Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Surviving Google Panda and Other Updates


More than a year after the original Google Panda Update, there is a lot of stir about a new Panda update.

Many people are seeing significant changes in their search engine rankings, and huge traffic loss.

Whether you?ve experienced that with your own blog or website, or you?re worried you may in the near future, this post is for you?

Google Will Drive You Crazy If You Let It!

How much time do you spend pouring over your stats, monitoring your search engine rankings, reading the latest SEO articles, or getting involved in the current ?algorithm horror story? discussions on SEO forums?

I?m not suggesting you shouldn?t stay informed, or that you shouldn?t analyze your stats & rankings. Because you should.

But contrary to popular belief, your online business does not depend on Google. And allowing ?algorithm chasing? to consume you, robs you of valuable time you could be using to grow your business and serve your market?

Shift Your Focus: A Simple Question

As you know, I have a low carb diet blog where I discuss travel & food. My assistant, Angie, also has a travel blog where she talks about her fun travel adventures. I?m sure you have a fun blog or website that you really enjoy as well.

I try to keep things in perspective when growing and running my online business, by asking simple questions like: Would I rather be backlinking or trying new recipes to share? Would I rather be studying algorithms or traveling? Would I rather be discussing SEO, or discussing travel & food?

The answers are obvious. ;-)

Solution: Get Back To YOUR Business

Of course, many of these things are necessary to grow our online business. That?s a given. But you can easily market your business without using automated link building programs (I don?t), or studying the latest Google update (I rarely even look at those discussions).

Instead, simply focus on marketing your business.

Google can drive you crazy if you watch it too close. So don?t! Step away from analyzing search results and reading about the latest algorithms for a moment, and focus on ways to reach your market.

Consider seasonal opportunities within your niche, or news & trending topics. Get super active on Facebook & Twitter discussing these things, and interacting with your target market. Guest Blog everywhere you can, share niche-specific pics on Flickr and Pinterest, publish videos on YouTube, hop onto Google+ and talk about your topics, etc. ? See: How to Use Social Media

Also look for niche specific channels or networks. For me that would be foodies or travel communities. There are niche-specific social groups and networks out there on A LOT of topics! Join them, set up profiles, and actively engage with them.

Focus on building your mailing list and engaging your subscribers with great content they ENJOY receiving. Once you have visitors on your list, you can get them to your site without relying on Google or any other source. This is the most important step to building a loyal readership ? people who will link to, like and share your content FOR you, which is exactly what you want!

In other words: start actively marketing your site & content.

These activities not only help with your rankings directly, they also give you a strong alternate traffic source when Google ?dips? on you.

Never let Google control your business. There are entirely too many ways to market your business online to rely solely on Google, or let Google make you want to QUIT.

Forget Google for awhile, and do what you do best. For me, that?s traveling & eating. :D What do YOU do best?? Whatever it is, THAT is exactly what will bring Google back around anyway, and improve your positions in the search results. ;-)

Best,

p.s. Speaking of Guest Blogging, not only will it get you the highest quality backlink but it will also put you in front of an established readership. In most cases that content will also go out to their established email lists and social media channels. If you need quality traffic & links, this is the activity you need to be focusing on!

Category: Internet Marketing

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Katy Perry's 'Part Of Me' Concert Film Gets Personal

Trailer for singer's 3-D flick touches on her divorce from Russell Brand and includes confessions about her career strife.
By Jocelyn Vena


Katy Perry in the "Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D" trailer
Photo: Paramount

In between dazzling shots of her onstage, in her music videos and getting dolled up in sparkling costumes, Katy Perry also addresses some real issues in her first full trailer for her 3-D concert film, "Part of Me," set for release in July.

While she doesn't directly discuss her divorce from actor/comedian Russell Brand in the teaser, the split is referenced by a news headline as Perry is seen getting ready for one of her shows. And that's not the only personal subject the colorful pop star will open up about in the film.

