theEweekly Wrap: Canadians, copycats and kids

Just say no

Google was in trouble with the law this week after it emerged that illegal products were being promoted through its AdWords PPC system. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) was investigating adverts promoting Canadian pharmacies; companies that illegally ship prescription drugs into the US. By using methods such as bidding on misspellings of popular drugs, pharmacies could circumvent Google's restrictions and make their ads appear in search results. In order to prevent a criminal prosecution, Google has paid a $500 million (£306 million) fine. This represents the revenue generated for Google by the ads, and what the pharmacies earned from selling drugs. According to the DoJ, Google was "aware as early as 2003" of Canadian pharmacies and their illegal AdWords practices, but continued providing "customer support" and advice to these advertisers until 2009. Meanwhile, Google issued a statement claiming they had banned such adverts "some time ago", while a pharmacy accreditation programme was launched at the beginning of the year.

If you can't buy 'em, copy 'em

The New York Times reported in a blog post on Wednesday that Facebook intends to introduce photo filters to its mobile application. Filters are a way of changing the appearance of a photo, usually to make it look a bit retro; the technique has been popularised recently by mobile apps including Instagram and Hipstamatic. The report cites two unnamed Facebook engineers, who say about twelve filters will be released. The mysterious insiders also claimed that Facebook recently tried to buy Instagram, but was refused. A recent leak led to speculation that Facebook would be releasing a standalone photo sharing app very similar to Instagram, but with the ability to tag friends or locations. Combining this with a creative aspect could certainly be a recipe for success, although Gizmodo.com voiced the opinion that bringing filters to the masses would "ruin it for everyone".

The junior consumer

A new study has revealed how children respond to online advertising. The research, published by Turner Media Innovations and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK, is the first of its kind and concluded that children are much more 'considered' and 'deliberate' in their online behaviour than adults. Using eye-tracking technology and focus groups, it was found that children aged between six and 12 do not want to be interrupted in their "mission for fun", and are therefore unlikely to be distracted by or spontaneously click on an advert. Furthermore, the children surveyed were able to recognise different online advertising formats. Interestingly, TV channels, shops and toy brands that the child's parents trust in the offline world were viewed as more trustworthy by the children themselves; advertising on these sites was consequently viewed as more credible. Meanwhile, according to UKOM stats the most visited site among all 6-12 year olds was Club Penguin (pictured), a Disney-owned "virtual world for kids guided by an unwavering commitment to safety and creativity". 8 per cent of all children surveyed regularly visited the site, which contains no third-party advertising.

theEweekly Wrap: links, livestreaming and lexicography

Google suggests

As well as the small matter of acquiring Motorola Mobility, Google made a few changes to its search services this week. First, there was the release of the Google Related bar. This Chrome Extension pops up at the bottom of the screen, providing the user with recommendations based on the site or page they are currently viewing. With suggestions including other sites, YouTube videos, Maps and reviews, it could bring a whole new dimension to procrastination. The bar also features a built-in +1 button to recommend any content that appears in it. However, it is currently only available to Chrome or Internet Explorer users. Google's second big change of the week was expansion of the sitelinks section under the top result in SERPs. There are now up to 12 sitelinks, appearing with a URL and text snippet to show searchers what is in that section. Google has also made "a significant improvement" in applying its algorithmic ranking to the sitelinks in order to "yield a higher-quality list of links".

RT abbr.

The BBC was forced to issue an apology this week, after using pictures from Twitter in their coverage of the riots without attributing them. Following complaints, the BBC's Chris Hamilton said the team "make every effort to contact people who've taken photos we want to use in our coverage and ask for their permission before doing so". However, in "exceptional circumstances" the photos will be used, and permission asked later; the riots being an example of this, as reporters were unable to get photographs as quickly as the public. Twitter also made the news this week when 'retweet' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Other tech-related additions include 'sexting', 'cyberbullying' and 'woot', the latter an expression of happiness usually seen online. In terms of online companies getting into the English dictionary, Google entered in 2006, Facebook in 2007, and Twitter in 2009.

FA-cebook

Tonight (Friday, 19 August) at 7.45pm, Facebook will stream its first live sporting event. The first match of the FA Cup will see lesser-known teams Ascot United and Wembley competing in the extra-preliminary round. The famous UK football championship is now sponsored by Budweiser, and over-18s who 'like' the beer brand's Facebook page will be able to stream the match live through the social media site. Over 69,000 people have already liked Budweiser UK. ITV and ESPN own the broadcasting rights to this year's FA Cup, so it's unlikely any of the big games will be shown in a similar way. Budweiser marketing director Ian Newell told BBC Sport: "Budweiser is committed to bringing the world's most prestigious knockout competition closer to the fans. What better way to demonstrate this than by broadcasting the very first kick to a global audience via Facebook?"

