Overcoming the Beautiful Little Fool

By My Web Writers

“I hope she’ll be a fool — that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”  ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Image courtesy of CNN and Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Fitzgerald’s line has been turning in my mind like a sweaty, little penny.  After all these years, does truth remain in what Daisy said about her daughter in the Great Gatsby?

No.  Of course not, the entrepreneur in me would say.

But then, I read a post by Jane Copland entitled, Women As Entertainment in the SEO Industry and was bothered enough to start a conversation with her on Twitter.  Jane is a speaker, but has had her share of remarks from men who think it’s perfectly okay to be aggressively forward and inappropriate with an attractive, young woman.   Her post was written in 2011.  She says her personal experiences are better today, however, she actually had a guy on a conference floor yell at her for her stances.

A few days after my conversation with Jane, I saw a news story about two men who were recently fired from their jobs for making sexually inappropriate comments at a tech conference.  What seemed unusual was that the woman who called them out by tweeting their pictures to alert conference officials was fired, too.  Wanting to know more I read Courtney Stanton’s post, A Woman Walks Into a Tech Conference, which highlights a slew of recent, inappropriate gender-related incidents.  Stanton reviewed what happened and linked to Adria Richard’s conference story.  While it appears that Richard might have crossed the line with how she reported the incident, placing her as the focus of the problem is off-base. Look it over and read the eye-opening comments below the articles.

And so Fitzgerald remains relevant.  But, he doesn’t have to be.

I’m pulling out a soap box for a moment.  Please listen up.

If you’re a woman- especially feeling alone in a sector like tech, stand strong for yourself and other women.

You can do it.

Don’t let the remarks of the random knucklehead diminish the respect due to good and decent men.  The majority do what’s right or want to do what’s right. But, if something happens that’s illegal or against your company’s policy, call authorities.

Have the courage to look the guy who’s offended you in the eye and say, “I think you’re wrong here” and then seek the grace within yourself to forgive – if not for his sake then for yours.

If you’re a young man who hasn’t been taught that sexual, juvenile, or degrading jokes, comments, and gestures don’t belong in the work place or at conferences then as a piece of advice, from a Mom raising boys – stop.

Really.  You need to stop.

Find a male counselor or mentor to help you process the issues and your feelings.  You’re probably a good guy who’s lost his way, but the encouraging news is that you can change!

Channel your smart and witty thoughts into developing code, creating business solutions, and figuring out how to harness the intellectual and social talents of your female counterparts.  Then, you’ll be a hero.

Sometimes mistakes are made – on both sides.  Read Men vs. Women in the Workplace for a few insights into working with differences.

By the time you get a little older your perspective begins to change and you grow weary of gender tension.  You have a few kids and you realize how beautiful and precious your girls and your boys are and how you wouldn’t want someone hurting either.

I can only imagine how Malala Yousufzai’s mother and father felt when their little girl was shot in the head by the Taliban for writing blog posts about how girls in Pakistan should be educated.

Her $3 million book deal was just signed to educate the world about the importance of being educated.  Malala is not a beautiful, little fool.

Neither are you.

~Jean

How Do I Become a Writer?

By My Web Writers

Photo by Virginia Hammer

Ernest Hemingway allegedly quipped, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Writing is a hard, often frustrating processes. Nonetheless, for those with the talent and the desire to write, there isn’t much more rewarding. To become a writer, you’ll need more than talent and practice, you’ll also need to find your niche, join a community of writers, and train yourself in the craft of selling your writing to editors, publishers, and readers.

Finding Your Voice

If you study the lives of great writers, you’ll find that they all practiced their writing. A lot. Work on your writing every day, even if it’s only for a half an hour. As you produce more work, even if it’s not good, you’ll begin to notice the techniques you’re really good at and those that still need more practice. More importantly, you’ll begin to learn what your voice sounds like as a writer.

What type of writer you want to be will determine how you practice your writing. Different types of writing careers demand different conventions and styles. For example, if you want to write essays and articles for magazines, read the best magazines out there (The New Yorker, TIME, or major titles in your fields of interest) and study what makes a great article. Then practice. Do research, conduct interviews, and commit yourself to writing an article a week. That way you’ll train your voice and produce a solid portfolio of pieces to pitch to possible employers and editors.

