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Tag: LinkedIn

  • LinkedIn Gets New Group Search Features

    LinkedIn announced the launch of some new features for its Group Search designed to make it easier to find the “right professional conversations”. The social network currently has over 1.2 million groups in a wide variety of fields.

    “As we’ve grown, it’s become even more important for us to help you find and engage with the topics you care about most,” says LinkedIn’s Brad Mauney.

    “First, instead of relying on the title and description of the group, we give you the best results based on how well your search matches the conversations taking place,” he explains. “We also show your connections who may be in that group, which makes it easier for you to find groups that really matter to you.”

    LinkedIn Group Search

    Another major improvement comes with the filtering options, which now include the ability to filter by network, categories and language.

    LinkedIn seems to be focusing more on finding relevant content these days. Last week, they also announced the launch of some updates to the People You May Know feature, including algorithmic improvements and a new design.

  • LinkedIn Making It Easier To Find People You Know

    LinkedIn, like the best social networking sites out there, includes a feature that makes it easy to find people that you may know. These are usually based off of either mutual friends, past schools or past employment. This works reasonably well, but it could always be made better to make the experience more visual.

    LinkedIn seems to have had those same thoughts and is updating its “People You May Know” feature. The update will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, but the LinkedIn blog gives us a sneak peak of how it will look.

    This is how the current “People You May Know” tab looks like. It’s serviceable and it gets the job done. It doesn’t look that great, but functionality is more important than aesthetics.

    LinkedIn Making It Easier To Find The People You Know

    Now check out the preview of the new design. It already looks a whole lot better. It’s always amazing what a little bit of visual flair and columns can do for a design. As you can see, the person’s picture is now the main focus of the profile preview. You probably also notice the top row of companies and schools that are now easily searchable via picture instead of just text.

    LinkedIn Making It Easier To Find People You Know

    Not all of the changes are on the surface, however, with the LinkedIn team making changes to the algorithm that powers this particular feature. The “People You May know” tab will now connect you with people based on factors like “your existing network, past workplaces, and where you’ve gone to school.”

    While the actual update will be rolling out over the next few weeks, you can start using the new version right now. It’s currently in beta so there might be bugs, but that’s what a beta is for.

  • Mascots: Best Brand Accesories on Social Media

    Apparently, brand mascots are back in a big way. With the ever increasing popularity of social media, characters who promote a branded lifestyle and assign a particular face to a product, are once again in demand.

    Carol Phillips, president of the consulting group Brand Amplitude comments on the utility of mascots:

    ” [They are] the gift that keeps on giving,”

    “They never get in trouble with the law. They don’t up their fees. You can use them for a long, long time.”

    Brand Mascots get people talking about products without even knowing it in many cases. This little tree is the newest mascot from Stub Hub. It features tickets as the leaves to its branches. This little guy has created a lot of buzz for the company, especially on social media sites.

    Look at some of the reaction:

    @mar_bear22
    Mary Sugden    I’m utterly creeped out by the stub hub Ticket Oak Tree #terrifying 14 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @oaknd1
    Tim O’Connor    Stub Hub’s ticket tree is what you’d get if the Keebler Elves’ home was planted on that burial ground from Poltergeist. http://t.co/2zfLVJiB 3 days ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Satireflyer
    Landon Heil    thank you stub hub talking tree commercial for reminding me how awesome my tv still looks… #appreciatethelittlethings 6 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @BobLeeSwagger13
    Bob Horn    Has anyone seen the stub hub commercial with the ticket oak tree? I almost pissed myself 16 hours ago via Twitter for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @DreaIsDead
    Andrea Skywalker    This Stub Hub commercial with he Ticket Oak tree is EVERYTHING! New fav commercial 2 days ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Come on! How else could Stub Hub be part of everyones conversation without the addition of this mascot? They couldn’t. Basically, this little tree has everybody talking about Stub Hub. Next time you need tickets, what’s one of the first associations you’re going to make? Creepy tree equals Stub Hub, equals ticket sales. Cha Ching!

    Insurance companies are great at the mascot product positioning game. Who doesn’t know this next character? That’s right, it’s Flo from the progressive commercials. Most of us didn’t even realize she was a mascot, but when you think Flo, you think insurance.

    Listen to how people have let Flo become part of their lives:

    @RACH4_theSTARZ
    Rachel Coster    had a dream last night that Flo, from progressive and I were in a space ship. on a mission to reduce cholesteral 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @BONK3Y3000
    BONKA BAHDASZ    Flo from progressive rocks!!! 14 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @djdavemichaels
    Dave Michaels    Flo, from the Progressive commercials, seems like the one human being on Earth who’s been single for longer than I have. #Winning (Kind of.) 19 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @PrincessElise15
    Sincerely , Alexus .    I love FLO from the progressive commercials ! 3 hours ago via Twitter for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @themomentswhenn
    Life’sMoments^-^    Anyone remember Flo from the Progressive commercials. I wanna be Flo when I grow Up. 22 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @lmaj86
    Troy Majors    Ay am I weird that I think flo from the progressive commercial is kind of sexy? Lol idk what is it but…damn lol 1 day ago via TweetCaster for iOS ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    She’s not just an actor in a commercial anymore, Flo has a whole parallel life that she leads in consumers minds. People think about Flo and have conversations about her. What about this little guy below? He’s been the subject of a lot of weird conversations and off-color jokes, I am sure. The Geico Gecko has to be one of the most famous mascots ever.

    This is how people think about that little gecko:

    @revlarz
    Lawrence Gunther    the geico gecko doing the Chicago accent is pee ur pants funny- Daaaa Bears 8 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @_YooAddiction_
    J. Sanders ♥    Is the pig the new mascot for Geico or something ? I prefer the British ( I think ] accented Gecko . 13 hours ago via Twitter for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Abbster209
    Abbas Akhtar    i want that gecko from the Geico commerial as my pet he can be my wingman 1 day ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @BarryBongs23
    BO    That lil Geico Gecko is one cool dude 1 day ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @ggerould
    Gary Gerould    The Geico gecko kills me with his Chicago accent impression. Love it!! 1 day ago via Twitter for iPad ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Seriously, without these great mascots none of these folks would be carrying on conversations about Stub Hub or car insurance. Companies are beginning to realize advertising on social media platforms is vital to product awareness and marketshare.

