The Web in Africa

First World nations that were present for and part of the development of the world wide web take the freedom of the web for granted. When we lose access, we complain about missed ebay bids, not talking to friends, or not being able to watch goofy videos on YouTube. But in some countries, the freedom the Web provides reaches much futher than “free shipping.” In many nations, even with minimal, spotty access, the ability to participate in the social web has hugely affected the participation of people within society. It is so powerful that oppressive regimes have spent large amounts of money and energy restricting and filtering their citizens’ access to maintain control.

The obstacles put in place by dictatorial governments can only hold the flood of information back for so long. Jonathan Gosier wrote a 3-part blog on the web in Africa, which describes some of the advances being made – technically and culturally – in some cases, in spite the efforts of government control. His goal is to encourage entrepreneurship through the use of the Internet in the third world.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_media_in_africa_part_1.php
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_media_in_africa_part_2_mobile.php
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/africa_democracy_social_media.php

When government can no longer control information, the people can begin to hold government accountable. In Ethiopia, the services Feedelix uses technology that can bypass government filters to keep users connected. In Zimbabwe, the civic group Sokwanele uses the web to alert citizens and the rest of the world to violence and forced “land redistribution”, while the government attempts to suppress reporting. http://appfrica.net/blog/archives/131

Perhaps because of the need for the populous to communicate above the government radar, Africa’s mobile market is the fastest growing worldwide. While there is little broadband infrastructure, VSat services can provide a signal, even without electricity.
Due to this availability, many regional social sites have popped up – Muti.co.za, which is like Digg, Sokwanele.com provides updateable maps through SMS, Amatomou is a news Aggregator, Mzaleno tracks Kenya’s Parliamentary actions.

The downside of satellite connectivity is that networks get bottlenecked and will slow down, which keeps prices high and speeds low.
Johathan Gosier writes his blogs in hopes that the developing world will notice the extraordinary potential available in Africa

The demise of Advertising is near.

Monetization is necessary for all businesses, and is becoming a sticky issue for Web 2.0 companies. Advertising revenue seems like one of the most likely strategies for many of the companies who are competing in a “Free” space. However, according to Eric Clemons, all media advertising revenue is failing, and the Internet effectively shatters any hope those advertisers would have of resurrecting it. He discusses these ideas in the TechCrunch article, “Why Advertising is Failing on the Internet.”
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/22/why-advertising-is-failing-on-the-internet/

He states three reasons for this failure. The first two are ongoing plagues, but haven’t begun to do real damage to ad revenues: 1) “Consumers do not trust advertising”, 2) “Consumers do not want to view advertising.” It is the third reason, which has changed since the popularity of the internet, that really crushes advertisers: 3) “Consumers do not need advertising.”

Professor Clemons states, “will no longer need advertising to obtain …information. We will see the information we want, when we want it, from sources that we trust more than paid advertising. We will find out what we need to know, when we want to make a commercial transaction of any kind.”

We have heard a great deal about how Facebook has been experimenting with ways to earn money though targeted advertising, including programs like Beacon. People are uncomfortable with this, but it seems like Facebook is directly addressing the items that Professor Clemons is concerned about.

You can trust the advertising if it comes from a “friend.” If you are notified through Facebook that a friend has purchased a dress at Ann Taylor Loft, for instance, you know that your friend made an informed buying decision to do so. Therefore, you can trust that, if you go to Anne Taylor Loft, the dress will feel nice, be a nice color, and fit well (at least it will fit someone like your friend well).

You want to see the advertising if you are already on your friend’s Facebook page, because you are interested in your friend. This is not an in-your-face popup, not even a targeted ad, it is actual information about your friend.

Finally, you can go wherever you want to for more information. You can go to your friend, to the Ann Taylor Loft website, or to the ATL store. You decide what information you want and go get it when you want it.

The hurdles, though, are that people feel like they are being “used” to advertise for these companies. Are there better ways to appeal to consumers?

Mine – RSS goes to print?

