Our reading list for Friday, February 3, 2012

1. Hitwise: Facebook.com Now Accounts For 1 In Every 5 US Pageviews – TechCrunch
2. Can The Huffington Post Reinvent Cable News? – Mashable
3. Recent Findings On Captcha & The User Experience – Search Engine Land
4. Google Chrome Market Share Drops For First Time In Two Years – TechCrunch
5. Solving the Mystery of Google’s Q4 CPC Drop – ClickZ

Our reading list for Thursday, February 2, 2012

1. comScore: As U.S. Smartphone Usage Grows, Android Nears 50 Percent Market Share – TechCrunch
2. Google & Bing: We’re Not Involved In “Local Paid Inclusion” – Danny Sullivan
3. Facebook S-1 Nearly Crashes SEC Website – WSJ
4. Facebook’s Ad Business Is a $3 Billion Mystery – AllThingsD
5. Amazon Launches Sports Collectibles Store Offering Sought-After Memorabilia From Athletes of the Past and Present.

Our reading list for Wednesday, February 1, 2012

1. Super Bowl ad packages for live stream ranging between $500,000 to over $1MM  – ClickZ
2. Facebook Picks Morgan Stanley to Lead $5 billion IPO – Bloomberg
3. IE 9 Growing Fast on Windows 7 PCs – Mashable
4. Analyst: Google+ Hits 100 Million Users – Mashable
5. Nation’s top football recruit Green-Beckham commits to Mizzou – USATODAY

Our reading list for Tuesday, January 31, 2012

1. In IPO, can Facebook debut strong and keep up the momentum? – Washington Post
2. Seinfeld and Soup Nazi … and other SuperBowl ads – Mashable
3. NBC Plans ‘Second Screen’ Experience for Free Super Bowl Web Stream – AllThingsD
4. Twitter is ‘Growing Faster Than We Have Ever Grown Before” – TechCrunch
5. ComScore: Facebook’s Share of Display Ads Reaches 28% – ClickZ

Our reading list for Monday, January 30, 2012

1. The Obama Campaign Is Now Using Mobile Payments Device Square For Fundraising – TechCrunch
2. How to Harmonize Google+ With Your Other Social Platforms - Search Engine Watch
3. Facebook testing photo display that puts captions and comments to the right of the image rather than below – Inside FaceBook
4. Email Giants Move to Slash ‘Phishing’ – WSJ.com
5. Our weekly Search Engine Marketing Reading List – Group 3 Solutions

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

1. It’s about more than privacy. Google’s new policy is a pivot, in order to remain relevant – TechCrunch
2. Google search chief Amit Singhal: ‘The users who have seen [Search Plus Your World] in the wild are liking it – Search Engine Land
3. Viral Infographics: Apple’s Cash Pile Explained – MBAonline via AllThingsD
4. Why Every Entrepreneur Should Self-Publish a Book – TechCrunch
5. QR marketing evolving rapidly as marketers learn to use codes more effectively – Search Engine Watch
6. Sports Blogger Ousted Over False Paterno Tweet – Mashable
7. Facebook Readies IPO Filing – WSJ.com
8. Touchscreen vs. Keyboard: some options for the touchscreen-averse – AllThingsD
9. ‘We hereby declare 2012 as the Year of the WordPress Meetup’
10.  Greater Kansas City Chamber: Big 5 ideas make early progress – KC Business Journal

Friday, January 27, 2012

1. NYTimes.com: Fake reviews are drawing the attention of regulators
2. Google Spent Nearly $2 Billion On 79 Acquisitions In 2011 – TechCrunch
3. How Brands Can Manage Facebook Comment Overload – Mashable
4. Danny Sullivan: Crappy Results Like This Don’t Give The Impression You (Google) Care About Search
5. Google Opens Google+ to Teens – PCMag.com

Thursday, January 26, 2012

1. Facebook ‘subscribe’ for journalists may prevent Google+ from gaining traction as a source for news. Inside FB
2. Test Your Sitemaps Before Submitting Them To Google – Search Engine Land
3. Coca-Cola Polar Bears Will Watch, React to Super Bowl in Real Time – Mashable
4. December 2011: Top U.S. Online Video Destinations – Nielsen Wire
5. December 2011 – Top U.S. Web Brands – Nielsen Wire

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

1. Apple: Highest Quarterly Revenue and Earnings Ever [AAPL up 7% early]
2. Google updates their privacy policies and terms of service, consolidating 60 documents into one main Privacy Policy
3. Ready or Not, You’re Getting Facebook Timeline – Mashable
4. Lots of tech references in Pres. Obama’s SOTU, including support for ‘every risk-taker who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.’ – TechCrunch
5. Con Artist Starred in Sting That Cost Google Millions – AllThingsD
6. Will the Jardine’s jazz club saga end in KC today? – kcconfidential.com

