A Few Thoughts Re: The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)...

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is scheduled to be debated in the House of Representatives the week of April 23rd, 2012.

The context of this bill still encompasses broad definitions that fail to create the safeguards that the representatives insist are present, and in turn, leave the door open for unintended consequences.

Generally speaking, CISPA pertains to information sharing.  It creates very broad legal exemptions which allow the government to share Cyber Threat Intelligence with private companies and in turn, allow companies to share Cyber Threat Intelligence with the government.  The main purpose is the enhancement of cyber security. 

The problems arise from the definition of the terms Cyber Threat Intelligence.  The bill defines Cyber Security Systems and Cyber Threat Information as anything to do with protecting a network from:

(a)  Efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such a system or network; or

(b)  Theft or misappropriation of private governmental information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information.

(This definition was provided by H.R. 3523: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011).

This definition could easily be interpreted to include copyright policing systems at any point along a network, and since one of the recipients of this shared information would be the Department of Homeland Security, this information could be used to lock down the Internet.

The insistence from the House of Representatives references foreign based attacks on domestic companies (stealing information) rather than media piracy.  Unfortunately, no definitions in the bill create any such restriction, allowing for a wide diversification of interpretations.

The bill specifically prohibits the government from mandating an individual to hand over information – sharing is voluntary.  Undoubtedly, CISPA will allow for invasions of privacy that amount to surveillance.

Moreover, the government can collect this data (including identifying information of users); they are free to use this information for the defined Cyber Security definitions or National Security purposes; and they are allows to search the information for the same aforementioned reasons.

Content for this article was derived from www.GovTrack.us, a website to monitor our representatives in Congress and/or to research pending legislation that might impact our lives and/or businesses.

What exactly are SOPA and PIPA?

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the companion senatorial version, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) are proposed bills intended to enhance the protection against intellectual property theft and copyright infringement.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) protects copyrighted material, and is the current enforceable law.  This law focuses on the removal of specific, unauthorized content from the internet. SOPA and PIPA target the platform – in other words, the site hosting the unauthorized content.

If passed, SOPA and PIPA empower the Justice Department target foreign websites willfully committing or facilitating intellectual property theft.  They would be able to force U.S.-based companies, like Internet service providers, credit card companies and online advertisers, to cut off ties with those sites.  Foreign website operators currently outside the bounds of U.S. law; SOPA and PIPA would help quell illegitimate Internet activity.

Under the rules SOPA or PIPA would impose, start up sites would be unable to handle the costs that come with defending their sites against possible violations. Such sites would not be able to pay the large teams of lawyers that established sites like Google or Facebook can afford.

The legislation in question targets foreign companies whose primary purpose is to sell stolen or counterfeit goods -- but opponents say domestic companies could still be held liable for linking to their content.

The most controversial aspect of the SOPA and PIPA bills was language that would have let the Justice Department force Internet Service Providers to block the domains of suspected foreign "rogue" sites. 

As an alternative, the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act would make the International Trade Commission (ITC), rather than the Justice Department, responsible for policing U.S. connections to foreign rogue sites.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 9) – Does Excessive Advertisement Distract from the Webpage Content?

In this post, I will raise some talking points with respect to advertisement distractions in a Webpage. 

Another question The Google Quality Filter uses in the analysis of assessing the Webpage quality is:

Does an article have an excessive amount of advertisements that distract from or interfere with the main content?

The Google Search Engine will analyze the credibility of a Webpage by analyzing the number of advertisements in a Webpage.

Placing advertisements is very common for many of our Webpages.  When advertisements are placed to a normal degree, the Google algorithm varies only slightly; however, Webpages that excessively use too many advertisements make it very difficult for a reader to find the actual page content.

Google support states:

“If you decide to update your page layout, the page layout algorithm will automatically reflect the changes as we re-crawl and process enough pages from your site to assess the changes.  How long that takes will depend on several factors, including the number of pages on your site and how efficiently Googlebot can crawl the content.”

Clearly, too many advertisements will result in a decrease of traffic, and unfortunately, Google will decrease your entire site and not just particular pages.  When we make modifications to decrease the amount of advertisement in the Webpage, Google makes a note of it when it next visits our Webpages; however, it can take several weeks until the new changes are implemented and integrated into their overall ranking system.

Webpages with excessive advertisements are:

• A nuisance;

• Perceived as spam and cluttered;

• Decreases the advertisement value and hurt advertisement sales;

• Result in lower click-through rates;

Our visitors probably will dislike the use of advertisements over content, and the probability of returning to our Webpage will be quite low.

On the other hand, it would be a waste to under-utilize your website real estate. You do not want to be too apprehensive about having more than one ad on your website either.  Once we determine the optimum balance of content and advertisement, our advertisers and readers will be more content - especially if the advertisements are services and/or products that interest them.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 8) – How Do We Compose Authoritative Articles?

In this post, I will raise some talking points as to the authoritative nature of an article when referenced by an author.  Another question The Google Quality Filter uses in the analysis of assessing the page/article quality is:

Would you recognize this site as an authoritative source when mentioned by name?

