Which is more important tradition or results?
I am a chronic flipper with the television remote If you flip through any of the talk shows (doesn’t matter;
CNN,
Fox,
CSpan, local shows) there often comes a discussion regarding the dismal voter turn out and general apathy with elections.
It is disappointing that that voter turn out is lower than it should be.
The US should be a country that leads by high voter turn out -- demonstrating that we value free elections and recognize that a high price has been paid for this freedom has to be earned with the sacrifices of many.
Why are we the only democracy that holds elections during the work week? What’s wrong with a concept of a National Election weekend (maybe held on a Saturday and Sunday of the weekend before the current election Tuesday?).
I know, I know – It’s a band aid. If you’re upset by the concept it’s because you (like me, by the way) make it to the polls every time and feel others should be able to as well.
Wouldn’t it send a positive message at home that we want everyone citizen to participate?
Wouldn’t it send a positive message to the world if we had a higher voter turn out?
Which is more important tradition or results?
Will pay per click get nixed?
In recent discussions with a some very smart executives, they've opinioned that up to 20% of fees paid in certain pay per click advertising campaigns are based on "non-existent consumers". Seemed high to me, and it's common knowledge that there is an awful lot of effort going into screening for fraud.
Recently, Adwords issued comments based on the recent
invalid click settlement.
Results are the ultimate prize, and the future is crying out for an outfit clever and bold enough to bring a "pay for results" model (kind of an
Ebay but with unlimited product / service breadth?)
Bottom line -- it will take time, but the concept of paying per click seems ripe for a paradigm shift.
= = = = =
The post below was copied from the Adwords web site (
http://adwords.blogspot.com/)
About invalid clicksFor some time, we’ve provided information for advertisers about invalid clicks on the AdWords site
here. We thought the notice of today’s
invalid click settlement might prompt some additional questions about this issue, so we had Shuman Ghosemajumder, Business Product Manager for Trust & Safety, address them.
What is click fraud?I often hear the term “invalid clicks,” too. What’s the difference -- or are they the same? The term "fraud" implies deliberate deception. Our aim in fighting invalid clicks is broader and includes clicks that we suspect may have been deceptive or malicious, as well as clicks that we deem invalid for other reasons, such as accidental double clicking on an ad. The usage of the word "fraud" in this context has caused a great deal of confusion, as it's practically impossible to "prove" that an impression or click was caused by deliberate deception. Our servers can accurately count clicks on ads, but we cannot know what the intent of a clicking user was when they made that click. When we identify a click as invalid, it simply means a click we won't charge for, in order to deliver the best ROI to advertisers.
Why not say more about the specific methods used to identify invalid clicks?There are many things we do to detect invalid clicks, including looking at duplicate IP addresses, user session information, network information, geo-targeting and browser information. These are all important signals for detecting invalid clicks.The technology we use to detect invalid clicks is highly sophisticated and was developed by some of the world's leading experts -- PhDs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and statistics. We’re reluctant to share more about our technology and methods, however, because doing so would make it easier for fraudsters to try to defeat our systems.
How big a problem is invalid click activity?We take it very seriously and have devoted significant resources and some of our best talent to this. By far, most of the invalid clicks we see are detected and discarded by our automatic filters even before they reach advertisers accounts. If an advertiser is monitoring click activity, these automatically filtered clicks may show up in an advertiser's logs, but not in their bills. When invalid clicks are detected after an advertiser is charged, we reimburse for them. Because of our detection efforts, losses to advertisers from invalid clicks are very small.
But don't advertisers report invalid clicks to Google which weren't detected in advance?We do receive reports from advertisers and we look at them very closely. When we believe those clicks are invalid, we reimburse advertisers for them. Some invalid clicks do make it through our filters, but we believe the amount is very small.Also, we often find that the clicks are legitimate, but from unexpected sources such as broader targets the advertiser has set up for their campaign. And, as I mentioned earlier, some of the invalid clicks advertisers see in logs are clicks we've already caught, discarded and not charged. Most investigations we conduct concerning invalid clicks are cleared up with the advertiser after explaining the source of the traffic increase or showing them that the clicks were never charged.
