SGB Media Group's "Social Views"

Amplify/Clipmarks Now Clipboard

2012-03-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

If some of you are wondering what happened to your aggregate blog on Amplify well, it's gone. I'm not exactly sure when it went down but here's what I got when I tried to access mine:

Amplify is shutting down immediately. We’ve had a wonderful run and we are grateful to everyone for taking the journey with us.

We’ve arranged for all of our users to be granted Clipboard accounts, which we believe is the best place for you to continue clipping the Web. Our existing users will receive an invitation by email, but anyone else can request an invitation directly at www.clipboard.com.

Clipboard will hold Amplify’s databases in trust and if there is sufficient interest they will provide a migration tool to import Amplify clips into Clipboard.

Please visit the Clipboard Blog for more information about this news.

The Top Ten Ways To Build A Digital Magazine

2012-03-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

With the growing number of smartphones, tablets, and eReaders, why limit your audience? Create content that works for everyone, no matter what technology they prefer. Martha Rotter, co-founder of Woop.ie, reviews 10 of the best tools Let me guess. You have a huge team of highly skilled designers and developers who use your unlimited budget to publish your beautiful, well-written content regularly for every type of device. Each device is then tested it to make sure it's an intuitive and readable experience for your loyal customers. Probably not reality for most of us. The great news is that digital subscriptions are growing and people are buying devices to read more content. It's an exciting time for digital publications, and marketplaces like Apple's Newsstand are helping consumers to find more of what they like and subscribe easily. But here's the problem: device versions, hardware capabilities, operating systems, memory specifications and everything else are changing every day. So is the amount of content people read and interact with. Publishers need to be able to reach as broad an audience as they can while still maintaining a sane workflow and budget. How is this possible? New tools for website owners, content managers, and publishers are growing, too. Below you'll find reviews of 10 methods of getting your content to a wider audience. I've included pros and cons for each tool as well as sample sites so you can see their end result in action. Some require a seasoned developer while others are more plug-n-play. Whatever your scenario, there is definitely something there to meet your needs and build your audience. Everything I mention below can help to create content that works in more than one place. I specifically did not include products that create only PDF documents or only Flash applications or publish only to the iPad, for example. Read More Here

100XTV.com

2012-02-23T23:06:00.001-08:00

I have been talking with the founder of this video production company and am very impressed with the product, person and vision.

100XTV Who We Are from Rick Small on Vimeo.

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

YourBuzz.com Analytics

2012-02-13T01:41:00.001-08:00

I've been testing out this personal analytics service out:

Thank you for using YourBuzz to manage the online conversation around your business.

Good news! You have social media activity in the past :

Social Activity
You have 165 mentions on Twitter.
You have 10 mentions on LinkedIn.
You have 231 new fans or followers.
See who is following you

We'll send you another e-mail about any social media activity you're monitoring with YourBuzz. Thank you again for your continued membership.

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

Infographic of Google algorithm changes in 2011

2012-02-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

Source: infographicsshowcase.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

My Video Ad Courtesy of Naymz.com

2012-02-09T23:20:00.001-08:00

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

DotNetNuke's New Store Just Opened

2012-02-09T23:13:00.001-08:00

I got this in tonight via email: We are very pleased to announce the next generation of the DotNetNuke Store is now open for business!

Formerly known as Snowcovered, the DotNetNuke Store has been totally re-designed to deliver a dramatically improved experience, making it faster and easier than ever to locate apps, extensions and website design templates for the DotNetNuke platform.

In addition to new branding, the Snowcovered site has been completely rewritten using the latest version of the DotNetNuke platform. Along with improved navigation, menus and friendly URLS, site search has been upgraded making it faster and easier to find what you need - fast.

Simplified screens make it easier for vendors to create, edit and publish product listings, ensuring that products in the Store are the most current. Vendors also have more extensive profile pages on the site, enhancing their marketing reach and increasing the visibility of their product reviews.

The DotNetNuke Store is accessible directly from your DotNetNuke site through a feature known as the DNN Extensions Catalog (available with DNN 6.x). This direct access simplifies the process of shopping, purchasing and installing add-on capabilities by putting the large ecosystem of vendors and add-on solutions in the DNN Store at your fingertips. Available upgrades for currently installed modules and designs (“skins”) are displayed through the Extensions Catalog interface, which makes keeping a site up-to-date simpler than ever before.

Come visit the new Store now!

How Google Now Ranks Sites

2012-02-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you're like most people, you've probably
noticed drops in your Google ranking over the past year or so.

Google has been making MAJOR changes to their ranking
algorithm over the last year specifically.

http://offervault.com/SEOfor2012

In the year 2012, it's going to be almost impossible to
"luck" into ranking for keywords that send worthwhile
traffic to your websites.

If you don't know what Google wants right now and beyond,
you can bet other websites are going to outrank you and
take the traffic that you could have potentially gotten.

Anyway, the purpose of this email is to let you know about
2 important things:

1. A free webinar that SEO Experts Brad & Matt Callen, and
Dori Friend are holding. They're going to be teaching
exactly how Google is currently ranking websites, right now,
in 2012.

Go here for details on the date and time it's being held,
which is only once, ever:

http://offervault.com/SEOfor2012

2. You'll also notice on the page above that they're
releasing something called SEO Link Monster on Feb 7th.
I know that those that there is a special surprise at
the end of the webinar relating to SEO Link Monster, so
be sure to look out for that.

That's all for now. I hope this email finds you well and
I hope you're able to listen in on the webinar. I can
guarantee you'll be glad you did. These guys know how to
teach and their free stuff is easily worth more than paid
stuff others put out.

