websense

Google is branching out into entertainment. I mean, why not:
1. They’ve dominated search
2. They are creating the library to end all libraries
3. Google owned YouTube is incredibly popular
4. They have to compete with Apple TV somehow

They’ve got to be getting bored, so why not create a whole new way to insinuate themselves into your life? It sounds pretty good, too:
1. You browse and watch pretty much anything, at any time
2. You can surf the web from your easy chair without having to focus on a small laptop screen
3. It’ll be possible to browse all your flickr and picasa albums on your tv screen
4. Music at your finger tips
5. Tons more stuff, go watch the video:

Commercials?

Oh yeah, there’ll be commercials alright, and I think Google has the concept of mainstream television advertising mixed with the way we approach web marketing down pretty well here.
As an advertiser you’ll have the ability to:
1. Search for a target audience
2. Pick and choose which programs you think will have the best audience for your product, and block those on the channel that you don’t think will work for you.
3. Simple interface for setting up and running and changing ad campaigns
4. You’ll have the ability to test and change campaigns based on analytics.
5. Create your own, ready to air tv ad for Free? That’s what they say.
6. Want more info? Watch the video…

I know the question that is lurking in your brain right now… what’s this gonna do to search? That’s something that we’re all going to be concentrating on pretty hard in the coming weeks and months, especially if this thing looks like it will really take off, and I am hedging bets that it will. Some things to consider:
1. Making sure that your video content, especially, is well optimized. Are your videos being found in search results?
2. Your site, videos, and whatnot looking fantastic will matter more than ever. How will your site look stretched out on a big screen? Is your site “stretchy”? Does it look good in every browser window? This is an important question if this goes big because having search right at your finger tips in a comfortable chair will have most Americans searching this way regularly before too long. A great, functional design will be the best way to make certain your site is ready for whatever GoogleTV brings.
3. How are your results in Google now? If GoogleTV takes off, we’ll be seeing folks use Google more than ever. It will matter more than ever.

Want to sign up for GoogleTV Beta? If you are really determined, Mark Erickson has a tutorial on his site…

So, will you do Google TV? Or are you totally sold on your Apple TV? Or do you just not want Google to have that much information/control over your life?

TKG is sponsoring an event for GetListed.org called “Local University” at the Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County. GetListed.org is presenting this ‘crash course’ in Internet Marketing to local small business owners. It’s a thrill to work with GetListed, and we’re honored that Northeast Ohio was chosen as a stop on this tour. I’ll be speaking at this event, so I’d love to see you out there. A little about this seminar from the GetListed site:

“Local University is an informative four-hour crash course in the basics of internet marketing–and especially Local Search. It’s largely a beginners’ event that is definitely intended for business owners. Attendees learn Search Engine Optimization tips and techniques that will lead to sustained, long-term search engine rankings–and, hopefully, new customers. ”

They’re taking this around the country, so be sure to find one in your vicinity if you’re not in NE Ohio. This seminar is totally sales pitch free, so no pressure, just come and learn! There will be some very knowledgeable local search experts with strategies for your small business, and it’s only a half day so you can still get some time in at the office before heading home for the day. Sounds good, right?
It’s about to get even better, use the discount code karcher to reduce the already great price to just $79. Can’t beat that, especially when you hear the incredible speakers lined up. So, c’mon, make me, and NE Ohio look good – register for the seminar, and pick up some great ideas for your local small business!

Guest blogger: Megan Jeffery
Get ready, I am about to say something shocking to the SEO world: Despite the fact that many SEOs tout reciprocal linking as worthless, I have never really been convinced of this. I mean, if you look at it logically, how can a link from a worthy and related source, and a link back from your site be a bad thing? Worst case scenario is that you pass along a little link juice, and in the end, you probably “break even” as far as that goes.

I contend that yes, perhaps it is not in your best interest to actively pursue recips, after all, no one is going to answer your emails anyway. However, in this new world where blogging and commenting has taken hold, it is natural that relationships between site owners will develop. They are going to link to one another (BLOGROLL!). This is a reciprocal link, and usually a valid one, as most people don’t put links on a blogroll that are completely unrelated.

It’s really all about relationships, of the human, rather than bot variety. If you link to a site, make sure you value the site. If you develop a relationship with the site, site owner, etc., then your link to them will be appreciated, and perhaps, one day reciprocated. This all goes back to the concept of tribalization…it’s more about building a community with other trusted sites and bloggers.

