November 2011
1 post
Blathering on Twitter or engaging your target... →
Is it okay to sometimes blather on Twitter? Or do you always have to be “all business all the time”?
October 2011
7 posts
6 tags
Not tech savvy but need a pie chart for your...
Trust me, for the uber tech savvy this is no big feat. However, if you need a pie chart for your article there really isn’t much of an easier way to get one. All you need is a label and a number. In other other Joe - 5, Mike - 7, Mary - 4 … and you can have a 3D pie chart image to use in your blog, article, presentation - whatever.
Go ahead and have fun with it.Amplify’d from...
4 tags
Putting a link in Twitter? Beginning, middle or...
So where in your Tweets is the best place to put your links? I bet if you guess you’d say ______.
Well, Dan Zarrella knows. Or at least has a good idea. Further, he’s going to share it with you.
Give me a whole new idea for a Twitter app …Amplify’d from danzarrella.com
New Twitter Data: Optimal Link Placement for Clicks
One of the questions that I’ve been asked the...
5 tags
Spark up your comment counter!
Holidays are often a little slow around the holidays for big clients and a great time for small businesses to get some really slick custom development for their sites and pages. Here’s just one thing you can get into that really makes your site pop out from the crowd.
You can probably think of ideas that never crossed my mind - fundraisers, membership drives, event participation, clicks on...
4 tags
Samsung vs. Apple: Corporate Warfare the Sequel
Isn’t it amazing how times change and so do the contestants on the battlefield for your consumer dollar changes? For that matter as the products change we see small players explode onto the scene and challenge companies who, only months before, would have bought them and gutted them just to shut them up.
Well, that’s not what’s happening here - this is more bloody that...
3 tags
Facebook: Still run by children, not likely to...
I have again and again challenged Facebook on their childish approach to running their multi-billion dollar industry satisfactorily. One of my guests, a college friend of the Facebook founder, became quite animated and offended when I accused Facebook of being operated like a child’s game of checkers where the rules change daily in favor of the board owner.
Let’s face it, Facebook is...
5 tags
You mean the interest rate affects loan...
Yes! Now you’re getting it. With lower interest rates you can qualify for more home - especially with prices as low as they are today.
Take 3 minutes and read this very short article on how and why a higher interest rate can keep you from qualify for the same home you qualify for at lower rates.Amplify’d from kennycook.comFor people who need to purchase a new home in the Atlanta area the...
3 tags
Alibaba Buying Yahoo?
In case you aren’t familiar with Alibaba they are the Hong Kong based company who made history in 2007 with the second largest internet based IPO of, I believe it was $1.7billion, only surpassed by Google’s IPO at the time.
That said, Jack Ma’s amazing vision is now, realistically, positioned well to consummate just such a purchase.Amplify’d from www.bloomberg.comAlibaba’s Ma...
September 2011
3 posts
4 tags
I Told You So
Let me repeat myself at the risk of sounding crude, “I told you so.”
No Federal program is ever going to rescue the economy or people’s futures from their failed pasts. Never. It is inherently, sociologically impossible. This is just another failed social program created for one purpose only: to buy votes. Only this time it failed before the deal could be consummated.Amplify’d...
5 tags
Google is not a demigod. Or not.
When called to “testify” in front of Congress it’s not like being asked, “Did you wash your hands? Did you use soap?” by your mommy. How does Google *not* “cook the search results” would be a more accurate question and elicit better honesty. Like my mom used to ask, “Which soap did you use when you washed your hands?” No getting around that...
4 tags
Yahoo without Bartz - hope for recovery?Or "who...
Frankly I don’t care. Yahoo has gone so far to the “hate big business support socialism” side of the map I’m hoping they will just go ahead and sell what’s left. Could I have done better? Absolutely - because I know how to sell, know how to develop a team that’s excited to perform for me and I don’t cuss you during pep rallies.
Adios Bartz. You’ve...
August 2011
10 posts
7 tags
I would call this an act of war
When a government of one nation possesses the power to affect the citizens of another nation and they use it - that’s an act of war. Or in my opinion it is. Just because the act took place in digital space makes it no less interruptive to the flow of business or the privacy of the citizens of the nation affected.Amplify’d from www.computerworld.comHackers acquire Google certificate, could...
3 tags
Short Sale Fraud, really?
This may sound like I’m throwing real estate agents under the bus but I am. Just not the ones who are my friends or want to be my friend …Amplify’d from www.nationalmortgagenews.comFreddie, Realtors Look to Stop Short-Sale FraudFreddie Mac’s fraud investigation unit is reaching out to Realtor associations and real estate agents to educate them about how to prevent fraudulent...
