Nasty Hail Storm in Rosemount, MN

What is up with this Minnesota weather?

Yesterday was another violent day in the area. We suffered some pretty serious damage as a result of a violent hail storm that ripped through the area late in the afternoon.

Our neighbor nearly lost a camper and another had a large playset uplifted and moved as a result of the wind.

The value of Digg???

Question?

What percentage of the web spends time contributing to Social Sites?

You have probably heard the 1% rule applied to contributory web media like Digg and Wikipedia. 1% of their users contribute a massive amount of content to the site. It’s a perverse variant of the Pareto Principle, where 20% of your customer account for 80% of your profits, or 20% of your product lines accounting for 80% of your revenue, or 20% of your sales people making 80% of your sales.

But, what percentage of the OVERALL web contribute to sites like these?

I ask this question after stumbling onto this video yesterday.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/74

Now, clearly this is a popular and funny movie.

But what struck me were the stats associated with this video. Almost 49 million views. 59 Diggs. WOW!

How to ensure your e-mail campaign is a failure

I receive a lot of junk mail. A lot!

When you put yourself out there and participate in the social sphere, these things are bound to happen. As a result, I receive considerable amounts of what I would consider to be unsolicited e-mail. Over the years, I have developed a pretty solid sixth sense about why I read certain e-mail solicitations and why I ignore others. Now, I admit, I am no “expert” in this realm. Just an average bloke who knows what he likes and doesn’t like.

It seems to me that if you want your e-mail to be read, that the following is probably not a good approach. I received this e-mail just yesterday.

The incredible irony is that this came from THE AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION!

Now, I know there are programs out there that allow one to emulate how e-mails will be perceived after passing through any number of various corporate e-mail filters. Perhaps someone should show the interns how they work?

In all fairness, I feel compelled to show the beauteousness of the HTML once all images have been released from corporate filter-land.

Nice!

8 qualities to look for when hiring an in-house SEO

During the day I masquerade as a corporate low-life that manages a team of SEO consultants. We have a team that is rapidly approaching 30 SEOs.  We are in expansion mode and have been for some time, as the business is growing quite rapidly.  One of my core responsibilities is building out the team with qualified individuals.

Believe it or not, this simplest of duties can represent a fairly major challenge at times. With the growth of the Internet space in general, comes pressure in the job market – and a competition for qualified individuals. In the Twin Cities, I am competing with some pretty terrific companies for talent.  In fact, as I write this the following companies are hiring interactive talent in the Twin Cities:

• Best Buy
• Target
• Bellacor
• Christopher & Banks
• 3M
• Ameriprise Financial
• Minnesota Vikings
• Digital River
• Net Gain Interactive
• Top Rank Internet Marketing

Admittedly, not every company listed above is in direct competition with me for SEO talent, but nevertheless, it illustrates the nature of the space.

One of the great things about my job is I have the luxury of being pretty selective in deciding who to bring in for an interview.  Once the interview has begun, one of my goals is to make certain there is a fit between a given candidate and FindLaw.

I wanted to take a minute and share some of the traits that I believe make for a great employee.

1. Knowledge. One of the top factors when hiring from outside our business is a knowledge of SEO. I am not just looking for an amateur that has doinked around with a few sites, but someone that has made this their chosen vocation.
2. Passion. This can lead to the acquisition of #1 above, but is a distant cousin at best. I look for a tremendous passion to understand all that happens in the SEO world.
3. Pride. I know this sounds corny. But the best team members on our team have an intense pride to be the best SEO they can be. And they have a great deal of pride in knowing they are helping keep the best sites live and on-line through the use of white hat proven principles.
4. Authority. Our team spends a great deal of time consulting with our clients, and they need to be authoritative in their interactions. Frequently a client will have detailed questions about SEO principles, and it is our job to communicate the state of affairs and best practices to them. Sometimes, we have to unwind things the client might have learned incorrectly from another source of information as well. Sometimes it is just as important to sound like you know what you are talking about, as it is to actually know what you are talking about.
5. Team-oriented. We work closely with our design, content and development teams during the production of one of our sites. It is imperative that we be able to communicate our ideas in a group setting without sounding bombastic.
6. Flexible. We are constantly changing and adapting our processes – making them better on behalf of all our clients. Adjusting on the fly is a daily part of life at FindLaw.
7. Driven. I am constantly searching for people that want to build a career, and to have a career path. This is a must, because we are constantly expanding our team, which means there is an unending stream of opportunities for advancement. That opportunity comes with a price, though which is….
8. Thick skinned. In order to advance one’s career, it is imperative to be able to take feedback and act upon it. Feedback is not personal. It is an attempt to correct behavior to make you (and me!) more valuable to our customers. Divas are not welcome in that environment.

