Every time a piece of my content goes viral its completely unexpected and leaves me asking, why? I could just ignore things and go eat hot dogs, but, as a marketer its my job to answer that question.

Recently Jared Keller tried to answer this question, and in my opinion did a great job. Keller tells us that the secret to virality isn’t structure or social tools but rather the inherent culture of the given online ecosystem:

In reality, the key ingredient to virality isn’t the number of share buttons or Twitter followers you have, but your sensitivity to culture, that body of nuances that go beyond demographic breakdowns. Each sharing ecosystem on the web has its own unique subculture, its own sets of rules of order and norms of behavior. The secret to going viral is seamlessly navigating these worlds.

If Keller is correct then we need to explore ways to leverage culture to move content on the web. Because I like painting with broad strokes, let’s break this down into two basic strategies.

The Hard Way

Promoting any piece of content online is going to be hard. But, this strategy tends to be harder than the next because it requires a lot of work. Essentially the way this works is publishing a lot of content that attempts to fit in a basic cultural vein, then structuring that content around different sharing strategies that make it easier to go “viral”. Publications like Huffintigton Post, Buzzfeed and others use this strategy everyday. The problem is that you have to constantly push content hoping that something will “go viral”. Its hard to run this type of business because you find yourself having to constantly look for cheap or free content to offset the cost of all the content that doesn’t go viral and just sits there.

The Not As Hard Way

I call this strategy the not as hard way because even though it isn’t as hard as the one above it’s still not easy. This strategy is to simply create channels for your audience to become an active participate in the content’s creation. Brands like Old Spice and OfficeMax have seen widespread success with this strategy. Their campaigns went viral by tapping into their audience’s culture by making them a featured element to the campaign’s production. In a way they “meme-ified” their content!

As Lada Adamic points out above, memes can be a power tool to spreading information. However, they are also difficult to control.

Remember that there is no master strategy to making things go viral, but if you stick close to an ecosystem’s culture you have a greater chance at seeing success!

This idea is tricky enough when you’re talking about books and speeches and what people say on TV. Social media, makes it even trickier. Take Twitter. It’s a public forum where people can feel free to say whatever they want — to a point. Twitter doesn’t allow excessive spam or threats and they don’t allow you to print the contact information for your ex-girlfriend. Common sense stuff.

But what happens when people want to Tweet about controversial issues? What happens when they come down on the pro side of an issue most people would say no to? Should Twitter step in and delete offending posts?

I can hear you all shouting, “no way.” And that was Twitter’s stance last year. This year, they’re singing a slightly different tune.

Twitter has announced their ability and intention to block selected content by country. As an example, they refer to the ban on pro-Nazi content in France and Germany. Sounds like a big job. Still, they say they can do it and they’ll even notify the Tweeter with information on why they were cut off.

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I’m sure, some people will get upset about this type of censorship, but not me. Even if you bypass the rules of decent human interaction (which many do), it’s Twitter’s playground. They allow us all to come and play on their swings, but in the end, it’s their place and they can do what they want.

For the sake of doing business, Twitter does try to please all of the people all of the time. That’s obviously why they’ve decided to make this wishy-washy statement about how they “might” take down content that offends a whole nation.

I wish Twitter would take an even stronger stance and delete Tweets with inappropriate sexual content, foul language and abusive language. If people want to communicate like that in private, go for it — in an email — but I don’t see why it’s okay to put it on a public forum where everyone can see it.

What do you think? Should Twitter have the right to delete posts as they see fit? Or is this just the first step toward wholesale censorship?

Xander:

Buffy: “You are.”

Xander: “Okay, but I can also say that I’m an elderly Dutch woman. Get me? I mean, who’s to say I’m not if I’m in the elderly Dutch chat room?”

Xander makes a good point. The one cool and also creepy thing about communicating over the internet, is you can be anyone you want to be; a high school student, an elderly Dutch woman or Snow White.

People create alternate personas in order to be better than who they are or to fit in with the crowd on a particular site. People also hide their real identity to prevent embarrassment or for a more nefarious reason. They also do it to stop websites from using their data.

eMarketer reports that 88% of people surveyed have intentionally left website registration information blank or inserted false information. That would lead us to believe that they don’t want their information out there. But maybe filling out all those forms is simply too tiresome.

