The Lurking Perils of Online Transactions by Jeremiah Grossman

Hundreds of millions of people use Web mail, which is why in many ways e-mail is more important to keep secure than your bank account. Many people have important online accounts tied to a single Web mail address. If anyone gained access to your e-mail account, all accounts associated with it could be compromised as well.

 E-commerce has been part of the retail world for more than a decade, and today's consumers seem to assume that because of this longevity, their transactions are secure. Beyond this, the average online shoppers are convinced their credit card numbers and other sensitive information are out of reach of attackers with a firewall and antivirus program, combined with shopping at brand-name retail sites.
But if you scan the Internet for Web hack news, you’ll find a constant stream of stories about malicious hacks affecting the modern consumer. If you aren't an expert in computer security, here are some top tips for a safer online experience:

Switch your Web browsers to Firefox, Mozilla, Safari, or anything else besides Internet Explorer. This is probably the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself online. You think you're fine because a new patch is being released soon -- to bring IE light years ahead of all other browsers? Sorry, that will get you nowhere, because a patch like that is like a glittery target for malicious hackers.
With browsers, the best way to remain secure is by staying out of the line of fire, and Internet Explorer is well known for being in the crosshairs of viruses, spyware, and adware. If a Web site really does need IE and you really need to use the Web site, make sure the site is legitimate, then it's reasonably safe to fire up IE.

Add more security to your Web browser. No matter what browser you choose, the Web is a hostile place and all Web surfing tools need a little help to defend themselves. Try NoScript for Firefox, the Netcraft Anti-Phishing Toolbar, the eBay Toolbar, or the Google Toolbar.

All of these add-ons help identify phishing Web sites, prevent your computer from being hacked, and your passwords from falling into the wrong hands. Most people will only need the first two add-ons, but if you are an eBay buyer, using theirs is essential as well.

Don't click on links in e-mail, almost ever. Whenever possible try NOT to click on any links in e-mail, especially since links themselves are dangerous and the latest phishing e-mails are difficult to detect. An ounce of paranoia is worth a pound of patches. If I'm unsure if an e-mail is real, one thing I do is manually type the domain name into the Web browser location bar.

This way I know I'm on the real Web site. If an organization asks me to verify my account information by "clicking here," instead I type in the organization's URL then proceed to login. If a company you're doing business with really wanted to verify your account information, they would ask at the point of login.
With that said, some e-mail links are safer to click on than others. Like those sent in response to an action (account registration, password reset, order confirmation, etc.) you might have performed on the Web site within the last several minutes.

Defend your Web mail. Hundreds of millions of people use Web mail, which is why in many ways e-mail is more important to keep secure than your bank account. Many people have important online accounts tied to a single Web mail address. If anyone gained access to your e-mail account, all accounts associated with it could be compromised as well. The best thing you can do is use unguessable passwords, change them every six months or so, and don't use that password anywhere else. Bonus points for deleting e-mails with any sensitive information.

Use a single credit card for online purchases. In light of recent events, chances are the credit card numbers we use online are going to be stolen at some point. For that reason it's best to try and limit any potential damage. Using a single credit card with just enough of a limit to conduct your online transactions makes it easier to monitor statements for any strange charges. Plus, any fraud is isolated to that one card. Also, refrain from using a debit card online since they don't carry the same consumer legal protections as credit cards.

Normally, this is the part of the discussion where the experts start talking about SSL (secure sockets layer) and telling you to check for the lock symbol. In my experience just about every legitimate Web site accepting credit cards is now SSL-enabled. So the better advice is to make sure you're actually on the one Web site you think you are on. Otherwise SSL isn't going to matter much anyway.
Scared? You should be. Oh, but happy shopping.

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Recession Proofing with CRM

Recession talk is all around us and CRM has a role in helping any company get through the slump. How?  Take our quick quiz.