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

1. Mark Zuckerberg Spray Paints Graffiti On Real Facebook Wall – TechCrunch
2. Danny Sullivan: A Proposal For Social Network Détente
3. After the market closes today, look for Apple to ‘trounce expectations’ when it announces earnings - AllThingsD
4. ‘Second screens’ harvest, analyze social network comments we make while watching TV – AllThingsD
5. Federal Judge Rules You May Be Forced To Provide Decryption Password – TechCrunch

Monday, January 23, 2012

1. ‘Nerd Fight!’ Facebook rabble-rouser creates bookmarklet to show how Google should do social search. AllThingsD
2. Apple sells 350,000 textbooks in three days, analyst says – CNET News
3. YouTube Reaches 4 Billion Views Per Day – TechCrunch
4. RIM CEO sees no need for ‘drastic change’ as he replaces the co-CEOs for the BlacBerry producer – Mashable
5. New York, Chicago firms win Gigabit Challenge tied to Google’s ultrafast project in Kansas City – KC Biz Journal
6. Weekly SEM Reading List | 1/20/12 - Group 3 Solutions

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

1. The backpack of my HS freshman daughter weighs about 50 lbs. Textbooks for iPad will fix that – Apple
2. Larry Page: ‘Google had a really strong quarter ending a great year.’ Revenues up 25% over Q4 2010. The Street
   is disappointed and GOOG down about 8% at open.
3. Inside Facebook · Facebook contest to award ad credit to small businesses for bulking up fan bases
4. Newt Gingrich Posts Income Tax Return on the Internet During Debate – Mashable
5. Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The MegaUpload Closure Leaves Users Unable To Access Their Files – TechCrunch

Thursday, January 19, 2012

1. Jeff Jarvis on SOPA: ‘People who care about internet freedom … defended it against efforts to control and harm
   it.
2. 7 Creative Ways Your Brand Can Use Pinterest (and some brands that are doing so) – Search Engine Watch
3. Analysts expect Google to announce big Q4 numbers today – AllThingsD
4. Facebook introduces new apps for timeline
5. Report: 798 Daily Deal Sites Folded In The Last 6 Months Of 2011 - TechCrunch

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

1. iPhone closes the gap on Android – Nielsen Wire
2. Yahoo’s Jerry Yang resigns from the company he co-founded
3. Wikipedia goes dark for SOPA.
4. Google’s SOPA/PIPA statement.
5. Google Fiber work in KCK is delayed by dispute over how its wires are hung – KansasCity.com

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

1. Is Facebook IPO on Track for Late May? – AllThingsD
2. Wikipedia to Go Dark on Wednesday to Protest Bills on Web Piracy – NYTimes.com
3. New Tool Lets Politicians Better Advertise to Facebook Users – Mashable
4. Advertising Report: Facebook Now Earns 23% More Per Impression Than In Q1 2011 – TechCrunch
5. Twitter Blog: The #answer and #dodge results for the Fox debate

Monday, January 16, 2012

1. comScore: Bing Takes No. 2 Spot From Yahoo in December 2011 – Search Engine Watch
2. The New Political Battleground: Your Social Network - TechCrunch
3. Jeff Jarvis: Murdoch doesn’t understand links…. – via Storify
4. The Smith brothers from Mizzou keep 49ers defense rolling along – NYTimes.com
5. [It’s not paranoia if they really are watching you!] Working for the KC Chiefs – KansasCity.com
6. Weekly SEM Reading List – Group 3 Solutions

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

Friday, January 6, 2012

1. Five Ways to Use Google+ to Improve Your Search Engine Optimization – Social Media Examiner
2. Facebook Grants Rare Product Promotion to Moo Cards – AllThingsD
3. Google’s December post about ‘many of the improvements we make to search.’
4. Nielsen: 290 million Americans own a TV, 211 million Americans are online.
5. KC school official: ‘We are NOT the worst district’ – KansasCity.com

Thursday, January 5, 2012

1. On Google+, Essence Digital explains its role in the video ad buy for the Google Chrome campaign.
2. FB Says Most Photos Flagged by Users Aren’t Actually Offensive…just unflattering  - AllThingsD
3. Barnes & Noble Mulls Splitting Nook Business And Selling “Dead Tree” Publishing Company – TechCrunch
4. First they took Kodachrome away, now bankruptcy looms for Kodak. – Technologizer
5. [How in the world do we fix this?] ‘KC schools may be worst in nation’ – KCBJ

