Goodbye Overture, Hello Yahoo! Search Marketing
By Kevin Newcomb

The move was announced March 1 at Search Engine Strategies in New York. During his keynote speech, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang said the move was designed to present users with a more unified view of Yahoo! Search.

"Over the past six months, we've introduced new product features and refined our infrastructure to make search marketing easier for our advertisers, and are very excited to continue that progress by launching our new Yahoo! Search Marketing site," said Steve Mitgang, SVP product marketing, Yahoo! Search Marketing. Mitgang said the rebranding is "one of many steps" the company is taking to improve the advertiser experience.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

9 Highly Effective Marketing Tips

by Bob Leduc

Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits fast.

Tip 1: Look for some low-cost ways you can enhance the perceived value of your product or service. Then test raising your price. Don't be surprised if both your sales and your profit margin go up.

[Read More!]

Blogs The Latest Tool In Corporate Arsenals
Russell Shaw

Web logs -- or blogs, for short -- started out as a way for people to express personal views.

The online journals made it easy to share off-the-cuff opinions with a small or large number of readers. Blog entries can be posted on a Web site or distributed to interested readers via syndication feeds.

Now blogs are moving beyond personal musings and taking on a new role: corporate communications. A growing number of businesses are using the blog format to promote products, interact with customers and shareholders, conduct market research and distribute company announcements.

Some company blogs even add "personality" by featuring posts from top corporate officers.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Advertising Blunders. Who’s To Blame?

by Jill St Claire, Founder - JSC Marketing, LLC

Quote:

Advertisers mistakenly perceive the effectiveness of their ads based upon the medium of choice rather than the message their ad sends to their prospective customer.

As I peruse through the newspaper, tune in to my favorite radio station, browse the Internet to see what the world has to offer me today, I am reminded of how much advertising we are exposed to each and every day. About 7,500 times per day, or so the statistics say.

[Read More!]

Google Solicits Consumers' Videos
by Gavin O'Malley

IN AN EFFORT TO GROW and diversify the breadth of its video-search, Google earlier this week invited any and all to upload digital video files--but only non-pornographic and non-obscene ones--to its servers. From there, Google officials confirmed, Web surfers will soon be able to search, preview, play, and download the files along with the rest of Google Video's offerings. The Google Video beta, which launched in January, presently consists of closed-caption content and metadata culled from broadcast TV. To help index the expected torrent of video submissions, Google will allow content owners to include metadata, captions, and transcripts with their files.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Free Or Not Free -- It's Your Choice

by Randy Justason

The Internet is one of the world's top sources of information, products and just about anything else you could possibly want. And, if you have spent any amount of time online, you must have noticed that much of it is free.

Many home business entrepreneurs get their start online using some of these free resources. In fact, some of them use freebees almost exclusively.

So, just what are these valuable assets that attract so many home business newbies? Here are just a few:

[Read More!]

RSS Gives Marketers Uncensored Channel
By: Joe Dysart

Frustrated by the incessant e-mail bouncebacks from ISPs and yearning to send giant audio/video pitches over the Web unencumbered, some direct marketers are turning to RSS, or really simple syndication, to get all of their messages — and all of their message — to target markets headache-free.

“We’ve been at this awhile, using mediums like TV, radio, e-mail. But I have to say, RSS is one of the best advertising vehicles I’ve seen come along in awhile,” said Terry Weaver, CEO of Truckflix.com, an online jobs broker for trucking companies and drivers.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Yahoo! Revamps News Aggregator
by Gavin O'Malley

JOCKEYING FOR THE POSITION OF top online news destination, Yahoo! Thursday announced the release of revamped Yahoo! News sites in beta. In an effort to streamline and simplify users' news intake, Yahoo! has moved the site's navigation options from a vertical layout flanking the left side of the page to a horizontal one on top of the page. The site also offers more defined links and a wider area for stories.

