Internet Filter Not Censorship Says Conroy

I don’t know about you, but that old saying about if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it must be a duck, certainly rings true to me and everyone else it seems with the exception of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy on the proposed Internet filter for all Australians being planned by the Rudd government.

Conroy, speaking at The Sydney Institute on Monday has described the planned mandatory internet filter as a modest regulatory measure,whilst critics believe it is mandatory censorship, being imposed on all Australians by the federal government.

The Obama administration in the US has already raised concerns about the proposed filter, saying it flies in the face of their policy of a free and open internet, here’s the link to that story if you’d like to read what the US government thinks of Rudd’s plans.

Here’s more of the story on Conroy’s speech:

"The internet is an incredible piece of technology and in our lifetime it's unlikely we'll see anything like it again," he said.

"But for all its technical brilliance, the internet is a distribution and communications platform.

"Having no regulation to combat illegal activity actually weakens all that is good about the internet."

The federal government's $128.8 million Cyber Safety policy includes legislation to block access to certain websites and blacklist offensive material.

The policy has been widely criticised by internet and software companies and free speech supporters.

But Senator Conroy said it can't remain largely unregulated.

"With great opportunity, comes even greater responsibility, and having sensible, appropriate protections in place is also the role of government," he said.

"There are some who want to argue that on the internet, people should be able to publish anything they like - regardless of whether it contravenes laws in the off-line world."

Senator Conroy said ISP level filtering alone was not enough to help fight child pornography or keep children safe online, which was why the government supported the block of content such as child sexual abuse imagery and material advocating terrorism.

"This is a modest measure, which reflects long held community standards about the type of content that is unacceptable in a civilised society," he said.

"Those who claim the government's approach is akin to the sort of political censorship practiced by authoritarian regimes are simply misleading the Australian public."

Original Story appeared on Ninemsn

Southern Gold Coast Small Business Training Seminar – An Event Not to Be Missed

The date for this event designed to assist small business in marketing on the web is 29th April 2010 from 8:00am to 10:30am. The location is Currumbin RSL Function room, 165 Duringan Street Currumbin.

What you will learn...

Advertising and Customer Service:

•Determining your business’s image & targeting for results.
•Effective media mix
•How to expand your Advertising Budget
•How to plan advertising & generate free media publicity
•How to determine who your customers are
•Setting up Customer Databases

Social Media Marketing:

•What is Social Media?
•Learn how to promote your business using social media.
•The Impact of SEO on Google search engine results
•Managing On Line reputation
•Google Real Time Search explained

“With so many speakers today on the Chamber circuit, we often find it difficult to sort and decipher what our members may be interested in, and what real
benefit they may receive from guest speakers. We were recently excited to have two quality speakers in Ian Grace and Mike Andrew. Their topics were
both relevant and professionally presented. I would recommend any business owner to attend a session to see them.”

Darren Mackintosh, President, Creek to Creek
Chamber of Commerce

 

Your Speakers:

 

Mike Andrew has been advising businesses on Internet marketing and technology for over a decade, including establishing realestate.com.au in the Queensland market. Mike then became a senior executive with Fairfax Digital until May 2009 when he formed his own technology consulting company. Mike is a recognised expert on social networking and the use of new technology in today’s changing online business market.

Mike regularly presents seminars on social media marketing in Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai and is a recognised expert in blogging for business.

Ian Grace is an international Advertising and Customer Service expert who worked and researched throughout the UK, South Africa and the USA for 16 years. Since 1994 Ian has conducted Advertising and Customer Service training worldwide, and is known as “Mr Real Estate Advertising” in the real estate industry. Ian has also been involved with the Federal Government funded New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS),and currently aids around 50 local small businesses,assisting them with business and financial plans then mentoring them through their first year of trading.

 

Seats are limited so bookings are essential.

 

Tickets for the event, normally $125 are Free to the first 50 attendees. If you like to attend please email your name and number to ryangrace@mcgrath.com.au

 

The event is proudly sponsored by McGrath Real Estate, Southern Gold Coast Tourism,Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce and RedHeeler Business Essentials.

 

    

Banned Social Media from Your Business? – You Need to Think Again, But Set the Rules First

During the past week I’ve met with a number of small business operators and we’ve talked about social media and how they can integrate it into their on line marketing strategy. Using social media networking channels to not only promote your business but to help market products and services is a very cost effective way of driving new business.

