‘Free the Hikers’ Cause Gets Attention on YouTube

In an effort to put pressure on the Iranian government to free the three American hikers who accidently crossed over the Iranian border six months ago, the “Free the Hikers” group continues to collect petition videos as the 200th day approaches, according to the YouTube Blog Citizen Tube.

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‘Free the Hikers’ Cause Gets Attention on YouTube

Siri Assistant Brings “Conversation” Searching to iPhone

Executives at mobile technology company Siri have taken great pains to explain that their new iPhone app is not a search engine — going so far as to call it the Siri Assistant and position it as a “virtual personal assistant.” However, as Search Engine Land points out, even if it technically isn’t a search engine, many iPhone users will likely use it like a search engine in order to find relevant, localized information.

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Siri Assistant Brings “Conversation” Searching to iPhone

Six Critical Steps of a Successful Social Media Marketing Plan

“You have to try out the new smoothie shop, it is the best!” How many times have you heard someone say this about a place or a product and tried it out? Almost 90% of the time, right? This is because a friend or someone whose recommendations you trust has made a suggestion. This is known as word of mouth marketing. This type of marketing is at least three times as effective as any other marketing method. Social media marketing is the mother of all word of mouth marketing. Why, you might ask? Very simply, you reach millions.

Before you plunge into social media marketing and are disappointed with your results, you must understand that this process requires nurturing, patience and time. However, done right, it will give you great results.

1. Connect with people in your target market to be noticed. Put up useful and valuable information on your blog, Facebook page or even Tweet it. This step purely is for building your reputation and not trying to sell anything yet.

2. Talk to people, respond to comments and build relationships. There is nothing better than making a future customer feel that they are being engaged personally. Do not sell anything yet.

3. Ensure that you responding to every message you receive on social media. If you are at the stage where people are re-posting your posts, then you have started getting conversions of sorts. Still, do not sell anything yet.

4. Offer free content, webinars and even do blog talk radio. Keep your followers engaged and expectant. If you have come as far as this step, you should have a decent prospective consumer base.

5. This is the step where you can start selling your product. Without being too in your face, offer your product or service to the customer base you have built up. Make the point of sale quick and efficient for the customer. Any confusion or lengthy process could cost you the sale. Your product must be as good as your word; or else your efforts are in vain.

6. When you have a group of satisfied customers, word will get around. Not only will your customer base expand but you will find opportunities to offer other products that you have lined up as well. Making addition sales from here on will not be too hard to make, as your customers will respect and appreciate the recommendations you make going forward.

Three Avoidable Mistakes in Twitter Marketing

Twitter is a great tool for online marketing, and like all good tools, it can be abused, misused or used ineffectively. The latter is the subject of our concern. As you read on, do not panic if you discover that you have made some or all of these mistakes, as they can be rectified. The important thing is not to make these mistakes repeatedly.

Marketing your product from the word “Go” – This is the wrong way to go about Twitter marketing. You have to build up your relationships first. Make a name for yourself and become a respected person online. This is not as difficult as you may think. Being sociable is the key principle. Once you have built up your relationships, then you can slowly start marketing your product.

Being too serious – If you are serious all the time, the jovial side of your personality, which is vital to marketing, will not come through. Yes, it is possible to display your personality even with the limited number of characters allowed in Twitter. Personality is important when it comes to building relationships, so go on and add some fun into your Twitter posts.

Do not “Hit and Run” – This is a lousy way of trying to build up your reputation. This statement refers to finding a thread of conversation, posting a message about your product and then never visiting that thread again. Always participate in conversations that interest you. If you can do it, push your product subtly.

As long as you can avoid these simple mistakes, you should find it easy to make Twitter marketing work for you.

Nanocrowd Launches Movie Search Engine

Internet start-up Nanocrowd has launched a new search engine designed to focus on giving users fast and accurate information about movies. Users can search for movies in a variety of ways and read customer reviews and other information before choosing to either add it to their Netflix queue or “Watch It Now” through streaming media sites such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crackle, or YouTube.

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Nanocrowd Launches Movie Search Engine

YouTube Announces Journalism Contest

In partnership with the Pulitzer Center, YouTube today announced Project Report 2010, a journalism contest sponsored by Sony and Intel for non-professional, aspiring journalists to share stories not typically covered by the media.

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YouTube Announces Journalism Contest

Google Latest Victim of Chinese Knock-Off Brand

Knock-off versions of brand name items coming from China might seem so common that it’s almost become a cliché. But the trend appears to be moving beyond purses and DVDs and into new territory — like search engines. BBC News reports that a new Chinese search engine has launched called Goojje that has a look and feel that is eerily similar to Google.

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Google Latest Victim of Chinese Knock-Off Brand

Twitter For Nonprofits and Fundraising

If you are part of a non-profit organization, collecting funds and spending them effectively will be of primary concern. In this endeavor, getting publicity is not easy as it has to be done free of charge. If you are caught in such a quandary, then consider using Twitter as an online marketing tool.

Twitter brought the concept of micro-blogging to the forefront. Although when you start out, you will begin with what you are doing or where you are going now, after which you will soon start to get the hang of Twitter. The whole idea behind it is to throw your thoughts out, in the 140 characters allowed per tweet, and listen to the replies that come in. This allows a vast amount of information exchange via opinions, links, etc.

Listening is very important. Do not go out there trying to impose your will or blindly push your cause. Follow as many people as you can who are related to your cause and listen to their opinions. Once you have built your reputation, it becomes easy to promote your cause and drive traffic towards your fundraising campaign. There are many well-documented Twitter based fundraisers that have been successful, but only because the recipient organization was perceived to be genuine. Therefore, a good reputation is essential.

If you are not used to the technology, do not worry about it. It is very simple to use, as simple as having a conversation with someone and the best part is – it is free!

Social Media Marketing – Three Vital Components for Your Success

Social Media Marketing is an avenue that provides direct access to a consumer base so that the message can be spread. However, the method requires some finesse and time to be effective. These are three tips that can help you in your Social Media Marketing endeavors.

Identify your Target audience – This is of vital importance. If you do not know your target audience, then you are just wasting your time by spreading your resources too thin. For example, if you are selling Paintball guns, there is no point in blind advertising. Your target market here should be the 20 – 35 year-olds, because they have the spending power, which you require for success.

Adding Value – Start talking to this target audience. Find out the problems they face with this product, what features they would like, etc. Once you know these, figure out ways in which you can offer solutions without pushing your product. Offer advice, post videos, write blog posts, etc and gain their trust as a person with substance. The goal here is to be identified as a go-to person or a leader. Once you establish this, you can slowly start publicizing your product.

Form connections – Form personal connections with people. Do not hesitate to give personal attention to people, as they will appreciate it. The more you connect with people, the more you are trusted by them. Eventually, they advocate your products as well.

As you can see, these tips are simple but take time. However, the time spent is well worth it as you have a direct connection to your base where you get real opinions and feedback, which you can use to further your business.

Yahoo! Search Goes Live on Maktoob

Nearly six months after acquiring the leading online Arabic-language community Maktoob.com, Yahoo! has announced that Yahoo! Search at Maktoob is now live. Users will have access to the best of both services with access to Yahoo!’s products and services along with Maktoob’s local content.

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Yahoo! Search Goes Live on Maktoob

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