CMO Weekly Top Stories

2012-01-12T02:49:00.001-08:00

Top-Level Domain Opportunity Awaits CMO Trailblazers (CMO.com)
With the three-month application window for new TLDs opening Thursday, CMOs have the chance to participate in a unique online marketing opportunity. But do they have the guts to try?

Digital Marketing In 2012: Predictions From 32 Industry Luminaries (CMO.com)
CMO.com turned to its array of contributors, colleagues, and staff and asked them what they envision the new year will bring for the digital marketing world. From new shopping behavior, to making sense of big data, to social TV and a mobile majority, their range of answers is staggering.

Global Positioning: The Promise--And Pain--Of Multigeography Marketing (CMO.com)
The starting place for any global campaign is the message--that big idea capable of spanning media, geography, and customer segment. But crafting a position that is at once simple and resonant isn't easy; it's equal parts art and science.

8 Marketing Partnerships That Succeeded (iMedia Connection)
As these examples show, marketing co-operations can be powerful tools for companies looking to expand their digital horizons--providing businesses stay flexible and open to companies with which they might align.

In Hollywood's Clubby Culture, A Disney Marketer's Rapid Downfall (NYTimes.com)
Despite successful ad campaigns for films like "The Muppets" and "The Help," M T Carney, Walt Disney Studios' president of movie marketing, never found her footing.

The Leadership Resolutions That Work Best (Harvard Business Review)
Many resolutions work better in pairs--diet and exercise, for example. The same is true in developing your leadership skills. Following are pairs that, you'll notice, combine some kind of technical expertise with an interpersonal skill.

These Famous Brands Will Disappear In 2012 (Business Insider)
Kodak has been in trouble for years, of course, but it was intriguing that a survey about corporate reputations signaled the company's potential end before its lawyers did. So what other brands could be on the brink, and why?

A Star Is Born: Digital-Video Advertising Ready To Roll (CMO.com)
Representing the fastest-growing Internet ad format, marketers' enthusiasm about digital-video advertising is easy to understand. But as with any medium, video advertising is not without its challenges. This article provides an overview of the digital-advertising landscape.

Web Advertising's Master Auctioneers (Fortune)
Upstart AppNexus is holding its own with heavy hitters like Google in a booming field for online ads--the real-time auction. "AppNexus has taken a really interesting approach to this business," says one exec.

Report: Consumer Media Usage Across TV, Online, Mobile And Social (Nielsenwire)
Among the findings from Nielsen's State of the Media: Consumer Usage Report: Nearly four in five active Internet users visit social networks and blogs, and 51% of consumers are OK with advertising on their devices if it means they can access content for free.

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

The Complete Novice's Guide to Social Media

2012-01-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Introduction

This article is intended to be a very straightforward guide to Social Media and everything that Social Media encompasses including blogs, social networks and forums etc. It is intended to introduce both newcomers and perhaps even some more experienced people to the world of social media.

So, what is Social Media?

So, what is this social media that has the Internet buzzing with excitement? Well, Wikipedia (an interesting form of social media in itself) describes it as:

"information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies that is intended to facilitate communications, influence and interaction with peers and with public audiences, typically via the Internet and mobile communications networks."

This can encompass not just text and information based services like blogs etc, it can also contain image and video based services such as Flickr and YouTube for example.

Social media instigates a sense of community, making users feel connected with each other through participation and communication via many forms of media. Technorati, a blog submission service, has over 133 million blogs indexed, displaying the staggering rise in popularity of people wanting to be heard and connect to each other.

Social Media and your Business

Social media can benefit any type of business and if approached correctly, can help build relationships with consumers and other companies through networking and raised awareness of your service.

With social media you can easily speak directly to your customers, using Twitter to gather feedback on customer satisfaction, raising awareness of a recently launched product through Digg or using YouTube to promote your move into a new office location for example.

An example of a company using social media in a great way is Starbucks. Starbucks created a whole new website and blog centred around customer suggestions for their service. A user would go onto the website and suggest a way Starbucks could improve, everyone registered on the website would then vote their favorite ideas and then Starbucks would post on their blog regarding which ideas they liked and how they would be actually implemented into the Starbucks service.

Companies are always thinking of better ways to run there service, social media gave Starbucks a way to connect with millions of existing customers and gave those customers an opportunity to build on the Starbucks service in a way only they could know how.

Burger King launched a Facebook application which encouraged users to 'sacrifice' 10 of their facebook friends in return for a free Whopper burger. It was taken down by Facebook not long after launch citing privacy concerns, however in the relatively short space of time the application was live, it gathered over 20,000 users and consequently over 200,000 friends were sacrificed in the name of free burgers. This social media example was well built, was easy to share and gave the user the incentive to network with friends which made it very popular in the short space of time it was available.

These are only two examples of successful social media solutions by companies on the Internet, companies like Sun, Ford, Dell and IBM are all currently reaping the benefits of using blogs, twitter accounts, Facebook pages and other social media tools to connect with customers and make there companies more transparent to consumers. Social media, blogs especially, aren't going to disappear overnight. They now act as invaluable customer service methods with the ability to conduct informal discussion with your customers and let them get to know more about you and your company in an inexpensive way.

Establishing a social media presence for your company gives you the ability to reach potentially millions of new customers through Facebook, Twitter, Digg etc, many of which may have been unreachable without a presence on these networks. Having profiles on the various social networks gives you the maximum potential to raise awareness of your brand, gain more visitors to your website and the capacity to convert those targeted visitors to customers.

