June 21, 2011
Jasoncalacanis asked:
Robbrown answered:
I didn't expect to hold the title of the "person to earn the most money on Mahalo Answers" for ever. I value the questions that I answered and the people I came to know.
Mahalo Answers was a revolutionary product and when combined with Jason's original "trifecta of search" formed a truly enlightened product. From my perspective, the strength of Mahalo Answers was that it brought depth, complexity and engagement to Mahalo as a whole.
It's easy to look back and draw conclusions about why Mahalo Answers failed. It's a lot more valuable to think about what it did right. Between forming the heart-and-soul of Mahalo's community to blazing a new path by attaching tangible value to questions and answers, in it's day, Mahalo Answers had a heck of a lot going for it.
In particular, Mahalo Answers devised a way to exchange knowledge for a tangible reward. In an age of Farmville's, think about how powerful and valuable that is. Also, at one time, Mahalo Answers had formed a reliable, concrete system to identify and vet the most powerful people on the Internet (content creators) by focusing their efforts on community building and trust. This is no small feat and the machine that Mahalo had at it's disposal had an incredible amount of promise.
Again and for the last time, thanks Mahalo.
Mahalo Answers was a revolutionary product and when combined with Jason's original "trifecta of search" formed a truly enlightened product. From my perspective, the strength of Mahalo Answers was that it brought depth, complexity and engagement to Mahalo as a whole.
It's easy to look back and draw conclusions about why Mahalo Answers failed. It's a lot more valuable to think about what it did right. Between forming the heart-and-soul of Mahalo's community to blazing a new path by attaching tangible value to questions and answers, in it's day, Mahalo Answers had a heck of a lot going for it.
In particular, Mahalo Answers devised a way to exchange knowledge for a tangible reward. In an age of Farmville's, think about how powerful and valuable that is. Also, at one time, Mahalo Answers had formed a reliable, concrete system to identify and vet the most powerful people on the Internet (content creators) by focusing their efforts on community building and trust. This is no small feat and the machine that Mahalo had at it's disposal had an incredible amount of promise.
Again and for the last time, thanks Mahalo.
Robbrown answered:
From what I understand, Google's Content Farm algorithmic update evaluates a single page in addition to the source of the information. As a result, Mahalo's entire index is capable of dragging down pages that could be considered "better".
Asking the question, "which page is better" is subjective. Google's Content Farm update is another step in their direction to answer subjective questions like this, but they are a long way from doing so. Until Google can pass the Turing Test to apply complex rational logic, subjective rankings are not possible.
In the future, when a Search Engine (SE) can subjectively rank pages such as the eHow page vs. the Mahalo page, the SE will need to know more about the context of the search being preformed. In the case of the eHow Xylophone article compared against the Mahalo article, if I was a complete musical newbie, the eHow article may very well serve my needs to explain in a simple, clear list, what I need to learn.
In order to address Mahalo's new "Learn Anything" direction, I can speak with authority from an educational standpoint. I was a classroom teacher, have published textbooks and have developed volumes of online education content for consumption by students. From an educational standpoint, neither the eHow page nor the Mahalo article should rank on the first page of a Google result that considers educational value. Certainly, the Mahalo page is filled with a great deal of information, but that information is presented in "shotgun" style with little concern for the person trying to learn to play the xylophone.
While the eHow article may seem inferior, the Mahalo article needs to improve in order to be considered an educational resource instead of an interesting SERP. Former Mahalo Editorial Director, Lon Harris often said, "there are always ways that a page could be better". However, with the Content Farm algorithm in place, pages need to be nearly perfect and this page is far from it. After reading the page and reviewing a few of the videos, I can see a number of changes that would take this page from a "C" to an "A" grade. I started to outline examples of what could be improved, but quickly realized that this answer would become far to lengthy and perhaps fall on deaf ears.
I offer these notes with respect to the content creators and to the Mahalo staff in general. I sincerely like the video direction Mahalo is heading and hope that one day in the future, Mahalo will become a trusted source of information online.
Asking the question, "which page is better" is subjective. Google's Content Farm update is another step in their direction to answer subjective questions like this, but they are a long way from doing so. Until Google can pass the Turing Test to apply complex rational logic, subjective rankings are not possible.
In the future, when a Search Engine (SE) can subjectively rank pages such as the eHow page vs. the Mahalo page, the SE will need to know more about the context of the search being preformed. In the case of the eHow Xylophone article compared against the Mahalo article, if I was a complete musical newbie, the eHow article may very well serve my needs to explain in a simple, clear list, what I need to learn.
In order to address Mahalo's new "Learn Anything" direction, I can speak with authority from an educational standpoint. I was a classroom teacher, have published textbooks and have developed volumes of online education content for consumption by students. From an educational standpoint, neither the eHow page nor the Mahalo article should rank on the first page of a Google result that considers educational value. Certainly, the Mahalo page is filled with a great deal of information, but that information is presented in "shotgun" style with little concern for the person trying to learn to play the xylophone.
While the eHow article may seem inferior, the Mahalo article needs to improve in order to be considered an educational resource instead of an interesting SERP. Former Mahalo Editorial Director, Lon Harris often said, "there are always ways that a page could be better". However, with the Content Farm algorithm in place, pages need to be nearly perfect and this page is far from it. After reading the page and reviewing a few of the videos, I can see a number of changes that would take this page from a "C" to an "A" grade. I started to outline examples of what could be improved, but quickly realized that this answer would become far to lengthy and perhaps fall on deaf ears.
I offer these notes with respect to the content creators and to the Mahalo staff in general. I sincerely like the video direction Mahalo is heading and hope that one day in the future, Mahalo will become a trusted source of information online.
