Today is dragging. I am looking forward to next week when things get moving again.

Today is dragging. I am looking forward to next week when things get moving again.

Today is dragging. I am looking forward to next week when things get moving again.

Today is dragging. I am looking forward to next week when things get moving again.

Student Loan has funded! Now its back to school with an MBA in Marketing for me..... I am sooooooooo excited!

Student Loan has funded! Now its back to school with an MBA in Marketing for me..... I am sooooooooo excited!

Student Loan has funded! Now its back to school with an MBA in Marketing for me..... I am sooooooooo excited!

Using Ping.fm looking forward to having a Dashboard to run my Social Media from!

The Top 5 Reasons Social Media Optimization is ten times better than just Search Engine Optimization by MaryEllen Gibson

The days of only doing Search Engine Optimization are gone, gone, gone. Yes, I still want to show up as high as possible on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and the many other search engines, but social media optimization has given me more opportunities to climb my way to the top. Here are the top 5 reasons that SMO is 10 times better than just SEO:

5. Become an Expert in your field: Blog, blog, blog! Blogging allows you to become an expert in your field. Share a daily blog or weekly blog with the world wide web. Blog on your website or numerous other blogging sites available on the web. I blog in four locations:
1. http://www.maryellengibson.com/ : I blog on my own website. I want to make sure any content I share on the WWW starts on my website. I also make sure to submit this with Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Optimization channels.
2. Blogger: I like blogger…more important Google and Yahoo like Blogger. I share my blog on Blogger and tend to keep it shorter than it was on my site. I also make sure to ad a photo and fill my tags in completely. Don’t write an incredible article and then skimp on the tags.
3. Wordpress: One of the original homes of blogging. It offers a lot of variety and once again the Search Engines check it out regularly for content. I also vary my articles slightly on Wordpress. I have a regular audience that already has background knowledge from previous blogs I have posted.
4. Yahoo Shine: This was created as a blogging site for women. I started to blog on this site the day it was released and I find it a great place to network with other business oriented women. Once again my blog is slightly different on Shine because I tilt it more for a female reader and may use different examples.

Blogging makes you an expert because readers will respond and ask you questions. You will start to see regular visitors to your blog that want to find out more. Make sure to acknowledge your loyal readers and ask them what they would like to know more about from you. It is a great way to create new article when you can’t brainstorm one on your own.

4. Networking: I enjoy networking in my hometown community. It makes me a better member of my community because I understand the strengths and weaknesses that my community faces. I go to Chamber of Commerce Mixers, Community Events, and Non Profit Organizations Meetings and it is a total symbiotic relationship. The events are better because I am there and I am better for going to the event. The same is to be said regarding networking online. I write my blogs and contribute valuable content to my blogging communities and in return I read others blogs and grow by learning from others ideas. It is a chance to meet others with like ideas and goals in an online atmosphere.

3. Mastermind Building: It is so important to have a community of peers to help you grow. Mastermind groups are becoming popular ways to be a part of a team where everyone has the opportunity to coach and grow. Through your online networking you will meet people that inspire you and make you think. Suggest meeting once a week online or on a phone conference to help each other grow in business or any other part of life you find kindred spirits.

2. Viral Marketing: The viral effect of social media is the gold ring and Bain of existence to online marketing. Social Media is viral…..probably more that the common cold. Once you put your information on to social media it is shot to websites all over the world. If this is information you want shared with everyone it is a great tool. If you are trying to keep something top secret beware


1. 3 to the power of 20 : The math of social media.
I use to have one website with three main search engines that I really wanted to show up on
(1 x 3)Xpages

Now my equation is multiplied by at least 20 social media venues

I have one website, three main search engines, 20 social media sites to broadcast on

(1 x 3 x 20)Xpages

Wow that math can make my site hope to the top of search engines.

MaryEllen Gibson "The Online Marketing Diva" http://www.maryellengibson.com/

Understanding Your Yahoo Local Listing

Here is a sample Yahoo Local Listing for Company X Inc. located in the Sunny Wine Valley of Temecula , California. Company X Inc has an outstanding Online Marketing Director that has guided their local listing to the number one position (hey, that’s me!). A Yahoo Local listing provides a lot of information for visitors to find out more about a local business. Let’s go through the listing step by step.

A. Star Ranking: This is a rating that is calculated by user reviews.

5 stars = Excellent

4 stars = Good

3 stars = Average

2 stars = Poor

1 star = Awful

B. Business Name

C. Business Phone Number

D. Business Website Address

E. Address

F. Map It / Get Directions: This allows visitors to be able to map a route from where they are to the business address or just see a map of the area.