Social Media in Numbers

2,000,000,000

searches through the Google search engine every day

1,360,652,987

tweets on Twitter as of March 2009

700,000,000

photos added to Facebook every month

900,000

blog posts every 24 hours

38,040

diggs the most popular bookmark on Digg has received in the last 12 months

412.3

years it would take to watch all of YouTube's content as of March 2008

hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute

Social Media Forms

Although social media can come in many forms, it has its main ones:

Blogs

The most well known of 'obvious' social media forms. Blogs act as a frequently updated hub of contextual information where users can get involved and give their input through comments.

Forums

The oldest form of social media, in use before the term 'social media' was made popular. Internet forums act as areas for online discussion, usually centered around certain topics.

Content Communities

Content communities differ from usual forms of social media in that they allow people to share and use particular kinds of content that blogs and forums don't fully concentrate upon such as images (see Flickr), interesting bookmarks (see Digg and del.icio.us) and of course video (see YouTube).

Micro-blogging

A relevant newcomer in the social media world. Micro-blogging combines blogging and social networking in that it allows people to update small amounts of content online through web-based, desktop and also mobile clients (see Twitter).

Social Networks

Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo etc allow the easy creation of personalised web page accounts that facilitates communication between users.

The Distribution of Social Media

People only have a certain amount of time to check their favorite websites, this mightn't even include blogs or social networks. Couple this with the fact that people seem to be working longer hours than ever these days and also using blackberrys and iPhones to work away from the office, and you're faced with a daunting task of attracting people to your blog or website.

One remedy to this has been the introduction of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. RSS feeds allow a user to effectively 'subscribe' to a website or blog, meaning they are notified through a newsreader when new content is available.

RSS saves people a lot of time when reading blogs and website updates, meaning communities can grow and become more valuable to both the user and author saving both parties time and money.

Social Networks

Joining a social network usually involves creating your own web page with information about yourself, be it personal, professional or otherwise and you then connect with other people on that network.

Although most of these networks are relatively young in their age, a selection of them are very popular and have changed the shape of the Internet for the near future at the very least.

MySpace

After launching in August 2003, MySpace became the most popular social networking website in the United States in mid 2006, attracting well over 100million account holders.

MySpace has largely built it's popularity based upon its comprehensive music service where bands can upload tracks directly to their profile for fans to listen to, even launching it's own record label to release music from MySpace upon.

Bebo

Bebo is a popular social networking tool with more emphasis on the younger user than its competitors. It is also geared towards colleges, schools and other educational institutes which is where Bebo has found it's niche. It was purchased by AOL in early 2008 for over £400million.

Facebook

First available to University students, facebook was opened up to the public (people over the age of 13) in 2006 and it's userbase has skyrocketed ever since.

The service allows you to join networks and groups of organisations, sports teams, location specific groups etc and also offers developers the chance to write applications for the service at no charge

Facbook currently has over 235million account users.

LinkedIn has it's own niche in the social networking world in that it is targeted solely toward the working professional.

LinkedIn allows you to create your own career profile and network with past and present workmates and is mainly used for career-orientated networking and job / project searches.

LinkedIn has approximately 40million users.

Friends Reunited

Friends reunited is a social network based upon the theme of reuniting and connecting with former (and current) classmates. It is identified as the first social network to achieve prominence in Britain, surviving the dotcom bust.

Blogs

A blog (standing for web-log) is a type of website maintained by an individual or company that is commonly updated with news on latest events, opinions, reviews and any other material the author deems worth of publishing.

With recent developments in blog hosting technology, it's possible for anyone with a basic knowledge of the internet to create and run their own blog using platforms such as WordPress and blogger.

Topics

The reason blogs are so popular on the Internet is because they act as a hub of information for any given topic. This can include website design articles (see a list apart), celebrity news (see TMZ), politics (see Huffington Post) and technology news (see techcrunch).

Although some blogs contain posts around a number of topics, the most popular ones have a defined theme and user base.

Comments

Almost all blogs have a comments structure in place allowing readers to submit their views on that blog or article. Comments act as a networking tool in itself, with many people growing the reader-base of their own blog or website through the clicks they receive from commenting on other peoples blogs.

Forums

The Internet forum is the relative grandparent of the social media family, evolving from the bulletin board style of networking which was popular in the early years of the Internet.

Like blogs, forums can be about any number of topics and attract people mainly looking for information and discussion around a particular theme or subject. Where the two mediums differ are that whereas blogs are usually the views / news from one individual or company, forums act as a discussion venue where many discussions are ongoing at once in different locations called 'threads'. Also, a blog has a clear owner, again that may be an individual or company depending on the blog itself but a forum is effectively ran by its members.

Many forums have been running from the early days of the Internet and have thus gathered a huge amount of members, Gaia Online has over 16million registered members and is one of the most popular on the Internet.

Content Communities

Content communities don't particularly adhere to typical social network frameworks, as they aren't particularly intended for networking between people using the usual means. Two examples of this are Flickr and YouTube.

Flickr

Flickr is an image and video hosting website where people can create a personal account and upload photos they have taken. It's also used by bloggers and webmasters as an online photo storage system, where they can host all of their images in a searchable database. As of late 2008, it is claimed that Flickr holds more than 3billion images.

The social aspect of Flickr comes into play through the creation of various subject-orientated groups where users can comment on relevant images that have been uploaded.

YouTube

Youtube is the largest video hosting website on the Internet with well over 120million videos currently hosted through its service. Youtube members can upload their own footage, create channels / playlists of their favourite videos and share them with friends.

Youtube has quickly become one of the largest websites in the history of the Internet with more than 6billion videos viewed on the service in January 2009 alone. Before the public launch of YouTube in 2005, there were very few methods of video-orientated social networking available via the Internet, YouTube changed this with the ability for its users to dictate its content through the uploading of personal video.

Microblogging

Microblogging is the latest in the way of social networking, combining blogging, instant messaging and the popular status updates of the Facebook service into one neat package.

