I really haven’t made my new position “too terribly public.” So lets just get that out of the way now. I started working at Manta as a Search Analyst in July. Lets just say this job is nothing short of fantastic. Manta’s site gets more traffic than the Washington Post! And we’re creeping up on The New York Times. It’s not often that you get to work SEO magic on a site of this caliber with as many pages as Manta.

I am learning A LOT and really enjoying myself here. And to all my friends, let me know if you’re ever in the Columbus area. I’d love to get coffee or a beer with you. And I’m buying.

As a result of me taking this position, I will also be moving out of Kent and down to Ohio’s capital, Columbus.

Overall, I am very happy to be moving to a new city to start a new job. The next month or so I will be busy, so I will apologize ahead of time as the updates to this site may get a little scarce. I’m going underground for a while.

Google’s Marissa Mayer also did a follow-up piece to all this ridiculous talk about the need for “search neutrality” and government regulation.

I cannot help but give my own thoughts on this. This is far too important of an issue to sit back and let other people who do not understand how Google works make comments on how things “should be.” Danny Sullivan understands the issue. Marissa Mayer understands the issue as well and yes, I understand she may be biased as well because she works for Google and most certainly has her own money tied up in Google’s stock.

People Trust Google
Google is the most used search engine because people trust it. Google is not the most used search engine because they are so powerful that they own the Internet. For anyone to say that Google is somehow limiting peoples access to the Internet is plain stupid. One can go to any website they want to. They may have trouble finding it without using Google or another search engine for that matter, but you are still free to go anywhere you want and use any search engine you want. Google does not control where you can and can’t go. Google does, however have a lot of where you can and can’t go from its own properties. You do not have to start your browsing experience on Google. You can start it anywhere. You can start on Yahoo! or Bing. Here in the United States, we have the freedom to go to nearly any website we want without any interference. That is why it is important the United States continues to control the Internets backbone and naming system (ICANN). In China, you are not free to go where you want on the Internet. They censor what you can and can’t see. That is simply NOT the case in the U.S.

The people that have proposed solutions to how Google should rank websites should take their own suggestions and create their own search engine. If you have such a good idea on how websites should be ranked, by all means try. Quit giving suggestions to how things should be ranked by Google if you have absolutely no idea on HOW they are ranked by Google.

Google is number one because people have come to trust its results. For most searchers (at least the intelligent ones), if they can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll start over and try another set of terms to search. They think they are the ones in the wrong and almost never fault Google. If you can’t find something in Google, chances are you are searching for the wrong thing or it doesn’t exist. Chances are it is you who isn’t searching for the right thing. Not the latter.

Government Regulation of Google Search Results Spells Disaster
I surely hope the government never steps in and starts regulating the Internet or Google for that matter. The Internet is such an amazing form of speech that is only as great as it is because it isn’t regulated. The Internet is in a constant flux of change. It is truly remarkable that Google is able to find what you’re looking for every time you look for something. It is truly remarkable that they have been able to improve the Internet as much as they have. The Internet would not be as great of a place it is today without Google’s contribution. Prior to Google’s arrival on the scene, it was hard to find relevant results. It was so hard that back when Google was first launched, I had to use a site named Dogpile that aggregated results from all the search engines.

The government has far more important things to worry about than how Google ranks things. Liberals and conservatives can agree politicians can’t get anything right. For anyone to think they should have any say in how Google’s ranking algorithm works, well, that is plain silly.

I hope to have the in depth guide finished up before the end of next week. Until then, enjoy your holiday weekend.

First part of a long series:

What is SEO?

Those of you who know me personally are aware of my close ties with the Elyria Police Department. My father has served the city of Elyria for the past 30 years. And it doesn’t just stop there. My father is a cop every waking moment of the day. Everywhere he goes, both in and outside the city of Elyria, my father is a police officer serving citizens whose local governments don’t pay him any compensation. Every where my father goes he carries his badge and gun. He’s there to protect the people from evil and stand watch over everyone around him. These facts often go unnoticed and understandably so.

A lot of people don’t realize how far one’s dedication to their job can go. Yes, its true that police officers put there lives on the line every day at work. But it goes much further than this for those who accept their role as protectors of the peace. Like my father, many officers carry their guns and badges when off duty. Many police officers go on about their business paying close attention to the things happening all around them. Many of them travel with their family on vacation across state lines and choose to be on guard even when their out of their jurisdiction and off the clock. If a serious event would happen around them while off duty, whether it be an armed robbery or worse, a gunman shooting up a mall, an off duty cop wouldn’t think twice about intervening if they could help the situation. And this help extends to them putting their life on the line to protect the civilian population around them. It would be easy to write this dedication off as a way to protect their own families, but this is simply not the case.

My father is not just a police officer when the uniform is on. I can’t count the number of times I have seen my father offer his help and assistance when not in uniform. This is not an exaggeration from a proud son. I can safely say that even when not on duty, my father would put his life on the line to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

I too, have had my fair share of run-ins with the law. I can honestly say I have little respect for the police officers in the city in which I live: Kent, Ohio. It has been my experience that the police officers around college towns treat college ages kids with little respect and dignity. But I fully understand that they would put their lives on the line if things got bad. I know that they would do whatever necessary to help me in a time of need.