Surprisingly, I’ve met some resistance to the concept, coming from an electronic advertising media background, I’m always on the lookout for ways to drive my business, and developing on online presence that I use as a online CV has been very successful for me in generating leads and driving new clients for my consulting business, and I’ve done all of this with very little financial output, as the social media networks I’ve set up have created a distribution network which allows me to get my message out very fast and very efficiently.

Some of these businesses I’ve talked with are now pulling back on their social marketing efforts and several of them are stopping their marketing all together, right at the very time that the number of consumers using social media in this country is growing at such a rapid rate that it is almost impossible to keep up with it.

Now why would you do that?

Lets look at the research first before I answer that question, The Nielsen report,released in mid March shows just how aggressive the growth is amongst Australian Internet users, close to four in five Australians or 78% of the population shared information,photos and links. Twitters audience grew by more than 400% in 2009 and more than one quarter of online users read “tweets” in the last 12 months. 14% of Twitter users followed companies or organisations via Twitter.

Nearly 2 in 5 Australians are now interacting with companies via social networking sites, which reinforces the point that we are very open to engaging with brands and companies online. Nielsen themselves make the statement, “The opportunities for brands and companies to tap in to the social media phenomenon are really just beginning to emerge and to date we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg”.

The facts are this, nearly 9 out of 10 Australian internet users (86%) are looking to fellow internet users for opinions and information about products,services and brands, and Australians engagement with online word of mouth communication is going to increase in coming years as social media plays an increasingly important role in consumer decision making.   

In some cases, businesses have banned Facebook altogether in the office environment, and I know of one big media company, that actively monitors their staffs internet browsing and terminates their internet access if they use the site during working hours.

Given that the average Facebook user spends 8:19 hours per month on the site, and that’s the average, I know some people who spend considerably more per month than that on Facebook, small business needs to find a better way to harness this giant, banning it from their business is not the way to control it.

Now to get to my question above, why would you as a business pull back on your social media strategy at the very time that it’s gaining so much popularity?

The answers are simple:

 

1. Lack of Resources

2. Fear of negative comments and inappropriate content appearing on company sites

3. No clear rules,policies or procedures being set up within the strategy framework

4. Lack of knowledge of social media within the business  

5. No strategy in place, just add hock usage of sites because everyone else is using it

6. Lack of a risk management assessment

7. No reputation management strategy in place

8. Fear of the Unknown

9. Older Business owners with a traditional view of marketing

10. Marketing managers with little or no experience in social media marketing

11. Fear of competitors gaining business secrets

 

These are a few objections that I’ve personally encountered and in every case, none of these businesses has a marketing strategy in place that covers online.

Don’t stop your social marketing efforts, but do put in place a strategy that covers the essential areas that you need to have locked in place before you begin your social media activities, these are:

1. Risk Assessment – Make sure those in your business understand the risks involved and put in place polices and procedures before you start

2. Define very clearly your reasons for using the sites, what strategy will you employ and how will you manage the engagement from online users. Each site you use needs a very clearly defined set of rules and game plan. Set these for each site you use and monitor the performance of your plan, build engagement and community around your business.

3. Clearly identify the rules, what can be published and what type of information do you want out in the public arena, what is acceptable and what isn’t. Get your staff to sign a disclaimer and make it clear to them what the rules of engagement are. Very important to do this before you start.

3. Resources – Select a social champion within your business and use them to build your profiles and encourage them to help build your community online. Don’t ban it, play it smart.  

4. Online reputation management – Now essential for every business working on the web. Set up your management, monitoring and repair rules no matter how big or small your business is. Make sure you know what online consumers are saying about your business and you know how to manage and control those comments if found.

Having a strong online presence will be, no is essential, for your business if you want to compete. No point banning it, you’ll just end up doing your business damage and giving your competitors an advantage, and I really can’t see the sense in that, can you?.      

Internet Surpasses TV as Most Essential Media

For the first time, the internet has surpassed TV as the “most essential” medium, according to the latest Infinite Dial study by Arbitron and Edison Research.

