Who is Steve Plunkett SEO? - StevePlunkett.com: Facebook

Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

FREEDOM FROM FACEBOOK

Once Upon a Time..

I applied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

At the time I didn't know what kind of work i would be doing as a hacker or "special agent". I didnt want to put any of my family members in danger so i used my Disc Jockey identity as my "psuedonym".

pseu·do·nym

ˈso͞odnim/

noun

a fictitious name, especially one used by an author.

synonyms: pen name, nom de plume, assumed name, false name, alias,professional name, sobriquet, stage name, nom de guerre

"Geisel was best known by the pseudonym 'Dr. Seuss'"

(Hint: Any Facebook employees should read up on this simple concept to date i have used this word in 23 emails with Facebook and got tired of them not reading emails. Basically just wasting my time. Which is really what bored people do now, instead of visiting people, reading books or looking for real human interaction. This excessive online socialization has destroyed lives, families, relationships and made life more impersonal.)

Many people actually knew Steve Plunkett only as "Paisley"

So most of my online identity was under the name "djpaisley" or "Paisley Amoeba".

The first social network I used this name on was AOL in 1993 and was very successful in tracking down pedophiles in AOL chat rooms and saved several children from death and exploitation. AOL later bought Netscape and this identity was used again as an editor for DMOZ or the Open Directory Project.

Don Lemon of CNN was an online friend of Paisley and he freaked out when we met in person and probably still knows me as Paisley, not Steve Plunkett.

After AOL there was IRC, (Internet Relay Chat), Friendster, Friendzy and MySpace. At the same time i became interested in Search Engine Optimization and Online Reputation Management. As part of my job at an ISP and Web Development firm in 1995. I would make sure no one could find out anything about "Steve Plunkett" online by using this online identity. (This is called ORM - Online Reputation Management. Now I have been doing this as a day job since about 2003 and most recently for a political candidate)

I interacted with many people famous and infamous as paisley online and have made great friendships with people i admire greatly. (name dropping omitted)

Many were on MySpace that transferred mostly to Twitter when i got a beta invite in March of 2007. Since then Twitter has been the way i connect and communicate with the world, not text... today... http://twitter.com/djpaisley is a Bot.. an #AI i created so people could request music.. i still use it today when i want to communicate with those people that i don't really want to bring into my workplace.. tweeting to @luciferonFox even though it is a successful television show isnt "work friendly" or tweeting with tcast members from the television show The Magicians about things that aren't work conversation. That is what @StevePlunkett is for.. work conversations.. with the world.. about food.. see #NomNomNom or maybe an experimental focus and cognition formula #NZT51x inspired by the Movie and Television show Limitless.

to be continued...

Thursday, January 22, 2015

#Xbox - Slam Dunk #nomnomnom

@steveplunkett Talk about a slam dunk. #XboxOne pic.twitter.com/h9UQtHgsWa
— Xbox (@Xbox) January 21, 2015

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

2015 - SEO and Social Media Prophecy and 2014 Digital Advertising Notables

As we begin 2015 there are things that made a lasting impact on 2014 and some that are just about to raise their ugly heads and catch many marketers unaware and unprepared.
Here is your future checklist for Digital – Mobile Application Development, SEO, Social Media Management/Marketing, Digital Advertising and Digital PR in 2015

1. Voice Search – More to come on this, in detail, but as “users”, (Search and Social Media), move to mobile devices, specifically phones, Voice Search Optimization is going to be a really big thing and is going to catch many marketers by surprise. Hint: We have been researching Voice Search at Rockfish since 2011, (Google Labs), and have been actively doing VSO, (Voice Search Optimization for clients).

2. KBO or Knowledge Base Optimization – Brands, Brands, #Brands – With Google keeping the searcher on Google’s network longer, (See Google Play, Google Knowledge Graph and Google Plus), being able to make a change to Wikipedia by having that editor friend or the media person who works in PLAs assist you in modifying what your client doesn’t like to see about their own brand in Google. Learn how to fix anything…. including Wikipedia.. Or perish.

