Android

Twitter Lists and the power they can lend to you

2009-11-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

So you have a blog or a web site or are just attempting to find new marketing avenues.

You have looked at Twitter but don't (there are some people out there that still don't get the potential for this platform) understand how this can be an effective tool in you arsenal.

maybe it's time that you take another look.

Twitter has added a new gadget. Twitter lists.

The Twitter list is simple in design and functionality. It is a direct marketing application that can help you get your message out and across the planet, (yes planet) in an instant.

Think back to the plane that landed in the Hudson river. The picture taken of the plane was international in less than 5 minutes all because someone posted it on Twitter. News outlets were using the picture. People in Tokyo had seen the picture before a news anchor had seen it in New york. That's pure power marketing potential, and that was on basic Twitter with out an add on gadget.

Twitter Lists are changing the game.

The trick is not to really have a list. The trick is to get included on a list.

If you can get onto lists your tweets will appear on sites and blogs, which are more than likely going to be related to the niche you are in.

Lists are time-lines you build yourself, consisting of friends, family, co-workers, sports teams, political affiliations, news outlets, you name it.

You need to build the right audience on Twitter and post often.

Make your posts clear and direct. make sure that you have useful information that will have people want to follow you. People that use twitter for straight marketing without introducing a human side to there tweets will fail in there marketing attempts.

Verizon's DROID has stormed a planet near you!

2009-11-06T19:23:00.000-05:00

The Droid is no longer pending and siting off in the future. The DROID is here and live now!

Verizon stores are running on over drive attempting to keep up with the demand for the new Motorola DROID phone which is given life by the ANDROID 2.0 operating system.

the Droid is capable of fully multitasking and the phone features more power than it's Apple enemy and probably has the exec's at Apple looking for a fox hole to dive into.

So what does the DROID have?

the DROID is 4-1/2 x 2-1/4 inches and weighs just shy of 6 ounces. It features a large 3.7-inch, high res 854 x 480 pixel touchscreen display that is supposedly highly responsive and highly accurate. I sports a 5 megapixel camera which can capture DVD quality video and a full slide out Qwerty keyboard.

The DROID utilizes an Arm Cortex 550mHz A8 processor with 256MB of built-in memory, a 16GB microSD card and can be expanded to 32GB.

It has a replaceable rechargable battery (that beats the I-Phone right there)

So it out performs the I-Phone and ofers more gadgets and whistles than the I-Phone.

Whats the catch??

Wait - it has to be the price right?

Nope.

The DROID costs $199.99 when bought with a new two-year contract. In most instances, however, you'll end up paying $299.99 up-front, then getting $100 back via a mail-in rebate.

If you don't go to the Verizon store for the DROID you can save $100 up front.

If you buy your DROID at Best Buy they will automatically credit the rebate at the time of your purchase, meaning you'll pay only $199.99 for your DROID.

Well if it isn't the initial cost then it has to be the service plan you will be required to carry.
With the I-Phone you have to carry an $80 a month plan.
The DROID requires a Verizon voice plan, minimum of $39.99 for 450 minutes and an unlimited data plan, which runs an additional $29.99. Text messaging is not included and costs $5 extra to add on. All totaled up that still beats the I-Phone Rate charge.

You will not have to pay extra to utilize the DROID's Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync feature.

huh - think Apple is nervouse yet?

Well maybe they will be after the hear that not only is there a better phone with a lower contract fee available but there is a scaled down verzion of the Motorola DROID called the HTC DROID ERIS

The DROID ERIS is the budget minded (who isn't these days) alternative to the Motorola DROID.

The DROID ERIS will cost $100 with a two-year contract, making it the most affordable Android phone currently on the market today.

The DROID ERIS runs HTC's aesthetically appealing Sense user interface overlay and not on the Android 2.0. The ERIS runs on ANDROID 1.5 but HTC plans on moving it to ANDROID 2.0 soon.

The DROID ERIS is lighter, and more easily pocketed than it's big brother the DROID.

But the drawbacks are that the HTC DROID ERIS has no keyboard and has a smaller display (3.2-inches verses the Droid's 3.7-inch display), and a less-powerful processor. The Droid Eris also ships with Android OS 1.5 so it is missing all of the Android 2.0 goodies found on the Motorola Droid, like Google Navigation and a universal inbox.

the DROID ERIS has a 5-megapixel camera with video recording and uploading capabilities the same as the DROID and the DROID ERIS browser supports Flash Lite.

