Meetup 1: “Make $$$ With Blogging”
Thursday, August 5 from 7-9 PM
Link: http://www.meetup.com/The-Los-Angeles-Small-Business-Internet-Marketing-Group/calendar/14217997/

Meetup 2: “The ABCs of SEO”
Thursday, August 12 from 7-9 PM
Link: http://www.meetup.com/The-Los-Angeles-Small-Business-Internet-Marketing-Group/calendar/14218264/

Meetup 3: “Make $$$ with Blogging”
Thursday, August 19 from 7-9 PM
Link: http://www.meetup.com/Online-Branding-Reputation-Management/calendar/14218065/

Since back links were so important in getting top rankings in Google people soon realized that they could begin spamming blogs and leaving comment link farms on thousands of sites and soar to the top of rankings. Google had a problem, their formula to protect top rankings was misfiring. Change was necessary and came in the form of a “NoFollow” tag.

What is a NoFollow Tag?

A Nofollow tag is a simple piece of code that you put in a link. Here is an example:

This link is passing strength to the Los Angeles SEO page it’s linking to.

This link is NOT passing strength to the Los Angeles SEO page it’s linking to.

Why Do NoFollows Now Matter?

Google originally introduced the nofollow tag to combat spamming and the like. Now, Google, Yahoo & Bing seem to be rewarding websites who are actively commenting on blogs, forums and other web properties that don’t pass strength through these social media links. BUT THEY DO PASS STRENGTH. Social networking profile links, blog comment links and forum signatures now matter — again. The difference is that you need to keep at it and be participating in relevant, authority/industry blogs/forums.

NoFollows Matter: A Case Study

Below is a screen shot that shows Highly Relevant’s top 10 back links. As you can see, 5 out of 10 of the back links are social media blog comments — Including our #1 back link being a blog comment on Chris Brogan’s site.

The advent of the personal computer, cell phone and miniaturization of technology have all greatly contributed to the “anytime, anywhere” world we live in today but we must note that the “always on” consumer actually has its beginnings in the late 1960s, as does continuous brand management. AT&T created its first 1-800 toll-free number in 1967 for customers to make “automatic collect calls.” The concept didn’t make big waves immediately, but by 1992, approximately 40% of all AT&T calls were dialed using 1-800 numbers. This theoretically simple service dramatically changed how consumer-oriented companies would eventually manage their businesses.

The first of many major changes to be made by the telephone company was the discussion (or lack thereof) with the customer. Large call centers would be trained to answer phones and follow service scripts in an effort to have an actual dialogue, which was uncommon at the time. More importantly, companies such as AT&T were beginning to recognize the importance of cross-selling and making outbound sales calls. These services performed by the early call centers were the predecessors to both the world wide web and mobile web, as they provided the customer with the ability to reach the company anytime, anywhere.

Read Pt. 2

First, they will expect continuity in their brand experience across all devices and platforms. For example, their favorite website, Facebook, must be experienced similarly across the web, iPhone, and yes, their Playstation 3 or Xbox360. If you take a deeper look of the continuous shuffling between their devices, you will notice more – their continuous access to communication and information. Google is everywhere as are their friends, and as a result, their unwillingness to separate themselves from these devices. Companies need to react to this social media-laden landscape by effectively implementing continuous brand management efforts that seamlessly cover all devices, something that is still having great disconnect between customer contact channels.

Another impact that Generation 10:45 will have on companies is their desire for transparent service—to be “seen” at all times. Generation 10:45ers are constantly providing status updates about where they are and what they are doing and will expect companies to provide the same kind of transparency with regard to service and instant information on any order, service, and requests.

Finally, Generation 10:45, like people in general, believe what they hear through word of mouth well before anything you have to say as a company. People generally trust customers far more than any company selling to them so expect Generation 10:45 to be disseminating/recovering customer reviews and ratings online, all the time, and on a continuous basis.

Read Pt. 1

Google Buzz Advertising

What is Google Buzz? Watch the video below, I’m not going to explain it better than Google.

