Tom Cuthbert
Nebulosities Kill Clarity

Nebulosities create a lack of clarity in our communication. They contribute to vagueness and ambiguity. They’re the language of “saying things indirectly.” We may think we’re getting our point across without being too aggressive. Instead, we make it a cloud of words. Often times, they come to a different conclusion.

Nebulosities Kill Clarity
Leadership, Communication
Tom Cuthbert
Companies Break in the Middle

After spending over 1,000 hours per year with CEO’s I have an observation, companies break in the middle.

Hold a stick with both hands at each end. Your right hand is the CEO, your left hand is the front-line employee. Everything in between is the middle. Now bend the stick…until it breaks.

The break will happen somewhere in the middle. No matter the strength of the branch, it will break with the right amount of pressure. This is why it is so important to pay attention to the middle.


Companies Break in the Middle
Tom Cuthbert
2020 Book of the Year
2020 Book of the Year
Tom Cuthbert
Pitbull is Right

These are stressful times with hard decisions and long days. For many of our members, this is the first economic downturn they have faced. This is my sixth downturn and... I believe that we will win.

Pitbull is Right
Tom Cuthbert
2019 Book of the Year

I read (and listened) to 24 fantastic books in 2019.  Most of them were business related, personal growth or pure entertainment.  I rate books based on impact to me and add bonus points if I reread it. The 2019 nominees are:

2019 Book of the Year

Yep, Apple Killed The CD Today

By MG Siegler, Techcrunch

Stop. Take a deep breath. Before my headline gets you all worked up, consider what I’m saying here. The CD and other optical discs, like DVDs and Blu-rays, are obviously going to live on for a while as a way to transport media. But make no mistake that today, with two unveilings, Apple has effectively sealed the fate of the optical disc in the computer industry. Soon, it will go the way of the floppy disk.

Last week, I wrote a post laying out what I hoped Apple would bring with a revamped MacBook Air. I came to the realization that I had never once used the optical drive in my current MacBook Pro, and it was simply taking up a lot of space and was making my computer unnecessarily bulky. I wanted to replace it with a MacBook Air. And now I can. And I’m not going to be the only one that does.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: but the MacBook Air has been around for a couple of years and it hasn’t killed off the optical disc yet. That’s true, but a couple key ingredients were missing the last time around.

First of all, the first-generation Airs were a bad combination of underpowered and overpriced. That is no longer the case. Second, they required some convoluted desktop computer CD syncing system to be able to install something from an optical disc to the Air (or an optional USB add-on). That is also no longer the case (though both still exists).

When you get your MacBook Air and you open the box, you will find exactly zero optical discs inside. Normally, Apple includes at least one back-up DVD to reinstall OS X and other software if your computer fails. But now, that has been replaced with a super-slim USB stick. This stick, packed in with your manual, is all you need to reinstall your system now.

This makes a lot of sense. CDs were replaced by DVDs because they offered a lot more storage. But flash memory cards, such as the one Apple includes with the Air, are already blowing DVDs out of the water when it comes to storage. They may still be more expensive to produce, but Apple has clearly figured out a way to make it work. I suspect we may see more drives like this one (which use much less plastic than typical USB flash drives — and appear to even use less plastic than optical discs).

But that’s only one half of the future.

The other half is a potentially much bigger announcement Apple made today: the Mac App Store. While Apple didn’t give a ton of details yet, it appears that this store will work pretty much just as their App Store does on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. There will be free and paid apps. There will be one-click downloads. There will be automatic updates. All that.

What there won’t be are any optical discs.

Up until now, the vast majority of software (at least the legal variety) has been distributed by way of CD or DVD. The Mac App Store could very well change that. Every app found on that store, undoubtedly including the big ones we all know and love and use on our computers today, will be distributed over the Internet. This is long overdue.

Plenty of companies have tried Internet distribution for a long time. Some have success, and some don’t. But none have the type of central repository that Apple is offering here. This is going to be huge.

If it sounds similar to what Google is working on with the Chrome Web Store, or what Mozilla is proposing with their Open Web Ecosystem, remember that those are only webapps. We’re talking native applications for the Mac App Store. We’re talking apps that run on your computer, just like you have now, they’re just distributed in a way that makes a lot more sense.

