tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107842082011-12-13T19:59:52.654-08:00New media & online communication insights, Web 2.0, podcasting, Mac & Apple stuff, and small business internet marketing and search engine advertising. <p><a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=287408"><b>Subscribe to the Media Mall Blog by Email</b></a>Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-82401264408380902942009-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:002009-08-13T15:25:03.659-07:00

Your attention please! If you are a subscriber to Jon Leland's Media Mall Blog, please RE-SUBSCRIBE yourself at his blog's new location: http://www.combridges.com/blog/.There are easy to use Feedburner links, upper right of all Blog pages, for you to use to easily re-subscribe yourself.It just seemed to make more sense for this blog to be part of the brand new ComBridges website, where, by the

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-2293240434616604032008-11-16T19:29:00.000-08:002008-11-16T21:46:26.974-08:00

I am happy to write and release a new issue of my ComBridges enewsletter last week. It included some of my excitement about Twitter as well as other insights.Please click here to check out the last edition of the ComBridges "It's a Wonderful Web" enewsletter.In the meantime, what I've come to call "Twittermania" has continued to heat up. In addition to the resources listed in the enewsletter

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-35024257847396383122008-11-09T22:09:00.001-08:002008-11-09T22:18:43.529-08:00

Yes, it's apparent that Barak Obama is not only the most impressive leader and community organizer that we've ever had has president, he will also be the most transparent. This is the first presidency that is "digitally native."The evidence of this is already on the web in the form of a slide show of back stage images from election night that was made freely available, almost immediately, with

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-591807995160704332008-11-09T14:50:00.000-08:002008-11-09T15:20:29.315-08:00

You have to love a story about a 24-year old who made a monumental difference by helping Barak Obama to become president-elect of the United States. In other words, this young dude helped change the world. His name is Chris Hughes and he was one of the three co-founders of Facebook, the runaway social networking phenom to which I am addicted. And I am 61.Mr. Hughes left Facebook last February (

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-37032861301295069132008-10-31T21:53:00.000-07:002008-12-16T12:01:44.061-08:00

I know this is not a political blog, but I'm pretty blown away by the inspirational energy and phenomenal creativity of the music videos, original songs and down right brilliantly edited videos that have appeared on behalf of Barak Obama. It's a grassroots energy that lifts my soul and gives me, yes, hope.I was asked to put together some of my favorite videos for some friends, so I thought I'd

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-78204004109305256932008-10-29T09:32:00.001-07:002008-10-29T09:55:42.336-07:00

Errol Morris is arguably one of the most important documentary film makers of our time. More than just an Academy Award winner (for "The Fog of War"), he has an amazing talent for listening to people and letting them tell their own stories in ways that inform and even illuminate reality.Now, he has written for the NYTimes blog site an extremely insightful perspective, including an impressive

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-72654671610074658142008-10-09T21:07:00.000-07:002008-10-09T21:19:59.445-07:00

Howard Rheingold was a thought-leader before the term entered the vernacular. For example, he wrote the original book on virtual community. Now, Howard is helping people to understand what he's calling the "video vernacular" by walking his talk ie by posting a video on his vlog (video blog).Just like us videographers used to talk about the "language of film making," Howard is correct that the

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-53139027388207606562008-10-02T22:05:00.001-07:002008-10-02T22:12:20.223-07:00

Once again (OK, I'm biased), Barak Obama has proven himself as a visionary leader who gets it. (OK, that was a bit over the top.) Bringing 21st century technology to the virtual campaign trail, the Obama campaign has launched it's own iPhone application; and, it does more than you might think. For example, it supports you to call contacts in your address book who live is swing states (but without

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-62410769118276585842008-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:002008-10-01T10:13:33.035-07:00

Social media platforms are all the buzz, but I think this is a milestone worth noting: Slide today announced a deal to use Facebook to distribute videos from "major media" companies (including CBS, NBC and many more...). The geeky young face you see to the right is not only the founder/CEO of Slide, but a co-founder of PayPal.Sure, Amazon and NetFlix (just to name two) are now distributing

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-2803676137103642272008-09-14T21:57:00.001-07:002008-09-14T22:35:33.218-07:00

Last week, a friend on Facebook (or actually an acquaintance... someone who I've never met in person, but within whom I've done a little work via phone and email) offered a link (via Facebook) to a live video stream of a techie industry party on a rooftop over-looking Washington, DC. The amazing thing was that when I clicked the link, it actually worked. Instantly, I was face-to-face, in a

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-78158639112719228532008-09-04T18:11:00.000-07:002008-09-04T18:32:08.412-07:00

In a move that would make Chris Anderson proud -- and in a move that is, to my knowledge, completely unprecedented for a "major motion picture" -- Michael Moore and Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films have announced that Moore's new flick, "Slacker Uprising" will be made available via the web for free download on Sept. 23rd. If you're interested, this link will hook you up to the viral marketing

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-15582555319924459792008-09-02T14:09:00.000-07:002008-09-03T12:31:21.372-07:00

