ONLINE PRIVACY!!

Online privacy, what is it? Is it where people think they are searching the web without being invaded, by seekers of information? Or do they actually surf the web without being spied on for information? I for one say that online privacy does not exist, for even when you are shopping online for gifts or personal items, your Facebook page the next day has an advertisement for the same things you were looking for. You can read about someone who had this same experience here, and how they talk about online marketing, which could be a form of invading your online privacy.

To me online privacy is up to you the person surfing the web, for most of the time we put information out there without even realizing it until it is too late. Here are a few websites that say how to protect you online privacy; Electronic Frontier Foundation, Media Awareness Network, and Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Here are a few tips of what the EFF says to protect,

•  Do not reveal personal information inadvertently – set up your browsers to not provide your real name and e-mail addresses, while you search the web.
• Turn on cookie noticies in your web browser, and use cookie management software
• Keep a "clean" e-mail address
• Do not reply to spammers for any reason
• Examine privacy policies and seals
• 
  
  The Media Awareness Network has mostly the same tips and then some where you can read them at Media Awareness Network.

At the Electronic Privacy Information Center site they show snoop proof email application, among others such as cookie busters, HTML Filters, and EMAIL and File Provacy, just to name a few they have there.

To me online privacy is non existent, also I have asked some people I know and they have the same opinions and some of them even use these programs to protect themselves. Do the programs work? That is the question that must be answered. the majority of the people I spoke to say yes but a few said no. So is it safe to say that these programs work at protecting our online privacy? 

GROUPON is it a good Idea for Google to buy it?

Groupon? What do I know about it, not much for I don’t use it and haven’t heard of it until recently when I saw my friend using it. I have ventured to the site to look at it. I found that the site is for group buying of a certain deal and the deal changes on a regular basis to different types and different stores. As said in an article by Kara Swisher, GROUPON  founded in 2008 has taken off like a roman candle and is dominating the vast market for social shopping. Groupon’s fast-growing revenue and profitability makes it much less discouraging. In my opinion Google should be lucky enough to purchase Groupon, I think it is a very good idea for Google to acquire the company while it is still young. 

Google has offered $6 billion to acquire Groupon, and I thought that it was a sure deal it would go through. But while writing this blog, I came across an article that has stated that Groupon has turned down the offer from Google. Eric Savitz wrote the article. Mr. Savitz says that he is speechless, to how Groupon has turned down the offer of $6 billion, I repeat $6 billion. In his same article Mr. Savitz says that Groupon could turn into a monstrous stand-alone business, and that could be one of the many reasons Groupon has turned down the offer of $6 billion. 

Groupon, saves people money, brings revenues to businesses, and also to themselves, no one really loses in the type of deals Groupon brings to the table. Groupon provides exposure to a lot of places that out of towners and sometimes even locals would have no idea these places existed. I would like to see Google acquire Groupon, just because in my opinion Google will make it so much better in the long run.

In my opinion Google should of offered more than $6 billion, even though it is more than enough for such a young company like Groupon, which averages $50 million in revenue every month. Groupon would've probably taken Google's offer under serious consideration, even though as of late the deal could still go through if both parties resolve their issues. In addition Groupon probably turned them down just to get publicity, cause right now it is in the news more than normal, and people are talking.