The banner advertisements, which are positioned vertically above and horizontally alongside stories on the existing site, have been reconfigured as "large rectangle" ads, and will lie mixed within stories' content. This change works to the advantage of both readers and advertisers, according to a Yahoo! spokesman, because it works to further clean up the site by cutting down on ad space, and give the ads better positioning--and thus greater impact.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Why You’re Not Blogging - And Why You Should Start Today

by Tinu AbayomiPaul

Those of you who aren't ready to wade into the Blog pool are taking your time for several reasons, according to my informal interviews with people before and after they blog. Others start blogging and then abandon their projects too soon, unaware of the benefits.

Whatever your reason, you should get started now - or get back to blogging as the case may be. Here’s some motivating enlightenment that you may find surprising.

[Read More!]

Massive CEO: Video Ad Market To Reach $2.5 Billion By 2010
by Shankar Gupta

CALLING BROADCAST TELEVISION ADVERTISING A "bloated" and "overweight" medium, Massive CEO Mitch Davis predicted Thursday that in-game video advertising, which his company specializes in, will increase more than 165-fold in the next five years, from $15 million last year to $2.5 billion by 2010. "There is a disproportionate amount of money spent on broadcast television compared to the reach and frequency it delivers," Davis said. Video games, he said, are "a far more interesting, exciting, and interactive medium."

Speaking to a crowd of about 250 game developers, advertisers, and press at the Advertising in Games Forum in New York City, Davis predicted that video game spending--which, in 2004, totaled an anemic $15 million--would reach $1.4 billion in the United States alone in five years.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Where Do You Find Time for a Home Based Business?

by Gobala Krishnan

Copyright 2005 Gobala Krishnan

I am very often asked this question by affiliates in my home business network, and almost every time it happens, I just shake my head in pity and disbelief. They just don't get it...

Where DO you find the time to run, manage and promote your home based business? I honestly don't know. I know one thing for sure; you can never really 'find' time; you must 'make time'.

[Read More!]

Blogs Test Companies' Control Over Brand Image
by Gavin O'Malley

THE SCENE WAS SET: TIGER Woods, mustering all his resources in the final round of the Masters on Sunday, hits a chip shot that lands some 20 feet from the 16th hole--and, after making a chance 90-degree turn in the hole's exact direction, comes to a complete standstill on its lip before dropping in. A magical moment for Tiger and the sport, for sure. But Chris Mike, director of marketing and advertising for Nike Golf, said he immediately saw the moment's potential for another cause: the marketing of Tiger's prototype Nike One Platinum golf ball, which had just made the miraculous journey. Mike said his team began work Monday on commercials for One Platinum, which most likely will include Tiger's shot, and could start running as early as next week.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....
[Read More!]

[Read More!]

Hello Online Marketers! Here's another podcasting event AND a way to keep your children and family dog happy and safe...

---

This week's All God's Creatures Educational Series class is "Safety Between Children and the Family Dog" on April 28, 2005. The class starts at 9PM EST, and is a one hour presentation with a Q & A section for attendees.
One more thing -these classes are complimentary for a limited time so please come join the fun!

Jennifer Shryock is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant [Read More!]

P2P Fuels Global Bandwidth Binge

By Joanna Glasner

Internet users consumed more bandwidth than ever last year, driven by the growing popularity of peer-to-peer networks and heightened demand for video files.

Burgeoning demand also prompted internet carriers to upgrade their network capacity to handle the upswing in traffic, a new report indicates.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

RSS Meets the Needs of Direct Marketers

by Rok Hrastnik

Contrary to general opinion, RSS meets the needs of even the most demanding direct marketer, actually providing most of what e-mail marketing does, except for the strong push factor.

Most direct marketing reasons against RSS are in fact the result of inadequate understanding of RSS by most marketers.

A) Scheduled and autoresponder messages

[Read More!]

Murdoch: Newspapers Must Stop Fearing Web
By Joe Strupp

WASHINGTON Media mogul Rupert Murdoch urged newspaper editors to grab on to the digital revolution, stop fearing or ignoring the power of the Web, and do more to serve the young news consumers -- or "digital natives," as he called them -- who are more and more going to the Internet for information.

