The survival chances of Yahoo's board could diminish greatly if powerful investor Gordon Crawford decides Carl Icahn's proposed slate of directors looks better than the current Yahoo board.
In the deep waters of high finance, a few really big sharks cruise in search of tasty critters to devour. A few, like Icahn, T. Boone Pickens, and now Crawford have broken the surface with their impressive dorsal fins to shatter the nerves around Yahoo's Amity Island.
Jerry Yang will need a much bigger boat if, as All Things D observed, Capital Research Global Investors’ Crawford opts to throw in his lot with corporate raider Icahn and company. Kara Swisher cited several sources regarding a recent, less than pleasant, chat Crawford and Yang had while their respective posses looked on from the sidelines.
Yang and Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock repaid the executives who recently left the company with sharp jabs in the back, as reward for their previous service. Those departures in the wake of another Yahoo reorganization should not be blamed on the present leadership, so Yang and the board seems to believe.
Crawford evidently isn't having any of it, and may be leaning more toward Icahn's sweeping proposal, one that aims at maximizing shareholder value. As if on cue, Microsoft re-entered the picture and said they're willing to talk deals with Yahoo. Just not this current bunch of Yahoo leaders.
It could be Crawford who ends up influencing a change of leadership at Yahoo, and perhaps a change of ownership as well.
A certain tradition involving Charlie Brown, Lucy, and a football began over 50 years ago. Now, as Yahoo has once again claimed it's open to the idea of an acquisition, it's beginning to look like Steve Ballmer and Jerry Yang might set some record of their own.
Lucy was never in danger of getting fired, of course, and since Jerry Yang and Yahoo's board face that threat, that may explain why their latest press release sounds rather bitter. Even though Yahoo kept Microsoft from achieving its goal for a while, the company's running out of options.
The release notes, "Mr. Ballmer and Mr. Icahn have teamed up in an apparent effort to force Yahoo! into selling to Microsoft its Search business at a price to be determined in a future 'negotiation' between Mr. Icahn's directors and Microsoft's management."
As for what Yahoo's doing about this, "[W]e again invite them to make a proposal immediately. And if Mr. Icahn has an actual plan for Yahoo! beyond hoping that Microsoft might actually consummate a deal which they have repeatedly walked away from, we would be very interested in hearing it."
Still, with less than a month to go until Yahoo's annual stockholder meeting, Microsoft doesn't have much of an incentive to trust Yahoo instead of Icahn. We'll see if Steve Ballmer can outthink the famous " round-headed kid."
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
A Baker's Dozen: Ways to Increase Link Density
In today's race to the top of the Google SERP's (Search Engine Result Pages), there are a number of factors that can help you achieve those coveted spots. While certain techniques may weigh better than others based on your industry and level of competition, there is no questioning the power of links.
There are several methods, some common and some yet to be discovered, you can try out to help boost your link density and search rankings. While it would be near impossible to go into great detail on all methods (that would require a book) below I have outlined some of the more common techniques a web site owner can use to increase their site's popularity.
1. Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal links used to be a huge asset and played a significant role. Today, fewer sites are employing this technique as it is thought by many to have no role in the eyes of Google. This is simply not true. While the overall value of reciprocal links has declined over the years, they can and will still help your rankings if done correctly.
The key with reciprocal links is very simple - relevance. If you trade links only with highly relevant sites, you will get value from this. There are some things to watch out for: ensure that the links returning to you are spider friendly, that they reside on pages with as few links as possible, and are contextualized, meaning the content on the page, and preferably the site as a whole, is related to the content of your link and site.
If you contact a relevant site to request a link exchange, keep the email personal to help grab the attention of the webmaster. Most link exchange emails are spammy automated submissions and are deleted without being read. Write the subject and entire email in such a way as to entice the user to read on, but keep it short. Offer to put their link up first, or even better yet, put it up before you contact them.
2. Purchasing Links
Google has been devaluing links, and in extreme cases, even penalizing sites for selling links, but there is no denying that this technique still works as many sites have skyrocketed to the top of the SERP's through the art of buying links.
Many high profile sites such as major and local newspaper publications sell text links, yet nobody seems to be penalized for it as the publications rank well with high PR and the site they link to ranks well as a result.
If you choose to take the gamble and purchase links back to your site, check out how they are linking back, how relevant they are, and try to get a sense of how their site is treated by Google. If you see other sites that appear to have purchased links from them, check their back links and see if the linking site appears (although it may not be displayed as Google displays very little of this information to the public these days).
It is thought that if penalties will arise from the sale of links, that only the selling site will be penalized. Even if this is the case, Google's policy could change at any moment, so be warned that this could potentially come back to bite you.
3. Industry Contacts
Get in touch with your industry contacts and ask them if they will link to your site. You just never know, and the worst they can say is no. This is usually best requested in person or by phone if it is someone you have a good relationship with. It may include manufacturers or retailers of your products, or various business partners and companies you have a relationship with.
4. Good Old Fashion Content
Believe it or not it works. If your site is loaded with original, valuable content, you will get some people linking to your site on their own. While you can not base your entire linking strategy around this concept, as it could take forever to get enough links, rest assured knowing that if you build it, some will link.
5. Build a Blog
Everyone and their dog seem to have a blog these days, and for good reason - they work. Blogs help you create a never ending stream of content, and if updated regularly, written well, and interesting, you will find people will link to it. Not only that, others may pick up your blog through your RSS feed - this can result in an increase in both links and site traffic. Be sure to utilize your Digg and other social media accounts within your blog to help gain a little extra attention.
6. Social Media
Promote your site and your blog using various social media tools. When someone "Diggs" or "Stumbles" your article you can not only get a link back to your site from the media platform, but you can also see traffic generated by this. The more people that flag your article, the more traffic you can get, and the higher the value of the link.
Creating company profile pages on platforms such as Squidoo, Facebook, MySpace, and even uploading photos and videos to Flickr and YouTube, can all count as back links to your site, so be sure to utilize these platforms to the fullest extent. Do not use these networks to spam them full of links, but rather to inform. Build unique relevant content and become a member of the community, and you will find your links will work much harder for you.
7. Article Syndication
When you write worthwhile articles, submit them to any known article aggregation websites in your industry or great general portals such as ezinearticles.com. When submitted to the right places you can drive traffic and increase your links. Again, be sure to include a link or two within your article that links back to your site when possible.
8. Press Releases
Press releases are still doing wonders. When your business hits a milestone, releases a new product, or has anything worthy of a press release, issue one through the services of PRWeb. You will get a link back to your site, and you may also get some targeted traffic from those interested when reading your release.
If your press release is of significant news, you may also find bloggers and other writers referencing it and linking to it from their articles, providing even more value. Ensure that with any press release you include deep links back into your site. Links from within the bio are helpful, but those integrated into paragraphs of the release are worth much more.
9. Comments
I know I am going to get a hard time for this one, but if used wisely, it can help. When reading relevant blog posts, if you have something useful, constructive, and worthwhile to say, leave a comment and include your link if they provide the option. A comment like: "nice post" is inappropriate, but if you have something to add or contribute that others will find of interest then go for it. These links can add up, and they do add some value. Don't stuff your comment or name with keywords, keep it natural, and use your real name.
10. Form Posts and Signatures
This is an area where you may be able to grab a few links, but it is also one you need to be careful about as it can backfire. I do NOT recommend going out and wildly posting in random forums and including your link.
Where this area can be useful is if you establish yourself as a solid contributor to a particular forum directly related to your industry. Once you are established, and people know and trust your name, and understand that you are not there as a spammer, then you can consider adding your link to your signature file, and including the odd link in your forum posts when it is fully in context. This will allow you to get the odd relevant, inbound link. Check with the terms of the specific forum though before you start. Some do not allow links of any kind.
11. Testimonials
You see them on many sites offering products or services, and quite often they include a link back to the submitter's website. If you have used a product or service, don't be afraid to write a testimonial for the company. In many cases online businesses will post your testimonial along with a link. The testimonial helps that business instill confidence in their customers, and you get the valuable link back.
12. Directory Submissions
Yes, do still submit your site to the major directories. While DMOZ can be very difficult to get into, once you are there, it is like gold and will play a part in your top rankings. Yahoo directory has a high price $299US, but can also provide you with a valuable inbound link. Consider submitting to the major directories, as well as any industry specific directories. These links add up and will contribute to your site's well being.
13. Link Bait
We have heard this phrase thrown around for a while now, but the technique has worked long before the phrase "link bait" was coined. Why all the hype? Because it works.
Take a look at your web site, your business and your industry. See if you can think of some way to attract people to link to your site. Perhaps sponsor a contest, add an elaborate and unique tool, write a controversial article, provide something useful for free - whatever you do, do it well, and promote the heck out of it, and people will naturally link to you.
A Few General Rules:
Before you actively seek out a link from a specific site do some investigating to ensure that the site is not spamming or using any black hat techniques. If they are, run.
If the link you are seeking is merely for you to try and boost your link density, then also check out how they are linking to other third party sites.
Does the site use the rel=nofollow attribute? Are the pages your link would reside on blocked by the search engines, or do they use the robots Meta nofollow? Are they using other techniques that would not allow a spider to follow them (such as JavaScript, Flash, or frames)? If so you may want to move on.
And a note on Google PR (Page Rank) - the PR you see on your toolbar is outdated. While it can give you some insight, just because it says 0, doesn't mean it is. Also what has a 0 or 1 today, could be a 4 or 5 tomorrow. Don't use PR as your sole means of deciding if you should obtain a link or not.
Summary
Using any or all of these linking methods will help you to increase your link density. There is power in diversification. Use variations on anchor text and descriptions, use inline text links within articles, and gain links in as many different venues as possible. By being diverse your site will stand the best chance of being around well into the future.
Today, blogs are huge and can be a strong asset, but what would happen if tomorrow Google decided to ban blogs? Highly unlikely, but it could happen, and if it did, would your site survive? By being diverse, your site has the best chance to survive change.
There are several methods, some common and some yet to be discovered, you can try out to help boost your link density and search rankings. While it would be near impossible to go into great detail on all methods (that would require a book) below I have outlined some of the more common techniques a web site owner can use to increase their site's popularity.
1. Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal links used to be a huge asset and played a significant role. Today, fewer sites are employing this technique as it is thought by many to have no role in the eyes of Google. This is simply not true. While the overall value of reciprocal links has declined over the years, they can and will still help your rankings if done correctly.
The key with reciprocal links is very simple - relevance. If you trade links only with highly relevant sites, you will get value from this. There are some things to watch out for: ensure that the links returning to you are spider friendly, that they reside on pages with as few links as possible, and are contextualized, meaning the content on the page, and preferably the site as a whole, is related to the content of your link and site.
If you contact a relevant site to request a link exchange, keep the email personal to help grab the attention of the webmaster. Most link exchange emails are spammy automated submissions and are deleted without being read. Write the subject and entire email in such a way as to entice the user to read on, but keep it short. Offer to put their link up first, or even better yet, put it up before you contact them.
2. Purchasing Links
Google has been devaluing links, and in extreme cases, even penalizing sites for selling links, but there is no denying that this technique still works as many sites have skyrocketed to the top of the SERP's through the art of buying links.
Many high profile sites such as major and local newspaper publications sell text links, yet nobody seems to be penalized for it as the publications rank well with high PR and the site they link to ranks well as a result.
If you choose to take the gamble and purchase links back to your site, check out how they are linking back, how relevant they are, and try to get a sense of how their site is treated by Google. If you see other sites that appear to have purchased links from them, check their back links and see if the linking site appears (although it may not be displayed as Google displays very little of this information to the public these days).
It is thought that if penalties will arise from the sale of links, that only the selling site will be penalized. Even if this is the case, Google's policy could change at any moment, so be warned that this could potentially come back to bite you.
3. Industry Contacts
Get in touch with your industry contacts and ask them if they will link to your site. You just never know, and the worst they can say is no. This is usually best requested in person or by phone if it is someone you have a good relationship with. It may include manufacturers or retailers of your products, or various business partners and companies you have a relationship with.
4. Good Old Fashion Content
Believe it or not it works. If your site is loaded with original, valuable content, you will get some people linking to your site on their own. While you can not base your entire linking strategy around this concept, as it could take forever to get enough links, rest assured knowing that if you build it, some will link.
5. Build a Blog
Everyone and their dog seem to have a blog these days, and for good reason - they work. Blogs help you create a never ending stream of content, and if updated regularly, written well, and interesting, you will find people will link to it. Not only that, others may pick up your blog through your RSS feed - this can result in an increase in both links and site traffic. Be sure to utilize your Digg and other social media accounts within your blog to help gain a little extra attention.
