| Social Media Optimization (SMO) is the new buzzword | | | | goal with DEMO was to boost the launch of AddThis. |
| when it comes to getting links from sites like Digg, | | | | We also received the attention of several investors. |
| Del.icio.us, Technorati, and Flickr. There is a lot of talk | | | | Q) Providing stats was an extra step that probably |
| on SEO blogs and in forums about this concept. What | | | | increased costs and complexity for AddThis. What |
| it means, essentially, is that web publishers want | | | | made you consider the reporting to publishers as an |
| visitors to bookmark their content, subscribe to their | | | | important part of a free service? |
| blogs, news, product and podcast feeds. | | | | A) The statistics was a fairly simple feature to add |
| A current search at Google for "Social Media | | | | and we thought it added a lot of value to web |
| Optimization (as of this writing) has Lee Odden's | | | | publishers, especially for products. For example, with |
| TopRankBlog post on the SMO topic showing up | | | | the statistics, web publishers can find out which |
| number one for that search. | | | | products their visitors are most interested in, which |
| Rohit Bhargava of Ogilvy Public Relations said in Rule | | | | ones receive less attention, etc. |
| #2 of his "Five Rules of Social Media Optimization" | | | | Q) Is there any connection with ("Email This" "Save |
| blog post in August, 2006 | | | | This" and "Print This") |
| "Make tagging and bookmarking easy - Adding content | | | | A) ClickAbility is different in that it provides its own |
| features like quick buttons to "add to del.icio.us" are | | | | system for saving information. AddThis does not |
| one way to make the process of tagging pages | | | | impose any destination for the content collected. |
| easier..." | | | | Q) Was the domain already yours, or did you |
| Until recently, making "the process of tagging pages | | | | purchase from an existing owner? It shows in domain |
| easier" has been rather cumbersome and tedious for | | | | records as being registered since 1998, but the |
| publishers. Collecting code and "chiclets" (logos) from | | | | WayBack Machine at Archive.org only shows a single |
| each service first to facilitate using social bookmark | | | | page with nothing on it from 2002. So little history |
| service links and feeds, then posting a mish-mash of | | | | available on the domain. Has AddThis been in the |
| those links near web content to encourage visitors to | | | | works since 1998? |
| subscribe to feeds or bookmark that content through | | | | A) The domain was not ours; we purchased it from its |
| any of dozens of popular services. | | | | previous owner in March 2006. |
| But a new service at has been launched which | | | | Q) Most bloggers providing RSS feeds to their users |
| appears to solve the complexity for publishers and | | | | did their best to get each of about a dozen of those |
| reduces the "chiclet" clutter by providing a single button | | | | "Chiclets" allowing subscriptions through the most |
| for bookmarks or a single button for RSS feeds, to | | | | popular services posted in the margins of their blogs. |
| allow bookmarks and feeds through any of the most | | | | Many bloggers are now relying on the FeedBurner |
| popular services. | | | | service and moving to a single feed logo. How does |
| What follows is a Q&A with co-founder Dom | | | | the feed service compare to FeedBurner? Do you |
| Vonarburg | | | | see FeedBurner as a competitor? |
| Q) Most interviews end by asking if there is anything | | | | A) FeedBurner's primary business is feed hosting and |
| else you'd like to add, what specifically would you like | | | | management. Feeds are only one type of content |
| people to know about AddThis up front? | | | | supported by AddThis, we support and will support |
| A) is a brand new service that helps web surfers | | | | many more types. We think our generic approach to |
| collect information online with a single click, and send it | | | | content collection and distribution is truly unique. So we |
| to their favorite bookmarking service, feed reader, | | | | don't see FeedBurner as a direct competitor. |
| wish list service, podcast service, etc. AddThis also | | | | Q) Most big publishers and now thousands of smaller |
| helps web publishers promote their content (web | | | | web site owners and bloggers are beginning to post |
| pages, feeds, products, podcasts, etc) online by making | | | | Del.icio.us and Furl and Reddit logos and links on their |
| it easier for their visitors to collect it, save it, and | | | | pages in the hopes that site visitors will bookmark their |
| distribute it to social services. AddThis was launched in | | | | pages in the social bookmarks services. Some are |
| September at the DEMO conference, the launchpad | | | | choosing to add a few links to some of the other |
| for emerging technology. | | | | bookmarking services, but few go beyond the top 5 |
| Q) Do you see AddThis as a potentially big player in | | | | social bookmarks site links. I see that AddThis |
