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EDS To Handle $1.3 Billion PC Upgrade For U.K...
The U.K. government has awarded U.S. outsourcer Electronic Data Systems a $1.27 billion work order to install thousands of desktop computers for use by British armed forces personnel, EDS disclosed Thursday. Under the deal, an addition to an existing ten-year, $4 billion IT modernization contract that EDS holds with the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense, EDS will install 44,000 workstations at a number of MOD locations in the U.K. and forward locations. The amendment was signed in the...
UK small businesses set to boost IT budgets
Small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK will up their IT budgets by 10.7 percent in 2007, more than twice the rate seen in France and Germany, according to AMR Research. SMEs with less than $250m in revenue will be 2007's big spenders, with IT budgets anticipated to be up 12.4 percent over the three largest IT markets in Europe: France, Germany and the UK.
UK gets email terror alerts
The UK Security Service is launching an email alert system to warn citizens
of a change to the country's threat level. People wanting to receive the warnings in their inboxes can sign up for the
service at the
official
MI5 website. . Britain's threat level has been set at 'Severe' since it was first revealed
in August 2006, indicating that a terrorist attack on British soil...
Study: Most managers' info searches are useless
Managers waste hours every day looking for information that often turns out to be useless, according to a report from consulting firm Accenture. In a survey of 1,000 middle managers at large companies in the United States and United Kingdom, Accenture found that managers spend as long as two hours a day searching for information and more than half of the data they...
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01.09.07
Amanda Watlington Talks Second Life, Blogs W/ Odden
 By
Lee Odden
Spotlight on Search - Interview with Amanda G. Watlington, Ph.D., APR of Searching for Profit.
Photo by Jeremy Zawodny
I first bumped into Amanda Watlington via AIM, (Association for Interactive Marketing) and then in person at a WebmasterWorld Pubcon conference several years ago. Further collaboration occurred through involvement with the next iteration of AIM, the Direct Marketing Association's Search Engine Marketing Council, of which Amanda was a past chair.
Amanda is famous for her in-depth knowledge of blogs, RSS and podcasting and she has one of the first popular books on the subject. However, this long time marketer's roots are in public relations and she also has an extensive background with search marketing.
In this interview, Amanda talks about getting involved with search marketing, her appreciation for being hands on with the work, her thoughts on marketing via Second Life, the DMA Search Engine Marketing Certification program, tips on business blogging and the power of networking.
Please describe your background and how did you get involved with search marketing? What are your areas of focus today?
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As I blogged recently, I have been involved in search marketing since 1995. I got involved when I was working in public relations, and we were discussing doing a fax newsletter for a client. I suggested that we dispense with that idea and build a site instead. Since we were in the business of relevant readership, search marketing was a direct outgrowth. Since our clients wanted accountability for such projects, I developed an early interest in Web metrics. This in turn led to a call for improved results, and I think the continuation of the cycle is pretty obvious.
Today my practice is really still gaining visibility in search for online assets. These are no longer just Web pages. They cover the length and breadth of the types of information that we consume on the Web - blogs, audio, video as well as more traditional Web pages. Most of my clients are the new type of search marketing client - very knowledgeable, yet looking for strategic and tactical advice.
I've found that my practice blends strategy with tactical recommendations. I am often called upon to interpret the technical requirements for the Web development teams that support my marketing clients. Although I do not write code myself, I have over 25 years of experience in information technology. I am fluent in geek and marketing - so to speak.
You've worked with a large SEO/SEM agency and you've run your own consulting practice. Which do you prefer? What are some of the pros and cons for each?
During the early 1990s worked for a major search marketing firm, where I had the opportunity to develop a lot of cutting-edge methodologies. The early days were very heady fun. SEO was new, and all of us, the early practitioners, were learning and developing what are today the best practices. An axiom that I have found in business though is that the higher you go in an organization, the less your contact is with the work itself.
Continue reading this article.
About the Author:
Lee Odden is President and Founder of
TopRank Online Marketing, specializing in organic SEO, blog
marketing and online public relations. He's been cited as a search
marketing expert by publications including U.S. News & World Report and
The Economist and has implemented successful search marketing programs
with top BtoB companies of all sizes. Odden shares his marketing
expertise at Online Marketing Blog offering
daily news, interviews and best practices.
Check out Blog Business World for yourself.
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