We are in the B2B Social Media Era, Either Board the Social Media Train or Get Left at the Station

If you are in business today you need a social media strategy. You know like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter…

It is no longer possible to use the excuse that your business is business to business so you don’t need to participate in social media.

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Answers, Blogs…, the B2B world has come of age. Regardless of whether your business is B2B or B2C social media is a viable marketing strategy today!

In a recently released B2B Social Media Benchmarking study the writing has been left on the station wall. Businesses are using social media and they are using it at a very high rate. If you don’t have your social media marketing strategy in place yet it is time to get on board.

The 2009 B2B Social Media Benchmarking Study from Business.com gives us some great insight into the use of social media for businesses today. For those of you who really like the numbers here are some that should get things rolling.

The top 5 social media resources as the most popular for business information:

• 69.1% – Attend webinars or listen to podcasts
• 62.2% – Read user ratings & reviews for business products or services
• 62.1% – Visit company or product profile pages on social media sites
• 55.1% – Visit company blogs
• 54.5% – Conduct searches for information on social media sites

This information can be broken down to company size and the comparison is very interesting.

Small Businesses less than 100 employees:

• 67% – Attend webinars or listen to podcasts
• 63% – Read user ratings & reviews for business products or services
• 61% – Visit company or product profile pages on social media sites
• 54% – Visit company blogs
• 54% – Conduct searches for information on social media sites
• 34% – Subscribe to RSS feeds of business-related news of information sites
• 28% – Use Twitter to find or request business-related information
• 27% – Save business-related links on social bookmarking sites

Medium to Large Businesses 100+ employees:

• 84% – Attend webinars or listen to podcasts
• 70% – Visit company or product profile pages on social media sites
• 70% – Read user ratings & reviews for business products or services
• 66% – Conduct searches for information on social media sites
• 64% – Visit company blogs
• 62.1% – Visit company or product profile pages on social media sites
• 48% – Subscribe to RSS feeds of business-related news of information sites
• 46% – Use Twitter to find or request business-related information
• 36% – Save business-related links on social bookmarking sites

In all but one case – reading user ratings and reviews for business products or services – a higher percentage of mid- to large-sized company respondents reported utilizing a given social media resource than did small business respondents. The fact that small business respondents show more active interest in business product/service ratings and reviews makes sense – small businesses typically lack the more formalized purchasing process found in mid- to large-sized companies, and these ratings and reviews provide additional, useful information to support the purchasing decision process.

When it comes to active participation on social media web sites, such as participating in online business communities or forums, or asking questions on Q&A sites like Yahoo! Answers or LinkedIn Answers, there were no significant differences between small company and mid- to large-sized company respondents.

When it comes to online social community participation there seems to be very little difference when it comes to company size.

Small Businesses less than 100 employees:

• 52% – Participate in online business communities or forums
• 50% – Ask questions on Q&A sites (e.g.LinkedIn, Yahoo Answers…)
• 29% – Participate in discussions on 3rd party sites

Medium to Large Businesses 100+ employees:

• 52% – Participate in online business communities or forums
• 46% – Ask questions on Q&A sites (e.g.LinkedIn, Yahoo Answers…)
• 32% – Participate in discussions on 3rd party sites

If you are in business are you active on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Answers? Do you have a blog? If not why not? We are in the digital age changes are only a click away. Just jump aboard this “social media train” it can be fun, informative, and rewarding. If you aren’t on any train yet try LinkedIn.

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

Businesses Are Using Social Media – What is Your Social Media Strategy? is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Day 2 at WebVisions Portland Oregon – Thinking the Unthinkable – Webvisionary Awards

Brad gave us a rousing opening for today’s WebVision festivities.

This mornings keynote was sponsored by Portland State University’s Multimedia Professional Program.

Jennifer Portis introduced Luke Williams.

“Thinking the Unthinkable: How to Spark Disruptive Innovation”

Luke gave us a very interesting visual media filled presentation to a large crowd.

Luke is a leading consultant, speaker, and educator in the area of innovation strategy and disruptive thinking. For more than a decade, he has worked internationally with industry leaders like Microsoft, American Express, Sony, Virgin, Disney, and Hewlett-Packard, to develop new products, services, brands, and business models.

Williams is a Fellow at frog design—one of the most influential innovation companies in the world—and an Adjunct Professor of innovation at NYU Stern School of Business.

The evening event for today is the Webvisionary Awards Show

The Webvisionary Awards honors the most visionary, daring, and curious talent on the web by awarding them with a miniature robot. Andrew Dickson is returning as the MC, DJs Rev Shines and Ronin Roc will supply the beat, and Chad the Robot will prove that he’s a dancin’ machine.

Presentation Karaoke will kick it all off. Sponsored by VTech, WebTrends, 52 Ltd and WebVisions. Held at Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Ave., Portland.

Well it’s back to the sessions for me at this time.

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

WebVisions Day 2 May 20th 2010 – Webvisionary Awards is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Portland Development Commission Hosts a Who’s Who Lunch 2.0 Portland

I would like give thanks to the Portland Development Commission (PDC) for hosting a great Lunch 2.0 yesterday.

This event turned out to be a “Who’s Who” in Portland.

For those of you who want to know more about PDC here is their vision and mission.

PDC’s Vision…
The Portland Development Commission’s Vision is to be a catalyst for positive change in the creation of a world-class 21st Century city; a city in which economic prosperity, quality housing and employment opportunities are available to all.

& Mission…
Our Mission is to bring together resources to achieve Portland’s vision of a diverse, sustainable community with healthy neighborhoods, a vibrant central city, a strong regional economy, and quality jobs and housing for all.

Here are just a small sampling of the people who were there yesterday.

Shirley de Rose (speaker and marketing coach) and Carri Bugbee (Public Relations and Social Media) even stopped their conversation and posed for me to take a quick picture.

Taylor Ellwood

Steve Gehlen

Amber Case

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

Lunch 2.0 Portland Hosted by the Portland Development Commission is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

WebVisions is the Premiere Web Informational Event in Portland Oregon is Celebrating their 10th Year

This week my calendar is dedicated to WebVisions and of course my clients.

It’s not too late to attend.

