Blog

  • Our New Home: The Floor Between 12 & 14

    Our New Home: The Floor Between 12 & 14

    According to USA Today, Otis Elevators’ records indicate that 85% of elevators do not have the number 13. Generally, the building owner will omit the 13th floor by skipping from 12 to 14 or by naming it “12B” or any number of strategic means to avoid the unlucky 13.

    ElevatorButtonsNoThirteenImage

    Well, I don’t believe in superstitions — black cats crossing my path, walking under ladders, breaking mirrors, or the 13th floor of any building. (If this were a reasonable discussion, I would argue that floor 12B really is the 13th floor by another name).

    Search Influence has outgrown our beloved Oak Street office and, after months of searching, we finally found an office that has the space we need with room to grow. On Monday morning, we had our first workday in our new office space: the 13th floor of the Exchange Centre (cue the scary music).

    SearchInfluenceMoveBlogPullQuote

    From Humble Beginnings

    With this recent move, we have done some reminiscing, looking back on the offices that once were. Our first true office space was on Jackson Avenue, and I have to be honest and say that it wasn’t all that beloved. It had a slightly funky smell and strange characters walking the halls, but it did redeem itself with some of its quirky charms.

    Funny story. While at the office one Saturday, we went into the storage closet for something and — absolutely true — there was a woman sleeping in our storage closet. She was living in our storage closet. She even had a microwave, so she had indeed set up house. We tip-toed our way out (didn’t want to wake her up) and called the building owners to deal with the squatter.

    A great part of Jackson Avenue was the BadNinja9 production office across the hall. This really was the production office for Dorian Dardar’s own film starring his Dorian Hudson character as zen master/detective/life coach. He interviewed all manner of fascinating people in his office for the film, including barely clothed young ladies, which happened more often than you would think.

    I can’t make this stuff up.

    We laugh looking back, but Jackson Avenue did have a very real impact on the growth of the company. Angie and I shared an office that was actually the conference room, so we were intimately involved in just about every meeting, every discussion — everything. We all grew to be a close group in that space, and those close quarters have paid off, translating into a deep level of trust and a shared knowledge among the team that we may not have achieved in a larger work area.

    As bizarre as the Jackson Avenue office was at times, it really cemented those work relationships that act as the foundation of this team.

    Our Beloved Oak

    We outgrew Jackson Avenue after 1 year — really after 4 months, but we were lucky to be able to take over a lease that had ended prematurely. All along, we’d been eyeing a newly renovated building that housed a wine bar and had the space to allow us to all work and grow.

    We coordinated with the owner of Oak Wine Bar, building out the unused upper floors of her building. An office over a wine bar, what’s not to love about that scenario?

    It seemed like it took forever (only because we were so anxious to get into the new space). When it was finally completed, it was beautiful. The space was clean and bright — wood floors, original fireplaces and windows. It managed to be both modern and historic at the same time.

    As much as we love the Oak Street office for its physical space, we also have a tremendous amount of affection for what Oak represents in the history of Search Influence. It was on Oak that we reached a pivotal point in the business. It was from that open and inviting space that we matured as a group and really grew into our own.

    SearchInfluenceOakStreetImage

    From Oak, we were able to start truly giving back to the community. We began providing free seminars for local businesses and started our work with nonprofits such as Youth Rebuilding New Orleans, The Audubon Institute, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, and Hogs for The Cause. We have always wanted to give back directly to NOLA, and we had reached a point where we are finally able to devote time and energy to it.

    Also while on Oak, we were listed in Inc 500, which ranks the fastest growing private companies in the United States. At #418, we were incredibly excited to be one of 18 companies in the Greater New Orleans area to be recognized (of which we were the only residents of New Orleans proper). Honestly, I will never be not-excited about that honor.

    Our years on Oak represent our greatest growth, as a company and as a team. The last three years are an unforgettable time in the history of Search Influence. So, we leave Oak with a bittersweet goodbye.

