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For some reason, our blog's showing up as "unclaimed" in Technorati. It's also showing that it hasn't been updated since 2005, despite my post-post pings.
The world is an imperfect place, my friends.
I'm perplexed.If anyone has any Technorati insight to share, please feel free to comment.
UPDATE: Just reclaimed the blog...now it's only been 288 days since the last Technorati ping. I don't get it.
For some reason, our blog's showing up as "unclaimed" in Technorati. It's also showing that it hasn't been updated since 2005, despite my post-post pings.
The world is an imperfect place, my friends.
I'm perplexed.If anyone has any Technorati insight to share, please feel free to comment.
UPDATE: Just reclaimed the blog...now it's only been 288 days since the last Technorati ping. I don't get it.
MarketingSherpa's SherpaBlog has a great list of things to do for your summer vacation -- if you're a smart marketer and you're out of vacation time, that is.
Here's the Readers Digest version, along with some of my own comments...but go read the blog for Anne Holland's fully fleshed-out Top 10 List.
#1. Review past test data
#2. Launch new tests (Anne points out that a lot of catalog sites are doing some cool tests now, which you can actually see, in preparation for the holiday seasons. Smart, since this is probably the slowest month for many online retailers. Using landing pages? Think about trying multivariate testing to gear up for your peak season.)
#3. Face-time with other departments
#4. Customer verbiage studies (That means actually calling your customers and listening to the language *they* use to define your services. This way you won't use phrases like "Search Engine Optimization Solution" if your customer base really wants to hear about "Natural Listings.")
#5. Canned content creation (Another good one: Get those "Top Ten"-type blog posts ready for the moments you need them most.)
#6. Revamp analytics reports (If youv'e been dreaming of that one report that seamlessly pulls in all the data you need to review your campaigns...August is a great time to start putting it together.)
#7. Revisit all templated/automated content (Have you checked all YOUR company's Executive Team bios lately? I just did -- and made a bunch of changes.)
#8. Research external helpers (Get those RFPs sorted now, instead of rushing at the last minute.)
#9. Start a public swipe file (Anne got me started with one of these back in my early marketing days -- and I still keep a file folder in my drawer, as well as one in my browser, to save the campaigns that inspire me.)
#10. Plan a fabulous vacation for January (Amen!)
MarketingSherpa's SherpaBlog has a great list of things to do for your summer vacation -- if you're a smart marketer and you're out of vacation time, that is.
Here's the Readers Digest version, along with some of my own comments...but go read the blog for Anne Holland's fully fleshed-out Top 10 List.
#1. Review past test data
#2. Launch new tests (Anne points out that a lot of catalog sites are doing some cool tests now, which you can actually see, in preparation for the holiday seasons. Smart, since this is probably the slowest month for many online retailers. Using landing pages? Think about trying multivariate testing to gear up for your peak season.)
#3. Face-time with other departments
#4. Customer verbiage studies (That means actually calling your customers and listening to the language *they* use to define your services. This way you won't use phrases like "Search Engine Optimization Solution" if your customer base really wants to hear about "Natural Listings.")
#5. Canned content creation (Another good one: Get those "Top Ten"-type blog posts ready for the moments you need them most.)
#6. Revamp analytics reports (If youv'e been dreaming of that one report that seamlessly pulls in all the data you need to review your campaigns...August is a great time to start putting it together.)
#7. Revisit all templated/automated content (Have you checked all YOUR company's Executive Team bios lately? I just did -- and made a bunch of changes.)
#8. Research external helpers (Get those RFPs sorted now, instead of rushing at the last minute.)
#9. Start a public swipe file (Anne got me started with one of these back in my early marketing days -- and I still keep a file folder in my drawer, as well as one in my browser, to save the campaigns that inspire me.)
#10. Plan a fabulous vacation for January (Amen!)
While it's already been reported everywhere from the New York Post to the evening news, it's worth posting that Google will be sharing its own click fraud stats with advertisers.