    To get the most out of those spots, marketeers need to capitalize on mascots the same way television has. We are constantly bombarded with different brands and different products, but one thing that seems to always stick in our minds is characters. Characters go beyond just what is presented in a commercial, they take on lives of their own.

  • Marketing on Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

    There is no denying the impact of social media when it comes to brand recognition. Professional marketers have recognized this for some time, offering more interesting content to engage customers on this relatively new medium.

    Why is social media so important to marketers? For one thing, word of mouth is the main reason behind half of all purchases. Also, users are 60% more likely to recommend a brand they follow on Facebook or Twitter.

    Having a page for your brand isn’t enough, either. People are much more likely to buy from you if you provide blog articles with new and interesting content featuring your product. 70 percent of people prefer getting to know a company through articles rather than advertisements, while 60 percent feel more positive about a company after reading content on its site.

  • LinkedIn Reaches Three Million Australian Users

    LinkedIn, the world’s social network for finding business professionals is constantly growing with new members (especially for recruiting). Basically, the service is becoming a Facebook for the business world, making it easier for business professionals to network with one another all across the world. Now, the business networking site has reached three million Australian user accounts.

    To help celebrate and notify its users of this milestone, LinkedIn has sent an e-mail to all of its Australian users, letting them know that the service has reached three million accounts for their country, along with thanking them for their support and usage of the popular business networking site.

    Cliff Rosenberg, Managing Director of LinkedIn for Australia, New Zealand, and South-East Asia addressed the site’s Australian userbase with this e-mail:

    The “Continue” link (shown in the e-mail above) directs users to a beta version of the site’s new and easier-to-use “People You May Know” section.

    This is a great milestone for the Australian online community, showing that business-related social networking continues to grow strong in the Great South Land.

  • Identified.com Grows to Two Million in Six Months

    Startup Identified.com is meeting with remarkable success in its mere six months of existence. The Facebook-based data analytics company has doubled in size nearly every month since its September 2011 launch.

    The company owes its success primarily to users from the younger generations. According to Appdata.com, current Identified users average just 23.5 years-old, with 90 percent under 35 and nearly 60 percent under 25 years-old. Users under 35 years-old make up only 40 percent of competitor site LinkedIn, which appeals more to older demographics.

    “The Facebook generation does not exist on LinkedIn, which is dominated by more experienced professionals, or on outdated job boards, which are not in tune with the social generation,” said co-founder and co-CEO Brendan Wallace. “Identified’s young users love that they can create and control their professional profile online separate from their Facebook profile. This is clearly resonating with them. At this rate of growth we expect to hit 25 million active users by June, predominantly under age 35.”

    A two-way street serving both job seekers and HR departments, Identified’s driving concept is the Identified Score, a metric derived from the work history, education, and demographic data of 247 million Facebook users, as well as the hiring behaviors of thousands of companies. In short, when you create an Identified profile and link it to your Facebook account, the company’s algorithms digest your life’s details and let you know where you fall–from 0 to 100–on the hiring desirability scale. Recruiters then use this score to identify likely candidates, and to rank applicants based on their qualifications. If you don’t like your score, you can add further information to your account and see if that makes a difference. Participating companies are also assigned an Identified Score.

    Identified looks to have identified a market niche pretty well in choosing to go after Millenials. Members of this generation are already at home in their existing social profiles, and are pretty shrewd about emerging social platforms. To gain their patronage, a new platform has to be intuitive, useful, and–generally–easily linked to their other accounts. Identified has made it easy for Millenials to integrate their data into the new platform.

    The company is also aggressively marketing their services at events that attract talented young professionals, like this year’s Game Developer’s Conference.

    What about industry leader LinkedIn? I wouldn’t delete my profile just yet. Identified may be making waves early in its young life, but even its projected growth to 25 million users will be a drop in the bucket compared to the older, more experienced platform’s 150 million. LinkedIn’s profits may have slumped in 2011, but the company will likely dominate user share for quite a while yet.

  • A Close Look At Social Networking Media

    A Close Look At Social Networking Media

    Almost everybody is using social media today. Asking someone under the age of thirty if they have Facebook is like asking someone if they own a television set. But there are a number of sites to choose from, and yes some of us do have them all, but others are selective.

    Today, MBA, an online resource for business news and information, released an infographic about what demographics are using what social networking sites.

    The stats are interesting. Pay particular attention to ages and the incomes of the users they report on in the graphic. This research could spawn a whole buch of separate studies to determine the reasons why people choose one over another. Anyway, infographics speak for themselves.

    Here’s what MBA found:

    A Case Study in Social Media Demographics
    Via: Online MBA Resource

  • LinkedIn to Host DevelopHer, a Hackday Competition for Females in Engineering Fields

    LinkedIn announced their first Women’s Hackday— DevelopHer, and it will be hosted from June 30 – July 1, 2012. DevelopHer is a public competition for female engineers to unite by hacking all night, eating food and doing yoga, meeting judges, and competing in Silicon Valley.

    The networking site is encouraging engineering students, enthusiasts, professionals, and interns to participate in the event and demonstrate their talents.

    Women who desire to participate must request an invitation to do so.

    In the following YouTube video LinkedIn engineers describe Hackday as ” a special day each month where every engineer across the company is given permission and actually encouraged to work on something new and innovative.”

    Other engineers comment that the event:

    “Makes you a better engineer.”

    Helped them realize that “it is amazing what you can learn from some of the people you work with.”

