Posted by Kim Peterson on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 3:47 PM

The battle between Google (GOOG) and Skype just ratcheted up a notch with Facebook’s entry into the fray.

Recall that Google recently launched voice calling from Gmail, allowing (through the end of the year, at least) people to make free calls from their Gmail page. I’ve been using that feature daily to make free long-distance calls from my computer.

Some thought the new service was the death knell for online calling service Skype. But Skype showed Wednesday that it’s very much in the game with an alliance with Facebook (also known as Google enemy No. 1).

The Wall Street Journal has news of a nascent partnership that will allow people to access Skype through their Facebook Connect accounts. If the plan goes through as reported, users will eventually be able to call and video chat with friends on the Facebook page, using Skype.

The new Facebook abilities are expected to be included in Skype’s newest version, due out in the next few weeks, the Journal reported. Post continues after video:

“The partnership will more tightly link Skype’s 560 million registered users — 124 million of whom use it at least once a month — with Facebook’s 500 million members,” writes Scott Morrison.

The move shows that Facebook wants to be exactly where Google is in the future, particularly as Google starts expanding to become more of a social media and communications hub. And the news is good for Skype as well, which is looking for a $100 million IPO at some point.

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WordCamp Boulder 2010 was my first WordCamp event. As a web designer, SEO, and online strategy consultant, I found the sessions and opportunity to meet others in the industry to share ideas and information very useful. Even though you know much of the material already because you’re in the biz, there are always things you pick up at events like these, and they provide the opportunity to learn something completely new.

WordCamp Boulder @ Boulder Theater

Attended the “Creating a Blog Community”, “Blogging for your Business”, “BuddyPress 101″, and “What’s Next for WordPress”. Of course the Social Hour was fun. Look forward to seeing the videos on WordPress.tv so I can tune into the sessions I couldn’t attend such as “WordPress Development” and the “Design Panel”.

The most important thing I learned was in “What’s Next for WordPress” session by Jane Wells of WordPress and Automatic – that was to make sure you use a capital “P” in WordPress!

Maybe I’ll head out to WordCamp New Zealand August 7-8.

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

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The mobile ad space continued to heat up last week with Amobee’s acquisition of RingRing Media, a 2-year-old London-based startup, for an undisclosed sum. The move surely isn’t anywhere near the magnitude of Google’s $750 million AdMob buy or even Apple’s $275 million pick-up of Quattro Wireless, but it’s the kind of smaller-scale deal we’re likely to see many more of this year as the segment consolidates.

Mobile ad startups are hot commodities once again thanks largely to in-app marketing, which has given the segment a much-needed lift over the last year. Established Internet companies and software development companies alike are scrambling to gain a foothold in the space, much like in 2007, which saw a flurry of activity including AOL’s acquisition of Third Screen Media, Yahoo’s pick-up of Actionality, the Microsoft ScreenTonic buy and Nokia’s tie-up with Enpocket. While 2010 may not see as many blockbuster deals, the number of tie-ups could end up surpassing that of three years ago, Rich Wong of Accel Partners told me last week:

Brand managers now are spending in this medium. It’s real, and it’s genuine. I do think it’s going to be hard to have a quarterly earnings call as a major Internet company and not have an answer to the question, ‘What’s your mobile strategy?’

The landscape is far different now than it was just three years ago, though, when a handful of startups were quick to emerge in the nascent space. Recent figures from IDC indicate that Millennial Media is clearly the largest startup left on the field (see chart); the mobile search firm JumpTap is the second-largest potential acquisition despite a mere 4 percent market share. Yahoo and Microsoft claim a combined market share of only 19 percent — which may prompt the high-profile players to make an acquisition or two this year in order to build their mobile businesses.

The field also teems with smaller player that specialize in targeted areas such as search or that serve specific geographic regions. And recent growth in the space has given rise to a host of startups that play supporting roles by providing analytics and other tools. Flurry, which pocketed $7 million on the heels of its recent tie-up with Pinch Media, may be especially attractive to ad companies that don’t have their own mobile analytics operations.

So while we may see one or two more big-budget acquisitions in mobile advertising this year, most of the M&A activity will center on smaller startups. Entrenched firms with deep pockets will look to fill out the holes in their mobile ad businesses, and independent players will forge alliances to better compete with their larger counterparts. Those deals won’t make headlines, but they will reconfigure the landscape of mobile advertising in 2010.

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Contact Minds Over Media regarding mobile advertising marketing to help promote your business and market your services online.

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By Stephanie Chen CNN

(CNN) — If you’re on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site, you could be the next victim.

That’s because more cyberthieves are targeting increasingly popular social networking sites that provide a gold mine of personal information, according to the FBI. Since 2006, nearly 3,200 account hijacking cases have been reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

It starts with a friend updating his or her status or sending you a message with an innocent link or video. Maybe your friend is in distress abroad and needs some help.

All you have to do is click.

When the message or link is opened, social network users are lured to fake Web sites that trick them into divulging personal details and passwords. The process, known as a phishing attack or malware, can infiltrate users’ accounts without their consent.

