Google search now works faster for everyone

Google.com has announced their new web indexing system named Caffeine.

Google said Caffeine provides a way faster web search then their last indexing system and it is displayed below in this image which is from the Google Blog showing how the new system works.

The way Google.com search works is through indexing information from the web.  Indexing is similar to an index at the back of a book we use this index to direct us to specific information in the book we are trying to find.

So what does this latest update mean? It means the latest information on the web will be indexed at a faster rate than ever before by Google.com.

This is good news for article websites and blog owners who will see their content indexed faster than it has been previously once they have published it on the web. At the end of the day for the everyday user this means more timely up to date information on what is happening right now.

Here is a really interesting video by Matt Cutts an engineer from Google.com

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs]

This video can also be watched on Youtube.com by clicking here

Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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Congratulations! Maintain to Profit Finalist at Enterprise North Shore Awards

We would like to congratulate Maintain to Profit who has been selected as a Finalist for the 2010 Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards in the Benefitz Best New Startup category.

Mark and Sharon Trafford and their team run a maintenance and renovations business. They have developed a team of dedicated and trust worthy trades people over a number of years. Sharon and Mark have been successfully maintaining and renovating all types of properties for over 20 years.

Nigel Fowler Marketing Chef from SetandForgetMarketing.com will be there on behalf of SetandForgetMarketing.com supporting Maintain to Profit and their team as they set out for the prize on the night.

If you are looking for a good evening of networking, entertainment and food come to the Enterprise North Shore Awards Gala Dinner on 3rd September 2010.  Let’s go party with Winners!

We will blog post the winners when they are announced on the night.

Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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Easy online software that minute takers and meeting organisers will love.

If you are in weekly meetings and would like to use software that can help you with your meeting Agenda and Minutes then have a look at this latest GoogleApplication.

For those personal assistants and minute takers out there you will love this one. The software is MeetingMix and I have been testing it for the past few weeks.

Meeting Mix allows you to prepare your meeting agenda and send it to those attendees before the meeting to suggest changes. It has a meeting function which allows for minute taking during the meeting which is nice. Then after the meeting you can use the email minutes function to send the minutes to your attendees at a click of a button. Along with other bells and whistles such as recurring meetings like a calendar system it is a simple meeting tool.

MeetingMix was released as part of a Google Applications launch. So if you set up your domain name to use Google Applications you can secure yourself a free lifetime license to use this application before August 15 2010 through Google Applications.

This application is a standalone service also and I see they have followed a subscription based model which makes it easily accessible for people to try out. Go SaaS (Software as as Service).

I have included the link for the GoogleApplication Marketplace
Or jump straight onto the MeetingMix site.

Review Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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“Art as a Business – 12 Tips for Creative & Professional Success”

I read this on Sofia Minson’s Blog so thought it would be an interesting blog post for those artist making a business out of Art.

Sofia Minson has put together this 12 page pdf containing 12 tips in basic note form to help other up-and-coming artists benefit from her six years of experience and learning on the job as an artist and business owner.

Download “Art as a Business – 12 Tips for Creative & Professional Success”

Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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Can Twitter.com help you increase sales?

The question that is often asked is how can tweeting help you with building relationships and sales in business?Here is a Prime example @UrgentCouriers sales rep Catherine George is building relationships online with decision makers and making sales by networking online.

Watch this video of Catherine who got an interview on a New Zealand nationwide TV show called Campbell Live on the 22 June 2010 which all came about from you guest it… Twitter.com.

Watch the Video Here

Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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Art meets autism to raise funds for “mircale” programme centre

Renowned Kiwi artist Sofia Minson has collaborated with a group of autistic children to create an art exhibition like no other.

Sofia Minson painted one on one with autistic children over a two-month period because she was inspired to assist the TAO Charitable Trust in fundraising to build The Cocoon, New Zealand’s first centre for autism.  On Thursday 3rd June at the Stamford Plaza Hotel there will be a charity cocktail evening entitled Without Boundaries – Art for Autism, where 12 collaborative acrylic paintings created by Sofia and the children will be auctioned.

A significant proportion of the 40,000 New Zealanders with autistm are children and Sofia says she has “experienced firsthand just how special these kids are.  They deserve to get the best possible assistance to realise their potential.”

TAO Trust founder Jocelyn Oades says “The Cocoon, designed by architect Michael Sin of BJA Architects, incorporates eco-aware design specifically with the spectrum of autism in mind”.

Tickets are $75 per head. Come along to the cocktail evening with your family and friends.   Thursday 3rd June 2010, 7:00pm at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, Auckland.

