3 Signs of the Upcoming Googocalypse

If you're watching the signs closely you'll see that the horsemen of the Googocalypse are saddling up. Recent signs:

1. Gambling ads. Google is allowing gambling ads in the UK again, for the first time since they banned them in 2004. The AdWords policies won't let you advertise academic aids, hard liquor, fireworks, or escort services. Gambling's just fine, though.

2. Banner ads. Yes, Google now has banner ads. I'm guessing not for escorts or fireworks, but perhaps for bingo if you live in the UK.

3. Direct begging. AdWords reps are now sending out unsolicited email asking for forecasts so their clients can "help [them] find the most effective solutions for [their clients] account based on [their clients] goals and current strategy." They want clients to give them info on the performance of their business, reasons for the increase or decline, and forecasts for the next quarter. This may not sound exciting until you realize that you can spend upwards of $1,000,000 annually with Google and never hear from a soul.

So why the sudden focus on profitability and increasing revenues? Well, Google's stock is at a real lull. It closed on October 27th at $329.49, its lowest point since October 21st 2005. That means if you sunk your life savings in Google stock 1,102 days ago you'd have pretty much exactly what you had before. If you had the guts to cash out.

Most Google employees have stock options costing more than $329.78, meaning that their options aren't worth anything. So, if you've worked for the big G for less than 3 years all you've got is your salary. All of a sudden working 12 hours a day for a company that makes billions isn't as thrilling without the promise of a big fat cash out in the future.

My prediction? Google is going to cut 15% of its workforce before year-end (2,500 of their 17,000 or so). They'll also start squeezing their AdSense publishers and paying out a smaller percentage of advertising dollars to them. Their stock will jump 10% after announcing the layoffs, ironically rewarding the very people they've just sent packing.

Social Media Trick or Treating

Halloween is quickly approaching and once you get down to the bare bones of the holiday you realize that Halloween is really all about the costume. Before people even consider how much candy they are going to scarf down or what kind of booze they are going to guzzle they have to first figure out what they are going to wear to the festivities. It doesn’t matter whether you are a child going trick-or-treating or if you are going to a more adult gathering, if nothing else, you want to look good while you are doing it.

Some people plan their costumes months in advance while others grab the first thing they can find and piece together some mis-matched, sad attempt at a costume at the last minute. For a quality costume you need to take some time to plan your outfit. First, you’ll need to decide the basic genre you want your costume to take. Do you want to be nasty or nice? Scary or saucy? Frightening or friendly? Once you answer these basic questions then you are ready to move onto the details of your finery.

• Which is more important to you? That your costume is unique or that your costume is easily purchased?
• How much $$ are you willing to spend?
• Are you going to make the costume yourself?
• Do you have time to make it yourself?
• Where are you going to get all of the pieces you need?
• Is there a place that where you can do one-stop shopping?

Whew! Planning a costume is a lot of hard work. Just like planning a good piece of content is a lot of hard work. (I knew you were waiting to see how this related to Social Media.) Preparing a piece of content is actually a lot like planning your Halloween costume. You can put a lot of effort into it or you can put a little effort into it. Everyone will be able to tell which one you chose.

When planning your content, first you need to come up with a good topic for your content or blog post or whatever it is. Sometimes you can come up with several different topics at once when letting your mind wander.

Once you choose your topic, you will be able to narrow your focus down.

• Are you on a deadline?
• How much research will you need to do?
• Will this content require input from others?
• Can you write your content off the top of your head?

A well-planned out piece of content can be the difference between a lot of exposure and a little. Now, not ever piece of content needs to be a Pulitzer Prize winner but you should be happy with the content you produce. Maybe if you determine that the objective of your content is just for fun than it doesn’t really matter, but if you have a more important objective in mind then you really need to put in a bit more effort.

When submitting content to Social Networking sites your content becomes your costume. Your content can fall into a variety of genres, it doesn’t need to be the same every time or follow a well-organized formula. But in the end everyone will be able to tell if you are you a planner or a last minute mis-match. The amount of treats you get will be a direct result of the amount of effort you invested. Sometimes you get lucky and people will love your thrown together content, but more often than not, in order to get the candy you need a good costume.

Twictionary - Twitter Basics

Here are the lingo basics for using Twitter. If you can get the hang of these you’ll be tweeting tweeple tweets like nobody’s business… if you know what I mean.

Twitter - A social networking site that allows you to keep in touch by sending out quick, frequent messages.

Tweet - A short (140 character) message.

Tweeple - People who use Twitter.

Mistweet - A tweet you didn’t mean to send or a tweet with a poor choice or misspelled words.

TweetUp - An ‘in person’ meeting between Twitter users.

Twoosh - A perfect 140 character tweet.

Followers - Tweeters who are following your tweets. Followers will see any updates you make on their homepage of Twitter.

Following - Tweeters you’re following. You will see any updates (tweets) on your homepage from anyone you’re following.

Direct Messages - You can send a direct message to another user by using the message link on their profile page, the reply icon from your own direct message, or using the command d + username + message. Only you and the person you are direct messaging will see the contents of the tweets.

Favorites - You can store any of your favorite tweets by clicking the star icon by the message. (You must hover over the message to see this icon).

@replies - By using the @ + username, you can direct a tweet at a specific user. This type of messaging is publicly visible.

ReTweet - To re-send a previous tweet or to resend someone else's tweet so it reaches a larger audience.

Since tweets are limited to 140 characters, acronyms and short hand run rampant all over the site. To help you understand what’s going on and write your own short and sweet tweets, check out this list of acronyms.

Is the Drama Over at Digg?

There has been so much drama at Digg over the last few weeks. Heavy users have been banned by the dozens. Some were given warnings and others were just sent unpleasant e-mails letting them know that their accounts were closed. Some users were crying unfair and others brandished pitchforks. It was enough that I couldn’t even stand to log into Digg for several days at a time.

I am hoping that things have calmed down now. I am hoping that the “Spring cleaning” has been finished and we can move on with our lives. The users who were using scripts should not be around any more. Users that digg without actually even clicking through to the story should take notice. And hopefully content that is about more than just Digg itself will come back to the forefront.

I have lost several friends but that doesn’t mean that they are gone forever. I belong to several different Social Media sites and friends tend to follow each other between them. So even though I may no longer be a friend with someone at Digg I can still keep contact with them through other means.

Social Media is not static. It ebbs and flows like the tide. Certain sites will flourish for a while and then other sites will take their place. The same can be said for the users. I know that I can be very involved in Social Media during one week or month and then the next I have different priorities which take precedence.

For the banned users that committed so much of their time and energy to Digg, I am sure that they will find new and definitely interesting outlets. It is unfortunate that their time at Digg was cut short but it doesn’t have to be the end, just the beginning of something new. Hopefully they will invite their friends on their new ventures and discover new corners of the Intrawebs that have not yet been explored.

As for those of us who are still at Digg, let’s move on and make the best of things. This ‘cleansing’ may provide opportunities for previously unknown members to become known and to make your acquaintance. Maybe some of the regular users will get a chance to make something 'Popular'. All in all, let’s get back to sharing interesting and unique stories with others and gather a few new friends along the way.