Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Monday, June 30th, 2008 |
Where do you go if you want to know what’s the latest news about Paris and Paris? What do you do if you need to see what happened to Maria Sharapova after this year’s Wimbledon? Who do you ask if you want to know if the storm is still raging dangerously in Taiwan? How can you find out about the latest news regarding George Bush’s fight against international terrorism? For those questions and just about everything else that you may find yourself curious about, we only have one answer: check out the New York Times.
The New York Times is one of the most read dailies in the United States and there’s really no surprise why it’s so. People have come to rely on the New York Times to provide them with updated news round the clock, online or through the written word, regarding everything under the sun. You can read about the films being shown this week, the current bestsellers in the publishing industry, the latest stock market quotes, the newest trend in summer fashion and a whole lot more.
The New York Times has arguably one of the most credible reputations in the country and so it’s unsurprising that people have become curious about what type of management is behind such a thriving media company. Hence, our article, which tackles the company profile of the New York Times Company, owner of the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Boston Globe and sixteen other newspapers.
Last year, the New York Times Company reached the three billion mark in their revenues. Besides the aforementioned newspapers, the New York Times Company also owns eight TV networks and two radio stations. The New York Times Co. is also house to several Pulitzer Prize writers. A short history of the New York Times Company is provided below:
April 27, 1967 : Class A stock of the New York Times Company has finally landed a spot in the listing of over-the-counter trades.
January 12, 1973 : Adding on to their assets, the New York Times Company has acquired Marco Island Eagle.
January 11, 1977 : The New York Times Company divests several of its business ventures by selling its professional magazine and music publishing business.
February 12, 1980 : The Madison Paper Industries was born, a joint venture between the New York Times Co. and Myllykoski Oy, a Finnish paper manufacturing company.
March 6, 1980 : The New York Times Company decides to sell its Us magazine.
April 10, 1981 : The Australian magazine operations of the New York Times Co. were also sold.
1983 : The New York Times sold times Books, its book publishing operation, and license to its information retrieval service and micro-publishing operations. In return, the company got to acquire several TV stations, launch new magazines and relaunch old ones that it has acquired.
1993 : The New York Times Company announces a $100 million share repurchase authorization.
For more details regarding the New York Times Company and all its affiliations, its website can provide you with contact details and FAQs. The New York Times accept ads, notices, announcements of weddings, obituaries, special events, and the likes. They can also be delivered right on your doorstep, wherever you are, and further information regarding this can still be found in their website.
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Monday, June 30th, 2008 |
There are two different digital formats for TVs. One is SDTV, which means Standard Definition TV, and HDTV, which is the newest in TV technology. This must see new TV gives the SDTV a new look. The picture is so much clearer, sharper, and almost three-dimensional. HDTV has lifelike pictures and theater sound. It has a high resolution, which gives astonishing clarity. It’s sharper, wider and more like a theater screen than a TV set. It is as clear as a computer monitor as it uses the same technology. Since most of us are use to the sharpness and clarity of our computer monitor, it means that we want the same technology when we watch our TV. This computer sharpness has to do with the amount of pixels used on a computer monitor. The lowest resolution is 640 x 768 pixels. Some monitors go as high as 1024 x 768.
Pixels are actually two words jammed together, ¾ picture and element. It’s a tiny sample of video information and these tiny pixels are what make up the overall picture. A pixel per inch is the measure of sharpness on a television display screen. Resolution is based on the number of pixels displayed. One form of high-definition picture formats is composed of 1080 lines and each line has 1920 pixels.
This digital encoding system provides a sharp, clear picture. This encoding could soon make analog television sets obsolete. Once you’ve seen for yourself the clarity, depth and resolution of an HDTV you will want one. Many of the new satellite systems use digital encoding systems and then have to be converted to the analog format to fit your present TV. It looks great, but would look even better if it didn’t have to be converted at all. Digital signals can be broadcast over the air, by cable, or transmitted by a satellite system to your home. It’s then directed to your digital ready TV for clear and sharp pictures and terrific surround sound.
HDTV has the highest digital resolution of the new digital TV’s. Right now, you are only seeing about 525 lines of resolution on your present analog TV. An HDTV with wide screen format has lines from 720 to 1080.
