Disqus - Latest Comments for 1918

Re: Why I Decided to Euthanize My Dog

1918 — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 20:32:52 -0000

I'm sorry Seib. It hurts to lose anyone or anything you love. Digital hugs are being uploaded to you as strong as possible.

Re: An Exercise to Become a More Powerful Listener

1918 — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 11:06:57 -0000

Great article Greg, and I think you hit the nail on the head when you mention the impact of smartphones and social media. I often think of the last 5 years as "the death of downtime".
One of the reasons I'm with my current company is their dedication to listening, to single-tasking and to deeper understanding. It's not easy some days, but I have enough people around me to keep me on track when I get weak.

Re: 7 Tips to Develop Great Blog Content

1918 — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 14:25:44 -0000

Thanks for the mention Danielle! I think #2 from Mark is more critical today than ever before - they way we find and click through to content now is driven by titles and images.

Re: Hubspot: A Marketing Pipe Dream

1918 — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:27:31 -0000

Right on Kieran! I teach a content marketing course about once a month and when I pull out the timeframe on ROI (2 years) everyone groans. "How can I possibly sell that to my boss who wants results by the end of the month?"

Setting expectations is a "GTD" world that ramping up takes time is crucial, and I think you're correct that once you see someone who is in mid-flight and killing it, we tend to think "I can do that".

Great article, looking forward to reading what the Hubspotter's reply :-)

Re: SEO Penalty and Algorithm Recovery Timelines

1918 — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:22:55 -0000

This is probably the best article I've read on the reality of recovering from a Google penalty. The days of reconsideration and immediately rebounding back are behind us. Like a jilted girlfriend, Google needs you to prove you've changed and promise to stay on the straight and narrow.

The GA charts are fantastic. When I explain to sites in pain that redemption is a year away, they often move to a different consultant that promises a quicker fix.

This article will now become my go-to explanation - thank you for that!

Re: The business case for cheating your way to social media superstardom

1918 — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:35:25 -0000

Although this particular post doesn't get into it, you have no doubt heard a company talk about "we need more Facebook likes" or Twitter followers of Pins, etc. There usually isn't a strategy involved, just social proof metrics. My company is better than yours because I have more Facebook likes.

When I talk to clients who say "the boss" is judging them specifically on Likes or followers with no thought about real engagement I die a little inside, but I usually ask if simply buying followers is a possibility so they can get on to the real work.

Social proof, gaining an advantage, cheating, performance enhancing drugs, advertising... they are all starting to blur for me.

In this case it's easy to see the downside because it was a single consultant who couldn't follow-up, but what about when you are one mid-level marketer at a giant global brand that has metrics to hit? In that case is it less insidious or more? Are you putting the entire brand at risk?

It's hardly a black/white issue for me an more. I used to say "never", but I now see times when it actually makes sense for a given set of circumstances.

Thanks for the even-handed treatment of the issue Mark.

Re: 3 Steps To Making Your Brand Look Like an Ass: A True Raven Story

1918 — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 16:30:10 -0000

I've written in the past that almost every single problem can be tracked back to a communication problem.

Even though I know this, I still make communication problems. The Internet is a dangerous place when you take anything personally. The goal I have is to never take anything personally (especially since it's not usually about me).

It makes me happy when a company I respect stands up and says, "yup, we screwed up".

Re: 24 Things You Need to Know Before Becoming A Consultant

1918 — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 11:01:52 -0000

Great advice Rob. The part about billing clients for travel is one that I think always sneaks up on even small agencies. If you are doing work for client A that is using your time, that time needs to be accounted for.

The other section about finding a partner is key for me. I am a guy that needs the push of being responsible to a teammate. It has made all the difference.

Re: Why Godfather is Better Than Godfather Part 2

1918 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:33:36 -0000

I don't think I have seen GF3 in 20 years.

Re: Why Godfather is Better Than Godfather Part 2

1918 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:25:30 -0000

I was once of this opinion Greg. I have now watched each movie at least a dozen times and I have come to appreciate all of the subtle things in GF2. I am like you, I will rewatch either of these movies over almost any other form of entertainment.

I will also say that watching them when you can really pay attention to GF2 makes a big difference. Watching them on tv with commercials is useless. Watching them with kids running around is useless. Watching them with someone asking questions is the worst experience ever.

I am willing to watch either one with you some Sunday, I'll even bring the wine, sausage and fresh tomatoes.

Re: Are You Ready For A World Without Keywords?

1918 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:08:02 -0000

I believe you are benefiting from staying at or near the top for a long time. A decent site that has lived on page 1 for real reasons gets harder and harder to displace each day it's there.

I like the Red Sox's chances in this playoffs this year, solid team, lots of grit. I guess nobody in St. Louis misses King Albert huh? ;-)

Re: Are You Ready For A World Without Keywords?

