I think the introduction is quite dated and I leave it only for reference. However, what strikes me about the rest of the article is that the advice isn’t dated and is still very actionable. If you are a business that hasn’t embraced Twitter, or more likely, embraced it badly, the advice given here is still very relevant to you. Here is how the article originally began:

Aren’t you sick of basic Twitter articles already?

There isn’t a need anymore to question the validity of the microblogging medium…Twitter is a long way past critical mass.  Since we now know it’s going to be an omniscient part of our online experience, it’s time to figure out how we can use it to increase business revenue.

People are generally pretty open to trying new forms of social media in their personal lives to connect with friends.  However, many companies seem to be reluctant to work with new and innovative methods of communicating to customers and prospects.

Why the hesitation?  Fear?  Caution?  Tradition?  Don’t businesspeople know that they are missing a wonderful opportunity to ramp up sales and leads?

Each prominent social media evangelist featured in this article has already experienced their microblogging epiphany and uses Twitter as an integral part of their business.  We asked them how they would pitch Twitter to both a Fortune 100 CMO and a Small Business CEO.  Here are their responses:

Danny Sullivan (Twitter)

I’d pitch it the same. Twitter is a new and growing communication channel. If you’re reaching out to customers through the telephone, email, RSS, via search and other means, Twitter is a new “station” that you should tune into and reach out on. How exactly you do that will vary by the particular company and its products and services.

Lee Odden (Twitter)

1)  The easy answer would be to say Twitter has had 1,300% growth over the year and surpassed NYTines.com in traffic, is in use by many Fortune 500 companies, journalists and influentials. Therefore, leveraging Twitter as a social networking tool can be productive for connecting with potential customers, marketing partners, job candidates and news media as well as for brand monitoring.

However, any recommendation on social media tactics should be based on an assessment of where that tactic fits within the strategy and the other tactics used.

2)  Again, I’d make sure the use of Twitter as a productive effort was thoughtful as part of an overall program with an understanding of who the audience is, what the goals are and how success would be measured.
Twitter is an easy way for small biz to monitor their brand and listen for customer service issues as well as sales opportunities.

Rand Fishkin (Twitter)

1)       Twitter is a communication platform, just like telephones, email, websites and blogging. Given the meteoric rise in popularity and usage, your brand is getting talked about hundreds, possibly thousands of times each day. Every one is an opportunity to engage in a conversation – it’s a customer service channel, a marketing channel, a branding channel and a chance for user engagement and acquisition. Your competitors are already there; you don’t want to fall behind. An investment is low cost, low risk and potentially high return – you owe it to your business to do a trial run and check the metrics.

2)  Twitter only makes sense if your business has a significant crossover with social media. While you should definitely register an account and dip your toe in the water by building some early connections to fans, friends and partners, Twitter isn’t always the best ROI you can get on your marketing activity. If you can find ways to derive value, either directly through the acquisition of new customers or indirectly by increasing branding, links and traffic to your website, make the investment. If not, watch Twitter’s growth and be sure to re-engage on occasion as the platform grows to ensure you’re not missing out.

Brian Carter (Twitter)

1. I’d suggest multiple Twitter accounts. And it’s not just for marketing. Every Twitter account should fit some part of your overall corporate strategy. You can have one or multiple for customer service, same for PR, and could have a main one for corporate marketing- or one per marketing campaign. Look at Dell, which has more than 30 Twitter accounts (https://www.dell.com/twitter). And look at Zappos, which has more than 400 employees on Twitter (https://twitter.zappos.com/employees). The upshot is that a Twitter account is a communications vehicle, so each one needs to be planned and fit into your overall PR, marketing, and customer service strategies. Apart from accounts you own, you could use a pay per tweet service like TweetROI (https://tweetroi.com/) to leverage the influence of other Twitterers.

2. Small Businesses need targeted, relevant, affordable exposure. Twitter is free, except for the time involved. You could use it for PR, combine it with Twitterhawk (https://www.twitterhawk.com) to engage relevant and/or local twitterers. You could tweet discount offers like Dell has (https://twitter.com/DellOutlet) to boost sales volume, or use a pay per tweet service like TweetROI (https://tweetroi.com/) to leverage the influence of other Twitterers. A Twitter account is a communications vehicle, so each one needs to be planned and fit into your overall PR, marketing, and customer service strategies. Make sure you have a Twitter strategy that fits your overall brand and goals, and be realistic about who will be tweeting and how much time they’ll have to tweet and reply to people. You can use CoTweet (https://cotweet.com/) to help multiple employees manage all the engagement with just one Twitter account.

Rhea Drysdale (Twitter)

1)       Twitter means brand management, strategic planning and growth potential. Protecting your brand is simply good business and the first step to any social media plan. Every company needs to register their brand, their products and their high profile employees. Beyond the basics of brand management, Twitter is about cheap, direct and immediate market research. Good CMO’s recognize the savings of such a fast medium and how to better test and/or track industry and brand-specific perceptions. Lastly, Twitter offers enormous growth opportunities. When managed by the right hands and tools, a brand can rehabilitate their online reputation, bring their offline credibility to a new generation, stay connected with the old generation, network with other businesses, communicate faster with the media and improve conversions.

2)       Twitter will grow your business. Whether you’re a small restaurant owner, a car mechanic or a web designer, Twitter gives you an instantaneous connection to existing and potential customers, business partners and the media. As a small business CEO, how much time and money is a new customer worth to you? An interview with the local newspaper? A cross-promotional deal with a related business? Quantify that and then find an Internet marketing company, hire an intern or carve out five minutes a day for yourself to manage your Twitter account. You don’t need to follow everything that’s being said, you just need to set up tracking for your area, your keywords, your brand and your competitors and then respond accordingly. People use Twitter to fill a need and you might be the perfect answer to their problem.

Marty Weintraub (Twitter)

1)  Twitter offers amazing opportunities to take the pulse of customers out there in the sweaty marketplace, capitalize on promotional opportunities, nip nasty buzz trends in the bud and undertake demographic research unparalleled in marketing history.

The concept behind Twitter is not new, however it’s public visibility, searchability and automation capabilities are revolutionary. Back in the days of early chat programs like IRC and AIM, quite a lot of damage and good was done to brands behind closed doors, as consumers chatted mostly-privately among themselves. There was no way for companies to mine the buzz in these chat rooms, to follow and deal with positive and negative marketplace chatter.

