Doug's Web Marketing Blog

Twitter Guide

2011-11-24T12:44:00.000-05:00

Due to popular demand, Marketing is making most of its “Very Necessary Twitter Guide For Canadian Marketers” available for download.
This version of the editorial package features five pages of exclusive content with socially savvy subject-matter experts such as Jason Sweeney (@sween), Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel), Amber MacArthur (@ambermac) and Ed Lee (@edlee), as well as a straight-forward-but-essential Dos and Don’ts list.
• Download “The Very Necessary Twitter Guide for Canadian Marketers” here.

Twitter were a real-life party, the average Canadian marketerwould be the one standing alone in the corner. He’s often thefirst one to arrive to stake out his position in the crowd. Buthe’s not quite sure what to do while he’s there. Should he waitfor someone to talk to him? Or should he strike up a conversationwith other partygoers? Should he carefully listen to whatpeople are saying and interject when the timing’s right?Some of the other guests wonder why he bothers showingup if he isn’t there to socialize. But it always seems like a goodidea at the time, because he’d rather be there doing nothing,than on the outside looking in.When it comes to the adoption of a new platform or technology,Canadian marketers are often there—like with Twitter.But five years after the site first hit the scene, marketers arestill standing in the corner. Some companies don’t know whatto do with it, how often to use it, how to respond to mentions,how often to respond to mentions, or who should even run the corporateTwitter account.When it comes down to it, Canadian businesses are not utilizingsocial media resources to engage their customers to the extentthat they could, or should. A new survey by SAS Canada and LegerMarketing conducted in January 2011 found that less than one-fifth(17%) of Canadian companies regularly monitor and post to socialmedia sites.“You have to have a strategy in place and you have to understand[how to navigate this space],” says Donna Marie Antoniadis, co-founderand CEO of ShesConnected Multimedia Corp, a Toronto-based agencythat provides online community management services for brands andagencies looking to target the female consumer.Canadian companies are still trying to get comfortable with Twitterand understand that it can do everything from build a brand to providecustomer service—all in 140 characters or less. Within the frameworkof brand guidelines, Twitter offers a great opportunity to have botha “consistent and fluid brand experience, tailored to the consumers’questions, thoughts or opinions,” says Maggie Fox, founder of SocialMedia Group.So why aren’t Canadian companies better at Twitter? What hasthem running scared?Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image, says brands are still learninghow to deal with consumers one-on-one in a very public way. Twitteris a volatile barometer of public sentiment and many companies don’tnecessarily want to discuss every issue in that environment. In thepast, dissatisfied customers would call a customer service line anddeal with the company directly, and privately.If a company was dealing with a crisis management issue, the mediarelations team or legal department were put on damage control. Theissue was addressed by way of a press release or an official statement.Either way, the company had more control over what print or broadcastmedia outlets were saying.“Companies have never interacted with consumers this way andso what you’re seeing is companies reacting almost as if their peopleare media entities,” he says.Joel suggests looking at it from the perspective of a consumerpackaged goods company that until recently dealt only with retailers.Interacting with consumers forces a company to act and behavedifferently.“Suddenly in this channel a lot of brands that have never had thisinteraction have to deal with their consumers… It creates a new cultureand DNA within an organization.”Because of the immediacy of Twitter, it does tend to see a lot ofknee-jerk reactions and content from consumers, says Ed Lee, socialmedia director at Tribal DDB. “Organizations have to make a decisionhow they want to deal with these reactions or if they want to lead theconversation around their brand.”It’s important to have a Twitter plan in place. Know your objectivesand strategy and, more importantly, how they fit in with the businessobjectives and culture, says Lee. If it’s appropriate, “give youremployees permission to engage on Twitter without constrainingthem too heavily,” he says.Twitter offers the opportunity to be both proactive and reactive—“sharing the human side of who you are and what you do with outboundmessaging and news, as well as responding to inquiries in a way thatconsistently embodies your brand,” says Fox.But give your brand a voice. “If it’s appropriate, give your employeespermission to engage on Twitter without constraining them tooheavily,” says Lee. “They are your people, they epitomize your brandand can be your greatest salespeople.”And one more tip: keep reading.

