Universal Broadband, Policy and Blogging with Digg

There are two posts below this one. They are actually two articles that I "dugg" over at Digg about something that I find very important. Broadband access. It's a theme that was discussed at the e-State conference I was at back in May, and it is clear it is an issue that is gaining more and more attention nationally.

In the first article, note that Google has joined a group of other businesses, activists, individuals and policymakers to bring the Internet to everyone. Check out the Internet For Everyone website at http://www.internetforeveryone.org.

The second article is from "The Social" blog from CNet and it's about...well the same thing. We need to stop getting razzle-dazzled by tools (shiny objects) and focus in on what is important. The next "big thing" in policy and politics isn't about social media and getting people to spend their money...it's getting access to the internet for every citizen in this country.

I've blogged both posts to add to the buzz and I've joined the internet for everyone campaign. You should too.

There's a nifty little widget on their home page that lets you see how your state "stacks up". Here in Vermont as of 2007 326,700 people did not have Broadband. Um...guess what folks...that is more than 50% of Vermonters who do NOT HAVE Broadband access. In this case the glass is half empty for sure.

So Vermont policy-makers...what do you think? Who will lead the charge and push this "e-State"?

Champlain College Online Marketing Bootcamp Day 2: Google Website Optimizer

Another whirlwind day has wrapped up here at the Online Marketing Bootcamp. Today's focus was on the new Google tool: Alex Broussard with EpikOne, who is the VP for Technology and Co-Founder of this local company, this session was beyond thorough. While it ranged into the far too technical around some of the CSS work, the walk through of the Optimizer appliance using a testing ground for one of Epik's clients was incredibly valuable. It's fairly simple to implement as long as you know a little html and have some design skills -- or if you have a good team of people to work with.

Basically you need to have a plan -- take a look at your site funnel analysis and see where your problem area is -- the area where you want to enhance conversions -- then select a few items you might want to change. If they are images, come up with the variations, if it is text do the same thing. Then walk through the optimizer, put the right code on your testing and conversion pages, insert the variations into the tool and then launch. Wait. Wait. Wait.

The length of time you wait will depend on the amount of traffic to your site. But no worries, the Optimizer tool will tell you when it's done. Then, select the winning combination of changes that increase your conversions.

Implement the changes.

Wa La!

Check out this case study for a client of EpikOne.

Now the big challenge -- how does this fit in the classroom? Does it fit in the Internet-marketing class...or is it for the Web Developers? Or BOTH? Lot's to consider.

Tomorrow is Web Analytics Wednesday. We'll see how that one goes!

Online Marketing Bootcamp

Keeping up with it...that's one of the biggest challenges a full-time professor who teaches internet marketing has. The changes that keep on coming since I originally developed and taught my first section of Internet-based Marketing here at Champlain are astounding!

I began teaching the course in the Spring of 2001. Since that time, the course has evolved and the tools have changed dramatically and we'll be changing the course again this summer in order to accomodate the right blend of tools AND theory.

All this is a world where social media (check out the consortium!) is now the big buzzword (it didn't exist last year!) and "experts" in the field are figuring it out on the fly as it develops! It's fascinating to read other blogs (such as Influential Interactive Marketing and BizNology and Occams Razor to name a few) about the field of interactive marketing and how the professionals are spinning what is happening and how to take advantage of these new opportunities.

What is interesting to me is that many of these professionals are not talking about the challenge of EDUCATION. How do I, as someone who is responsible for educating future marketing and e-business professionals ensure that I am truly preparing these students for what is to come? They are the ones who are living the social media as "fun" and who I find are often surprised that they could be hired because they know how to "friend" people in MySpace, and send event invitations in Facebook! They are also the same students who were STUNNED by SecondLife and even had negative reactions to the whole thing. So where does that leave us?

Here at Champlain we've got not only an Internet-based Marketing course that students are required to take, but we also have instituted a series of one credit courses in Internet Tactics that the students take in their senior year -- it's the only way to ensure they have the cutting edge tools that they will need in the workplace. The Internet Marketing class is for sophomores and juniors -- by the time they graduate there is already a host of new tools and tactics that weren't there before! Frankly, we aren't teaching Shakespeare and history here -- it's changing so fast that there aren't textbooks that really get at this (for more on that, see my other blog!).

So this summer Google and Champlain and Epik One are teaming together to offer an online marketing bootcamp. Yours truly will be in the classroom learning so she can pass on what she has learned in the fall to her students. And of course I read every blog I can and follow as much as I can.

However, the key is not just to know the tactic, but more importantly, is this something to focus on? Does it have staying power? And...will it help you to better reach your audience? That's the tough part, and where I need to be better than any of the experts -- because I have to take what they are doing and bring that into my classroom and help my students to know not just the tactic but how to apply it -- and when not too!

More from Online Marketing Bootcamp and classroom application next week....

GooTube and Social Media Optimization

So Google has purchased YouTube. It's the next in a string of interesting acquisitions that include Rubert Murdock purchasing MySpace and Yahoo! buying up Facebook. Of course what makes it even more interesting is the way that all of these sites are linked together! Check out this article from Media Bulletin where they discuss the "talks" that are now going on between MySpace and Google around the use of YouTube. With all the linking from MySpace to YouTube there's a lot of traffic at stake.

They reference the battle for the youth market. Hmmm...anyone looking at the recent stats on MySpace's demographic? According to eMarketer, MySpace is going GREY!! Ok..I must take offense to that one, given the fact that I am 39 and the numbers show that MySpace is appealing to more 35 year-olds. Gee whiz folks...when did that become GREY?? Over 51% of MySpace visitors were 35 and older in August. Teens dropped from 24% to 11%! Well I do have my own theory on this one. I think it's all the parents checking up on their kids MySpace pages! FINALLY!! They do note that it's not quanity...but quality of the visit that should count and in that the kids are making up for their lower numbers in a lot more time spent! So where are the kids going now? It seems that Xanga.com is reaching that market...Xanga is a blogging space and a networking space and a...dessert topping...a floor wax....

On to other things...very quickly as the time is running out before I turn into a pumpkin. So I'm teaching this Online Visibility Class and already my title is out of date! Although the topic is right on the money it would seem. A look around the web at a series of blogs brought up one that I'll be reading often Influential Internet Marketing. In the blog, Rohit Bhargava, an internet marketing professional with Olgivy PR highlights some of the most cutting edge and exciting innovations in online PR. What I'm calling Online Visibilty he's now calling SOCIAL MEDIA OPTIMIZATION. Actually makes sense. Wikipedia has a definition. There's even a voting option for it at CHANGE THIS!

Do I buy it? Yep I do. The more I look at how the web is creating a set of networks that allow us to go beyond the typical media channel and actually allow our customers to enage with the brand, how it enables tighter niche marketing and how technology is creating opportunities that we never saw before (check out the whole Second Life thing on Bhargava's blog this week!), the more I'm convinced that the power of PR and Marketing is expanding in ways that many aren't even thinking of.

Now just try being a professor and keeping up with all of that!

Hmmm...Shakespeare is looking very very good to me.