OVBlogger: Blogging and SEO

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So, do you schedule in time every day to learn something new? I mean, actually put it on your calendar and then, do it? I hope you are.

I learned this (and most everything else having to do with online biz) from Tellman. One of our requirements of employment with Overcome Everything is that we spend at least 20% of our time learning. He asks us regularly to send him plans for further education, and I think that’s really awesome! I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned in the last two years.

Before I started working for Tellman, though, I always tried to learn new things, but the day just became filled with “to-dos.” You know. There were always fires to put out, stuff that had to be written, and on and on. Working online is a full-time proposition when you’re starting out. And though I learned stuff by reading books and hanging in forums, it was hit or miss, you know? Some days I learned a lot and other days, nada.

Making learning part of your daily schedule makes it as important as anything else you do online, and I totally thank Tellman for getting me to see that. He, of course, wants us to know more and more so that we can make the company stronger and stronger. Makes a real impact. Our team is getting stronger every day, and I know it shows.

So, if you’re not learning, get with it! Otherwise, your business won’t grow. You won’t be up to date in technique. You won’t be able to move forward. No matter how much time you have to do business each day, take some part of that day, even if it’s only 15 minutes and learn something new.

You’ll be so happy you did.

And for that, you can thank Tellman.

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I was cruising around looking for cool stuff to tell you about today, and I came to a pretty sweet blog post that told me things I didn’t know about…

http://thefutureofsocial.com/7-very-likely-visions-of-social-networkings-future-is-this-web-30

Want to be a .tv star? Start your own TV channel on ustream.tv or not. I mean, some people were born to be in front of a camera. My daughter, for example, is totally photogenic, while I am totally not. I wouldn’t be a great candidate for my own .tv show. Maybe you would, though, and the beauty of this is that you totally CAN.

And what about a loan? I never knew there were such things as lending clubs, did you? I guess it’s kind of like a credit union, right? People join and members can lend/borrow money. People are making 18+% at this place: http://www.lendingclub.com/home.action and borrower are getting below bank rates.

Wow.

Can we really take back society?

I’d love to see the banks, drug companies, insurance companies, etc. who are ripping us off to the hilt totally humbled. This is a total aside to what this blog is about, but one of my asthma drugs–ONE– costs me $200 a month!

So, how’s the web going to go?

Seems you can’t apply to be a lender at The Lending Club anymore, until they get SEC approval. Hmm… wonder how that will go.

I also watched a video today from Jason Calacanis from Mahalo.com talking about how polluted the Web is becoming. He gave examples of how Usenet is dead because of all the damned spam there. I used to LIVE on Usenet. Breaks my heart.

He also mentioned that pay-to-post is dead. Google just gave the smackdown and banned some of those sites. No loss, in my opinion. People want me to post stuff about their products all the time, and they’re not even in my niche! I can’t tell you how many requests like that I’ve declined. I don’t often post about affiliate anything here.

To me, a blog is more about providing interesting information or entertainment before you include advertising. I know, it’s right there in my sidebar, and now and then in my posts, but not until I’ve given you something to think about. Right? Correct me if I’m dreaming.

Calacanis also said that “curation” is coming, meaning that eventually, all the ways we try to “game” the system, like posting to social sites and even SEO will be in the past because humans will become involved again and weed out all the dross.

His search engine, Mahalo, is a human edited SE, so it makes sense he would say that, but I can see it.

What’s wrong with pure content? AdSense sites are pretty much things of the past, which is good. I thought they sucked all along. No content, just a bunch of crap and AdSense links. People must have made money with them because there sure were a sh*tload of them at one time.

Who needs stuff like that, really? I mean, I’d much rather contribute to some of the cool things going on online than to add to the junk, wouldn’t you? Get a blog and write in it. Send new content to article directories and to social sites like Gather and my nemesis (but still a good site) Scribd.

Here’s the deal… When you give people good useful information, they’ll remember you. They’ll trust you, too, because you’ve most likely helped them to solve a problem and you need that trust if you’re ever going to sell them anything.

Become part of Web 3.0 and add to the quality of the Internet. I still think SEO is OK, as long as it’s just good solid practice, like keyword research and using the proper tags and stuff. But all that black hat stuff is just as Calacanis said just “pissing into the Web.”

I want the Internet to be the really cool place it is for the rest of my life, don’t you?

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You know I love cool add-ons for Firefox, and I think I wrote about Speed Dial here several weeks ago.

Well, I liked it a lot, until I used it a lot. It makes rows of thumbnails for you so that you can see sites you visit every day. You don’t have to go hunting down the bookmark, you just click on the screen and voila! You’re there. Saves a lot of time.