    The 13th Floor

    After months of searching for new space, we found a few options for our next great adventure. We chose the option with the most square footage and a great downtown location: the 13th floor of The New Orleans Exchange Centre on Gravier Street.

    The Exchange Centre houses a number of New Orleans’ finest, including mature and start-up, technology firms such as TurboSquid, Archon Information Systems, Carrollton Group, Kickboard for Teachers, and many more businesses, tech and non-tech alike.

    NewOrleansExchangeCentreImage

    We moved in over the weekend, and our management team really pitched in to have the place ready for work first thing Monday morning. And 13th floor notwithstanding, there were very few glitches to work out. But as with anything new, it takes some getting used to. Even with the hiccups, the Influencers have been great. Everyone is pumped up and settling in. It feels good.

    It’s an incredibly professional space (it even has a reception area). All of the walls are lined with wide, open windows that look out on the surrounding CBD. Most exciting of all, with more than four times the square footage, we’ve really given the team room to spread out and keep growing. We plan to do even more amazing things at our new address.

    Yes, it’s the 13th floor, and for us, 13 is a very lucky number.

    Image Sources:
    Thanks to Dwayne Bent for the elevator buttons photo.
    The 935 Gravier Image was provided by The Exchange Centre.

     

  • Five for Friday – LG Hires Bros to Build Brand, Your New Favorite Robot & Google Sees the Future of Eye Care

    Comic5

    1. LG Teams Up With Bro-tastic YouTube Network for Content Marketing Campaign
    – Advertising Age

    YouTube famous stars known as Dude Perfect are getting more than just views from their unbelievable, athletic trick shots. They have already acquired advertising leads with brands such as Pringles, Nerf, and as of this week, smartphone maker LG.

    LG hopes that by standing behind these bros, they can extend their reach to younger audiences and hopefully create some competition for other dominating brands in their industry.

    Incorporating this “jaw dropping” content may boost LG’s brand recognition, but stealing market share from Apple may be a bit of a reach.

    RobotWavingHandSmallImage2. Say Hello to the Robotic Personal Assistant of Your Dreams
    – Entrepreneur

    Meet Jibo, a robotic personal assistant created by Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, a Boston-based professor and entrepreneur. Jibo is a “family robot,” designed to interact with your household, take photos and remind you of important events.

    Having had a strange personal experience with Siri, I’m a bit skeptical of personalized interaction with a computer. Jibo seems to break the mold, but will this technology continue a pattern of diminishing personal interaction in today’s culture?

    3. Novartis, Google to Develop Contact Lenses to Monitor Blood Sugar
    – Mashable

    Google is currently joining with Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical research and sales company, to develop smart contact lenses. These lenses, expected to make their debut as early as next year, will be equipped with blood glucose monitors and autofocus for troubled vision.

    “The promise here is the holy grail of vision care, to be able to replicate the natural functioning of the eye,” Jimenez said in the Bloomberg report.

    As if being “the holy grail” of the internet was not impressive enough, Google is taking it a few steps further and improving health care and the quality of life as well.

    ContactsEyeImage

    4. Prototype Improves Mobile Typing by Ditching the Keyboard
    – DNews

    Are you fed up with ineffective, awkward mobile and tablet typing methods? Well, a startup based in Austin, Texas is in the early stages of creating a nonexistent keyboard to solve that #FirstWorldProblem.

    Just as the name implies, the AirType project’s goal is to create a system allowing the user to type freely with no restriction but the mobile sensors around your hands and knuckles. Not only does this keyboard (or lack there of) allow you to type freely, it will also adapt to your activity and begin recognizing your habits, like voice recognition for your hands.

    5. Retargeting Is Flawed; the Future Is Pretargeting
    – Digital Next

    What if ads were designed to service needs that we don’t even know we have? Retargeting will soon be a thing of the past, the future of advertising is our future behavior.

