Have a Happy Turkey Day!
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/23 at 11:43 AM |
Today's MSN site features a Happy Holidays page which has some very season-appropriate stories, tips, etc. to help you out this Thanksgiving holiday. I really like the additional emphasis they put on special occasions and the easy access to this sort of information without having to search all over the Web.
A few that caught my attention were:
- Thanksgiving Shopping Guide
- Holiday airport guide
- Thanksgiving myths by Martha Brockenbrough
- Celebrating the Season
Hope everyone enjoys the holidays and has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!
The Death of Newspapers?
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/23 at 08:59 AM |
Much has been said about the decline of print newspaper circulation lately. John Spiker has a few interesting thoughts as does David Deans on the growing popularity of newspapers' online versions.
Many newspapers are experimenting with various models to monetize the shift from print to electronic. The Palm Beach Post is exploring the use of reporter blogs, seemingly blended with the paper's existing online ad network (as opposed to Google AdWords). The paper calls the effort "The Blog Squad." I wonder if this effort will result in an incremental revenue thrust for the paper. Time will tell.
Sticking or Folding
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/23 at 08:49 AM |
Chris Garrett has a great post today regarding whether or not a blog is viable. I find it interesting (and probably true) that blogs have their own tipping points--junctures at which momentum really picks up due to a hot piece of news, particularly insightful post, or breaking story. He also summarizes a few metrics to be aware of if you're trying to figure out whether or not a blog is successful.
Web Smart 50/BusinessWeek
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/22 at 01:14 PM |
When I first started experimenting with Web pages in the mid 1990s, most of the educational literature for business folks was fairly 101 in nature. Most of it was purely philosophical with very little to offer in terms of case studies or any sort of results-oriented framework. Most books, magazines, and commericals (think IBM) were pie-in-the-sky and somewhere-over-the-rainbow wrapped in a big bow. More interestingly, most of the hype centered around marketing and sales (i.e. put a widget online and sell a trillion of them overnight). Along the way, the messages of hard work, strategy, and non-marketing benefits were lost. Times have changed.
Dear old Dad turned me onto a great article (full text) from BusinessWeek this week. The article is called 'The Web Smart 50' and it does a great job of showing how 50 organizations are using the Internet for true business results that are definitive and measurable. A few of my favorites are:
- Paramount Pictures using a handpicked selection of blogs to promote the film Hustle & Flow
- Audi's use of a staged car theft to promote the new A3
- NYC Comptroller's office using an online bid system to settle personal injury claims
I encourage you to take a look at the article and start thinking about how the Web can become a more integral part of your company's efforts.
Google Site Map Tool
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/21 at 07:28 PM |
John Jantsch has posted a very worthwhile read about his recent experience with the Google Site Map tool. He seems impressed with the marketing implications of the new offering from Google.
Google Hacks
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/21 at 04:21 PM |
Nick Wilson has some cool Google tricks listed and defined. Thanks to Steve Rubel for the tip.
The answer to splog.
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/18 at 09:19 AM |
I've mentioned the issues with email spam attempts in a recent post but am becoming pretty disheartened with splog's increasing popularity in my life. Lately, I have been spending more and more time babysitting posts, specifically comments, to move one here, another there, to be filed in the junk section. While it's not a huge time eater, it does become tiring to deal with over and over and over and... over again. Yep, good ol' splog.
What's splog, you say? Well, some compare it to the zombies in Night of the Living Dead - seriously, read the article. But it's really spam + blog and can vary from nonsensical content, to adlinks that link to unrelated Web sites, to stolen content that falsifies search engine results (hurting those who deserve those results).
So I decided to look around a little and not only found that people who do this have nothing better to do with their time but that splogs cause major search engine issues, require you to constantly watch for malicious activity (especially if you don’t have a junk filter), and who knows what else will develop should it continue. I also came across Frank Gruber's "Spam + Blog = Splog : How Is It Affecting The Blogosphere?" post which led me to his answer to splog: SplogReporter.com. According to the site:
Splog is a terrorist to our blogosphere and needs to be stopped. This site was created for "good willed" bloggers to report splog in an effort to help to clean up the blogosphere of splog. It was spurred by the called to arms of Mark Cuban here and then followed up by a post on Somewhat Frank.
So, if you are dealing with splog, please report the site to SplogReporter.com -- if anything, so these people can find something else to do with their time. Thank you.
Google is lame?
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/17 at 10:43 AM |
I saw the statement that 'Google is lame' over on A VC. The post praises Google for it search tool but criticizes pretty much everything else (Google Base, Google Analytics, etc.) the company offers. I found the link at Business Pundit, where Rob characterizes the company as a 'one trick pony.'
