Mobile Minute [Video]: Should Marketers Care About Google Glass?

Diego Larrea-Puemape is a project manager at Mutual Mobile, a provider of mobile solutions for clients such as Audi, Cisco, Google, Jaguar Land Rover, Philips and Xerox.

LinkedIn: Diego Larrea-Puemape

Article source: http://www.marketingprofs.com/video/2013/10795/mobile-minute-video-should-marketers-care-about-google-glass

Buying Twitter Followers: The (Cheap) Price of Friendship

We all know social media is a hugely valuable element of online marketing when it comes to building a customer base, search engine rankings, and brand recognition. As a major player, Twitter is one of the most important and popular social media networks frequented by users around the globe.

Obtaining a high number of followers is a landmark goal of many Twitter users. Getting those followers isn’t always easy though, which leads some innocent businesses to wander down the shady path towards the ominous castle black-hat, wherein lies the dark tactic of buying Twitter followers.

With a simple swipe of a credit card, you can obtain legions of your own mindless Twitter drones! To buy or not to buy? Let’s review the reasons for and against buying Twitter followers.

In this post, we’ll be looking at:

• Why You Should Buy Twitter Followers
• Why You Shouldn’t Buy Twitter Followers
• How to Buy Twitter Followers
• Where to Buy Twitter Followers
• How to Increase Your Twitter Followers Naturally
• Why Earning Twitter Followers Naturally is Best

Reasons Why You Should Buy Twitter Followers

Look Like a Boss: A Big Twitter Following Makes You Appear Important

Let’s face it, a lot of social media activity is already just thinly veiled narcissism. Those who give themselves a pat on the back when their newest instagram post gets 13 likes must certainly be temped by the idea of buying more Twitter followers.

Businesses have the advantage of labeling their self-promotion as branding, but ultimately it’s two sides of the same coin. There’s no judging here though – we’ve all felt the rewarding confirmation that comes with a retweet.

While boiling down the value of your online presence to a mere number on Twitter sounds ridiculous, there’s really no denying that one’s Twitter following, despite being a vanity metric, is often thought to correlate with a user’s importance. For clubs booking comedians or venues hosting bands, a high Twitter following can easily put you ahead of the competition. A large Twitter following shows promise and possibility  – not just of a good show, but of bringing in more followers and fans in to see the show, and therefore bringing in more money.

Even if the followers are fake, the clout that comes with a high Twitter following is very much real. A boost in Twitter followers can transform a stand-up amateur into a professional comedian, a garage band into a rising star, a movie extra into fresh new talent, and a small business into an authoritative source. Individuals have even been hired for job positions as a result of their high Twitter following, since the number serves as a representation of how powerful your online word can be.

With fake followers it’s all a masquerade, so it really comes down to how long you can push the act or live the lie.

Bandwagon Syndrome

Related to the previous section, once real users see your Twitter numbers rising, they’ll be more likely to follow you as well. If someone claims to be an expert food critic but only has 23 followers, most will think that the only food they’re judging is their mom’s mac and cheese. If that number is more like 800 or 2,000, they become a considerably more reputable source – one that users will be much more likely to follow. This means your Twitter robot followers are actually generating real followers as a result of your imagined prestige.

Easier Cheaper

It’s a heck of a lot easier to buy followers on Twitter than earn them. Gaining a real Twitter following takes time and effort – you need to consistently be sharing great content, posting hilariously witty remarks, or broadcasting the latest news.

You could put in all that effort… or you can grab your wallet and buy a militia-sized army of Twitter followers for less than a Starbucks Frappuccino. On Fiverr, where users provide various products or services (often web related) for only $5, marketers are promised as many 8,000 Twitter followers within 24 hours in exchange for an Abraham.  

All The Cool Kids are Doing It

Start-ups, celebrities, and politicians alike have been known to buy more Twitter followers – it’s a fairly common practice for those who have something to gain from amassing a large number of Twitter followers in a short period of time.

According to the Fake Follower Check tool from StatusPeople, which claims the ability to determine how many of a user’s Twitter followers are fakes, 71% of Lady Gaga’s over 35 million followers are fake or inactive, along with 70% of President Obama’s nearly 30 million followers.  

It’s Not All That Bad

If the President of the United States has fake Twitter followers, it can’t be all that bad, right?

While purchasing bot Twitter followers is against Twitter’s terms and white-hatters might scoff at the idea, it’s completely legal. One also has to question how corrupt buying Twitter followers really is compared with regular Twitter marketing practices like paying for a promoted hashtag – is it just a matter of splitting hairs?

Why You Shouldn’t Buy Twitter Followers

Can You Even Call Them Followers?

You’re not really buying Twitter followers so much as mindless spam bots. You won’t have any interaction or engagement with these robo-accounts. Do you really want to be the sad kid who only has robots for friends – robots you had to buy?

It’s An Empty Number

All the fake Twitter followers in the world won’t do much to raise your Klout score. Social media influence scores tend to look at interaction and Twitter engagement rather than sheer numbers, so you won’t be getting any added SEO or influence bonus with the inflated metric. Those skewed Twitter numbers also make it much more difficult to properply measure social media ROI and the true affect of your social media efforts.

Is Buying Twitter Followers Safe?

There are a number of dangers associated with buying Twitter followers. Many of the sites that offer to sell you more Twitter followers are a scam – you may put up your hard earned cash and come away with absolutely nothing. Often these nefarious groups are simply looking to take advantage of businesses that don’t know any better, or are hoping to cash in on desperate marketers looking for a quick fix. Providing them with your credit card might not be the brightest idea.

Your fake followers could also end up doing damage against your real Twitter followers by hacking, phishing, and infecting real followers with link spam. Is it worth buying Twitter followers when you consider all the risks?

Public Humiliation a Ruined Reputation

With tools like the Fake Follower Check tool, it’s pretty easy to discover who is desperate enough to buy friends.

While the high Twitter number may feel cool, your real followers aren’t likely to share your perspective, and you might end up a laughing stock and lose the few real followers you do have. Especially for businesses hoping to be viewed as industry experts, being caught cheating can do serious damage to your reputation.

While Twitter isn’t making huge efforts to clean up spam accounts at the moment, who knows what action they may take in the future. If Twitter does decide to clean up the spammers, it’ll be pretty embarrassing when your follower count drops by half.

All right, you understand both sides. If you’re still interested in buying…

How to Buy Twitter Followers

There are a couple different approaches you can take for buying Twitter followers.

Buy Cheap Fake Twitter Followers: You can buy cheap Twitter followers, but the most economical Twitter services provide only fake bot followers. It doesn’t take Jack Dorsey to figure out that this profile isn’t real.

Buying Twitter followers cheap gets you faceless, bland bot accounts – these are referred to as generated followers. Pricier services provide Twitter followers with more finely polished profiles, with pics and bios filled out.

Buy Real Twitter Followers: If fake doesn’t float your boat, buying real Twitter followers is a preferred option, although it isn’t likely to be as cheap as buying fake followers.

You can buy access to real followers using Twitter follower software that searches through and finds Twitter users with interests similar to yours and automatically follows them, hoping that they will follow you in return. This process is referred to as buying targeted Twitter followers.

Where to Buy Twitter Followers

If you’re set on buying Twitter followers, here are some sites that sell them.

Fiverr: Search Fiverr for “buy Twitter followers” and you’ll immediately find a long list of sellers offering to provide you with anywhere from 100 – 15,000 followers in less than 24 hours. While the legitimacy of some offers is questionable, it doesn’t get much cheaper than this.

Fast Followerz: This group claims to provide real, active followers that regularly tweet, update, and are engaged. They also offer a Followerz Protection five-year warranty, guaranteeing the top-notch quality of the targeted followers offered.

FollowerSale: FollowerSale uses a credit system to encourage real users to follow their customers, providing live, active followers as a result.

Devumi: Devumi provides cheap followers, doesn’t require a password, and doesn’t make you follow anyone in return. They also offer credit card alternative payment methods like PayPal.

The best sites to buy Twitter followers from are those that provide targeted Twitter followers that are real and active. Stay safe by avoiding sites that ask for your Twitter password or unnecessary info.

The Legit Don’t Quit: How to Increase Your Twitter Followers Naturally

If you’ve decided to take the moral high ground and not buy Twitter followers, don’t despair about missing out – there are plenty of ways to get Twitter followers naturally. These legitimate, earned followers are more valuable because you’ve built a relationship with them. These relationships will prove much more prosperous than those silly faceless egg accounts.

• Target Others in Your Industry: Getting the attention of big-name tweeters in your industry can do a lot for your reputation, so be sure to follow and interact with them. Just one retweet or mention from a well-respected industry leader can greatly increase your Twitter followers.
• Tweet During Peak Times: Tweet when your tweets are most likely to be seen – generally between 10 am and 4 pm. 
• Link to and Promote Your Twitter Handle: Link to your Twitter handle on your blog, website, and other social media accounts. Put it on your business card, use it in your guest blogger bio, and announce it when you speak at conferences. The more you link to your Twitter handle and promote it, the more followers you’ll bring in.
• Share Something of Value: Make yourself a person of value by tweeting resources related to your industry, or just fun and interesting content. Also make sure to retweet the great content shared by others – this shows that you’re not just self-promoting and are actually interested in spreading quality information from a variety of sources.
• Hashtags:  While you don’t want your tweets to be a messy glob of ###s, implementing some hashtags now and then makes your tweets easier to find and can help spread your scope while gaining Twitter followers.