    “[Gave them] a real sense of the global nature of [LinkedIn’s] professional community.”

    Prachi Gupta, is a Hackday master at LinkedIn and decided to share her passion for engineering to generate interest in the event: “Throughout my student life and career as an engineer, I’ve loved participating in programming contests. There’s nothing like the rush of cracking a difficult problem, but over time programming contests started feeling rigid and I realized I was more interested in producing creative solutions to meaningful problems and not just code.This is when I discovered hackdays and fell head over heels for them.”

    Gupta says she loves Hackdays because they give her the opportunity to create strong personal bonds, test her physical and mental limits, and work closely with teammates. She portrays LinkedIn as a company that encourages creativity and innovation: “All employees are free to work on any idea they are passionate about.”

    She also relishes the chance to compete: “Everyone gets together to demo their hacks in front of the entire company and senior tech leaders vote on the ideas and pick winners.”

    Some of the products on LinkedIn and LinkedIn Labs started out as hacks.

  • LinkedIn: Great Recession Industry Trends

    LinkedIn: Great Recession Industry Trends

    LinkedIn, with assistance from the Council Of Economic Advisors, recently took a look at the “data exhaust” of its over 150 million members, to get a better understanding of certain industry trends during and after the recent economic recession. With data gleaned from the partnership, LinkedIn was able to calculate the growth rates of certain industries occurring between 2007 and 2011. Here is a chart on some of what was found:

    linked chart

    Some of the industries that saw growth were renewables (+49.2%), internet (+24.6%), online publishing (+24.3%) and e-learning (+15.9%). Some of the industries that shrunk were newspapers (-28.4%), retail (-15.5%), building materials (-14.2%) and automotive (-12.8%). As for job gains and losses per sector, employment growth was seen in the internet, hospitals and healthcare, health, wellness and fitness, oil and energy, IT and renewables industries. Job decline was experienced by the retail, construction, telecommunications, banking and automotive industries between 2007 and 2011.

    Another chart describes the fluctuating sizes of different industries, correlating with the timeline of the recession:

    linkedin chart 2

    The companies that posted the best post-recession recovery are in IT, marketing & advertising, computer software and insurance. Financial services is beginning to recover, and real estate seems to be secure in its trench. Industries like newspapers, supermarkets and telecom have continued to shrink throughout the entire recessionary timespan.

    LinkedIn states-

    These are fascinating and important data points that allow us to better understand the economic world, and it’s just a hint of what we can see by scouring the “data exhaust” of 150+ million LinkedIn members who share information and insights with each other. It was exciting to be able to work with the CEA on this project, and expect to see more of this from us in the future. Helping people better understand how their skills fit into the broader economic context is something that we are well-suited to do and we would like to provide more of to our members.

    Obviously, LinkedIn has a unique set of data to comb through regarding employment trends. It is no wonder the CEA wanted to forge a partnership.

  • LinkedIn Barely Profitable

    LinkedIn, the social network for business professionals, doubled its revenue in 2011 with $522 million, though likewise became less profitable, according to Business Insider. This is due to the company nearly tripling its costs in regards to sales and marketing.

    Below is a chart form LinkedIn’s annual report:

    linkedin

    LinkedIn’s net income last year was $26 million. This number would’ve been far higher if it hadn’t hired 531 sales and marketing people in 2011, a roughly 270% increase. Likewise, the sales and marketing budget rose to $165 million in 2011, up from $59 million in 2010. Though, this was all part of a plan, as LinkedIn has stated that it was more focused on brand awareness and upping its user base than profitability.

    LinkedIn’s comment on the matter – “We plan to continue to invest heavily in sales and marketing to expand our global footprint, grow our current customer accounts and continue building brand awareness. In the near term and consistent with our investment philosophy for 2011, we expect sales and marketing expenses to increase on an absolute basis and as a percentage of revenue and to be our largest expense on an absolute basis and as a percentage of revenue.”

    LinkedIn presently has 150 million users, from over 200 hundred countries. Sixty percent of its user base is located outside the U.S., and as of Dec. 31st, 2011, the company had 2,116 full-time employees.

  • Amazon to Create Original Series?

    Amazon to Create Original Series?

    New Amazon VP’s LinkedIn profile changed from VP of original series at Amazon to VP of Production leading reporters to believe that Amazon will be joining Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube in creating original shows. Lewis is a new executive to the company and he changed his working title as soon as Fortune Magazine began requesting comments about plans to generate original content. His public LinkedIn profile highlights many accomplishments that qualify him to bring Amazon to the forefront.

    This oops is not the first sign that Amazon wants to gain exposure in new frontiers, “in the past, Amazon has dabbled in feature films as well, though it approaches them in an unconventional model based on crowd-sourcing ideas. But the hiring of Lewis this month as well as two job listings last month calling for creative executives to helm comedy and kids series, indicates Amazon wants to try its hand at TV, too.”

    Gartner Analyst, Ray Valdes finds the move to create original series a logical step and points out that the majority of capital to support the creation of such content will come from investors. Other networks have been making the following shows available to viewers: political comedy Battlefield (Hulu), Lilyhammer, a show starring Sopranos actor Steven van Zandt, the Kevin Spacey series House of Cards is due out later this year, and the the cult favorite Arrested Development is slated to be resuscitated on the streaming service early next year (Netflix).

  • LinkedIn Follow Company Button For Sites Launched

    LinkedIn announced the launch of a “Follow Company” button that companies can use on their sites. It’s basically like those you see from other social networks, and frankly, it’s a little surprising this didn’t already exist, but it’s here now.

    A LinkedIn spokesperson tells WebProNews in an email:

    LinkedIn – the world’s largest professional network with more than 150 million members worldwide – has just launched the Follow Company Button, which allows any business with a LinkedIn Company Page to easily install a button directly onto their webpages and other online marketing materials, to facilitate follower engagement. Brands’ updates will immediately be fed into the status updates of LinkedIn members’ personal homepages.