6. Social Media
Promote your site and your blog using various social media tools. When someone "Diggs" or "Stumbles" your article you can not only get a link back to your site from the media platform, but you can also see traffic generated by this. The more people that flag your article, the more traffic you can get, and the higher the value of the link.
Creating company profile pages on platforms such as Squidoo, Facebook, MySpace, and even uploading photos and videos to Flickr and YouTube, can all count as back links to your site, so be sure to utilize these platforms to the fullest extent. Do not use these networks to spam them full of links, but rather to inform. Build unique relevant content and become a member of the community, and you will find your links will work much harder for you.
7. Article Syndication
When you write worthwhile articles, submit them to any known article aggregation websites in your industry or great general portals such as ezinearticles.com. When submitted to the right places you can drive traffic and increase your links. Again, be sure to include a link or two within your article that links back to your site when possible.
8. Press Releases
Press releases are still doing wonders. When your business hits a milestone, releases a new product, or has anything worthy of a press release, issue one through the services of PRWeb. You will get a link back to your site, and you may also get some targeted traffic from those interested when reading your release.
If your press release is of significant news, you may also find bloggers and other writers referencing it and linking to it from their articles, providing even more value. Ensure that with any press release you include deep links back into your site. Links from within the bio are helpful, but those integrated into paragraphs of the release are worth much more.
9. Comments
I know I am going to get a hard time for this one, but if used wisely, it can help. When reading relevant blog posts, if you have something useful, constructive, and worthwhile to say, leave a comment and include your link if they provide the option. A comment like: "nice post" is inappropriate, but if you have something to add or contribute that others will find of interest then go for it. These links can add up, and they do add some value. Don't stuff your comment or name with keywords, keep it natural, and use your real name.
10. Form Posts and Signatures
This is an area where you may be able to grab a few links, but it is also one you need to be careful about as it can backfire. I do NOT recommend going out and wildly posting in random forums and including your link.
Where this area can be useful is if you establish yourself as a solid contributor to a particular forum directly related to your industry. Once you are established, and people know and trust your name, and understand that you are not there as a spammer, then you can consider adding your link to your signature file, and including the odd link in your forum posts when it is fully in context. This will allow you to get the odd relevant, inbound link. Check with the terms of the specific forum though before you start. Some do not allow links of any kind.
11. Testimonials
You see them on many sites offering products or services, and quite often they include a link back to the submitter's website. If you have used a product or service, don't be afraid to write a testimonial for the company. In many cases online businesses will post your testimonial along with a link. The testimonial helps that business instill confidence in their customers, and you get the valuable link back.
12. Directory Submissions
Yes, do still submit your site to the major directories. While DMOZ can be very difficult to get into, once you are there, it is like gold and will play a part in your top rankings. Yahoo directory has a high price $299US, but can also provide you with a valuable inbound link. Consider submitting to the major directories, as well as any industry specific directories. These links add up and will contribute to your site's well being.
13. Link Bait
We have heard this phrase thrown around for a while now, but the technique has worked long before the phrase "link bait" was coined. Why all the hype? Because it works.
Take a look at your web site, your business and your industry. See if you can think of some way to attract people to link to your site. Perhaps sponsor a contest, add an elaborate and unique tool, write a controversial article, provide something useful for free - whatever you do, do it well, and promote the heck out of it, and people will naturally link to you.
A Few General Rules:
Before you actively seek out a link from a specific site do some investigating to ensure that the site is not spamming or using any black hat techniques. If they are, run.
If the link you are seeking is merely for you to try and boost your link density, then also check out how they are linking to other third party sites.
Does the site use the rel=nofollow attribute? Are the pages your link would reside on blocked by the search engines, or do they use the robots Meta nofollow? Are they using other techniques that would not allow a spider to follow them (such as JavaScript, Flash, or frames)? If so you may want to move on.
And a note on Google PR (Page Rank) - the PR you see on your toolbar is outdated. While it can give you some insight, just because it says 0, doesn't mean it is. Also what has a 0 or 1 today, could be a 4 or 5 tomorrow. Don't use PR as your sole means of deciding if you should obtain a link or not.
Summary
Using any or all of these linking methods will help you to increase your link density. There is power in diversification. Use variations on anchor text and descriptions, use inline text links within articles, and gain links in as many different venues as possible. By being diverse your site will stand the best chance of being around well into the future.
Today, blogs are huge and can be a strong asset, but what would happen if tomorrow Google decided to ban blogs? Highly unlikely, but it could happen, and if it did, would your site survive? By being diverse, your site has the best chance to survive change.
Registering Your Domain Name
Registering a domain name is a quick process that often seems complex. It is far easier than most general web surfers suspect. You can quickly learn how to register a domain name with a little forethought.
You need little know-how to register a domain name. Your first task is to find a company that will let you perform a search in what is known as a "WHOIS" database. These databases contains all registered domain names worldwide. Domains that are currently in use will offer the name of the individual or company with ownership. The WHOIS will also tell you if your desired domain is free.
Domain names are an evolving aspect of the web. The development of new extensions has created many wonderful Internet opportunities. Extensions are the letters at the end of a URL, or web address. The most popular extensions are ".com", ".net" and ".org." Webmasters can find additional extensions, such as: * .biz * .info * .tv * .us New extensions allow webmasters to use the precise domain names they want. Potential webmasters are often disappointed to see the name and extension they want is already taken. It may belong to a rival company or may have fallen victim to a common practice of reselling. Domain name reselling is where a company purchases a large number of generic domain names in order to raise the resell price and turn a profit. It is not recommended to buy a domain name that is being virtually scalped. Webmasters can find many other name/extension combinations available at the standard price. The added bonus of these new extensions are many. It is common to find multiple domain registrar companies offering discounted prices on domain names with these new extensions. This will lower the costs of starting a website and give you a unique slant for your domain. The best domain registrar companies will be established. They should have a good rating at independent websites. The domain registrar should offer constant customer support and a variety of payment options. It is a trend amid many registrars to offer "credit card only" services. It is best to avoid these practices. Your registrar and your hosting company should both be eager for your business. This means providing good service and accommodating your payment needs. The credit only sites tend to be lax in their customer service and will not readily work with clients who must change payment information. They have a company infrastructure that automates as many functions as possible. You will move on to the registration process when you have selected your company. Resources are available across the Internet to help if you have specific concerns. Domain name registrars are the record keepers of the Internet. Your registrar sells you your domain name and sends out information that your respective domain has been purchased. You will need to pay for your domain annually. Many companies offer services that allow you to purchase a number of years into the future. The checkout process for buying a domain name is much like buying anything else online. You enter your standard information and payment information. Your receipt is sent via e-mail. You will need to wait for a period of 48 hours before you can begin publishing your domain. This is to allow adequate time for a process known as propagation. When your domain name propagates, it travels to WHOIS databases worldwide and submits the data that the domain name is in use. It really is a simple process. Even if you don't know how to register a domain name, you should be confident. It's an easy process.
5 Ways to Keep Abreast of What's Happening In Your Niche
Recently, I asked if you were spending enough time learning. While learning about things outside your niche is always encouraged too, you should always be on the look out for new strategies and trends that pertain to yours. This will be incredibly beneficial to you for staying competitive. Your thoughts?.
Following are a few tools you should be using to do just that.
1. StumbleUpon
StumbeUpon is an incredible social tool, and you should use that aspect of it, but my favorite thing about it is the search feature. This is not like searching Google or Yahoo looking for relevant results pertaining to a specific query. Searching with StumbleUpon's search tool is a fantastic way to find new resources, articles, and tools related to a topic.
Because of the social aspect of StumbleUpon, you are going to get good results because others have already gave them the thumbs up. So not only are you finding things that other people who are interested in a given niche have enjoyed, you are quite possibly finding new ideas that can help your own business.
2. Blog Search
Technorati or BlogPulse or other blog search engines are great places to find more sources you should be keeping up with when it comes to views about your niche. The more blogs you are able to read, the more insight you are likely to come away with and ultimately use to your gain.
Check them out often, because new blogs are created and submitted everyday. Your new favorite blog could be created tomorrow.
3. News Search Sites
These may not be the places you want to go to find regular sites to keep up with (although they could), but they are great places to search for keywords related to your niche and find current relevant news articles.
Visiting sites like Google News, Yahoo News, or even our own WebProWire should be part of your daily routine to stay as up to date as possible on what is going on in your niche. These sites index new articles constantly.
4. Feed Reader
I have discussed at length why using feed readers is in your best interest. All of the aforementioned blogs and news sites you would like to read on a regular basis all come right to you in one place as they are updated.
There is really no more convenient way to get up to the minute news and articles about the things you are interested in. You can organize them, bookmark posts to read later, and skim through headlines with the greatest of ease. The feed reader is one of the greatest time savers that I know of. There are plenty out there to choose from. I use Google Reader, which is even more convenient to someone that already has a Google account.
5. Online Communities
When I say online communities, I'm referring to both social networks and forums (which are really the original social networks as far as I'm concerned). Not only are they great places to network, you can simply read what others are talking about and get a feel for current trends and concerns regarding your niche.
You can help others or receive help from them. Best of all, you can stay "in the know".
When you have downtime, try these things if you aren't already. They are good ways to help you achieve and maintain some level of expert status in your field. At the very least, it's more productive than playing solitaire.
Following are a few tools you should be using to do just that.
1. StumbleUpon
StumbeUpon is an incredible social tool, and you should use that aspect of it, but my favorite thing about it is the search feature. This is not like searching Google or Yahoo looking for relevant results pertaining to a specific query. Searching with StumbleUpon's search tool is a fantastic way to find new resources, articles, and tools related to a topic.
Because of the social aspect of StumbleUpon, you are going to get good results because others have already gave them the thumbs up. So not only are you finding things that other people who are interested in a given niche have enjoyed, you are quite possibly finding new ideas that can help your own business.
2. Blog Search
Technorati or BlogPulse or other blog search engines are great places to find more sources you should be keeping up with when it comes to views about your niche. The more blogs you are able to read, the more insight you are likely to come away with and ultimately use to your gain.
Check them out often, because new blogs are created and submitted everyday. Your new favorite blog could be created tomorrow.
3. News Search Sites
These may not be the places you want to go to find regular sites to keep up with (although they could), but they are great places to search for keywords related to your niche and find current relevant news articles.
Visiting sites like Google News, Yahoo News, or even our own WebProWire should be part of your daily routine to stay as up to date as possible on what is going on in your niche. These sites index new articles constantly.
4. Feed Reader
I have discussed at length why using feed readers is in your best interest. All of the aforementioned blogs and news sites you would like to read on a regular basis all come right to you in one place as they are updated.
There is really no more convenient way to get up to the minute news and articles about the things you are interested in. You can organize them, bookmark posts to read later, and skim through headlines with the greatest of ease. The feed reader is one of the greatest time savers that I know of. There are plenty out there to choose from. I use Google Reader, which is even more convenient to someone that already has a Google account.
5. Online Communities
When I say online communities, I'm referring to both social networks and forums (which are really the original social networks as far as I'm concerned). Not only are they great places to network, you can simply read what others are talking about and get a feel for current trends and concerns regarding your niche.
You can help others or receive help from them. Best of all, you can stay "in the know".
When you have downtime, try these things if you aren't already. They are good ways to help you achieve and maintain some level of expert status in your field. At the very least, it's more productive than playing solitaire.
Monday, July 07, 2008
A Baker's Dozen: Ways to Increase Link Density
In today's race to the top of the Google SERP's (Search Engine Result Pages), there are a number of factors that can help you achieve those coveted spots. While certain techniques may weigh better than others based on your industry and level of competition, there is no questioning the power of links.
There are several methods, some common and some yet to be discovered, you can try out to help boost your link density and search rankings. While it would be near impossible to go into great detail on all methods (that would require a book) below I have outlined some of the more common techniques a web site owner can use to increase their site's popularity.
1. Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal links used to be a huge asset and played a significant role. Today, fewer sites are employing this technique as it is thought by many to have no role in the eyes of Google. This is simply not true. While the overall value of reciprocal links has declined over the years, they can and will still help your rankings if done correctly.
The key with reciprocal links is very simple - relevance. If you trade links only with highly relevant sites, you will get value from this. There are some things to watch out for: ensure that the links returning to you are spider friendly, that they reside on pages with as few links as possible, and are contextualized, meaning the content on the page, and preferably the site as a whole, is related to the content of your link and site.
If you contact a relevant site to request a link exchange, keep the email personal to help grab the attention of the webmaster. Most link exchange emails are spammy automated submissions and are deleted without being read. Write the subject and entire email in such a way as to entice the user to read on, but keep it short. Offer to put their link up first, or even better yet, put it up before you contact them.
