Google - Jeniffer Thompson

Posts Tagged ‘Google’

Google+ open to public beta

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

It’s official – Google+ has been opened up to public beta. Go on, go setup your account – you can read this anytime. Login to your Google account, then in the upper left corner click +YourName and it will walk you through the setup process. I was kind of giddy about the process—I’m pretty excited about Google+, it’s just so darn easy to use—it makes sense. The question is, will Google+ outstrip Facebook in popularity?

I’ll be posting as I explore and learn the G+ system. Feel free to share your thoughts with me and join me on Google+ too!

So far, the number one positive feedback I’m hearing is that G+ has excellent privacy features.

My favorite feature is the search functionality. It’s kind of like Twitter meets Facebook in the way that you can do a search for a specific keyword and you’ll get results for anyone who has posted publicly on that topic; then, you can create a Circle using that keyword name and add those interesting Plussers to your Circle. (Users are called Plussers by the way—no longer a “Twit,” now that’s a Plus).

Getting Started:

1. Set up your profile: you can share as little or as much as you feel comfortable sharing. (more…)

Tags: Google, Google Plus
Posted in General, Internet Marketing, Resources, Tweet this | No Comments »

Protect Your WordPress Website from Hackers + Get Results from Your Online Marketing Efforts!

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

In the last six months we have experienced a wave of hackers getting into our custom WordPress author websites. The problem is that hackers have realized how popular WordPress sites are (internationally); as a result, many of them focus on finding weaknesses and hacking into thousands (gosh maybe millions) of sites. Less work—more payout. The good news is that we are more diligent in our efforts to make you aware of the importance of keeping your site updated. Why? Because while the bad programmers are working to get in, the good WordPress programmers are working to keep them out. The bad news is that updating your site can cause errors due to conflicts with custom php code and plug-ins. Stay with me.

You can very easily click the Please Update Now link from your WordPress Dashboard. And it will update, but what can also happen is that your blog can quit working, your theme can get wiped out, your plug-ins could stop working, and your blog could be rendered useless. It could also work seamlessly. So, how do you know what yours will do? Well, you don’t. Each site is unique to this equation. That is why it is so important to back up your website and your database content.

At Monkey C Media we do a complete backup of your site so we are ready for any hiccups, and after each update we do a physical check to ensure that everything works properly.

At the risk of boring you to pieces, here’s an example: (more…)

Tags: Constant Contact, Facebook, Google, Internet Marketing, Plug-ins, Tools, Website, WordPress
Posted in Articles, Internet Marketing, March Newsletter, Newsletter, Resources, Tweet this, Website Wow | Comments Off

Turning SPAM Comments into Conversation Starters

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Lately I have been getting a ton of comments on my blog, and they seem like great comments, but sadly they are not—they are SPAM. Here’s how to weed out the SPAM from legitimate comments and how to use them to your advantage.

An example of a SPAM comment goes something like this: “This is really excellent weblog posting and really helpful i really appreciate the research you put into it.” Seems nice enough right? So, how do I tell it’s SPAM?

Here’s what to look for:

As you read the comment look for proper grammar, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but some mistakes are just not typical of English speaking persons.
Check for a legitimate email address, many SPAM comments come from a .ymail.com account.
Take a close look at the URL they included – it will often look like this: http:// powercashonline.com/casino-hot-deals-blog-marketing/ – people are typically hoping to get a back-link to their own blogs – this type of back linking is considered SPAM by Google.
Do they have a real name? Or do they use a company, or partial name with several numbers? This is a huge red flag.

You can SPAM, or trash this comment, or if you are looking to gain more comments, you can edit and keep the comment. Clean up the grammar and delete the URL they included, then you will have a nice comment on your blog, which is helpful in creating a conversation among your readers. It’s kind of like the wall flower syndrome, sometimes people are afraid to be the fist person to dance.

Tags: Blog, E-mail, E-mail address, Google, Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Spam, Uniform Resource Locator, Yahoo Mail
Posted in Internet Marketing, Tweet this, Website Wow | 4 Comments »

WordPress Sites Are Being Hacked

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

A Virus is embedding malware into WordPress powered websites:

Several of our client websites have been hacked this week. We discovered yesterday that they are attacking WordPress sites because of a vulnerability in the program—this has been addressed and a new version of WordPress is now available. Version 2.9.2. is the most recent version as of today May 18, 2010.

My team at Monkey C Media has spent the last two days scanning all of our client sites for any sign of this virus. Luckily only three of our sites were hacked. We were able to remove the malware without losing any content.

Who is Affected?

These hackers are not just attacking WordPress powered sites. They are injecting malware into PHP files. So, this means if you have a Drupal, Joomla, OsCommerce, or any other site that uses PHP files, you could be their next victim.

What should you do?

