SEGuru
12-08-2004, 03:56 AM
Over the course of the last 2 months, I have had a chance to reflect on where I was when I got into this industry. I've had long talks, with old SEO buddies recently and we've been reflecting the past as well as looking at where we're at now.
Interesting.
I remember, driving to my day job every day...reading SEW printed out, stapled together. The Gazette was a regular staple, along with my print-outs of I-Search Digest and Planet Ocean. I was armed to the teeth with more readng than you could possibly imagine.
I was active in this community and way above the radar in the forums.
I began moderating at SEF in the Excite forums and the Search Technology forums. What a wild ride those times were. It was the days of the spider and the algorithm in full force and rapid evident evolution, which has only made search a better place.
SEO evolving into SEO/SEM along with formal organizations both here in the U.S. and the U.K. I remember sitting in Stockholm during the formation of WAIM and being a founding member.
Good times it was.
I've been a part of this industry since practically the beginning and made a rule for myself. Don't get caught up in the politics and bs of the boards and the space we work in. "Not a good practice!"
I discussed things like this with the GREAT SEO's of the day, such as Jim, Brett, Detlev J, Marshall S, Dogboy, RodB, John Heard, WebGuerilla, Mackin, and many more (sorry if I didn't mention you and you were there on the field of battle with me)!
It's a different space and we're (those of us who were back there and remember) in a different place now. We have evolved.
I'm often asked, if I am still in the game. I am. It gets in your blood. The rush, the roller coaster is addictive. However, I evolved as to how I stayed involved.
I state it that way because, numerous old and trusted friends have asked of recent what I thought about where we are as an industry as a whole. Also, about how some of them want to do different stuff yet do things a bit closer to home. The list of them is long.
A lot of us who have been around for awhile have evolved and sought paths within the space to "stay in the game" yet get the fresh, excited feeling about what we are waking up for everyday.
Algo busting can give ya a headache after awhile eh?
The ebb and flow of what we do, how we do it, who we do it with...will always remain. If not, search will not improve. This is painfully obvious.
I welcome the challenge Microsoft will bring to the space. Competition breeds a marketplace and ultimately will have the top 3 working to create and deploy the best search experience that is the utmost of relevance and that will only spurn us all along towards the ultimate in targeted delivery of serps.
The overall experience for the end user, the engine for enabling that experience and seeking to increase usage loyalty, and those of us seeking to successfully play in the land of serps and make clients happy..."Is the name of the game!"
We have evolved and its been a good evolution in my opinion. To get a return email in the old days from an Engine was an utter miracle. So we'd dwell and ponder publically and then Danny might come along and drop some good nuggets to make us think in a different light.
Exciting when that happened. Great to see Danny come and post somewhere when he was feverishing carrying SEW himself back in the day.
Then all of the sudden, SES arrives on the scene and timely it was! The spotted participation in the forums from the engines began to show us that the wall was coming down between webmasters and the engines, and this new tradeshow proved that as well.
That taboo thing for us to mingle or talk to each other began to waft away.
That was nice and about damn time! I have always been about bridging the gap between us and the portals. It just made sense. If we know more about what "they" need...then we can do what we do and it be ok (black hat shizzy aside guys), relevenace is and always will be the key factor here.
Yes, the spammers have always existed and then those who pushed the lines of acceptability, yet were still so relevant that it was hard to justify banning their sites as what they did was so subtle, yet so relevant.
Win/Win/Win = EndUser/SE/SEO
I think that as an industry, those of us who have been around...can identify with this. I know some of you who have banged away on the engines with the perspective of, "if I can still exploit it...they haven't made it good enough it!"
I know some of you are tired of running in what feels like a circle, and tell you that its not a circle...but more like a cycle. I would encourage you to find how you fit into this natural evolution and stay involved.
Its encouraging when Microsoft comes to the community and says, come up and check under the hood and tell us what ya think! Beat it up! The Chammps.
Its encouraging to see Yahoo stepping up to do a webmaster radio show.
Those of you who have been around, I mean been around. You know who you are. I look to you, as well as to myself...to watch this space from a birds eye view.
Why? Because you hve an "OldTimers Perspective!"
That perspective in the face of the "wall" coming down between our community and the portals, is extremely exciting to me.
Search has been something that I immersed myself into and it affected me on so many levels it would be hard to touch on (as this has been the longest post I've written in a year or so). To say that how I work in this space is a bit different than it was in '96, is true indeed yet my passion for it remains the same.
Do I miss the old the days? Yes...great times and what a ride. Good friends, some still here and some now gone. Props still go to Jim for helping us in the beginning and seeing us begin to evolve just before his passing. Thank you Jim, for what you so freely helped give to me. My entrance into a new world.
Search!
I am proud to have been there back "in the day!" I am even prouder to be a part of this space today. We all have to work smarter and having full open communications is fantastic.
I would also encourage newbies and old timers alike...the politics...is BS. Do not get caught up in it. Stay productive and keep your eye on the ball, and you too will find your groove and "happy place" to make a positive contribution in this space.
My apologies for the long-winded post, but felt that a mirror for your perspective would be a good thing for us to hand each other. Maybe hold it sideways so you can see our industry at a new and different perspective and to encourage you.