The easy way around that? The social sign-in. Sign in now using Facebook or Twitter! It’s one button (or close to it) and in Facebook’s case, it means you can’t mask who you are. That’s good for marketers. It also appears to be good for consumers since 77% of online buyers said they think sites should offer social signups.

Marketing Pilgrim’s Social Channel is proudly sponsored by Full Sail University, where you can earn your Masters of Science Degree in Internet Marketing in less than 2 years. Visit FullSail.edu for more information.

Up until recently, I resisted the urge to go with the social signup, knowing that it would give sites the full 411 on me. But I’ve come to find that the social signup is the way to go. No more passwords, no more forms, it’s easy, not just when registering but on every visit after.

The smart companies are the ones who give out a bonus to encourage Facebook sign-ups. I work with one that offers a reward point bonus, another gives Facebook friends a discount at their webstore. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to wipe out any doubts folks have about giving you their real identity.

How do you feel about social sign-ups?

This time it is about mobile ad spending in the US. eMarketer writes

The US mobile advertising market is growing far faster than expected, driven by the rapid ascension of Google’s mobile search advertising business, advertisers’ growing attraction to display inventory on tablet and smartphone devices, and the growing roster of mobile ad networks such as Google’s AdMob, Apple’s iAd and Millennial Media.

The chart below offers the hope that this growth will be strong for quite some time.

So how does this spending break out? Where is this spending happening and where is it likely to continue happening? Looks like it’s search where Google holds an even more dominant position in market share (most put it at somewhere north of 90%) than they do in “traditional” search. All of the bellyaching about Google as of late may actually work to take people’s eye off of where Google’s dominance is most evident and “out of balance’: mobile search.

So what’s the takeaway here? Pay attention to mobile! It’s really that easy but at the same time it seems like the area that many marketers are least confident. Looks to me like it is WELL past the time to be talking about the year of mobile. We are now in the culture of mobile which is a much different angle to be assessing the market.

Are you hesitant to commit to mobile? Are there naysayers keeping you at bay when it comes to truly going mobile with your marketing efforts? It may be time to step up and take a stand. What do you think?

That’s not to say that paid apps are dead. It’s just that they are going to be more like hitting the lottery rather than a solid business plan. According to a study by IHS Media Intelligence only about 4% of app downloads are paid for.

“Smartphone users overwhelmingly prefer free apps to paid apps, as we estimate that 96% of all smartphone apps were downloaded for free in 2011″, noted Jack Kent, senior analyst, mobile media for IHS. “In 2012, it will become increasingly difficult for app stores and developers to justify an upfront fee for their products when faced with the competition from a plethora of free content. Instead, the apps industry much fully embrace the freemium model and monetize content through in-app purchases.”

The chart below shows what IHS feels will happen as the shift of revenue from apps moves more and more toward the in-app purchase model.

Which side would you rather be on? The shrinking one or the growing one? Do you agree with this assessment?

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Google conducted a study of cell phone users in the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan and found that globally, smartphones are on the rise. The UK had the highest concentration with 45%, up 15% from the first half of 2011.

The US is looking at 38% and Japan is the lowest with only 17%.

On the other hand, Japan has the highest percentage of daily internet usage on the smartphone. Germany had the biggest increase in usage from the first part of the year to the later.

Now, what’s up with France backing down to 36%? Suddenly they don’t like the internet?

You might think this means that smartphone owners have no need for computers, but 75% said they still use the old desktop to surf the web on a daily basis.

Tablets aren’t even close to taking over. The US has the highest mix of smartphone owners with tablets at 17%. Everyone else comes in closer to 10%.

Two other interesting facts from the survey:

• More women are using smartphones, particularly in Germany and Japan
• More people in the surveyed countries use a mobile phone (feature and / or smartphone) than a computer.

I don’t know if those two facts have any impact on your marketing, but they’re interesting tidbits that you can use to start a conversation at dinner tonight. You’re welcome.

Google VP Bradley Horowitz makes a great pitch though. . . .