2. Purchasing Links
Google has been devaluing links, and in extreme cases, even penalizing sites for selling links, but there is no denying that this technique still works as many sites have skyrocketed to the top of the SERP's through the art of buying links.
Many high profile sites such as major and local newspaper publications sell text links, yet nobody seems to be penalized for it as the publications rank well with high PR and the site they link to ranks well as a result.
If you choose to take the gamble and purchase links back to your site, check out how they are linking back, how relevant they are, and try to get a sense of how their site is treated by Google. If you see other sites that appear to have purchased links from them, check their back links and see if the linking site appears (although it may not be displayed as Google displays very little of this information to the public these days).
It is thought that if penalties will arise from the sale of links, that only the selling site will be penalized. Even if this is the case, Google's policy could change at any moment, so be warned that this could potentially come back to bite you.
3. Industry Contacts
Get in touch with your industry contacts and ask them if they will link to your site. You just never know, and the worst they can say is no. This is usually best requested in person or by phone if it is someone you have a good relationship with. It may include manufacturers or retailers of your products, or various business partners and companies you have a relationship with.
4. Good Old Fashion Content
Believe it or not it works. If your site is loaded with original, valuable content, you will get some people linking to your site on their own. While you can not base your entire linking strategy around this concept, as it could take forever to get enough links, rest assured knowing that if you build it, some will link.
5. Build a Blog
Everyone and their dog seem to have a blog these days, and for good reason - they work. Blogs help you create a never ending stream of content, and if updated regularly, written well, and interesting, you will find people will link to it. Not only that, others may pick up your blog through your RSS feed - this can result in an increase in both links and site traffic. Be sure to utilize your Digg and other social media accounts within your blog to help gain a little extra attention.
6. Social Media
Promote your site and your blog using various social media tools. When someone "Diggs" or "Stumbles" your article you can not only get a link back to your site from the media platform, but you can also see traffic generated by this. The more people that flag your article, the more traffic you can get, and the higher the value of the link.
Creating company profile pages on platforms such as Squidoo, Facebook, MySpace, and even uploading photos and videos to Flickr and YouTube, can all count as back links to your site, so be sure to utilize these platforms to the fullest extent. Do not use these networks to spam them full of links, but rather to inform. Build unique relevant content and become a member of the community, and you will find your links will work much harder for you.
7. Article Syndication
When you write worthwhile articles, submit them to any known article aggregation websites in your industry or great general portals such as ezinearticles.com. When submitted to the right places you can drive traffic and increase your links. Again, be sure to include a link or two within your article that links back to your site when possible.
8. Press Releases
Press releases are still doing wonders. When your business hits a milestone, releases a new product, or has anything worthy of a press release, issue one through the services of PRWeb. You will get a link back to your site, and you may also get some targeted traffic from those interested when reading your release.
If your press release is of significant news, you may also find bloggers and other writers referencing it and linking to it from their articles, providing even more value. Ensure that with any press release you include deep links back into your site. Links from within the bio are helpful, but those integrated into paragraphs of the release are worth much more.
9. Comments
I know I am going to get a hard time for this one, but if used wisely, it can help. When reading relevant blog posts, if you have something useful, constructive, and worthwhile to say, leave a comment and include your link if they provide the option. A comment like: "nice post" is inappropriate, but if you have something to add or contribute that others will find of interest then go for it. These links can add up, and they do add some value. Don't stuff your comment or name with keywords, keep it natural, and use your real name.
10. Form Posts and Signatures
This is an area where you may be able to grab a few links, but it is also one you need to be careful about as it can backfire. I do NOT recommend going out and wildly posting in random forums and including your link.
Where this area can be useful is if you establish yourself as a solid contributor to a particular forum directly related to your industry. Once you are established, and people know and trust your name, and understand that you are not there as a spammer, then you can consider adding your link to your signature file, and including the odd link in your forum posts when it is fully in context. This will allow you to get the odd relevant, inbound link. Check with the terms of the specific forum though before you start. Some do not allow links of any kind.
11. Testimonials
You see them on many sites offering products or services, and quite often they include a link back to the submitter's website. If you have used a product or service, don't be afraid to write a testimonial for the company. In many cases online businesses will post your testimonial along with a link. The testimonial helps that business instill confidence in their customers, and you get the valuable link back.
12. Directory Submissions
Yes, do still submit your site to the major directories. While DMOZ can be very difficult to get into, once you are there, it is like gold and will play a part in your top rankings. Yahoo directory has a high price $299US, but can also provide you with a valuable inbound link. Consider submitting to the major directories, as well as any industry specific directories. These links add up and will contribute to your site's well being.
13. Link Bait
We have heard this phrase thrown around for a while now, but the technique has worked long before the phrase "link bait" was coined. Why all the hype? Because it works.
Take a look at your web site, your business and your industry. See if you can think of some way to attract people to link to your site. Perhaps sponsor a contest, add an elaborate and unique tool, write a controversial article, provide something useful for free - whatever you do, do it well, and promote the heck out of it, and people will naturally link to you.
A Few General Rules:
Before you actively seek out a link from a specific site do some investigating to ensure that the site is not spamming or using any black hat techniques. If they are, run.
If the link you are seeking is merely for you to try and boost your link density, then also check out how they are linking to other third party sites.
Does the site use the rel=nofollow attribute? Are the pages your link would reside on blocked by the search engines, or do they use the robots Meta nofollow? Are they using other techniques that would not allow a spider to follow them (such as JavaScript, Flash, or frames)? If so you may want to move on.
And a note on Google PR (Page Rank) - the PR you see on your toolbar is outdated. While it can give you some insight, just because it says 0, doesn't mean it is. Also what has a 0 or 1 today, could be a 4 or 5 tomorrow. Don't use PR as your sole means of deciding if you should obtain a link or not.
Summary
Using any or all of these linking methods will help you to increase your link density. There is power in diversification. Use variations on anchor text and descriptions, use inline text links within articles, and gain links in as many different venues as possible. By being diverse your site will stand the best chance of being around well into the future.
Today, blogs are huge and can be a strong asset, but what would happen if tomorrow Google decided to ban blogs? Highly unlikely, but it could happen, and if it did, would your site survive? By being diverse, your site has the best chance to survive change.
by Scott Van Achte, Senior SEO, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.
Viral Marketing, Let's See How it Works
he 7 Elements of a Viral Video Campaign
The biggest problem most websites have is that they are instantly forgettable. They sell or say the same thing as hundreds or thousands of other sites; to an audience that is so quick to click-away that a large percentage of their traffic never appreciates why they should buy anything or listen to what's being said.
In order for a website or ad campaign to be interesting enough for visitors to stick-around, or clever enough to be viral, it must be compelling enough to prompt viewers to stay, absorb, and pass it onto friends and colleagues. This does not mean that the media presented has to be salacious or somehow socially inappropriate.
Common viral videos of silly people doing sophomoric things on fuzzy video maybe viral for people with too much time on their hands but it's viral without marketing or branding purpose.
Purposeful viral video websites and campaigns present meaningful theme-based messages within the context of an entertaining experience that is worth repeating and distributing. In other words, it must have both substance and style.
The 7 Viral Video Campaign Elements
1. Engage: Grab Attention.
2. Enlighten: Provide Substance.
3. Stylize: Create An Experience.
4. Focus: Be Consistent.
5. Entertain: Be Memorable.
6. Resonate: Hit A Nerve.
7. Excite: Compel Action.
Corollary: Actionable Ideas Prompt Brand Awareness and Leads
Deconstructing The Case of Cache Closed
For some it's a giant leap of faith to accept the idea that something can be entertaining and meaningful at the same time. Apple Computer is one company that gets the concept, and whether it's their Macintosh or iPod campaign, each demonstrates all seven elements of a viral advertising initiative. And these videos work as well and maybe better on the Web as they do on television.
To turn a viral marketing concept into an effective campaign beyond a single one-off video you need vision, guts, and great creative. In order to demonstrate to clients how such a campaign works, we developed something called 'Cache Closed.'
The campaign is comprised of a website that contains a series of two-minute videos that do nothing but present ideas and concepts meant to help clients with their marketing and branding. No sales pitches. No asking for orders, or anything else, just ideas presented in an offbeat, some would say bizarre, entertaining manner.
Is it for everyone; absolutely not, but we have plenty of text-based material on our sites that people and search engines can read or index. But this campaign is aimed at more creatively enlightened business and marketing executives looking to turn advertising into content, not content into advertising.
Creating The Brand Hero and Back-Story
Marshall McLuhan described television as a 'cold medium' and if that is true, the Web is a frozen glacier. But even the most barren landscape seems able to sustain some form of life, and video and audio provides that life force to the otherwise digital Internet void.
Isn't it time we put aside the bulleted-point slide shows, over-used royalty-free media, self-promoting ego presentations, hackneyed, dumb-downed messages, and insulting con-artist approaches with the classic 'but wait there's more …' copy.
Whether it's a website, a marketing campaign or both, you need to start with a concept. In the case of 'Cache Closed' the concept is simple, the media is the message, and video delivered by a real person, presents your marketing story better than any other presentation format. So in order to tell the story effectively, we needed to create a storyteller: enter our hero, 'Cache Closed.'
Who Is Cache Closed?
No matter what medium you work in, what engages an audience most is human contact, and the closest you can get to human contact on the Web is video of a real person. In this instance our professional actor actually portrays a binary creation, but by using a real person instead of an animation or avatar, we were able to instill some humanity and engage the audience on an emotional level.
Before we wrote the scripts we needed to invent the character. Below is the character back-story that was originally written as a voice-over introduction that was later eliminated, but the back-story informed the nature of the character as well as the press releases that were sent out when the campaign was introduced.
The Cache Closed Back-story
“"Meet Cache Closed, a digital construct, fabricated from the binary remains of lost and discarded data found in the ditch beside the information highway.
Do not be fooled by the manic manner and bizarre behaviour of this cyber wack-a-do, as he lacks the formal niceties and erudite-etiquette of his digitally-deficient disciples; but he does have the benefit of the accumulated knowledge gained from the free-flow of information passed-over and forgotten by surfer addicted Web-junkies and their associates.
Listen closely, because behind the mad ravings of this slightly out-of-phase demented pixelated-paranoid is the wisdom that will put you on the path to Web-marketing success."”
How The 7 Viral Elements Informed The Campaign
Engage The Audience
Grab Attention. If you start with the idea that Web traffic is an audience, you stand a better chance of grabbing their attention and making a connection that will get them to stick around long enough to listen to your message.
Cache was portrayed by actor Sean Kaufmann, who has a great comic flair and during videoing we encouraged him to ad lib which resulted in a great line of dialogue that we decided to use in the opening introduction sequence to the campaign website, www.cacheclosed.com .
Upon entering the site visitors are presented with dramatic music and a series of warnings concerning the dangers of Internet viruses. The warnings are interrupted by an abrupt change of pace interjection by our hero with the line, "So, now I've invaded your hard drive. You heard of viral marketing, now let's see how it works." We grab our audience's attention, peak their interest, inform them of the content, and demonstrate the concept, all in forty-five seconds.
Enlighten And Inform
Provide Substance. Despite all the non sequitur dialogue and oddball presentation techniques, each of the initial videos that comprise the website have a specific marketing or branding point.
We understand that not everyone is going to get all the references, but for those who do, the target audience, will be truly engaged by the presentation and informed by the content.
Cache Closed shows just how far you can push the concept of a talking head - they don't have to be boring. For Cache Closed the medium is as much the message as the actual information. It informs and enlightens for those open to making viral marketing both contagious and meaningful.
Stylize The Experience
Create An Experience. Of course we could have presented the same basic content with a straightforward presentation in a clear and concise manner, but it would have been uninspiring and instantly forgettable. We've written many articles including this one about how to market your products and brand your company on the Web, but we know 70% of even interested people won't read it.
Every day I receive audio and video presentations done by companies both professionally and DYI, and as good as the actual information maybe, the presentation of it is undistinguished. In marketing, being forgettable is the first deadly sin. If you're not creating an experience for your audience you will never be remembered no matter how important, or potentially useful, your information.
The Cache Closed concept was a risk, but without risk there's no reward, and the reward in viral marketing is being remembered.
Focus
Be Consistent. Marketing executives know that companies can't be all things to all people, but hammering away at the same message in the same manner can create a scenario where the audience feels they've heard it all before. The challenge is to keep your campaigns fresh and new while at the same time delivering a focused, consistent message. Don't change the message; just present it in new and exciting ways.
As bizarre as the Cache Closed campaign is, it is still firmly grounded in what we do and why. Whether we are developing campaigns for clients or ourselves, we always focus on the core concept that separates the client or ourselves from the competition.
