This week's training classes coming up:
Tuesday: Blogging for Fun & Profit - Saddleback College, Mission Viejo Wednesday: iPhones, iPads, I'm Lost - Santa Monica College Thursday: Facebook and Social Networking for Beginners - Pasadena City College Saturday Morning: Facebook Marketing for Business - Palomar College, San Marcos, San Diego County Saturday Afternoon: Secrets of Internet Marketing - Palomar College San Marcos, San Diego County Get additional information on the classes and links to the school registration sites on my Training Calendar.Sunday, February 19, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The Price Tag for "Free" Internet
Just how much are people willing to do to get something for free? When television appeared it was accepting commercial time, with grocery stores it's club cards for discounts, and with the Internet it's tracking and access to behavior.
Of course the issue with the Internet is ones behavior and the data may or may not be well protected. Privacy hasn't stopped millions of shoppers for signing up to get a club card at their grocery store. People gladly let someone track their shopping by what is spent, how often, what days, and the types of products. Start buying diapers and someone knows you have a new baby (or are baby sitting one).
Just what do our credit card companies do with the data they collect, and how about the bank debit cards that we use for convenience. Where does that data go? I've seen privacy disclosures from banks saying they may share data with partners.
So we've already established that as consumers we'll give up a lot of data about ourselves in exchange for something that's convenient, free, and saves us money.
So where does the Internet come in? Would you be willing to give up the convenience of comparison shopping, finding when your movie was starting, getting maps and directions, and free cloud storage?
Once you establish that you're willing to trade something for these free services and discounts it's just a matter of negotiating what price you're willing to pay. In a capitalist society "free" doesn't really exist since profit drives it so much.
So is our solution to pay for privacy, change behavior and forgo free services, or give up and be part of the global database? So far the choices seem to be to opt for free services and until that changes very little else will.
Of course the issue with the Internet is ones behavior and the data may or may not be well protected. Privacy hasn't stopped millions of shoppers for signing up to get a club card at their grocery store. People gladly let someone track their shopping by what is spent, how often, what days, and the types of products. Start buying diapers and someone knows you have a new baby (or are baby sitting one).
Just what do our credit card companies do with the data they collect, and how about the bank debit cards that we use for convenience. Where does that data go? I've seen privacy disclosures from banks saying they may share data with partners.
So we've already established that as consumers we'll give up a lot of data about ourselves in exchange for something that's convenient, free, and saves us money.
So where does the Internet come in? Would you be willing to give up the convenience of comparison shopping, finding when your movie was starting, getting maps and directions, and free cloud storage?
Once you establish that you're willing to trade something for these free services and discounts it's just a matter of negotiating what price you're willing to pay. In a capitalist society "free" doesn't really exist since profit drives it so much.
So is our solution to pay for privacy, change behavior and forgo free services, or give up and be part of the global database? So far the choices seem to be to opt for free services and until that changes very little else will.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Google + iPhone App Adds Instant Upload
Google released an update to their Google+ iPhone app that adds Instant Update. This now allows iPhone users to share photos and video just like the Android users of the mobile app could.
Considering the impact that Google + has on search, it's likely to make a dent in apps like hips tamarin and Pinterest for
people and brands using them for
marketing.
As for everyday users, Google + is being adopted by more tech savvy users, while Facebook is where you find family and friends everyday.
Until a social app appears on Google + to entice users to interact more, Google
still has a chasm ahead.
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