Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

We all know that the Internet has revolutionized the way companies do business. Companies used to build their reputation through employee to customer contact, this person-to-person to form of communication now seems sort of archaic. With corporate communication booming over social networks like Facebook and Twitter companies are now faced with the challenge of maintaining their reputation in a growing number of mediums. New analytical tools are coming on the scene in order to measure companies’ reputation, taking into account the influence they are having online.

Companies like PeerIndex, Twitalyzer, Talentag and PostRank, all owned by Google, use online analytics to determine an individuals or business’s influence online. These tools measure questions like, how many people are exposed to your messages, and who takes action as a result of your efforts? The results can determine the amount of “social capital” that you or your organization has.

A digital marketing agency can be very useful for companies that would like to utilize tools, like Google Analytics, to measure effectiveness and optimize their web sites. An agency measures the effectiveness of your web site based on keywords, landing pages, traffic sources, site visitors, time on site, bounce rate, and more.  If I were behind the helm of a start up company I would definitely want to have some data to work off of, and fortunately enough Google Analytics is a quick and easy way to measure your web site traffic.

More and more people are adopting smartphones in order to become fully connected to the world through their mobile device. Companies are also making moves to connect with employees by giving them smartphones and developing mobile applications as a way to increase employee engagement. At first glance, it is great to be able to access your work email 24/7, but this continuous feeling of being plugged in can also be draining. In fact, a new study from the University of Worcester has found that the feeling of being constantly connected without the ability to freely disconnect induces stress.

Companies, like Volkswagen, are now starting to react. The German automaker’s employees all use blackberries, and the company has decided to limit the email server to only be activated during business hours. This means that employees are free from constant communication with work once they leave the office. Roger Cohen, a reporter for The New York Times is one of the many who think that this is a smart move. Cohen says people often fall subject to a, “contemporary state of anxiety in which focus on any activity is interrupted by the irresistible urge to check email or texts.”

Remaining plugged in arguably increases employee productivity, but it is important to also address its potential downfalls. In the future, more and more companies will surely address this issue. As an intern, I have yet to feel the 24/7 pressure of having your phone connected to work. However, I have witnessed the poor effects this connection can have. For example, I have experienced many vacations when a family member gets their relaxation time derailed by incoming messages that blow up their smart phone. It is important that employees can be reached in the case of a work emergency while away from the office. On the other hand, I also think that employees deserve to have a feeling disconnect when they leave the office, if they so chose, especially during vacations. I would guess that Volkswagen employees appreciate this move and that the company is well on its way to having great employee satisfaction.

As it is getting closer to the beginning of the semester, many students are beginning to think about purchasing their textbooks for their classes. Every student dreads this time of year because, honestly, who wants to pay $500 for books?! If you have a Kindle, you’re in luck.

Kindle allows you to rent textbooks for up to 80% off the list price of printed textbooks. Sure, the list price is for the new, unused textbook, but if you’re a procrastinator when it comes to buying books (like myself), then you’ve probably gotten stuck buying a new book once or twice because you missed out on all of the used ones.

With Kindle’s textbook rentals, you can choose how long you would like to rent the book for from 30 to 360 days so you only pay for the time you need the book. You can also extend the rental from as little as one day, as many times as you want, or even convert your rental into a purchase.

One of the best things about this is that once you rent the book, you can access it from not only your Kindle, but your PC, Mac or mobile device.

After your rental is up, you can access your notes and highlights any time you want at kindle.amazon.com.

Digital marketing agency, Ingenex is taking Fall 2011 digital marketing internship applications

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Jul 15, 2011 — Digital marketing agency, Ingenex Digital is searching for Fall 2011 digital marketing interns. The Ingenex Eco-Friendly internship program seeks digital savvy college students interested in all forms of new media who can work at least three days a week beginning Aug 20, 2011.

Students majoring in public relations, marketing, advertising and communications are encouraged to apply. The uniquely designed digital marketing internship program provides students and graduates the opportunity to work in Ann Arbor, MI and gain first hand experience in the quickly changing and expanding field of digital marketing, while obtaining college credit.