In this world of video on demand and video shooters everywhere sharing their news, it is no less shocking to have the highly-respected American journalist, syndicated columnist and author Amy Goodman arrested while doing her job, right here in the USA, at a demonstration outside the Republican National Convention. (Full disclosure: I was, many years ago, a producer for Pacifica Radio, the network

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-22231743644038687822008-08-20T09:29:00.000-07:002008-08-20T09:46:18.639-07:00

The world of Internet videos keeps getting richer. Yes, there's more interesting stuff than what's on YouTube (not that's YouTube is bad, there are just more channels on the "Internet TV system" than most people know). For example, this Beet.TV interview with Ziv Navoth, VP Marketing & Business Development at Bebo (which is one of the slickest, high quality internet video sites) offers one of the

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-84769442822573610122008-08-15T10:31:00.000-07:002008-08-15T10:48:34.078-07:00

I mentioned below the "In Plain English" Twitter video which actually explains Twitter to the uninitiated or un-techie amongst us. But, on the other hand, if you want to laugh a little, and sorta, kinda experience the frenetic experience of what I believe Twitter to be (and why I'm not a participant... go on, comment below about why I'm missing out!), then OMG! I'm sure you'll enjoy the Twitter

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-32625443302551794072008-07-23T08:25:00.000-07:002008-07-23T08:38:33.834-07:00

I'm forced, due to time constraints, to wait for the lines to die down at my local Apple Store to get my first smartphone. Yes, me, your virtually favorite techno-dweeb has never owned a smartphone. That's right, no Treo, no Crackberry... But, just in case your confidence in my geeky authority is waning; and to underscore the sincere message that the iPhone is now the ultimate--at least for now--

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-9912169181658096482008-07-10T10:17:00.000-07:002008-07-10T10:43:19.583-07:00

Frank Capra used to say (regarding the requisite creative direction to make a movie), "One man, one movie." In today's world of viral video distribution, one man (or one woman) can make a super-hit all by themselves... or in this case with the support of one partner and a chewing gum company for a sponsor (no kidding). The story is well-written in this NYTimes coverage, "A Private Dance? Four

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-67445108655055022292008-06-09T16:54:00.000-07:002008-06-09T17:02:53.548-07:00

I'll leave the commentaries on Apple's dramatic announcement of the iPhone 3G to others. I'll only say that after holding out on buying an iPhone, I'm glad I did. Because now I'm ready! Half the price for double the speed (and all those new applications!) I'm going to get an iPhone 3G as close to July 11th as possible. That's as strong an endorsement as I can make. And, I think the iPhone is

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-25251037966465795042008-06-05T21:44:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:57:24.851-07:00

Hey, I've got a birthday coming up. :) But seriously folks, as much as I enjoy the flexibility of my Flip Ultra, this looks like the professional's on the run camcorder. I still dream of finding the time to do a kind of video blog and this is the kind of tool (and toy) that could help me make it happen. Click here for the TechCruch review of the Sanyo Xacti with 1080i HD and 300 frames per second

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-71441069180348782592008-05-20T17:13:00.000-07:002008-05-20T17:22:10.932-07:00

I'm going to claim this might be the best resource for explaining Web 2.0 communication platforms to newbies ever! See my post below about CommonCraft, and if you're someone who would like a better understanding of stuff like blogs, RSS, social networking, podcasting, Twitter and more, there are easy to understand and remarkably clear and enjoyable CommonCraft videos about each of these subjects

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-29573535390493770882008-05-20T16:47:00.000-07:002008-05-20T16:53:35.702-07:00

OK. I'm someone who has been doing his best to "span the Grand Canyon Gap between people and technology" for quite a number of years, so when I say this is impressive, I at least have some vague idea of what I'm talking about... ;) I was trying to explain Twitter to my associate and went to Twitter.com and clicked "Watch a Video" Ta-da! A simple, cleverly animated, and impressively clear (and

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-43337428253955785242008-05-19T09:39:00.000-07:002008-05-19T10:19:07.307-07:00

I fooled around with the social video site Seesmic--you might think of it as a video chat portal--some time ago, and I found it boring. But now that the likes of Steven Spielberg, Karen Allen and Harrison Ford are posting video clips there too, maybe I should take another look?And here's a thread you can view (without signing on to Seesmic) from a UK Guardian Journalist who dialogged via video

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-29843668546577025952008-04-29T10:42:00.000-07:002008-04-29T11:31:32.976-07:00

One issue we've been dealing with that I think many people struggle with is how to get better quality video on YouTube. Here's the most useful insights I've seen to date on this subject:>> Read: "Hi-Res YouTube Hacks"Some of you know that I'm impressed with the amazingly simple, little video camera called The Flip. Here's why another thoughtful person thinks The Flip is important and perhaps

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-44731593504100532682008-04-24T18:11:00.000-07:002008-04-24T22:31:48.814-07:00

I had the illuminating pleasure of spending a few hours today attending the keynotes and browsing the innovations on the floor at the O'Reilly/TechWeb conference, Web 2.0 Expo SF. These have become quite vibrant affairs with NY, European & (I think) Japanese iterations now on the annual conference schedule. (Keynote photo of John Battelle on stage with Marc Andreessen at Web 2.0 Summit SF 2008 by

