In this second part of our Google Analytics series, Spyder Trap’s online marketing wiz, Jason Douglas, dives a bit deeper into Google Analytics by giving us a look at what he sees when solving problems for clients.

Stay tuned next week as we go “Behind the Wisdom” to learn more about how other marketers are using social media, and be sure to check back every Wednesday for another video posted to our Minneapolis Online Marketing blog, Facebook fan page, and YouTube channel!

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

In this first part of a two part Google Analytics series, Spyder Trap Online Marketing’s Jason Douglas discusses why businesses should take advantage of this valuable tool and a few key statistics to keep track of inside Google Analytics. Stay tuned next week for a deeper look into Google Analytics, screen shots, and how one can use it to boost traffic to their website. Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

Stay tuned every Wednesday for another video posted to our Online Marketing Blog, Facebook Fanpage , and YouTube channel!

Jason Douglas
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

While the rise in participation in social media channels has increased greatly for individuals and brands, one area where social media has become useful is for professional sports.

Why is social media right for sports teams? As with anyone using a social media channel, it is another opportunity to connect with people inside and outside of your network. You can keep the loyalists connected, and connect with disengaged fans.

Locally, there are teams using social media better than others. The Minnesota Timberwolves, for example, are using social media closer to its full potential than our other local teams.

On Twitter, the @MNTimberwolves provide injury updates, in game updates, and behind the scenes insight for the casual fan. For the serious fan, the Timberwolves are good at responding to followers, and following back fans as shown with their 7,574 followers and by following 3,357 back (as of the time of this post). The Timberwolves also integrate social media with their traditional and other online marketing tactics by promoting their social media channels as part of Wolves Nation prominently on their website and with in-game promotions.

One team that is not using social media to its fullest potential is the Minnesota Twins. Their job should be one of the easier Twitter campaigns to manage, as they have a brand new stadium, a great product, and of course, Joe Mauer.

However, the @MinnesotaTwins have chosen to establish their channels, especially Twitter, as an elite club. Despite more than 9,000 followers, the Twins have chosen to only follow back 20 users comprised of Major League Baseball accounts, other local sports teams, Twins player accounts, and Andrew Zimmern.

The Twins have largely pushed their own content on Twitter, and they have handed out tickets to users who follow them, but by not engaging or following their fans back, they are essentially shutting the doors on them. Are Target Field’s stands only full of MLB representatives, Twins players, and celebrities?

On the Minnesota Twins’ Facebook page, it is more of the same. While their reach is significantly larger with more than 280,000 fans, the same behavior is taking place. On their wall, it is just the Twins pushing out their own content, and not responding to the numerous likes and comments on each status update.

Now this may not hurt a brand like the Minnesota Twins now, as they are enjoying great success. But, what happens if – or when – the Twins experience a long term losing streak like the Minnesota Timberwolves? It is very possible that the fans they chose to ostracize may not be there in tough times.

It is critical that any brand using social media take advantage of the connectivity that each channel allows. For some, this may be the closest one comes to connecting with the brand. If that person reaches out to them, and receives no response, it will most likely leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

What are your expectations when engaging with a brand? Do you want a response? Do you want to be followed?

What makes you feel connected to a brand?

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

In our sixth edition of Web Wisdom Wednesdays, and the second episode of our two-part Foursquare series, Jason Douglas of Spyder Trap Online Marketing shows you how to use Foursquare and how you can benefit from Foursquare.

How have you benefited from Foursquare? We’d love to hear your stories!

**Videos are posted every Wednesday to our Spyder Trap Online Marketing blog, our Facebook Fan Page, and our YouTube channel.**

Late last week we celebrated our 2nd anniversary in business. We have come a long way and have grown immensely. We have great clients, wonderful partners, and loyal supporters. We truly appreciate all of you, because without you we wouldn’t be where we are today. To all who have been there for us along the way, we say THANK YOU!

In this first part of a two part Foursquare series, Spyder Trap’s Jason Douglas and Brad Wellman discuss Foursquare and how businesses are utilizing this popular social media tool. Stay tuned next week, when the dynamic duo explain what benefits Foursquare offers the independent user.

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

**Videos are posted every Wednesday to our Spyder Trap Online Marketing blog, our Facebook Fan Page, and our YouTube channel.**

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday! In this week’s installment, Luke Kuhlman and Brad Wellman discuss Facebook analytics; using Facebook Insights to assess your Facebook Fan Page.

