“Two and a half years ago, EFF sued AT&T on behalf of its customers, seeking to hold the telecom giant responsible for its craven complicity in the White House’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program.

Since then, the phone companies and their allies in Washington have spent tens of millions of dollars lobbying Congress to grant them retroactive immunity. They ran ridiculous fear-mongering attack ads against any politician who dared to oppose them. President Bush threatened to veto any bill that allowed EFF’s lawsuit to continue.”

Our rights as Americans are being wiped off the slate by this administration and the Telecoms because of - MONEY and the smoke screen of FEAR!

Help EFF Continue the Fight Against Warrantless Wiretapping

“We need your help to take the fight to the next level. We’re going to challenge Congress’s unconstitutional grant of immunity in our case against AT&T. We’re going to fight for a congressional repeal of immunity in the next Congress. And we’re going to file a new lawsuit against the government, challenging its warrantless surveillance practices, past, present and future.”

I’d like to remind you that Internet Marketing is not immune to this type of eavesdropping. Think about that…

The Electronic Frontier Foundation cares about our rights. Click through and make your own determination. To make a direct contribution you can go here.

Conversion University

We now move on to “Outcomes” which is further broken down into;

• Website Optimizer Overview: “Website Optimizer allows you to test changes in the website content of your pages in order to determine what will be most effective in getting conversions. You choose what parts of a page you’d like to test — headline, image, promo text - and we’ll run an experiment on a portion of your site traffic to determine which content on your site users respond to best.”
• Website Optimizer Helpful Hints: “While it’s easy to set up experiments using Website Optimizer, each one will benefit greatly from a bit of preparation and planning before you begin. You’ll learn what works best for you after you’ve run a few experiments, but it’s always valuable to learn from others as well. We’ve provided a list of best practices and things to avoid when setting up your experiments.”
• Time on page as a conversion goal: “Conversions aren’t always associated with actions in the browser - a user who finishes reading an article, for example, won’t trigger an event in the browser to indicate that she’s done. In this case, it may be useful to count a conversion after the page has been loaded in the browser for a certain amount of time.”
• Experimenting with dynamic content: “If you have an e-commerce site with many products, chances are that you use templates to dynamically build each product page using content from a database. This scenario will illustrate how to experiment using dynamic content.”
• Tracking all movement past the landing page: “If you’d like to find out which variation encourages visitors to navigate deeper into your site from your landing page, Website Optimizer lets you specify multiple conversion pages for a single test page. In this case, you’re not concerned with the specific action that they’re taking, so much as that they’re taking action and not leaving your site after viewing your landing page.”

Once again, there’s more, including How To Improve your newsletter subscription rate, A/B testing in 5 minutes plus…

Sponsored By: New Media News Every Morning at 901am

eBay denied stay in LVMH case

The French Court of Appeals today denied eBay’s petition to stay an injunction issued June 30 by a Parisian court that requires eBay to halt all sales of four LVMH perfumes over any site worldwide that is accessible from France, according to an eBay spokesperson.

An eBay spokesman says the company “will comply as technically and humanly possible” with the injunction while it continues to pursue its appeal of the ruling.

In a statement, LVMH says that today’s denial of the stay “confirms the seriousness of the faults committed by eBay’s sites . . . and confirms the significance of the legal precedent set by the Paris Commercial Court’s Judgment on June 30, 2008.”

The change in the link policy has been put on hold. And neutral feedback won’t be counted as negative feedback. That’s quite a change in tune. Then again, $63 Million ain’t chickenfeed either. It ought to be enough to alter your tone, at least temporarily.

One might also suppose that this constitutes a series of losses which might also adjust the “volume” …

Ever hear of RhymeZone? Me either… Check this out - what can you do with RhymeZone?

• Find rhymes: This function will return words that rhyme with the word you typed in.
• Find synonyms: This function will return words that are the same or similar in meaning to the word you typed in.
• Find anonyms: This function will return words that can mean the opposite of what you typed in.
• Find definition: This function will search for definitions of the word you typed in. It will also allow you to submit your query to other online dictionaries on the Web.
• Find homophones: This function will return words that have exactly the same pronunciation as what you typed in but are spelled differently.
• Find similar sounding words: This function will return words that have a pronunciation that’s similar, but not necessarily the same, as what you typed in.
• Match consonants: This option will return words that have the same pattern of consonant sounds. Phonetic, for example, will return fanatic.
• Find related words: This option will return words that are related in some important way to what you typed in.
• Find similar spellings: This option will return words in the dictionary that are spelled similarly to what you typed in. Use this feature to spell-check a word that you aren’t sure of.
• Match these letters: This option will return words and phrases that contain the letters you type in.
• Search for pictures: This function will search for kids-friendly pictures on the Web related to the word you typed in.
• Search in Shakespeare: This function will search all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for your word.

