Author Archives: Pamela

Annotated Bibliography of SEO

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“About Search Engine Land.” Search Engine Land. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.<http://searchengineland.com/about>.

Search Engine Land, overseen by Matt McGee the Editor-in-Chief, provides an in-depth explanation of the ranking of search engines and how the operate. The article claims that search engines want people to perform search engine optimization (SEO) because it can help improve their search results. Furthermore, the article claims that content quality, keyword usage, and regular updating of the content, factor in the success of having a webpage and make the top results.

This article is relevant to understanding search engines and how they rank websites. It depicts the factors that will help websites gain more visitors from organic searches. The article wants the readers to associate the features of webpages with search rankings and make direct correlations to determine how to increase them. This is useful in formulating a comparison between content and webpage ranking and determining which features of websites and webpages are associated with higher search rankings. Although it may be hard to test the factors for the effectiveness of SEO, it can help in evaluating rankings.

“How Search Engine Optimization Works.” HowStuffWorks. 17 Jan. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

<http://computer.howstuffworks.com/search-engine-optimization.htm>.

How Stuff Works provides a general overview of search engine optimization and how it is used in two philosophies: the white hat approach and the black hat approach. The white hat approach refers to the usage of optimization strategies, techniques and tactics that focus on a human audience opposed to search engines. By contrast, the black hat approach refers to the use of aggressive search engine optimization strategies, techniques and tactics that focus only on search engines and not a human audience, and usually does not obey search engines guidelines.

This article is useful for understanding why search engine optimization is vital for anyone looking to make money on the internet and explains how having more visitors translates into more money. While some of the techniques might be questionable, the article is further useful in explaining why some large companies are willing to spend a considerable amount of money on search engine optimization consultants to increase the ranking of their company. The article is also helpful at revealing some of the challenges in search engine optimization approaches to find the right balance that satisfies both the visitors to the webpage and search engine spiders.

“How to Measure Website Performance and SEO Rankings.” HermesThemescom How to Measure Website Performance and Track Search Engine Rankings Comments. 14 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.<http://www.hermesthemes.com/measure-website-performance-track-search-engine-rankings/>.

As founder and lead developer at HermesThemes, Dumitru Brinzan article, “How to Measure Website Performance and search engine optimization Rankings.” discloses some of the tools and services used to analyze websites and track loading speed, performance, online presence & search engine rankings. Brinzan advices his readers to daily analyze aspects of their website’s performance as there is always something that can be tweaked and improved. Brinzan also advices his readers to monitor the performance of their main competitors as checking what they did to accomplish high ratings can be used to improve their own search engine rankings.

This article offers some useful tools that help in identifying and discussing strengths and weaknesses of websites performance and internet visibility. When investigating factors that increase a website’s ranking, it is useful to include a cross analysis of other websites with similar style and content that stand out from the competition. Evaluating the success rate of websites with high search engine rankings help to exam the concepts of search engine optimization and the contributing factors attributed to them.

Mason Gray, Chloe. “5 Things You Need to Know About Social Media & SEO.” 5 Things You Need to Know About Social Media & SEO. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.<https://blog.kissmetrics.com/social-media-and-seo/>

Chloe Mason Gray article, “5 Things You Need to Know About Social Media & SEO.” professes the importance that companies and agencies place on social media in regards to their search engine optimization strategy. Despite Google’s Matt Cutts having released a video which says that social signals do not affect search rankings, Mason Gray is confident that social profiles matter to Google and especially to people searching online. She wants marketers to see the value of having a profile with up-to-date info and engaging content and broaden their concept of search and search engine optimization to take into account the many ways people find content on the web.

This article is useful for evaluating whether social media influences searches and thus, play a role in search engine optimization. Although any research on the topic of search engine optimization should be critically analyzed, it is clear to Mason Gray that social media plays an important role in a person’s online presence. Therefore, the claims in the article support the viewpoint that an online presence through social media is important to consider implementing because of its added value to branding. The claims can also be used to argue the point that increasing social media presence can increase one’s search engine ranking.