Here’s a rundown of what it does:

• Update All of Your Social Media Sites all from one place (I don’t see facebook yet)
• It’s built into gmail – How many people know and use gmail everyday already?
• Picture Viewing capabilities – “Pictures seen the right way”
• Embeddable Videos inside of Buzzes

Here’s why Buzz Matters:

• It shows up in Google’s Search Results
• We are using Google More often and for longer (More pageviews, more time being spent on site = more advertising revenues for Google, Inc.).
• Everyone who is adopting early is probably doing the right thing. I have 2 email accounts setup through google mail and i LOVE THEM.
• For all you gchaters out there, this is sorta cool…

In closing, make sure you realize that already 10,000,000+ engagements have already taken place and that number will continue to soar. The sky is the limit. Google has quietly become a player in Social Media Marketing Overnight.

Check out Google’s video demo:

The two core philosophies behind Google Buzz, as described by Bradley Horowitz, vice president for product management of Google, was people’s fondness of sharing life experiences and being able to do so in-real time.

Todd Jackson, product manager for Google Buzz, began his demo by logging onto his Gmail account, which captured plenty of interests because of the curious splash page introducing the company’s newest release. He described it as, “an entire world within Gmail” and that is exactly what it is. Whether Gmail users want to be part of another Social Network or not, one thing is certain and that is for Google to create a seamless transition between email, social networking, and sharing media.

Some of the main features showcased were Google Buzz’s ability to allow users to autofollow, share rich content (in private or publically), all at a fast rate and within a newly integrated inbox decked out with plenty of new press-of-a-button shortcuts. For instance, in the same way that users press “C” to compose an email, they will now be able to press “R” to comment/reply to a buzz post. Picasa, Twitter, Flickr and plenty other sites will be aggregated and allow for one-site access.

Additionally, Google is implementing a system in which they will email you about any updates on comments you or others made, much like Facebook, but with media attached to it so you won’t always have to log-in to see all the buzz you’ve created.

Google Buzz will be rolled out on mobile web via Google’s Mobile website, of course Buzz.Google.com, and from Google Mobile Maps whenever you “buzz” in from a certain location. Like any major release similar to this, it is being done in phases so expect Google Buzz to eventually become part of your life—willingly or not.

Please view the facebook blog for more information!

Here are two key takeaways:

• You can now opt out of search partner sites within Yahoo; and
• You can set up different bids on partners.  This is a new feature that Google doesn’t even offer.  This particular feature gives you the opportunity to turn off partner sites and adjust bids (which could boost your conversion rates) even if you hare working with a limited budget.

These changes could potentially lead to an increase in popularity of Yahoo! Search Marketing.

Here is the Yahoo! 2010 Search Improvements Video which should serve alongside reading the post which can be read here.

Disclaimer: Before you upgrade, please follow the instructions listed on the official Upgrading Wordpress documentation and recommended upgrade instructions. After you have successfully followed the instructions on upgrading wordpress listed above, then follow the automatic upgrade process inside of your wp-admin and finish your installation of Wordpress 2.9 Carmen.

Here are the main upgrades for the new Wordpress 2.9 Carmen and why it’s important you upgrade immediately:

• Video oEmbed Technology: Paste a URL into a post and it will automatically embed the linked video. Additionally, this capability extends to Scribd.com, Youtube.com, Google Video, Vimeo & More. For a full list of the embed technology of wordpress 2.9 please click here.
• Image Editor & Functionality: Images are “more at home” inside of Wordpress 2.9, according to Matt Mullenweg, one of the founders of Wordpress. You can now easily upload, edit, and transform images with a pretty advanced web based editor.
• Plugin Compatibility & Batch Plugin Updater: You can now upgrade up to 10 plugins at once. Additionally, you will know whether or not the plugin is compatible with your version of Wordpress and much much more. Wordpress is only as powerful as the plugins that people create for the CMS, and I’m glad to see that they are getting the attention they deserve.
• No more deleting posts and pages: That’s right, you can’t delete them anymore. Rather, you can send things to the “Trash” where they will remain for 30 days unless you restore them or permanently delete them yourself – which I don’t recommend doing.

For a full list of why Wordpress 2.9 Carmen is “oh so fine” check out the link.