What Ohioans Are Saying About SOPA and PIPA

This post is from John Roscoe, Senior Director at Strategic Public Partners Group.

What Ohioans Are Saying About SOPA and PIPA

On Wednesday, dozens of websites including Wikipedia, Mozilla and Reddit “blacked out” in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), which are both under consideration in Congress. The PROTECT IP Act is scheduled for a vote in the Senate on January 24.

Here’s what Ohioans are saying about SOPA and PIPA:

“While I support and respect Intellectual Property rights, SOPA and PIPA are fundamentally flawed bills which I do not support. Both of these bills would restrict Americans’ ability to access sites on the Internet, impose burdensome and costly new regulations on web companies and expand the powers of the federal government to police the Internet.”

–Congressman Mike Turner, (OH-3)

http://www.facebook.com/RepMikeTurner?sk=wall

“Please know I have concerns about the legislation and I do not support SOPA in its current form; it could infringe on first amendment rights.”

–Congressman Steve Stivers, (OH-15)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rep-Steve-Stivers/116058275133542

“Therefore, I do not support SOPA in its current form and I am waiting to see what the final product will be when it comes before the full House for a vote. If I believe it infringes on the 1st Amendment I won’t support it.”

–Congressman Jim Renacci, (OH-16)

http://www.facebook.com/notes/congressman-jim-renacci/where-i-stand-on-online-piracy-updated/364778993536958

“While I agree that online piracy is a growing problem, like many of you, I have serious concerns that SOPA could have serious unintended consequences. Some provisions would allow companies to force internet providers to shut down site without any judicial approval as well as hold third party providers, like universities, responsible for what individuals upload onto sites.”

–Congressman Bob Gibbs, (OH-18)

http://www.facebook.com/RepBobGibbs

“SOPA and PIPA are well-intentioned proposals that attempt to address online piracy concerns; however, in their current form the legislation goes too far. The proposals can present damaging ramifications to free speech, global cybersecurity and Internet functionality. At this time, I do not support SOPA and Protect IP Act in their current form, and I hope further committee hearings will be held to resolve these concerns.”

–Congressman Bob Latta, (OH-5)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bob-Latta/115988005143254?sk=wall

“Basically what this bill does is put too much of a burden on companies like Wikipedia to start really policing the vast majority of info that are on their sites.”

–Congressman Tim Ryan, (OH-17)

http://www.wytv.com/content/news/local/story/Anti-Piracy-Legislation-Could-Affect-Local-Firms/RLsHAaFn3E2-N3-kKcWTLw.cspx

“I am against SOPA and PIPA because it would censor the Internet. This legislation would affect innovation of online marketers and how we do business. Overall, I think it’s unlawful to allow an IP owner to shut down a website without even a legal hearing or trial with the alleged copyright infringer.”

– Jonathan Levey, co-chair of SEMPO Cleveland & Online Marketing Specialist with Fathom, Valley View

“These bills will absolutely cost jobs, and search engines, social media sites and bloggers will be greatly affected.  Plus, the people who want to pirate content online will still find ways to do so.  Piracy is a problem, yes. SOPA and PIPA are simply not the solution.”

–Bill Balderaz, President, Webbed Marketing, Columbus

http://www.webbedmarketing.com/blog

“This is a bill which will do almost nothing to actually stop piracy (which is, of course, already illegal), but will further rig the system in favor of those already entrenched at the top. It would give authority to copyright holders to sue internet start-ups and any site found to be hosting links (or links to links) featuring copyrighted material.”

–Eric Chase, Edgewood

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/letters/2012/01/18/voicing-opposition-to-sopa-bill/

“My opinion is that this bill is entirely the wrong approach to solving copyright issues. It makes community sites liable for content posted by users, and the risk runs as high as having their domain eliminated from the internet. In essence, it is remarkably similar to the Chinese approach to controlling internet content: if it is disagreeable to those in power, block it.”

