LB's Rambles

"Googlewiki Vs. Ajaygoogle"

Over at Search Insider, David Berkowitz honeymoons in India and discovers that there is still much to be said for a non-electronic version of search...

Using Search to Stop Scammers

Over at MediaPost's Search Insider blog, David Berkowitz, director of emerging media and client strategy at 360i, has a fascinating article on what seems to me to be an ingenious use of both social media and SEO to stop a particularly nasty real estate scam.

Briefly, a friend of Berkowitz got some suspicious emails from a scammer who was using CraigsList real estate transactions as a way to try to cheat people out of thousands of dollars. Berkowitz basically took the story, along with the complete email exchanges, and posted them on his blog. He did so not for regular readers of his blog, who might or might not ever run across these scammers, but for four "readers" in particular: Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Ask. He figured - correctly - that if the search engines "saw" his posts, then, in time, other people, who might be searching for information about suspicious real estate deals would see his postings as well - and be warned off. And, he says, that's exactly what happened.

As I say, it strikes me as a great use of social media, to spread the word about the scam - and a terrific way to use SEO beyond the normal site/product marketing. The comments on the Search Insider blog (see that link above) suggest that he's struck a nerve here - and I say, good for him!

On the Way Home, Pick Up Some SEM at the Store?

Is Search Engine Marketing an art or a science? While we're having that debate, we should probably consider one fact: SEM is now a commodity - and, as Search Engine Journal tells us, it's on sale at Wal-Mart's bulk stores, Sam's Club. Small businesses are encouraged to buy some kind of SEM program via Sam's Club's "LeadConnect" program. For somewhere between $25 and $100 a month, they get submission to various search engines (for whatever good that may do) plus a few other simple techniques.

SEJ's editor, Loren Baker, wonders if this is a good or bad thing for the SEM industry as a whole. I'm not sure, but I think it's more proof that an awful lot of businesses out there still don't understand the tremendous changes taking place in the business world as a result of our improved communications skills and techniques. These are the same companies which, only a few years back, were still wondering whether they really needed to be on that Internet thing. Now, they are wondering why they need an experienced search marketing firm to help them when they can buy "the same services" from Sam's Club for $25 or so every month, not that it  seems to be helping them much.

The commenters on SEJ have it right. There will always be bottom-line types who care only about the price. SEM needs to be sold on the value, not the price. It's all part of the long, slow educational process. As communicators, most of us have a long way to go to help others understand.

Hat tip: MediaPost

eMarketer Weighs In

We continue our efforts to become Prediction Central by passing along eMarketer's view of the coming year.

Media Predictions for 2008

As noted in the last entry (immediately below this one), it is the time of year when we usually see lots of news stories that consist of (a) ten-best or ten-worst lists - maybe just "ten"-lists, and (b) crystal-ball gazing for predictions of the year ahead in (insert any topic here).

That said, there's an interesting list over at MediaPost's Search Insider from Mark Simon, VP of Industry Relations at Didit, called "Ten Media Trends to Watch in 2008." It's an interesting collection, ranging from a further decline in television quality and profitability, not to mention a possible recession, to increasingly intrusive advertising and the likely demise of some web companies. Worth a read.

Is "Do Not Track" the Answer to Anything?

There's an interesting conversation going on over at the Search Insider blog about the proposals for "Do Not Track" legislation akin to the "Do Not Call" legislation which at least theoretically reduces the number of junk phone calls we receive. "Do Not Track" would require users to opt-in before marketers and/or publishers could use cookies to track their activities on particular websites. Is "Do Not Track" the answer to privacy concerns?

Aaron Goldman, the Director of Client Strategy and Development for Resolution Media, part of the Omnicom Group, argues - persuasively, I think - that the answer is a flat out "No." As he says, the problem isn't that people are getting too many tracking cookies - their problem is with advertisers showing them too many irrelevant ads. That's a different problem entirely.

In the comments, Tim Walters from Fatwire makes what I think is a key point: "It’s not a matter for Do Not Track, it’s a matter of Do Not Abuse." I think it's clear, though, that marketers are going to have to come up with non-intrusive ways of reaching out to their potential customers - ways those customers are willing to accept, and ways that don't give them the feeling that somebody has been peering over their shoulder.

Comparing SEO and SMO

There's a good post from the folks at Vandelay Website Design comparing Search Engine Optimization with Social Media Optimization. It's a good side-by-side primer, and it concludes - rightly, I think - that the two techniques for increasing your reach work together, rather than against each other. Worth reading.

