December 2009
105 posts
Lauren Weinstein: How to Sink a Major Web Site... →
‘There’s a vast gulf between an unobtrusive text ad and a giant “blot out” display ad (the latter sometimes seen these days even on the home pages of some distinguished news sites — they take over most of your screen at least briefly). Deciding what’s eyeball catching without being utterly revolting is no simple task.
There’s one ad format though —...
November 2009
91 posts
threatpost: The Root of the Botnet Epidemic →
“There are no definitive numbers on how large the botnet problem is, but experts say the number of infected PCs is in the tens of millions at any given time. Many of those machines belong to home users with relatively fast broadband connections and little or no knowledge of the security threats that lie in wait all over the Web. These PCs are easy prey for attackers. But this wasn’t...
Word to the Wise: Legitimate email marketers need... →
“Being a legitimate email marketer means taking sides and taking the side aligned with the general public’s interest…doing the right things, rejecting the bad things and standing up against those who adopt poor practices.”
EmailKarma.net: Q&A: Permission and the Electronic... →
“ECPA does cover any electronic message sent to Canadians or routed through Canada, so it is my understanding that people initiating messages from the US and other international mailers will need to be aware of the permission issues and work towards compliance. Remember this is for Electronic messaging which includes; Social Networks, IM, SMS, and of course email… and likely other...
PC World: European ISPs Lash out at Secret ACTA... →
“Secretive international trade negotiations intended to clamp down on counterfeiting risk undermining the openness and innovation-friendly nature of the Internet, said EuroISPA, a trade group representing Europe’s Internet service providers (ISPs), on Monday.”
Mashable: Twitter Ads Are Evil: Here’s Why →
“…suddenly we have Sponsored Tweets, ad.ly and others offering to pay users to Tweet out their ad messages. Problem solved! Except it’s not. That’s the exact same outdated model of interruption-based advertising that we’ve been trying to block out with a TiVo or an internet ad blocker. We don’t want it. We’ll ignore it.
…my relationship with you is based on trust: if I’m...
Washington Post Security Fix: Eight tips for safe... →
“Shopping online is a great way to save time and money, but those efficiencies quickly vanish for people who lack basic online shopping smarts. Take a few minutes to review these safe shopping tips: They may just save you a world of headache and financial pain.”
Box of Meat advises: email marketers could regain the trust & admiration of their recipients by passing along sound...
CAUCE North America: Huge US fine for NZ spammer →
“The New Zealander identified by the United States Federal Trade Commission as the ring leader of an international spam network has been ordered to pay $US15.15 million by a US federal judge.”
All Facebook: Facebook Draws A Line In The Sand... →
“With an enforcement team which is increasing in size, trying to push deceptive ads through Facebook Platform applications is becoming an increasingly risky business.”
guardian.co.uk: Google backs bid to restore trust... →
“The initiative, which has the working title Front Foot, was launched by the [UK Advertising Association] last month following research that found that fewer than one in six people trust advertisers.”
Wired.com: The Sorry De-Evolution of Spam →
“These days, spam is a depersonalized, sterile affair. Spammers are casting their nets wider and wider, as evinced by the following e-mails I’ve gotten over the last few months.”
(Humor.)
anti-virus rants: being a whitehat means taking... →
“you wouldn’t think this needs to be said, but apparently it does - being a whitehat means taking sides. more than that, it means taking the side aligned (more or less) with the general public’s interests - doing things for their direct or indirect benefit.”
The Prescott Report: Behaviorial Advertising... →
‘Americans frankly don’t like being watched and “stalked”, especially if they are not told it is happening. even by merchants who, in my experience, quite sincerely believe they are doing a service to consumers by presenting offers to them tailored to their interests.’
Chris Brogan: Spam is a Perception- Mine →
“If you push unwanted messages into my face over and over again, you’re the enemy. And I don’t mean ME specifically, I mean people. I’m showing you the receiving end of what some of us call marketing.”
This may be one of the most important articles to enter the email marketing echo chamber in years, because of the comments: lots of email marketers, complaining about spam. Maybe...