Conversion University

We move on to “Onsite Behavior Analysis” which is further broken down into;

• Five Tips for Writing Effective Web Headlines: “One of the easiest, low-tech ways to make users stick around and look at your products or services is to catch their attention with an engaging headline. Recent research suggests that users decide to stay or leave your site in 8 seconds or less — in that short amount of time, headlines are the one piece of copy that users will actually read.”
• Five Questions To Ask of Your Site Search Data: “A search box is a goldmine of information for you the site owner, because each time visitors search your site, they tell you in their own words what they are looking for. This article shows you five key ways you can use the data in your Google Analytics Site Search reports to understand visitor intent.”
• Five Objectives of Website Copy: “Informative text is reassuring to visitors and it gives search engines something to crawl. Let’s look at five things you can accomplish with text.”
• Segmenting Your Visitors: “Segmentation is simply breaking your visitors into groups and examining traffic and conversion data for those groups.”
• Design Your Website for Increased ROI: “It’s easy to over-focus on driving traffic to your site while overlooking another equally important key to website ROI - content optimization. Make the time, money, and effort you’ve spent developing your online marketing pay off. Design a website that gets visitors to take action.”

And a bonus section - Six Steps To Conversion Health; “Consider these six points as you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your current site and plan your re-design.”

Michel Fortin’s Copywriters Library

Response-Boosting Tips and Life-Enhancing Advice.

“Want to boost your response? Write killer sales copy? Attract qualified clients? Reach higher levels of success? Copywriters Library offers a variety of free teleseminars, books, recordings, reports, and resources to help you.”

These are from the front page of this great site;

• Gary Halbert Interviews
• Scientific Advertising - Claude Hopkins
• Power Positioning 10 Commandments - Michel Fortin
• John Carlton Interviews
• The Science of Getting Rich - Wallace Wattles
• Drop Your Goals - Michel Fortin

You have to check it out! “On this website you will find a variety of free books, reports, and recording made by some of the top copywriters, marketers, and entrepreneurs in the world.” These are the top folks in Internet Copywriting history!

Conversion University

It all begins with “Acquisition” which is further broken down into;

• Sitemaps for Search Engine Optimization (SEO): “Here are five ways Google Sitemaps can help you drive more potential customers to your site and improve the visibility of your content.”
• A Benchmark Strategy to Search Engine Marketing (SEM): “It’s easy to get caught up in keyword bidding wars. Don’t give in to this temptation. There’s a better way and it begins with finding a breakeven cost-per-click benchmark.”
• AdWords Targeting and Tracking Tips: “Here are five tips for targeting – and tracking – your ads effectively.”
• Optimizing your AdWords ROI with Google Analytics: “By looking at a single report in Google Analytics, you can see the ROI for each keyword you buy, spend confidently on the keywords that perform, and drop the ones that don’t. Here’s how.”
• Intelligent Advertising for Small Business: “You’d like more visibility for your site, and you’ve had a salesperson tell you about the benefits of buying a listing on her portal site. It sounds like a good deal, but how do you know? Here are a few tips that will help you make an informed decision.”

Conversion University is part of Google Analytics. (For those who didn’t know)

Net Neutrality Debate Is Secretly All About Internet Television Net Pioneers Say
By MacRonin
David Clark, a senior MIT computer scientist who spent eight years as the internet’s chief protocol architect, argued that the focus on neutrality is misplaced, because the net hasn’t ever been pristine. The current debate, he says, is really a reaction to a coming tectonic collision between the cable industry’s traditional business model, and the movement of television onto the internet.

Sandvine calls net neutrality “laughable,” defends filtering
Ars Technica - Boston,MA,USA
As Sandvine puts in it a white paper on net neutrality (”A Broadband Wild West?”), “This over-subscription model is observed regularly in our modern life.

Supreme Court to Review Net Neutrality
All About Jazz - Philadelphia,PA,USA
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled against AT&T, saying the telecom company was setting its wholesale prices so high that the Internet service provider could not compete with the low prices AT&T charged in the retail market.