Feb. 19, 2011
Angeliz asked:
Robbrown answered:
Hi Angeliz, my name is Rob. Knowing that I'm Canadian and previously a dedicated Mahalo Answers community member, Buddawiggi asked me to answer your question and I'm happy to help him out.
1)
How do Canadians get health coverage?
If a person is born in Canada, part of the process at the hospital is registering for the Health Care System. A temporary Health Card is issued and a week or so later, a plastic credit card like card is received by the parents in the mail.
If a person is not born in Canada, they apply for Health Care coverage along with citizenship.
Every 5 years, our Health Cards must be renewed. In part, the cards expire so that a current photograph of the citizen can be placed on the card. However, for the most part, Canadians feel that this is an administration fee / tax to help pay for the plastic cards and the bureaucratic offices needed to administer the cards.
2)
What is the health care system like there?
For the most part, it's just like any other Health Care system in the world. We have good and bad Doctors, friendly and stern nurses, and emergency care wait times comparable with other areas. The biggest difference of course is that when we use Health Care, our Health Card is swiped on a computer, validated and we don't pay for anything.
When a child is born, it's nice that we don't need to budget for labor and delivery charges. If we're sick and need an X-Ray, CT or MRI, it's nice not to worry about the cost. Also, there aren't "good" or "bad" hospitals in Canada. Everyone (rich or poor) goes to the same building when they're in need of advanced care.
From the perspective of a Doctor, the system is quite a bit different. Family Doctors have their own local offices to care for people in the community. These Doctors use the same swipe card "Health Card" system, but they carefully account for a complicated series of line items that they bill back to the government in order to get paid. In recent years, regional Canadian Doctors have been grouping themselves together in large (private) offices to pool resources such as accountants, nurses, etc. These centers are almost mini-hospitals and add an uncommon element to our health care system.
3)
Are Canadians satisfied with their system?
It is very common for Canadian's to relay a sense of pride in our Health Care system. When you're sick, it's nice to know that regardless of cost, Doctors and Nurses will work to make you feel better.
Even with all of these benefits, Health Care is a hot topic in Canada. It is short sighted to think that Canadian's don't pay for Health Care. Provincial retail sales taxes average at 12% while Federal taxes take a heavy chunk of money directly out of our paycheques. We have no say in what coverage we pay for, when or how.
It can be easily argued that a health care system where one would not pay heavy handed, erroneously allocated tax income is better then our current system. Canadians are not told how much our Health Care System truly costs. If given the choice and ability to compare the true costs between an insurance based system (such as the U.S.) and the Canadian system, many Canadians may choose an alternative.
1)
How do Canadians get health coverage?
If a person is born in Canada, part of the process at the hospital is registering for the Health Care System. A temporary Health Card is issued and a week or so later, a plastic credit card like card is received by the parents in the mail.
If a person is not born in Canada, they apply for Health Care coverage along with citizenship.
Every 5 years, our Health Cards must be renewed. In part, the cards expire so that a current photograph of the citizen can be placed on the card. However, for the most part, Canadians feel that this is an administration fee / tax to help pay for the plastic cards and the bureaucratic offices needed to administer the cards.
2)
What is the health care system like there?
For the most part, it's just like any other Health Care system in the world. We have good and bad Doctors, friendly and stern nurses, and emergency care wait times comparable with other areas. The biggest difference of course is that when we use Health Care, our Health Card is swiped on a computer, validated and we don't pay for anything.
When a child is born, it's nice that we don't need to budget for labor and delivery charges. If we're sick and need an X-Ray, CT or MRI, it's nice not to worry about the cost. Also, there aren't "good" or "bad" hospitals in Canada. Everyone (rich or poor) goes to the same building when they're in need of advanced care.
From the perspective of a Doctor, the system is quite a bit different. Family Doctors have their own local offices to care for people in the community. These Doctors use the same swipe card "Health Card" system, but they carefully account for a complicated series of line items that they bill back to the government in order to get paid. In recent years, regional Canadian Doctors have been grouping themselves together in large (private) offices to pool resources such as accountants, nurses, etc. These centers are almost mini-hospitals and add an uncommon element to our health care system.
3)
Are Canadians satisfied with their system?
It is very common for Canadian's to relay a sense of pride in our Health Care system. When you're sick, it's nice to know that regardless of cost, Doctors and Nurses will work to make you feel better.
Even with all of these benefits, Health Care is a hot topic in Canada. It is short sighted to think that Canadian's don't pay for Health Care. Provincial retail sales taxes average at 12% while Federal taxes take a heavy chunk of money directly out of our paycheques. We have no say in what coverage we pay for, when or how.
It can be easily argued that a health care system where one would not pay heavy handed, erroneously allocated tax income is better then our current system. Canadians are not told how much our Health Care System truly costs. If given the choice and ability to compare the true costs between an insurance based system (such as the U.S.) and the Canadian system, many Canadians may choose an alternative.
Robbrown answered:
Hey Danielle,
What an interesting class. Best of luck completing your Master's.
While I'm no longer a participant in Mahalo's online community, I have read a few interesting books that relate to online communities and startup culture.
Both of these areas are dynamic and as you know, unique to the people who participate in them. Just like no two communities are alike, a startup culture can not be replicated. This fact makes it difficult for authors to convey anything more than anecdotal events and stories that rely on their experience or observations.
Considering the unique nature of online communities and startup culture, I recommend Drive by Dan Pink.
http://www.danpink.com/drive
http://www.danpink.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Picture-24-199x300.png
You have asked for a book that presents the "history, practice and dynamics of an online community". Based on the "practice and dynamics" portion of your requirements, it sounds like you're looking for an online community instruction manual (of sorts). I don't believe that this book has been published. Online communities are simply too young and change too quickly for a book to quantify the practice and dynamics of online communities as a whole. If by chance you happen to publish this book as part of your studies, please let me know as I would be very interested to read your perspective.