They’re distributed in a way that makes the CD, DVD, and every other optical disc obsolete. And that’s good, since soon the optical drives will start to fade out of existence as well.

With the launch of the iTunes Music Store seven and a half years ago, Apple put the wheels in motion to kill the CD. Today, they kicked off their final assault. There will be no survivors.

Miami Heat Website Going With Picture Of LeBron James Today

I love The Onion :)

 

MIAMI—After much deliberation,members of the MiamiHeat.com web team decided today that the featured homepage image should depict Miami Heat small forward LeBron James playing basketball.

According to sources, the choice to go with a photograph of James was made in an early morning staff meeting. Several different image ideas were suggested, including LeBron James shooting a basketball, LeBron James passing a basketball, and LeBron James playing defense in a basketball game.

The selected photo will reportedly replace yesterday's picture of LeBron James standing on a basketball court and dribbling a basketball with one hand while pointing with the other.

"We like today's photo because it's an action shot, it's vibrant, and you can tell the crowd in the background is really enjoying the game," web editor Mark Christie said. "And it has LeBron James in it, as well."

"He's dunking," Christie added.

Christie told reporters that on any given day, his colleagues have a rough idea of which Heat player or players they want to feature on the website. Monday—according to Christie a high-traffic day—is typically reserved for a picture of LeBron James. On Tuesday, Christie said he likes to go with an alternate image of LeBron James. And on Wednesday, the web team typically selects a LeBron James picture that strikes a tone suitable for the site's midweek audience.

Thursdays, however, Christie said he likes to change it up by going with a picture of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James either laughing with each other, staring intensely at the action on the floor, or sitting next to each other on the bench.

Weekends are reportedly reserved for a three-shot of Wade, newly acquired forward Chris Bosh, and LeBron James, in which James is standing between the two holding a basketball.†

"Sometimes that weekend schedule goes completely out the window, though, and we'll just go with a picture of LeBron James," said assistant web editor Jarrod Brewer, adding that single images of Chris Bosh can be found on the website's "photos" page. "Especially if we have a really good photo of him. People would be surprised how often that happens. It's ultimately very fluid around here. Last Friday we were slated to have a photo of Chris Bosh and LeBron James, and then Mark said, 'It feels like a just-LeBron day to me. Let's go with him sweating.'"

Continued Brewer, "Also, I thought Mark's decision to go with LeBron James standing at a podium after a preseason game instead of a picture of Coach, um, Coach—the coach of the Miami Heat basketball team, yeah—was a really good call on Mark's part."

According to Christie, the main goal of MiamiHeat.com is to make the website feel like a unique experience for daily visitors. That is why, Christie noted, he likes to constantly change up the photos of LeBron James. If, for example, Christie uses a picture in the morning of the All-Star forward throwing chalk into the air, then during the afternoon he'll go with a more subdued photo of James sitting on the bench with a towel draped across his knees, drinking a cup of Gatorade.

"Mix is really important to me," Christie said. "If we go two days in a row with LeBron James smiling, then I'm not doing my job."

When asked why a photo of 16-year veteran Juwan Howard was featured in the site's top spot several weeks ago, Christie said that the incident was a huge mistake, that the person who posted it was immediately fired, and that the page was actually intended to feature LeBron James.

USA Today: Escalating click fraud erodes credibility of online advertising


The level of fraudulent clicks on legit online advertisements rose to 22.3% in the third quarter, ending September 30, according to summary findings released today by online ad tracking firm Click Forensics. 

That's up from 14.1% during the same three months of 2009. "During the past quarter, we saw a growing volume of click fraud flow through a more diverse number of sources," says Paul Pellman, CEO of Click Forensics. "As advertising in videos, social networks and mobile devices continues to grow, advertisers will need to pay close attention to the quality of traffic they receive."

Advertisers have wasted tens of millions of dollars on faked clicks, as we reported in this story.

Most often, cybercriminals put up websites carrying online ads and no other content. The criminals then retain the services of cybergangs in control of sprawling networks of infected PCs, called botnets, which are directed to repeatedly click on the ads. This triggers payments to the crooks who put up the Web page.

