Mediaboss Marketing

Americans are using online search engines, especially Google, more than ever before, but an increasing number worry that the tracking of their online activities is an invasion of privacy, according to a new study released Friday.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 73 percent of users said they would not be OK with an online search engine keeping track of their queries even if the data provides personalized results in the future.

And 68 percent said they were not OK with targeted advertising because they don't want their online activities tracked and analyzed.

The report could bolster criticism by consumer groups and government officials over the online privacy policies of companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook. President Obama has proposed a "privacy bill of rights" to give consumers control over how their data is collected, stored and shared.

"Search engines are increasingly important to people in their navigation of information spaces, but users are generally uncomfortable with the idea of their search histories being used to target information to them," said Kristen Purcell, author of the report "Search Engine Use 2012."

"A clear majority of searchers say that they feel that search engines keeping track of search history is an invasion of privacy, and they also worry about their search results being limited to what's deemed relevant to them," Purcell said in a news release.

The research was based on a survey of 2,253 adults between Jan. 20 and Feb. 19, with a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

The study said 73 percent of all Americans use a search engine, compared with 52 percent in 2002.

And 59 percent of online Americans use a search engine on any given day, nearly double the number who did so in 2004. The vast majority - 91 percent - said they "always or most of the time" found the information they wanted using search engines.

Google remained the most popular search engine. About 83 percent used Google most often, compared with 6 percent who cited Yahoo. Eight years ago, 47 percent picked Google, and 26 percent chose Yahoo.

Continued here:
Internet privacy a growing concern, Pew finds

This week at the Search Engine Roundtable, I published the monthly Google SEO recap. Google is pushing out the default SSL search globally. Google stepped up webmaster notifications alerting of low quality pages and traffic changes to top URLs. Google is also pushing Google+ with "thank them" on the Google search results. Google shares data between mobile and desktop to help you. Google gave timelines for Google Places updates as they upgrade their systems. Google sent out 700,000 messages to webmasters in the past two months. Google added user access controls to Webmaster Tools. And Google had a special Google logo for Internationals Women's Day yesterday. That was this past week in search at the Search Engine Roundtable.

Make sure to subscribe to our video feed or subscribe directly on iTunes to be notified of these updates and download the video in the background. Here is the YouTube version of the feed:

For the original iTunes version, click here.

Search Topics of Discussion:

Please do subscribe via iTunes or on your favorite RSS reader. Don't forget to comment below with the right answer and good luck!

Read more from the original source:
Video Recap of Weekly Search Buzz :: March 9, 2012

SEO Positive has announced it is currently in the process of evaluating ideas derived from several corporate talks at last weeks TFM&A exhibition in London with a view to applying hot trends to their own internet marketing services.

(PRWEB UK) 10 March 2012

Staff from the Support and Paid Search teams at the SEO agency attended the event in order to gauge a better understanding of the industrys hottest topics and trends. These team members will be comparing notes and talking extensively with the rest of the management team to find ways to incorporate new knowledge into existing procedures and services.

Many of the seminars, which were open to visitors throughout the summit, were hosted by employees from several internationally-renowned online marketing agencies and brands. Areas covered included email marketing tips and tricks, the rise and implications of social media and SEO techniques for 2012.

Evaldas Balcius, Head of Paid Search at SEO Positive, believes that the event was a valuable experience from both a B2B and B2C perspective.

We like to take the opportunity to catch up with peers and competitors at events such as TFM&A, Evaldas explains. As we are also hosting several talks at the Internet World exhibition in April we also found it interesting to learn what other companies are talking about and how they are communicating their ideas to an audience thats comprised of both digital marketing professionals and potential clients from some of the worlds leading brand names.

SEO Positive was established in 2007 in Chelmsford, Essex with the aim of bringing effective yet affordable online marketing services to companies from all industries and backgrounds. The company offers a huge range of services including search engine optimisation, Pay Per Click account management, social media marketing and online reputation control.

