Is SEO Just About Dead?

Well, maybe not dead, but if this guy is correct (and I have reason to believe he is pretty darn close) one of SEO's holiest of grails (meta keywords) seems to be pretty much a waste of effort. Anyone disagree? I'd surely like to know how to position my efforts wisely.

Amplify’d from en.forums.wordpress.com

WordPress.com Home Features News Support Themes About Us Advanced Forums

Meta stuff Read more at en.forums.wordpress.com

thesacredpath Member May 11, 2011, 2:35 AM

The search engines pay virtually zero (0) attention to meta stuff anymore mainly due to abuse over the years. The only thing they might MIGHT use would be a meta description to use as the snippet in a search result, but in my experience even well crafted meta descriptions only get picked up 40 to 50% of the time. The rest of the time the search engines will make their own decision. And meta tags are not even considered at all. They completely ignore them (again due to abuse). The search engines will look at your content and pull what they consider to be the important keywords out of your content. On my client's site's even though I have the ability to add keywords I don't even bother as the search engines don't use them. I do meta descriptions, but given they only use them about 40-50% of the time I don't spend a lot of time on them. Catagorize and tag your posts (total of 12 maximum tags + categories), use keywords in your titles and in your content but do not overuse them and everything will be fine. WordPress.COM has some of the best SEO right out of the bag of anywhere around and a wordpress.COM blog with the exact same content will always be higher in search results than a self-hosted blog with all the SEO tricks. Worry about creating high quality content, post regularly, use keywords in the content and titles and forget about all the rest. Read more at en.forums.wordpress.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a13xcp

How to Get Your Business Growing Again

URL:  http://www.thestreet.com/story/11128053/1/how-to-get-yo...

New businesses get a lot of attention, whether it's strategies for building a social media base or applying for a first bank loan. Less often do we see attention for businesses that have been around for more than a decade and are profitable but in a holding pattern. To compete with today's newer, faster, leaner and most likely e-commerce-friendly businesses, these older companies need to get the wheels spinning again.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a13nep

How We Got To Where We Are

http://mariesaid.blogspot.com/2011/05/net-of-safety-and-web-of...

Although it's obvious English is not Marie's first language, her passion and understanding of the things she writes about are admirable. Here she writes about how power resides, ultimately, in we the people and how so much of our progress in civil rights and economic justice has been bequeathed to us by prior generations of sacrifice. This is a good read.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1350z

Using Your Menu Wisely!

Precipitated by an inter-continental Twitter discussion involving, among other things, Chicken-fried Steak, Vinnie Mirchandani (author of "The New Polymath") posted this instructive picture of a menu, with comments on what makes it useful and well-designed.



Any of my restaurant friends paying attention?

Amplify’d from florence20.typepad.com

Vinnie Mirchandani on global technology innovation and impact on how we work, live and play

The "Menu Magician"

I saw this in the Southwest Spirit magazine. Gregg Rapp runs a boot camp and a consulting practice to help restaurants rethink their menu to become a sales tool.

See more at florence20.typepad.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a11t6v

Though I've been targeting businesses with lots of foot traffic and churn (e.g. restaurants, retail stores, bars, service providers), I recently got a Dentist's office as a client. It's going to be fun to see if a place people don't exactly go to for fun can nevertheless take advantage of the free ads provided by apps like Foursquare and, perhaps, Groupon . . . as well as other methods like Facebook fan pages, etc. Anyone have any experiences to share. http://amplify.com/u/bzwqp

Do We Need Incentives for Innovators?

http://traction.tractionsoftware.com/traction/permalink/Blog1654

This is a nice piece on the value - actually its lack of value - of providing extrinsic, monetary incentives to "drive" innovation. Mention is made of the value of "observable work" in making the contributions of participants in workflow visible to all who care to look. There are many others who have pointed this out in similar contexts, including Alfie Kohn, Dr. Russel Ackoff, and W. Edward Deming.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bytpy

They're at it Again; Budget Gamesmanship

The thought of having to give up any of my meager Social Security and upcoming Medicare benefits (which, correct me if I'm wrong here, I've paid into for about 45 years) is really thrilling; especially when I know it will be used to fund tax cuts for people who have more money than they're actually worth.