Click fraud continues to steadily erode the credibility of Internet-based advertising, which is why Microsoft has declared war on cybercriminals who specialize in click fraud, as we reported here.

Context supplied earlier this year by Brad Smith, Microsoft senior vice president and general counsel, bears repeating.

Smith told reporters at a press briefing in May that criminals are "not alone" in getting rich. Smith outlined how Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, the biggest online advertising platform providers, also profit from click fraud, since each also gets a piece of the payment advertisers pay for each faked click.

The tech giants can "take aggressive steps" to stop click fraud, "or look the other way and make money on it," noted Smith. "We don't believe looking the other way is an option."

By Byron Acohido

Click Fraud Rate Rises to 22.3 Percent in Q3 2010

Click Forensics®, Inc. today released advertising audience quality figures for the third quarter 2010 from the industry’s leading independent online advertising data reporting service.

Now in its fourth year, the Click Forensics reporting service provides statistically significant data collected from Cost Per Click (CPC) advertising campaigns for both large and small advertisers across all leading search engines as well as comparison shopping engines and social networks. Traffic across more than 300 ad networks is reflected in the data. Key findings for Q3 2010 include:

  • The overall industry average click fraud rate was 22.3 percent. That’s up from the 18.6 percent reported for Q2 2010 and the 14.1 percent rate reported for Q3 2009.
  • In Q3 2010, the countries outside North America with significant CPC traffic producing the greatest volume of click fraud were Japan, the Netherlands, the Philippines and China, respectively.

“During the past quarter, we saw a growing volume of click fraud flow through a more diverse number of sources, including mobile proxies,” said Paul Pellman, CEO of Click Forensics. “As advertising in videos, social networks and mobile devices continues to grow, advertisers will need to pay close attention to the quality of traffic they receive.”

Since 2006, Click Forensics has published online advertising industry data collected from the first independent third-party Cost Per Click (CPC) and online advertising fraud detection service. The service monitors online media traffic across over 300 ad networks as well as billions of clicks from top search engines, comparison shopping engines, social networks, leading publishers and advertiser web sites – providing the most accurate view of online advertising audience quality.

For more details, visit http://www.clickforensics.com/resources/click-fraud-index.html.

2012 Mayan Calendar 'Doomsday' Date Might Be Wrong : Discovery News

According to all the ridiculous hype surrounding Dec. 21, 2012, the Mayans "predicted" the end of the world with one of their calendars. On this date, doomsayers assert that Earth will be ravaged by a smorgasbord of cataclysmic astronomical events -- everything from a Planet X flyby to a "killer" solar flare to a geomagnetic reversal (I hate it when those happen!), ensuring we have a very, very bad day. 

And now, according to a recent study by an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, this fundamental "end date" may also be inaccurate. It could be at least 60 days out of whack. Mayan

60 days!  This throws everything off... read more here:

How the iPad Changed My Life :)

