Dec

Toronto web design tips: How to ensure your website is a well designed one – Part I

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Toronto web design tips: How to ensure your website is a well designed one – Part I

The first point for a good Toronto web design is that you must know how to keep content and the design elements on the website clutter free. It is certainly disturbing to see a webpage full of content and graphic elements, as it adds on to the confusion. There needs to be a lot of breathing space on a webpage, irrespective of whatever the purpose of the site be. One needs to create visual focal points wherein all the vital information is to be stored for the user to immediately see. The information, in case it is too much for the designer to give breathing space, must be organized into stanzas and pointers for the user to read easily.

Next, it is important that the content and the graphics/images complement each other. For instance, if the website is talking about marriages, one can’t have electric blue and funky green. The theme needs to be somewhat related to marriages and love, probably with white background and hues of pink and red. This adds on to the overall ambience and helps the user identify with what is being said on the site.

Third, images need to be optimized for faster downloads onto the user’s computer. Often, particularly in the case of flash based Toronto Web design , it is noted that the pictures take so long to download that the user reads the content and navigates away. This certainly does not leave a good impression on the user.

The next point deals with the text formatting. One must ensure that the text is place in a manner that the user only has to scroll downwards, if at all. Sideways scrolling is clearly a thing of the past and is very irritating. This is precisely the reason why newspapers and magazines have smaller articles that are formatted into thin lines. It helps the reader comprehend what is written in a better manner.

Sajid Ahmad is a renowned web designer who has worked with the who’s who in the international web design circuit both as a freelancer as well as a hired professional. As of now, he runs his own web design company, and writes on the importance of design for webmasters. For more info about Toronto Web design

Article from articlesbase.com

Nov

16

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Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

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Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

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Home Page > Internet > Internet Marketing > Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

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Posted: Oct 31, 2010 |Comments: 0

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Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

By: zakrzewski cimaglia

About the Author

With over 500 million users, Facebook is by far the greatest marketing arena online. But to take advantage of this amazing tool, it is always a good idea to get a head start on your competition and Buy Facebook Fans. Visit http://www.fbfansupply.com and claim 25 FREE FANS for tweeting about Facebook Fan Supply!

(ArticlesBase SC #3580317)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Taking Your Social Media Efforts to the Next Level – Part I

Social Media is here to stay. We:

â¢ Twitter, in 140 characters or less, what we are doing.
â¢ Post updates, pictures, movies and more in Facebook.
â¢ Answer questions and make connections in LinkedIn.
â¢ Blog and participate in other social media efforts.

What is the gain by these efforts? An increase in business? More Facebook Fans? Engaging customers?

First, let’s make sure you’re participating in social media. You company should be using some – if not all – of the following tools:

â¢ Facebook. There are currently over 300 million active accounts in Facebook. Individuals create Profiles. Businesses create Pages.

Task: Conduct a search for your competition in Facebook. Are they actively participating? How many Fans do they have?

â¢ Twitter. Keep your customers and clients up-to-date on your business’ daily activities, news, tips, service, help, FAQs, etc.

Task: Start a Twitter account and search for topics of interest to find people to follow. Observe and then participate.

â¢ LinkedIn. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, you need to start one today. Participating in the Answers section helps your status as an authority in your field.

Task: Create an Individual LinkedIn account and a Business account.

â¢ Blog. A must in today’s online efforts. If your company doesn’t have a blog, you need to start one. Now!

Task: Start a blog today.

â¢ YouTube. If YouTube were a search engine, it would be the second largest one behind Google. Your company should create a YouTube Channel for educational, promotional and sales videos.

Task: Search YouTube for videos in your industry.

Second, if your company is already participating in any of the above social media tools (or similar efforts), it’s time to take your company’s participation to the next level. This process is called “social media optimization.”

With Social Media Optimization (SMO), there are similar comparisons to SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Strategic SMO tactics can drive huge amounts of traffic to your website.

