We're working on a new section of our website that should launch in January. The idea is to create a marketplace for local auctions and get them exposure to a huge audience that they otherwise would not reach.

First of all, I am a huge proponent of auctions. I bought my house almost four years ago at an Alex Cooper auction. Despite doing almost everything wrong, the deal has worked out very well for me. I now have a pretty nice house in an improving neighborhood. I can walk to O's games, Ravens games, the harbor, Fed Hill bars, etc. The best part is that I'm only in for about $100k and the house is worth roughly $150k.

I want to help get these great opportunities in front of our readers who might otherwise not consider going the auction route. We will have content on the benefits of buying at auction, possibly some video as well.

But the main draw will be our comprehensive database including Alex Cooper, A.J. Billig, Auction Brokers, Express Auctions, Trac Auctions, Fox Auctions, Steve Dance Auctions, etc, etc, etc. This way our readers can do one search and see auctions from all these great companies. For more details, they can then click over to the auctioneer's web site.

We're still working on the layout, but here is a sneak peak. Any input is welcome!

Usually I don't pass along internal memos or press releases. But this one is a little different. I think it's huge our print readership is growing as well as our online readership at a time when these numbers are dropping for most papers in major markets. It's also important to communicate this to our readers, advertisers, and critics.

With that being said, here is the press release and the proof:

For release December 2, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT
Renee Mutchnik
Marketing/Communications Director
410-332-6431
renee.mutchnik@baltsun.com

The Baltimore Sun Readership is Strong and Growing
Print and Online reach 1.1 million readers each week

A growing number of readers in the Baltimore market rely on the news and information found in The Baltimore Sun and baltimoresun.com, which reaches 1.1 million Maryland readers each week.

The most recent Scarborough Research shows that The Baltimore Sun Sunday readership is up 3.2 percent, to 900,580 readers, in a six-month period ending August 2008. Daily readership is up .9 percent, to 570,816 readers, for that same period.

In addition to the increased print readership, baltimoresun.com users are growing as well. Since its inception, page views of baltimoresun.com have steadily increased to over 30 million in August 2008. The website had a record number page views - 36.1 million - in September, and is on pace to reach 400 million this year. Synergy and innovation between the two platforms has helped to spur readership growth, said Tim Ryan, CEO and president of the Baltimore Sun Media Group (BSMG).

“Strong print readership, along with increased traffic at baltimoresun.com, means our integrated audience is engaged with The Baltimore Sun’s content, which enhances our advertisers’ opportunities to reach consumers,’’ Ryan said.

BSMG continues to provide opportunities for new audiences in both print and online. In April, BSMG introduced b and bthesite.com, a free daily newspaper for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Its current circulation is more than 75,000 and will be increased to 100,000 early next year due to significant consumer demand.

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The Baltimore Sun Media Group, a Tribune company, publishes The Baltimore Sun, baltimoresun.com, 30 community newspapers and magazines, and a growing portfolio of targeted print and online products, including b and bthesite.com. In print and online, the Baltimore Sun Media Group reaches 1.2 million readers each week in the Baltimore area, making it the region's most widely read source of news and information.

I went to this “media roundtable” yesterday with some of the officers at the GBBR and other representatives from the Sun, the Daily Record, WBAL, etc.

They dropped tons of stats, and some of them were actually surprising. 61% of all buyers in the City last year were first time buyers. I knew that number was going to be high, but 61%!

My favorite one is that in Baltimore City in 2007, 32% of all buyers were single females. That absolutely crushes single men, who accounted for a pathetic 9% of all home purchases. What's going on with the men in Baltimore City? (I'm sure a lot of the women buyers have asked that same question)

Anyways, WBAL did an interesting piece that you can watch here.

If you look closely you can briefly see my left eye:

According to AR guidelines, "points will only be awarded for your original content submissions".

I don't know why this one got flagged. My account of the meeting is original. And I link to the video for reference.

Also, all of the widgets and weird things you see on my blog were made by yours truly. Whether using widgetbox.com, Sprout, KickApps, etc.

I don't care so much about the points, but please be clear that I am not stealing or re-posting anyone's work. I did post a press release though, oh no!

