| LED Digest 2209: Hungry Marketers |
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An interesting discussion on Robots.txt for European Sites. Also here:
Fixed vs Fluid Width Sites, Reciprocal Linking, Smart Framing, and more... ==================================================
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List Moderator: Published by:
Adam Audette LED Digest
adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com
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July 24, 2006 Issue no. 2209
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.....IN THIS DIGEST.....
==== CONTINUING =================
--== Robots.txt for European Sites ==--
~ Tom Aman
"The original protocol that is currently deployed
was created in 1994..."
--== Fixed Width vs Fluid Web Sites ==--
~ Mary Lee
"The stats I quoted were just released by
OneStat.com..."
~ Allen Schaaf
"...your clients have found one of the key
limitations of CSS."
--== Reciprocal Linking ==--
~ Dirk Johnson
"Some site owners are passive about their
marketing, and some are more hungry."
==== BILLBOARD ===================
--== Smart Framing ==--
~ Pat Pierson
--== 000domains.com - Anyone There? ==--
~ Thom Reece
~ Ron Coble
~ Robert Joy
~ Terry Riley
--== Pro Bono Design ==--
~ Rich Dudley
======== CONTINUING ===============================From: Tom Aman Subject: Robot language > I wonder if anyone can help us with a > general question about the use of > robots.txt files in Europe-based websites? - David Betterton, LED 2208 For complete details on the robots.txt file, see http://www.robotstxt.org/. The robots.txt file uses two English words, is very simple in structure, and it would not make good sense to use a different language: User-agent: this is used to specify the robot to which the command(s) that follow apply. "User-agent" (in English) is part of the HTTP protocol and is used sent by any client program (like a robot or a browser) as part of the request for a resource. The expected values here are either the user agent value used by a specific robot or a "*" to indicate all robots. Disallow: this is used to specify (in the form of partial URLs) the portion(s) of a site that robots should not visit. The value appearing after this may be a blank to indicate that the specified User-agent can access the entire site. To specify either or both of these in other languages would not really serve any purpose and would just complicate the coding for robots because instead of scanning the file for "user-agent", the robot would have to start looking for all the possible variations. Allow most people think in terms of a few search engine spiders, there are lots of other spider programs used for a variety of purposes (such as link checking). If provision were made for German, French and Dutch, then why not Swedish, Spanish, Portugese, etc, etc. I would hate to have to code all of that into my link checking program that is used around the world and I expect other robot creators would feel the same. The use of English words makes the file easy to read. If one desires to make the file language-independent, then it would make more sense to use symbols. For example, comments are already indicated by the symbol "#", so we could substitute "?" for "User-agent" and "-" for "Disallow". Then language does not present a problem. But it would be difficult to get the millions of existing robots.txt files changed. The original protocol that is currently deployed was created in 1994, a revision, dated 1996, was started but never completed or implemented. No reason is given, but possibly the initial form worked so well that no one wanted to change it. I believe the definitive person to discuss this with would be Martijn Koster, the person who maintains the robotstxt.org site. The link for his name will take you to his personal pages where you will find contact info. Tom Aman Aman Software http://www.cyberspyder.com Home of CyberSpyder Link Test -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Mary Lee Subject: Fixed width > I don't know where she got her statistics, but it > doesn't matter... the absolute best place to obtain > this type of information is your own statistics > program for your own website. - Kathy Wilson, LED 2208 The stats I quoted were just released by OneStat.com who is the largest provider of real time web analytics. You can see the press release here on their recent findings: http://www.onestat.com/html/aboutus_pressbox43-screen-resolutions.html I do agree though that your particular customers can be different & you need to design for them. Myself I get a LOT of women ages 40-60 who are hosting social events or parties. That is not to say I don't get others, but these are the majority of my visitors. So I design my type to be larger and easier to read with CSS. I use colors that convey class and money as this is my majority visitor. I try to appeal to my them on every level I can imagine on my site & the results of doing that have been astounding. Kathy is right. Always keep your end user and actual visitors in mind when designing your site and your business. Mary Lee Dinner and a Murder Mystery Games http://www.dinnerandamurder.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Allen Schaaf Subject: Fixed width > They have found that when they shrink their browser > windows, a big on-screen pileup ensues... - Martha Retallick, LED 2204 Martha, your clients have found one of the key limitations of CSS. If you do the same design in tables <hiss, boo - old fashioned> the pile up does not occur, it just forces a scroll bar. If W3C had merely added a few features to HTML 4.01 or XHTML 1.0, and skipped the CSS, you would be able to everything CSS does but simpler and easier. But like most things that are good, people can't resist tarting them up to make them "better." Best, Allen Schaaf Planned Systems, Inc. -------- new post - new topic -------- From: Dirk Johnson Subject: Linking > Okay - you got me Dirk. I for one would love > to hear your approach and strategies. - Nathan Holley, LED 2208 Sure, Nathan. I appreciate the opportunity to shed some light that might be useful to people who are doing this, or thinking of it. Our approach is actually quite simple and straightforward, with no hidden tricks or complications whatsoever, but it does require work. Here are the basic, guiding principles we use: 1) Use a data management tool. Reciprocation is a real data management challenge. Manual page editing and even rudimentary spreadsheet methods have limits. We have our own self-developed process that is specific for our needs here, but Joel Lesser's LinksManager.com is a example of a robust tool for the do-it-yourself site owner. Joel is an LED member, and posts here occasionally. 