Internet Marketing Solutions and Social Media Blog

Google One-line Sitelinks Are Starting To Appear on Major Search Terms

Bill Baker — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:48:52 -0500

Below you can see the new one-line sitelinks for the search term nutrition. The first three search results all have three one-line sitelinks for each listing.

When I searched for computers I found that the new one-line sitelinks only for the first search result. This time the search result displayed four one-line sitelinks, but only for the first search result.

When I searched for dwi.com I still get the traditional sitelinks. I see the standard two columns of four sitelinks in each column and a link below the columns for "more results from dwi.com."

On April 16, 2009 Google posted the article One-line sitelinks on the Official Google Webmaaster Central Blog. I predict that we will start seeing more of the one-line or mini sitelinks over 2009. The one-line sitelinks I think will be a good thing for the potential visitors of the sites. The one-line sitelinks will allow the visitor to navigate directely into the pages of the website.

Tell us what you think about the one-line sitelinks by posting a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you.

My Sunday morning reading for April 5, 2009

Bill Baker — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Search Engine Optimization Versus SMO (Social Media Optimization) - Kevin Davis
Internet Marketing Consultants Be Prepared - SEO is Moving In-house! - Butterfly
Twitter 2012 - Robert Scoble

Rumors Persist Around Google Buying Twitter - Somehow, I Have my Doubts

Tom Parish — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500

See this TechCrunch article for more detail on Google and Twitter …

If you stop and think about this, it just makes sense to some degree. Google dominates in the area of search. But they don’t do ‘real-time’ search of conversations and that’s where Twitter is strong. If you haven’t used the http://search.twitter.com — do so and you’ll see the power of this new era. Type a few keywords in and watch as it updates for you in real-time, listing the Twitter conversations going on with those keywords.

We’ll see… rumors are rumors. But just because it makes sense to a bunch of bloggers doesn’t mean it will happen. Personally, I’d like to see it occur provided Google doesn’t sit on Twitter like it did Blogger and slow the development of the platform. But I have my doubts Google will make the leap because there is so much in flux right now. New developments in social media and social networking tools are happening almost weekly from startups and the majors.

For example, where does FriendFeed fit into the picture with their announcements this coming Monday (April 6th) for major changes? I’m personally more interested in these developments because it’s a more powerful communication tool then Twitter. And what will Facebook do? My goodness; there are so many changes occurring in the social tools space that 2009 is an exciting year of unpredictable change for most of us. Hardly a new concept though considering the last few years, but that’s another more philosophic topic.

Robert Scoble seems to be leaning away from the idea that Google would buy Twitter. As you know, opinions are like noses, everyone has one. What do you think? Kara Swisher is reporting that there is no Google deal under discussion to buy Twitter.

Tom

Discussion with Bruce Clay and Mike McDonald about Behaviorial Search at SES NY 2009

Bill Baker — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Mike McDonald of WebProNews sat down with Bruce Clay on camera at Search Engine Strategies Conference in New York and discussed behavioral search or as Bruce calls it personalized search. The video is under 15 minutes and is worth grabbing a cup of coffee and watching. Bruce also discusses how his new free tools and SEMToolBar will help you faciliate behavioral category of the query as well as allowing you to do proxy serving of the query.

Tell us what you think of the video by posting your comments below.

YouTube: Trouble with Twitters

Bill Baker — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:38:14 -0500

RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 is Coming to Sprint Someday

Bill Baker — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:45:00 -0500

I did a Google search this morning looking to see if Sprint was any closer on coming out with the new BlackBerry Bold. My search was blackberry bold sprint and the first two results were from infosyncworld. They showed that the AT&T version was released in November of 2008 (we already knew that), but show that Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile are to release the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000 in May this year.

At first I find myself wanting to believe the release date, but I checked a few more of my Google results and intomobile.com has BlackBerry Bold From Sprint Coming in First Quarter of 2009. The problem with that is today is March 23, 2009, so I don't see that happening in the next week. Even cnet news reported back in early January BlackBerry Bold rumored for Sprint.

I have become very frustrated walking into a Sprint store or calling the 800 number asking the employees about what new phones are coming out and the two standard responses I get are:

"I don't know, check online" and "we are the last to find-out"

Now that is customer service at its best!

If anyone knows of a different release date please post a comment below. Thanks.