3. YouTube – Video Search Optimization – YouTube Hashtags work on Google + now. Dec. 2008 YouTube was 25% of all Google Searches. Now, More U.S. Based 18-34 Year-olds Watch YouTube than Cable and YouTube videos influence the purchasing decisions of 53% of all consumers in the U.S. YouTube has now replaced the TV set.

4. Digital Media Distribution – Someone hacked Sony Pictures, “The Interview” was released via Digital distribution methods BEFORE it was released in theatres for the first time in History. Personal Note: I watched it on Xbox Video, I purchased it for $15.99 downloaded it and watched it the day before it was released in theaters.

5. Television Content Viewing Habits – Similar to the above but “Binge Watching” is now a thing. Personal Note: Still have not watched Breaking Bad – but one day, Binge Watching it. Commercial Television has made the leap with APPS. Phones, Tablet and Gaming Consoles now have applications where you can watch network television complete with commercials. Unlike TiVo, it’s not when you want it, or like AT&T UVerse where you can pretty much pick your own time schedule for your own shows, but that is for digital cable users, which also have another app. Welcome to the world of multi-screens and cross=platforms, Netflix now charges by the screen.

6. Mobile – It’s everything and it’s everywhere. Google considers Tablets more like Desktop than a mobile device and sees Smart Phones as totally different. Overall, smartphones and tablets accounted for 39% of Google organic search traffic during the third quarter of 2014. Personal Note: The big change I made in October 2014 in mobile was I removed Facebook from my phone after they launched Facebook Messenger. Life is actually a lot more peaceful, calm and I have been sleeping more. Facebook Messenger was never installed on my IPad either. 2015 Mobile trend prediction – Look for devices to have LESS memory, and more services expecting data to be stored in a cloud.
Actually, isn’t there a lawsuit about this? “iPhone users sue Apple over iOS 8 device storage squeeze” see hashtag #itoldyouso for most of these "predictions"

7. Mobile Payments – 2014 saw the debut of Apple Pay with Google Wallet still lurking around, Apple leap-frogged PayPal and Google Wallet for Mobile payments. Storyboard Messaging Service Snapchat got hacked, many private pictures of celebrities unclothed were released in October, known as the “Snappening”, next month in November of 2014 introduced Snap Cash, See a pattern here?

8. Hacking – The reason why I purchased #The Interview on Xbox360 was that Hackers from somewhere, (Either Korea or the U.S. supposedly, I can’t comment), broke into mail servers and got email from Sony executives somewhere that shouldn’t have been having private conversations in email. (Ask Mark Cuban about his messaging app - Cyberdust ) - Hackers then also did Denial of Service attacks on the sources of bandwidth for XBOX and PS4, shutting Sony PlayStation Network down.

Personal Note: I didn’t notice, I was watching The Interview on Xbox Video during the time of the Xbox attack. While Downloading Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare updates.

Wait before I forget, entirely TOO MANY RETAILERS got hacked in 2014, let’s hope, actually pray, it doesn’t get worse in 2015... But it will... you have no idea... #beafraid #beveryafraid

Our openness with online websites like Facebook, Snapchat, Foursquare,
(Foursquare got booted in 2013, remember?), and mobile devices, security and privacy should go hand in hand... however we are not doing it right.. I’m still not using a credit card, cash only at some stores.

9. Selfies - 2014 was the first year I took a “selfie”. I took 9 last year, have taken 4 this year, maybe if I get prettier, I’ll take more? Instagram is built on a foundation of selfies. Thank God Pinterest hasn’t fallen victim to the Selfie trend. Facebook has, Twitter has, and Television and Magazines have, ok, prediction. Some study comes out showing guys that take #selfies too much are serial killers or something..

10. Video Conferencing – Aside from the multi-BILLION dollar Adult industry built around video conferencing platforms like Skype, how soon in 2015 does it add FaceTime and Google Hangouts? Pinterest made private boards and thankfully Instagram picked up the adult traffic before they ruined Pinterest. However Facebook and Twitter are now seeing the Adult spam deluge with Vines just like the Adult invasion that pretty much killed Myspace. Right before we all left and went to The Facebook. Never fear. Google hangouts are being used for business. Google even has a business unit named Google Hangouts for Business. Let’s hope it’s not overrun with Adult like Snapchat, look for more Google Hangouts to be catalogued in YouTube search results for educational purposes.

