As digital signage metrics standards continue to emerge, rest assured the industry will follow. Metrics are paramount to the success of any digital signage network attempting to sell advertising space. In fact, this is true for any advertising medium.

We’ve also read a lot about how in the land of the digital signage, content reigns. Let’s say you’ve engaging content. Let’s go even further to characterize your content as amazing and your digital signage venues as the highest traffic spots in town. You know you’re making an impact. 

Since the internet is the biggest game changer since the cotton gin, it needs to be involved more in digital signage than simply the modus operandi for content upload and distribution. There needs to be a reason for customers to sit down when the day is done and bring the experience of digital signage home with them. Digital signage must give consumers a compelling reason to go home at night, jump on their PC and revisit the website of the company whose ad caught their attention earlier in the day.

How is this done? I’ve written a few articles earlier about the uses of mobile devices with digital signage. But, I think something is missing. Perhaps a digital signage/kiosk hybrid with internet access would work appropriately. Or perhaps, adding some other obnoxious feature to the digital signage, like smells, would be appropriate.

Whatever the plugin, widget, or application added, it must somehow drive traffic to a company’s website. Think for instance about a signage network of 100 or even 1,000 digital signage screens. Think of the power this company has making lasting marketing impressions. Now, if those lasting impressions actually drove consumers to the web, what would be the result? Traffic would be the result. Traffic on the WWW is like stink is to monkeys. Monkeys are just not as successful without their stink.

I actually read a report sometime ago released by Google which showed how web traffic drives everything else. If you can successfully get a significant amount of web traffic, your site will be successful. Facebook is a good example of this. After amassing a huge following the privately held company was given buy-out offers worth several billion dollars. This was before any real profits could be recognized. Take a look at Twitter. Now that the company has amassed a massive following, do you think they intend to go on without profiting? I doubt it. Advertising is the name of the game in all these scenarios.

The problem I see with run-of-the mill digital signage is that consumers can not input their credit card number into it. Computers allow them to do this. What a shame! When we can effectively give people a method of purchasing NOW, then digital signage will make the Quantum Leap. 

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Last night I caught the tail end of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. I’ve always thought Joe Lieberman looked like the actor Henry Gibson, but I could not remember which movie I had seen him in that reminded me he looked like Joe Lieberman. Then it hit me. He was in that funny/creepy 80’s film with Tom Hanks called “The Burbs.” I did some searching around and lo and behold. There he was: Henry Gibson. What do you think? Don’t they look similar? 

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I’ve been meaning to post about this for a while, but I’ve not gotten around to it. For those familiar with SEO techniques, there’s a lot of buzz around the web regarding dofollow links and commentluv. I’ve found some lists of dofollow blogs out there. The best type of dofollow blog is the type that allows for comment luv. 

What is CommentLuv? 

Comment Luv allows you to place anchor text after your name in the comment box on a blog. For instance, if I wanted to comment on your blog my comment would be preceded by something that looked like this: 

Nate @ Digital Signage says: 

I think you get the idea. This way, you can target your specific keywords when performing your SEO. So, if you’re a company targeting mobile marketing, you can simply place your anchor text as your keywords and comment away. Do me one favor, don’t spam though. 

I’ve not yet added commentluv because I’ve not had the time. It will be coming shortly, when I get a free moment. Without further delay, here is the list: 