A recession happens when
a.      the economy falls off a cliff
b.      your neighbor loses a job
c.      you lose a job
d.      the economy stops growing

Yes, all answers are right, though economists and people who work inside the Washington beltway might give more credence to the last choice.  You might say, "That's fine but what does this have to do with CRM?"  You'll see.

The economy has been growing in a range of 3% to 4% per year which is generally enough to create jobs for the people who enter the market.  About four to five percent of the workforce is at any one time out of work but that's more of a "float" phenomenon, in other words, it takes time to find that next position once you've left your old one.

So, the point I am trying to make is that even in a recession, if in fact we've crossed that line, there is still significant economic activity.  In my analysis, there are two significant parts of a market's life cycle, the product innovation phase and the process innovation phase.  The first phase occurs when markets and categories are new and vendors jockey for position or market share.

At some point, however, some competitors drop out and you are left with a core set of competitors.  That's when the second phase, process innovation, kicks in.  The companies that have reached this point have pretty good products which might vary by five or ten percent and appeal to slightly different audiences; but those differences are not as significant as getting orders right, agreeable payment terms, simple to understand and execute contracts and the like.

As luck would have it, the process innovation phase of a market and a recessionary economy look a lot alike from this perspective.  In my view even without a recession we would be looking at a market place where product innovation has yielded to the business process. In one way or another, the emphasis in dealing with customers is in getting it right the first time.

My point is that we are in a moment when, for a variety of reasons, we need to think about using some of the new applications that help us as vendors present a kinder and gentler face to the customer. 
A recession might not be a lot of fun but we have never had so many tools for combating one.

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Top Ten Marketing Trends for 2008

1. Time to go green - A "green" plan is no longer a luxury, or an option. Every day, another venerable brand commits to a sustainable future.

2. Ads in the great outdoors - This year's surprise was the rebound of out-of-home advertising, growing faster than any channel except the internet. Outdoor reinvented itself as a technology-rich means of engaging, entertaining and educating commuters.

3. Getting in on the game - Gaming now permeates just about all of society, creating fresh ways for marketers to connect. Even B2B marketers will be smart to give gaming a fresh look while blending in messaging, training or recruiting.

4. Mobile: I can hear you now! - This may be the year in which mobile deserves a closer look as technology improvements create new opportunities. As long as marketers don't spam, mobile marketing may be the missing link in personalized communications.

5. Join the club - Wise marketers will capitalize on the growing appeal of social networks. Besides the obvious market leaders (MySpace and Facebook), social networks exist in niches from teens to seniors and even B2B. This list is almost endless.

6. Rise of the widget - Mini software applications (known as "widgets") can provide unprecedented access to hard-to-reach targets, as Facebook and MySpace can attest. Even Microsoft's Windows Vista supports user-written widgets natively.

7. Roll the video - With 70% or more in broadband penetration in the US, streaming video is a "must" marketing tool. Whether a B2B or B2C marketer, video is an enormous opportunity to engage, educate and entertain (those being the new "Three Es" of successful marketing).

8. From behavioral to contextual - Marketers will add behavioral targeting to their contextual search efforts. eMarketer predicted that behavioral targeting will increase ten-fold over the next five years.

9. Focus on the experience - The need to focus on integrated marketing approaches is not new, but what will be new this year is how brand experiences will move to the top of the integration priorities list, becoming the driving force of marketing communications.

10. Marketing as a service - Those marketers who continually support their customers, providing actual value through each communication, will be the most successful in 2008. The value exchange can take many forms, but only if the marketer understands the needs and aspirations of the customer - and then commits to a genuine dialogue at every point of contact.

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A Word From Bob

Sony's Blu-ray player has won the battle over HD DVD with Toshiba!

The format battle effectively ended Tuesday when Toshiba announced it will no longer develop, make and market HD DVD players and recorders.

Blu-ray's advantage is its use of a blue laser light that allows for about 50 percent more data storage than a conventional DVD or HD DVD, which use red laser light.  Blu-ray also offers a much sharper image and noticeably better audio.

But hang on to your wallet - you may want to put off purchasing your new system until market prices stabilize.