For us in the internet marketing community, Twitter is the best way to get the latest insights from all the top minds in our field. The world of SEO is always changing, and if you’re working off old information you could be doing more harm than good to your website. In order to stay ahead of the curve, make sure to follow these 10 awesome internet marketing Twitter accounts:

Brian Clark – @Copyblogger

7 Essential Tips for WordPress Beginners – copy.bz/xrJDTA

— Brian Clark (@copyblogger) February 13, 2012

Due to its complexity, the technical side of internet marketing tends to dominate online discussion. But none of that will mean anything if you can’t write compelling web copy. Bryan Clark is the head of Copyblogger, one of the best sources for marketers to hone their writing skills.

Matt Cutts – @mattcutts

Today’s webmaster video: Should I make up filename extensions to improve my rankings? goo.gl/CMsDK — Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) February 8, 2012

Matt Cutts is the head of the webspam team at a little site called Google. In other words, while the rest of the world guesses at what the best SEO practices are, he’s one of the few to actually know all the answers. Follow him if you want to stay up on all the latest tweaks Google is making to their ranking algorithms.

Bryan Eisenberg – @theGrok

Online Form Optimization: 3 Simple Form Problems to Fix bit.ly/wzd8aS #CRO #LPO — Bryan Eisenberg (@TheGrok) February 10, 2012

Bryan Eisenberg is a great authority on market optimization. When he’s not writing columns or best-selling books on the subject, he’s tweeting out great content on everything from design to analytics.

Rand Fishkin – @randfish

White Hat SEO F$#@!ing Works: moz.com/blog/white-hat… Worried that some of the newer folks to the field missed that memo.

— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) February 13, 2012

Rand is the CEO of SEOMoz, and one of the big fish in the internet marketing world. His company’s blog is an excellent source for all things in the world of internet marketing, and following his Twitter account is like tapping into an IV of liquefied internet marketing awesomeness.

Avinash Kaushik – @avinash

“Did You Know…” A collection of web stats on content consumption, engagement etc courtesy of Google: goo.gl/n98Kj — Avinash Kaushik (@avinash) February 8, 2012

Avinash is a digital marketing evangelist for Google, and one of the true gurus of marketing analytics. If you want to learn how to use metrics to inform smart decisions about your website, Avinash is a must-follow.

Ian Lurie – @Portentint

The Google Search Plus Your World mega-post: portent.co/wStsjw Data, sarcasm, the works.

— Ian Lurie (@portentint) February 14, 2012

What, you didn’t think we’d include the CEO of my own company on here? Along with having a beautiful signature on paychecks, Ian has great Twitter game. His posts are an excellent source for plain-English guides on internet marketing, with a little bit of his trademark snarkiness sprinkled in. Hey, if you want to be an internet marketer, you’ve got to be ready for some snark.

Geno Prussakov – @eprussakov

Just posted: 8 Ways to Get Advice on Affiliate Program Management – bit.ly/AMadvc

— Geno Prussakov (@ePrussakov) February 14, 2012

Many internet marketers overlook affiliate marketing techniques, but it can be an essential element of your online marketing plan. Geno Prussakov is one of the world’s best authorities on the subject, so tap into his Twitter feed and feast on some of his knowledge.

Danny Sullivan – @dannysullivan

Bing & Google: “Spreading Romney” Ranking Tops For “Romney” Is Normal selnd.com/zWUwT1 & my analysis a @maddow factor’s at work

— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) February 14, 2012

If you’re an internet marketer, SearchEngineLand is an absolute must read blog. Danny Sullivan is the site’s editor, and how do I put this, he’s kind of a big deal. Follow his Twitter account if you want to sound like you know what you’re talking about.

Adam Sherk – @adamsherk

StumbleUpon Channels: Which Media Brands Are Doing Well? adamsherk.com/social-media/s…

— Adam Sherk (@adamsherk) February 14, 2012

Adam is an SEO/PR strategist who does a great job tweeting out content from a wide variety of sources, on anything from social media tactics to digital marketing news. Definitely a great follow for marketers and brands alike.

Dan Zarrella – @danzarrella

The Twitter 20 Interview About Viral Marketing with Me: zarrel.la/zYzATY (from @jaybaer‘s Convince and Convert)

— Dan Zarrella (@danzarrella) February 10, 2012

With each passing day, social media is becoming a more integral part of internet marketing. What’s even more amazing is how long we’ve been saying that. Following Dan Zarrella will help you step up your social media expertise.

The post 10 Internet Marketing Experts to Follow on Twitter appeared first on Portent.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian speaks out against internet censorship

January 18th was a big day in the fight against Internet censorship legislation. As you may have noticed, major websites like Wikipedia and Reddit took their content offline to protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). These two pieces of legislation would make dramatic changes to the Internet, allowing media companies to block access to sites that host copyrighted material.

In New York City, I was able to attend a large rally outside the offices of New York senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand protesting the two bills. In an industry known for its workers being chained to their computer screens, I was curious to see how this offline gathering of techies would turn out.

I arrived to find the crowd in good spirits, as organizers handed out Starbucks lattes (of course) and openly discussed the finer points of the proposed legislation. One woman held a sign saying: “This introvert is extrovert-ing to protest Internet censorship,” which no doubt encapsulated the position of many of those gathered.

