What Is Google Penguin?

They were cute until Google got to 'em

If I say ‘Google Penguin’ to an SEO (search engine optimizer) pro, they shudder. In the SEO world, Google’s Penguin update is the nastiest, scariest update since, I dunno, Florida?

Here’s an explainer for all the marketers who are wondering what the hell just happened to their traffic:

What’s an update?

The engineers at Google constantly tune their search software to provide (hopefully) more accurate results. Most of these tune-ups are pretty small, and go unnoticed by anyone except us hardcore search geeks. They’re like thunderstorms: You don’t name them.

Every now and then, though, Google rolls out a humungous change that throws the search world into a state of meteorological higgledy-piggledy (that’s a lot of Gs). Those are named updates. Panda was one. Penguin’s another.

Google rolled out the Penguin update April 24th. It appears to target artificial link acquisition, or ‘link spam’.

What’s link spam?

Link spam is any attempt to acquire lots of links by buying them, trading them, or building your own ‘link network’. The easiest way to describe link spam to talk money: You can go out and earn money by creating something of value, or providing a valuable service. Or, you can print or steal it.

Link spam is the whole printing/stealing thing: Go to a link broker or service, for example, and for a fee you can acquire anywhere from one to thousands of links with a click. Or, launch one hundred blogs, fill them with stolen content or gibberish, and then link them in a network that funnels authority to your own site. It’s a lot easier than writing amazing content, or doing good PR, or (I dunno) marketing or something.

I’m sounding judgmental, I know. The truth is, I don’t see anything morally wrong with link spam. It’s another marketing tactic that taken too far can really screw things up. But compare it to plagiarism on the Evil Scale it barely moves the needle.

Link spam has always been a bad long-term SEO strategy. Google and Bing have fought it for years, and they catch the site networks and companies that use it all the time.

Penguin, though, took it to a whole new level.

What did Penguin do?

It’s hard to know for certain, since Google doesn’t reveal details. But a few things are clear:

• Penguin actively penalizes sites that Google believes engaged in link spam. This is new. Until now, Google generally took away ill-gotten link authority and penalized sites that were selling links. The big G rarely punished sites for acquiring spam links.
• Penalized sites generally plunge out of the top ten for their own brand names, as well as any other meaningful terms.
• Links that are part of artificial link networks will trigger a penalty. Check out this great SEOMOZ article to learn how to detect link networks.
• If a huge percentage of your links use the same, commodity-related anchor text, you’re in trouble. So, if you sell toilet paper, and 75% of the links pointing at your site have the link text ‘toilet paper’, Google will get suspicious. Don’t act surprised. I’ve been warning about this for a couple of years.
• If a huge percentage of your links come from blog comments, forums or site footers (all common places for spammy links), again, Google gets suspicious.
• Google sent out warnings to some, but not all, Penguin-targeted sites.

Penguin focused on offsite factors. Panda, the update that came before, focused more on site quality and onsite factors.

How do I know if I’ve been Penguinized?

If your search traffic suddenly dropped after April 24th, and you got a warning from Google about unnatural links pointing at your site, and you no longer rank in the top 10 for your own brand name, you probably got a Penguin penalty.

Otherwise, though, let your conscience be your guide. If you know you’ve got a lot of link spam pointing at your site, clean it up. Even if you didn’t get penalized under Penguin, chances are you’re due. Fix it before you get hammered.

And, fix it a little bit at a time. Go out and get higher-quality links while removing the spammy ones. Read the SEOMOZ article for info on how to remove spammy links.

Most sites I’ve seen got hit by a combination of factors: Penguin (offsite) plus Panda (onsite) or a screw-up around a site re-launch or similar.

I say this because it’s important that, in the initial Penguin Panic, you still pay attention to SEO best practices: Visibility, authority, relevance. Make sure all three are in good shape.

Other places to go look

If you think you’ve been hit by Penguin, and can’t/won’t hire someone, do some reading. These articles are a great place to start:

• Unnatural link warnings and blog networks, SEOMOZ
• Two weeks in, Google talks penguin update, ways to recover and negative SEO
• Another step to reward high-quality sites. A bit vague, but the post that started it all.
• Panda and Penguin go Sledding. Good for a chuckle when you’re ready to firebomb your own web site.
• Google Panda 3.6 Hit on April 27th

Joel Leyden: Winning Friends

Summary: In Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, he outlines 9 principles for becoming a friendlier person. 


I want to share with you my view on these 9 principles and why they are so powerful. 


