February 2010
Stats Put Android Ahead Of iPhone In Eight States
February 28, 2010, 1:30 pmThere's encouraging news for Google in the Android vs. iPhone war. A company that's delivered more than one billion applications, games, ringtones, videos, and wallpapers to mobile users claims Android has topped the iPhone in terms of user concentration in eight states.
As the map below shows, these eight states are Arizona, Maryland,...
I Don't Like The iPad Because...
February 28, 2010, 2:35 am...it's driven by the same old media love affair with distribution lock in. I've been on about this ever since I studied Google in 2001: Media traditionally has gained its profits by owning distribution. Cable carriage, network airwaves, newsstand distribution and printing presses: all very expensive, so once you employ enough capital to gain...
Global Internet Use Not Yet Universal
February 27, 2010, 5:30 pmGoing online in many countries, including developed ones is far from universal according to a new report by the World Internet Project (WIP).
The report was carried out by the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, it found only half of the 10 reporting countries had more than a majority of...
Cup of Joe: Kick It Up a Notch & Take It Offline!
February 27, 2010, 2:03 pm
So you got your client on the front page of Digg. With your SEO skills you pushed them to the top of the rankings for all their key terms. You have optimized their PPC campaigns and have drastically improved their ROI.
You are a rock star and everyone knows it!
But the question now is, what’s left? Don’t get me wrong...
Does Google Buzz Deserve All the Criticism It's Gotten?
February 27, 2010, 1:30 pmGoogle Buzz has been a magnet for skepticism, controversy, and criticism since it launched earlier this month. The skepticism is a result of past Google social media efforts not having the greatest track record. Much of the controversy and criticism has been the result of privacy, and more recently copyright concerns from users.
Google Buzz...
Will Bing Powering Yahoo Make SEO Easier?
February 27, 2010, 1:18 pmThere is an interesting discussion going on in our WebProWorld forum about search engine optimization post Microsoft-Yahoo deal. For those unfamiliar with the topic, Microsoft and Yahoo recently gained regulatory approval on a search and advertising deal announced last year, which will see Yahoo using Bing's algorithm in its search results. The...
Google Testing a Revamp of the Search Results Page
February 26, 2010, 9:51 pmUpdate: Danny Sullivan reports that "slight variations" of this design are "live in the wild," and "still being shown to a randomly selected group of people," and that Google doesn't have an expected launch date for a complete roll-out.
Original Article (11/19): Google is testing a new user interface for...
AP Extends Digital Strategy With Gateway Unit
February 26, 2010, 9:47 pmA news organization that was founded in 1846 is making another attempt to transition to the digital age. The Associated Press has announced the creation of a unit called AP Gateway, and with the unit, the agency intends to "facilitate development of fresh news consumer experiences for the Web as well as mobile phones, tablets and...
Even Google Employees Get Delisted
February 26, 2010, 8:54 pm
We all know someone or seen someone who’s gotten kicked out of Google SERPs. It seems like a significant proportion of these people (or at least just the vocal ones) feel this exclusion is as personal as it was in seventh grade—Susan G. didn’t like you, so she wouldn’t let you hang out with their group, and...
Expedia Launches New iPhone App For Travelers
February 26, 2010, 8:45 pmExpedia has launched a new free iPhone application, TripAssist, that links to its mobile website to allow users to mange their travel itineraries.
TripAssist allows users to research flights, destinations, hotels, cars and activities. Once they make a reservation, they can manage and update their itineraries, find an alternative flight, research...
eBay-PayPal Tie-Up Draws Complaints In Germany
February 26, 2010, 8:16 pmThis has not been a great week for American tech companies trying to do business in Europe. First, Google got in trouble over allegedly anticompetitive search practices and its policy on Street View data retention. Now, German antitrust authorities are looking at the way in which eBay has supported PayPal.
John Oates explained earlier...
A Third of Journalists Still Not Using Social Media
February 26, 2010, 7:36 pm
The Society For New Communications Research has come out with a new study on journalists’ use of social media—and it’s not as optimistic (or maybe realistic) as another study published this month. In a survey of 300+ journalists, the second annual Middleberg/SNCR Survey of Media in the Wired World (PDF executive...
Google Buzz Draws New Content-Scraping Controversy
February 26, 2010, 7:25 pmUpdate 2: A Google spokesperson says the full-text issue is not a Google-specific problem. "It is possible for Bloggers to prevent their full content from showing in Buzz just like in Reader --it depends on how they set up their feed. If a blog owner wants to not show their whole blog, they have to use whatever tools they are using to...
Friday Signal: The Web Gets Its Wisdom Teeth (We Hope)
February 26, 2010, 7:23 pm
(image ) A couple of days ago I riffed for bit on the convergence of conversation in our industry around mobile, local, real time, and social. Sometimes this stuff needs an easier name to identify it all, so I'm going to go with MOLRS (MObile Local Realtime Social).
Why another acronym? Because honestly, it reminds us to link all...
State Farm Launches iPhone App For Teen Drivers
February 26, 2010, 5:32 pmState Farm has introduced a new free iPhone and iPod touch application aimed at helping young drivers stay safe on the road.
The "Steer Clear" application is part of State Farm's safe drivers discount program. The app gives young drivers a way to complete the Steer Clear discount program and encourages supervised driver...
Google Lets Users Find Results Based on Location
February 26, 2010, 5:29 pmGoogle has added the ability to search by location to its list of search options. The option is called "nearby".
"Location has become an important part of the way we search. If you're a foodie looking for restaurant details, food blogs or the closest farmer's market, location can be vital to helping you find the right...
Google Looking to Split Print Pages into Individual Web Articles?
February 26, 2010, 4:47 pmBack in 2008, Google filed a patent, which was recently published for public viewing. The patent is called "Segmenting Printed Media Pages Into Articles," and appears to imply that the company wants to take individual articles from print publications and turn them into individual articles on the web. The abstract says:
Methods and...
Thurs. Signal
February 26, 2010, 4:29 pmI'm spending the balance of today working on a longer piece, so here's some short links from yesterday, which I spent mainly on a plane without wifi (how odd is it to be bummed that my plane did not have wifi?).
Congress Adds Location-Based Mobile to List of Privacy Concerns (ClickZ) We're not even close to the end of the conversation our culture...
Baidu Receives $50 Million To Build Video Site
February 26, 2010, 4:09 pmThe creation of the Chinese equivalent of Hulu is now officially underway. Providence Equity Partners, which invested $100 million in the original American video site, will give Baidu $50 million to create Qiyi.com. Qiyi should similarly offer premium content and rely on ad revenue.
Qiyi will indeed be a completely by-the-book...
Track How Effective Your Online Marketing Efforts are Offline
February 26, 2010, 3:58 pmTracking offline conversions has been a challenge for businesses for years. As long as the Internet has been widely used to drive business, tracking online marketing efforts to offline purchases has been no easy feat, but while there is no silver bullet approach, rest assured, there are ways to make it easier.
For brick and mortar businesses,...
EU Wants Google To Revise Street View Policies
February 26, 2010, 3:29 pmThe European Union has asked Google to revise the way it stores images for its Maps and Street View services, due to privacy concerns.
Google currently keeps all images on Street View for a year, but the EU's Article 29 Data Protection Working Party wants that time cut in half to no longer than six months.
"The Working Party believes that a...
Facebook Gets Patent On News Feeds
February 26, 2010, 2:59 pmA number of social networks may be in a significant amount of trouble. Facebook has managed to patent the idea of "dynamically providing a news feed about a user of a social network."
This is no rumor or joke; the paperwork is all in order. Facebook filed for what the United States Patent and Trademark Office has designated...
China Says Google as Vital as Electricity…This Just In, Google Becomes Electric Utility
February 26, 2010, 2:50 pm
Not since chocolate and peanut butter have two things ever meant to go together as much as these two stories.
First, we have researchers in China opining that they can’t conduct their research without Google:
“Research without Google would be like life without electricity,” says Xiong Zhenqin, an ecologist at...
Google Gets EU’s Attention Again for Street View Images
February 26, 2010, 2:22 pm
If Google hasn’t gotten the message by now then they never will. The European Union has a bee in its bonnet about all things Google. It almost feels like there is an issue du jour as of late. The threat of anti-trust inquiries is the latest to surface out of the regulatory body and just to show that they are paying attention to...
You Don’t Have to be Gullible to Work at the BBC, but it Helps!
February 26, 2010, 2:15 pm
The UK’s Guardian newspaper demonstrates that intelligence goes out the window, once someone gets drawn in to Twitter.
Apparently banks, politicians, and even journalists are falling for the "this you??" phishing scam. One unfortunate BBC correspondent is apparently blissfully unaware that he is a victim, as you...
Behavioral Targeting Might Become A Target Itself
February 26, 2010, 1:30 pm
As marketers, the Holy Grail is to put the right message in front of the right person at the right time so that they will do what is right: buy something. It’s a simple enough idea and many feel that we are well on our way to getting to that point with the use of behavioral targeting (BT). While from the marketers’ point of...
5 Sure Fire Tactics to Promote a Business Blog
February 26, 2010, 12:00 pmRelevant, Consistently Updated Content + Flawless Technical Functionality & User Experience = Perfect Blog Launch
What’s missing from the equation above? You guessed it: blog promotion.
Creating a glitch-free blog with informative content means next to nothing without attracting readers.
Start promoting your blog today with these five...
Twellow Gets Twitter OAuth Support
February 26, 2010, 11:40 amOur Twellow team has been working hard on getting Twellow set up to use Twitter's OAuth system, and that support is now available on Twellow.com.
"The Twellow OAuth upgrade is a major improvement for Twellow users," Twellow's Lead Developer Matthew Daines says. "Not only is it much more secure, but it also increases the amount of...
Cyber Attackers Pose as New York Times
February 26, 2010, 11:30 amSymantec's MessageLabs tells WebProNews there is a new targeted attack using emails pretending to be from the New York Times. MessageLabs Intelligence tracked the attack yesterday, which used emails pretending to come from the NYT's "Times Reader" software, hitting six different domains. One domain was a public sector domain, one was a...
Google Makes Facebook Pages a Higher Priority for Businesses
February 26, 2010, 11:01 amGoogle announced via Twitter this week, that public status updates from Facebook are now included in the search engine's real-time search feature. That means the largest social network in the world is getting play in Google's real-time search alongside Twitter, MySpace, and others, and these real-time results are often featured prominently on the...
Should Social Media Be Held Accountable for User Actions?
February 26, 2010, 9:36 amA judge in Milan, Italy has convicted three Google executives over a video uploaded to YouTube in a case, which could have serious implications for social media and ultimately, the web in general, at least in Italy. The video, uploaded back in 2006, featured a group of school kids bullying an autistic child. Google says it worked with Italian...
Most Businesses Still Only "Experiment" with Social Media
February 26, 2010, 8:26 amSocial media use among businesses has grown significantly over the past year or two, but new research from E-Consultancy, in association with the Online Marketing Summit (where WebProNews is conducting exclusive interviews this week), indicates that most businesses are largely still in the experimental stage when it comes to their efforts.
There...
Missing Growing Pains Actor Andrew Koenig's Body Found
February 26, 2010, 4:10 amUpdate: Tragically, Koenig's body was found in Stanley Park in Vancouver. His father Walter Koenig reportedly said in a press conference, "Our son took his own life. He was obviously in a lot of pain."
More here.
Original Article: Andrew Koenig, an actor best known for portraying Kirk Cameron's best friend "Boner" on the 80s...
Is Apple Displaying a "Puritan" Double Standard?
February 26, 2010, 12:36 amUpdate: According to reports, Apple has "quietly reinstated a shopping app from a beachwear retailer that sells bikinis."
Original Article: Apple has dominated tech headlines this week, as the company has created quite an uproar by unexpectedly removing over 5,000 apps from its App Store. The apps removed have been deemed...
Smart Robots.txt
February 25, 2010, 11:50 pm"Even bots that respect the REP can harm your search engine rankings, or reveal sensitive information to your competitors." Great stuff.
Google Trounces Yahoo, Bing In Mobile Search Report
February 25, 2010, 10:26 pmAlthough Google's undoubtedly best known for dominating the traditional search market, the company's no slouch when it comes to mobile. New stats from Opera indicate that Google has a huge lead over its closest rival, and that its other well-funded competitor barely enters the equation.
According to the latest Opera State of the Mobile...
More States Using Twitter To Communicate Travel Conditions
February 25, 2010, 10:18 pmA growing number of state transportation departments (DOTs) are communicating news and information to travelers using Twitter, Facebook and other social media.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) survey of 32 state DOTs found 26 states or (82%) are now using Twitter to communicate with travelers when...
9% of Mobile Web Page Views are Google Search
February 25, 2010, 10:14 pm
Mobile search, like the rest of the mobile web, is really in its infancy. While we are definitely making leaps and bounds all the time, a lot of the future of the mobile web is TBD—including which provider, if any, will dominate mobile search.
Or so we thought. Using browsing info from its popular mobile client, Opera Mini,...
Texas Governor Coaxes Facebook To Open New Office
February 25, 2010, 9:12 pmAlthough it isn't quite a done deal, Texas Governor Rick Perry seems to have more or less ensured that Facebook will open a sales and operations office in Austin. Perry's offered the company $1.4 million as an incentive to establish the branch and create some jobs.
Fittingly enough, Perry's office announced the development with a Facebook...
Trackur Shakes Up the Social Media Monitoring Space with a Free Plan
February 25, 2010, 7:30 pm
I’m not sure if you know the back story of why I decided to launch social media monitoring tool Trackur.
After completing Radically Transparent, I felt like there was a huge void between those that had outgrown Google Alerts and the monitoring tools available at that time. You had Google Alerts (free) then you had services...
Census Bureau Launches Map Powered By Google
February 25, 2010, 7:23 pmThe U.S. Census Bureau said today it has launched a new online mapping tool detailing how well communities responded to the 2000 Census in an effort to raise awareness for the upcoming 2010 Census.
Visitors to the new Google-based map will be able to find the 2000 Census mail participation rates for states, counties and cities, as well as smaller...
Consumer Demographics and Their Wireless Devices
February 25, 2010, 7:12 pmAs smartphone usage becomes more and more mainstream, businesses have to consider how their audiences are interacting with them online. For that reason, it can help to gain insight into how users of different devices interact with those devices.
AdMob released its monthly Mobile Metrics report today, which finds that Android and iPhone users...
Fortune 100 (Slowly) Embracing Social Media
February 25, 2010, 6:38 pm
Yes, it’s like a slow-mo hug: the 100 largest Fortune 500 companies are accepting and integrating social media into their marketing strategies. BUt for many of them, it’s a one-piece-at-a-time proposition. A study by Burson-Marsteller shows that many Fortune 100 companies are trying one or two popular social media...
Finding Links by Studying your Competitors
February 25, 2010, 5:44 pmWhen looking at your competitors backlinks you will see what types of content people are linking to. You need to create a similar type of content if you don’t have it already. You can send a personal email if you find a site that links to content you already have.
Local Business Search as Q&A
February 25, 2010, 5:10 pmHuman-driven Q&A search service ChaCha launched some new functionality this week for local businesses. Now users can access information about over 15 million businesses in the U.S., courtesy of partner Localeze.ChaCha spoke with WebProNews about why the company considers itself a legitimate contender in the ever-growing local search space....
eBay Buys World Of Good
February 25, 2010, 4:56 pmWorld of Good is likely to get a lot bigger in the near future. The brand, which helps artists in developing countries connect with buyers, has been acquired by eBay, and expansion seems to be the first thing on both sides' "to do" list.
Believe it or not, this isn't at all the random move it might appear to be. World of...
5 Steps to Launching a Mobile Search Campaign
February 25, 2010, 4:10 pmAccording to eMarketer, mobile search spending will grow 81% over the next two years. So there’s no better time to get a jump start on your mobile search campaigns. Here are 5 key steps to launching a mobile search campaign in AdWords.
How Are The Olympics And Entrepreneurs Similar?
February 25, 2010, 3:37 pmThe winter Olympics are off to an interesting start, as always. And while I’ve only caught parts, I did manage to watch short track skating when Apolo Ohno miraculously won silver. From the qualifying heats to the final race he was pretty amazing to watch.
While his competition in those qualifying races wasn’t super stiff, you could...
Newspaper Websites Most Valued Local News Source
February 25, 2010, 3:00 pmNewspaper websites are the most valued sites for people seeking credible and trustworthy local content, according to a new survey conducted by comScore for the Newspaper Association of America (NAA).
