Last updated - 01:19 RomeSource: Simplereach
Robin Good: You have probably seen this cool little widget at work on many sites already, and have probably been wondering, how could you get that on your web site too.Well the answer is simple: The Slide by SimpleReach does it all for you, and at no cost. It recommends related posts without asking you much in return.It can increase pageviews and the time web visitors spend on your web Read more...
Source: Blogs.reuters
Robin Good: Felix Salmon on the Reuters blogs has a short but insightful article on how content creation and distribution is changing and on the diminishing value of being an integrated silo that created, edits, publishes and distributes its own content.He writes: "Facebook and Google have become two of the biggest media companies in the world in extremely short amounts of time, precisely because they don’t have much interest in owning Read more...
Source: Redux
Robin Good: Redux has recently revamped its curation features especially in the direction of providing a unique platform to curate thematic video channels.Anyone can easily sign-up, create a custom channel, and add URLs of video clips that they like to add to their video channel.The TV-like interface REDUX has created is very cool and allows you to watch any channel in full screen mode with clips in your channel that Read more...
Source: Searchenginewatch
Robin Good: If you are looking to understand more about Google penalizations, whether "algorithmic" (like Google Panda) or "manual", here is a great guide by David Harry to dive into.Key sections in this guide include:
Source: Vimeo
Robin Good: Cleeng is a service that allows content publishers to monetize their content by placing certain sections or specific content items on their site behind a paid wall. Payments can be made in one-click and Paypal, major credit cards, SMS payments are all supported."Cleeng patented solution allows publishers to hide specific part of their content between two tags: for example a blogger can monetize an entire article or just Read more...
Source: Digiday
Robin Good: If you are looking at content curation from the perspective of a large company, you may want to read this article from Josh Sternberg on Digiday, which provides some valuable recommendations.Here a few highlights I have extracted from the article: "Curation is the vogue digital term for the ability to not only aggregate and distribute carefully selected information, but also to provide a unique voice on top of the Read more...
Source: Youtube
Robin Good: TargetMap is a free web service that allows you to create and customize professional-looking data-maps with any country or area in the world. Maps created with TargetMap (satellite, physical, hybrid, etc:) can utilize excel-formatted data, can be color-coded and customized manually, or specific data can be input in them. The user can also leverage existing public maps for the creation and customization of new ones. Final maps can be exported as Read more...
Source: Searchengineland
"Google has confirmed reports of a Panda update with us.[Google] told us they have done a data refresh of the Google Panda algorithm about a week ago, and added that there were no additional signals or algorithm changes. This was only a data refresh.I saw reports over the past week or so of webmasters commenting about their rankings. Most were complaining that they lost rankings, but some said sites that Read more...
Source: Youtube
Robin Good: Ethan Lyon at YouMoz has put together a great simple tool inside a Gdoc spreadsheet (public, free and open) that allows you to automatically find sites and blogs where you can make guest posts.Guest posts on other quality and thematically-relevant sites is an effective strategy to build quality incoming links to your site.I have tried out this litte great gem and I must say: it does work. You Read more...
Source: Windmillnetworking
Robin Good: If you are seriously considering to jump on the Google+ bus and to do all that is needed to leverage the new social network and the unique benefits it may have on your SEO, check the advice provided in this article."Google+ Business Pages offer unprecedented search ranking advantages, so make optimizing your profile for both regular Google search and G+’s internal search your first priority. Next you’ll want Read more...
Source: Speckyboy
Functional web typography is, of course, key to the usabilty of any website. But functional does not mean boring. Big, loud and attention grabbing typography does have the presence and magnificence to truly grab the attention of your visitors.See it on Scoop.it, via The Web Design Guide and Showcase Read more...
Source: Vimeo
A great 3D animated short clip for Ministry of Sound headphones. See it on Scoop.it, via Video Infographics Showcase Read more...
Source: Foliumbookstudio
Robin Good: If you are wondering which service to use to get your content out into an eBook in a professional-fashion, you may want to check this very informative comparison table that FoliumBookStudio, a new service in this space, has published on its site.From this comparison table you can tell side-by-side who is the best when it comes to choosing between Lulu, Smashwords, Book Country, BookBaby, PublishGreen and FoliumBook for Read more...