2011-11-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

Connect with travellers in real time

Digital transforms global travel planning

Today's travellers can dream, plan, book and share their travel experiences using devices like smartphones and iPads, anywhere, anytime. "Change and evolving technology is just a part of doing business these days," said Todd Lucier of Northern Edge Algonquin, an eco-lodge in Algonquin Park. "Our job as tourism operators is to follow customers as they move from technology to technology."
Mobile access to the Internet is predicted to exceed desktop access by 2014 according to Morgan Stanley. Worldwide tablet sales are also growing quickly and estimated to increase by more than 400% by 2012, reaching 81.3 million units. One of the biggest drivers of travel planning is social networking, according to PhocusWright. Search engines still play a critical role in driving traffic to travel sites, but today consumers are influenced by referrals from people they know through popular networks.
More than one billion people worldwide use social networks representing more than 70% of the global Internet population. Emerging markets, such as China, India and Brazil, have some of the highest penetration rates. Almost half (42%) of the international Internet usage occurs in Asia, and 52% of that traffic occurs in China, by over 485 million people. In China, penetration of social network Sina Weibo rivals the reach of magazines and surpasses radio and movies in larger cities. Currently, the Ontario Tourism Weibo site has more than 6,500 followers.
In Canada, 60% of people online have a social networking profile, according to Ipsos' Canadian Interactive Reid Report. Nearly half (48%) with profiles follow at least one brand or company, with an average of 6.7 brands for those who follow at least one.
"The Web, including sites, blogs, Facebook and social networking and now mobile websites, has become almost exclusively the way we communicate with potential clients," said Lucier. "In 2011, we focused on producing high definition video - short stories that help our guests imagine themselves being here at the Edge. We're always paying attention to new opportunities to engage with our guests on their terms."

Blog moved into the Google servers

2010-04-29T12:54:00.002-04:00

The move to Google's storage for blog content is not what is best for me. However it is what is best for Google. The choice is to comply or leave. In this case, I will comply. Since I don't use any of their Google toys, I don't see the benefit. Maybe I will make the time to play with their stuff and look for some benefits to this switch.

This blog has moved

2010-04-28T00:25:00.001-04:00

This blog is now located at http://blog.wego.ca/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://blog.wego.ca/feeds/posts/default.

Boomers Mix TV with Their PCs - eMarketer

2010-01-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

Boomers Mix TV with Their PCs - eMarketer
My friend DS was telling me yesterday that the first thing he and his wife do when then get home after work, is pet the cat, and then open their laptops. They check their e-mail and surf the web. They put the TV on as background noise.
In our house, we are not quite boomers. We do have a computer connected to the web at all times. It's handy for looking up websites referenced from TV. Not just websites mentionned in commercials. Almost every talk show has a guest plugging something which has a website for more information.

You've got to be boisterous to get results

2009-12-08T13:38:00.002-05:00

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has built a reality-television empire with his abrasive style, ready arsenal of barbed insults and propensity for four-letter words. It all adds up to great television. But in the case of Kitchen Nightmares, which focuses on Ramsay's attempts to save failing restaurants, the entertainment is also packed with entrepreneurial insight.

"I like the show," says Janine Popick at the Vertical Response blog, "because he gets down into the inner workings of a small business and peels away the onion to find any issues that might be hampering the business from growing."

She finds six business lessons in the story arc of each episode. Here are some:

Ramsay starts with an honest assessment of the situation. You cannot fix something until you know what's wrong, and he always begins by observing a typical lunch or dinner service. Most are, predictably, disastrous. "He also takes to the streets," notes Popick. "In many shows he walks the streets of the town to observe other restaurants and he'll stop people and ask what they think about the restaurant he's trying to help."

He then identifies, and tries to rectify, fundamental problems. A strong business is built on a strong foundation. Disturbingly, almost all of the restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares share one failure in common: filthy kitchens that must be cleaned before anything else can happen. Beyond that, Ramsay addresses the unique mix of issues challenging each restaurant—everything from poor leadership to overambitious menus to subpar chefs.

Whatever you think of Gordon Ramsay, you just might benefit from his simple formula for jumpstarting a struggling business.
Source: Vertical Response. Click here for the full post.

Not Bloggin Enough

2009-11-09T12:03:00.003-05:00

Clearly I'm not blogging enough. You know what they say? "The Shoemaker's children have not shoes and the Web Developer has no blog posts". Must be the seven jobs I'm working on. Sorry for the delay everyone!

