Quick Tweetorial to Twewbies

Written on 3/29/2010 07:29:00 AM by Martha Ballesteros

Twitter has definitely invaded almost everyone's privacy. For some, its just sharing to the world where you are, what you see, and what you feel. While for others, its a means of keeping in touch with long lost friends and building new relationships. With the rise of social media marketing, Twitter is definitely in there somewhere.

Got this from Webopedia...I hope this tweetorial would help twewbies...

Twitter Dictionary: Understanding Twitter Chat and Slang
As with any new social medium, there is an entire vocabulary that users of the Twitter service adopt. Most of the Twitter-based terms and phrases are used to describe the collection of people who use the service, while other terms are used in reference to describe specific functions and features of the service itself. Here are more than 30 words and phrases that are associated with the Twitter social service:

@reply: The @reply means a Twitter update (tweet) that is directed to another user in reply to one of their updates. A @reply will be saved in the user's replies tab. Replies are sent either by clicking the 'reply' icon next to an update or typing @ username message (e.g., @user I saw that movie too!).

attwaction: Slang term used to describe an attraction between two Twitterers (people who send tweets on the Twitter service).

BiggerTwitter: An app (or add-on) that can be used to post tweets longer than 140 characters on Twitter. BiggerTwitter works by placing a link in the tweet.

Blackbird: The name of a Twitter client for BlackBerry smartphones.

co-twitterer: A slang term used to describe a second person who tweets on a single Twitter account.

direct message (DM): On Twitter, DM is short for direct message, and it is used to send a private tweet (Twitter update) to a person you are following.

Dweet: Slang term used to describe a tweet send by a user who is drunk.

Egotwistical: A slang term used to mean "egotistical and Twitter", meaning a user who talks about themself on Twitter.

Fail Whale: On the Twitter site, the Fail Whale is an image of a whale held up by birds and nets. This image shows that Twitter has been overloaded or failed.

Follower / following: On Twitter, blogs, and other social media sites, a follower is someone who subscribes to receives your updates. On the Twitter Web site "following" someone means you will see their tweets (Twitter updates) in your personal timeline. Twitter lets you see who you follow and also who is following you. Followers are people who receive other people's Twitter updates.

FollowFriday (FF, or #followfriday): On Twitter, FollowFriday is used by Twitterers to call attention to their favorite followers. When you tweet a FF, you are recommending that your followers also check out the ones you mention in your post. When you Tweet a FollowFriday recommendation, you include #followfriday in your message so it can can easily be searched for using that tag.

Hash tag: A hash tag or hashtag is a way of organizing your Tweets for Twitter search engines. Users simply prefix a message with a community driven hash tag to enable others to discover relevant posts. One commonly used hash tag on Twitter is #followfriday where users network by providing the names of their favorite people to follow on Twitter.

ICYMI: Short for "in case you missed it, the abbreviation may appear in a tweet that is a repost from the same person (e.g. reposting a tweet in case their followers missed it the first time).

microblog: A type of blog that lets users publish short text updates. Bloggers can usually use a number of service for the updates including instant messaging, e-mail, or Twitter. The posts are called microposts, while the act of using these services to update your blog is called microblogging.

mistweet: Slang term used to describe a tweet that you later regret having sent.

Monitter: Monitter is the name of a free Twitter tool that lets users monitor the Twitter service for a set of three keywords. Monitter then shows you what people are tweeting for the keywords.

NTS: Short for "note to self", this chat abbreviation is frequently used on Twitter.

OH: Short for "overheard", this chat abbreviation is used on twitter, usually in place of RT (retweet) when the Twitterer does not want to provide the username of the follower they are quoting.

PocketTweets: The name of a mobile Web-based Twitter client for the iPhone. You can use it to see the latest tweets from your contacts or to update your status remotely.

PRT: Short for "please retweet", it is a notation added to the end of a Tweet. PRT shows the Twitterer is asking others to "please retweet" their post.

Retweet: Abbreviated as RT, retweet is used on Twitter to show you are tweeting content that has been posted by another user. The format is RT @username where username is the Twitter name of the person you are retweeting.

social networking site: Abbreviated as SNS a social networking site is the phrase used to describe any Web site that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile. Social networking sites can be used to describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chatrooms and other social spaces online.

TMB: Short for "Tweet me back".

Twaffic: A slang term used to mean "Twitter traffic".

Twalking: Slang term used to describe someone who is walking while they tweet (a Twitter message) using a mobile device.

Twebay: Slang term used to describe selling (or promoting) an eBay item on Twitter.

