Yesterday's internet blackouts seem to have done the trick, with Senators running for the exits in an attempt to distance themselves from the universally reviled SOPA and PIPA piracy bills. Wikipedia, Reddit, Craigslist and thousands of other websites  'went dark' yesterday to raise awareness of the bills and their predicted detrimental impact on the freedom of the web.

Artist's impression of a Redditor, yesterday

The concensus among technology leaders is that SOPA and PIPA, although well intentioned, are so ambiguous and poorly written that their enactment would put even the most minor copyright-infringing website at risk of immediate shutdown without due process. Those inclined more towards conspiracy theory see the bills as an attempt by the US government to take control of the internet, leading to a censored web similar to that of China or Iran.

Yesterday's shutdowns dealt a massive blow to SOPA and PIPA but they're not dead yet. It will be interesting to see if the internet can keep its eye on the ball and shoot down future threats to web freedom with similar enthusiasm. In the meantime we should refocus the collective energy demonstrated yesterday towards other impending crises such as the famine currently threatening West Africa. Right guys?

Guys?

Hey guys?

Oh that is an amusing picture of a cat! It can't spell 'cheeseburger' because it's a cat!

While checking my email I had a sequence of events that I thought would be great to share as a "when a good plan goes bad" story.

Here's the play by play:

1. I receive an email from a marketing company.   Well written with a great message. I thought to myself "Huh,  I normally don't open unsolicited mail, but the subject line spoke to me.   When I opened it up, it was a marketing service I would actually use.   But then of course,  I was quickly distracted by a more important message and moved on with my day.
2. A couple days later I got a "Follow Up: (same subject line)" email.   I opened it up and the copy was great! The message yet again spoke to me.   I'm sold!   But something was missing...  no link to their website.  No problem, I'm a smart guy, I can just use the domain from the person's email address.
3. Head off to the website to learn more about the company.   Looks good!  International presence, great web presentation, and then I clicked the blog <dramatic music>
4. First post "Test Post 1", second post, "Example Blog Entry"...  about 7 in total.   I'm gone.

So what did they do right?

• They spent a lot time on copy.  The message great!
• The list was targeted - I really did want what they were selling.
• They sent a follow up message, which again had great copy.
• Their website presented really well. It was well thought out and looked like a bit of planning was involved.

What did they do wrong?

• Website didn't have relevant dated copy so it looked like they didn't stay active as a company.
• The website had Lorum Ipsem and test data.
• Zero social media integration. Third party responses via Facebook or Twitter would have given me more confidence in the company.

So close - they almost had me sold.   If only they kept up on their marketing collateral on their website.

-Nate