Karl Ribas' Blog

My Thoughts on Creating a Google Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:05:58 PDT

I just finished creating my NEW Google Profile - because I am a Google / social tool like that - and just wanted to share some of my thoughts about it.

First off, a Google profile is a new "service / project" offering from Google where users can create their very own online profile featuring their picture, bio, contact information, photos, likes, dislikes, etc. ... essentially everything that you'd expect from an online profile. The cool thing about having one of these profiles is that Google will include them in their search results for whenever someone searches your name.

So, let's say that you have a classmate, co-worker, or significant other from the past that wants to see what you've been up to lately or wants to get in contact with you. Now, pending a Google search for your name they'll be able to do just that. In fact, in my opinion, this service becomes extremely valuable for those people who are without a website and/or personal blog as chances are they have very little exposure within the search results to begin with... even for their own name. A Google profile also provides another option for those people who choose not to be apart of social communities such as MySpace or Facebook, but yet still want to be found.

You can view my Google Profile here:

http://www.google.com/profiles/karl.ribas

And, let's not forget about small businesses. I mean really, really tiny businesses where there is little need nor desire nor income to create an actual website. A Google profile could be used to create a 1-page reference that highlights the details of their products, services and contact information. This page can then be listed on business cards and other offline marketing.

Another idea just came to me (thought: maybe I should filter these ideas before publishing). A Google profile could easily be used as a way to push "negative" search listings further down in the results. For instance, let's say a search for your name or company brings up negative exposure such as a rip-off report or complaint to the BBB... one way to minimize this sort of PR nightmare is to flood the search engines with profile pages and other relevant pages in hopes that over time they actually outrank these negative instances and bump them to page 2 or beyond. Being that a Google Profile is likely to be listed on page 1 of Google automatically, that only leaves 9 other positions to worry about.

Just my $0.02.

The Klog at My Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:25:23 PDT

Over the weekend, I was going through many of the wedding photos taken and given to us by our friends, and came across this kick-ass picture taken with the Klog:

I have to say, I was a bit shocked to see the Klog at our reception - didn't remember sending him an invite - but glad he was able to make it with his very busy traveling schedule. I especially enjoyed how he stiffed us with his $250.00 bar bill... seriously, who drinks Vodka / Cranberry drinks and shots of Jagermeister at a wedding. That's the Klog for ya.

When the Karl is Away, All Web Will Play!

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:34:22 PDT

In most workplaces, when a vital member of the team is out sick or out of the office for multiple days at a time - say, to get married - everyone else in the office will usually pull together and pick up the left-over slack. Let's face it, work is work and it still needs to get done regardless if the appropriate person is in the office to do it. It is these times, when co-workers begin to truly appreciate one another, and respect each other's role within their team.

All Web Promotion is NOT like most workplaces.

When members of our team are out of the office for whatever reason, we take it upon ourselves to pull together and collaborate on ways in which we can "burn" the poor sap for missing work. I must admit, I've participated in these "burns" several times, but never have I been the subject of a "burn". Well my friends, that all changed on Tuesday.

After taking a nice, relaxing 5-day weekend so that my new wife and I could get married and spend some time with each other, I found myself having to return to this mess:

Priceless!

If You Build It, Will They Come?

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:22:24 PDT

Well I guess it depends on what "it" and "they" are.

If we're talking about the idea of building a baseball diamond in the middle of your family's farm with the notion that doing so will allow the ghosts of major league baseball to appear and play, then you would be correct. Hell, if Kevin Costner can do it... I don't see why you can't either.

However, if we're talking about the idea of starting a website as way to sell your company's products and/or services with the notion that doing so will result in immediate exposure to thousands of online shoppers eager to spend their hard earned money with you, then you would be mistaken.

Apparently, it is much easier to wake the dead for a baseball game then it is to corral the living into shopping on your website. And, I'd have to agree.

