They Like Us! They Really Like Us!
Posted by maureen on November 21, 2008 at 10:44 AM
This year, the Davey Awards received over 4,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms, public relations firms - and just one from Oneupweb.
And now, the entries have been judged, the votes have been counted and the good news is in - our newsletter, OneUp Low-Down , stood apart from the rest and is being honored with a 2008 Silver Davey.
I have to admit, I'm excited. I've had the pleasure of helping our newsletter grow and take shape over the past year. It's been an ongoing commitment to our clients and subscribers, albeit a silent one, that this newsletter would not only include the latest happenings at Oneupweb, it would serve as a snapshot of the digital marketing industry and provide important research that online marketers need to know. And of course, it would do it in a fun, creative and entertaining manner.
From the digital marketing tip of the month to the hottest item on our CEO Lisa Wehr's desk, the newsletter provides fresh ideas that are proven to help online marketers be successful. A special In the Industry section highlights the latest news, studies and findings in the field, and the occasional goofy picture or YouTube video are thrown in to highlight the different abilities of social media marketing.
But is our mission accomplished? Hardly. While the Davey Award affirms that our newsletter is among the best of the best, it also serves as a reminder that we can always do more. And we will.
Next year, we're going for gold.
Don't miss out on the vital information, statistics and more.
Subscribe to OneUp Low-Down today!
Tags
Davey Awards
Silver Davey
Oneupweb
Read Between the Spectrums - Will White Spaces Shed Light on Broadband Innovation?
Posted by jared on November 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Do you feel bad for your Internet Service Provider (ISP)? No? You mean you don't like paying exorbitant monthly fees and bloated service charges?
Not even with Comcast being reprimanded for bandwidth throttling? Or an upcoming legislative year with net neutrality back on the table?
Or more recently, the FCC approval to use unused broadband spectrums known as "white spaces"?
With the government's approval to use white spaces, ISP tycoons such as AT&T and Comcast may have to start getting creative to keep turning that huge profit.
Serving as a buffer between broadcast channels to help limit and prevent signal interference, white spaces are able to travel faster, farther and travel better through walls. Owing to the need of less wireless transmitters and the power of the signals, these white spaces would be more cost efficient than current WiFi signals, only much stronger and much cheaper.
Image: Ghosts of Glasgow by atomicjeep
Opponents of the issue argue that using these spectrums would cause interference with wireless signals such as TV channels and devices like microphones used by entertainers, preachers and sports arenas. The most famous being Dolly Parton who wrote a letter to FCC commissioners urging them to consider the dire consequences of this ruling.
But if you're not inclined to sign up to the Chicken Little camp, and would like a more astute and realistic assessment of the situation, advocates of the issue include Google co-founder Larry Page, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie and even the scion of all things technology, Bill Gates.
These guys might have a little clearer understanding as to the implications and applications of white spaces than Dolly Parton.
And just what are the implications and applications for those in the search and digital marketing industries?
For one, rural areas with previously limited or no Internet resources will gain access to not just fast and powerful web usage, but much cheaper access than that provided by the big ISPs.
Also, as Larry Page stated, providing Internet access that works virtually everywhere would translate into more searches on Google, not to mention MSN and Yahoo!, as these previously untapped markets begin to explore the web, and 20 to 30 percent increase in advertising revenue.
The most immediate impact would be for mobile devices such as smart phones and laptops, which are becoming mainstream in terms of Internet and search usage. Having a clearer and much faster path for users to find information via their mobile device is another avenue for advertisers to put clients, products and services in front of larger audiences.
This could also mean increased PPC budgets for targeting these untapped areas of commerce. It could mean small businesses in these areas building web pages and hiring SEO firms to increase presence and traffic around local search avenues.
It could also allow the United States to shake the stigma of being a middle-of-the-pack competitor in terms of its global position in broadband penetration and innovation.
Best case scenario: White space usage forces ISPs into rethinking their business model. Worst case scenario: ISPs find yet another way to exploit this broadband innovation.
Tags
ISP
White Spaces
Oneupweb
Google Image Search - To Steal or Not to Steal
Posted by jason on November 18, 2008 at 02:07 PM
It's a graphic designer's dirty little secret. A plethora of images of anything you can think of, all for free! That's right, good old Google Image Search. Well, if you're thinking of pulling an image from some random site via Google images, think again my friend. Though it is a useful resource, just because an image appears in a Google image search does not make it free for the taking.
According to Google:
The images identified by the Google Image Search service may be protected by copyrights. Although you can locate and access the images through our service, we cannot grant you any rights to use them for any purpose other than viewing them on the web. Accordingly, if you would like to use any images you have found through our service, we advise you to contact the site owner to obtain the requisite permissions.
In other words, the original creators of the images own the copyrights. When you click on an image and are redirected to their website, it will hopefully provide more information on the image's copyright (or the lack thereof). Specifically, look for a copyright statement somewhere (usually on the bottom) or a Terms of Use section.
Images published in the U.S. are automatically copyrighted by their owners, even if they do not explicitly carry a copyright warning. Therefore, you may not reproduce copyright images without their owner's permission, except in fair use cases, or you could risk running into a lawyer's warnings, cease-and-desist letters, and copyright suits.