"We need to realize that the next generation of people have a different set of expectations of the kind of news they will get," Murdoch told a luncheon crowd at the American Society of Newspaper Editors conference on Wednesday, "including when and how they will get it, and who they will get it from."

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

How Podcasting Works

by S. Housley

It has been said that in October of 2004 a Google search returned less than 6,000 results for the term 'podcasting'. Today, a similar search yields more than 857,000 results. Like the blogging phenomenon, podcasting has come out of nowhere and attracted an enthusiastic following.

While some traditional radio talk shows have begun providing podcasts of their regularly-scheduled broadcasts, the bulk of the podcasts that have cropped up tend to be independent broadcasters who have a fascination with technology. As a result, some podcasts are a little rough around the edges. Nonetheless, it is clear that the technology provides a significant opportunity and potential. Even nay-sayers believe that podcasting is more than a passing fad.

[Read More!]

Spamming the Wrong Message

By Adam L. Penenberg

Last week, many netizens cheered when Jeremy Jaynes, the eighth-ranked spammer in the world, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Jaynes, who also went by the name Gaven Stubberfield, was famous for pushing "zoo" porn and operating various spam scams. He fired off millions of e-mail messages, clogging ISP servers and inboxes with various come-ons while amassing a fortune estimated at about $24 million. But that's not why he's going to jail. A Loudoun County, Virginia, jury found him guilty of three counts of forging e-mail headers.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

U2 Teaches the World About Texting
By Cory Treffiletti

This past weekend I was lucky enough to see U2 play a sold-out show in San Jose. If you haven't seen U2 in the last few years, you need to do so immediately! The show they put on is one of the best shows I've ever seen and they definitely know how to work a crowd.

[Read More!]

Yahoo offers free hosting to small businesses

By Stefanie Olsen
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

The Internet company on Wednesday introduced a new service that lets any small business sign up for a free Web page to appear in Yahoo's local directory. The move will help otherwise unwired small businesses come online, said Paul Levine, Yahoo's general manager of local services, as well as help consumers find more local information.

"Our hope is over time that certainly Yahoo will be top of mind as they think of promoting their site" or for other services, Levine said in an interview.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

A Basic Introduction to Blogging

by Mal Keenan

Web logging first appeared on the net in the mid-1990s. The term “web log” was initially coined refer to a server’s log file and then expanded to include the meaning of online personal journaling. Later on, to avoid confusion, the word “blog” was adopted to refer to personal journaling. Today a blog is defined as an online publication where an author puts his or her personal thoughts and opinions from the most intimate to corporate ideas, concerns or events, in chronological order on the net.

[Read More!]

Acute Homeopathic Remedies for Pets- Audio Class this Week.

Hello Online Marketers! Okay, I know, this isn't rss, podcasting, or anything else remotely related to internet marketing right? WRONG! While the focus is holistic pet care, I publish several RSS channels with three of them being on holistic pet care AND I podcast my weekly column AND I have a podcast on a separate server. AND I market my pet products and services ONLINE. So, if that isn't internet marketing, what is, pray tell? Since Cathy and I run this channel, I'm going to announce my audio pet care classes here each week that are being taught in a VoIP conference room (another internet marketing tool), with an Internet radio show coming soon -another cool internet marketing format and tool. Also, each class is being made into CDs by eMedia Touch so we are offering a sponsorship opportunity on each -you can be exclusive, share or have group ads. So, there! This IS Internet Marketing!! Oh and the veterinarian, she rocks!!!

---

This week's All God's Creatures Educational Seminar will be taught by Dr. Jill Elliot, DVM.

Jill Elliot, DVM, began her career as a conventional veterinarian.
[Read More!]