G. Cross Streets of Location

H. Write a Review: Visitors can leave a star review and comments by clicking on this link.

I. Images: Users can upload images of work done by the business or products sold.

J. Business Overview: This is a drop down area that includes additional business information.

K. Categories: List of Services the business supplies

L. Payment: What types of payments does the business accept? Cash, Check Credit?

M. Brands: What Brand Names does this business use? This listing shows Microsoft, Joomla, Google and Yahoo.

N. Products and Services : This is a great place for your keywords

O. Languages Spoken

P. Year Established

Q. Other Contact Information

R. E-mail Contact Address

S. User Review: Includes Avatar of User, User’s nickname, and review

T. Star Ranking given by user

U. Was this review helpful?

V. Small map of surrounding area

That is the Yahoo Local Listing in a nutshell. It is a mini website allowed by Yahoo for Businesses to promote themselves. Think of Local Listings as the Chamber of Commerce for the World Wide Web.

The "Must Haves -Now" Quadrant of Online Marketing by MaryEllen Gibson

The Quadrants of Online Marketing are a reminder of where our online marketing time needs to be spent and more importantly not spent when creating and maintaining a strong online marketing presence. Too many times we are so caught up in the details of online marketing that we do not stop and take a look at the big picture.

This article will concentrate on the “Must Haves - Now” quadrant . Many times when I start my clients on a new website I go through a brief questionnaire with them asking what their goals are for their online presence. Where do they want to see their business presence in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years? This is where I expect to hear their commitment level to their online marketing plan. I need to now what their goals are so I can create an online action plan. Then I walk through the “Must Have Now” quadrant

- Set Up Local Search

-- Create a Blog

-- Create a Strong Clean Website

-- Strong Navigation

-- Start Creating Content

-- Submit to Google & Yahoo

-- Include Web Address on all

- marketing

-- Create top 20 keywords

-- Google Analytics (some type

- of analytic software)

We start with Local Listings on both Google and Yahoo. I set up these accounts with them as we discuss their top 20 keywords. I want to make sure we discuss these at this point because I want them to start showing up in Local Search under their keywords as soon as possible. If you are not familiar with Local Google or Local Yahoo it is almost like a mini website that contains contact information and some basic services and product information. If you would like to find out more I have two blogs on the topic

-The Power of Google Local

-The Power of Yahoo Local

Next we go over Navigation and Content. These two items go hand in hand. We walk through location of navigation and types of navigation. Then we start getting to the core of their navigation their 5 or 6 navigation headers. They must encompass all other information that will be present on the site. This is where content comes in. Every time a client comes up with a new header title I create a blank worksheet. I do this for all navigation and sub navigation titles they come up with. I send it to them via e-mail. This is their homework. I do not start the design of the website until this is complete. Content is King. I remind them as they write their content to include the key words they would like to show up under naturally.

Before they leave they get one more piece of homework. I set them up with either a blogger or wordpress blog and give them Blogging 101. Social Media is so important that all businesses big and small must use its power. I have a few blogs about blogging I suggest to get them started and focused. I advise them to blog every other day to get started. Clients who have taken blogging to heart see a difference. They can actually tell you’re their ROI (Return of Investment) for their blog.

When their site is complete then we do a full submission to Google and Yahoo Search. They will ask about the special submissions to 500 search engines they have heard about. Then I ask them to name all the Search Engines they know and use and the conversation ends. Now that their site is up and ready to go with URL submissions ready to go I start talking to them about the new power of their web address. I suggest including it on any and all marketing, promotions, and stationary. I remind them that their website is their open 24 hours a day , 7 days a week, 365 days a year location.



Finally everyone needs to run some type of Anayltic software on their website. It is important to know your arrival pages and drop off pages in addition to all the other valuable information that analytic software provides. I start most people on Google Analytics . Most clients never change , but a few have moved on to larger analytic programs like omniture. Online Marketing is the MOST trackable form of advertising as long as you know where to look.

Contact MaryEllen at www.maryellengibson.com

The Power of Google Local by MaryEllen Gibson

Google, the world wide search engine that allows people from all over the world to come together online has a secret that is starting to get around. Google's best work is not around the world , but right down the street from my house and yours. Google best kept secret that is starting to grow, it is Local Search. Local Search is a powerful tool for Mom and Pop local businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Local Search allows users to find goods and services in their neighborhood. Let me explain how it works.



This morning I wanted to find someone to do my Online Marketing in Temecula California. I went to http://www.google.com/ and typed in the search bar

Online Marketing Temecula, Ca









I was greeted at the very top of the page with a map and Google's online listings. This first page supplied me with a website, contact phone number and a more link for ten companies that offer the srvice I am looking for . I chose the first listing MaryEllen Gibson Online Marketing (she must be awesome at local search to be the first listed Oh wait, I know she is awesome at local search that is me! ) If I clicked on the business name it would take me directly to their website, if I click on more it takes me to their Google Local Listing









Above is the Google Local Listing it includes:

• Business Name


• A link to leave a review


• Address


• Phone Number


• Website Address & Link


• Get directions to


• Business Overview


• Reviews


• Details


• Coupons


• Related Websites


• e-mail to a friend


• print


• link this page

This powerful piece of online marketing is a must for any business. This is not your Grandma's Yellow Page listing. It is dynamic , user friendly and built to bring additional visitors to any business. It is also a powerful tool for potential clients seeking out goods and services. Google makes it easy for them to find what they need close to home.



