They're Watching You

"Here's Looking at You!"

I recently logged into my Yahoo! account and noticed a Plus-size women's retail clothing ad on my page. Why is this relevant you ask? I'm not a plus-sized woman. But I DID go into a plus-sized store recently to look for clothes for my relative, who happens to be a plus-sized person.

I decided to check out what was going on with these ads, called "Ad Choices", on the little blue arrow you can click on.

Lately, I've been concerned with the fact that advertisers and other companies are following people online, exchanging their personal information and 'trading' secrets with others about what you buy, when you buy, and how much you have to buy with (your household income amount).

After reading, "The Daily You: How the New Advertising Industry Is Defining Your Identity and Your Worth" by Joseph Turow, I saw something truly sinister. The fact is, you really don't have any privacy at all. The worst part is, we're constantly being judged and put into unsavory categories, based on what we do online.

Here's Proof we are being watched online:

"When you are signed-in to your Yahoo! account, Yahoo! associates your observed interests and activities with your Yahoo! account..."
http://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/cookies/

Do they tell you this when you log in each time? Probably not. They certainly didn't tell me this until I looked it up.

This is the message they had for advertisers looking to advertise on Yahoo!.

"And with its industry-leading targeting tools, including Social Targeting, Yahoo! can help you reach an engaged target audience at scale within a brand-safe environment. Yahoo! is also an industry leader in protecting user data and privacy, and is considered a “most trusted” brand by consumers".
http://advertising.yahoo.com/article/yahoo-social-solutions.html

Most trusted brand by consumers? Well, it's certainly the most widely used brand besides MSN and AOL. So, which side of the playing field is Yahoo! really on? Do they really protect consumers, or are they just pretending to protect your privacy?

Here's another company, Yahoo! is partnering with to share your information. Read this and you can be the judge.

"Genome tells you who your customers are, what they are into most…"
"Our "always on" integrations with over 25 third-party data partners is exclusively augmented with Yahoo!'s proprietary search, registrations, and behavioral user data."
"…help you discover, model, optimize, and predict online audiences throughout the customer lifecycle."
http://www.genomeplatform.com

While Yahoo! promises to protect people's privacy online, it simultaneously offers businesses a way to 'target' us even as we're opting out of their ads. 

The opt-out process is so complicated that we can hardly control what they're throwing at us.

You first have to install a cookie from that site to your browser, so that other sites can 'remember' that you're blocking them. Sometimes this doesn't work with software on your computer. It is a permanent cookie that remains on your computer--after you've cleared all cookies through your browser.

Then they tell you to check back with the site each time they update it to install more permanent cookies that may or may not work.

One link I clicked on to 'opt-out' kept sending me back to the same page, to start the cycle all over again!

There's a whole slew of information on "How We Protect Your Privacy" but very little you can actually do to stop the flow of your information to other parties such as: 

Acxiom, BlueKai, Campaign Grid, Epsilon, Exelate, Experian (free credit reporting service, on of the "Big Three" (Equifax, TransUnion), IXI (a division of Equifax), Nielsen, Nielsen Catalina Solutions, Polk, ims (SDI).

The quotes from these websites were just so darn interesting, I had to print them here:

"IXI Services enables its clients to differentiate and target consumer households and target markets based on proprietary measures of wealth, income, spending capacity, credit, share-of-wallet, and share-of-market." --http://www.ixicorp.com/about/company-overview/

"Each quarter, the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Survey reaches out to more than 25,000 consumers in more than 50 countries throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America to gauge their economic outlook and confidence in the job market, status of their personal finances and readiness to spend." --http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/measurement/global-consumer-confidence.html

"We [Nielsen Catalina Solutions] [integrate] Nielsen’s industry-leading media and household purchasing information with frequent shopper data from over 60 million households, a subset of Catalina’s 90 million+ household data warehouse. Our holistic "end to end" offerings guide marketers and media companies in reaching the most valuable prospects and audiences on television, online, mobile, CRM and print." --http://ncsolutions.com

 "Based on credible, third-party data, Polk's lead conversion reporting shows Autobytel and its dealer and OEM clients:

• The number of leads that convert to sales and the lead source.

• Solid data on consumer cross-shopping behaviors.

• Insights into new-to-used shopping patterns.