I suggest Dan Pink's Drive because I strongly believe that motivation is the single most important building block of any online community. If one can attain a true understanding of motivation and in turn, the psychological habits and patterns of people online, then accurate predictions can be made about both the practice and dynamics of online communities.
Drive is a collection of theories about motivation. Throughout the book, you will be presented with examples and excerpts from a variety of research studies and publications. Rather than relaying anecdotal evidence, Drive strives to summarize the research and theories that ask the question, "what motivates people?"
In my mind both online communities and startup culture thrive when their user-bases / employees are motivated. Motivation itself is an elusive beast both for CEO's and Community Managers. If given the opportunity, I would form a presentation that first outlined the history of online communities (starting with BBS's, through Forums, to Blogs, Social Networks and beyond) and then argued the importance of motivation as it relates to each.
My vision of a presentation would simplify the history of online communities into a brief snapshot and use specific sites as examples of the evidence presented in Drive.
While thinking about online communities and startups, watch this video that is based on a TED presentation given by Pink. I think that my proposal may become clear after you do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
I wish you all the best in your presentation and sincerely hope that this has helped you, Danielle.
What an interesting class. Best of luck completing your Master's.
While I'm no longer a participant in Mahalo's online community, I have read a few interesting books that relate to online communities and startup culture.
Both of these areas are dynamic and as you know, unique to the people who participate in them. Just like no two communities are alike, a startup culture can not be replicated. This fact makes it difficult for authors to convey anything more than anecdotal events and stories that rely on their experience or observations.
Considering the unique nature of online communities and startup culture, I recommend Drive by Dan Pink.
http://www.danpink.com/drive
You have asked for a book that presents the "history, practice and dynamics of an online community". Based on the "practice and dynamics" portion of your requirements, it sounds like you're looking for an online community instruction manual (of sorts). I don't believe that this book has been published. Online communities are simply too young and change too quickly for a book to quantify the practice and dynamics of online communities as a whole. If by chance you happen to publish this book as part of your studies, please let me know as I would be very interested to read your perspective.
I suggest Dan Pink's Drive because I strongly believe that motivation is the single most important building block of any online community. If one can attain a true understanding of motivation and in turn, the psychological habits and patterns of people online, then accurate predictions can be made about both the practice and dynamics of online communities.
Drive is a collection of theories about motivation. Throughout the book, you will be presented with examples and excerpts from a variety of research studies and publications. Rather than relaying anecdotal evidence, Drive strives to summarize the research and theories that ask the question, "what motivates people?"
In my mind both online communities and startup culture thrive when their user-bases / employees are motivated. Motivation itself is an elusive beast both for CEO's and Community Managers. If given the opportunity, I would form a presentation that first outlined the history of online communities (starting with BBS's, through Forums, to Blogs, Social Networks and beyond) and then argued the importance of motivation as it relates to each.
My vision of a presentation would simplify the history of online communities into a brief snapshot and use specific sites as examples of the evidence presented in Drive.
While thinking about online communities and startups, watch this video that is based on a TED presentation given by Pink. I think that my proposal may become clear after you do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
I wish you all the best in your presentation and sincerely hope that this has helped you, Danielle.
Robbrown answered:
M$4.81 left in my account after donating some bees a while ago. It's all yours!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Robbrown answered:
Hi Pellrider!
I answered a question that was almost identical to yours "back in the day". Rather then selling jewelry and crocheted items, the person asking the question I answered was selling hand-made soft dolls and sewing patterns.
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/whats-the-best-way-to-market-my-online-bitofwhimsyprimsetsycom-store-for-1000-or-less-besides-google-adwords
You specifically asked why the store is not a success. Generally, you're not following the rules that I outlined in the answer above.
Specifically:
Users don't trust your store, your brand or your products. This is the underlying reason as to why your Artfire store isn't a success. The graphics (in your header banner), your product photos, your written descriptions and store information do not instill the level of trust that is required for a significant number of people to whip out their credit cards.
1)
Take better product photos. Look at the top sellers on eBay, Etsy, etc. They have outstanding product photos that are well light, and importantly have thoughtful composition. As an example, have a look at this photo:
http://static.artfire.com/admin/product_images/thumbs/--60000--33795_product_944015842_3_thumb_large.jpg
Rather then using a grey background with a ruler, why not ask (one of your more attractive female friends) to model the earrings. Ask her to stand outside during the late afternoon. Use depth of field to blur the background and capture an image of the side of her face with the ear-ring clearly in focus. This sounds like a lot of work, but outstanding product photos that tell a story of features are the difference between selling and not selling online.
2)
Hire a freelancer (links in post above) to create a stock set of graphics for you. Ask for different banner sizes, a logo, etc. This will likely cost about $100 but it will be well worth your investment.
3)
Don't rely on any single outlet for your products. I've never heard of Artfire.com before. It doesn't look like a bad online shopping mall, but it doesn't look great. Submit your products to a number of online shopping malls and use your own website as the backbone. In every mall that you submit your products to, link back to your website for shipping terms, or more photos, or even more information. This strategy has a number of advantages online but is founded in old-school offline sales.
Building your own website or brand doesn't need to be complicated and it doesn't need to be expensive. My mother recently started exhibiting at craft shows and having a geeky son, she figured her products should be showcased online. I built her this website in 6 hours with no cost (0) using free templates and software. She is working on writing content right now, but I wanted to show you this sample to illustrate that making your own backbone site isn't that hard. http://robisit.com/bh
I could literally go on-and-on about this sort of stuff. However, I think that working on these 3 things to improve the trust that you instill in your potential customers will have a direct and positive impact on your sales. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
I answered a question that was almost identical to yours "back in the day". Rather then selling jewelry and crocheted items, the person asking the question I answered was selling hand-made soft dolls and sewing patterns.