3 tags
Patch up your patchy Apache
Apache isn’t new to vulnerability exploitations. But when a major announcement goes out you had better pay attention. Follow the links to see if you are affected and what to do then come say hi. Looking for technical, communications and marketing guest bloggers at the fairly high traffic http://thekencook.com and http://socialmediaedge.comAmplify’d from www.zdnet.com‘Kill tool’...
4 tags
Sprint to the Apple?
Interesting development. Does this mean I get to do an actual nuts to nuts comparison?Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.comSprint to Get iPhone 5
Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, closing a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier’s lineup and giving Apple Inc. another channel for selling its popular...
6 tags
I laugh - the Apples think HP signals end of...
Let’s face it, HP has great success in the document world - floundering in the computer hardware world from beginning to present. Apple is indeed vicious in their attack and trying to dominate the sphere through force. That just means they know the prize is valuable and makes some start-up out there think of the way to succeed in spite of the constant assault of litigation.
If I were...
3 tags
HubSpot buys Laura Fitton's OneForty.com
Hey Laura, can I borrow a few quid?Amplify’d from oneforty.comAlmost exactly 32 months ago today a crazy thought — Twitter needs an appstore! — flashed through my head. Despite my strong instincts to run like hell in the other direction, oneforty managed to tumble its way into an incredibly fortunate existence (a long story, very well told here and here). Thanks to the labor and investments of...
5 tags
SkyNet is your friend ...
A reference to Terminator for those not familiar, SkyNet is the great mechanical collective making war on the human race. I really don’t equate Google with SkyNet but for their competition it may, at time, seem that way.
Google versus Apple and RIM. That’s what this war is. Apple just won a suit against HTC for patent infringement but that won’t matter to Google because they...
4 tags
Droidmobile causes havoc
Well, not exactly. I just thought to use a little sensationalism on a hot and humid Atlanta Friday afternoon. I reality, though, the Google car did collide with another Prius. The article is worth reading because of why they thought the Google Prius may have kissed into another Prius.Amplify’d from jalopnik.comThis is Google’s first self-driving car crashYet Google has never answered the question...
3 tags
Video goes viral, sales still suck
It would be difficult for me to say with any verifiable accuracy how many people have asked me if I could make their product go viral. Likewise it would be difficult to number the times I have seen an advertisement for someone who will make my product go viral.
Now that we have viral experience (I created ViralRealEstate.com in 2006 and it did not by the way) we can begin to look at experience...
8 tags
63 Percent of Americans Oppose Debt Limit Increase
Join object of attack (John McCain’s attack) Sharron Angle and fellow Joe Miller. Both friendlies of the Tea Party Caucus. Live at 8PM tonight to answer the questions - “WTH is wrong with Washington DC” and “just how deadly is this deal to the American future?”
The only way to get there is here: http://hobbits.eventbrite.com/...
July 2011
5 posts
6 tags
PayPal targeted for attack by hacker groups
I want to say a lot - most of it would be negative so formulate your own opinions.
I will say this: full force and authority of the law with swift justice. Or shoot to kill, whichever.Amplify’d from www.abmuku.comHacker Groups Anonymous and LulzSec Target PayPal, ‘Operation PayPal’ (#OpPayPal) Launched#OpPayPal (Operation PayPal) has been launched by the Anonymous and LulzSec hacker groups in...
4 tags
Sour Apples
I’m all for protecting patents, trademarks and copyrights. Except people who say God inspired them. Maybe it works for people who say LSD inspired them, too, Mr. Jobs.
Either way Apple still sucks in my experience and I love my Evo and Xoom for hundreds of reasons. I once drank the Apple koolaid and it upset my tummy - very badly. I only use an Apple product by absolute force these days. ...
2 tags
Is Google+ Destroying Facebook's Dreams?
I am not a fan of either the methodology of Facebook or their PR style. That said I am interested in the War of the Behemoths …Amplify’d from www.businessinsider.comGoogle Plus Is DESTROYING Facebook’s Dreams, And Facebook Isn’t Playing FairWhat’s so interesting about this is that Facebook is handling the attack in precisely the WRONG way. It’s alienating users,...
3 tags
Netflix trending because of a price increase
If you’ve missed it you have not spent much time in the social space: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and probably LinkedIn and even My[___] if it still exists.Amplify’d from www.zdnet.comNetflix’s pricing backlash: Follow the money, churn ratesNetflix’s pricing move is all about the money. By unbundling DVD and streaming services, Netflix is reflecting its costs better. Unfortunately for...
4 tags
Group contributed blogs. Good, bad and ugly.