If you want to write poems, books, or other literature, keep up with new titles and trends in contemporary publishing. Learn what is selling currently and consider how your unique voice fits in or fills a gap. Produce a poem, short story, or chapter a week and continue to revise.

Blogging can function as a way to practice and train these skills, too. Post new work to your blog at least on a weekly basis (the more frequently the better), network with other bloggers, and get feedback on your work. (Check out our tips about making your blog a brand.) Focus your blog on demonstrating your particular genre or style of writing. That way you can both work on your craft and on making a name for yourself.

Writers’ Communities

An essential part of developing a writing career is an active writers’ community. One of your most valuable resources is the feedback of other people. Other writers will be able to give you better insights than someone who isn’t thinking critically about writing (or someone who loves you, like your mom). Search your area for local workshop groups or find an online writing buddy. For those striving for a literary career, one of the best ways to really develop your writing is to enroll in an M.A. or M.F.A program in creative writing. These days many successful journalists also have a Master’s degree. Whether you’re already in school, or thinking about enrollment, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference is an excellent resource. Their annual conference draws thousands of writers from across the country to network, workshop, and have fun.

Find Your Audience: Writing is a Business Too

Though a lot about writing has changed since Hemingway sat down at his typewriter, the basic skills for turning your creative passion into a publication or a career continue to hinge on your ability to sell your writing. Writing is an art, but it’s also a business. In addition to daily practice of your writing, you’ll need to learn how to write a query letter in order to find an agent or a job. If your aim is a literary career, practice writing queries, synopsis, and sample chapters. Hand them out to writers in your workshop group and ask them if they’d buy the project you’re pitching. The Literary Marketplace is your guide to finding agents and places to publish. If your goal is a freelance or marketing career, check out our list of  Job Sites for Copy Writers. In the meantime, keep up with that blog to maintain your online presence.

To become a writer you’ll need to figure out how your voice contributes to the existing marketplace or field. What makes your writing worth reading? Continue to practice what makes your work unique as well as strengthening the areas where your writing is weak. Developing an awareness of what your writing offers is a key way to selling your writing in query letters and manuscripts. ~Kasey

Good luck!

What Would History Say About Google Authorship?

Image courtesy of https://plus.google.com/authorship

I know this association is going to tick off a few, but as one of the older people now in the Internet realm, my intent is to cause pause before running out and linking blogs or websites to Google Authorship profiles in order to secure better rankings on SERP’s for personal brands.  I’m a Mom, so I’m just going to say what Moms say, “If everyone were jumping off a cliff, would you jump off, too?”

Truth be told, I like Google and I’m all about being with the times.  I know it’s not going to seem that way, but I do understand the benefits of claiming your brand.  I’m just really wrestling with the herd mentality of doing something because Google says we have to do it. The industry reaction appears to be admiration and support through blog posts and conference panel discussions.  Get the writers on board and you can change the world.  If you control the content makers and their careers, you can control the content (to a degree).

I’m also old enough to know how fast what seems indestructible can change.  I have an uncle that spent his life in a nursing home after serving overseas in combat during WWII.  Forgetting history is not an option for me – really for any of us.  My (our) ancestors would be disappointed if I (we) did.

What if Google’s leadership and vision ever changed – forcibly or through death or sale?  Would you want your personal identity stored in a data base for the new owners?  Some of you are more skeptical of our current president or gun control then you are of handing over your identity and all linking to a search company’s data bases.  True, we’re already tracked in so many ways, that for most of us, our identities were compromised years ago when we first opened our Facebook accounts.  But, let’s just hand over more?

As a reminder, between 1939 and 1945, the below image was a reality.  Hitler would have really appreciated access to profiles that connected the dots to everything people did or thought, everyone they communicated with, and everything they liked or disliked.

Image courtesy of http://arnaudstecroix.weebly.com/

It’s an awful association, but profiling happened.  It’s not a new idea.  People were identified and categorized, while scared onlookers stood by, watched, and participated because if they didn’t they might lose what they have. Those who spoke up were shunned or eliminated.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

While the hot talk is about securing your brand, just don’t forget what happened a few decades ago.  Prisoners from this era would probably shake their heads at our naivety.  I’m not so sure that I can completely dismiss their lives by saying, “Yeah, but this is a different time and place.”

