Archive for 2009

How To Become a Dummies.com Author with Google Knol

January 25, 2009

The Official Google blog has announced the Google Knol for Dummies.com contest.

Google Knol is a place where subject matter experts can write about their specific areas of knowledge or expertise and publish it on Google.

Google Knol

Google Knol

Google Knol simplifies the process for authors by providing templates to write, manage and control their content.

Presently there are six English language templates available:

How-To Template (used for the Knol for Dummies contest )
City Profile
Company Profile
Dog Breed Template
Vocational Education Template
Continued-Knols Template

Google Knol Beta Details

Google Knol Beta Details

Contest Rules from the Google Knol + Dummies.com site:

To enter the contest, simply click the button and begin creating your own how-to knol about whatever subject you know best.

Submissions are open through March 23rd, 2009. On May 8th we’ll announce five finalists, selected by Dummies.com editors, who’ll have their knols featured on Dummies.com. One grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000.

Google Knol For Dummies.com Contest Rules

Google Knol For Dummies.com Contest Rules

In its sixth month of existence and with over 100,000 Google Knols published, I haven’t yet decided which subject I should write about.

However, I have logged into Google Knol and started the process:

Google How To Knol

Google How To Knol

Ok… I think I will write the Google Knol titled: “How To Find and Choose The Best Subject To Write About in Google Knol.”

Google Adwords YouTube Sponsored Video Ads Diagnostic Tool?

January 24, 2009

I have been testing YouTube sponsored video advertising since December 6th and have started to notice both differences and  similarities between the YouTube advertising program and its cousin Google Adwords.

Back in December I established my Sponsored Video campaign in the Tim Cohn YouTube account.

However to write and launch a sponsored video ad on YouTube, advertisers must have a Google Adwords account. Once my ads were up and running the sponsored video campaign data became available in both my YouTube and my Google Adwords account.

In the beginning I would login to my YouTube account to check my ads performance. However, after several days I realized it was taking twice the effort necessary.

For years I have logged in and viewed advertising account performance data for my self and clients several times a day from within “My Client Center” in Google Adwords.

I now also prefer viewing my YouTube sponsored video performance data from within My Client Center as well.

Its just a lot easier to do.

However, viewing YouTube sponsored video data with an Adwords account causes an entire list of new compatibility issues to arise.

For instance: Checking a Sponsored video ads distribution with the Adwords Ads Diagnostic Tool – doesn’t work.

The Google Adwords Ads Diagnostic Tool doesn’t even recognize YouTube as a Google property.

YouTube Adwords

YouTube Adwords

If YouTube ad data is made available within an Adwords account shouldn’t the corresponding Adwords tools work for sponsored video ads data as well?

If they were intended to -they don’t.

I think if the tools were intended to work – no one  has checked on their functionality but me.

If they weren’t intended to work – why then is YouTube Sponsored Video Ads data made available within Google Adwords advertisers accounts?

I realize the Sponsored Video Ad program is less than two months old.

Surely other YouTube advertisers are encountering some of the same post launch issues and have questions like I do.

Where is the YouTube Sponsored Video Ad forum?

Has it been created yet?

Will it be created?

Until then or informed otherwise, consider this blog post the inaugural YouTube sponsored video ad users group forum.

Feel free to leave any questions you have about YouTube Sponsored Video ads in the comments section below and between us we can work to establish the YouTube Sponsored Video ad knowledge base.

TwitterVision.com: See Tweets on Google Maps

January 23, 2009

Today I noticed referrals to my WordPress blog from TwitterVision.com.

Its an interesting concept: mashing Twitter Tweets up with Google Maps.

I am not sure how often it grabs Tweets or how regularly specific areas within Google Maps  are refreshed but TwitterVision does provide a new view into the world of Twitter.

I tested Twittervision’s ability to place and map Tweets originating from the San Francisco area.

After several minutes Twittervision reported a Tweet from one of Twitter’s most prolific Tweeters – Robert Scoble @ Half Moon Bay, CA.

TwitterVision.com

TwitterVision.com

MashSpots.com: Find Any Business in Any City

January 22, 2009

MashSpots.com is the coolest and most functional Google Maps mashup I have seen yet.

Search for any business type in any city in the world  by entering the  “What” and “Where” into its search boxes.

Mashspots.com will then deliver the four closest results to the “Where” of your search.

Mashspots users can then click and drag the “Man” icon to a different location for a list of four new results.

In this screen shot, MashSpots.com accuately displays my business location and contact details.

Find Businesses Anywhere

Find Businesses Anywhere

MashSpots.com can also be embedded in websites and iGoogle personal pages.

iGoogle Mashspots.com

iGoogle Mashspots.com

Send YouTube Video Previews Via Gmail Chat

January 22, 2009

Gmail users can now send YouTube and Google Video previews along with and through their Gmail chats.

Gmail YouTube Video Chat

Gmail YouTube Video Chat

WhiteHouse.Gov Blog Feed

January 21, 2009

“Open Sourced Democracy” or at least its blog feed is now available via RSS:

WhiteHouse RSS Feed

WhiteHouse RSS Feed

Thanks Gavin…

Whitehouse Blog Feed

Whitehouse Blog Feed

TweetTube.com: Share YouTube Videos on Twitter

January 20, 2009

Share your YouTube videos via Twitter on TweetTube.com

Twitter & TweetTube.com

Twitter & TweetTube.com

Whitehouse.Gov Barack Obama Live

January 20, 2009

The official Whitehouse.gov site has changed to display the new administration of America’s 44th President Barack Obama.

Whitehouse.gov Barack Obama Live

Whitehouse.gov Barack Obama Live

100,000 TPH (Tweets Per Hour)

January 19, 2009

Tweets to date: 1.1 Billion and climbing.

Tweets per hour (TPH) appears to average around 100,000.

Tweets Per Hour

Tweets Per Hour

YouTube Now Considered A Google Adwords Search Partner?

January 19, 2009

Over the weekend I noticed some of my clients Google Adwords ads – not YouTube Sponsored Video ads – began displaying in YouTube search results.

I don’t recall seeing or selecting YouTube search as a distribution option in my Adwords dashboard.

However, I think distributing brand related keyword ads to YouTube search results is a logical evolution in both the Google Adwords text ad distribution platform and YouTube search.

According to comScore, if YouTube were to stand alone it would be the second largest searched site after Google itself.

Where will Adwords advertisers soon find YouTube as an ad distribution option in their Adwords account?

Will they find it under the Networks and Bidding options?

Google Networks Bidding

Google Networks Bidding

Or will we see it after learning about the Google Search Network?

Google Search Network

Google Search Network

Its not yet in the list of Google Search partners today but I it soon could be…

Google Search Network Partners

Google Search Network Partners

Unless of course, Google’s ownership of YouTube doesn’t technically require them to identify and disclose YouTube as a search partner.

I guess Google’s considering YouTube an extended part of Google search would still be technically correct.

Won’t we soon learn which path Google has chosen?