Disqus - Latest Comments for Jayson

Re: Attack of the Comment Monkeys

Jayson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:39:37 -0000

You can always make it so users have to post 3, 5 or 10 times before getting a link back, I'm not sure if that would decrease the spam though.

Re: Show Me the Money!

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:18:21 -0000

I haven't Pepperjam but I'll check it out - didn't know it existed.

CJ is easy to use and the reports are easily accessible. It doesn't take much to find what I need so I doubt I'll switch unless Pepperjam has better advertisers.

Re: Ultimate List of DoFollow & Nofollow Plugins – Banish Nofollow From Comments and Trackbacks

Jayson — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:58:29 -0000

Andy thanks for the list. I've use a few of the dofollow plugins you mention but the nofollow plugins were unknown by me just minutes ago. I've downloaded a few of the nofollow plugins - thank you

*tried posting twice now sorry if it's a dup.

Re: Ultimate List of DoFollow & Nofollow Plugins – Banish Nofollow From Comments and Trackbacks

Jayson — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:58:29 -0000

Re: Top Commenters

Jayson — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:38:39 -0000

Vinny,

Where did you find the plugin? It looks like you've removed it all together - did the meaningless comments outweigh the extra participation?

Re: Bobby Fischer RIP

Jayson — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:47:55 -0000

That's a great video. I'll be sending it to a friend of mine that loves Bobby.

He was an amazing and mysterious man. He'll be missed by millions-

Re: What does $240m buy you?

Jayson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:35:15 -0000

I just read a post today or yesterday talking about how bad Facebook's 2008 forecast looks. I forgot Microsoft bought 2% of the company and can't believe they spent $240 million on only 2%.

That's pretty funny that they're still using Google Maps. You'd think they would show a little generosity to such a big investment.

Re: Endeavor Entrepreneur Network

Jayson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:39:07 -0000

Sounds like becoming an Endeavor member has plenty of benefits and educational opportunities. Unfortunately, my industry is well established.

What are some of the requirements?

Re: Endeavor Entrepreneur Network

Jayson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:45:12 -0000

Thanks Vinny - I'll check it out

Re: AOL acquires Buy.at

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:13:40 -0000

Vinny is AOL hoping to get a better hold on search engine users through this or are they just hoping to gain more money through different or more profitable forms of advertising?

Re: Endeavor

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:17:33 -0000

It's a little late but congratulations. I can't imagine how much access to high caliber interns can benefit a company. These interns aren't the typical group of interns hoping to get a few credits, I'd imagine that they're highly motivated and eager to help and learn.

Re: There is no Web 2.0 Bubble

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 15:30:10 -0000

Vinny I agree that the web 2.0 bubble is exaggerated and that the industry is a lot stronger than in the past.

You mentioned that IQ's are likely higher in the Internet industry, wouldn't this mean that the Internet competition is higher too? The average could still represent the Industry.

I'm interested in seeing the future of many of these companies. I read an article on Marketing Pilgrim talking about how Facebook is having a hard time monetizing the site or at least meeting it's expectations. I'm sure they'll figure something out. Thanks Vinny

Re: Blogging Tips for Beginners

Jayson — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:42:55 -0000

Thanks for the resource Vinny. I've been to Darren's blog a few times and it's always a great read. I'll have to check out that particular post for tips.

Re: Google to start charging for search queries - Pay Per Search

Jayson — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:52:55 -0000

LOL - I wonder how much money they could lose/make. I think I'm going to track down monthly revenues and monthly searches and see what the numbers look like. I doubt anyone would opt to pay for ads free searches but???

You even brought up a negative! Nice fool

Re: Can’t Pay Your Property Taxes? Work it Off

Jayson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:37:10 -0000

Nice - this is the first I've heard of such programs; it seems like a great concept. Instead of just giving people a break and costing everyone money, they can work it off in their communities. These programs have my vote.

Re: Are Featured Home Listings Worth The Price of Admission? An Alternative Solution

Jayson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:06:05 -0000

Nice post - I agree that if the home is nothing special, then featuring it would be pointless. However, featuring a home that truly is remarkable or remarkably priced is a great idea - if the home was just decreased by $50k, it might be a good idea to make sure people have the home as an option.

Unfortunately, as you mentioned, most featured homes offer buyers nothing more so featuring them isn't always a good idea.

Re: Are Featured Home Listings Worth The Price of Admission? An Alternative Solution

Jayson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:26:58 -0000

Joseph - we are currently working on a site that does that, and makes it so listings are rotated as you mentioned in your post. It's been three months of "it'll be done next week", but I'm optimistic that it truly will be live within two weeks. I'd love for you to give it a shot before it goes live in the next few days...if you'd be willing to do that for us.

Re: Questions on Making Money, Branding and Guest Blogging

Jayson — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:54:18 -0000

I think you'll do fine with a redesign. The most memorable portion of your website is the logo (name and slippers) and it sounds like you're leaving that as is.

Re: 2007/11/20/digg-yahoo-presidential-polls/

Jayson — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:42:04 -0000

I like their involvement. I think it will get more people involved especially the younger audience. Hopefully we'll get better voter turnout and the new President will truly be picked by the nation.

Re: 2007/11/20/best-of-ebay-brings-back-the-old-days/

Jayson — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:47:20 -0000

I like the idea and it really brings back the good 'ole' days! It's actually a fun shopping experience and I agree that the design is better or atleast a good change to the typical ebay design.

Re: 2007/07/25/firefox-security/

Jayson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:08:46 -0000

That's a pretty nice list - thanks for putting it together. I'm going to download SafeHistory - looks like they've got just about everything covered.

Re: 30+ WordPress 2-Column Themes

Jayson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:12:26 -0000

Which templates are better for usability? Probably just depends on the user and final layout.

For those of us that aren't developers this is a pretty nice list of starter themes. They're simple, clean and easy to install - thanks for the list

Re: 2007/08/16/firefox-bookmarks/

Jayson — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:23:47 -0000

My bookmarks are all over the place. I have them in IE and Firefox and both lists are huge. Thanks for the tips - using these options will definitely help me better organize my favs.

Re: 2007/07/11/google-maps-mashups-2/

Jayson — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:21:48 -0000

nice! I wonder how accurate the taxi mashup is - I always here about taxi drivers taking "the long" route when they know they've got some foreigners in the cab.

Re: Top 18 Social Media Resources for Developers

Jayson — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:26:19 -0000

Nice list, a few of these sites come in handy regularly.

Re: Don’t be a secret agent

Jayson — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:16:30 -0000

Agree 100%, linking out is a great way to get noticed by other bloggers, and as Jay pointed out, there's nothing wrong with getting real estate agents to read and comment on your blog.

Even more important than linking out - IMO - is getting involved in blog communities and continuously commenting on active blogs (like you and a few others mentioned) - a good tip I read a while back "be the first to comment on a busy blog, and you could end up with a nice bit of traffic from a simple comment" ...I can't seem to ever make the first comment but there's always another post!

Re: Review: MarketingSherpas’ 2008 Landing Page Handbook

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:25:37 -0000

You had me sold until the price came out in the open. I'm familiar with MarketingSherpa.com and their great work but not sure I can stomach the $500 cost...it's probably well worth it though.

Re: Who Wants to be a Google Millionaire?

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:30:38 -0000

Yeah I'm curious to hear what it feels like to be a Google employee that missed out on the millions. I know some poor guy or gal slaved away for years and quit just before the IPO...probably someone that's had a life of bad decisions.

To answer you question Andy - I do!

Re: Clients Ask Ad Agencies to Diversify

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:41:04 -0000

Yep I think that online advertising is the best choice for many businesses. I don't discount the fact that traditional advertising has it's place and works better for certain businesses. Each client needs to be evaluated based on their needs and their target audience. There should be no norm - everything needs to be based on audience and budget and in many cases I'm sure that online advertising will be more effective and get more effective as the young Internet savvy consumers age.

Re: Analysts: 2008 New Media Trends

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:48:53 -0000

I can't agree more. Online mediums are producing results and best of all, they can be tracked. In addition, print is much more expensive and is losing reach each year.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for January 21

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:52:04 -0000

Martin Luther King was an amazing man. Forget about what he did for the African American population and you still have one of the most influential men in the history of civil rights. We need another MLK -

Re: Generation Google: Not So Much

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:55:35 -0000

I liked the research discovered about these kids having no patience. We were just talking the other day about people and how they seem to be less patient and we gave the Internet full credit. Instant gratification has become the norm for many of us.

Re: Will You Pownce on Twitter Alternative?

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:57:43 -0000

I'll most likely stick with Twitter - I like the features and have no complaints so why switch? In addition, I haven't been "pownced" yet so I might not get the opportunity to switch :(

Re: Yahoo Tests Delicious Bookmark Info in Search Results

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:03:12 -0000

I think this a great development and think that it gives consumers/searchers another way to see how good something is. I've heard that Google is planning on doing something similar...has anyone heard the same?

It might explain why Digg is cleaning out some of their top "diggers".

Re: Legal Troubles in Europe for Google, Facebook

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:20:41 -0000

Yeah this doesn't sound good for G but I'm sure that they'll pull something off in Google fashion as they've always done. It's nice to hear that they don't have free reign over the entire planet.

Re: InSTEDD: Not Just A Misspelled Website

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:29:09 -0000

Nice! If I didn't live in Arizona this would be something I'd more than likely use frequently. I'll definitely check the website out and let my Mom!! know it exists. This is more up her alley and she'll be able to text me with instructions on where to go and what to do.

Re: The Man Behind LinkedIn’s Success

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:33:02 -0000

A shout out to Hoffman for not cashing in off Paypal and retiring to some beach somewhere. I use link to keep in contact with past colleagues and to keep current business relationships strong. 2010 huh - that give me a little time to get a job and start opting for stock options -

Re: Could Rumored Yahoo Layoffs Have an Unwanted Effect on the Company’s Brand?

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:36:30 -0000

As I was watching the news about this I was thinking about the negative ramifications about such a decision. Either way, if Yahoo has to lay 2500 employees of to save thousands of other jobs and ultimately the biz than it's something that has to be done.

Re: Linky Goodness, January 18

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:40:53 -0000

I don't see China becoming the largest Internet market anytime soon but think that it's possible after a little reorganization in their government.

A lot of Internet users use the Internet because of the available information and with all the regulation, users in China might not find everything as fun, informational and inviting as the rest of us do.

Re: Google Reputation Management: Fix Your Google Reputation & Remove Negative Results

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:49:21 -0000

Nice list - one of the comments mentioned that these things can make it easier for family and friends to find you which I definitely think is a plus.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet but submitting articles to article directories is another way to fill the Internet with information from you that you want everyone to know about.

Re: You Can Make Six Figures in SEM (If You Pay Your Dues)

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:53:25 -0000

Nice, I have a few years to go and a career change to make but I guess it's always better to have a few options. In-house means boss and I'm not sure I can handle that but if they're paying more than I can muster up in the next few years I might try and find a boss that's tolerable.

Re: Andy Beal Discusses Online Reputation Management Today at 2pm Eastern

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:56:15 -0000

Andy - I missed the radio show but would love to hear it. Is there a audio clip online somewhere?

Re: Online Video Ads Unwelcome

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:03:30 -0000

Thanks for the stats. I agree with David and think that TV would also do well if they adopted shorter commercials. People are getting more and more impatient and I think they need shorter commercials. I definitely stop commercials whenever possible and leave websites that make commercials hard to stop. I do watch commercials if I'm forced to before a video but hate every second of it.

Benadryl comes to mind when I think of forced Internet commercials and they should come to mind when I need allergy medicine.

Shorten these forced commercials up and you'll have a happy surfer.

Re: Polar Rose Has Big Plans for Face Recognition Search

Jayson — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:55:02 -0000

This is the first I've heard of Polar Rose. I just visited the website - the concept seems really cool but It looks like most of the pictures people would be able to help out with are already well known.

Seems like it might be fun to mess around with every once in awhile. If Google is racing these guys I've got my money on Google. It would be nice to see these guys win though.

At least we know the government will be able to find and locate us in public places within a few years! I think...

Re: Reddit Will Let Users Create their Own Reddit Site

Jayson — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:06:38 -0000

This is the first I've heard of Reddit letting users customize/create their own site. Seems like something that will add a little value. I'll keep a look out and post the first custom site that pops up.

Re: Is the Internet ‘Public’?

Jayson — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:44:46 -0000

Yeah I guess I can see (thanks to your comparison) that capturing an IP address is fair once you've entered their website.

I do think that they should make it very clear what they capture and what they do with it and then you can decide whether you want to visit them again or not.

I'm not sure I agree with it but I guess it's fair - after all it's their website and their information.

Re: Digg Causes ED Among Social Marketers; Will it Now Go Limp Itself?

Jayson — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:50:05 -0000

I think Digg can (maybe barely) survive without optimizers but their popularity and traffic will definitely suffer.

There's no extra incentive to use them now - most of their optimizer traffic will move onto a competing site and start talking about the competitor. Plus, a lot of good information and entertainment is created and put out by optimizers and without that extra incentive optimizers are going to look past Digg and promote their material elsewhere.

As far as Google, I think that optimizers help them improve their results. Without the constant abuse by thousands of optimizers we most likely wouldn't get as good of results from Google or any search engine. There wouldn't be as much abuse and there would be a lot less reported...bad results might stay unnoticed.

Re: Why Your Google Reputation Can Hurt Your Career

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:41:38 -0000

I agree. I used to work for a company that searched for all new applicants on line. I can remember seeing some pretty revealing information on MySpace accounts. Needless to say, applicants with unfavorable MySpace accounts or Internet reputations were not hired.

The company couldn't afford to have their clients find out this information first.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for January 25th

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:43:57 -0000

What? Presidential candidates are resorting to mudslinging through Google Adwords? Where have the grown ups gone? Are they coming back?

Re: Free Wall Street Journal. Mostly.

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:48:29 -0000

Yeah I couldn't see them getting rid of their subscription model. I've read many articles about local newspapers losing big because everything their paper offers is free via the Internet. If they know they can't break even without it then getting rid of it would be quite silly.

Expanding their free services is a great way to bump up impressions but they'll need to make sure their paying clients get the good stock information :)

Re: Google Goes Sour on Domain Tasting

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:51:02 -0000

It be interesting to see if Yahoo follows suit. They have a little different business model and are, at least it seems, hurting for money so I don't think they will anytime soon.

Those sites are pretty annoying though.

Re: Digg Causes ED Among Social Marketers; Will it Now Go Limp Itself?

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:28:57 -0000

I'm just worried that by making marketers jobs harder I'm going to miss out on some great information or entertainment.

Andy have you heard rumors about Google using Digg in their search results (similar to Yahoo and Delicious) this might be one reason why Digg is moving towards less spam.

Re: Digg Causes ED Among Social Marketers; Will it Now Go Limp Itself?

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:15:53 -0000

Thanks Andy - that puts that rumor to rest. Think I first stumbled across it on a forum.

Re: Why Your Google Reputation Can Hurt Your Career

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:49:27 -0000

Peter - you're joking :( I was getting a list together in my head until I read the last sentence.

I don't know... I think you could be on to something

You could probably have an entire market of x spouses - up front fees for creation and implementation and a $19.95/month fee to keep Andy from being able to do his job :)

Re: Is Google’s Stranglehold Slipping?

Jayson — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:22:48 -0000

I'm not sure if Google is slipping. I've read that Google has a large share of the student market so a December decline in searches seems plausible.

Are these stats global or for the U.S. only? Does Google have a decrease in searches every December?

Re: Google PageRank, Revisited

Jayson — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:55:12 -0000

Thanks for the post and these tips. I've always read that transferring a domain is tricky.

Alot of people always talk bad about PR??? I think we all know that it's a great tool available to us. There is a lot that PageRank does for a website and it's unfortunate that so many people are jumping on the screw PageRank bandwagon. It's definitely not the most important thing but a high PageRank means a lot and allows your website to do so much more.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for January 28th - Lego Edition

Jayson — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:38:57 -0000

I'm not sure about the hot or not website idea. Just visited it and didn't see anything worth returning for. I guess it didn't address my WIFM factor.

Re: Target Learns Exactly Why it Should Engage Bloggers

Jayson — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:44:00 -0000

I wasn't following the Target situation - thanks for the details. It's amazing how bloggers are now (have been for a few years) as powerful as many media outlets.

Welcome to the Internet Target...we're glad you made it.

Re: Only 200 Advertisers Sign on for Google TV Ads

Jayson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:48:06 -0000

Tim,

I agree - I think they'd do better focusing on local television. There aren't too many companies actively looking for new ad agencies that advertise nationally.

200 is awful. I can't believe Google couldn't drum up more business than that.

Re: Yahoo Lives! Er, Yahoo! Live

Jayson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:53:28 -0000

I think it could catch on with those of us that have extra time but it doesn't seem like the next big thing. Maybe I'm not getting it but it sounds like they've renamed video conferencing??

Re: AOL Buys Goowy Widget Creator

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:35:23 -0000

I think the E-trade baby ads were hilarious and that they did a good job of communicating their message.

