Some Facebook users are beginning to complain that its' two-week-old marketing program is publicizing their purchases for friends to see.

Users are saying they never noticed a small box that appears on a corner of their Web browsers following transactions at Fandango, Overstock and other online retailers. The box alerts users that information is about to be shared with Facebook unless they click on "No Thanks." It disappears after about 20 seconds, after which consent is assumed. Users are given a second notice the next time they log on to Facebook, but they can easily miss it if they quickly click away to visit a friend's page or check e-mail.

"People should be given much more of a notice, much more of an alert," said Matthew Helfgott, 20, a college student who discovered his girlfriend just bought him black leather gloves from Overstock for Hanukkah. "She said she had no idea (information would be shared). She said it invaded her privacy." The girlfriend was declining interviews, Helfgott said.

An Overstock.com Inc. spokesman said no one was immediately available for comment Wednesday.

Facebook has long prided itself on guarding its users' privacy, but the walls have gradually lowered. In 2006, a "news feeds" feature allowing users to track changes friends make to profiles backfired when many users denounced it as stalking and threatened protests.

Facebook quickly apologized and agreed to let users turn off the feature. The new program lets companies tap ongoing conversations by alerting users about friends' activities through the feeds. About 40 Web sites have decided to embed a free tool from Facebook, known as a Beacon, to enable the marketing feeds.


Vanessa Arellano Doctor
http://conbuzz.com

Succeeding in the field of online marketing is tough these days, especially with the level of competition among thousands of different websites. Fortunately, there are a lot of great search engine optimization companies out there. However, as in any industry, there are a few rotten apples.

The truth is this; optimization is no longer a simple cottage industry. Those that rely on keeping their clients in the dark, are a dying breed and with so many great firms out, your company simply should not need to put up with mediocre communication and results created by poor-quality SEO agencies.

Signs Your SEO Firm Could Be Ripping You Off

If you current SEO company does something in the dark, doesn't update you properly on their methods, doesn't inform you of the approaches they made, and they refuse to change their ways should you tell them to, you better start switching SEO firms quickly. There are a lot of credible SEO companies out there, so don’t be afraid to move on. Here are a few things to watch out from the SEO firm that is working for you:

- They Insist On Doing Weekly or Monthly Outlines

When you first start your SEO campaign, the agency tasked should be giving a document that outlines all of the things they were proposing to do. They would give you details such as keyword research, content optimization, site structure, competitor analysis and coding review, linking etc.

The overview would serve as a roadmap of what you should expect to receive over the course of the campaign. The sad thing is, once you’ve been with an SEO firm for 2-3 months and they haven't given you any updates yet, you should insist on a weekly or monthly overview of what tactics did they employ, and what to do next.

The SEO firm should focus on the areas of weakness; they should listen to which rankings you are unhappy with; they should identify whether it's time to look at optimizing new pages or speeding up your linking campaign.

- They Can't Fully Explain The Methods They Employed

Credible SEO agencies should not be holding back any vital data from their clients. If your SEO firm keeps you in the dark on precisely what methods where they using, its time find someone new. The SEO industry often feels that they are viewed as using smokes and mirrors, yet we often see some SEO agencies that are refusing to share methodologies and tactics with their clients.

Agencies that are leading the way are not afraid to share their methodology with their clients. After all, they are aware that implementing a successful campaign takes years of experience and a lot of highly-skilled staff. As such, they should not be scared that their clients will leave, and take their so-called secrets along with them.

- You're SEO firm Stops Talking to You.

There really is no excuse for an SEO company you are working with, to stop providing you with regular updates on what optimization tactics and strategies they are using. If after only a few months or weeks, your SEO firm doesn't clearly explain the methods they are using, or start piling up excuses that they are doing everything they could to improve your current rankings, there must be something wrong.

When this happens, it may be time to stand up in front of them, and directly ask them for a thorough outline of what they are doing.


Vanessa Arellano Doctor
SEO.XON- SEO Company