I had trouble focusing on work, the day I learned that Danny Sullivan announced he was leaving Incisive Media and Search Engine Watch. Though I managed to buckle down, my thoughts have continued to wander in his direction all week. I was never sad for him. Rather, all I can seem to do is envy his courage.

Several times, I had confided to my friends, Diane Vigil and Bill Slawski, after forming Cre8asiteforums, that I wanted to leave it.

Diane, who moderated there for years, had the most uncanny way of always knowing when I needed a pep talk. Bill, my Co-Administrator, has listened to me intently in person, probing him with thoughts of wanting to move on and do things like “sell the forums” or “give it to somebody else”. Sometimes I’d vent in an email, or over the phone.

Bill does the same my husband does, which is to just quietly listen to me ramble and talk to myself, nod as if I’m saying something important, but they don’t say anything.

They must’ve read the part about women being from Venus.

Why would I have thought of leaving something so big, that grew so quickly into something reputable and useful? What could make me do such a thing?

Family. Work. The desire to do something new and different.

Danny’s news is not a surprise to his inner circle. Some of them knew this day was coming. In Danny’s heart, he knew too. It was just a matter of when. It was also, I think, a matter of getting up the energy to handle the questions that would follow. He would need to defend, or at least discuss publically, his decisions. He’s likely long been thinking about what he wants to do. As someone who loves to write and get that outflow, he’s probably got a stockpile of ideas in his head and chapters written and tucked in his brain waiting to pounce into the physical world.

It’s a wierd feeling when you are saying goodbye to one thing, and all the while, enthusiastically planning, dreaming and laying the foundation for a whole new path.

I finally stopped wishing I could walk away from Cre8asite. I’m not sure when the frustration ended for me. It think it has to do with the team there, and how we eventually learned to accept our limitations. We learned how to live together and how to incorporate forum responsbilities into our personal lives. However, part of me thinks I just don’t have the courage to walk away from it.

Which is why I’ve been admiring Danny Sullivan. It’s not just about what he built and how he did it so exceedingly well. It’s how he has the conviction to know what he needs to do next.

The shockwaves of this news are still settling in…as Danny Sullivan makes his announcement that he is Stepping Down From Search Engine Watch.

Come the end of the year, he will be leaving Search Engine Strategies as well. Hard to say how this will all play out, but suffice it to say that he’s earned many loyalties and where he goes, many will follow.

Discussion: Danny Sullivan Leaving SEW & SES

In his words: Leaving Search Engine Watch

Aside from SEW and SES, it’s far more likely I’ll be doing writing and conferences elsewhere. This might be for other companies, depending on what happens in the next few weeks. I’ve also entertained the notion of simply expanding my own consulting company and going it on my own with a new site and/or conferences. We’ll see.

Two discussions are taking place that, if taken together, illustrate the struggle to not only create something, such as a blog, product, website, etc., but to create it with “right thinking”.

The first topic is The Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging. The question is about discipline and integrity, if you read between the lines. How can a blogger prevent bringing on the wrath of someone they’ve written about or whose content they’ve tapped into? What makes a “good” blog? What are the actual rules of this game? How do I not screw this up?

The next topic gets into the heart of the matter. Will Discipline Rob Away Creativity?. Can you be inspired and express it within certain confines? Are we so bound to keyword performance that our content is just obnoxious?

As if this weren’t enough thinking for one day, my friend Diane Vigil raises issue with “nofollow” tags. She writes, in Not posting at nofollow blogs,

For some time I’ve had a personal policy about avoiding posting at blogs that use the nofollow tag.

I never liked the idea of nofollow because it’s used in conjunction with a practice we hold so dear - links. Nofollow basically says, “This link is worth doggie poop.” (”And, since I put it here, my site’s not worthy either.”) That’s not always true. I like to link because the page I’m linking to did something that impressed me. I’m thanking them.

So, did the discipline of nofollow take away creativity, and even spontaneity? Am I going to start ripping the nofollow code from my comments? (Um yes. Just as soon as I figure out how!)

Do we add this “don’t nofollow, do nofollow” to the long list of Do’s and Don’t’s for Blogging list?

Sorta makes you want to go back to reading books and black telephones, doesn’t it?

Sometimes one of my kids will venture into my home office, and they’ll see a site I’m testing for a company. Lately, I’ve taken advantage of their little intrusions by using them as test participants. Informally, of course.

There’s nothing like a first impression. The feedback from someone who has never seen your website before is nearly always priceless. This is so, even if they’re not your target market.

I love working on travel sites. Perhaps it’s because while working on them, I’m also dreaming of going to their place. A site I once did for somewhere in Spain was quite fun. I spent a lot of time viewing the villas…we never call anything a “villa” where I live. It just so, exotic. Like I need to run around naked, exotic.

Today, I’m working on a travel site for a town in the USA. My son appears at my shoulder, and seeing the homepage asks, “Is that a site you’re working on?”

I replied, “Yes.” Pause. Pounce on opportunity. “What do you think it’s about?”

He looks, and has a face that tells me he’s afraid I’ve suddenly become a school teacher and this is too terribly like a test.

“It’s about somewhere near a beach. Where is it, mom?”

He looks. He keeps looking. I wonder what’s got him so flustered. So I look. I’ve BEEN looking at this site, but I’ve been working on other areas of it and hadn’t gotten to the logic of the homepage UI yet. I realize, when he does, that there is no way to know where the site’s product is located.

It doesn’t say. How can this be?

A travel destination site, with no location on its homepage. Anywhere. You have to click a link to learn where the place is.

Who says usability testing isn’t important?

Who isn’t testing with curious 12 year olds? I’ll lend you mine. He loves to mow lawns too.

The conversation, Who REALLY cares about your site validating, reminds me of the “Why bother with usability?” ones that pop up every once in awhile.

The way I view it, is that every step we take towards presenting a user centered web site, with user centered web pages, is a step towards customer satiisfaction. Even if you’re not selling anything, you’re “selling” your worth as a site that merits a link, referral, social bookmark, visit, any bookmark, etc.

Validating code is another step in the web site development process. It goes along with learning CSS, PHP, SEO, accessible forms, and more. Sooner or later, you may find that your efforts matter to somebody.