Ben Austin SEO Positive Limited 0800 088 6000 Email Information

See the original post here:
SEO Positive Reviews TFMandA Exhibition

MIDDLETOWN, NJ--(Marketwire -03/09/12)-

WHO: Jeanne Achille, CEO of The Devon Group, a public relations and marketing services firm

WHAT: Will participate in a panel discussion titled "Social PR: Rising Above the Noise," as part of HRmarketer and HR.com's joint virtual event series, "Sales and Social Marketing 101 and Beyond."

WHEN: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT.

WHERE: Registration details are available at: http://www.hr.com/en?t=/contentManager/onStory&StoryID=1329322932050

DETAILS: With social media creating unlimited marketing potential, it's easier than ever for companies to share their stories with HR journalists and analysts. But despite the ability to connect like never before, the audience is becoming increasingly complex. As such, the lines between traditional media outlets and a vocal community of bloggers, HR professionals and thought leaders is blurring, and organizations need to make sure they reach out to the right people in this environment to gain interest in their news. During this complimentary webinar, Jeanne Achille, CEO of The Devon Group, will join Sarah-Beth Anders, senior manager of Communications at Achievers, and David McInnis, founder of PRWeb, in a discussion aimed at teaching participants how to navigate the changing face of media and identify the influencers and social voices who can draw attention to their companies and elevate their brands.

Attendees will also learn how to target journalists and influencers who may be interested in their news; effective methods for pitching news and story ideas; and the best practices for building relationships with media and online influencers.

Marketing, PR and sales professionals interested in learning the newest tactics for building their company's image, brand and sales are encouraged to attend this interactive session that will teach them how to direct their news and stories to the people who can make a difference.

About The Devon GroupFounded in 1994, The Devon Group delivers quantifiable branding, public relations and marketing results to a wide variety of global companies and organizations. The Devon Group is committed to fully engaged partnerships with our clients and has one of the highest client retention rates in the PR industry. The Company's full range of brand definition and articulation, PR and marketing programs build awareness and accelerate sales. The Devon Group has won numerous awards for branding, writing outstanding feature stories and press releases, and designing and executing local, national and global print and online media campaigns.

Headquartered outside New York City in Middletown, N.J., The Devon Group's U.K. office is located in central London. For more information about The Devon Group, please visit http://www.devonpr.com or follow the Company on Twitter: twitter.com/devongroup.

Continue reading here:
Devon Group CEO to Be Panelist During Webinar Discussion on Successful PR Strategies in the Age of Social Media

World Day Against Cyber-Censorship is this coming Monday March 12.

Heres the official description for that:

World Day Against Cyber-Censorship (on 12 March 2011) is intended to rally everyone in support of a single Internet without restrictions and accessible to all. Never have so many countries been affected by some form of online censorship, whether arrests or harassment of netizens, online surveillance, website blocking or the adoption of repressive Internet laws. Netizens are being targeted by government reprisals. Around 120 of them are currently detained for expressing their views freely online. World Day Against Cyber-Censorship pays tribute to them and their fight for Internet freedom.

Google wrote a blog post about its approach to content removal today, gearing up for the event. The company says nothing has changed since it first outlined its approach, four years ago.

At Google, we have a bias in favor of free expressionnot just because its a key tenet of free societies, but also because more information generally means more choice, more power, more economic opportunity and more freedom for people, writes Rachel Whetstone, Senior Vice President, Global Communications and Public Policy. As Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

That said, we recognize that there are limits, she adds. In some areas its obvious where to draw the line. For example, we have an all-product ban on child pornography. But in other areas, like extremism, it gets complicated because our products are available in numerous countries with widely varying laws and cultures.

Google says it takes down as little as possible when it comes to search, though it does remove content from results when required by law. As far as Googles user-generated content sites, it relies on use guidelines and polices these sites (like YouTube, Blogger, Google+, etc.) accordingly.

Google, of course, has its transparency report, where you can go anytime to see content removal requests (as well as data requests) by country.

Last month, an Indian court ordered some web companies, including Google (and Facebook), to filter some content deemed morally or religiously objectionable.

Read this article:
Google On How It Censors Content (Ahead Of World Day Against Cyber-Censorship)