 ” Web Directories and Specialized Search Engines.” Web Directories and Specialized Search Engines. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

<http://www.webconfs.com/web-directories-and-specialized-search-engines-article-18.php>.

Although Google is widely recognized and used, specialized search engines are also an important aspect of search engines. Webconfs defines specialized search engines as a tool to include in a search engine optimization arsenal (an array of resources available for a certain purpose). As an alternative search to generic search engines, specialized search engines are selective about what part of the web is crawled and indexed. Even though not all the databases meet the standards of what users expect in a return search, a search engine which is specialized in a particular topic usually generates a better quality of results than a generic one.

Including specialized search engines in a research project is useful in defining the difference between the generic searches and specialized searches. Webconfs identifies the benefits of applying a more comprehensive search to find almost anything and advises on choosing the right search engines. Specialized search engines can save time as many gather useful sites from user submissions rather than through the normal spider/robot process.

“What Is Search Engine?” What Is Search Engine? Web. 15 Nov. 2015.<http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/searengi.htm>.

Founded in November 1998 in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Nathan Emberton, Computer Hope explains that a search engine is a software program or script available through the Internet that searches documents and files for keywords and returns the results of any files containing those keywords. The article also illustrates the correlation of search engines to a spider/crawler which automatically visits pages and indexes their contents. As data is collected, it is used to rank the page and is the primary method a search engine uses to determine if a page should be shown and in what order.

Any comprehensive research of the optimization of search engines should include an synopsis of what search engines consist of. In addition, to understand how search engines can be influenced to rank webpages higher, it is important to also know how it functions. Computer hope provides information on both what a search engine is and how if functions and includes its various algorithms (a list of instructions, procedures, or formulas used to solve a problem).

Annotated Bibliography Reflection

Thinking about my sources in respect to their usefulness is not a new concept to me but actually laying them out in an annotated format is. In all my history of writing, I was never asked to annotate a bibliography and never knew exactly what it meant. That being said, I am a believer in annotating and found this to be an important and necessary part of my bibliography. I also welcome the opportunity to participate in this exercise as it contributes in the value and credibility of my project.

I had never thought about a bibliography being anything other than a list or that it could stand on its own but this exercise has opened my eyes to that fact. Annotating my sources provide more meaning to them in a way that helps define the scope of my project. Deciding how the sources contribute to my thesis was my initial step in determining which ones to choose. My chosen sources are primarily based upon my intended arguments or points of view. Each source addresses a different point and therefore is streamlined according to value and usefulness. After choosing a source. I focus on specific research questions that help frame my thesis.

Some of my research questions are:

  • What did the author want to accomplish and was the goal achieved?
  • What method(s) did the author use?
  • How credible is the author and what sources did he/she use?
  • What is the point of view of the author and does the source support my argument?

This exercise on annotating bibliographies has changed the way I view and participate in writing. It calls me to take a more critical analysis when choosing sources and to know that evaluating a source is on what is being said is an important skill to become familiar with and master. I can see how using this tool has already enhanced my intellectual capacity to read intelligently and communicate cogently. Being able to provide a concise exposition to readers is my goal and the technique of annotating contributes to that outcome. I also find that I can apply the same concept to anything I read, see, or listen to.

Annotating my bibliography has helped me to formulate my content. By summarizing the sources and describing why the source are useful for researching, I was able to

The main and topic of my project is search engine optimization. The idea is that websites can be influenced to improve search engine rankings. Other key terms are:

  • Spider (A program that visits websites and reads their pages and other information in order to create entries for a search engine).
  • Black Hat SEO (refers to controversial SEO methods used to acquire higher Web page search engine rankings).
  • White Hat SEO (refers to SEO strategies that aim to build a quality website over the long term by focusing on the website’s audience).

 

Search Engine Land

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“About Search Engine Land.” Search Engine Land. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
<http://searchengineland.com/about>.