    Most are familiar with retargeting efforts, taking products and services we already recognize and driving marketing for those brands. Marketers are beginning to refocus their goals to be more predictive and create wants and needs we may have in the future. The more information consumers divulge, the more predictive marketers become.

    Image Sources:

    Niek Beck, Moms contact

     

  • Do Your Ads Belong on LinkedIn?

    LinkedInLogoImageLinkedIn is a great advertising platform for business-to-business (B2B) companies. It helps these businesses increase brand awareness and allows them to connect with potential clients.

    Should you be advertising on LinkedIn?

    Unfortunately, if you’re an ice cream shop advertising on LinkedIn in the hopes of increasing your sales, there is a 110% chance that your time, effort, and financial resources are better off on another platform. (Hint: Facebook). This marketing approach is best for linking to other businesses.

    LinkedIn Advertising is also extremely beneficial for companies looking to fill open positions. Users aren’t just on LinkedIn to see the latest baby pictures that their old high school friends are posting. They are mostly looking for professional development and networking opportunities.

    Are you targeting the right audience?

    So, you’ve decided that LinkedIn Advertising is a strategically advantageous move for your business. Now what? Figure out your target demographic.Do this before writing your ad copy and even before sponsoring your updates. It’s imperative that you do this before jumping onto this marketing battlefield with no precise aim.

    TargetMarketImage

    Why is this so important?

    LinkedIn offers a variety of demographic targeting options that can be combined to best fit the audience of your campaign. Strategically deciding on your audience will send your ads in the right direction for the best results.

    Who are you speaking to? Do you know what that audience likes and dislikes? You won’t be able to write enticing, effective ads that achieve your goals without this knowledge.

    When it comes to target options, the possibilities are vast! You can choose to target anything from specific locations, companies, and job titles to specific schools, groups, ages, and genders.

    Once you decide that LinkedIn is the place for your business and you figure out who your target demographic is, you’ll be ready to start running ads and sponsoring your updates.

    Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/3dTdUc

  • Five for Friday – Google Launches Click & Drag for Maps, A New Twitter Record, & Pinterest Gets Even Easier!

    FireworkFiveImageMarketing Land publishes new research on tweet indexing in Google search results. Google Maps rolls out handy “click and drag” update. Why your content needs images to get the attention of engaged readers. The most talked about World Cup game breaks a Twitter record. Big brands begin testing a new way to interact with Pinterest followers.

    1. Twitter A-Listers Are More Likely To Have Their Tweets Indexed In Google Search Results
    -Marketing Land

    It’s official: your tweet will never be on Google search.  A study by Stone Temple Consulting reveals that Google will likely only index your Tweets if you have over one million followers.  After analyzing 963 Twitter accounts, the study found that tweets from accounts with a million+ followers were indexed 30% of the time.  As the number of followers increased, so did the indexing percentage.  Although there were a very small percentage of tweets indexed by Google from accounts with fewer than a million followers, the amount is negligible compared to Twitter’s heavy hitters.

    On the bright side, we can all rest assured knowing the wit and wisdom of Kanye West in 40 characters or less is only a quick Google search away.

    IndexationByFollowersImage

    2. Click And Drag To Measure Distance In New Google Maps Update
    -Search Engine Journal

    Do you often take the road less traveled, only to be frustrated by not being able to measure just how far you’ve gone?  Relief has arrived!  Google announced a Google Maps update this week that allows users to click and drag to measure distances.

    Google might call me a perfectionist, but I’ve already thought of five practical applications for the new feature:

    1. Settle the argument whether you or your friend lives closer to your favorite hangout, and see if it’s truly in the middle (shortcuts finally included).

    2. Calculate how long it will actually take to detour from your road trip to see the world’s largest ball of twine.

    3. Get an accurate distance when Google’s driving directions fail because you know Maple Street is closed for repairs but it insists on sending you there anyway.