The usual TV set has a picture resolution of about 210,000 pixels. On HDTV sets, each picture contains around two million pixels. What does this mean to you? It means a picture with about ten times more detail than on a standard analog TV. This means wider images, more detailed picture, and Dolby surround sound, just like being at a movie theater. The HDTV movement has revolutionized the TV industry, much like it was revolutionized when they converted from black and white to color. Previously only the very rich could afford to put a home theater in their residence. Now with today’s digital technology and sound, the average person can experience the thrill of having your very own theater. The wide screen format changed the movie audience experience and it now it is changing the home TV experience.
The wide screen allows for a panoramic view that fills our field of vision because our eyes are located side by side. It lends itself to more innovative video compositions and allows directors to compose shots that captivate and pull the audience into the movie or the playing field.
This new technology will demand changes that can be costly for the viewer and for the TV stations and media production companies. Newer technology means newer equipment and that translates into more expense. However, just as the new technology of CD’s, VCR’s and DVD players, the prices will eventually fall.
As of May of 1999, the Federal Communications Commission decided that digital television and HDTV should be the newest standard for broadcasting. The change over has begun with the FCC requiring the top TV networks to broadcast a digital signal in the ten biggest markets.
The networks plan to phase out all analog TV broadcasts by the end of 2006. Your TV won’t be obsolete, but it will definitely not be the newest technology you can enjoy. After you have seen a movie or a sports event on HDTV, you’ll be ready to make the big switch. Research the subject and know what you’re looking for when you go to make the purchase.
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Thursday, June 26th, 2008 |
Although there are a lot of resources for learning about HDTV, it is still difficult to discern the straight facts. A cable company is going to recommend that you get your HDTV through them, and satellite will tell you that their method is the best. The truth is that they all have their pros and cons, so it all comes down to your personal taste. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the technology has not smoothed out all of its kinks yet. This only signifies that the chances are that as soon as they do, another technology will come creeping up which will require everyone to start over. The easiest way to avoid this is to choose your technology wisely and perhaps with a little more money. This does not mean that you should not try out having HDTV in your home first, before buying all new equipment. Learning about the technology first will help you decide whether to try it through your cable company by renting the HD set-top box for your HD-capable TV, or whether to get the antenna to pick up some of the local broadcasting stations’ HD formatted programs. By breaking down some of the elements of HDTV, you can better understand which method is right for you.
Basically, HDTV is a form of digital TV. The difference between high definition TV and digital (DTV), is that HDTV offers much more quality on three levels. HD uses more lines per image, which is what accounts for the crystal clear picture. It also incorporates wide screen technology into every transmission, which is the best way to create a realistic picture. Finally, HDTV does not just mean a good picture. The digital format of HD allows for 5.1 Dolby surround sound quality to transmit as well. If one has the correct connectors, such as DVI (digital video interface), HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) or Component Video, also known as RGB (red green blue), then you will be able to receive this element of your HD transmission. Adding this component is usually required since only a few TVs include it.
Next, one has to decide which way they want to receive the HDTV signal. This is probably the trickiest part, because broadcasting stations, cable and satellite providers, and TV technology are all on various planes of cooperation and consistency. Looking on the internet for HDTV options in your area, or calling your satellite and cable providers for package quotes should demystify some of the process. All of the options will require that you have a TV monitor with either a tuner built-in, a built-in cable card slot (Cable Card or Cable Card-ready), or with a feature called HD-ready or HD-capable.
The built-in tuner will allow you to purchase an antenna and hook it up to your TV. This will let you pick up HD channel broadcastings from your local stations. Before going with this option, make sure that you know which channels, if any, your local stations provide.
Many people like the HD-ready, or capable option because it usually guarantees that any set-box top that a satellite or cable provider offers for rent or for purchase, will be compatible. Make sure you find out the prices for owning or renting the box from different HD services, and the different prices for HD-ready sets. Getting an HD-ready set with as many bells and whistles as possible should help you keep up with the quickly changing technology.