Re: Steve Ballmer’s Internal Email Explains Yahoo Bid

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:56:51 -0000

This sounds like the easiest way for Microsoft to increase their ad center reach and market share, but I'm not sure either of these companies has what it takes to effectively compete with Google. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for February 4 - MSFT/YHOO/GOOG Edition

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:04:05 -0000

I don't think a Yahoo! - Google merger would benefit either company as much as a Yahoo! - MSN merger. Google and Yahoo! users expect different things when they get to the homepage of each search engine. Yahoo! users want news headlines, videos etc. and Google users aren't expecting those things.

A merger between Yahoo! and MSN would allow the two companies to improve on the few things their good at.

Yahoo! would just hold Google back.

Re: We Won a SEMMY for Reputation Management

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:08:10 -0000

Congratulations Andy - you deserve the recognition.

Re: 75% of Journalists Get Story Ideas from Blogs

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:16:09 -0000

This doesn't surprise me. Blogs usually allow journalists to see how certain angles or positions will be accepted (comments etc.). In addition, many bloggers do a great job in researching and presenting information.

Re: Using “Google” in Place of “Hypocrite”

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:26:51 -0000

Google shouldn't have said anything in response to the offer. This could be exactly what MSN was after and definitely gives Google investors something to worry about. This isn't something I would have ever expected from Google and does seem hypocritical.

Can Microsoft integrate Yahoo and MSN services into their future applications and operating systems? Everything could be integrated, free and stock on every PC.

Re: Need a Place to Stay During the Super Bowl? Try CraigsList

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:36:13 -0000

Yeah I visited the craigslist postings for Super Bowl rentals and it was amazing how many people listed their homes and for how much. It seemed like hundreds of new posts appeared daily and asking prices were outrageous.

Craigslist is becoming a powerful marketing tool and is slowly being accepted as a medium by larger businesses. A few years ago I got the feeling that people associated Craigslist with scams and in some cases I remember marketing professionals avoiding the free service like the plaque. More recently, it seems like these same people are realizing the power and reach of Craigslist and are beginning to use the service to advertise their services or products.

I've always thought that free advertising is a terrible thing to waste.

Re: Exclusive: Predicting Super Tuesday Results Using Social Media & Search Sentiment

Jayson — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:56:50 -0000

It's amazing that we can now accurately predict poll outcomes from search patterns etc.. I'm interested in seeing how accurate this prediction is.

Re: Exclusive: Predicting Super Tuesday Results Using Social Media & Search Sentiment

Jayson — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:01:02 -0000

I'm not sure they don't want Ron Paul to win. If he's winning that makes for great news and better headlines. Maybe all of his supporters aren't voting or able to vote?

Re: Political Donations at Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft

Jayson — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:03:21 -0000

That's a good find - could be a nice indication of which party will win. I'd doubt people are going to donate to something and vote for something else.

Re: Will Social Networking Ever = Money?

Jayson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:59:26 -0000

Maybe they'll need to start tracking each user's interests some how and then display ads specific to each user.

If someone always writes about and searches for UFC (for example) and associates with others that do the same the social websites might do some good by putting UFC or MMA orientated ads in their account page and on sidebars during their Internet experience. This would probably bring up tons of privacy issues but if these companies don't make money, they won't exist and I'm sure users will make the sacrifice.

Re: $2000 a Share Seems a Long Way Off for Google

Jayson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:08:52 -0000

$2000/share!!

I've never heard that and would have laughed when I did. That's just too far fetched given the industry they're in and the competition they have.

I don't know what kind of growth that would take but they'd have to do everything right to reach that point; they're an incredible organization but $2000?? Maybe Henry was adjusting for future inflation based on the Fed's many rate cuts of now and the future.

Re: AOL Up for Grabs

Jayson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:22:00 -0000

All this talk about selling search engines and merging etc. has me worried about the future of search engines. No competition means less innovation and it looks like it's going to be easier now for the Internet to become as expensive as every other communication medium.

Re: Ask.com Launches Social Media News Site BigNews

Jayson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:29:26 -0000

I like this; hopefully it catches on. It's going to make it easy to follow stories and see what blogs etc. are saying. Nice job Ask -

I wonder how easy it is to game

Re: Yahoo Internal Letter: We’re Thinking

Jayson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:35:23 -0000

I'm not sure how long Microsoft will let them think; do they have a choice? It seems like Microsoft's main motivation is the brand name and there's no other search engine with such a strong brand name.

It's nice to see that Yahoo isn't just jumping into the deal and that they could hold off on their own.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks, February 7

Jayson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:03:29 -0000

The better deal proposed by Silicon Valley Insider seems pretty sound and they've made pretty good points to back up their thoughts. As time goes on it looks like less people think the Microsoft - Yahoo merger is a good idea.

Last week it seemed like people were for it - now it seems like they've all had some time to think. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out in the next few years.

Re: Hire a call center? Are you crazy?

Jayson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:10:08 -0000

Great recommendations. As a consumer that gets calls and makes calls to call centers I can't agree with these tips more. I can't tell you how many times these call centers have ruined my experience and damaged the thoughts I've had about a company.

I've also had very pleasant experiences with call centers - I guess it just depends on the call center and the expectations and requirements they place on their employees.

Re: Yahoo Rejects the Microsoft Offer

Jayson — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:16:18 -0000

Nice...I think? I wonder if Microsoft will pay the extra money per share? I'm more interested to see how Yahoo might restructure their business if the offer is declined entirely.

Re: For Kids: Google Logo Contest

Jayson — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:45:41 -0000

This is a great way to get your brand well know with kids. In addition, it helps kids get creative and gives them a short term goal that's fun.

It's also a great way to take some stress off their artists and creative departments.

Re: Drugstore.com finally is profitable

Jayson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:30:40 -0000

I'd like to know who funds them as well.

I think it's feasible for the small guys to play with the big boys in certain industries especially if the product/service recognizably has more value.

SlightlyShadySEO brought up the fact that it would be hard for drugstore.com to rank organically for major search phrases which only leaves advertising or word of mouth (but who says I buy these drugs here?) and a need for a large budget. If this was the case, it would be hard to compete with the big boys.

Re: LiveUniverse Comes to Revver’s Rescue

Jayson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:00:45 -0000

Good for them! It'll be interesting to see what LiveUniverse does with the business. Hopefully we will see a few big steps in the coming year.

Re: The Problem of Too Many [Online] Friends

Jayson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:09:12 -0000

It would be hard to be popular on line. I m unknown and still get tons of spam that can easily be ignored but for well know folks like you guys and the many Internet gurus I can imagine that it would be a full time job.

What's worse is that in some cases I'm sure the Internet celebs don't want to hurt any feelings and genuinely do want to be friends with as many people as possible...fatigue is sure to kick in.

Re: Is News Corp Courting Yahoo, Too?

Jayson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:12:51 -0000

It's going to be hard for their shares to correct with all these ????'s circling around.

New Corp and Yahoo what a media powerhouse that could become.

Re: Alan’s Angle - Yahoo’s Reaction: Smart Business Move or Denial?

Jayson — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 21:30:28 -0000

Yahoo! is a great company and has potential to succeed but it doesn't look like they can do that on their own right now. Microsoft may have been the answer to their financial problems.

These layoffs could be just the beginning of terrible things but they could also be the beginning of restructuring that will make the company stronger and more capable.

I don't know if Microsoft can save Yahoo or if Yahoo even needs saving, but I would like to see what they do if/when they merge. It would make an interesting case study.

Re: Is Google Getting Greedy with Video Ads in Search Results?

Jayson — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 21:38:14 -0000

It doesn't seem like the added videos will be too intrusive at first and some people may like the ability to watch commercials as they surf the net??

However, if they're not too intrusive they could go unnoticed and produce little results for advertisers. In addition, I don't think the majority of people know that the results above and on the right are advertisements - these videos could easily ruin AdWords for everyone

I agree that it's a fine line and that Google should be careful of upsetting the many users that hate advertisements interrupting their search for information.

Any information on what this does to AdSense?

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for February 18

Jayson — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:46:03 -0000

I'm a little leery of determining the success of a business based on a prediction tool. Personally, I believe the success of any business is based on things that can't be foreseen such as ambition, vision and constantly changing market factors.

I highly doubt the prediction tool can tell an investor that the start-up's founders are going to work hard and see needs that they can meet.

That said, the concept is definitely interesting and does take into account some variables such as networks that can proof valuable in any decision.

Re: Microsoft & Google Sued for PPC Patent Infringement

Jayson — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:50:43 -0000

The patent may be overturned but if there's any validity to their argument it's worth a try. I think there's a small chance of victory and that the patent does seem a little vague.

Maybe their hoping for an anti Google, Yahoo and MSN judge?

Re: Baidu Targeted by People’s Republic of China

Jayson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:03:30 -0000

This is pretty interesting. I wonder how long they'll hold out without filtering the pictures and am more interested in seeing what the Government does to make an example of them.

Re: Worried About Google Health’s Privacy? Don’t Sign-up Then!

Jayson — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:19:19 -0000

Seems like an awkward thing to sign up for but I've heard of a lot worse.If you're someone that doesn't want medical information to get out then just don't sign up.

I wonder how long it's going to take them to start advertising to people based on some algo that analyzes their Internet life - say goodbye to content match and hello to - I know it's time for your eye exam...how's EyeExamsForCheap dot com?

Re: Underdog Ask.com Grows 20% in January

Jayson — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:55:28 -0000

It looks like all of their advertising has been paying off a little. They still have a long way to go...look at G, that's amazing.

Re: Alan’s Angle – Is Yahoo! Entertaining You?

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:40:41 -0000

They're all great companies and I use each one of them daily to read about news, surf the net, get email, chat online etc..

Yeah I don't think we need to be saved by anyone. IMO, Google is very fair in what they do. They really just don't like blatant and excessive attempts at gaming THEIR search engine. I don't hear too many stories about Google penalizing websites for doing things in moderation. They give webmasters plenty of tools and guidelines to follow and they make their employees accessible for questions, recommendations etc. what else can they do?

The only reason why I'd like to see a little more competition is because competition breeds innovation.

Re: Is Social Media Too Distracting?

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:54:07 -0000

That question has too many answers. It depends on the person, if they use twitter to quickly find answers to tough, work related questions then not using twitter and other social media sites would likely decrease productivity and innovation. If they use twitter to chat with friends and talk about the upcoming weekend or last night's game then I'll bet their productivity can be increased by not using twitter.

It's the person and what their goals are. If they go to work to work then social media isn't a problem but if they're there for a paycheck and they're just trying to float through life then they probably could get more done without social media sites. I tend to think that if people didn't waste/spend their time on social media sites, they would waste/spend time on something else.

I'll always encourage employees, friends and family to blog, post on forums, visit social media sites etc., if you're in the right places, the education and networking abilities are priceless.

Re: Obama Steps Up Online Advertising on Campaign

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:01:59 -0000

70 million in January!! I guess advertising works, it would appear that he's on his way to the white house.

Do the politicians actually write on their blogs? I wonder if they rank well for things they stand for e.g. gun control or immigration? If I was running, I'd optimize for my competitors keywords...just for fun.

Re: Last Reminder: Win an iPod Touch this Week!

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:04:12 -0000

Alright Andy your tactics worked - subscribed to both (not sure why I hadn't yet).

Re: Will Microsoft Resurrect Natural Language Search?

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:14:57 -0000

I'm sure people will love it and people will hate it. It will definitely get attention and be used by millions so why not give it a shot?

Could you imagine a University computer room - 100+ people talking to a computer...noisy!!! Personally, I'm happy keeping my searches to myself and the keyboard but I do think some people will like it - are they working on post search commands i.e. Scroll down, select 2nd option, go back, visit sponsor blank.com??

Should be interesting.

Re: Last Reminder: Win an iPod Touch this Week!

Jayson — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:20:03 -0000

Too late. I'm not trying to win anyway I gave up contests years ago - after winning 0 in 20+ years. The RSS feeds and email updates will just serve as a constant reminder that I need to visit MP and continue my education.

Re: MySpace Founder Launches LiveVideo.com

Jayson — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:25:59 -0000

Sounds like it's pretty comprehensive. I'm going to have to give it a shot. Thanks for the details

Re: Google Steals Top UK Brand Spot from BBC

Jayson — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:28:57 -0000

Yeah it's a little surprising that Apple dropped out of the top 10. Congrats to Google that is a pretty impressive accomplishment given the time periods. Pretty good indication of the power of the Internet and how much the world uses it.

Re: Surprise, Surprise: SEO Works

Jayson — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:24:54 -0000

Yep no surprises and no secrets! Google tells you exactly how to get better rankings and if you do what they say continuously, and are patient, the results will come. It won't happen over night.

Re: Alan’s Angle - Google Perfect Enough for Ask.com?

Jayson — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:42:51 -0000

I wasn't aware that Ask was looking into using or taking advantage of Google services. It seems like a smart move for both parties - Google has the best search results and Ask has a lot of great features that may now get more attention and use.

It's unfortunate that Yahoo! is experiencing the dilemmas that it is - competition is always good in my book and without Yahoo! Google doesn't have any.

Re: “Search Monkey” and the Interest Beneath the Boredom

Jayson — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:52:01 -0000

Yeah I'm not sure if Yahoo has what it takes to launch something that Google failed to make popular. As mentioned, it's probably something that some will appreciate and like but I doubt it has lasting power. It seems like Yahoo! has enough problems with search results - they should probably work on that before trying to interpret what users want based on publishers.

Re: Monitor All SXSW 2008 News Thanks to Trackur.com

Jayson — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:55:59 -0000

Andy thanks for the info about Trackur - I just visited the site and it looks pretty clean and their service seems valuable. I think I'm going to give it a two week trial.

Re: Facebook Falling Off?

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:52:48 -0000

That's a pretty nice and hilarious graph and more than likely represents what happened.

I think Facebook will be okay, I don't think it will experience huge growth in a short period of time, but that from now on, growth will be nice and steady. Of course it'll most likely experience a decreases during finals and research projects.

IMO, the company is already solid and it's use will grow.

Re: Leapy Goodness, February 29

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:53:43 -0000

I don't think that social media is dying either - not yet anyway. I agree with Mike and think there's just more competition and more choices. I think they need to think of some ways to get people to come back more often and invite more friends. Just keep adding features and see which stick.

Re: Monitor All SXSW 2008 News Thanks to Trackur.com

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:55:39 -0000

Mobile Guy - what makes Technorati search better? I've been using Google alerts and do hope that Trakur offers more if it plans on getting a new client.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for February 29 - Collector’s Edition

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:03:26 -0000

Yeah I wonder about the newspapers and how they're going to continue to grow in the future. They'll always have their "loyal readers" from the past but as we move forward, say 15 years as Steve suggested, I can't see newspapers continuing to hold onto advertisers. It's just so much easier to track what really works - especially since advertisers carry the same messages online that they do in the newspapers.

Re: Caving to a Blogger’s Demands? Advice from Corporate America

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:08:25 -0000

Andy - I think what they all need is your reputation management services. Do you recommend caving in to bloggers? I'm sure the answer depends on the scenario.

Re: The Free iPod Touch Goes to….

Jayson — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:56:16 -0000

Michael,

Congratulations -

@Andy - I thought we had a deal!!! :)

Re: HitWise - Google Gets 66% of Searches in February

Jayson — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:00:15 -0000

That comes as no surprise. I wonder if this news will help out their stocks any. MSN and Yahoo, assuming they merge, has a lot of work to do.

Re: Radically Transparent Presentation & Book Signing at SXSW 2008

Jayson — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:05:44 -0000

Andy have fun in Austin at SXSW '08 and congratulations on the opportunity to do a presentation and book signing.

I'm sure Austin will still be weird when you get there.

Re: Microsoft Research Shows Glimpse of New Search Products

Jayson — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:00:25 -0000

I don't know - this might catch on for businesses and students (high school, universities). I would find value in this right now at our company and even at my last company. This also seems like a great idea for group and team projects at universities and high schools.

You never know, Search Together might help companies regulate the surfing employees do - good bye pointless surfing and hello productivity.

I can't see the CoSearch idea catching on but??

Re: If Yahoo & AOL Merge, Will They Turn to Google for Search?

Jayson — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:07:07 -0000

Ahh - there's no fun in that. I don't like the idea of every one turning to Google for search - yeah the algo produces decent/good results but they could use improvement and I some times find great websites and information by using Yahoo. Some of this stuff would never have been found using Google.

I don't know about quitters; it sounds like Yahoo and AOL may be quitters.

Re: Breaking: Google Analytics Adds Industry Benchmarking and Trends

Jayson — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:22:50 -0000

I'm in too. This is a great new feature and they can already access my data as is. There's really no reason why a current user of Analytics wouldn't want to opt in to this. I'm extremely curious about industry trends - just need people to opt in now!

Good job Googler

Re: Google Maps Crashes Australian Passenger Ferry?

Jayson — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:38:09 -0000

Aren't they already in court dealing with something to do with their Street scenes?

I'm sure if it did happen (very unlikely) that some lawyer could make it stick and get some money from them but I'm just not sure?

Re: Oprah’s First Webcast Crashes, She Apologizes

Jayson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:09:27 -0000

Those numbers are just amazing. I'd think they'd expect something like that to happen and prepare for it, maybe they tried? Oprah is extremely influential so it's not surprising to see that she drew such a crowd and that she's driving sales once again through her book club.

