tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70917252985254691792023-12-27T14:25:51.939-08:00Beating the Search Engineharry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-13561027790383563042014-09-24T09:24:00.002-07:002014-09-24T09:25:04.901-07:00Different Platform, Different Way To Tell A Story<center style="text-align: left;">
Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of <a href="http://vaynermedia.com/" target="_blank">Vayner Media</a>, has great insights on digital marketing. I've listened to a lot of his stuff and I've featured his videos several times on this blog. This specific video has helped me a lot, specifically when ideating or strategizing for different social media platforms.</center>
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I'm going to make this quick beacuse I have a lot of work to do (I've just been really itching to write). My two main takeaways from the video: </center>
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1. <u>Mirroring content doesn't always make sense</u> - each platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) has a different purpose and different user behaviors and preferences. Also, there should always be room for investing in new platforms because...</center>
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2. <u>Marketers destroy everything</u> - I love how he reminisces about email marketing and how he used to have an 80% open rate. Nowadays that's almost impossible because most mailing services automatically categorize promotional email, or worse, consider you as spam. As younger generations become more discerning, or increase their "bullsh*t" meter as Vaynerchuk calls it, we will destroy even more means of marketing, perhaps including Facebook.</center>
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Defintiely a staple for my learning sources, you can follow him on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/garyvee" target="_blank">@garyvee</a> if you want to learn more.</center>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-39854729211824714992014-06-26T07:56:00.000-07:002014-06-26T08:01:17.006-07:00Billboard vs Smartphone — the Dilemma of OOH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Being stuck in traffic reminded me of one of Gary Vaynerchuk's (founder of <a href="http://vaynermedia.com/" target="_blank">VaynerMedia</a>) lectures that I was watching a few weeks ago. He questions the continuous demand for, and inflation in the price, of outdoor advertising even when people are staring more at their phones than outdoor, even when in transit (most times, sadly, even when they're driving). Are our hands the new billboard? Will <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-home_advertising" target="_blank">OOH</a> eventually become, or already is, the inferior medium for advertising?</div>
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People in transit staring at their smartphones (photo source: http://bit.ly/1iyngSp)</div>
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I don't have the data for our market in terms of smartphone and web data penetration but I witness this every day when I commute to work. Almost everyone on the bus are staring at screens and not outdoor. The same when I stroll around with friends in private cars. I'm starting to see greater marketing value on our palms than on big costly billboards. </div>
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Billboards in Guadalupe Area (photo source: http://bit.ly/1v9taJM)</div>
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I was talking to a friend from MEC, the media agency of <a href="http://www.groupm.com/" target="_blank">GroupM</a> and was inquiring about their metrics. He mentioned several factors that are calculated including average number of cars that pass and their average speed, height and width, and even manual clickers. It baffled me. I'm sure it's thoughtfully calculated and that there are values derived from these metrics but they just still feel not as an exact a science as compared to digital.</div>
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In digital, you can pinpoint exact locations, demographics, and even psychographics (ie. belief systems, favorite color, relationship status, and whatnot). And, of course, the numbers are as real as it can get (most especially for Facebook). And I believe that this will improve even more as more social networks become more open to providing analytics and access to sentiment listening.</div>
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there is no value in OOH. I'm just saying that companies who are willing to spend millions on a billboard should start rethinking their spend on digital. If you say that Anne Curtis is 400,000 pesos per tweet, I don't really see the difference with paying her to be on a billboard. Digital PR and media buying is almost becoming just one medium. Your smartphone is the new billboard and you look at it more times than you look at actual outdoor advertising.</div>
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During the <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/12/google-and-startcom-mediavest-group.html" target="_blank">Google SoLoMo</a> conference I attended a while back, one of <a href="http://www.smvgroup.com/#home" target="_blank">Starcom MediaVest</a>'s executives mentioned that outdoor remains to be one of the strongest in the Philippine market. A colleague of mine reminded me to take this with a grain of salt, as they are primarily a media buying company. And it makes sense. As smartphones get cheaper and as more people become less dependent on wifi and get cheaper access to web data, the screen in people's hands will win.</div>
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And as trends seem to be towards wearables (or even if it doesn't fly), there's no doubt that digital is the way to go.</div>
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Follow me on Twitter for more blog updates and other random things: <a href="https://twitter.com/harryinitiative" target="_blank">@harryinitiative</a>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-7409502095037005842014-05-24T00:19:00.001-07:002014-05-25T00:28:36.286-07:00Relationship Building and Influencer MarketingI previously posted another video of Gary Vaynerchuk in <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/10/is-your-brand-excited-about-social-media.html" target="_blank">my post about the ROI of social media</a> where he gave very interesting insights into communicating social media's ROI to conservative clients or traditional marketers. On the video below, he dives deeper to explain the amplification of a message through influencer marketing — and not in the way we have always viewed the concept.<br />
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He mentions that social media, at its most basic form, is the scaling of word-of-mouth. His key recommendation is that advocacy be done for the sake of advocacy and not necessarily or exclusively for the amplification. He points out that building a relationship is a greater advantage than the desired amplification.</div>
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He says that paid PR and seeded influencer marketing both have values and in a way they are not that different. I actually disagree with him because I believe that the media mileage companies get out of effective and strategic digital PR work is undervalued while at the same time there are some ridiculously overpriced non-strategic PR.</div>
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On the last part, they start talking about building relationships with consumers, employees, vendors, etc. (CRM, basically) especially because we have access to communication mediums unlike back then when brands would have to shout through a one-way communication model. Now, there's an opportunity to engage with people and to invest in them.</div>
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If you liked this post then you might also like:<br />
1. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-marketing-of-politics.html" target="_blank">The Marketing of Politics</a><br />
2. <a href="http://twitter.com/harryinitiative">twitter.com/harryinitiative</a><br />
3. <a href="http://harryinitiative.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/salmon-and-carcinoma/" target="_blank">Salmon And Carcinoma</a>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-57920978568806481762014-05-18T06:48:00.003-07:002014-05-18T06:48:56.435-07:00Reality Is Our Sandbox — The Principles of Gamification All Around Us Gamification, simply put, is the use of game mechanics and principles in non-game contexts to engage a certain target market. It's had so much use in customer relationship building or employee engagement. And it's not even about making an app or developing a game <i>per se</i>. Think loyalty cards, for example. It could be as simple as giving consumers points every time they interact with your brand and then rewarding them after they reach a certain level. It's all a game. And it's addictive.<br />
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In fact, in Gabe Zichermann's Google Talk (below), he goes as far as saying that dopamine is actually released in the brain at certain reward parts of the engagement loop making it addictive not just in the figurative sense.<br />
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Gabe Zichermann's Gamification Revolution</div>
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And we see this all around us. Many marketers and planners implement this in their strategies, some of them just not labeling or recognizing it as gamification. It's just such an effective strategy for engagement that it had been an organic part of improving engagement all along. It's just that it's more pronounced now that digital elements are an essential part of a any campaign.</div>
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Let's try to deconstruct LinkedIn's gamification strategies as an example. Look at how they add tasks for you to complete that will in turn allow you to "level up" so that your motivations and goals become more attainable (ie. network with people, get hired, sell something, or hire someone). They even go as far as labeling the different levels (<a href="http://ph.linkedin.com/in/harrysantos" target="_blank">mine</a> is now "All-Star" level).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbN8lzt3oQnm03PZq_IvZszM03P7ZHyu-sqm2RYsjf4J1TSQT9nYWRV3bCmW86tWMBv6kt6nUIoBPHPVsRegw5jAGiag_YkEbT_TN01enjnR7jb51MUnuYedQl0sDTp4dSvujspIGYco0/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-05-17+at+10.52.17+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbN8lzt3oQnm03PZq_IvZszM03P7ZHyu-sqm2RYsjf4J1TSQT9nYWRV3bCmW86tWMBv6kt6nUIoBPHPVsRegw5jAGiag_YkEbT_TN01enjnR7jb51MUnuYedQl0sDTp4dSvujspIGYco0/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-05-17+at+10.52.17+AM.png" height="162" width="400" /></a></div>