I think that both posts make some interesting points, but I think there is an important concept being missed here. Let me digress for a second to explain.
I once played a round of golf at Disney with a Disney executive working in the Wide World of Sports group in Orlando. This Disney division brings athletic tournaments, cheerleading showcases, and AAU festivals to Orlando. Seems a far cry from Walt Disney's original vision for a theme park, huh? This exec explained to me that all Disney initiatives are implemented for one thing and one thing alone--increasing park attendance. Whether it's throwing a 'Mickey's not-so-scary Halloween party' or releasing a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie to promote the ride, it's easy to see this logic in all that Disney does.
From my perspective, I see Google following suit. It take a core product (search engine w/ AdWords) and makes it the best possible. They've succeeded at establishing the 'one trick pony.' Most everything else--from Gmail to Blogger to Froogle--feeds the pony through keyword volume. These ancillary products may be loss leaders on their own, but the one trick pony becomes a Clydsdale in the process!
Hello, my name is __________.
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/16 at 05:28 PM |
I'm sure our office remembers the discussions we had when trying to decide whether we should add author photos to our blog (not to mention the trouble actually determining a shot to use). Well, here's more proof that we made a beneficial decision to the Web world -- and that what used to ooze with anonymity is now becoming pleasantly personable.
Tony Ruscoe, on the Forty Faces site, commented on the benefits of including personality online and "to some extent" agreeing with Jakob Neilson's Web Usability: The Top 10 Design Mistakes regarding Web and real worlds. He also made note of these ideas becoming potential upgrades in the future for Philipp Lenssen's (the creator of Forty Faces) project.
...Jakob Nielsen claims that a photo “offers a more personable impression of the author” and connects the virtual and “physical worlds”. To some extent, I think he's right. He also suggests that author biographies add credibility to the opinions and thoughts expressed in a blog, so it will be interesting to see whether Philipp adds these to the Forty Faces site too.
With my face added to the list, I am looking forward to seeing where this will take us. To INFINITY and BE--wait, we're supposed to be people here. You didn't read that.
The fun never stops: Google Base launches
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Posted By Keith Ort on 11/16 at 09:02 AM |
After letting the cat out of the bag last month, Google Base has finally gone public legitimately. Essentially Google wants you to post up whatever you want and they will make it searchable. Its not for blogging but for information, recipies, non-profit associations, and class descriptions are just some of what they are looking for. Should be interesting to see where this leads down the road.
2 fingers on the pulse of search
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Posted By Keith Ort on 11/15 at 10:57 AM |
Google has 2 different ways for those curious enough to wonder what people are searching for and how they search. Since July 2001, Google has had their Zeitgeist available. It shows what people are searching for in various areas of interest. The great thing about it is that they archive this information. So say you want to relive what was the big story 1 year ago in January, it is right there for you.
The fun doesn’t end there for stat freaks though. I just came across an area where Google posts marketing information in various business fields. If you are curious to know averages of what people are spending to get a ROI, the information is there for you. This is all very good information and time saving for marketers.
Google Launches Analytics
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/14 at 03:19 PM |
If you own or work for an analytics software company, you're probably having a bad day. Google just became your competitor. Read the post on Google's blog.
As I post this, I'm thinking of Robert Scoble's ongoing attempt to post 100 times to his blog without mentioning GYM (Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft).
Peter Drucker (1909-2005)
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/12 at 02:30 PM |
As a son of a management professor, I've grown up hearing quite a bit about Peter Drucker. I heard much about his contributions to (if not creation of) the field of management and business philosophy. Mr. Drucker died yesterday at his home in California. Often called the 'father of modern management,' Drucker's legacy will be an enduring one to say the least.
I've read many articles by Drucker and have always found them to be insightful and helpful as a manager. His teachings on self-management, time management, and fundamental business strategy have really helped me to boil business thinking down to its smallest components. As an author, Drucker had a way of writing that brought complex concepts down to very simple granules of information that one could very easily apply. A couple of my favorites:
- Knowledge workers should develop intimate knowledge about how their time is allocated and spent
- It takes about the same amount of time and resources to sell and deliver a small order as it does a big one
- Management should be based upon objectives (MBO)
Drucker's thoughts and ideas will, in my view, always serve as the basis of successful enterprise.