More than half (57%) of the 3,050 respondents cited local newspaper websites as the top online source for local information. That percentage...
SEO Priorities – Task ROI
February 25, 2010, 2:48 pmThis is a topic I talk to Dojo peeps a lot about and I thought it would make for a good convo for the rest of the space. Essentially we can't operate SEO programs in a void. Each activity must be weighted for value and potential benefit. Please do pass along your own thoughts/tips on it... Enjoy
Six More Features Graduate From Gmail Labs
February 25, 2010, 2:36 pmIt looks like the people in charge of Gmail Labs have decided to do a little spring (or more accurately, late winter) cleaning. They've removed a full 11 experimental features from Labs, with six of the bunch becoming regular Gmail features and the other five failing to make the cut.
Many of the "graduated" features are ones...
7 Widely Believed Myths Of SEO
February 25, 2010, 2:30 pmDebunking some myths that still stick like Velcro, and a bit of debate on one of the myths (which I don't think is a myth).
Google’s Real Time Search Now Shows Facebook Pages Status
February 25, 2010, 1:33 pm
While everyone is concerned about just how Google will eventually take over the world and implant chips in everyone so they can search for your real time position at any time in real time for real information (do you get the sarcasm here?) there is one area where Google is not going to do as well as the competition (read: bing)....
69% of Companies Focus on Twitter; 61% Have No Clue of Its ROI
February 25, 2010, 1:28 pm
The Value of Social Media Report has been released by Econsultancy and the Online Marketing Summit. I was offered a sneak peek at the study and provided my analysis for the report. It’s definitely worth the investment, and as a taster, here’s my analysis:
What struck me the most is that 61% of companies feel their...
Are Google’s European Union Troubles Driven by Microsoft?
February 25, 2010, 12:53 pm
The news part of this story is that the European Commission (EC) has launched an anti-trust investigation against Google. I suspect that this is heard with little surprise considering the amount of chatter recently about Google’s dominance in the marketplace. I would think it is safe to say that Google has been preparing for...
SES London takeaways and top tips
February 25, 2010, 12:07 pmI couldn't attend SES London but this mammoth post from Mark Nunney I didn't need to.
Even “The Wild West” Eventually Just Became “The West”…
February 25, 2010, 7:10 amAre the wild west days of the Internet over?
Italy would like to think so.
This week the most serious threat to Freedom of Speech online since the internet has been in existence may be the Italian court descision to indict 3 Google executives.
Italy has sentenced them to prison time for content in a video that some anonymous Italian YouTube...
OMS10 B2B Marketing Case Study: Marketo
February 25, 2010, 12:08 amOur agency TopRank Marketing has been working with Marketo providing SEO, content and blog marketing consulting services for about 2 years. I finally had the opportunity to meet Marketing VP Jon Miller in person today prior to his presentation at Online Marketing Summit: Marketo’s Secret Sauce for Demand Generation.
Marketo is one of the...
Google Talk Improves Voice, Video Performance
February 24, 2010, 10:26 pmAs you might imagine, conversations tend to be more productive and enjoyable when they’re not interrupted and cut short all the time. Google’s made a smart move, then, by upgrading Google Talk in several respects.
The upgrades actually pertain to one of Google Talk’s most advanced features: the voice and video chat...
Advocacy Group Asks DOJ To Probe Google Search Results
February 24, 2010, 10:14 pmConsumer Watchdog today called on the Justice Department to guarantee that its ongoing antitrust probe of Google's business practices include an investigation into if the company is manipulating its search results to favor its own products.
The nonprofit advocacy group said it sent a letter to Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for...
Centralize Files with HP MediaSmart Server
February 24, 2010, 9:49 pmAt CES 2010, WebProNews met with Steve Murtha from Intel to discuss the HP MediaSmart Server.
With up to 17TBs of storage, this new server centralizes all files in one location.
As Steve Murtha tells WebProNews, the server is based on the Microsoft Home Server OS and is about value propositions.
The first essential aspect of the server is...
Chinese Scientists Cling To Google
February 24, 2010, 9:03 pmChina's standing in the scientific community might be damaged if Google leaves the country, according to the results of a new survey. This isn't a simple matter of reputation, either; a great many Chinese scientists instead acknowledged that they regard the search engine as a useful research tool.
As reported by Reuters, the journal Nature...
Display Makes Searchers Buy Faster
February 24, 2010, 8:29 pm
Eyeblaster released a study yesterday showing that “display ads stimulate search by increasing the speed at which people searching enter the purchase funnel,” reports MediaPost. The study examined over 1300 search and display campaigns over a 15 month period.
They found that early one in five people who convert after...
Academics Endorse Social Media Marketing At OMS
February 24, 2010, 7:50 pmIt's an unfortunate fact that the speakers at some conferences can be self-serving; few people are going to go onstage and not promote their own company, never mind admit its faults. However, when it comes to social media, it's hard to accuse the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania of bias, and so an OMS keynote on the subject...
Weds. Signal - "Local-Mobile-RealTime": Re-imagining Social
February 24, 2010, 7:45 pmToday finds me in Chicago, making the rounds of a great city that I don't get to often enough. Meeting with senior folks at agency holding companies like Omnicom and Publicis, as well as clients like McDonald's, I find this four-word mantra coming up, over and over: "Local Mobile Real Time Social".
Fascination with these buzzwords is not news to...
SEO FAQ - Answers to Your SEO Questions
February 24, 2010, 6:50 pmSEO question asked by Tad Chef and answered by our very favorite SEO writer (aka David Leonhardt)
Apple and Microsoft Teaming Up?
February 24, 2010, 6:05 pm
Once up on a time, it seemed that Google and Apple were natural partners, as inseparable as . . . well, two boards of directors with the same guy on them. And then last August, Google CEO Eric Schmidt left the Apple board, citing “core business conflicts.” Those conflicts have become more apparent over the intervening...
Professional Online Video Views Climb In 2009
February 24, 2010, 5:24 pmProfessionally produced online media and entertainment video views increased by 18 percent in 2009 to 49.1 billion, according to a new report by AccuStream Research.
Internet brands (counting online entertainment destinations owned and operated by major media companies such as Comcast, CBS, Fox Broadcasting, NBC, ABC that include Fancast.com,...
Google Calls Off Android Event In Beijing
February 24, 2010, 4:54 pmA little over a month ago, Google delayed the launch of two Android phones in China. Now, the company appears to have followed up that move by deciding to cancel an Android developer event in Beijing.
We should note that Google's claimed no such event was ever planned; according to corporate representatives, gatherings in Hong Kong,...
Why Even Local Search is Becoming More Real-Time
February 24, 2010, 4:46 pmAs the web quickly becomes more mobile and social than ever, we see apps filling voids that were mostly left empty throughout the history of search and social media. People are increasingly sharing their locations with their friends, certain apps, certain sites, and even the world.
While sharing one's location can present its own set of dangers,...
How Journalists Use Search & Social Media
February 24, 2010, 4:22 pmTopRank ran a survey of journalists, reporters and editors on their use of search and social media in 2008. We found 91% use search engines like Google to do their job. 64% use social networks. Published in Jan 2010, a George Washington University and Cision survey of journalists reports 89% use blogs and 65% use social networks to research...
Does Google Think It’s Above the Law?
February 24, 2010, 3:30 pm
Before I get into this post, let me state that I believe the ruling in Italy is absurd.
What am I talking about?
Well a case, which has been in the hands of an Italian court for over 3 years, has just come to a conclusion–and 3 Google executives have just been sentenced to 6 months of jail time for invasion of...
Yahoo and Twitter Announce Partnership
February 24, 2010, 3:17 pm
Better late than never is what they say right? Everyone else and their brother have made their deal with Twitter so Yahoo doing so only makes sense. What is interesting is that while this kind of announcement should be a big deal it comes off as sounding a little “after the fact” which, unfortunately, seems to be how Yahoo is...
3 Reasons NOT to Use Twitter for Your Business
February 24, 2010, 2:22 pmIt seems like any time we talk about Twitter, we focus on the reasons to use it. Conversations are always about the benefits, never about potential drawbacks or reasons not to use Twitter. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely a firm believer that Twitter can be a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness, driving web traffic,...
Will Twitter Ads Be 140 Characters or Less?
February 24, 2010, 1:37 pm
Well folks it looks like the days of advertising free tweeting may finally be coming to an end. The rumors are flying around regarding the ad platform that Twitter has in the works and is testing. Everyone is “atwitter” with this change and for good reason. Of course, until there is more than what has already been released by...
Tuesday's Signal - Notes from the IAB
February 24, 2010, 4:37 amOver the past few days I've been at the IAB conference, and if the mood in the hallways (and bars) is any indication, the online media industry is in a much better place - better than anytime in the past two years, most certainly.
The IAB is an industry association which represents, broadly, "companies that sell advertising." The Board (on which I...
It's Twitter!!!!!!!! (Yahoo + Twitter)
February 24, 2010, 3:43 amJust got word of this deal, news of it around the blogosphere:
Yahoo is announcing a partnership with Twitter on Wednesday that will bring the services of both companies closer together. Under the partnership, Yahoo users will be able to read their personal Twitter feeds on several Yahoo sites, including the company’s home page, Yahoo Mail and...
3 Good Link Bait Tips, 3 Bad Link Bait Tips
February 24, 2010, 3:01 amOf all methods for doing solid search engine optimization, link bait is one of the most alluring (yet mysterious) methods. Good link bait will grab attention and gather links from various pages across the web, but bad link bait won’t grab much attention and will not have the SEO effects desired. Keep in mind that bad link bait and bad...
Google's Microsoft Moment? European Antitrust Review Looms
February 24, 2010, 12:22 amIn past writings I've intoned that Google was following the path of Microsoft in many ways, and suggested that at some point it may face the same kind of scrutiny - and potential enervation - as Gates&Co did back in the late 1990s with the DOJ. Now comes news from the WSJ that the European Union has decided to open an investigation into the...
Are Google going all Bing?
February 23, 2010, 11:36 pmIt would appear that Google would appear to be launching a revised search results page into the while, removing a number of traditional Google elements in the process including the blue bar amongst others - and it seems to be spreading.
15 Social Media Answers From OMS10
February 23, 2010, 8:55 pmOnline Marketing Summit 2010 in San Diego is host to a smorgasboard of internet marketing topics and this afternoon I am priveledged to participate on a panel about Social Media. Panelists include:
Chris Baggott, CEO, Compendium Blogware
Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
Michael Senger, CEO & Founder, StoneMass
Caitlin McCabe,...
Google Rolls Out New Buzz Features: But Why These?
February 23, 2010, 7:57 pm
Yesterday, Google announced five little tweaks to Buzz. While they’re certain to please active users, they do little to address some of the issues Buzz has faced.
To be fair, Google has tried to address the major privacy concerns after Buzz’s initial (rushed) launch. Probably most important is the note that buried in...
How to Really Build Backlinks and Dominate Google
February 23, 2010, 6:57 pmGlen continues to impress me with his unrelenting quest to write truly useful posts. No high-level, water-downed tips here. He actually goes out of his way to explain some very "diamond in the rough" techniques and websites.
Google: An Elephant Dancing Ballet
February 23, 2010, 4:46 pm
What really goes on inside Google? Wired magazine’s Stephen Levy takes a peek inside the world’s most popular search engine. While most of what he saw will come as no surprise to people who’ve been in search at least a year or two, we do get a glimpse of some of the mechanisms the company uses to keep ahead of...
How to Leverage Traffic Besides Using Organic Search
February 23, 2010, 4:08 pmThis has some great tips for gaining traffic without organic rankings - something all of us struggle with when taking on new sites or projects. Sometimes you have to work without that google ranking - this is a great primer on how you can leverage other mediums to get traffic to those sites.
14 Uber Cool Reasons to Attend SAScon UK Conference
February 23, 2010, 4:02 pmWithout a doubt, one of the best things happening in the UK search and social industry for 2010 is the launch of SAScon. Ben McKay (one of the organisers) gives a rundown of the speakers and a special treat for readers!
Small Business Tips For Reporting Web Metrics
February 23, 2010, 12:00 pm[Last week, we shared some web analytics basics for small businesses or web site owners new to tracking website visitor data. Building on that, this post explores what you should do next to report that data.]
It’s an exciting time to be a small business owner or communications professional. Why? We’ve never had more data and metrics...
How to Avoid Launching a Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Social Engagement Campaign
February 23, 2010, 3:33 amThis post is te collection of video interviews our guest contributor Neal Rodriguez interview top Internet marketing experts on tracking and managing social media campaigns, social media reputation management, Tweitter marketing, etc:
Local Search APIs For Fun & Profit
February 23, 2010, 2:29 amAndrew Shotland (serious local geek) has some pretty good resources here - didn't see much chatter about this post....thought it worth sharing. Handy stuff
Twitter Stats: This Is (The Start) Of What We Wanted
February 22, 2010, 10:19 pm
Twitter just posted a shot across the bow of those who claim the service is not growing anymore. Measuring tweets per day, the post gives us a glimpse into the growth of the service.
Er....up and to the right. From the post: "Tweet deliveries are a much higher number because once created, tweets must be delivered to multiple followers. Then...
Is Your Twitter Audience Listening?
February 22, 2010, 8:08 pmYou've just reached 5,000 followers on Twitter. Congratulations. Now you have 5,000 people listening to you, right? Wrong!
Spam vs Mahalo: Matt Cutts Explains the Difference
February 22, 2010, 6:38 pmMake sure to check out this fairly detailed expose on what Jason Calacanis is doing with Mahalo.com and what Matt Cutts and his Google webspam team is doing about it (nothing).
Interview with Link Building Expert Arnie Kuenn
February 22, 2010, 6:22 pmArnie Kuenn, president and founder of Vertical Measures, shares his link building expertise in this Q&A;, answering questions such as how much time SEOs should spend on link building and offering link building tool recommendations.
Solving Site Architecture Issues: 'Vertical PageRank Siloing'
February 22, 2010, 4:20 pmRichard Baxter of SEOgadget with a detailed (illustrated) writeup of a presentation he gave at last week's SES London 2010: when dealing with multi tiered sites (eg in the travel industry), how do you go about making sure internal link juice is distributed to those 'low power' pages. Short answer: Recognise, identify and set up intelligent...
A roundup of the 15 best multivariate testing (MVT) apps (includes Google Website Optimizer)
February 22, 2010, 2:31 pmMultivariate testing software can greatly increase your website’s profits. This site lets you compare testing platforms, including the free Google Website Optimizer.
Brandividualism: Dilemma or Opportunity?
February 22, 2010, 2:07 pmMany business owners and managers are perplexed by the social web. The effect of customer participation with social media on brands is undeniable. The effect of employee participation with social media can be a bit of a quandary. The range of acceptance for social web activity runs the gamut from IT blocking all internet connections to sites...
The Catchup Signal
February 21, 2010, 11:09 pmVacation was great. Too short. As usual. And there was plenty going on that I missed. So here are some stories from the past five or so days that are worth your attention. I'm at the IAB board and annual leadership meeting Sunday and Monday, so writing may be light. But I'll be back at it soon.
The BrandFinance Global 500 (Brand Directory) Google...
Intel Connects Laptops to HDTVs With WiDi
February 19, 2010, 9:46 pmDuring CES 2010, WebProNews was introduced to Intel's new Wireless Display technology, also known as the WiDi.
This new device makes connecting laptops to HDTVs much simpler and convenient. Many other laptop to TV connectors require bulky cables and cords, where as the WiDi allows for a wireless connection.
...
Experts Agree The Internet Will Make Us Smarter
February 19, 2010, 9:39 pmThe Pew Internet & American Life Project and the Internet Center at Elon University teamed up to survey 895 experts about the future of the Internet and its affect on human intelligence.
"Three out of four experts said our use of the Internet enhances and augments human intelligence, and two-thirds said use of the Internet has improved...
Google Reader Gets (More) Personal with Recommendations
February 19, 2010, 9:12 pmLast October, Google Reader added magic, popular items and recommendations. (Seriously on the magic—they’ll sort your items by newest, oldest or “magic.”) Now they’re revamping those choices, losing the popular items in favor of more personalized recommendations.
Google doesn’t even hint at how they’re making...
Coming Soon to a Mountain View Near You: Googletopia
February 19, 2010, 7:31 pmIt sounds like a cross between Tomorrowland and a college dorm: Google wants on- (or near-) campus housing for their employees. Yes, the free on-campus laundry, free on-campus eateries, on-campus childcare (I’m just assuming that’s not free, but you never know) and free on-campus exercise facilities (making them 75% more free than...