Not a week goes by where I'm not responsible for killing the dreams of some small business by simply informing them that there is more to online success then just putting up a website. I mean, sure, we'll build you a company website so that you can sell your products and/or services, but unless you plan on investing in some form on online marketing (or, offline for that matter) - mainly search engine marketing - then what's the point. You're simply padding our wallets and not yours.

It's absolutely crazy to think about how many people out there are willing to spend their very last coin on having a website created - like it's the answer to all of their e-commerce prayers - but fail to even plan/budget for what they're going to do after their site is built.

I don't get it... how do you suppose e-commerce ever got such a reputation? This shit is not a cake-walk, people!

I Lost the SEO Madness 2009 Pool!

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:34:17 PDT

I was cheated, set-up, screwed, and was given unfair circumstances! That or maybe I was just pwned by true "awesomeness". For the 2nd straight year, Taylor Pratt of Awesome SEO wins our SEO Madness Pool put on by my good bud Matt McGee. To the winner, go the links! Congrats, Taylor.

Here are the top 10 standings in our pool:

Geez... I even lost to McGee... again. I guess I should expect that having finished 12 of 31 by picking 42 of 63 correctly. Absolutely horrible.

Gmail Autopilot: An April Fools Joke?

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:12:00 PDT

So I'm thinking this is an "April Fools" joke from our friends at Gmail. It was hard for me to diagnose at first - because I really do believe that the egg-heads over at Google are capable of such things - but I spent the last 30 minutes trying to learn more about this new feature, specifically how to turn it on, only to come to a dead-end after every lead. I guess they got me. Good one guys!

Email will never be a thing of the past, but actually reading and writing messages is about to be. Gmail Autopilot automatically manages your inbox better than you can, with zero effort from you.
Keep in touch
Brand-new CADIE technology enables Autopilot to scan every one of your incoming messages and automatically send the perfect reply.
Manage relationships
Impress everyone with your prompt and insightful responses to everything from urgent notes from your boss to cute messages from your significant other.
Match your style
Autopilot calibrates for tone, typos and preferred punctuation. It's just like you, but automated.

The Traveling Klog

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:24:11 PDT

Here are two snap-shots from the Klog's recent travels to Atlanta and Mexico. What a messed up arrangement we have going... he does all of the traveling, and I get stuck doing all of the work.

Atlanta, Georgia:

Guadalajara, Mexico:

Be sure to check out the "Klog Sightings" page to see photos from his other trips.

The Truth about Search Engine Optimization

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:13:14 PST

Hey all! I just wanted to break up this little bit of silence that seems to have taken over my blog as of late, and inform everyone that Rebecca Lieb's new book - "The Truth About Search Engine Optimization" - is dropping tomorrow. I was among the fortunate few who had received a sneak peak back in November of last year - I was even able to review a couple of chapters - and was very much impressed with what I read. Since then I have been eagerly awaiting to get my hands on a full copy.

Rebecca's book consists of just over 200 pages, and highlights a list of 51 search engine optimization "truths" that every website owner should be made aware of. I certainly recommend to everyone, n00bs and vets, to pick up a copy. Without a doubt it is worth the $13 price tag that Amazon is listing it for.

One other thing... in addition to reviewing a few of the book's chapters I was also able to submit a quote to be published in the book. While the back cover was obviously reserved for someone with more... let's just say street credit... I did land a spot just inside the cover.

"In an industry as diverse and as fast-paced as search engine marketing, knowing which information to act on which and which to avoid is extremely crucial. Lucky for us, there is "The Truth About Search Engine Optimization". In this book, Rebecca Lieb provides a detailed look into the world of SEO and online marketing, all the while exposing many of the truths and misconceptions that exist within our industry. This is a must read for all online marketers."
Karl Ribas, Vice President of Search Marketing
All Web Promotion, Inc.

I'm pretty stoked about that.

I Don't Own A Phone Book. Do You?

