Are you a fan of social networking media? It is not a surprise to know that almost all people in all parts of the world are avid fans of the social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and now the Google Plus which has only been available in the past months. Social networking sites definitely help in a lot of ways to its users.

However, there are also some drawbacks on being so much into these sites. Evident to this are the growing numbers of crime being linked or associated with the use of social networking sites. Hence, the people behind these social media are constantly emphasizing their continuous drive to tighten whatever safety and security measures they have towards their users.

One of the hottest topics that have ever been talked about in Facebook, Twitter and Google+ is whether to allow its users to use pseudonyms. In any online social networking site you patronize, determining whether the people behind a certain profile is true or not would definitely be just like finding a needle in a haystack. What more if these people are only using nicknames and not their true names?

In line with this, Google+ move to allow pseudonyms online has garnered a lot more issues as this move is contradicting to their original policy.

Here’s the catch…

People could stop worrying about security or safety issues tagged on the recent permission of Google+ to its users to use pseudonyms as Google would not be too easy on people who want to use pseudonyms. According to Horowitz from Google, they would allow users to use maiden names, nicknames and pseudonyms only if he or she could substantiate that the name that will be use has already been used to other social networking sites. This way Google can assure that there is a real person behind this pseudonym or nickname and this pseudonym is not being used for scam.

In line with this, Horowitz assured the public that Google employees will review the name changes made by its user manually. Moreover, for security purposes Google will ask for legal documents from its user like driver’s license or published material and link to social networking sites before approving.

Do pseudonyms help or not?

People differ when it comes to their preferences. It goes the same about names. Some people just don’t want to represent themselves using their own name and is fonder of using nicknames and pseudonyms. But the question is do pseudonyms help or not? The answer is its case to case basis. Like for instance, pseudonyms can definitely help those who are victims of abuse since they need to hide their identity while scammers can use fake names to fool people.

In spite of all the intrigues about this issue, there’s one thing that Google+ users can definitely be assured of. It is that Google has only good intentions for its decision to permit pseudonyms.

In 1996, an idea was brought into mind, which is to use links to determine the importance of individual web pages, and in 1998, this was substantialized emerging into a company we now know as Google. Even up to date, Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful, which it has maintained. However, on the 10th of January, 2012, Google moved up the trend to include personalized and seemingly a social search engine as it launched a new SEO, “Google Search Plus Your World”.

Accordingly, Google opt to expand its original search from “universal” feeds, to “personalized” information, that would include photos, blogs, and profiles of people connected to or whom the user follows. Technically speaking, Google search engine is entering the world of social networking sites garnering several complaints from most critics and even social networking companies like Facebook and Twitter.

Google taking in the “bait” from Critics

It is a fact, social networking companies are at the brink of outranking the use of search engines. This might have been seen by the owners of Google, and might have threatened the company so it ought to establish its own social networking SEO. Since launching of Google Plus Your World, Google harvested a lot of criticisms. Facebook posted, and Twitter twitted, fighting Google’s way to social networking quoting this step as “doing away with Evil”. It was even marked “ridiculous” by Facebook bloggers, saying that “Google is facing a dire situation with competition, which led them to take a stupid decision.” Well, Google’s supporters have their own say, claiming that, “Google is just taking in a new step and going with the trend, and logging in with Goggle+ is optional, and users have the choice.”

Summing up the arguments, critics are vigilant on the fact that Google is losing its best feature that made it the world’s best search engine. And that is, RELEVANCE. Originally speaking, all the results that appear on top of the ranks once a query is entered on the search engine are greatly relying on the “keywords” entered. That is, the more relevant they are with the query, the higher they are ranked. With the launch of “personalized” search, users will find their way to having results that are lacking relevance since the results that will appear are highly related to facts they only related to.

Another important point of argument is CONTEXT. Accordingly, there are three types of queries; first is Navigational which seeks to locate a specific webpage. Second is Informational queries which tracks information sought, and lastly, Transactional queries, which is ought to download, purchase a marketed product. With the use of Google Search Plus Your World, the results regarding all of these 3 types of queries are lacking Substance. For instance, a user claimed that when he/she used Google + for an item, the results that topped the ranks were mostly blogs and posts from persons he/she knows of. This turned the tables for more contextual searches. Accordingly, the results with Google Search Plus aren’t improving the search query intent, instead their relevance is more connected to whom the user is connected to. For most part, the results ignore the query type and erase the fulfillment of the searcher’s intent.

Concluding the Issue

As imagined, Google Plus’ personalized search engine is continuously being tweaked and has a lot of room for improvements. But as of the moment, the current version is a way stripped down the version of search engines people have foreseen ten years ago. Nonetheless, Google’s intention and idea of going with the trend doesn’t sound that bad at all, as supported even by Facebook and Twitter users. Google might want to add considerations regarding this new SEO.

Evaluating website content has never been so innovative these years. A lot of pertinent advantages have been lined up to make a more optimized page that is useful for every netizen. Search engines have paved way to improve web browsing to gain an attractive page in 2012.

• Make sure to have title tags on the page but be careful not to over-optimizing them by placing a lot of unusual designs.
• The header tag is a tool use to represent navigation and introduction aids. So make sure that they are useful enough and enter a valid HTML tag to make sure you land in to the required path of the search.
• As descriptions may not be of much ranking but it can still be useful to add clicking value.
• Uniform resource locator (URL) which is the term for all objects and addresses in the worldwide web. It is ideal that it would still mention the relevant keyword.
• Log in comments from social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook, as well as other blogsites like Blogspot or Tumblr are ways to be able web sharing on other available platforms. Search Engine Optimization benefits are still being talked about but it could not be much of a hassle if the content would reach a lot of people.
• It is important that the web contents are written relevantly to enable keyword support. It is best to avoid multiple keyword mentions. To ensure that a web page has a relevant content it is good to have a keyword search. Make it a point to have knowledge on your subject to gain more useful hits.
• Videos and other additional media can bring about richness to the page in order to attract more visitors. It can increase the instances of having increased levels of engagement and bounce rates and would likely appear along with the results.
• User pages are names and namespaces are aids for organizing work user activities to enable adequate interaction and sharing among users. One may give personal information about web-related queries but not all about that person’s information should be placed.
• Internal links are page links located in the same domain. It is a hyperlink which serves as an element of navigation to reach the same document or other related document in the same site or internet domain. The reasonable surfer patent refers to the concept that the link value should connect to a target page and once it does, the clicking probability will increase.
• Search engine results pages (SERPs) can be added with user reviews and micro formatting instructions since user reviews can make a regular content in the page and provide useful terms needed on the page.
• Web feeds also known as syndicated feeds are data formats utilized for users who have updated contents on a regular basis. As content distributors allow web feed syndication, it makes users to subscribe to it. In order to make an aggregation, we feeds are made accessible in one spot.

Bear in mind that the Optimized Page will not be truly perfect as it may need reconstruction from time to time to enable user-friendliness and attraction among web users. As the tips were laid down, it could now help web content providers to improve with SEO as the time goes by.

Google has recently launched a new tactics or project as they call it to get more people interested to them. This project is called ‘Google + your World’. Google Plus as mentioned by Google itself is not going to be a rival for other social networking sites like ‘Facebook’ but it will certainly make a difference to your usual search task using Google.

Google + lets you make your own profile and use it to your benefits as much as possible. In the short while that Google + exists, there have been many critics and to it. However, you are the only one who can rightfully decide if it will going to help you or just complicate things for you. Hence, below are some of the things you might need to know about this newest project from Google.

What You Can Do with Google +?

Like any other products launched by Google, there are a lot of things you can do with Google + that can definitely help you or your businesses prosper. Included in the list are the following:

1. You get to increase your conversion rates – Of course, this was the most important things for SEOs. When you say conversion rates it only means money for online marketers. But how can this Google + give you higher conversion rates? Here’s how it works. As you join your business or register your business to Google + you’ll be able to increase your conversions through search referrals. You can also add +1 button to your page so you’ll get free promotions from people to those who share the same interests.
2. Build a tighter relationship to your customers and prospective clients – Through a special feature of Google + called ‘Hangouts’ you will have the opportunity to talk to your customers and other people who have the same interests as you. Continues communicating to your client and other people is a good way to maintain a good social status to your business. Hence, having such a feature like ‘Hangouts’ definitely helps your business. Aside from the fact that it can help you with building a good relationship to your patrons and prospect clients you can also use this feature for internal matters such as holding an important meeting and reaching those employees assigned in the remote areas.

Google + Interface

Surprisingly, Google took a lot of effort to consider what more people want in a social networking site though they are claiming that Google + is not one. The interface looks magnificent as it is definitely easy to use and everyone can enjoy its feature as it’s very easy to understand as well as operate. There are a lot of similarities with Google + and Facebook. Both have wall posts and privacy features. But one thing that you will certainly love about the Google + interface is its feature called ‘Circles’ which allows you to add and organize people in your network. You can separate them by putting them in different circles. And the best news? Doing this is as easy as 1-2-3!

Since it is New Year, predictions are popping out like mushrooms everywhere. The following are things that should happen in 2012, although there’s a greater chance that it won’t.

Bing Increases Its Search Market Share By 15%

Bing ideally should increase its search market share that will help big companies to be more honest. Apparently, Google is the strongest search engine and will remain without a strong competitor in the years to come.

Social-Assisted Search Crack by Bing and Facebook

The effectiveness of search engines in marketing and advertising has been proven many years ago. Though word of mouth is still the best, a combination of the two can be the most effective means of marketing ever. Facebook and Bing have the potential of cracking this and they would make a good competition over Google.

Yahoo Bounces Back

Yahoo once the Internet pioneer is lacking a CEO and obviously way behind Google. Though it is subject of speculations time after time, a bouncing back Yahoo in 2012 would be great news. After all Yahoo still has amazing services in store for the market.

Specialists Should Deliver Worth Paying and Better Campaigns

Recession along with the cut-throat competition in the business industry has led some clients to settle for a single all-service agency. Even if it means lower quality services in ad exchanges, digital areas like search engine optimization and conversion optimization. Because of cost cutting reasons, many are choosing cheaper deal only to be caught in an unfavorable situation – they are spending less but getting less as well. As Steve Center, Honda CMO once said “If you grind the margin out of your agency you will get a marginal agency.”
Lack of funds to hire the best people or enough people in a certain department becomes the situation most of the time.

Clients tend to spend more by hiring other specialist agencies. And more often than not, they are the ones caught in a situation where they have to start from scratch or to achieve great results in a short span of time.

The Digital Age For CEOs and CMOs

Senior Executives are kind of hard to persuade when it comes to digital changes. They’d rather spend millions of dollars on marketing campaigns than spend for page optimization – although there are concrete benefits for sales improvements. Apparently, there’s a lot more persuasions to take place before top executives get digital and budgets get properly allocated.

Creativity can be broadly defined as inventiveness, imagination and originality. To create is to bring into being something that wasn’t there before. It can be a fresh new arrangement of existing elements. Take composers for instance, they have created countless pieces of music from basically eight notes. This proves that the capacity for creativity and originality is infinite even when the elements that comprise it are finite.

In Facebook ad where you are limited to just 160 characters, being creative and original requires a fair amount of good skill. We have heard this before: A picture is worth a thousand words. This is true in photojournalism, paintings and advertising. And now that life has taken a faster pace, people do not have the luxury of time to read ads. That’s why in a Facebook ad, the image alone must tell the story. Here are some tips that should be taken into consideration to have the best Facebook Ad Image.

1. Invest in Good Visual Styling

Images say pretty much what it shows. A dog is always a dog. It is visual styling that adds emotion and spice to the image. And, these visual styles are only achieved through art direction, excellent photography and good production design.

2. Be The Iconoclast

Art is guided by classical rules, however in the realm of creativity, sometimes breaking new grounds is the best way to call attention. Facebook ad images puts premium on creating impact, therefore, more often than not, clichés just don’t work to bring perceptual interest and the drama that is more inherent to the image.

3. The 7 Categories of Fascination Triggers

Human beings are hardwired to pay attention the 7 Categories of Fascination Triggers such as: Lust, Prestige, Alarm, Power, Vice, Mystique and Trust.

It doesn’t take much IQ to figure out that an advertisement image associated with the 7 triggers can plausibly be something interesting to the target market. The following are examples of images that turned up using the formula “topic” + trigger.

4. Size Matters
If you finally came up with some possible images, decide on which images could be cropped, tilted or digitally enhanced to make it more visually prominent and appealing.

At this point, it is also best to consider which photographs work best with the small image format of Facebook. Facebook’s image size is less than 5MB, 80 pixels high by 110 pixels wide. Choose the images that will work well with this size. If your image won’t match up with that specs, its best to select another.

With the release of a new WordPress version— WordPress 3.3 “Sonny”, it’s best to create a list of favorite plugins any WordPress user can’t live without. As you know, plugins are similar to apps which significantly add vast functionality to a WordPress site.

Here are some of the most-sought after plugins for WordPress 3.3:

1. Akismet 
This WordPress 3.3 plugin is included with each new install of WordPress. The reason why is because it works every time. It plays a significant role in a WordPress site such as filtering the spam out of website comments. Akismet was created by Automattic which is also the same team that brought us WordPress. Now you know why Akismet and WordPress interact seamlessly and smoothly.

2. Contact Form 7
Almost all websites today need a contact form. With this in mind, many WordPress users prefer Contact Form 7 because it is flexible and presents tons of useful features. You can create multiple contact forms that cater to your style and needs. Contact Form 7 is easy to use and has fully customizable options. Contact Form 7 makes it all possible to create forms from a wholly detailed questionnaire right down to a simple contact option.

3. EZPZ One Click Backup
It is the most important plugin for most WordPress users simply because every website needs to be backed up. Well, backing up is one major task but it does not mean it’s the most complicated of all. EZPZ offers an easy-to-do yet comprehensive backup option. It can backup your entire website from theme files to database. EZPZ presents an option for scheduled backups or manual backups.

4. Share and Follow
Obviously, it’s great to have your own website but letting other people see it is always the next move. Share and Follow will help you accomplish this task through the help of social networking. This is probably the best and quickest way to get your contents across the web! Share and Follow plugin can easily add all the social networking options to your website, specifically the social networking giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+1. Plus, you get to access complete customization in the process.

The good news here is that these plugins are free, although the organization will appreciate donations. Take note that the developers render time and effort to give you functionality and convenience. See it as a way of thanking them for all their hard work.

Social connections have circled into Facebook almost all of the time. Virtual presence is highly important for people as much as for businesses who want to plunge into a different plateau in business, which is making use of the web marketplace to maximize visibility to a wide range of consumers all over the world.
Facebook is said to be the second most-frequented site globally with more than 700 million users and counting. Anything you put into Facebook is considered viral in coverage. That is precisely the reason why many businesses are seeing the perks and major advantages of having a Facebook business page and being able to circle into the whole Facebook community.

If you are a newbie entrepreneur or maybe a bigwig in any major industry; here are quick and easy tips to tweak your Facebook business page and make it real SEO-friendly:

1. Page Name –

When creating your business page name, make sure to incorporate proper keywords in accord to your line of business. This will help optimize your page when someone searches for items within your category.

2. Load Up Your Business Information –

boost your page by indicating comprehensive business information; such as your Twitter, LinkedIn, or any website that you have.

3. Utilize Facebook Widgets and Buttons –

You are sure to get high quality backlinks and traffic conversions thru recommending your visitors to like, share, or follow you on your blogs.

4. Set your Privacy Settings to “Everyone” –

fluidity is important in being viral. Setting your privacy settings to “Everyone” will definitely leak and send your information and website to every single user who stumbles upon your page thru direct or indirect means.

5. Keep it Interactive and Updated –

It is highly important that you keep your users hooked to your page by providing them fresh and interesting news or information relevant to your products and services. Keep the updates on a regular and steady fashion as this will encourage visitors to frequent your page and keep posted on your updates.

6. Inject Creativity and Innovation –

Boring pages are supposed to be deleted these days. No one visits monotonous pages; for obvious reasons. So always inject fun and creative input into your Facebook page. You can incorporate different media or applications such as videos or even games. You can also give timely promotions or contests. Basically, anything that encourages participation from users will be very helpful in boosting much-needed exposure and traffic to your site.

7. Be Active and Contribute –

The more visible you are in Facebook, the more people will recognize you and follow your posts. Be sure to voice out your opinion on a variety of posts your connections may have.They may also be inclined to share as well as recommend your page to their contacts. This will depend on how targeted your market is with regard to the products and services that you are offering. You can actually search on your target market by optimizing the search buttons on Facebook. You can see their posts and status updates as well which may have some relation with your business.
Facebook has definitely transcended beyond being just a trend. It has now become a necessity for personal and business connections. What sets Facebook apart from its emerging competitors is that these pages are built on solid reputation and trust. This is not just a fancy web marketplace, but it has become a community of people who are in constant interaction with one another.