If you missed out on the discount pricing you can still buy your reasonably priced tickets at the door.

To reiterate WebVisions is a nationally recognized conference exploring the future of Web design, technology, user experience and business strategy. Running the next 3 days it is being held at the Oregon Convention Center.

If you have been following my posts you know there is going to be a bunch of web related information up for grabs. Does your business have anything to do with the internet? Is there really a business today that doesn’t involve the internet? You need to be there.

With all the workshops, sessions, panel discussions, parties, and events how can you even consider not attending? Be there or be SQUARE!

SEE YOU THERE.

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

WebVisions Week Begins Tomorrow in Portland Oregon is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Today is the last day to register online for WebVisions

You can sign up for WebVisions Today and Save!!!

Today being the last day to signup online, it is also the last day for you to get the Search Engine Optimizician WebVisions discount.

WebVisions is the premiere web related event in the North West. This 3 day extravaganza is something that everyone with an interest in the internet should attend. The special discount tickets start at $200 what a bargain. Register now!

Special prices for WebVisions 2010, which takes place from May 19-21 at the Oregon Convention Center. This is an exclusive deal for readers of Gary Pool’s Search Engine Optimizician blog.

You Can Win a Dahon Uno Bike

Dahon Mu Uno is possibly the world’s coolest urban bike, and it folds up in 10 seconds, making it ultimately portable and easy to store. DL Byron from Bike Hugger will give away a model that’s decked out for the tech jet set.

More About the Dahon Uno Bike

• Every bike comes with a quality, forged, dual-pivot caliper brake and brake lever in case you really want a front brake
• Easy to fold and roll in train stations so you don’t need to carry the bike
• Light weight, easy to carry, and only 22 lb

The tricked out Dahon Uno will be raffled before the closing keynote speaker on Friday, May 21st. Enter the drawing at the Bike Hugger booth #302 in the WebVisions Exhibit Hall.

Parties and Events

WebVisions 10th Anniversary Party will be held Wednesday, May 19th, 6:30 – 10:00pm.
This is the 10th anniversary for WebVisions and they are throwing a hella fun party to celebrate. This party will be co-hosted by ReadWriteWeb and Network Solutions, there will be free drinks, cake and maybe even some give-aways. Held at Lucky Lab NW – 1945 NW Quimby, Portland

Webvisionary Awards Show + Presentation Karaoke will be held Thursday, May 20th, 6:00 – 9:00pm.
The Webvisionary Awards honors the most visionary, daring, and curious talent on the web by awarding them with a miniature robot. Andrew Dickson returns as our MC, DJs Rev Shines and Ronin Roc will supply the beat, and Chad the Robot will prove that he’s a dancin’ machine. Presentation Karaoke will kick it all off. Sponsored by VTech, WebTrends, 52 Ltd and WebVisions. Held at Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Ave., Portland.

WebVisions Wrap Party will be held Friday, May 21st, 6:30pm – who knows.
While this even cannot be held at the Greek Cusina, WebVisions is starting a new tradition. Nel Centro is one of Portland’s hippest restaurants and they have a great outdoor patio with fire pits and cool lighting. Location: Nel Centro – 1408 SW Sixth Avenue.
(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

WebVisions – Last Day For Online Registration is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

This is a guest post by social media strategist Taylor Ellwood

There’s a lot of hype about Four Square and the geo location technology it offers. So much so that Twitter and Facebook, and other social media services are starting to integrate geo location technology into their interfaces. Geo location technology basically shows the exact location you are sending a status update from, and can sometimes involve telling people where you are. A lot of people are really into using this technology, especially because Four Square has made it into a game, where you can get virtual awards for showing up a place and telling people you are there. This allows you to compete with other people on Four Square.

However, in their rush to win virtual awards, what Four Square users seem to have forgotten or not thought through are the potential consequences for posting their exact location to other people. The danger in this technology is that people can use knowing your exact location against you. For example, one social media expert I know told me how she’d posted her latest location at a restaurant. While getting ready to eat, she was called by two men who told her that thanks to Four Square they knew exactly where she was. They told her they were breaking into her home to steal everything she had. Needless to say getting such a call understandably frightened her. She got a friend to escort her home, where she found out her place had not been broken into. She had just been pranked. But that experience opened her eyes and she stopped using Four Square.

In truth, she was lucky she only got pranked, but the reality is that Four Square’s geo location can be used for much worse. After all, she really could have been robbed. And if someone wanted to stalk her or rape her, or do something worse, it wouldn’t be very hard to use Four Square’s geo location technology to keep track of where she was and then make a move. And in the end, Four Square won’t recompense her for stolen goods or anything else for that matter.

The other problem however, is that there isn’t a very clear reason as to why geo location technology is actually useful. What function or purpose does it serve to announce to everyone exactly where you are? Sure you can tell friends who then might meet up with you, but you can also use the phone, email, text, or a direct message to do the same.

Four Square’s geo location technology ultimately presents less benefit than it provides. Just because people can use it, doesn’t mean they should use it. Without a clear benefit, beyond virtual awards, Four Square and other such similar services provide more opportunities for people to be stalked, robbed, or otherwise harmed. Of course, it’s not solely the technology’s fault. The lack of common sense displayed by people who use this technology without considering the consequences also is a problem. That people haven’t clearly thought out what could occur is evident when they use this technology indiscriminately and post it to all their social networking sites. in the end, no virtual award is worth the risks that this technology increases. While it’s true that any person could be robbed, stalked, etc., it’s also true that the less you do to open yourself up to it, the less chance it is that it will occur.

In the age of social media, while it is easier for us to tell each other where we are, it’s more important than ever to employ common sense and carefully consider what we tell people and what technology we use to tell people. While I do tell people what I’m doing, I keep the location information and time vague in my social media updates. I focus on informing people more about what I’m doing, as opposed to where I’m doing it.

Why social media geo-location technology isn’t as good as it seems is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

The Battle over US Internet Supremacy Goes to Facebook as Google has to take the Back Seat for a Week

It has happened before but… Facebook beat out Google on individual days during the holidays but this time it is for a full week.

Information released from Experian Hitwise shows that Facebook won the traffic title from Google for an entire week.