 Let’s start with Principle # 1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain. My view of this is to stay positive. Do not go negative. People just don’t want to hear it. 


 Number 2) Give honest, sincere appreciation. This is not flattery. The keyword is sincere. If you’re not being sincere, people will know it. Try to find something to appreciate in all of the people that you meet and know. 


 Number 3) Arouse in the other person an eager want. What does that mean? It means that you want to get people motivated, keep them motivated, and spur them on. 


 Number 4) Become genuinely interested in other people. Take a sincere interest in them. Don’t just pretend you’re interested. Everybody has something interesting about them. Find out what it is. 


 Number 5) SMILE. Yes, a real smile. A smile is contagious. We’ve all seen it. Find things to smile about and share your smile with the world. 


 Number 6) Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. I love hearing my name. David, what can I do for you today David? Would you like that promotion David? I also love being called Daddy by my children. I love you Daddy. Can you play with me daddy. My wife has a couple of other names for me that I can’t share with you today. 


 Number 7) Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. Here’s my take on listening. I call it sincere listening. Don’t sit and wait for your turn to talk while you are listening. Be attentive and show actual interest in what the person is saying. And here’s a secret – what’s the best way to show an interest? By actually being interested. 


 Number 8) Talk in terms of the other person's interests. Find some common ground. Don’t only bore them with things that are interesting to you. You don’t have to fake interest, find real common ground. 


Number 9) Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely. The only true way to make somebody feel important is for you to feel they really are important, to sincerely believe they are important. If they are in your life and you are spending time with them, they should be important. 


 Those are the 9 principles. 
When it was written in the early 20th century, it had a tremendous impact on people, and the thoughts behind it are as true today as they were back then.

Is the Facebook IPO, Mark Zuckerberg Safe Investments?

Is the Facebook IPO, Mark Zuckerberg Safe Investments?

By Joel Leyden
United States News Agency


New York --- May 18 ... Another historic tech, Internet IPO takes place today. One that leaves many wondering if Facebook is really a safe investment? 


The answer to that question is yes.


As many criticize Facebook for lacking real value or service, comparing Facebook to Google that serves the function of finding things, Mark Zuckerberg stays true to his position that "Facebook exists to make the world more open and connected, and not just to build a company."

That is enough to scare any intelligent investor.
That Zuck places more value on creating openess than making money. But what Mark has done here was to create the largest human watering hole on Planet Earth with over 900 million members.

Although ROI on advertising in Facebook is not great, it still merits effective function and perhaps the best branding one could wish for with it's free corporate pages.

But I, as an Internet pioneer, who has a longer record of placing content on the Net than Mark (co-created the first commercial Website in Israel in 1994) can tell you that Facebook has a few friends which cannot allow it to sink.

Where did the Internet come from?
US Intelligence. And Facebook is to INTEL as butter is to bread.

Where else can US and Western INTEL find out in the most cost-effective terms what time you woke up, what clothes you are wearing, what you ate, where you are going (don't forget the photos) and what time you went to sleep?

As Wikipedia is still alive and thriving, so will Facebook.

Will you make millions investing in Facebook. 
Perhaps yes, if you are like Bono and invest tens of thousands as an "insider" and sell your stock off in the first few hours. But for the rest of us, that share / stock certificate will gain little value except to say that you are a member of the largest club on Earth.

Facebook faces multi-billion dollar class law actions for their "cookies" tracking your every move. But don't worry about that affecting Facebook. Their friends in DC will take care of that.

And as for privacy? There is no privacy on the Net.
So get over it and go "Like" something!

If you're a good guy and pose no terror threat to others - you have nothing to worry about and have much to enjoy in this new wired and "open" world.

DigitalPrConsultant.com    JoelLeyden.com    ReputationManagementPr.com

IntegratedMarketingProfessional.com    BrandingProfessional.com

Joel Leyden - Digital PR Solutions Since 1995!

Creating historic, global Websites - Internet marketing / Digital PR solutions reaching millions - since 1995!  ; >

www.usatoday.com/news/index/nrabin06.htm

Enjoy the weekend,
Joel

Israel Receives 4th Dolphin Submarine, Iran On Radar

Israel Receives 4th Dolphin Submarine, Iran On Radar

1digg

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem, Israel --- May 3, 2012 .... Part of the following was communicated by the Israel Government Press Office to the Israel News Agency.

