Pawtucket Red Sox Internships!

The Pawtucket Red Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, are currently in search of 6-7 interns to begin work in January/February 2011. These internships are designed to offer marketing/Public relations students the opportunity to garner significant experience with a premier minor league baseball team by managing a public outreach campaign from January – May 2011. For more information check out full details by clicking HERE or visit RWU Hawks Hunt Job ID#5708. APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 29TH!!

Young Professionals need to Develop Credibility and Influence in Social Media

I learn in school constantly about being an active consumer of media and participating in the use of social media by using Facebook, Twitter and blogging about what I am reading and learning that is occurring in the news and in the PR realm. My Professor constantly tells us to be consumers of the media to build credibility for ourselves and show that we are active social media users.

In a recent article I read on ComPRhension, they discussed the importance of knowing social media as a young professional, especially given that many PR professionals now have been thrown social media and are trying to grasps its use and importance for their clients, without having the knowledge of which sites are more popular for their target publics and what social media should be used for.

Yet, the other side is simply this despite young professionals grasp on social media some of the old standard rules still apply, this is that quite simply that you need to develop credibility and influence. Developing this can be as simple as retweeting tweets because it is important to maintain the idea of two-way communication in social media just like within traditional media. According to the article only 1 in every 300 Tweets are retweeted. Now if you look at the number of people on Twitter that number does not seem so bad, but the simple fact is as young professionals we need to make sure that we are engaging and forming those relationships now with credible journalists and media outlets.

It is important to remember just having a lot of followers does not matter it is the content of the information that you are putting out their and who is recognizing that. This is what will get you notice in social media by journalist not your number of followers. In short it is the social media in the PR world use the same concept as with traditional media maintaining credibility and understanding the news will help you develop influence and respect.

Taking Command of Your Messages-Greg Radner

Looking on PRSA.org, I found this article regarding the DC conference this year and message control. It's an interesting account by Greg Radner, head, PR Services, Thomson Reuters. This short article is applies to what Comm 300 is learning now - developing and delivering messages.

With more than 30 sessions related to social media management at this year’s PRSA 2010 International Conference in D.C., it is clear that figuring out social technologies is a priority for public relations professionals, even if it takes them out of their comfort zone. Public relations is about controlling your message, but trying to take control in a communal environment is often a losing battle.

The Conference provided a perfect case study when Mickey Mouse made a surprise appearance to promote next year’s Conference location of Orlando, FL. Shortly after the session, an e-mail was distributed to the PRSA blogging crew asking us not to use images of Mickey in our blog posts. It was to prevent unauthorized commercial use of the image, but it got me thinking about control of content in the age of real-time news. Armed with cell phone cameras, images of Mickey had already been shared through Twitter and other social networks across the Web by many of the non-blogging attendees.

As Charlene Li suggested in her Tuesday morning keynote address, PR professionals need to learn how to “give up control but still be in command.” To that point, I spoke with many attendees who stopped by the Thomson Reuters booth with questions on how they can better manage the monitoring and measurement of their communications once they are released into the marketplace. It’s an issue that is top of mind across the industry, and the exhibit hall was filled with providers offering solutions to help address this need.

Today’s tools allow PR professionals to listen to and participate in the conversation, rather than trying to tame the message. Here, knowledge is power and the social sphere provides a rich river of gold. These tools allow for real-time monitoring of the online conversation and employ measurement tools that can extract market sentiment and opinions from the discussions. So, while you cannot always control the message, you can listen in on how your message is being received and use that information to respond as necessary.

There’s a rich vein of information out there, so get out your tools and start mining it.

While I wasn't at the DC Conference, I'm curious to find out if those who were there thought about the use of Mickey Mouse to promote next years conference. Did you think of the implications of distributing Mickey Mouse's trademark across social networking platforms? In a world where everything exciting, new, fun, engaging, etc. is immediately shared via texts, blogs, tweets, status updates, messages, and other outlets, I think it's quite the task to share a message while hoping it's imagery or logos to not be subsequently reproduced. Mickey Mouse had no choice but to be subjected to picture-taking. Almost every technological device can capture an image - phones, computers, cameras - is it realistic to expect people not to share his surprise arrival? If there is anything to come away with from this experience, it's from Charlene Li's aforementioned keynote address:

"PR professionals need to learn how to “give up control but still be in command.”

