Chances are you don't spend much time thinking about your web browser. It's just there -- the tool you use to check your email, read the news and run your company.
Google is trying to change that. On Tuesday they launched a new web browser called Chrome. It plays the same role as Internet Explorer and Firefox, but it plays the role very differently.
How? Dan Abdinoor and other HubSpot developers have been using Chrome since it launched on Tuesday. They answered that question with a list of five features that set Chrome apart:
(1) Terrific Tabs -- Drag any tab off the bar to launch it in a new window. Drag and drop tabs between separate Chrome windows. External links open in a new tab directly to the right of the tab you're viewing instead of the right-most tab. Create an application shortcut from any tab, you'll get a shortcut icon and a clutter-free window each time you launch it. If a web page malfunctions it only crashes the tab, not the whole browser.
(2) Outstanding Omnibox (Address Bar) -- Use the Omnibox to go directly to a URL, or use it to guess the page you're looking for -- Google site suggest is built right in. If you want to search Google, just type a question mark before your keyword. Need to access a bookmark but don't want to dig through your folders? Just type a few characters of the bookmark name or URL, look for the star next to the page title that indicates a bookmark.
(3) Bookmarks Be Gone -- Keep your bookmarks out of sight. Unless you import them from another browser, Chrome will remove the bookmark bar. Just open a new blank tab and you'll see the bookmark bar at the top, on the right there's a list of recent bookmarks. You can also type part of a bookmark name or URL into the Omnibox to fetch it. To bookmark a page, click the star icon next to the Omnibox.
(4) Helpful History -- Open a new tab and you'll see tiles of your most visited websites. Click the full history link on the bottom to see your browsing by time and date. There's even a search box to find a site by any part of the name or URL.
(5) Useful Utilities -- Digging into the guts of a web application is not fun, but sometimes it is necessary and Chrome offers a whole suite of utilities. There's task manager that shows you what tabs are running and the resources consumed. Use Chrome's inspector tool to see page structure, javascript performance and make CSS changes on-the-fly. You can also launch a separate javascript debugger console for each tab. Even the ubiquitous "view source" feature is taken a step further by color coding markup and making URLs into links.
Chrome is a great new tool that will make you more productive. By itself it won't change your business, but it's part of a series of changes having a huge impact on your business. Just like Tivo, the iPod or caller id, Chrome makes it easier to find the content you want, and avoid annoying interruptions.
As a marketer, that means you need to do even more work to create great content and attract an audience.
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Do you put photos in your blog posts?
You should. It's one of the simplest ways to increase engagement and interest in your posts.
I learned this only recently from one of HubSpot's founders, Dharmesh Shah. I used to think that only the words in my posts mattered. I work hard to say exactly what I mean, so why bother with a photo? I made my point in the article, so a photo is superfluous and means extra work.
Plus, I thought, it would be a lot of work to find a photo that had matched all the nuanced points I made in the post itself. Better to just forget about a photo then to spend hours trying to find the perfect one, right?
Wrong, and wronger.
Here's why:
(1) You Don't Need a Perfect Photo to Improve Your Post -- The photos you add to your posts don't need to be museum-quality artifacts that are as deep and thoughtful as your actual posts. They just need to be visually interesting and relevant. Any halfway decent photo will add a positive new dimension to your article. This makes the piece richer, more accessible to your readers, and more likely to be distributed across the web.
(2) It Takes Minutes, Not Hours to Find a Good Photo -- My favorite place to find photos for HubSpot posts is Flickr. Lots of photographers post photos with creative commons licenses that allow bloggers to republish their photos as long you give credit. Just go to Flickr's advanced search, and make sure the "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content" box at the bottom of the page is checked.
Very Important: Make sure you don't forget to include the credit and link back to the photographer's page on flick. The photographer deserves credit for their work, and you'll end up with a lot of angry comments on your blog if you forget to give it to them.
If you're not convinced, think about how you react to photos. I know I gravitate to images. They attract my eye, and draw me into the content around them. Why not aim for that dynamic on every one of your blog posts?
What do you think about adding photos to your blog posts? Any advice? Do you know of good places to find photos, other than Flickr?
Photo by Auzigog.
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[This article was written by guest contributor Kate Morris of www.longhornkate.com.]
When MTV went on air in 1981, the first video it played was "Video Killed the Radio Star." That marked the beginning of a revolution in television and music for an entire generation.
Today there's a new revolution happening: YouTube is killing the MTV star. MTV and cable television is steadily being replaced by online videos produced independently by high school kids in their bedrooms, software executives with senses of humor and millions of others.
As a consumer, you no longer need to wait on your couch to see what the vee-jay plays next. Videos like this one mocking the Backstreet Boys spread across the web like wildfire.
Anybody with a video camera has a chance to get the world's attention. The power is no longer in the hands of production companies and professional artists. People have a real say in what is shown, what is popular, and what's just plain bad.
All this creates a huge opportunity for you as an individual and as a marketer. With quality videos, you can reach a broad audience, and become part of the independent production movement replacing MTV.
