I have a meeting to get to but wanted to share my latest article for Search Engine Land, called The Impact Of The Internet On Human Behavior.

Are we worn out with social media? Do we really suffer from Internet fatigue? I think the answers depend on several factors, such as your age, where you live, personality, income, work life and personal values. To be sure, Internet marketers are having a blast and can’t quite figure out what all the fuss is about. And yet, in private, some of them admit they’re indeed worn out.

I believe we’re learning to cope with the technologies we’re inventing and people still prefer simplicity.

On “PR Sculpting”, Shari Thurow wrote this,100% Organic You’d Be Wise To “NoFollow” This Dubious SEO Advice, back in March 2008.

If you want a site to have an effective information architecture for both end users and search engine spiders, then create a good information architecture. Search usability professionals have been doing this for years, creating web pages that rank and convert, and continuing to evolve their interfaces. Now I see SEO professionals moving back to a familiar strategy: building one thing for software spiders and another for site visitors. Honestly, I believe this dubious SEO advice is an accident waiting to happen.

HOT Topics at Cre8asiteforums:

Opinion: Media, Social Or Not, Does Not Cause Change
(Strong opinions)

Web Sites With Darker Colors (Educational discussion)

Cubical Action Figures: Explaining design concepts in an engaging way (Emotional web design)

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Search Usability and Social Networking Reads and Discussions

I’m not sure what sets me apart from the pack of SEO’s and Usability folks out there, other than my having been doing web site related work since 1995. One thing has never changed. I do a lot of “work” for fun.

And I barter.

When I was on a panel at a search engine marketing conference, I described helping someone’s site rank past a competitor. The problem was reputation management related and included a domain dispute. When asked by someone in the audience how much I would charge for this work, I had a reaction that my closest friends all noticed and brought to my attention later. I appeared to be miffed at the idea of charging for my help.

I answered the audience member with the truth. I bartered for a piece of artwork for my living room. The artist is someone I believe will be famous and his artwork will be collectors items someday. He’s also my nephew, Nathan DiStefano, but I didn’t mention that part.

Later on that night, a very famous search marketing CEO told me at dinner that I could have easily have charged $10,000 for what I did to help my “client”. I know Nate doesn’t really understand what I did. I emailed him some results from Bing the other day and he had emailed back, “Cool!” What’s a Bing?” Being an artist, I can never get him to understand I need new content to hold rank and interest. But I try. It’s good karma for me to help him.

Today I posted the announcement that the Red Sox and White Sox are the Pennridge Little League Minor League 2009 Champions. I’m not paid anything for my “job” as head webmaster for the town’s Little League web site. I took over the job from someone else.  I pay for my son to play just like all the other parents. He’s played there since he was in the minor league at age 9 and is now on the Senior League at age 15 1/2. He also plays on their Williamsport tournament team and Connie Mack baseball. Most coaches and the Board members are not paid. Umpires earn a small wage. But I feel that as one of the few in my small town that does web work, the least I can do is volunteer where I know I’m able and capable, and that’s their web site.

The “payback” is knowing the kids are so excited and the parents really appreciate having the web site available. The major fields are in the center of town. The minor and senior fields are outside town, and another senior field is inside town. In the spring and summer, everywhere I go are (mostly) boys proudly wearing their uniforms. It’s a big thing in my town to be a baseball player. If I were not participating in this, I’d be clueless about the magic going on.

I barter for two other web sites I built and maintain. Both owners are in the holistic healing arts field. The biggest “problem” with this arrangement is that they both complain I’m too busy to make time for them to do bodywork on me. I don’t have time to “be paid.”  One of them has me making phone appointments just so I stop long enough to clear my head and “just talk”.

I admit that I do work too much. Five years ago I angered a friend because she wanted to throw a birthday party for me at my house and make a big fuss, but I didn’t want anything done. I didn’t want a cake. I wasn’t feeling sociable. I was trying to make my business work and that took every cell of me. In time, she came to realize I need my space. I know she’s still hurt, but when we stand and shiver at football games together watching our sons playing, we both crack up and are united in our lack of knowledge of the game.

When I do “work” each day, a portion of it is unpaid. All the hours at Cre8asiteforums, for example, are volunteer for me and all the staff. To make that much of a commitment takes a certain kind of person.

