Teleworking - Are we ready?

Our principal consultant, David Abrahams (a.k.a. digitdave) was invited to attend the Telework Forum in Sydney recently. The discussions opened his eyes to how beneficial the high-speed broadband (NBN), could be to many Australians. "The technical and cultural shift in how we work is one of those classic examples of how thousands of businesses doing seemingly small things add up to a huge difference for the country".

Dave cites how a couple of his employees already telework and explains how why he thinks it is a way of keeping "valued staff even if their circumstances change". Unfortunately his staff members belong only to a small percentage (6%) of lucky Australians that actually telework. Research suggests that some people are commuting up to 6 hours daily and there will be a strong desire to reduce the amount of physical commuting. He suspects that research currently being run by the University of Newcastle will confirm his opinion.

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy Stephen Conroy was also present at the forum and said that Australia is quite down in the ranks of teleworking nations. About 10% of US employees telework at least once a month, and more in parts of Europe. In Norway, which in many ways is similar to Australia in economic and social terms, it is close to 20 per cent. They obviously realised years ago that small benefits for individuals can mean big benefits for the nation.

According to Access Economics, if just 10% of Australia's workforce teleworked 50% of the time, Australia would collectively save about 120 million litres of petrol, reduce traffic by 5%, delivering an overall saving of $470 million and 320,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Annual productivity gains of more than $1.4 billion could have been realised.

High speed broadband will change the way we work and here are some tips:

• Start small and grow your own teleworking initiatives.
• Trial low quality video conferencing in anticipation of a high quality NBN roll out.
• Start defining workers by outcomes, not time at a particular desk.

To him, all this means a more productive workforce and ultimately a more profitable local business... a good deal for all.

Google Ranking Algorithm - A Sneak Peek into their Change Process

Online marketers, primarily those that breathe and live Google woke up to a small surprise in the form of a video released by the search engine giant. The video did not reveal how Google actually ranks websites as many news publications out there might be eluding to. It does however confirm how frequently Google updates it's search algorithm and the procedures they take before releasing these updates to the public.

Amit Singhal confirmed that "just last year, we launched over 500 changes to our algorithm. So by some count we change our algorithm almost every day, almost twice over". Scott Huffman, Google Engineering Director, continues by stating that they "analyse each potential change very deeply to try to make sure that it's the right thing for users". He adds, "In 2010, we ran over 20,000 different experiments. All the data from the human evaluation and the live experiment are then rolled out by a search analyst".

This video discusses how Google identifies, tests, and implements tweaks to their algorithm in their quest to server it's users with the best content that they are searching for. As an example, the video then looks at the reasoning and test procedures that affected the "did you mean" and "showing results for" change earlier this year.

Watch the entire video below.

How often do you "google" ?... and see adwords

How often do you 'Google' each week?

Strangely, a hard question to answer specifically, as these things are shrouded in commercial mystery. However I think we can safely answer "a great deal" as there are global statistics that point to over 3 billion searches per day! Last year(1)
Almost all of these searches are accompanied by a series of paid advertisements, aka AdWords. These are the online advertisements we see wrapped on the top and right hand side of each Google search. However did you know AdWords are everywhere online. Keep your eyes open and you'll see them on third party websites, inside emails on maps and mobile phones and even on YouTube videos.
Though there are only a small amount of businesses that are represented in AdWords listings In Australia only about 1% of businesses use Adwords campaigns. Most of these are big businesses and interestingly businesses mostly based outside of Australia. See the image below, no local results for a very popular search term.

We at OI often wonder why so many businesses don't see the opportunities to advertise in the Adwords platform space. The statistics are clear; people are spending more and more time online every month, they are searching for products and services more and more. They are reading newspapers and watching broadcast TV less and less. Yet advertisers are failing to see the opportunities online. The Australian Financial Review this week put a focus on these AdWords in an article 'Click here for top dollar'.
Are Aussie businesses technology averse? We don't think so.

We think that most Aussie businesses are simply unconvinced that these AdWords and related DisplayAds are working alternatives to print media. We also think that setting up an Adwords campaign is actually quiet complex and very time consuming for what they may or may not receive. Fair cop we reckon.

Remember AdWords are a so called PPC or Pay Per Click system, where the customer agrees on a click maximum limit (say 10 cents) and a per month maximum PPC spend. Inside these constraints you compete in an automated auction with other advertisers in your chosen location and industry sector for AdWords placements.
There are a host of other options that in theory let you target age groups, gender, income levels and even street level focusing. There are also options that include inclusion on maps, email, YouTube channels and third party websites, such as industry or popular news websites.
Coming up with the 'creative' text is also an art, as well worded ads attract many more clicks than poorly worded ones.

OI has been working on this for some time and has recently just been accepted as a Google Engage Partner, something that helps educate us on the ins and outs of advertising in the online space. We recently attended the inaugural partner event at Google Australia HQ. I'm pleased to say there was very little sales pitch and a lot of education and learning around the products and services. Something that we can now pass onto our clients and partners. Expect to see a heap more targeted advertising in the AdWords space very soon.

Yours in AdWordising

The OI Team

References
1. These are comscore worldwide estimates in 2010 source: SearchEngineLand

Pixel Maché - Online Video Broadcasting Channel

As the online platform surges forward, more of us are using videos to research products, services and information.... it's refreshing to hear of an initiative that leans on low-tech simplicity to bring a whole new marketing tool for those searching for a fresh online 'edge'.

Enter Pixel Maché, brainchild of multi-award winning portable filmmaker Jason van Genderen (Treehouse Creative) and gadget guru Dave Abarahams (Organise Internet). At face value, Pixel Maché provides businesses with a low-cost, customised online TV channel that's easy to use, encourages user-generated content and provides brands with a completely new way to present their message to a new video-centric audience. "It's brutally simple yet an incredibly powerful offering all rolled into one", says Dave "considering the recent explosion of online video media, many businesses are realising the need to have a presence there but either have no time, no resources, or no understanding of how to monetize it. Pixel Maché is a turn-key broadcasting solution for businesses on the front foot."

The distinctly unique offering goes beyond the platform itself. For less than $5,000, businesses can have their own online broadcasting platform created, including registration of their TV domain name, design of a custom channel space, portable HD video camera kit, full training, custom YouTube host channel, content management system, and targeted SEO marketing. More importantly, this allows businesses access to a globally recognised multi-award winning expert in mobile film-making (Jason). Imagine having a Tropfest winning director guiding your team and sharing his secrets and tips on creating concise, simple webisodes that sell your products or service.

"I've seen inferior systems sell for more than $22,000, without the in-depth training we offer. Pixel Maché represents a whole new democracy in this space; at a price that's within reach for even the smallest of businesses." added Jason "We can show any business how they can embrace the online medium to help spread their commercial message into a whole new space". Dave adds "and remember that YouTube is a search engine affirming technology, something that boosts your online presence massively."

Several Pixel Maché early adopters include Apex Insurance Brokers, along with Cherry Road Nursery. Darren Hutton, managing director of Apex Insurance is excited about using this new channel to both educate and market their services to a broader audience.

For more information, email info@pixelmache.tv or go to www.pixelmache.tv to see what it's all about.

Source: Central Coast Business Review