A Spectacular Launch of a New Tech Product … and they didn’t spend a dime!

Mike Arrington, in his CrunchNotes blog, wrote a short, but fascinating piece called “Riya Manipulates Bloggers to Nail a Product Launch”

To summarize for you, he broke it down into four simple steps:

1) Line up a video interview with Robert Scoble on ScobleShow.
2) While you’re at it, do a demo for ScobleShow.
3) Get a TechCrunch profile of your new product to show up the day of the launch.
4) Have Scoble plug the demo, interview and TechCrunch writeup on Scobleizer.com.

And the magical results? A ton of publicity and commentary on TechMeme. The bloggers go wild about you.

So all you potential tech magnates who are looking for spectacular buzz (if only for a day) on your new product launch, remember that Robert Scoble of Scobleizer/ScobleShow and Mike Arrington of TechCrunch (leading you ultimately to Gabe Rivera’s machine at TechMeme) are THE best friends you could possibly have.

Robert Scoble, at the moment, is relatively accessible — mainly, I believe because he is in major growth mode at ScobleShow and is very hungry for material and scoops.

Mike Arrington on the other hand, is so overwhelmed with people contacting him with their latest and greatest that it’s very difficult to get on his radar screen. If you want to learn how to get on Mike’s radar screen, watch this video. It tells all… and watch it all!

Gabe Rivera is rather immune to the whole thing. You get the attention of the a-listers, his system picks you up. If you don’t, it doesn’t. Simple as that.

So there’s your one minute lesson for today, techmeisters! Be nice to Robert and Michael. They may be the best friends you’ve got!

Steve Safran of Lost Remote posted a fascinating piece this morning entitled “PodCast Math - We don’t know what we don’t know” His launching point was a discussion of the ZeFrank vs Andrew Baron controversy we’ve discussed on these pages and Scoble has on others, but the real gist of the argument was that because we can’t say authoritatively that an individual, once they’ve downloaded an audio or video podcast, we have no true measure of viewership or listenership.

We don’t know if they’ve downloaded it to their iPod and never bothered to listen. We don’t know if they started to watch, but didn’t quite finish the broadcast. Or maybe they fell asleep half way through the podcast (which has happened to me on MOST audio podcasts, which bore me to tears for the most part).

This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart as I struggle to get ZBIZ.TV off the ground, which I launched back on September 17th. Its launch coincided with Scoble’s launch of ScobleShow, which ALSO interviews geeks and entrepreneurs in lengthy video interviews. Neither of us has set the world on fire. I think both of us suffer from the same problem: our interviews are too damn long and people’s attention spans (or time schedules) run out.

Contrast this to my favorite videoblog, Beet.TV. They have short, quick, to the point stories with video interviews with industry heavy hitters that last no more than 2-5 minutes. Andy Plesser, who runs Beet.TV, is no Robert Scoble, but you would never know it if you compared their Alexa numbers:

But people LOVE Scobleizer, Robert Scoble’s written blog in contrast:

I think it gets down to what you can scan or view quickly. Unless you want to watch an hour episode of “Kidnapped”, as I did the other night, most folks are not going to sit down and watch half hour to one hour video content online. And btw, I gladly tolerate the ads, as they are a mere 10 seconds long. Big deal.

Ze Frank and Rocketboom are each only about 3 minutes long per episode, so BOTH have a higher degree of engagement than any other video content online, regardless of who gets more comments than the other.

My bottom line: I don’t think we’ll ever have a true measure of engagement, though there are all sorts of little indicators we could try along the way that could point to higher engagement. They’ve never really cracked this nut on network TV and they’ve had 50 years to do it.

What makes us think we’ll be able to handle this on the net any better than they have?

This just in from Anne Holland, founder and CEO of MarketingSherpa Inc.:

[UPDATE: Here is the official announcement. See my comments below...]

Dear MarketingSherpa Reader,

I’m writing to you today *before* the official press release goes out so you’re the first to hear we’re being acquired by MEC Labs Group.

Nothing drastic will change. We’re keeping our same name, our staff, our regular publications, and yes, our Warren, RI, headquarters. And our goal remains the same — to conduct new research into what really works in marketing via Case Studies, Benchmark Guides & Summits.

