| LED Digest 2049: Cool Tools, also Google Base |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest post, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. November 22, 2005 Issue #2049 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ======= NEW ===================== --== Getting Updated on DMOZ ==-- ~ Nancy Cardinali "Better to leave as is?" --== Google Base? ==-- ~ Rich Dudley "I'm curious as to the experiences of anyone who's worked with Google Base." ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Project Management Tools ==-- ~ Malcolm Bailey "This is something I spent a while researching myself and I eventually opted for [Basecamp]..." --== AdWords vs Overture PPC ==-- ~ Karl L. Baldwin "Yahoo! Search Marketing is horribly crippled, disfigured and a dubious place...!" ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Google Droppings ==-- ~ Renee Kennedy ~ Kathryn Martyn ~ Michael Linehan ======== NEW ==================================== From: Nancy Cardinali Subject: DMOZ again Hi All, Happy Thanksgiving to those in the States. Happy November for all others! Time to give thanks for our blessings/harvest before winter. To those in the southern hemisphere: Beach weather! Any comments about shifting your web site's content from 'D' to 'C' (ie: going UP on the chain of search criteria) in DMOZ? Our site has been listed with/on DMOZ for several years. However, we plan to go from one category to a level above our present category. For example: Business>Publishing & Printing>Publishing>Self Publishing>Subsidy Publishing We are now more 'Self Publishing' than 'Subsidy Publishing' Anyone have similar experience? Better to leave as is? Or try to change risking non inclusion in DMOZ??? I hope that makes sense! Thanks Nancy Cardinali www.Taylor-Dth.com -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Richard Dudley Subject: Google Base How long have site owners wanted some way to get their information directly into Google's search, quickly and on their timeline, sort of like the "trusted feeds" of yore? It looks like that time has come -- Google launches Google Base today (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/first-base.html), which is essentially a pipeline directly into the Google database for your deep or protected content. Or at least that's the appearance -- I'm curious as to the experiences of anyone who's worked with, or plans to work with Google Base. Rich Dudley www.bloomeryweddings.com ===== CONTINUING ================================= From: Malcolm Bailey Subject: Project management > I'd be interested to hear recommendations on software > to help creatives track projects online. I've just begun the > search and I'm blown away by the broad range of products > offered out there. Any LED-ers out there using a great tool? - Beth Durkee, LED 2048 Hi Beth, This is something I spent a while researching myself recently and having looked through various tools and gizmo's out there I eventually opted for http://basecamphq.com/ and to be honest I can believe all of their testimonials on the "Buzz" page (I'm usually waaay sceptical of testimonials). I'm currently providing consultancy to a former employer, a 100 strong marketing agency, and when I sent them their log in details for my Extranet they were impressed with it's ease of use and number of features. They're now reviewing their own internal software with a mind to switching to basecamp. As with most of these there's a free trial (limited to 1 project) but I find it a relatively inexpensive solution that is only on a monthly contract so can be pulled any time. It does all the things you request with possibly the exception of invoicing (It may well do this - I've just never looked!) Take a look - I highly recommend it (no affiliation etc - just a happy user) Cheers, Malcolm Bailey ------- new post - new topic -------- From: Karl Baldwin Subject: PPC > I will likely be cancelling Overture and Looksmart > in January as well... but if I ever need to go back to > pay per click... it will be Overture that I return to first. - Carrie MacKenzie, LED 2048 I used to share that sentiment until the July, August and September fiasco Overture/Yahoo! had with their computer system (well documented in many SEO forums). For a short period up until January of 2005, I had selected the auto budgeting which, unbeknownst to me, allowed Overture to extract large amounts of funds from my Visa account to keep up with clicks I was supposedly receiving. The problem is that these cash extractions were done without my prior advice or consent. O yea, there's a caveat buried in the fine print of the last sentence of the last paragraph of the payment selection page. The point is, is that after a $1020 unexpected debit to my Visa card, I immediately cancelled that foolishness back in January. Getting back to Oveture's / Yahoo!'s computer screw-up. On July 24th, their system somehow re-activated my cancelled service, and I got hit with an unauthorized, $450 charge on my bank statement; then another $450 charge on August 23rd, August 24th and August 26th, all for $450 each. Naturally, I didn't find the last 3 charges until mid-September, at which time I notified Capital One's fraud operations as well as canceling that credit card. Maybe not coincidentally, and before the cancellation took effect, on September 26th, 28th and 29th that card got hit for 2 American Airline tickets for about $600 and a $400 charge from 877 Ten Cent Orders, whatever that is. My point; GoTo.com was great. Overture was pretty good most of the time. Yahoo! Search Marketing is horribly crippled, disfigured and a dubious place to put down one's advertising dollars! PS - Capital One recovered all my money ($2795.35) and litigation is in progress. Best Regards, Karl L. Baldwin MountainLodging www.mountain-lodging.com ==== BILLBOARD =================================== From: Renee Kennedy Subject: Google droppings > The comment I read suggests that Matt said Google > has found a way to kill automated reciprocal linking > (that is my wording, not anyone else's). - Michael Martinez, LED 2048 What do you mean by "automated reciprocal linking?" Do you mean a directory that requires a reciprocal link and has a program that will go out and check to verify that link? Thanks, Renee Kennedy http://www.e-healtharticles.com: Wanted authors and publishers! ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Kathryn Martyn Subject: Google droppings > Google may next turn its attention to all the > fluff articles and press releases that have > been published over the past 18 months. - Michael Martinez, LED 2048 I agree with Michael here. I'm getting invites to post articles in these article directories more often and frankly, I'm thinking it might be detrimental rather than helpful. Most are simply cookie cutter versions of article submissions sites and the likely value is pretty low, IMO. Sorry if anyone bought into the hype of how "easy" to slap up an article submission site, but no matter what type site you choose, there's good old fashioned hard work in making it successful and more importantly useful to your visitors. I think people have lost sight of the whole point of a website. If you build a store with your only goal being making a profit, you'll fail, pure and simple. It's not about the money. If you have no passion or drive for your subject matter, you might as well go to work for someone else. If you want to work for yourself, then you better love what you do. I don't have a website for no reason other than a place to post Google ads or affiliate links, although I do use those and they generate some extra income. I have a site because I love my work and want to share it, plus the web gives me access to people the world over in a way that never existed only a decade ago. Google seems to be trying to stay one step ahead of those crafty website owners who want their sites found but at what cost? How can they devalue a questionable link exchange without likewise affecting a legitimate link exchange? I'm bored of the whole thing, to tell you the truth. I quit chasing the Google nut, and now my site is found on pg. 7 (results 61 - 70) of the results when one searches for the two-word phrase, weight loss. That's not bad considering there are 59,600,0007 pages with that phrase. As I'm busy reaching to pat myself on the back, my page could just as well disappear and I'm lefting wondering why. I say, put the best content out there you can; post freqently, add new content and check the validity of your site's links, spell check, etc. etc. Work it like you would a real store front. Sweep the floors, dust the shelves and basically whistle while you work. Back to artice sites. A few are real, such as http://www.ezinearticles.com which is a thoughtful enterprise with a staff working their butts off (can I say that?) to make it successful. If Google decides to devalue one article site, will they begin to also devalue those important sites as well? Time will tell. I'd say, next time you hear of some new scheme that makes it "easy" (article submission sites come to mind) and you just sit back and cash the checks, run, don't walk for the nearest exit because you're about to lose some weight, in your wallet that is. ;-) Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP Ending Emotional Eating, One Bite at a Time http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Michael Linehan Subject: Dropped from Google Well, I didn't keep the postings on the topic, and now I've had a client site dropped from Google. Have tried to access LED archives, but can't get in. Too busy? [moderator here: they're working fine now: http://list.audettemedia.com/archives/led.html . we had some downtime over the weekend - maybe that's what you ran into... -adam] I committed the sin of writing (for whatever bizarre reason), "This sitemap is intended for search engines only. Readers please use the navigation to the left." The words 'search engines only' got the whole site dropped. (So much for the brilliance of Google's algorithms.) Text deleted. Sitemap.xml resubmitted. No go. So can someone please remind me where to write at Google and anything specific to do. Thanks, Michael Linehan Marketing Alchemy ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains Copyright 1995-2005 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Ideas pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun." - Don Marquis |
