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Not a day goes by when I don't see complex technical terms thrown around in media press or on blogs. I often wonder if the average marketer knows what half of these terms mean. This new series is aimed at graphically illustrating (this is where the whiteboard comes into play) complex terms in ways that normal, non-geek people can understand.

In this installment, I take a look at AJAX. This is a huge Web2.0 buzzword that you hear all the time, but do you really know what it means? It's actually quite straight forward from a marketing point of view.

AJAX Stands for Asynchronous JAvasript and XML. As a marketer you don't need to know about Javascript, which is a programming language, nor do you really need to know about XML, which is a data storage standard. The Asynchronous part is what is interesting. This allows web pages to behave in a more dynamic, application-like manner. Google's Reader, Mail and Documents all work with AJAX to make them work more fluidly for the end user. Data is transmitted and stored via XML behind the scenes to enable this process to happen.

This is also responsible for the so called "death of the pageview". Pages don't need to reload to get content thereby eliminating impressions. Check out the video for a tutorial on what AJAX is from a 30,000 foot, marketing centric view.

Key takeaways:

• AJAX allows technology to get out of the way of the end user
  
• UX is improved through more dynamic, application-like interfaces
  
• This idea is a driver behind Web2.0, but has been around for a while
  
• Microsoft has their own version of AJAX called Atlas (same principle behind it)
  
• AJAX bridges the design/UI field and the technical/integration field to make the users happier
  
• Less pages to load means less impressions hence the death of the pageview
  
• Major companies are using AJAX to design more responsive, rich interfaces than is possible in Flash
  

Is there a term that's confusing you? Do your tech guys like to show you up and you want a little revenge? Email me or leave me a comment with the terms/ideas/buzzwords that you would like to see explained in a future post. Also, let me know if you have ways you think I can improve on this concept.

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Technorati Tags:
marketing, Matt Dickman, Techno//Marketer, technology, video, Web2.0, AJAX, whiteboard//session, whiteboard

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Okay marketers. Let's say you are prepping to run an ad campaign for a mass, commodity good and you have to rank your ad buys over the top content networks. How would you rank the following and what metrics would you use? Go ahead and try it.

• AOL
  
• Ebay
  
• Fox Interactive Media
  
• Google
  
• Microsoft
  
• MSN/Windows Live
  
• Yahoo
  

Would you have ranked them by total audience knowing that you could reach a more robust and accurate subset with targeted ads? Or, would you have opted for total page views thinking that the more pages served the more eyeballs will take a look? Better yet, did you opt for the new Nielsen-suggested standard of time on site knowing that time leads to engagement and better eyeballs? You may be surprised at how different these results are.

Source: Nielsen/NetRatings,
U.S., home and work, May 2007

But you may not have wanted to go with total audience, instead you want to use page views as your metric. Well, in that case Yahoo is your network of choice. Yahoo is followed by Fox (including MySpace), Google, MSN/Live and EBay. In this case there is a roughly 20 billion page view difference.

However, you may be detered by page views and total audience and find yourself looking at total time on the site. In that case AOL comes out of nowhere to take a firm lead (remember they were last in total audience). They're followed by Yahoo, MSN/Live, Fox and Google who drops like a stone. There is a difference of roughly 17.5 billion minutes between AOL and Google.

So what the heck does this mean to you? Let's look at each network to see what the metrics tell us.

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AOL - The AOL network is where to go if you want people who spend a lot of time there, but they are not generating a lot of page views in that time. There are an estimated 90 million people in the audience.

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Ebay - EBay pops up only in the page views metric as you would expect. Each listing is a page and visitors crank through them quickly. Total audience is lower as is the time on the site.

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Fox Interactive Media - The Fox network, while not large, generates quite a few page views and stays engaged with that content longer when you consider its size. I think MySpace has a large part to do with that summary. as people stay engaged, but constantly churn through pages of friends as well as adding content.

