In today’s times, the Internet has blossomed into a tremendous amount of marketing options. Advances in the web have brought us Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, the famous podcast, video E-mails, and blogs. The advent of the cellular phone allows the public to always be in contact with whomever they wish to speak or write. Short Message Service (SMS) is the terminology used when referring to a text message via a cell phone. Whether it is your cell phone company, your electric company, or any other business offering goods or services, anyone with a cellular phone can be informed of pertinent information.

Often overlooked is the melding of today’s digital marketing media to the advertising media used in decades past. The standard road sign has been in service since the dawn of advertising, and certainly before the arrival of cars. Digital marketing today heavily uses this old form of media in digital displays seen often on major highways and interstates. Furthermore, without the old fashioned telephone there could be no cell phone, therefore, no SMS.

As early as anyone living can remember, the art of advertising has always been with us. Marketing methods, as well as forms of media, both yesterday and today have attempted to accomplish the same goal, to offer wares and services. Any business operating with fears of modern technology are at a great disadvantage. Perhaps those business owners finding themselves apprehensive to today’s advertising methods should remember their similarities to a simpler time.

Thomas-Rasset argues that a seven-figure damage award is disproportionate to any harm she caused the record industry. “The plaintiffs were not able to offer testimony about any actual damage done to them by Mrs. Thomas’s conduct beyond perhaps $1.29 per song or $15 per album in lost sales,” she argues.

In June, a jury found that Thomas-Rasset had infringed on copyright by sharing 24 tracks on Kazaa and assessed damages of $80,000 per track. The statute provides for damages of up to $150,000 per instance of infringement.

The verdict marked the second time that a jury ruled against Thomas-Rasset. An earlier trial in 2007 resulted in a jury verdict of $220,000, or $9,000 per track. But U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis in Minnesota set that verdict aside and ordered a new trial because of a mistaken jury instruction.

At the time, Davis expressed concern over the size of the award. “While the court does not discount plaintiffs’ claim that, cumulatively, illegal downloading has far-reaching effects on their businesses, the damages awarded in this case are wholly disproportionate to the damages suffered by plaintiffs,” he wrote.

Thomas-Rasset now argues that the fact that two juries could arrive at such different awards shows that the damages were arbitrary.

The Obama administration recently weighed in on behalf of the record labels, arguing that damages of up to $150,000 per track are constitutional.

The record industry opposes Thomas-Rasset’s motion, but also recently said in court papers that it would be willing to compromise on the size of the award. “If the Court nonetheless determines that some reduction is both legally permissible and factually warranted, in order to achieve finality in this case, Plaintiffs would consider a remittitur rather than participating in a third trial,” the RIAA wrote in papers filed last month.

Luckily, I spent time to figure it all out for you, so you don’t have to. Don’t thank me, this is why I went to college.

Spoiler Alert: it’s because Internet users are kind of racist! You see, there’s a popular email being passed around with a picture showing a Google search for “white people stole my car.” Underneath, it shows “Did you mean: “black people stole my car.”

The joke, you see, is that Google would replace the term “black” for “white.” We do not approve, and for what it’s worth, that no longer happens if you type the term into Google. In fact, it may have never happened at all.

Internet, sometimes you just really need to take a time out and think about what you’ve done. (What you’ve done is be terrible.)  My girlfriend’s grandmother already thinks that the internet is the devil and I think Google has just confirmed that for her ….

A study released by JiWire on Monday analyzes Wi-Fi access trends between January and June 2009. The report, which highlights market trends for advertisers, provides a snapshot of trends and the type of people who access data over public Wi-Fi.

Knowing the specific longitude and latitude of a person builds the foundation to serve up an ad as the person sits at Starbucks on Market Street in San Francisco, but integrating demographic data, data collected from local surveys, and prism clusters based on “ZIP-code-plus-six data” from Nielsen Claritas provides specifics.

Targeting consumers over public Wi-Fi access points has become more appealing for several reasons. For starters, past research shows that people spend on average of five hours daily outside the home or office, although many stay connected to the Internet through Wi-Fi, according to David Staas, senior vice president of marketing at JiWire.

