Ziggs customers now hail from 44 countries around the world – the beginnings of a global village of professionals. We recently asked for feedback from our international customers. Here are just a few of the comments we received, one from India and one from Ireland.
“I love the design of my Ziggs Profile – very simple, elegant and professional,” said Naina Redhu, founder, owner and designer, aside. Based in Mumbai, India, Naina’s design studio focuses on logo design, corporate identity and photography for global clients. “My Ziggs Profile gives me an elegant place to present my professional identity online – my professional brand – and use it for networking and business development. I love that Ziggs even tracks how frequently visitors view my profile for me.” Naina’s professional Profile at Ziggs includes valuable information on her background, her biography, a self-written interview, and her interests including links to the four blogs she authors.
“Ziggs offers an outstanding professional online profile service applicable to corporate clients and individuals alike. It’s particularly helpful for individuals who want to profile their personal or corporate brand but are not ready or able to invest in the development of their own website,” said Krishna De, co-founder and managing director of Oneocean Ltd. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Krishna’s company is an international business development consultancy. As a leader in helping entrepreneurs grow their business, Krishna understands the value of giving her online brand global visibility. “Managing global clients requires that my professional brand can be found online through any search engine. Ziggs makes sure my name, with a link to my professional profile, is always visible in a top-listed spot in every single search engine.”
Be sure you’re listed in Ziggs’ global village of professionals. Listing is easy and takes less than one minute. We look forward to meeting you at Ziggs.
December 16, 2005
November 25, 2005
"Find a Better Job Without Really Trying?"
According to CNN Money, “more than a fifth of the Fortune 500, including blue-chip names like Pfizer, Sony and Microsoft” use people search services, including Ziggs, to find and recruit candidates. You might be interested in reading Money’s article on passive recruiting to learn more about this process and how you can quickly and easily take advantage of it to "find a better job without really trying."
November 10, 2005
Giving Job Seekers an Online Edge
Who wouldn't benefit from an online edge in today's competitive job market? If you're conducting a job search or if you know someone who is, here are some strategies for securing a competitive online edge.
Highlight Your Unique Value
Create a free professional online profile at Ziggs. Your profile can be used to present experience and contributions, a self-written interview, links to online work, and your photo. Then network using your profile by emailing it to target contacts within your target organizations.
Give Yourself Top Credibility
Position your profile in a top-listed, above-the-fold position across every major search engine. When recruiters or hiring managers search and find your highly professional profile - your credibility is only strengthened.
Know When Employers Review You Online
Each time a recruiter or hiring manager clicks to review your profile, be instantly notified via email. Real-time email alerts measure how often employers review your profile - giving you insight into the success of your job search.
Creating your professional online profile at Ziggs is FREE. Once created, give yourself top credibility by top-listing your name and profile across all search engines and receive email alerts every time someone reviews your profile, all with Ziggs WebPro Service™. After your first free month, continue to enjoy these benefits for a low monthly cost of $4.95. Try Ziggs WebPro Service for FREE.
Highlight Your Unique Value
Create a free professional online profile at Ziggs. Your profile can be used to present experience and contributions, a self-written interview, links to online work, and your photo. Then network using your profile by emailing it to target contacts within your target organizations.
Give Yourself Top Credibility
Position your profile in a top-listed, above-the-fold position across every major search engine. When recruiters or hiring managers search and find your highly professional profile - your credibility is only strengthened.
Know When Employers Review You Online
Each time a recruiter or hiring manager clicks to review your profile, be instantly notified via email. Real-time email alerts measure how often employers review your profile - giving you insight into the success of your job search.
Creating your professional online profile at Ziggs is FREE. Once created, give yourself top credibility by top-listing your name and profile across all search engines and receive email alerts every time someone reviews your profile, all with Ziggs WebPro Service™. After your first free month, continue to enjoy these benefits for a low monthly cost of $4.95. Try Ziggs WebPro Service for FREE.
November 07, 2005
What's Behind Your Brand?
Johnnie Moore, brand guru, recently wrote about the importance of “putting humanity back into branding”. He raises a key point for professionals in every industry to consider. Successful corporations typically value employees as their most important corporate asset. This is because the vision, creativity and passion that employees invest in their work drives the success of the brand and the company. Disney, Nike, Google, FedEx and Microsoft are a few obvious examples.
The same holds true for you. How passionate are you about managing your own brand? Have you put your own “humanity” into your brand - or is it a dry list of achievements on a resume? It’s wise to consider how you can best create and manage your brand with your own personal style. Building a professional yet passionate online profile, with a professional photo, and maybe even a self-written interview, is one step you can take toward presenting your own most powerful brand online. Start your own professional online profile for free at Ziggs.