But with Speed Dial, the thumbnails didn’t come up a lot of the time. And if they were there when you started out, they’d disappear. Another thing that bugged me is that you couldn’t name the site and let Speed Dial get the thumbnail for you also It was one or the other. So, when the thumbnail disappeared, you were SOL. You’d have to rest your cursor on the square to see the URL.

Not so with Fast Dial. It totally rocks. Not only does it hold your thumbnails, but it allows you to name them as well as allow Fast Dial to get your thumbnails. So, if for some reason, one disappears, you can still see the name of the site. But, what’s really cool is that they don’t disappear! At least none of them have gone AWOL all week. I’m thrilled.

You can get Fast Dial and try it out for yourself here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5721

Love it, love it, love it.

Popularity: 38% [?]

So, I’ve been using Mozilla’s Firefox 3.0 for a couple of days and I really like the look and feel of it. It’s more 2008 and has some cool features.

For example, when you type a URL into the address bar, it drops a menu down that makes seeing what you’ve typed in before pretty easy. You see the site’s name, the URL and the favicon. I’m easily amused, you know.

Another cool feature is the “back” button. It’s all gelled out and looking calm, like. You know, it’s like gellin’. And there’s a new icon for “Most Visited” sites. That makes it easy to get to the sites you’ve just been to more than few times.

But even better is an add-on called “Speed Dial,” which works with 3.0. I love it. Shows me all the sites I program into it that I have to look up all the time, which now, I don’t because I have Speed Dial. Nifty.

Here are things I hate about 3.0, OK, Mozilla?:

Some of my add-ons won’t work anymore. Grr. This is unpleasant in many respects. I’ve also lost ColorZilla, which helps me to get the HTML and CSS color codes when I’m trying to match something. Grr..

AND, Tab Mix won’t work. Every time I click a URL, it opens in my current window. That makes me nuts! I changed the setting in Options, but it doesn’t seem to be the option I need. Grr… Do you know how exasperating it is to be in the midst of a streaming .mp3 because you’re trying to fill in a transcript blank and you get sent to another site in that tab, against your will! Well…

You have to frickin’ start all over again! You have to fast forward that puppy and hope to God you land in the general area where you were before. I mean, people send you IMs and tell you to go to other sites during the day. It’s not even me goofing off! CRipes.

OK… So now that I’ve ranted about that…

I have no other rants, really. I like Firefox 3.0 so far, especially the Twitter plugin. It’s easy to see whenever someone I’m following tweets, and I can tweet from there, too. Pretty cool.

I haven’t read all the tech stuff that probably tells you to stay away from Firefox 3.0, but I just saw that Paul Colligan likes it.

So do I, Paul. So do I.

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In our local paper today (the Bradenton Herald-Tribune), there was an article from the NY Times by Brian Stelter, suggesting that Comcast, AT&T, and Time Warner Cable are intent on charging for bandwidth used. In fact, Time Warner has already started a program that is doing just that in Texas.

Here’s how it works:

For example, someone who downloads videos and/or music all the time uses more bandwidth than someone who just comes online to check email. The short-time user pays less than the all-day user.

Stelter says, “All three companies say that placing caps on broadband use will ensure fair access for all users.” What? Give me a break. Without the high bandwidth users, the Internet will be a very different place. We’ve just started getting into video as a viable source of content.

So, might this poppycock have something to do with the fact that people are just spending more time online communicating with people around the globe, gathering information and entertainment, and not watching as much cable TV? Egads! The sponsors don’t like that. Not at all.

Hmm…

If they start charging for bandwidth, think about it.

YouTube might become less cluttered, but think about how it will inhibit creativity. And you can’t tell me that email checkers never read the jokes in their email or follow links to funny videos because they do.

And, what about video bloggers or podcasters?  And then, there’s iTunes? Wonder how Apple feels about all this. Does it mean there will be less to put on our iPods because we won’t be able to afford the connection? Blockbuster will still deliver, but not as much and at higher expense to meet the cost.

Oh, and let’s not forget Grandma who likes to Skype with her family and see her grandkids in another state. It will cost you more, Granny, winnowing down that already skinny Social Security income you can’t even live on.

Charging for those of us who use more bandwidth will definitely smote online commerce.  Video is a primary source of information product dissemination these days. And what about those videos that go with eBay products? Even if you’re just an email checker, it will mean higher prices for you because there will be higher prices for us.

You will end up paying more for every online activity you do. Your bank will have to pay more, so bye-bye free online banking, right? Think about it. And gamers? Go back to TV and the PS2 because you’ll have to get a job to pay for your connection.

So, the big companies are positioning it that there needs to be equality for all users, like light usage or water usage. It should cost the “bandwidth hogs” more.