I don't want to be overdramatic or 'overplay' this but dad-gummit the iPad has changed my life!  130 days in and I still can't believe how amazing this device is.  I have always had lots of technology toys in my life.  From the Casio Telememo watch to the Palm Pilot to the Treo smartphone, I've had them all!  So why has the iPad created such a stir?  There are three things it does extremely well that have literally changed the way I work and live.
First, I love to read... I consistently read three newspapers, six magazines, dozens of blogs, Twitter posts and Facebook updates.  (Not to mention about a book a month!)  Suffice to say I am an avid reader.  The iPad has changes where, when and how I can read.  I subscribe to the Wall St. Journal for the iPad.  It is a great app, easy to update, simple to read and can go anywhere.  
For blog reading I love the Pulse app... it makes reading blogs easy and moves quickly between an extract and the full post on the web.  Flipboard is a new app that makes everything look and feel like a magazine.  I use it for reading Twitter and Facebook posts, as well as some magazines.  (I'm hoping that Flipboard and Pulse merge, that would be the perfect reader!)  Instapaper is an incredible app that allows you to "read later" any story you find online.  I recommend it highly.  All in all, I have become a more productive reader with the iPad. The second aspect of the iPad I am amazed by is the business functionality.  
I travel a lot and have found that the iPad is almost a complete replacement for my laptop.  I recently was in NYC and had 14 meetings with friends and investors discussing a new company I've been helping.  In each meeting all I had was my iPad and Moleskine calendar.  I simply fired up the Keynote app, set my iPad on the table and stepped through the deck page by page.  It was seamless and made for great conversation.  From calendar to email to presentations, spreadsheets and documents it does it all.  The single downside today is the inability to easily print.  Surely Apple will fix this soon.  (Side note, I can now type about 80% of the speed of my laptop, not bad!)  I have also begun taking meeting notes into my iPad using Notepad Pro.  It is a very handy app and makes meeting recaps quick and easy.
Finally, I love the apps!  It has huge entertainment and information value.  I watch streaming movies and TV shows from Nexflix.  I play Words with Friends with my son (and consistently lose!).  There are incredibly functional apps including TripIt, Amazon, Maps, Skype, Flixter, Yelp, Redbox, Starbucks and NYCWay to name a few of my favorites.  I even manage my accounts from my iPad... in fact, just about everything I need is right there in the 10" by 7 1/2" little pad.  I have found myself taking it just about everywhere.  Yes, I have an iPhone too but the size and comfort level of reading the iPad makes it a must have when I am out and about.  It is lightweight and not at all a burden to carry around.  I can't imagine leaving home without it! So if you don't have an iPad I suggest you get one.  Try out a friends for a day and you'll see what I mean.  I know there are imitators on the way.  That will be a good thing in the same way that iPhone imitators have brought better functionality in it as well.  It is a rare occurance in my life when anything exceeds my expectations.  As I sat on my porch on April 3rd waiting for the UPS truck to arrive I was already excited.  Now, 130 days into being an iPad owner, I continue to be blown away and I predict  you will be too! Tom Cuthbert

iPad Pre-ordering Fun

This morning at 7:30 AM, I stopped what I was doing and logged onto the Apple site using my iPhone.  I zipped into the Apple store and  pre-ordered my iPad, a 32g Wi-Fi model.  
Sure, I thought about joining the club and camping out overnight at the Apple store on April 2nd (with hundreds of other dorks!) so I could get mine sooner.  But alas... I chose to simply sit on my porch all day long on April 3rd and wait for the Fedex truck.
Apple's device has been called the, "Most eagerly awaited tablet since Moses delivered the Ten Commandments".  I have to say, it's been awhile since I've been this excited about a new product release.  So why and I so pumped about the iPad?  Simple... for me, I believe it is a game changer.
There are three aspects of a Apple tablet product that I believe will change things.  First, portability.  I always travel with my laptop.  Over the years I graduated from a Treo to an iPhone (like jumping from kindergarten to grad school!) and still a laptop is a must have for most business travelers.  The iPad will fit perfectly size-wise between a phone and a laptop.  Throw in a portable keyboard and poof, you have a computer well-suited for business travel.  It will be ideal for everything from email and spreadsheets to games and movies, all in a compact, portable size. Secondly, the newspaper and magazine industry should be thrilled that they will soon be able to distribute their content digitally.  I know Amazon has the Kindle and numerous others have  e-readers that do this now.  But Apple has figured out how to digitally dominate music and they will do the same with "print'.  I wrote recently about the "Future of Newspapers" and noted that this is an industry in transition.  The seemingly easy to read iPad will make newspaper content more relevant, timely and easier to access.  It also will launch the micro-payment industry.
Finally, the iPad will set the bar significantly higher for entry laptops.  I imagine that these devices will become staples for students (the textbook possibilites are enormous), older folks who want the simplicity of an Apple product for a low price and travelers.  The idea of being able to do the "basics" (email, video, music, pictures) all in one $500 device has mass market appeal.

I really didn't see the need for 3g... I will always have my iPhone with me and Wi-Fi is pretty ubiquitous between Starbucks, hotels, airports and even some airplanes.  Plus I am already paying AT&T for 3g access and don't want to fork out more.

So if you are looking for me on April 3rd... I'll curled up in the corner of my porch, waiting for my iPad :)

Tom Cuthbert

Surfing at 32,000 ft.

