For some time I’ve been working on a new website for my company NetTraject. The old site has certainly had its benefits but is not anymore of this time. Not only the technology was outdated, especially the design was hopelessly outdated. Now there’s a new website, but I need the help of the visitors of this blog for the final step. Continue Reading »

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.

Het mag duidelijk zijn dat de kerst er aan komt en het jaar ten einde loopt… Daarom gaat ook dit weblog even ‘op vakantie’. Dat wil zeggen… de frequenties van postings zullen in de komende twee weken omlaag gaan. Het nieuwe jaar zullen we echter inknallen met een nieuw design en enkele nieuwe features. Let dus goed op in de komende weken!

Voor nu: fijne dagen en een goed uiteinde! En knallen in 2008!!!

Het is elk jaar weer lastig om een kerstkaart te bedenken. Doe ik het online of met de post, ga ik relatiegeschenken versturen, etcetera. Op Dutch Cowboys lossen ze het deze keer op door middel van een beproefde manier: een goed doel steunen.

De lezers van Dutch Cowboys mogen kiezen welk goed doel een donatie van € 1250 (vanwege de bijna 12.500 postings) krijgt. Het goede doel mag bovendien een kwartaal lang gratis banneren op de site.

Ik heb besloten hier aan mee te doen en zelf ook een bedrag namens mij en NetTraject te storten. Ik heb gestemd op Unicef en zal daarom mijn bedrag daarnaartoe overmaken.

Ik raad jullie allemaal aan aan te geven welk doel volgens jou de donatie verdiend. En het is helemaal mooi als je ‘meedoet’.

I am a Web/search strategist, trainer, and well-respected blogger. I am well informed about what’s going on in the world of Internet and search marketing worldwide and especially Europe. Next to working for my own company I also am working for the DDMA as “Social Marketing Ambassador”.

I am the owner of Stateofsearch.com, a website on which myself and some other bloggers try to look at the next step in search. I am also the owner of NetTraject, a Dutch company that advises on international search matters and provides training in search engine marketing, social media and projectmanagement. I am also founder of Searchcowboys.com.

I am a regular speaker on different marketing and search events. Finally I am the host of several podcasts, including a weekly show on a WebmasterRadio.FM.

My background

I was born September 17th 1972. I live in The Netherlands (Voorschoten). Since 2004 I am happily married with Marlies. We have a son, Rogier, who was born in 2005. In 2007 there was Lianne, our first daughter. In 2009 our second daughter, Ellemijn was born.

In 2005 I founded NetTraject. This company was founded because I saw the need of an independent agency that could help companies grow in the fast online community. Because NetTraject has the knowledge, more companies can grow.

In 2008 I started working on Searchcowboys, a website which focussed on news about search engine marketing, especially in Europe. I built up the website to a success but because of the huge amount of time it consumed I stopped doing that early 2010. I am still very proud of what we did with Searchcowboys.

In February 2010 me and Lisa Myers started State of Search, a website which was originally meant to be a place where we could put our own in depth content. The website has grown so fast that we already have 13 bloggers writing for us.

In September 2010 I joined the Dutch Dialogue Marketing Association on a part-time basis to become Social Marketing Ambassador.