Entertain
Be Memorable. Be Bold. What Cache delivers is meaningful, marketing concepts that are worth the audience's time and attention because they inform and entertain at the same time: a simple idea that relies on creative implementation to make it memorable.
Anybody can shoot a video and put it up on their website, but how many can turn advertising into memorable content? That's the challenge.
For the Web to be an effective marketing environment it must be more than a digital corkboard where millions of businesses pushpin their flyers. The Web is a communication environment and effective communication must be entertaining and enlightening.
Resonate
Hit A Nerve. The flip side of entertaining is the necessity to connect to your audience. Your message and your style must hit a nerve and a light bulb must go off in your audience's head that says, 'I get it.'
It is not an accident that we used the light bulb metaphor to open each video segment. What makes the Web such a powerful marketing and branding tool is it’s ability to communicate on a verbal, non-verbal, and metaphoric level. If your marketing presentations aren't communicating on all three levels then your missing opportunities to resonate and connect with your audience, and that means lost opportunity and business.
Excite
Compel Action. We all understand the need for a call to action but how can you expect people to pick up the phone, email, or fill-in your contact form if they aren't turned-on by your presentation.
In recent years, Cadillac has lost much of it's luxury status to foreign imports, but its recent commercial featuring Kate Walsh driving a cherry red Caddy with the punch-line, "When you turn your car on, does it return the favour?" says it all, much more than the preceding list of features she recites. The commercial delivers both style and substance with hypnotically entertaining cross-gender appeal. Unfortunately GM presented this commercial as a one-off. No series, no follow-up, no campaign based on a terrific focused, differentiating concept.
The Web unlike television offers businesses both large and small the opportunity to create meaningful marketing campaigns that excite, entertain, and enlighten an audience looking for more. And that is what Cache Closed attempts to do. See for yourself at www.cacheclosed.com .
Finally, How to Make Real Money with AdSense
I've been hearing about all these people making a fortune with Google's AdSense for years. But I've never actually met one. Have you?
The truth is, AdSense can make you a lot of money but it's not a deluge of raining money that will make you rich overnight. It's more of a trickle effect, but some of those drops can be pretty big!
Speaking of money, don't waste another dime on ebooks promising you instant AdSense riches unless you know for a fact it will work. I've met too many people who have purchased dozens of the top books and plans out there, only to be left aggravated and poorer for their efforts.
The most important thing you need to know is that each keyword you target in AdSense has a different value. Of course you want to target those that will make you the most money but you also need to consider how much competition you will be up against. In a few minutes I'll show you how to find keywords that offer the most profit potential with the least competition.
Now let's get into how we make money with AdSense. It's a lot easier than you think, if you do it the right way. I'll show you how to use any spare parked domains you might have laying around and make money on every single one. I make about $100 per month for the domains I use and each only took me about 30 minutes to set up, just one time.
Here's how it works... You take your unused domain names and let an inexpensive service host them and add hundreds of pages of keyword rich content that you personally select. You control the content and even write your own title, description and META tags to maintain full control of your site. You even select the template to control the site's look and feel.
Here we go...
Step 1: Sign up for a free Adsense account at http://www.google.com/adsense. But don't get your ad code yet. I can share some tips to triple your response rates (and income.)
Step 2: Register with http://www.WhyParkWeb.com or a like service. I picked this one because of the value ($99 for up to 100 automatically created fully optimized websites.) There might be another better for you. Just be certain you select a service that creates SEO ready, content rich sites automatically. This is how you will make your AdSense money and continue to make that money on auto pilot.
Now for the insider tips that make this system work and bring in a steady passive income you can rely on for years to come.
#1 Target the Best Keywords
Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and enter any keyword or keyword phrase.
Be specific! Here's a new take on my favorite example... If you have a page about flower delivery, don't just use the most general term like "flowers." This might have worked ten years ago but now there is way too much competition. So rather than "flowers", with its 300 Million competing pages on Google, try something more specific like "sending flowers online." Notice it only has 1/10th the number of pages competing? Even better, use that keyword link above to find something similar but even better. In a few seconds we see that "send flowers online" (without the "ing") is even more popular as you can tell from the blue boxes beside the word indicating popularity. And with another trip to Google, you'll notice that "send flowers online" has only half the competition but is even more popular! This is an instant advantage over about 99% of your competitors!
#2 Develop a Great Title
This is easier than you would think since it is a nice short page title. You simply combine your most important targeted keyword with your most general and separate them with a "pipe" (the vertical slash key above the Enter/Return key.) We now have "send flowers online | flowers".
Now go back and find some related keywords you'd like to do well for. These would be popular flowers or occasions for flowers being sent online for our example.
#3 Create a Winning META Description
This is important but easy with a little practice. Here are the big things to remember... First, begin the description with your targeted keyword "send flowers online." Then take your remaining keywords and line them up in order of importance. That done, we might have "flowers", "wedding flowers", and "Mothers Day." Now just use each word in order of importance like... "Send flowers online with ABC Flowers. We offer inside tips on the least expensive ways to send the freshest wedding flowers, Mothers Day arrangements or whatever else you need; wherever you need."
This is perfect! We used each of our important keywords without spamming the text. We even broke it up with some extra detail that will help anyone who reads the description before they bother to visit the site. Just remember to keep the description to fewer than 250 characters if possible (including spaces).
Believe it or not, these last three steps were the hard part. The rest is about as automated as it gets.
#4 Bring in the Content!
If you use a service like Why Park, they do almost all the work for you. You simply enter your keywords in the "article finder" via the "Research Your Keywords" link (located beside the keywords box.)
I found 172 articles in a just ten seconds! That's one hundred seventy two pages of keyword rich content that is extremely relevant to my site and will benefit my visitors. Here's what I found...
a.) sending flowers online - 5
b.) flowers - 151
c.) wedding flowers - 16
Total Articles Found: 172
Want more? Just add the word "roses" and get another 59! So now we have 231 articles in 10 seconds. Think about it. You just built a full, content-rich, search engine friendly site, in just seconds! This, along with your title, description, and META data will put you over the top on Google.
That's it for how to generate a self renewing AdSense income that will last for years to come. But before I leave you, let me give you two final tips that will take you over the top.
Insider Tip 1: Benefit from the Best-Pulling AdSense Ad
It's not unusual for your click-through rate (CTR) to triple with this tip. Mine did within days of switching to this format.
a.) Select an ad size of 336 x 280 pixels. If that seems too big for your site, try 300 x 250.
b.) Make your ad border and background colors the same as your Website's background color. It helps it blend in and take away some of the "advertisement" feel.
c.) Use the standard blue hyperlink color for the actual links in your ad.
Insider Tip 2: Get Fast and Free Search Engine Submission
Submit Express will submit your website to 40 search engines for free, instantly at http://www.submitexpress.com/.
That's all there is to it. By this time next week you could be tracking your new AdSense income. Best of luck!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Google Launches Traditional Media Blog
Pushes TV, Print, and Audio AdsA lot of people don't participate in Google's TV, newspaper, and radio advertising programs. Others aren't even aware they exist. So Google has launched a new traditional media blog with the aim of changing both these conditions.Fair warning: the blog's name is reminiscent of something pretend tough guys would say, or perhaps online daters who decide to meet in real life. Still, as part of the first post on Let's Take it Offline, Kate Pacher announced, "We've created this blog as a place for you to turn for the latest in feature launches and tips to help you run effective traditional media campaigns."She then continued, "We'll also share recent industry findings, which we think will be interesting and useful for both individuals who are new to the offline advertising space as well as those of you who have been advertising offline for a while."Since we've seen some of Google's blogs get ignored for weeks and even months, a key point will be how well Let's Take it Offline sticks to those "latest" and "recent" guarantees. People are more likely to give Google's traditional media programs a shot if they don't seem like a small side project.Google still has to overcome old giants in several industries, though, and the economy isn't encouraging financial experimentation.Experiment kept small for nowCarefully weigh how much you dislike typing on cell phones against how much you want to keep private whatever you're researching. Then, if you dare, check out the new voice search abilities connected to Google Maps for mobile.The feature is experimental, and for better or for worse, current tests will limit participation to American owners of the 8110, 8120, and 8130 BlackBerry Pearl models. If you're one, you only need to press "0" to center your map view and then hold "the left-side key . . . while you say the name or type of business you're looking for" to get some results, according to a post on the Google Mobile Blog.
You should cross your fingers, as well - some promises of improvements may not say much about the technology's current state - but the feature's likely to spread, and this is an important step forward for Google.Greg Sterling notes that Google's voice search "is very much like the existing Windows Live Search for Mobile service with voice or Tellme for Blackberry devices (also Microsoft). Yahoo also recently integrated Vlingo's speech technology into oneSearch." ChaCha has something in this arena, too, all of which means Google's an extreme latecomer.With the mobile market looking increasingly significant - desktop search and advertising seem to be pretty much wrapped up, after all - Google will need to accommodate chatty individuals.
"This was an extremely successful meeting that will be remembered as a milestone in the development of the Internet," said Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN's Board Chairman. "New generic Top Level Domains and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) will open up the Internet and make it look as diverse as the people who use it."ICANN also approved top - level domain names in scripts including Arabic, Cyrillic and other non-Latin scripts. It passed a resolution to eliminate domain tasting, a practice of using the grace periods to register domain names in bulk to see which ones are profitable.The new domains could cost as much as $100,000 to register, and will require a large amount of recourses to maintain.
Surprise, surprise: they might actually be desirableSuppose that Steve Ballmer and Jerry Yang miraculously agreed on something: the sale of Yahoo's search department. A new Hitwise report sorts through the pile of properties that would remain, and as it turns out, the leftovers look pretty tasty.A breakdown shows that much more Yahoo-related traffic heads to Yahoo Mail and plain old Yahoo (37.47 percent and 30.62 percent, respectively) than to Yahoo Search (12.10 percent). So in terms of eyeballs, any company splitting things with Microsoft would still be getting quite a lot.
There is the question of whether people would visit Yahoo's properties without nudges from its search engine, of course, but Heather Hopkins supplied statistics on that issue, too. "Most properties receive more traffic from Google than from Yahoo! Search," she states."In particular, Yahoo! Answers received 49% of its US visits from Google last month, compared to 20% from Yahoo! Search," according to Hopkins. "Flickr received 13% of visits from Google compared with 5% from Yahoo! Search. The exceptions are Yahoo! Image Search and Maps, likely because of Google's shortcuts to its own properties in these verticals, and the Yahoo! account pages. Even Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo.com received more traffic from Google than Yahoo! Search."These conclusions lend a great deal of credence to the idea that a split acquisition could occur. Now we'll just resume hoping that something - anything - will bring an end to this mess.
7 Tips to Improve your website
There are some steps you can follow to make sure you are doing everything right to maximize your sales. Look through the list below. If you can say definitively that you have taken all of these steps, then you should see a big increase in your sales. Here you go:
1. Make sure there is a market for what you're selling
By now, you've probably heard a lot about finding your online niche. If you did your research properly, you should have found a market that has a problem that you can provide an answer for. That's probably the most important part of your business.
If you haven't done the proper research yet, get started now. Use a keyword tool like Nichebot or Wordtracker to find what people are searching for online. And visit the forums to see what people are talking about and what problems they need to solve.
Don't skip this step. It's important that internet users are going to want what you're selling or your whole business is lost before it even begins.
2. Make sure that you're selling something that solves their problem
If you've found the right niche, then you should have some idea about what their main problems are. Do some research to find out what they need to solve that problem, then offer it to them. That's the formula in a nutshell. Don't let your product stray from the main topic. Solve their problem, and you'll have success.
3. Make sure you're getting enough traffic
It's difficult to make a good decision about how effective your sales process is if you haven't had enough traffic to your website yet. I recommend waiting until you've had at least 1,000 visitors. Anything less and you won't really have enough data to work with. Be patient.
4. Find out where your traffic is coming from
It's important that you are getting targeted visitors to your website. Make sure that if you're using pay-per-click advertising you're bidding only on words that are right for your market. If you're selling cell phones, you don't want visitors who are searching for land line phones for their office. Remember who your visitor is.
5. Test different headlines
Your headline is the first thing your visitors see on your site. Make sure it's compelling and gets them to keep reading. How do you do that? Simply by testing different headlines and seeing which one works best.
You can do that by rewriting it every now and then and checking your stats, or you can split test your headlines using Google's website optimizer. Website optimizer is part of your Google adwords account. If you don't have an adwords account, you can get one free at a href="http://adwords.google.com">http://adwords.google.com.
6. Make sure your sales copy is effective
The last thing you want to do once you have a visitor reading your sales copy is to distract them with something that isn't leading directly to a sale. In other words, leave out any links to other websites, forget about adsense and banner ads, and don't start talking about things that don't relate to your subject.