5 Twitter Management Tools You Can’t Live Without
February 19, 2010, 7:07 pmWithout a doubt, one of the most popular shiny new objects of many social media marketing programs is Twitter. There are Twitter books, Twitter conferences, Twitter blogs and numerous articles devoted to Twitter marketing. Unfortunately, there’s not enough time left over after reading all the promises of marketing nirvana from using...
Links Not Always the Best Indicator of Relevance
February 19, 2010, 6:52 pmIn a recent video uploaded to Google's Webmaster Central YouTube channel, Matt Cutts talks about creating tags and categories on blogs for SEO purposes. Rather, he discusses how there's not much point in creating them for this reason.
On average, how many tags do you include with your articles/blog posts? Let us know.
"Google is...
Federal Reserve Launches Consumer Credit Card Site
February 19, 2010, 5:30 pmThe Federal Reserve has launched a new website aimed at helping consumers better understand the new credit card protections that will go into effect on February 22.
These rules ban a number of harmful practices and require more transparency in the disclosure of the terms and conditions of credit card accounts.
The site summarizes the main points...
Microsoft Presents European Web Browser Choice Screen
February 19, 2010, 4:52 pmStarting sometime around the first of March, Microsoft is going to give Europeans an obvious chance to pick something other than Internet Explorer as their Web browser. And starting today, Microsoft's given the whole world a chance to see what its "Web browser choice screen" looks like.
This ballot screen has been in the works for...
Federal Commission Greenlights Google Energy
February 19, 2010, 3:52 pmThe U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is okay with the idea of Google dealing in energy. Yesterday, it granted "market-based rate authorization" to Google Energy and designated the entity a Category 1 seller in all regions.
Google may well view this development as a bit of a victory. More than a few people became...
Yahoo And NBC Benefit From Winter Olympics
February 19, 2010, 3:19 pmYahoo Sports said today traffic to its site during the Winter Olympics has soared, beating out both NBCOlympics.com and ESPN.com.
According to comScore, Yahoo's Winter Games coverage attracted 9.3 million unique visitors, more than NBC's Olympics site (7.6 million unique visitors) and ESPN (8.4 million unique visitors). Yahoo Sports attracted...
YouTube Streams Tiger Woods Press Conference Live
February 19, 2010, 3:08 pmMost people I know are pretty tired of hearing about Tiger Woods, but the world is still apparently eager to hear what he has to say at his press conference today. Currently, "what time is tiger woods press conference" is listed on Google Trends, and "Tiger Woods" is a trending topic on Twitter.
Clearly a lot of people still...
5 Examples Of Affiliate Program Scams And What To Learn From Them
February 19, 2010, 2:49 pmThere are many online scams; this is a sad fact that you can't afford to neglect. With plenty of smart scamming schemes, you have to be very careful to keep your privacy and money safe. Here are some signs to look out for when searching for an affiliate marketing program.
Google Shopper Android App Launches
February 19, 2010, 2:38 pmAndroid phone owners should now be able to become smarter consumers. A free app called Google Shopper has been released, and with it, users are supposed to find it easier than ever to look up product specs, check out reviews, and compare prices.
Google Shopper doesn't quite represent some breakthrough. Instead, it combines the image...
Google Attacks Traced to Chinese Schools, More Questions Arise
February 19, 2010, 2:11 pmThe recent online attacks on Google (and other companies) that were widely publicized last month have now reportedly been traced to computers at two schools in China. In addition, investigators are now saying the attacks could have begun all the way back in April.
The attacks of course led to Google threatening to pull its business out of China,...
School Kids Brought Google to Its Knees
February 19, 2010, 1:20 pmComputer security experts and the National Security Agency have been hard at work, trying to figure out where in China recent attacks on Google originated.
It turns out that Google did not suffer at the hands of the Chinese government, but, wait for it, school kids.
Tracing the attacks further back, to an elite Chinese university and a vocational...
Microsoft Yahoo Search Deal Passes Regulatory Hurdle
February 19, 2010, 9:28 amWell, it’s official. The partnership which will lead to the blending of the “other search engines” Yahoo and bing, has been given the government seal of approval by both the US Department of Justice and the European Commission.
The integration of the two engines will be started immediately and it will take until 2011 before the advertising...
AOL Wants To Be Your Local Reporter
February 19, 2010, 8:49 amAOL has gotten some heat about their plan to overrun the Internet and in effect, the search engines, with waves of content. Many people are not keen on this plan hatched by Tim Armstrong and company to generate content at break neck speed. While it may not be popular that’s not going to stop it from happening.
Now, AOL has another content that...
Yahoo Opens Data Center, Call Center In Nebraska
February 18, 2010, 10:23 pmYahoo's been busy in Nebraska. This week, the company announced the opening of both a data center and a call center in the state, and apparently the celebration was a big deal, with Jerry Yang and several high(-ish) ranking politicians all showing up.
Indeed, according to a post on Yodel Anecdotal, Jerry Yang, Nebraska Governor Dave...
Which Smartphones Emit The Most Radiation?
February 18, 2010, 10:20 pmMotorola Droid, BlackBerry Bold 9700, LG Chocolate Touch and HTC Nexus One are pushing the limits of radiofrequency radiation safety limits set by the Federal Communications Commission, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The EWG says the ads and good ratings for those smartphones do not reveal they are some of...
Facebook Users Set Up Fan Group(s) for Suicide Pilot
February 18, 2010, 10:10 pmUpdate: Ok, make that multiple Facebook groups...(via Business Insider)
Original Article: By now, you've probably heard the news that Joseph Andrew Stack intentionally flew a plane into an IRS building in Austin, Texas. He appeared to have left a rant at EmbeddedArt.com before he did it, but the site has since been taken...
Regen's New Light Powered Products
February 18, 2010, 9:21 pmLiving 'green' seems to be a growing theme to help make our planet become a more eco-friendly environment.
While at CES 2010, WebProNews discovered a new device that can lead us in that direction. A sun powered charging product by Regen called the ReNu tablet.
Regen produces personal and home electronics that make creating your own power possible,...
Sony Ericsson CEO Admits Nexus One Snub
February 18, 2010, 9:17 pmAs interesting alternate timelines go, the idea of a cell phone having been built by a different company doesn't exactly rank up there with JFK surviving his trip to Dallas. Still, the CEO of Sony Ericsson raised more than a few eyebrows by admitting that his company declined the opportunity to manufacture the Nexus One.
If you speak...
Yahoo on Search and Advertising Post Microsoft Deal
February 18, 2010, 8:39 pmNow that Yahoo and Microsoft have received DoJ and EU approval on their search and advertising deal, Yahoo is doing plenty of talking about what the deal will mean for its search engine and its advertisers.
The two companies have a Search Alliance page set up that gives some insight about what to expect, such as:
When the Yahoo! and Microsoft...
Facebook Fan Pages May Actually Be Effective Marketing (For Facebook Users)
February 18, 2010, 8:00 pmLast month, Facebook announced a conversion tracker tool to help marketers determine the value of their efforts on the world’s most popular social network. The tool would help marketers track conversions (obviously) and determine the value of brand fans. And now researchers at Rice University have examined the real-world value of Facebook...
Buy Facebook Credits And Ads Using PayPal
February 18, 2010, 7:59 pmFacebook said today it will allow advertisers to pay for ads on its network using PayPal.
The two companies have entered into a strategic relationship that will allow advertisers worldwide to use PayPal to pay for Facebook Ads through the company's online advertising tool.
The option to use PayPal makes it easier for advertisers, particularly...
Open Letter to Blog Comment Spammers
February 18, 2010, 7:44 pmPhoto credit: freezelight
Dear “SEO Consulting Services New York” and you too “Starting A Home Business”,
I have an admission to make: I don’t like comment spam. You are comment spammers. Our readers don’t like you. I don’t like you. You’re not welcome here.
Our Akismet filter has been doing a good...
Why Bing May Be on the Road to Incredible Growth
February 18, 2010, 7:08 pmMicrosoft has spent a lot of money promoting Bing since its launch, and Bing's usage has grown by millions of people since then, but it still has a long way to go to reach the top of the search market share mountain. Google is still sitting comfortably atop that mountain of course, but Google doesn't really have to lose for Bing to win. Microsoft...
Holy 1999: MySpace in Google Search (Oh, with Real Time)
February 18, 2010, 5:47 pmBuzzy buzz buzz. Google would really like to keep us from thinking about PAY NO ATTENTION Buzz TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN, and old pal MySpace is here to help: the real time search deal the two discussed in December is now live. Oh boy, oh boy, real time updates from that cutting edge social MySpace right in Google!
Hm? What’s that? Is...
FoxSports.com To Launch Animated Golf Series
February 18, 2010, 5:27 pmFoxSports.com has partnered with Skadaddle Media on a new animated online golf series called "Of Course."
"Of Course" is set to debut on FoxSports.com on March 1, 2010. The series was written and produced by Skadaddle Media co-founders Todd Lieman and Jon Wank.
The Flash-based series of five-minute webisodes offers a...
The Olympics Impact on Google Search Results
February 18, 2010, 4:50 pmA very interesting read about the impact that the Olympics are having on the Google search reults. Worth a read for sure!
Google Rumored to Be Eyeing Possible iTunes Competitor
February 18, 2010, 4:23 pmRumor has it that Google is eyeing Beverly Hills-based CatchMedia as another possibility in a string of acquisitions. CatchMedia is a company that is focused on creating a "Play Anywhere" system, which lets consumers use their music/media content collection and services wherever they want, regardless of the device they're using.
The...
DOJ Approves MSFT-Yahoo Deal
February 18, 2010, 3:53 pmUPDATE: As stated in a press release a Microsoft representative emailed to WebProNews, "Microsoft (Nasdaq 'MSFT') and Yahoo! (Nasdaq 'YHOO') announced today that they have received clearance for their search agreement, without restrictions, from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission, and will now turn their...
Close-Up with Samsung's New Line-Up
February 18, 2010, 3:46 pmOne of the most discussed displays at CES 2010 was Samsung's exhibit. WebProNews and many other event attendees were amazed by the collection of TVs, 3D innovations, and a new category of e-readers Samsung had to offer at the conference.
LCDs, Plasmas and LEDs were among the list of TVs presented at CES. With a range of 19-65-inch TVs, Samsung had...
Google Earns $500M in Typo-Squatting Ads…Says Researcher With No Bias Whatsoever!
February 18, 2010, 3:20 pmDespite criticism, Google’s AdSense for Domains program still exists, and now we know why.
It’s earning close to $500 million a year for the search engine!
According to New Scientist, two researchers at Harvard University have conducted some simple calculations to come up with the estimate:
Moore and Edelman…estimate that each of...
Google Buzz Facing Lawsuit from 31 Million Users?
February 18, 2010, 2:47 pmThis took a little longer than I thought, but a Florida woman has filed a class action complaint in San Jose federal court alleging that Google Buzz shared personal data without consent.
The legal complaint accuses Google of breaking various electronic communications laws, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The plaintiff is seeking...
Amazon Rolls Out Kindle App For BlackBerry
February 18, 2010, 2:40 pmAmazon.com has launched "Kindle for BlackBerry," a new free application that can be downloaded from the retailer's website.
Kindle for BlackBerry offers access to over 420,000 books and is available on variety of BlackBerry devices. Kindle for BlackBerry allows users to save and synch bookmarks on their Kindle devices, iPhone, iPod...
Google Takes Popular Email App from iPhone For Itself
February 18, 2010, 2:21 pmThe competition between Google and Apple appears to be getting fiercer by the day. Google has now acquired popular iPhone app reMail, and has discontinued it in Apple's App Store, and most likely offer it in the Android Market (although this has not been confirmed).
reMail was created by a former Google employee, who used to work as a software...
How We Got a Link from the New York Times
February 18, 2010, 1:21 pmThis is an in-depth case study detailing how we got a link from the New York Times and other authoritative sites to the WordStream.com Blog.
Continuing Its Anti-Apple Crusade, Google Buys reMail
February 18, 2010, 12:57 pmWho says you can’t go home again? Just ask Gabor Cselle, the founder of the successful iPhone application reMail. Cselle started as an engineering intern at Google way back in ’04 (I’m trying to make it sound like a long time ago) but since moved on and in the process founded reMail. Now, Google has come along and said that the door remains...
Facebook Offers More Control Over Information Shared Through Apps
February 18, 2010, 12:31 pmIt’s been just recently that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Eric Schmidt of Google both gave their own versions of how the idea of privacy on the Internet was so 20th century. Facebook has faced the music of some serious backlash to their “everything is public stance and just in the past week there has been a considerable amount of...
Viral Marketing on FaceBook – 7 Points You Just Cannot Neglect
February 18, 2010, 3:53 amFaceBook has over 400 million active users. Around 200 million of them log on to Facebook in any given day. An average of over 71 million pieces of content, which include links, images, videos, notes etc., are shared among them everyday. To say I find it difficult to fathom the enormity of viral possibilities on Facebook would be an...
PleaseRobMe Hits Foursquare Users with a Dose of Reality
February 17, 2010, 10:29 pmYesterday at about 2pm PleaseRobMe went live. PleaseRobMe is a site set up by a few developers who want to spread awareness about how easy it would be for people to rob your home if you share too much information about yourself online, specifically your location…even more specifically through Foursquare. The site displays a list of messages...
Google's Annual Rev. From Typosquatting Put At $497m
February 17, 2010, 10:25 pmMost people regard typos as nuisances, just inconsequential mistakes that cause them to lose a second of time hitting the backspace key. But for Google, typos may equal big business, as Benjamin Edelman and Tyler Moore have estimated that they make the search giant $497 million per year.
Edelman and Moore, who both call Harvard their home,...
Yapta Taps Kayak For Flight Search
February 17, 2010, 10:14 pmAirfare tracking service Yapta said today it is partnering with travel search site Kayak to power its flight search engine.
"By introducing Kayak's best-in-class flight search engine, Yapta members now have greater access to flight data and are able to track prices for virtually any flight in the world," said Tom Romary, president and...
Firefox Mobile For Android Due Out This Year
February 17, 2010, 9:10 pmA new way for Android users to get around the Web should debut this year. Jay Sullivan, Vice President of Mobile at Mozilla, has indicated that Firefox Mobile for Android will land sometime in 2010.
The nonexistence of this product might have troubled some fans of Mozilla and Google. It's no secret that the two companies have been...
LinkedIn Can Be One of Your Most Valuable Traffic Sources
February 17, 2010, 9:01 pmLinkedIn is often discussed as a powerful social networking tool, particularly for business professionals, employers, and jobseekers. What is not discussed as frequently is the site's ability to simply drive traffic to your site. We talked to entrepreneur Lewis Howes (who claims that LinkedIn is one of the top traffic sources to his blogs) about...
HBO Launches Video Service For Verizon FiOS Customers
February 17, 2010, 8:29 pmVerizon FiOS customers who subscribe to HBO will be able to watch the cable television's programming online for free, starting tomorrow.
Customers must subscribe to both FiOS TV and FiOS Internet to gain free access to the online video site HBO Go. HBO Go will support Verizon subaccounts and allow up to three users in the same house access...
Wrapsol's New Scratch-Free Film Protector
February 17, 2010, 7:54 pmToday, protecting our cellphones, ipods, and other electronic devices is important to us due to their worth. At CES 2010, WebProNews came across Wrapsol's unique film creation that protects our mobile and other electronic devices that we love so much.
Althought many keep some sort of protective case on...
Canada Cracking Down on Google Buzz
February 17, 2010, 7:54 pmGoogle Buzz has had one heck of a first week. After not fully testing the product, Google launched Buzz and forced all Gmail users into it without a way to opt out. Then we realized they were automatically sharing the list of people we chatted with and emailed most frequently. Finally, Google backed off many of these “features,” and...
Is it Becoming Less Critical For Businesses to Have Websites?
February 17, 2010, 7:44 pmI don't think there's any question that you need a web presence to survive in today's business climate. But do you still need a traditional website, or has the web moved on in that regard?
Do you still need a website to be successful online? Share your thoughts.
First off, let me be perfectly clear in that I'm not advising anybody not to...
HSTi Wireless Media Stick Allows Streaming Media
February 17, 2010, 7:35 pmDuring CES 2010, WebProNews discovered an interesting product for media streaming. The HSTi Wireless Media Stick allow users to stream media files from any computer connected to a wireless network to any USB enabled device (TV, gaming console, or stereo).
Setup:
Plug in the WirelessMediaStick tm to the USB port to a computer/laptop
The...
