After being in a room full of excited facebook application developers, marketers and other interested parties, I got a clear sense of not only the potential of the facebook platform, but also of how many people willing to go to great lengths to exceed its potential. facebookcamptoronto2 really opened my eyes to the possibilities of facebook applications, and to how adaptable the platform was to the needs of many types of interested parties.

facebook passes the buck, literally

Instead of creating the initial facebook platform and increasing ways to capitalize on the user base in-house, facebook wants the facebook developer network to take up where they left off, not only in the development but in the capitalization of the large user base that constantly grows on facebook each day. By allowing the creative development pool of THE ENTIRE PLANET work to enrich the facebook experience.

This means:

1. facebook is continually adding more to its users (in the form of applications) > constant fresh content and ideas means the facebook user does not get bored
2. facebook developers’ success depends on the success of facebook > if applications are being marketed, facebook must be marketed alongside
3. the more there is for the user to interact with on facebook, the more time they spend there > facebook traffic increases as applications’ traffic increases

Pretty smart, facebook people. ;)

But this does not mean facebook just leaves developers to their own devices. To help those wishing to create a facebook application, they have a number of resources available to help along the way. The facebook developer information and wiki both provide the basic details relating to FBML and all the other strange facebook coding languages and as well, you can download the facebook platform. In addition to this, facebook in the fbfund provides a service that matches venture capitalists with developers seeking grants to launch and maintain their their facebook application. facebook is constantly seeking to improve conditions for facebook app developers by improving the facebook platform, listening to developer feedback and hosting facebookcamps such as the one I attended last Tuesday.

Win / Win

At the end of the day, everybody wins. facebook wins, developers win, marketers win, the users win. I suppose there may come a day when facebook users may lose interest, but that is a long, long, long time from now. In the meantime, facebook passes the buck to application developers: the literal and proverbial buck.

In related news, Matt Huggins has recently finished his first facebook application, and it will soon be released. Good luck Matt!

Posted: October 12th, 2007 under Web 2.0, Internet Marketing.
Comments: 2

Today, as I stated in a previous post, I attended facebookcampToronto2 and I want to spend the next week or so discussing some of the aspects of facebook that should be of interest to new ventures, and to existing brands that want to expand and grow on facebook. But before all that, here are my rough notes from the evening. If you happened to be there, and there is something that I missed, feel free to add this in the comments. Due to technological constraints I was unable to live blog this, but I believe it is still relevant for those who did not attend and want to learn more about the event. You might also want to check out the Global Nerdy blog’s coverage of facebookcamptoronto2 as the presenters were talking really fast near the end due to time constraints, and so I may have missed a few points.

Read more »

Posted: October 10th, 2007 under Web 2.0, Internet Marketing.
Comments: 14

I am sure that this has happened to every search user: you search for a product and you get a site that would never, ever under any circumstances you would provide them with your credit card number. Why? Because the website looks like they really need money in a bad way from the look of their site. So press the back button in your browser and on to the next result to purchase something from a site that clearly that does not need your money and clearly has the class and professionalism that you expect from an internet retailer. According to a DoubleClick survey [PDF], the most important factor in making an online purchase decision is the website, so this is no doubt a reoccuring phenomena.

I am not advocating make your site an all flash, all dynamic website with no actual text. That is the other way in the wrong direction. But adding some dynamic, rich media capabilities to your site is a very easy step in the right direction. For example, you have no idea how many comments I have about my feed reader button made by Hernan, and this is just a creative little .gif button with some movement. This does not mean you have to spend tons of money. Why not try to employ some of the web design students at the local college to help you create your site? But either way, you must be willing to invest in the look of your website. Rich media elements increase user engagement and are a great way to extend a company’s branding efforts, and are key to success these days. People like being wowed by their web experience, and internet retailers are not exempt from this fact.

The internet affords new retailers the opportunity to gain a footing in previously monopolized verticals. By investing not only in some great search marketing, but also in an impressive site that is dynamic and rich with media, these new retailers now really compete with larger companies in the this new “monopoly-free commerce”.

Posted: October 4th, 2007 under SEO, Internet Marketing.
Comments: 1

I often see search engine optimization opportunities in other towns, but never mine. So what’s a girl to do? Relocate to follow my dreams? Or give up? Well, relocating is not going to happen, nor is me giving up… Actual solution: Suck it up and somehow find some way to gain a monopoly on the search engine optimization game in London Ontario.

The first thing I notice about this sometimes low-tech and always very conservative city that I live in: SEO is not included in the regional vernacular. It was bad enough telling people I studied anthropology (what’s that?) and now when I try to explain this SEO thing, people are still puzzled (what’s that?). First roadblock: Nobody know was search engine optimization can do, or what online marketing has to offer.

I am not a pillar of the business community and I don’t have that many networking opportunities available to me, I don’t have a great online marketing mentor like Lee Odden (I wish!) and so there is no on to steer me in the right direction. Second roadblock: I am new to the world of business and no one knows me.