When asked which they would choose if they must, never again watching television or never again accessing the internet, slightly more people chose TV as the medium they would eliminate. Forty-nine percent of respondents chose to eliminate TV, compared to just more than 48% who said they would get rid of the internet.

When first asked the question in 2001, 72% of respondents said they would do without the internet, while only 26% said they would eliminate television. In the demographic of persons younger than the age of 45, the gap between the two forms of media is more profound, with more people choosing to live without TV.

The Car Is a ‘Battleground’
In other insights, Infinite Dial 2010 research found that the car is becoming a more popular place to listen to MP3 players. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of people older than the age of 12 have listened to an iPod or other MP3 player while connected to a car stereo. Among those who own an MP3 player, 54% have connected their players for listening in the car.

“The car is clearly a crucial battleground for people’s attention,” said Edison Research President Larry Rosin.

Simultaneous TV/Web Usage Jumps
In a sign that TV and the internet are starting to converge in viewers’ consciousness, more people spent more time simultaneously viewing the internet and TV in December 2009 than in June 2009 or December 2008, according to the Three Screens Report from The Nielsen Company.

In December 2009, 59% of Americans used TV and the internet simultaneously, compared to 56.9% in June 2009 and 57.5% in December 2008. On a year-over-year basis, participation in this activity increased 2.7%.

Counting individual users, 134,056 Americans used TV and the internet simultaneously in December 2009. This compares to 128,047 in June 2009 and 128,167 in December 2008. On a year-over-year basis, the number of people using TV and the internet simultaneously increased 4.6%.

Technorati Tags: research,video,tv,internet,online,marketing

Consumers More Likely to Act Upon Online Brand Messaging

Consumers are more likely to read and act upon online advertising than they were a year ago, according to an Opinion Research Corporation consumer preference survey sponsored by Adfusion, a division of ARAnet.

Online Ads Score Better in 2010
Every type of online advertising scored better with consumers in 2010 than a year ago, according to the survey. Consumers say articles that include brand information is the type of online advertising they’re most likely to read and act upon, compared to banner ads, pop-up ads, email offers or sponsored links.

Article-based advertising was preferred by 53% of respondents who said they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to read and act upon the material, compared to 51% a year ago. Coveted demographic groups are even more likely to express a preference for articles. According to the survey, 66% of people 25-34, and 60% of those making at least $75,000 per year, say they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to read and act upon article-based advertising. Pop-up ads were least likely to be read or acted upon.

Respondents also said they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to read and respond to:

• Articles that include brand information: 53% (compared to 51% in 2009) a year ago.
• Email offers: 51% (compared to 47% in 2009).
• Sponsored search engine links: 40% (compared to 39% in 2009).
• Banner ads: 28% (compared to 25% in 2009).
• Pop-up ads: 19% (compared to 13% in 2009).

Search Frequency Increases in 2010
Frequency, or how frequently consumers conduct internet searches for products or services they read about in online articles - increased from about 50% a year ago (saying they initiate a search “very frequently” or “somewhat frequently”) to 57% this year. Younger and high-income people showed a considerable propensity to conduct a search after reading online articles. Seventy-two percent of 25-34-year-olds said they were likely to conduct a search for products or services based on an article, up from 66% a year ago. And 70% of those making more than $75,000 per year expressed their likelihood to perform a search – 13 percentage points higher than last year’s 57%.

Online Ad Spending Growth Weak in ‘09
Increased consumer receptiveness may help boost online ad growth in 2010, which in 2009 was anemic, according to Nielsen research. Internet ad spending only grew 0.1% last year. As a possible mitigating factor, the only other ad spending categories that reported growth last year were Spanish-language cable TV (32.2%), cable TV (14.5%), and free standing insert (FSI) coupons found in printed newspapers and magazines (11.5%).

Technorati Tags: research,marketing,advertising,online

LNP Politicians Told to Cutback on Social Media

The federal LNP party is planning to crack down on their party candidates in Queensland using social media sites because they can’t control the content that their members are posting on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The plan by the federal arm of the party is to provide their candidates with party monitored fan pages so that any inappropriate content can be filtered or removed.  

Social media sites are just that social, they allow the owners of the pages to post comment or content on any subject they want without censorship or control, and it is these last two that get most small businesses in trouble. The LNP’s decision is to me, closing the stable door after the horse has well and truly bolted.