    The Follow Company Button makes it easier for marketers to directly reach their target audience of professionals, amplify their messages as community members spread them to others, and for brands to expand the number of professionals from their target audiences within their follower ecosystems. The button:

    • Allows LinkedIn’s professional user base to directly connect with and follow these brands straight from the brands’ webpages or other online marketing materials.
    • Adds LinkedIn members who click on the button to connect with the businesses’ existing LinkedIn community.

    The launch of the Follow Company Button is part of LinkedIn’s continuing effort to evolve brands’ social communications and create a rich and engaging environment on the platform where companies can easily find and identify the most appropriate and sizeable audiences in a professional context, delivering on the needs of what LinkedIn members want most. It also marks the first phase of LinkedIn’s follower ecosystem strategy that will unfold over the coming weeks

    “Click on the Follow Company button and, as long as you are logged onto LinkedIn, you will automatically ‘follow’ the company,” says LinkedIn’s Mike Grishaver on the LinkedIn blog. “If you are not logged on, a box will appear asking for your LinkedIn credentials. Just type those in and you will automatically begin to follow the company. Companies will engage with you from their Company Page on LinkedIn and through status updates. Status updates will appear on your LinkedIn homepage – so check back frequently to see what’s going on.”

    “Whether you are looking to stay up-to-date on company news, career opportunities or industry trends, following companies on LinkedIn is a great and easy way to gain insights and stay connected,” says Grishaver.

    A recent report found that LinkedIn basically blows all other social networks out of the water for recruiting.

    LinkedIn says its member research shows that: “members are more strategic in their decisions to follow companies on LinkedIn as opposed to other networks and plan to follow more in the future.”

    “For example, 70% of LinkedIn’s members follow or would follow a company on LinkedIn with 67% believing LinkedIn is a more appropriate social environment for business-to-business company interactions and 60% expect industry insights as well as news from the companies that they follow,” the spokesperson tells us.

    You can get the button here.

  • Social Media Is Proving To Be An Effective Job Performance Predictor

    Social media is continuing to prove to be a useful hiring tool and a two-way street for both employees and employers. Hopeful job applicants continue to use the internet to search and apply for employment and 91% of employers are now using social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to screen applicants for jobs. The good news from a recent Wall Street Journal article supports that Facebook profiles could be a great predictor of job performance.

    In a new study from Northern Illinois University, the University of Evansville and Auburn University researchers had a team rate and review Facebook profiles of recently employed college students. The raters were given about ten minutes to review photos, posts, comments and interests on each profile and were then asked to answer a series of questions relating to personality. After six months, the ratings from the Facebook scores were compared to the graduates’ employee evaluations and a strong correlation was found between their scores and their actual job performance.

    Desirable traits for employers such as conscientiousness, agreeability and intellectual curiosity were consistent with higher ratings and positives were also given to graduates with more friends, a wide range of hobbies, interests and that traveled. Surprisingly, party shots didn’t really hurt candidates showing they were friendly and outgoing instead. Don Kluemper, a professor of management at Northern Illinois University and the lead researcher says that since candidates have a hard time “faking” their personalities in front of their friends, Facebook could continue to be used as a reliable job screening tool and performance predictor.

    Some other interesting information according to All Twitter is that 47% of employers check social networking sites to screen prospective employees after receiving their application. Facebook is checked by 76% of employers, Twitter by 53% and LinkedIn by 48%. The good news is that 68% of employers have hired an employee because of something they saw about the candidate on a social networking site.

  • LinkedIn Blows Other Social Networks Out Of The Water For Recruiting [Report]

    Bullhorn Reach released a new “Social Recruiting Activity Report,” finding that LinkedIn rules the roost in terms of social networks most used by employers for recruiting purposes. Not a huge surprise, given the nature of LinkedIn.

    The firm measured LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter’s frequency of usage by recruiters and their effectiveness for sourcing candidates and found that “LinkedIn is blowing away the competition in terms of job views and applications.”

    “Even Twitter (Twitter!) is ahead of Facebook in these metrics,” a spokesperson for the firm tells WebProNews. “For job applications, LinkedIn is driving almost nine times more applications than Facebook and three times more than Twitter.”

    Here are a few more specifics from the report:

    • LinkedIn adoption growing the fastest. Despite earlier adoption among recruiters, LinkedIn continues to grow at the fastest pace. The average recruiter adds 18.5 LinkedIn connections each week, compared to 3.3 Twitter followers, 1.4 Facebook friends.
    • LinkedIn leads job views. LinkedIn drives more views per job than Twitter and Facebook, generating three times the amount of views of Twitter and six times the amount of Facebook.
    • For job applications – LinkedIn gets it done. Recruiters who post jobs on social networks are likely to receive more applications from LinkedIn, with the social network driving almost nine times more applications than Facebook and three times more than Twitter.
    • Twitterers are more likely to apply, though. Looking at the relative number of applications per contact, a Twitter follower is almost three times more likely to apply for a job than a LinkedIn connection.

    Bullhorn also put together the following infographic based on its findings:

    Social Recruiting

  • Online Advertising is More Than Just Clicks!

    Online Advertising is More Than Just Clicks!

    I noticed a VentureBeat article that makes me shake my head in amazement at the apparent lack of understanding of online advertising. The sensationalistic headline, “Yelp advertising is a rip-off for small advertisers” reveals a simplistic viewpoint on the value of targeted online advertising. Yelp is not ripping off small business advertisers, but in fact is providing a platform that business are benefiting from whether they are paying Yelp for prominent placement or not.

    However, my article is not really as much about Yelp as it is about defending online advertising, which the article in question attacks with a vengeance. In essence, the article paints a picture of online advertising where all ads should be sold for 60 cent CPMs regardless of whether they are geo and industry targeted or provide branding with prominent placement. Don’t charge too much or you might be accused of being a “rip off”!