Popular microblogging services such as Twitter allow a small (in Twitters case, no more than140 characters) text based 'update' to be published on your twitter page and to those who are 'following' you.

Although it is a web based format, over 90% of 'tweet's published via twitter are by mobile, desktop or instant messaging applications. Twitter is largely used by the web industry as a way of passing useful links to one another, as well as a very quick and easy networking tool between account followers.

It has recently began to attract a lot of press attention due to the amount of well known people using the service. President Obama used Twitter in the run up to the election to keep voters informed of his campaign, connecting to a completely new audience to previous candidates.

Conclusion

Although Social Media is a relatively new factor on the Internet, the advances we have seen in a short space of time have been staggering. Two to three years ago MySpace was the service everyone was using to connect with each other, who would have predicted that within 24 months there would have been a service in Facebook that overtook it as the Internets leading social networking tool.

The future of social media is an exciting one, and we could see some interesting developments even in the short term such as the adoption of the mobile social network. Although a lot of people are using Social Media on mobile phones already, this number is expected to increase significantly in the near future with the development of more and more clients for social networks on mobile phones.

Social media is expected to evolve and grow into exciting new services and shows no signs of dissapearing any time soon. The potential for growth and monetary gain for businesses is too great for them to ignore social media, helping spread news of services and offers to hundreds, if not thousands, of friends in an instant. Some companies aim for that kind of promotion and never reach it, some pay millions to get it, with social media, it is in everyones grasp.

A company that neglects both social media and the benefits of search engine optimisation is shielding its services away from millions of potential customers.

Opening your company up to social media services allows you to connect instantly with new people, couple this with a comprehensive search engine optimisation plan and you are in a perfect position to attract new customers and network inexpensively.

Well that's it for our guide to Social Media, grab yourself a cup of tea (or coffee if you're that way inclined) and relax.

web design newcastle

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jordan_Anthony_Hall

Social Media Marketing on Mentor Mob

2011-12-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Learning Playlist Social Media Marketing 101 on MentorMob

Social Media Marketing 101

Cloud Computing on Mentor Mob

2011-12-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

Learning Playlist Cloud Computing 101 on MentorMob

Cloud Computing 101

CMO's Year End Specials

2011-12-19T19:03:00.001-08:00

The 2011 CMO's Guide To The Social Landscape (CMO.com)
These days, marketing channels, platforms, and tools that lack a social component are probably doomed to failure. CMO.com's second annual downloadable guide will help you determine which ones are a must in your marketing strategy.

10 Great Expectations: What CEOs Want From Their CMOs (CMO.com)
CEOs have always held their CMOs to high standards, but in this day and age, marketing accountability has never been more intense. What does it take to please the boss?

10 Tips For Building Your Next-Gen Marketing Team (CMO.com)
From choosing a chief digital officer, to opening your eyes to talent in new places, to incenting employee innovation, these suggestions--and more--will help CMOs build a forward-thinking team of top-notch marketers.

10 Details CMOs Overlook (But Shouldn't) (CMO.com)
With so many issues on a CMO's plate, it's no wonder a few things slip by. Unfortunately, those under-the-radar issues can come screaming into view if not properly managed.

Special Report: The 2011 Digital Marketing Outlook (CMO.com/Society of Digital Agencies)
The Society of Digital Agencies' "Digital Marketing Outlook" report explores a multitude of topics that make it clear the era of integrated marketing is very much here. More than 600 CMOs, agency executives, and digital media technologists were surveyed for the report, rolled out over four weeks in the form of 25 insightful articles designed to inspire, validate your thinking, and fuel action.

10 Ways Your Brand Can Be Meaningful (CMO.com)
Consumers want to feel they're part of something that makes the world a better place. Marketers who fail to realign their thinking and behavior in the pursuit of meaning will be quickly overtaken by those who do.

Marketing Metrics: The Good, The Bad, And The Irrelevant (CMO.com)
Metrics can be a good news-bad news situation for marketers. They're necessary to gauge our marketing efforts, of course, but picking the wrong ones can be worse than using none at all.

Slide Show: 8 New Technologies Marketers Should Know About Now (CMO.com)
CMOs have at their disposal more new technologies than ever before. And the barriers to entry have never been lower. To help you narrow the field, we have selected eight new technologies--what they are, why now, and what to watch out for--you should be testing or implementing now.

The Positive Effects Of Cause-Related Marketing (CMO.com)
It is getting more difficult for a company to connect with customers and prosper if it doesn't stand for something more than its bottom line. Here, we assemble survey data and expert opinion to give marketers guidance on what consumers expect from companies--and how companies can satisfy those expectations.

Meet Four Marketing Rule-Breakers (CMO.com)
Slavish rule-following can have predictable, dull results--exactly what marketing shouldn't be. Done right, breaking the rules can be liberating and successful. Meet three executives whose marketing risks paid off, plus one whose didn't and cost her her job.

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

iMedia Connection Weekly Picks

2011-12-19T18:57:00.001-08:00

8 reasons marketers can't trust Facebook
	By Douglas Karr Is your business or your clients' marketing heavily dependent on Facebook? If so, you have more to lose than you think. Here's why.

Our industry's unethical, indefensible behavior
	By Eric Picard As an industry, our methods of tracking consumer behavior online are wrong. See why all of the arguments to the contrary fall apart when logic is applied.

Why clicks are the wrong metric
	By Jarvis Mak Click-based analyses are fundamentally flawed. It's not just that clicks don't tell the whole story; they tell the wrong story. Here's why.

