CraigsList Ads by Ken Beam show Dealers how Douglas VW promotes their Mobile Site!

*Here`s a little Craigs List Ad ala Ken Beam to show you how he promotes his Mobile Site! *Go Mobile or get left behind in 2010! – Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community (ADM).

 

***Click
on the pic of the guy wearing the sunglasses to
 hear about this Hot
Springtime Sales Event!
**Share this with your friends too!
Thanks!!**
 

***Now take Douglas Volkswagen with you anywhere you go! Right
on your phone!
*Schedule a Service Appointment, Get a Quote on a New
V-Dub, Browse our Inventory,
Order Parts, Contact our AutoBody
Shop, see our New/Pre-Owned Specials or even
watch a cool video!
*It`s all about being convenient & accessible!
*Where else? Only
at Douglas.

Automotive Digital Marketing Consulting Dealer Assessment Questionnaire by Ralph Paglia

Automotive Digital Marketing Consulting Dealer Assessment Questionnaire by Ralph Paglia – Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community ADM.

Alex Andreus started a series of fascinating social media triggered events by creating an ADM Forum discussion titled “Need to Boost my internet and BDC departments” which he posted on March 20, 2010.  The Question Alex posed was that he was seeking information on who would be the best Automotive Digital Marketing Consultant available to serve his Brickell Honda dealership in South Florida.  Alex’s Forum Discussion set off a flurry of over 165 responses, comments, debates and discussions in the first 48 hours…Eddie Coleman moderating with a timer on display for each consultant’s allotted turn to answer…
Culminating on Thursday March 25th with one of the most unique and virtually spontaneous “Webinars” I have ever witnessed… A virtual “Battle of the Bands” among several of the ADM Community’s leading Digital Marketing Consultants who each answered the same questions with

Eddie Coleman

I have to admit it was an impressive undertaking, with Eddie Coleman using his team’s resources to set up a Go To Meeting webinar and conference call line, while the ADM message and content syndication systems invited thousands of automotive professionals to attend… With over 100 car dealers and consultants participating, everyone involved agreed that it was an amazing result for an event that was conceived, planned and executed in less than 4 days.

Congratulations to Alex Andreus, Eddie Coleman and our distinguished Automotive Digital Marketing Consultants:

Phil Zelinger,

Joe Webb,
Shannon Page,

Megan Bucher

And big kudos goes out to all those who attended and were involved in coming together for an ADM “Meetup” webinar that was enlightening and a learning experience for all… Well done, I say… Well done!  [Read the rest of the story]

Web Search Generates More Phone Calls Than Internet Leads

Local Shoppers Look Online First

MARCH 15, 2010

90% search online for nearby businesses

The overwhelming majority of US Internet users research online to find local products and services, according to the “User View Wave VII” from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat.

The most common online tool used for local research was search. Nearly one-half of respondents used Internet yellow pages and 42% checked comparison-shopping sites before heading to local businesses.

In summer 2009, TMP Directional Marketing and comScore found that and 46% of local online searchers contacted a business by telephone after Web research, and 37% visited in person.

“The Internet has indeed become an integral part of consumers’ local commercial activity,” said Steve Marshall, director of research, BIA/Kelsey, in a statement. “The data suggest we’re at an inflection point where the balance of power in local shopping is shifting to online.”

Local advertising dollars will follow eyeballs; BIA/Kelsey expects the Web to get an increasing share of local ad spending over the next several years, reaching one-quarter of the total in 2014.

Over time, the researchers have noted an increase in the number of sources used for local shopping research, suggesting audience fragmentation that can be challenging for advertisers.

“These challenges may be outweighed by the targeting opportunities available with tools like coupon promotions and appointment scheduling, the latter being among the best lead sources possible, since you know where people are actually going,” said Peter Krasilovsky, vice president and program director, Marketplaces, BIA/Kelsey, in a statement.

According to the report, 58% of respondents said they had redeemed an online coupon when shopping locally in the past year, and 19% made a local appointment other than a restaurant reservation on the Web.

[Sent from Ralph Paglia's iPhone]

DealerRater.com New SATISFACTORY Review ADDED To: Cardinale Way Mazda

A new SATISFACTORY review has been added to:

Cardinale Way Mazda

By: jemizasi
On: 3/14/2010 11:18:00 AM

http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Cardinale-Way-Mazda-review-18523/#121024

Review:
D was very helpful and made the experience easy and efficient. We had a much better experience at Cardinale Way than any other dealership we have been to so far. From the moment we drove into the dealership to the moment we left, we were treated very well.