Once the account is compromised, the thieves can infiltrate the list of friends or contacts and repeat the attack on subsequent victims. Social networking sites show there is ample opportunity to find more victims; the average Facebook user has 120 friends on the site.

Read rest of article

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When will YouTube be profitable? “In the not-too-distant future,” said Google CFO Patrick Pichette on today’s quarterly earnings call, same as he said last quarter. He did offer a “sound bite” to appease investors and industry watchers: “We’re monetizing more than a billion video views every week on YouTube.” That’s out of “well over” a billion views that YouTube recently said it gets every day. So, let’s put on our fuzzy and unauthorized math thinking cap: There are seven days in a week. YouTube is monetizing in the neighborhood of 14 percent of its total views.

Google’s Nikesh Arora, president of global sales operations and business development, noted campaigns on YouTube’s home page have been undertaken with 90 percent of the top 50 advertisers. He said 90 percent of YouTube’s home-page inventory was sold out in the third quarter. Further, YouTube is beginning to release pre-roll inventory to advertisers — not the most-liked format for watchers or many in the industry, but a good way to make money. And the site is getting more premium content; it tied up a deal with Channel 4 this morning and straightened out its relationships with the music labels in recent weeks.

Google has come a long way from last year in its attitude towards YouTube, when CEO Eric Schmidt called YouTube monetization “the holy grail” and “our highest priority this year.”

“In general we’re really pleased about YouTube’s performance — it is going very well,” said Pichette. Arora added: “We’re pleased with our ability to monetize YouTube so far, and we like the trend.”

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The trough will get even deeper in 2010 as local online advertising continues to slow and as a bevy of new competitors rush in to become purveyors of hyperlocal everything. PBS, ESPN, AOL, Huffington Post, The Knot, Microsoft, Yahoo and scores of others have announced plans to reach deep into local ad sales. While they missed this crest, there is plenty of money yet to be made in local online ad sales.

Meanwhile, the next waves are forming on the horizon, as they always do, and companies that know what to look for can begin moving to catch them. Online promotions and mobile advertising are two such waves. This 2010 Outlook offers observations and forecasts intended to help that process.

Local online advertising will hit $14.2 billion this year, 12 percent more than 2008. For 2010 we are forecasting that it will grow just 5 percent, to $14.9 billion. In the past five years, local online advertising grew at a compound annual growth rate of 46.5 percent. For the next  five, we are expecting that rate to be 2.9 percent. The forecast is predicated upon a slow economic recovery and the fact that “online” as a local media advertising category is approaching what we believe is saturation. Online media buys currently hold a 13.8 percent share of all local advertising. We believe it will peak at a 16 percent share by 2013.

Unfortunately, one of the hottest growth categories – mobile – is not likely to play a significant role on the local media landscape next year. We are estimating that local buys will comprise only 20 percent of all mobile advertising, totaling slightly more than $500 million in 2010. Still, mobile is a category worth watching as the audience grows and as couponing, mobile directory advertising and sponsored text messages find viable applications for local marketers.

The game in 2010 will center more around stealing market share than growing the market. Local advertisers have had plenty of time to assess the effectiveness of banner ads, search, streaming video and e-mail advertising peddled to them over the past decade. They will abandon programs that just do not work, and embrace those that produce measurable results. They are also likely to continue following a few years behind the spending patterns of national advertisers by expanding their use of online promotions, which give them more direct access to their customers and prospects – without having to rely as heavily on media companies to help reach them.

Study provided by Borrell Associates. For more information and to download data samples visit www.borrellassociates.com

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#1 –  Call to Action not clear

Visitor does not know what they’re supposed to do. How to order, what number to call, how to contact?

#2 – Distracting Visuals

Too many images and graphics not related to service or product. Visitor is blasted with too many things, poor separation of content and navigation.

# 3 – Text Overload

Too much detail, poor flow, poor outline. People aren’t going to read a book.

#4 – Landing Page Does Not Match What the Ad Says

Your landing page does not deliver what the visitor is expecting from the ad, banner or other link they clicked on.

#5 – Form and Info Request Overload

Asking for too much irrelevant information, or information that isn’t needed till later.

#6 – Trust and Risk Minimizers

Trust symbols such as BBB, Hacker Safe, Verisign Secure Site are not prominently displayed early in the decision process.

#7 – Trust Verification Missing

Missing third party endorsements, client testimonials, list of current clients and customers, reviews and feedback.

Better landing page design will result in:
Increased conversion rates
Increased revenues

Landing Page Optimization Denver

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

One common mistake companies make in recessionary times is cutting back on their marketing and advertising budget – this is usually the first expense that gets eliminated.

During a recession, consumers don’t stop purchasing, but they do become more selective. They focus on looking for “value” in their purchases. They are going to purchase products and services from someone, likely businesses they know and trust.

Better make sure they know your business!

In today’s digital age, businesses small to large, should continue to invest in their online marketing and advertising. The Internet is the most efficient, cost-effective marketing channel, and delivers the most ROI in acquiring customers and revenue. The web and mobile will only continue to grow in effectiveness for a business. Businesses should consider reallocating budgets that are used in other less effective media such as print, yellow pages, radio, and TV into online marketing programs such a website, search engine optimization (SEO), Internet video commercials, pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, and other online media.

