barbara friedland

Dirty little Internet secrets

Nothing is perfect.  Every business plan has defects, problems, and some end up in the bankruptcy court.

eBay has issues with fraud.  Period.  The more successful the bidding site becomes, the more scams and cons that are perpetrated. As the management team of eBay gets savvier, so do the people ripping off the system.

Sometimes the extent of the illegal activity is felt outside of this commerce website.  There were shoplifting gangs posting their loot so people could bid.  The prices could start- and remain low.  After all, there was no cost associated with their product. 

Their feedback was perfect - 100%.  After all, all feedback represents is the quality of the item,  speed of shipping and communication.  Who was hurt?  Merchants throughout the country.

 eBay, the cyber fence.

That was imaginative.  Of course, there was always and continues to be the standard run of the mill fraud.

Tiffany has created a new complication.  This vulnerable firm wanted to protect its brand and was certain that all that was touted as authentic on eBay was not.  Company representatives went on-line and bought hundreds of pieces billed as Tiffany items.  They found that 75% of the merchandise were fakes.
Tiffany filed suit against eBay last year.

That is just one brand.  There is no accurate reading of how many prized names are being diminished in this way.

eBay as a street hustler offering Rolexes.

The Sun also sets

I just cancelled my subscription to the local paper.  Why did it take so long?  Inertia. Possibly habit and tradition, not to mention reprints of the New York Times crossword puzzle.

What will I miss?  Nothing. I will have less to recycle.  I can read the edition on-line.  National and other articles can be found on a multitude of websites.  Emails arrive every day to all of my accounts with 20 plus commentaries daily, regarding on-line marketing.  I receive business news  about 4 nearby cites.

The NY Times only charges for a handful of pundits and columnists.  All of the other articles are readily available.

In fact, I found the comics that I love at a site that could be considered a competitor to my local paper.  Bonus- the comics are easier to read. 

Speed Bump- a great cartoon and a terrific guy.  He once sent me an original cel of one of his drawings - but that is a story for a different day.  In the newspaper, the words for Speed Bump are placed in a small square box.  The writing is too small.  A police sharpshooter would need a magnifying glass.  On-line, the words are crisp, clear and easily legible.  Doonesbury is in color every day.

Paid content

The New York Times is free to do whatever management decides regarding their website.

I understand that newspapers are declining in readership and revenue. Often times this is a result of their on-line counterpart.  The dot com edition eating into the sales of the ink and paper alternative.

For years, I did not grasp the economic benefit of providing content for free.  Part of the reason is that no paper of standing can be left behind. Also, advertising revenue followed to cyber space.

In the fall of 2004, The New York Times began to add a charge for some of their popular and well regarded columnists.   The majority of the website remained free.  Payment could be remitted annually or each month.  Of course, ROI, had to be analyzed.  Would this policy affect traffic and ultimately advertisers?

I did not sign up and pay for the premium edition on principle. No really.  When people say it's not the money, its the principle.  Well you know- tis about the hard cash. 

I am opposed to a two-tiered Internet.  It might be inevitable.  Like Television and Radio.  But I will not subsidize this trend.

At first I went through articulation withdrawal.  I don't drink coffee but I needed MoDo.  What did Frank Rich have to say?