How does Twitter calculate its “Similar to” lists?
I have no idea how they arrived at the list of who I am “similar to”.
Similar To @TimCohn
Apparently Twitter thinks I am similar to the people listed above.
Similar To Lists On Twitter
January 12, 2011Google Places Bulk Upload Verification Confirmation Email
January 11, 2011A couple days ago, I wrote about verifying bulk listings in Google Places and my concern about the process.
My concerns have been alleviated to some degree because I have since received a confirmation email from the “Google Team” about my bulk upload verification request.
Google Places Bulk Verification Confirmation Email
Even more reassuring – the Google Team email comes from “Local Help”.
While I am not absolutely certain, I don’t recall ever receiving an email from Google regarding any other issue I have had with a Google Places listing.
Maybe Google really is taking communication with local businesses seriously.
At least in this case, the Google Local Help Team appears to be concerned enough with bulk verification upload requests enough to provide an email response.
Because I have received an email confirmation from the Google “Local Help” team, I am somewhat optimistic their bulk verification upload process may actually produce the successful publishing of my bulk Google Places listings.
Local Listing; National Google Maps Search Result
January 10, 2011Over the last several months, one of the top search queries appearing in my Google Places dashboard has been “AdWords”.
Odd…
My market isn’t known for outsize Google AdWords demand.
At quick look in Google Maps with my location set yields a first place listing in Google Maps for AdWords.
Google Maps Location Set
Great!
Problem is – I just don’t think local search traffic alone could account for the traffic showing up in my Google Places dashboard for AdWords.
I then decided to search Google Maps without having set my default location.
Google Maps Sans Default Location
A search for AdWords in Google Maps without setting a default location produces a set of results for the entire U.S.
The results were somewhat surprising…
Again a first place listing for AdWords.
This time though for the entire list of Adwords results in Google Maps within the United States…
Google Maps U.S. Results Adwords
This type of search result could explain why I am seeing Adwords as one of the top local search queries in my Google Places account.
Google Places Dashboard: Google Tags Activity Report
January 9, 2011Having been online since 1999 with the same website apparently has some advantages in Google’s local search algorithm.
Otherwise, I don’t know how else my lowly marketing site could appear first out of 2,850 results in Google’s list of local businesses under a (signed out) Places search for “marketing” here in my city.
Google Places Listing
This first Google Places listing surely has contributed to greater visibility of my business in Google local searches than not which in turn has also apparently brought with it news of my first “Google Tags action”!
Google Tags Activity
Yippee!
My Google Tags offer has generated a single expansion of the Tag on the map.
Unfortunately, the tag and its accompanying offer weren’t compelling enough to generate a click to my tag link as well.
Since Google Tags activity reports appear to trail the calendar date by several days, my Google Tags offer could have actually received more traffic since first activating my Tags listing.
While the expansions of my Google Tags offer and clicks to the Tags link are exciting, my being able to report a quantifiable customer acquisition as a result of having utilized Google Tags would be even better.
1, 2, 3… beginning to hold breath now.
Google Instant The Fastest… The Others, Not So Fast
January 8, 2011Google Instant is the fastest of Google’s product to update search results with relevant search query results as evidenced by today’s search events.
Google Instant Fastest
Google Auto-suggest produces nearly the same set of search possibilities without changing the search results page on the fly like Google Instant does.
Google Auto-Suggest Fast
However, as you can see YouTube’s suggested search results are still far from being real time. In fact YouTube’s search results aren’t yet with the times.
YouTube Auto-Suggest No So Fast
YouTube isn’t alone though…
Yahoo search suggest results aren’t much better than YouTube’s.
Yahoo Search Suggest
However, to my surprise Bing search suggest offers results comparable to Google Instant and Google Auto-Suggest.
Bing Search Suggest
Twitter doesn’t have any type of auto search suggest as far as I can tell however it does provide a rolling list of the ten most searched terms.
Twitter Search
Facebook offers alternative results if it can’t find the keyword.
Facebook Search
Lastly, Myspace suggests a list of possible categories before it provides any results.