-Bill

Google Plans Interest Based Advertising

Ron Bristol — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:55:00 -0500

Google has announced a new 'interest based' standard for its AdSense marketing platform. The browsing, shopping and viewing habits of internet users will be analyzed, and on-line advertisements will be matched to their patterns. The intent is to feed pertinent ads to viewers, rather than the current, mostly random loading of on-line ads. For example, if you frequent dog oriented websites, the ad may feature a special on dog food. Google cites efficiency and improved user experience as motives for the new ad program.

Advertisers are excited about the concept, saying the more targeted ads should yield more click-throughs. Investors also warmed to the idea, sending Google stock up 3 percent after the announcement.

Opponents are concerned about an ad strategy based on user habits. Privacy advocates say it is an unwarranted intrusion and liken Google to a big-brother type spy. The Federal Trade Commission calls the new program 'behavioral advertising', a less complimentary term than Google's. Congress has investigated companies practicing user tracking, such as NebuAd and Phorm, and the US House of Representative's Energy & Commerce Committee has expressed concern over Google's strategy to have users opt-out of interest based ads. The combination of legislative and privacy pressures may make Google change to an opt-in format.

Yahoo unveiled a similar ad strategy three weeks ago, prompting expectations of a Google response.

Attending SXSW Interactive? Must Read Article

Bill Baker — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:10:00 -0500

Tom Parish posted a great article over at MarkesOfConversation.com titled 13 Tips to Make your Time at SXSW More Productive and Fun. It's a great read and worth the short investment of time.

If you attend SXSW Interactive please drop back by and post a comment to let us know what you thought about it.

-Bill

Facebook Updates Look to Compete with Twitter

Ron Bristol — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:35:45 -0600

Facebook is undertaking a redesign of its page in an effort to keep up with the surging popularity of Twitter. While widely acknowledged as the leading professional networking engine, Facebook is concerned by Twitter's recent success in guerilla/viral marketing, evidenced by its increased use by large corporations and celebrities.

Speed and ease of updates, along with functionality, are considered some of the keys to success for a social network site, and Facebook's new page offers a clean layout, removal of the 5,000 contact limit and news updates in real-time. In an effort to become a broader tool, the page also breaks down the distinction between private profiles and public pages. That has led to concerns over uniform access to information that may be perfect for family yet inappropriate for office contacts. In response, Facebook offers filters for different sets of networking groups.

Twitter has attracted publicity and a niche crowd that would make any social networking site envious. Facebook's recent update is seen as a move designed to counter being interpreted as a single focus site just for professional contacts.

Kumo.com, can it take Mircrosoft above third place in Internet Searches?

Bill Baker — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:50:00 -0600

Satya Nadella, senior vice president of research and development for Microsoft's online services division sent an email Monday to Microsoft employees encouraging them to begin testing the revamped search service that has been dubbed kumo.com. The testing of Kumo is only available on the internal network at Microsoft.

Mr. Nadella stated that he feels 40% of all searches leave the searcher empty handed and that Kumo was designed to organized search results in a way that would save the searcher time in finding what they were actually looking for.

In the screen shot of Kumo below, you can see how a search for "Taylor Swift" would be categorized by images, songs, lyrics, biography, music, albums or videos.

Tom Parish Interviews Dave Evans Author “Social Media One Hour a Day”

Tom Parish — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0600

This interview is 7:45 in length. We chat in my studio about SXSW 2009 this year, the rise in people suddenly adopting ’social media consultant” titles, and comments about his book “Social Media One Hour a Day”.

This was shot with a rental camera I was testing and I didn’t get the focus as razor sharp as I had hoped. That’s how it goes sometimes when you’re testing new gear. Anyway, it’s the content that counts so enjoy the conversation. Dave is easy to connect with, a good friend and one heck of a smart social media dude.

Here’s Dave …

Tom

4WebResults.com Got a New Look Today

Bill Baker — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:00:00 -0600

Now that the site is has been upgraded we should be posting more content on the site. Working on the upgrade of the site took longer then expected and took us away from posting new content for the past few weeks. We are planning to be adding a "true" mobile site just like what we did for DUI.com (m.dui.com) and DWI.com (m.dwi.com). We also are working to bring more functionality similar to WordPress that visitors have become use to seeing.