A Final Word: Why the Long, Hard, and Earnest Road is Best

Increasing your followers on Twitter naturally isn’t easy, but it’s worth it in the end. Just a handful of engaged, active followers is infinitely more valuable than hundreds of fake accounts that do nothing more than add to an ego-stroking number.

Buying Twitter followers harkens back to the old days of SEO, evocative of outdated black-hat logic that grows less fruitful and more damaging as an increasing emphasis is put on quality over quantity. Buying Twitter followers may provide some temporary sense of instant gratification, but the potential backlash of being found out as a liar or fraud can quickly undo any advantages and permanently destroy your reputation.

For small businesses, such growing pains are essential for character development –Twitter is a valuable space for businesses to test and hone their personality, be it humorous, technical, or offbeat. Brand persona and Twitter following grow together as a result. Discovering and becoming a power player in your niche is what really increases your Twitter following, and bypassing such steps results in a hollow brand trying to survive off a vanity metric.

So fight the good fight, earn your followers the old-fashioned way! Or don’t. It’s your call.

Article source: http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2013/05/16/buying-twitter-followers-pros-and-cons

Better Living – May is Small Business Month, now’s the time to start yours

2013-05-16

- Better Living – May is Small Business Month, now’s the time to start yours

Courtesy of StatePoint Special to the Courier

Tired of taking orders? Have a great business idea? May, which is National Small Business Month, is a great time to think about starting your own endeavor.

But do you have what it takes to do it all yourself?

A new survey of business owners, conducted by Deluxe, a provider of marketing services and products to small businesses, concludes that small business owners share many of the same tendencies and even similar personal histories – a sort of unique DNA that allows them to thrive.

For example, when it comes to heredity and actual DNA, 76 percent of small business owners have relatives who owned businesses. And 86 percent are ultra-confident, believing they can do anything they really set their mind to.

Most interestingly, the research found a tendency to try and fail, then succeed. Seventy-seven percent of small business owners surveyed said they would rather learn from failure than never try at all.

“With confidence, drive, tenacity and talent, small business owners will improve their chances at being sustainable and profitable,” says Tim Carroll, vice president of small business engagement at Deluxe.

In time for National Small Business Month, here are some tips for those looking to launch businesses:

• Do your research – While starting a business involves risk, you can mitigate some uncertainty with proper research. In fact, 79 percent of small business owners research products before purchasing, according to the survey – a tendency that far exceeds that of the general population.

Have a clear understanding of your market, competitors, expected startup costs, overhead and return on investment. Know who your customer base will be and learn about them.

• Build a brand – Powerful branding differentiates a company from its competitors, making it easier for customers to choose that company for business relationships, and allows a company to get referral business.
However, don’t wing it yourself on your home computer. A professional design team can help you stand out for the right reasons. For example, Deluxe offers logo packages that can include a tagline, letterhead and customized email signature. Visit www.Deluxe.com for tips on making your company’s brand memorable and appealing.

• Communicate – Whether you’re providing legal services or you’re a roofing contractor, technology has made it easier for business owners to establish themselves as experts by sharing their knowledge with current and potential customers. Use social media tools to deliver news, offer information and provide deals and promotions.

• Optimize – If you build a website will they come? Not necessarily. Text-based content is how Google determines what a site is about. Be sure to add keywords to your title page, page description, meta tags and headlines. Using a professional SEO service, such as Orange Soda, can make a big difference when it comes to traffic volume to your site. Visit www.OrangeSoda.com to set up a free consultation.

For more resources for starting or growing a small business, visit www.Deluxe.com and click on “Idea Hub.”

These days, you needn’t be a Gates or a Trump to be successful. The right tools and attitude can make all the difference.

Photo by Andres Rodriguez – Fotolia.com

Article source: http://www.bccourier.com/Archives/Community_detail.php?contentId=13730

Manage Your Marketing Career in 3D

Note: This article is based on an excerpt from Ditch. Dare. Do! 3D Personal Branding for Executive Success!

On a scale of 1 to 10, what’s your current level of fulfillment with your career?

Are you satisfied with what you’re doing? Do you have a plan for where you want to take your career? Are you building your own brand as you market your company’s brand? What’s the last major action you took to move your career forward?

Does answering those questions a challenge you or make you uncomfortable? When was the last time you took some time to sit back and ponder such questions?

Many career-minded marketing professionals we coach tell us they are too busy working in their career to work on it. They have more emails to answer, meetings to attend, and reports to write than they have time. And they feel their career is on autopilot.

Sound familiar?

If so, it’s time to switch from autopilot to manual mode and deliberately manage your career. We’re not suggesting you add to your already overflowing “do list.” We’re recommending that you rethink what you do and how you do it so you can build your brand—working on your career and in it and the same time.

In our new book, we posit that these three words need to become a part of your vocabulary—and your behavior—if you seek career success and personal fulfillment:

Ditch, Dare, Do.

Debunk long-held assumptions about career success, and challenge yourself with a “ditch” (eliminating a mindset that’s no longer productive), a “dare” (pushing yourself to up your game), and a “do” (taking action on those things that will advance your career).

And when you take on those challenges, you’ll grow professionally while delivering greater value to your marketing team and your company.

Here are a few of our favorite 3Ds for marketers:

1. Ditch the mindset that your manager holds the key to your success. She doesn’t. Neither do the CMO and the CEO. You’re in charge of your career. You decide which projects to pursue and how to put your stamp on them. You choose the areas in which you want to grow and evolve. You decide the next role you want to have and the path that will get you there.

Back in the Mad Men era, your company took control of your career for you. Not today. You must play the role of personal career coach every day so you can stay on track and reach your goals.

2. Dare to buck corporate convention and integrate your personal passions into how you do your work. That means having the courage to run meetings in your way—integrating your style into them.

We know a social media expert who’s passionate about the creative side of marketing and starts each meeting showing a TV commercial to get the team’s creative juices flowing. We know a health-conscious market researcher who holds her meetings outside and has stretching and deep breathing breaks every half hour. And we know another marketer who has all team meetings via video instead of the standard teleconferences to make her team feel more cohesive and family-like (her number one value is family).

3. Do keep a job journal. You do a lot of great work every day, but do you remember all that you accomplished at the end of the year, when it’s time for that performance and bonus discussion? The way to ace that performance review is to come prepared; and to be prepared, you need an accurate account of all the great things you did throughout the year to promote and build the company brand. Keeping a job journal (updating it at least once a week) will remind you of the value you deliver and make it easy to remind your manager as well!

Act on your career TODAY—the day you read this article.

Just reading this article is a “do”—one step toward a stronger personal brand. Now, take another: Perhaps you will update your LinkedIn profile, or sign up for a webinar on how to use Twitter for marketing, or rethink the way you present reports to your manager.

You’ll know the right action for you. Just carve out the time and make sure you accomplish it.

Article source: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/10732/manage-your-marketing-career-in-3d

5 PR Strategies You Can Use To Build Links Right Now – Search Engine Land

There’s been a lot of talk in the search industry over the past year regarding the overlap of public relations and SEO, particularly in the area of link building. As a Public Relations major, this couldn’t make me happier — not because I feel like my college degree can finally be justified to my parents; but because, as an industry, we’re finally embracing PR and learning from it, even though it’s always been a part of SEO.

Public relations professionals have spent years perfecting their outreach strategies, building relationships and finding press opportunities for their clients. Search marketers have also spent years doing outreach and finding opportunities for our clients — we just called them “links.” They weren’t always the best opportunities, but we’re getting better — and that’s where we can take a cue from our communications-minded friends in the PR industry.

Here’s how:

1. Monitor Editorial Opportunities

By now, we’ve all heard of HARO, and hopefully everyone is using it to get their client mentions and maybe build a link or two. While HARO is extremely useful, it isn’t the end-all be-all when it comes to finding editorial opportunities.

Sites all over the Web (especially those with Web and print publications) have pages listing their upcoming editorial opportunities. Here’s an example from Direct Marketing News:

Editorial opportunities typically include the article subject matter, the author, the author’s contact information and the deadline. This is all extremely valuable information, and it’s all right there for you in one place! All you have to do is pitch it.

To find out if a site has their editorial opportunities listed, search the target site or use Google site: command for terms like:

• Editorial calendar
• Upcoming issues
• Editorial opportunities
• Guest opinion articles

You can also use EdCals from Cision. It’s a free tool that allows you to search editorial calendars across the globe and then download the information to your Outlook. Search by topic, submission deadline and the outlet name.

Once you’ve identified sites that publish this information, make sure to monitor them for future openings. Put them in your reader or subscribe to be alerted via email (if offered).

2. Set Up Event Interviews

Conferences and trade shows offer plenty of opportunities when it comes to links;  but, one of the best comes straight from the world of PR: interviews.

For both speakers and those attending the show, it seems there is always someone looking to interview attendees before, during and after the show. Some conferences will even go so far as to set up press interviews for you.

