Steal this Blog Post (While You Still Can)
January 17th 2011
In just a few years I think geeks will look back to 2010 like hippies recall the bashes of the halcyon late sixties. Here are 5 things I think you’ll miss about 2010 in 2015.
Free speech / censorship
Democrats Free Speech Power Grab: Is Your Blog a Press or a Public Accommodation?
January 9th 2011
Life is metaphors, I live on them. And so does the law, when it comes to the digital world. Obama officials claim your online life is a “public accomodation” like a restroom (so it can be regulated). But I say that parts of our online lives are form more like virtual presses. And presses are protected because the lead to unfettered speech.
Is WikiLeaks Ethical, Criminal, or an Immune Nuisance?
December 3rd 2010
Washington politicians are falling over each other to establish who can be the most bombastic about WikiLeaks. But is there a crime or ethical offense the website is guilty of?
Boston’s WHDH and ADM Make Bogus Copyright Claims to Silence Critics and Clowns
February 24th 2010
Do you remember conservative radio talk-show host Michael Savage? He sued a Muslim advocacy group for copyright infringement because it dared to quote what he said on the radio as part of an advertiser boycott. A U.S. District judge tossed the suit, and supported the doctrine of Fair Use, saying that anyone who listens to [...]
Boston Police Charge Those Who Videotape Arrests as “Wire Tappers”
February 22nd 2010
This week the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Boston Police Department for using “wiretapping” laws to prevent citizens from taking video footage of police arrests. Some would naively think such laws were passed to protect the people from the authorities, not vice versa. (details in Law.com) Following Training? Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll rejected [...]
Protecting Kids Will Legitimize Surveillance and Censorship: 2010 Online Law Trend
February 17th 2010
Your Digital Papers, Please? Last week at the Davos World Economic Forum, Microsoft’s chief research and technology officer floated what to date has been an obviously bad idea: that Internet users should be licensed. The suggestion is covered and advanced in a Time Magazine article that takes the familiar dystopic theme of the Net as the [...]
Digital Marketing Regulation and the Fear of Clowns Are 2010 Themes
February 1st 2010
Last week I asked UsefulArts.us readers what they think may online law trends for 2010. Here’s the first of what looks like a half dozen responses to that question. The Coulrophobia Epidemic of 2010: trademark owners’ fear of clowns may be rational. When a competitor uses your mark and pretends to be your company, that’s [...]
Communist Chic Banned: My Marketo Shirt’s Illegal in Poland
January 20th 2010
A few years ago I showed my wife a t-shirt from Marketo, the San Mateo-based lead generation company. They were revolutionary, and to underscore that they had a manifesto, and their shirt featured an image of Che Guevara. My wife is a marketer who has lived in Central America; she immediately noted the use of [...]
WikiLeaks Draws Congressional Ire: Is Repeating Leaks Part of Free Speech?
January 13th 2010
Back in 2007, I suggested that snitching was one of the killer apps of Web 2.0. Since then, WikiLeaks.org, the site for snitching secrets about governments and corporations, has been a success. How do you measure success? Perhaps by the zeal with which legislators seek to investigate the website. Of course, judges have quickly raised [...]
China Prevents All Individuals from Registering “.cn” Domain Names: Yikes!
December 28th 2009
What will they know of China, who only “.cn” know? The Associated Press reports that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has posted requirements that all “.cn” china domains be issued only to registered businesses. AP’s coverage also says that any sites that have not registered with the ministry will be “taken off the [...]
About Dave Wieneke, Digital Strategist
The future of digital marketing will be built by strategists who grasp the full array of emerging business, social, and technical models. Specialities in user experience, branding, application design, and data are laying the foundation for richer user experiences and business models breakthrough products and revenue based marketing.
UsefulArts is a soapbox to discuss the frontline of digital marketing, and the agencies and platforms that enable it. Marketing today needs a cadre of leaders who can connect c-level enterprise strategy with these new capabilities.