The Cable Card-ready slot keeps a lot of clutter out of your living room. A lot of people consider it to be a smoother way to receive the signal. Make sure that you like your local cable provider though, because not all of them offer the same HD channels. If you think you might end up switching to satellite, then consider going with just a regular HD-ready set.
Knowing what channels are available through the three kinds of services, antenna (local broadcasting), satellite, or cable, should be able to help you know which one to use. The technology is changing every day, so prepare yourself for a few glitches along the way. Sports, nature, art and movies are some of the most popular genres which HDTV channels are offering, so be sure to base your choice on the variety which it will provide for you and your family.
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 |
High definition television is the newest thing to hit the television market. Consumers and movie enthusiasts love HDTV. It offers bright, clear picture resolution, superior audio sound and a wide range of programming. When it’s time to shop for HDTV, here are five things to look for in a new HDTV compatible set.
Choosing a high definition television can be confusing. When shopping for a new HDTV, do research and understand the product. It is recommend that you shop around and ask lots of questions before purchasing. HDTV set ups can be costly. Larger sets can run in the thousands of dollars just for the television. Most HDTV sets that are available for sale are big screen and they are generally expensive. Smaller-screened televisions with digital capabilities are slated to hit the market in 2007.
1. Look at the type of televisions on the market. There are several types of HDTV sets to choose from. Rear projection, plasma and LCD are all types of HDTV. When a television is labeled as HDTV-ready that means the TV has an HDTV tuner built in. This enables the TV set to get over-the-air high definition signals from local networks. HDTV-capable means that the TV set is able to receive high definition signals, but only with the use of an HDTV converter box that is available from the cable or satellite company, or a digital tuner and over-the-air antenna.
2. Consider the price. Many viewers prefer the wall display monitor that either plasma or LCD offers. But, these are usually most expensive of the high definition sets, especially the ones that are sized between 40 to 70 inches. Lower on the cost spectrum, but equally good, are the LCD displays that are sized at 42 inches and under. Larger HDTV sets can cost into the thousands. Smaller sized sets are hitting the market and as the demand goes up, the prices are beginning to come down.
3. Think about the size of the television in comparison to the size of the viewing area before making a purchase. Check to see how far the TV set will be to where the viewers will sit. There are ideal distances to see the picture resolution. For example, for optimal viewing, a high definition wide-screen that measures 50 inches should be viewed at about 117 inches, or just less than ten feet from the screen.
4. Consider a wide-screen if you are setting up a home movie theater. HDTV wide-screen televisions are becoming popular choices for consumers wanting a movie theater-style viewing experience at home. Imagine sitting in a home theater with a large, clear screen and surround sound. With HDTV wide-screen TV, it is possible. There are several benefits of HDTV wide-screen, making it a top choice for movie lovers. HDVT wide-screen sets enable movies to be seen as the filmmaker intended them. It appears as it does in the theater and the viewers see every bit of the movie that is intended. With wide-screen, the TV screen cuts off no part of the image, either at the top or the bottom. Wide-screen shows the colors and lighting correctly. The viewing ratio is not distorted as it often is in a regular television screen.
5. Think about what other options and features you will need when purchasing a new television. Check the warranty. Most high definition sets come with a one-year warranty, which is good. Also, take into consideration the cost of extended warranties that most electronic stores offer. These sets can be a major purchase. A standard plasma television should last around seven years. An extended warranty is usually good between three and four years. An extended warranty may be a good purchase. Something else to consider before spending a lot of money on a new HDTV set is how long the technology will last. With the technology changing quickly and offering better performance in TVs, spending thousands of dollars for a TV that may last only seven years, might not be wise. As the popularity rises, the prices will come down on HDTV sets making them more available to the general public.
Look at the other features that the television comes with such as picture in picture features and the remote control. The remote control may seem trivial, but you will be using it a lot. Make sure it feels good in your hand and that the buttons are laid out logically. If you need buttons with a backlight, check to see if the one you are looking at comes with that feature. Also, if you use the picture-in –picture feature, check to see that it can be used with HDTV broadcasts.
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Monday, June 23rd, 2008 |
High Resolution
HDTV offers a higher resolution than most conventional television sets. In addition, HDTV’s can display full HDTV and DTV signals, which results in a sharper picture.
