While the primary focus of this blog has centered on new media vehicles and their respective contributions to the field of Integrated Marketing Communications, a recent “explosion” over copyright issues have surfaced entirely on the concept of “fair use”.
In an article recently posted on MarketingVOX.com titled “AP Takes Bloggers on in Copyright Fight; Arrington Boycotts It”, Irene Keselman, the intellectual property governance coordinator for the Associated press, sent a letter to the Drudge Retort, arguing its long quotes from AP news stories fall outside of "fair use" parameters.
The debate over “fair use” and how the content is used seemed to be the true heart of the controversy. According to Keselman, “The use is not fair use simply because the work copied happened to be a news article and that the use is of the headline and the first few sentences only.” According to influential bloggers like Jeff Jarvis and Michael Arrington, “AP doesn't get to make its own rules around how its content is used - if those rules are stricter than the law allows."
While Arrington plans on banning AP articles from TechCrunch, he isn’t the only person upset with AP’s recent fiasco. Just type “AP’s fight with bloggers” into Google’s search engine and you’ll quickly discover numerous threats to ban, boycott or fight back against AP’s proposal to charge bloggers a fee for using the content of AP articles.
If bloggers are referencing or citing another’s work, regardless of where the content originated from, I feel bloggers have a certain ethical responsibility to credit the source from which information was taken. In fact, I suggest bloggers use the American Psychological Associations Publication manual (5th Ed.) as a guide to help ensure proper credit to owners of intellectual property. In addition, I also feel a hyperlink to a referenced source is also acceptable. As long as AP receives credit for their work and the blogger provides a link to the source, then readers can decide for themselves what “spin” is more credible. After all, that’s the beauty of a blog! Blogs provide people the opportunity to express their views and have a voice on the web.
To hear more on this new media controversy, Check out the video titled “Harvard’s Advice to Bloggers on AP Copyright Fiasco”:
Bloggers Speak Out! What’s Your Thoughts on AP’s “Fair Use” Claim?
Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008 / 9:05 PM (EST) / The Evolution of Email has opened New Doors for IMC practitioners.
Brief History:
According to Ian Peter, author of “The history of email” on NetHistory, the first important email standard was called SMTP, or simple message transfer protocol. SMTP was very simple and is still in use - however, SMTP was a fairly naïve protocol, and made no attempt to find out whether the person claiming to send a message was the person they purported to be. Forgery was (and still is) very easy in email addresses. These basic flaws in the protocol were later to be exploited by viruses and worms, and by security frauds and spammers forging identities. Some of these problems are still being addressed in 2004.
But as it developed email started to take on some pretty neat features. One of the first good commercial systems was Eudora, developed by Steve Dorner in 1988. Not long after Pegasus mail appeared.
When Internet standards for email began to mature the POP (or Post Office Protocol) servers began to appear as a standard - before that each server was a little different. POP was an important standard to allow users to develop mail systems that would work with each other.
These were the days of per-minute charges for email for individual dialup users. For most people on the Internet in those days email and email discussion groups were the main uses. These were many hundreds of these on a wide variety of topics, and as a body of newsgroups they became known as USENET.
With the World Wide Web, email started to be made available with friendly web interfaces by providers such as Yahoo and Hotmail. Usually this was without charge. Now that email was affordable, everyone wanted at least one email address, and the medium was adopted by not just millions, but hundreds of millions of people (Peter, 2004).
What Direction is Email headed in the future?:
According to Erica Driver, principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in Boston, "The discussion is no longer about just email; it's an entire collaboration platform." Vendors such as Microsoft and IBM have put together communication suites that include not just email, but instant messaging, social networking and collaboration tools as well.
In fact, Email has become a staple for communication, and a still highly ranked reason for even getting online. The very act of emailing has penetrated nearly every aspect of our lives, and is quite central to most of our online activity, across social media-sharing sites, notifications, event-planning and tracking appointments.
This brings us to the point in the discussion where we highlight the efforts and positive contributions Zenbe is having for IMC practitioners. Zenbe is a new free webmail service, aiming to deliver the best email experience on the web. Zenbe has now teamed up with Twitter. Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people using the web, your phone, or IM.
