October 4, 2009 - October 10, 2009
Wake Up! - The FTC is screwing with bloggers
If you are a blogger in the US your life is about to change big-time.
You have just entered the Twilight Zone...
New FTC guidelines (read full version) described in the official press release state:
1 - "the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service."
and
2 - the revised Guides reflect Commission case law and clearly state that both advertisers and endorsers may be liable for false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement - or for failure to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers. The revised Guides also make it clear that celebrities have a duty to disclose their relationships with advertisers when making endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media."
My reading of this is very disturbing.
Here is a possible scenario:
- You - a "social media" "celebrity" "blogger" (this is anyone who has more than a few followers on Twitter or some number of subscribers to their blog RSS feed) reviews a book, product, or service - making it an "endorsement"
- You got a copy of the book to review, or got a free trial of the product, or a free trial of the service
- You did not mention the freebie in your blog post
- If someone does not like your blog posting you can be sued
To try to regulate bloggers as if they were professional journalists or compensated endorsements is asinine (incidentally - these guidelines do not apply to professional journalists!) The FTC is trying a land-grab into Internet regulation so they can extend their bureaucratic tentacles and justify their continued existence and funding. All of this is being done under the slogan of their official tagline "Protecting America's Consumers". This of course begs the questions - "from whom?"
This is a screwy world we live in, but the whole premise of blogging on the Internet is predicated on the notion that anyone can have frank and open discussions about any topic of their choosing. Most bloggers do not get paid and do not make any money directly or indirectly from their blogging efforts. They try to build their reputation and disseminate information that their followers may find useful. They never claim to be "objective" and often hold very strong, peculiar, and very personal opinions.
It has always been "buyer beware" on the Internet. I don't think anyone needs to be reminded that we should carefully consider the source and reputation of any information that we encounter online. We certainly don't need a chilling effect on the whole online conversation from a huge government agency.
It is ironic that this is happening under the direction of a man who was elected with the strong support of the Internet community and specifically active social media leaders. Unfortunately typical liberal-leaning tendencies are also to regulate people's lives via the government in order to protect them against unscrupulous big-business practices.
Don't get me wrong - frankly I don't care if the assault on individual liberties comes from the left or right (the four FTC commissioners who voted unanimously for the new guideline were all appointed by Bush). But I do care when big brother injects themselves into normal Internet discourse this heavy-handedly.
Fight this unconstitutional over-reach - these are simply regulations from unelected bureaucrats within the executive branch.
Let's make our voices heard and protect the First Amendment and our ability to have unfettered discourse without fear of lawsuits online.
BTW - no one paid me to "endorse" this position on the new FTC regulations - I guess that my butt is now legally covered (at least for this blog post).
Posted by Tim Ash on October 10, 2009, 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Patent Issued to Local.com for Enhanced Directory Assistance Services
Local.com has received a new patent for an Enhanced Directory Assistance (EDA) Services method and system. In a statement, Local.com described the patent, number 7,596,218, as:
Issued on September 29, 2009, the patent describes a system and method for maintaining a dynamic index for a telephone directory assistance system. The system enables advertisers to dynamically control whether a listing - and/or one or more of a keyword index, a localization index, and a position control index - associated with the advertiser is included in an EDA request, and in what position the associated listing is returned in response to the request.
Local.com hopes the new patent will provide additional revenue opportunities.
"Local.com has a patent that covers an important monetization opportunity in this burgeoning market, and it is complementary to our existing local search patents. We look forward to expanding our relationships with companies in order to deliver monetization of innovative new products and services to this marketplace," said Heath Clarke, Chairman and CEO, Local.com.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2009, 6:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Custom Search Now Available for Google Sites
If you use Google Sites to publish websites, you now have Google Custom Search as an option for your site. Here's the steps you need to follow:
- Login to your Google Site
- Click the "More Actions" dropdown menu, then select "Manage Site"
- On the lefthand Navigation menu, choose "Site Layout." Click "Configure Search"
- In the "Configure site search" section, click the "Advanced" tab. Then, click the "Add provider" button.
- Login to the Custom Search control panel in another tab or window.
- Copy the URL for the search engine you want to use. Paste it back in the Add Provider section in step number 4. Name the search option, leave the Show Results option checked.
- Click OK.
- Change your default provider in the "General" tab under the "Configure site search" dialog and selecting your new setup.
- Save.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2009, 6:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Yahoo! Search Filters Now Shows Sponsored Ads
If you're conducting a search on Yahoo! and use one of the filters on the left hand side to narrow your search, you may now see Sponsored Ads. The ads will appear on filtered results for selected sites who are also Yahoo! advertisers. Here's an example.
Let's say you're searching for "argyle sweater." You filter the results by JC Penney. The ad that JC Penney placed for the larger "argyle sweater" search will also appear in the filtered search that display only pages from the company's website.
