Selasa, 17 April 2012

9 Tactics for Effective Social Media Optimization

What do you know about social media aside from the fact that it has billions of members put together?

Hmm, let us look into some of the most interesting insights regarding the Web’s leading network sites.


  • As of 2012, Facebook already has over 800 million active members with beyond 3.5 billion content pieces (e.g. news, links, images, blog posts, etc.) shared every week. 
  • Twitter has around 100 million active users and half of this population logs in at least once every month. 
  • Around 34% of marketers have obtained leads, while 20% of them have closed deals through their Twitter account. 
  • An estimated 92% of Twitter members retweet interesting content, while 84% retweet humorous posts. 
  • Google+ came out in June 2011 and garnered approximately 10 million users in less than a year. At the end of the year, it had 62 million members. As of January 2012, it has 90 million users. 
  • The +1 button is used over five billion times each day, while its iPhone app turned out to be the most popular application among other Apple apps. 


9 Tactics for Effective Social Media Optimization


Now, the list seems quite short. But you can actually learn hundreds of other amazing facts about social media though not here because we want to focus on combining it with search engine optimization, which takes us to the next part.

The Merge of Social Media and SEO

Judging from the figures above, you can see the great global reach of social media. But what does it mean for you?

If you wish to connect with a large audience because you want to share your passion in life or you wish to promote your offers, you can do it through platforms like Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. Surely, you can convey your message to millions of people given that these sites are among the biggest and most effective social tools today.

With that said, let us proceed to...

Social SEO Strategies

When it comes to the combination of social media activities and search engine optimization techniques, the following are definitely worth your time and effort.

1. Remember to place your blog articles and other sharable content with Google+ buttons. This way, you can allow convenient and easy social sharing among your target readers.

2. Make a Google+ page for personal or business use. Then, share all your Web pages on it.

3. Come up with unique, original, and engaging topics on your Google+ page. And, do not forget to incorporate relevant keywords.

4. Take time to boost your Google+ network and create several circles. By doing this, you can encourage plenty of people to share your content.

5. Request the members in your network to click on your +1 buttons.

6. You must also create a Twitter and Facebook profile or fan page. This way, you can enhance your social media presence by posting your blog or official website content on these pages. As a note, it is not the shares but the links (from the other users) that help optimize your platform and content. Therefore, try to generate links as much as possible.

7. Write complete details about yourself or your company on the “About” field. While doing so, make sure that you start the bio with your name or trade name. Additionally, include keywords such as your interest on technology, social media, or blogging. Then, link to your blog site and other profile pages. If you are networking for business purposes, your bio must have information about your offers and a link to your official website.

8. Promote your blog posts or site content through any social media activity such as Tweets, Wall post updates, and Google+ posts.

9. Finally, remember that your ranking in search engine results is not the only measure of your success. This means that you do not have to keep on stuffing your updates with keywords or links. You must also focus on offering your target audience with informative and relevant content to gain their trust on you or your brand.

Strategic Considerations for Social Media Activities

As you are carrying out the techniques above, you have to consider the following aspects too.


  • Social shares – These usually include Likes, Google +1’s, and Retweets, which help in pulling your page rank up. 
  • Content + shares – The more users share your content to their friends, the wider your online reach is. Apart from boosting your Web presence, you get to enhance your credibility and authority. 
  • User preferences and online behaviour – Whether your social profiles are for personal or marketing use, it is best to consider your audience’s inclinations. With that said, focus on what interests them rather than your own concerns. As a tip, it helps to create content about trending topics. 


Do you find the pointers difficult? If you are new to social media, these strategies may be a bit tough. But as you spend more time on your profile pages, you will actually find it fun to interact with other users from all over the world.

About the Author: Emma Tomlinson is the Head of Retail at Smart Traffic, an SEO company listed at the Top 10 of the Microsoft Tech Track 100 for 2011.


Google Redesign its URL shorting service Goo.gl


After redesigning Google+, Google has just redesigned its URL shorting service goo.gl. The new interface looks neat, simple and easy to use.