I also don’t have a good answer for reconciling what was learned, while moving into today.  I’m signing this post with my first name knowing full well, that even without a profile, you can research who I am.  The best I can do is write to warn the writer, who hasn’t become public, to first carefully consider the potential consequences before publishing online.  ~Jean

Other Articles:

My 2013 SMX Conversation with Matt Cutts about Google Authorship

Ethical Guidelines When Using Social Media: An Interview with NIU’s Dr. David Gunkel

The Direction of Search – Stalking, Censorship, or Simply Great Results

 

National Brands without Physical Stores Struggle to Rank for Local and other 2013 #SMX West Insights

My Web Writers Attended #SMX 2013

By My Web Writers

How can You Rank for Local, if You’re a National Brand without Local Stores?

Good luck.  There are few alternatives to building physical stores.  When a user types in a qualifying term like “pants Toledo”, he or she is probably looking  for a Toledo clothing store that sells pants.  Often the user is located within 1.5 miles of the store at that time.  In many cases, it’s becoming the norm for national chains, that solely sell online, to fall below the local listings of brands with stores.

How do you get around the local problem if you’re a national chain without physical stores?  Some panelists suggested building local pages on your website, while others suggested empowering affiliates to drive traffic for local, long-tailed keywords. Local landing pages are required and must have phone tracking, pricing, transparency, an adoption plan, and ensured alignment with the national PPC campaign.

Balihoo.com, which offers a free download of going local ideas, suggested starting with 4 – 5 affiliates and empowering them with incentives in local markets.  My Web Writers also published a post on going local back in 2012.

For those businesses that do have physical stores, Scott Nickels of Home Depot shared a story of a map pin to a local store that ended up in the wrong place. Traffic kept flowing to a residential home before the resident finally called to complain about the headlights in her back yard. Store managers have to be aware of the postcard process required for validation of the physical addresses and Maps needs to better hone in on the locales.

Home Depot’s word for 2013 is “local.” Nickels suggests creating one page per store and localizing social, too. He somberly shook his head when an attendee asked, “Do you mean if I have 53 stores, I have to optimize 53 Facebook pages?”

“Yes, yes you do,” he replied.

2013 #SMX West Insights

There are already so many, insightful, #SMX West 2013 recaps floating around the web from various attendees, but here are a few more insights as well as a list of the recaps.

Random Notes from Watching Sites Get Critiqued:

• Put Java Script and CSS in external script.

• Don’t use disavow if possible. Don’t tell Google you have a problem unless you have a PhD in understanding linking. You don’t want to accidentally remove links that are actually working for you.

• Submit articles to Reddit.

• Canonicals- make sure all products are given credit.

• PR can build legitimate page links.

• Shopping cart pages should be optimized with what the latest coupon codes are. Remember to 301 redirect expired coupons.

• Experiment with Google Plus to get juice for search-ability.

• Don’t blog just to blog. Consider putting monies toward PR opportunities.

• Schematag.org – a plugin for WordPress

• Enrich your Google Places ranking.

Take-aways from other SMX West sessions are as follows:

• Authorship and identity will matter more over time. False identities will be found.  Do authorities and brands have rank? Individuals have their own brands and should use authorship to maintain them.  Big brands are still struggling with this, which makes it a good time for small companies to utilize Authorship.

• “Links still have many good years ahead of them.” ~Matt Cutts

• Social interaction helps to determine SERP’s.

• Mobile is going to surprise a lot of people. It’s a critical factor.  Isolate mobile in Analytics. There’s a web page test tool that @AnneCushing likes to use to watch a video of how long it takes to load a client’s page.  It helps clients to see the importance of improving site speed- http://www.webpagetest.org/.

• “SEO is no longer about tactics, but more about strategy.”

• “Keep the company focused on metrics that matter to the company and not ranking reports.”

• Duane Forrester says the most important SEO factor for next year is “usability.  It’s more important than h-tags.”

