Bing and Facebook Say “Game On” to Google’s Personalized Search
Bing recently announced an update to its search results that are set to rival Google’s controversial personalized search feature, Search Plus Your World.
A new feature called ‘Linked Pages’ has been introduced that lets you link websites related to you on Bing. Now your friends looking for you online can find what you want them to find. You can also link pages for your friends, with their permission, to help them appear on Bing.
As posted on the Microsoft blog
Whether it’s an old friend, a former classmate or even you, searching for people is one of the most common things we do on the web. With people search being such a high volume pastime, we’re taking it a step further letting you have more control in how you show up on Bing. Beginning today, with Linked Pages, we’re letting you link websites related to you in search results.
And Bing has bought on a big ally to help make Linked Pages popular, users needs to be logged into Facebook in order to use this feature. Microsoft will ask users to allow Bing permission to post from their Facebook ID.Once logged in, you can add links to you home towns, schools, employers, personal websites, organizations or even “just sites you like” just make sure you click on the ‘Link to Me’ button. Once granted access, Bing will post on users Facebook Timeline pages that they were linked on Bing.
How is this different from Google’s Search Plus Your World? Well, unlike Google, you get to control your privacy on Bing. You can easily un-link such results by following the link notification from Facebook or go to bing.com/linkedpages to remove links you added or links your friends added about you.
This is not Microsoft’s first step towards integrating more social media content and context into their searches. In Oct 2010 Microsoft allowed Facebook posts to be fed into Bing search results based on the opinions of “friends” on the dominant social network. Then in May 2011, the software giant tied up a deal with Facebook that allowed Bing users to receive personalized search results “based on the opinions of their friends” through their Facebook accounts.
Now we fast-forward to February 2012 and ‘Linked Pages’ seems to be set to give Google some tough competition.
22 Ways to Create Compelling Content for SEO [infographic]
We all know content is king for SEO, but sometimes it’s hard to get inspired. This infographic gives you 22 great ways to get your content juices flowing. Thanks to the Marketing Tech Blog for creating the image:
Microsoft Flags Google As Malicious
The 14th Feb 2012 edition of Microsoft’s software security update brought nine security bulletins that collectively address 21 software vulnerabilities, however the update didn’t run as smoothly as planned.
Two of Microsoft’s anti-virus programs, Microsoft Security Essentials and its business-market sibling Microsoft Forefront, mistakenly flagged Google.com as malicious, leaving millions of customers unable to get to the world’s most visited website
Google.com was marked as containing the Blackhole exploit kit, a virus that enables cyber criminals and hackers to build their own botnet targeting windows users.
Not longer after Microsoft flagged Google as malicious, users from the U.S, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Denmark began flooding various forums complaining of not having access to Google’s search engine.
One user said:
I am having the same issue, but with google.com. Every time I do a search, MSE flags a file (search [1].htm, google_com.htm, etc) in my temp internet directory as Blacole.BW. And only since today’s (2/14) updates (I can’t say it’s the definition update for sure, as there were also other Windows security updates released today).
It didn’t take long for Microsoft’s Technet forums to be flooded with messages from annoyed Windows users, forcing the software giant to take note of the problem. Microsoft is said to have fixed the issue within four hours by releasing fresh patch updates.
Microsoft issued as statement on the issue via SecurityNewsDaily:
On February 14, 2012, an incorrect detection for Exploit:JS/Blacole.BW was released. We provided an update to addresses the issue (signature versions 1.119.1988.0 and higher) on the same day. We apologize for the confusion this may have caused our customers.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time Microsoft has flagged Google as malicious. Barely six months ago in September 2011, Microsoft not only marked Google’s Chrome browser, but also, automatically removed it from about 3,000 Windows machines.
I bet Google isn’t too happy with it’s main competitor at the moment.
The ROI of Social Media [Infographic]
If you or your clients ever needed convincing of the need to implement social media into your marketing plan, then check out the infograph below.
Hat tip to MDG Advertising for the image.
The Pinterest Marketing Guide for Small Business
The interwebs has been abuzz over a “newly interesting” web based pinboard service called Pinterest.
I say it’s “newly interesting” as Pinterest is hardly new, having launched back in 2010 – but it’s definitely been generating a lot more discussion of late. And this is probably because the service has moved from being just a novel web pinboard to being a more mainstream tool which businesses are adding to their marketing arsenal.
So What Is Pinterest?
Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
According to the company:
Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.
So Why is Pinterest Important For Marketing Your Business?
Pinterest is growing at a phenomenal rate. Figures at the end of 2011 saw it growing faster than the likes of Facebook and Tumblr and it featuring in the top 10 social media traffic sites.
