The ultimate search engine

For anyone familiar with the Internet, Google has long since transcended into being a household name. An estimated 235 million searches are performed each day on the Google search engine, which accounts for roughly 72% of searches performed across the web. Even when one uses alternate search engines, it is still commonly referred to as "Googling." Imagine how copy machine companies must have felt when Xerox began dominating the market (i.e. "Xerox that paper" instead of "copy that paper")

Talk about brand power.

Amid the countless number of self-proclaimed "SEO gurus," there are very few people that truly understand the complex, evolving algorithms of search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. As the abyss of information available on the web continues to expand, we rely heavily on these sites to navigate efficiently.

Multitudes of search engines continue to be developed to help deliver more targeted results (Google alone offers separate engines for blogs, patents, images, etc.) Online training even exists to teach people how to enter key terms more effectively, much like I was taught as a child to use the library's first "digital card catalog."

Instead of listing the "Top 100 Search Engines" or some other shoddy compilation of sites you will only visit once, here are two bookmark-worthy ways I guarantee will make your daily searching through social media and the web more efficient.

1. Google Custom Search
Take control. This is a simple tool that enables you to literally build your own search engine (no, you do not need a PhD in computer engineering... even a kid in elementary school could pull this off). The key element is an ability to narrow or emphasize the reach of your search engine based on preferred blogs, commercial sites, news sources, and so on. First, this means importing a list of your chosen sites into a database. You can then choose whether to search within those sites exclusively or with them simply emphasized in a normal search.

Once the engine criteria is saved, you can embed it on your web site and share it with others. This is incredibly useful for brand monitoring or simply easing the tediousness of clicking through page upon page of search results.

Who has that kind of time?

If you have no idea what type of search engine you want to create, visit this directory of topic-based search engines. For example, if you are only interested in the online content of high traffic "mommy bloggers," there is a search engine that exclusively searches the top 1,500 mommy blogs. Of course, there are plenty other topics from which to choose.



2. Addict-o-matic
Social media searching at a glance. This is a web-based tool which enables you to enter a key term into multiple social media search platforms simultaneously. As far as I have found, this is the most inexpensive (free) and fastest way to search several social media engines at once and compare results.


This site also allows you to add or remove the various platforms based on your preference and change their location on the dashboard. Featured engines include Google blog search, Twitter search, FriendFeed, News, Delicious and Digg, Flickr, Technorati, and many more.

Give each a shot and leave a comment. Cheers!

For the PR pro: New Media tech tips

The New Media realm is rapidly evolving, and I have begun to realize that it is extremely helpful to have knowledge of both how to use new tools AND how they work. The beauty of effective online public relations (utilizing a variety of social media) is the ability to gain wide exposure at basically no expense.

Staying on the edge of what is possible with new media, here is a list of 8 tips that can help a PR pro stay on top of digital brand building:

1. Blog searching. As simple as it may sound, the search engine used to troll industry blogs can be a critical part of evaluating a company's reputation online. Google Blog Search and Technorati are usually good places to start.

2. URL rewriting. People pass along links constantly, using anything from emails, SMS, social bookmarking, etc. However, word of mouth is still the most potent form. Rewriting a web URL to an easy-to-remember format is key to maximize a web page's mobility.

3. Cloud Computing. Simply put, cloud computing is a technology in which tasks are assigned to a combination of connections, software and services accessed over a network. The network of servers and connections is collectively known as "the cloud." Using an access point, such as an iPhone, BlackBerry or laptop, users can "reach" into the cloud for resources as they need them. Extremely handy for tech PR. A good example is Google Applications.

4. Traffic Monitoring. There are a variety of ways to track unique visitors and visitation time of web sites. Keeping track of these statistics is an essential way to continually redesign a page to a format that is most effective for the target audience it is intended to reach.

5. Social Media Applications. The most common example for Gen Y is the use of Facebook applications (coundowns, bumper stickers... basically little additions for a users profile). There are plenty of ways to develop these applications for free, then brand them with a company's message. Almost 90% of Facebook's applications are made by third party developers. It's the same story for applications used in conjunction with the iPod Touch and iPhone.

6. HTML blog and web utilities. The development of simple HTML or XML code can made into handy utilities for people's blogs or websites. By distributing the code for free, users can add them to their personal sites. Again, free exposure. The only catch for these tools (as well as SM apps) is to make the utility actually useful. The more unique, the better.

7. Keeping tabs on new content aggregators. RSS readers, feed readers, and search readers are just a few examples. With the explosion of SM getting larger every day, these tools are undoubtedly going to play a vital role in the consolidation of a user's multiple profiles and feeds.

8. Not SEO... SMO. Social media optimatization can be an enormous benefit to a brand entering the new media market. As most regular users are familiar with the idea, by allowing a web site's visitors to "join" and create a personal profile, loyatly and frequency increase while the bounce rate decreases. Additionally, it makes it much easier for common users to interact with one another. Facebook Chat is a great example of optimization.

And there you have it. If you have a question or would like to leave a comment, please feel free to leave it here or send me an email at pauljmatson@gmail.com. Thanks!

Daily dupes and marketing half-truths

All marketers are liars.

Well, not always. But it is safe to say that the average consumer has fallen for the the marketing dupe at least once.

And to clarify, dupe: Easily deceived.

America may be politically divided, but we are one united and loyal bunch when it comes to our fast food. Let's pick on Taco Bell and Wendy's. I would be the last to deny my occasional craving for some late night indulgences, especially after seeing a new commercial for the latest Taco Bell food "creation." However, after spending some in line at the drive-thru, it occurred to me that fast food chains are incredibly adept at re-packaging the same five or six ingredients into "new" items to regain our loyalty.

The Epiphany

At Taco Bell: The crunchy taco and soft taco contain the same three ingredients. Being the genius that Taco Bell is, they added a little sour cream and combined the two tacos to create the Crunchwrap Supreme. Or Transfat Supreme, rather. Same ingredients, more money.

At Wendys: Oh, the classic and refreshing Frosty. Not ice cream... Frosty. Several months ago, Wendys began offering a small bag of "mix-ins" (I still wonder if Coldstone looked into a copyright infringement lawsuit), and sold the new Frosty for an additional $1.30. With the amount of Oreo provided in the "mix-in" bags, not to mention you had to do the mixing yourself, I can't help but wonder how many Americans buy into this slide of hand. Even more recently, is the introduction of the Frosty Milkshake. Really, now? They can't possibly think we're that dumb. Who hasn't waited for their Frosty to melt and drank it with a straw? I was drinking Frosty milkshakes long before they called it that. Here's the new choice, and I would hardly call it a dilemma: Medium Frosty - $1.29. Frosty Milkshake (same size, with whipped cream on top) $3.19.

Enough with fast food. Let's focus on outdoor advertising. More specifically, the entertaining graphics and catch phrases we see on billboards driving down the interstate each day. My personal favorite is this:

"Stay at the Holiday Inn... where kids eat and stay for free!"

Whoa there road-tripping tourist families. Keep driving. Since no hotel anywhere charges extra for kids, not to everyone is welcome to the continental breakfast, I fail to see the "free" portion of this bargain. Sadly, I can only sadly imagine how many people have marveled at and fall for this outstandingly (false) deal.

The bottom line is this: Everyone is in the business of something. That means sales are necessary, and since everone is human, we want to believe we're being given a "insider" deal or a price break. Oh, contraire. Two rules to follow-

1. Think twice before paying more. Always.
2. If you were a given company, how would you try to make a sale to you?

God bless the $.99 menu.