Costas Recursos’ Blog

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”
- Confucius

Last night I was able to catch some few scenes from the show Probe. They featured the late cardinal Sin and how he decided to go against the Church he’s serving and fought against the dictatorship.

A number of points were raised (It really pains me for not being able to watch the entire episode) by Fr. James Reuter but the most significant if not the most heartbreaking, he said “The church is not as united as before.”

It is an eye opener but perhaps It should be viewed in another position altogether. As I see it there is a massive decline in the number of “practicing Catholics” now as compared before. One has to say the times have changed, ergo the way Filipinos think also changes.

As I’ve said before in my previous commentaries it is just plain sinful and unjust to give parallels to EDSA 1, 2, and 3 because they are of different timelines and requires a different kind of analysis mapped out in the context of their struggles as peoples.

To say that we are reliving our past is merely trading an insult to the dead of history. The struggles of Bonifacio, Rizal, Recto, and Ninoy must be understood according to what their time has to offer them.

Renato Constantino Sr. in his books “The Continuing Past” & “A Past Revisited” designed the abstract of outlining history according to the economy also the struggles the masses undertook in their time in creating a more holistic approach to understanding the revolution and development of the Filipino nation.

The more accurate analysis would be Constantino approached each particular period in history as an independent and self-sustaining holistic experience in the paradigms each generation encounters.

The experience of the Catholic Church and the parallels the late Cardinal Sin has to offer to the current dilemma of the clergy is only as good as the experience offered to the Filipino people.

Some points to consider in understanding the “Dis-unity” of the Catholic Church are as follows.

A. The rise in number and influence of other church groups inside their ranks.

B. The rise in number and influence of other religious groups.

C. The lost of credibility of the Catholic Church after a number of un-addressed Priest related scandals rocked the clergy.

D. The massive shift of a number of Catholic Schools towards liberalism.

While it is true that majority of Filipinos are Catholic it is still important that they create ties with other religions that has yet to offer more than their skills and prayers.

Perhaps it is not because the Catholic Church is not united that makes it harder to call for another People Power. Perhaps because the Catholic Church hasn’t invited other churches to deliberate on the issues at hand or if they did they never gave them a chance to share their sacrifices with them.

The Catholic Church is ready for a bitter realization these coming days, that their influence is dwindling given their seemingly fence sitter stand on issues of morality in the government and their failure to pass judgment even when the state holds their opinion dear.

Second that they need to police their ranks, require loyalty and reform their churches. And lastly that their head should give a direct well ironed statement not a diplomatic toned, fence sitting kind of announcement.

Sometimes it takes more than prayers to achieve discernment, and perhaps the revolution is not going to happen with the Filipino People, but with the clergy.

(note: the quote from Confucious is  inspired by MLQ3′ article)

Sometimes when you’re looking for really good keywords you have to ask some very basic questions:

(The list are as follows but you can also think creatively on what you can add.)

Who - are looking for your site.
What - do they need from your site.
Where - where will they find your products/site.
Why - why they need your products/site.
How - will they benefit from your site.

Seems easy, but really, it’s something you’d like to ponder on before venturing online.

Then the next problem arises you’re looking for a good keyword software or a keyword provider but all of them are not that cheap so being the freebie believer in you, you decided to look for some free e-book online then you can’t find anything (if you’re really unlucky).

So you go back to those paid ones (Wordtracker) and then found out, that one is actually giving away a free e-book that is created by some keyword gurus.

Bryan Eisenberg - Convert more traffic using Wordtracker.
B. L. Ochman - Understand your customers’ real motivations.
Kevin Lee - Combine thousands of phrases for an effective PPC campaign.
Stephen Mahaney - Use Wordtracker to find the size of the market.
Ken McGaffin - Discover the most important sites in your marketplace.
John Alexander - Find inspiration in Wordtracker’s Top 1,000 Words report.
Neil Davidson - Learn how an ad agency uses keyword research to position a client.
Robin Good - Use Wordtracker to identify niche opportunities.
Nick Usborne - Incorporate keywords into your content and copy.

Thing is when you read it, it talks about how to effectively use Wordtracker (uhmm seems weird isn’t it? because you can’t afford to buy Wordtracker.)

But then you read it and say to yourself “What the heck I’ll just read it, its still free anyway”.

Then as you read you began to realize “This shouldn’t be free! This is priceless!”

Yes ladies and gentlemen it is free and its been around for a long time but not everyone gets to appreciate the beauty of it.

So to let you know that Brown Hat SEO is guiding you to the right path here’s the download link.

Enjoy!

(By the way if you like the post please link to me, thanks a bunch! ^_^)

Yesterday Barry blogged about Google testing a search box for site search within general search results. Today the feature is being fully rolled out for selected queries. It’s really an extension and elaboration of Google Sitelinks. The Google Blog explains:

[O]ver the past few days we have been testing, and today we have fully rolled out, a search box that appears within some of the search results themselves. This feature will now occur when we detect a high probability that a user wants more refined search results within a specific site. Like the rest of our snippets, the sites that display the site search box are chosen algorithmically based on metrics that measure how useful the search box is to users.