Analog televisions have approximately 480 active scanning lines. This results in a resolution of about 330 lines. A VHS VCR has approximately 240 lines of resolution. This is why VHS doesn’t look as clear as the original picture. DVD’s provide about 480 lines of resolution. HDTV’s, on the other hand, provide about twice as much resolution as an analog television.
HDTV is part of the DTV specifications set forth by the FCC. Many video resolutions fall within the umbrellas of DTV. The two main resolutions are 1080i and 720p. The “I” means interlaced and the “p” means progressive. For both, every second has 60 frames of video. Interlaced resolution transmits 30 frames of even lines, then 30 frames of odd lines every second. Progressive resolution, on the other hand, puts 60 entire frames on the screen every second.
An HDTV with 720p resolution has 1280 x 720 pixels, for a total of 921,600 pixels. The 1080i has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which totals 2,073,000 pixels. Some people prefer the 720p resolution because it provides a more “stable” picture, claiming the 1080i resolution can cause a flicker effect. The 1080i resolution, however, provides a far greater number of pixels. HDTV receivers are capable of receiving both types of resolution and converting them to the format used by the television display. Either way, the resulting resolution on an HDTV is far supreme to the picture found on an analog television.
No Scanning Lines
The 720p resolution provides a crystal clear image and almost completely eliminates scanning lines. This is because, as explained above, the 720P resolution produces all 60 frames of video every second. Despite the fact that the 1080i rotates 30 frames every second, it, too, has much less visible scanning lines because of its use of interlace scanning.
Better Sound
HDTV offers digital audio and CD quality surround sound, creating a much clearer listening experience. Just like CD’s produce a better sound than audiocassette tapes, the digital audio sound of HDTV is better than the sound provided by an analog television. In addition, Dolby Digital 5.1 included in many HDTV programs. To take advantage of the surround sound, however, it is necessary to have 5.1 speakers.
Panoramic View
High Definition TV’s provides a much larger viewing area than regular analog television. The majority of analog television sets are produced with a 4 by 3 aspect ratio. This means that the screen is 4 units wide by 3 units high. Theatrically released movies, however are generally produced in a much wider aspect. This is down in order to take advantage of the field of vision, which is wider horizontally than it is tall. Because HDTV signals are transmitted in a 16 by 9 aspect ration, it is more like the screen used in movies. Therefore, HDTV viewing is more realistic and panoramic.
Wave of the Future
The FCC has passed a multitude of regulations regarding HDTV. Among these regulations is that all television broadcasts must be transmitted in HDTV by 2006. Analog televisions, however, will not be able to take advantage of this technology.
Consequently, HDTV allows the viewer to view his favorite television shows in HDTV format, creating a more “real life” experience, with a clearer, crisper picture. In addition, most cable companies now offer HDTV as a standard part of their cable package. Therefore, consumers don’t have to purchase a special HDTV television or an HDTV-ready television with an HDTV set-top-box.
In addition, new videogame system consoles are taking advantage of HDTV, claiming the graphics of the games themselves will be clearer when played on an HDTV television. HDTV tube televisions are also better than plasma televisions for the videogame player because plasma televisions will experience what is called “color burn” on their plasma televisions. Color burn is when an image is permanently “burned” into the television, just like what can happen to a computer monitor if it doesn’t utilize a screen-saver.
With all of the benefits of HDTV, it is little wonder most consumers are making HDTV television sets their next television purchase.
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 |
HDTV provides excellent television picture and sound quality. Furthermore, most broadcasters, after receiving a push from the FCC, are broadcasting television shows in HDTV. But, to take advantage of this high-quality television viewing and the program offerings, it is necessary to have the right equipment.
Programming Source
To get HDTV, it is first necessary to have a HDTV programming source. Satellite, Broadcast, and Cable all provide HDTV programming. Most television stations currently broadcast HDTV programming, thanks to FCC regulations. Furthermore, the FCC has dictated that all stations will broadcast HDTV by the end of the year 2006. Most satellite companies and the majority of cable companies also currently offer HDTV programming, as well.