Plus, now our research for you will be supplemented by the team at MEC Labs Group. They run an actual laboratory facility in Atlantic Beach, FL, where they conduct live campaign experiments in partnership with folks such as The New York Times and Reuters.

So, we’ll keep doing anecdotal research for our exclusive Case Studies as well as primary studies for our Benchmark Guides. Plus, we’ll be able to partner with their scientists and statisticians to run live experiments on cutting-edge marketing tactics for which there is no otherwise reliable source of response data.

Back in March 2000, when I founded MarketingSherpa from my second bedroom (yes, honestly), I dreamed it would grow to be the most tremendous source of practical research for the marketers of the world. Now we’re at 237,000 readers, three main offices, and nearly 700 case Studies. It’s been an incredibly satisfying and exhilarating ride!

And now things will speed up even more. I’ll still be here (naturally). Our team is just getting bigger — both at the MarketingSherpa brand and also with the ability to lean on the research and technical team at MEC Labs.

Who is MEC Labs?

They’ve deliberately flown under the radar for the past five years — so although they conduct cutting-edge, primary research about marketing tactics such as video ads online, search marketing, and A/B email tests, outside of their own 50,000 newsletter readership, many other marketers have not heard of them.

I first met Lab Director, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, four years ago when he spoke at one of our Summits on the topic of marketing paid subscriptions to Web sites. I was so impressed I asked him to return to give more Case Studies about his team’s experiments at future Summits.

Then, earlier this year Flint invited me down to his headquarters in Atlantic Beach, FL, (near Jacksonville in northeastern Florida.) The beach right outside the lab’s offices was magnificent, but I was most impressed with his research lab and team. It felt a bit like what you might imagine a Hollywood set director would create for a marketing laboratory. Glass walls, giant view screens, earnest technicians, and concentrated quiet while experiments were under way.

I was hooked. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could work together to get practical data for marketers? Well, now we will be.

Plus, I re-double my invitation for you to attend our B-to-B marketing Summit in San Francisco in less than two weeks (Nov 13-14). Yes, the MEC Labs Group leaders will be there so you can meet them in person and put in your requests for the types of experiments you’d like to see us and them run in the coming year.

Here’s a link to the Summit info:
http://www.sherpastore.com/B-to-BDemandGenerationSummit
006.html

And, as always, if you have any questions, feedback — or in this case concerns — for the team at MarketingSherpa, contact us immediately.

Our service team is available Monday-Friday from 9am-7pm ET at (877) 895-1717.

Thanks for your part in making MarketingSherpa the most popular research publication in our industry.

Sincerely,

Anne Holland
Founder & President
MarketingSherpa Inc.
499 Main Street
Warren RI 02885
(877) 895-1717
service@marketingsherpa.com

My own commentary on this development:

I am very fond of Anne Holland and think the world of her. I wish I could say the same for my opinion of Dr. McLaughlin. I will leave it at that.

Had Anne asked me my advice, I’d have urged her NOT to do the deal. But Anne’s a smart woman, a woman who toughed it out through the darkest days of the bubble burst (2000-2003) and came through it like a champ. I hope she’s read all the small print and hasn’t signed her company away without significant cash up front as a majority part of the deal.

I wish Anne the best of luck.

Flint, if you ever want to make amends, you know how to reach me.

Rand Fishkin offered up a particularly interesting article on SEOMOZ.org entitled 10 Web Tools to Help Generate Blog Content Ideas. His 10 web tools:

1. Usenet / GG Groups - http://groups.google.com/
The discussions that take place at Google Groups bring diverse perspectives and have a significant history to draw upon. On occassion, I’ll search for a specific topic, but more often, I’m simply browsing through the SEO, search engines or Google specific groups.
2. Technorati
Among all the tools listed here, Technorati is possibly the best for researching the most current topics or thoughts on the web. Their rankings of blog posts by date means that even a basic search for SEO or AdSense or NFL will bring up highly relevant, timely posts. Sometimes, these posts spark debate or disagreement, other times, they open up a whole new idea for information to be shared. Their latest feature - hot tags this hour (on the tags page) - can also be a source of inspiration.
3. Craigslist
When I visit Craigslist for blog ideas, I almost always refer to three sections - jobs, services and the discussion section. You can see a sample search for SEO at all three - 1, 2, 3. Craigslist, like Technorati, is up-to-date, but it’s a less tech-savvy and often more “average joe” crowd, which can make for an interesting dichotomy. Changing towns and search terms will get you even more material. (BTW - If you’ve ever wondered where the SEO spammers and scammers live, it’s right here)
4. Del.icio.us
Del.icio.us’ popular page has become so well read that it’s no longer a great source for unique topics. The specific tag pages, however, function much like Technorati, in that they provide timely links to pages that people have bookmarked. Pages like those for SEO, Google, Web2.0, business and even economics frequently features blog-worthy material I can leverage.
5. StumbleUpon
The best way to use StumbleUpon is to follow their Buzz page and use the “tag” option in the toolbar. Stumblers often have a preference for humor and the absurd, but nothing says that can’t make for good blog inspiration.
6. Google / Yahoo! News
The news services from Google & Yahoo! provide access to tens of thousands of press releases and news articles every day. Search is the best way to go, although I’ve also been known to use the tech tab at Yahoo! and Google’s Sci/Tech section, too.
7. Keyword Tools
If you’re seeking a direct path to what users want to find on your blog, searching for potential topics broadly at tools like Overture, MSN AdCenter, SEOBook’s & Digitalpoint’s makes it easy. The insight you can achieve is invaluable - despite the inaccuracy of the numbers, the number of questions I’ve found that need answering by searching for “keyword” or “google ranking” or “search engine” suggests a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.
8. Wikipedia
The obvious choice here is to look only at the articles, but I find that many times the discussion can be equally interesting. The search function is the best way to go, as the categorization structure isn’t very user-friendly, yet.
9. Digg & Reddit
Both sites take user submissions and user votes, and both are best referenced using a search. You can sort by category at Digg (i.e. tech industry news or business & finance) and use several subreddits (though these are not great). The better option is to search.
10. Yahoo! Answers
Like Google Groups, but with a better interface, and oftentimes more mainstream questions, Yahoo! Answers is a feedbag for the content-hungry blogger. I like using the Internet category as well as searching (i.e. SEO, Google ranking, etc.)

All excellent sources…

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger followed with 10 + 9 Ways to Find Great Post Ideas for Your Blog. His additional 9 ideas are as follows:

1. Conversations - it’s amazing how many ideas come from the chats I have with other bloggers, co-workers, readers, friends and family both in real life and via IM or email.
2. Reader Questions - related to this is responding to questions asked by readers
3. Reader Comments - similarly, the comments left on your blog can be a treasure trove of ideas for future posts
4. Other Blogs - like this post, I find the writing of others often stimulates posts that build on, extend or bounce off their ideas. Don’t forget to dig around in other people’s archives also as it isn’t only current posts that are places where you’ll get ideas. Of course always give credit to the source of your ideas.
5. Books, Newspapers, Magazines - I’m increasingly finding inspiration in offline sources of information
6. Mad Ideas - ever been laying in bed at night and get a crazy idea! I don’t just chuckle to myself when they come - I get up and write them down. It’s amazing how many of them end up being key posts for me later.
7. Experience - a fairly large proportion of my post ideas come directly out of an experience that I’m having on the topic. Problems, achievements, challenges and mistakes are often the best source of useful posts as you’ll find readers relate well to them.
8. Brainstorming - I take time out each week to specifically come up with ideas to post about. While most of my posts ‘just come to me’ through my day to day rhythm - I’m a big believer in working hard on story ideas also and have a folder permanently on my desktop filled with text documents that have little else in them except for a topic idea and perhaps a few jotted down notes - all to work on later.
9. Archives - dig around in your own blog’s archives and you’ll be amazed at the opportunities that you’ll find. Look for half finished ideas, opportunities to update your ideas or even topics that your newer readers wouldn’t have seen before.

When my own mind is in an idea free zone when it comes to blogging, I’ll be sure to keep these ideas pinned up on my wall, but for now, perhaps if I shared some of my own thought generators, it might add a bit more fodder to the conversation…

1. TechMeme - They update every 10 minutes with new news items and commentary. I track it throughout the day because frankly, it fascinates me and I like to stay up on the latest scoop on all things biz/tech.

2. Scobleizer - Scoble is always talking to someone, going somewhere, doing something, heard about something cool… A day isn’t complete for me if he doesn’t blog very much, because he’s always pointing me to something new and unexpected. Like many others, I consider Scoble my number one blogger.