If you’re planning on attending a show or have a client attending a show, start looking for potential interviews:

• Sign up for event emails
• Visit the event press page
• Follow the event hashtag

Also, be sure to check out event sponsors, as they will often do promotions ahead of time. Take a look at their social media accounts or blog to identify any possible lead-ins.

3. Provide Daily Scan Recommendations

As a link builder, there’s no doubt that you’re already monitoring the Web for your company or client. Whether it’s through Google Alerts, Trackur, or another Web monitoring tool, we know this is a valuable source for links. Daily scans basically do the same thing.

The PR team will send the client a “daily scan” email featuring the top articles about the company, their competitors and overall industry news. It keeps the client and the agency informed of what’s happening.

The key is to take the scan a step further. Create action items.

Run the daily scan, but underneath each article, create an action item for the client (for in-house people, this can essentially act as a to-do list):

• Leave a comment on the post
• Write a response on the client’s/company blog
• Share the post via Twitter
• Email the author

The key to providing an action item is to give whomever you are sending it to as much information as possible. If you want your client to leave a comment, write the suggested comment. If you want the person to connect with the author via Twitter, give him/her the author’s Twitter handle. The less work a busy client has to do, the greater the chance the person will be able to get it done.

The daily scan recommendations are a great way to help drive brand awareness, create relationships with the people who matter and build links.

4. Create Segmented Reporter Lists

In June of last year, Oriella PR surveyed 600 reporters on their use of social media for sourcing stories. The results showed that 55% of the respondents used social networks to find stories from known sources, and 26% said they used social to find stories from sources they did not know.

The fact that reporters are using social media to source stories has given search marketers a huge window of opportunity for link building. That doesn’t mean you need to go follow every reporter on Twitter, though.

To increase your chances of being a source and acquiring a link, you must target reporters that are relevant to your company or client.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to create private Twitter lists segmented by client, industry and relationship. For example, if I have three clients in the high tech industry, I want to make sure I have the following lists set up:

• High tech reporters
• Client 1 reporters
• Client 2 reporters
• Client 3 reporters

I also want to make sure I know which reporters have written about my company/client before and which have not. It may seem like a lot of lists, but it’ll help you stay organized and ensure you don’t waste your time looking at the wrong people.

To find relevant reporters and start creating lists, check out some of these tools to help with the data gathering process (Muck Rack has some great lists). The easiest place to start, however, is your target publication. For example, The New York Times lists their reporters on Twitter, and even has them filtered by topic. The same thing applies to The Boston Globe and many of the other larger newspapers.

Also take a look at the authors of the articles listed in the daily scans mentioned above. These people are already writing about your industry and may need a source in the future.

Once you have your lists set up, be sure to keep an eye on them or set up alerts. When a reporter is sourcing a story on Twitter, it’s likely because he/she needs the information fast.

5. Use PR Focused Tools

One of the things that makes the search industry rock is the abundance of free or low cost tools we have at our disposal — tools that make our jobs easier and help us make better decisions every single day. Well, guess what? The PR industry has those, too.

I mentioned the Cision editorial tool above, but the company also offers a free tool called Seek or Shout that lets you find content, post pitches and seek those looking for sources. It’s a pretty cool way to make connections and discover potential link opportunities.

Search for a specific topic and then filter by “seek” and “date.” You’ll see who’s looking for information for a story and who has a question about the topic — you may even find potential content for your own site (i.e., interviews) that can result in a return link and social promotion.

 

Like any other social network, you get what you give — so start by finding people in your industry or your client’s industry that you can connect with. It probably doesn’t need to be said, but it’s all about relationship building.

Note: Seek and Shout is still growing; so, while you may not find something in there every day, keep it in your arsenal. If you’re looking for additional PR tools to use, RavenTools has a massive list worth taking a look at.

At the end of the day, link building has changed and will continue to change. Public relations professionals focus on getting their clients mentions that matter to their overall business, and so should we. Hopefully, the tips listed above will help you get started.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Link Building | Link Building: General | Link Week

Article source: http://searchengineland.com/5-pr-strategies-you-can-use-to-build-links-right-now-158641

Dyn buys Trendslide, fourth company in 7 months

Kyle York, CRO, Dyn

Patricia Resende
Managing Editor MHT- Boston Business Journal

Email

Dyn Inc. is on a buying spree. The Manchester, N.H.-based Internet Infrastructure as a Service provider has bought mobile dashboard app startup Trendslide, a New Hampshire startup that was backed by Dyn CTO Cory von Wallenstein.

The acquisition of Trendslide’s intellectual property will enable Dyn to integrate third party services like Gomez, New Relic and Catchpoint, along with historical and email data into Trendslide’s sales and marketing tool. The tool will now be marketed as a development/operations tool for customers. Trendslide Co-founder Benjamin Petrin will join Dyn as a lead developer, according to the company.

Before being acquired, Trendslide was seeking out additional capital. Ron Martin, CEO of Trendslide, said it was the opinion of many of its investors that the service should stay close to Dyn and focus on infrastructure, not marketing and sales analytics. “It was good advice, so we decided this was the sensible move,” Martin said. “We are happy with this outcome and excited to see the product carry on.”

“At the root of Dyn has always been our excellence in engineering,” said Dyn Chief Revenue Officer Kyle York, in a statement. “We are committed to creating tools that answer the questions of engineers and members of the DevOps community throughout the world. The acquisition of Trendslide is a big step toward that guarantee.”

The acquisition comes after Dyn acquired Verelo, a Toronto-based startup that provides performance analytics, as well as malware detection and site health monitoring services. Before that, Dyn paid $4 million for TZO, a Pepperell-based DNS business. Prior to snapping up TZO, Dyn acquired the SEO/SEM and e-commerce development arm of Incutio Ltd., a company with offices Manchester and the U.K., and the acquisition of four other businesses before that.

In 2011, Dyn made its biggest purchase when it acquired SendLabs enabling Dyn to offer enterprise email delivery services. In 2010, Dyn acquired EveryDNS, a free DNS management service that at one time provided DNS services for over 135,000 domains and EditDNS, a hosted DNS provider.

Article source: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/techflash/2013/05/dyn-buys-trendslide-fourth-company-in.html

Four Foundational Elements of Marketing Analytics Success

The past 10 years have brought a transformation in our marketing profession like no previous decade.

Don Draper’s office is now occupied by a marketing rock star who is much more left-brained, process-focused, and technology-centric.

Marketers have had to adapt or perish in this transition from brand to demand and art to science. They have learned a new language—the Demand Waterfall, SQLs, lead scoring. Not to mention new technologies—Salesforce, Eloqua, Twitter, Kapost.

But what is really required for marketers to survive and thrive in this tectonic shift? Insight!

Most marketing organizations are drowning in data and starving for information. In IBM’s 2011 CMO Study, only 41% of CMOs said they are prepared to access the unprecedented growth in the volume of data. As a result, their decision-making remains heavily influenced by gut decisions, team meetings, and HIPPOs (highest paid person’s opinions).

Pinpoint accuracy into pipeline coverage, campaign performance, and marketing ROI is significantly lacking.

The Missing Imperative: Marketing Analytics

Most CMOs recognize the gap. In IBM’s study, customer analytics is ranked as the second-highest planned technology investment for the next 3-5 years. CMOs know that increasing their investment in analytics is a key to…

1. Driving the competitiveness of their business in the marketplace
2. Ensuring the ongoing relevance of their department within the organization

The customer is king (and queen) has never been more true than it is today. Studies reveal that B2B buyers today don’t wish to engage with a vendor’s sales reps until they are two-thirds of the way through their evaluation process. Extracting insight on the digital body language of a prospect is paramount to driving won deals.

In an age when the majority of CEOs are sceptical about their return on marketing investment, proving marketing-driven ROI and pipeline contribution is a need to have for today’s CMO.

Best-in-Class Marketing Analytics: Four Foundational Elements

So what does a best-in-class marketing organization look like vis-à-vis analytics? What are the key areas it needs to get right?

As with many failed technology implementations of the past, a lot of marketing organizations today think that they are on the path to greater insight because they now have analytics technology.

The reality is that it takes a significant investment in four foundational areas to ensure analytics success:

1. A superior analytics strategy that is well connected to the business strategy
2. Investment in the people that drive and use analytics
3. The alignment of processes and standards across Marketing and Sales
4. The use of world-class technology

Foundation 1: Strategy

The CIO and the CMO must jointly own the responsibility for connecting the analytics strategy to the business and marketing strategies.

Best-practice organizations treat analytics as one of the top business and technology priorities in the organization. Marketing identifies and measures key performance indicators (KPIs) that map to the objectives of the business and their operational unit.

Marketers have a set of KPIs that are relevant to their area and ladder up to the departmental and organizational KPIs to ensure a consistent focus on the operational processes that matter most.

Foundation 2: People

One of the biggest causes of an analytics implementation that fails to meet expectations is the lack of support and investment in putting the correct roles and training in place. Analytics investments must consider what additional investments in people need to be made (e.g., new roles, such as business analysts).

