Rock Island Group - Online and Offline Marketing

America's Got Talent (Chicago)-Terry Fator

2008-08-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

bloguerrilla - Guerrilla Marketing

2008-08-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

BRILLIANT MARKETING

2008-08-05T21:06:00.001-07:00

Seth Godin: Sliced bread and other marketing delights

2008-08-05T21:05:00.003-07:00

Bill Hicks on Marketing

2008-08-05T21:05:00.001-07:00

Nikesh Arora at the Marketing Society Annual Conference

2008-01-16T21:11:00.001-08:00

Steve Jobs Macworld 2008 Keynote in 60 Seconds

2008-01-16T09:24:00.001-08:00

Benazir Bhutto Assasination Video; and News

2007-12-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

Benazir Bhutto was the joins her father and two brothers as a victim of political malice. Her father was executed, Two of her brothers also suffered violent deaths.

President Bush encouraged Pakistan to not let this derail their January 8th elections, and road to democracy.

Read More Here

Marketing With RockIslandGroup

2007-12-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

Do you want to learn more about marketing? Well what are you waiting for click here to learn more about what marketing can do for your business.

First McDonalds Commercial

2007-12-12T08:57:00.001-08:00

1971 Kentucky Fried Chicken Commercial

2007-12-12T08:56:00.001-08:00

Retromercial: Kentucky Fried Chicken (1971)

2007-12-12T08:55:00.001-08:00

Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial - 1969

2007-12-12T08:54:00.001-08:00

TheWatchery knows how to do marketing! FREE WATCHES

2007-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

TheWatchery is having a FREE watch Giveaway on selected watches and 80% off other watches. Now that is how you want to start the holidays.

David Speaks about Marketing On the Internet

2007-12-05T23:54:00.001-08:00

Internet Marketing NYC

Has Real World Ad Delivery Taken to Spam

2007-11-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

It's always interesting to see what companies do to get recognition. I understand the value of these ads, but come on, who ever is doing this, is this the best innovation you could think of for ad delivery?
I can assure you that it is not the most effective usage of his money. (he can get the same passerby's without spending money on scooters. In fact, I have seen during the summer regular bicycles pulling billboards in the city.

It just goes to prove that retail truly is driven by demographics, and some companies don't think twice about shoving ads in your face.

I am just waiting for street lights to start playing video ads... (when you see the macy's ad, that means stop. Sprint that means slow down, and everything else means go!)

20 Million Unique Visitors?

2007-11-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

Black Friday 2007 Bestbuy rush! Black Friday List

2007-11-15T13:49:00.001-08:00

Freecreditreport.com pirate song jingle

2007-11-15T12:59:00.001-08:00

Today's Hot Trends - On google (USA)

2007-11-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Today's Hot Trends (USA)

1. irobot roomba discovery se

2. www.carma.org

3. pentane

4. carma.org

5. carma

6. liberty dollar

7. hedgehog fat sun

8. new york bar results

9. lasagna rolls

10. who was the oldest person ever elected president

More Hot Trends

Countries that are not the USA

2007-11-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

On Thursday and Friday of this week, Gillian and I will be attending SMX London - the SMX conference series' second European station. As opposed to the three conferences I've attended in the past (Pubcon 2006, SES New York 2007 and SMX Seattle this past June), I'm going to be taking part in a panel in London. I've mentioned this once before, but as I'm leaving tomorrow, things are about to get real.

I'm not actually terribly nervous about speaking in front of an audience: the video camera for Whiteboard Friday troubles me much more. I like the idea of having a room full of people whom I can actually see. With a live audience, you can make eye-contact, scan the room, gauge people's demeanor and their reaction to your presentation. You can make subtle changes to your presentation accordingly. The hot glare of the studio lights and the judgmental eye of the camera give you no idea of how many people you're "talking to" and give you even less idea of how they're reacting to your blathering.

And it's not as though I have no experience performing in front of a crowd. However, the difference between athletics and public speaking is that, generally, athletes aren't required to face their spectators. At worst, there'll be part of the stadium facing you, but it is fifty meters away and you don't have to look anyone in the eye if you don't want to.

As if you all couldn't guess, my panel at London is about linkbait. I'll be giving a brief introduction to linkbait, although I'm pretty certain that most people attending a linkbait session have at least an elementary grasp on the concept. Thus, most of my presentation will be concerning creating linkbait for the "real world," where clients aren't particularly keen on the The Next 9 Children's Characters That Should Come Out of the Closet, no matter how many diggs it would receive.

This trip is also exciting to me for a couple of other reasons besides being my first speaking engagement.

I haven't been out of North America since 2004. I haven't left the United States since 2005, when I spent three days in Vancouver, Canada. Which is... how to say this delicately... very similar to Seattle.

I'm from New Zealand, which still suffers from being Britain Junior, as well as being Australia's Mini-Me. I've not been to either of those places since 2003. That's a long time spent driving on the right-hand side of the road and not being able to acquire good fish and chips.

I wasn't allowed to leave the United States since my student visa ran out after I graduated from college. I received a work permit and then began the process of applying for residency, but if I'd left, I'd not have been able to return. Since my husband and my parents all live here, that would have been undesirable. Strangely, being allowed to live and work in the U.S. doesn't automatically allow you to re-enter after a trip away. That process requires more paperwork and more fees, so I just waited for the Green Card.

SEO Moz

Black Friday is coming up in about a week!

2007-11-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Black Friday Sales is the day after Thanksgiving and is the beginning of the traditional Black Friday Christmas shopping season in the Black Friday United States. Since Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November, Black Friday may be as early as the 23rd and as late as the 29th day of November. Black Friday Retailers often decorate for the Christmas season weeks before Black Friday. Many Black Friday retailers open very early (typically 5 A.M.) and offer Black Friday doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw Black Friday people to their stores.

Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Black Friday Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1970s.

"Black Friday" was originally so named because of the heavy traffic on that Black Friday day, although most contemporary uses of the term refer instead to it as the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a Black Friday profit).

The news media frequently but not always accurately refer to Black Friday as the busiest retail Black Friday shopping day of the year.

While it has been one of the busiest Black Friday days in terms of Black Friday customer traffic, in terms of actual sales volume, from 1993 through 2001 Black Friday was usually the fifth to tenth busiest day. In 2002 and 2004, however, Black Friday ranked second place.

The busiest retail Black Friday shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) usually has been the Saturday before Christmas. In 2003 and 2005, however, Black Friday actually did reach first place.

In some cities it's not uncommon to see shoppers lined up hours before stores with big sales open. Once inside the stores shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have only a few of the big draw items. Electronics and popular toys are often the most sought after items and may be sharply discounted.

Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often will cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began lining up at various stores and providing video of the shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items.

Traditionally Black Friday sales were intended for those shopping for Christmas gifts. For some particularly popular items, some shop these sales in order to get deep discounts on items they can then resell, typically Black Friday online.

Here is what people look for on Black Friday!

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Millions of searches are conducted each day

2007-11-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch, a search engine optimization blog compiled a great list of trends and top keyword data a while back...

Here is what he writes.

Millions of searches are conducted each day on popular search engines by people all around the world. What are they looking for? A number of major search engines provide a way to glimpse into the web's query stream to discover the most popular search keywords or topics. These are:

* AOL Hot Searches: Top current queries, or see those in the last hour, last day and within particular categories.

* Ask IQ: See top searches at Ask.

* Dogpile SearchSpy: Choose to see either a filtered or non-filtered sample of top, real-time search terms from this popular meta search service. Sister site MetaCrawler offers a similar MetaCrawler MetaSpy service.

* Google Trends: Allows you to tap into Google's database of searches, to determine what's popular. View the volume of queries over time, by city, regions, languages and so on. Compare multiple terms, as well. See our review: Google Trends: Peer Into Google's Database Of Searches.

* Google Zeitgeist: What people are searching for at Google and its associated specialty services in a variety of categories. There are versions for various countries, as well.

* Lycos 50: Long-standing service showing top searches at Lycos each week.

* MSN Search Insider: Top 200 queries on MSN Search (annoyingly in random order), top "movers" in TV, sports and music, and a "duels" feature pitting top queries in a race against each other.

* Yahoo Buzz Index: Shows you what's hot and what's not in terms of search topics at Yahoo.

Also see:

* dWoz Search Phrase Lists: Great directory of services like those above, for search engines large and small, across the web. Also see the Search Spies & Voyuers category.

* Google AdWords Keyword Tool: Enter a term or terms, the use the drop-down box to see the popularity of terms and popularity over time.

* Yahoo Keyword Selector Tool: Formerly called the Overture Keyword Selector Tool and the Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool before that, this free service is primarily designed to help advertisers who wish to select terms to target with ads on the Yahoo network. But you can use it to see how popular particular terms are.

* Researching Keywords: For Search Engine Watch members, this provides an annotated rundown on key tools useful for search marketers needing to perform search research for their campaigns.

* Search Term Research and Search Behavior: These categories of Search Engine Watch's Search Topics area compile articles on the subject of how people search from across the web and stretching back to 1997. Available only to Search Engine Watch members.

With Google AdWords, it's all about results. PPC

2007-11-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

With Google AdWords, it's all about results. Optimization means taking steps to get the results you want by improving the quality and performance of your account – without raising costs. We've designed these optimization strategies to help you achieve success with your advertising campaigns. All you need to do i call Rock Island Group and we can show you how to SAVE money on google PPC adwords. 212-576-1155 or on our marketing website

AtlanticTime.com Acquired by TheWatchery.com

2007-11-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

Luxi Group sells AtlanticTime.com to focus efforts on re-launch of Ashford.com.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 13, 2007 -- Luxi Group, LLC announced today the sale of high-end luxury watch online retailer, AtlanticTime.com, to TheWatchery.com. AtlanticTime.com's product offering and customer base is focused on the high-end and specialty niche watches. TheWatchery.com, a recognized luxury watch online retailer, will utilize AtlanticTime.com to spur their growth in the high-end luxury marketplace.

Eli Katz, chief executive officer of Luxi Group, explained, "We are focused on re-launching the Ashford.com brand, which has traditionally catered to the mid-market luxury watch segment. AtlanticTime.com is a fantastic web property with a great selection of luxury watches and a superb reputation of servicing Internet clients. Strategically, Ashford.com's focus on the wider web audience is at odds with AtlanticTime.com's highly targeted luxury focus."

Read More Click on marketing link: Marketing News

Are You Entitled to Damages from Facebook?

2007-11-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

With Facebook's new ad delivery system in place, it appears they may be violating your privacy rights, and you might just be entitled to a chunk of that 15 billion everyone's talking about.

First raised by Nick O'neill on his blog, apparently in the state of new york, it is illegal to deliver ads with images of people without prior written consent. Facebook's terms of service right now does not cover this little problem .

With the new ad delivery system, a user will see ads with pictures of his friends that are also interested in that ad. Those images are illegal advertising according legal professor William Macgeveran.

Here is the full post...

Google Toolbar Pagerank Update: SEOmoz.org's take

2007-11-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Last week we saw some interesting changes in the rankings of many websites, and seomoz.org,
the one stop shop for search related information, ran some aggregate studies to figure out what exactly happened.