Does this mean that Google’s evil empire is being defeated by the Social Rebellion? Has Facebook learned to use the “force” to help them defeat Google?

Here is a graph from Experian Hitwise that will show the battle.

(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)

Hitwise Intelligence – Heather Dougherty – North America
Facebook Reaches Top Ranking in US
March 15, 2010

Facebook reached an important milestone for the week ending March 13, 2010 and surpassed Google in the US to become the most visited website for the week. Facebook.com recently reached the #1 ranking on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day as well as the weekend of March 6th and 7th. The market share of visits to Facebook.com increased 185% last week as compared to the same week in 2009, while visits to Google.com increased 9% during the same time frame. Together Facebook.com and Google.com accounted for 14% of all US Internet visits last week.

What can be learned from the fact that people are visiting Facebook more than Google?

Is Google’s core business being a search engine in danger? Google is a search engine it is a tool, and one that works on getting better every day.

Facebook only search is designed to bring users to Facebook. Social networking is the new kid on the internet block. It is still riding the peak of the wave.

Facebook can now leverage those user visits to gain a controlling interest in the online ad-placement business. Google’s advertisers may begin to migrate to the higher traffic site.

The paid advertising on Google’s search results is their monetization. Can Facebook cut deep enough to draw Google blood?

Only time will tell.

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

Google Loses Traffic Battle to Facebook for the First Time is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Does Social Influence have any Effect on Customer Service?

This is a guest blog post from social media strategist Taylor Ellwood

There’s a lot of hype made about social media and how it empowers the customer, especially when it comes to actually getting businesses to listen to what the customer has to say. But I’m a skeptic, and from everything I’ve observed, while social media is certainly a useful tool for connecting with people and building relationships and doing research on something you want, I don’t agree that it empowers the consumer as much as some other digital strategists argue that it does. And the reason for that is simple: Unless you have social influence, companies don’t care about your complaints.

That sounds harsh, but it’s also true. The news stories that get frequented about how people are using social media to embarrass companies and get them to actually perform real customer service occurs usually due to one overwhelming factor. That factor is how many followers a person has. For example, the president of Maytag recently called a blogger up and apologized for his company’s customer service and got her washer fixed, but only because that person had thousands of followers and had gotten those followers to support her, when Maytag’s customer service department refused to help her out. In another case, an artist’s work was ripped off by a company, and it was only when Neal Gaiman posted about it that the company even started to talk with her or offer some form of payment for her work.

My point is that while social media is a very public space, it does not guarantee that companies will provide better customer service or automatically care about what their customers think. Additionally with social media monitoring tools such as what Scout Lab provides, some companies can try to manage the negativity behind changing the rating toward them using some of the tools that social media monitoring companies provide. While this is a dubious practice at best, it is one that companies can use as a way of managing how they are perceived.

However, consumers can develop strategies of their own to get someone to listen. Finding someone who has a lot of social influence, and convincing that person of the worthiness of your cause can help to spread news about a company and its poor customer service. If enough people read and agree with the influencer then the company will have to respond, if only because the spike in negativity will embarrass them enough to make them listen to the original complaint and solve it.

However what ultimately would be ideal is if businesses simply learn to be proactive in their customer service, especially on social media sites. Social media provides consumers an opportunity to complain about a company very easily, but the company can choose to respond and try and solve the issue instead of just trying to avoid it or ignore it. Companies can also build on positive interactions by taking time to comment on a customer that mentions their brand. By building some positive social influence of their own companies can show that they actually care about their clients, and create customer service that actually serves the customer instead of trying to avoid the customer.

Social Influence and Customer Service is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

How to Create Your Own Facebook Fan Page Step by Step

We are going to go through the steps to create a Facebook Fan Page.

The first thing you are going to need is a Facebook account. If you don’t have one yet you will need to sign up for one first.

Now that you have signed up… Just sign in and…

According to the Facebook Overview

A Facebook Page is a customizable presence for an organization, product, or public personality to join the conversation with Facebook users. The Page focuses on the stream of content posted by the Page administrators.

By leveraging the real connections between friends on Facebook, a Page lets Fans become brand advocates. Posts by the Page will start to appear in News Feed, giving Pages a stronger voice to reach their Fans.

In addition, Pages now have the flexibility of multiple customizable tabs previously exclusive to user profiles.

What you will need before you begin:

• A Fan Page Profile Picture
• A Name for your Fan Page
• Some Engaging Information for your Fan Page

Profile Picture
Profile pictures on Facebook and Facebook Fan Pages can have a maximum size of 200×600 pixels. Facebook Pages do not allow background images like Twitter, Myspace, and other social media sites. You can take advantage of the full 200×600 allotted space to get your brand in front of your fans.

Name your Page
The name you give your Page is permanent, so make sure it’s the one your fans and customers will recognize and that it is one you are willing to live with.

Useful and engaging
You will need some info that will turn your Facebook fans into paying customers, and vice versa. Restaurants and bars can use detailed info like addresses and store hours. Bands can use songs and videos. Photos of what you are offering and hyperlinks to independent reviews will work well. Get what you’ve got, you can always add more later.

Now it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Pick a category and name.
This is probably your most important part of creating a Facebook Fan Page. Once you have chosen your category and name you will not be able to change either one of them. Choose carefully and wisely. Using your company name is not a bad idea.

Click “Create Page.”

Once you have chosen your category and name you will get a chance to link your Fan Page updates to your twitter account. This is not a bad idea. It will automatically post your Fan Page updates without any extra work on your part.

Step 2: Add a profile picture
Click “upload a picture” near the top and upload the graphic or photo that best represents your product. Make sure that your brand is clear even as a “thumbnail.”

(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)
Next you will want to Install the Static FBML App and Add a Custom Tab.

Do a search for “static FBML” on Facebook (or just click this link), and click “Add to my Page” in the upper-left. A dialog pop-over will appear with a list of Pages you administer. Select the Page you want to customize by clicking the “Add to Page” button next to the Page, and when you click the button it will disappear from the list. Now click “Close”.

If you go view your Page now, you’ll notice when you click the “>>” tab there is now an “FBML” option in the drop-down. If you click on it, that tab appears in the list of tabs at the top, and you can drag it around. You’ll notice the tab is completely blank. You can now add some content to it.

