DygiScape

I write this from the Hilton Honors free wireless access in my Sheraton hotel in Edison, NJ. I came up here on December 22nd and endured the exciting experience of the New Jersey Turnpike. I dislike how the state doesn’t give you enough signage to alert you of your exit. If you take a wrong exit or didn’t veer across four lanes in 200FT, then you are absolutely screwed. I made it to the hotel, but couldn’t be without Sarah and myself being absolutely frustrated at traffic. However, that has subsided.

My next taste of NJ comes in the form of burglary. My 2007 Ford Taurus was broken into via the driver’s door and then they entered the trunk to steal my gifts for other people. That was the point where it couldn’t get much worse - I mean all my gifts that I worked hard to get for my family, gone. It’s a pain that you hate and makes you want to find the thief and beat the living shit out of. As usual, based on prior experience I strongly doubt they will be caught and it’s just another open case to remain unsolved. Thank you, you inconsiderate soulless creep. The only decent perspective I can see is that this reiterates what Christmas is all about - love and being together with family.

At our aunt’s house, she truly made an effort to be as hospitable as she could. Everyone was nice and it was cool to see my cousins grow into their niches. Kids are boring but they aren’t kids anymore. Who knew my cousin is into World of Warcraft? Anyhow that’s just plain 1337, and my other cousin talks in emoticon or abbreviated speak such as, “LOL,” “OMG.” I can say so far, drinking with them was one of the best moments. I still look forward to even better times this week.

Now, I will be locating my girlfriend’s cell phone as it is MIA. We have had terrible luck lately but perhaps things will get better. I just need to keep my head up.

Personal Personal, Rants

I love dynamic growing communities like Digg and Netscape. Digg I most certainly prefer since it has a grassroots following. Anyhow, Kevin Rose updated the site of Digg again. From his own PR Blog:

Interface Design, Digg Goes Widescreen
We’ve gone from a fixed width layout to a flexible one allowing you to make use of your screen real-estate on larger monitors. Navigation has also been moved to the top allowing you to quickly switch between sections.

Top 10 Stories/Videos
Digg stories move fast, so we’ve created a quick view of the top 10 hottest on Digg, updated in real time. This list changes as other stories accelerate in Diggs - so make sure to check it often. Think of this as your quick pulse of what’s hot in any given section.

Videos Enhancements
Aside from giving Videos their own position in the top navigation, we have added a couple cool features: Top 10 hottest videos, and on-Digg video previews. Simply click any video with a play icon to get lightbox window in which you can preview and Digg the video.

Podcasting
Now you can Digg your favorite podcast series and individual podcast episodes. Not only can you see a list of the most popular podcasts by section, you can also dive into any individual podcasts to see the most Dugg individual episodes. And don’t forget - every time you Digg a podcast or podcast episode that is bookmarked in your profile and shared with your friends.

Profile Enhancements
Now quickly jump between your Dugg News, Videos, or Podcasts. With three separate sections we make it easy to sort through your own Diggs or the Diggs from your friends using the friends tab.

I just might get into Digging. I dunno. I like Netscape, but there is not a real community there. The best part is that, ideally, users can participate on both communities equally and get the site in question double as much traffic - which is always a better thing.

If the Internet is a Series of Tubes, certainly, social bookmarking websites are the water pumps that keep the web moving.

[tags]Internet, Digg, Netscape, Social Bookmarking[/tags]

Geeky, Tech News Digg, social news, Updates, Usability

With the end of the year being one of the Internet’s strongest shopping seasons, it goes without saying that one should shop secure.

Holiday Shopping Tips

• Research
  It is always a very good idea to research an item so you know exactly what you are getting. An easy way of doing in-depth research is to use Google and enter the item’s model number to see if there are reviews available. From there, you can make up your mind if that item is the best gift for your friends.
  
• Compare
  Now that you know what you want, compare the prices. My favorite price comparison tool is PriceGrabber. Also keep in mind, some merchants have specials for last-minute shoppers and give a discounted shipping rate.
  
• Check Yo’ Self
  When you find a place online to purchase something, it is always a good idea to check your security on your browser. The easiest way is to look at the bottom of your web browser for a gold padlock. That means the site is secure and is checked against security registries like Verisign, Thawte, and others. If you don’t see a lock, it may not be the most secure web site and I recommend looking elsewhere.
  
• Print and Confirm
  After you make your purchase online; you are encouraged to print your order confirmation. Doing this is very important, especially if any questions or concerns come up; you have a copy of exactly what was ordered, how much, and have reference to their tracking systems. This has saved me hours of time and frustration!
  
