X Isn’t Dead
I am overly tired of the “X is dead” redundancy. I understand the enthusiasm with which those who spout “X is dead” embrace what they believe in, but communication channels rarely die because of the advent of something new, even when that new thing represents a revolutionary, paradigm-changing development. Print didn’t replace face-to-face communication, after all, and television didn’t kill radio.
CallWave Teams Up With Google Desktop
Google and CallWave have partnered to provide a text-messaging gadget for Google Desktop users. With the utility, users will be able to send text messages to any cell phone, while choosing to receive them either as an e-mail message or have them sent directly to their handset.
The service is currently still in beta, and allows subscribers to send unlimited text messages throughout the United States and Canada.
Google Introduces My Maps
Google introduced a new feature to Google Maps: My Maps. The My Maps tab can be found at the left-hand side, and allows you to quickly create your own placemarks with information (including photos) as well as your own lines and shapes to mark areas. You can then share these maps with others on the web through a special link.
Microsoft Stops Filling Search Boxes
MSN UK was running an experiment where they pre-filled the search box with “of the day” popular terms, such as “Apprentice BBC” or “Cricket World Cup”, hoping it would prompt users to take advantage of the search box a little more. Well, after a few days, the experiment has been retired and dubbed a bad idea.
Google’s Free Multivariate Testing
I’ve written before about multivariate testing, an emerging technique for rigorous analysis of just what persuades customers to convert. But some companies have been stopped in the past by the cost of licensing a multivariate testing tool. Yesterday, Google Website Optimizer, a multivariate testing tool, emerged from a restricted beta test and can be used by any Google AdWords advertiser for free.
The Blogosphere’s Alive, And Turning Japanese
The blogosphere has evolved into a living, breathing organism; the interrelated parts stemming from its bloggadocious heart have branched to include tags, vlogs, and podcasts. It even has its own virus – the splog. This evolution spurred Technorati’s Dave Sifry to redefine it as the "Live Web," growing not as fast as it was, but growing nonetheless.
Another List of Blogging Mistakes
In no particular order here are a list of blogging mistakes I’ve made (and wished I didn’t) or have watched friends make (and secretly laughed at them wished they didn’t).
Businesses Loving Web 2.0… Except Blogs?
Putting People First blog just posted about a survey that strategy consultancy McKinsey just conducted with executives about web 2.0 technologies and found significant interest and support, but they still shy away from blogs:
Better Business Leads From Search
My new article "Four Steps to Better Business Leads From Search" is now available as part of Search Engine Land’s Strictly Business column, which covers topics related to B2B search marketing.
Conversion Improvement Resources
While looking for information on PPC management, I’ve found an interesting number of resources about improving conversions.
While many of these are focused on the PPC market, the organic SEO’s like myself ignore these at our peril.