Click here for my Google Local Listing

The Power of Yahoo Local by MaryEllen Gibson

On Yahoo's Home page sits a powerful online marketing tool that is becoming more popular everyday.



Do you know what it is?



Are you using it to drive sales to your business?



If not you are missing out on a powerful tool.





It is Yahoo Local and it is making the world wide web more about what is down the street than what is around the world.



When you first click on local on the yahoo home page it should automatically show your home town (if you have a yahoo account) . Type in what you are looking for from Apple Pies to Zambonis. I typed in Online Marketing for Temecula, California. Company X Inc is the first local listing (Wow, they must have an outstanding Online Marketing Director.....oh wait that is me.....then I know they have the best Online Marketing Director) . On this intro page are listed about 10 businesses with a brief summary, part of a review, and the Yahoo Map showing the location of the businesses. I clicked on Company X Inc to view their entire page.

The Yahoo Local listing for Company X Inc is a mini one page website. It includes:

• Company Name


• Company Phone Number


• Company Website


• Company Address


• Company Cross Streets


• Company Images & logos


• Yahoo Map


• Business Overview


• Search Categories


• Payments Accepted


• Brands


• Products and Services


• Languages Spoken


• Year Established


• Additional Contact Info


• Reviews


• Comments


• Ranking System


• Businesses You Might Also Like
  
  
  

A Yahoo Local listing is not your grandmother's yellow page ad. It is extremely interactive and viral. Clients can upload images, write a review , rank the company and comment on other reviews. It also allows potential clients to visit your website , e-mail you , or contact you by phone.



Yahoo Local is designed for companies with a physical location or service. This allows the service to be user friendly for local community members.



Yahoo Local will primarily list you in your hometown , but many times you may find your location listed in neighboring cities. Company X Inc. is located in Temecula , California , but we are also listed for Murrieta and Lake Elsinore . It is a nice perk.

6.5 Hints for Social Media Optimization (SMO) by MaryEllen Gibson

I have been working on the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for websites for over ten years. I am a huge fan of the belief “Content is King”. I have worked on keyword rich content that fed my visitors as well as the search engines. Then I started blogging. Slow at first and then building my blogs to an online marketing resource. Then came Social Media Sites such as Technorati, Stumble Upon , Digg , and the vast amount of others. It took me a bit to realize that these sites were Google and Yahoo’s dream of human rated content. As soon as I started to offer my site and blogs to Social Media Optimization I started once again climbing to the tops of the Search Engines.

1. Update, Update, Update - This the most important priority for a website or blog. Too many sites on the web are “dead” or “static”. They were created to be an online brochure and there they sit. The more you update your site the more “sticky” your website becomes. Visitors will want to come back over and over again. They will even start linking to it.

2. Linkability: To get a website or blog ready for social media optimization, we need to build the linkability (still not sure if this is a real word) of the content. Blogs, Event Calendar, and visitor submissions help to increase the links to your site. If you do not yet have a content management system for your website. Now is a good time to invest in a new site .

3. Bookmarking – My website is a joomla based site. So some wonderful person out there created a Social Media bar that has links to all of the Social Media Sites. This makes it easy for my visitors to link to my site. To view a sample go to www.maryellengibson.com and take a peek at my footer.

4. Submit – Make sure to submit your own new content. When I create a new video, pdf.,image or article I submit it myself. This allows the community to become involved as soon as I post it. It also help me with quick feedback. I grow by knowing what my readers want to know.

5. Know your readers – I love SMO if for no other reason that I know my audience. Unlike writing for a newspaper or website with SMO I know who loves my work and who doesn’t. Wow! Where else can you find that. I also love being able to learn more from my readers and increase my own knowledge and ability to share.

6. CONTENT!!!!! – Create it , Grow it, Spread it. Write articles. Create images. Narrate a video. Content is a must. The entire web revolves around content and we all know there is more bad than good. So create some outstanding content.

6.5 Read and mark: Go out there and comment on other sites. Read other blogs and articles. Leave your review on Stumble Upon. SMO creates a community become part of it.

MaryEllen Gibson can be found at http://www.maryellengibson.com/

Promoting Yourself Online By MaryEllen Gibson

As an Online Marketing Director I have been marketing our firm's clients online with Well Designed Websites, Search Engine Optimization, and Social Media Optimization. They have increased branding, leads, and sales. They have businesses that are constantly growing and thriving online. I know because everyday I make sure they are achieving those goals.
I recently started with a new client. She is smart, web savvy, and looking to move into a corporate setting. She wanted to promote herself. She knew that online public relations and marketing is must in our web centric culture.
My new client is ME. I started with a typical resume and cover letter and quickly figured that was getting me NOWHERE fast. I decided to hire the best Online Marketing Director I knew……ME.