The reign of Apple continues

Apple and its fanatics

As Apple fans are whipped into hysteria at the mere mention of a new product, it is little wonder that Apple is leading within both the tablet and smartphone markets. The throngs of people, who queue for days at Apple launches, salivating over an upcoming product, suggest that Apple has become more than just a brand to its consumers. As followers eat, drink and sleep Apple, and even embark on pilgrimages to the stores, it appears that Apple is something to believe in rather than simply a company selling products.

The loyalty of the Apple follower is apparent as all of its products enjoy a massive uptake. The iPad is currently the go-to tablet and dominates over all of its competitors within the market. Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham, calculated that the iPad will remain the dominant tablet in the years which lead up to 2020. Even with Android tablets, Blackberry PlayBooks and HP TouchPads entering the market, Apple is set to hold over half of the market and lose only a small amount of customers.

A report undertaken by the IDC has also found that the iPhone is the most popular smartphone within its growing market. Apple managed to ship 20.3 million units and has a 19.1 per cent share within the market, which leaves other smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S2 in its shadows.

How did Apple achieve its popularity?

The ability to be both iconic and innovative has led to Apple standing above all of its competitors. The company has made sure that people are so familiar with its products in order to secure a position as a household name. Also the continual development of its fashionable products enables Apple to keep its fans excited and maintain high sales. It appears as though this commitment to advancement and innovation will enable Apple to remain above its competitors as the brand continues to create pioneering products.

theEweekly Wrap: Riots, rivalry and the revamped 9-1-1

BBM faces blame...

Those who organised this week's riots through BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) may soon be held to account, as manufacturer RIM has vowed to co-operate with police to identify culprits. In response, a group calling itself Team Poison hacked the RIM blog on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Brandwatch research revealed that mentions of BlackBerry on Twitter increased by five times at the peak of the disorder, but 24 per cent of those mentions were negative. Several people have already been arrested or jailed for organising the violence and looting through BBM, or 'inciting' it on Facebook and Twitter. The role of social media in disturbances such as the Manchester riots has been cause for contention, with David Cameron suggesting those responsible should be banned from such sites. Earlier this week there were calls for BBM and Twitter to be blocked, but yesterday the government clarified it was discussing blocking individual users rather than the entire service. Meanwhile, eBay has confirmed it will "cooperate fully with the investigating authorities to identify and remove any listings which are linked to criminal activity."

...and a new rival

BBM could soon have a direct competitor in the form of Facebook Messenger. The standalone app is touted as an alternative to text messaging, as friends can be reached directly and instantly. Furthermore, there is a group conversations feature that incorporates a geotagging function; needless to say, this would be very useful for anyone planning a riot in future. TheNextWeb said the app would "look very familiar if you’ve used Beluga, the group messaging application that Facebook acquired in March of this year." However, the site also speculated that the recent introduction of Facebook video calling through Skype could point to Messenger featuring video calling integration in the future. The app is currently available for download in the US for Android or iOS. However, it could face more rivalry from Apple, as the company is set to launch iOS 5 with an incorporated messaging service in a month's time.

9-1-1 for 2011

Across the pond, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has outlined plans for an update to the 9-1-1 service. Hailed as Next Generation 9-1-1, anyone who needs the emergency services will soon be able to transmit their request using text messaging, geotagging, photo or video, in addition to voice calling. The benefits of the plan include: "Increased public access [...] e.g., to persons with disabilities." Allowing emergency services to assess the situation more effectively based on more detailed initial information. Improved reliability. The five-point plan is set to be implemented as soon as next month, but will take around 10 years to complete. It was thought up by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech campus shootings. Hostage style situations are a perfect example of why this is a good idea, but Gizmodo commented, "the potential for abuse seems almost too great", citing pranks and lewd images as potential pitfalls.

The fractured identity of the Twitter and Facebook user

Everyday use of social networks

Social networks have become an integral aspect of daily life as many people log onto such sites as Facebook and Twitter to update their profile, chat with friends and catch up on peoples’ activities.

However, the Oxford University academic Baroness Greenfield, a professor of pharmacology, has said that these social sites may actually be detrimental. She states that such tasks as checking emails, going on social networking sites and reading RSS news feeds is resulting in users “living in a world that's not a real world” and therefore destroying their personalities.

The destruction of individuality?