Re: Ask.com Will “Continue to be a Great Search Engine”

Jayson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:19:38 -0000

Truly was a great write-up. It's good to hear that Ask isn't giving up on men :)

I think going after what they're good at might be a nice strategy - as mentioned it isn't always good to be everything to everyone. In addition, from what I've experienced, women (part of their core audience) talk and if they like something they'll let you know.

Re: Matt Cutts Predicts the Future

Jayson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:24:06 -0000

Or he could doubles as a black hat SEO! He'd most likely be great at it as he knows the loop holes.

I read the predictions a couple days ago - pretty entertaining. I wonder if he knows something about a particular host that he's not sharing.

Re: Zuckerberg Not Done Building Facebook Management Team

Jayson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:29:31 -0000

Seems like Facebook has something up their sleeve if they've got the ability to convince a high up Googler that there is a promising future for her at Facebook.

Interested in seeing how '08 goes for them.

Re: Market Motive Provides Marketing Gurus at your Fingertips

Jayson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:34:52 -0000

Andy - is this similar to a forum? I'd be interested in seeing what these guru's could come up with.

Re: Is Creating a Facebook Study Group Cheating?

Jayson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:58:56 -0000

If they weren't actually cheating then the University should applaud the kid. Running something like that, a platform that helps students and encourages teamwork. The group may have helped some students better understand things they were expected to learn.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for March 7 - SXSW Edition

Jayson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:02:37 -0000

Aren't Google TV ads having a hard time launching in the U.S.?

90%!!!! - Google has to love his prediction but that's a significant increase. I doubt our site would mind it :)

Re: What Did Ask.com Really Say?

Jayson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:12:26 -0000

Did Bill Gates really say that ?? Western Union, Thomas Watson...

This story does show how much distortion can come from focusing on the wrong things. It's that one game all over again - not sure what the name is - tell someone a story and then see what that story is 20 people later, you know, from elementary school!

Re: Google Hate or Prudent Planning?

Jayson — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:21:18 -0000

I can't believe this guy recommends blocking GoogleBot!!!!

He makes good points about diversifying traffic and attempting to rely less on Google but blocking GoogleBot is not the way to do it - IMO.

Becoming independent from SEs is a good thought but unless a company has a huge advertising budget it's unlikely.

Re: LiveDeal Inc., Yahoo Sign Long-Term Search Deal

Jayson — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:29:07 -0000

I've never heard of LiveDeal but I'll check them out right now. Good news for an Arizona company. Looks like Yahoo is moving forward and is doing a good job of keeping themselves mentioned in the media and within the Internet community.

Re: New Media’s Influence Growing

Jayson — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:47:31 -0000

Yeah pretty interesting. I'd like to see a few different surveys - 1 with non internet users, 1 with adamant users and 1 mixed with both. I wonder which group the respondents of this survey would fit into, but this seems like it could accurately represent consumers as a whole.

Re: Alan’s Angle - Are Google Competitors Throwing in the Towel?

Jayson — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:53:38 -0000

Yeah it does seem like some of their competitors are throwing in the towel but I wouldn't count Microsoft out yet - they're pretty competitive and, as you mentioned, they're working on some innovations (hopefully they amount to something).

I wouldn't say Google isn't fighting to remain on top - I just worry a few years from now if/when there truly is no competition. Search would slowly become stagnant then.

Google's next competitor may come from overseas (maybe China?).

Re: What Did Ask.com Really Say?

Jayson — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:28:55 -0000

LOL - Ken Olsen's quote is just as bad! I'm sure Ask hopes you're on to something with the quotes :)

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for March 13 - Hawaii Edition

Jayson — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:04:02 -0000

The 9 tactics mentioned on searchengineland are pretty solid. Thanks for the resource

Hawaii looks awesome. It's such a relaxing place.

Re: Congratulations to Jordan; MamaBlogga Expecting Again!

Jayson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:05:25 -0000

Congratulations on the good news - we'll all miss your Linky Goodness!

Re: Alan’s Angle – From Words to Action

Jayson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:17:34 -0000

Yep, Google keeps doing what they've always done. I'm pretty sure Microsoft is working on something - it be hard to stay in the headlines every week but that's what seems to be working for Google.

Re: Search Engine Marketing to Projected to Reach $25.2 billion in 2011

Jayson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:17:46 -0000

Great news! I think that SEO will become a larger portion of that budget in years to come. It seems like more and more people are learning what SEO is but that most still don't. As the word spreads and people start getting good results the industry should pick up. I wouldn't be surprised if search engine marketing expenditures exceed 25 billion in 2011.

Re: Working the Refs - Google & Microsoft’s March Madness

Jayson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:21:11 -0000

Didn't Google just buy an SEO company and fail to mention that they wouldn't get involved in the industry? I don't think that a move like that helps with the Internet's openness. I know if they do get involved, my company is going to use Google for SEO.

Re: Yahoo! is Embracing the Semantic Web

Jayson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:11:19 -0000

Interesting - I think it could be done if the engines understood what was on the page and then related the content to the tags. I wonder if this would favor theming a website as opposed to each individual page? It does open the doors for more manipulation but I don't doubt that the technology for making something like this work exists.

Re: Microsoft Launches adCenterCommunity.com

Jayson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:57:56 -0000

adCenter makes AdWords customer service look like a rundown Walmart. I've talked on the phone with adCenter reps and was easily able to get all of my questions answered immediately.

Microsoft's entire business provides better customer service and I think they know that it's important. It may be a lesson that Google learns the hard way.

I've always believed customer service is #1; so far, Google's proved me wrong.

Re: ValueClick’s Record $2.9 Million Fine for Deception

Jayson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:05:28 -0000

Ah - so these are the characters responsible for me wasting hours of my life years ago!! I still see this kind of scheme (not sure if they're a product of ValueClick) with any product making a buzz e.g. ipod, new laptops etc..

"Just pick two offers and you'll have a chance to win" - they do a pretty good job of gathering products that nearly everyone can use but it's pretty annoying at best.

Re: Google is Bleeding Executives

Jayson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:36:22 -0000

Yeah I think they're after more personal achievement. Facebook has an exciting team, opportunity and a problem that needs to be fixed.

Plus, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Re: A Gaggle of Google Filings

Jayson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:40:38 -0000

It's still $1 -

I wonder if there's something for Google stock holders to worry about...losing execs, these guys selling stocks. Most likely not but it'd make me question a thing or two.

Re: Gambling Google Betting Short-Term Clicks Against Long-Term Growth?

Jayson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:00:53 -0000

Maybe people are learning that they're ads? I've meet several people that think they're organic search results and have no idea what they really are.

It could have to do with the economy or it could be a result of them trying to make clicks more valuable?? It's really hard to say without a lot of data; I'm sure Google's figuring it out right now.

Re: 2008: Not the Year of Mobile

Jayson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:10:53 -0000

I hope these advertisers leave my phone alone.

I'll pay more for no advertising! That's just too far IMO, mobile advertising...come on. It just makes me think less of the companies - they can get me online, on the road, through the television, on my business and home phone, on the radio, in malls etc.. Leave my phone alone! Hopefully it won't go anywhere - like telemarketing it will get slowly banned. I guess it won't hurt to reach people why they can.

Re: Blog Marketing Tips #1: How to Optimize Blog Post Titles

Jayson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:53:39 -0000

Nice tips Andy! A lot of useful information to use. I look forward to reading your next tips

Re: Facebook May Enter the Middle Kingdom

Jayson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:08:57 -0000

A lot of smart and successful people are putting their faith in Facebook by choosing to start a career with the company. Great leadership builds great companies so Li is probably making a good decision. He's already pot committed anyway!

Re: Yahoo Launches Shine to Reach Women Online

Jayson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:20:02 -0000

LOL - maybe I chose a few wrong posts but it doesn't seem like any moderation is going on and it looks like the audience (or commenters) is guys.

It might be a management disaster - do you know if the blog owners approve comments?

It'll probably be a good place to get exposure for some and a link jackpot for others.

Re: Will Woopra Whip Google Analytics’ Butt?

Jayson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:26:15 -0000

Yeah that looks like a bad ace interface and the features look incredible. If it's free, I think it'll get a lot of attention but if it costs money it may not attract webmasters with several websites or site owners that don't really take advantage of Analytics.

I'll give it a shot for sure.

Re: Exclusive: Google’s Index Now on Your Wrist with GWatch Launch

Jayson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:16:55 -0000

Thanks Jaan - I almost went off on how incredibly ugly the watch was and how ridiculous people would look talking to their watch.

Nice story Andy

Re: Happy 10th Birthday Mozilla

Jayson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:27:47 -0000

Surfing with IE is definitely a handicap - congrats Mozilla and thanks for the tools :)

Re: Zillow Offers Mortgage Rate Comparison Shopping

Jayson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:50:50 -0000

That sounds like a great deal for the consumer! I wonder how many lenders will keep shelling out proposals based off of consumer guesses. Could be a full time job for someone just to keep up with quotes.

Zillow does a great job of coming up with unique programs.

Re: Google Buying Expedia?

Jayson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:56:40 -0000

It might help out with some of their real estate interests. Plus, if they buy Expedia - they can keep all the AdSense revenue or get their employees good deals on vacations!! Other than that, I'm not sure what they'd want with Expedia.

I guess one strategy is to own everything.

Re: MySpace Announces iTunes Rival

Jayson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:22:18 -0000

That's a great move IMO - I'm sure we'll see this same thing out of Facebook soon. There's so many ways to reach users with songs that they'll like and buy...nice

Re: Six Reputation Management Stats to Make You Shudder

Jayson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:28:51 -0000

Nice stats Andy - very interesting. I certainly agree with all of them.

I'd like to see the research gathered for that last stat though.

Re: Google Admits to Gambling $4.6 Billion?

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:34:46 -0000

That's a nice move - I'd like to see what a Google car can do.

Re: Linky Goodness, April 4

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:38:08 -0000

A friend of mine just asked me the other day if Craig was worth anything. LOL

I figured a lot but not 5 bill. - that's impressive

Re: Couple Sues Google for Street View Photos on Private Road

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:47:02 -0000

I guess that doesn't seem to unreasonable - 25,000 isn't even close to the 40 billion that most people suing companies ask for.

@Iowa Forum can you post a link?

Re: While You Enjoy your Day Off Facebook Adds IM

Jayson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:20:46 -0000

Nice move, I'm sure it'll be a nice addition -

They'll be able to sell advertisement space at the bottom of the messenger like live messenger does (if they want to?)

Re: Google - Long Term Thinking in an ADD World

Jayson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:32:39 -0000

Google is a very impressive company and IMO, they'll continue to be impressive. I don't think anyone can disagree and I think we all eagerly wait for Google news. I never heard about the 20 year commitment from Brin and Page - that makes the company a more attractive investment.

Re: Google Site Links Broken?

Jayson — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:38:02 -0000

IMO

As Matt pointed out, it's because there are a lot or quality links pointing to that page (section) somewhere; it's either a good job of internal link structure and deep linking or a bad one!

Yeah I bet Fry's is happy - they've probably just been on the site constantly for a long time?

Re: Here come the widgets!

Jayson — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:51:15 -0000

Yeah widgets are valuable - I think the market can handle tons of widgets! Americans love choices and each of us have different needs and wants.

I might not care about this weeks top 3 music artists but I'm sure a few people do. I'd imagine that there's a widget for everyone and that we could stand a few more but ... maybe we need to create a widget that can be any widget ??

Re: Yahoo’s Largest Stockholder Buys More

Jayson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:10:08 -0000

I think they want a controlling interest if/when Microsoft takes the company over.

Re: The Young and the Profitless; Why the Yahoo/Microsoft Saga is Like a Daytime Soap Opera

Jayson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:23:21 -0000

Yeah I think I understand the story more than the real life scenario - they should just get it over with and meet at Grant's house for a good night!

Can you imagine AOL? Worse search results provided by Yahoo!

Just joking Yahoo!.

Re: AOL Signs Online Advertising Deal with Verizon

Jayson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:59:43 -0000

Soap Opera at the least! -

That sounds like good news for AOL - I'd imagine that Verizon is a huge account...now they just need to get that lawsuit taken care of. I'm still not sure that a combined AOL/Yahoo has what it takes to compete with the Googler.

Re: Google & Salesforce.com Lovefest - Get a Room Already!

Jayson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:03:51 -0000

I'm definitely going to check more of that out. It looks like a premier account is only $10/month - not too bad. Thanks for the info.

Re: comScore the Boy that Cried Wolf- Confirmed

Jayson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:06:41 -0000

Not meeting analyst expectations doesn't seem too far fetched. Our economy is slowing and advertisers are probably holding on to more of their money, not to mention some analysts seem to expect too much from Google (probably for good reason).

I know that in the markets we serve, it looks like there are less real estate companies advertising and they aren't advertising as much as they were 6 months - a year ago. Things could be just trickling down -

Re: Twitter, Your “Get Out of Jail Free” Card

Jayson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:11:24 -0000

That's amazing and twitterlicious! He is lucky that they didn't take his belongings and more lucky that he had the opportunity to alert his network - LOL that's a great story.

Re: Kapow! Microsoft Live Search News Wants a Piece of Google News

Jayson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:17:36 -0000

Nice - well I'm glad you might finally give Microsoft a little attention. I think Microsoft products are always clean, professional and inviting. I like using them, I just don't always like what I get after using them!

No RSS feed! - I'm sure that'll change shortly

Re: Alan’s Angle – Who Dares to Mess with the Big G?

Jayson — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:36:49 -0000

Well that's good news for G, and would explain why their stock rose as much as it did one day last week. That's a pretty big mistake that created a big stir and at the end of the day just made comScore look stupid.

Re: Google Video Team Announces Changes

Jayson — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:40:23 -0000

Definitely agree. We've been thinking about how we can get started in video marketing - it's just one of those thing (I think) that you'll want to have the upper-hand in. I believe that videos will have a more noticeable effect on SEO in the near future.

Re: Internet retailing during a recession

Jayson — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:44:27 -0000

Yeah there are ways to survive and flourish during a recession - we're looking for them!

#3 is a huge point

I've seen so many businesses tighten up so much that it actually hurts sales and doesn't promote repeat business. In addition, tightening up can decrease productivity (in some cases) and employee moral.

It's much more important to focus on making more money IMO.

Re: Blockbuster Sued Over Facebook Ads

Jayson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:10:39 -0000

I can see her point. She probably just likes to have some privacy - I'm not sure if I'd want my friends knowing everything I do all the time, but I wouldn't sue over it.

The lawsuit is a little much...maybe just figure out how to turn it off.

Privacy aside, it seems like a good way to advertise.

Re: Does Mozilla Control Apple’s Reputation?

Jayson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:26:55 -0000

@Dude - I think the entire situation was about the user, a lot of Andy's readers are marketing professionals (execs, business owners etc..), or they're interested in marketing. Andy was probably just trying to post something his "users" would be interested in.

Mozilla spoke out appropriately IMO - I know my mom would flip if she found something on her computer that she didn't "knowingly" download!!

The situation shows the power of publicity and the end result gives Mozilla a little more security.

Re: Google #1 Brand; Did Millward Brown Wait to See Q1 Before Announcing List?

Jayson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:13:56 -0000

LOL - yeah Marlboro sticks out like a sore thumb on this list. I'd have thought that Citi, BofA, Yahoo and Nike have a more powerful brand than Marlboro - maybe in the 80s?

Re: Six Apart Launches Blog Ad Network, Blog Services

Jayson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:17:37 -0000

It's going to be interesting to see how this pans out. I think it's a good idea to target the little guys if it's possible w/o a headache. I'd imagine that you could reach a lot more people by opening it up and allowing more bloggers.

Re: I Want Your RSS Feed, Again!

Jayson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:35:22 -0000

http://newhomessection.com/blog/feed

Re: Yodle Becomes Authorized Google AdWords Reseller

Jayson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:38:38 -0000

That's a nice program and something I'd love to get involved in ... just need the 500 customers!

It's no surprise that small businesses don't spend so much online - it still seems like a lot of people aren't aware of the benefits.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for April 24

Jayson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:48:51 -0000

I'd have to go with a NO on these. Maybe the Google calendar topic but even then a sentence or two would do.

Re: eBay Sues Craigslist for Stock Dilution

Jayson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:52:35 -0000

I'm not sure what was done or how they can undo it but if I lost 10% of Craigslist I'd be more than a little upset too. I wonder how this will turn out.

Re: Jerry Yang Says Yahoo “Open to Any and All” Deals

Jayson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:58:19 -0000

They had their chance to get a good amount of money for themselves months ago. I'm sure this will go down as a $10+ billion mistake.

Re: Linky Goodness, April 24

Jayson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:18:46 -0000

Geez - it looks like TechCrunch did get a little roasted over there...

I can't wait to see the Android - probably won't buy it but a Google phone has got to be impressive.

Re: Yahoo Starts SearchMonkey Rollout

Jayson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:21:45 -0000

Nice - from what it looks like, that could be a pretty nifty tool for business/site owners. Definitely something that would be dumb to ignore. Thanks for the update

Re: eBay Seller Sues Buyer for Leaving “Neutral” Feedback

Jayson — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:27:03 -0000

WHAT - WHAT

This is simply retarded. Yes, as you mentioned, ebay ratings are near priceless but 1. it's a neutral rating and 2. it's a rating

Did they try to settle out of court or talk about it or was it just straight to court?

Re: Today’s Marketing News in 60 Seconds!!!

