Fresh Blog Reviews

The TopRank team loves to have fun – for holidays, on team outings, at conferences, etc. Because tomorrow is Halloween, a few members of the TopRank team decided to dress up for a costume contest. And it’s up to you to decide the winner! Winning includes at least $50 worth of coffee, so be sure to share this post and get your friends to vote too. We have a winner – Congrats goes to Dana Larson: Winner! Dana as Minnesota Strawberry Shortcake Safari Thomas Bad Angel Julie Michelle the Football Star Monkey Audrey and Veterinary Nurse Amie Mike as Zombie Soupy Sales Sue After Being Attacked by Scooby Doo Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Source: Shutterstock Prior to leaving Forrester to join Altimeter Group, Jeremiah Owyang , along with Josh Bernoff, Cynthia N. Pflaum, and Emily Bowen, published a report that attempted to bring the future of the Social Web into focus. If we viewed the content of his research as a social object, the conversations that would transpire could in fact expedite the development and implementation of the most valuable predictions and observations contained within. The first part of the report observes the state of the Social Web and summarizes its direction: Today’s social experience is disjointed because consumers have separate identities in each social network they visit. A simple set of technologies that enable a portable identity will soon empower consumers to bring their identities with them — transforming marketing, eCommerce, CRM, and advertising. IDs are just the beginning of this transformation, in which the Web will evolve step by step from separate social sites into a shared social experience. Consumers will rely on their peers as they make online decisions, whether or not brands choose to participate. Socially connected consumers will strengthen communities and shift power away from brands and CRM systems; eventually this will result in empowered communities defining the next generation of products. In the report, Forrester documents the evolution and direction of the Social Web in several distinct stages: 1. The era of social relations – Starting with AOL and others in the mid-1990s, this era witnessed the connection of people through simple profiles and friending features that served as the foundation for online conversations through connections. 2. The era of social functionality – Evolving from friending to platforms that supported social interaction through applications and infrastructure, facilitating communities through relationships locked within the confines of a particular network. As I’ve said before, social networks are jockeying to become our individual online OS – a Social OS essentially. Facebook released its Facebook Connect infrastructure to allow us to traverse the social web with our Facebook identity and relationships in tow, bridging our updates back to the Facebook News Feed to share with our social graph. This is a monumental furtherance as it starts to demonstrate the power of an interconnected activity and profile stream and network that makes the Social Web a much smaller place. However, what we really need is a “Facebook Connect” within every site, not confined to or benefiting any one network. This will create the segue-way to the era of social colonization as predicted by Forrester. This need is of particular, perhaps even consequential, interest to brands as they will spend an insurmountable amount of time, resources, and money trying to engage in noteworthy conversions across multiple networks of interest. 3. The era of social colonization – Deemed as the next stage of social evolution, which will emerge as soon as this year, tools such as OpenID and Facebook connect will enable individuals to freely journey from network to network. Forrester believes that we will be able to do so with our social graph in tact, but I believe that the initial phase of social colonization will make a general identity portable between networks. The portability of corresponding data, social objects, and friendships we maintain in each network becomes the Holy Grail. For consumers, surfing the Web is no longer a lonely experience. Forrester foresees the release of new browsers and frictionless, uncomplicated technologies that allow people to truly surf the Web with friends or see what they’re doing in real-time. Like we’re already witnessing or hearing (depending on your status on the  invitation list), Google Wave represents the ability to centralize and aggregate user activities and collaboration across the Web and across multiple platforms. Forrester also observes that this era of colonization will leverage the recommendations of peers within the communities where individuals are active. Brands can capitalize on this behavior by instilling and engendering advocacy through direct engagement, blogger relations in the magic middle , and also via sponsored conversations . This will serve as the bridge to social context. 