• Lost sales and conquesting opportunities."

-https://www.polk.com/knowledge/case_studies/how_autobytel_leads_the_way_in_proving_the_value_of_its_internet_leads

"SDI provides business solutions that track patient behaviors on a de-identified basis across all aspects of their experience. Through our unique and proprietary patient- linking technology, we connect all aspects of a patient’s behavior and provide more actionable analysis compared to those that simply focus on one part of the patient experience." --http://www.sdihealth.com 

Note: SDI tracks medical information about patients, even in compliance with HIPAA standards (Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).

Yahoo! tells this to people looking to protect their personal information:

"Yahoo! may append information about you that is publicly available or information that is aggregated and/or anonymized by trusted partners. This information may include, for example, average household size or postal code. Yahoo! may also append other demographic information about you such as household income range and general location. This information may be associated with personally identifiable information such as email address, name and physical address."http://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/appenddata/

This is truly disturbing! Credit Ratings are especially important now because you need a good credit rating in order to get a job. Imagine what these businesses are saying about you online, based on your web-browing history and habits. 

I don't want to be constantly targeted by anyone, period! The fact that these companies and corporations know where I live, where I shop, where I go and what money I have, is a total breach of privacy. 

This is not information I willingly shared to be exploited for their monetary gain!

Think about what you do online and how you're being targeted. What ads do you see online? Why do you see them? Do you think it's labeling you and putting you in a 'bucket'? Go to the ad source and find out for yourself.

When it comes to personal information, it should be kept private. Imagine what your future boss will think based on the information they get from Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. on how you look as an employee. Now factor in what companies are saying about you based on a perceived 'buying trend'--does it mean you have good credit or bad credit? You may be surprised at what you find.

I'll be covering these issues in the future along with my review of the book "The Daily You" by Joseph Turow.

(You might want to clear your browser after reading this! If you can…)

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

To Get To Starbucks!

This Red Hen was seen outside of Starbucks in Yuba City.

There are many chickens outside on Highway 99, through Yuba City, where they like to run wild and free. 

I have yet to see any eggs lying around but there are plenty of roosters too. 

You never know what you'll see when you go outside...

Do You Live In Twitterville?

Amazon.com

"What are you doing?"

This question led to the birth of Twitter, now the most widely used texting/messaging system in the social media network. In just 140 characters, you can write about anything. Even Facebook uses this interface to start their wall posts and status updates.

The internet first connected the global network. Now social media has expanded that network into an everyday ultra-feed of new information and real-time technology. Anyone in the world can know what you are doing at this very moment. It's a whole new world and businesses have had to scramble to keep up.

The start-up of Twitter is explained in Shel Israel's book, where he covers Twitter's roots, its use among businesses people and its effectiveness in the new global neighborhood. He also shows how Twitter changed the way businesses communicate with their customers, forcing a new transparency in their interaction with an ever-changing social structure that now dominates the marketing field. Twitter is not just a 'posting-wall' for people but an important tool that shouldn't be misused. Shel Israel shows a few examples of how NOT to use Twitter--as a one-way sounding board.

Twitterville is not just a how-to book on Twittering, it's a useful explanation behind the whole techno-revolution that has changed the way we see the world of new ideas and free thinking. Twitter has changed our global world and has even started revolutions in, Egypt, Libya/Tunisia, Iran and many other places around the globe.

Twitterville in a real sense, is a gathering place for people and ideas. Twitter is also used for charity purposes and the real-time requests for money after a major disaster or tragedy, had made it a great tool to raise money and create a community with a common interest.

Though the book was written in 2009, Shel Israel has been following the latest trends in social media, businesses and current events in the field. He has published and co-written other books such as, "Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers" and writes his own blog: (http://globalneighbourhoods.net).

Twitterville is a fascinating look at how we are all connected in this digital age and how it is shaping our future. For those of us who are new to Twitter, Shel Israel has a few tips in his book and blog, on where to start.

For my part, I wanted to know how Twitter could be used to improve the way I communicate with people. Since social media and personal branding is so important these days, I needed to know how to use these tools most effectively. Twitterville explains all that and more. Now I may have to get a Twitter account along with my Facebook account, Dropbox account, Evernote account, etc.

Of course, Twitter is more about creating useful content than having a lot of followers. It's a communication tool to keep in touch with people, like your mobile phone and texting, in moment to moment time.

