Final Blog

After creating and updating a blog for several weeks, we feel that the four main advantages of blogs are as follows: they are easy to create, easy to maintain, allow for interaction with customer base, and in most cases blogs are free. Perhaps, the biggest advantage of maintaining a blog is that there is no need to be extremely tech savvy when starting or posting on a blog. Maintaining a blog is also extremely easy and convenient, with the ability to update your blog from anywhere in the world.

There are some challenges involved with maintaining a blog, especially from a corporate point of view. Some of the challenges include: regulations to be considered, disclosure concerns, and employee and shareholder's perceptions. From a corporate standpoint, if you fail to update and properly maintain your site, it could turn into a free for all bashing session on the company, not helping the overall image. This is in close relation to the merits of others commenting on blog posts. Some people have no shame, and use blogs as their stress reliever and become angered and vent about anything. Some people need to realize that this is not the purpose of blogs, especially in a professional corporate setting.

Corporate blogs were created to be used as a beneficial tool for both the company and customer alike. The blogs should be used as an interactive tool, providing convenient measures for the customer to communicate with the company and vice versa. If you as a customer have qualms with a certain company, it can and should be handled in professional demeanor. In response to demeaning posts, the company runs the risk of an ill-advised comment being posted by someone with in the company, which eventually is exploited by the media or a disgruntled investor.

With web 2.0 applications becoming such a commonplace in today's world, we advise and think it is important for companies to have blogs, but feel that it is just as important to properly maintain and update the blog to ensure the sites overall integrity.

As discussed in our e-marketing class, most people view Web 2.0 and it's features as a useful business tool which enhances online collaboration. There are, however, some skeptics that criticize Web 2.0 and call it a "silly waste of time."

One of the proponents of Web 2.o is Rearden Commerce CEO Patrick Grady. About Web 2.0 he say, "It's a 'best of both worlds' scenario, where employees or customers have all the useful features in one place that they need to do their jobs more effectively and make smart choices, but where the corporation still has the ability to control and manage what's being offered." Web 2.0 has also introduced new technologies such as wikis, RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, Web APIs (application programming interfaces) and Ajax.

On the other hand, some people do not view Web 2.0 as useful. Kevin Walker, CEO of SimpleTuition commented, "It's about wasting time. A lot of people killing time watching inane videos. A lot of people killing time with dumb-dumb blog entries. A lot of people killing time complaining about their stay at some random Holiday Inn." Another opponent of Web 2.o is Miki Dzugan of Rapport Online. She speculates, "Someday soon they will discover that advertising that is consistent with how a Web site is being used is more effective than the print or TV-style interruption advertising. They'll probably call that 'Web 3.0.'"

Whether you view at useful or not, it's undeniable that Web 2.0 has changed the way business is conducted online. With the introduction of blogs and photo and video sharing tools the Web has become saturated with user-generated content, causing e-marketers to create new ways to focus their marketing efforts online. Whether that focus will change again in the near future is yet to be answered.

Google and Clear Channel radio

Google announced today that it is expected to pair up with the national media conglomerate Clear Channel as part of its mission to expand beyond the Internet. The search engine will run 30-second ads on various Clear Channel radio stations. The agreement will span several years and Google will sell a portion of a struggling Clear Channel's advertising across their more than 675 radio stations.
This pairing seems like it will significantly help both Google and Clear Channel. It will give Google's clients a new way to advertise and possibly attract new businesses seeking to advertise on the radio, while Clear Channel will certainly gain revenue from the increase in advertising spots. This is also an excellent empale of how e-marketers are using various forms of advertising in their marketing communications. The deal may also create some new and innovative radio ads which will draw more attention to Clear Channels stations. It also creates new opportunities for Google to do business and reach more people.

Google's Rivals Worried About Acquisition of Double Click

It seems as if Google joined the list of suitors to acquire DoubleClick, for more than just driving up the price there competitor Microsoft would pay. They joined the group with intentions to acquire the company itself, and that they did, announcing last Friday that they have purchased the online advertising company for 3.1 billion dollars. This price well exceeded the anticipated sale of the company by over 1 billion dollars. As soon as the deal was announced, Google's Internet and media rivals alike urged regulators to scrutinize the 3.1 billion dollar deal. By securing Double Click, Google as secured its top spot as the leading advertising business on the Internet. The purchase has also raised the question of Google as an Internet advertising monopoly among the companies which it competes with.
In my personal opinion, this is simply as case of the rich getting richer. Goolge has been on a roll for a while know, and it doesn't look like they are slowing down anytime soon. It is ironic that the first corporation to criticize Google, was Microsoft, who has been the target of much criticism throughout the years. They are beginning to fear the worst, as Google the already dominant player in Internet advertising, could be a monopoly in the making. If something or someone doesn't step in, one day Google's rivals could find themselves working for Google.

