ieplexus Tag

Are you Afraid of the Digg?

If you thought witches and ghouls were the scariest thing you were going to encounter this Halloween, some established companies might see it a little bit differently. For them, the most terrifying prospect is…a social networking site.

But why would anyone be afraid of a little site like Digg or Facebook? The simple answer is control. Companies fear social networking sites because they can’t pick and choose what is said about the company through these kinds of outlets. But this hesitation to move viral (and relinquish this control) shouldn’t be too shocking. Think of all the time, money, and effort that are put into carefully creating any and all company marketing campaigns. Commercials are screened by test audiences before they ever make it on the air. Heads of the company have careful speech writers and PR pros coordinating all company information before it’s divulged to the public. And with social networking sites, companies move out of this controlled environment into the wild, untamed world of everyday human interaction.
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iePlexus Blog Contributors

We’ve had pretty consistent growth here at iePlexus, and with that growth we’ve been contributing to our blog more often, expanding our coverage and discussing a wider range of topics. Our goal is to create a valuable, objective industry resource with our blog, examining news on blogging, social media, Web 2.0, and everything in between. With so much material, it’s become necessary to bring on additional writers to help ensure we report on the major developments in an ever-changing market. Also, we wanted to get various points of view and opinions, from the tech-savvy to the typical user, so our audience is well represented. We hope our blog is a beneficial addition to your reading list and invite you to subscribe to our RSS feed. Here are our current blog contributors and a little about them…
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The Facebook ‘Relationship Status’ Symbol

It’s not real until it’s on Facebook. At least that’s the case for nearly four million daily users of the popular social networking site. When does dating become a relationship? And, after a breakup, when should you reveal your status as single to let others know you are available?

Facebook and MySpace have become part of our daily lives. If we’re not busy accepting friends requests, we’re making them, and if we’re not doing that we’re uploading new photos and videos to show others. We may check our FB accounts 5-10 times a day, even while we’re at work. Most bosses won’t even notice because they’re busy checking their own.
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Blogging Killed the Newspaper Star

In 1979, the Buggles informed the world that video killed the radio star. Now, the question facing our generation is whether blogging will kill the newspaper star. As the catchy pop song taught us, the golden age of technology past is inevitably swept away for the glitz and glamour of the new.

In terms of print newspapers, this is beginning to ring eerily true. Even some of the most established newspaper conglomerates aren’t immune to the effects of online news sources. The New York Times, for example, has experienced a series of layoffs, increased prices at the newsstand, decreased readership, and stock market woes.
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Blog Marketing for Business

I’ve talked before about the incredible adaption and utilization of blogs in the business world. From Fortune 500 companies and corporations to small businesses just starting out, blogs have made the business world stand up and take notice. In June of this year, I wrote about the BusinessWeek article that followed up on the original groundbreaking story that introduced much of the business world to blogs back in 2005. Business Blogs and Beyond talked about the significant changes in the marketing landscape, and how social media, blogs and other forms of Web 2.0 marketing have opened up the doors to advertising on all fronts, harnessing the ability to connect with customers on levels that were never before possible.

The articles and accolades for marketing with business blogs haven’t stopped. Instead, blogs have become the #1 necessity for business owners looking for affordable, effective marketing that can deliver even in a questionable economy. Recently, Entrepreneur Magazine published an article about getting your business noticed at a minimal cost. Their #1 suggestion was blogs. From the article: “Set up a blog … and begin writing interesting commentary that relates to your business, says Hager. To drive traffic, comment on other topic-related blogs and include links back to your own blog.” Further down the list, they mention “Exploiting the Web” as number 17. This suggestion includes utilizing social media sites like delicious.com and digg.com to advertise and market products or services.
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iePlexus Featured on KillerStartups.com

We’re proud to annouce that recently iePlexus.com was featured on KillerStartups.com, a “user-driven internet startups community.” KillerStartups reviews over 15 internet startups every working day and has featured the likes of Skype, StumbleUpon, and NetVibes, just to name a few. Entrepreneurs, investors, and bloggers are staying informed on up-and-coming internet startups using the KillerStartups blog platform, and their goal is to provide a community where we “will be able to spot the next YouTube, and in order to achieve this goal, are providing what we believe to be the right tools for this kind of discovery.”

