Ecommerce News Around the Web for October 8, 2010

“Ecommerce News Around the Web” is our weekly review of articles, blog posts and other news items that could interest ecommerce merchants.

eBay Exec Explains Buyer Protection – AuctionBytes

Online auction house eBay published a letter on its home page this week written by its CEO John Donahoe. The letter tells about eBay’s new fall marketing campaign, including a keystone component called “Buyer Protection.” Listen to an audio interview with eBay’s senior director of buyer protection, Lynda Talgo, as she explains the new policy.

35 CMS Plugins for WordPress – 1stwebdesigner

The popular blogging platform WordPress can be customized to suit practically any CMS desire with the help of 35 downloadable plugins. Each plugin is designed to do a specific job, and these were selected for their particular usefulness.

How to Get ‘Brain Pickers’ to Pay – copyblogger

If you are tired of people picking your brain for free business advice, here’s how to make it clear that you expect to be paid for your expertise and knowledge.

Is Internet Explorer Sinking? – E-commerce Times

Internet Explorer is barely hanging on to its reputation as the World’s most used web browser. Competition from rivals Firefox, Google Chrome, and other search engines are pushing IE off its pedestal. IE is now preferred by less than half of web users (49.87 percent in September), according to web analytics firm StatCounter.

SEO: A Primer for Beginners – Entrepreneur Daily Dose

Want to get the search engines to sit up and take notice of your website? Here is a succinct explanation of SEO (search engine optimization) basics, without a lot of confusing developer jargon.

Consider This Before You Go Global – GetElastic

Selling online in the U.S. is not easy, but standard guidelines can make it simpler for e-tailers to find success. However, international ecommerce is a whole different ballgame. Here are six things to consider before expanding your business into the global market.

Email: Best Practices vs. ‘Profit Practices’ – ClickZ

This blogger says email marketing’s “best practices” are not always the most profitable practices. He says its time to throw out the email rulebook and start employing “profit practices” that make more sense in the long run.

Eliminate ‘Social Clutter’ – Forrester

Social media adoption is practically ubiquitous among Internet users, with more than 80 percent of U.S. users now engaged in the practice. This blogger says the huge amount of data that is flowing across the social media platforms is causing a new challenge for the industry that he dubs “social clutter.”

Using Video on Your Website, Part 3 – Invodo

In this third part of a weekly series about overcoming the fear of video, Invodo blogger Russ Somers tackles video deployment. He answers some common questions about posting videos onsite, and provides links to his two previous articles about video use in ecommerce.

FTC Updates Definition of ‘Green’ Sites – Direct Marketing News

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) updated its “Green Guides” on October 6 to better define companies that claim to use environmentally friendly practices. So-called green companies can no longer claim to be eco-friendly unless they back it up with reliable scientific evidence.

Apple’s iAds Are in a Life-and-Death Struggle – Macworld

Apple is under a lot of pressure to loosen its tight grip on iAds, its mobile advertising platform. Sporting giant Adidas and fashion icon Chanel both recently cancelled multi-million dollar iAd accounts, citing dissatisfaction over the tight control Apple keeps over the creative process for ads.

7 Questions for AOL’s CEO – Mashable

America Online (AOL) is arguably the single company that made it possible for mainstream America to connect to the Internet. AOL’s CEO and co-founder Steve Case talks here about the history of his company, and offers his views on the future of the Internet.

Target Marketing Can Backfire – ClickZ

Internet marketing can be segmented down to many granular customizations, and a deeply segmented campaign is usually right on target. But, even if your message hits its target square-on, your offer must contain enough value to stand on its own merit.

10 Holiday Preparations – ColderICE

Most ecommerce businesses are already aboard the holiday train as it hurtles down the track toward Black Friday. But, you might want to take a few moments to make sure your website is ready for the changes that the holiday season can bring. Here are ten simple ways to truly make this holiday season “the best time of the year.”