“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’…

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.

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.  

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?!

PLEXUS 2007: The Web Marketing Conference & Demo

I am excited about the “demo” format : CEOs, CTOs and CMOs presenting their innovations in multi-media regalia within 7 minutes on stage (digitally recorded for continued viewing on the web) and joining their intended audiences again in their “theatres” in our large Demoplex. This format has been used for years for start-ups and has drawn mostly VCs. But we are bringing the format to our broad business audience, who want to squeeze as much value as possible from spending one or two days at an event. Time is money and they have little to spare. This format delivers. It’s dynamic and eliminates yawns. Frankly, it delivers more value than a short parade of “talking heads” in the tech innovation sector.

There is no better outlet for new launches. Demos trigger buzz and fast growth. Expect many unveilings at the Plexus 2007!

Plexus 2007  is in Toronto this November 27 and 28, 2007. Starting at $2,777 CAD a Demoer can get a spot at the event. And for a little more Sponsors can have a real presence with business.

It’s an international event which will draw from across Canada and be easily accessible to N.E. USA and Europe.  

It will be a “medium tail” event populated with Fortune 500s, medium biz, small biz, start-ups and homepreneurs to be. There simply is no event in Canada yet that can enable businesses whose core competencies may not be technology to leverage everything technology has to offer them to market to their customers. Tech events are usually esoteric, geek populated. This event is especially for marketing, advertising and the throngs who populate the industry.

Expect innovations in web marketing, customer management, ecommerce, mobile marketing, security, analytics, social media, internet media and so much more.

I am “Pumped for Plexus”. hmmmmm… That could be our t-shirt mantra.

HOT NEW LAUNCHES March 2007

A number of developments in web 2.0 and gadgetry keep the market hopping. HOT NEW LAUNCHES will be published each month featuring innovations from start-ups and behemoths. It is a live list that will grow through the month so you can have a quick picture of what’s fresh in the marketplace.

1. Google launching a mobile phone – a Blackberry like device with a C++ core. Google did start a partnership with Samsung in January; so there is collaboration here. Lots of chatter here and chattering teeth from the competition. Idea rating: 3 1/2 stars

2. My.Netscape - the next generation of Netscape’s personalized home page in beta (there’s nothing at this link today-keep checking). The chatter in the market is hopeful on this one. Idea rating: 2 1/2 stars

3. Adobe Creative Suite 3.0 – due out March 27. Idea rating: TBA

 

4. Geni on-line family tree building already into its second round of financing with Charles River Ventures value at $100 mm. I simply love this hosted app. I am in! Idea rating: 3 1/2 stars

 

5- Skype Prime Beta a Skype to Skype 1-900 style i.e. paid by the caller to experts at the posted fee per minute. This is about a brand so visionary that it sees beyond its appliance. Linked in has a similar service but I do not believe for mobile and for larger fees. Idea rating: 4 stars

 

6- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 Sonys’ first wireless digicam which will send images over wi-fi networks. Standard resolution 480 X 640 at 30 frames per sec. Memory card able to hold 8 GB. No touch screen on this one. Idea rating: 3 1/2

MARIE’S PICKS: Top Technology Innovators 2007

The following innovators from the stalwart behemoths to the bootstraped entrepreneurs are worthy of praise–they are changing our future. I am confident I’ve forgotten a few. Sadly, I am not omniscient. It is a live list that I will expand in the same updated post daily, weekly. Your suggestions are welcome. These ideas are actionable, useful and often border on genius. All are worthy of praise whether they make it to the finish line or not. So they are NOT PRIORITIZED. It is a democratic list. Their innovations are recent 2006 and 2007–some are so fundamental yet “new” that I ignored their birth date.

Listed as: Brand Name, Corporation, (description)

1. iphone by Apple (the most robust phone device yet)
2. Qode by Neomedia (Mobile Phone Bar Code Scanner)
3. Zink by same (portable inkless printer for digital devices)
4. Eyejot by same (video sharing thourgh email)
5. PayPerPost by same (Paid consumer blog network for advertisers)
6. Joost formerly Venice Project (richer alternative to YouTube)
7. Lotus Connections  byIBM (Collaboration software)
8. LinkedIn by same (Answers/Experts Low cost procurement of soft expertise)
9. Yah00! 100 brands  by Yahoo! (Media Channels for advertisers)
10. ejamming by same (voip for musicians)
11. Apollo by Adobe (web apps to the desktop)
12. Mobio Networks  by same (mobile mashup platform)
13. Scram by Ceelox (embeds encrypted messages behind images)
14. Sentinel by Iwerx (catches blog content pirates)
15. D’Fusion by Total Immersion (inserts 3D into live video images)
16. Advanced Photonics (No name yet) by Alps Electric / CAPE (holographic image from mobile devices)
17. BitTorrent by same (bandwidth enabling video distribution like no other)
18. Orb Networks by same (allows users to view and create videos on their mobile devices)
19. Sundance Global Short Film Project /Robert Redford (creating short content for mobile devices)
20. Sitemaps by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft (new search protocol by stie maps)
21. Wibree by Nokia (radio technology dual core chip uses so little energy for smallest devices like a watch)
22. Tagworld by same (social network with all-in-one capabilities)
23. RDF and OWL – Semantic Web by Tim Berners-Lee (application-free framework and language that allows data interchange)
24. Videoegg by same (simplifies video capture)
25. iUpload by same (blogging platform that requires no programmer)
26. Xensource by same (moves mutliple virtual servers without friction)
27. Scrybe by same (robust and elegant productivity tool driven by a calendar-perhaps the best)
28. Geni by same (great hosted genealogy app )

Shipwire: Quick Start for Homepreneurs

I love the turn-key aspect of Shipwire. Entrepreneurs can receive, store and ship merchandise with just a few clicks. I know our small business wannabees and gonnabees visiting Plexus 2007 will hook in to this one. Credit card and PayPal make money simple. There’s no programming required–just a Shipwire email address into your on-line store makes it happen. Question is with warehouses in L.A. and Chicago what can Shipwire do for Canada?

Makes me want to start importing pirates paraphernalia on the side (minus Johnny).

I like Sentinel — it sniffs out sploggers

I was pretty miffed not long ago when a splogger jimmied my posts (several to boot)  without any credit to me nor permission. WP’s stats allowed me track this unsavoury character–you should read the forum about splogging at WP. To a certain extent I can relate to Viacom since I felt the same sense of violation. I did not lose dollars per say BUT someone enriched themselves at my expense. And frankly to have my content placed in these junk-sites is an embarrassement.

It is theft in the purest sense to seemingly create value from stolen content.

Blogwerx offers tracking software, Sentinel, that will catch the thieves redhanded. I like it. Hopefully it will be fast and remove the content from the thieves’ blogs. Blogwerx say they offer a fast scanning algorithm. The basic solution is free–worth a try.

With those caught red-handed Sentinel sends a DMCA warning and after three strikes are black-listed. But I’m still not clear on how it blocks sploggers before the get-go.

But I like it.

Palm Desert Demo Dozen favorites

I have reviewed all the new apps, most from start-ups, many from big players like Adobe and Seagate, and all were impressive. Kudos to all the inventors–they are defining our future. The Web 2.0 meme is alive indeed! Here is a list of what I see as the top dozen favorites in the buzz network (not prioritized):

1. Zink (inkless printer that fits in your pocket!)
2. Eyejot (the best of email video)
3. eJamming (voip for musicians)
4. Apollo (Adobe) (web apps to the desktop-not hosted!)
5. Mobio Networks (mobile 2.0 mashups paltform)
6. Jamman (high-def feature films from all over the world)
7. Scram (Ceelox) (embeds info behind images for security)
8. Sentinel (blogwerx) (tracking blog plagiarisers, sploggers)
9. Zoho’s Notebook (multiple sources of content into one)
10. D’Fusion (Total Immersion) ”augmented reality”
11. Shipwire (affordable browser based warehousing & shipping-could launch a new legion of home-preneurs!)
12. Me.dium  (follows people’s web surfing)

Frankly, it’s unfair to leave any out; but, we all suffer from a collective attention-deficiency. Merit should be given to Teleflip, Vringo, DesignIn, Seagate’s Crickett, Boorah, Blinkx, Aggregate Knowledge, SplashCast and Boston-Power’s Sonata. Everyone has favorites. I tried to blend those of the pundits.

An interesting point is that few are monetized via advertising-it’s all pay-as-you-go or straight-forward buys.

