As the Web has blossomed and access becomes ever closer to universal, optimists hoped that it might be a unifying force, a source of diverse information in societies where other media were controlled, and in general a shared experience for all citizens of the globe. At the moment, though, the universality of the experience is in doubt. Individual nations are taking more aggressive steps to control access to the Internet and block specific resources. While one might expect that sort of move from a totalitarian state, “free” nations are doing it as well. The latest indication of this is a surprising move by Italy to block gambling sites. The Italian government is requiring ISPs to block gaming sites based in Malta; those that fail to do so face stiff fines. It’s not clear, but it seems that the mechanism the Italians plan to use to accomplish this might block access to all Maltese sites. Meanwhile, UK-based gambling site operators are considering legal action. Although nominally the reason for the blockage is to prevent “phishing” and credit card fraud, gaming site owners consider the Italian move to be protectionist.
We’re constantly told that content is king. If that’s the case, what kind of elite royalty is really good copywriting? MarketingHeadhunter.com’s Marketing Tip of the Week is to learn to write good copy: Continue reading »
The second guideline from the Stanford Web Credibility Project is Show that there’s a real organization behind your site. Sites who are known entities, like Amazon.com and BestBuy.com, don’t have to worry much about this one – consumers know that the site is backed by a large, stable organization. While they may still worry about product quality or speedy delivery, they have little concern that they won’t be able to find the vendor if they have a problem a week later. The Stanford researchers suggest, Continue reading »
User-created content and the use of community feedback as an indicator of reliability are very much Web 2.0 concepts. Now, an article at InternetWeek, On The Internet, 99 Percent Approval, May Not Be Enough, discusses some of the pitfalls of relying on the feedback of other users when evaluating vendors. The article cites the experience on an individual who purchased a product from a vendor with a 99% satisfaction rating, only to be treated rudele when he requested a refund. The article also describes the widespread presence of counterfeit goods on eBay imitating those made by Tiffany, Adidas, and other brand name manufacturers. According to the story, eBay discourages negative feedback by warning the user about the irreversability of feedback and by offering the seller and buyer the opportunity to mutually cancel feedback.
A few days ago, CNET reported that big retailer Target was sued by blind patrons because their website lacked standard accessibility features to accommodate visitors with impaired vision. While one can look at this lawsuit as yet another example of litigation run wild (one early report pegged the incident as, “Target Sued Over Missing Alt Tag”), it’s sure to draw new attention to website accessibility. Less obvious is how this issue relates to search engine optimization (SEO).
The case of SEO firm TrafficPower (now apparently reincorporated in a new identity), has taken an interesting turn. The firm is actually suing people who spread the nasty rumor that their sites and those of their clients had been penalized by Google. Such penalties are usually quite evident to other SEOs, but proving an actual penalty is generally close to impossible. This put the targets of TrafficPower’s lawsuit(s) in a difficult situation – while other SEOs might agree that the sites were penalized, proving that in court might be a different thing entirely. The fact that TrafficPower launched the suits in the face of obvious declines in rankings seems to indicate either a major exercise in self-delusion or a desperate attempt to salvage their reputation, at least temporarily.
In an earlier post, I speculated that Steve Jobs joining the Disney board of directors had a few parallels to Ross Perot’s time at General Motors. Both joined the board of a much larger firm as big shareholders following the acquisition of their company. Both have a strong maverick streak, and neither has been reticent to say exactly what he thinks. Perot, of course, was eventually bought out by GM when he became too much of an irritant. Now, a new BusinessWeek article, Steve Jobs’ Magic Kingdom, suggests another alternative: rather than getting rejected like a xeno-transplant, there’s some chance that Jobs could end up as Head Mousketeer. While not considering it highly probable, BusinessWeek suggests that Jobs could, eventually, take over as chairman or even CEO. They point to his assurances that he didn’t want CEO Gil Amelio’s job at Apple not long before he took over as CEO.
As I mentioned in my general post about the Stanford Web Credibility Project, I’m going to look at each of their points in some detail. The first guideline from their research is Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site. The researchers further elaborate, “You can build web site credibility by providing third-party support (citations, references, source material) for information you present, especially if you link to this evidence. Even if people don’t follow these links, you’ve shown confidence in your material.” This particular guideline may not apply equally to all sites – some sites make few claims. Just about every site, though, makes some assertions that would no doubt be stronger if the reader thought they were backed up by hard data. Let’s start by looking at vitamin and supplement sellers – that’s certainly an area where lots of claims are put forth.
Why carry a wallet when your cell phone can pay for you? This isn’t a new idea in Asia, but according toMotorola to bring cell phone-bank card to U.S., the big cell phone maker will test the market in the US with its new M-Wallet product.
In Wikis At Work, InternetWeek describes three businesses that have successfully employed wiki software to enhance collaboration between employees and groups. The article recommends not trying to force employees to use a wiki, but rather to let the application develop its own momentum. Continue reading »