Yesterday I flew back on American from New York to Texas. Even though I have a bazillion miles on AA,  I have been avoiding them like the plague the last few years (don't get me started!).  These days I prefer Southwest or JetBlue... friendlier people, newer planes and convenient routes.  But on this trip, AA made sense so off I went. I have to say, I was somewhat giddy when I saw the friendly "Wi-Fi Onboard" sign!  As soon as allowed (ok, maybe a few minutes before) I logged on to GoGo (the provider) paid my $8 and started surfing.  The connection was flawless.  I checked email, posted to Twitter, checked in on Foursquare, sent text messages via Google Voice, browsed the news online and recorded a fascinating live video of me and my box of raisins!  I wanted to try Skype but the terms of service clearly stated no voice over IP calls.  Yeah, so anyway I can confirm it works too! While I was mostly goofing off, the ability to have Wi-Fi in flight is a game changer from a communication and productivity perspective.  Business travelers spend a lot of time sitting on airplanes and honestly I find that time generally pretty productive. The price of $8 for a 3 1/2 hour flight is reasonable and the connection was quite stable. My only complaint is that while you can share the service between mobile devices (although not simultaneously), you cannot switch between a mobile device and a laptop.  Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but it would be nice.  Considering the airline industry is struggling to grow revenue, Wi-Fi is a potential gold mine.  I feel a lot better about paying $8 for internet access than $10 for a cold, stale turkey sandwich! Happy flying! Tom Cuthbert Full and fair disclosure:  I own Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock and am long.

Netflix Movie Streaming Hookup

My dad is a smart cookie!  As a PhD Electrical Engineer and published author, he knows his stuff when it comes to technology.  For Christmas, I got him a Roku Video Player to connect to his Netflix service.  I asked him to write a blog about his experience and I'm happy to have him as a guest blogger on my site.  (Looks like my gift was a success!)  His post is below... thanks dad! Netflix Movie Streaming Hookup It is easy to select from more than 17,000 movies to view on your TV if you have a high-speed Internet connection for both a Personal Computer and a Digital Video Player. The cost is just a little more than $100 up front and $9/month. My son, Tom III, asked me to describe my recent experience creating such a setup. Several alternative ways of doing this are described at: http://www.netflix.com/GetStartedStreamingInstantly A Roku Video Player was a Christmas gift from my son, but it can be bought from Amazon.com by searching there with keywords “Roku HD Player” to find it available for $99.99 plus shipping.
It is a small box with separate power supply that connects to a TV using the included composite audio/video cables or by connecting to the S-Video or HDMI high-definition jacks to get better picture quality. The Roku Player also must connect to the Internet by either Ethernet cable or by its built-in Wi-Fi if you have a wireless local area network (LAN). You can sign up for Netflix’s cheapest option of $8.99 per month “1 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited)” with a menu of 100,000 rented movies and TV shows on DVDs sent by mail, which also includes the Netflix "Watch Instantly" Internet streaming feature for more than 17,000 of those titles. Activating Watch Instantly is easy by running Netflix.com on your PC while the Roku Player is connected to both the TV and Internet.
The Roku Player comes with a small remote control, and the TV will show you a five-digit code, which you then enter on your PC using the Activate feature on the Netflix website. Any time after that you can add selected movies to your Netflix Instant Queue on the PC. Movies that can be streamed to your TV are marked with a small blue Play button. That queue also appears on your Roku TV screen where you can select a movie to watch. Netflix will ask you by e-mail about picture quality when you watch your first streamed movie. I chose to connect my Roku Player to one of the High Definition HDMI jacks on my Sony LCD TV. Because that port was already used for my DVD player, I bought additional accessories by searching Amazon using the following keywords (I also show their respective costs): “HDMI cable 3 ft”   $3.13 “HDMI cable 6 ft”   $9.99 “Apogee HDMI 3x1 mini switcher”  $15.70 The small Apogee Switcher has one HDMI port to connect to the TV and three HDMI ports to connect to video devices, one being my Roku Player. The included remote control is not essential because the Player has a button to select one of the three video devices. It also has a smart select feature, which switches to the video device last turned on.  The Roku Player hookup with my Apple iMac PC and Airport Extreme base station worked flawlessly the first try. Finally, current background information is available for these video-streaming systems. For example, search for the keywords “Netflix Watch Instantly” at: http://news.google.com. Netflix's streaming service could be endangered if broadband Internet providers should impose limits on heavy bandwidth applications like video. There have been reports of proposed bandwidth restraints that may be necessary without advances in digital network technology. My Cox Preferred cable download speed is about 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and streamed Netflix movies started in less than a minute and played smoothly with excellent picture quality. A Typical DVD movie disk contains about 32,000 Mb. The Roku Player tests your Internet connection speed and delivers the TV resolution your connection can handle without interruption. Roku notes that speeds greater than 2.5 Mbps provide highest quality, and speeds less than 1.5 Mbps provide basic TV quality. Apparently terrestrial broadband Internet service is best for acceptable movie video streaming. Some satellite Internet providers limit the amount of download data to less than 3600 Mb downloaded in any 24-hour period. Thomas R, Cuthbert, Jr.