Crucial Reputation Monitoring
Now chat has come out of the closet and going mainstream fast. I tell large company CMOs at minimum they can’t afford not to put real-time monitoring in place, across groups of keywords surrounding brand terms, product names, key personnel, spokespeople for their company, industry terms and significant competitors.

In many ways the concept of brand defense by reputation monitoring is the same as it ever was. However, things move much more quickly in micro-blogging channels–seconds instead of hours or days. In a matter of minutes, viral seeds propagate all over the world and back around to a brands benefit or detriment.  Monitoring and response need to be undertaken at the same speed or a company is at risk.

Amazing Service & Promotion Opportunities
With Twitter’s easy API, customized customer service, outreach and promotions can be undertaken with amazing specificity.

For instance, I purchased a trailer-load of Ikea furniture for our office, which I was excited about. Shortly after I tweeted in pleasure from my Blackberry regarding the haul, Ikea followed aimClear and sent a @ response inviting me to enter a contest by sending a picture or video of the office furniture once set up. The promotion was highly effective because I was fingered real-time by my own expression of pleasure about the product.

Offer customer service and support to folks who indicate that they’re engaged with your product.  For instance if a customer downloads a free trial of a software product and tweets about it, ping them by @ reply to offer personalized support in case they have any questions.

We tell large company CMOs that, at minimum, the chatter stream absolutely must be monitored and used for research regarding what messaging works. Past that, there are very few limits as to how one’s creative wit can be applied to the buzz stream.

2)       How would you pitch the use of Twitter to a Small Business CEO?
Most importantly, Twitter is very powerful in search engine results. The way Twitter’s wired, gaining even a couple of dozen followers can easily place your Twitter profile on Google’s page 1. Professional reputation managers will tell you that controlling as much of page 1 with content you control is critical.

Our experience shows that Twitter profiles have an even greater propensity to index, after getting fewer “friends,” than LinkedIn, Facebook, StumbleUpon and most other social communities. Even if a small company does not have the resources to tweet all day long, minimal involvement in the channels usually brings the benefit of another friendly page 1 result.

I also  tell small business CEOs that Twitter should be considered, at minimum, simply another channel customers can use to contact and interact with the company. When fax machines first came out , not that many people used them. However it was important to get a fax machine in case a customer or vendor adopted the channel and wanted to use it.

The same concept held true for email, so even steadfast holdouts had to capitulate and adopt the channel.  Simply put, if a small firm’s customers might be using Twitter, it’s important to be available to those customers who want to interact by that channel.

Finally, it’s easy using Tweetbeep (email alerts) or Tweetdeck (dashboard) to stay aware of what customers are saying about a small company. It does not take deep pockets to put such reputation monitoring in place. We tell small business CEOs that, at minimum, staying tuned into street-buzz is crucial.

John Andrews (Twitter)

1)    Would you ever put up a tradeshow booth but leave it without anyone present, expecting people to “take a brochure and call us if you’re interested?” Of course not. But that’s what your web site is…which is why you should also use Twitter. Twitter is the personality behind the web brand. Twitter greets the public, converses with the public, answers questions and builds relationships between the brand and the public. A web presence without Twitter is an empty trade show booth full of brochures.

2)  If your website is the face of your business on the Internet, Twitter is the voice and ears of your business. Customers can look at your website, but any questions they have or comments they make go unheard (and unanswered). With Twitter, your business can listen to the conversations taking place about your products or your industry, and participate in that conversation. Twitter adds just the right amount of salesmanship to your Internet marketing, without the investment of a dedicated sales team.

Lisa Barone (Twitter)

1)     I’d tell a Fortune 100 CMO that Twitter, and tools like it, is their chance to give their company a much-needed heart. It’s your way to step away from the “big brand” and to be relatable to the people who are dying to get to know you. Customers want to fall in love with the products that they already use. And when you reach out to them, share with them, and are transparent, you empower the people that already love you and you strengthen your brand.

I’d also tell that CMO not to be afraid of giving control and that it’s the handing things over to your customer that makes things explode in the best possible way. Your customers are talking about you anyway, you may as well give them to tools to do it in a centralized place where you can participate. Twitter lets you zone in on the conversations that are naturally happen and brings you into them. Companies are afraid of the conversation will be replaced by those that are not. Regardless of how big you think your brand is.

2)       Twitter is your best friend as a small business. It has completely leveled the playing field because you don’t need the big marketing budgets to reach people, to get their attention and to create buzz. You just need the knowledge to know where your customers are congregating and then to be interesting enough to reach them.  Twitter is about people and people buy stuff.  If you’re a small business, use Twitter to find people in your specific location and then to start conversations with them. Use it to get people excited by holding tweetups in your store. Use it as a customer service docket.  If you’re a small business, Twitter is the ultimate connecting tool.  The possibilities for what you can do with it are endless.

Adam Audette  (Twitter)

1) I probably wouldn’t need to, because s/he will already have a plan for marketing via Twitter! But if I did need to pitch the idea, here’s the tactic I’d take:

– I’d tell the CMO that if they wanted to compete online, they’d need to be on Twitter. It’s an easy argument to make, just look at some of the other Fortune 100 companies there already:

@homedepot
@DellOutlet (and Dell has about 6 other profiles too) @MotoDeals @comcastdotnet

– I’d show the CMO how the CEO of Zappos started using Twitter and in about 2 years built over 713,000 followers to @zappos. That’s a pretty powerful communication vehicle to have: message 3/4 of a million of your customer base and fans in 140 characters or less!

– The CMO might say, “yeah but is Twitter a fad? Is all this just hype, and will it go away?”. Maybe, I’d say. But who cares? It’s still around now. It pays to be where the people are, and they’re all on Twitter today.

– Finally, I’d show the CMO how easy Twitter is to set up and use, and teach him or her how to pick out a few advocates within the company to embrace Twitter and use it to communicate with the customer base. The ROI is tremendous, because it takes basically nothing to set up and only creativity to use each day. There’s really no good reason not to use it.

