In the spotlight this week:
- Big story: US Government data mining from top 9 online companies (and what Google had to say about it);
- Matt Cutts this and that;
- Several social media developments;
- self-driving cars solve the “don’t drink and drive” [2 must-see videos];
- and much more.
Let’s start with the news from Traffic Generation Café.
At TrafficGenerationCafe.com
Google Author Rank: Are You Too Late?
TL;DR You should definitely read this post because:
- This post is the place to get the skinny on Author Rank: what it is, why we need it, etc – without having to read dozens of articles to get the gist.
- We’ll also talk about Google Authorship vs Author Rank, plus where PageRank fits in – something many bloggers (including me until I wrote this post) are still a bit fuzzy about.
- I’ll do my best to give you a kick in the rear to start building your Author Rank today and explain how to do it.
- If you stick around, I’ll tell you what my new favorite abbreviation TL;DR stands for.
Continue reading Google Author Rank: Are You Too Late?.
You Have Ten Seconds to Convert Bill Gates; Here’s What to Do
From the comments on this brilliant guest post by Joel Zaslofsky:
“This one of the most creative blog posts i’ve read in a while…I liked how you connected the dots and developed a story so brilliantly convincing.”
And I completely agree. You must read You Have Ten Seconds to Convert Bill Gates; Here’s What to Do. And please let Joel and me know your thoughts in the comments.
SEO
Matt Cutts on Authorship
Google’s Matt Cutts put out a new Webmaster Help video discussing Authorship.
Specifically, he responds to the user-submitted question:
Will Google be evaluating the use of rel=”author” moving forward as more sites use the feature on generic, non-article/news pages, such as the home page or an about page?
A perfect fit with my Google Author Rank post you’ve hopefully read by now.
The Matt Cutts Debunking Flowchart
Introducing Search Engine Land’s guide to Matt Cutts as the oficial Google debunker, based on years of observations (you can click to enlarge it).
Social Media
YouTube One Channel
All YouTube user profiles have now been converted to the new “One Channel” design.
Some of the new features include:
- showing a specific channel “trailer” only to viewers that aren’t already subscribed to your channel
- adding an image to serve as “channel art” at the top of the profile page
- organizing videos and playlists into customizable sections
You’ll find a lot of tips and tricks to set up your channel in the Creator Playbook and in YouTube’s help center.
Twitter Lead Generation Cards
Twitter released the Lead Generation Card, a new type of Twitter Card that sallow marketers to collect leads directly within the tweet.
Users don’t even have to fill out a form — their information (Name, email, and username) is already pulled into the card. They literally just have to hit “Submit” on the Card’s call-to-action.
The Lead Generation Card is exclusively available as a feature of Promoted Tweets (a paid feature of Twitter Ads) for managed clients, but it soon will be available for small- and medium-sized businesses. (Hubspot reports)
Buffer & Followerwonk
Buffer has teamed up with the folks from Followerwonk, a Twitter analytics tool, to deliver the best times to Tweet for you. And from there, you can easily export your optimal Tweeting times straight into Buffer.
More in How to share your Tweets at optimal times: Followerwonk and Buffer team up.
Facebook Testing Editing
It appears that post editing feature might finally be coming to Facebook.
Facebook confirmed to AllFacebook that the site is testing the ability to allow users to edit posts they’ve made. Users can already edit comments, but this would be the first step toward being able to edit posts.
In the comments on the same AllFacebook post, Danny Brown has noted that
“if the post is image-led, you can already edit text attached to it.”
I didn’t know that…
Either way, editing will be a welcomed feature, I am sure.
Until recently, you had two options when posting LinkedIn updates: text and links.
You can now also directly upload images, documents, and presentations to the updates you share from the LinkedIn Homepage. This new feature is rolling out to all members around the world over the next few weeks.
More in Enrich your updates on LinkedIn with Rich Media post on Slideshare blog post or take a look at this Slideshare presentation:
Enhance your LinkedIn updates with rich media from LinkedInMarketing This & That
Google Gives Access to Servers to the National Security Agency?
(image source)
The program, code-named PRISM, has not been made public until now. It may be the first of its kind.
This is turning out to be quite a story, so here’s how it went down.
1. The National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of US customers of Verizon, one of America’s largest telecoms providers, under a top secret court order issued in April. (source – guardian.co.uk)
2. The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets, according to a top-secret document obtained by The Washington Post. (source – washingtonpost.com)
3. Larry Page, Google CEO and David Drummond, Google Chief Legal Officer react to the story in
- What The….
Aweber Overhaul
The email authoresponder service Aweber gets a new look - Easier. Faster. Better.
Here’s a quick overview:
Do you really need to start building an email list?
Matthew P. Schneider asks this question on my Facebook page:
I had a question:
I began blogging a bit ago and started promoting posts via FB and Twitter. In a few months I built up a Klout of 66.
