The old adage, “No news is good news,” is definitely true for the Dolan’s who purchased Newsday, the Long Island daily, for $650 million last October. Attempting to make the jump from a paid paper daily to a paid internet news source, the Dolan’s opted to make Newsday internet and membership accessible only. Possibly “ahead of the Times,” Newsday’s membership hasn’t exactly balanced the $4 million website overhaul. While a return on an investment is every investor’s dream…for the Dolan’s and Newsday, the $9,000 ROI is nothing short of a nightmare.
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A No Good Day for Newsday
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What Not to Share
Social networking is an amazing tool. With one click of a button you can inform you friends, colleagues, family members and random strangers that you are engaged, accepted to graduate school or en route to an amazing vacation. However, with one click of button you can also inform that same group that you are unexpectedly pregnant, inappropriately drunk, or recently fired. Finding a balance that is both appropriate and enjoyable is one few people have yet to master.
Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace all allow users to upload unlimited amounts of photos. Now, don’t get me wrong, your trip to the Bahamas does look inviting…however, 27 pictures of you and your on-again/off-again boyfriend making out on the beach is boring and gross. I am all for love but the absence of such pictures makes my heart grow fonder of our online relationship.
These social networking sites are not simply limited to people in the 15-30 range. Parents, grandparents, and the elderly woman across the street all have the access and ability to become members…and friends of yours! Nothing can make a hangover worse than a phone call from your mother who just saw pictures of you pop-up on her Facebook feed from last night…in the midst of final exams.
Employers are also social network savvy. You may clean up and look great in a suit but the person interviewing you may have already seen you half-naked doing a keg stand. Though your friends were impressed, few employers are.
The irony of these social network snafus is that they are all easily preventable. Your first step, think before you post. Are your friends primarily co-workers, family members, close friends? If they are a mixture, tailor your postings to the most conservative group to prevent offending anyone or ruining any opportunities.
Not in the mood to censor yourself? No problem. Security settings were created for a reason. Take the time to learn how the security settings work on each social networking medium you frequent. By changing and modifying your settings you can determine who can see your pictures, status updates, and even comments made by your friends. You also control who you become “friends” with. If you are interviewing for new jobs, and have already set your privacy settings to only allow confirmed individuals to see your information, be wary of friend requests of people you do not know.
Life is fun. Sharing your life is awesome. If it weren’t for Facebook, our family “friends” in New Zealand would see or hear very little about us or us about them. I treasure the ability to immediately share ideas, information, events and photos across the hemisphere. Over-sharing, however, is overrated. Be aware of the difference or become painfully aware of the consequences.
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A Gift for All Seasons
What do I want for Christmas this year? Civility. I wanted the same thing for Chanukkah a few weeks ago. Did I get what my heart desired? No…at least not yet. Regardless of what religious credo you follow, or do not follow, commercialism has commandeered this time of year. Instead of focusing on the love that exists between family and friends, commercialism has usurped the true focus of the holidays, replacing it with a quest to buy the hottest toys, most expensive gifts and throw the most lavish of parties. Bah humbug!
The spirit of the holiday season is supposed to be about peace on earth and good will to our fellow human beings. I personally feel that everyone, the world over, should employ such practices daily. You do not have to be Mother Teresa to accomplish such a “feat”; In fact, it only takes two simple words, “Be Civil”. I attempt to practice this mantra every day. To be successful, all it takes is opening the door for a stranger or loved one, throwing your loose change into the Salvation Army collection bucket, thanking the person who bags your groceries or allowing someone to merge in front of you on the highway.
The lack of civility, especially during the holidays, is disturbing. How many stories have we read about fights breaking out in the midst of holiday sales? I doubt this is what any higher power had in mind.
I know we are all going through trying times these days but regardless of how bad your life may be going there is always someone who has it worse. Instead of trying to find a way to place yourself at the top of the “poor me” pyramid, take a deep breath and remember everything you have to be thankful for. If you cannot come up with anything, though I trust that you can, go out, smile at a sales clerk, hold open a door for a mother shopping with her three young children and in-laws, and meaningfully wish the Santa ringing the Salvation Army bell a “Happy Holidays”. In doing so, you will give both yourself and someone else something to be thankful for this holiday season. You will have also given me, and the entire world, the gift of civility!
I wish you all a holiday season filled with joy, laughter and civility that carries on throughout the years to come!
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Does life happen in 3’s?
The most masterfully crafted images are only that, an image, and nothing more. In recent weeks three public images have broken down, proving that they are mere facades, and capable of hurting many when they fall apart.