MySpace Search
To find potential information locations the fastest, use Google Instant search or Bing otherwise your search for answers may take longer than necessary.
Google Places Steps: The Process For Requesting Bulk Listing Verification
January 7, 2011On Wednesday January 5, 2011 I uploaded 39 business locations for bulk verification in Google Places.
I wasn’t able to get back to that particular Google Places account again until today.
Unverified Google Places Listings
As you can see, upon log-in I was immediately greeted by a bright red warning banner reminding me – “The listings that were bulk uploaded are not verified and may not appear in Google search results. If you are the owner, request bulk verification.”
Time to request bulk verification.
What type of businesses qualify for bulk verification – businesses with 10 or more locations.
Verify Bulk Listings In Google Places
Bulk Google Places data verification requests takes 2 -4 weeks, hence my time stamping this post.
When submitting a bulk verification request, business owners must agree to provide Google Places with “Accurate, Specific Data.”
Google Places Accurate Specific Data
After meeting all of the bulk verification requirements, users must provide and submit contact information for verification of their data.
Google Places Owner's Bulk Verification Form
Done!
Unfortunately after providing and submitting their contact details, business owners receive a rather meaningless message from Google – “Thank you for contacting us.”
That’s it? No acknowledging what was submitted or a way to check the bulk upload status?
Apparently so.
Worse yet, returning to the Google Places dashboard finds no change in status as if no action was taken to request verification when in fact action was taken.
Google Places Bulk Verification Needs Action
Google could improve the bulk verification process by at least removing the red warning banner after a request had been submitted.
Better yet, Google Places could parse the process into data fields for each step while also assigning the appropriate disposition labels for each step in the process like the now standard ecommerce check out step process….
Whether for the single business or for bulk uploads, I am sure Google Places users would be confident submitting their Google Places forms if they were greeted by a Google Places steps form –
Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 and Your Done submitting your Google Places Bulk Verification Request!
How To Get Google Offers On Your Google Homepage
January 6, 2011Yes, there is a Google gadget for that…
How To Get Google Local Offers
Once activated within an iGoogle homepage, the gadget automatically detects location with your permission or you can enter another location of your choice.
Entering a search term in the Google Offers gadget produces a list of merchants from within the selected area who have created offers in their Google Places account.
Google Offers Gadget
Clicking the “View map” option takes gadget users to a Google Map to view the location of available offers.
Google Offers Map
Users can then click through to the advertiser’s Google Places page –
Google Places Page
or the advertiser’s Google offer page where they can then print out the advertiser’s offer.
Google Offer Page
I expect to see further Google offer development and distribution options like those found in the Google Offers gadget in the near future.
Using A Google Tags Offer As A Landing Page In A Google Adwords Campaign
January 5, 2011Not sure whether this can be done or not but I am going to give it a try…
Google Tags Offer As Landing Page
Google Contest: Ads Worth Spreading
January 4, 2011From Chris Anderson, Curator of TED via The Google Adwords Agency Blog
Video is a powerful medium for spreading ideas. Over the past four years, TED has posted over 800 TEDTalks on Ted.com and YouTube. We’ve been thrilled to see the world respond — watching the videos more than 375 million times.
Our mission — of spreading ideas around the world — is supported in part by advertising. And we believe that advertising should evoke the same emotions a TEDTalk does — it should make you think, make you respond, make you want to share — a great idea, a product that makes the world better, an initiative that might change the world. Like YouTube, we want to see the same level of passion in online ads as we do in our TEDTalks. So, we’ve created a challenge called ‘Ads Worth Spreading‘ to solicit the best ads that raise the bar, elevate the craft and invent new forms of online engagement.
We invite you to enter the competition. Entries can be hysterically funny, stunningly beautiful, or just intriguing, fascinating, ingenious and persuasive. For inspiration, check out examples of great creative on YouTube Show and Tell. It is free to enter, the submission deadline is February 7, 2011, and full contest rules are right here.
Converting purely commercial messages into contagious media sounds like the quest for the Holy Grail to me.
Search Marketing Communications 
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