Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category

Google Assistant’s evolution: Is this the new search? – Napa Valley Register

JANET PEISCHEL

If youre a Google Assistant (GA) user, youve likely noticed some changes with the virtual assistant software application.

Theyve been sunsetting underused functions and concentrating on improving those that will enhance the user experience. And of course, those improvements are being driven by artificial intelligence (AI).

Theres another important component of this equation these changes wouldnt have been possible without the dramatic growth of voice technology.

No one could have predicted how popular this communication channel would become, driven in large part by podcasts.

When you key a query into GA, the responses could be the same boring text that were used to. But theyre likely to be a lot more fun, to include videos, images and/or music.

The new GA might surprise you and serve up website snippets to answer your queries. The responses are clearly more comprehensive than those we receive from a traditional Google search query.

If youre confused about Google Search versus Google Assistant, thats because it looks like the two are becoming one and the same. Its a metamorphosis. GA could be Google Search as we know it. This is where search is going and it raises our expectations.

In 2000, Google co-founder Larry Page told us that they were working on a system where you could ask any question and get the perfect answer. That perfect answer had to come from a new generation of search that was driven by AI, with its vast dataset or library system as Page likes to think of it.

Think about a query for a flourless chocolate cake recipe that you used to love and would like to try making yourself. Not only will GA provide the recipe, but it will serve up photos of this dessert with testimonials and instructions for making it. It may include some alternate recipes that dont require as much work.

Synch with smartphones, smart speakers, etc., and you can create shortcuts. For the weather, receive a spoken response while also viewing a visual representation of a whole day of torrential downpour.

How to communicate with GA? It answers to Hey Google, Okay Google, and Hello Google or Hi Google. How can you use GA? Set your alarm for 6 a.m., add to your grocery list and remind yourself to drink water throughout the day.

GA is pretty amazing. Im an iPhone user, so this may be a better overall user experience for those in a Chrome/PC/Android environment.

Were making a few changes to focus on quality and reliability, making it easier to use Assistant across devices.

With GA, the promise is that responses will be better organized, more accessible. We will understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights, and get things done more easily.

Visitors walked through Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Napa to look at the art installation House of Cards on the opening night of the Lighted Art Festival on Saturday.

The old Napa bus depot on Pearl Street was transformed into the artwork 3 Sisters by artist Matley Hurd for this year's Lighted Art Festival, which opened Saturday.

First Presbyterian Church on Third Street served as the backdrop to Biotechture, one of the installations at this year's Napa Lighted Arts Festival.

Visitors braved the Saturday night rain to enjoy a Lion Dance performance at the First Street Napa retail arcade on the opening night of the Lighted Art Festival.

Dwight Murray Plaza hosted Entwined Napa by artist Charles Gadeken as the Napa Lighted Art Festival opened Saturday.

A vintage Ford pickup truck parked on the Brown Street Plaza is the basis of Aquarium Car by artist Stephane Massonn, one of the attractions of the 2024 Napa Lighted Art Festival.

A glowing winged sculpture entitled Touch the Sky by artist Martin Taylor was on display at the Napa River Inn on the first night of the Lighted Art Festival Saturday.

Spectators, braving the elements, took in a Lion Dance performance Saturday during the Napa Lighted Art Festival's opening night.

The side of the Native Sons of the Golden West building on Coombs Street was the backdrop of Sound the Deep Waters by artists Josh Miller and Angela Fraiegh as the Napa Lighted Arts Festival opened Saturday.

The Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa, which opened Saturday, will present projected light works through Jan. 28 and static artworks through Feb. 18.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, January 20.

The first night of the Lighted Art Festival in downtown Napa on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Napas Lighted Art Festival kicked off on Saturday night as visitors enjoyed various art installations spread throughout downtown.

Janet Peischel is a writer and digital media specialist, owner of Top of Mind Marketing. Reach her at 510-292-1843, jpeischel@top-mindmarketing.com

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Google Assistant's evolution: Is this the new search? - Napa Valley Register

Overcoming Entrepreneurial Fear: Essential Strategies for New Business Owners

Photo by Unsplash

Starting your entrepreneurial journey can be filled with both excitement and uncertainty. Yet, with the right strategies and approaches, you can turn these challenges into manageable steps toward success. This guide, shared by MediaBoss.net, is designed to provide you, the aspiring entrepreneur, with essential advice. It focuses on overcoming the common fears associated with launching a new business.

Establish Attainable Goals

Begin your entrepreneurial journey by setting attainable goals, such as launching a basic version of your product within three months, coupled with realistic timelines, like reaching a specific number of clients in the first year. Keeping your ambitions realistic and time-bound helps to stay grounded and continuously motivated. This practical approach not only reduces anxiety and apprehension but also carves out a clear and focused direction for your venture.