Jayson — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:24:53 -0000

I wonder how the government would break the Googler up - doesn't seem like they could do much. Maybe they'd make Google pay for anti-Google advertisements or redirect 25% of their traffic?

Re: Who’s Bluffing? Microsoft or Yahoo?

Jayson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:16:03 -0000

I'd guess that Yahoo is bluffing. They need Microsoft more than Microsoft needs them, IMO.

Microsoft is a search engine on the side and has plenty of revenue from software products. It's not like Yahoo is a great search engine with great traffic...they do have a very strong brand though.

Re: Interactive Classified and Verticals to Grow 376% in Four Years

Jayson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:19:23 -0000

Nice! I like hearing these kind of stats - good news, good news.

Online marketing still seems like a big mystery to many.

Re: Cox Enterprises Sees Future in Self-Service Ad Network, Acquires Adify

Jayson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:05:51 -0000

That is a pretty sweet deal for Adify... hopefully it ends up being a great deal for Cox too.

Re: Microsoft Sets Aside $1.5 Billion to Retain Yahoo Employees

Jayson — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:49:39 -0000

Well, if you ask me, Microsoft sure knows how to stay in the news. It seems like they're trying to get everyone on their side...making everyone at Yahoo believe that the merger is the best thing for the company, it's employees and it's shareholders.

Re: Get $2000 Back on your First Google TV Ad*

Jayson — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:42:49 -0000

That's a pretty nice incentive. It's something that may get a lot of small and medium businesses to take a chance on Google TV ads

Re: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s Yahoo Decision Could Decide His Future

Jayson — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:19:19 -0000

I'd offer $34 and meet them at the low end of half-way. If they didn't take that, I'd walk away pick up a few small players with loyal users and eager leaders and look overseas for someone that has a large share in foreign markets.

With a little innovation in search features, tools and some help from overseas, Microsoft could probably stand a chance w/o Yahoo. Paying $37 a share seems risky... unless they have it, if they have the money, why not?

Re: The Main Factor Necessary to Convert Visitors to Customers

Jayson — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:23:43 -0000

These are huge conversion rates - I wish!

Did the study mention if these rates were among first time visitors or if they were a combination of first and regular visitors.

Jaan - I'd imagine that the cost per conversion and conversion rate are independent when just looking at conversion rates. Unless, they're getting further qualified leads from somewhere.

Re: Why eBay Is Suing craigslist

Jayson — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:32:39 -0000

I'd be a little upset if I was ebay too - it seems pretty clear that Craigslist wanted ebay out and that they devised a plan to get what they want.

Re: Microsoft Raises Yahoo Bid

Jayson — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:44:14 -0000

Good, hopefully something finally does happen. If they do combine, I'm interested in seeing how they go about it.

Re: Microsoft Retreats or Withdrawls, Depends on Your View

Jayson — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:49:10 -0000

WHAT! I just read a post (should have looked at the date) about them increasing their bid. If they are looking to devalue the stocks, I think this is the best way to go about it.

Re: Steve Ballmer’s Email to Microsoft Employees

Jayson — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:58:03 -0000

Their strategy sounds good (if not spot on) and it seems like they have focus - I wouldn't count them out. They just need to work on their innovation a little and improve their SE results.

They have the resources to compete IMO

Re: The Accuracy of Web Analytics

Jayson — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:27:13 -0000

Thanks for the information - we've never fully trusted our analytics; we usually just accept that they're wrong but hope that they are consistently wrong in the same areas.

We track traffic etc.. using 3 different programs and they're all significantly different.

Yeah, I'm going to check on our load times and code location and see if we can improve in some areas.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for May 5 - Cinco de Mayo Edition

Jayson — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:33:27 -0000

Minus 60 penalty!! The wrath of the Googler continues.

If we go into a recession, the last thing people need to do is spend time in social networks - work people, work!

Re: Amazon Sues NY Over Taxes; Are Affiliates ‘Affiliated’?

Jayson — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:36:45 -0000

This needs to be won by Amazon or I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this kind of thing in the near future. Your point about the billboards puts it in perspective.

Re: Google Officially Removes Link Building from “SEO?”

Jayson — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:34:25 -0000

Yeah they're probably just trying to get people to focus on the things that will help them in the long run. If Google says, "Get links" and isn't extremely careful about how they say it, they could cause a few creative people to do some questionable link building which may result in a penalty.

It's just not wise to say "build links" w/o saying about 200 other things.

In addition, if you think there are creative ways to build links now, wait until 10% of business owners, as opposed to 2 - 5%, know the benefits of SEO. Wait until 50% know and so on.

Re: Crave the Early Days of Google? Join Facebook

Jayson — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:37:15 -0000

Nice! Chalk one more up for Facebook. I wonder if they'll be able to make some money now?

Re: Does Bill Gates Think the Internet is 10 Years Old?

Jayson — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:44:09 -0000

Yeah I doubt Bill thinks that the Internet has been around for merely 10 years. It was likely an oversight as mentioned. Lesson learned and point taken

LOL - when will they learn about search engines!

Re: A Game of He Said, Yang Said

Jayson — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:48:43 -0000

What ever happened to the only thing that matters when deciding what something is worth - it's the universal rule that is never wrong.

"It's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it."

In this case, Yahoo! is only worth what Microsoft is willing to pay and that's about it...end of conversation -

Re: Is SEO a Dying Industry?

Jayson — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:48:42 -0000

WOW - I heard about Shoemoney's thoughtless statements about SEO and I've now read yours. I've also read everyone talking about how the Googler uses stats like CTR, bounce rate, time on site etc.. to determine how a site ranks (I think it's extremely small if any). Any proof of this? ANYONE? ... Yeah probably just speculation.

In addition, let's say that this is true... how easy is it going to be to game that? Shouldn't take long for a few companies to spring up that hire people to visit sites, visit multiple pages and leave a browser open. Maybe the exact opposite - talk about negative SEO.

You better become a top 10 branded site???? Okay here's the deal with that, I know about the top 10 branded sites in several industries and I go to their website directly... I don't use a search engine to find them and I never will. I use a search engine to find out about stuff that I don't know. Makes sense right? SE's would do themselves harm if they returned the top 10 sites that everyone knew about with each search query..Should I just jump to page 2 and 3? I think it was your article the other day stating that sites are enjoying high conversion rates because people know about them and that many of those conversions are from direct traffic.

Here's the deal with your definition of SEO. You've seemed to have mistakenly lumped SEO in with spam - I'd think anyone that says they are an SEO knows that link building (on the surface) and keyword stuffing etc. is out and has been for a long time. There's much more to SEO than you seem to realize. Thanks for chiming in Andy with some newer techniques as it appears that Greg is aimlessly wondering around in the late 90s.

I got an idea! Let's spend all of our time branding as opposed to giving users something to be impressed with...yeah that'll work well with the Googlers new "stats based algo".... Should I spend a million dollars on a 3 month TV campaign just to increase site traffic and neglect to build more than a home page? Maybe I should spend millions on branding and then create a website with information that's next to impossible to find, access and understand.

Greg, if your assumption is correct, the Googler will destroy the "information highway" and create an information wall. I bet a lot of search engines hope Google would be so careless...talk about an easy way to lose market share. JMO

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for May 8

Jayson — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:58:29 -0000

Google does seem to have its groove back and for good reason. It's a stellar company and always has been. I wouldn't count the recession out yet though. It still hasn't fully trickled through the economy and the most cutbacks may still be looming.

Re: Is SEO a Dying Industry?

Jayson — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:09:05 -0000

So a 1-3 % increase in conversion rates isn't dramatic? (privacy policy)could be millions for some and thousands for others.

I get at least 60% of my traffic from long tail keywords - not too mention that long tail keywords often provide better, more qualified leads.

We helped a small, successful business and business woman have the best quarter ever through a 300% increase in organic traffic. Doesn't mean anything though, right? She should have spent 100 times as much on branding only to find that consumers now search for information using search engines and guess what? She's not there.

I'll tell you right now that a good business man doesn't think that focusing on branding alone is a good strategy. Don't you think that top placement in Google helps with credibility and branding? Don't you think that a user friendly website and earning great links from authority sites helps with branding?

Throw something out that 99% of the businesses out there can afford... I doubt Nike and Walmart are subscribers.

Maybe you're forgetting that SEO is a part of a "holistic" branding strategy and that, for small businesses, branding on its own is futile or at least out of the question.

Re: MySpace Wants to be your Profile Host

Jayson — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:12:44 -0000

This is a great addition and will save me tons of time every year. As you mentioned, it's a pain to fill out everything over and over again and because of time, most items in a profile get left out.

Re: Google Annual Shareholder Meeting - CliffsNotes Version

Jayson — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:32:25 -0000

I'm interested to see what ad products they introduce in You Tube. Hopefully, it's a success and an innovation.

Re: How Branding Will Replace SEO

Jayson — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:55:23 -0000

Todd I agree - there is no either or. Without SEO how would an organization (with a tiny advertising budget) reach people to start branding their company? There's only so many people that friends and family know; it would take an online company close to six centuries to build an online business if they ignored SEO or read on a trusted blog that they shouldn't pay attention to it (and left believing the theory).

Your ideas above are great, true and extremely important. However, the entire process that you used to brand your company was built on a strong foundation of SEO. You claim that SEO will be a thing of the past and I'll guarantee that there will always be a need, and demand, for an industry that focuses on helping businesses improve their online exposure, online reputation ;), and website performance and usability.

There are always going to be factors that help a website rank well and the need for people that understand those factors will last along with the Internet. If only branded companies do occupy the first page of Google results one day, I'll find a search engine that didn't take the easy way out, along with everyone else that enjoys options.

Re: TinEye for the Image Search Guy

Jayson — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:56:46 -0000

This is pretty sweet. Other than the few things you mentioned above, I can't think of any other uses but I'm sure several will pop up - thanks for the info.

Re: Branding Won’t Replace SEO It Will Enhance It

Jayson — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:47:55 -0000

Nice point - there is no opportunity to brand without an audience and if a new company doesn't have the money for a large ad campaign, public relations campaign or some other channel (like an already busy website) then they really don't have an opportunity to brand anything w/o organic search engine placement. By the way, organic search engine placement is an incredible way to brand a company - IMO.

Not sure we're talking about the chicken and egg problem as it's common sense that without an audience, the only person you're reaching is your company, friends and family (for as long as they'll listen). It's that simple - you just can't build an online brand without an audience. SEO is, and always will be, a great way to reach more people.

In this branding before traffic hypothesis, there is no customer and therefore no branding opportunity.

Re: Does Microsoft Expect to Be Believed?

Jayson — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:01:16 -0000

Yeah I'm not too sure I believe Microsoft - they have other options, but it seemed like they were head over heels for Yahoo!.

They have made a few good points to back up their decision to withdraw their bid so they may have lost interest? I'm sure something will pop up next week

Re: Google Falling Apart at the Seams; Doesn’t Appear to Care

Jayson — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:06:05 -0000

The article, and you, make some very good points. I think Google needs to get a goat and and cow too. Having one (only one) huge revenue stream might seem okay but if anything happens to that, the company is screwed. With today's technology and constant innovation, AdWords and AdSense can disappear in a few years.

Re: That’s a Lot of Spam!

Jayson — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:05:52 -0000

WOW - I haven't heard about this and find it somewhat surprising. That's a lot of money and 30 million/day what a busy guy.

Re: Abandoning the SEO of Today for the SEO of Tomorrow

Jayson — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:27:51 -0000

Great point. Link exchanges are another one of those things that can still be debated. People claim they hurt websites, others swear by them and then you'll still see websites ranking well built off excessive exchanges.

Deciding what works and what doesn't is a huge task in itself. I'd imagine everything is okay as long as it's done in moderation. I know of a huge national site with a PR 7 that hides links (in a tricky way) and they're doing fine in the SERPs.

Re: The 12 Hottest Trends in Internet Marketing

Jayson — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:25:25 -0000

Wierd? I hadn't thought about mobile phones and social networking as making it big. It might have something to do with me not being to active in social networking??

I can definitely see Internet pricing affecting offline pricing - hopefully it'll bring some print mediums back to reality.

Re: Ask.com Grows Audience by 11% Overnight!

Jayson — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:29:23 -0000

That's a pretty huge increase. I wonder how many of those users are already users of ask.com and if they'll truly get an 11% increase.

Re: Yahoo Says “No” to Carl Icahn’s Board Demand

Jayson — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:40:28 -0000

Yeah I doubt he takes that lightly. I bet he does, or tries, to pull something political off - something big and meaningful but I have know clue what it will be.

Re: Facebook Can’t Stomach Beer Pong

Jayson — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:51:58 -0000

Beer Pong

Well it's about time someone wrote about this great sport. Thank you

Went 4 out of 5 last time we played a few months ago. Anytime you want NHS to teach MP how to play, let me know :)

Re: Rumor: Microsoft will Buy Facebook

Jayson — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:07:20 -0000

Hopefully they know of a way to make money with Facebook - otherwise it could just become a good way to blow a few billion.

I wonder if the executives would be as enthusiastic about working with Facebook if Microsoft bought them out - wouldn't really have the new "startup" feel.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for May 21

Jayson — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:10:13 -0000

Thanks for the is PageRank -via nofollow - link.

That's a great article with tons of good feedback and resources.

Aaron is right about corporations...Google does let them get away with junk that would get the little guys de-indexed in a second.

After looking at your site daily I could've skipped your answers.

Re: Microsoft Gives Up Earning Your Loyalty; Launches “Cashback” to Bribe You Instead

Jayson — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:30:58 -0000

This is only a good idea if they can get the word out - and - Microsoft has the money to do that. Talk about cutting the Googlers head off - if they get the word out this could go really well for them.

They don't need a good search engine, in fact, they could have the worst search engine in the world (do they already ??) and this could still work wonders for them. I don't think it would work for everyone but if you have money to throw at it you might get a nation of people typing everything they want to buy directly into live.com in an attempt to save a few bucks. Xmas 08 may be a great Christmas for MSN.

They could just be looking to get more people to click on their ads which would in turn get more money from advertisers. Nothing gets people to ignore organic results and pay attention to ads more than a huge savings icon. You'd have to change the name as it's part of live search... I don't know I like the idea...you'd think they'd use their busy msn.com homepage for a little promotion though.

JMO

Re: Microsoft Gives Up Earning Your Loyalty; Launches “Cashback” to Bribe You Instead

Jayson — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:46:49 -0000

Nevermind - it looks like the ads with the icon are only for live search - idea isn't cutting the Googlers head off anymore.

Re: Twitter Tries Being Radically Transparent; Two Out of Three is a Start!

Jayson — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:28:34 -0000

Andy - thanks for the info on your three simple steps.

Is radically transparent for sale in book stores like a Barnes and Noble? I'm traveling tomorrow and it's time to get the reading material!

Re: Twitter Tries Being Radically Transparent; Two Out of Three is a Start!

Jayson — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:59:56 -0000

Nice! Thanks Andy - been trying to read it but just don't have the time outside of travel

Re: Excuse me, may I have my cheap clicks back?

Jayson — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:55:20 -0000

Great tips and reminders :) It's always good to have someone tell you what to do once again. Landing pages are a huge reason why people bounce, stay, buy, refer etc.. and if you're not constantly making them better, you'll likely lose out to your competitors that are.

Re: Link Juice: How to make people link to your website

Jayson — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:59:18 -0000

Mike, it's the "one day" thing that keeps us all from doing it.

Nice tips Pawel - another good strategy is to write testimonials for companies and hope for a power link on their homepage. I think your best tip however is #7, nothing is a "one size fits all" solution to building inbound links.

Re: Newspaper Sites Profitable with Online Advertising

Jayson — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:54:29 -0000

Newspapers are a shoe-in for internet success if you ask me. Full-time writers, local exposure and motivation to find new revenue (dwindling print).

It would be hard to have a successful newspaper and an unsuccessful website.

Re: Newspaper Sites Profitable with Online Advertising

Jayson — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:01:20 -0000

I'm not too sure that online advertising hasn't been studied - I would argue that it's been studied a lot, and that tons of people are making money from online advertising and are actually advertising online, because it works.

For most products and most industries online advertising is extremely effective - IMO

Re: Google Pimping Big Ad Spender Trademarks

Jayson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:06:58 -0000

I say it's definitely a problem...for the big boys :). I don't see an end in the near future, as you pointed out, it's financially easier for Google to let the "piggybacking" continue

Did san-antonio-hotels-reservations pay you for the exposure?

Re: Internal Yahoo Docs Show Google Partnership is an Act of Desperation

Jayson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:10:09 -0000

I'd imagine they would. Looks like Ballmer and Microsoft weren't the only ones that noticed the negatives.

Re: Icahn, Shareholders Want Yang Out of Yahoo

Jayson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:18:04 -0000

WOW - Yahoo seems like it's getting into some trouble.

I'd bet that Microsoft is still interested but I'm not sure that they'll pay as much as they would have.

Re: Google Private about Privacy: and Breaking the Law?

Jayson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:19:20 -0000

Yeah I'm not too sure this matters???? I guess I'm a little lenient but it seems silly to require a privacy policy in a certain area or on a certain page.

Re: Yahoo Partners With CBS and Walmart.com

Jayson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:23:50 -0000

Well they're at least staying in front of people. I'd like to hear, or read, something about them gaining more search traffic or increasing revenue. Maybe in time....

