Vince Update videos - Cup Cakes, Buns and Ginger Beer...

Vince is the codename in the office for our name change which will be announced on the 17th June at a special event in No.29 (click here to see get an Open Invitation and special offer for membership).

We are now only 21 days away from the launch and things are starting to happen so we've decided to capture some of the preparations and discusiions on video and put them out as short clips between now and the 17th.

Here are the first two update videos:

Find more videos like this on Podcastmatters

Find more videos like this on Podcastmatters

Thanks to Tim Barlow from Attacat for being a sport in the secod of these videos.

We've got lots more videos to follow - next one will be Belinda Roberts from Winning Entrepreneurs and, if we're due to meet you in the near future, you might be asked to feature as well!

Keep following the blog to get the latest updates.

Open invitation to No.29

Attendees at our New Media Breakfast in Glasgow will be familiar with No.29 in Exchange Square where we are fortunate enough to host the event however, you may not have had the chance to see the rest of the club and the facilities it has to offer. Here's a great invitation for you to see the whole place and enjoy a relaxing glass of wine at the same time.

29 Private Members Club would like to Invite you to our “Open House Evening” on Wednesday 16th June from 6pm till 8pm.

All areas of the Club shall be open so that potential new members can view the venue whilst enjoying a glass of wine and canapés with the compliments of 29.

Members of the 29 Team shall be on hand to explain the benefits of membership and also show you around.

New Members will also benefit from our Corporate Discount If you Join up the evening (£110 + VAT per annum)

Please RSVP to ann.patterson@lynnetleisure.com or Call Ann on 0141 225 6654 for further information

Social Media Podcast No.20 now available

In Edition No.20 we talk to Iain Murray and Shona Lyttel about Connected FM's commitment to social media as an integral part of their marketing and how their whole web presence revolves around transparency and engagement.  We also discuss the reasons for the forthcoming Podcastmatters name change on the 17th June.

Also mentioned: A rare Zappos mistake and how effectively they dealt with it, John McGuire and Phoenix Car Company's network site, the iPad, the sony Bloggie and Iain's usual gadget, App and software roundup.

We also talk briefly about the forthcoming New Media Breakfasts in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.  The Glasgow (4th June) and Edinburgh (10th June) breakfasts have Ben Rogers of Attacat presenting on Google Analytics and how to get actionable date from your stats.  The Abedeen breakfast (9th June) has two sessions with me discussing podcasting and how it might be useful for your business and, Tim Barlow form Attacat will discuss Search Engine optimisation and pay-per-click advertising.  Tim has already presented this topic at previous Glasgow and Edinburgh breakfasts and everyone found it to be an extremely useful insight into the importance of search and how it works.

You can find full details on all the breakfast events and booking details here.

You can download the Social Media Podcast from iTunes by clicking here.

Things are starting to happen

Today is a bit of a milestone for Podcastmatters and Design Matters. As you are probably all aware, we are merging the businesses and launching the new company and new name on the 17th June so, why is today important?  Today we received our stationery from the printer (who is sworn to secrecy) which is the first time we have seen the new name in print and we are all delighted with the result.

Seeing the name in print somehow makes it all a bit more real; up until now we have talked about it, we've created the branding, we've even started work on the web site but, actually holding a printed version in your hand seems to move everything on to a new level.

When we first announced the name change we put a countdown clock on the network site with 72 days to go and that seemed like lots of time to get everything done; now it's at 23 days, 20 hours and 12 minutes to go and the "To Do" list seems to be getting longer.  The invitations have gone out and plans are well underway (or so I'm told) for the launch event at No.29, if everything goes to plan that will be a great night.

The whole experience of changing the name has been great.  Over the past 24 years we've helped many organisations with their branding from start-up businesses to companies wishing to rebrand but strangely we've never actually been involved in quite such a radical change as this.  After the 17th June we will probably share more about this whole experience in the blog and on the Social Media Podcast and, if you are changing your name, we'll be happy to share our experience in detail with you.

Please keep following the blog for more updates as the 17th draws closer, it's exciting times for us and we would like to share them with you.

New Media Breakfasts in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen

We are delighted to confirm the dates and topics for the next New Media Breakfasts in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.  Firstly the dates and venues:





Glasgow - 4th June, 8am at No.29 Members Club, Royal Exchange Square Glasgow
Edinburgh - 10th June 8am at The Tower Restaurant, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
Aberdeen - 9th June venue to be confirmed

The topic for the Glasgow and Edinburgh breakfasts will be:

Actionable Insights with Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the most widely used website statistical service with over 50% of the top 100,000 websites having installed it. At this breakfast we’ll be trying to ignore the technical aspects of installing & setting up Google Analytics and instead look in detail at some of the reports available and the insights you can take from these.

The breakfast will look at the following:
· Importance of setting KPIs
· Tagging & segmenting different traffic sources
· Identifying weak & strong pages within your site
· The dangers of averages!
· What visitor information can tell you
· Optimising online & offline advertising

If anyone would be willing to share their Google Analytics data in a live demonstration during the breakfast please contact the speaker directly.

About the speaker:

Ben Rogers is a Director of Attacat Internet Marketing, the Edinburgh-based search engine and internet marketing firm.