To add content, click on “Edit Page” again on the left below your Page image. Go to the “FBML” subsection again, but this time click the “Edit” link. Now you’ll be taken to a very simple form with a “Box Title” field and an “FBML” field. This is your Canvas.

You can change the title of the tab. By default this tab gets called “FBML” when you add it. You’ll probably want to change the title of the tab depending on your purpose!

Now enter enter some content. The “FBML” field will take most basic HTML. You don’t need to include any , , or tags, as the HTML you enter will only take the place of that whitespace you just saw. All the header stuff is taken care of for you. Play with it and see what you can do.

(FMBL information courtesy of post by Jesse Stay, founder & CEO SocialToo.com)

Step 3: Add information
Click “Add information to this Page” underneath the profile picture and enter your basic and detailed information. The fields available will depend on your Page type. The more details you add the more successful you will be.

Step 4: Make it rich and engaging
Just like your user profile, Pages have multiple tabs. The default tabs are a Wall tab, an Info tab, and a Boxes tab for application modules. You can devote entire tabs to several Facebook applications, like Photos, Reviews, and Discussion Board.

Step 5: Publish
Click the “publish this Page” link to share your Page the with world.

Step 6: Update Regularly
Updating your Page regularly with fresh photos, upcoming events, and the latest promotions means your Page will not only look like a profile, it will feel like one, and that will keep your fans returning.

Step 7: Stir and Repeat (Repeat Step 6)
You can also send some or all of your fans messages by clicking “Send an Update to Fans” in the upper-left of your Page (under the profile picture).

There you go step by step instructions to create a Facebook Fan Page.

Become a fan of Search Engine Optimization Portland.

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

Facebook Fan Page – Step by Step is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

How Popular are Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz Compared to the Search Engines

Last week a friend of mine, John Poling, forwarded me an email with some questions.

I figured I would make a blog post out of my answer. I have included both the forwarded email and the comment from John.

Hi Gary,

This update just landed in my in-box this morning. Why did I send it to you? Well you are the best person to ask about “how to get the best search results” that I know. I could send you a lot of questions that this email raised in my mind or I could just invite you to do the next BizNet program. Your comments please. I have had several BizNet members ask me about how to build a more professional. I always recommend that they contact you. I have no way to know if they do or not. Maybe you could school us on how to better work with you and each other to better use the Internet for our real estate, investment and small business purposes.

Thank You,
JOHN

The forwarded email.

“This is also a good time for search marketers and marketers in general to think again about Facebook, if you haven’t already. More and more Facebook content has been made visible to search engines over the years.” Sullivan then goes on to say “Google’s move makes having Facebook fan pages even more essential. Without one, you’re missing out on a chance to be found within yet another area, Google’s real time results.”

Danny said it all – if you don’t have a page – now is the time!

Don’t forget in addition to the Notes, Links, Discussion and Wall (default tabs on a Facebook Fan page) you want to create custom tabs with FBML to make the page more compelling and a stronger marketing tool. If you don’t know how to work with code, let me know and I’ll be happy to get you a quote on us creating the page.

Got a Fan Page already? Send me the URL and I’ll take a peek and see if I have any suggestions to improve it.

To Your Success,

Jennifer Horowitz
Director of Marketing

While it is important to have a Facebook fan page is definitely not the most important. Once again your Internet marketing and search engine rankings are like feathers on a balance beam. The balance beam is the ranking scale and all we have to place on the scale to increase our rankings is feathers. So the more feathers you place the higher rankings are going to be. Therefore you should at least be aware of all of the social media.

You should concentrate on the social media that is most applicable to your product or service and your skills. You don’t overlook anything. Make sure to use what you’re best at promote yourself and your business.

Even though the Facebook Fan Pages updates now appear on the Google Real Time Search Results they are not alone.

The search results also include the following:

1. Twitter tweets
2. Google News links
3. Google Blog Search links
4. Newly created web pages
5. Freshly updated web pages
6. FriendFeed updates
7. Jaiku updates
8. Identi.ca updates
9. TwitArmy updates
10. Google Buzz posts
11. MySpace updates
12. Facebook fan page updates

(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)

According to Twitter.

Monday 2-22-10
Folks were tweeting 5,000 times a day in 2007. By 2008, that number was 300,000, and by 2009 it had grown to 2.5 million per day. Tweets grew 1,400% last year to 35 million per day. Today, we are seeing 50 million tweets per day—that’s an average of 600 tweets per second.

In a post by Matt McGee he quotes twitter as saying that they are currently seeing 50 million tweets per day which breaks down to about 600 per second.

And he brings up the question how does this compare to Facebook, known as the king of social networking and Google buzz, the new kid on the block.

Even though the numbers show there are more Facebook updates per second than tweets Matt’s post was tweeted 335 times as compared to only 39 shares on Facebook.

Updates/Posts:

• Facebook status updates: 700 per second
• Twitter tweets: 600 per second
• Buzz posts: 55 per second

Compared to searches:

• Google: 34,000 searches per second
• Yahoo: 3,200 searches per second
• Bing: 927 searches per second

Disclaimers:

• On Twitter, every post counts as a “tweet” no matter if it’s an original tweet, a comment from another user, a link being shared, a retweet, etc. All of those are rolled into one number.
• Facebook’s number is only status updates. It doesn’t include comments from other users on someone’s status update, nor does it includes “likes” of a status update — both of which are popular activities on Facebook. More importantly, it also doesn’t include photos, links, notes, and all the other types of user activity that happen on Facebook.
• Buzz was only two days old when Google published its numbers.

Using comScore’s recent worldwide estimates for Google, Yahoo and Bing Danny Sullivan did some division to come up with the following figures:

• Google: 34,000 searches per second (2 million per minute; 121 million per hour; 3 billion per day; 88 billion per month, figures rounded)
• Yahoo: 3,200 searches per second (194,000 per minute; 12 million per hour; 280 million per day; 8.4 billion per month, figures rounded)
• Bing: 927 searches per second (56,000 per minute; 3 million per hour; 80 million per day; 2.4 billion per month, figures rounded)

So what does all this meet us. The numbers show me that social media and search are both here to stay. And we’d better step up to the plate and take as many pitches as possible. We no longer live in the world for doing one thing will get you the results that you want. We have to do everything that we possibly can, we have to do it often and we have to do a right.

