The secret to 1st position in AdWords

Posted by Aaron WeinerGoogle Ads

Recently, I came across a website of a supposed “AdWords guru”. Through a screenshot on their website, they prove that they got their customer position #1 on AdWords. I am going to let you in on their secret for free. You don’t even have to sign up for our services. I am going to tell you exactly how to get … Read More

Certification and the competency of deceit

Posted by Dave CollinsGeneral, Google Ads

It had to happen. Google yesterday announced the launch of a new skills qualification program: “Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ), which allows individuals to demonstrate proficiency in Google Analytics“. SoftwarePromotions is an AdWords Qualified Company, so I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot to make my point. However, as a marketing professional, I have to tip my hat … Read More

Microsoft Testing New Search Engine

Posted by Dave CollinsGeneral

Microsoft has confirmed that it is internally testing a new Internet search engine which it has codenamed ‘Kumo’ (Japanese for ‘cloud’ or ‘spider’). At present, Kumo is being tested by Microsoft employees, but the company is hopeful that if all goes well, the search engine could be released for public use by the end of the year. In a leaked … Read More

Drinking, stealing or a bitter failure?

Posted by Dave CollinsGeneral

Seth Godin recently wrote a timely reminder about online responsibility. He describes how a friend advertising for a housekeeper Googled three of the applicants, only to discover that one was a binge drinker, one was a bitter failed artist, and the third a convicted shoplifter. He makes the point that anything and everything you do ends up on your permanent … Read More

AdWords Version 3.0?

Posted by Dave CollinsGoogle Ads

As you’ve probably heard by now, Google are in the process of shaking up their AdWords system – inside and out. To begin with, they’re now displaying AdWords ads in their News searches. This is more than a little puzzling. First of all, you probably assumed they were already doing so, right? Secondly, you now might be wondering why they … Read More

Trying to work out how to use Twitter

Posted by Dave CollinsDigital Marketing, General

On November 14th, 2008, I posted my first ever tweet: “Trying to work out how to use twitter“. 104 days later, I’m still trying to work out how to use it. But I’m getting there. I keep reading about how vital Twitter is for businesses. Having run a business for more than ten years and a Tweeter account for more … Read More

iPhone or BlackBerry?

Posted by Dave CollinsDigital Marketing

We all enjoy convincing our peers that our gadgets/toys/business communication devices are better than theirs. Betamax vs. VHS, IE vs. Netscape, PC vs. Mac, IPAQ vs. Palm and so on. A surprising number of people are nowadays arguing the BlackBerry – iPhone debate, and if you step aside from the bulging-eyed fanatics of each, it’s actually quite interesting to watch … Read More

Good, bad and hmmm

Posted by Dave CollinsDigital Marketing

Ever since recently rereading Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the world appears to have polarised into good and evil. Right and wrong. Politics has become about doing what’s right, wars are declared against tyrants, and countries led by bad men are branded as evil. Businesses have grown to realise that being good not only looks good, it is good. … Read More

Software Pirate Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison

Posted by Dave CollinsGeneral

24-year-old Timothy Kyle Dunaway was sentenced to 41 months in a US federal penitentiary for selling pirated business software. Using servers in Austria and Malaysia, Dunaway ran more than 40 websites that sold over one million dollars of counterfeit software between July 2004 and May 2008. Dunaway was also ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution and had his … Read More

Windows XP Pro downgrade lawsuit

Posted by Aaron WeinerGeneral

A class action lawsuit has been launched against Microsoft, for charging users who wish to downgrade from Windows Vista to Windows XP. I am no legal expert, but the lawsuit does not make any sense to me. If you buy a new computer and the manufacturer is not offering Windows XP as an option, you can either buy a license … Read More