I’ve never been able to put a price on passion. Is that what makes me different? Who knows? I do know that few of my peers just put up an announcement about a bunch of 9 and 10 year old boys winning a baseball championship.

I love my job.

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It’s Fun to Mix Barter, Volunteer and Paid Work

I like to keep things simple. I’ve found that when it comes to search engine marketing, usability, accessibility and user experience web design, the fear of doing something wrong can paralyze project momentum.

I was asked, What new technologies adversely affect usability today? I replied,

Any technique or technology that interferes with a user task is not recommended.

Simple, right?

Not so fast.

In a perfect world (and with any smart business), putting a business online requires thought and planning. Basic goals may be “Earn revenue”, or “Provide information on company”, or “Get sales leads” or “Register online” or “Enable the ability to [insert what that is]“. To accomplish these goals typically requires a long list of stuff and this is where the fun starts.

Generate revenue = sell ads = show big whopping ad on launch = user can’t see a danged thing, closes window and continues or freaks out and abandons the page altogether = accessibility issues = unsubscribe = dead end.

Generate revenue = put up a page of affiliate links to stuff you like = pray a reader stumbles along, spots a link and follows it = or more likely, the link is completely ignored because there was no incentive created to click = dead end.

Get sales leads = put up web form = ask invasive questions = abandonment

Get sales leads = put up web form = someone with special needs software can’t use it because it’s not coded for them = abandonment

What’s happening?

The “build it and they will come” line of thought never worked; not even in the mid-90’s when there was far less competition on the Internet. Site owners still don’t completely get what being online really means and when they do, they think good help is cheap.

There are still company CEO’s. like one of my old bosses, who believe “webmasters should be paid $5/hr”. For $25,000, I built and SEO’d 13 web sites. I left and built a business. He had to sell his company after laying off most everyone first.

For those who understand better what it truly means to conduct business on the Internet, panic sets in when they look for help. They may not understand what each area of expertise means, or the difference between an experienced, skilled person and one who is not. Some people have odd abilities; like I always had the ability to look at a project from a 360 degree perspective and project into the future what will likely come down the pike. I bring that to my work and consider it an added value, but since a client can’t measure it, they don’t consider it important.

Most site requirements never include search engines, social media marketing and accessibility. These are “maybe later” items, or in the case of SEO, the thought may be that basic organic SEO is all that’s necessary. However, there is a reason why keyword search research is performed. It’s tied to the user experience. It matters what people are typing into search engines and if there is no interest in the user experience of the searcher, then landing pages will miss their mark.

….Equals abandonment. Equals dead-end. Equals no word of mouth referrals.

The retail company, Target, frustrated one group of people who couldn’t purchase from their web site and the store was sued. Did they have a Requirements Document that included accessibility? Did they have anyone on their team in the role of CYA (cover your ass)?

There are signs that businesses are firing existing employees and re-hiring less experienced replacements at cheaper salaries. ((Known as “reshuffling the deck.) This is a bad move if the business conducts any customer relationship online. The recession is not going to recover when the expertise is let go and sent to the unemployment line. Laying off or firing anyone with years of knowledge of web development, performance engineering, QA testing, project management, search engine optimization and marketing, usability, user experience, accessibility and social networking is a truly dangerous business decision. There are very, very few of us who know how to do all these different things and more importantly, understand how they all play together on the same playground.

The simple approach can be healing and inspiring. Like I said, I love simple. It’s how I navigate the complicated, chaotic worlds of SEO and Usability. I like to start with a plan. I want to know what the site owner wants and then help them understand what they didn’t know they wanted because they had no idea it was possible or affordable.

The simple approach lays out everything before a stitch of code is laid down. There may be a requirement that says, “Don’t block content from view” and every ad placement, Flash header that takes up 3/4 of the page or navigation drop down menu must be validated for this metric. Tests are written to validate requirements, meaning every chunk of text that’s inside an image and not viewable by search engines will also fail.

The fun part is when the marketing department insists on the big dumb ad, but that’s another story.

For now, when things are feeling out of control regarding your online business, go back and start the story from the beginning, when you and your site were young and happy. Check your traffic, search and user data for clues on what’s not working to everyone’s satisfaction.

