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TopRank Online Marketing and the Direct Marketing Association have just announced a partnership to develop and deliver a series of educational workshops on social media marketing entitled, “Social Media Smarts: Introduction to the Social Web, Tools and Tactics.”

With marketers facing tighter budgets in the coming months, social media marketing offers new opportunities for companies to engage customers, improve brand awareness and increase sales with budgets that are more recession friendly than many traditional marketing efforts.

Leading the workshop will be Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, who will introduce participants to the marketing opportunities with social media through best and worst practices examples. As you can see from the photo in this post, I’m much taller than Lee.

But, according to George Markham Director, Education Services at Direct Marketing Association, “Lee is a well rounded digital marketer uniquely qualified with over ten years experience as an internet marketing consultant and a background in corporate training.” Markham adds, “As a consultant working on the front lines of social media marketing for companies large and small, Lee brings first-hand knowledge and real-world examples to teach attendees how to develop a successful social media strategy.”

But I’m still taller.

The Social Media Smarts workshop will provide attendees with insight into blogging and blog marketing, social networks, microblogging, social news and bookmarking, video sharing, image and audio sharing, wikis and social media analytics.

Rounding out the workshop is a social media strategy exercise that will empower attendees to create their own social media strategy and develop a framework for building a business case within their organizations.

Lee is quoted in a press release as saying, “As a high demand digital marketing and PR agency, we’re seeing tremendous benefits from educating in-house marketing staff on the finer points of social media marketing.” He adds, “Offering both good and bad social media marketing examples along with strategy, tools, tactics and analytics can really empower companies to succeed.”

Now, I’ve served on panels with Lee. I know Lee. And that’s exactly the way Lee talks.

The first of the Social Media Smarts workshop series will be conducted in New York, December 4th and 5th, at the Microtek training facility in lower Manhattan. If you are in the nieghborhood, drop by and heckle Lee.

And remember: I’m taller. Actually, I was standing on my toes for this photo. Lee’s actually pretty tall, too.

I spoke at PubCon last week — about How SMBs Can Use PR Campaigns To Grow Traffic and Alternative Discovery and SEO - Feeds, PDFs, and Blog SEO.

But, enough about me. Let’s talk about the top trends spotted at last week’s search engine and Internet marketing conference and expo in Vegas, baby!

For the record, I not only spoke at PubCon, I also looked at the 88 articles about it in Google News, the 77 articles in Yahoo! News, the 406 posts in Google Blog Search from the past month, and the 799 posts that IceRocket has found from the past month.

Then, I used a new tool called Twist, which lets you see trends in Twitter, to chart the hundreds of Tweets about PubCon over the past 30 days.

But, I could have just as easily looked at the session agenda grid for PubCon. Why? Because Brett Tabke, PubCon’s organizer, had set most of the agenda for 2009 when he selected the keynote speakers and creating the conference tracks. That’s why.

So, it was dead easy to spot the top trends at the six-track educational conference hosted by SearchEngineWorld and WebmasterWorld. Heck, even the most sleep-deprived attendee would know they were video, blogs and Twitter.

Video is hot — and YouTube video is red hot. This was reflected in the choice of George Wright, the VP Marketing & Sales at Blendtec, as one of the keynote speakers.

Described as the “The best viral marketing campaign ever,” George’s viral marketing campaign, “Will it Blend?,” has changed the face and the future of online marketing. Seen by more than 100 million people on the Internet and reported on by traditional media outlets like the Today Show, the Tonight Show, and the History Channel, Will it Blend? continues to deliver unprecedented corporate awareness through social media channels. This new form of marketing has delivered a 700% increase in sales for Blendtec, a small Utah based blender manufacturer, with an initial investment of $50.

Oh, and in case you didn’t notice that video is hot, Brett added a Video and Multimedia track with five sessions to drive the point home.

Blogs were big, too. This was reflected in three tracks at PubCon: one on Social Media Marketing, another on Social, Brand, and Reputation Management, and a third on Linking as Social Media Networking.

Now, blogs certainly aren’t considered the “newbies” of the social media scene – “granddaddies” is probably a more appropriate name. But that gives them an advantage from a marketing perspective – the medium has matured and moved from early adopter phase to the mainstream. That means more consumers are not only reading blogs; they are being influenced by blog content when it comes to what they decide to buy and who they decide to buy it from.