    4. Enjoy your next run (or bike or leisurely stroll) sans Nike app and still be able to calculate how far you went.

    5. Answer the age-old question: how far would it be if I wanted to walk in the shape of my name through this park?

    GoogleMapsMeasureDistanceImage

    3. Use Images (Not Just Words) to Turn Your Distracted Visitors into Engaged Readers
    -Copyblogger

    It’s an adage as old as time: a picture is worth 1,000 words. Pamela Wilson makes the very relatable analogy of the oversaturation of words in content marketing to an overstimulated child (if you don’t have kids, think about the one throwing a temper tantrum at the park last week).  We are visual people, so why aren’t we incorporating images while producing content online more often?

    Her tips vary from basic (remember to actually use images and not just words) to creative and insightful (doctor up a purchased stock photo to make it more unique).  Much like the sight of an image itself, lost in a sea of text, the blog is refreshing in its take on reaching your audience through content production.

    4. Germany’s Stunning World Cup Win Over Brazil Is The Most-Tweeted Sports Game Ever
    -TechCrunch

    The spirit of Brazil’s soccer team wasn’t the only thing broken after Tuesday’s World Cup match against Germany; the game was the subject of 35.6 million tweets, breaking the record for the most-discussed single sports game on Twitter. At the peak of the Twitter fury was Sami Khedira’s goal against Brazil to bring the score to 5-0 Germany, which resulted in 580,166 tweets per second.

    The record replaces this year’s Super Bowl, which garnered 24.9 million tweets.

    GermanyWorldCupImage

    5. Pinterest Makes It Easier to Follow E-commerce Brands
    -Adweek

    Pinterest has been busy working towards winning the title “Big Brand’s Best Friend.”  Following the release of its API in November, they’ve now tweaked the “follow” button to make it easier for consumers to connect with eCommerce sites.

    Currently being tested by Wayfair, Whole Foods, ModCloth, and GoPro, the new “follow” feature improves user experience by pulling in the company’s latest pins in a pop-up window instead of taking the shopper off-site.

    As a lover of Pinterest, I say bring it on!  Anything that lets me connect with my favorite brands quicker and more easily is a winner in my book.

  • New Preview Will Have You Pinterested

    On Tuesday, Pinterest for Business’ Jason Costa announced the rollout of a new follow button that will give users a preview of what it will be like to follow the business.

    Tell Me How It Works

    The new button will trigger a pop up window that will include a preview of the most recent pins along with a confirmation button to follow that business. The exciting thing about the pop up window, Jason says, is that “ your visitors won’t ever have to leave your website to follow you.”

    Pinterest Follow Button Update Preview Image

    Costa says, “If you have the original Follow button in place, you won’t have to do anything to get the new version—it’ll just work!” Just like the old follow button, this button can be added to your site with just a couple of lines of code.

    Tell Me How It Will Look

    Want to test out the new widget for your business’ Pinterest page? Lucky for you, you can! Just go to Pinterest for Business. Then click on “Tools” and “Widget Builder” in the menu. From there you can select the “Follow Button” on the left, and type in your Pinterest User URL along with your full user name and then click “Build it!” Now see for yourself how awesome this update really is.

    Test Pinterest Widget Image

    Let the Experts Weigh In

    Martin Beck from Marketing Land believes Pinterest made a smart update, “which is working to turn its popular image-based social network into a money maker.” UX experts like Sarah Horton from UX Magazine might say that this animation necessitates ”keyboard-focus management for custom controls.” However, because the image animation comes to an end on its own, I would argue that controls are not necessary for this animation. If anything, it should just get the viewers excited to see more pins!

  • Finding the ‘meez’ – or How To Spend the First 10 Mins of Your Day

    If you’re like me and have a short attention span love a good list, you’ve probably read countless articles like this. Despite being a self-proclaimed efficiency expert, I’m always on the hunt for ways to be even more efficient, especially at the start of my day.

