Archive for June, 2010

The Cloud – Jargon Buster

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

The Serious/Not Serious Series on Jargon

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS:

Hi y’all, I’m Billy-Bob, 24. I’m gonna tell all y’all about “the cloud”. Paw asked me to do this, cos I know all ‘bout the innernet. He said:

“Billy-Bob, your schoolin’ made us so proud, graduatin’ from High School last week an’ all.  So you show them city-folk that us red-necks know knowledge too.”

Y’see, it’s all a conspiracy. The Yankee government in Washington D.C. don’t want us to have any freedom. They sent in the feds to all the freedom-lovin’ states. The feds snuck in our homes and took our freedoms, rights, and god-fearin’ beliefs. They took all these things we love and built a massive pile, an’ guess what? They built the biggest bomb ever made and blew the livin’ shit outta our stuff.

There was so much in the pile, and the bomb was so big, that it made a cloud that covers the four corners of the earth. Some folks say it goes ‘round the world, cos they think the world is round, but we know better, bein’ schooled an’ all.

The feds didn’t get all our freedoms though  ‘cos we ain’t stupid. We hid beliefs and freedoms inside our Country music. Ma cousin in California says Country music is all Mell an’ Cawley. Jeez, they must be great song-writers. Bye y’all, and God bless America.

SERIOUSLY:

Do your eyes glaze over when techie people start talking about The Cloud and Cloud Computing? In simple terms, “The Cloud” is a term used to describe the internet.

When a digital item (an email, a document, a photo, a database etc)  is stored in The Cloud this means that the item is stored on a server which you access over the internet.  You won’t be able to retrieve the item from your own computer without an internet connection.

Google’s email service (gmail) is one example of a cloud based application. If you have a gmail account, all your gmail data hangs out on a server which you access over the internet.  It’s a web-based email application.

A big advantage of using web-based applications is that you can access that data from anywhere with an internet connection.

“Software as a Service “ (SaaS) is a common term in cloud-speak.  This is where the software provider hosts the software. This means that you don’t have to install the software on your computer or manage it. This can make things a lot simpler for you as the end user.

Cloud services include the delivery of software, storage and infrastructure over the internet. Many businesses are beginning to move most of their IT resources to the cloud.  Many other businesses are struggling with the notion that their data would no longer be on their servers if they move it to the cloud. There are concerns about cloud-based services as you are entrusting a third party to store your data on their server.

This cloud thing is not going to blow over any time soon, so having a basic understanding of what it’s all about can be useful.

How did we do with our explanation? Did we omit any vital bits? Our aim with this series is to inform you about terms that you are likely to come across in the course of your business. We aim to keep things simple. The “You Cannot Be Serious” part is there for your entertainment and to give you a tantalising taste of what witty writers can do with a brief.

Other Resources:

There’s a recent article in the Harvard Business Review about How Cloud Computing Can Transform Business. Bernard Golden points out the agility of cloud computing and how it is well-suited to the fast moving changes in business conditions. The comments on this post are also enlightening.

Sidney Angelo’s article over at All Things CRM is also worth a read.  He outlines both the advantages and challenges of cloud computing.

Other Jargon Buster Articles:

Attraction Marketing;  Buzz Marketing;  Content Strategy;  Duplicate Content;  Linkerati; PageRank;  SEO; SERPS; User Experience

Welcome to The Wittery Blog (aka The Witty Writer Marketplace)

You’re in the right place if you’re looking for Witty Freelance Writers to add zest to your business content. (Simply click here,  click the Register button [remembering to wipe your feet first] and give us some info about you. We don’t do spam (can’t stand the taste). There’s even a limited free trial where you can post your project for free.)

Witty Freelance Writer with a burning desire to join the wit mob? Click here, remove your shoes and then come through to the application form (you can’t miss it. It says “Apply”)

If you’d prefer to follow the scenic route instead, start off at the home page. See you soon.

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SERPS – Jargon Buster

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

The Serious/Not Serious Series on Jargon

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS:

SERPS is an internet word that stands for “Stop Entering Restricted Porn Sites”. It is used as a warning sign that appears to sleazy surfers when they repeatedly try to access highly unsuitable web pages.

Being clever, those running the internet know not just what search term has been entered, but what are the intentions of the user. (This is known as “Just Ask Core Knowledge On Form Filtering” or JACKOFF.)  For example, users who search for “how many laid” will get different results depending on whether their previous search was for “fresh eggs” or “Debbie Does Dallas”.