2) Look for sites that reciprocate with other similar sites that are already doing well. That may or may not be competitor's sites. Look for sites that rank well and also have robust reciprocation directories. They are easy to find, in spite of what the pundits claim. Sites that don't reciprocate won't yield much, for our purposes. We use a tool called LinkSurvey.com to find them. 3) You have to visit those sites, review them, and log the appropriate data about them, as well as their status as to reciprocation offers. Prospective link partner sites must publicly offer to reciprocate, otherwise they are strictly off limits. 4) For those that do make the offer, note if they accept submissions via an online form, or by email. If they provide a form, use it, and do not send email requests. That's not only courteous, but far more effective. Sites that provide forms usually ignore email requests. 5) Log the advised anchor text, description, and url that they provide. That's what you want them to do when they place your link, so do likewise. Also, the root domain of the link you place for them should match the root domain of the site where your link will be listed. I am no fan of three-way or four-way linking, but that is another discussion. 6) Compile your list of sites that offer to reciprocate, log all the appropriate data, categorize them properly, and toss out any that you really don't want to pursue. Just keep in mind that applying PR limits will simply limit your own effectiveness. PR is a distraction, and has nothing to do with whether a site is relevant. Ignore the sites that are not relevant to your own. Use common sense. Automotive sites don't want requests from beauty supply sites. Also, feel free to list any other sites in your directory that you'd like to offer as a resource to your site visitors, even if those sites don't offer to reciprocate. Just don't solicit them, if you list them. 7) Build a resource directory for your own site, based on the categories of the sites you will be pursuing. Build it so real users can use it and get some value from it. Do not make "Links Page 1, 2, 3, 4 ..etc" with random listings. Nobody wants that link, and most link partners won't post your's in return, for giving them such a crappy link. 8) Solicit for the links. Use an email request for sites that want their link submissions via email, and submit to forms for the others. Tell them exactly where to find their link, with a url address. Tell them how you listed their site, and offer to let them change it. 9) Skip the flowery talk about how you think their site is the "bomb". Nobody cares. They already offer to reciprocate, and they know why you are asking. However, they do care how your own site is presented to them. Make it professional, attractive, useful, with a well-presented link directory that is accessible from the home page. Do not try to hide the directory. Don't use robot exclusions and other tricks. Be up front, since that's what you want in return. Be link-worthy 10) Never threaten to remove links at some deadline. How obnoxious is that? Site owners have more to do than update their link directory on your schedule. It may take them a couple of months. Sometimes more. You placed their link. Leave it for a while. If you take it down, and they do get around to updating, their link will be gone from your site. That's a lost opportunity. Patience wins, my friend. 10) Track who reciprocates, by reviewing the responses, and comparing the LinkSurvey.com link back reports to your own site. Note them accordingly, so as to not solicit them again. Wait at least six weeks to make a new request. Again, skip the threats and other bluster. Just ask again, politely. 11) Honor "unsubscribes" diligently. Also, keep track of bad email addresses, broken forms, etc. Or else you'll just keep wasting time on them. 12) Every six weeks, repeat steps 2 through 11. You need to track where you've been, where you are, and where you are going. Or else it becomes a huge mess, very quickly, and duplication of effort becomes inevitable. Rudimentary tracking methods break down. That's why a good data tool is a must. I get a kick out of SEO pundits who call this work "easy". Sure, the first 25 links you'll earn are easy, but then each link becomes more difficult to find and convert. It's one thing to ask for a few links. It's quite another to actually get them and keep getting them, over a sustained period. There are a lot sites out there with hundreds of responsible, subject-relevant, reciprocated links, earned over a period of several years. That is only because the site owner dedicated real resources to make that happen. Anyone who describes this work as "easy" is just kidding themselves and anyone who'll listen. Finally, reciprocation takes place between two human beings, not machines. Be gracious, courteous, skip the nonsense in your requests, make them subject relevant, and play fair. When that happens, much good can be derived from this. You are establishing your domain presence on other sites that are relevant to your own. It is a branding function, and it's a private arrangement between two sites that deem it to be appropriate, each for their own reasons. It takes two independent decisions to bring about reciprocation. There is editorial discretion at each end. Certainly this all plays out in search, but when reciprocation is treated