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/whats-the-best-way-to-market-my-online-bitofwhimsyprimsetsycom-store-for-1000-or-less-besides-google-adwords
You specifically asked why the store is not a success. Generally, you're not following the rules that I outlined in the answer above.
Specifically:
Users don't trust your store, your brand or your products. This is the underlying reason as to why your Artfire store isn't a success. The graphics (in your header banner), your product photos, your written descriptions and store information do not instill the level of trust that is required for a significant number of people to whip out their credit cards.
1)
Take better product photos. Look at the top sellers on eBay, Etsy, etc. They have outstanding product photos that are well light, and importantly have thoughtful composition. As an example, have a look at this photo:
Rather then using a grey background with a ruler, why not ask (one of your more attractive female friends) to model the earrings. Ask her to stand outside during the late afternoon. Use depth of field to blur the background and capture an image of the side of her face with the ear-ring clearly in focus. This sounds like a lot of work, but outstanding product photos that tell a story of features are the difference between selling and not selling online.
2)
Hire a freelancer (links in post above) to create a stock set of graphics for you. Ask for different banner sizes, a logo, etc. This will likely cost about $100 but it will be well worth your investment.
3)
Don't rely on any single outlet for your products. I've never heard of Artfire.com before. It doesn't look like a bad online shopping mall, but it doesn't look great. Submit your products to a number of online shopping malls and use your own website as the backbone. In every mall that you submit your products to, link back to your website for shipping terms, or more photos, or even more information. This strategy has a number of advantages online but is founded in old-school offline sales.
Building your own website or brand doesn't need to be complicated and it doesn't need to be expensive. My mother recently started exhibiting at craft shows and having a geeky son, she figured her products should be showcased online. I built her this website in 6 hours with no cost (0) using free templates and software. She is working on writing content right now, but I wanted to show you this sample to illustrate that making your own backbone site isn't that hard. http://robisit.com/bh
I could literally go on-and-on about this sort of stuff. However, I think that working on these 3 things to improve the trust that you instill in your potential customers will have a direct and positive impact on your sales. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Aug. 30, 2010
Jasoncalacanis asked:
Robbrown answered:
What do the pro's use?
Traditionally, they use either Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture
http://www.adobe.com/mena/products/photoshoplightroom/
http://www.apple.com/aperture/
===
Since you already know the controls and functions of Aperture, you'll feel more at home with Aperture.
iPhoto reportedly has a limit of 250,000 photos. I suspect that you're shooting mostly family and candid event pictures so my suggestion is to archive your iPhoto library and photos into years. By doing this, you'll have your most recent photos on hand. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, it's as easy as telling iPhoto which old archive to open and you'll have access to your photos.
Here is a tutorial that describes how to backup an iPhoto library to an external drive and change the path for iPhoto to look in. Doing this and then deleting the original iPhoto Library folder will accomplish an archive. http://basics4mac.com/article.php/move_iphoto_lib
===
Professionals consider this a problem of workflow rather then software. Any piece of software will become overloaded when you try to index hundreds of thousands of photos. Even the fastest computers running the best code will slow down when you throw a ton of large images at them.
I have solved this problem by using Adobe Lightroom. I tried Aperture but found that my workflow along with the Lightroom's integration with Photoshop made it the best choice. Every time that I take a set of Photos (say a trip to Disney), I create a folder (say, Disney 2010). In lightroom, I select the best photos, develop them, and save my "Lightroom Catalog" for that set in the folder along with the images. I upload the finished photos to Flickr for public consumption and consider the set done. When I want to view all of the photos again (not just the ones on Flickr), I open up the Lightroom Catalog and the entire set of photos opens up. I store all of my photos on a Drobo RAID network attached array so that I don't have to worry about loosing any.
===
So, the pro's use Aperture or Lightroom. You don't need to switch out of iPhoto if you don't want to. Whatever you decide, you'll need to think about your workflow more then the software that you use.
Traditionally, they use either Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture
http://www.adobe.com/mena/products/photoshoplightroom/
http://www.apple.com/aperture/
===
Since you already know the controls and functions of Aperture, you'll feel more at home with Aperture.
iPhoto reportedly has a limit of 250,000 photos. I suspect that you're shooting mostly family and candid event pictures so my suggestion is to archive your iPhoto library and photos into years. By doing this, you'll have your most recent photos on hand. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, it's as easy as telling iPhoto which old archive to open and you'll have access to your photos.
Here is a tutorial that describes how to backup an iPhoto library to an external drive and change the path for iPhoto to look in. Doing this and then deleting the original iPhoto Library folder will accomplish an archive. http://basics4mac.com/article.php/move_iphoto_lib
===
Professionals consider this a problem of workflow rather then software. Any piece of software will become overloaded when you try to index hundreds of thousands of photos. Even the fastest computers running the best code will slow down when you throw a ton of large images at them.
I have solved this problem by using Adobe Lightroom. I tried Aperture but found that my workflow along with the Lightroom's integration with Photoshop made it the best choice. Every time that I take a set of Photos (say a trip to Disney), I create a folder (say, Disney 2010). In lightroom, I select the best photos, develop them, and save my "Lightroom Catalog" for that set in the folder along with the images. I upload the finished photos to Flickr for public consumption and consider the set done. When I want to view all of the photos again (not just the ones on Flickr), I open up the Lightroom Catalog and the entire set of photos opens up. I store all of my photos on a Drobo RAID network attached array so that I don't have to worry about loosing any.
