Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Google Ranking Factors and The Organic PR Approach

Google Ranking Factors and The Organic Public Relations Approach

The average business person doesn't usually look at their "Google Ranking" as way to track their online success. In the Online Marketing Blog, Lee Odden tells us that there's a new study and he provides a concise lists of what’s important to rank well in the search engines. This is a must read.

What most marketers won't tell you is that you can also achieve positive search engine optimization without spending a ton of money. This is done through solid organic public relations efforts that take SEO practices into account. So, make sure you follow Lee Odden's advice when you post news on your website, when you add photos to your flickr account, when you add a slide show to your slide account and so on.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Digital dark ages. Are you still asking, "What are widgets and who are Slide and RockYou!?

Business Week department editor Heather Green reports in this blog that
With 150 million daily slide shows served, Slide is claiming to be the biggest widget
company. Impressive numbers, but I was speaking with RockYou yesterday and they say that they're serving 100 million widgets a day. Of course, as folks start claiming big numbers, we're going to need outside ways of verifying them.


For those who are still in the digital dark ages, you may be asking, "what are widgets, and who are Slide and RockYou!?"

So to add a little insight:

Slide helps you publish and discover personalized Slide Shows of photos and other digital content. Launched in 2005 by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, Slide lets you use photos and other digital content to publish and discover the people and things that matter to you. Slide can be embedded onto any website, viewed on your desktop or shared with your friends or fans.

RockYou! creates and distributes the most popular self-expression widgets on the web. RockYou!'s viral accessories can be used to enhance the look and feel of any blog, personal website, and are used on social networks like MySpace, Bebo, or Facebook. RockYou! widgets include photo slide shows, glitter text and voicemail accessories that enable people to stand out on social networks.

Widget: (As per Wikipedia since this definition hasn't hit Merriam-Webster's yet) In computer programming, a widget (or control) is an interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box. Widgets are sometimes qualified as virtual to distinguish them from their physical counterparts, e.g. virtual buttons that can be clicked with a mouse cursor, vs. physical buttons that can be pressed with a finger. Widgets are often packaged together in widget toolkits. Programmers use widgets to build graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Another definition can be found at dict.die.net.

Bottom line: These are all tools to help you communicate more efficiently and effectively in the digital age. How can attorneys use them ethically? That's yet to be discovered.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

MySpace to Launch Video Channels

The Wall Street Journal reported today that MySpace

is launching video channels that will feature news and lifestyle video from partners including the New York Times and National Geographic. . . . The channels will include programming created for the Web and comes as MySpace, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate News Corp. (NWS), is rapidly expanding its video offerings.

This is important to keep in mind as the world of social media continues to expand and as communicators seek ways to disseminate their messages to the masses. According to a recent Hitwise study indicated that MySpace is the most popular Web site in the US, commanding 4.46 percent of all visits. That's a greater market share than Yahoo's email service (4.42 percent), Yahoo's home page (4.25 percent), and Google (3.89 percent). Did you know that 100 million users live on MySpace?

Monday, May 14, 2007

What's a Blogment

So, have you heard the term "blogment" yet? I have. It means that you have been mentioned on another's blog. The phrase was coined by C. Scott Rubel. Relative of mine? Of course. He's my husband. And I loved the term so much that I thought I'd add it to my blog and see if it catches on. So if you read this post, please pass this along and we'll see how soon it makes its way to Wikipedia.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Michael Smerconish Says it Perfectly

I received an e-mail from Brad Segall at KYW1060 Newsradio this morning asking me if I had read Michael Smerconish's coverage of the First Friday Doylestown vigil last week for which I and my company, Furia Rubel was quite involved. I hadn't. But while reading Smerconish's commentary, my eyes began to tear and I realized that he put into words exactly how I feel. Smerconish says, "Never again will I read a headline on war dead and see only words. The war has now come home." And so it has.

THE WAR COMES HOME by Michael Smerconish
May 10, 2007

THINGS LIKE this don't happen here. That's what I was thinking while standing at a parking lot at State and Hamilton in Doylestown last week.

