Recently, a lot of blogs on the Internet have been talking about exactly what they are: blogs. Everyone seems so focused on how to write a blog that all want to put in their fifty cents. “The Oscar the Grouch Guide to Building a More Remarkable Blog” was one blog in particular that is eye-catching because it’s clearly using Sesame Street to show you how to blog better. See? You can never be too old to learn from Sesame Street. One phrase in particular that Sonia uses stands out: “And he expresses himself without apology.” She really doesn’t even have to say much more than that. Everything in the world today is so censored. We have to watch what we say so that nothing comes out wrong – so that we don’t offend anyone. But aren’t the people who do offend others and say what they shouldn’t get the most attention?

Upon taking away the fear of what might happen when something comes out of the uncensored mouth, you find that you end up with real, raw thoughts, eliminating that robot voice that writes the way it thinks people want to hear and read. The more bloggers stop apologizing for who they are, the more they start to write like themselves. It is easy to forget that it’s a big world and that there are people out there who will carry the same interests and beliefs.

The hardest part is finding the type of audience you want to reach out to. Just because a person might blog in a certain way does not mean that it has to be cruel or something they disagree with. If you sound like everybody else and talk about the same things in the same way as everybody else, you might feel like your blog is drying up faster than water in the desert.

When big companies talk, they know that people will listen. You will notice that every clothing line or business/organization has a logo or emblem meant to be something that the consumer can associate with their name being somewhat of a trademark.

With the Save Your Logo campaign, seeing logos of animals associated with business or clothing lines are now going to have more meaning behind them. So many celebrities and companies have endorsed different types of campaigns ranging from breast cancer to saving the planet to third world hunger by asking you to take a stand. With the Save Your Logo campaign, they are asking you to not only think of their business or clothing line when you see their logo, but consumers will now see an endangered species instead.

Save Your Logo is a new quirky way for companies to advertise themselves, and at the same time, stand for a cause. They are getting a person to think about that endangered species every time they look at the company name and as long as they keep the same logo, that thought will never go away, unlike other sponsored ads that will only run for so long and stay with the viewer for so long.

With Save the Logo, associating the issue with their logo will always be permanent. It appears more like they want to fight for a cause, not just because they were asked to by an organization. They are trying to tell you that this is more than a logo that represents a company; it is a real life problem. Even the phrase itself is catchy when you hear it. Not only is it very positive advertising on the company’s part, but it piques interest because we associate that phrase “Save the” with something important, also.

Life is a competition in every aspect; it’s as simple as that. Everyone is always trying to outdo the person next them to get ahead. When it comes to business, being better than your competitor is the difference between staying in business or hanging the “closed” sign in the window.

As a business, you can pretty much offer consumers something that the competition doesn’t have until you are blue in the face, but eventually, you might run out of things to offer. That’s why having your own niche will keep consumers coming back; as consumers, we like what is familiar to us, and it isn’t always about what the other competitor doesn’t have. As long as a business can offer loyalty and genuine concern for their customers, that is the key in keeping a strong foundation.

Telling consumers why you are better than the competitions just sounds like empty words. Consumers want to actually see it. The more tangible it is, the more believable it is. Appealing to a consumer’s emotions is what makes that connection that consumers want in a business. People want to feel like they have a friendship with a business, not just a negotiation.

Social media can be a great tool for a business or an individual seeking to promote their services or showcase their talents. But just because anybody can use social media tools doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to do it effectively. It is easy and exciting when using social media tools for the first time. It is super easy to get wrapped up in making it look cool and fun that the developer might have forgotten to take the time to make sure that the message or product will be successful. If you are not getting Facebook friend requests or people following your Twitter, than it’s possible you need to take the time to reassess your approach.

Companies like Chipotle and TGI Fridays have provided two great examples that there is a right and wrong way to use social media. Chipotle shows that it has loyal customers based on the fan page they have. They might not necessarily be promoting coupons or free give-always, but simply asking you to join the group because you like to eat their food.

As consumers, especially in this economy, we are in the “early bird gets the worm” mode, and are looking for any type of deal to entice us. The TGI Friday campaign for “Fan Woody” certainly grabbed the attention of thousands, but quickly grew sour when consumers didn’t get what they were promised. It’s crucial to know what you and your business is capable of because there is no faster way to lose customers than failing to deliver what you promise.

