PORTLAND–Twitter launched over five years ago, which is eons in Internet time. Yet, Laura Fitton, Inbound Marketing Evangelist at HubSpot and this afternoon’s Keynote speaker at Webvisions is here to say that the disruptive force that is Twitter has only just begun.

Quoting Joel Lunenfeld, who works for Twitter, Fitton says, “Twitter is like an EKG for attention.” It’s a global sensing and signaling network, she says. “Twitter relays whatever is remarkable.”

Interestingly, Fitton notes that influencer modes are subverted on Twitter. “The message is the influencer. I love that about Twitter,” she says.

Facebook is busy converting promise into cash today, but Fitton claims Facebook doesn’t have the same message propagation properties as Twitter, partly because it’s browser driven. There’s a deeply democratic aspect to Twitter thanks to its mobile interface. There are five billion ‘dumb phones’ in the world and all of them are capable of publishing via SMS, without even joining Twitter, Fitton says.

Twitter has revolutionary qualities baked in, but can it also change the marketing communications game for the better? Fitton says we must learn to turn our messages inside out, because it’s not about us, it’s about the reader. She adds that best practices on Twitter can be summed up in two words: Be useful.

“At Hubspot, our marketing solves problems for people,” she says. She advises that marketers approach their marketing like they do their products. “Make your marketing into something people will pay for,” she suggests.

She closes her talk with a discussion of #hashtags, which remind her of starlings. “They flash, form, and disappear,” she says. Fitton started a weekly Twitter-based chat around the hashtag #beonfire. “I have a show now,” she says. “Twitter-based chats are the Rotary Clubs of the future.”

Following her talk, I ask Fitton — who follows 98,228 people at this time — how she uses Twitter (technically speaking). She says she employs a “read only” technique, where she follows about 1000 people on a private account created for this purpose only. She also reads her at replies and direct messages on her @pistachio account, and uses lists to parse the content.

I ask about keeping one’s follower account under control, to reduce the blast from the fire hose. Fitton says, “You want to keep it under control however you’re reading it, but especially if you’re a business on Twitter, whom you follow shouldn’t be how you read Twitter. If you’re a business on Twitter, whom you follow should be all about who you permit to DM you.”

I also ask Fitton which MarCom practice is best prepared to manage a brand’s social media marketing. “I think the talent is lost on a few different islands,” she says. “I think the best creative — ‘like, oh wow, I really want to consume that content’ — talent is still in the advertising industry. But I feel like that’s the last industry to understand social, whereas the publicists were on it right away because they understand relationships.”

Originally posted on AdPulp

I wrote recently about a real challenge I was facing, regarding spam comments here on the blog. Today, I have the answer I need and also a wonderful piece of advice for any of you, who use WordPress and have a spam problem.

My comment spam challenge

As I wrote a couple of days ago, the volume of comment spam here was around 2,500 a day and increasing. Almost all this spam was being successfully caught by the Akismet plugin, however, in with this spam were some legitimate comments from readers. My challenge was the amount of time it took, for me to find legitimate comments, when a reader emailed me to say their comment had not been published. This was made harder, as many would forget to send me the email address they used for their comment, so I had no way to do a quick search.

When I wrote about this challenge, I saw 2 possible solutions:

1. Install a 3rd party commenting system, like LiveFyre or Disqus, with everyone needing to register in order to comment.
2. Turn blog comments off and have readers respond to the posts via social networks.

In the end, I did neither!

How I cured my comment spam problem (for now)

This morning, for the second day running, I went to my blog to find there were no spam comments in my spam filter. There were also no emails, from people whose comments had not been published. So, no spam comments, yet every legitimate comment went through. Here’s how I did it!

I received a huge amount of feedback from people regarding how to resolve my issue and 5 different people recommended the same simple plugin, which they said would solve the problem in minutes. They were right.

Conditional Capture for WordPress

The plugin is called Conditional Captcha for WordPress.

It works with Akismet, so whenever Akismet identifies a spam comment, it asks the sender to complete a simple captcha (see image.) If they complete it successfully, their comment is accepted. If they don’t, the comment is deleted.