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Google - Google is still the king of search so if you're looking for SEM and you want the volume, this is your stop (according to 2007 April figures from Nielsen//NetRatings, Google has the largest share of U.S. based web searches at 55.2% (Google Acquisitions), Yahoo is second at 21.9%, MSN is third at 9.0%, AOL is fourth at 5.4%, and Ask is fifth at 1.8%). The downside of Google is that people are coming for a specific task and jumping off hence the low engagement times and high audience.

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Microsoft - The Microsoft audience is large as you would expect, but that's where the company's advantage ends. They don't show up on the total time on site or the page views metrics.

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MSN/Windows Live - MSN represents Microsoft's consumer facing entity and their Live search function. Live has been picking up some momentum in total search volume, but they've a long way to go to catch Google. MSN comfortably sits in the middle of the pack on almost every point. They dip below when it comes to page views. It's a large audience that spends an average amount of time on fewer pages.

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Yahoo - Yahoo comes out the best of any network when you look at each metric. They have the second largest audience, the most number of page views and the second most time in minutes. This should be an attractive combination to marketers especially in targeted display ads. Yahoo still lags behind Google for SEM where there is still a 30%+ gap.

In the end, no matter who you are or who you are marketing to, it comes down to a few key factors:

• Find your audience. If they're not using Google then you're wasting your money
• Relevance is key. Making hyper-targeted ad buys will help make sure relevance is there and waste is minimal
• Nobody likes iterruption. The last thing I want is to have my visit to a network interrupted by your ad. Give me some value and be relevant to what I am looking at. If I'm in the auto repair section, don't offer me camera equipment.
• Think outside the banner. Look at sponsorships or creating value-add programs to hook users.
• Think social. Engaging with the community on a social level will lead to more success. Think about shifting dollars to social/conversational media. You may get more bang for your buck.

What do you consider when you run ads? Have you started shifting dollars to digital? Are you shifting those dollars to social media? Let me know in the comments.

Technorati Tags:
strategy, marketing, Search, SEM, Google, advertising, interactive marketing, trends, social networks, Microsoft, relevance, Techno//Marketer, Matt Dickman, social media

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One of the earliest bits of marketing knowledge that was imparted to me was the lesson of the drillbit. The saying is along the lines of "people don't buy a 1/4 inch drill bit, they buy a 1/4 inch hole". The focus on the end result and the benefit over the feature has stuck with me over time.

When I started seeing the new ad campaign for Ask.com, this lesson came flying back into my mind. The ads are mostly unbranded placements that focus on their algorithm. My immediate thought was "I bet Google is doing this", not good for Ask. Secondly I thought "who cares about the algorithm?". If you have not seen the messages, here are a couple pulled off of Flickr:

Here is a TV ad in the same campaign:

Feed readers click here.

If you are not a computer scientist or an engineer at a search company, why should you care about the algorithm? I don't think most Americans know what an algorithm is, much less how it benefits them.

I don't envy the position Ask is in. They are a smaller player in an industry with a LOT of very well funded competition. This campaign, however, is not helping their cause. Selling the algorithm is the equivalent of selling the drillbit. What I'm really after are better search results. That's the hole they should be selling. That's the need I have that needs to be filled and is currently filled well by Google. Tell me how you do that in plain English and I may listen.

Their new TV campaign does have more focus on the benefit even if the over-the-top, broadway-esque production detracts from the message. He got what he was looking for. They need to expand on this point with new ads that reach more people.

Feed readers click here.

Search is a game that extends well beyond the browser. I interact with my search engine of choice from my global search on my desktop, from the toolbar on Firefox, from my OSX dashboard widget and they touch my life in many other ways too. Ask needs to tell me why I should make those moves and dislodge my current option. Their new 3D search is a start, but it's not really much different than what Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are doing. The results seem about the same too.

My question is why should I switch? I asked, now I'll wait for the answer. What would make you switch? Are they doing enough with these ads to make you try them out?

Technorati Tags:
marketing, Search, Google, interactive marketing, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Techno//Marketer, Matt Dickman, Ask.com

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Here is a look at what is happening across a couple of sites I keep an eye on. Let me know if there is anything you would like me to add on.

Thanks to CK for providing me the inspiration to start doing this entry with video. This is the inaugural post so check it out! (Would anybody be interested in seeing this become a separate video podcast feed? Let me know in the comments.)

