Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Looked authentic, but...

On closer inspection the hot rod has some rather juiced-up rims and tires, while the fron of the vehicle - from what I can see has an exposed engine. Nicely done either way though.

in reference to: Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting (view on Google Sidewiki)

Great Videos

Frank you are one of the few marketers who can make IM videos actually entertaining. You do this with flare, humor, and above all credibility.

I sincerely look forward to your next project, and am hoping you can deal with more Social media opportunities like this SideWiki and Kutano for example.

in reference to: Mass Control (view on Google Sidewiki)

Do we have to agree, Steve?

Some IMers have made good dissenting points about SideWiki, but this type of paranoia and irrational behavior shows so much more about the person saying it than it does about SideWiki's worst features.

The question is, are more people going to be inclined to be doing business with YOU after such illogical statements?

in reference to:

"Anybody here who thinks that Sidewiki is anything other than the most
evil thing that has ever been invented online, please leave your name in
this thread so I know...

Never to buy any of your products
Never to do any JVs with you
Never to acknowledge your very existence.

This will make my job a lot easier for determining future business ventures."
- How can we use Google's SIDEWIKI in a positive way (view on Google Sidewiki)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Finally, a thoughtful question.

Herein lies the fundamental question. Whether or not you are for or against SideWiki, you will have to adjust as a marketer. All I am saying is that I am not going to be wasting time running scared, but rather look into this as Web2.0 strategist and simply start by embracing social media. Thanks Jared.

in reference to:

"Obviously, WE PAY FOR THESE ADDITIONAL COSTS.

My question to you: What should we do about this?

Block the sidewiki from our sites, which doesn't work 100%, or boycott Big-G (lol), or send messages to them to stop what they are doing... which doesn't do much at all other that waste people's time...

They have their own agenda that doesn't include "Us".

So, what should we do?"
- If You Want to Take a Stand Against Google Encroaching On Your Rights With Sidewiki-Now Is The Time - Page 7 (view on Google Sidewiki)

Kutano first 3rd party add-on for SideWiki

Anywho, if you thought SideWiki was going away too soon, Kutano is now including SideWiki comments within it's browser add-on as well.

What does this mean?

1- A wider reach of any SideWiki comments

2- Integration with existing Twitter accounts and comments

3- Direct link from twitter to ALL SideWiki and Kutano comments made about your website

Kutano has a 3rd party browser add-on much like SideWiki, although I feel it is more feature rich. It too allows users to post comments on any webpage for others to see. Users will see SideWiki comments now as well, with the addition of (originally posted with SideWiki) at the end of the comment.

Right now, even though the Warrior Forum blocked seeing SideWiki comments, they are currently accessible via Kutano, as posted originally.

People, get ready. (However you may see fit.)

Thanks Steve.

Very insightful, even if not in the same industry. The wall has indeed been breached, now the question is as an online business owner, "What are you going to do about it?"

in reference to: Google’s Sidewiki – Game-changer for Pharma Social Media? « Impactiviti blog (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, September 28, 2009

What is this Sokule thingy?

It sounds interesting, but I need a better explanation or at least a short video showing me what the program actually does. I mean, does it replace twitter? Does it work with Hootsuite or Hummingbird? What is the benefit and how to earn? etc, etc..

in reference to: Sokule Built For Business (view on Google Sidewiki)

Just one of many...

You are so right Michael, but this is actually one of the more tame analogies made about SideWiki in these threads. More than a few comments here wreak of extreme paranoia.

in reference to:

"Your example doesn't work. Google isn't spraying the building.

That's like blaming the hardware store, or even the paint can manufacturer because some kids bought some paint and went tagging."
- If You Want to Take a Stand Against Google Encroaching On Your Rights With Sidewiki-Now Is The Time - Page 3 (view on Google Sidewiki)

Warrior forum member has already designed a SideWiki blocker.

Warrior forum member has already designed a SideWiki blocker.

Well with all the hyper-scare chatter of impending internet doom because of Google's new SideWiki, you could well imagine this would be coming in a hurry - Software designers creating blockers to SideWiki comments for webmasters to use.

As a designer, you have to get around the (seemingly moderate) challenge of the Google tool bar and it's users. That apparently was no challenge for this quick-thinking programmer - "While I don't want to disclose exactly how this tool works, I can say it's dead simple to install on any kind of static or dynamic website, Linux and Windows hosted, and it produces no extra load to your site.

What's more, it doesn't block access to your site for those that have the toolbar installed. They can still see and interact with your site, they can even add their own Sidewiki comments..."

This entrepreneur goes on to say: "You must have a website (any kind will do), and you must be willing to install this tool on your site following my instructions. All you have to do to install it is upload a file I will supply and change a single line of code in each of your site pages.