If you want a second opinion, sign up for tomorrow’s free webinar: “Consumers and the Influence of Blogs: What it Means for Your Marketing Mix.” It starts at 2:00 P.M. EST/11:00 A.M. PST and will be moderated by Kevin Ryan, SES Advisory Board Chair and CEO of Motivity Marketing. It will feature Barry Parr, Analyst, JupiterResearch, and Rob Crumpler, President and CEO, BuzzLogic. They will be discussion a new BuzzLogic-sponsored research study conducted by JupiterResearch, entitled, “Harnessing the Power of Blogs.”

But, you could also see the power of blogs at virtually ever session at PubCon.

In fact, there were tables in the sessions so the dozens of bloggers who were live blogging the event could blog more comfortably. (I think this is a first: I’m not sure that I’ve ever put bloggers, blogging and blog in the same sentence before.)

And what about Twitter? No, none of the keynote speakers was from free social networking and micro-blogging service. And, no, there were no Twitter tracks. And I can’t even find Twitter mentioned in the title of any of the 85 sessions.

But, trust me, you couldn’t miss the Twitter trend if you’d hit every one of the special events — from the exhibitor cocktail reception sponsored by Bruce Clay and Apogee Search, to the SEOmoz WereWolf Event, to the WebmasterRadio Search Bash, sponsored by Microsoft Live Search.

For example, I was sitting in the session entitled, Five Bloggers and a Microphone - What’s The Worst That Can Happen? It was moderated by Ken Jurina, and the speakers included:
• Andy Beal, Internet Marketing Consultant, Marketing Pilgrim LLC,
• Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing,
• Michael McDonald, Managing Editor, iEntry Inc.,
• Barry Schwartz, President, RustyBrick, Inc.,
• Jane Copland, Search Marketing Consultant, SEOMoz.

When it came time for Q&A, one of the first questions came from a woman in the audience, who said, “I asked my circle of friends on Twitter what I should ask you, and I got eight questions. If I eliminate the seven that are inappropriate, here’s one that the panel can answer….”

That brought down the house.

Oh, PubCon also had lots of tracks and sessions on SEO, SEM and interactive site reviews. But they’ve had those for years. The new news is video, blogs and Twitter. These are the top trends that I spotted at this year’s PubCon.

Citysearch appears to be going for the jugular with its newly rebuilt site. While many sites add a little social here and a little mobile there, Citysearch is going for the three hottest trends all at once: Social, Local, Mobile.

“We rebuilt the Citysearch platform to give our users what they asked for — a new site that drills down to the hyper-local level with content for specific neighborhoods,” said Jay Herratti, CEO of Citysearch. “We also expanded our social and community tools by integrating Facebook Connect deeply into our site experience. Now users will be able to see their Facebook friends on Citysearch and share reviews and recommendations.”

This is a completely smart strategy as the economy gets tighter. Expect to see these trends grow even hotter despite the Wall Street-Capitol Hill drama.

I can see all sorts of possibilities. People are relocating or working in a different part of town. The ability to check out new local restaurants, entertainment venues, etc via their mobile and connect with people socially will be powerful.

Here’s what Citysearch is saying the new experience will be like:

– More local — Citysearch is expanding its local coverage from 140 local city guides to over 75,000 cities and neighborhoods nationwide. New geo- targeted search technology provides a truly local experience to users, allowing them to target businesses according to zip code. Citysearch also restores balance to local business coverage by providing content from three distinct voices: users, editors and merchants.

– More social — With Facebook Connect, users can log into Citysearch using their Facebook account, allowing them to discover new local businesses and share reviews with their friends online and providing a personal view of their neighborhood and favorite local spots. New social features also enable users to create profiles, more easily review businesses and infuse their opinions and unique local content into their social graph. Connectivity to more major social networks will follow in the coming months.

– More mobile — Mobile by Citysearch puts reviewing into the palm of the consumer’s hand. Key features include an interface tailored to each individual mobile device — optimizing content layout and keystrokes required to surface search results — on-the-go reviews, and mobile menus.