    A recent Harvard Business Review article showcases a tip from legendary chef Anthony Bourdain that is surprisingly as applicable in an office setting as it is in the kitchen. Mise-en-place – or the “meez,” as it is often called – is a French phrase that translates to “everything in its place.” In culinary practice, it involves studying a recipe, thinking through the tools and equipment you will need, and assembling the ingredients in the right proportion before you begin.

    Cooking Ingredients Image

    Despite the fact that I never remember to do this in the kitchen, it’s a great idea for professionals to follow as well. Begin your day with a brief planning session – an intellectual mise-en-place, if you will – by mentally mapping out your upcoming tasks and meetings (and don’t forget about lunch!)

    Also, rather than checking your email immediately upon sitting down in the morning, productivity guru David Allen (how do I get that title?) suggests starting each item on your to do list with a verb. Having a list of actionable items makes it easier to check things off your list. I don’t know about you, but I find few things more satisfying than a well-marked to-do list.

    To Do List Image

    Once you’re done planning, grab a second cup of coffee – because let’s be real, you’ve already finished your first – and now you can take on the day head first with a plan!

    Image Source:  https://flic.kr/p/3mthCn

  • An Influencer’s Dispatches From Tour

    IanMusicTourPicture01

    In May, Search Influence allowed me to take off for about a month to pursue playing guitar in a touring music act. Here are some of the highlights of my trip:

    Lexington, KYIn Kentucky for derby weekend — it turns out that everyone there is incredibly nice and Mint Juleps rule.

    Philadelphia, PA A great place to enjoy buffalo wings as well as other “lowbrow” delicacies.

    Brooklyn, NYGot to do a cool radio interview in a studio overlooking the East Village!

    Baltimore, MD Spooky!

    Detroit, MI Cheap houses!!! Saw a deer — in downtown.

    Grand Rapids, MI We played with a relatively successful band in Philly that was on tour as well. They were great, and their drummer and I got along really well. We had a funny conversation about “The Sopranos” after noticing a pastel portrait of Chris Moltisanti hanging in the green room of the venue. A week later, we were playing in Grand Rapids, when I get flagged down by someone in the parking lot. It was the drummer from the band in Philly. It turns out he was from Kalamazoo, and he and his friends drove an hour to come see us in Grand Rapids. If that wasn’t cool enough already, he and his band paid the venue owner for the funny Sopranos painting and drove it all of the way from Philly to give it to me in Grand Rapids.

    Milwaukee, WI Ate cheese while looking over the lake. Very yummy/pretty.

    Fargo, ND Was cold.

    Portland, ORHomecoming show for me, it was really great seeing all of my friends and family. It was one of our best shows on tour. Coincidentally, a transformer blew up during our “encore” song, plunging the club and surrounding neighborhood into darkness, which prompted an epic drum solo in the dark. It was really fun and such a strange coincidence, everyone thought we orchestrated it.

    San Francisco, CA COFFEE HERE WILL MAKE YOU RUN THROUGH A BRICK WALL; ALSO, GOOGLE GLASS!!!

    Los Angeles, CA I get why they call it City of Angels, The Big Orange, La-LA Land, Shaky Town, and Tinseltown (specifically applies to Hollywood).

    Los Cruces, NM Got to experience a breathtaking lightning storm sort of like this one.

    Marfa, TX– Was originally developed to accommodate a speculative oil boom, then bought by Swedes once the oil ran out faster than expected. Additionally, all of the weirdos who emanated the weirdness in Austin moved here once Austin’s tech boom priced them out. As result, this is a super weird little art town where every single business doubles as an art gallery. Also home of this.

    Austin, TX– Next level food scene.

    Houston, TX– Definitely a pretty big place! Rothko Chapel was cool?

    IanMusicTourPicture02

    So there you have it! Also – let it be known that the Ford Aerostar is a fine piece of machinery. I highly recommend it to anyone who is in the market for an affordable and trustworthy van.

