October 30, 2008
October 30, 2008
Yellowbook Launches G1 Mobile Application
Local business publisher Yellowbook has launched a new mobile application for the G1, the brand new Android-powered phone. Yellowbook already has apps for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm, and the iPhone.
If you want to download it to your phone, follow these instructions:
- Tap the Browser icon on the home page.
- Tap Go to URL.
- Enter yellowbook.com in the URL bar.
- Tap Go.
- Tap the pictures of the phones on the lower right side of the page.
- Expand the screen to view instructions for this phone, located at the top right.
- From your phone, TAP HERE to start the download process.
- Follow your phone prompts for downloading the application.
For more information on Yellowbook's mobile apps, visit http://www.yellowbook.com/iphone-windows-mobile-blackberry/.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
IAB Unveils New Workflow Improvement Initiatives
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has announced new initiatives aimed at improving workflows and best practices.
Here they are:
- E- Business Interactive Standards, a beta release of an XML-based solution for automating the transfer of business order information between advertising agencies and media companies. Beta testing partners will be implementing and refining this solution throughout 2009.
- Interactive Advertising Workflow Best Practices, a document that provides comprehensive process recommendations to agencies and publishers for improved communications and efficient operations throughout the entire lifecycle of an advertising campaign. The document's best practices focus on how to improve the management of advertising accounts by decreasing discrepancies, campaign set-up errors and billing cycles between advertising agencies and publishers. www.iab.net/workflow
- Digital Video Ad Serving Template (VAST), an XML-based solution designed to standardize communication between digital video players and servers. VAST allows publishers to increase digital video yield by utilizing ad networks to sell unsold inventory and reduce friction with buyers by allowing third-party ad tags
- Ad Load Performance Best Practices, a document that details how agencies and publishers should develop and serve digital advertising campaigns to reduce load time for ads and improve their performance. www.iab.net/adload
- Best Practices for Rich Media Ads in Asynchronous Ad Environments, a solution that establishes a standard set of rich media implementation rules for rich media ad vendors, creative development teams, and publishers when serving ads into dynamic environments.
“These initiatives will revolutionize our industry by improving efficiencies in the interactive business—which means growth for publishers, for agencies and for marketers who will now reach their customers even more effectively,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB.
What do you think of these initiatives? Let us know in the comments.
Related Reading:
Internet Advertising Up 15.2% for the First Half of 2008
Online Publishers Turning to Ad Networks to Sell Unused Inventory
Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
New AOL.com Launches; Due Diligence on Yahoo Merger Reported
When I read that AOL.com launched a new homepage, I naturally hopped on over there to see what the new look, um, looked like. It looked the same, except with dark blue trim and web 2.0 stripes in the background for good measure.
Otherwise, it still holds the same basic design as....Yahoo. I then came across a story by Reuters which says Yahoo and AOL are conducting "due diligence" on a possible (probable?) merger by the two web companies. I was not at all surprised.
Something else to know about the new AOL is that it incorporates a new social element.
What the new feature allows you to do is sign into social networks like Facebook and Bebo directly from the homepage.This is a smart move and will blend nicely with Yahoo's push toward open source should the merger occur.
“As the Web becomes more fragmented, consumers want choice and relevance in their Web experiences. AOL.com is the first traditional big portal to offer access to popular social networking sites all in one place,” said Bill Wilson, Executive Vice President, AOL Programming. “Now consumers can connect with their numerous networks and information sources all from AOL.com. We have already seen success by opening up AOL.com to other e-mail providers. We will continue to enhance the appeal of our portal with the changes we are making today by adding more relevant programming, customization opportunities, greater integration of third party content, improved design and access to social networks directly from AOL.com."
Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
14.5 Million People in the U.K. Visited at Least One Blog
comScore released a study today that found 14.5 million people in the U.K. visited at least one blog in August, representing 41% of the total U.K. Internet audience.
“Blogs have become part of the essential fabric of the Internet today,” Herve Le Jouan, Managing Director of comScore Europe said in a press release. “They live and breathe in real-time, helping quench media consumers' thirst for the most up-to-date breaking news, information, and analysis. It should not, therefore, be particularly surprising that they're increasingly displacing traditional media usage and carving out an ever-increasing slice of the online advertising pie,” he added.
Two of the most popular blogs in the U.K. are gadget blogs: Engadget.com, which ranked as the top individual blog in August with 243,000 visitors, and Gizmodo.com, which ranked third with 223,000 visitors. UnrealityTV.co.uk (225,000 visitors), Kotaku.com (210,000 visitors), and Metafilter.com (207,000 visitors) rounded out the top five.
According to the comScore Segment Metrix H/M/L service, which looks at online activity by heavy, medium and light users of the Internet, heavy blog users were 142% more likely than the average Internet user to visit a site in the "humour" category, a testament perhaps to the sharp wit often associated with blogging. They are also likely to be tech savvy, which can be seen by their skew in visiting technology news categories.
I've met a couple of "heavy" blog users in the U.K. -- who weigh 38 stone between them. ;-)
Seriously, blogs are big in old Blighty. If you check out the agenda for SES London 2009, which has already been posted, you'll see there will be a session on Feb. 18, 2009, on "SEO Through Blogs and Feeds." And, who -- you may ask -- is responsible for that?
Search Engine Strategies London 2009 is organized and hosted by world-renowned search authority Mike Grehan. As you can see below, I interviewed Mike back at SES London 2008. And you can detect some of that "humour" and tech savvy that comScore just reported, although there is no way that Mike weighs more than 14 stone. But, of course, I'm just guessing.
Mike Grehan, Acronym, on SES London 2008
Posted by Greg Jarboe on 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Live Search Implements Instant Answers Into Search Results
We know that searchers want answers, and there are plenty of answer sites out there to fuel their curiosity. Now, Microsoft's Live Search team is including some answers in their search results.
Encyclopedia, Traffic and Horoscope information will now display answers within results. For example, you can type in the question "How tall is Mount Everest?" and get the answer in the results.
I think search marketers will be happy about this. If you're trying to sell a product, it can be frustrating when people come to your site who have no intention of buying anything.
The Live Search team says even more answers will be included in the future.
What do you think about the update? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
SEW Experts: Use Humor for Link Marketing
Humor is a great form of content that will give people a reason to link to your content, and help it spread virally. The challenge for most sites is coming up with something funny. In today's linkbuilding column, "Use Humor for Link Marketing," Justilien Gaspard offers some ideas that can be used by everyone, regardless of the size of your marketing budget.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
SEW Experts: Trick or Tweet for CNN
Social media is revolutionary. It allows CNN anchor Rick Sanchez to have a relationship with 30,000 people, and make a connection with them that can translate to other media. In today's building brand equity column, "Trick or Tweet for CNN," Erik Qualman explains that companies need to relinquish the total control they've had and allow users, consumers, viewers, etc. to take their rightful ownership.
Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
