Illegal click fraud scheme exploited affiliate relationships
In federal courts, a group of six Estonians and one Russian have been indicted for a massive click fraud scheme. The group used a virus to send illegitimate traffic to websites running affiliate advertisements. The click fraud scheme The scheme for which these seven people have been indicted was based on pay-per-click advertising. The fraudsters [...]
Digital goods market expected to reach $3 billion
The idea that customers would pay for digital goods is one that, 20 years ago, seemed odd. Now, many estimates put the digital goods market at nearly $3 billion. Estimates about digital goods According to the Inside Virtual Goods report released by Inside Facebook this week, the digital goods market in the United States is [...]
Google news roundup Monday: Yelp, GDrive and Maps
As a tech giant that handles billions of searches a day, even the smallest changes at Google can have wide-reaching effects. Here’s the latest roundup of news by, for and about Google. Limiting the API of Google Maps The Google Maps API is used all over the web. As the programming interface that integrates Google [...]
HR 2361: Good intentions, overbroad protection in Protect IP Act
In a rare show of bipartisanship, both Republicans and Democrats have shown wide support of HR 3261. Known as the E-Parasite Act or Stop Online Piracy Act, the bill is intended to pull financial backing from websites that traffic in illegally obtained content. Outlines of HR 3261 HR 3261 is a combination of two separate [...]
Congress grills Google about possible antitrust activity
As Google grows, competitors have gotten louder and louder. Today, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt testified in front of an exploratory Congressional committee about its business practices. Allegations of antitrust activity Google’s competitors and, in some cases, partners have claimed that the company unfairly blocks out competitors. The allegation is that when consumers use Google’s [...]
Half of small businesses ignore social media, should be on Twitter
For small businesses, marketing can be the thing that makes or breaks growth. Many small businesses rely more than anything on word-of-mouth marketing and “old fashioned” methods. Many businesses, however, avoid social networking because they are uncertain of how to get started. The state of small business social marketing Insurance provider Hiscox partnered up with [...]
Some internet providers redirecting traffic for affiliate income
Search engine optimization is about getting the search results you want in front of individuals who are looking for something in particular. Thousands of hours and millions of dollars have been spent on this goal. Some internet service providers, however, are bypassing the process in order to bring in affiliate commissions. The Netalyzr project discovers [...]
California passes tax that could shut down Amazon affiliates
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law the affiliate nexus tax. This law requires online retailers to collect sales tax if they have affiliates in the state. In an anticipatory act of non-compliance, Amazon has announced it will shut down all California affiliate operations. The new California law The new California law, signed by [...]
Swedish newspaper creates open, interactive newsroom
Facing declining revenues and growing competition, many newspapers are shutting down. A few newspapers are turning into social media powerhouses and marketing consultants. One Swedish newspaper is growing by opening the news process up to readers. Norran creates an open newsroom Norran is a regional newspaper in Sweden that was hit hard by the recession. [...]
Legislative bills attempting to address digital goods taxation
For any small business, navigating tax laws can be a difficult challenge. A new set of legislation working its way through both houses of Congress attempts to address the patchwork of state tax laws for online merchants. The bills aim to address only digital goods, but the implications are huge. The problem with taxing digital [...]