Moving Forward by Stepping Back

In April of 2005 I sat at my usual corner table at Krispy Kreme donuts in San Antonio.  

It had become my “thinking place” and every few weeks I would ponder life over a couple of donuts and a cup of coffee. I was reading a series of articles on the growing problem of “click fraud”.  Our former parent company, Optimal iQ, had recently found a group of fake clicks and we were intrigued by the problem.  Perhaps it was the highly caffeinated sugar rush but at that moment, I had an epiphany.  I realized the problem of click fraud was only going to get worse and more complex.  Measure this challenge against the rapid growth of search marketing and there was an opportunity staring me in the face.
Click Forensics was born in January of 2006 through the hard work of my co-founders and our dedicated team. We raised over $21,000,000 to solve a problem, execute a plan and lead the industry.  Today Click Forensics is the clear leader in traffic quality management. Our original vision was to “help ensure advertisers get what they pay for” and today that is exactly what we do.  I’m very proud of Click Forensics and excited about the opportunity to continue to serve and improve the online advertising community. In June of last year I made the decision to begin my exit from the company.  Click Forensics is growing rapidly and developing cutting edge technology our competitors can’t touch.  My role has deliberately been changing over the last year and I feel I owed it to myself and my family to explore “what’s next” for me.  So last week, I formally stepped back to a board of director position.  I will continue to help the company in any way I can and remain an active advisor, board member and chairman of the Click Quality Council. As I reflect on the last four years or so of our growth, there are eight things that come to mind that I am most proud of:

  1. We raised awareness about click fraud – Sure we may have ruffled a few feathers when we
launched our Click Fraud Index ™ in the spring of 2006, but those numbers caused everyone to stand up and listen.  Google called us out in August of that year and dismissed the problem of click fraud as insignificant, claiming their own efforts to stop it were "reasonable".  The problem was hugely significant and no standards existed to stop it.  Something had to be done so we took the lead.  With the support of the advertising community, we “encouraged” Google to take the problem seriously and listen.
  • We brought “both sides to the table – No one wanted to talk about the problem of click fraud in 2006.  We recognized that solving this problem was in the interest of everyone in the advertising ecosystem.  We worked hard to listen to advertisers and work with search engines to develop sustaining solutions that are communally beneficial.
  • We built a bridge – In a groundbreaking partnership with Yahoo!, we built the FACTr™ system (Fully Automated Click Tracking and Reconciliation).  
    • FACTr allows advertisers to communicate directly to the ad providers via Click Forensics.  Yahoo! led the way and by the fall of 2007, Looksmart, Google and others followed suit.
  • We saved advertisers money – Our tools and insight are effective in identifying unwanted traffic and allow an advertiser to work with the ad provider to get what they pay for.  Hundreds of customers have used our technology to find click fraud and improve their campaign ROI.
  • We led the charge for standards – Working closely with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
    • and dozens of online advertising companies we developed standards that were released in June of last year.  It was a team effort from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Click Forensics and many others.  The result is a document that can be built upon for years to come.
  • We worked with some of the best – Our customer list includes industry-leading advertisers like Vegas.com, Progressive Insurance, Experian and EBay.  On the ad network side our clients include leaders like Adknowledge, Turn, Yahoo! and Lycos.  The relationships I have made through customers, partner companies and industry leaders means a lot to me (even Shuman!).  The online advertising industry is vibrant and growing.  Some of the brightest people I have ever been associated make this industry great.
  • We caught click fraud – We have an incredible team of scientists, engineers and developers. Many of them have PhD’s and tremendous industry experience.  We have put their knowledge to work by innovating ahead of the fast moving bad guys.  One example of this is our identification of the “Bahama Botnet”, an organized group of fraudsters using a highly sophisticated approach.  Our discovery of this (subsequently alerting Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google) saved advertisers from paying for these clicks.  Additionally, it forced the bad guys to change their approach.
  • We changed online advertising… for good – The work that we have done and continue to
    • do is meant to have a sustaining effect on online advertising.  Improving traffic quality in real time means that publishers and ad networks can send out highly qualified clicks to advertisers and enhance trust.  This relationship, built on standards and delivered on quality, will accelerate the growth of online advertising for years to come.  We are proud to play an important part in the ecosystem.