– More intuitive — The new interface offers a streamlined registration process, easy review writing interface, new search refinement and navigation tools. Other new features include a follow-along map with integrated content that moves as the user scrolls down the page, making it easier for users to see everything they need in one place.

What do you think of the update? Let us know in the comments.

Related Reading:
MapQuest Partners with Citysearch for Comprehensive Search Results
AOL to Distribute Citysearch Content, Ads

Earlier this year, Google launched a media measurement tool called Ad Planner, designed to assist media buyers in their purchasing decisions. The tool was available in limited release by invitation/application only.

Now, the tool is available to anyone with a Google account. There are also some new features for Ad Planner.

Define your audience by keywords and geography - You can use search terms and location to help determine your target audience

Site results management - Choose among three new ranking methods to display results from the sites you’re considering running your campaigns on. Select from niche sites, larger sites, or a balance of the two.

Interactive bubble chart - this feature helps offers a visual that helps you compare demographics, frequency, traffic, and unique visitors.

International demographic data - Check out audience data from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Related Reading:
Does Google Analytics Share Data with Google Trends and Ad Planner?

I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that election day is next Tuesday. Whether you’re observing or you’re breaking out the campaign gear for some hardcore get out the vote effors this weekend, here are some tools to help you keep up with the news and your efforts:

Google Earth

You can download a KML file that lets you search results from past elections, since 1980. The data is broken down and can show you how different regions of the country voted - even by county. I used to work as a political consultant, and let me tell you - this kind of data is heavily relied on. It’s a bit of a late release for campaigns, who already have this data. But it’s great for political junkies.

Google News

Trying to remember what a candidate said on an issue? Just type their name into Google News. If Google has indexed a quote by that person, it will appear on top of the search results in the one box.

Google Mobile

Want to know your precinct location? The Google Mobile team has created a special tool just for that purpose. Go to m.google.com/elections on your mobile phone, type in your address and you’ll be directed to your precinct.

The tool did not point me to early voting locations, which in my state are not the same as Election Day precinct locations.

As cool as that is, always verify with your local elections office. Google even helps you do that. They have a box where you enter your state’s abbreviation, and it will pull up relevant links to voting information.

Yahoo Elections Hub and Political Dashboard

Yahoo makes the most of its successful portal platforms with its Elections Hub and Political Dashboard. The dashboard is a super slick map showing the latest poll results. Hopefully they update it with real time results on election night. I can totally see myself keeping the dashboard open while watching results come in on the tv.

Microsoft Live Search xRank

xRank, Live Search’s buzz tool, has a politician section. It’s no surprise that the Rep and Dem presidential and vice presidential candidates take the top 4 spots today. The rest of the top 20 is filled with senate and gubernatorial races, with Hillary Clinton and George Bush thrown in for good measure.

MSN Election Live Q&A

Q&A is Live Search’s answer product, and over at the MSN Election Guide, you can find the Election Live Q&A. It’s pretty straightforward. You can ask and answer questions about the election in real time.

AOL Elections Toolbar

AOL has a toolbar for IE and Firefox that can keep you up to date with election news. If you like to surf the net while watching TV - this could be an ideal toolbar for you come Tuesday night.

Well, hopefully that’s enough to keep you busy and up to date.

Got any tools to share? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Related Reading:
Obama is Winning the Internet War
ChaCha Selected by Rock the Vote for Mobile Answers

Microsoft adCenter has released a slew of updates for the fall to aid you in your paid search campaigns. The updates include:

• Campaign Management: ability to pause and resume ads and keywords, geo-targeting enhancements, and improved performance reporting on the Ads page
• Editorial Improvements: faster reviews, dynamic feedback about why ads and keywords were disapproved, and inline notification when dynamic text causes your ads to exceed character limits
• User Management: if previously you were only able to have one user, now you can create multiple account users
• Content Ads (U.S. only): get keyword bid suggestions and performance estimates for your content ads

What do you think of the updates? Let us know in the comments.

Related Reading:
Microsoft adCenter Launches Learning Center
adCenter Introduces Dynamic Text Insertion
Microsoft adCenter Updates Credit Card Options

Microsoft announced its earnings for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2008. For them, it’s the first quarter of their fiscal year, while other companies go with the traditional calendar and call it their third quarter.

