The Privacy Paradox - Flawed to Perfection?

It isn't unusual for many girls to have tons of shoes [ and i'm not the exception ] so I typically find my self shopping online for specific shoes that I may like but my size was unavailable or they did not have the 
color or even styles that are online exclusive. What I find very interesting is that now EVERY website I go to such as Facebook that has space available for advertisements has only advertisements of shoes. Now these advertisements don't just have only any old pair of shoes, no, they have the all of my favorite brands and shoes that I usually like.


Now is this just one big coincidence? Of course not but how much is too much?
Websites are now becoming more and more capable to see whether you will be a good customer or not without you even providing any information about yourself. They can track previous purchases, see what web sites you have search, and how often you search for them.


This works through cookies. Little breadcrumbs of information left behind for others to pickup. These bits of information helps make advertisements more relative you and your likings. Although it may seem like you are just sharing things you like it can be much more. You may unintentionally provide other information such as your IP address and other private information that if it was to get into the wrong hands, may potentially have some major damage.


Although there is a constant battle between us, our privacy, and the big bad wide web, maybe it isn't so bad. To be honest I have shopped and visited probably more then most and have not had any issues. Although my moves may be tracked, at least I am being constantly followed by advertisements that interest me.










References:
http://www.privatewifi.com/online-privacy-good-guys-and-bad-guys-part-1/
https://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703748904575411530096840958.html

Information V. Reccomondation

The pen word IS mightier than the sword

I can not think of one day that goes by that I don't refer to my phone. When I am craving a burger, but do not feel like driving too far, all I have to do is pull out my phone and look at one of the innumerable mobile applications such as Yelp or Foursquare that are available for free. Once I have this list of what is around me it is up to me to pick which location I am going to go to. Of course I can decide which one is the cheapest, or which one is a couple blocks closer, or even which one has the best name, but what really will effect my decision? In my opinion, the reviews.

A new Social Media Matters study proved that someone else's opinion i.e. a blogger, are almost twice as a effective at altering someone else's opinion than a celebrity.  People are more likely to relate to someone who is not getting paid $100,000 to simply mention another brand within their half-hour television show or tweet about how great this or that diet worked for them. People want real, non-biased, non-paid-for opinions. Of course these reviews can mean total success for a small business owner or it can be failure. These real time reviews can make or break a business by simply telling the truth about their experience. Of course you will rarely see all positive reviews, but you can get a general feel for where you may potentially go without having to step foot into the location. 

Now more than ever people are using websites such as Yelp to not only tell about their experiences but read about other peoples experience. There are just about 63 million people who have visited Yelp alone in the last month, of these over 21 million have listed local reviews. A Harvard Business School study showed that when a business increasing a star (out of a 5 star rating) they also increased a 5-9 percent increase in revenue. Yelp users are encouraged to write a descriptive review rather than a rant.

These descriptions are doing more than just keeping the well- deserved business alive, they are bringing in the people who want to be there.

References:

http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.slideshare.net/BlogHer/bh-social-media-0511-without-notes

http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/10/hbs-study-finds-positive-yelp-reviews-lead-to-increased-business

http://outspokenmedia.com/small-business-marketing/yelp-small-business/