With all the buzz about Twitter’s ability to provide real time search results, its only natural other web platforms with large databases offer similar services.
Such is the case with WordPress.com now.
Wordpress Search
I have noticed over the last day or two an increase of referrals from WordPress.com.
Wordpress Search Stats
Based on the current status of my WordPress domain redirection purchase and its subsequent failure to get indexed by Google, I am not convinced WordPress search referrals will increase my site’s traffic over time anyway.
As the Twitter audience grows, the ability to reach it or be reached by the segment of the Twitter audience interested in the same topics will become more valuable both to Twitter, its audience and its potential advertisers.
For the last sixty days I have been monitoring Tweets within a 100 mile radius of my city to get a better sense of what the average Twitter user Tweets about.
I haven’t spent any of my online time on social networks because the same amount of time invested in programming a Google Adwords campaign can reach an exclusive and active audience who by definition are already interested in my products and services vis-a-vis their search query.
The same can’t be said for social media and networks like Twitter or Facebook.
Twitter users can search for keywords they are interested to identify potential audience segments to reach but this process still doesn’t separate the good Tweets from the bad, the wheat from the chaff, the Twitter signal from the Twitter noise.
A sample Tweet stream from within 100 miles of my city over the last few minutes:
A Lot of Noise, Not Much Signal
Extrapolate the same type of Tweets over millions of Twitter users and you can see how identifying the Twitter signal from the Twitter noise will only grow more challenging.
Google has several free webinars for search engine marketers coming up later this month through early June.
Conversion Optimiser
Learn how to get more conversions for Google AdWords campaigns at a lower cost using Google’s free CPA bidding tool.
29th April 3pm (GMT)
Google Analytics
Google Analytics I:
Getting started and tracking conversions. An introduction into Google Analytics and how you can use it to help your online business.
6th May 3pm (GMT)
Google Analytics II
Managing your Google Analytics account set up for best results. Advanced implementation issues for complex websites, such as third party shopping carts and sub-domains.
13th May 3pm (GMT)
Google Analytics III
Report navigation and analysis of Google AdWords data. Understanding reports and how to use them to identify areas of development for your AdWords account.
20th May 3pm (GMT)
Website Optimiser
An introduction to Google Website Optimiser and how to launch your first test to improve the performance of your website.
The Google channel on YouTube has added some new videos including this one from Google Creative Sandbox 2009 in New York.
I believe this was Google’s first “Creative Sandbox”.
Google Creative Sandbox is “an event designed to spark the imagination of agencies by showing the best uses of Google products and creative possibilities in a high energy environment.”
The screen shot of text messages peaking at Midnight New Years Eve illustrates one of many ways human behavior now manifests itself via recognizable patterns in Google data.
Techcrunch has notes live from Google’s Q1 2009 earnings call.
Comments about Google’s most recent quarter from CEO Eric Schmidt:
“We’re still basically in uncharted territory” (with regards to the economy).
No company is recession proof, Google is feeling the impact.
Our advertising method is working
“We think Google is well placed for the recovery as it occurs or when it occurs and the shift continues to the Web, continues to give us a great advantage”
The shift online continues to give us an advantage
Advertisers lowering bids
Omid Kordenstani is stepping down. It’s impossible to explain the impact he’s had.
No one is better placed to advise us (Kordenstani will remain an advisor).
Additional comments from CFO Patrick Pinchette:
Google.com up due to traffic growth.
AdSense was down, impacted by clean-up of network partners.
Our advertisers slowed their spend
Lower-labor costs and we reset our company bonus plan
Traffic acquisition costs were roughly flat from Q4
“We’re still hiring” — but only in certain areas.
As previously announced, we’re eliminating 200 positions in sales and marketing, but those weren’t included in the Q1 numbers
Our revenues are seasonally weaker in Q2, so be prepared.
Although real time search is one of the many heralded utilities of Twitter, it seems the average consumer’s attention isn’t quite as focused in the present as Twitter’s search results are – at least at this particular moment in time.
According to Twitter’s trending topics: Easter is the most popular topic of conversation in the Twitterverse – this Tuesday two days after Easter Sunday.
Real Time Warp Search
If this trending topic result doesn’t illustrate the value of reaching Twitter’s audience, I don’t know what will.
eBay has sold StumbleUpon.com back to its original owners according to the New York Times.
Comments about the transaction from Garrett Camp of StumbleUpon.com via the BITS blog:
“We’re really more focused on discovery and content, said Garrett Camp, one of the original founders, in a phone interview. “We realized it was best if we parted ways and did our own thing.”
eBay acquired StumbleUpon.com in May 2007 for $75 million.
More from BITS:
StumbleUpon has close to 7.5 million registered users, up from 2.5 million when eBay bought it. The service currently has 425 million “stumbles,” or collaborative recommendations made to Web browsers moseying around the site.
This sale confirms eBay is now officially in the process of selling non-essential assets to refocus on its core business.
Its bad enough that network television has basically become the channel of choice for the pharmaceutical industry to distribute their magic pill messages to the masses.
Try watching a major network news cast without being bombarded by Pharma Ads for every known real and imaginery disease.
Without the Pharmaceutical industry, where would Network television be?
Probably break even.
With their latest Celebrex ad, Pfizer has taken their messaging to new lows by creating the extended play sales message / this drug may kill you television ad.
Its the most obnoxious television ad I can ever recall enduring.
I am sure their ad agency has argued it gets viewers attention and creates word of mouth.
Yep – It does.
Problem is – its negative attention and although this blog post isn’t considered word of mouth – their ad caused me to go out of my way to write about how much I hated it – and by association – their product: Celebrex.
Under what stretch of the imagination would this blog post be considered good for the Celebrex brand?
Or this YouTube post with all its accompanying comments?
Maybe if your a Pharmaceutical company there isn’t any such thing.
Developing commercials that don’t make viewers angry for being subjected to them might be a start in the right direction.
Today while viewing a post about Twitter on Mark Cuban’s Blog Maverick site, I was surprised to see such a high profile blog with WordPress’ “Possibly Related Posts” still enabled.
Blog Maverick Possibly Related Posts
If you know Mark Cuban or any of his IT staff, you might suggest they disable the “Possibly Related Posts” feature on his WordPress blog.
As a rule, Possibly Related Posts aren’t enabled and published by working bloggers let alone A List bloggers like Mark Cuban.
Search Marketing Communications 
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