Be sure to check back on Wednesday each week for the newest installment of Web Wisdom Wednesdays. You can also view our past episodes of Web Wisdom Wednesdays on our YouTube channel.

Glenn Seaberg
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Email marketing is the foolproof way to build a business. Just listen to companies like ConstantContact that market directly to business owners touting the simplicity and beauty of do-it-yourself email marketing.

I disagree. I believe email marketing can be loaded with dangers that can harm the reputation of otherwise solid brands. So before you take on email marketing as a do-it-yourself activity, here’s just a few questions you need to answer:

What do you hope to accomplish via email marketing?

If your goal is to find new customers, email marketing is probably the last thing you should consider. Email marketing is about creating customer loyalty and goodwill among your current customer base. There are far better options for lead generation.

Are you certain that your email list is in compliance with opt-in best practices and the CAN-SPAM act?

There are no shortcuts to building an opt-in email list. Plenty of seemingly reputable vendors will sell you an email list. My advice is to stay far away! In fact, most email marketing services like ConstantContact and Vertical Response will not let you to use purchased lists. If you are planning on sending messages to a purchased list from your own server, you will probably wind up being blacklisted. That is an ugly mess you can’t afford.

How will you represent your brand as unique and superior?

Successful business owners invest a lot in their unique brands. So how will you address the design and layout of your email messages so that it conveys your brand correctly? Every major email marketing service provides dozens of nifty templates. But doesn’t the brand that you’ve worked so hard to build deserve something better than a template designed by someone who’s never even heard of your brand? I bet it does.

How will you reach different segments of your list with uniquely appealing messages?

Unless you plan on speaking to your email audience in the broadest terms, chances are a single message will not appeal to your entire list. Have a plan for segmenting your list so that you can reach different types of customers with messages that directly appeal to them.

How will you track the success of your program, and how will you use tracking to improve it?

It’s very easy to track an email campaign. But without an accurate frame of reference, the numbers contained in these reports are meaningless. The difference between a good open-rate and a great open-rate could mean the difference between a profitable campaign and a time-waster.

My point here is this: Email marketing services have made it easy to physically execute an email marketing campaign. Unfortunately for the do-it-yourself business owner, great email marketing is not so easy. It requires specialized skills and experience.

I’ve been on the receiving end of messages form some otherwise great businesses, but because they bought into the DIY email hype, their campaigns actually harmed their brand and reputation.

That’s my opinion. What’s yours? Have you ever received an email message that made you wonder if it had been prepared by a first grader? Or are you a business owner who can shred my contention? Either way, let me know.

Ed Knowles
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

This is the first installment of our weekly Web Wisdom Wednesday series, in which we will cover topics ranging from social media, email marketing, sponsored search, SEO, and more! Each video will aim to inform and educate you on simple tips that you can use for your own online marketing efforts!

Stay tuned to the Spyder Trap blog, the Spyder Trap YouTube Channel and the Spyder Trap Facebook Fan Page each Wednesday at noon for a new video!

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

As a fellow marketer you likely wonder, “How can I better appeal to my target audience?” Better yet, “How can I produce more appealing/compelling content to drive a desired reaction?” I’m asking myself these questions as I write this post. The good news is help is just around the corner.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Most marketers have studied or at least heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (to the right) but few have related it to more current marketing efforts such as social media. As you read this post keep in mind that although technology evolves, people’s basic needs remain the same.

First, the premise: For the purpose of this post, I will keep my analysis related to social media. In some respect, Maslow’s theory explains the massive draw and assimilation to social media channels. The top three most psychologically complex needs are all easily obtained using social media (Self–actualization, esteem, love/belonging). Some people I suppose receive all five, but for the most part, social media allows for the authentic release of creativity, esteem personified by the ability to become a thought leader and, of course, belonging and contributing to a community is all at your fingertips.

The application: How can we use this information to become better social media marketers? Well, first understanding what people are seeking from a physiological standpoint empowers us to better optimize our marketing channels, messaging and calls to action in order to evoke a desired response. For example, creating channels for people to collaborate not only with your brand but one another might be considered an essential need for your audience. The theory is basic enough yet the application is often lost in the shuffle of day-to-day activities. Comments and reviews are all means to connecting with your consumer at a higher level. Creating compelling copy and messaging to appeal to people on an emotional level help to create a deeper bond between your brand and your brand’s consumers. More advanced opportunities are found in attracting “like minded or like needed” people while exposing them to your messaging.

