AdSoak - A Digital Marketing Blog by Scott Rowe » Online

Internet users are smarter than you think

Scott Rowe — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:39:43 +0000

I quite often hear clients talk about how non-tech savvy their customers and prospects are. While I agree there are individuals that simply have a hard time comprehending a web interface or are just too scared to try, they make up the very small minority. If we let this small group dictate how we communicate with the larger audience we are doing the majority a great disservice. If you ran a restaurant would you stop accepting credit cards because you have a couple of customers that only pay with cash?

We also need to look at the rapid growth and adoption of Internet technologies in our every day lives. While a few years ago it could have been considered a trendy and youthful medium that is no longer the case. Most Americans are connected and use the web on a daily basis for communication, research and purchasing. If everyone were as ignorant as some like to portray this would not be the case.

Lets give our users a little more credit. After all, 74% of the U.S. population currently has Internet and uses it regularly. Instead of dropping our efforts to the lowest common denominator let’s help move everyone forward and create solutions that not only work today but also help drive business into the future.

How can you use Technorati to learn more about your industry and customers?

Scott Rowe — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:34:31 +0000

If you are not familiar with Technorati, it is search engine specializing in the indexing of blogs. It’s true that Google also indexes blog content, but it’s results are not nearly as timely as those of Technorati. Due to the nature of blog software and the technology of ping services, Technorati is notified automatically when a blog adds a new article. This entry is then quickly indexed and made available for search.

So how can this help you? Easy, have you ever wanted to know what people are currently talking about regarding your industry or any given topic? Technorati gives you a powerful search tool for any topic. Not only that but you can search by the authority level of the blog. The authority is basically a measurement to whether the blog has high readership, commenting & inbound web links. So you basically know whether the blog in question has pull or not.

On top of that the search will also display how many mentions the term you used has been mentioned over a period of time. This gives you instant feedback to know if the topic is trending up or down.

If you haven’t used Technorati, check it out.

Following the influential

Scott Rowe — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:40:53 +0000

I follow a large number of blogs and social news services daily. There are some I have followed for years and others I lose interest in quickly. In an industry that changes so rapidly you simply have to. I have also wondered what some of the most influential people in the industry follow and read. Luckily Google Reader has reached out to some of these people and is now publicly sharing their subscriptions. I’ve just added another five news sources to my collection and we’ll see where it leads me.

Google’s Featured Reading Lists

Wordpress Plugin for posting to Twitter

Scott Rowe — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:30:26 +0000

I am going to test out Twitter Tools for Adsoak. If all goes as planned, this should allow for me to automatically update my Twitter account with posts from Adsoak.com. Thanks to Will Flavell at Everybodysagenius’s Weblog for the idea.

How many pages from my website will show up on a search results page?

Scott Rowe — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:59:15 +0000

Google allows for only two URLs from any given domain name to be displayed in a search result. This also rings true when using sub domains. So if you have a parent website and sub domain websites only two pages from both combined will be returned.

Yahoo and Microsoft pen deal to change search.

Scott Rowe — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:55:13 +0000

Yahoo and Microsoft have completed a deal that will allow for Microsoft’s search technologies to power Yahoo’s search. Yahoo will become the sole seller of both company’s premium search advertisers. I am torn over this alliance in that I have been a Yahoo user since the mid 90’s and I am sad to see their approach left behind, however it can’t be denied that Microsoft has passed Yahoo in regards to search technology. Even the naysayers have embraced Bing as a superior search experience.

Read more about the Yahoo – Microsoft search deal at TechCrunch or go to the official website Choice. Value. Innovation.

TapouT Evolves

Scott Rowe — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:58:41 +0000

From three fanatical MMA fans to a youth brand powerhouse, TapouT has raised the bar with their latest campaign. The company spent some money on their latest effort featuring a short film written and directed by Bobby Razak. The concept is nothing like I had anticipated from the television ad run during the UFC’s Fight Night Live. For those longtime MMA fans, you will enjoy appearances by legends Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. Watch the film at TapouT.com.

Reebok Presents Perfectville

Scott Rowe — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:51:07 +0000

Being a dolphins fan I was very happy with the outcome of this years Super Bowl. While I really enjoy this spot, I do wonder what they had on tap for a Patriots win.

Amazing Pink Floyd Promotional Site

Scott Rowe — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:54:35 +0000

I don’t usually love sites developed entirely in Flash. This site promoting the newÂ Pink Floyd box setÂ however, has blown my mind. It is absolutely beautiful. I’ll admit that I am a huge Floyd fan but that didn’t sway me on this site. I highly recommend giving it a look and be patient, the long load time is well worth the wait.Â

Dominos Pizza’s BFD Builder

Scott Rowe — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:49:24 +0000

Dominos Pizza recently launched this new web portal titled “Domino’s Big Fantastic Deal“. It was developed to allow the consumer to create their own pie. Once a user has selected everything from the crust to the toppings they can order the pizza directly through the site. Users also have the option of saving their creation for other consumers to view and order if they so desire. I think it is a very interesting execution but I wonder if it will truly motivate the consumer to try new concoction instead of just ordering the tried and true “Pepperoni”.