According to Paul Glazowski, “The ability for users to now instant message one another and correspond with friends and followers through Twitter from within the Zenbe environment is a big convenience, and with no advertisements to speak of, Zenbe seems to provide one of the best webmail experiences of any data aggregator of its kind.” IMC practitioners now have the opportunity to send a variety of “opt-in” messages through an interactive platform which takes full advantage of wireless technology and mobile marketing techniques. Just take a quick peak of recent videos created by Zenbe and Twitter.
Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
References:
Peter, I. (2004). The history of email – NetHistory retrieved June 28, 2008 from http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html
According to Ian Peter, author of “The history of email” on NetHistory, the first important email standard was called SMTP, or simple message transfer protocol. SMTP was very simple and is still in use - however, SMTP was a fairly naïve protocol, and made no attempt to find out whether the person claiming to send a message was the person they purported to be. Forgery was (and still is) very easy in email addresses. These basic flaws in the protocol were later to be exploited by viruses and worms, and by security frauds and spammers forging identities. Some of these problems are still being addressed in 2004.
But as it developed email started to take on some pretty neat features. One of the first good commercial systems was Eudora, developed by Steve Dorner in 1988. Not long after Pegasus mail appeared.
When Internet standards for email began to mature the POP (or Post Office Protocol) servers began to appear as a standard - before that each server was a little different. POP was an important standard to allow users to develop mail systems that would work with each other.
These were the days of per-minute charges for email for individual dialup users. For most people on the Internet in those days email and email discussion groups were the main uses. These were many hundreds of these on a wide variety of topics, and as a body of newsgroups they became known as USENET.
With the World Wide Web, email started to be made available with friendly web interfaces by providers such as Yahoo and Hotmail. Usually this was without charge. Now that email was affordable, everyone wanted at least one email address, and the medium was adopted by not just millions, but hundreds of millions of people (Peter, 2004).
What Direction is Email headed in the future?:
According to Erica Driver, principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in Boston, "The discussion is no longer about just email; it's an entire collaboration platform." Vendors such as Microsoft and IBM have put together communication suites that include not just email, but instant messaging, social networking and collaboration tools as well.
In fact, Email has become a staple for communication, and a still highly ranked reason for even getting online. The very act of emailing has penetrated nearly every aspect of our lives, and is quite central to most of our online activity, across social media-sharing sites, notifications, event-planning and tracking appointments.
This brings us to the point in the discussion where we highlight the efforts and positive contributions Zenbe is having for IMC practitioners. Zenbe is a new free webmail service, aiming to deliver the best email experience on the web. Zenbe has now teamed up with Twitter. Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people using the web, your phone, or IM.
According to Paul Glazowski, “The ability for users to now instant message one another and correspond with friends and followers through Twitter from within the Zenbe environment is a big convenience, and with no advertisements to speak of, Zenbe seems to provide one of the best webmail experiences of any data aggregator of its kind.” IMC practitioners now have the opportunity to send a variety of “opt-in” messages through an interactive platform which takes full advantage of wireless technology and mobile marketing techniques. Just take a quick peak of recent videos created by Zenbe and Twitter.
Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
References:
Peter, I. (2004). The history of email – NetHistory retrieved June 28, 2008 from http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 / 6:15 PM (EST) / Wrapping up on “Consumer-Generated” media topics – Vlogs.
To date, we have touched on several consumer-generated topics including blogs and podcasts. What does Vlogs have to offer IMC practitioners? According to Perez, “In IMC – vlogs are even hotter than podcasts. Vlogs – short for video blogs -are a terrific way to generate a buzz (Perez, 2008). If vlogs are such great tool for generating a buzz, then let’s investigate why this is the case!
