Posts tagged Doing
The Internet May Not Be Doing Our Brains Much Good [Video]
May 8th
Working on the Internet every day, you start to have certain suspicions about how it affects the way you think and process information. Turns out, there’s something to that.
Readers of Nicholas Carr’s 2010 book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains will certainly confirm this. While the Internet is a fantastic tool to conduct business and communicate with friends and colleagues, the constant distractions can and do have an interruptive effect on how we think and learn.
The animation team at Epipheo Studios recently interviewed Carr and put together a video on the topics expressed in The Shallows. It is presented to you here, somewhat ironically, as one of those distractions that the Internet can present you during the course of the day.
Pick a time to watch it on your own schedule, and then think about ways in which you can start unplugging a bit more in your busy online life. You may not buy into this, but we can share one thing with you: every writer who has written for our Pause series of stories has reported a reduction of stress or some other calming effect.
Taking time for yourself to just think and be is not only relaxing, it may help avoid the dinosaurs and sharks in your life.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
View full post on ReadWrite
Relax, The Search Industry Is Doing Just Fine
May 2nd
For enterprise SEM practitioners looking to set budgets or otherwise anticipate their needs in the space for the months and years ahead, it’s been a particularly difficult time to get a read on how the industry is really trending. Conflicting data and opinions abound; new threats to the…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
View full post on Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
5 ways you’re already doing SEO – iMedia Connection
May 1st
 iMedia Connection |
5 ways you're already doing SEO
iMedia Connection When marketers think of SEO, they tend to think of it as its own channel with its own team. While that isn't untrue, the process of search engine optimization is something that can also happen in your everyday marketing activities. Why? Because by … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
17 Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Websites
Apr 15th
We see dozens of guides and tutorials on how we should make our websites better to rank, convert, and perform. On the other hand, there’s so much wrong-doing, it can be easier for you to STOP doing some things to get better results with your online presence. Below I’ve outlined the 17 most popular “sins” I’ve identified on my [...]
Author information
The post 17 Things You Should Stop Doing to Your Websites appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
View full post on Search Engine Journal
6 Things Online Marketers Are Doing Right!
Mar 15th
Give yourself a pat on the back if your team is doing these things because it means you’re doing a really good job with your online marketing strategy. You’re destined to see some really great things happen in the long run if you stay vigilant.
View full post on Search Engine Watch – Latest
SEO Noooo! (Or, what’s my ad doing with that mug shot?) – Daily Record (subscription)
Mar 12th
 Daily Record (subscription) |
SEO Noooo! (Or, what's my ad doing with that mug shot?)
Daily Record (subscription) SEO Noooo! (Or, what's my ad doing with that mug shot?) By: Barbara Grzincic. If you're advertising online, search-engine optimization is an art, a science, a necessity — and a trap waiting to spring on the unsuspecting. If you doubt it, just ask … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
Oh Yeon Seo updates fans on how she’s doing – allkpop (blog)
Mar 7th
|
Oh Yeon Seo updates fans on how she's doing
allkpop (blog) Actress Oh Yeon Seo has been keeping it low-key these days following her 'divorce' with on-screen husband MBLAQ's Lee Joon on MBC's 'We Got Married'. She recently updated fans on how she's doing these days. Oh Yeon Seo shared on her me2day on … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
Oh Yeon Seo’s Whereabouts Revealed, ‘What has she been Doing?’ – KpopStarz
Feb 13th
 KpopStarz |
Oh Yeon Seo's Whereabouts Revealed, 'What has she been Doing?'
KpopStarz On Monday, she wrote on her me2day, "It's been awhile hasn't it? Happy New Year! I hope everyone is always happy," along with a picture. In the picture, she is wearing a hooded jacket and posing for the camera. Her thinner appearance gained attention … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
How 5 Years Of Doing The Right Things Can Be Undone In 9 Months Of Doing Nothing
Feb 12th
We’ve all seen those one-and-done link building campaigns. Maybe even some of us have had clients push for them. They never work. It’s like Matthew McConaughey’s abs. Do you really believe that he only goes to the gym for a two-month stint to maintain those perfect pectorals? Doubtful. Why do…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
View full post on Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Why Microsoft’s Earnings Report Doesn’t Reveal How Windows 8 Is Doing
Jan 25th
Microsoft reported an unexpected boost in both profits and revenue within its Windows division for the fourth quarter, and yet little of that had to do with real demand for Windows 8.
Well, possibly. Or maybe not. Or perhaps we’re completely wrong.
(See Microsoft Earnings Surprise: Windows Soars, While Office Stuggles.)
That’s because Microsoft revealed very few details about the success or failure of Windows 8 in its quarterly earnings call on Thursday afternoon, and what little company executives divulged had already been disclosed. Yes, we know that Microsoft has sold more than 60 million Windows 8 licenses to date. Big deal. Windows marketing chief Tami Reller said as much earlier this month.