This is just an "OldTimers Perspective!"
Interesting.
I remember, driving to my day job every day...reading SEW printed out, stapled together. The Gazette was a regular staple, along with my print-outs of I-Search Digest and Planet Ocean. I was armed to the teeth with more readng than you could possibly imagine.
I was active in this community and way above the radar in the forums.
I began moderating at SEF in the Excite forums and the Search Technology forums. What a wild ride those times were. It was the days of the spider and the algorithm in full force and rapid evident evolution, which has only made search a better place.
SEO evolving into SEO/SEM along with formal organizations both here in the U.S. and the U.K. I remember sitting in Stockholm during the formation of WAIM and being a founding member.
Good times it was.
I've been a part of this industry since practically the beginning and made a rule for myself. Don't get caught up in the politics and bs of the boards and the space we work in. "Not a good practice!"
I discussed things like this with the GREAT SEO's of the day, such as Jim, Brett, Detlev J, Marshall S, Dogboy, RodB, John Heard, WebGuerilla, Mackin, and many more (sorry if I didn't mention you and you were there on the field of battle with me)!
It's a different space and we're (those of us who were back there and remember) in a different place now. We have evolved.
I'm often asked, if I am still in the game. I am. It gets in your blood. The rush, the roller coaster is addictive. However, I evolved as to how I stayed involved.
I state it that way because, numerous old and trusted friends have asked of recent what I thought about where we are as an industry as a whole. Also, about how some of them want to do different stuff yet do things a bit closer to home. The list of them is long.
A lot of us who have been around for awhile have evolved and sought paths within the space to "stay in the game" yet get the fresh, excited feeling about what we are waking up for everyday.
Algo busting can give ya a headache after awhile eh?
The ebb and flow of what we do, how we do it, who we do it with...will always remain. If not, search will not improve. This is painfully obvious.
I welcome the challenge Microsoft will bring to the space. Competition breeds a marketplace and ultimately will have the top 3 working to create and deploy the best search experience that is the utmost of relevance and that will only spurn us all along towards the ultimate in targeted delivery of serps.
The overall experience for the end user, the engine for enabling that experience and seeking to increase usage loyalty, and those of us seeking to successfully play in the land of serps and make clients happy..."Is the name of the game!"
We have evolved and its been a good evolution in my opinion. To get a return email in the old days from an Engine was an utter miracle. So we'd dwell and ponder publically and then Danny might come along and drop some good nuggets to make us think in a different light.
Exciting when that happened. Great to see Danny come and post somewhere when he was feverishing carrying SEW himself back in the day.
Then all of the sudden, SES arrives on the scene and timely it was! The spotted participation in the forums from the engines began to show us that the wall was coming down between webmasters and the engines, and this new tradeshow proved that as well.
That taboo thing for us to mingle or talk to each other began to waft away.
That was nice and about damn time! I have always been about bridging the gap between us and the portals. It just made sense. If we know more about what "they" need...then we can do what we do and it be ok (black hat shizzy aside guys), relevenace is and always will be the key factor here.
Yes, the spammers have always existed and then those who pushed the lines of acceptability, yet were still so relevant that it was hard to justify banning their sites as what they did was so subtle, yet so relevant.
Win/Win/Win = EndUser/SE/SEO
I think that as an industry, those of us who have been around...can identify with this. I know some of you who have banged away on the engines with the perspective of, "if I can still exploit it...they haven't made it good enough it!"
I know some of you are tired of running in what feels like a circle, and tell you that its not a circle...but more like a cycle. I would encourage you to find how you fit into this natural evolution and stay involved.
Its encouraging when Microsoft comes to the community and says, come up and check under the hood and tell us what ya think! Beat it up! The Chammps.
Its encouraging to see Yahoo stepping up to do a webmaster radio show.
Those of you who have been around, I mean been around. You know who you are. I look to you, as well as to myself...to watch this space from a birds eye view.
Why? Because you hve an "OldTimers Perspective!"
That perspective in the face of the "wall" coming down between our community and the portals, is extremely exciting to me.
Search has been something that I immersed myself into and it affected me on so many levels it would be hard to touch on (as this has been the longest post I've written in a year or so). To say that how I work in this space is a bit different than it was in '96, is true indeed yet my passion for it remains the same.
Do I miss the old the days? Yes...great times and what a ride. Good friends, some still here and some now gone. Props still go to Jim for helping us in the beginning and seeing us begin to evolve just before his passing. Thank you Jim, for what you so freely helped give to me. My entrance into a new world.
Search!
I am proud to have been there back "in the day!" I am even prouder to be a part of this space today. We all have to work smarter and having full open communications is fantastic.
I would also encourage newbies and old timers alike...the politics...is BS. Do not get caught up in it. Stay productive and keep your eye on the ball, and you too will find your groove and "happy place" to make a positive contribution in this space.
My apologies for the long-winded post, but felt that a mirror for your perspective would be a good thing for us to hand each other. Maybe hold it sideways so you can see our industry at a new and different perspective and to encourage you.
This is just an "OldTimers Perspective!"