Click to continue reading…

Much is being written and said these days about the rising future of online video advertising. Recent articles like one in the NY Times reporting Google’s move to test video ads in search results pages shows that the once abstract promise of online video advertising is now upon us.

But what are the repercussions for small businesses from online video advertising, and how will it impact their presence in search results?

Click to continue reading…

For the past few months, I have been listening to some of my colleagues talk about the nofollow attribute and how to use it to sculpt a page’s PageRank. I heard this SEO advice first at SMX in Stockholm and most recently at SMX in Santa Clara. Stephan Spencer wrote about it in a recent Search Engine Land article, Sculpting Your PageRank for Maximum SEO Impact.

My reaction? My jaw hit the floor. In a nutshell, if you want a site to have an effective information architecture for both end users and search engine spiders, then create a good information architecture. Search usability professionals have been doing this for years, creating web pages that rank and convert, and continuing to evolve their interfaces. Now I see SEO professionals moving back to a familiar strategy: building one thing for software spiders and another for site visitors. Honestly, I believe this dubious SEO advice is an accident waiting to happen.

Click to continue reading…

Yahoo Maps has announced a range of improvements. These include expanded global coverage, including better data and coverage of Eastern Europe; and, in the US, more “granular” neighborhood data for 300 cities and 12,000 neighborhoods. Functionality has been improved as well. Tiles are “lighter” for faster load times, colors and styles have been adjusted and there are several other visual improvements.

Click to continue reading…

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on
Search Engine Land and from other
places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

• 
  Yahoo Maps Adds More Data, Other Improvements
  Yahoo Maps has announced a range of improvements. These include expanded global coverage, including better data and coverage of Eastern Europe; and, in the US, more “granular” neighborhood data for 300 cities and 12,000 neighborhoods. Functionality has been improved as well. Tiles are “lighter” for faster load times, colors and…
• 
  You’d Be Wise To “NoFollow” This Dubious SEO Advice
  For the past few months, I have been listening to some of my colleagues talk about the nofollow attribute and how to use it to sculpt a page’s PageRank. I heard this SEO advice first at SMX in Stockholm and most recently at SMX in Santa Clara. Stephan Spencer…
• 
  Online Video Advertising + Search Engines = Opportunity For Small Businesses
  Much is being written and said these days about the rising future of online video advertising. Recent articles like one in the NY Times reporting Google’s move to test video ads in search results pages shows that the once abstract promise of online video advertising is now upon us….
• 
  Google Debuts “Search Within A Site” Search Box Feature
  Yesterday Barry blogged about Google testing a search box for site search within general search results. Today the feature is being fully rolled out for selected queries. It’s really an extension and elaboration of Google Sitelinks. The Google Blog explains: [O]ver the past few days we have been testing, and…
• 
  Oops! Google’s SSL Certificate Throwing Out Scary Warnings
  Everyone is noticing that when they go to their Google Account through AdWords, AdSense, Analytics, or any Google page that requires SSL, they are being prompted with a security warning. Typically, not a major deal, right? Well, not if you are trying to get customers to buy on your site….

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google Calendar Sync, Official Google Blog
• Introducing the Google Contacts Data API, Google Code Blog
• 3. 2. 1. Contact. The API has landed, Official Google Data APIs Blog
• One more step, Official Google Reader Blog

Business Issues

• Ask.com And Ye Shall Receive, Forbes
• Enterprise Search Firm Coveo Raises $2.5M to Expand Growth , Coveo
• Federated Media Weighing Its Options, TechCrunch
• Gates No Longer World’s Richest Man, Forbes
• Google will have 90% search market share in the US one year from now, Calacanis
• Who Can Stop Google From Gaining 90% Market Share, Gray Wolf
• YouTube rival hires ex-Google executive Kate Burns, The Guardian
• Zuckerberg on Facebook’s Future, BusinessWeek

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Put Your Business on Our Maps, Official Google Enterprise Blog

Link Building

• SEO Link Building: Budget Stretcher for Online Retail and E-Commerce Sites, Search Engine Watch
• Why linkbait is a long term strategy, BlogStorm

Microhoo

• Microsoft to value Yahoo deal based on all cash?, News.com
• Yahoo Gets Upper Hand in M’soft Fight, New York Post

Paid Search & Contextual

• AdWords system maintenance on March 8th, Inside AdWords
• Diagnosing and treating revenue fluctuations (Part I), Inside AdSense
• AdSense-friendly privacy policy sample for AdSense publishers to use, JenSense
• Google Confirms Page Load Time As Future Factor in AdWords Quality Score, Search Engine Roundtable
• Jangl Turns On Audio Ads, TechCrunch
• March 2008 Google AdWords “Slap”: Minimum Bids Surge, Search Engine Roundtable
• Which AdSense Rectangle Ad Performs Best?, ProBlogger

