Patricio Robles

Teens, media and why you shouldn't believe the hype

True or false: today's teens are prolific multitaskers and you're more likely to find them texting away and social networking than you are to find them watching television or listening to the radio.

Chances are that if you've been paying attention to the media and analysts, you're answering 'true'. Unfortunately you'd be wrong according to a new report issued by Nielsen called 'How Teens Use Media'.

by Patricio Robles 25 June 2009 10:15am 1 comment

Five reasons your inferior competitors are eating your lunch

You may know the feeling: you have a great product or service that puts the competition to shame. But the competition is winning far more business than you are. What gives?

As much as we'd like to believe that a superior product or service is the end all and be all of business success, it isn't. Sometimes the company that offers less wins more.

by Patricio Robles 26 June 2009 09:19am 13 comments

Google cozies up to agencies in AgencyLand

Google's relationship with agencies has always been a little bit tenuous. Sir Martin Sorrell, chief of WPP, once described Google as a "frenemy". He's not the only one who has clearly felt that Google was a necessary evil.

But perhaps the recession has made Google more humble, or the search giant is simply maturing. This week, it was announced that Google had launched a beta of AgencyLand, an online portal for select agencies.

by Patricio Robles 24 June 2009 17:36pm 2 comments

The 10 things you need to build a brand

There's a lot of talk about 'branding' these days. But not every company is a 'brand' in the modern sense of the word.

So what's required to turn your company into a brand? Here are 10 things that you should have.

by Patricio Robles 25 June 2009 13:29pm 0 comments

Don't Flippa off your customers

As a business owner, there's a time to listen to your customers. There's a time to respond to them. And on rare occasions, there's a time to tell them to take a hike.

Unfortunately, the majority of companies that tell their customers to get lost do so for the wrong reasons. Such is the case with SitePoint, which has upset many of the loyal users of its website marketplace, one of the most popular forums for buying and selling developed websites on the internet.

by Patricio Robles 24 June 2009 09:21am 12 comments

The limitations of linkbait

Linkbait. It's sort of like foie gras and champagne. Even if it's not your favorite meal, chances are most consumers won't turn it down.

But as a website owner, is linkbait the meal you should be preparing every day?

by Patricio Robles 24 June 2009 09:58am 1 comment

Q&A: Craig Newmark, Founder of craigslist

In 1995, Craig Newmark started an email distribution list for events in the San Francisco Bay Area. It moved to the web in 1996. Today, the non-profit company's classifieds community - craigslist, in case you hadn't guessed - is available in over 500 cities around the world.

We briefly caught up with Craig in advance of his appearance at next month's Traveling Geeks roundtables hosted by Econsultancy in London (other participants include Robert Scoble, Howard Rheingold and Susan Bratton). Here he answers a few questions on craigslist's history, Web 2.0 and dealing with customers.

by Patricio Robles 23 June 2009 17:47pm 1 comment

10 really cool Flash websites

In its illustrious history, Flash has gone from super cool to overused to sophisticatedly stylish.

Here are 10 stunning websites that demonstrate how Flash is being used effectively today.

by Patricio Robles 23 June 2009 09:12am 11 comments

Is augmented reality a mobile killer app?

Augmented reality (AR) could be the killer app mobile marketers have been looking for.

What is AR? Simple: the superimposing of computer-generated images or text on an image of the real world, as taken by the camera of a mobile phone.

by Patricio Robles 23 June 2009 09:48am 2 comments

Facebook's click fraud problem

Click fraud is a major issue when it comes to search marketing and big money is at stake.

The source of the most insidious click fraud: rogue third-party publishers who participate in PPC ad networks run by companies like Google and Yahoo and who use click fraud in an attempt to intentionally inflate their earnings.