This won't change the bidding for placement in the original, broader search. But the competition will be nixed, once the filter is in place.
How do you get your site listed as a filter? Yahoo! isn't revealing the secret sauce, but says it uses many factors including listings' quality, popularity and user response to determine which sites get the filter treatment.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2009, 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
No, Yahoo! and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are Not BFFs
This morning, ZDnet ran a surprising post that Yahoo! forked over 200,000 names to the Iranian government following the country's contentious elections this summer. The post seemed based on some very loose information, and I waited for the official rejection from Yahoo!
Said rejection has occurred on the Yodel Anecdotal blog. Blog editor Nicki Dugan emphatically denied the allegations:
The claims are false. Neither Yahoo! nor any Yahoo! representative has met with or communicated with Iranian officials regarding the matters referenced in the article, and Yahoo! has not disclosed user data to the Iranian government.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2009, 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
YouTube Now Serving More Than a Billion Views a Day
Chad Hurley, CEO and Co-founder of YouTube, today posted an item to the Official YouTube Blog with the criptic headline, "Y,000,000,000uTube."
He said, "Three years ago today, Steve and I stood out in front of our offices and jokingly crowned ourselves the burger kings of media." He added, "Today, I'm proud to say that we have been serving well over a billion views a day on YouTube."
According to comScore Video Metrix, 120.5 million Americans watched nearly 10 billion videos on YouTube.com in August 2009. That 82.6 videos per viewer a month.
According to comScore qSearch, Americans conducted 9.4 billion searches on Google in August 2009.
Yep, the numbers are right. There are more videos being watched on YouTube than there are searches being conducted on Google in the United States.
So, why is YouTube perhaps the most underrated marketing channel in the country?
Back on July 20, 2009, the YouTube Biz Blog did a little myth busting. I think the post provides insight into the reasons why the world's most popular online video community is the Rodney Dangerfield of marketing.
Myth 1: YouTube is limited to short-form user-generated content. YouTube has thousands of premium content partners, from Sony to Disney to Universal Music, and fans can find hundreds of full-length feature films and thousands of full-length TV episodes on YouTube. Hey, even Hulu has a channel on YouTube.
Myth 2: YouTube videos are grainy and of poor quality. YouTube launched HD videos less than a year ago and YouTube already has more HD videos than any other video site. Hundreds of thousands of HD videos are uploaded to the site every month, and tens of millions are viewed every day. Check out Where the Hell is Matt? (2008), if you need to see an example.
Myth 3: Traffic, growth, and uploads are bad for YouTube's bottom line. This may look like a threat to a Wall Street analyst, but it is a opportunity to a marketer. The truth is that all YouTube's infrastructure was built from scratch, which means models that use standard industry pricing are too high when it comes to bandwidth and similar costs. And marketers should focus on where their prospect are going day in and day out, not what keeps Wall Street analaysts up at night.
Myth 4: Advertisers are afraid of YouTube. You may be still be afraid, but more than 70% of Ad Age Top 100 marketers ran campaigns on YouTube in 2008. They're buying YouTube's home page, Promoted Videos, overlays, and in-stream ads. Many are organizing contests that encourage the uploading of user videos to their brand channels, or running advertising exclusively on popular user partner content. Watch my interview with YouTube Product Manager at SES New York about YouTube's Insight and Sponsored videos.
YouTube Product Manager, Matthew Liu on YouTube's Insight and Sponsored videos at SES NY 2009
Myth 5: YouTube is only monetizing 3-5% of the site. This oft-cited statistic is old and wrong. Monetized views have more than tripled in the past year, as YouTube has added partner content very quickly and has done a better job of promoting their videos across the site.
If you want to learn more about the opportunity that YouTube represents, you can attend the session entitled, "YouTube & Video Optimization," at SES Chicago 2009.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 9, 2009, 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Google's Brin Defends Book Settlement in New York Times Op-Ed
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has taken to the editorial pages of the New York Times to pen a defense of his company's book settlement. Struck a year ago, the settlement recently went into renegotiations after much opposition from various groups complaining to the Department of Justice.
Much of the opposition has surrounded the concern that the settlement would give Google some exclusive rights. Google has maintained that authors would be free to negotiate with other online entities as well. Brin reiterated that defense in his Op-Ed:
Some have claimed that this agreement is a form of compulsory license because, as in most class action settlements, it applies to all members of the class who do not opt out by a certain date. The reality is that rights holders can at any time set pricing and access rights for their works or withdraw them from Google Books altogether. For those books whose rights holders have not yet come forward, reasonable default pricing and access policies are assumed. This allows access to the many orphan works whose owners have not yet been found and accumulates revenue for the rights holders, giving them an incentive to step forward.Others have questioned the impact of the agreement on competition, or asserted that it would limit consumer choice with respect to out-of-print books. In reality, nothing in this agreement precludes any other company or organization from pursuing their own similar effort. The agreement limits consumer choice in out-of-print books about as much as it limits consumer choice in unicorns. Today, if you want to access a typical out-of-print book, you have only one choice -- fly to one of a handful of leading libraries in the country and hope to find it in the stacks.