Guy Kawasaki talks startups, Twitter
		The author and founding partner of Garage Technology Ventures took a moment to discuss what he looks for in a startup and how marketers could be using T

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

ThinkUp: A Social Media Insights Engine

2011-12-17T06:47:00.001-08:00

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

The top digital-marketing stories from around the Web.

2011-12-10T00:55:00.001-08:00

In This Issue
We have a decidedly digital batch of stories this week. In the social arena, Twitter is rolling out a redesign in an effort to "organize a growing sense of information overload" and "convince advertisers that their products will be visible to consumers," according to Wired. Meantime, in mobile, marketers surveyed by AT&T said they'll be expanding their initiatives in the new year, with a heavy emphasis on mobile apps and barcode technology. E-mail-wise, the CMO from Augeo Marketing offered some ideas for boosting engagement, while on the Web-site front, the fight to halt, or at least slow, the addition of top-level domains continued. Finally, for a glimpse of what to expect in the new year, click through our "Top 10 Digital-Marketing Trends For 2012" slide show.

Until next week,
The Editors of CMO.com

Top 10 Stories

Courting Users And Brands, Twitter Gets A Face Lift (Wired)
A redesign, which is currently being rolled out to users over the next few weeks on mobile devices and the Web, consolidates a number of Twitter's existing features into four separate categories to better organize a growing sense of information overload and convince advertisers that their products will be visible to consumers.

3 In 10 Americans Say Social Media Ads Useless (Marketing Charts)
That said, a growing number of Americans say they use Facebook to research and review consumer product information, according to Epsilon Targeting.

FTC's Leibowitz Criticizes Plan To Add Top-Level Domains (Adweek)
In an appearance before a House Judiciary subcommittee, Federal Trade Commission chairman Jon Leibowitz called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' decision to begin accepting new top-level domains like .bank or .coke "a potential disaster" for consumers and businesses.

AT&T: 90% Of Marketers Will Expand Mobile Programs Next Year (FierceMobileContent)
Marketers are extremely enthusiastic about the possibilities of mobile barcode campaigns, with 66 percent of respondents agreeing that barcodes will drive innovation in mobile marketing next year.

Yahoo CMO To Depart (Direct Marketing News)
Yahoo's central marketing team will now report to interim CEO Tim Morse, who took over the role in September after the ousting of then-CEO Carol Bartz.

App Firm Reveals 240% Rise In QR Code Scanning (BizReport)
2D were the most popular barcodes scanned with 87% compared with just 13% for 1D barcodes.

Augeo CMO: Rewards Boost Email Engagement (MediaPost)
Not all rewards need to be financial, but can involve an emotional connection or educational benefit, which people are increasingly seeking, says Ken Greer.

Ad Markets To Outperform Economy In 2012: Report (Reuters)
According to a new forecast by media service agency ZenithOptimedia, the global advertising market will grow by 3.5 percent in 2011 and by 4.7 percent in 2012, down from a forecast in October.

Google Ramps Up Ads And Marketing (San Jose Mercury News)
The effort is intended to help Google recast its image with consumers as its products broaden far beyond search.

General Mills Wants Your Ideas For Its Next Cereal Game And Cake App (Fast Company)
General Mills is moving its open innovation efforts to the digital world. With G-WIN Digital, the food company is looking for consumers' gaming and mobile ideas.

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

Check out my new Magnt site!

2011-11-27T02:22:00.000-08:00

Check out my new Magnt site!

Are Cover Letters Still Relevant For Social Media and Tech Jobs?

2011-11-25T00:59:00.001-08:00

The cover letter is often an expected attachment to the résumé, serving as an applicant’s first impression on potential employers. Traditionally, it offers job seekers an opportunity to introduce their skills and qualifications, while giving hiring managers an idea of a candidate’s suitability for the position.

But as more companies use social networks to screen candidates, many applicants are questioning whether their cover letters are still relevant. With the level of transparency in social media, what can a cover letter offer that a LinkedIn profile or Twitter stream can’t?

Opinions of the career experts interviewed for this article were split, leading us to answer the above question with “it depends.” Here’s a look at why you may not want to send a cover letter, why it could still be useful to send one, and how to optimize your approach when applying for social media and tech positions.

The Relevancy Factor

A cover letter’s value can be determined by its approach. Many hiring managers see them as increasingly unnecessary because they’re often text-heavy, unoriginal, and repeat the résumé rather than enhance it.

Mark O’Connor, staffing manager at oil company Tesoro, says he doesn’t read much into cover letters, particularly for tech jobs — but adds that it doesn’t mean applicants shouldn’t bother to send them. “They should be short functional summaries of their relevant experience,” he says.

Still, O’Connor’s team of recruiters focuses on developing relationships with candidates via social networks. From there, they’re more concerned about the details that lie within the résumé and try to hone in on a candidate’s past experience.

For MSNBC Career Columnist Eve Tahmincioglu, cover letters are even more important for social media and tech job seekers. “Today companies want tech employees who are critical thinkers, well-rounded and do more than just tech speak,” she says. “These things are hard to convey in a résumé.”

In some cases, Tahmincioglu adds, the first person to see your application is a human resources manager, who may not know much about the dense list of computer programs and technical projects on your résumé. The cover letter can be an opportunity to draw them in with a personal touch.

What Your Cover Letter Says About You

The main advantage of a cover letter is its ability to be customized. Some hiring managers see it as a way to assess your dedication to and qualifications for a specific position.

“A cover letter, especially one that is customized to the position tells me the person is actually applying for this position. This person cares enough to write something that applies — not just a blanket response of résumés to a bunch of jobs,” says Patrick Chaupham, senior vice president of digital communications at public relations agency Weber Shandwick.