Searching Sites or Blogs
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/11 at 04:00 PM |
We've talked before about search engines’ expanded options (Web sites, photos, news, and now blogs) but it's interesting to see the increasing popularity of blogs and how this will affect searches. While there are a lot of people who still ask "what exactly IS a... blog?" (their tone dripping in utter disgust that you would mention such an awful thing), there are many others who are quickly embracing the growing community of bloggers.
Before blogs, you might have been perfectly happy to do a search for something you're interested in using Google or Yahoo!'s indexed sites. But now, with the help of blogging communities, search engines' blog searches, and actual blog search engines such as Technorati, you can also look for other people's (real people's) thoughts, ideas, and even comment on a topic whether it be healthy lifestyle tips by Kathy, traveling ideas, even movie reviews.
The options online are truly endless but will one become more popular than the other or will it always be skewed to what people have been used to? And how do you get non-technical people to understand the word ‘blog’ without going into a huge discussion?
RSS Nomenclature
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/11 at 09:29 AM |
I'm wondering how Microsoft's IE7 (in beta) will promote and/or characterize RSS. The development page doesn't give any clues. I think Firefox's use of the term 'Live Bookmarks' to characterize RSS is great for non-geeks. I wonder if Microsoft will follow-suit. 'RSS Feeds' as a term still doesn't click with consumers. In my mind, 'Live Bookmarks' does more and could help stimulate momentum for RSS.
Orlando Sentinel
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/10 at 05:05 PM |
The boys over at the Freakonomics blog have an interesting post today about their recent trip to Orlando. As an Orlando resident and frequent Sentinel reader, I was a bit defensive at first (seems like a cheap shot to me). Perhaps they have a broader point, though, that's worth looking at. What do you think?
Be Cool. Upgrade your iPod
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/10 at 03:25 PM |
Wondering just what you can do with your old equipment when you want the newest iPod out there? Trade it in, of course. And the options becoming available won’t make you laugh or cry (unless it’s with joy).
Apple itself will give you a 10% discount via their Recycling Program but they’ve also been known to shut down sales before. Regardless, there are also others out there that will offer you a higher percentage for your iPod. And, if you want to try out a used iPod yourself, you can find some decent perks as well as competitors trying to get you to try their mp3 players.
According to CNN.com’s “Market growing for used iPods” article:
…Several iPods up for auction include the sellers' music collection and instructions on how to transfer the music from the iPod to the buyer's computer. Some even take requests for additional songs to be added prior to shipping.One video iPod for sale contains an entire season of TV show "King of Queens" included.
Even Apple competitors have tried to use the swap as a promotional tool. Dell offered a $100 mail-in rebate to any customer turning in an old iPod when buying one of its MP3 players…
Not a bad idea considering the ever-changing iPod models and the costs to keep up with the popularity contest.
Search Engines: Taking Phone Books Down
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/07 at 02:10 PM |
I was meeting with a client about their Web site redesign and we started talking about how important it is becoming to ensure that your Web site is search engine friendly. So many people (including myself) simply throw out their bulky phone books – preferring to search for companies online (in turn making their homes less cluttered and not quite as bug-friendly – yes, another bug reference, sorry it fits).
Smileycat.com posted the other day on “10 Tips for Search Engine Optimization”. While the article referenced is very sales-y, I think some of the guidelines are important enough to repeat.
- Optimize your site for your target audience, not search engines. [You know what you’d look for to find your site, but what would your audience look for?]
- Research your keyword phrases extensively. [Make sure your keywords have a purpose and will be used by your audience.]
- Program your site to be "crawler-friendly." [If search engines can't properly read your site, they won't list your site... meaning no one will be able to find you from a search.]
- Label your internal text links and clickable image alt attributes (a.k.a. alt tags) as clearly and descriptively as possible. [A picture is worth 1000 words, but not to search engines. ALT tags are your way to tell search engines what that image is about.]
- Incorporate your keyword phrases into each page's unique Title tag. [The Title tag is one of the easiest places you can include a variety of keywords. Don’t be afraid of variety.]
Google and Target Demographics
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Posted By Keith Ort on 11/07 at 10:11 AM |
Worried that only overrated teen dramas on networks with a frog mascot (yes, Rochelle, I’m talking about your shows on WB) are the only places featuring the convergence of the Internet and television? Still not sold that search traffic is worthy of investing in? For those who watched the live West Wing and followed it up with a classic Family Guy (like I do because I watch "quality" TV, Rochelle), then you were not slammed once but twice with direct plugs for Google. In one of Alan Alda’s character’s retorts to Jimmy Smits on The West Wing, he directly told the television America to go “Google it right now” to fact check him. Then during the Family Guy, yet another namedrop of the Google kind was heard. So if you have the top show for the educated and the top show for the young adults hearing Google not used as a pronoun but rather as a verb, its pretty obvious that as of right now, Google should be your priority.