Here is my step by step self promotion marketing plan:

1. Create a Marketing Plan for yourself.
· Price : What is your budget of self promotion? Web Design, Business Cards, and paper products are hard costs. Press Releases, Blogs, and Networking can be paid in sweat equity. Promoting yourself will not be free!
· Product : You are your product. What are your goals, strengths, and education? Know all you can about you!
· Place (distribution): What is your target area? Are you looking to promote yourself in your current town, a nearby city, or half way around the world? Are you looking to target CEOs, Human Resources, or a possible client base? Know your audience!
· Promotion: What is your plan of attack? Plan, plan, plan! Then assess through out the process and re-plan.
2. Create Your Website.
· Will you be building your site or hiring a firm to design it? WARNING: If you have never created a website this is not a good place to start. Invest in yourself and have a site created that reflects who you are. A Content Management System is a must if you have never worked with websites. A good web designer will be able to design a CMS site that will allow you to update the website easily. Updating your personal site daily is a MUST. I designed my own website http://www.maryellengibson.com/ in a style that was all me and professional. I know you maybe tempted to put on pictures of your dog, kids, and favorite baseball team. I didn’t, but if you must, keep all your favorite personal information to one page that is not the center of your promotion.
· Start Blogging, Yesterday
You can start this today, though yesterday would have been better because everyday you blog is a chance to promote you. I suggest Blogger and Shine on Yahoo. Blog about your expertise. I have two blogs. I have a blog on Online Marketing and one on Training Management. I try to blog daily. Three times a week should be considered a minimum. Include you name in the Title of your blog, in the body of your blog, and in the tags. This will increase the chances of the Search Engines starting to index your name.
· Content: What will your website contain?
The entire internet runs on content. Content is the information included in your website. These are the musts:
1. Contact Information: Where Can You Be Contacted? I am guessing that you want people to contact you if you are promoting yourself. Have a contact page that includes all ways that you can be reached. Make sure EVERY page of your website has a contact me link. The best locations can be the footer and header.
2. Experience: What have you done? This is not a resume this is active include links to employers websites, online articles about you, linked in account, PROFESSIONAL My Space Page, and organizations that you are involved with. My experience page mainly has my employers. I have created a volunteer page because I do a lot of Non Profit work in my area. Make it work for you.
3. Education: What Have You Learned? I have all of my educational institutions on this page. I have included my degree, area of study, and dates attended in addition to my school’s logo for a nice graphic.
4. Skills: What Can You Do? I have my skills broken up into two categories. You may have more or less, but this is an important area so people know what they can expect from you.
5. References: Who Knows You? Ask your references if they can be included in your website. Include their professional contact information. This makes it easy for future clients or employers to get a second opinion of you.
6. Professional Articles: What Can you Share? Include your PROFESSIONAL blogs on your website. This is great for your Search Engine Optimization and it lets visitors know that you are knowledgeable. I have also included articles that I have used as part of e-mail campaigns. If you are a recent grad include an awesome term paper you wrote.
7. Downloads: Have a downloadable version of your resume on your site. This will allow the visitor to have something to take with them. I also included a media kit and PowerPoint presentation about myself. I am in the process of creating a professional video for the site too. It is always a work in progress
8. Consistency: Keep it Consistent. My resume, media kit, PowerPoint and website are consistent. They use consistent colors, designs and graphics. This is known as branding. Brand yourself consistently.
9. Keep it Professional: There are plenty of places online to post your favorite teams, vacation pictures, and family history. This is not the place to do it. Do not link to these pages either. This is professional website. No animated GIFS or weird fonts. Just say No.

3. Promote Yourself
· Submit Your Website and Blogs to Google & Yahoo.
· Include your website on your resume.
· Include your website on all your e-mails
· Start accounts on Social Media sites (stumble upon, dig, etc. check out my blog on social media optimization)
· Go to Networking opportunities: Chamber Events, Non Profit Organizations, and Community Events. Always carry your personal business card.
· Collect Business Cards and E-mail addresses create a contact list.

That is it in a nutshell, it takes time and money to promote yourself, but can you think of a better investment. If you would like to find out more about online self promotion contact ME. MaryEllen Gibson maryellen@companyxinc.com

How I fell into Marketing

For Ten years MaryEllen Gibson sold students on the importance of reading, writing, and mathematics. Showing students how the education acquired in her classroom would transform the lives they currently lead. She was marketing knowledge for years so the transformation to marketing director was not the stretch that many might believe.