What a Non-Neutral Internet Looks Like — Let’s Go to the Video
Public Knowledge Tech News and Comment - Washington,D.C.,USA
By Art Brodsky on June 24, 2008 - 11:42am
Thanks to AT&T and Comcast, however, we now can see what an Internet without Net Neutrality will look like, and it’s not pretty. Right up front, we should thank our friends who labor in the neighboring vineyards of what’s called “public access” cable TV, the part of cable reserved for public, educational and governmental programming.

Group Pushes for High-Speed Internet Access for All
Redmondmag.com - CA,USA
Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein was among the scheduled speakers in New York at the Personal Democracy Forum to announce the creation of InternetforEveryone.org. Other participants in the news conference included Google chief technology evangelist and Internet patriarch Vinton Cerf, in addition to law professors and entrepreneurs.

Charter: NebuAd Deal Raises Concerns
MediaPost Publications - New York,USA
Digital rights groups and net neutrality advocates condemned the plan, which they viewed as more invasive than other types of online ad targeting, …

Should The US Nationalize The Internet?
InformationWeek - Manhasset,NY,USA
Greedy businesses threaten innovation by trying to put an end to net neutrality, media companies want to control every Internet-connected device in an effort to lock down distribution channels, and spammers and other fraudsters have pretty much taken over e-mail. Now, TechCrunch is reporting that Vint Cerf, the so-called “father of the Internet,” says maybe we should think of the Internet as being like the highway system — a public good that should be nationalized.

Encrypted Traffic No Longer Safe From Throttling
By CmdrTaco(help@slashdot.org)
“New research could allow ISPs to selectively block or slow down your encrypted traffic even if they cannot snoop on your transmitted data. Italian researchers have found a way to categorize the type of traffic that is hidden inside an encrypted SSH session to around 90% accuracy. They are achieving this by analyzing packet sizes and inter-packet intervals instead of looking at the content itself. Challenges remain for ISPs to implement this technology, but it’s clear that encrypting your traffic inside an SSH session or VPN connection is not a solution to protect net neutrality.”

Google’s Fight to Socialize Broadband
By podcasts@redstate.com (Redstate Network)
Through a host of third party organizations, Google is at the center of a spider web of entangled left wing interests hiding behind feel good notions like “net neutrality” that have evolved from keeping internet service providers from charging you extra for using iTunes instead of Rhapsody, into socialized broadband.

Sponsored By: New Media News Every Morning at 901am

This is simply from a snippet gleaned from the forum - the thread was filled with much more!

Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer

“This free tool will analyze your headline to determine the Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) score. As you know, reaching your customers in an deep and emotional way is a key to successful copywriting, and your headline is unquestionably the most important piece of copy you use to reach prospects.

Your headline will be analyzed and scored based on the total number of EMV words it has in relation to the total number of words it contains. This will determine the EMV score of your headline.

In addition to the EMV score, You will find out which emotion inside your customer’s your headline most impacts: Intellectual, Empathetic, Spiritual.”

eBay Cancels Plans to Go PayPal-Only in Australia

“eBay has cancelled plans to go to a PayPal-only marketplace in Australia. It had intended to limit buyers and sellers to using its own payment service exclusively, but withdrew its notification to government regulators after the agency indicated its intention to prohibit eBay from doing so.”

In a refreshing comment by one of Auctionbytes readers;

“How refreshing it is to actually see a government in action whose primary interest is protecting its constituents rather than acting as a rubber stamp for the interests of big business.”

Referencing the current results (subject to change) of the attempt to impose a PayPal only payment process on eBay Australia which eBay has been told by the Australian government it could not implement and the latest $63 Million fine by a French court for not properly policing the eBay site for counterfeits Dee reminded us;

eBay: In France - “today’s ruling is about an attempt by LVMH to protect uncompetitive commercial practices at the expense of consumer choice and the livelihood of law-abiding sellers that eBay empowers everyday.”

The ACCC in Australia to eBay: ‘‘consumers are in the best position to determine which service offers the best features… consumers are in the best position to decide which payment method is most suitable for them.”

eBay in France: “We believe that the overreach manifests itself through an attempt to impose, in France, a business model that restricts consumer choice through an anti-competitive business practice.”

Dee says: “Replace ‘in France’ with ‘in Australia’ and you’ve discovered eBay hypocrisy at its ugliest.”

