I’m sure you’ve heard this more than once, but you can’t have a one-sided relationship. Period. If you’re guilty of trying this method with your website, where does it leave you? Back to the Internet black hole of never being seen again.

Let’s think this through, shall we?

Dear Website Owner –

After visiting your site three whole times, I have to say it’s over. I’m sorry, I know it hurts, but all you ever want to talk about is you. I have feelings; I’m not just a visitor number. If you’d only asked how I felt once in a while... I know way more about you than I ever wanted to, but you obviously don’t know anything about me.

Signed,

Disillusioned Potential Customer

Get over yourself

“Me me me, us, us, me, the company, you should hire us.”

Sadly, this is how many websites read. They don’t reach out to the consumer in any way until the very end. While it may not read this way to you, anyone who happens to stumble across your virtual doorstep will quickly stumble back the way they came. On the other hand, an excellent consumer-focused website can have them pulling up a chair, kicking their shoes off and staying awhile (hint – you want them to stay awhile).

Facebook Adopts the Google Buzz Strategy

It seems that the Facebook is copying the strategy Google employed with their Buzz product. To Google's credit at least they didn't use the same name for what is essentially the same service. Both "Places" services on these Internet Bohemoth's identify a Place. In Google's case it is information about a Place. In the case of Facebook it seems more about stalking people in a Place but it also sounds like it could be part of their monetization strategy if they charged
for 'checkins' at businesses.

Hey gang... we launched this week's edition of SEO Dojo Radio this morning. It was yet another great session, if not a bit crazy with a new record for F-bombs. The first part of the show featured the regulars (myself, Terry and Steve) and Justin came back after some time in the homeland (Ireland).

We were all in rare form and talked about;

• Silly link building tactics and link cliques
• New local SERPs, all local no organic
• Siloing – is in back in vogue?
• Yahoo Api Updates – Site Explorer survives
• Does the SEO industry need consumer advocacy?

Ever since the SEO industry grew beyond the in-house and homegrown webmasters and into a client consulting service there have been misconceptions about what SEO is, what SEOs do and the “type” of people that are SEOs.

The term “snakeoil salesman”, and “woman”, has plagued the SEO industry for years. The bad reputation that the SEO industry harbors is passed by word-of-mouth or by scathing news/blog posts about a business owner being swindled of their cash by the “scammers, spammers & hacks” that make up the SEO industry. We cannot deny the fact that these people do exist within the SEO industry or, to that point, within any and every industry on the planet. If there weren’t, lawyers would be broke.

The most recent poll over in the SEO Dojo was related to an article I wrote over on the WordStream blog a while back titled; Google is getting past the link

Will Google ever get over links?

Here's how the answers broke down;

• 64.1% Nope not any time soon
• 17.2% Caffeine means more signals
• 10.9% Not yet, but coming soon
• 4.7% Yes they have to for relevance
• 3.1% Yes, SEOs have destroyed PR signals

First off, the funny part for me, was the response the original article recieved. Most folks seemed to agree with me that Google would be evolving past the present addiction. That wasn't entirely borne out in the poll results. With that, only 36% seemed to believe such.

After that, it does seem that most believe that via caffeine or otherwise, that an change may be on the horizon. So why do most of the folks believe Google can't get past the link? Is that because it is so ingrained in our collective conciousness? Is it because they have no faith in Google? It's hard to say. I am going with the former.

What I can tell you is that the IR world itself really doesn't talk about search/ranking in terms of linkage over the last few years. I would venture a guess we most certainly will see a shift... time will tell. Please do head on over to the Dojo and take this week's poll; Are you utilizing RDFa and microformats yet? (right hand side)

What do YOU think? Sound off in the comments.

Welcome the our new format

Over the last five years I have had the great fortune to be able to garner the attention of many folks in the search world writing here on the (Fire Horse) Trail. It has been a blast and allowed me to meet so many great people and eventually evolved into the SEO Training Dojo... a wondrous ride to be sure.

A few years ago I started having some guest posters to help liven up the joint. Because really, who wants to read about patents and geekiness all the time (other than me of course)? Since that time I've had a steady stream of guests and have enjoyed sharing the space.

Which brings me to some great news!

Recently I was thinking about taking that to the next logical step and having some more full-time writers here to expand the offering. So that's exactly what I have done.

With the help of my partner, Terry VanHorne, we have collected some diverse and interesting people in the space that we are going to be having write for us on a regular basis. So let me introduce you to some of the new blood here on the trail;

We have given them their own profiles, so just click on the pic (or name) to learn more about them;

EEK!... the FCC is in Discussions on Net Neutrality!

Well if anything can result in the end of the Interwebs as we know it be assured it is a definite possibility if the FCC is getting involved! Look at the problems the FCC has with blogger's disguising paid reviews as "unbiased reviews"! We should know we don't want the US "simple servants" deciding anything about the future of the InterWebs. There is a law that they don't/won't enforce and look at the results? Every review I read I have to assume it is tainted with $'s unless they are open and transparent about it either way.\

The he said/she said story surrounding NY Times sensationalistic journalism piece "Google and Verizon Near Deal on Web Pay Tiers" about net neutrality shows exactly how whacked things are in the States right now! Sorry to say my brothers to the South are treading where they shouldn't. That said, here in Canada the CRTC were having similar "discussions" regarding Canadian Content requirements and possibly what the "toll" would be (we always pay... one way or da' other) and where it would be placed (who gets the #Dosh) for TV on the Internet Served in Canada.

This week's edition of SEO Dojo Radio is now up and you just HAVE to go check it out. The first part of the show was the regulars, myself, Terry and Steve. We were talking about a wide variety of goodies including Google's latest social moves, Webmaster Tools updates, Steve's Bitches (including Reverse SEO and the 'do-follow' tag) and much more.

Darren Talks Local SEO

In the second part of the show this week we had Darren Shaw of WhiteSpark sitting in with us to talk about his new local citation tool and just some yakking about local SEO in general. As an added bonus, Darren and Garrett French will be hosting the SEO Dojo chat session (for members only, join today!) which should be a ROCKIN' session for sure.

All in all it is another great show .... so what are you waiting for? Head on over and give it a listen!