– Brian Guilfoos, Editor, Plunderblund

http://www.plunderbund.com/2012/01/18/sopapipa-what-you-need-to-know/

“The problem with the legislation is that it is written too broadly.  For instance, the bill states that to prevent liability sites and their hosts must take “technically feasible and reasonable measures” to prevent unlawful content from appearing on their site.  Unfortunately, the broadly interpreted definition of “technically feasible and reasonable measures” means that a judge could determine just how stringent a university’s network security measures should be.”
– Rick Cartwright, New Media Dayton

http://www.rickcartwright.com/blog/
“We are threatening our abilities to learn, grow, entertain and conduct business. There has been roughly 43 years of invested knowledge from amazing thinkers, business people, programmers, who had the ingenuity to change the landscape of how we live our lives. In just one signing and passing of a bill, we erase years of dedication. Not to mention, jeopardizing the very ability to blog freely. Take a stand!”

– Travis Childs, Social Media Strategist, Cincinnati

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/queencitywelcome/2012/01/18/take-a-stand-against-internet-censorship/

“President Barack Obama, though stopping short of a veto promise, doused the bills with cold water over the weekend, too. The protesters will make their point in a different way today, and they’ll make it with the public rather than the politicians. It could prove a real attention-getter.”

– Cleveland Plain Dealer, Editorial

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/01/in_protest_of_pipa_and_sopa_a.html

SOPA/PIPA will have “a chilling effect on web entrepreneurship in general.”

–David Howcroft, Ohio for Internet Freedom, Columbus

http://www.thelantern.com/campus/sites-black-out-in-protest-of-sopa-pipa-1.2744651#.Txhpv_kVf-I

“We would have to hire more people to monitor and police that, which would create a lot of overhead…their sole purpose would be to monitor.”

– Stephe Kamykowski, AST2, Youngstown

http://www.wytv.com/content/news/local/story/Anti-Piracy-Legislation-Could-Affect-Local-Firms/RLsHAaFn3E2-N3-kKcWTLw.cspx

Tags: internet, pipa, sopa

Discount on 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit

As we’ve mentioned before, the 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit is happening in Cleveland on November 17, 2011. What we haven’t mentioned is that we have a special offer for Fathom guests: $295! All you need to do is contact Anne Hydock of Smart Business via phone (440-250-7041) or email (ahydock@sbnonline.com) after registering online. Tell her that you were referred by Fathom.

***

What: 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit, a one-day conference that shares practical social media applications for your organization.

When: November 17, 2011 | 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Where: Executive Caterers at Landerhaven, Mayfield Heights, OH (Get directions)

Who:

• Mary Henige, Director of Social Media & Digital Communications, General Motors
• Jeff Rohrs, VP of Marketing, ExactTarget
• Alan Gaffney, Director of Global eBusiness, Parker-Hannifin
• Curtis Danburg, Sr. Director of Communications, The Cleveland Indians
• Paul Roetzer, President and CEO, PR 20/20
• Bill Balderaz, President of Fathom Columbus
• Kurt Krejny, Director of Online Marketing, Fathom

Why: Because if you don’t take part in the conversation about your brand, you’re missing out on revenue opportunities.

Cost (special rate) : $295 (mention the “friends of Fathom” rate)

Contact: Anne Hydock | ahydock@sbnonline.com | 440-250-7041 | Online Registration

Tags: social media

2011 Midwest Social Media Summit

Get ready to get down to business at the 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit on November 17, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio. The day promises to be full of practical social media applications for business from some of the region’s top leaders. Fathom will be co-sponsoring and featuring 2 panel speakers at the event, Bill Balderaz and Kurt Krejny (see more below).

The cost of an individual ticket is $495, while packages of 5/10 go for $2,295/$3,995, respectively.

Register online now, or call Anne Hydock at 440-250-7041 or email ahydock@sbnonline.com.

***

What: 2011 Midwest Social Media Summit, a one-day conference that shares practical social media applications for your organization.

When: November 17, 2011 | 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Where: Executive Caterers at Landerhaven, Mayfield Heights, OH (Get directions)

Who:

• Mary Henige, Director of Social Media & Digital Communications, General Motors
• Jeff Rohrs, VP of Marketing, ExactTarget
• Alan Gaffney, Director of Global eBusiness, Parker-Hannifin
• Curtis Danburg, Sr. Director of Communications, The Cleveland Indians
• Bill Balderaz, President of Fathom Columbus
• Kurt Krejny, Director of Online Marketing, Fathom

Why: Because if you don’t take part in the conversation about your brand, you’re missing out on revenue opportunities.