Here is his TBPR stats and their take:

These tests were run on 10/24/2007 between 3pm and 10:32pm PST

32,856 domains surveyed
0 experienced a gain in Page Rank
1,264 experienced a drop in Page Rank
31,592 experienced no change in Page Rank
0% gained Page Rank
3.8% lost Page Rank

The above does lead one to believe that a change has taken place. What makes it more interesting is that after combing through the top 5 biggest losers, we had confirmed that they all indeed contain paid links. This leads one to believe that perhaps there are some Rodkas present amongst those initially reporting the problem ;)

While this isn't really at all that encouraging, it doesn't really seem as bad as some made it out to be... We then caught wind that there would be a second round of "adjustments," so we re-ran our tests.

This occurred on 10/29/2007 between 12:19pm and 5:28pm PST. This time around we found that a great number of pages experienced a page rank increase.

5,499 pages gained in toolbar PageRank
1 page jumped 6 points
4 pages jumped 5 points
35 jumped 4 points
211 jumped 3 points
1,054 jumped 2 points
4,194 jumped 1 point

But, with the good does come the bad.

9,527 pages experienced a drop in rank this time.

This wave seems much more significant than the initial changes, as the differences in rank are much more dramatic. The pages that dropped in the first round fell at the very most, by 4 points. This time around we saw drops as large as 7 points. However, the pages that took those big hits don't seem to be operating under the guise of legitimacy, but rather are all parked and/or offline. A very interesting observation is some of Google's competitors dropped (albeit by a single point, but still a drop [Yahoo, Altavista, Microsoft, etc]). This could mean nothing, as Google.fr appears to have dropped ranks as well. At a glance it appears that many sites did lose page rank for untold reasons. However, the sites that dropped by the greatest margin did contain paid links.

To read more, and see the enlightening comments click here.

Facebook | May Trappler

2007-10-31T03:41:00.000-07:00

Facebook | May Trappler

"THE SECRET"

2007-10-24T18:01:00.001-07:00

The Reason you should be doing Web 2.0 Marketing

2007-10-11T09:53:00.001-07:00

Has Boss Vader left his evil empire to play bingo in Boca Raton

2007-10-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from David Kiley's blog post yesterday on Businessweek.com http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2007/10/steinbrenner_a.html

The Yankees lost their series to Cleveland. Lots of Yankee haters are happy. Yankee fans are disgusted. Whether or not the fans blame the pitching, Alex Rodriguez's quiet bat, Joe Torre or general manager Brian Cashman, one thing is certain. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner somewhere along the way totally lost sight of his own brand.

I'm not talking about the Yankee brand, but the Steinbrenner brand. Time was that "Big Stein," as he was known on Seinfeld, defined the image of an executive who was bold, risk-taking, brash, a doer.

Has the Boss, George Steinbrenner, finally lost his dramatic will and flair? Is the "CEO" of the most historic franchise in all of sports beginning to move away from his responsibilities and public appearances ?The next few days will play a large part in answering these question, as we await news on whether Joe Torre will avoid the guillotine and get invited back as the Yankee manager.

In the past, outspoken and outrageous George would have most certainly fired (and maybe re-hired once or twice) Torre at the end of one of the last few seasons which ended in failure, or at least early this season when the team was 15 games behind Boston. New old and withdrawn looking George of today gets convinced to keep Torre through early season disappointment and post-season-failure before issuing a meek-sounding "beat Cleveland or be gone" once the Yankees were already down two games in last week’s playoff series defeat.

Now, if I was CEO of a well established company, which had an unprecedented run of success in the late nineties under the leadership of a calming father-figure like senior manager (or COO, President), and then we came back towards the pack for the past several years, I would handle things a quite differently.

Instead of living by the edict of "World Series or failure" which determines the success or failure of the Steinbrenner/Yankees brand each year, I would instead use an even simpler concept to get my message through: EVOLVE OR DISSOLVE.

Simply put today's winning ways could be tomorrow's old news and therefore adaptation to your environment is the key to enduring success. So, though my company was successful in the nineties using a internet-research heavy approach to business, we would have needed to adjust our approach and expand our methods of operations in order to keep up our competitive advantage in today's internet savvy world.

Similarly, though no one can deny the success that: a) the Yankees had during their championship run, which was fueled by an "anyone-can-be-brought-in-at-any-cost" approach, and b) Joe Torre had with his "I'm your friend" attitude to coaching and management (reminiscent of Boston manager John McNamara leaving Bill Buckner, an tremendous defensive liability, at first base in the '86 World Series in order to "honor" the veteran leader by keeping him on the field for the imminent championship celebration), it seems evident from our more recent results that change is necessary and probably a few years overdue in order to bring back the World Series trophy to the Bronx.

Again, I would be rather uncomfortable if the brand I put my life into building up slowly crawled to mediocrity in this manner. it makes me wonder if Mr. Steinbrenner has simply lost the will or ability to continue fighting.

New York City Councilman James Oddo may have had a meltdown!

2007-10-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

FOX NEWS reports on James Oddo

NEW YORK — New York City Councilman James Oddo may have had a meltdown during his first experience with gotcha satire media, but he wasn’t about to go down without a fight.

Dropping the “f-word” no fewer than 16 times in the course of what has become a popular You Tube video, Republican Oddo became irate when he realized the attractive, seemingly harmless young reporter who sat before him last week for an interview in his office was really a comedienne of note for the Norwegian program "Rickets Rost," a sort of Scandinavian "Daily Show w/Jon Stewart."

