links for 2008-01-06

Andrew Olmsted, who also posted here as G’Kar, was killed yesterday in Iraq. Andy gave me a post to publish in the event of his death; the last revisions to it were made in July.

Hybrid alternative to web-based vs. desktop. You can get the best of both worlds by setting up a web-based Personal Nerve Center (PNC) and making it ubiquitous and redundant so it’s available from anywhere, even offline.

There’s been an uproar in the blogosphere and elsewhere this week over who – by default – can see your Google Reader Shared Items (a new feature). The short answer is anyone you have chatted with over Google Talk.

This week, Rand discusses what it takes to make viral content and linkbait hit home with users in order to gain links to boost your rankings, rather than just landing on the front pages of social media sites.

I like to sort my feeds by importance and categories. First I put things into category based folders like SEO, Travel, Disney, Celeb News etc. Next I set up special folders for high priority stuff like ego tracking, client tracking, client feeds ETC.

The Advanced WordPress Help Sheet: Michael has put together another PDF Help sheet for WordPress, this time with advanced tips and tricks to use various WordPress functions within your theme.

There is a myth circulating among PR professionals that measurement is hard and expensive. The truth is that measurement can be both or neither

74% of people use search engines to find info when purchasing a product or service from a local business. Yet millions of businesses don’t have websites. Those that do, don’t often do search marketing because they lack the time, knowledge, resources.

Today we’d like to clarify a relatively common misconception, especially among newer advertisers: that the AdWords system will automatically match keywords to the most appropriate ad within ad groups that have multiple ad variations.

It’s all about adopting the right mind-set. When you’re working on new marketing materials, take a step back and assume the role of a skeptical customer.

What we’re doing on the search results page is not persuading. We’re confirming. We’re validating. In some cases, we’re introducing. But we’re not persuading.

From a strategic and tactical standpoint, it is important to note that natural optimization is not a one-time fix, and should rather be regarded as an ongoing process

Healthy list of Firefox extensions from Michaal Gray.

f you are a big fan of Google Docs, this is a good feature and would bring more users into the Google Docs fold. Now, its time to stop using those other presentation/slide widgets which loads in up in ages when embedded in your blog or website.

There’s a time and place for creating a microsite, vs. building out your main web site. If your site is likely to gain more traction and interest with webmasters and bloggers by being at arm’s length from your main site, then by all means consider it.

As Jill Whalen wrote this on New Year’s day, she couldn’t help but reflect on how SEO has changed during the more than 12 years since she first started optimizing websites.

Don’t we already have several stealth search start-ups? Yep. Here’s a guide to who’s who.