• Relax
  Understand that last-minute shoppers need to act quickly yet make sensible decisions online. That can sometimes leave you stressed in the process. Embrace the fun of it – you are getting gifts in mere minutes, rather than spending hours finding parking spaces.

Geeky internet, Lists, Security, Tips, web

Briefly, I would like to share a few tips that I’ve learned that render quality search engine success. If you want, share your tips and a link back.

1. Network. You need to network around within your niche and link to each other and you will gain organic traffic from them; in addition to higher PageRank.
2. Content. You will never be successful if you don’t have content that serves web audiences. No content = no way for SE’s to rank with. You need fuel for the fire. If you can have user-generated content - the better.
3. Know Your Audience. Rather, target your audience accordingly. Instead of targeting “Watches” - go for a specific goal that surfers might be looking for “Gold Rolex Watches”. Get in touch and react to your audience so you can grow with it. This includes targeting with META tags, and having a duality in terms of comprehensive content.
4. Accessibility. Complying to web standards is a goal but not a “rule.” You want to do your best to make your page to be accessible for any browser, connection, or device (such as a PDA). XHTML is a standard that browsers are adapting to and you can always validate your page and find what needs to be done by checking out the W3C Validator.

What tips have your proven to be successful?

[tags]Web, Search Engine Optimization, Success, Internet, Keywords, Traffic, Money[/tags]

Geeky internet, Lists, seo, Tips

I picked out a new theme for my blog, do you like it? Also I am writing this in Windows Live Writer.

w00t!

Blogging, Geeky, Tech News Blog, Personal

I will be answering questions based on my Search Engine referring queries. Get ready for some fun

Funny, Geeky internet, seo

Google’s been good to us lately, they gave us the best search, email, spreadsheets, news aggregator; but they closed down Google Answers. I don’t understand why, as it was quite successful and it helps to find your own question that you just typed in the web search, being answered on Google answers. I’ll be honest, Google Answers wasn’t the best looking Q-and-A apparatus, but a little CSS here and there and it would be leading the pack of online Q-n-A services (Mainly, Yahoo and MSN are competitors).

We hope Google will re-incarnate a similar service!

[tags]Google, Answers, Google Answers, Web 2.0, Internet, FAQ[/tags]

Geeky Engagement, Google, News, social media, Social Networking

Ted Leonsis (Vice Chairman, AOL), is hosting his own search engine optimization (SEO) contest. Essentially, just a contest to see who can get the highest result on the search term “Ted Leonsis” on Google.

I’m going to give $500 to whomever has the highest ranking Google SERP for [ted leonsis] at midnight Central Time on Christmas Eve (on whatever datacenter Google is serving me results from at that time). I call this SEO Contest, “It’s a Very Ted Leonsis Christmas” and I encourage Ted to join in the fracas.

I guess there are only two rules in play here. The first is that if either myself or Graywolf wins, we will donate the money to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Anyone else can take the cash if they win. The second rule is you must link back to this page so I know who is eligible to win the loot.

I just noticed that Ted Leonsis AOL Corporate profile is gone. That was quick, not even a friendly 404 redirect either (to the new location of Ted Leonsis profile.) A text copy of his profile:

Ted Leonsis

Vice Chairman, AOL LLC

Ted Leonsis, Vice Chairman of AOL LLC, serves as a strategist and visionary for AOL, focusing on the transformation of AOL into a company that is driving some of the most exciting Web 2.0 technologies. He also oversees a unit focused on how AOL interacts with consumers and protects their privacy.

Leonsis is a pioneer of the Internet and new media, a sports team owner, and an innovator in the world of philanthropy.

He has been with AOL for 13 years and is credited with positioning AOL as a major media company and inventing the successful channel programming model.

As head of AOL’s core service, Ted became known as AOL’s “champion of the member,” delivering a world-class experience for AOL’s members. He led efforts to develop cutting-edge products and programming across the company’s dial-up, broadband, wireless, and voice services.

Prior to joining AOL, Leonsis founded and was CEO of Redgate Communications Corp., considered the first new-media marketing company, participated in launches of the Apple Macintosh, the IBM PC and Wang office automation, and founded four computing magazines.

