If you're a marketeer in Asia, you probably manage your company's online brand and reputation across multiple markets (countries). I know many of you already use Google Alerts generically hoping that something relevant to our region pops up in your emails and that's great, but here's a better way to get right into each individual market and check out who's been talking about your brand/products. Step 1: Go to google.com and click on Advanced Search. You will see a form with many options like this: Step 2: Type whatever search term you need in the top box, then click on the link at the bottom called "Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more". More options will immediately appear including one called "Region". This is a list of countries that Google covers.

Step 3: Select a country of interest and click the "Advanced Search" button. I'm sure you'll like the results. What is really amazing about this is that Google has somehow managed to capture sites that are not clearly identified to belong to a specific country. For example, this blog (eok.net) does not have a .sg in its domain and its IP address resolves to the US. But Google has specifically classified my blog under the region "Singapore". Which is accurate as I live in Singapore and update my blog from here. This method of searching is especially useful when you know many people are talking about your brand/product online and want to discover the many channels where you are mentioned. A quick example, using the search term "Intel" in region Singapore you get first page results that include vr-zone.com, zdnetasia.com, wirelessdesignasia.com, hardwarezone.com, etc. Notice how Google left out Intel.com or Wikipedia.com which so often appears in search results. Google's regional search is done exclusively where my blog is listed under Singapore alone. You can't find eok.net if you switch over to nearby regions like Malaysia. This gives you the powerful ability to identify clearly who's been talking about your brand within each market. Repeat this across all your regions and you've got the best localised social media monitoring tool in the world. And yes it does support multiple languages. Note, this is not the same as going to google.com.sg to find Singapore sites. Google.com.sg gives you sites that are prefered by Singapore users, not sites that come from Singapore.

I was so intrigued by this when I read it because it is so true but none of the newsletters I get follow this rule.

"...the best time to blast email industry newsletters to subscribers is around lunch because many people eat at their desk but want something that can make them look busy."

From Email Campaign Expert Shares Effective Marketing Strategies on OnlineMedia Daily (It was too long to Twitter so I'm sharing it here.)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0zEXdDO5JU] I watched this great video today called The Crisis of Credit. The reason its great is because it makes simple a complex issue. Our world today is filled with complexity. How does Aircon work? Why are there Tsunamis? Taking a hint from the above video I can imagine brands making use of this explaination method to get their message across in viral videos such as:

• Symantec: How antivirus works This will help users understand the critical nature of viruses and the need to protect themselves.
• Toyota: How a hybrid engine works Educate users on the effectiveness and technology behind hybrid cars helping buyers make the decision to switch.
• Dyson: How much dirt is in your carpet We step on it every day, some even roll around on it. Is it clean enough for my toddler to play on?

Discovery Channel's How Stuff Works has realised early that people have curiosity for understanding the complex things around us. This proves there is a ready audience for explanations, we as marketeers just have to create some. You might also remember other viral videos such as those from CommonCraft explaining how certain Web 2.0 applications work. On the static front, Xplane has built a great business around simplifying and explaining complexity in amazing infographics. Isn't it time you tried to explain for your brand?

Click this link if you haven't already signed up: http://www.tdm.sg/events/blogout BlogOut! 2009 is here and I'm particularly excited. We have my JamiQ co-founder Kelvin Quee talk about sentiment analysis and businesses on Day 1 and my co-founder of Scoopasia, Melvin Yuan speak on social media. But since I already knnow these guys well, I shall look forward to hearing from Jon Yongfook and Joel Postman. For those who still don't know...

Yongfook is an award-winning web producer, a blogger (of 10 years!), a proponent of permission-based marketing and a big believer in metrics-based approaches to solving online business problems.  A programmer-designer-marketer living in Tokyo. He specialises in usability, platform development and online marketing. He’s the creator of open source lifestream software Sweetcron and the recipe sharing website Open Source Food (now known as Nibbledish), which was acquired by Tsavo Media in January 2009. He helps companies improve user experience, to increase conversions and revenue, assist companies reach new markets, and building online applications to solve a business or communication problem.

Joel Postman is senior partner and chief enterprise social business strategist for Intridea, a Washington, D.C. based developer of Web 2.0 applications including the popular microblogging platform Present.ly. His background includes a decade of Fortune 500 corporate communications leadership, four years as the speechwriter to the CEO of Sun Microsystems, and experience in print and broadcast news. He is the author of SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate, published December 2008. Joel lives with his family in the Santa Cruz Mountains. To the extent that he could be said to have grown up. He did so in the Silicon Valley, and first lived there before the discovery of silicon. He is also an experienced Zamboni driver.

Hope to see you guys at The Digital Movement's latest social media conference -- BlogOut!

I was just reading this article on the Singapore government's reaction to negative comment online. In it, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, Mr Lui Tuck Yew was quoted saying:

"Significant numbers were unkind. A small number was downright outrageous. It's disappointing." Mr Lui added that the internet community had not done enough to rebut some of the unhelpful comments delivered by fellow netizens. He said: "It is a squandered opportunity for a higher degree of self-regulation. It would have been an example of the genesis of the first step towards a more responsible, a greater self-regulatory regime. "But many of those responses were not rebutted nor answered. And I think it is not healthy for some of those to remain on the net unchallenged, unquestioned, and unanswered."

This was in relation to "cybertalk which erupted after MP Seng Hang Thong was set on fire by a disgruntled ex-cabbie". I'm not sure if it's selective reporting on the part of the reporter or is this the accurate sentiment of our government. What I'm wondering now is if these "unkind" opinions are telling us a story, a truth about Mr Seng. Why were most of the comments "unkind" and "downright outrageous"? I find it hard to believe that we Singaporeans, being so well educated and so well connected (online), are not capable of self-regulation. I've seen both people and businesses being praised greatly as well as exposed and shamed by the community online which means the community online are definitely capable of giving objective opinions. That being said, in my opinion negative opinions need not be a bad thing. If they speak the truth, you're problem is exposed and then easily solved (build better products, remove person involved). If they speak of a lie, then the breadcrumbs will lead you to the source. Once identified, you can address it with legal means and attempt to communicate the truth. I believe the online community is a great source of feedback, but it's the story of the collective that carries meaning.