The policies and procedures on how the party and it’s public office members interact with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, should have been put in place a long time ago and the party should have employed a well thought out strategy to do just this.

Trying to censor their members after they’ve been allowed to have a free reign is going to be very difficult for them, as it seems it is now, with several of their high profile politicians defying the ruling and some asking for exemptions. Wouldn't it have been so easy to put these rules in place before they started on social media? I think so. 

I know from talking to so many business owners their greatest fears in using social media are the lack of privacy, and control over the content that is published about their business. Setting up your policies and procedures manual and creating the rules around who will manage, monitor and administer your social media strategy should be one of the first strategies implemented.

No point in following the LNP and doing it after the event.

Once the rules have been put in place it is a lot easier to monitor the content, what is posted on sites and how to engage your community to build loyalty for your business. Remember though, social media is about openness and engaging your community in your business, censoring the information you post on sites to the point of being down right boring, will not help you in tapping into the social media community.     

Social media has a very large voice, and you need to  make sure the message you are shouting about is the one you really want your customers to know about, so before you start getting too deep into your Facebook page or your Twitter account, make sure you know what the rules of engagement are.

Make sure that all staff who are part of your online strategy, are trained on what is acceptable content and what is not, before they get access to your sites.

Setting the rules early will help you control the very powerful tool social media is and will also allow you to breathe a little easier.

Remember, set up the rules before you start, trying to do it after the damage has been done can be a very costly mistake for you and your business.    

Business Intelligence Pros Iffy on SocNet Data

The majority of global business intelligence (BI) practitioners in a recent study expect the use of BI at their organizations grow at a steady pace in 2010, but most are skeptical or unsure about the value of analyzing data obtained from social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, according to Kognitio and Baseline Consulting, which collaborated on the research.


Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the people who responded to the survey said they are “undecided” about the value of data collected from social media sites to help them understand more about their organization or customers. Another 23% called social media “overrated,” saying “there are not as many customer conversations going on as the media would have us believe.” Only 14% said they want to incorporate data from Twitter and other sites as part of their ongoing data analysis efforts.

Looking for Quick Wins

As are those in many disciplines, BI professionals are increasingly facing a need to demonstrate the value of their work. Some 29% of survey respondents say they are under pressure to justify the money they have spent on BI projects and are looking for “quick wins or new opportunities.” In a separate question, 36% say the speed to delivery of BI projects will be an imperative in 2010, saying they will need to test, evaluate, and deploy new systems within a matter of weeks. This finding is a marked change from previous years, Kognitio said, noting that BI projects have historically been expected to take months to implement correctly, and obtaining usable information could take a year or more.

The survey also found that two of every three respondents believe that business intelligence delivered on an as-needed basis (Data as a Service, or DaaS) will continue to grow in 2010. Those respondents were almost evenly split on the rate of growth, with slightly more saying DaaS-like services will continue growing at a slower pace, with the other half believing they will grow more rapidly, as “more companies realize and seek to benefit from its business and economic value,” according to Kognitio.

Less than 10% say outsourced BI is doomed to fail, the survey found.

“The survey gives us a clear road map as to where business intelligence is headed in the new year,” said John K. Thompson,CEO of Kognitio’s North American operations. “In this economy, companies want to be able to quantify their efforts and see tangible results from everything they do. That clearly extends to the use of BI, which has been a ‘money pit’ for too many firms for far too long.”

Additional survey findings:

•Nearly half of respondents (49%) said BI is becoming more appreciated as a strategic tool at their organizations, with the business side increasingly embracing its value; 43%, however, believe that BI will not grow as an enterprise-wide initiative, with “pockets” still existing across their organizations.

•BI practitioners expect to see the deeper use of technology at their firms in 2010, and plan to add capabilities to additional lines of business, with almost one-third (31%) saying they plan to add new BI tools.

•55% believe that business intelligence is used by their firms for both strategic and operational purposes.

•The adoption of in-memory databases, which enable faster analysis of immense amounts of data, is predicted to grow slowly by 61% of respondents, who said their price/value point will continue to fall.

“The survey responses confirm the BI paradox of steady-state resources and increased expectations,” said Jill Dyché, Baseline Consulting’s co-founder and partner.