Top Internet Strategy, Marketing & Technology Links – Feb 16, 2010

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Developers have flocked to Apple’s iPhone SDK, but there is a significant barrier to entry: knowledge of Objective-C, the programming language that is used to build native iPhone apps. Fortunately, cooking up a hot iPhone app doesn’t require you to get too geeky. Developers who don’t know Objective-C, or who don’t want to learn yet another programming language, can build native iPhone apps using these five tools.
– Five tools for building iPhone apps without Objective-C (EConsultancy)

The language that iPhone apps are built in – Objective-C, is not an easy one to program in, even for experienced programmers. This has been a huge barrier to entry to creating Apps for the iPhone and has created a group of highly-paid programmers. While I like to see skills fairly compensated, it’s nice to open creation up to a wider group – making it easier for groups, individuals and small companies to also develop Apps.

Social media is increasingly the battlefield for disputes between David and Goliath. Thanks to the spotlight that social media tools like Twitter and Facebook can shine on these disputes, individuals have more power than ever to get companies to acknowledge their complaints and resolve disputes out in the open. But that power can be deceptive. Despite the fact that social media can pressure companies to deal with sticky situations in a more even-handed fashion, individuals often waste the opportunity. – How to use social media to resolve a dispute with a company (EConsultancy)

I think using social media properly as an individual is very similar to how a company needs to use it. Remember – whether you’re a company or an individual, how you act and what you say become part of the public record – which will show up for searches for your name well into the future. Make sure you act in a way that you want people to know about.

This week Rand discusses recent changes that seem to signal the coming of another big shift in how the engines determine results. With the incorporation of social networks into results, increased personalized search, and even Google Buzz, the social graph is clearly becoming a more and more important factor for the engines. What will these changes mean for online marketers and how can you take advantage of them? – Whiteboard Friday – How Search is Changing (SEOmoz)

The real-time web and social search are becoming a bigger part of search results for all search engines, including Google and Bing. What people are saying about your company – what you’re saying – all are influencing the search results for your brand. It’s becoming even more important to monitor your brand, not just on blogs and websites, but on social networks like Twitter, Facebook & Buzz.

Google Buzz seeks to make it easier to start and follow social media-like conversations about the things that interest you. And as an ecommerce business owner, Google Buzz offers a powerful new way to stay connected with customers, build you brand, and, potentially, boost sales. All told, after spending some time with Buzz, I was impressed enough to award it three and a half out of a possible five stars in this, “The PeC Review.”. – The PeC Review: Google Buzz a No-brainer (Practical eCommerce)

I would agree that taking a look at Google Buzz is a no-brainer, but I’m not sure it’s a no-brainer that eCommerce sites or business sites should go crazy with it yet. The interface is still so clunky that I would be very wary of spamming your customers (sending too much information). There just isn’t a good way for people to filter through Buzzes – which is why I’ve held off sending my Google Reader shared and Twitter accounts through Buzz (I share about 50 articles a day). However, Buzz looks like it could be a pretty important addition in the social landscape, so claim your profile and take a look it so you’re ready to jump in soon.

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