Before buying HDTV equipment, however, it is important to determine the HDTV programming sources available in the area. This information is useful in deciding just which route to go in order to receive HDTV programming, which, in turn, can determine what equipment is necessary.
Programming Reception
HDTV programming can be received through a HD satellite box, a HD antenna, a HD cable box, or a HD set-top-box. Which form of program receptor is needed depends on the programming source. In order to receive local channels in HDTV, it might be necessary to have a HD antenna. This is particularly true if local channels are not available through the local satellite or cable provider. An indoor or outdoor HD antenna may be used, depending on the individual situation and geographic location.
If the local cable company provides HDTV programming, it might be a good route to receive HDTV through a HD cable box. Usually, these boxes are provided by the cable company and contain HDTV program receiving capabilities. Sometimes, an extra fee might need to be paid to buy or rent a cable box that is capable of receiving HDTV. If this is the case, it might be more cost effective to purchase a separate HD set-top-box.
Dish Network and DirecTV satellite services both offer HDTV. Unfortunately, these companies often don’t offer local channels, so it might be necessary to still have a HD antenna to receive these channels.
Integrated HDTV System or HD-Upgradeable TV (also called HD-ready and HD-compatible)
An integrated HDTV is a television that has a HDTV tuner built directly into the television. One major advantage to purchasing an integrated HDTV is that it is not necessary to spend extra money on a separate HDTV receiver. On the other hand, satellite and cable services might still require the use of their separate receiver in order to receive HDTV through their services. Furthermore, as technology advances, the HDTV tuner in an integrated television can’t be easily upgraded, as it can be with a separate HDTV box.
A HD-upgradeable television (or HD-ready or HD compatible) is fully capable of receiving HDTV signals one the HD set-top-box is plugged in. This type of television allows for flexibility in programming options. On the other hand, it might be necessary to buy, lease, or rent a set-top-box from the store, the cable company, or the satellite provider in order to receive HDTV programming.
Another perk to HD-upgradeable televisions is that many of the newer models are now including special slots that allow cable television providers to insert cable cards. Cable cards are special cards that enable the television to receive cable television channels, which includes HDTV channels. Cable subscription fees still apply, however, and the card needs to be removed if the television owner moves or subscribes to a different cable service. Also, depending on the cable provider, it might still be necessary to have a separate cable box in order to record cable television channels with the DVD recorder or VCR.
Surround Sound Equipment
One of the other advantages of HDTV is the excellent sound it provides. Part of the reason the sound is so much better than that achieved with an analog television is because the sound, like the picture, is digital. This is much like how the sound from a CD is much better than the sound from an audiocassette tape.
In addition, many HDTV broadcasts are transmitted in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. In order to reap the rewards of this extra perk, however, it is necessary to have surround-sound equipment as part of the home entertainment package.
HDTV is an outstanding advancement in television technology. With a few purchases, the consumer will be enjoying the clear pictures and sounds of HDTV in no time.
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Saturday, June 21st, 2008 |
In order to explain the difference between CRT and LCD when it comes to HDTV it is important to clarify the meaning of each one of those letters (or abbreviations). Let’s begin with HDTV. HDTV stands for high-definition television and it basically means the broadcasting of television signals with a much greater attention to detail and better picture quality and sound than more traditional formats of broadcasting including NTSC, SECAM and PAL. HDTV is broadcast digitally throughout the world, with the exception of Europe and Japan which use early forms of analog broadcasting. The idea behind HDTV is to increase the percentage of the image that is seen by the human eye on the screen. In other words, widen the image to be more clearly viewed.
Television technology is broken down into standard CRT, plasma and LCD televisions. Traditionally technology dictates that a CRT (otherwise known as a Cathode Ray Tube or more simply, picture tube) is put to work in a television set. A CRT is a fair sized vacuum tube that contains an electronic beam which juts out from a single point situated in the tube’s neck. Its job is to very swiftly scan the tube’s face and by doing so this action lights up what is known as phosphors (blue, green and red ones in this case) on the surface of the tube with the express purpose of creating a visual picture or image.
