Apr
27th

Copyright Infringement & the Real Meaning of "Google"

Posted by Vern on April 27, 2006 at 1:34 pm

Being the true search marketing professional that I am I have to admit that Google is my home page. The artwork that frequently adorns the Google logo adds a bit of welcome distraction as I start my workday. I seldom click on the decorated Google logo because the event the adornment is commemorating is usually very apparent. But last Thursday was different. When a colleague viewed the page before me and asked, “What happened to the Google logo?” I took a quick look and replied, “Some artist’s birthday probably.” I clicked on the logo and learned of the birthday of a Spanish artist I had never heard of. Little did I know what a firestorm Google would create (again) over a copyright issue.

Back in February Google had a copyright dispute go against them by displaying thumbnail images from an adult-oriented website in its image search results. And now the family of Joan Miro, the artist, is all up in arms about Google displaying his artwork without permission. They say copyright infringement – I say free publicity! Sure, displaying images and art without the creators or owners permission may be against the law, but forcing Google to replace the Miro art logo or remove some racy thumbnail images is short sighted. To maximize exposure and publicity, a better strategy could have been employed.

In the case of the Miro art Google logo I think it would have been wiser to let the logo run the entire day, commemorating the great artist. Many people, millions likely, could have been exposed to Miro’s work and inspired to learn more. The result could have been a huge surge in interest in the artist’s works, inflating values for art auction houses and collectors alike. Publishers could have been compelled to publish new editions of books devoted to Miro’s life and work. Limited edition prints, greeting cards, t-shirts, coffee cups could have flooded the market with profits being funneled to non-profit art outreach organizations. Then and only when interest waned should the family have brought to light the fact that Google did not have permission to the copyrighted art, if only to restart the free publicity machine and continue to reap the benefits. Marketers should embrace Google’s zeal to catalog every bit of information on the planet, and use it to their advantage.

According to wikipedia.org, the word “google” was first used in the 1927 Little Rascals silent film “Dog Heaven”, to refer to having a drink of water. Movies are protected by copyright aren’t they? I wonder if Cabin Fever Entertainment, the owner of home video rights for the Rascals film, knows about all the free publicity?

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Apr
26th

del.icio.us is delicious

Posted by admin on April 26, 2006 at 1:52 pm

So I have stumbled upon something quite wonderful on the web, my little hidden gem if you will, although it’s not that hidden anymore. A colleague of mine introduced me to del.icio.us a few months back, proclaiming his love of social bookmarking. To be honest I thought “cool, a place to store your bookmarks… what’s so special about this again?” Obviously, I had not witnessed del.icio.us in all of it’s wonder and glory.

For anyone unfamiliar with social bookmarking, it’s an online repository which allows users to store and tag their favorite links with content relevant keywords. Users are able to not only store their bookmarks online, but search for the favorite bookmark of others’ favorites based upon tags. In essence, it becomes a human search engine, capable of not only identifying keywords, but comprehending content. Now when I want to search for “CSS”, I can see what pages people consider important enough to tag.

As a designer, this has become a lifesaver! A society is only as good as its citizens, and lucky for me, the del.icio.us crowd are my kind of people. The del.icio.us/popular page has become a main staple in my daily online consumption. I’m embarrassed to admit, my neatly organized bookmark collection has risen to over 300 sites in just a few months. It’s become my search tool of choice. Not only do I love it, but my mom has begun checking my del.icio.us account, sending me regular emails with feedback on different site’s that I have tagged. “Nettie I liked that flash animation, but what’s with you tagging Treehugger.com? Has my daughter become a treehugger?”

Will social bookmarking replace search engines? No way. Is it worth watching on the radar? Absolutely. Social bookmarking provides a glimpse into the surfing habits of its users. It provides instant access to the immediate trends of the web, and becomes an incredible marketing research tool. Give it a try.

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Apr
25th

Relevant Search Results Deserve Relevant Content

Posted by admin on April 25, 2006 at 11:08 am

After performing a recent search online, I started to realize one of my major pet peeves with the Internet, search engines and especially those advertising online: the relevancy of advertisements and the content for which they lead us to. Working on the sponsored search pay-per-click side of search engine marketing, I run into this type of situation all too often. A user performs a search for a specific item, “buy sky blue widget”, to fit their application and the search engine serves up all sponsored ads relevant to the users search criteria. From here the user selects the number 1 sponsored result that reads:

Sky Blue Widgets
Save on large selection
of widgets. Free Shipping.
WidgetSaver.com

From this sponsored ad, the user is directed to a landing page for WidgetSaver.com’s nice selection of green widgets. Although it’s a nice landing page that features excellent pictures and descriptions of widgets, along with a strong call to action, including free shipping on any order, the advertiser failed to direct the user to a landing page that is relevant to the exact search query. The end result: User clicks back button on the browser and WidgetSaver.com loses a sale from their own ignorance.

Let this be a lesson learned. As an advertiser, never assume your generic landing page or “one size fits all” product page is good enough to use on every sponsored search ad. A web page that converts well for “general widgets” may not convert well for “sky blue widgets”. Provide the user with what they want: a landing page that supports the user’s search query and the ad creative.