Kik, The New AIM for Smartphones

First, there was AIM, ADIDO and Yahoo!Messenger then we had Myspace. iChat and Skype came along with the inventions of the webcam. Now we all Skype, iChat, Google chat and use Facebook online to interact with our peers, families, friends and professionals. Now there is Kik Messenger is this just a fad or the next big thing like AIM was or Skype is.

Now what is Kik messenger, it is free-real time text messenger. Now it allows you to create a screen name or a username, depending on what you like to call it and chat back and forth between your friends on cell phones. Yet what makes it any different than texting between you and your friends? It is suppose to be quicker and more social than traditional SMS texting. Kik currently supports the Blackberry, Android, and iPhone.

It is apparently a fad that is quickly catching on Kik has had to upgrade their servers to handle the amount of people downloading their new application twice now. They ended up with a million users in just 15 days. Now as you log onto Facebook you see your friends updating their statuses with their Kik usernames. It is safe to say the only real determining factor of the success of Kik is how long will it last or will it just disappear when the next app for the smartphone comes out.

Networking 101

Some interesting information I found on the PRSSA job center page about the myths and truths about networking.

What is it?

A supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

What can people do for you?

• Offer you a job/internship, now or in the future.
• Introduce you to someone else who is hiring.
• Give you information about other companies/agencies that have openings.
  

Myths and Realities

Myth: You should only network with people who can help you get a job.

Reality: Don't set limits-think broadly-people may know someone else who can help you get a job or internship.

Myth: You need to know the "right" people to network effectively.

Reality: It's up to YOU to create the connections that will eventually help you.

Myth: Strangers resent you asking for help with your job/internship search.

Reality: If you approach people properly and make reasonable requests, they will most likely help.

Create a Network List of Contacts

Think of your list in the shape of a pyramid, broken down into levels.

Level One
These are people you are comfortable approaching for names and other requests. These are your friends, neighbors and relatives with whom you have regular contact. This level consists of about 10-15 people.

Level Two
These are your colleagues and acquaintances that you see occasionally. These people know you and are willing to help you-you may deal with them on a professional level (i.e. your doctor).

Level Three
This is the toughest level. These are strangers-people you have yet to meet. You have heard about them from someone in level one or two, or you found his/her name in a directory (i.e. The Blue Book) or a newspaper.

Now that you have organized your networking contacts into levels, it's time to put them into a database.

Network Database

This should include:

• Name
  
• Title
  
• Company
  
• Business address
  
• Home address
  
• Phone number
  
• Fax number
  
• E-mail address
  

It would also be helpful for you to explain:

• Nature of this connection (i.e. met at PRSSA National Conference Career Expo)
  
• Names of other people or companies they gave you
  
• Priority-how valuable is this person to you?
  
• Comments-record meetings you may have had, any letters you may have sent, etc.
  

Example

Here is an example of what you can say to a potential network contact:

"Hi, my name is_______ and I got your name from _________. For the past ____ years I have been studying at _______. During that time I've had the opportunity to develop my PR skills in the areas of ________. I will be graduating in ________ and am looking for _______.

Be articulate, speak naturally and have confidence.

US Newspaper Circulation Continues To Fall, Though Moderates Read more: US Newspaper Circulation Continues To Fall

Daily circulation at many of the U.S.'s largest newspapers fell during the six months ended in September, adding to the industry's woes caused by weak advertising and competition from a swath of digital technologies, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Average weekday circulation for 635 U.S. dailies dropped 5%, based on a cumulative average for the period ended Sept. 30, from a year earlier. The decline follows year-to-year decreases of 8.7% in the six months through March 31 and 11% through Sept. 30, 2009. Sunday circulation for 553 Sunday papers was down 4.5% in the latest period.

The figures were released Monday by a publishing industry group, the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and reflect figures from many, though not all, U.S. newspapers. Three of the country's 25 largest papers posted declines of at least 10%.

Among the country's largest papers, the sharpest drops were at the Newsday, owned by Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC), where circulation fell 12%, and the San Francisco Chronicle, owned by Hearst Corp. Its circulation declined 11%.

Newspaper circulation has been declining for decades, but the pace has picked up in recent years, as more readers turn to a range of digital media and as some publishers have drastically curtailed the distribution of their papers or abandoned print partially or altogether for the Internet.

