Warmest Greetings,

:: Monday, December 29, 2003 ::

A Real Christmas Story

I have a friend I'll call "B". I met him when I was at the bottom of the pit, with no job (was laid off) and technically homeless (my landlord took pity and let me stay in the apartment even though I couldn't pay for it). I thought for sure I was going to have to give my kids to their father (we have joint custody.) "B" kept an eye on me from across the country and spent a lot time offering encouragement via phone calls and emails.

Somehow, during that time, I managed to pick up a freelance web design job, but the company refused to pay me the going rate. (The company that laid me off - due to an acquisition - had a CEO who said webmasters should earn no more than $5.00 an hour, so being underpaid was something I was used to.) After taxes I was still not earning enough to meet monthly expenses. Nevertheless, I rebuilt an exisiting site for a fast growing company, optimized it and submitted it to search engines, thereby advancing my skills, which led to more opportunties down the pike.

Anyway, during this time I made friends with "B", who shall remain anonymous, but who holds a lofty position in a large US pharmaceutical company. He was the type of friend who saw in me what I couldn't see. "B" kept rooting me on with encouragement and during business trips would sometimes take time out to check on me and the kids. (Yes, he's single. No, to what you're thinking. He's always been an unconditional friend.) I wouldn't accept money or gifts from him but he liked to get "something fun" for the kids on his visits. He got into the habit of sending the kids a box of Christmas gifts every year because during the first year he knew me, I was unable to do much for them myself. (That was the year I bought a X-mas tree, but had no tree stand to put it in, so it was tied to the wall.)

Every year since then, even though things aren't nearly as bad as they used to be, "B" sends my kids a box of gifts at Christmas. He hunts for funny gag gifts because "B" is a big kid at heart and likes to pick out slimey things, goop, and things like reindeer poop. This year he threw in a gag gift me for me too - an Internet Urinal with a "female adapter". This way a person never has to leave their computer to go to the bathroom!

Though "B" checks in on us every year around the holidays, the rest of the year he's working 100-plus hour workweeks, trying to find a cure for cancer. The box of goo (and this year there were dinosaur eggs to hatch) has become something my kids look forward to every year with great anticipation, though my son barely remembers "B" now. Personally, I don't like "corporate types", so "B" is a great reminder that beneath every hot shot management person with their fancy cars and nice big homes are sometimes genuine humans who take time out to look at the people around them.
You can't tell me there's no such thing as Santa Claus.

Now, on to the reason I put this blog here in the first place...

Blogging

From private journal thoughts to public scrutiny? How To Get A Book Deal With Your Blog

Blogging is hooking people up with book deals willy-nilly. Have you always wanted to see your name on the shelf at Barnes and Noble?

Frankly? No.

More and more people are jumping on the blog wagon. See:

Can a blog increase my PR?

Which is better, a guestbook or a blog?

Results of a blog survey released

"I experience deja-vu when I see these commercial/non-commercial blog debates. Reminds me of the early days of the internet - commercial sites used to be named and shamed simply for being *shock* commercial. It's a growing pain."

Usability

Sally Falkow of falcoWeb is one of the moderators at Cre8asiteForums, in the Usability topic forum. Recovering from a serious auto accident that nearly took her life, she's managed to not only recover from her serious injuries, but she's worked to bring her career and business back into full swing. In addition to her falkoWeb newsletter, she's also launched a usability oriented blog called Websense.

In her blog Sally writes, on Tuesday, December 23, 2003, The Ten Top Mistakes on Websites.

"Statistics show that over 80 percent of websites are frustrating to use and that over 90 percent of corporate websites have technology on them that prevents them from being seen by search engines.

Bill Gates said that soon there will be only two kinds of businesses – those with an effective website and those with no business at all!

There is real marketing power in a website – use these insights to tap into that power."

And finally.
He's handsome. He's smart. He has a hosting company. He runs a forum. I have no idea if he's single. And he loves a good debate. John Scott has been added as a contributing author to RustyBrick's SEORountable blog

"John will be representing the views from his forum, IMR Forum, and the views of a marketing as it relates to search engines industry."

That's a lot of views.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 12/29/2003 10:51:01 AM

:: Today's Post Permalink | Back to the BLOG Home
:: Website Evaluations
:: Email this Post  
:.................................

Feed Bin

Learn how to make RSS Feed Buttons

Highly Recommended!
(Read review)
Search Engine Marketing Kit, by Dan Thies

• User Centered Design
• Usability Industry Research
• Increase Website Conversions
• Starter Ecommerce Checklist

• Web Design & The Usability Effect
• Usability and SEO Humor

Crooked sunglasses

My artistic friends love this picture.

• About Kim Krause Berg
• My Articles
• Me Again (My Fave Blog Posts)
• August 2005 : Expanding on Usability - An Interview with Kim Krause Berg
• Kim's Wish List

Recent Posts

Well today is likely the last day I'll make a blog...

The Christmas Dog. Last Friday I was "working" ...

Years ago my chiropractor told me I was always liv...

Jupiter Research Reports That One in Seven Consume...

Organic vs paid search study results. Business Use...

Last week I liberated my laptop and installed Mozi...

Greetings! Having been off my computers for lon...

She's gonna blow! No big blog today. My PC is m...

With the SEO Conference going on in Chicago and ev...

You can tell it's getting nearer to Christmas here...

Monthly Archives

It's That Book Again

Conversions Topic is New York Times Best Seller (Seriously)

Kim is a Member of the Usability Professionals Association

"This report exceeded my expectations. After reading it a few times, I went through and highlighted those parts of your actionable advice that I want to implement right away... I ended up highlighting most of the report. Stellar job. I won't hesitate to recommend you to one of my own clients." -- Andy Hagans of AndyHagans.com

"I have implemented the most obvious changes and I suppose the fact that we've seen an immediate increase in sales/conversions is no coincidence. I'd highly recommend your service to anyone running a serious web based business." -- Steve Clay, Plumeriabay.com

"As soon as we get our hands on one of her usability studies, my clients and I have a better understanding of what needs to be done with their sites to make them the best they can be from their site visitors' perspective."
-- Jill Whalen, HighRankings.com

"This is an exemplary piece of work." -- Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz.org

View more Testimonials | Clients
Learn about Website improvement services.