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

1. Google penalizes itself for sponsored post campaign – Search Engine Land.
2. Bing Casting Call series sets out to ‘capture the startup experience from the horse’s mouth’
3. How to Turn Tweets Into Ratings Points – Advertising Age
4. It’s Official: Yahoo Announces PayPal President Scott Thompson As Its New CEO – TechCrunch
5. [Bad news for our region.] Boeing will close 2,100-employee Wichita plant – KC Business Journal

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

1. This Post Sponsored by Google – SEO Book. And a deep dive by Danny Sullivan
2. Wikipedia’s Pledge Drive Ends and so Does Those Jarring Testimonials – AllThingsD
3. Vanessa Fox: Learning How To Say No Isn’t the Answer
4. Google’s Ad Campaign Uses Emotions, Not Search Terms – NYTimes.com
5. The Weekly Group 3 Solutions SEM Reading List | 12/30/11

Monday, January 2, 2012

1. Happy New Year, 2012!

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

Friday, December 30, 2011

1. How to Ace a Google Interview – WSJ.com
2. The hot trend, as we prepare for 2012, is animals using touchscreens – AllThingsD
3. Verizon Wireless Cancels Plans To Charge $2 ‘Convenience’ Fee – TechCrunch
4. Jeff Jarvis: Why are we so secretive about sickness and health?

Thursday, December 29, 2011

1. Nearly 3/4 of small businesses are planning on buying a tablet over the next year. – AllThingsD
2. Amazon: We Sold Over 4 Million Kindle Devices This Month; Gifting Of E-Books Up 175 Percent | TechCrunch
3. Penny Arcade: Just Wow! [Paul Christoforo shows how to not do PR for the Avenger controller.]
4. Blogger Paris Lemon gives Google+ the finger.
5. Mizzou institutes new policy for recording classes – Kansas City Business Journal
   

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

1. Consumers Spent $35.3 Billion Online This Holiday Season – AllThingsD
2. How to Maximize Your Social Media Presence with Minimal Effort – Bruce Clay
3. How to Make Money on YouTube – Search Engine Watch
4. Google+ Growth Appears to Accelerate – AllThingsD
5. SEC Announces 2012 Football Schedule – Mizzou fans, book your rooms now!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

1. Google’s Travel Push Angers Web Rivals – WSJ.com
2. Mark Cuban: We don’t need no stinking smartphones at Dallas Mavs games!
3. 9 New Year’s Resolutions For Link Building In 2012. Search Engine Land
4. Google+ Launches 3 New TV Ads Featuring Muppets, Bill Walton & Some Engaged Chick | TechCrunch
5. The Group 3 Solutions Weekly SEM Reading List

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

Our reading list for Friday, December 23, 2011

1. From all of us at Kansas City Digital Marketing agency Group 3 Solutions, Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays with your family and loved ones!
2. Five Marketing Lessons from Santa | Cision Blog
3. How Best Buy Stole Christmas | TechCrunch
4. Apple Had More Web Traffic Than Wal-Mart in November | AllThingsD
5. Finals of the very fun Festive Faceoff from the KC Business Journal

Our reading list for Thursday, December 22, 2011

1. Google Will Pay Mozilla Almost $300M Per Year in Search Deal – AllThingsD
2. LinkedIn Holiday “Consultants” Visiting Profiles – Search Engine Watch
3. Inside Facebook · Study: Twitter Beats Facebook for Media Attention in 2011
4. Facebook Launches Suggested Events Feature Based On Checkins | TechCrunch
5. Traffic to Pinterest Grew 40 Percent in the Last Six Months | AllThingsD

Our reading list for Wednesday, December 21, 2011

1. Still Looking for Gift Ideas? Here Are Wal-Mart’s Suggestions. | AllThingsD
2. Round 2 of the KCBJ Festive Faceoff —vote on some of Kansas City businesses’ best digital holiday cards.
3. TripAdvisor Spins Off From Expedia, Takes Flight On The NASDAQ As A Public Company | TechCrunch
4. Create and or/vote for the most creative caption illustrating what cartoon characters are searching for on Google.
5. Facebook to Eclipse $5 Billion in Ad Sales in 2012 | ClickZ

Our reading list for Tuesday, December 20, 2011

1. An Easter egg for Christmas: Search on Google for ‘let it snow’ and it will snow (on your screen, at least).
2. Kindle Fire On Track For Hundreds Of Millions Of Monthly Ad Impressions; Growing Faster Than The iPad In Early 2010 | TechCrunch
3. Social Media + Search Marketing + Online Media = Success | ClickZ
4. The New York Times ‘is a global news company whose future is mostly digital, and it will live or die on that adventure.’ | Newsonomics
5. NBC Will Stream Super Bowl Broadcast Live | AllThingsD