Click here to see the YouTube video. Warning: contains offensive

The video of James Oddo , which garnered more than 44,174 hits on YouTube as of midday Wednesday, shows Oddo exploding at reporter Pia Haraldsen, 26, after she asked whether Obama could legally run for office because he is African American, and about Hillary’s “cigar,” an obvious reference to President Bill Clinton’s scandal-ridden affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

James Oddo blasted the woman, telling her repeatedly to “get the f—ck out of my office,” at one time telling her he would beat “the sh—t” out of them if she and her camera crew didn’t get out fast enough.

Oddo, who is up for borough president as a representative of both Staten Island in 2009, was unapologetic in a follow-up interview with FOX News.
Anyone who thinks they are going to come in and waste time while mocking him and other American leaders like the Clintons, while implicitly saying “America is a racist nation ... I’m going to throw you out of my office,” Oddo said. He apparently did apologize to his mother for the curse words James Oddo was upset.

The city councilman was somewhat more introspective in a NY1 cable news television interview.
Click here to read the NY1 article.

“My language was inappropriate, I'm apologetic for it, I regret it,” said Oddo. “I don't regret the sentiment. In fact, I think that people across the country will see that I reacted the same way any Staten Islander walking down Hylan Boulevard would have reacted.”

James Oddo Tried to talk to us but we didnt want to listen.

"It could be hurtful in that everyone expects their representatives to be civil. However, it is tough to be civil when you’re being set up,” Democratic consultant and lobbyist George Artz told the newspaper. “This is such a miniscule issue. It won’t affect anybody, and he was scammed.”
Others have suggested the video celebrity will boost his image with no-nonsense New Yorkers.
For her part, Haraldsen, 26, seemed unruffled and even jazzed by the interview and the media attention she was getting for it.
When asked by FOX News in an on-air phone interview on Wednesday, the “reporter” said she was used to angry responses, and in the case of Oddo thought it was an attractive character trait.
“I think Mr. Oddo’s reaction was quite normal and I’ve always been fond of men with a temperament,” the heavily-accented Haraldsen said, adding that she wouldn’t mind having Oddo as a “rumba and salsa” partner on "Dancing with the Stars," a reference that indicates she is perhaps more of an American celebrity-seeker than an Ali G protégé.

James Oddo

"FLOWER SLIDE SHOW SPONSER BY REMINISCENT ROSE"

2007-09-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

...

2007-09-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-623893695021395583&q=reminiscent+rose&total=26&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

"RACIAL CRIME CAUGHT ON TAPE"

2007-09-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

"BREAK DANCE GRANDMA"

2007-09-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

"JUSES LOVES EVEN YOU"

2007-09-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

"voted the best commercial of 2006"

2007-09-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hotest Searches On Google Today

2007-09-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

britney spears vma performance

Here is the Video

via britney spears vma performance

MONDAYS VS THURSDAYS

2007-09-05T14:06:00.001-07:00

BANNED COMERCIAL

2007-09-05T14:03:00.001-07:00

COKE VS PEPSI

2007-09-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Shaq gets divorced and rock island group is talking about it.

2007-09-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Shaq divorce news is true. Shaquille O’Neal and his wife of five years, Shaunie Nelson, filed divorce papers Tuesday in Miami. While there is a prenup, the Shaq divorce isn’t going to be pretty. Seems Shaq is accusing Shaunie of financial shenanigans and hiding significant marital assets.

Shaq, 35, and Shaunie, 32, were wed Dec. 26, 2002, in a lavish wedding ceremony at the ritzy Beverly Hills Hotel. Shaq, then still with the L.A. Lakers, gave Shaunie a wedding ring with a honking 17 carats of diamonds. Here are some wedding photos of Shaq and Shaunie:

Read more on our website shaq divorce

Is video really worth it?

2007-09-05T07:29:00.001-07:00

Are video e-mails worth the trouble?

Answer: Adopters of online video in the last year have been reporting stellar jumps in action—with both their Web sites and their newsletters—when using videos to get their messages across. Even the simplest of videos can engage site visitors and e-mail subscribers in a way that plain text and HTML are often unable to do.

If you choose video to help revive your e-mail messages, there are a few formats currently in use that you should consider:

Automatic streaming video. This format launches the video as soon as the subject line is clicked; it’s also known as an e-mail message open. This format has its limitations. It only works well with some e-mail clients, and in some cases the video doesn’t begin streaming until the recipient guides their mouse over the e-mail thumbnail. Automatic streaming has the risk of being perceived as too intrusive by recipients.
Click-to-play video. Instead of streaming the second they are opened, click-to-play e-mail videos begin playing as soon as the recipient clicks the “play” symbol on the video thumbnail image. One immediate advantage is that recipients maintain control from the beginning of the viewing experience; the video will not start playing until the recipient initiates it. He or she will then be able to advance the video, pause it, adjust the volume or click through to the sender’s site when it’s convenient for them.
Attached videos. Attached videos are the least recommended format to use. Many e-mail services have a tendency to block images from rendering in e-mails, especially messages from first time e-mailers. Some service providers have even been known to block HTML e-mails in their entirety, although this practice has tapered off in the last few years; now, such providers simply block all images from rendering until the in-box owner gives permission.

Video e-mails, if delivered correctly, have the power of newness to revive an uninterested or inactive e-mail subscriber list. However, this newness will not last forever, and video e-mail recipients will still need relevant content that speaks directly to their needs.

http://www.btobonline.com

Water

2007-08-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

Annoying Answring Machine Message Leaving Guy

2007-08-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

How Corporations are embracing Social Media Marketing

2007-08-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

A Mckinsey global survey recently interviewed executives from around the world about their approach to Web 2.0

Here are the highlights...

