Working in this industry one can forget the pitfalls of online marketing and the ‘always-on’ nature of social media. Very recently with the Wiki-Leaks scandal we are beginning to understand that all information is not created equal. Some might even argue that there are just some things we do not need to know. (Those people were ‘unavailable’ for comment).

We have all heard terrible stories of young graduates being denied jobs because of well…less than appropriate Facebook profiles. Can you imagine though if you were denied a job based solely on information sharing? Students at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs received such a warning from the State Department. The email stated:

From: “Office of Career Services”

Date: November 30, 2010 15:26:53 EST:

Hi students,

We received a call today from a SIPA alumnus who is working at the State Department. He asked us to pass along the following information to anyone who will be applying for jobs in the federal government, since all would require a background investigation and in some instances a security clearance.

The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks are still considered classified documents. He recommends that you DO NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media sites such as Facebook or through Twitter. Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government.

Regards,

Seriously? This has very large implications for the rapidly expanding social media market. The next generation is no longer being told to post carefully. No, they are being told not to post at all. That is if they wish to be gainfully employed. This could mean the giant pool of consumers who access their social media tools everyday is lost to advertisers.

We have known for years that the government has struggled with how to ‘police’ the net and make it as family (and govt.) friendly as Main Street America. But not hiring a student because they commented on their best friend’s wedding photos is a little ludicrous.

-Name removed to protect the innocent

In a recent AdWeek article, “Ignoring Internet Banner Ads: The oft-maligned promo unit takes yet another hit,” Mark Dolliver analyzes the results of a recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll  where 43 percent of Internet banner ads were sited to be the most ignored by Internet users. Dolliver continues to discuss that even the 18 to 34 year old demographics were “about as likely as their elders to pick banner ads” as the online media vehicle to be ignored.  Furthermore, 21 percent of this same demographic reported that “search-engine ads are the genre they’re likeliest to ignore.”

Dolliver switches to investigating consumer’s tendencies towards traditional advertising when looking to television ads. Unsurprisingly, 20 percent of the 55 years and older demographic selecting this genre as the most ignored, while only nine percent of the 18 to 34 years old demographic chose this genre as the most ignored. This was followed by 14 percent of 45 to 54 years old demographic and 13 percent of the 35 to 44 years old demographic.

Despite the fact that specific banner ads can be targeted towards the most qualified and relevant audience, I personally worry that consumers do not find banner ads to be worthwhile of their time and thus prefer to ignore these ads.

This Monday I came across the launch of Google’s eBooks platform!  The Google Beast is now another step closer to ruling the world muah haha!

As I was reading this article I learned that Google is looking to scan and searchable an estimated 130 million books!  For this launch there are over three million of scanned editions of books that are available as eBooks.

The most interesting thing I think is that unlike the Kindle, or Sony Reader;  Google eBooks are available to everybody as long as you have access to the internet.  You will be able to read a book on your iPad your Android phone or even on your computer at work without losing your place or any hassle.

I think this is going to be a great alternative to the expensive eReader.  Google will have a lot of free downloads as well as many books for sale.

Read more about the new Google Books here.

Mobile is really picking up steam and many businesses are unsure what to do about it.  My thoughts are shaped in part by an article from eMarketer – Consumers to Retailers: Improve Your Mobile Sites. According to this study, more than half of consumers are more likely to purchase from a retailer with a mobile site – and a good mobile site.
This is especially relevant as more consumers this year are or are planning to use their mobile phones to shop during this holiday season. According to a study included in this article, 51% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from retailers that have a mobile site, but fewer than 5% of retailers actually have a mobile site.

Many retailers are also making the mistake of too flash-heavy sites which do not translate to mobile use. According to the article, with m-commerce and mobile shoppers on the rise, retailers are faced with the need to create a user-friendly mobile site or lose to their competitors that have one.