Sorry folks, you still can’t have your cake and eat it too…

From Steven Greenhouse at The NY Times;

Wal-Mart Faces Fine in Minnesota Suit

“A state judge in Minnesota has ruled that Wal-Mart Stores, the discount department store chain, violated state laws on rest breaks and other wage matters more than 2 million times and as a result could face more than $2 billion in fines. The judge has threatened to impose a $1,000 penalty for each violation.”

When I worked for Wally the point was made systematically and with certain definity - take your breaks and punch out and in. The only negative I could offer was the management’s anal vision of the few seconds or moments before or after the scheduled times to punch out or in, threatening write-ups or even termination for too many late or early punches.

“The judge also ruled on Monday that Wal-Mart owed $6.5 million to 56,000 current and former employees because of contractual violations, including a failure to give workers promised rest breaks at least 1.5 million times. The judge found that Wal-Mart managers in Minnesota had systematically broken the law by having employees take in-house training while off the clock.”

Never saw that happen but then again, I wasn’t spending all my time in the training room either.

The numbers in these suits across the country are a bit staggering in their enormity. Makes for an interesting read…

eBay Does Battle With Two Foreign Governments or Purveyor of Parasitic Practices Hammered In French Court or eBay Willing To Display Arrogance In Australia and France.

The bottom line is a French court has ruled against eBay in a battle involving counterfeit Louis Vuitton products. To the tune of $63 Million (US).

Eliciting this response from LVMH: “The Paris commerce court’s verdict will make case law. For the first time in France it clearly states the principle under which auction sites that operate on the web have to ensure that their activities do not permit unlawful dealings. The court has dismissed as without foundation the argument used by eBay to exonerate itself that its clients are solely responsible for their illegal undertakings when transacting. eBay is not a host but a broker.”

Ouch - case law? Dismissed without foundation? Wow, without foundation - that’s pretty heavy.

eBay responded: “We believe that this ruling represents a loss not only for us but for consumers and small businesses selling online, therefore we will appeal. It is clear that eBay has become a focal point for certain brand owners’ desire to exact ever greater control over e-commerce. We view these decisions as a step backwards for the consumers and businesses whom we empower everyday.”

Nice spin - I actually like it - blame everyone else and even include your buyers and sellers but exonerate yourself. Of course, it seems someone forgot that it wasn’t the brand owner that came to the ruling, it was a French Court!

Getting your mind organized - and mapped

“Mind mapping” can help organize your brainstorms. This week, cult favorite Mindjet released a new, online tool for collaborative mapping.

This week Mindjet launched the first online-only version of MindManager, called Mindjet Connect. For $8.99 a month, users can collaborate with co-workers on the same mind map at the same time. A premium version, for $22.49 a month, adds Web conferencing and lets you turn Microsoft Office documents into mind maps.

From MindJet Connect: “Collaborate in real time over the Web. Now you can leverage MindManager on a secure, online environment – allowing you to collaborate around maps with anyone from virtually anywhere.”

Tell CNN if you’ve mapped your mind. Tell us below what your thoughts or successes with mind-mapping might be.

Sponsored By: New Media News Every Morning at 901am

Because it’s Brad’s I’d recommend it anyway but I think you might want to seriously take a look at this. Here’s some of the email Brad sent out;

A new website creation program that allows you to create truly professional looking websites with absolutely no website programming knowledge, whatsoever.

You can create sites that look identical to those created by professional web designers!

We’ve been working on it for more than 8 months now. We just opened up the site to the world and you can sign up for free and start making your own website right this very minute.

It’s getting rave reviews from some of the top marketers in the world and I truly believe it will revolutionize the way you do business online, as an internet marketer.

Go there and sign up for your free account now, and check out just how insanely easy it is to create a professional looking website… really! :-)

Here’s the link: BlinkWeb

Thanks to Andrew Brown from FreedomWorks, who emailed me after I expressed an interest with this post. Andrew and Adam, I hope you don’t mind - this is a short post so I’m going to re-post it almost in full;

Congress Uses Same Offset Twice to Cheat Budget Rules

“Congress is using the same “revenue offset” in two different bills to mask their combined budget impact, FreedomWorks policy analysts discovered today. The measure, which creates a new IRS database of small business transactions, is being used to offset $9.8 billion in new spending in the Senate’s Dodd-Countrywide mortgage bailout, as well as $9.8 billion in tax relief in the House AMT “patch” bill.