4. The era of social context – Starting in 2010, social networks and sites will recognize the preferences of users, but more significantly, they will also recognize personal identities and relationships to customize the experience based on preference and behavior. While this technology already powers, at varying levels, dedicated networks such as Trusted Opinion and Yelp , this functionality will be inherent to future networks using technology similar to Baynote to leverage the Wisdom of the Crowds as it inspires the personalization of content for each individual. Baynotes believes that the Web, and sites in particular, can learn from collective intelligence to improve the experience based on the behavior of crowds over individuals. In the near future, much of the content will be automated, but will still rely on the explicit express of individuals to improve the experience. As Forrester notes, “Portable IDs mean you’ll be able to flip a switch to tell Nike you’re a woman who runs 12 miles a week and immediately see the shoes that are best for you — along with input from experiences of your running buddies.” I believe that the combination of semantic and collective intelligence systems will improve the content and overall interaction within sites and social networks over time. 5. The era of social commerce – In 2011 – 2012, social networks will eclipse corporate Web sites and CRM systems. Forrester believes that communities will become a driving force for innovation and as such, companies will be forced to formally cater to communities, signifying the trading of power towards connected customers. The Dawn of SRM While Forrester predicts the era of Social Commerce, the future of the social Web as I see it, starts to embrace a corporate philosophy and supporting infrastructure that migrates away from CRM and even sCRM to one of Social Relationship Management or SRM. This will usher in the fifth era as observed by Forrester. And, SRM is also acutely cognizant of and in harmony with VRM ( Vendor Relationship Management ). Championed by Doc Searls, Chris Carfi, among others, VRM is the opposite of CRM, capsizing the concept of talking at or marketing to customers and shifting the balance of power in relationships from vendors to consumers. As such, systems are created to empower consumer participation and sentiment and improve products and services with every engagement. While some believe that relationships aren’t technically manageable, in the world of business and a vibrant and influential social Web, it is not a question. And for all intents and purposes, they’re still personable. The Social Web is distributing influence beyond the customer landscape, allocating authority amongst stakeholders, prospects, advocates, decision makers, and peers. SRM recognizes that whether someone recommended a product, purchased a product, or simply recognized it publicly, in the end, each makes an impact on behavior at varying levels. Therefore customers are now merely part of a larger equation that also balances vendors, experts, partners, and other authorities. In the realm of SRM, influence is distributed and it is recognizes wherever and however it takes shape. SRM is a doctrine aligned with a humanized business strategy and supporting technology infrastructure and platform. SRM recognizes that all people, no matter what system they use, are equal. It represents a wider scope of active listening and participation across the full spectrum of influence mapped to specific department representatives within the organization using various lenses for which to identify individuals where and how they interact. From Adoption to Sophistication, No Social Network is an Island Forrester recognizes that the past five years of Social Media evolution have focused on growth and adoption, but anticipates that the next stage of advancement  is dedicated to improving social functionality. I would also add personalization and portability. The biggest opportunity for the expansion of social networks is to build bridges between these isolated islands to deliver a more fulfilling, meaningful and productive experience. As I see it, we will start to see a the social web not as a collection of distributed islands, but as one greater collective better known as a human network – a contextual and relationship-based network that consists of like-minded individuals no matter where their profile resides. In the near-term, the future of the Social Web starts with our online identity. Whereas in Social Media, content is still king, in the business of social networking, data is its currency. I believe that everything starts with empowering the individual with the ability to host one secure profile/identify online that would serve existing and emerging social networks across the Web. OpenID , for example, provides central and protect login credentials for users, connecting identities to other third-part networks including Google, PayPal, AOL, MySpace, among others. Perhaps the future lies with making data mobile while still providing value to the economics of social networks. DataPortability.org is working with some of the most renowned networks to enable users to bring their identity, friends, conversations, files and histories with them, without having to manually add them to each new service. Each of the services we choose to use can draw on this information relevant to the context within each network. As our experiences and connections accumulate and change corresponding data, this information will update on other sites and services if permitted, without having to revisit others to re-enter or re-create it. The future of the Social Web must begin with data portability to accelerate proliferation throughout Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation adoption system. The lack of it might serve as either the “ chasm ” that hinders mainstream adoption or the monopolization of user data by a few dominant players. How do you envision the future of the Social Web? Connect with Brian Solis on: Twitter , FriendFeed , LinkedIn , Tumblr , Plaxo , Plurk , Identi.ca , BackType , Posterous , or Facebook — Click the image below to buy :