Interns will work with Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex and instructor of MSU’s New Media Driver’s License course. Mehraban and other leading digital marketing professionals work one-on-one with interns to improve their digital marketing skills.

During the internship individuals will gain experience in, but not limited to: Internet marketing, digital public relations, search engine optimization, client relations, blog monitoring and will be exposed to various networking and professional development opportunities.

“Interning at Ingenex gave me the opportunity to apply my public relations education in a digital setting,” says Central Michigan University senior Lauren Schneider. “I am valued here, the work I do matters. I’m more prepared, more confident and more marketable to employers then a lot of college student’s. Interning has given me the chance to work with super intelligent and creative people, develop my portfolio and learn cutting-edge Internet marketing techniques.”

Ingenex encourages all intelligent and enthusiastic individuals interested in digital marketing to apply for the Eco-Friendly Internship. Ingenex looks forward to meeting future digital professionals. To apply please fill out the Eco-Friendly Internship Questionnaire.

About Ingenex Digital Marketing:

Michigan based Ingenex is an Internet Marketing firm that provides a full suite of digital marketing services including Interactive Branding, web site design, search engine optimization, pay-per-click management, optimized public relations, social media marketing, email marketing, web-driven event marketing, podcasting and blogging. For more information please visit: http://www.ingenexdigital.com.

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Search engine giant Google launched their very own social networking service on Tuesday. The Google+ Project attempts to take a bite out of, and possibly rip the head off of menacing social networking superstar Facebook. Parasitic social networking sites are rapidly invading Google’s territory, as Facebook and Twitter absorb the traffic once reserved for Google. Social networks cripple Google’s infrastructure by depriving important information from the systems used to enhance Web search and Google AdWords.

Google+ Project surpasses any other social networking attempt made by the company in the past. Standard social sharing is taken to the next level, converting the typical social networking mass communication model into a more personalized small group, real-life communication experience.Users can create separate communication groups between friends, family, acquaintances, ex-boyfriends, frenemies, roommates, running buddies, co-workers, etc., into “Circles.” Circles is a Google+ Project feature uses a drag and drop method and simplifies standard practices used on other social networks to dividing friends, foes and co-workers into individual sharing networks.

The iPhone and Android mobile applications for Google+ are very similar to the web version of Google+, making sharing and communicating easy and fluid. Users won’t have to use four different applications to share information or chat with friends in different ways. The magnitude of Google’s Web and mobile presence is enough to make smaller start-ups and mobile developers quiver in their boots. Add the element of social sharing into the mix and Google could potentially destroy its social networking competitors.

Fusing together content sharing, group video chat, video and photo sharing and a mobile app is an impressive start for Google’s social networking future. Google+ Project combines Internet social sharing habits into one centralized place where messages can be controlled and disseminated in real-life fashion. Google+ Project is still in its field trial period and more innovations and changes are expected. It will be interesting to see if Google’s search engine marketing skills will match their social media marketing abilities.

New York Times: Another Try by Google to Take On Facebook

The Google+ Project

Katy Perry pulled out all the stops for her 2011 Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Video. The video is jammed packed with 80s heartthrob’s, 90s teen pop sensations, Internet memes and Kenny G?

Brace faced frizzy haired Kathy Beth Terry, played by Katey Perry, wakes up to find herself next to a buff young male and a fuzzy memory of the night before. Perry used social media marketing to promote the music video’s main character Kathy Beth Terry, who’s Facebook fan page is packed with links of 80s and 90s teen heart throbs like Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT), viral videos created by Kathy Beth herself and video clips of the boy band Hanson.

Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

The music video features Kathy Beth Terry getting a makeover from the Friday queen herself Rebecca Black, Hanson playing in the backyard and a saxophone solo from Kenny G. Darren Criss (Blaine) and Kevin McHale (Artie) from “Glee” make an appearance along with other famous stars from the past and present.

Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) is a hilarious play on teen geek-to-chic movie’s. Who knew Rebecca Black was such a party animal. As a Katy Perry fan I give this music video is a must-see and I give it two thumbs up!