Again, I would like thank Volodymyr and his team at QuintaGroup. They truly did an awesome job on the site. Below is an image of the site as it was released. We will still be doing minor updates on the site as we iron out last minute changes on the look and feel. Enjoy!

Learning from Others - Countdown to SXSW2009

Tom Parish — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Here in Austin we have a social media guy who published a book in 2008 that is full of practical advice. His name is Dave Evans; his book is “Social Media, An Hour a Day”. Fifty-five practical, hands-on exercises walk you through a step-by-step process to an effective social media plan built by you, for your organization.

if you’re just getting started in social media, consider getting yourself a copy of this book. You’ll find yourself on firm ground as you focus on social media-based projects for yourself and others.

Another book, this one an e-book, is a must have for understanding how Facebook works, especially from the perspective of marketing. “Facebook Marketing Bible” comes in PDF format. As Facebook is continually evolving, I recommend getting the version that comes with updates. I refer to this little gem often.

Reading is learning and my next tip is more reading, this time a blog. Are you following the accelerated trends in use of smart phones? Better do that. Social media and social networking systems that do not incorporate user engagement with smart phones are going to miss the real boom coming soon. I know a mobile apps company with a blog about trends in the mobile industry (versus talking about themselves). You’ll want to follow these guys because they are backend systems agnostic – meaning they don’t focus on just Microsoft or just Linux systems. They create mobile applications that work on all phones. Endeavour Software Technology is a very smart group of people. Add their blog to your RSS reader and you’ll stay current on mobile trends. Keep reading. Keep learning.

Tom

Tips from Tom - Be a Student and a Teacher - Countdown to SXSW2009

Tom Parish — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Another and very important way to always be learning is to always be teaching. Have some tools at hand that you can quickly use to show someone else how your social media site or social networking system works. It’s called screencasting and below there are three fun and fast tools that are worth some attention. These tools are invaluable for helping people visualize how things actually work, especially when you’re going for funding.

www.JingProject.com - works on PC and Mac. Simply amazing and completely worth paying for the Pro version. I use it weekly and also assist my clients in its use. This is a good tool to show employees and/or others how to use new features in a system or how to explain/show a new idea to the inside group. One example is demonstrating how to use a new tool to save time.

iShowU - Mac platform. Fast and easy. I haven’t used it but it looks promising.

ScreenCast - My favorite, but this one has a ’slightly’ higher learning curve then the other two. But that’s ok right? You’re open to learning. What I remind myself –compared to what it would take to create this screencast using tools like Final Cut Pro, Screencast.com is a snap. It produces an extremely polished look and sound in the final results.

Ok, so have you looked into SXSW2009 to figure out what panels you’re attending? I’m starting that process myself for Film and Interactive. Think about it. Check it out. Help others learn how to be successful.

Tom

Always be Creating - Always be Learning - Social Media/Social Marketing Tips - Count down to SXSW2009

Tom Parish — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Let’s start with right attitude of ABC and ABL. Always be creating and always always be learning.

The number of existing web-based social media tools and new ones being brought out each month can feel overwhelming. Ever visit www.Mashable.com? Subscribe to that feed! And read www.ReadWriteWeb.com or www.TechCrunch.com? Monitor them for tools that help you become more aware of what’s possible with the systems you’re using. Tools like Sharepoint, WordPress, Facebook, Google and others can make life easier after surviving the learning curve! No you don’t have to learn them all. Pick the ones that are worth exploring. Test them. Use them. Throw out the ones that are of no value but remember to cycle back.

Watch how you dig in and justify that you know enough already. Are you saying – ‘no more’ I don’t need this social networking stuff? I don’t have the time. I’m too busy. I can’t keep up anyway. Take notice when you get into that line of thinking and just let it go. You’re not in a Catch 22 situation. You CAN both learn and ‘be’ who you want to be and have control over your time and what you share with others. I remember when I worked for a major US corporation for 12 years all through the 90’s and early 2000’s. I felt trapped. Middle management was like being stuck. Can’t leave, paid too well. Can’t advance; not in the inner circle. Don’t have time; always too busy just trying to stay even. Then… I got laid off.

Last night I watched Catch-22, the movie by Mike Nichols. Take some time and watch it again. Watch carefully for who gets out of the catch 22 and most importantly ‘why and how’ he did it.

Always be creating. Always be learning. These are your unalienable rights.

Tom