Ok, we’ve all seen them, web directories which have thumbnails from a free service such as webshots.com Occasionally the thumbnail doesn’t show the right page, or its out-dated, or there is some flash running on the listed site, and the thumbnail is a mess. So we have built a system that uses webshots or any other free provider. BUT you can easily override the default thumbnail in the event that its somehow messed up. Also, using our system, thumbnails are stored on YOUR server, so you can easily stay within the free limits imposed by the free thumbnail services.

Our module slips right in to any phpLD system version 3 or greater, and will give you various options straight from the links menu in the admin area allowing you to manipulate the thumbnails at will, or generate thumbs for every site on your server with the click of one button.

We can install this onto your system for $65, or install the bulk-thumbnail system and also the pagerank update system together for $95.

Due to recent changes at Google, PageRanking no longer works in phpLD. Also earlier versions of phpLD did not have any page ranking facilities, so if you are upgrading from version 2, none of your sites will likely have any pagerank information.

This leaves two problems. How to ensure that new links have the correct pageranking when submitted, and also all of the currently listed links require pageranks.

Our programmer has been busy at work resolving both of these issues. To automatically check pagerank on new submissions is straight-forward enough, just one file needs to be added to your system. But to update all links in your system requires installation of a new module. However, once installed, you can re-check pageranks at anytime, perhaps each time Google updates their ranks, for all links in your database.

We can integrate this with your phpLD version 3 or newer. It will appear on the link menu in the admin area. It is very easy to operate.


Once installed, all new sites submitted to your directory will automatically have their pagerank checked and added to the database.

We can install this module for a one-time charge of $65, which includes updates for 12 months in the event that Google will change their pagerank server locations.

Recently we have engaged an absolutely superb programmer who has developed some great add-ons for the phpLD software. This software runs our web directory sites, but it requires a lot of changes to be just right. On BigGuide we run version 3, which is fine. On other sites, we have a later version (v4.1.0) which is absolutely awful and at times extremely slow.

To speed things up, we developed a completely new front-end to phpLD which handles the directory listings, page navigation. All web 2.0 with absolutely no page reloads required. This can be installed on any site running version 3 or later of the phpLD software. The backend (admin area) remains as-is from phpLD. For a demo of this, please click on the image:

http://www.siedp.org

This system can be integrated with just about any available web2.0 template.

If you would like this system to be installed on your directory, please contact us by email admin (at) bigguide.net  Pricing from $35, depending on your desired template or look.

We are very excited to announce that starting in January, we will combine forces with a group of internet directories. We can then offer to link your site from all of these directories. Each directory is an authority high page ranking site, which will guarantee great exposure and also great backlinking for SEO benefit.

More details in January….

BigGuide is now using Shrink The Web to generate thumbnail images of Websites. Their free service is perfect for Web directories, blogs, and any other site that wants to jazz up their site with thumbnail images of Websites that they refer to in articles, posts, or directory listings.

Getting it setup isn’t too difficult and they provide good support (i.e. information) on their site.

Probably what I like most, besides the “free-ness” of the great tool, is that you can choose from among 6 different sizes ranging from petite to in-your-face. We use the ‘large’ here on BigGuide, which is one size down from in-your-face.

For more information visit their Website: Shrink The Web

If you have a twitter account or have clients that do I recommend you read the post on Mashable, ‘The Top 10 Twitter SEO Tips‘.

Without stealing their thunder here are the most important tips to takeaway imo:

Choose a good handle (username):

Be sure to pick an optimal handle that’s relevant to your brand or campaign and easy to remember.

Select a good account name:

Your name is what appears next to your profile, which can be different than your handle/URL. You obviously want an account name that promotes yourself, your company or your brand.

Write a good bio:

Write your Bio so it includes the most important, mission-critical phrases for your brand. Use all 160 characters! Your bio is consistently indexed so its contents are what provide your Twitter page with its core relevance.

Share the URL with everyone:

Now be sure to point to your Twitter profile from other sites. For example, you can integrate your Twitter URL into your website by placing a call to action on the site for your customers to follow you on Twitter. You could also integrate your Twitter URL within your site’s Global Footer, which appears at the bottom of every page of your site. Both of these options offer usability to your site visitors and help drive your Twitter URL up in the search engines.

The beginning of your tweets are important:

The “lead-in” of each tweet is important for SEO as it determines what appears in the tweet’s title tag when it shows up as a search result on Google. Approximately 42 characters are factored into each tweet’s title tag, including the account name, as well as the initial characters of each tweet. Keep in mind that your full tweet and all its characters are still being indexed by major engines, though.

Happy tweeting!

Be sure to follow us! @BigGuide -  http://twitter.com/BigGuide

If you didn’t notice take a look at the homepage on the lower right side and you’ll see a widget displaying our tweets made over on our BigGuide twitter account: http://twitter.com/BigGuide

We use our new twitter account to tweet when we have something of value for Webmasters, SEO specialists, business peeps, and other similarly oriented followers of BigGuide. We also tweet whenever we add a Featured Listing to BigGuide. This helps us deliver exceptional value for the annual $10  listing clients receive. At least we think so….

Tweet tweet! If you have a twitter account please follow us! We’ll of course return the favor (clients and fans alike).

If you’re interested in reaching our audience ( currently 400-600 visitors a day) you can, and should,  add your permanent listing to our directory ($10), but if you want more exposure consider a run-of-site link on the right-hand side of the site.

We won’t add links to gambling sites, adult themed sites, or other sites we determine don’t meet our subjective criteria.

Monthly cost is $15.oo and can be paid via PayPal. Send email to david[at]bigguide.net if you’re interested along with information on the site(s) you want to promote and I’ll send you the information you need. Or if you have an account with LinkWorth you can find us there as well.

Veronique started Saveur du Jour to focus on authentic, high-quality products that will help you bring that atmosphere from France in your home. She works with French designers and US based distributors to bring the best products to US customers at the best price.

Here are a few words from Veronique, proud mom and the founder or Saveur du Jour: “I was born in Paris and used to spend my vacation days in Normandy and Provence. Today, I live in the Bay Area with my husband and daughters. I created Saveur du Jour to bring to the US all the savors and flavors of France I love and to recreate the ambiance you could find in every home and kitchen in France.”

You can learn about the Website from her listing in BigGuide at: French Gifts or at the site: Saveur du Jour

I watched this promotional piece created by Outside Line to toot their own horns and I think it’s a marvelous digital promo piece. Outside Line’s primary focus is on the music industry and they win award after award for doing some of the most amazing stuff for their expanding list of well known clients. A quick look at this promo piece and you’ll see why.

Watch it HERE