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:30:17 PST

Me: I'm hungry, let's order a pizza.
Mom: Sure, from Casey's.
Me: Ummm... yeah. Taco, or sausage and mushroom?
Mom: Taco.
Me: Sounds good. What's their number?
Mom: I'm not sure. You'll have to look in the phone book.
Me: What's a phone book?

Now, obviously I know what a phone book is. However, I like to be a "smart-ass", as my mom would call me, and so I decided to give her a hard time. She hates it when I make her feel old. I find it humorous.

You see, I consider a phone book to be "old school", and my mom knows this. In my opinion, a phone book is a lot like the TV Guide - a resource that is quickly being replaced by alternative faster digital technology. So when I asked my mom "what's a phone book", she took it as a jab. And, rightfully so.

What's my point? Well, I don't really have one. Rather I have a question.

I don't own a phone book, and I haven't since I first moved out. I get them - each year I'll find one at the end of my driveway - but, I never keep them. Instead, I rely 100% on search technology to provide me with those sorts of answers... specifically Google Maps. Google Maps is the best local search tool ever, and I'd much rather use it and my computer to find the information I need then flip the pages of the YellowBook. I imagine quite a few people feel the same. For me, it is just more convenient that way... especially now that I have an iPhone (via the Google Maps app.).

My question is this: do you think as more time passes, and more mobile technology becomes available that phone books will become at thing of the past? My money is on yes. If this does happen, how soon will it be before all of those small businesses pull their YellowBook advertising, and begin to invest in local search marketing? I image sooner, rather then later.

This leads me to believe that those companies who currently know about and practice local search marketing have a monster advantage over their competition - small fish in a big pond. I predict that over the next few years that "big" pond will become over-crowded. Take advantage now!

Photos of My Home Office

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:07:44 PST

I had a few peeps asking about my home office some time ago, and so I decided to take a few photos of my set-up here at home, and upload them to Flickr and the blog. What do you think?

It's certainly not ShoeMoney's office by any means (maybe some day), but it works for me and helps me to get the job done... and that's what matters most.

Google PPC Drop-Down Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:01:38 PST

Just came across this while searching for a bear claw - a tool used to shred pork - and noticed that the Target paid listing has a drop-down option that when clicked will show products, descriptions, and pricing related to your search. Anybody else seeing this?

This could very well be old news, but this is the first time I've seen it.

Interesting.

SEM is Like Running Through A Forest

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:29:06 PST

Welcome to the new year. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. I sure did. One of my favorite parts about this time of year is being able to get together with friends and family and catch up on each others lives. Well that, and of course all of the food, booze, and gifts that come into play too.

I ended up having one of those sit-down discussions with a close member of my family who just happens to be completely oblivious to what I do for a living. Actually, I can pretty much say that about all of my family. They understand that I drive to work every morning, sit at a desk, operate a computer, and work online with websites, but that's about the extent of it. I try my best not to confuse them with talks of search engines algorithms, link juice, and paid placement techniques. However, in this particular case, I was asked several questions that needed detailed answers. I did my best to explain my position as a search marketer.

During our conversation, we kept coming back to this idea that a website owner could in fact be doing their own search engine marketing... especially those that are budget-conscious. Instead of shooting down this notion that a search marketer is nothing more then an expendable middle-man of sorts, I actually validated it. Hell, it's true.

I explained that my clients could certainly be running their own search marketing campaigns if they had the time, money, and inclination to educate themselves on how to do so. I then followed that with "I could also self-diagnose and treat my own medical needs too, if I had the time, money, and inclination to go to medical school. But, I'd rather just leave it to the professionals". Flick, flick, and flick... the light bulb went off. The analogy worked.

Later that evening while driving home I began to think about this particular conversation and came up with probably the best analogy that I have ever thought of to describe why a search engine marketer is so valuable to a website owner. I was late thinking of it and so it never did make it into my discussion, but maybe you can use it in one of your own.

