The 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing Blog

Weekly Blueliner Newsminer October 30, 2010 – 6:51 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Hello, everyone.  My Friday wrapup was delayed due to a staff Halloween party.  Some key events happened that may not immediately affect the digital marketing world, but could be prominent in the future.  Let’s begin.

1.  Microsoft Experiences A Profit Boom

Could the tide be turning for Microsoft?  After recently unveiling their new portfolio of Windows 7 mobile phones, the blue chip posted a raise in profit margins of up to 51%.  The strength of this rise can be marked to an increase in purchases of the new Windows 7 by businesses at all levels.  While Vista was universally panned by everyone, the new operating system’s positive response bodes well for the health of computer sales.  As the WSJ mentions, this long-term growth will be dependent on whether they can enter the mobile market with technology that consumers want, ranging from mobile applications to tablets.

2.  YouTube Hits 1 Billion Subscriptions

Many in the media industry feel that Google has yet to make a statement in social media, with the failures of Buzz and other efforts.  Regardless, its purchase of YouTube remains a seminal moment. YouTube now stands as the pioneer of video sharing, where anyone can upload content from multiple channels.  Performance artists have revolutionized the website’s ability to infiltrate cyberspace without the benefit of professional audial or video equipment.  Thus, the video for music studios was killed and reborn.  Lady Gaga’s video channel reached 1 billion views.  Her abilities are evident, but it is highly doubtful that she becomes an international superstar without YouTube, where corporate management can control content distribution without using a costly production budget. They also are not depending on her videos to elicit optimum record sales.  YouTube has offered a widget for video developers to embed on their sites.  Viewers can subscribe to channels even if outside of the site.  Click here for more details.

3.  MySpace Calls It A Comeback

I wrote a short piece this week on the rebranding of MySpace for the social media market, although it’s unclear how different those changes will be now that Facebook has become the leader.  MySpace plans to further segment themselves as a portal of media distribution for bands and singers on the rise.  As the Mashable piece mentions, MySpace also is developing a new user called the curator.  If a user gains a following in a social trend, you gain access to several tools to unlock exclusive content and engage with true fans.  The concept is similar to the true premise of social media marketing, but for MySpace, it’s all dependent on the execution.  At least they cleaned up the website.

4.  Opposition in Vietnam Silenced By Virus

This story was intriguing to me due to its coverage of a topic not prominent in mainstream media.  Internet security is becoming a task in which governments use web development for manipulate reasons, namely to silence communication. Vietnam long has been a nation of conflict where insurgencies from within and outside have sought control.  The story also mentions that viruses have been used in parts of Russia to counteract insurgencies.  Click fraud is real, people, and it goes beyond consumer products.

5. Politics of the Mouse

The midterm elections of 2010 next Tuesday represent another watershed in politics, as disillusioned voters have created online communities that have morphed into Tea Parties, who are stepping up their presence with demonstrations and activism in the public.  Business leaders and voters have foreshadowed the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate changing several seats with some suspecting a Republican sweep.  The results will come in by this time next week, and it speaks to the power of digital media as a force to organize discourse, emotion, and information.  We have seen the Obama administration use social media to incredible effects in the 2008 election. It would be the height of irony if Congress was flipped in the same method.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
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Tags: Blueliner Marketing, Click Fraud, digital marketing agency nyc, internet marketing ny, new york seo media agency, new york social media agency, web development agency nyc, weekly blueliner newsminer

21st Century Federal Surveillance September 28, 2010 – 2:42 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Net neutrality may not become the only subject to infiltrate and suppress the frenetic, open world of internet cyberspace. According to this report from The New York Times, sweeping regulations plan to be pushed through Congress by national security officials allowing surveillance officials to wiretap digital devices or any direct peer messaging services e.g. social media sites, Skype.  The bill has been crafted by the Obama administration and will probably not reach the legislature until early next year, and its chances are truly unknown with the upcoming House and Senate elections in November.

Not unlike the Patriot Act after 9/11, one wonders if this could be another overreach by federal bureaucrats to mindlessly survey the private denizen when the strategy could be used for a grander purpose, such as lessening identity theft cases and measuring the true threat of click fraud measures.  The federal and global governments have taken a long time to craft financial regulations. Banks that misappropriated funds in the open marketplace felt the punch, but the feds really have not taken a stance on the rising security breaches within these systems that are pushing consumers to use online banking management systems.  At the moment, it appears that bureaucrats want to parallel the strategy of traditional telephones, but the hardwire is completely different.

Federal bureaucrats must also be careful of forcing through regulations that will stifle the opportunity for venture capitalists to innovate greater interactive technologies that can manifest our communicative potential.  Currently, we are in an age where mobile devices are changing the pace in which we receive information. Chips soon will process the transmission of those details with fewer codes in warp speed.  Whether that pace is healthy remains up for debate, but the federal system should aim to protect the marketplace’s right to experiment while surveying the hackers. A tough balance, but not impossible.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Click Fraud, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, click fraud security, federal surveillance internet, Mobile Applications

The New Twitter Site Launches September 15, 2010 – 3:05 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Today, the Twitterati will rejoice as the fast-growing social media network releases a new website layout that is geared for greater interactive marketing. For some reason, I have yet to receive the new layout with my account, but will give an addendum to this piece once I test drive it.  For a video explanation of Twitter’s new layout scheme, click on the Tweetbird.