Read more: US Newspaper Circulation Continues To Fall, Though Moderates - Investing - Dow Jones Newswire - SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/news/ON/?story=ON-20101025-000211#ixzz13g596p4l

Facebook reaches 62% of online Americans | Social Media Today

Facebook reaches 62% of online Americans | Social Media Today

Facebook now reaches more than 50% of Americans who are online according to the chart below, by comSource. This chart shows that social media is the new media in some ways that in order to reach your public many times you need to head to the internet. Yet, this chart begs the question how should your campaign focus from a social media perspective do you use Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Blogs, etc, or because of this chart should the focus really be on the use of Facebook alone. In my opinion the best approach is to use Facebook, especially for a campaign is as your main hub of information and then you that page to link your "friends" or users to all of your other social media by the use of share buttons, just like I will after this post is finished. What are your opinions on how Facebook should be used in social media or a PR campaign.

“Adapt or die” — PRSA/PRSSA Key Note Speakers: Bill Tancer and Jeffrey Hayzlett

Attendees of the PRSSA National Conference were invited to a keynote session with over 1,500 professionals at the Public Relations Society of America International Conference on Monday, October 18. Bill Tancer, author of, Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters- Unexpected Insights for Business and Life, opened up the session talking to the audience about human behavior online and how this information can be utilized to benefit a business. Tancer stressed the importance of trending topics to help public relations strategy. Trending topics involve social media sites, such as Twitter, and search engines to find out what information people are concerned with. He used the example of Tylenol, currently the company is recalling some of its products, and by using trending services, such as Google Trends, Google Insights, and Tweet Cloud, Tylenol can understand how people feel about the company based on what they are searching and posting on social media sites. Tancer explained it best, “we are what we click.” Based on what we can gather from what people are talking about online, we can frame our messages to fit the trending topics.

The second keynote speaker, Jeffrey Hayzlett, is the author of, The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing?, and spoke about staying current in the business world. When in leadership positions, Hayzlett explained that Conditons of Satisfaction (COS) is crucial. By initially laying out the COS within a business, there will be less need for “catching up” in the long run. If employees cannot keep up, it is not the company’s responsibility to hold on to that employee. This information is extremely applicable to the fast-moving field of public relations. The industry is constantly changing; currently there is a huge shift moving from the use of traditional media to social media. The professionals who cannot keep up with the trends could hinder a company’s level of success. Hayzlett quoted a fictional employer speaking to an out-dated employee, “we love you… but we’ll miss you.” In PR, in order to success you need to move fast. It is more important to stay ahead and risk making a mistake, than to not keep up with the industry. Hayzlett explained, “If you make a mistake, no one is going to die.” It is more important to be one of the first to get a story out, for example, and risk making an editing mistake, than take the time to perfect it and submit it when the story is no longer applicable. Hayzlett explained his success with Kodak camera company, being the first to put out a waterproof hand-held video camera. They thought of the idea and immediately created it. Kodak could have taken an additional year to further evaluate their product, but that would have risked their opportunity to beat out other camera companies. Kodak now outsells its competition ten to one.

PRSSA National Conference

Our chapter just got back from national conference in Washington, DC. Even though it was a conference full of sessions and speakers our chapter made the most of every opportunity that was there. We explored the city taking in our nation’s history and exploring the world of Public Relations outside of conference.

We started our trip on Friday, October 15 with a tour of the Holocaust museum, we viewed the exhibit State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda, in which we learn how Hitler used propaganda, which is an early known form of public relations, to convince millions that Jews were the cause of all of Germany’s problems. Hitler created himself to be a trust agent and opinion leader of the Nazi party that lead the German military and country to trust and believe that his party’s ideals and messages where true and that the Jews were to blame for all their country’s problems and that a final solution was needed. We learned how he used messages and power over Germany to cause mass genocide. We continued that day with a sight seeing tour on bicycles, through the national mall visiting all the national monuments. Friday evening was out first opportunity to network with our peers as we went to the social that evening and met other PRSSA members and chapters.

