When did advertising become more important than published content?
An incident happened last week — I tweeted a caustic expletive directed at DoubleClick knowing that only my tribe would read the invective. What realization occurred that would have me throw political correctness out the window? It was the moment when I realized DoubleClick behaved as if their advertising was more important, perhaps more desirable, than the actual published content that I had clicked to experience. Or, maybe the ad platform/producer just isn’t aware of how their technology rubs up against other technologies...
Don't Flippa off your customers
As a business owner, there's a time to listen to your customers. There's a time to respond to them. And on rare occasions, there's a time to tell them to take a hike.
Unfortunately, the majority of companies that tell their customers to get lost do so for the wrong reasons. Such is the case with SitePoint, which has upset many of the loyal users of its website marketplace, one of the most popular forums for buying and selling developed websites on the internet.
Socio-technical systems: a little theory goes a long way
From worrying if Twitter really is a useful business tool, to getting a pain in your neck from using your laptop in bed, we are all affected by socio-technical systems.
I recently contributed to the Handbook of Research on Socio-Technical Design and Social Networking Systems, a book focusing on how we combine our knowledge of technology and society to improve both technical performance and personal wellbeing.
There are no easy answers to how you design socio-technical systems, and this book presents an invaluable and unique overview of a vast and confusing field. But one reason why I think it is particularly difficult nowadays is that social relationships are so much more complex than they appear on the surface. Arguably all behaviour is social, as we observe ourselves and form opinions about how others see us.
Local SEM: churn baby, churn
Search engine marketing is big business. But when it comes to serving small, local businesses, SEM providers in all parts of the SEM food chain appear to have some big problems.
That's according to a study conducted by Borrell Associates, which looked at SEM amongst local businesses.
How to defeat SEO snake oil
The SEO business is no stranger to the phrase 'snake oil'. Plenty of it has been sold over the years.
This, of course, doesn't mean that SEO efforts aren't legitimate and that there aren't reputable SEOs; SEO is extremely important for most online businesses and there are plenty of competent practitioners who can provide real value to their clients.
Ten terrible terms used in online marketing
The best and worst thing about being present at the dawn of the internet is watching the new language that has been developed to cope with it.
With the news that 'noob' may be about to make it into the dictionary, I gave some thought to the language we online marketers are responsible for and, I have to admit, we have created our fair share of terrible terminology. We also routinely use some horrible generic marketing terms.
European Commission wants software protections
When it comes to software, should consumers be entitled to the same protections they receive when purchasing physical products?
If two European Commission Commissioners have their way, consumers will.
Does mobile need an enterprise app store?
Are marketers including enterprise mobile applications in their media planning? Are deals to be done with big companies that have big B2B brands and their own micro -ecosystem? If you haven't thought enterprise yet, it's time to do so!
Look down from 40,000 feet and you will see two vertical channels for selling mobile phones: enterprise consumers and everyone else. The enterprise consumer acquires the mobile phone by purchasing the device from the market or receiving it from the I.T. department.
6 things your business is overpaying for online
The economy is still hurting and businesses are still cutting back.
But there are plenty of little (and not so little) things that businesses are still overpaying for online that can add up to real savings when addressed.
Revenue growth to halve for UK online publishers this year: report
Everybody knows that it's tough out there. There are glimmers of hope but the global recession marches onward.
One thing that hasn't been so clear: just how bad (or not-so-bad) the situation is.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