Officer James Kerstetter was a true hero. He, as do other police officers, chose a profession in which they can do a lot to help people and at the same time, risk losing everything. He was an amazing police officer and I since his watch ended, I have not heard a single bad thing said about him. I remember Officer James Kerstetter as a happy person. Every time I saw him he would have a huge smile on his face. He was the type of person who you could just be around and it would make you feel better. He had a huge heart and one simply cannot refute he was a positive force in the community. Police officers like James Kerstetter help the community in ways that go unseen. The police officers in Elyria are one of the few things that stand in the way of the city becoming a mess. Without the police officers in Elyria, it would be a total hell.

So next time you see a police officer, wave to them. Know that they would literally do anything to help you if you ever needed it. There are a few bad ones out there and I know that we’ve all probably ran into a few of those. But do not let the actions of a few define the way you think about them all. Next time you’re out, think of the off duty cop who could be in the grocery store with you. Think about how they would sacrifice their life and time with their family to do good. Think about how much they have on the line and how little respect they get. Think about how they might not get to see their daughter graduate high school and college. Think about how much they do to make our world a better place. Think about how the world would be if they hadn’t given their oath to the people. Thank them for who they are and what they do.

Rest in peace Officer James Kerstetter. E.O.W. March 15, 2010. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. You touched many lives and made the city a better place. Thank you for your time on the earth. Thank you for everything. You are missed.

Lucky for me I found a dream job. But that is beside the point. I’d like to share a few tips that might increase your chances at landing a job or if you already have one, find a better one.

Facebook Privacy Settings
First and foremost, make sure your privacy settings are tweaked on Facebook. If you’re like me (or anyone who has attended College), there are bound to be plenty of pictures you are tagged in that you wouldn’t want a potential employer seeing. The image below is how I have my own privacy settings on Facebook. These settings should be good to keep your profile and its information locked down to outsiders:

My Own Facebook Privacy Settings

After your privacy settings are tweaked on Facebook, get all your other social media profiles locked down as well.

Twitter and Tweets – Build a brand for yourself
Next, if you are on Twitter you should probably look to make your tweets private (they refer to it as “Protected”). I’d also probably recommend you change your avatar to something else so a potential employer doesn’t make out the resemblance.

This next step is for everyone. Create a “public” Twitter profile using your REAL NAME. This is important because you WANT people to find this when and if they search for your name in Google. Twitter usually has an easy time appearing at the top of search results in Google so if you use your real name, people will find this. The next steps are important. The whole point of setting up this public Twitter profile is to become engaged in whatever industry you are trying to find a job in. Find other people, companies, or organizations that relate to your industry. Make it a point to retweet others links to articles, stories, etc related to your field. Even find your own links and post them. Make it a point to tweet about how you’re trying to find work in this industry. This public Twitter profile might help you find work through someone you follow or someone who follows you, but the real reason why this is important is because it will make you appear to be engaged in your field. Heck, it might actually make you engaged in your field.

LinkedIn
I would also recommend you get yourself listed on LinkedIn. Find all the companies you worked for in the past and connect with them. Find all your friends and colleagues. Search for industry groups and associations. After you’ve found them all, make it a point to ask for recommendations from those who you personally know and who you’ve done business with. The more you get, the better.

Resume & Cover Letter
Another important thing to take into consideration is your resume. Send your resume to friends and family and have them look it over. If you’re lucky, a friend or family member will give you good recommendations that help to will better your resume. After you’ve sent your resume to be peer reviewed, make it a point to send a different resume for each and every position you are applying for. Don’t assume your one resume will work for every job opening and position. If you have a reference that would suit a particular job opening better than another, change it up. Everyone thinks the only thing that needs to be custom on a resume is the cover letter. Do yourself a favor and make a custom resume for every job you’re applying for.

Finding Jobs in Ohio
If you live in the great state of Ohio, check out OhioMeansJobs.Gov. This site aggregates data from many different sources (Monster, Career Builder, etc. just to name a few). Do yourself a favor and check out their tips page too. Using the search feature of the site with some “custom” queries can help you narrow your search or expand it if you’re having trouble. Make sure you check that site on a daily basis and be sure to try different searches. Don’t just search for “marketing” or something generic every time.

Final Advice
One final word of advice — make sure you don’t get too comfortable if you already have a crappy job. Just because the media is still buzzing about how crappy the economy is doesn’t mean there aren’t job openings. I had a decent job before I found the dream job I have now. Keep looking and keep your hopes up.

Next week, I will have a guest blogger. Darrin Grella has over ten years of recruiting and marketing experience as a top performer in the recruiting industry both as a third party as well as an in-house senior executive recruiter. He placed me in my current job, has placed senior executives, interactive marketing, engineers and technical professionals within the B2B, consumer products and retail industries. Next weeks topic will be on preparing for the interview and the interview.

Ms. Margo Amigoni got the inspiration after we watched an episode of the “Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!”

I included the aforementioned clip for your pleasure, as well as the painting I am speaking of after the break.

And finally, without further ado, the actual painting that Margo Amigoni painted:

Margo Amigoni's Painting

While on the topic of doctors, I have a rant:

I HATE going to the doctors because no matter what doctor you visit, they overbook appointments. I had an appointment scheduled for 2:30pm earlier this afternoon and I didn’t see the doctor until 3:15 which brings me to the point: all doctors offices are terrible with time. I don’t understand why this industry gets away with this. If anyone else you did business with showed up late on a consistent basis, you would refuse to do business with them. Why do they get away with this crap? It’s not like they don’t know what time it is because they ALL wear nice watches.

I guess I just miss it. I’m going to see how often I can update this site and how fresh I can keep it. We’ll see how this goes.