The same holds true for you. How passionate are you about managing your own brand? Have you put your own “humanity” into your brand - or is it a dry list of achievements on a resume? It’s wise to consider how you can best create and manage your brand with your own personal style. Building a professional yet passionate online profile, with a professional photo, and maybe even a self-written interview, is one step you can take toward presenting your own most powerful brand online. Start your own professional online profile for free at Ziggs.
October 17, 2005
The Total Package
Today, Ziggs introduced Ziggs WebPro Service™, designed to provide a simple but complete solution for creating, managing, marketing and monitoring one’s online brand. Our new online service gives you the ability to 1) quickly and easily create a professional online presence with an online profile that Ziggs hosts for free, 2) instantly gain top visibility in global search results for that profile and 3) receive valuable insight into search activity for that profile through continuous monitoring with Real-Time Search Alert emails.
Peace of Mind Online
“We’ve got you covered in search results,” said Tim DeMello, chief executive officer and founder, Ziggs, Inc. “Our new service gives professionals peace of mind online because we offer a complete package for creating, managing, marketing and monitoring an online presence for your professional brand. Every professional should consider online brand development and management a necessity in light of the fast-growing search trend for conducting people searches for business associates, customers, prospects, hiring managers, interview candidates and more.”
What Customers Say
Kevin Abt, founder and president of FranBuy.com, uses Ziggs WebPro Service to manage his online professional brand and business presence. “The Ziggs service is extremely valuable to my business because it gives me an easy-to-use yet professional vehicle for creating, managing and marketing an online brand presence for myself and my business, with top visibility across all search engines,” said Kevin. “In addition, Ziggs WebPro Service helps me monitor the frequency of search activity to my online presence, giving me real-time insight into search traffic to my online profile throughout the world.”
Ziggs WebPro Service is free for the first month, and $4.95 each month thereafter. Learn more.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
Peace of Mind Online
“We’ve got you covered in search results,” said Tim DeMello, chief executive officer and founder, Ziggs, Inc. “Our new service gives professionals peace of mind online because we offer a complete package for creating, managing, marketing and monitoring an online presence for your professional brand. Every professional should consider online brand development and management a necessity in light of the fast-growing search trend for conducting people searches for business associates, customers, prospects, hiring managers, interview candidates and more.”
What Customers Say
Kevin Abt, founder and president of FranBuy.com, uses Ziggs WebPro Service to manage his online professional brand and business presence. “The Ziggs service is extremely valuable to my business because it gives me an easy-to-use yet professional vehicle for creating, managing and marketing an online brand presence for myself and my business, with top visibility across all search engines,” said Kevin. “In addition, Ziggs WebPro Service helps me monitor the frequency of search activity to my online presence, giving me real-time insight into search traffic to my online profile throughout the world.”
Ziggs WebPro Service is free for the first month, and $4.95 each month thereafter. Learn more.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
September 29, 2005
The Internet Elite
According to a recent Harris poll, almost 40 percent of us have conducted a name search for our own name, to see if we exist on the Internet. John Battelle, author of the newly released book The Search, expects that the number of people who conduct a personal name search will continue to grow, "reaching 90 percent in the coming years, as search becomes as individually definitional as finding oneself in the white pages was during the rise of the telephone."
If you’ve already conducted a name search to see how you’re presented online, you’ve taken a step in the right direction toward managing your professional online brand. But to truly make a difference for yourself and for your brand, you need to take it one step further. The simple act of writing and managing your own online profile through Ziggs, or listing your corporate bio at Ziggs, officially attaches your professional online identity to your name in search results at Ziggs and other search engines. This act puts a virtual stake in the Internet ether for your professional online brand.
Those of you who have already taken this step toward managing your online brand should consider yourselves on the cutting edge, ahead of the curve...among the Internet elite. Congratulations and well done.
If you haven’t done so yet, but you’d like to try creating a professional online presence, you can do so at Ziggs for free. Dive right in…the water’s always friendly at Ziggs.
"The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture," John Battelle, page 29.
If you’ve already conducted a name search to see how you’re presented online, you’ve taken a step in the right direction toward managing your professional online brand. But to truly make a difference for yourself and for your brand, you need to take it one step further. The simple act of writing and managing your own online profile through Ziggs, or listing your corporate bio at Ziggs, officially attaches your professional online identity to your name in search results at Ziggs and other search engines. This act puts a virtual stake in the Internet ether for your professional online brand.
Those of you who have already taken this step toward managing your online brand should consider yourselves on the cutting edge, ahead of the curve...among the Internet elite. Congratulations and well done.
If you haven’t done so yet, but you’d like to try creating a professional online presence, you can do so at Ziggs for free. Dive right in…the water’s always friendly at Ziggs.
"The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture," John Battelle, page 29.
September 01, 2005
Get Notified When Searched For
Wouldn’t it be helpful to know exactly when someone is searching for you online?
Ziggs now offers the ability to get an instant email alert every time someone searches and reviews your online profile hosted at Ziggs.
