“Web 3.0″ still fuzzy

Just when most techs could barely stand being marginalized under the 2.0 meme, the 3.0 is now here and alive. 2.0 was about the democratization of the web. 3.0 seems to be getting tagged (no pun) as the semantic web where all content is tagged with meaning and more accessible. I still feel that is too esoteric, and really a variation on the 2.0 theme. I’d like to see a bigger definition to this “third wave”. I see web 3.0 as ubiquity, the end of isolating devices and access to the web to all. Mobile devices, game boxes, telephones, PCs, Mac, mp3s and TV sets. In fact, it spells the end of the analog vs digital era in entertainment. 3.0 should be the untethering of human beings to devices and the freeing up of access to all knowledge and tools wherever you are. Platforms that cross devices unhampered (there are already many), content that follows you on command.

Alas, the semantic web may win out as 3.0 and perhaps ubiquity will be relegated to 4.0. But truly, the latter is a bigger wave.

“The only game in town”, we humbly say

We have searched in vain to see if we are navel-gazing and to our delight and surprise found that we are running the only open web marketing event in Canada until 2008. Plexus 2007 is a conference and exhibit format using the Demo model which has taken silicon valley by storm. Anyway if you can correct us we will accept our challengers humbly.

Plexus foresees well over 2,000 attendees

The interest in on-line marketing is approaching its crest i.e. it is as high as it can get. Especially here in Canada. The solutions, platforms and services now available to reach customers are unprecedented  in lowering acquisition and maintenance costs. And becoming more relevant and resonant to each customer.

We are negotiating so many outstanding exhibitors for our Demoplex (who will also present on stage) in all facets of on-line marketing that I am confident no visitor will leave Plexus 2007 without feeling on top of the game. Here are just a few of the category players which we will reveal soon:

1. web analytics,
2. search engines,
3. ad networks,
4. email platforms,
5. marketing survey platforms,
6. sales generation platforms,
7. tons of digital media options,
8. mobile advertising,
9. mobile in all of the above,
10. rich media solutions, platforms, services,
11. social media
12. marketing project management
13. CRM

We will be starting a massive attendance campaign soon which will last 3.5 months using all methods available. That should not be too difficult with the investment we are making in top-rated keynote speakers and authors.

Yes, we are trying to set a record for attendance in Canada for an on-line marketing event. After all, AdTech which is well established in USA pulls in a reported 3,000+ in Chicago and 12,000 in New York. Our numbers are bang on; but, we are aiming higher. 

Search engines results should be dated

I don’t know about you but when I use any of the myriad of search engines, I like results that are not from 1997 to 2005. We’ve all learned, and the consensus is, that knowledge doubles every three years. There is value in archives but for the most part we all want current information whether we are searching for answers, inspiration or products. Hopefully someone is working on capturing authoring dates on content and making it visible in abbreviated results. Content relevance is good but not so if it is old.

A few days ago I ran searches for “trends in on-line advertising” and the results were targeted BUT they were over three years old. That’s not a trend.

When I feign to spend time clicking on results, I look at the copyright at the bottom of a site to see if they have updated the year–if not, I am suspicious especially when there are no dates on the site. I can’t count the many posts in the blogosphere that do not date their material, many under the guise of being current.

My point: there is a lot of dated, superceded, “dead” information on the web that may lead folks down the road no longer travelled. I’ll guess it is at least 30%–maybe much more. As one pundit said, “search engines are in their infancy”.

What I love about Amazon.com search tools is that you can change the search according to date of publication, not just subject relevance. That’s why New Releases is a whole other kettle of fish in the book and video biz–everyone wants to be au courant.

When doing searches the internet is looking old.

I’m just sayin’…

WordPress commits big faux-pas

Last night the guys at WP decided to retire their feed stats! Yes can you believe it? The vitriol that has flown into their comments (which are now closed) is exponential. Feed stats matter–people who subscribe to your feeds are higher in importance than views! Scratching my head on this one.

If that isn’t enough to grate me, the feed stats button was buttressed to another called “Blog Surfer” that took me to a line-up of posts by Robert Scoble. Arrrrrgh! While I may have visited his blog a couple of times in the past I’ll decide want I want on my dashboard not WP. I am not the least bit interested in Mrs. Scoble’s trip to the spa and the like. WP thinks this may force views to other WP bloggers–but it is really a form of advertising. I thought WP was dead set against this! The dashboard entry point and forums provide enough here.

