Internet Marketing Blog

Craigslist Shuts Down Adult Services Section

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In a late report on Friday, the online classified website Craigslist shut down their adult services section. Many critics, including Craigslist executives, believe that if the section was removed permanently, sex advertisements would gravitate to other parts of the site, undermining their integrity. Currently, the classified executives reserve comment until further notice, which is hardly surprising. According to a report on Information Week, Craigslist gains 30% of their $122 million revenue stream through the adult services section. The emergence of geolocation in social media is also a threat to their viability as a local advertising website. Security measures have become a higher priority for online users, and Craigslist has a shaky history with predators. The issue opens another discussion for this topic: website surveillance.

Craigslist has claimed to employ U.S. lawyers to manually siphon advertisements that promote illegal services. Executives believe this is far more effective than automated surveillance, and even think that overly aggressive content management can enter the domain of censorship. I think that websites, especially classified, have a certain level of responsibility for the content displayed on their website. Surely, Craigslist is doing what they can to ensure the safety of their customers. But it’s a little harder to believe their effort when the issue at hand is a dependable revenue stream and a new market develops which could obliterate their existence with superior technology. They have also done little to upgrade the site for an improved user experience. It still maintains the sophomorific text lines and layout. These developments could signal the end of Craigslist, or just a slow fade into the oblivion.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Click Fraud, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC), blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, click fraud agency new york, craigslist, digital marketing agency new york, online advertising

True Cybercrimes

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As social media gains popularity in our common lives, protection of our identity becomes paramount.  One who is more of a dilettante to viral socializing may just decide to deactivate themselves, which is fine.  Others who value social media as a portal to entertainment and interaction plan to investigate their privacy rights according to the website policy, seeking loopholes in data accessibility in order to close them.  

The advancement of smartphone technology will only intensify the sharing of personal information across hardware and channels, so diligence need apply.  We are already seeing this with the development of geolocation, a practice where one can update their point on Earth in real time.  Security concerns have been shared on this space and the cyberworld, so delving in farther is unnecessary.

Despite all of this emerging concern with the increase of channel platforms to transfer data between your laptop, mobile phone, video game console, and the like, the public remains concerned about traditional cybercrimes such as identity theft.  Banks remain the least trusted business, according to recent survey done by Kindsight.  I have heard stories about security fraud in the past and present, as banks would infiltrate their customers with phishing messages while touting the finest security emblems on their webpage.  Credit histories are at stake when e-commerce transactions go haywire. When it comes to banking, however, many people have lifestyles today that do not permit the time to wait in a teller line for routine transactions. Larger firms, in light of the financial settlement passed by Congress, have taken steps to mitigate this personal service by assessing fees.  It will affect several demographics, namely senior citizens who are not technologically efficient.  This situation deserves monitoring by all, as the restrictive legal elements have yet to make a measurable impact.

Millennial who are savvy with their hardware and software easily make the adjustments necessary to protect their personal identity online.  Others struggle with the societal shift to online distribution of personal data, and whether they become successful remains to be seen.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Blog Marketing, Click Fraud, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, World, blog, eCommerce | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, Click Fraud, click fraud security, identity theft, kindsight, preventing click fraud, Social Media Marketing

Need Online Security? Call DoubleVerify

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Online advertising can bring out the best of creativity or the worst of security, known as click fraud.  Facebook is going through this with their privacy issues that surfaced in the spring.  Nobody has really stepped up, but DoubleVerify intends to make an effort.

DoubleVerify assist with online merchants, advertisers, publishers, and the like to ensure online accountability.  They are looking to build an advertising base so that they can establish credibility within the community. The next step would help ensure that advertising campaigns are being run in good faith and transparent with digital consumers.  Digital marketers are still struggling with privacy issues and security breaches online in terms of soliciting relevant data from consumer bases to tailor their campaigns.  With new users logging into social media networks daily, click fraud measures can no longer be taken lightly.

One of the biggest issues in click fraud security has been the stealing of ad tags, which allow those said ads to run illegally on malicious websites.  Many private entities and China do their diligence to expose spyware on the web, but the fight will be long. For those interested, double your verification here.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Click Fraud, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner Marketing, doubleverify, new york click fraud agency, online advertising agency, web advertising ny

China Wants Personal Browsers

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With the Google standoff drawing to a halt for now, the Beijing regulators turn towards a different, but possibly more divergent task.  According to a newswire from the Associated Press, China now seeks to reduce anonymity in their cyberspace domain.  One of the steps is to require citizens to give their real name when buying mobile technology or entering a browser.