Time Warner and American Express Co. have decided to take the online experience to print! What?

They have created Mine Magazine – an in-print (or online) magazine that is populated with personalized information for the reader, much like an online RSS feed.
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/time-incs-mine-magazine-paper-saving-printed-rss-feed

Mine magazine is an experiment. It will be 5 issues over 10 weeks, and will be free to 31,000 subscribers. All of the ads in Mine magazine will be from Lexus, but each ad will be customized to the reader’s tastes.

This may help answer several questions for the print news biz:
Has the internet engulfed the print news industry because of the customizable news? Is it possible to continue to prosper in the print news industry, if more personalized content is available? How will advertisers respond to the ability to customize ads along with content in print?

I’m an RSS lover, so signed up. In order to customize my information, they had me pick my favorites from a list of quirky questions. I’m not sure if this is just to customize the Lexus commercials, or if they will actually use this to pick articles for me.

Then, they had me pick five magazines from a list of eight. I wanted to pick three, but had to pick five. Hopefully, my selection order will play some role in the amount of information I see from each of the mags.

I understand the draw of an in-print magazine versus online news. First, it is physically easier to read paper, as there are only a few devices (like Kindle) with enough resolution to minimize eye-strain. Paper can also be read more quickly, since we are in better control of our eye movement over a static reading surface than a scrolling reading surface (though millennials may disagree). Also, there is convenience in paper – no problems are caused if coffee is spilled on a magazine, it can be easily tucked under an arm or folded into a purse. There is no need for internet access, power cords, or charged batteries.

However, the negatives continue to outweigh the positives. The news in a magazine is “old” by the time it is printed and mailed. Also, printing and mailing both use up many more resources, including paper, ink (which makes the paper nasty to compost), electricity to run the print shop, and gas. Most importantly, there is no way to get as much custom information into a magazine as one can find online.

It is this last issue that will be best addressed by Mine. Can a slightly more customized magazine tip the online/in print news balance back in the favor of the convenience and readability of a magazine?

For those who currently stand by print media, it may be an opportunity to bridge an ever-widening gap. However, many of these people stick to print because they think it is important to get news they DON’T want, ensuring that they do not become biased news consumers. They probably will not want a customized magazine any more than they want an RSS feed of leftist topics.

Overall, I think it will be a failure. I don’t think advertisers will pay the exponentially greater cost of custom printing and collating custom magazines, just for the opportunity to select a woods scene versus city scene in their advertisement.
I certainly don’t think consumers will pay any more than they currently do for magazines. We currently customize our own in-print content by deciding whether to buy off the shelf or to subscribe. People won’t pay more for a subscription just because it is a mash-up of a few they might like .. especially while most online news is still free.

Sexting: Harmless Fun, or Kiddie Porn?

Sexting is sending nude or pornographic pictures via text message. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 20% of teenagers admit to sending these photos to their friends (http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/chris-dannen/techwatch/sexting-why-worry).

This behavior may seem to be very normal for experimental teenagers. To the kids who are doing it, it probably seems like harmless fun. They feel a false sense of privacy sending these messages to their friends, and they may not consider the likelihood that these images can be shared with the world if maliciously or mistakenly distributed. We have discussed the ease with which a pic-message can be posted on the open internet, and/or or virally distributed to hundreds of cell phones or email accounts at a time.

This is what happened to Jessica Logan, from Ohio (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29546030/). She sexted a photo to her boyfriend, but when they broke up, he forwarded to the picture to other friends, which eventually led to hundreds of local teens seeing Jessica’s picture. She was taunted for the remainder of her senior year. Jessica reached out to warn others about the dangers of sexting. Ultimately, the shame of this event led her suicide.

Even if teens who engage in sexting comprehend the possibility that hundreds or thousands may view their photo, they certainly don’t recognize the overall social, ethical, and legal consequences of these erotic messages.