    I have enjoyed the opportunity afforded me to play a role in our company and the industry.  I'm deeply appreciative of the support, encouragement and hard work from our employees, partners and board of directors.  It's been an amazing five year ride! And so now I look ahead.  Currently, I’m enjoying an “entrepreneurial sabbatical” to consider options and explore opportunities over the next few months.  I’m enjoying time with friends and family, traveling and learning about new businesses.  I’m keeping busy by consulting with an advertising technology company, joined the advisory board of an NBA agent firm and of course reading, writing and learning.  At some point, I’ll head back to Krispy Kreme.  There are an unlimited supply of donuts, coffee and problems to solve.  I can’t wait~ Tom Cuthbert

    Click Fraud Gets Slicker

    Andy Greensberg of Forbes has written about the problem of click fraud for years.  In fact it was Forbes who published a "debate" between Shuman Ghosemajumder of Google and me that helped set the record straight about discrepancies.  While the problem of click fraud has been widely covered by media outlets ranging from the Wall St. Journal to Search Engine Watch, Forbes (and Greenberg) have always been on the leading edge.This is still the case today as Andy wrote and excellent piece on the problem titled, "Google Faces The Slickest Click Fraud Yet."  The article focuses on the work of Harvard professor Ben Edelman.  Ben's site (www.benedelman.org) is an impressive compilation of research and reports on a wide range of topics with a focus on spyware, click fraud and online advertising. The article highlights "a new form of click fraud that accomplishes what online fraud watchdogs might have once thought impossible: a scam that not only simulates valid clicks on a Google ad sold to an advertiser, but seems to result in a real customer who spends money on the advertiser's site."  This is the worst case scenario for an advertiser and Edelman is right on in his method of identifying the threat.  While this approach is limited in it's ability to scale, it is the most significant finding since Click Forensics identified the "Bahama Botnet". I applaud the work of Ben Edelman and others as well as Andy and the folks at Forbes for continuing to shine the light on this ongoing problem for our industry.  For over four years now, we have been on a mission to "ensure advertisers get what they pay for".  As long as Google lacks transparency, there will be click fraud.  Ben ends by saying, "Google owes its advertisers something better than that."  I agree and we need more guys like Ben to help hold their feet to the fire. Tom Cuthbert