The Google Search Engine will analyze the credibility of an Article/Webpage using the authority of the article – in other words, is the content contain therein reliable and trustworthy?

I have been working on this specific article for about (3) days and it has been very difficult to compose; henceforth, I will do my very best to methodically explain how our articles can become reliable and subsequently, a point of reference for other individuals to use as a source of reference material.

As a starting point, I will use a definition referenced by the Department of Defense as a foundation:

“An authoritative source is a source of data or information that is recognized by members of a Community of Interest (COI) to be valid or trusted because it is considered to be highly reliable or accurate or is from an official publication or reference.” 

The source of data or information is our article content, and the members of a Community of Interest are simply our readers and visitors.  We should ask ourselves how correct, available, accessible, and updated our content is, and also, will other individuals be able to use our information for their respective research and derive subsequent information?

Many search engines, Google included, rank material according to their idea of what is relevant.  This does not automatically imply the content is relevant – this is just an algorithmic program inherent to the respective search engine.
Through my research for this article, I found a few guidelines and questions that will help us all in familiarizing ourselves with various types of Web resources and the reliability of the information.

1. Does the author have authority in the field in which he/she is writing about?  Attributes such as author qualification, credentials, and connections should be taken into account.

2. What institutions and/or organizations is the author associated with?  A link to an association does not necessarily mean that the organization approved the content.

3. Does the author have other publications?  Perhaps these will be in the form of professional or educational publications; however, if the author does not have other publications, this only indicates that the author’s authority has not been subjected to review.

4. Is the author biased?  A common bias indicator is a reader obtaining an impression that the author is trying to sell and item, product, or service.  Personal opinions are not negative; however, and as I have previously written about, keeping an impartial objective approach allows for readers to interpret the article from various perspectives.

5. Is the Web information current? If outdated links are referenced, ask yourself what this indicates about the credibility of the information.


6. Are the referenced sources properly recognized?  If the information is not backed up with sources, what is the author's relationship to the subject to be able to give an "expert" opinion?

7. Can the subject we are researching be fully covered with WWW sources or should print sources provide balance?

8. On what kind of Web site does the information appear? The site can give us clues about the credibility of the source.

It is safe to assume that if we have limited background in a topic and have a limited amount of time to do our research, we may not be able to get the most representative material on the subject.  We all need to be cautious in making unsubstantiated conclusions based on a narrow range of sources.

This may be the most arduous article I have written to date.  All too often, I see information copied; sources not recognized appropriately; individuals using articles as a source of selling rather than educating; and credibility misplaced.  To all of all the individuals who read this article, I remain humbled that each of you takes an interest and my hope is that we all can learn more from each other.

These are but just a few suggestions and as always, I am welcome to all feedback and discussion as appropriate.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 7) – Do Our Articles Describe Both Sides of a Story?

Continuing our commentaries with respect to Google Quality Filters and what questions Google asks to assess the quality of a page or an article; I have been addressing a few questions at a time, providing some insight and explanation as appropriate.  

In this post, I will raise some talking points as they relate to Article Impartiality.  Another questionThe Google Quality Filter uses in the analysis of assessing the page/article quality is:

Does the article describe both sides of a story?

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar quoted:

“A historian ought to be exact, sincere and impartial; free from passion, unbiased by interest, fear, resentment or affection; and faithful to the truth, which is the mother of history the preserver of great actions, the enemy of oblivion, the witness of the past, the director of the future.”

Whether it is history, describing a story, or composing an article for publication, being impartial will ensure a level playing field, if you will.  Simply explained, we take an unbiased stance and/or position – not favoring one side over the other and discussing an opinion accurately and fair.

The Google Search Engine will analyze the credibility of an Article/Webpage based on impartiality – in other words, determining the meaning behind the Article/Webpage.

Might I suggest a few thoughts to consider when composing an impartial article?

• Provide a fair balance of issues and views;

• Include a wide range of opinions and commentary;

• Honesty explore conflicting views;

• Treat each thought equally and not under-represent one thought against another;

• Avoid bias and/or an unbalanced viewpoint.

Our articles need to clearly separate our opinions from the facts.  We need to carefully interpret our research; ensure all facts contained therein are respected; and not dilute the meaning of the article by making our opinions too one sided.
Keep in mind, our readers have every right to respond to our articles - they are entitled to agree, disagree, and express their comments, and the diversified range of their perspectives should be given due consideration.

Rather than receiving a disagreement personally, we should view these viewpoints as an angle of understanding and promote constructive debate.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 6) – How Well is the Article/Page Edited?

Continuing our commentaries with respect to Google Quality Filters and what questions Google asks to assess the quality of a page or an article; I have been addressing a few questions at a time, providing some insight and explanation as appropriate.  

To date, I have addressed five questions that the Google Quality Filter uses in Page/Article analysis:

1.    What are the Trustworthiness, Quality Content, and Redundancy of an Article/Page?

2.    Why Provide Credit Card Information?  Also, what is the Significance of Grammatical Errors and Reader Interest of an Article/Page?

