Happy New Year: I Zapped Your Link!

You can tell who greeted the New Year in last night and who did not. Some blogs are silent today as bloggers recover from a night of revelry. Others had the presence of mind to “drip” their article by writing it while their sobriety was still with them.

As for me, I hit the pillow around 10:30 on New Year’s Eve and woke up as the firework’s were being set off in my neighborhood. I’ve been online since 7:30 a.m. updating the main HTML pages for this site, checking to make sure that all nine blogs I manage have flipped over for 2008, and updating links.

Not bad for a guy who will reach the Big 5-Oh in 2008, eh?

Speaking of links, I may have zapped your link today. Back in December 2006, I worked feverishly to exchange links with lots of folks with the arrangement that some would be permanent while others would expire at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2007. Not to waste a moment, I logged on this morning and tossed a bunch of links and then checked the remaining links to this blog to see if “reciprocity” was still in effect.

What I learned today was ugly.

Most of my writing friends are still blogging away and our linking agreements are in place. I understand that Georganna Hancock will be moving links to a special page in the near future (I may do the same here) while two other writing blogs have since gone dark.

The ugly part was all of the links I made with Digital Point (DP) members — only two of what was probably two dozen links still remained. So, if you think your link is still good here you better check your site as I could not find any sign that The Article Writer is still receiving link juice from you.

Regardless, my linking strategies have changed since my DP link-a-thon. Effective immediately, I will only allow other writers to have a link on this site under Reciprocity, but I am grandfathering in a few other links as the benefit to both parties outweighs everything else.

If you are a writer with a blog and are interested in exchanging links with me, then please drop me a note and we’ll take it from there. For everyone else, I have five other blogs where linking is allowed, therefore we might be able to work something out elsewhere. Again, feel free to contact me.

That’s enough work for today. I’m taking advantage of the legal holiday and my advanced age to get some rest.

Have a Happy and Productive 2008!

Please, Can We Stop The Google Whining Now?!

I’m feeling pain migrating through my stomach this morning. No, it isn’t indigestion — at least of the food kind — rather, it is all of the articles I have been taking in these past few days which are discussing Google and their massive PageRank penalty pogrom.

Some of the articles are informative and I can sympathize with those bloggers/webmasters who have been hit for no apparent reason. I am not defending Google, obviously some sort of explanation by Matt Cutts would be helpful when the smoke clears (i.e., when a full export to the Google toolbar of PageRank takes place).

PageRank Doesn’t Matter — Or Does It?

What bothers me is that there is a segment of the SEO world who is crying foul when they clearly have no reason for them to do so. After all, these are the same people who have told us over and over again that PageRank doesn’t matter. Really?! Then why are you objecting so strongly now? Have you had a change of heart?

My thinking is that we would all be better served if we were to take a step back and look at certain facts and respond intelligently to what has taken place:

Fact: Google is a public company and they can do what they want. Google answers to shareholders and they are in business to make money. As a customer, you are free to go elsewhere.

Fact: We have known for months that this day was coming. Google warned us and we talked about the upcoming changes. Sure, no one saw things unfolding the way that they have, but here we are. Now what will you do?

Fact: Google doesn’t own the internet. Yes, their influence easily outstrips the influence of any other company, but they do not own the world wide web. If Google offends you that much, then find other products to use (just like when you rejected Microsoft). Maybe it was a big mistake for you to build your business model on Google’s back in the first place.

Fact: The rise and fall of so many companies over time proves that Google’s popularity can easily be eclipsed by an unknown, future start up. Bill Gates thought that he was king way back when and a few years back Facebook was just a fun project for a Harvard student. The internet is in constant flux.

Fact: Google’s actions will make you a better business person. You knew that putting all of your eggs in one basket was dangerous, but you took the risk and are now paying for it. Let this be a lesson to you: businesses are built on the foundation of mistakes made and the lessons learned from those mistakes. If you are unable to learn from this experience, then perhaps being in business isn’t right for you.

Okay, this rant is officially over. Can we get on with what we were doing and find a way to do what we were doing better?