the Web Chef's e-Bytes

Happy New Year 2008!

I've fallen behind on my postings, but plan on getting back to keeping this blog fresh with new content links from around the web and with analytical stories again this month.

Have a great 2008!

Paul Gibler
the Web Chef

Search Updates - TubeSurf, All the Web

PCWorld has an article in the June 2007 issue "Search Engine Shootout" that compares some of the search engines out there.  For text info they rank the search engines they reviewed in the following order:

1. AlltheWeb
2. AltaVista
3. Google
4. Yahoo!
5. Microsoft Live Search
6. Ask

For Video search they rank the search engines

1. Google
2. AOL Video Search
3. TubeSurf
4. YouTube
5. Blinkx
6. Yahoo Video

TubeSurf was a new one to me.  Apparently it is a metasearch engine that combines results from Google, MySpace, Yahoo and YouTube.

Other search services referenced in the article are Rollyo where you can "roll your own" and create a Searchroll that will aggregate results for you from up to 25 search engines; Congoo that aggregates samples from paid content sites; Picsearch an image search engine and IceRocket, a blog search engine.

For additional information on new and specialty search engines see my article "Outflanking to Google, Yahoo, MSN Juggernaut" in Wisconsin Technology Network.   

Live from WWBIC Start Smart

I'm generating a demo from the Start Smart class that WWBIC (Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation) offers in Madison, WI.

Celebrating 250th Post on the Web Chef's e-Bytes

Hurray!

This post marks the 250th post I've made to the Web Chef's e-Bytes since starting up the blog last July.

I'm proud of the contributions I've made to the dialogue and evolution of the Internet through the postings on this blog, through the monthly column Buzz Networks that I've been writing for Wisconsin Technology Network, as a professional speaker and trainer on the latest topics in e-Business and Marketing, as a consultant helping companies re-define and enhance their e-business strategies and as a teacher where I've taught graduate and undergraduate e-Business and Marketing courses.  Through each of these activities, I've been able to share my perspectives, knowledge and insights with a wide range of audiences around the country.

Over the course of the past several months I've focused this blog on Web 2.0 and the changing world of the Internet.  Particular topic areas you might want to review include:

• Global Tastes - global internet statistics
• Online Video
• Photo Sharing Sites
• Podcasts
• Social Networks
• Weblogs
• Wikis
• and Web Tidbits - nuggets from the blogosphere

I encourage you let me know if there are other topics you'd like to see me cover or to contact me (608 255 4092) about my consulting or speaking services.  You can find out more about my background by visiting my website at CONNECTINGDOTS. 

I look forward to continuing to be of service.

Paul J. Gibler

Online Newspaper Readership Continues to Rise

Newspaper publishers must be sighing with relief if not jumping with joy, as they continue to see increasing online readership of the news according to data compiled from the Newspaper Association of America's Newspaper Audience Database (NAdbase).  Nielsen/Net Ratings research shows that year over year there was a 15% increase in unique visitors to newspaper sites.  Even better news for the industry is Scarborough research data showing that there was an increase in key demographic segments favored by some advertisers with the 25 - 34 year old segment increasing 13.7% and the 18 - 24 year old segment seeing an increase of 9.2%.   The research also found that combined between these two segments 65.8% read a newspaper during the week.

What the report doesn't address is the growing trend of online newspapers to use Web 2.0 tools to enhance their products.  Leading papers are utilizing RSS, including video and audio podcasts, photo sharing, blogs, improved word of mouth marketing features and enhanced reader comment sections.

UPDATE
Proving that a web 2.0 community centric strategy works, Media Post reports that Nielsen Net Ratings research shows that USAToday.com has seen a 380% increase in visitor registrations and a 21% increase in unique visitors since their site re-design launch in February.

New Colum in Wisconsin Technology Network - Brand Protection in the Content-Rich Web 2.0 Era

Brands of all sorts are under attack!  This attack has led for the requirement that Marketing and Corporate Communications Managers be on top of strategies and techniques to maximize their brand's protection. 

To help you gain insights on this topic, I've written a new article Brand Protection in the Content Rich Web 2.0 Era for Wisconsin Technology Network. 

You might also be interested in looking at BrandChannel for additional insights on brand management.

Mobile Blogging from IABC Madison

I'm presenting "Cutting through the Blog Fog" at the IABC Madison Monthly Meeting.  As part of the session I wanted to demonstrateg blogging using Typepad.  I've pre-loaded some of this content and will add some content during the session.