Katy's Religious Background
Perry, now best known for her candy-coated, flirty persona, grew up in a strict, religious family. In the trailer, Perry talks about finding her voice while going to religious services with her family. She says, "The atmosphere I grew up in was 100 percent Christian. I started singing in church; I never really had another plan."

Perry Gets Dropped From Her Label
While it might seem that Perry went from virtual unknown to chart-topping pop sensation overnight, Perry and her friends open up about the trying time she had between being dropped from her label and eventually finding success. "I was going through some depressing, dark times," she recalls, "but it's a journey, and I learned so much from that journey. I feel like a stronger, better person because of it."

California Gurl Live Onstage
While the film is about her life behind the scenes, a major part of the movie is her eye-catching California Dreams Tour, which went all around the world in 2011 and early 2012. "You have to be really be grateful and know that it's a different set of people every single night," she says of hitting the stage. "My goal when I'm playing shows is just to make people smile."

KP Lives out Her California Dreams
In the end, Perry's message is always about living your dream, no matter what strife might come your way. She has this advice for her Katy Cats: "If you have a dream, you gotta go on a journey to fulfill that dream."

"Part of Me" opens July 5. The film was directed by Magical Elves' Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, who also served as producers on Justin Bieber's highly successful "Never Say Never" concert movie. "Part of Me" is also the name of the lead single off Perry's just-released Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection album.

Share your thoughts on Katy's 3-D movie trailer in the comments or on our Facebook page!

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Dos nuevas casas para Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Ir a contenido

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    C?mo usar este foro

    Anuncios contiene noticias que salen en la portada de la web y los comentarios a dichas noticias.

    ?Comenta aqu? las noticias de la web!

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    #1 Usuario offline ? Immortality?

    • Grupo: Admin
    • Posts: 24285
    • Registrado: 01-January 03

    Enviado Ayer, 04:45 PM

    Imagen posteada

    Conchi nos env?a una nueva casa para los comienzos en el juego: Casa en Cauce Boscoso.

    Sanchez, ha creado un conjunto de casas las Ruinas de KlanSanDlan: Ruinas de KlanSanDlan.

    ?Disfrutad!

    All Hail the lucky ones,
    I refer to those in love, yeah.

    Ver postJesugandalf, en 09 January 2007 - 02:00 AM, dijo:

    Nasnoches, se?oras y se?ores. Sepan que forman parte de la mejor comunidad online de la web : D


    #2 Usuario offline ? Toritaka?

    • Grupo: Miembro
    • Posts: 423
    • Registrado: 11-October 11

    Enviado Ayer, 05:38 PM

    Buah, genial. Tengo aparcado Skyrim hasta que haya mods de calidad y en abundancia para no tener que rejugar ciento y la madre de veces, pero estos los voy a probar siendo como son hechos por compis.
    No tengo tiempo de aprender a usar el Creation Kit, aunque quien sabe si mas adelante, me gustaria crear algun lugar y aventura asociada al mismo.

    Lo dicho; gran trabajo chicos.

    Oye ?por qu? se te ve siempre tan tranquilo y feliz? - F?cil, porque nunca discuto con nadie. ? No me lo creo ?Eso no puede ser! ? Pues vale, no ser? por eso.


    Compartir este tema:





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    Monday, April 2, 2012

    Edgar Allan Poe?s The Tell-Tale Heart Will Haunt Your iPad

    April 1st, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized

    Washington, New Jersey ? Diehard Studio Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of the iPad adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe classic, The Tell-Tale Heart. Perhaps Poe?s finest story, The Tell-Tale Heart is a riveting tale told by an unnamed narrator who slowly reveals a chilling mystery.

    The Tell-Tale Heart HD for iPad is an interactive, fully painted and fully voiced retelling of the classic Edgar Allan Poe horror tale. Illustrated by Mutant League television series art director Dwayne Ferguson and performed by Hunter Wolf and veteran television actress Janet Hubert.