Apparently, the Demo 2007 was crawling with VCs. Plexus 2007: The Web Marketing Conference & Demo will be populated with real buyers from the marketing and ad world. VCs are welcome.

The very successful “demo” event model applies to every innovation even if from Yahoo, IBM or Adobe. It moves quickly. It’s dynamic, invigorating. And you get the big picture, the value, quickly. Reportedly, attendees just love it! Chris Shipley, head of Demo 2007, has been inundated with praise for her excellent execution of this demo-styled event.

Mobile customers overwhelmed!

There are so many services coming down the pike that the wallet cannot sustain all. And frankly I don’t like to see the lot of you geniuses surrending your brand power to the service providers like Verizon. Yes, they can bundle to meet needs–but it will cost you. I can see mergers. Perhaps, you should partner with each other. Video email with ring tones for example.

It is a miasma of options right now–and trying to lock-in customers long-term can backfire if something better comes out and they’re stuck in a contract. It may be good for your cash flow but… You always want to seek customer happiness. No matter what. Consumers don’t forget and will punish you with no renewal and bad blogging.

And just today Adobe launched their Flash based video email! This is a new market for them; but, the rest of you must move strategically….fast.

I’m just sayin’.

BRAND OF THE WEEK: Eyejot

Video sharing in a blink! is Eyejot’s trademark mantra. This online video sharing platform requires no downloading of an application to use. Users can create and receive, no ifs, ands or buts. You can start using Eyejot immediately, with any browser and in any platform. And it integrates with mobile devices and iTunes too.

Imagine now instead of keying in a message to your Valentine, you can belt out a dirge on your knees and send it via email. You don’t have to get hosted at YouTube for this! This is an emoticon killer!

I love it. Love it. Love it. Get this on Oprah’s favorite things.

Is Microsoft picking the lint out of its navel?

Plexus 2007 goes Demo

We are so committed to engaging our business audience that we had an awakening. AHA! The Demo format is dynamic and truly engaging. The Demoers of innovative products and solutions, also do a 7 minute bit on stage demoing live on PP or the web. That’s a lot of changing content, but not toe fast for the speedy, time-pressed minds of our biz vistors to grasp the value. If the founders can’t do it in this time, their intended won’t get it. It’s a proven format. One that customers love. And never used before in Canada. So the event is aptly re-titled: Plexus 2007 – The Web Marketing Conference & Demo. The site has already been re-suited. We’re excited.

Patent trolls could alter future of the web

Well the moment has arrived. A few days ago Viacom demanded that YouTube remove 100,000 videos from its service, throwing down the gauntlet with 100,000 spam messages to cease and desist. For producers and artists whose revenues have been altered by digital squatting, there seems to be no end in sight. Distribution is everything right now. Just last week content producers in Hollywood threatened to hold back delivery to theatres in Canada if they could not get control over copying while movies play; apparently Canada (according to US) is mecca for this practice. Content producers are digging theirs heels deeper.

In a new clever move last January, YouTube has offered to compensate home grown video producers for their material. That will prevent claims from rising, perhaps class actions, to countless numbers.

Frankly, this is not about whether YouTube or other services have erred; it is about a new digital economy defining itself. Growing pains. There will be ambulance chasers who will enter the courts with old world patent and copyright laws for windfalls notorious of  large court judgments. And it will be the Googles and the Yahoos they will pursue. Maybe even the Flickrs and Technoratis.  But strangely enough this problem cuts both ways.

There is new impetus for claims against the common user via EULA (End User License Agreement), a contract between end user and producer of software. For software purchased at retail these are referred to as “shrink-wrap agreements” and on-line, “click through agreements”. Few read them following through with agreement by merely using or clicking “I agree” on-line. The agreements are ridiculously long and their meaning, difficult to comprehend. But, there is increasing debate about whether these agreements are enforceable.

Some of these agreements allow the licensors to snoop into the users’ computers and in some cases to remove existing software. In many cases the user cannot even “criticize” the product. This goes completely against the new consumer democracy all tech players purport to be purveyors of. Is this not the height of hypocrisy? Yet, EULA is now on steroids, ”overwritten” with TOS (Terms of Service ) contracts,  to lock-in and control innocent users. We know the corporations (and you know who you are) who indulge. Start-ups driven by VCs (who love “lock-in” software) are no stranger to this TOS practice. The relative absence of these could be a brand building feature!

