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Source:Mashable!

Earlier this week, I discussed a new advertising service called Lotame, which aims at finding out as much about you as possible and using that knowledge to give advertisers a far more targeted advertising experience than is currently available in the CPM model.

Lotame’s CEO was quick to point out to me over the phone that all of the information the company collects is anonymous and all it really takes from its partners is user age, gender, and zip code.  Promises aside, it still has me thinking: how do privacy and advertising really come together in this space?

Advertising is only effective when the advertiser can derive concrete demographics from the publisher.  In traditional media, that can range from age, gender, location, and interests to, well, practically anything, depending on the success of surveys and other data collection procedures.

But on the Web, all that’s different.  Unlike traditional media where information is collected and maintained for advertising purposes, the Internet is a haven for those that want to be anonymous and any hint of a person’s privacy being compromised will lead to a firestorm of epic proportions.  Not only will that person complain and cry foul, but thousands of people who worry about Web privacy will do the same.  And in the process, the advertiser and publisher will be forced to back off for fear of losing its fickle user-base.

It’s also because of that culture, though, that CPM advertising has been somewhat effective: by its very nature, the only element that matters is pageviews because the more a publisher has, the more they can charge advertisers.

But Lotame and Facebook’s new ‘Engagement Advertising’ aim at changing the way advertising is done on the Web and will attempt to make ads more targeted to the intended audience by collecting more data in a more meaningful way.

As Jeremiah Owyang points out on his Web Strategist blog discussing Facebook’s new idea, the company believes that “traditional internet advertising tactics won’t apply” as online advertising enters its next phase.

Lotame thinks that its plan will make advertisers more satisfied and generally appeal to publishers that are looking to increase advertising revenue at all costs.

But in both examples, I can’t help but wonder if both Lotame and Facebook are forgetting about the major sticking point every advertiser and publisher needs to deal with: the online culture dictates privacy.  And if there is even a hint of an invasion of privacy, the campaign won’t work.

The Web is an entirely new beast that advertisers simply haven’t come to understand.  Based on everything they know, advertisers realize that knowing your audience and getting as much information on them is the key to successful advertising.  But those same people they’re trying to target want to be anonymous on the Web and desperately want to stay out of an advertiser’s crosshairs.  And in the process, a dichotomy forms where on one side, advertisers are trying to make money, while on the other side, users are trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.

So what’s the solution?  I don’t know.  But as long as advertisers and users are on different pages, one thing can be sure: privacy better be upheld. 

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Live Mesh - The Version You Can UnderstandThe Daily Poll: ISPs Serving Behavioral Ads - Invasion of Privacy?Google and FTC Working on Privacy StandardsWould You Join a “Do Not Track” List?Is Ad Infuse Too Creepy for Mobile Advertising?Google’s Crumbling Answer to Privacy Groups: Break It Up.Europe Doesn’t Like Facebook Beacon Either

Source:Mashable!

Have an idea that you think could be the next big thing? What about a new way to do something better? Well, how do you go about taking these brilliant concepts from your head to market? How do you turn these ideas into products and services without getting ripped off? Here’s a rundown of the best tools and resources available for wanna-be inventors, covering everything from social networks to copyright and patent sites, and more:

Social Networks for Inventors

- Incuby - Offers inventors a social networking platform to share ideas, ask questions and get feedback.

- IdeaWicket - Is another online network for creative types.

- IdeaTango - Provides a social network not just for inventors but also service providers and businesses involved with innovative products and services.

- InventTube - Claims to be the largest online service for inventors, patent attorneys, companies and more.

- In.ventors - Is a bare bones network for people interested in inventions.

Recording ideas

You never know when those brilliant ideas will pop into your head, so you need to be able to record and document them when they do. If you’re on the go and not in front of a computer, your best bet is to use your mobile device. Here are some useful services that can assist you with recording your brainstorms on the run.