According to Nikki Chase’s article titled “Mini-Movies, Wide Web”, Video blogging allows filmmakers to engage with viewers directly via web, iTunes and even cell phones. In fact, "Vlogs are showing big media that viewers want to do more than sit back and watch. Vlogging makes it easier for us to share videos," Garfield says. "The exciting thing is that this video can come from an expensive video camera, point-and-shoot digital cameras, or cell phones. Now that a lot of people are walking around with video production devices, you are going to see a lot more video being shared."
Wow! Now we can see why Vlogs are great for generating a buzz plus, we begin to establish a greater understanding why there is a revolution occurring in the consumer-generated media arena. Now that we know vlogs are great for generating a buzz, especially due to the fact that many of these video clips not only capture the attention of the press plus, vlogs are often linked to by many bloggers, we should really dig deeper to determine precisely what benefit vlogs offer IMC practitioners. According to Perez, the number one reason to vlog is to get publicity. That’s right, publicity!
Catherine Seda, author of the article titled “Videos and Blogging Make a Great Marketing Combo – Ignite a publicity wildfire on the web with a video blog”, states, “Why vlog? It’s got publicity power. A good video clip gets attention online--it’s instantly talked about and linked to by bloggers. Every day, ordinary people are becoming superstars thanks to online video. And business professionals who jump in early and publish “infotainment” will generate a whole lot of traffic” (Seda, 2007).
Perez puts a great spin on some final considerations when considering vlogs to help promote your IMC campaigns. While video clips are relatively inexpensive and “another great way to generate traffic at no cost”, “These campaigns tend to flare up and flame out quickly…but those 15 minutes of fame might be all a company needs to transform a campaign or set it off with a bang! (Perez, 2008).
Want to see what BMW is doing with Vlogs? Check this video out!
Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
Reference:
Perez, H. (2008). Lesson 6: The Reel Deal: Short Films & Streaming Media. IMC 619 New Media – West Virginia University retrieved June 22, 2008 from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
According to Nikki Chase’s article titled “Mini-Movies, Wide Web”, Video blogging allows filmmakers to engage with viewers directly via web, iTunes and even cell phones. In fact, "Vlogs are showing big media that viewers want to do more than sit back and watch. Vlogging makes it easier for us to share videos," Garfield says. "The exciting thing is that this video can come from an expensive video camera, point-and-shoot digital cameras, or cell phones. Now that a lot of people are walking around with video production devices, you are going to see a lot more video being shared."
Wow! Now we can see why Vlogs are great for generating a buzz plus, we begin to establish a greater understanding why there is a revolution occurring in the consumer-generated media arena. Now that we know vlogs are great for generating a buzz, especially due to the fact that many of these video clips not only capture the attention of the press plus, vlogs are often linked to by many bloggers, we should really dig deeper to determine precisely what benefit vlogs offer IMC practitioners. According to Perez, the number one reason to vlog is to get publicity. That’s right, publicity!
Catherine Seda, author of the article titled “Videos and Blogging Make a Great Marketing Combo – Ignite a publicity wildfire on the web with a video blog”, states, “Why vlog? It’s got publicity power. A good video clip gets attention online--it’s instantly talked about and linked to by bloggers. Every day, ordinary people are becoming superstars thanks to online video. And business professionals who jump in early and publish “infotainment” will generate a whole lot of traffic” (Seda, 2007).
Perez puts a great spin on some final considerations when considering vlogs to help promote your IMC campaigns. While video clips are relatively inexpensive and “another great way to generate traffic at no cost”, “These campaigns tend to flare up and flame out quickly…but those 15 minutes of fame might be all a company needs to transform a campaign or set it off with a bang! (Perez, 2008).
Want to see what BMW is doing with Vlogs? Check this video out!
Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
Reference:
Perez, H. (2008). Lesson 6: The Reel Deal: Short Films & Streaming Media. IMC 619 New Media – West Virginia University retrieved June 22, 2008 from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008 / 6:15 PM (EST) / Advergaming & IMC
First, let’s define what Advergaming is. According to the ITV dictionary, Advergaming - In the Interactive TV gaming environment, advertisers incorporate some aspect(s) of the company/brand into the game itself. It’s a kind of integration of interactive TV advertising and programming. Often the game itself revolves around the company or brand. The primary benefit Advergaming provides to IMC practitioners is that they can provide extremely immersive experiences for key demographic audiences (Perez, 2008).
