Google never does anything that is privacy related without having a little push from some influential sources like, say, a government. As a result, the Google Street View service in Germany has provided the option for anyone who is included in Street View to have their raw footage, not the ones wit blurred faces and license plates, but the actual image completely removed from their archives.

There are some implications for all involved and they are explored in some detail today over at Marketing Pilgrim with my post “Google Street View Changes Image in Germany”.

I follow blogs and I find it interesting when a theme runs through them concurrently. It looks like a coincidence but I personally don’t believe in luck or coincidences. Having said that when I see a recurring them like today I pay attention.

What I saw the quick post on change on Seth Godin’s blog then one on change at another place I frequent called Dad-o-matic I connected it to what I experience everyday working with clients. Change in marketing is everywhere. It’s rapid. It can be surprising. It’s always challenging. What is important to note though is that unless marketers embrace change they will be left in the dust quickly.

I encounter significant resistant in the form of “Well, we’ve never done that before” which is the response of choice when you mention the idea of blogging to most. I also hear that “We can’t afford to do that” which is the wrong way of saying “We can’t afford NOT to do that”. The last big one I hear is that “I can’t do that”. This one hurts the most because there is no hope in that statement.

Change to consider in these changing times:

• Change your marketing habits – I spoke with a prospect yesterday who dropped hard Yellow Page advertising this year (still doing Internet Yellow Pages) and he saved $110,000. It seems like he simply did it year in and year out until it stopped making sense. That’s a good amount of money to be put into other areas that can be measured and bring business.
• Change your picture of your abilities – Instead of putting up the “I can’t do that” or “We’ve never done that” shield be open to new ideas and stretch yourself. I suspect that most people would be shocked at what they are actually capable of
• Change your picture of your organization’s capabilities – If you are in charge give people new responsibilities that will stretch and grow them and the business. Doing things on auto pilot can kill ingenuity and progress.
• Change your filters – Rather than filtering every idea defensively let the ideas come in, take a little time to germinate, then make a decision. I see so many people who are quick to say no to things that they simply never considered fully.

FT Takeaway: We know that change in business is real, it can be scary but it is necessary and unavoidable. Why resist it? Take a chance today. Change occurs whether you choose to participate or not. In business you gotta be in the game not the on the sidelines. Your business depends on it.

I have to admit that since I got my first BlackBerry about 2 years ago I have become more mobile than I ever imagined. I don’t mean that I go more places or that I get there faster or anything like that (although I am reconsidering how safe this whole thing is on the road). I do mean though that I find out my information more on my mobile device than on my laptop.

This has been a steady trend that has been escalated by my recent purchase of the BlackBerry Storm. FYI – This post is NOT A PRODUCT PITCH. I just want you to know that I am using a Blackberry device and not the iPhone. Now, I realize that any thought of being cool has been flushed down the toilet but I am fine with that.

The change was subtle at first. I became a very regular e-mail checker (I still check it in the middle of the night if I get up for any reason. Pathetic, I know, but it’s the truth). I even began some light texting which has escalated to some degree but I am not a huge fan of it honestly. I stayed this way throughout my usage of the Blackberry World Edition because the browser, well, it sucked. Not being able to view sites as they appear in a regular browser is just annoying and not worth the hassle in most instances.

Now, however, I have completely turned the corner. By having the web at my disposable pretty quickly (not quite like the commercials though surprise, surprise) my habits have changed. I live outside of a small to medium sized city (an SMC, I guess?) and it is very decentralized so there is a lot of time spent driving from place to place and setting up shop in coffee places etc. No longer do I need to worry about hot spots or the like so I have more flexibility and therefore I also do more exploring.

• I search more. Google gets a serious workout in my new environment. If I have a question I can get some kind of an answer or direction very quickly now. Sometimes that’s good while other times I realize that it didn’t really matter. I’m learning.

• Local businesses get more attention than ever. Sure, I work in internet marketing but I am finding that I can determine whether I will give a local business any attention if their web presence is decent. Not great, just decent.

• I see a lot of opportunity. I see so many businesses that are still just missing the boat. I wonder what they are doing to market themselves. I wonder why they haven’t paid closer attention to the way that many people are finding and evaluating them.

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I am a lifelong learner and there is so much to learn. During this economy I hope these businesses are willing to learn as well. If not it’s going to make my research a lot easier because there won’t be as much to see.

FT Takeaway: Mobile / smartphone usage is more widespread than we believe. Businesses are being evaluated in more ways than ever. If you are not doing a good job of presenting yourself with a total web presence you are losing business. It’s that simple.