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The Future of the Social Web

Mediaweek magazine puts together a “ Digital Hot List ” each year of the websites or companies they see as having the potential to wow the web world. Their list never seems to be much of a surprise, especially when you consider Google, Facebook and Twitter are sort of default entries, but there’s always one or two on it that raise an eyebrow. This year it’s the Wall Street Journal ’s website, WSJ.com , in at No. 8. Yep! The website property of a traditional media outlet is on Mediaweek ’s Digital Hot List. And no, it’s not a joke. To further perplex the digerati, The Journal is one of the few papers that did not take down its pay-to-play subscription model a few years back. That’s right. You have to pay to see much (not all, but still) of the WSJ.com content, a policy considered blasphemous by many in the social media set. The online audience at WSJ.com has spiked by as much as 44 percent in recent months according to ComScore , it is now the largest newspaper in the U.S. and both the print and online versions are profitable. Mediaweek calls their model the, “envy of the industry.” “They made a decision a long time ago that most didn’t,” Mike Shields, Mediaweek’ s senior editor for digital media told me yesterday. “ The Journal is not free. They never wavered or changed that. That is as key to the success as the content they deliver. That precedent is enviable and hard for someone to copy, particularly if you’ve been giving away your content for 10 years.” Called crazy in 2005, The Journal is on a hot list in 2009. And, unfortunately, their success is leading many newspapers to consider charging for their content. I say unfortunately because most of them will do so at their own peril. For The Wall Street Journal has two things going for it the others don’t. First, The Journal is a niche publication focused on the financial world. The people who read the journal can afford to subscribe. Many of them probably have their businesses pay for the subscription in the first place. For many, The Journal is a requisite of their job. You read it or you fail. More importantly, however, The Journal has the one thing most newspaper’s do not: an abundance of quality, original and exclusive content. Pick up your local paper. Now go through the first two sections and count how many stories are actually local. My guess is fewer than half. For some newspapers, 25 percent is more like it. “(The WSJ) reporting is really good and they provide content that isn’t going to be anywhere else,” Shields said. “They aren’t repurposing A.P. (Associated Press) stories.” Shields noted there’s nothing wrong with A.P. stories, but most “local” papers would be “local” flyers without the wire services. My hope is that newspapers don’t fall into the trap of thinking they can do what The Wall Street Journal has done. Sure, they can do it, but not without increasing editorial staff and changing their focus to hyper local. They can’t do it unless they’re willing to be more than just copy-paste engines with a few good writers covering stories relevant to their readers. And I’m fairly certain few publishers will have the vision to see the solution does not lie in how you charge for your content, but in what kind of content you produce. For more on the Mediaweek Digital Hot List , visit the story at Mediaweek.com . For The Wall Street Journal , visit WSJ.com.

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What The Wall Street Journal Has, Few Will Match

A funny thing happened on Twitter last night. David Armano and I got into a (light hearted and fun) discussion about the two of us being sexy bitches. (I know … silly, but bear with me here.) Somehow the notion of me shaving my goatee to raise money for a good cause came up. So, I’ve decided to support Movemeber , the male cancer awareness movement, by pledging to you that if we can raise $1,000.00 by Nov. 15, which I will donate to the Prostate Cancer Foundation , I will shave my goatee. Sure, it’s a small personal sacrifice (I’ve had my goat since roughly 1977), but it’s for a good cause. Click below and help us raise money for a great cause. Thanks for considering. You may soon get to see my baby-face. And a big “Thank you!” to David Armano , who is not only a sexy bitch, but a personal hero. You rock, dude.

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Shave My Goatee For Male Cancer Research

Source: Shutterstock As consumers, I think you’ll agree, prior to making any decision purchase, most of the time, our journey begins with a combination of online search and real world conversations with friends, family and peers. As the Web matures, a greater volume of our attention and focus continues to shift from other mediums to the Web for not only purchase considerations but also for content discovery. It’s how we learn. It’s how we stay connected. Nielsen released a new study that documents the extent of this shift and also captures an evolution in our online behavior as we augment traditional search engines with the search boxes within social networks. As such, Google is no longer the only hub for content discovery. The statusphere is introducing new channels that now serve as our attention dashboards and it’s the collection of streams of consciousness from those we choose to follow. Collecta, Twitter Search, Facebook News Feeds, FriendFeed, etc., serve as the gateways to insight and enlightenment. The Nielsen study fielded in August 2009 consisted of 1,800 participants in which they looked at three main consumer segments using search (Searchers), portals (Portalists) or social media (Socializers) as their primary vehicle for content discovery. While traditional search engines accounted for 37%, the combination of search and online portals such as Yahoo, MSN, and AOL collectively represented 71% of the sites that serve as the sources for discovery. One of the more interesting results for the purposes of fueling this discussion is that social media sites such as Wikipedia, blogs, and social networks account for 18% of where searches begin, outperforming sites that are dedicated to publishing information specifically to help individuals find deeper analysis and details. The study found that Socializers tend to trust what their friends have to say and use their online behavior (conversations, links, published experiences) as a form of information filtration. As Neilsen observers, “Social Media is becoming a core product research channel.” In December 2008, Forrester Research published a report that found company blogs were among the bottom of the list of trusted sources for information. In contrast, consumers stated that they trusted email from contacts, consumer ratings/reviews, search engines respectively.  The social graph ranked sixth. In 2009 however, Nielsen found that almost 15% of Socializers most trusted information they found on blogs (most likely not corporate) when researching purchases online and 20% most trusted the information they found on message boards. Facebook and/or Twitter on the other hand only represented 8% of trusted tools for seeking direction. As search functionality and filtering improves in social media, you can expect Twitter, Facebook and other networks to grow more significant in their role for content discovery. Connect with Brian Solis on: Twitter , FriendFeed , LinkedIn , Tumblr , Plaxo , Plurk , Identi.ca , BackType , Posterous , or Facebook — Have you bought the book or the poster yet? ( click below to purchase ): — pr pr+2.0 pr2.0 public+relations marketing advertising interactive social+media socialmedia brian+solis social media media2.0 media+2.0 2.0 smo social+media+optimization marcom communication publicity advertising expert interactive spin brand branding guru social+architect