With this application in mind, below are several basic emotion evoking tips that apply not only to social media channels but also apply to general marketing practices.

1. Facilitate – Allow people to creatively participate with your marketing efforts. Encourage and ask for opinions, feedback and collaboration
2. Be Authentic – No auto DMs! People are looking for real human connections, whether they are on the computer, phone or in person
3. Respond- Being heard and having one’s ideas validated by others is a basic need that all people share

What do you think about this analysis and application? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

NBC has made it easier to follow the pulse of the Olympics by developing the Olympic Twitter Tracker, which categorizes tweets for each sport in an interactive, visual interface.

The tool works by indexing tweets related to each Olympic sport every minute, and showcasing the most popular sports in a given time period by the size of that sport’s image.

A similar zeitgeist (a tool used to capture “the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time,”) was created during the 2009 SXSW event, through which users could keep tabs on all the happenings of the event, from what people were saying about particular restaurants in the area, to using location based devices to help people find each other.

The coolest feature – in my opinion – about the NBC Olympic Twitter Tracker is the ability to change the time frame, and see the change in popular trending sports, minute-by-minute.

What do you think of the NBC Olympic Twitter Tracker? With the pervasiveness of social media, are these zeitgeists becoming a necessity for coordinators and hosts of major events to develop?

Jason Douglas

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

I have had many conversations with prospects and new clients revolving around the same few questions. If you are someone who is new to the concept of using PPC for their business, or a business who has been burned by bad service or under-performing campaigns, asking the questions I listed below will help ease your confusion. Here are the top five I encounter and am always prepared to address in any type of meeting:

• What is the first step to give you control of your account?

This is a common question is one I usually get from prospects or new clients who are already dealing with an agency. The process can be as simple as sharing the login information. The first step to this is changing the password to prevent any nefarious activity from anyone who was managing the account. It is very important to also document all measurable metrics and benchmark where the campaigns currently are, which allows for the new agency to continuously measure against each of these metrics to gauge success.

• What kind of reporting will you provide?

Every agency has a different way to report to the client on successes and shortcomings. I have seen updates shared in a simple email through bullets. I have also seen client reports as long as twenty pages. Which are more effective? That depends on what you’re measuring and what the objectives are for the campaigns. Clients may like large reports, but is that what is best for the client? I like to provide all important metrics along with a recap, analysis, and recommendations which I will implement in the following reporting period.

• Will I have access to my accounts?

This seems to be a no-brainer to myself. Being that this is one of the most common questions asked, it means that clients have not had access to their own accounts in the past. Why wouldn’t an agency give access to the client? What is the agency trying to hide? We always give access to our clients, with the caveat of them not changing anything within the accounts. If a client makes changes to their PPC campaign that the agency is unaware of, that may skew the strategy we are implementing and significantly impact the results of the campaign.

• What is the communication process?
  

This is dependent on the client’s schedule. Often, the reason a client is seeking an agency is because they lack the time internally to manage the account effectively. If this is the case, a monthly call or meeting suffices along with email updates when necessary. If the client claims a lack of knowledge about PPC, but has the desire to learn and be hands-on in the process, a bi-weekly call or meeting along with email updates usually works.

• How can we be sure that you are exhausting all opportunities for us?
  

Unfortunately, when pursuing a new account, often times the opportunity is there because they are unhappy with the service received from their current agency. This is where we explain why we are different and how we are going to prove that. Business, especially now, is all about the relationship, and building, maintaining, and nurturing that relationship. Every client for me is not another transaction; they are not faceless. We do the best work possible not just because that’s what we’re paid to do, but because we enjoy the people we work with on the client side; we appreciate the product or service they provide and the value that it provides to their consumers.

As a company looking for PPC help, these five questions will help the conversation greatly, and should help you make a decision on which agency to go with. If you’re interested in starting that conversation, please contact us. Are there other questions you’ve come across with regard to beginning a Sponsored Search campaign?  Any stories you’d like to share?

Jason Douglas

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to attend Reupations with keynote speaker Chris Brogan, and panelists Beth LaBreche from LaBreche;  Gabby Nelson from Select Comfort , Paula Prahl from Best Buy, and Brian Vanderah from Quality Bike Products.