It turns out that Tiger Woods is not a saint, but rather a mere mortal. With an image backed by multiple million dollar endorsement deals, Tiger can no longer hold up his end of the bargain. I am confident, however, that there are golfers and other athletes out there that could use those now available endorsement dollars by providing a genuine image brand that the public demands.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi, Virginia socialites, who crashed the recent White House dinner, have also portrayed themselves to be people they are not. The Salahi’s were able to convince many people that there was substance behind their image—how else do you get White House Secretary Desiree Rogers to consider adding your names to “the list”. Is this a victimless crime that is being transformed into a bigger issue than it should be? I don’t think so. How much of our tax dollars will be spent investigating this breach of White House security? How much time will be wasted on news networks dissecting every move that was made that night instead of covering issues and events that genuinely impact our world? How about those who lost their jobs for letting the masquerading couple make it through the gates? Or, most importantly, how did the dinner honoree-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-feel about an uninvited couple stealing the night’s spotlight? Unfortunately, a night both Indian’s and American’s will never forget hinges upon the false images portrayed by their fellow citizens.
To top the list, though less public and less glitzy, is Craig Newmark, the founder and president of Craigslist. Last week, a trial between eBay and Craigslist shined new light on Newmark’s ’aw-shucks, power to the people, do-gooder’ image. It turns out that he may be in it for the money after all – shocking! Who is hurt by Newmark’s faulty façade? Those loyal followers who fiercely defend Craig Newmark’s image, while he is the backroom counting his $9.5 million! Perhaps the anarchy of the “Adult Services” section is not about autonomy and non-governance after all, but rather about the insane amounts of user traffic that area attracts. Once free, this morally bankrupt section even charges users a listing fee! What a brilliant business model he has created…Newmark is no different than the rest of corporate America that care more about their personal bottom line than the personalities who make their business possible.
We have been given 3 masterfully crafted images… and 3 facades that crumbled in the midst of their self-serving objectives. They say life comes in 3’s…I wonder who will be next?
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One Lonely Island
Craigslist truly has become an island unto themselves.
No stranger to the courtroom, Craigslist will face off against one of its very own investors, eBay, on December 7. Craigslist diluted eBay’s investment share to 25% by selling stock, in a move that eBay alleges was an unfair attempt by Craigslist to limit its power as an investor. Sounds like a recipe for an awkward holiday party…
In an attempt to be the victim, Craigslist cries foul on eBay by alleging their investment relationship was purely one focused on stealing confidential information so they could start a rival U.S. classified service. Craigslist seems to seriously believe that eBay has nothing better to do with their time or their money then play spy. Their ego may sink their island.
It is no surprise that Craigslist would stoop to such underhanded and arguably illegal tactics to alienate those closest to them under the guise of business security. Craigslist does the same thing to its users in refusing to provide them with protection against injury or fraud.
Forget prolonging the inevitable. With their recent accusations and wild conduct, Craigslist seems to be facilitating its demise into obscurity. It is safe to say I won’t be planning any vacations to their island anytime soon.
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US newspaper ad revenue down nearly 28%
AFP
US newspaper advertising revenue fell by nearly 28 percent in the third quarter, continuing a slide which has led to layoffs, bankruptcies and the closure of several dailies.
Print and online advertising revenue declined to 6.4 billion dollars in the third quarter from 8.9 billion dollars in the same quarter a year ago, according to figures released by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA).
Print advertising revenue fell 28.95 percent to 5.8 billion dollars with classified advertising revenue down 37.9 percent to 1.46 billion dollars. Read more!
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Interview with Michael Hackmer
The growth of online classifieds has continued, even though online spending has diminished with the recession and bad press has plagued some online classified sites, like Craigslist. Recently I had a chance to be interveiwed by Michael Hackmer of BIA Kelsey, about how Geebo has fared over the last several months, my view of the industry and where we are headed in the future.