* More than three-fourths of executives who responded to a McKinsey survey say they plan to maintain or increase their investments in technology trends that encourage user collaboration, such as peer-to-peer networking, social networks, and Web services.
* More than half say they are pleased with their past Internet investments, though some regret not boosting their own capabilities to exploit technology. More executives said they should have acted faster than slower.
* Retailers, who consider their companies cautious investors in the past, are stepping up their pace today. Similarly, many executives in emerging markets such as India and Latin America intend to move more quickly to capture the perceived benefits of these technologies.
* In a follow-up discussion, respondents describe how these innovations are creating a new way of bringing technology into businesses, one that is easier to implement and more flexible than traditional top-down approaches. They also offered insights into how and why their companies are using Web 2.0 and where these technologies may offer a sustained competitive edge.

To learn more about Web 2.0 and how you can stay ahead of your competition please feel free to contact Rock Island Group via Skype, or online at http://rockislandgroup.com

Facebook Numbers from Facebook's Corporate Communications Staff

2007-08-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Shel Israel recently requested growth number for Facebook directly from their Corporate Communications Staff. The response he received exceed even the most staggering numbers projected. Here are the highlights.

* Over 150,000 registrants daily. That's 1 million a week since January.
* 35 million users today. Of course that number will be off a million one week from today.
* Half user are outside college. That number was zero in Sept. 2006.
* 0ver 40 billion page views in May 2007
* Average visitor stays 20 minutes
* Most growth is among people over age 25.
* 47,000 Facebook groups.
* #1 photo sharing app on the web. 2.7 billion photos on site.
* More than 2000 applications. The Top 10 are: Top Friends, Video, Graffiti, MyQuestions, iLike, FreeGifts, X Me, Superpoke!, Fortune Cookie & Horoscopes. The smallest of these has over 4.5 million users.

Facebook has clearly become a platform which any marketing firm would be foolish to overlook. Sure the methods of communicating with your target consumers may seem unconventional, and being upfront with the public is a frightening. Still, the times are a'changin, and inorder to thrive, one must roll with the punches and adapt as needed.

To learn more about Rock Island Group's comprehensive approach to social media marketing please feel free to call our New York City offices, or visit us at our website, http://rockislangroup.com

Laser Etching Advertisements on Eggs

2007-08-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

From the Denver Post and ColoradoBiz Magazine...

It's not often that an idea can change an industry for the better, but when former New York stockbroker Bradley Parker saw a television program on the dangers of bad eggs in 1998, he began searching for a way to ensure the eggs he bought were fresh.

Thus began EggFusion, a Deerfield, Ill.-based company that aims to promote freshness and deliver ads through etching on eggs.

After six years of research with Boulder-based technologists, EggFusion began using laser light to permanently apply freshness and traceability coding, as well as advertisements, to individual eggs. Unlike current freshness coding on egg cartons, etching is tamper-proof and stays with the egg even after it is removed from the carton.

The etching process, which only penetrates 5 percent of the shell (between 50 and 90 micrometers), is the only USDA approved etching solution for eggs and provides consumers and retailers with "peace of mind," said EggFusion's chief operating officer Scott Burns.

"We don't allude to creating a fresher, better product," Burns said. "We clearly state it — we gather the information about the processing environment to hold people more accountable and to provide peace of mind."

Read the full story at ColoradoBiz Magazine.

This is The Way to Sell......

2007-08-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Reverend Martin Luther King Delivers His Most
Famous Address: "I Have a Dream"

Alisande Chan Next Internet Marketing Millionaire Finalist

2007-08-14T11:50:00.001-07:00

Most Viewed Video All Time On You Tube - Evolution of Dance

2007-08-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

Most Viewed Video All Time On You Tube - Evolution of Dance

Simon And Garfunkel › I Am A Rock

2007-08-13T15:27:00.001-07:00

Gmail Contest - Rock Island Marketing Group

2007-08-09T10:39:00.001-07:00

Search Engine Chart

2007-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a Search Engine Chart for services provided by these Search engines. There is a lot of financial and other information, including partnerships (where their results are found) that can aid in search engine marketing SEM research.

http://www.ihelpyou.com/search-engine-chart.html

The latest Search Engine Relationship Chart™. This chart shows the data relationships between the search engines. This is the chart everybody has on their wall!

Rock Island Group Services we provide!

2007-07-16T15:11:00.001-07:00

Rock Island Group is your full service marketing and business development firm. We understand your needs and objectives. We understand your target market and competition. We make sure that you are on top of your industry. Our services produce proven results. We are here to help you succeed.

Our Services Include:

Design- We provide full design services for all your online and offline marketing and brand development needs.

Direct-Mail – We provide multiple forms of direct targeted mailings and other merchandising invitations through various distribution channels.

List Brokerage- We have access to millions of opt-in subscriber services allowing our clients access to the scope of their target market.

Publicity and Advertising- We provide content based and solicitation print advertising including press releases and news articles published in recognized publications and newswires. We also provide insert media and distribution, and product placement.

Promotions- We provide trackable sales promotions via multiple avenues. We provide coupons, discounts, contests, point of purchase marketing, and rebates.

Printing- We provide full printing services to supplement all your various marketing and business development efforts.

The Original Numa Numa - OVER 4million hits on you tube!

2007-07-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO

2007-07-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

5 Characteristics of Marketing 2.0 and Why You Should Care

2007-07-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

If you’re online at all these days, you probably hear a lot about Web 2.0. Marketing 2.0. is the counter to the latest engaging tools of technology. Here are five characteristics of Marketing 2.0:

• First, it is interactive. No longer are we forced to sit on the couch and take our daily dose of advertising. We now can jump in the television (or computer) and change the color of the background, choose what pose the personality takes, and tell them how we like to get our messages. More or less.