Concentrate on your sales message and proof elements, and dispelling any doubts they may have about giving you their money. This includes using testimonials if you have them, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and good strong sales copy that keeps them interested all the way through to your "buy now" button.
7. Test different price points
It's hard to know what's the right price for your item right off the bat. You may have it at the price you're willing to pay, but that may not be the price everyone is willing to pay. A lot of people will expect to buy something in your market within a certain price range. If your price is too high, they'll shop elsewhere. If your price is too low, yes too low, they might think that what you're offering is of poor quality. You can answer this problem by simply trying out different prices to see what works best.
8. Make sure your order processing works properly and is easy to use
Test all of the links from your "add to cart" buttons all the way through to your "thank you" page. You can normally run a $0 test before you go live with most shopping cart and merchant account systems. Obviously, if your ordering system isn't working right, you're not going to see any sales.
Also, make sure that it's easy to use. Get a friend to run through it for you. It may make perfect sense to you, but that doesn't mean that it will for everyone. Let some other people try it out and see if they get stuck anywhere. Chances are good that if they do, then others will too. If everything isn't as easy as possible to use, then some people will just leave rather than trying to figure it out.
There you go. Eight steps you can follow with your site to make sure that you are maximizing your sales. Just from my own experience, anytime I was able to say that I went through all of the steps above completely, I saw significant improvement, and found good success with my website. I believe that you will, too. Good luck.
1. Make sure there is a market for what you're selling
By now, you've probably heard a lot about finding your online niche. If you did your research properly, you should have found a market that has a problem that you can provide an answer for. That's probably the most important part of your business.
If you haven't done the proper research yet, get started now. Use a keyword tool like Nichebot or Wordtracker to find what people are searching for online. And visit the forums to see what people are talking about and what problems they need to solve.
Don't skip this step. It's important that internet users are going to want what you're selling or your whole business is lost before it even begins.
2. Make sure that you're selling something that solves their problem
If you've found the right niche, then you should have some idea about what their main problems are. Do some research to find out what they need to solve that problem, then offer it to them. That's the formula in a nutshell. Don't let your product stray from the main topic. Solve their problem, and you'll have success.
3. Make sure you're getting enough traffic
It's difficult to make a good decision about how effective your sales process is if you haven't had enough traffic to your website yet. I recommend waiting until you've had at least 1,000 visitors. Anything less and you won't really have enough data to work with. Be patient.
4. Find out where your traffic is coming from
It's important that you are getting targeted visitors to your website. Make sure that if you're using pay-per-click advertising you're bidding only on words that are right for your market. If you're selling cell phones, you don't want visitors who are searching for land line phones for their office. Remember who your visitor is.
5. Test different headlines
Your headline is the first thing your visitors see on your site. Make sure it's compelling and gets them to keep reading. How do you do that? Simply by testing different headlines and seeing which one works best.
You can do that by rewriting it every now and then and checking your stats, or you can split test your headlines using Google's website optimizer. Website optimizer is part of your Google adwords account. If you don't have an adwords account, you can get one free at a href="http://adwords.google.com">http://adwords.google.com.
6. Make sure your sales copy is effective
The last thing you want to do once you have a visitor reading your sales copy is to distract them with something that isn't leading directly to a sale. In other words, leave out any links to other websites, forget about adsense and banner ads, and don't start talking about things that don't relate to your subject.
Concentrate on your sales message and proof elements, and dispelling any doubts they may have about giving you their money. This includes using testimonials if you have them, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and good strong sales copy that keeps them interested all the way through to your "buy now" button.
7. Test different price points
It's hard to know what's the right price for your item right off the bat. You may have it at the price you're willing to pay, but that may not be the price everyone is willing to pay. A lot of people will expect to buy something in your market within a certain price range. If your price is too high, they'll shop elsewhere. If your price is too low, yes too low, they might think that what you're offering is of poor quality. You can answer this problem by simply trying out different prices to see what works best.
8. Make sure your order processing works properly and is easy to use
Test all of the links from your "add to cart" buttons all the way through to your "thank you" page. You can normally run a $0 test before you go live with most shopping cart and merchant account systems. Obviously, if your ordering system isn't working right, you're not going to see any sales.
Also, make sure that it's easy to use. Get a friend to run through it for you. It may make perfect sense to you, but that doesn't mean that it will for everyone. Let some other people try it out and see if they get stuck anywhere. Chances are good that if they do, then others will too. If everything isn't as easy as possible to use, then some people will just leave rather than trying to figure it out.
There you go. Eight steps you can follow with your site to make sure that you are maximizing your sales. Just from my own experience, anytime I was able to say that I went through all of the steps above completely, I saw significant improvement, and found good success with my website. I believe that you will, too. Good luck.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
5 Top Tips To Be A Successful Blogger
Blogging has fast become an online business venture all on it's own, bloggers are writers who write blog posts on their own blogs and they share something unique with other related niche bloggers and webmasters out there, they have the passion to carry on with blogging, no matter what.
It's estimated that over 70% of blogs are left and abandoned online, this is a waste of server space obviously, but what of the initial spark of trying to make something work online, writing online in blog form takes time to build up, but it is well worth doing as it can raise your profile and credibility in your niche market area quite quickly if you do it right.
Here are a collection of some of the best tips I have found in the area of blogging:
1. Email a new reader of your blog
When you have a blog established, you may get readers to your blog as this is the ultimate purpose of your blog, so when you do get these readers, why not email them and welcome them to your blog, this could work in many ways, first it could make them think, that was quick I only just subscribed to this blog last night and then the blog owner is emailing me welcoming me to his blog, so they might spread the word of your blogs content to their friends who may also be interested, so it's a good strategy to employ.
2. Join a couple of forums related to your niche.
Getting to know your niche market better by visiting a few forums online in the target market that you will hopefully dominate or be a key player in is something that is well worth doing, you can link to your blog and profile page in your signature line ( this is a unique sentence that includes your blog link and a description about you or an opportunity.)
Participating in forums and getting to know the top members and key players is what you should be trying to achieve for maximum networking potential.
3. Interlinking archived posts from your own blog and others,
If you have a lot of posts, you could consider linking to past posts that are related to your main topic, so that you can provide further information and this helps to build your seo ranking for your blog, you can add links within your blog content or at the end of your posts for further reading, just remember that every post on your blog is and should be like a webpage of it's very own, so target your keywords as such.
4. Planning your blog posts well in advance
Planning of your blog posting is a really easy way of simply coming up with a blog title and then just running with it online to see what you can write about, if you are knowledgeable about the subject matter then you will make this task even easier, I often look in forums, if posters ask questions and discuss certain areas of your niche this is always a basis for some quality blog posts, try it and see what you come up with.
5. Blog commenting on other blogs not just your own
Try and comment on other peoples blogs, maybe you have never visited their blog before and you could maybe introduce yourself in the comment or just interact with the discussion thread at hand, a word of warning though, forcing promotional copy and paste sales copy in a comment is not good for your potential and essential commenting, as what you need to establish is that you have read and liked the blogs content and you deliver a comment that says so or that is genuinely inspired by the blogs content.
You can add these blogs that you find to your feed reader so you can keep up to date with these blogs when you can and interact with them on a regular basis.
Remember that blogging is a long term process usually and it can take time to build up your blogs traffic, so just write useful content and keep blogging.
Blog Posts That Get Attention
Blogs are now a dime a dozen, and bloggers need to make their blog posts stand out. Developing a blog following is not as easy as it once was. Learn how to write blog posts that attract readers and retain their attention. Follow these guidelines to cultivate readers...
1. Draw Attention
Use titles to attract the reader's attention to the blog post. The title should mimic newspaper headlines and generate interest in the blog post. The title can be controversial, but not to the extent of being misleading. Use action words in the title. Bloggers will often come up with a handful of potential titles for blog posts, and then settle on the title that is best suited to a particular blog post.
2. Deliver
Having a catchy title, but following it with content that fails to deliver, will not endear you to your readers. The blog content must deliver what is promised in the blog title, or readers will unsubscribe and stop reading. When deciding on a blog title, do not stray too far from the content, as the two are intricately related -- the title will attract the reader's attention, but the content must then live up to expectations... or the blogger's reputation will suffer.
3. Accurate
Nothing stains a blogger's reputation like inaccurate information, so be sure that your blog posts contain accurate information. Intentionally posting inaccurate or false information will significantly damage a blogger's reputation. But if an error unintentionally or inadvertently occurs in a blog post, be sure to quickly post a retraction or correction, along with an explanation and an apology in order to salvage your good reputation.
4. Relevant & Timely
Blog posts should always be relevant and timely. Hearing about something long after it has occurred will not captivate readers. Blog about information that is occurring in the here and now. If you are going to write something that is no longer timely, be sure to add some sort of twist, or include new or updated information to make it relevant.
5. On Topic
All blogs should have a general theme that connects all the posts on the blog. Readers will expect posts that are related, so stay true to the blog's theme and topic.
6. Use Keywords
Use keywords liberally in blog posts. Search engines will attempt to categorize the content of a blog post and discern its general topic. By including related keywords or keyword phrases, search engines will have an easier time classifying the blog's contents. Additionally, a blog that uses keywords will have a better chance of ranking well for those keywords or keyword phrases in organic search listings.
7. Evaluate Web Logs
Review web logs to determine what blog posts have been popular with readers. Then figure out how to provide similar or related content that might also be of interest to those readers.
8. Original
Blog posts should always contain original and unique content. If you are simply re-posting information from others, include editorial content or a different spin to the information. Readers do not want to constantly rehash the same information -- they are interested in reading new material.
9. Chunky Content
Break content into smaller, readable chunks. Most website visitors will just scan paragraphs for information, and very few will take the time to read all the words contained in a post. Use bulleted lists, or break web copy into paragraphs with bolded sub-topics that appear before the paragraphs.
Writing blog posts is not just about spewing forth content. The best blogs are well thought out, and contain provocative and interesting unique content. Follow the above steps to produce a relevant blog worth reading.
Google Gives Tour Of Its Search Factory
Google, known more for its relative silence than its grand Steve Jobs-y "one more thing" type presentations, gave onlookers an extensive "Search Factory Tour" yesterday via webcast. Two and a half hours later, there was a lot of news to report.
Google's vice president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer, emceed the event, which would include revelations about local search, universal search, Google Health, and ads on Google Image search.
Presenters at the event included R.J. Pittman, Google's search product management director and co-founder of Web 2.0 search company Groxis, who spoke about Google's experiment with placing display ads with images; Johanna Wright, director of search quality, who relayed where Google is going with universal search; and Microsofty-turned-Googler, Carter Maslan, who said local search isn't as easy as one might think.
Mayer provided the one-more-thing by officially unveiling Google Health, which allows people to store their medical history online and decide which medical services providers can access it - a sort of data portability for your health records.
Rather than detail all of the announcements in one dense post, we've divided them up into nice digestible chunks.
Google's vice president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer, emceed the event, which would include revelations about local search, universal search, Google Health, and ads on Google Image search.
Presenters at the event included R.J. Pittman, Google's search product management director and co-founder of Web 2.0 search company Groxis, who spoke about Google's experiment with placing display ads with images; Johanna Wright, director of search quality, who relayed where Google is going with universal search; and Microsofty-turned-Googler, Carter Maslan, who said local search isn't as easy as one might think.
Mayer provided the one-more-thing by officially unveiling Google Health, which allows people to store their medical history online and decide which medical services providers can access it - a sort of data portability for your health records.
Rather than detail all of the announcements in one dense post, we've divided them up into nice digestible chunks.
15 Ways To Nail Your Landing Page
There's an art to landing pages but the end goal is the same for all of them: Getting the prospective visitor to a desired take action. Accomplishing this is a matter of patience, thorough testing, and intuiting a visitor's desire.
Editor's Note: A well put together and targeted landing page can make a huge difference in how well you convert a visitor into a customer. Testing and learning to think like a customer can also give you a leg up on the competition. Have more tips? Tell us in the comments section.
(Coverage of the ACCM conference continues at WebProNews Videos. Keep an eye on WebProNews for more notes and videos from the event this week.)
A panel of experts spoke about landing pages at the ACCM conference in Orlando. The panel included American Eagle veep Tim Walter, DMinSite sales and marketing team lead Karen Crist, and Budk World Wide VP of Ecommerce Gavin Galtere.
When developing landing pages, Walter said there are two obvious places to start: paid search and email. "Don't only do Google," he said. "If you do you're leaving a lot of dollars on the table."
Email is the cheaper route, and allows more freedom and speed in testing. "Paid search is more difficult because it's not in your face," said Walter. As might be obvious, email puts a marketer's message directly in front of the consumer whereas search requires not only the consumer to actively seek out but to not be blind to advertisements.
