Let me quickly recap Matt’s preview of the future of Google:

1. Better Page Understanding – following up with the Panda updates, Google will continue to understand the value of an author and quality content vs. sites that simply scrape content from other sources. More credit will be give. To authentic, valuable content.

2. More Personal Search - while some SEOs complain about not being able to see keywords sending traffic from those searching while signed into their Google account, Matt made it very clear that users want more personal and private search options, so they will continue to move that way.

3. Better Tools for Searchers - Google will continue to roll out new tools to help serve its end user – whether it be more privacy options or more influence from social media sites such as Google Plus.

4. Communication and Transparency – Google has made major strides with its blog and YouTube channel (among other things) and will continue to be as open as possible about changes that are on the horizon.

5. Sending Info to Google – Rumor is Matt carries around a notepad and will literally write down any issues that are brought up at conferences like PubCon to address with his team. In addition to that, he made it very clear that Google WANTS to be notified if you feel a site has been penalized unfairly or if you have another concern. There will continue to be ways to reach out to the Google team for assistance.

So, how do you stay in the loop on all of these changes?
Here is a slide from Matt Cutts at PubCon with 4 things worth doing now:

Note: All content and images in this blog post were published using my iPhone 4S. I apologize for any typos or incorrect formatting. Thanks for visiting!

I first ran across a Firefox plugin called Blank Canvas.  The plugin allowed for custom HTML signatures in Gmail.  Just what I was wanting!  Right?  Wrong.  Like many other HTML editors it was not user friendly.  My signature did not display as I wanted and it was just a pain to use.  There had to be something that was user friendly that could generate a stunning signature.

Ironically enough at that very time, I also had my Google Reader open and ran across a Hubspot Blog post about simple branding opportunities that cannot be overlooked.  Sure enough, in the first paragraph was a link to another Firefox plugin for email signatures called WiseStamp.  WiseStamp allows you to create very professional and creative email signatures for Gmail, AOL Mail, Yahoo! Mail, and Hotmail.  Best of all it’s simple to use!  It takes about 2 minutes to get your signature setup and there are even several email signature templates set up to choose from.  Adding your social networking links is a breeze!  Just enter the URL and the icons are taken care of automatically.  This email signature tool even allows you to share your latest blog post via a link in your email signature automatically.

I would recommend taking a few minutes to set up an email signature via WiseStamp right now if you are using Gmail, AOL mail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail.  Take advantage of this simple, but often overlooked branding opportunity.

Check out the video below for a quick overview:

Coming up ranked #1 in a local business Google search is great.  It can mean more phone calls and more online leads resulting in more business.  Or it can work against you.

Still being relatively new to the Fishers area I was searching online for a local medical doctor to visit.  I will not mention any names or the particular type of doctor I was seeking.  The first place I went, as always, was to Google.  I did a Google search for this type of doctor – local search results and the continued #1 organic listing underneath both turned the same doctor’s office.  I checked out the Web site, determined this would be a good place to start…but wait…I went back to the results page and noticed there were also 6 reviews of this particular doctor/medical practice.  I went on to read all 6 reviews.  They were horrible.  6 different people provided “one star” reviews and stated they would NEVER visit that particular doctor again.  In their reviews, they cited everything from waiting hours to get in to see the actual doctor, to the doctor making them feel so bad that they left in tears.

Now it’s hard to say if all of these negative reviews were 100% authentic, but the fact that there were 6 of them with descriptive encounters was enough to influence my decision to continue looking for someone else.  The sad thing is that this same turn of events is happening  for a lot of businesses that are spending money and working so hard to rank high in Google search.  What is even more sad is that most have them have no idea, or if they do, they are doing nothing about it.

Kevin Hood wrote a great blog post about the impact of a review he saw online while searching for a place to purchase a tailored suit in The Internet Reflects Your Business.  While he stated that the likelihood of someone leaving a negative review is probably higher than someone leaving a positive review…the bottom line is the negative reviews still influenced his purchasing decision.

Think if this particular doctor’s offered a free service or 25% discount to 50 of its best patients just for doing an online review.  By targeting your best patients, most of the reviews would be positive. 50 positive reviews vs. only 6 negative reviews certainly makes coming up #1 in Google even more powerful.

What do you think of this idea?  How much do you weigh online reviews into your purchasing decisions?

Now ask yourself: Are you happy with the results?  Were there any relevant results?

Okay, now Google search your company’s name.  Ask yourself the same questions.

Question: What is the point of this excercise?

Answer: To many people this is who you are, like it or not. 