Cost: $495 per ticket | package of 5: $2,295 | package of 10: $3,995

Contact: Anne Hydock | ahydock@sbnonline.com | 440-250-7041 | Online Registration

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Update 11:27 a.m.: An online registration page is now available.

Update 9/14/11: The keynote speaker has changed. It was previously Dennis Maloney, the VP of multimedia marketing at Domino’s Pizza.

Update 9/22/11: The Cleveland Indians’ speaker has changed. Previously it was Rob Campbell.

Tags: smart business, social media, social media event

Making the Most of Video Marketing

Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011

2-3 p.m.

Register today! https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/492474842

Video is one of the most effective ways to reach your company’s audience online. Through video, you can engage and interact with customers, increase traffic to your website and add more personality to your social media networks. Join Yvonne Rayburn, director of online communications at Webbed Marketing, and Steve Kozak, director of video production for Fathom Online Marketing, to learn how to best utilize video and social media to build brand awareness, expand your audience and connect with your customers.

In this webinar we’ll discuss:

• Tips for video marketing
• Utilizing video to increase traffic to your website
• Amping up your social media presence with videos or video contests
• Ways to make video more fun
• How to measure the effectiveness of your video marketing efforts

Tags: video, video marketing

Deciphering Google+ Webinar

Over the past couple weeks, you have likely heard the hype surrounding Google+. If you were lucky enough to get an invite, you may have started exploring the new social network. Or you may have seen the “+1” appear next to your search results. Google+ has the potential to have a large impact on social and search as we know it. Join Webbed Marketing’s President Bill Balderaz, and Social Media Manager Rebecca Roebuck, to discuss the ins and outs of Google’s latest venture, and what it means for you and your company.

During this webinar we’ll discuss:

• What is Google+
• How it differs from other social networks
• How +1 impacts search and SEO
• What’s next

Register today, https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/387975723.

Tags: google

Google +1 – It’s What You Got and Who You Know

In the past we’ve been accused of heresy here at Webbed Marketing.

See, rather than talk to our clients about keyword ranking, we talk about generating leads, sales, voters, members or donors from search engines.  In the past, keyword ranking has been a faulty measurement for two reasons:

1. You don’t make a single penny in revenue for being number one on Google or number 20 on Google, or number anything.

2. When people say they are number x on Google, they, by definition, have to be referring to one specific keyword. Saying you’re “number one on allergy medication” is great…. Except for the fact that your audiences is using, quite literally, thousands of variations of that search phrase to find you. – “safe allergy medicine”, “cheap allergy medicine”, “allergy medication non-drowsy” etc. And you ain’t number one on all of them.

Then came Google Instant, which means results change as you type, so the “number one” ranking changes with each keystroke. Then came Google Suggest, which means Google populates suggested search strings, modifying your query midstream.  These two features, combined with local, personalized, universal and social search means that there is no such thing as being number one on Google. If ten people do an identical search they will all potentially see different results depending upon the city they are in, the time of day, breaking news, their preferred type of content, their search history, their social connections and more.

Then, came +1

For those of you who have not seen it, do a search on Google and take a look next to the search results, see that little +1? Go ahead and take a click.

Your click is a public endorsement of that search result.

See, no matter how smart a search engines robot is, it can never be as smart as Google’s one billion monthly users. When you click +1 that endorsement becomes visible.  Your own +1s will also rank higher in your own, future search results, kind of a search engine bookmark. So if you search “Ohio SEO Agency” and +1 Webbed Marketing in the search result, you’re more likely to see us when you search “Columbus SEO”.

And so are your friends.