LCD televisions are always flat paneled in their design and basically make use of the same technology (known as Liquid Crystal Display) that is also to be found in other electronic equipment such as computer monitors, cell phones and camcorder viewfinders. This technology is being used more and more all of the time. The panels used in LCD are constructed with two different layers and consist of a material very much like glass. The layers are polarized and also affixed together. A special polymer is used to cover one of the layers, but not both, and it is this layer that is responsible for holding the liquid crystals together that make up the LCD set. What then happens is that electric currents make their way through the individual crystals and it is the crystals alone that allow light to either pass through or block the image(s) that the television set emits. A light source external to the crystals is necessary for a LCD television to work properly as the crystals are not capable of making their own source of light. A florescent bulb is generally employed and it is the action of this bulb that allows the television watcher to see the picture on the screen.
When it comes to the question of which is better, CRT or LCD in HDTV the answer is that they both have their advantages and disadvantages and in the end it often comes down to personal choice. Let’s take a closer look.
CRT television sets require phosphors (or a picture tube) to project images and these take up room and make the set bigger and bulkier. LCD panels on the other hand employ crystals to make them work and therefore are thinner and smaller in their size and don’t require nearly as much power, which is a big plus. Radiation coming off of the screen of CRT sets is a problem whereas LCD has no radiation to speak of.
CRT technology however, also has its advantages over LCD. The biggest advantage is cost. CRT is still the cheaper of the two technologies therefore if money is a concern you can purchase a larger sized television for yourself at a fraction of the cost. CRT’s have much better and wider angles for viewing images on the screen and color clarity is much greater with a CRT set. CRT technology allows for the adjustment of many things such as brightness, contrast and hues represented on the screen which makes the image before the viewer more true to life. The greatest disadvantage of CRT is the weight and general inconvenience of the sets, in terms of bulkiness.
Other advantages of LCD screens is that they are lightweight and very easy to move from place to place and they are a great deal more energy efficient than the CRT models. Also eyestrain is reduced when watching a LCD set.
But there is a downside to LCD technology. These sets, as previously mentioned, tend to be pricey and often display colors that appear washed out and not vibrant. Blurry images are very common with LCD sets, especially when it comes to fast moving objects onscreen.
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Thursday, June 19th, 2008 |
Each year, more and more companies use an adword campaign as their main medium when it comes to advertising over the Internet.
An adword campaign is an easy, cheap yet effective way to market a company’s products and services.
At the same time, it offers better results as the campaign is geared towards keyword density while aiming directly for a specific market.
With regular print and broadcast advertising, you have to think of ways for the ad to directly hit your target market.
With an adwords campaign, you do not have to spend much effort since the medium itself is hitting your audience right where you want them to be hit: which is by clicking on a direct link to your web site once a keyword is typed into a search engine.
With popular search engines such as Google offering a fairly reasonable amount for keyword hits, both small and big companies are turning to adword campaigns for their advertising needs.
The problem is, since adword campaigning has gained popularity, there lies a challenge to bid for the top spot.
The competition has become fierce when it comes to emerging on the top three positions on the list once a keyword is entered.
Unless you want to be at the end of a search list, you need to come up with a straightforward and effective Google adword campaign.
At the end of the day, you would want to see the results of the adword campaign so here are some helpful tips on how you can emerge victorious against these challenges:
1. Create a Google adwords campaign and use it effectively.
Offering adword campaign services is Google’s main cup of tea, and they will profit from you whether your company earns from these campaigns or not.
You would not want to just give your money to Google without gaining any results so the key here is to use the tools that they offer to your advantage.
Once a web surfer types in a keyword on Google and clicks Search, there are ‘Sponsored Links’ displayed and with each click, the advertiser needs to pay Google.
If you are an advertiser and you decide to use Google’s adword campaign, study their guidelines and use the tracking tools that they offer to know which keywords get the most hits or matches.
Then, you can revise your campaign so that it will be more applicable to address a specific market.
2. Use the tools to target your audience.
Setting up an account in Google adwords would require you to key in the languages and location that you prefer.
This is very important because if you do not set this up properly, then your products and services might be offered to a region or country wherein you do in not currently operate.