Ultimately, there are two primary goals with SMO:

â¢ When searching Google for your company name, brand, products, services, etc., all search results in the Top 10 should be either your company’s website (a result of SEO) or your social media pages/accounts (a result of SMO).

For example, your company’s Facebook Page, Twitter account, LinkedIn account, blog, and website pages should all be listed in the Top 10 search results in Google.

â¢ Customers and clients should be able to find your business in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., when searching by targeted keywords, events, brand, company name, etc.

For example, if you are a sheet metal supplier in Indiana, then potential customers should be able to find you through searches on the keyword “Indiana sheet metal suppliers”.

Of course, other goals could be customer service; handling complaints, etc. All-in-all, by participating in this space, you will be engaging with potential customers or with current customers.

So, where do you begin “optimizing” your SMO efforts? How do you take it to the next level and leave the social media 101 class in the dust? It starts with your company name, your brand name, your products and services and, more importantly, it begins with targeted keywords and content.

Remember whether you are in the B2C (Business to Consumer) industry or B2B (Business to Business) industry, all interactions are B2P (business to person). Social media allows your company to build stronger relationships with individuals to help grow business.

In Part II, we’ll get down to more specifics with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, etc. In the meantime, review your “

Â

Now Pay Close Attention –

Using your Facebook Fan Page to increase your business exposure and revenue is simpler than you’ve been told. Everyone with a facebook fan page faces the same two problems:

[Problem #1] How To Find Interested Facebook Users

[Problem #2] How To Bring Them To Become Your Fans

Facebook Fan Supply has been solving these two problems for hundreds of satisfied customers. The Facebook Fan Supply has been tried and tested and known to produce excellent results.

First: Click Here To Visit Facebook Fan Supply
Facebook Fan Supply always supplies REAL FANS targeted to your specific: Age Group, Keyword and Location.

Second: Order Your Facebook Fan Supply Package of 1,000; 2,000 or 5,000 Guaranteed Facebook Fans
Your new fans will arrive in 3 – 4 weeks and all fans are REAL FANS guaranteed to stick to your fanpage. Buy Facebook Fans today and boost your businesses online presence overnight.

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With over 500 million users, Facebook is by far the greatest marketing arena online. But to take advantage of this amazing tool, it is always a good idea to get a head start on your competition and Buy Facebook Fans. Visit http://www.fbfansupply.com and claim 25 FREE FANS for tweeting about Facebook Fan Supply!

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Using Social Media as Part of a SEO Campaign

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Using Social Media as Part of a SEO Campaign

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Home Page > Internet > SEO > Using Social Media as Part of a SEO Campaign

Using Social Media as Part of a SEO Campaign

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Posted: Jun 18, 2010 |Comments: 0

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Using Social Media as Part of a SEO Campaign

By: Marie Coles

About the Author

Marie Coles is a professional writer. She writes informative, yet, dynamic articles on Search Engine Optimization.

(ArticlesBase SC #2670151)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Using Social Media as Part of a SEO Campaign

If starting up a search engine optimisation campaign, you may want to consider the use of social media, besides the usual SEO tactics.

Why use social media?

Social media sites are the new way – some say one of the only ways – to connect and interact with clients and potential customers. It’s vital to online networking, as well as search engine optimisation. Using social media in an SEO campaign will help you contact your desired audience, via search engines and social media sites, as well as optimize your social network discovery.

With social media increasing in popularity and being treated as a trusted source, it would be silly not to use social media sites to optimize your website and drive traffic to it.

How to implement a social media campaign

Now this is certainly the most difficult part. First you need a plan, where you will need to identify your audience, your aims and the strategy. What makes social media sites so good to optimize is the fact that they are interactive – hence people can share, comment, vote and use links. Not only are you optimizing your social media page, but every time someone joins or participates, they are helping to increase your popularity with search engines.

Remember the above as it’s vital to a working campaign. Interaction is key to a social media campaign and so are the links. The more your links with attached keywords appear, whether it be on blogs, forums or social media sites, the more popular your site will become with Google, Yahoo or MSN.