"What are you doing?"

I'm writing a review on my blog about a cool book I read called, "Twitterville" by Shel Israel. I want to know how to use Twitter as a tool.

----------

"Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive In New Global Neighborhoods" by Shel Israel.

[Portfolio, September 2009]
Pre-order at Amazon, BN.com, 800-CEO-READ, Borders.com, or IndieBound.http://globalneighbourhoods.net/twitterville Shel Israel's website

Categories: Business, Social Media, Current Events, General Readership, Marketing
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (September 3, 2009)
Language: American English
ISBN-10: 1591842794

ISBN-13: 978-1591842798

"Belle De Jour" An Intimate Look Behind the Mask

Amazon.com

She lives the perfect life, or so it seems. Married to the rich Dr. Pierre Serizy, Severine Serizy lives a life of luxury and elegance. Yet she is missing something vital. Her marriage has not been consummated and her handsome husband, Pierre, waits in vain for her acceptance of his intimate affections. 

We see inside the fragile, secret mind of Severine with flashbacks that suggest childhood sexual abuse and the shame connected with it. In another memory, we see her as a child at the altar, dressed to be baptized--refusing the flesh of Christ when it is offered to her by the priest.

Her daydreams reveal these images of sexual confusion when we see her in a carriage with her husband, who will later punish her by whipping her and offering her to the coachmen. It is a shocking revelation into the mind of a woman who has suffered sexual abuse as a child but wants release--a justification of pleasure and punishment. 

Severine roams about her house lost in daze. She is clumsy and restless, as her daydreams tear her from her real life. She is left confused and separate from reality, like a child. 

While out to lunch with her friend, Renée, Severine finds out an acquaintance of theirs is a prostitute at a whorehouse. Severine is both shocked and intrigued. Though she will not admit it, she wants to explore the darker side of this possibility. She dabbles in the subject by asking her husband if he has visited these places--but she doesn't reveal the real reason behind her probing questions. 

With trepidation, she goes to her husband's friend, Henri Husson (a womanizer, who has previously flirted and stared at Severine), to ask for more details and he jokingly replies that he frequents such places, and as if on cue, gives her the address of a house he knows. The stage is now set for Severine.

Sounds of water flowing, sleigh bells jingling and cats meowing, offer strange insights to these daydreams. She wants to be punished but still cannot bring herself to talk to her husband about these desires she keeps inside herself.

Severine is like a separate personality to herself. She doesn't open herself to her husband, and his greatest complaint against her is that she never lets him into her secret world, or her body. She plays the perfect housewife, one who hasn't consummated their marriage, yet has shocking and lustful imaginings behind the mask she wears.

Her name connotes a severed being. The female version of the name, sever: to be forcibly cut or split. Disturbing as her name is, it is very accurate of her personality. 

Soon Severine finds herself at the door of the whorehouse her husband's friend had led her to, a nondescript townhouse, in the middle of a neighborhood. She recklessly follows her curiosity and oddly hopes for an answer to the strange feelings she keeps inside. 

She meets, Madame Anaïs (like the erotic writer, Anaïs Nin). Madame Anaïs convinces her that she is perfect for the part, Belle De Jour "A Woman of the Day", since Severine must always leave by five o'clock (which is also a time for mass prayers). Madame Anaïs tries to seduce her with a kiss, but Severine doesn't know what to make of this and she pulls away.

Severine is still hesitant about her prospective double life as a prostitute and visits her husband, making an excuse to see him. If he leaves with her, she will repent her decision to become a prostitute. Alas, he cannot leave work early--it is her only escape from this situation, but she doesn't tell him this. She wanted him to rescue her from this situation she has put herself in, but he doesn't know anything. She is left alone and now must follow through with her other life, as a prostitute in a whorehouse. 

Belle De Jour is innocent and naive about the ways of life and of the goings on in a whorehouse. She is roughly introduced to 'the candy man', Mr. Adolph, who runs a candy-shop and 'adores his whores'. This is reminiscent of her sexual abuse as a child, and she is not attracted to this rude man. Madame Anaïs reprimands Severine when she tries to escape, saying, "You need a firm hand". The man takes Severine roughly, and she cannot refuse but must submit to his demands. In the end she gives in to her own strange desires.

