Online Real Estate Technology

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is poised to open a formal antitrust probe into whether internet search giant Google has abused its dominance on the web, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The newspaper, citing ‘people familiar with the matter,’ said the FTC is preparing to serve Google with civil subpoenas ‘signalling the start of a wide-ranging, formal antitrust investigation’.

The Journal said the five-member commission will send Google the formal demands for information ‘within days’ and other companies were likely to receive requests for information about their dealings with Google.

The FTC declined to comment on the report and there was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Mountain View, California-based Google.

Google, which controls around 65 per cent of the lucrative US internet search market, has been the target of numerous antitrust investigations by the FTC and the US Department of Justice in recent years.

But the Journal said the FTC’s probe ‘is the most serious to date’ in the United States because it will examine ‘fundamental issues relating to Google’s core search advertising business’.

Google makes most of its money from search-related advertising.

The Journal said the probe will look at whether Google ‘unfairly channels users to its own growing network of services at the expense of rivals’.

European Union competition watchdogs opened an investigation into similar allegations in November.

Google has faced increasing scrutiny from US and European regulators as it has grown over the years from a scrappy startup into an internet powerhouse.

In April, the US Justice Department approved Google’s entry into the online travel sector with its $US700 million ($A665 million) purchase of flight data firm ITA Software but it insisted on a number of concessions from Google.

Several online travel sites, including Expedia, Kayak and Travelocity, had sought to block the Google-ITA deal, claiming it would give Google too much control over the lucrative online travel market and lead to higher prices.

In late March, the FTC reached a settlement with Google over Google Buzz, the social networking tool rolled out last year which spawned a slew of privacy complaints.

Under the settlement announced by the US regulator, Google is required to implement a comprehensive privacy program and will be subject to independent privacy audits every two years for the next 20 years.

Also in March, a US judge dealt a setback to Google’s plans for a vast digital library and online bookstore, rejecting a copyright settlement hammered out by the internet giant with authors and publishers.

In 2008, Google abandoned a plan to forge a joint search advertising partnership with Yahoo!, citing a desire to avert a ‘protracted legal battle’ with US regulators.

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Men are leading the way when it comes to forging professional connections online, a new study has found.

LinkedIn, a professional web-based networking site, studied the details of men and women across a range of industries and looked at the ratio of their online connections.

Of their two million Australian users, they found that men tend to have more online connections than women.

However, there were particular professions and organisations where females dominated the online environment.

These industries included writing and editing, philanthropy and marketing and advertising.

At RailCorp, Origin Energy and Leighton Contractors women also ruled the web.

The top industries where blokes dominated were in the military, capital markets, human resources and newspapers.

Males were also found to be savvier at Queensland Health, Flight Centre and the University of NSW.

Career coach Sally-Anne Blanshard encouraged females to hop online.

‘We are in a world where we are time-short, have technology at our fingertips and have ever-increasing demands outside of work,’ Ms Blanshard said in a statement.

‘I think face-to-face networking definitely still has its place, but I stress to my clients, especially female clients, to build up their networks online.’

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The online community has been rattled by a decision by Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN) to allow new domain names to be launched next year.

The changes will allow up to 1000 new web variations at a price of $185,000.

This new move will significantly expand the existing regime, although the changes have been limited to .com, .net and .org websites.

These changes are anticipated to allow companies to register unique website names or better protect their existing brands.

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The world’s fastest 3G hotspot has been launched in Australia by Telstra.

The battery-powered device is capable of sharing mobile broadband connectivity with up to five devices simultaneously.

Warwick Bray, Executive Director of Telstra Mobile Products said a surge in laptop, tablet and smartphone ownership meant Australians need fast mobile broadband connectivity on the go.

‘However, managing separate mobile broadband accounts for each gadget can be a hassle,’ he said.

The device is the world’s first commercial battery-powered hotspot to use advanced dual channel HSPA+ technology, promising to make fast, reliable network connection easier for technophiles on the go.

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Early research on becoming a fan of brands on Facebook or a follower on Twitter indicated that social media users with brand connections were more loyal and more likely to say they would buy the brand’s products than average. Over the past year, those kinds of connections have become more common, and many brands have grown their fan pages and Twitter followings significantly.

Longitudinal data from ROI Research suggests that growth has not diluted the power of social media connections, which still have a link with customer loyalty.

In 2010, 32% of US social network users told the research firm they were at least somewhat more loyal to brands they were fans of on Facebook. This year, that percentage ticked up slightly, to 34%.

Similarly, 40% of respondents in 2010 said they were more loyal to brands they followed on Twitter, rising to 46% this year. There was also a significant drop in the number of users who disagreed with that claim, from 21% to 13%.

At least half of Twitter and Facebook users said they had become more likely to talk about, recommend or purchase a company’s products after they began following the company on social media. And Twitter users showed a greater level of engagement than Facebook users across all these metrics, as well as in willingness to link to an ad for the product or attend a sponsored event.

