Summary. Facebook, Google, and a host of other websites and advertisers track your browsing habits using cookies and other methods. Usually this is to provide advertising that’s relevant for your likes and dislikes.

It’s almost creepy. You visit an online store, and soon begin to see ads for that store showing up on other sites you visit.

A mistake with website tracking systems is that they begin to show you ads for stuff you’ve already visited — instead of blocking ads from sites you’ve already visited, which would make more sense. If you’re already a regular online shopper at Sears.com, why waste advertising space on ads for them?

A story this weekend in the New York Times disclosed an alarming trend regarding consumer tracking:

“Your application for credit could be declined not on the basis of your own finances or credit history, but on the basis of aggregate data — what other people whose likes and dislikes are similar to yours have done. If guitar players or divorcing couples are more likely to renege on their credit-card bills, then the fact that you’ve looked at guitar ads or sent an e-mail to a divorce lawyer might cause a data aggregator to classify you as less credit-worthy. When an Atlanta man returned from his honeymoon, he found that his credit limit had been lowered to $3,800 from $10,800. The switch was not based on anything he had done but on aggregate data. A letter from the company told him, ‘Other customers who have used their card at establishments where you recently shopped have a poor repayment history with American Express.’” [source]

Take Action. There are a few things you can do to prevent this from happening to you. To the extent that online browsing is being tracked, be mindful that all activity you engage in while logged into a system is easily monitored and recorded. While browsing the web, some browsers offer private browsing and the ability to disable the use of cookies.

Your Digital Thumb Print. As companies become more savvy, it’s possible that aggregate data will provide a digital thumb print to track site visitors. For example, even with cookies turned off, all websites gather data about your IP address, your computer’s operating system, and the resolution of your screen. A constellation of data such as this could uniquely identify you as you move through the Internet.

Summary. The key to a successful recycling program is to have many highly visible, easily accessible, and easy to use recycling stations.

This page provides photos of recycling containers in use at various business and public locations.

This page is helpful for any organization or business planning to purchase and install recycling containers and  stations.

Learn more about recycling by visiting the EPA Recycle City.

Best Buy Recycling Station (below)

Iowa City Public Library Recycling Station (below)

Target Recycling Station (below)

University of Iowa Recycling Station at UCC (below)

Summary.  Creative, fun, inspiring, and funny advertising is much more likely to get watched, and in today’s society of online social networking, these are the ads that will go viral and have the farthest reach.

Such ads also provide the additional public service of offering a source of entertainment and inspiration. Below are some videos from the TheShelterProject.org campaign being promoted by the Ad Council. ResourcesForLife.com is an Ad Council media partner.

“Toys”

“The People Park”

“Sand Castles”

“Cell Phone”

Summary. Creative, fun, inspiring, and funny advertising is much more likely to get watched, and in today’s society of online social networking, these are the ads that will go viral and have the farthest reach.

Such ads also provide the additional public service of offering a source of entertainment and inspiration. Below are some videos from the FeedThePig.org campaign being promoted by the Ad Council. ResourcesForLife.com is an Ad Council media partner.

“Royal Family”

“Armored Car”

“Chase”

Behind the Scenes. The video below shows the history and background of the FeedThePig.org campaign.

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A new study has stated the volume of cruise trip holidays among the Brits has risen significantly.
 Results by the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) show that the recognition connected with cruise trip holidays has increased by 28%.

The most recent published report forecasts that UK ports will see 835,000 people depart on cruise ventures next year that is a rise of almost a third from a couple of years prior.

The real reason for a lot of British people deciding on shipping removals and also the shipping holiday pattern is considered to be a result of present financial situations. Sector specialists declare that cruise trip breaks often have better value for money along with a excellent replacement for people lowering their costs. In addition, they have an inclination to be less expensive than seaside getaways as a result of last minute price drops.
 Robinson’s luggage shipping services ensure your items are moved safely and securely, so should you involve some excess baggage simply ship it with the leading professional shipping company.

Immediately, luxury cruise getaways can seem pricey however the cost has a tendency to include all costs including accommodation, food as well as entertainment. The ever increasing popularity has increased the United Kingdom shipping business causing bigger ships becoming commissioned carrying a huge number of passengers. 
1stopship can also provide professional international student shipping services for any student along with traveller, wishing to post their personal possessions to any destination on the planet. The team of experts know that one-off baggage may accumulate, therefore avoid the expensive air freight expenses as well as ship door-to-door with 1stopship’s sea couriers.

They are dedicated to shipping luggage overseas and round the globe, so if you’re going on vacation this coming winter ship your luggage with 1stopship.

Summary. A global economy in crisis, natural disasters from climate change, and an expanding worldwide job market has resulted in people searching the globe for just the right job and place to pursue their dreams.

Some people search first for a city that provides the lifestyle or culture they desire, then search for the right job. For example, Curitiba, Brazil is a popular choice for people wanting to live in a sustainable urban eco city.

The increasingly mobile global community has resulted in an increased demand on global shippers. Whether shipping to India, shipping to the USA, or shipping to Australia, many Brits are choosing Robinsons as a mover of choice.

