Legal

Permission email marketing, it’s what we do isn’t it?

The question of permission and customers rights regarding marketing material is one that has privacy evangelists and marketers head to head. Many forms of direct marketing can be seen by the recipients as intrusive and disturbing and this has led to a bit of a backlash.

In some cases, this has spawned legislation (as in TPS in the UK) and in others, poor publicity via the national media and threats of further control from politicians.

But, out of all of the different direct marketing channels, email seems to be the quietest when it comes to public outrage.

After customer goes to jail, NYC restaurant learns that social media can be unfair

Smith & Wollensky is a high-end steakhouse located in New York City but the next time you’re visiting the Big Apple, it might not be your top choice for a fillet if you’re searching for a restaurant through a popular reviews service like Yelp.

That’s because the restaurant is currently suffering from a bout of social media backlash after reports that it made a very bad customer service decision.

66% of smartphone owners are worried about privacy: infographic

Two-thirds (66%) of smartphone owners are more worried about privacy on their device than they were a year ago, according to a new survey from TRUSTe.

Furthermore, 79% of respondents said they would avoid using smartphone apps that they don’t believe protect their privacy online.

This tallies with findings from a previous Webcredible study, which found that security and safety of information were among the main barriers holding back mobile commerce.

Most of the participants in the study were worried about security issues such as having their phones hacked, or infected with viruses that could lead to their personal details being intercepted or stolen.

Google anti-trust ruling: the implications

Widely heralded as a victory for Google, the recent outcome of the American Federal Trade Commission’s exhaustive 19-month investigation into allegations of anti-competitive practices nevertheless contains at least one point that should have some (minor but beneficial) impact on the PPC marketplace in the near future.

Can PayPal win former customers back with “aggressive changes”?

Being the 800 pound gorilla of online payments isn’t easy. Despite PayPal’s ubiquity and the fact that it remains at the forefront of digital payments, including in the rapidly-evolving mobile payments space, the company’s reputation is mixed.

Serving millions upon millions of customers isn’t a walk in the park, and when something goes wrong with somebody’s money, the world is bound to hear about it one way or another.

Marketers and businesses should fear Graph Search

Last week, Facebook made what could prove to be one of its most important announcements ever.

After years of discussion, speculation and debate, the world’s largest social network is finally executing on a search strategy, and while it doesn’t look like a threat to Google, at least initially, Facebook’s Graph Search is no less interesting.

12 things every freelancer should have

Being a freelancer can be a fulfilling and profitable career path.

In digital industries, where job mobility is high and five years with a single employer is ‘a long time’, many professionals view freelancing as a viable and attractive career path.

But make no mistake about it: freelancing is a business and as with any business, starting up, surviving and thriving can be difficult to do.

Here are 12 success-promoting things every freelancer, new and experienced, should have in place.  

Four ways publishers can address ad blockers

Major internet companies like Google may pleased that the French government told a major ISP that it must stop its automatic filtering of ads for subscribers.  

However, make no mistake about it: the dispute over Free’s ad blocking is a reminder of what’s at stake as more and more consumers seek ways to opt out of online advertising.

Ad blocking software, of course, is not new. Publishers have watched its popularity rise over the years, and while there is debate over just how much revenue publishers lose each year to ad blocking, it’s widely seen as a significant threat.

FTC: Google search bias is a part of innovation

Has Google altered its algorithm to favor its own properties in vertical search results?

Numerous publishers which now find themselves competing with the search engine they rely on for valuable traffic have accused Google of doing just that. Some in the industry have even petitioned antitrust regulators to look into the matter.

COOKIES

Cookie compliance: Econsultancy analyses the latest ICO guidance

I’ve been on record a number of times saying that I think the EC Directives relating to cookies are fundamentally flawed. We could make a parallel with the current UK/EU Euro ‘situation’ but let’s not go there. In the UK the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a duty to enforce these directives and, as they say, “This isn’t going away. It’s the law.”

Yesterday the ICO released its updated guidance for UK website owners. You can download the PDF from the link in the news release. 

Given the tough task of interpretation, guidance and enforcement that is the ICO’s duty, I have to say that I think this document is a valiant and comprehensive effort given the task and I’d commend them for this. I would urge you to read it for the full details. It is clearly written and quite practical.

Below are some of my initial thoughts on reading this latest guidance.

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