The dates and venue for the Topco Media Corporate Social Networking Conference have been confirmed as 4, 5 & 6 August 2009 at The Forum | The Campus in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Christine and other industry experts will share their knowledge and thoughts during intensive talks, panel discussions and workshops. Christine's topic will focus on AlterSage's speciality, Search Engine Marketing and the greater marketing mix between online channels including social media and mobile. Other speakers will discuss topics like "Targeting unique untapped markets with social media" and "Brand building in the digital economy." For more information please contact Tercia Calitz and mention 'AlterSage' for a 10% discount. If you are on Twitter, follow the tweets around the conference by searching for the hash tag #CSNC09.

Today we are attending the Net Prophet 2009 at the Old Mutual Business School in Cape Town. The aim of Net Prophet is to inspire creativity and the flow of ideas among Internet and Tech industry professionals in South Africa.

At the end of May we will be attending the bi-monthly industry GeekDinner. For more information or to book your place and meet up with us, please visit the GeekDinner wiki.

The Ins and Outs of Search Engine Optimisation
These days, merely having a website is not sufficient in terms of a company's online presence. Any good online marketing strategist will tell you that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the basis of a successful online marketing strategy. The website needs to rank well in search engines for key-phrases relevant to your business activity in order to increase quality traffic to your website. One of the best ways to achieve this is by ensuring that your website contains well-optimised and relevant content. Read more.

Do you Tweet?
Twitter is a social media phenomenon that has been around since 2006. While early adopters may have been onboard since its inception, it has only really grown enormously in popularity over the past year or so. To many people tweeting might should like a load of twaddle unless you're referring to a bird. However many tweeple ("people" in the twitterverse) do it with relative dexterity and ease. Let's cut out all the twitterisms - and they are aplenty - and get down to the nitty-gritty of this month's article. Read more.

Google Shaking Things Up
Google is introducing a new Adwords ruling, taking effect from 1 June 2009. With this ruling competitors will now be allowed to bid on trademark terms and brand names, making it imperative for PPC campaigns to be supported with a solid SEO campaign to promote increased presence regardless of competitor bidding. Keep an eye out for June's newsletter where we will tell you more about Google's decision.