For merchants wanting to cash in on the online search and buy trend, having a functional web site that is search engine friendly along with a strategic search marketing program is a must in the race to be ‘found’. But it is also equally important to have a mobile friendly web site to meet the needs of the rising trend of on-the-go mobile searchers. According to the Kelsey Group 130.5% mobile search growth rate is expected between 2008 and 2013.

“My paternal grandfather rented railway cars and brought in rugs from Persia. He also invested in real estate. But my favorite story about him was one my father used to tell…

Innovation continues in the Bay Area as RedBeacon takes local search social with its latest partnerships with FaceBook and Big Tent. You could explain RedBeacon as an advanced next-generation yellow pages but with a social responsibility committed to helping you pick the best business to handle your local service needs at the time, location and price right for you. Aggregating reviews from Google, Yelp and Yahoo is only for starters. Recently RedBeacon rolled out a new application that pings your Facebook friends for their advice and has formed a very interesting partnership with Big Tent where now its possible for “groups” to give the thumbs up or down on your choice of plumber.

Another friend from New York, Ashleigh Banfield sent me a note from her post at ABC. “Hey, Liz. Have you heard? X is the new 30?… As Emily Dickenson said “We turn older with years, but newer everyday”. I reminded Ash, who is much younger, that should they appear remember, wrinkles just indicate where your smiles have been. So, practice adding a twinkle to the wrinkle.

Exceeding Twitter user numbers, Google Buzz has become a monster beehive for sharing. This creates a whole new playing field in the ever-growing world of social media. With Google Buzz being just a few weeks old and already so popular, it’s safe to say that this is really only the beginning as new features are already on the horizon to be launched.