Affirmation vs. Validation
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/04 at 01:05 PM |
Has a budding entrepreneur ever asked you what you thought of his/her business idea? How many times has someone told you that they have a business idea and that "everyone I talk to thinks it's a home run!" One step further, have you ever heard a would-be entrepreneur tell you, speaking of marketplace intelligence, that "I already checked and noone has done it yet..."?
If you're like me, you get this type of conversation quite a bit. I often sense, though, that the person behind the idea is usually looking for encouragement and affirmation, not authentic validation. If I started a business tomorrow I think the first thing I would ask a trusted handful of advisors is not if they like the idea but to tell me what's wrong with the idea. This applies to bricks-and-mortar start-ups, Web ventures, and even Web 2.0 ventures that seem to be catching all the buzz as of late. My thinking is that most folks are going to be reluctant toward giving you the honest scoop (especially if it's potentially negative or deflating) unless you directly ask them to.
One side note to this, which I read recently (but can't remember where), think about the following contrast when surveying your customers:
a. Are you satisfied with our services?
vs.
b. If we lost your business tomorrow, what would be the reason why?
The Big Moo Sound-Off
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/03 at 03:17 PM |
I recently finished reading a book called The Big Moo, edited by Seth Godin, that looks at the question of how companies and individuals can be remarkable. Seth has enlisted 33 top thinkers (i.e. Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Peters, Mark Cuban, Jackie Huba, etc.) to address this question in a collection of essays. Each vignette is insightful yet none includes an author. Egos have seemingly been checked at the door as you read each piece yet don't know who has written it.
I read them all and was inspired by most yet particularly moved by a few. This handful, the titles of which I won't disclose, will likely impact me as we continue to re-shape and re-make our business.
It got me to thinking: are other readers being moved by this same collection of essays or an entirely different collection altogether? If there's a trend, I'd like to see it.
I put together a one question survey that will permit readers to indicate which essays have had the most impact upon them. If you've read the book and have a minute, please take a minute to respond here. I plan to leave the survey open for 30 days and immediately post the results for all to see.
Yahoo! Maps Comes to Town
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/03 at 01:54 PM |
The competition is increasing for Google... Yahoo! is launching its response to Google Maps. Yahoo! Maps, naturally. It's still in the beta stage right now but the bonuses are: Multi-point driving directions, Live Traffic stats, and an excellent integration with Yahoo! Local to name a few. Yes, I do like being able to know how I get from my house to a friend's house to that restaurant near my friend and if I'll run into any major traffic issues.
TechCrunch's Michael Arrington has an in-depth review of the power of Yahoo! Maps. Pretty impressive.
Measuring Readership
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/03 at 01:24 PM |
I had an interesting question today about how one measures the subscriber base of a blog. RSS is key, which I posted a bit about several weeks ago. Once it's enabled within a blog, a few indicators can help you get your arms around the numbers.
I happen to use Bloglines, which gives me the number of Bloglines users that happen to be subscribers to our blog. We also have an account over at Feedburner which gives us circulation figures on how many users (Bloglines, Yahoo, Google, etc.) are requesting our RSS feed on a regular basis. This number is an interesting one to watch grow as we post more and more.
By the way, if you're interested in subscribing to our blog, our link can be found here.
Ph-Fishing Fun
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/03 at 10:14 AM |
Comparable to the cockroaches of the world, phishing scams are now targeting more precise groups (it's called spear phishing) to ensure that their scamming plans last as long as annoyingly possible. In June, small, local institutions (i.e. banks and credit unions) were the target. Today, small businesses, eBay members, and even cell phone users --to name just a few-- are the prime targets.
If you're wondering "Why are you calling fishing, phishing?" Well, it's time to be educated. Phishing, according to The Daily Item's Business News, is an:
... e-mail that tries to trick you into giving away personal information such as account login names, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, PIN codes, and social security numbers. The e-mail will pretend to come from some financial or shopping site online. It will probably even use the standard graphics and advertising look of that site. And the message will claim that you need to click to go to the website and enter your numbers or codes to activate, secure, reopen, or somehow protect your account. But the message is a fake and the information will actually go to some crook who will quickly steal your money and identity.
It's also time you learned how to protect yourself by avoiding the schemes, defending yourself, and not taking the bait. While wiping out the scam completely won't be a simple task, educating yourself on how to avoid the risks will only help keep these creeps at bay.