Here are all of the items I think are interesting this week:

• If you're a blogger, check out CK and Drew's idea for Blogger Social '08.
  
• Facebook's new open platform was just released and already Twitter and Last.fm have created tie-ins. Lots of promise here to reach that audience.
  
• Speaking of Twitter, Netvibes launched a module to integrate the messaging platform. If you want more information on Twitter, check out my post from earlier this week.
  
• Real Netoworks is trying to become relevant again in a flash video world. Check out this interview with Robert Scoble on a new piece of technology that lets you take Youtube (and other flash video) offline.
  
• Apple's deal with EMI to allow DRM free music seems to have carried over to Apple's partner Google. Google's YouTube will start posting EMI music videos. Clown Co. better hurry up, they're getting lapped.
  
• David Reich has a nice piece about technology feature creep over at Marketing Profs Daily Fix. I'll be posting early next week to expand on his great idea with my own experience.
  
• Jason Calacanis' new project Mahalo launched this week. The idea is that it's a search engine filtered by humans. David Berkowitz has a nice take on it on his blog. Yahoo started with this model so it's nothing new, the problem they're going to have is handling the volume of content without bias. I still think the 50matches model has more promise
  
• Microsoft released their Surface interface/product. Oddly, the site is done in Flash and not using their own Silverlight product as Scoble pointed out.
  
• Atlanta's WestWayne agency has a funny 404 page up as its main page (via AdRants). Look carefully and read it all through. Clever.
  
• AppleTV now plays YouTube videos. Look for more platforms to jump on this bandwagon. Want to be relevant Joost?
  
• David Armano started a new job in Chicago at Critical Mass. He's sharing his experiences on his blog and via Twitter.
  
• Guy Kawasaki has an interview with Magie Zable Fisher on the top ten reasons PR doesn't work. Do you agree? Is PR the new 4 letter word?
• Facebook is offering mobile video uploads. Mobile video is pressing more sites to offer this to users as equipment expands.
  
• The new Technorati launched with more Web2.0 goodness. What do you think about it?
  
• Proving Joost is just another channel and not a replacement for the pipeline, National Geographic cut a deal with YouTube to deliver video as well.
  
• Are you optimizing your new baby's name for search engines? If not, let David help you out.
  

Top 10 Technorati Searches

1. youtube
   
2. ron paul
   
3. myspace
   
4. orkut
   
5. bebo
   
6. paris hilton
   
7. dailymotion
   
8. cecilia bolocco
   
9. facebook
   
10. google gears
    

Top Five Web2.0 Movers of the Week (using Alexa data)

1. Feedster
   
2. CrazyEgg
   
3. Revver
   
4. Kaboodle
   
5. Bolt
   

Top Ten Marketing Blogs from Viral Garden

1. Creating Passionate Users
   
2. Seth's Blog
   
3. Gaping Void
   
4. Logic + Emotion
   
5. Daily Fix
   
6. Converstations
   
7. Drew's Marketing Minute
   
8. The Viral Garden
   
9. Jaffe Juice
   
10. Church of the Customer
    

Top 5 "Viral" Videos This Week

1. Women in art
   
2. Miss USA 2007 slip
   
3. Sony's Flexible, full color LCD
   
4. Google Maps Street View
   
5. Battle at Kruger
   

Technorati Tags:
trends, buzz, buzzfriday, matt dickman, Techno//Marketer

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This was the question that was asked of a panel I saw recently here in Cleveland. The panelists each took a good shot at the answer, but to me they missed the most glaring option. Software.

Software as we know it will not be around in five years. I'm talking about dead, packaged, disconnected software. New versions of software are already starting to appear and they use the web browser as their operating system. Look at Google Docs and Spreadsheets. They've created an online version of the word processor and spreadsheet. Google has a presentation application in the works to complete the office suite.

The problem up until now has been working online. If you're working on a project proposal in Word, you can have it auto save for you and you have a local copy. Using online apps meant no local copy and if you accidentally closed your browser, you lost your work.