“Pay-as-you-go,” or Paygo, budgeting requires that new spending or tax cuts have offsetting spending cuts or revenue increases to maintain a neutral impact on the deficit. Enforcing Paygo is a self-proclaimed priority for many in Congress.

Beyond the accounting gimmicks, the new government database created by the “revenue offset” is highly controversial and is opposed by small business and privacy advocates.

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe commented, “Trying to follow these bills is like a watching a game of Three Card Monte. This Congress can’t even keep track of the legislation that creates the latest over-reaching government database. So how can we trust it with a new database of sensitive information about nearly every eBay power seller?”

Aaah - what the hey - $9.8 Billion is nothing - right?

Introducing Google Ad Planner

To make your life easier, we’re introducing Google Ad Planner, a research and media planning tool that connects advertisers and publishers. When using Google Ad Planner, simply enter demographics and sites associated with your target audience, and the tool will return information about sites (both on and off the Google content network) that your audience is likely to visit. You can drill down further to get more detail like demographics and related searches for a particular site, or you can get aggregate statistics for the sites you’ve added to your media plan.

While Google Trends for Websites, announced last week, is designed for all users, Google Ad Planner is designed with media planners in mind. Using Google Ad Planner, you can quickly create media plans and export to a .csv file, which can be opened in most spreadsheet applications. Or, you can export to DoubleClick’s MediaVisor, which helps you manage all your other media planning, buying and campaign management activities.

For anyone interested in giving Google Ad Planner a try-out, click here.

Doreen Carvahal wrote in The NY Times recently;

Small Publishers Feel Power of Amazon’s ‘Buy’ Button

In the latest in a series of disputes over the division of revenue from online sales, Amazon has disabled the “buy now with 1 click” icon on its British Web site for hundreds of books published by the British unit of Hachette Livre, from back-list Stephen King novels to, naturally, “The Hachette Guide to French Wine.”

The button allows registered users to purchase titles instantly, with free shipping. Customers can still buy the affected books, but they have to navigate to an open marketplace that links them to third-party sellers of new or used books. And they have to pay for shipping.

The struggle comes at a time that Amazon’s power as a bookseller is increasing, with sales growing online in an otherwise tepid global book market. Some publishers fear that with the introduction of Amazon’s Kindle electronic reader, the company will rise into a position to be able to demand more concessions.

“The buy button is their weapon of choice and that’s how they impose market discipline,” said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, an American trade group that also briefly lost the buy icon, for titles sold from BackinPrint.com, a print-on-demand service for infrequently purchased works. “This is such a clear indication that once they have the clout they are willing to use it to the full extent that they can. It’s ugly with Amazon and will probably get uglier.”

Amazon is saying little about its tactics. But bloggers have been organizing letter-writing campaigns and petition drives accusing Amazon, which bills itself as “Earth’s most customer-centric company,” of transforming itself into the bully of the publishing industry.

Mick Rooney says;

The dispute seems to particularly focus on Amazon’s aggressive low pricing on lead titles which is having an effect on ordinary high street bookstores.

Amazon UK have not responded publicly about the dispute but their continued heavy handed practice of dealing with publishers continues in light of the recent moves against some print-on-demand publishers.

At bNet we find;

According to reports, Amazon.co.uk has removed some titles published by Hachette from sale on its website. The bookseller is thought to be seeking to put pressure on Hachette to give it a greater percentage of profit from the sale of its titles.

Hachette’s group chief executive in the UK, Tim Hely Hutchinson, has written to the company’s authors to say that the company does not intend to meet Amazon’s demands.

Could this

Numilog, a major e-book distributor and retailer in France, will be acquired by Hachette Livre, a subsidiary of the Lagardere Group, if a proposed deal goes through.

So reports Le Figaro, a major French newspaper.

What’s more, Hachette, the country’s largest publisher, is prepared to offer books in the right format for the Sony Reader in France, although it will not be the company introducing the machine there this year (correction, May 21: thanks to Hadrien Gardeur at Feedbooks for pointing out the difference).

have been the motivation for Amazon?

H/T to Ina Steiner once again. As you read, notice that this was snuck into and hidden within, legislation without any of “us” knowing it! Thanks to Adam Brandon at Freedomworks.