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LinkedIn's Recommended Tasks</div>
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And that's even a bad or at least blatant example. It's all around us. Many effective strategies and executions are gamified regardless if it was intended to be. And I'm addicted to it. In fact, I'm really starting to see the beauty in planning and strategy. It's actually a lot of philosophy, economics, communication, psychology, and sociology all tied in together. It's really powerful stuff. I'll be blogging about it more soon so be sure to follow me on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/harryinitiative" target="_blank">@harryinitiative</a>) to get updates on my latest blog posts.<br />
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If you liked this post then you might also like:<br />
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1. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/10/is-your-brand-excited-about-social-media.html" target="_blank">Is Your Brand Excited About Social Media?</a></div>
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2. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/this-guy-got-hired-by-utilizing-search.html" target="_blank">This Guy Got Hired By Utilizing the Search Engine</a></div>
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3. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2014/04/philosophy-of-language-and-social.html" target="_blank">Philosophy of Language and Social Listening</a></div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-70903646094093672962014-05-10T01:43:00.001-07:002014-05-10T02:10:20.276-07:00Is There An App For that? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Signs you work in digital marketing: You ALWAYS wonder if there's an app for that," tweets <a href="http://www.adobe.com/solutions/digital-marketing.html" target="_blank">Adobe Marketing Cloud</a>, Adobe's venture into the realm of digital marketing. What they said is so true that it actually made me chuckle.</div>
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In my previous work, I had a chance to use <a href="http://www.lithium.com/" target="_blank">Lithium Social Web</a>, one of the first digital marketing tools I was exposed to. It gave a small group of people the power to engage thousands. Along with social listening tools, the power they gave the brand to engage with and get insights from thousands of customers in realtime is mind-blowing. </div>
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Since that time, I've also learned about <a href="http://sproutsocial.com/" target="_blank">Sprout Social</a>, <a href="https://hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite</a>, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/crm/" target="_blank">Sales Force</a>, <a href="http://www.zoho.com/" target="_blank">Zoho</a>, <a href="http://www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com/products/social-media-listening/" target="_blank">Radian6</a>, <a href="http://mailchimp.com/" target="_blank">Mailchimp</a>, just to name some of the more popular tools in community management, eCRM, social listening, and email makreting. And I as mentioned in a previous post I wrote, <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2014/04/philosophy-of-language-and-social.html" target="_blank">Philosophy of Language and Social Listening</a>: </div>
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<i>... new tools coming from Israel, India, and Silicon Valley, many of which were still not available in the mainstream market. They ranged from tools that focused on engagement, marketing, CRM, social listening, etc. "There will always be gaps that need to be filled," ... each day, new problems are born and along with them are the potential for new solutions.</i></blockquote>
And now as I continue this career track in digital marketing, I am exposed to so many interesting tools, some even locally made. And every time there is a need or concern that needs to be addressed, I always find myself asking: is there an app for that?<br />
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And for every time, I'm sure chances are there is one that already exists somewhere out there.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-17540767042303105662014-04-19T21:25:00.002-07:002014-04-20T00:56:39.740-07:00Philosophy of Language and Social ListeningSeveral weeks ago, I was with the managing director of <a href="http://www.mobaxis.com/" target="_blank">Mobaxis</a>, a company in Thailand that provides some of the newest digital solutions to companies. He showed me several new tools coming from Israel, India, and Silicon Valley, many of which were still not available in the mainstream market. They ranged from tools that focused on engagement, marketing, CRM, social listening, etc. "There will always be gaps that need to be filled," he tells me. And he's right. The digital industry is just as innovative as it is competitive.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Majayjay Falls: <a href="http://bit.ly/1hdI36b">http://bit.ly/1hdI36b</a></td></tr>
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<i>“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”</i> -Lao Tzu</blockquote>
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The very expensive tool you are using right now could easily be obsolete tomorrow. Each day, new problems are born and along with them are the potential for new solutions. Just a few weeks ago, for instance, social ads and reach algorithms on Facebook behaved differently. Policies and formats can change in an instant and without warning.<br />
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Among all the tools, it was the social listening tools that really impressed me.<br />
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<i>Social killed the Nielsen star</i>. Actually, they do have social listening services (<a href="http://www.nielsen-online.com/products_buzz.jsp?section=pro_buzz" target="_blank">BuzzMetrics</a>); it's merely an analogy to point out the need for traditional marketers to adapt, to be like water and seep through the cracks.<br />
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The reach and metrics we have in digital are already so profound and yet you can't help but shrug off the idea that this is only the beginning. There remains so many gaps to fill and so many barriers to break.<br />
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When it comes to sentiment analysis, for instance, I am reminded of a high school philosophy lecture on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chinese_Room" target="_blank">The Chinese Room</a> argument — John Searle's rebuttal against the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test" target="_blank">Turing Test</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3rr1ZELpFQoYGLEFITHykDcnQEYzwkbWMJXbCg3euAcj8mKxy2pmjpEhBDJSimCgbVCd-i43wDITmCkO-MmS83Vmy6Kh1sRZqwtMhSZXqcywPQ7r1RyBoc7sVPATugIfWLhDMag2Qec/s1600/CMOC_Treasures_of_Ancient_China_exhibit_-_Pi_Pa_Xing_in_running_script,_top_view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3rr1ZELpFQoYGLEFITHykDcnQEYzwkbWMJXbCg3euAcj8mKxy2pmjpEhBDJSimCgbVCd-i43wDITmCkO-MmS83Vmy6Kh1sRZqwtMhSZXqcywPQ7r1RyBoc7sVPATugIfWLhDMag2Qec/s1600/CMOC_Treasures_of_Ancient_China_exhibit_-_Pi_Pa_Xing_in_running_script,_top_view.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/</td></tr>
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The thought experiment emphasized the differentiation between syntax and semantics and questions the ability of a computer to be discerning. It makes you think, especially now with the advancement of <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2014/03/quantum-computing-and-reality.html" target="_blank">quantum computing</a>, if our consciousness is just a series of complex functions and equations that can be plotted in a graph and eventually cracked by really advanced algorithms. Simply put, are we merely a higher form of ones and zeroes? <br />
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I once read about this Sumerian mythology, I think, about extraterrestrials that came here and altered our DNA to give us the ability to comprehend language. It's quite similar to how we are programming machines nowadays.<br />
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Above is a video made by students from the Kansan State University back in 2007. Just look at how much can change is only a few years. Back then, Facebook was just a place to "poke" people and no one's probably even heard of social listening. </div>
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On average, you unlock your phone almost a hundred times a day. Your face is in front of a screen more than it is in front of another human being. As we move forward to the world of wearable tech and robotic hearts, we realize that we didn't create the machine. We are the machine. </div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-91114892401537169102014-04-06T10:20:00.001-07:002014-04-07T06:23:42.116-07:00Coca-Cola Brings Spotify to the PhilippinesI just found out that the VPN I use is no longer free. This was what I used to to get access to the awesome music streaming service Spotify. It's a good thing Coca-Cola has brought Spotify here to the Philippines!<br />
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Aside from not having the lag of using VPN services, I am also able to contribute legitimate support to my favorite artists and musicians. And because Spotify adds both a mobile and social dimension to music, I can easily share music to my friends and at the same time check out what new stuff they're listening to. It's really a great way to share good vibes and happiness to your buddies.</div>
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This is exactly what I mean when I say that there are always market-based solutions to concerns with intellectual property rights (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2012/03/youtube-and-ipr-intellectual-property.html" target="_blank">YouTube and IPR — How We're Living In a Remixed World</a>). The marketplace is actually just as collaborative as it is competitive. And it is collaborations like this one from Coca-Cola and Spotify that emphasize that point. We don't have to give up internet privacy and liberties to government in order to enforce IPR claims (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2010/12/with-all-wikileaks-hullabaloo-going-on.html" target="_blank">Stay Away From My Internet</a>).</div>
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If you want to try it out, you can easily get a free code by emailing Social_CokePH@Coca-Cola.com with the subject <b>Coca-Cola Spotify</b>. Do it. It's worth it. Once you go Spotify, you never go back.<br />