Carat Starts Blog Initiative
by Gavin O'Malley

ONLINE AD AGENCY CARAT INTERACTIVE today is expected to launch a new practice for clients interested in employing blogs as a marketing tool. John Cate, vice president and national media director for Carat Interactive, said clients such as TiVo and Pfizer will each be given a three-part blogging "starter kit," introducing them to the increasingly influential world of blogs. The kits will instruct each client on how to effectively monitor blogs within their purview, advertise on appropriate blogs, and actually blog themselves. "This practice won't be right for all of our clients," said Cate. "We'll have to access the landscape, and determine who can sustain a dialogue and who can't."

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Starting Your Own Blog
By John Taylor

I was sitting in my local Internet Cafe yesterday, I like to get away from my 'home office' from time to time and it's a great place to go for a cup of Espresso and to meet interesting people. The rather attractive lady sitting next to me was typing away furiously and, when she had finished, I asked her what she was writing - I'm interested in learning how other people use the Internet... some people call that being nosey!
[Read More!]

Hello Online Marketers! Yep, it's me again only this time I want to ask you to go vote for my friend, BL Ochman's, marketing blog, What's Next Online?

Here's what you do, go here for the Sherpa Blog Awards http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=83271011576

Then vote for the What's Next Blog by BL Ochman for "Best individual's blog on the general overall topic of marketing, advertising & PR" The URL for the blog is
http://www.whatsnextblog.com

Thank you!!!

Kim Bloomer :-)

MSN Blogging, Messenger Services Sign Up Sponsors
by Shankar Gupta

MSN TODAY IS EXPECTED TO announce the official launch of the blogging service MSN Spaces, and the release of a new version of MSN Messenger, both formerly available in beta. Both features will incorporate branding campaigns--the raison d'etre of the company's "Branded Entertainment and Experience Division," which was created last month. Initial sponsors include car manufacturer Volvo, sneaker company Adidas, and the soft drink Sprite. MSN Spaces, which was launched in beta on Dec. 1, allows users to create and author a blog for free. The final product is similar to the test version, said Gayle Troberman, director of MSN's branded entertainment and experiences. MSN Spaces allows users to create semi-private blogs, viewable only by people on users' contact lists, or public blogs, viewable Web-wide. The privacy settings apply to the entire blog, however--unlike free-blog competitors such as Livejournal, which allow for individual posts to have different privacy settings.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Is it us, or are there tons of announcements about Web video recently?

MSN and iFilm have teamed up; MSN will deliver iFilm video clips to MSN Video's free streaming entertainment channel. The clips will be refreshed in real time. MSN also inked a deal with Dennis Publishing to offer five video clips a week from Maxim. The video content will include photos, celebrity interviews, and music reviews.

[Read More!]

The Need for Feed(s)

By John Gartner

Online news aggregators like Google News are a blessing and a curse for the newspaper industry.

On one hand, news aggregators can deliver big traffic when they link to a site. On the other, consumers are turning to Google and Yahoo for their news, rather than to the individual newspapers the aggregators link to.

But now several newspapers are about to take on news aggregators at their own game, offering their own branded newsreaders.

The Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post and British newspaper the Guardian will soon offer stand-alone newsreader software for reading stories on their own websites and those of their competitors.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Like Two Peas in a Podcast
By Jim Meskauskas

Eighteen months ago, if I'd asked you what an iPod is, like most people, you'd fumble around with a few guesses, perhaps cleverly thinking that the 'i' indicated something to do with the Internet, remembering that the 'i' prefix was once the ubiquitous indicator for all things Web.

Finally, though, you'd be forced to concede that you didn't know, maybe mumbling to yourself, but loud enough for me to hear, something about how you think you've heard of it but just can't remember.

[Read More!]

Online Local Ad Spend Predicted To Grow 46 Percent in '05
by Wendy Davis

LOCAL AD SPENDING ONLINE BALLOONED 28 percent to $2.7 billion last year, according to a report released Monday by research company Borrell Associates. The report, "What Local Web Sites Earn: 2005 Survey," based on a survey of Web sites of 2,177 local media properties, predicts even higher expansion--46 percent, to $3.9 billion--this year. Local marketers of computer-related services spent the largest proportion of their ad budgets--7.3 percent--online, followed by bars and restaurants--3.3 percent--and business-to-business advertisers--3.2 percent. Borrell defined local advertising as "advertising placed by locally based businesses for locally focused online messages."

