At Agency Fusion we’ve been thinking and talking a lot lately about creating multi-lingual websites. I think you’d agree the world is quickly getting smaller as communication and e-commerce technologies make it possible for even tiny companies to have customers scattered across the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

Google Earth is now featuring small text-based ads within the Google Earth interface. This is another excellent example of contextual advertising, or showing ads that are directly relevant to what a potential customer is doing at a given moment.

For example I zoomed into Salt Lake City, UT and clicked the “Grocery Stores” layer on the left side of the Google Earth screen. I then clicked on the “Safeway Food & Drug” icon on the map, which popped up information about the store as well as an ad for $5 off online shopping and delivery from Safeway.

View the Google Earth home page

Read more about Google’s advertising in Google Earth

P.S. I clicked the Safeway ad (I’m a fan of Albertson’s online grocery ordering and delivery service) and discovered that Safeway doesn’t actual deliver in Utah so although Google’s idea is great, they obviously have a little bit of work to do before this is perfect!

The “A List Apart” website has a new article which suggests that writing is an important skill for effective design. I’m not a designer so I can’t say this is true with any authority, but I do believe that effective-writing skills are a bonus to just about any profession…even programming.

The author makes his point quite strongly when he writes, “It’s time we designers stop thinking of ourselves as merely pixel people, and start thinking of ourselves as the creators of experiences. And when it comes to experience on the web, there’s no better way to create it than to write, and write well.”

What do you think? Is it the designer’s job to worry about the words?

Read the full article here.

Although I’ve been hearing about and occasionally seeing references to a concept called “The Long Tail,” I hadn’t given it much attention until a friend brought it up recently. If you’re in the business of helping your clients promote their products or services I think The Long Tail concept is worth understanding. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent survey of 56,000 blog readers reveals some important information for advertisers. Blogs tend to create small communities of loyal followers who all share similar traits, which is a potential gold mine for marketers looking to reach a narrow segment of the market. Read the rest of this entry »