A-to-Z Internet Marketing News: Google Redesign, Cyber Monday, Speed Linking, Self Serve Twitter Ads, Damn Humans

[Note: If you click on the "more" tab in the presentation above and select "autoplay" it will eliminate the need for clicking through the entire presentation]

As I’m sure you’ve noticed we’re trying something a small uncommon this week.  Lee tasked me with making a weekly news round up to share on the TopRank Blog.  Who doesn’t like news?  I thought this would be a excellent opportunity to share with our readers some information that has been released this week that we reckon is remarkable.   I also convinced Lee to let me try something a small uncommon which is why there is a Prezi presentation which provides highlights of the overviews and links to articles listed below.   I’m curious to know what you reckon of both the means of communicating the news as well as the articles themselves.  Pleased reading (and watching).

Belly up to the New Google Bar:
“The Next Stage In Our Restore”  Over the past six months Google has been working on transitioning the look and feel for a bunch of their products.  Google has now announced the next stage of their design which includes a new Google bar that will enable users to navigate quickly between services and sharing on Google+.  This article also includes a sneak peak of what the changes will look like.  Via the official Google Blog

All the Fun of Shopping Without the Pepper Spray:
“Cyber Monday Spending Hits $1.25 Billion to Rank as Heaviest U.S. Online Spending Day in History” The 2011 holiday season has already generated over $15 Billion dollars in online sales.  Cyber Monday alone reached an estimated $1.25 in online spending which is 22% increase from 2010.  This marks the second day on record that online sales have surpassed the billion-dollar threshold.  This report provides a wealth of information on online spending for 2010 and 2011.  Via comScore.

Quick Link Tools Are Excellent To Find:
“18 Tools to Speed Up Link Building”   Anyone who has done link building knows that it can become a very time consuming task.  SEO Consultant Justin Briggs has compiled a list of tools that if used correctly can speed up this droning task.  Via Justin Briggs Blog.

Excellent Ads Come to Those Who Wait:
“Twitter Tests Self-Give Ad Platform – Finally” A group of select marketers are now able to test Twitters long awaited Self-Give ad platform.  The launch of Twitters initial platform in 2010 was a waiting game and left many marketers wanting more.  The process involved huge out an online form an waiting to hear back from Twitter’s sales team.  With ad revenue estimated to reach $400 Million in 2013 it’s a excellent business Twitter is making a platform to increase usability.  Via ClickZ.

Damn Humans:
“Largest Digital Transformation Hurdle: People, Not Tech”   A recent report by the MIT Center for Digital Business and GapGemini Consulting found that people not technology is the largest hurdle to making the transition to digital.  The study focused on analytics, social media, mobile, and embedded devices.  Of all of the executives who were surveyed for this study not one of them felt that their innovation culture was as strong as it could be.  Via InformationWeek.  

What were some of your favorite news tales this week? What do you reckon of this format? News is new to TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog, so we’d like your feedback.