Monday, June 7th, 2010 | Permalink
My view last week
A funny thing happened to me about 10 days ago: I went on a vacation and turned my brain off.
Did I intend to do so? Not really. Did I have every intention of firing up my laptop to continue working feverishly? Absolutely. Did I actually do that? Nope. Do I feel guilty. Not at all. (more…)
Friday, May 28th, 2010 | Permalink
It’s Friday, and while that generally means another installment of the Weekly Rockstar Blogger Series, I’m going to veer in another direction today…
A good blogger friend of mine, Alex Whalley, needs your help. Well, actually his mother needs your help; and when a mother is in need of assistance, you can bet your bottom bootstraps that a good son (I’m assuming Alex qualifies, he seems like a decent chap) will come running to the rescue. (more…)
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 | Permalink
As usual, I spent the wee morning hours of April 15 furiously putting together my income taxes. Each year I say I’ll take care of them before the last minute, yet I always end up in the same place: the kitchen table at 2 a.m. with a pencil, a dinky calculator a handful of stamps and a rather sour facial expression.
But as much as I’d love to talk about my superior procrastination skills, let’s move on to the real subject of this post…
And perhaps even more importantly: Can It Be Taken Off Your Taxes?
In some situations, yes. While the only true way to know if your computer is deductible is to check with a professional accountant (no, I’m not a CPA so this post does NOT count as legal tax advice, so don’t game the IRS then say “But Lee said…”), there are a few generalities that might come in handy.
Are You “Self Employed”?
If you declare yourself as self employed and can prove that a computer is vital to your work, there’s a good chance you can deduct your computer. This is pretty easy considering almost every job on the planet uses a computer these days – I even heard a story around my neighborhood that a junior high kid made $3,000 last summer mowing lawns and tracked his expenses, set up email appointments and built his schedule on a laptop…
Are You an “Online Business Owner?”
Many people who try to make money online set up a legal business entity for their money-making efforts. Not only do they label computers as a business expense, but they also count domain registration fees, hosting fees, software prices, marketing costs, freelance wages and more.
Simply qualifying to take the cost of your computer out of your business earnings isn’t enough to satisfy the IRS. Come to think of it, I don’t think anything is enough to satisfy the IRS, but that’s another story.
If you’re confident that your computer cost can come off your taxes, you must do the following:
Fill Out The Appropriate Paperwork. The IRS has all sorts of crazy schedules for businesses expenses. The most obvious one is the Schedule C (business profits and loss), but there are literally hundreds of others. Nothing about taxes is easy.
Keep Good Records. If your return gets flagged by the fine folks at the Internal Revenue Service (or even your state or local tax commission), it doesn’t do a lick of good to say “I promise all the numbers I used were accurate.” You need verifiable records, primarily receipts.
Talk To A Tax Pro. If you take nothing else out of this post, take this: Only a professional tax specialist can assess your particular situation.
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 | Permalink
You may remember my giddy school-girl excitement a few days ago when I mentioned that I had written my very first guest post for another blogger? It’s up now at PlantingDollars.com, and I’d love you guys to check it out and tell me what you think.
Here’s the full title: What A Dragster Mechanic Taught Me About Living Cheaply.
Chances are that 80 percent of the people reading this today are actually visiting from PlantingDollars, since Ryan has a daily readership that makes my monthly viewership droop a chocolate bunny rabbit in a hot Arizona sun. So, logically, there’s an 80 percent chance that YOU have never been here before, but followed the link in my guest post at PlantingDollars!
That’s So Cool! Glad to have you! I hope you like my cozy little blog – feel free to look around the place, make yourself at home, grab a cold beverage from the virtual refrigerator… mi casa es su casa.
I hope to have a great, real, first-person answer to that after my guest post has aged for a while and I can provide some actual hard data. In the meantime, here is a so-so good answer:
Writing guest posts seems like a great way to accomplish three things:
1. Increase Traffic. If you guest blog on a site that gets considerable traffic, you’ve got a great chance that some of those readers will wonder over to your blog. Most of them will probably only stick around once, but a small percentage may become life long readers.
2. Search Engine Optimization. Most blogs allow their guest writers to include a couple of backlinks to their own sites, with anchor text of their choosing (so long as the wording fits the story). Backlinks from sites that Google (and the other search engines) see as authority sites will help your search engine domination efforts big time.
3. Make Friends. If nothing else, writing for other people’s blogs is a great way to get to know the other person. Chances are you’ve at least emailed back and forth once or twice in the process of setting up the post. In this instance, I’ve emailed Ryan a couple of times and can honestly say that he’s just as cool in person as he is at PlantingDollars.