We’ll be hosting a webinar on July 20^th to talk more about +1. But for now, here is our official take:

1. It’s a social web. Just like the high school kids who dress just like all their friends because they are rebels, we all really want to believe we are unique and wildly different from our connections. We want to mock Amazon’s book recommendations. We want to say that our friends’ recommendations aren’t going to be relevant to us. And we’re wrong. The fact is we are more likely to like the things our friends like. And, Google has been using social search long before now. That is, our friends’ social behavior has been shaping our search results for some time.
2. Understand who your connections are. Right now, your +1s are mostly likely being seen by people you are connected to on Gmail, Google Buzz and Google Reader. Facebook and Twitter connections are not counted as part of your network.
3. It’s just the beginning. The +1 option is available on organic searches and AdWords. Webmasters can embed +1 code on their websites. You can track you +1s in your Google profile. You can get +1 Analytics.  Google recognizes that even the smartest robot isn’t as smart as your dumbest friend, so look for Google to continue to leverage social search tools like +1 in making searches more relevant. There will come a day when SEO folks will beg individuals with large social circles to +1 a site.

Bottom line? For marketers, Google +1 is about what you’ve got -great content people want to endorse. For consumers, it’s about who you know – content shared among virtual friends.

Guest Post: Integrated Marketing Campaign Drives Blog Success

I’ll admit I was hesitant to launch a blog for Logicalis.  Not because I necessarily thought having a blog was a bad idea.  I just didn’t want to build something just for the sake of building it and after a few months have it go dark.  After many conversations about strategy, goals and purpose with Communication Strategy Group and Webbed Marketing, I was convinced that, as a team, we could create a blog that would be worthwhile and would stand the test of time.  And the key for keeping it promoted and up-to-date was an integrated campaign.

We knew we wanted to keep the posts short and interactive, while showcasing Logicalis experts’ thought leadership in the market.  We needed to keep our audiences across the board involved in the promotion of this blog, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, mobile devices, and via strategic SEO and PPC campaigns.

Finally, the new blog, HypeOrRipe.com, was created, with an integrated marketing campaign, to provide a place for business and IT leaders to share their opinions on technology topics.

Logicalis had already developed our voice in the marketplace with tools like public relations, the company newsletter and an active social media presence, so all our current tactics were used to promote the new blog and engage readers.

In addition to those tools, we launched a mobile campaign, so blog posts could be easily available on mobile devices – accessible for busy IT leaders on the go, looking for quick, relevant bits of industry information from their peers.

Logicalis also implemented an SEO and PPC campaign to go along with the blog launch.  The success of these campaigns working together greatly contributed to the successful blog launch.

In the first three days of launching, the blog had 168 visits, with 520 pageviews and 3.10 pages viewed per visit.  The bounce rate was 48% and the time on site was 1:53.  Most of the referring traffic was coming from the Logicalis website, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

The integration of social media, mobile marketing, SEO and PPC resulted in a very successful blog launch.  By identifying Logicalis’s goals, we were able to implement an integrated marketing plan that addressed the audience across all platforms, allowing us to hit the ground running with the Hype or Ripe blog.

Lisa Dreher is VP of marketing and business development for Logicalis, a Communication Strategy Group client. Logicalis is a technology solution provider specializing in helping customers with a wide range of technologies, including communications and collaboration, data centers, and professional and managed services.

Tags: integrated marketing campaigns, mobile marketing, ppc, SEO, social media

Webbed Marketing to Start Summer Series of Online Training with Webbed Marketing University

Columbus, Ohio Internet marketing agency announces online training program, Webbed Marketing University, will begin a three-part series in June.

Webbed Marketing, a social media marketing and search engine optimization company in central Ohio, announces its Webbed Marketing University (WMU) summer session to begin on June 1, 2011, with a three-part webinar series focused on SEO, social media and online public relations.

The Internet marketing training is an ideal resource for professionals to gain a better understanding of online marketing, and how it will help their business.  The program is designed to be beneficial for professionals who are new to social media or SEO, as well as those who already have a grasp, and just need strategic direction.

“WMU is largely successful because we cater to the attendees’ business goals,” Bill Balderaz, Webbed Marketing founder and CEO, said.  “These sessions are available in the convenience of a webinar, but the individual attention to and discussion of YOUR business’s goals and objectives sets WMU apart from other online training programs.”

