Tag Archives: technology

September 15, 2014 · 10:54 am

Stupid, Not Evil

Over the weekend I was catching up on my reading. It’s way too easy to fall behind given the pace at which content – useful content – presents itself into my various methods of listening.

English: Rheinkirmes 2006, Düsseldorf, Germany...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One theme that popped up several times was that of allegedly evil actions on some company’s part. Maybe it was the revised Facebook Messenger application which seems to be gathering anything and everything about anyone who installs it on their mobile device. Other were highly suspect of Apple’s intentions as it rolls out the Apple Watch which is capable of gathering quite a bit more data than we might care to share about ourselves. I mean do I really want my pulse rate out there?

There were several more but it got me to thinking. Having worked with many clients and companies over the years, could I recall an instance where some nefarious ulterior motive was discussed as products or services were rolled out?

Nope.

That said, I have seen many instances where those sorts of evil intentions could plausibly be ascribed without stretching the facts to suit that scenario.  After all, in my mind a complete lack of care for other people or who one’s actions harm them is what separates good from evil.  But honestly, it’s more likely to be something else: stupidity.

My guess is that in most of the cases where an app or service over reaches there isn’t evil intent.  It is probably just someone being stupid.  They think it’s ok to gather data just because they can or that they might want it at some point.  They may be programmers who think they’re being helpful but haven’t had any supervision from a businessperson.  One key in my mind to great decision-making is to consider the consequences of that decision.  I suspect that thinking never happened.  In other words, stupid.

I’m not naive.  There are evil people out there.  However, before we go crazy calling for the heads of whomever released an app that gathers a lot of seemingly unnecessary information about us and our habits, perhaps we should remember that there are way more stupid people than there are those who are truly evil.  That’s my take.  Yours?

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August 20, 2014 · 11:14 am

Tracking The Trackers

Footprints in sand. Marinha Grande, Portugal.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another day, another web site (well, portal in this case) comes out in favor of ignoring the express wishes of its user base.

AOL‘s new privacy policy states that it will not honor the do-not-track requests that users send through their browsers. I’ve written about this before and as someone who is very customer-focused, I can’t understand this decision.

Here is how one of the companies (the Network Advertising Initiative) administering a Do Not Track program explains it:

NAI members are committed to transparency and choice. The NAI opt-out tool was developed in conjunction with our members for the express purpose of allowing consumers to “opt out” of the Interest-Based Advertising delivered by our members…Following an opt out, (members)… cease collecting and using data from across web domains owned or operated by different entities for the purpose of delivering advertising based on preferences or interests known or inferred from the data collected (Interest Based Advertising or IBA).

Pretty clear.  The  browser you’re using right now probably offers do-not-track headers, which tell publishers and ad networks that you don’t want to be tracked. But the header doesn’t actually prevent tracking. Instead, ad networks and publishers are free to ignore the signals. Of course, when you combine users opting in to the do not track program with them setting their browser to tell sites that they do not wished to be tracked, you’d have to be pretty dumb not to get the message.  Yet of all the hundreds of sites out there, only 21 have committed to implement this program and only 2 (Twitter and Pinterest) are what I would consider major sites.

In AOL’s case, as is the case with Yahoo and damn near every other publisher, they get the message.  They’re just ignoring it.  They use excuses like “no one else is honoring them” or “the standards aren’t set yet for what can and can’t be tracked.” I read that as “our business interests supersede your desire not to receive targeted ads.”  This is short-sighted and will, I believe, result in more users doing as I do:  blocking analytics, ads, and everything else publishers use to make the content they offer better for the user.

As someone who works with clients to make money off of their digital efforts I know how vital data is.  I grew up in the ad business so I support free content paid for by your attention to ads.  But the value exchange needs to be transparent.  I think there is a huge potential for backlash as what and how users are being tracked, as well as what’s done with their data, reaches the mainstream.  What do you think?

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July 7, 2014 · 9:33 am

Task Surfing

Think about how most of us live our lives these days.

surfing like a fox

(Photo credit: monkeyc.net)

If you’re like many folks you might feel as if there aren’t enough hours in the day to get your job done, to consume all of the content that appeals to you, and to sneak a meal in there every once in a while.  Part of what’s going on in media is that content providers are learning how to reach consumers in a timely manner, giving them access to the programming consumers crave across all platforms and devices at any time and without delay.  That same thing is happening in online commerce as well.

When we all started on the web 20 years ago, it was a novelty.  There weren’t a lot of sites, and not a lot one could do on the internet anyway so we surfed.  We followed links around from place to place taking it all in much as one wanders around a new neighborhood trying to get acclimated.  In the ensuing decades, that’s changed.  We live our lives on the web, and we do so through many more devices than were possible even 15 years ago.  We’re no longer newcomers to the digital neighborhood.  Which raises a question.

Why does it seem as if many designers are making art instead of commerce?  Why does it seem as if many sites are designed to be lovely interactive experiences but which obfuscate or delay the completion of the task for which the user came to the site in the first place?  Online shopping isn’t a recreational activity in my mind and I know there is research that supports that.  Most people shop or otherwise interact with a purpose.  How many webmasters keep that in mind as they build in splash pages, allow screen overlays to pop up, or otherwise the user’s path to completing the task for which they came?

No one web surfs any more and stops to notice a lovely design.  They surf the tasks which need completing.  There is a side of me that thinks high conversion rates with low time on site is a perfect representation of where we want to be as  consumers get to the places they want to go and act without delay.  What do you think?

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Filed under Consulting, digital media, Reality checks

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