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The Lost Highway: 30% of Americans Don't Have Internet

by Ron Daly

As the president of a company providing an array of online services, I'm always a little baffled by statistics such as this one from the Census Bureau. 

From Asylum.com - 

Almost one in three Americans don't use the Internet at work or home.

New census bureau data, collected from 54,000 households, finds that seniors, the poor, underrepresented minorities and folks who live in rural areas lag behind the rest of the country, technologically speaking.

It stands to reason that folks in rural areas and the elderly aren't getting Internet exposure, but I'm the kind of person that thinks if a person really wants Internet access, it should be available and affordable. 

I'm sure there's a percentage of folks in this country who just flat-out don't want the Internet. To each his own - if you don't feel as though you need it, don't bother with it. But Congress and the FCC are stepping in to increase the availability and affordability of online access, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the National Broadband Plan.

From eWeek.com - 

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has already said the National Broadband Plan due to Congress in March will call for 100 million households at 100M bps by the end of the decade. A coalition of consumer and advocacy groups like that but call for even bolder goals and milestones.

Among those, easy-to-interpret billing statements, smarter grids and a 90% high-speed adoption rate. The argument of consumer advocacy groups is that more access equals a level playing field for disenfranchised and neglected demographics in America. I can't be certain about the impact of high-speed Internet on people previously deprived of it, but for good or for ill folks who want access should be given it. The "Information Super-Highway" is supposed to connect people, not shut them out of communication. Let's get everyone on the road.

How do you feel about access for everyone? Will a "wired nation" happen by 2020? Tell us your thoughts about it in the comments section. 

Is the iPad REALLY going to change everything?

by Ron Daly 

A few weeks ago, we were talking iPhone apps. Now we need to make an amendment and change "iPhone" to "iPad". 

Apple's new innovation debuted to much fanfare a week ago, with people immediately responding with either exuberant delight or a loud "ho-hum". Is it the latest, greatest thing since sliced bread and a surefire change to the world of computing, or is it a giant iPod Touch that plays movies? If I know anything about Apple - and I don't claim to be an expert, but I DO own an iPhone - it's that Apple will be releasing a "Version Two" shortly thereafter with everything re-done. Advice from me to you? Wait a generation or two.

Something that's been striking me as kind of odd is the anti-Flash sentiment. Flash used to be THE thing that every site designer bragged about - we can do a Flash cartoon! We've got a streaming video player! Flash buttons! A Flash splash page, or even a whole website! 

The iPad, like the iPod Touch and iPhone, doesn't do Flash. And Apple is dead set against making plugins for their new wonder-toys. 

This has touched off the powder on a war between Flash developers/supporters and Apple devotees. Steve Jobs, head of Apple, is saying that Adobe (the people behind Flash) are being lazy. He blames most of the crashes that happen on your Mac-based browsers on Flash and says that HTML 5 is going to be the new way forward. 

Nations vs. 'Net - Online Diplomacy

by Ron Daly 

Let's say, for just a moment, that Google was a country. It's not so crazy - they're already dabbling in alternative energy. So let's say for just a moment that Googlevania comes to pass. 

Chief export? Search Advertising. 

National Security? Constantly upgraded! 

Taxes? You can live for free, but you can live BETTER if you upgrade. 

Seems like it works for them now, and how can you not like a country with the motto, "non exsisto malum" (that's Latin for "Don't Be Evil"). 

I bring it up because of recent events in which national governments are getting into squabbles with the titans of the computer age. Sure, back in '98, the Browser Wars were raging and then-Attorney General Janet Reno took on Microsoft for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows 98. Twelve years later, Microsoft is being vilified not here at home, but in France and Germany. French and German officials are insisting that people stay away from Internet Explorer as their browser, citing security issues with the most popular browser on the market. Clearly, Microsoft is upset about this. From the BBC article: 

Mr Cluley said that switching away from IE could create other problems, particularly for companies. 

"Some web-based applications may not work at all if you're not using Internet Explorer." 

