I do a LOT of web surfing in the arena of Web Strategy (how people and companies use the web) here’s some of the my favorite resource I’ve seen on the web. While I could easily comment on any of those, and create a post around it, others have already done so. Below is some of the select articles and research that I’ve read over the last week:

Social Media impacts the Job Hunt, Want a job? Clean up your Web act
It’s no secret that my blog had a lot to do with my current job. It’s an increasing trend that employers are starting to “Google Search” employees before hiring them –I certainly do. If one has a career and professional blog or profile online, it could certainly help you, here’s where keeping a clean profile is important. Resumes? Some are trying to avoid companies that focus on antiquated single sources of information, want to see what someone really is like (and more importantly, what others think of them)? read their blog.

Social Media Marketing for the Small Business
I focus on Corporate Web Marketing and Strategy, but while many of the tactics apply to both small and enterprise, a special touch for the resource constrained small group is needed.. Also check out Duct tape marketing, a strong investment in your precious time. If you’re seeking free counseling and consulting, also see Score.org (not the education service) a secret resource for the small business, I recently met them at the SFMOMA at our client HP’s The art of small business event.

Men watch more online video than women
Wendy Davis of Mediapost reports that men are watching more video than women, although the gap will close as programming starts to attract equal amount of female viewers. The article doesn’t suggest WHAT type of content is viewed by the larger amount, but I could guess. We all know but don’t say out loud at meetings that certain content spurred the internet.

Study Gives Web Video Ads High Branding Marks, but Repetition Detracts (link via FM “newspaper”)
This study indicates that Video ads online are more effective than TV for brand recall. “Ads placed online drove even higher brand recall: 18 and 19 percent for TV and DVR viewing, respectively, versus 77 percent for online viewing.” Repetitive ads may have a negative, burnout effect. The article below provides a second, contrary opinion.

Do TV Ads Work Better Online? Answer: Sometimes.
This research suggests that web ‘engagement’ may be better online than on TV. As a general rule, Don’t re-purpose your TV ads for web, the format is different, and users can quickly click away. Surfing the web is different than surfing TV, I’m waiting for studies showing higher degree of cognition and brain activity than the couch potato vegetative state watching traditional TV.

Web ad spend overtakes newspapers in UK
Regardless of the minor conflict over effectiveness of Online ads of the two above articles, one thing is for sure, the money is coming to Internet Advertising –at least in the UK. “Spending on UK internet advertising surged in 2006, overtaking newspaper ads for the first time, a report says.”

Web users may actually NOT have a shorter attention span
Scoble shared this link with me, it actually indicates that web users: “Readers select stories of particular interest and then read them thoroughly. And there’s a twist: The reading-deep phenomenon is even stronger online than in print”. I’m starting to notice for my ‘meaty’ web strategy posts the read time is 6-7 minutes, then the user often exits. Without implementing eye-tracking, one would assume the post is being thoroughly read. Damn, this means I need to focus on my writing more.

Social media a time sink in the workplace. Why is this good and bad?
Web Worker Daily indicates that Social Media is taking precious time from workers as they connect, share, and goof off. Is this a good thing or bad? For managers and companies, this is a mixed bag. Sharing may be good and even productive, but one has to question the value of some social networking sites (and blogs for that matter). The good news? Since the web is the number one used medium in the workplace, marketers now have a direct access channel to the White Collar and Business class from 9-5 using the web.

Interactive Marketing: Get the Glass by Milk
Milk has a new campaign in this very well done CG Flash Animation. How would you define success for this campaign? usage? time spent on site? Brand recall? Post Political has some background info: “The game was developed by the CMPB agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. The purpose, is to shake the impression that milk is a readily available commodity”. Umm, Isn’t Milk a natural product of half of the mammals on this planet?

Interactive Marketing: Kohler’s Jo’s Plumbing Does it Flush?
A bite from the “Does it Blend” campaign, this Tooltime girl let’s users drop objects into the toilet. The flash site is cleverly connected to the Kohler corporate website. Note the “green” marketing as well as nods to how effective the flushing is. Even toilets need online branding.

Observing the User Experience: TapeFailure
Whle still in beta, this service could prove an effective way of recording and watching a user in their natural environment. Combined with eye tracking tools, this could be a great way to measure and monitor users. Think digital ethnography.

I wanted to provide my reactions and thoughts in addition to just providing links, I’m starting to watch the usage stats of online video space more and more.