As an extension to that, Crist noted that landing pages should not be subtle. She prefers the "buy it now" approach, especially with smaller ticket items for sale that don't require a lot of research.
Knowing the intent of the consumer then, plays a big part in developing a landing page. Galtere echoed this sentiment by admonishing marketers to make sure the landing page matches where the consumer expects to be taken. "I hate to see someone come in and hit the search button immediately. That's making consumers work too hard.
Between the three of them, they delivered a pretty nice set of tips for getting the most out of landing pages. They are as follows:
Editor's Note: A well put together and targeted landing page can make a huge difference in how well you convert a visitor into a customer. Testing and learning to think like a customer can also give you a leg up on the competition. Have more tips? Tell us in the comments section.
(Coverage of the ACCM conference continues at WebProNews Videos. Keep an eye on WebProNews for more notes and videos from the event this week.)
A panel of experts spoke about landing pages at the ACCM conference in Orlando. The panel included American Eagle veep Tim Walter, DMinSite sales and marketing team lead Karen Crist, and Budk World Wide VP of Ecommerce Gavin Galtere.
When developing landing pages, Walter said there are two obvious places to start: paid search and email. "Don't only do Google," he said. "If you do you're leaving a lot of dollars on the table."
Email is the cheaper route, and allows more freedom and speed in testing. "Paid search is more difficult because it's not in your face," said Walter. As might be obvious, email puts a marketer's message directly in front of the consumer whereas search requires not only the consumer to actively seek out but to not be blind to advertisements.
As an extension to that, Crist noted that landing pages should not be subtle. She prefers the "buy it now" approach, especially with smaller ticket items for sale that don't require a lot of research.
Knowing the intent of the consumer then, plays a big part in developing a landing page. Galtere echoed this sentiment by admonishing marketers to make sure the landing page matches where the consumer expects to be taken. "I hate to see someone come in and hit the search button immediately. That's making consumers work too hard.
Between the three of them, they delivered a pretty nice set of tips for getting the most out of landing pages. They are as follows:
1. Get top-level buy-in for strategic projects; not all projects produce immediate sales, but have more strategic implications for the business.
2. Create urgency, such as a deadline to increase CTR and conversion
3. Print destination URLs on pages in your catalog
4. Sepertate CSS and data points for ease of use
5. Make sure landing pages deliver on a promise that drove the shopper to the site with consistent products, benefits, offers and branding
6. Split test different paid search landing pages
7. Split test different email landing pages. Don't throw consumers to a category page, but a specifically designed page using the email messaging, creative and extended product offering
8. Track key performance on all pages
9. With landing pages - think like a consumer
10. Test, test, test
11. Have a platform that enables marketing staff to market.
12. Be prepared to make changes fast
13. Optimize landing pages for natural search with readable URLS (no special characters), included on site maps, no Flash, no duplicate content
14. Keep landing pages up longer than you think. If you are working with outside agency to host, require minimum of 3-6 months hosting
15. Look at competitors' landing pages. Your customers are likely searching multiple sites for a product. See what they are seeing.
2. Create urgency, such as a deadline to increase CTR and conversion
3. Print destination URLs on pages in your catalog
4. Sepertate CSS and data points for ease of use
5. Make sure landing pages deliver on a promise that drove the shopper to the site with consistent products, benefits, offers and branding
6. Split test different paid search landing pages
7. Split test different email landing pages. Don't throw consumers to a category page, but a specifically designed page using the email messaging, creative and extended product offering
8. Track key performance on all pages
9. With landing pages - think like a consumer
10. Test, test, test
11. Have a platform that enables marketing staff to market.
12. Be prepared to make changes fast
13. Optimize landing pages for natural search with readable URLS (no special characters), included on site maps, no Flash, no duplicate content
14. Keep landing pages up longer than you think. If you are working with outside agency to host, require minimum of 3-6 months hosting
15. Look at competitors' landing pages. Your customers are likely searching multiple sites for a product. See what they are seeing.
Google Says You can't But The Top Ad Spot
Wealthy businesses and smaller operations all compete fairly when it comes to testing ad quality, and thus a placement at the top isn't a divine right for anyone.
Editor's Note: Google wants a better ad experience for its visitors, from the copy in ads to the speed of landing pages. How have Google's initiatives impacted your ad budget and website designs?
Ad quality becomes a bigger issue in the coming weeks, as Google plans to subject advertisers to landing page load time assessments. Speedier pages, which will mean those without lots of plugged-in third-party content, will receive better ad quality scores.
Google's strategy considers quality as king of the advertising and visitor relationship. Relevant search results are no longer enough; it might be suggested that certain competing search engines would suit people as well as Google does for queries.
Better ad destinations make the organic search results look that much more valuable. Google's strategic shift from quantity to quality ads over the past few months means they believe the company makes more money from a single well-conforming ad than several less-pertinent ones. Google isn't about to leave money on the table, and neither should its clients.
The issue of ad quality appeared in a post at Google's Testing blog. Alex Icev wrote about the team and process involved with ranking the quality of search results, and how that transitioned into work on the advertising side.
"We needed to change a system that was predominately driven by human influence into one that (built) its merit based on feedback from the community," Icev said. He detailed a little of the process behind this, especially in the context of moving poor performers out of view:
Even though the big change to scoring ads based on concepts like landing page speed hits everyone, we think the bigger spenders have an advantage, and always will have, when it comes to bidding for certain lucrative keywords.
The most competitive keywords spur advertisers to improve their all-around page quality. When all other factors are equal, the bid spend makes the difference. Advertisers spend more, and Google profits. With luck, the visiting ad-clicker benefits the most.
Editor's Note: Google wants a better ad experience for its visitors, from the copy in ads to the speed of landing pages. How have Google's initiatives impacted your ad budget and website designs?
Ad quality becomes a bigger issue in the coming weeks, as Google plans to subject advertisers to landing page load time assessments. Speedier pages, which will mean those without lots of plugged-in third-party content, will receive better ad quality scores.
Google's strategy considers quality as king of the advertising and visitor relationship. Relevant search results are no longer enough; it might be suggested that certain competing search engines would suit people as well as Google does for queries.
Better ad destinations make the organic search results look that much more valuable. Google's strategic shift from quantity to quality ads over the past few months means they believe the company makes more money from a single well-conforming ad than several less-pertinent ones. Google isn't about to leave money on the table, and neither should its clients.
The issue of ad quality appeared in a post at Google's Testing blog. Alex Icev wrote about the team and process involved with ranking the quality of search results, and how that transitioned into work on the advertising side.
"We needed to change a system that was predominately driven by human influence into one that (built) its merit based on feedback from the community," Icev said. He detailed a little of the process behind this, especially in the context of moving poor performers out of view:
The idea was that we would penalize the ranking of paid ads in several circumstances: few users were clicking on a particular ads, an ad's landing page was not relevant, or if users don't like an ad's content. We want to provide our users with absolutely the most relevant ads for their click.
Even though the big change to scoring ads based on concepts like landing page speed hits everyone, we think the bigger spenders have an advantage, and always will have, when it comes to bidding for certain lucrative keywords.
The most competitive keywords spur advertisers to improve their all-around page quality. When all other factors are equal, the bid spend makes the difference. Advertisers spend more, and Google profits. With luck, the visiting ad-clicker benefits the most.
Beware The Duplicate Content Curse
One webmaster found Google unwilling to index pictures located in an images directory, but some extra content apparently left the site afoul of Google's guidelines.
Editor's Note: Duplicate content presents an issue for webmasters: search engines like Google will punish sites for it. But what if that content is merely a cached copy held for reference? Have you found one of your subdirectories dropped from Google over cached pages on your site?
Here's the short version: don't stick cached content in a directory you want Google to index. Chances are the Googlebot will freak out and run screaming from your server.
Michael VanDeMar wrote at Smackdown how a simple test of indexing images in a subdirectory ended up with Googly accusations of webmaster malfeasance.
Opening a discussion on a Google Groups webmaster help discussion eventually attracted the attention of a Google staffer, John Mueller, who took a peek into VanDeMar's images subdirectory and found some terrifying creepy-crawlies therein:
VanDeMar keeps those cached copies to support his discussions, as such pages can and will change regularly, or disappear altogether from sites. Doing this in a place where Google expects not to find such content evidently put him in a tough spot with the search engine, as Mueller suggested it ran counter to Google's webmaster guidelines.
The difficulty appears to be in the nature of the cached pages. Mueller thinks it's duplicate content, VanDeMar believes it isn't, based on his reading of the guidelines; he further questioned why the entire subdirectory received a delisting from Google.
The obvious solution, as one commenter suggested, would be to place the cached pages into a different directory and tell the Googlebot to stay out of it. Whether or not it's the fairest solution for webmasters won't figure into the decision, as Google has really dug in on quality issues it perceived over the past year.
Keeping cached copies of content sounds like a prudent course of action to take. It helps keep site visitors from clicking into a non-existent page, which makes the linking site look bad. If Google consistently dumps subdirectories that mix cached and original content because the company thinks duplication is in effect, webmasters will have to alter their linking structure to accommodate the fussy Googlebot.
Editor's Note: Duplicate content presents an issue for webmasters: search engines like Google will punish sites for it. But what if that content is merely a cached copy held for reference? Have you found one of your subdirectories dropped from Google over cached pages on your site?
Here's the short version: don't stick cached content in a directory you want Google to index. Chances are the Googlebot will freak out and run screaming from your server.
Michael VanDeMar wrote at Smackdown how a simple test of indexing images in a subdirectory ended up with Googly accusations of webmaster malfeasance.
Opening a discussion on a Google Groups webmaster help discussion eventually attracted the attention of a Google staffer, John Mueller, who took a peek into VanDeMar's images subdirectory and found some terrifying creepy-crawlies therein:
In particular regarding your /images/ subdirectory I noticed that there are some things which could be somewhat problematic. These are just two examples:
- You appear have copies of other people’s sites, eg /images/ viewgcache-getafreelinkfromwired.htm
- You appear to have copies of search results in an indexable way, eg /images/ viewgcache-bortlebotts.htm
I’m not sure why you would have content like that hosted on your site in an indexable way, perhaps it was just accidentally placed there or meant to be blocked from indexing. I trust you wouldn’t do that on purpose, right?
- You appear have copies of other people’s sites, eg /images/ viewgcache-getafreelinkfromwired.htm
- You appear to have copies of search results in an indexable way, eg /images/ viewgcache-bortlebotts.htm
I’m not sure why you would have content like that hosted on your site in an indexable way, perhaps it was just accidentally placed there or meant to be blocked from indexing. I trust you wouldn’t do that on purpose, right?
VanDeMar keeps those cached copies to support his discussions, as such pages can and will change regularly, or disappear altogether from sites. Doing this in a place where Google expects not to find such content evidently put him in a tough spot with the search engine, as Mueller suggested it ran counter to Google's webmaster guidelines.
The difficulty appears to be in the nature of the cached pages. Mueller thinks it's duplicate content, VanDeMar believes it isn't, based on his reading of the guidelines; he further questioned why the entire subdirectory received a delisting from Google.
The obvious solution, as one commenter suggested, would be to place the cached pages into a different directory and tell the Googlebot to stay out of it. Whether or not it's the fairest solution for webmasters won't figure into the decision, as Google has really dug in on quality issues it perceived over the past year.
Keeping cached copies of content sounds like a prudent course of action to take. It helps keep site visitors from clicking into a non-existent page, which makes the linking site look bad. If Google consistently dumps subdirectories that mix cached and original content because the company thinks duplication is in effect, webmasters will have to alter their linking structure to accommodate the fussy Googlebot.
Google No Longer A Quiet Giant
Seemingly gone is the company that did one thing and did it well, and tried in earnest not to talk about that one thing done well. Google is dipping into many wells these days, but the biggest change is perhaps how forthcoming Google has been recently.
Editor's Note: Google's cone of silence seems effectively broken. They talk a lot these days. What, if anything, would you like to hear Google talk more about? Let us know in the comments section.
There was a time when one had to lurk about the search forums and bloggers-familiar-with-the-matter to pick up tidbits about algorithmic changes, policy changes, and future (seemingly grandiose) movements. The Google obsessed are still hard at it – many of them landing new, higher profile gigs or advertising deals – digging through domain registrations, robot droppings, and (sometimes faked) photo evidence. It was this trademark standoffishness that, ironically, seemed to propel the company to juggernaut status.
Alas, much of the mystery just isn't there anymore. Google has numerous blogs devoted to everything from public policy to research. Google's PR people actually answer questions (usually only the PR people, though), the founders are more outspoken about future plans, and the very public battle with AT&T and Verizon shows a more mature, confident, and transparent multinational corporation.
