The above chart tells us that Facebook, to no surprise, is still the leading social media platform, accounting for 26.4% of total referral traffic. So although it seems like Pinterest has a way to go before becoming the next Facebook, its noteworthy enough to cite the extreme jump in numbers in just one month, not to forget to mention that it is driving more traffic than Google Plus, LinkedIn, Reddit and YouTube combined.

The infographic below, “Is Pinterest the Next Social Game Changer?” helps us visualize how much attention the new social networking site really has gained in comparison to others. A shocking increase of 429% occurred last year from September to December, putting its estimated unique visitors at 7.21 million. According to Monetate (creator of the infographic), Pinterest is now part of the top five social networking and forum websites driving the most referral traffic, with Facebook taking the number one spot and Google Plus not even making the list.  Having only been around for two years now, we are excited to see if Pinterest will remain on the Internet as the hot new trend, or is it just a fad that will leave our minds soon enough?

So what has contributed to Google+ recent growth? Earlier we heard about the Google plus Your World, a program where Google+ integrated company search results with daily search results. This may have convinced companies to utilize Google+ toward more of a business standpoint. Another intriguing scenario is the move to open the network doors to teenagers. Google+ started with restriction that only 18+ may join, since then Google+ has set the age limit to those 13 years or older – which has presumably gained a larger share in the younger audience.

Timeline Deadline

Another interesting factor is Facebook’s movement toward a universal Timeline. The widespread mandatory Timeline may have forced Facebook users to switch platforms and move toward the Google+ network. This is still taking affect so the real results of this won’t be seen till later.

Facebook or Google+ take your pick. We all know that this battle still has years and years of great competition ahead of these social media sites,  but who do you think will prevail?

Today, Google and Yahoo have teamed up to combat the perpetrators of phishing through DMARC.org – Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance. The two search engine powerhouses are working with Bank of America and Fidelity Investments to create this technical specification that will provide reliable authentication results to Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL users.

What’s To Blame For The Increase In Phishing?

DMARC’s group of search engines and financial services blame social media for the spike in phishing because of the readily available user accounts and personal information across social media platforms and e-commerce sites. Well-known brands are easily targeted in emails because users naturally find them more authoritative.

The following is an excerpt DMARC’s site explaining why spammers target email: “Email is easy to spoof and criminals have found spoofing to be a proven way to exploit user trust of well-known brands. Simply inserting the logo of a well known brand into an email gives it instant legitimacy with many users.”

There are already two existing authentication screening mechanisms – SPF and DKIM – that will become standards in the industry with the implementation of DMARC. The fact is that most phishing emails are already intercepted and sent to the user’s spam folder. The goal of DMARC is to remove those emails from the spam folder altogether. Inexperienced users are still easy targets for phishing emails to trick them out of their personal information.

How can you avoid being the target of spammers? Avoid clicking on URLs within emails and be aware of popular scams that are infiltrating the Internet.

Getting together with certain specialty shops that offer limited edition merchandise on a rotating basis will hope to also offer a different experience for shoppers and Target customers. The main goal is to have products that are unique because the more commoditized a product is; the easier it is for consumers to find a cheaper version online. It is true that online stores such as Amazon seem to be running many retailers and stores out of business, but to also be affecting such low-end retail stores like Target can become worrying. Businesses like Amazon have great internet marketing that helps bring in consumers to their page and start shopping. To compete with these SEO experts, large stores like Target will have to start implementing new strategies and ideas so consumers won’t stop shopping at their stores. Target is looking to attain the same pricing that smaller, online-only retailers receive so they can start to compete with online stores like Amazon and survive.

YouTube Outreach

What is causing this larger than normal spike over the past few months? Well one idea is that the parent company Google has pushed into larger categories and making it even easier for the user to share, upload, and watch. Take for example that YouTube is no longer just being played on computers; instead your Xbox, smartphone, and television now come equipped with YouTube.