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Apr
24th

Expanding Resources with Help from Keywords

Posted by Anne on April 24, 2006 at 12:10 pm

Keywords play an important role in the Online Marketing process. As an employee who works for a search engine marketing company, I hear this word often throughout the day by my fellow colleagues and coworkers. We offer Keyword Research & Analysis to our clients as a means to attract targeted traffic to their website, in addition to marketing their service or product to generate potential revenue.

Over the last few years, I have found that not only are keywords important in search engine optimization and marketing, but also hold value in relation to employment. Not that I’ve stood in long lines at the unemployment office or found this information on the tongues of those looking for the “perfect” job; I’ve learned this from my own experience as a human resources professional.

For example, Wayne State University allows its students and alumni members to post resumes on its website for potential employers to peruse. If that resume does not include those specific keywords that employers select as job qualifications and skills in a query, it’s very likely that resume will be overlooked by the “perfect” company. Of course, we can equate this with a company that forgets to include the right keywords in its website copy, thus making it difficult for search engines to position the website for specific search queries.

Michigan Works, also known as Michigan Talent Bank, which is the State of Michigan’s Unemployment Office, offers resources to both employers and job seekers to assist them in expediting the employment process. Unemployed workers are now required to post their resume on the Michigan Works website to be eligible for benefits, in addition to using many available resources offered in various Michigan Works locations.

Over the last several years, technology has changed the face of employment search. The days of filling out an application in person, on site and in the human resources department is virtually non-existent. We have ventured upon an era where speed, efficiency and response are in the forefront of every industry. For those who are in the job seek mode, having company data at your fingertips has become an important tool in deciding whether a company is a good fit or not. It’s common practice for company websites to include “Career Opportunities” with alluring and brief descriptions of pending job vacancies within the company. It’s as easy as 1-2-3 for an employee-to-be to submit a cover letter, resume and level of interest through the company’s website, only to be successfully retrieved within a few short moments.

So the next time you update your resume, make sure that you have included those keywords that will draw the eyes of a potential employer. And yes, please remember that the standard rule of one page for a resume still applies, so you may want to change your font size if necessary! But then again, sometimes less is more.

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Apr
21st

Michigan 50 Companies to Watch 2006

Posted by Duncan on April 21, 2006 at 9:31 am

Wednesday was a pleasurable day to say the least. Several Oneupweb staffers, company CEO and Founder Lisa Wehr among them, traveled south from our Lake Leelanau global headquarters to the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus. The Oneupweb crew made the trip to pick up our award as one of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch 2006. I spoke with great people from several other 50 Companies to Watch. I was enthused to see so many proud and successful innovators. Together our companies span industries and the geography of Michigan. Happily I took it all in with co-workers who are among the best people I have known. Spending the night on the campus of my alma mater didn’t hurt too much either.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s address at the front end of the event was spirited, optimistic, and delivered with the role-up-the sleeves polish we have come to know her for. Check out Oneupweb’s press release on the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch, and learn more about key sponsor The Edward Lowe Foundation.

With over 50 companies and 700 attendees, I couldn’t possibly have talked to as many of the lively crowd as I’d wished. I did have the pleasure of meeting Jack Aronson, President of Garden Fresh Gourmet Salsa, Inc. His tortilla chips and salsas have been gobbled by the Oneupweb crew innumerable times, and are especially satisfying at our summer Friday BBQ’s.

Mobius Microsystems Inc. was recognized for innovation of the year for their patented tiny semi-conductor technology that generates electrical clock signals. The device could fit inside the printed period at the end of a sentence in most magazines. I know the search marketing industry I love so much can get technical, but one has to stand back and marvel at people like Mobius’ Michael McCorquodale who explained some of the details of their pioneering tech component.

We laughed and talked Up-North with some of the folks from Strathmore Development Co. out of East Lansing. Strathmore Founder and President Scott Chappelle was on hand Wednesday. Chappelle and his team are a dynamic and conversational bunch. All were enthusiastic about their developments in Petoskey, Grand Ledge, and Bonita Bay, FL to name a few.

I had the pleasure of meeting CEO Craig Bush and President Craig Harden of Viewpiont Mobility LLC of Kalamzoo, MI. A film shot of Viewpoint Mobility’s rear-entry wheelchair accessible van offered stunning imagery for the MI 50 Companies to Watch attendees. Bush explained that his customers have been satisfied with the benefits of Viewpoint Mobility’s design over the more traditional side-entry approach. Look for Viewpoint Mobility customizations of GM, Ford, and Chrysler chassis.

I look forward to spending the time to learn more about the other companies I didn’t have the opportunity to connect with. Surely we all deserve a hand for leading the way in the new Michigan economy. Let’s all keep working together to keep our state vibrant!

Nothing beats a spring day on the campus of Michigan State University. The temperature was a comfy 72 degrees giving the students a chance to show their summer faces a couple of months early. I felt their excitement as I strolled with them along the Red Cedar River near the Library. Cliché as it sounds, these Spartans are the next group to innovate and usher Michigan ever forward. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be recognized with Lisa and everyone at Oneupweb. We thank everyone involved as we can now say, “Oneupweb is one of the 50 Companies to Watch in Michigan!”

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