Amplify’d from www.rollingstone.com

Tax Cuts for the Rich on the Backs of the Middle Class; or, Paul Ryan Has Balls

Paul Ryan, the Republican Party’s latest entrant in the seemingly endless series of young, prickish, over-coiffed, anal-retentive deficit Robespierres they’ve sent to the political center stage in the last decade or so, has come out with his new budget plan. All of these smug little jerks look alike to me – from Ralph Reed to Eric Cantor to Jeb Hensarling to Rand Paul and now to Ryan, they all look like overgrown kids who got nipple-twisted in the halls in high school, worked as Applebee’s shift managers in college, and are now taking revenge on the world as grownups by defunding hospice care and student loans and Sesame Street. They all look like they sleep with their ties on, and keep their feet in dress socks when doing their bi-monthly duty with their wives.

You push a policy like that in the middle of a shaky economy, of course we’re going to have debt problems. But the issue is being presented as if the debt comes entirely from growth in entitlement spending. It’s bad enough that middle-class taxpayers have been forced in the last few years to subsidize the vacations and beach houses of the idiots who caused the financial crisis, and it’s doubly insulting that they’re now being blamed for the budget mess.

But the icing on the cake comes when a guy like David Brooks – like me a coddled, overcompensated media yuppie whose idea of sacrifice is raking one’s own leaves – comes out and calls Paul Ryan courageous for having the guts to ask seniors to cut back on their health care in order to pay for our tax breaks.

The absurd thing is that Ryan’s act isn’t even politically courageous. It’s canny calculation, but courage it is not. It would be courageous if Ryan were, say, the president of the United States, and leaning on that budget with his full might. But Ryan is proposing a budget he knows would have no chance of passing in the Senate. He is simply playing out a part, a non-candidate for the presidency pushing a rhetorical flank for an out-of-power party leading into a presidential campaign year. If the budget is a hit with the public, the 2012 Republican candidate can run on it. If it isn’t, the Republican candidate can triangulate Ryan’s ass back into the obscurity from whence it came, and be done with him.

No matter what, Ryan’s gambit, ultimately, is all about trying to get middle-class voters to swallow paying for tax cuts for rich people. It takes chutzpah to try such a thing, but having a lot of balls is not the same as having courage. Read more at www.rollingstone.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/byp32

Revolution or Transformation

Steve Brant makes a compelling argument for how we need to envision our world. He suggests a vision of scarcity is not congruent with reality and proposes we take an abundance view to our world. Life is not a zero-sum game, regardless of what those who would benefit from that being the case have to say about it.

Amplify’d from www.huffingtonpost.com

The Huffington Post March 10, 2011

The Revolution...Sorry, Transformation Starts Now!

I predict the Naked Power Grab by the Republican party in Wisconsin will go down in history as the second "shot heard 'round the world" which began the second American Revolution. Except, if the Progressive Movement in America really wants to win this Revolution, it will not launch a revolution at all. It will launch a Transformation. The Transformation of America (and, ultimately, the world).

Eliminate fear, my fellow Progressives. That's what the people in Egypt did. And when they were no longer fearful of the power structure in their country, they were able to dismantle it and begin to build a much better country... one that will work for everyone in Egypt, not just the wealthy.

We American Progressives can do the same, except that America's position in the world will mean our work will eventually help fulfill an even greater human dream... of a WORLD (not just a country) that works for everyone!

Here's to winning the war by refusing to play on the Right's battlefield or using their rules!

Here's to winning the Revolution but not "revolting" but by "transforming" (building something better) instead! Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/btrpg

Facebook Ads Provide Excellent Value

Let's face(book) it, Facebook has been invading our privacy for years. The result, an ability to target ads like never before. Coupled with a model that makes it easy to experiment for very little money, there's little reason not to give it a shot if you've got a Facebook Fan Page. Read this article from The Globe and Mail for more info. This is a winner for small businesses with small advertising budgets.

Amplify’d from www.theglobeandmail.com

The value of being 'liked'

How much are you willing to pay to be liked? It was a fitting question for JP Davidson and Elah Feder, the creators of “I Like You,” a podcast about modern love, from friends-with-benefits to the ins and outs of queer Jewish speed-dating.

“We were looking for new ways to expand our listenership,” says Mr. Davidson. “Like everybody else, we saw the ads in the Facebook sidebar constantly, and looked into how much it would cost to run a campaign.”

What they found was a lot of “likes” for not a lot of money. Their value, however, remains to be seen. Read more at www.theglobeandmail.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bteed

Untitled

Being heavily invested now is the world of small business (I suppose I could add in the word medium here and use the SMB acronym), I thought this would be interesting. However, the very first one - number 10 - is suspect. I think a much more interesting number would be the percentage of people employed by small businesses. I'll bet it would be a significant, but lower number.



I worked for two organizations that each employed around 140,000 people world-wide and there are many that big and bigger. Frankly, I would expect the number of small business, as a percentage of employers, to be that high - but I think the metric is meaningless.