The CBS audience network...seems like everyone is in on that.

Re: YouTube Gets Interactive With Annotations

Jayson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:30:43 -0000

Pretty sweet! something new everyday ... I can think of a lot of things that this will work wonders for

Re: Why Gmail’s 13 New Options Suck and 6 We Desperately Need

Jayson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:40:26 -0000

WOW - yeah it doesn't seem like any of the new features they're coming out with would be of much use to most people ... some of them would help decrease productivity :)

I think the rotating quote feature would be useful to a few people but that may be just because I'm tired of reading some quote they've had since email.

I do think your 6 recommendations are right on - think some of them are the exact reason why I haven't been using Gmail for all emails already. It's just not as user-friendly as Outlook...yet

Re: Why Sculpting PageRank Is Not For Everyone

Jayson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:49:46 -0000

These are some great points to consider before sculpting sites. I'd just recommend following a keep it simple policy and only work with a few links in your site wide navigation. Then again, huge sites could see significant increases by not keeping it simple.

Re: Google AdSense Not Quite Live on Feedburner; Go Check For Yourself

Jayson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:53:48 -0000

Nice Andy - I haven't heard about this. I think it's a great idea for website owners and the Googler. May bring Google a few billion more each year.

Re: Twitter Toys Galore

Jayson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:04:51 -0000

Yeah I don't use Twitter much - I need to start. I tried to get on and become familiar with it earlier this week but there were too many Tweets online!

I'll give it a shot later today - thanks for the info.

A friend of mine has seen a lot of success from a few apps on Facebook (and their nothing like these sound) so I can only imagine what these apps are doing for Jensen.

Re: Google Leads the Top 10 U.K. Search Sites

Jayson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:09:32 -0000

No surprise but it's always eye opening when you see the numbers. I'm interested in seeing if social sites continue to gain market share...it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Re: Plurk Joins Twitter and Pownce on Train to Sucksville

Jayson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:35:25 -0000

Wow - maybe they think downtime is success?? I can't believe this is happening to all 3 - I just read a post stating the Plurk is ready to go the distance...maybe they just thought they were.

Re: YouTube Letting Content Creators Sell Ads

Jayson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:52:12 -0000

It might be a step in the right direction but I think they need to find a way to incorporate more videos into the monetization process. I'm sure non-professional videos receive a great deal of views too.

The Ad Age prediction scenario seems closer to where Google needs to be (and may be headed).

I was hoping they'd come out with something a little better than this, but maybe this is as good as it gets??

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for June 9

Jayson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:07:07 -0000

Media Planner seems like a pretty solid idea and service. In using Quantcast in the past I've discovered that data wasn't always accurate. I wonder if Media Planner data is more accurate - guess it just depends on whether or not the websites are Quantified.

I think it's success will depend on Quantcast's ability to get websites on board and Quantified.

Hopefully it doesn't get the "It's inaccurate at best" slogan attached to it like Alexa enjoys.

Re: Widgets RockYou World with $35M in Venture Funding

Jayson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:19:13 -0000

I haven't used widgets yet but have heard of the success Trulia is having from them. Seems like they're really helping the company consistently reach new levels.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a bubble - some webmasters are starting to put nofollow attributes on widgets and or removing them from their site altogether. Widgets are likely half as valuable if they don't give link juice back to the website.

I think they are extremely valuable but I'm not sure they'll live up to the hype.

Re: YouTube Pranks: A Legal Remedy?

Jayson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:04:48 -0000

Nice! -

I always like a good story involving punks, detectives and payback!

It doesn't even sound like a creative or funny video .

Re: Google Takes a Run at YourTube

Jayson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:11:43 -0000

Did I really just read the same comment three times?? HELP!!!

This is actually pretty big - IMO. It may have a rough start but it actually gives advertisers an easier way to track results from TV. It was the main concern our clients had - They may want to throw in a media buyer or two for the advertisers, or at least a few free tutorials.

Any idea where I can find out what the commercials cost?

Re: US Blog Readership Stands in the Shadow of the UK

Jayson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:19:56 -0000

I think the UK is approaching, or in, the same real estate hardships we're experiencing.

I'm sure it has a lot to do with the population differences. .73% of 300 + mill is a lot more than 1.2% of 60+ mill.

It takes time to spread the word to more people.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for June 10

Jayson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:29:20 -0000

I just found Hulu last night - it's a pretty sweet website with limited commercials and great TV shows.

Good news about online advertising - I keep wondering if the switch from traditional advertising to online advertising will make traditional advertising more effective...it'll be less cluttered if nothing else.

Re: Overstock.com Adds Real Estate Search

Jayson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:35:53 -0000

I like the look and if you use the left sidebar narrowing down is easy with a few clicks. It does seem a little out of character but it might end up being very profitable.

Re: The Impact of Video on E-tail

Jayson — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:25:21 -0000

Wow - I had no idea that videos helped convert so well. I see some that are absolutely annoying and I see some that are done perfectly. I agree, it probably depends a lot on demographics and the product but video is catching on and can be very persuading during the purchase/research process.

thanks for the info.

Re: Rumor Mill: Google Acquiring Digg

Jayson — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:41:09 -0000

Well Google is a few acquisitions away from owning the Internet. I think they're trying to make sure everyone that uses the Internet touches one of their properties everyday. They're getting close to doing it too - it's going to be hard for Microsoft to touch Google if they keep building their brand like they are (not that Microsoft isn't going to have a hard enough time as was).

I wonder how long it's going to take for them to combine YouTube, Digg, Google Pharmacy, Google Search and Yahoo News, real estate, cars etc.. into one site, one user profile etc.. in a few years, they'll be able to feed products to consumers as they need them just like a prescription.

Re: Facebook Catches MySpace; MySpace to Get Botox

Jayson — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:45:36 -0000

Yeah MySpace could use a little bit of botox here and there.

Any news on Facebook creating more revenue? Does MySpace do well financially?

Re: The Associated Press: FAIL!

Jayson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:24:48 -0000

If it's something that may hurt your business and it goes against what you feel is "right", you have to ban them - IMO. Too many people don't stand up for what they believe is right

If you think they may have some merit to their argument and that they truly are getting the raw end of the deal, you might want to consider keeping things as is (or complying with their wants) until the issue gets resolved.

Re: Teenagers Not Internet Zombies

Jayson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:23:09 -0000

I figured that teenagers spent more time online than the study concluded. I guess it's b/c I live online.

Now that I think about it, 15 hours seems like a lot/week for a kid. I wonder how many hours they spend online playing video games via Xbox, Wii, Playstation 3 etc. and how long it's going to take for some more product placement opportunities to arise in games.

Re: Linky Goodness, June 17

Jayson — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:26:51 -0000

Thanks for the link to the Matt Cutt's interview it was a great interview and it's amazing how much information he always shares with the community.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for June 17 - Firefox 3 Edition

Jayson — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:34:25 -0000

Yeah the new Firefox browser looks different, doesn't work with all plugins and it's crashed on me a few times already BUT I'm sure these issues will all go away in time. It does have some pretty neat features -

Re: When AdWords Users Get Phished

Jayson — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:58:10 -0000

I don't think we or anyone has anything to worry about. Thanks for the story, I feel a lot better about using AdWords - I think I may have opened that email and logged in too.

I trust Google products (probably too much) and feel bad for the guy that gets caught using Google to run a scam - his poor websites wouldn't have a chance.

Re: Barack Obama Will Win The US Presidency - Guaranteed!

Jayson — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:01:36 -0000

I'm running out and didn't read the post (I will later) - but I agree with the title 100% - he'll win hands down.

Re: Google Launches Trends for Websites

Jayson — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:06:30 -0000

Nice, I wonder how accurate it is. Hopefully it's not as inaccurate as the other guys, but since so many people use Google and Google products, I'm sure it will at least be a little better than Alexa, Quantcast, Compete etc..

Re: We Asked 100 People About Yahoo’s Q2: Yahoo Said “Strong;” Our Survey Said…

Jayson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:55:27 -0000

I miss this place!

Doesn't seem like Yahoo had such a bad quarter - 1 cent per share is huge but I'm sure they've exceeded most expectations.

Re: Did Robert Scoble Break Google?

Jayson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:58:00 -0000

LOL about the browser -

That truly doesn't look like anything Google would deliver - it's good for a good laugh though

Re: Did Robert Scoble Break Google?

Jayson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:01:29 -0000

Just opened up Opera and it looks good to me ;)

not a bad browser actually - could use a few features that Firefox has made it impossible for me to live w/o.

Re: Photos of Partying Defendants Lead to Prison Time; Why Perception is Reputation

Jayson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:07:14 -0000

Poor kid, err, poor woman that was injured in a car wreck by suck an a**. I've heard of this same issue popping up in job interviews...when are going to learn that if we're idiots, the world will know!!!!

Re: Photos of Partying Defendants Lead to Prison Time; Why Perception is Reputation

Jayson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:08:05 -0000

such an*

Re: For the Future of Search, Microsoft Takes a 10-Year Backward Step

Jayson — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:53:22 -0000

Yeah, it's not a bad theory, but it would be hard to - not - rule out important pages and vice versa.

There's just too many different situations in which their data could be flawed.

On second thought, they have data we only dream about and more than likely have already put types of websites in certain ranges - outliers win and lose - . With millions of tweaks, and a few thousand hand-jobs, they could have a pretty solid search.

@skywalker - IE

Re: Google Sucking-up to Ad Agencies

Jayson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:59:31 -0000

I was just talking with a friend at an ad agency about Google slowly killing their business - I wonder if he has received anything or heard of such events...probably just for the Ultra Huge agencies?

Definitely a good idea to check the lava lamps for the spy kit.

It's not a bad idea to get the agencies on their side, there's nothing better than a trusted source batting for you.

Re: Join Me for a Free Online Reputation Management Webinar - October 1st

Jayson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:46:26 -0000

Nice- count me in. If we don't learn something new, how long will it take to get our money back?

Re: Bloggers Increase HP Laptop Sales 85%

Jayson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:51:34 -0000

Amazing! That's an incredible approach and one that will likely be repeated over-and-over again. Just one more testament to the power of blogs, bloggers and social media.

Re: Yahoo Defends Google Ad Deal, Too (And Again)

Jayson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:01:10 -0000

I say Google - all the talk about it just constantly makes Google, and their search sponsored ad system, look better. I think Yahoo! needs to focus on getting more search users...it's the only way they won't end up exiting the sponsored search biz.

Re: Pilgrim’s Picks for October 1

Jayson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:04:23 -0000

What a flipping glitch!!

I'm glad to see that it's just a glitch and that Google isn't tanking.

Re: StumbleUpon Changes: No Toolbar, Partners, Better Ads

Jayson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:29:31 -0000

I'm not sure it will be enough to save the service but it will by the company some time that they can use for innovation.

Re: What’s Your YouTube “Hot Spot?” Cute Kittens, Bikini Babes, or Soulja Boy?

Jayson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:33:39 -0000

Great way to analyze videos and will more than likely help marketers improve their messages. I can't see it doing much for regular viewers, unless the video is long..but?

Re: Is Trackur the Ultimate Link Building Tool?

Jayson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:45:30 -0000

That's a pretty sweet testimonial without out it actually being a testimonial - huge!

Trackur truly is an amazing tool.

Re: Online Advertising Growth; You’re Doing it Wrong!

Jayson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:53:56 -0000

Yes - very worried, but I doubt that this has anything to do with anything other than companies scaling back on advertising because of the economy.

Internet advertising (IMO) is still an infant...both in spending and potential. I'd be curious to see what Q4 2008 looks like so we can compare relative data - maybe looking at Q1, Q2, Q3 '07 wouldn't be too bad of an idea either.

I also think that growth in self publishing or smaller blog based platforms are eating away at some of the Big 4 revenue.

Do you know if any mediums grew by more than 1% (mobile?)?

Re: Online Advertising Still Growing, but Slower

Jayson — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:57:08 -0000

I agree that online advertising won't decrease (if the economy permits); it is a little disheartening to see growth slow, but there's not much growth anywhere...just a sign of the times I guess.

Re: Ka-Pow! Google Packs a Punch with TV Ads

Jayson — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:42:47 -0000

Google TV ads are definitely the next big thing in TV advertising (they just need to use TV to let people know about it :) ). I used to work for a big TV agency, and as you mentioned, it's a lot of work managing all the little things needed to get a spot on air.

I checked out Google slot rates and they're cheaper than even the cheapest agency rates, and businesses can run spots on very limited budgets which eliminates the biggest barrier...as long as they can get/keep a cheap, dependable and good pool of production agencies they're golden.

Re: Top 10 Business Mistakes Search Marketing Firms Make

Jayson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:20:04 -0000

Where has this article been? Amazing article Andy - truly good for any business.

Re: Google’s SearchWiki Is Here To Stay: Is This The Death of SEO?

Jayson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:16:57 -0000

Hmmm, so they made it easier to bookmark websites? Yikes! I guess I better not hit any arrows, I might end up never finding anything new.

I guess Internet businesses will be including an new entrance barrier in their business plan
"After spending years building a user friendly website with tons of great votes, we must find a way to get search engine users to go 3 pages deep and push the up arrow"

In a few years, Google will have created more value for their advertisers since Google AdWords will be the only source of something different.

I hope I'm wrong, am I wrong?

Re: Google’s SearchWiki Is Here To Stay: Is This The Death of SEO?

Jayson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:32:10 -0000

Turning it off is easy - sign out - I've now signed out of Google when I search since I've ruined my account by testing the new feature.

Re: Search Advertising - Strong in Adverse Economy

Jayson — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:21:34 -0000

Good news - the increase in Google and Microsoft advertisers is pretty stunning. I wouldn't have guessed either would have gained that much this year...Yahoo!...nothing good still, eh?

Re: Confirmed: Yahoo’s Dr. Qi Lu Left to Head Microsoft’s Search Efforts

Jayson — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:26:16 -0000

Great question Andy - I guess time will tell if it was a good move, but you have to wonder how true "b" is. I guess MS figures anything is better than where we currently are. Qu Lu may have been hindered somehow over at Yahoo! hopefully this increases competition - it will only be good for all users if it does.

Re: Would You Pay to Make Your Favorite Sites Ad-Free?

Jayson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:35:25 -0000

Not very surprising at all - I actually like some ads and find many of them useful. I wouldn't pay to have any sites I visit ad free. It seems like the annoying ads have already made their way towards the trash can.

Re: Microsoft Looking to Spend Some of its $45B War Chest on Dell Partnership?

Jayson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:45:50 -0000

I bet Microsoft can get it done, if it's even an option.

IMO it would be huge - most people I speak with have no idea why they use what they do for search and many other online services. It would be an instant increase in market share, they'd just need to make sure people didn't have a reason to look for something else (by bettering their search results).

Re: Another One Bites The Dust: Tribune Files for Bankruptcy

Jayson — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:33:48 -0000

Do you know if they offered their subscribers emails of their publication?

Re: Google Expands Magazine Search Functionality

Jayson — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:38:13 -0000

Interesting - Good news for some I guess. I'm excited to see what the book search feature will offer in 5 years. Do you think book publishers will ever offer free publication in exchange for AdSense revenue?

Jayson's last blog post..Will Real Estate in ’09 Be Better or Worse?

Re: Google Search Suggest Gets Sponsored Listings and More

Jayson — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:51:08 -0000

It's not so bad - if times were good and everyone over at Google still enjoyed huge stock prices, I'd say this is a little shady, but, times are tough and I encourage all businesses to try and "stay afloat" however they can.

It is great placement - I would just think it would end up being a disappointment most of the time (for the user and bidder)

Re: Is Your Brand on Twitter? It Should Be!

Jayson — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:52:17 -0000

Great reasons why brands need to be active on Twitter - there's so much value in being able to interact with your customers and in being in front of your customers all the time. It looks like the brands that do jump in are having great success.

Re: Small Business Don’t Get It–Still Failing to Invest in Search Marketing

Jayson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:37:24 -0000

That sounds about right...based on the many conversations I've had with small business owners, I would have guessed the number was a little higher. I wonder though if it's a matter of them not having the money to invest in it as opposed to not "getting it".

Re: Yahoo Cuts Data Retention to 3 Months; Will Google Follow?

Jayson — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:54:17 -0000

Yeah seems pretty blah to me...

export would be slick though

Re: Mozilla’s Relationship with Google Gets “Complicated”

Jayson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:06:21 -0000

I use Chrome occasionally when FF fails (happens more often than I like). Chrome is way quicker and clean; it would have me sold if it didn't make me feel handicap from the lack of tools. I'm sure they'll be here soon...I can't imagine FF holding it's market share for too long, especially with things getting so complicated ;)

Re: Survey Says: Chris Hughes Top Online Marketer of 2008

Jayson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:11:01 -0000

Congrats Andy!

Re: Holiday Online Sales Dip for First Time

Jayson — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:18:16 -0000

I was actually surprised to see online sales down - figured that would be the only news that remained neutral or positive. Hopefully '09 will be better, but from what it looks like, things may get worse :(

Just need to stay positive and hope for the best :)

Re: Would Better Results Make You Switch Search Engines?

Jayson — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:15:56 -0000

Yeah, better results would make me switch (I guess I'd need to know where the better results were too!)