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-60065910255112004242008-04-15T11:50:00.000-07:002008-04-15T12:00:15.035-07:00

As I explain in my ebook on internet marketing, there's nothing more important in the optimization of a website than relevance. There's also probably no more important goal that "stickiness" or the ability to get a website visitor to stick around for more than a nano second. There's also probably no greater authority on this subject than Bryan Eisenberg, author of "Waiting for Your Cat to Bark:

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-24446893005501840852008-03-24T09:54:00.000-07:002008-03-28T20:26:32.327-07:00

In geek speak, it's called "computing in the cloud" To most people it's more clearly understood as using the web browser to deliver experiences and functionalities comparable to desktop applications is expanding by leaps and bounds. The following guest post on TechCrunch by Matthew Gertner explains what's going on in this space with refreshing clarity, and also includes a geek-friendly tip about

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-82747521497912639432008-03-22T12:14:00.000-07:002008-03-22T14:42:06.452-07:00

A couple of quick blog bites (vs sound bites) from the NYTimes website which indicate continually brighter days ahead for what I affectionately call The Video Web: First of all, my fave tech writer David Pogue not only reviewed my Christmas present (see posts and demo video below), The Flip Ultra, but his latest "State of the Art" column, "Camcorder Brings Zen to the Shoot" pretty much nails it.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-6137670038913129522008-03-16T20:57:00.000-07:002008-03-16T21:16:36.879-07:00

On my less optimistic days, I feel like we've gone from "nothing on" crappy TV programming, to "too much on" kitchen sink internet video programming. But fortunately those days are few because of how much uplifting and inspiring stuff is out there. Recently, rather than bottom feeding, I've been top feeding with some of the best online video programming anywhere. Tonight I was browsing some

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-73115467006982903722008-01-26T09:17:00.000-08:002008-01-26T10:51:23.428-08:00

I'm presuming that most of you know about the World Economic Forum held in Davos each year and attracting a virtual planetary A-list who's who... from heads of state to Bill Gates & Rupert Murdock to celebs etc. etc.As the video web expands, live person-to-person coverage is becoming quite interesting; and perhaps the best of that batch is Loïc Le Meur, the French self-proclaimed "serial

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-1256266796128215062008-01-24T16:32:00.000-08:002008-01-24T16:50:15.840-08:00

I mentioned that I got a Flip mini-video camera for Christmas:My favorite new gizmo is The Flip (Ultra), a pocket-sized, web-ready video digi-cam. No tape, just 60 mins of MPEG-4 video in Flash memory and a flip-up USB port. This camera is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. It's easy to use and for what it is, it works quite well.So, I took it out for a drive... my buddy Keith Bailey had a

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-27854815288404713262008-01-10T17:10:00.000-08:002008-01-10T17:21:33.864-08:00

No, I didn't go to CES (the consumer electronics mega-convention) in Las Vegas, but here are a few tidbits from the web that I've found worthy:Scoble's doing Qik videos direct from his cell phone including this interview with the guys from YouTube:And CNET picked this astoundingly innovative and open source BugLabs platform as its CES Awards winner for "emerging technologies." I even like their

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-46014861212404751712008-01-04T16:07:00.000-08:002008-01-04T16:29:49.120-08:00

After I discovered the YouTube video on 3-D virtual reality using Nintendo Wii hardware posted below by Johnny (Chung) Lee, I started digging deeper. First, I discovered the YouTube video posted below about building a low-cost electronic whiteboard using the same Nintendo Wii hardware and custom software that he is giving away. Way cool!Now, I've learned that Johnny has named his blog after a

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-36372285398008406632008-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:31:42.280-08:00

Digital Rights Management (or DRM) has been a controversial subject against which I have pontificated for years, starting with the whole Napster thing in 2000. Ironically, in that article, I slammed Edgar Bronfman Jr. who is quoted prominently in this new Businessweek article about Sony BMG being "The last major label (to) throw in the towel on digital rights management..." Thanks for the link to

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-4711491800914968452008-01-03T16:43:00.000-08:002008-01-04T16:53:55.598-08:00

I don't usually cover do-it-yourself techno-hacks, but as far as I'm concerned this is one of the kinds of things that YouTube was invented for. Specifically, here's an amazingly creative computer guy (a Ph.D. student actually) who has figured out a way to create a true 3-D virtual reality experience by doing a customization (a.k.a. a "hack") of the Nintendo Wii. What's equally impressive, at

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-56280046920734553112008-01-03T09:14:00.000-08:002008-01-03T09:17:37.316-08:00

This quote came today in my email, and I think it makes a nice thought for starting our New Year:"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." ~ Alvin TofflerMay we all continually reinvent ourselves (regardless of how uncomfortable that may be at times.)