  • Is Your Website Healthy? Increase Its Organic Intake & Watch It Grow!

    Whether you’ve noticed it or not, all website owners are in the parenthood business. Our websites are our babies; despite how frustrating they can seem, how stressed they make us, and how much of our money and time they require, we love them anyway. And, of course, we want them to live long, healthy lives. So, whether your business is currently raising a newborn, keeping track of an 8-year-old, or guiding a young adult, your baby deserves undivided attention, precious care, and the healthiest food available.

    100 Percent Organic Image - Search-Influence

    Why Choose Organic?

    Just as any living and working body, your site deserves a high intake of organic food, and in this case, every visitor is a small portion of a meal. Organic traffic is traffic that comes to a website through unpaid links from search engines, directories, and more. Because organic traffic is considered natural, it’s not a quick process but rather builds over time. Its success is directly related to the content on the site and the number of backlinks it receives from trustworthy sites. Since you’re the parent of this functioning being of the virtual world, you’re responsible for its wellbeing.

    Website Healthy Eating Image - Search Influence

    The Recipe To Increasing Organic Traffic

    The organic method is not only a high-quality and reliable tactic, but it’s also free and increasable. Plus, high numbers in organic traffic will naturally inflate your search engine rankings. How do you do this? Here are a few, efficient ways to increase your site’s organic traffic:

    • Build a site with relevant, unique content that’s up to date and free of grammatical errors.
    • Add keywords as naturally as possible into your compelling content. (Don’t overuse them.)
    • Do NOT post duplicate content on your pages.
    • Start an engaging blog.
    • Only have dependable, authoritative backlinks to your site. (Strive to have content that others want to link to. Don’t use link schemes.)
    • Optimize your photos.
    • Remember to add page descriptions.

    Healthy Choices Scale Image - Search Influence

    The Final Health Check

    The question at hand is simple: Is your website healthy? Or, is it stuffed with too many keywords? Is it living on manipulative, artificial backlinks? Is its body suffering from the lack of unique content nutrients? Deceptive preservatives will decrease your traffic and discredit your right to rank high on Google, Bing, and other search engines. Fill your site’s body with authentic, creative content with striking, optimized photos and strong backlinks. Then, you can sit back and watch its organic traffic grow.

    Your website has a heart. Treat it like it does, and give it your best.

    Website Healthy Heart Image - Search Influence

  • Google Changes The Way Authorship Shows In Search Results

    John Mueller Post - Update To Google Search Image - Search Influence

    Last Wednesday, June 25, John Muller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, made a pretty big announcement on his Google plus page. In the ongoing effort for a better and more consistent mobile experience, Google has decided to remove authorship circle count and profile photos from search results. Muller said, “Our experiments indicate that click-through behavior on this new less-cluttered design is similar to the previous one.”

    So, essentially the pretty but cluttered results weren’t positively influencing clicks.

    What Does This Update Look Like?

    Basically, the only change is that the author’s photo and circle count is gone.

    Google Search Results Update - Example Image - Search Influence

    So Why Bother With A Photo?

    You might be thinking that this update means you’re now saved a step in optimizing your profile and content to appear in search results. In Google’s News section, however, your photo associated with your author Google+ will still appear. In fact, Google’s support page on “Author information in search results” still currently says that if “you want your authorship information to appear in search results for the content you create, you’ll need a Google+ Profile with a good, recognizable headshot as your profile photo.” You can also follow that link to find steps on how to get it set up properly.

    I’m continually impressed by Google’s consistent updates to improve user experience. Many businesses could benefit from this kind of consumer-centric behavior.