===
So, the pro's use Aperture or Lightroom. You don't need to switch out of iPhoto if you don't want to. Whatever you decide, you'll need to think about your workflow more then the software that you use.
July 25, 2010
Coreymac asked:
Robbrown answered:
You'll want to try some real shaved ice before you leave. There are a variety of beachside stands and tourist shops that advertise this local specialty, but the best shaved ice is creamy and lightly flavored.
Waiola Shave Ice
http://www.yelp.com/biz/waiola-shave-ice-honolulu
Spend some time on the North Shore. It's a lot less touristy up there. Without planning, I ended up spending about half of my time on the North Shore. Here is a photo that I took just outside of where I stayed - The Turtle Bay resort:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_sYGaz5keAtE/STaAyCd5chI/AAAAAAAAFFw/JJp40t9gATE/s1152/Turtle%20Bay%20Large%202.jpg
Buy some fresh Macadamia nuts. Local farms often have shops attached to them. This place offers samples of the nuts they sell. My favorite variety is rolled in cinnamon.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_sYGaz5keAtE/STaBMdlpRJI/AAAAAAAAE9U/0YxkxpxiqFU/s800/IMG_0269.JPG
You said that you wanted to stay out of the ocean. However, if you haven't snorkeled in Hanauma Bay, it's well worth getting wet. This is a special place because the sheltered water provides safe harbor for an incredible amount of friendly fish, coral, etc.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_sYGaz5keAtE/STaB4Nf9PKI/AAAAAAAAFIM/zMD66ay-_cc/s800/IMG_0029%20%282%29.JPG
Have dinner at the Outrigger. It is located just East of the Fort Derussy park. A beachfront restaurant with a great views of Diamond Head mountain, local yachts and the sunset. It's a laid back place with open grills. You select and order your protein and grill it yourself. While I enjoy good service more than most, sitting back to enjoy a few drinks while casually watching the sun slip down over the beach and the torches light is something to remember.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_sYGaz5keAtE/STaB_Rgk3dI/AAAAAAAAFIc/u3xYQCGXTwI/s800/IMG_0075%20%282%29.JPG
Here is the view from my table at the Outrigger:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_sYGaz5keAtE/STaCCDSEqDI/AAAAAAAAFIk/irK9l84uOdc/s800/IMG_0093.JPG
Some other slightly more general things that I would consider doing:
Visit The Kuan Yin Temple, wander through the Waikiki Aquarium, buy a couple of cheesy vintage Hawaian shirts from Bailey's (http://alohashirts.com), snack on a box of shortbread cookies from the Hawaiian Cookie Co (in the Hilton).
Waiola Shave Ice
http://www.yelp.com/biz/waiola-shave-ice-honolulu
Spend some time on the North Shore. It's a lot less touristy up there. Without planning, I ended up spending about half of my time on the North Shore. Here is a photo that I took just outside of where I stayed - The Turtle Bay resort:
Buy some fresh Macadamia nuts. Local farms often have shops attached to them. This place offers samples of the nuts they sell. My favorite variety is rolled in cinnamon.
You said that you wanted to stay out of the ocean. However, if you haven't snorkeled in Hanauma Bay, it's well worth getting wet. This is a special place because the sheltered water provides safe harbor for an incredible amount of friendly fish, coral, etc.
Have dinner at the Outrigger. It is located just East of the Fort Derussy park. A beachfront restaurant with a great views of Diamond Head mountain, local yachts and the sunset. It's a laid back place with open grills. You select and order your protein and grill it yourself. While I enjoy good service more than most, sitting back to enjoy a few drinks while casually watching the sun slip down over the beach and the torches light is something to remember.
Here is the view from my table at the Outrigger:
Some other slightly more general things that I would consider doing:
Visit The Kuan Yin Temple, wander through the Waikiki Aquarium, buy a couple of cheesy vintage Hawaian shirts from Bailey's (http://alohashirts.com), snack on a box of shortbread cookies from the Hawaiian Cookie Co (in the Hilton).
July 15, 2010
Romeo0830 asked:
Robbrown answered:
There is no secret formula to increasing ad earnings or CTR's (click through ratios).
Google AdSense does a few things to both help maximize your earnings and attract the highest ratios of CTR's possible for your site. In short, what's good for you is good for them. One of the most important things that Google does is to contextually match ads to on page content. There are a few ways to help Google better match ads to your content. One of the easiest and most important is to use common keywords on each of your pages to attract people. Remember that no two keywords are the same and that high volumes don't always result in high CTR's.
Beyond advertising basics, you've referred to terrestrial popups. Way back in 2008, popular blogger Daren Rowse implemented a terrestrial popup on the page of his then new blog, Digitial Photography School. You can read his article here:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/10/23/how-to-drastically-increase-subscriber-numbers-to-your-email-newsletter/
This type of ad is about attention. The visitor has no choice but to look at some part of the ad. What Darren didn't talk about (but has since commented on) how this popup increases bounce rates and can easily decrease your overall CTR. These are not things that you want - at all. However, in the right scenario with the right visitors, this strategy can work.
My best advice is to know your readers. Think deeply about what they like and then preform A/B testing with small groups of people to figure out what works best for your unique audience. Test these types of things continually and eventually, you'll see easy to follow patterns that can dictate exactly what your readers will click on and what they won't.
Here is an article about A/B Testing:
http://robisit.com/why-is-a-b-testing-important/
Something else to consider is the value of AdSense. Google Ads are everywhere. People quickly become immune to marketing and as a result, your ads may simply be glazed over. Depending on your site, if you have the ability to solicit custom ads, these often convert the best. If you don't have the traffic or clout to work private ad deals, try other ad networks. There is rarely any harm in replacing an AdSense ad with one from another network. Measure carefully.