This original list can be found at Digital Products Review
Another list found at Untwisted Vortex. Keep in mind, I’ve not edited it to keep up with repeats between the lists, so be aware. 
Added on 2008-08-13:
It Might Be Love DF CF KF  
Best of Stupid DF CF KF  
UpstartAgent DF   KF  
Added on 2008-08-12:
Dreams, Astral Projection and Astral Travel DF CF    
thou shall blog DF CF    
Savage Nomads DF CF    
benway.net   CF    
Satellite TV DF      
The List (in the order of verification, latest on top):
Interesting Observations DF CF    
Making Sales Making Money DF      
Getting Rich The ‘Certain Way’ DF   KF  
Aquarius Coaching DF   KF  
Blogger’s Lab DF CF    
Pingable DF   KF  
Lifecruiser DF CN    
Life Is Risky DF CF    
Life in the Fast Lane DF      
Last Blogger DF      
Just Not Martha DF CF    
JonesPC DF      
Acakadut DF CF    
Amateur Brain Surgery DF      
Her Family Blog DF      
Internet Business DF CF KF  
E-business Advantage DF CF    
Barbara Ling DF CF   (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Golden Dagger: Cebu iMaginations DF CF    
Blogging Resources DF     (In-post comments are do follow.)
Tricia’s Musings DF     (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Dot Com Mogul DF CF    
Blogging Sueblimely DF CF KF  
ShanKri-la DF CF KF  
Post Your Link DF     (Requires a link back.)
The Fibromyalgia Experiment DF     (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Endangered Spaces blog DF     (In-post comments are do follow.)
E-MoneyMarketing DF      
eComm Tips DF      
Don’t Fear the Truth DF      
Pop Critics DF CF    
Domestic Divapalooza DF      
Best Widgets for free DF     (In-post comments are do follow.)
Telling It Like It Is DF     (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Crafts 4 Dummies DF     (In-post comments are do follow.)
Craft Blog DF CF    
CoolAdzine for Marketers DF     (In-post comments are do follow.)
Confessions of An Everyday Housewife DF     (May be dead. In-post comments are do follow.)
Curious Cat
Science and Engineering Blog
DF      
Community Spark DF      
Colloquium DF CF    
Candid Quips DF      
By the Sea DF      
BuyMeBlog DF      
BodyFitnessInfo.com BLOG DF      
Blogging Tips DF      
Dosh Dosh DF      
Healthy Health List DF      
Income Prospect DF CF KF (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Tazkirah DF CF KF (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Mp3Play DF CF KF (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Health Aware DF CF KF (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Eims Blog DF CF KF (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Fast Blog Finder DF CF KF  
The Reader Appreciation Project DF      
WordPress Web 2.0 Spot-Er DF CF KF  
axplay DF     (Appears to be a dead blog.)
Army Mom:New Jersey DF CF   (Strict comments policy.)
Ang.’s Chicken Coop DF      
Advertising for Success DF     (In-post comments are do follow.)
A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye DF CF    
Home Based Business DF      
BrianPratt.net DF      
Engadget DF      
Weblog Tools Collection DF      
TradeMacro DF     (Appears to be a dead blog.)
Instructables DF     (You must be logged in to comment.)
Got No Dough DF CF    
Cooking, Recipes, and Kitchen Tools DF      
:: ZR5 Asian News :: DF      
Layercake.net DF      
Andy Beard DF      
Derek Semmler dot com DF CF   (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Crayon Writer DF CF    
Blog Raters DF      
SweetAgRing DF      
Blog That Outside DF      
Road Less Travelled Blog DF     (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Rambling Thoughts Blog DF     (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Linkitforme Blog DF      
Motori de Ricerca DF      
Pajama Professional DF CF    
Chris Hoyt DF      
I Do Things DF CF    
The Junk Drawer DF CF    
Place of Stuff DF CF KF  
Tobsy says DF     (Appears to be a dead blog.)
Brilliant! Cheers! DF      
Internet Business Blog to
Make Everything EzyAs123
DF CF    
News Notion DF      
Jadehat, the SEO consultant DF     (Appears to be a dead blog.)
A Slice of Life DF     (Haloscan commenting.)
Emarketscout DF CF    
Visualized.Feel.Abundance DF      
bloggersjourney.com DF      
Blog That Bites DF      
Blogging Made Devilishly Simple. DF      
Erik Karey: Internet Entrepreneur DF      
The Daily Fuzz DF      
Life in the Rough DF     (Strict comments policy.)
Love Blog DF      
Affordable Internet Marketing DF      
Baseball Investor DF      
Tallfreak.com DF      
Ja Kel Daily DF      
Healthy Living DF     (Timed delay for unregistered users.)
The Buffalo River DF     (Appears to be a stagnant MFA blog.)
RonaldoCamacho.com DF     (Appears to be dead blog.)
Saving Money DF     (Appears to be dead blog.)
Manila Freelancer DF      
SunlightFlavour.net DF      
Neomeme DF      
Living Life Abundantly DF      
The Ominous Comma DF      
Dragonfly Footbags DF      
Bill Hartzer DF      
LOLdogs DF      
Londoner Life Dot Com DF      
How To Wake Up Early? DF      
Your Website Profit DF      
Revellian Dot Com DF CF    
My Online World DF      
FatLadySingz.com DF      
Musings at Windyridge DF     (Haloscan commenting.)
Digital Products Review DF CF   (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Link Building Bible DF CF    
Success with Todd DF CF   (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Alohateam DF CF   (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
Redneck Bar & Grill DF CF KF  
Woman Tribune DF CF    
Menstrual Poety DF CF    
LCD LOVE DF      
EricSocia.net DF CF    
Place of Stuff DF CF KF  
Inspirit Blog DF CF    
Cutie Gadget DF      
Fiddy P DF CF   (DF turns on after X number of comments.)
ArticleSnatch Blog DF CF   (Strict comments policy.)
Simple Randomness DF      
Enjoy. If you have a DoFollow Blog, CommentLuv Blog, or KeywordLuv blog, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, giving us the URL. Thanks. Happy blogging. 