A successful marketing analytics implementation features the following “people processes”:

• Marketing executives must sponsor and use the analytics environment to manage the business—pipeline analysis, ROI analysis, gap identification.
• Marketing operations is the glue that makes the analytics deployment work. Three roles are key: (1) analytics strategists, who steward the marketing analytics strategies and technologies; (2) report authors, who create “gold-standard” and ad-hoc reports; and (3) business analysts with significant statistical analysis backgrounds, who mine deep data patterns, and current and future performance gaps.
• Marketing users should be empowered to engage in the analytics environment in a self-service manner. They use “gold-standard” reports to understand their area of the business, using the information to make data-driven decisions that optimize performance

Foundation 3: Standards and Processes

The alignment by Sales and Marketing around a common “lead language” is a required foundation for one version of the truth. Many organizations today are adopting SiriusDecisions waterfall framework: Inquiries, Marketing Qualified Leads, Teleprospecting Qualified Leads, Sales Accepted Leads, Sales Qualified Leads.

CRM adoption throughout Sales is also required table stakes for accurate and complete analytics. The use of marketing campaign tactic codes is respected (MQLs are not closed and re-opened as sales-sourced). The CRM tool is used for forecasting, with sales executives using the forecasting data in cadence calls.

Foundation 4: Technology

Information management solutions are used to capture transactional information (CRM solutions), to unite data from multiple data sources (data warehouses), and to ensure common naming conventions (Master Data Management) to ensure “a single version of the truth”. Without this layer, it’s not possible to have a strong and trusted analytics layer.

The business analytics layer should…

• Enable users to interact with various analytics capabilities that best suit their needs: dashboards, scorecards, reports, multidimensional analysis
• Take advantage of predictive analytics capabilities to model future performance, and hence required actions
• Deliver analytics to users anytime, anywhere through mobile device support
• Take advantage of event-driven analytics that push notifications to users and/or systems when certain operations hit predefined thresholds (e.g., re-order notifications when inventory levels drop)

From Data to Information to Insight

The days of marketing remaining focused on “building brand” are clearly behind us. CEOs are now requiring greater accountability with respect to the language that matters to them: pipeline and revenue contribution.

Marketing organizations that make the required investments in strategy, standards and processes, people, and technology are able to reap tremendous rewards. Their payoff is marketing programs and customer engagement actions that are highly relevant and optimized to produce maximum return on investment.

Article source: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/10729/four-foundational-elements-of-marketing-analytics-success

50 Blogging Tips To Help You Build Your Platform

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Article source: http://www.business2community.com/blogging/50-blogging-tips-to-help-you-build-your-platform-0491562

98 New APIs: Karmadata, Collins Dictionary and White House Petitions

This week we had 98 new APIs added to our API directory including an online dictionary, enterprise collaboration and social networking service, White House petition data, campaign management service, and standardized open data resource. In addition we covered a new API status board. Below are more details on each of these new APIs.

360T API: 360T is a Germany based online trading platform that serves both buy and sell-side individuals including institutional clients as well as national and multinational corporate treasuries. The 360T API allows users to upload trades directly from a third-party system or automate trade and data requests. Users can also receive real-time data feed, submit trade requests, and receive automated confirmation of trade activity. An account with service is required.

AddNag API: AddNag provides a platform for displaying and sharing content in mobile applications. Developers can create “nags”, simple pages that appear upon opening an app that can be used to convey reminders, special offers, tutorials, etc. AddNag’s functions are available for integration via API. Further documentation can be accessed by logging in to the AddNag website.

Advection.NET API: Advection.NET is a global video delivery network that comes with virtual commerce, DRM, membership, pay-per-minute, and geo-targeting services. Advection.NET’s cloud-based network can be used to support existing infrastructure without the need to add more servers or change existing content. The network’s many features are made accessible for integration purposes using a variety of APIs that come in REST, SOAP, and XML-RPC format.

AnswerHub API: AnswerHub is an enterprise-level QA service that helps teams collaborate by eliminating the need to answer redundant questions. It is designed to be mobile-friendly and highly customizable so that it can mesh seamlessly with the rest of a company’s website or application. AnswerHub comes with administrative tools for controlling user access, managing content, and performing analytics. AnswerHub’s functions can be integrated with other software and systems by using its RESTful API.

API Evangelist API: API Evangelist is an online resource and blog about APIs, the API industry, API trends, and everything else APIs.

The API Evangelist API allows developers to access and integrate the content of API Evangelist with other applications. Some example API methods include retrieving APIs and API providers, searching and adding events, and retrieving blog posts from the website’s blog.

Asterank API: The Asterank database acts as a layer over the NASA/JPL Small Body Database. The JPL Small-Body Database Browser includes data on orbital elements, orbit diagrams, physical parameters, and discovery circumstances. On top of this, the Asterank database includes JPL delta-v data, published asteroid mass data, and Asterank’s independent calculations. Because the Asterank database runs on MongoDB, queries must adhere to Mongo’s JSON format.

Asterank Kepler Project API: Asterank provides a queryable database containing information on over 2,000 exoplanets and unconfirmed “objects of interest” collected through NASA’s Kepler Project. The Kepler spacecraft detects planets outside our solar system (a.k.a. exoplanets) by observing the decrease in light caused when a planet passes in front of a star. The Asterank Kepler Project database is updated nightly from the Kepler Data Explorer. Because Asterank’s database runs on MongoDB, queries must adhere to Mongo’s JSON format.

Asterank Minor Planet Center API: The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center (MPC) is responsible for the designation of minor bodies found within our solar system. This includes minor planets, comets, and natural satellites. The MPC is also responsible for collecting, computing, checking, and disseminating astrometric observations and orbital information for those minor bodies.

The Asterank MPC API enables users to apply constraints to the more than 600,000 asteroids documented in the MPC’s MPCORB.DAT files. Because the Asterank database runs on MongoDB, queries must use Mongo’s JSON format. Information in the Asterank MPC database is updated nightly.

Asterank SkyMorph / NEAT API: The Asterank SkyMorph / NEAT API provides a RESTful JSON interface to NASA’s SkyMorph archive. SkyMorph helps researchers to find variable, moving, or transient celestial objects by providing access to images and catalogs generated by the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program. These include hundreds of thousands of images that, taken together, cover a large portion of the sky. Each region of the sky is usually observed several times per night and is subsequently revisited on a monthly or yearly basis.

Azukki API: Azukki is a cloud-based platform that serves as a backend for online games. It offers functions for the creation and management of items, in-game currencies, and leaderboards for any metric and over any timeframe. Azukki also provides a way to keep players’ information synchronized when they move between devices and platforms. The RESTful Azukki API uses JSON-formatted calls and makes the platform accessible for integration.

BioBricks Public Agreement API: The BioBricks Foundation is a public-benefit organization created to ensure that synthetic biology is conducted ethically and transparently, for the benefit of all people and the planet. The BioBrick Public Agreement is a free legal tool allowing institutions, individuals, and companies to make their standardized biological parts freely available.
The BioBrick Public Agreement API provides developer access to the resources within the Public Agreement database. The RESTful API currently supports only GET calls over HTTPS and returns XML formatted data. Other methods and JSON formatted data are planned for future development.

BTC to X API: BTC to X is a currency rate calculator that converts Bitcoins into other currencies, and other currencies into Bitcoins. The BTC to X API allows users to make calls that calculate the exchange from Bitcoins, to Bitcoins, and return the weighted average price to and from Bitcoin across different time periods. The API uses REST calls and returns JSON.

Cabforce API: Cabforce allows users to search for and book taxi rides and airport transfers online. They provide services for all major European travel destinations and are currently expanding into the U.S., Asia, and Australia. Cabforce works with certified service providers who operate clean, non-smoking cars and are guaranteed to arrive on-time. Bookings are always confirmed, and Cabforce provides 24/7 customer service in English.

Cabforce customers pay an all-inclusive flat rate online via credit card, eliminating the issues of overpriced fares and unfamiliar currencies. Cabforce’s services can be accessed directly on the website or programmatically via API. Documentation for the API is available upon request.

CardFlight API: CardFlight is an in-application payment service. CardFlight allows application owners and developers to access credit card payments in their applications.

The CardFlight API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of CardFlight with other applications. The main API methods are handling a payment transaction and generating the transaction response.

Cineworld API: Cineworld Cinemas is a major UK movie theater chain. The Cineworld API provides developer access to Cineworld theater, movie, and schedule data. The basic HTTP call returns a list of all cinemas with programmed performances. Results can be filtered by adding film, date, and cinema parameters. The API returns JSON formatted responses and supports JSONP callback parameter.

CIR VA Backlog API: The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is one of the oldest nonprofit investigative reporting organizations in the United States. The VA Backlog API can be used to create VA backlog data-driven applications for websites and mobile devices as well as to create interactive visualizations such as maps, charts and graphs. Data available includes: veterans waiting on VA claims, number of claims processed by the VA by month, number of unprocessed claims older than a year and more.

Code.org Local School Database API: Code.org is a non-profit foundation dedicated to spreading computer programming education. On their website, they provide the Local School Search, which allows users to locate schools near a given location that offer programming courses. The database powering this service is accessible programmatically via JSON so that third parties can integrate it into their own applications. Public contact information is listed, but not private contact information.

Collins Dictionary API: Collins is a publisher of dictionaries and other reference works. The Collins Dictionary API provides developer access to the features and content of collinsdictionary.com. Exposed resources include definitions, synonyms, pronunciations, translations, new words, and word games. Data is JSON formatted.