Brogan kicked off the event with a Zulu greeting ‘Sawubona’, which translates to ‘I see you’, which means ‘I know that you’re there and I acknowledge you are another person’. His presentation was a nice mix of random thoughts, dry humor (even a Star Wars reference), and serious points.

The main takeaways from Brogan’s presentation and the panel discusion:

-There are three main parts of social media: Listening. Connecting. Publishing.

-Brogan said that we should ‘connect with the verticals that aren’t yours’. He was critical of the Minneapolis and St. Paul social media community. He cited Pittsburgh as leaders in social media everything. What the MSP group needs to do is not be so exclusive, but learn how to work together. He added ‘it’s a lot easier to go to battle with a large army.’

-Brogan called Vanilla Ice a social media prophet, citing the line ‘Stop. Collaborate, and listen!’ That gained a fair amount of laughter, but was an interesting take.

-Beth LaBreche discussed how she invited her clients to the Reputations event and even sent out copies of Brogan’s Trust Agents to out-of-state clients. One client responded very negatively to the book and said ‘they’re not ready’ for this. This was very apparent in the attendance of this event. One of my first tweets from the Spyder Trap account: ‘good crowd forming for #reputations #broganmpls. A lot of familiar faces.’ Events such as this one wasn’t necessarily for social media professionals like myself and companies like Spyder Trap. It’s the businesses who have a fear, a hesitation, or a lack of knowledge about what social media can do for a business that need to be at these events. The question: how do we get them there?

Overall, this was a very fun event. I ran into some familiar faces, and was lucky enough to talk with him for a while, and even snap a picture with him. Look for more with Brogan and Spyder Trap in the near future.

For those who  attended, following the hashtags, or watching on UStream, what were your thoughts on Brogan’s presentation and the panel discussion?

Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Technology has never moved faster, and my experience at 2010’s Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Nevada is evidence of that. Companies from around the world gathered to showcase how they plan to gain market share with their 3-D TVs and life-changing smart phones. As technology companies foster this evolution, consumers’ consumption of media is also following suit. Because of this, companies need to understand how their marketing efforts will be received according to consumers shifting expectations.

With the exponential growth in technology, one has to ask:

• How has this surge in technology changed consumer behavior relating to the theory of top of mind brand awareness?
• Has the ability to put information more readily at the consumer’s fingertips changed this methodology in any way?

I would argue YES.

Think about it for a second. If I was in the market for a new TV, Best Buy is the first brand that comes to mind due to an over-awareness and exposure to their outbound marketing tactics. Does that mean I will buy from Best Buy? Not necessarily.

As the consumer, I now control my own purchase process and have a world of information either in my hand or on my desk. Due the overwhelming access to information, the traditional buying process model has been completely altered. Within seconds, I can search for a better price, find a better promotion, compare delivery options; you name it. Basically, I have developed my own personal purchase process.

Keep in mind: As consumer behavior shifts, new best practices are emerging:

1. As consumers continue to gain control of information, the COMPLETE purchase process becomes even more vital. No longer can you get away with a great in-store experience but a less-than-adequate web presence. Also consider what areas of the “new” purchase process you can improve upon beyond the competency of your competition.
2. Consider all of the “non-traditional” touch points a consumer might have with your website, online customer service, and even all the way to search, social and email. Make sure each touch point is consistent with the brand and brand promise.
3. As this shift in consumer behavior occurs, large companies should especially take heed of the opportunity for smaller more nimble competitors to gain market share. (Zappos is a good David-becoming-Goliath example).
4. Cross channel marketing is different than in years past. As you ramp-up your TV, radio or print efforts, are you ready to capture people actively searching for your brand or product offering?
5. As awareness increases, and curiosity leads to increased website traffic, are you prepared to engage and convert visitors with varying interest levels? Do you have a plan to turn tire-kickers into advocates?

As a consumer, how has your purchase process changed?

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Which Twitter application for BlackBerry devices is the best? I have been using UberTwitter as my personal application of choice on my BlackBerry Tour, but to be fair, I figured I’d give Seesmic a chance to change my mind… Did it? Read below to find out…

Seesmic for Blackberry (ver. 1.2)

This is a quite robust Twitter application for the BlackBerry, and certainly packs a punch.