The big statement from Peter Klein, Microsoft’s chief financial officer, on Windows 8 simply reiterated what most Microsoft followers already knew:
“With the launch in October, we collectively took the first of many steps in changing the way people use technology at work and at play,” Klein said. “Since then, the number of Windows 8 certified systems has nearly doubled, the number of apps in the Windows store has quadrupled, and Windows users have downloaded over 100 million apps. To date, we have sold over 60 million licenses of Windows 8. Our partners, including OEM hardware manufacturers, app developers, and retailers, have worked hard to get us to where we are today. It’s early days and an ambitious endeavor like this takes time. Together with our partners, we remain focused on fully delivering the promise of Windows 8.”
Why Windows Won
Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live revenue grew 24% to $5.88 billion, while the division’s profits grew 14% to $3.3 billion. Why? Three reasons, according to Klein, were responsible for the bulk of the revenue increase:
- Retail upgrades.
- Surface sales.
- Multi-year license agreements struck with enterprises.
Some, like ex-Microsoft analyst Matt Rosoff, suspected that the bulk of the Windows division’s sudden boost in revenues was money that had been deferred from pre-sales of Windows 8 before the launch. Subtract that, and the 24% increase drops to 11%. According to Microsoft, sales to equipment makers outpaced the x86 PC market – no surprise there, given that the third-quarter PC market dropped.
Probably the most important news is that enterprise volume license sales - multi-year license deals that are typically signed for three years - were up “double digits” Klein said. (We don’t know, however, if they were for Windows 7 or Windows 8.) More than 60% of all corporate PCs currently run Windows 7, which is an indication of strong enterprise support.
Unfortunately, Microsoft said virtually nothing about its Surface tablet, including sales figures. And how many consumers took advantage of the cheap $39.99 Windows 7-to-8 upgrade, or the $19.99 upgrade for those who bought a new PC before Windows 8 was released? We may never know.
“The Microsoft financials show that they did indeed profit well from the work they did on Windows 8,” Patrick Moorhead, principal with Moor Insights, said in an email. “Unfortunately their [manufacturing partners] can’t say the same. The fact is, the jury is still out on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 and Microsoft has a long way to go to show that both operating systems are strategically a success.”
We Know Nothink
What else did we learn that we already knew? For one thing, we know that Klein is a master at dodging questions. Give credit to Walter Pritchard of Citigroup, who asked one of the more adroit questions: In the months following the Windows 8 launch, what has Microsoft learned about the importance of price (in terms of the Surface tablet, we presume) in terms of driving sales, and will Microsoft eventually lower prices?
Mr. Klein?
“We learned a lot… about the price points customers are looking for from their devices,” Klein returned. “We saw some really great demand for touch devices for the market. In some cases we didn’t have the supply we needed to satisfy that demand. I think from a price point we learned what we always suspected: there’s segmentation and differentiation. One of the powers of the Windows ecosystem is obviously, a variety of devices and form factors and experiences at a variety of price points. And I think we learned from experience that that continues to be important, and as I said we continue to work closely with our chip partners as well as OEMs to bring the right mix of devices, which to your point, mean the right set of touch devices at the right price point of the unique needs of the individual. I think we learned a lot about that and one of the things you’ll see is a greater variety of devices at a bigger variety of price points to meet the different needs of consumers.”
Stop. The. Presses.
Unfortunately, the only Microsoft exec that can actually be goaded into something resembling an answer wasn’t on the call. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer was absent (“he pulled a Sinofsky!” one friend quipped) but made an appearance via press release:
“Our big, bold ambition to reimagine Windows as well as launch Surface and Windows Phone 8 has sparked growing enthusiasm with our customers and unprecedented opportunity and creativity with our partners and developers. With new Windows devices, including Surface Pro, and the new Office on the horizon, we’ll continue to drive excitement for the Windows ecosystem…”
What We Do Know
Microsoft did provide some additional… well, they weren’t “facts,” exactly.
- Sales of Windows Phones are up four times compared to last year, whatever that figure was.
- Online ad revenue grew 15% (although the Online Division lost money, again: $283 million)
- If one factored out $788 million of deferred Office upgrade revenue, Microsoft’s Business Division grew revenues by 3%.
- Deferring $380 million in video game revenue (for add-on packs and the like) meant that Entertainment revenue was down only 2%, not 11%.
- The Windows upgrade offer expires at the end of February, when Microsoft will recongnize $1.1 billion in revenue – giving a nice little boost to Microsoft’s third fiscal quarter Windows revenues, too.
According to Klein, Microsoft is positioned for growth across a “massive” market, from tablets to laptops, to ultrabooks and all-in-ones.
OK, we know the potential is there. Microsoft has been saying that for months. So what’s going on now?
View full post on ReadWrite