    Additionally, the article attacks the very core of online advertising by stating, “”For online advertising, I strongly recommend against commitments and impression-based advertising.” In short, the article advocates that all advertising be priced like Google Adwords and Facebook ads or similar. As marketers know, online advertising is more than just clicks. It’s about reaching your potential customers and pay per click (PPC) advertising isn’t the only way to go about that.

    >>> Do you feel that Yelp is a rip off? Do you believe that all online advertising should be cost per click (CPC)? What is your experience with online advertising, good or bad? Comment Here…

    Let’s give this article a proper dissection:

    1. The article states, “At a time when much online advertising is being sold for 60 cents per thousand impressions (CPMs), Yelp is charging some local advertisers $600 per 1,000 impressions. That’s not a typo. Yelp is charging small businesses 1,000-times the standard online CPM rates for local ads that appear on Yelp.”.

    This simply doesn’t make sense to anyone who has experience in online advertising. Sixty cent CPM’s are NOT the standard online rates for local ads. That is a rock bottom rate that large ad sellers charge for non-targeted inventory. To get placement on a premium site that is geo targeted with a very specific industry niche, advertisers will pay substantially more, even a $600 CPM. Sometimes much less, but certainly not a measly 60 cents!

    2. The article states, “Now consider the types of local Yelp ads that small businesses buy: In this scenario, the ad goes to the advertiser’s Yelp review page. That’s a page where users are free to leave any kind of review for the business, including ones that trash it. That ad runs about a $600 CPM.”

    What about TripAdvisor or Urbanspoon? The concept of reviewing restaurants or other businesses does not make paying for a premium placement a bad decision. Obviously, a business should make sure they are providing a great service and excellent product before advertising. However, it is pretty naive to believe that it’s somehow stupid to pay top dollar for a highly targeted ad spot on Yelp simply out of fear that someone could “trash” your business. As businesses in the service industry know, review sites and apps like Yelp can drive significant new business for free and it seems to me that paying for that top placement might even drive more business.

    3. The article states, “It’s common for more targeted inventory, such as the type that Yelp provides, to command higher CPMs. But triple-digit CPMs are extremely unusual.”

    At least the article finally acknowledges that targeted ads are worth more than untargeted ads. However, the assumption that it is “extremely unusual” to charge over $100 CPM’s and therefore makes Yelp a rip off is inaccurate. Ad spots are priced based on demand for those spots by advertisers and obviously Yelp has more demand than they can deliver for many of those top spots on review pages. There is good reason for this – businesses want to be the dominant brand in their service category in their locality. To many businesses, that is worth paying a premium and they don’t consider themselves “ripped off”. If you own Rory Lake’s Karaoke Dreams in Chicago, you want to be the featured listing for “Nightlife in Chicago”. Rory is not making that decision because of a high or low CPM, he is spending cash with Yelp because he wants to be the dominant brand in the nightlife category. He wants everybody that uses Yelp to at least consider stopping by Rory Lake’s Karaoke Dreams. All advertising isn’t about the cost, sometimes it’s simply about the exposure, despite the price.

    Rory Lake's Karaoke Dreams in Chicago on Yelp

    4. The article states, “At the high end, it’s a $600 CPM. At the low end, that’s a still eye-popping $367 CPM — more than 10-times the rate of a Super Bowl ad.”

    Is the writer suggesting that no ad should cost more on a CPM basis than Super Bowl ads? Super Bowl ads are by their very nature only loosely targeted, skewing somewhat more male and youthful, but not much more targeted than that. After all, Super Bowl 2012 set a record as the most-watched television show in U.S. history because almost everybody from young kids to Grandma watched it. Again, targeting increases the value for advertisers and thus increases the cost. Yelp is not only targeting by business type, it is also targeting by geo location. This adds significant value over a Super Bowl ad on a CPM basis. Not to mention that with a Super Bowl ad, a business that spends $3.5 million for a 30 second spot deserves a little CPM discount.

    5. The article states, “To make matters worse, Yelp requires a 12-month commitment for these rates. Even if Yelp doesn’t deliver your business a single customer, you’re on the hook for $3,600.”

    Paying $3,600 to be the top position on a popular site and app like Yelp for your business category and in your locality is a deal if your business needs branding. It’s about being in the right spot at the right time in order to attract customers. As with all advertising, the hope is for all new customers to become regular customers, thus paying for the cost of your Yelp ad. If you’re a donut shop, would you want your competitor’s shop to be at the top of Yelp or would you consider paying to make sure you are? Additionally, advertisers on Yelp are reaching potential customers that have only one reason to use yelp; to purchase a product from them or their competitor. With that in mind, a $3,600 fee to reach real potential customers rather than just Facebook clickers can be a great deal.

    6. The article states, “For comparison, Facebook only requires that you set your budget to $1 a day and does not have a commitment. A business could try it for a week, see if it performs and then decide.”

    It is very misleading to say Facebook only requires $1 a day, since if that’s your budget you will not even get one single impression of your ad run on Facebook. To be fair, Facebook is a cheaper alternative for advertisers. However, to be fair to Yelp, it is not even remotely comparative. Facebook clicks range from around 50 cents to $3, but the targeting and volume of clicks would not match Yelp’s in my experience. Facebook allows targeting by location and interest. However, the interest is based on people’s selection in their profile or what they have “liked.” It’s not all that scientific because if I “liked” a restaurant on Facebook, it does not mean I would click a different restaurant’s ad in the future. That’s why Facebook ads are not great for micro targeting and Yelp ads most certainly are!

    7. The article states, “I cannot think of any scenarios where I would advise businesses to advertise on Yelp at these rates.”

    I can think of a very good reason … branding. As a business owner I want my business to be the most noticed in my category and location. I don’t want my competitors to be. I understand as a business owner that many businesses also want to be at the top of Yelp categories, so I am willing to pay a premium for my business to be there instead of theirs.

