to the article there are five golden rules that must be followed in order to attract a mobile web audience. The first is that the web site must load quickly ideally under 8k. Secondly the site must be engaging, and dynamic. Third the site must be easy to find, there has been many problems with URL’s. Fourth the article suggests that keywords be purchased now to get ahead of the game. And last it is important to integrate the ad units into the site build from the get-go. This article in my opinion is very relevant to e-marketing because not only the fact that 2 billion people carry cell phones now but because technology will make this type of advertising the norm of the future. Consumers will be vastly affected by this rising technology, now they will be bombarded with even more advertisement attempting to push them in a certain direction. I feel marketers will eventually have to start asking themselves what they need to do to break through the clutter and differentiate themselves through their advertising to gain the attention of the consumer. Additionally I feel it is very important to make sure the consumer is having a pleasant experience with the application. If the consumer has a negative experience with the technology aspect that is attempting to deliver a message then this could most likely have a negative affect on their perception of your product or service. Although with the invention of the i-phone many of the technological problems are going to be a thing of the past. Marketers now can present their message through forums such as the i-phone in a more efficient way. Marketer must stay on the forefront of technology in order to be kept from being left behind.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58618.html

Yahoo's ROBO Study

Yahoo recently conducted a study to analyze online advertising and consumer retail purchase behavior. Yahoo came up with the term ROBO which stands for Research Online Buy Offline. The study was used to look at the internet advertising and how it effected the online shopper as well as the in store shopper. One of the main things the study focused on was to view if shoppers really do research the item they want to purchase and purchase it online as well. Or, if the consumer researches the product online and takes that information and purchases the product in the store. The study showed that majority of people are using the online advertising and online retail purchasing as a way of researching the product they are looking to buy, then going to a store and purchasing there product. This study displays a large amount in the “in-store” growth due to online advertising and research. The study truly shows how significant the internet has become to all retailers and advertisers.
The findings of the study were that online search marketing through advertising has gave in-store sales a boost, actually three times more than regular in-store display marketing. Online advertising reels the consumer in, they research it, then want to go to a store to physically look into it, and possibly purchase it. From the study 88 percent of the purchases came from in-store retail purchases, the other 12 percent came from people purchasing through the online web advertisings.
I found this article very interesting because I would not have expected the outcome of the study to turn out the way it did. I automatically assumed that since there was online retailing they were making more money due to the convenience. Granite, the study only sampled a small amount of consumers. The consumers in the study however, preferred to research the product online first from the online advertisements, then go to the store physically view it and purchase it while in the retail store. As a consumer myself I do enjoy the convenience of purchasing online, however there are certain products that I am more comfortable purchasing in the store. It makes sense that people research the product online before purchasing it, as would I. If it is a big consumer purchase like a car, I would research it online and go to a dealership to purchase it.
Although internet consumer purchasing has been growing rapidly the Yahoo ROBO consumer behavior study proved that online advertising and research has been increasing the amount of “in-store” retail purchases.

http://searchengineland.com/070801-065632.php

Old Timers Wheelchair to Facebook

I know we have briefly talked about the opening of Facebook to all Internet users, but I came across this Article2 in BusinessWeek that puts those new users into perspective.

What I have taken from the article itself is of course the surge of old timers going to the site. I know we have talked in class about the number of people going to the site, but we really didn't talk about WHO is going to the site. Facebook has really seen a surge in the professional arena. It estimates that more than 41% of all Facebook visitors are now part of the 35 and up crowd. What that means for investors and marketers is a bigger bottom line.

There has been an influx of young to old business professionals using Facebook to network. Consulting firm Ernst and Young has lauded some 15,000 users, while Citigroup estimates some 8,500 users. It has become a trend in corporations and tech companies to create their own Facebook network. What this can mean for marketers is the fact that professionals are using the site. With professionals comes a big annual income or total household income. Just a law of economics is when you have more money, you tend to spend more money. This can lead to a bigger marketing advantage because the users actually have disposable income to spend. A number by ComScore puts 48% of all Facebook users total household incomes over $75,000, while MySpace's is at a mere 39%. So for marketers there is definitely more value to the site of Facebook.

How can this be a benefit for marketers or investors?