It's a location I know well. I used to walk through this spot most mornings on the way to high school at C.B. West, when the school was known for being a football powerhouse. Across the street is my mother's real-estate office. Katty-corner is La Maison cheese shop, where I often stop for a bite. Down the block is Kenny's News Agency, where we used to line up for Spectrum concert tickets. Still visible in the distance is where Bert's Bicycle Shop once sold my parents my banana-seat bike. Two blocks away is the County Theatre. I remember the night in the 1970s when Kevin Benstead "streaked" after the "Bad News Bears" let out. Main Street merchants. High-school hijinks. That's the normal stuff of Doylestown. Not what I witnessed on Friday night.

Ladder 79 of the Doylestown fire company raised an American flag above a crowd of a few hundred. And as the clock (a gift from the Rotary Club marking Doylestown's founding in 1838) was about to strike 8, someone called for a moment of silence.
In front of the crowd was a fit, immaculately groomed man wearing a blue Oxford shirt. He was on the verge of tears. His wife, in black, was already over that line. Equally distraught were their daughter and son-in-law. No one could blame them, or understand their loss.

They were Col. Thomas Manion, Jannette Manion, Ryan Borek and David Borek - the family of Travis Manion.
The night was to be First Friday in Doylestown, a monthly ritual for dining out and shopping. But the evening had been recast as a vigil for Marine First Lt. Manion, who died in Iraq on April 29.

But by the time it began, its purpose had changed yet again. Now it wasn't just to honor Manion, but also another man from town as well, Army First Lt. Colby Umbrell, who died May 3.

Neither fit the cliche of who's fighting in Iraq. They were 26, scholars, athletes, warriors, patriots, and from Doylestown. Young men who could've done anything with their lives. Now there were two condolence books to sign, and, silently, the crowd did so. As we waited, a young woman named Christy Jefferson sang "Amazing Grace."

Major Adam Kubicki is the commanding officer of Military Transition Team 20. He was Travis Manion's commanding officer and was at his side when he died. He wrote a letter to the family, which they shared with me.

Major Kubicki wrote, "Know that Travis meant a great deal to all of us in his unit. He was an incredible officer, a true warrior, and an example and inspiration to us all. He was also an honorable man, willing to pursue the right path no matter the difficulty. His enthusiasm and abilities were apparent to everyone, including the Iraqis with whom we live and serve."

Meanwhile, an Associated Press story ran in this newspaper on May 1 under the headline "April's toll: 104 troops."

It's the sort of story I would have read in passing. I doubt I would've paused when I got to the paragraph that said, "A Marine died in combat Sunday in Anbar province, a Sunni insurgent stronghold west of the capital, the military said."

But the Marine who died in Anbar was Travis Manion. And when another story is written giving the final count for May, there will be one more Doylestonian in those ranks, Lt. Umbrell.

It's difficult to localize a war fought around the globe when daily stories describe a death toll pushed upward by often-faceless, nameless soldiers killed in combat. But things have changed. Never again will I read a headline on war dead and see only words. The war has now come home.

Listen to Michael Smerconish weekdays 5:30-9 a.m. on the Big Talker, 1210/AM - Philadelphia. Read him Sundays in the Inquirer. Contact him via the Web at www.mastalk.com.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

I Second That! "Book Yourself Solid" is a Great Book for Lawyers

Tonight, I was reading Blawg's Blog by Bill Gratch and he referenced Rich Klein's blog. Rich and I both niche in legal communications. Rich recommends "Book Yourself Solid" by Michael Port. I second that. I read Michael's book last month and then had the pleasure to see him speak. He's fantastic! He should be the keynote for next year's Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Conference and for the American Bar Association's Annual Conference. Michael get's business development for service providers and delivers amazing take aways. Funny thing: I ran into Michael tonight while out to dinner with my family. Turns out, we live in the same town.
U Wish U Nu

If you're planning an event, opening a new business, networking or socializing in Philadelphia, there's a new blog called Uwishunu that is cornering the market on social info.

According to their site, Uwishunu is "written by a diverse group of in-the-know Philadelphians," and an "online source for an insider’s look at the Philadelphia scene. Whether it’s eating, drinking, music, culture, fashion, the outdoors, shopping, design or any other Philly secret, uwishunu is the place to get the real deal from real Philadelphians." Their mission is to "enable visitors to hang like locals and locals to hang like insiders."