“Robinsons Removals was founded in Manchester in 1895 – by the current Chairman’s grandfather, Alfred Robinson. It has remained a family-owned removals and storage business ever since.”

Summary. Microsoft’s new advertising campaign seems to be giving a nod to the small is better movement. A woman sitting in what appears to be a store, office, or home, fills the space entirely. It’s not clear what’s implied by the advertisement. Is the woman just very large? Is the computer running out of space and so is her home? In any event, it’s an interesting ad with an Apple-esque soundtrack.

Summary. When a non-profit organization engages in social action, we think of it as activism. When a business engages with society through advertising, we simply call it marketing. Yet, activists exist in all areas of society including companies and they are leveraging their positions to impact the world in positive ways.

Among the leadership of Liberty Mutual there apparently are some people who had the brilliant idea of using advertising as a carrier signal for delivering a positive social message. For example, in radio broadcasting, it’s possible to send an HD FM radio signal with music that also includes embedded data that can provide information about the current song such as artist and song title. In the same way, advertising can tell the public about a product or service, while at the same time conveying a message that is designed to have a positive impact on society.

The Responsibility Project. Liberty Mutual has launched an initiative called The Responsibility Project. Below are videos from their advertising campaign about living responsibly. The general theme is that people who see acts of kindness, generosity, caring, giving, and responsibility, will feel compelled to do the same. What’s really powerful about this advertising campaign is that it offers an almost documentary presentation of the world from a God’s-eye-viewproint in showing how kindness can spread quickly. It’s alarming to realize that stress and unpleasantness can spread just as quickly. The multiplayer effect depicted in these videos demonstrates the impact that each person has in the world.

Summary. After about two years of near silence, on 16 July 2011 YouTube meme Boxxybabee returned to the Internet in full force. By the evening of 18 July 2011, her latest video received 250,000 views, and shortly after midnight the views were 445,000. This page provides a chronology and history of Boxxy.

Background. On 8 January 2009, a YouTube account was setup under the name of Boxxybabee. By 9 January 2009, a total of three videos were posted and then the account seemed to go dormant, yet her videos received millions of views. Boxxy lived on among her followers and devotees who made remixes and slideshows about her. She also lived on through online wars between those who adore her and those who disliked her and called her a troll.

Boxxy in Decline. By late January 2009 it seemed that the viral Internet meme and YouTube heroin known as Boxxybabee had all but vanished from the online world. Industry analysts had written her off as a blip on the trending radar. Boxxy researchers determined that her popularity would slowly dwindle, and eventually the world would forget about her. By 29 January 2009, one analyst had this to say:

“I’m confident that there will never be another new Boxxy video or any new development worthy of mention. … So please, do not sit around waiting for a return. It won’t happen. It’s over, done, dusted, kaput.” ~ Byzantinist (Boxxy Trending Specialist)

Buy Recommendation. In Feburary 2009, contrary to popular opinion or any reasonable analysis, ResourcesForLife.com issued a strong buy recommendation – indicating that web developers should not sell their investments in Boxxy, but invest heavily in Boxxy content in preparation for her return.

Web Content Like Stocks. Like the purchase of stock or futures, developing web content is making an investment in a topic or trend anticipated to be in demand. For monetized sites (with advertising), content decisions result in real-world financial gains or losses.

Return of Boxxy. On 15 June 2011, Boxxy setup an alternate account under the username bodaciousboxxy. However, her recent video didn’t receive significant attention because it wasn’t on her original channel. Her other recent channel launch was ANewHopeee. As of 16 July 2011, Boxxy was back in full force with all three YouTube channels (including her original channel) with fresh content and two characters in addition to her real-world persona. In about 48 hours, her latest video had received a quarter of a million views. A few hours later, she was up to 445,000 views. In 5 days, she had 1.4 million views.

Longevity Prediction. Her newly revamped accounts are advertising dense, which indicates the high probability of an unrelenting and persistent presence to maximize the fan-base of this meme who has become almost like a demigod to many of her devotees and worshippers who refer to her as the Queen of the Internet or simply the Queen. In addition to having advertising enabled, her content now indicates a copyright.

Boxxy Resources. Below are links to Boxxy information and resources.

• 2009 Analysis
• CaitieWayne.com
• Discussion Forum and Online Community
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Remixes
• I Don’t Do Trolls by BKokuOfficial
• I herd you liek Mooninites by JBLanteigne
• You See by danielson742
• Twitter
• Wikipedia
• YouTube Channels: ANewHope, bodaciousboxxy, boxxybabee,

Boxxybabee Chronology. Below are videos posted by Catie Wayne on her various channels in chronological order.

8 January 2009 – FOAR 4DD1 FRUM BOXXY (below)

8 January 2009 – FOAR ANT FRUM BOXXY (below)

9 January 2009 – FOAR EVERYWUN FRUM BOXXY (below)

25 November 1010 – A New Hope (below)

20 January 2011 – Things are about to get intense (below)

1 April 2011 – Wassupp (below)

17 June 2011 / 16 July 2011 - FOAR SVETLANA FRUM BOXXY (below)

21 July 2011 – Calm down, Holden.