In the past, you may have used Amazon's "Take a Look Inside" feature. This allows you to look at a few pages of a book, usually including its table of contents and the index if it has them. But you can't do this with all of the books on their website. And all too often even when you can, you don't always get enough information to make certian you want to buy it.

Try Google Book Search

Google Book Search is another source you can try if you find Amazon isn't giving you enough information. In fact, you may want to try it first.

This feature on Google allows you to search for words and phrases inside books, and usually will also give you limited previews of the books containing the search terms you've used.

Use Google's "Advanced Search" feature to conduct a searche using one of four options: "with all of the words" you enter, "with the exact phrase," "at least one of the words," or "without the words." You can also specify criteria such as a particular author's name or character name.

To use Google Book Search:

• Go to www.google.com.
• At the top left of the page you will see several Google links. Click on the "more" link.
• A drop down menu will appear. Click on the bottom link in that list-- "even more."
• A page listing a number of Google links and products will open. The Google Book Search link is the third item in the left hand column. Click on it.
• To the right of the input box at the top of the page you will find two links. Click on "Advanced," choose the type of search that best suits you need and you're on your way.

 

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Looking to learn a new language?

Maybe you want to try your hand at cooking a new dish?

Want to learn to play the guitar?

There are thousands of free tutorials on the Internet that teach such things as foreign langaues, guitar playing, cooking, exercise methods, computer skills, magic tricks... darn near anything you might want to study and learn. 

Most are in video format, allowing you to pause the action whne necessary and watch these step-by-step guides as often as you wish. Here are just a few of the sites you can check out to learn a new talent or skill:

• expertvillage.com
• ehow.com
• instructables.com
• tricklife.com

And there are many, many more you can find by doing a search in your favorite search engine.

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Used to be that if you wanted to research public records, you were destined to have to scour materials in a public library, county office or some other public building. Now you can save yourself the trip (at least, in most instances).

You can find public databases, the majority of which are free, on such information as military records, college alumni, criminal records vehicle registrations, obituaries, property ownership and more. Two great online resources for doing this are VirtualGumshoe.com and PublicRecordSources.com.

Check them out. they might save you time and money.

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...good luck finding a parking space at your favorite restaurant. Even in the North Dallas area.

The Red River Shootout is the annual meeting between Oklahoma and Texas. I've never attended one, although I did once make the mistake of attending the State Fair of the Texas on the day of the game.

You see, the game takes place on a Saturday in October and is played at the Cotton Bowl, which just happens to be in the middle of the State Fair of Texas. And attending the State Fair on Texas-OU day is not a good thing, because the already packed State Fair has another 80,000+ crazed fans dumped on the grounds. Being there is kind of like being a sardine that can move around in the can, but can't really get anywhere.

So, since then, I've avoided the Fair Park area, where both the Cotton Bowl and the State Fair are located, on the Saturday on the Texas-OU game.

However, the Red River Shootout also brings thousands of Ut and Oklahoma fans to the area. And they apparently are no longer content to eat in Dallas city proper.

I decided to eat at Snuffer's in Addison for lunch (one of my favorite restaurants).

When I got there, I couldn't find a place to park. in fact, I ended up in parking a few blocks away. The restaurant was as packed as the parking lot. And everywhere i looked, I saw either burnt orange or crimson. The UT-OU fans have moved north of downtown Dallas, invading Addison in general and Snuffers in particular.

Worse, I had to wait on a table and then it took forever to get my order. A very un-Snuffer's like experience, since usually the staff falls all over themselves to serve you.

Now I love college football. And the Sooners are my second favorite college team.

But can't we pass a rule banning UT-OU fans from wandering north of the Dallas city limits during the Red River Shootout?

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Back when I had hopes of earning an MBA, I was taking a marketing class where I managed to ace the course thanks largely to a paper and presentation I did on Southwest Airlines.

From its earliest days, Southwest had always successfully marched to the beat of a different drummer. As did its longtime CEO and President, Herb Kelleher, who infused it with a sense of humor and a atmosphere of success.

It has easily been the premier success story in airline history. Other airlines studied it, trying to figure out how it managed to profitable year after year while so many other either sought bankruptcy protection or teetered on the verge of bankruptcy.

After an extensive study, an exasperated American Airlines exec concluded, "That place runs on Herb Kelleher's bull****."

Well, maybe not so much anymore. The iconic airline has managed to take itself down a peg, acting like its snobbier brethren.  In fact, it appears Southwest has hired the clothes police to screen passengers.

You can read about it here.

The incident has gained national exposure and even got Kyla Ebbert, the target of Southwest’s clothes police, a few minutes on the Today show.

This from the airline that once famously clad its flight attendants in hot pants?

I’m guessing there was a lapse in judgment for the Southwest rep who decided Kyla was under-dressed. Either that or she gave him some bad service at the Hooters where she works.

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Over at the SEO 2.0 blog, Zunch was recently recognized for both its skills in the art of SEO and SEM, as well as our design for our Website.The blog ranks Zunch among the top 15 SEO/SEM company sites for a compelling design for the company's own Website.

  Hey, we appreciate the recognition, but what’s up with the sombrero, dude?

 

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Sports Illustrated runs a weekly "This Week's Sign of the Apocalyse" wherein it publishes a short comment on some event that either shows how trivial we are or indicates that, yes, civilization as we know it is coming to a end.

Well, this week's sign of the apocalypse on the Internet comes to us from a Massachusetts doctor who has diagnosed and treated himself for Wii-itis, a condition similar to tennis elbow that results from extended sessions playing the Nintendo Wii.

I'm not a gamer, but from what I understand, the Wii, unlike most game consoles that allow gamers to remain sedentary, requires players to simulate movements, such as swinging a tennis racket.

The treatment? Rest and ibuprofen.

I'd suggest a further treatment, cut out the marathon sessions on the Wii.

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This group represents 40% of the US population.

Even more impressive, they account for 70% of US net worth.

Who are they?