And here’s how it can benefit your business?
Branding – Other than obviously securing your social profile on Pinterest, which secures another spot on Google for your brand, it’s also a way to build your authority on a popular network. What you choose to “Pin” and share reflects on your business.
Link Building – every “Pin” and “Repin” creates a link back to the image source (which in most instances will be on your website. Every decent link counts towards your SEO efforts.
Social Referral – Many purchasing decisions, especially in the consumer space, are now driven by social referrals and recommendations. Everytime someone pins your brand or products, they’re endorsing you across their network – driving business to you!
Traffic – Pinterest is getting mind blowing traffic growth at the moment. With each Pin linking back to your websites, people are going to be discovering your products and clicking through to your business. There’s significant traffic opportunities for the right businesses on Pinterest.
Keys to Pinterest Success?
- Invest the time – It’s social marketing… so it goes without saying it won’t be ROI positive overnight. You really need to invest the time (especially in the beginning setting it up) and be consistent, pinning and reviewing regularly.
- Build your network – Pinterest has a very captive audience. You’ll be amazed at how many people will find your “pins” even without building your network. But, if you want the right people seeing your pins, actively follow the influencers in your space.
- Be strategic – It’s easy to get caught up in “pinning” everything, and repining randomly. But think about what reflects best on your business and what is most likely to appeal to your audience and drive referrals and traffic.
- Leverage your social sphere – Pinterest integrates really well with many other networks such as Facebook and Twitter. So you should use your social sphere to drive eyeballs to your pinterest work and make sure your efforts are generating maximum results.
- Add value – Don’t fall into the traps of just “pinning” obvious self-promotion. In the social space, people are seeking conversation and convergence – not broadcasting. So “pin” things of general interest around your own stuff to build a truly captive network.
If you want the low down on how to best execute your Pinterest marketing efforts, check out this handy little infographic from “Marketing on Pinterest”
Good luck…and happy pinning.
Feel free to follow us at http://pinterest.com/ineedhits/
The Pinterest Marketing Guide for Small Business
The interwebs has been abuzz over a “newly interesting” web based pinboard service called Pinterest.
I say it’s “newly interesting” as Pinterest is hardly new, having launched back in 2010 – but it’s definitely been generating a lot more discussion of late. And this is probably because the service has moved from being just a novel web pinboard to being a more mainstream tool which businesses are adding to their marketing arsenal.
So What Is Pinterest?
Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
According to the company:
Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.
So Why is Pinterest Important For Marketing Your Business?
Pinterest is growing at a phenomenal rate. Figures at the end of 2011 saw it growing faster than the likes of Facebook and Tumblr and it featuring in the top 10 social media traffic sites.
And here’s how it can benefit your business?
Branding – Other than obviously securing your social profile on Pinterest, which secures another spot on Google for your brand, it’s also a way to build your authority on a popular network. What you choose to “Pin” and share reflects on your business.
Link Building – every “Pin” and “Repin” creates a link back to the image source (which in most instances will be on your website. Every decent link counts towards your SEO efforts.
Social Referral – Many purchasing decisions, especially in the consumer space, are now driven by social referrals and recommendations. Everytime someone pins your brand or products, they’re endorsing you across their network – driving business to you!
Traffic – Pinterest is getting mind blowing traffic growth at the moment. With each Pin linking back to your websites, people are going to be discovering your products and clicking through to your business. There’s significant traffic opportunities for the right businesses on Pinterest.
Keys to Pinterest Success?
- Invest the time – It’s social marketing… so it goes without saying it won’t be ROI positive overnight. You really need to invest the time (especially in the beginning setting it up) and be consistent, pinning and reviewing regularly.
- Build your network – Pinterest has a very captive audience. You’ll be amazed at how many people will find your “pins” even without building your network. But, if you want the right people seeing your pins, actively follow the influencers in your space.
- Be strategic – It’s easy to get caught up in “pinning” everything, and repining randomly. But think about what reflects best on your business and what is most likely to appeal to your audience and drive referrals and traffic.
- Leverage your social sphere – Pinterest integrates really well with many other networks such as Facebook and Twitter. So you should use your social sphere to drive eyeballs to your pinterest work and make sure your efforts are generating maximum results.
- Add value – Don’t fall into the traps of just “pinning” obvious self-promotion. In the social space, people are seeking conversation and convergence – not broadcasting. So “pin” things of general interest around your own stuff to build a truly captive network.
If you want the low down on how to best execute your Pinterest marketing efforts, check out this handy little infographic from “Marketing on Pinterest”
Good luck…and happy pinning.
Feel free to follow us at http://pinterest.com/ineedhits/
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