4. Show Your Skills. I know, I know… I said “3 important things” not “4.” But I couldn’t resist this one. As a professional writer, it’s easy to get into a slump. Especially on a blog. It eventually seems like you’re writing for the sake of writing, rather than creating the next literary masterpiece. Guest posting provides some fresh inspiration and a sink-or-swim challenge: If your story isn’t good, not only will you look like a dork in front of a giant audience, the blogger may reject it entirely.
Ryan, the blog mastermind behind Planting Dollars, has a really great angle on the often drab subject of personal finance. The guy is fresh out of college and gave up a “dream job” (read: horrible atmosphere with a great paycheck) to live at Hawaii on a budget of next to nothing. He makes ends meet by living cheaply, and in the process seems to enjoy the living heck out of his life.
If you’re not already familiar with Planting Dollars, I’d recommend checking it out. Not only is it chalk full of great financial tips, it’s also flowing with great website building topics and even the occasional picture of a shark.
In fact, seeing the early success of Planting Dollars was my big inspiration for starting Search Engine Viking.
… if you haven’t already read it. I had a great time writing it, and I’d like to know what you guys think.
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 | Permalink
1. Your comment must be specifically related to the post. No ambiguous “Good stuff, thanks.”
2. Your comment must have at least one complete sentence. Subject, verb… that kind of stuff.
3. Your comment must be written in English. I’m not being a bigot, but I can’t read other languages; and if I don’t know what you’re saying, I won’t feel comfortable accepting it. Besides, the blog itself is written in English, so a *real* commenter would understand the English language well enough to shape a decent sentence or two.
4. Your comment must demonstrate an actual interest. This doesn’t have to be anything big, but do something to prove that you at least skimmed the post.
5. Your replies must be real replies. If you reply to another comment, make sure you actually address the question or concern that the original poster has.
6. No overtly vulgar and/or profane comments. I swear just a little more frequently than the average sailor, and you’ll see me drop the occasional bomb in my posts. I really don’t mind if you do the same in your comments, so long as it’s not over the top. Is this wishy-washy? Of course. But I don’t know how else to explain it. If every second word is the F-bomb or an exotic sexual position, I’ll probably nix it.
7. You can leave keywords as your name, but only if you follow the above rules. I understand the importance of backlinks and anchor text, so it’d be hypocritical to disallow the very thing I’m talking about. But, you MUST follow all of my Blog Commenting rules.
See, that’s not so bad.
When I visit my grandparents’ house, they’ll often make me a spam sandwich. Call me weird, but I love THAT kind of spam. Gelatinous meat-ish product in a tin can… mmmm.
As for the other kind of Spam – like renegade backlink comments… I don’t like that kind nearly as much.
But, I guess as a small sign of early success, I’m at the point where I’m getting at least 20 spam comments per day. Most of them are easy to spot from a mile away, like this classic:
Get free penis pills NOW!
That’s easy to spot, right? Unfortunately, spam like that isn’t the problem. I can easily hit the “spam” button and feel no remorse.
What makes this whole comment moderation process difficult is the people who are a little more creative. They’re hoping to sneak past comment filters with comments like these:
This is a good post, I stumbled across your article while looking for free downloads. Thanks for sharing, I’ll be sure to recommend this site to others.
See the problem? I can’t tell if this is genuine or not. (Actually I can tell because I got this exact same comment 15 times from different IP addresses, all pointing back to the same URL). But you probably get where I’m going with this.
I really don’t want to accidentally label anybody’s comment as Comment Spam if it truly isn’t. But because shady SEO dealers are getting sneaky with their comment styles, I’m reluctantly starting this Blog Commenting Policy.
Monday, March 29th, 2010 | Permalink
I finally took a huge step in my blogging career and wrote my first guest post for somebody else’s blog.
Why did I spend time creating content for a website that’s not mine?
For a couple of reasons:
1. It’s Awesome. I love the blog I wrote for (my post hasn’t been published yet, so I won’t leak any extra details until it hits the press), so it’s really cool being “initiated” into this particular cool kids’ club. No more eating my lunch by the pay phone…
2. It Builds Readership. Hopefully a couple of people will be inclined to check this site out once they read my post over there, even if it is based on the logic of “I have to see what else this idiot says.” And if I’m really lucky, a couple of these folks might actually come back.
3. It Builds Backlinks. A backlink back to SearchEngineViking.com from a high-quality site/blog? Yes, please! That’s what Search Engine Optimization is all about…
Where did I submit this guest post?
