Mediaboss Marketing

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the inaugural World Information Architecture Day (WIAD) in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the topic of information architecture and search engine optimization (SEO).

Normally, I teach SEO professionals about information architecture: what it is and is not, how to determine the best IA for websites, and so forth. At this event, it was the other way around. I was educating, or perhaps re-educating, information architects about SEO.

Search engine optimization has never been sprinkling magical pixie dust on a website.

Teaching SEO can be frustrating because one must deal with negative stereotypes (“snake-oil charlatans”) and erroneous, preconceived notions about SEO.

How many times are we faced with a prospect who thinks SEO is about sprinkling magic fairy dust on a website so that it ranks #1 in Google all of the time for every targeted keyword phrase?

Oh, apparently we have the magical ability to make this happen…last week.

To be perfectly honest, I often prefer to work with people who are completely ignorant about SEO so I don’t have to deal with the stereotypes, preconceived notions, and Google gullibility.

Nevertheless, I have to acknowledge that the stereotypes, SEO myths, and gullibility exist. Acknowledging and challenging the negative stereotype is par for the course.

SEO Awareness

I have said it before. And I will say keep repeating until the world grasps this fundamental SEO concept: SEO is optimizing a website for people who use search engines.

Like the term “website usability,” the term “search engine optimization” is easily misunderstood. People honestly make statements such as, “I am the user,” and “Optimize for the average searcher,” and “People use my website all of the time; therefore, it is user friendly.”

Usability is about task completion and involves the following items:

Efficiency Effectiveness Learnability Memorability Error prevention User satisfaction

It is easy for people to believe that search engine optimization is optimizing a website for search engines only. Too easy, I think.

In reality, SEO has always been about searchers and search engines. Ignoring one at the expense of the other is a mistake…a big mistake.

So how do we make people aware of what the SEO process really is? I posed this question to one of my clients. Here is his 2 cents:

“Even though staff learned about SEO responsibilities that were not directly a part of their jobs, at least they have an awareness about how their contributions can positively or negatively affect SEO. That awareness is invaluable.”

I believe his comments show great insight. Don’t expect everyone to know how to do SEO after a short presentation. Don’t expect everyone to instantly become an SEO expert after a few hours in a certification course. Expertise comes from knowledge and experience.

Nevertheless, I think it is reasonable to expect a fundamental awareness of SEO, knowing that SEO involves meeting the needs of both searchers and search engines. And also knowing that SEO is not the process of sprinkling magical pixie dust on a website.

I expect that fundamental awareness from anyone working on a website: designers, developers, usability professionals, user experience designers, writers, advertisers, information architects, and so forth.

That awareness is invaluable.

SEO Knowledge & Aptitude

Here is a proverbial tough pill to swallow: not everyone has the aptitude for SEO or different aspects of SEO.

SEO professionals should understand how people search as well as why people search.

Search engine optimization has a human element as well as a technical element. Some SEO professionals are gifted technical SEOs. This is the group to turn to for assistance in managing duplicate content.

Some SEO professionals are expert copywriters. Some SEO experts are skilled at usability testing and might be the group to turn to if a site has search engine traffic and low conversions. Some SEOs are knowledgeable about how people search. And some SEOs are knowledgeable about why people search.

I wouldn’t ask an search engine optimizer who specializes in copywriting to program redirects. Nor would I expect a developer/programmer to be skilled at information architecture and usability testing.

I expect SEO professionals to have more than awareness. I expect them to have aptitude and knowledge.

If an SEO professional does not have a specific SEO skill needed for a project, I expect that person to reach out to an SEO who does…without feeling threatened. SEO should be a group effort. Everyone is on the same team.

I know. I know…easier said than done. Stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions can be difficult to debunk. So what did I share with the audience of information architects?

Part of an SEO’s job is:

Labeling website content so that it is easy to find (unique aboutness) Organizing website content so that it is easy to find Ensuring search engines have access to desired content Ensuring search engines don’t have access to undesirable content (or at least limiting access) Accommodating searchers’ navigational, informational, and transactional goals

Information architecture decisions can positively and negatively impact SEO on web search engines as well as site search engines. Information architects have a role in SEO. Have the awareness.

Even better? Have the knowledge to hire an SEO professional when one is needed. Have the knowledge and humility to recognize that you might not have the aptitude and talent for optimizing. Understand that SEO knowledge does not necessarily mean SEO aptitude. Understand your role in the optimization process. Be knowledgeable enough to recognize a “snake-oil charlatan.”