Take YouTube, for example. What started out as a way for teenagers to post inane videos of skateboarding falls has turned into the single biggest factor affecting media today. Yes, there are still the “idiot videos,” but now they’re mixed in with product spoofs, commercials that are actually interesting, and now even political debates. What used to be solely for the tech-savvy consumer is now being wooed by major players like CNN.

YouTube works because it is interactive. Once you view a video you can share it with friends. That’s how something like a silly Transformers rap has been viewed over 510,000 times!

• Marketing 2.0 is a conversation between consumers and companies. Since we have all but removed commercials from our television viewing repertoire thanks to Tivo, companies have to find new ways to reach their audience. That means they have to ask consumers what they want. They’re listening for once!

Blogs and forums allow companies to take off their professional mask and get comfortable with their customers. It gives a comfortable, informal voice to the company. Take the Apple Blog. Readers can get updates on Apple products as well as comment on posts. They’re in essence creating a dialog that hasn’t previously been available.

• Democracy is what Marketing 2.0 is all about. If the public doesn’t like it, it won’t float. Or will it? Sometimes there is a public outcry so loud you can hear it from cyberspace. A few months ago, an illegal HD DVD encryption code was posted online. Bloggers found the code and spread it like wildfire, using, among others, Digg as a tool to spread it. The problem? HD DVD is one of Digg’s sponsors, so the founder of Digg received a cease and desist order from the company.

The original post was removed, but it was like pulling a leg off a centipede. The code continued to spread. Eventually the founder had to throw his hands up, knowing that democratic media had gotten the best of the situation.

• Marketing 2.0 efforts are always non-traditional. There are no rules. This is good in that any business can devise a new method of marketing, but bad because nothing is guaranteed.

Here’s an example of Marketing 2.0 gone awry: at the beginning of 2007, Cartoon Network launched a marketing campaign for its show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” in Boston. The campaign involved the placement throughout the city of several lightboards with cartoon characters on them. Someone cried “terrorism!” and the project was shut down. Hard. With police action. The situation might have been an overreaction, but the head of Cartoon Network resigned as a result. Not every idea is a good idea.

• Finally, Marketing 2.0 is flexible. If you’re used to booking year long phone book ads, this is the complete opposite. Any marketing tool can be changed or stopped relatively easily, and the majority of Marketing 2.0 is affordable (blogs, for example, are free). Creating a strong marketing mix will involve hits and misses, so it is important that you be able to change your marketing plan on a dime.

Now that you understand Marketing 2.0, how will you use it? The longer you take to shift gears from “old school” marketing to Marketing 2.0, the more customers you will lose as a result. Take the plunge with me into the future of marketing. Trust me, it will be refreshing!

What are the value of links. Where do you get links from?

2007-06-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

The following are the ways to measure links, and while they're not entirely comprehensive, they'll certainly give you a degree of detail far beyond what you probably need. Start with the most important elements and work down.

Most Important Elements to Determing a Link's Value:

1. Where does the linking page rank for the term/phrase you want to rank for?
If the page is ranking #1 at Google for "sliced bread" and you want to be #1 at Google for "sliced bread," guess what? That's the #1 most valuable link you can get. Keep going down the list to about position 25-30 and you're still getting solid gold in link value.
2. Where does the linking page rank for 1-2 important, competitive terms in its title tag?
This will give you a very solid idea about how much overall link juice and respect the search engines are giving the page. It's also a good way to identify the global link value that could be provided.
3. Where does content on the linking domain generally rank for competitive terms in its pages' respective title tags?
As above, we're trying to ID just how positively the engines view pages on the domain. If the pages generally rank in the top 20 results, we can rest assured that search engines think the domain's value is pretty darn high, and that links from that domain will pass significant value.
4. Does the linking site carry any brokered sets of links?
I don't worry about the occassional paid link or advertising link, but if I see that every page on a domain has links from a major link broker on it, I seriously worry that the site may lose its ability to pass link juice. This really applies to any type of low quality, manipulative linking. If you can see it, chances are, Google might see it someday, too.
5. What is the relevance of the linking page/site to your target page?
Answering this question require you to think critically about the visitors to both the potential linking page and the domain. If the relationship of subject matter is high, the link will provide more semantic and topic specific value.

Elements of Secondary Value for Links:

1. Links to High Ranking Competitors
Although this isn't always an indication of direct value, it can be a good signal. Your competitors are obviously ranking based on the strength of their links, so researching those sources can provide insight into where they derive that value.
2. Page Strength
SEOmoz's own, in-house metrics compilation certainly isn't foolproof, and I advise you to ignore the number it spits out, but the data returned is convenient and certainly valuable. If there's a lot of links from Wikipedia and DMOZ and the site has high PageRank, lots of inbound links and blog links, there's clearly some value to getting a link. Just make sure you judge based on the data, not the numerical score - 4.5/10 doesn't mean much to professional SEOs.
3. PageRank of Domain
Yeah, I know it's weird that a PR hater like myself would call this out, but it really is something I examine. I look mostly at the domain to make sure it's not penalized and to see the overall link juice. A 6/10 domain clearly has some link love and respect, a 2/10 or a grey bar, can be a good red flag and seeing a 0/10 tells you that the domain is either new or completely invisble.
4. Inlinks to Page (via Yahoo!)
In a reversal of my look at the PR for the domain, with links, I'm looking at that specific page. I want to know if the domain links in to this individual page heavily, or if its practically an orphan. I want to see if its a page that other sites reference - both of which can help illuminate potential value.
5. Inlinks to Domain via Technorati (or Google Blog Search)
The Technorati and Google Blog Search link data can to show trends - if a site is picking up lots of new links over the past few months, it might be a much better candidate than PR or other link data might indicate.