    8. The article states, “For online advertising, I strongly recommend against commitments and impression-based advertising.”

    Actually, many businesses desire to effectively reach their targeted potential customers and that Facebook and Google are not always the best way to do this. Really, should all online advertising be cost per click? Advertisers, such as WebProNews or Yelp value their audiences and have limited space in which to allow businesses to also reach their valued audiences. Those targeted audiences are worth way more than 60 cents per thousand impressions or a few cents a click. For a sponsor to lock up ad space for them to reach their potential customers and potentially keep their competitors out of that space requires a “commitment” with the publisher and is worth paying a premium CPM. Just ask the advertisers on Yelp, WebProNews or even VentureBeat.

    The article mentioned Super Bowl advertising earlier… exactly how many people clicked those CPM ads?

    >> Discuss the article with Rich Ord and other commentors in the comments section….

  • LinkedIn Mobile Ads On The Way

    Facebook isn’t the only social network looking to better monetize its mobile users. LinkedIn said in its earnings call on Thursday, it will be launching ads in its mobile apps in the future, though it’s not clear just how near a future that will be.

    Anthony Ha quotes CEO Jeff Weiner as saying the company is ready to “start to introduce advertising in our mobile solutions”.

    “Ready,” to me, indicates sooner rather than later, but we’ll see.

    LinkedIn has already seen impressive revenue growth, and mobile ads would add another healthy layer, no doubt. At $167.7 million, the company saw a 105% increase in revenue for the fourth quarter compared to 2010. For the entire year 2011, revenue increased 115% to $522.2 million (from $243.1 million). LinkedIn hasn’t even been public for a year yet.

    LinkedIn became much more usable on mobile devices last year, when the company launched a major update to its apps:

    Even by the time that was released, the company claimed it had already seen a 400% year-over-year increase in mobile pageviews.

    It’s probably about time LinkedIn started making more money from the mobile experience.

  • LinkedIn Earnings Solid, Q4 Revenue Up 105%

    LinkedIn just announced its fourth quarter and 2011 Fiscal Year financial results, and they are solid.

    The company saw a 105% increase in revenue for the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year. Q4 revenue was $167.7 million, up from last year’s $81.7 million.

    For the entire year 2011, revenue increased 115% to $522.2 million (from $243.1 million).

    “Q4 once again exceeded our expectations for member engagement and business growth. It was a fitting end to a memorable year in which we reinforced our position as the pre-eminent professional network on the web,” said CEO Jeff Weiner. “We believe continued focus on our members and technology infrastructure positions us well for accelerated product innovation in 2012.”

    The company went public last year.

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    Mountain View, Calif. — February 9, 2012 — LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD), the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members, today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2011:

    • Revenue for the fourth quarter was $167.7 million, an increase of 105% compared to $81.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2010
    • Net income for the fourth quarter was $6.9 million, compared to net income of $5.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010; Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $13.3 million, compared to $5.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP measures exclude tax-affected stock-based compensation expense and tax-affected amortization of acquired intangible assets
    • Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $34.4 million, or 21% of revenue, compared to $16.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, or 20% of revenue
    • GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.06; Non-GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.12
    • For the full year 2011, revenue increased 115% to $522.2 million from $243.1 million.  GAAP EPS increased to $0.11 from $0.07 and Non-GAAP EPS increased to $0.35 from $0.24.  Adjusted EBITDA increased to $98.7 million from $48.0 million

    “Q4 once again exceeded our expectations for member engagement and business growth.  It was a fitting end to a memorable year in which we reinforced our position as the pre-eminent professional network on the web,” said Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn. “We believe continued focus on our members and technology infrastructure positions us well for accelerated product innovation in 2012.”

    Fourth Quarter Financial Details and Operating Summary
    LinkedIn reported revenue of $167.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, an increase of 105% compared to the fourth quarter of 2010, and the 6th straight quarter of greater than 100% year-over-year growth.

    • Hiring Solutions: Revenue from Hiring Solutions products totaled $84.9 million, an increase of 136% compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. Hiring Solutions revenue represented 50% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 44% in the fourth quarter of 2010.
    • Marketing Solutions: Revenue from Marketing Solutions products totaled $49.5 million, an increase of 77% compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. Marketing Solutions revenue represented 30% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 34% in the fourth quarter of 2010.
    • Premium Subscriptions: Revenue from Premium Subscriptions products totaled $33.3 million, an increase of 87% compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. Premium Subscriptions represented 20% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 22% in the fourth quarter of 2010.

    Revenue from the U.S. totaled $112.0 million, and represented 67% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011. Revenue from international markets totaled $55.8 million, and represented 33% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011.

    Revenue from the field sales channel totaled $95.8 million, and represented 57% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011. Revenue from the online, direct sales channel totaled $71.9 million, and represented 43% of total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011.

    GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $6.9 million, compared to net income of $5.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $13.3 million, compared to $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2010.

    Adjusted EBITDA was $34.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, or 21% of revenue, compared to $16.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2010, or 20% of revenue.

    GAAP EPS was $0.06 based on 108.6 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding compared to $0.03 for the fourth quarter of 2010 based on 49.4 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding; Non-GAAP EPS was $0.12 based on 108.6 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding compared to $0.05 for the fourth quarter of 2010 based on 95.0 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding.

    “LinkedIn grew over 100% for the sixth consecutive quarter and posted all-time high adjusted EBITDA,” said Steve Sordello, CFO of LinkedIn.  “Our fourth quarter results underscore the company’s success in 2011, which saw revenue and adjusted EBITDA more than double.  In 2012, we will continue to invest in our product, engineering, and sales infrastructure to capitalize on our long-term opportunity.”

    For additional information, please see the “Selected Company Metrics and Financials” page, updated through the end of the fourth quarter of 2011, on LinkedIn’s Investor Relations site.