(image credit: BlackBerry App World)

Pros:
- Supports yFrog, TwitPic or TweetPhoto for media
- Default URL shortener: Bit.ly
- Integrates saved searches from personal Twitter.com profile
- Integrates with Twitter Lists

Cons:
- Does not support multiple Twitter accounts easily. Must exit the program and log in again with different account credentials
- Shortest refresh time interval: 5 minutes
- Cannot go to a particular Twitter user by entering their Twitter username
- Cannot add a photo from BlackBerry device to a new tweet. There is an option to, but there seems to be an error in accessing BlackBerry device’s media library (I even uninstalled/reinstalled the program, so it’s not user-error).

My opinion:
I like the support of TweetPhoto (added to the latest upgrade of Seesmic), so users that are used to using this platform for photo sharing need not change. Seesmic is a pretty solid Twitter app as it has a suite of features, but in my opinion UberTwitter blows it out of the water. You’ll see why below…

UberTwitter (ver. 0.945, aka “Beta-6”)

Having the largest arsenal of Twitter features, UberTwitter truly is the one-and-only CrackBerry application any Twitter-holic needs.

Pros:
- Manage and quickly switch between multiple Twitter accounts
- Update your profile, including your bio, picture, location and URL
- Integrates with Twitter Lists
- Allows users to update their Google Talk status or profile location with each tweet
- Timeline refresh as often as every minute
- Allows you to see tweets from people geographically near you
- View trending topics
- Uber Bar – The ability to add your own tabs, such as user timelines, saved searches, and more.
- Preview uploaded pictures in tweets without clicking through a link
- URL shortener: Bit.ly

Cons:
- Supports only TweetPhoto or MyPict.me for photo uploads. It would be nice to have TwitPic as an option as well.
- Large program size (almost twice as large as Seesmic).

My opinion:
This is hands-down the best Twitter application for the BlackBerry. Not only does it allow you to manage multiple accounts by quickly switching between them, but the “chat bubble” style appearance of tweets in UberTwitter make tweets easier to read and separate from other tweets than in Seesmic. This truly is the only application a Twitter-holic needs, as you can stay on top of trending topics and the latest tweets as it has the shortest update interval of any mobile Twitter application.

For those Twitter users out there rocking a BlackBerry, what’s your application of choice?

Jason Douglas
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Recently, Echofon came out with an update to their iPhone app. As the only iPhone user at Spyder Trap, I am the lucky person who gets to test out everything iPhone related.

I have used Echofon as my main Twitter application since it was called Twitterfon. The latest update only enhances the application and in my opinion, if Echofon was not at the top before, officially puts itself at the top out of all Twitter applications.

I tweet for numerous accounts, both personal and professional. Before, you could only have one account registered for the application. If I wanted to tweet from another account, I had to download another app. Now, you are able to hold multiple Twitter accounts on Echofon. Switching accounts is easy to do. Go to your ‘Accounts’ page and tap on the profile you want to tweet from, and it will instantly switch.

Another nice feature is the multiple re-tweet option. This allows the user to re-tweet with or without adding a message and editing the original tweet. This is a significant upgrade compared to the web version of Twitter, where re-tweeting functionality is far behind the capabilities of this application.

Arguably, the most impressive new feature is the ‘Nearby Tweets, Map or List View’. By using the iPhone’s built-in GPS, it’s able to locate your near-exact location and load tweets either by using Google Maps and placing pins from where the tweet happened, or in the traditional list view.  This brings in some of the functionality possessed in Foursquare, where you can view who is also at a place you checked in to, but minus the checking in feature.

Many other Echofon upgrades were introduced, such as:

• Attaching photos using TwitPic or Flickr
• Attaching videos (for 3GS only)
• Landscape keyboard
• Dedicated lists tab
• In-App web, maps, mail, YouTube, and full screen photo viewing
• User authenticated bit.ly
• Shake to reload (exactly like Urbanspoon)

For anyone with an iPhone and using Twitter, this is the application to go with. The free version, which is what I have always used, is great. The ads are never in the way of your tweet stream and never annoying in any other way. For clients, especially with companies who are focused in one area, with the ‘Nearby Tweets, Map or List View’, this can help you interact with your following, or anyone talking about your brand/product.

Example: if you’re a restaurant in the Uptown area, and you can see people within a certain radius of your location talking about lunch plans, you can connect with these people directly and try to get new people to your restaurant.

The next step of Echofon is to be able to search for specific terms within the ‘Nearby Tweets’ to weed out non-relevant conversation.

Now that I have shared my favorite Twitter app, what’s your favorite Twitter application for the iPhone? What features do you want to see from your iPhone app?