Google just took a huge step to bring the online offline. Google Gears (still in beta) allows Google apps to store data and run apps locally when you are offline.. Google Reader is first with Docs and Spreadsheets to follow. The app responds like you're connected and when you re-connect it syncs up where you left off. Third party developers can write their own web-based applications to use this technology.

So in five years (or less) software as you know it will not be what you know today. The productivity suite you use for presentations, word processing and spreadsheets may not have the same name on it either. Your software will be a living, breathing entity updating each time you connect, allowing you to stay connected even when you're not.

Best of all worlds, Google's suite of applications is free. No license right now. Have you tried these apps online? Would you consider ditching your Microsoft Office suite for the Google Office? Microsoft has plans to do something similar, but Google has taken the lead and pushed the boundaries of what is possible. On top of that, Google's platform will allow others to take advantage and bring their services offline. Think Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.

Just another thing to add to my day with Google.

Technorati Tags:
Google, trends, Microsoft

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I wish I had a crystal ball to see where the online landscape will be in 5-10 years. The only thing I know for sure is that it will look very different than it does now. Google's invasiveness in my life will certainly change, but it's not a bad thing right now. They are adding value to my life and making my day easier. They're friendly and colorful and people go out of their way to evangelize their products and services. But this may not always be the case. I can think of a couple other companies who are/were this invasive.

Hindsight is 20/20 the old saying goes. I see parallels between Google's current path and a couple other companies that go by the name of Yahoo and Microsoft. Each of those companies attempted to be and, in each case, had a chance to become what Google is today before taking a back seat.

To read the rest of my article click over to The Madison Avenue Journal.

Click here for the back-story of how Google is stalking me.

Technorati Tags:
marketing, Google, interactive marketing, trends, Microsoft, Yahoo!

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  Micorosft and Yahoo sitting in a tree? That's the rumor. Microsoft is allegedly in talks with Yahoo to acquire them for $50 billion. I'm sure Google is keeping an eye on this. My question is, is this better for Microsoft than for Yahoo? See Charlene Li's take on why this won't work. (Credit to David Armano for creating the timely logo.)
• The Digg situation seems to have quieted down for now. Many new issues   have been raised.
• Steve Woodruff of Sticky Figure has used Pageflakes to create a blog portal to make aggregating posts easier for people without dedicated readers.
• Do you fear bookworms? You shouldn't and CK is the perfect example. The new MarketingProfs book will soon be announced. Stay tuned.
• YouTube will start paying its top users. Is this a good thing? Does it fly contrary to the point of the site? I'll post more on this next week.
• Yahoo photos will shut down and force users to Flickr. Not sure they've really informed their users though. This could be another digg-storm.
• Since Joost's launch announcement, a few reports about its stability have surfaced. I still Joost don't get it.
• Are you thinking of starting a blog? If so, check out Mark's 4Ps of getting up and running.
• Dialup is dying a rather quick death. Long live broadband.
• Have you ever been to a conference and thought "These badges suck. I can't read them and I don't know where people are from"? If so, check out this model and apply it in the future.
• Microsoft's Silverlight is being touted as a new page in Internet design and interaction. It's too early now, but check out why Scoble thinks this is true.
• ABCNews.com gets more social.

Top Five Technorati Blogs
**This doesn't change so this is the last week I will feature this item**

1. Engadget
   
2. Boing Boing
   
3. Gizmodo
   
4. Techcrunch
   
5. The Huffington Post
   

Top 10 Technorati Searches

1. galilea montijo
   
2. youtube
   
3. myspace
   
4. joost
   
5. silverlight
   
6. next07
   
7. digg
   
8. britney spears
   
9. pandora
   
10. shoppero
    

Top Five Web2.0 Movers of the Week (using Alexa data)

1. SmugMug
   
2. Newsvine
   
3. Flixter
   
4. Woot!
   
5. Revver
   

Top Five Web2.0 Sites (using Alexa data)
**This is also not changing so I will discontinue it and find a new item to include**

