Making Time for Conferences

Finding the time to attend a conference is difficult. Then there is the "Is it worth my time" factor. I think that largely depends on the conference but is more determined by the individual.

Are you the type of person who learns by seeing or by doing? Sometimes a conference will allow for both those people to have a great experience. However, if you are more of a trial by fire person it may be better to monitor twitter and grab the nuggets that other people find interesting.

So how do you find those nuggets from these conferences? Here are my suggestions:

1. Follow the conference hashtag. They developed it for a reason, use it.
2. Follow people in the industry. These can be the head honchos or just the people you know that are going.
3. Don't try to get it all in one sitting. Many people and many different sessions will more than likely be going at once. Divide your time appropriately. Find the sessions you will be interested in and look for that info, then go back and find the nuggets that escaped your first round.

Attending conferences can be both engaging, invigorating and informative but it isn't always available or doesn't fit every personality. Choose wisely but continue your education/knowledge through networking.

SMX Advanced - June 11-12, 2013

I will be headed to SMX Advanced this June. Would love to meet up with any people interested in networking or "talking shop".

As always you can follow me on Twitter.

Look forward to interacting with any fellow Search Marketers.

What are people looking for, based SEO

I am opening this one up to my audience. 

What steps do you take to find out what you should be optimizing your site for? 

Often, our internal speak is not that of our clients. When you are entrenched in your product or site you often have to work very hard to separate yourself from what you know to what your customer knows. 

What are your solutions?

Google Suggestions | 5Ws and an H | 12-10

A weekly look at Google suggestions for common question words - 12/10/12

Below is a fun look at what Google is currently suggesting when you enter in a common question word. We will attempt to modify this list on weekly to bi-weekly basis to create an educational element to this. Once we have a few of these under our belt we will begin looking at the changes that happen from post to post. Is it cultural references that change frequently or what are the consistent recommendations that stand the test of time. 

Let me know if you have any other suggestions. Enjoy!

(looking only at the default 4 suggestions).

Google Suggest - "Who"

Google Suggest - "What"

Google Suggest - "When"

Google Suggest - "Where"

Google Suggest - "Why"

Google Suggest - "How"

Google 5 W's and an H | 11-27-12

A weekly look at Google suggestions for common question words - 11/27/12

Below is a fun look at what Google is currently suggesting when you enter in a common question word. We will attempt to modify this list on weekly to bi-weekly basis to create an educational element to this. Once we have a few of these under our belt we will begin looking at the changes that happen from post to post. Is it cultural references that change frequently or what are the consistent recommendations that stand the test of time. 

Let me know if you have any other suggestions. Enjoy!

(looking only at the default 4 suggestions).

Google Suggest - "Who"

Google Suggest - "What"

Google Suggest - "When"

Google Suggest - "Where"

Google Suggest - "Why"

Google Suggest - "How"

Who What When Where Why & How of Search Engine Results - November 15, 2012

A weekly look at Google suggestions for common question words

Below is a fun look at what Google is currently suggesting when you enter in a common question word. We will attempt to modify this list on weekly basis to create an educational element to this. During this pull we notice pop culture items appear in the suggestions (looking only at the default 4 suggestions).

Let me know if you have any other suggestions. Enjoy!

Google Suggest - "Who"

Google Suggest - "What"

 Google Suggest - "When"

  Google Suggest - "Where"

  Google Suggest - "Why"

 Google Suggest - "How"

The Week Conflict Resolution

We all have those times in our lives where we just don’t see eye to eye with someone in our life; coworkers, significant others, kids, etc. Some of these issues leave you so frustrated that you can’t possibly see a resolution.

During one of these bouts myself I started thinking of how I can make this better. It is something that I have always tried to do in my life. It is taking the “walk a mile in a person’s shoes” to a different level. Here is the gem:

Be that person for a week.

It is easy to dismiss a person’s opinion thinking like them for only an instance. By putting yourself into that person’s life for a week, you get a perspective beyond what is currently the issue. Our decisions and thoughts are all based on what we have been exposed to and what shapes our daily lives.

The issue that you may be dealing with currently comes with a certain amount of other baggage and perspective that leads to a person’s position on that conflict. If you are able to step outside not only your thoughts but further into your opponent’s history you may be able to find a resolution faster and more amicable to both of you.

In addition, knowing how the other person thinks and the history behind their perspective can allow you to find a loophole that can make your argument for you.

Now I am not a professional and this is just an idea and I have found that this works for many of the few true conflicts that I have run into in my life. I always leave those situations feeling that I have accomplished what I wanted to and what the person on the other side wanted to accomplish. When both finds that middle ground the solution is so much sweeter.