Tuesday, March 15, 2011

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Senator Al Frankin Revs Up SXSW

Posted: 14 Mar 2011 09:50 PM PDT

Al Franken is known to attract an audience.

Sometimes in a packed comedy house or senate chamber and others at a town hall meeting in his home state of Minnesota.

Where's the Senator at today? The Annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas: a geek fest for the creative and un-creative alike.

Mr. Franken's words regarding net neutrality and the threat of corporations "destroying the Internet," hit home with an audience reliant on a free-flowing and semi-unregulated access. Going as far to call it the, "First Amendment of our time."

“I came here to warn you, the party may be over,” Franken added. “They’re coming after the Internet hoping to destroy the very thing that makes it such an important [medium] for independent artists and entrepreneurs. Its openness and freedom."

To put his comments in your native tongue: Destoying ='s large corporations' attempts at allowing media companies to pay for quicker streaming. Mr. Franken cited Comcast in his example of a company's business model threatened by an open Internet.

“The real end for Comcast is to put Netflix out of business entirely,” Franken said, because of the threat that Netflix’s streaming video business could pose to Comcast’s cable franchise. “In the end, the American people will end up paying a lot more for worse service.”

The current setup essentially guarantees your drunken exploits blog gets as much attention as Netflix.com.

Well, who wouldn't be for that? Probably the ones trying to push drunken idiots out the door. Also affectionately known as independent film makers, musicians and writers. . . just to name a few.

Don't expect the fight to be easy. It's time to start passing the hat.

“Unfortunately one thing these big corporations have that we don’t is the ability to purchase favorable political outcomes,” Frankin continued. “Big telecoms have lots of [lobbyists], and good ones, too. "The end of net neutrality would benefit no one but these corporate giants.”

A large majority contend, allowing corporations to purchase better streaming would not leave independent artists and small businesses behind. A comprise was also reached which would create two classes of Internet: wireless and fixed line.

Fixed line providers would not be allowed to block access to sites or applications. However, wireless carriers would have more leeway to enforce streaming caps.

Despite the compromise, Mr. Frankin isn't done fighting for what he calls a "weird Internet."

"Let’s fight for net neutrality. Let’s keep Austin weird. Let’s keep the Internet weird. Let’s keep the Internet free.”

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

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PaidBacklinks.com V2 Is Now Live!

Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:25 AM PST

Get 10 Free Backlinks Today!

When I first got into SEO, I took out a sheet of paper and wrote down the basic elements that a proper SEO campaign consisted of. Those 3 elements were:

1 – Onsite Optimization

2 – Content Production

3 – Backlinks

The truth is that SEO is VERY easy, it just takes a ton of work . . .

Now, everyone with a little bit of training can perform the necessary elements of onsite optimization and most people can write an article with some kind of effectiveness. But, what about building backlinks?

The truth is that building backlinks is the hardest aspect of SEO. You have a few choices when you set out to build backlinks. First, you can email other website owners and ask for a link back to your website (this is boring and usually leads no-where). Second, you can hire a dedicated link building team to do the heavy lifting for you. Or third, you can try PaidBacklinks.com which completely automates the process!

That’s where PaidBacklinks.com comes in! PBL is a revolutionary system that allows website owners and SEO agency’s alike to build hundreds of quality one-way-textlinks with the push of a button.

So what exactly is PaidBacklinks.com?

In short, the system relies on a privately owned blog network of several thousand domains that have even more articles and post already indexed by Google.

Backlinks are built using the “Campaign Builder” in which the user enters in their keywords and URL’s. From there the PBL technology searches the blog network for exact keyword matches and set’s the backlinks in place.

The best part is, you can test drive the system for FREE and receive 10 backlinks with no obligation.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

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4 Principles I Try to Live By

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:26 PM PST

I have been working online (full time now) for almost 10 years. And, as I approach this milestone in my professional life I find myself becoming much more retrospective of things past and trying to contemplate what the future will mean for me both personally and professionally.

In the last 10 years, I have went completely broke 3 different times and suffered numerous setbacks that I will chalk up as both my own cause and “bad luck”. I have seen my business grow to 110 employees and go back down to just myself working at home, only to find that I had to somehow find the resolve to pick myself up and try it all again. Despite all of that, I would not have done it any other way!

