Keyword density is just part of the SE equation, and the SEs are just a portion of any online marketing push… but this is the one that makes a writer crazy… As a writer, with my eye turned toward the marketing value of text (both on the web and off), the SE race is almost enough to drive me back to merely journaling in private.

Yes, content is king. Thank goodness. The writer in me glows and basks in the warmth of that fact. However, with the SEs still being basically primitive - they are easily fooled. Even sites that ARE perfectly well-written, full of valuable information and a joy to read often fall below those that stuff and spam the SEs. If you follow the current “guidelines” - and one must remember that SEO is still more “art” than “science” - you often end up with stilted sounding text that no longer flows from a textual perspective.

Writers are taught to write descriptive sentences that do NOT repeat the same words, or even variations on the same words. We know to use a thesaurus. We cringe if the same word is used in two sentences that “touch” each other. So, as you might imagine, writing for the SEs puts a serious cramp in all that. As an internet marketer AND writer, some things must be compromised and others must be completely relearned… (more…)

Today, two things of note happened…Pops and Wayne completed the siding on the cabin. Huge news, great stuff. Of course, I’ve been so tired lately; I wasn’t as appreciative as I should have been. Tonight I will sleep more and hopefully be a bit more human in the a.m.

The siding was finished over the weekend; except for the corner pieces and some trim work over the porch (Wayne calls it HIS porch — “because I built it” — but I still claim it as “ours”).

The porch is truly incredible — it’s HUGE, especially considering the diminutive size of the cabin itself. Wayne can’t wait to hang our porch swing and begin enjoying it. Pops has loaned us one until we can find exactly what we want. It may take quite some time to find the 6′ long super-heavy duty swing that we seek, but we will find it eventually. Wayne wants one long enough for comfortable naps. I believe that I’ll have to hang a second one, or catch him gone to enjoy swinging on the porch! (more…)

I attended my 20 year high school reunion this weekend. Even TYPING that makes me feel old. At the last minute, I almost didn’t attend. Life has been so overflowing with activities that it started to feel like just another obligation on a weekend when I could have rested up. But, I’m glad I attended. There were people there I’d not seen since the last day of school. Many looked essentially the same, a few years older, a few more pounds, and a bit less hair maybe - but essentially the same.

Others were amazingly improved - more glamorous, more “together,” more magnetic personalities than they had ever posessed in the teen years, and some had changed very little physically (which makes me feel even older, fatter and more gray) and some seem to have changed very little emotionally (which I find a bit depressing). Most folks had grown up, mellowed out and were charming conversationalists. Overall, there are several folks that I hope to get to know better as adults. Many I won’t see again until the 30 year, or later, I know this. But, I’m pleased that I attended and talking with some of the folks was really nice. (more…)

I bit the bullet yesterday and tried to locate all the old online journaling from the farm period. I located the lion’s share of it and spent much of the evening getting the first twelve chapters up and online via static pages. Those dozen chapters cover the first six months on the farm.

It’s hard to believe that I’m here now — having been THERE then. In the middle of that, I had to keep my sights on the big goals, now — I’m living those dreams. The rest of the journal goes for over a year after that. It will take a bit of time to get it all up, but for now visit the “Farm Chronicles” here on WickedBlog to learn more. (more…)

My first entry, after many MANY months of waiting to get the wicked blog online…This is the first entry in my website blog. I’ve wanted to “dabble” in blogging since I first learned about the concept. I maintained an online farm journal for over two years when I first moved to the woods. It was hosted on a freebie ad-driven GeoCities site. Come to think of it, that’s where I actually started with websites. That was my first attempt.

It tracked my (often pathetic) attempts to grow up (even at my age), become independent and build a life for myself and my children in the wilderness — all while making a living on the Internet. What an oxymoron that was! I’m still amazed that it actually worked.

I took the site down a couple years ago, and was amazed at the volume of text I’d logged. Sometime soon, I may find the time to actually go back and read it all. At the time, it filled a need for me — not just to write, but as “therapy” as I figured out who I was and what I wanted out of life. (more…)

The bravest aerial artists work with nets. The boldest brokers are working without wires. When Miquel Berger, CRB, launched his brokerage, he set up a wireless local area network. Here’s how.See the full story as a PDF. The article originally appeared in the October/November 2003 edition of Real Estate Business Magazine.

WickedWordCraft.com’s new mobile website was recently selected as the Editor’s Choice site by Winksite.com online community.

August 01, 2004 — Wicked WordCraft (www.WickedWordCraft.com) recently launched a mobile website in the Wireless Ink community (www.wink.com). The mobile site: winksite.com/wickdwdcraft/marketing, will enable individuals with any web enabled device to access Wicked WordCraft’s company information as well as general business articles and marketing articles for real estate agents and virtual assistants.

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