You might just be one of them (as I am). They're the Baby Boomers, who together with their elders increasingly are a market segment that many Websites ignore.

and if you are in the B-toC arena, you simply can't ignore this market. Sure, everyone seems to be chasing that 18-40 age bracket who are so hard to market to, but we're talking about a group that's got real money to spend that many companies seem to ignore.

And they are wired. According to a recent study by ThirdAge, Inc. and JWT BOOM, over 70% of this group have Broadband connections, well above the national average.

And this group is currently spending some $7 billion a year online.

What are they looking for on the Web?

Well, too of the biggest areas they search in are health and finance. But researcxh indicates that for nearly every purchase, from buying a pizza to buying a house, they are searching the Web before making a decision.

So if your marketing is currently ignoring this segment, it's time to reconsider. The Baby Boomers represent a group with lots of disposable income, and if you're Web marketing is mising them, you're missing out on profits.

 

 

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His is a name known only to copywriters and marketers, but you've probably seen one of his ads and never known it.

Gary Halbert, "the Prince of Print," passed away last night.

Gary was a master of the art of persuasion and one of the greatest of the modern day copywriters. In fact, Gary would tell you himself that he was the greatest. He never lacked for self-esteem.

For copywriters and marketers, his The Gary Halbert Letter was must reading. In fact, for anyone trying to market a product or service, both on-or-off the Web, I recommend you visit his site and start reading. It'll take a while, there is tons of material on it, but it's well worth the time.

And a bit of warning, Gary could be a tad profane. Still, some of his letters are pure gold and any time I can find copy he has written, I quickly save it for future reference.

I never met him, but I did exchange a series of e-mails with him once on the subject of the best day to run print ads in the newspaper. Neither of us could convince the other who was right, so Gary pronounced me a ****weasel, which, believe it or not, is something of an honor among Halbert followers.

Wish I'd kept that e-mail exchange now.

Although he was known primarily for his print ads, he had a tremendous influence on many online marketers and copywriters, including me. 

He will be missed in the copywriting/marketing community.

 

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You know how sometimes you'll do a search in Google and in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS), there'll be a listing that looks like what you want, only when you click on it you can't find what you were looking for on that page? There's actually a little trick that most people don't know about that will help you find that well hidden word or phrase.

Maybe I can explain this best with an example. Let's say I'm trying to find the names of marketing managers for business products companies.

I do my search, and "Wile Coyote Acme Business Products" turns up in the results. Only when I click on the link, I can't find the marketing manager's name anywhere on the page.

Well, assuming the marketing manager’s name is buried somewhere within that site, Google has a tool that makes it easy to find.

It's called "Search Within Site,” and here's how it works:

1.  Go back to the to Google page.

2.  Click on "Advanced Search". You’ll find it to the right of the box you type your search terms in.

3.  At the top of the “Advanced Search” page, you’ll see options for the word or words you are looking for. Type your search term into the appropriate box. In our example, you’d type in “marketing manager” in the field “Find Results With Exact Phrase.”

4.  Midway down the “Advanced Search” page, you’ll find "Only Return Results from This Domain". Type in the company's web address into the field to the right of it.

5. Hit your “Enter” key or  click "Google Search".

If the term you are searching for is on the site, it will show up in these search results.

It takes a few more steps than the typical search, but it's worth the effort to dig a little deeper into a site and find exactly what you’re looking for.

 

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According to the latest data available, with 69.4 percent of its population online, North America has the highest rate of Internet usage in the world.

Africa has the lowest penetration rate, at 3.5 percent, however the continent has experienced a 625.8 percent growth in usage since 2000. Overall, 16.6 percent of the world population is online.

(Source: Internet World Stats)

 

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We hear from another corner of the media universe on how ad budgets are being sliced in other areas while increasing on the Internet.

In this article from MediaPost Publications, the reporter notes that the Internet picked up ad dollars as advertisers and marketers continue to realize that a number of their prospects are cruising the Web, and not necessarily watching TV or reading the paper, in their free time.

Internet ad spending rose 17.3% from 2005 to 2006. Expect further growth in ad spending on the Web. And expect to see search engine optimization continue to grow, as some 80+% of those searching for a product or service on the Web use the search engines to find it.

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Curious about what the most popular searches are? Ever wonder what the rest of the world is looking for on the Internet?

Two sites, Yahoo!Buzz and GoogleZeitgeist, can keep you up to date and informed on the latest search trends.

As you'll see, most of the top searches are tied to recent news or events. Anna Nicole Smith seems to be a popular search choice right now.

And I have a confession to make. When she died a few days ago, I actually did go online and search for news of her death,mostly because the local sports talk radio station, the Ticket, mentioned it in their sports ticker, of all places.

They're two very interesting sites to visit. If nothing else, you can keep up with what's hot right now.

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You've probably seen it on the news, or more likely on the Internet, the story of a promotion for the Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force, that didn't quite go as planned.

Seems someone thought it would be a clever idea to distribute blinking electronic signs with wires protruding from them throughout ten cities, all intended as a promotion for Aqua Teen, a part of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup.

It doesn't appear to have caused much of a stir in nine of the cities, but in Boston, things went awry. Someone decided it might be part of a terrorist attack and, suddenly, major roadways and subway lines were shut down and Boston went into panic mode.

Two men hired by Turner Broadcasting, owner of Cartoon Network, were arrested and subsequently released.

Luckily, neither of these guys worked for Zunch, although I've got a concern they may have inspired a few Zunchers to come up with their own off-the-wall promos. All I ask of any Zunchers considering such a move is, don't call me for bail money.

The promo, hysteria and subsequent fallout raises a few questions. Did these guys actually do anything wrong? Why did nine other cities apparently have no problem with the promotion? Does the City of Boston not have a sense of humor?

Okay, admittedly, Boston has good reason to be overly concerned about terrorists since flights out of their airport were part of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Still, once it was determined the devices were harmless, and from what I've read and seen, they really weren't all that sinister looking, why the hysteria?

I'm not real sure where to come down on this one. On the one hand, I have to admire the cleverness of the original campaign, and the fact that with the turn of events in Boston, it's gotten way, way more coverage and publicity than anyone at Turner could have expected (and probably well worth the $2 million that Turner is paying to the City of Boston). 