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-69293308988073220042008-01-02T14:57:00.000-08:002008-01-03T11:28:04.053-08:00

Happy New Year! I was going to do an update on Web 2.0 software applications that I know and love, and still hope to find the time, but meanwhile I'm going to let Tech Crunch's post, "2008: Web 2.0 Companies I Couldn't Live Without" do it for me.It's a thoughtful list with brief articulate reasonings, and includes WordPress, Skype (without the emphasis on video & webcams that I think it deserves)

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-67824600033645104702007-12-20T09:57:00.000-08:002007-12-20T10:13:06.240-08:00

I certainly don't want to diminish the enthusiasm of those who are authentically spreading joy by giving gifts, but as someone who has not only been concerned about the environment and the people on our planet for many years, and someone who has been watching various forms of interactive online videos and Flash movies for those that are the most powerful and (in my humble opinion) the most likely

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-53875801368583745802007-12-13T17:26:00.000-08:002007-12-13T21:07:42.596-08:00

One of the most interesting moments at Webmaster World was the endorsement of WordPress by none other than Google's Matt Cutts. For those who may not know, Matt has become the wonderfully laid-back and articulate "voice" of Google at Webmaster World. (photo by Andy Beal used under Creative Commons license.) As detailed in the video interview linked below, Cutts unexpectedly told the PubCon

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-29142760632149714632007-12-13T17:19:00.000-08:002007-12-13T17:21:25.627-08:00

Another tech bubble? Who are you kidding?!? Or not...

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-59274765562940624712007-12-09T20:15:00.001-08:002007-12-09T20:56:30.572-08:00

I had the pleasure of spending three days last week at the Las Vegas Convention Center attending "PubCon" or the Webmaster World conference. There's a lot of information that I intend to share on this blog, but, for openers, I would like to make a bottom line observation:Great Content is Now KingThe old axiom that "Content is King" seems to be maturing and I would update it by saying that "Great

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-88565976823320217202007-11-02T11:05:00.000-07:002007-11-02T11:29:55.445-07:00

This makes so much sense it's scary. A $200 computer, by Google, on sale NOW at WalMart that leverages the power of the Internet with browser-based and open source software (thus no "Microsoft tax"). I might just be geeky enough to go out and buy one. We'll see. Meanwhile, click here for details of the Everex gPC as covered by John Biggs in the NYTimes.This kind of "webtop" computer has been a

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-90515402689723246092007-10-22T14:26:00.000-07:002007-10-22T21:19:51.011-07:00

The FCC's upcoming ruling on wireless bandwidth has raised the issues about cell phones and why that bandwidth is so tightly controlled by the giant cell phone companies (like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg explains very clearly why this is VERY WRONG in his column, "Free My Phone" and I believe it is worthy of your consideration. At the very least, it's

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-29700535474454785082007-10-21T17:29:00.000-07:002007-10-21T17:33:07.598-07:00

I love the way these videos from an outpost in academia illuminate information's revo-evolutionary process. IMHO, the insights are way worthy of reflection. Enjoy and appreciate the disruptive dynamics of our rapidly changing information society...

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-85505328225425958612007-10-05T10:49:00.000-07:002007-10-05T11:05:19.823-07:00

For those of us who work (either for ourselves or for clients) is pursuit of organic or natural search engine rankings for targeted keyword phrases, there is a slew of information out there about both the on-page and off-page factors that contribute to these rankings (as I explain in my internet marketing ebook: "EBiz Express: What Every Business Should Know About Internet Marketing").I'm writing

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-57766749998307982952007-10-04T21:08:00.000-07:002007-10-04T21:37:08.734-07:00

Geez, I'm always posting about how hot the online viral video space is becoming, and wouldn't you know it, here comes Google with not only my 2nd viral video post of the night, but one that leverages user-generated content to the max. Great stuff you all, and I really mean you all. And, oh yea, nice job Google for editing it all together in such a snappy fashion. More info here: http://

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-6937431443255719022007-10-04T20:16:00.000-07:002007-10-04T20:23:28.217-07:00

Here's a video that's not only entertaining and about seniors using the innovative Nintendo Wii video game, but it is also a clever form of viral video marketing which subtly promotes a senior assisted living company. Expect to see more of this kind of thing in the future. This one is unusually well done, and they save the low-key pitch for last. Appropriately putting the fun first...

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-13037222202622756082007-10-02T18:14:00.000-07:002007-10-02T18:37:14.579-07:00

We are way too early in this to be talking about blossoming, but the sprouts or seeds that are the revolution of the advertising business going totally digital, totally accountable, totally targeted and totally interactive are HUGE!I cover the basics in my internet marketing ebook, and today's New York Times covered how Microsoft is trying to catch up with Google in this arena. This is a good

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-82793482207331698992007-09-28T21:15:00.001-07:002007-09-28T21:26:33.809-07:00

A buddy of mine just got written up in our local paper for his talented transcendence of what others view as a disability. In fact, he's dealing successfully with nothing less than Parkinson's disease. Why aren't your photos in a gallery? Read Clear vision, shaky lens: Fairfax photographer hasn't let Parkinson's slow him down and be inspired by the "Movement Disorder, Tremor Enhanced Photography"

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-1902898988370188692007-09-22T18:46:00.000-07:002007-09-22T18:50:22.990-07:00