Less Important Elements of Link Valuation:

1. Inlinks to Domain (via Yahoo!)
They're not completely useless, but since the number often takes into account lots of links from a single domain, it can be misleading.
2. Alexa Ranking
Practically pointless in every way - Alexa data is skewed, inaccurate & really doesn't matter when grabbing a link.
3. PageRank of Page
Since so many newer pages are 0, and so many valuable pages may only be a 1-3, it seems unwise to get caught up in the PR of the specific page - better to look at the domain and the attention it gives your page.
4. Listing in DMOZ
I don't know why people consider this, but it is a metric some folks claim to use. We measure in the PageStrength tool only as a way to consider legitimacy and longevity, but honestly it's not particularly valuable when considering a link.
5. Number of External Links on the Page
Unless there are 150+ outbound links and you're worried that Googlebot doesn't spider them all, it's a very antiquated concern to worry about the individual amount of PageRank that will be passed by any given link. You're getting anchor text and trust value and all of the other positive factors a link providers, so don't sweat a crowd too much.

Network Solutions Sr VP; Beginner Tips for SEO

2007-06-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Rock Island Group Logo

2007-06-05T07:15:00.001-07:00

What do you think of our logo.

Broadband Spreads Out, Speeds Up

2007-06-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

At what point will DSL seem slow?

The number of broadband subscribers will reach 567 million worldwide by 2011, up from the current 285 million, according to In-Stat's "Broadband Gets Big: Global Broadband Subs Hit 285 Million" report. New subscribers totaled 65 million in the 12 months prior to May 2007.

DSL and cable modems account for 92% of broadband connections worldwide. The report stated that over half of the world's broadband access will come from DSL connections by 2011.

Mike Paxton of In-Stat attributed the growth to a basic desire for speedier Internet connections.

Mr. Paxton also said, "The emergence of online applications such as viewing video clips or TV programming, downloading music files, and even playing online games, are fueling end-user demand for 'fatter pipes.'"

The nature of broadband connections is also changing. In-Stat projected over 55 million fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband households by 2011.

Alternative broadband technologies such as FTTH are growing quickly, especially in Japan, South Korea and the US, according to Point Topic. The firm claimed that more than 10% of the world's broadband connections were through FTTH as of Q3 2006.

Now that almost everyone is online can they find you? Ask us! 212-576-1155

American Psycho: Business Card Scene

2007-05-10T18:24:00.001-07:00

Rock Island Group Creating a Business Identity From A Cleint

2007-05-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

Rock Island Group Creating a Business Identity From A Cleint

2007-05-08T13:49:00.001-07:00

The Rock Island Group Marketing Process

2007-05-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

Photobucket Remains Top Dog in Photo-Sharing

2007-05-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Photobucket, which precedes Web 2.0 offerings like Flickr.com, remains No. 1 in photo-sharing due in great part to MySpace users who continue to upload pictures and videos to post elsewhere on the web, reports USA Today.

Photobucket currently serves 3 billion online images for 41 million members and accounts for 40 percent of all photo-sharing content. These figures eclipse Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly and Yahoo Photos, according to Hitwise. Together, Yahoo Photos and Flickr account for only 10 percent of the share.

The company is also generating ad revenue as users remain on the site for extended periods of time to upload photos.

Brand equity and formidable revenue figures lend the sense it may be among the next major websites for sale. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch says the site could sell for between $300 and $400 million.

Photobucket's reliance on MySpace may leave the company open to a crippling blow should the social networking vortex develop its own uploading abilities.

High numbers, however, keep the longstanding website confident. Last weekend alone over 8 million photos were uploaded.

Forget GooTube; YahooSoft May Be Around the Corner

2007-05-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

Microsoft and Yahoo recently engaged in talks about banding together against Google - even discussing a possible merger, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The talks have concluded, but speculation about their potential outcome are just beginning.

Microsoft's online division is suffering from a failure to compete with Google on search. They recently missed an opportunity to acquire online advertising giant DoubleClick, which was quickly snapped up by its Goliathan competitor. The talks with Yahoo preclude a company on the verge of big change.

Microsoft may be poised to change its executive roster or consolidate some units. It may also decide to repartner with Yahoo. Yahoo briefly provided search and ad technology on Microsoft's behalf through its product Yahoo Search Marketing, formerly Overture. The relationship ended last year when Microsoft released a competitive offering, Microsoft AdCenter.

Yahoo's may depend on "Project Panama," a delayed upgrade to their ad system. The model could reportedly use Microsoft's technical expertise; in another potential arrangement, Microsoft could manage the back-end of both companies while Yahoo handles the consumer end.

Despite the possibilities, however, Yahoo is reportedly disinterested in working with Microsoft.

Rock Island Group is the ultimate marketing solution

2007-05-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

RIG is the ultimate solution for complete Marketing and Business Development strategies and implementation. Whether you are an exiting business looking to expand by creating greater reach or a startup looking for direction, design and implementation, RIG is your number one solution.

From complete Search Engine Marketing to Online Social Networking, from Direct Mail and Insert Media campaigns to corporate identity, RIG is your answer. Let our experienced staff act as your entire marketing team. You are guaranteed to get better results at a fraction of the price. Just ask our clients.

Email Marketing

2007-05-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

What is one of the first tasks you undertake when you arrive at the office? Chances are you read your email. Email use is rising fast. According to Forrester Research, over 35 percent of Internet user time is spent with email. What is most interesting is that we even check our work email while on vacation and during the weekend. It has become a part of our every day lives.