When implementing social media into your SEO campaign, the first thing you must identify is your audience. What sites do they prefer? What do they like to share and how? Many professionals follow their customers online and look at how they behave, for instance, what sort of things that they share. This is usually done by specially created programs, which identify what customers search for and what keywords they use.

If you understand a bit about your clientele, you can then begin to implement a campaign using the main frameworks of SEO:

Appropriate content,
Keywords,
Anchor texts;
Links.

These must, however, always remain relevant to your overall goals as a business.

Remember SEO is an indirect method of marketing; hence your objectives may differ from direct marketing goals. Social media optimization’s main game is to increase site popularity via searches, as well as improve the recognition of social communities online. The latter is important not only for increasing sales, but for keeping a regular clientele and upping your marketing tactics. Last but not least, you can also use it to complete a little market research.

Social media has become virtually a ‘must have’ in marketing campaigns. It’s also one of the best ways to get feedback from your customers.

If interested in hiring an SEO Company Birmingham, have a look at www.keywordmarketing.com

Retrieved from “http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/using-social-media-as-part-of-a-seo-campaign-2670151.html”

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Marie Coles is a professional writer. She writes informative, yet, dynamic articles on Search Engine Optimization.

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North Vietnam Impression: Part 2: Hanoi in My Eye

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North Vietnam Impression: Part 2: Hanoi in My Eye

My general impression is Hanoi is a physically easy city to encounter. The air is breathable, the noise bearable, the pollution minimal. The smell of baking bread, burning incense and fresh market produce permeates delightful alleyways, characterized by exotic Asian touches against a backdrop of French colonial splendors. Colorful shops, resplendent with silk, lanterns and lacquer ware are a dangerous temptation, while culinary delights beckon in every direction.

Hanoi, capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, has emerged in the 21st century as a sophisticated, prosperous city, fuelled by foreign investment and resurgence in tourism. But despite the overwhelming abundance of stylish coffee shops and designer jewelry, gift and clothing boutiques, the heart and soul of Hanoi is still the Old Quarter, with its lively alleyways selling everything from spices to gravestones.

For an overall perspective of the Old Quarter, it’s advisable to start your shopping expedition on a cyclo (bicycle rickshaw) – the drivers will take you on a loop of the main sights, allowing you to get your bearings and plan your attack. This leisurely view of the city also allows fantastic photo opportunities, as well as being a fun introduction to Vietnamese culture.

Dominating the streetscape of Hanoi are charming French colonial facades, the legacy of a 100 years of French rule. Above the ground-level shops soar three or four storey apartments with elegant balconies decorated with iron lace, distressed paintwork, plantation shutters and overflowing greenery; while on a grander scale, there is the magnificent Opera House and the classical white exterior of the Metropole Hotel, the smartest historic hotel in the city.

However, it is a building of a very different architecture style that has become the symbol of this northern city. Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum is a severe and imposing monument in true Soviet tradition, bleak and grey, surrounded by a vast, empty square. This building, which houses the body of Vietnam’s most beloved leader, has become a symbol of the national struggle for freedom. Locals consider it a place of pilgrimage, and often line up for hours to view the embalmed body of the great ‘Uncle Ho’, lying under lights with his peaceful, patrician expression on display for all eternity.

Foreigners keen to pay their respects are privileged with a separate (and faster) entry line to the locals. There is a strict code of conduct for anyone entering the mausoleum – no shorts, mini-skirts, hats or singlet tops, no photography, no hands in pockets and definitely no talking. Guards in crisp white uniforms are quick to chastise anyone breaking these rules, and the continuous line of visitors is ushered quickly past the embalmed body, with no opportunity to linger over the rather macabre sight.

Ironically, it was Ho’s request that he be cremated on his death, in keeping with his simple lifestyle. Proof of this is just a short walk from the mausoleum, where his charming wooden stilt house is located in parklands overlooking a peaceful lake. Ho lived here during the 10 years preceding his death, and it has been preserved exactly how he left it – with books, typewriter and traditional Vietnamese artifacts scattered around, the austerity and tastefulness standing in marked contrast to his final resting place.

Another peaceful enclave in bustling city surrounds is the Temple of Literature, a Confucian temple dating back to 1070 AD. This was the country’s first university, a place of education for an elite minority lucky enough to be accepted into its hallowed halls. Students who achieved doctorates had their names displayed on 82 slabs set on the back of stone tortoises, which today are considered the most precious artifacts in the temple.

After a busy day shopping and sightseeing, there is no better way to recharge your batteries than in one of Hanoi’s fantastic restaurants and cafes. The culinary scene is varied, affordable and delectable, including traditional Vietnamese, French and international offerings. First-time visitors must try the Vietnamese staple, Pho (pronounced ‘fur’) – spicy, herby noodle soup, served freshly mixed with chilli and lemon – simply delicious!

If the exquisite gastronomy of Vietnam tantalizes your taste-buds, you may like to take the experience one step further at the Metropole Hotel’s Cooking School. A half-day course includes a visit to a local market to select fresh ingredients, followed by a cooking demonstration and lunch. Recipes include Vietnamese Spring Rolls, delicately wrapped in rice paper and served with fish sauce, chili and papaya; grilled chicken skewers wrapped in lemon leaves; and marinated pork grilled in bamboo. Satisfaction, a full stomach and a new zest for experimentation in the kitchen are guaranteed!

My overall impression on Hanoi is everything seems to be small and lovely. All programs offered by tour operators to Hanoi often last for half or one day. I recommended that you should always spend some times for free – as so-called activity in ordinary tours – to get your own unique experience

(By Liz Mai – Yahoo ID: haiyen7585 / Skype: yen-mai)

Reference: http://vietnamholidaynow.com/english/vietnam/tour/Hanoi-tour-and-excursion/238.html

Aug

13

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How to Make Your Computer run Faster – Part One

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How to Make Your Computer run Faster – Part One

There are 3 facts of life. You will die, you will have to pay taxes and your computer will run more slowly as it gets older. As time goes by computers get cluttered. Old files that are not deleted. Old programs that have been installed, that are no longer used. Redundant software that still runs in the background and even starts on boot up. Even programs that you didn’t mean to install in the first place! They are all taking up valuable space, tying up your resources and inevitably causing your computer to run more slowly than it is capable of.

A few ideas to make your computer run faster
Uninstall unwanted programs
Think about what you would want to keep from your computer if you were buying a new one. This concentrates the mind wonderfully. You will find that you’ll probably only want to keep a few programs and the rest is photos and music files. So, most of the other stuff on your computer is junk. So start here. Go to Start > Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program. Have a look through the programs and right click “Uninstall” any of those you don’t need any more. You’ll find a lot of programs in there that you never knew you had. Apple is a company I find installs all sorts of extra junk with their downloads. If you’ve installed iTunes you’ll probably have 5 others that came with it. The same for Adobe – always installing some nonsense on your PC – they only have one good program and they bought that from someone else.
Anyway, uninstall what you don’t need and you’ve saved a whole heap of resources.
Clean up your start up folder
When you switch your computer on, it loads the BIOS and then Windows. Windows looks in the Startup folder to see what programs to boot up first. These are programs that you want to have access to as soon as possible. Except that’s not always the case….
Full of their own self importance and the importance of the software they have created, programmers instruct their software to write themselves into the Startup folder and boot up as soon as the Operating System is loaded.
Every program in that startup folder is going to take time to open. If you’ve got 10 in there, it’s no surprise you have time for a wash a change from when you switched your computer on until the time it’s ready to do any work.
Most of them do not need to be opened straight away. iTunes for instance. Other culprits are printing software like Epson, Google, the dreaded Adobe, mobile phone software such as Nokia, and web cam software. They can all start when you want to use them. They don’t need to be open by default.
So, go to Start > Run and type ‘msconfig’ then click OK. This will open the <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.computerrepaire1.co.uk/”>System Configuration</a> Utility window. Click the Startup tab then un-check the boxes next to any programs that you don’t want to run automatically when Windows starts. I suggest being fairly ruthless. As a rule of thumb, look in the Command column. If it starts with ”c:\Windows” leave it alone. Leave anything from Intel, your computer manufacturer – like Dell, or generally Microsoft. Everything else is fair game. Just untick it.
The consequences of getting it wrong aren’t that drastic if you’re half competent with a <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.computerrepaire1.co.uk/pc_upgrade_e1_east_london.html”>computer</a>. Critical system processes aren’t usually accessible from the startup folder, anyway. If you do get any problems open Windows in Safe mode and tick all the boxes in the startup folder again.
This will certainly speed up your computer from boot up.
These 2 suggestions alone should speed up your computer. Go and do them today and then look out for part 2 tomorrow.

