That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work

Etsy is the popular site for buying and selling art, crafts, and vintage goods. The NYT recently explored the demands of success on some Etsy sellers. See That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work.

SC's Hearing of Texting Case Could Shake Up Workplace Privacy

Are an employee's text messages private when sent using an employer account? The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that turns on privacy for employees in the workplace. A California police officer was fired after his employer read his "sexually explicit" texts. The officer sued the department for violation of his privacy alleging they had no right to read the texts. See SC's Hearing of Texting Case Could Shake Up Workplace Privacy.

Viruses That Leave Victims Red in the Facebook

If you see an odd posting from someone on Twitter or Facebook, it may not be genuine. The NYT reports that "Malicious programs are rampaging through Web sites like Facebook and Twitter, spreading themselves by taking over people’s accounts and sending out messages to all of their friends and followers." The program will send tweets or notifications to all your friends, inviting them to try products, visit sites, or watch videos. The Times reports that oftent "victims lose control of their accounts after clicking on a link “sent” by a friend." See Viruses That Leave Victims Red in the Facebook.

Buying, Selling and Twittering All the Way

I can't resist another post about Twitter. This article describes this holiday season as "America’s first Twitter Christmas." Retailers are using Twitter to publicize sales, solve customer problems, and even tell customers where to park. The immediacy of Twitter makes it a powerful social media tool for business. See Buying, Selling and Twittering All the Way.

A Friend’s Tweet Could Be an Ad

Some social media users are getting paid by advertisers for sending commercial messages to their personal contacts. I agree with the commentator who states such users "commercialize authentic dialogue and undermine people’s credibility." See A Friend’s Tweet Could Be an Ad.

Building an Online Bulwark to Fend Off Identity Fraud

'Tis the season for identity theft. There are new services available to protect your identity online. Several services search the Internet for signs that your personal information has been stolen. Other services use a variety of tools to protect your information from criminals when you are online. Protecting your identity has become an increasingly time-consuming and costly battle. See Building an Online Bulwark to Fend Off Identity Fraud.

Ed Hardy’s Tattoo Art Is Booty for Digital Pirates

The Ed Hardy brand is struggling against Chinese counterfeiters who create fake Ed Hardy web sites to sell their goods. The counterfeiters then fool Google into showing their sites high in relevant search results and buy ads words that get them exposure. They improve their site rankings by creating link farms and fake blogs that fool Google into thinking this site must be relevant because many sites link to it. See Ed Hardy’s Tattoo Art Is Booty for Digital Pirates.

Drawing Security-Spooked Customers Into the E-Commerce Fold

Many people visit web sites and never purchase. How can sellers reassure customers that it is safe to shop at their sites? Educate consumers about safe online shopping, convince them that your site can be trusted, and tell your customers why the site is safe. See Drawing Security-Spooked Customers Into the E-Commerce Fold.

A Netflix Model for Haute Couture

Another e-commerce venture - RentTheRunway.com lets you rent the high-end dress and return it after the event. See A Netflix Model for Haute Couture

Google Dashboard Lights Up User Access to Privacy Controls

The new Google Dashboard lets you see what Google knows about you and easily change settings for Google services. It's worth watching the video. See Google Dashboard Lights Up User Access to Privacy Controls.

Fortifying Your E-Tail Operation Against 'Friendly Fraud'

I guess it should be no surprise that fraud rises in bad economic times. See Fortifying Your E-Tail Operation Against 'Friendly Fraud'. Customers charge products, receive the goods, and then contest the charges with their credit card company. The result is a chargeback to the merchant, often with additional fees. One strategy to combat friendly fraud is to use an "IPSP (Internet payment service provider) that offers fraud-protection features specific to each industry in which an e-merchant works".

Losing Out After Winning an Online Auction

The recent article Losing Out After Winning an Online Auction offers some good tips for using auction sites. They also warn against bogus escrow sites. I'd stick with escrow.com.

Twitter Sputters Over Spammers and Spitters

Now we know - a spammer on Twitter is called a spitter. See Twitter Sputters Over Spammers and Spitters.

Is It a Day to Be Happy? Check the Index

What can we learn with data mining on Facebook? People are happy on holidays and Fridays. See Is It a Day to Be Happy? Check the Index.

Soon, Bloggers Must Give Full Disclosure

The Federal Trade Commission has issued new rules to bloggers and others using social media. If you review products on your blog, you have to disclose your connection to the advertisers. The trend has been for companies to shower popular bloggers with freebies, hoping the blogger will write a favorable review. Some advertisers pay the blogger directly. The same rules would apply to celebrity bloggers and twitterers. I'm so cynical about advertising, I assume anyone who mentions a product has a motive. The full story is here - Soon, Bloggers Must Give Full Disclosure.

Working Your Way to a Greener SMB

This article points out some of the small steps businesses can take to go green, such as saving power by turning off computers, saving paper, replacing incandescent lights, and outsourcing data and services. I'm surprised people still leave their computers on all night. See Working Your Way to a Greener SMB

Google Captures reCAPTCHA to Boost Book Project

The next time you decipher some words before logging in to a web site, you might be helping Google's book scanning project. Google will show words that have not scanned well and let the rest of us figure them out. See Google Captures reCAPTCHA to Boost Book Project.

Twitter's Legal Challenges: Lessons for Startups

The price of success in America is . . . lawsuits. Twitter is dealing with patent litigation, trademark issues, and suits from those that have been harmed by fake accounts in their names. See Twitter's Legal Challenges: Lessons for Startups.

5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook

Our recent discussions on social networking in Electronic Business prompted me to post this article - 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook

Times Web Ads Show Security Breach

This New York Times article - Times Web Ads Show Security Breach - caught my attention as the same type of rogue ad caught my browser last week. Any third party content on your site, including ads, is somewhat of a risk as your company may be blamed for allowing the rogue ad to appear.

Twitter and the New Social Marketing Game

Another article in the daily struggle to figure out how business can use Twitter for marketing. Do you really want tweets from a tin of popcorn? Twitter and the New Social Marketing Game

The E-Coupon Generation

Apparently I'm not the only one who checks for a coupon code before I make an online purchase. The article The E-Coupon Generation discusses how the Internet has changed the use of coupons.

Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People

The Wikimedia Foundation has announced that the English-language Wikipedia will review changes to articles about living people before they appear. See Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People. While I find Wikipedia useful, this is a good reminder that the content on Wikipedia is can be manipulated.

Web Giants Wage New Battle in Google Books Saga

Last October, Google reached a settlement with representatives of the publishing industry over its book scanning project – Google Books. Now a group of companies, including Amazon, Mircosoft, and Yahoo!, are opposing the settlement. See Web Giants Wage New Battle in Google Books Saga. I understand the concern over Google's scanned books database, but I also appreciated access to out-of-print books.

Tweets Reveal Location

Twitter will offer a new feature that will add your location (longitude and latitude)to any tweet. Twitter users can choose to use this feature or keep their locations private. The article details some potential uses for e-commerce. See Tweets Will Soon Come With a Dateline.

3 Indicted in Theft of 130 Million Card Numbers

Many people fear shopping online because of the risk of stolen credit cards. In this case (3 Indicted in Theft of 130 Million Card Numbers), many of the stolen cards were used for in-person transactions.

ECT: Battling the Buccaneers of Beijing

The recent article Battling the Buccaneers of Beijing puts the spotlight on the issue of pirated goods in China. The issue is of concern for online businesses selling in the U.S. eBay has been sued over listings of pirated goods.

Goal

My goal is to use this blog is collect and comment on items relevant to the study of e-commerce.