Still, many users might want less communication from brands. More than 40% of social network users told ROI Research that brands should communicate with fans only once or twice a month, and another 26% thought weekly communication was sufficient. Only 10% of respondents wanted to hear from brands at least daily.

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Social sites like Quora are designed specifically as question-and-answer venues where users can get expert help, but Twitter often serves as an informal tool for the same purpose. Users might ask their followers for advice, ask the world what a particular trending topic means, or hope for customer service help from a brand.

According to May 2011 research from InboxQ, a service to feed businesses questions from Twitter, Twitter users—especially ones with more followers and thus, presumably, more experience—tend to ask questions with tweets directed at all followers rather than using @ replies or direct messages. This means questions are often not directed at a relevant brand, but many users want brands to answer them anyway.

Eight in 10 Twitter users surveyed worldwide said they thought the answers businesses posted on Twitter were at least as trustworthy as those from regular people, and about six in 10 said they wanted businesses to respond to them on the microblogging service.

Yet just 21% of Twitter users with under 100 followers and 41% of users with over 100 followers said they had actually received a response from a business via Twitter.

Users indicated that more responsive brands would benefit from greater loyalty and purchasing. Almost 60% of respondents said they would be more likely to follow a brand that answered them, and 64% said they would be more likely to make a purchase from that brand.

InboxQ may have an interest in getting businesses to pay attention to questions posted to Twitter, but this research meshes with an already robust body of data about the kinds of interactions many social media users hope to have with brands. Consumers often indicate that they understand and accept the value exchange of connecting with companies in return for information that can help them. And they also often want brands to pay attention to them and not take their business for granted now that they have access to the powerful voice social media provides.

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Despite common industry wisdom that consumers are much more likely to publicize negative experiences, consumers express satisfaction on social networks more frequently than disappointment, according to an April 2011 study from ROI Research and Performics. Data from “S-Net: A Study in Social Media Usage and Behavior” indicates in the case of restaurants, 60% of online consumers use social networking sites to express satisfaction about a purchase, brand or retailer.

This makes restaurants the vertical most likely to receive good publicity via social network. Other verticals with 50% or more of online consumers saying they use social networks to express satisfaction are food brands and household products (53% each) and telecommunications (50%).

In addition to being the vertical fourth-most-likely to receive positive social network comments from consumers, household products are also most likely to receive negative social network comments. However, only 29% of online consumers say they use social networks to express disappointment in household products.

Interestingly, both the telecommunications (28%) and restaurant (25%) verticals are also among the most likely to receive disappointing social network comments from consumers.

In terms of offers to win online points that can be redeemed for products or prizes via social networks, consumer interest currently appears tepid. No vertical has more than 50% of online consumers expressing interest in winning points via social network. Education (47%), sports-related (44%) and electronics (43%) are the leading verticals in this area.

When it comes to printable coupons obtained from social networks, online consumers show a bit more interest. Fifty-six percent are interested in receiving printable coupons from educational brands, while 52% are interested in receiving printable coupons from sports-related brands. Interest in printable coupons from brands in the restaurant (49%), auto, electronics and food (48% for each vertical) verticals was also higher than interest in points from any vertical.

Other study results show that a combined 49% of online consumers are extremely (5%), very (10%) or somewhat (34%) likely to post interesting or relevant content about a product/service, company or brand such as sale announcements, coupons, new product announcements, interesting videos, etc. on social networking sites.

Interestingly, a combined 60% of online consumers are extremely (5%), very (13%) or somewhat (42%) likely to take action when a friend posts this type of social network content.

About the Data: In April 2011, ROI Research and Performics conducted an online survey of 2,997 consumers age 13 and older who access at least one social network regularly.

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We’re wired to be social creatures, and sites like Twitter and Facebook have capitalized on this to great success. According to its COO Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook draws 175 million logins every day.

But with this tremendous popularity comes a dark side as well. Virus writers and other cybercriminals go where the numbers are — and that includes popular social media sites. To help you avoid a con or viral infection, we’ve put together this list of the top five social media scams.

5. Chain Letters
You’ve likely seen this one before — the dreaded chain letter has returned. It may appear in the form of, “Retweet this and Bill Gates will donate $5 million to charity!” But hold on, let’s think about this. Bill Gates already does a lot for charity. Why would he wait for something like this to take action? Answer: He wouldn’t. Both the cause and claim are fake.

So why would someone post this? Good question. It could be some prankster looking for a laugh, or a spammer needing “friends” to hit up later. Many well-meaning people pass these fake claims onto others. Break the chain and inform them of the likely ruse.

4. Cash Grabs
By their very nature, social media sites make it easy for us to stay in touch with friends, while reaching out to meet new ones. But how well do you really know these new acquaintances? That person with the attractive profile picture who just friended you — and suddenly needs money — is probably some cybercriminal looking for easy cash. Think twice before acting. In fact, the same advice applies even if you know the person.

