Blog Tagging Is Too Much Work

Elizabeth Albrycht is crying out for someone to make "tagging" blog posts a little easier.

I want a cheat sheet sidebar I can drop onto my blog with pre-coded tags I can simply click on. Or maybe a drop down menu built into TypePad I can populate with my favorite tags. I'd like others to be able to tag my own posts (hey, share the workload). Until I have at least one of the first two, my tagging will always be sporadic and half-hearted.

I'd just like to see Blogger offer the ability to categorize my blog posts. I'm a loyal Blogger user, but com'on guys, time to deliver.

MapQuest Founder Enters Local Search Space

I was just think to myself that eWeek hadn't really published a good search engine article since Matt Hicks left to join a PR firm. Then low and behold, Ryan Naraine pops-up with this interesting story on Local Matters, a 150-employee start-up that hopes to become the dominant player in the local search space.

Using partnerships with directory listings services around the world, the Local Matters platform combines nifty online mapping technology with a comparison-shopping engine for local businesses, even those without an online presence...By returning search results for small businesses that do not have Web sites, Evans argues that his company can outperform local search services from Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp., America Online Inc. and Amazon.com's A9 engine.

I'm starting to feel claustrophobic. Seems like a new search engine is launched every day. Are there enough users to go round?

Google to Enter Classified Market?

Lot's of evidence points to Google preparing a search engine for classified ads.

Need a Few Good Men (and Women)

We're just a few days past the launch of Fortune Interactive and things are humming along nicely. We've eight full-time employees and have just taken on nine contractors...that's a lot of mouths to feed.

Anyway, we're not done hiring. We're looking to fill a number of positions including Sales Executives. If you have experience in selling to Fortune/Internet 1000 size companies and are in the Raleigh area, I'd love to hear from you. andy.beal@gmail.com.

We're also looking for Client Services Managers and SEM Technicians (especially those with PPC management experience).

Caveat: I know a lot of friends at WebSourced read this blog. Guys/Gals - you're all fabulously talented but I'm not looking to "raid the kitchen" here. Out of complete respect for Mr. L, we can't accept any of ya. Sorry.

Compile Your Own Search Index with Rollyo

Steve Rubel is liking Rollyo a new product that lets you compile your own search index.

Rollyo is a very smart idea. Any individual can set up a custom searchroll that searches within anywhere from one to 25 different sites.

Very cool if you're interested in compiling your own index of topic-specific sites. Look for Google to steal the idea soon. ;-)

Speaking at eComXpo October 6-8

It took a lot of coffee to get my presentation completed in time for next week's eComXpo. On one hand, the timing is great - what with the launch of Fortune Interactive. On the other hand, the timing sucks - what with the launch.

Anyway, I'm excited to be part of my first virtual trade show and I enjoyed preparing my session "Understand Your Future Audience Now - How Blogs Can Help You Refine Your Search Marketing Campaign".

The event is sure to be a hit and a bargain at just $29.95. You don't even have to change out of your Pooh-Bear pyjamas - I know I won't be. ;-)

Blogging and Podcasting Not Yet Reaching the Masses

According to a new Reuters story, "blogging" and "podcasting" are not yet common vocabulary for most people.

A survey of British taxi drivers, pub landlords and hairdressers -- often seen as barometers of popular trends -- found that nearly 90 percent had no idea what a podcast is and more than 70 percent had never heard of blogging.

Should we be concerned? Depends on who your target audience is. For me, I'm not exactly trying to reach taxi drivers, pub landlords or hairdressers with my marketing.

Yahoo Tests Branding Tools for Search Marketers

ClickZ reports on a new initiative by Yahoo to encourage marketers to use search for branding.

The company has been quietly beta testing two new tools with 10 to 15 of Yahoo!'s top advertisers and agencies for the past two months. Buzz Index -- not to be confused with the company's existing consumer-facing tool of the same name -- is a keyword discovery tool with attached demographic data, and Search Share of Voice is a metric analogous to the traditional marketing measurement. The tools are expected to be ready to be offered to a broader base of advertisers in the coming months.

A smart move to ensure the growth of paid search. Instead of search marketing being considered only for ecommerce situations, Yahoo can now tap into all the money being spent on branding and company awareness.

Oodle Brings Online Classifieds to Raleigh-Durham

Oodle continues to add new markets to their online classifieds search engine. Today they add my neck-of-the-woods, Raleigh.

Time to buy a "lovingly-used" golf club! ;-)

Search Engine Marketing Experts Andy Beal and Michael Marshall Launch Fortune Interactive LLC

It's been more than two months since I left WebSourced, but today I can finally reveal my next venture. Fortune Interactive.

I've pasted the press release below and the News & Observer has additional details. Thanks to all my friends and peers for their support and encouragement. I know that you hate me again - now that I am a competitor once more. ;-)

Search Engine Marketing Experts Andy Beal and Michael Marshall Launch Fortune Interactive LLC

Search engine marketing agency utilizes proprietary artificial intelligence; makes customer satisfaction top priority

Raleigh, NC – September 27th – Fortune Interactive LLC (www.FortuneInteractive.com), an interactive marketing firm specializing in search engine marketing, was officially launched today by co-founders and world renowned search engine experts, Andy Beal and Michael Marshall. Utilizing SEMLogic™, its proprietary technology that uses artificial intelligence to understand a client’s industry and competitors, Fortune Interactive promises to shake-up the search engine marketing (SEM) space.

Andy Beal, president and CEO of Fortune Interactive, is the former vice president of search marketing for WebSourced and KeywordRanking.com. Mike Marshall has more than 15 years of interactive marketing experience including degrees in linguistics and philosophy. Together, they have assisted with search marketing campaigns for hundreds of clients including many Fortune 500 companies.

“Fortune Interactive was conceived with two core goals in mind; increase our clients’ revenue while maintaining the highest levels of communication. The search marketing industry is suffering from growing-pains with relatively few companies able to maintain consistently high-levels of client satisfaction,” said Beal. “Fortune Interactive is created from the ground-up to provide our clients with the high-level of service and results they expect when engaging a search marketing agency”.

SEMLogic™ will provide Fortune Interactive’s clients with a competitive edge by analyzing a client’s competitive landscape and using artificial intelligence to continually evolve their search marketing campaign.

“SEMLogic allows us to examine a client’s industry, competition and key phrase selections. Using clustering and latent semantic indexing, SEMLogic allows us to conduct advanced research on behalf of our clients,” said Michael Marshall, vice president of technology and SEMLogic’s inventor. Added Marshall, “Unlike some tools which can overstep search engine guidelines, SEMLogic is used only for marketing research and not web site optimization. It allows our search marketing experts to continually evolve a client’s campaign.”

Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Fortune Interactive is a privately-held company with private investment from George Enterprises, also of Raleigh.

About Fortune Interactive
Fortune Interactive is a full service interactive marketing agency, specializing in search engine marketing. Co-founded by Andy Beal and Michael Marshall, Fortune Interactive utilizes SEMLogic™, its proprietary search research technology. The company is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and has eight full-time employees. Visit www.FortuneInteractive.com.