-EverNote - Lets you record your ideas and thoughts on your cell phone via voice,  text or email. It works very well on the iPhone.

- Jott - Is a simple way to record audio messages on your mobile device. The nice thing is that it will transcribe your audio to text and email it to you along with a link to the audio recording.

- Wridea - Doesn’t record audio messages but you can send your ideas to your wridea account via email from your cell phone.

Tools for Documenting, Sharing & Tracking Inventions

Once you capture an idea for an invention you need to document it and track its process. You will need to create a drawing or prototype of every detail as well. You will also need to be able to share these documents with a partner,  attorney, manufacturer, or others.

- Google Docs & Spreadsheets - Is the popular online office application that lets you create documents that you can share with those you choose. You will also be able to access your document library from any computer with Internet access as well. It includes a Word, Excel and PowerPoint clone (great for giving presentations of your new invention idea).

- Zoho DB - Allows you to create a complex database online that can track every detail regarding your invention including contacts, documents, drawings, etc.

- Gimp - Is an open source image manipulation application that can be very useful in creating drawings of your invention idea.

Copyright, Patent, and Trademark Resources

Here’s some valuable information that can assist you with the inventing process.

- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office - Is Grand Central station for inventors. It’s the official site from the U.S. Government and it’s loaded with incredible information and tools that help anyone involved with patents and trademarks.

- U.S.Copyright Office - This is the official site for all things related to copyrights. Mostly for protecting authors and their works but it covers much more than that. Excellent information available for free too.

- Search Patents or Trademarks - It can cost approximately $500 per patent search. Fortunately, you can now do a decent patent and trademark search for free online thanks to the US Patent & Trademark office. Granted, this won’t be as thorough or exhaustive as having a patent attorney do it for you, but it sure is a lot cheaper.

- How to get a patent - Excellent information about patents straight from the horse’s mouth, the US Patent office. There are many other sites that try to explain the process but this is the official instructions so it’s obviously the most reliable.

- How to get a trademark - The same applies with this resource. It’s the official explanation on how to register a trademark from the US Patent & Trademark office.

- Taking the Mystery out of Copyrights - Informative presentation from the Library of Congress that was created for students and teachers to explain the usually complex process of attaining a copyright.

Useful Sites for Inventors

- Inventor’s Hall of Fame - s an inspirational museum of the best inventors and inventions of all-time.

- Inventor’s Digest - Is the leading magazine for inventors

- Inventor’s Organizations - Official organizations at state level in the USA. Also, some in Australia and the UK.

- Inventor’s Alliance - Has been providing a useful newsletter to inventors since 1993.

- Free Inventing 101 Online Course - Is a free online guide about inventing.

- National Inventor Fraud Center - Excellent police dog for blowing the whistle on those less-than-scrupulous people and organizations out there that prey on inventors.

- StopFakes.gov - Is a service from the U.S. Patent & Trademark office that protects smalls businesses and their online intellectual properties. Excellent information.

Conclusion

Technology can be an incredible asset for inventors. However, one must use common sense when it comes to sharing original ideas in a public forum. While most people might be trustworthy and helpful, there are always those that are not. This doesn’t mean you should shy away from these sites. On the contrary, it’s highly advisable to visit them as often as possible, just be careful about sharing too much information regarding your ideas.

Note: The image of the gentleman holding the giant cell phone is none other than Dr. Martin Cooper the inventor of the first cell phone in 1973. Who knows, you might be the next Dr. Cooper or the dude who invented those thingies on the ends of shoelaces.

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:InvenTube is a Network for InventorsIncuby Is a Network for InventorsGoogle.org Launches Pedal-Powered Machine ContestvBulletin Acquired By Internet Brands, Inc.Gigya Launches Wildfire for Developing Facebook AppsWriting Room is Just Another Network, So FarWordpress 2.3 Released

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 11:32 am and is filed under web, business, patent, Copyright, Lists, entrepreneurs, Inventions, inventors, trademark. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.