On the other, I also have to appreciate the concerns of officials in Boston. What if it had turned out to be some kind of terrorist bombing attack? Would we all be laughing at Boston and questioning whether the City has a sense of humor?

Viewing the devices  as part of  a potential terrorist plot is probably giving terrorists credit for being far more clever than they are, after all, terrorists seem to be notoriously lacking in senses of humor. But, who knows? These days, how do you make sure something like this is harmless?

I mean, that carton of fries guy from Aqua Teen looks kind of sinister (although I don't know if he was featured on any of the promotional devices).

But here's an idea-- next time someone cooks up an oddball promotion, let the authorities know ahead of time. That way, when someone who goes to bed before the Adult Swim portion of Cartoon Network airs sees a sinister looking sign and calls the cops, the cops can tell him (or her), lighten up.

Opinions, anyone?

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Ever have trouble remembering the words to songs, or even the song name or artist?

I had that problem recently when bits and pieces of the song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet, kept running thorugh my head, and I could not remember the name of the song or artist.

For some reason I was determined to buy it, but couldn't remember the title or who it was by. I fruitlessly walked into a CD store and tried to hum it to them (trust me, you don't want to hear me sing), but the staff just gave me blank states.

Luckily, my early-onset-alzheimer's memory eventually kicked in and I recalled the name of the song.

But for the next time I run into the problem, there's now a Website ready to come to my rescue.

Midomi allows you to find out the name of a song, simply by humming or singing part of the song into your computer. All you need is a microphone, and you'll never be driven nuts by a song fragment running through your head again.

Of course, in my case, this means i need ot run out and buy a microphone. But I'll probably forget to do that before another tune in my head drives me bats.

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It's no big secret that Apple vigorously protects its trade secrets and trademarks (although oddly enough they have no problem trampling all over someone else's trademarks when then want, e.g., the iPhone). But a California court has decided Apple overstepped its bounds when it sued bloggers at www.AppleInsider.com and www.PowerPage.org, over alleged violations of California state trade secret law.

Apple claimed the bloggers had violated the law by disclosing alleged "confidential information" about not-yet-released Apple products.

However, a  Santa Clara County Court felt otherwise and ruled against Apple and in favor of the defendants.  In doing so, the court ordered Apple to pay the legal fees incurred by defendants, including a 2.2 times multiplier of the actual fees, bringing the total to approximately &700,000.

The defendants were represented by attorneys from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

The ruling is seen by web journalists as a First Amendment rights victory for the online community.

Kasper Jade, publisher of AppleInsider.com, said, "The court's ruling is a victory for journalists of all mediums and a tremendous blow to those firms that believe their stature afford them the right to silence the media. Hopefully, Apple will think twice the next time it considers a campaign to bully the little guy into submission."

Assuming the ruling stands, Apple could appeal, it marks a recognition of the courts that the First Amendment extends to the Internet. It also appears to be a step forward in establishing the legitimacy of journalists/bloggers reporting on the Web, rather than more traditional media.

 

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You almost have to feel sorry for Microsoft. First Zune, their late entry to the iPod/MP3 market, rolls out to little fanfair and slow sales.

Now Vista arrives. And lands with a "thud."

Across the nation, midnight launch events were planned at stores like CompUSA.  In New York City, it had been nearly an all day affair, culminating in an official launch party at the Nokia Theater in Times Square.

But across the nation, when the stores threw open their doors, things were kind of quiet. At a CompUSA in New York City, about 60 people lined up for the launch. Unfortunately, many of them turned out for other specials the store was offering.

That's not to say the launch was a complete failure. And the reality is, Vista will become the new standard operating system in PCs over the next few years.

But Microsoft could really use some good PR right now. They constantly seem to be playing catch up on the innovative side of technology, Zune being a prime example. As well as there recent upgrade of Internet Explorer.

I upgraded to the new IE shortly after it was launched. And almost immediately reversed course and went back the older version. Although I must admit, the guys in development and other tech types here at Zunch (at least those who aren't Firefox devotees), like the newer version.

Guess I'm just a caveman copywriter.

I'm not sure what's up next for Microsoft in product launches, but it will be interesting to see if they can actually get the public excited about  their next offering.

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Search share results for December 2006 are in and Google just keeps on expanding its share of the search engine universe. Google had a whopping 47.7% share of all searches on the Internet, meaning that out of 6.7 billion searches performed in the month of December, 3.2 billion were conducted on Google.

That 47% share represented a 0.4% increase over November 2006.

Yahoo! managed to slightly increase its share of searches from November to December, finishing in second with 1.9 billion searches, roughly 28% of all searches.

Microsoft held onto third place, but continued a trend in losing ground to Google and Yahoo!, falling 0.5% with 713 million searches and a 10.6% share of the search engine market.

So what does this mean for the hundreds of other search engines competing against Google?

Most will have to continue to try to find a niche for their serivces, offering services that Google doesn't or specifically targeting a market segment and its needs.

Microsoft may be in the most untenable position. It wants to be a dominant player in search, but is losing ground rather than gaining. There was an overall 30% rise in searches compared to December 2005, and Microsoft didn't get a lift out of that increase. Instead, it slipped further behind Google and Yahoo.

Naturally, Microsoft isn't backing off. They appear to be pinning their hopes for gains in market share to a new analytics platform currently called "Gatineau."  But Gatineau won't start beta testing until later this year, which probably means a launch date is a year away.

That's another year of potential further gains for Google.

 

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I understand that competition is healthy, and I understand that bragging rights are up for grabs.  But something is a little, well, fishy lately.

The once gentle and calm Amit Pandya has suddenly become aggressive and violent at the foosball table.  Shots are now being taken that a week ago he wouldn’t, or couldn't have tried.  His velocity is off the charts!  Perhaps he’s on the “juice”?  Maybe he’s sharing with the other player who will remain nameless (Chris Gomez) that has ADMITTED to using steroids!

That’s right, steroids.  Baseball, Track & Field, Football, and now – Foosball have all been tarnished by the use of performance enhancing drugs.