Senate Housing Bill Requires eBay, Amazon, Google, and All Credit Card Companies to
Report Transactions to the Government

Washington, DC - Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd’s 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill’s managers without debate this week, would require the nation’s payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government.

Call Congress and Tell Them to Oppose The eBay Reporting Provision in the Housing Bill: 1-866-928-3035

FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey commented: “This is a provision with astonishing reach, and it was slipped into the bill just this week. Not only does it affect nearly every credit card transaction in America, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, but the bill specifically targets payment systems like eBay’s PayPal, Amazon, and Google Checkout that are used by many small online businesses. The privacy implications for America’s small businesses are breathtaking.”

“Privacy groups like the Center for Democracy and Technology and small business organizations like the NFIB sharply criticized this idea when it first appeared earlier this year. What is the federal government’s purpose with this kind of detailed data? How will this database be secured, and who will have access? Many small proprietors use their Social Security number as their tax ID. How will their privacy be protected? What compliance costs will this impose on businesses? Why is Sen. Chris Dodd putting this provision in a housing bailout bill? The bill also includes the creation of a new national fingerprint registry for mortgage brokers.

“At a time when concerns about both identity theft and government spying are paramount, Congress wants to create a new honey pot of private data that includes Social Security numbers. This bill reduces privacy across America’s payment processing systems and treats every American small business or eBay power seller like a criminal on parole by requiring an unprecedented level of reporting to the federal government. This outrageous idea is another reason to delay the housing bailout legislation so that Senators and the public at large have time to examine its full implications.”

Outrageous doesn’t quite cut it - Big Brother sounds and feels more appropriate. When the hell are we going to come to our senses??? When it’s too late???

If you want to learn how to be an Internet Marketer;

Allen Says, the owner of the Warrior forum, has made a new forum available where you can find real value in each and every thread posted.

It’s called [drum roll… :)] - The Warrior Private Membership Forum

That link won’t get you in - you’ll need to pay a one off fee that started at $20 and will be going higher. This is without a doubt the best $20 I have ever spent online and I only joined last night. Of course, I’ve been a Warrior forum member for a bit of time…

Whether you’re a current Warrior forum member or not, you can use this link to join.

Why would this be so valuable I would endorse it without Allen Says knowing I am? Every Internet marketer who has a recognizable “name” will be adding an invaluable thread chock full of tips and wisdom to this forum. You can’t help but learn something worth far more than the initial membership fee, without any doubt whatsoever!

The free ebooks that Allen offers are worth more than the membership by themselves alone!!!

Sponsored By: New Media News Every Morning at 901am

The restricted press event conducted by Rogers yesterday appears to be in response to an increasingly vocal uproar by internet users, 3rd party internet service providers and advocacy groups to outlaw the practice of traffic shaping and deep packet inspection.

Google preps net neut dowser
Register - London, England, UK
In an effort to identify traffic discrimination by American ISPs, Google is prepping a suite of network analysis tools for everyday broadband users.

“We’re trying to develop tools, software tools…that allow people to detect what’s happening with their broadband connections, so they can let [ISPs] know that they’re not happy with what they’re getting - that they think certain services are being tampered with,” Google senior policy director Richard Whitt said this morning during a panel discussion at Santa Clara University, an hour south of San Francisco.

If the country doesn’t have neutral networks, Whitt contends, innovation stagnates among application developers. And he believes that individual consumers - as well as Washington policy makers - should join the fight for such neutrality.

Net Neutrality and How the ISP’s May Destroy the Internet
By Larry
Here’s a bit of info that alarms the heck out of me. Apparently, the major Internet services providers around the globe are planning on charging consumers extra for visiting websites outside their ’subscription Internet area.’

Innovation 08 panel on Net Neutrality at Santa Clara University
By george_ou@lanarchitect.net
Ou is adamant that - whether it (Net Neutrality rules) forbids ISPs from prioritizing apps and services or it forbids them from selling prioritization - neutrality regulation would actually prevent things like video and voice from flourishing on our worldwide IP network.

The Hundt-Powell Debate
Broadcasting & Cable - New York, NY, USA
Network neutrality: Obama is for regulation that would assure network neutrality. Hundt said, “Net neutrality is basically the broadband, future-oriented version of common-carrier [regulations], which worked in this country to provide an absolute rule against discrimination for decades and decades. And only those who are not willing to embrace the future are reluctant to take that same principle and apply it to broadband. Net neutrality is a principle of free speech, free choice and sound economics.”