For marketers, the opening of Facebook to all groups really opens up different market segmentation's. So it will become easier for marketers to market a specific group. Also with the creation of software that is being provided by Microsoft will make it that much easier. Plus as mentioned above a bigger disposable income, to actually spend money.

For investors, with this new segment being pushed into Facebook it is really adding revenue to the bottom line. There is an estimate in the article that Facebook can now fetch over 4.9 Billion dollars, which is way more than previous bids. A suitor for Facebook, as suggested by analyst's is Yahoo. Some suggest Yahoo will be a big player for any bids that may come along, if Facebook markets themselves for sale. With Yahoo being one of the largest search engines, and a user base already in place, an acquisition can only put exponential numbers to their site.

So now that we have professionals going on spring break at Facebook, will this be Facebook's new niche? So will it go from college folk, to business folk, to a bigger dollar sign?

Wikia plotting search rival Google

In our e-marketing class, we discussed the reliability of information found on Wikipedia.com, an on-line encyclopedia edited by the user community. Since anyone and everyone are welcome to edit and add to the content posted on the sight it can be argued that much of the information cannot be taken literally. So why then is Wikipedia.com one of the web’s most popular sites, and what direction is founder Jimmy Wales headed in to maintain or even boost the reputation of the site?

A recent article written in the USA today is titled, Wikia plotting search rival Google. The article tells of how Jimmy Wales plans to build a community-developed search service called Wikia. Wikia has recently acquired Grub, a spider that will enable Wikia to search the web to index relevant sites. To learn more about this I attempted to look up information about Grub, or Grand Unified Bootloader, but the explanation used a lot of technical words and it seems as though the project is no longer operational. So we can assume that Wikia’s recent acquisition of Grub from LookSmartltd is still “under construction.”

After further investigation, I was able to find a brief explanation on the wikia.com website. It states, “Users of Grub can download peer-to-peer grubclient software. The client indexes the URL’s and sends them back to the main grub in ahighly compressed form The collective crawl could then, in theory, be utilized by an indexing system, such as the one proposed at Wikia Search.”

The plan for the Wikia search service is to use computer-driven algorithms and people to edit terms so that users can obtain links that are relevant to what they are looking for. For example, if my intentions are to look for information on Paris, France and I google the word “Paris,” Paris Hilton is one of the first four links out of 493 million that I hit. The idea behind Wikia’s search service is to untangle the multiple meanings of words so that only the links that are relevant to what the user is looking for will be hit. Thus, if this is possible, then we can expect that Wikia’s search service will not only rival such search engines as google, but also give Wikia a sustainable competitive advantage. However, if this is possible, then we can only assume that such large search engines are also headed in the same direction.

In another article from the USA today written in December 2006, Wales explains that “It is open-source software and open content. We will be providing the computer hosting for free and the publisher can keep the advertising revenue.” This also gives Wikia a competitive advantage considering that many websites require a cut of advertising revenue. Conversely, the only obligation to advertise on Wikia sites is to offer a Wikia.com link from their company website. Recall that Wales has acquired Grub from LookSmartltd. LookSmart has agreed to supply online advertising across Wikia’s websites. Wikia had formerly been using Google’s advertising service.

For marketers, it would make the most sense to advertise and promote products using Wikia’s website versus websites that require a cut from resulting revenue. It also makes the most sense to use Wikia because of its growing popularity alone. On-line advertising has come a long way from its first banner ads found on Hotwired.com. It is important for marketers to know where heavy internet traffic is taking place in order to reach the mass audience of users.

For consumers, Wikia provides the opportunity for us to post content that others can benefit from. The article explains that Wikia hosts group publishing sites on topics from Star Wars to iPods. Given the in-class activity that we conducted, we know that by using other people’s knowledge about particular concepts and product experiences, we are able to gather more information than what the manufacturers and retailers tell us. For example, Wikia users may be able to post content on the advantages and disadvantages of owning an iPod, or even the hottest spots to visit while in Vegas. Still though, how reputable will the information provided be?

http://www.usatoday.com/community/tags/topic.aspx?req=tag&tag=Wikia

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/software/2006-12-12-wiki-free-tools_x.htm

http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia

Blogger 'Fake Steve Jobs' Unmasked as Forbes Editor

In my e-marketingclass we have discussed the growing population of blogs and how people can publicize personal thoughts on the Web. My article talks about one popular blogger who was just revealed to the public. It will be interesting to see what repercussions his blog will have in the near future now that he has been unveiled.

