The Huffington Post
Joanna Zelman
02/ 8/11 05:51 PM

The Yellow Pages phone book. It’s been used as packaging material, a dangerous booster seat, fire kindling, and perhaps a box for illicit items if holed-out. But in an increasingly digital age, just how often is the phone book actually used to make phone calls? San Francisco believes it’s not often enough to warrant general distribution.

According to GreenBiz.com, San Francisco has proposed a law banning the distribution of unsolicited phone books. If the law goes into effect, phone companies and Yellow Pages publishers will be prohibited from leaving phone books on doorsteps and lobbies without advanced permission — fines could be up to $500 per violation.

The companies could still contact consumers to ask if they want a delivery, and the books would still be available for pick-up at distribution centers. But the new rules could cut down on a huge amount of waste generated per year.

According to the Sierra Club, AT&T distributes nearly 1 million phone books per year to San Francisco alone — that’s over 5 million pounds of paper for that one area of California.

Statistics suggest that approximately 70% of U.S. adults rarely or never use the phone book. Even the National Yellow Pages Association and the Association of Directory Publishers has recognized this statistic, and recently launched YellowPagesOptOut, a website where customers can easily cancel their home delivery service.

But a simple opt-out website is much different from a ban on mass distribution, and not everyone is happy with San Francisco’s new proposal. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Amy Healy, a top representative of the Yellow Pages Association claims that the law “would be an infringement of our constitutional rights – the right to distribute speech.” Healy also argues that the law targets just one industry, without addressing other forms of solicitation. She also states that the Yellow Pages book is far from obsolete, citing the industry statistic of 12 billion lookups per year.

But with an estimated $54 million spent per year by local governments to dispose of unwanted phone books, something has to change. If banning unsolicited materials does indeed infringe upon the Yellow Page’s “right to distribute speech,” could taxpayers argue that by receiving and having to dispose of these unsolicited materials, their rights are then infringed upon? As San Francisco Board of Supervisors president David Chiu proclaims, “If we’re serious about the environment, it’s time we recognize that phone books are a 20th century tool that doesn’t meet the business or environmental needs of the 21st century.”

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By Jolie O’Dell, Mashable
September 30, 2010 10:06 a.m. EDT | Filed under: Web

Since the button launched, many publishers are reporting large increases in traffic specifically due to this kind of social plugin.

Facebook like button is now present on roughly 2 million sites around the web
User who “likes” your content has more than double the friends than a typical user
Button bringing Facebook closer to competing with Twitter in the area of referral traffic

(Mashable) — The new-this-year-yet-somehow-already-ubiquitous Facebook Like button has been around just long enough to generate some interesting numbers relating to Facebook users and web traffic.

The button, which launched in April at f8, Facebook’s developer conference, is now present on roughly 2 million sites around the web, from sports sites to news organizations and many other kinds of publishers.

A media analytics lead on Facebook’s Developer Network Insights team crunched some numbers and found that Facebook Likes not only generate interesting data about the “likers” (a.k.a. Facebook users who are also active on your website) themselves; this data also speaks volumes about clickthrough rates, time on-site and other engagement metrics.

Read entire story at http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/09/30/like.button.web.traffic.mashable/index.html?hpt=C2

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

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WordCamp Boulder 2010 was my first WordCamp event. As a web designer, SEO, and online strategy consultant, I found the sessions and opportunity to meet others in the industry to share ideas and information very useful. Even though you know much of the material already because you’re in the biz, there are always things you pick up at events like these, and they provide the opportunity to learn something completely new.

WordCamp Boulder @ Boulder Theater

Attended the “Creating a Blog Community”, “Blogging for your Business”, “BuddyPress 101″, and “What’s Next for WordPress”. Of course the Social Hour was fun. Look forward to seeing the videos on WordPress.tv so I can tune into the sessions I couldn’t attend such as “WordPress Development” and the “Design Panel”.

The most important thing I learned was in “What’s Next for WordPress” session by Jane Wells of WordPress and Automatic – that was to make sure you use a capital “P” in WordPress!

Maybe I’ll head out to WordCamp New Zealand August 7-8.

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

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http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/market-dispatches.aspx?post=1619799&_blg=1,1620847

More people in the United States are falling victim to identity fraud.

A study by Javelin Strategy & Research showed that the number of victims jumped by 12% to 11.1 million adults in 2009, the biggest increase since the survey began in 2003.

“Identity fraud continues on the upswing and we believe it will continue to rise if consumers fail to take proactive steps to prevent fraudsters from taking advantage of their offline and online transactions and their increasingly exposed personal information on social networks,” said Michael Stanfield, CEO of Intersections (INTX), one of the survey’s sponsors.

“The findings of this Javelin report reinforce what we’ve been telling consumers for more than a decade — be vigilant with whom you are sharing your personal information and where you are sharing it. Protect your computer and only transact on confirmed legitimate websites,” Stanfield said in a press release.