Julia Wilkinson tells us the reason Seth asked rhetorically “Why are you not dating your prospects” is “to build communication with them; a way to differentiate yourself from all the other products on the proverbial shelf.”

That isn’t really new news. What he says next isn’t either but it is wisdom surely worth attention;

The other big question he had for the audience was “Is eBay a platform or a job?” As a platform, you can use it to “build something far bigger than you can imagine.

The key, he said, is to “do something remarkable,” which means “worth making a remark about.” The cycle, as it looks like in a diagram, is to “be remarkable, tell a story to your sneezers, they spread the word, and you get permission from them” to keep in touch with them via an e-mail newsletter, blog, etc.”

And the message to disenchanted eBay sellers might be to use your platform rather than depend on your job! Grow your platform into a newer, bigger platform rather than get stuck in a diminishing job. Do something differently…

He also advised people to pick something they have passion about, and advocated giving away ebooks for free to spread the word about your business. “Digital things want to be free,” he said, which brought another laugh, but Godin said tongue-in-cheek he didn’t think it was funny. “The enemy is not piracy, but obscurity.”

I love it! - “The enemy is not piracy, but obscurity.”

Developments In eBay Plan To Go PayPal Only

“The Australian IT website reported that eBay Australia sent a “strongly worded” letter this week to users warning that failure to comply with the new policy would result in an immediate removal of product listings and repeatedly emphasizing the deadline.”

After they told everyone that the date for implementation of the new policy would be pushed back to July. So, eBay feels powerful enough to countermand the Australian government though they had said they would work with the ACCC to come to an amicable solution.

Solution be damned - full speed ahead - we care not about your ACCC - height of obnoxiousness.

Blogger arrests hit record high

“More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report.

Since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for publishing their views on a blog, says the University of Washington annual report.”

Those of us who currently have the freedom to write ought to remain grateful even in the face of the destruction of privacy laws, net neutrality, freedom of speech, etc. Try this on…

“More than half of all the arrests since 2003 have been made in China, Egypt and Iran, said the report.”

Arrested for blogging to expose “corruption in government, abuse of human rights or suppression of protests. They criticised public policies and took political figures to task.” Imagine? So that a select “few” can live a lifestyle of waste and opulence, without regard to humanity.

Crooks and Liars and HuffPo might want to pay attention to this;

“arrests tended to increase during times of “political uncertainty”, such as around general elections or during large scale protests.”

There’s a lawless administration somewhere that can’t be trusted… especially with the truth!

So, the Associated Press attempts to re-define Fair Use. And someone doesn’t care for it. So what? The AP isn’t controlled by those who don’t like what they do.

“So here’s our new policy on A.P. stories: they don’t exist. We don’t see them, we don’t quote them, we don’t link to them. They’re banned until they abandon this new strategy, and I encourage others to do the same until they back down from these ridiculous attempts to stop the spread of information around the Internet.”

Oh - please… stop. Maybe we should give you credit for the AP thinking on its own;

“the news association convened a meeting of its executives at which it decided to suspend its efforts to challenge blogs until it creates a more thoughtful standard.”

Here is more coverage on this story.

Senate Hearing on Net Neutrality Raises New Piracy Concerns
The Heartland Institute - Chicago, IL, USA
The role of piracy in the net neutrality debate roiled a US House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on May 6. Lawmakers of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet entertained arguments regarding Chairman Ed Markey’s bill (HR 5353) that would establish net neutrality as the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) governing principle, commence an official proceeding against broadband providers, and require “broadband summits” around the country.

“This whole idea that this legislation helps piracy is 100 percent wrong. It’s a red herring,” said Markey (D-MA).

Samsung, Panasonic, Intel, Others Join Cable’s Tru2Way
Broadcasting & Cable - New York, NY, USA
But McSlarrow stepped back into the arena for a moment, saying “Unfortunately, this point is lost on many of the net neutrality advocates whose stilted view of networks informs the almost laughable allegation that we have an interest in undermining the ‘new world’ of broadband to protect the “old world” of linear video . . . in which case, we sure are wasting a lot of time and money enabling all these great applications.”

Net Neutrality Could Sabotage Health Care Tech
The Heartland Institute - Chicago, IL, USA
Technology such as RFID tags connected with wireless networks can help create an “always on” health monitoring system, transitioning society away from a “mainframe” medical model and redirecting it toward a smaller, more personalized, PC-type model.

