Daily Archives: July 31, 2007

Our Rhythmic Lives in Concert

9
Posted by Phil on July 31, 2007 – 11:29 pm
Filed under Just for Fun, perspective

The tide is high in my mind this night as I stop to ponder the rhythms of life. Why does there exist such struggle between people? Do language, culture, beliefs or values create clashes or is it something more natural, more organic that generates friction? When you talk am I listening? Are we on the same wavelength? Is that manner of speaking metaphor or a literal variance in waves of thought?

Answers without questions. Questions with no audience. Being alone when in close proximity to a dozen people. Who understands? Who keeps in time with the pace I run? Why the disconnect in communication?

Ah, yes, written word. How splendid, how sublime to write in frenzy, to articulate the cascading thoughts to be sorted and straightened in methodical manner for others to receive. How much clearer the voice filtered by time, testing and revisited before the premiere of another post, this one slowed by the very nature of delivery in written form to the reader.

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation that seemed as if two radios blaring at each other with no audio input device? Strife in the work place, contention in the home, sparks between neighbors. We all face it in some form or fashion. How human, how profane this act of communication, this means for relation. Are we so advanced that we can write with eloquence our lofty thoughts yet stumble and muddle through the day with those by our side? Are we functionally blind, deaf and dumb in our ability to relate? Or do we run at a different rhythm and pace, on different strokes of time?

Perhaps there is a language of time we have yet to learn. Do we know our own rhythm and recognize our syncopated movements with others of kindred spirit? If we listen closely, does the sounds in our home, the conversations at work not resound with the rhythms of life? Are these not songs of laughter and ovations of a job well done?

What then becomes of our lives, day-to-day, as we run ever nearing to its conclusion? Did we learn the new language, hear the new rhymes, accents and inflections of this concerto of life? Or do we drone along and cover our ears when we hear some dissonance between singers, people voicing their part? Little may be perceived but the banter of souls wrestling with trivial thoughts. For those who hear the song of the heart and the vocals of the living, let’s learn, let’s listen and join the anthem.

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Websites are for People not Engines

6
Posted by Phil on July 31, 2007 – 7:01 am
Filed under Google, Google Apps, Search Engine Optimization, Web and Tech Helps

Volumes are written about Search Engine Optimization and how to improve your PageRank. In truth, SEO is a means to an end, getting people to read your site. I thought it worth giving some simple steps to improve PageRanking.

Anyone new to optimization can begin to feel that there is a great chasm of understanding to be gained before beginning web publishing. Posting information to a page that ranks well on search engines and written for ease of use by readers is actually deceptively simple. Going hand-in-hand with my post Search Engine Optimization Do’s and Don’ts, this post will give you a few simple steps to advance your web publishing efforts.

Simple Steps for Writing an Optimized Post

  1. Develop an idea for a post. While research in the subject is valuable, formulate your own well developed content. This cannot be stated too often. Original content will result in higher PageRank.
  2. In Google, search blog titles to ensure there are no exact duplicate results.
  3. Develop a title that succinctly states the point of your post.
  4. Write a short paragraph summarizing the focus of the post. Proof your post for spelling, grammar and awkward sentence structure.
  5. Use bulleted lists and state the essential ideas with key terms to be found in Google in the post like "Search Engine Optimization" or "User optimized websites".
  6. Use subtitles, illustrations and photos to guide the user.
  7. Use online SEO tools such as: http://tools.seobook.com/ to look-up search terms.
  8. Daily monitor your web traffic using Google Analytics or stats from sites such as MyBlogLog.
  9. Write serial or related posts that give users a body of information on a given topic.
  10. Link both to meaningful related information on other sites and back into your own post.

Writing to an audience with some basic guidelines will promote the development of content that users will appreciate and share with others. While it may seem like SEO boils down to learning the tricks of the trade, writing worthwhile and valuable content will create a lasting impression. When quality content is developed, people link to your site which will do more for PageRanking than any trick in the book. I remember one of the Yahoo reps at a Search Engine conference saying, "Do the right thing and you will rank well."

There are many other steps one can take to promote a site, but starting with solid posts is the cornerstone. These are good practices I take with posts. Any tips or ideas you’ve picked-up that I haven’t mentioned in either post on optimization? What’s working for you?

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