In addition to the astonishing fact, some of the data and fact crunchers over at YouTube have switched from the mind-boggling charts and infographics to their new site onehourpersecond.com. This site is pretty fun and puts a lot of their stats into a visual masterpiece so be sure to take a quick look at it. Interested in more YouTube videos? Check out our YouTube channel. Give your company’s Youtube page a facelift by signing up for a social media package today.

After some research the marketing service firm Baynote found out that during the holiday season the majority of consumers did not buy gifts off of Facebook’s brand pages.  With the new action verbs on Facebook retailers are hoping that this will encourage consumers to share more and become more active when shopping. There will be even more action verbs such as, share, heart, bought, want, and wish where you will see what your friends think about many new products and gifts they want. A chance for affiliate marketing can also be in the future of these new buttons.

Action Verbs transforming Facebook ads

How will these new tools affect ads on Facebook? It will definitely make reaching hard to find demographics a lot easier, while friends see what their other friends are looking at. A Facebook spokesperson states that, “while social apps open possibilities for these new kinds of connections and expressions, these stories cannot currently be sponsored”. Even though it will take time for people to really start using these new action words, they could  prove to be a great advertising tool. Once they gain popularity, these Facebook apps are intended to advertise products, music, and events based on all your interests. It will be interesting to see the reaction to these apps on Facebook.

David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst, states “Advertisers’ comfort level with integrated marketing is greater than ever, and this is helping more advertisers – and more large brands – put a greater share of dollars online.” This is great news for us in the internet marketing industry, in which we only plan to expand our knowledge and skills in services such as search engine optimization and pay per click advertising as the demand for such services increases.

US online spending is expected to continue to grow in the next half a decade, with a mark of $62 billion anticipated by 2016. Displayed below, is a chart of the estimated spending numbers along with the percent change from the year prior.

With so much emphasis on the Internet and online advertising, those in the traditional industry of newspapers and magazines should pay close attention to this transformation. In 2011, total print ad spending was still approximately $4 billion ahead of online spending; but, displayed in the chart below you can see online spending will pull further and further ahead of the traditional channels of advertising in the years to come.

How do you feel about this Internet revolution? And how will this affect how we reach our target consumers if less and less people are reacting to the traditional means of communication [newspapers, magazines]?

Some immediate concerns from webmasters address the question of just how much is too much, but especially in relation to screen size. According to Cutts, “ads above-the-fold to a normal degree” are safe, but publishers are still apprehensive about the open-ended definition of “normal.” Using the Google Browser Size Tool can obliterate obscure content, and webmasters can utilize screen resolution emulators to see how site views differ from desktop to laptop to tablet.

Google confirms that only one in 100 searches, or one percent, will be affected by the changes. By promoting good site practices, and avoiding excessive banners and advertising, responsible websites can find a protective haven in the new algorithm in that their site could be better placed with the new search rankings. Cutts emphasizes, “Overall, our advice for publishers continues to be to focus on delivering the best possible user experience on your websites and not to focus on specific algorithm tweaks.” Another important reminder to always keep the user in mind for all search engine optimization  and internet marketing practices.

 

Let’s Connect On Google+

The goal of these bills is to censor your web browsing which would also potentially impose damaging effects on American business and even our very own Internet Marketing Inc. All of you last minute paper writing college students must be in for a tough week because Wikipedia is officially blacked out in an attempt to dislodge the bills from being accepted. Wikipedia is allowing you to raise awareness by putting up a fancy box that allows you to input your zip code and let your voice be heard. After submitting your zip code, information of your district officials allows you to contact them. Feel free to drop them a line, express your concern and give them your opinion on censoring your rights.

Now there is always two sides to the story. Google understands that combatting piracy is vital, but, “the most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.” Also joining in is Mozilla as they changed their default home page from a blank white background to black.

What are your feelings as to how citizens have reacted to this attempt at censoring your web searches?