2) This is a bit harder than the CMO of a Fortune 100, but not by much.
Why? Because the small business actually has just as much to gain, maybe even more, as the Fortune 100 does. Here’s the tack I’d take:

– Most small businesses have a blog, right? If they don’t, they should.
Nothing complements a blog better than Twitter. We can use it to spread awareness of the blog posts, communicate with like-minded folks, build relationships (like guest blogging gigs) and build a readership. Blogs and Twitter are like cookies and milk.

– For SEO, and for reputation management, Twitter is great as another piece of SERP real estate. A Twitter profile tends to rank very well, because of the authority of twitter.com and the large amounts of internal links that get built to a profile. Here’s proof:
https://www.google.com/search?&q=zappos – the #3 result for ‘zappos’ is not an easy place to appear!

Neil Patel (Twitter)

1)       Due to budget restraints that Fortune 100 companies have in this economic climate, I would pitch Twitter as a cost effective solution. For example, a pitch could be: “Would you like to find a cost effective way to see what your customers are saying in real time? With Twitter not only can you track what your customers are saying, but you can also communicate to them.”

On top of that I would push hard on the social media aspect Twitter brings. Fortune 100 companies are intrigued by social media, and Twitter would be a good starting point for them, due to the cost.
2)       Most small business CEOs are very careful on how they are spending their money. In most cases they don’t have millions of customers to do deal with, so using Twitter as a reputation management solution isn’t as powerful for them as it maybe to a Fortune 100 company.

On the other hand, they are always looking to grow their revenue through cost effective solutions. Due to this, my pitch would be: “Are you looking for more customers? Through Twitter you can easily find people that are looking for the solutions you provide. And the best part about it is that it is free.”

Joanna Lord (Twitter)

Defining and calculating the use of any new medium is always a challenge. With Twitter’s fast growth and attention-gaining popularity it has also attracted a great deal of skeptics.

When pitching its use I always try to hone in on the specific purpose I think that particular client could benefit from. I don’t know if this necessarily differs by size of company, but instead by the specific company’s current initiative. For a company that is struggling with a negative brand image, I demonstrate Twitter’s ability to address an active audience, and to establish an open and sincere conversation between a brand and its users. For a company that is looking for growth, and exposure I spotlight case studies of brands on Twitter that have pushed content (online and off) through Twitter’s massive messaging and viral capacities.

With that said the biggest difference I see between a Fortune 100 pitch and a small business one would be in how a Twitter initiative is implemented. The larger companies tend to have budget they are able to delegate to hiring on social media strategists and Twitter evangelists, while smaller companies may need to focus on the tools and applications available to help them reach their goals through automation, for example.

The biggest part in helping any company grasp the potential of Twitter is to show them their competitors who are already on board, if I can demonstrate they are missing out on an already present and growing dialog, they are usually ready to give it a try. It’s then up to me, or any strategist, to deliver results. That’s when the fun starts.

David Mihm (Twitter)

1) Twitter is downright essential for Fortune 100 companies.  At the very least, it’s a more effective (both in terms of costs an satisfaction) customer service tool than your current telephonic way of doing things.  Look at @comcastcares and @jetblue for examples of companies who are using Twitter to its full customer service potential.

Twitter can also be a great way to manage your company’s reputation.  If you’re a Fortune 100 company, chances are very good people are already talking about you, whether you like it or not.  Joining Twitter means joining that conversation, and at least having some impact on where it heads.  You’ll never be able to control the conversation absolutely but you can influence it far more by being a part of it than by staying on the sidelines and spectating.

Your CEO should also create his/her own Twitter account and become accessible to his/her customer and investor base.  Reinforce the image of your company as one that LISTENS to its audience, rather than the other way around.  This does NOT mean you have to live and breathe Twitter 24×7.  Be professional with your Tweets.  Set expectations among your followers right away as to how often you plan to engage (i.e. don’t start out Tweeting 10 times a day and then Tweet once a month from there on out).  Twitter is a fantastic tool for market research.  Your CEO should ask for suggestions or feedback on company initiatives.  You don’t have to act on every one, or even 5% of them, but when you DO act on one of those suggestions, let everyone know about it & where the idea came from.  The Twittersphere will get a warm, fuzzy feeling all over.

2) Twitter might just be the most cost-effective form of marketing for SMBs in certain segments.  In my last Search Engine Land column, I highlighted examples of a couple of companies who are doing a great job with their Tweets.  Some of them are using the service to fill last-minute appointment openings by offering discounts via Twitter (businesses like massage parlors and hair salons), taking real-time orders (pizza parlors and coffee shops), and building awareness of topics or events in their communities that impact their business.

Expectations for SMBs on Twitter are going to be dramatically lower than for Fortune 100 companies, so it’s OK to screw up a few times!  In general, though, apply the same principles (become part of your followers’ conversations, listen more than talk, ask for and respond to feedback) and you’ll be successful.

SMBs should keep in mind that the return-on-time-spent on Twitter may not translate to direct sales, but positive word-of-mouth and brand loyalty are important long-term benefits.

David Wallace (Twitter)

1)  A Fortune 100 company simply cannot ignore the popularity that Twitter has gained since its inception. Nor should they pass up the opportunity to use the micro blogging service to not only manage brand reputation but utilize it as an instant communication device to its existing and prospective customers.

The bottom line is if you are a large company, Twitter users are talking about you. It is therefore vital that the large company utilize Twitter to embrace and interact with those users, which if not existing customers, are certainly potential ones.

2)  Like free Google organic search listings, Twitter levels the playing field between large and small companies in that the service provides a FREE way for the small to medium sized business (SMB) to interact with existing and prospective customers. Never has a service existed that will enable a SMB to not only get news out about its products/services in lightning speed but provides them to opportunity interact with its customer base in almost real time.

If you are a SMB and have yet to embrace Twitter, what are you waiting for? Certainly cannot be the price tag!

Eric Lander

1)  The use of Twitter should be easily understood by a CMO in such a prominent organization. If it’s not, it proves that while new – the technology and marketing capabilities of social media are still underappreciated. I would then discuss the importance of having a solid plan in place to achieve particular goals. Comcast uses Frank Eliason as an excellent community manager, so I would probably pull up his Twitter account and explain why his account is so valuable.

I would then use Lisa Barone’s post on Outspoken Media’s Blog as a roadmap for the conversation to see where the CMO may be most interested in, and, where she may be missing out. Everything from branding and metrics and brand security should be covered.