The new redesign comes into play when you view stats of particular goo.gl url. To view the stats of the URL just use "+" at the end of the URL.

It has been divided into five major section:

1. Total Clicks


2. Referrers 



3. Browsers 



4. Countries 



5. Platforms 

 




Tell us what you think about new design in the comment section below     


Minggu, 08 April 2012

How to Determine Whether to Buy iPad 2 or the New iPad


                   
Buying a gadget device is a very great and thrilling experience, especially when it’s a tablet from Apple Inc. The graphics, the feel of adding a new device to your collection makes it even more inviting to buy, but with all these great promises comes a task: and that’s the task of choice.
With Apple’s introduction of the latest iteration of its popular iPad tablet, many would be thinking of buying one while it’s still fresh in the market. My friend was even suggesting getting an open door loan to buy a tablet. As one would expect, sales for the previous version would have significantly dropped, but so will the price.

Aside the confusion, there are many other factors that makes the new iPad stand out and different from its predecessor. Below are some things you might consider before making your final choice.
5 Megapixel Rear Camera
With the rear camera on the iPad 2, there’s much to be desired about having a camera on a tablet. While many might not buy the idea of using an iPad as a replacement for camera, you’ll find that of the new iPad tablet creative. With the new 5-magepixel sensor the iPad has, you will get the same quality as the iPhone 4S and the camera also allows you to shoot in 1080p HD video.
However, the VGA camera in the new iPad remains the same as that in the iPad 2, which has made those looking for teleconferencing on the iPad run from it.
But with the type of quality I was able to get when shooting video for my open door loan campaign, I was anticipating the newly released iPad will be much greater.
4G LTE
No one planning to buy a new iPad tablet can afford to ignore this offer. LTE (Long Term Evolution) cellular technology is, at the moment, the fastest technology you can think of. This has never been in the Apple tablet until now. 4G LTE makes browsing the internet on your mobile device almost 10x as fast as the normal 3G experience, but at the same price.
So if you are considering buying an iPad but don’t know which of the two is a good choice for you, you might have to put this into consideration.
But, not all ISPs are supporting the technology yet, which makes the 3G roaming the new iPad has a good deal.
Higher Resolution
Not so long, Apple introduced what is known as retina display. The idea is that the screen of the device having it will be packed with more pixels and the image display will surpass that of other graphic devices.
The new screen on the iPad has twice the resolution on the previous one. It has doubled from 1024 x 768 to 2058 x 1536. The advantage of this is when you hold the iPad at an optimal distance of 15-inches from your eye it produces an image that is higher in resolution than that of the HD television.
Price
Lastly, you might want to make your choice based on the price both devices go for. iPad 2 now sells at $399 which is now cheaper than its actual price. It’s a steal for that price.
The new iPad, however, goes for $499, that is $100 higher than the price of iPad 2.
Above all, whichever of the devices you go for depends solely on your taste.

Authot Bio
Peter writes for www.opendoorloan.co.uk where you can get further information about open door loans.

Jumat, 06 April 2012

Top 60 Posts About Google+ from the Past Week


Special thanks to +CircleCount for special tool(announcement coming soon)







1. Google+ | How to structure and format your lengthy posts - By +Ahmed Zeeshan > http://goo.gl/xKGiw
2. How to get noticed and engage with people? - By +Dolidh Young > http://goo.gl/cwYMg
3. 14 Ways To Learn How To Helpfully Ride The Coattails Of Google+ influencers. - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/HuPXR
4. Google+ Circle Management and Stream Behavior - By +Adam Simmons > http://goo.gl/4ELxC
5. Google+: Designed for Introverts? - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/uN9rH

=======================================================
6. Get free Google+ Guide By +MakeUseOf - By +Rahul Roy > http://goo.gl/S85CU
7. How do you "get ahead" on Google+? - By +Alexander Becker > http://goo.gl/AVQWc
8. Top Verified Females in Google+ as per CircleCount.com 03/30/2012 - By +Lynette Young > http://goo.gl/qoY6f
9. What the Plus? with Guy Kawasaki - By +Tim Moore > http://goo.gl/wjGvu
10. "What is Author Rank, How is it calculated, and Why should I care?" - By +Tim Moore > http://goo.gl/yWZws