It’s a shame, really.  To resort to drug use in order to gain a competitive advantage.  Tsk!  Tsk!

To be fair, the Gomez did claim that he had to receive a steroid shot for a medical condition – in his shoulder.  The same shoulder that is used to provide power to his patented “Gomez” 5 man shot.  Hmm…

Perhaps random drug testing should be implemented to prevent this type of abuse.
 
At any rate, now that the secret is out, let’s watch and see if the sudden increases in performance mysteriously disappear.

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Zunch, in partnership with TrendOne Ltd., has landed on the shores of Italy. And Zunch is being welcomed with open arms and maybe even a little vino.

Soon, Italy and all of Europe will be Zunchified.

Read all about right here.

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Another Zuncher comes on board. Mohammed "Mo" Sayed has joined us as an interactive marketing associate.

Mo carries a rather unique genetic trait; he bleeds red and black. A trait I also share with him because we are both Texas Tech Red Raiders. Mo also lists his favorite food as being "steak." Hey, I can relate to that too.

Look for Mo to be giving you a call if you're not already using Zunch (shame on you). Better yet, give him a call and discuss your favorite college team with him while finding out more about using our services at Zunch.

 

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Another Zuncher is born.

Zunch welcomes Zenobia "Zen" Gonzalez as our newest interactive marketing associate. If you're not already using Zunch (and you know you should be), expect a call from Zenobia. Or, better yet, don't wait, call her at 214-455-4800. Just ask for "Zen" and we'll know exactly who to connect you with.

By the way, Zen may well be a one-of-a-kind Zuncher in that she names "Spinach" as her favorite food. Next thing you know, she's going to tell us her boyfriend's name is "Popeye."

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It's nearly mid-September, and that can mean only one thing for Zunchers--

TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

Yes, we've only got 50 days untill Halloween arrives. Only 50 days to find the perfect  outfit.

And if you wander the halls at Zunch long enough and peek over people's shoulders at those images on their computer screens, you'll see that a few people are indeed looking for that perfect costune.

Since Zunchers are kids at heart, Halloween is a major player around here. In fact, I understand it's a fire-able offense to fail to appear in costume on All Hollow's Eve.

And, no I don't have a costume yet. Should I break out my Bart Simpson mask? My Dracula cape? Let my daughters color me?

Stay tuned. When the day arrives, I'll be sure to post a few images of the costumes running up and down our halls.

Now I just have to wonder, do I need to have candy to hand out if they come "trick-or-treating" at my office door?

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Zunch is pleased to announce the addition of Craig Waugh to our sales team.

Craig, you are now officially Zunched.

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With several recent additions to the Zunch crew, someone took the initiative and organized a potluck lunch to try to introduce some of the newbies (like me) and just hang out for a while.

Pizza, fried chicken and cake were the main players, and luckily, there was no mystery meat present.

The conference room got a little packed when someone decided to crank up a DVD and we found ourselves watching "Dodgeball: A True Story." Zunchers from SEO, Creative Services, Development and all other departments scarfed and laughed their way through an extended lunch.

Is it just me, or does Vince Vaughn seem like the guy you wish was your best buddy?

 

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Zunch is pleased to announce that James Sadler is joining the company.

James will be working in the communications and SEO copywriting departments.

A former attorney, James has been working in search engine optimization for over three years and has extensive experience in a number of areas of copywriting.

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Leading interactive marketing agency responds to Google’s lash out against third party click fraud consultants

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) August 10, 2006 – In a recent report and public statement by Google Business Product Manager for Trust and Safety Shuman Ghosemajumder, the search giant has laid claim that some third party click fraud consultants are using “defective methodolog[ies],” that inflates click fraud estimates and skews data. This seems like a reversal of the recent study conducted by Dr. Alexander Tuzhilin that determined Google’s efforts to combat click fraud were ‘reasonable’ i.e.: they met their contractual obligations.

“Just as Dr. Tuzhilin pointed out that there are inherit flaws in the PPC model which will prevent Google, or anyone else, from fully identifying and filtering click fraud, there are technologies in place which can prevent an advertiser or third party click fraud consultant from accurately accounting for all of the activity all of the time, “Zunch Director of Click Fraud and Pay Per Click Auditing Jeff Martin said. “Dr. Tuzhilin concluded that Google’s efforts in combating click fraud were reasonable, in light of the inherit limitations of the PPC model, equally reasonable are click fraud auditors efforts to bring click fraud activity to the surface.”

Ghosemajumder states that fictitious ad clicks recorded due to mischaracterizing events “may be the most significant flaw.” Simply put, a single user may be counted as more than one visitor by a third party auditing system when either of these common events occurs:
1. The user navigates away from the page (either by clicking deeper into the advertiser’s site or by navigating away) and uses their browser’s forward or back buttons to return to the page.
2. The user refreshes the landing page.

“The limitation here is imposed by the Web browser. Whether refreshing the page in question or navigating back and forth to it through the browser’s buttons--Web browsers, by design will retain the original information of the initial visit to the page,” Martin said.  “By not maintaining the same variables, the page could end up altered or not rendered at all. Because the original visiting information is stored by the Web browser, when a browser loads the page again it will appear as a normal visit to the page rather than just a return and will be counted accordingly.”

The Google report says in order to solve this problem third party click fraud consultants should rely on the “Google AdWords auto-tagging feature.” The problem is that the more an independent click fraud consultant relies on data provided by Google and their methodologies, the more the consultant loses their objectivity and the more their methodologies may become skewed.

“By using the auto-tagging feature, consultants would be relying on Google to tell them what a unique click is and what is not. This is at the very heart of click fraud auditing and the most significant means in which to hold Google, or any other PPC network, accountable. Because independent consultants must maintain objectivity and neutrality they cannot rely largely upon auto-tagging,” Martin said. “Independent consultants must rely on click stream data that is not contaminated or labeled by any PPC network as valid or invalid, unique or non unique. To not do so makes the consultant more of an extension of Google and their methodologies which is not the function of the consultant and defeats the purpose of third party auditing.”