Top Ten Worst Passwords

Top 10 passwords you should never use A ccording to a report, most users still haven’t answered the call by security experts to implement more robust passwords. In fact, in a list of the most easy to hack passwords, simply typing ’123456′ took a truly forgettable top prize. Security firm Imperva recently released its list of the passwords most likely to be hacked based on 32 million instances of successful hacking. Imperva named their report “Consumer Password Worst Practices,” and some of the entries near the top are truly simple and could lead to theft or identity fraud. Top 10 Worst Passwords The following is a list of the most predictable passwords, and should not be used under any circumstances (Source: pcworld.com): 123456 12345 123456789 Password iloveyou princess rockyou 1234567 12345678 abc123 How to Strengthen Your Passwords Other key findings in the report: it seems that almost 1 in 3 users choose passwords comprised of six or fewer characters; more than half use passwords based on only alpha-numeric characters; and almost 50 per cent used variations on their name, popular slang terms, or simple strings of consecutive characters from the average QWERTY keyboard — such as ‘asdfg’. Imperva has made several obvious recommendations, suggesting most users adopt passwords with at least eight characters and to mix those characters between upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Passwords should be simple enough that they won’t be too easily forgotten, but the idea is to make cracking the code virtually impossible for either an unknown or known hacker. About this article: Dennis Faas is the CEO and Chief editor of Infopackets.com: a daily, digital publication dedicated to MS Windows, computing, technology trends and solutions to real life computing issues: all written in simple English. Subscription to Infopackets Windows Newsletter is free. Visit us today!www.infopackets.com

[Sent from Ralph Paglia's iPhone]

Automotive Social Media Policy Tool

Social Media Company Policy Creation Tool

The Social Media Policy Tool is a company guidelines and employee policy document generator that simplifies the process of creating a company policy.  The tool allows you to create a policy using guidelines that respect the rights of your employees while protecting your company’s brand and reputation online.*

The web based software is very easy to use.  A streamlined process simply requires you to answer a brief questionnaire and fill in a few text fields.  The output generated provides you with a complete Social Media Policy document customized to your company’s needs.

Automotive Digital Marketing Professionals

If you are a marketing or sales professional in the automotive industry, please visit and join the Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community.  The URL can be reached using a shortened format at http://ADM.fm .

Automotive Social Media Marketing

If you are a social media marketing professional working with, or in the automotive industry, please visit and join the Automotive Social Media Marketing Network.  The URL can be reached using a shortened format at http://AutomotiveSocial.com

SOURCE:

The Social Media Policy Tool has been developed by rtraction in collaboration with Harrison Pensa lawyer David R. Canton, one of North America’s leading authorities in internet and technology related legal issues.

MORE INFORMATION:

www.AutomotiveDigitalMarketing.com

New Tips on an Old Topic: How to Improve Your Gas Mileage!

New Tips on an Old Topic: How to Improve Your Gas Mileage!

With the price of gas giving everyone a headache, it’s time to take another look at that perennial problem: How to improve your gas mileage.

Here’s a scary statistic: You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas! With so many people cruising at 80 miles per hour on the highway these days, no wonder we are all feeling the pinch.

Dozens of organizations have come up with ways to improve mileage. Here’s a summary of the best tips. How many do you observe?

MAINTAINING YOUR CAR:

• Keep your engine tuned up. Incorrect fuel ratio, bad spark plugs and incorrect spark timing lower your miles per gallon.
• Use your air conditioner (A/C) sparingly. The A/C compressor puts an extra strain on the engine.
• Keep your windows closed when possible. Open windows actually reduce gas mileage compared to using the A/C properly.
• Make sure your tires are correctly inflated. Under inflated tires cause more resistance to travel.
• Ask other people with the same type of car what kind of gas mileage they get. This may alert you to a problem with your car.
• Use a good engine oil, preferably a synthetic or standard oil treated with a friction reducing oil additive. These have been known to improve fuel economy by as much as 12%.
• Reduce the weight in your vehicle. Clean out the truck. Don’t let clutter accumulate in the back or passenger seat. More weight requires more fuel.
• Fine tune your car’s aerodynamics. Remove accessories that lower the aerodynamics of your vehicle, such as luggage racks.

YOUR DRIVING BEHAVIOR

· Avoid stop and go traffic by taking alternative routes or less congested travel times.

· Minimize the need to brake by anticipating traffic conditions. Be alert for slowdowns and red lights ahead of you, and decelerate by coasting whenever it’s safe and possible.

• Use your cruise control whenever possible – if the road surface is smooth.
• Don’t use cruise control on bumpy roads. That eats up more gas.
• Travel at moderate speeds. Keeping your highway speed at 55 mph improves gas mileage by as much as 25%, compared to 75 mph.
• Avoid trying to increase speed while climbing a hill.

· Avoid idling. Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

· Use overdrive gears. When you do, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

· Avoid aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking). It wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.

· If you own more than one car, use the more energy-conserving vehicle as often as possible.

· Consolidate trips and errands to cut down on driving time and miles traveled. Find one location where you can take care of banking, grocery shopping and other chores.