If you already have a profile at Ziggs, activating free Search Alerts is easy. Log in to Profile Manager and click “Alerts” under ZTrac Reporting. Then click the ‘on’ button.
If you don’t have an online presence at Ziggs, getting one is easy. Go to Ziggs and click the big red “Create Your Profile” button. In a matter of minutes you can create your free profile and activate Search Alerts today.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
Ziggs now offers the ability to get an instant email alert every time someone searches and reviews your online profile hosted at Ziggs.
If you already have a profile at Ziggs, activating free Search Alerts is easy. Log in to Profile Manager and click “Alerts” under ZTrac Reporting. Then click the ‘on’ button.
If you don’t have an online presence at Ziggs, getting one is easy. Go to Ziggs and click the big red “Create Your Profile” button. In a matter of minutes you can create your free profile and activate Search Alerts today.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
August 08, 2005
Be a 'Player' Online
To be a ‘player’ online, you don’t need to steal Lloyd Braun’s job as head of the Yahoo! Media Group. He wields the online player-power of overseeing all creative and business aspects of Yahoo!’s content properties, including music, games, movies, tv, entertainment, finance, sports and more. Nor do you need to push online ‘player’ Ludacris off this week’s top ten list for Hot Rap Tracks, where he holds the #2 position for his latest “Pimpin’ All Over the World.” And nevermind taking up basketball to drive Michael Jordan off his top position as America’s favorite sports ‘player,’ advertiser and self-promoter. Instead, you can become an online 'player' in your own profession in less than 15 minutes. Simply give yourself an online presence by creating a free online professional profile at Ziggs.com.
Your free professional profile at Ziggs gives you the opportunity to present yourself in a compelling online vehicle, offer your biography, background, a self-written interview, links of interest to your favorite websites or your professional work, as well as a photo and contact info. Some of the best online ‘players’ listed at Ziggs are highlighted on our website and honored with a ZBest Profile Award. To see some recent award-winning ‘players,’ visit Patricia Higgins, V. Cheryl Womack, Andy Fulrath and Ed Cooper.
To be a highly visible online ‘player’ think about where your online profile is ranked in major search engines. If you don’t want to spend endless time and money driving your online profile up in listing rankings across the engines, Ziggs can do it for you for $50 per year. Let Ziggs list your professional profile at or near the top of every major search engine – ensuring that professionals find you at the top of the search heap – a surefire way to be a true professional ‘player’ online. Can you afford not to be an online ‘player’ in your profession? At Ziggs, we think not.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
Your free professional profile at Ziggs gives you the opportunity to present yourself in a compelling online vehicle, offer your biography, background, a self-written interview, links of interest to your favorite websites or your professional work, as well as a photo and contact info. Some of the best online ‘players’ listed at Ziggs are highlighted on our website and honored with a ZBest Profile Award. To see some recent award-winning ‘players,’ visit Patricia Higgins, V. Cheryl Womack, Andy Fulrath and Ed Cooper.
To be a highly visible online ‘player’ think about where your online profile is ranked in major search engines. If you don’t want to spend endless time and money driving your online profile up in listing rankings across the engines, Ziggs can do it for you for $50 per year. Let Ziggs list your professional profile at or near the top of every major search engine – ensuring that professionals find you at the top of the search heap – a surefire way to be a true professional ‘player’ online. Can you afford not to be an online ‘player’ in your profession? At Ziggs, we think not.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
July 06, 2005
3 Million Opportunities to Network
As of July 1st, Ziggs now indexes more than 3 million profiles of professionals from across the US and around the world, representing more than 90,000 companies. As our Index continues to grow by five to ten thousand new profiles every day, your opportunity for networking with professionals in your industry expands every day as well. Each of the 3 million professional profiles listed in the Ziggs Index is a potential person you might want to network with, for business development, job searching or more.
And to help take the hassle out of networking, Ziggs now offers two free networking services. First, you can now quickly and easily share your online profile via email with others for networking or job hunting with Ziggs Announcement Service. This free service allows you to spark new business with professional contacts, refresh contact with old colleagues, and update friends and family about what’s new about you with ease by automatically sending an email with a link to your online profile.
Second, we now make it easy to network with professionals in Ziggs that share a common interest with you. ZAlerts is a new email notification tool that allows you to automatically receive an email on professionals listed in Ziggs who share your alma mater, former employers, hobbies, favorite sports or your hometown. You can create and monitor up to ten ZAlerts, using ten different keywords, and receive your ZAlerts daily, weekly or monthly. It’s easier to network with someone you already know you have something in common with, so try free ZAlerts today.