Brin closed his editorial with a reminder that books and libraries throughout history have been destroyed. He made an impassioned plea to preserve books online, so that further destruction can be avoided.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2009, 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Bipartisan Group Calls for FCC Probe into Google Voice Restricted Calls
Recently, AT&T openly criticized Google for blocking calls on its Voice product. Long-distance carriers such as AT&T are prohibited by law from restricting calls to higher-cost areas. Google responded by saying that Voice is an internet-based application and therefore exempt from the law.
Now, a group of Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are asking FCC to investigate Google Voice's call restrictions. The FCC is already probing the rejection of a Google Voice application for Apple's iPhone, which is only available through AT&T. Thus far, Apple has informed the FCC that it has not officially rejected the Google Voice app, while Google has said that the app was indeed rejected by the powers that be in Cupertino. AT&T was not cited at fault by either party.
This week, AT&T announced that it would allow VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) applications to work over its data network.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 9, 2009, 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Eye Tracking Without The Eyes - AttentionWizard.com Beta
Eye tracking studies can be a very valuable tool that can help identify significant problems with your website or landing page. Unfortunately eye tracking requires expensive and specialized hardware and software to be used, and live test subjects to observe and measure.
In-page Web analytics can also provide detailed heatmaps of people's clicking and scrolling behavior. But these also require the landing page to be properly tagged and measure the behavior of real site visitors. This data takes time to collect and can only be gathered from "live" pages.
Recent advances in the study of computational attention and human visual processing now offer a new and exciting alternative. Computer algorithms can be used to simulate where people will look during the first few seconds of interacting with your site and create a detailed attention heatmap of your landing page.
This approach has several advantages:
- Instant results - upload an image of the landing page and get your answer
- High degree of accuracy - 75%+ correlation with eye tracking and mouse tracking
- Works with page mock-ups - can be used with in-progress mock-ups before the page goes live
SiteTuners.com has recently announced the launch of a FREE private beta program (limited to the first 5000 sign-ups) for it new AttentionWizard.com visual attention simulation tool. Free daily heatmaps will be available for all participants for the length of the beta program. A paid version with per-image based pricing is expected by Q1 2010 for individuals, companies, and interactive agencies.
Posted by Tim Ash on October 8, 2009, 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
MapQuest Embeddable Sharing Map; Launches Voice-Guided iPhone App
MapQuest has a couple of big announcements this week. First up, their new GeoRSS Embeddable Maps allow web publishers to add maps to their sites that feature locations they wish to share. Let's say you have a blog about coffee. Perhaps you create a map sharing your favorite local coffee shops.
The GeoRSS Embeddable Maps work with online services that provide a feed of location data. Such services include sites like Flickr, Yelp, Brightkite or When.com.
Next up is a new iPhone app. The app features voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions. The app also optimizes routes, taking into account things like traffic and construction.
It's not cheap compared to most apps, but compared to other navigation apps (or buying a GPS gadget), it's a good deal. After a 14-day trial for 99 cents, you'll have to shell out $3.99 a month, $9.99 for three months, or $29.99 for three months.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 8, 2009, 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Yahoo! Snags Sales Exec from Microsoft
Per Boomtown, Seth Dallaire has joined Yahoo! as vice president of mid-market sales, a new position. Dallaire will be responsible for mid-market search and display ad sales. Dallaire was previously a top ad exec at Microsoft.
This past year, the trend has been Yahoo!s jumping ship for Microsoft. Qi Lu, Sean Suchter, and Scott Moore are among the many former Purple People now working hard for the money at the Redmond-based software giant.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 8, 2009, 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Flu Wars: Microsoft's New H1N1 Site, Google Flu Trends Expands
The good news about companies competing to get information about the flu out to the public is that said public now has abundant resources to stay informed. Microsoft and Google are both promoting their flu sites this week; here's the lowdown:
Microsoft launched an H1N1 site this week. Check it out at http://www.h1n1responsecenter.com. The site helps people assess their symptoms to see if they meet H1N1 criteria.
"If current estimates are correct, many emergency departments across the nation could be overwhelmed by two groups of patients -- those who have H1N1 and those who believe they have H1N1," said Angela Gardner, M.D., FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
"By providing an at-home tool that can help users evaluate whether they need to see a provider before they head to the hospital, we can encourage those who are severely ill or at risk for serious illness to contact their doctor, and reassure everyone else that it is safe and prudent to recover at home," Dr. Arthur Kellermann, professor of emergency medicine and an associate dean of the Emory School of Medicine.
Keeping the infected and uninfected separated is crucial to preventing the spread of the H1N1 flu.