I can’t tell you – at least not just yet. The other blogger has it scheduled to “print” in a few days. As soon as it does, I’ll point a sweet link so you can check it out.
Actually, the other guy probably wouldn’t mind me telling, but I like building tension. It’s what makes Christmas so great.
Monday, March 15th, 2010 | Permalink
Until recently, I’ve never been the type of guy that left comments on any blog, even the ones I read every morning. In fact, it wasn’t until right up before launching Search Engine Viking that I wrote a single comment on a website that wasn’t either a real-life friend’s blog or a sly SEO backlink trick.
But like Tiger Woods under interrogation, I’ve changed my tune.
Now I love writing blog comments. And you should, too. Here’s why:
Ride the wave of Internet awesomeness
Regardless of if the blog you’re reading gets 10,000 hits per second or two hits per month, the guy (or gal) writing it loves knowing people care. No, I’m not going to get all touchy-feely here and suggest we should all go out of our way to hug each other and offer the kind of encouragement you’d give a kindergartner who finally smeared something resembling an upper-case “G” on his lunchbox. But pouring hundreds (if not thousands) or words onto the Internet on a regular basis can get awful tedious unless you know people are actually reading it.
Would you keep working on something if nobody showed any interest? Not unless you’re a congressman. If you’ve found a blog post that provides information you are looking for, or have a couple that you read on a regular basis, drop the writer a note in the comment section. Believe me, it’ll make his or her day, and will likely help keep the blog growing for years (or days) to come.
When most people read a blog post, they’ll scroll down into the comment section and see what other people added. If you say something that resonates with them, there’s a very good chance they’ll says to themselves “If this person’s comment is this cool, I can only imagine the awesomeness that awaits me at their website… must… click… now…”
Almost every blog that allows comments has a way to add a link back to your site. Chances are you already knew this, but for those of you who didn’t – you’re welcome!
This is a point of contention and sure to make me look like a hero (to the SEO crowd) or a villain (to the blogging community), but it is sometimes possible to build backlinks to your website for SEO purposes by commenting on blogs.
I say “sometimes” because, well, I’m trying to avoid a 2,500-word rant about NoFollow, DoFollow and a whole host of other topics that some people say – Whoa! Almost fell into that rant anyway. Not this time (but probably later).
Know this: I honestly believe that blog commenting can help your Search Engine Optimization efforts, even if some of the gurus say otherwise. I know this because I’ve tested it.
That’s right, by commenting on blogs, people will like you. Simple as that.
I’m quickly realizing how friendly the blogging community is. It’s like the group of school kids who talk to you even when nobody else will. They’ll spot you 60 cents for a Diet Mountain Dew when you’re short, notice your new hair cut and bring you soup when you’re ill.
Yes, the blog community is pretty darn cool. And all you have to do to “get in” is leave a few comments. You don’t even need your own blog or website, just a smile and the willingness to get out there and say “hi.”
Thursday, February 25th, 2010 | Permalink
I’ll be honest, “Dominate The Internet” isn’t very specific. Heck, it’s not specific at all. Yet I’m using it as the catch phrase for this entire website. No, I’m not hopped up on cold medicine, there is a certain method to my madness. Crazy? Perhaps. Sober? Definitely.
We live in an electronic world. I’d say at least 110% of the U.S. population spends a decent amount of time online every day. And in Europe that number probably rises to 110.06%. So many people in one space. Talk about a captive audience. If you want to say, sell or show something, the Internet is the place to do it.
In the “real world” you can reach only as far as your voice carries, which isn’t very far, even for someone like me who talks pretty loud. You can expand this reach by taking advantage of traditional media, like print, radio and television, but that’s pretty spendy, and most marketing firms don’t give discounts for loud voices (tell that to the guys who narrate TV furniture commercials).
But it’s different on the Internet. Here you can just as easily bump elbows with someone living halfway across the world as you could your next door neighbor. With so many people booting up their favorite Internet browser every day (with SearchEngineViking.com loaded up as the home page… right?), the online world has become a condensed meeting place for just about everything, even stuff that most people would have thought were strictly “real world” just a few years ago.
Hanging Out With Friends. Social media like Facebook, Twitter and, back in the day, MySpace, made it easier for buddies, friends and stalkers to keep track of each others’ lives, often at the expense of random public embarrassment.
Hooking Up For Romantic Dates. Every day I see a new advertisement for a match making website that takes the “picking up” process out of dating. Just enter your personal information and the software does the rest. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the man or woman of your dreams. At the very least you’ll meet up with some college kids who filled out a profile as a joke.