My goal on my blog was that the visitor would follow me on Twitter and/or like the page on FB and that would be how we’d stay connected.
However, you press e-mail, e-mail, e-mail. Why is it so much better to get an e-mail subscriber than a twitter follower / FB like since all 3 will get your future posts?
It’s harder to get e-mail subscribers so the extra effort needs extra results.
Ana’s response (don’t quote me on the exact numbers)
Statistically, about 90% of people who start using social media fall of the grid within 30 days.
Plus, just because you are connected with them on social media, doesn’t mean they’ll ever see your message. Did you know that only about 6% of your FB fans will actually see your updates?
Trust me, you want to be in control of being able to get in touch with your readers.
In short, you HAVE TO start building an email list today; you’ll be happy you did once you see the power of it.
Start Your Own Email Marketing List for Only $1.00
If you haven’t started building your list yet, let me tell you – you are missing out big time.
My list is number one reason I make the money I make with this blog and have such a strong readership.
Aweber is the best email autoresponder I have even used.
And I am not the only one. Many A-list bloggers I know also use it for their businesses.
Aweber offers a $1 trial month for all new customers.
You’ll have access to all features a paid account is entitled to: unlimited lists, email campaigns, automatic follow-ups, broadcasts, and many, many more.
If after 30 days you don’t like them, just let them know and Aweber will give you your $1 back. Guaranteed.
First Look at Windows 8.1
As Guy Kawasaki says in his book, “What the Plus“:
“…Google+ is to Facebook and Twitter what Macintosh is to Windows: better, but fewer people use it…”
I love my Mac, but just in case you are a Windows fan, here what they’ve got in store for you:
Amazon Delivers Groceries?
Yes, indeed. Not only delivering, but expanding.
According to Reuters, Amazon is ready to expand its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service to Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in 2013, and, provided that those tests go well, 20 new markets in 2014.
Feedly as Google Reader Alternative
It’s less than a month to go until Google Reader shuts down on July 1st - do you have your backup lined up?
Allow me to suggest Feedly, which is what I’ve been using since the announcement of Google Reader shutdown.
In a blog post, Feedly also says its userbase has been growing since Google’s announcement in mid-March:
- 68 percent of those who try Feedly convert into active weekly users
- active users have doubled the time spent using Feedly
- Feedly users are sharing 10x more content to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest thanks to its partnership with Buffer
If Feedly is not for you, here are some other alternatives:
Goodbye Google Reader, Hello 10 Google Reader Alternatives from Ana HoffmanGoogle’s Self-Driving Car
Did you know Google has self-driving cars? As in a “car that drives itself”?
Here’s a video of a self-driving car test, showing Steve Mahan, a legally blind man behind the wheel.
From the video description:
We announced our self-driving car project in 2010 to make driving safer, more enjoyable, and more efficient. Having safely completed over 200,000 miles of computer-led driving, we wanted to share one of our favorite moments.
Here’s Steve, who joined us for a special drive on a carefully programmed route to experience being behind the wheel in a whole new way. We organized this test as a technical experiment, but we think it’s also a promising look at what autonomous technology may one day deliver if rigorous technology and safety standards can be met.
Don’t Drink and Drive
Leo Burnett London’s new Pub Loo Shocker campaign for the Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign is turning heads and for a good reason.
Thank You
To all of you who mentioned Traffic Generation Café in any share or form in the past week, my whole-hearted THANK YOU.
Traffic Generation Café would NOT be what it is today without you.
Here are just some of the mentions I came across in the past week:
16 Ways to Make More Use of Your Time as a Marketer – Daniel Sharkov reviewzntips.com
Popup Opt-in Forms: Case Studies, WordPress Plugins, and Alternatives – Kristi Hines at Kikolani.com
How I Get Shares And Links From Influencers – Adam Connell at bloggingwizard.com
Lady Bloggers Roundup – An Elite Group of Lady Bloggers Who Are the Wind Beneath My Wings – Carol Amato at carolamato.com
Blog Commenting Results. Case Study 1 – Silviu at netmarketsuccess.com
Stop Overpaying For Info Products Right Now! – Craig Dewe at lifestyleoutlaws.com
Also, a huge THANK YOU to my Triberr “Other People’s Influence” Automatic tribe for sharing my newly published posts with your Twitter followers.
These awesome folks automatically share Traffic Generation Café blog posts via Triberr, helping me reach more people than I could ever reach on my own while providing their Twitter followers with quality content and, by doing that, commanding respect in their respective niches AND getting even more followers as a result.
Win-win, I’d say.
If you’d like to join my tribe, we’d love to have you. Just click on the banner to go to Triberr.
Want to learn about Triberr? Read this post:
Triberr: Your Step by Step Guide to Being Heard
Have I missed your mention? Let me know in the comments!
Want to see your name here? Mention Traffic Generation Café in your next blog post!
To an even better next week,