=======================================================
11. Are you having a Positive psychological and emotional experience on Google+? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/mAKzg
12. Google+ Tips: Curated-Topic Pages - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/8qMwT
13. What The Plus??? 5 Reasons Why I Hate Guy Kawasaki - By +Mathis Conner > http://goo.gl/f0WoR
14. How to use Google+ - By +Al Jazeera English > http://goo.gl/wQ4Gy
15. Why The New Blogger Google+ Gadgets Are Important - By +the g+ resource > http://goo.gl/VWwef

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16. Introducing Extended Photos for Google+! - By +Mohamed Mansour > http://goo.gl/rPPKx
17. Google+'s Secret Weapon: Real Life - By +Eli Fennell > http://goo.gl/uMVsi
18. Is your Google+ quiet? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/9rfGN
19. Google is starting to push for more active Google+ Users - By +Colby Brown > http://goo.gl/iRV3P
20. 7 Point Google+ Pinterest Plan Of Action With 8 Free Resources - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/y29ba

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21. Is monetizing Google+ the elephant in the room? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/B0ucB
22. How positively engaging are you in Google+? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/kQ2Ac
23. Sharing and Notifying - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/59u5p
24. Should teenagers on Google+ be tagged as such ? - By +Hannah Roberts > http://goo.gl/EnRlu
25. Some Thoughts On Ripples - By +Meilani MacDonald > http://goo.gl/g3jlO

=======================================================
26. Google+ Hashtag Decorations - Like them or not? - By +Ronnie Bincer > http://goo.gl/4GruA
27. YouTube Home page shows Google+ 'Friend's' Activity - By +Ronnie Bincer > http://goo.gl/qlpM0
28. Simple Google+ Tips to Jump Start Your Marketing - By +PJ Rosenberg > http://goo.gl/oy7ET
29. Easily Page Switching on GooglePlus - By +James Lawson-Smith > http://goo.gl/nZLcO
30. Google+ in 129 Words! - By +Brock Predovich > http://goo.gl/ZETkO

=======================================================
31. FAQs about HashTags - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/LFVXl
32. Google+ Tips: Circle Management - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/c90vs
33. THE +Gabriel Vasile COLLECTION OF G+ RELATED POSTS - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/DZVY8
34. Hangout Comments Tracker - By +Gerwin Sturm > http://goo.gl/mg7Y5
35. Google+ UX: View Posts By Type - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/yV6TS

=======================================================
36. How to improve your Customer Service through Hangouts - By +Google Engage for Agencies > http://goo.gl/5dL9m
37. Must have 150 Following You For ANY degree of stickiness. - By +Hermine Ngnomire > http://goo.gl/nvU4d
38. Google Plus SEO Testing Network - Introduction - By +G Plus SEO > http://goo.gl/BWIun
39. Wondering if you should focus on Google+ or Pinterest? - By +Denis Labelle > http://goo.gl/1v4Z5
40. Use Ripples to say THANK YOU! - By +Arvid Bux > http://goo.gl/zn4EN

=======================================================
41. Find Google+ Business Page and Profile Overlap - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/DRG2I
42. How to add a Google+ Timeline to your Blog - By +Steve Gill > http://goo.gl/cV7eS
43. Business Tools, Tips & Tricks #ezine No.1 Google Apps / Chromebook / Google+ - By +Robert E. del Sol > http://goo.gl/i3Uip
44. What is your passion? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/ngkax
45. Google+ For Photographers by Colby Brown - By +mark waslick > http://goo.gl/qMso8

=======================================================
46. A Guide to Google+ Settings - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/Vgbbh
47. Google+ commercials - By +Moritz Tolxdorff > http://goo.gl/TnUwg
48. What if +Google+ made more commercials like this? - By +Peter G McDermott > http://goo.gl/rUa8P
49. Link your Google+ profile to the content you create - By +Denis Labelle > http://goo.gl/bYfhJ
50. 97.3% Of The People On Google+ Have Less Than 250 Followers - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/z1ee2