Sign in to Ziggs Profile Manager to set up your first ZAlert and then try emailing your profile to colleagues and friends with Ziggs Announcement Service.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
And to help take the hassle out of networking, Ziggs now offers two free networking services. First, you can now quickly and easily share your online profile via email with others for networking or job hunting with Ziggs Announcement Service. This free service allows you to spark new business with professional contacts, refresh contact with old colleagues, and update friends and family about what’s new about you with ease by automatically sending an email with a link to your online profile.
Second, we now make it easy to network with professionals in Ziggs that share a common interest with you. ZAlerts is a new email notification tool that allows you to automatically receive an email on professionals listed in Ziggs who share your alma mater, former employers, hobbies, favorite sports or your hometown. You can create and monitor up to ten ZAlerts, using ten different keywords, and receive your ZAlerts daily, weekly or monthly. It’s easier to network with someone you already know you have something in common with, so try free ZAlerts today.
Sign in to Ziggs Profile Manager to set up your first ZAlert and then try emailing your profile to colleagues and friends with Ziggs Announcement Service.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
June 10, 2005
Peace of Mind in Search
Every month Ziggs conducts an electronic survey that reaches out to newly registered users with insightful questions. Since the Ziggs Customer Survey was initiated six months ago, it’s interesting to note that the results of the survey are consistent from month to month. For example, of the people who responded to the survey, 36% of them consider the ability to have a free online profile that they create and manage at Ziggs to be the most valuable benefit of Ziggs for them.
In addition, it’s interesting to note that a whopping 84% of these customers monitor search results associated with their name in search engines on a frequent basis, from daily to monthly. This practice suggests that creating the conscious habit of monitoring search results associated with your name is essential for the business professional. Research shows that 1 in 4 Americans google the name of a business associate or contact prior to meeting them. Knowing what people find out about you online is necessary knowledge in today’s virtual business world. Comfort in this knowledge gives good peace of mind. Are you one of the 84% that monitors search results against your name? If not, why not?
If you’d like peace of mind in search, Ziggs can help. We take the hassle out of search marketing management for your name and profile. Ziggs can give your name, with a link to your online profile, top visibility in search results in every major search engine, including Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Ask Jeeves and many more. For less than the cost of a fish dinner for two at Boston’s famous Legal Seafoods - a mere $50 per year - you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having your name found atop search results around the world.
A plate of fish? …or worldwide visibility in search?…now that's an easy choice. With Ziggs Search Engine Placement Service, you can rest assured that colleagues, business associates, friends and more will always find you the way you want to be found the next time they search for you! Join the search-conscious 84% today and enjoy your own peace of mind in search.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
In addition, it’s interesting to note that a whopping 84% of these customers monitor search results associated with their name in search engines on a frequent basis, from daily to monthly. This practice suggests that creating the conscious habit of monitoring search results associated with your name is essential for the business professional. Research shows that 1 in 4 Americans google the name of a business associate or contact prior to meeting them. Knowing what people find out about you online is necessary knowledge in today’s virtual business world. Comfort in this knowledge gives good peace of mind. Are you one of the 84% that monitors search results against your name? If not, why not?
If you’d like peace of mind in search, Ziggs can help. We take the hassle out of search marketing management for your name and profile. Ziggs can give your name, with a link to your online profile, top visibility in search results in every major search engine, including Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Ask Jeeves and many more. For less than the cost of a fish dinner for two at Boston’s famous Legal Seafoods - a mere $50 per year - you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having your name found atop search results around the world.
A plate of fish? …or worldwide visibility in search?…now that's an easy choice. With Ziggs Search Engine Placement Service, you can rest assured that colleagues, business associates, friends and more will always find you the way you want to be found the next time they search for you! Join the search-conscious 84% today and enjoy your own peace of mind in search.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
May 19, 2005
The Do's and Don'ts of Your Online Presence
Building the Brand of You online is a must in today’s virtual world – especially since it’s now easier then ever and completely free. But what should be included in your professional online presence? How can you ensure you put your best foot forward? Here are a few of the do’s and don’ts of creating and using your presence on the Internet through a free online profile.
The Don’ts
1. Don’t assume you’re listed or easy to find in a search engine without checking first. Google your name to see your search results. If you have a common name, such as Mark Smith, you might be surprised to find over 28 million search results are presented against your name in Google. Which one is the real you?
2. If your name is uncommon, also don’t assume you’re listed in search engines without checking first. An uncommon name may deliver fewer search results, but that won’t guarantee any of the results are you.
3. When building an online profile, don’t include casual photos. Keep it professional. A professional online profile can be used for both professional and personal reasons. But a personal online profile cannot be used for business.
The Do’s
1. Do include a professional photo, background information, contact information and recognitions that lend credibility, such as professional awards, associations you are a member of, or the fact that you completed a marathon. You can do this quickly and easily at Ziggs, where creating a profile is free.
