I have mentioned before my addiction to Etsy. It’s just such a fun place to easily find creative and unique items without leaving the comfort of your own home. And let’s face it, I’m all about comfort and never having to get out of my pajamas. On the weekends my husband is lucky I actually shower, let alone leave the house. But that’s another story for another day. Today I’m focusing on, not only the convenience of online shopping, but how small it seems to make the world.
Last night I received a tunic in the mail from Mexico. That’s right an authentic Mexican blouse (from my Mom, Thanks MOM!). It is beautiful. As you may know I grew up in Oklahoma and now live in New England. Now I can get my fair share of lobster, cable knit crew sweaters, and boat shoes here in New England. But growing up in Oklahoma, my style is a bit more bohemian and western than that. I love gauzy blouses that help keep you cool in the unforgiving heat of the summer. I love a good pair of jeans that you can wear in any occasion. I can’t get enough turquoise jewelry. And above all else I love mexican food with a cool mug of Dos Equis with salt and lime. But these things are a bit difficult to come by in the land of Brooks Brothers and clam chowder.
Thank heavens for the internet. I can order all of those things I really love, even barbecue from a local Oklahoma restaurant, and have it delivered to my front door step. I can have a little piece of home when home feels a million miles away.
To top it all off, I received a special handwritten note with my blouse that read “Gracias, with love from Mexico”. That simple, small note made me feel connected to this woman who I’ve never met and have no idea what she looks like. But in receiving her product and her note I feel there was a lot of love put into my blouse and that makes it special.
Where else but the internet could I feel connected to a complete stranger who my mom ordered a super cute blouse from for my birthday to help cure my home sickness? No where I tell you.
HubSpot is the maker of some pretty amazing inbound marketing tools that can be pretty useful for big organizations. However, as a blogger, you probably don’t have the resources or even the need for the super strong tools they offer. However, what you do have a need for is some of the free grading tools they offer. According to Grader.com they are a family of tools that help measure all that matters in inbound marketing. And it’s true they offer a Twitter Grader, a Facebook Grader, and a Book Grader just to name a few. But for your blog you will want to use the Website Grader.
The Website Grader is really quite simple to use. You only have to know your own url and email address and they take care of the rest. After you submit your information they take less than 5 minutes to scan your site. They compile all the information they gathered into a report provides you with information about when Google last crawled your website, how many pages Google indexed, the readability level, the number of incoming links, and so much more. You can then use your received grade and feedback to improve upon your blog.
Try it out at http://websitegrader.com
I have decided to create a new weekly series of posts covering the topic of Search Engine Optimization for bloggers. I will post a new tip every Monday for the next several weeks. Some of the tips you may already be familiar with but I’m hoping that with each tip you get a better understanding of how Google robots crawl your site. Ultimately using that knowledge to apply those principles to other areas of your web site.
Now I’m not claiming to have hidden secrets that will send you to the top of a Google search. Also, there are no guarantees on how this will all work for your site. Anyone that promises these things isn’t telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But the principles I will discuss will not only help visitors to your site but will also help search engines index your site. So in my opinion it’s a win-win.
The quick answer is yes. The longer answer is you should register your domain name for the longest period of time you feel comfortable registering it as a blogger. The reason for this is that spam sites typically have a domain that will expire relatively soon. Because of this Google is cautious with any domain that has an approaching expiration date. So today’s quick lesson is for you to renew your domain registration early and for an extended period of time to remain in Google’s good graces.
I have decided to create a new weekly series of posts covering the topic of Search Engine Optimization for bloggers. I will post a new tip every Monday for the next several weeks. Some of the tips you may already be familiar with but I’m hoping that with each tip you get a better understanding of how Google robots crawl your site. Ultimately then using that knowledge to apply those principles to other areas of your web site.
Now I’m not claiming to have hidden secrets that will send you to the top of a Google search. Also, there are no guarantees on how this will all work for your site. Anyone that promises these things isn’t telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But the principles I will discuss will not only help visitors to your site but will also help search engines index your site. So in my opinion it’s a win-win.
http://jescady.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/waterfall.jpg
This past Sunday, on my 27th birthday, I was baptized. It was a pretty meaningful experience for me that was long in the making. I was never baptized as a child because my family didn’t want me to fill pressured into a religion and wanted to allow me the freedom to make this choice for myself. Baptism was something that I gave a tremendous amount of thought. At the end of last year, I decided that it was something that I wanted to do. So I made it part of my New Year’s Resolution.
It feels really good to demonstrate my belief in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for my sins. I will say that being completely submerged in water in front of a bunch of people was a bit overwhelming and incredibly personal. My nerves really got to me. It was like my wedding day all over again. Publicly proclaiming my love in front of a bunch of people is kind of embarrassing to me. But I wish I could just share the feelings I had when the warm water rushed over my head. The peace and calm I felt for the 2 seconds I was underwater, felt like a lifetime. And then when I emerged from the water, everyone was clapping and cheering. It was a really special experience. I’m really glad that I did it and so happy that so many friends and family were there to support me.
