What We're Reading | Why You Need Mobile Access and Don't Need SOPA & PIPA
This week the SOPA and PIPA proposed bills had everyone who uses, loves or relies on the Internet up in arms about its potential consequences. In addition to monitoring this legislative war against online piracy, we at FSC Interactive also read about the ever changing ways of Google search, how mobile is becoming mandatory and how Facebook is revolutionizing the way to find live music. All of this and more in this week’s FSC reading list.
Brooke: To combat the staggering growth of college debt, MTV launched a Facebook-powered campaign centered on college affordability. The Facebook app, My College Dollars, automatically curates relevant demographic information from a user’s Facebook profile, since many financial opportunities are limited by race, gender, age and location.
Kristin: A Search Industry Call to Arms – One of the first things I always hear people say when they are asked why they love working in search engine marketing is, “Things are always changing. I love having to always stay on my toes.” So why complain when Google makes big changes? 2012 will be a year to build smart creative strategies that incorporate social, SEO, and paid search into one mean marketing machine. Upset about Google not sharing keyword data for searchers signed in to Google accounts? This can actually be an opportunity to see those not provided searches that Google+ socially-engaged Web users likely used to create social media strategy. Worried about how social search will affect SEO? The industry originally attached value to the concept of “top positions” as a way to make a concrete product for SEO services that can cover a wide range of strategies. These rankings have always been educated guesses and bets on future search behavior. Search behavior is evolving and the search industry is along for the ride.
Noelle: Mobile is a must-have for agencies in 2012 – Didn’t jump on the mobile bandwagon in 2011? This year you won’t have a choice. Marketing experts are not just telling you to build a strong mobile strategy – they are insisting on it for success. Learn why mobile marketing has become so important and to stay relevant, why it can’t be ignored.
Sally: The overwhelming backlash against SOPA and PIPA this week sent a clear message to supporting legislators: it’s out with the old, continue the new for online media. This whole Internet anti-piracy movement, or debacle as it were, is bewildering to me. It seems like an extreme delayed reaction, a clumsy attempt at resurfacing an outdated and somewhat futile crusade. This article in the Times explains that in the wake of an online community revolt, Washington may need some attitude adjustments.
Burke: Interactive PDF Forms – A lot of people have Adobe Acrobat on their computers, but they really don’t use it for much other than reading PDFs, which can be just as easily done with the free Adobe Reader. Acrobat usually comes bundled with LiveCycle Designer, software that allows you to create forms and documents to obtain information from your customers and business network online. Customer satisfaction surveys and feedback can be turned directly into documents that can be used by the people on your staff who have offline jobs. This article discusses the steps to take and how to fit these forms into your interdepartmental workflow.
Summer Palace Fret Fabric by F. Schumacher
Sadie: It’s one thing to have an eye for design online, but only some of us actually bring it home. We see and we like so we tag, we post and we pin. Here’s a brief but rational piece about the art of doing it, too. Bringing an online trend to life might not be that trendy after all.
Ashley: Yesterday, Facebook announced a whole new class of apps that will be available for Facebook users, and one in particular caught my eye. Ticketmaster has unveiled a new app that will take the music you listen to through apps like Spotify and Rdio and suggest concerts near by. It takes the concept of music discovery to the next level by giving you easy access to see new bands live, in your own town.