In fact, it’s the lack of tailored and interesting cover letters that keeps Ryan Goff, director of social media marketing at advertising and public relations agency MGH, from reading them. “We want to be wow’ed, and the cut-and-paste cover letter will never do the trick,” he says. “Know your audience and, in doing so, give us something that would impress.”

Top Cover Letter Tips

Here are the top four cover letter tips from the career experts we interviewed:

“Find someone, even a long-lost relative, who can refer you. There is nothing better to open doors than this cover-letter opening line: ‘So-and-so suggested I send you my résumé….’”
- Eve Tahmincioglu, MSNBC career columnist
“Focus on your résumé. If it’s strong enough, there won’t be the need for the cover letter.”
- Ryan Goff, director of social media marketing, MGH
“Do your homework on the company and try to connect with the recruiters.”
- Mark O’Connor, staffing manager, Tesoro
“Be concise. Be relevant.”
- Patrick Chaupham, senior vice president of digital communications, Weber Shandwick

Conclusion

A cover letter is still valuable — as long as it’s done right. Like Goff said, the key is to know your audience. If you’re applying to a company that has dedicated technical recruiters spending 90% of their time on LinkedIn, connect with them there. If you’re working with a general human resources manager, use the cover letter to be relatable by showing off your personality and creativity. No matter what your approach, be clear about your passion for the particular position and/or company. Hiring managers won’t be excited about you unless you’re excited about them.

Social Media Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

Freelance Social Media and Digitial Marketing Expert at Kuhn Projects in New York, NY.
Social Media Strategist Superstar at meebee in San Francisco, CA.
Social Media Manager at FilmBuff in New York, NY.

More Job Search Resources from Mashable:

- HOW TO: Land a Job at 9 Hot Startups
- Top 5 Online Communities for Starting Your Career
- HOW TO: Land a Business Development Job
- Top 5 Tips for Creating Impressive Video Resumes
- 19 Resources to Help You Land a Job in 2011

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, mrPliskin and wdstock

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

Pinnacle Cart

2011-11-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of PHP shopping cart software on the market today, so what makes Pinnacle shopping cart different?

Quite simply, Pinnacle Shopping Cart Software was built by Marketers, for Marketers

Our eCommerce solution helps you drive traffic to your store, merchandise your products, manage your customers and orders plus so much more. This complete solution provides you everything you need to successfully create and manage an on-line storefront.

Our management team has over 30 years of combined sales and marketing experience. We are not techies, by nature. Our background in advertising, marketing and web design has given us a unique perspective on the design of this platform. We've created shopping cart software that is easy to use and extremely effective at selling your products.

Hell yeah you can have a fin Jimmy Wales

2011-11-18T21:20:00.003-08:00

Read this short statement from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and then look at how Wikipedia give us such detailed description of a "fin" or a US five dollar bill which is what Jimmy's asking me (and you) to toss in the tip jar to his wonderful site which has replaced those od Funk & Wagnels in the basement. Mind you his site has been totally free and remains so....I know I've gotten WAY more than $5.00 (a fin)'s worth out of Wikipedia.com How about you? Your kids for homework?

Check out...Jimmy knows exactly what he's aking for...LOL....so he gets mine...how about yours??

If everyone reading this donated $5,
our fundraiser would be over today.
Please donate to keep Wikipedia free.

Please help

United States five-dollar bill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations toreliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

Front of the series 2006 $5 bill

Back of the series 2006 $5 bill

The United States five-dollar bill or fiver ($5) is a denomination of United States currency. The $5 bill currently features U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's portrait on the front and the Lincoln Memorial on the back. All $5 bills issued today are Federal Reserve Notes. Five dollar bills are delivered by Federal Reserve Banks in red straps.

The $5 bill is sometimes nicknamed a "fin". The term has German/Yiddish roots and is remotely related to the English"five", but it is far less common today than it was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing says the average life of a $5 bill in circulation is 16 months before it is replaced due to wear. Approximately 6% of all paper currency produced by the U.S. Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 2009 were $5 bills.^[1]

[hide]

[edit]The redesigned $5 bill

Mathew Brady portrait of Lincoln taken on February 9, 1864, used for the old $5 bill.

Daguerreotype of Lincoln taken on the same February day byMathew Brady, used for the redesigned $5 bill. Note that this image is a mirror of Lincoln as he appears on the bill - this is because the daguerreotype process produced a single positive image (rather than anegative made on film, which is then used to make a truephotographic positive), and the daguerreotype was always a mirror image of the subject material. Thus, the way Lincoln appears on the bill is actually how he appeared when seated for the picture.

The redesigned $5 bill was unveiled on September 20, 2007, and was issued on March 13, 2008. New and enhanced security features make it easier to check the new $5 bill and more difficult for potential counterfeiters to reproduce. The redesigned $5 bill has:

Watermarks: There are now two watermarks on the redesigned $5 bill. A large number "5" watermark is located in a blank space to the right of the portrait replacing the previous watermark portrait of President Lincoln found on the older design $5 bills. A second watermark — a new column of three smaller "5"s — has been added to the new $5 bill design and is positioned to the left of the portrait.
Security thread: The embedded security thread runs vertically and is now located to the right of the portrait on the redesigned $5 bill. The letters "USA" followed by the number "5" in an alternating pattern are visible along the thread from both sides of the bill. The thread glows blue when held under ultraviolet light (blacklight).^[2]

[edit]Design features

The new $5 bills remain the same size and use the same—but enhanced—portraits and historical images. The most noticeable difference in the redesigned $5 bill is the addition of light purple in the center of the bill, which blends into gray near the edges.

Similar to the recently redesigned $10, $20 and $50 bills, the new $5 bill features an American symbol of freedom printed in the background: The Great Seal of the United States, an eagle and shield, is printed in purple in the background of the bill's front side.

