Oh boy. I just read the other day that there are over 10 million bloggers on the globe. This of course was another reminder for me that our seo blog still has only one post- from April. See, the problem with writing or reading blogs, visiting social networking sites and You Tube is that if I were so inclined to visit regularly, they would suck away my precious time. With three small children, and a flourishing web business I do not fall into the category of someone with entirely too much time on my hands. I am constantly amazed and perplexed by the amount of time people spend creating, posting, viewing, writing and reviewing products with no obvious reward except a rare chance for 5 seconds of fame or a number one ranking on Google for your name or your blog's name.

I am often tempted to say that the social aspects of the internet are trends that will inevitably fade away once people realize that they are a complete waste of time. After all, who is driving this web 2.0 gravy train? It's the youth-right? My 11 year old is the only one I know who has the time to sit and watch videos on You Tube for 3 hours straight. All the adults are working, or cleaning the house, cooking the meals, reading something or watching TV. What's going to happen when my son is 25 and working full time? Will he still be entertained by online video and meet his friends on the latest version of Club Penguin? The answer I'm afraid, is yes.

All over again, I am blown away by the power of the internet. For ten years, I have had an intimate relationship with computers and search engines. I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about how our clients can use their website to generate more business and make more money. I also bank and make most of my major purchases online. I love the internet because it's quick and makes my life infinitely easier and more efficient. What's for dinner? I dunno- Google the fridge. How the hell do you cut a mango? Google it. What kind of motorcycle should I get? Let's research.

I have not, however, used my computer or the internet for entertainment. I simply don't have time. When I want to relax, I read books and magazines, and have precious little time for even that. I don't care much for TV or movies but If I'm interested in numbing my mind, I watch reruns of 'Friends' with my husband and we laugh together. Mostly, I enjoy drinking wine with my friends- talking about anything. I also like to be outside in the fresh air. It doesn't ever occur to me to go online for fun. My friends aren't there. I'm the only one I know (over the age of 20) with a myspace page (and I only did that for "work research"). I can't find the time to leave feedback no less review a movie or suggest a product. I can't imagine thinking up and producing a video to post just for the heck of it- and I need a second ME, not a second life! What folly!

My son sometimes uses the internet like I do. We get a package of Yu-Gi-Oh cards from e-bay sellers all over the country almost every week. He is saavy about researching anything that catches his interest, and he knows the right keyword phrases to use to yield excellent results. But, give him a choice between TV and the computer- he will choose the computer every time. "TV's boring". To his credit, he also likes to read and play outside. But he will only pick up a book after his 'screen time' is up and the computer seems to have a magnetic pull causing him to sneek in from outside when we aren't looking.

I wonder what his life is going to be like once he is out of the house. Will he and his friends be constantly online? Will life for these kids consist of computers at work, computers to manage your life, computers for socializing and computers for entertainment? It seems out of wack and out of balance to me. How many industries and practices will cease to exist as a result of the internet? The web has already killed the music business. (Good riddance, I say-) Television is predicted to be next. Kids reluctantly play outside as the lure of the screen is too powerful. In many places people don't feel safe walking or biking. Kids sit around together texting other kids. They actually prefer texting to talking on the phone. Is this strange only to me? Doesn't it take more time to type a conversation than it does to speak it? How much nuance in human communication is lost when you don't see or hear a person speaking? Is LOL contagious?

When we started in this business it was still in it's infancy and we loved the wild-west feel of the world wide web. We knew we were involved in something that would change the world. In so many ways, it has made life easier and given individuals the power of knowledge. Anyone with a computer and a connection has the ability to question, research and make informed decisions about anything. I love that.

By moving into the realm of entertainment, I'm afraid the internet might have finally crossed the line- possibly taking away quality of life rather than enhancing it. There is no way that doing everything in life through the same medium can be good. The brain should be exercised in many different ways. People need to be together in the same room. People need to be touched. I can't see people cuddling up and watching a movie on the computer. A computer is generally for one user at a time. There's nothing better than the feel and smell of a book, or the fact that you can recline completely while reading one. And what about actually hearing the laughter of friends and family-Or taking a walk around the block? Will there be time for that?

Labels: internet social networking blogging

I guess it's time to play with the big kids. I have been in the SEO trenches for oh, six or seven years now mainly doing link building and search engine copywriting all the while sitting across from my business partner/husband absorbing all that is this crazy profession of search engine optimization. In the shadow of the SES New York 2007 (which I did not attend) I figured it would be a good time and place to finally start our blog.

For my first installation, I would like to include in all its rawness and lack of editting, my notes after SES New York 2004.

Search Engine Strategies Conference NYC 2004

Lori Pearson, the VP Marketing for Trafficdeveloper attended the Search Engine Strategies Conference held in New York City in early March of this year. What a whirlwind of excitement and information! Among the topics discussed was The Future of Search Engine Marketing- and let me tell you folks, it's here to stay. One person was quoted as saying that the Internet without search engine marketing is like a car without door handles. I will add- that if you don't hop in now, it's going to take off without you! Our clients can rest assured that we are on top of the trends and gained a wealth of good information and new strategies on how to help your site become the best marketing tool for your business.

Among the interesting tidbits I learned is that search is expected to be a nine billion dollar industry by 2007 and will still remain the most cost effective way for advertisers to spend their marketing dollars. Users will graduate to larger search terms (3-4 words) as they become more internet savvy. Marketing principles that have been traditionally used in other mediums will gain greater importance on the web. Paid inclusion and paid advertising is here to stay and will only get larger and more competitive as big dollar companies eat up premium paid listings and ad campaigns on the major search engines.

The most important search engines (Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves ) promise that websites will always be given equal consideration in the organic listings based on their relevancy to a topic- but the trend of paid listings mixed in with organic ones is already being tried by Yahoo- and I'm afraid that the dollar signs may prove more enticing than the ethics of good content and relevancy. And what will Google do when they are pressured by investors after they go public? All the die-hards will drive their Lamborgini's out of there at top speed never to be seen again and the people left behind will be forced to grow, grow, grow- make more money and eventually cave in to the pressure to go down the paid inclusion highway.

I can't help but see the future of search engines as being parallel to television. Major syndicated networks and their advertisers feed us a bunch of fluff so that we can see 100 commercials for Budwieser and Applebees (Yahoo and Google)
and the stations (engines) that really provide good content will be small and localized, and the only place that the little, unique and interesting company or idea will be able to afford to advertise or be heard (like public t.v.- or radio for that matter). But people won't be able to buy a computer that doesn't have an automatic homepage that goes to Yahoo or Google and only the diligent will weed through the corporate mess.

The whole reason that people loved the internet in the first place was because it was empowering. There is an authority that the searcher gains by searching. You can find exactly what you want- and in your point of view- no matter how mainstream or alternative. I fear that there is the potential for this to be lost because unfortunately I predict it will become all about the money. Will we have a couple more media conglomerates to add to the (very short) list. Yahoo and Google? hmmm

Yes folks, that's what I wrote verbatim. Of course, at SES 2004 I was viewed as a bit of a loon for these comments, some of which I made in public. But I was, and actually remain a cheerleader for the underdog. For me, a big SEO budget has become exciting because of the endless online marketing possiblities available today- but it still pales in comparison to the creativity involved in taking a small SEO budget and achieving huge results. This is basically what Trafficdeveloper still does for many of our clients.

Labels: 2004, History, SEO, SES New York