    Ferguson, who has authored over 40 books and worked for companies such as Walt Disney, Sony Music, Warner Bros. and Macmillan Publishing, has wanted to adapt Edgar Allan Poe?s iconic horror story for years.

    ?I remember the first time I experienced The Tell-Tale Heart. I was fourteen and a huge fan of horror books, comics and movies. I liked them all, but there was something special about how Poe told this tale that resonated with me, and stayed with me since the day I read the last sentence of the story.

    ?Years later, while attending a comic book convention, I stumbled upon some 1930s radio shows starring The Shadow. I was hooked. Something about the style of the shows and the fact that they were performed live intrigued me.

    ?And now with the advent of the iPad, I am able to combine the two ? Edgar Allan Poe and radio dramas ? and present them along with the dark, moody, mixed-media paintings that I have always imagined. Then I filled it full of bone-chilling sounds and interactive elements to augment, not distract from, the original work itself.?

    The result is an interactive experience that is the definitive version of horror master Edgar Allan Poe?s legendary tale of suspense, dread and terror. The exclusive to the iPad book is brought further to life with an optional voiceover recording headlined by Janet Hubert of Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame.

    The central figure in The Tell-Tale Heart is the unnamed narrator and in literary circles there is much discussion as to whether the character is a man or a woman. Ferguson took a unique approach. ?I decided, why not both??

    So he brought in Janet Hubert to join him, under his stage name, Hunter Wolf. The two alternated back and forth recording the voiceover of the narrator. The result is an eerie, unnerving delivery of the story that presents the killer as schizophrenic with both sides of his or her psyche alternately insane, clever, panicky and brilliant. The combination of the two adrenaline-filled voices adds an extra layer to the creeping horror of the text.

    The Tell-Tale Heart contains creepy mixed-media painting, interactive elements, bone-chilling sound effects and a 1930?s-style radio drama performance that is sure to haunt your dreams.

    Device Requirements:
    * Compatible with iPad
    * Requires iOS 4.0 or later
    * 33.8 MB

    Pricing and Availability:
    Tell Tale Heart HD 1.0 is $2.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Books category.

    Diehard Studio
    Tell Tale Heart HD 1.0
    Purchase and Download
    Screenshots
    App Icon

    Diehard Studio is an independent production company, which produces Illustrations, Motion Graphics, App Development and games for Apple and Kindle mobile devices. Copyright (C) 2012 Diehard Studio. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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    NBA liga: U ogledu dvije najbolje ekipe Chicago razbijen

    NBA liga

    U ranom nedjeljnom terminu veliki derbi NBA lige su odigrali ko?arka?i Oklahoma Cityja i Chicaga. U pitanju su najbolja ekipa Istoka (Chicago, omjer 42-11), odnosno, Zapada (Oklahoma City, 39-12).

    Foto: NBA/Arhiv

    Foto: NBA/Arhiv

    Veli?inu derbija je umanjila ?injenica da deseti put zaredom za Chicago nije igrao najbolji igra? Derrick Rose, koji i dalje ima problema s preponama. Dok je mogao, Chicago je dr?ao priklju?ak, no u tre?oj ?etvrtini je proklju?alo.

    Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook i ostali doma?i igra?i su odigrali gotovo savr?enu ?etvrtinu koju su dobili sa ?ak 31-12, a u odre?enim trenucima te ?etvrtine Oklahoma City je imao i 30-ak poena prednosti.

    U zadnjih deset minuta su najbolji igra?i s obje strane sjeli na klupu, pa je Chicago dobio priliku da smanji zaostatak i donekle uljep?a ovaj te?ak poraz.

    Kevin Durant je sa 26 poena, 10 skokova i ?etiri asistencije bio najbolji igra? Oklahome, a odmah uz njega je bio Russell Westbrook sa 27 poena, tri skoka i pet asistencija, ali i ?etiri ukradene lopte.