[edit]Additional design elements

On the back of the bill, a larger, purple number "5" appears in the lower right corner to help those with visual impairments to distinguish the denomination. This large "5" also includes the words "USA FIVE" in tiny white letters.

The oval borders around President Lincoln's portrait on the front, and the Lincoln Memorial vignette on the back have been removed. Both engravings have been enhanced.

An arc of purple stars surrounds the portrait and The Great Seal on the front of the bill, and small yellow "05"s are printed on the front and back of the bill.

Small yellow "05"s are printed to the left of the portrait on the front of the bill and to the right of the Lincoln Memorial vignette on the back. The zeros in the "05"s form a "EURion constellation" to prevent photocopying of the bill.

[edit]Other features

Microprinting: Because they are so small, microprinted words are hard to replicate. The redesigned $5 bill features microprinting, which is the engraving of tiny text, on the front of the bill in three areas: the words “FIVE DOLLARS” can be found repeated inside the left and right borders of the bill; the words “E PLURIBUS UNUM” appear at the top of the shield within the Great Seal; and the word “USA” is repeated in between the columns of the shield. On the back of the bill the words “USA FIVE” appear along one edge of the large purple "5".

[edit]More Information

Interactive graphic from Portfolio.com Shows the design features and history of the $5 bill. Also, compares security features to that of the Euro.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing Web site
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Web site
U.S. Secret Service Web site

[edit]Large size note history

(approximately 7.4218 × 3.125 in ≅ 189 × 79 mm)

Series 1886 $5 bill

Series 1907 $5 bill

Famous 1896 $5 "Educational Series" Silver Certificate

1861: The first $5 bill was issued as a Demand Note with a small portrait of Alexander Hamilton on the right and anallegorical statue representing freedom on the left side of the obverse.
1862: The first $5 United States Note was issued with a face design similar to the previous Demand Note and a completely revised reverse.
1869: A new $5 United States Note was issued with a small portrait of Andrew Jackson on the left and a vignette of a pioneer family in the middle.
1870: National Gold Bank Notes were issued specifically for payment in gold coin by participating banks. The obverse featured vignettes of Christopher Columbus sighting land and Columbus with an Indian Princess; the reverse featured US gold coins.
1875: The series 1869 United States Note was revised. The green tinting that was present on the obverse was removed and the design on the reverse was completely changed.
1886: The first $5 Silver Certificate was issued with a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant on the obverse and five Morgan silver dollars on the reverse.
1890: Five-dollar Treasury or "Coin Notes" were issued and given for government purchases of silver bullion from the silver mining industry. The reverse featured an ornate design that occupied almost the entire note.
1891: The reverse of the 1890 Treasury Note was redesigned because the treasury felt that it was too "busy" which would make it too easy to counterfeit.
1891: The reverse of the 1886 Silver Certificate was revised; the 5 Morgan silver dollars were removed.
1896: The famous "Educational Series" Silver Certificate was issued. The entire obverse was covered with artwork representing electricity and the reverse featured portraits of Ulysses Grant and Phillip Sheridan.
1899: A new $5 silver certificate with a portrait of Running Antelope on the face was issued.

1923 $5 "porthole" silver certificate
1914: The first $5 Federal Reserve Note was issued with a portrait of Lincoln on the obverse and vignettes of Columbus sighting land and the Pilgrim's landing on the reverse. The note initially had a red treasury seal and serial numbers; however, they were changed to blue.
1915: Federal Reserve Bank Notes (not to be confused with Federal Reserve Notes) were issued by 5 Federal Reserve Banks. The obverse was similar to the 1914 Federal Reserve Notes, except for large wording in the middle of the bill and a portrait with no border on the left side of the bill. Each note was an obligation of the issuing bank and could only be redeemed at the corresponding bank.
1918: The 1915 Federal Reserve Bank Note was re-issued under series 1918 by 11 Federal Reserve banks.
1923: The $5 silver certificate was redesigned; it was nicknamed a "porthole" note due to the circular wording of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around Lincoln's portrait. The reverse featured the Great Seal of the United States.

[edit]Small size note history

(6.14 × 2.61 in ≅ 156 × 66 mm)

1929: Under Series of 1928, all small-sized notes carried a standardized design. All $5 bills would feature a portrait of Lincoln, the same border design on theobverse, and the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. The $5 bill was issued as a United States Note with a red seal and serial numbers and as a Federal Reserve Note with a green seal and serial numbers.

The front side of a US $5 Series 1928F

1933: As an emergency response to the Great Depression, additional money was pumped into the American economy through Federal Reserve Bank Notes. This was the only small-sized $5 bill that had a different border design. The serial numbers and seal on it were brown
1934: The redeemable in gold clause was removed from Federal Reserve Notes due to the U.S. withdrawing from thegold standard.
1934: The first $5 Silver Certificates were issued with a blue seal and serial numbers along with a blue numeral 5 on the left side of the obverse.

The front side of a US $5 Hawaii Emergency Note

1942: Special World War II currency was issued. HAWAII was overprinted on the front and back of the $5 Federal Reserve Note; the serial numbers, and seal, were changed to brown from green. This was done so that the currency could be declared worthless if there was a Japanese invasion. A $5 silver certificate was printed with a yellow instead of blue treasury seal; these notes were for U.S. troops in North Africa. These notes, too, could be declared worthless if seized by the enemy.
1950: Many minor aspects on the obverse of the $5 Federal Reserve Note were changed. Most noticeably, the treasury seal, gray word FIVE, and the Federal Reserve Seal were made smaller; also, the Federal Reserve seal had spikes added around it.