The night will be a lot of fun with beverages, canapes, and raffles that include a Romance and Seduction Accommodation Package valued over $425.  A selection of Sofia’s portrait and landscape oil paintings will be displayed on the night and she has generously donated a piece of her own artwork to be auctioned-off to one lucky bidder. Click here to view paintings.

Get your tickets now – email taotrustnz@gmail.com or
phone Chanel on 021 187 1096.

Click here to download the invite.

Twtvite: http://twtvite.com/nzartforautism

Google Calendar Invite:

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Winner of the Business Club Prize Draw: Thursday 13 May 2010 at Auckland Chamber Event

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4T2T4TsVng&feature=PlayList&p=4C2E833072E3FBCB&playnext_from=PL&index=4]

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Supporting Leukaemia and Blood Foundation NZ: The Great Shave Tweet Up

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A Mothers loving gift for her son. Now that is cool.

I saw these cool pictures of a bedroom mural online so I did some investigation.

Isn’t this the coolest gift for a child?

A mother painted this mural for her new born son’s room to welcome him into this world. I have found more details about the work below. If you enjoy art check out the images below also. Emma Malota – Graphic Designer and Painter Emma Malota is a graphic designer and painter of Swedish, Irish and Maori descent living in East Auckland.  On maternity leave from her Art Director role at Saatchi and Saatchi, she has painted a mural in her son’s room depicting sea creatures swimming in an ocean current.  The large scale wall painting makes for a nice departure from her usual computer design work.  As an artist she uses opaque black water-based paint concentrating on quality of line and patterning.

If you like it please feel free to leave comments. A neat Internet find from Marketing Chef

Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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Email marketing software drives repeat purchases for business.

“Today during a browse on the internet.  I stumbled upon an article about how Email Marketing software can help to drive repeat business.”

Any business owner will always tell you that it is far easier to keep an existing customer than to acquire a brand new one. Often times a business will go to great lengths in an effort to ensure existing customers have a pleasant and positive experience, both so they come back for future purchases and so they will promote the service and/or product through word-of-mouth. Many company’s are now taking advantage of the power of email marketing software as a key element in their marketing mix. Using email marketing software makes it a little easier to encourage past customers to come back for yet another purchase.

Email marketing makes it very cost effective to send out targeted direct email campaigns to all (or some) of your past customers. In addition, with the right email marketing program, this can all be accomplished within a matter of minutes, with no huge time sink or hidden costs. Whether an organization chooses to keep in touch with customers using their email marketing software by creating a monthly (or bi-weekly or bi-monthly) newsletter, or simply by sending out special promotions, there are a wide variety of tactics to choose from.

Part of the reason email marketing is so effective is because it keeps your business’s brand in front of the consumer at highly frequent intervals. If your customer “John” makes a purchase from an online store and then never hears from that store again, chances are “John” will forget the name of that online store, or forget to recommend it to his friend who is looking to make a similar purchase. The longer “John” or any past customer goes without seeing your business’s brand, the higher the chances that customer will simply forget about your company altogether.

By using email marketing software, businesses can keep in touch with “John” and other customers very easily. Even a simple monthly newsletter with some fresh unique content can keep the business at the forefront of customers’ memories. Encouraging repeat purchases and brand loyalty works best with email marketing software when the business provides valuable insightful content the customer will want to consume. For instance, the golf merchandise store that sends out a monthly newsletter with a couple of tips to improve your golf game has extraordinary readership. Lots of past customers look forward to and read each and every issue of the newsletter. Of course, the business carefully inserts special promotions or featured items into the newsletter, which most email marketing solutions allow for easily, thus prompting the customer to buy more. And, rest assured, they do!

Sending out special discounts or offers to past customers using email marketing solutions is also a great way to generate a sales spike. Since the business already has a relationship with the customer, it can make them feel just a tiny bit more special by sending them exclusive offers. When past customers receive an email marketing campaign offering them free shipping or a certain percentage discount or any other type of promotion because they have been a loyal customer in the past, they are highly encouraged to keep on making purchases so as to not lose ’special’ status. A little bit of strategic promotional planning and execution coupled with effective email marketing software can get your past customers coming back and eagerly taking advantage of your special offers.

Email marketing is rapidly becoming a pillar of the small businesses marketing mix. With the right email marketing software in the hands of a creative business owner, anything is possible. One thing is for sure: by staying in contact with your past customers, you greatly increase the likelihood of them coming back for more and, at the end of the day, that is exactly what you’re striving for.

Check out my helpful services section of the Nigel Fowler Blog http://nigelfowler.wordpress.com/services/

Reference: Found this article by tricks9info http://tricks9.info/

Posted by Nigel Fowler | @nigelfowlernz

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