Feh…

Don’t tell us that you’re going to squeeze us “big users,” and neglect to tell everyone that even if they just check email, they’ll be paying more, too–in the long run. My back is wet here, guys, and it’s a perfect sunny day outside, if you know what I mean.

To me, what it boils down to for Comcast, AT&T, and Time Warner is nothing more than a bigger bottom line and sponsor security.

I can tell you three services that I want NOTHING to do with. I suggest you let your voices be heard, too. Vote with your feet.

Popularity: 29% [?]

No, I’m not that conceited. I know I’m good, but hey… Wonderful?

Well, Wonderful Web Women thinks I am, which is totally cool. I get to be among some of the top women online today and talk about being honored! Janet Beckers invited me way back when I was just starting Blogging4Boomers. Wait… That was only February! It seems like for.ever in Web time, eh?

Anyway, this Monday night, I’ll be joining Janet’s line up of truly wonderful women like Rosalind Gardner, Lorrie Morgan Ferrero, Heather Vale, Stephanie Mulac, and so many others that I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to be joining them.

Women are totally wonderful, of course, and I’m a child of the ’60s, women’s rights and all that. Plus, I wrote a book about Gloria Steinem, though many Internet folks don’t know it. Yep. Gloria is awesome. She called me a couple of times saying, “It’s me… Your cross to bear,” which I thought was totally hilarious.

Imagine her talking about being my cross, when it was all I could do to remain firmly planted on the floor and not in the air when we spoke. I mean, little-known writer gets to interview icon of tremendous stature. But she treated me as though I was no different. I really respected and appreciated that.

That’s a key, though. You never ACT as though someone else is that much higher in stature. I’m a big fan of Christine Comaford Lynch, who I just spoke with the other day. That’s her philosophy, and it was my mom & dad’s. “They put their shoes on in the morning, just like you do,” they would always tell me, and it’s true.

Anyway, back to Gloria…

I think she’s the kindest person I’ve ever met. I mean, lots of us are kind, sure. We do things for other people and all, but this woman dedicated her life to being kind to women. She traveled constantly during the 70’s and virtually gave her life to the cause. I admire her a lot, as a person. She rocks! And she couldn’t have been more helpful when I was working on her book.

But that’s why I’m totally stoked about being a Wonderful Web Woman. I love to help people, and in this business, it’s soooo important. If you get a opportunity to help anyone, take it. Do it. Give, give, and give some more. Don’t be this greedy salesperson just looking to make a buck. You’ll never make it.

I started working for Tellman and wasn’t even paid, at first. I was on his Black Diamond Line Inner Circle coaching program that cost like $500 a month. The first day I got on the call, I was blown away by the information he was giving us. But at the end, he asked for “Traffic Apprentice” applications. He wanted people to learn to drive traffic, and well… Who could resist? I put an application in, never thinking I’d get the position, but I did. And can I tell you that I was still paying the $500 and working with him, and it was worth WAY more than I can begin to explain. It led to a really great job and more learning than I can handle at times, right? I mean, I’m light years ahead of where I was almost two years ago.

So, it’s like the Law of Attraction in action. When you want something, you go after it in every way. You think about it. You work toward it, and you help other people any time you can.

“You get back what you give three times,” my husband’s grandmother always used to say, and I never forgot it.

If you have a list, let me know how I can help you. If you don’t, let me help you to get one started.

Want to know how?

Go to Blogging4Boomers.com/forum and sign up for my forum. We can talk about blogging, Internet marketing or just hang out. I’m interested in you and want you to be successful. Let’s kick some IM butt!

Popularity: 51% [?]

There’s a really huge giveaway happening now. Reed Floren, one of my Facebook buddies, and a featured speaker in my telseminar series (He’s speaking on May 29), is running it, and more than 1,700 marketers have added gifts.

Pretty sweet.

To get them, just go to http://easyseotricks/IMG and sign up at zero cost.

I like giveaways because they help me build my list of subscribers, and nothing is more important than list building. It’s the single most important thing you should be working on, no matter what you’re doing. If you don’t have a product to giveaway, it’s time to create one!

I have been using my 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles, and if you go to that site, you can see that I normally sell for $37. Good gift, huh? And that’s just one of the gifts you can get. There are over 1,700 of them.  It will take days to decide what you want.

It’s like having a key to Neiman-Marcus, and being told you can go in after hours and take home anything you want without charge. Shopping Nirvana.

For Internet Marketers, this giveaway is even better. The more you learn, the better your business will be. Take advantage of getting this stuff free or you’ll be paying for it down the road.

Popularity: 61% [?]

Do you know Ken McArthur?

I feel very lucky because I do know him.