Reading The Newspaper. I haven’t read a physical newspaper in four years, and I’m a former newspaper reporter. My guess is most people aren’t reading them either, that’s why they keep going out of business.
And those are just a few examples.
My main point is (I did have a point in all of this, I promise), is the we spend so much time on the Internet that a person/business/organization would be silly to not focus a majority of their efforts in that direction.
If you want to sell something, forget brick and mortar stores. They’re too expensive. Sell you stuff online. You’ll have a huge potential customer base and a smaller overhead cost. Win-win if you ask me.
If you want to say something, would you rather stand on a soapbox and yell at the top of your lungs or say it in a venue with potentially kajillions of listeners? If I have a point to make about Istanbul, it doesn’t matter how hard I yell from the Pacific Northwest, the Turks aren’t going to hear me. Unless they’ve tapped my phone. Those sneaky, sneaky buggers.
So if you’re really looking to dominate anything, you must do so on the Internet.
(Image by aulasvirtuales)
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Permalink
Greetings, and welcome to the very first installment of SearchEngineViking.com. If you’ve stumbled across this page, you’re probably asking yourself:
“How in the heck did I end up here?”
That’s an excellent question, if I do say so myself. It’s well worded, articulate and straight to the point. It speaks volumes about you as a person. Well done, old chap. Such a wonderful question deserves a wonderful answer, right? I’ll try my best…
You ended up here for any number of reasons. Allow me to elaborate:
1. You Found This Page In The Search Engines. Somehow Google, Yahoo, MSN or one of the smaller search engines decided to index this page into its listings. And for whatever reason, the term you were searching for is somehow associated with this page. It’s my guess you were looking for “Super Sexy Dude” or “Great Looking Guy” or even “Lame Boring Guy Who Tries Pumping Himself Up Through Web Copy.”
2. You Followed A Link From Another Website Or Blog. Webmasters and bloggers love spreading “link love” to the sites and pages they enjoy. So it’s entirely possible that someone linked directly to this page, probably with the anchor text “Check Out This Lame Guy.”
3. You Read One Of My Guest Posts And Clicked On The Link. I love writing random stuff, and as a result of that I frequently write guest posts on other people’s blogs. The topics are fairly diverse, ranging from “A Smart Ass Guide To Personal Finance” to “A Smart Ass Guide To Make You Dog Stop Chewing Your Cellular Phones.” When I write guest posts, the person who owns the blog usually includes a link to this site, perhaps even this page.
4. You Clicked On A Link To This Page From Within This Site. You could have done this in several ways, but that’s not really important. The fact is you were cruising around and ended up here. Well done. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride so far.
5. You Are One Of The First Visitors To SearchEngineViking.com. Considering this is the very first post, it will stay up on the front page until I write enough new posts to push it into the netherworld of the Archives. There’s a solid chance that somehow you’ve stumbled in here during this blog’s infancy, and are actually reading this while it’s fresh.
6. You Bookmarked This Page. You, my friend, are very weird.
7. You Are My Mom. Hi Mom.
See, there are plenty of ways you could have gotten here. But chances are you left before reaching this point, since the average web surfer spends about .001 seconds scanning a page before deciding if he or she will stay, and since this blog is about as graphically pleasing as a spilled can of tomato soup, nothing caught your attention. So in that sense you aren’t even reading this, which means I’m writing for no real reason.
But for those of you who stuck around, thanks! I’m both pleased that you’ve enjoyed the contents of this Introduction post but saddened by your apparent lack of anything better to do. Not to say there isn’t a lot of great stuff on my other pages, but this one is pretty thin. So if you were hoping for a surprise ending, sorry to disappoint you…
“Surprise!” There you go.
p.s. Writing in future tense is harder than I thought – I mean, will be harder than I thought.
Bad Robots, Welcome To Captchaville
Friday, April 2nd, 2010 | Permalink
It’s funny, but ever since I wrote up my new Comment Rules a few days ago, the automated spam bots have been coming after me like Tom Hanks chasing Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me If You Can.” They’ve become relentless, dropping pointless drabble (usually just random letters) and a bunch of links.
This is the BAD way to build backlinks, but sadly it does work because many bloggers don’t moderate their comments. I do. But it’s taking its toll. Every time I log in I’ve got dozens of them, waiting, staring me down…
Long story short, I’ve had it with fighting automated spam programs in hand-to-hand combat, so I’ve added a Captcha to Search Engine Viking. I know these things can be frustrating from a person standpoint, so thank you in advance for your patience!
As for you robots out there: I know you’ll figure a way around this, you always do, but in the meantime: Eat My Shorts!
Tags: Captcha, Comments, Spam
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »