Biznology Blog by Mike Moran

Where Business and Technology Come Together

July 3, 2009

Do Small Businesses "Get" the Internet?

by Frank Reed

For several years now, I have been talking to anyone and everyone about how the Internet is the great equalizer for small and medium businesses. It can help the little guy play with the big boys. It can help create a David vs. Goliath scenario where the SMB can take the industry giant out with skill and precision. There are so many things that any SMB can do with regard to the Internet that it is mind boggling.

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Posted by FrankReed at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

July 2, 2009

No really? More free tools from Google?

by Josh Greenfield

Don't look now, but Google has just released some more free tools. Every time you look up, something else is dribbling out of Google and it's not that easy to make sense of it all. But we can try.

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Posted by JoshGreenfield at 12:54 AM | Comments (1)

July 1, 2009

Social media is direct marketing

Lee Odden posed an excellent question in his blog recently, as to whether social media is direct marketing. Brian Clark told Lee that it is, most definitely, direct marketing. Lee said, maybe so, but you cannot use direct marketing pitches in social media. I am here to tell you that they are both right, and if you think about it, there's no real conflict in what they are saying...if you understand a little bit about direct marketing.

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Posted by MikeMoran at 12:06 PM | Comments (4)

June 30, 2009

Search Engine Conflicts We Don't Accept

Microsoft is selling Razorfish, the search consultancy it acquired as part of the bigger aQuantive acquisition. Microsoft has been criticized for owning a search consultancy that manages clients' paid search spending on search engines, including Microsoft's own search engine, Bing. Google was similarly pilloried for being in the same position with Performics when it acquired DoubleClick. For more, check out my latest post on Internet Evolution, "Search Engine Conflicts We Don't Accept."

Posted by MikeMoran at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2009

Searching for profits more than answers

The refreshing thing about search marketing is the way that the little guy was on equal footing with the big guy. Yes, I said "was" on equal footing. I am noticing a disturbing trend in search results, from Bing and others, that leads to big companies having a distinct advantage in search, just as they do in most other forms of marketing. To see what I mean, check out my latest blog post for Search Engine Guide, "Searching for profits more than answers."

Posted by MikeMoran at 4:02 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2009

Twitter's Free to All Model is Wrong

by Frank Reed

I am going to write something that is likely to be unpopular. Today I experienced a "perfect storm" of sorts regarding the Internet and the idea of free is good. This apparent entitlement mentality that is pervasive among Internet users that everything should free is going to potentially ruin a lot of good opportunities. Of course, all of this is in my opinion so you can take it for what it's worth. At least reading it is free, right?

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Posted by FrankReed at 1:08 AM | Comments (4)

June 25, 2009

What if your boss is fraidy-scared of Internet marketing?

When I was a kid on Long Island (pronounced "Lon GUY-land"), I was one of those boys that was fraidy-scared a lot. Afraid of the bigger kids. Afraid of everyone realizing how unathletic I was. (OK, OK, of how unathletic I am.) So, I can sense fear when I see it, and I am seeing a lot of fraidy-scared marketers lately. They knew how to do their jobs in the old days but they don't know what this Internet thing is all about. If you're reading this post, you're unlikely to be one of those fraidy-scared folks, but you might work with or (horrors) for someone filled with fear. What do you do?

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Posted by MikeMoran at 9:27 PM | Comments (3)

June 24, 2009

What's Listening 2.0? Can you stand to hear it?

I was fortunate to be invited to do a Webinar today on Listening 2.0, along with Mark Kovscek of VivaKi and Pauline Ores of IBM, on what's going on with all these conversation monitoring/mining/listening services that are suddenly popping up. As Chief Strategist for Converseon, I am kind of biased. I mean, we have the really good one, you see. But it was helpful to be part of a panel where we could talk about what kind of qualities make a good one and we got lots of great questions.

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Posted by MikeMoran at 6:48 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2009

Just what constitutes a spam blog comment?

make the decision several times every day, just like most blog owners. A comment comes in to one of our posts. I scan it and make a snap decision: is it spam or is it a legitimate comment for me to publish? But lately, I've been second-guessing my decisions, wondering whether I am canning spam or stifling real readers from providing feedback. Or maybe I am letting lots of spam through that lowers the conversation. If you've ever struggled with the spam or no spam decision on your blog comments, read my latest post on Search Engine Guide, "Just what constitutes a spam blog comment?"

Posted by MikeMoran at 8:53 PM | Comments (1)

June 22, 2009

A Walk Around the Digital Marketing Block

by Janine Y. Swenson

I was early to the event, so I chose to walk around my old neighborhood, south of Washington Square Park in New York City. I feared the neighborhood when I first moved in almost 29 years ago, viewed it as unmanageable, but it now seemed open, welcoming, and easy to navigate. How unfortunate that what I know now, I didn't know then. I could have taken advantage of so many things. I liken that experience to how many marketing managers of small, medium, and even large businesses view the Internet today. What they see as frightening, unfamiliar, and unmanageable could be a welcoming, easily-navigated direct link to their existing and new customers.

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Posted by MikeMoran at 3:56 PM | Comments (1)