=======================================================
51. How To Do Circle Notifications In Google+ - By +the g+ resource > http://goo.gl/yDc08
52. How to Reorder Your Google+ Circles for Stream Reading - By +Mark Traphagen > http://goo.gl/mFTXv
53. Find Google+ Conversations Easily - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/uUZ9B
54. RESULTS: Your Google+ self: Private or Public? - By +Brian Titus > http://goo.gl/WERtc
55. How to format text in Google+ posts - By +Stefan Svartling > http://goo.gl/nDDck

=======================================================
56. Google sees Google+ growing to 500m users - By +Dirk Talamasca > http://goo.gl/yXmNq
57. Facebook is Alcohol, Google+ is Coffee? - By +Lucas Johnson > http://goo.gl/CMLLS
58. *How To Turn Off What's Hot* - By +Amanda Blain > http://goo.gl/xYWTQ
59. *How To Turn Off What's Hot* - By +Amanda Blain > http://goo.gl/6mgQT
60. Find Your Updated Follower Count on Google+ - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/TxrNU

====================Bonus===========================
61. I LOVE Google+ and My Google+ Family! - By +HEATHER FAY > http://goo.gl/FcgG0
62. Google+ Improvement Survey - By +Mark Traphagen >
63. Community Driven Circles - By +Anthony Fox > http://goo.gl/pqubB
64. How To Fail At Google+ - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/t2Nii
65. Your Google+ self: Private or Public? - By +Brian Titus > http://goo.gl/sYyKK
66. YouTube & Google+ = GooTube+ - By +Ronnie Bincer >
67. What has Google+ got to do with Schrödinger's cat? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/BJCIj
68. 11 Reasons Why You’ll Be Using Google+ In The Future By +Jaana Nyström - By +Rahul Roy > http://goo.gl/ATgFX

Circle of the week: The Idea People, Mark II By +Marc Jansen > http://goo.gl/jhupP

External Post:

1. The Most Engaging Google+ Pages (Under 5,000 Circles) By circled.us
http://www.circled.us/pages/engaging-under-5000/
2. How Often Do You Check Google Plus?
http://socialmediatoday.com/marketmesuite/480973/how-often-do-you-check-google-plus
3. 9 Key Points About Google+ Pages for Business for the B2B Marketer By Derek Edmond
http://www.komarketingassociates.com/blog/9-key-points-about-google-pages-for-business-for-the-b2b-marketer/
4. Google+ Profiles get personal, now includes address book information from Google Contacts http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/03/google-profiles-gets-personal-now-includes-address-book-information-from-google-contacts/
5. Google brings Google+ to Blogger users with two new social gadgets http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/04/04/google-brings-google-to-blogger-users-with-two-new-social-gadgets/
6. How Google+ Can Succeed at Business Without Really Trying
http://mashable.com/2012/04/04/google-plus-enterprise/

Submit your posts here http://goo.gl/7ddL8

Minggu, 01 April 2012

What Does Facebook’s Timeline Mean to Marketers



Facebook is known for the frequent changes it makes to its layout and functionality. While many of its changes have been only individual users oriented, there are some recent changes like Timeline which is concentrated not only at its users but also at internet marketers as well. Timeline is considered to have a potential to be the best app introduced for marketers. Here is what you should understand about Timeline as a marketer.



Appealing advertisements

You will have to come up with very appealing advertisements to gain the attention of users. Provide information on sales promotion in your advertisements. Discounts and offers can definitely grab the attention of the users. Know your audience when creating advertisements. You have to observe the timeline of the users closely and carefully to integrate you ads into their timelines.

Importance of Likes

Timeline is not going to change the fact that “likes” are still the most important part in Facebook. Keep your brand pages active so that they appear in the live feeds of the user. If the users like your story, it is good for you. But if they don’t, chances are that they might “unmark” your content from their live feeds which may affect your brand page visibility on Facebook. The more you interact with your fans, the better chances you have in keeping your news active on their feeds.