Microsoft is currently working on a patch for the problem, but a spokesperson said it could not commit to a timeframe.

This comes on the heels of news that Google (not Googlevania, just regular Google) would pull out of China if the Chinese government continued to upset the delivery of emails, via Gmail, to Chinese activists. This would deal a major blow to the "Great Firewall of China", the network of blackouts and blocks placed on content by the Chinese government that prevents certain information from being accessed by chinese citizens. 

France and Germany insisting users ditch IE8? Google pulling out of China over conflicts of interest? That means that Microsoft and Google are major factors in the national security and human rights policies of these countries. To what degree does "Laissez faire" apply anymore? And are these considered "international incidents", as they involve American corporations? Are they "trade disputes"?

Give us your thoughts in the comment section.

Where is "The Fold"?

by Greg Crandell

Back when newspapers were as simple as "Really Simple" syndication got, being "above the fold" or "below the fold" was something that mattered to editors and advertisers. Being above the fold means better visibility and a greater likelihood of response and recognition. While fewer folks are reading papers these days, ads and articles that are above the fold are still regarded as more important and more desirable. 

This concept has translated to web design to some degree. It's led most folks who design websites to post all the "good content" just under the site header, or anywhere within the bounds of the "first scroll". More and more these days, web designers and usability experts are questioning whether or not "the fold" exists on the web. 

This article from Clockwork Active Media Systems starts shooting some holes in the conventional wisdom. Better information architecture, says the article, is much more important than where things are relative to the fold. Some resources from the article that might be helpful to your design team/web managers: 

• http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/ - this link will show you browser sizes and percentages, indicating how many people have their browser windows open to a specific size. How many people, on average, are seeing your actionable content? Do they have any way to contact you? Do they see content worth seeing within a specific size range? Type in your own URL at the top to use the overlay.
• http://www.thereisnopagefold.com/ - Get used to websites such as these - with URLs being easier to register these days, "single serving" websites like this will become more prevalent. Have only ONE thing to say? You need a single serving site, just like this one. If this is a little technologically advanced for you, let me give you a hint: scroll down. The folks behind the "There is no page fold" movement want to get away from this above/below fold mindset. If users see anything interesting on your website, they'll scroll; if they don't, they'll bolt. Simple, right? 

I'm not an expert on where people look/how they behave online, but I will say that I'm more inclined to read through a page that's linked to me. If I've got a few minutes and I need to find something on a given website, I'll browse around and hunt for the information I want. Going back to the design argument, if something is clearly defined or demonstrated on a website, scrolling to find it won't bother you. Better to have information that's easy to understand than information that's easy to find, but better still to have both. 

How Big Is The Internet? A Visual Guide

by Jimmy Marks

Came across this diagram of "A day in the Internet", a visual representation of all the information that gets processed, added, and moved through the Internet every day.

The diagram is 500 pixels wide and 1600 or so pixels long, so putting it here is tough, but here's a clip of it that links to the full image. 

A lot of interesting information shared here. Some thoughts this generated for me: 

- We get one Guyana's-worth of new Facebook users every day. Theoretically, everyone could connect with anyone else. I just wonder why there aren't as many people "follow-spamming" me there as on Twitter. Maybe it's because Facebook has actions other than type/follow/unfollow?

- We send enough data across the mobile phone carrier infrastructure every day to fill 1.7 million blu-ray discs? That's bananas. I'm starting to wonder if, in the next few years, you'll be able to call phones "phones" anymore. They're just tiny computers these days, getting your email, playing games, taking pictures - calls are one slice of a great big functionality pie.

- Rob once remarked that there was "signal to noise ratio" to consider when reading/digesting information online. Sometimes it's helpful and interesting, sometimes it's a list of things someone ate for breakfast. If each day, bloggers write the equivalent of 19 years of newspaper - the New York Times, no less - how much of that is recycled? Or worth the time it takes to read?

Hopefully, this is some food for thought for you, too! Talk to us about it in the comments section.

