I do not have the illusion that the internet is a private place.

That being said, I was surprised to read in the Wall Street Journal recently that Facebook and Twitter collect data about your browsing habits whenever you are logged into the website; even if you are not actively using the site at that moment, if you are logged on, you’re being watched.

The sites track your visits to pages that have Facebook “Like” buttons and Twitter “Tweet” buttons. I can understand that if you click on the “Tweet This” button on a website that a process for tracking your visit begins. The site must access your Twitter account, you must approve the access, a generic tweet is typically posted and you can chose to edit or tweet the post “as-is.” Twitter can track that information and that makes perfect sense to me.

The strange part of the process, as I learned from the WSJ article, is that even if you chose not to click on the Tweet or Like buttons on a given web page, Facebook and Twitter can still track your visit to that website.

“They could link users’ browsing habits to their social-networking profile which often contains their name.”

The key point of the article is that Facebook and Twitter can only track you while you are logged in to their sites. The study found that even if you shut down your PC or close your internet browser but fail to log out of Facebook or Twitter, those sites can still track your browsing habits the next time your browser is used. But, if you’re not logged into Facebook, then they can not track your browsing habits.

As of right now, most of the browsing history collected is only used for advertising purposes. There is a huge appeal for advertisers to collect such data. Imagine the power your advertising could have if you are targeting people whose browsing and purchasing habits you know, as opposed to guessing on people might not be interested in your product. Facebook states that they do not use the links in their websites for tracking and they are intended for sharing with your friends as opposed to targeting your wallet. With all of the money Facebook makes off of their growing advertising platform, I can’t imagine they want a privacy storm heading their way.

Will I stop using Facebook or Twitter – no. However, I will now make sure that I log out when I am not using the social networking sites, so I can lessen the chance that they can track my progress as I browse the internet.

You probably already know that but it bears repeating. The depth of the statistical information you can get from website visitors can really help you plan out your web strategy.

I handle the analysis duties for a variety of clients. Last weekend, it was the time for one client’s monthly update. In my summary, I always include comparisons to the prior month to show increases or decreases in the various categories. Some of the key statistics—like the total number of visitors, the number of unique visitors, time on the site, and bounce rate—are always included in my summary.

Each month I try and find an interesting piece of data that can help better define the success of the website, or highlight changes that need to be made to better serve visitors to the site.

Two reports ago, I highlighted the landing page success of the different marketing drivers this particular client was using. I was able to show which of the four marketing pieces drove customers to the website, and which ones were falling short of expectations. Together, the client and I used this data to edit the next round of materials to increase the impact of the website and print marketing on potential clients.

This last report, Google Analytics was able to track the keyword searches that landed visitors to the website.

I found that there was a 40% increase over the prior month in searches for the name of the company, and that the company’s name was the highest rated search term.

This means that the branding work that had been in effect over the previous several months was starting to really pay off. People no longer looked for the company by the type of business they were in (i.e. hardware store, landscaping, library) but by the name of the business (i.e. Home Depot, Torrentera Landscaping, Los Angeles Public Library.)

I love finding the key data that will translate the raw numbers from Google into real world information that can impact the success of a business. Rather than “flying blind” and hoping that your business is effective in its marketing and website plans, use the tools available, like Google Analytics, to show your clients, or your boss, the success or shortcoming of your business planning.

The main motivation can be fear & uncertainty

We like what we’re used to – but that safety net seems to be slipping away as social media continues to thrust its way into how businesses interact with their customers.

The key is: don’t bite off more than you can chew

Don’t use the shotgun approach by trying a little bit of everything. Instead, focus on a few different methods and do those well.

Be consistent

Whatever method(s) you choose, make sure you are consistent. If you post to Twitter/Facebook daily/weekly/bi-weekly then great! But make sure you always maintain the same schedule.

Have patience

There is no magic bullet. Social Media is more promotional than it is advertising. You’re there to build a network, gain momentum, and grow awareness about your company. It may turn into dollars quickly but don’t get discouraged if your phone isn’t ringing off the hook after a week.

These words describe why we at Move Up Media and hundreds (if not thousands) of other agencies have embraced WordPress as the web platform of choice. We use it on nearly all of our projects because it allows us to couple strong design with powerful tools to create outstanding web sites.

Plugin Integration is at the heart of what makes this platform so great.

With WordPress we can quickly deliver functions like: Google Analytics Dashboard stats, complex contact forms, embedded live chat, twitter feeds, social media integration, and SEO enhancements.

If a client wants something special like a user chat forum, video gallery, or a simple e-commerce store – we can quickly and efficiently deploy exactly what they want.

In the past project times and prices were higher because so many components needed to be built from the ground up each time.

Less of our time is spent re-inventing the wheel, instead we’re figuring out how to put more wheels on the same car for the same price!

