If you are not a part of SEOmoz in some way go check them out now.  I am not one to gush or give reviews but they are the real deal when it comes to SEO & online marketing. The newsletter is proof positive that they not only put out great content but also deliver great content from some of the best sources on the web today. Go here to get this newsletter - The SEOmoz Top 10

Full disclosure: I am a paying SEOmoz client – but I have not embedded any affiliate links or anything in the links on this post (not even sure if they have an affiliate program).

Some tidbits I learned from the SEOmoz Top 10 newsletter;

1. Anyone having issues with understanding why Google Analytics is now returning results on referring sites that are from (not provided)? This is a recent Google change and this article from the that newsletter points to the “why its there” and “what to do” – 7 Best SEO tips for (not provided) Keywords

2. Crawling Bots (especially the Google bot) are NOT archaic crawlers that just see “code or text” any more.  They can crawl flash sites and also will assess user experience as well as crawl Javascript.  Check it out here -  Just How Smart are Search Robots?

3. And my favorite! People are thinking that On-page SEO isn’t as useful now since the Panda update and Long Tail doesn’t convert – Think Again! Great article and study of long tail conversions and on-page SEO versus great consumable content – On-page Optimization is Not Dead & Long Tail Keywords Increase Rankings and Conversions

There are 8 more too like “How to Use Twitter as a Lead Generation Tool”.

Get the Newsletter so you don’t miss this great stuff!

During my head-bobbing experience which wouldn’t allow me to sleep much I was thinking about my last blog post regarding Social Media Experts/Gurus and how they seem to be popping up everywhere.  The thought that kept me ruminating on the post was that there aren’t many professed SEO experts or guru’s that have only been around a few months. Why?, Check it out;

1. SEO isn’t something you learn overnight.  SEO is continually changing and it’s not something you “jump into” and call yourself an expert.  There is On-Page SEO (an art in itself) with no-follow rules, internal page linking strategies and all of the associated tags.  There is Off-Page SEO (which includes Social Media) requiring back link strategies, bookmarking, authority acquisition and content development strategies to support your On-page SEO. Most importantly, you actually have to prove that you can get results.
2. SEO is more science than marketing.  You can’t wave your arms extolling the benefits of transparency with fancy terms such as “media assets can be created on various platforms to increase your reach and interaction”.  SEO is working with raw data, interpreting the effects, testing and implementing additional strategies to get results – lather, rinse, repeat.  Social Media will be a contributor, however, I haven’t seen Social Media lower an average site Alexa rank 25,000 spots within a couple of months.
3. SEO isn’t for the weak or timid.  You charge a client money and you better get results – more traffic, more visitors, more conversions and have the numbers and knowledge to back it up and adjust to get predictable outcomes.  Social Media is engagement and testing messages but rarely do you see intensive backend tracking for social media campaigns – unless they were truly a social media expert/guru.

Tracking and numbers are everything and social media, to me, is very much a part of the overall plan for a company or a client; however, it must be measured for it’s overall effectiveness based on the client’s needs, products and audience.

I think a better term for anyone in the industry would be to stay away from being a Social Media Expert/Guru and become an Online Marketing student working to become an expert.  Learn all of the various ways to get a client tangible results that bring traffic, conversions and revenues that can be tracked back to all of your online campaigns. Learn how to adjust a complete campaign not just one aspect of the campaign (i.e. Social Media).  Those who take this approach and get extremely good at it will be the ones who will be revered as the complete package in the online world and will never have to look for work even in a recession.

A good article by Shoemoney – SEO vs Social Media

Oh yeah, and I will blog about DEMO too which was an incredible experience!

After watching the video the messaging and slide deck that was created was far, far superior to what could have been produced if I had not seen the video.

If you are in sales, marketing or any customer facing position this is a MUST SEE. Take the information, absorb it and then revamp all of your messaging documents immediately!

Simon Sinek’s TedxTalk dives into the triggers that will pull your clients in at a much deeper level. Everyone speaks to features and benefits and now everyone is starting to sound like Charlie Browns mom – wah, wah, blah, blah….the ROI of the results based decision model allows you to fully engage your target audience through the recent development of, wah, wah, blah, blah……

Folks – you need to hit people in a place that makes sense to them rather than making them sit through a blithering, acronym laced slide deck of dross making them wish they were sitting through a breakout session on 401k benefits and how they relate to social security in 2015.

How many times have you seen the customer or prospective client glaze over and start drooling from the mouth never to return to your “land of torture via powerpoint”. You have to quietly slip out the door and hope no one noticed the coma you induced.

Take 18 minutes right now and understand the “sweet spot” that will fully engage a person to the point of them asking you “Please tell me what is it that you have to offer I want to be a part of what your company does!” Caveat – this only works if you really mean what you are saying and management is behind the “vision” that you are sharing.

All right enough – go ahead, click play and spend 18 minutes to never have to return to the land of “I’m sick of hearing sales pitches”…

Best viewed by zooming and dragging the screen to see the detail and each logo is clickable so you can jump right to their site (how cool is that – interactive too!).