    NBA liga, nedjelja:

    Oklahoma City - Chicago 92-78 (Durant 26p, 10s, 4a, Westbrook 27p, 3s, 5a / Lucas 19p)

    (Totalsport)



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    Sunday, April 1, 2012

    Mexican agents probe family in 3 ritual murders

    FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2009 file photo, a man carries two statues of the folk saint Santa Muerte, or Death Saint in Mexico City. Mexican prosecutors are investigating a family outside a small town near the U.S. border as alleged members of a cult who sacrificed three people to the Saint Death, a figure adored mostly by outlaws but whose popularity is growing across Mexico and among Hispanics in the United States. The first of the three victims was apparently killed in 2009, the second in 2010 and the latest in March 2012. (Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)

    FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2009 file photo, a man carries two statues of the folk saint Santa Muerte, or Death Saint in Mexico City. Mexican prosecutors are investigating a family outside a small town near the U.S. border as alleged members of a cult who sacrificed three people to the Saint Death, a figure adored mostly by outlaws but whose popularity is growing across Mexico and among Hispanics in the United States. The first of the three victims was apparently killed in 2009, the second in 2010 and the latest in March 2012. (Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)

    FILE - In this April 9, 2009 file photo, a skeletal figure representing the folk saint known in Mexico as "Santa Muerte" or "Death Saint," sits in a vendor's stall at a market in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Eight people have been arrested for allegedly killing two boys and a woman in ritual sacrifices by the cult of La Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, according to prosecutors in northern Mexico on Friday March 30, 2012. Jose Larrinaga, spokesman for Sonora state prosecutors, said the first of the three victims was apparently killed in 2009, the second in 2010 and the latest in March 2012. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)

    (AP) ? It was a family people took pity on, one the government and church helped with free food, used clothes, and farm animals. The men were known as trash pickers. Some of the women were suspected of prostitution.

    Mexican prosecutors are investigating the poor family living in shacks outside a small town near the U.S. border as alleged members of a cult that sacrificed two 10-year-old boys and a 55-year-old woman to Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, a figure adored mostly by outlaws but whose popularity is growing across Mexico and among Hispanics in the United States.

    The killings have shocked the copper mining village of Nacozari, on the edge of the Sierra Madre, and may be the first ritual sacrifices linked to the popular saint condemned by the Roman Catholic Church. Known as "flaquita," or "the skinny one," the figure known as Saint Death is portrayed as a skeleton wearing a hooded robe and holding a scythe, much like the Grim Reaper.

    Authorities say the throats and the wrists of the victims were cut with knives and axes, and their blood was spread on a Santa Muerte altar. Their bodies were then buried near the shacks where the alleged cult members lived.

    "We never knew they were part of a Santa Muerte cult," said Jorge Sanchez Castillo, a 54-year-old hotel owner who has a corn field next to the house of the woman believed to lead the group. "This has been a tragic thing for all of us."

    Jose Larrinaga, spokesman for the Sonora Attorney General's Office, said 44-year-old Silvia Meraz was the cult leader, and seven people related to her, were detained: her boyfriend Eduardo Sanchez, father, son, three daughters and a daughter-in-law. No formal charges have been filed pending further investigation.

    "They thought that by offering the blood, they would be protected for some time," Larrinaga said. "According to them, Santa Muerte was going to tell them where the money was. They all identify themselves as fanatic followers of Santa Muerte."

    Nacozari has been spared the grisly violence of drug cartels fighting for lucrative corridors along the U.S.-Mexico border, said police chief Jose Miguel Espinoza.

    "It was a peaceful town. We'd never seen such violence," he said.

    When a 10-year-old boy went missing in July 2010, his mother and her boyfriend told police that acquaintances had seen him begging in the streets of nearby Agua Prieta across the border from Douglas, Arizona, and that they would go find him, said Espinoza.

    "We had no reason to suspect it was a homicide," he said.

    A second 10-year-old boy went missing in early March, prompting Sonora state's missing persons unit to send agents to Nacozari, said the police chief. That boy's mother and her boyfriend reported it to state authorities, who discovered weeks later that the two boys knew people in common.

