Watch those Google rankings change

[Tags: interactivepr, pr, SEO]. Poynter is reporting on the update of Google's search rankings:

"Google is intentionally vague in describing the mechanisms behind PageRank, but an easy way to understand the system is to think of every link from a particular site as a "vote" for the site being linked to. Votes from sites with high PageRank are worth more than votes from low-ranking sites. The more votes you have -- and the more from high-ranking sites -- the higher your own PageRank."

Splogs

[Tags: interactivepr, pr, flash]. Ah yes, the internet continues to throw up new language at an exponential rate. The latest is 'splogs' - fake or spam blogs that exist solely to enhance search rankings. There's an article at Poynter on splogs - to quote:

"By creating fake sites that link to a revenue site, an unscrupulous operator can -- in theory -- manipulate Google's results. To allow its software to ignore potential spam links, Google proposed a "rel=nofollow" property for links that most blog software providers quickly implemented. However, it generally is applied to comments (often open to the public) and not to blogs themselves."

Making Flash usable

[Tags: flash]. I've only just discovered this very useful article by usability guru Jakob Nielsen on making your Flash work more usable. In a nutshell, people invest very little time figuring out how to use your Flash wotsit, so make it simple. And they will often mistake over-hyped animated links for adverts, so stick to a basic hyperlink to help users find it.

It doesn't matter how relevant the result is, as long as it finishes top

[Tags: interactivepr, pr, SEO]. Jakob Nielsen reports on an interesting experiment regarding search engine results, which confirms what we already suspected - that users really are very lazy.

A new PR blog

[Tags: pr]. Those interested in the wider world of Public Relations (i.e. not just the interactive side of things), and particularly the study of PR, should take a look at Public Relations, a blog recently launched by my colleague here at UCE Birmingham, and Degree Leader for Public Relations, Caroline Wilson.

Hopefully this will mark the start of a collection of blogs for our department, with myself also recently starting a blog for the degree in Web & New Media which I lead (more details at www.mediacourses.com). Watch this space.

Email marketing most popular method

[Tags: interactivepr, pr]. "Email marketing is the most frequently used marketing method among European businesses, according to the first digital marketing benchmark from Knexus Community" - so reports this week's New Media Age. Doesn't mean that it's good, but there you go.

Viral ad competition

[Tags: interactivepr, pr, flash]. Channel 4 have launched a viral ad competition - open to the "general public" as well as agencies. Looks like good exposure for BoreMe.com - but still a good place to see the best viral work - or submit your own.

A PR blog to bookmark

[Tags: interactivepr, pr]. Plenty of links at Stuart Bruce's PR blog...