Aug

10

0

How To Make Money Online From Home-Keyword Research Part 1

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How To Make Money Online From Home-Keyword Research Part 1

If you are searching for how to make money online from home, decide what on your product or service to sell, then do keyword research. Keyword research is essential to anyone finding you on the World Wide Web. There are free & paid sites, paid sites may give more indepth analysis, but not always. One of the more common sites used that has both free and paid services is http://www.Wordtracker.com.

Base Keywords

Once you have chosen your keyword, such as online business, type it in your search query box, AKA Google it! As you type it in, a list of other words will drop below. These are keywords people are searching for somewhere around the world real time, right now. Words displayed may be online business idea, online business systems, online business opportunities. All of which have the base keyword online business. Make a spreadsheet with your base keyword, online business, then below put the real time keywords i.e.online business idea, etc.

Optimized Searches For Winning Keywords

Do another search on each keyword, put quotations around them “online business idea” this will narrow down the search to only show sites that are optimized within the search engines. The number of searches will show in the upper right hand corner of your screen. The ideal number is under 5000, 10,000 max. Most of the common words, i.e. online business, will have millions in searches. All that means to you is that you will be lost in all the millions posted. No one will ever find you. While doing your research, make sure you put in the number of searches beside each word so you you won’t waste time redoing the work later. When you find those few keywords with searches under 5000, use them on your website, blog, article marketing, videos, press releases, everything you can think of to get your word out there.

The more real estate you have online, the better the odds of people finding you. This is a great start to making money online from home.

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Aug

9

0

Amadeus Consulting Discusses: iPad Alternatives – Redux Part 2

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Amadeus Consulting Discusses: iPad Alternatives – Redux Part 2

Our discussion of iPad Alternatives continues…

Dellâ„¢ Mini 5 Android Tablet

Status: Alive! And even better than before. It even has a new name: the Dell Streak.Â It is priced around 0 but some UK carriers will subsidize that if you get a 3G data plan. No indication that any US carriers are offering subsidies. The Dell Streak also comes with the ability to make voice calls (not just VoIP apparently), which essentially makes it a really large Smartphone.

Features:Â This one is pretty full featured, especially for a mini-tablet. Mini-tablet really just means bigger than your Smartphone, but still small enough to be an odd bulge in your pocket. In either case, this is only about an inch larger that the Evo.

The only downside to the Streak is that it runs on an outdated Android 1.6. Of course, it will still run all the apps from the app store, but will lack many of the other improvements that later Android versions provide.

Otherwise, it has a fairly loaded arsenal, includingÂ a 5-inch touch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 16GB storage, microSD card slot of up to 32GB, custom Dell UI, 3G support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a decent battery.

For many people, this could be an upgrade to a decently powered, and exceptionally mobile, tablet device. However, it is still phone sized, so it is unclear if people will really be excited about it, since other phones can basically offer the services, but also make phone calls. Although, with the Dell Streak, 3G data plans are optional, and there is no monthly contract to anything, so the long term costs can be much, much lower.

Â

Spring Design Alex E-book Reader

Status: Out and Available, and comes in either black or white for 9.

Features:Â The first thing you will notice about the Alex, is that it is very lightweight and very thin. Even for e-book readers, it is surprisingly easy to hold and manage.

Spring Design’sâ„¢ Alex combines a traditional e-reader with a second LCD screen, based off of Android OS. Unfortunately it uses an older Android version, and tends to be slow and clunky. Also, despite having Wi-Fi connectivity, it has no access to the Android market, so you are stuck with the apps that are preloaded.

Even so, it beats out other dedicated e-readers by allowing full web browsing and lets you surf the web and read content on either screen, as well as download books from Borders Bookstore.

The combination between an e-reader and LCD provides for some cool combination applications as well as improved battery life and better readability of web page content.

As developers, we can’t help but be disappointed that it has taken the open Android system and closed it.Â But we do think that the dual display and extremely long battery life (as much as two weeks, depending on usage) make it a very solid choice for actually reading books. The other stuff adds some benefit too, but does not bring it up to the level of some other tablets or even Smartphones.

JooJoo

Status: Released and Available for 9

Features: For all the hype and controversy surrounding the JooJoo, it would have been nice if it had lived up to everyone’s hope.

The JooJoo, in concept, was really cool. It would run everything through the web, and give users unobstructed access to anything available online.Â Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations, and since everything is web-run, without a strong Wi-Fi connection, the JooJoo cannot actually do anything.

Also, the JooJoo runs on its own version of a Linux OS, and does not allow apps to be loaded onto the device. Some users have essentially hacked the devices and successfully run Windows 7 and versions of Android, but we would hardly recommend doing this yourself.

On the bright side, the JooJoo does have a very bright and crisp display, and at 12 inches is definitely large enough to comfortably watch movies and read content.

As far as cool stories go, the JooJoo and its creators, Fusion Garage, had everything running against them. They could have been that unknown developer that appears out of nowhere with a magical device that takes down the market giants. Unfortunately, Fusion Garage was burdened by internal drama and multiple setbacks, and was forced to ship alongside the iPad, which severely hurt.

Even so, Fusion Garage is still up and running, and pushing out new software updates that are helping to address some of the main issues. If you are interested in this device, it will definitely be worth your time to check in and see what additions have been made since the time of this writing.

Lenovo U1 Hybrid Notebook

Status:Â Delayed, possibly shelved, but more likely redesigned with Android and a possible 2010 release.

Features: The U1 was originally scheduled to launch with Lenovo’s own operating system, called Skylight. However, the project was delayed in order to launch with an Android OS instead. Rumors also indicate that the device may use Qualcomm’s recently announced dual-core processors which will give unprecedented processing power to its tablet device.

LenovoÂ® has been working with small netbooks and tablet PCs for some time, and has had a lot of success with their Android based phones in China.

The unique feature of the U1 is that it is essentially a netbook â€“ small portable and similar to a laptop, but then the screen can detach and function like an independent slate tablet. This literally puts two PCs into one device, and each has its own processor and operating system, but work together as a clamshell laptop or a multi-touch slate tablet.

In this way, the base serves as a hop and docking station, whereas the tablet can be used in very mobile instances. The two processors also use Lenovo’s Hybrid Switch technology which allows seamless toggling between the two processors.

The U1 runs on the Skylight Linux operating system, designed specifically for small devices, and has a user-facing camera and a wealth of features, including 3G connectivity, multi-touch, and long battery life. Unfortunately, all these features cost a bit more than other slate tablets, pricing it at 00, but still within the range for new laptops.

This is still one of our favorite devices because the concept is so accessible to so many people. This is one of the few tablets that provide near-universal usability, regardless of profession. From a software development point of view, something that is so accessible and useful for students, business professionals, home entertainment, socializing, and productivity make it an ideal platform for software development.

