Thursday, March 31, 2016

Tech giants, government struggle with online speech policies



Officials with Google and State Department are struggling to craft a balanced policy that combats terrorist messages without unduly curbing Internet freedom.

As social media outlets increasingly become the favorite channels for terrorist groups to spread messages of violence and recruit new members, the Internet companies that maintain those services are in a tough spot.

Companies born on the Web like Google and Facebook promote an ethos of free speech, but at the same time recognize the dangers of terrorists, criminals and other bad actors co-opting their platforms in service of a violent ideology or illegal activities.

The government tries to balance censorship and free expression

Those same frictions arise as the government charts a policy toward what the State Department has termed the "use of Internet for terrorist purposes," according to Jason Pielemeier, who serves as the business and human rights section lead at the department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

Leaving aside the important but problematic questions about censorship and free expression, Pielemeier noted that simply squelching objectionable content can be a bad policy choice.








Contact me at tduggan(@)Cogentco.com at Cogent for more Info or to Network. Cogent delivers customers with Highly Reliable, Secure and Scalable IP Networks with over 190 markets throughout 38 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with over 57,900 route miles of long-haul fiber and over 27,400 miles of metropolitan fiber.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Why You Won’t Recognize SEO in Years to Come



If you were to look back five years ago from today, SEO strategies would be the complete opposite of what they are now. So what can we expect in another five years? We can’t exactly answer that question, but what we do know is that it won’t look like it does at this moment. As a marketer in today’s world, we must be able to adapt quickly to new SEO strategies, but experts predict SEO will change drastically in the future. Today, we focus more on aspects such as mobile and social media sites that are still relatively new to us. Not long ago, Google introduced an updated search engine that was able to localize search results which, as you can imagine, really turned SEO upside down for everyone. Let’s explore three emerging aspects that are responsible for changing up the game of SEO:

1. Mobile Search
According to comScore.com, roughly 60% of digital media use is on a smartphone. More than 75% of people in the United States now use both mobile and desktop devices, which is a 68% increase from 2014. It’s no secret that smartphone internet usage takes the cake when it comes to comparing what Americans use the most for digital media. Everywhere you look, people are constantly on their cellphones and tablets. That leads us to app usage. Apple introduced apps in July 2008 a year after the first iPhone was released. During the first weekend that apps were introduced, 10 million were reportedly downloaded. According to smartinsights.com, today 89% of digital mobile usage is spent on mobile apps. As you can imagine, the invention of apps was a huge revelation in the digital realm. Here’s an example of the traffic for a Stream Companies’ client compared year over year. Although both mobile and desktop traffic are increasing, notice the difference in the increase between the two—WOW! It’s a given that better app search usage is in the works. We’re only in the early stages of apps and mobile usage and still examining and learning behavior patterns. If you’re noticing a change in your site’s mobile views, it’s time to alter your digital marketing strategy to ensure that you’re reaching your buyers from any device they use.
 

2. Social Media Sites
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been rapidly evolving, with plenty of exciting new features. Each year, more and more searches are targeting content, businesses, and places, just not people. Scrolling through your Facebook feed, you now find the latest news stories and happenings in the world. Facebook is now not just a place to connect with friends but also a news source. Because of this, we have to examine search results and the way we optimize for Facebook and other social media sites. Optimization of social media websites will definitely evolve into something different in upcoming years. If your business doesn’t have active social media accounts, it’s time to get the ball rolling. By adding social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter, you’ll be more likely to pull in new referral traffic to your website, which increases your chances of scoring more leads!

3. Voice Assistants
Within the last few years, we’ve been introduced to voice assistants such as Siri and Cortana created by Apple and Microsoft. Features such as these basically offer you your own personal assistant, making topics that you want to learn more about incredibly easy to access just by asking a question to your voice assistant. The way voice assistants scan the web and search for your answers is a method that we won’t recognize in years to come. Users have been asking more and more vague questions, such as “What should I eat for dinner?” rather than “Best sushi restaurants near Malvern,” so how do we go about optimizing for this? Within the years to come, we’ll be able to adapt and have an answer.


Article by Tina DiSerafino




Contact me at tduggan(@)Cogentco.com at Cogent for more Info or to Network. Cogent delivers customers with Highly Reliable, Secure and Scalable IP Networks with over 190 markets throughout 38 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with over 57,900 route miles of long-haul fiber and over 27,400 miles of metropolitan fiber.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Tropical Paradise Victoria House Ambergris Caye Belize!


 
We just returned from one of those great trips where you ask yourself, "why did we come home again?" Oh yeah that's right we have 2 boys at home, work and bills to pay!
 
We were treated to an amazing experience at the Victoria House in San Pedro, Belize. This resort typically books up well in advance so we were lucky to find 2 rooms for us and some friends. Besides spending most days poolside or trying out various rum drinks, you can find me in the water enjoying a number of activities.


 

 
 





 
 



GoFish Belize- Best fly fishing on the island with Abby
Victoria House Resort
LilAlphonse Snorkeling-Incredible snorkeling adventure




Contact me at tduggan(@)Cogentco.com at Cogent for more Info or to Network. Cogent delivers customers with Highly Reliable, Secure and Scalable IP Networks with over 190 markets throughout 38 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, with over 57,900 route miles of long-haul fiber and over 27,400 miles of metropolitan fiber.