Recently in Germany, Google has learned that there is "kein fairer gebrauch" or "no fair use". The internet search giant lost two German copyright decisions, as the courts ruled that the thumbnail images that appear in Google Image Search violate German copyright law. The company said in an email that it believes "that services like Google Image Search are entirely legal and provide great value and critical information to Internet users." "Today's decision is very bad for Internet users in Germany," Google added.
What does this mean for U.S. citizens who use Google Images? Nothing different yet, but many sources say this will most likely start a chain reaction and could possibly spread to the U.S.
There are millions of pictures on the internet, and the odds are pretty good that no one will care if you use one for non-commercial purposes (like a personal blog). If someone does end up caring, they will most likely ask you nicely to take it down before taking any kind of legal action... hopefully.
For more information about copyright as it stands in the United States, be sure to check out: Copyright.gov
Tags
Copyright
Google
Oneupweb
SEO? Check. PPC? Check. What's Next?
Posted by teal on November 17, 2008 at 11:37 AM
With the gloom of the current economic struggles upon us, it's common for companies to wonder what else can be done to capitalize on marketing budget already spent.
If investments have already been made to improve organic search listings and steps have already been taken to optimize pay-per-click campaigns, it's time to think about what can be done to make the most of this financial and time investment.
Image: 311 Steps by glennharper
Specifically related to capitalizing on search marketing campaigns, there are a couple of things you can tighten up to ensure that the dollars spent in this channel are performing optimally.
First and foremost, if you haven't already, make sure you have accurate and dependable tracking/analytics in place. Sadly, it's all too often that money is spent with no real data to prove return in investment or worse, to prove lack of return on investment. Oneupweb clients and project managers use ROI trax—our proprietary search reporting tool—to track ROI on search marketing campaigns. By having access to precise data you will be able to make educated decisions about what your company should do next to make the most of this marketing channel.
Secondly, and only through accurate reporting can this truly be determined, your team should take a good hard look at the numbers to see what users are doing once they get to your site. If search campaigns are driving relevant traffic to the site, what's happening when they get there? What's the conversion rate? What's the bounce rate? Is there evidence that your website is delivering the data needed for visitors to move to the next step? If the data shows that your website has a low conversion rate, some simple alterations could make a big difference. Speaking with an online marketing expert will help you determine if usability or conversion improvement services are right for you.
As always, if you have any questions about what's next in online marketing for your company, please contact Oneupweb. We're ready to chat!
Tags
Marketing
Analytics
Oneupweb
Spam on the Run - Email Spammers Get Shut Down
Posted by Christopher on November 14, 2008 at 02:17 PM
Subject Line: Is it you? Anja here...
Body: I am lonely girl from Eastern Europe who found your email and who is thinking 'what is not love if not two people be happy and for respect?'
Oh, Anja. I feel it. I do. Because what is not love if not two people be happy and for respect?
What is not love if I'm not sending myself, from my own email address, helpful savings on Cialis? How thoughtful of me! I must know something I don't know. What is not love if I'm not IMMEDIATELY HELPING a member of Nigerian royalty claim his rightful inheritance?
What is not love? Not love is what dropped like fifty tons of wet cement all over McColo Corp., a web hosting firm based in San Jose, California, as of Tuesday.
After a lengthy investigation into spam-related activities, the Washington Post's Security Fix contacted McColo's ISP providers, Global Crossing and Hurricane Electric. After reviewing the overwhelming evidence of super-economy sized spamming, McColo was promptly shut down.
Thus, the factory churning out more spam than Hormel (zing!) grinds to a halt, and a jillion Viagra-laden image-based missives dissolve into simpler particles.
Image: SPAM! by cursedthing
McColo, it is reported, was responsible for 75% of the spam blasted to email addresses world-wide. Say that slowly: seventy-five percent. Holy schmokes, that's a whole lotta spam. And, in a rare instance of ensuing reality nearly matching expectations, in the days that followed the amount of junk email, globally, dropped by roughly two-thirds. Spam filters worldwide, anthropomorphized, breathe a huge sigh of relief as what was once a seemingly unstoppable onslaught becomes a mere trickle.
"We can handle this," say the spam filters. "You guys rest easy..."
But should we? As we speak, the throne of the King of Spam sits vacant, but the minions are restless. How long before someone else picks up the gauntlet? The thing about spam is that, even in an age this jaded, it works. I don't condone it but spam works. People respond. People buy. It's strafe-bomb marketing. You only get one hit in a million emails? Then send out a trillion. Still not enough? Then send out a trillion every minute. It's getting blocked? Change the format. Then send out a trillion. Every minute.
Spam is the cockroach of digital communication. For every one you kill, a hundred hatch. After the apocalypse all there's going to be left are cockroaches, rats, and email spam. And, just like any other profitable mutation, it has its own beauty. The love letters written by robots. The gut-punch appeals to raw human need. It's pure marketing, unencumbered by conscience.
But not, apparently, by repercussions.
PS - Please feel free to sing the first part of the title to the tune of "Band on the Run" by either Paul McCartney and Wings or the Foo Fighters (your choice). I did.
Tags
Email Spam
Junk Email
Oneupweb