Please WP, you are excellent thinkers and doers but this one is a thumbs down of stellar proportion.

First results: what our marketing customers want

We conducted an on-line survey of our customers and viewers, marketing execs and agencies, in reference to web marketing and the results were somewhat in line with other larger scale surveys with a few surprises. The question was, “how do you feel about the following subjects scoring 1 as not important and up to 5 as most important”. In order of importance here are the topics ranked from highest to lowest:

Ranked 1st: web analytics

Ranked 2nd:

• Social media marketing

• Search engine marketing

• Advertising on the web

Ranked 3rd: Improving web site content

Ranked 4th:  eMail marketing

Ranked 5th: Rich media in on-line advertising

Ranked 6th: mobile marketing

The disparity between analytics and mobile marketing surprised us but this is still directional data. We are continuing the surveys and will adjust the results as we advance. Bear in mind these are Canadian executives and their vision and needs likely differ from their US counterparts.

As results come, they confirm that our growing line-up of keynote speakers at Plexus 2007: the Web Marketing Conference & Demo is bang-on.

Two more heavy-hitters join Plexus stage!

I am tickled pink that Larry Weber, Chairman, W2Group, Boston. (founder of Weber Shandwick and early player in establishing the web with Tim Berners-Lee) is our keynote on Marketing with Social Media at Plexus 2007. And if that’s not enough, John Vincent, founder and CEO of Eyewonder, Altanta, had quite a chat yesterday when he accepted our keynote spot on Rich Media in digital advertising and publishing. Our line-up of four keynotes cover the four most sought topics by marketing execs and agencies: email marketing, search engine marketing, social media marketing and rich media. We will add a few more headliners on mobile marketing and web analytics. The rest of our stage time will be delegated to the top founders and leaders from emerging, growing and leading marketing/advertising platforms and services who will also be exhibiting at in our Demoplex.

Two high profile keynotes for Plexus 2007

Now that Plexus 2007 is refocused on internet marketing–email, search, networks, streaming media and much more–it seemed fitting to invite Kevin Lee, Chairman of Did-it.com and John Stichweh, Global Digital Marketing Director for Coca-Cola. They are leaders in search and email email marketing and will give our audiences on November 27 and 28 the knowledge they need now to leverage the internet’s deep reach of consumers. Watch for the growing list of top Keynotes and Presenting Demoers at Plexus 2007.

Corporate blogs: powerful marketing tool

Many corporations are reluctant to enter the world of social media fearing a loss of control over their relationships with customers. Funny thing is the consumer has always been in control.

The key precedent to entering the world of blogging is transparency. Currently, consumer trust is at an all time low and transparency is the antidote. Someone recently posted that a corporation that does not offer a blog from its CEO or executive team is suspect. There is truth in this statement. The web is about interactivity; marketers have always wanted a relationship with their customers and the web is the simplest, most accessible tool.

Remember blogs can and must be moderated. Where my blogs have received thousands of spam messages over the last six months, these spammers are now posting “nice blog” and other short saccharine statements with minimum links to get through our filters. But moderation saves the day. Expletives, hateful comments (under the guise of freedom of expression)–all can be deleted. I compare much of stealth hateful comments to “road rage”. The blogosphere has too many hateful participants and frankly the more we moderate, the more it will be taken over by social decorum. There is no more honesty in freedom to hate than there is in freedom to be kind. Even Tim O’Reilly is trying to start a new higher standard for blogging; I blogged about this earlier. I applaud this worthy cause and his courage.

Blogs put a face, a voice and a heart behind a corporation and its brands. It adds vital meaning to the brand. And builds community around it. And furthermore, it also provides a zero cost, authentic tool to learn how your customers feel. In a panoply of marketing tools, this is probably the most effective.

The truly fearful can turn off comments as a starting point—it’s not interactive but it does provide a sincere voice. I’t s a good start.

Blogging is an indispensible tool for marketers. Some say, “I don’t have time to blog”; truly, they are postponing the inevitable. Blogging should be on every marketer’s daily To Do list.

Bill Gates’ show-and-tell ushers in virtual living

“The line between the virtual and the physical world become increasingly thin”, the Microsoft voice under Surface says.

So many bloggers have posted questioning Microsoft’s contribution to innovation. I have never understood that since the scientists in the Redmond labs are shaping our future like no one else. I already posted some time ago about their holographic computing and an image search engine and now Surface corroborates my point yet again. Bill says it won’t be out for 10 to 15 years but the prototype shown is impressive. To think what is basically a backlit tabletop screen can enable you to move its visual content with a finger touch and drag is impressive. You can even draw with your finger or a paintbrush.