Out-of-home marketers that reach out to consumers through billboards have been relying on a similar type of strategy for years. “With the shift, marketers want to know how this change impacts consumer lifestyles and behaviors, and the best methods to reach consumers who stay connected,” Staas says. “We also see a 70% increase in the number of mobile devices accessing public Wi-Fi in the first half of this year.”

Since June 2004 through June 2009, there has been 400% growth in public Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. New York ranks No. 1 with 887 access locations for the top U.S. cities, followed by San Francisco at No. 2 with 872 and Chicago at No. 3 with 792.

In North America, public Wi-Fi access users jumped to 18.4%, up from 5.4% in March 2009. The majority — 55.3% — of people access public Wi-Fi through hotels and resorts, followed by 27% at airports, 10.5% at coffeehouses, 4.4% on cruise ships, and 2.7% on metro.

Most people who connect through public Wi-Fi in coffeehouses are upscale males in management positions, according to the JiWire study. In fact, 74% are male and 40% have management titles. About 80% of Wi-Fi café users connect locally. Forty-one percent connect for both work and fun. Of the 38% of Wi-Fi café customers who make purchases, 51% buy personal items, 15% make business-related purchases, and 34% make personal- and business-related purchases.

JiWire also looked at how people who frequent coffeehouses differ in different cities. So, the company analyzed coffee shops in San Francisco and Dallas. People in both cities had many of the same attributes, such as age, whether they owned a home or banked online.

Things that differed included household income. People who frequent coffeehouses in Dallas are 41% more likely to have a household income of more than $200,000 compared with San Francisco. In Dallas, 28% were likely to have a home valued at more than $500,000, and 17% more likely to have management titles.

Mobile has promise, but is largely seen as experimental. There had been concerns about tracking metrics, Staas says.

JiWire has built partnerships with more than 30 network providers, such as AT&T and T-Mobile, to deliver media and advertising across 30,000 public Wi-Fi locations, from coffeehouses to college campuses reaching about 20 million unique users monthly.

Staas says the industries that have had the most success targeting consumers over Wi-Fi include travel and hospitality, automotive, consumer electronics, entertainment and telecom. For example, Hyatt experienced a 39% click-through rate for a promotion that required people to take a virtual tour of the hotel demonstrating amenities for business travelers in exchange for free Wi-Fi access time.

The results from the survey reflect 2,057 randomly selected people connected via Wi-Fi in more than 6,500 coffee shops across the United States.

However, blogging is not something to be taken lightly, isn’t right for every organization, and if done incorrectly can actually harm your company’s online reputation and branding. Below are the 7 deadly sins of company blogging and what you can do to exorcise those demonic blog traits and convert to an angelic blogosphere existence.

Lust – It is a craving, an overwhelming longing that often leads to self indulgent behavior. Your company’s blog is not the place for self indulgence; it is not the forum for promoting your personal desires. Your content needs to

consistently reflect the wants of your organization, the goals of your company. This doesn’t mean you can’t add some personal insight to your posts, as a good writing voice can add humor, create a connection with your readers and generate interest in future posts. But don’t use them as a sounding board to express your undying love for all things Star Trek, photos of that flashy new sports car you purchased to compensate for that receding hair line, or to declare your undying man crush on Tom Brady.

Gluttony – Don’t overdo it. Don’t blog just to blog. You should carefully consider what your company’s blog focus is and stick to it. If 5 people in your company have been assigned to write regular posts, make sure that there is equal time for each, and that their posts are evenly spaced out. While your readers want fresh material, creative posts, and entertaining content, they don’t want to be over inundated with minutia, useless information, or a 100 page manifesto on why you believe the company’s choice to stop “Hawaiian Shirt Fridays” will lead to its ultimate demise. Your readers don’t need to know every small detail of your life, or the daily activities of your organization. That’s what Twitter is for.

Greed – Your blog posts should not be advertisements. They should not be used to constantly promote your organization’s products and services. If you have a new feature or service that is truly exciting or offers something new and innovative to your clients, then by all means let your readers know. But don’t keep posting about ongoing promotions, limited time offers, or program benefits. Your readers are coming to your blog to get information, to be entertained, and to learn more about your company. So don’t be the Shamwow guy (in more ways then one), and remember that your readers won’t come back if all you are offering is a constant sales pitch.