It wasn't long ago that Google wouldn't comment on rumor and speculation (they still won't) surrounding the rumored Google phone. It wasn't too tough to guess at their plans after they acquired Android. Still, they were pretty tight-lipped. These days, they're proud to say Android-powered phones will be shipping in time for Christmas – or after the holiday season says a source Google actually bothered to disagree with.
The company did one thing and did it so well it destroyed any semblance of competition. That point could serve as a reasonable springboard into why Google now looks to the mobile industry: a sort of digital manifest destiny. When one territory is conquered, choose another.
But cofounder Larry Page appeared in person and told some Washington types recently the company's interest in spectrum, broadband expansion, and mobile computing has more to do continuing to do its one thing well. To paraphrase: More people with more opportunities to access the web means more people searching for content and more people to click on search ads.
There you have it, laid out there on the table from the horse's mouth. No need to speculate, postulate, or prognosticate. No need to make the company more altruistic than necessary, either.
A couple of years ago, Google was known for holding secret meetings with hundreds of people and expecting them to not talk about it. Wonder of all wonders, they actually kept the secrets—perhaps in exchange for other discretions. But there's no sense in speculating anymore.
The watchdogs are still around, noting with the surgical precision of obsession and compulsion minute changes to how Google defines a doorway page (hint: it's less techie, more felt). Meanwhile, Google's Maile Ohye has posted a video detailing how Google defines IP delivery, geolocation, and cloaking (main point: don't try to trick the bot).
While a Google executive does his own prognosticating about the eventual commoditization of web content—an idea that means you'll be paying to read news again one day—the company demonstrates its own skill at getting around pesky subscription obstacles by allowing a few employee bloggers to announce the availability of real-time stock quotes on Google Finance.
Is this the end, then, of the search giant's shyness? We should be careful what we wish for; there may come a day when we wish they'd shut up already.
Editor's Note: Google's cone of silence seems effectively broken. They talk a lot these days. What, if anything, would you like to hear Google talk more about? Let us know in the comments section.
There was a time when one had to lurk about the search forums and bloggers-familiar-with-the-matter to pick up tidbits about algorithmic changes, policy changes, and future (seemingly grandiose) movements. The Google obsessed are still hard at it – many of them landing new, higher profile gigs or advertising deals – digging through domain registrations, robot droppings, and (sometimes faked) photo evidence. It was this trademark standoffishness that, ironically, seemed to propel the company to juggernaut status.
Alas, much of the mystery just isn't there anymore. Google has numerous blogs devoted to everything from public policy to research. Google's PR people actually answer questions (usually only the PR people, though), the founders are more outspoken about future plans, and the very public battle with AT&T and Verizon shows a more mature, confident, and transparent multinational corporation.
It wasn't long ago that Google wouldn't comment on rumor and speculation (they still won't) surrounding the rumored Google phone. It wasn't too tough to guess at their plans after they acquired Android. Still, they were pretty tight-lipped. These days, they're proud to say Android-powered phones will be shipping in time for Christmas – or after the holiday season says a source Google actually bothered to disagree with.
The company did one thing and did it so well it destroyed any semblance of competition. That point could serve as a reasonable springboard into why Google now looks to the mobile industry: a sort of digital manifest destiny. When one territory is conquered, choose another.
But cofounder Larry Page appeared in person and told some Washington types recently the company's interest in spectrum, broadband expansion, and mobile computing has more to do continuing to do its one thing well. To paraphrase: More people with more opportunities to access the web means more people searching for content and more people to click on search ads.
There you have it, laid out there on the table from the horse's mouth. No need to speculate, postulate, or prognosticate. No need to make the company more altruistic than necessary, either.
A couple of years ago, Google was known for holding secret meetings with hundreds of people and expecting them to not talk about it. Wonder of all wonders, they actually kept the secrets—perhaps in exchange for other discretions. But there's no sense in speculating anymore.
The watchdogs are still around, noting with the surgical precision of obsession and compulsion minute changes to how Google defines a doorway page (hint: it's less techie, more felt). Meanwhile, Google's Maile Ohye has posted a video detailing how Google defines IP delivery, geolocation, and cloaking (main point: don't try to trick the bot).
While a Google executive does his own prognosticating about the eventual commoditization of web content—an idea that means you'll be paying to read news again one day—the company demonstrates its own skill at getting around pesky subscription obstacles by allowing a few employee bloggers to announce the availability of real-time stock quotes on Google Finance.
Is this the end, then, of the search giant's shyness? We should be careful what we wish for; there may come a day when we wish they'd shut up already.
Yahoo Gets Scrappy Under Fire
Google's dominance in search leads to a dominance in coverage, but the drama surrounding Yahoo lately has thrust the number two ecommerce engine back into the public consciousness. First it was the nearly hostile takeover by Microsoft, which has yet to go away, and more recently the impending battle, a showdown slated for August 1, between Yahoo and activist investor/corporate raider Carl Icahn and his backdoor posse.
Even with the smoke far from clearing, Yahoo conducts business as usual—or perhaps arguably has been more aggressive because of it—by unveiling a swath of new partnerships with major media players and a new program called Yahoo! Circular. Powered by ShopLocal, Yahoo! Circular aims to apply the concept of Sunday newspaper ad inserts online, allowing for locally targeted coupons and sale advertisements across the Yahoo network.
This network, which now includes content and partnerships with Walmart.com, Havas Digital, major television networks NBC, CBS, and Fox, and 779 US newspapers as part of the company's Newspaper Consortium, many of whom will be early adopters of Yahoo's upcoming AMP! ad network, which the company claims will simplify the ad buying and selling process. As a result of all this wheeling and dealing, Yahoo claims a reach of over 90 percent of the US-based web audience.
Yahoo President Sue Decker complained in a conference keynote yesterday that all of the focus on Microsoft and the ensuing drama has taken attention away from the bold moves Yahoo is still making. We'd argue that seven announcements in one day will dilute the significance of those moves, too, but hey, it's not our company.
So without further ado, here's a roundup of what Yahoo's been up to this week, which is a lot.
The Yahoo/Microsoft/Icahn Drama Intensifies
Though Microsoft balked at $37 per share, the new magic number could be $42, if Mr. Softy decides to swagger back to the negotiating table. That of course may depend on the success of Icahn's corporate coup, which has raised hostilities to a palpable level. After raiding the board, Icahn (strongly) suggests Yahoo do away with its severance package proposal, a suggestion that earned him a strongly worded reply from chairman of the board Roy Bostock.
Yahoo Goes Announcement Crazy
Yesterday, Yahoo issued seven, count'em seven, press releases and one early this morning. The subjects ranged from Sue Decker's outline of Yahoo's advertising future, to several new partnerships, to the aforementioned letter from Bostock. Here is a summary of those announcements.
Wal-Mart Turns Smiley Face Toward Yahoo
Walmart.com will be one of the first participants in Yahoo's forthcoming AMP ad network, allowing Yahoo to handle display and video advertising for the world's largest retailer.
Yahoo Unveils Circular Logic
ShopLocal will convert local print ads into Web ads for Yahoo, pushing out local deals toward 140 million monthly US visitors. For local vendors and national vendors, this could be huge.
CBS Has Its Eye On Yahoo
The CBS Audience Network joined up with Yahoo to distribute programming across Yahoo's network. Combined with other partners like Fox and NBC, that gives Yahoo a reach of 92% of the US-based market.
Even with the smoke far from clearing, Yahoo conducts business as usual—or perhaps arguably has been more aggressive because of it—by unveiling a swath of new partnerships with major media players and a new program called Yahoo! Circular. Powered by ShopLocal, Yahoo! Circular aims to apply the concept of Sunday newspaper ad inserts online, allowing for locally targeted coupons and sale advertisements across the Yahoo network.
This network, which now includes content and partnerships with Walmart.com, Havas Digital, major television networks NBC, CBS, and Fox, and 779 US newspapers as part of the company's Newspaper Consortium, many of whom will be early adopters of Yahoo's upcoming AMP! ad network, which the company claims will simplify the ad buying and selling process. As a result of all this wheeling and dealing, Yahoo claims a reach of over 90 percent of the US-based web audience.
Yahoo President Sue Decker complained in a conference keynote yesterday that all of the focus on Microsoft and the ensuing drama has taken attention away from the bold moves Yahoo is still making. We'd argue that seven announcements in one day will dilute the significance of those moves, too, but hey, it's not our company.
So without further ado, here's a roundup of what Yahoo's been up to this week, which is a lot.
The Yahoo/Microsoft/Icahn Drama Intensifies
Though Microsoft balked at $37 per share, the new magic number could be $42, if Mr. Softy decides to swagger back to the negotiating table. That of course may depend on the success of Icahn's corporate coup, which has raised hostilities to a palpable level. After raiding the board, Icahn (strongly) suggests Yahoo do away with its severance package proposal, a suggestion that earned him a strongly worded reply from chairman of the board Roy Bostock.
Yahoo Goes Announcement Crazy
Yesterday, Yahoo issued seven, count'em seven, press releases and one early this morning. The subjects ranged from Sue Decker's outline of Yahoo's advertising future, to several new partnerships, to the aforementioned letter from Bostock. Here is a summary of those announcements.
Wal-Mart Turns Smiley Face Toward Yahoo
Walmart.com will be one of the first participants in Yahoo's forthcoming AMP ad network, allowing Yahoo to handle display and video advertising for the world's largest retailer.
Yahoo Unveils Circular Logic
ShopLocal will convert local print ads into Web ads for Yahoo, pushing out local deals toward 140 million monthly US visitors. For local vendors and national vendors, this could be huge.
CBS Has Its Eye On Yahoo
The CBS Audience Network joined up with Yahoo to distribute programming across Yahoo's network. Combined with other partners like Fox and NBC, that gives Yahoo a reach of 92% of the US-based market.
Viacom,Google On Collision Course
The ongoing dispute between Viacom and Google over the posting of copyrighted content on YouTube appears destined for the courtroom rather than the settlement table.
Editor's Note: After an exclusive interview with Viacom's legal team, David discovers that this case, unlike many other high profile/high dollar cases, seems destined for decision by the courts and not by settlement. The outcome of Viacom's case against Google/YouTube could have huge implications for the future of the Internet. Who do you think builds the stronger case? Let us know in the comments section.
As we dug a little more into the persistent kerfuffle between Viacom and Google over YouTube, we found little reason to expect a resolution of the case before next year, at the earliest. Google generally fights its battles in court, and Viacom believes the nature of its lawsuit against YouTube puts it in a stronger position to win.
Win what, you might wonder. Usage of content, including its reposting on the Internet, represents a way for people to share what they enjoy. Viacom told WebProNews that's not a problem, as long as a site purchases a license to do that, as some have.
Not everyone has, of course, and that combined with the constant stream of uploading taking place created a situation where Internet users clash with old ideas about content and sharing. YouTube made it easy for the next generation to swap the 21st Century equivalent of the mix tape with others, but on a one-to-many rather than one-to-one basis.
The merits of fair use bear further discussion; we recommend Stanford and Darknet as a couple of places to look for more legal facts and for opinions, respectively.
Viacom's dispute with YouTube merits a small review, which we'll make an effort at delivering here. The suit originated with a six-count claim against YouTube's deep-pocketed purchaser, Google, in March 2007.
Viacom opened eyes with its billion dollar demand, one the company feels is justified based on the investment Google made to acquire YouTube. What started ostensibly as a place to share amateur videos taken with portable devices grew into a phenomenon; YouTube has become a fixture in modern society.
The mechanisms that make it easy to share video, Viacom said, also enable the rampant copyright infringement the media company believes it suffers in damages. Viacom attempted to assert punitive damages on top of its original claims, a motion Judge Louis Stanton in US District Court in New York (Southern District) denied in March 2008.
In Viacom's eyes, the infringement process works like this: Someone goes to YouTube and uploads a video. There's a copy of the work, as it is recoded into codecs that can be embedded and streamed elsewhere.
See that thumbnail of a copyrighted video? Display rights violation. Click the display to watch the video? Performance rights violation.
For Viacom to win out over YouTube, they only need to convince the court on one of the counts they claim. YouTube has to defend against everything.
Editor's Note: After an exclusive interview with Viacom's legal team, David discovers that this case, unlike many other high profile/high dollar cases, seems destined for decision by the courts and not by settlement. The outcome of Viacom's case against Google/YouTube could have huge implications for the future of the Internet. Who do you think builds the stronger case? Let us know in the comments section.
As we dug a little more into the persistent kerfuffle between Viacom and Google over YouTube, we found little reason to expect a resolution of the case before next year, at the earliest. Google generally fights its battles in court, and Viacom believes the nature of its lawsuit against YouTube puts it in a stronger position to win.
