OK I am going to let you in on a “secret”.  I knew YouTube made an announcement on their new YouTube Sponsoring Ads almost the same day that they announced it.  I know what Google is doing or announcing on the same day that it happens to hit the news.  I even know, the same day, when big name marketers have made a blog post of momentous importance.  No, it isn’t in the main news but it is in their own news or on a blog.

And no, I am not privileged and get leaked info – but I do know where to look and then have my “virtual assistant” send it to my favorite reader – Google Reader.

You see, it pays to be a bit snoopy and poke around and listen.  Now I would never, ever advocate anything unethical here.  Everything  I am taling about is right there for all to see – if you know where to look.

The Secret here is to grab the RSS of the news feed or blog in question and have it sent to Google Reader.  No secret at all, really.

This is what I do:  First of all, I subscribe to the feeds of marketers I like to follow:  Tiffany Dow , Tony Shepherd, Ed Dale, Terry Dean, Michelle MacPherson, just to name a few.

Then when they make an announcement that hits them as important or point to a site that they have found useful, then I head over to take a peek.  If I like it, I grab the feed for that and then send it to – you guessed it  – Google Reader.

Well, Ed Dale and Michelle stay smack dab on top of the scuttlebutt in social marketing, so I pay attention to their blogs.  Thanks to them for the blast about YouTube!

Tiffany and Terry always share solid marketing advice, so it pays to subscribe to their blogs – big time.

But then I learned that Google has its “official ” blog, so I get it fed to Google Reader.  YouTube has a (you guessed it) blog, too!  And guess where these big players announce their new stuff!  Right there in their blog.

So, now you know the secret to staying informed in the IM industry.  There is just no excuse for being the last to know anymore.

Big news!  You Tube now has Pay per click ads.  Read more here at Michelle MacPherson’s site:

http://www.michellemacphearson.com/youtube-sponsored-video-how-to/

Video IS the future for Internet Marketers.

OK.  I admit I am a late bloomer.  I takes some a while to catch on, you know.  But I have the excuse that I am still relatively new to Internet marketing.  What am I driving at?

Social networking.  Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader and such.  For someone like me who has been steadily chunking away at learning the ropes of marketing basics like writing, web design, basic graphics design, writing copy; this is just one more feather to add to my very feathered cap!

Well, I have been learning this game and as the saying goes, “When the student is willing, the Teacher appears”  I have to blame Tiffany Dow and now Ed Dale for getting me into this “game”.  But in it, I am!

Even heard of immersion learning?  Well, that’s what I have been up to this past week or so.  Learning Twitter, signing up in Facebook, figuring out Google Reader, and other social stuff.  But what has really occupied my time is FriendFeed.

Have you looked at it?  Now, I am a total newbie to the social thing anyway, but FriendFeed just makes sense!  Having all your social feeds going to one center place where your friends can find you is really the future of the Internet.  I think I heard Web 3.0 mentioned in the same breath with Friend Feed simply because is takes Twitter and ramps it up to the next level.

Anyway, I am throwing together a free how-to guide for FriendFeed that I’ll be making available pretty quick.  As a matter of fact, it will be re-brandable for you folks who like to get in on this thing.

In the meantime, see my FriendFeed at: http://friendfeed.com/hinessite

See you there!