You want to use social media tools to bring people in – and it needs to be done using techniques that don’t have too many steps, either. If you have one too many things going on, you are going to deter people from being interested. In a world where people are on the run, no one has time to sit and figure out the complicated five step process a company wants us to complete so we can get free offers. Even when you shop online, websites have options to save all your information so you don’t have to fill it out every time you use the website.

It can be easy to draw people in, but making them stay is a different story. You need to offer a long-term values and goals that will take you and your business one step further. It’s important to know how to use different social media tools to help you and your business grow, not just create a fad for a month or two.

What is it about U2 that Blackberry loves so much? After you see Blackberry’s new commercial for the first time, you have no idea that it is a commercial for Blackberry until the very end where it flashes the slogan “Blackberry loves U2.” Afterward, you are left asking—“Who is promoting who?”

The commercial ends leaving viewers confused. What is it exactly that Blackberry is trying to say, and what do they want us to do? At least with past celebrity endorsements, the company still highlights its product’s benefits or services. Has it really gotten that difficult to reach consumers now that companies have to “borrow interest,” as Bob Gilbreath puts it?

If this commercial has inspired you to look a little more into why Blackberry loves U2 so much, you will find a U2 application for your phone on the Blackberry website. This was certainly bold of Blackberry to assume that viewers would make their way to the Blackberry website without being explicitly told to do so. This is especially true for potential new customers who don’t own a Blackberry. 

How does Blackberry expect to increase their traffic and sales without giving the consumer a reason to be active and look more into the product? This commercial really only showcases brand competition (Blackberry vs. Apple) and a band that has sold out for a celebrity endorsement— not the product itself.

While the commercial does succeed in getting our attention, it falls short in inspiring the consumer to take action. Part of creating a marketing strategy is knowing what your clients want and delivering it to them. Blackberry lost a huge opportunity to connect with a broad base of people by only promoting U2 with its application and not making the product more generic.

The interesting thing about this is that a company paid money to make a commercial for one of its products, but forgot about promoting that message and instead promoted the celebrity. A consumer is more likely to go to iTunes after the commercial and download a U2 song, not go to blackberry.com. Ultimately, Blackberry failed to use a partnership in celebrity endorsement to effectively market its application with its vague commercial. Sometimes less isn’t always more.

If you’re like me, you may have realized that freelance writing can be a great way to make a little extra cash while honing your writing skills. Perhaps you’ve posted a profile on a site like WriterAccess where freelance writers go to vie for freelance writing gigs. WriterAccess is a great site for presenting yourself and your work and showcasing your particular writing specialties. It is also a great way for potential employers to search for quality writers depending on the subject matter for which they need content.

While doing a writer search for an ideaLaunch project the other day, I noticed that some writers were better at promoting themselves than others. When using a site like WriterAccess, providing as much professional information as possible about yourself and your writing is the best way to guarantee that you will catch someone’s eye and land that freelance job. Based on what I saw the other day, I have some tips for WriterAccess newcomers or to an existing writer whose profile could use a facelift:

1.       PLEASE avoid spelling errors in your profile. This is probably the fastest way to get someone to hit the “Next” button. Who would hire a writer that doesn’t even proofread his own profile?

2.       If you have a specialty or a particular subject you are able to speak on authoritatively, then own it! When you list 20 topics under your specialties, someone may be hesitant to contact you and may instead move on to someone else who demonstrates a more concrete specialty.

3.       While we’re on the subject of specialties—if you list two or three topics you have particular knowledge in, don’t post writing samples that have nothing to do with those topics. If you specialize in health-related topics, don’t post an article you wrote on finance. People read your writing samples because they want to see how you write about health-related topics. We probably won’t  be contacting you if you don’t market yourself well.

4.       Upload your resume! This falls into the “include as much info as possible” category.  I look at the resume of every writer I’m considering, and it is helpful to have that summary of your work written down on one page. Most writing assignments require you to be well-versed in a particular subject, so including your resume in your profile will help confirm your experience. Going one step further—if you have a blog centered around your specialty, include the link! The more well-rounded your profile is and the more information you provide, the more we have to go on when it comes time to contact writers.