Monday, December 19, 2011

1. Jeff Jarvis: [re NYT pay meter] How about when you add value to The Times, you earn a credit that delays the next bill?
2. Social media strategy and SEO strategy go hand in hand. | ClickZ
3. 5,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks Stolen From A Truck Stop | TechCrunch
4. Google+ Updates: Improved Stream Controls, Photo Tagging And More | TechCrunch
5. Zynga stock (ZNGA) now off over 10% from $10 IPO offering.

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

Friday, December 2, 2011

1. Google to challenge Amazon with 1-day shipping service (rumor) | ZDNet
2. YouTube Redesigns Around ‘Channels’ Strategy | WSJ
3. Search quality highlights: new monthly series on algorithm changes from Google.
4. Unemployment Slips to 8.6% as Private Sector Adds Jobs | WSJ

Thursday, December 1, 2011

1. Robin Williams’ Siri Impression! From The Ellen Show – YouTube
2. Chrome Overtakes Firefox Globally for First Time | StatCounter Global Stats
3. You Are Watching More Web Video Ads, and You Are OK With That | AllThingsD
4. FOX 4 tribute to Don Harman.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

1. Tom Sawyer convinces some innocents to paint the Google logo on the fence. | Danny Sullivan
2. With 30KU.S.Doctors Now On Board, Doximity Is Fast Becoming The LinkedIn For Physicians | TechCrunch
3. YouTube Blog: Announcing YouTube Analytics – the next generation in Insight
4. WordPress:’You Deserve Better Than AdSense’ | Search Engine Watch

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

1. ‘I have now one ambition: to retire before it becomes essential to tweet.’ Barney Frank’s first and only tweet.
2. Apple Nips at Target’s Heels for 4th Most-Visited Site on Black Friday | AllThingsD
3. Groupon Stock Now Half Off | AllThingsD
4. Zuckerberg likely gets $24 Billion from Facebook IPO. | WSJ
5. Scaling fact-checking | Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine

Monday, November 28, 2011

1. Beyond Facebook: 5 Questions to Ask Before Jumping into a New Social Network | Search Engine Watch
2. U.S.Online Video Watching Reaches Record High In Oct.; 42.6 Billion Videos Viewed | TechCrunch
3. Google: The Evolution of Search | YouTube
4. The Brownback tweet, aKansas Cityperspective. |  Business Journal
5. Corporate Social Media Strategy | ClickZ

Follow our daily reading list at Twitter.com/Group3Solutions.

Despite having more than 400 million active users, Facebook still has its skeptics. Some common complaints include:

• “It’s a waste of time!”
• “Who needs an update on what I’m eating for lunch?”
• “Why do I need to be a Fan of anything?”

Okay, sure. Status updates aren’t always riveting or note-worthy (see: “Dear Coffee, Marry me. Xoxo, Kelly”) and I’m not ashamed to say I “like” a Fan Page called “I Don’t Feel Like Folding My Laundry So I Just Restart The Dryer.”

But while I’m not alone in using the Status Update and Fan Page for innocuous fun, some people are using these basic Facebook features to help improve their health … and even save their own lives.

Like this guy, who decided to quit smoking and inadvertently created a support group among his Facebook friends simply by updating his status with the number of days he’d been smoke free.  As his friends followed his progress, they “liked” his status as the number of days increased and left comments of encouragement when his updates expressed wavering resolve.   Having a virtual audience to not only hold him accountable but also to offer him support no doubt helped contribute to his continued success.

Then there’s this woman, who is using Facebook to help her find a kidney donor.  Living in a state that ranks among the nation’s lowest in percentage of licensed drivers who are registered organ donors, she got creative and set up a Page called “Mel Needs a Kidney.” As of the end of May, she had heard from about 100 people who offered to get tested to see if they were a match.  In addition to increasing her chances of finding a donor, her efforts are also helping raise awareness of organ donation and registration in Michigan.

So while it’s true many Facebook users limit their activities to tending virtual farms or tagging friends in party photos, there are some who are using the platform to improve their lives.  And that’s something I’ll “like” any day.

Kelly Hemmingsen, a Dobies Healthcare Group account coordinator, specializes in copywriting and editing, market research, project coordination and public relations services. She also runs support for their interactive team, specializing in social media, search engine marketing, e-PR, and Web content and development.