Number one - the last point - makes more sense to me and sort of obviates whatever value number 10 had. However, leading off with a useless metric kind of lowers the value of everything else in my eyes. Just sayin'!

Amplify’d from usgovinfo.about.com

US Government Info

Top Ten Reasons to Love U.S. Small Business List highlights importance of small business to U.S. economy  By Robert Longley, About.com Guide

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the top 10 reasons to love small business, what the SBA's Office of Advocacy calls "the heart of the American economy." 10. Small businesses make up more than 99.7% of all employers.

9. Small businesses create more than 50 percent of the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).

8. Small patenting firms produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.

7. The 22.9 million small businesses in the United States are located in virtually every neighborhood.

6. Small businesses employ about 50 percent of all private sector workers.

5. Home-based businesses account for 53 percent of all small businesses.

4. Small businesses make up 97 percent of exporters and produce 29 percent of all export value.

3. Small businesses with employees start-up at a rate of over 500,000 per year.

2. Four years after start-up, half of all small businesses with employees remain open.

1. The latest figures show that small businesses create 75 percent of the net new jobs in our economy.

The SBA's Office of Advocacy, the "small business watchdog" of the government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats and it funds research into small business issues.

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration] Read more at usgovinfo.about.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bruem

Frosty, The Red-Nosed Snowman

There are lots of things I love about being a father of young children. One of them just happened in our living room while I was cleaning the kitchen. Our oldest is away with Mom at a Girl Scout activity and the youngest daughter of one of the other families is here playing with our youngest.



I just listened to her (the friends' daughter) start to sing Frosty the Snowman which, mid-way, transformed into Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and somehow ended in an amalgamated medley of the two. Listening to this incredible editing job, which I'm sure was invented on-the-fly, was priceless. I will miss this age as I miss others that have passed. Thankfully my memory isn't what it used to be, so the loss isn't melancholy for long. Still . . .

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bqx3c

Some Weird Stumble Upon-Like Thing

I came across this while looking for information on the treatment of left-handers during medieval times. This isn't from the page I found, which seems to be quite old and simplistically designed, but I thought the sentiment quite useful to memorialize.



Consider this a very public bookmarking; done so you might judge for yourself if the sentiment is worthy of a moment of your time . . . retrospectively, I realize but, well, what can I say? So sue me.

Amplify’d from www.csun.edu

… A Prayer by a 17th century Nun "Lord --- Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody… helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all. But Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details. Give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains… They are increasing… and love of rehearsing them is becoming gets sweeter as the time goes by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of others pains… but help me endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonable sweet. I do not want to be a saint… some of them are so hard to live with… But a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talent in unexpected people. And give me O Lord, the Grace to tell them so." Read more at www.csun.edu

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aq5c1

Dang! I missed today's best time

http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/images/day_hour_infographi...

I'm sorry . . . and I say that with the utmost sincerity (especially since I'm likely the only one I'm saying it to - which makes it all that much more pathetic) . . . but I really wanted to write about something, anything, today. So I thought I might write about my relationship with blogging. However, as the linked graphic clearly shows, I just missed the ideal time to do so today and, alas, it appears mostly downhill from here.



Nevertheless, thanks to Amplify, I can still fulfill my obligation to myself and get back to work so I can relax and watch some of the best commercials we're likely to see all year. Incidentally, I think there's a football game wrapped around those commercials. Don't quote me on it, though.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aoz7b

Gladwell for Dummies | The Nation

http://www.thenation.com/article/gladwell-dummies?page=0,0

This is an interesting (and quite long) primer on Malcolm Gladwell, written before his comments regarding social media and social movements. It's surely worthy of a read if you're trying to figure out just how valuable his opinion is. The author of this piece, Maureen Tkacik, casts a fair amount of doubt on his ability to really understand much of anything . . . I think :).

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aohoz

Consider Attending IBM's Social Business Jam? Here's How!

I am a VIP guest taking part in a unique opportunity to engage in an interactive discussion about the growing influence of social technology in business.



On February 8-11, 2011 I will be joining IBM to host their Social Business Jam where we will cooperatively explore the value of social technology in business, the mitigation of its risks, and the management system required to drive the social transformation required for its use. This web-based event will provide an unrivalled opportunity for thousands of leaders from around the world to pool their knowledge and experiences, and to examine this next generation of business. I urge you to participate. Learn more here: www.ibm.com/social/businessjam



There will be 5 discussion forums occurring simultaneously, where participants can join any time during the event. The subjects of these forums are:

• Building the Social Business of the Future



• Building Participatory Organizations Through Social Adoption



• Using Social to Understand and Engage with Customers



• What does Social mean for IT?



