The success of Jeremy Lin as a brand cannot be understated. We are introduced to a man who was released by two NBA rosters, only to be given a chance by the New York Knicks. His instant rise-to-fame as the starting point guard of the Knicks proves more to consumers than simply a lesson in professional sports.  Read more

Google's Get Your Business Online initiative is having far-reaching impacts beyond simply getting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developed world online that do not already have a web presence. The initiative has been implemented in emerging markets as well, bringing online capability, SEO potential, and economic opportunity to specific countries in the developing world, particularly in Africa and Central Asia. I discussed Google's Get Your Business Online initiative in an International Business Times piece yesterday where I described the background of the initiative, its offerings, and the opportunity for SEO for the many new businesses that will find themselves online in these developed markets. Now, with its expansion into emerging markets, it is a promising development for several other reasons.

The success of Jeremy Lin as a brand cannot be understated.  We are introduced to a man who was released by two NBA rosters, only to be given a chance by the New York Knicks.  His instant rise-to-fame as the starting point guard of the Knicks proves more to consumers than simply a lesson in professional sports.

For several blog entries now I have reiterated how great and powerful a tool Twitter is for any business that is implementing a successful SEO marketing campaign. However, in the same way that Twitter can significantly help your company, brand, product or service, it can seriously harm you as well.

The SEO and social landscapes continue to evolve, and this reality will never change. What does change though is the how - how social users connect with one another and how that can be leveraged for SEO gain. As a result, regarding this relationship SEO evolution usually, but not always, comes in response to changes in the social space. Once new platforms are used and understood, marketing potential is realized and put into action. Enter Pinwheel, the new soon-to-be-launched map-based social networking site that has gotten people talking this week. In his blog post today on SEOServices.com, JWersits introduces the site, its basics, and gives us a look at the sponsorship system that Pinwheel is looking to use for companies to gain exposure through the platform. Here, I'll continue where he left off and look at how SEO companies could potentially use the platform for marketing gain once it emerges from beta and is fully rolled out both domestically and internationally.

What's the importance of a business' personality?  That might seem like an odd question; isn't your business a thing, not a person?  Sure, but creating associations to your company is a large part of branding, a process not to be ignored.  I referenced personification this week in a post about getting consumer attention.  Maybe for some, it's easier to regard your business as a person; entrepreneurs are a suitable population to personify.  The group has a lot in common with aspiring businesses.

Even when an online retailer wins out on price, the cost to ship it to your home might erase the price advantage, which is especially true of heavy items such as televisions.  “You’ll see sites that have a good price, but they’re trying to get it to the East Coast from Arizona, and a lot of the time ... it might be better to go to Best Buy,” Wisnefski says.  Read more

Along with other bloggers and copywriters, I love to write.  That's what I do.  What do you do professionally?  Search engine optimization providers partner with businesspeople in a variety of industries: medical, industrial, automotive, legal, and so on.  Each client has their own respective areas of expertise, which may or may not overlap with my own.  For instance, while lawyers are likely good writers, they may not have the time to invest in online marketing pursuits throughout their day; rather than write a blog post for their site, they'll approach SEO copywriting professionals, who can help with search engine optimization objectives.

It has already been stated time and time again how socially powerful the micro-blogging site Twitter can be in the non-virtual world, and how important it must be to all SEO campaigns. Here's another inspiring story from the Associated Press on how Twitter is being utilized to impact a community in a positive way.

Microsoft Advertising adcenter is evolving, and the latest changes move the platform closer to Google Adwords in an effort to make terminology and functionality similar to what marketers are using with Google. Ultimately, this is a good move for Microsoft, paid search, and those marketers managing pay per click campaigns and it shows that Microsoft is realistic in their understanding of adcenter's place in paid search. The reality is that Microsoft's advertising platform is second to Google's Adwords, and acknowledging this allows Microsoft to use this fact to their advantage.

There has recently been some interesting news that has dropped on the international front regarding search engine optimization and social media. Russian search engine and purported Google rival Yandex announced a partnership with the social media site Twitter that would allow public posts from the micro-blogging site to be included in Yandex's Blog Search results.

Are you Pinterest(ed) yet? The biggest news from the past few weeks has centered on the social media site Pinterest, and its huge potential value to SEO marketing for companies. Are you a business owner who is just starting to get familiar with this newly popular technology? Feeling stumped as to how you can best apply this new social media tool to your company's SEO campaign? Take a look below at other businesses that are effectively utilizing Pinterest to market their businesses online.