 (image, story from Gizmodo)

The Decoy, The Bait, and the Smarter Twitter User

by Jimmy Marks

Growing up in a rural community, you get used to hunting and fishing terms and techniques. Two such techniques I've seen used to great success are decoys and bait. 

The decoy is a preferred method of staying out of the sight of waterfowl. Lulling them into a false sense of safety with fake ducks or geese and getting them to draw closer so you can fire is a skill that many successful hunters learn early. Bait, obviously, is a key part of the fishing equation - without tempting bait, it's tough to draw a fish's attention. While these methods are important to hunters, they're even more important to Spammers. Regrettably, they're just as effective online as they are in the outdoors.

A number of credit union and finance Twitter accounts have been compromised lately. Our own Twitter account, twitter.com/DMI_CUSoapbox, received a number of direct messages from our followers/friends imploring us to click links and enter our personal information. Thankfully, we ignored most of these links and paid attention to the Twitter explosion that followed.

"Accounts hacked!" followers exclaimed. 

"Do NOT click the link," others noted. 

And from one or two Twitter accounts being compromised came three or four. And from all that hubbub came a stinging reminder: 

SPAM will always be around to ruin the party. 

The White Whale of Online Search - How to make it easier

by Jimmy Marks

I'm here today to confess something about the Internet. I've already admitted the Internet is eating me by taking up more of my non-work time and invading my world more and more each day. The thing that still throws me is the sheer size of the beast itself. 

According to a survey from April 2009, there are around 232 million websites online. Our websites - the home site for the company and both outsider blogs - make up about 500 pages. I gave up trying to find out how many exact web PAGES there are online, but the Wayback Machine holds the records of 160 billion pages. Our 500 out of 160 billion means we're occupying .00005 % of the Internet. Wow. That ain't much. And part of my job is trying to get our site(s) noticed at that size. *Gulp*.

Not to fear - I resolved when I started this job a year ago that I'd bring our search results up and drive our loss-rates down. Our overall traffic and bounce-rates have improved, but our results could always be better. Search engine optimization and higher search returns for everything within my domain (pun intended) have become my white whale. I have the means and the knowledge to make it work for me, it's just a matter of making smart changes in the way Google and other search engines find and account for my sites. I've vowed that, in the coming months, I'm going to slay this whale...or die trying.

Hit 'em where they live

Part of boosting your search traffic is knowing how Google looks at your pages. If you sign up for Google's webmaster tools, you can start verifying your site right away and finding out what Google sees when it peeks in on your day-to-day operation. Some big things to consider that Google can expose:

Special Guest Dan Schoenherr on "Closing the Loop"

Dan Schoenherr is an experienced credit union consultant. He has expertise in strategic planning, process improvement, board governance, and website strategies. He is President/CEO of Schoenherr Consulting and has led several credit unions in their process improvement programs and creating member delight. Most recently he has been helping credit unions with their Net Promoter® Score programs. He may be reached at dan@schoenherrconsulting.com.

[This article originally ran on digitalmailer.com]

Net Promoter® Score, a loyalty measurement, has been adopted by many credit unions. However, many are not "closing the loop." A Net Promoter® Score survey asks the question: "How likely is it that you would recommend (the credit union) to a friend or colleague?" Customers respond on a 0-to-10 point rating scale and are categorized as follows:

• Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth
• Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic members who are vulnerable to competitive offerings
• Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy members who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.

Onward and Upward!

by Ron Daly 

"If we can put a man on the moon..." 

After celebrating the fortieth anniversary of doing the one thing that makes it seem like we can do anything, some worthwhile moments of note from around the web: 

Disney doing research on web banner receptiveness

(from the NY Times, via Gizmodo)

Disney, the mega-media conglomerate that owns ABC, Walt Disney World, and ESPN (to name a few) is doing some of the most complex and thorough investigation of the effectiveness of, and attention paid to, banner advertisements. Their goal is to say with some level of certainty which banner ads work the best - full page, pre-content movies, small button ads, etc. 