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<i>Disclosure: I work for MRM//McCann Manila, the digital agency of Coca-Cola Philippines.</i>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-34496972660784095152014-03-09T05:19:00.006-07:002014-03-09T05:21:10.959-07:00Quantum Computing and RealityGoogle, along with NASA and a Canadian computing firm D-Wave, has been working on a project that is on the frontline of quantum computing. Much like earlier computers that were so huge they needed rooms to fit in, it's inevitable that one day the power of quantum computing will be able to fit in our pocket or rest on the top of our palm (or may even be wearable like <a href="http://www.google.com/glass/start/" target="_blank">Glass</a> depending on how trends go). But what is Quantum Computing? <br />
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I recently got to watch the sci-fi romance film <a href="http://harryinitiative.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/about-time-2013/" target="_blank">About Time</a> and the elements of time travel made me rekindle my interest in quantum mechanics. This branch of physics isn't really as daunting as it sounds. In fact, any interest in philosophy, I believe, will eventually lead you to the mind-boggling world of quantum physics. A quick introduction to this field will fire up your excitement for the potential of quantum computing:</div>
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The video above has shit graphics and production value but it is so far the simplest explanation of the wave function collapse that even those who are not interested in physics will have the same "WTF" reaction that has annoyed some of the greatest thinkers in history (there are tons of other awesome documentaries on quantum mechanics on YouTube if you want to learn more).</div>
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So the idea is that, instead of classical computing bits being just 1 or 0, quantum bits or <i>qubits </i>will behave in the same manner that electrons behave in such that it can be both 1 and zero at the same time. This will exponentially multiply computing power for certain equations or problems. It can create significant innovations in algorithms, encryption, worldly simulations and models, and other fields that are stomped with the limitations of classical computing.</div>
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Aside from its practical uses, my initial idea was that data could exactly be how electrons are exactly as stated on the video above. They could travel through time and conspire against human observation. I'm thinking solving the origins of the universe, models that give us answers to the frustrating problems of quantum physics that question our concept of reality, artificial intelligence, time and inter-dimensional observation or travel, and many other concepts once thought of only as science-fiction. But not just yet. Maybe in the long run. Maybe not even in our lifetime.</div>
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Quantum computing is exciting. The reality we have come to know is just the tip of the iceberg. </div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-33752968793492904942014-01-31T22:02:00.002-08:002014-01-31T22:03:53.558-08:00Sogo Vs Victoria Court -- When Motels Go Digital<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Probably the first thing marketing people would ask themselves would be: did these motels hire an agency or is it in-house? Regardless, they've correctly pinpointed college students and yuppies as their major target market (<i>wag na tayo maglokohan</i>) and this is the generation of digital natives (<i>literal naka tira na sa internet</i>). </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It's such an unbelievably unusual positioning but quite funny (maybe the goal is merely to go viral?) And hey, there's no such thing as bad publicity, yeah? I absolutely love how they are branding themselves as a place where students can study and bond. I personally think it's brilliant and it did go somewhat viral. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Cons: caption on their Facbeook page included #HereAtHotelSogo #ItsSogoTime hashtags and were not included in the image/poster. They didn't utilize Facebook ads and other placements. Facebook and other online ad placements are so cheap that this campaign could have exploded beyond viral had they spent more on ads (<a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.socialbakers.com/blog/1901-paid-content-is-king-promoted-posts-vs-organic-reach" target="_blank">source</a>).</span></div>
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Victoria Court, on the other hand, executed using two different directions. One positioning is more subtle -- somewhere you can rest after work or stay-in for a while and let traffic die. And the other is more hard sell -- after clubbing or after a movie you can go to their motel for some good clean fun and play some board games. Just kidding, it's obviously blatant. They want you to have sex in their motels after going out at night with your partner.</div>
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And the branding in the campaign doesn't seem tacky. It feels classy and perfectly targeted to the psychographics of the young, wild, and free. Victoria Court seems to be positioning themselves as a more higher-end brand than Sogo.<br />
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The core message and hashtag campaign, #WhereNext, seems so effective and in-line with their branding, in my opinion. It's so subtle but at the same time you already know what they're trying to say. It's almost synonymous to placing #AlamNa as their hashtag.<br />
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Cons: Again, they didn't utilize paid ads. Ask any digital marketing professional or agency and they'll all be in consensus that social media and online ad companies will limit your reach and click-through-rate unless you get paid placements. Also, more of traditional outdoor (billboards, posters, etc.) would be so effective for this campaign as I find it so witty. But then we live in such a conservative society that it probably won't pass regulation boards (although I saw one tarp by Shaw blvd). </div>
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I'm loving how these motels are utilizing digital marketing and social media and I applaud those responsible for them. I think they're both brilliant campaigns. These will drive consumers to their motels. And the other motel brands that aren't tapping digital? They'll miss out on targeting students and yuppies. Most of the older crowd who aren't on digital already have their own places to do the deeds that need to be done (except maybe for cheating spouses but this is probably a small portion of this age bracket).</div>
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If you have a similar target market and you're still not on digital, you're missing out. Cut the crap, brands. Time to invest in digital and social media marketing.</div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-90120260305769606922013-12-18T08:10:00.000-08:002013-12-18T08:11:23.755-08:00Social Media and Mobile in 2013<div style="text-align: center;">
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Here's an interesting video that summarizes what has happened with social media and mobile in the year 2013. And as I mentioned in a <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/12/google-and-startcom-mediavest-group.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, 2014 will be all about mobile especially for Filipino consumers. I do find the insight of tablets outselling laptops and desktops very interesting. </div>
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If you liked this post you might also like:<br />
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1. <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/12/grab-taxi-review.html" target="_blank">Grab Taxi Review</a><br />
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2. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-vatican-taps-social-media-to-engage.html" target="_blank">The Vatican Taps Social Media</a></div>
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3. <a href="http://harrysantos.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Get-1-Million-Views-on-HubPages" target="_blank">How to Get 1 Million Views</a></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">I've been thinking of posting short but rich in multimedia type of content. Just like this one. It fits the attention span of internet users. Nowadays, people would rather read tweets than read long blog posts. </span></div>
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harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-53349666553269625562013-12-08T20:23:00.002-08:002013-12-08T20:24:30.369-08:00Google and Startcom MediaVest Group SoLoMo ConferenceA few weeks back, I got a chance to attend the SoLoMo (Social, Local, Mobile) conference sponsored by Google and the Starcom MediaVest Group. Several of those from Google Philippines and <i>Googlers</i> from other parts of the world were there and presented some very exciting data.<br />
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Several local studies were presented on the potential of digital marketing for brands as mobile internet becomes more accessible for all. As of the moment, only 3% of mobile internet users are on some sort of data plan while the rest are still dependent on wifi -- this is expected to shift within 2014 according to their studies. One of the studies even showcased how search and social network usage in the Philippines for certain specific aspects surpass data taken from US studies. It's really very exciting stuff.</div>
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As I mentioned <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/10/on-google-hummingbird.html" target="_blank">in my post about Google Hummingbird</a>, Google is really putting effort into making sure that search queries are answered without even leaving their domain. This is very apparent in their efforts to dominate social media by integrating all their products. </div>
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Sure, you don't use Google+ now but this could be a disadvantage for you or for your brand eventually. Products like Gmail or YouTube are now being integrated with Google+ profiles. Aside from that, the white space on the right side of search results will now be filled with "knowledge cards" and data for this will ideally be taken from brand pages on Google+. It really goes to show that Zuckerberg can't be complacent with his 1 billion users milestone. </div>