Search Engine Land is a daily publication that covers all aspects of search marketing industry and is overseen by Matt McGee, the Editor-in-Chief. The site features an article about search engine optimization. The article provides an overview of search engines and how the operate. In doing so, discussed are the three major groups that make up a website: on-the-page SEO, off-the-page-SEO, and violations.

This article is relevant to the understanding of search engines and how they rank websites. It also provides an understanding of how to improve a website’s ranking.

Revised Proposal – Search Engine Optimization

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Project Proposal

Topic: Search Engine Optimization Techniques

All major search engines have primary search results. This is where content like web pages, images, and videos are listed. These listings are free results and are ranked based upon what the search engine considers most relevant to users. Although there are no guarantees to have a number one spot through a search, by understanding and using search engine optimization, it is possible to achieve a high ranking on search engine return pages (SERPs).

I propose a detailed analysis of search engine optimization which includes the techniques and contributing factors that influence them. In this project, I will explain the followng:

  1. The main objectives of search engine optimization and the method it uses to boost the frequency of a website results returned by a search engine in an effort to maximize user traffic to the site.
  2. How to measure website success using indicators and analytic tools.

As an interactive component of my research project, I will conduct the following case studies:

  1. Select a webpages, images, or video and track its ranking over a 4 or 5 week period and record any changes daily in a progress report.
  2. Compare a competitors ranking in a comparison report.
  3. Create a webpage, image, or video and track its ranking daily over a 4 or 5 week period.

Multimodalities to be used:

  1. Excel for progress reports
  2. Video maker/image maker to create personal image
  3. Pinterest/Youtube
  4. Other.

Topics and Projected Timeline:

Week of November 15th

  • Explain search engine optimization (SEO)
    • Strategies, techniques and tactics used to increase the number of visitors to a website by obtaining a high-ranking placement in search results.
  • Explain search engine return pages (SERPs)
    • Discuss the process of listing results returned by a search engine in response to a query or search word.
  • Select a webpage to track its ranking.
    • Examine the contributing factors.
  • Select a competitor’s webpage to track its ranking.
  • Create a comparison report.
  • Create a personal image or video and post to Pinterest or Youtube.

Week of November 22nd

Discuss SEO obstacles and look at two SEO philosophical approaches:

  • White hat approach – follows all search engine rules and policies. Focuses on relevancy and organic ranking Topics:
    • Keywords
    • Spiders/crawlers
    • Headers
    • Keyword stuffing
    • Link analysis
  • Black hat approach – use of aggressive SEO tactics that do not follow search engine rules and policies Topics:
    • Redirecting
    • Page stuffing
    • Selling and farming links

Continue:

  • Update webpage progress report
  • Update competitors webpage tracking progress report
  • Update comparison report.
  • Update personal image or vedio tracking progress report

Week of November 29th

Discuss how to measure a website performance and search engine optimization rankings using a website speed test.

Continue:

  • Update webpage progress report.
  • Update competitors webpage tracking progress report.
  • Update personal image or video tracking progress report.

Week of December 6th

Finalize project and conclude progress reports and comparision report.

  • Webpage progress report.
  • Competitor’s webpage progress report.
  • Personal image or video tracking progress report.

Material Resources:

Producing New and Digital Media, James Cohen and Thomas Kenny

“5 Things You Need to Know About Social Media & SEO.” 5 Things You Need to Know About Social Media & SEO. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <https://blog.kissmetrics.com/social-media-and-seo/>.
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/top-31-seo-experiment%E2%80%8Bs-you-want-to-know-about/63855/
“How Search Engine Optimization Works.” HowStuffWorks. 17 Jan. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/search-engine-optimization.htm>.
“SEO Experiments – Google PageRank Logarithm Scale Base Experiment – Best SEO Tips.” SEO Experiments – Google PageRank Logarithm Scale Base Experiment – Best SEO Tips. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <http://seolutions.net/Google-PageRank-Log-Base-Experiment.php>.
“Website Rank Tracking in Real Time – Rankinity.” Website Rank Tracking in Real Time – Rankinity. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <https://rankinity.com/>.
“How to Measure Website Performance and SEO Rankings.” HermesThemescom How to Measure Website Performance and Track Search Engine Rankings Comments. 14 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hermesthemes.com/measure-website-performance-track-search-engine-rankings/>.