Fake Steve Jobs, an Internet blogger, was finally revealed by the New York Times on Sunday. The blogger is Dan Lyons, a senior editor at Forbes business magazine who started the blog last year. The name Fake Steve Jobs came from Real Steve Jobs to make fun of its reputation for being a demanding and arrogant manager. His blogs have a strong following of readers because of his candidness to poke fun at Apple Inc. chief executive and other CEO’s and even a few celebrities.

Fake Steve Jobs was exposed by a reporter at New York Times when he found resemblances between the blog and Dan Lyons’ published work. Lyons was “hoping to stay anonyms for a little while longer” and “hopes it doesn’t ruin the fun of the blog that people now know who is behind it.” There were many people who had tried to uncover the true Fake Steve Jobs. Even Bill Gates was a reader and speculated writer of the blog and stated at a conference “First, I want to clarify, I am not Real Steve Jobs.” The strong backing of the blog even sparked a book to be written by Fake Steve that will come out in November.

Blogs are widely read; therefore, consumers are likely to be influenced by the content they read and their buying decisions can be skewed. Consumers have to remember when reading blogs that they are a personal opinion and can be inaccurate. However, blogs are useful and should be taken into consideration when buying a product, but they are not the only thing you should look at when purchasing an item.

Marketers should also be aware of the significance of blogs and how they affect purchasing products. Like in anything, blogs can be both negative and positive; therefore, marketers should consider the consumers opinion and react appropriately. Companies should create their own blog for consumers to write on so they can gain awareness of how their product is being perceived by consumers. This will also help them respond to those with a negative perception and somewhat control what is being said about them over the Internet.
Article:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292238,00.html
Blog:http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/
Another Article:http://blogs.forbes.com/digitalrules/

Monday, August 6, 2007

Facebook vs. Myspace

A recent article on MSN.com talked about the online war between two social network websites, Facebook.com and Myspace.com. Facebook, which started in 2004, was originally only available to Harvard students, then spread to other colleges. Myspace was a website designed for people who weren’t in college; the “hip teen who didn’t go to the ivy leagues after highschool.” Facebook has now recently opened up to high school students; over the past year ages 12 to 17 on Facebook have increased 149% while Myspace has lost 27% of it’s teenage users.
Myspace and Facebook together account for 72% of online social networking with annual ad revenue of $650 million. With such high revenue, marketer’s have flocked to the sites to gain profits. Researchers have concentrated on the demographics to decide where they should advertise. Stores such as Hot Topic which include more trendy fashions advertise on Myspace whose users consist of the “hip working class teens,” whereas stores such as J-Crew advertise on Facebook whose users consist of the “Ivy League College Co-eds” who generally rely on more traditional fashions. Marketers admit they would rather work with Facebook because it’s users are more willing to follow through with advertisements. Demographics show that Facebook users also have a higher income than Myspace users, however Myspace still controls the majority of revenue at $525 million to Facebook’s $125 million due to it’s larger population. The article also discussed how demographics shouldn’t be researchers only concentration, but user behavior should be looked at as well; who visited sites, and what they did on those sites need to be a stress point for advertisers. Myspace is large and there is no evidence to show that advertisers will leave, however with new innovations from Facebook, it does threaten Myspace’s control over this new online networking trend.
When I saw the title to this article, I immediately was reminded of previous class topics in e-marketing class which discussed these online networks. It’s interesting to think how the internet has changed the way marketer’s think. The teenage group is highly saught after in marketer’s eyes because of their disposable income. How to penetrate this group has been a dilemma for some time and these new social networks are a great way to market products and services because of the high concentration of the teenage population. I use Facebook, but not on a regular basis, I also never paid any attention to the online advertisements Facebook delivers. After reading of the revenue from online ads however, I respect these marketing strategies a lot more. With ad revenues reaching nearly a billion dollars, these networks need to be explored more in depth on how to reach their users. The sites are growing daily, and with the power of the internet growing at just as high of a rate, this is one great way for marketers to expand their strategies.

The article can be found on msn.com in the tech area.

Melanie's Blog

Here is a link to my blog from my advertising class.

http://melanierosej.blogspot.com/

It's an Ad Ad Ad Ad World

The article I chose is relevant to our e-marketing class because it paints a very clear picture of how advertising and marketing are going to be innovating the way we use technology in the coming years.