Everything is getting more visual and less text driven. Easier to learn, adopt and use. More intuitive. Videos and images are key platforms for marketers to seek in the immediate future. Why? Well, the visual sense is fast and easy for interacting with customers. Surface is to computing, what Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone line was to telegrams and the town crier. It is yeat another sea change in how we live our lives.

As Bill has demonstrated you can drag items chosen off a menu onto the image of your credit card and it automatically tallies your total. You can even drag virtual theatre tickets and maps onto your PDA or souped up cell just by resting it on the surface of your table. No drop menus, pages, or buttons to forage through.  Imagine the uses to Surface for customer experience, marketing and operational efficiency.

I am confident all the Surface can be has not surfaced yet.

Did Microsoft $6 billion buy cause AvenueA Razorfish to lose clients?

Well it’s too soon to tell–the ink is still drying on the aQuantive deal, Microsoft’s biggest acquisition ever. (Have you noticed how organic growth stops when garage entrepreneur’s become behemoths?)

My suspicion is that Razofish will be affected. It’s not wise for any media to buy an agency and vice versa. This is not rare though; WPP for example own media. Nielsen are owned by VNU. Marketers will simply have to set-down ground rules to their media planners in-house or outsourced. Or conflicts of interest will run amuck. With the large consumer packaged goods and auto accounts, the biggest on-line buyers this will buzz around the water cooler. Razorfish’s client lunches budget will balloon. I’ll bet they are sipping apple martinis on Mad Avenue as I key-in.

Did Microsoft account for advertiser losses in its valuation? Will Microsoft spin out the Agency? It would make life easier; but, temperance can prevail.

Rethinking this blog

I have been absent from posting beyond my norm–for 8 days. And I am crestfallen. Sometimes you have to pull away to get perspective. Well, I’ve been rethinking the focus of this blog. My focus at Plexusity is now is about marketing brands with technology and the web.  So I won’t be writing about gadgets or software unless they enable marketers, brands and their customers. I have always run a brand practice or ad agency and I must stick to what I do best. Socrates waxed about this.

What’s more our Plexus 2007 event is totally focused on bringing technologies and the web to the marketing and advertising biz. This too is a refocus.

I do write another blog dedicated to Branding. Running two blogs, 3 websites, umpteen events, writing a book, coaching clients, managing one corporation and running a family. You’d expect I’s say, “running on empty” next. Not a chance!

New VS Old: the trial of the century this July 27

VS

The internet is all about openness, sharing, community. It is the democratization of all voices, the”long tail”.  It’s what it is. I believe in creative rights totally! But the thing is, if Viacom were to win its case now to be heard July 27 ‘07 (NYTimes) it could truly alter the face of the internet. And the tail could be snipped short creating costly barriers to viewers and put power back in the hands of traditional networks for awhile.  Networks are still thinking analog and fighting to maintain a dying model while they figure out a way to dominate on internet turf. This win will buy time while they create a new revenue stream to upshore losses in the old format.

Digital entertainment will be ubiquitous within five to ten years and we will see the rise of production companies who find impetus solely from the internet using BitTorrent styled or compression technologies. The world will move from 20 some broadcast hours to a place where there is no limit on time or choice. Audiences will become exponentially fragmented and advertising will become less intrusive and relevant. No one not even Viacom will be able to stop this reality.

If YouTube get their wrists slapped it will cost them and their users will have to begin opening their wallets, BitTorrent style. Or offer a pre and post-roll advertising model for free access. Don’t we have enough advertising in our lives! In the end, YouTube will remain the leading purveyor of home-grown and perhaps professional shorts (although I don’t feel professional shorts should be placed in an environment replete with content that offends mainstream sensibilitities).

Google are requesting a jury for this epic day. Internet users around the world must be posted for this drama as it unfolds. This signifies that the internet is still young and undefined. It is not just technology advances that define it as we can see; it is also special interests. Democracy is for all. Everyone gets their kick at the cat.