Put Your Money Where Your Words Are...
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/02 at 01:55 PM |
Google's Adwords blog has an intriguing post today about improvements in its keyword selection tool that helps marketers pick the right words for the keywords they wish to purchase. Google's tool, presumably, goes one step further in helping clients put dollars behind the right keywords.
I find that this is an all important step before beginning a serious SEO or PPC effort. Building Web traffic depends on (a) having a high relevance rank to the keywords you select and (b) picking keywords that actually receive a consistent volume of searches. A is often understood but B is often overlooked.
A personal injury law firm in Boise, ID might covet a high ranking for the term 'personal injury law firm in Boise' or 'personal injury attorney in Boise.' In actuality, though, the keywords that are receiving heavy volume are often less obvious. Terms like 'Boise auto accident attorney' or 'Boise car accident law' are the types of words that may actually be receiving searches. The only way to discover what terms are relevant is through the use of research software like Google's.
Windows Live, Office Live, AJAX, Web 2.0: Its on now!
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Posted By Keith Ort on 11/02 at 10:55 AM |
For years Microsoft has been fighting various antitrust lawsuits not only in the US but also in Europe among others. With open source solutions growing in popularity among the tech-savvy underground, Microsoft has adopted a new model. Today Billy Gates announced that Microsoft is building online versions of Windows and Office. With Windows Live and Office Live, they are making an attempt to allow competition while not losing their dominating market share. Both Windows Live and Office Live will be created with software APIs (application programming interfaces for nonprogrammers) that are readily available for all to use. The hope is that the antitrust bloodhounds will keep at bay.
Another benefit of this operation is the use of AJAX that will be necessary. With people constantly catching on to the tech buzz word of the year, Microsoft wants to be at the forefront of AJAX technology. They will be launching a revamped Hotmail next year to compete with Yahoo and Google who have both received high praise for their AJAX based web mail services.
I think with Microsoft throwing its substantial weight into things, Web 2.0 is in full swing now.
Measure Twice, Cut Once
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/02 at 09:53 AM |
This is an old cliche that always sticks in the back of my mind. Better to size up a task thoroughly before undertaking it.
Imagine if the builders of the Golden Gate Bridge never bothered to measure the suspension cables before they installed them. On a smaller scale, imagine that Starbucks failed to measure the ingredients before they created your latte this morning.
I was invited to take an online survey at Starbucks recently (they bribed me with a $5 gift card). Took me about 15 minutes:http://www.starbucks.com/connectwithus. They asked me about 20 questions regarding my visits to the stores and whether or not I bought the food (mostly pastries, coffee cakes, and other sweets). They asked me if I bought their food, when, and even why. They asked me whether it mattered to me if the food was prepared in the store or delivered. I would hope that they'll glean some good information from asking people like me (who visit regularly) what I want in breakfast food. You see, I rarely buy the food because it's mostly junk. Sell me a protein bar or something healthier and I'm yours!
What's notable about this little anecdote is that Starbucks took the time to ask the customer. That's pretty impressive. What's even more impressive is that they offered me $5 in caffeine for my trouble.
They're measuring the situation (likely sluggish food sales) carefully. How simple. Such common sense! As Stephen Covey explains (author, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), though, what's common sense is not often common practice.
Knowing Starbucks, I'm sure they'll capitalize on the results.
Rubel's Secret Sauce
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Posted By Matt Certo on 11/01 at 11:02 AM |
Steve Rubel has an interesting post today about the 'secret sauce' of blogging. Steve's main point is that compelling, original content is the key ingredient in a corporate blog that has staying power. David Burn seems to agree. I hesitantly agree with his assertion but I feel like it's only part of the story.
There's the chicken and there's the egg. If content is one of those, visitors represent another. You can have all of the content in the world but it doesn't mean much without a steady, building stream of relevant eyeballs--presumably attached to those with budget authority.
When you're starting a blog from scratch, as we are, you have to create content while you participate in the conversation between the blogs of others. As an example, this post represents the latter moreso than the former. Participating in the ongoing conversation helps to build inbound links and cross paths with other like-minded bloggers. It's probably easier for Steve to make this statement given the fact that he has a steady stream of visitors/readers.
As a sidenote, I wholeheartedly agree that simply telling us about a product's 'great' attirbutes has the same numbing effect on consumers as a mild sedative. I regularly stress to clients that the focus of communication shouldn't be on subjective opinions (i.e. our service is great!), it should be on factual, substantiated points of differentiation (i.e. last year we received the top customer service rankings in our industry from XYZ publication).