The article explores the new ideas emerging from David W. Kenny’s, chairmen and chief executive of Digitas, ideas that it’s only a matter of time before all of the world’s advertisements are digital. Digitas is an advertising agency in Boston that was recently acquired by the Publicis Groupe six months ago for $1.3 billion.

Mr. Kenny is now trying to reshape the digital advertising strategy for Publicis’s worldwide conglomerate, which includes advertising agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and the global accounts of Proctor & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and General Motors. Mr. Kenny’s plan is to build a global digital ad network to create thousands of versions of ads. Then, with the help of information on consumers and computer algorithms, the network will be able to decide which ads to show at every moment to each person that turns on a computer, cell phone, and the television. Mr. Kenny wants to make each advertisement that a consumer sees into a personalized message.

When I first read this article, I thought “Wow, no way! That seems impossible!” But as I read over it a few times and really sat and thought about it, I realized that this kind of technology really isn’t too far into the future. Being able to personalize an advertisement to every single person at every single moment seems quite impossible. However, with how rapidly information technology is expanding this kind of technology may really be possible in the near future. Mr. Kenny is building upon the basic ideas of companies like DoubleClick, by storing and sorting through user data the new technology will be able to directly connect with each individual consumer.

For advertisers and marketers, this seems like a great idea, in fact maybe the best idea any marketer as ever had. I can not think of a better way to reach your target audience than by being able to actually send them a personalized message every time they are surfing the web, talking on cell phones or even watching tv.

However, as a consumer, I do have a few concerns. Personally, I think that kind of technology and advertising may be a bit of information overload for a consumer. If a personalized message popped up on my cell phone every time I turned it on I would definitely be frustrated. Or every time I went to check my e-mail and ads appeared all over the place, I don’t think I would ever want to turn my computer on. Consumers like having control over what ad content they take in, and if there was shift of power back to the advertiser, I think consumers would begin to dread using the technology that they have.

My other concern would be, how do they know who is actually sitting in front of the computer or television screen? If a child is using his dad’s computer and suddenly there are adult ads popping up, who can control that? The same could be said for the television. Technology would not be able to tell what member of the household is watching the tv at that particular time, so all of the money they are spending to advertise to a certain demographic, may be a wasted effort.

From the advertiser’s perspective, I realize this is just the next big advancement in global technology. And really, Mr. Kenny is an advertising-genius for being the first to come forward and claim this idea. It could really keep consumers from filtering out ads. If a series of advertisements were able to keep a particular consumer’s attention because the ads had value to that consumer, then channels wouldn’t get changed during commercials and advertisements on the internet would not get overlooked.

E-marketing Article #2

Microsoft Tosses Ads Into the Works
By Katherine Noyes
E-Commerce Times

Microsoft is launching a pilot program to test a free, advertising funded version of Microsoft Works. It’s called Microsoft Works SE9, and it will be a desktop program instead of a web-hosted program. Recently we talked about how companies were starting to see how effective online advertising can be, and how it can be tailored to the interests of your target market. Microsoft is on of the companies considering advertising as another revenue stream for their company. They recently purchased aQuantive, which is a company that helps marketers reach their target markets through digital marketing services. No doubt they helped produce the ads that will be seen in the SE9 version of Microsoft Works. I’m curious to see how the test market will react to this product. In this age of people doing almost anything to get out of watching advertisements, do they really think people will buy a wordprocessing, spreadsheet program with ads in it that you can’t avoid just because it’s cheap? The program will retail for $39.95, which is great compared to Microsoft Office, which ranges in price from $149 to $679. Consumers will also have the option of buying it preinstalled on their PC’s, which makes it virtually free. However, there should be some concern about the brand equity in the Microsoft name, and whether this product will decrease it in any way. People purchase these products because of the service they provide. They are able to get their work done offline in an advertisement-free environment. Now Microsoft wants us to deal with advertisements offline as well. Fortunately this is just a test for now. Here is a link to the article….http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58669.html.

E-Marketing: Bloggers Consider Labor Union

This article is from.MSNBC.com It discusses the ongoing movement by a coalition of bloggers to develop a labor union. The objective of the union is to help bloggers receive health insurance, carry out collective bargaining, and set professional standards.