"This will reduce the number of people needlessly exposed to H1N1 influenza in crowded clinic and ER waiting rooms, and allow doctors and nurses to focus their attention on those who need them most."
Meanwhile, Google has expanded their flu trends to include 16 additional countries. The site, which launched last November, is now available in 37 different languages. Google says that it does not use popular terms such as the colloquial "swine flu" because many searchers are simply looking it up due to news headlines. Instead, Google uses CDC data to corroborate flu-related search terms. In countries, such as Mexico, where they do not have historical data, they use seasonality to help determine relevant searches. They've also labeled such efforts as "experimental" since they're based purely on search.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 8, 2009, 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Twitter Talking With Google, Microsoft About Data Sharing
Kara Swisher at the Wall Street Journal has reported Twitter is in discussions with Google and Microsoft about allowing the two search engines access to their data.
"Twitter is in advanced talks with Microsoft and Google separately about striking data-mining deals, in which the companies would license a full feed from the microblogging service that could then be integrated into the results of their competing search engines," Swisher reported.
The impact of this has to be questioned and why Twitter would give up a core element of their potential income.
If we go back to the internal Twitter documents released by TechCrunch, there are some interesting possibilities and underlying thoughts from Twitter's perspective that could be worked into the process.
Twitter recognizes that "Google could kick our ass at finding the good tweet". But the engines are supposedly going to add tweets into the search results - thus giving Twitter greater exposure and the potential for rapid increases in sign ups. Is that part of Twitter's plan?
Two comments may suggest Twitter is not about to give away the store in these deals. "Google is old hat" may show a little arrogant - but hopefully not an underestimation of the search giant. While their thoughts "Can we do to Google what Google has done to others" shows they are aware of potential risks.
Twitter seems to be looking for a licensing deal - like Microsoft did with the PC companies - which could be a very smart play on their part. They would get part of ad revenue it has been suggested - given no one from any of the parties involved are commenting yet this is all speculation - but since the results would be placed into the organic results, exactly how that ad share will be determined should be interesting. Hopefully they are not thinking of adding search ads into their own layout.
They are aware that this will be done through their API and that they have to be very careful in mapping out the licensing process.
This is a development that will be watched by many people and not only those in our industry. How it plays out could be a major impact on the future of the web.
Posted by Frank Watson on October 8, 2009, 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
6 Google Stories for Wednesday, October 7, 2009
There was a ton of news about Google today (in addition to the two [see here and here] we've already covered today), so let's dive right in:
Search Options was released on the mobile version of web search for Android, iPhone, and Palm WebOS. By the way, that's the second time in a week where a mobile update is for those three types of devices. Blackberry and Nokia phones are noticeably missing while omitting Windows Mobile is no real surprise.
Google Maps released a major update, with improved details for parks, bike paths, and college campuses.
The Google Webmaster Central team is proposing new standards for making AJAX sites crawlable.
PDFs in Google's search results are getting the "Quick View" treatment. Since July, Google has added the option, which is based on the same technology used in Google docs, to 50% of the PDFs in their index.
Google is testing Cloudboard, as pointed out by a great post over at Google Operating System. Cloudboard is an online clipboard that would enable copying between Google services including GMail and Google docs.
Google held a press conference today (a response to Microsoft Open House?) and mostly told reporters a bunch of stuff we all already know. Here are a couple of tidbits that stood out: They talked up the new Verizon agreement to sell Android mobile phones. They said the prices publishers set for their own content don't affect SERPs but that traffic could indicate which content is more relevant for searchers. Otherwise, it was your regular Google stuff - defending their book settlement (which they're re-negotiating), defending their luxurious culture in a recession, and how they're good not evil (like Microsoft is, don't ya know?!).
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 7, 2009, 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Twitter User Arrested For Helping Pittsburgh Protesters Evade Police
A New York man was arrested for assisting protesters at the Pittsburgh G20 Summit to evade police by sending out Twitter messages, the guardian.co.uk reported.
The police were monitoring Twitter messages of protesters, the online newspaper noted.
Elliot Madison, 41, from Queens, and Michael Wallschlaeger, 46, were tracked to the Carefree Inn motel in Pittsburgh, though the newspaper reported Madison was arrested at his home.
"The pair were found sitting in front of a bank of laptops and emergency frequency radio scanners. They were wearing headphones and microphones and had many maps and contact numbers in the room.
Official police documents allege the two men used Twitter messages to contact protesters at the summit "and to inform the protesters and groups of the movements and actions of law enforcement," the newspaper reported.
An interesting use of Twitter by both sides - guess the protesters should have been more aware of the possibility the police could also have access to the communications - obviously they were not using direct messaging.
Guess the authorities in Iran had not thought of this.
Posted by Frank Watson on October 7, 2009, 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
This Breaking News Just In - The Meta Keywords Tag is Still Dead!
