Making information work

Sometimes, when I am confronted with something really really good, I turn into a child. My envy makes me dismiss rather than embrace. Horrible, right? Limiting, right?

Absolutely.

But I just realized that it might be worth it. Because when I grow up and let it in, it feels particularly wonderful. Sort of like the Monty Python skit where the dude slams his head with bricks because it feel so good when he stops.

To the point: get ahold of anything Robyn. Preferably the Tong & Spoon Wonderland remix of With Every Heartbeat. It might change your life. Or put a smile on your face.

• I absolutely positively love Rent-A-Coder #

• PPC Agencies continue to dissapoint … there is no comparison with hands on ongoing optimizing #

• Writing a modular SEO-report in Swedish … answering perfectly the question not asked. Yet. #

• Writing a modular SEO-report in Swedish … answering perfectly the question not asked. Yet. #

• Pondering a trip to the 2.0 conference in SF #
• I want an Amazon Kindle. Imagine having the entire reference library, searchable, in your bag… #

• Mind boggling how content always seems to create the delays … even in the most complicated technical projects #

Here is the deal: when you create an Adwords ad in the Google PPC system, the URL displayed below the ad text does nowadays not really need to reflect the URL to which a click will lead you. It sounds crazy, but sometimes, it is absolutely necessary.

For a crap-load of PPC-affiliate companies, for one.

Here is their deal: they buy traffic from search engines using display URL’s of the companies they are marketing, but lead the traffic through their own tracking and measurement systems to keep track of how words convert etc. Google seems to be saying “bye bye” to this practice.I am not particularly sad about this, but I do feel a bit for all the affiliate companies - I know for a fact that the PPC-traffic generators are the biggest earners, and therefore the biggest generators of income for the affiliate companies themselves. Indeed, for the affiliate company customers as well.

It will be particularly interesting to see how this unfolds.�

• Writing a corporate SEO-policy and SEO-sourcing-support for A-list Swedish industrial corporation #
• Wondering who will first fully use the power of interactive Social Media to handle a large corporate crisis #

I signed up for Bebo, and in some way my whole Gmail address book was spammed with invitations. This happened the same day that Bebo was bought for 850 million USD by AOL. Effectively, AOL purchased a powerful Plaxo-style spamming platform.

Well, to the point: sorry for the Bebo invitation. I will likely not use it, I was just checking it out.

• Dreaming of a cross-continent team of social media ninjas who could band together and create greatness for multinational corporations #

Reading about Boeing’s decision to protest the Airbus tanker win, I find myself on Randy’s blog. Take a look at these comments … not all particularly positive. Some downright angry & disappointed. I am somewhat surprised that these comments are let through the moderation, but I am extremely glad that they are.

Now that Boeing has acted bravely enough to publish them, I hope that Boeing reads them. Because without fully embracing their message and responding intelligently, it is just a waste. Embracing negative feedback is a tough task, I know (personally, I mean - I suck at it) but when you are able to deconstruct the message and send it to the correct people internally there is great value.

We are not talking about a Sherlock Holmes class mystery, but at least something quite interesting. This Twitter profile named “Osen” has recently joined, and quickly started following peoples Tweets. Alot of people. As I write, in excess of 20.000 people.

I saw someone do the math on efficiency needed to initiate followings on such massive amounts of people, and there seemed to be only one possible explanation: there is some automation hidden in the background.

There is, however, something much more interesting happening: the profile itself is followed by almost 3000 people. My guess is that this has been the result of a mixup of the last two steps of Twitter usage:

1. “Cool, this dude is following me!”
2. “Who is it?”
3. “Ill follow him or her as well”

This clean one-two-three process easily reads 1-3-2 for beginners. So, in all likelihood, Osen Komura is followed by primarily Twitter n00bs. Not that is matters: he (or she) has created a line of communication directly into the lives of 3000 people. Automation or not, n00b followers or not, that is pretty cool. Talk about a quick and dirty way of getting yourself out there.

This is going to start in someplace completely different than it begins.

A new Swedish 2.0-site launched recently - www.mypitch.se - which lets non-agency groups or people pitch their advertising ideas to companies in need of a campaign. Fresh? Well, not really. Good idea? Sure. The winner? The companies, of course - they get lots of free ideas.

Now, there is a spin on the idea that I wish someone would create (don’t look at me, I don’t have the time): let us call it OurPitch. OurPitch is a place where small agencies and freelancers (like myself) gather and create strategic and tactical social media pitches for companies who have not yet realized the need. So, we would create a closed workgroup for a company who does not yet realize the potential of social media work, develop a pitch,  and then try to present it.

OurPitch would have all the tips and tricks needed to create a good pitch & presentation, with PowerPoint/Keynote (go Mac!) templates, business plan templates, social media structure capital etc.

I know I would use it. And I know the first company I would create a pitch workgroup for.

Because, my dear Boeing, you are in need of some serious help online.

I was pointed to an extremely disappointing article today (hat tip, Anders). In it, you will read of an arrogant Boeing attitude, and a fresh, modern and new thinking Airbus. This scares me. I see similar trends online, both in controlled and un-controlled channels. The Airbus web sphere is lighter, better, quicker, and more modern.

One does not need to compare the two spheres particularly much to realize that Boeing has a lot of catching up to do. To me, it does not feel like a particularly distant memory when Boeing launched their current website, but it is clearly ready to be replaced.

And imagine the possibilities - Boeing could take charge of their online brand by approaching any passionate social media consultant and integrating her or him deeply into the next web project. With the content, product, and passionate following the next Boeing.com could easily become a given top destination on the web.

• Absolutely loving the view from Arlanda’s SkyCity. I will inquire about offices here ASAP tomorrow morning. #
• Contemplating a gut feeling that my dear Boeing will shortly engage in a massive web project. I will give them a call shortly. #
• I’m half American, half Swedish, communicating wirelessly via Twitter with a Polish dude from Australia while listening to minimal techno #

• Loving personal branding, loving Gary Vaynerchuck. But I am not building his brand… #

• Realizing that Safari Private Browsing and Google Accounts do not work together #

• Enjoying a Monday, a latte, and my new Macbook Air #

• Buying local Wordpress hosting in 11 markets across the world #

• wondering where all the automatic & immediate geo-tagging cameras are #
• feeling sad for Yahoo: I entered the wrong currency for a PPC campain (telfolding my indended bid) and the result was, as always, no taffic #
• hunting for easily segmented global traffic sources #