    Fourth Quarter Highlights and Strategic Announcements

    • LinkedIn completed the latest phase of the re-architecture of its software development and deployment process, known internally as InVersion, which is the foundation for accelerated product innovation in 2012.
    • LinkedIn continued its international expansion and localization with the addition of three new offices (Tokyo, Japan; Bangalore, India; and Sao Paulo, Brazil), and five new languages (Japanese, Swedish, Indonesian, Malay, and Korean.) 
    • At its Talent Connect conference in October, LinkedIn announced Talent Pipeline, a new solution that allows recruiters and hiring managers to manage, track, and stay in touch with active and passive candidates, regardless of source. Talent Pipeline is currently in pilot testing phase with select Hiring Solutions customers.
    • LinkedIn unveiled two new offerings for Marketing Solutions customers at Connect:11 in October. Company Status Updates and the Certified Developer Program give brands more powerful ways to connect and engage with LinkedIn members. 

    Business Outlook
    As of today, LinkedIn is providing guidance for the first quarter of 2012 and for the full year 2012 on revenue, adjusted EBITDA, depreciation and amortization, and stock-based compensation. 

    • Q1 FY12 Guidance: Revenue for the first quarter of 2012 is projected to be in the range of $170 million to $175 million. For the first quarter of 2012, the company expects to report adjusted EBITDA of $25 million to $27 million. The company expects depreciation and amortization in the range of $15 million to $17 million, and stock-based compensation in the range of $13 million to $14 million.
    • Full Year FY12 Guidance: Revenue for the full year of 2012 is projected to be in the range of $840 million to $860 million. For the full year of 2012, the company expects to report adjusted EBITDA of $155 million to $165 million. The company expects depreciation and amortization in the range of $70 million to $80 million, and stock-based compensation in the range of $65 million to $75 million.

    Quarterly Conference Call
    LinkedIn plans to host a webcast/conference call to discuss its fourth quarter 2011 financial results and business outlook today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Jeff Weiner and Steve Sordello will host the webcast, which can be viewed on the investor relations section of the LinkedIn website at http://investors.linkedin.com/. This call will contain forward-looking statements and other material information regarding the company’s financial and operating results. Following completion of the call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available on the website. For those without access to the Internet, a replay of the call will be available beginning at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on February 9, 2012 through February 16, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time. To listen to the telephone replay, call (855) 859-2056, access code 45016554.

    Upcoming Events
    Management will participate in upcoming financial Q&A discussions at investment industry events on February 14th, February 27th, and March 13th.  LinkedIn will furnish a link to these events on its investor relations website, http://investors.linkedin.com/for both the live and archived webcasts.

    About LinkedIn 
    Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. With more than 150 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet. The company has a diversified business model with revenue coming from member subscriptions, marketing solutions and hiring solutions. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, LinkedIn has offices across the globe.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, the company uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income, and non-GAAP EPS (collectively the “non-GAAP financial measures”). The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. The company uses these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. The company believes that they provide useful information about operating results, enhance the overall understanding of past financial performance and future prospects, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making. 

    The company excludes the following items from one or more of its non-GAAP measures:

    Stock-based compensation. The company excludes stock-based compensation because it is non-cash in nature and because the company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding operational performance and liquidity. The company further believes this measure is useful to investors in that it allows for greater transparency to certain line items in its financial statements and facilitates comparisons to competitors’ operating results.

    Amortization of acquired intangible assets. The company excludes amortization of acquired intangible assets because it is non-cash in nature and because the company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding operational performance and liquidity. In addition, excluding this item from various non-GAAP measures facilitates internal comparisons to historical operating results and comparisons to competitors’ operating results. 

    Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments. Excluding the income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments from the provision for income taxes assists investors in understanding the tax provision related to those adjustments and the effective tax rate related to ongoing operations.

    Assumed preferred stock conversion. As a result of the company’s initial public offering, all outstanding shares of preferred stock were automatically converted into shares of Class B common stock. Consequently, non-GAAP diluted net income per share has been calculated assuming the conversion of all outstanding shares of preferred stock into shares of Class B common stock. 

    For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the “Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP Financial Measures” table in this press release.  This accompanying table has more details on the GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures and the related reconciliations between these financial measures. Additionally, the company has not reconciled adjusted EBITDA guidance to net income guidance because it does not provide guidance for other income (expense) and provision for income taxes, which are reconciling items between net income (loss) and adjusted EBITDA. As items that impact net income (loss) are out of the company’s control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted, the company is unable to provide such guidance. Accordingly, a reconciliation to net income (loss) is not available without unreasonable effort.

    Safe Harbor Statement 
    “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward-looking statements about our products, including plans for 2012 and our Talent Pipeline product, our planned investments in key strategic areas, and our expected financial metrics such as revenue, adjusted EBITDA, depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation for the first quarter of 2012 and the full fiscal year 2012. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions.  If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the company’s results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements the company makes.

    The risks and uncertainties referred to above include – but are not limited to – risks associated with: the company’s short operating history in a new and unproven market; engagement of its members; the price volatility of our Class A common stock, including in connection with the release of any restrictions on trading in the company’s stock; general economic conditions; expectations regarding the return on our strategic investments; execution of our plans and strategies; expectations regarding the company’s ability to timely and effectively scale and adapt existing technology and network infrastructure to ensure that its website is accessible at all times with short or no perceptible load times; security measures and the risk that the company’s website may be subject to attacks that degrade or deny the ability of members to access the company’s solutions; members and customers curtailing or ceasing to use the company’s solutions; the company’s core value of putting members first, which may conflict with the short-term interests of the business; privacy issues; increasing competition in the market for online professional networks; and the dual class structure of the company’s common stock.

    Further information on these and other factors that could affect the company’s financial results is included in filings it makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the company’s Form 10-Q that was filed for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, and additional information will also be set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.  These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Information section of the company’s website at http://investors.linkedin.com/. All information provided in this release and in the attachments is as of February 9, 2012, and LinkedIn undertakes no duty to update this information.

