Google just announced their newest feature enhancement to Google Places: Google Business Photos. 

Marissa Mayer gave the scoop at today's Social-Loco event in San Fran moments ago.

Very simply, Google will shoot panoramic photos of businesses and include them within Google Places Pages. Limited rollout though; apply here & see the list of the initial locations available.

Location continues it's evolution.  

So, the latest "time-waster" to show up in the social spaces is Empire Avenue. Here's a quick breakdown: You buy & sell "shares" of people and brands; a virtual, wanna-be version of a stock market of social media personalities.

I do like the creativity, the site usability (considering the intricate nature of the platform) and most of all, the behaviors of the users within the site - that's what I'm most interested in seeing. I'm curious how people will try to leverage Empire Avenue. Influencers, Internet Celebrities, major brands and plenty of people you have never heard of, you'll see them all. But what's their purpose for playing here?

I say check it out at the very least. You can decide for yourself on the typical "why bother" question posed whenever a new concept catches fire. Sure, the "game" element is fun. The ultimate goal for Empire Avenue is obviously the in-game sales and upgrades available to the users. They want you to buy "Eaves" and spend real money to increase your portfolio value (so you can buy more shares in people) or you increase your portfolio's available cash by completing various free/paid "offers" such as buying a magazine subscription or an FTD floral arrangement.

For example, you can buy 70,000 eaves right now and get 30,000 extra eaves, for only $50. Why? Not sure. Is it worth it? Maybe, if you're trying to increase your own exposure and want to try something new and cheap. I'd like to think people like Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang don't need to pay real money to claim another star on their social walk of fame. There are a few things you can do to extend your hand and play nice, such as endorsing someone's blog feed link within their profile, recommending their shares for purchase and tweeting the fact you just bought shares in someone. (And you thought checking-in on Foursquare was odd?)

It seems like a clever affiliate model leveraging social gaming techniques: social connections, awards, chat, upgrades, time-based/expiration models, etc...plus it hits on multiple ego items.

The problem is the game element itself. It'll eventually wear thin. The formula behind a users stock price, as I understand it now, rewards you for your connections and consistent sharing - not quantity of sharing. So, unless an active user like Robert Scoble hangs up his SM sharing activities, his value could be infinite. I'm curious if they'll introduce the ability to short shares as well. Let's hope they don't add margin and options functionality. Charles Dow would roll over in his grave.

Not sure what renders a person's value as overbought or oversold. (Other than zero activity and everyone selling your shares) Knowing this, could Scoble's stock become the social media share value equivalent to Berkshire Hathaway?

I have seen a few nice examples of Empire Avenue being used wisely for additional exposure. Besides brands like Toyota, Ford & Audi, Jay Baer is using it to help promote his book with Amber Nasland, "The Now Revolutions" by giving away one free copy to shareholders who tweet their purchase.

Don't give it too much thought though. It's just a game. And if you are interested, you can sign up here. Oh, and be sure to buy some shares in ERICM & ADUSA :)

Have you tried it? What do you think?

Original post appeared on the Location Based Marketing Blog

So, the latest "time-waster" to show up in the social spaces is Empire Avenue. Here's a quick breakdown: You buy & sell "shares" of people and brands; a virtual, wanna-be version of a stock market of social media personalities.

I do like the creativity, the site usability (considering the intricate nature of the platform) and most of all, the behaviors of the users within the site - that's what I'm most interested in seeing. I'm curious how people will try to leverage Empire Avenue. Influencers, Internet Celebrities, major brands and plenty of people you have never heard of, you'll see them all. But what's their purpose for playing here?

I say check it out at the very least. You can decide for yourself on the typical "why bother" question posed whenever a new concept catches fire. Sure, the "game" element is fun. The ultimate goal for Empire Avenue is obviously the in-game sales and upgrades available to the users. They want you to buy "Eaves" and spend real money to increase your portfolio value (so you can buy more shares in people) or you increase your portfolio's available cash by completing various free/paid "offers" such as buying a magazine subscription or an FTD floral arrangement.

For example, you can buy 70,000 eaves right now and get 30,000 extra eaves, for only $50. Why? Not sure. Is it worth it? Maybe, if you're trying to increase your own exposure and want to try something new and cheap. I'd like to think people like Robert Scoble and Jeremiah Owyang don't need to pay real money to claim another star on their social walk of fame. There are a few things you can do to extend your hand and play nice, such as endorsing someone's blog feed link within their profile, recommending their shares for purchase and tweeting the fact you just bought shares in someone. (And you thought checking-in on Foursquare was odd?)

It seems like a clever affiliate model leveraging social gaming techniques: social connections, awards, chat, upgrades, time-based/expiration models, etc...plus it hits on multiple ego items.

