Posts tagged Over
Pittsburgh SEO Company Releases 3 Client Case Studies, Each Showing Over 100 … – PR Web (press release)
Feb 9th
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Pittsburgh SEO Company Releases 3 Client Case Studies, Each Showing Over 100 …
PR Web (press release) Pittsburgh SEO Company, Prodigal Solutions (http://prodigalsolutions.com), released 3 SEO case studies, each showing over 100% increase in organic search traffic for their clients. Pittsburgh SEO Company, Prodigal Solutions … |
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10 Ways to Win Over Writers
Feb 8th
As a PR person, product developer, CEO or whatever, you’re probably more interested in getting noticed by the media than developing a relationship with a particular writer.
That’s one way to go about it.
Then there’s that old-fashioned “building a relationship with a real person not a robot” idea. You know, treating people like people and taking the time to get to know them. Oh right, yeah, forgot about that.
Writers, like artists, are sensitive to ideas and people. But not every writer will get you or your product – and in the tech world as in any world, each writer has their own specialization. If the match is right, I guarantee they will want to get to know you and your ideas.
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Let me relate a true story: One time I was so enchanted by someone who I once wrote about that I traveled 10 hours (on a Megabus, no less) to visit this person’s hometown (Kansas City, Missouri, a town I would not normally have any interest in) to learn about her and the art community there. This was back when I covered visual art in Chicago and parts of the Midwest. This person not only became a friend, she also eventually became a creative collaborator and someone who I still reference quite often. I ended up returning to Kansas City a few more times to write about other artists I met through her.
Of course, these types of connections don’t happen everyday – but they do happen, and they are special. Meanwhile, there are a few things that you can do before just blindly spamming inboxes and acting like you’re TOTALLY BESTIES with someone whose byline you barely know. So come along, let’s learn together. You are the reason I’m writing, after all. 
Before you zero in on the writer of your choice, here are a few questions to consider:
- Do you like the way the writer writes?
- Does the writer actually cover stories the way you think they should be covered?
- Would the writer care about your product, based on what they have covered in the past, what they are currently covering and what they’re tweeting about?
- Is your idea or product gender-specific? If so, is the writer the right gender to cover your story?
- Are you prepared to answer questions if you get pummeled? Can you stand up for yourself and your product? Or will you hide behind your computer screen and just refer to boring press release language?
If you feel prepared to do all of these things and more, then let’s get into the 10 ways to win over a writer. Many of these tips are about not doing anything at all.
- Don’t Send Press Releases. Most writers hate press releases because they don’t tell a story – they just summarize the qualities of a product. The quotes are sterile and boring, and always emphasize the glossiness of the product. If you can’t explain the product in three awesome sentences, it’s too complicated. Keep it simple. Make everyones’ lives easier.
- Do Send Blog Posts. I know you really want to send a press release. Do yourself a favor and hire someone who can distill marketing jargon into fun, playful language for a blog post. Give it some personality. Try even putting your own personality into the blog post. If you are an asshole, own it. If you are a really prissy girl, own it. I’d rather read a blog post from The Valley Girl or some super nerdy tech dude who has a passion for plug-ins than some cold, lifeless marketing type.
- Find the Writer on Twitter. On a good day, I only check Twitter a few times. On a bad day, I’ll be on Twitter hunting around for stories, ideas and weird people. Find me on Twitter (@aliciaeler) and tell me why your idea is awesome. Do not send me a link to a press release. Send me a fast, easy blog post. Tell me about this app you’ve made that is going to probably take over the world and get me invited to Katy Perry’s house. Tell me why I can’t live without this app. And do it all in 140 words or less. Do not DM me, though. I will bite your head off.
- Show That You Actually Follow the Writer’s Work. Try reading at least 10 of the writer’s stories, and then go a step further than just “I like your so-and-so piece on cats with dandruff problems.” Tell me why you liked the story. What did it make you feel? Did it remind you of an idea you had the other day? Did it make you cry? Did it make you want to throw your cat in the blender? Seriously, throw me a bone, or some catnip, or both. My only goal as a writer is to make you think a little bit more deeply about something. If I can’t do that, than I have failed and you should tell me in the comments below.
- Live in the Writer’s World. A good writer is able to cultivate a niche, a culture all their own. You read their work enough and you feel like you’re inside their head. If you can’t get inside their head, or it feels like a weird, uncomfortable space that you feel like you shouldn’t be in or even near, then trust your instincts and do not pitch that writer.
- Make Your Videos 2 Minutes or Less. Everyone is trying to make an awesome video about their product. If you make one, include a one-paragraph intro and then boom! Drop in that video! If you can’t easily transition from text to video, the writer may not be interested in even clicking to watch. So, make it easy. Make it fun. And make sure the writer knows that there is no pressure to write anything. Do not end your emails with annoying nudges like “I hope you know that I really want RWW coverage! Can you tell?” Yes, I can tell, and it makes me feel sad. At the end of the day, often times it’s those nice, succinct pitches that result in some friendly back and forth but no coverage that keep me interested and curious to learn more later. Don’t expect first prize right off the bat. Sometimes it’s better not to win.