Information architecture guru Peter Morville wrote the following in the foreword of When Search Meets Web Usability:

“Shari Thurow is among the few specialists brave enough to jump the gap between search engine optimization and web usability. As a result, she has learned how and where to place stepping stones and build bridges. She can speak the language of link analysis and relevance ranking algorithms, while also understanding user psychology and information seeking behavior.”

Yep, I build bridges. But I cannot make anyone cross a bridge. Awareness is the first step. Take that first step, information architects. You won’t regret it.

Opinions expressed in the article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.

Related Topics: Search & Usability

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Spreading SEO Awareness & Knowledge

Chris Brown turns up the music to a big 11 in his video for his song "Turn Up the Music." The video, released on Friday (February 17), follows a well-dressed Brown while he enjoys a dance-filled night on the town.

The video tracks Brown from drinking in the street, to hailing a futuristic hover-cab filled with masked creatures, to hitting a warehouse rave filled with even more masked people, all watched over by some woman who appears to be the queen of the party, gazing at everyone from her own perch. From there, the clip is an eye-catching spectacle of various dance routines with Brown displaying his signature smooth moves.

During the video, the singer dons several outfits and looks that appear to pay homage to his own hero, Michael Jackson. Rocking well-tailored suits that are accessorized with fedoras and suspenders, Brown performs dancefloor acrobatics as lights and lasers dance around him. Brown's dance moves are aggressive and in your face, but he is still light on his feet.

At one point in the high-energy clip, the footage is slowed down as Brown does a flip. In another memorable scene, Brown dances alone in a rain-filled room, wearing white dress pants, a black tank and a fedora. As the song wraps up, he splits into three people, comes back together, takes off his shirt and throws it at the camera — and breaks the lens doing it.

The eye-popping video was co-directed with Godfrey Tabarez and shot in Los Angeles earlier this month. Produced by the Underdogs and Fuego, it's the lead single off Fortune, out March 16. He performed the song last Sunday at the Grammy Awards.

What do you think of the "Turn Up the Music" video? Leave your comment below!

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Chris Brown Throws Masked Rave In 'Turn Up' Video

Published on February 17, 2012

“Closing Philippine embassies and consulates abroad is like abandoningFilipinos abroad,.” – Garry Martinez, Migrante International

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – A global alliance of overseas Filipino workers express alarm over plans of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to close 12 Philippine embassies and consulates abroad by the end of the year. Migrante International said OFWs are up in arms against the DFA’s plan and expressed their disappointment over the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.

In a statement, Migrante International chairman Garry Martinez said, “The DFA had announced plans to close down at least 12 Philippine embassies and consulates last year, during budget deliberations, as part of the Aquino administration’s so-called austerity measures. The plan is to complete the closures by the end of 2012. They, however, refused to disclose which embassies or consulates are in danger of closing down.”

Philippine embassies and consulates in Saipan, Romania, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Barcelona and Palau will be closed down this year, according to Martinez. Embassy in Palau will be closed by July this year, a news report said. Daniel Infante Tuaño, a Filipino migrant working in Barcelona, said the Philippine consulate there will be closed by the end of July. He said no official of the consulate consulted them about the closure.

“There was no consultation whatsoever, Ambassador Carlos Salinas visited the Filipino community in Barcelona and he regretfully announced that the Consulate has to be closed by the end of July. It is already final. The Filipino community in Barcelona mobilized and petitioned for the establishment of a full Consulate (here) but now they decided to close it down without even consulting us. They were just informing us because the decision has already been taken,” Tuaño said in an interview through e-mail.

Same thing goes to the Filipino community in Palau where, according to news reports, Filipinos were not consulted about the closure. The Filipino Community in Palau (TFCP) was quoted as saying “We were very surprised, worried and concerned because we do not understand the reasons. We cannot think how our government decided without even consulting us Filipinos in Palau.” About 5,000 Filipinos are currently working in Palau, said the report.

Abandon

“Closing Philippine embassies and consulates abroad is like abandoning Filipinos abroad,” said Matinez. In fact, he added, there are shortages of Philippine embassies and consulates around the world. Instead of adding offices the government is closing them down.

Overseas Filipinos are situated in at least 239 countries around the world, according to Migrante and there are only 66 Philippine embassies, 23 consulates and four diplomatic missions worldwide.

“Not only is it highly impractical but outright insensitive to the plight of our OFWs. We have a shortage of Philippine posts abroad as it is. It is unfortunate that the Aquino administration is assailing embassies and consulates, the very support system of our OFWs abroad, for its austerity measures and at the expense of welfare services for OFWs.”