Their net income increased by 2%. This was due largely in part to XBox360, a gaming console which recently received a price slash.

It has been widely noted that Microsoft has a bunch of cash on hand, especially since they didn’t end up acquiring Yahoo after all (yet). MSFT was up .28 at the time of this post. Though with the markets as volatile as they are, that could change at any minute.

Here’s the press release:

Microsoft Reports Record First-Quarter Revenue
Thursday October 23, 4:10 pm ET
Revenue surpasses $15 billion with healthy sales of enterprise software and Xbox 360 consoles

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Microsoft Corp. today announced revenue of $15.06 billion for the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, 2008, a 9% increase over the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $6.00 billion, $4.37 billion and $0.48, respectively.

Microsoft showed particular strength in multiyear annuity sales, which grew more than 20% during the quarter from the combined businesses of Client, Microsoft Business Division and Server and Tools.

“Our customers are asking how they can save money and do more with less,” said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. “Microsoft is uniquely positioned to help our customers save money through supplier consolidation, increased productivity, and a low total cost of ownership through the depth and breadth of our product portfolio and solutions.”

Microsoft continued to add to its product and services portfolio with innovative offerings such as Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 and the first service update to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

“In a challenging economic environment, the first-quarter results exhibit the strength and diversity of our business model,” said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer of Microsoft.

Business Outlook

Microsoft’s business outlook reflects a balance of risks and the likelihood of a continued economic slowdown. The trends seen late in the first-quarter are now forecasted to continue, whereas previous expectations were for the economy to improve in the second half of the fiscal year. In this economic environment, the company is focused on three main actions; working with customers to provide high value products at the lowest total overall cost of ownership, increasing focus on expense management and targeting investment into the highest priority strategic opportunities.

Microsoft management offers the following guidance for the quarter ending
Dec. 31, 2008:
— Revenue is expected to be in the range of $17.3 billion to
$17.8 billion.
— Operating income is expected to be in the range of $6.1 billion to
$6.4 billion.
— Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.51 to
$0.53.

Management offers the following guidance for the full fiscal year ending
June 30, 2009:
— Revenue is expected to be in the range of $64.9 billion to
$66.4 billion.
— Operating income is expected to be in the range of $24.4 billion to
$25.5 billion.
— Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $2.00 to
$2.10.

Liddell noted that “we feel extremely good about our relative competitive position and our ability to continue outgrowing IT spend. We believe our exceptionally strong cash flow, product pipeline and financial strength will allow us to weather economic conditions well.”

Webcast Details

Microsoft will hold an audio webcast at 2:30 p.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. EDT) today with Chris Liddell, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Frank Brod, corporate vice president and chief accounting officer, and Bill Koefoed, general manager of Investor Relations, to discuss details of the company’s performance for the quarter and certain forward-looking information. The webcast will be available for replay through the close of business on Oct. 23, 2009.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are “forward-looking statements” are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as:

— challenges to Microsoft’s business model;
— intense competition in all of Microsoft’s markets;
— Microsoft’s continued ability to protect its intellectual property
rights;
— claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights
of others;
— the possibility of unauthorized disclosure of significant portions of
Microsoft’s source code;
— actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in Microsoft products
that could reduce revenue or lead to liability;
— government litigation and regulation affecting how Microsoft designs
and markets its products;
— Microsoft’s ability to attract and retain talented employees;
— delays in product development and related product release schedules;
— significant business investments that may not gain customer acceptance
and produce offsetting increases in revenue;
— changes in general economic conditions that affect our investment
portfolio or demand for computer hardware or software;
— adverse results in legal disputes;
— unanticipated tax liabilities;
— quality or supply problems in Microsoft’s consumer hardware or other
vertically integrated hardware and software products;
— impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a
charge to earnings;
— exposure to increased economic and regulatory uncertainties from
operating a global business;
— geopolitical conditions, natural disaster, cyberattack or other
catastrophic events disrupting Microsoft’s business;
— acquisitions and joint ventures that adversely affect the business;
— improper disclosure of personal data could result in liability and
harm to Microsoft’s reputation;
— outages and disruptions of online services if Microsoft fails to
maintain an adequate operations infrastructure;
— sales channel disruption, such as the bankruptcy of a major
distributor; and
— Microsoft’s ability to implement operating cost structures that align
with revenue growth.

