Before I embark on my latest rant, let me make it clear that Naresh Joshi is not your run o' the mill scraper. I don't really spend much time worrying about or warring with scrapers over stolen blog content. There are a number of ways to use their douchebaggary to your advantage and even have a little fun at their expense, as my pal Gerald Weber illustrated. This, however, is egregious plagiarism with direct and malicious intent to deceive. Yet another piece of evidence to justify … [Read more...]
Outsourcing SEO to India – Dumbass 101
Let the rant commence! I know...shocking, right? While the title pretty much sums up my feelings on the issue, with the number of ridiculous link exchange requests I get, I figured it was time I officially out this nonsense as the douchebaggary it is. As any professional link builder will tell you, HOW you request a link is an exercise in the art of persuasion. You are asking for a favor of sorts...initiating a relationship...trying to build a rapport. Like a dude in a bar trying to pick … [Read more...]
Charles Preston’s Verified SEO = Verifiable Failure
A new "service" marketed as Verified SEO has been making waves throughout the SEO/SEM industry today. Though I doubt they are the waves its founder, Charles Preston - a self-described "SEO Expert" - had been hoping for. Claiming to have been a search marketing professional since 1999, Mr. Preston has found his reputation and previous anonymity in industry circles coming under fire from search marketing veterans and douchebaggary outers far & wide. Why, you might ask, would the industry be so … [Read more...]
SEOAly's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from IM Spring Break
I've had a couple people ask for the chocolate chip cookie recipe from IM Spring Break, so I just decided to publish it. I cannot take credit for writing this recipe. It is a variation of the Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I just tinkered around with a bit. I think it's close to the recipe my grandma used to make, but I couldn't find her original when I actually went to make them. So, I kind of made this one up as I went along. Whatever. Hopefully you … [Read more...]
Use Twitter As A Tool – Don't Be One
I read a post recently that made me laugh, but not for the right reasons. On the other hand, it also made me think about how easy it is for someone who is new to Twitter and the Social Media sphere in general to make a huge mistake and alienate a lot of people who could have shortened the learning curve for a n00b significantly. In a few keystrokes the potential to build a rapport and some quality online relationships is lost. Not only that, it's also pretty easy to make yourself look like an … [Read more...]
Ignorant Do-It-Yourselfers & Their SEO Fiascoes: The Real Trouble With Search Engine Optimization
A recent rant by John Dvorak at PCMag.com, "SEO Fiascoes: The Trouble with Search Engine Optimization", has thrown me for quite a loop. Considering the amount of time I've spent learning SEO and small business website design, I will be the first to admit that there are a slew of companies in operation today that take advantage of the ignorance surrounding search engine optimization in order to turn a quick buck - the inspiration for this blog came as a result of such charlatans, after all. I … [Read more...]
The Economist…Plagiarists?
In a ridiculous attempt to defraud its readers into believing the idea was unique, The Economist has launched an application that seems eerily similar to the "If The World Could Vote?" project's application - which was launched months ago and continues to gain popularity. Trying to capitalize on that site's popularity, Economist? I think not. This is the age of social media. … [Read more...]
Kwippy – New Microblogging Platform
I'd not heard of kwippy before today (I'm still kind of a Social Media plebe), but I love learning about new tools and services that help people stay connected online. Thanks to Jeremy Weiss for the invitation! While I've not had much time to play around and/or familiarize myself with it's individual features in comparison to other popular microbloggers, I was excited to receive an e-mail from them letting me know that one of my kwips is being featured on the site's home page. How could I not … [Read more...]
Why I Love SEO
There appear to be some who misinterpreted my previous post regarding SEO consultation as negative toward the SEO industry as a whole. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love SEO. I think it's fun. Then again, I'm kind of a geek. Luckily I've always been comfortable embracing my geekdom. I like researching terms...I like working on sites to make them more search engine friendly...I like copywriting...I like finding information on a subject so I can actually write some copy about … [Read more...]
"SEO Consultation" is Ruining the SEO Industry's Reputation
Before any of you SEO consultants out there try to serve my head on a platter for impugning your work or your character, hang on a sec. In addition to my small business website design services, I have provided hundreds of hours of SEO consultation to small business owners. That's the basis for this post. Some of those consultations have proven to be valuable and resulted sites ranking much better. On the other hand, a lot of them haven't - primarily because of the misinterpreted value the … [Read more...]
The SEOmoz Expert Quiz Is Fixed!
I reported last week sometime that the SEOmoz Expert Quiz wasn't recording all the answers. Don't think I didn't freak out a bit when I took it and only got a 50-something percent! As I scrolled down the page I quickly realized that it didn't record all of my answers...WHEW - WHAT A RELIEF! I thought for a minute that I actually knew LESS about SEO now than I did the first time I took it last year! I won't pretend that I didn't make several "educated guesses" when I took it last year - … [Read more...]
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