To secure the conversation, I’d finish up with pulling up real time search results and showing active conversations that the brand is not participating in. From there, I think it would be quite clear that every organization needs to be on Twitter and other more niche oriented communities that apply to their industries.

2)  Small businesses are provided a free vehicle for acquiring potential customers when it comes to Twitter. Real time search results and tools like Twitter Grader allow small businesses to see people in their area, people discussing their products (or competitors’) and an easy method for which to engage them.

Again I would probably point to the Outspoken Media blog because it is important to have a plan firmly in place. When social media is used incorrectly, it most certainly becomes more of a liability than an asset.

Kent Lewis (Twitter)

1)   Social media offers consumers unprecedented opportunities to share their voice. Your customers are talking about your brand online, influencing perception and affecting sales. As a high profile brand, you are a target of fans and frustrated customers & employees alike. What is your Twitter strategy? How are you monitoring and engaging with constituents via Twitter? Understanding the fundamental tools and techniques involved in an effective Twitter strategy is essential to the success of Fortune 100s.

2)   Social media offers consumers unprecedented opportunities to share their voice. Your customers are talking about your brand online, influencing perception and affecting sales. As an emerging company, you have a unique opportunity to level the playing field with larger and more mature competitors. What is your Twitter strategy? How are you monitoring and engaging with constituents via Twitter? Understanding the fundamental tools and techniques involved in an effective Twitter strategy is essential to the success of small businesses.

Rick Turoczy (Twitter)

1)  “There’s no better way to show people the power of Twitter than Twitter search. Take any CEO to search.twitter.com and type the name of their company or product into the search box. Then you point at the screen and say ‘There’s the conversation you’re missing.’ Or if you feel like you need something a bit stronger, type in the competition’s name.”

2)  “If it’s a small company, the search technique still works more often than not—especially if you can use a product category to demonstrate it. Or something relevant to them that’s going to have some chatter on Twitter. If all else fails, I like to use the interactivity of the format to give them a glimpse of how it works. The easiest way to do this? By going to Twitter and typing ‘I’m demoing Twitter to the CEO of X… They make X. Please say hello!’”

Dustin Woodard (Twitter)

1)    Twitter search is a direct line into the pulse of what people think about your brand. Think of it as a publicly visible word-of-mouth tracker.  Having an official company Twitter account can serve as marketing and customer service public dialog tool among the more influential people on the Internet.

2)  Twitter, much like search engine optimization, is a tool that when used properly, puts small businesses on a level playing field with big brands.
By creating an account and developing a large following you can expose your company to a great number of Internet influencers. Among those influencers are journalists who are looking for their next story. Maybe you’ll even end up in an article like the one you are reading right now.

If you’ve already mastered social media tools like Twitter, consider the next wave of progressive marketing strategies called “social publishing,” where you enable your community to develop resources and even promote your brand within an experience you host.

Matt McGee (Twitter)

1)       I think that showing examples of comparable companies using Twitter successfully would be a good place to start. I’d also explain that it’s a better and less expensive customer service tool than a call center. And I’d show how it can be an incredibly valuable (and cheap) focus group for product and industry research. Last, but not least, I’d let the CMO have a look at all the existing mentions of his/her company on Twitter and ask why they’re not taking part in those conversations.

2)  (As I said on the previous question), I think it’s incredibly powerful to have a small business CEO see Twitter in action. I’d show a few examples of the many small businesses that are already using Twitter to increase profits and improve the bottom line. In my experience, small business owners also seem to think Twitter is a timesink, so I’d explain that it’s like the TV or radio: Yes, it’s always on, but you don’t have to be tuned in around the clock to use it successfully.

Jordan Kasteler / Dave Snyder (Twitter/Twitter)

1)       The benefits are these same for big businesses and small businesses. The pitch emphasis for a Fortune 100 company would be on ORM and Branding. Branding and reputation would be most important to them to. A strategy on how to handle conversation around their brand and products/services is key to an intriguing customer service outlet they would enjoy having in the social media realm. Stockholders would find comfort knowing that their company is using innovative and modern marketing tactics as well.

Additionally, sales, promotions, links, and traffic are benefits that would be stated for a pitch. The key is to research how their competition is using Twitter and show them what they’re doing with it. This will trigger an emotion to want to one-up their competition but jumping into the same space and do things better.

2)       Twitter can be a cost effective targeted marketing strategy for a small business. We would emphasize a cheap solution for localized targeting, driving business to brick and mortar locations, links for SEO, and traffic for notoriety, mindshare, and engagement. Also, would sell them on the idea that Twitter is the ideal price to run promotions and show them examples of how Quizno’s, Dell. and others have used this concept to drive sales.

Chris Winfield (Twitter)

1)     I tell them to go to search.twitter.com and type in their company name.  What are people saying? Is the company represented in the discussion? Are negative experiences being addressed? If the company is not using Twitter or not using it effectively, a few strategic searches are all that’s needed for them to understand the value.

2)     I tell them to go to search.twitter.com and type in the names of their product or service. If there is no discussion whatsoever about their product or service, obviously their message is not getting out there. Then we look at similar products or services or issues that are being discussed where their product or serviced might help. These are discussions that they should be a part of.

In both cases, there is very rarely any need to ‘pitch’ after that

Kerry Finsand (Twitter)

1)       The dynamics of marketing have changed.  Consumers are smart and have too many choices. Now more than ever it is important to listen to what your customers are saying. Twitter is a communication tool that companies can utilize to facilitate a better understanding of their products/services, provide customer support and/or have direct conversations in real time with their customers. Best Buy CMO Barry Judge believes that these types of “messages are more customized and personal” and uses Twitter as one of the tools to manage conversations with their customers.  Around 1,000 Best Buy employees, including Judge, use Twitter to communicate with their customers. It is the CMO’s role to be the influencer of the organization and stay in touch with technology trends. Still not convinced that Twitter is right for you? Then read this list from Systematic Marketing on “The Top CMO’s on Twitter.”

2)    Twitter enables small business CEO’s to connect with customers in new ways. CEO’s can listen to what their customers are saying, gain insight into their business & industry, manage their reputation, engage in intimate conversations with customers and build relationships. CEO’s can use Twitter to provide personal insight about themselves and their business in order to facilitate a better understanding in the marketplace for what their company is about. CEO’s such as Tony Hsieh of Zappos uses Twitter to build brand recognition and drive sales. In a recent interview Mr. Hsieh explained that, “We’re not looking at short-term ROI… we’re looking to form life-long relationships with out customers, and we think Twitter helps us do this.” Using Twitter as a communication tool is a powerful way for CEO’s to leverage technology to run their business and connect to customers on a more personal level.