    Sixteen Consistent Characteristics of Greatness

    I read a blog post yesterday that really caught my attention.  It highlighted a list created by Don Yaeger, former editor of Sports Illustrated.  Don has put together a list of "Sixteen Consistent Characteristics of Greatness".  While we all aspire to be great, Don has hit on traits that separate the great from everyone else. I read this list and thought of people I admire.  It is the best list of attributes of successful entrepreneurs, athletes and business executives I have ever read.  I thought I would share the complete list with you here... it is well worth the read.  Maybe you see some of these traits in yourself or someone in your life... Sixteen Consistent Characteristics of Greatness How they think: 1. It’s personal They hate to lose more than they love to win. People that aspire to greatness know that defeat just isn’t an option. 2. Rubbing elbows They understand the value of association. I always say that we become the people that surround us. Those of us who are aspiring to greatness, it is our job to rub elbows with the right people and to learn what makes them successful and what keeps them going. In turn, it is up to them to help us better ourselves. And if you can’t change the people around you, then choose different people to be around. Think about it. 3. Believe They have faith in a higher power. It is proven that a strong spiritual commitment, and a strong belief in faith is linked to a positive outcome. In our current economic state, always remember the power of a positive mind-set and the importance of belief in beating the impossible. 4. Contagious enthusiasm They are positive thinkers… They are enthusiastic… and that enthusiasm rubs off. When you’re trying to work through your challenge-professional or personal – do so with the belief that the best is yet to come. Stay positive. How they prepare: 5. Hope for the best but… They prepare for all possibilities before they step on the field. I am an eternal optimist. But I am also a realist. When I enter into any situation, I am excited about the possibilities it may bring. But I also know that there are a lot of variables beyond my control. So I contingency-plan. 6. What off-season? They are always working towards the next game… The goal is what’s ahead, and there’s always something ahead. if you visualize where you want to be and work backwards from there, you can always be moving the ball forward. 7. Visualize victory They see victory before the game begins. Positive visualization is a proven ingredient of a successful outcome. 8. Inner fire They use adversity as fuel.One thing in life is certain… none of us gets through without adversity. What matters is that we find the strength to work through it. When we are knocked down, it may take hours, days, weeks, or months, but we need to get back up. For me, I’m at the point where challenging situations invigorate me. I’m mentally tough enough to embrace the adversity heading my way, overcome it, and learn from it. How they work: 9. Ice in their veins They are risk-takers and don’t fear making a mistake. Failure is one of our greatest teachers. I’m amazed at how much risk-tolerance I have acquired. But it’s the one component that enables me to keep growing. If I stopped to think about how much I have on the line, I would be paralyzed. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career,” NBA legend Michael Jordan, who was known for his late-game heroics in addition to six national titles, once said. “I’ve lost almost 300 games – 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” 10. When all else fails They know how – and when – to adjust their game plan. Flexibility and adaptability is essential to survival. I wrote a previous column on this exact topic… the ability to shift when everything around you is shifting too. 11. Ultimate teammate They will assume whatever role is necessary for the team to win. Individual accomplishments are important, but the sum is always greater in value than the individual parts. How much do you step up to help those around you? When others around you thrive, you thrive as well. 12. Not just about the Benjamins They don’t play just for the money. It’s never about the money. And if it is, it’s about the wrong thing. The money will come if you follow your passion… if you become a part of something bigger than yourself. As a business owner, I view our profits as a catalyst to build a greater organization. How they live: 13. Do unto others They know character is defined by how they treat those who cannot help them. One of the greatest sources of satisfaction is helping others, from a truly altruistic standpoint. We all have something to give… our time, our experiences, our compassion. 14. When no one is watching They are comfortable in the mirror… they live their life with integrity. I always tell my kids… “What matters is not what you do when everyone is watching. What matters is what you do when no one is watching.” Your ultimate accountability has to be to yourself. 15. When everyone is watching They embrace the idea of being a role model. As leaders, we have an obligation to promote positive leadership, and demonstrate the positive influence we can have on others. Our actions shape those coming behind us. 16. Records are made to be broken They know their legacy isn’t what they did on the field. They are well-rounded. A legacy isn’t what you took from this world. A legacy is what you leave behind. Now go out and accomplish something! Tom Cuthbert

    "The World is a Complicated Place, Hobbes"

    I really miss Calvin and Hobbes.  For years I enjoyed reading them to my son and laughing together.  Today the cartoonist, Bill Watterson is retired and my son is reading Fantasy Football stats!
    Calvin represented the boy in all of us.  He was inquisitive, fearless (to a point) and adventurous.  I enjoyed his imagination and certainly saw some of me in Calvin, and Calvin in my son. Hobbes is the quintessential calming influence.  The imaginary tiger was both a friend and counselor.  Together they made a great team and got into (and out of) more trouble than I ever did! The comic below is one of my favorites.  Often times, Calvin and Hobbes dealt with 'big picture' issues in a simple way.  Live life for a few years and you realize the world is a complicated place.  There are definitely days when I would have loved to take Hobbes advice and just "take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner."
    I hope this holiday season your world can be uncomplicated.  Enjoy the little things and appreciate the blessings of life.  While the world may not be as simple as black and white, it is an awesome place when filled with the color of life. My favorite quote is by Ronald Reagan, "Enjoy life, it's ungrateful not to." Indeed. Tom Cuthbert