Warmest Greetings,

:: Friday, December 12, 2003 ::

Greetings!

Having been off my computers for longer than usual meant logging in to find umpteen million emails. First, while eating breakfast, I downloaded 200 emails into my laptop. Killed the spam and found the five that actually had any value. Later I went to my main desktop PC, the one that made all that racket yesterday (the fan needed to be cleaned and the box tightened up), to download another 300 emails. Killed the spam and found the five that actually had any value.

Just kidding. As Administrator for Cre8asiteForums I get a copy of EVERY post that anyone sends there (This is why spam posts don't last more than a minute in those forums. There's a 24/7 team of us who see them come in and we compete with each other to see who can delete it and the user (who didn't read the rules) the fastest. This is how moderators get their kicks!)

So, I'll shut up now and share some news. First is my most exciting news!

I was added as a contributing author to the new weblog called Search Engine Roundtable Weblog. Owner Barry Schwartz of RustyBrick, Inc. is really going gung-ho with this nicely designed blog. He smartly chose to feature several contributors from different areas that all relate to search engine optimization, web design and search engines. The result is a daily log of advice, news, tidbits and musings that will teach, inspire and help keep up the passion for what we do.

Admittedly I was pushed by some good friends to approach Barry about his adding a usability author to his crew. I thought about it for two days and finally figured I'd at least inquire about it. It didn't take me long to add the SE Roundtable to my daily travels in search of news and SEO goodies. I'd become a quick fan. So I must admit I'm honored and very pleased to have been added to the team there.

My writing angle will be focused on how usability issues relate to SEO/SEM and I want to bring out more information on the latest studies, research and pioneering work being done. Whereas here I roundup many things related to SEO/SEM, the Internet and the Usability fields, for SE Roundtable I'll be able to focus one one area. Please let me know how I'm doing. Anyone who knows me knows I'm open to your advice. I never want to stop learning.

Other things...

This article inspired me to do some research of my own and I feel an article brewing in my head >>> The Future of WebSite Ranking

"There will always be those who are more interested in the end result than on how they get there and site ranking that is based on site content (links, keywords, etc.) and interpreted by ranking algorithms will always be subject to manipulation. Why? Because, for now, crawlers and algorithms lack the intelligence to make informed judgements on site quality."

Can you hear me squealing with joy?

I know this doesn't have a danged to do with what you came here for, but have you noticed that, here in the USA at least, there's this sudden interest in old age sex? Everyone's in a dither about Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholsen doing it on screen "at their age". The movie "Calandar Girls" features women past the age of 50 posing nude (and causing a major ruckus about it.) And this week's Newsweek features an article on romance in nursing homes. All of this news and focus comes as a total shock to me. I mean, I had no idea the buttons were ever intended to be turned off in the first place, if you catch my drift.

Back to business.

For my small biz friends >>> Search Engine Considerations for Entrepreneurs: Things You May Not Have Thought Of

"While the larger sites remained fairly stable, thousands of small businesses and web entrepreneurs who rely heavily on search engine traffic found themselves suddenly slipping from top spots into search engine limbo, and losing collectively millions of dollars in traffic. Of course, let's keep in mind that thousands of others suddenly found themselves with a windfall of new traffic!"

Day Three. Search Engines Strategies – Chicago December 11th – Day Three

"The first question was directed at Google and about, yes you guessed it, the Google Florida Update. Craig was quick to make a sarcastic remark that he was surprised to get that question. I am quoting him as saying that "its [Google] not perfect" and "its [Google] a work in progress". He also made it clear that this update was done for quality purposes and in no way was done to increase AdWords revenues. He was clear that by taking the revenue driven path for his organic search would be counterproductive and will quickly make them lose their market share ultimately leading to less revenues. Google's search and AdWords departments are separate and are not influenced by each other in this sense. Then he gave the generic response that Google is striving to provide the most relevant results for the user and they will continue to work to do so. They appreciate feedback and recommend you report your feedback."

Couldn't resist this temptation. (You should me around chocolate truffles.) Google Starts Auto Stemming Searches

"Discovered first in the Cre8asiteforums, Google changed its Basic Help page to announce that it is now using stemming."

Google's new look. Anyone seeing this yet? (I'm not. Just checked.)

Snapshot

Blogspace

"Christopher Clay reports that Google is testing out a new look. Only a small portion of Google users will see it now, but presumably they'll roll it out for everyone if it tests well. I like it."

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 12/12/2003 02:52:05 PM

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