Aug

8

0

The Evolution of Online Advertising Technology – More Targeting, Less Privacy (part One)

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Advertising, Evolution, Less, More, Online, Part, Privacy, Targeting, Technology

The Evolution of Online Advertising Technology – More Targeting, Less Privacy (part One)

In the beginning of targeted online advertising, there were banner ads. As many people recall, these were supposed to drive the Internet marketing industry in its infancy. Scads of publishers paid scads of money based on a CPI (cost per impression) model or simply paid huge dollars for banner ads and other targeted online advertising on well-trafficked sites

Then something crazy happened – nothing. It turns out that the banner advertising technology on the Internet was not the magic bullet it was purported to be. The old way of making money based on providing content (the way magazines and newspapers ran advertising) just didn’t seem to work in this context.

This new advertising technology was part of the reason for the collapse of the dot-bomb era. All the talk was about “eyeballs,” “stickiness,” “bleeding edge,” “cradle to grave,” and several other terms that, in retrospect, would have sounded more at home in a Wes Craven movie than in an emerging industry. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of business models depended on a traditional marketing strategy working more or less the same as it always had when introduced into a non-traditional setting.

All the while, one company, originally called GoTo, then Overture, and finally bought by Yahoo!, actually formulated a targeted online advertising system that worked – keyword advertising. Companies could bid on a per-click basis for certain key terms, which sent valuable traffic to its website.

Obviously, the improvement in advertising technology had to do with the model itself, which was perpetuated on relevance. By only bidding on keyphrases that you wanted, you could only pay for visitors who had already shown an interest in your products or services. This targeted online advertising model was soon copied by Google, who tweaked it and made it better.

There were not many raised eyebrows at this time, in terms of privacy. After all, the user was the one entering the query, and nobody suspected at the time that search engines might one day actually create individual profiles on users. We were all just really enjoying “having the information at our fingertips” without the potential hazards of ink stains and paper cuts that traditional research required.

Google then took a similar idea a step further. Instead of just serving up targeted online advertising on its home page, the company created a content distribution network called AdSense. In this program, owners of websites could sign up to have the ads placed on their sites. Google would then use a “contextual” logic to determine which ads to place where. In other words, Google would “read” the content on a page and then serve up targeted online advertising in the area provided by the site owner that was relevant to the content.

There were a few missteps with this new advertising technology (one classic example was when the online version of the NY Post ran a story in 2004 about a murder victim whose body parts had been packed into a suitcase. Running alongside the story was an ad that Google served up for Samsonite Luggage). Yet this targeted online advertising service also caught on, with nary a cry from privacy people. After all, you don’t have to visit the sites. And the site owners don’t have to sign you up for the service, right?

Suddenly, Gmail was offered and that raised some eyebrows. Gmail, of course, is Google’s free email-based platform. Gmail gave people an (at that time) unprecedented 1 gigabyte of email space (Yahoo!, if memory serves, offered 4 megs for free email accounts and charged people for more memory). The only caveat – Gmail would use a similar advertising technology platform as AdSense, but it would decide which ads to serve up by reading through your emails.

Well, this new approach to advertising technology creeped some people out, and privacy advocates were a bit more vocal about using targeted online advertising by parsing through people’s emails. A California lawmaker tried to introduce some legislation preventing the practice. International privacy groups chimed in with their own concerns. In the end, however, the fact remained that one had to sign up for a Gmail account and everyone that did was (presumably) aware of how the service worked before they did sign up. So it was an opt-ín system – If you didn’t want Google parsing through your email and serving up relevant, targeted online advertising, you didn’t have to use the service.

So there we all were, happily surfing away, not a care in the world. What most of us didn’t realize was that enough free cookies were being distributed to each of us to turn the otherwise docile Keebler elves into tree-dwelling Mafioso erroneously plotting a turf war.

