Got a camera? (You’re nodding yes.) Planning to vote? (Of course you are.)

Participate in the Polling Place Photo Project, a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism, sponsored by The New York Times, AIGA, and Design Observer.

All you have to do is look through your lens and document democracy. Simply capture your local voting experience (abiding, of course, by state and local laws), post your photos, and become part of this nationwide, non-partisan project. The goal is to capture primaries, caucuses, and the general election from the people’s point of view.

Here’s how to participate. And here are some recent photos from the Super Tuesday Minnesota caucuses:

Minneapolis
“Democratic caucus line”
Photograph by Lewis Weinberg

“The convener shouts out directions”
Photograph by Pat Carney

Saint Paul
“Caucus chaos”
Photograph by Heidi Sandstad

“Post-caucus quiet”
Photograph by Arah Bahn

How about it MIMA members? Capture your user experience. Look through your viewfinder. Point and shoot. This is everything you applaud in a open-source initiative — photographs of the people, by the people, for the people.

Do you keep up to date with the latest search engine marketing news? If you do, you most likely frequent at least a couple of these sites. If you don’t you should check these out. These are my current 5 favorite sites that I follow for search news.

• Search Engine Land
• Marketing Pilgrim
• Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Roundtable
• Web Pro News

Danny Sullivan with Search Engine Land has in my opinion improved on what he previously had with Search Engine Watch. Search Engine Land pumps out loads of search engine news daily, announcing the breaking news and providing in depth commentary and opinion. He has a top-notch staff and a stable of writers that cover all aspects of the field. Danny also has the Daily Search Cast where you can catch the daily news with a live podcast on Webmaster Radio or download the archived version. If you want only one source for search news, Search Engine Land is it.

Andy Beal has built The Marketing Pilgrim into a first class search marketing news and analysis source. The Marketing Pilgrim covers all the top stories of the day with the help of a fine collection of writers. A great hook for the Pilgrim is a job board and the recently reintroduced search marketing weekly podcast. Andy does a great job sharing his knowledge and can be hired for his expert search marketing services.

The Search Engine Journal by Loren Baker also dishes out the top daily search news items. Loren delivers the goods on search marketing with high-performance style and substance and I like to read the stuff he writes. The Search Engine Journal also carries a cast of reporters to make sure all the deserving stories are covered.

Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable is a blogging madman. I don’t know how he has time for his Rusty Brick web design business with all the reading, research and writing he does for Search Engine Roundtable(seroundtable) and Search Engine Land. With seroundtable.com Barry and his comrades pick out and show you the most interesting search marketing threads from the top webmaster forums. Consider this the search marketing word on the street with Barry and CO cutting through the BS and delivering the worthwhile stuff.

Web Pro News by iEntry has a less personal feel with a network presentation of the news. The hook I keep going back for are the video clips and interviews. When a major conference is going on Mike McDonald does a great job with video interviews on the current issues in search marketing.

Of course there are many other blogs out there that deliver great news and articles on search marketing. I don’t mean to leave them out but here I wanted to focus on the news sites, the sites that are about getting the news out on a daily basis and are often some of the first to report on it. If you have a favorite search marketing news site you want to share please let us know with a comment. I’ll get to sharing other groups and categories of sites down the road. Til then,… later!

The Direct Marketing Associaton national DMA-06 pre conference sessions started this weekend with the new Search Engine Marketing Certification program. Saturday morning started off with Jeannette Kocsis, VP of Digital Marketing at Harte-Hanks,  presenting on "Introduction to Search Engine Marketing" and MIMA boardmember Lee Odden from TopRank Online Marketing following up with "Search Engine Basics".

Here’s the description of Jeannett’s module:

Introduction to Search Engine Marketing: Explore search engine marketing and what it takes for a marketer to achieve search engine marketing results. Learn how to identify ethical search engine marketing practices and how search engines define spam. Learn how to shape the business case for search marketing for your business, and how to staff this valuable marketing function.

Lee Odden’s session:

Search Engine Basics: If you have ever wondered how a search engine builds its database, adds new sites to its index or chooses which results to show, this is the session for you. Learn to identify paid from algorithmic search listings and where search listings appear beyond the search results page. You will also learn how the search marketers’ efforts can impact what the user sees on the page.

Michael Bloom (born and raised in Minnesota!) from the DMA Washington DC office did a short introduction and then Dr. Amanda Watlington presented information about the details of the certification program.

All of the modules were recorded so participants in the certification program will have access as well as to the presentations.

Sunday morning Matt Bailey of Site Logic Marketing presented his module:

Site Indexing Challenges and How to Fix Them: Is your site beautiful to behold, but invisible to search engines? This program focuses on the specific page elements and design technologies that can prevent a site from being included in a search engine database. You will learn how to identify the barriers and what must be done to overcome them.

Which was followed up by Detlev Johnson of Position Tech with:

Search Engine and Directory Submission/Inclusion Tactics: Want to know how to get your Web site indexed in the search engines using the newest and best practices? This session will outline the newest tactics available for ensuring rapid and complete site submissions. Learn how to get your site included in Google using Sitemaps and explore the many features of Yahoo! Site Explorer as well as other highly effective methods.

Find out more information about the DMA’s new Search Engine Marketing Certification program.

Tired of being an “email” square peg in an “online marketing” round hole? Feeling alone in this mad, mad, online marketing world? Now there’s a hub for the people who have shared the panic of pressing the “launch” button on a mailing to 1 million people. It’s the Email Experience Council.

The EEC is, well as they concisely state it, “…access to the latest thinking, best practices and strategies in email and digital marketing.” You have access to statistics, reports, blogs, as well as the ability to participate in roundtables that cover key issues in our industry.

Many of the participants are key figures within the Email Marketing community who really understand the issues facing our industry. It’s nice to see Email Marketing getting a bit more stature in the Interactive community. After all…we’re a smart, good-looking bunch.

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In conjunction with SmartBrief, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has announced the launch of a new job board to make it easier for recruiters and candidates to connect in the interactive industry. As with all interactive marketing segments, finding qualified talent is a challenge in the interactive advertising space which has grown to a $4 billion business as of first quarter 2006.One of the most popular areas of the MIMA site is of course, the MIMA job board which comes to you in two flavors: HTML and RSS.

Welcome to the official blog for MIMA, the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association.

Here you will find updated news about MIMA, events, projects and activities as well as interactive marketing industry news. We welcome and encourage your readership and interaction.