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Nate on August 19th, 2008

I’m big into wrestling. It was my sport of choice in high school. I loved it. I’m not sure how many have been paying attention to the Olympics lately, but America had a wrestler place gold for the ninth time in nine Olympics. Henry Cejudo, a 21-year old son of undocumented Mexican immigrants won the Gold Medal for Freestyle in the 55 kg weight class.

I think it’s a great testament to the American Dream and the unconquerable nature of the American spirit. He’s story is pretty amazing. From humble beginnings, Cejudo could not stop the flow of tears after defeating Tomohiro Matsunaga in a 2-2 tiebreaker, beating him in the series 3-0.


My personal favorite wrestler, Cael Sanderson, I’m sure was watching on. Cael himself completed college with a record of 159-0, 4 NCAA titles, 3 Dan Hodge Trophy awards, 4-time NCAA Outstanding Wrestler, and 4-time Big 12 Champion. Not too shabby. Dan Gable himself even admitted, Cael was better than he had been.

Good to hear America is still dominating in the oldest and greatest sport: wrestling!

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Just like digital signage vendors and networks themselves, there seems to be a lot of “me-too” offerings for digital signage directories and forums. Forums seem to be the most popular. I just noticed another Digital Signage Forum pop up. It was created by DSN3G.com, a cellular digital signage connectivity company.

It’s merely a Search Engine Optimization ploy to build critical mass onto a particular group of websites. We’ve already got the directory run by The Digital Signage Group and The Digital Signage Universe, both of which have their own forum which they’re associated with. Incidentally, AKA.tv also runs their own “Screens” forum as well. The 4 forums (at least those I know about) and 2 directories charge digital signage vendors for advertising on their particular site. They are cannibalizing each other’s profits. Silly, silly, silly if you ask me.

While everyone is scrambling to gain the “most hits” and “most visitors” to their digital signage site, it may be wise to avoid the “Red Oceans” of competition, and bring something new to the table. Just a thought. I’m not going to give specific advice, but trying to build something unique that would help theirs and others’ businesses succeed.

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I just wrote an article on the integration of SMS mobile marketing and digital signage. It explains some of the benefits of implementing a mobile marketing campaign with a digital signage network. It also outlines, in broad terms, how to procure a short code and implement standard SMS interactivity with digital signage.