The SERPS warning appears after 69 consecutive rude search phrases, although teenagers do not usually get this far.

“Stop Entering Restricted Porn Sites” is not just a warning sign. It is not a “suggestion” from the search engine either, it is a command. As well as the full-screen warning sign, the computer of the user is infected with a virus. SERPS may therefore be thought of as the virtual clap, and it cannot be cured, even with a visit to www.cure-my-pox.com

No, SERPS is serious, and results in the destruction of the user’s online life. No respectable website will go near a SERPS-infected user, especially not www.virgin.com.

SERIOUSLY:

SERPS stands for Search Engine Result Pages. They are the pages that are returned by  search engines  (ok, let’s just call this Google from here) when you enter a query in the search box. The pages contain a list of website pages that Google (Bing, Cuil) thinks are relevant to your search term.  Your site is likely to benefit from organic (unpaid) traffic if it appears in the organic listing on Page 1 of the SERPS.

Let’s Get Personal

Things are happening with SERPS.  Personalized SERPS is now here to stay and it will be interesting to watch the effect of this on traditional SEO practices over time. Personalization of the SERPS means different users get different SERPS results, depending on their browsing history.  Google is serving up results which it thinks are best suited to you, based on what it knows about you (and it knows way more than you think).

Personalized SERPS is the default setting and most users are unlikely to change the default setting.  Personalized SERPS applies even if you’re not logged into a Google Account.

As a website owner, it’s important to be aware when you’re being served personalized SERPS. The reason?  If you check your site’s SERPS on a regular basis, you’ll get a false sense of where your website appears in the SERPS for others. Google will return your most visited sites high up in your personalized SERPS results. You may end up gloating that your site is appearing in the number one position for your search term, when in fact it could be buried deep down in the SERPS for other users.

Incognito

There are a few ways to get a better indication of where your website appears in the SERPS for others. One of those ways  is to go “incognito” using Google Chrome (please correct me if I’m wrong on this one).  Get your dark shades and grubby rain mac on before taking the following steps:

  1. Click on the wrench icon at the top right of the Google Chrome Screen.
  2. Click on “New Incognito Window”.
  3. “You’ve gone incognito” the new window tells you.  There’s even a spy icon to remind you what you are up to.
Ignorance Can Be Bliss

Probably the best way to improve your site’s positioning in the SERPS? Try Ignoring it most of the time. Don’t spend too much time trying to understand Google and how its algorithm works. Try to understand your users instead.

Concentrate your efforts on developing your engaging content, learning to understand and connect with your website visitors, building relationships and working on elements that will improve the User Experience.  Your efforts in these areas will help your site in the battle for position across personalized SERPS.  These efforts will also help you to get traffic from sources other than search engines. Whilst you’re chasing after your position in the SERPS remember that the search engines are chasing after websites that are optimized for the User Experience. Remember also that SERPS is very fond of dancing.

How much attention do you pay to your website’s position in the SERPS? Do you spend as much time concentrating on User Experience Optimization?

Other Jargon Buster Articles:

Attraction Marketing;  Buzz Marketing;  Content Strategy;  Duplicate Content;  Linkerati; PageRank;  SEO; The Cloud; User Experience

Other Resources:

Nathan Thompson has an informative post over at MarketingExperiments.com which covers the effect that the roll-out of Google Caffeine will have on SERPS results. It is well worth a read. We mentioned  Caffeine in January in this blog. Google announced last week that this new indexing system is now complete. The essential thing to note about Caffeine is that it aims is to provide fresher results to users. In the context of content, this will of course mean that fresh content will continue to become more important and will influence where your website shows up in the SERPS.

Welcome to The Wittery Blog (aka The Witty Writer Marketplace)

You’re in the right place if you’re looking for Witty Freelance Writers to add zest to your business content. (Simply click here,  click the Register button [remembering to wipe your feet first] and give us some info about you. We don’t do spam (can’t stand the taste). There’s even a limited free trial where you can post your project for free.)

Witty Freelance Writer with a burning desire to join the wit mob? Click here, remove your shoes and then come through to the application form (you can’t miss it. It says “Apply”)

If you’d prefer to follow the scenic route instead, start off at the home page. See you soon.

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Linkerati – Jargon Buster

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

The Serious/Not Serious Series on Jargon

You Cannot Be Serious:

Practice saying and writing the following:

“Mwah, mwah! It’s simply marvelous to see you, dwarling. May I appreciatively press parts of your delectable flesh and tell you whopping great lies about how gorgeous and clever you are?”