Advergaming has been around since 1995 when founders Garry Kitchen and David Crane formed a company called “Skyworks” which took a great interest in designing a gaming platform exclusively for online or Internet applications. Today, Advergaming has received a lot of attention in the industry press over the past couple of years and it’s not wonder; with worldwide sales expected to top $1.7 billion by the end of 2008, Advergaming is hot (Perez, 2008).
Want to see more on Advergaming? Want to view some statistics that show why Advergaming is growing in popularity? If you are ready for an entertaining video with convincing data on Advergaming, then check out SIA Interactive’s video below:
I’m convinced, are you? Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
Reference:
Perez, H. (2008). Lesson 5: Can You Hear Me Now? M2M, Advergaming, In-gaming Branding & RSS feeds. IMC 619 New Media – West Virginia University retrieved June 17, 2008 from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Advergaming has been around since 1995 when founders Garry Kitchen and David Crane formed a company called “Skyworks” which took a great interest in designing a gaming platform exclusively for online or Internet applications. Today, Advergaming has received a lot of attention in the industry press over the past couple of years and it’s not wonder; with worldwide sales expected to top $1.7 billion by the end of 2008, Advergaming is hot (Perez, 2008).
Want to see more on Advergaming? Want to view some statistics that show why Advergaming is growing in popularity? If you are ready for an entertaining video with convincing data on Advergaming, then check out SIA Interactive’s video below:
I’m convinced, are you? Once again, thanks for joining me this week and as always, I welcome your feedback or comments. Please feel free to visit me online at http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
~ Dan
Reference:
Perez, H. (2008). Lesson 5: Can You Hear Me Now? M2M, Advergaming, In-gaming Branding & RSS feeds. IMC 619 New Media – West Virginia University retrieved June 17, 2008 from https://ecampus.wvu.edu/webct/urw/lc5116001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 / 6:15 PM (EST) / Podcasting Tips to Help Promote Your Site
As I stated last week, Podcasting has been compared to the likes of TiVO in that “You can automatically receive the programming you want and listen to it whenever and wherever you want (Ennico, 2006).
In fact, Cliff Ennico article provides four basic steps involved in creating a podcast as outlined by Oren Shachal, podcast producer for software maker Intuit Corp. First, Shachal informs readers that they will need special podcast studio software and a USB microphone to get started. For Mac users, this will most likely cost you a few bucks. For those using Windows computers, the software (Audacity) is the most popular podcast studio software and best of all; it’s available as a free download from the company’s website (Audacity® - The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor).
The second step in creating a podcast is the actual recording session. Shachal recommends a podcast remain somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve minutes. In addition, Shachal strongly suggests prepare the script ahead of time and when it comes time to record, speak clearly and soften your consonants. Shachal reminds readers that listeners are most likely using headphones and it can be very irritating if you “pop your Ps”.
After you have recorded your podcast, the third step is to post it to a website. Since podcasts typically use up a lot of bandwidth (depending on how many people are downloading your podcast feeds), Shachal warns readers to first call your web hosting service to see just how much it’s going to cost you. In fact, Shachal advises his readers to consider websites that specialize in hosting podcasts like Liberated Syndication.com
Finally, once your podcast is posted on the web, you'll need to list it in one of the popular podcast directories, such as www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts or http://podcasts.yahoo.com. Right now, these directories will list your podcasts for free, because your podcasts aren't taking up space on their sites. As Shachal explains, "Listeners download or subscribe to your podcasts through iTunes, and iTunes grabs the podcast from your site. Listeners think they're getting the podcast from Apple, but they're really not” (Ennico, 2006).
The last thing to keep in mind about podcasting is that in many ways, they are similar to blogs in that if you are thinking of making money from your podcasts, you won’t. That's because, at least today, podcasters don't typically charge for subscriptions. "Most podcasters today are enthusiasts about one subject or another and are just looking for the exposure" (Ennico, 2006).