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

It’s hard not to stumble upon a blog post over the last few weeks discussing predictions for 2010 with regards to Social Media, SEO, Sponsored Search (PPC), etc. So rather than hopping on the bandwagon and look outward at these industries, I decided to take a look inward at our own company, and how we look to make 2010 an even bigger success than 2009. So here we go, our 2010 New Year’s resolutions for Spyder Trap Online Marketing:

1) Blog more frequently
It can be easy to let blogging slip through the cracks as other projects, deadlines and a million other timely business matters pop up, but 2010 will see even more proactive blogging from the folks at Spyder Trap.

2) Attend more speaking events
We have attended MIMA events, #SMBMSP events and appeared on panels at MNAMA events. There is a wealth of marketing knowledge right here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, and there is always more to learn. As Anthony J. D’Angelo once said: “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Cheers, Anthony. We feel the same way.

3) Host another speaking event
Our presentation on Social Media for Business at the James J. Hill Library in November in conjunction with the Twin Cities Thursday Happy Hours group was a great success! In fact, we had so much fun we’re thinking about doing another one! Time for a little crowdsourcing: What would you like us to speak about?

4) Continue to strive to higher levels of success
Always try to outdo yourself. Challenge yourself to something, no matter how small the task may be, faster/better/different/more efficiently than before. You’ll be surprised with how addicting this can be.

5) Continue to grow and nurture our employees’ professional growth
Focus on nurturing your employees’ growth in their respective fields while building their talent in other areas by training them in different aspects of the industry. Developing experts in a niche that are knowledgeable about other dimensions of an industry is a winning combination.

What are your New Year’s resolutions for your company/organization? Maybe you have some professional resolutions for yourself? Whatever they may be, we’d love to hear them!

Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Growth is a wonderful thing, especially when you enjoy the work you do and the people you work with. Over the past year Spyder Trap has substantially grown as an organization thanks to our wonderful base of clients, partners and employees. Even in a down economy, our group more than doubled in size in 2009 and we look to continue that trend into the new year.

Reflecting on the past year, a lot has changed within the online marketing landscape and our clients’ needs and expectations have followed suit. As Spyder Trap continues to grow as a thought leader within the online marketing space, we look forward to facing those needs while pioneering new ways of accomplishing clients’ goals.

While we reflect on the success of 2009, here are a few things to look for from Spyder Trap in 2010:

1) Additional speaking engagements and seminars
2) Online Marketing Quick Tips: 1-minute online marketing tips we began earlier this year
3) Additional Spyder Trap happy hours and events. This year’s Spyder Trap party was a big hit!

THANK YOU to everyone who has helped to make 2009 such a great year and we look forward to servicing your online marketing needs in 2010.

Happy New Year!

-Mike Rynchek

A big announcement happened today from Google, officially launching real-time search, integrated into search results pages (SERP’s).

The real-time updates will include live tweets, Yahoo Answers, news articles, and web pages will now stream in actual result pages for your query. Don’t worry iPhone and Android users, this feature is built for mobile use (thank goodness).

Included in today’s announcement: Google has partnered with both Facebook and MySpace for their real-time data pull. This will include any public pages within the networks.

Here is the official video demonstrating the real-time search:

Why is this significant? This should simplify search for many users. The goal with this is to consolidate as much information into one central hub known as Google. I cannot wait to try this out and use this first hand. The live stream reminds me of the Twitter Search function, which is very helpful in monitoring real-time conversation about a product, show, or public figure. I am also impressed with the partnership established with Facebook and MySpace.

I am curious as to the potential fallout from this. Once Facebook and MySpace users find out that anything on their profile is fair game, will this prompt people to privatize their profiles? Or will users be more careful of what they say and publish? This may help the social media world grow up and think before they speak.

As we look into the benefits and negatives of this further, there are a couple questions I need to get answered:

• How will this impact how people use search engines?
• How does this impact the importance of search engine optimization?
• Will this detract from people looking at sponsored search ads?
• How can we use real-time search to benefit clients?
• What new data will we have access to?

What questions do you have about this feature that should be live within the next week?

Greetings to everyone! Due to a high demand, I am posting my presentation for everyone to view.

Thanks to all who showed up to the event, and to those who were unable to show, enjoy the slides. If there are any questions about this presentation, please contact me at jdouglas@spydertrap.com.