3.    How Important is Original Content?

4.    What Defines Insightful and Interesting Content?

5.    Why Would We Recommend an Article/Page?

In this post, I will raise some talking points as they related to editing tips of an article/page.  Another question The Google Quality Filter uses in the analysis of assessing the page/article quality is:

Was the article edited well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?

When we are composing articles, a few questions we should ask ourselves are:

• Does the article make sense and will our readers understand what we are expressing?

• What is the interest level from beginning to end?

• Does the article include all of the pertinent information?

A few writing tips to keep in mind are:

• Make your writing error-free – meaning perfect spelling and no typographical errors.

• Double check for the correct usage of homonyms (for example, their, there, and they’re).

• Confirm that all names are correctly spelled – it can become embarrassing by not doing so.

• Format the margins, spacing, and style of headings consistently (for example, font style, bold or not bold, italic, capitalization, etc.)

Sleep on it and wait at least a night before starting your editing.  Many times, errors occur because our minds are filled with ideas, examples, and arguments related to our topic.  When we approach our writing with a clear mind, the mental connections are gone, and only what we’ve actually written counts.


I have previously discussed adding white space between paragraphs, bold subheads and (where appropriate) bullet points.  Also, after the revisions have been made, print your article and read it again – we tend to catch many errors when we do not edit on screen.

Concise writing is more powerful and easier to read than lengthy prose.  Every point, statement, question, joke, even every word should have a reason to be in your piece – if does not, remove it.

For most readers, the language of journalists is a much more appropriate model — and that means aiming for at best a smart eighth-grader’s reading level.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 5) – What Factors Contribute to Article/Page Recommendation?

Continuing our commentaries with respect to Google Quality Filters and what questions Google asks to assess the quality of a page or an article; I have been addressing a few questions at a time, providing some insight and explanation as appropriate.  

In this post, I will raise some talking points as they related to article/page sharing and/or recommendation.

Another question The Google Quality Filter uses in the analysis of assessing the page/article quality is:

Is this the sort of page you would want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?

For a moment, if we stop and think about why we recommend something, what questions do we ask ourselves?  The answer to this question is a difficult one – usually, we like something as a matter of personal preference, and without knowing quite why, we just like it and want to recommend it to a colleague, friend, and/or fellow professional.  What then, is the average reader drawn to?  Some areas are:

• Appearance
• Content
• Ease of Navigation
• Page Ranking
• Accessibility
• Feedback

Clearly, there are other factors; however, most individuals will be drawn to these areas.  I would like us to take a step back, obtain a different perspective, and explore each of these areas a little more in detail:


Appearance

This is the first thing we see.  Is the article/page visually pleasing or too distracting?  True, we each have our own interests and tastes; yet, an aesthetically attractive article/page is, in the vast majority of cases, a professionally design one, and as such, professionally designed websites are usually more reliable.


Content

Is the content updated, high quality, and useful?  A thought to keep in mind is this – when reading an article/page, are we happy and have an inclination to want to return?  True, the article and/or page content could be products, services, and/or information, and as such, we should try to create content that our readers are looking for.

Navigation

Ease of navigation by far will ensure repeat readers in lieu of difficulty finding a word or topic.  If the navigation is difficult, the likelihood of repeat readers will be minimized substantially.  It is quite frustrating not being able to access the information we need.

Page Rank

This criteria is important in that your article and/or page will rank higher in the search engines, and essentially, the more sites link to an article and/or page, the higher the Page Rank.

Accessibility

Pages that load slowly; disallow access to other pages; have pop-up windows; and/or has difficulty progressing forwards (or backwards) will dissuade readers.  Our articles/pages should flow easily; follow coherent thought; and make sense to the average reader.  Lest we be reminded, for each individual who is technically savvy, there are twice as many who are not.


Feedback

An article and/or page with positive feedback are a great indicator of the quality of the article and/or page.


Recommending an article/page is not an exception, it is a choice.  If we locate an article/page that we like, the more we will want to browse it, resulting in a higher probability of recommendation.  I would ask those who are reading this article to stop and think about "why" you would recommend an article/page and what were the contribution factors in that decision.

For me, I have an open mind with respect to the obtainment of information, and I have been brought up embracing a belief that our level of wisdom is depedent upon the practical application of knowledge.  Acquiring knowledge implies an interest in a diversified range of subjects, and if I am drawn to a subject visually and/or through the content, I choose to make the time to read it.As much as I dislike the saying, "Do not judge a book by it's cover", I see everyday online and in social media, a link and/or reference that appears plain, copied, and not well thought out will not get read, and as such, will remain undisturbed.

I have stated on prior occasions that I am far from knowing how exactly Google assesses article/page content.  Common sense tells me more visits to an article/page is an attribute Google prefers, and perhaps it regards the popularity as a positive influencing factor in Page Rank calculations.  I can say unequivocally that approaching our social campaigns methodically and fundamentally takes time, and we are creating online relationships whether we realize it or not.