Michael Hackmer:
For people who are not familiar with Geebo. What is Geebo?Greg Collier:
Geebo is classified ads format with everything from roommates and real estate to jobs. It is a site that was developed in late 1999 when the company was located in Sacramento, CA, and was designed to compete against the local town newspaper – The Sacramento Bee. We felt they were doing a so-so job in presentation, layout and navigation, and we thought that we could create a better online classifieds community. Today, the company is based in McLean, VA and I am proud to say that we have grown and are now in 143 communities in the United States.Michael Hackmer:
What makes you different from other online classified companies in the digital media space?Greg Collier:
One way we are different is that all our job postings are syndicated, which means if you post a job on Geebo they will get picked up by SimplyHired, Indeed, Tweet Mart, TwitterJobSearch.com, Google Base, Hispanic-jobs.com and several others. We did this to benefit our advertisers, and to help increase their exposure and grow the demographics their job posts reach.Michael Hackmer:
Since Geebo has been around for about ten years now, competing against newspapers, Craigslist and others, how have you seen online classifieds evolve?Greg Collier:
It’s been an interesting time. When we came on the scene, there was really nobody else out there other than the newspapers and a handful of online operators. We did not even know about Craigslist for the first few months. At the time we started, Craigslist was still exclusively in San Francisco. Newspapers were very limited in their online presentation of classifieds. In most cases, you could not contact someone who posted on a newspaper by email – you had a call a phone number. But until online classified communities like Geebo and Cragislist came around, newspapers had no real competition. The web changed all that. The cost of doing business online is lower, and with the expansion of internet use – there is a lot more opportunity and a lot more competition.Michael Hackmer:
Speaking to the growing use of the Internet, the expansion of broadband access and computer access has provided a lot of value. However, there are some growing challenges facing online communities, including the rise in criminal activity online. This has created a growing interest among users of online classifieds in safety. Does Geebo take any particular steps to ensure greater safety for people who use your online classifieds?Greg Collier:
You are absolutely right, unfortunately, about there being some bad people out there using online classifieds. These things are out there, and it’s been going on for a while. We have been watching this trend. A few years ago we considered implementing an adult service section, but asked ourselves, “What comes along with that?” We quickly decided that was not a direction we wanted to go in. So, we’ve kept adult content off Geebo. We also do not have a rants and raves section, because that has opened the door to a lot of hate speech and other challenges. But no site is immune to people making scandalous or harmful posts. So, we’ve developed some safeguards. In certain sections of the site, a person on our team reviews the content before it is posted. We also block IP addresses from repeat offenders. No system is full-proof, but we think these controls definitely give us a safer environment.Michael Hackmer:
You’re a small company, but part of your corporate mission is to give back to the communities you reach. What does Geebo do in terms of community service?Greg Collier:
Well, that is part of the business I am most proud of and enjoy. This past September we helped co-sponsor the National Press Club’s 5k run. We’ve donated programming services, for example, to OneBrick.org, which promotes volunteerism. We’ve donated job postings to non-profits. In fact, all non-profits are able to post jobs free of charge, they just need to contact us and we can set that up. We’ve been involved in Sierra Adoption Services, The Child and Family Institute and the Mustard Seed School. Also, after Hurricane Katrina we helped restaurants that were struggling to hire people to reach out through out network to help fill urgent vacancies. We hope to be able to much more, and more on a larger scale as time goes – as the business and revenues grow.Michael Hackmer:
You mention revenues. No one has been immune from the economic conditions that continue to make it struggle for businesses. Unemployment is up past 10%. What has the economic downturn done to a company like Geebo? And the industry as a whole?Greg Collier:
Well, our income is down 25% from the same time last year. I’ve spoke to many business owners who are struggling. While I am not pleased, I’ve heard other businesses are suffering even greater losses. Newspapers and other companies are cutting 8% and 10% of their staff. We have not had to go that far, so we are fortunate in that respect. Clearly, the economy is not rebounding as quickly as we would like and this will impact advertising and hiring well in the future, not just for Geebo, but for everyone. To combat this to a degree, we are expanding the reach of our job postings to give our advertisers as much bang for the buck as possible.Michael Hackmer:
Even though the economy is not recovering as fast as we all would like, it will recover at some point. What does Geebo have planned for the future? And what do you see for the industry going forward?Greg Collier:
I think content sharing will expand and classified sites will get better in their design, connecting the content they provide to social media outlets, through mobile technology and other mediums. For Geebo, we are working on some media partnerships where Geebo will power media company classifieds. We will tap into Twitter more as well so more people see the jobs that come from Geebo. We also are going to implement a more SEO-friendly website in the near future.Listen to the full interview which will be aired on The Mike Hackmer Radio Show, Sunday, November 15th at 12:00 pm, Eastern. To hear to program, go to: http://www.hackmer.com/live.htm
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Craigslist lucks out again!
In light of the latest Craigslist ruling, I feel it is necessary to assess and reflect on how business owners operate in today’s society. As a business, you have an obligation to protect your consumers and their interests. Such a concept does not evaporate into cyberspace. We hold our pharmaceutical companies to a standard that ensures medicines we take are safe. We require vehicles we drive to be equipped with safety devices to prevent harm to ourselves when things go wrong. Why shouldn’t we demand the same sort of safety precautions of the online businesses we deal with and communities we join? It shouldn’t have to be a demand, it should be a given.
Craigslist’s inclination to rely on their luck instead of protect their users is apparent in their refusal to remove their Adult Service sections. Craigslist has continued on, in spite of the damage, harm and devastation their Adult Services has caused. Common sense is not a given when it comes to Craigslist.
Craigslist may have gotten lucky, again, but their users, as seen on multiple occasions, have not been so lucky. How long can a company go on with such reckless disregard for those that keep them afloat?
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It’s not your job to create content for Google.