Win what, you might wonder. Usage of content, including its reposting on the Internet, represents a way for people to share what they enjoy. Viacom told WebProNews that's not a problem, as long as a site purchases a license to do that, as some have.
Not everyone has, of course, and that combined with the constant stream of uploading taking place created a situation where Internet users clash with old ideas about content and sharing. YouTube made it easy for the next generation to swap the 21st Century equivalent of the mix tape with others, but on a one-to-many rather than one-to-one basis.
The merits of fair use bear further discussion; we recommend Stanford and Darknet as a couple of places to look for more legal facts and for opinions, respectively.
Viacom's dispute with YouTube merits a small review, which we'll make an effort at delivering here. The suit originated with a six-count claim against YouTube's deep-pocketed purchaser, Google, in March 2007.
Viacom opened eyes with its billion dollar demand, one the company feels is justified based on the investment Google made to acquire YouTube. What started ostensibly as a place to share amateur videos taken with portable devices grew into a phenomenon; YouTube has become a fixture in modern society.
The mechanisms that make it easy to share video, Viacom said, also enable the rampant copyright infringement the media company believes it suffers in damages. Viacom attempted to assert punitive damages on top of its original claims, a motion Judge Louis Stanton in US District Court in New York (Southern District) denied in March 2008.
In Viacom's eyes, the infringement process works like this: Someone goes to YouTube and uploads a video. There's a copy of the work, as it is recoded into codecs that can be embedded and streamed elsewhere.
See that thumbnail of a copyrighted video? Display rights violation. Click the display to watch the video? Performance rights violation.
For Viacom to win out over YouTube, they only need to convince the court on one of the counts they claim. YouTube has to defend against everything.
You Got Pants,Facebook has People
Just because a social network is popular doesn't mean it's so easy to monetize, as News Corp. found out after its purchase of MySpace. Analysts have tried to extend MySpace's trouble to other social networks while balking at Facebook's $15 billion valuation. But after speaking with Facebook's Kent Schoen about the social network's fairly precise ad targeting, skeptics could be won over.
Editor's Note: After all the social media marketing hype, it's good to see a concrete example of what advertisers can do with a social network. With targeting, it may seem less like fishing and more like archery...erm, computer archery, because real archery's hard. Does this change your mind about Facebook's value, or the value of social media in general? Yes or no, tell us in the comments section.
Schoen, who serves as Facebook's product marketing manager, gave WebProNews a tour of the recently launched Facebook Ads program. The advantage of social media marketing over search marketing, Schoen tells us, is the advertiser's ability to connect with consumers over a longer period of time and in a more meaningful, targeted way.
"We know we're going to see a person the next day or the day after," said Schoen, which is a far cry from the one-hit-wonder world of search. Or, if you're not looking for just anybody to click your ad—as is likely to happen in the broader search ad world—you can target Facebookers based upon their stated interests or associations. "We've targeted people who work at Oracle in the past," Schoen gives as an example.
Facebook Ads is an auction system similar to AdWords. Advertisers bid on keywords with a maximum daily budget, or they can bid on CPM basis as well for display ads. Ads, based on contextual relevancy, will appear in various places on the site: in member news feeds, along the side of pages on the site, on user photo pages, et cetera.
But also, advertisers can select their target audience, down to the pants they wear. Bonobos, for example, a high-end men's pant retailer, makes a $120 pair of royal blue slacks with a white belt any man with a discerning and caring significant other would prevent him from buying. But Bonobos isn't targeting that guy, they're targeting Cubs fans*.
When Bonobos set up their account, they were able to select the target geographic location (Illinois), age group, gender, and education level. All this information, of course, is available via Facebook profiles. They then targeted specific keywords like Cubs, Chicago Cubs, and Baseball.
As you can see, this is a bit more specific than the large net one has to cast into the vast search ocean. This kind of targeting can be enhanced, of course, with widgets advertisers can create for Facebook. Schoen uses a coffee shop as an example of a business creating a calendar of events for their own page, upon which Facebook users can sign up as "fans" of the business, which also extends the brand.
The next step beyond this type of audience targeting for Facebook, then, seems fairly obvious: behavioral targeting. Schoen said that while there were no specific plans currently on the table regarding behavioral targeting, Facebook was still considering behavioral options as part of their long-term strategy.
*No offense to Bonobos or Cubs fans. Just teasing. Please no angry comments. Had they been targeting Kentucky Wildcat fans, I would have, fairly, taken that shot, too. ;-)
Editor's Note: After all the social media marketing hype, it's good to see a concrete example of what advertisers can do with a social network. With targeting, it may seem less like fishing and more like archery...erm, computer archery, because real archery's hard. Does this change your mind about Facebook's value, or the value of social media in general? Yes or no, tell us in the comments section.
Schoen, who serves as Facebook's product marketing manager, gave WebProNews a tour of the recently launched Facebook Ads program. The advantage of social media marketing over search marketing, Schoen tells us, is the advertiser's ability to connect with consumers over a longer period of time and in a more meaningful, targeted way.
"We know we're going to see a person the next day or the day after," said Schoen, which is a far cry from the one-hit-wonder world of search. Or, if you're not looking for just anybody to click your ad—as is likely to happen in the broader search ad world—you can target Facebookers based upon their stated interests or associations. "We've targeted people who work at Oracle in the past," Schoen gives as an example.
Facebook Ads is an auction system similar to AdWords. Advertisers bid on keywords with a maximum daily budget, or they can bid on CPM basis as well for display ads. Ads, based on contextual relevancy, will appear in various places on the site: in member news feeds, along the side of pages on the site, on user photo pages, et cetera.
But also, advertisers can select their target audience, down to the pants they wear. Bonobos, for example, a high-end men's pant retailer, makes a $120 pair of royal blue slacks with a white belt any man with a discerning and caring significant other would prevent him from buying. But Bonobos isn't targeting that guy, they're targeting Cubs fans*.
When Bonobos set up their account, they were able to select the target geographic location (Illinois), age group, gender, and education level. All this information, of course, is available via Facebook profiles. They then targeted specific keywords like Cubs, Chicago Cubs, and Baseball. As you can see, this is a bit more specific than the large net one has to cast into the vast search ocean. This kind of targeting can be enhanced, of course, with widgets advertisers can create for Facebook. Schoen uses a coffee shop as an example of a business creating a calendar of events for their own page, upon which Facebook users can sign up as "fans" of the business, which also extends the brand.The next step beyond this type of audience targeting for Facebook, then, seems fairly obvious: behavioral targeting. Schoen said that while there were no specific plans currently on the table regarding behavioral targeting, Facebook was still considering behavioral options as part of their long-term strategy.
*No offense to Bonobos or Cubs fans. Just teasing. Please no angry comments. Had they been targeting Kentucky Wildcat fans, I would have, fairly, taken that shot, too. ;-)
Who Owns Blog Comments
Here's a head-scratcher with a deceptively obvious answer: When a person comments on a blog or website, who owns, or owns the rights to, that comment? Is it the commenter or the blog/website publisher? It's a trickier question than you might think.
Editor's Note: What may come of this is a need for bloggers to have a posted policy regarding comments. Like with viewer submissions to TV shows, radio call-in programs, and letters to the editor, bloggers may have to forge a contract with commenters in order to reuse or repurpose blog comments. Um, if you don't mind us sharing ownership of your comments, let'er rip in the comments section.
The intuitive answer, an opinion shared by some prominent bloggers, is that once a commenter comments, they submit the comment with the knowledge they've lost control of that comment forever. Of course, there's more than one way to look at it, but there is also more than one platform (or publishing model) to consider, and at least a couple of legal aspects to explore.
A newspaper or magazine editor, for example, elects to publish response letters from readers. Not all responses are published, and thanks to some legal language, letter-writers are often informed they lose, to some extent, ownership of those letters.
In a sense, blog comments are similar. A blogger can elect not to publish a comment at all, or she can edit or delete a comment for various reasons. But there are stark differences, too. Most of the time, there is no written agreement about comments as there is with submitted letters. Another difference: Once a print publication publishes, the content can't be unpublished. Along some (strong) lines of logic, though this hasn't been fully tested in the legal system, this sense of permanency subjects print publishers to greater liability than digital publishers.
That, and the Communications Decency Act (so far) has protected bloggers from being liable for third party comments. Though they've tried, lawyers have had a tough time in court going after bloggers for something a commenter said. They have had more success in going after the commenter, if they can force identifying information from the blog host. This commenter liability would suggest a definite ownership of comments.
However, it could be argued also that a commenter no more owns his comment than a person quoted in an article "owns" his quote. (Quotation ownership, though, is perhaps a different animal altogether, and one that walks lines of ethics—or even attribution etiquette—more than legal ones.)
The idea of comment ownership reached the foreground last week in the form of a blogger spat between famed blogger Robert Scoble and Texas-based consultant and blogger Rob La Gesse. An argument that may have been unlikely a year or two ago came about because of microblogging/Web-conversation platform FriendFeed.
La Gesse, upon discovering his membership with FriendFeed meant Scoble's comments were transferred from his blog to a new location on FriendFeed where a new conversation could begin, deleted his FriendFeed account in order to keep the conversation closer to home. Upon doing so, Scoble's comments disappeared from FriendFeed altogether, a consequence La Gesse appears not to have intended. Scoble, offended by the deletion, protested by claiming he owned his comments and La Gesse didn't have the right to delete them from FriendFeed.
Though this case appears to be an issue with FriendFeed's user interface rather than La Gesse's defacto censorship, Scoble presented an entirely new debate about comment ownership. This prompted A-listers and new blogging platform pundits alike to weigh in.
Self-described original blogger Dave Winer decided both parties own the comments. "I decided that it's a mutual thing. I own the collection of comments on my blog, and you own the comments you've placed on my blog and all others. I should be able to back up a complete set of comments on my blog, and also back up a copy of all comments I've placed on all blogs."
Editor's Note: What may come of this is a need for bloggers to have a posted policy regarding comments. Like with viewer submissions to TV shows, radio call-in programs, and letters to the editor, bloggers may have to forge a contract with commenters in order to reuse or repurpose blog comments. Um, if you don't mind us sharing ownership of your comments, let'er rip in the comments section.
The intuitive answer, an opinion shared by some prominent bloggers, is that once a commenter comments, they submit the comment with the knowledge they've lost control of that comment forever. Of course, there's more than one way to look at it, but there is also more than one platform (or publishing model) to consider, and at least a couple of legal aspects to explore.
A newspaper or magazine editor, for example, elects to publish response letters from readers. Not all responses are published, and thanks to some legal language, letter-writers are often informed they lose, to some extent, ownership of those letters.
In a sense, blog comments are similar. A blogger can elect not to publish a comment at all, or she can edit or delete a comment for various reasons. But there are stark differences, too. Most of the time, there is no written agreement about comments as there is with submitted letters. Another difference: Once a print publication publishes, the content can't be unpublished. Along some (strong) lines of logic, though this hasn't been fully tested in the legal system, this sense of permanency subjects print publishers to greater liability than digital publishers.
That, and the Communications Decency Act (so far) has protected bloggers from being liable for third party comments. Though they've tried, lawyers have had a tough time in court going after bloggers for something a commenter said. They have had more success in going after the commenter, if they can force identifying information from the blog host. This commenter liability would suggest a definite ownership of comments.
However, it could be argued also that a commenter no more owns his comment than a person quoted in an article "owns" his quote. (Quotation ownership, though, is perhaps a different animal altogether, and one that walks lines of ethics—or even attribution etiquette—more than legal ones.)
The idea of comment ownership reached the foreground last week in the form of a blogger spat between famed blogger Robert Scoble and Texas-based consultant and blogger Rob La Gesse. An argument that may have been unlikely a year or two ago came about because of microblogging/Web-conversation platform FriendFeed.
La Gesse, upon discovering his membership with FriendFeed meant Scoble's comments were transferred from his blog to a new location on FriendFeed where a new conversation could begin, deleted his FriendFeed account in order to keep the conversation closer to home. Upon doing so, Scoble's comments disappeared from FriendFeed altogether, a consequence La Gesse appears not to have intended. Scoble, offended by the deletion, protested by claiming he owned his comments and La Gesse didn't have the right to delete them from FriendFeed.
Though this case appears to be an issue with FriendFeed's user interface rather than La Gesse's defacto censorship, Scoble presented an entirely new debate about comment ownership. This prompted A-listers and new blogging platform pundits alike to weigh in.
Self-described original blogger Dave Winer decided both parties own the comments. "I decided that it's a mutual thing. I own the collection of comments on my blog, and you own the comments you've placed on my blog and all others. I should be able to back up a complete set of comments on my blog, and also back up a copy of all comments I've placed on all blogs."
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