As always, I humbled and grateful for all of the individuals who have contributed their thoughts, time, and encouragement to this effort.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 4) – Insightful and Interesting Article Content

Continuing our commentaries with respect to Google Quality Filters and what questions Google asks to assess the quality of a page or an article; I have been addressing a few questions at a time, providing some insight and explanation as appropriate.  

In this post, I will raise some talking points as they related to composing articles that are insightful and interesting.

Another question The Google Quality Filter uses in the analysis of assessing the page/article quality is:

Do our articles/pages contain insightful analysis and/or interesting information beyond the obvious?

What is insightful analysis?  Basically, it is providing a clear, concise explanation.

• When providing our readers with in-depth information relating to a specific topic, we must decide who our target audience is – by doing so, our content has a higher probability of being acknowledged and read, as opposed to being generally addressed to anyone and everyone (individuals may find this intrusive).

• We need to thoroughly research our topic to obtain a sound understanding.  I have commented before about the importance of us understanding material before we can explain that material to someone.  Composing an article using a real-time story and how it has assisted an individual will provide interest to our readers.

• Using a bold sentence headline drawing the curiosity of our readers will draw attention to our article.  Do not be afraid to pose questions in which the article will address – of course, each individual has their own unique interests, and what may be interesting for one individual may not be interesting to another individual.

• Does the content of our article address potential solutions to the questions?  Differentiating each solution as a talking point; using separate paragraphs; and sharing personal experiences of how your proposed solutions assisted another individual will create uniqueness and interest to our readers.

• Providing a brief summarization initiating the reader to take action and/or providing potential solutions to the questions will enhance the chances for a call to take action.

How do we generate interest?  The choice of words makes a difference – intersecting words and maintaining conciseness is more beneficial than big, impressive words that many people do not understand.  The use of short sentences and paragraphs create engaging, compelling articles.  Staying on point and teaching/educating our readers will provide a refreshing interest and a personal connection that will maintain their engagement.

Also, deviating from the norm and discussing unique topics will draw attention.  Such as these articles are structured to be educational, many individuals respond due to their explanatory nature.  My readers are gaining a little bit more knowledge – and for me, that is what matters.  All it takes is one shared idea and/or thought for someone to create an interesting concept; document it; receive responses; and create a business relationship.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 3) – Original Content

A few days ago, I began an editorial with respect to Google Quality Filters and what questions Google asks to assess the quality of a page or an article.  I have been addressing a few questions at a time, providing some insight and explanation as appropriate.  In this post, I will address one imperative question with respect to Original Content.

The Google Quality Filter uses the below listed question in the analysis of assessing the page/article quality:

Do our articles/pages provide original content, information, reporting, research, and/or analysis?

Robert C. Williams, the author of The Historian’s Toolbox: A Student’s Guide to the Theory and Craft of History” states:

“A Primary Source is a document, image, or artifact that provides evidence about the past.  It is an original document created contemporaneously with the event under discussion.  A direct quote from such a document is classified as a primary source.  A secondary source is a book, article, film, or museum that displays primary sources selectively in order to interpret the past.”

Using this thought as a guideline, the content of our material should reflect our viewpoints, thoughts, and emotions – not copied from someone else.  Some examples of original content are: email correspondence; personal letters; meeting minutes; and autobiographies.  Simply stated, original content is created in real-time, and not a reflective after-thought of another individual’s opinion.

When conducting original research on a specific topic, our objective is to expand one’s understanding and knowledge of that topic through such endeavors as data analysis, observation, and experimentation (to list a few).  We reach our own conclusions.  Much like in middle school at the Science Fair, we had to prepare a 3-section board with photographs; our own summarizations and conclusions; and prepare notes for discussion that were judged accordingly.

Google is continually improving their parameters with respect to filtering republished content and WebPages who republish material without prior permission and/or appropriated credits.  Interestingly enough, through my research on this question, I learned there are WebPages whereas an individual could purchase what is called “Copyscape-Passed” articles – immediately I asked myself why an individual would do this and would it not undermine the point of composing our own original content?

Let’s face it – copying material rather than taking time to think and compose takes less time; it provides a perception that everyone is an expert in their field; and the adage of quantity over quality is better.  I see this everyday in posts and links.  It takes time, energy, patience, and an understanding of the material in which we compose – who has that kind of time?  Why make the time when there is an abundance of information at our fingertips?

When we compose original material, we take ownership of it – we take pride in our work.  True, not everyone will agree; however, uniqueness of content and integrity is something I will not compromise.  It is a shame that an easy avenue exists for individuals who claim originality only to purchase the works of others at a personal gain.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 2)…

A few days ago, I began an editorial with respect to Google Quality Filters and what questions Google asks to assess the quality of a page or an article.  I have been addressing a few questions at a time, providing some insight and explanation as appropriate.  In this post, I will address the areas of the confidence of using credit card on a site; spelling/grammatical errors; and site content as it relates to search engine ranking.

Would you be comfortable giving your credit card information to this site?