Google gives me the best results hands down -

Jayson's last blog post..Contest - $50 Plus - Ask A Home Builder

Re: Carol Bartz Named the Next CEO of Yahoo

Jayson — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:31:31 -0000

I googled her just before stopping by to see what you had to say! I wonder if she makes the Yahoo! list for "Today's Top Searches"...my guess is that most of the people interested in the news search with Google though.

Jayson's last blog post..Contest - $50 Plus - Ask A Home Builder

Re: AOL Refocuses, Creates Two New Divisions

Jayson — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:16:32 -0000

I think it's a good move - they're losing the search game (thought they gave up years ago) and I rarely visit them to "learn about things", so it looks like they're losing on both fronts. They have the resources to create content that attracts consumers... I doubt they have what it takes to compete with Google in search.

Jayson's last blog post..Contest - $50 Plus - Ask A Home Builder

Re: New Yahoo CEO Deciding Whether to “Hold” or “Fold” Search Business

Jayson — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:44:07 -0000

Do you know how much search loses the company each year? If it loses tons of money, it may be best for the company to stick with what pays the bills and make those aspects better. They could always get media attention from being more active in other niches since they have a portal for everything.

Outside of Internet Marketing sites, I only hear about Yahoo! on the news when they mention significant movement in stock prices or when Yahoo! gets a new CEO.

Re: Is Carol Bartz the Right CEO for Yahoo?

Jayson — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:56:23 -0000

As long as she's passionate, has a good team, holds teammates accountable, manages risk and can get the team to follow and believe in her, she should be alright. She can make decisions based on forecasts and recommendations from the Internet professionals on her team, and learn as she goes.

Re: New Yahoo CEO Deciding Whether to “Hold” or “Fold” Search Business

Jayson — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:12:22 -0000

Yeah I was serious! I had no idea, thanks for the clarification, if it makes the company tons of money, getting rid of it shouldn't even be an option. Just maintain and do better in other places and they're good..

Re: Yahoo CEO’s Salary: $1M if She Sucks, $19M if She Kicks Butt!

Jayson — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:17:26 -0000

I'll take it for $0 and get a million if I win!

I think that's a fair deal, I'd be more interested in learning what she earned after the first round.

Re: Google Cutting More than Jobs–Shuttering Five Products

Jayson — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:21:26 -0000

I like the decisions - agree with R&B Love songs, it's high time that use google video for video search and GoogleTube, err, YouTube for what it was purchased to do.

Re: Agency SEO Kicks Butt of In-House SEO

Jayson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:09:38 -0000

Pretty impressive stats - huge difference. I wonder if the difference is the same now...maybe a few in-house teams, over the years, have become incredible?

Re: Google Introduces Preferred Sites

Jayson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:56:50 -0000

These personalized search features just don't make sense to me. Kinda sorta seems like they're making search less important. It seems silly to use a search engine to search websites you're familar with and that you already know about? Maybe I'm missing something...probably am, usually do.

Re: Search Spending Down 8% in Q4; Will Google’s Earnings Report Reflect the Same?

Jayson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:00:26 -0000

I'd say their revenue dips a little but that their market share stayed the same or increased.

Re: Belkin Gets Caught Buying 5-Star Reviews & My Alternative Recipe for Ratings Success

Jayson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:03:11 -0000

Ha! This is something I'd never come close to trying. The Internet isn't a place where things like this stay quite and go unnoticed...I wonder what they were thinking, I guess they weren't.

Re: Using IE6? Google Thinks You’re a Loser!

Jayson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:11:26 -0000

I think it's a good idea too - Chrome is faster, why not tell people about it?

Re: The Plot to Kill Google? Google’s Secret Weapon?

Jayson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:13:37 -0000

That was an amazing statement from Obama.

Yeah, Google's going to be around for awhile they're really good at recognizing wants and needs and delivering services that meet them.

Re: I’m Launching SEM Vendor to Help Bring Clients & Agencies Together

Jayson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:23:21 -0000

Certainly a service that is needed - congrats on the launch and good luck (not that it's needed!).

Re: Google Announced Q4 Earnings; Getting Back to its Fighting Weight

Jayson — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:53:23 -0000

Those numbers are pretty impressive. I thought for sure Google would take a hit, but all things considered, the company is a Rockstar. Getting back to it's fighting weight is exactly what needs to be done, now isn't the time to venture off into the unknown.

Jayson's last blog post..Modify Mortgages Now Program | Fix Housing

Re: Steve Ballmer Outlines Cost-Cutting Measures in Memo to Microsoft Employees

Jayson — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:58:38 -0000

Wow - things have slowly went from - these times are challenging - to "this is the most challenging economic climate we have ever faced"...that second quote is pretty revealing.

Jayson's last blog post..Modify Mortgages Now Program | Fix Housing

Re: Microsoft Still Wants Yahoo Search

Jayson — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:53:12 -0000

I wouldn't run around spending all my cash right now, but things are cheaper now then they would be in a good market. I'm just not sure that they can do it with Yahoo!'s share...would it be much more than combining two bad search engines? Maybe they've been working on some things and have plans? For the sake of innovation, Google needs competition so I'm all for it as long as it's not my dime. I think they need to work on branding a term e.g. Googled - when people say "I googled X" the virus continues to spread.

Jayson's last blog post..Floor Plan Friday

Re: The Best Super Bowl TV Ad? Here’s My Vote

Jayson — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:43:40 -0000

I didn't get to see too many - maybe 5 at most. The one you picked, I didn't see but it's hilarious. I liked the Clydesdale carrying the stick...but I didn't see the whole commercial so..

Jayson's last blog post..Incredible Home Builder Incentives

Re: Monetizing Mobile: Google Launches AdSense for Mobile Search

Jayson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:02:20 -0000

Yeah it seems like a great next step for adsense. It's a nice opportunity for website owners to make more money from their website and gives Google another income stream.

Jayson's last blog post..Senate Passes Economic Stimulus Plan – $15,000 tax Credit for Homebuyers Still In

Re: How Michael Phelps Screwed-up His Google Reputation in Just 24 Hours

Jayson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:23:34 -0000

Whoever took the picture is a d*ck - who does that to someone's career over a bong hit? It was dumb of Phelps to risk his career and sponsors but I'd say the person that took the picture has the problem that needs attention.

Now he needs to do something else that gets some positive attention

Jayson's last blog post..Senate Passes Economic Stimulus Plan – $15,000 tax Credit for Homebuyers Still In

Re: 77% of Marketers are Reducing Media Budgets

Jayson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:57:57 -0000

I thought you were supposed to increase marketing budgets during a recession? (shucks)

77% is a lot more than I would have guessed. Hopefully, the marketers surveyed don't represent the entire market. It looks like they're cutting costs in the right places and I think it's a good idea to ask agencies to feel the pain too - group suffering always works out better.

Your comment about shifting offline media, online is what I'd imagine most people doing. Offline mediums are too expensive and they don't offer the tracking abilities that online mediums do.

Jayson's last blog post..Senate Passes Economic Stimulus Plan – $15,000 tax Credit for Homebuyers Still In

Re: Google Penalizes Google Japan for Paid Links

Jayson — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:12:15 -0000

I think they took the only approach they could have. I more interested in seeing how long it will take to come back.

Jayson's last blog post..Southwest Florida New Home Golf Community – Twin Eagles

Re: Mobile Ads Stick

Jayson — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:49:43 -0000

Good news - I wonder if mobile ads are performing well because consumers aren't as used to seeing them as they are with other online ads. The recall percentage is amazing.

Jayson's last blog post..New Home Community in Tooele, Utah - Copper Canyon

Re: A Great Example of Hosting the Conversation When Under Attack

Jayson — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:58:23 -0000

Certainly a "different" title but publishing an official response on their blog was a great way to bring the conversation to their turf so they can address comments in a timely fashion - the results sound like the approach worked well.

Jayson's last blog post..Save hundreds of thousands of dollars off your brand new home

Re: The Cluetrain Plus 10–Networked Markets in 2009

Jayson — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:45:08 -0000

Always great posts Andy - thanks for your thoughts

Re: Microsoft to Become “More Disruptive in Search”

Jayson — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:55:27 -0000

Sounds like it was a great speech. It's good that Microsoft is going to take more risks with search - competition will make things better. I'm not complaining about Google though, they're doing a good job.

Re: Rupert Murdoch: NM on That Free News Thing

Jayson — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:03:56 -0000

Yeah, it's easily possible. People are willing to pay for a value; all they have to do is make their subscription valuable, and they're golden.

I don't pay for any of their subscriptions, but I've also never heard a reason for why I should.

Re: Google Gets New SERPs

Jayson — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:50:08 -0000

I think most of these improvements will help narrow searches and get consumers where they want to be quicker. It'll also give marketers more tools to work with; I like the search options most.

Re: Google: Great at Creating Advertising Markets, Craptastic at Entering Existing Ones

Jayson — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:02:29 -0000

Nice title -

it seems like they do have a more difficult time trying to change things, but that could just be because those things aren't broken. I have been hearing more about Google TV from people outside of "net" circles and was becoming convinced that they'd gain traction after sometime.

Some things may be too expensive to trust with automation...at least for now. It might be that they need someone else to help facilitate much of what goes on whereas with AdSense and AdWords, a publisher and advertiser can see results without needing a professional's assistance.

I imagine they'll need to automate the production side of TV and Radio spots, print ads too, if they ever want to get great results.

Re: Why Microsoft Needs to Spend $100M to Make Us Doubt Google

Jayson — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:30:49 -0000

I agree - it seems like that would be the route to take. I'm interested in seeing what they actual do-do.

I'm waiting for them to partner with an internet provider and offer a free connection for using their search engine. Not sure how the details would play out though.

Re: Microsoft Announces Bing, Makes Its First Serious Challenge to Google’s Dominance

Jayson — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:02:21 -0000

Agreed Pete - hating on Microsoft got old awhile ago. I think other companies have failed several times and they get 1/8 of the crap that Microsoft gets. They've done more than their share in getting us where we are with technology.

Re: Microsoft Announces Bing, Makes Its First Serious Challenge to Google’s Dominance

Jayson — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:04:55 -0000

Nice write-up Andy and thanks for the images. I certainly plan on giving it a decent shot. They've always done a good job with the UI and image search.

Re: 99% of 18-24 Year Olds On Social Media, But Only 22% Use Twitter

Jayson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:29:04 -0000

Seems about right - I've never heard a young person talking about twitter. It seems like it's more older folks; people that aren't out socializing as much as they did when they were younger. People with time on their hands to sit around and be online. I can't see twitter lasting too long - I've been on it for a few months and it's still not fun - I'll keep trying though :)

I guess it's fun for you celebrities

Facebook has staying power and many more features...it's got something for everyone.

Teenagers use text messages, which work great.

Re: Cramer Comments on Housing; and a NJ Realtor Group Gets Whiny

Jayson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:22:27 -0000

I don't think Jim will apologize. You nailed it when you said he's just doing his job. I think he should have explained himself a little more and realized he was talking to a nation and not just one city/region. There are a few, if not many, real estate markets throughout our nation that are doing pretty well. I'll admit I don't like how the media constantly keeps people on the "fence" but it is what it is and, as you mentioned, the only thing we can do is stay positive and educate.

Re: Re-tiling the Kitchen…

Jayson — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 04:51:43 -0000

The new tile looks good. Sounds like you might be getting some new counter tops soon!

Re: Google Adds Phoenix to StreetView

Jayson — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:39:33 -0000

Wow - this seems like a great idea and very useful tool but I'm not sure the privacy issues can get worked out. Seems like Google is putting itself out for some big lawsuits. I've never heard of this service. Thanks for pointing it out Jay

Re: Gilbert and Chandler Traffic Signal News

Jayson — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:52:57 -0000

Jay thanks for the hope! We live out near Power Ranch; the morning and evening traffic is terrible. I'm not sure the 27 lights will matter much but they're definitely a step in the right direction. Any word on them widening the roads out here?

Re: How to Become a Famous Blogger

Jayson — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:55:38 -0000

LOL - nice! Looks like there's no chance then. :(

Re: As a fellow Realtor I am disappointed that you post such negative news

Jayson — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:16:10 -0000

Jay,

Great post and very true. Although I try and keep things positive as much as possible I do appreciate the truth. I believe the media has a small part in "keeping people on the fence" but there are definitely other factors at play. I also believe that for many people, it is a great time to buy - if not the best in the last several years. I would much rather buy when the prices are low and the selection is great than when the prices are high and the selection is non-existent. For those with bad credit and/or are looking to quickly flip a home it might be best to wait for another day but for home buyers with decent credit looking to purchase a family home - it truly is a great time to buy.

I personally think that less permits is good news, (not for many unfortunate construction workers) I'd be terrified if permits were at a 14 year high!!

Re: Phoenix New Home Building Permits Hit 14 Year Low

Jayson — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:36:58 -0000

@ Dining Room set - Yes, unfortunately it is the same everywhere. There may be a couple of markets ( like Manhattan) that aren't sharing the national real estate markets hardships but for the most part, from what I read, it's the same in every market. Arizona is not the worst thankfully!

@ Anonymous - congrats on getting a post!

Jay thanks for the stats - it's always good to know what's going on.

Re: Newspaper Readership Continues to Decline

Jayson — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:30:44 -0000

I haven't read the paper in some time, and the last time I did, I was probably waiting for something. The Internet is too available and free.

John - I've never thought about newspapers leaving a carbon footprint and appreciate the info.

Cheers to the Internet!

Re: Veterans Day 2007

Jayson — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:40:20 -0000

Jay great post and incredible videos.

We are forever in debt to our soldiers and thankful for what they've done and continue you to do.

Re: Gilbert RE/MAX Brokerage Closes 13 Offices

Jayson — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:54:54 -0000

It's never nice to hear about people being laid off or businesses closing. It's even worse to read about it on Christmas Eve. Thankfully brokerages are always hiring agents and hopefully the salaried employees will find a new job soon. Thanks for the update ... I'm going to check out what the agent haters have to say!!

Happy Holidays

Re: Inside the Manhattan Googleplex

Jayson — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:02:20 -0000

Jay - definitely jealous! Seems like you had a great time in Manhattan and congratulations on making it out with a little evidence!!!

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Guy Gets a Face Lift

Jayson — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:29:04 -0000

Blog looks good Jay - definitely a little cleaner (not that there was anything wrong with the old look :) ). Thanks

Re: Historical Mortgage Rate Trend Charts

Jayson — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:24:49 -0000

Jay,

Thanks for putting this together. It's interesting to look at the trends over this length of time - we are clearly enjoying historically low interest rates.

Re: 30 Year Mortgage Rate Trend & Rate Chasing

Jayson — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:32:40 -0000

I definitely agree about interest rates not being anything. A friend of mine wants to refinance their home every time they watch the news and never take
the cost of refinancing into consideration. If they don't plan on staying a while and are going to refinance next time they watch the news they'll most likely end up losing money on the deal.

Re: Superbowl XLII: It’s Party Time!

Jayson — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:07:59 -0000

Jay that's pretty bold to call the game before the game is even set. I hope you're right - I'd much rather see Green Bay win. Thanks for the Super Bowl information.

Re: Real Estate Video of the Week #14: Mortgage Guideline Changes

Jayson — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:23:48 -0000

That's a great video and ever-brilliant :) explanation.

Watching the video made me think about the other industries of the "boom and bust" and how they're subject to the same variables - similar consequences.

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Guy Blog is a Little Sick: Come on GoDaddy, Get With the Program

Jayson — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:24:40 -0000

I've heard some bad things about Go Daddy too, but most of the things I hear are good.

We use both bluehost.com and namecheap.com - both are $6.95/month but bluehost.com has better (or quicker because of live chat) service and features. We haven't had problems with either company.

Re: Fed Rate Cut: 75 Basis Point Cut to Overnight and Discount Rate. Historical Fed Rate Chart: 1957 - Today

Jayson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:07:57 -0000

I don't know about this move. We've been lowering the rates for months and it doesn't seem to be helping; hopefully this will since it's already done! I'm a little worried about inflation and that the government isn't addressing the right problem. Most homeowners facing foreclosure are upset down in their current home so they can't refinance and take advantage of these rate cuts. I'd like to see something more that will help everyone and not just hopefully help the stock market. I do like that they're trying things and not just thinking about trying things.

Re: On Buyers Suing Agents

Jayson — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:42:39 -0000

Good post and way to stay politically correct. I hope this doesn't give all the other "nut jobs" :) ideas about suing their agents for whatever the lawyer can dig up.

Knowing lawyers, we could begin seeing commercials - If you bought a home between 2003 - 2007 you may have been misrepresented by...... call today for a free consultation.

I can't believe he called her a nut job!!!

Re: Understanding FIRPTA

Jayson — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:29:34 -0000

Nice explanation and thanks Jay - I knew nothing about this and appreciate the clear explanation. This could easily bring about several problems.

Re: Presidential Candidates’ Plans to Fix the “Subprime Crisis”

Jayson — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:08:20 -0000

I'm not too sure about which plan will work and which will fail but I do think the government needs to help the market out...at least a little. Maybe something as small as enforcing better lending standards and working to educate consumers about spending habits, what they can afford etc..

I just think we're too far along and too many industries are at stake to sit back and wait for a correction, but I've been wrong before.

Have any government programs worked in the past - New Deal??