· Comparison shop first by phone, online or through newspaper ads, before you drive to your shopping destination.

· Keep your eyes open for low fuel prices, but don’t waste gas driving to a distant filling station to save a few cents.

To download a brochure with additional tips, visit AAA at: http://www.aaapa.org/pdfs/Gas_Watchers_Guide.pdf

Ralph Paglia

cell: 1-505-301-6369

email: rpaglia

LinkedIn: www.RalphRPaglia.com

Community: AutoDigitalMarketing.com

Top Ten Cars; Our Six Favorite Top Ten Car Lists

Why Let Dave Letterman Have All the Fun? Top Ten AutoLists to Put a Smile on Your Face!

Just for fun, here are some TOP 10 lists I think you’ll enjoy. The photos are fantastic!

1.
The TOP 10 Movie Cars

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2006/05/top_10_movie_ca.html

2.
The TOP 10 TV Cars

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&story=TVcars&subject=more

3.
The TOP 10 Cars Getting the Most Traffic Tickets

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10151380-48.html

4.
The TOP 10 Fastest Cars in the World

http://www.thesupercars.org/fastest-cars/fastest-cars-in-the-world-top-10-list/

5.
The TOP 10 Most Expensive Cars in the World

http://www.thesupercars.org/top-cars/most-expensive-cars-in-the-world-top-10-list-2007-2008/

6. Since it’s been such a stormy winter, here are the TOP 10 Cars for Driving in Snow.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100211/CARNEWS/100219977

Prepared By:

Maureen Condon

ADP Social Media

Content Creater

[Sent from Ralph Paglia's iPhone]

Converting Blog Series Into A Book

I recently read a Matt Cutts post about seeking software that scrapes and compiles multiple blog posts into a format that could be used as the basis of a book. Here’s what Matt reported with my commentary added in:

- Lulu will take PDF files for a book… Blogbooker.com was designed to create PDF documents from blog posts. The combination of both would seem to be a book in the making for many bloggers. Unfortunately, Matt Cutts’ blog made BlogBooker error out (Matt has over 900 posts in his blog) — the app lets users exclude comments, but Matt reports that excluding comments did not help. I cannot help but wonder if bandwidth, RAM memory, browser or any other user system variables may impact the results from running Blogbooker on large blog accounts.

- Blurb.com will try to create a book from a blog, but it only supports blogs hosted on WordPress.com, and does not work with the popular self-hosted blogs that use the WordPress application platform. Matt’s experience with Blurb made me wonder how difficult it would be to export from a self josted WordPress blog and import content into WordPress.com but you would also have to deal with content policy at WordPress.com which I have seen cause relatively innoffensive blogs to get their accounts suspended by WordPress.com administrators. Blurb.com‘s ability to import WordPress.com content and convert into a book will be useful to many people who want to print their blog into a book, including me, but does not help me with my real treasure trove hosted on various Ning.com based blogs.

- Matt Cutts favors FastPencil for turning blogs into book format. Matt provides the following instructions for bloggers who use the WordPress platform on their own choice of server and hosting environment:

Reduce the size of your exported WordPress blog by deleting reader posted comments. Go into the WordPress comments section, click on the “spam” link and clear out any spam comments by selecting all the spam comments and clicking “Empty Spam”. Then export your WordPress blog by going into the Dashboard, click Tools, then Export, which generates an XML file that you download to your PC’s hard drive. FastPencil lets you upload the exported WordPress blog XML file and then select each of your blog posts that you want to include in the output book file. You can also use date filters, which Matt reports having to do. Apparently, once the output file goes over about 300 pages, FastPencil errors out or locks up. Personally, I recommend creating each chapter separately rather than using these types of Blog-to-Book apps to convert your entire blog into a single book output file.

Matt reports that FastPencil did several things well. Included images were imported, and some formatting such as bold made it into the PDF output file. But other formatting, such as code formatting and newlines/spacing between paragraphs didn’t make it. Embedded content such as videos or polls were likewise empty. Trying to import Matt’s entire blog also didn’t work. But all in all, he was impressed with FastPencil.

FastPencil offers collaboration tools (e.g. you can designate editors, reviewers, co-authors, and project managers to help in writing/polishing the content). The site also works through your web browser instead of as a program loaded onto your PC. If you’re used to WordPress, FastPencil won’t be too much of a change.

It’s still not a point-and-click affair to make a nice looking coffee table book out of a blog, but it’s getting closer. Right now, the “make a book” niche feels like the early days of recordable CDs.

[Sent from Ralph Paglia's iPhone]

Clique Twitter Tool for iPhone

I’m using Clique,this cool Twitter Client for the iPhone.Check it out here: http://appstore.in/clique

[Sent from Ralph Paglia's iPhone]