I recently wrote a half-teasing post about a branding issue Posterous appears to be having but I also noted that it is looking like another emerging winner in online social media and the reason is simple; it makes posting to a myriad of social media profiles as simple as writing a single email or clicking on a share button in your browser. I thought of a variety of different ways to explain how it works but I found a video that did all of the work for me. The video below from NBC’s Tech Now does an excellent job of illustrating how easy Posterous is to use and how it might help you manage your online social media persona. Read more…
Today I became aware of a very unfortunate branding issue with a new social media platform called Posterous (pronounced Post-Er-Us). First of all, you should know that Posterous is a killer application that I have little doubt will soon be a leading social media property; I will have a follow-up post outlining the reasons. Now onto a sad yet humorous (IMO) lesson in branding; Posterous appears to be commonly misspelled (and even mispronounced) as Posterious (Post-Ear-E-Us). Read more…
Sillicon Alley Insider just released this insightful set of charts illustrating the “horrendous” drop in user engagement MySpace has experienced in the last 12 months.
Average Stay per Visit (in minutes, rounded up)
- MySpace: May 2008 = 20 min, May 2009 = 10 min!
- Facebook: May 2008 = 14 min, May 2009 = 16 min
Average Visits per Person:
- MySpace: May 2008 = 14, May 2009 = 12
- Facebook: May 2008 = 11, May 2009 = 16
So much of what I discover on a given day in the search marketing industry is via Twitter. When I find interesting and occasionally hot stories I note them on our @stepforth account and/or my @rossdunn account. Since our blog often suffers from my Twitter distractions I felt I had better provide a summary on the busy days. Thus, welcome to our very first Tweet Update for June 5th, 2009: Read more…
When it comes to operating a successful online business these days the key is traffic to your website. In order to generate traffic there are a number of sources one can tackle. The first and most obvious is an increase in your search rankings over at Google. But what about all those social media websites floating around out there – are they worth your attention? Read more…
Yesterday Google Wave was announced at Google I/O 2009 and a preview of the collaborative concept was provided to developers. The following is the full 1h 20 min live video from the developer preview.
Here is a link to the video on YouTube if it does not render for you here.
In a rush? For non techies I recommend watching 50 min starting at around the 8 min mark; after the intro’s are complete. That will give you a very good idea of the mind-blowing implications of Google Wave. For techies with an interest in the convergence of web technologies the full video is really a must watch.
Google Wave is on the lips of countless Google watchers today as the search monopoly announced a unique concept for online interaction. 
Created by the two brothers that brought Google Maps to our desktops; Lars and Jens Rasmussen. So what is a Google “Wave” and how does it work? In Lars’s own words:
A “wave” is equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more. Read more…
The following are some social media newsmakers I came across today:
Digg Joins the Twitter and Facebook Party
Digg jumped on the bandwagon and added the ability for visitors to easily share stories on Digg.com with Twitter and Facebook; a sign that even the competition can no longer ignore the success of Twitter and Facebook. In addition, Digg removed the controversial “Shouts” feature that Digg users were none to happy about.
Stories with additional detail:
- Digg Adds Twitter and Facebook Sharing Options
- Shouts on Digg Are Now Gone – Replaced With Email, Facebook and Twitter
The New York Times Hires its First Ever Social Media Editor
Today I expect the New York Times has elevated the legitimacy of social media for many skeptics by hiring its first ever Social Media Editor – Jennifer Preston (on Twitter @NYT_JenPreston). So what will Jennifer be doing exactly? Well here is an excerpt from a leaked email at the New York Times I found via Mashable: Read more…
It is no real secret that a well written topical blog can significantly help out your website – so why aren’t you doing it?
The most common reasons I hear for not starting a blog involve a lack of time to write posts, and limited ideas to write about, but taking that extra time to get some useful content out there can do wonders for your search rankings among other things. Read more…
Here are the top posts on “Social” from the old StepForth SEO Blog.
Two Great Tips for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Account
‘LinkedIn SEO must haves’
Do it Yourself Social Media Marketing – A StepForth White Paper
‘A how to on promoting your brand (be it yourself, a product, a service, or a company) by strategically making your presence known across various social media networks (such as Digg, StumbleUpon or Myspace)’ Read more…