• Identifying Risks and Establishing Governance

Participation does not require your full-time involvement during the 72 hours of the event. You can log-in to the Jam whenever you are available, and spend as much time as you want to comment, read or engage in topic areas you find most interesting. We're looking forward to your participation!



Please join me in this exciting conversation about the new era of business:

1. Register for the Jam: Please register for the Jam via this link: http://ibm.co/joinsbjam

2. Spread the word about the Jam: Please help us generate buzz about this upcoming event via Twitter (#sbjam) and other channels of communication you have access to.





Thanks.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ao6r5

In Memorium - STS-51-L Challenger

A little over three weeks ago I wrote a personal reflection on the Challenger disaster, as it changed my life not insignificantly and this anniversary kind of coincided with the end of the changes the original event precipitated. I just thought I'd share my post once again. It's at http://wp.me/paiNK-7v

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/anvi2

I'm OK, You're a Pathological Techno-Geek

You won't go wrong reading the entire review, but in the interest of brevity I am herewith sharing the author's final paragraph. It's a couple days old. Sorry

Amplify’d from www.boston.com

Antisocial media

An MIT professor and psychologist argues our modern wired lifestyle is damaging us and our relationships, but she may be a bit premature

(Tatsuro Kiuchi)

By David Weinberger

Globe Correspondent / January 16, 2011

But, suppose human nature is more malleable than her psychological model allows. Suppose the Internet is devising a self that is social in new ways that include intimacy, but that also find real human value in thinly spread connections. Turkle’s observations raise disturbing issues, but her theoretical framework so colors her conclusions that, although her book will spark useful debate, it settles less than she seems to think. The changes our technology is bringing are challenging our conceptual frameworks for understanding those changes, including the psychological standpoint Turkle takes as secure.

David Weinberger is a senior researcher at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. He can be reached at self@evident.com.

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company. Read more at www.boston.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bn1od

Please Help!

Hello. My name is Rick and . . . well . . . I'm a bit of a Social Media addict. I've been able to resist Farmville, but I still check in frequently to see what's up on Facebook. I follow amazingly fascinating and informing people on Twitter and have connected with them on Facebook as well. Many of them are in far away locations on the planet, so there's almost always a conversation going on; at any time of day or night. Today it became clear to me just how much of a problem this is for me.



I have an iMac, an iPad, and (I know this probably seems heretical, but what can I say?) an HTC Hero running Google Android. I use or have used Twitter's web app, Nambu, Osfoora, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Twitter for iPad, and maybe some services I can't even remember using. I ran my iPad's battery down by about 3:00 pm PST today and had to switch over to my phone exclusively while it's recharging. The process has me twitching a little bit. The alternative is to sit in my home office, tethered to my Mac, but the weather is gorgeous and at least I can be somewhat ambulatory with either of my other devices.



It's not that I'm on Twitter all the time; it's just that I feel compelled to at least pay attention. I also find myself checking in using Foursquare or Facebook Places, and writing reviews on Yelp. I'm fascinated with the quality of information available via Twitter or, lately, Quora.



I can't seem to disengage, and I don't even work in Tech or a large enterprise (at least not anymore). What can I do? My children are begging me to help them be less bored. I should get them their own smart phones I suppose, but they're only 7 and 9. Still . . . the temptation is strong.



My name is Rick. I'm 63 years old, semi-retired, and wondering what to do with this addiction. Please help!

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bm46n

Tunisia's President Flees After Riots Fanned by WikiLeaks

URL:  http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/14/tunisias-president-fl...

A little more information on what's happening in Tunisia.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/blygx

Tunisia's Revolution Was Twitterized

URL:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/firas-alatraqchi/tunisias...

I think anybody who is interested in the power of social media to revolutionize not merely the way we do business, but the way we live our lives, should be paying close attention to what's happening in Tunisia. I wish I'd known about this earlier. This likely is a harbinger of more changes to come, as peoples' ability to communicate, share, inform, and educate (all of which facilitate collaboration and innovation) expands to ubiquity.



To me this represents an aspect of emergence that is incredibly exciting. It's very democratic and participatory, incredibly disruptive, yet it's hard to say what that will mean as process and structure coalesce behind our desires and needs. Gives me goosebumps!



We couldn't spread democracy through the use of force very effectively (and surely not very efficiently), but technology is doing it for us . . . and to us. I was thinking this is part of our evolution, but then - since we've created the technology - realized it's intelligent design =;^D

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/blyel