Re: Fed Funds Rate Cut another 50bps

Jayson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:06:47 -0000

Jay,

I was out of the office all day so this is the first I've heard of this. Thanks for the update and the snippets from other media.

I hope they know what they're doing!

Re: To My Friends in Saskatoon — Buy a House in Phoenix!

Jayson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:12:11 -0000

Yeah I was thinking it was cold today too. I'm not sure I know what -34 feels like but I'm pretty sure that I'll be happy never knowing :)

Cheers to Arizona

Re: Pollack Says: Phoenix Real Estate Market Will Take 3 - 5 Years for Full Recovery

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:45:57 -0000

3-5 year recovery

I think this is incredibly important and that many young or inexperienced investors and home buyers are overlooking the amount of time a recovery will take. I think some people don't consider that the "bottom" is just the beginning and that, in many cases, a decision to buy needs to be backed by a commitment to hold.

Re: Do You Really Want to Sell Your Phoenix Home?

Jayson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:59:30 -0000

I think many of these sellers are trying to hold onto an old market. I just wonder about their Real Estate Agent.

Is the home upgraded or does it have a premium lot? Maybe a pool? Either way it doesn't seem like the seller is doing more than wasting time and hoping for an ill informed buyer and Agent.

Re: Don’t Forget to Vote Tuesday!

Jayson — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:22:34 -0000

Jay thanks for all the information and the useful links. I'm still a little confused about what exactly a Presidential Preference Election is and I've never heard about it, but Google will help me figure it out.

It be nice if the people that didn't vote - didn't complain.

Re: From the Inbox: Why are we Seeing an Influx of Canadian Buyers in the Phoenix Real Estate Market?

Jayson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:31:34 -0000

I read an article a few weeks ago about an increase in Canadian investors and investors from all over the world. When you look at the value of a dollar increasing say .15 it doesn't seem like it would be worth traveling thousands of miles for an investment but if you multiply that by a couple hundred thousand you've got yourself a healthy down payment and a break-even/cash flow property. Throw in warm weather, a healthy economy and good infrastructure and you've got an investment worth traveling for.

Re: Need an Optometrist in the East Valley? Don’t Go to Nationwide Vision!

Jayson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:35:59 -0000

That's a pretty amusing post Jay - thanks for the laugh. I still am amazed that some businesses can't get the most important variable of their business consistently right.

“I think you are mistaken.” - LOL

Re: You’re Blogging at HomeGain Now?

Jayson — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:18:25 -0000

Jay I think getting extra exposure for yourself is a great idea - congratulations on earning the opportunity.

I don't think there's anything wrong with selling referrals and am not sure why others would. If someone doesn't want the referral don't pay - pretty simple. Isn't getting paid for allowing advertising on your blog or website e.g. AdSense, the same thing?

I have read many posts from Realtors about HomeGain and got the feeling that some people don't like them; they can have their own opinion.

Re: The Great Debate: Shaw v. Wilson at RealEstatePolitics.com

Jayson — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:14:28 -0000

That looks pretty interesting; when is the weigh in? I'm not sure what it is about the video but it gained my attention - maybe it's the music.

Re: How to Sell your Phoenix Home (or not): Tips of the Day

Jayson — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:12:45 -0000

Sounds like you've been having a bad month with other Realtors Jay. I'm not convinced these guys are motivated sellers; I wonder why they even list the property - seems like a buyer would be irritated from having to work around such a tight schedule.

Re: Building Referral Partner Relationships with “Web 2.0″

Jayson — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:09:00 -0000

It's in the pudding Jay. I don't know where that guy is from but I can guess that he won't be going anywhere. Blogging and 2.0 hookups are valuable and easier to establish than traditional methods of networking.

Re: For Francy

Jayson — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 02:43:24 -0000

Jay you're a gentleman.

Re: #2 on Google for Phoenix Real Estate?!?

Jayson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:42:04 -0000

Jay - Congratulations! That's a huge accomplishment. I hope it lasts - keep us posted about any increase in traffic from that term.

Re: The Taxman Approacheth

Jayson — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:24:58 -0000

I usually do taxes myself but can't seem to get started this year. I think I might be with you on the 15th Jay. Thanks for the resources and tax tips.

Re: A $75,000,000 Home

Jayson — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:20:50 -0000

That's a beautiful home and seems to be worth the price tag????

I wonder what monthly maintenance on something like that would be. Does the price tag include a few maids?

Re: Spring Training is Here! Phoenix Spring Training Schedules (Tucson too!)

Jayson — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 03:07:47 -0000

I grew up right by Hohokam park in Mesa. We used to love Spring training - games were awesome; it always gave us something to do. I haven't been into it lately but may check it out this year. Thanks for the info

Re: Wordpress Plug-in of the week: Photo Dropper

Jayson — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 03:09:20 -0000

Looks like a pretty sweet plugin Jay - are the pictures royalty free?

Re: Why Would Anyone Want to Live In Phoenix? Things to do in Phoenix this Weekend

Jayson — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:30:15 -0000

Jay - the title pulled me in. My question is why would anyone not want to live in Phoenix, is it the summer? Either way, the weather right now is perfect and outside is where every resident needs to be.

Re: Thompson’s Realty Welcomes Shannon Stephenson

Jayson — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:34:18 -0000

Jay I just noticed that you started your own company (ad on the right panel) congratulations and congrats on getting a great agent on your team. I would say good luck but I'm confident that your company will prosper. I really like the logo - very clean and very professional.

Re: Phoenix Homes Listing Data: Under $200K

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:46:22 -0000

Jay do you have any idea how many of the homes are new builds? Forgive me if this is a dumb question but I'm not too familiar with the MLS. I'd be interested in seeing some numbers from Sept. - Oct. 2005 if you can dig those up.

It's pretty clear where the expensive homes are - I would have guessed 0% for Scottsdale and Ahwatukee; you can probably thank condo conversions for the more affordable home pricing in these areas.

Re: Testing The Trulia Voices Widget

Jayson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:56:57 -0000

That's a pretty slick widget and a great way to get traffic and exposure. I agree - they do have a pretty smart team over at Trulia -

Re: New FHA Loan Limits for Maricopa and Pinal Counties Released

Jayson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:12:14 -0000

Good news! Better news for California but this is good news for us as well. It's been talked about for some time and now it's finally here! They've been doing a lot lately hopefully the combined efforts clear up some inventory.

Re: SmallBrokers.com: An Internet Forum for Small / Independent Real Estate Brokers

Jayson — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:52:47 -0000

Jay - wish I could help you out by being a broker but ... I'll participate in anyway I can and I wish you the best of luck.

Seems like a good idea.

Re: I’m a Genius!

Jayson — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:41:02 -0000

Congrats Jay - this is the first I've heard of the blog and I hope it's as good as you say.

Re: The Votes Are in! (and more are needed…)

Jayson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:42:30 -0000

Jay congratulations on your victories so far. I'll head over there right now and give you a thumbs up. I'll ask my partners to do the same - good luck.

Re: Bear Stearns Collapse: $159/share to $2 in 365 Days

Jayson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:58:31 -0000

That's just amazing. I wonder how many millionaires need jobs tomorrow. What do you think Jay, is it a good time to buy the stock and sit on it?

Re: Social Identity and Reputation: Video of the Week #18

Jayson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:16:53 -0000

LOL - that's a great and simple video. It communicates an important message in a fun way.

Andy Beal over at Marketing Pilgrim is another great resource for reputation management (he just released a book on the topic). Online reputation management is huge and the need for it will only get more important. With real estate agents, one bad client that knows a little bit about optimization can ruin an agent's online reputation.

I can think of one example in the real estate industry of a well known company that needs a little help with reputation management.

Re: Offer to Purchase Phoenix Real Estate Guy!

Jayson — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:03:46 -0000

$2,000 - LOL

Hobby, cost money - LOL

Hey Jay if you ever do decide that you want to give up your hobby that costs you money for $2k - let me know

I wonder if they would have went as high as $2,050? You should have asked.

Re: Dan Schwartz Realty Acquired by HomeSmart

Jayson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:56:58 -0000

Wow I didn't know Dan Schwartz Realty was so big - 3,300 agents is quite a lot. It does seem like a great time to open the next generation of real estate brokerages.

Re: What is Wrong with These People??

Jayson — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:18:33 -0000

That's absurd - I can't believe anyone would act like that. It's hard to believe that any guy would hit a woman. Hopefully, those "punks" get what they deserve soon. Sorry to hear about your arm Jay and I hope the woman is doing well.

Re: Is it a Porch or a Patio?

Jayson — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:21:20 -0000

Yeah I've always referred to them as a back patio or a front porch. I always thought a porch was the same as a patio except it was elevated off the ground - once again I'm wrong!

Re: Arizona Coffee - Site of the Week

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:49:03 -0000

Nice! I'll check the site out - sounds like a great coffee resource. I'm sure I'll like the list with the wifi info.

Re: Couple Sues Google for “Street View” Invasion of Privacy

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:53:00 -0000

I was thinking the same thing when I read about this over at Marketing Pilgrim. Seems like the couple exposed their home and location more than Google ever could.

In their defense, they aren't suing for billions (only $25K) like the rest of the sue happy Americans running around.

Re: Ummel v. Little Update: Jury Trial begins

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:54:24 -0000

I remember you writing about this - thanks for the update. The link is broken so I'll just wait to hear about it from you!

Re: Zillow.com Releases Mortgage Marketplace

Jayson — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:03:50 -0000

WOW - seems like a hot topic!!! I like it as it's new and an attempt to help out consumers - one more tool is always good. I'm not to sure how long it's going to be a hit in the mortgage industry. It might end up being a lot of work for nothing...but only time will tell.

It'll be interesting to see how well this new venture goes. It's a little hard to give quotes based on information provided by consumers and not real credit facts.

Re: Phoenix MLS Search - A New Map-based Solution

Jayson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:30:03 -0000

Wow - that looks incredible and user friendly. I like the layout and it looks like there are tons of features - I'll give it a try.

Just looks really easy to use; everything is on one inviting page.

Re: Showing Homes in 108 Degree Heat

Jayson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:50:01 -0000

Jay - I googled...showing homes in the heat... not sure why? but I came across this post (#1 and it's no surprise)! Very entertaining. I wonder why the guy didn't drink? I usually don't take things from people the first time I meet them but if I'm half dying I'll be accepting a water or Gatorade.

Geez I hope he's not right about his desert theory - I like Arizona.

Re: It’s That Time of Year - Watch EVERYONE Around Water

Jayson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:23:33 -0000

Yeah it's a shame how many kids die every year in Arizona from drownings. This year has already, as you mentioned, started out bad.

We were just talking about it being pool time yesterday!

Pools are fun but it's extremely important to watch kids around the pool - As they say, it only takes a few seconds (or minute??).

Re: Realtor Marketing Gone Bad

Jayson — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:27:57 -0000

That is a little different but it's not too different than some other flags that people fly. A little out of it's league on the same pole as the American flag but it is an association and sure beats a confederate flag or worse flags that idiots fly along side American flags.

Re: AZ Real Estate Blogging Network: First Meet Up

Jayson — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:07:37 -0000

Sounds like a great way to network and get to know AZ Real Estate Bloggers. It's nice to see something local for once - seems like everything is always in another state far-far away.

Re: Doing my Civic Duty

Jayson — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:01:20 -0000

Jay,

I'm really sorry you had to deal with that! For some reason, every government institution is the worst place to be - it's absolute torture (as you pointed out) and it never takes less than what seems like a lifetime to do what you went there to do.

I've never actually been selected to be on a jury and keep hoping I don't make the cut.

Re: Turning Away “Business”…

Jayson — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:55:50 -0000

Yeah it's a shame that other agents will take a home listing that is ridiculously over priced. IMO, it's contributing to our real estate dilemma.

I just don't think it's professional -

Re: Happy 3rd Birthday Phoenix Real Estate Guy!

Jayson — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:20:31 -0000

Happy Birthday Phoenix Real Estate Guy dot com and thanks for all you've shared!

Re: Bigger (WAY) and Better MLS Search Pictures Now Available

Jayson — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:24:55 -0000

Nice - some people claim pictures don't mean much but I just don't see it. I like looking at properties with larger pictures, especially when they're high quality pictures that highlight a properties important details.

Re: Millionaires in Maricopa County

Jayson — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:44:56 -0000

WOW - I never knew we were loaded! Looks like most of the money is concentrated in Maricopa - might be because we don't have several large counties like CA and TX??

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Sales UP YOY in April. Median Values Down.

Jayson — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:09:10 -0000

Nice! I've heard from a few home builders that sales are up in some subdivisions (areas) and that it's been that way for a little over a month; maybe closer to two. I hope this keeps up and am glad to hear that resale home sales are also up. There are a lot of homes that need to sell before we see price increases but I'm okay with sales at this point.

Re: Birth of a New Blog: Phoenix Real Estate Home

Jayson — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:10:58 -0000

Congrats! I look forward to reading and contributing (comments!) on the new blog.

It looks like its a pretty clean layout.

Re: Canadian Buyers of Phoenix Real Estate: Consider a Foreign Currency Broker

Jayson — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:41:50 -0000

Yeah I wish I had a whole shish load of loonies laying around! I think that the devalued US dollar is a major reason why our economy is "hanging in their" and I'll never mind a few Canadians buying up Arizona real estate.

You should ask GlobeXFX for a referral link!

Re: The 93rd Carnival of Real Estate: Chow Time!

Jayson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:11:50 -0000

Nice post Jay, I guess I'll be spending the next hour or so reading some real estate articles - love Mexican food too, but Chuy's :)

Can't imagine how difficult it was to cut down to a top 10 list and then post about it

Re: Marketing on Twitter

Jayson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:16:32 -0000

Definitely agree Jay - you never know where business is going to come from and if it doesn't take too much time and can only help, then it's worth doing in my book.

Re: Thompson’s Realty Welcomes The Butterworth Group!

Jayson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:27:42 -0000

Congratulations Jay. I don't doubt that Thompson's Realty will soon rule the Valley of the Sun

Re: The Wall Street Journal on Home Pricing

Jayson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:41:11 -0000

Nice tips - the only thing that ever matters is price. Even if you have the worst home in miles, at the right price, it will sell.

Re: My Front Steps Looks Close to Launch…

Jayson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:54:05 -0000

Yeah it seems like they're trying to save users time by combining or bringing everything together. It would be sweet to see something like a tab setup e.g.

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, You Tube etc..

all on one page

Re: Open Letter to ePerks.com

Jayson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:05:20 -0000

Geez - I'm not sure how these guys are still in business. Maybe it's the blogs I read but I've read at least 10 posts (from well known bloggers) about these characters and their many flaws. From what I've read, all of the posts are well warranted and if nothing else, it's always entertaining.

Hopefully all goes well for Vlad

Re: Congrats to the Inman Innovator Finalists in Blogging!

Jayson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:11:22 -0000

Where's the Phoenix Real Estate Guy.com?

I demand a recount.

I've read the agentgenius and homegain blogs and both are great blogs, and as you mentioned, both are deserving of the nomination.

Re: Gilbert Real Estate: The Islands

Jayson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:19:49 -0000

The Islands is an amazing community and there really are people walking, biking, socializing etc. throughout the community everyday. Val Vista Lakes is another great Gilbert community - (you're bringing back the High School Days Jay).

I've always thought the homes along the lake in The Islands (warner just east of McQueen) were more expensive than $600k - a few of those homes have always provided an incredible light show during the holiday season.

Re: Electronic Signatures and Silly Counter Offers

Jayson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:26:32 -0000

Jay thanks for the information about electronic signatures. I've used them before but never thought twice about "how legal" they truly are.

WTF? is right - 1 day? demanding live signatures? simply amazing ......

Re: How to Survive a Phoenix Summer

Jayson — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:34:29 -0000

I love summer time in AZ - not sure why but it has never bothered me and I doubt it ever will. Great post Jay

Re: There he goes again, jacking with the layout of Phoenix Real Estate Guy…

Jayson — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:54:52 -0000

Hmmmm - I don't know. I like the layout of the footer but I'm not a fan of the new look Jay - seems like I'm the only one :( sorry but I don't like the darker colors. I think it reminds me of our current, soon to be old, website - and I just don't like it. I liked the last theme and the one before that - more open, more...come, read me.

Yeah I just don't think it's as inviting

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Guy Adds Video Comment Capability

Jayson — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:00:41 -0000

That's a nice new feature, you're staying ahead of the curve Jay - I've been wanting to get into videos but haven't just yet. I'll probably jump in just as they go out -

Re: Just One Reason You May Need an Agent

Jayson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:50:35 -0000

Nice post Jay - I agree 100%. Unless you're a real estate professional, buying a home without a real estate agent is equivalent to taking it upon yourself to decide what to do with your retirement, where it should come from, how much monthly should be dedicated to it etc.. - would you really make a decision like that w/o professional advice? I doubt it -

Re: An Interview with the Garbage Guy

Jayson — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:25:31 -0000

Nice! thanks for the contact Jay I can't tell you how often (for some strange reason) I need a guy like this.

It's good to know that they do a good job -

Re: Forbes Ranks Phoenix #3 in “Increasingly Affordable Housing Market”

Jayson — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:29:34 -0000

Earlier today I was reading an article on Forbes talking about cities expected to experience the largest decline in home pricing this year (something along those lines) and the list was just about the same as the above list.