The problem is the game element itself. It'll eventually wear thin. The formula behind a users stock price, as I understand it now, rewards you for your connections and consistent sharing - not quantity of sharing. So, unless an active user like Robert Scoble hangs up his SM sharing activities, his value could be infinite. I'm curious if they'll introduce the ability to short shares as well. Let's hope they don't add margin and options functionality. Charles Dow would roll over in his grave.

Not sure what renders a person's value as overbought or oversold. (Other than zero activity and everyone selling your shares) Knowing this, could Scoble's stock become the social media share value equivalent to Berkshire Hathaway?

I have seen a few nice examples of Empire Avenue being used wisely for additional exposure. Besides brands like Toyota, Ford & Audi, Jay Baer is using it to help promote his book with Amber Nasland, "The Now Revolutions" by giving away one free copy to shareholders who tweet their purchase.

Don't give it too much thought though. It's just a game. And if you are interested, you can sign up here. Oh, and be sure to buy some shares in ERICM & ADUSA :)

Have you tried it? What do you think?

Original post appeared on the Location Based Marketing Blog

Which social content helps you get better search engine results? Links shared via Facebook or Twitter?

According to a study done by SEOmoz, the answer is a Facebook share. (according to their research)

Makes sense to me. Simply stated:

• Search engines love Facebook's content
• Search engines want to index more shared content
• Search engines are moving towards ranking content shared by influential people (They need the content first - then they'll work on ranking those who shared it)

Interestingly - no mention of the fact that Bing powers Facebook's search results. Bing recently announced they now hold a 30% share of all search activity. More content shared on Facebook ultimately means more content available within Bing...

Read more of the SEOmoz study - great info on the shaping of social search.

Which social content helps you get better search engine results? Links shared via Facebook or Twitter?

According to a study done by SEOmoz, the answer is a Facebook share. (according to their research)

Makes sense to me. Simply stated:

• Search engines love Facebook's content
• Search engines want to index more shared content
• Search engines are moving towards ranking content shared by influential people (They need the content first - then they'll work on ranking those who shared it)

Interestingly - no mention of the fact that Bing powers Facebook's search results. Bing recently announced they now hold a 30% share of all search activity. More content shared on Facebook ultimately means more content available within Bing...

Read more of the SEOmoz study - great info on the shaping of social search.

A while back, one of the first business books I latched on to was Jeffrey Gitomer's "Little Book" series. Strongly recommend to anyone looking for branding, inspiration and sales tips. I tried something he mentioned and have been doing it ever since - at least for 10 years now.

When someone tells me they're going on vacation, I ask them to bring me back a refrigerator magnet. They always ask if I'm serious. I always say yes.

Sure enough, when they come back, they hand me my new refrigerator magnet. Like clockwork, they ask, "Do you collect magnets?"

"Nope, just wanted you to think of me at least once during your vacation."

Last weekend at a poker game, a good friend slid a new magnet across the table to me. I didn't even know he went away. Even cooler, he bought a car at one of our stores the following day.

What are you doing to stand out and be memorable? Would love to hear other variations of your refrigerator magnet.

A while back, one of the first business books I latched on to was Jeffrey Gitomer's "Little Book" series. Strongly recommend to anyone looking for branding, inspiration and sales tips. I tried something he mentioned and have been doing it ever since - at least for 10 years now.

When someone tells me they're going on vacation, I ask them to bring me back a refrigerator magnet. They always ask if I'm serious. I always say yes.

Sure enough, when they come back, they hand me my new refrigerator magnet. Like clockwork, they ask, "Do you collect magnets?"

"Nope, just wanted you to think of me at least once during your vacation."

Last weekend at a poker game, a good friend slid a new magnet across the table to me. I didn't even know he went away. Even cooler, he bought a car at one of our stores the following day.

What are you doing to stand out and be memorable? Would love to hear other variations of your refrigerator magnet.

I love when Google shakes things up the moment you feel comfy with a new concept or strategy.

Google just launched their new +1 service which makes search results "sharable" with your Google Chat network. You're already familiar with Facebook's Like feature and Twitter's Tweet button on thrid party sites. Now, get ready to have the ability to share search results. Very interesting.

Here's an example of how +1 will appear next to the results:

Keep your eye on this - an interesting development as search and social activities take another step closer in building their connections with each other.

I love when Google shakes things up the moment you feel comfy with a new concept or strategy.

Google just launched their new +1 service which makes search results "sharable" with your Google Chat network. You're already familiar with Facebook's Like feature and Twitter's Tweet button on thrid party sites. Now, get ready to have the ability to share search results. Very interesting.

Here's an example of how +1 will appear next to the results:

Keep your eye on this - an interesting development as search and social activities take another step closer in building their connections with each other.

Click image for full size.