Convo API: Convo is a collaboration platform for distributed work teams. Convo offers an online platform and features for teams to stay connected to collaborate on work and projects.

The Convo API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Convo with other applications. The main API method is to customize and integrate conversation feeds from the collaboration platform.

CORE API: CORE (COnnecting REpositories) facilitates free access to scholarly articles aggregated from Open Access repositories. Additionally, CORE harvests, enriches, and makes accessible metadata and full-text PDF content from many repositories.
The CORE API provides developer access to this metadata and text. The API is accessed via HTTP GET and POST calls, requires an API Key, and returns XML or JSON formatted responses.

Corona Cloud API: Corona Cloud by Corona Labs is a backend-as-a-service (BAAS) provider for applications. Corona Cloud enables users and developers to use Corona Cloud to create, build, and manage applications.

The Corona Cloud API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Corona Cloud with other applications and to create new applications. Some example API methods include user authentication, retrieving user information, managing account information, and managing push notifications.

Digit-Eyes API: Digit-Eyes is an iPhone and browser app that scans UPC codes and produces audio product information. The app is designed for people who are visually impaired or otherwise have problems identifying products. Digit-Eyes maintains a UPC/EAN database of over 35 million products and items. The database is user-generated and continuously growing. Product information is available in 10 languages.
The Digit-Eyes API provides developer access to the UPC/EAN Database. Supported services include individual and batch record retrieval, as well as editing, deleting, and adding records. Individual records are accessed through a XML interface, while batch records may be uploaded or retrieved using a CSV interface.

Eclipse MC API: Eclipse MC is a Bitcoin mining consortium that allows users to unite their processing power to mine Bitcoins at a greater rate than they would individually. The available calls can be retrieved through the API, but include queries to get the pools statistical information, user information, and block information. The API uses REST calls, and returns JSON. An account is required with service, an API key will be generated when an account is created. SSL and the API key are used for authentication.

Edicy Site API: Edicy is a cloud-based service for building and hosting multilingual websites and managing their content. It is optimized for both desktop and mobile viewing, provides built-in SEO, and comes with customizable themes.

The Edicy Site API allows users to access public Edicy site contents through a JSON-based API. This API is read-only and can be used to retrieve articles, comments, and other page elements.

eLife API: The eLife journal seeks to improve access to new research and discoveries in the fields of life sciences and biomedicine. It provides researchers with a publishing option that’s designed to be publicly available and widely disseminated. To aid in dissemination, eLife makes its content available via REST API as well as through RSS and OAI end points. Content can also be accessed through a number of external endpoints that are not managed by eLife.

Evi API: Evi is an internet answer engine that provides internet, mobile, and those utilizing the service through an app with an natural language based search engine. The developer portion of the service allows those wishing to integrate their apps with Evi to utilize its query service to pull information, it’s profile service to generate traffic, direct answer to integrate information, and other services. The API uses REST calls and returns XML. An account is required with service.

Experian CheetahMail API: CheetahMail is a service provided by Experian Marketing Services to allow users to create and distribute highly customized email campaigns. They offer users access to a team of experts who can help them customize email campaigns to better suit their target audiences. The CheetahMail APIs make it possible to manage user accounts, databases, campaigns, and reports from other websites or applications.

Expert Texting API: Expert Texting provides mass texting services for small to medium enterprises. Its functions allow users to both send and receive messages almost anywhere around the world. One of its notable features is the Contact Management Module, which saves contact lists for future use so that they don’t have to be reentered.

The Expert Texting API is designed to integrate with any system or CRM, allowing users to send and receive SMS without having to visit the Expert Texting website.

figo connect API: Figo connect is an independent, cloud-based platform that helps users manage all of their finances from a single location. Figo imports users’ banking information – including credit cards, checking accounts, savings accounts, and e-wallets like PayPal – and summarizes their overall financial status using simple graphics. The system can keep even minor transactions on file for years.

Figo connect is accessible online or through its mobile app. Developers can integrate figo connect with other systems or applications via REST API. The website for figo connect is provided in both German and English.

Finotec API: Finotec is a London-based forex broker that that offers electronic trading, voice trading, and deliverable forex, on the FinotecPro and MT4 trading systems. The Finotec API gives users access to more than 20 bank feeds, a high-speed, multi-bank FIX gateway, and many other features. An account is required with service.

Food2Fork API: Food2Fork is an online database of socially ranked recipes with ingredient search functionality. The Food2Fork API provides programmer access to ingredient searches. The API supports GET and POST calls over HTTP. Responses are JSON formatted.

Ftsee API: Ftsee is a service that tracks detailed information about securities that includes their products, competitors, and suppliers. Each security has its own message stream full of information that users can view, favorite, and share. Ftsee users can follow as many securities as they like through the service.

The Ftsee API can be used to retrieve low-level data and get alerts when there is unusual activity surrounding a security. It also provides real-time social analytics that include sentiment, volume, and trends for major securities and foreign exchange rates.

GreenButton Cloud API: GreenButton is a New Zealand based company that helps software vendors transition applications to the cloud. With their platform, developers can scale our their compute-intensive applications to the cloud. The Cloud API lets developers control the way their workloads are processed in the cloud including how workloads should be split across nodes and how to process different subtasks.

GreenButton Management API: GreenButton is a New Zealand based company that helps software vendors transition applications to the cloud. With their platform, developers can scale our their compute-intensive applications to the cloud. The Management API allows developers to integrate GreenButton into their applications. It offers features such as looking up job status, getting job logs, uploading files and more. It uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in XML and JSON.

Harvard Dash API: DASH is Harvard University’s digital repository for scholarly articles, dissertations, theses, and other literature generated by the Harvard educational community. Bibliographic data from DASH is available for all uses.
The Harvard DASH API provides bibliographic data from the repository via two standards: opensearch and OAI-PMH. OpenSearch is a RESTful interface that returns query results as RSS or ATOM feeds. The OAI-PMH standard is an application-independent framework based on metadata harvesting. It returns XML formatted data.

Hello Social API: Hello Social is a social promotion and engagement platform that lets brands and companies engage and interact with their customers and potential customers with social promotions and contests.

The Hello Social API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Hello Social with other applications and to create new applications. Some example API methods include managing promotions, creating promotions, and managing account information.

IMN API: The IMN (Instituto Meteorológico Nacional) is the scientific body responsible for the coordination of all meteorological activities in Costa Rica. It systematically monitors the weather in order to promote the safety of air navigation and prevent hydrometeorological disasters.

The IMN API provides users with programmatic means for getting the current weather as well as near and long-term forecasts for cities or regions within Costa Rica. The website and the API documentation are given only in Spanish.

import.io API: import.io is a service that allows users to find data sources on the web for extraction, use, connect to, and remix the data for websites and applications.

The import.io API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of import.io with other applications. Some example API methods include retrieving data, importing data, extracting data, and managing account information.

InTrade API: InTrade is a prediction market that allows users to buy or sell shares in future events. The service creates a market for events ranging from closing prices on exchanges, to the outcomes of elections. The InTrade API has a data retrieval side and a Trading side. With the former the user can check present and historic market data on events. With the latter, the user can check individual data, enter orders, check account balances, and other trading related functions. The API uses REST calls and returns XML data with no wrappers.

iZettle API: iZettle is a mobile, tablet, and website payment application. Users can accept payments via mobiles, tablets, and the web with iZettle.

The iZettle API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of iZettle with other applications and to create new applications. Some example API methods include managing account information, processing payments, and retrieving payment information.

Johns Hopkins University Hub API: Johns Hopkins University Hub serves as the news center for all of the university’s diverse, decentralized research activity. This includes everything from cancer studies to mechanical engineering projects. Developers wishing to access Hub content programmatically can do so using a RESTful API with calls issued in XML, JSON, or JSONP.

Karmadata API: Karmadata is a collaborative information service and platform. The platform retrieves and processes data from private and public sources. The karmadata API provides developers access to standardized linked data sets for specific industries including Energy, Healthcare, Legal, Technology and Socioeconomics. The API uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in XML and JSON.

Kirby API: Kirby is a file-based cms service designed for users who know how to use an FTP client and a text editor. Kirby doesn’t require a database, just a designated file structure to build a website around. The Kirby API uses Javascript and returns PHP. An account is required with service.

Klocwork API: Klocwork is a software security provider that analyzes source code during the testing state to determine weaknesses, among other services. The Klocwork API permits users access to the functionality of the Insight product; a provider of source-code analysis. uses Using SSL for security, the API uses REST calls and returns JSON. An account is required with service.

Knight Hotspot FX API: Knight Hotspot FX is an online trading platform that offers a matching engine and all related systems to provide trade executions, confirmations, and real-time trade information. The Knight Hotspot FX API allows market data snapshots using its Java API and its FIX Bookfeed API, as well as allowing users to execute trades and post-trade information calls. An account is required with service.

Lasso 9 Reference Library API: The Lasso development platform is designed to support custom, data-driven websites by bridging the gap between popular web servers, data sources, and various other communication tools and protocols. Lasso is downloadable software available for MacOS X, Windows, and Linux operating systems.