Thus, you would gain you more advertising costs which would not yield any results if you are not properly addressing your target market.
If you have clients in a bilingual region or if you operate in another country, choose the languages used in that location.
This Google feature gives you more control when it comes to targeting a specific audience.
3. Compose and design your ad.
In creating your adwords campaign, make sure that you have a clear understanding of Google’s guidelines. You would like users to click on your ad if they find it interesting enough.
Of course, your web site will only be linked to related keywords so it is vital to focus on that as well.
When composing an ad, make it brief, informative and attention-grabbing all at the same time.
Bear in mind that it does not necessarily mean that once a visitor goes to your web site, they will stay there for a long time.
Your web site should be designed to convince people to take advantage of the products and services that you offer before they leave.
Otherwise, you would have a lot of hits on your web site but end up with a lot of misses on marketing and sales opportunities.
4. Choose the correct keyword.
This is one of the most difficult parts when it comes to the adword campaign process.
Use all the resources that you have to come up with the keywords that will lead to a hit on your web site. Use lay man’s terms as much as possible.
Put yourself in the shoes of a student or a housewife surfing the Internet. Unless the user is really tech-savvy, then he or she will just use everyday words and avoid technical terms. Google features a tool where keyword suggestions are offered.
Vary your keywords from time to time as you learn which ones yield the most hits. This would also give you more results because users may enter keywords differently even when they are searching for the same topics.
By coming up with a gameplan on how you can use Google adwords to spice up your advertising campaign, then you would most likely be on top of the list once Internet users key in a word which is related to the products and services that you offer.
This would yield more profit for you and your company, without having to dole out millions in advertising campaigns through other mediums.
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Monday, June 16th, 2008 |
Viral marketing is the new marketing and advertising trend right now, especially in the online scene. It takes advantage of the internet’s network effect to be able to reach a great number of people in such a short time.
Benefits of Viral Marketing
Viral marketing strategies offer several advantages to businesses.
- Easy to execute. There are several methods of sending viral contents or messages and all of them are easy to do. Among those methods are sending email, instant messaging, and using web sites. Sending viral messages through these media will not take much effort and time.
- Low-cost. As compared to sending direct mails, viral marketing proves to be cheaper and a more cost-effective method. With just a little investment on viral advertising, its power can reach even hundreds of thousands of people as compared to spending the same amount of money to traditional advertising methods. That is because the only money to spend is for sending the initial set of viral contents, then forwarding or replicating the message will not require additional costs anymore.
- Good targeting. With viral marketing, there is a huge probability that the message will reach people that are interested in it. Since the concept of viral marketing is essentially passing on a message from a user to another person, most likely, the user will pass it to a person whom he knows will be interested in it. Thus, the percentage of wasted advertising, which is sending the message to the wrong market, will be reduced.
- High and rapid response rate. Since viral marketing reaches a good number of the business’ target market, there is also a big possibility to have a high turnover ratio. Even if the responses will not immediately convert into profits, there will still be huge traffic that the business will receive which is what most web owners want.
These are indeed great benefits a business can get by adopting this marketing technique. But what really makes it more powerful than other marketing or advertising strategies?
Let us take the example of Hotmail, where this viral marketing term really started. Hotmail was able to spread over the internet at an amazing rate. It is like an epidemic that quickly spreads out to others once there is a single person infected by the virus. That is why this technique was named as such.
According to Hotmail’s statistics, its number of subscribers grew from zero to twelve million users in just 18 months. Imagine that! What’s more amazing is that the company spent just $50,000 on advertising to achieve that number of subscribers. Compare that to Juno which spent $20 million on traditional advertising during the same time period as Hotmail but got much less output.
With those facts about Hotmail, viral marketing’s main strength is indeed reaching a huge number of the target market at a considerably low cost. Hotmail did not even have marketing or advertising presence in most countries outside the United States but it got to be the major email service provider in these places like India and Sweden.
What adds more power to viral marketing is the fact that the viral message passed on is like an endorsement from a friend or somebody who can be trusted. People have this way of thinking that “if my friend uses this product and is happy about it, what stops me from using it as well?”