Series 1963 $5 United States Note. Urban legend erroneously holds that the red seal from that year onward was done in mourning of the Kennedy assassination

1953: New $5 United States Notes and Silver Certificates were issued with a gray numeral 5 on the left side of the bill and the gray word FIVE with a blue seal imprinted over it on the right and blue serial numbers.
1963: Both the $5 United States Note and Federal Reserve Note were revised with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST added to the reverse and WILL PAY TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND removed from the obverse. Also, the obligation on the Federal Reserve Note was changed to its current wording, THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
1967: Production of the $5 United States Note ends.
1969: The $5 bill began using the new treasury seal with wording in English instead of Latin.
1993: The first new-age anti-counterfeiting measures were introduced with microscopic printing around Lincoln's portrait and a plastic security strip on the left side of the bill.
May 24, 2000: To combat evolving counterfeiting, a new $5 bill was issued under series 1999 whose design was similar in style to the $100, $50, $20, and $10 bills that had all undergone previous design changes. The $5 bill, however, does not feature color-shifting ink like all the other denominations.
June 28, 2006: The BEP announced plans to redesign the $5 note, likely with similar features as newer $10, $20, and $50 notes.
September 20, 2007: The BEP revealed the redesigned $5 note to the public.
March 13, 2008: The redesigned $5 note enters circulation.
May 2011: The 2009 Series Rios/Geithner Next Printing $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 All Dollar Bill.

[edit]Reverse side

The reverse of the five-dollar bill has two rectangular strips that are blanked out when viewed in the infrared spectrum, as seen in this image taken by an infrared camera

The back of the five-dollar bill features sections of the bill that are blanked out when viewed in the infrared spectrum.

[edit]References

^ "Money Facts". Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
^ About the new $5 bill

Wilhite, Robert (1998). Standard Catalog of United States Paper Money (17th ed). Krause Pubns Inc. ISBN 0873416538.
Hudgeons, Thomas (2005). The Official Blackbook Price Guide to U.S. Paper Money 2006, Edition #38. House of Collectibles.ISBN 1400048451.
Friedberg, Arthur; Ira Friedberg, David Bowers (2005). A Guide Book Of United States Paper Money: Complete Source for History, Grading, and Prices (Official Red Book). Whitman Publishing. ISBN 0794817866.
Honest Abe to Get Makeover on $5 Bill (AP via Federal News Radio)

[hide]v · d · eUnited States currency and coinage

Topics	Federal Reserve System · Federal Reserve Note · U.S. dollar · U.S. Mint · Bureau of Engraving and Printing · Mutilated currency

Current coinage	Cent (1¢) · Nickel (5¢) · Dime (10¢) · Quarter (25¢) · Half dollar (50¢) · Dollar ($1)

Bullion coinage	America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins · American Buffalo · American Gold Eagle · American Platinum Eagle · American Silver Eagle

Paper money	$1 · $2 · $5 · $10 · $20 · $50 · $100 · Larger denominations

See also	Bicentennial coinage · Commemoratives · Early Commemoratives · Modern Commemoratives · Confederate dollar · Fake denominations ·Obsolete denominations · Mill · Coin production · In God We Trust · E pluribus unum · Nicknames

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Posted via email from SGB Media Group

Your Email To-Do List For 2012

2011-11-17T22:20:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year for articles predicting marketing trends for 2012. For this column, however, I'm taking a different approach and outlining several tactics that should be on your 2012 to-do list.

Some of these are tactics that will help you keep up with your competitors, while others could move you ahead of the pack. All are designed to help you deliver a more effective email program -- and, ultimately, achieve your business goals.

List Growth/Data Capture

Investigate new options and channels that help you acquire more new subscribers and associated data you can use to fine-tune your messages, such as the following:

o Location-based opt-ins using social programs like Foursquare, in-store tablets or kiosks and QR codes on store signage.

o Opting in via SMS text message.

o Social sign-in (subscribers opt in quickly via a social network without filling out innumerable data fields).

o Progressive forms that gather data gradually over a series of prompting emails.

o Optimized preference centers that enable more sophisticated targeting based on demographics and interests.

Cloud Computing Report

2011-11-17T20:18:00.001-08:00

Ast 0009209 google-apps_-_potential_value_cb_si_final

View more documents from SGB Media Group.

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

The Kolbe Corp. - Phoenix, AZ

2011-11-17T08:07:00.001-08:00

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

Facebook Ads vs Linked in Ads Part II

2011-11-14T11:50:00.001-08:00

Well the stats are coming in from my Facebook vs LinkedIn Ads test. Results are pretty bleak. Here is the report from Facebook.

Your Ad's Performance Summary

SGB Media Group, LLC

SGB Media Group is a social media marketing & public relations firm specializing in niche social networks & performance marketing.

Impressions:	11,345
Clicks:	1
CTR:	0.009%
CPM:	$0.11
Spent:	$1.25
Campaign:	SGB Media

Running more than one ad allows you to test different ad copy, images, and targeting and determine which ads are performing best.

» Create additional ads

Recommendations for You

To learn more about budgeting, targeting and other campaign best practices, visit our Guide to Facebook Ads.

Thanks again for using Facebook Ads.

Sincerely,

The Facebook Ads Team

Posted via email from SGB Media Group

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Pinnacle Cart

Hell yeah you can have a fin Jimmy Wales

United States five-dollar bill

Contents

[edit]The redesigned $5 bill

[edit]Design features

[edit]Additional design elements

[edit]Other features

[edit]More Information

[edit]Large size note history

[edit]Small size note history

[edit]Reverse side

[edit]References

Your Email To-Do List For 2012

Cloud Computing Report

The Kolbe Corp. - Phoenix, AZ

Facebook Ads vs Linked in Ads Part II