It does work with static HTML pages, with PHP pages, with blogs and pretty much anything. Including ASP."

Now obviously this is great for those webmasters who are on a burning fury right now about this SideWiki thing. At the very least, the community will likely have some effect on this product as the outrage is simply too large to negotiate right now.

But what if it is here to stay as is? There is also the notion that the users of SideWiki will be users, if not for anything else than the slick, non-obtrusive design of the tool bar. Those users will be reading SideWiki comments on (most) new websites they visit. How are they going to feel when your page has blocked them from what they feel is valuable information? Well, how do you feel about a business that will go out of their way to block information about themselves? Suspicious, right?

How to get your Webmaster message on the TOP of SideWiki Comments.

If you are a webmaster at all concerned about the comments on SideWiki about your websites, then my suggestion is to have a corporate webmaster message on your sites now. These messages stay at the top of your index page in the user's SideWiki browser, no matter what gets put on there after. Start by placing it on your index page, then if comments grow on one of your content pages, you can comment yourself as well.

I think for most of our sites it may take a lot longer that anyone thinks to see some comments on our pages, but still, its probably best to be first.

To get a webmaster message associated to your own website that SideWiki users will see you need to:

1- Download the Google Tool Bar with SideWiki and use either Firefox or IE. (I read this may be a permanent part of a new Chrome release soon.)

2- Sign up for webmaster tools in Google using your GMail account. Then go to "Add website". Google will produce a meta snippet for you.

3- Sync your website by placing the meta snippet on your index page html code, just under the header. If you use WP, Joomla! or other, you need to log in and retrieve the template html files to add this code. It will NOT change anything about your website.

4- Then press VERIFY.

5- You can then modify your SideWiki profile and add ALL of your verified websites with anchor text (Bonus PR back links!!!).

6- You can then refresh your webpage in your browser, open SideWiki and you will be invited to add a comment as "Webmaster".

I did this to a few of my sites yesterday and added a short welcome message, and I figure it will be a good place to put some "testimonial quotes"

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Warrior Forum

The Warrior Forum is where internet marketers exchange ideas and engage in topics that generally have to do with marketing on the internet.

It has long been considered the internet's leading forum of it's kind and features the WSO where participants known as "Warriors" offer for sale products to other warriors at discounts.

in reference to: Main Internet Marketing Discussion Forum (view on Google Sidewiki)

Turtleknife Live!!

Welcome to my BlogTV broadcast. My show includes mostly poker topics, videos, and live tournaments that I play in, usually at Full Tilt Poker.

Come in and join, and if you get a chance please rate the show in the lower part of the web page.

Thanks,

Marty Smith
(Turtleknife on Full Tilt Poker)

in reference to: turtleknife - Turtleknife Live - blogTV (view on Google Sidewiki)

Were you testing the ban process for SideWiki?

From what I read in your SideWiki profile it looks like you were just seeing how long your comment would stay there. I was curious too, so I reported your post, using "other" as the reason and explained you were simply redirecting traffic to competition.
I hope I read the situation right, and we will see what happens.

in reference to: Home | Mail Online (view on Google Sidewiki)

I have not seen any SPAM yet.

I really WANTED to the SPAM messages, but I suppose they have been filtered or banned already. Maybe this algorithm and such works better than we gave Google credit for!

in reference to: Google Sidewiki: Brands under attack | Blog | Econsultancy (view on Google Sidewiki)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Yo Perry, have you heard of SideWiki?

Hey Perry. I am curious to know how the online guru of social media has not made a corporate message in SideWiki yet? if you need help in doing so, you can visit my blog at:
http://sidewikimarketingstrategies.blogspot.com/

in reference to: Perry Belcher (view on Google Sidewiki)

NBC needs a internet consultant?

How does a site like NBC NOT have a corporate SideWiki message yet? Oh and by the way, shouldn't this be called the Law&Order rerun LOR network?

in reference to: NBC.com - NBC Official Site (view on Google Sidewiki)

A version of SideWiki was tried 10 years ago.

Third Voice attempted to be what SideWiki is trying to be today. The underlying demise of that venture was the uprising of web hosts and the lack of advertising. Third Voice was what you could call a Social Media 2.0 service, but likely also, ahead of it`s time.

What happened to Third Voice

But SideWiki has a couple distinct advantages besides the passage of a decade. Social media is driving internet technology right now, at a furious pace. In fact Twitter AND Facebook are working on similar applications as we speak. And by Social media, I mean the end users as a whole. SideWiki is aimed at the end-user's choice of how they want to view the web. This is certainly a dramatic extension of a typical browser tool-bar.