It goes a little something like this:

Search engine marketing is like running through a forest. Both, while seemingly easy on the surface, can be quite the opposite once you start to consider the tasks associated with each. Now in either case, you could choose to have someone guide you through the process or you could take the task upon yourself. It's your call.
In regards to running through a forest, wouldn't you agree that it is in your best interest to have an experienced and knowledgeable guide with you at all times to explain to you, in great detail, the many dangers that exist? Wouldn't you also agree that having someone tell you when, where, and how to jump or duck as you ran would be better then the alternative... that is falling in holes and hitting your head on low-hanging branches? This kind of foresight is priceless! I guess the alternative is that you could just start running through the forest by yourself and deal with each situation as it arises, but then again you wouldn't really be running now would you?
And that's my point.
When a company invests in a search engine marketer they aren't just paying for someone to submit their website to the search engines and edit a couple of meta-tags. If that is the case then I'd certainly encourage those companies to "optimize" their sites themselves. Instead, companies are employing someone to be at the forefront of their online marketing efforts and, to some extent, share with them year's worth of hands-on experience and industry know-how. Having a search marketer guide you through the many dangers that exist with the search engine marketing process, as well as to tell you when, where, and how to jump or duck is priceless information.

Well, I guess it's not completely priceless. We all have a price, but you get my point.

Branding My Twitter Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:20:22 PST

So, this past weekend while riding shotgun - returning home from my bud's college graduation - I started to think about how I could use Twitter to build a bigger, better brand for myself. I know, I know. What brand, right? But seriously, "Karl Ribas" may not be a Nike, Ford, or an Oprah by any means, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't do everything I can to get my name out there. And, that goes for you too.

Regardless if you're trying to sell a product, service, or in my case oneself, branding is a huge part of any marketing campaign and should be incorporated whenever possible.

My biggest problem when it comes to branding using Twitter is that Twitter does very little to actually help you. Aside from a basic template and a few color options, there really is no way to incorporate a logo, detailed description, or other online references - major components of a branding campaign. Well, that is until now.

Check it out. My NEW twitter profile: http://twitter.com/Karl_Ribas

Using Twitter's background-image upload feature, I was able to upload a single graphic that incorporated my name, photo, contact information, and online references of where others could gather more information about me.

Mission accomplished.

Using Yahoo! Store Gift Certificates on Offline Transactions

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:10:12 PST

Last week my boss - Michael Roebuck (aka bossman) - published a very cool Yahoo! Store work-around on his blog. His idea, while simple, will help Yahoo! Store owners to use their store's gift certificate feature with both online and offline transactions. The best part is that his method will allow your Yahoo! Store the ability to track the gift certificate as it normally would without interrupting any of the analytical data that you would otherwise be getting. How, exactly? Here's a quote from Michael's post:

"Yahoo! Gift Certificates are designed for use on websites. They don't work very well with brick and mortar stores. The easiest way for a customer to use an online gift certificate in the retail store would be to create a dummy item for $0.01 and after the customer leaves the store, place an order for that amount. That will deduct the amount the customer spent from the remaining gift certificate balance."

Pretty simple, right? And easy!

Previously, Yahoo! Store gift certificates were only to be used with online purchases. However, with this work-around, store owners can now offer their gift certificate customers the extra added benefit of being able to shop either online or offline... a HUGE plus if you ask me.

Great job, Michael! To read more of Michaels thoughts, tips, tricks, and how-to's on Yahoo! Store design and development, be sure to check out his blog. And, while you're there, you might as well subscribe too. You'll be glad you did.

2 New Search Marketing Books

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:18:06 PST

Speaking of SES - referring to my last post - while away last week at the conference I was able to snag a couple of free books to add to my ever-growing office bookshelf. I love reading and reviewing industry books! These 2 are definitely next on my list. On your left is "The Big Switch" by "Nicholas Carr" and on your right is "Landing Page Optimization" by Tim Ash.

In fact, I actually waited in line for about 25 minutes just to have Tim personally sign my book. I know I know... I am such a geek. I told him to make it out to "Karl with a K", and he did just that:

Smart ass! I love it!