Teens and young adults are the most active Internet users on the planet. And surprise, surprise: they’re also human beings who enjoy spending time with friends and family. Put these two things together and it’s clear that teens will increasingly connect online. Unfortunately, online sharing is still second-rate for this age group.

Oh, snap! Did he just call Facebook “second-rate?” So he didn’t mention them by name, but come on. . .

In life, for instance, teens can share the right things with just the right people (like classmates, parents or close ties). Over time, the nuance and richness of selective sharing even promotes authenticity and accountability. Sadly, today’s most popular online tools are rigid and brittle by comparison, so teens end up over-sharing with all of their so-called “friends.”

There he goes again! Calling Facebook a “tool,” a rigid and brittle tool, even! This means war.

With Google+, we want to help teens build meaningful connections online. We also want to provide features that foster safety alongside self-expression. Today we’re doing both, for everyone who’s old enough for a Google Account (13+ in most countries).

Safety and self-expression, all very nice, but how many 13-year-olds do you know that are clamoring for a Google+ account?

Then again, maybe they’ve got a point. With Circles, young Dylan can put mommy and grandmom in their own special circle then create special posts that only they can see. “I got an A on my math test! Yippee!”

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All the real stuff goes in the Friends Circle: (Insert remark you wouldn’t want your parents to see if you were a 13 year-old boy.)

In order to prevent oversharing, Google+ has a warning screen for teens who click the share all option.

Another, kind of odd safety feature, is the Hangout Lockout.

Google+ Hangouts bring people together using live multi-person video, and the results range from heartwarming to awe-inspiring. However, we recognize that connecting face-to-face is special and serious, so if a stranger outside a teen’s circles joins the hangout, we temporarily remove the young adult, and give them a chance to rejoin.

That whole paragraph sounds like the opening narration on a 70′s Afterschool Special.

I do believe that Google+ has many elements that would be helpful to teens, such as the ability to group followers and video chat on Hangout. But the decision to lower the age rage seems a bit premature. I think Google would have been better off expanding their push to bring in more adults who post on at least a weekly basis.

And can we talk about how ugly the opening screen is with all the colored arrows. Like a kindergartner gone mad. Ugh.

What do you think? Is the decision to lower the age range a good thing, bad thing, or ain’t no thing at all?

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It’s pretty fascinating to consider, right? A player comes off the field after an incredible catch or incredible hit and immediately tells his followers how he feels. It’s the ultimate in letting the fans in on the emotion and intensity of such an emotional and intense game like football. From Yahoo we read

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been accused of turning the NFL into the “No Fun League,” but Wednesday, he took a bold step to fight back against that label. He’s not only allowing players to tweet during the Pro Bowl ‒ he’s setting up computer stations on the sidelines to help them do so.

Which is exactly how a man who is no fun would combat allegations that he is no fun.

The NFL policy for real games is that players are banished from Twitter 90 minutes before a game starts, all the way until all the postgame interviews are conducted. For this Sunday’s Pro Bowl, it’s a Twitter free-for-all. Players still can’t have their mobile devices on the sidelines, but again, the league will be setting up “computer stations.”

But here’s the rub, it’s being done during a “game” that is as meaningless as anything the NFL does can possibly be. The league allowing and even enabling its players to tweet during a game sounds great but it’s really a completely hollow and insignificant gesture. In other words, don’t expect this to happen during ANY other game that the league has in the foreseeable future.

This is a pure PR stunt that has no legs. Why? Because anyone who has any real understanding of the NFL knows that this game is a joke. The league has been trying to figure out how to make the Pro Bowl work in the Internet age and thus far they have failed miserably. A game like this used to have value because there were limited ways for fans to see and hear about the players. It used to have value back in the 70′s and 80′s because there was no Internet and the 24 / 7 sports news cycle hadn’t taken hold as it has today.

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So how do you breathe life into an event that traditionally has been held after the Super Bowl but has been pushed so close to the brink of irrelevancy that it is now played on the Sunday in between the last playoff game and the Super Bowl just so people would even remember it was being played? Make it a true gimmick, of course. Nice slippery slope you just stepped on Commissioner Goodell.