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They also showcased the innovative and forward-thinking projects they are undertaking like <a href="http://www.google.com/glass/start/" target="_blank">Google Glass</a>, the <a href="http://www.google.com.ph/about/jobs/lifeatgoogle/self-driving-car-test-steve-mahan.html" target="_blank">Self-Driving Car</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/loon/" target="_blank">Project Loon</a> and many others that will surely change the way we live and interact in the near future.</div>
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The passion and energy of <i>Googlers</i> were really so contagious. The same can be said for the efforts of Starcom Mediavest Group who have partnered with this very innovative and forward-thinking company.</div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-37074663225514737082013-10-20T09:39:00.003-07:002013-10-20T09:40:23.218-07:00Is Your Brand Excited About Social Media? <div>
In the video below, Gary Vaynerchuk talks about his difficulty of justifying the merits of social media to a "conservative" company and asks, "What is the ROI of your mother?"<br />
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Social is already crazy-specific about insights and metrics as compared to traditional marketing but there are those who still remain doubtful about investing in it. Some even go as far as pointing out that it could all be a fad and that the same fate that happened to Friendster and MySpace may happen to Facebook, Twitter, etc.</center>
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But you see, <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-vatican-taps-social-media-to-engage.html" target="_blank">the Pope wants to absolve people through Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2011/10/role-of-social-media-in-international.html" target="_blank">the Dalai Lama loves hangouts on Google+</a>, Facebook has a crazy milestone of 1 billion users and rising and it's all playing a big role in every aspect of our lives. Don't even get me started in talking about the influence of social media in the Arab Spring (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/search/label/foreign%20policy" target="_blank">HarryLeaks on Foreign Policy</a>). But then these aren't things you can pitch to management or clients.</center>
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I've been reflecting on my digital marketing classes and they're making us choose among four specialist tracks: social media marketing, digital media planning, digital analytics, and eBusiness. As of the moment, as expressed by this post, I'm leaning towards the analytics one. I feel that it is the one that is carrying the most weight.</center>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-10316883519087362222013-10-13T01:58:00.003-07:002013-10-13T01:59:19.206-07:00On Google HummingbirdWhen Google announces they have a new update or change in algorithms, it means it's been rolled out and tested for millions without our knowledge for a good while now. The new change is very significant because unlike <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2011/08/google-panda-is-killing-me.html" target="_blank">Panda</a>, which is just an update on an existing algorithm, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Hummingbird" target="_blank">Hummingbird</a> is an overall switch.<br />
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Google has recognized that when people need to know about anything at all, they ask Google. Literally, at times, many would type long questions on the search engine. One significant move they did was to make sure that the answers are already found without having to leave google.com.</div>
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This is apparent when you search for definitions of words: Google provides the answer above search engine results from the web. Many times, summaries of Wikipedia pages could be found on the right panel of the search engine result page. This makes people stop browsing once they've found their answer and therefore not have to leave google.com. It's definitely a big hit for content creators. I won't be surprised if they move more towards this answering-your-questions-directly type of search.</div>
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The trend is also about mobile. Most users nowadays search using their mobile devices. It's a big advantage for Google to focus on providing answers instead of relevant search results as mobile users will find it more convenient.<br />
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The mobile trend has also changed search into a more conversational type of action when incorporating voice. The concept of typing keywords like "starbucks alabang" as opposed to using your voice and asking "Where is the nearest starbucks?" is steering search engine algorithms.</div>
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Another thing they love reiterating when they have these kinds of updates is the importance of Google Plus. We've seen +1 metrics in <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home?hl=en" target="_blank">Google Webmaster Tools</a> for a very long while now and they really don't give up as shown in my Google AdSense scorecard below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a_4kT3h_ft_cmrrEEk0dqBfavEuJMf-89XZ923kZbKzExPwQs1p0Jp4v06ZbxTuDaB-Es2OImsGoPLTNK_5qsHnWZvyRturKrlX3dImqj4f5Wk3XYxZknrV4NMPiwqIXrRvBTRJqVkE/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-10-13+at+4.34.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a_4kT3h_ft_cmrrEEk0dqBfavEuJMf-89XZ923kZbKzExPwQs1p0Jp4v06ZbxTuDaB-Es2OImsGoPLTNK_5qsHnWZvyRturKrlX3dImqj4f5Wk3XYxZknrV4NMPiwqIXrRvBTRJqVkE/s320/Screen+shot+2013-10-13+at+4.34.56+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm getting scored really low for the simple fact of not having the +1 button in some of my pages. This may seem not so relevant for now but it's definitely a strong hint of how Google+ has big role to play in the future of search and Google will never let this go.</div>
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The thing is, I got notified that I'm scheduled to be paid again through AdSense within the end of the month. I know I haven't been so conscious of it but these kinds of changes in the search engine really affect my earnings and the frequency of when I get paid. When Panda was rolled out, I got very upset as it severely affected my traffic and earnings. But now, I've learned that these are inevitable market forces and innovations that benefit users and challenge people like me to avoid spamming and provide quality and relevant content. </div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-56256836969918659012013-09-10T19:56:00.001-07:002013-09-10T19:56:10.287-07:00Social Listening DeoptimizationDuring <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/cdmp-1-reflections-on-digital-marketing.html">one of my classes</a>, Niña Terol, social media manager of Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, mentioned that they use <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/radian6-philippines.html">Radian6</a> to monitor online sentiments for her employers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRH5YOYKsFV6c5kdoJTBrTX3p-fa5hnWeD0Qd9-9AkKTYPRDMATkszAIqs0bFM5_zKAv1cx-T6df4ZaIvigKr1irK8TagX_i26E73mMIWQLJSppn2hbgWF4nnwfQx71IfP_OIUWU6bNAO/s1600/handear_istock_4FR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRH5YOYKsFV6c5kdoJTBrTX3p-fa5hnWeD0Qd9-9AkKTYPRDMATkszAIqs0bFM5_zKAv1cx-T6df4ZaIvigKr1irK8TagX_i26E73mMIWQLJSppn2hbgWF4nnwfQx71IfP_OIUWU6bNAO/s320/handear_istock_4FR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Social Listening in the Philippines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I realized that, much like with how people found a away to exploit *ahem*, I mean optimize search engine presence and relevance. The same could be done for <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/social-listening-philippines.html">social listening</a>. For example, let's make a placeholder paragraph:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Senator Bam Aquino is so annoying. He is so negative. I disagree with his policies. He shouldn't be in the next election in the Philippines.</blockquote>
As you can see above, I used several keywords that I assume they input in their social listening tools to find information about their employer: "Senator Bam Aquino"; "policies"; "election"; "Philippines".<br />
<br />
Although these are assumption keywords they search for, I'm betting they're pretty close. At the same time I added the following to fool Radian6 and denote negative sentiment by using keywords such as "annoying"; "negative"; "disagree".<br />
<br />
Like I said, much like with search engine optimization, the same are potentialities in the industries of social listening: there will be white hat and there will be black hat.<br />
<br />
Brands can hire content farmers to farm false negative sentiments to throw off competition. They could also falsify positive sentiments to drive the marketing and sales of their competitors elsewhere. I believe this will be a trend and new industries will be emerging or at least new branches will grow from the current SEO industries.<br />
<br />
While social listening is at a very young age, I believe it to be very vulnerable to spam and black hat attacks. Once these industries emerge, the social listening industry's credibility as a marketing tool will be put in question.<br />
<br />
Just my random two cents.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-57808145198320119142013-08-21T19:47:00.003-07:002013-08-21T19:49:06.531-07:00The Newsroom Season 2 and Social Media – Why Producers are Listening and How You’re Contributing to Your Favorite TV Shows<div class="MsoNormal">
I only started with The Newsroom Season 2 very recently. As
much as I love how the storyline is developing, the first thing I noticed is
that they changed the opening theme.</div>
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Back when I started watching the first reason, I remember
writing a review (see <a href="http://harrysantos.hubpages.com/hub/The-Newsroom-2012-HBO-TV-Series-Review" target="_blank">The Newsroom TV Show Review</a>) where I said:</div>
<blockquote>
"I’m not sure if I like the overly dramatic and old school style OBB or introduction video and soundtrack. In my opinion, it could have been more edgy and modern. I am guessing it is some sort of homage to old school newsroom themed drama."</blockquote>
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Is it possible that the production team of The Newsroom is
listening? And no, I am not thinking that they saw my post specifically
(although it’s philosophically possible that the world revolves around my life,
at least from my own perception). These people and their marketing team are
definitely using social listening tools to monitor for feedback and sentiment
of their audience. <br />
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It’s amazing how social media is transforming traditional