Use a service such as the Click report within Google Analytics or a service such as Crazy Egg's HeeatMap (http://www.crazyegg.com/) to see where your visitors are clicking. Move your ads as close to those regions as possible.
Value content over all else. People who worry about ads before they worry about content are often on the wrong path. Think of ways to drastically improve your content and implement those changes right away. Work diligently to get both your bounce rates and time on site numbers down as low as possible - then get them down further.
Ask your visitors. Use a service such as Woopra (http://www.woopra.com/) that will allow you to easily chat with your visitors in real time. Don't hit first time visitors up (it will creep them out) - track long tail users and when they view over 10 pages, give them a poke to chat first (form a connection) and then ask for some basic demographic information (age, sex, interests, hobbies, job title, last gadget bought, etc). Use this information to improve both your content and your ads.
I could keep going (and going and going) if you'd like some more ideas, leave a comment and I'll reply when I swing back around!
Rob
Google AdSense does a few things to both help maximize your earnings and attract the highest ratios of CTR's possible for your site. In short, what's good for you is good for them. One of the most important things that Google does is to contextually match ads to on page content. There are a few ways to help Google better match ads to your content. One of the easiest and most important is to use common keywords on each of your pages to attract people. Remember that no two keywords are the same and that high volumes don't always result in high CTR's.
Beyond advertising basics, you've referred to terrestrial popups. Way back in 2008, popular blogger Daren Rowse implemented a terrestrial popup on the page of his then new blog, Digitial Photography School. You can read his article here:
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/10/23/how-to-drastically-increase-subscriber-numbers-to-your-email-newsletter/
This type of ad is about attention. The visitor has no choice but to look at some part of the ad. What Darren didn't talk about (but has since commented on) how this popup increases bounce rates and can easily decrease your overall CTR. These are not things that you want - at all. However, in the right scenario with the right visitors, this strategy can work.
My best advice is to know your readers. Think deeply about what they like and then preform A/B testing with small groups of people to figure out what works best for your unique audience. Test these types of things continually and eventually, you'll see easy to follow patterns that can dictate exactly what your readers will click on and what they won't.
Here is an article about A/B Testing:
http://robisit.com/why-is-a-b-testing-important/
Something else to consider is the value of AdSense. Google Ads are everywhere. People quickly become immune to marketing and as a result, your ads may simply be glazed over. Depending on your site, if you have the ability to solicit custom ads, these often convert the best. If you don't have the traffic or clout to work private ad deals, try other ad networks. There is rarely any harm in replacing an AdSense ad with one from another network. Measure carefully.
Use a service such as the Click report within Google Analytics or a service such as Crazy Egg's HeeatMap (http://www.crazyegg.com/) to see where your visitors are clicking. Move your ads as close to those regions as possible.
Value content over all else. People who worry about ads before they worry about content are often on the wrong path. Think of ways to drastically improve your content and implement those changes right away. Work diligently to get both your bounce rates and time on site numbers down as low as possible - then get them down further.
Ask your visitors. Use a service such as Woopra (http://www.woopra.com/) that will allow you to easily chat with your visitors in real time. Don't hit first time visitors up (it will creep them out) - track long tail users and when they view over 10 pages, give them a poke to chat first (form a connection) and then ask for some basic demographic information (age, sex, interests, hobbies, job title, last gadget bought, etc). Use this information to improve both your content and your ads.
I could keep going (and going and going) if you'd like some more ideas, leave a comment and I'll reply when I swing back around!
Rob
July 9, 2010
Easyeboy asked:
Robbrown answered:
This is a surprisingly complicated question.
No two communities are the same. You can have two identical sites and the community on each will be different. There is no "do this, get a strong community" answer.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about communities and how to grow them. As a Vertical Manager here on Mahalo for some time, most of my job was to build a small community and rally them toward a goal. I was successful.
I think that the single most important thing one can do to strengthen a community is believe in good Karma and the whole "do onto others" style of thinking. When you treat people with respect in a kind and giving way, they return that to you.
I also think that a strong community is founded in direction and goals. If you're rallying people together just to collect them, the community looses it's sense of worth. However, if you give them something to work toward as a group, the value of the community increases. If you can figure out what motivates the community and tie reward, purpose and result into something that the community enjoys, you will succeed.
For further reading, I suggest Drive by Dan Pink.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y
http://www.danpink.com/
No two communities are the same. You can have two identical sites and the community on each will be different. There is no "do this, get a strong community" answer.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about communities and how to grow them. As a Vertical Manager here on Mahalo for some time, most of my job was to build a small community and rally them toward a goal. I was successful.
I think that the single most important thing one can do to strengthen a community is believe in good Karma and the whole "do onto others" style of thinking. When you treat people with respect in a kind and giving way, they return that to you.
I also think that a strong community is founded in direction and goals. If you're rallying people together just to collect them, the community looses it's sense of worth. However, if you give them something to work toward as a group, the value of the community increases. If you can figure out what motivates the community and tie reward, purpose and result into something that the community enjoys, you will succeed.
For further reading, I suggest Drive by Dan Pink.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y
http://www.danpink.com/
July 9, 2010
Kosmo asked:
Robbrown answered:
These days, to be successful, a travel site needs to be broken down into a very specific niche. Something like "RV Travel" or "Culinary Travel" to be successful. If you're trying to create the next Expedia, please stop now - seriously.
So, the first question that needs to be answered is, "What is your niche?"
