It’s almost done. Tomorrow is Christmas, next week new years, and starting this afternoon I’m taking the rest of the year off. No blogging, no work, only the radio show on Tuesday, but that is fun . And after a full year of working hard its well deserved if I say so myself .

In 2009 I made a switch in branding. I built up the brands Searchcowboys to what it is now and also built my own brand up to being the international search expert (with my mention on the BBC as the biggest highlight off course;) ). I do a lot more workshops and training sessions these days and I speak on many different conferences. It was a great year!

But now it’s time to slow down. But not before I wish you all a very good christmas and a very happy new year. And what better way to do that than using the web. Below you can find some examples of what viral stuff is going on on the web in these Christmas days. Not only funny, but also very good for branding. Enjoy!

Through Google you can even follow Santa:

For 13 days I was waiting, together with the rest of my family. That’s because it took 13 days from the date my wife was calculated to give birth to our 3rd child until the day she actually arrived . That we would have to wait a little longer was to be expected, but this long… Well in the end it all doesn’t matter. It has cost me some time and some appointments, but that’s all worth it.

I announced it through Twitter, but let me officially introduce you to the newest ‘cowgirl’:

Ellemijn Gijsje Marije van den Beld

Last year I visited AdTech London. It were a couple of nice days where I learned a lot about Internet Marketing stuff and got to know some nice people. This year the organizers want me to come back and visit AdTech again. So they keep on sending me e-mails. And to be honest, if I weren’t going to PICNIC I think I would go to London.

Today I received another e-mail from the organisation. It immediately got my attention because of the title: "Are you a marketing cow?". Of course, being a blogger on Dutch Cowboys, this got my attention.

It turned out it was a little quiz to find out what my ‘IQ on Internet Marketing’ is. 15 questions about hot items concerning Internet Marketing, combined with questions about knowledge of specific subjects. Off course it’s nonsense, but still, its funny! Try it out (here) and let me know what your IQ is (and then I’ll tell you mine ).

It’s always important to test before you put a product live. There are even companies which you can hire to test for you. One of these companies is the dutch company TestYourProfessionals. They are looking for more staff. And in this tight market you need to draw attention to yourself. With this advertorial they succeeded to do just that.

For the english readers some translations:

"Zeker vergeten te testen" means "Probably forgotten to test"

In 2003 and 2004 Matt Harding traveled around the world.  He "thought off" something very typical for the current Internet age. By using video and the Internet he brings people together and he opens borders. He makes the whole world accessible. How? By dancing. Matt used the same dance at different places in the world. Thus creating a very nice video.

Matt has just finished a new movie, the 2008 version. Where he has people from around the world dancing alongside him. Nice to look at and a very good example of how the current possibilities of the web can be used.
The newest movie:

The original from 2005:
 

Are you a start up company and would you like to go to The Next Web 2008, but the 750 euros access is too much for you? The Dutch online twitter community hands you a chance to go. On Twitter the initiative for an online start-up pitch evolved.

The Next Web is a conference which is about the future of the web. That is why start-ups are very important. For example di 24 start-ups get the chance to speak on the big stage for five minutes. Also there is a ‘Company Area" where start-ups can present themselves in booths.

Off course not every start up in Netherlands can do this, but for start ups, it is certainly interesting to walk around on the Congress to facilitate contacts and ideas. Start ups however often have one big problem: money. And a visit to The Next Web site costs money. Certainly not excessive money, but money. And a start up thinks twice about every dime before spending it.

In a dialogue at Twitter Dutch Twitterazi Erwin Blom and Arne Hulstein came to the conclusion that there ‘something had to be done’. Blom, a big fan of the TV show "Dragons Den’ came up with a collection tight together with a contest.

If you like to support a start up and like to create the opportunity for startups to get an admission ticket you can donate money. If you are a startup and want to compete you need a video film of 3 minutes in which you pitch your startup. Video’s will be followed by a vote on who wins.

Meanwhile, the organization of The Next Web supports the initiative and already claimed they would double every euro collected and amongst others Dutch Cowboys and NetTraject donated. A great opportunity therefore for start ups.

So, want to help the start ups? Are you a start up and want to go? Take a look and comment on the weblog of Erwin Blom.

I always like to make comparisons to get things clear for the people I’m talking to. Apparently Li Evans likes to do that as well.

With her post about a Bon Jovi concert she visited she makes a nice comparison with what things you should focus on in Internet Marketing.

She saw how Bon Jovi treated its fans and compared it to the way we should treat our ‘fans’ on the web. She comes up with seven issues:

• Get Your Message Heard and Understood
• Can Everyone See the Show?
• Distractions From the Real Message
• Get the Crowd Involved
• Using the Familiar to Introduce the New
• Change is Good!
• With Age Comes Experience

All issues we can agree on I think. Read what she says about these issues in her post on Searchmarketinggurus.

I’m curious about what you think. Which items would you add?

I write a lot for Dutch Cowboys. So I did recently at the

SES

in London. In London I was interviewed by some people from Checkit. I thought it would be part of a series of interviews. But suddenly I’m exclusivly online on Dutch Cowboys. That was a surprise : ). But its fun!

Look at the interview on Dutch Cowboys >>>