Before using a credit card online, make sure the Webpage address uses an “https” rather than an“http” address.  HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).  This is another protocol developed with secure, safe internet transactions in mind.

Also, verify that the browser displays the secure lock – this is usually in the bottom right hand corner or toward the top of the page on other browsers.  Moreover, the Webpage should display a Certification from a trusted site, such as VeriSign.

Does this article have spelling, grammatical, and/or factual errors?

Spelling is important to the credibility of an article and/or Webpage.  Visitors observing an article and/or Webpage with language errors do not inspire trust in our visitors.  They may think if we cannot spell and/or compose sentences correctly, how could anyone trust us to keep their information private and secure?  It would be wise to hire an editor to proofread. 

Are the article/page topics driven by genuine interests of readers of the site, or does the site generate content by attempting to guess what might rank well in search engines?

Authentic, credible content matters to search engines.  Individuals respond emotionally to information, and a user’s online experience factors into their decision making – those factors being habit, memory, trust, consistency, credibility, expertise, accuracy just to name a few.

With all the individuals claiming their expertise, how do they validate their claims?  The decision to decide accurate content and credibility lies with the user – they are hoping to trust the author, and point in fact; many individuals marketing online ignore the value of providing substantive information to their target markets.  In forums, blogs with active user comments, LinkedIn group discussions and article-driven web sites, certain cues help determine trust in information: Accuracy, authority, and objectivity (to name a few) are cues that can help a user trust our information.  Sites that are moderated do well because they demand quality discussions by well-intentioned members willing to share expertise and knowledge.

Successful search and social marketing strategies must include understanding how to create and deliver information that is judged to be accurate, trustworthy and authentic. Understanding user intent helps marketers and search engines present relevant information.

A Few Thoughts Re: Google Quality Content (Part 1)…

When analyzing the content of a page and/or article, Google incorporates the use of quality filters. 

What is a Quality Filter?  The simple answer is evaluating the quality of a page or article.  What questions does Google ask to assess the quality of a page or an article?  I have found numerous points of reference and generally, there are a couple dozen questions, of which I will address a few at a time per post.

Is the page/article information trustworthy?

Everyone has an opinion - most reliable sources are direct in how and why they are reporting.  Books are considered more trustworthy due to their stability – online articles can be edited at any given moment while a book is published with a specific identifiable time and date. 

Is this article written by an expert or is it shallow in content?

We could see if the article provides a list of sources; is published by a reputable research organization; and/or a respected professor at a reputable university.  Peer-reviewed articles are trustworthy.

Does the site have duplicate, overlapping, or redundant articles on the same or similar topics with slightly different keyword variations?

Pages and articles with duplicity and redundancy will likely be demoted in search rankings. Page #1 sites are pushed down several spots, perhaps several pages – being replaced with sites that are rich with quality, original content.

How can we apply this to our Web Pages and articles?  Different people absorb information differently – perhaps through the About Us page; Testimonials; or Products/Services.  We should think about supplemental methods of communicating our message to increase the odds the message is received by your audience.  Redundant Web Page navigation systems and task completion (such as ordering products) will help our visitors find their way and achieve their (and our) goals. 

Another suggestion is to discuss and eliminate any redundancy in the programming code wherever possible with your Web Page developer – doing so will improve system performance and maintainability.

Again, these are just a few suggestions – clearly there are others who will have differing opinions.  I will try my best to forward a supplemental article within the next couple days highlighting a few more questions.  For now, I hope this helps and as always, I encourage input and comments…

Soltis Consulting: A Few Thoughts on Becoming Successfully Self-Emplo...

Soltis Consulting: A Few Thoughts on Becoming Successfully Self-Emplo...: Many people dream of eventually becoming self-employed – some people have what it takes to be self-employed, and others unfortunately do n...

A Few Thoughts of a Small Business Owner and Social Media…

As business owners and entrepreneurs, we take deep pleasure and pride in being our own boss – we do not need to conform to any specificity of work patterns; social life; or require approval and/or affirmation whether a new idea should be tried out.  Individuals with imagination will create something that is rewarding – we need to conceive ideas; trouble-shoot and solve issues; experiment; make decisions; and analyze the results.  When our ideas and efforts are productive and turn out well, we have a deep sense of pride and accomplishment.

How might this philosophy apply to Social Media?  Clearly, this is a question many of us have asked at one time or another.  The inundation of services such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, Google+, etc., allow for large amounts of information in a short amount of time.  The implication within this system that information is free; all opinions should be heard; and that censorship should be considered unethical.  As we realize this, the social media system, and the vast amount of information, allow people to make more efficient connections with others as well as be more informed.

Social media networking can be used to inform individuals about the stability and credibility of your business. The substantial majority will agree that image is everything – we need to present the best aspects, products, and knowledge about our business to the world – using positives to boost our images.  Some businesses underestimate the effectiveness of social media – yes, there is article marketing, link exchanges, and so forth, but socializing is a natural way to get in touch with potential customers and clients. Your website is exposed to many people, and the communicative representation we present will affect who chooses to pay attention or move on.

