websense

So, some Republicans in the Senate are starting to make a little noise about the “Fairness Doctrine”. I don’t know if it will work or not, or just get shot down in the House, but at least they are taking a stand. What I think some of these folks are forgetting is that the airwaves are an open market. This open market system has proven to be one place where conservatives have managed to thrive. I tend to think that this free market system works pretty well. Conservatives have turned to talk radio, as the majority of mainstream media has a liberal bias (one, that I must point out, seems to be supported by the market). Businesses that are supported by the market do well, as there are consumers out there that want what they are selling. We’ve been doing an awful lot of trying to bolster companies that the market is just not supporting anymore. There are probably deep seeded reasons for this, beyond the flat economy. The economy is a factor, sure, but the companies that are going to go down first are going to be the ones that the market (consumers) have found the least satisfaction with.

We’ve discussed the auto industry at length here. While trying to save the failing auto industry probably seems noble and perhaps even necessary to most people, we have lost sight of what it means to live in a capitalist system. The guy with the best product, the best marketing and the most customers wins. Period. This has worked incredibly well for the past 200 years. Suddenly we are changing the rules. We’re handing tons of money to guys who have proven, repeatedly that they don’t even know what the market wants, let alone how create a product that consumers have faith in. How likely are you to buy a Chrysler now, as opposed to a Ford? Ford is trying valiantly to make it on it’s own, while Chrysler has gone back twice now with their hands out. I don’t know that arguments over which company has a better product even matter at this point, the whole thing comes down to consumer perception. Are you going to buy a car from a company that cannot function without government bailout money? Or would you rather buy from the company that decided it was better to forge ahead without tax payer dollars financing the experiment?

Marketing; it all comes back to this, doesn’t it? So, have you got a marketing strategy in place to help your company survive this recession? Do you have a good angle on who your market is, and how to best reach them? Or have you cut your marketing budget back to bare bones, in hopes that saving that cash will payoff when times get a little tougher? If you are cutting your marketing budget, I really think you should reconsider what your options are. Traditional marketing is expensive, and does not get the return on your investment that you NEED right now. On the other hand, marketing your website to the folks who are actively searching for your product or service could be the boost you need, for a fraction of the cost. Let the market itself dictate who survives the coming months, and who does not. Create a marketing budget that will serve you well, market your site to your consumers, and be one of the companies that stays on top of this fluctuating economy. People still need stuff. People are still buying, they’ll buy from you, if you are the best and most visible in your market.

As I watched late night coverage of the plane crash in Buffalo the other night, I was intrigued to hear a gentleman on Fox News, a neighbor close to the crash scene being interviewed. A Fox News producer got in touch with him when he saw the man’s Twitter updates about the crash. Brought home to me once more how information gathering has changed radically in the last months and years.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Twitter, it is basically a way to communicate short messages very quickly. According to Twitter’s homepage, it is “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”
Twitter allows the ability to search on a phrase, so that you can find updates that users have left public to just about any query. This is how the Fox News producer for the Buffalo plane crash neighbor.
You just set up an account and you are ready to start sending updates. There is a 140 character limit, so your updates must be brief. AOL’s Money and Finance recently published a very interesting article describing how Twitter may be on the brink of becoming one of the most profitable new internet ventures.

Figuring out how to use Twitter to grow your business might take a little imagination. Some ideas for business owners as well as job seekers can be found on The SEO Blog, but here are a few ideas off the top of my head:
*Set up an account for your business, promote sales and specials
*Monitor what is being said about you, your company or product
*Find out what consumers are looking for
*Do a search to find out what people like about a current special or product and perhaps prolong it’s availability
*Put out feelers for that person with the skill set you urgently need

It may seem like just the latest thing, but hey, it’s free (for now), it’s fun, it’s fast, and who knows what you might get out of it? And, if you are already tweeting for your business, drop me a line and let me know if it is working for you. I’d love to hear what kinds of things you are tweeting about.

While this may sound a little like Big Brother, (and probably is) it’s supposed intention is to be a helpful tool for online research. The Yahoo! Search Pad will actually be a pretty helpful tool. It will automatically observe a user’s intent to do research, and record the websites visited. The user can then go in at any time and edit, delete, and make notes about the sites visited. Yahoo! has actually put out a video explaining the functions and capabilities.

This new feature won’t be available for a few months yet, but it points to the trend we’ve been discussing on this blog for quite a while now. This is yet another way for consumers to do product research in the comfort of their own homes. It is Yahoo!’s answer to the growing consumer base that does a good deal of research online before making just about any purchase. This tool is tailored specifically to this dynamic of a user experience on the web. For example, you are going to the web to do some research before purchasing a new clothes dryer. This item is a bit of an expense, so you need to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Yahoo!’s new feature will allow you to do a search such as “large capacity clothes dryer” and then it’ll record the sites you visit, and let you save, delete, share, etc. This may be helpful when doing a specific search, and I do think that advertisers/ site owners will need to be aware of it’s presence and capabilities. Yahoo! does advise that this feature can be temporarily or permanently disabled on your browser.

While it might be a really handy tool for some, I’m still a little curious. The web is largely based on anonymity, and that is fast becoming a thing of the past. I have to throw this out there, I probably shouldn’t, but I’m gonna do it anyway…We know the Government wants to know what we’re up to, and we know at least one of the major engines is willing to provide them with search data.

Now comes the “Fairness Doctrine“, is the government going to come knocking on our doors if we do too many “negative” searches? If we blog about a problem we have with the reportedly easily offended new Prez, are we going to have calls for censorship on the web?

The 2009 Business Expo is going to be held February 25, 2009 from 4-8 p.m. at the Kent State Stark Campus Professional Education and Conference Center. This event is open to the public. Contact us for complimentary passes; just call our receptionist Hannah at 888-485-4932 or 330-493-6141. We’ll see you there!

Breakfast Bootcamp, March 12, 2009. Our Social Media Marketing Specialist, Corey Hammond, will be talking about how to market your website using social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and others. He’ll also talk about blogging, including some pointers to help determine if a blog is right for your business. Space is very limited so be sure to reserve your spot today!For more information, visit our SEO Breakfast Bootcamp page or email Collyn Floyd to sign up.

Aaron Geh will be speaking at The 2009 AAM Summit: Marketingpalooza will be held in Austin, Texas in June of 2009.

Geoff Karcher, President of TKG, will be speaking at the Canton Chamber’s Fast Break Breakfast on May 8, 2009. The topic he’ll be discussing is “Working with Young Professionals, How to Attract Them and Keep Them Happy.” Very fitting as Geoff has become an expert at fostering the young talent that we have here at TKG. From those we’ve met in the After Hours program to interns and full-time staff alike, our company is full of young professionals! They have not only learned a lot from Geoff and his company, but have stayed to help his business grow.

This event is being held at the Courtyard by Marriott:
4375 Metro Circle NW, North Canton

For more information visit the Canton Chamber or contact (330)-456-7253

I wrote a few weeks ago about the Fairness Doctrine and how it may impact the Web. The White House made an announcement today that President Obama is not interested in bringing back the Fairness Doctrine. My obvious relief was only momentary, however, as I started to wonder how this doctrine might rear it’s ugly head in other ways.
Upon further perusal of the article and comments, I think I have stumbled upon why Obama has decided against it. Apparently, Obama believes that local FCC organizations should have control over what is emitted on their airwaves. So, a much more effective and targeted campaign can be lodged against any broadcasters who are not broadcasting for the “good of the community”. So, where does that leave the Web? Do Web sites fall under the local branch of the FCC where they are hosted?
I just can’t imagine that the Obama administration won’t be addressing the Web in some form or other..