“ I believe great educators are natural marketers, they must have outstanding presentation skills, techniques , and a sense of audience. They are faced daily with an audience that does not share their goals but must be moved through technique and sales that they share the same outcome. The outcome of success. It is really not that different from the outcomes of businesses” MaryEllen Gibson

MaryEllen was drawn to marketing while teaching because of her love of the information found on the internet. Graphic Design came first to enhance her teaching presentation. Web Design came next as a way to share information with fellow educators. Online Marketing was not far behind with the knowledge that putting something online was not enough. Audiences needed to be lead to the information online like bread crumbs left by Hansel and Gretel. MaryEllen started to research marketing because it made sense as an educator. She did not expect it to draw her to a new career, but the more she read the more she became hooked .

SEO Marketing and Google

Straight From The Horses Mouth: Google & SEO
I have had many clients who have had horrible experiences with Search Engine Optimization Companies. They were sold magic beans, SEO beans, and they paid more than just the cow, possibly three or four cows and got nothing. Ouch! Today I was roaming the Google Webmaster Site ( I know I should find a hobby) and I found their top eight list for SEO Company Warnings. I think I will be sharing this in this weeks e-blast as well. Just like all companies there is good and there is bad, but being part of the industry I would like help root out the bad. Enjoy the helpful hints from our riends at Google

1. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or through the Webmaster Tools and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.

2. Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway" domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it's best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to "help" you.

3. You should never have to link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.

4. Some SEOs may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
Most such proposals require users to install extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical about the self-reported number of users who have downloaded the required applications.

5. Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to go with an SEO, you may want to do some research on the industry. Google is one way to do that, of course. You might also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that have appeared in the press, including this article on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html. While Google doesn't comment on specific companies, we've encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.

6. Be sure to understand where the money goes.
While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they "control" other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn't work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you're considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

7. Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
References are a good start, but they don't tell the whole story. You should ask how long a company has been in business and how many full time individuals it employs. If you feel pressured or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it safe: hold off until you find a firm that you can trust. Ask your SEO firm if it reports every spam abuse that it finds to Google using our spam complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html. Ethical SEO firms report deceptive sites that violate Google's spam guidelines.

8. Make sure you're protected legally.
Don't be afraid to request a refund if you're unsatisfied with your SEO's performance. Make sure you have a contract in writing that includes pricing. The contract should also require the SEO to stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine for site inclusion.

Social Network Marketing

Social Network Marketing

My Space, Classmates, Friendster, and Linked In are just a few in a large range of Social Networking Sites. Meeting New Friend, Catching Up with old friends and Networking is the name of the game

What are Social Networking Websites?

Social networking is as old as the ages – people have been meeting friends and networking since the dawn of time. The birth of the Internet, has allowed people to meet new friends and old in different places and in larger quantities than ever before. Create an account, add a picture, share likes and dislikes and a little history and away you go.
Myspace.com is the most popular example of this type of site. Started in 2002 this site utilizes a networking technology that creates networking circles of friends. Create a site on the network, and people you know can find you or people who would like to. You can then see their friends, and perhaps make new friends and acquaintances from among this circle.
Here is a list with links of every social network site I could find:

Advogato
Free and open source software developers
ANobii
Books
aSmallWorld
European jet set and social elite
Badoo
General, Popular in Europe
Bahu
General, Popular in France, Belgium, Poland and Europe
Bebo
General, Popular in UK, Ireland, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands
BlackPlanet
African-Americans
BookCrossing
Books
Broadcaster.com
Video sharing and webcam chat
Buzznet
Music and pop-culture
Cake Financial
Investing
Capazoo
General (blogs, photos, music, videos)
Care2
Green living and social activism
Classmates.com
School, college, work and the military
Cloob
General. Popular in Iran.
Consumating
"Consumeetings"
CouchSurfing
Hospitality
Cyworld
Young South Koreans
Dandelife
Collective narratives or "shared biographies"
DontStayIn
Clubbing (primarily UK)
Experience Project
Life experiences
Facebook
General. Popular Worldwide.
Faceparty
General. Popular UK.
Flickr
Photo sharing
Flixster
Movies
Fotolog
Photoblogging. Popular in South America.
Friends Reunited
UK based. School, college, work, sport and streets
Friendster
General. Popular in Southeast Asia.
Frühstückstreff
General
Gaia Online
Anime and games
Gather
Article, picture, and video sharing, as well as group discussions
Geni.com
Families, genealogy
Gossipreport.com
Anonymous gossip
Grono.net
Poland
GuildCafe
Online games
Habbo
General. Over 31 communities worldwide. Chat Room and user profiles.
hi5
General. Latin American and Asian teens. Popular in Cyprus and Romania.
Hospitality Club
Hospitality
Hyves
Most popular Dutch social network, especially for students
iLike
Music, Video, Photos, Blogs
imeem
Music, Video, Photos, Blogs
IRC-Galleria
Finland
iWiW
Hungary
Jaiku
General. Owned by Google.
Joga Bonito
Football (soccer). Owned by Google.
kaioo
General, nonprofit
Last.fm
Music: streaming radio; personal profiles track users' listening habits and link to artist & label pages
Lds.net
LDS, Mormon Network. Owned by More Good Foundation
LibraryThing
Book lovers
lifeknot
Shared interests, hobbies
LinkedIn
Business
LiveJournal
Blogging
LunarStorm
Sweden
MEETin
General
Meetup.com
General
MiGente.com
Latinos
Mixi
Japan
mobikade
mobile community, UK only
MocoSpace
mobile community, worldwide
MOG
Music
Multiply
"Real world" relationships
MyChurch
Christian Churches
MyHeritage
family-oriented social network service
My Opera Community
General (blogs, photo albums, forums, groups, etc.)
MySpace
General. Popular Worldwide.
myYearbook
General
Nasza-klasa.pl
School, college and friends. Popular in Poland.
Nabuur
Online Volunteering
Netlog
Formerly known as Facebox.
Nettby
Norwegian Community.
Nexopia
Canada
Odnoklassniki.ru
General. Popular in Russia
OkCupid
Social networking and dating
orkut
Owned by Google. Popular in Brazil and India.
OUTeverywhere
Gay/LGBTQ Community
Passado
General
Passportstamp
Travel
Phanfare
Family photo and video sharing
Plaxo
Business
Playahead
Swedish teenagers
Pownce
Websites, files, and short updates
ProfileHeaven
British teens
RateItAll
General (consumer ratings)
Ravelry
Knitting and crochet
Reunion.com
Locating friends and family, keeping in touch
Ryze
Business
Searchles
Social search and networking
Sconex
American high schools
Sermo
Physicians
Shelfari
Books
Soundpedia
Music
Sportsvite
Recreational sports
Stickam
Live video streaming and chat.
Student.com
International teens and colleges
StudiVZ
University students, mostly in the German-speaking countries
Tagged.com
General
TakingITGlobal
Social action
TravBuddy.com
Travel
Travellerspoint
Travel
tribe.net
General
Tuenti.com
General. Very Popular in Spain
Twitter
Micro-blogging, RSS, updates
V Kontakte
The most popular social network in Russia.
Vox
Blogging
WAYN
Travel and lifestyle
WebBiographies
Genealogy and biography
Windows Live Spaces
Blogging (formerly MSN Spaces)
Wis.dm
Questions and answers about anything and everything
Woophy
travel & photography, photo sharing website
Xanga
Blogs and "metro" areas
XING
Business
Yahoo! 360°
Linked to Yahoo! IDs
Yahoo! Mash
Yahoo's new SNS - Still in beta
Yelp, Inc.
Local Business Review and Talk
Zooomr

Local Marketing Online

When the internet was in its infancy everyone was excited to reach around the world. It was easy to communicate globally from the comfort of your home or office, but as the internet reaches it adolescence we begin to realize it is its local appeal that may be its true strength.

Yahoo and Google both offer local search sections. They both offer free listings as well as sponsored listings. I love local search. Below are the links to list your site locally.

Yahoo Local http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/local/lbl.php
Google Local http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?gl=US&hl=en-US

Turning Website Traffic to Sales

Its All About Conversion
Turning Your Website Traffic Into Sales

How many phone calls do you receive from excited marketers trying to sell you traffic to your site? Probably quite a few. Now, how many phone calls do you receive from someone wanting to show you how to convert the traffic you are already getting? Our guess is very little or none.

Unfortunately, someone selling you traffic could typically care less about your conversion rate: They delivered the traffic they sold you - and in their eyes, their job is done. If it fails to convert, it must be your site's fault.

The truth is, over a period of time, traffic to your site will always fluctuate, but with a little work, your conversion rate can steadily increase. Sadly, most internet business owners are satisfied with a one percent conversion ratio when, in fact, one percent is already the general conversion ratio for online sales. Can you imagine any bricks and mortar business content with this rate of conversion? Certainly no car dealership, department store or Mom & Pop. They simply could not survive with anything less than 10%.
Bottom line: Instead of spending money on traffic, focus on conversion and in particular, on the following points to make it happen:

Create Trust - Creating trust means much more than just offering your customers a secure checkout. A professional site with no dead links and no missing products is the biggest credibility builder you can have. A well-designed site utilizes good use of color, space, and navigation techniques to communicate experience, commitment and customer service. In addition, think of including testimonials, client lists and independent reviews to educate your visitors. Yes, prospective customers really do read those things!

Pay Attention to Presentation - You have one chance to present your product: Make it outstanding. Professionally photograph items, optimize your pictures for quick download and show multiple angle and zoom shots of important details. Make it easier for visitors to read about you and your company by keeping your web site content in short width lengths. One of the fastest ways to lose visitors is forcing them to read a wall of text that goes across the full width of your pages.