So how do you produce quality videos that spread? Here are my top five tips:
1. Be Memorable -- Video marketing is a powerful tool that can take your business to the next level, but also runs the risk of getting buried with everyone else's videos. You need to make sure that you stand out in the crowd and reach who you need to talk to. (Example: Will It Blend)
2. Stay Relevant
Making a wildly popular video that has nothing to do with your business or doesn't talk to your customer will create traffic on your site, but no business. That is ultimately what you DON'T want (in most cases). (Example: PlumberSurplus Viral Campaign)
3. Make Your Point
Why make something if it's not going to benefit your company in some way? Make sure people know that you are behind the awesome videos you create and give them a way to find you.
4. Don't Be Pushy
While you need to make your point, you can't "sell" people too hard. Make your video something fun, something people will want to see and share. Let it sell your services for you.
5. Make it Known
Just as if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, you can't hide your video on your site and tell no one. Put it on YouTube, tell friends, send out an email, use other mediums to announce it. Buzz is king, and to get buzz about your video going, you have to start it yourself.
If you have the right product or idea, the traffic and buzz will come to you. The key is to stay on top of trends and reach people where they are. Let them have the power and be rewarded in return.
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This morning, as most of us clear out email built up over the long weekend, folks along the Gulf Coast have far more difficult clearing out to do. Yesterday Hurricane Gustav spun across Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, forcing thousand to evacuate and threatening large-scale flooding.
The storm also provided some great examples of the power of social media.
Dozens of Facebook groups appeared to coordinate recovery, a wiki was created to centralize links, a Gustav-related social network was set up on Ning.com and Twitter accounts were created to broadcast hurricane-related government alerts and more.
By far the most important outcome of all these projects is that it's easier for people to find out what's going on, and help out. (Encouraged by what I read on all these sites, I gave money at redcross.org. You can do the same here.)
In addition to facilitating action, the social media response to Gustav illustrates four important lessons for companies trying to figure out how to use social media:
(1) React Quickly to Events -- All the web sites and services I linked to above were created over Labor Day weekend. They didn't require months of planning -- just leadership and initiative to get going. You should take a similar approach with your business. Word spreads quickly on the web, so when people are talking about events in your community, you need to join the conversation in a hurry.
(2) Use the Tools at Your Disposal - The tools I linked to above don't have beautiful design, flawless user-interface and robust functionality, but that's OK. They're general-purpose tools that were able to be adapted on the fly. They're far better than nothing. Make similar compromises with your business. If you get hung up designing the perfect tools for the job, you'll either miss your window for success, or never get the job done in the first place.
(3) Experiment -- Some of the projects above worked and some of them didn't. That's perfectly OK, because they were all experiments, and all provided lessons. Nobody knew what was going to work beforehand, so it was important to try lots of things. You should approach your business' social media projects the same way. You don't know what will work, so don't be afraid to experiment.
(4) Do Well by Doing Good -- None of the projects I linked to above had any specific payoff for the people behind them. They were started out of a desire to be a part of the conversation and to help. Do the same thing with your business web site. Give away free information and tools. Offer resources to charities and non-profits. This is not only the right thing to do, but it will earn you respect, an important currency on the web.
What do you think about the social media reaction to Gustav? I'm sure I missed projects. Which others do you think provide important lessons?
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The Proust Questionnaire shines its light on David Skok today. David is a successful entrepreneur who founded Silverstream which went public and Watermark which was acquired by IBM. For the last five years, he has been a partner at Matrix where he has had a remarkable track record investing in great companies like JBoss (acq by RedHat), AppIQ (acq by HP), Tabblo (acq by HP), Diligent Technologies (acq by IBM), HubSpot, and others.
Device you would never give up?
Blackberry.
I also love my TiVo, AppleTV, iPhone, and my Canon DSLR. But the
Blackberry is the one that I can’t live without.
Your Favorite Software Application?
Adobe
Lightroom for processing my RAW images from Canon DSLR. Closely followed by
Final Cut Studio for video editing.
Blog you read most frequently?
TechCrunch.
Great for tracking interesting new Internet businesses.
Social Media Tool you actually use?
LinkedIn. It has finally hit the stage where it has critical mass, and
has now become a great tool for recruiting.
Favorite Business Book(s)?
Crossing
the Chasm. I am still amazed by how relevant this is today.
Favorite Newspaper(s)?
New
York Times
Person that inspires you?
Nelson Mandela. Amazing to me how he was able to come out of
jail after 27 years, and still be able to embrace his vision for a multi-racial
society. A wonderful human being, and a great leader.
Who Was Your Best Manager? Why?
Unfortunately,
since I started my first company right after leaving college, I have
never really had a boss.
Your first "real" job?
Worked in my father’s machine tool company for about six
months after leaving college, and then used that experience to found my own
startup.
Where Do You Do Your Best Thinking?
In
a comfortable seat on an airplane, as there are no interruptions and I
can’t make any more phone calls.
What Do You Most Value In Employees/Colleagues?
The
right cultural fit: smart, low-ego, collaborative, high-integrity - (sorry I
used this as a way to describe several attributes as only one would not have
sufficed).
What I'd like To Be The World's Best At?
Venture investing.
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