Healthy Blog Reviews

People ask a lot of questions. It’s natural and it makes sense. It’s the only way we can acquire information that we don’t currently have. The biggest problem with any question is finding the best source to ask. We have friends and family but they can only go so far in many cases. We have search engines but sometimes you need something else, right? Enter Facebook Questions which was announced yesterday in the Facebook blog and is being slow rolled out to the Facebook community at large. Today we’re introducing Facebook Questions, a beta product that lets you pose questions like these to the Facebook community. With this new application, you can get a broader set of answers and learn valuable information from people knowledgeable on a range of topics. Since we like to develop products carefully over time with your help, Facebook Questions is available to a limited number of people right now, and we’ll be developing it rapidly based on their feedback. We’re aiming to bring this product to all of you as quickly as we can. Here is the box you will see when you are included in the effort It’s an idea that can certainly be of interest if you feel that you can trust someone that you have never met before and have no idea if they are real or not. In other words, there will be value here but how it fits for you will depend on your willingness to trust. Here are some examples given in the blog Facebook Questions helps you tap into the collective knowledge of the more than 500 million people on Facebook. For example, if you’re vacationing in Costa Rica and want to know the best places to surf, you can use Facebook Questions to get answers from nearby surfing enthusiasts. Because questions will also appear to your friends and their friends, you’ll receive answers that are more personalized to you. It appears as if the whole privacy thing has certainly impacted everything Facebook does since this is stated in the post as well. Keep in mind that all questions and answers posted using the Questions application are public and visible to everyone on the Internet. If you only want to ask a question to your friends or a specific group of people, you can still pose it as a status update on your profile targeted to those people. You will be able to set up polls and post photos of things that you are asking questions of as well. Sounds interesting but it is something that should be used with caution considering that you are asking the entire community a question thus opening yourself up to everything else that can come along with that kind of exposure. So my question to you is, do you think that you would use Facebook Questions to find your answers to the things you are curious about? What kinds of questions would you ask to everyone and what others might you not be so public with? For me, I’ll stick to a status update to my friends only for now. However, some people find that even family recommendations need more verification. In this new world order, it is important to weigh the risks of of jumping into the ‘personal crowdsourcing’ waters. You never know what sharks may be lurking. Your thoughts? Pilgrim’s Partners: SponsoredReviews.com – Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!

Tags: answers, Costa Rica, enter-facebook, facebook, facebook-icon, facebook-questions, friends, internet, thoughts, words
Posted July 29, 2010 by cgseo under Social Media

Don’t think that just because Facebook has managed to not completely trample people’s privacy as of late that there is not more activity around the subject. In fact, forces in Washington, this time the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), are speaking at ‘hearings’ that are looking into this issue right now with talk of a “do not track” list. This is not the first time the subject has been raised (2007 it got some attention) but in light of recent online privacy ‘dust-ups’, this idea may have a real chance to develop. MediaPost reports The Federal Trade Commission is considering proposing a do-not-track mechanism that would allow consumers to easily opt out of all behavioral targeting, chairman Jon Leibowitz told lawmakers on Tuesday. Testifying at a hearing about online privacy, Leibowitz said the FTC is exploring the feasibility of a browser plug-in that would store users’ targeting preferences. He added that either the FTC or a private group could run the system. I have to admit that “do not call” list for telemarketers has made life better for me at least, although I am seeing more and more attempts to ‘get around’ that mechanism as of late. I am not sure what would happen as a result of a “do not track” list but many consumers may find it interesting just because of their experience with its offline cousin. This is not the kind of talk that the advertising industry wants to hear though, so expect a fight especially if the oversight of any kind of list is left up to the FTC. In fact, the advertising industry is starting to show plenty of signs of the need to ‘self-police’ to keep these kinds of talks and options out of the public forum. The FTC chairman also noted that he was in favor of an opt-in mentality rather than the existing opt-out and that idea has considerable support from others in power. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) both expressed concern that privacy policies weren’t giving Web users enough useful information about online ad practices. Rockefeller proposed that some companies were burying too much information in lengthy documents that consumers don’t read. “Some would say the fine print is there and it’s not our fault you didn’t read it,” he said, adding, “I say, that’s a 19th-century mentality.” Kerry added that he didn’t know that consumers understood how companies use data. “I’m not sure that there’s knowledge in the caveat emptor component of this,” he said. Wow, Sen. Rockefeller just tossed the advertising business so far into the past regarding their practices that the 20th century was ignored. I guess he made his point. So where do you stand on the possibility of a “do not track” list? Is this something that could hurt the online advertising industry or is it just a way for politicians to say that they are doing something about online privacy?