Another thing I like about this plugin, is that unlike other captcha plugins, where everyone has to fill it in, this one is targeted. Unless Akismet thinks you are a spammer, you will never see it. This means it’s as quick and easy to comment here now, as it has always been.

Two additional lessons learned

After writing the blog post asking people for their feedback, two things became very clear, very fast.

The first was no surprise. It seems a lot of people dislike commenting on blogs, which use 3rd party commenting systems. Some, including me, find them unnecessarily confusing. Others dislike the idea of handing their details to a 3rd party Internet start-up or giving them access to their Twitter, Facebook accounts etc – Just to leave a comment. Many also said, they disliked how sites using 3rd party commenting systems often loaded slowly. Speed is a big deal to me, which is why I have dedicated hosting.

The second thing I learned, came as a huge surprise! I was amazed that the majority of people thought it was perfectly fine to simply turn blog comments off and have the conversations about the posts, on social networks instead. I was ready to be attacked for even suggesting this as a possibility, yet it seems people spend so much time on social networks now, that it’s easier for them to comment there, rather than on the actual blog. This was especially the case for those, like me, who usually read blogs on a tablet or phone. I currently get around 80% – 90% of my comments AWAY from this blog.

Best of both worlds

I can now provide you with the best of both worlds. Readers who like to comment here (I’ve had almost 30,000 comments so far) can do so and without any fuss. Those who like to comment on social networks will carry on doing so. I have also been able to save myself a lot of time and frustration, now that comment spam is no longer an issue.

I’m hesitant to recommend anything after using it for just 2 days. However, as I was getting as much blog comment spam in 2 days as many get in a month, I can confirm that Conditional Captcha for WordPress has been extremely accurate and easy to use. This plugin is also free, though ‘d have liked to have been given the option to either buy it or at least donate to the plugin’s creator.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who chimed in with their feedback, suggestions and fixes.

It’s beautifully ironic, that it was you, the reader community, who solved the problem for me.

THANK YOU!

Photo: Andrew Hyde

Originally posted on Jim’s Marketing Blog

Originally posted on Pronet Advertising.

Athletes are always on the lookout for ways to enhance their performance. For cyclists, pushing their endurance limits needs to be matched with the best available technology to translate their best physical efforts with equal results on the track. During training and competing, compare personal bests and visually tracking lap times can be of tremendous help with a device like the one the Oakley GPS designed by Cleave. The next gen of Oakley eye-wear already popular with cyclists, the design allows for both pro road and track cyclists to keep an eye on their performance via an OLED Micro-Display Lens technology-fitted pair of eye-wear that are mated to performance and position tracking tech as well as real-time GPS.

Oakley GPS

The yellow tinted lens of the Oakley GPS eye-wear performs better than other colored lenses by removing more glare and UV rays and providing clarity. The eyewear is crafted out of a clear polycarbonate frame that is strong and durable as well as lightweight and flexible since it is made with injection-molded plastic. To combat sweating and slippage, the eye-wear is designed to tighten the grip as the cyclists’ body temperature rises, thanks to Oakley Unobtanium Ear Sleeves and Oakley Unobtanium Nose Piece that increase grip with the rise in moisture level.

The aerodynamic single solid lens shape keeps the wearer sun protected with its anti-glare, anti-fog and scratch-proof construction, making it ideal for all weather conditions. To provide optimum clarity at all times, the Oakley GPS eyewear repels sweat, water and skin oils, thanks to a weather resistant Oakley Hydrophilic Lense Coating. The Oakley GPS eyewear is fitted with an OLED micro-display chip and a GPS position-tracking chip to help cyclists keep track of their positions along circuits and routes. The OLED micro-display can project an image onto the retina via a transparent lens display to make images appear as if they were a meter in front of the wearer.