For those of you who might be considering creating your first-ever podcast using the free software provided by Audacity®, you might enjoy watching this training video aimed at the real estate industry titled “Recording an Audio Podcast mp3 with Audacity”.
Once again, thanks for joining this week for more exiting talk on emerging media and how marketers can include these tools in conjunction with traditional media to enhance the IMC process. If you should have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to respond! (http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/).
~ Dan
In fact, Cliff Ennico article provides four basic steps involved in creating a podcast as outlined by Oren Shachal, podcast producer for software maker Intuit Corp. First, Shachal informs readers that they will need special podcast studio software and a USB microphone to get started. For Mac users, this will most likely cost you a few bucks. For those using Windows computers, the software (Audacity) is the most popular podcast studio software and best of all; it’s available as a free download from the company’s website (Audacity® - The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor).
The second step in creating a podcast is the actual recording session. Shachal recommends a podcast remain somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve minutes. In addition, Shachal strongly suggests prepare the script ahead of time and when it comes time to record, speak clearly and soften your consonants. Shachal reminds readers that listeners are most likely using headphones and it can be very irritating if you “pop your Ps”.
After you have recorded your podcast, the third step is to post it to a website. Since podcasts typically use up a lot of bandwidth (depending on how many people are downloading your podcast feeds), Shachal warns readers to first call your web hosting service to see just how much it’s going to cost you. In fact, Shachal advises his readers to consider websites that specialize in hosting podcasts like Liberated Syndication.com
Finally, once your podcast is posted on the web, you'll need to list it in one of the popular podcast directories, such as www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts or http://podcasts.yahoo.com. Right now, these directories will list your podcasts for free, because your podcasts aren't taking up space on their sites. As Shachal explains, "Listeners download or subscribe to your podcasts through iTunes, and iTunes grabs the podcast from your site. Listeners think they're getting the podcast from Apple, but they're really not” (Ennico, 2006).
The last thing to keep in mind about podcasting is that in many ways, they are similar to blogs in that if you are thinking of making money from your podcasts, you won’t. That's because, at least today, podcasters don't typically charge for subscriptions. "Most podcasters today are enthusiasts about one subject or another and are just looking for the exposure" (Ennico, 2006).
For those of you who might be considering creating your first-ever podcast using the free software provided by Audacity®, you might enjoy watching this training video aimed at the real estate industry titled “Recording an Audio Podcast mp3 with Audacity”.
Once again, thanks for joining this week for more exiting talk on emerging media and how marketers can include these tools in conjunction with traditional media to enhance the IMC process. If you should have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to respond! (http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/).
~ Dan
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008 / 10:30 AM (EST) / Podcasting – Another Innovative Tool in the IMC Practitioners Toolbox
According to Entreprenuer.com, the definition of a podcast is: A podcast is a pre-recorded audio program that's posted to a website and is made available for download so people can listen to them on personal computers or mobile devices (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html).
Why is podcasting so popular? According to Podcast Alley: “What makes podcasting special is that it allows individuals to publish (podcast) radioshows, that interested listeners can subscribe to. Before podcasting you could of course record a radio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to a specific site and download it from there (http://www.podcastalley.com/what_is_a_podcast.php).
How can IMC Practitioners use Podcasting to differentiate or enhance their current strategies and tactics? What distinguishes a podcast from other types of audio products on the internet is that a podcaster can solicit subscriptions from listeners, so that when new podcasts are released, they can automatically be delivered, or fed, to a subscriber's computer or mobile device. Usually, the podcast features an audio show with new episodes that are fed to your computer either sporadically or at planned intervals, such as daily or weekly. Just like the old radio serials of the 1930s and 40s, this format encourages listeners to subscribe so they can find out "what happens next" (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html).
