Search Engine Optimization

Ok, I didn't want to throw around computer terms, but I am seriously considering a course of SEO basics (Search Engine Optimization). And no, this idea did not spring from the mind of my tech hub, it's all mine. I even managed to find the term SEO on my own. Thank you.

The reason that a gamma person such as me would even consider dabbling in scary beta things such as SEO courses is the stats page of my website, which I like to check every now and again. After all, who wants to write for nobody, right? Admittedly, I may not write about world shocking news items, but for some reason the Russians seem to think I have something desirable, so why not you? But don't worry, I can't see who you are, I just know you're there. No, don't go yet, stay a little longer...

My stats page has this fun option of reading how people find my site. And did you know that I am a big hit for people who are looking for answers on their cockroach dreams? Also, I am very wanted by people who poop butterflies. Then there is this small group of you - you know who you are - who find my website hoping to find answers to your 'bad at networking' issues. But alas. To those of you I say, I hear you! Let me know when you find a useful website. 

But most people who end up on my site want to know all about cats eating rats, rats eating cats, cats eating food, or something similar. I wonder if my 'cat eat rat' post actually answered any of their questions. Probably not...Now, in favor of my very person, I do have to mention that there actually are people who search on my name. They are probably the only ones who get what they were after. To those of you: congratulations. You found me.

But seriously, when you think about it, I might be on to something here. All kinds of totally unrelated people with unrelated issues (although I can imagine that people who poop butterflies must have problems in any socially related field) end up on my website. So maybe I should just throw around random terms that are hot. Britney Spears. You didn't see that one coming? Cat videos (I probably covered many of those searches already).  Justin Bieber. Scared you there, right? I'm probably all over the world wide web right now, except on searches related to terrorism. But I'll stay away from those, just in case the FBI and CIA are monitoring my website as well.

So, if you're reading this and care to tell me how you found my website, and more importantly, whether you actually found what you were looking for, you can always leave a message. But if you don't, I will still know you're there.

Feel free to leave now.

Social Networking: the good, the bad, and the ugly

I am on Facebook. And on Linkedin. On Orkut. Hyves. Schoolbank... and on a couple of other social networking sites that I don't even remember myself. And of course I have my personal blog, after all you are reading it. I'd like to say that I'm also on Twitter, but I am too old to understand the terminology on that. But I am digressing.

Except for my blog, I'm not really active on these sites. But I do like to follow my 'friends', 'colleagues', 'classmates', 'friends of friends' or even 'complete strangers'. Reading their posts gives me a sense of snooping in their lives, since they don't actually know I'm reading their posts. But I do have permission of course, nothing illegal there. Now, reading the posts of other people I can't help but wonder what the effects are of these networking sites. I'm not thinking about the obvious repercussions of time spent in a virtual world instead of a real world. I'm also not thinking about the new people you can meet, old people you can re-meet, the career advancing opportunities or the upgrade in your 'cool' factor when you reach 1000+ friends.

No, I'm thinking more in lines of the effect specific remarks can have on existing friendships with those you are writing about. We all know that the absence of face-to-face contact in the virtual world makes it easier for people to be direct (open, frank, honest or downright blunt and nasty). What happens when you write something about somebody, which is in turn read by many others, including the very person you wrote about? Does that affect your friendship? Does that affect the friendship you have with other social networkers that read your posts and think about the possibility of a(n) unwanted guest appearance on your wall? How do you react to these posts when you read them? You can't just 'like' it, right? Or do you just ignore the post?

If you expected to find an answer to these questions, I have to disappoint you. I didn't have time yet to find whether it has been researched, which I will be doing as soon as I can stop reading the posts on all the networking sites I'm connected to. And if I don't find an answer in existing research, I'm thinking about conducting my very own research. Will you participate? I will put up a 'like button' for you if you like. Making my very own social networking site as it were.