Late,
Gary Pool SEO

Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, & the Search Engines by the Numbers is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

How to Make Following Up an Everyday Habit

Guest post by Social Media Strategist and Avid Networker Taylor Ellwood

The other night I was talking with a friend and she told me that she really admired my ability to follow up with people and asked me if it was discipline or if I had developed a process for doing it. For me, following up is a result of several different factors, all of which anyone can do, provided they make enough effort to do so:

1. Develop a genuine interest in each person you meet. This means that just meeting a person won’t be enough for you. You will want to know more about that person. You will want to know what that person does, but also what that person needs or what current problem s/he is dealing with (everyone has a problem). Most importantly, you need to listen to the person, without trying to talk over the person or be thinking about that next football game.
2. When you get back from meeting someone, think about what that person told you. Who do you know that can help that person? Look through your business cards, and make a couple calls or send some emails to people you know who might be interested in the person you met. By thinking of who you can connect this person to, you start a process that will make you want to follow -up with the person.
3. Either email or phone the person with contact information to the people you know. By making this extra effort, not only will you follow up with the person, but you’ll show that you followed through with the person. In other words you will show that person you cared enough to help him/her make a connection to people who could help him/her.
4. Do it every day. That’s right follow-up every day. When you meet someone, follow-up via email or phone, and connect with him/her on your social networks. Put aside time, in your evening, or at the latest, the next morning and follow-up with each person you met.

Success with following up does come down to discipline, but more importantly it comes down to thinking about other people and how you can help them. My choice to follow up with a person I meet is made out of the desire to help that person. I realize that many times the help I provide will only be helping someone make a connection with someone else, but knowing I can do that and that it will help that person makes me feel good. My biggest payoff for following up isn’t how many new clients I could get, or how much income I might derive from that process, but rather the state of emotional well-being that I feel, knowing that I could make someone’s life a bit easier if I could provide that person an answer or help him/her make a connection. Know your motivation for following up and then you will follow-up on a regular basis.

Make Follow Up an Everyday Habit is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Guest video blog post by social media strategist Taylor Ellwood

In the video below I discuss why I video blog, and why I think video is an underused resource. Video should be incorporated into your social media presence. The advantage of doing so, is that it allows you to show people you and what you are doing, as opposed to just telling them.

Social Media Coach: Why I video Blog

Why I Video Blog is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Everyone is all astir over Linkedin finally connecting its status updates to twitter, but in my opinion, this recent update is not as wonderful as it first seems. In fact, in the few days since it’s been started, I’ve already seen the quality of status updates on Linkedin degrade because people aren’t using #in for sending tweets, but instead are sending all of their tweets over to Linkedin. I’ve learned more about cats, sports teams, and other equally irrelevant information (for Linkedin) in the past few days because people haven’t exercised the proper awareness of how to use the new Linkedin Twitter connection effectively.

A good example of the right way to use the twitter-linkedin connection and the wrong way to use it can be seen in the screenshot below. The top post is the wrong way to use the linkedin-Twitter connection. The person has responded to someone on twitter, but that post has also been sent to Linkedin. In fact, every time this person posts a tweet, it will show up in Linkedin. The result is that we’ll see a message, which isn’t relevant on Linkedin, because even if it’s a professional message, it’s a reply to someone else on Twitter, as opposed to Linkedin. And of course we could also get more mundane and non-appropriate posts, such as the post about a sports team. It’s not remotely relevant to Linkedin, because it’s not a professional update. It’s actually rather unprofessional and is a good example of how to use a social network inappropriately.

The post from the person in the middle is appropriate to Linkedin, at least in terms of describing something professional. He’s also chosen the option where the post from Twitter will only appear if he uses #in. That hashtag indicates that the message should get posted on both Twitter and Linkedin. Without that hashtag, his post will only go to Twitter (and other services he’s connected to Twitter).

What’s happened with the Twitter and Linkedin connection is that most people have simply connected Twitter to Linkedin without using the #in tag. The result is that a lot of non-professional tweets and responses to people in twitter are showing up on Linkedin, but the material isn’t really relevant to Linkedin as a social networking site. This diminishes the usefulness of Linkedin, in terms of status updates, because many of the status updates aren’t relevant to the purpose for using Linkedin.

To set-up your Linkedin and twitter connection, click on the blue Twitter icon. A new window will appear, asking you to authorize the connection. You’ll need to enter your twitter handle and password, in order to authorize the connection.

After you’ve authorized the connection, the window will display the settings for the Twitter-Linkedin connection. Make the Twitter account visible to everyone, unless you don’t want people to see it on your profile. On your profile page, people will see a link to your twitter account, which will allow them to connect with you on Twitter if they choose.

Under share your Tweets in your LinkedIn status DO NOT select all tweets. If you do people, will see all your tweets, including ones which aren’t relevant to Linkedin. Instead select “Only tweets that contain #in.” This way the only time your Linkedin status will update to your twitter account is if you’ve actually included the hashtag in your message. Yes, this means you will need to include the hastag, but this will also help you determine if the update you’re about to post is really relevant to your audience on Linkedin.

If you need to change your twitter settings at any time, simply click the blue twitter icon again and select Twitter Settings. You’ll then be able to change any settings you’ve made to your Twitter-Linkedin connection.

Remember that as tempting as it might be to send all your tweets to Linkedin, it defeats the purpose of the status update feature in Linkedin, if any of those tweets aren’t relevant to your professional activities. Also, when it’s a response to someone on Twitter, it won’t really make sense because the context of the conversation is missing. Restrict your tweets to Linkedin by using the hashtag #in and you’ll not only be using the connection properly for professional activities, but you’ll be showing a sophisticated awareness of how to use social media properly. Remember Linkedin is not Twitter and should not be treated as such!

Taylor Ellwood
Business, Writing, & Social Media Coach

How to use the new Twitter Linkedin connection properly is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

The Trek from Astoria to Seaside was a very Enjoyable 18.3 miles

Yesterday we met with a local artist from the Oregon Coast Glynis Valenti. We met over coffee and appetizers at the Shilo Inn in Seaside, Oregon. Glynis has a varied background in the arts. I mean the ARTS. Glynis has traversed the United States displaying her talents from the East coast to the West coast. She has worked in the marketing field from many angles.