    The missing boy Martin Rios was the son of the ex-girlfriend of the suspect Eduardo Sanchez. The second boy, Jesus Martinez, was the step-grandson of alleged cult leader Meraz.

    The police chief said both boys would often visit Meraz's home in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of the town of 11,500.

    Espinoza said his officers suspected the house was being used for prostitution after seeing different men from out of town visiting, but never gathered enough evidence to arrest anyone.

    Agents on Wednesday unearthed the body of the boy Jesus Martinez buried in the dirt floor in the bedroom of one of the Meraz daughters. They then began arresting the family members, who led them to what agents believe are the remains of the other boy, as well as the grave of 55-year-old Cleotilde Romero, a close friend of Meraz who disappeared in 2009.

    Before last week, there have only been unconfirmed reports of human sacrifices related to the figure in Mexico in recent years, said R. Andrew Chesnut, chairman of Catholic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of the book "Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint."

    Chesnut said the 2007 shooting deaths of three men appeared to be related to Santa Muerte because the bodies were abandoned at a shrine to the figure outside the border city of Nuevo Laredo. But they showed no signs of being sacrificial killings.

    He said that although most Santa Muerte devotees consider killing a "Satanic aberration of devotion," and that books about the Santa Muerte don't mention human sacrifice, some followers are extreme.

    "With no clerical authority to stop them, some practitioners engage in aberrant and even abhorrent rituals," Chesnut said.

    Police paraded the eight people arrested in the case of the cult killings into the prosecutor's offices in the state capital of Hermosillo on Friday to allow journalists to view and question them, a typical practice in Mexico.

    Meraz told reporters she has believed in Santa Muerte for more than two years.

    "Santa Muerte was going to offer us money," Meraz said.

    Asked if she thought she had received anything, she answered with a profanity, her voice breaking: "What can she give you? Nothing."

    _________________

    Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon reported from Mexico City.

    Follow Adriana Gomez Licon at www.twitter.com/agomezlicon

    Associated Press

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    Putin ally seeking top economic post is accused of massive corruption

    Russia's top anti-corruption blogger has singled out Kremlin official Igor Shuvalov as an example of official corruption that has jumped sharply in the past four years.

    Russia's top anti-corruption blogger, Alexei Navalny, has taken aim at one of President-elect Vladimir Putin's top lieutenants, accusing longtime top Kremlin official Igor Shuvalov of amassing tens of millions of dollars through illicit transactions with Russian oligarchs.

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    Mr. Navalny's allegations, supported by scans of many key documents, appear to show offshore trusts owned by Mr. Shuvalov's family making tens of millions of dollars in profits through investments that would be banned by conflict-of-interest laws in almost any country other than Russia.

    The Russian oligarchs who have siphoned money into Shuvalov family trusts include Roman Abramovich, owner of Britain's Chelsea football club, Navalny says. "These nice people [like Abramovich] earn their living selling our natural resources, but prefer to live abroad? To give officials bribes is a crime in the part of the world where they like to spend their time," though Russian law is murky, he says.

    Although even Navalny seems unclear whether Shuvalov has broken any Russian laws, experts say the documents illustrate how Russian officials, who are not subject to the tough media scrutiny and strict conflict-of-interest regulations common in Western countries, are able to amass personal wealth while in civil service.?

    In a statement to the media, Shuvalov said he has done nothing wrong. "As a lawyer, I have without fail followed the rules and principles on conflicts of interests. For a lawyer, this is sacred," he said.

    Russia, which is No. 143 on the Berlin-based Transparency International's 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, has registered a sharp jump in official corruption since Dmitry Medvedev became president in 2008.

    "Much has been known about Shuvalov for several years, about his 'business activity', his way of life and his property," says Andrei Piontkovsky, a trenchant Kremlin critic and expert with the official Institute of Systems Analysis in Moscow. "But he is just one example of what's going on all around us. He's only different because he doesn't conceal what he's doing ? committing what would be called crimes in much of the world ? even though he is deputy prime minister of Russia."

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