Tags: advertising, either-the-ftc, experience, facebook, feasibility, federal-trade, hurt-the-online, online, oversight, possibility, subject, the-advertising, the-possibility, time
Posted July 28, 2010 by cgseo under Social Media

I’m at the bank depositing money. That’s a real tweet I saw this week and it was followed by a Foursquare link showing the exact bank. According to new research by Forrester, that tweeter was probably a young adult male with a college degree and he’s one of only 1% of online users who actually do this kind of thing. From my experience, it seems that half the people I follow on Twitter use location-based tweets, but the data says that only 4% of online adults have even tried geolocation and only 1% uses it on regular basis. Really? The study also says that 70% of the users are between 19 and 35 and 80% are male. Again, not my experience, so apparently I have unusual friends. The good news for marketers is that though the group is small, they’re powerful. Melissa Parish of Forrester wrote on her blog: “Our research shows that these users are typically young, male, well-educated, and influential.  In fact, LBSN users are users are 38% more likely than the average US online adult to say that friends and family ask their opinions before making a purchase decision.” So the question becomes, how much of your time and money should be spent marketing to this group? Parrish says very little. “Though many LBSNs are gathering steam, the landscape is fragmented and the programs can’t scale just yet. But with large companies preparing to enter the market (I’m looking at you Facebook and Yahoo!) the time for marketers to get involved is coming.” That is unless you’re marketing a product of interest to college-educated male trendsetters under 35. In that case, it’s time to start working on that Foursquare Mayor of Marketingville badge.

Tags: data, experience, facebook, Forrester, group, half-the-people, landscape, Local/Mobile, marketingville, Melissa Parish, people, Research, time, Yahoo
Posted July 27, 2010 by cgseo under Social Media

Although it comes as no surprise to most, the integration of e-mail campaigns and social media outlets is becoming more popular. Leading the charge are Facebook and Twitter which is probably no surprise either. What is a little surprising is just how quickly the numbers dive with regard to other options for social media integration. The following chart from eROI shows results from a survey they recently conducted (hat tip to MarketingProfs ). With Facebook being the most mainstream option of these outlets its appearance at the top of the list is almost expected. Twitter on the other hand is much more dependent on the type of e-mail recipient because it’s mass appeal is much less than Facebook’s at this time. In other words, Twitter likely skews toward a tech-savvy and generally younger crowd while Facebook hits a more widespread demographic target. What was interesting was the relative ignorance of the mobile market by these very same marketers. There seems to be confusion on subjects ranging from mobile’s usage amongst these companies’ customers to even how the company itself is utilizing the mobile web for their site in general and marketing as a whole. This points to the whole disconnect issue that happens when industry reporting and predictions leave reality in the dust. Why do you think it has been the “Year of Mobile” for about 7 years now? OK, so let’s step back for a second. If e-mail is very important and it is a pretty well known fact that there is a large group of consumers that get e-mail on mobile devices (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and more) shouldn’t marketers be a little more ‘in tune’ with mobile? If you pay attention to most industry reports they already are right? Is there a perception vs. reality divide present here? Is it possible that hype is out-pacing implementation? How can that happen on the Internet ? As we have warned in the past, it is probably a good thing for companies to make sure they are doing the Internet marketing basics like search and e-mail well before they jet ahead into the mobile space. It’s this rush to get to the next best thing without ever really taking full advantage of the LAST next best thing that gets businesses in trouble online. So where are you with e-mail, social and mobile? Are all three humming on all cylinders or is there work to be done to bring one or more up to speed? Even when the assumption is that everyone does all of this well and is ready to move on, are you going to stick to the basics or go to the next big thing?