  • 5 for Friday – G+ On Your Phone, Teens On Facebook, & Tips For Powerful Images

    5ForFriday

    1) CNBC: This 17-Year-Old Website Devastated By Google’s Panda Update – Search Engine Roundtable

    Once upon a time, there was a woman named Linda Stadley. Her recipes brought so much joy to her and those around her that she generously decided to share them with the Internet. So she created www.whatscookingamerica.net, and for 17 years her recipes reigned supreme. She lived happily ever after until Google unleashed its mighty Panda 4.0 paw and ended her domination of the search engine results page faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Users everywhere weep for her loss of traffic.

    …that website though. The writer of this article says it all with his closing statement, “I feel bad but the site does need a facelift.” Well, yeah. This article speaks to the very nature of Google updates: even though they may not make everyone happy, the goal is to help all users find the best information first. Let’s be real here. This site lacks a lot of the features that make a website useful to users looking for recipes (like reviews, for example); therefore, more useful websites will get better rankings because they give people more of what they’re trying to find. Google would probably reply with something along the lines of “sorry we’re not sorry.”

    WhatsCookingAmerica-Website

    2) Google My Business iPhone App Now Available – Blumenthals

    Do you want Google all up in your business? You’re in luck. Google just released the My Business iOS app (as discussed by Mary Silva). The noteworthy features (for both the iOS and Android app) include the ability to edit your business listings and view local insights. Missing from this app is Google Analytics and Adwords Express. You can also access all the features of your Google Plus account. JUST WHAT WE’VE ALWAYS WANTED, said no one ever. The thought behind this was probably something along the lines of, “hey wait a minute, no one seems to be posting to their Google Plus account, maybe they would if they could do that on their phones?” We will see Google, we will see.

    3) Wait A Minute. Facebook Is Still A Big Hit Among Teens? – Marketing Land

    FacebookGraphic

    Facebook hasn’t been poisoned by moms and businesses? What?! As it turns out, Facebook is still popular with teenagers. Forrester Research released a report revealing that 75% of Facebook users ages 12 to 17 use Facebook once a month, with 28% of this age group claiming to use Facebook “all the time.” Of course, numbers don’t always give the whole story. Yeah, these kids are logging on, but are they actually using Facebook? Who’s to say these kids using Facebook everyday are not just scrolling through the newsfeed absentmindedly? Well, this may be the case, because a niche study reveals Facebook lost to Instagram for the most engaging platform.

    There’s a lot to consider here. For one, how will this trend change in the future? Have teens just been classically conditioned to check their Facebooks like a hopeless romantic checks Craigslist missed connections? Do more engaging platforms have more of an advantage in retaining and attracting new users? Time will tell.

    4) Net Neutrality Protesters Arrested At Google HQ – Techcrunch

    Well, this is a fun one. A group of activists in favor of net neutrality were arrested for protesting outside Google Headquarters. What were they doing there, you ask? The group calls for Google to “stand with us in support of an Internet that is free from censorship, discrimination, and access fees.” The group asked Google, among other demands, to change their homepage for a day to include a link to the FCC petition. You may be thinking, ‘but Google isn’t exactly the bad guy here trying to end net neutrality for all, why are they protesting there anyway?’ And you would be thinking correctly. According to this article, Google declined to comment on the arrests. I can’t blame them, as it seems these protesters might have a classic case of misdirected rage.

    5) The 8 Types of Images That Increase the Psychological Impact of Your Content – Copyblogger

    Quality images matter because they increase user experience. Yes, we know this. The advice in this article seems rather obvious, but there’s something to take away here. Specifically, what makes an image useful? This article proposes eight different types of images that provide users with the information they need. The top eight being: stock photos, screenshots, charts and graphs, personal photos, still frames from popular movies and TV shows, infographics, custom art, and comics. I would like to point out that most of these (except stock photos) could and maybe should fall under #7 “custom images.” I feel this article missed out on the opportunity to highlight the way that custom images serve more of a functional purpose for marketing than non-custom images. An infographic, comic, or screenshot that is custom and directly relevant to your business would obviously be more useful to users than one that is not.