At SMX East this week, Cris Pierry, the Senior Director of Yahoo! Search, surprised everyone by saying that Yahoo! had stopped supporting the Meta Keywords Tag several months ago.
Google has never supported the Meta Keywords Tag and Bing doesn't support it, either.
So, I think I can safely say, "The Meta Keywords Tag is still dead."
Actually, the first to notice that it had died was Andrew Goodman of Traffick, who declared way back on my September 2, 2002, "An End to Metatags (Enough Already, Part 1)". He observed, "If somebody would just declare the end of the metatag era, full stop, it would make it easier on everyone."
On October 1, 2002, Danny Sullivan, provided a second opinion in Search Engine Watch in "Death of A Meta Tag." He declared, "In my opinion, the meta keywords tag is dead, dead, dead."
Nevertheless, Inktomi and then Yahoo! Search continued to support the meta keywords tag, so some search engine optimizers continued using it, although it didn't have significant impact.
Time passed, Sullivan left Search Engine Watch to start Search Engine Land and Search Marketing Expo, and way too many search engine optimizers continued using the Meta Keywords Tag because there's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.
But, now Pierry has officially notified the next of kin.
So, I think the entire search industry can stop using the Meta Keywords Tag -- just as Chevy Chase has stopped saying, "This breaking news just in - Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"
I can't wait to tell the public relations agencies and PR departments that don't want to include keywords in their headline or lead paragraph. They mistakenly think that their newswire can automatically sprinkle Meta Keywords Tags over an unedited press release like pixie dust and magically optimize it for Google News or Yahoo! News.
I've long recommended using top search keywords in headlines and at least the first 100 words of optimized press releases. However, since Yahoo! News paid even minor attention to the Meta Keywords Tag, just as Yahoo! Search did, it was hard to get some to change their behavior.
Even those who realized that top search keywords actually need to appear high up in very visible locations, had trouble dealing with the death of the Meta Keywords Tag. They would go through the five stages of grief described in the book by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, "On Death and Dying." They are:
1. Denial (This isn't happening to me!)
2. Anger (Why is this happening to me?)
3. Bargaining (I promise I'll be a better person if...)
4. Depression (I don't care anymore.)
5. Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes.)
But, now I can stay the meta keywords tag is dead, dead, dead.
And now, as a public service to those of our viewers who have difficulty with their hearing, I will repeat the top story of the day, aided by Senior Vice President of content for Search Engine Watch, ClickZ, and Search Engine Strategies, Mike Grehan.
Greg Jarboe: "Our top story tonight.."
Mike Grehan: [ screaming ] "Our top story tonight..!"
Greg Jarboe: "..The Meta Keywords Tag.."
Mike Grehan: [ screaming ] "..The Meta Keywords Tag..!"
Greg Jarboe: "..is still dead."
Mike Grehan: "..is still dead!"
Greg Jarboe: Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.
Mike Grehan: [ screaming ] Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow!
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 7, 2009, 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Google Tests Homepage That's Even More Minimalistic
Over at TechCrunch, a reader tipped them to a new test by Google - to go even more minimalistic on their homepage. The test involves hiding everything on the homepage, save for the Google logo and the search box.
The links for Advertising Programs, Business Solutions, etc. are apparently still there, but unnoticed unless you mouseover them.
The buttons for "Google Search" and "I'm Feeling Lucky" are removed completely, however.
As this is just a test, only a small amount of users will see it. It will be interesting to see if Google goes even more white space in the future.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 7, 2009, 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Yahoo!: We Still Care About Search and Here's How
Yahoo! is addressing the post-Microsoft search deal sentiment that they've given up on search. Over on their Search Marketing blog, they're talking about things to come in the paid search space.
Rich Ads in Search - Yahoo! says their initial tests have improved click-through rates as much as 25%. This month, they'll expand rich ads in search to large brand advertisers. If you do get access, it's ultimately the conversion rate that matters the most, so keep that in mind.
Ad Delivery Report - Launched last month, the report allows you to see which ads appear on partner sites. It also allows you to block sites that aren't converting well for you.
New Web Search - Just a couple of weeks ago, Yahoo! rolled out their new search. The biggest change was the UI, which featured a new 3 column look.
Network Distribution - Coming next year will allow you to separate bids for Yahoo! and partner channels.
Yahoo! Search Marketing Desktop - Also coming next year, this will allow you to manage search ad campaigns offline. The tool is currently in beta and if you're interested in testing it, you can sign up here.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 7, 2009, 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Google Webmaster Central Offers New Feature to Manage Duplicate Content Issues
The Google Webmaster Central team has developed a new feature to assist with duplicate content issues. It's called parameter handling and it allows you to tell Google what to ignore or pay attention to when it comes to indexing your site.
This is great for the SEO that doesn't have quick access to add code regarding duplicate content to a website. However, these parameters will be treated as "hints" by Google. Getting that code or URL rewrites into your website are still ultimately important.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2009, 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ask.com's New Deals Feature Highlights Bargains in a Tough Economy
The recession has people using coupons more than ever. SEW readers know that because we cover data on increased coupon usage. Now, there's another option for bargain-hunters.
Today, Ask.com launched a new feature for its web search called Ask Deals. It reduces the number of clicks that consumers typically employ to access online coupons and bargains. Ask uses 40 coupon feeds as well as indexing forums for breaking info on deals.
"In a tough economy and with the holidays approaching, Ask Deals arrives at just the right time for consumers as a one-stop shop for value. It's the answer our users are looking for, too, since searches for coupons on Ask.com have shot up almost 50 percent in 2009," said Scott Garell, President, Ask Networks.
Ask.com is incorporating their new Deals feature throughout their web search. If you type in a shopping search term, it will prompt you with search filters (see the right sidebar) that can help you find bargains.
If you type in a search term that contains a deal-finding word, you'll notice deals at the top of the search results.
Additionally, the main Deals page is a dynamic, full-fledged coupon portal with new deals featured everyday.
What do you think of Ask Deals? Share your first impressions by leaving a comment below.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2009, 2:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
IAB Report: Internet Advertising Down, Search Ads Up First Half 2009
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers have released their semiannual report on the state of Internet advertising. Overall Internet advertising in the first half of 2009 declined by 5.3% compared to the same period, coming in at $10.9 billion. However, search continues to ride out the economic downturn by increasing 1.7% to $5.15 billion.
"While the overall advertising market has continued to be impacted by current economic conditions, marketers are allocating more of their dollars to digital media for its accountability and because consumers are spending more of their leisure time online," said David Silverman, PwC Assurance partner.
The news is good for an industry that has weathered the current economic woes better than most - especially its traditional advertising predecessor.
"We are in one of the most difficult economic slumps in decades. Interactive is one of the advertising sectors that has been least affected," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "In recent years the digital revolution has driven a transformation of how consumers experience advertising and media. As the economy improves, we're confident that brands will devote an even greater share of their budgets to reaching consumers as they make interactive media a larger part of their lives."
Looksmart CEO Ted West agrees. I spoke with him following the release of the data to get his reaction to the findings.
"This is the first recessionary cycle the industry has experienced. We don't have the benefit of looking back of a tipping point and how things might bounce back," said West. "The stability of search points to the strength of adoption. When the recovery does occur, search will be a very strong beneficiary of that trend."
Because of that stability, online marketers can have confidence in maintaining their search marketing campaigns.
"I think that most search advertisers and their various agencies have developed a really sound base of experience and alternatives. I would continue to pursue those methods in selection and monitoring of keywords," advised West. "It's not a time to dramtically change. Search has proven to be productive."
West emphasized that consumers haven't left the internet, but when the conversions pick up again, search will benefit from that uptick.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 6, 2009, 1:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
FTC Sets New Guidelines for Blogger Endorsements and Word-of-Mouth Marketing
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued new regulations regarding blogger endorsements and word-of-mouth marketing campaigns. If a blogger is paid to do a review - either through money or product/service - said blogger must reveal said payment.
Ever been annoyed by posts in message boards that ended up being written by a company employee? The new guidelines crack down on such behavior as well.
The word-of-mouth guidelines don't just extend to employees. They involve anyone who has signed up for a word-of-mouth marketing program, such as a Street Team.
To be clear, bloggers can post paid endorsements and people can post in message boards and join street teams or similar efforts. But if there is a relationship between marketer and company, it must be disclosed. If you don't, get ready to pony up $11,000 when you're caught.
How it must be disclosed was not defined by the FTC. But, if you're a blogger, I recommend something like "Acme video game company sent me a free copy of this hot new game and here is my review."
Consumers like it when they know the relationship you have with the product you're pushing. If I had to guess, I'd say transparency begets loyalty.
However, the new guidelines opened up a can of grey areas the FTC needed to tackle. One such scenario is a blogger who already writes glowing reviews of Acme Video Game company. If all of a sudden, the blogger receives a free copy of a new video game and writes a review of the game, s/he needs to disclose the receipt of the game from Acme.
Another funky area of the new guidelines is the issue of liability if/when/should these regulations be enforced. If you're an advertiser engaged in digital public relations, reaching out to bloggers or word-of-mouthers, you could be liable if the endorsers make false or misleading claims about your product/service.
The FTC said that they would consider reasonable effort on the part of the advertiser to keep the endorsers in line. But then they offered up this scenario:
A skin care products advertiser participates in a blog advertising service. The service matches up advertisers with bloggers who will promote the advertiser's products on their personal blogs. The advertiser requests that a blogger try a new body lotion and write a review of the product on her blog. Although the advertiser does not make any specific claims about the lotion's ability to cure skin conditions and the blogger does not ask the advertiser whether there is substantiation for the claim, in her review the blogger writes that the lotion cures eczema and recommends the product to her blog readers who suffer from this condition. The advertiser is subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated representations made through the blogger's endorsement.