Today I wanted to remind you to make sure you are backing up your hard drives and using reliable virus protection.

2009-02-27T12:48:00.002-05:00

At the start of my presentation last week to the delegates of the OAAS, I mentioned some marketing publisher sources. These are great resources for information about marketing in the web industry. Here are a few of the web marketing and technology sites that I visit on a daily basis. I find them useful, hopefully you will too!

They are a great source of marketing intel. Some of the sites require a membership for the premium content. They all offer some type of free daily content on the subject of marketing for the web. Most of these marketing sources offer newsreader subscription services as well.

2009-02-25T08:44:00.003-05:00

I presented a seminar topic on web content to delegates of the annual OAAS convention last Friday. Posted here is a copy of the PowerPoint. (which I will apologize for as it is a little dry).

Content can be the 'Do It Yourself' part of your website. Unlike the other aspects where hiring a professional is recommended, content is very DIY, and therefore less costly than other forms of website development. The real cost of content is the time you have to put into it to be successful.

Over the next few days I'll answer some of the questions which were asked at the seminar. Some relate to web content, other questions are simply general web development issues.

How much does it cost to have a website built?
Where are the cheapest hosts?
What is the relationship between images and text?
How important is content on the home page?

2009-02-17T08:41:00.001-05:00

Cost cutting measures are being considered all throughout any business that is looking to pull through these economic times. Some might be looking at IT as a place to cut costs, but if your critical communications tools like email and telephony, aren't reliable and interrupt your operations, the results can dramatically damage your financial outlook! There is a compelling business need for investment in robust email communication now more than ever. This is not the time to lose focus on the survivability of critical communication gateways. Recession amplifies the cost and consequences of business interruptions - to recover from disaster or an unplanned outage means consuming budget and time that companies can no longer afford.

Keeping the lines of communication open between you and your prospects and customers can make a difference in your future prosperity.

I'll be speaking at the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies annual convention at the Royal York hotel on Friday. My topic is "content and how it is important to your fair or festival".

Final Virus Termination

2009-01-29T11:16:00.002-05:00

It appears as though I've finally removed the holiday virus from my PC. This post doesn't have much to do with web marketing except that if I didn't have a working computer, there wouldn't be much of anything web from me.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is the best removal tool for this type of infection. If you've got malware, here's how to get rid of it.

Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and save it to your desktop.alternate download link 1 alternate download link 2
Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
Double-click on Download_mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
When the installation begins, follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
When installation has finished, make sure you leave both of these checked:
Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
Then click Finish.
MBAM will automatically start and you will be asked to update the program before performing a scan. If an update is found, the program will automatically update itself. Press the OK button to close that box and continue. If you encounter any problems while downloading the updates, manually download them from here and just double-click on mbam-rules.exe to install.
On the Scanner tab:
Make sure the "Perform Quick Scan" option is selected.
Then click on the Scan button.
If asked to select the drives to scan, leave all the drives selected and click on the Start Scan button.
The scan will begin and "Scan in progress" will show at the top. It may take some time to complete so please be patient.
When the scan is finished, a message box will say "The scan completed successfully. Click 'Show Results' to display all objects found".
Click OK to close the message box and continue with the removal process.
Back at the main Scanner screen, click on the Show Results button to see a list of any malware that was found.
Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
When removal is completed, a log report will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to restart your computer. (see Note below)
The log is automatically saved and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
Note: If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts. Click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process. If asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately. Failure to reboot will prevent MBAM from removing all the malware.

Even the Webguy Gets a Virus

2009-01-05T18:23:00.004-05:00

Over the holidays, my personal computer recieved an anwanted gift. I picked up a Trojan virus. It is completely my fault. It was a very difficult virus to remove. I want to give a shout out to my new friend Buckeye_Sam over at bleepingcomputers.com. He had some excellent advice that I will pass along here.

Here are some simple steps in order to keep your computer clean and secure:

1. Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:
Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:

From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
Click once on the Security tab
Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
Click once on the Custom Level button.
1. Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
2. Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
3. Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
4. Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
5. Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
6. Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
7. When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.

2. Use an AntiVirus Software - It is very important that your computer has an anti-virus software running on your machine. This alone can save you a lot of trouble with malware in the future. See this link for a listing of some online & their stand-alone antivirus programs:Virus, Spyware, and Malware Protection and Removal Resources

3. Update your AntiVirus Software - It is imperitive that you update your Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish). If you do not update your antivirus software then it will not be able to catch any of the new variants that may come out.

