Jessys Journal

I think I've mentioned here that Political Science was my major in college.  It's a long, convoluted (and not unhappy) tale about how I ended up working in the internet marketing industry instead, but that's a story for another day.  Today, I'd like to talk about how fun it is when those two worlds intersect. 

It doesn't happen often.  Politicians don't generally have a lot to worry about when it comes to achieving premium search engine rankings.  Their names are all over the news, their sites regularly get linked to by supporters and detractors alike, and if they're running on the ticket of a major party, chances are, they will be easy to find in a quick Google search.

This year, however, as we sift our way through Republican primary after Republican primary, I've had the joy of watching a humorous story unfold, blending politics, activism, and of course, SEO. 

Candidate Rick Santorum has a Google problem.  This is something that his campaign staffers should have been able to fix with the right internet marketing tools.  They should have started early, working to increase the number of links to their own site while hoping that Dan Savage's humorous redefinition site would start to drop off the first page (instead, it's the first result for "Santorum"). 

However, recent news would indicate that perhaps, Santorum's staffers just don't like him.  Maybe they're trolling? 

Either way, when SEO & Politics collide, I'm in for a good time!     

jessy @ 13:44 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I am planning a vacation to Maine and Massachusetts this coming summer.  There will be a moose safari, play time on the beaches, and lots of good food (an important component of any vacation)!  However, I've already started thinking about future trips.

It's very important to me to expose my kids to all this wonderful world has to offer.  While I would love to take them to Europe, Asia, or Africa, I feel like those are expeditions that should wait until they are older and can really remember our trips.  After all, how many times are we going to visit those places?  At least if we stay in North America, we're saving some money and also getting to make great memories in our own area first.

Since we've done southern California, Mexico, Canada, Florida (and down the east coast from New Jersey), the Bahamas, and will soon be visiting New England, I am considering a trip to the midwest for our next vacation.  It's an area we haven't spent much time in, and apparently, we could consider doing something fun like a Mississippi River Tour to see the sights and really get a feel for the area.  All three of us love boats and cruises, and my previous concern was that we wouldn't have anything to do in that region.  With that issue resolved, we can start planning next year's family trip!

jessy @ 13:08 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Just typing that title makes me want to write this whole post in acronyms. 

Seriously, though, I may be a blogger who works in the internet marketing industry by day (and night!) but I am fairly confident that even the inexperienced among us can handle performing some basic search engine optimization techniques on their own sites. 

For instance, link building.  It's time consuming, for sure, but it's incredibly important, and it will help drive traffic to your website over time.  If you take the time to find relevant link trades, you will see an increase in both traffic and placement in organic search results.  Writing guest posts for other blogs, contributing articles, or simply emailing other webmasters to see if they're willing to share your site on theirs is a great way to get backlinks.  You can also use message boards or free services to make trades. 

I should take my own advice!  I've been writing a new blog about books - mostly because my livejournal friends were getting bored reading about what I've been reading lately - and I would love to see it receive more traffic and get some commenting action going on, and that isn't going to happen if I'm lazy about links. 

Don't be like me - get out there and start increasing your blog's traffic today!

jessy @ 22:18 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I admit, there are times when I can really relate to poor Socially Awkward Penguin.  The more I read that silly meme, the more I find myself nodding my head.  I suppose that's what makes him such a loveable character - most people can see a bit of themselves in his antics.

Anyhow, in an effort to be less awkward in new and exciting social situations, I try to prepare ahead of time.  For instance, if I were going to be going to some sort of game night with a large group of people, I would try to learn the games beforehand.  There's nothing like trying to catch on and just making an utter fool of yourself while everyone around you just stares!  I might, for instance, visit an online gaming site to learn the rules and practice with relative anonymity.  Then I'd know what I was doing when confronted with a potentially awkward gaming situation. 

I guess nothing will save you from this:



But at least you won't screw up the games!  

jessy @ 14:45 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Unless I win the lottery in the next month or so, it looks like I'm going to end up filing bankruptcy.  Separating from my ex was a good decision - the best decision, really - but I was left with a lot of debt.  Since we were never married and because it's in my name, it's all mine even though I accumulated most of it with him.  I tried valiantly to make my payments and meet my obligations, but I just can't.  It's embarrassing.

However, I have decided that I absolutely won't make this mistake again.  I am going to learn from my mistakes and avoid getting into debt even if that means I never have another credit card.  I've been reading about financial matters, how to live debt-free, and what it means to be healthy in a financial sense.  Now, I know all about having a model stock portfolio and saving with a 401k plan and preparing for the future by investing wisely. 

Bad habits can be hard to break, but I'm determined to start saving and put myself in a better position asap!

jessy @ 14:53 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I'm in no position to get married right now, but a friend of mine got engaged in October, and I am excited to help her plan her wedding.  She and her soul mate are planning to get married on the beach, and after my recent trip to Mexico (where I witnessed beach wedding after beach wedding after beach wedding at our resort), I am full of ideas for her!

One of the most important things, of course, is the wedding photographer.  She'll want to pick someone who will do a fabulous job, so that she and her partner can look back on their special day and see it captured on film.  I'm sure they'll also want to post the pics on Facebook and share them with family and friends as well. 

They won't need a London Wedding Photographer since flying overseas for their ceremony is way out of their budget, but I do think they'll be willing to spend a good deal to have a high-quality photographer from New York take their pictures.  Being on the beach should give them lots of opportunities for really pretty shots! 

jessy @ 16:04 | comments(0) | Permanent link

I'm guilty of wearing my politics on my sleeve, so to speak.  I don't like to mess around - I believe what I do because I feel certain that my position is the right one, and I want others to know it, too.  During election season, I can always be found with a ping on my jacket or bag, a sticker on my car, and a decent selection of clothing and other gear demonstrating my support for my candidate of choice.

Of course, it doesn't end when the election is over.  Win or lose, there are certain issues that I'm passionate about all year long, and I like to use custom lapel pins, shirts, and bumper stickers to make sure the rest of the world knows how I feel.  I've even been known to have things made up especially for me (and my like-minded friends) when I haven't been able to find what I wanted read-made. 

I know some people really shy away from putting their personal beliefs up for public display, but I feel like doing so helps me to connect with other individuals who share them.  If that means I repel the people who don't like my opinions, even better.  I don't want to waste my time on them anyway!

jessy @ 15:16 | comments(0) | Permanent link

Even though I'm terribly boring in my musical choices, I really do like listening to music.  Since I started watching "Glee" this past summer, I've found all the song mashups to be pretty interesting.  Of course, there are plenty of albums that feature the mashups that were done on the show, but it would also be cool to learn how to mix my own music.  I typically go through phases of listening to a few songs on repeat, rather than going through a long playlist, and hey, I could just combine those two or three songs into one mashup and call it a day.

Well, maybe not . . . but I did find a website with great information about musical creations.  I'm not particularly savvy when it comes to making and editing videos, and I doubt I would be much better with music (I think it's an issue of patience that I just don't have)!  However, Brandemonium's tutorials are really clear, and someone who has the time and energy to put into making their own tunes would definitely benefit from giving them a look. 
 

jessy @ 13:27 | comments(1) | Permanent link