- Don’t Act Like We Already Know Each Other. OMG do not send emails saying “hey, just confirming that we’re on for that 2:00 p.m. appointment” that I never agreed to or even knew about. If it is an honest mistake, fine. But I know how you do, k? That is a lame sales tactic and makes me never want to know you or your product, or to speak to you at all.
- Don’t Tell Me About Your Day or Your Sick Kid, Puppy or Kitty. I truly love babies, children, cats and dogs. But I do not need to read your excuses about why you are emailing me now rather than later because you had to take your kid to the vet, or your dog to school. I honestly do not want to know anything about your personal life unless it is relevant to the story you’re pitching me, or you are a truly amazing and interesting creative person whose life involves inventing new species of dogs and cats. If you do not fit into any of those categories, please just stick to the ideas you’re pitching.
- Think of This Like Dating. If you live in the same city, why not court the writer a bit? Just like dating, you don’t just show up in someone’s life and say “Hey, I am for sure the hottest person here and it is obvious that we are meant to be. You want summa this?” Um, no I do not. Why not try being friendly, open and honest? Show me, don’t tell me or flash me. I will listen. If you choose to inquire about me, be genuine. I know this is a business relationship and all, but seriously – it is still a relationship, and should be a respectful one at that. Ask me what I am working on. Then ask me to lunch. I might take you up on it.
- Don’t Take it Personally If I Don’t Respond. We are all busy people with busy lives. If I do not respond, don’t be sad. But don’t follow-up more than three times. Sometimes third time’s the charm. But fourth, fifth, six time is just plain pathetic.
If you’re looking for more ways to pitch ReadWriteWeb writers, check out these stories:
Ten Biggest PR Blunders of 2011 by David Strom, Marshall Kirkpatrick’s Five Wrong Ways to Pitch RWW and One Great Way
and PR for Developers 101: How to Bootstrap Project Coverage by Joe Brockmeier.
Do you have any tips for courting writers? Share them in the comments below. Thanks!
View full post on ReadWriteWeb
New Reuters Site Turns News Decisions Over To Social Media
Feb 2nd
News agency Reuters launched a Social Pulse, which it describes as a “social media hub” that will display “the most talked-about news, companies and influencers across the Web.”
The site is unique in the news-curating space in that it uses trends from the Twitter accounts Reuters and its journalists follow to arrange headlines: in effect, the news agency is automating editing and story selection and putting it in the hands of “everyone from Nouriel Roubini and Jenna Wortham to John McCain and Rachel Sterne.”
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Social Pulse has a business bent – one key section is where Reuters has posted with Klout to track what the “50 most social CEOs” are reading and commenting on. Other features include WiseWindow, a stock sentiment model for companies, showing whether social media sentiment is leaning toward favorable or unfavorable opinions, according to a blog post announcing the new site.
News organizations have increasingly warmed toward social media in the past several years. New York Times reporters like Brian Stelter and David Carr routinely tweet about stories they are covering and offer commentary to reactions about their reporting. Small and large outlets have used live-tweeted breaking news events and press conferences.
But the Reuters effort appears to be a major step forward in using social media to shape the news cycle. Presumably, story selection for the main news page will remain in the hands of Reuters editors.
The difference between that page and Social Pulse earlier this morning show that what Reuters editors think is important (Facebook IPO, Jobless Claims Fall and a story about the Federal Reserve, among others) is not necessarily in line with what’s getting traffic on Social Pulse, which was topped by a story about a drop in Iranian currency, an increase in planned layoffs last month and a feature on Swiss watch sales.
Of the three articles at the top of Social Pulse, only one – the story about layoffs – was a Reuters story.
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Case Over Who Owns Ex-Employee’s Twitter Followers Moves Forward
Feb 1st
San Francisco-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James will allow a case by a company arguing that a Twitter list created by an ex-employee is its property to proceed.
PhoneDog LLC, which reviews mobile phones and other tech products, is claiming that former employee Noah Kravitz owes it $340,000, or $2.50 for each Twitter follower he kept by switching the name of his Twitter account after he stopped working for PhoneDog. James denied a motion to dismiss by Kravitz on Monday in a case that is being closely watched by companies that have employees develop social media platforms as part of their jobs.
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The case, however, may not be the precendent-setting lawsuit employers and employees are hoping for. As reported last month, the case is fact specific, meaning it will be judged on its individual merits and similar situations at other companies may have different facts and, therefore, different outcomes.