media. I remember back when I used to watch Lost, I saw a lot of fan-made storyline and
theories that are way better in many online forums and fan websites than what
happened in the actual show. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/social-listening-philippines.html" target="_blank">Social listening</a> is not just useful for brands but
also for TV show writers and producers. </div>
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Now, feedback can be real-time. And it’s not just limited to
monitoring Facebook pages or Twitter hashtags as most traditional marketers see
new media: tools like <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/radian6-philippines.html" target="_blank">Radian6</a> can go beyond those and remove clutter from
forums, YouTube comments, blogs, and anything that is social. Remember that
social media is not limited to Facebook and Twitter alone. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXQdzUuDNAnx9MZmBMMC8DP-XLhpQ7FlqO_bKOAeo_FqjE0rJkzX-8iJfmVu-ohKzjai1g0nwEDnsK4KXmPV7DU4tty-XzcJEvRyRCZJf-_eS_mNXzBSByWQQDlqWIiFv1Md5q8eV9pQ/s1600/slide_302988_2569339_free11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXQdzUuDNAnx9MZmBMMC8DP-XLhpQ7FlqO_bKOAeo_FqjE0rJkzX-8iJfmVu-ohKzjai1g0nwEDnsK4KXmPV7DU4tty-XzcJEvRyRCZJf-_eS_mNXzBSByWQQDlqWIiFv1Md5q8eV9pQ/s320/slide_302988_2569339_free11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For big cable channels like HBO, the stage is definitely
global and traditional marketing techniques like getting a sample group and
conducting a focus group discussion just won’t cut it anymore. </div>
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And Radian6 is the only tool I am aware of since that was
the example we were exposed to during one of the courses I took for the
<a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/cdmp-1-reflections-on-digital-marketing.html" target="_blank">Ateneo-CDMP</a>. My colleague in Globe was telling me how there are other variants
and tools used for both listening and engagement.</div>
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Brands are now more reactive than ever and every time you
express your sentiments about a brand you are somehow contributing in its
transformation.</div>
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It’s a bit of a hipster thing to say but it might be a bit
harsh on art in itself as this kind of model makes the writer reactive to its
audience instead of writing for writing’s sake. It could make the art dependent
the on sentiment of others and not of the artist’s. From a marketing
perspective, this is great, but tyranny of the majority or an internet mobrule
of sorts may lead a show into its own demise. The same was expressed in one of
the episodes of The Newsroom in season 1 (see my post on <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2012/07/does-content-drive-traffic-or-is-it.html" target="_blank">the debate of ratings drivingn content vs content driving ratings</a>).</div>
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But I am more hopeful than cynical. I think it’s a good idea
to be able to make the audience unconsciously pitch ideas to producers and
somehow collectively crowd-sourcing a healthy percentage of the show’s content. <br />
<br />
And what more as television in general continues to become more and more digital? The future is exciting. Anyway, I've been late and I need to catch up so I'm off to watch some more. </div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-17773096041959391012013-07-28T10:52:00.001-07:002013-07-28T11:22:43.463-07:00Search Engine Presence vs Social Media Influence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A quick search on Google for keywords "Radian6 Philippines" ranks my recent <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/radian6-philippines.html" target="_blank">Radian6 Philippines</a> article on the 3rd spot on the front page. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp5N0H62RlLb1s7DbokyTyRltxcvBGcpRBWkQBs-4ZZvk8S5vIwKvQ-vltpPk9wmmk7AsmEMhH44-JbeW1VAvT_dARtO87rB3umnaW5h222IPKkFD0A4_YAYAbcY-wLAUWjr2nbi101s/s1600/radian6+philippines.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp5N0H62RlLb1s7DbokyTyRltxcvBGcpRBWkQBs-4ZZvk8S5vIwKvQ-vltpPk9wmmk7AsmEMhH44-JbeW1VAvT_dARtO87rB3umnaW5h222IPKkFD0A4_YAYAbcY-wLAUWjr2nbi101s/s400/radian6+philippines.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Knowing that the concept of social listening and tools like Radian6 is still fairly new, especially in the local digital marketing industry, I knew there would be very little competition with online content and it would be easy to rank. Now, researchers, potential employers, students, and even companies will find this blog (regardless of its average social klout).</div>
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Just above me is Robin Leonard, CEO of AllFamous Digital who actually introduced me to the concept of social listening and Radian6 during one of our classes for the <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/cdmp-1-reflections-on-digital-marketing.html" target="_blank">Ateneo-CDMP</a> course I am taking.</div>
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The top ranking one is this guy working for Kinship Digital, a company that actually replied to one of my tweets proposing that I should work for them or something:</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/harryinitiative">@harryinitiative</a> perhaps you could work for us one day ^mg</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
— KINSHIP digital (@KINSHIPd) <a href="https://twitter.com/KINSHIPd/statuses/347982601014874112">June 21, 2013</a></div>
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They're probably just joking and sending their typical spiels as part of their engagement and promotion. </div>
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For the more general subject of social listening, I organically rank first for the keywords "Social Listening Philippines" and I've actually been getting decent traffic from this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiVSw3C0-K78YoLGipxquFqc4gwhpK9I7F6zwaUPItuoIJQYzsN9ZjuOJjSRB3r-A4XltPc7r7HE2wugxF_Av5OiLe6BwgP9lrTyBLqgsM3usvPT-87RWjqnEjbzmLAJNvmeE1e47ZmU/s1600/social+listening+philippines.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiVSw3C0-K78YoLGipxquFqc4gwhpK9I7F6zwaUPItuoIJQYzsN9ZjuOJjSRB3r-A4XltPc7r7HE2wugxF_Av5OiLe6BwgP9lrTyBLqgsM3usvPT-87RWjqnEjbzmLAJNvmeE1e47ZmU/s400/social+listening+philippines.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's all somehow inspired by the recent piece I made on <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/this-guy-got-hired-by-utilizing-search.html" target="_blank">This Guy Who Got Hired for Utilizing the Search Engine</a>.</div>
<br />
It wasn't really that hard. It was basic SEO. Write on keywords that have very little competition and in this case, the relevance of social listening seems not yet as trending for digital marketing practitioners or for brands (something I assume as there's very little competition content-wise).<br />
<br />
Social media marketing, on the other hand, is more about klout and influence. In a way, a popularity contest of sorts on who has more reach, followers, likes, that then generate traffic and potentially make your content viral.<br />
<br />
Search wins, in my opinion. It is somewhat impressive yet so simple. And there's more to come soon.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-29345729118256714622013-07-27T21:29:00.002-07:002013-07-27T21:34:10.405-07:00This Guy Got Hired By Utilizing the Search Engine<b>Here's one creative way to get noticed by employers:</b><br />
<br />
The video below shows how Alec Brownstein used the search engine to grab the attention of New York's top creative directors by anticipating that they will google themselves.<br />
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People love to google themselves and even top employers are not exempted from this guilty pleasure of seeing one's natural online presence in the search engine. Brownstein bought AdWords placements in Google using the names of the top creative directors for the keywords and placed this on the ad: "Hey, [creative director's name]: Gooogling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too."<br />
<br />
It's simple. It's creative. It goes around the whole bureaucratic HR process. And it only cost the guy 6 dollars to place all the ads. <br />
<br />
During one of my classes for the <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/cdmp-1-reflections-on-digital-marketing.html" target="_blank">Ateneo-CDMP</a>, some of my professors mentioned that they subscribed to Google Alerts not just for their own brands or start-ups but also for their names. This means talking about potential employers or mentioning them in your social media pages can get their attention.<br />
<br />
The same goes for big brands. I did mention in a previous post that big brands now have social listening tools like <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/radian6-philippines.html" target="_blank">Radian 6</a> that can scan the internet. Mention a valid concern or complaint and they probably have people who will engage you and the same goes for positive sentiments most especially if your klout or social media influence is high.<br />
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The same goes for people who want to get hired: employers are most likely going to Google you when you apply or before an interview (see this interesting piece on Mashable: <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/03/09/you-will-be-googled/" target="_blank">You Will be Googled</a>).<br />
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The future is all digital. We must align our career strategies accordingly. harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-70496484944591087702013-07-17T10:14:00.003-07:002013-07-20T19:07:03.973-07:00Radian6 Philippines<div style="text-align: left;">
Radian6 is the leading industry-standard tool in social listening. What is it? What can it do for your brand? Digital marketing is all about keeping your ears on the ground and listening. The technological trends and breakthroughs in social listening has made it possible for brands to get real-time feedback from consumers and can enhance so many aspects of how they do business: R&D, real-life marketing, traditional advertising, customer service, competition analysis, etc.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8i6Exg3Urg0" width="500"></iframe></div>
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Salesforce video on what Radian6 is</div>
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So what is it? How come not many people are talking about it? Not even a lot of people who are well-versed in traditional marketing know what it is. Many brands are already using it here in the Philippines and, in fact, even politicians have already used it. Something I discussed in my article about <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/06/social-listening-philippines.html" target="_blank">Social Listening in the Philippines</a>.</div>