2. Do give your profile top visibility across all major search engines, so prospects and colleagues can find you in search results. Ziggs can manage this for you for the low cost of $4.95 per month. Imagine, just forego one Starbucks Caramel Macchiato per month - and you’re on top of the search universe for that month. Hard to believe? Try a search on my name (Julia Bradley) at Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and more. You’ll see my name listed at or near the top of search results at every major engine, with a link to my profile and contact information. It's a no-brainer boost for your credibility.
3. Do email your online profile in advance of a meeting or sales call, building trust early. Do email your online profile during phone conversations with prospects or clients, building rapport during the call. And do email your online profile after meeting someone, as a more personal thank you that increases your credibility as well.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
The Don’ts
1. Don’t assume you’re listed or easy to find in a search engine without checking first. Google your name to see your search results. If you have a common name, such as Mark Smith, you might be surprised to find over 28 million search results are presented against your name in Google. Which one is the real you?
2. If your name is uncommon, also don’t assume you’re listed in search engines without checking first. An uncommon name may deliver fewer search results, but that won’t guarantee any of the results are you.
3. When building an online profile, don’t include casual photos. Keep it professional. A professional online profile can be used for both professional and personal reasons. But a personal online profile cannot be used for business.
The Do’s
1. Do include a professional photo, background information, contact information and recognitions that lend credibility, such as professional awards, associations you are a member of, or the fact that you completed a marathon. You can do this quickly and easily at Ziggs, where creating a profile is free.
2. Do give your profile top visibility across all major search engines, so prospects and colleagues can find you in search results. Ziggs can manage this for you for the low cost of $4.95 per month. Imagine, just forego one Starbucks Caramel Macchiato per month - and you’re on top of the search universe for that month. Hard to believe? Try a search on my name (Julia Bradley) at Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and more. You’ll see my name listed at or near the top of search results at every major engine, with a link to my profile and contact information. It's a no-brainer boost for your credibility.
3. Do email your online profile in advance of a meeting or sales call, building trust early. Do email your online profile during phone conversations with prospects or clients, building rapport during the call. And do email your online profile after meeting someone, as a more personal thank you that increases your credibility as well.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
May 02, 2005
Fast, Free & More Interesting
As of May 1st, the Ziggs search engine is now significantly faster. We’re still in beta, but we’ve made significant enhancements to the speed of our engine. Now you can quickly conduct even the most complex keyword searches at Ziggs, such as ”international law tax attorney in Buffalo” or "residential mortgage broker in Bethesda.”
In addition to fast, listing or creating a professional profile at Ziggs is now free. As a thank you to our rapidly growing world of happy customers, we now offer all current and future customers the ability to list themselves in Ziggs for free. We think free is good. We hope you agree.
For customers who create a profile using Ziggs’ free profile creation tool, we’ve added a new sleek look and a new level of interest to your online profile. The new “Interests Tab” in your profile allows you to quickly and easily add links from your profile to your favorite websites, blogs, or professional work online. Be as interesting as you can be – add your favorite links to your Ziggs profile today.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
In addition to fast, listing or creating a professional profile at Ziggs is now free. As a thank you to our rapidly growing world of happy customers, we now offer all current and future customers the ability to list themselves in Ziggs for free. We think free is good. We hope you agree.
For customers who create a profile using Ziggs’ free profile creation tool, we’ve added a new sleek look and a new level of interest to your online profile. The new “Interests Tab” in your profile allows you to quickly and easily add links from your profile to your favorite websites, blogs, or professional work online. Be as interesting as you can be – add your favorite links to your Ziggs profile today.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
April 27, 2005
The Me Brand
You know the saying – it’s a Me Me world. Or, it’s all about Me. Those statements ring oddly true today more than ever. Every day of your career you are building the Brand of Me. Your professional Personal Brand is a very important asset in today’s online, virtual, fast-blogging business world.
Advertisers define branding as the idea, concept or image created in the minds of people when they see a company logo or product. Companies invest millions to create and communicate their brand through print, radio and TV advertising. Business professionals can now leverage this concept and its power to create their own Personal Brand using the Internet. Marian Banker, President of Primestrategies.com and creator of BrandingU says a personal brand “is similar in concept and can be used as the foundation upon which to build the brand for your business or career."
The idea of a Personal Brand is not new, but today there are new tools available for helping you create, maintain and market your Personal Brand. Fast Company discusses a number of powerful ways you can build “The Brand Called You”.
Advertisers define branding as the idea, concept or image created in the minds of people when they see a company logo or product. Companies invest millions to create and communicate their brand through print, radio and TV advertising. Business professionals can now leverage this concept and its power to create their own Personal Brand using the Internet. Marian Banker, President of Primestrategies.com and creator of BrandingU says a personal brand “is similar in concept and can be used as the foundation upon which to build the brand for your business or career."
The idea of a Personal Brand is not new, but today there are new tools available for helping you create, maintain and market your Personal Brand. Fast Company discusses a number of powerful ways you can build “The Brand Called You”.