By the same token, social media allows us to connect with colleagues, professionals, and/or entrepreneurs in a friendly, honest manner. We market our respective business subtly – offering advice and guidance to others – affording these individuals the opportunity to learn more about our businesses without the need of forcing them to look at advertisements.  Once we attain a trust level, we can share information about our products or services. Ideally, they will share that information with their friends and/or colleagues – it may not provide us money directly, yet it will create a buzz about your website, which results in more potential sales.

Internet scams have made many of us reluctant to trust an online businesses. With the present economic state, many small business owners do not have disposable income to spend; yet, by providing hope and trust, we can gain an advantage over our competitors.  I have, and will continue to encourage us, to actually interacting with our acquaintances, colleagues, and/or fellow professionals.  Doing so allows us to get to know them; we can better ascertain which products and services to promote; and we can undertake market research without the high tangible expenditures.

Most all of us realize branding our products and/or services is the key.  I cannot stress enough that we must participate in discussions; actively engage others; offer guidance and advice as appropriate; and be involved in online communities. As we acquire followers, keep them updated on all the latest good news and information related to your respective business.

We continually practice this field of social media business each and every day, and the pursuance of business and subsequent revenue is the ideal goal of us all.  In our efforts, which will be arduous and challenging many times, will yield positive rewards – we just need to choose to take the first steps in literally reaching out, such as calling a business contact we met online and just conversing with them; taking a moment to compose an email; and/or presenting a professional recommendation.

As always, I welcome any and all comments, suggestions, and thoughts.  Thank you all in advance for your kindest of considerations…

Just A Few Thoughts About Social Media Acromyns…

We all have social media terminology continually being exposed to us.  By my own admission, there are some terms I know; others I do not know.  When reading posts and articles, I find myself having to research what these terms imply, how they are used, and the potentiality of helping my business.  As an educated man, I still have trouble catching on to all of the terms.

As business owners, we are all at the helm of steering our businesses in what we believe is the correct direction and with the tremendous challenges and responsibilities of our duties, it is a tough and critical undertaking grasping all of this information into a simplistic, coherent understanding.

With that said, I have generated a list of what I believe are the most commonplace terms I have seen, and have attempted to define their meanings.  There are terms that clearly I have missed, and naturally, there are individuals who will comment to that effect.  I would welcome the feedback for those individuals who are new to the social media platform – for they will surely appreciate a better understanding of these terms.

SEO – Search Engine Optimization 

This is the process of getting traffic from the listings on search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc).  The search engines are areas where web pages and other content (videos, photographs, local listings, etc.) are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users.

SMO – Search Media Optimization 

These strategies are used to attract visitors to specific pages and communities, whereas the methods used therein include blogging, carrying out polls, participating in discussions, creating groups and sharing information.

SMM – Social Media Marketing 

This using social media for marketing purposes – being connected to activity in websites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Flickr, Wikipedia and YouTube. The creation of corporate blogs and promotional blogs also falls under the category.

EM – Email Marketing 

Subscribed users receive informational e-mails concerning products, services and special offers from a company.

FB – Facebook

Facebook is a community, allowing users to connect to other individuals.  Facebook can be an optimal tool for marketing specialists due to the options to create groups, fan pages, discussion forums and product presentations.

Using the 80/20 rule, these are probably the most common terms we see 80% (or more) of the time.  I hope this assists those individuals new to the social media experience.  It is my hope that we all can contribute to the effort, or cause if you will, of educating our fellow colleagues and professionals.  I will thank all of those individuals in advance for contributing and taking a moment to help someone they may not know obtain a better grasp.  For all of those who have a firm grip, there are an equal amount who, metaphorically speaking, are wearing oven mitts – they have a general idea but are having some challenges wrapping their arms around the concept.

A Few Insurance Tips for the Small Business Owner…

I would like to share some advice regarding business insurance for the small business owner:

1. Read your policies. Take careful note of any loopholes and make sure you are covered. Verify that your organization does nothing that will nullify coverage;

2. Insurance salespersons who approach you are not the kind you need. Seek out a local agent/broker who handles clients similar to you (or several agents/brokers), and purchase insurance by comparison shopping;

3. Insist on inspection of premises before agreeing to any insurance program. Be clear that you want them to specify what coverage they recommend, listing exclusions in concise, clear language;

4. Liability coverage is the most important coverage! Obtain the broadset possible coverage in this category. Check closely to be sure special coverage is added where your specific type of business requires it;

5. Be alert in dealing with a claims adjuster. Do not let him/her compute the claim. Keep them at the site until he/she and a company representative have thoroughly reviewed the damage(s) together and reached an agreement on the facts;

6. Lastly, it is always a good idea to complete an annual checkup of your insurance.

Steps to Change the Theme in WordPress…

Many individuals use WordPress for blogging – however, there are a number of individuals who may not be familiar with how to change the theme.  The theme can be a nice reflection of your business and/or the perception of your business.

