Your ad position will still depend on quality score, your overall budget and other factors, but at least now you’ll have an idea of the amount of cash it takes to get your ad to the top of the heap.
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Google Adwords: How much does it cost to get to the top?
We’re excited to announce a new metric in AdWords, top of page bid estimates, to provide additional assistance in optimizing your ads to show above the search results. Analogous to first page bid estimates, this metric approximates the cost-per-click (CPC) bid needed for your ad to appear regularly in the top positions above the search results.Inside Adwords: Google Official Blog
The downfall of Facebook
The changes are designed to address some of the biggest frustrations by third-party developers and marketers on Facebook: standing out in the News Feed.Shayndi Raice and Emily Steel
The quote above is from the Wall Street Journal about the possible addition of new ads in your Facebook News Feed (the stream of statuses that you see when you initially login to your account). Note: This is similar to the promoted tweets that Twitter recently introduced.
I’m not sure I can put an actual date on when my mood and feelings toward Facebook changed. It used to be all the rage – checking up on friends, sharing photos and getting input on important life decisions from your closest friends.
Today, Facebook feels like a chore – blocking and hiding irritating “friends” who seeming take to Facebook for two reasons – (1) to bitch about the horrible experience they had at {insert store here} or (2) to play {insert annoying game here}. I’m no longer leaning toward my screen, engrossed in the content, but instead covering my eyes and holding my nose from the rancid stench of rotting brains.
Retailers aren’t fairing much better. Lame post after lame post has me nearly comatose. I mean, the only reason I liked you is because you offered me a free chicken sandwich. Why not go clean the restrooms that I complained about on your page last week?
Facebook put themselves in this position. Before they introduced sponsored stories and apps that leaked all your information to third parties, they essentially decided to play both sides of the fence. The site began with only user profiles, but then businesses wanted in. The fan page was created and marketers rejoiced. They could interact and “engage” in conversations with their customer. Facebook liked (see the pun there) this because businesses meant deep pockets and lots of revenues.
See, the thing is, for every change that Facebook makes to their platform (which they have every right to do), they take something away from either the users or the advertisers. Rarely has a change benefited both parties. And since Facebook has plenty of users who are addicted out of their mind, the changes usually benefit the advertisers. It’s like the cigarette industry is behind this or something.
I could get all cliche’ and use the “It’s not you, it’s me” line, but I think it’s actually you (Facebook) this time. I’m not worried that I’m being tracked or what you might do with my data, it’s just that I’ve got too many problems of my own. I no longer want to spend my precious time lining someone else’s pockets and cleaning up the social mess you’ve made. I think I’ll be deleting my Facebook account soon… if that’s even possible.
Update:
The Atlantic Wire has a piece with updated information about the addition of ads in your stream.
Warren Buffet giving us a quick lesson on incentive
I could end the deficit in 5 minutes. You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP all sitting members of congress are ineligible for reelection.Warren Buffett
Right now we’re at 11% deficit to GDP. Via 37Signals
What’s your life going to look like in two, three, five years if you continue to do what you’re doing?
If your job is mediocre, sit down and do an exercise on paper to really run through what your life is going to look like in two, three, five years if you continue to do what you’re doing. What options are you going to have?Tim Ferriss
This is a quote from Tim Ferriss from a January interview with 37 Signals. I like the guy, but in small doses. The part that intrigues me about him is that he challenges himself and tries to do things that really matter to him. Things that others are often too timid to admit to wanting or even attempting.
The bulk of this article is about his most recent book, The 4-Hour Body, but this quote really stuck out to me. Not just in your work, but in other areas of your and my life. If you stay on your current path, what’s your current life going to look like in two to five years? Really makes me want to get off twitter and Facebook and get to writing a book, making strong relationships with my friends or creating something that I’m passionate about.
Foursquare users are checking out
In July 2010, Foursquare had 2 million users performing 1 million check-ins per day. By the end of the year, that number had risen to 5 million users performing 2 million check-ins per day. Impressive growth, yet this means check-ins per user declined from 0.5 per person to 0.4. It also suggests that many of those five million users aren\'t active.ReadWriteWeb
I know my check-ins have dramatically declined in the past 6 months. I might check in once or twice a week just to see who is nearby.
The news is worse for Facebook Places and Yelp (who already had huge user bases before implement check-in services). See this chart from Business Insider.
I’m not sure I can put my finger on the reason for this backslide. Did the game of collecting badges grow weary on users? Are the likes of Foursquare and Gowalla geared towards early-adapters? Has the value of checking-in declined?
QR codes have one foot in the grave
Users will no longer find unique QR codes in their Places accounts. We’re exploring new ways to enable customers to quickly and easily find information about local businesses from their mobile phones.Google
I’ve used QR codes in the past and I have a lot of friends that are very high on them, but I’m with Google on this one. QR codes are too limiting and near field communication is the future. QR codes have 6-12 months self-life left in my opinion (or whenever Apple comes out with their new iPhone).
If you think about it, to use a QR code, someone must have a smart phone, know and recognize what a QR code is, download an app, align their phone just right and scan it in hopes that it’s something they’re interested in. With NFC, you simply tap your phone against the target and the information is beamed to your phone.
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