All-in-One Keyboard, Mouse and Remote Control
February 17, 2010, 7:23 pm"Simple is better" seems to be the way of thinking with much of the new technology that is approaching us all so quickly.
At CES 2010, WebProNews took a look at the all-in-one device that Cideko is offering. Combining the keyboard, mouse and remote control the new Air Keyboard has an 80 key mini keyboard that includes function keys...
Monitoring Your Reputation with Google Buzz
February 17, 2010, 7:03 pmGoogle Buzz is the new kid on the social media block, but like networks that have been around for a while (your Facebooks, your Twitters, etc.), it is critical to reputation management. WebProNews discussed monitoring using Google Buzz with Google's Rick Klau, who used to run the publihser team at Feedburner, and is currently the Business Product...
Target Paying Keywords to Maximize Your Online Sales
February 17, 2010, 6:55 pmPaying keywords are simply keywords that people type into a search engine when they’re looking to buy something. Here is a tool tohelp find those keywords (with video).
Facebook Corners 44% of Social Sharing
February 17, 2010, 5:59 pmTechCrunch’s Erick Schonfeld talked to sharing-widget producer Gigya recently to find out what site people tended to share content on the most. Gigya’s widget power social sharing from sites such as ABC.com, Reuters and Answers.com (and 5000 more). When people shared content, where did they tend to post it? Facebook was the #1 choice...
Blockbuster Partners With T-Mobile On Movie Download Service
February 17, 2010, 5:22 pmBlockbuster is trying to make some gains in the mobile space by being the exclusive movie download service for T-Mobile's upcoming HTC HD2 smartphone.
"Available exclusively from T-Mobile, the HTC HD2 is like putting Blockbuster in your pocket," said Kevin Lewis, senior vice president of digital entertainment at Blockbuster....
75 Million Visitors to Twitter in January
February 17, 2010, 5:19 pmYup, this measurement from comScore of 75 million people visiting Twitter in January of this year does not take into account those accessing the service through third party apps. Isn’t it nice to get that out of the way right from the start?
Fresh off the news that in January Twitter served over 1.2 billion tweets there is little surprise in a...
Twitter Reaches 140-Employee Milestone
February 17, 2010, 4:41 pmTwitter's long been associated with the number 140; it is, of course, this number that defines how the site's users communicate with each other. And the number now represents the size of the company's payroll, too, as Twitter's hired its 140th employee.
Biz Stone announced the milestone late yesterday by simply tweeting, "Today we are...
Google Gives Life to the Online News Story
February 17, 2010, 4:40 pmUpdate: Google has now open sourced Living Stories, giving all developers the code to build their own living stories pages. This means anyone can participate now.
"Since we launched this proof-of-concept test on Google Labs in December, 75% of people who sent us feedback said they preferred the Living Stories format to the traditional...
Microsoft’s Outlook As a Social Hub?
February 17, 2010, 4:38 pmMany folks like to talk about how anything labeled a Microsoft web strategy is an oxymoron considering the company’s less than stellar track record in the online world. That doesn’t mean that they will stop trying though. In an apparent attempt to ensure that they are seen as relevant in the social space the software giant is bringing some new...
Consumers Getting More Comfortable with Mobile Shopping
February 17, 2010, 4:13 pmAs you know, smartphone usage is on the rise, and that means more opportunities for businesses to sell to customers via their mobile devices. We often hear about how important mobile is to the marketing strategy and especially future strategies, but how much are consumers really into shopping from their phones?
Retrevo shared some findings with...
Basic Tips on Web Analytics
February 17, 2010, 3:52 pmJust about every business with a web site does something to market and promote it. When those companies are asked about web analytics, it’s surprising how many look back with a blank stare. This isn’t the case with mature online marketers but it does happen a lot with new business web sites and blogs.
For many companies that are new...
Fortune 500 Spending $1.2 Billion on Paid Search, Because They Can’t Rank Naturally!
February 17, 2010, 3:30 pmApparently Fortune 500 companies have money to burn on search marketing.
According to a new study from Conductor, only 25% of the Fortune 500’s combined targeted paid keywords–97,555 keywords, totaling a daily spend of $3.4M–ranked in the top 50 natural search results.
Think about that. These companies are collective spending $1.2...
10 Types of Landing Page Goals for PPC Campaigns
February 17, 2010, 3:21 pmTo take your PPC campaigns to the next level in 2010, you must go beyond measuring traditional conversions (lead, transaction) and start measuring (and achieving!) new goals – from social media engagement, to RSS subscribers, to inbounds
Google Getting Wrong Kind Of Buzz
February 17, 2010, 2:59 pmThe Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that Google's new social networking service Buzz violates federal consumer protection law.
The EPIC complaint calls on the Trade Commission to require Google to make the Buzz service fully opt-in, to stop using Gmail users'...
Google Gives $2 Million To Wikimedia Foundation
February 17, 2010, 2:44 pmCourtesy of Google, the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation has received a significant gift. Google donated $2 million to the organization, which is responsible for keeping Wikipedia up and running.
Mitch Kapor, who's on the Advisory Board of the Wikimedia Foundation, announced the contribution late yesterday on Twitter. Jimmy Wales...
2 Million Reasons Why Wikipedia Pages Will Continue to Outrank Yours on Google
February 17, 2010, 2:35 pmHere’s a tweet that will likely ruffle the feathers of many in the SEO community:
Yes, Google has apparently donated $2 million to the group that ensures a Wikipedia page shows up in Google for just about anything you search.
Now, let me ask you this. If Google handed one of your competitors $2 million, while said competitor’s web...
Social Media and Email Continue to Get Cozy
February 17, 2010, 2:26 pmUpdate: Microsoft also reportedly has deals in place with Facebok and MySpace which will see these social networks integrated with Outlook as well.
Original Article: Email and social media continue to get closer together in a variety of ways. Google launched Google Buzz in Gmail, Mozilla has Raindrop, and Facebook is said to be...
Google Talks Spam Control for Buzz
February 17, 2010, 1:36 pmUpdate: WebProNews contacted Google to find out how they handle Google Buzz spam. The company tells us:
"We have several spam and abuse checks in place for Google Buzz content. On the abuse side, we recompress images that are uploaded, and links are scanned by the same technology that helps protect Google web search and browsers that...
Kevin Smith Has 1.6 Million Twitter Followers
February 16, 2010, 11:23 pmMovie Director Kevin Smith has bought 10 tickets on Southwest over the course of the past week to go to such events as Macworld. This week he said “I’m never going on Southwest again.”
Smith had reportedly purchased three seats for he and his wife for the flight to Burbank, but Jennifer was unable to make the trip. According to...
Aaron Wall Interview with Hugo Guzman on Comparing SEO Business Models and More
February 16, 2010, 11:09 pmSuperb interview with Hugo Guzman about his diverse range of SEO experience with his own sites, as a private SEO consultant, as an in-house SEO as well as his current role within an interactive agency.
What if Facebook Added a "Blog" Tab?
February 16, 2010, 10:17 pmFacebook wants to keep users on Facebook. So far, they are doing a pretty good job of that. More and more people are spending more of their online time on Facebook, not to mention, spending more time connected to the web in general (at least partially due to rising use of smartphones).
Facebook recently made it a point to show users how to use...
ChaCha Introduces New Facebook App
February 16, 2010, 10:15 pmMobile answers service ChaCha has introduced a new Facebook application that allows users to access answers from both ChaCha and their Facebook friends.
The ChaCha Facebook app allows users to ask a question to any of their friends on Facebook and the question is also automatically submitted to ChaCha. ChaCha says it will return an answer from...
Don't Count Out Facebook as a Competitor to Google
February 16, 2010, 9:37 pmIn case you were wondering, Facebook is pretty popular. Google is of course the undisputed king of search market share, but Facebook has the edge in some areas. Social media is the obvious area. While Google is hoping to make some serious headway here with Buzz, Facebook is far and away the dominant being in the world of social networks....
Ultimate Guide to PPC Affiliate Marketing
February 16, 2010, 9:28 pmGreat stuff"You may have come across get-rich-quick books telling you how you can make a fortune in affiliate marketing. Hand over $97, and you’ll get “the secrets”.
We’ve decided to give you “the secrets”, and charge you $0 instead. We’re good like that
This article is aimed at those who are new to affiliate marketing with PPC."
Google Adds Real-Time Results From MySpace
February 16, 2010, 9:09 pmGoogle and MySpace have taken the real-time plunge. This afternoon, Google implemented the MySpace Real-Time Search API, meaning that searchers can now find all sorts of content moments after it's created on the social network.
A MySpace representative wrote in an email to WebProNews, "Beginning today, when users perform a search on...
Intel and Cineform Create 3D Video
February 16, 2010, 8:57 pm3D video is a growing interest among many individuals today. Intel and Cineform have come together to make it possible to make your own 3D video.
WebProNews caught up with an Intel representative at CES 2010 to discover more on Intel and Cineform's new 3D video.
Although the 3D process would seem to be very complex and involved, Intel insists it...
Interview with Debra Mastaler, Link Building Expert
February 16, 2010, 8:52 pmDebra brings an air of class, dignity and professionalism to her trade that is worthy to be commended. She also gets results- thus I wanted to pick her brain.
Checking Out the OtterBox Tandem Series
February 16, 2010, 8:25 pmOtterBox introduced the new Tandem Series of products at CES 2010. WebProNews talked with Kristin Golliher of OtterBox, and she explained what the new products had to offer.
The products include a two-part impact-resistant polycarbonate case with rubber over-molding, which provides a solid protection....
SeeSaw Stealing Hulu’s Lunch in the UK
February 16, 2010, 8:20 pmAh, Hulu. How we made fun of thee. How we love thee now. Unless, of course, we live outside the United States—then we kind of hate thee for not letting us watch your shows. Although they planned to launch to the British Isles in September 2009, that has been delayed until 2010—and naturally, that vacuum is being filled. Competitor...
Consumers More Likely To Pay For Professional Online Content
February 16, 2010, 8:13 pmNot surprisingly, the majority (85%) of online consumers prefer free content, but some categories they would be willing to consider paying for access, according to a new survey from Nielsen.
Nielsen asked more than 27,000 consumers across 52 countries about what types of online content they would be willing to pay for. The survey found consumers...
Polaroid Aims to Recapture Tradition in the Digital Age
February 16, 2010, 7:58 pmJon Pollock, Polaroid's Chief Marketing Officer, spoke with WebProNews about the new addition to their Polaroid collection during CES 2010 in Las Vegas. In 2008 Polaroid ended its line of Instant Film cameras, but the company has decided to bring back its traditional Polaroid OneStep camera. Althought the Polaroid camera will contain many of...
Former FCC Chair Endorses Google Broadband
February 16, 2010, 6:58 pmLast week, Google announced they would soon begin building high-speed broadband networks. They’re currently taking requests to select the markets where they’ll begin—but it’s still not too soon for at least one former FCC chair to endorse the idea.
Former FCC chairman Michael K. Powell, blogging for Broadband for America,...
Google Checkout Gift Messaging Gets Some Changes
February 16, 2010, 6:38 pmGoogle Checkout's Advanced Buyer Messaging (gift messaging) feature has been taken out of beta. This feature, which was released over a year ago lets Google Checkout customers add gift messages, add additional instructions, and request gift receipts.
The new beta-less version of the feature comes with a few changes. Google explains, "Based...
Verizon Adds Skype Calls To Smartphones
February 16, 2010, 5:18 pmVerizon Wireless has partnered with Skype on a Skype mobile application that will launch on smartphones in March.
The move makes Verizon the first major U.S. carrier to offer Skype to its mobile users. The Skype mobile app is for smartphone users who have a data plan with Verizon.
Initially, Skype mobile will be available on smartphones with...
Google, Yahoo Protest Australian Internet Filter
February 16, 2010, 5:08 pmGoogle and Yahoo have stepped up their opposition to a proposed Internet filter meant to protect children in Australia. Together, the two companies joined the Australian Library and Information Association and the Inspire Foundation, and set out some "Core Principles for Effective Action for a Safer Internet."
All four...
Google Gives SMB Market Something to Look Forward To
February 16, 2010, 4:49 pmWhether it is here or on some of the other places that I write about SMB Internet marketing, I talk a lot about the plight of the SMB (small and medium business) with regard to online marketing. Despite the size of the market that the SMB represents it has always been under served.
There are a few basic reasons for this. Most SMB owners don’t...
Google Bypassed Internal Testing to Rush Buzz Out the Door?
February 16, 2010, 4:10 pmFor all of you complaining about the way Google Buzz invaded your privacy, the search engine has a perfectly simply explanation for you:
It didn’t really care!
OK, so Google hasn’t actually come out and made that statement, but it doesn’t take a genius to read between the lines:
The BBC understands that Buzz was only tested...
Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines Are Not A Good Fit
February 16, 2010, 3:49 pmYou have probably heard or are somewhat aware of the Kevin Smith / Southwest Airlines dust up over the past few days. If you haven’t then you are missing an online reputation monitoring and management real life case study unfold right before your eyes.
The main player is screenwriter, film producer, and director Kevin Smith. Smith is famous for...
89% of Journalists Source Stories From Social Media, Yet Only 15% Admit Its Importance
February 16, 2010, 3:48 pmNow this looks familiar.
A new survey by Cision and Don Bates of The George Washington University, suggests that 89% of journalists source their stories from blogs, 65% from social networks such as Facebook, and 52% from Twitter.
That’s no surprise.
Yet despite this admission, journalists continue to downplay the importance of social media...
Netflix Scores High In Customer Satisfaction
February 16, 2010, 3:09 pmCustomer satisfaction with ecommerce websites has rebounded a year after experiencing its first decline since 2004, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
The e-commerce sector gained 1.8% to 81.4 on ACSI's 100-point scale, nearly matching its all-time high of 81.6 set in 2007.
The increase in the overall ecommerce sector...
Affiliate Marketing Review Report Card {infographic}
February 16, 2010, 2:43 pmAffiliate Marketing is filled with affiliate programs selling everything from teeth whitening to health insurance but with so many programs out there we have put together a sort-able report card the top networks.
Bury Negative Publicity With New Pages on the Same Domain
February 16, 2010, 2:42 pmBrett Borders gives marketers a few tips on how to bury negative publicity with new pages on the same sub domain.
3 Reasons PR & Communications Pros Need to Know SEO
February 16, 2010, 2:41 pmThe PR industry is in a state of flux with increasing importance on getting into the content and social web business. Consumers are spending more time with digital and social media. Advertising dollars are following. That means less budget to staff newsrooms and reporters, journalists and editors to pitch.
Understanding the needs of their...
Vodafone CEO Warns Of Google Dominance
February 16, 2010, 2:38 pmThe world's second largest mobile operator is not pleased with Google's dominance in the search and advertising market. In fact, Vodafone's CEO implied in a recent speech that regulators might want to act sooner rather than later to prevent an irreversible monopoly from forming.
According to Michelle Donegan, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao...
Learning Social Media Marketing From Zappos
February 16, 2010, 1:30 pmZappos is one of those companies that gets thrown around whenever social media case studies come up. If you have followed the industry over the last 2 years you have undoubtedly seen them come up in PowerPoint presentations and various speeches on the topic of ‘who’s doing it right’ in social media. And, for good reason....
Monday Signal: The Vacation Edition
February 16, 2010, 4:32 amI am with my family this week, as it's the kids' winter break. So posts will be light, and Signals may be weak. Here's a roundup of the long weekend's news, which was dominated by Google's continued tweaks to Buzz, and ongoing analysis of samesaid social app:
Google Names Facebook, Twitter as Rivals (Dow Jones via IWantMedia) Clearly anticipating...
Google Again Linked To Australian Data Center Plans
February 15, 2010, 10:26 pmThe rumor that Google might build a data center in Australia has been circulating for some time; our first report on the subject was written in October of 2008. Now, although construction crews haven't exactly been mobilized, there's at least been a sign that Google hasn't given up on the idea.
Deepak Ramanathan, the head of Google's...
US Speedskating Taps Facebook And Twitter
February 15, 2010, 10:20 pmUnited States Speedskating is turning to social media to connect with fans and build on publicity generated by the recent sponsorship of Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Nation.
"US Speedskating is taking a leadership position by embracing opportunities to connect with fans on social networks," said Libby Issendorf, a social media...
Use QR Code to Increase Traffic and Sales
February 15, 2010, 9:53 pmQR (or Quick Response) code is not a new technology. Actually it's been around for sixteen years or so, but the ever-increasing popularity of smartphones and their support of QR-code-reading apps is making use of the codes more popular than ever. It's a very easy way to attract the attention of a potential customer with a scannable (often...