Clearly, this will affect the celestial exchange of information that Google envisions to procreate between academic professionals and students discussing their scholastic journals combined with the expanding portfolio of media services.  Much of the publicity generated from this standoff can only serve to bring a stronger spotlight to security breaches.  Our federal government has taken steps to provide stronger protocols in the name of ecommerce transactions, but has largely laid off regulating public forums.  The roots of this different viewpoint of cyberspace regulation lie in geographical and cultural differences that have been probed with more depth on other information sources.

I will say that despite China’s antipathy towards viral expression, conversations are still being shared about censorship and geopolitics.  They can’t stop the legion of offshore development that transcends national boundaries, real or imagined.  As a growing economic power, China will be depended on as a conduit of digital development due to the growing educated populance.  Many engineers and software developers need to access information anonymously in order to conduct sensitive research.  They will be better off if they accept this position of responsibility rather than pretend that the secret society is still in play online.  Chairman Mao is not walking through the door.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Click Fraud, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, World, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, associated press china, Blueliner Marketing, click fraud security, google china controversy, internet privacy, new york click fraud agency

Your Thoughts Matter Online

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One may think that tooting your own horn online can lead to identity theft or click fraud.  The stance is understandable, but largely jaded.  For others, tooting your own horn can pay large dividends.  The public review website, Yelp, has thousands of reviewers that have reached “elite” status.  Yelp, for the uninitiated, offers locals to discuss the merits and disasters of businesses ranging from pet stores to dentists.  Cynics see that as free advertising or disservice for their establishments.

Online reviewers, however, see it as an opportunity to build a valid marketing foundation, followed by a legitimate business opportunity for online advertisers.  After ‘Yelpers’ establish their profile online, they get invited to networking soirees where the online friends establish a human connection.  The meetings round out the experience for elite reviewers.  Their creative expression blossoms, breeding power for both the merchant and product.

Amazon has also generated reviewer cadres over time, which has brought fractious words from certain groups.  They tend to target authors in which they have a grudge against, devaluing the experience for those involved.  For better or worse, their presence is felt among online communities.  Pioneers of online discussion may stick around because they have competitive juices which are nourished by voicing their opinion, which is held in high regard. Some have moved on to the various social media sites which are abound, while others may have to just go to the local tavern or restaurant, where their names are known by everyone.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Click Fraud, blog, eCommerce, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, amazon, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, Click Fraud, new york social media agency, online advertising, online community, yelp

Senate Approves Online Marketing Protection Bill

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This past Wednesday was still generating buzz from the release of iPhone 4 and Yahoo’s Internet Week Conference in Manhattan.  Under the radar, though, the Senate quietly approved three bills, one of which will affect online marketing.  Senate Committee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller, Democrat of West Virginia, offered the legislation, effectively barring companies from automatically passing a consumer’s credit or debit card information to a third-party online partner.  It would also require those third-party merchants to clearly disclose terms of the offer to consumers.

According to an article from The National Journal’s Tech Daily Dose, Rockefeller started an investigation of companies using data-pass marketing tactics to mislead consumers into signing up for discount membership clubs and other services as part of other online transactions with respected online retail sites.  The three firms cited in the report were Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty. They had partnered with established retail firms to enroll millions of unsuspecting consumers netting more than $1 billion in revenues for these firms and their partners.

The committee also noticed that refunds were difficult to obtain from these three firms.  They had created policies to minimize the amount of money they would have to return to consumers that inadvertently enrolled into clubs.

The firms have changed their policies in light of the investigation, but it goes to show that you can never be too careful in purchasing products online.  It is imperative to be cognizant of all the factors at play, including the fine print, your bank accounts, and holding a confirmation note.  I found it discouraging to hear that payment systems operated by American Express, MasterCard, and Visa were continually being accessed by these firms to perpetrate these fraudulent practices.  Microsoft took a hard stance against click laundering, and the consumer must do the same for their own sake.  If one sees a note asking for third-party information, always say no.  You can live without passing that around the internet.  This situation will be monitored here.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Click Fraud, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner Marketing, Click Fraud, iab smartbrief, new york ecommerce development agency, online marketing, senate online marketing bill, senate online privacy bill