The blogger is also liable (in addition to any liability gained if the relationship was not disclosed). But the FTC says advertisers need to provide training and then keep a close eye on the ramblings of bloggers and other endorsers.
The guidelines should serve as a warning for companies hiring interns and other young people to head up your social media efforts. The FTC isn't really proposing anything here that isn't already frowned upon by the general public.
Sponsored blog posts are pretty easy to detect and kill reader loyalty. Many companies have had to repair damaged reputations after they engaged in blogging or forum posting efforts pretending to be random people when a PR effort was really transpiring.
Social media has always been best implemented under these guidelines unspoken rules. Use today's news as a means of lining up your core social media values with how consumers truly wish to interact with your company.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
eMarketer Report Says Keep Video Ads Short and Relevant
David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst, has just written new report entitled, "Marketing to the Online Video Audience."
Although online video viewership has never been higher and marketers are eager to reach this large and growing audience, many online video viewers dislike intrusive video ads -- even though they freely accept TV commercials.
Hallerman thinks this audience perspective can shift if marketers increasingly implement two key concepts.
First, he thinks they should focus on "making the length of video ads suitable to the length of content, so that they are not too pushy." Second, he believes they should also focus on "devoting resources to develop high-quality video creative that is well-targeted to the intended online audience."
"The Internet and TV audience are not one and the same," says Hallerman. "The Internet audience does not necessarily respond to the same ads in the same way they would after viewing them on TV."
For example, younger people are more comfortable than their older counterparts with online media, which can lead to higher levels of engagement. A drill-down look from Nielsen Online shows that audiences ages 30 and younger are more likely than older viewers to find online video advertising funny, emotionally touching and informative -- essential qualities for brand marketing.
The net-net: Keep it short and keep it relevant.
If you want more details, read the article, "Engaging Online Video Viewers," which was just posted on eMarketer.
You can also read more about this topic in my book, "YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day."
Back in the 1990s, I worked for William B. Ziff, Jr. He often said a special-interest magazine was a like a magnet and a screen: It attracted readers interested in a topic but also sifted out those who weren't as interested. This created an audience that endemic advertisers could reach cost-effectively, because a high percentage of readers were interested in their products.
Although it is still early days for online video advertising, it appears that viewers attracted to a video like Monty Python's Argument Clinic might also be interested in buying The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus on Amazon.com.
In fact, when Monty Python launched their YouTube channel in November 2008, not only did their YouTube videos shoot to the top of the most viewed lists, but their DVDs also quickly climbed to No. 2 on Amazon's Movies & TV bestsellers list, with increased sales of 23,000 percent.
You find this case study and plenty of other practical tips in my book. If you don't believe me, you can read Lee Odden's, "Review: YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day," on his Online Marketing Blog. Hey, if Odden says "You cannot afford to miss this story," then you probably shouldn't.
Or, if you'd like to have an argument, just let the receptionist know if you want to start with a five-minute argument or take a full course of 10 arguments.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 5, 2009, 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Wolfram Alpha to Host 'Homework Day' on October 21
Wolfram Alpha is reaching out to educators, students and parents to attend their first "Homework Day" on October 21, 2009. The day will feature a live, interactive webcast where founder Stephen Wolfram will answer questions submitted by the public. The event begins at noon CDT.
Here's what to expect from the event:
- Quick, step-by-step lessons that will give everyone the ability to use Wolfram|Alpha to tackle problems in a variety of subjects, including math, science, engineering, health and nutrition, English, history, economics, and many more
- Content and segments tailored to specific age groups
- Ideas and examples for how to make subjects like math and science more engaging and relevant to students
- Live interviews and demonstrations by educators who are already using Wolfram|Alpha in their classrooms
- Conversations with guest participants who will further discuss the role of technology in education
Those interested can visit http://homeworkday.wolframalpha.com/ to submit questions and videos about how they will incorporate Wolfram Alpha their lesson plans and homework.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
AdSense Now Available for Full HTML Mobile Sites
Many mobile devices are now featuring a full HTML web browsing experience. As a result, web developers have often created mobile sites that offer a richer experience than a page full of text links.
Google AdSense is now allowing publishers and web developers to use bigger ads than the typical tiny mobile display ads.
The AdSense team has developed a snippet of Javascript that's easy to embed on your mobile site that gives you more control over the ads displayed on your mobile site. If you're targeting all mobile devices or, for whatever reason, are unable to change your website, AdSense will detect the full HTML mobile browsers and serve up bigger ads for you.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Steve Ballmer Says Microsoft Search Acquisitions Unlikely
Steve Ballmer, after addressing Britain's CBI business lobby organization, said that search acquisitions were unlikely to be part of the strategy to knock Google off its rocker, according to Reuters.