Upgrade your respective software to the most recent version.
Scan your site for alien files. You can contact your webmaster, or even your hosting service (like GoDaddy for example), or do it yourself.
Check your Users menu to make sure that no alien users have been created in your back-end that a hacker could use later after everything has been fixed—then it would start all over again.
Change your password. Make sure that you choose something that has a minimum of 8 digits including upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.
Ensure that your theme still works seamlessly, and that your plug-ins and SEO data still work properly
Install a backup feature on your site if you do not already have one and start backing up your content regularly
For those of you who love to read as much as possible and can handle the jargon, read this WordPress article about securing your blog site

What could happen?

This particular virus is creating links within your site that will in turn link back to the hacker’s site thereby driving traffic and further improving their rankings. Google has been said to sandbox a site with malware because of the obvious risk to security.

What others have to say:

If you would like to learn more about this nasty virus, please follow the below links:

Here’s what GoDaddy has to say on the subject
Here’s what people are saying on WordPress Forums

Tags: Drupal, Go Daddy, Google, Joomla, Malware, PHP, Website, WordPress
Posted in Resources, Tweet this | 3 Comments »

Blogging Demystified – Why Blogging Drives Traffic

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Articles about Blogging are for the most part boring. It’s the same story over and over: you should be blogging—blogging drives traffic—blogging is a great marketing tool…. And yet, most bloggers quit after a few weeks, or worse yet, never get started.

There are a slew of reasons people have for not blogging: I don’t have time. It doesn’t seem to be doing my site any good—no one reads my blogs? I don’t know what to blog about.

The truth is, blogging does help drive traffic, blogging will build your audience, and it will establish your name in the marketplace! The trick is this: you have to be patient and consistent. You won’t see results right away, in fact, it can take up to a year before your blog builds a steady and loyal following—but it will, and that’s the exciting part.

Admittedly, when you first start blogging, it may seem like you are stuck on a desert island pontificating to the palm trees. Persevere!! Those smoke signals will reach your market eventually, and here’s the best part: even if no one reads your blogs, search engine spiders do. Here’s how it works: the more you blog, the more relevant content (and keywords) you have for crawlers to index.

Let’s say for example you are trying to increase your ranking for the term “kids and guns.” Google will rank your site for this term if it appears in your site frequently and it is relevant to the other content of your site. The best way to ensure relevance for this term is to blog about it frequently—don’t overdo it though, always blog as if you are speaking directly to your audience, saying the same thing over and over is boring. Even if you don’t think you have an audience now, you will. With this example, after a few months of blogging, your site might start to appear in the search engines for “kids and guns,” and slowly people will start to find you, read your blog, and tell others about you. If your content is relevant to this topic, readers might subscribe to your RSS feed or book mark your blog.

You see, it’s not really about how many people are commenting on your blog—although it’s certainly nice to get feedback. In the beginning, it’s about creating content! You know that saying, if you build it they will come? Well, this is true, but you have to upkeep your blog by adding new content a minimum of once a week—otherwise the cobwebs will build up and no one will ever visit your blog—believe it or not, Internet spiders and crawlers don’t like cobwebs (bad Internet humor).

Chances are, if your inspired your readers will be too.

Tags: Blog, Google, Marketing, RSS, Search Engine Optimization, United States, Web crawler, Web search engine
Posted in Articles, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Tweet this | 3 Comments »

Google Alerts, Stay Informed and Manage Your Time

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

Google offers many support tools for authors. One of my favorites is Google Alerts. This is the clipping service of the Internet. I’m interested in Internet Marketing for Authors, so I ask Google to notify me anytime these words appear online.

I recommend that you setup a few Google Alerts for things you are interested in (five to ten). This will help you stay on top of new trends, research your topic, and also tell you what your competition is doing. Remember, it’s okay to share your findings with your readers, in fact they will appreciate it if you do all the research and become their number one resource for valuable content (think Huffington Post). While your at it, setup an alert for your name—you want to know what others are saying about you.

Word of caution: Too many alerts will clog up your in box and drive you crazy. Also, be specific. For example, I placed the alert for my name in quotes: “Jeniffer Thompson.” This ensures that I am notified when my complete name (spelled correctly) appears somewhere online. Otherwise I would get a notice for every Jennifer, Jeniffer, Jenniffer and or any other similar variation online (of which there are thousands).

When it comes to Internet Marketing you need to be mindful of how you spend your time lest you reach critical burn out and move to a cabin somewhere in the backwoods of Wyoming (that sounds pretty good).

Tags: Business, Companies, Google, Google Alert, Internet Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Search, search engines, Tools, twitter
Posted in Internet Marketing, Tweet this | Comments Off

Please Connect Me—Google’s 411 is FREE

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

: Image by filippo minelli via Flickr

When I was a little girl we got our first telephone when I was 14-years-old. It was very exciting. Of course, I didn’t really have anyone to call, so I called 411 frequently. I’d ask them for information, after all that’s what they are there for right—to give you information? I’d ask how to spell words, or maybe get some assistance with my math homework occasionally. Back then, most of the operators were women and they were in fact, very helpful. Until one day. I suppose my luck was bound to run out at some point—the woman who answered the 411 call was, in retrospect, ill-humored. Not amused, in the least. She reprimanded me and proceeded to shut off our phone service. Things were different back then. Well, long-story short. I had to explain the situation to my mom who then called 411 from a payphone (remember those?). She pleaded with the operator to turn our phone back on.

