Helium is showing that life can go on for victims of Google’s Panda update. Helium is a user-generated content site, often compared to other known Panda victims like Demand Media, HubPages, Suite101, Associated Content, etc.
Of course, Demand Media (now a publicly traded company) posted better-than expected earnings, but Helium has managed to secure a new $ 10 million in financing. It would appear that a commitment to improved quality, an increased focus on local, and/or dialogue with Google has been enough to convince somebody that Helium is here to stay. VatorNews points to an SEC form that indicates as much.
“Helium has engaged in an on-going dialogue with Google for the last three years or more. Google understands the Helium business and content model and agrees that the Helium site publishes quality content,” Helium VP Architecture and Technology Tracy Flynn recently said.
The main way writers earn money from Helium comes from views, which are largely driven by search. Clearly, the site’s performance in Google results plays a key role here. However, there are other ways writers can make money from Helium. These include payments from Helium when third-parties purchase articles for use elsewhere, and one-time incentive payments through various programs run by the site, such as contests, up-front payments, customer sponsorships, etc.
Of course, like many other big victims of the Panda update, they’re doing numerous things to adjust their content strategy, to comply more with what Google is seeking out in terms of higher quality (and less shallow) content. Among other things, Helium is asking writers to submit their articles to Helium only, to avoid duplicate content issues, and to use social media to promote articles (which in turn, Google can see and apply it in its own rankings).
Over the months, Helium has been providing writers with various tips and guidelines on its blog. For example, a recent post entitled, “Why your article or blog posts just aren’t making the cut” lists:
1. You didn’t cite your resources
2. You didn’t proofread or use spell-check on your article
3. You don’t format the article to your advantage
4. You don’t include simple SEO techniques
5. You neglect to add it to your social networking realms like Twitter, Facebook and even your own blog.
6. You posted it in more place[s] than one.
Helium also pointed to some do’s and don’ts for writer bios, which is probably a good idea, as bios can be indicative of authority on a given subject. Keep in mind that one of the top questions Google is asking itself as it tweaks its algorithm is, “Is this article written by an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, or is it more shallow in nature?”
Helium has also made adjustments to its assignment system. “A highlight of the new system is the ability to tailor assignments by writing skills and expertise, as well as allowing all writers to pick up general assignments,” the company explains. “As we learn more about your strengths, we can provide more opportunities that are targeted for your favorite subjects and writing style.”
In April, Helium encouraged writers to get more involved with local-based writing, as the company has filled positions for local writers for city guide websites, a national real estate web site, a regional newspaper, and a neighborhood profiler for a “major daily newspaper” in LA. “Helium Content Source staffers are constantly on the lookout for writers for these types of assignments,” the company said.
Google has been placing a great deal more emphasis on local these days, no question. Local results seem to have even been helped by the Panda update.
Last week, Helium launched a new mobile version of its assignment system for Android and iPhone.
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Filed under Internet Marketing by on May 9th, 2011. 
Google recently filed a patent for, what may be, one aspect of its highly anticipated social strategy. Bill Slawski of SEO by the Sea first wrote about the filing on his site and hinted that it could be an indication of what Google’s social network might look like.
“It looks like Google’s trying to bring together a lot of different social offerings that they already have in one place,” he said.
Slawski described it as a “social hub” and speculated that it could be a centralized platform that consolidates multiple social interactions both from Google and other social entities.
How do you think Google will integrate this “social hub” into its overall social strategy?
Filed under Google, Latest Social News by on May 10th, 2011.
Google’s once secret automated vehicle research and testing is now looking towards the next step: legality. Well, in one state at least.
The New York Times is reporting that Google is “quietly lobbying” for proposed legislation in the great state of Nevada to legalize self-driving cars on public roads.
Back in the fall of 2010, Google announced that they were in fact developing the technology for automated driving, and that they had already been testing the cars with great results. Google said that they has test-driven the robotic overlords self-driving cars more than 140,000 miles in California, 1,000 of those being driven entirely autonomously.
A couple months ago we got some video of the cars in action, signalling that the future is upon us. Slow down! You’re driving like a maniac, bot!
According to the NYT, Google hired a Las Vegas-based lobbyist to promote the legislation in Nevada. One piece of legislation allows the licensing and operation of the autonomous cars and another would allow texting behind the wheel of a self-driving car. You know some lawmaker’s daughter in Nevada made them put that one in there.
The self-driving cars could have great benefits, like safety, fuel efficiency and job creation. Unfortunately, they could also aid in the transportation of our robot masters during the robot uprising.
But lower gas costs sound nice.
No word on why Google is looking to Nevada to break this issue. There is also no word on whether inebriated gamblers leaving casinos could get behind the wheel of an automated car. I see no correlation.
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Filed under Internet Marketing by on May 11th, 2011.
The two worlds of social media and professional athletes have not always played well together. Back in the day, organizations had better control over what their athletes said to the public. Statements were either issued in a press release or at a press conference. The world was simple.