With people spending so much time on email, there is an enormous opportunity to market to them and build solid customer relationships. According to the 2001 eMail Marketing Report by eMarketer, total email spending in the US exceeded $1 billion for the year 2000. It is predicted that this number will increase to approximately $4.6 billion by the end of 2003. Email has emerged to become one of the most profitable and economical ways to manage customer relationships, presenting marketers with many opportunities and benefits.

Contact Us Today about Email Marketing 866-744-3833

What high search engine rankings can mean to your web

2007-05-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

According to recent statistics, more than 1 billion people used the Internet in 2005 (Source: Nielsen/NetRatings). Web users spend twice as much time online as watching TV (Source: Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society). Consumers spent $143.2 billion online in 2005, 22 percent more than in 2004 (Source: ComScore).

A survey conducted by market research firm TNS revealed that 75% of all online shoppers said that company size was not a factor in having their online shopping needs satisfied. Only 15% said they preferred to shop with large retailers (Source: TNS).
More than 80% of all Internet users find new web sites through search engines (Source: Georgia Tech/GVU Users Survey). That means that about 650 million people use search engines to find web sites.

Search engine users are some of the most qualified and motivated visitors to your web site you will ever have. After all, they have taken the initiative to hunt for online resources on a certain topic. And then they clicked your link to learn more.

RockIslandGroup.com

What is Internet marketing?

2007-05-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Internet marketing is the use of the Internet to advertise and sell goods and services. Internet Marketing includes cost per click advertising, banner ads, search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, affiliate marketing, interactive advertising, search engine marketing (including search engine optimization), blog marketing, article marketing, and blogging.

www.RockIslandGroup.com is online marketing!

We Are the Web

2007-05-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago, Netscape's explosive IPO ignited huge piles of money. The brilliant flash revealed what had been invisible only a moment before: the World Wide Web. As Eric Schmidt (then at Sun, now at Google) noted, the day before the IPO, nothing about the Web; the day after, everything.

Computing pioneer Vannevar Bush outlined the Web's core idea - hyperlinked pages - in 1945, but the first person to try to build out the concept was a freethinker named Ted Nelson who envisioned his own scheme in 1965. However, he had little success connecting digital bits on a useful scale, and his efforts were known only to an isolated group of disciples. Few of the hackers writing code for the emerging Web in the 1990s knew about Nelson or his hyperlinked dream machine.

Click Here to View More

So you want to know what Web 2.0 is?

2007-05-04T15:55:00.001-07:00

This is one of the most amazing fast paced videos youll ever see!

Views: 2,327,497

The Rock Island Marketing Baby

2007-05-04T15:53:00.001-07:00

What is the big deal about Micheal Jordan

2007-05-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

In 1996 the Chicago Bulls reigned supreme and Michael Jordan was raking in $80 million per year. Joe Kleine was last on the bench, making the NBA minimum of $272,250.

Same winning team. Why the 300:1 difference in pay?

Because Michael Jordan was just slightly better than everyone else.

And because Michael Jordan drives sales of basketballs, tennis shoes, T-shirts, soft drinks and toothpaste in Paris, Barcelona, Taipei, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Davenport Iowa.

Joe Kleine doesn't.

Thomas Friedman put it like this: "The gap between first place and second place grows larger, and the gap between first place and last place becomes staggering. In many fields there is rarely one winner, but those near the top get a disproportionate share.

"The potential market for any good or service, for any singer or songwriter, for any author or actor, for any doctor or lawyer, for any athlete or academic, now extends from one end of the world to the other.

"Either you dominate the worldwide market or somebody else will."

When you emerge as the winner, as "THE Accounting Firm", "THE Doctor", "THE Salesman", "THE Basketball Player", "THE Man" or "THE Woman" in any particular field, you can potentially win not only the United States or Europe, not only Japan or China. You reap enormous profits and royalties from everywhere.

Don't miss this:

For almost everyone reading this email, the name of the game is not being "The Doctor."

It's about being The Internal Medicine Specialist for Patients who are 60 years old and older.

It's not about being The Lawyer. It's about being The Attorney for Industrial and Environmental Tort Law.

You hyper-specialize, so that even on the mighty Internet, you are a big fish in a little pond. Even in hyper-narrow niches, if you're #1 on the Internet, you win, Big-Time.

www.RockIslandGroup.com

Where Ideas and Innovation Come Together

2007-05-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Rock Island Group. We are a pioneering company that takes a totally new approach to all Search Engine Marketing and Online Marketing Campaigns. Our focus is helping businesses grow through effective online marketing strategies, which we achieve by implementing and applying innovative ideas specific to your goals. As an experienced and energetic team of marketing experts, we take the guesswork, challenge and hassle out of the search engine marketing game, and assure a triumphant return on your investment. We know what works and we know how to make an online business succeed.

Integrating the Right Online Marketing Solutions, Increases ROI!

As our vision is strictly on helping our clients achieve, Rock Island’s team of marketing experts knows exactly which areas need attention and how to quickly integrate the right online marketing services and solutions. And since our primary goal is to assure our clients of search engine and online marketing strategies that effectively reflect their superior services and outstanding products, our high tech marketing solutions help set our clients far ahead of their competitors. To that end, we carefully identify our client’s needs and then follow up by providing the most effective online marketing solutions, making sure to enhance the overall business and operations. Whatever your industry, business or product, we make sure your company succeeds by driving revenue up and turning visitors into potential buyers. With our eyes always on the future, we provide the most comprehensive online business development concepts, advanced marketing search tools, services and the latest online marketing technology available.

Call us today - our toll free number is 866-744-3833 (866-RIG-3833)