Versatile Bug Labs Embraces Android
February 15, 2010, 8:59 pmIt's been no secret that the Android operating system will wind up on all sorts of devices; last year, for example, we talked about home phones and set-top boxes that were in development. Now, however, it may almost literally wind up on "all sorts of devices," as the BUG 2.0 platform has introduced support for Android.
Bug Labs is...
How Profiles Help Us Moderate Sphinn
February 15, 2010, 8:31 pmVariety is important when building links, the experts say — links from different sources, links with different anchor text, etc. The same idea applies in social media, and it's important here on Sphinn. What does your Sphinn profile say about you?
Facebook And Google Get Most Visits During Super Bowl
February 15, 2010, 7:57 pmThe number of people who went online while watching the Super Bowl increased 2 percent this year to 14 percent, according to Nielsen.
Time spent online for those multitaskers was up from 24 minutes last year to 29 minutes with much of that time spent on social networks.
Overall, Google and Facebook were the most visited sites while watching the...
Will Windows Phone 7 Help Bing Market Share?
February 15, 2010, 7:41 pmMicrosoft has unveiled its Windows Phone 7 Series, a new mobile platform. The phones will bring Microsoft's XBox Live service and its Zune music and video experience together on phones. Perhaps more interesting, at least to enthusiasts of the search industry, is that Windows Phone 7 devices will come with "a dedicated hardware button for...
Human-powered Search Gets More Humans: ChaCha Hooks up with Facebook
February 15, 2010, 7:26 pmHuman-powered search engine ChaCha has hung on (let’s face it) longer than anyone thought possible. Although it abandoned guided web-based search almost two years ago, ChaCha is still thriving in the mobile Q&A market. Back in December, they raised $7M in funding—and it looks like the ultimate result of that cash was an API and a...
The Sky Is Falling! (And So Is Google’s Market Share)
February 15, 2010, 6:08 pmNeilsen has reported their search market share numbers for January—and Google seems to have forgotten which way is up. While the search giant is still #1 and in no danger, they lost a percentage point of the search query market from December, falling from 67.3% to 66.3% of all queries.
If Google’s, losing, who’s gaining? Just...
Study Reveals Google, Yahoo & Bing Users Perceive Your Brand Differently
February 15, 2010, 4:23 pmPrevious blind-test studies have shown that results across different search engines are pretty much considered equal–once you remove the logo from such results.
Now, a new study from Wunderman, BrandAsset® Consulting, ZAAZ and Compete goes one step further and demonstrates how the search engine used, influences the perception of the...
Google Buzz Caving to So Many Demands, May Soon Rename to Google Bleh
February 15, 2010, 3:06 pmGoogle is learning a harsh lesson about social networking, thanks to its new Buzz launch.
Knowing someone and being their friend are often two different things.
After the initial “buzz” Google Buzz has pretty much been a buzzkill. The service has outraged many that believe it revealed too much about their private interactions, while...
YouTube Video Makes FDIC Blink
February 15, 2010, 3:00 pmWatching video clips is a very popular pastime in the US and the rest of the world. Hey, it sure beats getting outside and taking a walk in that nasty fresh air. As a result of our obsession with this media there is some opportunity to do some real harm to a reputation if a group decided to do so. One such instance has made the F.D.I.C (Federal...
Ten Must Read Tips to Start a Small Business Blog
February 15, 2010, 2:29 pmA friend of mine who is an experienced corporate marketer started a new business. The store just opened and being the good pal that I am, I was able to provide some advice regarding marketing on the web – specifically regarding blog marketing.
This is a new small business, so considerations for what to do about a web site included: cost,...
Apps Are in the AIR
February 15, 2010, 12:40 pmThe battle rages on as to who may one day be the dominant player in the mobile world. Apple has jumped out to the early lead for sure with the iPhone, its App store and the mystique that is around the company and its products. But this is not a sprint by any means. This looks to be a marathon and the competition may make this closer than anyone...
Internet Plays Vital Role For Auto Dealers
February 13, 2010, 3:35 pm Auto dealers say the Internet has provided them with the highest return on investment (ROI) over the last five years, according to a new survey from Autobytel.
The majority (96%) of dealers predict the Internet will play a larger role in their marketing in the next five years. Internet leads continue to play a critical role, with 93...
Reasons to Have a Facebook Page and Ways to Make it Better
February 13, 2010, 2:14 pmI don't have to tell you that Facebook can be a tremendous source of web traffic. There's a good chance that most of the people you know are on it, and the ones who aren't may be eventually. The social network is consuming more and more of people's time, and thanks to mobile devices, it is always accessible. If you don't have a Facebook Page, you...
Cup of Joe: I Am a Heartless B@st@rd on Twitter
February 13, 2010, 12:12 pmIf you are following me on Twitter or a friend on Facebook you might already be aware that I am a heartless b@st@rd. OK so maybe that’s a bit extreme but the truth is, I think a lot of what mainstream social media users take part in is a waste of time. For example I don’t thank people for retweets, I don’t participate in follow...
Google Buzz's Rocky Start May Lead to Gmail-Free Version
February 13, 2010, 1:27 amThere's no question that Google Buzz has been the topic of the week. Google took the tech and social media industries by storm as it launched its new social media product.
Already, Buzz has shown a great deal of potential, but it has also created more than a few problems and concerns. Privacy has been the key concern. The most heavily publicized...
Aardvark Already Part of Google, Answers will Show Up in Search
February 13, 2010, 1:07 amYesterday, news broke that Google was acquiring social Q&A site Aardvark for about $50 million. Aardvark sent its users an email today saying:
Dear friends,
Aardvark has just been acquired by Google!
Aardvark will remain fully operational and completely free, providing quick, helpful answers to all of your questions. For more...
Friday Fun with The Muppets
February 12, 2010, 10:14 pmIf you’re going to send me a media pitch, this is how you do it:
Click to Play
Happy Friday!
Friday Signal: What Marketers Want from Twitter Metrics
February 12, 2010, 9:37 pmYesterday I stopped by Twitter HQ to see Dick Costolo. Dick recently moved to Marin (my home turf) and took Twitter's COO job. I'd say that taking such a job means Dick's hair is constantly on fire, but if you know Dick, you know that's really not an issue. (He's level headed, he's a pro, and, well....let's just say he doesn't wear his hair...
Google Blinks on Buzz—But Still Could Be Better
February 12, 2010, 8:30 pmWe’ve seen it happen a hundred times: popular website launches new feature, people either hate change or see it as an invasion of privacy, popular website blinks. Usually it’s Facebook (*cough*Beacon*cough*privacy changes*cough*), but this week it’s Google. Launched on Tuesday, Google Buzz became an opt-out feature in all Gmail...
Report: EU To Approve Microsoft-Yahoo Deal
February 12, 2010, 8:11 pmThe proposed Microsoft-Yahoo search partnership may soon be approved by one set of regulators, at least. A new report indicates that the European Commission will give it a green light one week from today.
We should note that this isn't a sure thing; according to Reuters, an unnamed person who's "familiar with the situation" just...
YouTube Feels the Need . . . the Need for Speed
February 12, 2010, 7:13 pmAnd thus concludes probably the only time in my life I’ll intentionally quote Top Gun.
Yesterday, YouTube released a Speed Dashboard to clock how fast your video downloads are coming through. In addition to displaying your Internet speed, the dashboard also offers comparative data. For example:
The comparative data comes from not only other...
Driving Traffic with MapQuest and its New Search Engine
February 12, 2010, 6:49 pmLocal business search is becoming more of an area of great focus by search providers as time goes on. Google, especially, has been working overtime on providing new features that can help users find local businesses of interest. AOL's MapQuest has been working on improving its own business search functionality, which we talked to the company a...
Apple Holds iTunes Contest Marking 10 Billionth Download
February 12, 2010, 5:15 pmApple is holding a contest on iTunes called "Countdown to 10 Billion Song Downloads."
The user who downloads the 10 billionth song from iTunes will receive a $10,000 gift card from Apple.
"iTunes changed the way you buy music, making songs and albums available for download, day or night," Apple said.
"Seven years...
Some Ways to Enjoy the 2010 Winter Olympics Online
February 12, 2010, 4:46 pmAs the Olympics get underway, fans have a lot of options to engage online. Many popular sites on the web are involved in a variety of ways.
Google
Google allows you to take a virtual tour of the Olympics in 3D. They recently released updates in Google Earth's 3D Buildings layer, which showcase Olympic venues (54 buildings). Models range from...
Google: "Buzz Will Be Just Another Node"
February 12, 2010, 3:07 pmWhen Google announced Google Buzz earlier this week, the company made it abundantly clear that it was interested in Buzz being as open as possible. Looking at the Google Buzz API page, you'll see that support for Activity Streams, AtomPub, OAuth, PubSubHubbub, Salmon and WebFinger are things that are "coming soon."
What all of this...
Bing Maps Announces Awesome Flickr Integration in JUST 1300 Words!
February 12, 2010, 3:00 pmBing has a lot to learn about sharing big news on its blog.
Take this post for example: spatial search: the next frontier
Cute title, but doesn’t tell me anything about the announcement.
Or take the actual post. 1300+ words and you have to read 628 of them, before you get to the announcment. Talk about burying the lead!
Fortunately, I have a...
LinkedIn Greets 60 Millionth Member
February 12, 2010, 2:53 pmLinkedIn is getting rather large. Yesterday evening, the network's vice president of marketing announced on Twitter that it had hit a milestone in terms of users, attracting its 60 millionth member.
LinkedIn had just 55 million members as of December 17th, so this new declaration means it's grown by a little more than nine percent in less...
Video Site Veoh Files For Bankruptcy
February 12, 2010, 2:53 pmOnline video website Veoh has announced it will be shutting down and filing for bankruptcy.
Veoh launched in 2005 and its backers included Shelter Capital, Spark Capital, Michael Eisner's Tornante Company, Goldman Sachs, Time Warner, Intel Capital, Adobe, Gordon Crawford, Firefly3 and Jonnathan Dolgen. Those backers supported Veoh with $70...
Google Pays $50M for an Anteater
February 12, 2010, 2:27 pmRemember when I asked if social search engine Aardvark might suffer from "participation fatigue" as its members grow tired of answering the questions of others.
Yeah, you can forget about that, because Aardvark was just acquired by Google for a cool $50 million.
< I can hear CEO Max Ventilla now: "I’ve got your...
Bing, Google, and Yahoo All Making Maps More Interesting
February 12, 2010, 2:20 pmAt TED, Microsoft unveiled some new features for Bing Maps. "This work builds on the idea of spatial search that Microsoft discussed in December when the company launched its new version of Bing Maps," a representative for Microsoft tells WebProNews.
Some of the new features are available today, but some you will have to wait on a...
Ad Spend on Social Networks Gains a Whopping Half Point in Share
February 12, 2010, 2:08 pmApparently, ads on social networks aren’t working out too well.
While this is not anything we didn’t already know, it must be disheartening for Facebook, MySpace et al, to learn that pinning their revenue growth on display ads may be a tough row to hoe.
It’s not a completely ugly picture, according to eMarketer, ads on social...
Google Maps Labs Open for Business
February 12, 2010, 1:45 pmGoogle continues to move forward with its work to improve the Google Maps experience as everything gets pushed further and further down to the local level in search. By opening the Google Maps Lab and allowing you to slap a beta logo on it if you please (a little humor from the Googlers, huh?) there is a look at what they are cooking up for the...
Will Google Buzz Change the Social Media Game?
February 12, 2010, 1:44 pmUpdate 2: Buzz has gotten off to a great start in terms of attracting users. Google said in a blog post yesterday that over 9 million posts and comments had been created, and they were seeing over 200 posts per minute. Both numbers have likely grown since then.
In the post, Google addresses some of the privacy concerns people have been...
How to maximize profits by becoming an analysis ninja
February 12, 2010, 1:24 pmWeb analytics guru, Avinash Kaushik, can teach you how to use data analysis to change the way you make decisions about your website.
Apple Will Take Google’s Money But Still Thinks They Are BS
February 12, 2010, 1:13 pmThere have apparently been some rumors (yes, there are rumor mongers in the Internet space which is SO hard to believe) that have been talking about Apple entering the search game with their own search engine. This whole game of Google v. Apple has lately been fueled by the rumor mill and comments like those made by Steve Jobs in giving his take...
Google Super Bowl Ad = True Love and Traffic!
February 12, 2010, 11:13 amSuper Bowl 2010 will be forever remembered for a few things: New Orleans winning their first championship, Peyton Manning’s locker room walk-of-shame and Google running their first Super Bowl commercial.
Editors Note: WebProNews interviewed CEA, the first company featured in Google's commercial (there were 15+ featured). Even though they...
eBay Testing New Search Features
February 12, 2010, 10:55 ameBay said this week it is launching a new offering called "Garden by eBay," an area on the site that will allow members to test new features and provide feedback for improvements and changes.
Garden by eBay is an opt-in initiative with a concept that is similar to Google Labs where users can test and experiment with different features...
Google Deletes Blogger Posts
February 12, 2010, 10:54 amUpdate: This article is nearly a year old, but pretty much the same thing is happening again (or still). A number of popular music blogs have been removed from Blogger, some are saying without warning. When we covered this before, Blogger Product Manager Rick Klau left us the following comment (as seen in the comments section):
Hi - I'm a product...
5 B2B Social Media Winners
February 12, 2010, 4:23 amTake a moment to think about, and count, the number of B2C social media success stories that pop into your head.
I’ll venture to guess that you could immediately name five to 10, if not many more. From Ford to Dell to Zappos to Best Buy, B2C social media winners – those organizations that caught on early and created a cult following of brand...
New Chrome For Mac Beta Boasts Extensions
February 11, 2010, 10:25 pmIt doesn't really help anyone that Chrome for Mac isn't on a level with the regular version of Chrome; Mac fans must feel neglected, and Google's missing out on a lot of potential users. The gap between versions narrowed today, though, as a new Chrome for Mac beta with extensions and a few other upgrades was released.
Bookmark sync is one...
Consumers Favor Companies Engaged With Social Media
February 11, 2010, 10:14 pmA majority of consumers react positively when companies respond to postings on social media sites, indicating the value of the channel as way to engage people in a dialogue while building a company's image, reputation and brand, according to a new study by The Center for Client Retention.
The study found 55 percent of consumers felt positively...
Ask Says it Has a Head Start as Google Acquires Q&A Site
February 11, 2010, 9:56 pmUpdate: Ask.com-U.S. President Doug Leeds offered the following additional statement:
"Google's purchase of Aardvark is simply an acknowledgement that Q&A is the future of search. As the #1 brand in Q&A, we’ve been passionate about investing in this next phase of search for a long time. Our current technology is unmatched...
YouTube Advertises Presence Of New Iran Protest Clips
February 11, 2010, 9:05 pmYesterday, Iranian authorities enacted a ban on Gmail, saying they'd introduce a government-sponsored (and presumably government-monitored) email service to replace it. Now, as YouTube's seeing an influx of protest videos, Google's taken a moment to mark the Iranian government's lack of control.
To be clear: these videos are not all...
eBay Loses Court Case To Louis Vuitton
February 11, 2010, 8:32 pmThe Paris District Court ruled today that eBay is liable for harming the reputation of luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton through its use of trademarks, company name and domain name.
The Paris court has ordered eBay to stop using keywords which harm the reputation of the Louis Vuitton brand to promote its sites and will impose penalties of ...
Google Reconnects With/Acquires Aardvark
February 11, 2010, 8:10 pmAardvark has, in a sense, returned to its roots. Or in other words: Two of the four men who created the social search engine are former Googlers, and now, it's been confirmed that the search giant's acquired Aardvark.
Details regarding timeframes and the fate of Aardvark's technology and employees are sadly lacking at this point. ...
Google Buys Human-driven Search Engine Aardvark: Will It Make It to the Main SERPS?
February 11, 2010, 8:00 pmThe news broke today that Google will be buying Aardvark, a human (and algorithm) powered social search engine that I have written about quite a bit (early last year, most recently, all). I've also featured the service's founders at both Web2 and the CM Summit.)
I've confirmed the news in an email with CEO Max Ventilla.
I can't say I'm surprised...
Google Buzz Publishes Who You Email
February 11, 2010, 7:50 pmAh, Google Buzz. At last we see the chinks in your armor (well, aside from the fact that it looks a little useless)—the opt-out feature appears to automatically publish your contact list, which is compiled from the people you email and chat with the most.
As if it wasn’t annoying enough to be told you have dozens of new...