So that’s a roundup of 8 of the most important traits I look for when hiring.  What about you? I am interested in what makes for a great fit with your company, so please be sure to leave a detailed comment if you disagree or have something to add to the discussion.

Just flew in from West Virginia…..

And boy are my arms tired!

Seriously.

Just returned late last week from a speaking gig at a lunch-n-learn with the West Virginia Association for Justice. Met a bunch of great attorneys from some of the finest law firms in the state. Also worked with some pretty terrific people there including Beth White, the Executive Director and Amy Macleery, the Membership Director.

Unfortunately, I did not get chance to speak with some old “friends” – customer/colleagues really. West Virginia used to be a stomping ground of mine and I have met some of the finest (and nicest) lawyers there – including Paul Farrell (currently Secretary of WVAJ) and Tim Bailey (currently serving as 1st VP of WVAJ). Maybe next time, gents.

Special thanks to Kristine Gross for the wonderful hospitality over two days. Kristine has been a great addition to the FindLaw team. She is focused and professional and a quick study.

I hope to do it again soon.

4 Overhyped Web Technologies

I admit it. I usually “get” new technologies. I was likely one of the first 1000 people or so in the country to actually buy a DVD. I had a passion for home theater before home theater was cool. A typical and almost classic “early adopter”. Challenged and invigorated by new ideas, easily distracted by the new shiny object in the room, and likely to get all excited about it too.

That said, I have to admit, there are a slew of things that are new, shiny and all the rage these days that I just do not understand!

4 Overhyped Web Technologies

1. Mobile – From where I sit, I see the need to occasionally (VERY occasionally) consult your phone to see info on a business or other web site. I do not see this as a new wave – a technology demanding of new standards and advances so everyone can surf their mobile environment 24/7/365. I guess I really don’t get the hype of this one.
2. Micro-blogging – having not really fully embraced my inner blogger yet, I am still struggling to understand how this works, or why i would want to pursue it. I admit it, the buzz about twitter creates multiple head-scratching moments around the McGinnis household.
3. Click to Call – While I know the “action” represents the all-important conversion point, why anyone would feel the need to point and click instead of picking up the phone and dialing is a mystery to me. Perhaps this explains why Google abandoned the idea with Maps?
4. Second Life – Or more broadly, any life but real life. Play dress up, pretend to be someone you are not. Create a fictional, alternative life/personality. Live out your fantasies. Scratch, scratch, scratch….. Sounds a lot like childhood to me. Grow up.

There are likely more than just these four, and I’ll be sure to circle back and update or add new posts as I come across more. In the meantime, I am interested in others’ opinions on the subject.

The Basics of SEO

The inimitable Lee Odden has posted a pretty good list of the basics of SEO.  While it is not comprehensive, it is not really meant to be.  This is a solid article for those entering SEO for the first time, and a good refresher course for many that might be too far deep into the weeds and sometimes forget the basics from time to time (don’t we all?)

Is crash 2.0 around the corner?

Steve Rubel insinuates the web 2.0 bubble is about to burst. What do you think?

The Top 100 Business Blogs

Blogging (and Blog reading) is a passion for many of us, but finding quality blogs can sometimes be painful.  That’s why I am indebted to John from the Business Opportunities and Ideas blog for creating such an in-depth list of resources for all to access.

The Top 100 Business Blogs

Hat tip to Chris Brown for the find!

Hello again – FindLaw Jobs posted!

I decided to blow up what little blog I had previously, and begin again! Hopefully, this go round I will post more frequently. In addition to some changes to the theme, I have moved the blog to WordPress as well, which should make things easier all the way around.

Things have been extremely busy at work, and I expect them to get busier over the next several months. We have posted a few positions at FindLaw that we are trying to fill. One is a senior level position, so if anyone knows an experienced SEO in the Twin Cities that is interested in a challenging position with a world class Internet company, please have them contact me directly through this blog posting.