As one who has recently begun to use WordPress, I was inquisitive as to how this can be done.  For the individuals who are not familiar with the process, I hope this helps…

During the WordPress installation process, there are a couple of themes you can choose from. You can find the themes in your WordPress administration area, click Appearance, and then click Themes.

You can change the theme simply by clicking on the desired theme and then Activate (the theme name will appear).

To choose a different WordPress theme, the first process is to download it to your local machine. The WordPress themes gallery, and the ability to download them are on their site.  There are various themes that are free or a theme can be purchased with the amount indicated next to that theme if applicable.

Once the new WordPress theme has been downloaded on your local hard drive, upload it under the ‘wp-content/themes’ directory of your website. You have two options to do that:

You can upload the .zip file of the theme in the ‘wp-content/themes’ directory via the File Manager and extract it online OR extract the file in your computer and then to upload the content in the desired folder via FTP.

Now, that you have the new theme uploaded on your site in the right folder, you can see it in your WordPress Administration panel and select it as a default theme for your site.

Password Protecting Folders in Windows XP

Password Protecting Folders in Windows XP

  Windows XP users can indeed password protect folders. I will do my best to methodically explain how to do so:

1. Highlight the folder you want to make password protected (or private);

2. Right click your mouse or laptop button and click “Properties”;

3. Click the “Sharing” tab;

4. Check the box marked “Make This Folder Private”;

Once you click that box “Make This Folder Private” the below message should appear:

“You do not currently have a password on your user account. Even though you made this folder private, anyone can login as you and access the folder”

It will then ask “Do you want to create a password for yourself?”

Click “Yes”, enter a password (make sure you write it down so it is not forgotten), click “Ok” and the folder then should be protected…

A Few Helpful Suggestions to Increase Google Page Rank Using Facebook…

A Few Helpful Suggestions to Increase Google Page Rank Using Facebook… 

I have had the pleasure of conversing with several business owners with respect to the correlation between Facebook and Google ranking – How does it work?  What will my exposure be?  Will I be guaranteed first place placement?  Inquiries of this nature are asked by all us daily, and we will all agree in principle that optimal placement enhances the potential of generating time spent on our websites, interest in our services, and ideally a phone call.

Here are just a few suggestions -

Put an author box at the end of the article and this will be your chance to put the URL of your website. This may not reach a huge number of viewers but it will surely help, with people becoming curious about the article writer, with aroused interest of finding who the writer is.

Do not go leaving comments on any site that you see on the web. As the Page Rank definition goes, it does not rely and care about quantity. Instead, it seeks for quality content.

If you have more than one website, do not copy and just paste the content of the one website to the other. Google does not know that these websites are owned by the same person and will eventually downgrade one of the websites or even both.

Hire writers who can write good quality articles. There are many article writers nowadays that do not make high quality articles anymore. This is one of the many reasons why many websites flunk on their Page Rank. You can post on websites like O-Desk or Craigslist to look for quality writers for your website.

Know that Good quality content is the number one key to increase the pagerank of your website. If the content of your website is desirable, then basically people will want to link to it. Through this, other quality websites will also link to it because they trust the high quality websites that have linked to your website.
Please feel free to comment if I have overlooked anything – these are just some humble observations I have made, and the theme consistency of comments is reflective of these points.

Some Helpful Tips to Engage Online Conversation…

On any given subject matter, everyone has, and is entitled, to an opinion – everybody likes to share their opinion with others, including businesses. Here are a few helpful tips to engage on online conversation:

1.  Post a survey, poll or open-ended question on Facebook asking customers to identify their biggest challenge or most pressing concern related to your (or their) business.  If anything unexpected, insightful, trend-spotting or controversial bubbles up, use those ideas to spur other conversations.

2.  Send out a thought-provoking question related to your industry.  Make it something people care about — an interesting trend, results of study, a surprising report or something in the news. Link back to more info on your website, blog or Facebook page. As I have previously written about, use Twitter HashTag, which mark keywords or topics in tweets, to keep track of the conversation.

3.  Intersect the results of your social conversations with customers into your content, across media channels. Good conversations seed good content, and vice versa. Write about things that people will want to talk about and share on their social networks.

Social consumers want to engage and interact with businesses in two-way conversation. Be sure that once you start a discussion, you are present to monitor and participate in it.

Of course, some efforts to engage consumers will be more successful than others. We are all trying our hardest to discover what resonates with and engages our audience – of course, this is not always going to be predictable.  Try experimenting to determine what sticks and naturally, what you share and how you share it is up to you.

Differentiating Meta Tags and Keywords…

Descriptive words and phrases attached to the web pages, invisible to the visitors are known as Meta Tags. They help in retrieving the sites the surfer is looking for. However people with or without the knowledge of coding can view a sites Meta Tags by right clicking their mouse and choosing view source.  Meta Tags should be used carefully while designing web pages – they consist of Keywords, Description, Title and Note etc.

