So I was reading a business article in the New York Times the other day and noticed a column to the right that said “News for Marketing Professionals.” My little marketing brain went “How’d they know what I do?” I’m registered with NYTimes.com, but I don’t think they asked for my profession. So I clicked on the link that says “what’s this?” and it turns out that they have partnered with Linked In to provide more relevant content to the user. I’m not sure how they figured out who I was on LinkedIn; I don’t recall giving them that info, either, but it’s possible I did.
Most people won’t even think about the behind-the-scenes technology that makes this possible. Heck, most people won’t even think it’s unusual to have relevent content seamlessly woven into their online experience. But I think it’s pretty cool. Incidentally, the New York Times does a lot of things right as far as online news goes. They do way more than just put up their print text. Lots of photo galleries, videos, and more that make it a much more interactive and informative experience.