What are some mobile devices podcasts be downloaded onto? As long as you listen to podcasts only on your computer (the vast majority of podcast subscribers do), you don't need any special software other than the audio player, such as a Windows Media Player or RealPlayer, you already have on your computer. But if you want to subscribe to a podcast feed, you'll need to install "podcatcher" software on your computer. The most popular podcatcher software is iTunes (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html). From here, subscribers can download their favorite podcast to subscribers' iPods, cellphones & Blackberry’s, iTunes directories, or other locations to listen to whenever they want (http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/07/20/WhatIsPodcasting.html).
Who subscribes to Podcasts and how can IMC Practitioners get a more detailed picture of their respective target audience? Quancast is a great resource for any IMC practitioner who is thinking about including podcasts to their marketing communications strategies.
That’s it for now. Next time, we will briefly explore how to use podcasting to promote your site. Until then, I encourage feedback and comments about you experiences with podcasting ( http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/).
~ Dan
Why is podcasting so popular? According to Podcast Alley: “What makes podcasting special is that it allows individuals to publish (podcast) radioshows, that interested listeners can subscribe to. Before podcasting you could of course record a radio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to a specific site and download it from there (http://www.podcastalley.com/what_is_a_podcast.php).
How can IMC Practitioners use Podcasting to differentiate or enhance their current strategies and tactics? What distinguishes a podcast from other types of audio products on the internet is that a podcaster can solicit subscriptions from listeners, so that when new podcasts are released, they can automatically be delivered, or fed, to a subscriber's computer or mobile device. Usually, the podcast features an audio show with new episodes that are fed to your computer either sporadically or at planned intervals, such as daily or weekly. Just like the old radio serials of the 1930s and 40s, this format encourages listeners to subscribe so they can find out "what happens next" (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html).
What are some mobile devices podcasts be downloaded onto? As long as you listen to podcasts only on your computer (the vast majority of podcast subscribers do), you don't need any special software other than the audio player, such as a Windows Media Player or RealPlayer, you already have on your computer. But if you want to subscribe to a podcast feed, you'll need to install "podcatcher" software on your computer. The most popular podcatcher software is iTunes (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html). From here, subscribers can download their favorite podcast to subscribers' iPods, cellphones & Blackberry’s, iTunes directories, or other locations to listen to whenever they want (http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/07/20/WhatIsPodcasting.html).
Who subscribes to Podcasts and how can IMC Practitioners get a more detailed picture of their respective target audience? Quancast is a great resource for any IMC practitioner who is thinking about including podcasts to their marketing communications strategies.
That’s it for now. Next time, we will briefly explore how to use podcasting to promote your site. Until then, I encourage feedback and comments about you experiences with podcasting ( http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/).
~ Dan
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 / 7:15 PM (EST) / Ethical Issues involved with the Use of Emerging Media in IMC
When the topic of ethics and emerging media combine into one conversation, the focus quickly becomes one involving the threats to children from online marketing. In 2005, The Center for Media Education (CME) completed a major investigation of online advertising and marketing practices directed at children. The investigation uncovered a number of disturbing new practices including the invasion of children’s privacy through solicitation of personal information and tracking of online computer use plus, the exploitation of vulnerable, young computer users through new unfair and deceptive forms of advertising ( Hartman, 2005).
According to the book titled “Perspectives in Business Ethics”, the following five principles should guide the development of regulations for online advertising and marketing to children:
1. Personal information (including clickstream data) should not be collected from children, nor should children’s personal information be sold.
2. Advertising and promotions targeted at children should be clearly labeled and separated from content.
3. Children’s content areas should not be directly linked to advertising sites.
4. There should be no direct interaction between children and product spokescharacters.
5. There should be no online microtargeting of children and no direct-response marketing.
The framework for the proposed development regulations mentioned above originate from the Federal Communications Commission rules the (1) require “separators” between children programs and commercials; (2) forbid the host of a children’s show from pitching products at children; and (3) limit the amount of advertising time in children’s programs (Hartman, 2005).
