OK, a little background: Sandra and I did a webinar for Aquent last month, and had over 2000 people register to attend. We thought that was pretty great. They also mentioned they were going to also put our slides up on SlideShare, but we didn’t think too much about that at the time.

In a follow-up post from the Aquent blog, Matt Grant noted that SlideShare had featured our presentation on the home page at one point, and that over 8000 people had viewed it so far. Wow. As Sandra said, we’d have spent more time on those slides if we knew they were going to get that kind of play. Anyhow, I went over to SlideShare to check it out and halfheartedly thought “I wonder if we’re on the Most Viewed list.” But we weren’t… Wait, that only shows the current day’s most viewed. What if I click This Week? Bingo:

That’s 8595 views for our presentation vs. 7354 views for Ms. Jolie.

As it’s taken me two weeks to complete this post due to a blog platform issue, my fifteen minutes of fame are long gone now. But still… to have our presentation get more views than something titled “Angelina Jolie Pictures” feels like a pretty major accomplishment. Especially with such unalluring title slide.

And now we’re the 6th Most Viewed for the month, still just ahead of Angelina. See it for yourself, before we roll off.

Maybe there’s a market for this whole Web Design for ROI thing after all…

SEO practitioners and search engines have had an uneasy relationship at times. One might even say the discourse has occasionally been strained.

And why not? Search engines do so much for us who work in the search industry, and how often do we do anything for them in return? Other than facilitating the entry of high-quality sites into their indexes and routing millions of dollars in revenue through their ad platforms, practically nothing.

Until now.

At last, I’ve found a way to thank Google for all the years of employment and high-quality search results. I’m going to help Google fix its 404 error page.

(Read the full article…)

Yesterday a very exciting package arrived here at the Closed Loop Marketing office. It was my prize for winning the People’s Choice Rubber Chicken Award in the 2007 “Columbo” Humorous Blog Post contest!

Although technically not made of rubber, “Chuck” (as we’ve all come to call him) quickly won our hearts. As you can see in the photos below, he had quite a busy first day:

  (Read the full article…)

I’m pleased as punch to announce that one of my 2007 blog posts - Google Interiors: the Day My House Became Searchable - has been awarded the highly prized 2007 “Columbo” Humorous Blog Post Award (otherwise known as the Rubber Chicken Award). Google Interiors was the People’s Choice, and Matt McGee’s Top 21 Signs You Need a Break from SEO was the Judge’s Choice.

Congrats, Matt, and thanks a ton for a fun contest, Mike!

Now to get back to my happy chicken dance…

Joining Closed Loop Marketing after many years of experience in private and corporate design, architecture, and construction can be a daunting experience. First, I was hesitant about the idea of learning an entirely new profession, but then I came to realize my skills really could span different genres. After that realization, I joined the team. Still, I wasn’t entirely sure what was about to happen.

Once the door opened I entered a world of creative, fun and hardworking individuals but with a twist. I had encountered creative, fun and hardworking people in my previous field of work, but this time there was something more. These people not only understood the world of the internet, but also knew how to influence, change and interpret it. I had encountered a culture that was entirely new to me.

Now, no longer the newest member of the Closed Loop Marketing team, I ask myself several questions. What sets these individuals apart from others? What have I learned that makes me one with the team? What are the most important tidbits to remember on a day-to-day basis at Closed Loop Marketing? What is Closed Loop Marketing’s culture all about?

What follows is a glimpse into what I’ve learned so far:

• There is an acronym for everything. Hence, moving forward, I will refer to Closed Loop Marketing as CLM.
• Spreadsheets are a must in any instance.
• IM (Instant Messaging)…Need I say more?
• However, never IM in the middle of someone’s “Go To Meeting.”
• All “in person” conversations are preceded by an IM.
• At 11:59 a.m. expect a “Lunch?” IM.
• Speaking of lunch, the menu item of the day should start with the same letter as the day of week. It doesn’t have to, but it helps. “Taco Tuesday, anyone?”
• Don’t be surprised when you receive emails at 2:00 a.m. Furthermore, you may also get an IM at that hour, which means you, too, are working.
• You have an account for every social media website available and you refer to it as “research.”
• You get excited when you “Stumble” a new great site and feel the need to share it.
• You refer to “conferences” as new and exciting teambuilding events.
• Your feelings get hurt “personally” when a blog feed service rejects your blog.
• You find yourself reading about SEO, CSS, as well as other technical books…for pleasure.
• Your “school girl” crush isn’t a cute boy but instead an industry guru.
• Getting Sphunn, Dugg, or Burst is a “good” thing and reason for celebration.

Finally, rather than simply telling a story by the water cooler, you “blog” about it … and are expected to.