How Google Works Faster | Diagram

By Geoff Simon | April 7, 2008

Ever wonder how Google can return your search results in 0.06 seconds?

Did you know that the Google homepage comes in 117 languages including Latin, Yiddish and Zulu?

Portfolio.com put up a good visual example of how Google routes searches through it’s data centers worldwide, taking into account proximity and volume to the user.

In the past 12 months Google doubled it’s staff, tinkered with it’s search engine to speed up results, and now answers more questions than Microsoft and Yahoo combined.

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Can Blogs Be Dangerous to Your Health?

By Geoff Simon | March 27, 2008

There was a time when certain professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, did not advertise in a general way. In some arenas, advertising was looked down upon and considered to be below the standard. In others, particularly the law, advertising specific services was illegal. Once the ban on television advertisements was lifted, there were some lawyers who ventured forth to test the waters. Naturally, they were shunned by peers, relegated to the same category as ambulance chasers. That is, until the peers saw how the advertisements paid off in a very big way.
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Internet Marketing for Self-Published Authors

By Geoff Simon | March 20, 2008

authors self promote their books through social media, myspace, facebook, etc.

With the advent of digital printing technology, there is a staggering increase in the number of authors who have chosen to self-publish their own books. The only downfall to self-publishing, however, is that the author is required to perform all of the marketing tasks as well. A beginning self-publisher must be aware of the opportunities to market such a project while trying not to get bogged down by the sheer number of places to advertise. Statistics show the most effective way to market self-published works is through the Internet, where there are as many marketing opportunities as there are books. How can one effectively use the Internet to capture a prospective reader’s attention?

There are many ways to market books on the Internet, from posting them on Amazon.com to creating a website to showcase the work. Amazon works very well since it already has an established and loyal customer base. Owning a website is also a great advantage, particularly if people are able to buy books directly from the site. However, website exposure is a huge issue since there are literally millions of sites out there, many promoting the same type of product.

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Explore Social Media Marketing at SMX Social Media, April 22-23

By Geoff Simon | March 10, 2008

searchmarketingexpo.gif

For Internet marketers trying to reach the unique audiences at social media sites such as Facebook, Digg, Reddit, and Stumbleupon, the place to be on April 22 and 23 is Long Beach, California, for the SMX Social Media conference. SMX Social Media was established by Search Engine Land editor-in-chief Danny Sullivan, who has been the go-to guy for Internet and search engine marketing for over a decade. He has a reputation for producing quality shows that deliver useful, timely information to attendees, some of whom even begin implementing his ideas during breaks in the conference.

SMX Social Media was presented to standing-room-only crowds in New York City last fall, and the West Coast version in April is an encore presentation of that event. The show is designed to offer tips about how to harness the power of social media sites to engage audiences in an appropriate and respectful manner in order to deliver them information based on community interests, voting, and sharing.

The two-day event will offer attendees both fundamental and advanced presentations on topics including social media marketing essentials, the most popular social news sites, social bookmarking and tagging, the marketer’s role in social media marketing, and how to use linkbaiting and leverage social networking effectively. Speakers at the event were chosen based on their knowledge and experience with social media marketing.

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Social Media Attracting Increasing Amounts of Advertising Dollars

By Geoff Simon | March 4, 2008

When 66 percent of the world’s fastest-growing companies state that social media is either “very important” or “somewhat important” to their overall marketing strategy, you can bet they know what they’re talking about. Internet advertising and access spending are expected to be the biggest industry growth engine over the next five years, with a 13.4 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from an estimated $177 billion in 2006 to $332 billion in 2011.

 So why is Social Media Marketing the rock star of the advertising market today? “Social Media Marketing is not just a tool but a movement,” says Ryan Mathews, founder and CEO of Black Monk Consulting, a company offering the latest in global consumer trends, technology, innovation and retailing. “…a kind of sea change in the way people relate to the world, in a way I believe will gain increasing significance.”

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What Will Become of Web 2.0 IPO’s?

By Geoff Simon | January 16, 2008

At this point, we really haven’t seen a major Web 2.0 company make it through an IPO. We’ve seen YouTube gobbled up by Google, and MySpace snagged by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. To date, they remain the companies that have truly defined success in the evolving Web 2.0 era.

But there are some major Web 2.0 players out there, perhaps waiting for a shot at an IPO. FaceBook, LinkedIn, Spot Runner and some others immediately come to mind. But what would going public really mean for these companies and, more importantly, what would it mean for investors who want to grab a piece of one of these companies? Obviously, this is pure speculation at this point and we’re only now starting to hear some of the valuation numbers associated with the venture capital infusions that the major Web 2.0 companies are getting.

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International Business Travel Tips

By Geoff Simon | October 8, 2007

In today’s global marketplace, international business travel has become a given for many companies. But no matter how common it may be, Americans should always be aware of steps they should take to prepare for their trip, as well as government services they may need to take advantage of while traveling abroad.

As most regular international travelers know, it is always a good idea to have a well-prepared travel plan in place and to be sure someone at your company knows where you will be at all times. Be sure you have a signed, valid passport, and a visa if required, and be sure to fill in the emergency information page of your passport. Leave behind copies of your passport and itinerary so you can be reached in an emergency. Check your medical insurance provider to see whether your policy will be enforced overseas, and whether it covers emergency expenses such as medical evacuation. If it does not, you may want to consider supplemental insurance as a precaution.

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Need a Web 2.0 Primer? Web 2.0 Bootcamp

By Geoff Simon | September 19, 2007

If you’re responsible for building and delivering online products and services to any audience, then you need to know Web 2.0. Because if you don’t know Web 2.0, you’re being left behind as the face of the World Wide Web changes.

Web 2.0 University offers the world’s leading business education solution for business leaders seeking to understand the power techniques market leaders are using to exploit the strengths of the Internet. The design patterns and business models of Web 2.0 are the definitive approach for optimizing online businesses by taking advantage of the strengths of the World Wide Web—power that is just beginning to be fully understood. The premium courses offered by Web 2.0 University are held in exclusive public sessions the world over, and none is more intensive than the Web 2.0 Bootcamp. This high-powered day-long course provides attendees with a thorough grounding in the concepts of Web 2.0.

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Google’s New Offerings

By Glori Gold | August 17, 2007

Google is at it again.  Already the World Wide Web leader in online search engines, Google is tightening its grip on the flow of information across the Web. Although it typically handles half the online searches in the United States, Google is trying to add to its information empire by offering to operate search engines of small Web sites.

The company plans to help millions of Web sites that don’t have search engines or don’t like the quality of their search results.

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Social Media Placement | Mixing Old & New Media Still Most Effective

By Geoff Simon | August 5, 2007

Since the mid-1990s, the marketing industry has been presented with numerous challenges and opportunities provided by a steady stream of new ways to advertise products and services. The term “new media” was created to mean the proliferation of marketing tools being made available on the new consumer frontier of the Internet. After decades of advertising dollars being spent on print media, broadcast television, and radio, a whole new virtual world was ready for exploring.

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