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Archive for the ‘Google’ Category
I Have Opinions – Volume 1
Jeff Pickett | November 14th, 2008
For the purposes of my OpEd columns, I had intended to pretend the 1980s never happened. Take a couple generations of kids with misplaced affinity for a decade in which they were barely cognizant and the highest rate of pretension per capita, and you can make a fairly accurate conjecture about how many ridiculous “Top 5 movies of the 80s” lists have been posted on the internet (a Google search of “top movies of the 80s” yields 544,000 results – really people?). I have nothing against the decade – on the contrary, I’m quite fond of the aesthetic developed during that time – but all the rampantly dogmatic assertions people spout about the period have borne a profound apathy in my outlook. A survey of 80s polls would probably yield very convincing support for the theory of acatalepsia. All that being said, what few strands of idealism still hold my psyche together would not allow me to sit idly by while this esteemed organization basks in the epicly atrocious Top 5 list posted Wednesday. So, I began compiling an alternative Top 5 for those of us who actually watch movies… Before we get to the selections, I need to highlight an often overlooked designation: in these postmodern times, “The 80s” is not only a decade but a genre classification. Accordingly, I’ve selected the “Top 5 80s Films” (genre) as well as the “Top 5 Films of the 80s” (films released between January 1st, 1980 and December 31st, 1989). So, without Continue reading…
Tags: 1980s, Academy Awards, AFI, Ally Sheedy, Amy Heckerling, Anthony Michael Hall, Brazil, Cameron Crow, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Down By Law, Emelio Estevez, Empire Strikes Back, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Film, Forest Whitaker, Full Metal Jacket, George Lucas, Indiana Jones, Jack Nicholson, Jason Patric, Jim Jarmusch, John Hughes, Judd Nelson, Kiefer Sutherland, Martin Scorcese, Molly Ringwald, Mystery Train, Nicolas Cage, North Shore, Pop Culture, Rad, Raging Bull, raiders of the lost ark, Return of the Jedi, Robert DeNiro, Sean Penn, Stanley Kubrick, Star Wars, Stranger Than Paradise, Temple of Doom, Terry Gilliam, The Breakfast Club, The Last Crusade, The Lost Boys, The Shining
Posted in Blogging, Editorial, Google, Random!, Wpromote | 3 Comments
Google Promotes Literacy by Stealing
Amanda Moshier | November 3rd, 2008
It’s a sad day when a mega-company like Google has to resort to stealing in order to get people reading. I commend them. Last week, after three years of litigation, Google announced a $125 million settlement to two class-action copyright infringement lawsuits filed against them in 2005, the first by the Authors Guild, and the second by five major publishing companies representing the American Association of Publishers (AAP). Plaintiffs claim America’s favorite search engine published copyrighted work online without obtaining the rights (see Google Book Search). Since it published only snippets of these works, Google claims its actions were in line with copyright infringement laws, but this proved to be a weak defense. About Google Book Search Launched in 2004, and with the eventual cooperation of over 28 libraries and 20,000 publishers, today Google Book Search publishes digitized snippets and bibliographic information for copyrighted works, previews of works included in their Partner Program, and downloadable full-text versions of works that have fallen out of copyright. Full-text searching of over 7 million books is available with links to purchase (or borrow) online. The $125mil settlement at-a-glance In the end, Google was able to compromise with the publishing industry. The result is an agreement currently under review by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. If approved, the agreement would: Give Google the right to publish out-of-print book, in-copyright books for preview and purchase in the U.S. Make it possible for users to preview, purchase, and in some Continue reading…
BOOgle!
Jeff Pickett | October 31st, 2008
So I’ve officially been given free reign: my bi-weekly blog is clear of all topical restraints. Have I seen any good movies lately? Read any interesting books? Discovered the perfect root beer? Settled the Fante/Bukowski debate once and for all? You, dear readers, will be the first to know! But all this freedom has come as a shock to my Wpromote-conditioned mind. When given the choice to write about anything, I still decided to write about Google! The halloween spirit has captured my attention this week… I’m haunted by the Google homepage! I don’t remember the first time I encountered one of Google’s festive holiday logos, but I know that every one has brought a smile to my face. Today, I decided to delve a little deeper and see what i could find out about those delightfully different designs. A speedy Google search offered a wealth of information (as per usual). Reading about Dennis Hwang was a highlight; he’s the designer behind Google’s festive logos since July 2000, and current head webmaster. I was also guided (Googled?) back to the fantastic database of all past holiday logos! In celebration of All Hallow’s Eve, here are 9 years of Google Halloween logos in all there glory! You can trace their rise through these illustrations, and I heard they’ve hidden the secrets to their success within them… Which one’s your favorite? Save this Post!
Chicken Little Didn’t Have Google: A Look at Search Marketing in a Challenging Economy
Michael Block | October 15th, 2008
by Michael Block Vice President, Client Services Wpromote, Inc. “The sky is falling!” –Chicken Little Generally, when it seems like the world is crashing down around you, in all actuality, it isn’t. The “sky” doesn’t simply “fall” of its own accord. It is important to remember that when Chicken Little was absolutely convinced that the heavens were careening earthward, the situation was no more severe than a simple acorn smacking her on the head as she ate her lunch beneath a tree. We are currently in the midst of one of the most tumultuous economic periods in modern American history. The era of the investment bank has ended, there is an unprecedented credit crunch in the global financial markets, consumer spending is down, home values have been falling and people are universally scared. Last week, the Dow Jones had its biggest weekly drop since 1933. Surely, this is no acorn! No, unfortunately, the current economic situation that is especially worrisome to small business owners is no acorn. However, it is the way that businesses react to these challenges that will determine whether or not the sky will fall on them. The common reaction is often to cut costs; one of the first victims of all the slashing usually being the marketing budget. This, in turn, reduces a business’s presence in the marketplace and sales will likely drop as a result. The short-term gains of cost cutting in this fashion inevitably lead to long-term losses in overall sustainability. It is a Continue reading…
Client Profile – Stein Diamonds
Gina Perry | October 13th, 2008
SteinDiamonds.com is a leader in the wholesale jewelry manufacturing business. They sell Certified Diamonds, Luxury Watches, Earrings & Pendants. Luxury jewelry is considered a difficult product to sell online. Customers usually prefer browsing online and buying in person. Stein Diamonds has broken this barrier. After a few years of search engine marketing Stein Diamonds turned to Wpromote to manage their Pay-Per-Click campaign. Their overall goal and directive with Wpromote was to cut back on inefficient spend across their Google campaign while maintaining a solid conversion rate. Over the past seven months their total overall cost lowered by an impressive 73% in Google alone. In Stein Diamond’s Google account last month, compared to the month prior to beginning with Wpromote, their cost per click has decreased by 46%, their conversion rate has remained solid and their average cost per conversion has decreased by 42%. As Wpromote actively works to improve the efficiency of this campaign, we are driving more traffic to the Stein Diamonds site at a continued lower cost and the volume of conversions have continued to increase each month moving forward. Wpromote has accomplished the directive for this account by lowering and eliminating areas of inefficient spend, raising high performing areas, expanding upon performing areas with additional products keywords and working to pause underperforming ads to maximize their conversion rate. Wpromote has also tested several new variables to improve Stein Diamonds ROI across thier Google campaign, such as introducing new ad text, channeling the content network and analyzing day Continue reading…
Researching International SEO Internationally as an SEO
KRONiS | September 18th, 2008
International SEO explained with several examples between USA and Canada how rankings differ if you are physically searching in the USA or in Canada, where the site is hosted and more.