Glynis is opening a wine bar in Cannon Beach called Wild Vines. Wild Vines will be located in Sweet Basil’s and offer eclectic pairings of wines and noshes. Look for their grand opening.

All of the images used in this post are the property of Glynis Valenti.
(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)
I would like to share a few excerpts and images from Glynis’ posts at GlynisDaily.com with you.

Fall-ing

Autumn seems like such a short season–one month, really. Summer extends into September, and I’ve seen snow fly by Halloween. I have such fond memories of this season with its fresh air and sweaters and comfort food and, of course, the first of the Charlie Brown trilogy, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Today, in this pooch’s (Zeke’s) backyard, cones and moss and peanut shells (?!) are falling from the tall, tall evergreens–signs of a gentler season before downed twigs, branches and power lines announce the arrival of winter.

Have Coffee, Will Travel

This photo, taken in Lincoln City—another Oregon beach town—last week, has been the most peaceful moment I’ve had in awhile. Granted, when I was pet sitting at Tom and Marga’s I did zone out on my first Sunday. When was that again?

Step Away from the Camera

Some really snazzy veggies presented themselves (since it’s August already): purple peppers and patapans, heirloom beans and tomatoes. Do remember that vegetables are good for you, and I hope you find these far from boring. In the meantime, as I begin a new year of this blog (the fourth?!) my Resolution will be to exercise my creative legs and find a more balanced photo diet.

Good Enough to Eat

I really like photographing food, as if you didn’t know. I learned a lot about it when I worked for a commercial studio in Rochester. Cakes and ice creams and beverages, for instance, that you see in magazines and catalogs and on packaging are not always the real things. The studio is a sort of sterile, staged atmosphere that never really appealed to “photographer” me. I have been shooting, however, real prepared food dishes for the magazine, which should be out in a couple of weeks.

If you enjoy the work of Glynis Valenti I would suggest you visit GlynisDaily.com.

Late,
Gary Pool

Glynis Valenti, Photography, Marketing, and the Oregon Coast is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Has the Lunch 2.0 Networking and Informational Lunch Hour Come to an End?

Yesterday I visited with the Portland Lunch 2.0 networking crowd at what was billed as possibly the last Lunch 2.0 event in town due to the economic downturn. This Lunch 2.0 was held at the Elemental Headquarters on 5th Avenue downtown.

Portland Lunch 2.0 has received a temporary stay of execution from Elemental Technologies.

I joke, but seriously, either interest has dried up or the idea of giving 100 or so people free grub doesn’t seem as good as it did last year. Surprise.

The folks at Elemental put together a nice spread which included build your own roast beef, turkey, ham, cheddar, Monterey jack, and Swiss on sliced bagel sandwiches. They also supplied the full compliment of veggies and dressings for the sandwiches as well as a real nice build your own salad selection.

After a session of lunch and networking Elemental gave us a very informative presentation on some of their products.

• Elemental Server
  An enterprise-class video processing system that provides fast, high-quality, and highly-efficient video transcoding using graphics processing units (GPUs). Ideal for broadcasters, studios, online video platforms and any other video transcoding application, Elemental Server is significantly more cost-effective than other solutions.
• Elemental Accelerator
  A high-speed, high-quality video processing solution designed to add power and performance to the Adobe® Premiere® Pro CS4 workflow. Coupled with NVIDIA Quadro series cards, Elemental Accelerator harnesses the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) to perform high-speed video conversion and deliver dramatic time savings over conventional CPU-only encoding solutions.
• BADABOOM
  A consumer media converter that is designed to get video onto your iPod, PSP or Blackberry Bold in just minutes.

Elemental touted as:

Elemental is the leader in massively parallel video processing technologies.

We’ve pioneered the use of GPUs and other massively parallel chips for video processing. Leveraging our core technology, Elemental products deliver unprecedented levels of speed, quality, and price performance for a wide range of video decoding, encoding, and transcoding applications.

It was a fine lunch hour with interesting networking and an even more interesting presentation. The presentation, by the way, was standing room only.

A big round of
applause
for
Elemental
please.

Maybe another business in town will step up to the plate for next month?

Late,
Gary Pool

Final Lunch 2.0 Networking in Portland is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Lunch 2.0 this week was a tasty affair catered by Portland’s Crave Catering

This version of Lunch 2.0 was hosted by eROI. With all the people who showed up the event turned out to be a power lunch.

If you haven’t attended a Lunch 2.0, it is

“A social phenomenon referring to a migration of web 2.0 company employees to other offices around the Silicon Valley area; characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share food and ideas…”

lunch20.com

To me it is a chance to have lunch while networking with Portland’s tech community.

The food was outstanding and was supplied by the Portland caterer Crave.

The ambiance was pure eROI.

Some of the better known people in Portland’s tech community attended this time including Carri Bugbee, Taylor Ellwood, and our host Ryan Buchanan.

Social media goddess Carri Bugbee, twitter personality @peggyolson, graced us with her presence.
Carri has presented on social media at many events including a fantastic one at Webvisions. Ms. Bugbee is also the brains behind Big Deal PR “Marketing zest for innovators”.

Big Deal PR offers to help you stand out by using a variety of creative marketing tactics.
All built on sound strategy.

Business, writing, and social media coach, Taylor Ellwood was also in attendance. Taylor’s website Imagine Your Reality offers:

• Business coaching: teach businesses how to develop effective marketing plans
• Social Media Coaching: teach businesses how to automate their social media marketing presence
• Freelance editing and writing: write and edit marketing plans, technical documents, brochures, blog posts, books, newsletters, etc

Taylor also has a blog.

Our host from eROI was Ryan Buchanan. Ryan was a gracious host from a company that is an interactive agency, focused on helping clients establish and enhance their online presence. eRoi is best known for their email marketing. As you probably know I use Constant Contact but I am going to have a meeting with Ryan to discuss the possibilities of me changing teams. Local is one of my priorities.