Social Media isn't "new" it's just a term for Internet Socialization. We used to "Go outside" and "play" - now we sit and watch Youtubes on our phones.. or we sit and play Xbox or PlayStation, which.. now has people playing and "watching them play".

From XboxOne..

It’s easy to make group video calls on Xbox One using Skype. Before you make a group video call, your Kinect sensor must be plugged in. At least one person on the call must have a Premium Skype account. You can initiate a group video call with a maximum of 4 people in a group (including yourself). However, if someone else on Skype initiates the call from another device such as a Windows 8 PC, that call can include up to 25 people.

Also, Didnt Amazon just buy Twitch? Where you can watch models play video games..

Ready to play @H1Z1game with me? http://www.Twitch.TV/AdrianneCurry pic.twitter.com/5R15jD8fGV
— Adrianne Curry (@AdrianneCurry) January 10, 2015

11. Stock Market – Facebook will continue to have a higher valuation than TWTR but Twitter will become more useful and more a part of our lives and Facebook will be ravaged by a virus. But to my dismay, will bounce back and the stock price will still go up. Facebook Offers and Twitter Cards will still provide excellent opportunities for businesses but Twitter Cards will rule Google.

Dear CNBC people, watch TV, Are you showing everyone's Facebook Page or Twitter /Nick?

Why is Twitter Stock worth less? I truly don't get it.

12. Private Messaging Fragmentation – Here are words to live by in 2015 – “If you don’t want it public, don’t connect to the internet or a mobile network” – Mark Cuban created Cyber Dust for this reason. Look for security and privacy to suddenly become big deals in 2015 when we realize how clueless we have been with our data. Governments are going to try and legislate this in 2015

13. Candy Crush vs. Kim Kardashian – Candy Crush (free) and Minecraft (paid) are the two most downloaded games in 2014. (Google Play) Any guesses on 2015?

14. As people look to express themselves more in a predominately 140 character world, blogging will resurface, video blogs will become bigger and better as well as more people looking for places other than Facebook and Twitter, Instagram, Still the "@" will still rule social media.

15. People will realize people are using Google+ and as it gets more integrated into Google Search, brands and businesses, a Google hangout may be akin to a Fax machine but probably not in 2015. Maybe 2016. Google + will be this place hidden in search results, hmm.. (light bulb)

Reference –
http://www.reelseo.com/youtube-facts-stats-2014/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/mobile-neared-40-of-us-organic-search-traffic-in-q3-47320/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2388648/iphone-users-sue-apple-over-ios-8-device-storage-squeeze
http://www.wired.com/2014/10/the-snappening-is-not-your-fault/

Friday, November 18, 2011

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

If you haven't noticed, an abundance of coupon and daily-deal sites have descended upon us with stealth speed. Combine the popular kids of the group like Groupon, Foursquare, and Yelp with the constant rumors of other online players moving into the space and the list goes on and on, and then on some more.

To put it all out on the table -- consumers have grown to expect discounts and are more than willing to switch to brands and products that provide the best deals. But what's really fueling the fire behind the demand and how can brands and retailers regain control of what feels like an out of control discounting spiral?

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What's driving the consumer to seek discounts?

Here are four factors that are likely the driving forces behind the couponing epidemic (or windfall for you deal addicts):

Economic slowdown
2007 was the year the proverbial music died. The financial bubble-burst left us all in shock, and the after-effects left most people scrambling to adapt. In times like those, the thrifty tend to thrive, and so couponing became a key strategy for consumers looking to stretch their dollars to the limit. Even now, as the economy rebounds, couponing and deal seeking continue to flourish. According to the comScore study below, 66 percent of consumers said they used coupons in July 2010, compared with 59 percent two years earlier. The percentage of respondents who reported shopping online for deals increased from 24 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2010.