McGraw-Hill Research did a study of U.S. recessions, analyzing 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results revealed that companies that maintained or increased their advertising investment during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for three years following the recession, than companies that eliminated or decreased advertising. Sales revenue of companies that advertised aggressively during the recession had risen 256% by 1985, over those that didn’t maintain their marketing efforts. See graph below.

Comparison of Sales & Ad Expenditures Pre and Post Recession

Moreover, six studies conducted by the research firm of Meldrum & Fewsmith showed conclusively that advertising aggressively during recessions increases sales and profits. This fact has held true for all post-World War II recessions studied by The American Business Press starting in 1949.

To be successful, a business should have the following working and functioning online marketing infrastructure to empower their business in today’s economic times:

1. Well designed and effective Website
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
3. Blog
4. Social Media Marketing
5. Online video commercials, business profiles
6. Content Generation
7. Email Marketing and Customer Databases

Ideally you want a web design firm that provides all of the above services versus a hodge podge of different companies where integration, effectiveness, cost, and management become a problem. A strong web design firm can function as your online campaign manager, integrating all of the above facets.

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

Some of Google’s top warning include:

1) Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue. Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for “burn fat at night” diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators.

2) 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.

3) 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 can also check with your web designer or their contacts. Google doesn’t comment on specific companies, but they’ve encountered firms calling themselves SEOs who follow practices that are clearly beyond the pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.

Listed below are a couple of examples of companies that have received numerous complaints and bad feedback on web:

Mainstreethost.com
Sample reports http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/350/RipOff0350339.htm
http://stopmainstreethost.blogspot.com/

usaseopros.com
Sample report http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/347/RipOff0347104.htm

Internet Advancement
Sample report
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002002970_nwbizbriefs12.html.
Simple things you can do to research an SEO company are:
1) Do a Google or other search on the company and see what type of feedback comes about the company from previous customers, complaints, etc.
2) Speak with your web designer. Maybe they offer SEO services, or know a reputable company that does. Your web designer can probably help you research these companies as well.

Minds Over Media provides full-service online marketing services including web design Denver, SEO Denver, video production Denver, social media marketing Denver, blog design Denver, graphic design Denver, and other digital media services.

By Janko Roettgers Gigaom Network

Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor this week published a list of essential guidelines on how to be successful online. Reznor knows a thing or two about Internet success. He became the best-selling artist on Amazon’s MP3 store despite giving his music and videos away for free, engaged his fans in a breath-taking Alternate Reality Game and recently became the Webby Artist of the year.

Critics have always argued that Reznor’s position is unique, and note that his band’s millions of fans around the world are thanks in no small part to promotion through his former major label. Reznor countered this kind of criticism by focusing his advice on the needs of aspiring newcomers. And while some of these suggestions may be specific to musicians, most of them actually make a lot of sense for up-and-coming online video makers as well. So since we here at NewTeeVee continue to get countless questions as to how to establish and promote new web shows, we’re stealing some of his best ideas and passing them on to you.

Here are five essential guidelines to establish yourself online:

“Forget thinking you are going to make any real money from record sales.“ The same is true for video: Don’t expect to make tons of money with any of the existing video download stores, even if they offer you awesome revenue share agreements. Instead, opt for free and try to monetize other things down the road, once you have established an online fan base. The team at Ask A Ninja, for example, used DVD and t-shirt sales to finance their work before the big ad dollars started to roll in.  Reznor suggests collecting email addresses in exchange for free downloads and using these contacts to both advertise upcoming releases as well as merchandise sales. That’s a little harder if people watch your show on YouTube, but you could still promote your newsletter with t-shirt raffles and higher-quality downloads.

“[G]et your music everywhere.“ The same is true for video; don’t rely on just one site. Sign up with TubeMogul and let them put your video on YouTube, blip, MySpace and any other site possible.

“Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace.” Replace MySpace with YouTube, and you know what we’re talking about. There’s a good chance most people will see your show on the major video sites, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least have a blog somewhere else. Something that you can update even if you don’t have any new episodes, where people can leave comments. Having a place where you can gather a dedicated and friendly community can also be a great morale-booster, and you’re gonna need one of those when the inevitable bad-spirited commenters start to appear on your YouTube channel. Or, as one online video maker at the recent NewTeeVee LA meetup put it: “People on YouTube are mean!”

“Remove all Flash from your website. Remove all stupid intros and load-times…Constantly update your site with content – pictures, blogs, whatever. Give people a reason to return to your site all the time.“ Amen to that. Except for the inevitable embedded Flash video players, of course.

“Make cheap videos.“ Uhm, yeah. No, we don’t want you to spend less on lighting when you shoot your show’s episodes. But there’s inevitably gonna be a time when you have no new episode to publish. That’s when low lights and rough cuts are OK. Publish outtakes (if they’re funny), director’s commentary (if you have something to say) or faux celebrity sex tapes (if you’re into that kind of thing). OK, maybe you shouldn’t go with the last suggestion, but the point is to constantly put out something to remind people you’re still alive.

Have any other suggestions to share? Feel free to add them in the comments.

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