Thank you for attending Lunch 2.0 at eROI. As you know, eROI is an interactive agency that also develops powerful online software tools. Hosting Lunch 2.0 for a second time is an honor and we are committed to become a more ingrained part of the software community in Portland.

(Post from Search Engine Optimizician.)
I did win a bottle of wine in the business card raffle. Thanks Ryan Buchanan and eROI. I am sure I will enjoy the 2007 San Felipe Malbec Roble wine. The label says it is “a perfect balance of varietal characteristics and subtle oak flavours”.

Thanks Ryan, eROI, and Lunch 2.0.

Late,
Gary Pool

Wine and Social Networking Lunch 2.0 at eROI was Quite an Event is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Social Media, Internet Executive Career Path Symposium, and the Internet Strategy Forum Summit, a “Don’t Miss Combination”

The Internet Strategy Forum Summit is a great chance for use to get in touch with the pulse of the internet and network with the leaders in the field. This year they are even adding a Social Media session to the already popular Internet Executive Career Path Symposium.

Thursday, July 23 – MAIN Program
Friday, July 24 – OPTIONAL Sessions
Internet Executive Career Path Symposium and/or A How-To Guide to Social Media
Governor Hotel, Portland, OR

In partnership with the Online Marketing Institute, ISF announced a new optional add-on session to the Internet Strategy Forum Summit.

A SOCIAL MEDIA HOW-TO GUIDE

Online Marketing Institute as Social Media expert Hallie Janssen of Anvil Media Inc. goes beyond the basics and takes a deep dive into the marketing power of Social Media.
1/2 day session, learn how to:

• Generate demand using social media
• Drive prospects to your website through social media, and then
  deliver something unique
• Supplement your internal analytics data through Facebook
• Discover new search strategies and hone your existing search
  strategy using Twitter
• Increase your organic search rankings using Digg, Reddit, and
  StumbleUpon
• Promote your social media campaigns through email, and vice versa
• Integrate social media into your marketing plan
• Execute your social media campaign in a way that can demonstrate ROI

Featuring case studies demonstrating what’s worked and what hasn’t worked, this program will open to your eyes to what’s truly possible when you integrate an expert social media strategy.

Here is the complete Internet Strategy Forum keynote presenter list:

• Forrester Senior Analyst and Web Strategist blogger Jeremiah Owyang
• Hewlett-Packard VP of Marketing for Imaging & Printing Katherine
  Durham
• Intel VP of Creative & Digital Marketing Johan Jervoe (recently 13+
  years at McDonalds)
• Intuit VP of Marketing Sheila Tolle
• Xerox VP of Interactive Marketing Duane Schulz
• Web Operations Management guru Lisa Welchman
• Portland Trail Blazers CIO (and IT Executive of the Year) Chris Dill
• Internet Strategy Forum Founder Steve Gehlen

The Internet Strategy Forum is also featuring an optional Internet Executive Career Path
Symposium the day after the main event.

You can get more information on the Internet Strategy Forum website.

Hope to see you there.

Late,
Gary Pool

Internet Strategy Forum – Portland July 23rd – 24th 2009 is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Last Night – SMX Advanced – Microsoft’s new entry into the search field Bing sponsored In The Park Bash

Last night at SMX Advanced Seattle there was quite a party held “against the beautiful backdrop of the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Puget Sound.”

This turned out to be quite an event with live entertainment, outstanding hors doeuvres, pulsating music from a DJ team, and beverages of all varieties, some even with flashing plastic ice cubes. I’m sure a great time was had by all.

The sponsor was Bing.com Microsoft’s latest entry into the search field. Their battle cry is “search is sick” and their answer is of course Bing who in their own words, “Bing is a search engine that finds and organizes the answers you need so you can make faster, more informed decisions.”

According to Microsoft Bing a decision engine instead of a search engine. Will it unseat Google as the search king? I don’t think anyone but Google themselves can accomplish that task.

Bing does look like it will be fun to investigate.

Late,
Gary Pool

Social Networking In The Park Sponsored by Bing from Microsoft is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

It has finally happened to social networking and using twitter marketing.

Do you remember the pyramid schemes in the seventies? Chances are most of you probably don’t. It works like viral marketing but with a twist. A pyramid is where you have a few people on the top and as each new person joins in they go below keeping them on the top like a pyramid. So on and so on. It works until you run out of people to join.

A fellow Tweeter, Gary McCaffrey has designed such a program that automates this process. You can check it out live here.

What If You Could Press Just One Button & Automatically Start Getting 1000′s Of Legitimate New Twitter Followers On Autopilot… Even If Nobody Knows Who You Are Now? … This system is brand new, so the quicker you get involved the better it will be, fill out the form below and get started right away

Interesting concept to say the least.

I knew it had to happen sooner or later.

Want to join in on the fun just follow this link.

Late,
Gary Pool

The twitter Marketing Pyramid is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Portland Lunch 2.0 was in the ‘burbs, Beaverton at OTBC to be exact

On January 14th the Lunch 2.0 crowd got together at the Beaverton Round.

OTBC provides coaching, networking events, entrepreneurship programs, and office space to help tech, biotech, cleantech and opentech start-up ventures succeed. We can help you validate your market, develop your business plan, and if needed help you understand what steps are required to get your company investor-ready.

OTBC put on the digs with outstanding coffee, pizza, and plenty of other beverages. As usual there was a great turn out. All and all it was a great afternoon for food, drink, and networking.

According to the Silicon Florist attendance was between 75 and 100.

See you at the next Lunch 2.0

Late,
Gary Pool

Portland Lunch 2.0 at OTBC is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

Cre8Con 2008 – The Portland Creative Conference – What a Show!

This years revitalization of The Portland Creative Conference (Cre8Con) stayed true to its predecessor. The original Portland Creative Conference was a full immersion into the spirit of creativity where extraordinarily talented people came to share personal insights into the creative process.

Brian Van’t Hul – Laika

• Cocktail napkin technology
• Mike Kelley is kind of crap
• Director doesn’t always know what they want
• Show as a whole
• Balance out the day to day shooting
• Stop Motion

When he was 8 the light went on, special effects require many different people doing many different things.
There is a guy blowing the smoke – there is a guy shaking the monster
Special effects is a big team effort – an award has 8 names on it and should have 300.
You need to know how did they do it 50 years ago when they didn’t have all these toys we have today?