Free speech in jeopardy?

When the speaking portion got underway, the crowd listened to several leading members of the NYC tech community give their thoughts on the SOPA and PIPA. Andrew Sireij, the lead organizer for the event, explained that lawmakers do not understand of the impact of their proposed actions, saying “congress doesn’t know the difference between a server and a waiter.”

Another lead organizer Clay Shirky said SOPA should instead be called “the First Amendment Sunset Act,” as it would signal the beginning of an immense crackdown of free speech in all areas of the web.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian drew cheers and applause when he described the crowd as “the geekiest, most rationale, reasonable protest in the history of NYC.” Ohanian also pointed out that SOPA and PIPA may irrevocably harm the beauty of the online landscape. He described the Internet as a level marketplace where the best ideas rise to the top, and that “all links are created equal,” a concept that is near and dear to the hearts of white-hat Internet marketers.

“Innovation, not legislation”

A common refrain among all the speakers was that the Internet industry is vibrant and creating jobs right now all over the country, and passing SOPA and PIPA would only harm business and halt hirings. Intriguingly, supporters of the legislation make a similar argument when defending their bills: they say that without regulations, jobs will be lost in the industries that create the intellectual property that’s being pirated online.

Of course, nobody was making the claim that pirating content was acceptable. But it is clear that this bill may go too far in damaging a free and open Internet world that has vastly improved the way human beings communicate, share, and follow their interests.

In reaction to today’s protests, several politicians have retracted their support for the bill, citing the need for more time to establish the proper course of action on dealing with online piracy. Perhaps congress and Hollywood should follow Ohanian’s suggestion of allowing the tech industry to have input on a solution, establishing a goal of “innovation, not legislation.” And if there’s one thing the tech industry is always willing to do, it’s innovate.

The post A View From New York City’s SOPA/PIPA Protest appeared first on Portent.

To further complicate things, my degree wasn't pointing me on any specific career
path. I graduated from a liberal arts university, which only carries with it the
ambiguous suggestion that I am a "well-rounded" person. To make matters even worse,
I majored in English, which at face value only proves that I indeed have a grasp
of the language I was born speaking.

After launching a job search for a myriad of different job titles from barista
boy to a paralegal at an ambulance chasing law firm, I finally found an ad for an
open position as a copywriter. I figured this might be one of the few times an English/Creative
Writing degree is ever put into direct usage, so I jumped at the opportunity.

After only a few weeks on the job, I quickly learned that much of what I learned
in my English courses had to be completely ignored. Thankfully, however, there are
a few other aspects of my education that have helped me greatly in my quest to become
the world's greatest internet content writer.

I will now share my findings with you in list form, because that's just what
you do when you write for the inter-webs.

Top 3 things that are now useless

1. Descriptions- You know the countless hours you spent in
   your creative writing classes trying to create
   
   vivid descriptions of places and settings? This is no longer needed for
   two reasons: 1) You can use images to show your readers what you would need
   to describe 2) People just don't have the patience for lengthy descriptions.
   Internet copywriting is about writing short, punchy sentences that deliver information
   quickly. So ditch your attempt to be the next Walt Whitman, and stick to the
   basics.

2. Vocabulary- Mark Twain once summed up his view on having
   a good vocabulary by saying, "The difference between the almost right word and
   the right word is really a large matter- it's the difference between the lightning
   bug and the lightning." Mark Twain clearly wasn't an internet copy writer. 

   While situations can arise where one of your SAT vocabulary words would just work
   perfectly in a sentence, if it's too obscure a word you will lose some of your
   audience. There's a reason why Nike sticks with the massively successful "Just
   Do It" slogan, and not something like "Procure the Paragon of Athletic Prowess."
   Stick to simplistic English and you'll never have to worry about this problem.

3. Formatting- When you write for the internet, you've got
   to format your writing entirely differently. Paragraphs should not be more than
   a few sentences.
   One sentence paragraphs are fine, too.

Lists, bullet points, images, and all the other stuff that would have given your
professors heart attacks if you had tried to submit it to them are now completely
fair game. The more you can visually break up your writing, the better.

Top 3 things that still apply

1. Inspiration is Everywhere- I always thought one of the
   joys of creative writing is the fact that every conversation, experience, or
   observation in your life has a chance to manifest itself in your writing. Inspiration
   is truly everywhere when you're a writer, and that doesn't change when you write
   copy.
2. Excess Language- I'll always remember what my creative writing
   professor once announced to our class as we were editing a classmate's short
   story, "Right now we just need to get out the pressure washer and blast away
   all this excess language."

   That quote has helped me try to remember to be concise. Excess language
   can be a huge flaw, so be stingy with your words.

3. Peer edits- Perhaps the greatest part of creative writing
   classes is peer editing. You can never know if the outside world will understand
   your writing without having one of your peers look at it before it's published.

Every time one of my coworkers edits my work, I receive invaluable suggestions
that always make the end product better. Never skip an opportunity to have another
set of eyes go over your writing.

While it certainly is an adjustment changing your writing voice from academic
to internet, it is comforting to know that the investment in my education wasn't
completely made in vain. At least you won't be likely to make any of these

copywriting blunders. If you too are an English major and have found things
that you needed to forget or retain, leave a comment!

The post What an English Degree Teaches You about Internet Copywriting appeared first on Portent.