Facebook and Bing Connect for a More Social Search

Yesterday Microsoft and Facebook announced that Microsoft is rolling out new features that will bring your Facebook 'experience' into Bing, their search engine. Could this mean that more people, particularly Facebook 'power users' may choose to use Bing over Google, currently the most popular search engine?

The new features include:

- "Facebook Profile Search" showing results from Facebook when you search on a name

- "Liked Results" Bing will include results based on things your Facebook Friends 'liked'

- You can change your Bing settings so that these features aren't shown in your results



and you can change your Facebook settings so that "You can prevent Bing from getting any info about you."

Google has been the most popular search engine by far for a number of years now, mainly because they do search so well. Some of their other products have taken off and become popular: Gmail, Chrome to an extent, and of course the Android mobile phone OS; but many of their other products have not done so well: Blogger is by far inferior to WordPress, Google Docs is far from displacing MS Office and Wave was a massive failure. Many people remain faithful regardless.

If the press coverage of the new Bing features carries on, and Facebook users start to go to Bing and find the integration very useful, this could mean a migration away from Google.

I think that if Facebook were to embed Bing search into it's interface it would make a greater impact, because it would then be right 'in the face' of the 500+ million Facebook users who would then get used to using Bing from an interface that they are very comfortable with.

Will Google be making another move to counteract this new development at Bing? Will they be bringing more personalised Twitter results into its search results? The recent development of Instant Search doesn't quite pack the punch of Bing's new features. Google has tried to include more personalised results by showing comments and starred results from your community of Google friends, but this community never really took off. I only have a couple of Google connections that show up in my search results, but I have hundreds of Facebook friends.

According to Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land, "Potentially, Google should be able to get all the same information that Bing gets." (http://searchengineland.com/bing-now-with-extra-facebook-see-what-your-friends-like-52848). So maybe Google will work on breaking the barriers that Facebook has set up to this and start to include such information themselves.

This development may drive more site owners to include 'Like' buttons on their sites and for more Facebook users to click 'Like' buttons. That raises another question: Are the majority of these 'Likes' because someone does actually like the site/post or because they know the owner/author or have we just gone 'Like' happy clicking away at all the 'Like' buttons we see? Will this development bring quality to Bing searches or bring the quality down more?

I still think Google is a better search engine but I may be using Bing more, especially for results where I think that a Friend's opinion is important (ie "restaurants in Cork Ireland"), but maybe not for searches for pure information (ie "who was Henry VIII's last wife"). For searches like that latter it's unlikely there will be many sites that Friends have 'liked' anyway.

Google Places (aka Google Local Business, Google Maps) have brought a lot to search in that people can find businesses that are in a specific location and then see reviews from a wider audience. In Ireland, this is still in its infancy as there are still issues with results shown and a low number of businesses submitting to the service; but in the US it's a very popular search feature.

Is there room in my life for two search engines? One for personalised searches and one for everything else?

See more about this from Bing:

- The Bing blog post (New Signals In Search: The Bing Social Layer)

- Bing's Overview of the new features http://www.discoverbing.com/facebook/

More about this from the Social Media/Search Engine journalists:

- http://mashable.com/2010/10/13/facebook-bing-social-search/

- http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/10/bing-friends-facebook/

- http://www.allfacebook.com/live-from-the-bing-facebook-event-2010-10

- http://www.fastcompany.com/1694805/five-things-you-should-know-about-the-new-bing-facebook-features

What do you think? Do you use Bing already? Will you be using Bing more now? Are personalised searches important to you? Please post your comments below.

New Website for West Cork Accommodation Provider: The Cottage Bar

Like the name says, The Cottage Bar & Restaurant is a bar and restaurant in Glengarriff, West Cork, which also offers bed & breakfast and self catering accommodation.

We stopped at The Cottage Bar for lunch on one of our first trips out to beautiful Glengarriff. I remember the friendly, homey atmosphere; so I was delighted when the Somers Family contacted me to do a website for them. They wanted to start out with a simple site that they could easily update themselves. The site is now live at cottagebar.ie and shows off all that the establishment has to offer from home style cooking and comfortable accommodation to a convenient location in one of West Cork's most scenic locations.

Many businesses in the tourism industry are having a really hard time now and those that relied heavily on passing trade and word of mouth referrals are finding that they need to step up their marketing efforts, especially online. Those that don't yet have a site are now getting one and those with basic sites are getting content management systems so they can update the sites themselves to change rates and add special offers as often as needed.

As the tourism & accommodation industries are so competitive on the internet it's important that these businesses make sure that their web developer is experienced in search engine optimisation or works with an SEO, like me, who specialises in tourism. A small website will have a hard time competing on a national basis for competitive search phrases as there are so many large directory sites that are strongly optimised; but a small site can compete for more local searches, especially if all SEO techniques are utilised; especially on-page optimisation with good relevant content and high quality incoming links. These days a good social media marketing campaign is a great way to get more exposure for your establishment.

Contact me if you would like to know more about online marketing for tourism related websites.