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

More Sales with Less Selling

by Charlie Cook

Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without feeling the urge to buy at least one cookie, dessert or cinnamon bun? Have you ever taken a child into a candy store and not had them ask to buy at least one of their favorite sweets?

[Read More!]

What Search Sites Know About You

By Joanna Glasner

For most people who spend a lot of time online, impulsively typing queries into a search engine has become second nature.

Got a nasty infection in an embarrassing spot? Look up a treatment on your favorite search site. Obsessing about an ex? Try Googling his or her name. Chances are the queries will unearth some enlightening information.

But while search engines are quite upfront about sharing their knowledge on topics you enter in the query box, it's not so clear what they know about you. As operators of the most popular search engines roll out more services that require user registration, industry observers and privacy advocates say it's become more feasible to associate a particular query with an individual.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

RSS is Not Only for Blogs

by Rok Hrastnik

Contrary to popular opinion, RSS is not only good for delivering content from your blog, although blogs are what made RSS so popular.

In fact, RSS can be used to deliver a great variety of content and content types. If you can break down your content in to individual stories or individual pieces, you can deliver it via RSS.

[Read More!]

Firefox improves pop-up ad blocking

By Ingrid Marson
Special to CNET News.com

The Mozilla Foundation has developed a beta patch for the Firefox browser that it claims improves the blocking of pop-up ads.

The popular open-source browser already contains a pop-up blocker by default, but this does not handle pop-ups launched by plug-ins such as Flash and Java. Mozilla employee Asa Dotzler wrote in his blog last week that Mozilla developers are responding to the increasing number of advertisers that are using plug-ins to launch pop-up ads.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

How to Make Your Business Image Stand out Above The Crowd

by Abe Cherian

Traditional advertising methods are still being used for almost 90% of businesses today. The number one problem with this, is that all everyone else seems to be following the same old methods.

No matter how expensive, does your advertising look and sound like a lot of other advertising? If you take a look at your business card design, flyer design, brochures, letterheads, web page design and any other methods you are doing, you'll probably find some very familiar pattern to looking like your competition.

[Read More!]

Google Adding Personal Video to Search Repertoire

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to put out a call for personal video clips as it moves to further expand the reach of its Web search business, company co-founder Larry Page said on Monday.

"We're going to start taking video submissions from people," Page said at the annual cable industry convention in San Francisco.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

The Ultimate Secret To Internet Success! (And It’s Not What You Think)

by Dan Lok
Copyright 2005 Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.

What I'm about to say may hurt your feelings, but it's time someone tells you the truth:

If your website is not making money, it’s NOBODY'S FAULT BUT YOUR OWN!

I'm warning you…this message is sharp and pointed. I guess I'm 'fighting back' after hearing so many people bitch and moan…

[Read More!]

'Podcasts' Catching on with iPod Owners - Survey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The home-brewed audio programs known as "Podcasts" are catching on with people who own iPods or other digital-music players, according to a survey released on Sunday.

Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults who own MP3 players like Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) iPod say they have downloaded podcast programs from the Internet, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Can Pay-per-click Really Increase Blog Traffic?

by John Taylor

You want to know if Pay-Per-Click really can increase blog traffic? The answer is: Yes, it can. Thanks for reading this article. Have a nice day.

Wow, wouldn't it be great if the answer really was that easy? Of course pay-per-click is a great way to get a new pair of eye-balls in front of your world-class blog, but it's not as easy as depositing some money into a PPC account and then watching your traffic counter spin out of control ten minutes later even though Google's web site claims that their Google AdWords campaigns can deliver results in an amazing 15 minutes!.

[Read More!]

