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Verizon is said to be close to purchasing Yahoo, a deal rumored for weeks. As of this weekend, nothing is official, but a deal could be announced on Monday.

This is important for your organization because Verizon already owns AOL. A combined organization, call it AOL-hoo, will unite AOL’s strong content (including The Huffington Post) and its services (Moviefone and Mapquest) with Yahoo’s email service and Flickr photo and Tumblr blog products. Add in Verizon Wireless’ market share as North America’s leading provider and six million FIOS customers. The combination creates a vertical organization.

This new company would have as many or more visitors than Google or Facebook. Google will still dominate search, and Facebook will still be the leading social media channel. But your prospects and customers will be using the AOL-hoo, which means you’ll need to target it.

Stay tuned. Even if this deal happens, any combinations or cuts are at least several months down the road. But be aware of the potential new player in town.

What is a Chatbot and How Can I Use It For Business?
What is a Chatbot and How Can I Use It For Business?

Chatbots are a big deal these days in tech circles. Learn what they are and how they can help your organization.

 
Teens and ‘Secret’ Apps (Infographic)
Teens and ‘Secret’ Apps (Infographic)

Why are teens flocking to applications that allow messages to disappear after a set time or that allow them to send content anonymously? And how do you reach them–as an organization or a parent?

Twitter Begins Application Process for Verified Accounts
Twitter Begins Application Process for Verified Accounts

Twitter “blue checks” showing verified organizations and people are now available. Consider applying if you or your org is noteworthy or makes news.

 
Showcase your services and products with prices on Google
Showcase your services and products with prices on Google

Google is rolling out a new feature for advertisers that will allow them to include pricing in Google ads. This saves space for advertisers since pricing used to be manually included in the ad text.

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Google is flagging some websites for being too slow and a client helping adults with disabilities opens its third location.

What you need to know about “The Dress”

The dress of many colors was a random bit of viral content that spread throughout the planet. I received responses from Australia, Africa, Europe and Asia when I asked people using super-cool new social network Plague how far the issue had spread.

As an organization leader, you should understand that this started late Wednesday night and saturated the Internet by Thursday afternoon. Smart marketers offered “dress-free” zones and “explainer” articles for their communities.

You missed the opportunity if you didn’t publish then because everything was over by midday Friday. That’s the speed needed for social media.

News You Should Know

Google Testing A Red "Slow" Label In The Search Results For Slower Sites

Google Testing A Red “Slow” Label In The Search Results For Slower Sites

Is your site unusually slow? Google is testing a red slow label in the search results that will warn searchers before they click over to your web site.Google has been warning organizations about this issue for years. This is only a test and not released widespread yet, but some version of it WILL come soon.

Google Mobile Advertising Launches

This is really big news. Google remains an advertising company because ads generate essentially all of the companies profits. But mobile-only advertising means that Google now has a major initiative that doesn’t use computers.

That means your mobile website, local listings and phones need to be ready for calls now, even if you don’t take advantage of this program.

Congratulations!

SPARC celebrates opening of new site in Providence District

SPARC celebrates opening of new site in Providence District

We are so proud of SPARC. The org supports adults with disabilities in Northern Virginia. There was only one SPARC location when we began working with them. They just opened in their third town and have expanded their services. Please reach out to them or me if you want to help or are interested in their services.

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TODAY’S SPOTLIGHT

Google tells websites not to buy links, Pinterest gets ready to sell pinned items, and a client reaches 100,000 Facebook likes.

News You Should Know

Google: Try To Avoid Link Building Because It Can Do More Harm Than Good

Google: Try To Avoid Link Building Because It Can Do More Harm Than Good

“Only focusing on links is probably going to cause more problems for your web site…” That’s what Google Webmaster Trends analyst John Mueller said online Friday, February 13, during a Google training session.

With so much information online about search engine optimization, we keep a big library of comments made by the search companies and trusted sources. John is another Google proponent of natural link building through amazing content. See his YouTube video here: http://bit.ly/1a0O6iL:

Pinterest Working on Buy Button

Pinterest Working on Buy Button

Most Pinterest clones sell things now so the big company getting involved shouldn’t be a surprise. Their 70 million monthly visitors are going to be a web savvy shopping group for retailers. This Re/Code article says that Pinterest might use Stripe for its credit card processing.

That’s a smart choice. We use Stripe on www.BibleClock.org and love the simplicity and market rates with no equipment to buy. “

Pinterest has a $5 billion market valuation, which doesn’t make financial sense if it’s only an advertising platform. Look for the company to charge retailers a percentage of sales like Amazon.

Congratulations!

Moms Clean Air Force: Faceboook Powerhouse

Moms Clean Air Force: Faceboook Powerhouse

We’re over the moon about Moms Clean Air Force’s success on Facebook. They do a fantastic job representing more than 410,000 members who are concerned about air pollution and climate change. The org made an early decision to build a Facebook community. That choice is paying off handsomely now as they consistently rank among the top advocacy organizations in the world for messaging about environmental issues.