Why is this important to you? People want to do business with people they know or people they feel they can trust. So how can you communicate your value through the vastly impersonal mediums of e-mail or the Internet? Answer: When people search to find out more about you, if you can offer a friendly and informative online presence or online brand, people will have the sense that they know you and be more receptive to doing business with you.
One of the free and easy methods available for creating or supporting your own professional Personal Brand is through an online profile. You can create a summary of your career in an online profile – an online virtual home for your brand. You can then use it to communicate your brand to others by linking it to the signature of your e-mail footer, posting it on your website, and listing yourself by name atop every major search engine. Ziggs makes this free and easy. Check out Ziggs today and create your free online profile – your professional brand. To see an example, you're welcome to visit my online brand-in-progress: Meet me at Ziggs
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
April 21, 2005
Walt Mossberg Reviews Ziggs
Walt Mossberg reviewed Ziggs in one of his recent Personal Technology columns in the Wall Street Journal, together with Indeed, a comprehensive jobs search engine. What’s exciting about Walt’s column on Ziggs and Indeed is that with this article Walt officially puts the concept of “vertical search” on the journalistic map.
The idea that the big horizontal search engines - obviously Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and more - don’t always meet a searcher’s needs is an important concept for the search industry and the consumer marketplace. As people become aware that there a multiple search engine options for tailoring their searches, they become empowered and more informed. Ziggs is glad to see Walt introduce this viewpoint to his loyal readership, using Ziggs and Indeed as good examples of vertical search engines.
Walt begins by saying, “The big search engines like Google and Yahoo dominate the business of navigating the Internet. Millions of people start every Web session by typing a search term into these sites. But coming up with search results tailored to your needs isn't so easy. Because these major search engines index a huge swath of the Web, and are designed to find almost anything, they are necessarily general in nature. In most cases, you'll get lots of irrelevant results. So more and more companies see a market for what is called vertical search. These are search engines designed to help pluck only specific types of information from the Internet. They index only those sites likely to have that specific kind of information, and they use search queries tailored to their specialties. I've been testing two of the newest vertical search sites, both designed around people and work.”
Walt goes on to review Ziggs, stating that Ziggs “helps you find people with particular skills or other characteristics for hiring or networking purposes. For instance, it might help you find a lawyer in Washington specializing in international trade, or an alumnus of Brandeis University who lives in Delaware.” He goes on to say, “If you aren't listed somewhere on the Web, Ziggs allows you to create a detailed profile that will pop up whenever anyone searches for your name, or for other characteristics that match your profile. You can even include a photo, a favorite quotation and a canned ‘interview’ based on questions Ziggs supplies.”
“Ziggs is free for searchers. There will be a $25 annual fee to be listed in Ziggs, though it's free for the first year.” A point of clarification is needed here. As of March 20th, 2005, Ziggs is absolutely free for both searchers and professionals who want to list a profile in Ziggs. There is no charge for existing or new listings in Ziggs.
Walt offers criticisms of Ziggs as well. He indicates that our services seem to focus on helping people promote themselves, rather than providing comprehensive information. And that in fact is one of the primary goals of Ziggs. There are already numerous search engines that provide comprehensive information. In fact a search at Google for the name Mark Smith yields 29 million+ results by that name. Now that’s comprehensive – but it doesn’t deliver the searcher the Mark Smith they’re searching for. That’s where Ziggs steps in. As a dedicated people search engine, Ziggs enables the searcher to conduct a search that yields a list of Mark Smiths that can be instantly sorted by state, city or company, enabling the searcher to quickly pinpoint the right Mark Smith.
Walt goes on to note that Ziggs’ search results provide “neutral or flattering bios,” rather than info that “might warn you way from a person.” This is also an important distinguishing point about Ziggs. We believe that the most current, up-to-date information about an individual (for example, a corporate bio) satisfies 95% of people search needs. This should include contact information, background information and maybe even a photo. By delivering an up-to-date bio of current information in search results, Ziggs believes we best serve both the needs of the searcher and the person being searched for. This also ensures that the privacy of the people being searched for is also protected at all times.
Walt concludes his article with the finding that “both Ziggs and Indeed provide interesting, focused information that would be hard to find as quickly or precisely on Google or Yahoo.” Try Ziggs for yourself. We hope you agree!
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
The idea that the big horizontal search engines - obviously Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and more - don’t always meet a searcher’s needs is an important concept for the search industry and the consumer marketplace. As people become aware that there a multiple search engine options for tailoring their searches, they become empowered and more informed. Ziggs is glad to see Walt introduce this viewpoint to his loyal readership, using Ziggs and Indeed as good examples of vertical search engines.
