João Rufino's Blog

Well, Spam is probably the worst way you can spread the word about your products. As it currently stands, email spam is in the eye of the beholder. It usually pertains to unsolicited commercial messages sent in bulk by people you don’t know (with exceptions of course). Some spammers will argue that email spam is the same as traditional junk mail, but in my opinion there is a huge difference: The cost! The cost of sending junk mail through conventional means is very real, including postage costs paid by the sender. The cost of sending email spam is very small, and most of the costs are paid by people other than the sender.

Listed below are ten of the most common spam subject lines received McAfee last week. Spam campaigns can change rapidly so any spam, or missed spam, you receive in your inbox may not necessarily correspond with the spam subjects in this list, as these subjects may be blocked by your Anti-Spam software if installed.

1. Perfect solution for a problem
2. I found a website with the best online games around
3. Claim your 300 Euros now!
4. 555 Euro – Welcome Bonus!
5. Venture to become a super-lover in 2008!
6. SALE 85% OFF on Pfizer
7. Herbal science comes to your rescue!
8. Men & Women Designer Footwear from Chanel Gucci Prada Dior Versace
9. Free Shipping on all Designer Footwear from Chanel Gucci Prada Dior Ugg
10. Don’t be afraid to change your life!

Here is another list: The Spam Database list updated every day.

1. Hey! Do you want to make huge money?!
2. Ultranm
3. Vlcodin
4. Elimlnate your pain
5. We found the lowest pricce online Safe 20% to 80% on each order
6. Hyrdocodone
7. Amazing Prices. FedEx. Order Now
8. Re: Poor credit not a problem.
9. exclusive watches rolex
10. Receive funds in as little as 5 days

Spam is a tricky thing and it is something we should fight every day on the web. Below you can see a graph with Spam Top subjects.

Posted by João Rufino under Internet | No Comments »

As a context to this post I mention that during the “Holiday Season” I met with a friend that teaches Marketing history and she gave me a few but interesting insights about the philosophies that guided the marketing effort during the XX century. I’ll share a bit of my “lesson/conversation”.

• Production Concept Demand for a product is greater than supply
  • To increase profit, keep in mind that all output can be sold and you should focus on production efficiency. Also useful concept when increasing production raises economies of scale etc. to reduce price. Henry Ford, “Doesn’t matter what color car you want, as long as it is black.”… A typical quote during the production era.
  • Dominant era: From mid XIX Century to early XX Century, industrial revolution etc.

• Selling Concept Demand for a product is equal to supply
  • Emphasis is needed to sell the product to increase profits. Focus on advertising.
  • Useful for unsought goods, i.e., encyclopedias, funeral plots. Political candidates, selling important, not post consumer satisfaction.
  • Dominant era: 1920′s to Mid 1930′s WWII to early 1950′s

• Marketing Concept Supply for a product is greater than demand, creating intense competition among suppliers
  • The company research and first determines what the consumer wants, then produces what the consumer wants, then sells the consumer what it wants.
  • Dominant era: 1930′s to WWII 1950′s to present.

I’ll try to update this post with more data

Posted by João Rufino under Marketing | No Comments »

What is Web 2.0 and what changed. For sure the term has clearly taken hold, with more than 9.5 million citations in Google. But there’s still a huge amount of disagreement about just what Web 2.0 means, with some people saying that is no more than a marketing initiative and others accepting it as the future of the Web. This is a brainstorm session that I stumbled across online and I think it is cool to share:

Web 1.0 Web 2.0

DoubleClick –> Google AdSense

Ofoto –> Flickr

Akamai –> BitTorrent

mp3.com –> Napster

Britannica Online –> Wikipedia

personal websites –> Blogging

domain name speculation –> Search engine optimization

page views –> Cost per click

screen scraping –> Web services

publishing –> Participation

content management systems –> Wikis

directories (taxonomy) –> Tagging (“folksonomy”)

stickiness –> Syndication

The list can go on and on. Let me know if you have any additional comments or examples to post.

Posted by João Rufino under Internet & Marketing | 1 Comment »

Yes.. 10 days have passed since the new year and only now I’m posting the silliest 2008 resolutions that I’ll try to follow.

• A fresh orange juice in morning and a fresh orange juice at lunch time
• I’ll take the stairs every morning and not the lift (I live on the first floor)
• I’ll finally improve my Russian speaking abilities to the point that I understand the grammar. (A proper course is already booked)
• I’ll not connect my computer one day every 2 weeks
• I’ll try not to think of work all the time…
• I’ll try to travel once a month (even if it is just for a weekend). It worked last year and this year I’ll try to do the same
• I’ll post more interesting stuff on my blog

To all of you I wish you the best for 2008

Posted by João Rufino under Misc | 1 Comment »