In the grander scheme of things, is this wise? EULA must be reformed. Firstly, licensors must have a good hard look at their actions and recognize that they are taking basic rights under our collective constitutions away. Ambulance chasers (patent attorneys) see an opportunity; but, truly when rights in constitutional preambles come into play what are their chances? The public will become aware, perhaps stop clicking, stop buying.  It’s not inconceivable. Software producers must rely on the copyright law that protects them well enough and enjoy the benefits of their works. Et tu?

Software creators must look at their values—-publish and espouse them. In this, there is brand affection and loyalty in a sea infested with (name your predator here). Rethink.

LinkedIn has LuckedIn!

I gave LinkedIn a tough post many moons ago but now…I am starting to see value. I came to LinkedIn in 2006 as a result of an invitation from a brainiac colleague in Massachussetts who specializes in FMRI (equipment that reads blood flow to the brain in response to stimuli). I never knew about LinkedIn ’til then. I accepted the invitation; the proviso was that LinkedIn HookedMeIn. I never liked lock-ins (not a good cue). I could not partake in his network at the time. It was all not clear to me what they were all about and I had zero time to check it out. However, last month I went and enhanced my profile vowing to leverage its value at a later date. Perhaps now I should move forward!

Just yesterday (these people work on Sundays) LinkedIn announced it raised another round of funding i.e. $12.8 million US (nice to see the investments are beginning to creep above the 2006 rounds of $3-$10 million). 

Linked In declares it has 9 million users and is gaining 100,000 new members per week. Ouch! My skepticism seems to be challenged. I am still a Member but now I am paying attention.

What’s the money for? Well I suspect LinkedIn Answers was a driver to this investment. This service allows you to ask your personal network professional questions and get answers now. LinkedIn Experts launched on January 4 ‘07 takes Answers a step further. A question will render the top five experts to answer a question–the answer comes from the selected expert at $500 per hour. LinkedIn keeps $250. If this model takes off, it could become the norm for  the procurement of “soft” goods; however, it is not threat to enduring consulting relationships. It is rather an entry point. A chance to hasten “the pitch” process. Or at its core, get a quick answer without the consulting fees customary of think-tanks in the five figure range.

In 2006, LinkedIn generated revenues just over $10 million US; yet, it is valuated at $250 million. For bubble-mongers this does sound familiar; but it is widely accepted by pundits that business networks such at this one are faring well. Xing, its Europeean competitor, is reporting similar revenues. This is a space to watch. Business web apps were slow to get going; but now I delight in the flurry of web offerings to businesses. Just last week Big Blue (IBM) launched it own awesome web app (see post below). The growth on the web is now turning to biz.

IBM launches web 2.0 app for business! Say what?

It’s called Lotus Connections and was announced yesterday at its Lotus conference in Florida. I don’t believe it’s available in beta yet; but it is due to be launched sometime this year. It rivals Microsoft’s SharePoint insofar as it is entirely web 2.0 enabled. (Frankly, SharePoint has not made a big dent in business sectors–yet.) The Lotus platform is more pointedly described as “collaboration” software rather than “social networking” where business feared to tread.

While we have seen breakthrough social networking platforms enjoy unprecedented participation on a global scale, business dragged its heels. But now IBM stands a chance to make its mark–again–as a leader in the most lucrative market.

The web as a platform is still fairly unchartered for business. The fear of loss of security and control are the root cause, holding corporations back. But now with the new Lotus, the conversation will increase. My hope is corporations will be quick to embrace a platform that will enable employees and associates to exchange information easily and quickly on the web, without the annoyances of lock-in software.

I am so glad the Big Blue is providing impetus for business to leverage what the web has to offer. Now let’s see how this pans out. Watch for a flurry of web apps. And certainly a competitive response from Microsoft.  Quelle surprise!

Mozilla marketing tactic irritates

Mozilla’s Firefox could lose the love of many if it continues its guerilla tactic of interfering with browsing with IE. People like to make their own choices. And to have your viewing highjacked while in process is simply annoying. I downloaded Firefox having heard the buzz; yet, the only way to get it to stop this behavior is to remove it. I thought Firefox could take the place of grace. One of our programmers said, “I don’t use Firefox because of this annoying intrusion”. Be careful Mozilla, this behavior is unlike the glowing chatter in the marketplace. I’ll bet the buzz is abating.