Ryan Sommer
A Silicon Valley native and PR professional with a tech writing background, specialized in consumer web launches, product review programs, social media momentum initiatives, and blog relations in U.S. and European markets.
Being at the forefront of social media PR, I understand SEO's "white hat" relationship with it very strongly, and I am well versed with new tracking and reporting methods that come along with it.
In 2010 I relocated to the UK in order to work as part of global marketing team for a consumer web product, and I have worked in London ever since through freelance consulting to the burgeoning startup scene and with the digital marketing intelligence community Econsultancy.
Specialties: Branding, identity, community building, community relations, market research, social media relations, user acquisition, web browsers, mobile, desktop software, social networking, web standards, open source, identity/OpenID, design, music, gadgets, blogging, SEO, content marketing
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The importance of real-time data in business decision making is becoming more important for organizations of all sizes.
Our recent Best Practices in Data Management Guide by Chris O'Hara includes techniques for getting unique, actionable audience insights, however it is intended mainly for large business and Enterprise.
A new startup, Geckoboard, aims to bring real-time data intelligence to the lean business camp.
We interviewed the founder Paul Joyce for more info.
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by Ryan Sommer
14 February 2013 17:17pm
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Entries for The Digitals, our new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce, are currently open.
To celebrate their launch and build a better understanding of what it is all about, we've invited several of the esteemed judges for a Q&A.
Matthew Timms, Director, RBS acquisition at Santander UK, is the second in the series.
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by Ryan Sommer
13 February 2013 13:11pm
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2013 may be the year that digital goes mainstream in business, and with that has come a multitude of predictions on key themes and trends.
Russ Lidstone joined Havas Worldwide in 2006 and became CEO in 2009. Since then he has overseen development of the agency's digital, search, social media (Cupola Lab) and channel capabilities, as well as integrate PR into the heart of the business.
Here Lidstone discusses data-driven marketing and great brands disseminated effectively across offline and digital channels.
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by Ryan Sommer
11 February 2013 13:07pm
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Social commenting is hot, to the tune of $15m as evidenced by the latest funding round from LiveFyre, a dominant player in the space. This brings the startup’s total funding to $21m.
What exactly do the platforms LiveFyre and their competitor Disqus bring to your website or blog? Is one better than the other in any given area? Should comments even be “real-time” and “social?”
I did a bit of my own investigating, and these results are by no means scientific or conclusive.
I'd love to hear member thoughts (yes use our web 1.0 commenting system) if anyone out there has been using one or the other on their website for extended time and has feedback to share!
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by Ryan Sommer
08 February 2013 14:46pm
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Entries for The Digitals, our new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce, are currently open.
To celebrate their launch and build a better understanding of what it is all about, we've invited several of the esteemed judges for a Q&A.
Nicolas Roope, Executive Creative Director at Poke, is the first in the series.
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by Ryan Sommer
07 February 2013 14:53pm
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As always, we are excited to see and hear about all the creative and stellar work that has been going on in digital marketing and ecommerce.
On 27 June, Econsultancy and new media age are awarding the best of the best in digital and hosting an unrivalled networking event in London to celebrate.
To find out if you’re the best of the best, first you'll have to enter The Digitals.
We’ve put together a few pointers to help kick start your entries...
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by Ryan Sommer
28 January 2013 14:50pm
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The role of a community manager is one that is becoming more strategic by the day in over all digital strategy.
While different brands may have different needs and approach, the impact and benefits of opening up discourse with your community/customers is such that everyone benefits, and hence the community manager is in high demand around the world.
Since today is Community Manager Appreciation Day (#CMAD) we are releasing the fourth and final installment in our series by JD Waldow on Online Communities, as well as getting some insights into the profession and the holiday created to celebrate it from none other than the day's creator, Jeremiah Owyang.
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by Ryan Sommer
28 January 2013 15:07pm
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Yesterday Twitter's CEO Dick Costolo tweeted a six second video clip of himself making steak to his 1M+ followers.
This is a big deal to many because it was using the tech behind Vine, a video sharing startup acquired by Twitter.
It should be a big deal to content marketers everywhere because it's a glimpse into the future.
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by Ryan Sommer
24 January 2013 14:54pm
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We've covered Facebook's Search Graph extensively, from early predictions to insights into what it means for marketers.
In this post, we asked paid search experts for a view on what they would like to see as a paid search tool on Facebook Open Graph (integrating Bing) and why.
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by Ryan Sommer
23 January 2013 10:21am
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Good design is the cornerstone of web interaction and most of today's designers also understand a great deal when it comes to digital marketing.
On the heels of Econsultancy and Creative Review's recent training course announcement, we caught up with CR's Editor Patrick Burgoyne on what makes a great designer.
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by Ryan Sommer
22 January 2013 10:34am
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