And repeat: “Mwah, mwah! It’s simply marvelous to see you, dwarling. May I appreciatively press parts of your delectable flesh and tell you whopping great lies about how gorgeous and clever you are?”

Do this ten times a day until it becomes second nature to you. If you do several things are likely to occur:

o you will turn into one of the most shallow human beings on the planet
o people who used to like you will go off you
o you will get funny looks in the supermarket
o the police may be called (this usually only happens when actual pressing of physical flesh takes place)
o you will be equipped to win favor with the Linkerati

It is the latter occurrence that we are most interested in, you getting it on with the Linkerati online.

Who are the Linkerati, you ask? Where do they live, in silver, silk lined palaces with cons so mod you’d think you’d gone into the future? Do they dine only on puréed swans’ down and angel sneezes? Do they fart glitter? Tick yes to all of the aforementioned, and more. The Linkerati are the web’s wonders, the internet elite and you, as a humble serf like being who probably smells, must learn to court them.

Seriously:

Linkerati is a term used to describe people of influence online. The clue is in the name. It’s all about links and mentions. This select bunch includes popular bloggers, tweeters, social media mavericks, and forum poster gurus. It consists of a group of online influencers who are happy and willing to create and share links to resources that they find interesting.

It is a common phenomenon for marketers, individuals and businesses with an online presence to spend a lot of time trying to attract the attention of the Linkerati. Content created for the purposes of attracting the attention of the Linkerati is often referred to as “linkbait”.

If a member of the Linkerati mentions you or your business (and links to your website), it can have a powerful impact on your site traffic and bottom line. Quality links from high ranking sites of the Linkerati can send your traffic through the roof.

If you’re just starting out online and you are seeking to build a presence, is there an alternative to spending time waving at and flirting with the Linkerati?

Try this approach instead:

Keep an eye out for up and coming sites and people online and spend time building relationships with them instead. You will learn a lot more doing it this way. The journey is also likely to be more enjoyable. When you seek attention from the Linkerati, you are seeking attention from people who have already made it and who have social proof on their side.

Why not be more adventurous? Find new people to follow and interact with. Seek out tomorrow’s influencers. Be ahead of the crowd.  Be the purple sheep with yellow polkadots and take your own direction. It may surprise you when you notice that other multi-colored sheep start following you. You will then have morphed into a member of the Linkerati class yourself.**

I would like to share my recent experience of the blogosphere: I’m new to the blogosphere. (I’m lucky because I get help with my blog from my witty writer friends.)  I have started commenting on others’ blogs, both Linkerati blogs, newer blogs and blogs with small audiences. When I comment on lesser known blogs, I’ve noticed that I often receive gifts in return that sometimes bring a tear to my eye. It has taught me a valuable lesson.

What’s your experience of the linkerati and the blogosphere? Do you comment on lesser-known blogs? If so, do you find it rewarding?

Other Jargon Buster Articles:

Attraction Marketing;  Buzz Marketing; Content Strategy;  Duplicate Content; PageRank; SEO; SERPS; The Cloud; User Experience

Other Resources:

*Rand Fishkin, founder of SeoMoz.org is credited with coining the term Linkerati. From what I can gather, he first used it in 2006.

**It seems there’s a new trailblazing website on the horizon. Check out BryanRicard.com. His tagline is a Ralph Emerson quote: ”Don’t go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path… and leave a trail.” The importance of the “Leave a Trail” quote gets its own little section over at Bryan’s site.

Welcome to The Wittery Blog (aka The Witty Writer Marketplace)

You’re in the right place if you’re looking for Witty Freelance Writers to add zest to your business content. (Simply click here,  click the Register button [remembering to wipe your feet first] and give us some info about you. We don’t do spam (can’t stand the taste). There’s even a limited free trial where you can post your project for free.

[FYI, The Wittery Writers are responsible for the "Not Serious" parts of this series. They can do your witty too.]

Witty Freelance Writer with a burning desire to join the wit mob? Click here, remove your shoes and then come through to the application form (you can’t miss it. It says “Apply”)

If you’d prefer to follow the scenic route instead, start off at the home page. See you soon.

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Content Strategy – Jargon Buster

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

The Serious/Not Serious Series on Jargon

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS:

Content with your content? You can’t just put any old thing in there, as the Vatican Council said to the bishop.   Imagine if women didn’t take a firm line with the management of content vis-à-vis their handbag.  Handbags require monitoring in order to retain a high quality of outgoing product.