Greenfield suggests that the constant stimulation which social networks provide is likely to "rewire" the brain. People are less likely to concentrate for long periods of time if they have become accustomed to the instant feedback and never-ending updates within the constantly changing online world.

The academic suggests that the "banality" of information uploaded onto social sites may change the personality of internet users. The constant comments, emails and pictures which are uploaded onto the sites suggest that people are desperate to seek the constant attention of their online peers.

In a world where celebrity culture is rife, social websites also allow people to delve into this world of notoriety and fame. People can grab the attention of their online friends by crafting humorous posts or uploading photos which display their glamorous lifestyle.

Another perspective

However it is arguable that social networking sites could, in fact, be providing people with a platform where they can showcase their true identity. The websites enable users to display aspects of their personality which may have otherwise been unknown to their friends. In fact, people who use Twitter and Facebook could simply be basking in the online world of liking, status-updating and commenting in only 140 characters rather than destroying their selfhood.

theEweekly Wrap: Patents, smartphones and Nein to tagging

Tagging Verboten

The data protection authority in Germany has written to Facebook demanding that it stop gathering facial recognition of German citizens. The social network rolled out a facial recognition photo tagging feature in June 2011, causing something of a stir. This week, Johannes Caspar of the German government has threatened the site with a fine of £262,000 if the data is not deleted immediately. He said: "Should Facebook maintain the function, it must ensure that only data from persons who have declared consent to the storage of their biometric facial profiles be stored in the database." The German authorities – and indeed Johannes Caspar – have taken a hard line on privacy in the past. In January, Google Analytics was banned in Germany over fears that tracking user activity was a breach of privacy. After a barrage of complaints, Google also abandoned the Street View project for Germany in April.

Smartphone nation

Ofcom has conducted its annual Communications Market Report, revealing how much time we all spend on which gadgets and websites. Television viewing, radio listening and internet browsing times are all up, while readership of news websites fell by 33 per cent compared with 2010. However, the most striking statistic is that a massive one in three adults in the UK now owns a smartphone. The average amount of time spent browsing mobile sites has also increased, with Facebook revealed as the most visited site on mobile devices. The most popular device overall was – quelle surprise – the Apple iPhone, with 32 per cent of the adult population naming it as their preferred brand. Meanwhile, 37 per cent of adults and 60 per cent of teenagers described themselves as 'addicted' to their smartphone.

Patent power

Google shocked the tech world on Wednesday by releasing an official blog post that accuses its competitors of maliciously buying patents and charging Google to use them. The post, by senior vice president David Drummond, describes a "hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents". The search giant alleges that Microsoft and Apple are teaming up to buy old Novell and Nortel patents, and imposing a fee for anyone who uses that technology. Patents are described as being "used as a weapon", apparently in an attempt to push up the price for handset manufacturers who want to use the Android OS. However, yesterday Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith tweeted: "Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no."

Why complete an internship in marketing?

These days, getting into a career in marketing is no mean feat. An increasing number of graduates are deciding that an internship is the perfect way to get a foot in the door, pick up some skills, and enhance their CV. We caught up with Hannah Vince after her first week as an intern at theEword.

After my recent graduation, numerous people would queue up to tell me, "the world is your oyster". I, on the hand, felt quite the opposite. Equipped only with my degree and little knowledge of the working world, I felt it was essential to gain some work experience before I decided what kind of career I'd like to embark on.

Fast forward to July and a meeting with Daniel Nolan, general manager at Manchester specialist search agency theEword. The value of the web, search engines and social networks as methods by which companies can build their online presence is no secret. So, when Dan offered me an internship to gain some experience with theEword's content and marketing teams, I was naturally excited by the opportunity, albeit fearful of starting out with no business or marketing knowledge.

A learning curve

Now, however, a week in to my placement and I already feel more confident in my abilities. I have, for example, researched and written an industry-related article for theEword as part of the content team, and carried out keyword research tasks for the marketing team. This included taking research from the initial brainstorming stages, using tools such as the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to verify relevance, then adapting winning keywords to more effectively meet clients' needs.

I have also carried out extensive website sourcing and ranking using a host of tools previously unbeknown to me (some of them built by the developers and marketers at theEword) to determine the relevance and quality of websites that I had previously researched and selected. These details were then rated and passed to the marketing team to help them further.

Along with the work goes the practical realities of getting there and back too – although I'm commuting for six hours a day, I'm also experiencing a new city and undoubtedly developing my time management skills! While I naturally have a lot to learn, I'm sure my experience at theEword will benefit me greatly in future employment.