Aaron Kahlow (Twitter)

1)     Twitter offers Great Audience exposure combined with a List building effort with almost no hard cost. In addition, it provides great opportunity to listen to what customers and the marketplace are saying about products/brand.   People are talking and like a giant tradeshow with clients, customers, competitors and partners, we need to be there to understand what is happening and how to respond.  What else could you want in a recession?

2)  Twitter is a great way to connect with potential clients and understand the emerging needs of our marketplace.   With bigger competitors slow to adopt, we can really drive a great deal of market and mind share gain by leveraging Twitter.

Carrie Bugbee (Twitter)

1)  If you’re not the definitive source of information about your brand on Twitter, others will take on that role. But you might not like the results. To wit, “Mad Men Twitter,” “Motrin Moms” and “AmazonFail.” If these don’t ring a bell, just set aside a few hundred thousand dollars for crisis communications right now. You’ll need it.

2)  There has never, ever been a better way for small businesses to communicate with a targeted group of people more easily, affordably and incrementally. Twitter is the ultimate DIY marketing tool.

Andy Beal (Twitter)

1)       Twitter is the fastest and cheapest method for a Fortune 100 company to finally have a dialog with its customers.

2)       Twitter levels the playing field. It’s just as easy–and affordable–for you to get on Twitter and talk to the exact same audience as your multi-billion dollar competitor.

Peter Shankman (Twitter)

1)   Your brand is already being talked about. You can continue to be a faceless big corporation, or you can choose to engage your audience and swing the tide of how you’re represented.

2)  Your brand is online. You have the ability to interact with those talking about you to become your fans, and do your PR for you.

The post From The Vaults: Twitter 2.0:  The Business Case For Twitter appeared first on SEMpdx.

Domain names are the real estate of the Internet and the people that have invested wisely in them have become very rich.  When I mean rich, I’m not talking about the “Life’s Been Good To Me So Far” wealth of some of my search marketing friends.  I’m talking “F*** You” rich.  When I attended the 2007 Domain Roundtable, I was made keenly aware that I was in the same room with 2 Domainer Billionaires (Frank Schilling & Kevin Ham)…and I’m sure that others present were only 1-2 zeros shy of those two distinguished gentlemen.

How did these very smart individuals amass their wealth?  Clearly, they bought premium domain names before the masses had figured out their value.  However, they also had to know how to choose the “cream of the crop” based on nothing besides their keen intuition and while we’re not going to ever see the opportunity again that Frank & Kevin took advantage of, people can still make smart purchases using tried & true methods.  I’m here to share some insights into what one should look for in a domain name.

Domain Name Extensions

Everyone knows about “.com”.  It’s permeated the fabric of social consciousness.  You can’t escape it.  However, here’s a little known fact about what .com stands for…

.com = “Common”

At registration fees, pretty much all the .com’s have been mined out by the same herd followers who think they are smart enough to be the next Frank/Kevin (and to get a premium .com name is outside the budget of most folks).  .net & .org have been heavily mined as well.  So, what to do?

Get a unique extension where keyword rich domains are much more available.

Here’s a list of extensions and I’m sure almost the entire list is new to most folks.  There is an incredible variety of names to choose from when all these extensions come into play.

To illustrate, .co.ck is the domain extension of the Cook Islands and with a little searching, I determined that https://10inch.co.ck (and many similar variants) are available for purchase.  If these aren’t keyword-rich premium domains worthy of any domain portfolio, I don’t know what are.

Keywords In Domain

One of the strongest ranking signals used by Google is “keywords in the domain”.  Therefore, you really should purchase domain names that contain the keywords that you wish to rank for.  If you are a smart marketer, you know that to get lots of traffic to your site, you’ll need to rank well for lots and lots of keywords.  Therefore, it’s smart to stuff your domains with as many keywords as your registrar allows you.

As an example, most Internet Marketers know that the insurance space can be extremely lucrative online.  Many websites attempt to monetize many different types of insurance products (just as many insurance agents carry different lines).  However, if these sites were smart, they would put all their main keywords in their domain which is not only good for SEO but branding since customers will know what types of products are offered simply by examining the domain name.

So, when I see a domain name like https://www.cheap-car-auto-life-home-health-pet-travelers-insurance.com, I know that I’ve found a destination site that not only can services all my insurance needs but a webmaster that knows the intrinsic value of this important SEO (and domaining) principle.

Website Content

Domain parking revenue has collapsed and for a myriad of reasons, very few domains will get enough type in traffic to make domain parking a valid revenue model.  Therefore, a premium domain should be built out with rich keyword-focused content so that (combined with the other SEO factors) it has a chance of ranking well, bringing targeted traffic that can be monetized. 

Getting good quality content affordably can be a challenge but in the misfortune of others lies tremendous opportunity for the bold…

Google’s recent “Farmer Update” has decimated the traffic of many highly visible content-rich websites.  Lots of formerly visible content in Google has disappeared.  Since the content won’t get search traffic any more on the original site, there isn’t any reason why it shouldn’t get traffic on your site…after all, it’s the website that got penalized, not the content. 

So, go to one of the sites on the penalty list and search for a relevant article (like this one about mesothelioma).  Now, Google already has this article cached in one of their servers, so copying this article verbatim won’t be the best play here. 

Instead, copy the article into Word and do some smart & savvy “Copy / Replace” to make the text not only relevant to your website but uniquely yours. 

So, text like:

For people working in the trades describes above, make sure that workplace regulations as defined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for mesothelioma prevention are in place. Some asbestos fibers may attach to hair, skin, and clothing, and you can put your family at risk if brought home. For mesothelioma prevention, federal laws now require workers to follow several precautions including:

• Showering before leaving the workplace
• Storing clothes separate from work clothes in the workplace
• Changing out of work clothes into street clothes before leaving the workplace
• Washing work clothes at workplace (source)

Can be repurposed for your Drunk Driving Lawyers website as follows:

For people working in the trades describes above, make sure that dwi attorney regulations as defined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for dui lawyers prevention are in place. Some drunk driving law firm fibers may attach to hair, skin, and clothing, and you can put your family at risk if brought home. For dui lawyers prevention, federal laws now require workers to follow several precautions including:

• Showering before leaving the dwi attorney
• Storing clothes separate from work clothes in the dwi attorney
• Changing out of work clothes into street clothes before leaving the dwi attorney
• Washing work clothes at dwi attorney

Rework a few articles thusly and you have enough good content where, combined with strong link popularity, could produce an online revenue powerhouse.