Saturday, kicked off with speaker Jim Margolis from the firm GMMB, he is most known for working on the Obama presidential campaign. He talked to us about using emotion, creating clarity in messages and needing to create a moment to stand out and show a pivotal changing point. He also, stressed the importance of social networking. We also got the opportunity to present a chant about our chapter. We continued the day by attending sessions focused on media relations, careers in entertainment and sports, public affairs, corporate and agency PR, travel and tourism, and entertainment PR. Our e-board then got the opportunity to sit down with other e-boards and discuss their chapter and the problems and opportunities within their chapters and get support and ideas from one another.

Sunday, we attended professional development sessions that focused on diversity, career preparation with the intern queen, and nonprofit PR. All of the professional development sessions were helpful because it gave us all the opportunity to learn about the areas of PR we may or may not be interested in and learn more about the field from professionals who actually work in them on an everyday basis.

Monday, was our last day of conference, it was also our chance to talk with PRSA members and network with them. It was here we learned many things we wanted to bring back to our chapter and implement things in the classroom and in our weekly chapter meetings. We heard keynote speakers such as Bill Tancer talk about data and its link to social media and Jeff Hayzlett discuss having 118 seconds to pitch and sell yourself or an idea. We had the opportunity to sit in on sessions about forming messages and research. We spent the end of the day networking with PR firms and companies offering internships and entry-level positions, in hope of finding opportunities for jobs and internships. The conference also gave us an opportunity to learn about different graduate school programs, media measurement tools like VMS, pitch engine, and Cision.

We concluded conference with the Inaugural Ball this awards ceremony gave us the opportunity to recognize our peers for their work in PR. It was also an opportunity for us to be recognized for our successful Bateman campaign in 2010 that resulted in 3^rd place for our chapter.

Gap Logo Controversy

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future" -- JFK

So what is the future of the Gap logo? Well, the past of course. Change, this law of life, has been duped by the forever adored Gap logo. The GAP logo as we know it, left, has been in use for over twenty years.

The new gap logo, right, immediately went viral after its release in early October.

It had the lifespan of a house fly, barely lasting a week. Social media networks simply ate it alive.

Vanity Fairs' obituary for the redesign, sums up the disaster:

"The new Gap logo is survived by its antagonistic Twitter feed and a dozen 'failed branding strategies' slide shows, in which it will be archived in the annals of history," the magazine wrote. "To heaven, the Helvetica now ascends."

Designers take logo design seriously. Apparently, so does the public.

Take Twitter, for example. There is even an account labeled, GAP Logo. The man behind its tweets has outed himself as "Frank." " Frank's twitter is yet another outlet for people to vent their hatred for the gap logo redesign. Gap Logo's latest tweet, Everyone hates me. (@ Lupe's East LA Kitchen w/ 2 others), pretty much puts the situation in perspective.

Personally, as a designer, it's quite impressive that the new gap logo has inspired someone to create a twitter updating the life of an inanimate object.

Either the influence of design has reached new heights or people have way too much time on their hands.

The public is just not willing to part with a blue box. Specifically, GAP's blue box.

Accordingly, GAP has admitted that they want what is best for the brand and its customers and has reverted back to the old logo.

Controversies such as this one make me feel good about pursuing a career in the graphic design field. Graphic design matters, whether people like to think so or not. If it didn't, then why would this controversy start in the first place? Graphic designers are powerful people.

I mean, what other profession could empower a simple blue box? Design has transformed its four corners into a symbol recognized across the world, a symbol powerful enough to escape the law of change.

Take a look at other companies who have experienced the logo redesign process...

Tips on Following Up After You Send a Resume

One of the most frequent questions I get from job seekers is about follow-up timing after submitting a resume. Who do I contact and how long should I wait?

The answer depends on how you were introduced to the company. If you respond to a job posting online, it's important to remember that some ads generate hundreds of responses a day. Many companies have tools to automate processing your application into their applicant tracking systems. A real person may not be looking at the responses sent and many times, the hiring manager isn't even involved at this stage.

[See 21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew.]

The best way to make sure your resume gains the attention it deserves is to tweak it to fit the job description. It sounds like obvious advice, but job seekers often don't do it. Integrate the keywords that a recruiter might use to find a qualified candidate in their database. Your goal is to make sure your resume will be found and put on the short-list. If you have done this and haven't heard back, give it a week and follow-up.

