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If you missed the last issue, I compared local news stations to B2B marketers.

I’m writing this on my new HP Chromebook.

Chromebooks are low-cost laptops (mine cost $350 at Costco) that run a stripped-down version of the Linux operating system.

Highly popular in schools, a Chromebook features one application: the Chrome browser.

While some services are provided as “Chrome Apps” (e.g., Zoom), most everything that I run installs itself as a Chrome extension.

Unlike a conventional laptop, a Chromebook doesn’t feature local storage. Instead, everything is stored in the Google cloud, from documents to settings to cookies to browsing history.

For the past four years, I used a trusty Acer Chromebook. When it began to show its age, I bought the new HP Chromebook.

In the past, a new laptop meant copying lots of files, then customizing the new laptop with settings, preferences, bookmarks and the like. That process took several hours.

Setting up my new Chromebook, I was thrilled and amazed with how seamless everything was.

My Chrome extensions carried over (i.e., they were already installed).

My browsing history was preserved.

Logins to websites had my password stored.

It was so convenient! I was on a newer, faster computer, but it seemed like I was still on my old one.

Except.

(Pause.)

Did this convenience come at a cost?

On a conventional laptop, your browsing history, cookies and related browser files are somewhat private – all that data resides in folders on your local drive.

With a Chromebook, all of that data is stored by Google in their cloud:



There’s a well-known quote, “If you're not paying for the product you are the product.”

I don’t pay to use the Chrome browser.

I don’t pay for Google Drive, Google Docs or Gmail.

So am I the product?

My every move (online) is tracked and stored at Google.

Google plans to phase out third-party cookies in the Chrome browser by 2023.

Over time, I see more and more of our data being stored in the cloud. For Chromebook users, it’s already happening.

This puts a company like Google in an interesting position.

Around the Corner
(continued)

The company that’s phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome is the same company that stores a wealth of users’ first-party data – especially people using Chromebooks.

Retargeting is problematic once third-party cookies are phased out, but now advertisers might go straight to Google.

I’m not suggesting that Google has nefarious plans here. But they could take advantage of all this first-party user data if they so choose.

When I created a Google account or set up my Chromebook for the first time, I’m sure I signed a User Agreement that detailed what Google might do with the data it collects about me.

It might be a good time to take a fresh look at those terms.

And while regulations like GDPR and CCPA are good, we might need to ask if there are limitations on what a company can do with its first-party data.

While I willingly generated a lot of first-party data by using my Chromebook, what if Google wanted to sell my data and “hid” some of those details in their Terms & Conditions?

Maybe the future of first-party data is in Google’s hands.

Don’t be evil (I hope).

-Dennis.
Next Meetup
How to Think About Being More Inclusive to Trans and Non-binary People in 2022

Presenter: Mx. Ruth B. Carter, Esq. (They/Them), Carter Law Firm, PLLC.

More people, of all ages, are embracing that they are transgender or non-binary. While it’s becoming easier for people to update their IDs and documents, navigating society when you don’t “pass” as a cisgender person or are assumed to be a gender you’re not, can be frustrating, upsetting, and at times, frightening.

Ruth Carter (they/them) is a non-binary lawyer who openly shares about their "Adventures in Non-Binary Living" about the everyday challenges they encounter with companies that try to force them back into the traditional female paradigm, facilities that do not accommodate non-binary people, and institutions that force them to identify as a different gender merely to access services.

They will share suggestions anyone can apply to their life or their business to be more inclusive in your thoughts and behaviors, as well as and the upsides that come with being an open ally to this community.

Date:
February 24, 2022, 12 to 1pm PT

RSVP:
https://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Content-Marketing/events/283680794/

Note: Thanks to our sponsors, Hushly, TalendToTheWeb and Treasure Data.
Twitter Corner
In each newsletter, I recommend a Twitter user to follow.
 
This week, I recommend David Simanoff (@simanoff).



David lives in Tampa, Florida.

His Twitter profile includes this line:

"Trends don't last. Trust and authenticity do."

David started his career as a journalist and now does education and corporate marketing. You can learn more about David's background on his website.
Job Corner
F5 has an opening for a Senior PR Manager position.



"F5 is looking for an experienced Sr. PR Manager to lead customer, solution and product public relations strategy across F5’s portfolio of multi-cloud application security and delivery solutions.

We’re looking for a creative storyteller to elevate the F5 brand among media and influencers, build customer trust and support our go-to-market activities."

View the job listing.
Web3 Corner
Ian Bogost is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the Director of the Program in Film & Media Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. 



Bogost wrote a piece titled "The Internet Is Just Investment Banking Now."

Given what I wrote about my first-party data being (potentially) monetized, I found Bogost's piece interesting. It ends with this quote:

"The natural endpoint of blockchains and NFTs—the golden promise of Web3—is that every aspect of human life, as recorded by computers, will be collateralized. Just think how excited or terrified you’ll feel then."

Read the article.
I Cornered Myself
In my latest for CMSWire, I wrote how content marketers can find success with no budget, a small budget and a medium-sized budget.



A boss of mine once told me that creative and elegant solutions can arise from restrictions and limitations. This can hold true for content marketers with limited budgets.

Read the article.
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