Tags: black, cloud-computing, cloud-hosting, facebook, integration, internet, Internet Marketing, mobile, mobile-chart, numbers, Social, Social Media, time
Posted July 26, 2010 by cgseo under Social Media

This weekend, the eyes and ears of the world are focused on San Diego as a crowd of over 120,000 descend on the city for Comic-Con! What started out in the 70’s as a small gathering of scifi and comic fans has grown into the media event of the year. And despite the name, it’s not all about comics. Actually, it’s tough to even find a booth devoted to comics in the deluge of TV, movie, video game and toy brands that flood the convention floor. That’s because the convention has become the place to get the buzz going about nearly any media project and that’s marketing money well spent. So in honor of this yearly media-madhouse, I give you 5 Marketing Lessons You Can Learn from Comic-Con 5. Think Small Comic Con got its legs by appealing to a very specific niche audience and even though the con has grown to include other properties, the sci-fi / comic crowd still rules. By continuing to cater to the niche, instead of turning the con into a more mainstream convention, Comic-Con has developed the kind of brand loyalty most businesses only dream of. Look at the potential audience for your product or service? Is there an underrepresented group that you can cater to? That small focus could lead to big returns. 4. Learn the Art of the Tease As soon as you get within blocks of the San Diego Convention Center you’re bombarded with cryptic messages by way of handouts, posters and even banners pulled by airplanes. The messages are all part of a giant puzzle designed to get you interested in a brand you may not even know about yet. Like the teaser videos shown at the con, these bits and pieces pull in the audience and give them something to talk about. Done right, a teaser can generate ten times the buzz of a straight-forward advertising campaign and it’s not hard to do. Anyone can build a scavenger hunt into their website or leave weekly Facebook clues that add up to the location of a giveaway page. Which leads me to. . . 3. Make it an Event The World Cup. The Olympics. Comic-Con. You may thing that’s a ridiculous comparison but take a look around. Every major media outlet is covering Comic-Con from Entertainment Weekly to the Wall Street Journal to  CNN . Comic-Con and related topics will trend all weekend on Twitter and Google. And right now, Google news is showing over 1,000 articles on the subject posted in the last 24 hours. Now, you’re not going to launch an event of this size overnight, but you can create an event sale or a Twitter party or a Facebook virtual meet-up. Make it a special date and people will come. 2. People Love Free Stuff One of the things people love most about Comic-Con is the swag bag. A trip around the convention floor is like Halloween for fan boys and girls as studios hand out millions of dollars worth of free buttons, T-shirts, DVDs, comic books and clever tie-in items. Warner Brothers does a yearly bag giveaway that creates riot conditions on the convention floor whenever they hand them out. The bags are so popular and so anticipated, that it has become a kind of badge of honor to collect all of them in a weekend. Never underestimate the power of a giveaway. 1. Have Fun No one takes themselves too seriously at Comic-Con. Costumed fans mingle with big name celebs and everyone is having a good time. But when they pack up the tents on Sunday night, you can rest assured that people will go home wanting to see that new movie or try that new video game. I’m not saying you have to put a funny video on your website, but it wouldn’t hurt to add some humor to your weekly email, or develop a game application that goes along with your product. If people enjoy the experience, they’ll come back for more. Comic-Con is proof that any small idea can turn into a lucrative business if you have the drive to see it through. May the Marketing Force be with you.

Tags: cnn, facebook, flickr, halloween, location, marketing, media, product, street, vampire-diaries, video-game
Posted July 24, 2010 by cgseo under Social Media