At an official state ceremony held today Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the Kiel shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, the Israel Defense Ministry received a fourth Dolphin class submarine – "INS Tanin". It was officially transferred to the Israel Defense Ministry and the Israel Navy and is due to arrive in Israel in 2013.

Israel Defense Ministry Director-General Udi Shani, GOC Navy Maj.-Gen. Ram Rothberg, the head of the Ministry's Procurement Administration, Brig.-Gen. Shmuel Tzucker, along with other senior Israeli officials and their German counterparts launched the fourth Dolphin Class submarine, marking its transfer to the Defense Ministry and the Israel Navy. 

This ceremony signaled the end of a lengthy process led by the Procurement Administration.

The high point of the event in the Kiel shipyard in Hamburg was the ceremonial breaking of the champagne bottle against the submarine by both Israel and German officials.

"INS Tanin" will arrive in Israel during the course of 2013, once all the relevant checks are complete. It is considered to be among the most advanced and sophisticated submarines in the world, and will be Israel's and the IDF's most expensive piece of military equipment. The Dolphin submarine is extremely versatile with a range of capabilities enabling it to adapt to a multitude of missions.

Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak congratulated the Israeli Navy and the IDF on the occasion of the submarine's launching and noted: "The submarine will be another force multiplier in terms of the capabilities and strength of the IDF and the State of Israel in the face of the growing regional challenges. The Navy has been undergoing a number of strategic changes in recent years; changes that place it as the long arm of the IDF, at the very forefront of the campaign to secure the State of Israel. This deal is an expression of the depth of the relationship with Germany, reflecting the ongoing commitment of the Government of Germany to Israel's security."

Barak is very much focused on Iran's nuclear program, saying Israel will not be duped by negotiations, and warning that an attack is not out of the question.

"Today sanctions are stronger than ever," said Barak. "They forced the Iranians to take note, to sit down and to talk. The P-5+1 engagement of Iran, however, does not fill me with confidence. I may sound pessimistic, but the State of Israel cannot afford to be duped."

Barak also accused the Iranian government of seeking to buy time to make its alleged nuclear weapons program immune from military attacks. Barak has been one of the strongest supporters of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hardline position against Iran's nuclear weapon activities.

Israel Defense Ministry Director-General Shani noted at the event: "My greatest appreciation and thanks go to the officials at the Israel Ministry of Defense and the Defense Establishment for the negotiation process, development, construction and integration of the Dolphin class submarine and the advanced combat systems with which the submarine is equipped. The ceremony, more than anything, symbolizes the strong and unique bond between Germany and Israel. With the current developments and growing regional challenges, the cooperation between Germany and Israel has grown even stronger."

Director-General Shani thanked his German counterpart and noted: "On behalf of the State of Israel and the Defense Establishment, I thank you for taking up this unique project. Without your dedication and professionalism, this mission would never have been completed."

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, also highlighted the importance of this acquisition and the strategic importance of Israel's growing submarine fleet: "The Navy and its fleet of submarines, along with other arms of the IDF, make up an arm of deterrence – a defensive and 'fighting' arm – on a strategic level both for the IDF and the State of Israel."

GOC Navy Maj. Gen. Ram Rothberg added: "At a time when threats are becoming global in their nature, the relationship between Israel and Germany is more crucial than ever."

Last month, Israel Defense Minister Barak was in Germany to sign an additional agreement for the construction and delivery of a new and improved submarine. This will be Israel's sixth submarine and it is expected to arrive in 2017, joining the fourth and fifth submarines (which will arrive in Israel in 2013 and 2014 respectively).

The cost of each submarine is approximately $0.5 billion. One-third of this sum is funded by the Government of Germany.

Addressing present international efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program and if these efforts should fail, any military action against Tehran should be led not by Israel, but by the United States, said former Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"The last resort is a military action," Olmert told CNN in a recent interview. "And I prefer that it would be an American action - supported by the international community - if all the other efforts would fail."

Often described as Israel's second-strike doomsday weapon - according to foreign reports - able to launch cruise missiles tipped with nuclear warheads, Israel's ten submarines can dive deep, stay under longer and maintain democracy in the Middle East. The Dolphin's two periscopes - integrated with night-vision and thermal imaging - were specially designed for the navy and allow anything the captain sees to be relayed to a screen in the CIC. This includes any Iranian activity in the Red Sea and beyond.

In the event of a war with Iran, Israel could use the submarines 4,500 nautical mile range to listen and take required, accurate action.

"The Red Sea is an area that has significance for us and could turn into an important front for Israel," a senior IDF naval officer recently said.