Ken is a friend who is kind and caring. He totally understands what it takes to make an impact with people because he makes everyone he touches feel special.

His JVAlert Seminar is like a big family gathering. I went to my first one in February, and I have all my plans finalized for attending another next month.

You may wonder why I’d spend the money to do that so soon, and if you are, realize how very, very important it is to make friends-not just on Facebook or MySpace, but in person. Every single person at the last JVAlert became my friend.

We created a product together. We helped a woman save her house. And Ken makes all of that happen. I’ve known him for a long time now, but meeting him in person and feeling his true desire to make an impact on other people’s lives is overwhelming…

So, here’s the deal…

I want you to go over to Impact Factor and buy the book. This is not just something you may want to do, it’s something important that you HAVE to do, for yourself and your business.

Just go and see how many cool people Ken worked with to get this book  moving. And, if you’re a member of Blogging4Boomers, go over there and listen to my call with Ken. You can totally hear his commitment
in his voice. If you’re not a member, go opt in. It’s free to listen to the calls, at least for now. I’ll be taking them down soon. So…

If you want to be part of that and learn what Ken and all the people in his book know about making an Impact, I encourage you to go right now to:

==> http://easyseotricks.com/impact-ov

Being part of Ken’s huge family is a very cool place to be. My copy just arrived a few days ago. I can’t wait to dig in and learn all the secrets of making an impact. It’s something I want to do, too.

Popularity: 42% [?]

Well, I’m not totally sure it’s new, but it’s really awesome.

If you don’t have “Speed Dial,” go and get it here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4810

Here’s how it works…

There are sites you go to every day, right? Some sites more than once. If you have an enormous bookmark file, as I do, it gets rather tedious hunting for those bookmarks time and time again. Well, Speed dial  puts them all on one browser tab for you.

You just program in the sites that you visit by adding a URL. Speed Dial comes up with a thumbnail for you. You can add as many sites to it as you want to add, and you can make speed dial your home page, if you want, but it also has a small icon that you can click to get there instantly.

When you do, you see thumbnails of the sites you visit often. Mine has AWeber, StomperNet, The ListBuilding Club, this blog, Blogging4Boomers admin, AdWords, SEOBook, and others. And it’s so cool. When I want to create a broadcast message for my list, I just jump onto AWeber by clicking the thumbnail. I love it!

I got a few other add ons last week, too:

Bookmark Duplicate Detector: Who needs more than one bookmark for the same site?

Shareaholic: Allows me to Twitter, Digg, and other sites with the click of my mouse.

Foxmarks: I’ve had this one a while, but it’s really cool. It syncs up my desktop bookmarks with my laptop whenever I turn my laptop on. If it were only that easy to sync up all my files without paying through the nose, that would be sweet.

ColorZilla: Allows me to get R,G,B and HTML color codes, just by placing my mouse on a color I want to duplicate. I love it!

But I also love Pixie by Nattyware. It’s a tiny little program that does the same thing as ColorZilla, but you can use it outside your browser. Get it at http://nattyware.com

For someone who went into Firefox kicking and screaming, I couldn’t be happier with this browser. The only trouble is that IE doesn’t always display code the same way; so, when I’m developing a page, I have to remember to check it in both browsers to make sure it looks the way I want it to in IE.

Grr… I forget a lot.

But, there’s another add-on called IE Tab that you can get that allows you to switch rendering engines with a click. You don’t have to open a new browser, and I’m lazy. It rocks.

Anyway, I’m not just a convert anymore. Now, I’m a damned evangelist for Firefox. If you don’t use it, start. You’ll be amazed at how much better it works and how you can adapt it to do just about anything you want.

Popularity: 50% [?]

I’m so totally excited…

This is it!

Bill Clinton has thanked her for “fostering American entrepreneurship.”

EVENT:  Mystery Guest (You’ll have to come to see who she is!)

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, May 7th at 8:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…

http://Blogging4Boomers.com

This mystery woman is what some would call “visionary.” Not only has she served been on the board of directors or actually working to see the success of 36 startup businesses. Her investing acumen includes 200 startups (including Google) as a venture capitalist or angel investor.

But wait…

She has been a consultant for the White Houses of Clinton and Bush.  She has also consulted for 700 of the Fortune 1000, and over 300 small businesses. And she has been on the cutting edge, supporting new ideas long before they became popular in the marketplace.

Don’t miss this call! I’m so excited to have her I can hardly believe she’s coming! This is HUGE! And I’m so glad I got her for you.

Clear your schedule for 8 p.m. this evening (EST). Get on the phone or come to the webcast.  Go to

http://Blogging4Boomers.com

and get in now.

Popularity: 57% [?]