Is this what she really wants? Even Severine doesn't really know if she is doing the right thing. She has still kept this secret from her husband. 

After an absence at the whorehouse, Severine returns to an admonishing Madame Anaïs. But in returning, it seems as if Severine has made up her mind and has decided to stay. 

Severine is asked to be a dominatrix for a strange man, a Doctor of Gynecology, who wants to be commanded and have his body and face "stamped on". She doesn't know what to do and another woman is called in to do the job. But Madame Anaïs shows her a secret peep-hole, telling her to watch and learn. Severine observes silently, shocked and disgusted by the man's behavior. "How can anyone stoop so low?" she asks.

Severine is introduced to many men and gradually learns how to be a true Belle De Jour. The pinnacle of acceptance comes when a strange Asian man introduces odd sexual practices. He shows Severine what at first seem to be Ben-Wa balls and a mysterious buzzing insect inside a box. While the other prostitutes refuse to comply with his requests, Severine is strangely attracted to him. Though the man is clearly meant to be Japanese, presenting a "Geisha Club" card, he only speaks nonsense--an incoherent language. Whether this was intentional or not, it presents something more troubling than a racial caricature. There is no way to understand what he is saying, or what he will do to Severine, and his presence is the most sinister because the other women fear him. Later when the maid, (Madame Anaïs' sister, Pallas) mentions how horrible the man was, Severine languidly replies, "What do you know, Pallas?" Severine has finally conquered her fear of men.

The other shocking man she meets is a Duke who has a thing for death. They meet at a cafe where the coachmen bring the Duke. She agrees to go to his house, the same house that is in the beginning of the movie of Severine's fantasy. At the manor house, Severine then changes into a woman wearing a death shroud. She is laying in a coffin for the Duke, while the sounds of cats meowing fill the air. The Duke observes her, "pale, deathly-still body", before carrying out his fantasy to the incredulous view of Severine. When the act is over, Severine is forced out of the manor into the rain with very little dignity spared for her.

The only thing Severine fears is her husband finding out. She has still not consummated her marriage with him, telling him only that when she is ready, she will allow him to be close with her. It is this strange distance she keeps with him, while sleeping with other men, that makes it seem as if she doesn't love him. Perhaps she is now afraid he will find out what she has done, through the evidence of her body. Or could it be she fears a true intimacy with her husband, the only one she truly loves?

More images of perversion follow in Severine's mind. Her husband, Pierre and his friend Henri, are out in the woods, casually shoveling mud (or possibly cow dung) into a pail. "Let's go say hello to Severine," they say. She is tied up to a post and Henri flings the mud at her, yelling joyfully, "Hello, whore! Hello, you tramp!". Pierre watches from aside.

Through her fantasies Severine escapes, daydreaming of committing such infidelities with Henri, in the presence of her husband, while Pierre is blissfully unaware of what is going on. It's as if she is goading Pierre, wanting him to find out what is happening, so he can punish her and she can have release.

Finally Severine is introduced to a young gangster, Marcel, who falls under her spell and becomes madly in love with her. She fears this man and so desires him because she fears him. He is unpredictable and dangerous. But Severine still loves her husband and though she is restless when they go on vacation because of Marcel, she would not hurt her husband with the truth of her affair.  

But Severine is undone one day, when an old friend of Madame Anaïs comes to visit. It is her husband's friend, Henri, and he knows now what she has been up to. Though he promises not to tell Pierre of her double life, he makes it clear of his disdain for her "day-job" and feels sorry for her husband. "His pure and chaste wife, is anything but...". He mocks her, not admitting that he was the one to give her the address of the whorehouse in the first place. She accuses him but he makes an excuse, "I didn't think you'd actually follow through", he seems to say. Henri is no longer interested in her but offers to bring his friends over instead to see her in the brothel. It is a humiliating experience for Severine, who confesses that she can't help herself--she must submit to this other life of hers.

She is torn. She is left with no choice but to leave. Upon her decision, Madame Anaïs thinks Marcel is the cause for Severine's departure. Severine says goodbye, tries to seduce Madame Anaïs with a kiss, but Madame Anaïs rebuffs her. Belle De Jour, favorite of the whorehouse, the elegant house-wife, leaves and returns to her husband.