When the inherit nature of browser technologies and the independent objective role that third party click fraud consultants provide is taken into consideration, one can assume their efforts and methodologies are reasonable.

“Shuman says Google may “perhaps help third-party auditing firms improve their methods.” Zunch highly encourages Google to be pro-active in working directly with independent consultants as they will continue to fill a vital role in educating PPC advertisers on the risks of advertising on the PPC model as they relate to click fraud, Martin said.   “Independent consultants also help in providing advertisers with the missing account activity information they can’t receive elsewhere.  It is in the best interest of advertisers and Google to do so.”

About Click Fraud Detective™
Click Fraud Detective™ is a pay per click auditing system that helps advertisers easily identify, monitor and report fraudulent “click-throughs.”  The Zunch click fraud detection service provides advanced fraud detection technology that is customizable to each advertiser and can be used in conjunction with existing campaign and analytics tools.  Using state-of-the-art methods to tag Internet traffic as it comes to a website via pay per click campaigns, Click Fraud Detective™ empowers advertisers with the knowledge of exactly what is happening with their advertising dollars.  Armed with this information, advertisers can recover lost advertising revenue.  For more information, please visit http://www.clickfrauddetective.com.

Continue reading

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Leading online marketing agency to increase Web presence of military clothing provider

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) August 9, 2006 – Top-ranked international Interactive marketing agency Zunch Communications, Inc. announced today it has been chosen to provide Internet marketing solutions for Armed Forces Merchandise Outlet, Inc., a leading supplier of military clothing, combat boots and tactical gear to the military, law enforcement, public safety and outdoor communities. 

“The Zunch interactive marketing team is excited to provide Armed Forces Merchandise Outlet with a comprehensive Internet marketing solution and help it maximize the increasing power of the Internet,” Zunch Chairman & CEO John G. Sanchez said.  “AFMO.com is a cool and unique headquarters and website for anyone looking for any kind of tactical gear, combat boots and military clothing.”

“Our team is equally excited to work with Zunch,” Kirk Rovinsky, Principal of Armed Forces Merchandise Outlet said.  “This is a great time for our company to dive into online marketing and we are confident Zunch will help bring us Internet success.

Continue reading: Zunch Communications, Inc. Announces Newest Internet Marketing Client

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Zunch is pleased to welcome SEO veteran Heather Windsor to its award-winning team.

Welcome aboard!

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Interactive marketing agency retained as subject matter expert on click fraud
By Counsel for the Class Members

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) August 1, 2006 – Zunch Communications, Inc., an international Interactive marketing agency that employs proven and ethical online solutions that deliver the highest ROI for its clients announced today it was retained as a consulting expert in the highly controversial Lane’s Gift’s v. Google case by counsel for the Class Members, several hundred thousand Google advertisers.

“Zunch’s expertise with click fraud issues was instrumental in providing me with meaningful insight as to the importance of Dr. Tuzhilin’s work to our clients, Google advertisers, and in preparation of my presentation to the court,” said Steve Malouf, Co-council for the Class Members. “The Zunch team did an exceptional job and should be extremely pleased with its efforts.”

On July 27, a federal judge in Arkansas approved the $90 million settlement between Google, Inc. and advertisers who said the search engine giant charged them for invalid clicks.  By settling the lawsuit, Google will pay $60 million in credits to advertisers and $30 million in legal fees.

Having forecast the huge impact click fraud would have on search advertising dollars, Zunch Director of Click Fraud Services and Pay Per Click Auditing Jeff Martin developed Click Fraud Detective™, a pay per click auditing system that immediately alerts users when suspicious activity is occurring in their PPC campaigns and assists them with recovering their lost advertising dollars.

“We are pleased to have offered our expertise in this area to the parties of the lawsuit.  Dr. Tuzhilion’s report, along with the approved settlement, demonstrates Google’s measures to filter out click fraud and other invalid clicks are reasonable,” Martin said.  “As Dr. Tuzhilin noted, however, due to the inherit limitations of the pay per click model, advertisers will still find themselves at risk to click fraud, despite Google’s reasonable efforts.  Because of this, Zunch will stand ready to assist advertisers in monitoring and auditing their PPC activity and guarding their budgets.”

About Click Fraud Detective™
Click Fraud Detective™ is a pay per click auditing system that helps advertisers easily identify, monitor and report fraudulent “click-throughs.”  The Zunch click fraud detection service provides advanced fraud detection technology that is customizable to each advertiser and can be used in conjunction with existing campaign and analytics tools.  Using state-of-the-art methods to tag Internet traffic as it comes to a website via pay per click campaigns, Click Fraud Detective™ empowers advertisers with the knowledge of exactly what is happening with their advertising dollars.  Armed with this information, advertisers can recover lost advertising revenue.  For more information, please visit http://www.clickfrauddetective.com.

Continue reading: Zunch Serves as Click Fraud Subject Matter Expert in Lane's Gifts v. Google

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Zunchers got a first glance at the first newly designed ZunchWagon today. SEO guru and Click Fraud Detective Jeff Martin is riding in style. We like how this works with our branding and how it looks on the road. Honk if you see a ZunchWagon!

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Interactive firm offers detailed report that helps businesses dive into SEO

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) July 18, 2006 – Leading international interactive marketing agency Zunch Communications, Inc. is excited to announce it is now equipping small and medium-sized businesses with a comprehensive, easy-to-read report they need to successfully compete with their larger counterparts on the Internet.  The SEO Report Card allows businesses to push their websites in the search engines by providing them with the most critical optimization aspects of their websites.

Complete with hand-written notes, the SEO Report Card arms businesses with pivotal information they need to make informed decisions about the productivity of their websites.  This detailed report is the perfect solution for businesses that cannot afford a full-time interactive agency and want to actively market their products and services on the Web. 

 “Our firm receives more than 100 inquiries a week from companies that do not have the budget for a traditional SEO agreement,” Zunch Chairman & CEO John G. Sanchez said.  “Here at Zunch, we feel every business should be able to compete for customers, no matter how small they are.  There was definitely a need for an affordable resource that could level the playing field and the SEO Report Card is just that.”

