Nadia Di Vito | Directora de Arte05/03/2012
MASH MY WEEK! Review of the outstanding Internet, Technology and Social Media news for the week February 27 – March 3
On March 1 Google’s new privacy policy came into effect, here we let you know the facts you need to know.
How have companies reacted to the new Facebook Timeline? ReadWriteWeb asked several entrepreneurs about the subject and we share their opinions here.
Finally, we reveal details of Operation Black March which is being carried out by the hacktivists Anonymous.
Google’s new privacy policy comes into effect
For some weeks there has been much talk about Google’s new privacy policy. The announcement that its privacy policies were going to be unified, has generated doubts among users, businesses and organisations.
On March 1, Google rolled out its new privacy policy and that’s why we’ve decided to clarify a few key points:
- User experience: The objective of Google is to unify its service data so it can understand its users better and improve their company product experience.
- Simplicity and transparency: Now users will have one single document that explains privacy policy of Google products in plain language. They can find out what data the company is collecting and how it uses it.
- Assurance of privacy: Company privacy controls are not changing, and personal information will not be shared outside of Google.
According to Alma Whitten, director of privacy for product and engineering at Google, “Because we’re making these changes, over time we’ll be able to improve our products in ways that will help our users to get the most out of the web.”
You can read the Alma Whitten press release here.
Companies react to the new Facebook Timeline for Brands
Last Wednesday, Facebook unveiled to brands its new design that converts the wall into a timeline. In this way, personal pages for private users and businesses will have the same look.
The changes to the design and functionality of Facebook pages has generated uncertainty among marketing and communication professionals, given that those who administer business pages will have to learn how to use the new format.
But, what are the opinions and expectations of brands? ReadWriteWeb spoke to representatives of different companies with a Facebook presence and this is what they think:
- If you use Facebook strategically, this represents a big challenge, given that the new design rewards creativity and innovation. Jonathan Rick, Washington DC.
- The cover image increases the possibilities to showcase different aspects of the company (locations, products, brand image, etc.) Margaret Yakulis, Social Media Manager for the FareBuzz travel site.
- The Timeline makes the pages more visually attractive, this means greater product and brand visibility. Dennis Todisco, Lifestyle Marketing Director at Karmaloop.com.
- The possibility of sending private messages is great for boosting customer relationships, above all if private information is being handled. Ben Foster, Vice President and Digital Strategist at Ketchum Digital.
- Using the message anchoring function, administrators can pin a post at the top of the page for a maximum of seven days, and in this way key information can be kept front and centre. Stacey Stark of GS Design.
While the majority of companies were optimistic, others think that Timeline poses difficulties for administrators and they miss functions that have disappeared such as the landing page.
You can read the full article here.
Operation Black March, Internet reaction to the anti-piracy laws
The hacktivist group Anonymous has initiated a boycott of the entertainment industry. The targets of their attacks are the big Hollywood corporations as well as film, music, book and video game companies.
Through the operation, named #BlackMarch on Twitter, the group is encouraging users to ‘ignore’ the entertainment industry and not consume products during the month of March, which would mean a big blow to the sector’s economy.
Black March is a reaction to the closing of Megaupload and a demonstration against laws aimed at regulating Internet use (SOPA, PIPA and SINDE).
Anonymous states in one of its press releases that, ”due to the continuous campaigns concerning Internet censorship and the closure of sites such as Megaupload under the charges of ‘Piracy’ and ‘Conspiration’ the moment has come to stop the influence of the film, music, book and magazine companies and the media in general. We can only act by hitting them where it hurts most: in their profit margins.”
In this way, Anonymous and thousands of Internet users who support the campaign hope that their demands will be heard.
Tell us, are you in agreement with what Anonymous is doing?
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of Mash My Week!
See you next week!