Brand building tool

Many people like to know stories about their favorite brands. You can use this to your advantage and have your timeline tell an interesting story of your brand. Have the company’s past and present incorporated in the page so that the users can go through the story easily. Use this tool to create a good impression of you brand in the minds of customers.

Cover image feature

Cover photo part in the timeline can be used to promote your business in a big manner. Have the pictures of your logos and products in the cover image. You can even include a large font brand name in the cover picture. If your company has a brand ambassador, you can have the poster of your ad with him/her in your cover page.

You can also use cover image picture to give information on any upcoming events or any promotional offers in an interesting manner. Be creative when you design the poster for cover photo.

Plug-ins

Some old plug-ins like Opengraph can be used with this new layout. In fact Opengraph connections can be used in an even simpler manner with this new layout. Marketers are still researching on the plug-ins which can work the best for websites and blogs.

These are a few basic things you should be aware of regarding the new Facebook timeline app. Timeline can be used to communicate better with your fans. Engaging with your clients on a timely basis is going to fetch your brand a recognition that may have not been easier if you used conventional brand building strategies. Timeline has opened more opportunities to build a strong image of your company.


Author Bio: Penny is a senior writer with writer company and article writing service firm Godot Media. She has interests ranging from social media, copywriting to following web technologies and trends.

Selasa, 27 Maret 2012

Apple iPhone 5: What and When to Expect



Which is the most expected smartphone of 2012? I believe if you make a mini research and ask your 10 friends about this, 8 of them will answer, “The iPhone 5, of course!” Bigger surveys conducted by huge research companies also say that the iPhone 5 is really one of the most expected smartphones at the moment, along with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and some quad-core devices announced at MWC 2012. But the worst thing is – we don’t really know when Apple’s new-generation iPhone will be released and what featured it will come with.

Most of us expected Apple to make official announcements about the specs and release date of the upcoming iPhone 5 in the beginning of spring, but Apple remained silent; they didn’t say anything about the new-generation iPhone even after the MWC 2012 where the other leading manufacturers announced their future flagships. I guess the reason of Apple’s long-lasting silence is simple – Apple just wanted to see the phones introduced at the biggest mobile eventso to understand the main trends of the year and to be able to make something really competitive. If so, most likely we won’t see the iPhone 5 released this summer–Apple will need more time to work on it.

So what are the major trends of 2012? What features should the iPhone 5 have to be able to compete with the best phones shown at MWC? Let’s see…
In 2011 we used to think dual-core processors were very cool, fast and powerful. Well, they were really good compared to the old single-core ones, but 2012 dictates new trends – quad-core CPUs that are twice cooler and faster. Two phones with such processors (clocked at 1.5GHz) were introduced at MWC – the HTC One X and the LG Optimus 4X HD; plus Samsung’s Galaxy S3, the main competitor of the iPhone 5, will most likely come with a quad-core CPU, too. The iPhone 4Shad a “usual” dual-core processor, but if Apple really wants its iPhone 5 to attract more attention, they have to arm it with a more powerful quad-core CPU.

Big screens with high resolution are another major trend of 2012. There was a time when everyone thought Apple made the best displays with the coolest pixel density, but hey, HTC’s One X is coming with a 4.7-inch touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and about 312ppi pixel density – it’s a bit less than the iPhone 4S offered, but the difference is so little that a human eye won’t see it anyway. Now Apple’s goal should be to make the iPhone 5 with a big screen, yet the high resolution should be kept. It won’t be easy, but it’s absolutely necessary – nobody will want to buy a small 3.5-inch phone in 2012.

Good smartphones should have good cameras, too, so the next goal of Apple should probably be an extraordinary camera for the iPhone 5. I don’t think Apple can make a 41MP one like Nokia did for its 808 PureView, but some good software or interesting built-in camera applications will also do the trick.
And the last but not the least trend of 2012 is about big batteries. Samsung has armed its Galaxy Beam with a 2000mAh battery, and many other phones announced at MWC 2012 also come with high-capacity batteries.Apple also has to do the same, since the iPhone 5 will most likely come with a bigger screen and more powerful processor, which will require a more powerful battery, too.