Walt begins by saying, “The big search engines like Google and Yahoo dominate the business of navigating the Internet. Millions of people start every Web session by typing a search term into these sites. But coming up with search results tailored to your needs isn't so easy. Because these major search engines index a huge swath of the Web, and are designed to find almost anything, they are necessarily general in nature. In most cases, you'll get lots of irrelevant results. So more and more companies see a market for what is called vertical search. These are search engines designed to help pluck only specific types of information from the Internet. They index only those sites likely to have that specific kind of information, and they use search queries tailored to their specialties. I've been testing two of the newest vertical search sites, both designed around people and work.”
Walt goes on to review Ziggs, stating that Ziggs “helps you find people with particular skills or other characteristics for hiring or networking purposes. For instance, it might help you find a lawyer in Washington specializing in international trade, or an alumnus of Brandeis University who lives in Delaware.” He goes on to say, “If you aren't listed somewhere on the Web, Ziggs allows you to create a detailed profile that will pop up whenever anyone searches for your name, or for other characteristics that match your profile. You can even include a photo, a favorite quotation and a canned ‘interview’ based on questions Ziggs supplies.”
“Ziggs is free for searchers. There will be a $25 annual fee to be listed in Ziggs, though it's free for the first year.” A point of clarification is needed here. As of March 20th, 2005, Ziggs is absolutely free for both searchers and professionals who want to list a profile in Ziggs. There is no charge for existing or new listings in Ziggs.
Walt offers criticisms of Ziggs as well. He indicates that our services seem to focus on helping people promote themselves, rather than providing comprehensive information. And that in fact is one of the primary goals of Ziggs. There are already numerous search engines that provide comprehensive information. In fact a search at Google for the name Mark Smith yields 29 million+ results by that name. Now that’s comprehensive – but it doesn’t deliver the searcher the Mark Smith they’re searching for. That’s where Ziggs steps in. As a dedicated people search engine, Ziggs enables the searcher to conduct a search that yields a list of Mark Smiths that can be instantly sorted by state, city or company, enabling the searcher to quickly pinpoint the right Mark Smith.
Walt goes on to note that Ziggs’ search results provide “neutral or flattering bios,” rather than info that “might warn you way from a person.” This is also an important distinguishing point about Ziggs. We believe that the most current, up-to-date information about an individual (for example, a corporate bio) satisfies 95% of people search needs. This should include contact information, background information and maybe even a photo. By delivering an up-to-date bio of current information in search results, Ziggs believes we best serve both the needs of the searcher and the person being searched for. This also ensures that the privacy of the people being searched for is also protected at all times.
Walt concludes his article with the finding that “both Ziggs and Indeed provide interesting, focused information that would be hard to find as quickly or precisely on Google or Yahoo.” Try Ziggs for yourself. We hope you agree!
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
March 30, 2005
Graduating Students – 3 Tips To Land Your New Job
As graduation season approaches, many grads are looking to the same places to find jobs: online job banks, newspapers, job fairs. These methods are rarely helpful, as HR managers receive hundreds of e-mailed resumes, and seldom have the opportunity to sift through them all. How can you differentiate yourself enough to win an interview?
To differentiate yourself from the competition there are a number of options, many of which are not easy, and one that is. For example, in addition to a resume, some experts suggest creating a website to showcase yourself and your background. This involves paying a hosting site, as well as knowledge of website design. Although this is a fine idea for the more technically-oriented person seeking differentiation, there is a simpler approach – that’s as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Get an Online Profile
An online profile is a powerful tool that differentiates you from the mass of resumes flooding the market, and gives you an advantage in networking. A professional online profile is easy to create, easy to maintain and update yourself. No technical or website development skills required. No hosting service fees necessary. It enables you to present a digital photo, work experience, and contact information in a compelling and visual professional format that is more appealing than the traditional resume. To see an example of a graduating student’s online profile, check out Dario Paone’s and Ra Un’s profiles, both created and listed at Ziggs for free:
2. Search for Networking Contacts
Use a search engine for finding people in the field you seek or for finding people with a common background point such as your college. For example, using a search engine dedicated to professionals, you can conduct a keyword search for contacts in your field and city of interest and yield a networking list that results in the right introductions needed for the desired job. For example, you can do a keyword search at Ziggs for “marketing” and “Boston” and find an instant list of networking possibilities if your field of interest is marketing-related.
3. Connect with Networking Contacts
Once you have a list of potential networking contacts, e-mail your online profile with a quick introduction, followed up by a phone call. E-mailing an online profile to offer a warm introduction can establish trust and goodwill with the recipient, and can lead to a request for your resume and an offer to help.