The study said that total overall fraud rose by 12.5% to $54 billion.

Payment-card-related fraud is the most common type of crime, according to the study, with someone opening up a new account in the victim’s name. The perpetrator is often someone the victim knows, such as a family member or presumed friend, according to Javelin founder James Van Dyke.

The number of new credit card accounts opened fraudulently rose 39% in 2009, with new online accounts more than doubling, and the number of new e-mail payment accounts rising 12%.

Fraud on existing accounts rose 12%, with the vast majority occurring with credit cards.

The study also found that 29% of identity-fraud victims said that mobile phone accounts were fraudulently opened in their names.

One good thing in the report: less time to resolve identity crime. It takes 21 hours on average, down from 30 hours reported the year before.

By Stephanie Chen CNN

(CNN) — If you’re on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site, you could be the next victim.

That’s because more cyberthieves are targeting increasingly popular social networking sites that provide a gold mine of personal information, according to the FBI. Since 2006, nearly 3,200 account hijacking cases have been reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

It starts with a friend updating his or her status or sending you a message with an innocent link or video. Maybe your friend is in distress abroad and needs some help.

All you have to do is click.

When the message or link is opened, social network users are lured to fake Web sites that trick them into divulging personal details and passwords. The process, known as a phishing attack or malware, can infiltrate users’ accounts without their consent.

Once the account is compromised, the thieves can infiltrate the list of friends or contacts and repeat the attack on subsequent victims. Social networking sites show there is ample opportunity to find more victims; the average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site.

Read rest of article

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When will YouTube be profitable? “In the not-too-distant future,” said Google CFO Patrick Pichette on today’s quarterly earnings call, same as he said last quarter. He did offer a “sound bite” to appease investors and industry watchers: “We’re monetizing more than a billion video views every week on YouTube.” That’s out of “well over” a billion views that YouTube recently said it gets every day. So, let’s put on our fuzzy and unauthorized math thinking cap: There are seven days in a week. YouTube is monetizing in the neighborhood of 14 percent of its total views.

Google’s Nikesh Arora, president of global sales operations and business development, noted campaigns on YouTube’s home page have been undertaken with 90 percent of the top 50 advertisers. He said 90 percent of YouTube’s home-page inventory was sold out in the third quarter. Further, YouTube is beginning to release pre-roll inventory to advertisers — not the most-liked format for watchers or many in the industry, but a good way to make money. And the site is getting more premium content; it tied up a deal with Channel 4 this morning and straightened out its relationships with the music labels in recent weeks.

Google has come a long way from last year in its attitude towards YouTube, when CEO Eric Schmidt called YouTube monetization “the holy grail” and “our highest priority this year.”

“In general we’re really pleased about YouTube’s performance — it is going very well,” said Pichette. Arora added: “We’re pleased with our ability to monetize YouTube so far, and we like the trend.”

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The trough will get even deeper in 2010 as local online advertising continues to slow and as a bevy of new competitors rush in to become purveyors of hyperlocal everything. PBS, ESPN, AOL, Huffington Post, The Knot, Microsoft, Yahoo and scores of others have announced plans to reach deep into local ad sales. While they missed this crest, there is plenty of money yet to be made in local online ad sales.

Meanwhile, the next waves are forming on the horizon, as they always do, and companies that know what to look for can begin moving to catch them. Online promotions and mobile advertising are two such waves. This 2010 Outlook offers observations and forecasts intended to help that process.

Local online advertising will hit $14.2 billion this year, 12 percent more than 2008. For 2010 we are forecasting that it will grow just 5 percent, to $14.9 billion. In the past five years, local online advertising grew at a compound annual growth rate of 46.5 percent. For the next  five, we are expecting that rate to be 2.9 percent. The forecast is predicated upon a slow economic recovery and the fact that “online” as a local media advertising category is approaching what we believe is saturation. Online media buys currently hold a 13.8 percent share of all local advertising. We believe it will peak at a 16 percent share by 2013.

Unfortunately, one of the hottest growth categories – mobile – is not likely to play a significant role on the local media landscape next year. We are estimating that local buys will comprise only 20 percent of all mobile advertising, totaling slightly more than $500 million in 2010. Still, mobile is a category worth watching as the audience grows and as couponing, mobile directory advertising and sponsored text messages find viable applications for local marketers.

The game in 2010 will center more around stealing market share than growing the market. Local advertisers have had plenty of time to assess the effectiveness of banner ads, search, streaming video and e-mail advertising peddled to them over the past decade. They will abandon programs that just do not work, and embrace those that produce measurable results. They are also likely to continue following a few years behind the spending patterns of national advertisers by expanding their use of online promotions, which give them more direct access to their customers and prospects – without having to rely as heavily on media companies to help reach them.

Study provided by Borrell Associates. For more information and to download data samples visit www.borrellassociates.com

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

#1 –  Call to Action not clear

Visitor does not know what they’re supposed to do. How to order, what number to call, how to contact?

