I attended SES (Search Engine Strategies) Conference Toronto two weeks ago. I would have written this earlier, but I got busy and forgot. A post yesterday by ShoeMoney reminded me that I wanted to post this. What re-inspired me to write this is not actually the post itself, but one of the quotes from other speakers - from Neil Patel. He's quoted as saying:

The main value you get from being a speaker at a conference is that you become branded as an expert.

This was my biggest grievance with the SES conference - the majority of speakers have apparently branded themselves as experts, and ended up preaching to us on a lot of topics that are already very well known by the audience. I would estimate that only about 10% of the speakers actually said something of value, something I will take into consideration in my role as an online marketer. The remaining 90% can be summed up with "thanks, I already knew that".

But that's OK, the Search Engine Marketing industry is still learning, growing and adapting. No one has a monopoly on the best tactics or strategies. We're all learning, and these conferences provide a nice forum for interactivity, and to meet like-minded marketers with which you can exchange ideas and results.

However, if I attend again next year, I'll have to work on my patience, particularly when it comes to the chairperson for each discussion. There were a few of them that apparently were under the impression that their role was also that of presenter in each discussion. When a presenter would answer a question or share some insight, they just couldn't resist adding their own $0.02, as though it was actually of some value. Or they'd jump right in there and answer the question before a presenter was able to. It was ridiculous! Honestly, carry the microphone, add a humorous quip now and then, but no more!

Anyhow, that's my rant. It is a good conference for those looking to break into online marketing.

This is a flash version of the popular Linux game Frozen bubble. I used to play this game quite a bit on my laptop when I ran Linux. This game should work on school computers!

This game is also known as Knock-Out or something like that… (more…)

Every week I look at the PHP Classes newsletter to see if there are any cool new submissions. This one is perhaps the most exciting and promising that I've seen in a while! (more…)

If you're managing one pay per click campaign, in one suite (such as AdWords or AdCenter), then you're probably doing OK just managing it through the interface itself. But if you're using multiple suites, or are perhaps an agency that manages campaigns for multiple clients, you'd do better with a PPC management tool, like acquisio bid management software. They have some cool features, like bid management and impact reporting. The best part is that there's a free trial, so there's really no risk!

This post is sponsored

This is one of the few flash games I've posted that I myself am actually starting to get hooked on! This is a cool game where you're a monkey and have to kick the ball at the right moment to see how far you can get. This flash game will work on school computers. (more…)