The contents of the reference library for Lasso 9 are available online and can be accessed programmatically using REST calls, which retrieve the information in JSON format. This allows information from the Lasso 9 Reference Library to be used in other applications.

Leaf API: Leaf is a platform that allows merchants and their customers to interact. Leaf provides merchants with tools to collect payments from their customers and ask for feedback. Leaf provides customers with an application to retrieve receipts and give feedback to merchants.

The Leaf API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Leaf with other applications and to create new applications. Public documentation is not available; interested developers should sign up here: http://leaf.me/developers.

Legalesign API: Legalesign is an online eSignature system providing legal contract and form completion services. Legalesign was designed with API usage specifically in mind. The Legalesign API provides a developer interface for automating all phases of the eSignature lifecycle. This is a REST API returning XML or JSON formatted responses.

Libhomeradar API: Libhomeradar provides data collection software enabling radar devices to collect and use aircraft data. Libhomeradar allows users to apply structure and filtering to raw data and hosts an online database of aircraft, airport, airline, and flight information.
The Libhomeradar API allows developers to query the database via HTTP POST/GET calls. Responses are XML formatted.

Load Impact API: Load Impact provides load testing and reporting to e-commerce and B2B sites. The Load Impact API provides developers with programmatic management of features such as data stores, load zone information, tests, and user scenarios. The API supports HTTP calls, returns JSON formatted data, and requires an API Key.

Loopia API: Loopia is one of Sweden’s largest web hosting companies, managing more than 800,000 domain names. The Loopia Website Builder allows users to create websites using professional, customizable templates that can be used to build and manage websites from within a browser. Loopia serves a range of customers that extends from individuals and small groups to multinational corporations.

The Loopia API allows users to check whether a domain name is available, register new domain names, add and remove subdomains, edit zone records, and pay domain invoices. Specific methods are also provided for resellers to let them list and add new customers.

MacMillan Dictionary API: Macmillan is a reference work publisher whose primary products include encyclopedias and dictionaries. The Macmillan Dictionary API provides developer access to Macmillan’s online dictionary, exposing resources such as definitions, pronunciations, grammar, synonyms, and more.

MangoPay API: MangoPay is a full-stack payment platform for accepting online payments and managing e-money. It gives users the ability to create e-wallets, transfer money between e-wallets, allow group payments, hold escrow funds, and collect fees in a variety of ways. MangoPay provides advanced payment features such as recurring payments, single-click payments, and refunds on cards. The platform accepts payments from more than 150 countries in the local currencies. MangoPay’s functions can be accessed programmatically via REST API.

Municipal DataWorks API: Municipal DataWorks (MDW) is an asset management solution designed to assist municipalities in maintaining and managing their tangible capital assets. MDW stores data on the attributes and condition of an asset, tracks repairs, and converts data into information that policy-makers can use to estimate the level of investment required to maintain infrastructure.

MDW is based on the Municipal Infrastructure Data Standard (MIDS). Combined with MDW’s non-proprietary database, it allows users to take ownership of their data and make it available for integration with third party software applications. Integration is accomplished using a SOAP API, which allows users to retrieve information from MDW, save information to MDW, perform remote electronic data collection, and more.

My Tape Labels API: My Tape Labels allows users to generate barcode tape labels for LTO Ultrium Backup Libraries. Labels are given in PDF format and should be printed onto adhesive paper. The service is available on a subscription basis and requires an API key. My Tape Labels can be used directly through a web interface or programmatically via XML-RPC API.

MYDIGIPASS.COM API: MYDIGIPASS.COM provides developers with two-factor authentication technology, which requires both something the users knows (like a password) and something the user has (like a VASCO DIGIPASS) to successfully authenticate. A MYDIGIPASS.COM account can also be used for authentication with any online application or website that uses MYDIGIPASS.COM’s Secure Login API. Further information about this API can be gained by signing up with the site.

MYOB AccountRight Live API: MYOB AccountRight Live is an accounting application for businesses in Australia. MYOB AccountRight Live offers a variety of accounting and bookkeeping features.

The MYOB AccountRight Live API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality and data of MYOB AccountRight Live with other applications. Some example API methods include managing accounting files, retrieving information on accounts, and managing transactions.

Oh Hey World API: Oh Hey World is a service that lets users check in with multiple people via text or email with one click when they arrive at a new location. It also allows them to quickly share their new location across multiple social networking sites. Additionally, Oh Hey World shows users people they know who are near their location and helps follow friends while they travel.

Developers working on applications that involve knowing the user’s location or time zone can use Oh Hey World to help keep user locations current. The Oh Hey World API accepts a username as input and returns that person’s current location. Contact the provider for further documentation.

Paidpiper API: Paidpiper is mobile payment platform. Paidpiper allows businesses to collect and manage payments and customers to make payments and get digital receipts.

The Paidpiper API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Paidpiper with other applications and to create new applications. Public documentation is not available; interested developers should email info@paidpiper.com for more information.

Palma Resort API: Palma Resort is a Danish-owned company that builds home and rental properties with modern architectural designs and styles near the Red Sea and in Western Egypt. The Palma Resort website has a SOAP API that can be used to access most of the website’s functions. These include retrieving apartment details, getting recent news, and contacting Palma Resort.

PeerIndex API: PeerIndex is a social media analytics company that is building the Influence Graph: who influences whom in which topics across the social platforms. The PeerIndex API provides programmatic access to our data, allowing developers to integrate PeerIndex’s Influence Graph into their applications and analytics platforms.

Perfect Audience API: Perfect Audience is an advertising and marketing tool for brands. Perfect Audience allows users to target potential and lost customers through the web and Facebook.

The Perfect Audience API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Perfect Audience with other applications. Some example API methods include retrieving tracking information, retrieving reports, and managing account information.

Pin Payment API: Pin Payment is a multi-currency payment system that accepts payment from an Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card both locally and internationally. The service operates without requiring a merchant account or an extensive process for application. The Pin Payment API uses REST calls and returns JSON. SSL is required for use, and a unique API key is required for each service endpoint.

Placester API: Placester is a service for real estate websites and real estate marketing. Placester offers tools to customize real estate websites using themes and other features to integrate into WordPress websites.

The Placester API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Placester with WordPress websites. Public documentation is not available; API access comes with account service.

Plagtracker API: Plagtracker is a free service for determining whether a given text is original or plagiarized. Users can upload their papers to the site, and Plagtracker will scan them for plagiarism and return a report on its findings. Plagtracker’s API enables webmasters and developers to analyze texts and URLs for originality and to see whether they’ve been duplicated elsewhere online.

Quandl API: Quandl is a portal to numerical data (especially time-series data) that is stored on the internet. It allows users to search over 5,000,000 financial, economic, and social datasets. Once found, data can be downloaded, visualized, saved, shared, authenticated, validated, uploaded, indexed, merged, and transformed. Every dataset on Quandl is available through its REST API, regardless of where, how, or in what format the data was originally published.

Rollbar API: Rollbar is an error tracking service for websites and applications built on Ruby, Phython, PHP, Node.js, Javascript, and/or Flash. Rollbar provides users with real-time error tracking and error reporting.

The Rollbar API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Rollbar with other applications. Some example API methods include retrieving errors, retrieving reports, and managing account information.

Rutgers University Community Repository API: Rutgers Community Repository (RUcore) is the University’s digital repository of educational materials and digital research created and used by the Rutgers community and its collaborators. The RUcore API provides a RESTful interface for interacting with the repository framework. The API adheres to the OAI-PMH standard for metadata harvesting. The API returns XML or JSON formatted responses.

SecureTrading API: SecureTrading is a UK based online secure payment service that processes billions of dollars annually. The SecureTrading API allows users to automate refunds and authorization reversals and control settlement schedules. Users can also integrate a payment service into back-office or legacy system. The API uses REST protocols and returns XML.

ShopSavvy API: ShopSavvy is a mobile shopping application. ShopSavvy provides a barcode scanner feature, offers deals and coupons, and a mobile wallet for payment at retailers.

The ShopSavvy API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of ShopSavvy with other applications and to create new applications. Public documentation is not available; interested developers should inquire about API access here: https://spur.wufoo.com/forms/shopsavvy-sdk-api-licensing/.

ShoutEm API: ShoutEm provides mobile app development software. The ShoutEm API provides a RESTful interface for developers to interact with content stored on ShoutEm. API responses are JSON formatted.

Simpli.fi API: Simpli.fi is a real-time advertising platform that helps advertisers make use of their unstructured data. Simpli.fi does not target pre-defined audiences, but uses unstructured data to build custom audiences that are refined over time. This give advertisers a more accurate picture of their customers and allows them to target those customers more accurately. Simpli.fi also allows advertisers to monitor campaign performance in-depth and to figure out the ROI for specific advertising investments.

The RESTful Simpli.fi API allows the platform’s features and reporting functions to be integrated into other applications.

Skimap.org API: Skimap.org is an online database of ski area maps. The database includes maps from resorts worldwide, as well as historical maps. The Skimap.org API provides developer access to the websites resources, including region data, ski area data, and map files. The RESTful API returns XML or JSON formatted responses.