My how things have changed. And, of course so has 411. Which brings me to my point: Google’s new product, goog-411. Huh? Yep. It’s FREE and simple, though I’m willing to bet they won’t be helping anyone with their math homework.

Here’s how it works:

1. You dial, from any phone 1-800-goog-411.

2. State your location and what or who you’re looking for.

3. Get connected.

It’s voice activated and yes, it’s free, which is pretty darn cool and convenient.

Tags: Education, FREE, Google, K through 12, Math, Payphone, Telecommunications, Telephone
Posted in Resources, Tweet this | Comments Off

Be One With Your URL

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Word to the Wise: Don’t lose your URL. Many people are tempted to purchase a URL (domain name, like www.Jeniffer Thompson.com for example) for five years or more so they don’t have to think about it again. Well guess what—you do want to think about. I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve received from someone whose website went down because they let a URL expire. What’s worse, is that most of those people had no idea where they purchased the URL or how to get it back.

Quick TIP: if you can’t remember where you purchased your URL, you can find out here: http://whois.domaintools.com. This website will tell you who purchased it, when it expires/expired, and most importantly the email associated with that URL.

How does this happen? Well, a Registrar will notify you that a URL is getting ready to expire, but if you no longer use that email address, you’ll never get the notification. Once a URL expires, you have 30 days to get it back, otherwise it becomes available for purchase from anyone. Yikes.

With time, URLs become “seasoned.” This means that they are ranked and indexed by search engines like Google. This takes time and is valuable to your Internet Marketing efforts. If you lose your URL, you’ll have to start all over and that is, well, that’s unnecessarily tragic.

So, don’t think of your URL as something you need to buy and forget, think of it as your anchor, the foundation for all of your work. Without it, things begin to crumble, if not completely crash.

Tags: Business, Domain name, Google, Uniform Resource Locator, Web Design and Development, Web search engine, Website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Tweet this | Comments Off

The Value of Incoming Links and Anchor Text

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

One of the best ways to optimize your website and increase your visibility is to have lots of incoming links—that is, lots of sites that link to your site. The higher the number of incoming links you have, the higher you are ranked in search engines like Google. Of course, it’s best that these sites are already ranked in Google and have a certain amount of popularity. Think of it like you would the schoolyard politics of popularity: Let’s say you have 150 really unpopular friends in junior-highschool (follow me here), this doesn’t make you popular—you are judged in accordance with whom you hang with. This is also true with Google’s ranking system. If 150 unranked sites link to you, you have gained nothing. However, if 10 really popular, highly-ranked sites link to you, Google assumes you have something of value to offer and they increase your ranking, and you gain more visibility.

But this is not why I decided to write on this subject. What I really want to talk about is anchor text and how you can leverage it to promote yourself online.

Whenever you add a link to your site (even within the pages of your own site) the words that people click on (the link) is called anchor text. For example, if you use the word “here” as the clickable word (the link) that people click on to learn more, you are highlighting “here” as the notable subject. I’m sure you have seen this – click HERE to learn more and then you physically click “here.” This used to be common practice, especially for people leading visitors to pages within the same site. The truth is, this is a missed opportunity to promote your subject and optimize your site for a viable term. It is better to use words that describe what you are promoting. What you really want to promote and optimize for is your company name, or maybe your book name, or your product name, or maybe a service you offer.

For example: let’s say I want to promote my speaking service (which I do). I could tell you to click here to learn more about my speaking topics OR I could say something like: Jeniffer Thompson is a professional speaker…. OR Jeniffer Thompson offers seminars on Internet Marketing for authors.

Because I have used a keyword phrase as my link (my anchor text) Google will index my site for that term. And, if someone does a Google search for “seminars on Internet Marketing for authors,” they just might find my site—because Google now ranks my site for that term. The more this term appears on my site—the more Google will view it as relevant content and the higher I will appear in the search engines for that term.

So, next time you are writing a blog post, remember this: A blog post is a link. Strategically choose words that you want indexed in the search engines. Of course, make sure it’s relevant to your topic or people will never take you seriously and ultimately, every time you write content for your site you should be speaking directly to your audience, not to a search engine.

That’s all for now. I look forward to adding more tips weekly, so check back soon.

Oh, one more thing: Jeniffer Thompson offers seminars on Internet Marketing for authors (hee hee)

Tags: Add new tag, Anchor text, Google, Internet Marketing, promote online, Ranking, Search, Search Engine, Search Engine Optimization, Tools, Web Design and Development, Web search engine, Website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Website Wow | 1 Comment »