Tag: web 2.0

Understanding Web 2.o

Does the NHL get a Hat trick?

Posted on by admin

NHL is having a Tweet Up?

Twitter

Whats that you ask?  Well, Twitter is coming to town.   Well, not completely..  But with the start of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs , the NHL is stepping it up and taking it to the next level…. web 2.0!

The National Hockey League hosted what it believed to be the first ever nationwide “Tweetup” in professional sports on April 15th,  done in conjunction with the first game of the playoffs.  Coverage included 21 cities in the US and Canada.  One blogger stated, “The parties were planned in part to drive community excitement for the playoffs and part to create some buzz around thePORTAL, which is a redesign of sorts of the official NHL site to better showcase playoff content.”

Cities included were:  Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Montreal, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Regina (Sask.), San Jose, St. John (NB), Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC.

NHLNHL spokesman Mike DiLorenzo said, ““My expectation is that people will really, really enjoy this.”  He continued to say, ““We’re doing this for all the right reasons. We have a very tech savvy fan base that loves Twitter so we’re overlaying that with their love for the NHL. My hope is they come away from this saying the NHL is really cool to start the NHL playoffs this way. Down the road we’ll figure out other ways we can leverage this from a business perspective.”

For those not familiar with the term “tweet-up,” it essentially means a party made up of Twitter users. The host cities took it even further and scheduled giveaways, and prizes if you attended, including autographed items from your favorite NHL players.   Most had backing from radio station personalities and other news outlets.

Want more information?  Visit the official NHL Tweet-Up.

Kimberly Veautour

What is Linkedin? Why should you use it?

Posted on by Matt Ward

www.linkedin.com is a social networking site for business people. Lately everyone seems to be flocking to LinkedIn to get a free account and network online with other business professionals. I can honestly tell you that 18 months ago, I wasn’t a believer, but I am here to say today that not only am I a believer, but I am quickly becoming a professor to our clients about how to effectively use it. While I am by no means an expert yet, I find something new each and every day that I use it, and I pass along those ideas to our clients.

How can you benefit from LinkedIn?
First get the free profile setup, complete the profile and begin searching for your contacts. Linkedin has a cool tool for importing your outlook contacts to easily connect with you. It’s rather quick and quite painless to do this.

Networking for a new job…
Many people use linkedin.com to search for new job opportunities. As the economy continues to struggle, people are always looking for a leg up on the competition when it comes to finding new jobs and opportunities.

Recommendations….
Recommendations are just that, references and testimonials from people that trust you. Consider using this feature to market yourself or your company during your sales process to show that you have built trustworthy relationships with partners, vendors, and customers.

The LinkedIn Badge….
LinkedIn Badge Many people are not aware that you can add this badge to your website and link it to your profile on LinkedIn. It’s quite simple to do and shows visitors to your site that you can be reached on LinkedIn as well. That may not mean much to you, however if you get someone who believes in LinkedIn on your site then this might assist them in making the decision to call you and I surely believe that they will visit your profile to check your recommendations.

Adding LinkedIn to your signature…
If you add your Linkedin Profile address to your signature, you can point people to your profile in a quick and efficient manner.

The much missed “Status”….
Status is similar to other social networking sites, however the great thing about the Linkedin status is that people will receive email updates either daily or weekly and that will put your name and status message into people’s mailbox. In addition, the status shows on the home page of your contacts when they log into linkedin.com.

Top 10 Google Applications and Uses

Posted on by admin

Google seems to have their hand in everything, and rightfully so.  They happen to be one of the few that have the Midas touch.   ( In Greek mythology King Midas possessed the ability to turn everything he touched to gold.)  To say that Google has the ability to do the same is an understatement.  What makes Google so different?  Its not the ability to develop applications that makes them have the golden touch, its the ability to do it right… or as close to right as possible.   Now that doesn’t mean that Google applications have had their share of problems and bugs.  All applications have their share of problems and bugs.  Usually after the first round of testing you have a laundry list of issues, and each testing phase brings less.   Not to mention, usually at some point the developers think of a “better” way for something to react.   What google does better than anyone else is project what technology is needed , when it is needed and how it is needed to interact with all other Google applications.   This is what makes Google King Midas.

I have tried to compile a useful list of Google top applications and uses.  I use most of these myself in one way or another, and find them to be not only addictive but as needed and as useful as my smart phone.