While I find their news shows offensive, it's not ironic that Fox should show up as progressive on the new media front (Murdoch bought MySpace after all.)The latest deal is covered here: Fox strikes deal for free shows on iTunesI particularly liked this comment by GGGlen: NBC vs Apple+Fox:NBC content- loaded with commercials,Apple+Fox- commercial free.NBC content expires in one week,Apple+Fox-

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-28573066757065454442007-09-20T20:19:00.000-07:002007-09-20T20:40:34.661-07:00

One of my designers and I have had this discussion for a while. He thinks it's too clunky to add the obvious "click here" text to website links. I think people respond better when you tell them what you want them to do. OK, I agree it's less "cool"... less elegant even, but what works better, well, exactly, it WORKS better.And, I'm always delighted to be proven right. (who isn't?) So, I

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-70702641746183372682007-09-07T09:43:00.000-07:002007-09-07T09:51:40.432-07:00

If you use website traffic (rather than polls which are probably more scientific) as an indication of voter interest, then the latest Hitwise statistics show Barack Obama well ahead of his Democratic competition.Like the rest, he's also using YouTube, among other online grassroots techniques. For example, it's an indication of the word-of-mouth impact that many of his traffic referrals come from

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-13542378802452980872007-09-04T09:29:00.000-07:002007-09-20T20:52:10.241-07:00

I like it when two of the authorities on web marketing who I most respect get together. I've had personal contact with both Dr. Ralph Wilson and Catherine Seda (whose most recent book How to Win Sales and Influence Spiders looks excellent... I've not read it yet). Bottom line, like me, both of these people are committed to helping small and medium size businesses succeed with their internet

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-43040746568468343572007-08-31T20:02:00.000-07:002007-08-31T20:13:09.683-07:00

I use Yahoo Mail as a secondary address email address and I like the redesigned interface of Yahoo Mail's latest version. I'm even considering getting Yahoo Mail Plus for $20/year in order to get POP access via Yahoo Mail. I'm having issues with MS Entourage... Anyone know about getting an Entourage address book into Yahoo Mail?Anyway, I was encouraged by this video and web review by one of the

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-84628921694258673362007-08-27T19:28:00.001-07:002007-08-27T19:45:46.546-07:00

Posting some good, free information is a good way to get one of the most valuable parts of search engine optimization, i.e. links TO your website. Thus, the term "link bait." So if Read/WriteWeb was looking for links, I'll bite. Here's a link to a bunch of valuable free web analytics and site analysis tools, all free, all online, all useful:Click here for da List of Free Web Analytics ToolsBut I

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-32660576901389103382007-08-27T17:57:00.000-07:002007-08-27T17:58:24.793-07:00

Here's something geeky but revolutionary just the same. Brilliant as far as I'm concerned. Needed and valuable. I like that. ;)

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-83292173498430432792007-08-10T14:31:00.000-07:002007-08-10T14:33:44.566-07:00

Sometimes I see something that moves me and is sufficiently "right on" that I feel I need to post it. This is one of those times:

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-25133495642710112342007-08-02T21:43:00.000-07:002007-08-02T21:48:41.859-07:00

Yesterday, I had a pro bono client who wanted to demo a new voice mail system at a conference. I came up with the idea of using Skype to record the call and found Call Recorder (for Mac).Today, because I had Call Recorder demo installed, while I was on a video conference call using Skype with a client, I had the idea of recording a message to my designer/producer having the client acknowledge his

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-84107788365644895732007-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:002007-08-01T11:15:41.980-07:00

Here's the kind of easy to use, immediate user feedback and ultra-highly-interactive application that makes Web 2.0 so interesting for me. Actually, it's a kind of convergence of online discussion forums & real time chat, all of which can be embedded within any page of your site. Impressive stuff!http://www.tangler.com/ | TechCruch review

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-52917235618782617892007-07-23T11:56:00.000-07:002007-07-23T11:59:06.555-07:00

And now for a dweeby 2 minute humor break. Enjoy!thanks to TechCrunch

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-76270279741440906642007-07-18T21:11:00.000-07:002007-07-18T21:21:59.909-07:00

Beet.TV is calling this a "boom time for niche media" as in Believe It: Boom Time in Niche Media is Now: Mediapost Sells for $23 Million....WallStrip Producer Explains the $5 Million Value Proposition for CBS..and More! Impressive sales for producers who started their own thing, only on the web. Real sales for real substantial dollars. Nothing pie in the sky. Unquestionably, internet video

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-35205274788703749732007-07-11T21:53:00.000-07:002007-07-11T21:58:27.389-07:00

I'm frequently asked about how much each of the big three search engines (Google, Yahoo & MSN) contribute in terms of traffic. Google of course dominates, but as this chart shows MSN has recently made progress toward overtaking Yahoo as #2. This has caused TechCrunch to ask: Could Microsoft Knock Off Yahoo To Become Google’s Biggest Competitor?