Ben joined Attacat in 2008 with a strong technical background, having studied Computing Science at Aberdeen University. His passion for stats makes Ben a natural when it comes to analytics; he even passed the Google Analytics exam within 3 hours of it being launched, making him one of the first 100 people in the world to gain the Google Analytics Individual Qualification.

Ben has a proven track record of finding unique solutions with Analytics as well as improving website performances through clever use of data. He has also held numerous Google Analytics seminars and training sessions, whether it be a general session for beginners or a bespoke solution for individual companies.

Ben Rogers on LinkedIn
Ben Rogers on Twitter
Ben Rogers on the Attacat Website

Click here to book the Glasgow New Media Breakfast

COMPLIMENTARY FOR 29 MEMBERS
This event is complimentary to 29 Members - If you are a member you should email Malcolm to reserve your place.

Click here to book the Edinburgh New Media Breakfast


ABERDEEN BREAKFAST 9th June

1st Session
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION AND PAY PER CLICK MARKETING
Presented by Tim Barlow, Attacat Ltd

Search engine optimisation and pay per click marketing may be grabbing less headlines in the internet marketing world these days. However, they are still very relevant for businesses and gaining in relevance all the time. Search needs to be an integral part of any online marketing plan.

We'll examine the various different elements that make up the Google search experience and how businesses should go about seeking to appear in each different type of listing including:

• Sponsored links
• Regular "natural" results
• Maps/Local
• Shopping Results
• Video

We'll also examine some of the current trends towards more personalised results and social search.

About the speaker:
Tim Barlow is the managing director of Attacat, the Edinburgh-based search engine and internet marketing firm. Tim has been involved in search engine promotion since 1999 when he managed the first Innogy website for National Power. In 2001, Tim launched Pastures-New, one of the UK's leading rental portals, gaining similar levels of traffic with a marketing budget of £100 a month as Rightmove were then achieving with a multi million pound TV campaign.

Attacat was set up in 1994 to take advantage of Tim's knowledge. Self-taught in the art of search engine optimisation and internet marketing (there simply weren't formal courses in those days),

Tim passionately believes that good SEO is not rocket science or a black art but simply the result of effective online marketing and web design.

This approach has been proven time and again by Tim and his team achieving long lasting high ranks on competitive one and two word phrases for clients in a variety of fields. Pay per click (such as Google AdWords) has been a long time specialism of Tim and Attacat. Indeed Tim was one of the very first Qualified Google Advertising Professionals in the world and Attacat has held the company version of the qualification since its inception. Attacat use pay per click (PPC) to drive £10s of millions of business for a variety of clients from classic e-commerce sites to B2B businesses in niches you probably never knew existed.

Tim speaks regularly at Chamber of Commerce events.

2nd Session
CAN PODCASTING HELP YOR BUSINESS?
Presented by Gordon White, Podcastmatters Ltd

Podcasts are among the most intimate forms of communication. They offer the opportunity for you to talk directly in the ear of someone who has chosen to listen to your content. At this breakfast we will look at the various different types of podcasts and the tools trequired to make your own podcasts.

We will also have the new Apple iPad on display and we'll show you how that can be used to make audio podcasts. You will also get the opportunity to try it for yourself during the meeting.

This session will look at the following:

• What is a podcast?
• What is RSS and how does it work?
• Different types of podcast content
• Audio and Video Podcasts - what are they?
• Different ways to make a podcast - Agency and in-house
• How it can help your business
• What does it cost?
• How long does it take?

We'll also look at some of the companies using podcasts and how they use them as an effective internal or promotional communication tool.

Organisers:
The New Media Breakfast will be run by Podcastmatters Ltd, a leading new media company involved in Audio and Video podcast production, Niche Network creation and new media consulting for a wide range of organisations across many industry sectors.

Cost:
We are applying a nominal £25 charge for attendance and any profits from this event will be donated to CLAN (Cancer Link Aberdeen and North).

More Information:
For any further information please email Nicki Murray or telephone 01224 701383.

Timetable for the Event:
07.00 Tea/Coffee on Arrival
07.30 Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click Marketing
08.15 Tea/Coffee/Bacon Rolls and Networking
08.45 Can Podcasting Help Your Business?
09.30 Questions & Answers
10.00 Close

Click here to book the Aberdeen New Media Breakfast

Social Media Podcast goes Top 10

Delighted to see that the Social Media Podcast has gone to No.6 in the Audio Podcasting category of iTunes and, No.7 in the combined Audio and Video Podcasting category.  It started the day at No.39 & No.63 respectively.

If you want to know why, you should be coming the the New Media Breakfast at the Tower Restaurant in Edinburgh on Thursday this week - all will be revealed!

Full details and booking info for the Breakfast are here

Download or subscribe to the Social Media Podcast here.

Social Media Podcast No.19 now available

In edition 19 Gordon White, Kyle Murdoch, Iain Murray and Shona Lyttel chat about the iPad 3G tariffs and whether it's really worth taking a 3G package. We also discuss the dangers of exceeding the monthly bandwidth charge and how we've been caught out in the past. Iain does his usual look at gadgets and Apps and explains why his shiny new HTC Legend has been fired in the space of one episode of the podcast!

We hear from Tim Barlow at Attacat who answers a listener question about the value of regularly updating your YouTube Channel and whether it plays any part Search Engine Optimisation.

You can download or subscribe to the podacst here