4. Use a Firewall - I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your computer. Without a firewall your computer is succeptible to being hacked and taken over. I am very serious about this and see it happen almost every day with my clients. Simply using a Firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly.For a tutorial on Firewalls and a listing of some available ones see the link below:Understanding and Using Firewalls

5. Visit Microsoft's Windows Update Site Frequently - It is important that you visit http://www.windowsupdate.com/ regularly. This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.

6. Install Spybot - Search and Destroy - Install and download Spybot - Search and Destroy with its TeaTimer option. This will provide realtime spyware & hijacker protection on your computer alongside your virus protection. You should also scan your computer with program on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software. A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:Using Spybot - Search & Destroy to remove Spyware , Malware, and Hijackers

7. Install Ad-Aware - Install and download Ad-Aware. ou should also scan your computer with program on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software in conjunction with Spybot.A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:Using Ad-aware to remove Spyware, Malware, & Hijackers from Your Computer

8. Install SpywareBlaster - SpywareBlaster will added a large list of programs and sites into your Internet Explorer settings that will protect you from running and downloading known malicious programs.A tutorial on installing & using this product can be found here:Using SpywareBlaster to protect your computer from Spyware and Malware

9. Update all these programs regularly - Make sure you update all the programs I have listed regularly. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new malicious programs are released.

Thanks again Buckeye_Sam and the folks at bleepingcomputer.com.

Down for Everyone or Just Me?

2008-12-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

You head for a Web site, but you get an error. I know you've said it: "Is the site down, or is it my problem?"Now there's a way to find out. Type a Web site's URL into Down for Everyone or Just Me? (a smartly named site, no?), and it will give you the scoop. Very handy -- using it keeps you from bothering coworkers or members of your buddy list.
Fixes for Wi-Fi woes: If you use Wi-Fi, turning your router's Quality of Service (QoS) settings on will definitely help with some applications.

A Robot Network Seeks to Enlist Your Computer

2008-10-21T15:07:00.004-04:00

A fascinating — and horrifying — new article in The New York Times offers the lowdown on "zombie computers," the half-a-million-or-so machines that are converted, assembled into systems called "botnets" and forced to do a shadowy figure’s bidding, namely in the form of automated programs that send the majority of e-mail spam, illegally seek financial information and install malicious software on still more PCs.
In 2003 and 2004 Microsoft was deeply shaken by a succession of malicious software worm programs with names like "Blaster" and "Sasser", that raced through the Internet, sowing chaos within corporations and among home computer users. Blaster was a personal affront to the software firm that has long prided itself on its technology prowess. The program contained a hidden message mocking Microsoft’s co-founder: "billy gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!" The company maintains that its current software is less vulnerable, but even as it fixed some problems, the threat to the world’s computers has become far greater. Mr. Campana said that there had been ups and downs in the fight against a new kind of criminal who could hide virtually anywhere in the world and strike with devilish cleverness. "I come in every morning, and I think we’re making progress," he said. At the same time, he said, botnets are not going to go away any time soon. "There are a lot of very smart people doing very bad things," he said.

So what’s a user to do?
First, take Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool out for a ride. Then make sure your firewall is up and you’re up to date with all security patches.
Then pray. Because these zombies are hard to find, much less kill. Just last week, Secunia, a computer security firm, tested a dozen leading PC security suites and found that the best one detected only 64 out of 300 software vulnerabilities.

Browser Window Size

2008-03-05T16:21:00.003-05:00

Have you noticed a horizontal scroll bar showing up more frequently in your web browser? More Web sites these days seem to be designed for larger monitors. However a larger monitor doesn't necessarily mean a larger browser window.

I don't keep my browser window maximized on my desktop. I find it to be a waste of real estate as most Web sites don't fill the content area of my large screen. So I minimize my browser window to the size of an 800x600 resolution screen. This makes it easy to have multiple windows open at the same time.

Lately I've noticed many sites in my browser are activating the annoying horizontal scroll bar. It is an unpleasant surfing experience to have to scroll from left to right. Since my Internet Explorer window is set to a width of 800 pixels, apparently more web designers are producing layouts which require a canvas of 1024 pixels to display the page without horizontal scroll. Webmonkey.com has some good text about this topic.

