Ashton Kutcher, who was one of the early celebrity adopters of Twitter and the first person to reach one million Twitter followers, has announced that his management team will now help manage his account. The news comes after Ashton Kutcher received backlash for a tweet he sent out supporting legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who was recently fired amid a major scandal at Penn State. Below is a look at the tweet in question for those who have not yet seen it.
How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste
In response to the negative feedback, Ashton Kutcher shared the following post on his blog explaining his decision to hand over editorial control of his Twitter account to his management team.
Up until today, I have posted virtually every one of my tweets on my own, but clearly the platform has become too big to be managed by a single individual. When I started using twitter, it was a communication platform that people could say what they were thinking in real time and if their facts were wrong the community would quickly and helpfully reframe an opinion. It was a conversation, a community driven education tool, and opinion center that encouraged healthy debate. It seems that today that twitter has grown into a mass publishing platform, where ones tweets quickly become news that is broadcast around the world and misinformation becomes volatile fodder for critics.
Last night after returning home from work, I walked by the television and simply saw a headline that Joe Paterno had been fired. Having no more information than that, I assumed that he had been fired due to poor performance as an aging coach. As a football fan and someone who had watched Joe’s career move from that of legend/innovator to a head coach that fulfilled his duty in the booth, I assumed that the university had let him go due to football related issues. With that assumption (how dare I assume) I posted a tweet defending his career. I then when about my evening, had some dinner, did a little work, and about an hour later turned on ESPN where I got the full story. I quickly went back on my twitter account and found a hailstorm of responses calling me an “idiot” and several other expletives that I’ve become accustom to hearing for almost anything I post. I quickly retracted and deleted my previous post; however, that didn’t seem enough to satisfy people’s outrage at my misinformed post. I am truly sorry. And moreover am going to take action to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. And as an advocate in the fight against child sexual exploitation, I could not be more deeply saddened by the events at Penn State.
A collection of over 8 million followers is not to be taken for granted. I feel responsible to deliver informed opinions and not spread gossip or rumors through my twitter feed. While I feel that running this feed myself gives me a closer relationship to my friends and fans I’ve come to realize that it has grown into more than a fun tool to communicate with people. While I will continue to express myself through @Aplusk, I’m going to turn the management of the feed over to my team at Katalyst as a secondary editorial measure, to ensure the quality of its content. My sincere apologies to anyone who I offended. It was a mistake that will not happen again.
What do you think? If you are currently following Ashton Kutcher on Twitter, will you continue to do so now that you know his updates are filtered? Should all public figures that are using social media have their accounts managed by a third party?
Filed under Internet Marketing by on Nov 10th, 2011. 
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.
Expert Articles – WebProNews
Internet Marketing Tools For The DIY’er HERE
Filed under Internet Marketing by on May 9th, 2011.
Inbound links increase the value of your website in the eyes of Google and the other search engines. And, they help more people find your website and all you have to offer. Each inbound link is like your website just got another vote of confidence.
So, once the link has been set up, your job is done. Or is it?
Getting links to point to your site is one of the most challenging parts of search engine optimization, but link building doesn’t end once a link has been set up.
In fact, getting that link should only be the first step in a long-term link building strategy.
Do you follow up on links? Let us know.
Let’s talk about this for a minute. Someone received your link request, and went to the trouble of responding. Or, they heard about you, researched you, and maybe even purchased something from you, and then decided to link to you . However it started, he thought it was a good idea to create a link to your site and took the time to make it happen.
Do you just congratulate yourself and move on?
No! The person who helped you deserves a little bit more of your time and attention.
Not only should you send them a thank you for the link, you should treat this like the opportunity it really is. By establishing a relationship with them, you could not only boost your search engine rankings, you could be opening the door to rich collaboration and business opportunities.
Consider these nine important questions for sites that already link to you.
1. How popular is their site?
The more popular the site, the more beneficial it can be for you. Start by checking out the number of inbound links the site is getting, they are a good measure of the popularity of the site. Then you can sort in order of priority and start with the most popular.
2. Which of the sites that link to you are bringing you real traffic?
Review your log files or investigate Google Analytics to find out which of your links are actually bringing you traffic. When sites bring you traffic, it can be for a combination of reasons, for example:
- You share the same target market and their visitors are interested in what you provide
- They’ve talked warmly about your products and given you a good review
- They’ve placed your link in a prominent spot on their site
- They get high traffic themselves
For whatever reason, getting traffic is only part of what you need. The next part is …
3. Does the traffic from the sites convert to sales?
As important as it is to get traffic to your site, if none of the visitors DO anything when they arrive, you aren’t really too far ahead. The critical question is ‘does the traffic they bring convert for my benefit?’ Set up Google Analytics to help you find out the answer. And, if you find out that they link to you, they bring you traffic and the traffic they bring converts, then stop reading this article IMMEDIATELY and get in touch with them.
Start by thanking them, and then initiate a dialogue to explore what else you can do together.
4. Have you done them a favor in return?
No? Do so, right away.
Yes? Do so again.
It’s very easy to do a favor for someone and being helpful and willing is a great way to build relationships – and relationships are at the heart of successful link building. It might be as simple as sending them an email thank you and asking them to keep in touch.
5. Do you know how the link got to be there and can you put a name to the person behind the site?
It’s really important to remember that it’s people who make links, not websites. Visualize a network of people linking to you, not just a network of websites linking to you.
Do a bit of research to find out who they are and what they do. What do you have in common? Why did they link to you in the first place? Is there more business you could be doing together? And, as we talked about in question four, what favor could you be doing for them?
6. What social media sites are they active on and have you linked up with them?
With the escalating popularity of social networking, contact through social media is critical today. Because these people have linked to your website, they’re relevant to you – and they bring with them a network of friends and followers who are also likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or whatever, and respond to their posts, re-tweets or comments. Do that and just watch your network – and your inbound links – grow.
7. Can you say at least one thing that is great about their site?
Make sure you do.
Write a complimentary blog post, add a kudos when you re-tweet, make a positive comment, agree with them, elaborate on their ideas. You’ll be getting yourself an even bigger fan.
We all love a bit of flattery and it can be a powerful tool when you are building relationships. Dale Carnegie put it very well when he said, “Flattery is telling the other person precisely what he thinks about himself”.
8. What linking text do they use when they link to you?
The linking text that people use when creating the inbound link to you is very important for your search engine rankings. Therefore, you need to know if they are using a really basic ‘click here’ or if they incorporate more keyword-rich text in the link. If necessary, it is worth the time to make a quick approach to them and suggest they use one of your important keywords or phrases in the linking text. It will strengthen the value of the inbound link for you.
9. Are there any ways you can collaborate, either in content or in business?
If there’s really a good business fit between you and a site that links to you, then they’re likely to respond positively to any business proposition you may make. Time to start brainstorming. Is there more you could be doing to help each other or generate more business?
In summary, don’t view getting an inbound link as the end of the story. If you see links as simply a way to boost your search engine rankings, then you’ll miss out on some tremendous opportunities.
Instead, remember that link building is really about building relationships with people and generating opportunity. It is about being part of community, providing useful content to your readers and the people who link to you. Who knows where it could all lead you?
What is the most important element of link-building to you? Comment here.
Filed under Internet Technology by on Feb 12th, 2011.
