Vulcan Golf now wishes to add a RICO 18 U.S.C. §1962(a) charge.

“The plaintiffs now seek to file a second amended
complaint repleading certain of their previously dismissed claims and adding a RICO count under 18 U.S.C. § 1962(a).”

I believe Google using its power and organization to engage in illegal activity. The illegality trademark infringement, profiting by trading on trademarks owned by other via typosquatting, and of course the organization is the Google the registrars and the Domain holders. But my reading of RICO tells me that there must be a vilolent act to qualify under RICO. Can anybody help clarify that?

Judge Blanche Manning of the Northern District Federal Court in Illinois ruled that there was sufficient cause to move forward in the case brought by Vulcan Golf. For anyone that follows my thoughts on this they might remember that I believe that Google profits from, enables and in part created the typosquatting problem. Google:

“pays registrants for its use of the purportedly deceptive domain names … uses semantics technology to analyze the meaning of domain names and select revenue maximizing advertisements and controls and maintains that advertising”

What was not said is that Google profits from this action.

Online Media Daily Reports - Wendy Davis

Social Media Marketing, the new media Web 2.0.

Social Media Marketing has been coming on strong for some time now. This is a wonderful new area of the web. The struggle I have seen with many people is understanding its business impact. As marketers it is difficult to get your head around such a viral arena. On one hand SMM brings reach because it is so prolific. The number of pages and profiles coming online make the early days of the internet pale.

Reach Dilution

My first question is how to leverage this reach for marketers when on first glance it appears to expand the reach opportunities in advertising and at the same time dilute the effectiveness of advertising. On the other the target of SMM advertising, the relevance of the audience goes up exponentially.

Demographic Targeting

I like this revolution of adverting to the original onset of Search Marketing. At first it was an educational sale and a tough one at that. The impressions of Search Engine advertising are so small compared to the cost per thousand, CPM, model it is staggering. At the same time the value delivered by SEM and the return on investment make it one of the best media buys in the industry. This is because the SEM audience is predisposed to your product or offering by nature of the search terms entered into a search engine. SEM is no longer tenuous media, in fact it has joined the ranks of mainstream and any serious marketing is obligated to this space.

The Me Too! Effect

Will SMM make the same transition? The jury is still out on that one. The flood of rapid entrants into this media makes it appear so. These entrants may have learned that SEM is now mainstream and many marketers have missed the boat because of a wait and see position. So now these same marketers are flooding into the space espousing it’s virtues.

No Silver Bullet

The truth lies somewhere in between for SMM however. It is time consuming and and arduous endeavor. But if done correctly it can rival the best that Madison Avenue has to offer in results.

Stay tuned for SMM tips and how to make your SMM program a success.

What is Internet Marketing?

Internet marketing, IM, is any activity to market or proment a service product or even a message. IM can be made up of various different subsegments.

Search Engine Optimization, SEO. Enabling a web site to properly indexed by search engines.

Search Engine Marketing, SEM, also known as Paid Search, Pay Per Click.

Web PR - Blog writing, posting, press releases.

These are all campaings. Most people understand SEO as a task, skill or project. It really is a campaing that needs it’s on budget goals, planning and proper execution.

NetSearch Direct, based in Richmond Virginia provide all of these services.

Scrubbing leads generated from lead generation campaigns has always been a challenge. What is a good lead? Most campaigns generate a high percentage of bogus leads: John Doe at 123@nowhere.com. NetSearch Direct has addressed this issue for many clients by providing lead generation metrics that really work. Tracking phone leads is one way that works. Phone calls from prospects are proven to be one of the best sources available. Quantifying these leads by defining the length of call NetSearch Direct can deliver leads filtering the wheat from the chaff.

Adotas article, Lemon Law For Leads , chides the industry for not defining leads. We are proud to be int he forefront of this issue providing client solution where the industry on a whole cannot.

Lemon Law For Leads?
Opinions: Anyone who participates in online lead generation is left with one of two conclusions at the end of a campaign: there are either a disproportionate number of John Smiths at […] More…

The world of advertising is changing at a rapid pace.  As the space for advertising increases, so does the complexity of the ads.  New advances in advertising will make it possible for marketers to trace users to see what their search interests entail, in turn allowing advertisers to then display correlated ads.