Conclusion

I’ve given you an overview of how you can strategically purchase and develop your domain investments.  I encourage you to try out my process for yourselves…after all, people who won’t try to purchase and monetize domains because “it’s tough” or “all the good names are taken” are https://www.fullofsh.it

The post The Smart Guide To Domain Name Investing appeared first on SEMpdx.

Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking Glass

So, I would like to have a do-over on this old post that I wrote.  Not that I think the post was wrong or bad…I actually think quite highly of it.  But, it wasn’t really what I wanted to say given its inspiration.

Here’s the backstory:  I communicate with lots of different people as part of what I do for a living.  Certainly, I like to know who I’m dealing with so with some of these people, I do a little “background Googling” to glean insight into them or their business.  I did this with one such individual and followed a trail of documents that lead me down a wholly unexpected, surprising path and, when read together in the sequence that I read them painted an amazing cohesive narrative (though none of the pages were remotely exceptional when looked at individually).

In the post I wrote based upon the experience, I said the following:

“Google does not return a fully realized illustration of each query, leaving the searcher to instinctively complete the picture that Google starts and from that, draw their own conclusions from the information presented. Different people will finish their portraits in their own way… people do not process information the same plus there always is distinct differences as to how deep in the SERPS each person will look and in how many / which documents are clicked on and examined in detail.”

I still feel this is correct…the documents examined by the searcher are small portions of the(ir) “story” and the searcher will fill in the (frequently large) missing gaps in order to complete it based upon their personal point of view.  But, then I go off and talk about Online Reputation Management instead of developing the point I should have made back then…

Search is a narrative. 

Why are top search engine rankings important?  Because higher ranked documents are more likely to be included in the searcher’s narrative and ultimately lend influence to a decision or action made by the searcher.

A new quest for information begins Page 1 of your story.  Each search query you make, each document / image / video / post you examine, and each hyperlink you click pushes the plotline along.  It can have plot, protagonists, antagonists, different points of view, drama, comedy…well, any type of form or content that can be contained in any fiction or non-fiction.  The story is live and in real time, playing out in the mind of the searcher.

But the most fascinating part of the whole process is the relationship between the searcher and the group of results.  When you overlay an individual’s humanity onto a web search, you’ll get as many different narratives as you have people making the same search.  Not every narrative is compelling…probably most are routine, dull stories containing rudimentary plot lines.  However, following the breadcrumbs laid out by Google / Bing / Yahoo can take you down an unexpected compelling path.

I’m sure that most of the people that made my “memorable” query wouldn’t have walked down the path that I did.  Many might have seen nothing compelling in their narrative returned by Google.  My perceptions of the story can’t be mistaken for truth…it’s only my point of view based upon my interpretation of the documents presented to me (and could actually be far from the ultimate reality of the situation).  However, the narrative felt true to me and it has certainly colored my view of the individual in question. 

The post Search As A Narrative appeared first on SEMpdx.

So last week, some of my fellow SEMpdx Board Members and I got together for a SearchFest 2010 planning meeting.  We discussed many relevant topics (date, venue, topics, speakers, etc.) and at the end of the meeting, I was tasked with inviting a group of speakers, most of whom I consider some of my closest friends in our industry.

Writing a “formal” invitation email to your friends is a bit awkward.  It’s tempting to write something along the line of:

SEMpdx Wants U 4 SearchFest 2010.  Can U Speak?  LULZ.

Most of my friends would understand this messaging but I’d be lacking some of the specifics they need to make their decision.  So, I settled on the following:

Hello…,

SEMpdx is officially inviting you to speak at SearchFest 2010, taking place next (…sorry, not announcing the date publicly yet).

We’ve done some preliminary matching of speakers to topics and we’d like you to speak about…(on the same panel as…).

Please let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions.

The responses I received fell into two different camps. 

love to, will check schedule and be back to you Todd :).  Thanks, always means a lot to me to be invited to semPDX.

Sounds great – count me in.

Sounds cool, thanks for thinking of me

Sounds awesome, I’d love to speak at SearchFest again – and with…, that’s like icing on the cake!!

Hi Todd…I’d love to be part of SEMpdx again. I accept your invitation and will plan on attending.

Then I got the following two responses:

Hey Todd!

How are you? I hope things are going well for you

I would love to be part of SearchFest again this year! Thanks for thinking of me & keep me posted on anything you may need from me moving forward…

Can’t wait! Hope all is well mister, and talk to you soon

Hi Todd hope things are good on your side of the PNW. I think I could do that….

Still casual responses but a bit more formalism built in.

So, where am I going with this?

All of us are in (social media) relationships with others that encompass varying degrees of depth and complexity.  I see myself “in” close social media relationships with 50-100 people or so (including the folks I quoted above) meaning I read some or all of what they write; I make it a point to follow what they say on Twitter (and tweet back and forth with them); and generally treat them in the social media sphere as I would treat a close friend outside of social media.  Though I don’t know for sure, I believe everybody that I quoted above follows at least a portion of what I tweet / write about online.

In my closest social media relationships, all pretense falls away in favor of direct expression.  Since me and the others are part of a continual conversation, long periods of silence cease to be uncomfortable…people can go away for a while without notice and that’s perfectly OK…and they can pop right back into the group without missing a beat.  Even when the conversation switches to a more private medium such as email and I reach out to the folks I’m closest to for interpersonal conversation, frequently, I dispense with the “Hi …” and immediately delve into the reason for the contact. Sometimes I just find the last email they sent me and hit reply (even if the topic isn’t relevant to the current communication).  Now, for in-person meetings, this wouldn’t fly (we haven’t evolved quite this far yet)…however, I believe that anyone who knows me well doesn’t read the directness of my communication as anything other than my attempt to present my thoughts and ideas in the most expedient way possible.    

