Notice From Microsoft Regarding adCenter

On March 3, 2011, Microsoft is changing their trademark policy to align closer to Google's, where you will now be able to bid on trademarked terms, but you won't be able to include them in your ad copy. Microsoft Advertising writes:

We are writing to alert you to some pending changes to the trademark policy within the Microsoft Advertising adCenter Intellectual Property Guidelines. Starting March 3, 2011, adCenter will no longer review trademark keyword complaints. However, adCenter will continue to investigate brand owner complaints related to trademark use in ad text.

We want to make it easier for you to manage your search advertising campaigns. By aligning the adCenter trademark policy with the current industry standard, we hope to help simplify your marketing efforts across the various online advertising programs.

Remember, if you would like changes made to your Microsoft adCenter ads, then don't hesitate to contact us here at Tandem to inform us of any changes you'd like to be made to your accounts.

Is Your Business on Foursquare Yet?

Foursquare certainly made their mark in 2010 as the leader in location-based social networking. In fact, the website saw a growth rate at over 3000% and rang in 382 million check-ins.

Once dismissed as an application holding little value for businesses, but its massive growth and popularity has resulted in check-ins from everywhere, even...from space. Yes, on October 22, 2010, a Foursquare user checked-in from the International Space Station.

60% of the 382 million check-ins took place within the United States. However, with the remaining 40% spread across multiple countries, Foursquare is becoming a global network. So what does this mean for businesses? There is potential here! Having a presence on Foursquare allows users to check-in, thereby letting their friends see where they are checked-in, and also for businesses to promote incentives through the program. For example, checking into a store in the mall can pull up a "Special Nearby," such as "Get 20% off by checking in and showing the cashier." Even checking in at restaurants can garner free appetizers or a glass of wine.

So, while some feel telling people what they are doing through Facebook or Twitter is enough, (multi) millions of users want to also show people where they are.

Here at Tandem, we are all check-in enthusiasts. If you have questions about getting your business on Foursquare, don't hesitate to ask us!

Attention Tandem Fans: Come See Joe in Dallas!

Tandem Interactive's own Joe Laratro will be heading out to Texas next week, this time to speak at the Dallas Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association's January 19th meeting. Joe will be speaking alongside Brett Tabke of Webmaster World.

They will be speaking to the meeting attendees on their specialty--Search Engine Marketing. Aside from Joe's work here at Tandem, he is an active speaker at industry conferences for the likes of Pubcon, Webmaster World, SMX and SES. Additionally, he teaches SEM curriculum for the DMA, SEO Class, Netowrk Solutions, Pubcon Master, and University of San Francisco.

The meeting will begin at 7pm, and will take place at the Richardson Rennaissance. You can register for the event here: http://dfwsem.memberlodge.org

Blekko Stays Strong at Tracking Spam

Blekko, a search engine that I previously posted on, has been holding strongly to their word about the excess of content farms and spam, and have been tracking the growth rate of spam with CEO Rick Skrenta's "Spam Clock" creation.

At the beginning of 2011, Blekko began tracking (via the Spam Clock) how many pages had been created that were essentially deemed spam. Today, the clock has ranked up over 250 million spam pages that have been created since January 1, 2011. The website also states that about 1 million spam pages are created every hour.

The problem with spam websites, for those who are unaware, are that they dilute search engine results and make it difficult for searchers to locate legitimate websites containing the information/products that they are looking for. In Blekko's words, they steal clicks and also increase click fraud. In essence, they are counterproductive to the whole scheme of search.

For more on the Spam Clock and the impact of spam on search engines, you can check out Search Engine Land's take on it all.

Security Alert from Google Website Optimizer

A potential security risk has been addressed by Google, and they caution that there is an ability for a hacker to execute malicious code on your site using XSS (cross site scripting) within the Website Optimizer Script. The attack's are a low probability, but Google does advise that you take necessary precautions to protect your website.

The bug itself has been fixed, therefore they will not affect any new experiments. However, experiments that are currently running need to be updated. If you have any Website Optimizer scripts paused or stopped that were created before December 3, 2010, you need to update that code or remove it.

Updating the Code:

(Choose One of two ways)

1. Stop current experiments, remove old scripts, and create a new experiment.
2. Update the code on your site directly.

Creating a new experiment is essentially the easier option. More information can be found at this blog as far as specific html coding to update.

via Google Website Optimizer Team

Consumers Geared to Spend More This Season

According to a Gallup Poll from November, consumers anticipate spending around $714 this holiday season. That's up $75 from last year's $638. While this is not at the higher end of the usual spending habits of Americans, it is a step in the right direction following the economy struggles we've seen in recent years.
To put it in perspective, 2000, 2006 and 2007 were all at averages above $800, with 2007 at the peak with $866. Immediately after, in 2008, it dropped off to $616. Regardless, this is good news not only for the consumers who feel confident spending more, but also for businesses who have struggled lately.
Also, methods of shopping were polled--and a whopping 53% plans to utilize the internet to compare deals, and 37% intend to shop on Free Shipping Day (Dec. 17). This statistic adds to the finding that 63% of online shoppers would be most encouraged to buy with Free Shipping offers.

Recap: PubCon Las Vegas 2010

Last week, Tandem's own Joe Laratro flew out to Vegas for PubCon, a three-day event considered by many to be the top conference for Search Engine Marketing. Basically, it covers every aspect of Online Marketing. PubCon is hosted by Webmaster World and its founder, Brett Tabke. Joe goes out to Vegas to act as a moderator for the conference and also as a speaker, offering up information from his SEO Diet.

Several attendees have already blogged about this year's event, and there is a comprehensive recap of the conference available on Search Engine Land. As you'll see in this breakdown of links from the event, PubCon covers everything from e-commerce to Wordpress, social media to mobile marketing, and much more.

The next PubCon will be held in Austin, March 8-9, 2011. More information is available on the official PubCon blog.