Continue reading Zunch Issues SEO Report Card to Help Small Businesses Compete on the Web

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Merriam-Webster online has announced a list of new words for 2006 to be added to the popular dictionary. Technology and computer words are at the top of the list with “mouse potato”, “ringtone” and “spyware”. That’s three less words to tie up my spell checker.

Everyone has noticed computer and Internet words being used as a part of our daily language. These days, you don’t “debrief” from a meeting, you “download.” This is just another example of how we continue to reinvent our language and communication as our culture (and technology) evolves.

At Zunch, we see new terms coined daily. In the SEO world, keeping up with the latest trends is a challenge that keeps us on our toes. It takes a special person to envelope themselves into the technology. We’re passionate about what we do and strive to do it better every day. 

We should start a "Zunchionary." More on that later...

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A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was carefully setting up his collection of mp3’s. He verified the track names, artist names and all the other associated metadata. I asked why he would bear the cumbersome task of doing so and the answer was straightforward, “To reduce seek time”.

The iPod’s intuitively simple interface, without a doubt, took the world of MP3 players by a storm. Apple’s iTunes store, an operating system agnostic application, made it easier than ever for their customers to import and download all their music, and as an added bonus, let them manage it any way they please.

Google made it just as intuitively simple to locate desired relevant content by typing in a few keywords. The algorithm’s they utilize (evil or not) vary over time as marketing firms grow privy to their ranking methodologies. Our SEO specialists are well aware of this and strive to remain on top of their game which in turn allows Zunch to compete at the peak of our abilities.

Our zContentManager, much like the iTunes store, allows our customers to upsert (update and insert) and manage content. It then renders this content in well-formed HTML code for both spiders and browsers alike using industry best practices. Our clients get the best rankings and this reduces seek time for their clients.

Everyone wins!

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Top Interactive firm adds executive vice president to its growing management team

DALLAS, Texas (June 27, 2006) – International professional services company Zunch Communications, Inc. is pleased to announce today that Chadd Lomoglio has been appointed executive vice president.  With more than 16 years of experience in business development and sales management and seven years within the Interactive marketing industry, Mr. Lomoglio will provide leadership for the Zunch business development team and product and services development.

“Chadd is a distinguished executive with a track record of growing businesses,” Zunch Chairman & CEO John G. Sanchez said.  “With his executive leadership and deep solutions-based experience, we look forward to addressing the exciting growth opportunities for Zunch as we continue to provide our clients with innovative ways to increase their market share.”

Prior to joining Zunch, Lomoglio served as executive vice president of MarketSmart Interactive, formerly known as WebSourced/Keyword Ranking, where he was responsible for business development and generating new sales revenue.  Mr. Lomoglio was an integral part of the company, having grown its revenue from start-up to $20 million as well as driving its sales force from three to 70 people in just six years.
 
“The passion of the Zunch team as well as its complete product and service offering positioned this company for unprecedented growth,” Mr. Lomoglio said.  “I am excited to join this strong management team and help drive revenue so we can continue to build technology that adds value to our customers.”

Continue reading Zunch Names Chadd Lomoglio Executive Vice President

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Interactive firm appoints chief operating officer to manage day-to-day activities

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) June 20, 2006 – Zunch Communications, Inc., a top international Interactive marketing agency highly-ranked for its online marketing solutions, is excited to announce today that Interactive marketing expert Johnny Thompson has returned to the company in the newly created post of chief operating officer.  In this new role, Thompson is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the growing agency and will report directly to Zunch Chairman & CEO John G. Sanchez.

“We are all tremendously excited about Johnny’s return to our talented team,” Sanchez said.  “His leadership experience and in-depth understanding of Zunch operations is extremely valuable as we move forward.  Johnny was a huge asset to Zunch in his previous roles and we’re confident his will excel in this new position and help lead this expanding company through its next phase of growth.”

Thompson brings more than nine years of experience in Web application technology including in-depth exposure to vertical markets such as Interactive and traditional marketing, defense, insurance and telecommunications.  He has the breadth of knowledge to make informed decisions about client needs as well as equipping his staff with the tools they need to deliver solutions.  In his previous roles at Zunch as senior systems architect and vice president of technology, Thompson designed the world’s first search engine friendly shopping cart and content management system, zWebCommurce and zContentManager.

“I am absolutely thrilled to return to Zunch at such an amazing time,” Thompson said.  “Zunch has an incredible pipeline of innovative products and services and I am happy to be back working with this great team as we develop and deliver next-generation solutions that deliver the highest ROI for our clients.”

“Johnny has a successful track record of providing excellent leadership to all of our team members,” Sanchez said.  “With his appointment we are solidifying our executive management team and will enact upon our growth strategy both in the U.S. and globally.”

Continue reading: Interactive Marketing Expert Johnny Thompson Returns to Zunch as COO

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DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) June 13, 2006 – Zunch Communications, Inc., the leading international Interactive marketing agency dedicated to achieving measurable results for its clients, announces it has been chosen by Apple Farm Inn  for its award-winning online marketing solutions.  The deluxe San Luis Obispo hotel is the perfect destination for those seeking a luxurious weekend retreat or a captivating experience at the finest in San Luis Obispo lodging.

“The extravagant accommodations and gracious personalized service at Apple Farm Inn offer an oasis of tranquility that is unmatched by other hotels in San Luis Obispo,” Zunch Director of Interactive Marketing Matthew Shehorn said.  “The Zunch team is ready to help introduce guests from across the nation and around the world to this enchanting hotel in San Luis Obispo, California.”

Patrick McGuire, revenue manager of Apple Farm Inn, said Zunch is a major player in the Interactive vertical and continues to be ranked highly for its online marketing and service.

 “The hotel industry has become very competitive and we feel the aggressive strategies that Zunch employs will allow us to compete at a much higher level,” McGuire said.  “Zunch has proven success in the hotel industry and we’re extremely confident in this agency’s ability to improve our Internet marketing presence.”