Two fairly major roadblocks to me achieving that which I aspire to. But for me, it’s nothing. My solution: Use my big mouth. I talk about search engine optimization with everyone who is willing to listen, which means I may not be fun at a party but damn will you learn something. But seriously, while I may not gab at a party about this, I generally try to mention it to most people I speak to. I give them a glimpse of how it works, and of the potential of engaging search and the internet as part of one’s marketing efforts. Does this work? Heck ya! Not only am I building a buzz about what I can do, but I am also helping people understand (locally) what SEO and internet marketing can mean for their business. Many webmasters are still waiting for traffic to arrive, not knowing that it may not happen without help. When they hear about this SEO thing from one of my now informed unknowing minions, they might think… hmm this may be my solution.

It’s a good start, and it has given me a few lucky opportunities. And as I get more, I can begin to up the ante… maybe even use internet marketing to promote my internet marketing skills. Novel idea, I know.

Posted: October 2nd, 2007 under SEO, Internet Marketing.
Comments: 6

On October 9, I plan on attending FaceBookCampToronto2, an “unconference” that is part of FaceBook Developer Garage, and it brings together developers and marketers to discuss the creation and promotion of FaceBook apps. The first FaceBookCamp that occurred on August 8 was geared more to the development crowd, but the agenda for the October 9 FaceBookCamp seems geared more to the marketers among us.

I am still making my mind up whether I want to live-blog the event, or if I want to cover it in a series over the week following. But I will be be covering the events of FaceBookCamp Toronto on October 9 in any case for those who are unable to attend.

For those interested and who will be in the Toronto area on October 9, you can confirm your attendance to FaceBookCampToronto2 here: BarCamp wiki

To learn more about FaceBook application development, check out The Entrepreneurial Blog of Matt Huggins: 5 Simple Reasons You Should Become A FaceBook Application Developer where Matt discusses the benefits and opportunities for developers utilizing the FaceBook platform.

Posted: September 26th, 2007 under Web 2.0, Internet Marketing.
Comments: 10

Before ever undertaking my new Blog Contest to Win a Pink SEO bear, I certainly did some background research to make sure that I did it right. I want to make the most out of this in order to thank my readers for their support by offering prizes, as well to draw some new attention to my blog.

I have compiled a list of the different things I considered prior to hosting a blogging contest on my Pink Internet Marketing blog:

1. I have seen lots of contests going on around the blogosphere, many for prizes of great worth. Certainly, the bigger the prize, the more attention you will receive, but at the same time, you don’t want to offer a prize that is too big for your blog. I felt my prizes are reflective of my traffic, but for higher traffic blogs larger prizes may be offered as they will receive the attention they deserve.
2. Make updates on the contest throughout - perhaps link to the newest entries. I myself plan on making an update each week showing the progress of the candy jar, and showing new entries.
3. Don’t expect people to find out about your contest just by visiting your blog. Promote your contest on contest blogs and sites and on blogging communities to which you belong. One of the major reasons for hosting a blog contest is to help promote your blog, so ensure that you announce it in as many places as possible. A list published recently on Contest Blogger of the Top Contest Blogs on the Web is a good place to start when promoting your contest. Another site, Laura Williams’ Musings, is another site to consider, as she presents a daily contest roundup.
4. If possible, make the prize something that extends your branding. I was lucky to have the cute bear on my blog already - and I know EVERYBODY thinks it is cute and I know many of my readers would a) want the bear or b) want to give the bear to a loved one (romantic liaison or tiny person). You want the prize to appeal to your readers (being your niche), appealing to everyone is not required as you want to reward and attract those in your niche.
5. You might want to have a small blog contest at first (like mine) if you are looking to offer a very large prize. Test it out, find out what works and what does not. Learning from your experiences the first time around will help you really get the most out of having a big blogging contest.

Be sure to enter my blogging contest, and win the cutest bear in the blogosphere. ;)

Posted: September 25th, 2007 under Internet Marketing, Blogging, Promoting My Blog.
Comments: 9

BlogRush, the blog traffic pyramid scheme, sends traffic to your blog by including your post titles in widgets on other blogs. You get credits for traffic sent to other blogs, and for people who sign up, which means your post title appears more frequently in the widget. Very high traffic blogs, for example Mashable, need only discuss this in a post, and have countless credits no doubt. For lower traffic bloggers, it is necessary to include the sidebar widget. It heard about it recently, but did not want to clutter my sidebar to get an extra 15 visits a day.

So how did I get almost 500 visits to my blog from a BlogRush widget?

Here is the post that received all the traffic:

Goodbye Wonderful World of Windows 98, Hello Feisty Fawn

Catchy title, I know. Since you can only see the first 40 characters in the title in the widget, then you see the first part of my title… which in itself is funny in the year 2007. That is what inspired so many people to actually visit my post, but to be honest it beats me how I managed to get onto the BlogRush widget without actually submitting my blog.