Controlling our Digital Presence and Identity

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It was very easy for me to review all my social media accounts and determine what my digital presence and identity is. The fact is that I only have a couple: Facebook and Twitter. Although Facebook is my most prominent of the two, I do have a small digital presence on Twitter. I would say what I don’t post on Facebook tell more about me than what I do post. By that, I mean that I rarely post.  So for me, it’s more about creating a digital identity that I would want to be known for.

But the fact, it is easy to forget that what we post online can remain online even if we delete it and this can potentially hurt our career and relationships. Anything we choose to upload, tweet, reblog, favorite, “like”, can be endless and very hard to erase. Whether our information is shared intentionally or unintentionally, our digital footprint is being gathered by various companies and employers and often used to obtain personal information about us. According to Cohen and Kenny “from the moment you turned on your first computer and double-clicked on the icon for the web browser of your choice, you have created an abundance of personal information, available through search engines such as Google or Yahoo!” (207). That is why it is far better to be in control of our digital identity than to allow something to take control. But whether we are branding, as in my case, or re-branding, it is important to be aware of the information that is out there about us. Even if we didn’t post the information, it may be attached to someone else’s post.

But how do we control our digital identity? Understanding the significance of our digital footprint is an important step in protecting our online identity. Cohen and Kenny (pp. 205-206) ask readers to consider what their online identity is and then take charge of it. To answer this question takes some thought, not because it is a hard question but because it is an important one and starts with knowing what we do everyday that is recorded. That doesn’t mean that we should be afraid to go online and visit sites. The best thing to do is not to stay offline but to be conscious of what we post.

The best way to control our digital identity is by deciding what communities we want to be a part of and what content we want to post. We should also decide what social media profiles we want to use such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Also important is to use positive aspects to help create our personal branding for example, a personal blog can highlight our strengths and personality. Finally, we should realize that controlling our digital presence and identity is long-term challenge that requires dedication and persistence.

Online Personal Branding – Digital Footprints

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My project is about online personal branding. The purpose of my project is to show how people brand themselves online by expressing their interest, beliefs, ethos, values, talents and skills, and how social media plays a significant role in how our peers and employers perceive us. I am interested in this project because an online identity is a growing trend and is very important in today’s society.

This project will teach me how to use social media platforms to create a digital footprint and analyze how I can build my reputation by contributing to online communities. This project will address the following questions:

  • what do you want to be known for?
  • what differentiates you from everyone else?
  • where are your passion areas?
  • who are you at your core?
  • what makes you unique?
  • what do you do everyday that is true to you?
  • what content do you want to share?
  • how do you want to be perceived?
  • what is your authentic brand?
  • how can you best enhance social relationships?

This project will also act as a quick reference guide to personal branding. With the growing job market, it is important to create contacts that will provide options for establishing networks and embrace social media. I will examine blogging, social streaming, video channels, and websites as mediums for networking and reputation building.

I will discuss the following steps to building a personal brand and the tools to engage on social media and develop an authentic voice:

  • identifying personal passions
    • likes, dislikes, unique creativity and personal style, natural talents and gifts
  • Developing a core message
    • mission statement
    • own unique view
  • Choosing web mediums
    • domain name
    • content management
    • creating a theme
  • Blogging and starting a website
    • embedding videos, presentations, and images
  • Actively participating in the following communities:
    • Twitter
    • facebook
    • linkedIn
    • youtube
    • google+
  • Using Social Media Dashboard

I will discuss some of the following advantages that can result from having a personal brand:

  • Increased recognition
  • opportunities
  • partnerships

Sources:

quicksprout.com/the-complete-guide-to-building-your-personal-brand/
Producing New and Digital Media: Your Guide to Savvy Use of the Web, Cohen and Kenny

Class Notes 10/27/15

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The crowdsourcing postings are not optional and counts towards our grades.  It was due two days ago and those who have not participated should go back and revisit them.  Everyone should participate in the ongoing conversation.  Credit will still be given.