“Spain is in economic crisis right now; some of our fellow countrymen also don’t have work; this is the worst time to abandon them,” said Tuaño. He added that closing the Philippine consulate might send a wrong signal to Filipinos. Their right to vote will also be affected, said Tuaño.

“They won’t encourage political participation through absentee voting with the closure. The first absentee voting held two years ago was a success here, it’s one of the posts in Europe with the highest voter turnouts. Noynoy won here, Drilon won here. If they close the consulate, and leave it to Madrid, people will rather not vote.”

Sen. Franklin Drilon reportedly supports the closure of Philippine embassies and consulates abroad to help the government to “save” more funds. Drilon said the government will be able to save P100 million ($2.3 million) to P150 million ($3.5 million) from the closure of 12 embassies and consulates. According to news article, Drilon ordered DFA to close some of embassies and consulates sooner.

This was countered by Martinez saying that to close down Philippine embassies and consulates just to save funds is irrational, said Martinez. He added that the 93 existing Philippine posts around the world only enjoy an average budget of P1.07 million ($25,476) to P1.6 million ($35,095) each.

“The bottom line is that they plan to close down posts that are already operating on very low funds. Compared to other agencies that enjoy immensely huge budgets that breed corruption and misuse of funds, they choose to cut down on embassies and consulates. Where is the sense in that?”

Migrante International opposed budget cuts in the 2011 national budget, especially on direct services for OFWs in concerned agencies including the DFA. According to the group, in the P1.8 trillion budget ($42.2 billion), direct services for OFWs in concerned government agencies only amounts to no more than P3.14 billion ($74 million) or only 0.17 percent of the total budget, or a per capita spending of P261.83 ($6.2).

Funds for direct services for OFWs in concerned agencies was slashed by approximately P792 million ($18.4 million), the group said.

“The closure of PH posts and embassies is one direct and concrete effect of budget cuts on OFW services,” Martinez said.

“Services to Filipinos will be greatly affected”

Closing down Philippine embassies and consulates will have direct effect on services to Filipinos working overseas, Martinez said.

In Barcelona, according to Tuaño, the consulate in Madrid will have to visit Filipinos all over Spain for at least once a month. “I don’t know how they can attend to OFWs all over Spain. There are also more than 20,000 people in Madrid and, of course, there are more cities in Spain. What kind of service can the Philippine government give to Filipinos all over Spain?”

Tuaño said Philippine consulate in Barcelona serves the provinces of Catalonia, Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona at Lleida and islands of Baleares, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera, as well as the country of Andorra, a small country between Spain and France.

“Many Filipinos here in Barcelona will be greatly affected when services of the consulate will be stopped,” Tuaño said. He said Filipinos are concentrated in Madrid and Barcelona. If the consulate in Barcelona will be closed, Filipinos there will have to travel for eight hours going to Madrid.

“Many of our fellow countrymen here work as domestic helpers or work in restaurants. Going to Madrid is costly for them. They will have to spend time and money to arrange their papers and passports.”

Tuaño also expressed concern for Filipino seafarers docking in Spain. There are two important ports in Barcelona and Tarragona where ships where Filipino seafarers work dock. “Some of them have urgent needs; does the Philippine government expect that they will go to Madrid when they need help?”

The global economic crisis that hit Europe and the rest of the world made life difficult also for Filipinos working overseas. Tuaño said the economic crisis has resulted to joblessness of Filipinos in Spain. “Some ask for food from social workers because life is very difficult here. Even Spainish nationals here leave their country to work abroad.” Tuaño has been in Barcelona for seven years and have two jobs to sustain him.

Meanwhile, Martinez cited countries where there are big concentrations of overseas Filipinos or numerous numbers of OFWs in distress but are lacking in Philippines posts.

In Tanzania, for example, where hundreds of Filipino seafarers are in jail for illegal fishing, there is no Philippine post. The closest embassy OFWs in distress could run to is the Philippine embassy in Kenya. The embassy in Kenya, on the other hand, covers 12 other African countries.

In Saudi Arabia where there is an estimated 1.8 million OFWs there are only two Philippine posts, an embassy in Riyadh and a consulate in Jeddah. Most of Migrante International’s cases of human and labor rights abuses, mysterious deaths, jailed OFWs and OFWs on death row are in Saudi. Posts in Saudi have also been reported “not accessible” to Filipinos in Saudi provinces. Hong Kong and Singapore, with more than 150,000 OFWs each, only have one embassy.

