The Scariest Stuff Online

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

Want to see something really scary? Well you don't have to prowl the streets on Halloween in order to see the kind of things that give you goose bumps. All you have to do is trawl the Internet's back-channels for an hour. Once there you will discover creepy crawlies galore, including a search engine designed for and by hackers, a black hat (not cat) convention in Las Vegas, and ghost sites that will creep you out. Below is our list of the top ten scariest sites on line.

Birth of the Bionic Man

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

“Astronaut Steve Austin, a man barely alive.  But we can rebuild him.  We have the technology.”

Or so the story goes in the TV series starring Lee Majors that ran from 1974-1978.  The stuff of fiction in the 20^th century, during the past few years many of the innovations portrayed in the original series have gone from science fiction to science fact.  There are now such things as prosthetic arms and hands with tactile

sense, rudimentary bionic eyes that help the blind see, and cochlear implants that help the deaf hear.  While we don’t yet have the ability to equip amputees with fully functional legs that can go from zero to sixty in five seconds, we can offer robotic exoskeletons that can help paraplegics regain the ability to walk on their own.  Plus there are other man/machine concepts that are either in the prototype phase or on the drawing board that can amp up the capabilities of us mere mortals.  In this week’s blog, we will take a look at these technologies, as well as the ramifications of enhanced human beings who will soon make Colonel Austin seem as antiquated as much of the technology of the 1970s.

Hummingbird is Nothing to Hum About!

By Carl Weiss

Black-chinned Hummingbird -- Moab, Utah, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You may have heard that Google recently released its latest algorithm update named Hummingbird.  This new algorithm hasn’t brought any smiles to advertisers faces. I haven’t seen anyone singing (or humming) Google’s praises since they announced the change. What I find interesting is that Google always seems to name its updates after cute little animals like pandas, penguins and now a hummingbird.  Meanwhile their effect on many websites is more like being attacked by lions and tigers.  That being said, what I have brought you today is a cold, hard look at when, why and how search engines of all kinds insist on playing games with all website owners and what you can do to keep ahead of changes that can leave you in the darkest regions of cyberspace.

How to Work the Web Gangnam Style

By Hector Cisneros

By hector Gangnam Style

The YouTube video, Gangnam Style went viral, catching the imagination of millions of people worldwide. As a marketing professional, I endeavor to understand why such marketing events happen. What is the special spark that makes a video, podcast or eBook go viral? Where does it all start? Who influences the play and the spread of your message? Does it all happen organically or is there some technique for propagating the spread. In this article, I will provide a number of useful tips as to why internet posts go viral. I will provide a list of elements that all viral posts have in common and I will provide you with a roadmap so that you can create your own viral post. Soon you too will be working the web Gangnam Style.

Maximizing the Plus in Google+ Brand Pages

Courtesy of mashable.com

By Hector Cisneros

Do you use Google+? Are you using, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Twitter for your business? If you are using any of these social networks, but not using Google+, you’re missing one of the biggest boats in the social networking ocean. The fact that Google Brand pages are tied into Google Search, Google Local and Google Maps, is crucial to your online marketing success  since they all contain the magic word “Google.” Google has 81% of search, this is reason enough for you to start utilizing Google+ Brand pages for your business. On top of that, it has in excess of 500 million subscribers.

Your Website - Lost in Cyberspace

 By Carl Weiss

Lost In Space Second Series. (Photo credit: Jimmy Big Potatoes)

Every time Google sneezes, the entire Internet comes down with a cold. Many websites fall off Page One  every time Google updates their search algorithms.  Because Google controls 82% of search, it is vital that you understand its likes and dislikes. You also need to know what  to do to bulletproof your web presence so that the next time an update occurs you won't be lost in cyberspace. The problem is that Google, like all other search engines, doesn't make it easy for webmasters and site designers to understand the rules of engagement.  This article will attempt to part the curtain and give you a look behind the scenes in order to show you what the wizard wants. 

Using Press Releases to Promote your Business

By Hector E. Cisneros

Courtesy of Needpix

We live in America and believe in freedom of the press, right? However, Did you know you can use free and low-cost press releases to gain search ranking, drive web traffic and find more customers? Do realize anyone can also use it to get others to tell their story and to spread that message to hundreds if not thousands of news outlets in as little as 24 hours? More importantly, you can use it to get a page one position in as little as 24 hours... Press releases not only build your brand, but it also raises your credibility to a whole new level. In this week's Working The Web To Win's blog, we will help you build your brand and gain more customers by using free and low-cost press release services to gain search page ranking.

Using Text Message Magic to Drive Traffic

Courtesy of Pixfuel

By Hector E Cisneros

Most people don’t want you to text and drive but did you know that you can drive web traffic with a text message! You can also sell products, announce events, deliver promo codes and other special offers. However, there are lots of pitfalls, technical issues and even laws that you have to navigate in order to be successful. Join us this week as we dive into the depths of Text Messaging Magic for your business.

In this article, I want to lay out several fundamentals every business needs to follow if they are planning to be successful at Text Message Marketing. I will break the article into two segments. The first is a brief overview of what is text messaging and why a business should be using text messaging for business advertising. The second segment will cover best practices for maximizing your campaign results.