This movement has developed from the growing power of bloggers. Because the field of bloggers is diverse, it is unclear what type of professional organization is needed.

Most bloggers agree that having a union would allow them insurance discounts and press credentials. Others believe that a union could also help set up guidelines for advertising and data on blogger pages.

A union would lead to increased professionalism and regulation. The increase of these elements could lead to a boost of more jobs for bloggers as well as becoming a more trustworthy source of information.

Not all bloggers think unionizing is a good idea. Because there is no regulation on blogging, many consider it to be freedom of expression. Setting up unions may lead to compromising of these freedoms.

The effect of this movement on marketers is great. If bloggers begin to unionize, the will be both positive and negative consequences.

Positive effects would be regulation on bloggers. This lessens that chance that an advertisement will be placed on a distasteful website. Thus, there is less risk for a marketer placing an advertisement. Also, if regulation is enforced, it is more likely that negative blogs would be restricted. This would silence some overly critical bloggers.

A negative consequences of unionizing would be less freedom of expression. If blogs begin to restrict what can and cannot be discussed, important consumer topics could be lost. Marketers would loose a strong outlet of customer reviews that allow them to evaluate and change products and promotions.

e-marketingclass article 2: Differentiate Or Die

This article, which comes from Forbes.com, discusses how products are becoming more and more similar in the consumers’ eye, because they are not taking the time to truly differentiate themselves. Jack Trout, president of marketing at consulting firm Trout and Powers, points out how in a book he had written in 2000, Differentiate or die, told companies that in order to be successful they have to differentiate themselves from their competition, and suggestions on how to do this. Trout’s advice has been taken by many companies, but not all. He sites Coca-cola verses Pepsi as an example. Coca-cola has had a drop in sales because they have given up a lot of profit by trying to target a large population instead of a segment. He uses the fact that if Coca-cola would have differentiated themselves instead of trying to invent many new soft drinks and becoming overly diversified with everything from Coke to Diet Coke, to Cherry Coke and most recently Coke Zero, and just positioned them as a drink for more mature cola drinkers, instead of chasing everybody, they could have stopped Pepsi from becoming as large as they are today.

This article is important for marketers because it is an example of how having too wide of a target market and not being able to differentiate yourself from your competition. A company needs to look at itself and define a definite target market based on how they want to position themselves to the world. If they fail to do this, it could lead to a loss of profits, and the company loosing the strength in its name and image. Also, by marketing not differentiating the company enough, it could leave the company open to a greater loss, new competition coming in and taking its customers away. Market penetration could be easier for a company depending its size, the strength of its name and image, and how loyal its customers are. For a well established global company such as Coca-cola, it would be much harder to take away its customers, than it would be for a smaller, less established company, but it is possible if the company, no matter its size or brand name, stretches itself out too thin trying to be too many things to too many people at once. It’s a marketer’s job to notice when this starts to happen, and try to help the company reorganize itself and take steps towards reaching its primary target audience(s), before it looses them completely.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

E-marketingclass article summary #2 (Hodgeman)

In our e-marketingclass we’ve created a blog and discussed the importance of blogs to potential marketers. I found the following article very relevant and very important to the success of blogs and many other e-marketing activities.

The article discusses tags and the importance of them to consumers and marketers at the same time. In the article they state that “the real goal of tags is to allow people to find what they are looking for quickly”. As an online user, many people use tags and probably aren’t even aware of it. On facebook, or myspace if a user uploads a photo and names the photo, that would be a perfect example of the user tagging their content.

Tags become relevant for marketers through keyword searches. Tags give advertisers the ability to keep ads very relevant to what the consumer is searching for. An example in the referenced article was that if you type in “auto show” you should get car ads on the results screen. Marketers have to be especially careful when tagging their content because it can directly affect the market they reach and the effectiveness of their advertising campaign.

Technorati and Amazon.com are two examples of companies which heavily use tags. Technorati recently started to sell the tags and even sells bundles of tags which result in words related to each other. The selling of tags is very similar to what Google did in selling the results of popular search items. This is just another example of how a company can make money in the ever expanding e-marketing environment.

The development of tags is just another avenue that marketers can target their audience through. Tags originally weren’t developed for that purpose but as online marketing develops and consumers online usage increases, the need for new ways to reach your audience also increases. Advertisers will have to evaluate if this is an avenue in which they will need to expand their concentrations. If they feel it will benefit their company and the profits accumulated then I expect to see a lot more companies investing in this form of advertising.

