You Are Your Pingbacks

Wednesday, 14 March, 2012 11:07 Written by Mac

You are your pingbacks.

Before I elaborate, it probably behooves me to explain what pingbacks are, since I claim they define you, or rather your blog presence.

Trackbacks vs Pingbacks

“Way back when” in the early blogging days, people wanted to be notified when someone linked to a post on their blog. Enter the trackback, an automated process using HTTP POST that sends authors notification when someone references their blog post using a special tracking link.

It was pretty cool. You could share comments back and forth between posts, and the person who wrote the original article received a link to the replying article, which showed up as part of the comment.

But issues with the authenticity of trackback comments quickly surfaced, since the person being linked to originally could edit the trackback to make the comment say whatever they wanted. So the original article may have been referenced and criticized by the second author, but the first author could edit the text to make it a glowing recommendation.

Also, you had to use a special tracking link, which was an extra step. Who needs extra steps in their life? Not the average blogger.

Enter the pingback. It simplified the linking process by only requiring that you linked to the original post within the text of your blog post. All you have to do to make it work is just enable pingbacks in your WordPress dashboard.

Pingbacks cut out the comments that came with the links, so people couldn’t edit the nature of the reference. They could only approve or deny the link.

Some people like trackbacks better because they give context to the link, some like pingbacks better because they’re harder to fake.

Ping-MAY-toe – track-MAH-toe. Now you know.

Back to the pingbacks metaphor…

OK. So I was saying that you are your pingbacks. Here’s what I’m getting at:

A genuine pingback – or trackback if you prefer – is evidence that you’re doing something right. You’re talking about subjects that interest people enough to make them want to link to you, to discuss you and what you’re thinking about.

If you’re not getting pingbacks and you’ve been at blogging for a while (spam pingbacks don’t count – and you should be able to tell the difference quickly by visiting a pingback link), you need to re-evaluate what you’re doing.

Have you done keyword research to determine if your subject matter is popular with others? Are you working to hone your writing and your “voice”? Are you staying on topic so people can begin to understand your brand through your blog?

All these and other factors are affecting visitors’ willingness to reach out to you, to discuss you in their own space. Their time and resources are limited, just like yours are, so you have to give them good reasons to want to give you that pingback.

A final note on SEO and Pingbacks

Keep in mind when you’re linking to someone else’s post in your blog entry that they’re going to receive a pingback notification. If they visit your site, what will they see? Will they want to leave that link up in their comments, or delete it?

Even though Pingbacks and Trackbacks are no-follow links by default, they’re still an effective method of building your link love, which is all-important to your SEO efforts.

So make sure when you link to someone that you do so in a thoughtful manner that will entice them to leave the link, and maybe even write about you in return.

One other thing about pingbacks and SEO – don’t enable both pingbacks and trackbacks on your blog. If you get both from the same reference, it can make your blog look spammy, which – as you should know – Pappa Google doesn’t like. Pick which one you prefer and stick with it.

You are your pingbacks. Make them count!

You Are Your Grace Under Fire

Monday, 27 February, 2012 22:11 Written by Mac

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Grace Under Fire

You are your Grace under fire. And we’re all under fire on a regular basis, aren’t we?

That just seems to be the nature of life and business. It comes at you, and it doesn’t stop just because you already had other things to deal with. It just keeeeeps on coming. How you deal with it is who you are in the business community, and out of it.

It’s funny how good things can mix with bad; hard with easy; ups with downs. Last week we won some awards for our websites (woot! – more on that tomorrow from our totally talented Holly Yalove). We also had to deal with some family sorrows and the normal day to day business woes.

That’s the way it goes.

We all deal with the trials and tribulations differently. I try to remember my many blessings, and what’s special about each of them. A few deep breaths helps, too, and I enjoy decompressing to the sounds of the little stream that runs through our office park.

Personal coping mechanisms aside, as I mentioned earlier, it’s very helpful to have an awesome team to help motivate and support each other as we deal with the difficult days or weeks, or even years.

Finally, I also try to remember – as best I can – that people probably won’t notice grace under fire, because they don’t know about the fires. But they will notice when we’re not graceful in the firing line. When we blow up, our frustration and anger can spill into other people’s business lives. And that can hurt our reputations and cause others to have to draw on their own possibly-low reserves of Grace.