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I've talked about how Nescafe has already used it in the link above. It's actually the best example on how marketing has been transformed from a lot of talking to a lot of listening. They used to market their canned coffee as "coffee in a can" and after using social listening tools figured out that more of their consumers called it iced coffee (I don't know if this is real-time data cause I personally call it 'canned coffee'). The lesson you can take from this is that listening to what social is saying can drastically affect your marketing and advertising plan as a whole. It is real-time before and after sales feedback from those loyal to your brand, those who are loyal to your competitor's brand, and those who don't know about your brand yet.</div>
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The tool we use at work, Lithium Social Web, also harnesses its power. For someone like me, I get overloaded on data when I think about the possibilities of what you can do with Radian6. In our case, we use it for customer service, which is also very obvious as you can engage social media influencers. Because it can categorize and filter based on positive and negative sentiment, you can see who are naturally being your brand ambassadors and those who are experiencing basic or even bad service with your brand. </div>
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Basically, it's a very advanced, specific, and customizable search engine for all social media. And this is not limited to Facebook or Twitter. I'm talking about what we once called "Web 2.0" as whole. It is all interactive and social content online. Forums, Blogs, video hosting sites, etc. And since it's highly customizable, you can use it in a variety of ways to improve your brand and see where the market is dictating your brand should go. </div>
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A lot of brands here in the Philippines are already investing in social listening. It's not even accurate to say that we are behind when it comes to social media as Filipinos are very fond of social media. Even politicians are starting to realize how they can exploit this technology to their advantage. Most of those running for the Philippine senate are used Radian6 in their campaign.</div>
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Smartphones and access to internet is getting cheaper and a lot more are getting access. I very excited on how this will shape the market and how companies will utilize this tool. Inevitably, these kinds of social listening tools will have to lower their prices and more will have access to them. This is always the trend in technology when it is allowed to flourish freely. As I have mentioned in my previous post about <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-vatican-taps-social-media-to-engage.html" target="_blank">The Vatican Tapping Social Media</a>, it is all becoming so democratized and people are becoming empowered.</div>
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Eventually, this will all have to be free or be very affordable or the ones that are free and affordable now will innovate and be as competitive as the expensive ones. We are currently in a very interactive and social phase in this technological revolution that is the internet and Radian6 is definitely something that will be very notable in future history books when they look back at what changed the game. </div>
harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-32314432663732077432013-07-17T05:46:00.003-07:002013-07-17T05:50:06.258-07:00The Vatican Taps Social Media to Engage FollowersInteresting news over at Mashable today, the Vatican decides they will tap social media to engage their members or followers (see <a href="http://on.mash.to/1bGzX6X">http://on.mash.to/1bGzX6X</a>). The details are very vague but the idea is it will be used for their sacrament of reconciliation (confession) but I'm sure it will also be useful for inquiries and other concerns. The biggest challenge, of course, would be having billions of members that speak hundreds of different languages. I really can't imagine how they'd manage that.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAozGF-EWTw06FS0dpLERJDKOQ6DYA7qr8qHleRpIXT9ibhi0Gc4dwXHQeAp6wrl5d7lik4YV9xJREdK8r5pO5eG_49I8LT_6kzjsk4zZRHsEYo-rwK7oBTvCLi7dxXPELG5BCyowiP_o/s1600/FIG-1-MARINONI-S-ROTARY-PRINTING-PRESS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAozGF-EWTw06FS0dpLERJDKOQ6DYA7qr8qHleRpIXT9ibhi0Gc4dwXHQeAp6wrl5d7lik4YV9xJREdK8r5pO5eG_49I8LT_6kzjsk4zZRHsEYo-rwK7oBTvCLi7dxXPELG5BCyowiP_o/s320/FIG-1-MARINONI-S-ROTARY-PRINTING-PRESS.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How did the printing press change the world? </td></tr>
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I've long talked about the importance of tapping social media in my libertarian blog most especially for the government (see also Why <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/05/public-service-through-social-media-why.html" target="_blank">Governments Should Emulate Globe Telecom's Social Media Initiatives</a>) not only being inspired by the work I do now but also because of how it can drastically enhance our democracy and limit government.<br />
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It has always been all about paradigm shifts in how people communicate or disseminate information. Let's take time to remember how the introduction of the printing press to the greater market changed the world. As more people got access to it, people got freer and more prosperous. In nations where this technological breakthrough was suppressed, oppression and suffering increased. This is because democratizing access to communication will always allow freedom and prosperity to flourish.<br />
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Just look at how social media helped topple tyrannies in Libya or Egypt and continues to support revolutions in different parts of the world. There was a time when people had to hide parcels of literature or record over casette tapes and pass them on manually just to spread information (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2012/11/history-dictators-and-blowback.html" target="_blank">History, Dictators, and Blowback</a>). Now, with a click of a button, you can share your ideas to almost the whole world. And this is something we should always fight to enhance and never restrict.<br />
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You know, don't ever let people like Nancy Binay who want to regulate social media succeed. This is nothing but a precedent to further regulation and restriction of the internet and a framework for a big, secretive, Orwellian government (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/07/snowdens-leaks-and-support-for-ron-paul.html" target="_blank">Snowden's Leaks and Support for Ron Paul</a>).<br />
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I'm not even such a big religious type of person but I find this news as a step in the right direction as the same principle applies for any group, institution, or nation: it is always beneficial to utilize and democratize any means of communication.<br />
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How about you? What are your thoughts? :)harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-88855200399395559172013-06-25T20:08:00.001-07:002013-06-25T21:06:53.358-07:00Social Listening PhilippinesDuring one of our classes on social media, we got to discuss social listening and how it is being used by brands here in the Philippines. Robin Leonard, CEO of <a href="http://allfamous.com/" target="_blank">ALLFamous Digital</a> talked about <b>Radian 6</b> — on of the most powerful social listening tools out there (and most expensive too!).<br />
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Social media has given marketing a realtime two-way communication model. As mentioned by one of my senior community managers at work, marketing is no longer all about talking but more importantly about listening and how we react to what we hear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbQ7v2K_hPe-UoQa8Xk49YH5QxPc6ek5i1YWYul53qSu811vNA-IxlKSil051v1SoO-EVY5-lO08Fj1nHU1rsqyf8ry4IM3uW8ElrGChOtoL7AE3Qze6yIRw37GqphXLisVnOUnFPpis/s1600/20130619_125145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbQ7v2K_hPe-UoQa8Xk49YH5QxPc6ek5i1YWYul53qSu811vNA-IxlKSil051v1SoO-EVY5-lO08Fj1nHU1rsqyf8ry4IM3uW8ElrGChOtoL7AE3Qze6yIRw37GqphXLisVnOUnFPpis/s320/20130619_125145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Leonard did mention that Globe telecom is one of the local brands harnessing the power of Radian 6 and I have been overhearing about it at work and seeing it in Lithium Social Web, the tool we use to engage in Twitter (see also <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2013/05/public-service-through-social-media-why.html" target="_blank">Why Governments Should Emulate Globe Telecom's Social Media Initiatives</a>).<br />
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In one of the examples, he also talked about Nescafe's canned coffee. In the beginning, they marketed it as <i>coffee in a can</i> but they noticed in their social listening tools that this is not what consumers are calling it as more people called it <i>iced coffee</i>. Being able to listen to your consumers in realtime will give you unbelievable insight that will help your marketing in both on and offline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkLhh38s0gujim4uhjw203kQiID_HbwNbp7PloJstdJaPnVV_emBIzBktcJTEeL4KHEPFFqcOkj00rsS77dj-6j-IN6VZgBAvtQFZbomGbtKSv8NJPmR4-CdMk9wYaO3OqAa_TMAkSx4/s1600/IMG_20130619_153212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkLhh38s0gujim4uhjw203kQiID_HbwNbp7PloJstdJaPnVV_emBIzBktcJTEeL4KHEPFFqcOkj00rsS77dj-6j-IN6VZgBAvtQFZbomGbtKSv8NJPmR4-CdMk9wYaO3OqAa_TMAkSx4/s320/IMG_20130619_153212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We even tried out Radian 6 and searched for keywords relating to Cebu Pacific, a local airline that has been in the news recently for a landing mishap. We immediately saw the negative sentiment spike during the time of the accident. We also noticed some social media influencers like celebrities talking about it. Some are even defending Cebu Pac and this goes to show that if you have a brand, you'll be able to engage and monitor those who are naturally emerging as brand ambassadors without even paying them. At the same time, you can engage those who have negative sentiments toward your brand (something I am all too familiar with haha).<br />