Reuters: Cyber breaches are a closely kept secret →
“Companies that are victims of cybercrime are reluctant to come forward out of fear the publicity will hurt their reputations, scare away customers and hurt profits. Sometimes they don’t report the crimes to the FBI at all. In other cases they wait so long that it is tough to track down evidence.”
silicon.com: Marketing chiefs: Are you spamming... →
‘More than half…did not restrict the number of messages that could be sent to an email account in a given period.
The survey report warns: “Given that people regard ‘too many emails’ as a reason for reporting messages as spam, this is a weakness that needs addressing.”’
China Tech News: MIIT Punished 600 Telecom Service... →
“…more than 13000 mobile terminals involved in illegally sending of group short messages were shut down. In addition, over 600 telecom value-added service providers were punished for illegal practices, and about 11000 basic telecom service providers were either closed or asked to rectify their SMS businesses.”
Direct: E-mail Volume To Spike On Cyber Monday →
‘…retailers will send more e-mail marketing message on Cyber Monday – the first Monday after Thanksgiving – than on any other day of the year.’
AFP: Hong Kong man, three others jailed for spam... →
‘FBI special agent Andrew Arena said Ralsky, the self-proclaimed “Godfather of Spam,” flooded email boxes with unwanted spam email and attempted to use a botnet to hijack computers to assist them in the scheme.’
Th. Kühne in CircleID: IDN and Email: The Harsh... →
“There has been a lot of talk about IDNs here and elsewhere but what does the reality look like for a plain user? As a test, I randomly choose 28 domains from Alexa’s top 100 Sites and tried to create a user account with the email address user@宫殿.com.”
2 tags
DarkReading: Three Indicted For Comcast Site Hack →
“…the hackers got control of the domain with two phone calls, and an email was sent to the company’s domain registrar, Network Solutions, from a hacked Comcast email account.
That gave them entry to the Network Solutions control panel for Comcast’s 200 domains, according to the indictment.”
Jart Armin in Internet Evolution: Online Marketing... →
‘Some companies use methods similar to those employed by online scammers and cybercriminals, such as utilizing adware and injected pages to entice customers into clicking on confirmation buttons. The companies may use the confirmation button from adverts promising “cash back rewards” as a go-ahead to pass along personal data obtained from customers, i.e., email address and...
Email Deliverability Conversations: AOL's... →
“Senders, here’s a short poem for you chock-full of advice and a twopenny clue”
The Big Money: Google Does Non-Evil Thing: Bans... →
“When Google banned an ad and the site it linked to, the scammers just created a new domain and ad, essentially pointing users to the same place, filled with the same shoddy offers. …It will now ban the advertiser, not the ad…to focus on all scams—malware, get-rich-quick sites, getting users to pay for otherwise free software, etc.”
CAUCE North America: Maybe email IS dead -- part... →
“…bulk email — marketing and otherwise — may indeed on the verge of dying. Increasing spam leads to increasing filtering leads to increasing deliverability problems…. Other technologies are much, much better at disseminating information from one author to multiple willing recipients.”
Word to the Wise: Troubleshooting the simple stuff →
“We’ve been having an ongoing conversation recently about the utterly stupid and annoying questions some senders ask…too stupid or lazy to do their own troubleshooting.”
Washington Post Security Fix: FDA targets rogue... →
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pressuring a number of Internet service providers to shut off nearly 12 dozen Web sites alleged to be selling counterfeit or unapproved prescription drugs.”
Messaging News: Mega-D/Ozdok Botnet Take Down →
“…actions included taking down domain names, cutting off the command and control servers, and hosting providers actually shutting off machines.”
The Email Wars: Anyone Can Do It – But Should... →
“…I am quite tired of the free ESP services. Why? Well they are giving anyone with the ability to upload a list the ability to email me. It opens up the just because you can does not mean you should debate I often have with people new to email marketing (yes there are always people new to it).”
CIO.com: The Six Greatest Threats to U.S.... →
“It’s not a very good day when a security report concludes: Disruptive cyber activities expected to become the norm in future political and military conflicts. But such was the case today as the Government Accountability Office today took yet another critical look at the US federal security systems and found most of them lacking.”
Internet Evolution: The Money Pit of Enterprise... →
“There’s good reason CFOs (and everyone else who signs off) chafe when it comes to enterprise security spending — it’s not just a cost center, it’s a gigantic, budget-sucking vortex.”
