Article Highlights:

• The internet's share of total media spending will continue to rise, from 15 percent in 2010 to 20 percent in 2014
• Display -- banners, rich media, and video -- remains a bright spot within the online ad ecosystem
• Tied into the shift away from traditional forms of media advertising is an increased emphasis on branding

Google’s mobile ads are becoming more location-aware. Today, Google is introducing mobile display ads for both the iPhone and Android phones which can be geo-targeted. Advertisers will be able to check a “location extension for display” box and their ads will become geo-enabled when viewed in mobile browsers or apps.  A little double-arrow will open up the ad and show the business pinned on map with two big blue buttons to get directions or call the business.  Google will only charge for calls or clicks.

Google already offers so-called “location extension” ads for mobile search, but this is the first time it is expanding the concept to mobile display ads.  Google says that mobile ads that offer a location generally see an average 8 percent increase in click-through rates over plain-vanilla mobile ads, and click-to-call mobile ads see a 6 percent increase in clicks.

Barnaby Jack showed a live demonstration of how he hacked two different Windows CE-based ATMs on stage during a talk this afternoon at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. Jack was scheduled to give the talk a year ago, but it was canceled after an ATM vendor objected to his then-employer, Juniper Networks. This year, Jack switched jobs to IOActive. The ease with which he hacked the machines should be a wake-up call for banks.

Jack showed how you could walk up to an ATM, break into it using a common universal key, and then use a universal serial bus (USB) stick to load a rootkit, or hacking software, that could compromise the machine’s security. On stage, he showed how he could run a program that could talk over the machines and get them to display “jackpot!” on the ATM screen and then spit out bills.

Calling virtualization "the yellow brick road to the cloud," Staten recommends companies assess their own technological maturity and their adoption of virtualization in order to ascertain whether private cloud environments are the right move right now.

According to Staten, you're ready for the private cloud if you meet the following criteria:

1. You have standardized most commonly repeated operating procedures.
2. You have fully automated deployment and management.
3. You provide self-service access for users.
4. Your business units are ready to share the same infrastructure.

Staten notes that preparing your IT operations for Stage 4 will take many years, but says that moving to the cloud doesn't have to wait until then. Rather than a whole-scale switch, he recommends moving smaller projects and investments, such as development and testing, into the cloud. He also recommends outsourcing the internal cloud to an Infrastructure-as-a-Service cloud provider - preferably one that will offer some training.

Generally, these bans are instituted because the videos on the popular hosting site show something a government would rather its citizens not see, from state police brutality at a protest to unflattering depictions of its leadership to “immoral” or sexual content.

However, this particular ruling stems less from a desire to protect a country’s internal PR and more from a desire to keep Russian media — including citizen-generated and social media — free from the possibly harmful influences of ultranationalist, racist and xenophobic speech. The phrase “Russia for Russians” itself is a slogan of hatred used against the multi-ethnic society that exists in Russia today, and searching for the phrase “Россия для русских” on YouTube will return a number of disturbing videos typical of the white nationalist movement around the world.

But intentions aside, this ruling still constitutes what many other governments would consider a prohibition or restriction of free speech.

The owner of Rosnet, the ISP affected by today’s decision, is Aleksandr Ermakov. He spoke to media today, saying essentially that the court had thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

“All of mankind is using this website. And providers like ours do not violate Russian law. But we are still being forced to close the website so that our users can not log on and watch the videos. This is absurd! According to this logic, we have to demolish all buildings that have swastikas on the walls. Or when two people are discussing a bomb over the phone, we have to take away the phones from all people across Russia.”

The Ingredients of Social Media Communications Plans

The Digital Brand Expressions report that found that those who are approaching social media with a plan find that needs, concerns, and outcomes outweigh the current scope of activities. The study found that logistics contributed to visibility, but insight was absent from investing in presence. Most notably, resource allocation guidelines, registration of branded usernames in social networks and competitive research were among the top ingredients of a social marketing plan. Other tactical elements include:

71% establish metrics to measure ROI, which is in direct contrast with a previous study by Mzinga that found that over 80% of companies were not measuring ROI.

52% plan for ongoing monitoring

45% develop social media protocols and policies

39% create and distribute guidelines for professional and personal social media use

At the bottom of the list, we see that only 29% of businesses are introducing protocols and policies for the usage of social media by specific departments. As this is the socialization of business, multiple divisions will embrace social media at any one moment, from sales to service to HR to sales and marketing and everything in between. Social media indeed reveals the true 360-degree opportunity. The social consumer is many things to brand snow and over time. And, to expect one representative or facet of business to track and engage with influential individuals in active and expansive networks is narrowing.

The question as to who owns social media is universal. Ownership begins within the team where social media championship is concentrated. As experience matures, social media extends and in many cases, “socializes” each sector. At the moment however, a land grab is in full effect with marketing taking the lead as the area responsible for the creation and management of social media plans. In fact 71% of respondents stated such with communications representing 29% , the executive team accounting for 16% and sales and IT tied with 10%.

The deal with Amazon follows Facebook’s announcement that it would allow publishers to contact users who ‘like’ a particular story - another development with significant implications for marketers.

Dragonflies have a unique ability to maneuver in multiple directions during flight due to the fact that their four independent wings work in unison.

This visual was inspired by The Dragonfly Effect – Quick, Effective, Powerful Ways to Use Social Media to Effect Social Change written by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith. I love the dragonfly concept and thought it also represented the perfect metaphor for connecting the major elements of social media strategy:

1. Social Environment
2. Strategic Planning
3. Tactical Implementation
4. Ongoing Management

Attention is the currency of the Internet. When you pay attention to someone or something online — by viewing it, by commenting on it, by linking to it — you help to legitimize it in a palpable way. You help it to attract more attention, traffic, and ad revenue. This of course is often the opposite of what a critic is trying to do. By paying attention to me, the conservative blogosphere amplified a voice that it hoped to drown out.

In contrast, look at what happens when people direct their attention to what they like or what more from. Companies that focus on thanking people for positive feedback, rather than defending themselves against online criticism, develop strong online fan bases. Nonprofits that reach out to their supporters expand their network of support. People who focus on their closest friends have more satisfying online relationships.

Giving this kind of attention helps the Internet become the kind of online world we'd like to see. And it means that we'll spend time in those parts of the Internet that reflect our own values. We'll spend our time online from a place of integrity. And we'll experience our time online as an authentic reflection of who we really are.

How can you best spend the currency of your own attention online?