Prioritizing Content Marketing

Content marketing stands as a vital pillar for establishing trust and credibility in your business landscape. By crafting content that is not only engaging but also richly informative, brands have the opportunity to deepen trust and fortify credibility among their audiences. This, in turn, paves the way for an increase in sales. Delving into reputable online resources for further insights into content marketing can significantly enhance your strategy.

Know What's Within Your Control

Focusing on the aspects of your business that you can influence and improve is key. This concentration ensures your efforts are directed effectively. Adopting this perspective leads to improved management of your resources and energy. It creates a more productive environment for your business. This approach reduces stress and enhances the overall atmosphere of your entrepreneurial venture.

Practice Positive Visualization

The impact of positive visualization on your business journey is remarkable. When you imagine your business thriving and achieving its goals, you wield a powerful tool against fear. This method effectively counters any apprehension you might feel. It also acts as a continual source of inspiration and motivation for you. Let this visualization guide you through the tough times in your entrepreneurial path.

Implement Stress-Relieving Tactics

Running your business can be stressful. Incorporating stress management techniques such as meditation, physical exercise, or deep breathing into your daily routine is crucial. These practices help you maintain a calm and focused state of mind. Such a demeanor is vital for making effective decisions in your business. By managing stress, you enhance your ability to manage your business more efficiently.

Develop Contingency Plans

In your business, expect the unexpected. Proactively developing a contingency plan equips you to handle unforeseen challenges. A well-thought-out fallback strategy not only lessens your fear during surprise situations but also prepares you to tackle them with confidence and poise. Being ready for anything helps you maintain control and stability in your business journey.

Security Applies to Documents Too

In addition to robust cybersecurity measures, managing and organizing your business documents efficiently is vital for the success of your venture. It's important to keep your sensitive files secure. Converting your documents to PDF format enhances their compatibility and sharing ease, while also protecting their integrity. Utilize online tools that provide password protection for these files. This step ensures both easy access and confidentiality for your business information.

Acknowledge and Celebrate Progress

In your entrepreneurial journey, acknowledging every achievement, big or small, is essential. Celebrating these milestones, regardless of their size, builds your sense of accomplishment and bolsters confidence. This habit cultivates a positive mindset, vital for overcoming any fears and doubts you face in your business. Starting your own business is both thrilling and intimidating, and it's okay to feel fear. By applying these critical strategies, you'll be able to conquer these fears and steer your business toward success with confidence and a clear vision.

Embarking on your new business venture is an exciting yet challenging endeavor. It's normal to experience fear but don't let it hold you back. These key strategies are designed to help you conquer your apprehensions. With them, you can navigate your entrepreneurial journey more confidently. Embrace these methods for clarity and success in your business pursuits.

 

Who Is Ross Kernez, the Internet Marketing Expert? – OK!

Nov. 8 2023, Published 5:02 a.m. ET

A CEO invested in mentoring and guiding those in the ever changing game of digital marketing, Ross Kernez is paving the way for businesses to find success online and grow their brand.

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Worried about the constantly evolving landscape of SEO and online marketing? Ross Kernez, CEO of SEO Meetup has created one of the largest online marketing communities to date where anyone can learn and grow their skills. SEO Meetup is based out of NYC but welcomes members from anywhere in the world to join for free in webinars, online events, and meet face to face with other marketing minded individuals. Kernez started SEO communnity with a desire to knit together a community in which everyone can acquire skills in digital marketing. Hosting successful live events, Kernez covers topics that any online digital agency or startup can benefit from, including growing organic traffic, native ads, third party collaborations, affiliate marketing, search engine optimization algorithms, and much more. With over 2,800 members gaining influential and invaluable guidance, Ross Kernez continues to invest his time and passion into shaping aspiring marketers and businesses to achieve success. Connection drives success, says Kernez, as he hopes SEO Meetup members will thrive from the chance to connect with others and learn together.

The Path to Success

Kernez has cultivated expansive digital marketing expertise by collaborating with innovative companies across industries. As Grace AI co-founder, he contributed to the development of their AI-powered search technology in the early stages. His diverse experience includes guiding strategy and SEO initiatives for a stone disruptor Marble.com and software company Inventive Software. Cofounding Coat Connect and for Kernez further enriched his skills. Through these varied opportunities working with organizations of all sizes, Kernez honed an adaptable digital skillset. Today, he leverages these capabilities providing strategic consulting to help companies and startups grow through targeted digital campaigns. Currently, Kernez applies his multifaceted expertise as Director of Search Marketing at rapidly expanding healthcare insurance broker firm HPOne.