Does Google have an incentive to allow some amount of fraud because it means more revenue?Actually, it is the opposite of that. We have much more of an incentive to do a better job of handling invalid clicks than our competitors -- and we believe we do. Fighting invalid clicks aggressively is in Google's best interest and essential for us to maintain a viable business. In addition, we offer free tools to advertisers so they can monitor their return on investment -- which is a helpful way to determine whether too many clicks coming through are not resulting in sales. Those free tools help advertisers manage to a bottom line value of their ads.
Some people suggest that click fraud may account for as much as 30 percent of traffic -- what do you say to that?We believe the methodology behind that particular estimate is flawed -- and that many who have cited the figure have done so irresponsibly by using it differently than it is characterized in the report.Here's a
link to a .pdf version of the study where that figure originated. We encourage you to read the report and evaluate it yourself. Some things we think you will see that undercut those who use this estimate carelessly:Even the report does not say that click fraud is 30% of all clicks. What it does say is that of three ad campaigns (only three ad campaigns were examined in this study), evaluated over a ten day period, one had questionable clicks of 8%, another 10% and a third 30%.So, the 30% figure comes from analysis of a *single* ad campaign, not a study of many. This means that the figure of 30% that is used to characterize click fraud for the whole search and advertising industry comes from the analysis of *one* ad campaign looked at for ten days. Even in that campaign, it is not clear what methodology they used to determine which clicks are "bad" and it is possible that they marked legitimate clicks as "duplicate." Moreover, the study does not indicate whether the advertiser was actually charged for any of the clicks, only that the traffic analysis suggested that the clicks may have been invalid. As I mentioned above, it’s very possible that clicks recorded in an advertiser's logs have already been caught by Google’s detection systems and not charged. (I should also note that when invalid clicks are detected and discarded before they are charged to an advertiser they are also not recorded as revenue.) When considering the validity of this exaggerated 30% figure, you should also consider who is most aggressively using it: it is those who have the most to gain from hyping the problem. Those who are throwing around this figure are doing so as part of their marketing efforts to sell products they claim detect click fraud. The more they can convince others that click fraud is a problem, the more they hope to see increased sales. In other words, these companies have a huge financial incentive to make people believe invalid clicks are a larger problem than they really are.
What else on this topic should we be aware of?Whether it’s online or offline, advertising should be about ROI and results. It is in our interest to serve the interests of our advertisers, which means delivering superior ROI. Our efforts to combat invalid clicks are an essential part of that.What we have seen so far is that advertisers continually increase the amount of money they spend, which suggests that they are pleased with the return delivered by their ads. We encourage advertisers to track ROI and contact us when they see something that doesn't appear to add up. If you see suspicious activity on your AdWords account, please
contact our click quality team. Posted by Arielle, Inside AdWords crew
Why am I optimistic for the US healthcare system?
Because the right people are talking about it....sure Craig Barrett, Intel stem-winder, has been talking about the
opportunities to increase productivity, and mentions some specific subjects including use technology to advance
prevention (http://www.techceocouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=146) ...this is all
good.
But Sir Richard Branson (yes, that Richard Branson) is also involved
http://www.nightlybusiness.org/transcript/2005/transcript050605.html.
With the right kind of focus, from people that can get things done, we will see dramatic improvements from the current quagmire.
The secret to success(Step 1) At the end of the day, write down three tasks you need to get done the next day.
(Step 2) Next day, review the list and get the three tasks done
repeat step 1 and 2
10 Questions to Added Value
Adding value and satisfying customer needs are cornerstones of good business.
Yet, the perceptions about the value you provide and what customers actual perceive your value can be eye opening.
