Jan
24

Marketing in a New Decade


With 2012 well on its way, we are launching into the second year of the decade. The previous decade threw us some curveballs with companies focused on “search engine optimization” and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube popping up.

Before 2000, there was no such thing as an iPod, let alone a Blackberry, iPhone, or Android. Most people paid with cash or check at least half the time, and credit and debit cards were still relatively new.

Technology came at us at full-speed, and businesses almost weren’t able to catch up. But over the past few years, we have started to see a pattern, and whether it be an iPad or TouchPad, there are not too many “brand new” technologies recently. This has given us the chance to play catch-up.

So, how do you develop a marketing strategy for a market that is changing so rapidly and using so many different technologies? Read more

Nov
30

The Myth of Security


A friend of mine posted the following video on Facebook, and the video actually made me mad. I am a little bit fed up with the ongoing urban legends and myths of security features. Let me start to debunk this, with a promise for more discussion on this later.


Read more

Nov
28

Facebook and End User License Agreements

In response to the European Commission’s Directive, Mike Elgan posted on Google+:

What the EU is saying, essentially, is that getting users to agree to a long-winded user contract does not let companies off the hook for informing users.  Read more

Nov
18

The WordPress “Attack”


If you are just starting to learn web technologies such as HTML, Javascript and CSS and are wanting to use WordPress, stop. If you are trained in website development outside of WordPress and want to start using WordPress, try to look at it with new eyes. WordPress, and content management systems in general, have a whole different “attack” to website development. For details into how to develop with WordPress, there is a nice exhaustive site available at http://codex.wordpress.org. Here are some basics, especially for those familiar with the “old” way of developing websites. Read more

Aug
5

Gaining Control of Facebook Applications

Facebook Applications extend the usability and convenience of Facebook as well as allow Facebook to have games and many other communities. Every time you go to a website that lets you “Log in with Facebook” that is an application as well. All of these applications can request information such as being able to have access to your information, your friends’ information, the ability to post on your wall and many other features. And when asked if this is acceptable or not, the only options are “Allow” or “Don’t Allow.” There is no way to control which permissions an application can or cannot have.

Wrong. All you have to do is go to http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=applications and scroll to the application you would like to change the settings for. Click on “Edit” and then click on “Remove” for any permissions you would not like the application to have. If it is grayed out and says “Required” those features unfortunately cannot be touched. If you see any of the required settings as an issue, we recommend removing the application completely by clicking on “Remove app.”

We recommend you visit this page periodically to see all the applications you may not even realize you have subscribed to, as well as make sure there are not any unwanted permissions that your apps have gained.

Jul
15

How Google+ Stands up to Competitors

Google+ is all over the news right now, so it only seemed fitting for us to discuss our thoughts on the new service. Keep in mind that Google+ is still in a “field test” and is not yet widely available. Still, let’s discuss what is already there.

Yesterday, I discussed how Google Plus is not the first social media project that Google has launched. However, the question remains… Does Google Plus stand a chance for success in a field that is already dominated by giants such as Facebook and Twitter? Read more

Jul
14

Google+ Next to History

Google+ is all over the news right now, so it only seemed fitting for us to discuss our thoughts on the new service. Keep in mind that Google+ is still in a “field test” and is not yet widely available. Still, let’s discuss what is already there. Read more

May
17

DO NOT Start Talking

I am a social media evangelist, which means I love getting other people excited about social media and letting them know how it can help their business or non-profit organization. But today, my advice is to stop talking on social media sites… and here’s why. Read more

Oct
25

Develop SMART, Not-For-Profit Goals

This is the first part of a series titled “7 Ways to Develop a More Effective and Successful Marketing Strategy.”

Any business plan or strategy needs goals in order to be effective. When developing goals for a marketing strategy Read more