05.23.07
Posted in Online Marketing at 12:50 pm by Christine
I read a really interesting article on MSN vs Google the other day. What with the whole Google-DoubleClick thing, of course MSN has to reciprocate and get themselves on the level playing field once again.
Microsoft has said it would acquire aQuantive for $6-billion. This would effectively be one of its largest buys to date “to expand its push into Internet advertising through aQuantive’s tools for serving up online ads and tracking their impact.”
The price just reflects the desperation that MSN must be feeling at this time towards Google’s purchase of DoubleClick – which set them back a mere $3,1-billion. Yahoo had shortly after the purchase also followed in the Google steps and bought the further 80 percent of Right Media it did not already own for $680-million.
I especially loved a little phrase by “Toan Tran” a Morningstar analyst who said that he is “..worried that Microsoft has Google tunnel vision.”
All the recent purchases, it is clear the Multi-Channel Marketing is the way to go. How could it not be? The essence of Marketing is to be where your target audience will find you.
The web, cell phones, video games, TV, Radio, Print.
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05.15.07
Posted in Online Marketing, Social Media at 12:39 pm by Christine
This post has unfortunately nothing to do with the new Google Analytics interface (although I’m finding it more and more user-friendly the more I play with it)..neither does it have anything to do with MSN’s almost purchase of Yahoo! Nor does it have anything to do with the Microsoft outburst against Open Source!
It is all about me, kind of. Well, it’s all about Social Media and how I (and well you) should be setting aside more time for it.
I was recently approached by Jo Duxbury of Freelancentral who requested that I become a regular columnist for her monthly newsletter. My first article was well received last month, but writing this month’s article on Social Media, it became very, very evident that I need to start taking my own advice! Funny how one’s own site’s needs are always placed behind that of your clients…but then again what a catch-22, as prospective clients potentially evaluate you on your own web presence…!
Of late I’ve been finding myself more and more enveloped in my laptop. I often joke that I need to employ a reader (and not the GoogleReader type) to read my RSS feeds for me – sad, but true!
This got me thinking that trying to stay on top of one’s Social Media Marketing (SMM) / or SMOptimsation makes one less social in the “real world”. Then again there are also social networks that are using a combination of both to try and network online as well as off. A few such networks (here in Cape Town) are 27Dinners, OpenCoffee and BarCampCapeTown (well we’ve only had the one so far…).
But I am really enjoying this concept, although it is somewhat awkward. I was talking with fellow Bloggers at the last 27 Dinner about how strangely comfortable it all seems. Think about it. We read each other’s blogs, don’t know anyone from a bar of soap (or at least not from more than what we’ve read on each other’s blogs) and here we are thrown together at a dinner table where we all feel like old friends. It’s a bit bizarre, but it’s working.
What is your take on the whole SMO and is it working for you (if it’s currently a strategy) ?
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05.03.07
Posted in General, AlterSage at 2:49 pm by Christine
Yes, you read it. AlterSage online is here! Finally.
It took quite some doing and a lot of hands to end up with this product, so thank you to everyone involved! I tell you, before I started off on this little project I was assessing many CMS options, but decided to go with Joomla as it seemed the most user-friendly so to speak. Having played around with it quite a bit now, it was not as easy as I initially thought, but the one good thing is that information is quite readily available and there are plenty of forums to help get you what it is you need. At least the content is up and I can start getting back to blogging 
I will be adding to the content as well as informational articles and hope that AlterSage will become one of the many a great resource for all your online marketing needs.
I am planning on launching a monthly newsletter over the next few months so check back and sign up to our newsletter to stay ontop of latest developments and news from the company.
I would love to hear your feedback on the new site.
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