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Pittsburgh: Come to an Affogato TweetUp

This is something of a personal post and an invitation for everyone in the Pittsburgh area to come along and have a good time and wonderful people and great coffee (and more).
Affogato is one of the area’s best kept little secrets. Located on Lincoln avenue in Bellevue, Affogato is a great, artsy, friendly, inexpensive little coffee shop.
The owner, Victoria (a friend and my Cadbury Chocolate supplier)  is looking for new business and decorating ideas to keep the business running.  She’s reaching out to the local Twitter and Social Media Community for ideas and hosting a TweetUp.

It’s businesses like Affogato that any town, large or small needs to keep it alive. Yes, there’s a time and a place for chains and franchises but small businesses like this, they’re special.
Where else can you find a whole lunch for (truly) less than $5, free Wifi, and such friendly personal service. Every time I go in there I get my ‘usual’ – it’s a Vietnamese something – the point is that the staff there know what it is and that I don’t have to remember to ask for it!
Stop by, check it out. See what Victoria has to say below:

Come by Wednesday evening to hang out at your favorite Pittsburgh coffee shop. Affogato’s in trouble, and we need you to help! Just coming out and buying a coffee will help, or brainstorm with Victoria about ways to redecorate and promote the biz. Of course, you’re also welcome to just show up and say hi too.
We’ll have plenty of panini options, some homemade soup, a variety of baked goods, and of course all our delicious espresso drinks, coffee, loose tea and unique sodas.
We’ll be playing the Pens game on the radio, and you are welcome to BYOB (or wine or liquor or whatever you like).

Wednesday March 24th 6.30pm – 8.30pm

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“Where’s Waldo?” comes to the iPhone

The world renowned geeky guy in the glasses, bobble hat, and red and white striped shirt has made his first appearance with his friends on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

“Where’s Waldo?” (or “Where’s Wally?” as it’s known in the UK) is a top selling app in the iTunes Store and quite rightly so!

Based on the award winning illustrated books by the British Illustrator Martin Handford, the idea behind the game is that you find Waldo (Wally) and his friends – Wilma, Odlaw, Wizard Whitebeard and more throughout many different images.

You’re given items to find in the right side panel as you drag and pan around the image.

Each image is incredibly detailed, different aspects are animated (making it more difficult). Tap on the item to tell the game that you found it and move on to the next item or image.

Levels are timed and your friend Woof is there to help find items if you can’t spot them (limited help).

As you’re searching for the different items you’re helped a little as the game narrows down the search area a little.
I found that the most difficult part of each level is at the beginning when you have to search the whole image for Waldo, Wilma and the Wizard.

There’s a story to the game too with the characters giving introductions and instruction for each level.

For only a buck it’s a great game and a wonderful way to kill time. Well worth a download.

Search the Apple App store for “Where’s Waldo?”

SEO Link Building Basics

You are probably aware that link building for SEO is very important. The proper SEO techniques is as important as well. I want to talk about link reputation and link popularity. When we think of links getting fired to your website, there are two factors that we need to take into account, link reputation and link popularity. Link popularity has to do with how many links, or how strong the links are. It’s important to have high link popularity. The other thing that is important is reputation. We can have lots of links pointing to the website, but unless they’re pointing to the website with the right word, they’re not going to be that important.

What is a reputation you ask? Reputation is what people say about you. What the links are saying about you is the link reputation, whereas link popularity has to do with how many links we’re getting. It’s important to have good link popularity and good link reputation.

Let’s take a look at ways on how to get inbound links. We’ll start with what I consider to be the best and easiest way. First there are articles. Articles are fantastic because there are articles directories across the internet and there are websites that collect people’s articles, almost like a repository of articles where people will go and submit articles. For submitting the article, you get to put something in what is known as the resource box. At the bottom of all articles there is a resource box, and usually it is something that points back to the author.

You can direct your articles back to your website. You might go off to an article directory, and one of the best ones is EzineArticles.com. You publish your article and the resource box you link back to your website. You would make sure you have your keyword in the resource box and link it through and also you might have the url. It varies depending on the site. Some sites will let you have more links in there, and other sites will let you have fewer links there.

Writing articles are the best thing to do. You can get articles written- there are article services out there. You can go to rentacoder, you can go to needanarticle. You can get articles written for you, keyword optimised already and then you can publish them. An important point is that it is better to have these articles keyword optimised, and here’s why. First, you might be able to get that article to rank itself off the back of ezine articles. You might get it to come up in the search engine and rank for the keyword you are optimizing for. That’s why it’s important to have it optimized.