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Rosss more than 10 years of dynamic and influential experience in the marketing industry has been highlighted and featured in Forbes, Mashable, Newsweek, Lifewire, Entrepreneur, IBM Systems, and more. The knowledge and mentorship Kernez brings to the table is enabling new and existing companies alike gain transformative levels of success in reaching targeted audiences. Kernez shows companies how they can grow their leads, increase sales, and ultimately boost their revenue.

Author, speaker, mentor, and community builder, Ross Kernezs techniques in customer acquisition, search engine optimization, and marketing strategies enable anyone willing to work hard enough, to get a leg up in their industry. Through the power of connection and mentorship, Kernez is helping businesses realize how to optimize the world of digital marketing.

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The Power of Connection

Being fluent in several languages including English, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and Slovakian, Rosss ability to work with a body of culturally diverse businessmen and businesswomen, is a testament to the power of human connection. Kernez was born in Ukraine but later immigrated to America where he has become a sought after figure in the world of marketing and branding. Working across industries and varying sizes businesses, Rosss experience continues to define his logical and practical approach to online marketing. In his personal time, Ross enjoys spending time traveling across the globe, playing chess and spending time outdoors, reiterating his passion for connection and understanding business cross-culturally.

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Kerenezs Take on Why Marketing Matters

Kernez is firm on the fact that digital marketing, although ever-changing, will continue to be at the forefront of building a successful business. Search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media, affiliate marketing, and other online strategies have become the go-to in growing a brand online. Most traditional customer acquisition methods have become outdated and ineffective paving the way for massive success online. Kernez wants those involved in marketing to know that the digital age of marketing isnt going anywhere. Even with the rapidly developing skills of AI, digital marketing will still be necessary for the foreseeable future.

How Kernez Can Help Your Business

Stay up to date with future and upcoming SEO Meetup events for the chance to hear Ross speak and gain marketing know-how to start building your business.

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Who Is Ross Kernez, the Internet Marketing Expert? - OK!

Athletic Brewing Company Partners with Viral Internet Granny to … – PR Newswire

Barbara "Babs" Costello from Brunch with Babs invites holiday hosts to put a new tradition on the table with Athletic Brewing's award-winning non-alcoholic beer

MILFORD, Conn. and SAN DIEGO, Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Athletic Brewing Company, the largest non-alcoholic brewery in America, is kicking off its 2023 holiday campaign by teaming up with the internet's favorite grandma, Barbara "Babs" Costello from Brunch with Babs, to bring fans her top tips for holiday hosting.

Costello, a 74-year-old social media sensation with millions of followers, regularly shares motherly advice, recipes, and other life hacks. Together with Athletic Brewing, she will help party planners nationwide throw better get-togethers this holiday season.

"I've planned my fair share of parties and know how stressful hosting can be especially during the holidays," said Costello. "I'm thrilled to be working with Athletic Brewing to share some of my proven holiday hacks for pleasing all of your guests this season."

Throughout November and December, Costello will offer her do's and don'ts for hosting success a recipe that includes stocking the fridge with Athletic Brewing's great-tasting non-alcoholic beers.

"Trying to figure out what to serve your guests during the holidays can feel like a bad hangover," said Rosalie Kennedy, Athletic Brewing's Director of Marketing. "But Athletic knows that great hosts have great taste, and keeping our award-winning brews on ice will help you win over even the toughest critics from your crazy cousins to your awkward aunts."

To make it even easier for entertainers, Athletic has also curated the perfect holiday playlist. Whether you're attending or hosting a party this season, set the mood and keep the vibes high with this soundtrack that is sure to satisfy.

In the spirit of helping hosts elevate their game, Athletic will also launch a special Brew TimeBundle on November 8. The limited-edition bundle will cost $37.99 and include a 6-pack of Run Wild IPA, a set of four bamboo coasters emblazoned with the Athletic Brewing logo, and a custom candle featuring delicate scents of citrus and pine. The candle, which brings to mind a freshly cracked Run Wild IPA, appropriately sits in a stylish 5 oz. can glass donning Run Wild artwork.

The launch of the campaign comes at a time when 22% of Americans over the age of 21 plan to drink less alcohol1 over the next year. At the same time, a record-high 39% of Americans now believe that consuming one to two drinks per day is bad for one's health2.

To locate a U.S. retailer in your area, please visit the Athletic Brewing storefinder. Please follow Brunch with Babs on Instagram, and Athletic Brewing onFacebook,Instagram,LinkedIn,TikTok,Twitter, andYouTube to stay up-to-date on all things Athletic.