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-13108759858257107282007-07-08T14:28:00.000-07:002007-07-08T14:40:53.747-07:00

What's a video producer to do? We all want to have as many people as possible see whatever we produce... So should we upload our clips to MySpace, to YouTube, to Google Video, etc. etc. Or, wouldn't it be nice to have a simple web-based service that does this kind of distribution for us? Well, now there is. It's called Hey!Spread. Get it? They help you spread your video around the web.It's a

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-90424919191416786432007-07-06T11:12:00.000-07:002007-07-06T19:50:16.600-07:00

I don't think there are two better visionaries on the planet (of course, I'm partial to Steve Jobs), and while their joint appearance with Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg was covered in the news, I just discovered the complete coverage including transcripts and video clips (an edit of video excerpts is included below). Good stuff!Special thanks to Dr. Mac, Bob LeVitus for this link via his

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-32499509318047894772007-06-29T10:49:00.000-07:002007-06-29T10:57:36.315-07:00

I was pleased to cover the scintillating O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing conference that was held last week in San Jose for eContent magazine. It was a worthy conference filled with leading edge thinking (at least mostly.)My executive summary-style coverage is here: http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=36790Enjoy.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-22232139079406231982007-06-07T23:12:00.000-07:002007-06-07T23:23:18.585-07:00

Macs with Intel chips have been progressing toward total two-platform (Windows and Mac OS) integration on one desktop. Unfortunately, Apple's BootCamp requires you to reboot. Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac is just released and offers significant new features that really seem to enable a legitimate, simultaneous two-platform environment. Way cool! Now I just need to time to buy and install Windows

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-46279266844577623952007-06-04T09:51:00.000-07:002007-06-07T23:28:10.899-07:00

Perhaps amongst the most closely guarded secrets in the entire tech industry are the algorithms or formulas that include "signals" and "classifiers" that determine a website's position on Google's SERP's (search engine results pages).This Sunday's New York Times offered one of the clearest behind-the-scenes visits with those who make things happen at the Googleplex that I've seen including

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-45292355442514309532007-05-31T21:25:00.000-07:002007-05-31T21:36:16.601-07:00

It's been widely understood and acknowledged (ever since Google's January 2006 acquisition of dMarc Advertising) that Google would be launching an interface to sell radio advertising based on it's widely popular Google AdWords platform. Well, the wait is over. It's here. Now, anyone with an AdWords account can buy targeted radio advertising via a new tab at the top of their AdWords interface. The

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-58961103560957061762007-05-21T10:19:00.000-07:002007-05-21T10:36:09.161-07:00

Happy Monday. I'm on the run, but (as some of you know) what I think matters most about all this new media revolutionary... internet, digital video, and other technologies that are associated with the potential democratization of media (and so forth) is that all of this new media offers an alternative to the media circus that has largely replaced honest and informative journalism in our

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-10121607542546980372007-05-07T15:48:00.000-07:002007-05-07T15:57:14.878-07:00

Business 2.0 has a new "get-a-Mac" Apple TV ad before it's release on a day when Apple stock reached new heights, pre-iPhone's release (for which surveys are showing a strong demand). Seems it's a mad, mad new Apple world where the superior platform is even gaining market share.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-1872598662824831732007-05-02T09:36:00.000-07:002007-05-02T09:53:37.976-07:00

I know this is nothing new, but the experience is somehow different, especially when it happens to you unexpectedly. Here's what happened...I have a prospective consulting client in the UK. We've had a couple of phone calls and numerous emails. I was away on vacation last week and we planned to talk yesterday to catch up and finalize details. She suggested we use Skype. Truthfully, I've used

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-30037638023939206412007-04-17T16:48:00.000-07:002007-04-17T17:04:08.596-07:00

While Microsoft & ATT are quick to raise defensive legal questions (and Google's Eric Schmidt is quick to scoff at them, while also downplaying their new online presentation application), Sara Holoubeck at the DMNews (DM as in direct marketing) has some nice references to emerging ad exchange networks that introduce and integrate EBay-style bidding into online display advertising. Bottom line,

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-77573755081211801452007-04-17T09:29:00.000-07:002007-04-17T09:40:38.117-07:00

For your browsing pleasure... In announcing the new NetVibes roll-out of the ability to create public personalized pages, the marvelous Michael Arrington also offered his own personalized, customized TechCrunch NetVibes page "featuring many of my favorite news feeds and a few widgets."I offer this to you because it is a cool convergence. From my limited experience, NetVibes is my favorite

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-31287807925696318182007-04-12T17:20:00.000-07:002007-04-12T17:25:58.944-07:00

This is a basic issue for anyone who sends out email announcements or email newsletters. It's crucial to your "open rate" that the subject line be compelling and engaging. One useful point here that I've wondered about but never heard clearly defined is the 56-character space limit. Solid guidance. Dr. EBiz is generally a good resource too...http://www.wilsonweb.com/email/sugarman-subject-1.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-53971384311495493402007-03-25T10:03:00.000-07:002007-03-25T20:20:44.096-07:00

I love this. More evidence of the power of putting video online. More creative freedom and opportunities for creative people. More media power to the people. More breaking up of the old guard media empires (oh yeah, they call those "disruptive technologies"), etc.New York Times television "news" section calls its report: Online Yesterday, on Cable TodayEnjoy.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-90259642532526383682007-03-21T09:19:00.000-07:002007-03-21T09:32:31.511-07:00