Go to Ziggs today to jumpstart your job search. Ziggs can help you 1) create a free professional online profile, 2) build networking contact lists by conducting keyword searches against the more than 2.25 million professionals in the Index, and 3) begin networking immediately by e-mailing your online profile to your new network list. With Ziggs it can be as easy as 1-2-3 to land your first job out of college or grad school. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
To differentiate yourself from the competition there are a number of options, many of which are not easy, and one that is. For example, in addition to a resume, some experts suggest creating a website to showcase yourself and your background. This involves paying a hosting site, as well as knowledge of website design. Although this is a fine idea for the more technically-oriented person seeking differentiation, there is a simpler approach – that’s as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Get an Online Profile
An online profile is a powerful tool that differentiates you from the mass of resumes flooding the market, and gives you an advantage in networking. A professional online profile is easy to create, easy to maintain and update yourself. No technical or website development skills required. No hosting service fees necessary. It enables you to present a digital photo, work experience, and contact information in a compelling and visual professional format that is more appealing than the traditional resume. To see an example of a graduating student’s online profile, check out Dario Paone’s and Ra Un’s profiles, both created and listed at Ziggs for free:
2. Search for Networking Contacts
Use a search engine for finding people in the field you seek or for finding people with a common background point such as your college. For example, using a search engine dedicated to professionals, you can conduct a keyword search for contacts in your field and city of interest and yield a networking list that results in the right introductions needed for the desired job. For example, you can do a keyword search at Ziggs for “marketing” and “Boston” and find an instant list of networking possibilities if your field of interest is marketing-related.
3. Connect with Networking Contacts
Once you have a list of potential networking contacts, e-mail your online profile with a quick introduction, followed up by a phone call. E-mailing an online profile to offer a warm introduction can establish trust and goodwill with the recipient, and can lead to a request for your resume and an offer to help.
Go to Ziggs today to jumpstart your job search. Ziggs can help you 1) create a free professional online profile, 2) build networking contact lists by conducting keyword searches against the more than 2.25 million professionals in the Index, and 3) begin networking immediately by e-mailing your online profile to your new network list. With Ziggs it can be as easy as 1-2-3 to land your first job out of college or grad school. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
February 25, 2005
People Search - A Guilty Pleasure?
Have you recently searched for someone on the Web prior to meeting with them or speaking with them by phone? Have you recently "googled" your X's on the Web? More and more people are exhibiting this somewhat "guilty pleasure" by searching to learn more about someone they're about to meet, or searching to find information on someone they once knew. It somehow seems like a guilty pleasure, because we know we may find information on someone - without them knowing we've found it.
Even if you've never searched on a name before, many of your fellow Americans have. According to Knight Ridder, one in three Americans online say they have plugged in the name of someone they know in a search engine. Wordtraker Report indicates that the search term "people search" ranks within the top 100 - 200 search terms across the Web each day. So someone may be searching online for you.
If that sounds unsettling, there is one solution that can give you a bit of control over the results that people find online about you. Try building an online profile. It's easy and it's free at Ziggs. Ziggs offers an easy-to-use profile creation template that lets you answer a few questions to build a professional profile. When you're done, it's hosted for free at Ziggs and searchable by your name or keyword. And if you'd like to see your name at or near the top of every search engine, Ziggs can make that happen for you as well for no more than $4/month. Learn more at Ziggs.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
Even if you've never searched on a name before, many of your fellow Americans have. According to Knight Ridder, one in three Americans online say they have plugged in the name of someone they know in a search engine. Wordtraker Report indicates that the search term "people search" ranks within the top 100 - 200 search terms across the Web each day. So someone may be searching online for you.
If that sounds unsettling, there is one solution that can give you a bit of control over the results that people find online about you. Try building an online profile. It's easy and it's free at Ziggs. Ziggs offers an easy-to-use profile creation template that lets you answer a few questions to build a professional profile. When you're done, it's hosted for free at Ziggs and searchable by your name or keyword. And if you'd like to see your name at or near the top of every search engine, Ziggs can make that happen for you as well for no more than $4/month. Learn more at Ziggs.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
February 07, 2005
Welcome to the Ziggs Blog
The purpose of this blog is to provide helpful tips and techniques for professionals to enable them to better find and connect with one another through the Internet.
Understanding that people do business with people, Ziggs mission is to assist professionals in meeting their business objectives by optimizing the experience of presenting to and connecting with professionals online. Ziggs' purpose is to help make doing business more personal by enabling integrity, quality and trust in the initiation phase of business relationships. To leare more about how we offer aid in this effort, visit us at Ziggs!.
We open this forum to professionals to review, add to and hopefully profit from. Our first value-add post will be coming shortly. We look forward to your participation.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
Understanding that people do business with people, Ziggs mission is to assist professionals in meeting their business objectives by optimizing the experience of presenting to and connecting with professionals online. Ziggs' purpose is to help make doing business more personal by enabling integrity, quality and trust in the initiation phase of business relationships. To leare more about how we offer aid in this effort, visit us at Ziggs!.
We open this forum to professionals to review, add to and hopefully profit from. Our first value-add post will be coming shortly. We look forward to your participation.
Bookmark Ziggs - the fastest-growing people search engine for finding and connecting with professionals.
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