First off, you will find an enlargened search box to incorporate more online advertising through the hashtags. The layout is also easier to navigate, with simple click access between mentions, retweets, searches, and lists. The right panel is much larger and holds more content, including who you follow, who follows you, recommendations, and more. Users can also post, view photos and stream video, which will attract use of the parent website more than third-party applications such as TweetDeck and HootSuite.

An increased profile presentation will allow the user to develop more of a personal connection with fellow tweeters, although I feel personally, this takes away the website’s charm. Many individuals use the site for live media streams or seeking a tweetup.  I feel that it aims to spread the word, then see where the leaves settle, rather than Facebook’s initiative, which demands connection regardless of your desires, instantaneous or broad.  The company has been slow to optimize their website for user interactivity but this layout is a first step for advertisers to manage their social media campaigns. The partnership with Flickr, YouTube, and YFrog also increases the search optimization potential for tweets and hashtags, as images correlate on the same panel. The Huffington Post has a slideshow of other features, which can be viewed here.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC), search engine marketing, Search Engine Optimization | 2 Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing nyc, Interactive Marketing, new twitter layout, pay per click advertising agency, seo media agency ny, Social Media Marketing, web advertising agency

Craigslist Shuts Down Adult Services Section September 7, 2010 – 4:11 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

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 blog, Business News, Click Fraud, Content Marketing, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC) | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, click fraud agency new york, craigslist, digital marketing agency new york, Digital Media

True Cybercrimes September 2, 2010 – 3:16 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

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.

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

Yahoo and Microsoft Deal For Some Of The Search Marbles August 31, 2010 – 3:42 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Yahoo!, after a period of management disarray, is settling into a full search partnership with Microsoft.  A couple days back, the technology firm aligned their services with Microsoft’s Bing to help leverage market share against Google in the search advertising industry.  The technology giants agreed to a ten-year contract with the goal to be a serious contender.  Yahoo was motivated to enter this direction to reduce expenses incurred from years of fiscal mismanagement leading to a reduced stock price quote.  Microsoft wanted to test new search algorithms and expand their product strategies with Bing, which is also aligned with Facebook’s wealth of personal profile data.  Bing needs to recoup startup expenses incurred and this is a start on that path.

Neither company is capable of catching Google alone, but as mentioned, offer unique abilities that can complement one another.  First off, companies are looking to use Bing as a search index and have an ability to negotiate pay-per-click rates more palatable with their budgets.  Bing needs to gain credibility with local and national businesses, and will not cut off their nose to spite their face.  Facebook’s new geolocation application, Places, can drive up search indexes even more as users entrust the privacy settings installed online.  Yahoo wants to gain credibility as a content provider, and possesses loyal visitors who use the website for assorted page applications such as Finance, News, and Sports.  They can now focus on delivering that content with more quality.

In a perfect world, the companies will save resources, while creating a vacuum for research and development that offers a premium price point for online advertisers.  Innovative technologies will present themselves and shift seamlessly between platforms. Here are some thoughts from advertisers at the San Francisco SES Conference on the impact.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
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Tags: Bing, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, Chris Walbert, ppc, ppc advertising, seo media agency, yahoo microsoft deal

Weekly Blueliner Newsminer August 30, 2010 – 1:39 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Good afternoon, everyone.  We are back with the Weekly Blueliner Newsminer, a Monday edition.

1.  Paul Allen Sues Apple, Google, over patents

This story broke on Friday afternoon.  It’s not unlike the suit by Larry Ellison of Oracle over Java Technology, but equally as laughable.  According to the piece, Allen had been sitting on these patents for years and just now realized that they have value.  It’s like the alphabet inventors suing the estate of James Joyce because they are still making revenue from the sales of Ulysses.  I’ve documented on the space about the mobile technology being in a virtual shootout for control.  This is just another gun firing the pistol.

2.  HP and Dell square off for 3Par

HP and Dell continue to reach outside of their traditional customer PC markets by bidding for the data management firm.  The latest word is that 3Par executives consider HP to have a superior presentation and plan to nullify the agreement with Dell.  Both corporations are looking to gain control in the race for cloud computing.  Cloud computing is an emerging industry with remote data centers offsite.  Firms now are expanding their reach into the market with CRM solutions that can be an asset for small businesses.   These days, tech firms are looking to exhaust their piles of cash on the balance sheet.  Whether their decisions benefit shareholders will be seen later on.