Part of my baptism was that I had to write “my story” and it would be read at my baptism. Here is what I wrote:
For a long time I felt that I was smart enough, strong enough, and powerful enough to do it all on my own. I didn’t need help from anyone or anything. However, my life was continuing on a repeating cycle. Because of my “me” centered and independent attitude I wasn’t creating lasting or meaningful relationships with people or with God and living a pretty lonely life.
I came to this church because I was hurting and I needed help. In the past year and a half my soul has been replenished and my relationship with God has been reconciled. I want others to experience the same hope, love, and forgiveness that I have. But I can’t do it on my own.
In my baptism I am declaring “I’m tired of trying to do it on my own, because what I’m doing isn’t working. I’m ready to give it all to God. All of my imperfections, all of my mistakes, all of my sins and all the glory.”
I recently found out that CBS is planning to make a TV series out of a Twitter account. I’m sure many people may think this is a bad idea, but I am not one of them. I love the idea and the reason it is because of the Twitter account they will be using, <a href="http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays" mce_href="http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays" target="_blank">S*%#@ My Dad Says</a>.</p> <p>The Twitter account was created by 29 year old Justin Halpern after moving in with his 74-year-old father. And just like the title of his Twitter handle would suggest, he tweets all of the stuff his dad says. Justin has gained a lot of notoriety with this Twitter account; he has over a million followers. Beyond the rumors of book deals and tv shows, it has also been hinted that <a href="http://www.realtvaddict.com/2010/02/22/william-shatner-cast-in-pilot-for-shit-my-dad-says/" mce_href="http://www.realtvaddict.com/2010/02/22/william-shatner-cast-in-pilot-for-shit-my-dad-says/" target="_blank">William Shatner will play Justin” alt=”" />. If that doesn’t smell like fame and notoriety, I don’ know what does. Besides the fact that the gems of wisdom Justin’s day provides, the situation can be related to by so many people. We all know the crotchety old man/woman/grandparent that says the most ridiculous things, that you can really only laugh about.
CBS is doing something remarkable. The show might end of flopping or it might do well for several seasons. But no matter what, CBS is doing something that has caused some chatter. As more people continue to embrace social media platforms like Twitter it will continue to shape our culture and marketplace. Or at least give us a high from semi-direct contact with famous people.
*source Daniel Nations
have decided to create a new weekly series of posts covering the topic of Search Engine Optimization for bloggers. I will post a new tip every Monday for the next several weeks. Some of the tips you may already be familiar with but I’m hoping that with each tip you get a better understanding of how Google robots crawl your site. Ultimately then using that knowledge to apply those principles to other areas of your web site.
Now I’m not claiming to have hidden secrets that will send you to the top of a Google search. Also, there are no guarantees on how this will all work for your site. Anyone that promises these things isn’t telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But the principles I will discuss will not only help visitors to your site but will also help search engines index your site. So in my opinion it’s a win-win.
One really easy objective in search engine optimization is to make sure Google even knows your site exists. This can be done by going to Add URL for Google. All you have to do is enter your full url, including the “http://” part, and click submit. Now, the thing to keep in mind is Google makes no promises of if or when your site will be added to their indexes. But letting them know that your website is out there is really just as simple as entering your url.
If you want to see if your site has already been added to Google’s indexes all you have to do is add “site:” before your url (see example below). If you get a list of results that includes all of the pages of your site and it looks search results, only a little different then you are good to go. If you get an error message, you are not yet indexed but fear not, they will eventually get around to you, hopefully. Hope this helps.
Check if your site has been indexed by Google
I have decided to create a new weekly series of posts covering the topic of Search Engine Optimization for bloggers. I will post a new tip every Monday for the next several weeks. Some of the tips you may already be familiar with but I’m hoping that with each tip you get a better understanding of how Google robots crawl your site. Ultimately then using that knowledge to apply those principles to other areas of your web site.
Now I’m not claiming to have hidden secrets that will send you to the top of a Google search. Also, there are no guarantees on how this will all work for your site. Anyone that promises these things isn’t telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But the principles I will discuss will not only help visitors to your site but will also help search engines index your site. So in my opinion it’s a win-win.
The first topic on Search Engine Optimization I want to share is on internal linking of your blog. This is probably one of the best/easiest ways to increase the number of page views. When visitors happen to come across your blog they may only see one post. That one post may not be your best work. I mean come on, we all write a real stinker every now and then. Like my post on how I’m a huge nerd. But if that stinker of a post has some internal links to other posts that either pertain to the topic of discussion or to a post that you feel is your better work, the visitor can easily navigate to different posts and may continue to visit your site in the future because they found a couple of posts they enjoyed.
