In the keynote presentation "The State of the Industry (Presented by the IAB)" the panel discussed a variety of topics.
Coverage of the ad:tech San Francisco conference continues at Murdok Videos. Stay with Murdok for more notes and videos from the event this week.
Moderator:
Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB
Is Google Playing Rope-A-Dope With Social Media?
Regarding social media, the best you can say about Google is that the company has merely dabbled in it. Google’s absence in this space becomes as glaring as Godot’s when chief rival Microsoft is busy funneling money toward the hottest new products, products created even by former Googlers.
That leaves us with two options: Google’s either planning something or avoiding it altogether. Recent events—or maybe better, non-events—suggest the latter.
FTC to Regulate Blogs and Social Media?
The Federal Trade Commission plans to begin regulating blogs and social media. While they’re getting tougher on results-based advertising, they are also looking at going after blogs and social media users who portray products they’re promoting in a less than accurate light. AdAge explains:
Social Network Users Seek Relevant Ads
Close to a third (31%) of social networking users dislike constant requests to join groups and download applications, according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau.
However, the study of nearly 2000 Internet users found that 28 percent of people would be happy to join a group if they were offered exclusive content or something relevant and free, while 37 percent would join a group if there is a genuine interest in what is being offered.
Google Continues Building Its Social Network
Today, Google has launched a new event gadget for Google Friend Connect. The gadget gives webmasters the ability to spread the word about events of interest. Google Calendar Software Engineer Yoah Bar-David explains how the gadget works:
TurboTax Using Social Media To Brighten Up Tax Season
If you are among the millions of Americans dreading the next few days until April 15th, you are not alone. Tax season is upon us and as every form of media conspires to remind you of the significance of Wednesday, whether you do your own taxes or not, you are likely feeling some pressure.
Yahoo’s Focus Shifts to Social
While Microsoft struggles with branding issues as it looks to gain some ground against Google, Yahoo is worried more about its social activities and how it stacks up against the social networks of the web.
Red Cross Launches Social Network
The international Red Cross has launched a social network to raise awareness about humanitarian issues and to share what people are doing to make a difference.
The new Web portal, "Our world. Your move." Focuses on the human costs of war, climate change, displacement, disease and hunger. The new site allows users to share their experiences via videos, photos and blog posts.
Matt Cutts on Social Media Links in Google
Google’s Matt Cutts has really been taking the bull by the horns when it comes to reaching out to the community. He’s posted another answer to a user question (yesterday we looked at his response to one about Google’s spell corrections) via YouTube video.
Is Gmail Google’s Real Social Network?
The Past
Google’s email service Gmail was launched to the public five years ago this week. Back then, the service turned the web email industry on its ear by offering an entire gigabyte of storage to users who were lucky enough to receive an invite. Small potatoes now, but that was a nice chunk of storage from an email service back then.