SES Chicago 2008 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:11:27 PST

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Search Engine Strategies conference in Chicago, and while the conference itself seemed like any other SES conference I've attended before, this one will certainly stick with me for the rest of my life.

Aside from the normality of a search conference - sessions, exhibit halls, and after-hour networking parties - there was plenty of excitement surrounding the Hilton Hotel this year, mainly because our president-elect Barack Obama was also in attendance. Well, in the hotel anyway.

President-elect Barack Obama uses the Hilton Hotel as his press headquarters while he is in Chicago awaiting to take office in a couple of weeks, and so there were lots to keep an eye out for. I don't think a day went by where I didn't see or hear about an Obama sighting in some fashion - him, his convoy, Chicago swat, and what I would assume was an explosive sniffing German Sheppard on the lower levels. It was very memorable.

As far as the conference goes, I'd say it was fairly average - meaning that nothing really stood out from past SES events. "Typical" is probably a better way to describe it. Nothing ground-breaking or anything like that went down. Microsoft still hasn't purchased Yahoo!, Google still has over 70% of the search market share, links and content are just as important as they were last year, and SES still tailors their sessions towards the small business owner and in-house search marketer, and not the veteran SEM like myself. Oh well, what can I say? I knew all of this going in and still elected to attend. Shame on me.

A couple of other points of interest... first, there were hot-plate lunches. These kicked ass... especially when you compare them to the traditional box lunches we were getting at past conferences. Great addition guys!

The exhibit hall wasn't too bad, but then again it wasn't anything to write home about. However, I did find it very interesting that Yahoo!, Microsoft, Bruce Clay, and even SEOmoz - companies that you'd typically see featured inside the exhibit hall - were all without booths. Strange.

The keynote presentations and "Orion" panels were pretty decent this year. In fact, I've always enjoyed them. I particularly like how these sessions cover an array of marketing topics - not just limited to search - as well as promote an advanced-level of conversation.

Lastly, I just want to comment on the scheduling of this conference. For the past 5 years, if not longer, SES Chicago has been scheduled for the month of December, while every year SES San Jose is scheduled for the month of August. This is true for 2009 as well. My question to the SES committee is why in the hell are these two conference scheduled this way and not the opposite way. To me, it would make more sense to be sporting short-sleeves in San Jose this time of year, rather then treading through snow and battling 20 and below temperatures. I mean we are an industry who prides ourselves as being intelligent Internet geeks, and yet something as simple as re-arranging the conference schedule to avoid being frost bitten is rocket science.

Anyway, I digress. The following are pictures that I was able to snag during the conference. Enjoy!

Vice President of Search Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:14:31 PST

See if you can spot the difference.

That's right! As I mentioned in my previous post, All Web has made a change in its management structure in which I have been personally promoted from "Project Manager" to the newly created position of "Vice President of Search Marketing". Obviously this is something I'm very excited about.

While I have been given several new responsibilities, a few of them being to grow the division's clientele, strategies, and service offerings, a lot of my day-to-day work will actually remain the same... which is something I prefer. There's no better feeling then having the knowledge and know-how to make advances in this industry, except for when you have the support of your employers and the newly appointed authority to make it happen. I already have the ball moving on a few things, and have several new ideas to explore this upcoming new year.

Things are definitely looking up.

Karl Ribas: MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:49:51 PST

Whoa! October 17th! Has it really been that long? You poor people. Bless me Blogger for I have sinned, it has been nearly 2 months since my last post. What can I say... I've been a busy, busy bee of sorts. Doing what you ask? Well, let's see:

First off, my work-load seems to have been heavier then normal these past prior weeks, but who's isn't these days. In addition to an increase in clientele and a recent trip to Chicago for this year's Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference, I have been trying like hell to adjust to some of the more recent changes that have occurred at All Web Promotion. Specifically, I am referring to a major change that took place within our company's management structure, and a new role that I have now stepped into. All of this, and dealing with a few shortened months - due to the holidays - has had me burning the mid-night oil on many of nights.