This helps cyclists keep track of their own positions during a live race, track competitors’ distances, compare personal bests during training, and visually track lap times. To prevent cyclist distraction, all this information only appears at certain checkpoints. The Oakley GPS eyewear is also configured to connect to cyclist’s account profile wirelessly and automatically uploads logged GPS data. A winner of the 2012 D&AD Awards Competition, the eyewear is also geared to charge itself wirelessly which means that cyclists never have to worry about running out of batteries on longer routes.

Via: Joncleave

Originally posted on Design Buzz

Separating fact from opinion ain’t what it used to be. There was a time when the more you read, the more engaged you were with your world. Your city. Your neighborhood. Not some imaginary world you wished could be, but the world as it actually existed outside your door.

Back in these ancient times (otherwise known as “just a few years ago”) being up on Current Events was a thing people aspired to. (See? It was even a proper noun.) The simple act of staying informed separated you from those who lived in a bubble or just couldn’t be bothered.

Part of what made this true was that the main news source for most people was the newspaper, filled with page after page of news items written by professional Writers and double-checked for clarity by professional Editors. Each story began with a simple sentence—the “lead”—that delivered the most important factual information first and ensured that regardless of what happened later (spin, cover-ups, etc—sometimes within the article itself) you at least had some facts to chew on before all the hemming-and-hawing began. Opinions were there too, of course, but they were usually relegated to one clearly labeled page at the back of the paper. Sometimes it was even called The Opinion Page. How cute.

But then came the 24-hour news cycle, niche news channels aimed at specific audiences, online news feeds and aggregators, not to mention email portals and homepages that don’t so much deliver actual news as merely use news-like headlines as filler or decoration, giving people the illusion that they’re being informed before they jump to something more important like checking out a Groupon or updating their relationship status.

Nope, these days if you’re reading about something that has just happened, you’re probably reading about it online. A place where there are many more opinions than facts. Where “What’s Happening” has been replaced by “What’s Trending”—a phrase that couldn’t sound more subjective if it tried.

From Twitter to the Like button, to the scores of Op-Ed pieces from people you’ve never heard of that now grace the front page of every news site and trade publication around, suddenly we readers find ourselves awash in opinion with not nearly enough factual lifeboats to go around. How do we cope? By doing what all desperate drowners do: we start flailing about, eager to grab onto anything that might keep us afloat, which in this case results in people merely clinging to one another for the safety of their shared beliefs. (Which makes things even worse of course, since the only thing more helpless than a world with too many opinions is a world with only one.)

Add in the ubiquitous comments section of most websites and you reach the conclusion that to be an engaged member of the reading public today is to be surrounded by arguments. All of which makes you feel less like a reader and more like a spectator at a shouting match.

I’ve noticed the same thing happening in Advertising. Not the shouting so much (unless you work for a real jerk), but the ever-increasing supply of opinions. Big meetings where small ones used to suffice. Endless comments streaming in throughout the process via email. (FYI: Just because we’re all connected doesn’t mean we should spend all our time connecting.) All of it capped off by the constant inclusion of everyone in everything, regardless of interest, experience, talent or qualification. The more opinions the merrier. And since opinions rule over fact, there are no experts. Which means everyone’s an expert. Hooray! Participation Medals for all! Amateur hour? We call that Crowdsourcing now. A disorganized mess? No, no, no, that’s a Hive. A true buzzword in more ways than one, I suppose. (Speaking of buzzwords, can someone tell me why people stopped calling or emailing and instead started “reaching out?” It’s such a ridiculous term, and one that’s very telling about the conflicted state of the workplace psyche these days. Apparently we’re so afraid of the cutthroat capitalism we claim to love so much that we feel the need to give a cutesy name to even the most mundane workday activities. But does the simple act of rational business communication really need to be described like a rescue attempt or an invitation to join a cult? Bizarre.)

Anyway, the points I’m trying to make here are these: I think some of us are better than others at certain things, and that’s as it should be. When I pay someone for their expertise, I’d prefer they actually have some, thank you very much. I also think it should be corporate policy that some opinions matter more than others. And I think most people at work are happier knowing not only who’s in charge of a given project but that they’re actually qualified to be. Yes, good ideas can come from anywhere. But anywhere’s an awfully big place. And as such, the bad ideas—much like opinions—will always be in much greater supply.