The explosion of social media
The mass adoption of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and others has created a digitally social audience that has never been seen before. To put this in perspective, keep in mind that Facebook grew from 27 million users in July 2008 to over 150 million in July 2011. That's not just you on a social network -- but your mother, brother, sorority, bowling league, and probably your old eighth-grade math teacher.

What's more important than the quantity of users is that those users are consumers, and consumers are now engaging brands on social media networks. They're also looking for more than just content. Simply put, "likes," retweets, and mayorships aren't enough any longer; it's about added value, and this is where discounts are king. According to a study by Merkle, consumers (aka, social media users) who choose to become a fan of a brand on Facebook most often do so to receive exclusive deals and offers, including coupons.

The digitization of coupons and deals
To capture this movement, more and more brands and retailers made their coupons and deals available online. Daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial have helped popularize digital coupons while offering some fun content alongside it.

This led consumers to embrace digital couponing at a staggering rate. eMarketer forecasts that 47 percent of U.S. adult internet users (approximately 88.2 million individuals) will use online coupons in 2011. Another study by Experian Simmons found that the percentage of households using print coupons has not changed much since 2005, but the percentage of households using digital coupons has risen 83.3 percent.

Smartphone usage
With smartphone penetration hovering around 40 percent and with another estimated 10 percent gain for the end of this year, consumers are poised to receive mobile coupons in a massive way. Additionally, while mobile coupons only represent a small share of digital coupons, they have enormous potential to become the couponing medium of choice in the near future. Because mobile coupons influence a consumer in the midst of making a purchase decision, retailers and brands are beginning to experiment with this type of delivery standard. Imagine how great it would be to unlock a 20 percent discount while standing in line at a local restaurant. The best part about it all is that a customer can gain access to said discount with only a quick download of an app or a check-in, which takes only a matter of seconds.

While understanding this new phenomenon helps bring some clarity to consumer behavior, it doesn't truly clear the fog when it comes to how brands and retailers can develop an effective coupon/deal strategic plan.

History is telling
As many historians would agree -- it is critical to learn from the past. Believe it or not, there's a rich heritage and history surrounding the appropriate and inappropriate use of coupons and deals. More than 120 years of trial and error, by tens of thousands of brands and retailers, actually holds the secret to how smart coupon and deal offering can be achieved.

Much like how they're used today, coupons were first developed to drive product trial, encourage product use, and gain market share. In 1888, a very clever man by the name of Asa Candler used the first paper ticket coupon for a free glass of Coke to help market the new soda and unknowingly started a revolution, in more ways than one.

By 1909, C.W. Post provided the public with 1-cent coupons to promote Grape Nuts cereal, which was likely considered an epic deal at the time. By 1940, big chain grocery stores jumped on the bandwagon and began using coupons to attract consumers away from purchasing at local markets. Then in the 1990s, customer-centric marketers used coupons to surprise their best customers in an effort create customer loyalty and re-engage valuable customers.

Today, the social media explosion requires brands and retailers to entice their followers with coupons and deals to create positive social sentiment.

Despite many cut-and-dry examples of couponing and deal offering, lots of retailers and brands simply see it as a means to buy future sales and tend to over-coupon. Have you ever heard of too much of a good thing? This is true in the case of coupon saturation because it has created a new breed of deal-seeking consumers. TLC recently launched a series, called "Extreme Couponing," about everyday customers gaming the system and saving hundreds of dollars. While this was not the intent of the brands and retailers that issued the coupons, these die-hard coupon-cutting hustlers provide a powerful example of why coupons and deals should be strategically delivered.

The future
No one can predict the future, but I think it's safe to say that couponing is here to stay. Communication media will evolve and tactics may vary, but brands and retailers will continue to use coupons and deals to drive customers to purchase. Doing this the smart way will require retailers and brands to recognize consumer demand, leverage historical data, and adapt a coupon supply strategy that delivers customer incentives effectively. Now ask yourself: Is your brand winning or losing in the coupon and deal game?

Really Smart People