Also, regarding my personal life, my family has seemed to have been bit by the wedding bug these past few weeks. In addition to planning my own wedding for next April - contrary to popular believe, I am very much involved with my own wedding plans - I have spent my past few weekends attending family weddings, one of which was my sisters. In fact, I was pretty active in my sister's wedding... I was a groomsman in the wedding party, and was also in charge of creating programs for their ceremony as well as some other graphic projects... this of course took up much of my free time.

Lastly, during those few times when I was lucky enough to have an open schedule, I spent it relaxing with my family and working on a few of my own personal projects and hobbies. Blogging and search marketing I'm sorry to say were the last two things on my mind.

However, now that things are starting to relax a bit and even slow down for me - at least in some areas of my life - I figured I better get back to blogging before I begin to lose my readership. You wouldn't leave me, would you? For those of you that have stood idly by... I appreciate it!

The Finest SEM Playbook

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:26:04 PDT

In my last post - "Search Engine Marketing, Inc." - I made a small comment on how after browsing through the pages of Mike and Bill's new book that it could very well be the finest SEM playbook that I've ever come across yet. Well, in just under 24-hours later... I stand corrected.

First off let me say that this is nothing against what Mike and Bill have done - in fact I have yet to read their book - so in no way is this even an applicable comparison. However, I am quite confident that "The Internet Marketing Handbook" by Danny Dover and SEOmoz is well deserving of the "Finest SEM Playbook" title. I just came across this online resource today and while I haven't had too much time to review it, it appears to be a very complete relevant resource for search marketers. I encourage you all to have a look.

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:36:59 PDT

I was lucky enough to receive this draft manuscript version of Mike Moran's and Bill Hunt's newest book "Search Engine Marketing, Inc." in the mail a few weeks ago. While I haven't quite had the time to dive into it just yet, it does however look to be a very intriguing book. On the surface it appears to be a decent read and should be full of SEM goodies. Quickly browsing through it, I see several in-depth updated topics including social media marketing, keyword research tools, and advanced PPC bidding to name a few. This could very well be the finest SEM playbook that I've come across yet.

"Mike and Bill thoroughly cover both the business and technical aspects of contemporary search engine marketing, walking beginners through all the basics while providing reliable, up-to-the-minute insights for experienced professionals. Readers will be walked through every facet of creating an effective program: projecting business value, selling stakeholders and executives, building teams, choosing strategy, implementing metrics, and above all execution."

Thank you Mike, Bill, and IBM Press for providing me with this advanced copy of the book. I will no doubt have a reader-review posted before long. For those of you interested in checking it out for yourself, the book was released on September 29th and is available now.

Why Advertising Agencies Neglect SEM

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:11:55 PDT

My friend Taylor Pratt shot me over this question via LinkedIn:

"On his most recent post, John Ellett asks the community 'why do advertising agencies neglect search marketing?' Why do you think that is?"

You can read John's full post here. BTW, I read a few of John's other posts too... a fantastic marketing blog. It would also appear that it's a relatively new blog, so let's help him out will a little RSS love, shall we?

In any event, in addition to responding to Taylor, I also thought it maybe worth it to my readers if I publicly weigh-in on this topic as well. Here is my response:

"In my opinion, advertising agencies neglect search marketing because they fear it. Simply put. Search marketing, as we know, is a very powerful marketing channel for both small and large businesses as it is able to provide what most other forms of marketing are not able to... relevant, targeted advertising. Search allows businesses the ability to place paid ads or organic listings directly in-front of the most-appropriate audiences, and only charging for those instances too.
In addition, due to multiple advances in our industry, search marketers are capable of tracking a search marketing campaign from search to click to sale. Meaning, we have the ability to provide our clients with revenue data and the necessary information needed to help them to fully understand the return on their investment. Try getting television, radio, and newspaper marketers to do that.
It is for these two reasons (targeted marketing and ROI tracking) that advertising agencies fear search marketing and will probably never incorporate such services into their offerings. If they did, they could pretty much kiss their hundred-thousand dollar commissions good-bye because I believe their client's, after learning the benefits of search marketing, will put all or most of their marketing dollars into search, and very little into traditional marketing channels."