At home it is not her husband but the young gangster, Marcel, who is waiting for her. She tells him to go but is caught between this young man and the love for her husband.  She finally gives in to the ruffian's demands, if only to send him away. He tells her that her husband is the only obstacle between them. Marcel leaves Severine alone. Later, gunshots are heard outside and when she goes to the balcony, she finds her husband on the ground. He has been shot by Marcel.

Marcel, who so desperately desired Severine, is hunted down, shot, and killed by the police. Thus ends one troubling segment in Severine's life. Though another awaits her when her husband's friend, Henri Husson, visits.

Severine's husband, Pierre, is now trapped in a wheel-chair and must be fed, bathed and changed by her. Henri shows up to confess all to Pierre. Saying that Pierre must feel so much "guilt at being a burden to his chaste wife", taunting Severine with what has happened. 

The damage is done. Pierre, blind and paralyzed, hears the terrible truth about his wife. When Severine faces her husband, it looks as though he is crying. She sits on the sofa and daydreams. Her husband gets out of his wheelchair, no longer paralyzed, asks what she is thinking and they both embrace before Severine goes out to the balcony where the coachmen wait with the carriage--the sound of sleigh bells, cats meowing and cow bells, fill the air.

Belle De Jour has decided to live her life in fantasy. Such is the life of a woman, formerly an abused child, who seeks guidance but cannot put to voice her own desires. It is not known whether she will continue her dalliances with men in the future but she will certainly continue to fantasize and daydream forever more--since reality turned out to be so harsh and unfulfilling. Severine is now stuck with an invalid for a husband, since he cannot possibly fulfill her desires now, nor can he sign for divorce. Perhaps now she can be close with him the only way she knows how--in her dreams. 

----
"Belle De Jour" A film by Luis Buñuel. Based on the Novel by Joseph Kessel. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli and Geneviève Page. With, Pierre Clementi, Francisco Rabal, Francoise Fabian, Macha Meril, Maria Latour Muni, Georges Marchal and Francis Blanche. 

See also: Martin Scorsese, Robert & Raymond Hakim, Editions Gallimard French Academy, Jean-Claude Carriere, Julie Jones. 

"Branded Male" Book Review

Google Books

Branded Male - the inside look at the modern male and his buying habits.

What makes the modern man tick? What is he thinking when he buys the next Hugo Boss brand, Guinness drink or new iPhone? More importantly, how has the modern man's tastes evolved to become the new buying power of today?

Each chapter of the book describes a defining attribute of the modern man. From provider to consumer, the modern male of today has come a long way. No longer the bland office man in a suit from yesteryear, today's men prefer a more upscale image and the brands to go along with it.

Branded Male starts out with scenarios based on experience with the new male market. The author, Mark Tungate, has worked in the industry for many years and has published other books in this field.

The modern male is now a jet-setting trend finder who must keep up with the times, both in the office and about town. Higher salaries and status makes the modern male more susceptible to the influences of high fashion regarding clothing, accessories and even the kind of car he buys. It's rough being on top of the world and the demands are high.

One curious trend the author noted was the increase in male surgery, to keep the illusion of youth. A sixty-year-old man must compete with his 20-year-old girlfriend and often accompanies her to the plastic surgeon for a consultation of his own.

Granted the author's view of the elite man who requires such heavy maintenance co-insides with his own insights to the perspectives of his colleagues and friends. The author also makes many references to the number one icon of the age for men, James Bond. It's almost as if the title of the book should have been, "Bonded Male".

Branded Male also covers sensitive issues such as body image and the rise of men striving to imitate said male icon. Sex, Dating and Health are also covered in the chapters with a humorous and frank description. More over, the author does not shy away from the sad fact that STD's are on the rise since men don't feel they are at risk, thinking the AIDS epidemic has passed--mistakenly these men are wrong and suffer from the consequences of reality. The author also mentioned that older men are increasingly at risk for AIDS and STD's--an issue the modern man has not escaped.

Overall, the book is informative and a very interesting look at the modern man and his tastes. The Branded Male is a book that reflects the times of the new man of today and what he is looking for in the new market that can now cater to both sexes with refinement and style. If the modern man has evolved for today's fashion then certainly the same is true for the fashion world itself, which can now cater to a new set of ideals for the new generation of males.