Press release spam

I love press releases and I am a strong believer in their use for marketing and creating a buzz about a company/ product/ service. I also believe in the effectiveness of online press release distribution for search engine marketing purposes; so it is usually part of the online marketing strategy that we do for clients.

Yet, I feel press release spam is going to undermine the value of online press releases significantly. Just check out some of the press releases going out on the distribution sites and you know that things are not headed in the right direction. One can expect some degree of self-promotion ("praise releases")but the extent to which some folks take it is simply ridiculous. Hopefully, genuine marketers and PR personnel who want to use the channel within acceptable limits do not face the consequences of actions by 'ignorant' spammers.

SEO: Focusing on the user

Mike Grehan has this piece on ClickZ where he talks about his recent interview with Matt Cutts. There are a couple of things about the piece that I like particularly, because they reflect very closely my own views on search engine optimization and its future.

SEO is a means to an end and not an end in itslef, unfortunately an increasingly prevalent notion. It's important to realize that search engine optimization can be achieved on a sustainable basis only by focusing on the end user. After all, it's only marketing..

Way to go for the Internet:...

Only 10% of the world's population went online in March, according to a report by ComScore reported on Netimperative.

Imagine the opportunities for all those dealing with different aspects of the Internet!