In a larger network situation where scalability is possible, SMS short code procurement is almost a must for cutting costs and increasing efficiency. But, it’s all a numbers game. Is your network scalable enough to warrant paying $500 to $1000 a month for the short code fees, not to mention the cost per text? Is it worth it to you to go through the hassle of software development to ensure your SMS campaigns work flawlessly? If so, then procuring your own short code may be beneficial for you.

In some instances it may be a question of whether you want to go there. Am I an SMS company or a digital signage company? Or do I want to be a digital signage company who integrates their own SMS solutions? These questions are of vital importance when working on integrating mobile marketing with your digital signage.

In my opinion, it’s not a matter of “should I” implement mobile marketing into my digital signage platform, it’s” how do I implement it?” Hopefully this whitepaper outlines general terms of how to get started on procuring your own short code.

To view the article in its entirety, please CLICK HERE.

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Nate on August 13th, 2008

Google Knol is truly another me-too internet application which allows Google to push more traffic through their servers (as opposed to Wikipedia). This will allow them to make more from advertising because more of the traffic will be coming to them. It’s like having Google ads on a Google version of Wikipedia. Of course, Wikipedia was cool with it. The internet is a source for free information right?

This is truly another genius move my Google to increase their bottom line. The only problem is I’ve seen a ton of negative backlash in the blogoshere to Google Knol. Some have even “prophesied” the demise of the new project. I doubt it. Once information starts getting populated it will end up a great resource for information on the internet.

Which reminds me to talk about the benefits of it over Wikipedia as well as the downsides when compared to Wikipedia. Knol is not heavily guarded for accuracy. There may be much more “garbage” information that will show up in the Knol database than on Wikipedia. In addition, it appears as though the site allows for no-no follow or dofollow links to be placed in articles. This could be used as a type of spamming. At least, that’s certainly a possibility.

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Nate on August 7th, 2008

I’m not sure if you ever feel like this? I have some family members living in Asia right now. I was just chatting with them and we started talking about the funny signage in such countries.

So, I directed them to Engrish.com. What a great website. It had been a while since I had visited, so there was quite a bit of new content. On some of them I teared up I was laughing so hard. It’s interesting, because this type of content on digital signage would be awesome! I’m sure it’s out there. But, I’m also sure that the dynamic nature of the signage would make it difficult to snap a picture before the signage changed.

However, for those who ARE able to snag such a picture, it sure would be great to bring it all together. I think there needs to be a showcase of funny digital signage. If it’s caught, we need to have a place to post it so it gets attention! What do you think? How should we about doing this? Is anyone else in?

If you think there should be a showcase somewhere of interesting and entertaining digital signage caught on tape somewhere, let me know by commenting to this post your suggestions on how it should be done.

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If you’re reading this, you’ve probably got the same problem I had: you get some sort of error when you use the Joomla Contact form. You’ve read through all the online tutorials and you’ve probably tried all the suggestions and manipulated the contacts, the server under “global config” etc., but to no avail. Am I right.

For some reason I could not get the PHP or SMTP function to work on my digital signage site. I already have Gmail set up as my email client in Hostmonster and it works fine. I also had all my contact information setup with the client email as my email of use. The problem I was getting was that the sendmail was working for the “copy” email, but it was not sending me the email–which was the most important part of the process.

Here was the problem and here was how I fixed it.

Under my MX mail settings in Hostmonster Cpanel, I changed one thing. Where it says, “Always accept mail locally even if the primary mx does not point to this server” my settings were set to “yes.” I merely changed them back to “no” and now it all works swimmingly. I hope this helps. The reason I’m posting it is because I spent WAY too long trying to figure this out–for just a simple fix.

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This photo was snagged by Ben Beck waiting for the bus downtown Salt Lake earlier this week. The company has placed some rear projection digital signage in a vacant storefront. It’s a great use of space not being utilized. In addition, the signage sits where countless people are waiting for the bus, so it gets quite a few eyeballs.

Digital Signage Blog

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