The 1.5 hour webinars will be held in a series of three months.  The first session will cover SEO, and will utilize attendees’ business pages as examples.  This session is led by Ryan Whiteside, Webbed Marketing’s SEO specialist, and Tommy Redmond, Webbed Marketing’s SEO Manager.  The second session will discuss the latest trends and updates in Facebook, and how businesses can use them for their business.  A lot of organizations have jumped on the Facebook bandwagon, but don’t have a clear understanding of their goals, or the purpose of the Facebook page.  Rebecca Roebuck, Webbed Marketing’s Social Media Manager, will host this webinar.  The final webinar in the series will cover online public relations and social media, led by Webbed Marketing’s online public relations specialist, Courtney Cooper.  The webinar will focus on the latest trends and tools for social media and online public relations best-practices.

Wednesday, July 13 at 2 p.m., “Introduction to SEO”

Wednesday, August 10 at 2 p.m., “Facebook – trends, updates and best practices for your business”

Wednesday, September 14 at 2 p.m., “Online Public Relations and Social Media”

For more information on the webinars and to register for the series, please visit http://www.webbedmarketing.com/wmu.html.

About Webbed Marketing

Webbed Marketing is a team of experts in the Internet marketing field. Their goal is to grow businesses through the application of Internet resources. The firm specializes in search engine optimization and marketing, as well as viral marketing services, word of mouth and buzz measurement and social media strategies. Visit www.webbedmarketing.com for more information.

Best (Worst?) Email Spam Ever?

Apparently if I don’t pay these guys $75, Google is going to give WM the boot. This is why SEO people have a bad name.

Attention: Important Notice

SEO Website Redesign Checklist

It’s that time of year here in Columbus, Ohio. The grass is getting greener, the days are getting longer, and thoughts of website redesign are on every one’s mind.

We’ve worked through dozens of website redesigns with our clients over the years. We’ve taken that panicked call in which someone calls us to say that they just redesigned their website and all their search traffic disappeared. We’ve also seen redesigned websites increase search engine traffic by 70% and leads by even more.

So, courtesy of Webbed Marketing, here is our best of advice for website redesigns. And, even if everything below doesn’t make perfect sense to you, make sure to print this off and hand it to your web design shop.

Plan URL structure and naming

• If feasible keep the same URL structure and naming as old site for the new site unless old URLs are not search engine-friendly
• If changing the structure or naming, have a plan for redirecting old content to new content via 301 redirects on a page by page basis.
• Avoid dynamic URLs

 Site Layout/Navigation/Content

• Ensure custom, unique page title, meta description and meta keywords can be added at page level
• Keep in mind space for new site content – will there be less space for copy? More space? (Keyword density)
• Will the main navigation change – Flash versus text (search engine indexing)
• When planning new site content, plan internal linking strategy
• Include a custom 404 with new html sitemap to avoid losing visitors with old site pages bookmarked

 PPC/Analytics

• When planning new site, keep in mind any PPC campaigns running and plan new landing pages accordingly including content, quality scores and conversion methods

Post-Launch Considerations 

 Archive the old site for back up purposes

• Use a robots.txt to nofollow old site pages
• Test 301 redirects.
  • Site level redirects
  • Directory level redirects
  • Page level redirects
• Verify tracking codes
  • Google Analytics or Omniture
  • Quantcast
  • Alexa
  • PPC conversion codes
• Create and submit a new xml sitemap
• Refine Analytics goals if necessary

Common 301 Redirect instructions
Windows Server – IIS Redirect

• In internet services manager, right click on the file or folder you wish to redirect
• Select the radio titled “a redirection to a URL”.
• Enter the redirection page
• Check “The exact url entered above” and the “A permanent redirection for this resource”
• Click on ‘Apply’

(Linux) Redirect to www (htaccess redirect)
Create a .htaccess file with the below code, it will ensure that all requests coming in to domain.com will get redirected to www.domain.com
The .htaccess file needs to be placed in the root directory of your old website (i.e the same directory where your index file is placed)

Options +FollowSymlinks
RewriteEngine on
rewritecond %{http_host} ^domain.com [nc]
rewriterule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [r=301,nc]

Please REPLACE domain.com and www.newdomain.com with your actual domain name.

Note*This .htaccess method of redirection works ONLY on Linux servers having the Apache Mod-Rewrite moduled enabled.