The following 4 principles are certain truths that I have come to know during this wild ride.

1) All you have is trust!

If your clients, co-workers, or partners don’t trust you . . . then you don’t have a business. You might have a organized crime syndicate or your might have a dictatorship, but you most certainly do not have a business.

Work hard as you grow your business to develop trust around everyone you know. Do what you say, and always only say the things you can or are willing to do.

2) This takes hard work!

If you are working on the internet and you are expecting a huge pie in the sky pay-dirt to come your way . . . go bet on a horse race. You will probably have better odds hitting it big there.

Everything from SEO, to PPC, and product development takes a HUGE amount of work and a lot of sleepless nights and long hours. Be ready to give it your all and most importantly make sure that your family is behind you in your endeavors. I could write a book on that truth alone (getting your family to buy into your dreams), but we will save that one for later.

3) Everything that happens to you is your own fault!

You might say “But Mike, above you mention ‘bad luck’?” . . . that’s right and when I think about it, I made that bad luck come my way.

The choices you make and the people you surround yourself with are entirely up to you. Make sure that when you set out to build your business that you only choose those who have the same or higher ethics that you have. This will ensure that you are not brought down by their poor decisions as often the case might be.

4) I never plan on retiring!

Now, my employees and partner might read this and say “But, Mike . . . that’s not what you told us!”. While it is true that I have told them in 3 years I want to retire that doesn’t mean that I want to stop working.

The idea of setting around and growing old on a golf course simply doesn’t strike a chord with me. As I move forward in life I am going to strike to work hard to help others and never stop building.

Just food for thought . . . .

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

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What Do Mobile Users Mean for SEO?

Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:44 PM PST

In the wake of FinancialTimes.com stating half of their traffic arrives from mobile sources, many online marketers are asking. . . ,"what does this mean for search engine optimization?"

It's not like users will immediately stop normal surfing patterns and abandon Google, Bing and all organic forms of traffic. However, any semi-follower of the SEM industry would take a step back and ask a few questions:

  • Will users depend more on social recommendations or keep with traditional search behavior?
  • How will results change to reflect the needs of mobile users?

Instead of trying to answer each question directly – let's consider a few options. First off, FinancialTimes.com doesn't specifically state these are organic users, direct users, paid. . . etc.

Since FT is a news aggregation site, these type of stats should not be surprising to anyone following this industry. . . including FT's managing director, Robert Grimshaw.

In an interview with Beat.TV, Grimshaw stated, “approximately forty-five percent of digital news is now consumed via mobile devices…. Coupled with the growth in consumption, has been the interest in advertisers around advertising on the mobile platforms, which was nearly non-existant just one year ago.”

These may have been established users who switched over to mobile and didn't need any extra prodding. The bigger question in demand of answers: regardless of where traffic originates (organic or not), will your site be ready to handle mobile users?

Surprisingly, most are not excepting mobile usage to grow this fast.

Grimshaw went on to say, “That’s a number that surprised us,” he told Beet.TV at the paidContent2011 conference. “I think it demonstrates actually how quickly the audience is picking up mobile devices and shifting away from the desktop and into the many new digital channels that are emerging."

And, how does all this make money?

“When you look at the subscription side, what we’re seeing is that people are very willing to do business on a mobile platform. They’re buying subscriptions directly through their mobile devices and over 2010 we saw 10 per cent of our new digital subscriptions every week coming from mobile devices.”

This is what most advertisers / marketers should be focused on. Will users interact directly with mobile ready content? According to FinancialTimes.com, this seems to be true.

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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

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Did Google Farmer Affect Your Crops. . .?

Posted: 01 Mar 2011 07:58 PM PST

This is a great time of year. As Winter turns to Spring, those living above the equator have a lot to look forward to.

In a couple months, we who survived Winter Blast 2010-11 should be thankful it's come and gone. A new season of planting has begun. Not only for literal farmers and growers, but for all in the online biz industry. Opportunity is plentiful.

Despite the optimistic outlook and environment, every farmer is faced with circumstances behind their control: weather, bacteria, drought,  disease, theft. . . etc.