1918 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 13:05:20 -0000

As much as I hate to admit it, we are all looking for a shortcut. That's why diet pills sell like crazy, it's easier than the treadmill. Steroids are easier than 8 hours in the gym. Clients say rank us fast, so we turn to the short-term solutions that are "questionable" for long term value.

The answer for the industry is more education and less caving in to unrealistic client demands.

Re: 'Star of the Week' Spotlight: Molly Bruckman

1918 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:41:49 -0000

Anyone from Boston was bound to be awesome, and a Bruckman (related or not) to boot was a slam dunk.

Re: Are You Ready For A World Without Keywords?

1918 — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 16:28:12 -0000

You're right Adrian, great content is only part of the equation, but it's an essential first step.

Re: Are You Ready For A World Without Keywords?

1918 — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 16:27:22 -0000

I think you need to start with a content audit and see what pages are ranking for what terms. Then you can start to use those pages as leading indicators of increases in CTR on those keywords.

That can be tricky when you have multiple pages ranking for similar keywords, but for now, it's a starting point.

Re: Trying Sugary Cereals for the First Time

1918 — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:53:47 -0000

What parallel universe have you raised those kids in? "too chocolatey"? Is that even possible?

Re: Event Tracking in Google Analytics Explained for Non-Coders

1918 — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 09:11:24 -0000

What a great topic! If there is one part of most SEO campaigns that is given less glory than it deserves it's event tracking.

The best part of having a smart person doing analytics for clients is that they start to look at everything on their site differently. It's always gratifying to hear a client say the 4 magic words, "can we test that?"

Re: How Wide-screen Conferences Create Engaging Events

1918 — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:27:22 -0000

I've notice that this was true at MozCon in Seattle. A killer screen really can make you think more of the event and the speakers.

Re: How to Survive Middle Management

1918 — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 21:36:09 -0000

As a fairly happy middle manager, I think of my role in the following ways. Perform at my best to give my boss an easier day. Perform at my best to inspire my team that reports to me. Help my team be so damn good that eventually I can no longer keep them under me.

Re: Goodbye Ephricon!

1918 — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 14:15:43 -0000

I couldn't imaging buying a company and letting them throw out such a valuable piece of the puzzle. Looking forward to your next conquest.

Re: Podcast 8 – Twitter: You Have To Be Willing To Give More Than Get Back

1918 — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:09:56 -0000

Why don't you have the Michael Sembello mega hit "Maniac" playing in the background of that video? It was so distracting to not have it blasting over the gym speakers... I smell a remix in the future.

Re: How WordPress Commenting Platform Screws Up Your Blog’s SEO

1918 — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 09:31:14 -0000

I think your basic premise is seriously flawed. If I am getting 100 people to comment on each blog post that I write, I'm no longer worried about internal PR flow because I am in the top 1% of bloggers. I am attracting real people to my site looking for my specific content, that is worth so much more than a very small amount of internal PR being saved by no longer loving my community enough to allow them to link back to their page if they wish.

This is the kind of SEO that makes me think that sometimes we as an industry can be to focused on the technical details and not look at the bigger overall picture and the real reason for even having a website in the first place.

Re: 3 Ways New College Graduates Can Find a Marketing Job (Part 1 of 2)

1918 — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:52:43 -0000

I agree Karl. I'm not sure that many people, and certainly even fewer people just out of college realize that they are always being evaluated by mangers who are constantly looking for great people to hire.

Re: 3 Ways New College Graduates Can Find a Marketing Job (Part 1 of 2)

1918 — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:58:05 -0000

I agree with everything you have written so far, but I always add one more thing that is crucial to someone in a cattle call of resumes - like a career fair or a position where they have received dozens or even hundreds of resumes... be memorable.

It doesn't have to be something crazy either, it just has to be one minor thing that makes you stand out from everyone else they met that day. I'll give you an example of what I mean. Because I use 1918 as my Twitter handle and also my domain, I can leverage that - so when I meet someone I want to remember me, I will hand them a coin from 1918 with a 10 second story about why I'm handing them a coin. Business cards get thrown out, but a cool coin from Germany in 1918 doesn't - that's how I get remembered when I am one of 500.

Re: Why You Should Attend or Create an SEO Meetup Group

1918 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:24:46 -0000

Thanks for the shout-out Jesse! I couldn't agree more. The Raleigh SEO Meetup pretty much saved my life. I was a grumpy,underutilized web developer when I decided to stop in to a new Meetup in town that Ashley Berman Hale had just recently started. Under her protective wing she fed me and eventually taught me to fly. Just when I felt like we were hitting our stride she moved 2 time-zones away, It was scary for me, but it was another opportunity to challenge myself.

The Raleigh SEO Meetup is now a huge part of my identity and has helped me stay employed, get speaking invitations and meet awesome people all over the world.

Start building your network, it fuels you more that you can imagine.