How would the world proceed if women handbags (or ‘man bags’ if that doesn’t prompt an inexplicable cold shudder down the spine) became a black hole of eyeliner pencil stubs, foreign coins, used tissues and hair-laden combs?  It would be a disaster, a ‘chrome-plated, steam-powered ocean-going disaster’ as David Niven once said about a truly dreadful movie for which he was at least partially responsible.

But this isn’t the case, for has there ever been any example in the record of any woman, anywhere, admitting that her handbag was bang out of order?  Obviously since no one can ever recall such an admission, there are no handbag horror stories, so therefore it stands to reason that all women are perfect. Dipso facto, notonyournellium.

See how logic is so important to providing coherent content? Content that exists outside handbags is clearly not so very vital to the space-time continuum, so can be left to the devices of those that only carry wallets, and who stuff them unappealingly into the back pockets of their trousers, thereby creating content that’s one-sided and the enemy of good tailoring.

SERIOUSLY:

The very mention of the phrase “Content Strategy” can drive the most confident, hardened (online) small business owner to the verge of a nervous breakdown. Chillax, it doesn’t have to be this way. With a little bit of planning and thought your content handbag doesn’t need to be empty or mixed-up, dazed or confused.

Publish and be Damned – Use that Soapbox

If you have an online business you are a publisher. Accept this basic fact and start thinking and acting like a publisher.  Plan ahead for the creation and publication of your content. That’s what Content Strategy is about.

Your website Content is your soapbox. It’s how you deliver your message online. Content marketing helps you to reach out and connect with your potential customers. By having a Content Strategy, you can plan more effectively for the delivery of your business message over a sustained period of time.  You can build relationships with your prospective customers through your business blog. You don’t need an elaborate content strategy, but it helps to have a general roadmap so that you have an idea where you are going with your content.

The Cure for The Content Development Headache

Content development can be difficult for small business owners. However, by taking a bit of time to plan ahead you can ease your workload (and stress levels) in the long run. Set aside some time to have a brainstorming session dedicated to developing a content strategy. Try using some of these questions to help you find suitable topics for your business blog:

Who are your customers, what problems do they have and how do you solve these problems?

What questions/information do your customers most frequently ask?

What specific problems have you solved for individual customers in the past? Could you use some of these as stories or case studies in your business blog?

What news/developments are there in your business niche?

Are there terms or practices in your business/niche that you could explain in ordinary language to your customers?

Are there other blogs in your niche that you can look at for inspiration?

It is a good idea to stock up on some timeless blog pieces ahead of time.  This will give you freedom to write about topical items if the need, inclination or opportunity arises, but you will also be comforted by the fact that you have fall-back, timeless content for publication.  You will then have the freedom to diverge from your planned publication schedule if you choose. The key here is that it is your choice.

Get Close and Share

Building relationships with your customers through the development of your content can become an enjoyable experience.  Encourage feedback.  If you allow comments on your blog, you may find inspiration for future posts in the comments that your visitors leave. Remember that whilst you are developing your content, you are building the case for why your visitors should trust you and buy from you. Share your knowledge with your visitors and make it easy for them to buy from you when they are ready to do so.

Don’t underestimate your own expertise.  Brainstorm with other co-workers, employees, family or friends about your content strategy.  Think about engaging a professional freelance writer to assist with tidying up your content (or adding personality) for publication.  If you have the skills to do this yourself, lucky you.  By involving an experienced writer in the process, your business knowledge can be transformed into compelling, engaging content that will bring your blog content to a higher level.  Your customers will notice. Your accountant will notice too in time.

Other Jargon Buster Articles:

Attraction Marketing;  Buzz Marketing;   Duplicate Content;  Linkerati;  PageRank;  SEO;  SERPS; The Cloud; User Experience

Other Resources:

Copyblogger.com is an invaluable content marketing resource.  The tagline (Copywriting Tips for Online Marketing Success) aptly describes what you will find inside this Pandora’s Box of a website.

D.J. Francis has a neat video over at Online Marketer Blog where he explains Content Strategy in under 3 minutes using post-it notes.  (“What is Content Strategy and Why Should I Care?”) Nice work Mr Francis.