Created and fully moderated by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, they are looking for Philly insiders and visitors to have a voice. So if you have something happening in Philadelphia or just have something to say about my home town, you can submit your ideas to iknow@uwishunu.com.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

"Does Your Name Google Well"

According to Kevin J. Delaney of the Wall Street Journal, "You're a Nobody Unless Your Name Googles Well." This article tells all about how "Abigail L. Garvey Wilson Emerges From Obscurity and details the Millions of John Smiths. It's a must read for individuals and corporations alike who are trying to break through the clutter of digital media. When was the last time you Googled your company name or your own name?
USA Today Reporters

Whenever you pitch USA Today, be sure to check out the online profiles and stories written by each reporter or editor by going to http://www.usatoday.com/community/tags/reporter-index.aspx. It will help you formulate your pitch and make sure you know you're targeting the right person with your story or news.
I Am Big Brother

In an article I read today in our local newspaper, a substitute teacher was arrested for having sexual relations with two girls, ages 14 and 15. He got caught because the parents had installed a program on their computers called "Iambigbrother." I had never heard of this program until today but it sounds like something that all parents should be aware of! The fool (substitute teacher) then bragged about his activities on facebook.com. He said, "Hah . . . im so going to hell . . . I can't believe I hooked up with two 9th graders!!!" Well Mr. substitute teacher (whose name I don't want to appear in my blog), if you call jail hell, happy trails to you!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

The Power of the Associated Press

I don't beleive there is any media outlet more powerful than the Associated Press. Their stories get picked up from coast to coast and on national talk shows on a regular basis. For example, I was quoted this week by Tara Burghart, an Associated Press reporter, regarding childhood immunizations and anxiety. Today, when I searched my name in Google, I found 64 hits on the article which include the likes of CBS News, MSNBC, Fox News, The Chigago Tribune, The Boston Globe, Forbes, Newsday New York, and the Miami Herald. The story even hit the our local market and was covered by 6ABC and The Intelligencer which is our local daily.

So what's my point? Why does this matter to you? Because if you want good pick up on your news and it has national or international appeal, you should spend most of your time pitching the Associated Press!

Sunday, May 06, 2007



Originally uploaded by FuriaRubel.

On Friday night, May 4, 2007, I had the honor of working with First Friday Doylestown to help pay tribute to two young men from our town who died while fighting for our freedom in Iraq. Marine Lt. Travis Manion and Army Ranger Colby Umbrell were remebered at a town vigil. Hundreds of residents came out to pay their respects to the two families who have lost their sons. The Intelligencer covered the story at http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-05062007-1342060.html.

My heart goes out to the families. My husband said it best, "I never want to walk a day in their shoes but if we do, I pray that we can be as graceful and dignified as the Manion and Umbrell families." I couldn't agree more. God bless them and God bless America!

To see all the photos from the evening's tribute, click here.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Searching for Your Web Mentions

As a PR firm, we're issuing news on a daily basis on behalf of our clients and since we're in the age of social and new media, it's very important to track you online coverage. Although there are many services that will do this for you and you should ALWAYS subscribe to Google Alerts, you also need to know that not every search engine has all the same information. So if you want to see where your story has been picked up, you need to search by your keywords in a myriad of search engines.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, I used the links in this article by Danny Sullivan which is posted on searchenginewatch.com. The article also has some great tips about how you can optimize your website.

Happy searching . . . .

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Newspaper Circulations Drop while Internet Traffic Sours

In the last two days, I've been inundated with information about online media, "social media," and the drop in newspaper readership and circulation. This is a great article by Seth Sutel from the Associated Press. Sutel details the 2.1 percent drop in U.S. daily newspaper circulation.

This is important to understand because more and more attorneys are coming to us saying that they want to be quoted in The New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal but as circulation drops, so too does the number of stories, writers and editors that we're able to reach. As a result, it's important for law firms and others alike to embrace bloggers like Peter Lattman who writes The Wall Street Journal Law Blog (http://blogs.wsj.com/law/). It's also important to understand what bloggers are writing about and why it matters before contacting them.

There will be more to come on the field of "Social Media" so keep a look out.