This is a very rare rant … I almost never do so, but have been so inspired by the actions of a few narrow minded and misguided individuals who propose to speak for the masses when questions about Stumbleupon are asked.

For those of you who know me, I’ve become an avid stumbler. I absolutely love Stumbleupon. Where I used to sit on the couch and watch History and Discovery Channels late at night, I have now at least partially replaced that time with time spent Stumbling and Digging. I want to be clear too … I’m not stumbling just anything and everything. I’m a quality kinda guy, rather than quantity. I’ve been fortunate to have some great submissions over time, and I’m getting better weekly at knowing where to find more. There is absolutely NOTHING questionable about my SU profile … it is spotless!

Today is not only the final day of 2007; it marks the end of my 6th month in SEM. While that’s not a major milestone by any means, today’s symbolic end of the year has made me pause and reflect upon my beginning, the challenges I faced and the people who helped me overcome them.

It quickly became evident that a thank you must go out to each of you. You’ve become mentors, encourager’s and virtual colleagues. You see, after the comfort of 10+ years in traditional media, the lead up to my first day on the job had me nervous. There was the usual first day jitters and uncertainty that a career change brings, but I also knew that I had a massive learning curve ahead.

Credit : ObiAkpere

The Zen Art of Search Engine Marketing

2007 has been a phenomenal year for the Search Marketing industry complete with PageRank drama, Google penalities, profitable business and the profilic rise of social media. Some have made Sphinn, Digg and Stumbleupon their second home, while others have forayed into even more advanced greyhat and blackhat seo techniques. But, what of 2008? If you’re already a good SEM then it’s time to get better, and if you’re just starting out in the search marketing industry, its time you got your act together in order to play with the big boys of search. Here are ten ways to grow as a SEM in 2008 and consequently empower your business acumen and boost productivity and profitability.

It’s hard enough for me to keep up with all my social media accounts, let alone an amphibian!

Lewis Carroll said “If you don’t know where you’re going…any old road will take you there”

Let’s look at some of the reasons you spend such a tremendous amount of time and effort on your blog and examine some of the metrics that you should use to measure success.

1) I write my blog because I am passionate about the topic.

Frankly, that’s why most of us do it. So what’s to measure? Let’s face it, if you didn’t want anyone else to read it then you wouldn’t be publishing it online would you? So let’s start by measuring the quality of individual posts.

Not sure whether I’ve said this before or not … but I love Stumbleupon. Obviously I love it as an internet marketer (and to all of you Stumbleupon Vigilantes … I merely submit good content. I don’t try to game the system. Just look at my submissions profile before you become judge, jury, and executioner!), but I’m talking here about loving it as an individual. Rather than sit and watch television in the evenings now after the kids goto bed, I find myself at the computer often, stumbling to beat the band. I’ve heard and seen others with this affliction too; Shana at Social Desire, Dave from Huomah, and our very own Tom Tsinas to name but a few.

As we approach the end of 2007, I just wanted to send a thank you to the entire Search Engine People readers. I wish you all a joyous, prosperous and healthy 2008!

Throughout my first year in SEO, I have witnessed a community that is inclusive, supportive and has a tremendous amount of pride in the work they do. I’ve equally enjoyed sharing with each of you my observations and perspectives and your responses and personal blogs.

The next two weeks I’ll have a lighter blog post schedule, however I’ll be back to the regular daily schedule on Monday January 7th with my “by the numbers” look at propeller.

That reflective time of the year is approaching. Is here.

"The best <insert keyphrase> of 2007", "20 Apps That Changed My Life in 2007", "8 2008 Predictions" — and this post.

Let me raise a toast to the people whom most influenced me in 2007: my wife, my daughters, my mother.

Together, without fail, they put the things we do, the things you and I work on, in perspective.

When I’m alight with buzz because blogs do this, everybody on Twitter talks about that, Facebook just burped, Google PageRank slammed, Ask did weird, 54% of people online <insert whatever it is they do more or less> — they are my reality check.

Credit: Pinehurt19475

A Website is Only as Good as its Foundation

In order to build a stately manor such as the one pictured above, one needs to establish a strong foundation that supports such a grandiose structure. In similar fashion, building up a brand new website into to being an authoritative cash cow on the internet is not much different. Following proper SEO best practices when creating a brand new website can save thousands of dollars in modifications down the line, and can enable your business to leverage the complete benefits of Search Engine Optimization.

While searching for images to include in my ‘Social Media by the Numbers’ series, I’ve come across some hilarious industry themed content that had me laughing hysterically. I started to save the videos, images, jokes and cartoons and share them with friends.

One day I was struggling to write a post, so I decided to look through that collection for inspiration. I laughed again, but still couldn’t figure out what to write, so I decided to give my favorite cartoon a fitting title and voila, I had my post for the day!