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Microsoft’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft’s Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft’s Investor Relations Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/msft.

All information in this release is as of Oct. 23, 2008. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company’s expectations.

Microsoft Corporation
Income Statements
(In millions, except per share amounts) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007

Revenue $15,061 $13,762
Operating expenses:
Cost of revenue 2,848 2,675
Research and development 2,283 1,837
Sales and marketing 3,044 2,683
General and administrative 887 718
Total operating expenses 9,062 7,913
Operating income 5,999 5,849
Other income (expense) (8) 367
Income before income taxes 5,991 6,216
Provision for income taxes 1,618 1,927
Net income $4,373 $4,289

Earnings per share:
Basic $0.48 $0.46
Diluted $0.48 $0.45

Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic 9,084 9,380
Diluted 9,183 9,513

Cash dividends declared per common share $0.13 $0.11

Microsoft Corporation
Balance Sheets
(In millions)

September 30, June 30,
2008 2008 (1)
(Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $9,004 $10,339
Short-term investments (including
securities pledged as
collateral of $1,011 and $2,491) 11,718 13,323
Total cash, cash equivalents, and
short-term investments 20,722 23,662
Accounts receivable, net of
allowance for doubtful accounts of
$168 and $153 9,535 13,589
Inventories 1,640 985
Deferred income taxes 1,974 2,017
Other 3,331 2,989
Total current assets 37,202 43,242
Property and equipment, net of
accumulated depreciation of $6,622
and $6,302 6,552 6,242
Equity and other investments 4,381 6,588
Goodwill 12,291 12,108
Intangible assets, net 1,899 1,973
Deferred income taxes 1,041 949
Other long-term assets 1,751 1,691
Total assets $65,117 $72,793

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $3,351 $4,034
Short-term debt 1,975 -
Accrued compensation 2,138 2,934
Income taxes 514 3,248
Short-term unearned revenue 11,815 13,397
Securities lending payable 1,070 2,614
Other 3,520 3,659
Total current liabilities 24,383 29,886
Long-term unearned revenue 1,662 1,900
Other long-term liabilities 5,478 4,721
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock and paid-in capital -
shares authorized 24,000;
outstanding 8,977 and 9,151 61,655 62,849
Retained deficit, including
accumulated other comprehensive
income of $877 and $1,140 (28,061) (26,563)
Total stockholders’ equity 33,594 36,286
Total liabilities and
stockholders’ equity $65,117 $72,793

(1) Derived from audited financial statements

Microsoft Corporation
Cash Flows Statements
(In millions) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007
Operations
Net income $4,373 $4,289
Depreciation, amortization, and
other noncash items 585 435
Stock-based compensation expense 443 333
Net recognized losses (gains) on
investments and derivatives 36 (187)
Excess tax benefits from stock-
based payment arrangements (44) (69)
Deferred income taxes 376 357
Unearned revenue 4,186 3,821
Recognition of unearned revenue (6,044) (4,965)
Accounts receivable 3,985 2,806
Other current assets (558) (235)
Other long-term assets (116) (11)
Other current liabilities (4,552) (1,189)
Other long-term liabilities 700 493
Net cash from operations 3,370 5,878
Financing
Proceeds from short-term debt 1,975 -
Common stock issued 228 646
Common stock repurchased (6,493) (2,930)
Common stock cash dividends (998) (938)
Excess tax benefits from stock-
based payment arrangements 44 69
Net cash used in financing (5,244) (3,153)
Investing
Additions to property and
equipment (778) (510)
Acquisition of companies, net of
cash acquired (377) (5,396)
Purchases of investments (4,246) (5,997)
Maturities of investments 464 330
Sales of investments 7,075 9,120
Securities lending payable (1,543) 196
Net cash from (used in) investing 595 (2,257)
Effect of exchange rates on cash and
cash equivalents (56) 58
Net change in cash and cash
equivalents (1,335) 526
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning
of period 10,339 6,111
Cash and cash equivalents, end of
period $9,004 $6,637