Keywords: The difference here is that this term is different from the term explained above. In case of Meta Tags, keywords are descriptive words or phrases that are separated by commas and attached to the web pages. Keywords should be in form of phrases rather than words as people tend to use them more often while conducting a search. Ensure not to have more than 875 characters in your keywords and avoid repetition of the phrases. This is only to be more search engine friendly.

Description: It generally consists of the site description and should be up to 150 characters long to be search engine friendly. Avoid the usage of filler words like at, in, etc and make maximum utilization of descriptive words or phrases.

Title: A site title is descriptive, includes keywords and is attached to all the pages of the site. Site titles are readily used by search engines to index the sites. The title should be relevant to the objective of the website and should get retrieved when information is searched for on the internet.

Meta Tags can be maximized by using the accurate words and phrases. Utilize specific words for your targeted market. Pick words that have less competition but are more specific and will help in the site getting indexed by the search engines.

What Are Meta Tags?

I often get asked this question! If you are a beginner to building Web sites you may not even know what a meta tag is, and even if you are an intermediate webpage designer, you may not understand fully what they are, what they mean, and what they can do for you.

Meta Tags help search engines to index your site better so people can find you. If you do not have meta tags in your Web pages then a lot of search engines will not even see your Web site and no one will come. They are one of the most essential parts of your Web page, if you want people to come to it. Of course you may want to use more keywords, but you get the idea. Notice that the “head” tag is around them. That is because Meta Tags have to be inside the “head” tags or they won’t work.

There are many things you should think about when coming up with your keywords. Ask yourself, “If I was at a search engine and looking for a Web page on this topic what would I type into it to find this page?” You may also want to use keywords that show up somewhere on the page at least once. Some search engines will also look at some of the words on the page itself and if they see the same word in the body of the page and in the keywords then your placement in the search results will be higher. One thing you should never do is type the same word twice in your keywords. Some search engines will get confused and not look any further to see the rest of your keywords and your page could get missed.

One trick that sometimes works is by using misspelled words in your keywords. If this is something you have done or if it seems to be a common way of misspelling the word then you may want to add it to your keywords. This way if someone does misspell the word into the search engine you could be on the top of their search results. On the other hand, some search engines will penalize you for using a word in your meta keywords that you don’t use on your page so use misspellings with caution.

Another important part of meta tags is not really a meta tag but is still very important to your search engine placement. It is the title tag and it is one of your basic hyper text markup language (HTML) tags. It makes words show up on the top of the browser but it also tells people what your site is about. In your title tag you should use a short phrase that describes your page and uses keywords. You should not use punctuation except for a dash in your title tag.

A Few Thoughts Re: Converting Online Marketing to a Phone Call…

How many of you have asked yourself the question, “How does online marketing result in a phone call to my business?”. 

As one who is continually learning the whole online media phenomenon, I still ask myself this question each and every day.  I believe a substantial majority of us believe that all the online marketing we do for your businesses (search engine optimization (SEO), social media, content marketing, link building and so forth) are all designed to direct targeted traffic to our respective sites – with an end result of revenue conversion.

Conversion means different things for different sites – for some, a conversion rate may be the measurement by how many leads we obtain; and perhaps for others, our conversion rated may be based upon how many people sign up for the company newsletter; download links, notes, documents, etc…

No matter how we are hoping to convert traffic, I have listed a few proactive suggestions below that each one of us can do to potentially increase our conversion rate.  Please keep in mind, there are merely suggestions – again, I will remind all who read this I am just a small business owner who tends to ask the simplistic of questions that I have, let alone, my inquires and questions of my clients.  Some of these suggestions may work, some may not.  More to the point is specificity as to how each us can at least try to generate calls to our offices…

Add Your Phone Number 

Add your phone number to additional pages supplementing the “Contact Us” page.  Remember, if the goal of each of our sites is to generate phone calls, why not remind our visitors of our phone number?  We have to make it easy for our visitors to act, and listing our phone number instills trust. It conveys that we have legitimate businesses and minimizes fears a visitor might have that you are trying to rip them off.

Lead Form On Each Page 

We need to lead our visitors to act and lead them down a predetermined path of conversion. The addition of a lead form to every page will logically encourage visitors and traffic to convert. Giving your visitors easy access without having to think or search about it will make them just a simple mouse click away.

Integration Through Navigation 

Incorporate footer menus supplementing a side or top level navigation menu.  If we provide our visitors multiple ways to find the information they are looking for, we enhance the overall customer experience. The less time it takes a visitor to where they want to be on your site, the less likely they are to get lost along the way.

Social Media Buttons 

If it makes sense for your company, build a Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, or other feed into your website. Clearly, many of us have already done this.  Include share buttons to allow the content of our sites shareable – visitors can publish your content without having to leave your site. By giving your visitors access to social media, we are encouraging them to get more involved with our business. The more someone knows about your business and the more connected they are to it, the better chance of conversion.

More Call-To-Actions 

We need to incorporate strong and consistent call-to-actions into our content – a random single link here and there is not enough.  We need to remind our visitors in every step of the sales process so our visitors do not forget what you want them to do.