Although the kids are acting willingly, they are not at a legal age to distribute nude pictures of themselves. Therefore, some of these teens have been charged with manufacturing and distribution of child pornography. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28679588/ http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2009-03-11-sexting_N.htm

This may be a harsh charge to levy. Though there is no mandatory jail sentence, convicted child pornographers must register as sex offenders, which is a penalty that follows people ominously forever. However, law enforcement officers feel the need to set examples so that kids recognize the significance of this situation.

This is uncharted territory, though, because the intent of child pornography law is to protect kids from pornographers – not to protect kids from themselves. However, we are familiar with other laws that draw this line. Minors in possession of alcohol are prosecuted. Also, statutory rape cases can be tried whether the minor was willing.

Teenagers sext messages to their friends, and their friends may be bold enough to re-post these pictures online. There is no telling, at that point, whose hands the pictures could fall into, or how else the could be redistributed.

To Tweet, or not to Tweet? Twitter, in question.

Evan Williams, one of the founders of Twitter, recently gave a Ted.com talk on the start-up, and how it has surprised him with its popularity and usefulness.

On the other hand, satirist Brian Unger hates Twitter.

What is it that so many love and so many others despise about this popular micro-blogging site?

Brian Unger’s March 9th commentary described “The Darker Side Of Tweets And Twitter” on NPR’s Day to Day. While Twitter claims that “most of our day-to-day lives are hidden from people that care,” Brian’s position is that “Nobody Cares” what you’re doing. He considers Twitter users to be self-centered and narcissitic if they think others want to know when they are “showering, gardening, or working out – these things are boring.” He says that the people who say they care about these little things “are lying to you.”

Even those who don’t send many Tweets, but like to follow others don’t escape Mr. Unger’s wrath. He compares following a friend on Twitter to stalking someone, “but without the inconvenience of sitting outside their house on a cold, rainy night with a gun in your lap.”

Brian Unger recommends that people avoid twitter, or they will end up blogging while driving, stalking people, and talking to themselves.

When Evan Williams agreed to fund Twitter as a side project, he did not know where it would lead. It was simply based on friends sending simple SMS status messages, in order to feel more connected with eachother by sharing “moments” in their lives. He discussed uses they never expected in this Ted.com talk.

Later, they learned that Twitter could be very important. During the 2007 fall wildfires that broke out in San Diego, neighbors used Twitter to share information about what was happening with eachother. The LA Times and Red Cross got on the bandwagon and also used Twitter to dispense information, as well as to collect information to share on other forms of media.

Twitter users have created conventions to make the tool more useful, which Twitter has subsequently pulled into the software to make it more user friendly. One example is tagging convention #tag. This allows a search term to be easily found using the Twitter search feature. During the gas crisis, Atlanta Twitter users coined the convention #atlgas, so people would Tweet where they found gas and the price. This connected many people who did not know eachother, and lent a real-time helping hand.

Also, Twitter can be used to allow people who cannot attend a convention or event to tap into the Tweetosphere of that experience by searching for the #tag that is often posted for attendees. This way, people stuck at the office can still hear the conversation and goings on, experiencing it from afar.

Finally, many applications have been developed to make Twitter even more useful. Tweet clouds, twitter analytics, and approximately 2,000 others allow users, followers, and anyone who is interested to find valuable information in this micro blog.

So, should you join Twitter? It really depends on your friends. If they will update you with interesting or important information, or if you are part of a pretty large group and they will make plans using the site, it’s a great idea. It may also work for transient office groups to easily keep the team abreast even on the go.

However, constant status updates can be a bore. If you follow a friend who’s ego encourages them to post “eating pepperoni pizza,” you may find yourself responsible for knowing the most intricate details of their day – while you are just trying to get through yours.

Skittles’ New Method

New method for Social Media Marketing … have the Social Media BE your marketing!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/03/skittles-twitte.html

Skittles revamped their web page to show streaming Tweets about #skittles. This experiment may or may not have boosted Skittles’ appeal to their target market, but it certainly caused a bit of a raucous on Twitter.