Anyway, I ran across an older article that lays it all on the line. I have also recently come across this dissenting post. The author makes some salient points. Pretty interesting reading. Check it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Heh, you’d think the SEC had enough bad publicity shot at it lately, what with the allegations that SEC staffers have been caught watching and searching for uh, ahem.. adult content on the web, during work hours, on government computers. But, that’s not the only interesting development at the SEC this week.

If you weren’t aware, the SEC is bringing a securities fraud action case against Goldman Sachs. Not entirely sure of the ins and outs (here’s a link to a guy who does), but it has made for an interesting week on the web!

A branch of the Obama campaign with a website linked to the White House – went to Google, purchased PPC for term Goldman Sachs SEC . On April 20th, the New York Post stated: “Internet surfers who entered ‘Goldman Sachs SEC’” as a search term, Goldman Sachs, Securities Exchange Commission, “were directed to the president’s campaign website via a sponsored link titled ‘Help Change Wall Street.’ The White House’s political arm paid for the keywords — but would not say how much.” Interesting to note that a guy who claimed to be from Google called in to Rush Limbaugh’s show and said that while he had to speak anonymously. He wanted to tell Rush’s listeners that the PPC term ‘Goldman Sachs SEC’ had indeed been purchased and that it held a certain budget and he was sure that if Rush could get his listeners to go and click the term, the budget for the term would be used up and the sponsored link to the Obama site would come down. He was right, the sponsored link was down by 2pm that afternoon. Of course it was back up later, but so was one right above it, purchased by Goldman Sachs. Note the screen shot I have included below:

I find it interesting to note that there is another sponsored link jumping on the bandwagon as of this weekend, making the most of the brewhaha – it’s for a book by a reporter from the Wall Street Journal.

Of course, the Obama Administration denies any sort of knowledge or cooperation with this whole PPC campaign, even though the link goes straight to an Obama Campaign site. Rush had lots to say about it on his show the other day, but just going on gut instinct, I’d say they knew exactly what they were doing, and folks, it’s illegal. Using propaganda to sway the American people is supposed to be against the law. You may disagree with me, you may think it’s perfectly okay for a campaign website connected to the White House to buy links so that the Americans using the web find more information on a particular subject get the Prez’s spin on it first. And maybe we should be grateful it’s a sponsored link – that way you know that what you are getting is spin. Politics, politicians and lawyers using the web to their own advantage is nothing new, and is only going to get worse.
What do you think? Is it okay for campaign funds, and a campaign website for the president to use PPC and other means to propagandize the American people? What’s your take?

A couple of buddies and I have a site dedicated to helping other Jeep and 4×4 enthusiasts find parts for their vehicles. It is a niche site, and we have found a lot of like minded folks on forums of Jeep clubs and whatnot. There are probably thousands of Jeep sites, and most of them have forums. I am sure some of these clubs also have Facebook pages, but a forum just works better for these folks. They have a private, password protected place to talk about their exploits. They don’t have to worry about privacy of Facebook someday taking ownership of any pictures they post. They can post their stories, photos, trip plans and questions without worrying that uninvited folks are going to read them. A Forum also fosters a sense of community, a more close knit community than the Facebook experience offers. There need to be rules in a forum, so make sure you lay those down, or read through them if you are visitor, otherwise you may get some arguments among users.

I think that a forum might work better than other forms of social media for a lot of different industries. I have said before, and I am sticking with the idea that social media is not for everyone, or every site. That being said, I think that if your business does not lend itself to Facebook and Twitter, a forum might work well, especially for a niche industry. One of our longstanding clients, Snyder’s Antique Auto has utilized a question and answer type of forum for years. It works well, their customers know they will have an expert answering their question, and the backlog of questions itself often provides the answer a user needed. I have a hard time imagining that the person who answers the questions on the site would have the same amount of interest and success on a Facebook page, especially since many of the customers are in an age bracket that just really has not embraced Facebook yet.

This forum theory was recently a post by Chris Crum over at WebProNews. Chris makes some interesting points about how forums can impact your business.

Obviously, I realize forums are nothing new. Far from it. Another small example of older, simpler technologies sometimes offering a “common sense” option.