Picture this: You just received an urgent request from one of your real friends who “lost his wallet on vacation and needs some cash to get home.” So, being the helpful person you are, you send some money right away, per his instructions. But there’s a problem: Your friend never sent this request. In fact, he isn’t even aware of it. His malware-infected computer grabbed all of his contacts and forwarded the bogus email to everyone, waiting to see who would bite.

Again, think before acting. Call your friend. Inform him of the request and see if it’s true. Next, make sure your computer isn’t infected as well.

3. Hidden Charges
“What type of STAR WARS character are you? Find out with our quiz! All of your friends have taken it!” Hmm, this sounds interesting, so you enter your info and cell number, as instructed. After a few minutes, a text turns up. It turns out you’re more Yoda than Darth Vader. Well, that’s interesting … but not as much as your next month’s cell bill will be. You’ve also just unwittingly subscribed to some dubious service that charges $9.95 every month.

As it turns out, that “free, fun service” is neither. Be wary of these bait-and-switch games. They tend to thrive on social sites.

2. Phishing Requests
“Somebody just put up these pictures of you drunk at this wild party! Check ‘em out here!” Huh? Let me see that! Immediately, you click on the enclosed link, which takes you to your Twitter or Facebook login page. There, you enter your account info — and a cybercriminal now has your password, along with total control of your account.

How did this happen? Both the email and landing page were fake. That link you clicked took you to a page that only looked like your intended social site. It’s called phishing, and you’ve just been had. To prevent this, make sure your Internet security includes antiphishing defenses. Many freeware programs don’t include this essential protection.

1. Hidden URLs
Beware of blindly clicking on shortened URLs. You’ll see them everywhere on Twitter, but you never know where you’re going to go since the URL (“Uniform Resource Locator,” the Web address) hides the full location. Clicking on such a link could direct you to your intended site, or one that installs all sorts of malware on your computer.

URL shorteners can be quite useful. Just be aware of their potential pitfalls and make sure you have real-time protection against spyware and viruses.

Bottom line: Sites that attract a significant number of visitors are going to lure in a criminal element, too. If you take security precautions ahead of time, such as using antivirus and anti-spyware protection, you can defend yourself against these dangers and surf with confidence.

Copyright (c) 2010 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

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It took older web users a few years to begin social networking after it had been popularized by the younger set, but they soon became the fastest-growing segment of users on sites like Facebook. Now it appears they are also growing into a specific social media habit that had been more popular among younger adults: connecting with brands.

As recently as September 2010, based on research from Wedbush Securities, it seemed as if Facebook engagement with brands just might not interest users over age 55. At that point, only about one in four of Facebook’s oldest users had “liked” a brand on the site, compared with 60% of those ages 18 to 34.

By November 2010, over-55s had begun to close the gap, however, and by April 2011, nearly half were connecting with brands. Engagement had also risen among 18- to 34-year-olds as well as the 35-to-54 age group over the period. Overall, 59% of adult Facebook users had “liked” a brand as of April, up from 47% the previous September. Uptake among the oldest users appears to have been a major factor in this rise.

Increased engagement among older boomers and seniors suggests that Facebook users of all ages have some interest in connecting with brand pages, rather than appealing only to young adults. Since most older Facebook users still have not “liked” a brand, there could still be room to grow in this demographic. The climbing level of activity among the middle age group indicates that younger boomers could have just as much potential social engagement with brands as millennials and Gen Xers.

Typically, social media users report connecting with brands to get deals and discounts, as well as information about products and special offers. But what brand fans expect can vary. For example, affluent social media users tended to follow brands because of a preexisting affinity for them, and a desire to be kept informed. Many older users will fall into this group, due to the point they have reached in their careers and their longer opportunity to build up net worth.

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Telstra’s original broadband proposal was an ‘illusion’ that could never have worked, the boss of the national competition watchdog says.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Graeme Samuel said Telstra’s proposal for a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) broadband network, or fibre to the street corner, was never going to work.

‘I can now summarise that 2006 proposal which Telstra unilaterally abandoned midway through talks with us as an illusion,’ he said in his last appearance as ACCC chairman at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

‘It was an illusion on cost and on the capacity to truly deliver high-speed broadband to end users.’

In 2005, Telstra planned to upgrade its ageing copper network with a FTTN network but dropped the proposal following ‘an impasse’ with the ACCC a year later.

Debate during the past two years gave the nation an opportunity to create a more competitive communications sector, Mr Samuel said.

The federal government is in the early stages of building a $35.9 billion fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) national broadband network, through NBN Co, to serve 93 per cent of Australians.

The NBN would replace Telstra’s ADSL and ADSL2 copper network with optical fibres.

‘That foundation is based on getting the industry structural settings right and ensuring the regulatory settings in the transition to the NBN deliver to improve competition in the short term as well,’ he said.

‘Over coming months, the ACCC will be responsible for assessing key proposed undertakings for both Telstra and NBN Co on the way forward.

‘The challenge for the ACCC is to ensure that we play our role in setting in concrete lasting foundations for vigorous telecommunications competition in concrete, not in quicksand.’

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