“This case is another example of the application of relatively old legal rules applied to new technology,” Bill Nolan, an attorney with Barnes & Thornburg LLP, said in January. “It’s the 2011 version of the salesperson taking the Rolodex when he/she leaves the company.”
Kravitz started the @Phonedog_Noah Twitter account while he was tweeting and writing for the online publication. When he left the company in October 2010 he changed the account’s handle to @noahkravitz and retained the more than 17,000 followers he had amassed while working for PhoneDog.
“The Court’s decision yesterday [Monday] in effect means that PhoneDog has met the minimum requirements to survive a motion seeking to throw PhoneDog’s claims out of court, but it was not a decision as to whether or not PhoneDog is entitled to the relief it seeks,” Cary Kletter, Kravit’z attorney, said in a staement. “Ultimately PhoneDog will be unable to prove its allegations against Mr. Kravitz, and Mr. Kravitz will prevail.”
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Oneupweb : Is Google Encrypted Search Pulling the Wool Over Your Eyes? – StraightUpSearch
Feb 1st
 StraightUpSearch |
Oneupweb : Is Google Encrypted Search Pulling the Wool Over Your Eyes?
StraightUpSearch Although this all certainly has an effect on SEO, we still don't know how much. Even with the major inconvenience being the loss of some data within our ROI Trax analytics, we still continue producing amazing results for our clients with the same SEO … Google's New Privacy Policy: What's the Big Deal? |
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Google Fires Kenya Lead Over Mocality
Jan 30th
Google has reportedly fired its Kenya country manager, Olga Arara-Kimani, over a fraudulent use of Mocality’s data. Nairobitech reported:
“The Google Mocality saga has drawn its first casualties. Kenya country lead for Google, Olga Arara-Kimani formerly of Safaricom has been let go by the company. Also axed is a technical guy in Zurich… It is not clear how Olga was picked for the fall but as one observer noted, sometimes a sacrificial lamb has to be found for the brand name to weather the storm.”
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Nelson Mattos, who had earlier made a statement expressing the company’s mortification over the situation, released a bland, generic statement yesterday.
“We’ve concluded our investigation into the serious allegations about our use of data from Mocality’s website in Kenya. We’re very sorry this happened. We’ve taken appropriate action with the people involved and made changes in our operations to ensure this doesn’t occur again.”
A Google global PR representative, who insisted on talking to ReadWriteWeb after our first post on the subject, assured us that we would be given a full rundown of the investigation after it was complete. Last night, we were told Mattos’s post was Google’s only “on-the-record” statement. Not sure, if the comments on Mattos’s Google+ page are representative, that this was the right tack to take.
We’ll let you know if they reverse course and make a further statement, as some African tech blogs are reporting.
Other sources: TechMTAA
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Tablet, E-Reader Ownership Doubled Over Holidays
Jan 28th
After a slowdown in the fall of 2011, the share of adults who owned tablet computers or e-readers nearly doubled over the holidays, according to a new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. 19 percent of U.S. adults now own tablets.
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Driven By iPhone and iPad Growth, Apple Earned Over $46 Billion Last Quarter
Jan 24th
In its quarterly earnings call this afternoon, Apple threw around quite a few very large numbers. For starters, the company brought in $46.3 billion dollars in the last quarter, which was a 73% increase over the previous year. In terms of profit, they netted $13.1 billion, a 118% year-over-year increase and a number that exceeds Google’s entire quarterly revenue, as one observer pointed out.
By far the biggest chunk of revenue came from the iPhone and related products. This isn’t surprising considering the highly successful launch of the iPhone 4S in October, which landed at the same time as iOS 5 and iCloud. The quarter on which Apple was reporting today also included the holiday shopping season, which is always a peak time for smartphones, MP3 players and tablets.
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In total, the company sold 37 million iPhones throughout the quarter, which exceeded those sold in the same time period last year by 128%. Apple CEO Tim Cook cited the “breathtaking” customer reception to the iPhone 4S, as well as the launch of Siri, iOS 5 and improved camera optics.
It also didn’t hurt that in the previous quarter, sales missed expectations due to the fact that so many consumers were holding out for the next iPhone. That device was finally launched during the last quarter, and it was a huge one for Apple. In January, the iPhone 4S began shipping in China and now has a presence in over 90 countries.
iPad: Still Dominant, But What About the Competition?
The next biggest growth area for Apple was the iPad. Taken together, the iPad and iPhone product lines now account for 72% of the company’s quarterly revenue. This is a trend that’s been underway for awhile and the share of revenue generated by the iPad and iPhone just seems to keep growing. The stats speak volumes about the explosive growth of smartphones and tablets in general, two markets that Apple has played a massive role in.
The company pointed to the enterprise and educational institutions as two key sources of growth for the iPad. The latter point is no shock in light of last week’s launch of iBooks 2, iBooks Author and an enhanced iTunes U app. While it was received with mixed reactions, the move marked Apple’s biggest formal foray into the education space, where it intends to use the iPad as a way to deliver interactive digital textbooks to students.