Now, with the rise of social media, especially Twitter, athletes are saying things publicly all the time – making multiple statements a day. Sure, most professional athletes use Twitter like every other person; but since they are followed by so many people every little thing they say gets scrutinized and publicized – much to the chagrin of sports team owners and organizational presidents. And sometimes they forget to filter what they say.
So while most organizations like the NFL and NBA have implemented rules cracking down on Twitter use, one sport’s President is planning on rewarding “creative” Twitter use.
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Dana White announced at the UFC Fighter Summit in Las Vegas that his fighters will begin to receive bonuses for Twitter use starting June 1st.
From mmafighting.com:
Starting June 1, UFC and Strikeforce fighters will be divided into four categories, based on how many Twitter followers they currently have. At the end of each quarter, three fighters from each category will be awarded a $ 5,000 bonus. The three winners will be based on who has gained the most followers since the start of the quarter, who gained the highest percentage of new followers and who wrote the most creative tweets. White will be the judge of the last category.
At the conclusion of a full calendar year, the UFC will end up paying $ 240,000 a year to its fighters for their Twitter usage.
Dana White is a prolific Tweeter himself, so his love of the technology must play some role in this decision. Some big name UFC fighters like Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and Ryan Bader are already pretty active on Twitter, but White wants to expand the Twitter use to every one of his fighters.
For any relatively new sport, even one that has gained almost immediate popularity, publicity is key. While organizations like the NFL and NBA are well established and simply want to avoid bad press, White and the UFC understand the amount of buzz that can be created by Twitter.
For over a year and a half, the NFL has had a policy in place that bans Tweeting within an hour and a half from kickoff and also bans the service until post-game interviews are wrapped up. The NBA has also banned Twitter during games for players, coaches and other team personnel.
But much of the damage that their players have done in the past has been on their own time, nowhere near gametime. The most famous Twitter controversy has to be former Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry Johnson’s gay slur tweets from 2009. After bashing his coach after a loss he wound up in a Twitter-fight with another user. He then referred to his Twitter profile picture as a “fag pic.” That little comment cost him $ 213,000.
And then there’s Rashard Mendenhall, a more recent example. His comments following the killing of Osama bin Laden caused quite a stir.
It looks like Dana White and the UFC are welcoming all that come with Twitter presence. And why shouldn’t he? For a sport than has already come under fire by some for its violence, a possible Twitter controversy is nothing. So tweet away, fighters – and be creative!
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Filed under Internet Marketing by on May 12th, 2011.
Late last night, the legal battles between LimeWire and the Recording Industry Association of America have reportedly ended. The P2P client will pay record labels $ 105 in damages stemming from illegal file sharing.
This out-of-court settlement with 13 different record labels comes just days after the trial got underway. The RIAA has been seeking to take LimeWire down since the mid 2000′s. They have always claimed that the LimeWire client, in allowing users to download digital music, has perpetrated “massive scale infringement.”
Last May Federal District Court Judge Kimba Wood found LimeWire and its CEO Mark Gorton guilty of copyright infringment. In the fall, the RIAA won and injunction against LimeWire that forced the sharing service to shut ‘er down. In December 2010, LimeWire went down for good.
The $ 105 million settlement that was reached last night is a far cry from the original damages claimed by the RIAA. In a mind-boggling claim, the RIAA said that damages caused by LimeWire could total $ 75 trillion. Let’s put that in long from, just to remember what that looks like:
$ 75,000,000,000,000.
Judge Kimba Wood scoffed at that outrageously comical figure, saying:
“If plaintiffs were able to pursue a statutory damage theory predicated on the number of direct infringers per work, defendants’ damages could reach into the trillions…As defendants note, plaintiffs are suggesting an award that is ‘more money than the entire music recording industry has made since Edison’s invention of the phonograph in 1877.’”
The figure was later dropped to just over $ 1 billion in damages. This settlement is obviously significantly lower than either of those figures.
From RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol:
We are pleased to have reached a large monetary settlement following the court’s finding that both LimeWire and its founder Mark Gorton personally liable for copyright infringement. As the court heard during the last two weeks, LimeWire wreaked enormous damage on the music community, helping contribute to thousands of lost jobs and fewer opportunities for aspiring artists.
The significant settlement underscores the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in the Grokster case — designing and operating services to profit from the theft of the world’s greatest music comes with a stiff price. The resolution of this case is another milestone in the continuing evolution of online music to a legitimate marketplace that appropriately rewards creators. This hard fought victory is reason for celebration by the entire music community, its fans and the legal services that play by the rules.
Mark Gorton said that he was “pleased that this case has concluded,” as quoted in The Guardian.
Last week, just as the LimeWire / RIAA trial was getting underway, CNET and parent company CBS were sued by “eccentric billionaire” Alki David for providing LimeWire and other P2P clients as downloads. The suit claims that in providing the software, CNET is complicit in illegal file sharing.
Although the service went offline in December of last year, I feel this signals actual closure to the saga. RIP, LimeWire.
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Filed under Internet Marketing by on May 13th, 2011.
