Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Watch This Video!

CM comment: So what does it all mean? If you've never seen this video you must watch it!

Did you know 3.0. Globalizatin In The Information Age. Newly revised edition was created by Karl Fisch, and modified by Scott McLeod.

Unintended Consequences

CM comment: Something worth taking note of ...

Not All Ad Clicks Are Created Equal
February 10, 2009: from The New York Times -- In the last quarter, an estimated 17.1 percent of all clicks on Internet advertisements were fraudulently generated, according to Click Forensics, a firm that analyzes traffic on behalf of advertisers and ad networks.

Web sites practice “click fraud” by running Internet ads, soliciting clicks, receiving payments from advertisers for the clicks, and then kicking some money back to the clickers. About a third of the clicking is done by botnets, enormous networks of personal computers that are harnessed and controlled using viruses.

Tom Cuthbert, the president of Click Forensics, said this was the highest rate of click fraud that the company had seen in its three years of monitoring. He said that rates of click fraud, and especially of botnet activity, had risen sharply.

“We think the increase in click fraud is definitely tied to the downturn in the economy,” he said. One fraud making a comeback is the “click farm,” workers who are paid to browse sites and mimic the patterns of a normal user.

Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/bybhpj

Back To The Future

CM Comment: Common things today seemed like crazy ideas not too long ago. It's always fun to look back to the future. Plus, sometimes there's a lesson too.

A Newspaper? On a PC? That's Crazy Talk
January 31, 2009: from The New York Times -- Here's something just for kicks that's been making the rounds: In 1981, San Francisco TV station KRON aired a news segment about how a select group of computer users were getting their daily copy of the San Francisco Examiner not on paper, but on their home computer (!). The best part comes about one minute into the clip, when one of the Examiner's editors explains that the paper is "not in this to make money."

YouTube video at: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=agiyfxcab.0.0.o7uw4wcab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fctt4jr&id=preview

MGM Mirage, Bally's, Wynn, Harrah's Lose Out During Tough Times

February 23, 2009: from Gambling911.com -- Las Vegas is hurting during these rough economic times. Hotels on the strip have drastically slashed room rates in an effort to compete. But the likes of MGM Mirage, Bally's, Wynn, Harrah's and a whole slew of others appear to be losing out in a big way. The online gambling sector is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to thrive despite the economic downturn.

Sure these Vegas giants want to get in on the action once all the legalities are ironed out. Vegas casino companies can be doing more now to capitalize on the Internet gambling market however. "Why are they not advertising on websites that cover online gambling?" asks Payton O'Brien, Senior Editor of the Gambling911.com website. "There are literally dozens of such sites covering the gamut of sports betting, online casino gambling and poker." O'Brien estimates that over 80 percent of those who read Gambling911.com are gamblers. "If the Vegas casinos want to reach the folks most likely to gamble and be enticed to take advantage of these great hotel rates in Vegas, what better place to advertise than a popular gambling news site the likes of Gambling911.com?" O'Brien asks. "This seems to be a no-brainer to me."


And the Las Vegas hotel casinos need to start marketing more effectively. The bleeding continues to get worse. "For some reason the Las Vegas casinos have always used the excuse that they would not advertise on websites and in publications that also feature online casinos," O'Brien said. "That mindset no longer makes sense in this brutal economy when Vegas is desperate to reel in new visitors. We are here to help!"

"It's common sense for these Vegas companies to market smart," O'Brien says. "The same people who gamble online are betting small, looking for opportunities, but Las Vegas tends to be out of reach most of the time. Not now! Vegas is super cheap. One can stay on the Strip for under $40 a night at the best hotels. Online gamblers will not hesitate to take advantage of these types of bargains, especially when Sin City offers a chance to win money."

Full story at: http://tinyurl.com/az5pt5

Improving Your Reach Through Mobile Marketing and Multimedia Stream

CM comment: Seems like a topical agenda.

February 20, 2009: from Casino Direct Marketing Association -- March 24th meeting announced. Improving Your Reach Through Mobile Marketing and Multimedia Stream. With an increasingly mobile and connected population, is your message reaching your target audience? How can you make sure that your offers and incentives are timely and relevant, up to the last minute? Lean how to create interactive and instant client communications. Hear how you can co-brand your property and share campaign costs with your marketing partners. Speakers Julie Lam of Link2Tek, Inc. and Rahul Sonnad of Geodelic Solutions will address these topics, as well your questions about this dynamic new technology.

More information at www.casinodma.org