The best-case scenario is when you know someone within the company. An internal recommendation almost always holds more weight (as long as you are qualified). If your contact presents your resume to the hiring manager or the HR department directly, your chances getting an interview improve immensely. Ask your contact to let you know when your resume has been received, and follow-up directly with the hiring contact in a day or two by phone or E-mail.

[See Why You Should Never Skip the Interview Thank-you Note.]

In both cases, your follow-up should be concise, polite, and reiterate your interest in the position. Highlight how your qualifications make you a good fit. Be specific and don′t assume that the company will recognize your name or for which position you applied.

A few key points about following up:

• Don't re-send the same resume and cover letter multiple times for the same position. Sending the same E-mail over and over lessens your chance of getting an interview because it seems desperate and disorganized. Make it obvious that you are following up on a specific position for your applications sent on a specific dates.
• Keep a positive tone in your follow-up message. A job search can be frustrating, especially when you feel that you are qualified and don't receive a response. A negative or an accusatory tone will kill your chance of getting a response as well as any future opportunities with the company.
• It would be wonderful to hear back from every employer, but it's not realistic. If you have followed up three times and have not heard back, it's time to move on. Don't take it personally.

Found at usnewsandworldreport

Facebook Lets Users Interact in Small Groups

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Facebook is trying to become a bit more like the real world.

The company on Wednesday introduced a feature that allows users to interact with small groups of people, like their family, high school friends or colleagues.

The move is an effort to address a longstanding problem: Facebook friends often span a broad range of relationships that include relatives, classmates, casual professional acquaintances or jogging partners — and not everyone wants all of them to see his or her information.

With the new feature, called Groups, Facebook hopes to encourage users to upload more photos, videos and other information to the site while giving them new ways to control who sees what.

Some privacy advocates welcomed Groups, but others worried that it would give Facebook even more information about users, which it could provide to marketers and others.

In an interview, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, said the feature, which has been in development for months, was not created in reaction to the recent series of privacy mishaps that have forced the company to roll back new features and apologize to users.

“We think about this stuff a lot,” Mr. Zuckerberg said, referring to privacy. “Often people don’t think we think about it as much as we do.”

He said Groups was simple in concept but technically difficult. At a news conference at Facebook headquarters here, he noted that Groups was not the company’s first effort to let users share more selectively.

Facebook has long allowed users to create lists of friends, but that feature has largely failed. Mr. Zuckerberg said only about 5 percent of Facebook users take advantage of the lists.

Groups allows anyone to create a group and include other people. For example, someone’s cousin may create a group for their family and put every family member in it. In that way, Facebook contends that if even a small percentage of users create groups, most people on Facebook will end up in several groups.

“We think this is going to be a pretty fundamental shift for how people use Facebook,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “The amount of sharing will go up massively and will be completely additive.”

Once a group is created, users can upload information only to that group, and can communicate with everyone in the group simultaneously through online chat.

Mr. Zuckerberg said that other applications and services that use Facebook’s technology would be able to use Groups, and that Groups would help improve other parts of Facebook.

“Knowing the groups you are part of helps us understand the people who are most important to you, and that can help us rank items in the news feed,” he said.

Augie Ray, an analyst with Forrester Research, called Groups “a big step forward to allow Facebook to reflect the same social norms that we have in the real world.”

He added: “In the real world, we don’t shout one thing to everyone that we know. With Groups, you have this opportunity to begin to control who hears what.”

Larry Magid, co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a nonprofit group focused on online safety for children, said Groups could protect privacy. “But there is the danger of a false sense of security,” said Mr. Magid, whose organization receives some financial support from Facebook and other technology companies. Mr. Magid said a group member could deliberately or inadvertently allow a stranger into a group, potentially exposing information in the group to an outsider.

Mr. Zuckerberg said he thought the system would police itself because everyone in the group would be notified when a new member joins and would flag someone who does not belong.

But Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, called the new service “double-edged.”

“Yes, it’s good to be able to segment posts for particular friends,” he said. “But you will also be revealing information to Facebook about the basis of your online connections.”

Mr. Rotenberg said he worried about how Facebook would use that information.

On Wednesday Facebook also introduced two other services: one to allow users to download all their Facebook information into one file, and another to let people monitor how third-party applications gain access to their personal data. nytimes.com

In public relations, it is important when targeting a public that its focus is a really specific group or niche. Since social media has launched it has allowed PR professionals to target even more specific, but yet many times social media reaches beyond your target public. Facebook allows for the opportunity to specifically target your publics whether you friend them, ask them to like your page or join your group.