Raising your Search Engine Position with Back Links

2009-03-26T14:27:00.001-04:00

One of the best ways to raise your search engine placement is to show off site popularity. If your site isn’t that popular yet or you just launched it and you don’t know how to make it popular, this will help you out and maybe point you in the right direction. If not you can always go and pay some guy or girl in mom’s basement a few hundred dollars and have him or her do it for you. Of course you wouldn’t know they were in mom’s basement since they more than likely have a web site that is well ranked and is designed with a professional appearance.

Probably the best way to obtain a back link to your site is through anchor text. That is when you have another website with content that is relevant to your own (relevancy is ALWAYS important) including your site in the actual content of their site with a hyperlink inside the text. These back links are valued much higher than a simple sidebar link as long as they appear in the text in a way that has a fluid and meaningful association with the content of the article. There are several ways to get such back links.

My personal favorite is by providing articles to content sites with back links built into the article. If the content you provide is well crafted the embedded link will not stand out as an eyesore, but rather as an added benefit of the content, or content enhancement.

If you write very compelling information on your website, someone else with a similar site may wish to point it out on their own site. They may point a link at you as a reference source or as an expert in a certain subject. That is and should be your goal. You may not even realize they are doing it unless they tell you about it.

This is one of the main reasons it is important to keep an eye on who is back linking to you. While the majority of those types of links are wonderful and will help you gain higher Search Engine Placement with the more links you collect. Don’t forget to thank the site owner for their inclusion on there site. Do it publicly and include a link back to your site. It will give you another natural link from there site and help you out that much more.

But keep in mind if you feel the site that is linking to you does not meet your standards, have similar information, or the content is not relevant to your site, it could damage your rankings. You should definitely ask them to remove any links to your site.

Back linking is an extremely important aspect of SEO development and it is something you need to understand well in order to implement and control it properly. There are many secrets and mysteries in the SEO world that diligent study can clear up. Keeping your website in good standing with the search engines and popular with your visitors is the best way to ensure a vital and profitable future for your business online.

All you need now is traffic

2009-01-24T18:51:00.007-05:00

So you got a brand new site up and running. You have spent hours setting up and writing and placing information here and there. Placing banners and ads in places that will be sure to attract the interests of your visitors. all you need now are some visitors. Here is the problem you are about to face. Just having a website will not get you much traffic.

Many of the businesses I have worked for are stunned to find out that just having a web site with a name wont really cause the net hordes to come marching through the door to buy, buy, buy! In fact you can see the pain on there faces as you start to explain and show them the numbers of the traffic they have been getting on the web site. Some have received none at all.

They have fallen into the trap that so many others have fallen into. Thinking that just by buying a domain name and putting up your site, visitors are going to pour in. They think that it is like having a store on main street in a busy part of town. It just doesn't work that way.

The web can be an evil lady. You could have spent lots of money and have the best looking site in the world with great resources and content and still go unnoticed. It happens. In fact it is happening right now for some poor bastard. There is hope for that poor bastard and a way to get that evil lady to work with you.

Every website had its early days. Sites that are receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors every day, started out with no visitors. Here are a few simple things you can do now to help build traffic to your site today, this week and in the future.

1. Get Some Quick Links From Trusted Directories

Link building is a long-term process with long-term goals, but for brand new sites with no history you've got to start somewhere. Start your web domination here:

Yahoo!

Business.com

JoeAnt.com

DMOZ.org

BOTW.org

after you have worked with those start with this list of directories - bookmark it and visit it often. This will give you some building blocks to set a strong foundation with.

2. Start Blogging

Blogging isn't for everybody, but it's a great way to build fresh content on a consistent basis. It gives your visitors a way to interact with you. To be social and build bonds with you and your brand. But don't be too "corporate" on your blog. Discuss your mistakes, missteps you've made, and what you've learned from them as well as your triumphs. Be a human, not just a brand.

3. Set up a Twitter Account

The day when you receive all the traffic you need for free from search engines and other referrals is a long way off. But in today's economy paying for search engine placement is over rated. Your ROI will be far below what you were told. Often times paid search campaigns are a great way to get your site in front of your target market today. But they are also a way to eat up your budget with just a few clicks that lead to no sales. Go to Twitter and set up an account. Use your websites name to establish a brand name. Make sure you fill out the Url Info and the Bio. Use the bio section to provide information about the site you are promoting. Turn off all your e-mail notifications otherwise you will be flooded with e-mail for every time some one joins, messages or contacts your Twitter account. Once you have set up your account start making friends and getting your webpage in front of people. Don't be a jerk and again, remain human. Here is a link to a list of some other applications that will work with the Twitter platform.