Microsoft Corporation
Segment Revenue and Operating Income (Loss)
(In millions) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
September 30,
2008 2007
Revenue
Client $4,218 $4,139
Server and Tools 3,406 2,900
Online Services Business 770 671
Microsoft Business Division 4,949 4,117
Entertainment and Devices Division 1,814 1,929
Unallocated and other (96) 6
Consolidated $15,061 $13,762

Operating Income (Loss)
Client $3,267 $3,388
Server and Tools 1,151 959
Online Services Business (480) (267)
Microsoft Business Division 3,311 2,700
Entertainment and Devices Division 178 167
Corporate-level activity (1,428) (1,098)
Consolidated $5,999 $5,849

Source: Microsoft Corp.

Google’s AdWords API team has released version 13 of the open source tool. The update includes the following:

• New geotargeting options
• Active campaign and ad group retrieval
• Campaign budget suggestions
• Quality-based bid and quality score support
• Mobile Image Ad support
• Easier MCC account hierarchy retrieval
• MCC Alerts support
• Search volume data returned in KeywordToolService
• Minimum bids no longer supported

For more on the updates, read the release notes:

AdWords API advertisers will also receive 20% more API units from now through January 15, 2009. Here’s how it works:

• All developers can purchase API units at the rate of 1200/$0.25, up from 1000/$0.25, from now through January 15th, 2009.
• Advertisers who are eligible for free API units will receive credit at the rate 300/$ of AdWords spend, up from 250/$ of AdWords spend. They will be credited the holiday bonus based on their spend in previous months.

Related Reading:
AdWords API Gets Local Database Sync Update
Conversion Optimizer Now Supported by Adwords Editor and API
Google Adds Pricing Model To Google AdWords API: Opens Commercial Use

Just in time for a weakening economy and the holiday retail season, Google will begin rolling out 7 new features to Analytics over the coming weeks.

The new updates are enterprise level features that Google will now be offering for free.

First up is an integration with AdSense. This one will be rolled out over several months, so if you don’t see it for a while, you’ll know why. You’ll be able to view AdSense performance based on page and referring site. Plus, you’ll be able to tell where you’re traffic is coming from geographically.

The rest of the updates will begin rolling out over the next few weeks. Don’t expect to see them all at once. You’ll more likely see them added one at a time. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Updated user interface. You may have seen this already today on your account. This is a cosmetic update with a cleaner look.
• Updated management interface. Soon, you’ll be given a summarized glimpse at your stats upon logging into analytics. Also included are added administrative abiliies to rename and delete accounts and profiles.
• Custom reporting. You can create reports based on the data that’s important to you and organized how you want to see it. Choose which stats you want on the x and y axis and what data you want to drill into.
• Advanced segmentation. Check out data on subsets of traffic. You can use this feature to compare traffic from paid search versus organic search, for example. You can integrate this with custom reporting, as well.
• Motion Charts This takes your data and visualizes it using colors and bubbles. Sound funky? Check out this video to learn more:

• New API - People have done some pretty creative things with Google Analytics from mobile and desktop applications to Grease Monkey scripts. Now, developers have it easier with the new Google Analytics API. Google is hoping that third party developers will dream up applications that aren’t currently floating around the offices in Mountain View.

Google has a YouTube channel dedicated to these updates. It’s a great way to learn more about how the new features work. Check it out and then let us know your impressions of these coming changes by leaving a comment.

Related Reading:
Google Analytics Now Available in Google Code
Google Analytics Now Shows When a Visitor Uses Chrome
Does Google Analytics Share Data with Google Trends and Ad Planner?
Google Analytics Adds Adwords TV Campaign Reporting

Google’s My Location technology is cool. When I’m using my iPhone, I just hit a button and it gets a pretty close assessment of where I am, using cell triangulation (yes, I still have a first gen iPhone).

Now, Google is outfitting My Location with the ability to use WiFi access points in determining location. The feature is also included on the Gears Geolocation API.

Blackberry users can download the newest version of Maps for Mobile to access this feature. Other mobile devices will get the feature soon.