SideWiki is all about Google. hey if Google wanted to sell hotcakes with maple syrup online, I would be willing to bet they can figure out a way to do it. The logistics, software, and delivery of this service is rather impressive after just my first day of using it.

This is also about Google search, because indexing may potentially be more targeted and efficient if humans are there first pointing out and discussing such topics that may have otherwise been unnoticed by typical crawling. This is conjecture on my part, as I really do not know if Google is using SideWiki as part of their search algorithm. It just makes sense to me that they would.

Here is the biggest thing that may make this fly, this time around. In spite of webmaster uprising about feeling their online real estate is being abused, the real thinkers out there have long since embraced Social Media. Yes, this Social media is closer to the source than ever before, but you cannot fight the user, the buyer of your products if that is how they choose to view content.

The commercial enterprises who have already adopted or are strategizing to take advantage of this social media application will likely be big winners with SideWiki while many "small" players with "small" thinking will be largely occupied dissing Google's applications in forums.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Whether you like SideWiki or not, you need to install it.

If you are a webmaster you may very well among the many who have voiced strong opposition to this user driven tool. The reality right now is that anyone with a GMail account can start posting comments for other SideWiki users to see in their tool bar, relating to YOUR web pages.

Here is the bottom line. You need to get here first with your own corporate/webmaster message. That's what I am doing this week for all my sites.

Full Tilt Rocks.

Best features by far and 2nd best volume on the internet. But oh, you may have to put up with a bad beat or so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl2_5fFlO2I

in reference to: Online Poker - Play Online at Full Tilt Poker Room (view on Google Sidewiki)

Will Google's New SideWiki help your website's search performance?

There is a lot of buzz today about Google's new SideWiki tool bar and to my shock and awe, webmasters are decidedly furious about it. SideWiki, basically allows those who download the tool to potentially improve their web experience by getting other reader's opinions about any particular web page.

It is all user driven in a social media way, because previous visitors to a site can leave a comment concerning the content of the given page. These comments can be seen by expanding a "Side" window in their browser and then reading what others think. Most early thoughts from fellow webmasters about this product are irrationally leaning to feeling of invasion on their intellectual property. They are failing to look at the potential of this and have not yet grasped the power of embracing social media, whatsoever.

In spite of their unproductive fear, if you want to try this service you will need a Google gmail account to participate in SideWiki and your comments are also posted on your profile, which in essence will keep SPAM to a minimum as the community of users will identify such losers rather quickly and have them and their comments deleted.

Here is the thing though, if your website starts getting a lot of comments via anything social media, it gets traffic. That also usually results in link reference, and in turn, search engine performance.

Now, because SideWiki as ALL about Google integration, the real question is "How can SideWiki NOT help your search rankings." I think think it's rather clear SideWiki can help and I will be exploring those strategies in the coming months as this tool gets widely adopted.

RSS your SideWiki posts.

So as far as marketing on SideWiki goes, I can see one glaring opportunity for not only getting traffic to your website but also keeping your blog updated.

First, you need to create a gmail account and profile. Your profile contains keyword linked, website links so by all means take advantage of this.

Second, RSS your profile comments to a blog you have as well. You will be commenting (hopefully) on web pages related to your content, and your readers can see updated information about what your opinions are on websites they may find of interest as well.

SideWiki Launches

Today, I have been exploring this seemingly powerful toolbar addition created by none other than Google. Basically it let's you leave comments on any web page in a side bar that users have the option of downloading, contributing to, and reading in the form of comments relating to the content of that very web page.

Essentially it can effect the gravity of any web page by making it relevant in a social media aspect. Think of one of your web pages have hundreds of comments posted to it, all with no work on your part. All of a sudden it becomes a social spotlight because of it's content!

The majority of comments around the forums and blogoshpere on this launch day though are more closely compared to some kind of tragic home invasion, where webmasters keep mentioning things like "Google has no right to add something to MY web page" or "Hey we're going to put up a huge billboard beside your house and let anyone who wants to write on it" or "What is the benefit of anyone and everyone being able to comment whatever they want on any website? How exactly will that help the internet?" or "And it will be misused by the bad guys. Just look at what has happened to some other "reporting" services. I won't call them by name here but we all know who they are" and finally readers "I dont think ANYONE should be able to comment on my site effectively in the context of my site if viewed through google chrome or whatever- without me having any control over that"

Yes, those quotes are from webmasters, who may not realize it, but they are in fact publishers, open to all kinds of criticism and perhaps accolades. In my view, notwithstanding the fact that the service may (slight chance) yet still fail, this community comment power will help bring the deserving content to the top, and will punish automated blogs, article theft sites, and plain old useless trash that somehow manages to get indexed.

All this of course remains to be seen. As a webmaster though, it's best to explore such a service instead of beating it up before you have even downloaded the tool bar.