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Social Media Accounts for 18% of Information Search Market

Joanna Lord on SEM and social media from JD Lasica on Vimeo . T his summer I had the chance to sit down, on a sun-splashed day in Santa Monica, with Joanna Lord, a colleague at Socialmedia.biz who’s a leading industry expert in search engine marketing (SEM). Joanna is co-founder and chief marketing officer of YourJobStop (formerly TheOnlineBeat), one of the top job search services, and last week she announced plans to move to Seattle (we’ll miss you in California, Joanna!). Seattle is where she presented at Search Marketing Expo (SMX), a search-heavy conference that tackles subjects like SEM, pay-per-click (PPC) tactics and search engine optimization (SEO). In this 9-minute video, she talks about how brands should be using Twitter to identify strategic contacts and push your content out, the use of SEM, the importance of monitoring and tracking your brand’s reputation, and some of the things that companies need to take into account in an era of social media and empowered consumers. Watch, embed or download the video on Vimeo A few highlights from our conversation: • Joanna: You have to sit down as a brand and ask yourself, what do you want to get from all the time you’re going to put into social media? more traffic? more sales? rehabilitating your brand’s reputation? • Make smart use of the tools at your disposal to build out new connections and measure your success. Backtweets , for example, lets you measure how viral your article, video or other media has gone and what is its reach. “Twitter applications have become almost a full-service suite of trackable information,” she says. • Brands’ activity in social media is really picking up. “Now you’re seeing brands that never really had an online presence jump online and jump into social media. You’re starting to see local people embrace social media and how you can be found locally.” • Overwhelmed by all the new tools and platforms? Join the club! “We’re all drowning a little bit” given all the fast-changing developments in the field, she says. Related articles by Zemanta Blog Link Building 101 — Part 2: Social Bookmarking (bloggingot.com) Best Organic SEO Quick Tips for Startups (techstartups.com) Seminar Search Engine Marketing (slideshare.net) Is Social Media Marketing a New Requirement of SEO? (bruceclay.com) 12 Tips for Search Engine Optimizing your Press Release-How to (seowithfries.com) Google Paid Local Listings — Coming Soon to a SERP Near You! (boneheadseo.com) Article Marketing Vs. Pay Per Click, What To Choose? (ronmedlin.com) JD Lasica works with major companies and nonprofits on social media strategies. See his business profile , contact JD or leave a comment. Tweet It! Buzz This Post Delicious Digg This Post Facebook Reddit Stumble This Post This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported .

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Joanna Lord on brands, SEM and social media

We recently posted a list of over 100 resources our readers could leverage to learn more about marketing online through search. One of the categories was paid subscription SEM communities that offer training, forums and often times templates, forms and guides for implementing effective Search Marketing programs. A pioneer forum that has a paid channel in this area is the WebmasterWorld Supporter’s group. SEOmoz has been wildly successful with their Pro community over the past few years and SEO Book launched their training community after discontinuing the actual book.  The newcomer to this group is SEO Dojo. Below you’ll find info and links on each community and if you’re a fan, take this poll to vote which is your favorite: Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll. WebmasterWorld Supporters Since: Posts go back to Nov 5, 2002 but I suspect it was started before that. Cost: 6 months $89 – 12 months $149 Description: A private forum for WebmasterWorld supporters dealing with Webmaster, Tech, and Business issues related to operating and promoting a website. SEOmoz Pro Since: Feb 2007 Cost: Pro $79/mo, Pro Plus $129/mo, Pro Elite $229/mo Description: Access to exclusive tools, processes and knowledge that SEOmoz staff use to provide consulting to their clients. Offers a guarantee. SEO Book Training Since: Feb 2008 Cost: $150/mo – Membership is full Description: Over 100 training modules as well as forums, templates, videos and tools. SEO Dojo Since: Oct 2009 Cost: $30/monthly or $250/full year plus other combinations Description: Community and training resource for search and Internet marketers that includes articles, chat sessions, worksheets/guides and plans for webinars. What has your experience been with these communities? What are the best features? Training, Tools, Community.  Which paid SEM communities did we miss? Please share in the comments and we’ll update our 100 Resources list as well as include them in next year’s poll. This poll will run until Tuesday 11/03/09 after which we will name the winner both on Online Marketing Blog, which gets close to 100,000 visits per month and we’ll be issuing a press release for distribution through PRWeb. The winner will also get a free 125X125 ad on the toprankblog.com right side bar for 2 months.