Danny Sullivan's "Search Engine Land" is always a great source of info on the dark continent of search engine optimization. They've just released an infographic that covers both factors that are under the control of site owners and those more nebulous elements as "authority," and "reputation." It's … [Read more...] about Search Engine Land’s “Periodic Table of SEO Ranking Factors”
Your Digital Content Has A Life of Its Own
In one of the digital media courses I teach, I find that my old media students often balk at one of the axioms of digital content: by publishing something you are essentially releasing it into the wild. Digital content doesn't sit still -- it travels, interacts with other content and competes for … [Read more...] about Your Digital Content Has A Life of Its Own
Krugman on Politicians’ Three Kinds of Wrong: Disagreements, Mistakes and Lies
Trying to parse political rhetoric is always a challenge, but the Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman would like us to at least make the distinction between disagreements, errors and lies. Not quite "Liars, Damn Liars, and Statistics," but still an interesting … [Read more...] about Krugman on Politicians’ Three Kinds of Wrong: Disagreements, Mistakes and Lies
21 Key Traits of Best-Selling Fiction That Work For Web Content
A Twitter friend posted a link to an article on Writers Digest about best-selling fiction. It is surprising -- or on second thought, not surprising -- how many of the qualities of good fiction are also the qualities of good web content. Writer's Digest excerpted the list from "The Writer's Little … [Read more...] about 21 Key Traits of Best-Selling Fiction That Work For Web Content
Using Search Tools for Headlines and Key Terms
Google Trends is handy for suggesting key search phrases that can be incorporated into titles and body copy. Adwords can give even more detail. What headline should we give to our "Summer Reading" roundup? Based on the Google Trends chart above we should include the key phrase … [Read more...] about Using Search Tools for Headlines and Key Terms
Buzzfeed’s No-Fail Secret to Creating Viral Content
Slate's excellent Farhad Manjoo has written a very funny (because it's true) piece on how to create content that will instantly go viral. He did his research by studying the most viral posts on Buzzfeed.com and attempting to puzzle out the secret of their virality. It turns out that the Buzzfeed's … [Read more...] about Buzzfeed’s No-Fail Secret to Creating Viral Content
Listening to Users: “Go Away Pig, What Do You Know About Bacon?”
In an essay entitled "The Age of Criticism," Randall Jarrell said that most critics' attitudes toward living poets was, "Go away, pig! What do you know about bacon?" When you plan new projects, launch new products or market your site, how much do you listen to your users? … [Read more...] about Listening to Users: “Go Away Pig, What Do You Know About Bacon?”
WSJ Drama Critic Terry Teachout’s 15 Commandments of Reviewing
Prolific writer Terry Teachout is a teacher, biographer, memoirist, librettist and blogger, but he is best-known as the Wall Street Journal's drama critic. In his blog, About Last Night, he posted a list of rules that he used to hand out to his students. Here are his 15 Commandments for … [Read more...] about WSJ Drama Critic Terry Teachout’s 15 Commandments of Reviewing