4. Guest Blog At Relevant Blogs

This certainly requires some investment in terms of building relationships with bloggers in your topic and it can help get the gears turning on your site like nothing else can. Take the time to craft your post properly and show your knowledge on the topic, your host blogger will appreciate it, and it'll improve the likelihood of attention coming back to your site from the post you submitted. Links from blogs are some of the most powerful editorial links you can get, don't underestimate them for a second.

In the end, be patient. It's important to remember that you're not going to see your unique visitors count skyrocket immediately for your new website. Most real traffic booms take a year or more to gain momentum and get going. If you find yourself checking your traffic counts daily do yourself a favor and walk away. Get up and stop. Writing content for the page is one thing working on the value added content is good but getting so wrapped up in the numbers is a sure fired way to to get a good hole in the stomach. Go out back and play ball with your kid. You will have more of a positive effect on the website by doing that and coming back with a clear head than you would by stressing out over your traffic or lack there of. Just relax. They will come.

Step 2: So you got accepted to AdSense, now what?

2008-12-03T22:13:00.004-05:00

Google reviewed your blog or website and has accepted you in the AdSense Affiliate program.
Congratulations! You have over come the first big hurdle in finding a way to make money with your hobby or past time. Enjoy the moment.

Ready to get to work?

Now you have to set up your ads. Otherwise you can't start making money.

Keep in mind:
You can now display ads on any site you want. Once you got accepted, you are considered an AdSense publisher. There is no need to ask for approval to display AdSense ads on other websites or blogs you may run beyond the one you submitted with your initial application.

In order for AdSense ads to be displayed on your blog, you need to insert the code into your blog’s code. You can either do this manually, or, you can use a plugin (the plugin option only works with Wordpress self hosted blogs, namely blogs set up on your own domain, using Wordpress install). Many people use a plugin called AdSense Deluxe, but this is not the only one out there. What ever plugin you choose to use make sure it does not break Google’s terms of service for AdSense or what we will refer to it as from now on as the TOS.

If you do what I do and do not use a plugin but rather use Google's AdSense site itself, the code is automatically generated by Google. All you have to do is choose the ads style, blocks type, size, and colors. I use a basic Google recommended settings here on the Android Blog. I also have an added perk here. Since this is a Blogspot blog it is hosted by Google and the AdSense code is in Widget form and already to insert into the blog just by a simple click of the mouse.

Just a few simple things to keep in mind at this point are the color and sizes. Make sure your ad colors blend with the site that they are placed on. Don't place a neon green banner with bright yellow text and a black border around it on your site if the background colors don't match it. You want to make the ads blend with the surroundings. They need to feel natural. Allow both text and graphic ads to be placed. Some people prefer to allow only text ads but I have found that both will draw attention and will have the desired effect if the content and the blog is well crafted and designed properly. Do Not encourage people to click! You will get banned. You have made progress into an easy money making program, don't mess up now! Re-read your Google TOS and make sure you do not break the rules! Good luck and get your ads set up!

Any Questions?

Step One: setting up an AdSense account

2008-12-03T21:42:00.004-05:00

You need to have at least one site up and running when you submit your application for AdSense inclusion to Google. If you get accepted into the program you will be allowed to put ads on as many blogs or websites as you want to, without having to submit any of them for additional approval.

In order to maximize your chances of getting approved, make sure you are properly prepared:

Write a few posts before applying. There is no rule or hidden indication on the AdSense official site that states that this will help or hinder your chances, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Make sure you have a few inbound links from other sites. Two of the easy ways to establish inbound links are: comment on other blogs, or post in some forums with links to your site in the signature. The best would be to find blogs and forums related to your blog topic. When you do this, try to contribute to the conversation, don’t post garbage posts. You will understand why as your blog starts to get comments like “Cool”, or “Nice” or "wow, really informative". If you write about the topic of the blog you are visiting, you must be interested in it, so you must have something smart to say. If you spam, you’ll get banned or your comment simply will get deleted.

Submit the best of your posts to the major Social Media sites. You don’t need to get on the front page of any of these sites. In fact you will get traffic from simply submitting your site. Some of the major Social Media sites require some type of interaction but it is generally minimal in time and effort.