3.  Yahoo and Microsoft team up to counter Google

After two years of rebuffing the pursuit, Yahoo and Google team up to gain market share in search advertising.  Bing, Microsoft’s emerging search index, has made moves with an alliance with Facebook, who presents a wealth of personal data for marketers seeking to leverage revenue from social media.    Small businesses will have a wider array of pay per click rates to choose from that fits their respective budgets.  Yahoo receives a strong chunk of the revenue gained from search on their site, while Microsoft provides the algorithms. Both companies can also start experimenting with product innovation, giving hope to restoring Yahoo’s former glory as a search leader.

4.  Intel makes a second deal in two weeks; this time for Infineon

Intel continues to expand into wireless technology buy purchasing Infineon.  Infineon specializes in electronics for automobiles along with producing chips for security cards.  Intel’s track record of expansion has been relatively weak of late, and it is unclear when the investment will return dividends since mobile technology has negligible security issues at this time.  This should be nice for Infineon, as they can focus on product innovation, which has been their weakness.

5.  Google to Acquire Angstro

Google acquired this start-up to build their portfolio and challenge the social media industry, where Facebook clearly is the titan. Angstro has developed applications that mine personal data to deliver search results on a person’s professional network. Angstro also creates social networks and caller IDs for sites like LinkedIn.  Google is clearly worried about Facebook as an emerging search presence and after the disaster of Buzz, looks to pull a rabbit out of their hat. It could be too little, too late.

That’s the Blue news for now. See you next week.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC) | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, internet marketing agency ny, new york interactive media agency, weekly blueliner newsminer

For Google, Yelp Will Not August 26, 2010 – 5:32 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

The launch of Facebook Places last week is rustling more than privacy settings.  Their rivals are now sparring against one another. In a current report, Yelp has struck a deal with Google to remove their content from Google Places, since the pay-per-click credit would fall to advertisers on Google Places and not Yelp, despite their influential business review to extract a consumer purchasing decision.  Yelp had a syndicated relationship that ended in 2006, but their reviews content appeared after the partnership’s termination.  After a meeting between both site executives, Google promised to remove the content.  Yelp still wants to surface in Google’s search index results, especially with Caffeine as an additive, pun intended.  

Those unsure of the distinction between the two can follow this distinction.  Google Places is seeking to overtake Yelp, Facebook, Craigslist, and other classified search hubs through acquiring third party publisher sites.  Third party publisher sites are created for advertisers to provide server space, campaign delivery, and reporting facilities needed to show content at an optimal cost.  Yelp clearly doesn’t have the financial resources of Google, so third party publishing is a fiber of their cyberspace identity with cookies being the sweet tooth. Cookies are placed on viewed websites to eliminate repeat pop-ups per page open, establish an advertising sequence, and monitor web traffic for analytical reports.  It gives them the platform for their unique customer reviewers to post routinely, creating a bucolic online community.  I think this will be a permanent discontinuation since the e-classified market needs to distinguish itself.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC) | 1 Comment »
Tags: Affiliate Marketing, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, facebook places, google places, internet marketing agency ny, new york mobile marketing agency, yelp

Pay Per Call Advertising from Skype July 29, 2010 – 3:14 pm				admin

Skype users are able to call, send text messages, or video chat with other Skype users for free.  They are charged with a small rate if a user makes a call to land lines or mobile phone numbers from their computers.  Skype is growing every day and has over half a billion registered users.  Now, Skype introduces a new technique to add revenue with the new pay per call ad unit.  This new type of advertising will turn phone numbers into small advertisements to about 560 million users of Skype service.

Click and call advertising service of Skype allows the users to make free calls to participating businesses found on any web page. This allows the advertisers to get easy access to the consumers or prospects.  Consumers can also call businesses free of cost using Skype. The advertisements will appear in blue, saying “Free call,” in addition to Skype numbers that appear in gray color. Skype offers this service in association with Marchex, which provides analytics for the services. Advertisers can plan a monthly budget based on the number of calls they would like to pay or they can pay based on the number of calls they receive via Skype.

A phone call is a much more valuable lead than a click on a hyperlink and can result in actual sales since the conversion rate is higher on a call. Users can see the free call button or the advertisements only if the Skype browser plug-in installed. This type of advertising is good for local businesses that don’t sell their products or services via online shopping but can generate good leads.

Donal Albert, General Manager of Skype Americas said, “It is an opportunity to tap into a large community of consumers that are initiating calls from their computers.”  Skype generated $550 million revenue in 2008, and its parent company eBay projects $1 billion in revenue by 2011. Skype estimates it currently accounts for 12% of all international call minutes. To find more information on Click & Call Advertising, check out the Skype website by clicking the logo.

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Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Content Marketing, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Agencies, Pay Per Click (PPC), Small Business, web 2.0 | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Internet Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Mohamed Mohideen, pay per click advertising

Need Online Security? Call DoubleVerify July 28, 2010 – 4:43 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

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 blog, Click Fraud, Digital Media | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, doubleverify, new york click fraud agency, online advertising agency, web advertising ny