In Hotmail’s case, when those people who received an email from their friends, relatives, or colleagues using Hotmail learned that it works and their friend is a user, they quickly signed up and became members as well. These people wanted to belong in this group where their friends are also in. This technique is also a matter of association or affiliation.
Hotmail’s case is not an isolated one, though. During the same time that Hotmail is gaining its popularity, so does ICQ. ICQ is like a buddy list and instant messenger, much like MSN and Yahoo Messenger now. ICQ also used the same technique and marketing campaign and it gained almost the same number of subscribers as Hotmail within the same time frame.
Viral marketing is indeed one powerful tool to increase popularity of a product or service. However, just like any other things, proper use of the technique is necessary. A single mistake of misuse of it may mean permanent damage to the product or service being promoted.
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Monday, June 16th, 2008 |
Adwords is Google’s “text-based” approach for advertising. This is a service wherein it permits you to make your own advertisements, select your choice of keywords to correspond to your ads and manage or establish your advertising cost thru what is called the “cost per click “ scheme, wherein you only pay on certain times that customers click on your advertisement. Anyone can promote their website on Google Adwords.
The concept of Google AdWords is very simple; you make advertisements that Google then will display alongside standard search results. When an individual searches for certain keywords that you have submitted to Google Adwords you like to be linked with, then your ads come into view.
For instance, when you are selling Mickey Mouse bags, you can request your ad to be displayed alongside Google search results when individuals searches for Mickey Mouse or bags or children’s school supplies.
Google Adwords is very similar to traditional advertising, wherein you can make your own ad for your website. The main difference is that each time Google displays or shows your add, you do not pay them; you only pay when an individual clicks your advertisement.
Google AdWords can be a great option when you only have a limited budget for reaching prospect clients. You can promote or advertise your website on Google Adwords for as low as $1.50 monthly. Google’s sign up fee is only $5 after which you can already set your budget for a minimum of 5 cents a day. And setting up your campaign would only take ten minutes with a tool so you can preview your campaign.
Steps in opening a Google AdWords account:
1. Go to “https://adwords.google.com/select/” then hit the “Click to Begin” key.
2. The screen then will prompt you to pick out the languages and countries where you want your ad to appear. When your website is the English language, choose the language “English” then the countries that you want to do deal business with.
3. Then you can go ahead and make your ad. For your headline, you have a limit of only 25 characters and a 35 character limit for your description.
4. Where it asks for your display URL, you then will enter your homepage URL; this is the site you want displayed in the ad.
5. Where is asks for a destination URL, you then will type in the “URL” of your website landing page.
6. Hit “Create Ad and Continue”
7. Type in your selected keywords and hit “save keywords”
8. The screen will then request you to select your maximum CPC (cost per click); in the box, type in .05 and hit “recalculate estimates”. The system will then furnish an estimate of the projected total of clicks a day, the “cost per day” as well as the predictable position of the ad.
Note that this is just the introductory setting up of account. At this stage, you are not obliged to pay all of the “bid costs” that you have entered so you can try entering several maximum “cost per click” charges and then find out what is the system forecasts your clicks and costs to be.
9. Hit “Save & Continue”.
10. You will have the choice to make more ads having different keywords as well as budgets; or you can hit “Continue to Step 3″. After you have made ads for each of your keywords, you need to target and then establish your everyday budget then hit “Save and continue”.
11. You then will read Google Adwords terms and conditions, select the “agree” button then enter your “email address” and your password which the system requires. After you hit on “submit”, Google then will send a confirmation email to you.
12. Once you receive their email, you then should confirm or verify your account by way of hitting the link provided in the email then type in your email as well as your password in the login screen which will pop up the moment you hit the link.
13. After you have successfully logged in, you then will type in your “credit card number” and submit all your personal details and now, you are all set to begin advertising or promoting on Google.
The Google AdWords structure and method makes it possible for you to make a tremendous number of testing. Remember to follow your results. And before you get deep down creating your promotions, make certain that you select a system of “pay per click” tracking so that you will be able to enhance the effectiveness of your ad campaign, boost your click through frequency and obtain better returns on your advertising investment.
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