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Video Presentations Now Available

Following on from the conference last month, we finally have the videos of the presentations in their entirety for you to take a look at. If you attended the conference then you should have been sent your own login which allows you to access each presentation in video format and the accompanying powerpoint presentation. If you haven’t received any login information, please get in touch with us and we’ll get it sorted for you.

The videos were shot, edited and uploaded by the Network Learning Alliance:

The Network Learning Alliance is a virtual training environment designed to support the West Virginia Information Technology labor market which targets federal contracting opportunities. As an initiative of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Fairmont, W.Va., Network Learning Alliance is facilitating the education of the IT industry workforce through its partners; the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) One-Stop Centers, West Virginia University, Fairmont State University, West Virginia University Institute of Technology, and select private training providers.

This project is building the regional workforce development system’s capacity to meet the needs of a growing federal IT marketplace in north-central West Virginia. It focuses on the development of specific educational programming aligned to meet the needs of the region’s high-technology business sector.

Network Learning Alliance, through the assistance of its parent organization and partnerships, has identified a gap between the current workforce development system and the needs of the companies in the regional IT Industry. Economic analysts project that within the next 12 months an estimated 350 to 400 new technology-related jobs and support positions will be added to the regional economy. To ensure the long-term stability and growth of the region, these companies must consistently recruit and retain highly qualified employees, upgrade existing employee skills, and stay at the leading edge of technology.

To accomplish this goal, Network Learning Alliance is creating educational programming that aligns with the identified needs of the IT employers. By focusing on the latest instructional technologies, Network Learning Alliance is creating a unique educational model that will facilitate content and educational services to regional government contractors.

Hopefully, we’ll have a few clips to be able to show you before long that may entice a few of you who didn’t attend the conference to view proceedings from the comfort of your own computer chair. If you feel so inclined.

It’s a shame I can’t make an excuse to kick back myself and watch the whole thing in glorious technicolor as you don’t need to watch them all at once. You can take your time and view each presentation as and when you feel like it in chunks that are palatable to you or suit your particular schedule.

And whilst we’re on the subject of e-learning and West Virginia, Justin Seibert of Direct Online Marketing™, who gave a great presentation on New and Proven Uses for Search Marketing, has been published in the latest edition of the West Virginia Executive. I’d love to be able to point you in the right direction via a link, but it hasn’t been put up on the Web as of yet.

You’ll just have to go out and purchase a copy. (Or wait until I put the link up!)

Justin Seibert: They Said What? Protect Your Reputation With Search Engine Marketing

Justin Seibert

Justin is the President of Direct Online Marketing™ a full-service internet marketing firm specializing in results-based internet marketing. Read Justin’s full bio here.
And here we have the highlight of the whole day/afternoon/year. Well I have to say that considering Justin is my boss. And what a great guy he is to boot. No, really.

Two distinct elements of search results – Natural or Organic Listings vs Paid Listings.

Reputation management is an interesting angle to explain how search engine results work. And don’t think reputation management isn’t something you don’t need to bother with. If you’re online you have an online reputation.

http://www.providianfinancialsucks.com/

Consider your online footprint on places such as Facebook and Myspace etc. Beware befriending big green frogs.

How to combat bad press in a Michael Vick stylee:

Setup an SEM campaign – buy your name/company employee names.

Comment on blogs etc.

Optimized Online Press Releases.

Ensure your site is updated – there are no rocks to hise under online.

Track online conversations such as Technorati and Google Alerts.

http://www.vickletthedogsout.com/ Push other sites out of the listings by creating positive sites to compete with them.

AFTER THE EVENT:

Buy certain keywords such as dog fighting in Vick’s case. Specialized landing pages. Check DMCA.

QUESTIONS:

How do you optimize Press Releases?

Can be used to increase natural search listings. Use keywords in press release and link back to the press release. FOLLOW UP – concentrate optimization efforts in top part of press release including title. Put it on Web site and distribute through newswires such as www.pr.com. Always worth it to pay a little more for links back.

What is local searching and how does it work?

Geo targetting. Choose where you want your ads to show in PPC. Can be done geographically or by points on a map. Natural search use geographical terms in site to be picked up by engines.

And don’t forget to take your free subscription to Search Marketing Standard.

Justin Seibert Interviewed in Pittsburgh Business Times

Last week saw our search marketing session speaker, Justin Seibert of Direct Online Marketing™ LLC, interviewed in the Pittsburgh Business Times for their “Five Minutes With:” feature. Alas, it’s only in their print edition so I have nothing for you to look at online, but seeming I’m such a decent chap I’ve typed the whole interview for your perusal:

Justin Seibert is president of Wheeling-based Direct Online Marketing™ LLC. The Internet marketing firm works throughout the tri-state area to get clients at the top of search engine listings and also placing advertisements online, as well as Web site design and blogging services. Seibert is slated to speak at a marketing conference on August 16th at Southpointe.

[PBT] We’ve seen some major company executives get into trouble recently with posting inappropriate comments on a blog. What strategy should they be taking instead?

[JS] “Some people haven’t been too smart about it. I think it really comes down to what are the rules of the Internet today. Before the rise of the Internet becoming so popular and so prevalent in everyday life, companies could just say they had their strategy and they would have their corporate-speak, and that was everything they said. The problem was, people were able to communicate with each other. A whole conversation started taking place away from the companies. One of the great powers of the blog is that you can talk with those people, you can become engaged in that conversation now. One of the problems people are having is they aren’t being transparent and honest.”

[PBT] How many companies have been affected by this?

[JS]“Wal-mart got bashed a couple of months ago because they had a couple of average joes (who were paid to blog positively about Wal-Mart). There wouldn’t be anything wrong with that….if you’re upfront about it. (Readers) might not like it, but you’re not going to get bashed for it. And instead, for getting flogs – fake blogs – they just got hammered for it. Honesty and lack of transparency are really the two biggest pitfalls.”

[PBT] What does your company do to help companies increase their online presence?

[JS] “We’re about search engine visibility. We make sure that if someone is searching – whether it’s a product or a service – we make sure they show up. We can make sure they show up all over the world.”