Now, let’s take a couple of minutes to listen to an interview with Lucy Hughes on the topic of “Marketing to Children”
Hartman’s frameworks for online marketing ethics definitely collide with the comments made by Lucy Hughes. Marketing to children for the sole purpose of getting them to nag their parents is definitely an ethical gray area. In today’s complex media environment, many companies (like breakfast cereal manufacturers) have now created websites or, “branded environments” that beckons children to come and play. Although some of the information contained in these sites appears to be geared toward adult consumers, many sites are clearly designed for children. These sites, which have the potential to occupy a child’s attention for extended periods playing games or coloring fun characters, inherently leads to an elevated sense of brand loyalty plus, increased product awareness.
So now, it’s your turn to add some comments on the topic of ethics and online marketing! What are some guidelines your company uses to avoid ethical dilemmas? One very simple recommendation I have is best expressed by Joe Nicassio’s video titled “Business Ethics 101”.
Update on last weeks project involving BlogRush. BlogRush has strict entrance requirements including a minimum of 10 to 12 quality posts. This makes my 7th posting on this new blog and therefore doesn’t qualify at this time. BlogRush does encourage me to resubmit this blog in thirty days – a task I plan to accomplish. Until then, I’ll continue to search for other innovative ways to grow interest and participation in this blog. Any comments or recommendations are welcome. Again, thanks for reading!
Dan
http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
References:
Hartman, L.P. (2005). Perspectives in Business Ethics, 3rd Ed. McGraw-Hill Irwin New York, N.Y.
According to the book titled “Perspectives in Business Ethics”, the following five principles should guide the development of regulations for online advertising and marketing to children:
1. Personal information (including clickstream data) should not be collected from children, nor should children’s personal information be sold.
2. Advertising and promotions targeted at children should be clearly labeled and separated from content.
3. Children’s content areas should not be directly linked to advertising sites.
4. There should be no direct interaction between children and product spokescharacters.
5. There should be no online microtargeting of children and no direct-response marketing.
The framework for the proposed development regulations mentioned above originate from the Federal Communications Commission rules the (1) require “separators” between children programs and commercials; (2) forbid the host of a children’s show from pitching products at children; and (3) limit the amount of advertising time in children’s programs (Hartman, 2005).
Now, let’s take a couple of minutes to listen to an interview with Lucy Hughes on the topic of “Marketing to Children”
Hartman’s frameworks for online marketing ethics definitely collide with the comments made by Lucy Hughes. Marketing to children for the sole purpose of getting them to nag their parents is definitely an ethical gray area. In today’s complex media environment, many companies (like breakfast cereal manufacturers) have now created websites or, “branded environments” that beckons children to come and play. Although some of the information contained in these sites appears to be geared toward adult consumers, many sites are clearly designed for children. These sites, which have the potential to occupy a child’s attention for extended periods playing games or coloring fun characters, inherently leads to an elevated sense of brand loyalty plus, increased product awareness.
So now, it’s your turn to add some comments on the topic of ethics and online marketing! What are some guidelines your company uses to avoid ethical dilemmas? One very simple recommendation I have is best expressed by Joe Nicassio’s video titled “Business Ethics 101”.
Update on last weeks project involving BlogRush. BlogRush has strict entrance requirements including a minimum of 10 to 12 quality posts. This makes my 7th posting on this new blog and therefore doesn’t qualify at this time. BlogRush does encourage me to resubmit this blog in thirty days – a task I plan to accomplish. Until then, I’ll continue to search for other innovative ways to grow interest and participation in this blog. Any comments or recommendations are welcome. Again, thanks for reading!
Dan
http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/
References:
Hartman, L.P. (2005). Perspectives in Business Ethics, 3rd Ed. McGraw-Hill Irwin New York, N.Y.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008 / 5:35 PM (EST) / Creating A Buzz for Your Blog
For marketers and IMC practitioners, creating a buzz (excited talk about a brand) essentially evolves from a well-orchestrated word-of-mouth strategy. Word-of-mouth campaigns carry tremendous credibility due to the early adopters or “Influentials” who for the most part are considered as opinion leaders who influence others around them. In fact, Word-of-mouth is still the most influential way to grow consumer interest and gain confidence in your brand and if the topic is hot, it can spread around the world in hours (http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=196#more).