Google Application 1.) Gmail has to be one of the Internets top email tools.  Now because of its inventive message-organizing methods, it takes some getting used to, but once you master it, you will not be without it.

Google Application 2.) Do you need a chat program with no added features?  Maybe a way to communicate internally at your comapny. How about something that integrates with your Gmail?  Well Google Talk is for you!

Google Application 3.)  Google Calendar!  How about… yes… just yes!  Google Calendar enables you to manage appointments and discover events from other sources that different users have made public.

Google Application 4.) Ever wish you could crunch some numbers and and track some information when you were not at the office and able to access Excel?  How about Google Docs…. Google Docs lets you make calculations on the fly from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection and a browser.

Google Application 5.) Google Sketchup.  Way Cool Application!  Don’t know a thing about CAD?  Have no clue what CAD even is?  Well, Google Sketch lets you build your dream house in 3D detail without a lick of CAD or architectural expertise.

Google Application 6.) Google Reader continuously checks your favorite website for new content and puts it all in one place.

Google Application 7.) Google Secondary Search Engines:

A.) Google Scholar – This Google search engine is for people who want to search scholarly literature, such as academic articles, peer-reviewed papers.

B.) Google U.S. Government – You can use this search engine to limit your Google search to government websites.

C.) Google University Search – Search to a specific university website–great for finding information about admissions, school scholarships and alumni news.

D.) Google Product Search –  This search engine limits results to products and e-commerce sites.

E.) Google Book Search – Google has created a reference page for each book in its system that includes previews, reviews, publisher information and much more.

Google Application 8.) Now even though this is cool.  I am very cautous and have not used it myself…Google Health.  Organize your medical records online.

Google Application 9.) Google Custom Search.  Yes, I said Custom Search.With Custom Search Engine, you can harness the power of Google to create a search engine tailored to your needs.

Google Application 10.) Lastly, but not in any way the least, announcing Google Mobile! Stay connected on the go with Gmail, Search, Maps and other Google products.

Try them out.  I will be shocked if you are disappointed.

-Kimberly Veautour

Does a Blog Add Search Engine Benefits to My Web Site?

Posted on by admin

Yes! Yes! and Yes! Blogs use web site content management systems with added functionality such as comments, pictures, and RSS feeds. When you optimize a web site with constantly changing or updated content and that document gets indexed, categorized and ranked by a search engines it adds Search Engine Benefits.

Things to remember when blogging?

1. Categories’ Make sure you use categories to establish themes, and structure your posts in those themes. If you can make it easier for search engines to understand your content, you have a better chance of ranking well.
2. Search Engine Friendly URL’s Make it easy for search engine spiders to find and crawl blog content.
3. New Content – Both readers and search engines demand new content. From a search engine perspective, the more often you add content… the more the blog is searched by search engine spiders, the more you show up in search engine results. New content will also give the impression of a more authoritative web site, and your client will value the ‘expert” advice you share. A very fast way to use a blog is to integrate it directly on the home page of your website as events, news or tips section.

20 quick blog ideas to get you started:

1. Write a tutorial! Give your clients the one up on everyone else.
2. Post about current events that pertain to your business, geographical area, or industry.
3. Review your statistics to see what keywords referred your visitors to your site and post about those.
4. Write a series of posts. (Example: Take on a large but important topic that your clients would value your input and break it down into sections, with multiple posts.)
5. Update old posts with new ideas.
6. Post about frequently asked questions in your industry.
7. Combine some of your best posts from previous blogs into a new series.
8. Invite your readers to a social network you use. (This will also help with your networking.)
9. Introduce a new industry trend, and become the expert in that area to your clients.
10. Celebrate your achievements.
11. Blog an event.
12. Write a review.
13. Write a case study.
14. Write your biography.
15. Share the newest and greatest thing you found on the web.
16. Write a glossary of terms used in your industry.
17. Do a slide show that explains a new idea or technique.
18. Take ideas from another industry, and explain how it would work in yours.
19. Read other blogs to see what’s new and hot!
20. Write a blog on blogging. Use it to list new blog ideas for your clients 🙂

I hope this helps you to get started blogging! Remember your website gives back to you, the effort you put into it.

-Kimberly Veautour