Fortunately, the new DMARC standard is one way email providers are keeping phishing scams from ever reaching your inbox. Interested in learning more? Get up to speed on this latest development via MediaPost’s Email Insider.

MediaPost Publications | Phishers’ Kryptonite: Big Data
Last January’s DMARC launch was the first big-data antidote to phishing, and it works. Thanks to instant critical mass from the mailbox provider community, this authentication-based solution can see and defend more than 60% of all mailboxes in the world – and more than 80% in North America.

Are Your Campaigns DMARC Compliant?

Here’s an excellent article that we recommend for organizations looking to leverage the strengths of both disciplines.

@Business 2 Community | SEO vs. PPC: When Should You Invest In Each?
The SEO vs. PPC debate has raged ever since AdWords became a particularly impressive performer in the field of search marketing. In the wake of recent changes in how Google ranks websites — most notably via the Penguin and Panda updates — it’s as if someone stoked the fires by adding some more fuel.

The change has received a mixed reception by users and it remains to be seen how the reduction will change link sharing within the network.

@Mashable – Twitter Now Reducing Some Tweets To 117 Characters
Starting Wednesday, Twitter is reducing any tweet sent with a URL to 118 characters, or 117 for https links.

Posted by Ariel Richmond-Parks via Google+

The move is not only incredibly smart in light of Twitter’s recent search algorithm update preferencing photo and video content, but it’s also a much-needed advance for a platform that has struggled in the wake of the public’s increased interest in more visually-oriented social networks.

To view the live embedded ThingLink image, see https://twitter.com/KevinLoker/status/270540171991212035.

With ThingLink, Interactive Images in Tweets – 10,000 Words
Users can now share an image on Twitter complete with any created ThingLink meta-data, and it’s all accessible in the tweet itself.

Image courtesy of Mediabistro

Posted by Ariel Richmond-Parks via Google+

Pinterest has been hailed as “the fastest growing social site ever” with an estimated 4000% growth rate between May 2011 and May 2012 according to comScore’s Q1 “State of the Internet” study.This week’s introduction of business pages signals that the company is ready to monopolize on growing interest by B2B and B2C marketers. What can businesses expect? Here’s our quick rundown..

New business TOS – The launch specifies new terms for businesses which diverge substantially from the pre-existing terms for individual users.

This is a notable move in light of concerns raised earlier this year regarding copyright infringement on the site. No doubt, this effort will help alleviate anxiety among corporate marketers and encourage increased adoption of the platform for business use.

Business pages – To establish or transfer a pre-existing account,  organizations can access the new Pinterest for Business microsite which offers options to specify business names, complete the official site verification procedure and sign up for future access to upcoming features.

In addition, they can also choose to integrate a number of Pinterest-branded buttons and widgets to their sites and while there is no native analytics functionality, it’s not stretch to think that it’s only a matter of time before that’s implemented.

Enhanced marketing guidance and resources – As Pinterest is new terrain for most marketers, the company has proactively introduced a library of best practices, case studies and brand guidelines to mitigate any learning curve that might arise.

A recent blog post emphasizes that the company understands that it has a vested interest in helping “businesses interact with people the right way”.  By all accounts, it certainly looks like they are taking that job seriously.

Image courtesy of Pinterest 

Posted by Ariel Richmond-Parks via Google+

Litmus | Transactional Emails: A frequently missed opportunity
Transactional emails – they are the welcome emails, shipping notices, order confirmations, etc. that are so important for proper customer support and a positive company reputation. Not only do they give customers peace of mind in knowing that their transactions have been processed properly, but they also provide companies with major opportunities for growth and success.

Posted by Jeffrey Parks via Google+

Econsultancy | Could Content Marketing Replace the SEO Department?
Inbound, SEO & content marketing – it’s all just semantics to me.

Posted by Ariel Richmond-Parks via Google+

@MediaPost – Expectations High For Ads On iPad Mini

@Forbes – Forget Education, The Big Play With The iPad Mini Is Video Advertising

Smart analyses on how screen size affects advertising CTRs across the tablet market and how the iPad Mini may jumpstart the otherwise lackluster mobile advertising landscape.

@TheNextWeb – Apple tweaks iOS to better detect accidental touches due to iPad mini’s thinner bezel

@Mobify – 5 iPad Mini Web Design and Development Best Practices

@CampaignMonitor – Should I modify my email designs for the iPad Mini?

Providing good user experience on smaller form factors is challenge, even under the best of circumstances. These articles are must-reads for in-depth coverage of email and web design considerations for the iPad Mini’s modified operating system and smaller screen.

Image courtesy of Apple

Posted by Ariel Richmond-Parks via Google+

The days of “set it and forget it” web development are over. Find out how to keep your site safe and secure with Smashing Magazine’s superb rundown of WordPress vulnerabilities and security fixes.

Smashing Magazine | Common WordPress Malware Infections
Over the past two years, Web malware has grown around 140%. At the same time, WordPress has exploded in popularity as a blogging platform and CMS, powering close to 17% of websites today. But that popularity comes at a price; it makes WordPress a target for Web-based malware.

Posted by Jeffrey Parks via Google+

 That said, there are a number of baseline principles that anyone can follow to get a handle on this issue as illustrated by GetResponse’s recent survey of 21 million messages sent by its users in the first quarter of 2012. While we would have liked to see more data on weekend deployments, especially as Sunday evening has emerged as a prime B2B send time, their findings are a solid resource for those looking to hone in on their own perfect send time.

GetResponse | Best Time To Send Email [INFOGRAPHIC]
Email campaign success depends upon subscriber engagement. You can analyze subscriber engagement by answering some simple questions: What time do your readers normally browse through their inboxes? When are they most likely to open and click? Do they read messages that are more than 12 hours old?

Posted by Ariel Richmond-Parks via Google+