Another reason builds on the idea of link reputation. A link that comes from a page, if that page is on topic, is important. Let’s say we had two articles, one on dog’s health and one on the best wine. The link about wine is coming from a page about wine, so it is more important. But the real reason is, if you optimize you might get ranked in the search engine and you also might come up higher on the article directory itself. The article directory has its own search features. This can be a key feature of your link building for search engine optimization strategy.

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Copywriting Tips: Quality KEYWORDs

When it comes to online promoting, copywiting is what converts traffic into profit. What this suggests is, though S.E.O means generating traffic to your web site, it’s the copy that turns traffic into future shoppers. The site www.podcastinterviews.com has a lot of information about this.

Now, when doing some copywriting, though having the right keywords to optimize your net site is correct, frequently it just isn’t really enough. Keywords are good, but to have express mind-set keywords is better. Have no idea what this means? Let me explain.

When an individual searches for something, he customarily searches using long tail keyphrases, using express words that match what they are thinking. As an example, theyare thinking whether or not to get a beach ball that doesn’t need increasing. Now, when they try a search, they’d type in “beach ball, no inflate” or something similar to that. With that, they are going to get particular hits and therefore they’d be in a position to find what they are hunting for straight away.

What does this mean? It suggests that though the words employed in the search is particular, frequently sites with just the keyword “beach” or “ball” will be included. And this makes the searcher search thru more, and in all chance, be more irritated. Now, when doing some copy, instead of just use keywords, try to use phrases or longtail keyphrases that match the particular tone of your internet site. Why is this? So when a searcher stumbles on your internet site, theyare going to be pleased to find that yours matches their thought totally. And this is good.

So always remember, though keywords are critical, occasionally not being made to be so accurate and clinical can do great things. Use your common sense to understand what your target audiences need and need. And think how they think. Of course, if theyare certain that you know what they desire, how do they resist? Learn more by listening in on the Michel Fortin interview.

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Design: Make a site background image full window

I was playing around with some design stuff recently and thought I’d record this moreso for my own reference than anything but feel free to use it

 

In web site design, you have a cater to different browser sizes, different window sizes and different computer screen resolutions. Fixed dimensions aren’t always the best answer.

There’s a little piece of CSS code you can use to define a background image and make it full window width no matter how large or small the browser window is.

See below:

body {
background: url(background image URL here) no-repeat;
background-size:100%
}

I’ve found that this code works best for me. Do you know of a better one? what works for you in your designs?

Buying into Apple’s Unseen and Unknown iPad

How often do you buy a product before you or anyone you know have seen it?

Normally, when you buy something you see it on a shelf, you get to manhandle it, play with it, test it, drive it, heck at grocery stores they even let you taste food before you commit to buying it.

There have been nearly 200,000 people who have preordered the Apple iPad, they haven’t placed their hands on it, they haven’t seen it in ‘person’, it’s unlikely that someone they know has recommended one to them because there isn’t one to recommend. In fact, there are those who suggest not buying one until you know what it does do.

At Apple’s keynote unveiling of the iPad there were what, 400 people? Most of these people got to try out the iPad there and then. 400 people out of 200,000 isn’t a lot at all.

Even now, there are previously unknown features coming to light and still a lot of questions yet to be answered.

But still, hundreds of thousands of people have spent between $500 and $900 or more on a product that hasn’t yet hit the market.

So, why? are we all crazy?

I’ve heard it said that Apple isn’t selling so much a product, they’re selling more of an experience. This is true – when you turn on an Apple computer, you know what it’s going to do. When you pick up an iPod or iPhone you’ll know how to use it.
When you pick up an iPad, the idea is that you’ll know what to expect and how to use it. Anything that the iPad does that isn’t… iPod-ish but iPad-ish will be nothing more than a pleasant surprise, a bonus.

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To Learn The SEO Basics

Learning the SEO basics can at first be a daunting task. You’d have to know the terms, how search engines work, how to optimize, then you’ll be faced by the bigger words like on page optimization or keyword research. I admit, facing those terms you’d be more than daunted by the seemingly complex art of SEO.

But before you close the book on your SEO journey because of your fear, let me tell you right now that it just sounds like it’s complicated, but it’s actually one of the easiest things to learn. But don’t let that factoid fool you, for though it is easy to learn, it sometimes takes a lifetime to master.

Many SEO experts continue researching and learning about it to keep up to date to all the changes in the field. Since search engine optimization is deeply rooted in technology, so too does the changes that go with it. We all know that technology changes at a fast pace. Computers grow smaller, search engines grow smarter and more complex, and what may work perfectly five years ago, may not work at all, or worse, may even cause more harm than good.

If you are a little familiar with the history of SEO, which you might learn once you get to research more about it, you will know how during the infancy of the Internet, some SEO techniques involve just typing the keyword over and over. Now, if you are old enough to remember it, these sites may seem strange to you, but as you grow more knowledgeable, you will understand what it all means. Now, if you used those techniques today, not only won’t it work, but it may even lessen your chances to be ranked since search engines may block it as spam.