 Continue reading Apple Farm Inn Selects Zunch for Online Marketing

 

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We would all like to welcome Lynn Holley to the award-winning Zunch team.  Lynn joins our talented team of Interactive Marketing Consultants and is very excited to help our clients achieve success.

Welcome to the Zunch team!!!

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Zunch has once again made its appearance in DM News. Check out Zunch Wins Lenders Residential Interactive AOR.

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Interactive pro to present European search landscape with world’s largest search marketing organization

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) May 25, 2006 – Top international Interactive marketing agency Zunch Communications, Inc. is pleased to announce that San Francisco Branch Manager Massimo Burgio will team with the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) to provide insight into the state of the European search market during the Search Engine Strategies Conference in London on May 31.

The presentation is a collaborative effort among Burgio and other SEMPO members in Europe. It is focused on mapping the experiences of European search marketing agencies that operate in local markets.

Burgio, who is co-chair of the Global Committee at SEMPO and a volunteer in the European Working Group of the organization, will present the experiences and unique perspectives of several leading European search marketers who participated in the project.

Burgio’s methodology consisted of an open-ended questionnaire that addressed key issues such as the local search industry, relationships with search engines, local competition and media and the new frontiers of search. 

“My presentation will in essence give a voice to the local search marketing agencies,” Burgio said.  “The findings of this SEMPO project shed light on search marketing trends and practices that differentiate from country to country, but also show similarities and common trends across Europe.”

Continue reading Zunch Expert Represents SEMPO at SES London

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Zunch would like to send a warm welcome to Amit Pandya, the newest member of our dynamic development team.  Amit is an experienced .NET developer and is sure to complement our highly skilled and motivated team.

There’s no turning back Amit… you’ve been Zunched!

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Respected interactive agency selected by top mortgage company for online marketing

DALLAS, Texas (PRWEB) May 18, 2006 – Continuing with the wave of steady growth, international interactive marketing agency Zunch Communications, Inc., announced today it has been retained as interactive agency of record for Lenders Residential Mortgage, a top residential mortgage lending company with more than 1,200 loan programs to meet the individual needs of any situation.

“Lenders Residential Mortgage recognizes the power of Interactive marketing and the value it can bring to its business,” Zunch Director of Interactive Marketing Matthew Shehorn said.  “Zunch has the unparalleled experience of directing well-targeted, qualified visitors to websites and we’re ready to put our expertise to work for this growing company.”

“Zunch has the undeniable reputation of helping businesses to drive sales and build brand awareness,” Robert Stern, president and CEO of Lenders Residential Mortgage said.  “Our team is excited to find an Interactive leader that is compatible with our marketing goals and we are anxious to see the impact their efforts will have on our business.”

Continue reading Client Roster Continues to Grow at Zunch

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Industry leader to help increase search engine presence of top global solutions company

DALLAS, Texas (May 15, 2006) – Zunch Communications, Inc. an international interactive marketing agency announced today it has been selected for search engine marketing services by Prediction Analytics, a global solutions company that assists retail and restaurant businesses in identifying locations that will yield optimal performance and achieve maximum return on capital.

“We are very excited to work with a company that delivers real-world views of how businesses will perform at a specific location,” Zunch Director of Interactive Marketing Matthew Shehorn said.  “Our proven search engine marketing strategies have the ability to generate a substantial amount of targeted traffic to the Prediction Analytics website as well as increase its overall strength in the search engines.”

Prediction Analytics Vice President of Sales and Marketing Doug Scott said it was extremely important to work with an experienced search engine marketing company he could trust.

“A successful business relationship is built around trust,” Scott said.  “Zunch showed us we could trust them by thoroughly explaining their strategies and processes. This team was very open about their approach and tactics and from this we were certain we were placing our online goals with the right firm."

Continue reading Zunch news release 

 

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Zunch to provide Chinese search and online marketing solutions to Italian market

DALLAS, Texas (April 26, 2006) – Zunch Communications, Inc. (www.zunch.com), a world-leading search engine optimization, Website design and Microsoft Certified application development company today announced a strategic partnership with SEMS (www.sems.it), a leading search engine marketing firm in Italy.  SEMS will now provide a new class of search and Interactive marketing services, offered by the Chinese division of Zunch (www.zunch.cn), to Italian businesses interested in targeting the Chinese market.

“The Zunch team of leading industry experts has designed the most comprehensive search engine marketing solutions to help Italian businesses tap into the booming but yet untapped Chinese market,” Zunch Chairman & CEO John G. Sanchez said.  “We are confident this strategic relationship between Zunch and SEMS will greatly benefit clients that are interested in pursuing business in China.  A large part of our international growth strategy is based on establishing such relationships and we’re excited to see how Italian businesses prosper in this market.”

Marco Loguercio, founder and CEO of SEMS, agreed.  “Everyday, more and more Italian firms start seeing China as a source of business opportunities.  The Internet is a strategic medium in order to support them to penetrate this difficult market,” Loguercio said.  “Search engine marketing is the killer application of this media and one of the most cost-effective ways to generate new business either online or offline.  Choosing the right search engine marketing agency to support them is vital and that’s why we decided to partner with Zunch, a market leader, to offer high quality Chinese search engine marketing services.”

Continue reading about this exciting announcement.

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Dallas Web development firm launches international websites for leading sign franchise

DALLAS, Texas (April 25, 2006) – Zunch Communications, Inc., a leading search engine optimization, Website design and Microsoft Certified application development company, announced today it has launched two international websites for FASTSIGNS® (www.fastsigns.co.uk and www.signwave.com.au), the sign industry’s leading franchise.

The websites were built using the .NET version of the Zunch Content Management System, zMS and are fully search engine optimized and architecturally organized for speed and easy use.  Some of the websites’ unique features include Request a Quote and Upload a File, which makes communication between the customer and FASTSIGNS® personnel faster.

“The look of the new websites complement the flagship corporate website www.FASTSIGNS.com, where we showcased the company’s fast service and full color printing,” Zunch Technical Account Manager Erin Sass said.  “All three websites now have consistent designs and navigation as well as worldwide locator services to help customers find the nearest store.”