For Thursday we should focus on Jones and Hafner and Cohen and Kenny.  If the Syrian boy post is not finished or posted, it should be done by Thursday.

Presentations:

Fola: Meme’s Ability to Change Over Time

  • Discourse communities
  • Where memes originated
  • How images are manipulated

Mariah:  “Just Do It”

  • Introduced Shia Labeouf
  • Advertising and image have merged
  • Self distribution of image and self
  • Commercial use and parodies

Samantha: Twitter: The power of a retweet

  • How we communicate on Twitter
  • Explained what retweets are and the purposes
  • Political and entertainment spreading
  • Terms and conditions of Twitter

Discussion:  “Iconographic Tracking: A Digital Research Method for Visual Rhetoric and Circulation Studies.”

We are required to rethink rhetoric and our composing strategies. It is important to the flow of new visual images.

We have a sharing society where we have the freedom to post anything as opposed to some other countries which have restrictions.

To verify stories, we should try to get at least three viable sources.

For iconic tracking, it is necessary to have a big dataset to identify patterns and terms.

Question: Does the image stand alone? Gries argues that we should be open to other possibilities.

Glossary Terms:

Creative comments: you can use other people’s images for your own purposes but you have to give credit to the original source.

Open source: relates more specifically to software which is made available openly and you don’t have to buy it.

Open access: publishing it means it can be accessed anywhere freely. It creates greater access and therefore a greater impact.

The Impact of Viral Videos

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After reading Racist Visual Rhetoric and Images of Trayvon Martin by Lisa Lebduska, I can see clearly how scopic regime is the difference between the way our culture constructs fiction and fact.  To every story, there are some elements that trigger a reaction in us and determine specific ways of seeing. In order to make sense of the things we see, we visualize an image that takes place in the scopic regime.  Why is it that images and videos have such an impact on us?  I would have to say that it’s because imagery and visual mediation is such powerful tool that it can both alleviate pain and stress and cause pain.

In today’s society, imagery plays such an important role and sadly, many of what we see in social media can often be damaging and volatile. A rumor posted on social media can rapidly and extensively spread and in the case of Trayvon Martin, the media has conflated images and texts collaboratively tell the story of such a tragic case. The question can be asked, why does some videos go viral while others do not? On both sides of the Martin and Zimmerman’s case, there has been a deliberately “engineered” action to use viralty to spread content and mobilize support. As Jones and Hafner stated “One important though sometimes neglected aspect of digital literacy in the ability to use digital tools to manage, distribute and focus attention.”

Clearly, it is the rhetorical influence that viral videos have upon the public to control how we exchange information and related to each other. As participants in online discourse communities and social networks, it has become very easy to  share mutual interests, help one another with questions, voice complaints and share experiences and information.

 

#Whyiwrite – My Passion

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Coming from a very large family consisting of five brothers and two sisters did not give me much room for individual space. School was where I was able to amuse myself and express my individuality without my siblings being around. As I think back, I remember the ladybird books. They were the books that were used in my primary school. They consisted of about 36 English language books with whole words that we were taught to recognize on sight. The books were about two children called Peter and Jane and had a lot of pictures to go along with the words. The concept was that the majority of the language that we use in our everyday lives is based upon a few key words. By repeating these words over and over again, I was able to build my vocabulary.

LADYBIRD

As a child, I would write lots of stories, but today, I still like to write and find ways to help others is the best way I can. That includes writing professional documents that represent my ability comprehensive information. Below is an example a document that I prepared which reflects my passion for writing:

Download (PDF, 424KB)