This month, Google+ passed 100 million users. And analyst Paul Allen (Google+ unofficial statistician) predicts that by the end of 2012 the number of Google+ users will exceed 400 million. Who are these people? Many of them are your customers, partners and media professionals. And now with Google+ Your Business, Google is attempting to make it easier for you to connect with them, for free.  Read more

It would be blasphemy to say it in China but the sensational start of Jeremy Lin’s rise to superstardom overshadowed the important U.S. visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping last week.  Read more

Facebook has designed Timeline to look the same on mobile devices as it does on PCs, although without the ads. Lieb said Facebook is also testing ads that appear like status updates on the news feed, yet remain in view longer, so they don't get pushed down and out of sight right way. The ad could start as a friend's "like" or other social activity, and only be seen within a friend's network, she said.  Read more

Web entrepreneur Ken Wisnefski is concerned that Facebook's users will not appreciate the addition of mobile ads in March.  Read more

WebiMax

Vice-President Xi Jinping's visit to the US this week has attracted a lot of expected attention from government officials, the media and the American public.  What was totally unexpected was the dramatic entry on the sports and international scene of New York Knicks basketball player Jeremy Lin, a Chinese-American born in Palo Alto, California, to parents from Taiwan. The 23-year-old point guard has led the Knicks to seven straight victories since being inserted into the starting lineup two weeks ago.  Read more

Who's who in [insert your brand's name] -ville?  Knowing users' levels of clout was a major factor influencing former 'gamification' engagements.  Brands enjoyed user participation but did not know too much about its Badgeville 'citizens' otherwise.  Who is who is becoming more important in 'gamification' as a player's level of social 'clout' is crucial info for brands to identify.

There are a lot of online marketing options these days. Social media alone hosts a party of solutions. We know (through SEO best practices and a series of 2011 Panda updates) the production of content is important.  We also have come to understand (especially considering the popularity of social media) that the dissemination of content is also integral, elongating the reach of marketing initiatives, offering a better chance to secure consumer relationships.

Twitter caused waves last month when they announced they would be instituting a per-country take-down policy regarding controversial or banned content tweeted by its users. Many are showing their disapproval about the restrictive nature of this policy and predicting its relative impact on its users and the future of the platform. According to the announcement coming via Twitter's blog, the take-down policy is reactive in nature. They describe it stating, "We will withhold specific content only when required to do so to what we believe to be a valid and applicable legal request."

Industry leaders in reputation management discuss the many pitfalls and advantages of an agressive brand management campaign. Not only as a defensive strategy but also as a proactive influencer to build reputation authority.

Sometimes the best way to enhance the user experience of a website's service is to integrate it with another site's content. At least, this seems to be the case with the new collaboration between Kayak, a hotel search website, and TripAdvisor, a site that allows users to submit their own reviews of hotels and other accommodations they have stayed in while travelling.

If you're old enough to remember, some prime-time television stars (Roseanne Barr) were credited using only their first names.  I'm not really sure how one 'officially' reached such plateaus of stardom regarding 80's television, but if you're exceptionally 'down' in today's pop culture and social media world, Facebook will dial-up your account asking you to confirm your 'alternate' identity (a nickname, brand name, well-known moniker or otherwise).

Kenneth Wisnefski discusses “Image Jacking” with Richmond Morning News.  Hear more

Facebook's new deal with Bango shows its efforts to make some money on those who use Facebook on their mobile devices. Webimax founder and CEO Kenneth Wisnefski joins Alisa Parenti in Money, Markets and More.  Hear more

Operations become more dynamic when they expand into international markets, complete with new and different structures and regulations. I touched on this over the last two days regarding Google Maps in France and the Street View functionality in Germany. Essentially, nothing stays the exact same from country to country and Google, maybe more than any other company in the tech industry, is experiencing this in a big way. Just recently, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) made weighty accusations against Google alleging they interfered with the commission's antitrust investigation regarding potential limiting of access to local search engines on Android. Moving beyond this tension, Google engineer Matt Cutts made a presentation to roughly 80 South Korean government officials, lawyers, webmasters, and journalists in an appeal to allow Google's bots to crawl prominent government websites.

Cinderella