As a consumer, I feel tags are a very good thing and keep my internet searches relevant. Some people feel that the advertising is excessive and hurts the online experience but at the same time there are others who are doing the online searches only to try and find potential products to purchase and love every relevant advertisement thrown their way. Without tags it would be difficult to find what you’re looking for and overall I feel tags benefit both marketers who need to reach the masses and the public who wants fast relevant search results.

Democrats are Trying Anything to Get Elected

In the article Liberal Bloggers Boo Hillary Clinton at DailyKos Convention, were able to read of the new strategy some Democrats are using in hopes of getting elected. Democrats are reaching out to the internet community by hosting debates with questions fielded from online bloggers. The article discusses how the internet has helped to create new media outlets and given voters the power to express their opinions or disseminate information in a global forum. Rather than politicians marketing a product, these Democrats are trying to convince voters of their "Excellent Policies", or not so excellent.

It appears that these bloggers are rather intelligent people. The article discusses that Clinton is viewed skeptically by the blogging community, mainly for her history of hawkish views on Iraq.

If you would like to view a rather entertaining video on Hillary Clinton, check out this
"Apple Commercial." Disclosure: This video is not intended to show support for Obama, but rather for entertainment purposes only! It's just another channel for e-marketing!

You can visit Mike's E-marketingclass Blog for other interesting links and videos.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Mark's E-marketingclass Blog

Here is a link to my Blog

This is not about having a bad hair day

It's about having a bad domain name, such as Waveradio.com. When Bose -- the electronics firm that has rights to the WAVE trademark -- complained to the National Arbitration Forum, the NAF ruled that Waveradio.com infringed.

The decision provides a look into some of the legal principles involved. For example, infringement is based on the idea that a name confuses consumers. So, typically, when one mark is found to infringe on another, the two marks are in the same class of consumer goods.

If Waveradio.com had offered hair care products (that let you curl your hair while listening to the radio) instead of "...all you've dreamed Internet radio to be," I doubt there would be infringement, because consumers are not likely to confuse a hair care product with a radio.

But what's not clear to me is exactly why the NAF ruled the party that registered Waveradio.com as a domain name was acting in bad faith. The board notes the party registered it then tried to sell it to Bose for a large sum. But I see lots of domain names for sale on Websites that register domain names for the public. Did the board issue its bad faith finding because the party registered Waveradio.com with the intent to target a particular company? Did the decision stand up to an appeal?

I'm not sure and I'm not an attorney and do not claim to dispense legal advice. Anyway, have a good (hair) day!
link to decision

Creating Your Own Blog

In class yesterday we walked through the basics of setting up your own blog. Thanks to everyone who took this step. I encourage you all to go through this exercise so you can see just how easy it is for someone to generate web content. With any luck, we'll begin to have visibility on a search engine especially if we remain diligent about generating meaningful commentary (on your individual blogs as well as the class blog).

A few notes to consider...

Remember to always include a reference to the keyword we're trying to establish visibility for, "e-marketingclasss". Try to incorporate this keyword in each of your posts along with other variations (like e-marketing class, emarketing class, etc). e-marketingclass is not a real word (nor is it used on any other sites) so this should make it a little easier for us to learn about how search engines index keywords (which is what I want to demonstrate in our class).

Also, please be sure to reference the class blog in your post (e-marketingclass.blogspot.com). However, don't just put a link to the site with no content around it...we need content as well as the link.

See you in class!

E-marketingclass Article Summary

With a lot of the recent e-marketingclass discussion surrounding the consequences of advertisements being placed on web sites such as MySpace and FaceBook, I found the following article to be rather interesting and appropriate for our e-marketingclass.

The article discusses the recent deal struck between Microsoft and Digg. Digg, a relative newcomer to the online market is one of the fastest growing web sites. The two companies both hope to benefit from the deal. According to Kimberly Hill of Ecommerce Times, “Microsoft now stands to be a major player in the online advertising space as the company struck a deal with Web content aggregator Digg to be its exclusive provider of display and contextual advertising. The plan is to bring integrated programs to Digg’s users and advertisers.”