It all comes down to film making.
What if this was my film and I was doing it in my garage?
It doesn’t always take a lot of money and or technology to solve the problem.

The miniature sets will expand contract and move around depending on the time of year and the weather. Lots of questions and challenges during the day.

We were treated to a long presentation of a prerelease advance trailer and extra scenes of Coraline. WOW! A few weeks left to shoot.

You just need to have a really reckless passion for what it is what you want to do.
Don’t let anyone tell what to do. Use your imagination and go your own way.

This isn’t one of the Best WIFI Hotspots in town

The WIFI on in the theatre SUCKS!!!

Cre8Con is missing the Social Media buzz potential of a conference by not having working WIFI. They will just have to wait for the post event blogging.

What happens to a dream differed?

This WIFI still SUCKS!!! OK I’m done Ranting, no tweets today. It’s still a great conference.

Jelly Helm – The Bomb Master – Widen+Kennedy

• Willy Wonka – slide and references
• Just tell what you know to be true
• Degree in graphic design from Louisville
• What is an art director job?
• Met with creative director and said “I want a job as an art director I don’t want to work my way up.”
• Went to portfolio center. Loved it! – Graduated in 5 quarters
• You have to create stuff to solve problems.
• Went to Martin agency didn’t make any money but worked his ass off.
• Don’t worry about money it will come.
• Came to Portland to be a judge in ’92 at Widen+Kennedy
• Recruited to Widen+Kennedy
• Specialized in Nike at Widen+Kennedy
• Jelly and Stacy won the Super-bowl competition at Widen+Kennedy
• Don’t read BOOKS
• Quit advertising in ’96
• Asked to join new Advertising School model in Richmond.
• What would advertising look like if it stood for something better?
• Moved out to Portland with child.
• Getting offers from Widen+Kennedy to be a creative director
• Wanted to only work with Sustainability brands and projects
• Began school with 12 students 1/3 tuition 2/3 clients (best experiences he had at Widen+Kennedy)
• Collaborative efforts
• Became Creative Director at Widen+Kennedy – 12 students to 388 employees in one decision

Jelly loves stories and story telling

A brand is a story that expands our self-story

• The advertising business is really going through some changes.
• We have a LongTail society today so it is really hard to reach the masses.
• There is no longer any control over your brand – brand management
• It’s a different world out there and we don’t know how it works.
• So what does it take to create a really successful brand today?
• What is the future of the 21st century brands?
• 21st century brands are not built through advertising

We are growth-seeking creatures

• Spiral dynamics integral
• 21st century brands encourage and enable us to experience our fulfill humanity
• What will a growth minded non stuff based culture look like?

Jen Modarelli – Principal – White Horse

Also an accountant

Interactive Design
What is really behind the curtain?

• Key team members
• process of creating excellent interactive design

Location
feed creative juices

• booze bridge

Creative environment is really about the team

Interactive design

• Client
• account executive
• product manager
• designers
• user experience architects
• engineers

Adam Gallardo – Dark Horse Comics

Creative Process

• where do you get your ideas?
• should ask how do you get your ideas
  • hard work
  • flashes of religion like inspiration

didn’t read comics as a kid

• bribe on a road trip
• for staying home sick

comics never entered into his creative process

Creative Process is really a problem solving process

• change one element of story and see how it changes the whole story
• where are the return of the jedi infinities?
  • they were waiting for good stories on the subject
  • had conversation with Davy Estrada
  • sat at home on sofa running story through his head
  • didn’t write any thing down
  • went to Randy Stradly asked to pitch story idea
  • C3PO knocked out of scene and gets killed…
    • Randy said write up one page pitch
    • weeks passed
  • Randy one day when Adam was passing office said when are you going to write that story

If you get a road block you just use problem solving to move on to the next step.
You don’t need a problem to surface you can create your own and run from there.

100 Girls came from:

• what is not out there that I would like to read

SIFI Comics
Keep a notebook

• part of your problem solving kit

Gear School – Harry Potter meets mobile soup gun

• Grassi High – Harry Potter meets mobile soup gun

Dave likes characters but not the action

• editor asked him to make an action piece out of the story

Hard Work – Flashes of Inspiration

• driving
• in the shower

Flashes of Inspiration

• Can’t force these moments
• cultivate them
  • read everything
    • novels
    • mysteries
    • history
    • …

As a creator of fiction he has no primary documents or text

• every text is a primary text

Your work has to be seen as original

• worst critique is that it is unoriginal

Event Replay with On Your Feet

Fantastic 10 minute satire of the entire day’s conference.
This creation just couldn’t be conveyed with words, you would just have had to be there or maybe there is a video… Steve … Anyone?

Great Wrap-up Party Complete with Wine, Women, and Song

That leaves me as the creative, gimping.
Late,
Gary Pool

Creative | Creative Gimping | WIFI Hotspots | Cre8Con is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician

InVerge Day 1: Great Information on the Convergence of Media and Technology

Day 1 of the InVerge conference was a success we were presented with information from some of the top people in their field. The presentations took us from the turn of the 19th century to 2020 and beyond. The information we received was not only useful but mind expanding as well.

We were treated to the following topics:

• Connection: never closer together, never farther apart?
• Exploring The Motivation Behind Co-Creation
• When worlds collide – Online worlds meet real world products
• Media Business Trends In The Age of Convergence: What Happens Next…And How You Should Prepare
• Toward the Holodeck: Integrating Graphics, Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment and Learning
• Why 2008 changes everything (in mobile tech)
• Immersive, Collaborative and Sentient Spaces: The Coming Revolution in Destination Entertainment
• Channel Explosion: How Convergence Morphed PR into a Marketing Superhero
• Social Everything, Everywhere, All-the-time

InVerge was a great day culminating in a reception at Wieden+Kennedy, just a short 2 block walk from the event where we were treated to some great finger foods good networking company, $6 a glass wine, and a gateway to First Thursday Festivities in the Pearl District.

Late,
Gary Pool

Professional Development | Future Technology | Convergence is a post stolen from the Search Engine Optimizician