Sloth – Don’t be lazy! Nothing looks worse than a blog that has only a few posts and hasn’t been updated in months. Set up a blogging schedule, assign each blogger in your organization with a submission timetable, and make sure everyone writes on a consistent basis. If you don’t think you can dedicate the time or resources required each week to create an interesting post, then simply don’t start a blog. It is much better to go without one than it is to look lazy, out of touch, or just slothful. (Unless of course, you happen to have three toes.)

Wrath – Take the high road. Occasionally someone may leave a comment on your blog that is disparaging towards you or your company. Don’t get caught up in name calling or let your emotions fuel your response. Even if the rant or comment is unjustified, you must maintain a constant level of professionalism and should only respond with fact, never with emotion. Remember, you are representing not only yourself, but also your organization. Don’t write something that you might later regret, or that could come back to haunt you.

Envy – Don’t be envious of others and of their achievements. This can be towards other companies, bloggers, coworkers or industry colleagues. Always give credit where credit is due. If you find something of value in articles or blog posts of others, link to it, and discuss why you see value you see in it. Your company blog is not the place for resentment, competition or jealousy. It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.

Pride -This blog isn’t about you. This is not your personal blog, your Facebook page, or your MySpace profile. The company blog is not the place for promoting your folk band’s appearance at the local coffee shop, your neighborhood yard sale or your prized MVP award from last year’s Summer Drunk Kickball League. And most of all, this is not your personal soap box, or the forum to laud yourself on recent professional achievements. Blatant self promotion is a turn off. And while personal branding is at an all time high, your company blog is not the forum for it.
If you are like me, you probably enjoy a little sin and occasional debauchery in your live, but when it comes to your company’s blog, it is best to practice virtue in your posting routines. By avoiding these 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging, you will soon be on your way to the heavenly rewards of a blog well done.

Rankings are acheved by what I like to call “Doing The Right Thing”. Google’s goal is to provide it’s users with the most relevant results for the keyword term they entered. If your site is well designed, provides users with useful information and is on topic, that’s half the battle A.K.A. SEO 101.

When you sign on a new client it is always good to set the expectation from day one of the relationship. The client needs to know and understand that things don’t change over night and that rankings are not the all mighty measurement. Some clients will be focused on rankings and will call you 5 times a day, which is how many times their rankings fluctuated that day. In SEO we call this the ranking roller coaster. It is up to the SEO specialist or account manager to wheel them in and tactfully show them other measurements that benefit their business better, such as:

• Organic Revenue Per Keyword
• Site Traffic Data
• Site Revenue Data
• Search Volume Trends Per Keywords

In my opinion showing the client the revenue stream is more fruitful than showing them they rank #1 in Google.

I was trolling the web today and came across GOOG411 on Twitter. With the inventions of services like GOOG411, Skype, Vonage and MetroPCS I think cell carries are losing the battle to continue to charge consumers by the minute for air time, hefty cancellation penalties and the age old “free nights and weekends” plans.

About GOOG-411
Google’s new 411 service is free, fast and easy to use. Give it a try now and see how simple it is to find and connect with local businesses for free. (*)

“OPTIMIZATION. In the U.S. only, for those advertisers not bound by an Insertion Order, we may help you optimize your account(s). Accordingly, you expressly agree that we may also: (i) create ads, (ii) add and/or remove keywords, and/or (iii) optimize your account(s). We will notify you via email of such changes made to your account(s), and can also include a spreadsheet of such changes upon your written request. If you would like any of such changes reversed, please reply to such email within 14 days of the change(s), and we will make commercially reasonable efforts to reverse the change(s) you specifically identify. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you remain responsible for all changes made to your account(s), including all click charges incurred prior to any reversions being made. It is your responsibility to monitor your account(s) and to ensure that your account settings are consistent with your business objectives.”

So in short, Yahoo! is going to help advertiser with the optimizations of their campaign. I see one problem that jumps out at me. How does Yahoo! know your business objectives? PPC is more then clicks, impressions and driving traffic. Another concern I have is that with-in the statement above Yahoo! mentions “…your responsibility…to ensure that your account settings are consistent with your business objectives.” “If you would like any of such changes reversed, please reply to such email within 14 days of the change(s), and we will make commercially reasonable efforts to reverse the change(s) you specifically identify. ”

What are your thoughts on the changes?