By Derek Powazek
Search Engine Optimization is not a legitimate form of marketing. It should not be undertaken by people with brains or souls. If someone charges you for SEO, you have been conned.
First came the web, and it was a mess. Servers went up everywhere, the net connected them all, pages bloomed like flowers, and no one could find a damn thing.
Then came the search engines. First primitive indexes of dumb keywords, then Google with its rankings of most-linked pages, we were finally able to find the pages we needed, mostly.
The ascendency of Google has meant that, if your goal is to get the most eyeballs possible (as any ad-supported media business’ goal is), then prominent placement in the search engine results became a top priority.
And so, like the goat sacrificers and snake oil salesmen before them, a new breed of con man was born, the Search Engine Optimizer. These scammers claim that they can dance the magic dance that will please the Google Gods and make eyeballs rain down upon you.
Do. Not. Trust. Them.
The problem with SEO is that the good advice is obvious, the rest doesn’t work, and it’s poisoning the web. I’m going to tell you about the problems, and then tell you the one true way to generate traffic on the web, based on my own 14 years of hits and misses.
1. The good advice is obvious, the rest doesn’t work.
Look under the hood of any SEO plan and you’ll find advice like this: make sure to use keywords in the headline, use proper formatting, provide summaries of the content, include links to relevant information. All of this is a good idea, and none of it is a secret. It’s so obvious, anyone who pays for it is a fool.
Occasionally a darkside SEO master may find some loophole in the Google algorithm to exploit, which might actually lead to an increase in traffic. But that ill-gotten traffic gain won’t last long. Google changes the way it ranks its index monthly (if not more), so even if some SEO technique worked, and usually they don’t, it’ll last for a couple weeks, tops.
And when they do reindex, if they determine that you’ve been acting in bad faith (like hiding links or keywords or other deceptive practices) they’ll drop you like a hot rock. So a temporary gain may result in a lifetime ban.
In the end, you’re sacrificing your brand integrity in a Faustian bargain for an increase in traffic that won’t last the month. And how valuable was that increase, anyway? If you’re tricking people into visiting your site, those visits are going to be bad experiences.
2. SEO is poisoning the web.
Google’s ranking algorithm is based on links. So the most effective way to game their system is to plant links on as many sites as possible, all pointing to your site, linked from specific keywords. This is called Google bombing.
SEO cockroaches employ botnets, third-world labor, and zombie computers to blanket the web with link spam. 99% of spam comments to blogs are these kind of links. The target of these links is not the blog readers, it’s Google.
SEO bastards are behind worms that attack blog services like Blogger, WordPress, and Movable Type. Some hack into the blog templates themselves to insert links that are hidden from the readers of that blog, but visible to a Google crawler.
And they create programs to grab expired domain names, automatically create websites, filling the pages with content stolen from RSS feeds, creating billions of bad results for users.
It’s a game, and every link is a score for the SEO jerkwads and their disreputable clients. And every time they win, those of us trying to create quality work and good experiences on the web lose.
Worse than the hackers are the competent journalists and site creators that are making legitimate content online, but get seduced by the SEO dark side into thinking they need to create content for Google instead of for their readers. It dumbs-down the content, which turns off your real audience, which ultimately makes you less valuable to advertisers. If you want to know why there’s so much remnant advertising on online news sites, it’s because you’re treating the stories like remnants already.
Remember this: It’s not your job to create content for Google. it’s their job to find the best of the web for their results. Your audience is your readers, not Google’s algorithm.
The One True Way
Which brings us, finally, to the One True Way to get a lot of traffic on the web. It’s pretty simple, and I’m going to give it to you here, for free:
Make something great. Tell people about it. Do it again.
That’s it. Make something you believe in. Make it beautiful, confident, and real. Sweat every detail. If it’s not getting traffic, maybe it wasn’t good enough. Try again.
Then tell people about it. Start with your friends. Send them a personal note – not an automated blast from a spam cannon. Post it to your Twitter feed, email list, personal blog. (Don’t have those things? Start them.) Tell people who give a shit – not strangers. Tell them why it matters to you. Find the places where your community congregates online and participate. Connect with them like a person, not a corporation. Engage. Be real.
Then do it again. And again. You’ll build a reputation for doing good work, meaning what you say, and building trust.
It’ll take time. A lot of time. But it works. And it’s the only thing that does.
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Geebo.com Now Provides Users with Greater Safety
I have taken note of the news stories about crime, even violent crime, associated with Craigslist ads — and I hear many stories — from jobseekers and people selling household items to employers posting jobs — who are wary of associating themselves with Craigslist for that reason. In response, I have not only maintained, but strengthened, our commitment to staff monitoring of posting activity on Geebo.com. By doing this, my hope is to position Geebo as a safer, friendlier alternative… READ FULL PRESS RELEASE