As a sports fan this whole effort just reeks of desperation and brings out the absolute worst in the social media space. Why do I say that? It’s because now the game is more reality TV than it is football. Oh and by the way, most of the players don’t even want to be there. They don’t want to risk injury that could cost them their livelihood in a meaningless game which doesn’t even include players from the Super Bowl teams any more.

I get what the league is trying to do. It is trying to boost the interest of the fans and the players (especially those who are smart enough to jockey for position regarding their post career options in a social media world) so that the game will be relevant again.

But here is what will happen. Social media proponents will start to crow at the start of next season that this kind of thing should be allowed in pre-season and possibly even regular season games. They will not let this idea go. The league, however, will likely NEVER allow this to happen in any game that matters because it could dilute their product which is a multi-billion dollar machine that can virtually print money the way it is now.

Social media types will say that opening the game to the players will enhance the fan experience. Most of these people wouldn’t be able to hold a football without dropping it let alone understand what it takes to actually play the game well. It’ll be nerds dictating football. There is NO upside for the league in doing that because the egos and the like will turn the NFL into a reality TV show and it will alienate its fans that allow it to roll on and make tons of money.

I’ve gone on long enough about this. I’ll wrap up by saying that I think this is a ridiculous idea because it throws open the door for the NFL to go down the road of being turned into a social media joke. By allowing this it has now given the social media world real traction in the game and it may not be able to turn back without having more No Fun League accusations hurled at it.

Normally the NFL is pretty smart. This decision is just plain dumb.

The latest adjustment comes in how average search position is calculate. From the Google Webmaster Central blog we get an example of just how this is being done.

Let’s say Nick searched for [bacon] and URLs from your site appeared in positions 3, 6, and 12. Jane also searched for [bacon] and URLs from your site appeared in positions 5 and 9. Previously, we would have averaged all these positions together and shown an Average Position of 7. Going forward, we’ll only average the highest position your site appeared in for each search (3 for Nick’s search and 5 for Jane’s search), for an Average Position of 4.

We anticipate that this new method of calculation will more accurately match your expectations about how a link’s position in Google Search results should be reported.

Check out the updated Top Search Queries data in the Your site on the web section of Webmaster Tools.

The critical point to note as well is that this not impact historical data, it will be moving forward only.

Admittedly, there’s not much to see here but for folks like the readers we love here at Marketing Pilgrim, it all matters, right?

Last year, during the final minutes of the game, fans posted 4,064 Tweets per second. This broke the sporting record which had been held by the World Cup, but it didn’t break the all-time record of 6,939 TPS. That happened the moment Japan welcomed in the new year.

Still, I believe that this year’s Super Bowl will trump all because the powers that be have a plan. Of course they have an official Twitter and Facebook and plenty of supporting accounts on both. They have a website full of bells and whistles and mobile apps so you can keep up with all the game info while on the go.

What’s really incredible is the 2,800-square-foot social media center that has been put together to handle this one event. MSNBC Digital Life says that this is the first time a center of this sort has been built for an event.

Let me stop here and say that the Olympics also have social media covered, but that’s not a single day event. The Super Bowl is one day, but the center will be operational for about two weeks.

The goal of the social media center is to act as an information hub for people coming to see the game. A staff of 50 has been assigned to scan Twitter, Facebook and other media for Super Bowl related questions. Since they’re specifically dealing with those visiting the Indianapolis area, it’s not as massive a job as it could be.

Marketing Pilgrim’s Social Channel is proudly sponsored by Full Sail University, where you can earn your Masters of Science Degree in Internet Marketing in less than 2 years. Visit FullSail.edu for more information.

The secondary function of the center is one they hope they won’t need, that of emergency management. The staff is prepared to send out emergency information via Twitter in order to quickly reach a large portion of the 150,000 fans at the game.

The Super Bowl Social Media Center is proof that social media is now being taken seriously. It’s no longer an option if you have some spare time. Social media is now being recognized as a legitimate news source and as a practical way of communicating with a large number of people — particularly people on the move.

Super Bowl XLVI should break social media records. Let’s just hope it’s all Tweets and posts about the game, the TV commercials and the parties. This would not be a great time to test Twitter as an emergency management system.

The once powerful Yahoo, just reported a decline in net income of 5% for Q4. Recently, Yahoo invested a lot of money and effort into raising the quality of its content. That gave them the title of the “most trafficked news site on the web,” but apparently that didn’t help their bottom line.

