Ads for a gun course (plus free gun!) are turned down by Facebook as a violation of its guidelines.

With the shootings at Virginia Tech and so many high schools still echoing around the country, it’s perhaps not too surprising that the social networking site Facebook has turned down ads from the Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, which is owned by millionaire Dr. Ignatius Piazza.

Vnunet reports that the site refused to host pay-per-click ads from the Institute that offered a four-day course in handgun training, as well as a one-day concealed weapons permit. To top all that, they also offered the first 5,000 respondents a free handgun.

Facebook rejected the ad – perhaps somewhat contentiously - under Point 6 of its guidelines, which state:

"Provocative images will not be accepted. Ads may not contain, facilitate or promote adult content, including nudity, sexual terms and/or images of people in positions or activities that are excessively suggestive or sexual. Ads may not contain, facilitate or promote offensive, profane, vulgar, obscene, or inappropriate language. Ads may not contain, facilitate or promote defamatory, libellous, slanderous and/or unlawful content."

To be fair, the ads don’t seem to hit any of those criteria, and Piazza said,

"Facebook administrators must find the idea of Front Sight positively changing the image of gun ownership through training law-abiding citizens in the safe and responsible use of handguns to be offensive, profane, vulgar and obscene. It appears to me that Facebook is discriminating against gun owners and placing gun ownership in the same category as pornography."

But that is another debate altogether. Facebook has offered no comment on the decision.

A Step Towards Solving PPC Click Fraud Concerns Announcing: PPC Assurance from Enquisite Search Analytics

Enquisite Search Analytics adds a fully automated PPC refund submission process to its PPC Assurance product. Online ad networks such as Google and Yahoo! use automation to present companies advertising to users around the world. Auditing these massive networks has been almost impossible, until PPC Assurance was released. Now you can automatically file claims for mistakes and errors which cost you money.

Search Analytics market leader Enquisite has added an automated refund tab to its paid-search analysis software "PPC Assurance." This one-click PPC audit and refund claim filing system is unique in the paid search marketing and click fraud analysis marketplace, and helps cement the company's position of leadership in the field of search marketing analytics.
With the addition of the automated claim filing feature, the PPC Assurance product extends search marketers campaign management capabilities to audit and verify PPC campaigns, and becomes the only fully automated paid search auditing service on the market.
Search ad-networks are willing to admit that their systems can make mistakes and will grant advertisers refunds if their errors can be properly documented and detailed. Compiling such data using pre-existing analytics applications was virtually impossible. PPC Assurance collects the data needed by the search networks to verify complaints and delivers it to them at the click of a button.
"We're pleased to offer search marketers and advertisers the opportunity to monitor their campaigns properly, and get refunds for improper ad displays where warranted," says Enquisite CEO Richard Zwicky. "The value of knowing whether or not a PPC campaign is executing properly, and being able to report on it simply and easily is invaluable."
Zwicky continues, "Combining peace of mind with the ability for advertisers to go beyond passive reporting, and actively recoup money from improper ad displays is the next step in proper campaign management practices. Using Enquisite's PPC Assurance service can save larger advertisers tens of thousands of dollars each year simply on the basis of automating the verification and audit process. The additional value proposition of eliminating charges stemming from invalid click activity drives your campaign ROI up immeasurably."
Collecting and reporting PPC (pay-per-click) campaign errors in a format which is easy for anyone to understand, and yet still meets the requirements of the major search engines is part of what sets PPC Assurance apart. These campaign errors can occur for any number of reasons, some of which can slip past the ad-networks as they are difficult to detect. PPC Assurance employs a wide array of algorithmic and heuristic tests to gauge the validity of each click recorded against your account.
Keeping your PPC campaign in order can save your business a good deal of money, both in management costs, and in recovering misspent money.
Google, Yahoo, and other ad networks use automation to ensure your advertising displays to potential customers. Verifying that ads were displayed correctly however was a largely manual audit process. PPC Assurance uses sophisticated algorithms to verify in real-time the ad networks' systems, monitor PPC campaign activity that falls outside your paid search campaign parameters, and documents and presents irrefutable information on campaign violations to the ad networks to support customer's refund claim requests.
PPC Assurance employs a wide array of algorithmic and heuristic tests to gauge the validity of each click recorded against PPC accounts flagging indicators such as:- improper geo-targeting (customers in towns or countries which are not proper)- improper nation or metro region matching- specific improper patterns of click traffic- Improper ad displays- Displays of ads on improper networks / sites- "missing" clicks billed by the ad-network but not visiting your site - improper language settings of site visitor- And several other characteristics of invalid click activity ...
Keeping their PPC campaign in order can save business a good deal of money, both in management costs, and in recovering misspent ad-spend. See how PPC Assurance can detect, document and report invalid click activity and delete invalid click charges from PPC accounts.
The Refund Tab in PPC Assurance is the newest feature to be built into the Enquisite search analytics suite of reports.