MARIE’S PICKS: Semantic Search Engine Hakia

I truly enjoy using Hakia for my queries — not key words–I get more focused (hence less) answers. I use it first before Google. “Search for meaning” indeed. Here is the value described by Hakia verbatim:

hakia is building the Web’s new “meaning-based” search engine with the sole purpose of improving search relevancy and interactivity, pushing the current boundaries of Web search. The benefits to the end user are search efficiency, richness of information, and time savings. The basic promise is to bring search results by meaning match – similar to the human brain’s cognitive skills – rather than by the mere occurrence (or popularity) of search terms. hakia’s new technology is a radical departure from the conventional indexing approach, because indexing has severe limitations to handle full-scale semantic search.hakia’s capabilities will appeal to all Web searchers – especially those engaged in research on knowledge intensive subjects, such as medicine, law, finance, science, and literature.

Dr. Riza Berkan, CEO, states that searches take an average of 11 minutes and 50% are abandoned. He also claims that web search is in its infancy.

The search biz has ballooned with vertical applications including search engines for videos (Purevideo) and blogs (Blogdigger). There are hundreds now. There are Clustering Search Engines (Kartoo), Meta Search Engines, Talking Search Engines (AbbyMe – truly an avatar like person talks to you – great fun!), Filtered Search Engines… There is a lot out there to challenge the supremacy of Google which frankly is the time-gobbler among them all. It is truly this factor that has spawned so many.

Soon we will need a search engine of search engines.

Bite by bite, Google is gobbling up Microsoft’s dinner

 

Last week I could not believe that MS announced they were rolling up XP leaving the marketplace with only Vista in new devices. The cries on the blogosphere were deafening. I read again and again, “I am buying an Apple” and comments I won’t repeat based on my own Code of Conduct. I added my 2 cents by stating this opened the door wider for Google. Well the door swung open further today!

Google’s Doc and Spreadsheets (their version of Word and Excel) is out in beta now with a Power Point clone. I can’t wait to see the antics this latest Google assault will wield from Steve Ballmer (behold his response to iphone).

Between Vista, Zune and now this, 2007 may be the annus horribilus.  

Les Moonves certainly not on the moon! CBS launches its own distribution network today

This just in! It’s called the CBS Interactive Network. The ‘ol networks have been slow to respond to the digital threat but CBS has now grabbed that brass ring. CBS has struck deals with Sling, Comcast, AOL, MSN, CNet, Joost, Bebo, NetVibes, Veoh and more.

CBS Interactive claims it is,  “the most widely distributed professional content provider on the Web.”  And all content will be free, monetized by advertising. No mobile yet but it is open to it.

War of Words Waging in the Valley

Tim O’Reilly launched a call for Bloggers’ Code of Conduct (COC) to end the vitriol that pervades the blogosphere. For those of you who do not know O’Reilly he is rumored to have launched the term Web 2.0; he also manages substantial interests in technology events and publishing in the Valley.

Many take this COC as censorship but Tim is clear to state that it is to offer the Freedom of Civility. The usual suspects are weighing in, including Danny Sullivan (search engine star), Mike Arrington (tech review star), Robert Scoble (blog star) and Doc Searls (of Cluetrain Manifesto fame). The New York Times has also joined the frey.

My take: It’s about time this conversation begins.

The blogosphere does not have the respect of the big business community and many other web users thanks to its limited lexicon, explitives and often baseless posting and commenting. O’Reilly seeks to make blogs more transparent i.e. no stealth journalism. This should keep the web more honest. In a seven step initial proposal, he also exhorts blog owners to be more vigilant with abusers–and to cease their own abuse. O’Reilly’s idea has been mocked by many; this is symptomatic of the fact that these are the voices usually heard. There are many who support him. It will be very interesting to see this play out. Movies always end in good conquers evil.

A Holiday Wish from me

I hope you all enjoy more cowbell on this Easter Monday!

WANTED: mashup or wiki STAT !

I simply cannot keep up with the number of brilliant platforms and hosted services I have subscribed to. This is a problem for me; but it is also a problem for them. Here are the several favorites to which I have subscribed and cannot tend to: del.icio.us, LinkedIn, Technorati, Newsgator, Geni,  Adobe Connect, Eyejot and Paypal (I am missing many). And there are temptations to sign-up for more! Along with my commitment to posting in my two blogs, managing programmers for 3 web sites, email and my demanding business–not to mention my personal life–these wonders are dropping off my radar. I need easy access to them on one screen interface–period!

Now I am on the lookout for an app that mashes it all together without any coding on my part–in a secure environment. But can I find the time for this?!

Plexusity makes Top 10 growing WP blogs

Yes! this blog made top 10 twice and made “fastest growing blogs” again, a third time at WP. Thanks readers. I really appreciate your loyalty and your tripping over Plexusity from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps it’s because I enjoy posting. Something to be said for passion!