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.

But once you’ve made the connections and have the attention of those that have decided to follow you, what now? How can you add value to their Twitter experience and keep them engaged and listening? Here are some tips that just may help keep them from losing interest and leaving.

• Tweet Regularly: Tweeting on a daily basis is always a good idea. Make it a habit like checking your email everyday. People who haven’t heard anything in awhile will tend to get bored and unfollow people, moving onto greener pastures.

• Quality Over Quantity: I know, I know. We just said to tweet regularly and often. But before you send your 100th tweet for the day, take a minute to evaluate the content of the tweet. Sure your mom might find it very interesting to know that you ‘Just downed my fourth soy mocha espresso macchiato for the day,’ but will anyone else? Make sure the information you’re sending out is useful and interesting to the majority of your followers.

• Separate Personal and Business Accounts: You may want to consider setting up separate business and personal accounts. You don’t want your personal views reflecting negatively on your professional image. It’s easy to lose followers with just one tweet.

• Be Engaging: Reach out and get to know your followers. We all like to feel that we’re more than just some pixels on a followers list. Use Twitter to help build relationships and establish communication.

• You’re More Than Just a Link: With millions of people using Twitter everyday, it’s important to make yourself stand out from the stream. Don’t just post or retweet links. Keep it interesting and provide your thoughts and insight on the subject matter.

• Keep It Real: Don’t lose sight of who you are in the process. Don’t be afraid to just be yourself and don’t try to be something you’re not. People will appreciate you more for it.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to building a loyal and lasting Twitter following!

And now that we have your attention, why not follow us on Twitter?

Many of our “100th Tweet thoughts” are still true today, and we’ve added some tools to make our Tweeting even better:

• Our main focus with Twitter remains keeping up with the Search Marketing community and their blogs, re-tweeting information and linking to posts that will help keep our clients updated on digital (and traditional) marketing trends.
• Each day, we highlight our five most recent Tweets on our website home page, ensuring constantly updated content for visitors to the site.
• We track our favorite blogs in Google Reader as the primary source of our Tweet material.
• Each time we update our blog, a Tweet goes out to notify our followers.
• Our tweets are used to update our status on our Facebook page.
• We use TweetDeck for desktop as a personal real-time browser to update our status and to follow the Twitter stream of lists, hash tags and friends.
• We registered g-3.me to use as our Custom Short Domain, then mapped that URL to bit.ly pro. This allows all of our Group 3 Solutions Tweets to be branded with the g-3.me shortened URL.
• Each week or so, we compile our messages into a Tweet roundup blog post.

Has our Tweeting been a game changer for us? Not really. But it has allowed us to improve our knowledge of the real-time information network as we assist our healthcare vertical clients in their social efforts and introduce business-to-business clients to how they can enhance their marketing program with social networking.

Where is real-time information networking heading? Let’s take a look at what is happening in the ever-changing field, and what others are saying.

• Real-Time Search. We think Twitter, and other services like it, will continue to have an impact on search engine marketing, with real-time search results becoming increasingly important in the future. Danny Sullivan, the authority on SEO industry reporting, took an early look at Google’s real-time efforts. Here’s Google’s page on the topic, and Bing has information here.
• Social Media Marketing. As marketers seek to tap into the 120 million or so Twitter users (as of July 2010), new advertising companies are being formed, small agencies are expanding their offerings, and larger ones are buying these smaller firms or establishing their own social marketing divisions. “Ad spending on social networks worldwide is expected to rise 14% this year (2010) to $2.5 billion,” according to research firm eMarketer. “Although social media represents only a fraction of the $55 billion online-ad market, it is one of the fastest-growing segments,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
• Multimedia. ReadWriteWeb reports that Twitter may soon be displaying images and video inline, perhaps “betting that 140 characters just isn’t enough anymore.”
• Real-Time Advertising. Is Twitter best for public relations, or will the new advertising platform be better for ROI? Mashable suggests keeping in mind the affinity already built with Twitter as you consider going to Sponsored Tweets or other advertising opportunities on the service.
• Competition. Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN) such as Foursquare may vie for marketers dollars with Twitter. “The time for marketers to get involved with LBSNs is coming,” Forrester says.

So … a lot has changed while other aspects have stayed the same between our 100th and 1000th Tweets. What will change as we work toward 2000 Tweets? Follow us on Twitter to find out!

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.

With the number of users and visits on Facebook growing everyday, it’s safe to say that it has become a powerful marketing tool and medium for companies to generate buzz and excitement for their products and services and to get the attention of loyal customers and even gain new ones.

Here’s a sample of how other companies have used Facebook in their promotional efforts.

• Pepsi’s Refresh Project Uses Facebook to Award Millions to Charity
• Universal Handing Out Free Blu-Ray Movies To Facebook Fans
• 2010 Census Turns to Facebook to Maximize Impact, Reach Young Adults
• IKEA’s Genius Use of Photo Tagging in Facebook
• Mexican Government Uses Facebook to Combat Tourism Declines

With its site offering a platform where companies are reinventing the standards of marketing, Facebook clearly has become more than just a “social” network. Is your company harnessing that power?