Sunday, March 29, 2009

Updates on Adwords and the end of Microsoft XP

This week Addison Technologies, Inc. is going to post some useful news articles, as we have a larger update planned for later on. Feel free to check out the links and give us a visit to discuss these further.

First, and this may well have an effect on many of you reading this, is a reminder that Microsoft will be ending the free support for XP users effective April 14, 2009. Given that an estimated 68% of global internet users are currently using XP, this is bound to upset a few folks. Namely those people who have purchased a new computer in the last year with an XP operating system. This is most likely due to Microsoft's release of the free copy of Window 7 in May. Microsoft tried, and failed, a similar approach with the release of Vista in the past. It appears that Microsoft is putting their eggs in one basket with this approach, but surely they cannot begin to market and sell Windows 7 with so many users still on XP. If you'd like to read more on this, Steven Vaughan-Nichols has a more detailed wrote up of the phase out process for Windows XP here.

In recent Google news, AdWords is now allowing you to create 'coupons' in your digital advertising. If you are currently an Addison Technologies, Inc. marketing client or would like to discuss this option further with us, please feel free to contact our Marketing staff for more details on how this may be of benefit to your company.

Are you on Twitter? Feel free to follow Addison Technologies, Inc. on Twitter by clicking this link!

Friday, March 20, 2009

THE RISKS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING IN TODAY'S JOB MARKET

Social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have proven to be amazing tools that are either SEO friendly or hold immense networking capabilities. Somewhat recently, progressive minded companies have embraced these programs as a means for enhancing their market position and to gain greater Google penetration. The benefits to the company are obvious in terms of bringing their brand to a wider audience.

However, there are risks to employees or job-seekers. Most companies initially stayed away from reaching out to social networking sites which gave users of the these pages an impression of privacy. Now users must be aware of what they are posting on the internet under their public profiles.

Earlier this year, a teen was fired from her job for posting on her facebook account that her job was 'boring.' In another example, a young account manager was fired for calling in sick so she could go surfing. The employee's friend later posted pictures in a comment that said 'we should call in sick more often.' When her employer discovered the comment, she was promptly terminated.

A higher profile example is the Ketchum public relations representative, who posted a message on Twitter (known as a tweet) sharing his feelings about the city of Memphis (home of their client, FedEx) that read:






You can read the entire response from Fed Ex here .

Considering that the response ends with
"Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications."

I think it is safe to assume that this communication has strained relations between the two companies.

Most recently, a University of California graduate student interviewed with Cisco Systems and was offered a position with the company. Sometime later, that person decided to send a tweet that said:

"Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work."

What this user did not know is that Tim Levad, who is the channel partner advocate for Cisco was searching for web chatter about their brand and discovered the message. He responded with





The end result is that a random utterance of a potential employee cost them a valuable job opportunity.

People, both professionally and personally, need to understand that the idea of 'internet privacy' is a mirage. Anything posted on the internet can, and most likely will, be found by another looking for information. That information may well cost them a job, job opportunity, or even a client for their company.


Addison Technologies, Inc. offers a variety of business consulting services including management of their web marketing and corporate social networking profiles.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

This week's Google updates from Addison Technologies

For the past few days, the internet has been abuzz with the latest Google updates. This week we will recap a few of those for you and would be glad to field any questions you may have.

If you have been following the newsfeeds lately, you may have read that Google will now utilize "Interest-based Advertising." This is hardly new or groundbreaking technology on the surface. Both Yahoo and Microsoft have been in the practice of basing customized advertising on activities of particular web browsers.

To date, Google has been basing its system on search content, keywords and website content. Where Google will take this practice to a new level is by combining their existing data with the technology purchased in their $3.2 billion acquisition of the Internet ad service DoubleClick, Inc. By installing Double Click's existing code, also known as a 'cookie', to their advertising partners servers, Google has already begun the monitoring process of its users. Google will be able to track the user's favorite websites, interests and frequent searches while providing that information fluidly to their advertising partners.

While the there are those who only see the nefarious potential of such power, Google is hoping that this new combined technology will create an atmosphere in which the customer is a more willing participant in the marketing process.

To further enhance the overall experience, and perhaps to quiet the critics, Google has provided an opt-in and out-out feature to your profile. This will allow you to provide any additional interests that you may have, and more importantly, you can opt out of the marketing tracking process with a few simple clicks.

Another update from Google that we believe you may find useful is this video breakdown of the Google AdWords advertising process. Have you ever wondered why you pay as much, or as little as you do? Have you wondered if the SEO quality of your page has an effect of both your rankings and your advertising? Google's Chief Economist Hal Varian explains it all for you here:



Addison Technologies, Inc. is your professional answer to your business questions. We provide Web Development, Online Marketing, Web Hosting, Business Consulting and a variety of other programs to meet the needs of your business.

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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Navigation is where it starts

While Site Navigation certainly is not the only concern when designing your website, it is the one element of your new site that will make, or break it.

The key to site navigation is to ensure that your customers know where to find what they are looking for, and to make sure it is as easy to find as possible. Quite often the business can become too concerned with what they want in terms of visual aesthetics, and lose focus on what will enable their customers to navigate their site more easily.

Helen Bradley of E-Commerce Guide wrote an article last month that breaks this down well.

For more information on site design and business solutions on the web, feel free to contact us.