Hat tip: MediaPost

No Comfort at the Inn

Megan McArdle is a blogger and journalist who currently blogs for Atlantic. She had a really bad experience this week at the Comfort Inn in Jamaica, Queens near New York's Kennedy Airport - bad enough to inspire a full online rant.

As readers of this blog know, I believe that customer service outweighs almost all advertising in determining what people think of your product or services. You may have the world's greatest ad campaign, but, as surveys have shown, in today's search-friendly world, a bad customer review carries a lot of weight.

I've seen (and heard) lots of commercials for Comfort Inns. I'm sure there are a lot of good inns in their chain. I'll accept the fact that this story may have been only an exception to the rule.

But I travel a lot. And when I'm choosing my next hotel, will I be thinking of Comfort/Quality's ads? Or will I be remembering the unhappy story of a very dissatisfied customer?

Businesses that can't figure out the answer to that question may not stay in business very long.

(Hat tip: Instapundit)

Business Gets Personal Again

That was pretty much the theme of the evening, as the New York chapter of the Social Media Club held its first anniversary get together. Chris Heuer led most of the discussion, based on his slide presentation about the impact of social media on doing business. (Note - you can watch Chris doing his presentation at BlogOrlando by going to ChrisHeuer.blip.tv.)

The presentation provided the basis for some spirited discussion of what is different about doing business in a Web 2.0 world - turning it from a monologue into a conversation. It's about listening to customers and interacting within them. It's about opening companies up and making sure that all your employees have the knowledge and the capability to take part in those conversations.

Chris made the point that we're still very early in the process - perhaps year 2 out of a 10 year cycle, so people are still learning how it's supposed to be done and experimenting with it. The next phase is about people being able to do what they want and find their own voices as they deal with each other.

Chris recommends a book by Don Miguel Ruiz called "The Four Agreements." He summarizes the four points: don't make assumptions; be impeccable with your work; don't take things personally; always do your best.

At the heart of the presentation is this: social media is tearing down the walls that keep us apart and changing the rules that have kept us from being human inside our companies.

Other points:

The best form of marketing is to make a great product. And the best way to make a great product is to listen to your market.

Others raised the question about expertise vs. the wisdom of crowds. Steve Jobs was cited by several people as a leader who frequently ignores what customers may say they want in favor of what he believes is a better idea for all. General agreement that Jobs can be right - sometimes he DOES know better. But ultimately, the consumer needs to have the choice - whether to go with something that has been developed by the experts or with something else that has been developed with input from the consumers. What's important is that the choice exists.

There was also general agreement that customer service plays an absolutely critical role in the marketplace, through social media. It's too easy for customers to share their experiences - good or bad - for companies to be able to ignore them.

There was also considerable discussion about transparency and the need to let a blog reader or customer know who's talking. Fake blogs, unidentified employee entries, are going to be uncovered and are going to enrage the customers. What's key is making sure the customer and/or reader know whose voice is being heard.

Overall, a good and lively discussion of the issues facing all of us trying to do business in a world increasingly dominated by social media.

UPDATE - links fixed. Sorry.

Mahalo Gets the Message

Over the summer, I posted an entry here concerning Jason Calacanis's new humanized search engine, Mahalo. At the time, I pointed to questions about how useful such a service might be, where human guides attempted to make sense out of at least some of the overwhelming amount of information on the Internet.

Over at Straight Up Search, a poster named Andrew put up a review of Mahalo on October 16, based on his search for a new Radiohead album. Andrew didn't think much of the service, and he said so.

But here's where the story takes a twist.

Just a few hours later, the guide from Mahalo posted a comment on Andrew's review at Straight Up Search. The guide, Len Harris, explained why the information had appeared as it did, acknowledged the difficulties, and made some immediate changes to the Mahalo layout "to make things more clear."

And Andrew responded to that comment, thanking Len and noting the improvements made in response to his original complaint.

Seems to me that Mahalo just made itself some new friends. That's incredible response. It's a perfect example of what I've been talking about here when I talk about the need for a conversation between a brand - in this case, Mahalo - and its customers - Andrew. That's what Web 2.0 (or later) is all about. Bravo to all involved. And, as Andrew now acknowledges, maybe there is something to be said for human intervention in the search process...

(Hat tip: MediaPost's Search Insider newsletter)