Europe Queries Google On Privacy Issues

Brussels - The fight between advocates of personal privacy and the Internet giant, Google continued Monday.

European privacy advocates and government officials are asking competitors of Google to consider issues personal information handling of Google’s takeover of DoubleClick.

Google on Monday strenuously attacked this effort in their takeover attempt of their rival.The argument taking place between European parliamentarians, Google, and advocates of personal freedom on the Internet was the centerpiece of a Parliament hearing to consider these issues.

The European Parliament is choosing whether to consider the role of privacy on the Internet and the rights of individual citizens for privacy.In the United States the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has already approved the takeover of DoubleClick by Google. This takeover is important because it combines the pay per click Internet dominance of Google with the market leading display position of DoubleClick.
“Some people are using this to make a case of privacy and turn it into a law review competition,” said Google Counsel Peter Fleischer. “The reason to desire this data is for the advantage competitively, it is business,” said Fleischer. “It is not possible to be disconnected completely,” continued Fleischer. Google takes the position that they require the IP address of users in order to be able to serve their customers. They maintain to know which language, or what results to give from a query, that the IP address is a needed element to serve their customer base.

PrintFest and DMA Join Forces

January 21, 2008 -- PrintFest 2008 will be held at the Anaheim Conference Center in California, March 27th to 29th, 2008. As many of our readers will remember, the predecessor of this show was the Gutenberg Festival which was founded in 1973 and sold to GASC in 1999. Following the final year of the Gutenberg Festival in 2005, Chris Jacobson, whose father founded the Gutenberg Festival and Horsetrader Magazine, resurrected the Southern California show in 2006 as PrintFest and has gradually been rebuilding attendance and exhibitor levels.

Chris Jacobson
PrintFest 2008 is particularly interesting because Jacobson is collaborating with the Direct Marketing Association of Southern California (DMAsc) to host PrintFest and the Southern California Direct Marketing Expo under one roof, bringing print and marketing together, with an event that is targeted equally at printers, marketers, designers and other creative professionals.
“Our belief is that in a changing industry such as ours,” said Jacobson, “you cannot continue to do things the way you have always done them. Our objective at PrintFest this year is to bring customers and printers together with manufacturers and suppliers, paying special attention to the education of creatives and marketers relative to the changing world of print.”
Printers need to understand that all of this new media and alternative media is not the enemy. It is the wave of the future as the worlds of marketing and print collide, and it is part of the package that printers must bring to their customers in a consultative solution. -- Gary Mack, Primary Color
One way PrintFest is adapting to a changing environment is in the way the show is being promoted. “In the past,” says Jacobson, “we have promoted the show in the same way that most others have, with static mailers. Not so this year. We are walking the talk with a full integrated cross-media marketing campaign.”
Gary Mack of Primary Color, a pioneer in cross-media strategies, is spearheading the campaign design and execution. He says, “I was on a panel with Bob Hughes, Executive Director of DMAsc, last year at On Demand. That’s when the idea for the cross-media campaign promoting PrintFest was born and Chris was thrilled with the concept.”
Variable mailers will be sent to past PrintFest and Direct Marketing Expo attendees as well as other targeted lists beginning this month. When recipients visit their customized Web URL included on the mailer, they will be asked a series of questions. Business rules programmed into the site will determine what conference sessions are most suited for each individual attendee and present them with a proposed conference agenda, which they can modify as they like, and they will be given the opportunity to register. There will be a series of automated follow-ups by print and e-mail, depending on responses, to keep the dialog going and excitement levels high.
A cornerstone of the PrintFest conference is Thursday’s session, an in-depth case study built around the design, development, execution and results of this multichannel campaign. “We are using ourselves as the guinea pig,” explains Jacobson. “And we are going to provide all of the details, warts and all, about how this campaign was orchestrated. It will include what we did right, what we did wrong, the results we achieved and our conclusions. It will be very educational.” The case study will begin with a joint overview session and break out into marketing and print tracks for detailed discussion.
Bob Hughes and DMAsc have been PrintFest supporters since its inception. He says, “Our members are excited about this joint venue. There will be conference tracks tuned to both marketing and printer attendees, and lots of networking opportunities for both. Although we have been doing an Expo for 30 years and have had good success, like Chris, we realized that in this changing world of ours, we needed to change too. The joint PrintFest/Direct Marketing Expo event is the perfect platform for that change.” Hughes indicates that included in the marketing tracks will be hands-on learning sessions about a series of hot topics, including search engine optimization, e-mail pay-per-click, and multichannel cross-media communications. “We will be teaching them how to do it themselves,” he adds, “This is not just theory; it is solid hands-on exposure with a real-world backdrop.” Printer tracks will focus on how to use the latest cross-media techniques, including personalized Web URLs.
Jacobson indicates the show is on target to have 250 to 260 booths, with 2,500 to 3,000 total attendees between the print and marketing sides of the show. WhatTheyThink is a show sponsor and our own Dr. Joe Webb will be there to moderate a keynote panel of experts as well as a number of conference sessions on Friday, and will be offering his own somewhat contrarian opinions throughout the conference. The keynote, with the topic, “The Integration of Print with the Future of Marketing Communications,” will include Jeff Jacobson, President & CEO of Presstek; Charlie Corr, Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Mimeo, and others yet to be announced, in what should be a lively and very informative session on Friday morning.
“One thing I find interesting,” comments Jacobson, “is that at PrintFest, about 10% of attendees come for the conference and exhibition, and 90% are exhibition only. It is exactly the opposite for the Direct Marketing Expo. The majority of attendees—and there have been more than 400 in recent past Expos—come primarily for the conference, but do take time to visit the Expo.”
Hoping to boost conference attendance, the PrintFest strategy for 2008 is very focused. “In Gutenbergs gone by,” says Jacobson, “we have had over 60 classes, and there might only be three people in some of the classes. We wanted a fresh perspective, with new people coming in to speak at sessions with content we think is important for attendees. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, there are fewer, more focused conference sessions, and this will raise the overall value of the conference.” The group has also taken into account the demographics of attendees on a daily basis to further target conference content. “On Friday,” says Jacobson, “you generally see attendees from larger companies. Saturday draws the smaller printers, freelancers and people from small creative and design agencies who cannot afford to close up shop on Friday but still want to take advantage of the educational opportunity. We have designed conference sessions with their individual needs in mind.”
Jacobson points out that everything that is new at PrintFest in 2008 is being added to, and not in place of, traditional content for the printer audience. “Printers still need to be informed of the latest in both current and future technologies and systems, and how to transition profitably from today to tomorrow,” he says.
“Printers need to understand that all of this new media and alternative media is not the enemy,” concludes Mack. “It is the wave of the future as the worlds of marketing and print collide, and it is part of the package that printers must bring to their customers in a consultative solution. That is what we are spotlighting at PrintFest—focusing on the print component, but bringing it all together in a comprehensive approach. The case study of our cross-media campaign to drive conference attendance will be a terrific launching pad for the discussions that will go on over the course of the event.”