A large part of the problem is the drop in their display advertising business. This used to be the jewel in the crown for Yahoo, but now they’re down 4% quarter over quarter.

In general, display advertising is on the rise. eMarketer’s numbers show a 24.5% increase in ad dollars over last year. Unfortunately, the competition is benefiting from the rise, not Yahoo. Google and Facebook are taking the lead, but why? How did Yahoo go from being the top site for display ads to third place?

It feels like Yahoo is going the way of AOL. Out with the old, in with the new. That leaves us with a two-horse race and that’s not good for marketers or consumers.

With Google and Facebook increasingly out distancing themselves from the pack, is it even possible for Yahoo to get back in the race? Or will it be Google or Facebook for the win from now on in?

Take the new Public Alerts feature in Google Maps. It’s pretty cool and it makes good sense. Whether you are traveling into an area where an alert might be in effect or you have concerns right near your home you can now check a map to get the information you want.

On the Google LatLong blog here is an example of what you would see on a map if there were public alerts set in motion.

If you click on an alert you will get the alert detail much like you would on the Weather Channel or from some other weather source.

There’s not much else to discuss about this other than the thought that while we like to get whipped into a SilVal frenzy about Google’s “evil intentions” we should pay some attention to the smaller things as well.

Maybe they should post a permanent alert over the Silicon Valley warning of heavy hot air gusts and limited visibility due to the fog of arrogance and self importance? I’m just wondering.

From Bloomberg

Companies face fines as high as 2 percent of yearly global sales for losing personal data under an overhaul of European Union privacy rules.

Data protection agencies in the EU’s 27 countries would gain the power to sanction companies that violate requirements for handling personal information proposed by the European Commission today. The measures, which also target online- advertising and social networking sites, update the EU’s 17- year-old data protection policies.

The EU overhaul would also clamp down on data lapses such as Sony Corp. (6758)’s six-day delay in warning customers about a cyber attack that exposed more than 100 million customer accounts, the second-largest online data breach in U.S. history. Industry groups with members including Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Google Inc. (GOOG) have warned against overly strict data-privacy rules that may stifle innovation.

At least we found something that Google and Microsoft can agree upon?

Just think about how much harder the EU will start looking for violations especially from companies with giant annual revenue numbers! You don’t think this kind of system isn’t ripe for corruption and misuse? Heck, every system is, so maybe that’s fair either.

Anyway, if you have any business happening within the confines of the European Union you better start studying up. Last thing you need is a bill in the Accounts Payable department that reads “Amount Due – 2% of Annual Sales”.

Image credit – Shutterstock

There is, however, research that is being done all the time to help give some guidance regarding how to best navigate the emerging social media marketing landscape. One person who does a lot of this research, especially around Twitter, is HubSpot’s Dan Zarrella. His latest look into the world of Twitter and how you might be able to optimize your efforts on the social network looks at some of the variables that go into generating more clicks on Twitter.

Take a look at this infographic that examines insights gleaned from Zarrella’s research. Have you found similar experiences in using Twitter? Do you have your own “secret sauce”? Care to share?

This post was written by our Social Media channel sponsor Full Sail University.

In a previous post here on Marketing Pilgrim, I wrote about personal branding from the perspective of how social media can help (or hurt) in finding a job. That article focused on the basic tactics like setting up professional profiles and who to follow. In this post I’d like to get into the strategy behind personal branding a little more.

The basic tenet behind developing a strong personal brand – or any brand, for that matter – is providing your audience with something of value to them. Online, that’s largely about content, and just as businesses should have a solid content strategy, so should you as an individual.

Developing a Personal Brand Content Strategy

Step 1: What’s your goal?
A content strategy is simply a plan for effectively using content to reach your goals. Are you looking for a job? Trying to position yourself as a leader in your industry? Launching a new business? A student looking at potential opportunities down the road?

Step 2: Who can help you reach that goal?
Once you are clear about your objective, your content plan begins with understanding the audience you are trying to reach. If you’re a job-seeker, that may be others in your industry, recruiters, or industry veterans. If you’re a business owner, your target audience might be potential customers, vendors, other businesses in related industries, or even competitors. Give some serious thought to this step, but don’t get too hung up on it; building your base of connections will be an ongoing process.