60 Ways to Increase Your Influence Online: "The Influencer Project"

I think it was Krishna De that posted on Facebook about The Influencer Project and that's where I heard about it. "60 Speakers in 60 Minutes" talking about how to increase your influence online in the "shortest marketing conference ever" which broadcast last night at 6pmET (so 11pm here, not too bad for me). And it was FREE, so to me this was perfect. I've been listening in on a variety of webinars on about a weekly basis, but I've found that I've hit about all of those relevant to me and I've gotten to the point where I just get frustrated because I've got points I want to add and while some webinars do provide you with a way to ask questions, mostly they don't feature two way conversations. Now the Influencer Project was not going to be a way to provide input, at least not directly on the webinar, but it is an interesting new concept with 60 of mostly top social media professionals, so definitely worth a listen.

I did find I did have a way to make my points by posting on twitter using #influencer, though the points were not in depth as it was hard enough concentrating on the 60 minute spots (especially as I was also doing some other work at the time) and I did make some possible good connections with others following #influencer and got a few more followers on Twitter.

Luckily there will be an mp3 and PDF transcript to go back and review, but for now I thought I'd relate my points made during the original webcast (as with the Twitter feed, it's in reverse chronological order:

What do you already have that other people don't -- get someone else's POV to look at it for you #influencer

Again, not just about products - entertain, inform, inspire #influencer

@timeontaskva Will need to go back to that minute! Find gifted upandcommers, become an advocate & create an advocate for life #influencer

Oh, a nice deep moment - listen for the silence #influencer
- need to go back and see who that was, because it was a refreshing moment!

business model before pursuing fame for fame's sake #influencer<- downfall of many people

Share ideas liberally #influencer <- also a big theme tonight

Listen! #influencer

I like the way Hank is thinking #influencer

- that was @hankwasiak - will definitely start following him!

Get active in other people's communities - spread where your voice can be heard #influencer

repeat your tweets @guykawasaki #influencer <- still not sure on the frequency of doing this

- Then @guykawasaki replied to that and we had a short conversation on the concept that ended with him saying "no guts no traffic"! So looks like guts is one of the things I need to work on!

become the master, the owner of one specific niche online then do webinars to teach others how to do this #influencer

A lot of people talking about going offline #influencer we probably do get too comfortable behind the keyboard

Make the people around you more successful than yourself #influencer

make something worth talking about (unique, inspiring, awesome) #influencer <- that's the hard part!

Share good content *check* #influencer

Learn to talk more about other people #influencer

Try to be early in the news cycle #influencer <- excellent point

Defy convention where it's appropriate #influencer

Get good at filtering and aggregating content #influencer <- Amen!

Don't be afraid to have a point of you & share freely throughout the web (w/social bling) #influencer

Get co-billed with people with the same audience, difference services/products #influencer

If people can identify with your story they feel a part of what you are doing #influencer <- I get that!

Look for multiple circles, multiple spheres of influence #influencer

Test Drive 3 digital trends per month (or week?) #influencer
- it was per month

So I made points on about 20 of the 60 items. There was some repetition between the points, as you'd expect. There were some points that I didn't think worth commenting on as it was the same old jargon that you hear over and over, as you'd also expect, but there was very little of that. Mostly it was plain talking about the basic concepts that most of us overlook on a day to day basis because we are too busy getting on with things - or for some, too caught up in just trying to make themselves look good as opposed to relating, sharing, interacting with others.

The one point that I think struck home with me the most -- and I now notice that I didn't comment on at all -- was about consistency, as it builds trust amongst your community. A couple of the speakers talked about having a consistent voice, but for me the challenge is in consistency of my activity in my own social media activities to ensure that I have a strong body of content that is interesting and timely. Because, unlike the majority of these speakers and other online marketing consultants that I consider to be top of the field, I also do web development and implementation of search engine optimization and social media techniques for clients, which is very time consuming, my own marketing takes a back seat (like finally moving this blog into my site with WordPress)! Guess it's time I listen to my own advice and get down to some good old fashioned time management techniques!

So sign up for the mp3 and PDF transcript at http://influencerproject.com and check this out for yourself and let me know your ideas on the 60 points.

If you want to connect with me, click here to see where I am across social media channels or basically follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/ann_donnelly

Go ahead and kick my butt if you see me falling outside any of these good concepts (especially on consistency and time management)!

7 Essential Steps For Marketing Your New Business Online: Webinar, Monday 17th May 2010, 6pm BST

I'm very pleased to announce that I am joining forces with Krishna De, one of Europe's leading branding and social media strategists, to present the webinar "7 Essential Steps for Marketing Your New Business Online" on Monday, 17th May 2010 at 6pm BST / 1pm ET.

The idea for the collaboration came about when Krishna and I were discussing "Digitise the Nation", a week of events and activities being held across Ireland from 16th - 21st May, initiated by the Irish Internet Association, in order to encourage new users onto the internet. We thought that we could combine our knowledge and experience to provide a valuable resource for businesses looking to get started on the internet.

Click here to register for the free webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/994200459
(Places are limited, so be sure to register in advance.)