MSN.ca is incorporating user selectable widow sizes. Page options at http://sympatico.msn.ca/ offer the narrow view (800x600) and wide screen view (1024x768) At MSN.ca, the visitor has a choice. This is the most clever solution to the problem of horizontal scrolling.

I hear often, "what size should I design my web page?" There are many answers to that question. Mainly, you want to find out what your visitors are using for a browser window size. Plus you can check the browser stats available at http://www.upsdell.com/BrowserNews/stat_trends.htm#browser

It is important to note that the display resolution says little about the size of the browser window, and users can normally resize the browser window. Consequently no particular browser window size should be assumed.

The safest size to ensure that nobody is scrolling horizontally is 800 pixels. You could have your site created for 1024 pixels if you think you'll have content to fill it. The 1024 size will annoy some Visitors until they resize their browser windows to the larger layout. The best solution is to do it like MSN.ca and create a layout that can be manipulated by the user.

how to handle negative comments on your blog

2008-02-27T10:14:00.002-05:00

In a post at his Web Strategy by Jeremiah blog, Jeremiah Owyang addresses a challenging scenario that often presents itself in social media these days: how to handle negative comments left by an unhappy customer on your site, forum or blog. The two-way nature of social media, according to Owyang, means you must face these basic realities:

Negative comments are a fact of life. You can't please all your customers all the time; some will voice their complaints online.
Deleting negative comments makes things worse. Think a customer is disgruntled now? Wait until they take the discussion elsewhere with the additional, and valid, accusation of censorship.

A negative comment can have a positive outcome by following this advice from Owyang:

View negative comments as an alert system. By keeping close tabs on problems, you can manage them in real time. "Why wait for them to bubble up elsewhere on the Web?" he argues.
Impress unhappy customers with your response. "In most cases," says Owyang, "these are individuals that want you to improve your product, so embrace them, acknowledge them, and get them involved in providing solutions." They could leave the experience singing your praises.
Earn the trust of other customers. Having the confidence to encourage customer insight, whatever it is, tells observers you're committed to responsive customer service.

"The savvy strategist will realize that by bringing the problems and issues closer to home, you'll actually have a few advantages," says Owyang. "By acknowledging and fixing these problems in public, you ... can turn this into a very positive experience."
Source: Web Strategy by Jeremiah. Click here for the post.

Web is tuned in with radio ads

2008-02-27T08:11:00.002-05:00

Radio and the Internet are a perfect tag-team when it comes to boosting purchase intent, according to a study from Foundation Research.

According to the study, 57% of radio listeners visited a website for further information based on an ad they heard on radio, with 60% of those people ultimately making a purchase. The study also found that 39% of Canadians 18+ listen to radio while online.

The findings are based on telephone interviews with 1,028 Canadians 18+ conducted in October of 2007.

The study also found that while total daily media time decreased in 2007, time spent with radio and the Internet increased by 5% and 17% respectively.
Marketing Daily

Google tops Microsoft as most visited

2008-02-26T12:01:00.003-05:00

For the first time ever, Google has topped Microsoft's web properties as the most visited in Canada.
In January, Google websites, including Google.ca and YouTube, reached 22.44 million unique visitors, slightly more than Microsoft sites, which had 22.42 million unique visitors, according to data from comScore Media Metrix released yesterday.
Google has been gaining on Microsoft's sites, which include MSN and Hotmail, in recent years. Yahoo ranked third behind Google and Microsoft with 16.5 million unique Canadian visitors, followed by Facebook (15.3 million) and eBay (13.8 million). Rounding out the top 10 were: Wikipedia sites (11.7 million), AOL LLC (10.7 million), Yellow Pages Group (9.7 million), Amazon (9.5 million), Apple (8.7 million) and Canoe Network (8.6 million).
As of January, the total Internet audience in Canada was 23.8 million.
ComScore data also showed that Softvoyage.com, a travel industry site, was the fastest gaining web property, with a 53% jump in unique visitors in January compared to December 2007. It had 2.7 million visitors during January. It was followed by Workopolis.com and Monster Worldwide, which saw their visitors jump 49% and 41% respectively.
As for the most popular web categories, it seemed that after the Christmas break, reality started to set in for most Canadians. Sites devoted to taxes were tops, with a 44% increase in January over December. Number two was retail-health care (34%), followed by hotels/resorts (32%).