About Athletic Brewing Company

Athletic Brewing, founded in 2017 by Bill Shufelt and John Walker, is the 13th largest craft brewer in America and the leading producer of non-alcoholic craft beer. The company's brews are distributed in all 50 states and available at over 50,000 retail stores nationwide. In 2023, Athletic was ranked as the 4th fastest-growing company in the Americas by Financial Times. Athletic was also ranked as the fastest-growing U.S. beverage manufacturer by Inc. Magazine in 2022, and named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential Companies." The company has won over 75 prestigious brewing awards and has earned the title of North American Brewer of the Year in the last four International Beer Challenge competitions. Athletic has custom breweries in Milford, Connecticut, and San Diego, and donates up to $2 million annually to protecting and restoring outdoor spaces across the globe via its Two For The Trails program. Athletic Brewing is proudly a Certified B Corporation. Its full-flavored near beers and hop-infused sparkling waters are available on http://www.athleticbrewing.com.

Sources: 1Coefficient Capital Consumer Trends (June, 2023)2Gallup Consumption Habits Survey (July 2023)

SOURCE Athletic Brewing Company

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Athletic Brewing Company Partners with Viral Internet Granny to ... - PR Newswire

The Current State of AI – Elmhurst College

BY JAMES KULICH| 5 MIN READ

Before the arrival of ChatGPT, one way to view artificial intelligence (AI) was as a back-room technology; a set of tools that could handle some specialized but largely mechanical tasks well.

From this vantage point, AI did not and never would create real competition for those engaged in work that required deep thinking. On the other end of the spectrum was the fanciful view that AI was on its way to being all powerful, eventually overriding human capability and judgment. The choice was to be awed or to be scared.

As this current state of AI has begun to show us, the reality lies somewhere in the middle. In this second post of a three-part series, I will offer a more nuanced, practical view of what todays AI can do. As always, the focus is on creating value from the use of these powerful tools planning for the long game.

AI may seem new, but it has deep roots. The Turing Test, developed in 1950 by Alan Turing whose accomplishments included breaking the Nazi code in World War II, raised the challenge of whether a machine could imitate a human in ways an outside observer could not distinguish. The term artificial intelligence was first coined at a Dartmouth academic conference in 1956.

Over the next 70 years, AI had its ups and downs. Excitement grew as the early possibilities for practical AI applications emerged, such as the creation of the first chatbot in 1964 or IBMs Deep Blue defeating reigning chess champion Gary Kasparov in 1987. However, these peaks were followed by AI winters during which little progress was made, driven by both the lack of necessary computing power and a dearth of practical use cases that offered sustainable value.

The emergence of tools like Apples Siri and capabilities such as face recognition on social media platforms ushered in the modern age of AI around 2010. While these applications created headlines, new cloud computing platforms and expanding machine learning capabilities opened the door to deeply impactful AI applications that were ready for prime time, such as AI-based medical imaging that could detect certain tumors more accurately than a human radiologist.

A common distinction in todays current state of AI is between weak or narrow AI and strong or general AI. Weak AI refers to any use of AI tailored to a specific, narrow outcome. Some familiar examples include AI assistants such as Siri or Alexa and recommendation engines now ubiquitous in internet marketing. Other illustrations include automated fraud detection capabilities, sensor-driven predictive maintenance models in manufacturing and even autonomous vehicles.

Strong AI is todays synonym for generalized artificial intelligence, the possibilities for AI to exhibit human characteristics such as emotion and creativity; strong AI would certainly pass the Turing Test. Does this exist now? Some might say that ChatGPT offers a foray into the world of strong AI, and I see this a bit differently.

ChatGPT gets its power not by being a lone ranger, acting on its own, but by being a team player, occupying the middle space between people and the world of knowledge available in electronic forms. This, in my opinion, is where AIs greatest potential to create future value lies.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can translate, summarize, organize and express information in ways that were previously unimagined, and generative AI can face different audiences effectively. For example, a well written ChatGPT prompt will produce a different response for a customer than it will for an employee. This opens the door to a whole new range of jobs that AI can perform.

In a recent presentation sponsored by Zoom Communications, Using AI Across the Customer Journey, experts from a variety of organizations offered insights into the impact of generative AI on customer service. The presenters described ways in which generative AI could be used to: coach, train and support agents, directly answer customer questions more quickly and accurately, tap the wisdom of the crowd, plan capacity so the right people are in the right place at the right time, and assist supervisors in evaluating agent performance.

Some benefits the panel cited were demonstrable increases in revenue, improvement in customer satisfaction scores, reductions in operating costs and gains in employee efficiency.

In each of these cases, the AI tools were in the middle of a chain of human interactions. I am convinced that this approach can unlock a virtually unlimited store of potential value.

Elmhurst Universitys Masters in Data Science and Analytics program helps professionals excel in business. Meanwhile, our flexible online format allows you to earn a masters degree on your terms. Ready to learn more? Complete the form below.

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The Current State of AI - Elmhurst College