Searching

• Google Hacking Database Tool Updated, InformationWeek
• Yahoo Adds MySpace Button to Toolbar : Sign of Yahoo-NewsCorp Partnership?, Search Engine Journal
• Ask.com Remains Committed to Search, Search Engine Watch
• Google Down for Many in Germany, Google Blogoscoped
• Hackers find clever new way to hose Google users, Channel Register
• Metasearch engine SortFix offers new take on search results, Pandia
• Submit Your Website at the hakia Club, Hakia Blog

SEM Industry

• SMX West 2008: Rand Fishkin WebProNews Videos, WebProNews
• Tis the Conference Season, Search Engine Guide
• Checking my older predictions, Matt Cutts
• Conference Controversy: Paying Speakers & Sponsor Paid Sessions, Search Engine Roundtable
• Reviews and Ratings for SEM Companies, Marketing Pilgrim
• SMX West 2008: Chris Smith WebProNews Videos, WebProNews

SEO & SEM

• Using Differentiators in Keyphrases: What Every Search Engine Optimization Company Needs to Know, Search Engine Guide
• 7 Types of Advertising To Drive Sales, Scott Fish
• A CEO’s Perspective On SEO, SEM, SMM, PPC, and ROI, Utah Search Engine Optimization
• Google subdomain & 302 spam, Joost DeValk
• SEO Analytics - Tracking Data Essential to Search Marketing Campaigns, SEOmoz

Social Media

• Allegations swirl around Wikipedia’s Wales, San Francisco Chronicle
• Microsoft Blews : A Blogrunner or a Memeorandum or a Sphere ?, Use Bytes
• The Stumble Upon Commandments, OldSchool SEO
• Video: Twitter in Plain English, Common Craft

Video, Music & Image Search

• Sharing photos with a cause, Yodel Anecdotal
• Excuse Me, WatZatSong? It’s a Song Search Engine, Alt Search Engines
• Musicians still waiting on a YouTube payday, News.com
• Nielsen: YouTube Views Down, NewTeeVee

Recent Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• Reputation Management and Reputation Monitoring Tips
• Saddle up to Sausage & Eggs Each Day & BITCH @ Google
• SEO Resistant Search
• You’d Be Wise To “No Follow” This Dubious SEO Advice
• SEOmoz launches SEO Analytics - Web Metrics Tracking
• SES NYC: Give us Your Questions For Jason Calacanis
• How to Create a Dynamic Blogroll in 5 Minutes
• Danny Sullivan Tackles Search 3.0 and 4.0 in SMX West Keynote
• Everything I know about Social Media I saw in a British Pub
• I Call Them Gonzo SEO’s for a Reason
• Obit: A West Coast Digerati Deadpools Ask.com
• There is more to Social Media than Sexy Buzzwords
• Build Authority by Using Social Media
• CEO’s perspective of SEO…
• Rand Fishkin and Mike McDonald Should Watch Their Language
• 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing
• Why Are You Giving Away Content for Free?
• StumbleUpon Alerter
• Top 10 SEO Myths
• Social Bookmark Links that are Worth Building and Pass PageRank
• Practicing What We Preach: A Social Media Marketing Lesson
• Digg Stalker - A Great Tool to Analyze Digg and Find Friends
• Is Writing Magnetic Headlines Art Or Science?
• Negative Voting: I Am Ann Smarty and I’m a Thumboholic
• Does Sphinn Allow Infomercials?

Registration is now open for Search Marketing Expo - SMX Advanced, which is taking place June 3-4 back at the incredible Bell Harbor International Conference Center on the waterfront in Seattle.

SMX Advanced is for experienced search marketers who want to enjoy sessions conducted at a high-level. If you’re fluent in SEM, come to Advanced and converse with others who speak your native language. Last year’s edition was a smash hit; read what participants said about it here. Keep reading to learn about the special SMX Advanced rate.

Click to continue reading…

At the recent SMX show in Santa Clara I had the opportunity to present at a couple of sessions that explored the topic of user behavior. One of the things I said in one of them is that humans are more alike than we’re different. Because of this, there are some behaviors that a determined by hardwired traits. I call these Human Hardware issues. I’ve touched on some of these in past columns, but I’d like to dive a little deeper in this series.

Click to continue reading…

Google has confirmed that they will be adding page load time as a quality score metric in the near future. The feature will go live in the “next few weeks” but it won’t impact your quality score right away. A month after the metric goes live, Google will then implement the grade into the overall quality score. I still have a few questions pending answers from Google on this topic and hope to postscript this post when I get the answers.

Google also enhanced the site exclusion feature in AdWords by breaking out a way to also exclude by category. The Inside AdWords blog announced the new feature allows advertisers to “exclude certain categories of webpages from your content network campaigns in addition to excluding individual sites.”

Click to continue reading…