SEO consulting is NOT a game

A friend recently forwarded me a blog post about SEO consultants. It makes the premise that SEO people are evil, scammers and opportunists. In the post, the blogger claims:

Search Engine Optimization is not a legitimate form of marketing. It should not be undertaken by people with brains or souls. If someone charges you for SEO, you have been conned.

Ok - so I don't agree because if you hire a good SEO company, they can help you understand your opportunity. For example, you might have a great product and call it a kid toy. What you don't realize is that moms out there call them toddler toys. If you don't put that word in any of your content, you are NEVER going to rank well for the term, and there are going to be thousands of people who will never ever consider your product.

Another point - not all marketers grew up in the internet age. Some of them are very uncomfortable with the web. It also means they probably don't understand how a website should be coded in order for the Search engines to successfully crawl through your site. If you are not coding your site correctly, you might as well be whispering your message on the internet. It is like you have an amazing house, but there is a ton of string tied around everything so you can't see what is underneath (also know as javascript).

It is true, you don't want to game the search engines, but you do need to know the playing field. Some people don't have the time, talent or desire to do all of the research and technical lifting it takes, so they hire SEO companies.

Monday Links - On Tuesday - Scheduling

Sometimes it is really hard to keep track of all the things you need to do at work, at home or for organizations that you belong to. I have actually reverted to using a paper calendar, while some people use their BlackBerry, Android or iPhone.

It got me thinking, what tools are available online that can help me organize my life if I am not using MS Outlook or some enterprise level tool? Here are a few I found:

• Google Calendar - kind of a no brainer, but super easy to use, especially if you have an existing Google account. I guess Google Wave will be the next contender .
• Backpack - from 37 signals. It helps you corral all of the information you need including schedules, docs, discussions.
• GoToMyPC - is brilliant for accessing multiple computers - like work from home and home from work. Access it from any connected web browser.
• Remember The Milk - this tool has got the smart phones covered with an iPhone, Android, gmail, BlackBerry and Window Mobile app. They even have a sync up with Twitter.

I guess it doesn't matter which tools you use to help manage your life. The real challenge is using one until you find something that fits the needs of your daily life and will help you to save yourself the embarrassment of having to do Monday Links on Tuesday.

Monday Links - Arts Focused

There is so much focus about the online community and the different ways people can connect to each other. I had previously written about online tools for Entrepreneurs. There are so many ways to evaluate the usefulness of new website and the tool set they create.

This week, I thought I would take a look at art-focused websites and the ways they can help that community collaborate online.

• Reel Clever - an online shape where filmmakers can create, managed and collaborate with other on their reel or other projects
• Book Oven - the online space allows writers to make their work available for comment, collaborate with other writers or share it with their closest confidants. It also allows you to review snippets of other works so you don't have to review an entire work.
• Society6 - probably the best know platform for visual artist that has a system of small grants that can be in the form of money or opportunity.
• Build A Jam - this platform for musicians helps users build a fan base or help musicians living in more remote areas with less musical talent to connect to other to help create music

I am sure there are a ton more arts focused online tools and communities. Any good ones that you belong to or have seen lately?

Monday Links - Entrepreneurs

With the current recession, there are a lot of people dipping their toe into the entrepreneurial arena. Along with the growing number of people contemplating starting their own business is a new generation of websites that help people vet their ideas and attract funding. In addition, people are using existing tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook to make connections

The following list shows just a few of the available resources:

• Kickstarter - a website that helps people fund their ideas and get feedback
• Sprouter - a website that enables global collaboration between entrepreneurs
• Entrepreneurship = Recovery - this LinkedIn group is powered by the Kauffman Foundation and their Entrepreneurship.org initiative to inspire more entrepreneurs in the US
• IdeaBlob.com - the idea with the most votes wins $10k
• Bulbstorm.com - get feedback on your idea or browse other ideas

It seems that Bulbstorm has integrated with Facebook, and looks like the first one to utilized the powerful Facebook Connect API.

Getting Feedback on Concepts

There are information architects and designers who know their work is brilliant. While it might be true that they are brilliant (and generally ridiculously hard to work with) this group of people is missing out on great feedback that can really take a design project to the next level.

If you work at an agency or are part of a large team, you have an embedded group of people to offer an opinion. What if you are flying solo and consulting? Getting feedback is not quite as easy.

As much as I would like to believe my dad would be engaged in a women's clothing website, sometimes the people you have on hand are not a great fit for feedback.

If the 'go ask your father?' method is not working, Concept Feedback is a great online tool to check out.

You can post your concepts and let others review them. From looking at the tool, it is a pretty active community. The feedback from users is very honest.

The following is from a recent web design review:
Focus on one style of design and design with purpose. Don't just throw different elements together.I have to agree that I like the color scheme and I really like the gradient effect at the top of the design, it reminds me of the aurora borealis. The biggest problem I see is that your design doesn't seem to have very good unity.

Aside from getting reviewed, it is a great site to get some inspiration yourself. There are a lot of users doing that, and the concepts have a lot more 'views' and 'reviews' at times.

Online Video Consumption and Players

It goes without saying the online video is the new channel. People watch television shows on Hulu, the Tour de France on Versus and a mammoth amount of stupid human behavior on YouTube.

In recent metrics for online video consumption, Nielsen Online reports that all aspects of video streaming are seeing increased numbers. According to the Nielsen report comparing February and March 2009 figures, the number of Unique Viewers is up 1.9%, and total streams has increased by 8.7%. Viewers are also staying tuned for longer periods of time with 207 minutes in the month of April.

With all of the eyeballs on these online videos, making it a better interactive experience will help brands take it to the next level. While watching the Tour de Ireland on Versus, I noticed their video player was very cool.

After some online snooping, I figured out the player was developed by Entriq. When I found their website, I saw that they have been absorbed back into the company who originally spawned them Irdeto.

They have been sucked into the land of a company with this message on their About Page Iredto empowers companies to protect and monetize their digital assets and maximize return on content with innovative and reliable software technologies, content management and distribution solutions and end-to-end solutions and services

Should I set the alarm because that was so boring. It is unfortunate because the Entriq video player is a slick online tool. I am glad to see companies are still thinking of ways to make the online video experience better. However, I am a bit disheartened when the innovative technologies are being swept back into companies and not putting that technology front and center.

Start a Newspaper for $10

This year has seen the decline of the newspaper and print industry. According to the Newspaper Association of America, there was a 17% decline in advertising revenue in 2008. The shift has left people asking What will happen to newspapers?

I have wondered how the news industry was going to change to deal with the reality that was happening to them. Why does anyone need a newspaper when they can use the internet to be their own media channel.

Lance Armstrong is a great example. He decided to have a media blackout and use Twitter and his blog as his media channel.

In comes Printcasting. It is a new company out of Boulder that has created a tool that allow users to "create a local printable newspaper, magazine or newsletter that's supported with local ads. No money tools or design are required."

It uses technology to hurdle over the common issues that a journalist would have with creating their own paper. Instead of needing design skills or expensive technology, you can create a newspaper for $10.

You can even register your RSS feeds to allow others to syndicate your materials. Basically, if you are passionate about journalism, want to invest your own time, you can be a publisher.

It will be interesting to see if the concept catches on at all.