5.       Don’t be afraid to use humor. The best writers are able to step a bit out of their comfort zones. If you have a dry profile, you may come off as stiff and boring. One writer that I plan on contacting used humor and personality in her profile. She came off as engaging and fun, while still maintaining my belief that she was truly well-versed in that subject.

6.       Remember that your profile is the one chance you have for a potential employer to get to know you and your writing. You need to market yourself, showcase your particular, relevant talents, show us a bit of your personality and prove to us why we should hire you for an assignment. That’s a lot to accomplish in one profile! Put the necessary time and effort into your profile, and all you will have left to do is let the offers come rolling in.

Good luck!

 Image from academicknowledge.com

While I was still at Emerson College, I ventured into the basement of the Little Building to use the gym, and I watched a disturbing newscast on “Webspeak.” This article more clearly spells out (pun intended) the worrisome aspects of this coded language, specifically because of the divide it creates between parents and their children, let alone intelligence and its counterpart (I also learned that NIFOC is code for “nude in front of computer”—what unnecessary information). Apparently, middle school and high school kids, the likes of which I had long been separated from, had taken to using IM and text message shorthand (i.e. BRB for “be right back”) in their academic papers and even in their SAT essays. I actually said, “WHAT?” out loud as I walked on the treadmill. I had just transferred from Georgia State University to Emerson to study Writing, Literature and Publishing. I had taken out an ungodly amount in loans (the first of several) in the quest to make language my life. I wanted to figure out how to say things that everyone could understand and relate to via my fiction. At GSU, my fiction classes felt like training for a hobby, something to do on the weekends when I had grown tired of crocheting or needlepoint. I had come to Emerson to reach out to the world that knew that fiction could be so much more than mindless entertainment; in fact, that it was essential to keeping life from becoming one big mindless pursuit. And here were these kids fighting against everything that my ideal profession stood for. If they’re busy creating this new language that automatically excludes a large portion of the population, what is the point in trying to communicate anymore? If everything could be reduced to their first letters, why write stories or novels or poetry anymore? WHY WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?

I eventually calmed down and found the silver lining to seeing this unsettling newscast: I couldn’t go to the gym anymore. But mainly, it made me hyperaware of the usage of these abominations to the English language (a similar, though not equal, offense to overuse of hyperbole). I should say that Emerson College is home to the people in the world who didn’t quite fit into normal molds. Not a bad thing, though not necessarily a good thing, this is the reason for most of the sarcasm and irony that encases Emerson almost as much as the cigarette smoke in front of the buildings. So it came as no surprise that many of the students would occasionally exclaim, “BRB” as they were walking away or “LOL” instead of Actually. Laughing. Out. Loud. And though it was hilarious, whatever that means, the first five thousand and two times these ironies were voiced, it quickly got old. And older. I’m of the religion that ironic over usage cancels itself out and becomes, simply, usage.

So, this rant is just to say: be careful. Be very careful. And even if it’s spelled wrong, spell out what you want to say. And if something’s funny, do us all a favor and just LAUGH.   

As of late, I’ve begun to get over my fear of social media.  Ok, maybe “fear” is a little melodramatic… let’s go with “discomfort.” 

It’s not the idea of online networking that I found unsettling; in fact, the summer before I started college in 2005 (back when Facebook was for college students only), I was dying to get my college-issued .edu email address so badly that I went to Emerson’s website and tried typing in variations of my name and default passwords, just hoping that an email address would materialize and subsequently allow me to join Facebook (a little sad yes, but don’t judge me—admitting this makes me vulnerable).

I also remember the day when, upon logging in, my good friend Facebook asked me, “What are you doing right now?” Well, looking over my shoulder and wondering, “Is the voice coming from inside the house?”

And then the updates started happening. At first, they just sort of awkwardlytrickled in and hesitated to reveal much detail. “Person O’ Personson is at the library.” “That weird guy from high school who picked his nose a lot is in class.”

It didn’t take long for these updates to become both more detailed and more frequent. “Dude McDudeBro is going to class, then might get some coffee, then has a podiatrist’s appointment, then will do homework and probably eat something and then go to bed.” At this point, however, the updates were still about pretty superficial things.

