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. 

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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.

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What qualities would you come up with if you were asked to describe an Olympian? Perseverance? Determination? Fearlessness? Quick Wits? Teamwork? You could probably come up with a long list of admirable qualities.

Now how about if you were asked to describe an entrepreneur? Don’t all of those terms apply to the most dedicated of entrepreneurs? Don’t the successful ones share the fearlessness and dedication that Olympians exhibit?

Although a professional cyclist may be different in many ways to the founder of an Internet startup, many of the traits and qualities of a successful cyclist are the same for successful entrepreneurs. So while we celebrate the greatest of all sporting events, let’s learn a few lessons from these amazing individuals. Here are seven lessons you can take from the hard work and struggles of Olympians.

1) Great talent means nothing without great teamwork:

Just ask LeBron James. The 2004 Olympics were a disaster for Team USA Basketball. Despite having the most talented individuals on the court, the United States lost three times and came home with a disappointing bronze. After that, the leadership’s mentality changed to make sure 2008 was different. Coach Mike Krzyzewski didn’t choose individuals, but chose a team. This group has now played together since 2005 and 2006 in preparation for these Olympics and showed their strength in a 101-70 opening rout of China.

Learn from Team USA’s mistakes - getting great talent is never enough if that talent does not mesh and work well together. You must build a team with members that complement each other and are selfless in achieving company goals. If you ignore that team dynamic, you’re probably going to be stuck with something far more disappointing than a bronze medal.

2) Endorsement deals are great, but don’t let them distract you:

In sports, endorsement deals mean commercials, visibility, new products, and a wad of cash. For Internet entrepreneurs, endorsement deals mean venture capitalists, networking, new credibility, and of course a wad of cash. But if you get too engrossed in venture capital, it can become something you regret. If you spend too much time finding a deal instead of working on making your product the best it can be, nobody will want to endorse you in the first place, regardless of whether you’re an athlete or an entrepreneur.

3) Finish:

Finishing isn’t always easy and you can get distracted from the end by distractions. Sometimes it’s just painful and the last thing you want to do, but nobody succeeds without finishing. The greats dig deep to summon the strength needed to finish. Just ask Track and Field Gold Medalist Derek Redmond. Even if you do not come out the winner in the end, you can hold your head up high and know you did what most never do: finish what they start.

4) When you are injured, you need to work even harder to reach your goals:

Yao Ming is the Chinese icon of sports. But the basketball all-star’s role in the 2008 Olympics was put into doubt when he broke his foot in February. China worried about not having Yao during its great Olympic debut. Yao’s response?

If I cannot play in the Olympics for my country this time, it will be the biggest loss in my career to right now.”

Yao Ming then worked his butt off to rehabilitate, to heal, and to prepare. And it paid off: He once again carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony and headlined the Chinese national team. In the world of Internet startups, dramatic changes to the market can put you and your company’s future in doubt as well. When you are at the short end of a lawsuit or being hammered by the media, remember what you set out to do in the first place. To make something successful you’re going to have to take those bruises, stand up, and work even harder to succeed. Injuries are temporary - they’ll eventually heal. Throwing in the towel is permanent.

5) Know your competition:

Some people suggest that you ignore the competition and focus only on your own goals and your own work. True, it’s more important to focus on your company and your business than obsess over the competition, but not looking at the big picture is also foolish. Baseball teams know the tendencies of opposing pitches. Tennis players know whether their opponent’s forehand or backhand is weaker and adjust their game accordingly. As an entrepreneur in a very fast-paced market, knowing when new competitors pop up or about what customers think of the current competition can help define a better direction for your company. If Olympians don’t ignore their competition, why should you?

6) Nothing worth accomplishing comes quick and easy:

Michael Phelps is out to break the world record for gold medals won in a single Olympics. 8 medals isn’t a cakewalk – he has 17 races to swim to win those 8 medals. Hours of practice. Hours of cool-down laps after those races. Years of training. Hundreds of workouts. Hell, it takes Michael Phelps 20-30 minutes to get into his state-of-the-art swimsuit. That is dedication. But the reward is eternal.

You don’t need to stay in a pool for half of your life to accomplish your goals. The lesson is still the same - there is no substitute for hard work and dedication when it comes to success. Putting in those extra hours or persevering that much more can make all the difference between your idea’s success and your company’s dissolution.

7) Remember what’s really important:

You’re a human being first and an entrepreneur second. The Olympics are about people, not money or politics. Entrepreneurship is the same. Don’t create or join a startup because of the financial rewards – very few achieve Mark Zuckerberg-level success. Do it because you love it and because you believe your idea can help make people’s lives better.