It is good to hear some positive news - affordable markets are the ones that usually grow!

Re: East Valley’s Loop 202 is finally…. a loop.

Jayson — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:55:26 -0000

Nice - finally. It's been a long wait and I'm glad it's finally over.

Re: Butterworth On the News: And Silliness in the Mainstream Media

Jayson — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:14:03 -0000

TERRIBLE -

That's an opportunity many people only hope for, and they screw it up - just terrible.

He did a good job too, as you mentioned, would have been a nice plug for the new company. Sorry Jay, send me a 500x82 banner and I'll throw it up on our site for a few.

Re: Aftermath of “The Call”

Jayson — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:23:52 -0000

Yikes! That does look bad. I'm glad to hear all is well - I didn't know you had a 16 year old son - does he go to GHS?

Re: How to Pick a Real Estate Agent

Jayson — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:40:34 -0000

It truly is about the BS meter and making sure an agent fits you and can accommodate your needs and wants. Trust has a lot to do with the experience and although designations look good, they do little to ensure that an agent is acting in the client's best interests.

Re: Gilberts Big League Dreams is no Field of Dreams

Jayson — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:44:29 -0000

What a flipping waste!! I can't believe the issues that came from that - once beautiful - field.

I would have never imagined that the fields would look that terrible in under a year, let alone a decade. What a waste of money the entire ballpark has become; wasn't there fraud involved or a little suspicion or it at least? It has incredible potential maybe we just need a little better management going on ??... just a thought

Re: A Quick Note on the Comments Policy

Jayson — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:52:06 -0000

I've noticed that a lot more comments are getting through the spam catchers lately. Up until recently, I have not seen anything with links in it and just yesterday we were blessed, err, unfortunate enough to get a nice mix of po^* and &asino links - something I haven't seen in over a year.

I can't stand curse words on blogs either - especially when one's online reputation is so important - just haven't ever thought of a reason to be so vulgar publicly.

Quit blogging so darn well and you may get less spam after a few months ;)

Re: Gilbert Real Estate: Listings Between $150 - $200K

Jayson — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:02:23 -0000

Jay,

The MLS search is awesome and the interactive map is a great bonus. I wish I could get my hands on something like this - it's a great feature to offer your site visitors. If you can convince them that you truly won't spam them, they'd be losing out if they didn't sign up.

Re: Phoenix Home Prices Down 21% Year-Over-Year

Jayson — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:21:57 -0000

Not good news; nothing I want to hear.

It is what it is though, and as you pointed out, it looks like prices may be declining by less! We can only hope this continues and keep faith in the cycle...it might be worth mentioning that there are several AZ zip codes that have done quite well - which is why it's important to have an agent help with the purchase.

Re: Phoenix Home Prices Down 21% Year-Over-Year

Jayson — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:54:27 -0000

"Now that that’s out of the way"

Mortgage Samson - is there something you know that you're not sharing with the rest of us?

Re: Historical Mortgage Rate Trend Charts: Updated through August 2008

Jayson — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:28:31 -0000

My mom used to tell me about the interest rates in the early 80s and I've never actually taken the time to "really" put things into perspective....I sure would hate to have received a home loan at 16 - 18% (with good credit).

Re: Real Estate Secret Decoder Ring

Jayson — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:48:05 -0000

Marketing Speak - LOL - I'm not sure I'll stop laughing all day -

I'm not an agent so many of these terms (before this needed post) meant nothing more than "what?" to me. I often wonder why so many acronyms are used - it's not the early 90s and home buyers are often doing a lot of their own research; I'd imagine reaching them with terms that they can easily understand would best.

"4/2 MIL, FLR. 2CG. Pvt PT/SW Pool. FP in MBR. WIC all BRs. W/D/R convey" .... wtf? IMHO this is an UV and YBS if you marketed your homes like this - AFAIK this is nearly FUBAR and trying to understand TLAs is a PITA...would you talk with a buyer/seller like this IRL? If so, TPS, and if you don't sell any homes, TSFY and IMO

Re: Real Estate Secret Decoder Ring

Jayson — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:49:40 -0000

well I messed up the end of that one...hmmm

Re: Scottsdale Dog Saves Owners Life by Dialing 911

Jayson — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:58:48 -0000

That's amazing -

I think I have the same set of dogs Jay - one of them watches TV and plays constant mind games and the other one is still working through kindergarten (after about 3 years).

Re: Phoenix Real Estate: Southeast Valley Inventory Snapshot

Jayson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:57:53 -0000

Doesn't look like things were very active this time last year. Any chance of getting an update to see where we stand now?

I'd hope some of the inventory has cleared up and would love to see a decline!

Curious about the sales too - where would I find some of this information?

Re: Short Sales and REOs from the Buyer’s Perspective

Jayson — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:05:01 -0000

I've read that short sales take a lot of time, but I have never realized how long just a portion of the process can take.

As you mentioned, if time and patience are on your side, waiting on a short sale may not be a bad idea...I haven't met a home buyer yet that could wait so long to find out if a home was theirs.

Re: Is Days On Market Stigmatized?

Jayson — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:06:08 -0000

Yeah I'd have to say that there seems to be a stigma with days on market - but as you mentioned, there are several reasons why days on market could be higher than they should be.

I'd hope an agent/buyer did a little more research than viewing the days on market before making an "interested or not" decision on a property, but I'll bet it happens all the time.

Re: A Different Kind of Open House

Jayson — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:00:07 -0000

That's an awesome idea - completely out of the box and there's so much potential. I'm interested in hearing how everything went.

Re: Streets of Phoenix: Agritopia

Jayson — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 20:20:25 -0000

Not a bad video at all.

Agritopia is my wife's favorite neighborhood and it's definitely unique (Morrison Ranch is another "different" community).

It doesn't look like it from the street, but some of the two story town homes have pretty big backyards. I was impressed with my friends home when I took the tour. It looked like a 1600 square foot home but was actually around 3,000 (I think) square feet and it had a nice size backyard.

Re: Blog Posts on a Map

Jayson — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:06:50 -0000

That's a pretty nifty map widget, and as others have mentioned, this is a great tool for many sites - including agent blogs/sites etc... Definitely something I'll be looking into using. Thanks Jay

The features Josh mentioned seem to be beneficial as well...

Re: Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 / Bail Out Bill Draft: How Did Your Representative Vote?

Jayson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:11:06 -0000

Whew - the market gained some of it back today but I wouldn't count on it sticking around if people panic or loose faith in the system. I'm not sure about the "bailout" (or however they're marketing it now) plan - not quite sure its going to help the right people or do enough - but I do know that regardless of what happens, panicking will make it worse.

Jay - what do you think about the plan?

Re: Are Newspapers Dying?

Jayson — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:29:10 -0000

It's been too long to know - the Internet is more convenient and it doesn't involve clutter, ink fingers or worrying about wasting paper.

As far as advertising goes, it's been too expensive for awhile - I think they shot their own foot in that aspect...they charged a lot, err a TON because they could show good results, but that was years and years ago. It was only a matter of time before something more effective and less expensive (Internet) replaced the newspaper. I wonder how long many of the magazines will last.

Terrible news about the layoffs -

Re: $700 Billion Dollars

Jayson — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:43:39 -0000

I thought it was a lot of money until I looked at our national debt - more than $10 trillion - or over $33,000 per person (Yep, all 300+ million of us) - wtf?

After looking at the national debt, which is what Washington probably looks at often, $700 billion doesn't seem like much. A simple drop in the bucket on an amount that isn't reasonable, comprehend able or responsible - just like the current administration.

Re: Bank Failures and Market Turmoil Brings Out the Scammers

Jayson — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:53:48 -0000

Yeah every time something happens the scammers come out to prey. I get emails all the time, some mentioned above by Paul, but haven't received one yet that talks about the current problems...I'm sure it's a matter of hours before I get my first - it's pretty exciting.

If (and it's rare) the email seems 100% legit I'll hoover over the links within the email to make sure they go back to the official website of my institution e.g. paypal.com/security/email etc..... - the scammers set up duplicate sites but the URL never lies - real life example

subject - Your Bank of America Account has Been Violated
(funny, I don't bank with BofA)

Link text within paragraph - hXXX://www.bankofamerica.com/sas/sitekey/profile/step1.htm

Link shown when hoovered over - hXXX:host213-123-251-177.in-addr.btopenXXXXX.com/boaaaa (without Xx)

It's also REALLY important to not even click on the links in the emails. Often, the scammers just want to know that you actively check the email so that you can get 100s more.

Re: Phoenix Light Rail is Coming!

Jayson — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:29:18 -0000

YES! I've been waiting for the light rail to be done for several years. It looks pretty slick - hopefully it gets used a lot.

I agree with Gregory - we need more projects like this throughout the U.S.

Thanks for the info - Nick

Re: Phoenix Light Rail is Coming!

Jayson — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 01:50:28 -0000

LOL - I'm proud of you too Jay - you better copyright that before some big travel company or something similar makes millions from it.

The Phoenix Real Estate Guy
"Your Doorstep to Destination Agent"

Re: Win a Copy of Seth Godin’s “Tribes”

Jayson — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:45:18 -0000

Jay - can you make my entry a different color and a lot bigger?

Re: We Only Get to Play This Game One Time

Jayson — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:27:56 -0000

That speech is spot on thanks for making it available.

Re: Phoenix Real Estate in the News

Jayson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:57:36 -0000

It's definitely a tough market in Phoenix for many home builders, homeowners and industry professionals/employees. There is light at the end of the tunnel (you mentioned some neutral areas) but the tunnel seems so long.

I just hope that the family's of the 55 (or ?) laid off employees can make it through these times without losing their homes or more. Hopefully, they can find a job somewhere ...

Re: Going FSBO? Here’s One Way to Waste Your Time and Effort

Jayson — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:21:00 -0000

Nice post Jay - I love that you're always honest. I agree, if you have the time and can do it well, why would you pay someone to do it for you? However, selling real estate is NOT easy and a good agent can get more for a home and sell it faster than 99% (just a guess) of the owners out there. Not to mention the headache of marketing and selling the home... and the papers etc... yeesh!

It's even more important, in my opinion, to enlist a good agent if you've already purchased a home - what if you have to start making the payments for both homes? It's a matter of a few months before you eat up any agent fees, and then if you decide to enlist an agent, now you've lost more money and will likely have to pay a few more mortgage payments. Did I mention that you've already spent money on marketing the home? It could end up being a classic story of "I should have had it done right the first time".

Re: Inman News Names “Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate Bloggers: 2008″

Jayson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:56:11 -0000

Hmmm - I've seen about 10 lists similar to this-this year and you've been on all 10 Jay (somethings fishy :) )

Congrats once again - it's well deserved

Re: Obama on Housing

Jayson — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:23:21 -0000

Thanks for putting this together Jay, I wasn't aware that Obama had so many housing focused plans...it's good to know.

I'm not sure if any of these things will work either, or if they're the right thing to do, but I do think that if nothing is done, we will be in a worse place then we are now and I'd like to pass on that...On that note, these things could always make things worse or create a whole new round of problems.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), there's no precedent for our current situation, and as you mentioned, things will be interesting. 12

Re: Personal Data Found in Bankrupt Builders Model Home

Jayson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:01:52 -0000

WHAT!! That's truly unbelievable and incredibly irresponsible. I think they have a few communities still open in the valley - do you know if they do?

The community right next to that (New Orleans Homes walked away from) has two great parks...if anyone has some unfriendly dogs and needs a park to visit.

Re: Phoenix Real Estate Investment Firm “Blindsided” by Home Price Declines. Sticks it to Investors

Jayson — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:13:22 -0000

Doesn't surprise me...I'm pretty disappointed in all executives in nearly every industry throughout America. It seems that nearly every executive had their head up their arse throughout the last decade (except Jamie Dimon at J.P. Morgan).

What ever happened to managing risk?

Re: Upgraded to Wordpress 2.7

Jayson — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:45:14 -0000

2.7! They come out with a new upgrade weekly and there's always something better about the platform. It's truly going to become a complete CMS platform within the next few updates. And a really good one at that - i guess I'll go make a few clicks and upgrade ...

Re: Fannie Mae to End Tenant Evictions in Foreclosures

Jayson — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:54:38 -0000

Thanks for the link to the article by Chris - it's a great read and is a spot on argument. Have fun at San Felipe's

Re: The Phoenix Agents: Two Great Phoenix Agents and Bloggers Combine Forces

Jayson — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:42:17 -0000

Nice! Thanks for the reference; I look forward to visiting another great Arizona blog.

Re: Off to Inman Real Estate Connect and RE Bar Camp NYC

Jayson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:32:20 -0000

Have fun Jay, sounds like it's going to be good conference and a great time.

nice video - http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1074863/jay_thomp...

Re: Phoenix Population Declining?

Jayson — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:47:48 -0000

Yeah I'm going to have to go with the "people are moving out of Phoenix, but into areas like Chandler, Queen Creek, Laveen, Buckeye, Surprise, Maricopa etc.. Until I notice less traffic, I refuse to believe we're losing residents.

Re: $15K Home Buyer Tax Credit May be Scaled Back

Jayson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:51:47 -0000

Jay, your coverage on this tax credit has been great. The opponents of the tax credit make a good point - Current homeowners would need to sell their current property to buy a new one, so the incentive does little to reduce inventory levels - then there's the up to $39 billion price tag.

At this point, I wish they'd just stop announcing new plans and let the market operate. I'd guess the markets been stalled a good 9 months of normal operation because of all this talk about tax cuts (last year) and TARP I and the stimulus plan (late last year, this year). Now we'll be stalling while we wait on details and the implementation of TARP II - can't we just do something and give it a few months to see what happens? For all we know, the rate cuts could have done a decent job if they weren't followed by an announcement the same day about a future rate cut.

<abbr></abbr><abbr>Jayson´s last blog post..Senate Passes Economic Stimulus Plan – $15,000 tax Credit for Homebuyers Still In</abbr>

Re: Obama’s Mortgage Relief Plan: Details are out on the “Making Home Affordable” program

Jayson — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:53:19 -0000

Great post Jay - there's tons of information floating around out there; it's nice to get a well written recap.

I like the link to the FAQs, nice addition

Re: Great Arizona Beer Festival is this weekend

Jayson — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:49:25 -0000

How was it Jay? I can't believe I missed another beer festival in Arizona. Every year I hear how good they are and every year I miss one more - wtf?

Re: Customer Service, Broadmoor Style

Jayson — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:48:01 -0000

@Vicki - that would definitely show me that you were both professional and considerate. I think that's a great way to WOW a client.

Great post Jay, a client that is blown away about a service is priceless - imagine if every client did what you just did, thanks for bringing this up.

Re: Phoenix to Offer $15,000 Loans to Purchase Foreclosed Homes

Jayson — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:13:21 -0000

Seems like getting a home would be pretty difficult; I agree, it doesn't seem like much thought was put into this one.

I don't know why we keep trying to get people that couldn't otherwise afford a home, into homes. Is that not that definition of insanity?

Thanks for the detailed information.

Re: What is a Lis Pendens?

Jayson — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:02:45 -0000

Thanks for the explanation Jay - I've never heard that term before...I'd think it's pretty important for an agent to know what it means and what it could mean for a client.

@Dani - they don't teach this in real estate school?

Re: Making an Offer on a Home. It’s not all about the Benjamin’s…

Jayson — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:50:28 -0000

Thanks for a clear explanation of the many different considerations a seller has when looking at an offer. It's easy to see that many of these things could make a big difference.

Re: Joining the NAR’s Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee. Lord help me. Or them…

Jayson — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:40:46 -0000

Congrats Jay -

Re: Interview with Greg Boser of PropertyTown

Jayson — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:10:36 -0000

Nice interview - teaching people how to fish is a great strategy IMO, as Greg mentioned, it's hard to appropriately cover all aspects of good optimization on a thin budget...it's next to impossible.

Re: Google LAKE View? Or Microsoft LAKE View?

Jayson — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:47:30 -0000

Lake view would be a nifty tool for an agent or someone just interested in browsing lakeside properties.

Like Joshua mentioned though, it might not go to well with all owners, but things could be done to maintain a certain level of privacy.

Re: Dipped in Chrome: Impressed As Usual

Jayson — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:32:00 -0000

Nice post Jon, very well written. I'd have to agree that most users don't have a clue what a browser is, let alone why they use it. Regardless, Chrome is an amazing browser and as you pointed out, the open source nature of it allows for tons of innovation. Firefox still has a lot more to offer but I think Chrome will quickly catch up. It renders web pages quicker than any other browser, which is why I like using it so much; it looks clean too.

Re: Susan Boyle’s First Single – Wild Horses

Jayson — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:57:59 -0000

Great song - she does have an awesome voice. I look forward to hearing/reading more about her and wish her the best of luck.

Re: Social Media Advice for Builders & Sales Execs

Jayson — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:28:09 -0000

Great post Mike - Home builders truly are missing opportunities by not encouraging agents to "get online". I'd imagine the pros would significantly outweigh the cons if a builder's agent owned search results in their local market. It would only require some ground rules (like Jim's above), a little regulation and tad bit of money to get the ball rolling.

I always wonder why one would hire someone to represent a company if they were afraid of them actually representing the company.

Do you know if Lennar has experienced an increase in sales from their online efforts?