  • What’s The Climate Like For Social Network Users?

    Pew Internet Research has released the results of study which reveals the attitudes and inclinations of social networkers and how they feel about the environment on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. The authors of the study use the term climate as a synonym for environment and hope to discover the emotional tone the majority encounter while using social networking sites.

    The results are based on responses from adults (18 and over) and the sample includes responses from 2,260 adults via telephone interviews conducted in Spanish and English between july 25th and August 26th of 2011. The survey will also serve as a basis for comparing adults perceptions to teenage perceptions (another study Pew carried out).

    Surprisingly, most users report that their experiences are overwhelmingly positive (85%) and only a small percentage (5%) said that they witnessed mostly unkind behavior. Almost 70 % said that their social networking experiences made them feel good about themselves. Doesn’t sound too bad so far.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum, almost 50% agreed that they had witnessed cruel or outright mean behavior while using sites. In fact, 5% said that they never encountered generous behavior or comments while using sites. 18% report they only see helpful behavior once in a while.

    Also of interest, is that almost three fourths of those sampled claim that they encountered offense content only once in a while or never while on social networking sites. When witnessing social attacks on sites, 26% of women will tell the attacker to stop, while only 19% of men will do the same. Interesting! Almost the same percentages report that they actually defend the attacked party.

    Well there you have it, most adults are having positive experiences while networking on social sites. I am curious to see the comparisons once Pew releases the teenage versus adult study.

  • B2B Marketing: Facebook vs. LinkedIn

    B2B Marketing: Facebook vs. LinkedIn

    You would think that businesses would use LinkedIn more than any other social media site because it is built for them. Facebook is the everyman social networking site.

    This infographic finds that LinkedIn may not be all that it’s cut out to be. Sure, it’s great for business, but people only use it for that – business.

    They found that people of the business mindset are still in that mindset even when on Facebook. Using it effectively could tremendously help your business. We’ll let the infographic give you the rest of the details:

    bopdesign

  • LinkedIn Better Than Facebook or Twitter!

    Want to generate a lot of leads for your business and not spend a lot of money? In a survey-based study by HubSpot, business’s who used LinkedIn to showcase their services generated 3 times as many leads as when they used Facebook or Twitter.

    This should come as no surprise to those who are business minded. Linkedin is more of a no non-sense social networking site. “I don’t wanna see pictures of your gandchild, I wanna know what your company can do for me”. This mentality rules out Facebook and Twitter seems less than organized for targeted searches of a professional nature.

    Business minded people are drawn to Linkedin and the numbers don’t lie. Check out this bar graph assembled by HubSpot:

    Some tricks to using LinkedIn for growing your business include paying attention to what’s already working for you on the site. Look at what draws customers in and do more of that. It just makes sense. Why do you think big company’s always ask, “How did you hear about us?”.

    Also, stay vigilant. Just because blogs about your industry are mentioning you and bringing in leads doesn’t mean that is the only vehicle you should rely on. Keep expanding your horizons and testing the waters. Exposure in different circles can be crucial to expanding your base of customers.

    Word of mouth is still the best way to gain fame in any arena. People love to reccommend services. It makes them feel connected. If someone has an overwhelmingly positive experience or unique story about your services, attempt to capture that feedback and get it visible to other potential clients.

    Not that Facebook isn’t a good place to advertise, but to me, it seems like more of a ‘family and friends’ network. Concentrate on something designed for strict business and marketing connections.

  • DMARC: Major Web Players Join Forces On Antiphishing Standards

    Fifteen major companies have joined forces on a “technical working group” called DMARC to develop new standards to help reduce the threat of spam and phishing emails.

    DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance.

    The companies involved include: Google, Facebook, LinkedIn AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, PayPal (eBay), Bank of America, Fidelity Investments, American Greetings, Agari, Cloudmark, eCert, Return Path and Trusted Domain Project.

    In a post on Google’s Online Security Blog, product manager Adam Dawes writes:

    Industry groups come and go, and it’s not always easy to tell at the beginning which ones are actually going to generate good solutions. When the right contributors come together to solve real problems, though, real things happen. That’s why we’re particularly optimistic abouttoday’s announcement of DMARC.org, a passionate collection of companies focused on significantly cutting down on email phishing and other malicious mail.

    Building upon the work of previous mail authentication standards like SPF and DKIM, DMARC is responding to domain spoofing and other phishing methods by creating a standard protocol by which we’ll be able to measure and enforce the authenticity of emails. With DMARC, large email senders can ensure that the email they send is being recognized by mail providers like Gmail as legitimate, as well as set policies so that mail providers can reject messages that try to spoof the senders’ addresses.

    We’ve been active in the leadership of the DMARC group for almost two years, and now that Gmail and several other large mail senders and providers — namely Facebook, LinkedIn, and PayPal — are actively using the DMARC specification, the road is paved for more members of the email ecosystem to start getting a handle on phishing. Our recent data indicates that roughly 15% of non-spam messages in Gmail are already coming from domains protected by DMARC, which means Gmail users like you don’t need to worry about spoofed messages from these senders. The phishing potential plummets when the system just works, and that’s what DMARC provides.

    “Email phishing defrauds millions of people and companies every year, resulting in a loss of consumer confidence in email and the Internet as a whole,” said Brett McDowell, Chair of DMARC.org and Senior Manager of Customer Security Initiatives at PayPal. “Industry cooperation – combined with technology and consumer education – is crucial to fight phishing.”

    “BITS has been committed to defining and improving email authentication standards and practices to meet the financial services industry’s needs. DMARC’s evolutionary approach is critical in assuring these needs are met for years to come,” said Paul Smocer, President of BITS, the technology policy division of The Financial Services Roundtable.

    DMARC is encouraging interested organizations to read the specification, join their mailing list and start testing and deploying standards, by learning the details at DMARC.org.