The same goes for producers and planters of content. Bear with me as I continue down the road of analogies.

Let's break out the Almanac and get to work.

As the dust settles and we examine Google Farmer's impact. . . it's important to take a look at the results of their algorithm changes. Not on the typical bot or farm sites that everyone expects to either, 1.) Drop in ranking, 2.) Get deleted from Google's index. I'll save my breath.

How about freelance sites where thousands of your peers depend on for income?

Many have posed the question (and rightly so) if companies such as, Demand Media, Break Studios or Bright Hub are worthy of some Google love. Better known as User Generated Content (UGC) I say yes. Let's look at the facts.

In terms of how these sites fared in the recent shakedown? I'm impressed. Even though Alexa.com shouldn't be the final say in determining the success of a site, numbers don't lie.

The following sites rely on user generated content and have all come under fire for "farming", as seen in the above link. Yet, recent stats show these blogs / information portals made it through Mountain View's eradication efforts.

>>> MadeMan.com <<< – Updated through Break Studios.


Who cares about the Content Scare of 2011? MadeMan and Break Studios is going strong. Quality always wins out in the end.

>>> eHow.com<<< – Updated through Demand Media

The naysayers would be proud. Disappointed is probably a better word. With a rank of 37 and continuous growth. . . It looks like How to Make Friends at College is more important than I thought.

>>> BrightHub.com<<< – Content hosted on root domain.

Don't let the past few days scare you. All of the above stats showed positive yesterday and it looks like BH is heading in the right direction. With a good combination of popular interest and academic worthy articles – they should see more love in the future.

Again, Alexa and traffic stats shouldn't be the "end all" of judging a site's success. Could eHow have 1k articles banned but continue posting strong numbers? Of course. Bright Hub could be on the verge of a ranking meltdown and you all may laugh at me tomorrow.

But for now, time to write some articles.

This is a great time of year. As Winter turns to Spring, those living above the equator have a lot to look forward to.

In a couple months, we who survived Winter Blast 2010-11 should be thankful it's come and gone. A new season of planting has begun. Not only for literal farmers and growers, but for all in the online biz industry. Opportunity is plentiful.

Despite the optimistic outlook and environment, every farmer is faced with circumstances behind their control: weather, bacteria, drought,  disease, theft. . . etc.

The same goes for producers and planters of content. Bear with me as I continue down the road of analogies.

Let's break out the Almanac and get to work.

As the dust settles and we examine Google's Farmer's impact. . . it's important to take a look at the results of their algorithm changes. Not on the typical bot or farm sites that everyone expects to either, 1.) Drop in ranking, 2.) Get deleted from Google's index. I'll save my breath.

How about freelance sites where thousands of your peers depend on for income?

Many have posed the question (and rightly so) if companies such as, Demand Media, Break Studios or Bright Hub are worthy of some Google love. Better known as User Generated Content (UGC) I say yes. Let's look at the facts.

In terms of how these sites fared in the recent shakedown? I'm impressed. Even though Alexa.com shouldn't be the final say in determining the success of a site, numbers don't lie.

The following sites rely on user generated content and have all come under fire for "farming", as seen in the above link. Yet, recent stats show these blogs / information portals made it through Mountain View's eradication efforts.

>>> MadeMan.com <<< – Updated through Break Studios.

Who cares about the Content Scare of 2011? MadeMan and Break Studios is going strong. Quality always wins out in the end.

>>> eHow.com<<< – Updated through Demand Media

The naysayers would be proud. Disappointed is probably a better word. With a rank of 37 and continuous growth. . . It looks like How to Make Friends at College is more important than I thought.

>>> BrightHub.com<<< – Content hosted on root domain.

Don't let the past few days scare you. All of the above stats showed positive yesterday and it looks like BH is heading in the right direction. With a good combination of popular interest and academic worthy articles – they should see more love in the future.

Again, Alexa and traffic stats shouldn't be the "end all" of judging a site's success. Could eHow have 1k articles banned but continue posting strong numbers? Of course. Bright Hub could be on the verge of a ranking meltdown and you all may laugh at me tomorrow.

But for now, its time to write more articles.



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