May you have Grace under Fire this week, and whenever you need it in your year to come.

You Are A Great Team

Thursday, 23 February, 2012 12:34 Written by Mac

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You are a great team. You work well together, you have fun, you have a common mission – truly something special.

In this particular case, I’m speaking with high hopes that this is in fact the case for you, because I know from first-hand experience how awesome it is to be part of a great team – it friggin ROCKS!

This week, the VIEO team is going full steam ahead on the Website Design Makeover Contest, which is a part of our sponsorship of Knoxville’s Fashion Week. If you haven’t checked out that contest yet, do! It’s an awesome opportunity to take your web presence from average to awesome for free. Plus, we’re working on a special deal to offer just to people who enter. More to come on that tomorrow.

In the mean time, may you and your team be happy, of one purpose, and successful.

You Are Our Pink Chocolate Hearts

Tuesday, 14 February, 2012 16:09 Written by Mac

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You are our pink chocolate hearts

Yes, it’s true – you are our pink chocolate hearts. And here is our business Valentine to you.

VIEO Design just loves people who love great web design – specifically our customers, and our prospective customers, too!

When we unwrap your business’ outer layer and bite into the sweet, chocolaty wonderfulness of what can make your business grow online – a special something that’s different for every client – and we figure out what that special something is for you… it gives us an endorphin rush like no other.

So on this day of romantic love, just know that there is business love, too – and we love learning how to make your business ROCK online, then translating that into a seductively awesome website.

Won’t you be ours?? <3

Mac & the VIEO Team

You Are A Gazelle

Wednesday, 08 February, 2012 21:37 Written by Mac

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You are a gazelle.

You are a gazelle, better known in business as the solopreneur.

And you’re in good company. Top college students are graduating with poor job prospects, as are lawyers and MBAs; long-time professionals have been laid off; and stay-at-home parents are in search of flexible income opportunities. Together, you’re finding niche opportunities to make your way through the hard world of business on your own.

There are a lot of advantages to being a gazelle: you’re lean, fast, and able to leap over competition and other obsacles.

You can travel in herds with other gazelles for safety and networking – grazing together through great savannas of pumpkin muffins and lakes of lattes from Starbucks and Panera Bread.

You’ve got great senses, too – with eyes that can follow leads in two directions at once, keen hearing for picking up new trends, and with those gnarly horns of yours, you can butt heads with the best of them.

But do watch out for the lions, dear gazelles. You know – the small companies that do the same things that you do, but with more muscle, resources and bigger reputations. They’re the ones that can eat you for lunch, literally, and all your speed and agility may not be enough to help you escape.

Sure, you’re less expensive than them, and that can’t be ignored. But don’t forget that they’re always out there, ready to pounce on your lean self to take away some of your customers along with a piece or two of your hide.

I know – I’ve been a gazelle myself for most of the past three years. After losing a loved one, I decided to leave my comfortable job in higher education to pursue my passion for online entrepreneurship. I had a good background in the field, some nice online real estate, and a hefty savings account.

A little more than two years later, I was much wiser, had more stamina, and I was a whole lot better at what I had set out to do.

You haven’t asked me for my opinion, but here I am blogging, so I’ll share it anyway. Once you’ve got some great experience as a gazelle, try looking for a lion pride that might be open to new partners.

That’s what I did — I ran with open arms…or hooves, per say…right into the lion’s den. I merged my small solopreneur company with VIEO Design, and it’s been a fantastic transition for both of us. Together, we’re growing the company and making some beautiful websites, if I do say so myself.

Think about it. If you’re a successful solopreneur, you’re a great possible asset for a bigger company. You’ve proven yourself to be a self-starting go-getter, capable of making it on your own. You don’t have to fight off all the predators and herds of competition by yourself.

Whether you merge or you continue to fly solo, I salute you, solopreneuring gazelle. You’re running a hard line, and it’s one with big possible payoffs. May you have much success.

In the mean time, maybe I’ll catch you at the latte lake and we can share a bite. Heheh.

Seriously, we’ve been fortunate enough to make some great connections in the Knoxville area, and I’d be happy to get the chance to meet you over a business breakfast or coffee to learn more about you and what you do. Perhaps we could help each other. Use the contact form to get in touch!