YouTube Safety Mode Goes Beyond Human Review
February 11, 2010, 7:27 pmThis week, YouTube launched Safety Mode, an opt-in setting that helps users screen out potentially objectionable videos. We asked YouTube how it works. For example, is there human intervention involved?
"Safety Mode goes above and beyond the flagging system and manual review to use community signals to filter out content that may be...
The Latest in Google's Effort to Make the Web Faster
February 11, 2010, 6:55 pmYouTube has just launched a "Speed Dashboard", which makes speed information about videos available to users. YouTube's Chris Dale tells us it "offers granular insight into what your YouTube video speed looks like."
"We think it's pretty cool and all part of our goal to make the web a faster place," he...
Google Kills Blogs Legally Posting Copyrighted Content
February 11, 2010, 5:57 pmI know it all sounds crazy, but there are legal ways to post copyrighted content on the Internet—id est when you have permission from the copyright owner. But apparently that wasn’t enough for at least one of several blogspot-hosted music blogs pulled from Google’s Blogger for allegedly violating copyright. paidContent...
The Thursday Signal: Is Google Losing Its Customer Focus?
February 11, 2010, 5:22 pm
I'm a bit reticent to jump into this, as I'm not sure you all care that much, but I've got a decent reason for writing about Buzz (yesterday's piece) again today.
First, I've seen a piece (Calacanis) proclaiming Buzz the second (third? fifth?) coming of social. Facebook will "lost half its value" due to Buzz's arrival, Jason opines. I...
Real-Time Search Engine Adds New Features
February 11, 2010, 5:16 pmReal-time search engine Wowd, has introduced a real-time tag cloud and a real-time streaming feature to its search service.
The real-time tag cloud is based on hot topics customized to an individual's search query. Wowd's "Hot Topics" tag cloud offers a slice of the most popular topics online, including blogs, news, and the most...
Twitter Puts Pixar's CFO On Payroll
February 11, 2010, 4:50 pmTwitter's at last found someone to be its chief financial officer, and the man appears to be more than qualified for the position. Ali Rowghani actually comes to Twitter from Pixar, where he also held the title of CFO.
Pixar is, of course, the popular animation studio responsible for movies like Toy Story, The Incredibles, and WALL-E. ...
Google Uses Hours of Search History to Serve Ads
February 11, 2010, 4:48 pmGoogle has made some adjustments to how it uses referral URLs for contextual matching of AdSense ads. Google has started expanding the use of query words in referral URLs to a few hours.
Basically what this means is that Google is using user's search history to determine what ads to show on sites using AdSense. If a user arrives at one AdSense...
Google.Chrome.Mac.Gets.Extensions!
February 11, 2010, 4:24 pmIt’s finally here!
Google Chrome…
On the Mac…
With support for extensions!
Maybe I’m the only one that’s excited that this day has finally arrived, but I’ve been itching to make the switch from Firefox to Google Chrome. What was holding me back was the lack of support for extensions. I use a number of extensions...
What Google Looks for in a Town for its Broadband Project
February 11, 2010, 3:22 pmAs previously reported, Google is planning to build and test "ultra high-speed" broadband networks in select communities around the U.S. We contacted Google to try and find out a bit more about what criteria Google is looking for to make its selections for these trial locations.
"Above all, we're interested in deploying our...
Monitoring Your Local Business In Real Time
February 11, 2010, 3:19 pmMatt gives information for business owners looking to promote on Yelp and FourSquare.How to gain new business opportunities and monitoring your Local Business in real time search
UCLA Turns To Social Media To Improve Teen Health
February 11, 2010, 3:00 pmWith the average teen spending nine hours a week on social networking sites, the UCLA School of Public Health has partnered with Health Net of California to develop a health literacy program using social media in an effort to encourage teens from 13 to 17 to take better care of their health.
"Over 90 percent of teens today use social...
Where Does Yahoo Fit Into Your Search Strategy?
February 11, 2010, 2:48 pmIn search, a lot of what Yahoo has done has been overshadowed by what Google and Bing have done, simply because Google controls such a huge piece of the search pie, and Bing is still a relatively fresh entity. All eyes are still on Bing as it grows. That leaves Yahoo somewhere in the middle, where it technically sits in terms of market share....
MySpace's CEO Out
February 11, 2010, 2:45 pmOwen Van Natta, who only joined MySpace in April of last year, will no longer serve as its CEO. Reports indicate that he's in fact been fired, and MySpace has at least confirmed that Jason Hirschhorn and Mike Jones, who reported to Van Natta, are becoming co-presidents.
This series of developments comes as a big surprise. Just one...
This is No TOY STORY, Twitter’s Prospects on the Way UP with Pixar CFO Hire
February 11, 2010, 2:37 pm<Somewhere in Twitter HQ>
“So, Ev, if I understand you correctly, there isn’t actually any revenue to count at the moment?”
“No, Ali, we hired you because we were hoping you’d bring your collection of Pixar dvds in for us to watch when the Fail Whale appears.”
If it’s not Ali Rowghani’s movie...
In Other News…Van Natta Out as MySpace CEO
February 11, 2010, 1:59 pmQuestion: How long does it take for a new CEO of a social media falling star to get his walking papers these days?
Answer: If you are Owen Van Natta of MySpace it takes just about 9 months.
Wow, I wonder if the time went quickly? It seems like just yesterday that the announcement of the former Facebook executive’s hiring was the start of a new...
And Iran, Iran from Gmail
February 11, 2010, 1:04 pmIn case you are wondering about the title of this post, you need to do two things. Stop thinking about Google Buzz for a minute (please!) and also try to remember a song from way back when called “I Ran (So Far Away)” by Flock of Seagulls. Now sing the chorus using the title of the post and you’ll get it. See? Clever, right?
Anyway, it...
7 Answers to News SEO Questions You Should Know
February 11, 2010, 12:05 pmRecently I was invited to give a basics webinar on optimizing news content for search. The intersection of search and PR/communications are obviously something quite familiar and while I’ve done several such presentations with our client PRWeb, I had not done one with Search Engine Watch before.
The outcome exceeded all expectations...
How to Install the TweetMeme Retweet Button… WITHOUT Hurting Your Page Speed
February 10, 2010, 11:26 pmIf you have the TweetMeme Retweet Button installed on your WordPress blog or website, chances are it's been [deleted] your page speed and forcing your readers to wait 9 years for your page to load. This happens because the installation methods that TweetMeme offers will result in a retweet button that prevents your page from loading until it is...
BBC Journalists Commanded To Use Social Media
February 10, 2010, 10:26 pmJournalists who work for one of the most respected news organizations in the world will be making greater use of social media from now on. Peter Horrocks, the BBC's director of global news, has more or less ordered his reporters to become comfortable with sites like Twitter.
As reported by Mercedes Bunz, Horrocks stated in an internal BBC...
Mobile Phone Buyers Prefer Touchscreen Interface
February 10, 2010, 10:10 pmWhile text messaging continues to be the top motivating feature for mobile phone buyers, American consumers are increasingly purchasing handsets with touch screens or QWERTY keyboards, according to the latest report from The NPD Group.
The report found all 10 of the top-selling mobile phones purchased in the fourth quarter of 2009 came with a...
Facebook Fixes News Feed, Still Irritates Users
February 10, 2010, 9:57 pmFacebook has responded to a news feed issue that users have been experiencing and bellyaching about. On its Facebook Page, the company posted:
"We've heard from many of you who are seeing a delay in your News Feed posts. We've fixed this issue and you should see your News Feeds gradually return to normal. Thanks for your...
Google Building Broadband Networks–Sign Up Now!
February 10, 2010, 8:26 pmWe’ve all seen it coming for a long time: whether Google was buying dark fiber, or bidding on the wireless spectrum, or hiring former telephone execs, we all love a rumor about Google setting up Internet infrastructure. But this time it’s no rumor: Google admits they’re building high speed broadband networks in select markets....
Age Differences Between MySpace and Facebook Users
February 10, 2010, 8:25 pmcomScore's recent digital year in review reveals that the MySpace demographic has gotten younger over the last year whereas Facebook's 24 & under crowd decreased and its 25-34 year segment increased.
An analysis of demographic composition of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter users revealed important differences that reflect their appeal to...
3D Printer Can Make You Anything
February 10, 2010, 8:16 pmWhen WebProNews hit Vegas for the CES 2010 conference, we came across a number of new and interesting gadgets.
The MakerBot's CupCake CNC is a 3D printer/fabricator that can make just about anything you want. As long as the object you desire can be made out of ABS plastic and stays in a size range of 4″x4″x6".
...
Bing And Ask Increase Search Share In January
February 10, 2010, 7:55 pmBing saw the number of U.S. searches on its site increase 5 percent in January from December to 9.37 percent of the search market, according to a new report from Hitwise.
Ask also had a 4 percent increase in the number of searches from December to account for 2.64 percent of the search market.
Google still dominated with 71.49 percent of the...
Facebook Mobile Count Hits, Passes 100 Million
February 10, 2010, 7:54 pmFacebook recently updated its official "Statistics" page to reflect the fact that it attracts about 400 million users on a monthly basis. Today, Facebook announced another interesting piece of data: over 100 million folks can be counted upon to access the site from their mobile phones in the same timeframe.
Chamath Palihapitiya,...
Google to Enhance Broadband for Some Communities
February 10, 2010, 7:31 pmGoogle announced today that is planning to build and test "ultra high-speed" broadband networks in a small number of trial locations around the U.S. This means Google will deliver Internet speeds of 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to now, according to the company.
Google says it has the following things in mind:
...
AOL and Facebook “In a Relationship”
February 10, 2010, 7:08 pmMaybe AOL decided their Q4 news wasn’t enough to keep them in the headlines this week—but they’re back again. Of course, it’s hard to stay out of the headlines when you’re making a deal with the most popular social network in the world.
That’s right, Facebook and AOL are hooking up—and in a fairly literal...
Google's Schmidt Outlines Ways To Fix America
February 10, 2010, 6:41 pmIf any organization knows how to innovate, it's Google; this week alone, the company discussed phones that would translate languages in real time, unveiled a Street View snowmobile, and announced its intention to test ultra high-speed broadband networks. It may make sense, then, that CEO Eric Schmidt has tried to address America's...
McTweets: Over 1 Billion Served
February 10, 2010, 6:08 pmSo what’s the deal? Is Twitter slowing down or speeding up? Reports of slowing of growth in visitors and accounts of Twitter has created a stir for some. Unfortunately for Twitter that is the price of a ‘hockey stick’ growth pattern which is associated with rapid mass appeal. It’s every business’ dream but goes up must come down at least...
Another Ocean to Boil: Google May Take On ISPs
February 10, 2010, 4:48 pmWhoa cowboy, yet another massive industry Google will try to reinvent? Apparently.
From a blog post announcing the initiative:
We're planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. We'll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have...
Weds. Signal: What's The Buzz, Google?
February 10, 2010, 3:42 pmSo Google went and did it - it integrated a whole mess of social and local features into Gmail, wrapping the whole thing into a product burrito it calls Buzz (Yahoo has got to be fuming, if it has any more fumes left, that is).
The first-day response is somewhat positive - mainly due to the huge installed base that Gmail brings to the...
Google Street View: Now With More Polar Bears!
February 10, 2010, 2:30 pmJust when you though the Google tricycle was the most absurd thing you’d heard of, Google announces its plans to map the snowier parts of the world using snowmobiles.
Apparently the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was the impetus for taking Google Street Views off road, but I think it was just an excuse to spend some time on the...
Is SEO Dead? Nope, It Has Just Come Full Circle!
February 10, 2010, 2:29 pmShort term strategies for site "optimization" are just that - short term. Better to focus on long term aspects, and adapt those as needed.
5 Signs You’re Following Too Many People on Twitter
February 10, 2010, 2:03 pmHere are 5 common signs you're following too many people on Twitter (and what to do about that).
Google’s Smartphone Gains Should Create Some Buzz
February 10, 2010, 1:16 pmAll the online world is buzzing about the introduction of Google’s Buzz yesterday. The competitor (or death knell) to FriendFeed has everyone wondering just how much of the social media market can Google ‘control’ by playing the intermediary. Considering how far reaching their other services are I think it looks more and more like Google...
Get Smarter at Online Marketing Summit
February 10, 2010, 12:05 pm I know I did an upcoming events roundup last week but the upcoming Online Marketing Summit in San Diego is certainly worth a post of it’s own. Besides, I get to announce that one of our clients from Zoomerang (MarketTools), won a free conference pass! Congratulations to Amy Lindahl!
Last year OMS came through Minneapolis and I had an...
1,519 Names in One Sweep…What a Week.
February 10, 2010, 6:29 amApparently this was the week for lawsuits.
Another Toyota wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over a fatal auto accident allegedly caused by the uncontrolled, sudden acceleration of a Toyota Corolla. Toyota has been doing its due diligence here, but its hard to put the genie back in the bottle when the lawsuits start.
McDonalds should sell its...
What Is The Best Way To Learn Internet Marketing?
February 9, 2010, 10:08 pmMat Siltala writes: "If you want to learn how to make a site rank, then you need to create one that you can test the crap out of. You need to spend time on SEO forums and blogs (I will share my favorite later) attend a search marketing conference or two. Get on Twitter and follow some amazing Internet minds. Just don’t follow, talk to...
Anatomy of a Hands-on SEO Site Audit – Part 1
February 9, 2010, 9:48 pmAlan puts down some good suggestions for things you want to think about doing SEO Audits
30 Link Builders Discuss Backlink Analysis For Campaign Design – Part 1
February 9, 2010, 8:48 pmGarrett French asked 30 link building experts 9 questions about backlink analysis… and got 20,000 words of response. Part 1 covers question 1-3.
Share Well With Others: How To Get Social Content To Go Viral
February 9, 2010, 5:40 pmPromoting content in social media is only half the battle. Once it is in the face of thousands of visitors, there needs to be some sort of emotional and psychological drive to get them to share that content with others. This is key in creating a “snowball effect” that will build perpetual motion to reach a much more pervasive audience.
How much HTML does an SEO need to know?
February 9, 2010, 3:23 pmSeveral SEO specialists weigh in on the question of whether an SEO needs to know HTML...and if so, how much?
The Tuesday Signal
February 9, 2010, 3:20 pm
Tuesday, we hope, things will get back to normal after Super Bowl fever had subsided. Google is set to turn Gmail into a status updatin' machine, which positions it to compete directly with Twitter. I'll be posting this Signal an hour or so before the details emerge. I have an FM Board meeting this morning, (don't fear, it's all good...). So...
The Ultimate Guide to Keyword Competition: Tips from 35 Search Marketing Experts
February 9, 2010, 3:03 pmWe talked with 35 Search Marketing Gurus (including Aaron Wall, Rand Fishkin, Ann Smarty, Michael Gray, Todd Malicoat, David Harry, Gab Goldenberg, Ian Lurie, Patrick Altoft, Jill Whalen, Michael Martinez, Dana Lookadoo, Garrett French, Marty Weintraub and many more) about the best ways of determining the competitiveness of a keyword. This post...
Should SEOs care about Real Time Social Search?
February 9, 2010, 12:04 pmAre you trying to sort out SEO programs for real time and social search? Well, hold on just one second as it may not be wise from a 'task ROI' perspective. We look at some of the recent changes, words from the engines and a perspective moving foreward.
Steal this SEO FAQ: 30+ SEO Questions You Always Wanted an Answer to
February 9, 2010, 6:08 amSome golden nuggets for people who are making a foray into the SEO world and a great learning resource for people who think they know SEO but actually don't.
Is Google’s One Trick Pony About To Be Euthanized by Microsoft
February 8, 2010, 11:58 pmExcellent post and foresight by Jeremy about what is coming for Google!
Abort Your Blog -- 5 Signs It's Time to Drop Your Blog
February 8, 2010, 8:08 pmI decided to share it with Sphinn community because it is hilariously written, funny and gives some food for thought. I don't necessarily agree with all the points (some need "it depends" factor) but I love it.
A Google Twitter Killer? Not Till Google Mutates
February 8, 2010, 7:53 pmThat's the rumor (BI via WSJ). The idea is to let Gmail become your portal into status update.
It won't work, period, unless it connects to Facebook and Twitter. And so far, as I've pointed out before, Google won't do that, at least, not yet, and and certainly not in the way it should be done.
Google is simply not understood by...
7 Awesome Ideas to Use Gmail Filters For SEO Tasks
February 8, 2010, 5:45 pmGreat tips from Ann Smarty about optimizing SEO process using email filtering to a achieve higher productivity.