As majority owner of National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals, Leonsis has employed state-of-the-art consumer and interactive initiatives to dramatically boost the Capitals’ attendance and revenue. He is a minority shareholder in the National Basketball Association’s Washington Wizards with future purchase rights to the team and to Verizon Center in Washington. In addition, Leonsis’ investor group owns and operates the Washington Mystics, a franchise of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Leonsis is a former mayor of Orchid, Florida, and sits on the boards of Georgetown University and several charities, where he has used the interactive medium to encourage greater volunteerism and involvement. Recently, he received an Andrew Heiskell Community Service Award from Time Warner, AOL’s parent company. Leonsis was named one of the 25 most powerful people in sports by Sporting News and businessman of the year by Washington Business Journal.

I think its a fun geeky way to end off the year and Ted’s retirement - I’d do it too. So far all I see in the googledance that johnon.com moved to #9.
[tags]Ted Leonsis, Leonsis, Ted, AOL, Geeky, SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Google, Contest, Holidays[/tags]

Bragging Rights, Geeky internet, seo

I like what Ford is doing a lot. They are interacting with their consumers. I came across an intriguing advertisement online about their “Bold Moves” campaign and I clicked it, and watched the video. Candid video of some execs in a board room that admits their failures and is looking to turn the company around.

My favorite section on their site is the “Ford Responds”. They take questions sent in, and someone representing Ford responds back - publicly, honestly, and actually good responses in my view. They don’t censor their questions thereby allowing anyone to submit negative or positively-biased questions. I think that’s awesome, and definitely takes guts for a huge company to do.

Take a look yourself.

[tags]Ford, Corporate, Cars, Automotive, Autos, Internet, Blogging, Customer, Feedback[/tags]

Geeky Blogging, internet, online advertising, PR

Over the past couple weeks since I moved out here to Virginia, things have been fun, challenging, and even inspiring. I’ll hopefully not JUST talk about work this time around. First and foremost my temporary housing is definitely satisfactory for my needs. Oh yeah! Traffic jams up where I am at what we’d expect, rush hour.

Side note: Virginia drivers are: Rude, Aggressive, Angry, and excessive speeders

This Thanksgiving, I went to my Uncle’s brother’s house and had a good time. It was a nice surprise to see my Aunt, Uncle, and two cousins drive down from NJ. The topics one should never discuss at a Thanksgiving dinner was brought up - Politics. I sat idly and observed the statements made - I’m glad we accepted our political differences out that I was a little more “progressive” than others (realistically, I’m a mild conservative). Oh yeah I forgot my camera at their house, but I’ll meet up with my Uncle’s brother at work sometime and I will be happy to take pictures and upload the ones I have.

Black Friday was quite successful for me. Although I wasn’t able to get one of my targeted items; I however did manage to pick up a few things. It’s amazing the business/profit aspect individuals seem to have. I checked Craigslist today and saw nearly one Black Friday special being sold for MSRP. I hope they get 419′d. It should be a rule that if you are waiting in line for Black Friday, you are not to resell the items. It’s not fair. Those are people’s gifts, and they choose to just list them on Craigslist and gouge the buyers.

Finally, I made a bad, regrettable decision. I purchased a 2004 Acura TL. No, the car is not bad at all, I fell in love with it instantly. THAT was my problem. I bought it. Money is tight this year because of it. I’ll see what me and the dealer can work out so I am not SO much in the hole. If you have $28K and want to buy a beautiful car in the Northern Virginia area- let me know!

Work lately has been wearing down on me. I am noticing myself being more productive with my daily duties and customer inquiries are resolved with a blazing 10 minute turnaround time and I like seeing the “Thank You” replies in the mailbox. I still feel uncomfortable since well my group is doing a lot of change and yet I am still not feeling 100% capable of doing things singlehandedly. So this is where my instincts come into play, and I must innovate and make things work for me (or atleast my team). My boss must be very agile as she hasn’t yelled at me yet, even though I think there could have been a few times or so for her to (lol). I feel for my mentor on the team (where I am effectively taking over some of his tasks), as I ask a lot of questions, sometimes redundant. My logic is there is no stupid questions, and never assume. I think his patience is there cause once I do the tasks right, he can move on to bigger and better things. (ahh, that felt good to get out)
The bottom line is, I’m stressed out and my body is telling me to cool it. It can’t even fight off the common cold. I never get pwnd as much as I am now over a silly cold. Bah, whatever. I just gotta relax, and take things in stride.

UPDATE 12/2/2006: I talked with my dealer about what options I had if I didn’t wish to keep the car, and beyond going to a Repo, I exchanged it for a more moderate of a car - 2007 Ford Taurus (06 - really). Cheaper payment, better gas mileage. Thanks Mike @ Farrish Automotive!

Personal Automotive, northern va, Personal, virginia