So what does this mean exactly? Very simply, Digg will be able to focus less on advertising infrastructure and more on innovation. Furthermore, Microsoft is getting a chance to become a serious player in the online advertising space. Rob Enderle summed it up nicely by stating, “These two companies are playing Monopoly using the world as a board, and Microsoft is the old master that has been getting its butt kicked by Google, the new player.”

So what does this deal mean for consumers and marketers? First, some marketers do not believe that consumers will even notice the changes on Digg, at least in the short term. With Digg, user-generated content is the sites strong point. Users of Digg are able to look at articles and than rate and rank them on the Web. According to Hill, “News publishers, bloggers and even corporate public relations teams are fair game for readers who either like or don’t like what they see.” By teaming up with Microsoft, Digg is hoping that the consumer will appreciate a more sophisticated approach to online advertising rather than advertising that offers no value. In hopes of this, the two companies are working together on future technology and advertising initiatives in addition to Microsoft running Digg’s current advertisements. Here is where the battle between Google and Microsoft heats up. There is an increasing effort for marketers to improve on targeting and segmenting their audiences in order to provide content relevant advertisements. With Google's recent purchase of DoubleClick, it appears that they are committed to becoming a dominant player in display advertising. However, Google does not have the relationships required to make that happen. Through the purchase of DoubleClick, they believe that this can happen. It may also be important to point out that Google also owns YouTube. Microsoft has realized that Google is heading in the direction of online advertising and that if they are successful, they will own the revenue that comes with it. I believe that the deal between Microsoft and Digg was a move designed to respond to Google's strategy. However, Microsoft was one of the companies complaining about anti-trust issues related to Google and DoubleClick. With this new deal in place, it may only help Google.

The plan between Digg and Microsoft is to bring integrated programs to Digg’s users and advertisers. This is going to allow consumers to receive ads that they are interested in seeing. One of the problems facing MySpace is that it has become cluttered with advertisements that have no value to the user. Digg is attempting to target their advertisements so that the users do not defect or view Digg as selling out. Digg has been attempting to position itself as an online community, however, if it becomes cluttered with display ads they risk losing those members of their community. Through this new deal, Digg will be able to keep intact the “Digg Community” without it becoming cluttered with ads. In return, Microsoft will benefit by becoming a bigger player in online advertising. Advertisers will benefit by having the opportunity to target specific consumers with content specific ads.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Monday, July 30, 2007

The Importance of Blogs

Here is an article that discusses the importance of blogs. While some do not believe that they are an effective direct marketing tool, they do have a place in today's marketing efforts.

Search Engine Marketing

Here is an article that discusses the value of Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization in the B2B market.

Issues Related to an Open Facebook

Interesting article in the news today that highlights one of the many issues Facebook must deal with now that it has opened itself up to the rest of the world. Myspace has encountered similar problems in the past. What can be done about this? What does this do to the attractiveness of such sites from a consumer's perspective? What about a marketer's perspective?

Yet another important topic for our e-marketingclass. No, this is not a typo..."e-marketingclass" is the keyword we're trying to become recognized on the search engines for (hence the name, "e-marketingclass.blogspot.com). Be sure to include this keyword (spelled the same way) on your posts and other sites that reference this one.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

AdSense Addition

I added an AdSense page element (ads display in the side navigation) to demonstrate how contextual text ads can be implemented on a blog. These text ads can potentially serve as a source of revenue (although I won't give up my day job just yet). The ads should change as the content on blog incorporates relevant text.

It may take up to 48 hours for relevant ads to show up. In the meantime, it looks like some generic ads are displaying. I'll add a few keywords to help Google determine what type of ads to display.

Since this is an e-marketing class, I expect that some sort of "e-marketing" or "emarketing" resources are displayed. For example, perhaps we'll see ads from e-marketing consulting firms or an ad or two from e-mail marketing software providers such as icontact.

To help the search engine, I'm also including a useful link to Online Marketing on Wikipedia

Thursday, July 26, 2007

First Post! - E-MarketingClass

This site has been set up to demonstrate some of the concepts we cover in our e-marketing class.

This blog will be used for discussing the topics such as search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and the various approaches marketers use to increase the visibility of their company/product.

The goal is to use this blog in a hands-on fashion to demonstrate how various techniques can be used to increase visibility on the web.

Keywords: e-marketingclass; emarketingclass, e-marketing class. We'll see if that helps any ;-)