Step 3: Get out – and stay out – of the Step 2 mindset.
Now, stop thinking about what’s in it for you, and start thinking about what you can provide that’s of value to your audience. The saying that it’s better to give than to receive is nowhere more true than in developing your personal brand.

Types of Content

There are several different ways you can share content online:

• Original content is anything you create yourself. Always be sure that it reflects well on the brand you want to be; everything you put online is part of the cultivation of your personal brand, from comments on a blog to a full-scale article. Make sure it’s written well and is informative. And please remember to proofread, edit and spell-check, no matter how small the exchange.

• Shared content is anything that you are willing to promote that was created by someone else. This can take many forms, from retweets to social media shares, likes and plus ones. Remember that everything you share, even if you didn’t create it, also reflects on you. Be judicious, and always consider the value to your audience.

• Curated content can include both original and shared content. It allows the ‘curator’ to pull together information in a way that may be valuable to the audience. It’s a big web out there, and sometimes having someone gather the best of the best for you is a big help in parsing all that information. Curation can be useful because, as Brian Solis said, the “…thoughts, words and ideas of others can be helpful to establish yourself as a value added resource and as a place or destination for information.” With curation, though, be careful not to just rehash things your audience has likely already seen. (For example, if you’re a marketer, don’t just share every single thing Seth Godin says; it may be smart, but your audience probably already sees it directly.)

Marketing Pilgrim’s Social Channel is proudly sponsored by Full Sail University, where you can earn your Masters of Science Degree in Internet Marketing in less than 2 years. Visit FullSail.edu for more information.

Which type of content works best? The answer depends on your goals, your positioning, and your skills. If you’re a student or breaking into a new industry, for example, 100% original content may not be the best choice, since you’re not (yet) able to speak from a place of experience. However, perhaps some content curation that exemplifies your interests and goals would also be of value to members of your audience.

Notwithstanding the comment above, you should consider creating at least some original content for a few reasons:

• It’s good practice, especially writing.

• Just sharing and curating content may not be enough to establish your credibility.

• Your audience could most likely get all the content you share from the original source.

It’s Not Just About Text Any Longer

Many people think of content as just textual, but that’s no longer the case. Here are just a few types of content you could create that might allow you to engage your audience effectively:

• Text – Text does remain the most widely distributed form of content online, from Tweets to full-scale multi-page articles in online journals. Other forms of text-based content include blog posts, social media entries, comments on blogs/forums, and even shares, likes, plus ones and retweets.

• Photos – A picture can be worth a thousand words, if done well. The important thing is that it provides value to your audience and moves you closer to your goal.

• Videos – For some, online videos are a quick and relatively painless way of creating content. They can showcase your personality even more than most other mediums because viewers get the experience of ‘almost being there.’
• Audio – Podcasts and other forms of audio can be used to share information in a medium that works well for some.

Anything you do to communicate with others online is content, and content should always be considered in the context of your goals. Developing a strategy allows you to be conscious in your choices and puts you in a better position to succeed.

About the author

Rob Croll is Department Chair for the Internet Marketing Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs at Full Sail University, and the Course Director for Search Engine Optimization there. He also owns Marlannah Digital Marketing, a consulting firm that works with small- to medium-sized businesses and non-profits. Rob was named one of the Top 100 Marketing Professors on Twitter and has had numerous articles published both online and in print on a variety of Internet marketing topics. You can follow Rob on Twitter @rcroll.

The views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Marketing Pilgrim.

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Larry Page: We are going to do so much stuff at the start of 2012 that it will get the Internet industry types’ knickers in such a twist that they won’t know what hit them.

Staff: Will our bonus be tied to it?

Page: Yes.

Staff: We’re all in.

The latest update is regarding Google’s privacy policies. In short, they are attempting to consolidate products and the privacy policies that each carry. Oh and according to the Washington Post there is no opt out. But first let’s have a video interlude courtesy of the Google blog.

Back to that little opt-out thingy from the Post.

The Web giant announced Tuesday that it plans to follow the activities of users across nearly all of its ubiquitous sites, including YouTube, Gmail and its leading search engine.