When asked about other players in the tablet space, Cook said that the company doesn’t “really see these limited function tablets, these e-readers, as being in the same category.” In other words, it’s not worried about the Kindle Fire or any other Android-based tablets. The iPad may continue to be overwhelmingly dominant, but we’ll see in a few weeks whether the iPad 3′s features or price point are changing in response to any of the other players on the market.
While less dramatic than its iPad and iPhone results, Apple did see quarterly and year-over-year growth in almost every other category, including Mac desktops and laptops.
The only category that saw a decrease from 2012 was the iPod, although it’s worth noting that iPod sales did increase notably from the prior quarter. Year over year, however, the devices are no longer a huge source of growth for Apple, whose smartphones and tablets include all of the functionality of an iPod, in addition to access to 550,000 apps available in the iTunes App Store. Despite being overshadowed by its more sophisticated siblings, the iPod is still the top-selling MP3 player in many major markets.
At this point, Apple is sitting on a ton of money. The company now boasts $97.6 billion in cash, but Cook declined to comment on how they plan on spending that.
View full post on ReadWriteWeb
Nearly 1 Million People Jailbroke Their iPhone or iPad Over the Weekend
Jan 24th
People sure do love jailbreaking their iOS devices. In fact, after Friday’s launch of the Absinthe A5 tool, jailbreaking iOS 5 on A5-powered devices was almost as popular as the iPhone 4S itself when it first launched.
Nearly 1 million people jailbroke their iPhone 4S or iPad 2 between Friday and Monday, according a blog post from the Chronic-Dev Team, who took the lead in developing the untethered solution for jailbreaking iOS 5 on Apple’s newest gadgets.
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News of Friday’s launch of Absinthe A5 temporarily crashed the greenpois0n site, as it evidently gave hundreds of thousands of users a fun weekend mini-project. The initial tool was only released for Mac OS X, but a Windows version quickly followed over the weekend.
Not surprisingly, the iPhone 4S was the most-jailbroken device with over 491,325 phones broken free from the restrictions of the iTunes App Store. Since iOS 5 came pre-installed on the iPhone 4S, this is the first time its owners could jailbreak the device without tethering it to a computer, which is too cumbersome a process to be considered by most users. The iPad 2 saw n 308,967 new jailbreaks, on top of the 152,940 second generation iPads running iOS 4 that were re-jailbroken. Those users were likely waiting to upgrade to iOS 5 until this solution was available, which is one of the drawbacks of jailbreaking.
Why People Jailbreak
For devotees of the jailbreaking process, the drawbacks are vastly overshadowed by the benefits. Rather than be able to cite a single “killer app” that makes it worth it, most just prefer the general freedom and customizability it offers. That includes the ability to tweak the visual appearance of the device’s UI and run any number of unauthorized apps.
Cydia, the repository of apps for jailbroken iPhones and iPads, contains many applications that would never meet Apple’s approval requirements for inclusion in the official App Store. For some, it’s because of trademark or copyright issues, such as video game emulators or controversial music services like Grooveshark.
Quite often, the apps don’t adhere to Apple’s agreements with the carriers, who would obviously never approve of an app that lets users tether their phone to their laptop and use its data connection without paying extra. With the iPhone 4S, the feature that offers perhaps the most new potential for jailbreakers is Siri, which developers have wasted no time hacking and tinkering with.
As controversial and officially frowned-upon as the whole thing is, many of the experimental features available on jailbroken iOS devices actually end up being included in the next release of the OS. This was true of recording video, which was technically possible on a jailbroken iPhone 3G. Similarly, the overhauled Notification Center found in iOS 5 bears a striking resemblance to the notification system available on jailbroken devices running iOS 4.
Jailbreaking May Not Be Mainstream, But Its Popularity is Growing
As Apple’s gadgets continue to burn through sales records, there also appears to be a growing interest among users in doing more with their phones, much like Android device owners are already accustomed to.
Truth be told, jailbreaking probably isn’t something the average user is going to get into, given the nature of the process, its risks and the tools involved. It’s really something more geared toward tinkerers and those who want more control over what their device can do.
Given the massive number of iOS devices out in the wild, several hundred thousand new jailbreaks doesn’t come anywhere close to a constituting majority of of users. Rather, it’s the pace of the growth that’s interesting to see.
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Online SEO Idol Contest Winner Rakes In Over 100 Million IDR – Daily Markets (press release)
Jan 23rd
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Online SEO Idol Contest Winner Rakes In Over 100 Million IDR
Daily Markets (press release) With Google.com accounting for over 45% of global internet users, according to the latest Alexa.com statistics, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialists and experienced affiliate marketers have become vital to any organic online marketing strategy, … |
View full post on SEO – Google News