Now though with these smaller groups the article is discussing, what does this mean for the world of PR using Facebook? I believe that this new feature will allow PR professionals a new tactic to interact with users even more and create a better way to conduct two way communication and receive feedback. The feature allows relationships to be more personal which is always a goal in public relations. This new feature allows everyone to chat in a conference setting online and share information between each other.

The downfall to this for PR is to get people to join these groups and make them appealing for users to be a part of communicate with one another. It will be important for PR professionals to understand where and when to create these smaller groups, otherwise it could not be a successful use of social media. As with all new social media it will be trial and error before it can be decided what place these Facebook groups fit into the world of PR

RWU PRSSA Goes Bare on Campus

Four dedicated RWU PRSSA members will be competing against other universities in the U.S with PR programs  to develop a PR plan for Solo. The competition seeks to promote recycling, composting  and other sustainable practices, as well as understanding and use of  green single-use foodservice products at Roger Williams. The campaign slogan is  "Go Bare® on Campus." The prize for the winning team is $1,000, while two runners-up will each receive $500 for their Chapters.

The Solo team is made up of Rachel Lawton (SR),  a veteran of multiple PR campaigns; Brittany Vail (SR) a newcomer to the campaign trail but with several class projects behind her; Beth Manville, a former account executive for a PR project assigned in class; and Tessa Rickart, an excellent writer and editor. RWU PRSSA has an excellent track record in placing in PR contests. In 2009 they placed third in the nation in the prestigious Bateman Case study competition, and placed honorable mention in 2008,and 2007. In 2009, they also placed third for a campaign they undertook for the CW television Station.

RWUPRSSA Needs a Few Good Members

Anyone want resume experience for a REAL campaign? If so keep reading!  RWU PRSSA students are invited to participate in a case study competition sponsored by the Solo Cup Company. Participating in this competition is a chance to work with a corporate client, earn money for your Chapter and learn  from public relations professionals working at Fleishman-Hillard and  Solo Cup Company.

The competition seeks to promote recycling, composting  and other sustainable practices, as well as understanding and use of  green single-use foodservice products at your school, as part of Solo's  "Go Bare® on Campus" campaign. The prize for the winning team is $1,000 to their Chapter,  and two runners up will each receive $500 for their Chapters.

Let Professor Shelton or any e-board member know if you want to be part of this!

Study Examines Online News Reading Habits

Despite the push by organizations such as Google and Yahoo!, a recent study found not everyone is a fan of web-based customization for news.

Through an extensive study, Penn State researchers found certain browsers and readers of online news do not prefer customization. The researchers defined customization as when the user gets to choose specific topics to read on a daily basis. Instead, some prefer personalization. This is when the system chooses content based on a reader's past choices.

Heading up the study was S. Shyam Sundar, distinguished professor of communications at Penn State. Along with Sampada S. Marathe of the University's Media Effects Laboratory, Sundar's research appears in the current issue of Human Communication Research.

"The obvious assumption is people would like more control over what they read," Sundar said. "We found when it came to evaluating new stories and quality of content, customization was the preferred method for power users. If you were not a power user, you wanted the system to tailor the news for you."

Before figuring out the test subjects' online reading habits, Sundar, Marathe and the other researchers determined if he or she was a "power user" or not. Sundar said power users are typically knowledgeable with technology, they seldom seek help, often don't require a manual and intuitively troubleshoot with trial and error. Non-power users are more passive and less experienced. While power users liked the sense of control that came from customization, the study found non power users enjoyed the convenience of personalization. Sundar said the research was part of a larger study determining why some people prefer to customize on the web and some prefer to personalize. He said online news sites, specifically Google News, was a convenient venue to test this.

One variable that factored into the testing was privacy. Sundar said many people preferred customization out of concern for their privacy. In one test, the researchers did not tell the subjects data about their browsing habits would be used later. In another test, they did notify the subjects, and the difference was palpable.

"When they didn't think the system was secure, they wanted to take control rather than give it up," Sundar said. "Once they were assured of privacy, they were all for the personalization."

Article can be found at http://www.ibtimes.com