ADVERTISING
Advertisers embrace instant messaging
09-12-2002
by
It's widely acknowledged that instant messaging (IM) will be a booming industry in the years to come, especially as advertisers take it to heart.
Now that all of the big instant messaging software makers have released corporate versions of their products, the business market for the technology is set to take off. Just last week IBM Lotus updated its NotesBuddy IM tools, with industry insiders suggesting that the company is preparing to heavily push IM in the months ahead.
Aside from typical IM chats between co-workers, or even IM as a customer support channel, businesses are also looking to the technology as a powerful marketing tool. Research company IDC claims that instant messaging and unified messaging (UM) applications will drive the worldwide messaging applications market from USD1.1 billion in 2001 to USD4.2 billion in 2006, and part of this drive will come from marketers who embrace IM early on.
Software company ActiveBuddy seems to be leading the pack in this regard, after launching its highly touted RecipeBuddie application for Kellogg's, as well as lots of other IM applications such as SmarterChild, AustinPowers and ELLEgirlbuddy.
All of these agents, which are called chatbots or just bots, are rudimentary artificial intelligence programs that can chat with users in an interactive way. Indeed, many users who interact with these bots don't know they are talking to a program -- and instead think it's a real person at the other end. Moreover, the potential for these applications are limitless, ranging from child-focused chat sessions to interactive adult experiences.
Yet security experts remain concerned. "My general rule in the past would be to stay away from instant messaging. There are a lot of ways that it can be used to compromise a system," said Colm Fahy, senior security consultant at Systemhouse in Dublin. "It's only recently that we have started to acknowledge that instant messaging can be made secure, but I'd still be wary of it."
Although all of the IM tools used by ActiveBuddy are opt-in, unsavoury advertisers are looking for ways to blast their messages onto users' screens whether they like it or not.
Earlier this year, a company registered in Romania launched a new software tool called DirectAdvertiser, which if used by unscrupulous spammers could easily be turned into one of the most intrusive cyber-adverting systems in existence. Using a messaging protocol that is embedded in new Windows operating systems, DirectAdvertiser could send pop-up messages to millions of unwitting recipients, even if their browser is not open.
Windows' so-called Messenger service, not to be confused with Microsoft's MSN Messenger chat client, is a software tool that is enabled by default on Windows 2000, NT and XP systems. Messenger was put in place to allow network administrators to send messages to users on an internal network.
Fahy said that under most circumstances, corporate uses will be protected from these messages under standard firewall settings. "But for the average person connected to the Net, I would be far more worried about their exposure to this kind of stuff," Fahy added, recommending that users purchase at least rudimentary firewall protection. "This pop-up spam could be regarded as a blessing in disguise as it should alert the user that their security is very lax," he said.
For its part DirectAdvertiser asks would-be buyers of its USD700 software, "Please do not use this software for spamming. If you do so, you will take full responsibility for your actions."
Nevertheless, the company says in its advertising, "There are no e-mail lists to worry about. Bulk e-mail is regulated by different laws in different states, instant messages are not." DirectAdvertiser also says, "These messages are completely anonymous and virtually untraceable. Bulk e-mail will cause you trouble with your ISP if you are not using special software to hide your IP address. With this program your IP address never shows up anywhere."
Creating successful email surveys: Denise Cox of email specialist Newsweaver argues that you can tap into your readers' likes or dislikes by surveying them.