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Aside from this, <a href="https://twitter.com/ninaterol" target="_blank">Niña Terol-Zialcita</a>, social media specialist of senator Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, discussed how politicians also have been using social media listening to monitor what's being said about their candidates. Although social media is still somewhat a nuisance in the Philippine political climate, it is definitely gaining traction as internet and smartphones become cheaper and more accesible.<br />
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Just yesterday, I read this really thought-provoking article <a href="http://www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com/blog/2013/06/trends-in-social-listening-analytics/" target="_blank">5 Trends in Social Listening Analytics</a> that provided concrete examples of what brands can do with social listening. I am really amazed at how social listening is turning marketing into a more organic and relationship-centric field. And as time goes by, in such a competitive and innovative industry, social listening tools will have no choice but to push prices down and give access to ordinary people like me who doesn't have thousands of dollars to spend on Radian 6. The future is very exciting.harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-34216856057015268222013-06-23T20:00:00.001-07:002013-06-23T20:07:13.322-07:00CDMP 1: Reflections on the Digital Marketing PlanI am currently taking the <a href="http://www.imadigitalmarketer.com/" target="_blank">Certified Digital Marketing Program</a>. The first course of my class has been completed. I'm planning to take notes and collate my reflections about the things I learned here on this blog as I go through my classes. I have to make this first post quick since I'm at work and I'm switching from tab to tab just to complete this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoC-cG-qHrh0MW05U2HAhEnwHIunEB-N3j-3BKJnaxInyPHdCeTIPu8R1Ga9lDFkYFQiMUzjwdb3eqNuFOe4R788GG3EoyWYm-viPbT_LYluOIfXQ0paUhpDXw382u4XGXiy23aJI7RoA/s1600/20130530_134656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoC-cG-qHrh0MW05U2HAhEnwHIunEB-N3j-3BKJnaxInyPHdCeTIPu8R1Ga9lDFkYFQiMUzjwdb3eqNuFOe4R788GG3EoyWYm-viPbT_LYluOIfXQ0paUhpDXw382u4XGXiy23aJI7RoA/s320/20130530_134656.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of our classroom in Asian Institute of Management</td></tr>
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The first class gave me an idea on the exact framework or structure I will need to make a digital marketing plan. After recently reaching the milestone of <a href="http://harrysantos.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Get-1-Million-Views-on-HubPages" target="_blank">1 million views on HubPages</a>, the class gave me ideas on how to improve this even more by creating an action plan that is measurable and time-bound.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGSOaQUHrBdHfE1Kqd0GhPKnSJXAAkmR_WDzIYjg-ZUGp6ZdbQi9AB30TATbhaG4Qad3q_Corx1Rh-tO9m6aE_qYEVBPWy9BTiISCfbRFrPx_Ch_ky3n1BscEfneom_eTMPdhH6-TF_c/s1600/C360_2013-05-30-14-46-35-578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGSOaQUHrBdHfE1Kqd0GhPKnSJXAAkmR_WDzIYjg-ZUGp6ZdbQi9AB30TATbhaG4Qad3q_Corx1Rh-tO9m6aE_qYEVBPWy9BTiISCfbRFrPx_Ch_ky3n1BscEfneom_eTMPdhH6-TF_c/s320/C360_2013-05-30-14-46-35-578.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cartoonized photo of Rezza Custodio-Soriano of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Planu?fref=ts" target="_blank">Planu</a> giving us her insights</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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My KPIs will be simple, really, as insights and analytics are already provided to me. Having objectives of increasing traffic, increasing earnings, increasing rankings, will be very measurable because of the tools provided to my by Google and other apps and blogging services. Actions I will take to achieve my goals will be calculated and specific. I will be expounding more about this plan here on this blog so watch out for that.<br />
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The nature of my current work is really teaching me the importance of discipline and routine. As much as it is repetitive and takes up so much of my time (even my weekends @_@), it is teaching me to have so much patience. And I feel that content generation will be so easy for me and I will really be able to schedule it and set aside time for it as I've learned to set aside 8 hours a day for a routine.<br />
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The current class we're taking is on social media. Luckily, I already have a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beating-the-Search-Engine/202111956467402?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> created for this blog. I'm learning a lot abot what kinds of content I need to post there and how I can use paid ads and paid promotions to increase my reach thus increasing my traffic as well. This is saved for another blog post as the class isn't completed yet (I haven't even started working on my homework).<br />
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It is great that I'll be able to apply and practice the things I learn. I'm really learning so much in my classes and I'm meeting a lot of awesome people. Plus, there's free food during our classes.<br />
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If you liked this post, you might also like:<br />
1. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2011/04/why-is-internet-slow-in-philippines.html" target="_blank">Why is the internet slow in the Philippines?</a><br />
2. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2012/01/unschooled-life-of-astra-taylor.html" target="_blank">The Unschooled Life of Astra Taylor</a><br />
3. <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2011/08/using-yahoo-site-explorer-and-google.html" target="_blank">Google Webmaster Tools</a>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-54221031620577030622012-07-26T18:29:00.001-07:002012-07-26T19:51:44.570-07:00Technology Speculation: Tablets in Cars<div style="text-align: justify;">
Okay so we've seen DVD players, iPhone cables, GPS navigation systems, and other super awesome technology integrated with cars. I think they can all be combined in just one gadget and that would be by installing a tablet PC into your car. </div>
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DISCLAIMER: I'm not sure if this has been done before. I'm lazy to Google. Plus, I'm sure it's so easy to DIY this shit. So please no smart ass comments about how this already exists. <u>I'm thinking mainstream consumer market</u>. Here's a crappy rendition of what I want:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fZexBq5q93o1gdze1Qs1nzByrjHtQ4nN0rXAaIpzDtOgjn2LPkR0E7bszMgXI7a1Btg5gBfc-6QnqTk2XJ3PUJCyBYcQiADHVbdh61Ogtgh227qiXIkJiiVneuIkyXd8ALGqdQv5jdM/s1600/city.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fZexBq5q93o1gdze1Qs1nzByrjHtQ4nN0rXAaIpzDtOgjn2LPkR0E7bszMgXI7a1Btg5gBfc-6QnqTk2XJ3PUJCyBYcQiADHVbdh61Ogtgh227qiXIkJiiVneuIkyXd8ALGqdQv5jdM/s400/city.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Galaxy Tab installed in the interior of a Honda City</div>
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This idea came to me while road tripping with some friends in Batangas. At one point, I wish we could just stream music or videos. We even successfully used the GPS in my phone to help us get back home and if a tablet was installed in the car there would be no need for my phone or to buy an expensive GPS navigation gadget of some sort.</div>
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I'm thinking it can have a sim card of some sort and will have unlimited 3G or HSDPA access. I know this sounds expensive as a monthly plan but then competing car dealerships can use this as a marketing technique and maybe offer one year free unlimited data or something. We pay a lot to buy our cars anyway and adding a premium for unlimited data would be so useful. You can even make phone calls through your speakers. Maybe even add that "Siri" element and have an assistant of some sort to help you with directions or remind you if your tire air pressure is low or something.</div>
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Many car companies have already partnered with companies like Apple, integrating their products. I really think that in the very near future, cars will have this kind of technology in a mainstream consumer market (cos again, I'm sure someone already has this or has thought of this).</div>
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How I wish this was true. Long drives and traffic will be more fun and entertaining for passengers. Road safety apps can be developed. The possibilities are endless. And it's just as simple as installing something like a Galaxy Tab in your car.</div>
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Anyway, I'll post the video of our trip to Batangas real soon. I'm gonna have to find that stupid firewire 800 cable so I can transfer the video. It's annoying that's it's always only missing when I need it.</div>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-58159662863545917392012-07-06T17:10:00.002-07:002012-07-06T17:10:20.513-07:00Does content drive traffic or is it the other way around?<div style="text-align: justify;">
After watching episode 2 of <a href="http://harrysantos.hubpages.com/hub/The-Newsroom-2012-HBO-TV-Series-Review" target="_blank">The Newsroom</a> (a new show from HBO that I'm watching now), I got some ideas about content driving ratings or ratings driving content. </div>
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As the world becomes more and more aware of and interested in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), is there a decline in quality of internet content as a whole? Is it still content that drives traffic or does traffic drive content?</div>
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What happens is people write about what is most searched for. People focus too much on keywords and less on content. Content farms from all over the world have armies of bloggers that fill the internet with all these traffic-driven content. Many times they don't even really care about quality anymore. What matters is that your get to rank in the search engines. It's really quite decadent when you think about it.</div>
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But there is importance in studying how search engines work and making sure that content is optimized especially when there is important and credible information that needs to be disseminated to those who demand for it. Also, there's responsibility on the consumer side, like with anything, to always be skeptical of the credibility of internet content.</div>
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<br />Imagine those people, for example, who are searching for information on dosage or dangerous interactions of their medicine online. Are they really getting quality content? Or is it one of those content farms generating content for medical keywords?</div>