These cookies, of course, are the ones that websites place on your computer when you visit – little packets of information that record your visit, and sometimes, your activity there. Certainly, there’s a legitimate reason for this. When you return to a website, it can help if it remembers your last visit and you can pick up where you left off. Assume, for example, that you were making multiple purchases from an e-commerce site and had a bunch of stuff in your shopping cart but were forced to abandon the site before completion. It’s nice to go back and pick up where you left off without having to do it all over again.

Digital advertisers, however, saw another opportuníty for targeted online advertising. They invented advertising technology that would scour through the cookies on your personal machine, figure out what you liked and disliked by looking at the types of sites you went to, and then feed up highly targeted online advertising based upon your browsing history. These companies included aQuantive, DoubleClick, ValueClick, and others. Of the companies I mentioned, only ValueClick is still independent. Google snapped up DoubleClick, while Microsoft snapped up aQuantive. Clearly, these companies believe in the future of Internet advertising technology and also believe in the long-term legality of this technology.

Now some real red flags were raised. I’ve written about this advertising technology before, so I’m not going to go over it all again here. Suffice to say that some government regulators were pretty skeptical about this new form of advertising technology and there have been numerous suggestions for regulation. The lack of uproar from the public, however, has not really created any backlash for the companies in question. It could be because there is widespread ignorance about Internet advertising technology (and I believe there is, based on conversations with people of average Internet experience). Perhaps a part of it is also that privacy has been eroding on the Internet one incremental step at a time.

To be continued in part two… Read more web design article

Aug

7

0

What Do Copywriters Do at Focus Groups? Part 1

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Copywriters, Focus, Groups, Part

What Do Copywriters Do at Focus Groups? Part 1

This question comes up a lot. “What do copywriters do at focus groups?” And the answer is actually pretty involved.

But first, an advertising focus group primer.

Focus groups are gatherings of ‘very ordinary people’ who are paid a small amount of money (usually or so) for a few hours of their time to come to some very ordinary industrial park location in the middle of pretty much nowhere to share their feelings about advertising ideas BEFORE THEY ARE PRODUCED.

This is to make sure no HUGE mistakes are made. This is to make sure people keep their jobs…by and large.

Focus groups happen all over, but usually take place in certain places in the country that are considered good ‘litmus tests’ for the rest of the country. Meaning these are the people who are collectively supposed to give the ‘popular opinion’ as to whether the advertising ideas they will see are going to get them to buy the product or not.

And if not, WHY?

Big responsibility, no doubt.

In the groups, a moderator will usually get the people talking about advertising in general. He or she (usually a she) is hired to get to the bottom of what people really think. And to do that, some pre-group banter happens. All the while, the moderator is very clear to point out that she is INDEPENDENT of anything and any brand.

Eventually, she will show the creative ideas for the proposed campaign. (This is the point where everyone in the back behind the two-way mirror usually STOPS eating the M&M’s and pays attention!) This is the moment of truth. People back at the agency and back at the client headquarters have paid a lot of money for this next part. So all talk ceases.

“Shhh. She’s showing the boards!”

At the point where the creative work is shown, the moderator can either present the television ideas herself (usually poorly) or she can ask the copywriter to come out from behind the mirror and present the ideas to the group.

It then becomes the copywriters’ job to present the work objectively, as if he or she is NOT the creator of the ideas being presented. Meanwhile, he or she IS. In fact, good moderators usually go FAR out of their way to make the people at the focus group feel that they can be ULTRA HONEST about the ideas, even in front of the copywriter.

It can be brutal. Or it can be the best ego massage you could ever imagine. That’s the thing about advertising focus groups, they usually end either very, very poorly or pretty well (clients will always be suspicious of the ads that do well. It’s their jobs to be.)

So, what do copywriters do at focus group?

They pray. Mostly they pray.

Find More Copywriting Articles

Aug

6

0

Brand New! Affiliate Marketing 16 Part Video Series

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Affiliate, Brand, marketing, Part, Series, Video

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