Some people blamed the Skittles stunt for slowing Twitter functionality. Many, many people sent notes with the Pee-Wee’s Word of the Day included so that they could get some free airtime on both websites. Others sent both positive and negative comments about the candy itself.

Did Agency.com accomplish any marketing ROI for Skittles? Yupper - Increasing the number of times a potential customer thinks about the product certainly is success! By getting people to type #skittles into their tweets, they added a kinetic element to their advertising. Also, the rumor of added airtime spread like wildfire among Twitterers and their friends – totally viral advertising. Way to go Skittles.

Will this last? Will it spread? Well… it probably won’t take too long before the posts are too raunchy or negative to send Skittles packing. Censoring the posts may work, but may turn off Twitterers. People are probably going to get bored with seeing Tweets on the Skittles home page announcing that “Ron Hubbard Hates Skittles.”

On the other hand, many people will continue to be willing to type a product name over and over for 15 seconds of social-web fame.

With a product as popular as Skittles, the advertising-by-microblog may not actually sell more candy. Most of these blurbs don’t remind the market how tasty or refreshing skittles are; some of the posts are downright negative. Re-posting social media may work better for products that need to create broader awareness.

Newer products could probably benefit more from capturing streaming Tweets. For instance, this may be more effective if M&M Mars were to launch a new type of candy or a twisted candy (like chocolate skittles). Visitors encouraged by the Twitter posts may be encouraged to 1) remember the name of it 2) type their own post 3) tell their friends about it 4) try it.

I also think that time limits will be needed. It is important to keep the Twittersphere hopping. Things that are constantly available get old, and old is no good for social media. Trends are so important that bloggers should know that they can only abuse this outlet for a limited time.
--- Quick update! Skittles still has a link to the Twitter feed called “Chatter,” but the main page is now the Wikipedia definition for Skittles --- J

Citi Got Scammed!

http://www.businessinsider.com/citigroup-caught-up-in-nigerian-email-scam-2009-2

One of the topics we have discussed in class a few times is Nigerian Email Scams. We’ve all seen them, and none of us were duped. Citibank was, though!

A Nigerian living in Singapore and his posse convinced Citibank to wire $27 million to his accounts! The money came from the Ethiopian Central Bank. The scammers did a bit more than send a too-good-to-be-true email. They found out bank officials’ names and sent authentic-looking documents to Citibank. They even managed to “pose as bank officials” to get the transactions approved.

Unfortunately for the crooks, major wire transfers from government central banks are a bit more difficult to handle than Grandma’s $15K check. The bandits’ banks weren’t able to process the transactions, so their banks contacted the Ethiopian Central Bank. When the Central Bank didn’t recognize the transactions, the scam was exposed.

In this case, jail time is likely. Individuals are usually not so lucky. In fact, under certain dollar thresholds, some identity theft is not even investigated. This is frustrating, because the thieves know how to work the system, so they just steal more and more account numbers, spending whatever they want, with little concern for recourse.

In many cases, credit cards (or accounts) are stolen, and the credit card companies insure these, so customers usually get their money back pretty quickly. Unfortunately, when the funds are tied to a bank account, even if it is insured, the wait to receive a refund can be about a week. This happened to a friend of mine who is a teacher and doesn’t have credit cards. The theft prevented her from paying bills and even buying groceries.

The funny thing about Citibank being the target is that Citi is known for being a very paranoid bank. Every time I use my credit card someplace new, or to buy something I haven’t purchased before, I get a phone call to make sure I really made that purchase. Citi did this on their own behalf as well. They called bank officals for each of the accounts these funds were transferred to. Unfortunately, their security policy got caught in a feedback loop – they called the fake bank officials whose names and numbers were included in the fraudulent request for the wire transfer!

This hits home with me because I just got a letter from my bank that my debit card information was compromised – between May and November 2008! After scanning all of my major purchases between those dates to make sure my account wasn’t breached, I called the 800-number to activate the card. There was no bank identification, just a message asking for my card number and SSN. Nuh-uh! I called the bank directly instead.
Stay safe.