So for those who wish to learn SEO be sure to make your basic foundation solid, because once things get to be more complex, you will learn that the simplest way may turn out to be the best way.

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Tackle digital housecleaning this spring

(ARA) – The warmer months are always a great time to do a little spring cleaning, but don’t ignore the digital gadgets and gizmos you have laying around the house. It’s probably been months since you organized your computer files, or double-checked the batteries in your emergency devices to make sure everything is ready to go when you need it.

So get organized this spring, and make sure you add all your digital devices to the list. Here are some tips for tackling a digital spring cleaning:

* Start with your computer, because you might be surprised at how much faster it processes information when it’s organized. De-clutter your e-mail inbox by sorting e-mails into folders or deleting messages you don’t need any longer. You might discover communications you forgot to respond to, or work that you put on your “later” list that really needs to get done immediately. Also, run a defragmenting software program for the hard drive and remove any unwanted items from your desktop so you can find everything quickly and easily.
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Hot HDTV trends for 2010

(ARA) – As we enter the second decade of the millennium, screen technology, Internet connectivity and 3D capability are transforming the experience of watching television, experts say.  

A new study from Opinion Research Corporation found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. households now have a high-definition television (HDTV), and another 12 percent are looking to purchase one in the next two years. If the market plays out like this research suggests, by the year 2013 approximately three out of four American households will have upgraded to a flat-screen HDTV.

At this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show, HDTV manufacturers showed off the latest and greatest in flat-screen technology and offered a sneak peek of what’s ahead for HD in 2010. According to Gary Arlen, noted industry analyst, anyone currently in the market for a flat screen HDTV should consider these emerging trends:

Thin, thinner, thinnest

Ultra-slim units are all the rage, with HDTV manufacturers showing sets that are less than an inch thick. “While the difference may seem small, the impact to a room’s decor is monumental,” Arlen says. Ultra-thin flat screens, like LG’s LEX8 LED HDTV, which as the world’s slimmest full LED HDTV, measures only 7.1 mm in depth, can go virtually anywhere in the home. “In addition to their ultra-thin design, these LED models offer the latest technology with more high-tech upgrades and are often more energy efficient than older models,” Arlen notes.
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Is your site a ‘source’ or a ‘resource’?

I had an interesting conversation recently about a local newspaper and why it should have a web site.

The argument was that the average reader age of this publication is possibly just a little less than 200 years old. No reader is going to stop using the paper and get online and look at the site instead.
Of course, I argued that the current readership doesn’t have to drop their newspaper and take up reading online. This is what prompted this post

The first thing I ask my clients is, “why do you want a web site?”. This is a question that either prompts a puzzled, perplexed or thoughtful look or a knee-jerk answer.
Sometimes I hear “because the boss said so” or “because PR said so” or even “because we don’t have one”.

I often either don’t get an answer or am told “everything!” when I ask “what do you want it to do?”.

Your site can be either of two things. It can be a source or a resource…. or something of both.

Your site is a source:

Readers come directly to your site for information, they type your address in their address bar and read what you have to say.
eg. I use IMDB a whole lot – I go to the IMDB.com site and search for movies, actors, etc. etc. for me, IMDB.com is a resource.

Definitively you’d call this Direct Traffic.

Your site is a resource:

If you were to fire up Google and search for ‘Tattoo Text’ or ‘Facebook badges’ TechBurgh would be one of the first sites in the search results.
I created TechBurgh.com as a resource. Mostly for me but you’re welcome to use it too. I needed somewhere to keep my information and handy links. It’s a resource and is accessed by internal or external searching. More than 65% of all traffic to TechBurgh is from search engines, proving my point (and that I know a little about SEO )

This is called search engine referral traffic.

You’re both?

Wikipedia is a great example of how sites can be both sources and resources. If you use a search engine to look for pretty much anything, Wikipedia will have an entry in the top few search results.
There is a lot of direct traffic to Wikipedia too. Users type in the Wikipedia address and use the site as a reference.

 

Which do you need to be? Well, it’s a good idea to have in mind whether you want to be a source or a resource. It’s something of a objective.
In the case of the newspaper it has pretty much been decided already. Yes, the current readership isn’t going to solely access the site alone to get their news, however there are many, many people all over the World who will search for something online that will happen to have been written about in the newspaper and will show up in a search result or will be linked to from another site.
There would be such a mass of information from a business such as a newspaper that it would be such a shame not to post it online and make this resource available to the global population.

Try not to think just of your target audience whether it is online or offline. Think instead of the broader picture. Think or your potential audience.

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