From  TechCrunch

Sick and tired of your email service, but worried that switching providers is too much of a pain? Well, Google has attempted to solve that problem for those wishing to switch to its Gmail service. The search giant on Wednesday released a new feature that lets users import their email archives and contacts into their Gmail accounts directly. It also supports message forwarding from your old account for up to thirty days. The new feature supports importing from all the important email providers, including AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail and dozens of others. The feature is currently only available for new accounts, with support for existing accounts being added over time.

Google is making this really, really easy-all you have to do is enter your other mail service’s user name and password and Gmail does all the work, importing your messages and contacts. “It’s making a once frustrating process nearly painless, and it’s going to attract new users in droves,” says TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid. – Read the whole story…

It has been months since my last post.

I am happy to say that I have been busy updating several client sites as well as my own.

With a little luck and much coffee I will again be able to create useful info here for my clients and brothers/sisters in arms.

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and living with ease.

Art Schobey

Here’s a small collection of blog posts that may help you in planning where to spend your online marketing efforts in the coming year.

All indications are that the social media space may quickly become very crowded as companies look for ways to stretch their marketing and advertising budgets. Being engaged with your clients and prospects online has never been more important. Social media will transform the way that companies interact with their customers. You need to be there. Your competition probably already is.

• Being Peter Kim: Social Media Predictions 2009
• eMarketer’s Predictions for 2009
• More media blogger predictions for 2009
• 42+ Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2009
• Social Media Wins In Marketers Plans for 2009
• Search Trends To Watch In 2009

Have any predictions of your own?