Here is what will be covered in this 45 minute webinar:

1. How to determine the clients and customers you really want to attract and establish goals for your online marketing plan

2. Understanding how to research what people are actually searching for online and how you can use this information to help attract leads to your website

3. The essential elements of your website to represent your brand online

4. Two low cost alternatives to a traditional website if you're not able to invest in developing a site when you first start up your business (hint: think Facebook and blogs)

5. Tips for writing magnetic client attracting copy for your website

6. Guidance on questions to ask and what to consider when you hire your web designer or developer

7. How to promote your new website (yes, you have to have a marketing plan!) and tips for measuring your online marketing success.

Many businesses know that they should have a website, but are unsure of how to get started. This is a great chance to get some valuable advice from two of Ireland’s top online marketing specialists. While the session is targeted at new businesses, any business that is looking to set up a new website, or interested in getting better results through an existing website, will benefit from listening in.

I hope you will join us for this exciting event.

If you are unable to attend the live broadcast at the scheduled time, the session will be available on demand.

I will be in Dublin for the final two days of Digitise the Nation: attending the IIA Annual Conference and Net Visionary Awards on Thursday 20th May and then at a lunch tweet-up on Friday, 21st May (details to come). If you are attending any of these events, please be sure to come and meet me.

For more information:

Ann Donnelly, O'Mahony Donnelly E-Business

Krishna De, BizGrowthMedia

Digitise the Nation

Irish Internet Association

Twitter: How Powerful Can 140 Characters Be?

Many of us are true believers of the power of Twitter and have seen first hand how you can build networks, get new clients and win Dunnes Stores vouchers with this popular social networking application. But there are still many that think that it's silly, egotistical babblings.

This week we may see a new surge in those who are Twitter believers as there is much discussion in the media today about how one tweet may have led to the resignation of an Irish Cabinet Member and may lead to the rise of another politician.

Unlike many Irish politicians who only use Twitter to relay their whereabouts or push the party line, Dan Boyle (aka @sendboyle and Chairman of Ireland's Green Party) has always been open and interesting, but yesterday's tweet amazed all of those who follow him on Twitter. There was much talk on the day about a political storm brewing. In the Dáil, Ireland's 'parliament', there was a call for a motion of no confidence in Minister for Defense Willie O'Dea as he was being accused of perjury (see article on RTE website for details: http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0218/odeaw.html).

Five TDs (Dáil representatives) from the Green Party voted in line with the Fianna Fail government, to help bring about a vote of confidence in O'Dea, but within an hour Senator Boyle showed his opinion on Twitter and Facebook. Off the back of his statements, Senator Boyle was interviewed on a number of programmes, which further pushed the idea that this matter should not merely stand. (See "Boyle calls for O'Dea to resign" from Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0218/breaking36.html.

For awhile the focus was more on the Green Party and it's leader, John Gormley, and whether he had confidence in O'Dea; rather than the actions of O'Dea himself; but just in time for the end of the 9pm news, O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defense -- and there's talk that Dan Boyle will be a favourite among Cork voters in the next General Election.

It's hard to waffle in the confines of 140 characters, which is probably why many politicians shy away from using Twitter, or keep their tweets to a minimum; but @sendboyle has truly learned the art and skill of the 'tweet'!

Google's Real Time Search & More News from O'Mahony Donnelly

Google Announces "innovations in the areas of real-time, mobile and social search"

Tuesday night I watched the webcast of Google's "search event" which they hold whenever they announce any significant changes in the services and products they are offering. This time the big, and I mean BIG, announcement was the launch of Google's "Real Time Search". Google has partnered with Twitter, Facebook and MySpace (and a few others) to bring posts from these networks into its search results. Users will now be able select to see the "Latest" search results and this will bring these posts into the results.

This development has confirmed to me that I've made the right choice to focus even more on Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media Marketing, offering more related services and training. The users ability to select 'Latest' and other time periods to see results from will make it even more important for website owners to also have a presence on these social networking channels; as well as blogs, news sites, etc. that also fall into the "more recent" category. Read more: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/relevance-meets-real-time-web.html

Contact me if you'd like to know more about Google Real Time Search and how you can ensure that you come up in relevant, real time searches.

Online Marketing Workshops & Training

In 2009 we've started a series of workshops on Blogging, Social Media Marketing and other online marketing techniques; which we will continue in 2010. I am also available to provide one-to-one training. See a description of the workshops: http://www.e-business.ie/online-marketing-workshops.html

If you are involved in a networking or other business group, I'd love to spread the word on the value of Social Media for Business and can tailor a talk to the specific group.

West Cork Open Coffee

Wednesday 9th December, 12.30pm

Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery

I've been involved in organising a new networking group for the area which is open to all who are interested in business. There's no fee or commitment, just come along and you may pick up make some good contacts and some good ideas for running your business. This month's meeting will feature a brain storming event on "Cash Flow and Dealing with Slow/Bad Debtors".

See more on the website http://www.westcorkopencoffee.com.

Show Your Business Week

Bank of Ireland, Pearse Street, Clonakilty

Thursday 10th December, 10am - 4pm

I will be "showing my business" during this time. If you are in town please stop in and say hello.

For more information on my services visit http://www.e-business.ie