Write Killer Copy - Write descriptive and detailed copy with an emphasis on benefit and remember to remain user friendly. Don't bog your readers down with unnecessary words, such as ecommerce when Selling Online can get the message across faster and more simply. Utilize clear, bold headlines on each of your pages to draw in your readers and encourage them to read on. Remember the two-second rule: you really only have two to three seconds to grab the average users' attention.

Disturb the Buyer - You want the buyer to take action immediately and the easiest way to accomplish this is to associate a negative consequence with not buying now. Low inventory, limited price availability, competitors buying remaining stock and missing the peak trend, are all effective ways of conveying this message.

Entice the Buyer - Clearly define your products' most positive attributes and communicate the benefits of owning your products. In most cases, people are looking to buy the feeling your product creates. SELL THE FEELING. Speak directly to your visitors and ask them questions that make them think about what benefits you are offering. For example, do you want to improve the conversion rate of your web site? What will happen when you succeed in improving it - More sales? Pride of ownership? A trip to Hawaii?

Ask for the Sale - Most important is your call to action, and remember, your site's most desired actions could be any number of things, including a quote request, free gift or brochure download. A buyer should never need to look for an "action" button. Name your buttons with assertive buying terms such as, Buy it Now, Add to Cart, Make it Mine, etc. Be sure to place these buttons liberally throughout your pages.

Make it Easy - How many of your prospective customers are computer whizzes? Your buyers need to be able to view their carts easily and check out quickly. Attempt using a one-page checkout to streamline the process. Allow customers to see the contents in their carts and the purchase amount. Clearly define your shipping policy and offer a variety of shipping methods and times

The Many Ways Of Advertising Online

The Many Ways Of Advertising Online
What is the difference?




Many businesses want to advertise online , but fear of the unknown may have caused them not to take advantage of an outstanding way to share their business locally and worldwide. Listed below are 7 of the most popular ways to advertise online.

1. Pay Per Click - Search engines place your website on their front page and you pay a set amount per click-through. Sites like Yahoo, Google, and MSN also run bids for certain keywords - the more you bid, the higher your site appears on the first page of the search results. Properly run, these campaigns can bring a lot of extra traffic to your website.

2. Search Engine Optimization - This is an online advertising service provided by many web media companies. They will look at your target audience, your competitors and the keywords for your business and optimize your website content so that it has a much better chance of appearing on the first page of the search results. You will pay a fee to the consultants for this service. Studies have shown that many searchers prefer to use the "natural" listings provided by the search engines, rather than the paid-for listings.

3. Banner Ads - Usually horizontal bars across the top of a web page, they offer color, graphics and often animation, together with the ability to click through to the advertiser's own website. Banner ads have been reducing in popularity lately, as research shows that users don't stay interested for long enough to read all the animation, although static ads with a simple message are still effective.

4. Sky-scraper Ads - Similar to banner ads, these ad spaces run vertically down the left or right hand side of the page, allowing the ad to stay in view as the user scrolls down the page. They can also be animated and employ click-through to move users to the advertiser's site.

5. Sponsorships - Website sponsorship can come in two formats; regular sponsorship where the advertiser has a space to place the logo and company message, and content sponsorship where the advertiser has limited control and submits their own content to the site as well as having an advert on the page. These sponsorships will be for fixed periods, and need to be on targeted websites to reach the right audience.

6. Online Directories - The online equivalent of Yellow Pages, or Industry Directories, these give you basic or enhanced listings on the website. Your details will come up if your sector, location or company name is searched for. Enhanced listings will allow users to click-through to your site. Online directory listings are often offered in conjunction with an entry in the printed version of the directory. Before paying to be included in a directory find out how the site is advertised to your target clients.

7. Pop-ups and Pop-downs - These are the small windows that appear when you first get onto a website. Pop-ups appear on your screen in full, pop-downs appear on the bar at the bottom of your screen and you have to open them to get rid of them. Surveys have found that most internet users find pop-up adverts intrusive and annoying.

Are there more ways to advertise online.
You bet! Web 2.0 allows businesses to share their skills and services throughout the web in creative ways.

Welcome Technorati

Technorati Profile

Why I Love Search Engine Marketing

Search engine traffic is highly targeted. In B2B offerings through search engines are even higher than B to C. In B2B and B2C clients are looking for your products and services on their own, so they are ready to hear your business’s message. It is difficult to find a more qualified client than one that has search you out. These are my favorite reasons that SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is the best ROI for B2B:

• Non-Intrusive: Search marketing is a non-intrusive marketing tool. Most advertising, both online and offline, interrupts consumer behavior. If a user goes to a web site for info, up pops an intrusive ad. Reading a newspaper? Ads dominate and force articles to be continued on another page. With search engine marketing, the user is actively seeking your products, services, and information. They are delighted to be driven to your site.