Generally, check out the answer that I gave to this question a while back. It has some very specific traffic building techniques that if translated into your specific niche should work out very well:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/whats-the-best-way-to-market-my-online-bitofwhimsyprimsetsycom-store-for-1000-or-less-besides-google-adwords
Some other general action items:
Content is king. It is now and it always will be. Have the best looking graphics, write the best sounding content, cater to your visitors now and the visitors you want in the future.
Set some goals and achieve them. Set your goals slightly above what you think you can achieve right now. Say "I want 10,000 visitors this month" and do WHATEVER IT F****ing TAKES to accomplish that goal. Chain yourself to a desk, ask your parents for a small cap loan, jump in the water feet first and never look back. If you can't do this, don't bother. The Internet is way too competitive for any sort of half assed messing around.
Give people things to talk about. We all know social networks are huge. What most people don't think about is what their "moral" is going to be and importantly what they're going to give other people to talk about. People don't talk about the long lines at security - people do talk about a Mexican party flight that somehow (pre 9/11) had a wet t-shirt contest on board.
Think creatively. People with millions of dollars in ad budgets don't need to be as creative as people with hundreds of dollars. Million dollar ad budgets can spread a message across the web like fire and result in a good return on investment. You can't do that with a few hundred (or a few thousand) dollars. Creativity is the key and the place to start is by defining your niche and your goals.
So, the first question that needs to be answered is, "What is your niche?"
Generally, check out the answer that I gave to this question a while back. It has some very specific traffic building techniques that if translated into your specific niche should work out very well:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/whats-the-best-way-to-market-my-online-bitofwhimsyprimsetsycom-store-for-1000-or-less-besides-google-adwords
Some other general action items:
Content is king. It is now and it always will be. Have the best looking graphics, write the best sounding content, cater to your visitors now and the visitors you want in the future.
Set some goals and achieve them. Set your goals slightly above what you think you can achieve right now. Say "I want 10,000 visitors this month" and do WHATEVER IT F****ing TAKES to accomplish that goal. Chain yourself to a desk, ask your parents for a small cap loan, jump in the water feet first and never look back. If you can't do this, don't bother. The Internet is way too competitive for any sort of half assed messing around.
Give people things to talk about. We all know social networks are huge. What most people don't think about is what their "moral" is going to be and importantly what they're going to give other people to talk about. People don't talk about the long lines at security - people do talk about a Mexican party flight that somehow (pre 9/11) had a wet t-shirt contest on board.
Think creatively. People with millions of dollars in ad budgets don't need to be as creative as people with hundreds of dollars. Million dollar ad budgets can spread a message across the web like fire and result in a good return on investment. You can't do that with a few hundred (or a few thousand) dollars. Creativity is the key and the place to start is by defining your niche and your goals.
July 9, 2010
Easyeboy asked:
Robbrown answered:
Least costly and most effective:
Third party word of mouth.
In short: engage customers to the point where they go out of their way to tell their friends about your product or service without an incentive. Online examples of third party word of mouth mediums include: social networks, online forums, customer reviews, etc.
Simple word of mouth advertising is equally as inexpensive but you need to reach a lot more people when you start this type of campaign. Online examples include landing pages, e-mail marketing, direct blog commenting, etc.
When you toured all over the U.S. handing out flyers and introducing people to your product, you were preforming simple word of mouth advertising. You may have found that this got the message out (you gave out all of your marketing material) but the conversion ratio on this effort was low. In contrast, if you develop a way for a smaller group of people to (with honesty) tell their friends how much they like your product, you'll see a significant increase in conversion.
Beyond word of mouth, there simply is not a cheap way to preform leadgen online if you do not have an existing audience. You need to spend a lot of money on banner ads, purchased traffic, etc in order to get your message in front of enough people to make it count.
The best advice that I can give you is to clearly outline your goals before you start marketing. Say something like "I want 100 new signups and I have $1000 to spend". This simple form of goal setting will give you a lot of power and armed with the knowledge that it's much more effective for a third party to recommend a service, you will likely meet your goal.
As a side note... have you considered becoming an advertiser on This Week In Social Networking? I don't know what the rates are, but if Jason, Lon and Mark are smart, they'll have a "value" package that includes a product review segment and a low upfront cost so that their advertising is attractive to the newest social networks out there. If nothing else, you might be able to talk them into accepting M$'s as payment :)
Third party word of mouth.
In short: engage customers to the point where they go out of their way to tell their friends about your product or service without an incentive. Online examples of third party word of mouth mediums include: social networks, online forums, customer reviews, etc.
Simple word of mouth advertising is equally as inexpensive but you need to reach a lot more people when you start this type of campaign. Online examples include landing pages, e-mail marketing, direct blog commenting, etc.
When you toured all over the U.S. handing out flyers and introducing people to your product, you were preforming simple word of mouth advertising. You may have found that this got the message out (you gave out all of your marketing material) but the conversion ratio on this effort was low. In contrast, if you develop a way for a smaller group of people to (with honesty) tell their friends how much they like your product, you'll see a significant increase in conversion.
Beyond word of mouth, there simply is not a cheap way to preform leadgen online if you do not have an existing audience. You need to spend a lot of money on banner ads, purchased traffic, etc in order to get your message in front of enough people to make it count.
The best advice that I can give you is to clearly outline your goals before you start marketing. Say something like "I want 100 new signups and I have $1000 to spend". This simple form of goal setting will give you a lot of power and armed with the knowledge that it's much more effective for a third party to recommend a service, you will likely meet your goal.
As a side note... have you considered becoming an advertiser on This Week In Social Networking? I don't know what the rates are, but if Jason, Lon and Mark are smart, they'll have a "value" package that includes a product review segment and a low upfront cost so that their advertising is attractive to the newest social networks out there. If nothing else, you might be able to talk them into accepting M$'s as payment :)
Robbrown answered:
Support costs.
