The news this week is about Google’s 15th anniversary of its search engine. It has been an amazing success story. Many of the online giants of 15 years ago are dramatically shrunken or gone completely. But Google has grown larger and more prosperous, and has added many useful services beyond the initial search engine. There’s another anniversary this year, too. IM NewsWatch just turned 8. First started in 2005 (the first story was published in August of that year) by Mike Mograbi and his partners, IM NewsWatch was dedicated to a wide-ranging reporting of news of interest to individuals... [...]

There have been many comments around the web on Google’s announcement that it has changed its algorithm for presenting search results. This time, the target doesn’t seem to be spam sites. Instead, it aligns with the Google strategy of bringing you the most personally relevant results it can. It also addresses the fact that peole are asking more complex questions today, and many of them are accessing Google from their smartphone, not from a PC. One article, addressed to non-technical people, comes from Forbes Magazine. It begins this way: Google has updated its core algorithm that controls... [...]

I got a note from Shelley Owens. She and her partners are giving away a coat of arms creation tool. You can choose what symbols appear on the shield, the motto to appear below it, and more. And it’s all free, and all fun. Get yours here: : Coat of Arms for You  [...]

If you are like me, you have more work than you can possibly get to. There are two attitudinal directions you must take if you are going to keep your head above water: 1. You have to prioritize. Peter Drucker is famous for reminding managers that doing the right things is even more important than doing things right. Cleaning out your junk folder may give you a sense of accomplishment, but it is far less useful than working on that project that will bring in revenue. Drucker distinguished between the two by saying that doing things right is “efficiency”. Doing the right things is “effectiveness”.... [...]

Guy Kawasaki has something to say to all marketers about productivity, effectiveness and authenticity in our use of social media. On May 13th, Hubspot.com posted his explanation of how he uses social media. Now he has made that article available in a MS Word file, and he has given us permission to make it available to you. You can download it here: Guy Kawasaki on How He uses Social Media This originally appeared in the HubSpot.com article here: HubSpot Article by Guy Kawasaki  [...]

Software is a funny thing. Because of hidden flaws that are only exposed in odd “boundary conditions” (also known as “corner conditions”, situations outside the mainstream of operation) software can misbehave at seemingly random times. We use the Total Cache plugin for improved loading speed. Last weekend, Total Cache decided to stop working. As a result, no new posts were visible on out home page until we noticed the problem and found a solution about 150 posts later. During that time, our home page was stuck on May 11. All the new posts were in the blog, but unless you... [...]

I was poking around the Kindle marketplace and found several Kindle books that online marketers will find helpful. I don’t how long they will continue to be free, but they are free today. It’s way more than a week’s worth of reading, but get them while they are free. I did. If you are looking for low-cost or free advertising, you might like this Two about market research; Here’s a two-volume set about niche marketing How about an introduction to WordPress: Here are four on how to be productive and manage time: William Horton, famed blogger Kevin Hogan and my friend,... [...]

In my marketing class years ago, we were taught that there are many things that are a part of the “marketing mix” and by finding “Unique Selling Proposition” in any of these areas, you can potentially build a successful business. Location is a key part of the mix. If you are in the right spot, you can charge a premium and still sell your product. The classic example is hot dogs at a ball park. The hungry ball fan is glad to pay extra because (borrowing a metaphor) it’s the only game in town. Put your store where there’s a lot of traffic and you can charge extra... [...]

The subject line of an email should make the reader want to open the email, and just as important, not deceive the reader into opening the email. Both of these rules are intentionally violated by marketers. In the first case, so many marketers think they are being smart to not tell the reader what their note is about, using some silly headline instead. How many times have you gotten an email with subjects like: Are you still up? (I may talk in my sleep, but I don’t read in my sleep. Of course, I am up.) Re: Hey (this actually is both silly and deceptive. It doesn’t encourage opening... [...]

If you aren’t familiar with Marketing Sherpa, I suggest you visit their site, http://MarketingSherpa.com. They have a lot of information for online marketers and they don’t mind sharing it. They usually make a report available for a week at no cost; then they move it into their vault of historical reports that you can subscribe to. Their reports are based on research and case studies. They aren’t trying to sell anything other than their research. If you are diligent and visit their site each week, you can get most of it at no cost. This week, I was struck by a chart they presented.... [...]