Although we’ve been in business since 2005, we’re still a young company and very honored to be a part of a great idea. Please take the time to vote for iePlexus.com on the site!

Why Do We Blog?

Blogging seems like such an established part of the web experience that it’s easy to forget it’s only been in our lives for eleven years. If fact, if you’re on the hunt for the beginnings of the web log, you will eventually find yourself in April of 1997 at Dave Winer’s blog, Scripting News. By our eyes, jaded with eleven years worth of blog improvement, this first post looks unimpressive.

Impressive or not, however, it would prove the catalyst that sparked an online revolution. And, somehow, that first post (nothing more than a small string of words and links) became the precursor to the more established, higher tech blogs of today.

But there is still a fundamental question at the bottom of the phenomenon—what made this odd viral form of information exchange take off so quickly and so pervasively? In light of our busy schedules and the time commitment it requires, why do we sit down at the end of the day to blog?
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Blog Action Day 2008

Today is Blog Action Day. If you don’t know what that is, it’s when bloggers from around the world unite to talk about a specific subject that affects us all. The idea behind it is simple; if we can get enough people to to talk about a social concern, maybe we can do something about it and make a difference. Last year the topic was the environment, and this year we’re talking about poverty. Currently, blog action day has over 11,000 blogs participating with an estimated combined audience of over 12 million. We feel here at iePlexus that since we’re a big advocate of blogging, it was natural for us to participate in this great cause and encourage the same from our clients and readers. It’s important to sometimes take a step back from business and realize that we all have a social responsibility to help others and contribute to the greater good. As a business, iePlexus has also taken steps to reach out, providing no-cost services to community organizers and churches, and participating in charity events to benefit programs like Habitat for Humanity.
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“iePlexus, I wanted to share my good news…”

iePlexus,

I wanted to share my good news with you! I made my first sale this last Thursday and I’ve received an order a day since then! I think things are finally happening for me! Just wanted to thank you for all the help you’ve given me! (Now that things are picking up, I may need your help again in the future!)

Arliss Zerbe
www.FirstRatePets.com
www.BestPetSuppliesBlog.com

iePlexus,

Per our conversation on September 9, 2008 I received a phone call from Nancy of the Better Business Bureau, stating that they had received several inquiries about my business, Global Opportunity Unlimited LLC, web site and partnership with MyWirelessRep.com. I explained that although I have only been a net marketer for a few months, I have many years of experience in the Electronics, Telecommunications and Computer Industries and that my goal was to provide value to customers and a genuine business opportunity for people who wish to start a home web based business. She explained that although she was impressed with my business plan that I would have to wait a year (June 2009) before they could list my business Global Opportunity Unlimited LLC.

Ron

*NOTE: Please do not contact any clients without prior written authorization from iePlexus. Thank you.

Design Matters

Being what I consider an industry veteran (I’ve been building and marketing websites since 1998), there’s always been one constant that separates the successful sites from those that fail: good design. It’s not the only rule to abide by, but it has very few exceptions. With the plethora of content management systems and website templates out there, it still baffles me that site owners don’t take advantage of these resources and still expect their sub-par design to have a chance against competition. I don’t claim to be the expert on this topic, but I certainly can spot a website where the owner has taken the time to consider form, function and presentation versus one that has enlisted cousin Jim, who’s a “webmaster,” to put together a company’s internet presence. Sure, saving a few bucks on a designer seems like a good idea, until you realize that the only traffic you receive is from a link in the design hall of shame (see this digg and this website). No where is this commandment of good design necessary than in e-commerce. When your site’s main purpose is to convert visitors into sales, a good design can be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and a poor one can stifle even the best marketing. Let’s look at some components of good and bad web design in the e-commerce industry:
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