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I’ve been scrolling slowly down the list of items mentioned by Paul Graham, a partner at the startup micro-financier outfit Y Combinator, in a piece titled “Startup Ideas We’d Like to Fund.” It’s an interesting write-up, and I think a whole lot of people should give it a look. Not necessarily because genius resides within. In fact, a lot of what Graham says will strike most any reader as fairly obviously wanting for the wand of progress.

There are some points raised, however, that either seem too vague or uninformative, or just plain unnecessary, to be worth a “new” attempt. Of course, I do recognize that Graham’s post is only a soft invitation for startups to submit ideas to Y Combinator. And, well, it would be pretty senseless to object to the inclinations of the firm. That’s not what I intend for here. Rather, I simply wish to parse some items that I consider superfluous and unnecessary. The kind of stuff that invokes the “been there, done that” adage, in other words. Ideas that already have solid representation on the Web, and don’t require major fixes or alterations.

First, there is the idea posited by YC (I’ll abbreviate it investor’s name from here on out) for a fresh startup to compete with Microsoft. Now, a plan to take on Redmond is all good and well. An admirable goal for sure. But others are already working toward that objective. Google is one. Zoho is another. Adobe recently introduced its own suite as well. And while they may ideally prefer to engineer a collective effort to bring down the software market’s reigning cash cow, they will no doubt look after their own health above all other concerns. Save for an acquisition, new rising stars aren’t likely to grow so tall, in other words. But with the tech sector feeling a few pangs of financial caution, the idea of buying only what you need would logically come to the fore. So at this point, I’ll short any newbies to this particular segment of the Web application market.

Photo/video sharing services are another group on YC’s agenda. Why that is is somewhat of a mystery to me. Flickr, Photobucket, Facebook are all solid examples. YC explains that “there may ultimately be 30 different subtypes of image/video sharing services, have of which remain to be discovered.” I’m not so sure about that. People like having reams of data at their fingertips. That’s part of the reason why industry’s giant have succeeded. Everyone likes a winner, right? As for serving the long tail of the Web, where photo and video users may prefer to take their media host service’s platform and adapt it to fit conditions on personal websites, that can already be accomplished. SmugMug is a nice example of this, actually.

On entirely separate note, while Y Combinator imagines there are “better” dating sites to come, I would say the life of those networks is finite. I sure hope so, anyway. To approach the concept in a different way, dating sites will simply be replaced by your run-of-the-mill social networking services. Mobile ones, especially. To keep perpetuating this idea of specialized matchmaking through ample profile metadata and the like is simply absurd. It may work some of the time, but it doesn’t work enough of the time.

I really wish Wikipedia alternatives much luck, because they’ll need it. Wikipedia may evolve, it may invoke new layers of security, it may open itself up to cool new (or old) sources of information. But the chance of Wikipedia actually being irretrievably challenged or supplanted in the foreseeable future is [insert dirty word(s) here]. Wikipedia is going to be the new encyclopedia. It may not be something taken seriously by [insert name of educational or professional institution here] now, but it shall. The fact of the matter is that Wikipedia has been built on a collective brain power similar in structure to that which built the Oxford English Dictionary. And how is the OED considered by academics, might I ask?

Lastly, I’d like to highlight an idea put forth by YC placed somewhere near the  middle of its list of 30. This one is 16. It reads as such:

“A form of search that depends on design. Google doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. One of the biggest is that they have no sense of design. They do the next best thing, which is to keep things sparse. But if there were a kind of search that depended a lot on design, a startup might actually be able to beat Google at search….”

There are a number of things wrong with that statement. For one, Google may not seem to have any sense of design for some, but it does. It’s actually described in Paul Graham’s subsequent line. Indeed, sparseness is Google’s schtick.

That, and a super-simple color palette. Those appear to be the fundamentals for the company’s overarching design. And years and years of experience and trend setting and all other things that go into making an Internet company into a Internet giant and an Internet leader have shown that Google has largely been walking the right path. No, its engine doesn’t connote iPod-like elegance. Goodness sake, though, its primary businesses are search and advertising. How in the world do you make that visually delightful and retain a modicum of user friendliness?

An even more pressing question to ask: What makes one think that fantastic design alone is a prescription for beating Google? There’s already quite a visually attractive alternative to Google. It’s called Ask.com. Take a look. You’ll see. And it’s nowhere near #1.

To end, I would say that, taken as a largely suggestive request for fresh ideas, Graham’s solicitation definitely has its strong points. If some number of startups manage to develop something that addresses many of the weak spots in the Internet market currently afflicting users - particularly the non-tech-savvy - and those startups happen to take the route of YC, the firm’s partners could be riding some serious gravy trains. New ideas are what will let milk and honey flow. Companies which try to address the topics parsed above, however, aren’t likely to reach such grand heights.

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