A guy by the name of Oscar Wilde once wrote a play in which a chunk of humanity (called Earnest) was found in the contents of a handbag.  It serves as a reminder that a big dollop of Earnest and a hint of humanity works well in your Content Strategy (and your handbag or man bag).  The mention of this resource is nothing other than a shameless attempt to squeeze in a reference to one of the greatest Wits of all time.  At the risk of being pedantic, you will notice the clever way that I managed to connect handbag contents and Content Strategy in order to justify the appearance of Mr Wilde in this Resources Section. (At least I thought it was clever, so please don’t burst my bubble – go burst someone else’s bubble if you must). Remember The Importance of Being Earnest in your Content Strategy and the next time you are trying to recall the name of a good play.  A little bit of trivial comedy for serious people can also add a splash of magic to any content strategy.

How’s your content strategy coming along? Are you a seat-of-the-pants content strategist or do you have all your blog posts lined up well in advance of publication? Feel free to pop a comment in the box and let me know the issues you encounter or any tricks that you use. If you’d prefer to waffle on about Mr Wilde instead, that’s perfectly fine with me.

Welcome to The Wittery Blog (aka The Witty Writer Marketplace)

You’re in the right place if you’re looking for Witty Freelance Writers to add zest to your business content. (Simply click here,  click the Register button [remembering to wipe your feet first] and give us some info about you. We don’t do spam (can’t stand the taste). There’s even a limited free trial where you can post your project for free.)

Witty Freelance Writer with a burning desire to join the wit mob? Click here, remove your shoes and then come through to the application form (you can’t miss it. It says “Apply”)

If you’d prefer to follow the scenic route instead, start off at the home page. See you soon.



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Posted in Jargon Buster - Serious/Not Serious Series, Witto | 2 Comments »

SEO – Jargon Buster [Search Engine Optimization]

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

The Serious/Not Serious Series on Jargon

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS:

SEO stands for “Scrabble Equality Organization”. This group was formed after the highly controversial World Scrabble final earlier this year. Trailing by 50 points to his opponent, Mr J. Smith of London, the Polish finalist Mr W. Iwillwinski scored 575 points, including his triple word score, for the word “JZCZWIZYQZZY”.

Mr Iwillwinski was incensed when the word was rejected for being a proper noun. “They cheated me,” he said after losing the final, and picked up his runner-up prize of $25, missing out on the $26 winner cheque. “The word was valid – it is my mother’s favorite flower,” he complained.  “Not only  that, but I saw it on my optician’s test chart last week,” he continued.

Such was the uproar that Scrabble World Series organizers have decided to clarify the rules. Rejecting claims of discrimination, they say that they treat all entrants equally, even the delegation of Somali pirates who stole the show, literally.

The Scrabble Equality Organization is charged with restoring the battered reputation of the sport. “This is a respectable sport and the top players are true athletes,” said Dr. Etymological, SEO Chairman. “We have a fine history of sportsmanship,” he went on. “This has really shaken our sport – it is the biggest upset since 1972, when the Italian competitor was caught eating alphabet spaghetti before a match.”

SERIOUSLY:

SEO is all about making your website attractive to search engines.  It stands for “Search Engine Optimization”. It’s the technical side of search (as opposed to the marketing side). SEO can improve your website’s positioning in organic (unpaid) search results.

It’s also about making sure that Search Engines know what your site is about and making it easy for the search engine spiders to find their way around your site. If your site is optimized for search engines, this can increase the volume and quality of traffic that you receive. It can therefore impact significantly on your bottom line.

I have grown to dislike the term “SEO”. Too many dubious SEO practitioners have given it a bad name. It has become a negative term in many people’s minds.  This is especially true when used in the context of Content.  “SEO Content” has become synonymous with poor quality, bland, keyword-stuffed content not fit for human consumption. I think it’s time for genuine, technical SEO practitioners to find themselves another name.

SEO, in its purest technical sense, remains valid (for now). As an online business, it is important that you make sure that the technical bits and pieces of your website are optimized for search engines. There is little point in having great content on your website if the search engines can’t find you, or don’t know what your site is about or can’t find their way around when they visit.

Google advises webmasters to “make pages primarily for users, not just for search engines.” Don’t overdo it on the SEO at the expense of the User Experience.  The ultimate aim of search engines is to ensure that they return quality results for search terms entered by the user. Make sure you put your user first too.

Welcome to The Wittery Blog (aka The Witty Writer Marketplace)

Other Jargon Buster Articles:

Attraction Marketing;  Buzz Marketing;  Content Strategy;  Duplicate Content; Linkerati;  PageRank;  SERPS; The Cloud; User Experience

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