Federal Reserve Plays Russian Roulette with US$

In an age where governments of every political stripe distort data to promote their own self interests, it’s hardly surprising that they present inflation data in a manner that is best suited to their particular needs. By the same token, it’s entirely natural for official inflation data to be wildly at odds with the reality that is faced by consumers and businesses, and to be regarded with utter disbelief.
So it wasn’t shocking to hear Federal Reserve officials insist last week, that inflation in the United States is under control, before telegraphing another tidal wave of liquidity injections into the US economy in the months ahead. “Stable inflation expectations give the Fed a lot of room for maneuver. If the evidence suggests that substantial policy easing is appropriate, I don’t think we’re going to face a risk of adverse inflation consequences,” said St Louis Fed chief William Poole on Jan 9th.
In an election year for the highest office in the land, American politicians from both sides of the isle, are quick to propose all kinds of fiscal stimulus and pork barrel projects to jump start the sputtering US economy. But adding more monetary stimulus to the mix has the potential to ignite hyper-inflation in the US economy, and a speculative attack on the US dollar in the $3.2 trillion a day currency market.
“It’s difficult enough to make good policy in a complex economy and complex financial system,” said Fed chief Ben “B-52” Bernanke on January 11th. “Political considerations will play no role, and I assure you as strongly as I can, that we will be objective and analytical, and we’ll do what’s right for the economy,” he said.

It’s now becoming increasing clear, that the only prices the Fed is focusing on these days are home prices and those for toxic sub-prime mortgage debt. The Fed is pegging the federal funds rate in the direction of US home prices, mimicking the Bank of England as an asset targeter. Last week, nearby futures contracts on the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller, an index of home prices in the top-10 US cities, fell below the 206-level, or roughly 7% lower from a year ago.

Robert Shiller, a Yale University economist, and co-founder of the widely watched house-price index, predicted on Dec 31st, a possibility that the US economy would stumble into a Japanese-style recession, with house prices declining for years. “American real estate values have already lost around $1 trillion. That could easily increase threefold over the next few years. This is a much bigger issue than sub-prime. We are talking trillions of dollars’ worth of losses.”

He noted that Chicago futures markets are pricing in further declines in US home prices, with farther dated contracts on the S&P Shiller Index pointing to losses of up to 14 percent. In the third quarter of 2007, US homeowners withdrew $20 billion less in equity from their homes than in the prior quarter, and since housing prices have continued to tumble, the outlook for cash-outs has continued to dim.