Tweeple: A slang term used to mean "Twitter people" and is used to refer to Twitter users.

Tweet: Describes a Twitter update. A tweet is basically whatever you type into the Web box to answer that question, using 140 characters or less. People tweet personal messages, random thoughts, post links, or anything else that fits in the character requirements.

twettiquette: Short for "Twitter etiquette" it is a slang term used to describe acceptable Twitter behavior.

tweetorial: Slang term used to describe used to describe tutoring or lecturing on or about Twitter. Some industry speakers use the term to describe a live event where a lecture on a Twitter topic is given (e.g., a seminar or event that teaches people how to use Twitter), while others use the term to describe giving a lecture on Twitter. Here the host speaker will use a special designated hash tag so others can follow the lecture on Twitter.

Twewbie: Short for "Twitter newbie" it is a slang term used to describe someone new to Twitter.

Twidroid: The name of a full-featured Twitter app designed for use on Android mobile phones.

Twishing: Twishing is a combination of the words Twitter and phishing. It is the act of sending a message to a Twitter user in an attempt to obtain his or her name and password. The message may instruct the recipient to visit a Web site where he or she is asked to log in. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user's information. See "Beware of Twishing" in the Did You Know...? section of Webopedia for more information on Twishing.

Twitosphere: An expression used to describe the "World of Twitter."

Twitter: A free social messaging tool that lets people stay connected through brief text message updates up to 140 characters in length. Twitter is based on you answering the question "What are you doing?" You then post thoughts, observations, and goings-on during the day. Your update is posted on your Twitter profile page through SMS text messaging, the Twitter Web site, instant messaging, RSS, e-mail, or through other social applications and sites, such as Facebook.

Twitter-ific: Short for "Twitter and terrific" it is a slang term used to describe something terrific you find on Twitter.

Twitter Sparq: The name of the first advertising service for Twitter. Sparq provides a self-service interface that lets advertisers quickly set up the ads. The ads appear on the right-hand column on Twitter as Tweet Now. When someone clicks on the link, it automatically populates the tweet box with the advertiser's message. This can include a link, as well as an option for the user to customize or add to the message.

TwitterTroll: The name of a free online service that searches Twitter in real-time. TwitterTroll can be used to help you find Twitterers with similar interests as yourself.

Twitterers: Refers to people who send tweets on the Twitter service.

Twittermaps: A mash-up that lets Twitter users update their locations on a Google Map and send a tweet with it.

Twitturly: The name of an online Web service that tracks Web addresses (URL) that are being tweeted about the most on Twitter.

Twittworking: Short for "Twitter networking" it is a slang term used to describe Twitterers who use Twitter to network.


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Lenten Season

Written on 3/29/2010 02:03:00 AM by Martha Ballesteros

I'm thinking of what to do this Holy Week? Of course, I'll reflect on what has happened in my life for the past year, the blessings, the trials, the hurt, the joys, the ups and downs. Most of all, I'll think of what God has sacrificed for us to be where we are now.

Aside from these, Holy Week also means freeing myself from work! Aha! Since I was a teen, I've had this habit of having DVD and movie marathons every Holy Week. The fact that there's nothing to do and nothing to watch on TV (except for the Ten Commandments and The Bible which I have watched a gazillion times to the point that I have unintentionally memorized their lines), it seemed to be the best alternative.

I've already planned my Maundy Thursday. Chic flicks marathon. I'll start with Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Pretty Woman, A Cinderella Story, Princess Diaries, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Runaway Bride, Devil Wears Prada, The Proposal, Bring It On 1-4, Step Up 1-2, High School Musical 1-3.

Now, I'm thinking of what US series should I go for? Glee? Bones? CSI? Psych? Buffy? Smallville? Gossip Girl? One Tree Hill?

I'm also going for Asian series. I think I'll go with 1 Liter of Tears, Princess Hours (Goong), and Why Why Love.

Oh! I should abstain from all the worldly things this Holy Week, right? Hmmm..Now what am I supposed to do???

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Optimization Begins from Keyword Research

Written on 3/25/2010 12:28:00 AM by Martha Ballesteros

Choosing the right words or group of words to tag your website and its content is one of the essential steps in the whole SEO process. Selecting the relevant keywords significantly helps in generating site traffic as well as improving page rank. However, due to the improved and updated knowledge about SEO, keyword marketing and popularity has been quite difficult to establish especially to highly competitive niches.