The final reason we love WordPress is its user-friendly interface. Building a web site without a CMS (Content Management System) is like having a guitar with strings you can’t change by yourself. It’s great for awhile, but then it needs tweaking, adjustment, refreshing. The old method had the client tied to a webmaster – but now it’s standard to empower the client with the tools they need to update their own site. WordPress has a simple, but powerful backend that let’s our clients make the changes they need to quickly and easily.

Ads would come in the Sunday paper or through the mail and tell you about all of the special prices retailers were offering on the purchase of your dreams. Often times, we shoppers learned when we arrived at the store that there was a bigger and better product available for purchase and we’d skip buying the advertised special in its entirety. This was the age of the circular, when getting shoppers in the door was a retailer’s main step in getting them to buy.

The circulars are still around in today’s internet age, but comparison shopping is worlds easier thanks to the World Wide Web.

Online comparison shopping has none of the sales pressure of in-store shopping, and it allows the buyer to look at a variety of products to find the exact item they want to purchase, and the specific retailer they’d like to purchase it from. However, for people who still shop more on impulse than research, there are tools for that too. Smart phones with online apps like TheFind and Amazon’s Price Check allow consumers check prices on similar products at a variety of other retailers for the lowest price point.

According to the article “Phone-Wielding Shoppers Strike Fear Into Retailers” in the December 16, 2010 issue of the Wall Street Journal, a new marketing portal has been opened with the insurgence of price checking apps.

The apps use GPS locating systems that can show the shopper which other nearby (and online) stores carry the products they’re looking for, and what they are charging. If you’re in a Best Buy looking at a laptop, you can enter in the UPC or model number into these apps and it will show you other retailers with the same product and their cost. Using this application, stores are actually able to market their product to consumers in other retail stores at the time when they are purchasing a product. Sure, you may incur a short drive or wait for the item to be shipped to your home, but to some people, saving significant money on the same product is worth it.

In a new phase of these smart phone applications, retailers will actually place ads for consumers to see while they are shopping in competitors’ stores.

The WSJ article speaks about how a comparison shopper in Wal-Mart checking on the price of a television could see a targeted advertisement on TheFind’s app that would direct them to similar product at Best Buy. If you’re using TheFind app in a Best Buy and find a lower price at another store, the app will target the consumer one last time with a Best Buy ad to try and keep the shopper spending their money there rather than elsewhere. Shoppers must opt-in to receive these advertisements, but the direct manner in which shoppers can now be targeted is fascinating.

Businesses are always looking for the best ways to target consumers who are ready to purchase. With the boom in technology in our hands in the form of the smart phone, consumers and retailers are able to have their needs met at the exact moment when people are looking for deals on the items they purchase. If you’re a budget minded consumer who is always looking for the next great deal, applications like TheFind or Amazon’s Price Check could be the answer to your prayers.

The folks over at Noble Consultants are some of our favorite clients. Please take a second to stop by their site.

http://www.nobleconsultants.com

And now, if you’re a Munich resident, you can order a luxury car on demand, directly from the manufacturer. BMW is starting a German pilot program where customers can go online and rent a car for the day at a very reasonable cost.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, BMW is looking toward a future where people may not purchase vehicles at the same rate that they do currently. The automaker is also looking for ways to give people the opportunity to try out models that they could purchase in the future.

If you own a 3 Series and would love to drive a 7 Series some day soon, rent one for the day and drive it around. See how it handles and if it clears your driveway or fits in your garage before you seriously consider investing in the vehicle.

Other companies, such as Zip Car, have delved into the “autos on demand” market already. But unlike what Zip Car is doing successfully in cities throughout the world (renters pick up cars parked in various designated spots throughout a metropolitan area), BMW requires that the renter pick up and deliver the car back to BMW World adjacent to the BMW headquarters in Germany. And of course, the car rental industry has been around for decades, but BMW has done what few other manufacturers have, but renting out their cars directly, not through a separate rental agency.

Even if some customers can’t afford to buy a BMW today, exposing them to how a BMW differs from other cars can only help the automaker.

If a driver is used to driving an Audi, but rents an M5 to see how it drives and handles, it may make their next car buying decision a little more challenging down the road. Selling the rental experience could be some of the best marketing dollars spent if it exposes possible fans to the BMW brand, and makes them believers in what the manufacturer sells.

The fact that BMW is trying to set the trend curve rather than react to it is admirable. That the BMW rental experience will be booked and arranged online shows that they can see the future with clear eyes. No reason to have people call a showroom and pay employees to manage a bank of phones when they can use an online system where the computer does all the work and leaves the driver with exactly what they want. I would assume that it will be iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Palm accessible so that busy executives and hip trendsetters alike can book their BMW from anywhere with a wireless signal.

If the pilot program is successful, BMW should look to expand the program to regions in key markets throughout the U.S., and tap into the car-sharing business (like Zip Car) that is projected to reach 4.5 million North American members by 2016.

What would be the BMW that you would love to rent for the day to drive around town or for the next big client meeting?