Consider what General Motors Lois Kelly “GMnext” video has to say about the next generation of Word of Mouth Marketing:
Other buzz-building techniques include Crowd sourcing and Viral Marketing strategies using existing communication networks like Email and YouTube™. As I continue to build my own blog, I have continuously looked for areas I can improve the content and functionality for my readers. For those keeping track, I recently made significant changes to my blog by including a “Roll Call” list of fellow colleagues blog sites plus, I’m giving BlogRush a try (Note the small box on the left with the emblem “BlogRush”). BlogRush is a "Cooperative Syndication Network" that rewards its users for their contributions to the network -- from the impressions they provide of the BlogRush Widget to the referral of other users through 10 'generations' of activity and the impressions of the widget that they provide. BlogRush was designed to be incredibly viral and to provide its users with tremendous distribution leverage to receive exposure for their blog content (onto related content blogs) that they could never achieve on their own; at least without a massive advertising budget (http://www.blogrush.com/about).
For now, I’m awaiting on a decision from BlogRush to see if my blog meets their quality guidelines and criteria. In fact, I have been informed that I will receive a decision via email within 48 hours. If I’m approved, you will begin to see the BlogRush widget successfully loaded on this blog – Wish me luck! If additional work is required to meet BlogRush criteria, I will keep my readers informed as to what improvements are necessary to achieve certification or approval. Again, thanks for joining me and as always, I welcome your feedback.
~ Dan
Consider what General Motors Lois Kelly “GMnext” video has to say about the next generation of Word of Mouth Marketing:
Other buzz-building techniques include Crowd sourcing and Viral Marketing strategies using existing communication networks like Email and YouTube™. As I continue to build my own blog, I have continuously looked for areas I can improve the content and functionality for my readers. For those keeping track, I recently made significant changes to my blog by including a “Roll Call” list of fellow colleagues blog sites plus, I’m giving BlogRush a try (Note the small box on the left with the emblem “BlogRush”). BlogRush is a "Cooperative Syndication Network" that rewards its users for their contributions to the network -- from the impressions they provide of the BlogRush Widget to the referral of other users through 10 'generations' of activity and the impressions of the widget that they provide. BlogRush was designed to be incredibly viral and to provide its users with tremendous distribution leverage to receive exposure for their blog content (onto related content blogs) that they could never achieve on their own; at least without a massive advertising budget (http://www.blogrush.com/about).
For now, I’m awaiting on a decision from BlogRush to see if my blog meets their quality guidelines and criteria. In fact, I have been informed that I will receive a decision via email within 48 hours. If I’m approved, you will begin to see the BlogRush widget successfully loaded on this blog – Wish me luck! If additional work is required to meet BlogRush criteria, I will keep my readers informed as to what improvements are necessary to achieve certification or approval. Again, thanks for joining me and as always, I welcome your feedback.
~ Dan
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
JUNE 3, 2008 / 6:15 PM (EST) / SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES & THE FUTURE
To begin, Social networking is defined as the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Based on the six degrees of separation concept (the idea that any two people on the planet could make contact through a chain of no more than five intermediaries), social networking establishes interconnected Internet communities (sometimes known as personal networks) that help people make contacts that would be good for them to know, but that they would be unlikely to have met otherwise. In general, here's how it works: you join one of the sites and invite people you know to join as well. Those people invite their contacts to join, who in turn invite their contacts to join, and the process repeats for each person. In theory, any individual can make contact through anyone they have a connection to, to any of the people that person has a connection to, and so on (http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci942884,00.html).
Web sites dedicated to social networking include Friendster, Linkedin, Spoke, and Tribe Networks. IBM and Microsoft are among organizations said to be considering entering this market (http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci942884,00.html). Have you ever wondered what the future of Social Marketing might be? If so, check out Michael Arrington’s vision (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/09/i-saw-the-future-of-social-networking-the-other-day/).
Do I have your Attention? Still interested and want to learn more like me? Then check out the overview of Social Marketing by the CEO of Relativity. I hope you enjoyed this posting and as always, your feedback is always welcome.
~Dan
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