Brian Solis is one of the co-creators of this Infographic – I have been involved with sponsoring some tweetups in Silicon Valley he attended. Brian knows his stuff and knows Social Media. In the land of Social Media Snake Oil (where eveyone is an expert…) Brian is the real deal.

This, of course, has some folks up in arms about safety but what does this say about Social Media? We hear that it is a passing fad and perhaps this whole Social Media thing will finally blow over and we can get back to business. But is it?

This new development from Ford seems to suggest the exact opposite of Social Media being a fad or a passing moment on the internet. But it does make sense from one perspective, Scott Monty, uber social media guru, is the Social Media Head at Ford and very much engaged in building the Social Media presence at one of the oldest brands in the world. Scott has done some “experiments” with Social Media while at Ford so far and it looks like they are getting some traction (ROI is debatable).

So, I would love to hear from you – Is Social Media a passing fad or do you have some personal concrete experience and examples to share that indicate Social Media is integral to our lives and also to businesses?

A quote from Mike Wesch about the Video & the research:

Nobody there was blindly optimistic, thinking technology was going to make everything better. They were all continually trying to figure out where we are, where we might be going, and the possible downsides and dangers of new technologies so we can use the new technologies to serve human purposes.

For anyone who is really truly engaged in Social Media or is driving to create meaningful conversations online should watch this video. If you are just online to spam marketing messages, spam comments for backlinks or “game the system: i.e. Google & others” then this isn’t for you. But wait, yes it is…actually it is more for the spammers and “hit and run” marketing message droppers than anyone else.

This is the best 33 minutes I have spent online in long time.

The internet is evolving and so are we as communicators and information-a-holics. Prior to the internet we had the one-way conversation of the TV only. And the shaping it does to our minds, trends and pop culture is unrivaled until now.

I truly believe we will see the internet eclipse the TV because of the interaction, conversation and authenticity that can now flow from one to many or from many to many.

News is not just News anymore online – it becomes a conversation – albeit a vulgar and juvenile one at times but none the less a conversation that can breathe and give life to a story, event or occurrence.

The video by Mike Wesch, of The Machine is Us/ing Us Fame with over 10 million views and counting, really asks some questions that many of us are not considering but should be given that the internet is playing a HUGE role in our lives and the lives of billions around the planet.

Social Media and the internet have a place now and we have personal control of where it goes and how we choose to interact with it and others. We will always have the juvenile and immature behavior online but we also have a chance to really make decisions to be authentic and connect like we have never had a chance to before.

We can now connect without;

- feeling subconscious
- someone laughing in our faces
- telling us that our thoughts or ideas are irrelevant, or worse – stupid
- feeling the repercussions of revealing more than we would normally reveal face-to-face

This opens up huge opportunities to be authentic and supportive of each other thereby creating new conversations and communities that would have never been formed due to the potential for the lack of authenticity from a one-way conversation (TV), a face-to-face conversation or the distance that would normally separate us geographically.

We all now have a chance to create communities and be something more than what we may show, say or act like when at work, home, school or other face-to-face social situation.

Watch the video and then start your journey to be authentic, be real, create new conversations and create new communities. And then we can potentially create a new future of what social media can truly become.

I went on a double date with my wife and some friends last night and we documented the fun on Facebook. Before we had even arrived at the restaurant we already had 2 comments related to the photo I posted of us driving there. Many more rolled in throughout the night. Not historical or groundbreaking but definitely indicates that communication as we know it is changing rapidly.

My mom even follows my Facebook updates because she lives in Colorado and it’s the most up-to-date place she can see what is happening in our lives and to see the latest photos of her grandkids (no phone call required).

With my iPhone I can take a photo and add a caption within about 60 – 120 seconds and update my twitter and facebook accounts. No cables, no downloading to a laptop, no waiting = Realformation!

Clay Shirky is a master at pulling it all together and this video depicts real time and extremely impactful examples of how this medium can literally elect a president and begin to change countries policies about realformation. Enjoy…and get engaged.

It’s funny I read blogs and when someone hasn’t posted for a while they always apologize and say they will be more diligent.

It’s like they are apologizing for being lazy….Well, No Apology Here!

I’ve been crankin and busier than heck! And I won’t apologize for it either. As a matter of fact the busier I am the more excited everyone should be because sooner or later I will get on here and share it with you so we can all learn together.

So what keeps me so busy? Internet Marketing. I have finally finished the 8 DVD set that teaches the newbies or advanced marketers how you can crank out the results and then build a relationship and market like a friend not a used car salesman. They will be available soon for purchase on the internet at www.e-volvenow.com

I have also started a new venture with a partner and we are cranking as usual and doing very well in the process – BUT I won’t lie it has been a very challenging past year.

I have learned a lot about me, you and what it means to get results and what it means to build a business from scratch! AGAIN – you would think after bootstrapping it before building an engineering company from nothing I would have learned my lesson.

But No – where would the fun and struggle come-in. The best part is the business is thriving more and faster than anything I have ever done. What are YOU doing?

Are You pushing yourself? Are you out there winning everyday or are you watching the news and cowering in a corner? NEVER, NEVER, NEVER Stop, Give-up or Let-up!!

OUR TIME IS NOW….