Which Social network is for you?

2008-02-26T11:51:00.003-05:00

Facebook, Ning or LibraryThing? - Plugging into the best social network for you With so many social networks dotting the Web, it's hard to know which ones are worth your time and effort. To help clarify this, itbusiness.ca examines 17 alternatives - and shows you how to get the most out of each service.

Blogs Explained - Again

2008-02-25T11:35:00.003-05:00

It's February 25, 2008, some might think it's too late or redundant to explain what a blog is. The timing couldn't be better to talk about blogs now. Blogs used to be strictly personal thoughts shared among the web savvy. Today, blogs continue to provide a freedom of expression while at the same time offering something useful for business, a marketing opportunity.

I've been blogging for 7 years. Initially I got onboard because of my curiosity. Being in the web industry, I'm continually looking at emerging trends. In February 2002, I posted this message to my douvan.com blog; "What's a blog? It's like having a diary but everyone can read it. blogs (aka "web logs") can be used for all sorts of different things. Some people use them to vent, some use them to communicate to others indirectly. Some use them to let friends know how they're doing, etc."

Wikipedia defines blog as:
A blog is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media. As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs.

So, what is a blog?
A blog is just a Web site driven by a content management system. What makes it so popular? blogging itself made the blog popular. Blogging is publicized by most other media as a legitimate output format. Today's blog is easy and possible as a result of the applications created by programmers. Blog tools and programs make it possible for anyone to manage content on a Web site.

Who is a blogger?
Even Martha Stewart is blogging. A blogger is a content contributor. Thanks to the blog applications, a blogger can be anyone, HTML skills are not required. As often as possible, the blogger should post content in the form of news, opinions, text and links to her blog space. The title of blogger has in fact become esteemed in the eyes of the public. The blog is recognized as its own media channel like newspaper or radio. Some people are full time paid employees in the position of blogger.

Technology has made it easy for anyone to be a blogger. And anyone can have a blog. Remember, a blog is just a Web site. A blog page on your existing website can help to increase content and provide information in a way your visitors demand.

Create Valuable Content
When the content in your blog is valuable, you create a web environment where visitors can interact with you. Valuable blog content are the words, pictures, audio or video related to your industry. The text found throughout the rest of your site, such as product pages or company history is given from the company perspective. Your industry blog should be written from a personal point of view. Visitors are more likely to identify with the blogger than the head office. The blogger can gain additional trust and credibility by allowing feedback and posting comments.

If you don't have a blog, get one.
The marketing opportunity is to provide feedback using this social media and increase search engine rankings as a result of the valuable content. A blog will bring more visitors to your Web site and allow your visitors to give their opinions.

Google Experiments

2008-02-19T14:40:00.004-05:00

Google is always experimenting with new features aimed at improving the search experience and so far, it's been pretty obvious that they know what they're doing. Most people in this part of Ontario use Google every day, multiple times a day.

The Search Engine of choice in fact is Google by over 85% compared to the other Search Engines. One of the reason why Google is so popular is that theyr'e always improving the user experience with enhancements or expanding on new ideas.

Join an experiments to see how it can improve your search.

Alternate views for search results
Keyword suggestions (I've been using this one for a while, it's fascinating to see the suggested searches)
Keyboard shortcuts
Left-hand search navigation
Right-hand contextual search navigation

Check them out and if you've got the time, join one of the experiments and share your experience. You might even find it will save you time.

Canadian Market Healthy - 21.8 million Internet Users

2008-02-12T12:33:00.000-05:00

Canada is a relatively mature Internet market. 65.3% of the people in Canada use the Internet at least once in a month. There will no doubt be some growth in the future. What this means to me; Canadians are using the Web, which is good for all of us marketing on the Web. Check out the complete ClickZ article.

Spam Report

2008-01-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

In the last few months of 2007, spam has become more inventive.

In 2007 spammers waged stock pump-and-dump campaigns on the public using Adobe Acrobat PDF format files in order to evade traditional defenses. Later in the year this moved-up a gear by using other file attachment formats, including Microsoft Excel, Word, ZIP and more notably, MP3. The latter example comprised of an audio file attachment where the recipient could at last listen to the spam message being relayed to them.