This is a great idea, but the unspoken truth is that this type of communication requires healthy, innovative networks. That raises a key question about net neutrality, an issue spun and re-spun by many.

FCC Commissioner Adelstein Makes a Strong Case for Net Neutrality
By Mehan Jayasuriya
His most insightful comments, however, were on the topic of Net Neutrality and how the battle for neutral networks is linked to the American tradition of decentralized media.

Apple spends $390K on lobbying
MacUser - San Francisco, CA, USA
Finally, they lobbied on “legislation preserving the practice of treating all traffic on the Web equally, and on another bill to reform a federal program that awards subsidies for providing high-speed Internet service in schools, libraries and in rural areas.”

Net Neutrality Does Not Protect Free Speech
By Peter Suderman
The net neutrality debate has been rife with scare-mongering from the start, but the latest suggestion from the ACLU — that net neutrality is a necessary component of free speech — continues to annoy me: …

McCain Discovers The Internet, Disses Net Neutrality
By ReallySeriousNews
We know that we, the netroots, are miles ahead of DC politicians and the gasbag pundit class, with bloggers exposing truths the media never would have paid attention to, and activists working to turn electoral politics on its ear. …

Rogers admits to violating net neutrality
Digital Home - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
… Rogers Communications admitted that it violated the principle of net neutrality by arbitrarily interfering with customer’s internet communications. The company told representatives from the CBC and the Globe and Mail that its primary method for interfering with how subscribers use their internet connection - known as traffic shaping - is to throttle customers upload speeds.

Candidates Differ on Net Neutrality
By Vlada Gelman
Campaign surrogates for John McCain said the Republican presidential candidate would not support network neutrality legislation, pushing for regulation that would separate broadcast, cable and possibly the Internet instead, Broadcasting & Cable reports. Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s representatives said the Democratic presidential candidate would support net neutrality and a diversity of voice to prevent further media consolidation, the newspaper says.

Sponsored By: New Media News Every Morning at 901am

From The Electronic Frontier Foundation;

Report: Deal to Stop Courts From Ruling on Illegal Warrantless Wiretaps Imminent

“Today The Hill and Congressional Quarterly are reporting that a deal has been reached on legislation to amend FISA, which will include retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies. Under the guise of a compromise, the legislation is designed to ensure that the only issue the courts will review is whether or not the President told the telecoms that their conduct was legal, but not whether the conduct actually was legal.”

There are many misguided souls in favor of this. That is truly sad.

“Over forty years ago, President Jack Kennedy said “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.” We are such a generation, facing down an executive branch that has seized incredible power to violate the laws set forth by Congress under a dubious interpretation of the Constitution.”

Today we stand ready to allow this administration to demean and belittle the memory of a wonderful President while it foists its lawless will on us.

“To maintain our core values and the separation of powers that is integral to our Constitutional system of government, we must allow the Courts to review and rule upon the legality of the President’s warrantless surveillance program. Such a ruling effects not only the power of the president to order unlawful surveillance, but will speak to any instance in which the executive branch seeks to unilaterally override the will of the people’s house.”

So many of us have been blinded by someone who spreads fear like dictators of old. Thankfully, not all of us have been conned but our Congressmen/women have been. Why do we allow this? Why won’t you do something about this?

“One person familiar with the talks said if there are no major objections, the deal could be announced next week.”

It is every American’s duty to work against this deal. Spread the word on your Blog or web site! Engage your friends. Get snarky about it. Your rights depend on this not coming to fruition.

The Hill article quotes “Caroline Fredrickson, director of the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union, [who] said the deal appears unconstitutional.

“Whatever silk purse Hoyer tries to make of Bond’s sow’s ear and no matter how they try to sell it, the end result of all this negotiating will be exactly what the administration has wanted from the beginning - FISA rewritten to delete court oversight of surveillance and immunity for its pals at the telephone companies,” Fredrickson said.

Think about it - deleting court oversight! Immunity for those who care not what they extract from your wallets and lives, just like oil companies.

There’s only a week or so - fight back now!

Australia Says No to eBay’s PayPal-Only Policy

“The Australian government told eBay it could not implement its PayPal-only policy in Australia next week and would make a final determination on the matter. It issued a 42-page draft notice today that said consumers are in the best position to determine which service offers the best features. The agency waded through submissions by eBay buyers and sellers, online paymen