In March, Google announced Google Voice, a new addition to the company’s toolbox of technology crafted to improve and simplify the way we manage our phone calls, texts and voicemail.  The concept stems from GrandCentral, bought by Google a few years ago.

The tool enables users to use a single number for all incoming home, work or mobile calls simultaneously.  Did I mention this service is FREE?  Now that I have your attention, while the technology does not seem as impressive as some new media tools, it is most definitely a needed convenience in the busy lives of many.  In addition, those already using the service are grateful, with more time freed up from organizing and synchronizing work and personal connections and scheduling.  Let’s point out the obvious-you could essentially never miss a call.

Initially, the new service was only available to existing GrandCentral clients.  Now, those who email Google to request the service will get back an invite via email for it.  Customers are able to select their own number, and begin controlling their phones…all of them. 

While the innovative service remains free of charge at the moment, it should be interesting to see how the tool affects Google’s mobile strategy in time.  Relayed by Deep Blue Ineractive, your Fort Lauderdale web design and interactive marketing team.

It hardly seems possible that Twitter has already chirped its way to the third-largest online social networking service, riding the draft winds of Facebook and Myspace, according to Compete.   The majority of Tweeters initially signed up for the service in 2008, thus giving Twitter an impressive online traffic increase of almost 1000 percent in its first year. I assume a thank-you Oprah is in order…along with other high profile and celebrity tweetsters.

More recently, there has been increasing chatter in the cyber-sphere about Twitter attracting a growing number of users, possibly positioning it to potentially …compete with Google?  Surely, that is impossible?  Well, Twitter does already feature a search function, search.twitter, and some feel that could allow the social networking sensation to compete with larger search engines someday, if it strengthened its search capabilities.

And to thicken the plot, recently announced new features of Twitter include a…more powerful search function.  This will obviously be fascinating to…follow!  Sorry, couldn’t resist myself.  Relayed by Deep Blue Interactive, Fort Lauderdale web design and interactive marketing firm.

Yelp is a website with the slogan, “Real People. Real Reviews”.  Users of Yelp are free to post reviews of local businesses such as restaurants, nightclubs and more, a useful resource developed with the customer in mind-think TripAdvisor.

In a surprising move, Yelp is scheduled to begin allowing small business owners to publicly respond to posted reviews next week.  Previously, the site stringently adhered to its preference to limit business access to the pages.

Yelp is attempting to appease both sides, which is a delicate balance.  On the trapeze that is marketing, it is important to alleviate skepticism in favor of neutrality.  While the voices of businesses were previously muted, it has become an issue that both sides were not being heard.  For the most part businesses appreciate reviews and can gain from them a chance to improve and grow. Competition can lead some businesses to behave poorly and post negative reviews of their competitors, a practice that Yelp frowns on.

Users are not supposed to use the comment section to make attacks on competitors or to advertise, and while Yelp does not screen comments prior to publish, users are able to flag inappropriate material and comments for review by the customer service team.  Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale web design and SEO firm.

A common mistake made on websites today is linking to other websites when it is not necessary.  The attention span of potential clients who are surfing the web is mere seconds, and once you have them on your site, why would you open a door for them to exit and likely not return? 

It is uncommon for internet surfers to surf backwards, or revisit sites they have already been to.  It is for that very reason that interactive marketing and web development companies advise against linking away from your own website.  Enter Apture.

This is one of those, “why didn’t I think of that?” features.  Recently enabled on select New York Times blogs, Apture is a new blog feature that keeps visitors on your site, instead of sending them away.  The feature allows readers to dig deeper into the subject matter without leaving the page.  The New York Times has enabled Apture on Dot Earth, Economix and Diner’s Journal.

Apture integrates reference guides, images, video, maps, music, documents, presentations and more from over 25 sources.  Where the visitor sees a hyperlink with a small icon next to it, they are able to click and instantly access more information.  The extra information appears in a smaller box, on the same page that users can close when they are through skimming the contents.  Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale SEO web design and interactive marketing solution.

Behavioral targeted advertising has begun-and as most issues that revolve around privacy tend to be, it is generating controversy.  Those in favor recognize the value of the ability to reach your target audience without the need to funnel funds into an abyss hoping for a bite and those opposed cite privacy violations.

Behavioral targeting technologies work by anonymously monitoring and tracking content viewed and websites visited by a specified unique user or IP. This is accomplished by serving tracking codes, which are implemented as cookies, on a user’s computer as they are served ads from various online advertising networks.

Websites visited, content viewed, and length of visit are then databased and analyzed to predict an online behavioral pattern, creating an online demographic for that user. Behavioral targeted ad networks then serve targeted advertising relevant to that user’s behavioral classification, regardless of where they then visit.  This gives marketers a clear advantage, taking marketing to a new and interactive level.

Delving further into the subject, while it is of course important to allow users the opportunity to opt out of participating, it is equally important to analyze the benefits derived from those who opt to participate in behavioral targeted advertising.  Behavioral targeted advertising benefits the participant as well as the marketer.  An example would be a participant looking for a new car would receive ads related to that search.  Brought to you by Deep Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale SEO marketing and web design firm.