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We are hopeful that in the long run, quality content will persevere. Those who focus too much on ranking and traffic will lose the confidence of their readers and patronage will eventually go to those who write quality and credible content.</div>
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Lately, I've actually been focusing less on rankings and keywords and just writing about things I love to write about. My traffic and earnings are decent anyway. Many times I just write reviews of movies or TV shows I watch (like the one on The Newsroom above) or I'll write about politics and libertarianism over at <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">HarryLeaks</a>. Those are things I love to write about regardless of keywords or rankings or even traffic.</div>
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I got to try the McDonald's "Big N' Tasty" earlier. I actually like it, sort of. I mean, I'm sick of McDonald's and I find their selection boring but I actually liked the Big N' Tasty.</div>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/harryinitiative" target="_blank">@harryinitiative</a></div>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-91061800065625005972012-06-26T19:16:00.003-07:002012-06-26T19:16:43.328-07:00Google Made a Brain!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I have written about IBM's robot Watson, the one that can play Jeopardy, before (see <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2011/03/on-googles-algorithms-and-ibms-watson.html" target="_blank">Google's Algorithm and IBM's Watson</a>) and figured how researches like that can have a drastic effect on search engines. At the time, I was quite skeptic, and even mentioned John Searle's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_room" target="_blank">Chinese Room argument</a> and how a programmed robot can't really "know" or be "discerning" per se, differentiating syntax from semantics.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fPMBCoCk1nYoqn8wARW9tseGC0bL-C8EvmHb-RoZ2eDGsSGtougcgf77a33WDVngcfXSawiKM0GkG2NTXGfyng9q7LI2ytAJ9hZqjrKbNABi553eVCSGKTZD4RKKWuDMFGEmpkcs90Y/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-27+at+9.50.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fPMBCoCk1nYoqn8wARW9tseGC0bL-C8EvmHb-RoZ2eDGsSGtougcgf77a33WDVngcfXSawiKM0GkG2NTXGfyng9q7LI2ytAJ9hZqjrKbNABi553eVCSGKTZD4RKKWuDMFGEmpkcs90Y/s320/Screen+shot+2012-06-27+at+9.50.35+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/06/26/google-simulates-human-brain/">http://mashable.com/2012/06/26/google-simulates-human-brain/</a></div>
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It's interesting how last night, while waiting for a friend outside my house, I was able to read the article above on Mashable about Google using a 16,000-processor powered neural network to simulate a brain and recently was able to make it successfully look for videos of cats in YouTube.</div>
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Even when I read before about Google supposedly knowing what constitutes funniness, I was still quite skeptic (see <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2012/02/its-not-funny-google-philosophical.html" target="_blank">It's Not Funny, Google</a>).</div>
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Yesterday though, I somewhat of a change of tone when I mentioned that Google or the internet as a whole may eventually become quasi-sentient (see <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2012/06/ipv6-on-running-out-of-internet-ip.html" target="_blank">IPV6</a>). Generally, it could actually be just as good or even better than the brain. It's not exactly sentience in the human sense but it could be simulating very similar qualities or functions. And, if simulated the right way, it could technically be worthy of being called sentient.</div>
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I love what Google is doing with their money. I guess one day they just decided to make a brain and then another day they decided to make it search for cat videos on YouTube. Classic.</div>
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See also, <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2011/03/eric-nakagawa-and-kari-unebasami.html" target="_blank">Founders of icanhascheeseburger.com</a></div>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7091725298525469179.post-40469330113916795282012-06-26T11:54:00.003-07:002012-06-26T11:54:54.798-07:00Difference Between Google and Google Mobile — and Why I'm Gonna Hate Mobile Forever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I was talking to a potential employer a while ago and bragged about how I'm ranking for the keywords "Shakey's Delivery". And that's just the short keywords. For the keywords "Shakey's Delivery Philippines," I'm on number two. That's not considering other keywords like Shakey's delivery number, Shakey's delivery menu, etc. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgqaVxD0Kxa4tbKMsDQxjpYIZzjVXRufCRgnNxqb0CrMrqbbAlzqU4DPPIVI-FsCIqf4ubjtxfDXE-wxxP03lM3ksAWKPL_J_nrq3RduB296rQ4Gdgq7jpGHd5rF25QDXoFPMQb_B-UM/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-27+at+2.12.22+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgqaVxD0Kxa4tbKMsDQxjpYIZzjVXRufCRgnNxqb0CrMrqbbAlzqU4DPPIVI-FsCIqf4ubjtxfDXE-wxxP03lM3ksAWKPL_J_nrq3RduB296rQ4Gdgq7jpGHd5rF25QDXoFPMQb_B-UM/s320/Screen+shot+2012-06-27+at+2.12.22+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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My rankings for <a href="http://harrysantos.hubpages.com/hub/Shakeys-Delivery-Philippines-Menu-Number-and-Minimum-Charge" target="_blank">Shakey's Delivery</a></div>
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Technically, as you can see, I am on number 5 right now on the front page of Google for the keywords "Shakey's Delivery" but that's not considering the keywords "Shakey's Delivery Philippines" where I'm number two. You have to consider that customers will choose to use these keywords because Shakey's is not a restaurant that can be found only here in the Philippines.</div>
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And if you look closely, you'll see that all other four links above my link are from the main Shakey's domain anyway. So that basically means that I'm second only to the main website of Shakey's itself. That's not something to be proud of because I've seen many sites like Munch Punch or Click the City go beyond the actual websites of the establishments, even just personal blogs. But...</div>
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And this is already all an effect of all the Google Panda algorithm updates they've been having. AND the fact that most restaurants and establishments are now considering SEO factors in their websites. It used to be that most of the official websites are on Flash and we all know that search engines can't really read flash (search engines can't really read <i>per se</i> as I've tackled several times in this blog). When I started with this whole making money through blogging stuff, I was second with Shakey's! This used to be one of my most lucrative links.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIDeoDnhGNuw5_hn0N4IS8-aRDeCqIKd4v2yUAZu4X5B6jHN7ThyphenhyphenNGcDu5KVHwGLJgWcuqXeV71sxtAW4WeZVllS3WfEDoAuVZzkXuBQmnDECKajiusiOSgqCzDULJDaiEefeV_ERZHE/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-27+at+2.27.24+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIDeoDnhGNuw5_hn0N4IS8-aRDeCqIKd4v2yUAZu4X5B6jHN7ThyphenhyphenNGcDu5KVHwGLJgWcuqXeV71sxtAW4WeZVllS3WfEDoAuVZzkXuBQmnDECKajiusiOSgqCzDULJDaiEefeV_ERZHE/s640/Screen+shot+2012-06-27+at+2.27.24+AM.png" width="520" /></a></div>
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Historically, as you can see on the image above, the screenshot shows that I've gotten 88,324 hits from that one article with only 412 words. And as seen on the comments, you'll see that people are commenting about their complaints about their Shakey's delivery experiences on my post. In the SEO industry, we get numbed by the numbers but, in reality, that's a lot of hits from just one link I didn't even put effort into making.</div>
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It does further justify my point in my previous point about focusing on local keywords (see <a href="http://beatingthesearchengine.blogspot.com/2012/06/top-seo-tips-2012-how-focusing-on-local.html" target="_blank">Top SEO Tips 2012</a>). I am an SEO speculator, not a technician or expert as I've said in that post and here's my speculation about this issue:</div>
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My theory is that Google tests their algorithm updates on mobile because, no matter what, most of their search queries still come from non-mobile. The algorithm then is totally different between Google and the mobile Google app that can be found in most tablets and smartphones.</div>
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<br />Even in YouTube, I tried searching for a song "Make You Smile" by Plus 44 before, and it didn't show up on my mobile Youtube app even when you search for it on your laptop or desktop's browser, it will readily show up. This shows how they totally have a different algorithm in that area (YouTube is owned by Google so it's probably a similar policy). They're also most likely testing out intellectual property rights (IPR) policies with music or movies in YouTube (see my blogs post about <a href="http://harryleaks.blogspot.com/2012/03/youtube-and-ipr-intellectual-property.html" target="_blank">YouTube and Intellectual Property Rights</a>).</div>
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All that being said, with more and more people starting to use tablets and mobile as compared to laptops or desktops, we all need to make sure that our posts are optimized for both. <span style="background-color: white;">For someone like me who ranks for many posts I've written, I don't really get to check or update each one by one especially on mobile! This is a grave mistake and I have learned my lesson.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Also, as I've mentioned before, these other sites I'm going up against are hiring SEO agencies, equipping themselves with armies of bloggers all building backlinks and whatnot. And here I am just some random guy who wrote 412 words for the keywords "Shakey's Delivery".</span></div>
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Hmm, I'll read more about the differences of mobile and non-mobile optimization tomorrow. For now, I sleep. I'm too drunk to process all this information right now. Hehehe cheers!</div>harry santoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07911259465769128683noreply@blogger.com0