India-Directory.org was started in 2005 by Solution Point to help site owners build back-links and promote their website(s). The site now have free and paid links with niche and subject-wise article submissions. They provide the most up-to-date directory resource links related to India. There are hundreds of changes to the website directory listings and delete inactive sites, changes are reported and made, hundreds of sites are reviewed and added every month.

I have a soft spot for the “good kind” of ad networks, those who keep the advertiser and publisher interests in mind, who strive for good quality advertisements and content, and who have killer optimization and targeting technology. I have always looked at ad networks as a key technology driven service who fills important needs for both the buy and sell side. However, within the past six months or so, I see fewer and fewer of these networks making headlines, being the topic for discussion at forums or, most importantly, on the lips of interactive marketers.

For the most part, brands get the basics right. The large majority interact with followers (more than three-quarters of the brands we tracked reply and retweet). And most fill their streams with a steady flow of relevant content (80% tweet at least daily). We especially liked seeing companies go beyond traditional marketing messages – like when State Farm promotes fire alarm safety or when Ford gives behind-the-scenes perspective on their new engineering processes.

One of the fascinating things that’s become clear this holiday shopping season is that many retailers launched their marketing programs earlier this year, with a strong emphasis on price discounts and other financial incentives such as free shipping. I think retailers entered the season knowing that consumers were cash strapped and so offered a wide array of attractive promotions well ahead of Cyber Monday – and even Black Friday – in an effort to get consumers to open their wallets and spend earlier in the season…