Google has already been collecting some of this information. But for the first time, it is combining data across its Web sites to stitch together a fuller portrait of users.

Consumers won’t be able to opt out of the changes, which take effect March 1. And experts say the policy shift will invite greater scrutiny from federal regulators of the company’s privacy and competitive practices.

The move will help Google better tailor its ads to people’s tastes. If someone watches an NBA clip online and lives in Washington, the firm could advertise Washington Wizards tickets in that person’s Gmail account.

There will be outrage. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth from Internet insiders who have the ear of Silicon Valley types. As for the 99.9% of the world? They won’t know anything happened and won’t care either. The only other people that will notice are the headline hungry folks in DC. That should be enough to keep them busy until after the election them they can get back to good old fashion graft and corruption.

So how does Google present this?

First, our privacy policies. Despite trimming our policies in 2010, we still have more than 70 (yes, you read right … 70) privacy documents covering all of our different products. This approach is somewhat complicated. It’s also at odds with our efforts to integrate our different products more closely so that we can create a beautifully simple, intuitive user experience across Google.

So we’re rolling out a new main privacy policy that covers the majority of our products and explains what information we collect, and how we use it, in a much more readable way. While we’ve had to keep a handful of separate privacy notices for legal and other reasons, we’re consolidating more than 60 into our main Privacy Policy.

So what should we make of it? As much or as little as you want. The reality is that while there may be the ability for end users to tweak settings most won’t bother or won’t even know to bother. Google, however, wants to make sure that they have said there is a level of control even if opting out is not an option.

Finally, what we’re not changing. We remain committed to data liberation, so if you want to take your information elsewhere you can. We don’t sell your personal information, nor do we share it externally without your permission except in very limited circumstances like a valid court order. We try hard to be transparent about the information we collect, and to give you meaningful choices about how it is used—for example our Ads Preferences Manager enables you to edit the interest categories we advertise against or turn off certain Google ads altogether. And we continue to design privacy controls, like Google+’s circles, into our products from the ground up.

In the end all this means is better information for advertisers for more efficient ad delivery. A marketer’s dream. And Google’s as well.

In this, I am not alone. Look at this chart from a new survey by Hearst Magazines and Fleishman-Hillard International Communications.

The women surveyed. . .

Well, two out of three ain’t bad. The numbers come from part four of the Women, Power and Money series of reports. This one is called “Game-Changers: Women Defining the New American Marketplace.“

What they found overall is that women feel responsible for the well-being of their families. That need to help often extends out to their co-workers and friends of both the physical and virtual kind.

In 2011, more than 50% of the women said they regularly influence purchasing decisions of friends and family. This is up from 31% in 2008.

33 percent had recommended a product or service in the past six months; while 19 percent recommended that someone not buy a specific product or service.

That last part really hurts.

The study shows that women are even more careful about how and where they spend their money. Much of this is due to economic stress. A full 75% of women said they shop differently than they did before the recession. 71% agreed that life is now more complex.

Choosey Moms Choose. . .

Being an informed shopper was important to most of the women in the study. They used the internet to research purchases and they also relied heavily on recommendations from others. 84% of millennials said they have or haven’t purchased an item based on a recommendation from a friend or family member.

51% said using social media to talk about what they’ve purchased makes them fell empowered. 66% said shopping was more of a game than a chore.

When it comes to choosing a product, quality and price were the biggest factors. They also want companies to provide details about the materials used in the product, reviews from users, craftsmanship notes, and elements of design and style.

The study notes that only 6% of women were interested in a company’s environmental or community impact. Guess those days are over.

Now check this out:

Price and quality, once again, top the list. What didn’t make the top 10? Celebrity endorsements, “tugging at the heartstrings” and a catchy jingle. See that Hallmark, we will no longer be easily led by your tissue-invoking ads, so just stop!

The study, which you can view for free, covers even more ground than I’ve mentioned here. If you market specifically to women, I’d recommend you give it at least a skim.

The bottom line is that women are taking charge of their spending and they won’t be swayed by flash and glitter. They want a good product at a good price and if you provide that, they’ll reward you with good word of mouth. Sounds like a win-win for everyone.