Entertainment & Stars: Katy Perry’s ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)’ Features Rebecca Black as Hostess (VIDEO)

In high school and early years of college my Facebook addiction appeared to distract me from what many others thought I “should” be focusing on. As I got older my Facebook addiction led to a fascination with Twitter and other forms of social media. Suddenly I was studying social media and digital public relations strategies in school. Within three years my degree in public relations went from cool to awesome. I was taking innovative journalism classes tailored to social media strategies and search engine optimization and all things digital. Was this too good to be true? Can I really make a career out of this?

Photo: DirJournal.com

It turns out you can. And there is quite the demand for digital agencies and social media strategist as the digital revolution continues to grow according to The Detroit News article, Aging Nation, Technology Give Rise to Five Hot Jobs. There is real value in social and digital and more and more people are recognizing that. The job market is fierce and there is good news for college students. According to The Detroit News Article. “By 2018 a million new jobs expected to be created.”  I don’t know if fate or luck or destiny brought me to my current internship in the digital marketing field, but the future is looking nice for me and for the digital agency.

The Detroit News: Aging Nation, Technology Give Rise to Five Hot Jobs

The phrase, “that’s going to cost me an arm and a leg,” typically means something is going to cost a large sum of money. For 17-year-old Zheng, a high school freshman in China, that expression took on a more literal meaning…only a Kidney.

Zheng really wanted an iPad 2, but didn’t have enough money so he did the unthinkable and sold his kidney. I’ll repeat that. He sold his his kidney. The majority of student’s would save up for this kind of purchase but Zheng couldn’t wait. After coming in contact with a kidney-selling agent on the internet he decided that risking his life for 20,000 yen ($3K USD) was a pretty great deal. Zheng had the operation, received his money and returned home with more than one new Apple gadget.

Photo: MyChinaViews.com

His mother became very suspicious and reported her son to authorities, ultimately exposing Zheng’s secret kidney transplant.The hospital Zheng claims to have had his surgery at is denying any connection to the 17-year-old and authorities haven’t been able to contact any one involved in the organ transplant fiasco.

It seems Zheng is getting the last laugh here as he enjoys his new toys. After reading this article I wondered how many illegal organ transplants go unreported? Who are the recipients of these organs? Are the iphone mobile applications worth it? How far would you go to get what you wanted? I just hope Zheng doesn’t find another organ-selling agent online and another part of his body to sell in a year when his Apple gadgets are out of date.

The Next Web: Chinese student reportedly sells his kidney to buy an iPad 2

iPad’s are awesome and the applications are even better. I read about Deja, a new and highly anticipated iPad application last night that released today. I woke up excited because Deja is said to be similar to one of my favorite and most used apps, Flipboard. Flipboard is an app that beautifully arranges a completely customizable database of a users favorite websites, Twitter, Flickr, magazines and other online publications into a newspaper or magazine like layout. Then allows you to “flip” through different pages and view organized content seamlessly within the app. It is said that Deja does for videos what Fliboard does for photos and text and that is something to be excited about, after all Flipboard was named, “App of the Year,” in 2010.

I downloaded the app this morning and was instantly attracted. Videos are extracted from my Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google and RSS accounts, then compiled into a sleek and user-friendly design. Videos are updated accordingly and the sharing option is easier than ever. Users can share content on Twitter, Facebook or to email. Deja is what an iPad app should look and feel like. The interface displays tiles you can swipe threw zoom in on, and watch. Deja has a feature called ‘fling,’ where you can take whatever video you’re watching via Deja on the iPad, and view it on a TV connected to Apple TV.

You can search and view video’s, easily make playlists, view related videos, save and share in one place. It is beautiful and innovative but also very new. There are a lot of bugs and Deja crashed on me almost every time I used the app. I usually get very frustrated when something doesn’t work but I think Deja has serious potential and I can put up with it for now. A lot of time, effort and $200K of funding went into the Apps development and I really don’t think it’s going to fail. I’m hoping that the iPad 2’s video recording capabilities will help provoke the development of an option to upload videos directly to Deja. I want more customizable options for account preferences and I am also wondering if there are any privacy concerns. Deja has the potential to be a great social media marketing tool and I am interested to see how the iPad application evolves.