1. YouTube
   
2. MySpace
   
3. Orkut
   
4. Wikipedia
   
5. hi5
   

Top Ten Marketing Blogs from Viral Garden
**Expanded to include top 10 to show more change**

1. Seth's Blog
   
2. Creating Passionate Users
   
3. Gaping Void
   
4. Duct Tape Marketing
   
5. Marketing Shift
   
6. Daily Fix
   
7. Converstations
   
8. New School of Network Marketing
   
9. D rew's Marketing Minute
   
10. The Viral Garden
    

Top 5 "Viral" Videos This Week

1. Oh Nine, Eff Nine
   
2. Happy Feet Trailer
   
3. David Hasselhoff Intoxicated
   
4. Linkin Park What ive done original clip 2007
   
5. Web 2.0 ... Beyond E-text (2nd Draft)
   

Technorati Tags:
trends, buzz, buzzfriday, mattdickman, Techno//Marketer

• If you don't know who Lionel Messi is, he is an Argentine soccer phenom playing in FC Barcelona. Check out this video. Fantastico! (This is a shout out to my friends in Buenos Aires.)
• I added a link on my blog below LinkedIn to a service called MyZiki. You go on and create a profile for yourself and it aggregates all of your media (posts, photos, comments, twitters) in one place. They also buy the keywords for your name in major search engines so you come up at the top of the list. Go ahead and search for 'Matt Dickman' in Google and Yahoo. You'll see my Ziki ad show up at the top.
• Nikon's PR force launched a blogger focused campaign for the D80 (the camera I personally use). It's gotten mixed feedback, but certainly has generated plenty of buzz. Check our Mack's post and the comments for more thoughts.
• Valeria Maltoni at Conversation Agenct asks a question that I've been curious about. Is LinkedIn working for you? Hop over there and join the conversation (agent).
• Speaking of LinkedIn, Mario Sundar (LinkedIn's new Customer Evangelist) has a couple great posts from the Web 2.0 Expo on the topic of Community Evangelism.
• Seth Godin had a post on his Dip Blog last week asking for a list of quitters. I sent mine in and was chosen by Seth to receive a signed copy. I devoured it and will post more here when the book becomes publicly available on May 10. I recommend you go ahead and put your order in now.
• In a hilarious twist of irony, Microsoft is urging an anti-trust review of the DoubleClick merger. There is even Microsoft conspiracy theory saying that MS intentionally ran up the price on DoubleClick and then lost on purpose.
• Lots of new competition heating up in social tagging systems. MySpace announced a Digg-like service and Google announced a service close to StumbleUpon.
• Coke announced a new venture in Second Life that has everybody talking. Done by Crayon, Virtual Thirst is an innovative move to invigorate the SL space after much doomsday talk in past weeks.

Top Five Technorati Blogs

1. Engadget
   
2. Boing Boing
   
3. Gizmodo
   
4. Techcrunch
   
5. The Huffington Post
   

Top 10 Technorati Searches

1. joost invite
   
2. cho seung-hui
   
3. virginia tech
   
4. ismail ax
   
5. youtube
   
6. myspace
   
7. sanjaya
   
8. ubuntu
   
9. web 2.0 expo
   
10. messi (Argentine soccer phenom)
    

Top Five Web2.0 Movers of the Week (using Alexa data)

1. Geni
   
2. 37 Signale
   
3. Bolt
   
4. Ze Frank
   
5. Frappr
   

Top Five Web2.0 Sites (using Alexa data)

1. YouTube
   
2. MySpace
   
3. Orkut
   
4. Wikipedia
   
5. hi5
   

Top Five Marketing Blogs from Viral Garden

1. Seth's Blog
   
2. Creating Passionate Users
   
3. Duct Tape Marketing
   
4. Gaping Void
   
5. Marketing Shift
   

Top 5 "Viral" Videos This Week

1. Gol de Messi al Getafe 18/04/07
   
2. The Zimmers "My Generation"
   
3. The Landlord
   
4. Alanis Morissette "My Humps Video"
   
5. Gangsta Happy Feet Remix
   

Technorati Tags:
trends, buzz, buzzfriday, mattdickman, Techno//Marketer