#2 – Distracting Visuals

Too many images and graphics not related to service or product. Visitor is blasted with too many things, poor separation of content and navigation.

# 3 – Text Overload

Too much detail, poor flow, poor outline. People aren’t going to read a book.

#4 – Landing Page Does Not Match What the Ad Says

Your landing page does not deliver what the visitor is expecting from the ad, banner or other link they clicked on.

#5 – Form and Info Request Overload

Asking for too much irrelevant information, or information that isn’t needed till later.

#6 – Trust and Risk Minimizers

Trust symbols such as BBB, Hacker Safe, Verisign Secure Site are not prominently displayed early in the decision process.

#7 – Trust Verification Missing

Missing third party endorsements, client testimonials, list of current clients and customers, reviews and feedback.

Better landing page design will result in:
Increased conversion rates
Increased revenues

Landing Page Optimization Denver

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

One common mistake companies make in recessionary times is cutting back on their marketing and advertising budget – this is usually the first expense that gets eliminated.

During a recession, consumers don’t stop purchasing, but they do become more selective. They focus on looking for “value” in their purchases. They are going to purchase products and services from someone, likely businesses they know and trust.

Better make sure they know your business!

In today’s digital age, businesses small to large, should continue to invest in their online marketing and advertising. The Internet is the most efficient, cost-effective marketing channel, and delivers the most ROI in acquiring customers and revenue. The web and mobile will only continue to grow in effectiveness for a business. Businesses should consider reallocating budgets that are used in other less effective media such as print, yellow pages, radio, and TV into online marketing programs such a website, search engine optimization (SEO), Internet video commercials, pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, and other online media.

McGraw-Hill Research did a study of U.S. recessions, analyzing 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results revealed that companies that maintained or increased their advertising investment during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for three years following the recession, than companies that eliminated or decreased advertising. Sales revenue of companies that advertised aggressively during the recession had risen 256% by 1985, over those that didn’t maintain their marketing efforts. See graph below.

Comparison of Sales & Ad Expenditures Pre and Post Recession

Moreover, six studies conducted by the research firm of Meldrum & Fewsmith showed conclusively that advertising aggressively during recessions increases sales and profits. This fact has held true for all post-World War II recessions studied by The American Business Press starting in 1949.

To be successful, a business should have the following working and functioning online marketing infrastructure to empower their business in today’s economic times:

1. Well designed and effective Website
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
3. Blog
4. Social Media Marketing
5. Online video commercials, business profiles
6. Content Generation
7. Email Marketing and Customer Databases

Ideally you want a web design firm that provides all of the above services versus a hodge podge of different companies where integration, effectiveness, cost, and management become a problem. A strong web design firm can function as your online campaign manager, integrating all of the above facets.

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

Reason #10: Professional image and credibility by having an Internet presence. 
In today’s digital world of the Internet, mobile phones, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs, it’s more accepted that a business with a website seems more legitimate. A business without a website and an email address can seem questionable.

Reason #9: Your business is open 24-7. 
Your website is working for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, essentially free with no labor costs.

Reason #8: Promote your services, products, generate leads. 
Customers looking for your product or services can easily search on Google, Yahoo, or Bing. Without a website, you are MIA, and missing new customer and revenue opportunities.

Reason #7: Marketing ROI. 
Marketing on the Internet is more cost-effective and delivers higher conversion rates than newspaper ads, yellow pages, flyers, door hangers, radio and tv spots, or other traditional advertising.

Reason #6: Targeted marketing. 
Marketing on the Internet is targeted like a laser beam unlike traditional media. Customers that are looking for your product or service online conduct specific searches, and if your web strategy is done correctly, these people will find you.

Reason #5: Data and statistics. 
Using analytical tools programmed into your website, you can see how many visitors come to your site, where they come from, how they find you, how long they stay, what pages they visit and more. You know how well your website is working and what marketing methods are driving traffic.

Reason #4: Expand your geographic reach. 
By leveraging the Internet, you can reach potential customers not within your immediate geographic area, and acquire new business. If you rely on out of town visitors, they can find you from anywhere in the U.S., or internationally.

Reason #3: Updates to company, product, and marketing info. 
You can change information regarding your business easily, cheaply, and quickly unlike brochures, flyers, and other marketing material. 

Reason #2: Customer service and convenience. 
Customer service can be improved, and you can reduce customer service costs and time. By having more information available about your product, service, answers to frequent questions, and other info on your website, you enhance your customer service. Customers can visit your website on their schedule – they’re not restricted by store hours, driving to your location, or feel any pressure to buy.

Reason #1: A web address is easy to remember, and your customers expect you to have a website in today digital age. 
A smartly selected web address tied to your brand is going to be easier to remember than your phone number or street address. This alone will increase potential consumers finding you and the opportunity to convert them into revenue generating customers.

Article by Minds Over Media, a Web design Denver, and SEO Denver company.

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.