But then they started to look like this: “Something something isn’t sure what to do about life right now,” or, and this one’s my personal favorite, “Someone someoneton is.” Whoa. That just got real.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I’ve always assumed that nothing that I do is interesting enough to justify broadcasting it over the Tubes. I’ve since come to realize that, yes, Facebook, Twitter, etc. can be effective networking and marketing tools, which is one of the main reasons why I feel more comfortable with them now (although I still don’t have a personal Twitter account).

A few days ago, I ran into a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a while. She Twitters frequently and links her Twitter account to her Facebook, so I see the updates. The day before I ran into her out in the world, her updates went something like this: “Someone someone’s world just fell apart,” and then, “…is trying to get my mind off of this,” and finally, “…is done with men forever.” Based on these updates and subsequent comments from her friends (“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Let me know if you need anything”), I deduced that she and her boyfriend had broken up.

So I run into her and start, as many people do, by asking, “How are you?” I did this even though I knew what had happened and that she wasn’t happy about it. Her reply: “Oh, well, Blah and I broke up.”

I wasn’t sure how to reply. Should I pretend that I had no idea? It felt a little creepy that I knew that, but she put the information out there, so why should I worry? But if I acted like I knew nothing about it, wouldn’t that be lying?

I decided to take the latter option and feign ignorance, and yes, as it turned out, it did feel like lying; I felt dirty all over and it was all Twitter’s fault.

So take this as a warning, readers. If you haven’t already faced an awkward, Facebook/Twitter-induced personal interaction, be prepared, because it’s going to happen sooner or later. Just rest assured that it is possible to pick up the pieces and move on. 

These are the questions on everyone's mind. What is BING? How will it affect my SEO strategy? What does this mean to all of the hard work I have put into my content and optimization?

Here are some of the guidelines we have seen pop up so far with regard to Bing and how it categorizes search listings. 

First of all, there is much talk that Bing, as an engine, is smarter or "more aware" than Google bots are. (Oh my God, this is it. The robots have become self-aware. This is my ultimate nightmare.)

Bing appears to not only "find" your content, but it makes intelligent decisions regarding what your content is, which are driven by a slightly different set of rules than Google uses. (Be aware that this is speculation. I have no hard facts or proof.)

Bing appears to weigh the "age" of a domain more heavily. The longer you have been around, the more street cred you carry as a website.

Bing likes content. But not just some content, loads of content. Bing appears to respond better to pages with at least 300 words of text or more.

Google has not placed as much weight on bloggers in the past. It is said that Bing is a friend of bloggers and may weigh blogs quite heavily.

Bing appears to like great titles that are directly relevant to your content. So don't phone in your titles, you lazy shlub.

Keep your URL's simple. Bing hasn't got time to read your URL manifestos. He is a busy guy with places to be.

Lastly, Bing likes outbound links, contrary to Google that has, in the past, prevented websites from posting too many outbound links out of fear of lowering their rank.

Make sure your website allows MSNbots to crawl your content. If you don't know how to do this, go find your IT guy. Those guys are magical.

It only took 1,500 years, but the English language welcomed its one-millionth word this week with the addition of “web 2.0” to its already crammed lexicon. As someone who makes a living out of words, I wholeheartedly welcome the term, and hope that someone, someday, can actually tell me what it means.

I don’t begrudge “web 2.0” for being meaningless. Having a meaning isn’t necessarily a precondition for acceptance into the English language anymore. As someone who has worked in a corporate environment, I’ve heard plenty of meaningless words. For example, can someone can tell me the definitive definition of “best practices,” “synergistic energy” and what exactly “turn-key” describes?

Before you throw the party, understand how this milestone came about. The Global Language Monitor, a Texas-based group of academics, that “documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language the world over, with a particular emphasis upon Global English” in their spare time, came up with an algorithm to scan thousands of print and online publications. Once said algorithm sees a group of jumbled letters occur 25,000 times in a search, it is designated as a word.

I’m guessing by that standard, “John and Kate Plus 8” will be word 1,000,001 based on mentions in US Weekly alone.