How to Get Banned on Social Media Networks
February 8, 2010, 4:58 pmYou’ve lost your account…it’s gone. You can’t log in. All your activity has been erased. You didn’t get an email, not even a warning. You’ve emailed the site a number of times, and nobody will tell you why you’re now a blacklisted member of your favorite social media network.
SEO standards, accreditation, qualifications and expectations
February 8, 2010, 3:52 pmJudith Lewis discusses the need to establish standards in the Search Engine Optimization industry if it is to be taken seriously as a profession, and how that might be achieved. Sphinn seems like the right place for this piece.
The Monday Signal: Monday Morn. Advertising Quarterback
February 8, 2010, 3:51 pmWas it really as simple as that? Google CEO Eric Schmidt took to the blogwaves after the Super Bowl yesterday to explain Google's surprising decision to purchase an ad thusly:
We didn't set out to do a Super Bowl ad, or even a TV ad for search. Our goal was simply to create a series of short online videos about our products and our users, and how...
5 Powerful Ways to Use Google Reader’s Feed Creation Tool for SEO
February 8, 2010, 3:18 pmYou may have noticed that two weeks ago Google announced a new feature for Google Reader: the ability to create/track RSS feeds for pages that don’t provide them.There’s a lot of potential here in just about every aspect of web use – personal and professional.Like most tools, the functionality can be used to many ends. The limits are only...
Link Building Strategies: Checklist
February 8, 2010, 1:36 pmWhat are your Link Building Strategies? Do you have any? If you do have any, are you following them? Do you have a link building checklist to follow? These are some questions that you must ask yourself if you want to build quality and quantity links to a website or webpage. With Google using around 200 data points to size up your website, we all...
Two Biggest Advantages of Small Businesses SEO
February 8, 2010, 12:00 pmWith search engine optimization, small businesses have two advantages larger competitors often can’t match: creativity and agility.
By embracing these two philosophies as part of their digital marketing DNA, small businesses can carve out a search marketing strategy that runs circles around larger competitors.
Today, we’ll briefly...
Super Bowl Ads 2010 Face-Off: Google vs KGB
February 8, 2010, 2:31 amThere were lots of entertaining Super Bowl ads this year, but as an internet marketer, two interested me the most: Google’s first ever TV ad, and the new upstart, KGB.
Forget the fact that Google–the ambassador for new, measurable ads–ran an old-school TV ad, which do you think was the best of the two?
Google Runs First Super Bowl Commercial
February 8, 2010, 2:10 amWith millions watching, Google ran their first Super Bowl Commercial entitled "Parisian Love". If it looks familiar, that's because it's one of their "Search Stories" ads which was uploaded to YouTube back in November. You can check it out below...
What did you think of the commercial? Tell us.
Did you think you'd ever...
View Twitter Reaction Of Super Bowl Ads
February 7, 2010, 8:00 pmMullen and Radian6 have partnered to launch BrandBowl2010, a Twitter/Super Bowl event that combines tweeting, ad reviews and a number of rankings that will allow users to see near real-time ratings of the TV commercials airing during the game.
Users can log on to BrandBowl2010 using their Twitter ID, tweet directly from the page, view tweets...
What Guest Blogging Is NOT: Don't be a douche
February 7, 2010, 7:09 pmI know I have emphasized link building benefits of guest posting quite a few times: but if link building aspect is the first in your list of reasons why you start guest blogging, you are getting it WRONG from the very start.
Connect with Marketing Pilgrim on Facebook
February 7, 2010, 6:24 pmWe finally have a Marketing Pilgrim fan page on Facebook!
I know, I know, it’s about time! But hear me out.
You see, I always figured that having a fan page on Facebook wouldn’t be of interest to Marketing Pilgrims. I thought a fan page was just an ugly expression of vanity–did I really feel like people loved this site enough to...
Google Suggests Competitors for Local Business Searches
February 7, 2010, 1:19 pmGoogle is offering suggestions for "nearby places you might like" on Google Maps when you look up a place that you do like. So if you like a particular bakery, you might be presented with other places within the same vicinity that Google thinks you might also be interested in trying.
"When you live in New York City, everyone has...
Super Bowl Viewers Spend Game Time on the Web
February 7, 2010, 1:00 pmLast year, 12% of Super Bowl viewers used the Internet while watching the game according to data from Nielsen. Those that used the web spent an average of 24 minutes online during the game. It would not be at all surprising if those numbers increased significnatly this year.
"Nielsen found that simultaneous users were most engaged in...
Is Google Bad at Social Media or Really, Really Good at it?
February 7, 2010, 12:31 pmGoogle often takes a lot of flack for not being incredibly successful with its social media efforts. Most recently, Caroline McCarthy and Tom Krazit tackled this subject in a CNET article claiming that "Google struggles with social skills." I would not go so far as to say that I completely disagree with them. They make plenty of factual...
Updated: Google to Air "Search Stories" Ad During Super Bowl...
February 6, 2010, 11:11 pmRemember when I wrote about the new "Search Stories" ads for Google's core search offerings?In that post, I noted "It's truly a brand campaign: Google is not selling anything here other than its own brand - that ephemeral sensibility that resides between its customers' ears." Well I've got a pretty reliable source who is telling me Google plans to...
Cambodia Lambastes Google Over Border Portrayal
February 6, 2010, 8:30 pmThe governments of France, Germany, and Italy are all arguably annoyed with Google. China's not thrilled with the search giant, either. And now, because of the way in which Google's portrayed a disputed border, Cambodia's quite mad at it.
According to Reuters, Svay Sitha, the secretary of state of Cambodia's Council of Ministers,...
Cup of Joe: It’s All About The Benjamins
February 6, 2010, 12:38 pmSo, a few days ago I was on Twitter and a friend of mine asked her followers how much she should pay a designer for a new logo. My response was, “well, pay them what ever they invoice you for.” She then explained that this designer didn’t know how to price his logos and needed help. I remember when I first started my business I...
Ways to Get Fresh Links to Old Content for Better Search Rankings
February 6, 2010, 10:31 amYou may have gotten some good links in the past, but don't count on them helping you forever. Old links go stale in the eyes of Google.
Do you still get links to old content? Tell us why you think that is.
Google's Matt Cutts responded to a user-submitted question asking if Google removes PageRank coming from links on pages that no longer...
Position Yourself As An Expert With Guest Blogging
February 6, 2010, 4:22 amWhenever we talk about guest blogging, the conversation usually focuses on the link building benefits of guest blogging. And while this is certainly one of the best reasons to guest post, I’ve personally found that the increased exposure and the ability to position yourself as an expert in your niche are the most profitable effects of guest...
Yahoo Mobile Blog Launches
February 5, 2010, 10:25 pmYahoo may be doing a lot more in terms of mobile before long. Or at least telling us more about its current cell phone-related efforts. Either way, it launched the Yahoo Mobile Blog this week for the sake of keeping everyone up to date.
Irv Henderson, who's Yahoo's Vice President of Global Mobile Products, wrote the introductory blog...
178 Million Americans Watched 33 Billion Online Videos in a Month
February 5, 2010, 9:25 pmResearch firm comScore has just released data about the U.S. online video market from December. Americans reportedly watched 33.2 billion videos online during that month. 178 million users watched video online.
Google sites ranked at the top of the list by a significant margin, just like usual. Hulu was next in line with about a 12 million video...
Facebook Sends More News Traffic than Google News
February 5, 2010, 9:00 pmLast week, Facebook posted instructions on how to make FB your “personalized news channel” and minimize nonnewsworthy clutter on their blog. Inspired, Hitwise looked at the numbers, and it looks like Facebook is already well on its way as a news starting point.
Hitwise’s stats show that Facebook is well ahead of some other news...
AT&T Launches FamilyMap For iPhone
February 5, 2010, 8:27 pmAT&T has introduced its FamilyMap App for the iPhone, which allows users to track the location of family members.
Users can download the FamilyMap the App Store on iPhone or at iTunes. Users can track tow phones on an account for $9.99 a month or up to five phone for $14.99 per month. The FamilyMap App can also be used on most other AT&T...
Bing & Facebook Expand Search Agreement
February 5, 2010, 7:56 pmTwo years ago, Microsoft purchased a 1.6% stake in Facebook for $240M—and with the agreement that Bing would be providing web search on the world’s most popular social network. That deal is now expanding, according to the Bing blog—to not only take in an expanded, enhanced search but also more countries around the world. Most...
More Than Just a Redesign Going on with Facebook This Week
February 5, 2010, 7:30 pmIt's been a pretty big week for Facebook. Not only is there a lot of talk about Facebook's potential for becoming the top news source on the web, but the company celebrated its sixth birthday, is passing the 400 million user mark, and began rolling out some new design changes. In addition, the company is said to be rewriting its messaging feature...
Microsoft and Facebook Adjust Their Partnership
February 5, 2010, 7:25 pmMicrosoft and Facebook have "enhanced" their partnership with each other. The two companies will soon be providing Facebook users with what Microsoft refers to as a "more complete search experience". They will be providing full access to Bing features in Facebook. In addition, the Bing and Facebook connection will be extended...
Vote For Your Favorite Super Bowl Ads Online
February 5, 2010, 5:42 pmBrand consulting and advertising firm Hanon McKendry is holding it second annual online Super Bowl ad poll.
Viewers of the game will be able to visit superadbowl.com at the end of the first quarter to cast their vote for their favorite commercial. As votes are casts, the results will be compiled immediately and posted so fans will be able to see...
The Friday Signal: It's The Platform, Not the Bowl
February 5, 2010, 4:35 pmFriday is all about the biggest event in television marketing - the Super Bowl. This year (as I've noted here before) I'm struck by how many campaigns are integrated with longer term social marketing platforms. That's putting the investment to good use - promoting what I call a media annuity that will pay back all year long. However, much of the...
Google Experiments with Different Google News Design
February 5, 2010, 4:08 pmSome people have spotted a new design for Google News, which is part of a limited test experiment Google is running. A Google employee posted the following message in the Google News Help Forum:
At Google, we run anywhere from 50 to 200 experiments at any given time on our websites all over the world. Right now, we are running a small test of a...
Justice Department Objects To Google Books Settlement
February 5, 2010, 4:02 pmThe amended Google Books settlement agreement (ASA) has not impressed the U.S. Department of Justice. A statement the organization issued late yesterday praised the idea of making rare books widely available, but also maintained that there are a number of problems with the proposed deal.
The DOJ said, "Under the ASA as proposed, Google...
Google Lets AdSense Publishers Donate Earnings to Haiti Relief
February 5, 2010, 3:28 pmGoogle has launched an AdSense feature that lets AdSense publishers donate their earnings to Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
"We're currently accepting donations from AdSense publishers with an unpaid account balance through January 31, 2010," says Google's Elizabeth Ferdon. "To see what your unpaid account balance is, please...
Google Gets the Department of Justice’s Seal of Non-Approval
February 5, 2010, 3:18 pmI can hear it now. We normal folks won’t be able to hear this signal (kind of like a dog whistle) but this is being sounded across the US to Washington, DC from Mountain View, CA as we speak.
“Calling all ex-Google employees in DC! Calling all ex-Google employees in DC! (Especially if you still have stock) I repeat – Calling all ex-Google...
The 3 Biggest Risks You Take With Social Networking Profiles
February 5, 2010, 3:10 pmOnline reputation management isn’t always about big corporate brands. In fact, half of my book Radically Transparent is dedicated to building and managing personal reputations.
Just in case you’re not convinced that you need to worry about your personal reputation online, you might want to check out the interview I did with WCCO...
NASA Connects Twitter Users To Space Shuttle Crew
February 5, 2010, 2:52 pmNASA is inviting the public to send questions for its astronauts via Twitter during the space shuttle Endeavour's upcoming mission to the International Space Station.
Astronaut Mike Massimino will take questions for the crew from the public via his Twitter account until Thursday, February 11. Massimino will be a spacecraft communicator, at NASA's...
MySpace, Chief Product Officer May Part Ways
February 5, 2010, 2:40 pmA high-ranking MySpace executive might be ready to depart, according to a new report. Rumor has it that Chief Product Officer Jason Hirschhorn, who's been with the company for less than a year, is making his way towards the exit.
This story appears to deserve some heavy disclaimers; since it began to spread, Hirschhorn wrote on his MySpace...
Facebook Slow Rolls New Home Page Design and More
February 5, 2010, 2:08 pmFacebook has begun introducing a new home page redesign to about 20% of the total 400 million ‘users’ of the social media platform. It appears as if the gist of the changes are just moving certain elements to different parts of the page so they can get more attention from users. More usage of the functionality means more stickiness means more...
5 Ways to Show Digital Assets a Little Respect
February 5, 2010, 1:00 pmDon't ignore digital assets in your optimization efforts
Don’t fight it: Blended search results, and hence digital asset optimization, are here (at least for now).
Text content may be your SEO poster child, but with images, video and audio content often appearing in standard search results, digital assets can no longer be treated as the ugly...
BIGLIST Update: SEM Blog Reviews Snarky Edition 020410
February 5, 2010, 12:13 am
Welcome to the newest BIGLIST review of Search Marketing Blogs. We have a little bit of everything today ranging from Chinese focused PPC to the World’s Greatest SEO to a steaming pile of SEO Bull$#*t. Enjoy!
If you think your blog deserves to be included, then write a compelling and maybe humorous comment below. We’ll almost...
Online TV Still Few People's First Choice
February 4, 2010, 10:25 pmThis week's big TV event was unquestionably the season premiere of "Lost"; lots of people have, over the course of the previous five or so years, become huge fans of the show. But new stats imply that very few of them sat in front of computer monitors on Wednesday, rather than televisions on Tuesday, in order to watch the two-hour...
House Passes Cybersecurity Bill
February 4, 2010, 10:17 pmThe U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act by a vote of 422 to 5.
The bill is aimed at improving cybersecurity within the federal government as well as the public and private sectors by helping to develop a skilled cybersecurity workforce along with coordinating and prioritizing federal research and...
Google Launches Log Search for the Cloud
February 4, 2010, 9:36 pmGoogle just introduced message log search for Postini, its group of cloud security and archiving services.
"When messages pass through the Postini service, header and transaction data about these messages is stored in a log," explains Gopal Shah of Google Postini team Previously, admins only had access to this data through customer...
Will Publishers Let Facebook Become the Web's Biggest News Source?
February 4, 2010, 8:45 pmI have a question for you. Where do you get the majority of your online news? Is it from a feed reader? Is it from Twitter? Is it from Google News? Yahoo News? Do you spend your time simply checking specific news publications? There is talk that Facebook could become the number one place online for people to get their news.
Here's one for...
AOL’s Q4: When Failure = Success
February 4, 2010, 8:44 pmAnd not in the positive “I now know 999 ways not to make a light bulb” way.
AOL’s Q4—their first earnings report since spinning off from Time Warner—numbers have all kinds of red ink and negative signs in front of them: display advertising revenue down 3% total YOY, international display down 22%, search and...
AOL Vet Returns from Google to Lead Media/Studios Division
February 4, 2010, 8:43 pmAOL has named David Eun as its new President of AOL Media and Studios. Until 2006, Eun was Vice President, Operations for the Media & Communications Group at Time Warner, where he helped oversee AOL. During that time, he contributed to providing operational oversight and development of new businesses in digital distribution and broadband...
Nearly 20% Of Marketing Emails Fail To Arrive
February 4, 2010, 8:15 pmNearly twenty percent (19.9%) of commercial, permissioned emails never reached consumers inboxes in the United States and Canada in the second half of 2009, according to a new report from Return Path.
Permissioned email reached only 80.1 percent of consumer inboxes in the United States and Canada during the second half of 2009, a .8 percent...
"Google Store Views" To Complement Street View?
February 4, 2010, 7:55 pmThe main goal of a typical retailer is to draw people inside and sell stuff, not have folks stare at the store's exterior. It makes a degree of sense, then, that a new report claims something called Google Store Views will continue the tradition of Google Street View within shops.
We'll admit: this is an odd, or even silly, concept at first...
29% of Companies Have a Social Media Policy
February 4, 2010, 7:32 pmDoes your company have a formal policy on employee social media usage during the work day (or after)? If not, you’re not alone: a report from employment services firm Manpower shows that only 29% of companies have a formal social media policy in place.
Obviously, far more companies block popular social media sites—another study in...
Thursday Signal: Are You Checked In?
February 4, 2010, 7:22 pm Today is all about checking in. Not so much driven by anything in today's news, but every week or so I'll just go off based on what's on my mind - driven by the news, to be sure, but also by the bricolage of a lot of inputs over time.
