Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim

ICANN HAZ DOT CAT? Get Ready For Another Domain Gold Rush! Posted: 26 Jun 2008 11:33 AM CDT PARIS, FRANCE - They may not allow domain tasting, however The BBC is reporting that Internet regulator Icann has voted unanimously to expand the use of top level domain names. The decision provides companies the opportunity to turn their brands into web addresses, while individuals could potentially use their names. A second proposal, that would introduce domain names written in scripts such as Asian and Arabic, was also approved. “We are opening up a new world and I think this cannot be underestimated,” said Roberto Gaetano, a member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann). Another Domain Gold Rush! Icann has been working on the move for nearly six years. Some companies have used the current system to suit their own needs with country domains, such as .tv , which was originally created to designate the Polynesian island of Tuvalu, but ended up being adopted by many companies in the television industry. Others have been even more creative - Can you say “del.icio.us?” The new plan is sure to inspire a rush for thousands of new top level domains based on any string of letters, providing a “business plan and technical capacity” can be demonstrated. Expect the new system to come replete with contentious battles and bidding wars as companies move to secure domain names based on their intellectual property. The new system is anticipated to come in the next year, so get ready domain buyers! There’s gold in them there extensions! Pilgrim’s Update: Learn online reputation management skills directly from Andy Beal. Attend the Online Reputation Management Workshop and save $400 when you register today!

Pilgrim’s Picks for June 26 Posted: 26 Jun 2008 07:47 AM CDT It’s all quiet on the Pilgrim front. Until more news comes along, please ration these Picks: The Kelsey Group predicts online local video ad revenue will grow by 168% through 2012, reaching $1.5 billion. Does this mean local car dealerships will annoy us on the web too? Louis Gray reminds us not to believe everything we read on the web–especially Twitter rumors about Subway’s Jared kicking the bucket. Shari Thurow has never been afraid to stir up a hornets’ nest with her writing. Today, she takes a look at what makes you an "SEO Expert." Just because the economy is slowing, that doesn’t mean consumers are not still shopping online. They’re just focusing more on "used" search terms versus "new." Another great review for Trackur–w00t!

Google Names Bell Canada Exec as CFO, Already Owns Dark Fiber; Google Bell Coming? Posted: 26 Jun 2008 07:28 AM CDT Let’s add up a few things shall we? Phone companies want a piece of Google. + Google’s bought plenty of dark fiber in the past. + Google and broadband providers are duking it out over net neutrality. + Jim Cramer has predicted Google will launch its own phone service in the future. + Google today named Patrick Pichette, president of operations at Bell Canada, as its new chief financial officer, replacing CFO George Reyes after a nearly year-long search. = I never was much good at math, so you tell me if the answer is obvious or not. Pilgrim’s Partners: Learn More From Your Web Form Submittals. Collect valuable marketing data w/ each submittal. Best Contact Form - Recommended by Andy Beal!

Linky Goodness, June 25 Posted: 25 Jun 2008 03:28 PM CDT No Linky Withdrawal here, please—we’re back and better than decent as ever! Not terribly surprisingly, Google is launching the “Internet for Everyone” campaign. Because that’s a basic right. Really. I used to teach the Constitution; it’s in the 82nd Amendment*.   What the rest of us with Internet want to know: will this bring our monthly bill down? (And as marketers: what is this new audience interested in researching/purchasing online?) (via). Publicis is creating an “Open Source” ad network by partnering with AOL, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. I certainly hope they told all the parties involved that this was an “open relationship.” Oddly enough, Google’s blog post seems to have had little effect on the US Government, as members of Congress and the Department of Justice are taking a hard look at the Yahoo-Google deal. Will it be approved? Check it out next season on . . . The Young & the Profitless! And for Google-free news: Facebook is still exploring ways to make money. They’ve announced a small business ad partnership program with Visa. Holy crap. They really are everywhere I want to be. *What do you mean, 27 amendments? What Constitution are you reading?! Pilgrim’s Partners: SponsoredReviews.com - Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!

Google Maps Cheaps out with MapMaker Posted: 25 Jun 2008 03:16 PM CDT Once upon a time, a bunch of Googlers were sitting around during meal time or 20% time or something, just thinking. And you know what happens when Googlers think in groups, right? “You know,” says one, “I sure wish we could bring Google Maps to the islands of the world.” “Yeah, that would be awesome. I claim Tahiti!” “No, I’m serious,” says the first. “But, obviously, travel costs would be prohibitively high.” “I still get Tahiti,” mutters the second. “If we do Street View, anyway.” *moments of rumination* “I know!” exclaims a third. “Let’s have the islanders do it!” “Yeah! It’ll be like outsourcing to India!” “Even better—let’s do this wiki-style. Id est, we don’t pay contributors.” “Tahiti, here we come!” All mutually bask in awe of their brilliance and proper usage of Latin phrases. Google Map Maker is born. . . . Do you think I’m kidding? Because I’m not. Not, really, anyway. When I heard the name Google MapMaker, I thought, “Oh, cool, this will be something like My Maps only with lots of cool editing features, right?” Nope. Google MapMaker, according to the Google Site dedicated to it, is designed to help create custom maps, including features like: Borders and regions (states/provinces, districts/administrative regions, cities, neighborhoods, etc.) Road networks Places of interest Local businesses Railways, waterways, events and reviews However, it’s not designed to be useful to the vast majority of . . . well, everyone (right now at least). The current list of countries included in MapMaker: Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Cyprus Grenada Iceland Jamaica Netherlands Antilles Pakistan St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Vietnam (Okay, so, Pakistan and Vietnam aren’t islands. Or anywhere near the other countries on this list. What’s the deal?) Among the data you can add now are things like adding points, naming streets and clarifying turn restrictions at intersections. I’m guessing some Googlers had tropical vacations on their minds when they came up with this one.

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