I just noticed a lot of MD auctions from Williams & Williams on AuctionZip, are they new? They run a lot of online auctions too which is an awesome idea. Anyways, there is another auctioneer out there to look at and as usual, here is a handy dandy widget that pulls in their listings.

According to AR guidelines, "points will only be awarded for your original content submissions".

I created this myself, so hopefully I don't lose points for "unoriginal content". I think a widget that constantly updates itself with their latest auctions is pretty original. I created this to post on AR and to show Williams & Williams a working mock-up of a banner ad we are talking about.

In fact, all of the widgets and weird things you see on my blog were made by yours truly. Whether using widgetbox.com, Sprout, KickApps, etc.

I don't care so much about the points, but please be clear that I am not stealing or re-posting anyone's work.

This has been running in the paper here and there for the past few months. I just finally took the time to scan it and post it for AR.

I love these testimonials for two reasons:

1) It's important to announce that the Sun still has mutually beneficial long term relationships with large advertisers. Advertising works.

2) I am a publicity wh¤rË

I've been waiting for this for months and finally Google has expanded into Baltimore and made e-stalking that much easier.

Check out my house, my alley, & my truck.

View Larger Map

Even better, all Baltimore area listings on Baltimoresun.com now have a Street View option. Imagine how helpful this would be on an i-Phone or a Google enabled phone:

And finally, if you're into nerdy stuff like this, check out http://www.streetviewfun.com/. This site posts funny scenes caught by Google's cameras from across the world. Yesterday's post happened to be of a guy passed out on a bench on Charles St. in Baltimore! Yay Baltimore!

I've been in online marketing for about 4 years, and I don't see why Listing Router is being hailed as such an amazing innovation. I put together some brief pros and cons. We all love Active Rain, but that's no reason to spend money with them if it could be spent elsewhere more effectively.

Listing Router and traditional SEM buys serve the same basic purpose. You are paying on a Cost Per Click basis to drive people back to your site who have shown an interest in your product or service. The way I see it, there are two important factors to this equation. First, the cost per click. Second, the quality of the traffic.

Cost per Click through Listing Router is a set amount. In my market, Baltimore, you pay $1.99 per click not counting any points discount you may have earned. This stacks up pretty well with Google and Yahoo. For terms like "Baltimore Real Estate" you are looking at at least $1.80 on Yahoo and likely more on Google.

However, you have more flexibility with traditional SEM buys. If you have a smaller budget, you can usually set a lower CPC and still drive a small amount of traffic back to your site. On the other hand, if you want to dominate the competition, you can set a higher CPC and be at the top of the featured advertisers list every time.

So actual CPC being a draw, it comes down to the quality of the traffic you are buying. With Google/Yahoo buys, you can target the keywords that convert best for you. If you focus on one particular neighborhood, you may want to avoid bidding on "Baltimore Real Estate" and just put your money towards "Mount Vernon Real Estate". Listing Router does not have this option and probably does not have the traffic to get this specific.

My biggest gripe with Listing Router is that it takes the choice away from the consumer. At least with SEM buys, you know that each visitor you get chose your site over several of your competitors.

With Listing Router, the consumer puts in an area and gets automatically directed to a broker's or agent's site. They may think they're going to stay on AR and see some listings, then all the sudden they are on some agent's site that they have never heard of. I imagine bounce rates are higher than you would see on Google or Yahoo.

So even though the CPC's might be in the same range, traditional SEM has more flexibility with bidding, allows you to buy more focused key words, and drives more qualified traffic to your site.

I have not tested Listing Router, but these are my first impressions. If you are interested in CPC, just track everything closely and remember that CPC is an important metric but it all really comes down to ROI.

Man I hate these little red x's. According to AR guidelines, "points will only be awarded for your original content submissions".

We created this for a client, so hopefully I don't lose points for "unoriginal content". It is relevant to any consumer looking to purchase a home in the Cumberland area.

Also, all of the widgets and weird things you see on my blog were made by yours truly. Whether using widgetbox.com, Sprout, KickApps, etc.

I don't care so much about the points, but please be clear that I am not stealing or re-posting anyone's work.