Although overall spam has gone down slightly, the proportion of spam that is new and previously unknown has increased and is now more sophisticated and more difficult to stop using simple traffic management controls, such as traditional anti-spam software and appliances.

Several of WeGo.ca’s Clients have noticed an increase in spam messages which were not being filtered as usual. There has also been an increase in the number of bounce-back spams in 2007. This is where spammers spoof the from: and reply-to: addresses in the original spam message. The spoofed addressee then receives a bounce-back message from the recipients’ mail servers when the message cannot be delivered correctly. In some cases this may work as a form of social engineering, as the recipient may believe a non-delivery report to be genuine, and is then duped into reading the spam message.

For more statistics on spam and email threats, please visit Barracuda Central, a 24/7 security operations center that continuously monitors and blocks the latest Internet threats, at http://www.barracudacentral.com/.

What You Can Do to Fight Spam?

1. Enable Outlook 2003 Spam Filters. Microsoft Outlook® 2003 has many new features to block junk e-mail (spam). The most notable feature is Microsoft's Junk E-Mail Filter with Microsoft SmartScreen Technology. SmartScreen Technology is based on a machine-learning Bayesian technology that uses a probability-based algorithms to determine whether email is legitimate or spam. Visit Visit SiteDeveloper for a full tutorial and explanation on how to enable full spam filtering for Microsoft Outlook 2003.

2. Ignore Delivery Failures of Messages You Did Not Send. If you wonder why you are getting delivery failures for messages you know you did not send, the cause is likely junk-mail from a spammer. You should delete these messages without opening.

3. Don't Respond to Spam Messages. Never respond to a spam message in your inbox. This usually results in more spam. Encourage friends, coworkers, and relatives to NEVER respond to spam and to avoid purchasing anything that is being marketed via spam.

Need More Help?

If you find that spam is still clogging your inbox, there are additional steps we could take. Contact me to discuss if a third party spam filter provider or mail server upgrade is right for your e-mail account.

Legion of Influencers Use E-Mail

2007-05-03T07:41:00.002-04:00

Is the current definition of "influencer" too narrow?
Everyone has some influence, but people with larger networks use more technology to spread theirs, according to "Understanding Influence, and Making It Work For You: A CNet Networks Study."
Highly connected people use e-mail to keep up with their dozens of contacts. In fact, they use e-mail far more often than the phone to stay in touch.

The study also found that regardless of how connected they were, everyone was interested in about the same number of topics, and that influencers tend to pass along information they consider both unique and trusted. "Influencers" in this sense are people interested in a topic who are trying to spread the word, not just an elite set of people with charisma or sway.
The number of "influencers" who could contribute to a word-of-mouth campaign is therefore huge, since most of the population is at least moderately connected.

It all comes back to having something worth spreading the word about. Marketers surveyed by Osterman Research for BoldMouth, a Faber, Va.–based word-of-mouth marketing company, said that satisfied customers, along with great products or services, were the most important things needed to generate word-of-mouth.

Spread the word more effectively. Read eMarketer's E-Mail and Word-of-Mouth: Connect with Your Best Customers report.

Outsourcing Web Needs and Any Other Business Specialties

2007-01-10T15:26:00.001-05:00

A business teacher of mine told me about a problem his former student was having. The student had recently started a business. The business teacher went for a visit and found the new-business owner struggling in front of his computer with a stack of receipts and bills. The business owner explained that he had some accounting to do and it was just taking too long. He was spending two days a month doing his books.

The answer to this account problem is outsourcing. The new business owner wasted two days he could have been out selling or doing his actual business. Those extra days work could more than pay for a bookkeeper. The quality of a Bookkeeper’s work would also be superior.

If you are here looking for a Webmaster to handle your next project, it is probably because your expertise is not in the field of web design and development. Outsourcing your web project is a good idea. It frees up the time it would take you to learn and create a web product, and concentrate on what you do best, sell your product or service. There are many skills and abilities that a seasoned Webmaster can perform. Let’s face it, unless you are in the internet industry, you would be wasting a lot of time attempting to learn the web business.

Outsourcing can make your business easier to run and more profitable. You'll free up time and resources so you can concentrate on your core business concerns. WeGo offers a broad range of integrated web services to move your company forward. More than ever, business survival depends upon the ability to effectively market and promote your services online, as well as keeping costs down. For your next web project, outsourcing may be the perfect solution to make the difference in your bottom line.