Google Joins DoubleClick's Suitor List

Today, Google joined the extensive list of suitors to buy DoubleClick, the provider of internet ad serving software. Google is reportedly joining Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL in the list of suitors. Google’s arrival on the scene is likely to push the selling price of DoubleClick to around 2 billion dollars. Google’s arrival is reported to be stemmed by Microsoft’s interest in purchasing DoubleClick. For Microsoft and Google, buying the firm would enable them to market yet another service to businesses. The acquisition of the firm would also enable one of the companies to stop sending ads to the networks of its rivals while boosting its own revenue at the same time.
The question to ask in this particular situation is how much is too much, when purchasing a firm such as DoubleClick. There is much speculation that Google has entered the picture only to drive up the price that Microsoft was planning on bidding. If the price ends up around 2 billion dollars in would roughly double the amount of money the two partners invested in the firm, less than two years ago in 2005. I view the purchase of DoubleClick as a highly strategic one. Microsoft and Google are extremely competitive, always wanting to have an advantage against each other. Only one company will acquire DoubleClick, and more than likely will be overpaying for its services.

Affordable Online Marketing

Many businesses are now establishing themselves as purely web-based. These businesses can maximize thier marketing efforts by taking advantage of several types of online marketing at little or no cost to them.

There are several ways to market for free on the internet. One simple way to keep visitors coming back to your site is asking them to bookmark the businesses URL. This allows for easy access to a website. Businesses should also take advantage of forums and blogs by posting on those that relate to the products or services the business offers. Online companies can also set up their own blogs where customers can post comments, opinions, ideas, etc. Another easy way to market online is through a mailing list. This allows companies to send promotions, coupons, updates and offers for free using an email account.

Online businesses can also use the web to market at a minimal cost. Google and Yahoo ads are placed on result pages related to the words the user searched for so they reach a target audience interested in specific words a company pays for. A direct e-mail list costs some money but is directed at a target audience. Companies can also advertise on e-zine sites and online shopping websites. By using these methods of online advertising, companies can develop a diversified and very directed marketing mix to reach their target audiences.

Google being sued for YouTube

Today, MTV's parent company Viacom filed a lawsuit against YouTube and its parent company Google. Viacom is seeking more than one billion dollars in damages, for thousands of alleged copyright infringements. A complaint filed by Viacom claims that almost 160,000 clips of its programming have been made availiable on YouTube without authorization, and those clips have been viewed 1.5 billion times. A spokesperson for Viacom was quoted to say, "There is no question that YouTube and Google are continuing to take the fruit of our efforts without permission, and destroying enomorous value in the process." Google's plans to combat piracy on YouTube might be too little too late, if Viacom were to get its way. If the lawsuit swings in Viacom's favor, Google's momentum with YouTube will definitely be slowed, as competitors such as AOL Video and iFilm try and steal the show.
As many of you already know, YouTube is a great revenue, marketing, and publicity tool when used legally and appopriately. It seems that Google, in the beginning, did not take proactive steps to curtail infringement ontheir YouTube site. My guess is that they were concerned at first, just with generating site traffic and revenue. Maybe Google wasn't expecting YouTube to endure so much success and popularity. Unfortunately, for Google it looks like they might have to pay the price for their failure to follow infringement laws. If Viacom is to win this massive lawsuit, YouTube's future could be in limbo. I am not saying that Viacom's winning of this lawsuit is going to jeopardize Google, as a company, but it will definitely turn some heads and change the makeup of YouTube as we view it today. Will just have to wait and see!

Online Shopping and ID Theft

If you are one of the millions of online shoppers you may want to think twice about giving out personal information on the internet. According to a recent E-commerce Times article on the perils of online shopping, online shoppers are strongly advised to use a credit card for their purchases. Debit cards and checks are not recommended because if identity theives get a hold of your routing number and account information they can print new checks and completely drain your checking account. It is also harder for banks to recover stolen money from checking accounts and it usually takes longer to report. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, banks are the ones responsible for paying for any stolen charges, not the credit card holder. The article also warns people not to click any links to websites and to shop only at places where you type in the orginal URL.
Identity theft is very common and it affects millions of people every year. E-marketers need to be aware of the threat of online identity theft and take precautions to make their clients feel safe about shopping online. They should not ask for any additional information beyond where to ship, what to ship and how the customer is paying for it. E-marketers must realize that while information technology has created new and easier ways to reach customers, online shopping also creates many new risks in the form of identity theft.

NBA and YouTube

The NBA recently created a licensing deal with YouTube, to encourage user development of basketball related content. The "NBA Channel" will use NBA-generated content from players, and user created video clips showing their own basketball court skills. However, the NBA has the right to ask Google to remove videos that they deem inappropriate or which create advertising revenue. The NBA’s Commissioner David Stern commented on the deal when saying the platform offers, "another unique way to reach our fans."
This preceding example with the NBA and Youtube reaching a licensing agreement is a great example of how internet video is increasingly being used as a marketing tool. The agreement also involves fans interacting more personally by letting them post their own videos, which showcase their basketball skills. The user videos are further incorporated into online promotion, through a weekly highlight show. This move made by the NBA will allow for a more interactive visual experience with its fans. Online video sharing partnerships, such as the NBA and YouTube, will provide a new way for companies to combine forces and increase revenues through e-marketing.

Introduction

Hi,
This is Dan and Marisa, two marketing majors at the University of Missouri Columbia. We are setting up this blog for an e-marketing class, and will be posting blogs weekly until the end of April 2007. The topics that we will discuss will involve current e-marketing topics and issues. Feel free to comment on our postings.
Thanks,
Dan and Marisa