Not to steal the thunder from John's post, but let me ask all of you that very same question. Why do you suppose advertising agencies neglect search marketing? I'm very curious to know what you readers think?

I Think Twitter just Died

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:28:42 PDT

Just now, while trying to access my Twitter account, I was interrupted with a weird login session (for employees only) as well as another screen prompting a 401 Authorization Error. Weird. Maybe Twitter has had its last Tweet.

Here are a couple of screen shots.

Hat tip to Peter.

UPDATE: Twitter is up and Running Again.

Serving 5-to-Life

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:29:14 PDT

It's not a bad thing, but a good thing:

Book Review: The Tipping Point

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:27:02 PDT

"We have, in our minds, a very specific, biological notion of what contagiousness means. But if there can be epidemics of crime or of fashion, there must be all kinds of things just as contagious as viruses. Have you ever thought about yawning, for instance? Yawning is a surprisingly powerful act. Just because you read word "yawning" in the previous two sentences - and the two addition "yawns" in this sentence - a good number of you will probably yawn within the next few minutes."
"If you're reading this in a public place, and you've just yawned, chances are that a good proportion of everyone who saw you yawn is now yawning too, and a good proportion of the people watching the people who watched you yawn are now yawning as well, and on and on, in an ever-widening, yawning circle."
"Yawning is incredibly contagious."

The quote above is from one of my more recent reads "The Tipping Point", and offers a profound look at how the simplest and smallest concepts can emerge - sometimes without warning - to become social epidemics or trends.

Have you ever wondered how trends seem to come out of nowhere - one day a few people are participating and then the next, you can't go 10 minutes without seeing or hearing about this next big thing? The tipping point, written by Malcolm Gladwell, explains this very phenomenon using real-life case-studies ranging from the decrease of crime in New York City to the rise and fall of Airwalk shoes. Actually, some of my personal favorite examples found in this book included the rise of Hush Puppies, how the show Sesame Street started a "literacy epidemic", and why, of the two riders sent out to alert Massachusetts that the British were coming, only one, Paul Revere, is remembered.

The Tipping Point, in my opinion, is a must read for anyone involved with marketing and/or business-related studies. I found each of Gladwell's many points to be well-researched, well-presented, and probably more importantly a great demonstration on how very small changes can have dramatic effects on people's behavior, as well as how and why small groups of people can end up having a large influence on others. Overall I felt that the book was an easy read - probably a weekend for most people - in which Gladwell has an amazing ability to take very complex ideas and provide them in an easy-to-follow format. As a search marketer, I was able to make several "cross-over connections" using his ideas and integrating them with real life search engine marketing practices.

I sincerely recommend that you make this book a well-used part of your business library.

New LinkedIn Listings on Yahoo!

noreply@blogger.com (Karl Ribas) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:06:50 PDT

So here I am at home messing around with Google Chrome - the jury is still out on whether or not I like the new browser - when I decided to place a couple of vanity searches in order to monitor organic positions and listings. I do this every once and while - check to see where my web site and blog rank in regards to specific queries - and to my surprise I came across something new... at least for me anyway.

I placed a search on Yahoo! For "Karl Ribas" and came across this pretty cool profile listing courtesy of LinkedIn:

Pretty cool, right? The listing shows my photo, my location, which industry I work in, where I'm currently employed, and my special talents relating to my work. How exciting.

Again, I'm not sure if these types of listings are new or old, but it's the first time I've ever seen it and so I thought I would share. Do you have a LinkedIn account? Do you have a similar profile listing that shows up for when your name is searched?