FEC Eyes Bloggers' Political Ties

By Michael Grebb

WASHINGTON -- A week after the Federal Election Commission proposed rules on how the internet should be covered by campaign-finance laws, one thing seems clear: The growing ranks of political bloggers are watching developments closely.

"The real question is where do we go from here," said Mike Krempasky, co-founder of conservative blog RedState.org. "There's not a real understanding of how politics and the internet works at the Federal Election Commission."

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Emotional Marketing - Stimulate Your Prospects Into Buying

by Abe Cherian

The secret is creating low cost advertising that compels customers to come to you. Using a simple system of direct mail letters, postcards, email and low cost newspaper ads, as well as cable TV and radio - all of which can get qualified customers to call you or stop buy your place of business on a daily basis.

The purpose of this mainstream concept is to have customers come to you. Why? Because your marketing efforts will do the two things that marketing is supposed to do:

[Read More!]

Online Seminar by Dr Jill Elliot on Emergency Homeopathy for Pets

Curious about homeopathy for pets? Dr. Jill Elliot, my vet and friend, is giving two Internet classes -- April 14th and April 21st starting at 9PM EST -- on emergency homeopathy for pets. She'll teach you what to do to treat a host of ills that need urgent care.

[Read More!]

MSN Launches Mobile Video Service
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 7:00 AM EST MICROSOFT WEDNESDAY ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH of MSN Video Downloads, which will provide mobile video content to Windows Mobile-based multimedia devices, and select Smartphones and pocket PCs. MSN Video is culling its video content from 25 content partners, including the Food Network, Fox Sports, Home & Garden Television, and IFILM. The short videos available will include news, sports highlights, children's programming, music videos, and comedy shows. The service will be subscription-based, costing $19.95 per year for access to all the downloadable videos. There will also be free videos available for download by anyone.

--Shankar Gupta

CLICK HERE to read more news headlines....

Are You In Business To Help Customers?

by Bob Leduc

Customers want to believe you are in business to help them. They don't mind if you make a profit by helping them. But they won't buy from you if they believe you are only in business to get their money.

Here are 4 ways you can assure customers that you are in business to help them.

1. Personalize Your Sales Approach

[Read More!]

Adware Firms Up The Ante On Anti-Spyware
by Wendy Davis, Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 7:00 AM EST

AT THE SAME TIME THAT adware companies face increasing attack from advocates and legislators, the industry appears to be aggressively pushing back against anti-adware/spyware outfits, including adware removal companies and Web sites devoted to adware/spyware information. In February and March of this year, at least six companies have complained to anti-adware Web sites and adware removal companies, according to a report posted by spyware consultant Ben Edelman. The report, on Edelman's Web site, lists just two companies that complained against anti-adware outfits last year. The adware companies' complaints have ranged from accusations of posting inaccurate information to interfering in their business relations with consumers.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

RSS: The Amazing Profit Potential

by Rok Hrastnik

All marketers are the e-mail delivery problem, hoping that just somehow our messages are going to reach our customers and subscribers this time ... and then hoping that they're going to open them, instead of mistaking them for spam.

The reality usually hits us hard. While e-mail is still the primary and most important internet marketing tool, we need to start using other complimentary tools to get our content delivered.

[Read More!]

Get Off Your RSS!

By Nathan Matias

Did you ever look at the daily reads list from a well-written Weblog? Some of those lists are insanely long, often containing more sites than most people read in a month! The crazy thing? When you read these Weblogs, you see their authors reacting and debating with many other Weblogs and sites. How do people keep track of it all? How can anyone manage to hold down a job while still checking so many sites so frequently?

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

by Kent Thompson

Everyone is talking about RSS. Blogs, newsites and the like are putting those little orange RSS link thingies all over their sites. What's all the hype about?

Okay, email will always have its purpose in life. But many people are realizing that RSS is an excellent alternative to email for newsletters or other mass-distribution lists.

Here are three HUGE advantages of RSS over Email:

1) RSS is totally spam-proof.<