From the article:   

The tools are advanced: in addition to tracking eye movement, Dr. Varan and his 14-member team use heart-rate monitors, skin temperature readings and facial expressions (probes are attached to facial muscles) to reach conclusions.

Wow...that's some impressive technology and expense. Hopefully, we'll be able to see what Disney's results are (somehow)

Ban the book! Then bring it back!

(via AllThingsD.com)

Go to a bookstore. Buy a book. Take it home. You have the book. Now what happens when someone comes in and takes out of your hands. 

It might not happen with a paper book, but with a Kindle? It just did. 

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has recently apologized for a rash of deletions that occurred when Kindle users downloaded the works of George Orwell. When users downloaded Animal Farm and 1984, they suddenly found both books gone from their portable reading devices. Amazon has officially apologized for removing the books from people's Kindles, but aren't willing to say it won't happen again. 

Remote deposits just keep getting more so. 

(via the CU Journal)

WVUFCU is now offering a special iPhone app called iDeposit, which allows members to scan a check they wish to deposit with their iPhone and deposit said check in their account (click here for the full article). How many more credit unions (or banks) will be using this in the near future? Only time will tell, but WVUFCU seems very happy with their early successes. We'll keep you posted!

Throwing salt all over "Snail Mail"

(via the Washington Post)

The postal service is still fading. With further losses, billions fewer pieces of mail per year, and further talk of Saturday delivery disappearing altogether to stem losses, bitter feelings are beginning to emerge. 

How do you feel about the disappearance of regular mail? What is the maximum amount of postage you'd pay to send a standard letter? We want to hear from you. 

Onward and upward! If you have a technological innovation you'd like to highlight, contact us. 

Email well-suited for today's changing business rules

by Ron Daly 

[[Editor's Note -- This was an excerpt from an article in this month's DigitalMailer newsletter. To sign up for our monthly e-mail newsletter, click here.]]

We live in an ever-evolving, technical world - one that requires creative thinking and adaptability. Email marketing is not for those who seek comfort in the status quo.

To make this point, a recent Email Insider article ("Put The Old Rules Out to Pasture," 6/8/09) highlighted the new book, Death to All Scared Cows: How successful business people put the old rules out to pasture. The book's authors, David Bernstein, Beau Fraser and Bill Schwab, challenge some of the business world's widely accepted assumptions about marketing. Building on this theme, Email Insider suggests e-marketing professionals should think beyond worn-out business rules, key among them:

Old Rule #1: Focus on the numbers and the rest will take care of itself. Focusing on quantity over quality can threaten your reputation, as well as the usefulness of your email contacts. Emphasizing numbers and data, rather than long-term consequences, can backfire. Building a large email database using precarious list-growth tactics, or sending lots of emails based on watered-down permission tactics may well cause an uptick in unsubscribe rates and spam complaints.

Old Rule #2: The goal of marketing is to sell a product. Not necessarily, marketing's real goal is attracting customers. For email marketers, this means not only inviting contacts to opt in, but also providing ongoing value to keep them subscribed. Going light on email sales pitches will help to attract and retain subscribers, building relationships, not just occasional customers.

Old Rule #3: Business should be serious. More businesses are throwing this rule out the window...and discovering success with a lighter approach. The authors put forth Apple as an example. Within their long-winded, small-print disclaimer on the iPod Shuffle box is the warning: "Do not eat iPod Shuffle." Apple has developed an upbeat, "today" personality, and customers like it. For marketers, emails are well-suited for similar informal, conversational communication. Keeping your messages light - even on the humorous side - can help them stand out in the crowded inbox.

Remember, just because it worked once doesn't mean it's the best tactic now. Take time to review each situation – and then be open to making adjustments. Whether it's via email or mobile messages, DigitalMailer's products can help you make the most of marketing dollars – visit www.digitalmailer.com/arb.html to learn more or email us at info@digitalmailer.com.