This dude, ChrisG, is getting some well-deserved viral buzz. He's doing the blog thing well; and he's explaining what, why and how he's doing this blog thing well, all along the way. I know many folks out there are scratching their heads trying to understand the whole blogosphere and viral marketing phenom. Well, Chris' latest post, The Three Dimensions of Blogging: The Vital Combination Every

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-9518303512806926672007-03-19T18:29:00.000-07:002007-03-19T18:38:07.351-07:00

Toward the end of this interview on Beet.TV, Brad Inman of leading edge, yet professional internet video producer, TurnHere, gives the most credible explanation of why companies, corporations and other organizations should be creating their own YouTube channels. It's all about search.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-48488681156408100832007-03-12T09:34:00.000-07:002007-03-12T09:46:30.335-07:00

I've been wanting someone to write this article. (Thanks to Beet.TV for the tip.)A site called LightReading (which calls itself "the leading integrated business media company serving the telecommunications industry and other related next-generation communications markets") has published Online Video: Show Us the Money which includes information on no fewer than 75 video sharing sites with

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-69932829596483866382007-03-08T10:56:00.000-08:002007-03-08T11:06:13.180-08:00

Here are some very important pointers that are also some of the most common mistakes made by websites who want to be found by the search engines, and especially for those who want their websites to rank well for targeted keyword phrases. (This is also known as search engine optimization, SEO or SEM.)http://seoclass.com/blog/7-homework-items-to-complete-before-any-seo-class/(FYI, my e-book on

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-12576248064915503122007-03-04T11:52:00.000-08:002007-03-04T11:58:21.183-08:00

I made a post re the build-your-own-social-network platform Ning below, so this is just a small follow up because I couldn't resist passing along TechCrunch's quote of the NYTimes quoting Ning's founder, Marc Andreesen regarding Cisco's buyout of social network-building company Tribe.Andreesen said, "The idea that Cisco is going to be a force in social networking is about as plausible as Ning

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-88477674261984394362007-02-28T08:55:00.000-08:002007-02-28T09:47:49.180-08:00

Yesterday, I started experimenting with Ning, and I was impressed. It's amazingly powerful for such an truly easy-to-use system. Now, (no kidding) virtually anyone with an ounce of web-savvy can create their own social networking website. This is Web 2.0 at it's best. (Oh, and I should mention this company is backed in large part by Marc Andreesen.)But why take my word for it, when Ning's

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-22978398896935514702007-02-27T22:27:00.000-08:002007-02-27T22:33:16.580-08:00

If you still don't believe that there's money to be made, not to mention good marketing buzz to be generated, with online video clips, then you better check out The New York Times coverage of the competition between video sites to make revenue sharing deals with producers and talent who can develop a following using online video. They call it, New Hot Properties: YouTube Celebrities.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-27796805173303229742007-02-22T16:48:00.000-08:002007-02-22T17:30:33.908-08:00

Great video illuminating Web 2.0. Thanks, Kanas State U. ;)OR a higher-quality WMV version of this video is available here.Enjoy.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-45995935071849440932007-02-22T09:56:00.000-08:002007-02-28T09:49:21.227-08:00

There are many ways to look at the launch of Google's new Apps platform, but for me, it looks like a pretty cool and very low cost ($50/year/user) way for a small business to do a web site without traditional hosting, and with a bunch of neat features. Because it supports direct domain (as well as sub-domain) hosting and includes integrated e-mail as well as a bunch of features (from Google Page

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-23407677379971908902007-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:002007-02-21T10:28:45.986-08:00

One nice thing about the online video explosion, revolution, or whatever you want to call it, is that it does have signposts. (FYI, I'm still waiting for some professional publisher to ask me to write more about all this... hello?!).But meanwhile here are a couple of recent articles and/or posts that I found to be of interest and encouraging re: the re-emergence of my own "video-video"

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-87076213309485968082007-02-07T09:45:00.000-08:002007-02-08T08:52:03.860-08:00

Ever since the early days of the Internet and the original Napster MP3 download craze, the issue of digital rights management (DRM) and the security of the intellectual property rights of artists vs the new environment of sharing and collaboration offered by the Internet has been a controversial subject.For example, I wrote a kind of inflamatory piece in Videography in the year 2000 called "

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-66717359018620326712007-02-02T16:39:00.000-08:002007-02-02T17:13:17.874-08:00

Sighting a pressing TV industry need to monetize the "massive interest in online (video) content," eMarketer.com summarized an Informa Telecoms & Media research report (which I could not find on their site) including numbers that would make almost any venture investor salivate. For example, "In the US alone, revenues are forecast to rise from $538 million in 2006 to nearly $4 billion in 2012.""