You don’t always need to redesign. Sometimes all you need is a written set of requirements, site guidelines and a way to validate your requirements are met. Don’t neglect user requirements. Don’t neglect search engine requirements. Don’t neglect special needs users. And if you don’t understand what all this means?

Hire those that do and by golly, treat them well.

Related:

Thought Leaders

The Secret Influence of Search Behavior

How Web Site Requirements Keep Your Project from Exploding

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Get Clear on Usability and SEO Requirements

For the fourth year in a row, I am on the judging panel for the famous 4th Annual Search Engine Marketing Scholarship Contest, sponsored by Andy Beal’s Marketing Pilgrim.

The grand prize is worth over $10,000! It includes free conference passes, books, software and services, including usability services provided by myself.

This highly esteemed contest serves to offer the opportunity for those in the search marketing industry to gain valued recognition by showcasing their skills, as per the contest rules. Each article receives vast exposure. Past contests have provided many well written educational articles on a variety of topics by participants.

For more information and to review contest rules, visit Andy Beal’s 4th Annual Search Engine Marketing Scholarship Contest

Economy blues? It's not too late to increase your web site conversions with Kim's affordable usability audits. Get the answers you need NOW!

Search Engine Marketers Strut Their Stuff in Annual SEM Scholarship Contest

When someone sets up a web site, blog or online business, meeting the Web for the first time can be perplexing. How do we go from face to face interaction to techno-keyboard, static image, wordsmith-dueling communicators?

Lately I’ve had a group of folks coming to me for web site rebirth help. Their old web sites have grown old, grumpy and forgotten. A few have chosen to add blogs, sign up for Facebook and try out Twitter. Each of them had the same question:

“What do I say”?

Between the line of that one line is the real question, which is, “How can I get noticed or making money REALLY fast?” Related to this are concerns for linking, popularity, how to get conversations going, where to find friends, where to find discussions on a topic, and how to look like they know what they’re doing, when they really don’t.

First off, don’t whine. If this is you, don’t be you. Unless your web site is about being miserable, in which case, have at it. Misery loves your company and I’m fine if you keep it all in your corner of the planet.

Next, let people see you. A video is great for showing site visitors what you look like. I know first hand how incredibly difficult this is to do, which is why I don’t use Skype or have a web cam. My best suggestion, unless you’re convinced you’re perfectly perfect and the world can’t possibly exist without seeing your face, is to get completely smackered first and blame the slurred words on your computer equipment or their bandwidth.

Add quotes to your blog, Twitter or social networking sites you belong to. This offers an idea on where your head is at. If you only quote from movies, this is a nice clue about you. God love ya for having so much time on your hands.

Twitter is this finicky little thing that will drive you crazy and you’ll scream for more. Or, you will feel completely overwhelmed because everyone is talking so much and you can’t possibly get in a word edgewise. Or, you tried to get in a word and everyone ignored you, which really feels blechy. You can Twitter your latest blog posts, but leave a teaser too. Even movies have trailers created to try and get you to go to see it. Same thing with Twitter links. Include the love scene or part where the cell phone turns into a gigantic transformer. Grab attention.  Get them at the “AH COOL!” moment.

Ask questions on Twitter and your blog. Be sure to respond to those who answer, even if it is just one person. If you treat that one person with respect, they will remember you. Suggest on your blog, Twitter homepage or social networking site that you’re happy to meet folks. Make is easy to find and contact you. An authentic blog is one where the person writing in it is accessible via email, phone or address and NOT a contact form as the only possible way of making contact. Forms are not friendly. They are a task. Making new friends and web contacts should never feel like a task.

What do you talk about? Begin with what you know really, really well. If you’re going to fake it, you’re only robbing yourself of real experiences. Link to books, products and sites that backup your niche in a positive way. Describe why you linked to these sites, especially if the links are affiliate links. Links don’t sell themselves. They’re powerless little things until put them into the right delivery mechanism, such as persuasive call to action button or expertly crafted landing page.

And finally, if you are anti-social in real life, chances are good you may find yourself singing in your own web site bathroom as well. I was just telling someone today on the phone, to be patient. Be consistent. Always be dependable. Write when you have something to say and if what you have to say is not that great, fine.

You are growing and learning.
We will wait.

Economy blues? It's not too late to increase your web site conversions with Kim's affordable usability audits. Get the answers you need NOW!

With Social Networking, Above All, Be You