In a recent article, The Coming Ad Revolution, posted on The Wall Street Journal Online, this increase in sophisticated advertising is featured.  “This market will get more competitive, and users will be barraged by ads which they will pay less and less attention.  Even though the ads will be more ‘relevant’ than ever, users will increasingly tune them out.”  These marketers are now being sold uninterrupted access to users.

The big boom of social networking sites has also begun to have a tremendous effect on advertisers and consumers alike.  Through social networking sites, such as MySpace or Facebook, users are being taught to supervise their own data.  This responsibility taken on by users gives them the privilege of being able to choose who can catch a glimpse of “them,” so to speak. Presented in the article, The Coming Ad Revolution, is the process as to which the advertiser must go through to connect with the possible consumer.  A company will request to “friend” the user and if accepted, can offer that user any number of promotions using marketing tools. 

By using social networking sites, marketers are able to reach the type of consumer that they want.  Consumers who are on these sites have formed some sort of trust with them; therefore they are more likely to respond to an advertisement which they believe is trustworthy.  “The new model creates a more trusted environment for reaching high-value, frequent purchasers.”

This sudden flux of unconventional & fresh advertising is able to manufacture and strengthen virtual communities, giving them the upper hand in the internet marketing world. 

To learn more about Internet Marketing & Social Networking Sites please visit NetSearchDirect.com

Please read the entire article for more information on The Coming Ad Revolution.

 By Esther Dyson, Investor
WSJ.com, The Wall Street Journal Online
Monday, February 11^th, 2008

Here at NetSearch Direct we have been working with local search for years. Just recently, JupiterResearch has come out with reports stating that local search advertising has become the leader in online marketing. Since we started with local search we have seen a large shift in advertising budgets, from traditional media to online media promotion. We have particularly seen this shift in budgets throughout our Internet marketing.

Our tools and resources are constantly advancing and giving us control over the market. Many of these benefits have been available to larger corporations for several years now. These same tools are now available to the small business owner, giving them much more effective use of their advertising dollar.

“According to the US Online Local Advertising Forecast, 2007—2012, released by JupiterResearch, local advertising will increase by 13% from 2007 to 2012.” In the recent article, Local Takes The Lead, Research Says, posted on Adotas.com, the huge impact that local search is going to have on online advertising, in the next few years, is highlighted. “The biggest impact is anticipated to be made by local display and search advertising with compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 18% and 16% respectively, during the next five years.”

To learn more about Internet marketing, please visit NetSearchDirect.com.

For more insight into the considerable expansion of local search read the complete article Local Takes The Lead, Research Says.

By Sarah Novotny, Sr. Editor
Adotas.com
Wednesday, January 30^th, 2008

Greetings, live the from Orlando International Franchise Association.

NetSearch Direct is proud to be exhibiting with our strategic partners InovaOne . In the exhibitor hall this year, along with the direct mail and furnitures providers, Internet marketing takes a prominent roll. Based on the buzz at our booth and the other search vendors, it is apparent that the importance of the Internet Marketing Medium is serous business and has the attention for Franchisors and Franchisees alike.

In one of my earlier posts I wrote that companies shouldn’t ignore natural search.  In a study conducted by WebSideStory of data from January through August of B2C e-commerce sites, the statistics bear this out.  Natural search had a median conversion rate of 3.13% versus a paid conversion rate of 3.40%.

Interestingly, Rand Schulman, CMO of WebSideStory, attributes this to how searchers perceive listings.  Searchers view natural results like a newspaper editorial and paid search as a front-age advertisement: the advertiser does not control the editorial so the content has to be compelling to warrant a place in the paper.  But paid ads have their place because they contain calls to action, offers, and other elements that move the searcher towards a purchase. 

Interviews with top e-retailers point to video.  And we’re not talking podcasts, here, we’re talking a full deployment of online video retailing.  The biggest gap between brick-and-morter stores and online shopping is the ability to see and feel the product.  Online video with 360-degree views and “live” descriptions can give online shoppers a better look and feel for products than today’s “photos with descriptions.”  A few years ago, video retailing was only a dream because of the Internet speeds resources required.  Now that broadband access is so prevelent and more dial-upers are moving to broadband, retailers are revisiting the technology.   But beware before you jump - video retailing only works for certain products - mainly those that require an explanation or demonstration.