Research studies suggest that businesses have a tendency to increase their allotted budget for keyword research and optimization due to the significant decrease in hits and site traffic. To aid this dilemma, there are a lot of professional keyword researchers out there that provide you with "potentially profitable" keywords from less-competitive niches. Aside from hiring professionals, there are also a lot of keywords selection applications and softwares that not only help in identifying relevant and profitable keywords but also provide a quick analysis of your website. However, if you're on a tight budget and cannot afford to spend a few hundred dollars on professional researchers and keyword selection tools, you can just do it yourself. I listed some of the significant factors you might want to consider while doing your own keyword research.

Stick to What Your Website is About - Be Relevant
Since more than any other person, you yourself know what your website is about and who is your target market. You know this even without SEO experience. In addition to the main keyword or keyphrase, choosing a few secondary keywords can significantly help in increasing clicks and hits from prospective visitors searching for those keywords.

Aim for Your Target Market - Be Specific
With 80% of users refining their search after unsuccessful results, it is a must specific key phrases. It's just like putting yourself on an internet searcher’s shoes and think of what keywords would he would usually search on to be directed to your site. People now have been more specific in putting together search terms, often including the brand, location, make, model, and even year.

Keyword Density
Keyword density is overrated. Considering the unpredictable changes on how Google and other search engines rank sites, they have also become more strict and stringent in how they crawl and index one. Previously, everybody's got a notion that the more keywords there are on one's web content, the more optimized their site is thus, increasing chances of landing on the first results page. However, with all the improved and updated SEO techniques, keyword stuffing has been one of the lamest kind. With most search engines and directories only accepting content with only 2 to 3% keyword density, you might want to check out if yours exceeds these values. Otherwise, it may be considered as spam by both search engines and directories which may lead to the deletion your submission or even worse, being banned from future submissions.

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Search Engine Ranking Competition

Written on 3/19/2010 04:41:00 PM by Martha Ballesteros

The internet has opened the doors for individuals and businesses alike to showcase their creativity and resourcefulness. Along with this opportunity also comes the pressure to be globally competitive and put one's marketing skills a notch higher. Organic search presence and visibility is still the most popular form of internet marketing. Studies suggests that almost 75% of advertisers aim to increase organic search visibility, followed by paid ad placement with 71%. As of 2008, total search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing spending is estimated to reach almost US$9.5 billion.

Search engine ranking competition just got tougher. With individuals and businesses pooling a team of SEO experts to update their website, SEO softwares, working on intensive keyword research, as well as tapping into social media marketing, continuous marketing is necessary to improve and maintain search engine ranking competitiveness.

Each target market or business niche has its own level of competition. SEO strategies are dynamic meaning, there is no single ranking tool or software that can give the same results for different websites. Search engine ranking is determined according to the level and type of competition, those that are naturally ranked in organic search results, paid advertisements, and offline sites that target the same market.

By far, competitor analysis is the most complicated yet, the most rewarding SEO technique. It requires in-depth observation, research, and analysis of the website structure and its contents. SEO consultants should bear in mind that search engine ranking competition does not only mean finding mutual threads from high ranking competitors that one can leverage, but most importantly, differentiate itself and stand out.

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Why All the Fuss with Google’s Page Rank?

Written on 3/15/2010 07:20:00 PM by Martha Ballesteros

Websites and blogs alike, for both personal and commercial use, have been very conscious on getting and exchanging links with other high ranking sites. But what’s all the fuss with having a high Google page rank (PR)?

For some who aren’t really into web marketing or search engine optimization, page rank is just a number. However, for people who have been working day-in and day-out for their site’s marketing strategy, it represents how important and relevant their website is.

One of the determining factors in calculating PR is through inbound links. These are links from other sources directing to the site. This is where link building came from. Essentially, webmasters do not really have control over who links to their sites. But, with the word going around on how to reach top Google search results, people started to come up with different strategies to improve inbound links.

At the end of the day, no matter how many link exchange emails you have sent and how many directories you have submitted to, what counts is the quality of the website or directory that have accepted your request.

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List of Top Blogs by Category

Written on 3/13/2010 08:43:00 PM by Martha Ballesteros

I'll soon post a list of top blogs or sites with high Google PR. Though I did refer to several lists, I also did my own research to come up with the latest top lists. Like websites and blogs that I have managed to promote and optimize, I intend to do the same for my own blog. I hope a lot of people will visit my blog and read my posts and hopefully be part of a top blog list someday.

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First Post

Written on 3/13/2010 08:06:00 PM by Martha Ballesteros

I've been very active in various social media and blogging platforms, if not for personal use, for my clients. It was only today that I realized to set up a blog where I can share not only my personal experiences but also research, web marketing, and SEO tips to everyone.

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