I think 5 of the 7 people I quoted were on the same plane as I was in dispensing with any and all formalism and continuing our ongoing conversation, while 2 were on a slightly different wavelength.

Or perhaps, they were just trying to be polite…

The post The Infinite Conversation appeared first on SEMpdx.

And, if you have a naughty streak like I do, feel free to try this with your email sales inquiries :.)

—–Original Message—–
From:
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 6:49 AM
To: Todd Mintz
Subject: The beginning of Fall…

Todd,

Hopefully you were able to get some time off from S.R. Clarke, Inc. and fit a little vacation time in as the summer comes to an end. It’s the beginning of fall and I’m currently really busy closing out our quarter. I was hoping to get sometime on your calendar and wondered if you had anytime available the week of October 12th. I will be in your area and figured this was far enough out to get on your calendar (she assumed incorrectly I was in Virginia which is her location).

Let me know of any specific day and time that we can come meet you. I look forward to speaking with you soon and have a great Tuesday!

Cheers,

——————————————————————————–
From: Todd Mintz
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:55 PM
To:
Subject: RE: The beginning of Fall…

A pretty interesting message to get from somebody I never communicated with before :.)

—–Original Message—–
From:
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 2:53 PM
To: Todd Mintz
Subject: RE: The beginning of Fall…

Todd,

I have heard worse, I will take interesting!! In all honesty, what do I need to do to get 30 minutes on your calendar? I am sure that you are extremely busy and I’m not looking to waste your time. I am not looking to say why *** is the best and you should remove everyone else for us. I am looking to briefly discuss what we do really well and see if we can help S.R. Clarke. Let me know what your calendar looks like, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,

——————————————————————————–
From: Todd Mintz
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 1:34 PM
To:
Subject: RE: The beginning of Fall…

1) Fly to Portland where I live.
2) Buy me lots of drinks and an expensive dinner.

Anyone who does this will get my undivided attention.

Thanks,

Todd
——————————————————————————–
From:
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 10:48 AM
To: Todd Mintz
Subject: RE: The beginning of Fall…

Is that all?

Just kidding, thanks Todd. Next time I am out that way, I will hold you to it.

Best Regards,

The post How To Punk An Salesperson via Email (and The Best Way To Respond) appeared first on SEMpdx.

I
Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of mesothelioma.

II
I was of three minds,
Like a tree
In which there are three mesotheliomiacs.

III
Mesothelioma whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the pantomime.

IV
A man and a woman
Are one.
A man and a woman and mesothelioma
Are one.

V
I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
Mesothelioma whistling
Or just after.

VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass.
The shadow of mesothelioma
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.

VII
O thin men of Haddam,
Why do you imagine golden birds?
Do you not see how mesothelioma
Walks around the feet
Of the women about you?

VIII
I know noble accents
And lucid, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That mesothelioma is involved
In what I know.

IX
When mesothelioma flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many circles.

X
At the sight of mesothelioma
Flying in a green light,
Even the bawds of euphony
Would cry out sharply.

XI
He rode over Connecticut
In a glass coach.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his equipage
For mesothelioma.

XII
The river is moving.
Mesothelioma must be flying.

XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was snowing
And it was going to snow.
Mesothelioma sat
In the cedar-limbs.

So it’s been a while since I posted something here…

The post Thirteen Ways of Looking at Mesothelioma appeared first on SEMpdx.

So, the other day, I got this very interesting email from a domain seller:

I am the owner of ______ . We are now offering our domain name www.______.com for sale to companies. with "______" in their company names who would benefit from the simplicity, elegance and ease of use of this single-word domain name. As you may be aware, there is only one such address available, so that if it is purchased from us by another "______" company it is unlikely to become available again, as with most corporate domain names. The value of the domain name ______.com could be quite significant, depending on your ability to use it as part of a branding program, and to benefit from making your corporate website and email addresses more memorable and more easily recognized and accessible by your customer base. We have received a bid for the domain name which we are considering now. However, the bid is slightly below our price threshold. Please let us know by return mail if you may have
an interest in acquiring www.______.com at or above our threshold price of
$$,$$$. If you prefer to speak in person, please feel free to call me . With
best regards, xxx

Now my initial impression of this domain seller was extremely favorable. This was probably the best domain sales email pitch message I’ve ever seen. He was marketing a one word, common last name dot com domain that certain would be worth a five figure sum to the correct company. He realized he had a unique and intrinsically valuable asset and wanted to cash it out since he didn’t feel it to be necessary for his business.

So why do I ultimately think this guy is a F’ing idiot? Because he owned a prized asset and shamefully neglected it. A little research shows that he bought the domain 15 years ago and over those 15 years, he only generated (according to Yahoo Site Explorer) 13 inbound links to the site (and all the strong links to his URL appear to be accidentally confusing his site with better known companies that shared the same name). He isn’t ranked in the top 100 results in Google for his own name despite owning the dot com domain (domain name in URL likely the strongest SEO signal of them all). Even a minimal amount of SEO work should have achieved a top ranking for his keyword (and related search terms) and would have added a considerable premium to the prospective sales price.

Being blessed with a category-killer domain name is like being blessed with great genes. Before maturity, the owner probably might not recognize the intrinsic value of what is possessed. But at some point, when the person could perceive the social and societal value of what they have, whether it be a killer domain name or a killer body, great care is definitely needed to be taken to maximize the value and longevity of that asset.

For people, it’s nutrition, exercise & style / fashion. For domain names, it’s content and links. Those at the top of the gene pool might have to work less to achieve optimum results…but if they don’t work at all, they negate any and all inherent advantages of what most folks would see as blessings.

The gym is full of people who were pretty average in the gene pool but through hard work and effort, have made themselves look pretty hot. Similarly, despite any and all obstacles thrown at them (e.g. Vince), sites with B & C quality domain names can get top search rankings if they put the time and effort into earning them.

One of the worst things that can be said about a woman is that she has a “pretty face” because the implied message is that the rest of her is unattractive frequently due to her own self-destructive behavior. I can’t think of a better phrase to describe the domain that was offered to me. I see the domain owner trying to sell me 15 years of wasted potential…a platform upon which he could have sold and marketed himself to a top position in his industry. I do think the ultimate purchaser will see the value of the asset and position it accordingly and since the domain is almost as virginal as it was back when originally purchased, the new owner won’t be getting sloppy seconds.