Until now, advertisers had to base their claims on reports provided by third-party vendors. Evidently, Google has believed that these reports inflate click fraud statistics. (Click fraud, by some reports, accounts for as much as 14.6% of all clicks on the major search engines.)
According to Google (via CNET):
"Our goal is to provide that transparency so advertisers who previously may have been unnerved or concerned about these wildly exaggerated figures will be able to see now what Google is doing to protect them," [Shuman] Ghosemajumder, [business product manager for trust and safety at Google] said.
Google detects and filters out the "vast majority" of invalid clicks, he said, declining to give any general figures on invalid clicks.
Under the new system, AdWords customers will be able to see data on invalid clicks on a daily basis or beyond, going back to the beginning of the year, he said.
(Ah, if only they would do that much for splog prevention.)
Meanwhile, a day earlier, a group of plaintiffs filed a class action suit, claiming that Google's not doing enough to prevent click fraud. The plainiffs, who represent mostly smaller businesses, say their current settlement forces them to provide their own proof of fraud, and presumably most can't afford the analytics to do so. Their seeking about $90 million in legal fees and credit among 51 plaintiffs.
While it's already been reported everywhere from the New York Post to the evening news, it's worth posting that Google will be sharing its own click fraud stats with advertisers.
Until now, advertisers had to base their claims on reports provided by third-party vendors. Evidently, Google has believed that these reports inflate click fraud statistics. (Click fraud, by some reports, accounts for as much as 14.6% of all clicks on the major search engines.)
According to Google (via CNET):
"Our goal is to provide that transparency so advertisers who previously may have been unnerved or concerned about these wildly exaggerated figures will be able to see now what Google is doing to protect them," [Shuman] Ghosemajumder, [business product manager for trust and safety at Google] said.
Google detects and filters out the "vast majority" of invalid clicks, he said, declining to give any general figures on invalid clicks.
Under the new system, AdWords customers will be able to see data on invalid clicks on a daily basis or beyond, going back to the beginning of the year, he said.
(Ah, if only they would do that much for splog prevention.)
Meanwhile, a day earlier, a group of plaintiffs filed a class action suit, claiming that Google's not doing enough to prevent click fraud. The plainiffs, who represent mostly smaller businesses, say their current settlement forces them to provide their own proof of fraud, and presumably most can't afford the analytics to do so. Their seeking about $90 million in legal fees and credit among 51 plaintiffs.
Shares of Yahoo fell to their lowest level in nearly two years in after-hours trading yesterday as it reported weak revenue from Internet search advertising in the second quarter and a delay in a critical project that is meant to increase search revenue.
While Yahoo, which runs the world’s most popular Internet site, has a booming business selling graphical advertising, it has been struggling to rebuild its search service.
Google, which continues to increase its share of both users and advertising revenue, produces 40 percent more revenue from each search than Yahoo does, industry experts say, thanks to software that is better at selecting relevant text advertisements to place on a page of search results...
In other Yahoo news, ClickZ has agreat article on their behavioral marketing solutions.
Shares of Yahoo fell to their lowest level in nearly two years in after-hours trading yesterday as it reported weak revenue from Internet search advertising in the second quarter and a delay in a critical project that is meant to increase search revenue.
While Yahoo, which runs the world’s most popular Internet site, has a booming business selling graphical advertising, it has been struggling to rebuild its search service.
Google, which continues to increase its share of both users and advertising revenue, produces 40 percent more revenue from each search than Yahoo does, industry experts say, thanks to software that is better at selecting relevant text advertisements to place on a page of search results...
In other Yahoo news, ClickZ has agreat article on their behavioral marketing solutions.
"Enterprise search is our business, it's our house and Google is not going to take that business," Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, told a conference of more than 7,000 business partners here Thursday.
'Nuff said. Read the article.
"Enterprise search is our business, it's our house and Google is not going to take that business," Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer, told a conference of more than 7,000 business partners here Thursday.
'Nuff said. Read the article.