| the Social Media Optimization (SMO) phenomenon | | | | Bookmark service offers 16 social bookmarks |
| since you make it easier for web publishers to get their | | | | services. How did you decide ones which you would |
| sites bookmarked, and their podcasts and blog feeds | | | | include? Certain popularity levels? |
| subscribed? | | | | A) We picked the most popular bookmarking services |
| A) We started working on AddThis back in March | | | | based on popularity and visibility in the search engines. |
| 2006, even before the term SMO was first coined. | | | | We only stopped at 16 because of time constraints, |
| The idea behind AddThis was, and still is, to completely | | | | but we will add many more of them in the future. By |
| eliminate all obstacles web publishers have in | | | | letting AddThis maintain the list of bookmark and feed |
| distributing their content to visitors and the social media | | | | buttons, web publisher can better focus on their |
| services they might use. Our internal term for it was | | | | content. |
| initially social SEO, but I like Social Media Optimization | | | | Q) Do you have any plans for a tie-in with Digg? As a |
| better. | | | | news popularity site, they have a different focus than |
| We think AddThis will be a very important player in the | | | | the RSS feeds and Social Bookmarks services, but |
| SMO space, as it is the first service to provide a | | | | many site publishers are including "Digg This" links from |
| generic gateway for collecting and distributing many | | | | their web pages as part of a "social media marketing" |
| different types of content. AddThis acts as a bridge | | | | plan. Does your focus with AddThis stick to bloggers, |
| between the web publisher, the web user, and the | | | | product retailers, bookmarks, and podcasts or will you |
| social media services. | | | | consider expanding into the news and other areas? |
| Q) You've added a new angle to the bookmarks | | | | A) Social news is also a logical candidate for AddThis. |
| game with the "Products" button. If it takes off, it | | | | We will also add other types of content based on user |
| seems like it would be great for ecommerce sites, | | | | adoption. |
| especially with the reporting attached. I haven't seen | | | | Q) Is there anything else you'd like to Add(to)This? ;-) |
| this anywhere else. What made you bring the product | | | | A) We think AddThis will play a big role because it |
| angle into an AddThis Product Button? | | | | makes a lot of sense for both web users and web |
| A) "Products" was the next logical step for us after | | | | publishers. You can think of as the more social sister |
| bookmarks, feeds and podcasts. People want to | | | | of AddMe.com, or its Web2.0 extension. Each service |
| collect and compare the products and services they | | | | helps you achieve a different kind of visibility. |
| find online, and ecommerce websites want to facilitate | | | | As a publisher, I had been updating WebSite101 to a |
| this process. By adding "Product" buttons to their | | | | new template and had been considering including Furl, |
| pages, ecommerce websites are more likely to be | | | | Reddit, Del.icio.us, and Digg, but came across the |
| included in their visitors' final purchase decisions. The | | | | AddThis Demo launch story and dropped Furl and |
| button also helps spread these products to other | | | | Reddit from the mix in favor of the AddThis |
| people through social bookmarking and social shopping | | | | "Bookmark" link, since AddThis supports all of the |
| websites (Kaboodle.com, Wists.com, ThisNext.com, | | | | bookmarking services with one button. |
| etc). | | | | I'm keeping the Del.icio.us and Digg links for now, but I |
| Q) You are offering AddThis as a free service. Is | | | | think once publishers begin to realize they can simplify |
| there any plan to move to a higher level plan to | | | | bookmarks and if users understand that they can use |
| monetize it? I noted your participation in the DEMO | | | | any social bookmark service through AddThis, that |
| conference where companies seek venture capital | | | | you'll see strong adoption of the service. |
| and seed funding. Were you seeking funding and were | | | | Good luck on wide adoption of AddThis by both the |
| you successful? | | | | public and publishers Dom, I wish you the best of luck |
| A) Yes, the service is free and will continue to be free. | | | | with your contribution to Social Media Optimization! |
| Starting early next year, we will also provide a | | | | Mike, I want to thank you for this opportunity to |
| premium version of the service. I don't want to say too | | | | answer these questions and describe our vision for |
| much at this point, but the premium service will provide | | | | AddThis.com; your questions were right on target! |
| many interesting features for web publishers, one of | | | | Interview with Dom Vonarburg of AddThis. |
| which will be more advanced statistics. Our primary | | | | |