How "Weird" Al conquered the Web

Opinion: Airbnb is about making money, not building trust | Seoul snubs Uber, says official taxi app is on the way | W3C tries to standardize social tech for businesses Created for sugengaria@gmail.com |  Web Version   July 22, 2014 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF        SIGN UP | FORWARD | ARCHIVE | ADVERTISE The Big Story Sponsored By Opinion: Airbnb is about making money, not building trust Columnist Thomas Friedman's praise for Airbnb is unduly generous to what is ultimately a commercial enterprise founded on for-profit transactions, writes Kevin Roose. "For now, the sharing economy village seems to be populated mainly by bargain-seekers, rather than community-building trust junkies," Roose writes. New York magazine (7/22) Share:  TRUSTe 2014 US Consumer Confidence Privacy Report Consumer trust is falling. 55% of consumers (down from 57% in 2013) say they trust businesses with their personal information online. For a valuable barometer of consumer confidence, business impact and recommended business practices, download the TRUSTe research report now. Connecting & Collaborating Seoul snubs Uber, says official taxi app is on the way Seoul has banned Uber, saying it will instead launch its own application focused on connecting users to official taxi companies. "Seoul is in danger of remaining trapped in the past and getting left behind by the global 'sharing economy' movement," Uber said in a statement. The Korea Times (Seoul) (7/21), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Korea Real Time blog (7/21) Share:  W3C tries to standardize social tech for businesses The World Wide Web Consortium and OpenSocial Foundation have formed a working group to standardize social-networking technology and vocabulary to make it more useful for businesses. Developing an open set of standards "is a pretty big deal for the enterprise space," says Harry Halpin, a member of the working group. CNET (7/21), CIO.com/IDG News Service (7/21) Share:  Welcome Aboard: A Guide to Small Business Hiring Small Business Owners are powered by their people. To be successful, small businesses need to act thoughtfully when it comes to finding good candidates. They need to carefully review their labor needs, navigate the interview process to hire the best and recognize and reward employees' achievements. In this white paper sponsored by American Express OPEN, learn how to hire smart. Download the free white paper now. Marketer Moments Sponsored By Adidas and Champs Sports bet on bite-size Instagram videos Adidas and Champs Sports have created a series of 15-second Instagram videos meant to reach male high-school athletes. The Lace Up video series will have at least 25 segments that features stars such as Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and rapper Lil Jon. Adweek (7/21) Share:  Former Ford social strategist Monty joins Shift Communications Adweek (7/22) Share:  Turn Advertising Intelligence Index Every industry category and every advertising sector is being disrupted by the global programmatic race. And, if you're not already bidding for the right ad targeted at the right customer at the right time, you can be sure your competitors are. Download this report to learn about insights driving smarter marketing decisions for brands around the world. Trending Articles from Advertising Age Sponsored By Free access for SmartBrief readers Why You Couldn't Escape Weird Al's Marketing Blitz Brand Journalism Is a Modern Marketing Imperative EHarmony Hooks Up With Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst Share:    20 Winning Email Designs Consumers don't sit still and neither should your marketing designs. In this Best of the Email Swipe File showcase, you'll find inspiring and thought-provoking email marketing designs that are yours for the taking. Learn what marketing design elements are working across the globe and discover where the next marketing trends are headed. Download Now! Platform News Sponsored By Pinterest sees higher engagement through mobile Mobile engagement on Pinterest is higher than that through desktops, according to a ShareThis analysis of the second quarter. It found that U.S.-based mobile users were three times as likely to pin content via the ShareThis toolbar as their desktop counterparts, with 75% of pins originating on mobile devices. eMarketer (7/22) Share:  Selecting Your Equity Compensation Management Solution Before selecting a stock plan management solution, consult our Buyer's Guide to understand the 11 criteria to use in evaluating your options and selecting the best solution for your company's needs. Whether you are purchasing a platform for the first time or making a switch from your current solution, there are features that your system needs to have—make sure you know what to look for in this free Buyer's Guide. Measurement Matters Is Uber reducing drunken driving? Uber has released data about its car-sharing application from Pennsylvania that shows usage spikes around the time bars close, raising the prospect that the service could reduce drunken driving. But the information doesn't prove that drunken passengers would otherwise be driving home, as opposed to taking official taxis. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)/Wonkblog (7/21) Share:  How well do you know social media? Introducing SmartBrief for Social Business Summer Quiz: take the SmartBrief on Social Business summer quiz every Friday to test your knowledge. Answer the questions to see how well you do, and share your results with others to see how you match up. Check out an old quiz. Social Shareable How "Weird" Al conquered the Web "Weird" Al Yankovic came of age before new media, but he's proven remarkably adept at promoting himself on the Web. "One of the perks of old-media celebrity is that you just have to arrive at the party and people will fawn over you," writes Robinson Meyer. The Atlantic online (7/19), Bloomberg Businessweek (7/21) Share:  SmartQuote Like Leno's couch, some stops have become obligatory on the Internet publicity tour. The Reddit Ask Me Anything is chief among these." -- Robinson Meyer, writing at The Atlantic online Share:    Andy Sernovitz, Editor at Large Andy Sernovitz is the New York Times best-selling author of "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking" and the blog "Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That!" He runs WordofMouth.org, where marketers and entrepreneurs learn to be great at word of mouth marketing, and SocialMedia.org, the community for social media leaders at the world's greatest brands.   Subscriber Tools Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.   Editor:  Ambreen Ali Managing Editor:  Stephen Yusko Contributing Editor:  Ben Whitford Advertising:  Dena Malouf Jobs Contact:  Jackie Basso   P: 202.407.7871     SIGN UP   SHARE   ADVERTISE   SEND FEEDBACK Update Profile | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe |  Archive | Web version (print friendly) Download the SmartBrief App  iTunes / Android   Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2014 SmartBrief, Inc.® Privacy policy |  Legal Information