And over the past few weeks, I've been developing a thesis around the concept of "checking in."...
Google Partners with NSA on Cyber Attack Analysis
February 4, 2010, 6:41 pmUpdate 4: Google has reportedly now teamed up with the National Security Agency to analyze the attack and try to better defend against such attacks in the future.
Update 3: The Chinese government has reportedly denied that it had any involvement in the much publicized cyber attacks against Google and other companies. AFP provides the...
Wireless Users With Additional Plans Happiest
February 4, 2010, 5:37 pmCustomer care performance scores are higher among wireless customers with additional plan features, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates.
Customer care performance score were higher among customers with additional plan features, such as extended handset warranties (770 on a 1,000 point scale, on average) and unlimited calling to...
Toyota’s Recall Antics Spread Virally
February 4, 2010, 5:33 pmOver the past few weeks I have been watching the Toyota recall fiasco out of the corner of my eye. It began as a news story (which is different than its actual start date) and it has not gone away. Well, you know the online “you know what” has hit the fan when you can go to Comedy Central’s site and see this
Now, it appears that Toyota has...
62 steps to the definitive link building campaign
February 4, 2010, 5:04 pmMark racks up yet another link building post that should be on the radar of all you link builders out there. An especially great read if you're just starting out a large campaign.
Twitter.com Users Get New Hovercards Feature
February 4, 2010, 3:30 pmTwitter has introduced a new feature for Twitter.com called Hovercards. These are simply little windows that pop up when you hover over any name on your timeline.
It's important to note that a lot of people use Twitter through different applications and never even see Twitter's actual site. It is nice to see that Twitter recognizes that people...
Twitter Breaks Tweet Count? Or Another Attack?
February 4, 2010, 3:16 pmI just noticed that my number of tweets just skyrocketed, according to Twitter.
Apparently, I tweeted 34,000 tweets overnight!
Here’s Google’s cache from last night:
And here’s what’s showing right now:
I’m not the only one to see this. My wife’s just jumped around 10,000 too.
Anyone else seeing this?
UPDATE:...
Mark Cuban Updates His Stance on Google
February 4, 2010, 3:13 pmUpdate: Cuban has now posted a lengthy explanation of his stance on Google. Essentially, he appears to view Google as helpful if not necesary for lesser known brands, but as a bad business decision for big names in the news industry.
Oriinal Article: The always outspoken Mark Cuban has contributed his thoughts on the whole news...
New Text Campaign Aims To Inform Pregnant Women
February 4, 2010, 3:08 pmExpectant mothers now have a new resource for health information with the launch of text4baby.
The new free mobile health service offers timely and expert health information through text messages to pregnant women and new moms through their babies' first year.
The text4baby initiative is a partnership between the U.S. government and a number of...
Google Partners with the NSA? The Same Agency That Tapped Our Phones Illegally?
February 4, 2010, 2:55 pmIf you’re a government conspiracy theorist, you probably shouldn’t read this post. You won’t sleep for weeks.
The National Security Agency is rumored to be working with Google in light of the cyber attacks that reportedly came from China.
Think about that for a second. Big Brother just partnered with big brother, to try and fight...
Mexico May Crack Down On Twitter
February 4, 2010, 2:55 pmIn what might be record time, Twitter has made some enemies in Mexico. The site became available in Spanish only three months ago, and now, certain authorities are looking to regulate it because delinquents and criminals have become heavy users.
Michael E. Miller reports that Mexico City officials were originally interested in prosecuting...
C Suite Resignation Via Twitter
February 4, 2010, 2:35 pmWhen people in the industry or anywhere else for that matter look to C-level participation in social media Sun’s CEO, Jonathan Schwartz, is viewed as a pioneer. He was the first Fortune 500 CEO to blog. Well, now he has broken some new ground by being the first CEO of his stature (or maybe any for that matter) to tweet his resignation. Yup,...
70% of Companies Plan to Spend More on Twitter & Facebook Marketing
February 4, 2010, 2:10 pmAccording to a new study by Econsultancy and ExactTarget, marketers face a conundrum when it comes to increasing their online marketing budgets in 2010.
They want to do it, but 40% of those surveyed simply don’t have the budget to spend more on marketing this year.
What to do; what to do?
I know, let us reduce our spending on print ads...
Stop Offering SEO Services You Bloody Dimwits!
February 3, 2010, 11:04 pmRishi is our second columnist on SEO Bullshit.com - SNIPPET - Seriously peeps, think about what you are doing and offering. If your strengths as an agency aren’t in SEO (i.e you don’t have someone who has ninja skills) then forget offering it. Seriously. That way I wont have to come and clean up your mess and actually do stuff that I enjoy.
Monster Announces HotJobs Acquisition
February 3, 2010, 10:24 pmYesterday and this morning, reports indicated that Yahoo wasn't having much luck selling its small business unit and HotJobs. HotJobs has, however, found a new home. This afternoon, Monster announced that it's agreed to acquire the property for $225 million, and Monster's reached a traffic agreement with Yahoo, too.
The agreement will...
Doodle 4 Google Contest Kicks Off
February 3, 2010, 10:16 pmGoogle said today it is holding its third annual Doodle 4 Google contest that allows K-12 students in the U.S. to create their own logo for the Google homepage.
The theme this year is "If I Could Do Anything, I Would." Google says along with the winners Doodle appearing on the homepage on May 27, 2010, they will also receive a $15,000...
How Many Spiders Does Google Have?
February 3, 2010, 10:13 pmGoogle has posted a short but interesting video to its Webmaster Central YouTube channel. A user asked the question, "How many bots/spiders does Google currently have crawling the web?" and Google's Matt Cutts gave his answer.
"It's important to realize that it's not really actual robots or actual spiders out there...instead, it's...
Content Ain't King Without Self Promotion
February 3, 2010, 9:46 pmLisa Barone looks at the importance of self promotion for your content. If you don't talk about it yourself, it might not do well.
Microsoft Exec Talks Bing Success/Profitability
February 3, 2010, 9:11 pmHere are a couple of simple facts: Microsoft's online services business lost $466 million during the last financial quarter, and most research firms put Google's share of the search market at least 45 percentage points above Yahoo's. Still, Microsoft believes Bing can be competitive and profitable.
Yusuf Mehdi, the senior vice president of...
How Important are Comments to the News?
February 3, 2010, 9:05 pmComments have become part of the news. In the old days, publishers released articles and any reader comments would be addressed on the publisher's own time. In a newspaper or magazine, it may have been in the form of letters to the editor. Sometimes news radio programs would read audience feedback on the air. These things allowed the publishers a...
Majority Of E-Reader Owners Have No Complaints
February 3, 2010, 8:00 pmOwners of e-readers such as the Kindle report they are happy with their devices according to a new study by The NPD Group.
The majority (93%) of owners said they were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with their device. Only 2 percent indicated any level of dissatisfaction.
Features are important to e-reader owners....
Yahoo Patent: Geotagging + Social = Augmented Reality
February 3, 2010, 7:37 pmWhen you think about geotagging, what do you think of? GPS coordinates appended to a Tweet? Picking the location you took a photo on Flickr?
How about notes from your friends? As customary, the US Patent Office recently published a patent filed by Yahoo in July 2008, and in that patent, geotagging takes on a whole new meaning. Instead of assigning...
Yahoo's Business Garage Sale Not Going Well
February 3, 2010, 7:00 pmGo to the Yahoo Small Business homepage, and you'll be informed that "PC Magazine named us 'Editors' Choice.'" It seems that not many other entities are interested in either Yahoo's small business unit or HotJobs, however, as plans to sell both may have fallen through.
More than six months ago, reports indicated that Yahoo was...
Google and Page Speed, How do I make my Website Faster?
February 3, 2010, 6:40 pmHow many times today have you waited for a slow loading web page to appear? Did you wait patiently, or did you move on and try another site? Slow site performance could be costing your site a lot of search traffic. After clicking on your site’s link in a search result many visitors may just turn around and look elsewhere if a page is...
Newspaper Sites Attracted 37% Of All Internet Users
February 3, 2010, 5:24 pmNewspaper websites attracted an average monthly unique audience of 72 million visitors in the fourth quarter of 2009, representing 37 percent Internet users.
The figures come from a custom analysis by Nielsen Online for the Newspaper Association of America. Newspaper websites users generated more than 3.2 billion page views during the...
YouTube Nets $10Grand from Video Rentals
February 3, 2010, 5:01 pmYouTube conducted its first test of a video rental service last month with five independent films from Sundance Film Festival. In the ten days of the test, the rentals received a total of 2684 views, according to the New York Times. At $3.99 a pop, YouTube brought in $10,709.16.
If YouTube could sustain both of those rates on rentals at large,...
2010 MarketingSherpa Social Media Marketing Guide
February 3, 2010, 5:00 pmOne of the most trusted sources of marketing research and information is MarketingSherpa. I’ve been a subscriber for many years and always look forward to the reports on Search Marketing, Email Marketing and B2B Marketing. Last year MarketingSherpa started conducting research and publishing a Benchmark Report on social media marketing.
The...
Weds. Signal
February 3, 2010, 3:14 pmTraveling to a marketing conference in Scottsdale today, so here's the roundup from last night's best headlines:
Facebook Marketing Goes to the Super Bowl (InsideFacebook) Over and over again, we are reminded that this is the year the Superbowl ad becomes an adjunct to an ongoing social media platform. Good.
More Than Half Of Mobile Pageviews Are...
Using the Same Login Across Multiple Sites? You’re Not Welcomed at Twitter!
February 3, 2010, 2:52 pmDo you use the same username and password across multiple web sites?
Then you’re not welcomed at Twitter!
That may sound like an exaggeration, but read this statement from Twitter, then you tell me if I’m exaggerating:
The takeaway from this is that people are continuing to use the same email address and password (or a variant) on...
SEO Toxin: Directory-like URI Structures
February 3, 2010, 1:33 pmWell gang...we went and did it. A few of us (Sebastian and SEOmofo) were joking about starting a site for ranting and while fnuny, it also seemed a good idea. So we did it. This first offering is from Sebastian and the comments are open... Let the fun begin!! You can expect a fairly steady stream as we have other authors already joining the fray....
Things to consider when adding Linkbaiting to your Online Marketing strategy
February 3, 2010, 12:00 pmLinkbait is a technique not a strategy, it involves creating web content for the specific, primary purpose of getting links pointed to your website. There are of course other areas where linkbait can be useful, but ultimately it’s about links.
Upcoming TopRank Social SEO & PR Events
February 3, 2010, 12:00 pmOur team works hard to stay on top of current best practices and as a result, we’re asked to speak at a variety of conferences, workshops and webinars. One of the goals at TopRank Online Marketing is to help companies better understand the current landscape of the digital marketing & PR environment. That includes strategies that can be...
Using the hReview Microformat for your Review Pages
February 3, 2010, 11:29 amNice writeup on how to markup your review content so that it gets shown as a rich snippet in Google, along with links to useful resources, and examples of websites already marked up with rich snippets displayed in Google
Google Wants to Suck Your Blood!
February 3, 2010, 7:38 amIt looks like more people want to join the anti-Google chorus because it is the cool thing to do. Of course, if you want to be unique you can’t just use regular old curse words because Steve Jobs took that one. Rupert Murdoch doesn’t really call Google names but he does think that their business is taking advantage of his hard work. So what to...
Google Searches Follow To Your Mobile Life – If It’s An Android
February 3, 2010, 6:29 amGoogle continues to bring more and more functionality to the Google experience and in a huge coincidence the latest improvements only run on Android phones. Hmmm……wonder why they would do that?
In a nutshell, Android devices can now access searches made on your computer or other devices. If you do a search query on your desktop then hit the...
The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Social Search Engine
February 3, 2010, 2:06 amThe folks at Aardvark have posted an ambitious paper over on the 'vark blog. Titled after Brin and Page's original “Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine”, the paper presents the Aardvark engine and, in its authors' words: "describes the fundamental differences between the traditional “Library” paradigm of web search —...
Punxsutawney Phil Needs a Trademark.
February 2, 2010, 11:51 pmPunxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous groundhog, has an online reputation management problem.
He emerged in Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday to see his shadow, which traditionally means winter will last another six weeks.
12,000+ people from as far as Chile and the Netherlands, came to watch the pseudo-German tradition unfold. It has...
20 PR Blogs You Should Be Reading
February 2, 2010, 7:00 pmLet’s be honest: PR Fuel isn’t the only PR blog out there. And while I like to think we do a good job of providing useful information here, the truth is there are some other truly great PR blogs. So, if you want a well-rounded education...
Tripping Link Filters
February 2, 2010, 5:31 pmThis is an exact question I am asked a lot by people, so I felt it was worth a Sphinn.
Why Search Engine Optimization Isn’t Snake Oil (Even If Dave Sifry Says It Is)
February 2, 2010, 5:18 pmSimon Abramovitch 'Defender of SEO' says "Last fall, I attended the Oxford Social Media Convention 2009, where Technorati founder Dave Sifry proudly announced that “SEO is snake oil, and that if anyone in the audience was approached by someone offering SEO, they should run.” The audience chuckled and moved on. I think I must have been the only...
Tuesday Signal
February 2, 2010, 3:55 pmA quick set of headlines today, more coming later, after a morning PTA meeting....
Google Is Wrecking DoubleClick, Says Unhappy Client (GOOG) (Business Insider) I'm a DBCLK client and this does not ring true for me, though of course there are always issues with any major business relationship.
Forget Common Sense: Social Media Communicators Must...
Blogify Your Static Website for Google
February 2, 2010, 3:33 pmThe problem with the “static” websites is that Google eventually realizes that the websites are not being frequently updated, and so it makes a point of not crawling these websites as often as it would blogs that are updated regularly. This can result in a huge time lag between the time content is added to a webpage and a Googlebot returns to...
Is Real Time Search Good For Brand Marketing?
February 2, 2010, 3:04 pmLast week, I wrote a guest post on the Social Media Examiner about real time search and it’s affect on businesses. Now that Google and other search engines are displaying real time feeds from Twitter and Facebook in the search results, brands need to understand the implications. I would suggest reading the full article; but here is a quick...
Tips for Promoting New Blogs
February 2, 2010, 1:50 pm
TopRank’s recent Blogging and SEO survey of in-house, agency and independent marketing, advertising and PR professionals revealed that 95% of respondents incorporate blogs as part of their online marketing mix. Nearly 88% have successfully increased measurable SEO objectives as a direct result of blogging.
Thousands of new blogs are started...
Why is my SEO guy obsessed with 301 redirects? I can do JavaScript and a Meta Refresh Tag
February 1, 2010, 9:31 pm301 Re-Directs
Link Building Gems from User Behavior Patterns
February 1, 2010, 4:51 pmThis is a guest post on the Trail from Jennifer Van Iderstyne : SNIP : I want to share a story of an experience that really stuck with me. From a time when looking through a site’s back links led me to a discovery. A revelation which taught me about predicting what could work in the future, based on something that was already happening.
Monday Signal
February 1, 2010, 4:22 pm
Happy Monday, folks. Today is all about poker. Over the weekend, the buzz was hearsay about Steve Jobs' distaste for Google and its 'don't be evil' mantra, as well as for Adobe and its Flash technology (this is all second hand reporting from Wired and other sources, repeating what Jobs reputedly said at a Friday town hall for Apple employees....
Google: The King of Disruptive Technology
February 1, 2010, 3:59 pmA great post from my pal Terry VanHorne - SNIP - I discovered the term "disruptive technology" while dabbling in day trading. Basically it's a technology or business that enters a space and disrupts the current sales and business model -- these days, almost always using technology as a catalyst. I actually did some trading in these stocks, and...
Keyword Research with Google Only: No Other Tools Needed
February 1, 2010, 2:51 pmDamn straight skippy!! That's how we roll. I've often lamented not only SEOs addiction to tools, but also how many of the tools out there pull data from sources that don't mean jack to me. You know, not from Google. Anyway, Ann does a great job of using Google to get you KW research together. Nice one!
How I Really Built a Blog with 6,500 Subscribers
February 1, 2010, 2:08 pmAs I announced last week, I have sold my biggest blog: PluginID. The site was around 19 months old, had 6,600 subscribers and according to a tool that monitors different niches online, was the 10th biggest personal development blog in the world.
WordPress Comments Slow Down Page Speed
February 1, 2010, 11:55 amEnabling comments and custom Gravatars on your WordPress blog can definitely encourage your visitors to participate and join the conversation, but on the other hand, the Gravatar system has some inherent flaws that negatively impact your page speed.