Newspaper Blogs Growing

Slowly but surely the "mainstream media" is starting to get it. 

They are recognizing that their product can be enhanced with web 2.0 tools like podcasts, video, blogs or enhanced discussion forums.  I've seen this with the publications that I like to view online including the Wall Street Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Madison.com.

According to Nielsen Net Ratings research, blog readership of the top 10 online newspapers grew by 210% in 2006.  In an article in the Center for Media Research, Nielsen Net Ratings Senior Director of Media Analytics Carolyn Creekmore is quoted as saying "that it makes perfect sense for online newspapers, where responding to a blog posting is like writing an instant letter to the editor."  I like this analogy and have found myself responding not only on newspaper blogs, but also in open comments on a story/editorial when I feel passionately about an issue.

Learned on Women, a blog focusing on marketing to women also covered this story, reporting that the research found that newpspaper blog readership is reported to be more prevalent among males with 66% of readers being male and 34% female. 

Global Tidbits - Forbidden City Blog Attack

The Wall Street Journal (see video interview above) and Times online report on the growing strength of Chinese bloggers.  They site an example of a Chinese blogger who has attacked Starbuck's outlet in the Forbiden City.  The blogger Rui Chenggang posted about why the outlet was out of place and within days over half a million Chinese Internet users had agreed with his position.  This groundswell of citizen anti-marketer's could lead to a decision to close the small outlet.   

With the number two position in the number of Internet users (following the US) at 132 million, the 20 million estimated blogs are providing an important outlet for unhappy Chinese consumers to vent and complain according to The Wall Street Journal.  The nationalistic feelings and inherent conflict between the old and the new that are evident in this response could be an indicator of future problems for other multi-national companies.  In fact The WSJ reports that other companies that have faced consumer attacks include KFC, Dell and P&G.

Business Blogging - Small & Large

I had an e-mail from Christina Friedken at Booth & Associates, a PR firm representing OPEN from American Express reporting on the Semi-Annual Small Business Monitor.  The report detailed the status of small business operations in many areas including the use of blogs.  With respect to blogs, they had some interesting findings "Only 13% of owners/managers read Blogs relating to their business and less than one in ten maintain Blogs for their business (7%). Among those who do maintain Blogs – the majority say they Blog daily (51%).  The survey was conducted among 625 small business owners/managers of companies with fewer than 100 employees by International Communications Research from September 12 - 27, 2006.  The poll has a margin of error of +3.9%."

Here were some other breakdowns of the research results by gender and geographical location: 

WOMEN
Only 14% of women owners/managers read blogs relating to their business and less than one in ten maintain Blogs for their business (9%). Among those who do maintain blogs - the majority say they blog daily (51%).The study did not ask questions related to why blogging was so low in the small business segment, so any reasons to explain it would be speculation on my part.  However, I suspect that the results show a lack of time, lack of knowledge about blogs or some other negative perspectives on how blogs fit in their overall mix.

MEN
Only 13% of owners/managers read blogs relating to their business and less than one in ten maintain Blogs for their business (5%). Among those who do maintain blogs - the majority say they blog daily (52%).

NORTH EAST
Only 11% of owners/managers read blogs relating to their business and one in ten maintain blogs for their business (11%). Among those who do maintain blogs - nearly half say they blog daily (46%).

NORTH CENTRAL
Only 12% of owners/managers read blogs relating to their business and less than one in ten maintain blogs for their business (7%). Among those who do maintain blogs - nearly half say they blog daily (48%).

SOUTH
Only 15% of owners/managers read blogs relating to their business and less than one in ten maintain blogs for their business (9%). Among those who do maintain blogs - the majority say they blog daily (56%).

WEST
Only 15% of owners/managers read blogs relating to their business and less than one in ten maintain blogs for their business (4%). Among those who do maintain blogs - the majority say they blog daily (51%).

Ted Demopoulos at Blogging for Business has a good post describing why small business should blog as a matter of their standard marketing practices to increase web findability. 

Meanwhile Information Week reported that it isn't only small businesses that aren't getting it about blogs with SocialText's Fortune 500 Wiki having identified only 40 or 8% of the top 500 businesses blogging.

Given my experience with blogs, macro trends reported in the industry and increasing use of blogs by businesses of all sizes, I would think that the numbers should be going up. 

AD
If you're a small business looking for some help with your blog strategy you can e-mail me or give me a call at 608 255 4092. I'd be happy to talk with you about your marketing objectives and explore whether blogs would work for you or not.