Mediaboss Marketing

Houston, TX (PRWEB) September 26, 2012

TopSpot Internet Marketing's web development strategy was recently recognized with Manufacturing Standard of Excellence Award in the 2012 WebAwards from The Web Marketing Association (WMA). The WMA was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for internet marketing and development of the best sites on the web. The WebAward program is the longest running annual website award competition, dedicated to naming the best sites in 96 industries while setting the standard of excellence for all website development. More than 2,000 entries from 42 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories during this year's competition. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology.

The award was received for web development of the Farmers Copper website for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development in the Manufacturing Industry. Farmers Copper LTD, headquartered in Galveston, TX, is recognized as one of the oldest family-owned and operated metal service centers in the United States. They have been a paid search customer of TopSpots since 2005 and in 2010 they contracted with TopSpot to develop their new website and implement an SEO program. After launch of the new website in 2011, Farmers Copper experienced a 188% increase in monthly conversions. Learn more about Farmers Coppers internet marketing strategy in their case study.

This is not the first award for Farmers Coppers website, receiving an Award of Excellence from the Business Marketing Association of Houstons 2011 Lantern Awards.

About TopSpot Internet Marketing Solutions

TopSpot Internet Marketing Solutions is a Houston-based agency specializing in B2B industrial marketing. TopSpots team has over 20 years of industrial internet marketing experience in helping small to mid-sized manufacturers, distributors and service companies with strategic plans to help grow their business. Our solutions include paid search marketing, SEO, website architecture, website design & development, mobile web development/marketing, analytics, email marketing, conversion improvement, multivariable (a/b) testing and consulting.

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TopSpot Internet Marketing Recognized with 2012 Manufacturing WebAward

26-09-2012 11:52 Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he has a vision of a new world order that would be absent of the "hegemony of arrogance." (Sept. 26)

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Ahmadinejad Calls for a New World Order - Video

Published: Sept. 26, 2012 at 4:19 PM

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Federal laws are needed to regulate social networking sites to give users the right to determine what happens to their "digital afterlives," a U.S. expert says.

Jason Mazzone, a University of Illinois expert in intellectual property law, says allowing social networking sites to set policy regarding the content of accounts of deceased users does not adequately protect individual and collective interests, especially with people spending an increasing part of their lives online using social networking sites.

"Virtually no law regulates what happens to a person's online existence after his or her death," he said in a university release Wednesday. "This is true even though individuals have privacy and copyright interests in materials they post to social networking sites.

"Social networking sites determine on their own what, if anything, to do with a deceased user's account and the materials the user posted to the site.

"It's a little bit like letting the bank decide what to do with your money after you die."

A federal statute could impose some requirements on social networking sites to give users a degree of control over what happens to their accounts, he said.

"It's really pretty astonishing that there is no way for individual users to say, 'When I die, this is what happens to my account,'" he said. "Instead, it comes under the control of Facebook."

The rest is here:
Protection of 'digital afterlives' needed?

By Ryan Holmes, contributor

FORTUNE -- "Overall, the higher education system is failing to prepare students with the needed digital and social skill set in any meaningful way," says Dr. William Ward of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. "Higher education, like business, needs a culture shift."

Ward teaches COM 400, Social Media U Need 2 Know, and COM 600, Social Media Theory and Practice at Syracuse. His offerings are among only a handful of credit-bearing social media courses offered at leading universities today. For Ward, who goes by the handle @DR4WARD on Twitter and has nearly 10,000 followers, the imperative for more courses is clear. "Students with social media certification are getting better jobs and internships," he says. "Those who harness social communications are in high demand and have an advantage."

MORE:Behind Microsoft's Yammer acquisition

The numbers back him up. While U.S. unemployment hovers around 8%, job postings requiring social media skills rose 87% from 2011 to 2012, topping 13,000 in one month alone earlier this year. Among Fortune 500 companies, 73% now have company Twitter accounts and 66% have Facebook Pages (FB). Corporate America is racing to apply social tools to everything from building customer relationships to connecting teams of employees around the world. Analysts estimate that $1.3 trillion in value stands to be unlocked by new social technologies.

But while businesses are hungry to tap social media, they lack the expertise to do so. Among 2,100 companies surveyed by Harvard Business Review, a meagre 12% of those using social media feel they use it effectively. The result is an exceptional demand for social media professionals who can boost the bottom line. "Social communication done well increases productivity, saves money and time, and improves engagement and satisfaction," Ward says. "[It's] a part of a larger culture shift changing how work gets done."

Higher ed, however, has been painfully slow to step up and fill the knowledge gap. While many universities use social media to recruit students -- Harvard alone has 1.6 million fans on Facebook-- few have brought it into the classroom itself. When courses on social media are offered, they tend to be stand-alones or electives rather than integrated into a larger curriculum. "Digital and social skills can be applied across majors and discipline, not just in a social media class," Ward says. "Faculty must change how they research, learn, communicate, and collaborate and model this behavior in all their classes and for their students."

MORE:Inside the Twitter-LinkedIn divorce

At Syracuse, Ward's students are already "social natives," having grown up with Twitter and Facebook. But his courses like COM 400, Social Media U Need 2 Know, elevate social networking to cold, hard science, with an emphasis on practical business applications and measuring return on investment. Assignments include 20 weekly tweets and posts, tracked with a dedicated class hashtag. Influence meters like Klout measure reach and effectiveness of messages. Meanwhile, class lectures and online seminars and videos dissect how to cultivate a following on Twitter, LinkedIn (LNKD) and Google+ (GOOG).

Other elite universities have started to follow this lead. NYU, Columbia and the University of Washington, among others, have introduced extensive undergraduate coursework on social networking, marketing and learning. Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School offer social media marketing courses. New England College even offers a comprehensive social media MBA. "I think because it's such a specialized field, you couldn't just give two courses and say, 'Here you go,'" explains New England College dean of admissions Diane Raymond, defending social media education in a recent U.S. News report. "There [are] just too many trends, too many elements."

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Universities are failing at teaching social media

Wretch 32 has said that he would be up for collaborating with Sir Tom Jones, if his mother insisted on it.

The Traktor rapper will be performing alongside the Welsh crooner and VV Brown at the Arthur's Day celebration in London, which will be held in the capital for the first time at Senate House on September 27.

The 27-year-old, whose real name is Jermaine Scott, has no plans to duet with Tom as yet, but joked: "My mum is a big fan of Sir Tom. He's a legend, so I'll do a duet with him only for her sake."

Wretch promised to liven up the Arthur's Day stage for the UK show.

"I'll bring a lot of energy on stage with my band," he said.

"Arthur's Day coming to London reminds me of the whole Olympics spirit. It's been quite a eventful year for London and Arthur's Day adds to how special it is. I'm definitely looking forward to it and I can't wait."

The grime artist is also looking forward to joining Cheryl Cole on stage as a surprise guest on their single, S**** You.

"I find it fun and exciting, popping out as a surprise guest. No one knows where or when I'm going to be coming out," he said.

"I want people to be shocked - it's not The X Factor or the Wretch Factor, but the shock factor."

Press Association

Originally posted here:
Mum's the word for Wretch 32 duet