Tracy Clodfelter, ecommerce manager for FASTSIGNS®, said due to branding purposes it was important to establish consistency with the international websites.

“Zunch did an amazing job working with us to create a fresh look and customized content management system for FASTSIGNS.com,” Clodfelter said.  “This company has worked with us to keep visitors on our website and we are certain that our relationship will do the same for the international websites.”

Continue reading.

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With the Internet being the primary source for business information-- Zunch has created its very own business directory that will help you find whatever it is you are looking for online.  Unlike many of the other directories on the web-- the Zunch Directory is a human-edited directory. 

This information resource will contain businesses from more than 15 categories.  These categories include retail & shopping, government & law, real estate & development and computers & software-- just to name a few. 

If you are interested in adding your business to the Zunch Directory click here.

 

 

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We are pleased to have launched the new website for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. This new online community brings news, events and forums to the forefront for its members.

Zunch did a complete website redesign and updated their site structure and look to reflect a global leader in safety and technology related to the transportation industry.  It was a absolute pleasure working with our client--Sabrina Quirarte and her team.

Kudos to Chris Gomez, who developed most of the website. We've received some good praises on the design as well. This something we’re all proud to call our own. Thanks everyone! We’re accomplishing great things!

Check out the news release

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We would like to thank the large number of you who participated in the eCom Xpo virtual tradeshow last week.  It was a pleasure for the Zunch team to provide you with insight into our vast selection of products and services that can help you realize your business’ online potential.  It seems a lot of you were interested in our award-winning search engine optimization techniques as well as our Click Fraud Detective, just to name to a few.

Again, we thank you for joining us and look forward to speaking with you during your scheduled appointments.  If you didn’t schedule an appointment, contact us and we are happy to set one up.

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By Laura Deerfield

The collection and storage of personal information, both with regard to statistical demographic data and with regard to search history, has been of concern to privacy advocates for some time – but was brought into sharp focus when the government asked for URLs and search data this January. Here is an article on the initial subpoena

This request was part of an attempt to begin enforcement of the 1998 Child Online Protection Act, but sets a precedent which could be applied to the enforcement of other laws. In this case, the government did not request personal data, nothing that could link a particular search to a particular individual - but there is nothing really preventing them from doing so, or from search data being requested in a criminal court case. And as tools like Google Desktop, toolbars, and MSN’s Open Platform become more widely used, the degree to which search engines are integrated into people’s personal lives will increase.

Before you dismiss this as irrelevant to you - don’t be so sure pornography laws don’t apply to you – the recent case with photographer Barbara Nitke established that the most conservative communities in the US can determine the standards by which your Website is judged. Are you sure that your online maternity clothing store won’t be considered obscene by a community in Utah, even though you are in New York? But search information could easily be collected in other types of cases by the government – such as national security. Such a possible use was specifically mentioned by the government. Do you sell anything which might be used by terrorists? That’s pretty broad – anything from books to box cutters could qualify.

But in regard to SEO specifically:
The demographic information that helps you find your customers and clients, can also be used against them. As people become increasingly aware of this, they will become more cautious about actively protecting their privacy. They may become more hesitant to reveal personal information or sign up for memberships, wary of efforts to collect information about them, however harmless the intentions. They will clean off cookies and clear caches more often – making data collection and statistical analysis more difficult, The most sophisticated and wealthiest visitors to your site will be the most difficult to track.

In short, being aware of how the law effects search engines can help you understand and keep in touch with the concerns of your customers and clients. You will need to establish yourself as trustworthy, and secure – while at the same time being open enough that search engines can find you. It’s a balancing act.

A lot of people see the ruling regarding the subpoena as a victory for privacy. Google was only required to comply with it partially. However, the judge pointed out, information collected by search engines with regard to web surfing and search behavior is not protected, private information. What he did determine, is that Google’s users had enough of an expectation of privacy that to demand search data would risk their reputation in the eyes of users, so that it placed an undue burden on the company to provide info that was available to the government through other means. This was not a right that was upheld, but a commercial interest. Which is still a good thing, but not quite the same.

A .pdf of the actual ruling his here.

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Check out an excerpt from the latest Zunch news release.

“Zunch has the talent and drive to help position our company in the forefront of the Internet as we continue to provide quality portable shelters to our customers,” Milbury said. “We are excited to work with the Zunch team.”

Read the entire news release

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The Zunch Design & Development teams did a great job redesigning and building this professional Wesite for Execuitve Car Service, Inc.

Some of its unique features include:

- Customized rate quote engine

- Zunch Content Management System, zMS (allows designated personnel to easily adjust content,   navigation and structure of the site).

- AJAX technology for online reservations

Check out the news release!

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Zunch is a gold sponsor at the upcoming "eCom Xpo" in April.  It's the first online virtual tradeshow for e-commerce Marketers, like Zunch. Visitors can browse and chat from their own office or home... no hotel rooms or lay-overs. What a cool idea! The folks that set this up are putting a new Interactive multimedia swing on an old concept. Bravo guys!

I'm pretty impressed so far. The set up is very visual and the booths will be easy to visit and use. Today I saw the showroom floor and set up our booth (complete with magazine rack and virtual plasma screen.) We'll be standing by to show off some of our services and products.

Plan now to attend and visit our booth! We'd love to find out how Zunch can help your business!

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Check out this article about the benefits of a search campaign versus a TV campaign.

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Our hardworking search engine optimization experts here at Zunch are once again being recognized for their outstanding work. Zunch Communications has been named the Top Search Engine Optimization Company by PromotionWorld.com.  Please, let's not confuse our ranking with the petty phrase “Top 10.”

It is an absolute honor to receive an award that simply states that your company is the best.  And you know what—we are!  If you don’t believe me—check out the Website for yourself.  The Zunch team has known for some time now that our professional SEO team was equipped with the experience and skills to implement a winning search engine marketing strategy for any company.  It’s just nice to see that others are recognizing our leading position in this industry.

Zunch… Spanish for Best SEO Company.

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