The clarification came after a false press release last week announced an acquisition of Local.com by the software giant.
Local.com was quick to shoot down the news, with the following statement:
Local.com Corporation today commented that a false press release was issued that stated Local.com was being acquired by Microsoft. The company has not been acquired, nor is it in discussions with Microsoft about a potential acquisition.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Go to SES Berlin or SES Chicago for "Four Keynote Themes"
During the past three weeks, I've given you three great reasons for going to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. For those who want to catch up, they were "three key trends", "two early birds," and "a ranking in the top three."
This week, I'll focus on a fourth compelling reason -- and it isn't to hear "four calling birds."
You should plan to attend SES Berlin or Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009 to hear "four keynote themes."
Let's start with SES Chicago 2009, where there will be three keynote themes well worth hearing.
On Day 1, the opening keynote is being given by Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? He is associate professor and director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York's new Graduate School of Journalism. He is also consulting editor and a partner at Daylife, a news startup.
Jarvis writes about media, technology and business on his blog, BuzzMachine. A former TV critic for TV Guide and People magazine, as well as the creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly, he has also been assistant city editor and reporter for the Chicago Tribune and a reporter for Chicago Today.
"My keynote, like my book, isn't really about Google," says Jarvis. "It will be about the profound changes in the economy and society brought on by the Internet -- as seen through the success of the one company that has figured out and exploited them better than any other: Google."
Jarvis adds, "We'll have fun discussing the impact of search and the Google economy on every sector from media to advertising to restaurants to government.
On Day 2 of Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009, the keynote speaker is Peter Morville, author of the best-sellers Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become and Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites. He is also the President of Semantic Studios and blogs at findability.org.
During his keynote, Morville is expected to expand on the themes found in his published works, including the idea of findability and the importance of a navigable and friendly user interface.
"At SES Chicago, this will be my first opportunity to talk about ideas in my new book - about the future of search and discovery," says Morville. "In addition to exploring the relationships between information architecture, ambient findability, and search engine optimization, we'll also be covering mobile search, decision engines, augmented reality, and emerging technologies that will change the way we find everything from answers and articles to products and people."
On Day 3, the keynote speaker is Dan Siroker, the web entrepreneur known for leading the analytics team for the Barack Obama presidential campaign. He also served as the Deputy Director of New Media on the presidential transition team.
Siroker's team of software engineers and analysts were responsible for optimizing the effectiveness of the Obama campaign's online operations that ended up raising over half a billion dollars, registering over 2 million voters, and enabling 3 million phone calls to be made in the final four days of the campaign.
Before joining the Obama campaign, Siroker was a Product Manager for Google Chrome and, before that, he worked as a Product Manager for Google AdWords.
"SES Chicago is, of course, in the President's hometown, so I'm really looking forward to sharing the lessons my team and I learned during the Obama campaign and how these practices can be applied to any data-driven decision," says Siroker. "Whether you're a developer, designer or marketer, if you're building a product or selling an idea, you can use data to do it better."
The fourth keynote theme will be delivered by Bill Hunt, the President of Back Azimuth Consulting and co-author of the best selling book "Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site", who will be the opening keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies Berlin.
Hunt is currently on the Board of Directors of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization and writes Bill Hunt's Rants & Raves blog, which provides digital marketing commentary from a global marketing road warrior.
Hunt firmly believes that when we understand the searcher's intent, where a searcher is in the buying cycle or even understanding the type of search they are doing, advertisers can better intersect with the current demand for their type of products and services to increase sales. That's a keynote theme worth going to SES Berlin to hear.
Next week, we'll look at more reasons to go to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. In the meantime, keep singing "four keynote themes, three key trends, two early birds, and a ranking in the top three."
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 5, 2009, 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Google View Thru Tracking: Has Big Brother Been Watching
Google announced they are making view-through conversion tracking for banners on the Content Network last Wednesday. So if someone sees your banner on a publisher's site running AdSense and comes to your site within 30 days you can capture the conversion.
Ok we know they have always been able to know when the banner runs - it gets called from Google - but to be able to track if the people who saw the ad convert takes the loading of a cookie when the banner loads in the browser.
This seems a little intrusive and given Google noted they were testing this months ago so they could launch it - "Earlier this year, we mentioned our plans to improve the measurement of conversions for display advertising campaigns on the Google Content Network" - means they have been tracking people's activities for some time.
When it was a method of tracking numbers of clicks to number of conversions, you had the click and the load of a cookie based on the action, but to start tracking just from the banner being seen - while a boon to marketers calls privacy issues in to the mix.
The bigger question is how long has this tracking been in place and what type of information has been captured?
Posted by Frank Watson on October 4, 2009, 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