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A new Pew Internet study shows that tablet ownership nearly doubled between the end of 2011 and the start of 2012. Take a look:

Okay, so 19% overall isn’t anything to write an article about, but look at the jump from just a year and a half ago. It’s pretty striking. What’s even more amazing is that ebook readers, which were expected to go on the decline thanks to tablets, popped up, too.

One of the biggest reasons for the jump has to be Amazon’s release of their inexpensive Kindle line. The iPad comes off as an expensive toy that only the wealthy can afford and the techy can understand. Amazon’s Kindle Fire is just the opposite. It’s not just lower in price, it feels like a product for the everyman.

Tablets also need to give thanks to the lowly cell phone. There was a time when we were fascinated by the concept of carrying around a browser, six books and a whole record store worth of tunes in a gizmo no bigger than a box of playing cards. Now, that’s common and we want more, more, more. The tablet is that “more.” It’s everything our computer was but with the portability of a cell phone. Seriously, why doesn’t everybody own one?

 Who Does Own Them?

The Pew study shows that the highest concentration of tablet ownership is in households earning over $75,000, college graduates, 30-49 years old. There was no real difference between male and female and race numbers were only slightly lower for whites.

For the ebook reader, women dominated with 21% versus only 16% of men. Over the age of 50, there were more ereader owners than tablet owners. Higher incomes and education still mattered, but there isn’t as big a gap between brackets as there is for tablet owners.

All of this is good news because we know that tablet owners use them to shop. They spend more time browsing for goods and they spend more per purchase. As for ereaders, well, they’re no good unless you fill them with ebooks and that means more dollars for downloads.

Think tablet ownership will double again before the end of 2012? I’m saying yes and then some.

By this point in time Facebook’s Timeline isn’t really news unless you are one of the millions upon millions of Facebook users who don’t pay attention to changes in the social media giant until they are forced upon them. All that means is that there will be the shrill cry of those mortally wounded (in a social media kinda way of course) by the grave injustice that Facebook will have perpetrated upon them by making a, gulp, change.

Just read some of the comments over at TechCrunch to see that there is nothing like Facebook change to bring out the joy in folks!

Can’t you just feel the love?

I bet the folks over at Google will be excited to see that there has been another crime committed against the socialnistas. Oh and Google will be most excited that it can’t be connected back to the Googleplex in any way. Or can it? Any thoughts? Any way you can imagine to blame Google for this problem? There has to be at least one ……

Marketing Pilgrim’s Social Channel is proudly sponsored by Full Sail University, where you can earn your Masters of Science Degree in Internet Marketing in less than 2 years. Visit FullSail.edu for more information.

The study called “The Evolved CMO 2012″ shows that the highest levels of the marketing environment knows it could use a little help with technical knowledge.

This can’t be an easy thing for those at the top of the marketing ladder to admit. With marketing as a whole becoming more and more digitally focused there is the reality that those who have reached the top of the marketing profession have done so with much of their experience and success coming from the traditional marketing world.

One thing that we in the Internet and social media marketing business have to do though is not get all smug about this shift in the environment. Why you ask? Well, it’s mostly because we pass around the cup of Kool-Aid that says digital marketing is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega of marketing and, sorry to burst your bubble here, it’s not. It’s influence is growing and it is becoming an accepted and critical component of any complete marketing strategy. The misguided idea, however, that all marketing will be digital sooner than later is nice hype but it’s not the truth.

Sure there may one day be an all digital marketing world but that won’t happen for a long time. Let’s just look at the notion of the paperless society we envisioned at the dawning of the Internet Age that would save the planet blah, blah, blah. Many would argue that we use more paper now than we ever did because we print things we find on the Internet. All of this is to say that true marketing is mix of what works, not just traditional or digital. To go from he way it was done for years to simply making everything all digital all the time is not being realistic, it’s just being arrogant and a bit stupid.

Maybe the faster you realize that fact the closer you can get to the CMO? In the meantime, though, it looks like the more you can can help upper level marketing executives understand the technology of marketing a little more the better positioned you may be to move a rung or two up the ladder yourself.

Now go help your help your friendly neighborhood CMO figure out how to use “The Twitter”. Happy career building!