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-26141544455208217502007-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:002007-01-31T20:08:33.008-08:00

I've commented before about the expansion of local search, other convergent tools for local search, and even a directory of local search directories. All in support of small businesses who are recognizing that being found on the web is now far more important than being found in the paper yellow pages.Now, thanks to the AlwaysOn.com Media 100 "special awards for market disruption," I've

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-64488790820835241722007-01-29T11:03:00.001-08:002007-01-29T11:12:29.945-08:00

Last Friday I was interviewed for an hour by the delightful hosts of the eMarketing Talk Show. The four-part interview, "Leveraging your Website to Grow your Business: Best Internet Marketing Practices for Small Businesses" is posted here: http://www.emarketingtalkshow.com/advertising-agencies/online-strategies.aspI look forward to your feedback. I hope it's useful to many of you as a solid

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-91966551638527178742007-01-21T22:02:00.000-08:002007-01-21T22:34:26.702-08:00

Here are a couple of interesting Web 2.0 style online user-generated content creation services I've come across lately:> Weebly.com has an impressive video demo that makes it look (to me, at least) like Weebly may well be about the easiest way available for almost anyone to create a website. The video demo shows a drag and drop, practically brain-dead simple interface... and that's a good thing!>

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-21133162776780447412007-01-16T14:10:00.001-08:002007-01-16T15:28:44.466-08:00

The battle for the distribution of broadcast programming via the Web is heating up. Apple's iTunes Store has made big waves by selling TV shows at $1.99 each. Now NetFlix is rolling out what is essentially a perk for membership. Free downloadable TV shows. Here's the TechCrunch overview of this announcement and the official NetFlix press release and the NYTimes perspective.

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-86530510114168230042007-01-14T13:08:00.000-08:002007-01-14T13:09:32.257-08:00

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-51353285943315116112007-01-12T14:52:00.000-08:002007-01-12T16:36:24.024-08:00

Many folks are mystified by Cisco's suit of Apple over the name of Apple's truly sensational, hot new iPhone. And, by the way, I agree with many that this is a true "leapfrog" product that is literally years ahead of the competition and will have a huge impact on the market like the iPod.I think I know what's going on with this lawsuit. It's just a hunch, but it rings true at least to me. Bottom

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-58129637721455652972007-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:002007-01-08T19:34:40.227-08:00

I'm still amazed at how many people have not yet discovered that effective, results-producing search engine marketing (and PPC, pay-per-click search engine advertising) begins with keyword research. It's really BIG TIME IMPORTANT!And, while my favorite keyword research tool is Trellian Keyword Discovery, a friend and fellow search engine marketer forwarded me the following link which is packed

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-6442065444125419362007-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:002007-01-05T14:23:09.085-08:00

(Sometimes I still feel like I'm covering the "Video Web" the way I did in my "old days" at Videography, yet I know not how many of you readers even know or care.)I not only think that AdBrite's new InVideo service is useful and practical, but I really like the fact that they're walking their talk with a quick, clean and illustrative video that does a good job (see below) of explaining the

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-9589288691076264262006-12-23T10:40:00.000-08:002006-12-23T10:54:42.200-08:00

This arrived via the blogosphere... a geek humor goodie, all in good cheer.Click here to read the sad but true story of how our world has changed such that our little ones are being given a new, albeit perhaps less magical view of so-called "reality" ;)Merry merry and happy happy!JL

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-2710373848709782452006-12-18T20:57:00.000-08:002007-01-05T13:49:18.015-08:00

I've been talking about how hot the online video business and content is getting for months, but it's now beyond my comprehension. Not only are the Skype founders testing a new broadband video service and the NY Times is reporting a new online video service being put together by "a handful of giant media companies, like NBC Universal, the News Corporation, Viacom and possibly CBS," but

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-73499393134625579082006-12-18T10:21:00.000-08:002007-01-05T13:50:21.713-08:00

Any of you blog readers remember my Videography columns? Just curious. In any case, FYI for the rest of you, I've been writing about video on the web since the first streaming video vendors (in fact I consulted by VDONet which preceeded Real in terms of online video). Not that that's important, but it's nice to see the financial eco-system aka the online video marketplace coming of age to a point

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-27999968958675655072006-12-17T17:09:00.000-08:002006-12-18T07:04:22.786-08:00

Great entertainment, er, performance art from France via the "video web"... enjoyjerome muratUploaded by segalier

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-61997731104889478252006-11-28T11:16:00.000-08:002006-11-28T11:18:12.861-08:00

Washington Post is ahead of this announcement

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-27013364315144966282006-11-27T19:57:00.000-08:002006-11-27T20:12:24.856-08:00

Web content is becoming more and more modularized, and Web 2.0 is increasing efficiencies with windows within the browser window... One of the most useful applications I've seen that solves a real problem for me is Meebo.com. First of all, I'm using two IM (instant messenger) applications these days, having collegues using both AIM (via Mac's iChat) and Yahoo Messenger. This meant I needed to run

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10784208.post-83945856052285538402006-11-27T09:19:00.000-08:002006-11-27T09:32:19.152-08:00

I can't believe that I've not posted a thing that I learned at Webmaster World in Vegas two weeks ago, but bottom line: search marketing and search advertising as well as online viral, word of mouth marketing are hot and garnering a bigger and bigger piece of the US business marketing dollar pie. For example, this eMarketer report summarizes a consensus among analysts that internet advertising

Jon Lelandnoreply@blogger.com0