Usually the TCO is lower for hosted solutions even if the month-to-month cost is higher.
In an office where one (or more) people are trained and have experience with the PBX being used, it may be less expensive for the company to use a PBX managed by or hosted with a 3rd party.
Personally, I'm a big fan of Asterisk; http://www.asterisk.org/
It is an open source PBX system. It is a one time fixed cost to have it setup by someone with experience. It doesn't require a lot of management but when it does, it is pretty easy for your in-house I.T. person to work with. If needed, everything but hardware problems can be fixed remotely and there is a large pool of contractors that can be found online to do this work remotely. Since Asterisk runs from a PC, hardware issues are also easy to solve.
In my experience hosted and contracted PBX systems are used by companies with very little to no technical knowledge. One can pay a monthly cost and have the PBX working reliably with a phone number to call if a problem ever does arise. Local PBX systems are used when the company either has a dedicated I.T. staff or is knowledgeable enough about technology to learn how to maintain either an off the shelf PBX system or an open source system such as Asterisk.
Usually the TCO is lower for hosted solutions even if the month-to-month cost is higher.
In an office where one (or more) people are trained and have experience with the PBX being used, it may be less expensive for the company to use a PBX managed by or hosted with a 3rd party.
Personally, I'm a big fan of Asterisk; http://www.asterisk.org/
It is an open source PBX system. It is a one time fixed cost to have it setup by someone with experience. It doesn't require a lot of management but when it does, it is pretty easy for your in-house I.T. person to work with. If needed, everything but hardware problems can be fixed remotely and there is a large pool of contractors that can be found online to do this work remotely. Since Asterisk runs from a PC, hardware issues are also easy to solve.
In my experience hosted and contracted PBX systems are used by companies with very little to no technical knowledge. One can pay a monthly cost and have the PBX working reliably with a phone number to call if a problem ever does arise. Local PBX systems are used when the company either has a dedicated I.T. staff or is knowledgeable enough about technology to learn how to maintain either an off the shelf PBX system or an open source system such as Asterisk.
July 8, 2010
Philipy asked:
Robbrown answered:
Here is what I use on my blog:
http://RobIsIT.com/
Adsense Now
http://www.thulasidas.com/adsense
All in One SEO Pack
http://semperfiwebdesign.com/
Adds a bunch of handy fields to input stuff SE's find helpful
Disqus Comment System
http://disqus.com/
Google XML Sitemaps
http://www.arnebrachhold.de/redir/sitemap-home/
Woopra along with Google Analytics
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woopra/
WPing.FM
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpingfm/
YOURLS: WordPress to Twitter
http://planetozh.com/blog/my-projects/yourls-wordpress-to-twitter-a-short-url-plugin/
http://RobIsIT.com/
Adsense Now
http://www.thulasidas.com/adsense
All in One SEO Pack
http://semperfiwebdesign.com/
Adds a bunch of handy fields to input stuff SE's find helpful
Disqus Comment System
http://disqus.com/
Google XML Sitemaps
http://www.arnebrachhold.de/redir/sitemap-home/
Woopra along with Google Analytics
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/woopra/
WPing.FM
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpingfm/
YOURLS: WordPress to Twitter
http://planetozh.com/blog/my-projects/yourls-wordpress-to-twitter-a-short-url-plugin/
Robbrown answered:
A 301 redirect will neither positively nor negatively effect the Google page rank of a page or site.
However, when a number of your incoming links are redirects of any nature (including 301), Search Engines such as Google may consider your site spammier then sites without redirects.
There are a number of different types of redirects, so it is important to make sure that you're using a 301 redirect. Here is an explanation: http://www.seoworkers.com/seo-articles-tutorials/permanent-redirects.html
SEO Chat has an easy to use online tool to check to see if your redirects are setup properly:
http://www.seochat.com/seo-tools/redirect-check/
There isn't much more authoratative than Matt Cutts - he works for Google.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70LR8H8pn1M
Aaron Wall wrote a little bit about this in a blog post. You might find it interesting:
http://www.seobook.com/archives/002394.shtml
Also, I helped write this popular Mahalo page that has a little bit of information on this topic:
How to SEO Your Website
In short, from my understanding:
It's all about ratio. If you are temporarily redirecting a small number inbound links to a single page, then you will not have a problem if you use a 301 redirect. If you're redirecting a significant portion of your inbound links (I'd guess more than 20%), if you change the redirects to different pages, or if you redirect for a very long period of time, then you may receive a decreased pagerank.
However, when a number of your incoming links are redirects of any nature (including 301), Search Engines such as Google may consider your site spammier then sites without redirects.
There are a number of different types of redirects, so it is important to make sure that you're using a 301 redirect. Here is an explanation: http://www.seoworkers.com/seo-articles-tutorials/permanent-redirects.html
SEO Chat has an easy to use online tool to check to see if your redirects are setup properly:
http://www.seochat.com/seo-tools/redirect-check/
There isn't much more authoratative than Matt Cutts - he works for Google.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70LR8H8pn1M
Aaron Wall wrote a little bit about this in a blog post. You might find it interesting:
http://www.seobook.com/archives/002394.shtml
Also, I helped write this popular Mahalo page that has a little bit of information on this topic:
How to SEO Your Website
In short, from my understanding:
It's all about ratio. If you are temporarily redirecting a small number inbound links to a single page, then you will not have a problem if you use a 301 redirect. If you're redirecting a significant portion of your inbound links (I'd guess more than 20%), if you change the redirects to different pages, or if you redirect for a very long period of time, then you may receive a decreased pagerank.
robbrown
- member since: Dec 23 2008
- last login: Jun 22 2011
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