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Maki & Brian
DeLaet
EduCyber founders
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SEO
Someone asked me how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works. I wish I had a handy answer but there isn’t one. It’s a constantly moving target, trying to get your web site to attain and maintain a high ranking in the search engines for your key words. But there are a few quick rules you can use:
- Determine the key words you want to be ranked for
- Actually use those words and phrases in your site
- Use meaningful hyperlinks – instead of “Click Here for your files” where Click Here is linked, try “Get your Important Files” where Important Files is linked.
- Check your web site statistics to see if your site is being indexed by the search engines (you’ll see visits by spiders like Googlebot or MSNBot or Inktomi Slurp. As strange or disgusting as these names might sound, they are good news because they mean your site is being indexed by the search engines.
- If you don’t see these spiders in your web logs, you’ll need to visit each engine and add your site to the mix.
Confused by terms like spiders and web blogs? It’s not quite a jungle out there but call EduCyber at 720-275-4646 to learn more.
Laptops for $400?
I recently saw a Dell advertisement for an Inspiron notebook for $400 after rebates. Is that a good deal? It is certainly cheap. Curious, I visited the web site to see if perhaps this was the old “bait n switch” routine. Perusing their site, I found the item in question and was surprised (I admit) to see that it was indeed the price they advertised (after $100 instant savings and $100 mail in rebate).
But I was also disappointed that there were no options for hardware upgrades – it was either their exact configuration or nothing. With a very low end processor and only 256 MB of RAM, you would own this computer for less than six months before it became obsolete.
Conversely I recently checked with local retailer PC City on behalf of a client looking for a low end laptop. I was told that they don’t have low end laptops. If I was in the $1200 range, they could accommodate us. That is the kind of attitude I like. They want you to stay their customer. They don’t want you back in a few months because you bought something not powerful enough or something that was so cheap it broke already and they have to spend time servicing it.
When you’re ready to buy a laptop for work or pleasure, spend enough money to make sure you’ll be using that same laptop two years from now and not wishing you had more power.
Microsoft and Google Go Head To Head
Last week I attended a seminar introducing the next version of the Microsoft Operating System. Called Vista, this operating system has some cool features. My Mac-friends will tell us that Bill Gates is still “innovating” in Steve Job’s footsteps though as many of the WOW features look similar to OSX running on Apple computers.
But a lot of the time saving features were very impressive. As I watched the demonstration of how easy the search would work, I had a nagging feeling I’d seen something similar before. And then it hit me – Google desktop search does (or tries to do) the same thing. Many of the new features I saw were obviously driven by competition whether from the Mac crowd or the Google crowd. As Windows Vista gears up for release late this year and early next, keep an eye on Google and Microsoft to see how this rivalry will play out.
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© 2006 EduCyber, Inc. This newsletter is brought to you by EduCyber, Inc. EduNotes can be viewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at http://www.educyber.com/edunotes/ . Visit us on the web at http://www.educyber.com or call us at (720) 275-4646. Permission is hereby granted to redistribute all or part of this newsletter as long as this entire copyright message is included.
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