So maybe I will rethink my disregard for BlogRush. ;)

Posted: September 20th, 2007 under Internet Marketing, Blogging.
Comments: 12

The social phenomena of specialization is not a new - every human pursuit has a tendency to specialization it seems. It makes sense, really. Specialization allows for greater productivity, which is mutually beneficial for all those involved. It seems that social bookmarking and social networking sites are not to be left out in this tendency towards specialization.

Social bookmarking and social networking allow the user to interact with other users, and for the user to also contribute to the site. Over the past several years, generalized websites for these purposes have achieved great success. Now, specialized sites are popping up to “increase the productivity” of users. For example, the recent unveiling of Sphinn, the social bookmarking site for internet marketers, has been very well-received by the online community. And today, I learn that there is now a social networking site for people who like hip-hop. StreetCred is being endorsed by some big names in music, and even in beta has garnered some attention. There are many examples I could site, but these are some better examples of social networking / bookmarking that truly endeavor to fill a niche market.

Benefits of the specialization of Web 2.0

• Users will not have to sift through as much information they do not want
• Those submitting the information will reach the people who are looking for it much quicker
• Tighter social community based on shared interests and abilities
• The principle of comparative advantage would dictate that in fact users of the various social sites would indeed benefit from information being “produced” in “different places” by those who were especially in a position to produce it
• From a marketing perspective - the more places to market the better

Drawbacks of the Specialization of Web 2.0

• Encourages a myopic view by reducing the diversity of information the user sees

Some suggestions for good social bookmarking and social networking sites:

• Social bookmarking site with news about social bookmarking
• Social networking site for cowboys :)
• Social networking where you can list dance parties
• Social bookmarking site for spammers - maybe if we give them their own site, they won’t bother with the others… ?

Posted: September 20th, 2007 under Web 2.0, Internet Marketing.
Comments: 7

Google has unveiled a new interactive ad format, Gadget Ads.

Gadget ads – non-traditional ad units with interactive, rich media capabilities – not only enable advertisers to target audiences in a flexible and timely manner via regular updates within the ad unit, but also allow users to engage with ad content in a way static ads haven’t facilitated in the past.

These ads claim are meant to transcend rich media, and Google calls them “websites within websites”, and these will be used in the traditional method of advertising on AdSense publishers. Also, the “gadgets” will be available in the iGoogle gadgets directory. These will incorporate “data feeds, maps, images, audio, video, Flash, HTML or JavaScript in a single creative”.

I am surprised it took this long for Google to introduce a rich media ad format alternative, but I am sure that this new alternative will attract a lot (and bigger) business for Google AdWords. Aimed at larger corporations and no doubt at shorter term campaigns, in beta testing the results are apparently very positive.

For more information about Google Gadget Ads, here is the new home of Gadget Ads

In related news: Google has also introduced Google mobile ads. Pssht.

Posted: September 19th, 2007 under Internet Marketing.
Comments: 5

I recently wrote about my friend’s quest to get an Oink invitation. Well, her search got her an invite, and she managed to get one for me as well. Once I joined, I was surprised at the VERY strict rules and to be honest, I was nervous to do anything for about 4 weeks.

It’s crazy how many people want an invite to Oink… some people wait for years on waiting lists and apparently people pay for Oink invites (which is not allowed). With the number of great torrent sharing sites, why does everyone want an Oink invite? I was reminded of Seth Godin’s Unleashing the Ideavirus:

Several years ago, a hot chef in Chicago decided to go out on his own and open his first restaurant. Realizing how competitive the market was, he did a neat thing. He never opened it to the public. He refused to accept reservations from strangers.

If you wanted to get into Les Nomades, you had to be a member. And how did you do that? Well, the first 500 people were given memberships because the chef knew them as regular customers at his old job, and he personally invited them. Then he told each member that they were welcome to sponsor other members. All they had to do was vouch for someone and he’d make them a member too.

So, what’s in it for the member to nominate someone else? Simple. They scored points with their friends as powerful sneezers because they could “get you in” to the hottest restaurant in town.

Of course, this wouldn’t have worked if the restaurant hadn’t been spectacular. But it was. And it was exclusive. But by allowing his members to do his marketing for him, by giving them an altruistic tool that increased their power as professional sneezers, the chef was able to get out of the way and let his customers sell for him.

And Oink and Demonoid, and other “coveted” torrent sharing site, require an invitation from a member. I like Oink for the obvious reasons (the colour scheme). Both, however, are very fast, but do require you to maintain a sharing ratio. So now, with my membership there, I am to sell my friends on these sites… and invite them to join? ;)

It really is a great idea though, making your site exclusive to ensure that your site will be absolutely popular. There are about 180,000 members on Oink, and generally half of them log in daily. This would not work with every type of website of course. Any site, however, where the market is already flooded, could make it very exclusive and require invitation only.

Posted: September 17th, 2007 under Internet Marketing.
Comments: 15