Click Laundering Overtakes Microsoft

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A new form of click fraud lingers online where a website gets credit for clicks disguised as legitimate online advertising.  It’s known as ‘click laundering’.  Microsoft was a victim last week and has subsequently filed a lawsuit against RedOrbit, a science news website and other unknown defendants.  The alleged fraud took place on Microsoft’s AdCenter network.  Fraudsters have learned to get around detections by using false parked websites to push ad traffic through to the internet.  The traffic can either come from malware hiding on computers which hijack the browser or botnets programmed to click on the ads without the user knowing it.  If the user clicks on what seems to be a search result code hidden on the site, it registers as a click on an ad.  RedOrbit has denied the allegations and plans to defend themselves in court.  Stay tuned here for updates.  

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Click Fraud, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, arman rousta, Click Fraud, microsoft redorbit lawsuit, new york website design agency, online advertising, parked websites, redorbit

Blippy Users Exposed

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The intended result of online advertising is online purchasing. One must use a credit card to make that transaction, or use PayPal. PayPal, out of personal experience with Ebay, is not always your pal since they are not covered by the FDIC. They can withhold a transaction at their discretion, and nothing can be done.

Again, internet security is far from guaranteed, despite site builders claiming absolute security of shared confidential information.  Today, on Mashable, an article was posted about the social networking site for spenders: Blippy.  The premise of sharing your credit card purchase online not only looks and sounds like a cyber death warrant, it is a cyber death warrant.  Mashable states that credit card numbers of Blippy site users appear in Google search results.  Advertisers can have a field day with all this private information, in terms of segmenting their campaigns for target bases, which is not unlike Facebook’s vision for the “Like” button. Hackers could just play with your hard drive and damage it.  Either way is not appetizing.

The critical issue is also the breach of Blippy’s security system.  Their integrity as a social network clearly comes into question.  As we speak, their server is being updated to repair a probable bug causing the issue.  Mashable will have updates to this story here. Nevertheless, anyone with common sense would not sign up for Blippy any time in the near future.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Blog Marketing, Business News, Click Fraud, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, blippy, Blueliner Marketing, credit card security, ebay, online advertising, paypal

Harvard Profressor Uncovers New Click Fraud Scheme

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Click fraud is a serious issue within PPC advertising and one on which Blueliner takes a firm stand. In May, Blueliner CEO Arman Rousta released a five-part video series detailing the problem and offering insights on how Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft can address click fraud. In the meantime, the search engines have done little to fix the problem while those responsible have introduced new methods of fraud.

Just last week, Harvard professor Ben Edelman discovered and reported on an insidious scheme that not only perpetrated click fraud, but also incorrectly credited these clicks with conversions. Edelman’s findings are serious, although not shocking to those who have been following click fraud over the years.

Rousta adds, “Click fraud is a serious issue and there are many companies and people cheating out there, with the assistance and compliance of Google, not to mention other ad networks. I agree with Ben Edelman in his assessment that Google is evading the issue of click fraud and refusing to take steps necessary to prevent the types of scams that are described. Frankly, it would probably cut into 20% of Google’s short-term revenues to do so, but in the long run, the high road approach will lead to a better product offering, more trust from advertisers and good karma overall.”

Typically, if you are closely monitoring the traffic and conversions coming from your PPC campaign, you can see the signs of possible click fraud. However, in this case, the click fraud actually looks like a conversion. You may see the reports and naturally assume that your campaign is just performing better and driving more sales.

As spyware and fraudulent technologies continue to advance, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft must step-up their efforts to fight click fraud and ensure advertisers that their money is being spent responsibly.

Posted by Chris Walbert
Posted in 7 Pillars of Internet Marketing, Click Fraud, Pay Per Click (PPC), online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: arman rousta, Ben Edelman, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, Chris Walbert, Click Fraud, cpc, fraud, pay per click, ppc

Click Fraud Series: Part 5, Conclusions and Next Steps

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So the Click Fraud series concludes with a discussion on what’s the next step for all interested parties.  Stay tuned with our blog to see how things unfold.

Posted by Arman Rousta
Posted in 7 Pillars of Internet Marketing, Click Fraud, Interactive Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC), blog, online advertising | 1 Comment »
Tags: advice for President Obama, Big Three, Click Fraud, interactive agency, pay per click advertising, preventing click fraud