Here’s a list of ten questions – focusing outward toward the customer. Take a shot at answering these off the top of your head, and then write a position around each question.
1. How do you ease your customer’s pain?One way to look at it is that customers buy when you ease their pain. To ease the pain you need to understand what causes pain to your customer and what motivates someone to buy – including having an understanding of what’s important further up the food chain -- to your customers’ customer?
Have you lost any customers in the past year? Have you an understanding about why they went away and where they went?
Often, customers perceive the value of your business much differently. Well-crafted customer interviews – to current, past and potential customers give provide enough data to create an action plan to grow your business.
2. What are the key traits of your current customers? Think of your best customers. Off the top of your head, are they likely to be the best customers next year as well?
Do you understand how they are perceived in the market? Gain knowledge about your customer’s top customers, and you’ll be heading towards a better understanding of what’s truly important to the people that buy.
3. What metrics do you use to measure the current health of your business?This can be answered in different ways – if you’re after growth, the measures obviously should include year over year revenue growth (or decrease).
Reconsider if the metrics you are using to measure your performance are the right ones – specifically if they help add value to your customer or drive improved efficiencies. Once you have your benchmarks, in place, do you measure the trends of performance over time? Post these metrics for all employees to see (yes, even if it’s a small shop) – and the established goals for continuous improvement.
Everyone should understand the goals and expectations.
Business metrics have a double value in that they can be used as part of a sales presentation to help gain new business. During an introductory presentation of your company to a perspective client, add a few slides that give an indication of your performance. Which would have a bigger impact – a general statement that that “we are excellent at on time delivery” or a graph that showed on time delivery history in excess of 95% for the past 12 consecutive months?
4. How are you different?Do you truly understand what motivates someone to cut an order to you and not someone else?
You may truly have a better product, offer better support, but perceptions are reality. Customers vote for the best supplier with their dollars – do you understand what your customers are doing and how they are positioning themselves in your market? Markets do not stand still – if you are not working to position your company, you can be assured the competition is positioning you.
5. What changes are occurring in your business that seem inevitable?Not just the massive change-waves (which, believe it or not, most often actually occur quite slowly), but the more subtle changes as well – such as your best customer paring down their vendor base, consolidating heir supplier base, or moving to web based purchasing. These can be opportunities to expand what your value.
6. How much should you be charging for your services?OK, this is a very sensitive subject, and in the age of continuous improvement costs should be going down over time. But, If the market leader were to raise prices, would others follow?
Do you have an understanding if you are truly getting the right value for what you provide?
7. How do you spot opportunities with your current customers?
While it’s important to listen to customers articulate needs, there’s also powerful opportunity in being close to your served markets that you can anticipate ways to add value.
Do you have a systematic approach to spotting new opportunities? Here again, candid interviews can help provide information that you can turn into action.
8. How do you spot opportunities to expand the customer base?Are their other markets that could benefit from what you bring to the table?
Have you taken any steps to identify others that can benefit from what you do beyond “the usual suspects?”
9. Have you given thought to strategic alliances that can help you get where you want to go?Are your desires to expand your business unfulfilled because your customers are not willing to let you play a greater role in their business?
The thought of forming alliances usually elicits strong feelings of risk; but it may be the right path for growth. Alliances can be as simple as an agreement to share leads, mailing lists, or information on supply chains.
Also, consider what would happen if a major competitor formed an alliance?
Concerned about alliances? Third party consultants are often used if an organization wants to test the waters without identifying
10. How can you increase your credibility and increase market awareness of your business?Have you given thought to establish an effective communication plan? Do you measure the response to your investment in building your brand?
This can help you prioritize where to invest to take your business in the direction you want.
Putting it all togetherYour perceptions about what you provide and how customers actual value your company are more than eye opening – it is critical to your health to sustain ongoing operations and achieve your ultimate objectives.
Accurate and unbiased information letting you know what’s really of value is the key to giving you a true advantage.