“The list goes on and on. The point is, we cannot afford to have less Philippine posts when more than 10 percent of our population is abroad,” Martinez said.

Filipinos overseas determined to fight for their rights

Filipinos overseas workers are up in arms against the closure of Philippine embassies and consulates.

According to Migrante, Filipino communities in Palau and Barcelona have already circulated petition letters, while overseas Filipinos elsewhere are gearing for protest actions. There are approximately 5,000 Filipinos in Palau, while Barcelona hosts a significant number of Filipinos , estimated at 30,000.

According to Tuaño, more than 20 Filipino organizations composed of various religious, civic and socio-cultural groups have expressed their dismay and disapproval over the government’s decision. Organizations such as Barcelona Exposure Club, Northern Star, Samahang Kabagis, Timpuyog ti-Ilocano, and Unified Bicolanos in Barcelona have taken their signature campaigns and lobbying initiatives to express their support for the retention of the Consulate.

Meanwhile, the Kapulungan ng mga Lider Pinoy sa Barcelona (KALIPI), a federation of Filipino associations in Barcelona, with the support of other organizations, has sent a letter of appeal to the Chairpersons of the House Committees on Overseas Workers Affairs and Foreign Affairs.

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OFWs protest against planned closure of Philippine embassies, consulates

Martin Smith, Director Marketing for Raleigh web developers Atlantic BT, sees Internet marketing time collapsing. Smith, a cancer survivor, hosts the first real time Meetup at the Atlantic BT Center in Raleigh on 2.21.12. Can Newsjacking and the real time web help cure cancer? Smith and a rapidly growing team of Internet marketers hope to prove the social web's power.

Raleigh, North Carolina (PRWEB) February 17, 2012

As an Internet Marketer Martin Smith, Director Marketing for Raleigh web developers Atlantic BT, sees time collapsing. A tweet’s productive life span is 2.8 hours according to a 2011 study by bitly’s science team. The team also discovered the “half-life” for Facebook shares (3.2 hours) and emails and/or IMs (3.4 hours). Time’s collapse is speeding up.

We create as much content every two days now as from the dawn of man until 2003 former Google CEO Eric Schmidt noted at a 2010 Techonomy conference. With so much noise and rugged competition the only clear air, the only “blue oceans”, may be happening right now this very moment.

“After hearing cancer and my name in the same sentence at 48 I decided time to make dreams real is NOW,” Martin shared. Martin left his position as Director of Ecommerce, hired a team and created a trans-America bicycle ride. Martin’s Ride To Cure Cancer raised more than $26,000 for cancer research, riding for sixty days before reaching LA.

Upon returning Smith found an Internet marketing world vastly changed. “I had to relearn things and discover how social media marketing and other trends are changing search engine marketing (SEM), brand advocacy and ecommerce conversions,” Smith explained. Smith attended a presentation by author David Meerman Scott (Real Time Marketing and PR) at Content Marketing World discovering a trend felt more than understood as a Director of Ecommerce – the power of the real time web.

Smith is hosting the first “Real Time Meetup”. Working with friends Jake Finkelstein and Devin Kelley from Method Savvy in Durham a rapid build and internet market team was formed on Sunday February 5th and a goal set – curate 10,000 pieces of content using #MartinsRide on or before the first Real Time Meetup on 2.21.12 to help cure cancer AND host a cool, exciting Meetup. Each use of #MartinsRide earns $.02 (Smith and Clearsketch a Triangle video producers are making donations up to the team's goal).

“There will be two audiences for our event on Tuesday night," Smith said. One audience will eat pizza at the Atlantic BT Center on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh on 2.21.12 starting at 6:15. Another "virtual" group will watch Real Time Meetup's live stream, contribute questions via Twitter using #MartinsRide and help NewsJack a cancer cure.

The "ready, fire, aim" team started work with “no time” quickly creating NewsJackingCuresCancer.Tumblr.com (where the live stream will be “hosted” or linked from). Can Martin, Jake and Devin and a growing group of real time supporters Newsjack a Cancer Cure? “Absolutely,” says a cancer survivor who rode a bicycle more than 3,000 miles from the Duke Cancer Institute to LA. "Absolutely," Smith concluded.

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Martin Smith
Atlantic Business Technologies
9193601224
Email Information

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Real Time Internet Marketing Meetup NewsJacks To Cure Cancer

15-02-2012 14:25 Christopher talks about the implementation of the American police state and the threat of self-censorship. http://www.greenewave.com twitter.com

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