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Originally posted on AdPulp

Top 250 Internet Retailers

Social networking for retailers makes sense right? Make your brand visible where your consumers are spending the most time. This infographic from Campalyst shares information on one of the things that helps makes retailers successful online, a social presence. Key findings include:

• Number of followers by social platform
• How success on social networks is distributed
• The most followed industries on specific social channels

Featured Team Member Story

Mike Yanke – Who Will Win the War of the Sidebars?

While Google made headlines this week with the launch of its Knowledge Graph (ie a new sidebar element designed provide facts the search giant has amassed on people, places and things), emerging force Bing made its own announcement last week with a platform relaunch, complete with a social sidebar. So what sidebar format will most engage users – a vast collection of knowledge on people, places or things you may never see – or a vast collection of facts on people, places and things you may see every day? Check out Search Engine Land for more on both Bing’s social sidebar and Google’s Knowledge Graph.

This Week in Online Marketing News

Facebook IPO Could Place Its Value at $140 Billion
The social network priced its shares at $38 apiece, valuing the company at $104 billion. The average first-day “pop” for a technology company is 32 percent; if Facebook follows that trend, it’ll be worth $137 billion by day’s end. Via Bloomberg.

Who Invited Penguin & Panda to the Party?
Google’s new penguin update has many organizations confused, frustrated, and angry. It seems that many sites have seen a sudden drop in traffic, and are blaming “Penguin” and “Panda” for the decline. This article covers the importance of knowing which update affected your traffic as well as tips for gaining some of your traffic back. Via Yoast.

57% of Facebook users Never Click Ads
Facebook’s public offering has generated a lot of buzz and anticipation. However, the ineffectiveness of advertising and user distrust due to policy changes may stunt aggressive growth goals. Curious to know other results of this poll run by CNBC? Via MSNBC.

Is Google+ Becoming a Ghost Town?
This week Fast Company received exclusive insights into Google+. If it’s true that Google+ is the company’s “social spine” then they are in need of some serious adjustments. The picture painted by the data shows very weak user engagement, waning interest and minimal social activity. Via Fast Company.

9 Ways to Be An Expert, Without the Attitude
There is a fine line between providing valuable information, and the stigma that comes with being thought of as an expert. This article provides 9 helpful tips that you can share valuable information in an influential way without being perceived as a jerk. Via Brass Tack Thinking.

17 Steps to Becoming a Content Curator
Many people curate content without even thinking about what they are doing. Re-sharing an article from a friend or colleague, or collecting and sharing a series of blog posts on a particular topic. There are some very simple rules that you can follow to properly curate and share the information you find online. This guide from Econsultancy covers the basics to set you up for success. Via Econsultancy.

TopRank Team News

Kodi Osmond – Yahoo Debuts Big Data App Called “Genome” at Internet Week
Genome, over-simplified, refers to the biological information needed to build a living thing. If one thinks of data as capturing the behavior of a living thing, then data must be a “living thing”, too. Perhaps this was the logic used when Yahoo named its big data software, scheduled to release in July. Read more of Yahoo’s press release and what EVP of Americas Rich Riley had to say at Venture Beat.

Shawna Kenyon – What People really Want vs. What They Share on Social Media
Social media monitoring company NetBase published a year’s worth of its own data and compared it against a Harris poll to determine the gaps between what people say in social media updates compared to what they actually want. They found that in general people are ‘emotional sharers’ but in actuality tend to be quite logical when asked a direct question. This article poses an interesting comparison between men and woman within a number of categories. Via Mashable.

Roxanne Hagberg – Google Search Just 1,000 Times Smarter
(We all know that Google’s Knowledge Graph is big news this week. Our team found this change to be very important for our readers so we have included another review from Mashable)

Google taps into a variety of knowledge databases to roll out “Knowledge Graph”, the next generation of search. Knowledge Graph allows users to quickly narrow their search to find the most relevant results. Via Mashable.

