Daily Buzz: Google Moves to Kill the URL

Your URL is where your association’s website lives—but that could be changing. Back in September, some members of Google’s Chrome security team proposed killing off URLs as they exist today. Then, in a talk at the Bay Area Enigma security conference on Tuesday, Chrome usable security lead Emily Stark began detailing the company’s approach to evolving URLs.

“What we’re really talking about is changing the way site identity is presented,” Stark said in an interview with Wired  (opens in a new tab). “People should know easily what site they’re on, and they shouldn’t be confused into thinking they’re on another site. It shouldn’t take advanced knowledge of how the internet works to figure that out.”

Stark says future URL changes won’t affect the infrastructure of the web—that is, Google is not planning to eliminate them altogether. Instead, Google will focus on how browsers convey what websites users are looking at and URL fraud.

“Our heuristics for detecting misleading URLs involve comparing characters that look similar to each other and domains that vary from each other just by a small number of characters,” Stark said. “Our goal is to develop a set of heuristics that pushes attackers away from extremely misleading URLs, and a key challenge is avoiding flagging legitimate domains as suspicious. This is why we’re launching this warning slowly, as an experiment.”

Nonprofit Video Mistakes to Avoid

https://twitter.com/memboGoUS/status/1090248651803451397

If video is a key component of your marketing strategy, don’t let the creative and production processes distract from your organization’s goals. “Video production is a long, involved process with a lot of moving pieces. When you’re caught up in the day-to-day problems, it can be easy to wander off course without even realizing it,” said the Serio Films team in a post on its blog  (opens in a new tab). “The best way to avoid this is to subject every single decision to the question: ‘Does this help us achieve our goal?’”

The team also says trying to include too much information, ignoring emotion, and not including a call-to-action can undercut your marketing efforts. “A video without a call to action is like a meal served without a fork and knife,” they write. “Make sure you know exactly what you want people to do after watching your film. Then make sure they know it too. Give them a way to accomplish it, and you’ve greatly increased the chances that they will.”

Other Links of Note

Workplace conflict is sometimes inevitable. These four strategies can help leaders diffuse touchy situations  (opens in a new tab), from Inc.

Membership becomes transformative when associations provide lifelong learning opportunities  (opens in a new tab), says the WBT Systems blog.

The right event marketing plan can boost attendance numbers and the bottom line. Before you decide on the creative, you should have these basics down  (opens in a new tab), from Smart Meetings.

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