In addition, internal linking will help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s kind of like this; the more internal links you use in your site, the more popular Google robots think your site is. It’s like you can trick Google into thinking you’re the cool kid on campus. I wish this could work in every aspect of my life, but I digress.
Here are a couple of examples to help demonstrate the best way to create links in your posts.
Example 1: Worst
If you are looking for an archive of posts, click here.
Example 2: BAD
For more information visit http://jescady.com/archives-2/
Example 3: BEST
The Archives on my site are a good place to start looking for old posts.
This example is the best option because it describes the content that can be found on the page. Now visitors to your site and Google have some idea to what they are linking.
You can now use this knowledge to go forth and be great, or whatever.
Many of you already know that I sing the praises of Twitter. I mean, where else on this planet can you easily connect and converse with your idols. But I guess not everyone agrees with me. According to the Las Cruces Sun-News Twitter has already gone bust with regard to teens online.
According to the article “it’s been determined Twitter is a bust, a report shows; it cannot be called a “fad” anymore. Today, only 8 percent of online teens twit or is that tweet?”
Well, I might be a little out of touch with what teens want or what they find important. But 14 years ago when I entered teen-hood the most important things to me was, well, ME and the community of other teenagers around me. I would assume that teenagers of today feel the same way. That only makes sense that Twitter wouldn’t be for them. That’s what Facebook is for; connecting with those people you are friends with. But Twitter, that’s the place you go to connect with people you don’t know in real life. My twitter account is peppered with other bloggers that I have become aquainted with over through cyber space, companies, new sources, and other organizations that I want to get fed daily information so that I don’t have to go searching for it. Bloggers will tweet links to their posts. News sources tweet links to breaking news stories. Like I said, information gets hand fed to me and saves me the trouble of going to search for it.
As a teenager, I couldn’t care less about news stories. So perhaps the Las Cruces Sun-News and I do agree that Twitter is not for teens and is basically busted for that particular demographic. But is Twitter completely busted? I don’t think so. I think companies and bloggers should gear their marketing on twitter towards adults 25-35. I think that’s the demographic that is getting the most use from the application, definitely not teens.
I love the month of February and it’s not only because I celebrate my birthday the entire 28 days. Speaking of 28 day months, it’s a complete shame that February is the shortest month of the year because with holidays like Groundhog Day, my birthday, and Valentine’s Day this month has so much to offer.
I know, I know. There’s all this ho-hum from women (and men) that Valentine’s Day is so stupid because you should be in love and be nice to each other everyday of the year. But here’s the deal. Life gets in the way. As I’m writing this post, my husband and I are in the same room with the tv on, I’m working on the computer, and he is working on something else, and we’re not talking or engaging with each other. So yeah, for me, I need a reminder to spend a little Q.T. with my significant other.
Besides all the mushy gushy love stuff, I really enjoy the “marketing” of Valentines day too. All the red, purple, and pink heart, the cupids, and the love birds. What can I say, I’m in love with love, so sue me.
I know there aren’t a lot of men that read my blog. But if there were , they would find this nifty list of Valentine’s gift ideas for women to be pretty gosh darn useful.
P.S. Now I’m in love with Etsy! I know I’m late on this trend but this site rocks.
I am a self proclaimed “perfectionist”. But what does that even mean? Well, for me it means that every goal and accomplishment I set out to achieve, I attain it. And if I don’t? Well, no one who has to live with me or has ever lived with me wants that to happen, because when I “fail”, I continue to beat myself up over it for days, months, or even years.
At one level perfectionism can sound positive; the idea that you can get a sense of pleasure from painstaking effort. But on another level, perfectionism never allows you to feel satisfaction because it seems that things are never done well enough. And those of you that know me personally know that I take perfectionism to that whole other level.
I am a perfectionist in every aspect of my life. I must have a great career, great education, great home, great family. Not only must I have it all, but it must all be perfect and I must attain it with not a hair out of place or speckle of sweat on my brow.
And undoubtedly, my husband would say that I hold not only myself, but those around me (especially him) to impossible goals. For example, If my husband cleans up the kitchen after a meal, I don’t allow myself to enjoy in his good deed. I’m too busy thinking about all of the other things that he missed. He didn’t mop the floor. He missed a spot on the counter. He placed a measuring cup in the wrong bin. Who the heck cares about those things? I DO! Just writing this makes me think, “Do I really waste valuable time of my day and energy bothering with these insignificant details”? The answer is yes. And truth be told, I make myself physically ill worrying about those insignificant details. So perhaps this isn’t really the healthiest behavior I could be engaging in. So I’ve been trying to remind myself of a few key points:
- Whatever I achieve, it matters more that I did my best.
- My value as a person is much greater than the sum of my accomplishments.
- I don’t have to be perfect – I’m okay just the way I am.
P.S. I think we have a bigger issue now. I want to be perfect at not being perfect. How does that even work?