Spotbros API: Spotbros is an application that helps people communicate and stay connected. Spotbros allows users to communicate in real-time with people around them, ask questions, and provide feedback. Spotbros also has an instant messaging feature.

The Spotbros API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Spotbros with other applications and to create new applications. Some example API methods include managing account information, sending and receiving notifications, and managing user information.

SpotPrices.biz API: SpotPrices.biz is a web service providing price data for gold, silver and other metals, as well as currency rates. The SpotPrices.biz API provides developer access to price data. The API is accessed via HTTP POST calls. SpotPrices.biz provides a limited free API or unlimited access through a paid membership.

Stanford University Student API: Stanford University’s Middleware and Integration Services (MaIS) provide integration services and technologies to the campus community to facilitate the management of enterprise data of people, organizations, courses, workgroups, and authority.
The Standford University Student API provides RESTful access to student and course data. GET calls allow users to access data by student or course ID, or to query along specified parameters. Responses are XML formatted.

Stanford University Workgroup API: Stanford University’s Middleware and Integration Services (MaIS) provide integration services and technologies to the campus community to facilitate the management of enterprise data of people, organizations, courses, workgroups, and authority.
Workgroups at Stanford exist as a way to identify a group of people by name as a tool to be used by other applications and services. The Stanford University Workgroup API provides RESTful access to the Workgroup manager. Via HTTP GET/POST calls users can create, edit, or delete workgroups, add or delete members or administrators, and more. Responses are XML formatted.

StrongCoin Merchants API: Strongcoin is a hybrid wallet Bitcoin service. The wallet is browser encrypted to prevent anyone from having access to the Bitcoin address except the owner. The service does not require a specified Bitcoin address format, so users can move coins to and from to other services without needing to alter an address. StrongCoin merchant API allows users to accept Bitcoins as payments on merchant websites. The API functions allow users to create orders and handle payment notifications.

Styfee API: Styfee is a webservice that provides internalization and localization (i18n/L10n) services. So far, this includes reference services for languages, currencies, timezones, countries, and date and measurement conversions. This information can be retrieved programmatically via REST calls. Styfee has no interest in working with exchange rates for the time being.

The National Center for Biomedical Ontology BioPortal API: The National Center for Biomedical Ontology (NCBO) supports biomedical researchers by providing online tools and a web portal enabling them to access, review, and integrate ontological resources. The NCBO BioPortal is an open repository of biomedical ontologies, allowing users to search, browse, and visualize ontologies.
The National Center for Biomedical Ontology BioPortal API provides a RESTful interface for accessing the BioPortal. Supported services include downloads, lists by specified criteria, search, access to terms and concepts, subtree extraction, and much more. API responses may be XML or JSON formatted.

THIL API: THIL is a hosted intelligence layer that hosts scripts “offline” until they are scheduled to be used. When the scripts are called, THIL runs them with all the resources of a dedicated server. Rather than paying to keep a dedicated server running at all times, users can just pay for the milliseconds during which their scripts are actually running. THIL is available at all times and can be accessed programmatically via REST API.

Thinkery API: Thinkery is a fast, lightweight tool for storing notes, bookmarks, todos, and other such items. Notes are organized using hashtags, which can be color-coded to group them or make them stand out. Items can be retrieved using an as-you-type search. All notes, bookmarks, and other bits of information stored with Thinkery are private unless the user chooses make them public. Thinkery is accessible directly online, using mobile applications, or via REST API.

ticcats API: ticcats is a German-language website for finding events and tickets in Europe, with a focus on Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the UK. It has one of the biggest event databases in Europe, which has been made accessible via API to allow other developers to use it in their applications. Those with existing event databases can use ticcats to supplement them with additional ticket price comparison data. The ticcats API is accessible via REST calls issued in JSON format.

Toma.hk API: Tomahawk is a music player that can play music stored in many different places, including music subscription services, promotion platforms, networked libraries, online data lockers, and more. It does this by decoupling the name of the song from the source it was shared from (e.g. a friend’s playlist) and fulfills the “play” request using all available sources. This allows Tomahawk users to create playlists using songs from their own computer, Spotify, YouTube, and more.

The Toma.hk API uses Tomahawk’s technology to allow users to embed a player for almost any song on a website using JavaScript.

Tradervue API: Tradervue is a journaling and analytics tool for active equity traders. Users can track trades, quantify trading performance, and share trades with the Tradervue community. The Tradervue API provides developers with a RESTful interface for importing trade data. Authentication takes place via HTTP Basic Authentication over SSL. Responses are JSON formatted.

TransactionPoint API: TransactionPoint is a real estate transaction management platform that helps manage the documents, contacts, service orders, and tasks involved in a real estate transaction. To this end, it provides advanced automation, a secure document repository, and a comprehensive audit trail that tracks tasks, documents, faxes, and emails for a complete history of the transaction. TransactionPoint can be accessed anytime, anywhere via web interface. Users may also create and update transactions via SOAP API.

Troop ID API: Troop ID is a service that provides digital cards for military troops and veterans of military service. Troop ID partners with merchants and service providers to offer military personnel and veterans with special discounts, sales, and offers.

The Troop ID API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality of Troop ID with other applications and to create new applications. Some example API methods include creating an application, verifying Troop IDs, and retrieving information on Troop IDs.

TweetVue API: TweetVue is a tool allowing users to share twitter conversations or tweet steams. The TweetVue API provides developer access to the creation and sharing of twitter conversations. TweetVue has separate endpoints for applications that cache full tweets and those that retain only tweet IDs. The API supports HTTP GET/POST calls and returns JSON or XML formatted responses.

TXODDS API: TXODDS is a London-based sports betting odds comparison service, delivering pre-game and in-running odds from bookmakers, betting exchanges, and handicappers. The TXODDS API provides developer access to dynamically updated odds data via customizable XML feeds. Data can be filled by data type and market segment.

Voice RSS API: Voice RSS makes Text-To-Speech (TTS) capabilities available online for free. It does this using a RESTful API, which allows developers to integrate TTS functions into their applications. Voice RSS accepts text in any of 26 languages and returns a high quality audio stream in a human-sounding voice. A live demo is provided to give potential users a preview of the API’s capabilities

WalletBit API: WalletBit is a Bitcoin storage site that allows users to create a digital wallet where they can store their Bitcoins. The site also offers a point of sale platform for using Bitcoins as payment at merchant sites. The WalletBit API allows users to send information to Walletbit accounts or Bitcoin Addresses, generates a Bitcoin address to load coins and forward to sms or email, lookup and deposit to a Bitcoin address, generate new butcoin addresses. The Service r

We the People API: We the People is a platform on the White House website that allows users to create and sign petitions on any number of issues. Petitions that recieve more that 150 signatures get reviewed by the White House staff and are responded to. The platform has supported over 8 million users, more than 200,000 petitions and more than 13 million signatures.

The API provides users with read-only access to data on all petitions that have gathered enough support to have received a response and become publicly-available on the We the People site. Future plans include a write API that will allow developers to integrate into their own systems and collect and submit signatures.

Weemo API: Weemo provides video collaboration services that can be embedded into work applications and websites, allowing users to communicate without having to switch programs. The high-quality video feed is based on a robust, scalable cloud platform. Weemo’s REST and JavaScript APIs enable developers to integrate the video service into their websites and applications.

WhatsOnMyBookshelf API: WhatsOnMyBookshelf is a web-based book trading community. Users list the books they own and can trade with other users to read and discover new books as well as earn points which can be accumulated earn more books. The WhatsOnMyBookshelf API allows users to authenticate users, get user information, register users, and register books by ISBN number. The API has SOAP and REST versions depending on what type of calls are being made.

Wortschatz API: Wortschatz (trans. Vocabulary) is a collection of German-language linguistics services hosted by Leipzig University. These services provide extensive information pertaining to individual words, such as the lemmatized (base) form of the word, sample sentences using the word, usage frequency, synonyms, contextually similar words, and co-occurrences with other words. Wortschatz also provides services for working with word patterns and n-grams.

These functions are all accessible using the Wortschatz SOAP APIs. The Wortschatz website and API documentation are given in German.

xmlstats API: Xmlstats is a straightforward API for obtaining MLB (Major League Baseball) and NBA (National Basketball Association) statistics in either XML or JSON format. Using the RESTful API, users can retrieve a list of events for a given date, the current standings table, the box score for a game, and each team’s results for the current season for both the MLB and NBA.

Zapier Status API: Zapier is an application that integrates applications together. Zapier Status is a dashboard that displays the current status of every API that Zapier integrates. Zapier Status’s dashboard also allows users to get updates via multiple channels about the status of APIs.

The Zapier Status API allows developers to access and integrate the data and status of the APIs with other applications. The main API method is retrieving the status of APIs.

zKillboard API: zKillboard (zKB) is a killboard service for Eve Online, a science-fiction MMORPG. The zKB website enables players to post their kills for others to see. Visitors can compare players based on the number of kills they’ve made or the ratio of their kills to losses on a ranking board. The zKB API allows developers and game enthusiasts to integrate zKB into their website or application.

Article source: http://blog.programmableweb.com/2013/05/12/98-new-apis-karmadata-collins-dictionary-and-white-house-petitions/

Seven Online Marketing Activities You Can Start Today

Marketing your small business online isn’t all that tricky. Though there are plenty of things to learn if you’re to get the best results from your efforts, I wouldn’t advise anyone to sit around learning all there is to know about online marketing before jumping in.

First of all, I don’t know any small business owners who have the time to do that. Second, it isn’t necessary. Instead, jump in! Start now… You’ll learn plenty along the way.

An important note: your online marketing efforts will reflect either positively or negatively on your business. Any business owner can start marketing online now, but do take care to put out content and messages that have quality and authenticity.

So, let’s get down to it. Here are seven online marketing activities you can start today.

1. Blog

Blogging is a powerful content marketing activity for any size business. It can help position you as an expert in your industry, bring more traffic to your website, grow a loyal fan base, and generate buzz and interest in what you have to offer.

It does take a time commitment, but the return on investment is generally high.

If you already have a website built with the mega-popular WordPress software, setting up your blog will be very simple and essentially free. If you’re not using a website service that allows you to add a blog to your website, you can host your blog independently of your business website and link to it. However, I highly recommend the all-in-one solution, since it helps enforce your overall brand unity.

Once you have your blog up and running, you can begin publishing helpful articles to attract your target market. You blog shouldn’t be an advertising outlet, it should focus on delivering content that is helpful and engaging. You might feel like you’re giving away some of your best ideas, but doing so will only increase your credibility and community.

2. Join Twitter

If you’re not on Twitter already, now’s the time to get started. It’s simple to set up a profile for your business, choose some interesting people to follow, and begin sending your helpful, engaging tweets out to the world.

Here are some things to remember when using Twitter for business:

• Don’t “advertise” with Twitter. You can talk about your business and your products/services, but don’t overdo it. Most of your tweets should involve sharing helpful information or interacting with your followers.
• Stay updated. Don’t set up your account, tweet a few times, and then let it sit there. Update a couple times a day if you can. It doesn’t have to be time-intensive; simply share an interesting article you read, reply to someone’s question, or retweet something useful.
• Be personable. Use Twitter as a communication tool, not a broadcast tool. Sharing helpful articles and announcements is good, but don’t stick to that format all the time. Ask questions, answer questions, start a conversation. Interaction is key.
• Create a concise and compelling Twitter bio. Let people know, quickly, what you do and what you have to offer. Such a bio will help you attract quality followers.

3. Answer questions on LinkedIn

This is a simple activity you can do every morning, or twice a week, or whenever you choose, and it helps get your name and knowledge in front of peers and potential prospects. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, you can create one for free. Then find—and join—LinkedIn groups related to your area of expertise.

You can search for questions that fellow group members have asked, and provide helpful answers; you can also ask questions if you want to get a specific conversation going. (Another way of doing that, aside from groups, is to use LinkedIn Polls.)

Remember to answer questions with genuinely helpful responses, not just an advertisement for your services. Give useful tips and suggestions, and even refer the questioner to your contact information to get in touch, if they wish.

Being helpful and demonstrating your knowledge will build credibility for your business, and it could earn you actual business leads and connections.

4. Be a guest author

Similar to sharing content on your own blog, you can write helpful articles for other blogs that your customers and prospects read.

Most blogs are actively seeking guest authors, and in return for your contribution you general receive an author bio with links to your website/blog and social media profiles.

Guest-blogging is a great way to gain exposure in your industry, reach a new audience, and boost the SEO power of your website (because of the incoming links).

As with each of the previous marketing activities I’ve talked about, it’s important to keep your guest posts helpful and informative, not salesy. Most blogs won’t publish articles that are promotional in nature, and you wouldn’t gain the same long-term benefits even if they did.

Growing your online presence is about establishing your knowledge in a certain niche and growing a community of consumers who appreciate your advice and your brand.

5. Comment on blogs

Become a regular part of the conversation on other blogs in your industry. You’ll make valuable connections and get your insight and thoughts in front of a new audience with minimal effort.

When commenting on blogs, always make sure you’re adding something useful or thoughtful to the conversation. Don’t pretend you read the article and copy someone else’s comments. Find content you are genuinely interested in, and then add your opinion, thoughts, or compliments.

6. Start an email newsletter

Email marketing is still a powerful way to grow a business online, even in the midst of our Twitter-saturated world.

You can set up an account at one of many email marketing services and begin capturing emails on your website in a snap. I recommend checking out MailChimp and AWeber; both offer flexibility and affordable prices.

7. Be an expert source

A great way to demonstrate your expertise is to show up as an expert in someone else’s article, blog, podcast, or video. This strategy can also grant you exposure to a completely new audience that you might not have otherwise been able to reach.

Bloggers, journalists, and media types are always looking for experts to interview. You can add you name and contact details to various directories, offer your expertise directly to someone of interest, or (my personal recommendation) sign up for a free account at HARO and reply to queries that interest you on a daily basis. You might not get quoted in every article you volunteer for, but you can score some great publicity for a few minutes of your time each day.

* * *

The seven online marketing ideas outlined here should give you a great place to start. I don’t suggest trying to launch all of these activities at the same time. Instead, choose a few that best fit your business and personality, and then add on from there.

Your turn: What do you do on the Web to spread the word about your business? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Article source: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/10728/seven-online-marketing-activities-you-can-start-today

Small Business Online SEO Class Enrolling Now, Announces JM Internet

Class begins June 11, with SEO keywords. Subsequent classes include SEO link building.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 04, 2013

The JM Internet Group (web: jm-seo.org), a leader in providing small business SEO training, is proud to announce their introductory, no charge webinar on the top ten SEO tips for Google and SEO coming May 16, 2013, with paid training beginning on June 11th. The hugely popular and highly recommended SEO training starts off the June series of paid trainings offered by JM Internet Group, taking its students on a step-by-step journey through the basics of SEO, using the ten best free SEO tools online. Classes always fill up, and registration is limited.

“SEO, or search engine optimization, is a key element of any online marketing strategy,” said Jason McDonald, Director of JM Internet Group. “I love teaching these small business SEO training classes, and I can’t think of a better way to start off June than with a top ten seo tips training class focusing on the needs of small businesses in California, Texas, and Miami – in fact anywhere in the United States.”

For more info and to register for this small business webinar go to:

    http://www.jm-seo.org/

SEO Training Classes Beginning June 11 – Building on SEO Tips

The JM Internet Group is ramping up June, 2013, with its new SEO paid series of trainings, beginning on June 11, 2013.The 7 course series of trainings covers, in more depth, the top ten SEO tips, as well as hundreds of other SEO tools small businesses can use in their internet marketing strategy. Each class focuses on a key element of good SEO best practices, and students will be shown in real-time how to put the knowledge they’ve learned in the SEO Tips webinar to use in their online marketing strategy.

Among the regions that have shown strong interest is Chicago, Illinois. These sorts of classes on SEO have tended to be concentrated in high tech regions such as San Francisco. However, Chicago and surrounding cities in Illinois are bolstering their technology awareness, and businesses in Chicago are keen to improve their Google / SEO rank. Participants in past session have come not just from Chicago but from cities such as Aurora, Rockford, and Joliet, Illinois.

SEO Course Syllabus

    Top Ten: Top Ten No Charge Tools for SEO / Search Engine Optimization

    Keywords: How to Generate Great Keywords for Great Google Rank

    Page Tags – Quick Boost – Use Page Tags to Improve your Google Rank

    Link Strategies: The Who, What, Where, When and How of Getting Good Links for SEO

    News: News You Can Use – Using News as an SEO Opportunity -

    Google Rank: Monitoring Your Google Rank, and Leveraging it for SEO and PPC

    Website Structure: Creating the Best Topology for Google Rank

    Metrics: Tools for Measuring Your Website SEO and Performance

About JM Internet Group

The JM Internet Group provides SEO, Social Media Marketing, and Google AdWords training and courses for busy marketers and businesspeople. Online search engine optimization training helps explain keywords, page tags, link building strategies and other techniques needed to climb to the top of search engine rankings for Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The teaching methodology is hands on, with live examples and discussions, taught from the convenience of each student’s computer.

Contact:

JM Internet Group, Media Relations

Web. http://www.jm-seo.org/

Email. jm.internetgroup(at)gmail(dot)com

Tel. +1-510-713-2150

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebseo/illinois/prweb10698032.htm

Article source: http://www.watchlistnews.com/2013/05/10/small-business-online-seo-class-enrolling-now-announces-jm-internet/

How to Master SEO

SEO is an essential ingredient for any website yet often overlooked in the rush to get a website up and running.

This workshop will help you understand the methods used for:

·         On page and Off page SEO

·         Ranking Algorithm

·         How to generate effective keywords

·         How to use social bookmarking sites to generate traffic

·         Compete with competitors using SEO

·         Learn how to use publishing tools

These methods will show you how to;

·         Increase you’re website ranking

·         Increase traffic and potential sales

·         Target a specific audience

·         Raise awareness of your company online

·         Generate new potential audiences

You will also receive a free SEO toolkit with 75 tools to help you fulfil your SEO potential.

Note this workshop is specifically aimed at those who are NOT web designers – little technical skill is required to improve your SEO using proven techniques accessible to all abilities.

Click here for more info.

Contact:
, chris@eco-tube.com

Article source: http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/events/event/11821/

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