Source: Idroo
Robin Good: Idroo is a real-time collaborative whiteboard (for Windows PCs only) that allows 10 or more people to annotate, highight, draw and markup over any image they want to. Idroo integrates perfectly with Skype allowing you to invite through Skype your meeting attendants and to talk to them while working together on the shared whiteboard.Key features include:
Source: Onswipe
Robin Good: OnSwipe is a brand new service which allows any web publisher to instantly create a beautiful-looking iPad magazine by simply providing the references to RSS feeds, Twitter, YouTube/Flickr channels and more. OnSwipe does the rest.The service is extremely simple to use. Just go to OnSwipe.com, click Get Started, and one registered you only need to provide the URL or name of your different content or social media channels. OnSwipe Read more...
Source: Vimeo
A unique and unexpected blend of visual graphics, music and words for this experimental project/gallery installation designed by Syndrome.See it on Scoop.it, via Video Infographics Showcase Read more...
Today content curation is "sold", promoted and marketed as the latest and trendiest approach to content production, SEO visibility, reputation and traffic building. But is it really so? Is it really true that by aggregating many content sources and picking and republishing those news and stories that you deem great is really going to benefit you and your readers in the long run? Is the road to easy and effortless publishing via curation tools a true value creation business strategy, or just a risky fad? How can one tell?
Photo credit: theprint
Let me clarify a few key points:
1. Curation can be effective only as much as it effectively provides a quality filtering mechanism that can replace my need to consult multiple sources. When such need is forgotten and a curation channel becomes another broad aggregation and republishing venue, the end result is more content to go through and little or no insight gained.
2. Shallow curation efforts, where the main goal is to republish selected content with the minimum effort and time, are going to be effective only for the very short term. As soon as quality, value-creation creators start to emerge and gain authority, the gap between them and the others will be very hard to fill.
3. Curation is an effective means to build a strong relationship with a niche audience of passionate people to engage, not a marketing strategy that caters to gain a broad audience of readers by virtue of quantity and breadth.
4. The key element that makes curation work is the competence and focus of the curator and of the topic he has selected. Repeated efforts to create curated channels that mix and match broad and highly competitive topics are bound to see a very short life.
For these reasons, I think that much of the apparent new curation work being done is bound to be soon disappointed by the results it will gain. Though the apparent new curation "leaders" are working around volume and breadth, I have a strong feeling that within a year this panorama will have already evolved significantly in its natural direction.
Highly specific news and content channels, curated by passionate and competent editors will gradually become the new reference and models for curation work.
This article is all about starting to identify some tentative reference points that can be used to anticipate these changes and position one's own curation channel in a way that it will guarantee the greatest return on investment, over-time, possible.
My goal, is to help you understand how you can start to evaluate and distinguish value-creating content curation, from shallow aggregation, noise-making republication and pure content regurgitation before it is too late or someone else in your same niche will have done it before you.
Here's is my official checklist, to identify value-creation curation, from everything else.
The new frontiers for content curation tools and services are in a) providing advanced collaborative ("social)" features and in b) introducing and integrating new and effective, highly visual, delivery formats.
Photo credit: CaraMaria
Curating content and news is not just about the selection, editing and contextualization of stories about a specific topic or theme, but it is increasingly about how these information items are (collaboratively) gathered, organized, grouped, displayed and in which...
A web designer creates beautiful layouts for the web content of his customer. The customer is happy at first, but as he grows more knowledgeable about the web and its possibilities, he starts asking new layout changes, integration of new features and more.
Photo credit: Peshkova
What happens next is that the designer grows angry to the customer instead of rejoycing for the new work, knowing that changes and adjustments are more...
Is Empire Avenue just a fad? Is EAv just another social network and maybe a fascinating new type of news reader (like Robert Scoble writes), or is it really - like I think - a whole new ball game?
Photo credit: JGraphic, Empire Avenue, mashed by Robin Good
And assuming one wants to start playing it, what are the best strategies and approaches to make it work?
In this second part of...
If you are curious to see what happens at the convergence between social networking, social influence and reputation, online engagement and gamification, I think it is about time you gave a good look, if you haven’t already done so, at Empire Avenue.
Photo credit: JGraphic, Empire Avenue, mashed by Robin Good
Empire Avenue is an online community game based on the idea of a stock market where you buy and sell shares...
Why is content curation so important? In this video interview, I recorded with Micah Sifry, co-founder and editor of the Personal Democracy Forum, you can taste one more viewpoint and explanation of why news and content curation are becoming so important. And not only.
Photo credit: Robin Good
Micah Sifry states it clear and without any hesitation: such abundance of content and of people producing it offers great business opportunities that are...
Are content curation and the future of search converging? Who will you trust when it comes to find out what alternatives to a problem are out there and you have only an Internet connection? How much individual freedom do you want to sacrifice to an algorithm, no matter how accurate?
Photo credit: Robin Good
But why, you may rightly ask, to question Google or other search engines ability to sort and classify...
Hey AdSense publisher, are you really ready for Google Panda? Almost four months have gone since Panda, the new quality content filter from Google that has hit the web making thousands of web sites close business in the name of giving greater space to real quality content. Not to web sites that have been built and maintained exclusively for the purpose of making money through ads.
Photo credit: Vlue - iStockphoto
It's...
Once I started realizing that the consequences of Google Panda on MasterNewMedia were not going to go away anytime soon, I completely stopped worrying about Google and begun devoting my time and resources to my most important asset: readers and fans. I also started to wonder whether there could be a way, maybe in the future, to escape from this apparent Google stranglehold without simultaneously becoming also a victim of...
What do you need to do to recover from the Google Panda penalization? Is there something specific you need to look at? How long it will take to recover? The answer to all of these three questions is: nobody knows (yet) for sure. Not at least until a consistent number of Panda-hit web sites recovers from it fully and shares what it has done to do so.
Photo credit: Eric Isselée...
If you have been hit heavily by the Google Panda penalization, like MasterNewMedia has, one of the hardest thing to do is to understand what is the appropriate frame of mind to get into before starting to fix, modify or correct possible problems.
Photo credit: Eric Isselée - iStockphoto and Ashwin KA
Rushing to prune and modify content on your web site may not really get you the results you need,...
MasterNewMedia, is officially among the Panda victims. The site was hit first by the new Google Farmer update, also known as “Panda”, on February 24th, and then again, even more strongly on April 11th 2011. The impact on the revenue front has been dramatic.
Photo credit: Eric Isselée - iStockphoto
In this MasterNewMedia multi-part guide devoted to Google Panda, you will be able to better understand what Panda is, how it...
Though I am not a great fan of conferences and events (as I find them still utilizing old-fashioned delivery formats, which keep and increase the separation between audience and presenters) there are key factors that can make me become a most passionate event fan.
Photo credit: Mlenny Photography
Specifically:
Venue: The event is designed around a special location or place, where the "being there" is not just the same as sitting inside an...
How do you create a professionally-looking explanation video that illustrates in simple words what your company does and how it solves its customers problems? Given the wide number of options on the market, the little time available to choose and the little familiarity a new client may have with your business and the services it provides, if you cannot explain rapidly and in simple words what you and your company...
How do you transform a webinar or an Internet conference into a memorable, highly engaging and useful event? What are the key areas in which one needs to work to move online events from one-way presentations, with zero interaction and involvement, to highly engaging learning experiences where everyone gets to participate?
Photo credit: Andres Rodriguez
In this introductory guide to the key strategies to host memorable and engaging online events, Adriano...
Are you looking for a web-based service that allows you to create and publish a professional online survey? Do you need to create an online survey but are not too sure about what service to use? In this MasterNewMedia guide you can find the best available online survey services and some information to help you choose your ideal one.
Photo credit: John Takai
Online surveys main application is to help you get...
If you are interested in finding out the rate of organizational adoption of social media by the largest charities in the US, this new report written by Nora Barnes and sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research provides all of the information you are looking for.
Photo credit: Eyeidea and AlexMax
Key highlights from this report include:
a) For the first time in the past four years, every charity...
This is the story of SEOmoz, as I have heard it by sitting in the first row of a small but very attentive audience at the LUISS University in Rome, Italy. The storyteller is Rand Fishkin himself, the father and founder of an SEO company which has become synonym of high value tools and services, competence, and a natural inclination to share valuable information before asking something in return.
Photo credit:...
If you are searching for Open Source software, where do you find good directories and collections of OSS tools, and how do you evaluate the many candidates available?
Photo credit: Ophelia Cherry
Unless you are looking for popular popular open source software - such as the ones available in the SourceForge top downloads or the few ones backed by vendors like Apache, Linux, MySQL, PHP, eMule, GIMP, OpenOffice or VLC, Google...
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