Please keep in mind that none of the ideas or suggestions outlined above are required to get accepted into the AdSense Affiliate program. However, the more effort you put into your site or blog in the beginning the easier it will be to set it on auto pilot sooner rather than later. In addition the more time you put in before you submit your application the more chances you have to get approved.

Here is the application form you need to fill in and submit. Make sure you read it carefully.
Also read the Google AdSense Program Policies before you submit your application data. Make sure you follow the Program Policies. If you go against the TOS or the PP they will find out and you will get kicked out of the program.

The approval process can take from a day as in my case to approximately 2 weeks. If you don’t get an answer right away do not re-submit your application. You can write and ask what your status is but for the most part just hang in there. In case of rejection, you will be notified by Google by e-mail. Don't worry, you can re-apply shortly.

Any Questions?

Read the next article in the series: Step Two: So you got accepted to AdSense

Putting Adsense on auto pilot in your blog

2008-12-03T20:02:00.002-05:00

Many bloggers want to get the AdSense code from Google inside of the posts that they write. It can help in many ways. But placing the AdSense unit inside of the post is not the only way to get more activity out of your adsense unit. One of the best ways to make your blog work for you is to actually write a blog that edeals directly with information that interests other people. It needs to be thoughtfully written and have a clean feel to it. Simply finding another blog that interests you and making a copy of the posts in that blog and pasting them on yoru blog will not do the trick.

Maybe many of you have experienced the “post-blog launch depression“: you write and write, and write, you research and document your posts very well, yet no acknowledgment comes from the market. With barely any traffic and no subscribers, nobody would ever buy advertising on your site, because there is no potential benefit for the advertisers.

AdSense is one method of monetizing your blog. You start from Day 1. Now that does not mean you will be making lots of cash with in your first week. Sometimes it can take months to realize your blogs cash flow potential.

Here you will learn how to use AdSense to your advantage, you’ll learn how to start using it on your blog, from applying and getting accepted, to tracking and fine-tuning your ads. If you you are interested in putting some extra cash in your pocket while spending just a few minutes a day, you should either bookmark this page (press Ctrl+D on your keyboard) or

We are not only going to look at AdSense here but several other systems I use to run my Android Cash Experiment and enjoy a little extra spending money to get the things my family and I want.

The overall system is simple enough
There is no minimum traffic limit to get accepted into the program.
There is no minimum posts number that you have reach.
It is easy to implement the system on blogs (Wordpress blogs can use the advantage of special AdSense insertion plugins) and on web pages of all types. Including PHP.

Making the maximum money from the least amount of work:
Optimizing the ads for maximum revenue is easy to do, all you need is attention and discipline. No programming skills are required in order to track your results. No special skills are required to find a fast track toward making returns on your time investment for blogging.

I will show you how to do this in some of the next posts here.

Any Questions?

Don't have an AdSense Account yet? Read Step 1: Setting up an AdSense Account

Do you have an AdSense Account set up but not running ads yet? Read Step 2: Now What?

Yahoo Crash today

2008-12-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

Yahoo director Carl Icahn said Wednesday that he had "no knowledge" of any effort by former AOL chief Jonathan Miller to buy all or part of Yahoo.

The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that Miller has been trying to raise money from private-equity investors and sovereign-wealth funds to purchase all or part of the struggling Internet giant.

Shares in Yahoo closed flat at $11.50 on Wednesday and were down 2% in recent after-hours activity.

At that it should be no surprise that the Yahoo outage today has many people shocked and angry and a little nervouse. Yahoo Services went down System Wide.

Some are reporting that the System Servers that provide messenger and 360 are DOWN for Maintenance and set up of the new BETAYahoo! Messenger with Voice (Beta version 8)

Nope. SOrry folks that not true. The real story is that the Yahoo servers crashed. The problem, first observed at around 3:40 P.m. Eastern Time, appears to have affected users in the Eastern United States and Canada who were trying to reach http://www.yahoo.com/ .

The problem appeared to have been resolved by about 5 p.m.
Yahoo didn't have much to say about the crash. The company confirmed in a statement that it had "a disruption in service earlier today that affected users in some geographic areas."

A Yahoo employee named reported that the problem was triggered by a Juniper T1600 router that "went kablooie."

"This is primarily affecting traffic coming through Ashburn, Virginia," 5:16 p.m. Eastern Time. "We're aware of the issue and have put workarounds in place; you should be back up and functional for the moment, though not in an optimal state."

Any Questions?