• Voluntary: Search marketing is the result of user-originated behavior. Your visitors from search engines and directories have voluntarily clicked on your listing rather than any competitors, thus they are motivated to explore your offerings.

• Tracking: ROI is a easy to track with Pay Per Click. If you sell a product or service online than it can be tracked much easier than print, television, or radio

SEO and Blogging : A Match Made In SEO Heaven

I am going to share a secret today. I don’t just blog because I love to write. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great way to share my knowledge which I love to do. I also blog because it is good for my site’s SEO. Yes , it is true blogs can really help your SEO. Here are some ideas to keep in mind while you blog away:

Frequency: I blog seven days a week and because of my frequency the search engines have put a higher weight on my blog. They tend to come by more often to see what may be new in the content department. Blogs in general tend to be updated more than average website pages so they are a great source of new content for the search engines.

“Themed” Blogs: My blog is Online Marketing. All of my listings have the same theme. Search Engines know that they will find consistent content. Try to stick to a theme in your blog.

Links: Once you have interested the Search Engines with your blog, start including links within your blog. If you notice in my blog, my footer has a link back to my website. I also include my link within my blog on some days.

Optimize:

1. Submit: Start submitting your blog, just like you submit your site. Google and Yahoo offer abilities to submit RSS feeds as well and your site.
   
2. Key Terms: Think about key terms you would like to target. Make a list of key terms you would like to show up on the first page of, start writing articles that include those terms. Make them interesting and informational. Make sure you always include your key terms in your labels.
   
3. Titles: Include your key terms in your title. Don’t go black hat and title article that don’t fit. Write the article and then write the title.
   
4. Images: Title your images to match the blog. Don’t name the image “picture1” . You want to name it “Seo_Blog_Secrets”.
   

Warning: Don’t stop blogging for fun! Make SEO a part of it, not all of it. I still have a side blog that I talk about being a Mom and another blog that I share my knowledge of Training Management. I suggest keeping them seperate.

SEO Content

Search Engine Optimization Content is writing valuable articles or “content” that inform users and target Search Engines. Great SEO Content is meant to be informational to your site visitor as well as being a gold mine of search terms for the Search Engines. When SEO Content is written everything needs to be considered.

- Title
- Article Content
- Descriptions
- Keyword Tags
- Image Description
- Image Title

Before writing content, create a list of 20 key terms that you would like to appear on the first page of Google and Yahoo. Then write “article” titles that would include these key terms. Choose two article titles and set a goal to write those two articles in the next two weeks. Keep your list and return to it after you write your first two articles. If you continued this practice, your site would have 52 key word rich articles on it by this time next year. This will also make your site “sticky”, visitors will want to return to it again and again to find out what you have to say. If you have a Content Management Website you can create an RSS feed out of this valuable information and submit that feed to the Search Engines.
SEO Content takes the idea of the forbidden “Black Hat” doorway pages (Doorway pages would be filled with key terms and nothing else) and turn them into a valuable resource for website visitors and a great way to climb the Search Engines. These pages also tend to be a more stable for staying on the Search Engines. SEO Content Articles do not need to be long. I like to keep mine to about 300 – 350 words. If you read my daily blog or visit my website you will see I tend to always stay in that range. Great content also seems to weather the storm when Search Engine algorithms are changed.

Did you know that your site can be BANNED?????

It happens everyday to websites big and small, one day they are at the top of the search engines and the next day they are GONE. What happened? What can I do?

What Happened? Have you really been banned?
Sites get banned everyday, but with the millions of sites online it is still a rare occurrence. It would be odd that you would not be slightly suspicious, but it does happen.

You first might notice that your page rank has dropped. The next sign may be a drop of your search results to the 2^nd page or worse.

The best way to tell if your site has been banned go to the Google search bar and type

site:www.yourURL.com

This would normally show you how many of your pages have been indexed by Google. If there are no results, now may be the time to really start getting nervous. The finally test is your address. If your site still does not show up after previous Search Engine success. Yikes, It might be banned, but still lets hold out a little hope.

What might have happened?

Did your webmaster set your robot.txt to repel search engine bots? There is a chance that someone accidently set the robot.txt incorrectly and you are shutting out the poor little googlebot.

Was your server down when the googlebot came around? It is the world’s worse timing but sometime your server may go down while the bot is checking your site. Unlikely but it can happen.

Have you lost some pages? There is a chance that some of the pages you removed were your best indexed pages. If the googlebot comes around and finds them missing you may drop.

Did Google have an issue? Yes, as wonderful as Google is, sometimes stuff happens. They index over 4 billion pages a month and sometimes the spider may send a faulty result.

What can you do?

Contact Google. Yes, there are really people there to help you. Remember 4 billion pages when you contact them. E-mails can take over a week to be answered. Be nice, be naïve, and ask kindly what the issue could be. Remember they have your site in their hands.

help@google.com

If that doesn't help contact ME.