• Ann Cushing said to “focus less on keywords and more on landing pages.”

• Matt Cutts reiterated that the “global view is the same as in other years. Give the user what they want.” Annotate your web pages with ‘about of’ markup for Chrome users. You can also disavow at a domain level.

• Rae Hoffman encouraged SEO’s to “Let go of how easy it used to be.”

• Greg Bowser said, “Embrace the big data.”

Looking for additional #SMX 2013 Recaps and Insights?  Read these excellent posts:

SEO Success in 2013 & beyond: Matt Cutts & others’ insights at #SMX

Matt Cutts, Duane Forrester talk ‘Adventures in SEO’ at SMX West

SMX West 2013: Top Tips, Tools & Takeaways

Insights from a Conversation with Matt Cutts about Google Authorship

Live Blog Recap: SMX West 2013 Day Three

Live Blog Recap: SMX West 2013 Day Two

Live Blog Recap: SMX West 2013 Day One

My SMX West 2013 Takeaways- Sugar Rae’s blog

What ideas do you have for national brands that want to rank for local search terms? Is there a #SMX 2013 blog post that I missed that you like?

~Jean

My 2013 SMX West Conversation with Matt Cutts about Google’s Authorship

By My Web Writers

I think my slight frown, wide gesturing, and passionate opinions against Google’s Authorship surprised the low-key Danny Sullivan and Duane Forrester in the hallway after the SEO in 2013 panel discussion at SMX West on Wednesday. Danny replied, “Well, whether you like it or not, it’s here to stay, so get used to it,” while  Duane, slightly ducking from the healed boot I was removing, suggested that I talk with Matt Cutts about it.

After the crowd of Google-lovers dispersed from telling Matt how much they loved him, I moved in – fin above the water.

Honestly, I was nervous.

I just watched most everyone agree (except for Rae from Pushfire who played a lovely, Devil’s Advocate) what a fine, fine school Google Authorship will be.  If you aren’t familiar with Google Authorship, it’s supposed to help authors start to gain recognition, while helping Google to cut down on spammers.  With Google’s Authorship, search engine page rankings will be determined by the author’s readership and track record.

“Matt,” I said, and he turned and smiled.  I was sweating.  He really has such a sweat demeanor. This would be like confronting Kermit the Frog about what Miss Piggy was doing.

“Can I share with you what bothers me about Google Authorship without making you mad or defensive?”

“Sure,” he said and then we were interrupted by another of his fans.  I had a moment to keep sweating.  This was my first time meeting Matt Cutts in person and now instead of chatting about all the cool things I like, I felt like Tierra from the Bachelor. He finished with the fan, turned back, and then intently listened.

“Hey, I want you to know that I appreciate that Google always has the user in mind, but I feel like Google Authorship is less about the user and more about Google promoting Google.  Half of my writers are not on Google Plus.  Many are females who have issue with putting private information and their pictures in the hands of the Internet.  Most aren’t even on Twitter.  So, now, I’ve got to promote Google by having my writers sign up for accounts.  That’s about Google gaining more G+ accounts, not about a better experience for the user.

If you own a content creation company, every SEO, content, and design firm, as well as clients, would love to work directly with the talent you’ve discovered and helped to cultivate.

My writers are ghost writers, which is common in the publishing industry.  They write tips and suggestions for my clients’ blogs as the clients.  Some write for my blog using only their first names.

My small business paid for the content and now owns it.  The writers happily took the money and understood that their work would now belong to my company.  Besides that, I edit it, and often put my own insights into certain sections of their work.  So, who should get credit for the content?  All the rights were sold to my company.”

And then, I felt a wave of relief.

He nodded and said, “that’s a good point.  I’ll have to bring that back to the engineers.”

I don’t know what the final verdict will be with Google’s Authorship, but at least I felt like I was heard and that some reasonable compromise might come of it.  Thank you, Matt.  I loved your reaction!

I do have my own G+ Profile, but even I’m still leery of having every single article I write tied to my name and a profile.  It feels a bit like Big Brother watching and I guess there’s part of me that’s still a little old fashion… though I’m slowly evolving. ~Jean