The Email Delivery Guru: Require a login to... →
“If you’re wondering if it’s OK to require that recipients must log into your website before they can unsubscribe from your emails, the answer to that is no— it’s prohibited under US Federal law.”
Techdirt: Crackdown On Loyalty Program Scams Shows... →
‘Many of these are incredibly sneaky, such that many users have no idea they signed up for it until they get their credit card statements. Even worse, many of the “tricks” involve getting legitimate sites to offer these “services” to their users — and those included Continental Airlines, Classmates.com, Priceline, 1-800-Flowers and many others.’
The Database Diva: Ditch Me-Me-Itis with Business... →
A computer-generated video conversation about email marketing best practices, with only one thing missing: the “blast” guy should’ve been bitch-slapped every time he opened his mouth.
Joho the Blog: My talk at the Canadian Marketing... →
“In short: You can’t step into the same market twice.”
threatpost: Security Metrics Are Useless Without a... →
“There has been a big push in recent years in the security community toward metrics, and measurements of all types have become a hot topic in certain corners of the industry. But measurement for measurement’s sake is useless-and perhaps even counterproductive….”
Telegraph: Stephen Fry says Twitter lets... →
‘While many brands are working hard to have a credible presence on Twitter, in an attempt to make consumers engage more with their products, Mr Fry stressed that the essence of Twitter was “human-shaped” and not a marketing tool for businesses.’
(via tech.blorge, which adds some additional colour)
PC World: DNS Problem Linked to DDoS Attacks Gets... →
“…the growing number of consumer devices on the Internet that are configured to accept DNS queries from anywhere…can be used in what’s known as a DNS amplification attack.”
John Resig: Google Groups is Dead →
“The primary problem with Google Groups boils down to a systemic failure to contain and manage spam. Only a bottom-up overhaul of the Google Groups system would be able to fix the problems that every Google Group faces.”
Graham Cluley's blog: Swine flu fears making... →
“Panic-induced stockpiling by individuals who aren’t officially classified as being at risk of contracting swine flu, and therefore anxious they won’t receive Tamiflu from the NHS, will not only line cybercriminals’ pockets with millions of pounds in cash but also grant them access to sensitive personal data to be used for other crimes.”
BBC News: Feeling grumpy 'is good for you' →
CAUCE North America: Email’s Not Dead, neither is... →
“…spam filters work. Well, duh. If they didn’t, we would all be seeing about 90 for every one spam that gets into the inbox. That doesn’t mean it is over, merely that we are not seeing the vast majority of the spam sent our way. The spam filtering-spam sending war is ever-escalating, and someone has to pay the piper for new technologies and filters.”
MediaPost: Email's Antisocial Sin →
‘Seeing “no-reply@” in the “from” address…telegraphs that the email is a one-way street. …29% of consumers want the ability to write back to marketers who send them email. …If marketers were listening via email, would consumers feel the need to post complaints on Facebook or Twitter?’
Doc Searls: Beyond Social Media →
‘Missing in action is credit to what goes below private platforms like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook — namely the Net, the Web, and the growing portfolio of standards that comprise the deep infrastructure, the geology, that makes social media (and everything else they support) possible.’
danieltenner.com: What problems does Google... →
“…nobody seems to get what Wave is for. So they compare it to social media. …this is partly Google’s fault: they released Wave to geeks and hackers and social media folks first. But Wave is not a geek/hacker tool, or a social media tool, it’s a corporate tool….”
Convince & Convert: Your Customers Don't Want to... →
“Why would a customer want to connect with your company online? What’s the benefit? How does doing so provide value, or helpfulness, or enjoyment? You must make the case to the customer that by NOT connecting with you, they are missing out on something of value. And you have to deliver on that promise.”
Kill All Humans: Don’t blame your vendor →
DKIM checks don’t have to happen after 250 — unless you let your vendor talk you out of it.
Paul Vixie in ACM Queue: What DNS Is Not →
‘The Internet economy rewards unlimited creativity in the monetization of human action, and fairly often this takes the form of some kind of intermediation. For DNS, monetized intermediation means lying. The innovators who bring us such monetized intermediation do not call what they sell “lies,” but in this case it walks like a duck and quacks like one, too.’