The post The Domain Sales Catwalk appeared first on SEMpdx.

1 In the beginning (God / Tim Berners-Lee / Al Gore) created the World Wide Web.
2 And the web was without form, and void; and chaos was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the net.
3 And God said, Let there be online properties and domain names were born.
4 And God saw that domains were nothing without associated content so he created web hosting and the ability to post content online via FTP.
5 And God called this process web publishing. And this was the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a way to organize content so that people can find it.
7 And God made the web directory where human editors could post links to websites.
8 And God called the firmament Yahoo. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let there be a way to organize websites in such a way so that users can make queries in order to find their information..
10 And God called these new information portals “Search Engines”.
11 And God said, Let the Search Engines send forth spiders to seek out, index, and categorize all the websites throughout the land.
12 And the spiders allowed the Search Engines to map out and index the web for web surfers and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the primary web from the secondary web:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give enhanced visibility to web surfers: and it was so.
16 And God an important distinction; dot com domains to rule the day, and other lesser domain extensions to rule the night: he made the subdomains also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the web,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 And God said, Let the Search Engines create a way to link websites and visitors in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created algorithms which decided which websites would rank well for user queries: and God saw that it was good (and since Google did the best job of this for God, God blessed Google with most of the marketplace).
22 And God blessed website owners saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill web with beneficial sites that meet the needs of the public (and make money for the webmasters).
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the website owners adjust their sites so they are more likely to be ranked well by the search engine algorithms: and SEO was so.
25 And God said, Let the website owners who wish to pay their way to the top of the search engine have the ability to do so: and God saw that Paid Search was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let man (and woman) communicate with other online in furtherance of relationships and online commerce (and Social Media was born).
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and communicate, and replenish the web, and subdue it: and have dominion over the commercial web, the social web, and over every living thing that goeth online (and ICANN was born).
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every possible tool from which you can create and run online communities and commerce (plus the ability to endlessly innovate to suit the collective purpose).
30 And to every man and woman on earth, I’ve given them the ability to get onto the web and use it in such a way to enhance their life (and the life of their loved ones).
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

1 Thus the World Wide Web was finished, and all its infrastructure was in place.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

And then lots of smart men and women attempted to game the system that God created…

Pictures from the Cinematic Masterpiece “Days of Heaven”. Please note that I’ve done similar posts before.

The post Online Genesis: Chapter 1 (And Part Of Chapter 2) appeared first on SEMpdx.

So, I watched the John Huston movie version of James Joyce’s “The Dead” today. I’d read the story and seen the movie a long time ago, recalling it to be a masterpiece of a film but not quite remembering why. After seeing it again, I now realize why I found it to be so compelling.

The movie consists almost entirely of dialogues by a large number of mostly indistinct characters…most of which take place at a dinner party and, until the very end of it, come across as almost entirely superficial. I believe that Joyce wanted to create a story where much of the action takes place in the minds of the characters which are locked away from the audience’s eyes except (in the movie version) for the expressions they make and their actions performed in the context of the ongoing plot.

What struck me poignantly as I was watching the “dull” party dialogs is how repressed were the actions and behavior of each character, and how rudimentary were their interactions with each other. I think Joyce wanted to hide away the most interesting bits of the story and have the subsurface mood of repression permeate the narrative with only bits and pieces of the characters feelings percolating to the surface from time to time (until the very last scene). It crossed my mind how much richer the party would have been if each of the characters tweeted, not only during the party, but had developed and followed each other on the microblogging platform prior to the event.

Twitter could have made those characters not only more accessible to the audience but to each other as well. There is an incredible backstory present in “The Dead” that Joyce never lets the audience in on. It would have been fascinating to see the pre-party and party tweets from each of these characters to provide depth to the mostly stilted action…alas, that wasn’t in the cards for Joyce’s / Huston’s audience.

Only at the end of the story / movie do the true feelings of a couple of the characters surface. They’re incredibly moving and sad not only because of the sentiments expressed but because of how the repression of those feelings has influenced their lives. Unfortunately, Gabriel and Gretta lacked the outlets (social media and otherwise) to sublimate their grief and unhappiness that are readily available to folks today.

If Social Media existed in Joyce’s Dublin, perhaps everyone would have had a less troubling existence.

The post Twitter Could Awaken “The Dead” appeared first on SEMpdx.

So, I just got back from a Royal Caribbean Cruise. My father purchased berths for 4 families, including mine, to sail in the Caribbean for 7 days. I suppose I shouldn’t complain since my family got a complimentary vacation but since this is a blog post, you gotta know I’m gonna complain about something :.)

People in our industry know there are two types of hotels…those that offer free WiFi and those that charge a small daily fee for the privilege. As much as we grumble about paying for WiFi, most travelers have pretty much accepted the charge as a necessary evil.

Royal Caribbean does things differently. It charges 55 cents a minute for WiFi.

55 Cents a minute for WiFi.

55 Cents a minute for WiFi.

Charging 55 Cents a minute for WiFi is the equivalent of giving somebody the middle finger and slowly waving it in their face. It’s true that you could pre-purchase bulk minutes but no deal they offered drives the cost lower than 32 cents a minute.

Not only is the WiFi expensive, due to the necessary satellite Internet technology on the boats, it’s considerably slower than conventional broadband.

I clearly know that Royal Caribbean makes a high margin on upselling services above and beyond the basic cruise cost and I have no problem with that. And, I noticed that people were paying 55 Cents per minute to screw around on Facebook (…no sympathy for hosing those folks with a big bill). However, for those people such as me who need continual Internet Access 24/7 as part of their livelihood, a Royal Caribbean (and other companies) Cruise is not a feasible option for a vacation.

I did have some issues while on vacation that I needed to deal with. Fortunately, within 4 blocks of where the ship docked in San Juan, I found a Starbucks where for the price of 1 drink, I was able to get 3 ½ hours of free WiFi that enabled me to get my necessary work done.

If Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines care about attracting dedicated online professionals on their vacations, they need to offer reasonably priced unlimited Internet Access. I paid almost $70 for doing little more than checking my stats & my email for a week and I’m F***** P***** off about it. I will never set foot on another cruise ship unless and until I can get the quality and quantity of Internet Access to which I am accustomed.

The post F U Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (Internet Access) appeared first on SEMpdx.