• When you apply for a job odds are the HR department will do a Google search and review the results as part of a background check.   
• When a potential customer is deciding if they are going to work with you or not, they are probably going to do a Google search on you and your company.
• People even do a Google search before they decide if they really want to be your friend or go on a date.  Another form of a background check.

Unlike keywords such as “cell phones” or “cars” your name and company name are something you can realistically own (in most cases).  This is very important to your brand and your company’s brand.  It is also very interesting to note how many of your search results are social media profiles.  In my particular case, Facebook, LinkedIn and Smaller Indiana are all on the first page of results.  This is an important extension of extension of your name and brand as well. 

So ask yourself:  Do you really own your name online?  If you do not or if you are unhappy with the results – what are you going to do about it?

Firefox Gaining Ground on Internet Explorer as Browser of Choice
This is an article about Firefox increasing in popularity.  It has now taken over 20% of the market share.  Firexfox continues to improve on this number as Internet Explorer continues to drop off.  Internet Explorer is set to release IE 8 soon, in fact it is in Beta now.  Based on feedback so far, Firefox still is much faster than IE and Google Chrome tops them all.

Mashable’s 10 Ways Twitter Will Change Blog Design in 2009
Twitter has made it’s mark and is here to stay.  As of now the focus as been how integrate Twitter with your blog or social media in presence.  In 2009 it might look more like how do I integrate my blog with Twitter- meaning Twitter will become more of the platform of choice and other tools will integrate in.  This article covers everything from Tweetbacks and Tweetstats to TwitterRolls and blogs influenced by Twitter themes with WordPress widgets like My Favorite Tweets.  I don’t know about you but I cannot wait to add more Twitter-based words to my vocabulary.

Seth Godin’s Blog: When Marketing Goes Nuclear
As I am sure you know by now the Nintendo Wii was a huge success this holiday season.  I don’t even know what you say about this particular post.  You must watch the video below.  I do love the Nintendo Wii, but this is a bit disturbing to a certain degree.

The Blackberry Storm finally arrived today via FedEx priority delivery.  While I was unable to pick one up the day it was released, I am not going to complain as Verizon offered an instant $50 rebate instead of having to go through the whole mail-in process.  I was able to get the phone, a silicone case, a screen protector and car charger all for $202 with a new 2 year contract.  This makes the Blackberry Storm a very cost effective purchase.

Having spent some time with the Blackberry Storm today, I can say that so far I am very pleased with the purchase.  The functionality of the phone definitely takes some time for adjustment, but I love the clickable screen.  It is so nice to hover over something, see what you are going to click before it is registered, then be able to make your selection.  The setup was pretty easy as I was able to move all contacts, personal email accounts and media over in under an hour.  If you are planning to get this phone, you will want to make sure to install the Blackberry Desktop Manager as there are several device updates already available.

I will admit there are a few areas where the iPhone is much better.  The text messaging on the Blackberry Storm, while easier than most phones to manage is not as aesthetically pleasing as the iPhones layout.  Then of course there are the applications.  The Blackberry Storm does come with a few applications available, including a Facebook app.  I really like the Facebook app, but other applications such as Google Maps and Twitterberry are not optimal for frequent users.  I imagine Blackberry will roll out some updates for these in the near future.  I was able to find a cool site with high-quality home screen images for the Blackberry Storm.

Overall, the Blackberry Storm is a high-quality Smartphone.  While it may not be as fashionable as the iPhone and does lack some of the nice features that will come with time…all of the basic functionality that has made Blackberry so successful in the past is there.  I am unsure at this point how it is going to compete with the iPhone, but do know that I can’t wait to see what applications Blackberry is going to release in March of 09.

The Gmail design update is very welcomed as many people have unofficially tried to take the initiative on their own to spice up the previously very plain design.  There are over 30 new themes to pick from so everyone is sure to find something they will like.  There are even seasonal themes that change automatically as the season changes throughout the year or a weather theme that rains on your email.  How cool is that?  This offers yet another reason for Gmail to stay in Beta…LOL

The SearchWiki integration with Google allows you to edit and customize your search results, but only after you have logged into your Google account.  You may add notes and comments to each search result for future reference.  This new feature also gives you the ability to promote and remove certain search results depending on if you find the information helpful.  The promotions, deletions and comments of search results will not affect other individual’s search experience but will enable your results to be easily managed.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think about these 2 new Google updates!

When you think about all of the different types of cell phones out there, 2 really come to mind- iPhone and Blackberry.  Blackberry is set to release its newest module, The Blackberry Storm sometime in November.  This poses the question on everyone’s mind: Will the Blackberry Storm be the iPhone killer?

Only time will tell….