as a branding function, it keep things on track. In addition, I have seen a lot of secondary benefits from reciprocation that are not at all SEO-related. Again, when set out to establish your brand, good things can happen. Imagine, having your automotive site listed on 1000 other automotive sites, and having those links stay in place indefinitely. That's powerful, but is only possible with a lot of hard work and focus. It's not easy, or free, nor is it improper. And it is not right for sites who don't want to "give to get". Link as if your site traffic depended upon it, and as if the search engines did not exist. Then you'll hunt down every available, relevant link, and ignore those that aren't, both reciprocal and non-reciprocal. Sites that do not offer to reciprocate simply have to find other ways to get links. In a whole lot of situations, I'd simply call that a lost opportunity. Quite often, the decision to not offer to reciprocate is based on a wholesale mis-understanding of how this work takes place, and that mis-understanding is perpetuated by some well-known vocal opponents in the SEO community who do not do this work, and thus, do not really understand it, yet find a need to advise against it stridently. It's baffling. But to each their own. Sites that do what I have described here, in a responsible manner, have enjoyed benefits that the naysayers can never imagine. Because what I have described is nothing more than common sense marketing and branding. Some site owners are passive about their marketing, and some are more hungry. The most diligent are the ones who also tend to reciprocate actively, as they feel they are leaving chips on the table if they don't. Each link opportunity ignored is one of those chips. Best regards, Dirk Johnson, Partner - Operations DomainDrivers LLC www.domaindrivers.com www.linkstrategy.com ==== BILLBOARD =================================== From: Pat Pierson Subject: Smart framing > I think you're asking about "wrapping" a site to > display within another? I'll assume so for the > purposes of this response, anyway... - Nathan Holley, LED 2205 As clarification of my post; the following site is an example of what I am trying to do. We are not using any type of content management software and do not plan to. Our needs are very simple in that we have a Real Estate Site and need to imbed MLS Search results in our site so it appears that they user is still at our site. An example of software we have found so far on the net is http://www.smarterscripts.com/smartframe/demo.shtml. Am looking for any input/comments on this particular script or any others. Would prefer that they be free but that is not a hard requirement. Thanks. Pat Pierson -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Thom Reece Subject: 000 domains > I have registered domain names with 000domains.com, > but it seems as if they can no longer be contacted. Does > anyone know if they are still operating...? - Val Waldeck, LED 2208 Aloha... I have about fifty domains registered through them and their site was up and operational a few minutes ago when I checked. ... Thom Reece http://www.articlemarketingnetwork.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Ron Coble Subject: 000 domains Your post had me a bit worried since I had just paid our main domain up through 2012. I was able to access their site after repeated attempts? So, yes, http://www.000domains.com is still in operation. I also found the following note under their Help area: To manage .com, .net, .org domain names registered BEFORE January 1, 2003 please use our OpenSRS Manager which translates to: https://opensrs.000domains.com I checked in their customer service are and found the following post dated 7/17/06: (may explain not being able to access their site?) --------------------- Announcement NOTICE: We will be conducting upgrades this Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 10PM (2200) PDT. We anticipate the maintenance window to be 2 hours in duration. Account and service management will not be available during this upgrade period. Logging in to webmail be unavailable as well. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you. Posted by Customer Care - 07/17/2006@15:25 --------------------- Ron Coble Coble International - International Marketing Services http://www.ImportExportHelp.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Robert Joy Subject: 000 domains They used to be very good, until they sold out or were bought out, as customer service is now non-service. I've gradually been changing my 200 websites over to a more reliable registrar, and not that godaddy place. They are still there but sadly not as they used to be. Robert Joy -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Terry Riley Subject: 000 domains Val, I've had great experience with 000Domains when registering new websites. But when I tried to get them to host my sites it was a disaster. I was never able to reach a "support" person and after trying a number of times, I finally got a sales person on the phone and simply cancelled the transfer of my sites. They have an Internet presence at http://www.000domains.com/ and try (and try again and again) to talk to a real person at (360) 449-5988. Good luck, Terry Riley www.humfax.com -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Richard Dudley Subject: Pro bono design > So I thought of first asking if any LED'ers who > are professional web designers might consider > taking up this project as 'pro bono' work... - Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian, LED 2206 For folks in the same position as Dr. Mani, a good site to check out is http://www.nonprofitways.com/. It's a site where non-profits can post projects that need to be done pro-bono. Developers work in teams, mentoring each other, and sharing the overall workload by breaking each site down into smaller tasks. Rewards for developers are the experience, as well as points for swag on community-credit.com. Rich Dudley http://rjdudley.com/blog
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