Brian Larson – Saving Time in Google Analytics
I remember the first time I really, really dug into a Google Analytics (GA) profile. I logged into GA at noon and the next time I looked up it was time to go home. There’s no doubt that there’s a tremendous amount of valuable information in GA. There’s also no doubt that it can be easy to lose time data mining in this tool. Search Engine Watch’s Eric Stiu shares ‘7 Time Saving Google Analytics Custom Reports’. Via Search Engine Watch.

Time to Weigh In: Wow, this was a big week in SEO and social news. Google “Penguin” as well as their new “Knowledge Graph” are on the minds of many organizations. Has your company seen any significant decreases in traffic since this release? Do you believe that Google+ is a truly effective mechanism for engaging customers and clients socially? What updates would you recommend Google+ make to increase usability and engagement?

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TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.

© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. |
Online Marketing News: Facebook IPO: Worth $140 Billion, Google Penguin & Panda Party Crash, G+ Ghost Town | http://www.toprankblog.com

Originally posted on TopRank

Originally posted on Pronet Advertising.

I have only seen very few package design books that I really like, but Box Bottle Bag is definitely one of them. You wouldn’t really expect any less when it’s brought to you by The Dieline a fantastic blog all about packaging.

This book is a feast of eye candy paired with a brief sentence or two about each piece along with who created it and the font they used. Quite surprisingly good old Helvetica seems to be a firm favourite throughout many pieces of packaging in the book.

This is not a book to learn the design process or real thinking behind projects but is is a book of beautiful  work great for flicking through for Inspiration.

I especially like the way the book is broken into unexpected sections. While you might expect this to be done by packaging area, ie. food and drink, you instead find sections labelled things like Bold, Casual and Nostalgic.

If you design packaging or have aspirations to do so, this is a book for you.

A Sneak Peak inside Box Bottle Bag

What are your favourite books about packaging design?

Originally posted on graphicdesignblog.co.uk

Water scarcity has been named one of the biggest environmental challenges that stand before us today and studies show that potable freshwater supplies could cease down to dangerously low levels within the next few decades. To ensure that the increasing population of the world has an alternate supply of drinkable water, designer Thomas Row has created the Atmospheric Water Collector which draws on the biomechanical structure of the Namibian Desert Beetle that deals with hydrophilic and hydrophobic extremes via tiny bumps on its back that collect water from air. The Atmospheric Water Collector has been designed to fit easily on common plastic bottles and obtain drinkable water from the air.

Atmospheric Water Collector

The water collection device is completely portable and explores the possibility of creating a system that could harvest enough water from the humidity present in the air around us to provide sufficient drinking water supply for a single human being’s use for a single day. The initial testing of the product done with the use of common household products did not return the kind of results that the designer was hoping for though the model could very well serve as a viable option when refined further with industrial components.

Atmospheric Water Collector

The Atmospheric Water Collector would be equipped with a system that would continue to harvest drinking water from the atmosphere by condensing the humidity in the air and in case the humidity in the air is insufficient to produce viable amounts of water, the device would also come fitted with a warning system that would inform users to locate alternate sources of water.

[Cheers Thomas]

Originally posted on Design Buzz

Could you imagine laboring over a piece of copy the way old-timers like Howard Gossage did? And if you did, what would your current clients do to it after you sent a draft to them?

Thanks to these internet tubes, people everywhere are writing, all the time. Or at least, they’re typing. Has all this collective writing ability lowered the grammatical and stylistic standards of the ad industry?

That’s the conundrum for our industry: the quicker and sloppier society gets with language, the more precise we have to be. We know more precisely than ever that the right words impact sales. If you’re writing for e-commerce, mobile, SEO, or if you’re working on some utility-focused website or app, you’ve seen that even mundane phrases like “click here” get tested and altered to achieve the best results.

As a writer, it’s my obligation to mind the words I write for my clients. But I also have to be aware of the overall effect a piece of communication has. Our audience can respond to any aspect of what we do, or none at all.

It’s the subject of my new column on Talent Zoo.

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Originally posted on AdPulp