I have done this successfully and participated in blogs that were done both successfully and not so. Here are some tips, most of these points I agree with, about running a blog (or any type of community site) where multiple people will be contributing.
I can tell you this - you cannot MAKE people post a certain number of times per week, month or even year. If you want to do that, pay them. You...
June 2011
10 posts
9 tags
You can't say God at a funeral in Houston?
You can’t make this stuff up, people. It seems Obama’s National Cemetery policy, at least in Houston, Texas, does not allow family members or anyone attending a funeral to use the word God or the name Jesus, or to bring a Bible, to the cemetery without direct consent of the direct, Arleen Ocasio.
Where’s the ACLU now? Bet you don’t find them defending this one!Amplify’d...
5 tags
Government spies on medical professionals?
I’m not sure what you call this, I know what I call it, when a government employee calls a medical service provider “pretending” to be an actual customer when they aren’t.
If this is okay with you then please move to a more suitable European nation, preferably Italy or Spain. Goodbye.Amplify’d from spectator.orgObama’s Medical Mystery ShoppersOn Tuesday evening,...
6 tags
Consumer confidence heads for shelter, in the...
There are a lot of storms this year. Tornadoes have ravaged parts of the country where they are rarely spotted. Floods have covered the plains states and there seems to be no sign of slowing.
What did we expect from the economy with the storm brewing in DC? The jobless rate is astronomical, gas prices - holy cats! Food prices up, up and up. And now home sales down yet another 2%.
Here’s...
6 tags
Apple wins wide ranging patent suit
Apple owns the patent to the mobile touch screen…
If you want to dance with the devil sue the bugger. Or at least as close as you can get. Nokia and Samsung have been sparring in court with no-holds-barred Apple over various technology patents for the last several months and one by one they are coming before the judge.
In technology and art it’s not who actually did something first...
3 tags
Facebook "fatigue"? That's a new one.
Has Facebook reached the natural cap for users? This article seems to assert that possibility. Then again maybe all of Roger Ebert’s fan(s) quit.
Speaking of which, what about his page being deleted then re-opened? Think the kids at FB thumbed him because they didn’t know he had clout with a couple of people? Or how did he get turned back on so quickly?Amplify’d from news.sky.com
...
4 tags
Advice: Think mobile
Get yourself prepared for the switch to mobile. Video and audio will become vastly more important in your strategy and operations. I am also still amazed to see how many people do not have mobile ready web sites and blogs. Save yourself embarrassment and missed opportunity. 877-700-0536Amplify’d from www.marketingcharts.comSmartphone Data Usage Grows RapidlySmartphone owners, especially those...
7 tags
Successful Social Selling
When I ask people to raise their hands if they think they spend too much time online for the value they get in return it is never a surprise when as many as 50% of the people raise their hands.
The goal of this workshop is to cure that for those who attend. Quite literally these presenters are some of the very best in the industry and have actually proven they know what they are talking about....
3 tags
With the Groupon IPO the hot topic of the day -...
If you were going to lend your cousin $100 wouldn’t you want to know what he did with the $50 he just got a few minutes ago?
I’m not interested in Groupon for myself. If I had the power to get in big then get out quickly, perhaps within hours, maybe I’d go in. Maybe Groupon can outbest the competition but everybody has a freakin’ Groupon knockoff today. I know 7 people...
5 tags
We’re on the verge of a great, great depression....
Interesting words. Not mine. But I definitely agree. What I called “smoke and mirrors” under the Clinton administration was held in check throughout the second Bush’s administration in part because nothing really changed.
And the cause is a massive 2 year build up of debt and increase in the size and scope of the federal government.
The unprecedented debt load under which we...
5 tags
How to miss a free chance to reach 13% of American...
This only requires 1 simple step: Don’t “get” Twitter.
How many people have said, “I don’t get Twitter” or “Twitter is a time suck”?Amplify’d from pewinternet.org13% of online adults use the status update service Twitter, which represents a significant increase from the 8% of online adults who identified themselves as Twitter users in November...
May 2011
4 posts
4 tags
Worst kept secret in Silicon Valley revealed
And the funny thing is I personally don’t care about this secret except for the fact that 4.7% of the people who access my data use an Apple product of some sort and I do care about them. Welcome to the cloud Mr. Jobs.Amplify’d from www.wired.comworst kept secret in Silicon ValleyApple Announces iCloud, Steve Jobs WWDC KeynoteApple has confirmed maybe the worst kept secret in Silicon...
5 tags
HTC to serve up unlocked bootloaders
I know. I’m a total propeller head. Then that’s no secret. What can I do with an unlocked bootloader that I can’t do now? Muhwahahahaha!