So what do we have here? If Apple wants its iPhone 5 to become a real hit, they just have to make it according to the latest demands of the market – with a quad-core processor, a bigger touchscreen, a good camera with nice applications and a powerful battery. And I really think that’s what Apple will do before releasing its iPhone 5 in the end of summer or, which is more likely, in fall.
By the way, there are also rumors that the new iPhone will be called iPhone LTE instead of iPhone 5. These are just rumors, and I personally hope Apple won’t do such a thing to its new device – I’m sure most buyers will prefer the good-old iPhone 5 title, plus many potential buyers from other, non-English-speaking countries will probably experience difficulties pronouncing “LTE,” and some of them may not know what the word really means.

What do you think, what other features can Apple add to its iPhone 5 to make it the most interesting device of the year? And will it really be renamed?
------
Author bio
Amelia from Rightmobilephone.co.uk is a real geek crazy about smartphones and everything about them. She’s now impatiently waiting for the two best phones of 2012 – Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 – to be released. She’s planning to buy both the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S3 on contract to be able to compare them and write many detailed reviews to help others learn more about these phones.

Sabtu, 24 Maret 2012

5 Ways to Monetize Your Blog



Monetizing your blog is not as complicated as you might think. You don't have to worry about programming skills or learning HTML. If you can write your blog, you can monetize it. But, just remember, only original and quality content would actually help you earn through your blog.
Here are the five easiest ways to monetize your blog:

1. Google Adsense
No matter what you read in forums, this is still one of the easiest ways to display advertising on your blog. Of course, the advertisements should be related to the content on your blog. The amount you earn would depend a lot on how much traffic your blog attracts. Google finds the ads that suit the content on your blog and lets you generate the code which can easily be pasted at the top, bottom, or on the sidebar of your blog. You could even have special ads within single posts too. You could display the advertisements in the regular feed of your blog as well. Remember, you would need to adjust the size, font, and colours of the ads to suit your blog. Also, you would need to post pretty regularly on your blog – possibly every single day – to really earn something as it would depend a lot on how useful your blog content is.

2. Paid Reviews
Everyone wants to read about how well a product works before buying it. People want to know if a service provider is trustworthy before paying. Reviews are some of the most read articles on the Internet. Paid reviews have text links at the end. A review assures the reader that someone genuine has tried a product or availed a particular service and is writing about it with complete honesty. Paid reviews are a trusted form of advertising. You could start writing your own reviews with text links to products you recommend to other people. Look around on the Internet for companies that offer money for reviewing their products and services on your blog.

3. Affiliate Links
Products and services described in your blog are a great way to earn. These are called affiliate links and available from manufacturers of products, providers of services, and affiliate companies that collect affiliate links for you. For example, if you talk about a particular skill in your blog like baking cakes, it would be helpful to post an advertisement for cake-baking mixtures. The visitors to your blog are more likely to visit affiliate links if they find them useful. Avoid blatant advertising as it puts off readers and they don't like to click on advertisements.
4. Sell Space
This way of monetizing your blog is only possible if you have a lot of traffic and original content. You could then approach advertisers around you to buy space on your blog for $10-20. You could choose blocks of space – of different sizes - exactly where you want on your blog and then offer it to advertisers. You would have to approach people directly in person or via the Internet to sell ad space.

5. Image Advertisements
Monetizing your blog photographs is a whole new genre. You don't even need space on your blog to use advertisements on your photos. If you have a photo-intensive blog, it's a great way to attract attention to your advertisements. These ads appear on photos and videos only when people mouse over these objects. You can look up companies that particularly offer ads-on-images options for their products and services.
Conclusion
In all, these are some of the most popular methods of monetizing your blog, but there are several other methods to help you earn via your blog. You could offer services and products yourself through your blog.


Author Bio

Ricks Sarouk is an avid Technology/Gadget geek who writes for AT&T Uverse and promotes all of their products for high speed internet service. Go to Att uverse coupon code page to see all AT&T offers.