Where Can I Find Ads I'm Looking For? Maybe in a MOAT.

And now, a Search Engine for Ads

• This all new website www.moat.com is a new search engine for display ads, which shows you all the creative ad units currently running across the web; the website goes beyond just clicks and conversions
o Typical clickthrough rates on display ads are less than 10 out of every 10,000 visitors (0.1%); whereas about 500 of every 10,000 people (5%) spend at least half a second hovering their mouse of an ad, and 1,000 out of 10,000 (10%) touch the ad in some fashion without clicking on it
o Moat captures this data and delivers it to marketers so that they can test different images and wording in their display ads
• Moat also works on heatmap engagement and analytics, as well as a crowdsourced marketplace for display ad designers

USPS Pain in the Neck

You may NOT believe this, but there is a woman who hasn’t worked since 2005 due to a disability claim for a neck injury she claims to have suffered when lifting a letter tray while working for the United States Postal Service. As part of her claim that she was unable to work, she has (so far) collected $193,000 in disability payments.

The U. S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General investigation found that the injured rural carrier has been traveling around the world…..... gained certification as an open water and advanced scuba diver.......… and engaged in hiking, snow skiing, bungee jumping .....… and horseback riding… she was even seen dancing after her disability claim was filed.

To make this story even better, she purchased a $150,000 boat and named it “Free Ride.”

That might have been the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

She was sentenced to eighteen months in prison and fined $193,000. Needless to say, her thirteen-year career with the Postal Service has come to an end.

How Do I Know Advertising Works?

An age old question. And there is no standard answer. Although I did come across this, which at the very least, validates my long held belief.

“I know from my own experience that with all the time we spend on the analytical aspects of our campaigns like quality scores, click-though rates, cost per click, and match types, it is very easy to lose sight of this simple truth: what your ads communicate is much more important than the metrics you use to track them.”

–– Mark Van England in SEARCH ENGINE LAND

Dumber Than Dog Snot.

What will have to be considered for "Headline of the Year" will have to be this doozy: “Security Blunders Dumber Than Dog Snot,” which emanates from an August 17, 2010 web page of CSO Magazine (Chief Security Officer).

Roger Johnson, a member of the "vulnerability assessment team" at respected Argonne National Laboratory describes three all too common problems:

1. People forgetting to lock the door.
2. People too stupid to be helped.
3. Otherwise intelligent people who fail to exploit their abilities for the betterment of security.

OK, so what, and so what's up with that headline? Johnson watched his dogs repeatedly crash themselves against a picture window facing the yard when they wanted to chase a squirrel. Hence, most of his windows wrere covered in.......wait for it......dog snot.

He also notes that:

1. Most security cameras fail to prevent crime because poor resolution causes security personnel to miss important things.

2. The assumption that low-level employees are harmless and are seldom asked about their activities.

3. That overlooked insider threats are often sparked by poor HR policies.

4. Both employees and contractors can be bribed by offering them money to do bad things.

Enlightening as dog snot!

Your Government at Work

You do NOT need to look very far to find evidence of government excess:

For example:

Pages of documents submitted during the past several months by Goldman Sachs to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission: 2.5 billion.

Number of days federal investigators have been given to review all the documents before issuing its final report: 209. (Source: Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.)

Number of prison inmates who received tax credits under the first-time homebuyer program: 1,295.

Number of these prison inmates serving life sentences: 241. (Source: Department of the Treasury.)

That is all.

Workaholics

Americans may think they work hard.........but according to a recent IPSOS studt, published by Reuters, American workers rank only fifth among the world’s biggest workaholics, using only 57% of their available vacation days.

The French take their vacations way more seriously, using 89% of their available vacation time (is that a surprise to anyone?). And on the other hand, the Japanese are actually the world’s biggest workaholics, using only 33% of available vacation days. (Source: Reuters/ipsos.)