Here’s the Facebook thread: https://www.facebook.com/HTC/posts/10150307320018084Amplify’d from www.bgr.com“There has been overwhelmingly customer feedback that people want access to open bootloaders on HTC phones. I want you to know that...
4 tags
Macy's doing social marketing right? And why you...
There has been so much deep conversation lately as “social media grows up” about who is doing what right and wrong. There was the Burger King fiasco last summer.
Jonathan Salem Baskin recently wrote in AdAge, “Burger King has grilled through a couple of CMOs and fired agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky after producing Facebook campaigns and viral videos that got lots of...
3 tags
What is "Red Day"?
Glad you asked. Here’s the answer:Amplify’d from www.kw.comWhat is Red Day?RED Day (Renew, Energize and Donate) is an initiative dedicated to celebrating Keller Williams Realty’s year-round commitment to improving our local communities. Each year, on the second Thursday in May, tens of thousands of associates from across the United States and Canada participate in a wide range of projects,...
April 2011
13 posts
5 tags
The science of selecting keywords
You can just write and hope - affectionately known in a former life as “spray and pray” or you can know what to do, how do to it and what to expect. More importantly you can know what to do if what you expect does not occur.
It’s “just SEO” …Amplify’d from activerain.comThe science and reward of selecting the right keywords“I am number one on...
3 tags
Silver lining in real estate recovery?
We’ve all talked about the bottom. We have asked, “is this the bottom?” Sometimes we have even been overheard to say, “this has got to be the bottom!”
The graph shows the dramatic decline in new home sales. Recent activity has been just as unstable as the graph portrays.
So, are we at the bottom? Was February the end of the (obviously) largest dip in new home sales...
5 tags
A serious competitor to iPad in Nook?
Barnes and Noble sure hopes so. With Android 2.2 it has plenty of computing experience to get the job done. And with Barnes & Noble pushing it the user base just may jump precipitously!Amplify’d from www.zdnet.comNook Color gets official update to make it a real Android tabletThere has been quite an active community around the Nook Color and hacking it to get full Android 2.2 on it with...
6 tags
How do you know when you are succeeding?
Funny. I can tell you how to find out when you are succeeding but only you can tell when you are truly succeeding. We read and hear so much theory we forget to rely on what really matters: achieving goals.Amplify’d from thekencook.comQuantifying success: Only you truly know when you are succeedingA few days ago there was a post by Yet Another Social Media Guru who was giving a formula for success...
4 tags
Awaiting sentencing for $3 billion fraud
Having been in the mortgage banking industry for years we used to wonder, “how in the world can (insert other company name here) close this loan?” We would with great regularity deny a loan only to have the agent or borrower let us know later they closed at this broker or that broker or some other lender. From looking at the files we knew there was no way they were good loans....
5 tags
Managing online reputation
This article was originally directed at medical professionals, primarily doctors, but has some very good directives. The bullet points, with the exception of discussing in the stream with (patients) customers, is excellent advice for everyone.
It’s worth the 3 minute read.Amplify’d from www.boston.comMDs online: Navigating social mediMDs online: Navigating social mediaGoogle yourself:...
5 tags
WordPress.com hacked (again)
Look - nothing is 100% secure. One of the biggest reasons to host your own WordPress installation (http://relt.us/host) is because when WordPress.com gets hacked the entire site gets hacked - your site becomes vulnerable.
Chances are the hackers won’t care too much about your WP install on your self-hosted account. Not to mention you have total control over what your WP can do - as in you...
5 tags
More interesting Facebook: Is it peaked?
Earlier today I wrote about some interesting Facebook talk from over at Tech Crunch where the storyline seemed to imply Facebook is toast. http://ht.ly/4yNKd
Now here is this infographic from Ignite data posted in a Mashable article about winners and losers. Guess which column defines Facebook?
Weigh in at http://ht.ly/4yNKd for the quick, one question reader poll.Amplify’d from mashable.comThe...
5 tags
The economy of the mortgaged family
These numbers really are not too surprising. They bring out facts you may not have already know and lead to some clues about how long it will be until the US housing market recovers or at least begins to look more positive.
For people to sell one home and buy another today is a challenge born out in these statistics: If you have to bring money to the closing when you sell just to cover the...
8 tags
Is Google really ready for Facebook war?
We know Google wants to be Skynet and what anarcho-capitalist wouldn’t? The question is are they really ready for the war? Facebook is an unconventional giant. They prove regularly the petulance of youth, even if that is an exaggeration, as they make decisions with seeming disregard for their users. The question is does Facebook know how to fight conventionally or will a war with Google...