3) Jason Calacanis — Jason is your entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. Your promoter’s promoter. Your dealmaker’s dealmaker. He’s always got something cooking in that vast mind of his and whether he’s right or wrong, I like to read about it. He writes it all in such a stimulating way that his lengthy missives just fly by.

4) Dave Winer - Dave and I are the same age, but he reminds me of a cantankerous old grouch many days. His crusty style is part of his appeal for me. He pisses me off some days, but he makes me think every day. Love him or hate him, there’s room in the blogosphere for a guy like Dave.

5) Beet.TV - If there is any one blog I’d like to emulate, it’s Andy Plesser’s Beet.TV. It’s got short, sweet video interview with online video superstars raising just the right questions (no more, no less) and he always has some great commentary to go with it.

6) Things you are working on today - I’ve been surprised by how often I am able to get new clarity on a particularly difficult issue I’m working on by blogging about it… and by how often those blog pieces turn out to hit the right nerve with a number of my readers as well.

7) Thoughts I can’t get out of my mind - Often there will be business issues I’m stuck on, that I can’t find a way around, that I dwell upon for days. Sometimes by forcing myself to blog about it, just like the above mentioned item, I get new clarity and often discover that others have been stuck on the same thing.

Vendors or retailers who treat me or a loved one poorly - In the past, I’ve bitched about Dell, HP, BestBuy and GeekSquad for what I perceive to be shoddy treatment of their customers. At the same time, I’ve also been eager to blog about companies like Apple Computer who really get it and treat their people right.

9) Insights or experiences I’ve had that I think might be helpful to others - I think that’s where Rand was coming from today in his “10 Web Tools” article. Sometimes I have those thoughts as well and like to share them with others.

10) Insights I’ve picked up from others (with credit given to the source) that I think my readers might like to know about - Nuff said.

I’m particularly grateful to Rand for starting that whole conversation, as it has given me a few more tools to help me along in my own blogging efforts.

Hat’s off to you, Rand!

Matt Marshall of VentureBeat tipped us off to Spock, a search engine for people, which unfortunately is still under wraps in pre-beta mode.

As Marshall describes it:

When Spock launches, it will have 100 million profiles of people in its database, by far the largest open repository of profiles anywhere. Spock delivers a mixture of facts and research on a people, but also opens a profile to social input, giving it a touch of Wikipedia.

I saw that idea and wondered why I hadn’t thought of that myself… after all, I probably search more for information on people than any other area in the time I devote to searches on Google.

The only wrinkle that I might add to this whole idea (assuming Marshall covered all the bases in his writeup) would be that it would be nice to have an extensive collection of photos and videos — like interviews of that person or other appearances they may have made which could end up on video — to go along with it as well.

As it stands, I generally have to go to Wikipedia, Google Images, Google Video and sometimes even YouTube when I look for info on a person. It would be nice to have a single source I can turn to for all that info.

I signed right up to get on their beta list, hopefully they’ll let me in.

So stay away from their beta registration, folks! I want in!

Mike Arrington is pissed off. He’s fed up with the criticism he’s getting for his conflicts of interest (investing in companies he covers or who sponsor his site, buddying up with people he then writes about), the scoops he gets on what used to be on CNET, PC World and other leading tech publications.

Those charges of conflict of interest and skullduggery may all be true, but I like Mike.

He’s human. He speaks with a clear voice. You know who his friends are. He makes no pretense at objectivity. He doesn’t publish under a moniker like “fair and balanced” because it really isn’t. It’s “What (or Who) Mike Likes”.

That’s the magnetism that attracts many of us to his site day after day. There are plenty of other sites that showcase new Web 2.0 startups and their products, but Mike does it with an edge. It’s so unmistakably Mike-y. Even his sidekick, Marshall Kilpatrick does it the “Mike” way.

You think about it, that’s why people like Dave Winer or Jason Calacanis (even though they might piss them off).

You read them, it’s like you’re sitting there talking with them. Like you’re getting the real scoop over a mug of beer. Like he’s your bud, telling you stories.

That’s what “voice” and a clear point of view do for you.

It may piss some people off, true…

But for the most part, it gives you true authenticity and credibility… and lots of readers.