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[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]
Last June, 980 of you organized Linchpin meetups in cities around the world, and more than 6,000 people signed up to attend.
By popular request, we're doing it again, this time on December 7, 2010. You can sign up (to start one or to attend one) here, or you can see the nearest one in the works below.
There was nothing but great news from the last one, with people discovering others that they can work with, hire, work for, connect with or otherwise hang out. Have fun.
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The Dangers of Having Multiple Website Versions Posted: 22 Nov 2010 07:36 AM PST With the proliferation of smart phones of varying screen sizes, flash compatibility, and most recently apple tv and google tv, many website owners are choosing to solve this problem with multiple sites and domains. While this solution can work, there are plenty of ways it can go wrong. In this post I’ll try to help you understand why this is usually not the best choice. First, let’s make sure we are talking about the same issue. When I talk about creating multiple websites I mean having example.com for desktops, having m.example.com for mobile users, and example.tv for tv-based browsers like apple tv and google tv. Additionally, you could also have separate domains, sub domains, or folders for flash/non-flash content. The first problem is this creates a huge maintenance point. Unless you have the staff and budget, maintaining multiple versions of the same website is going to consume a larger and larger amount of resources. The more pages you have, the more versions you will have to maintain, and it will grow exponentially. In my experience using multiple websites to solve platform specific content formatting issues is seldom the best choice and leads to bigger problems down the road… Another negative aspect is buildup of links. If you have multiple versions, all of those versions will start to build link equity, both internal link equity and external link equity. You could try and do some redirection but, unless you handle redirection is perfectly, it inevitably leads to link trust/equity being divided across multiple resources and lower overall rankings. In my experience you are much better off using one domain with one URL implementation, no matter what/where/how the end user is viewing your content. That’s not to say you shouldn’t change your content based on what the user is using to view your content or where they came from (see changing your content based on traffic intent). What I am saying is keep the domain/URL consistent and change the presentation via server side code and style sheets. This is also what Google recommends in their google tv implementation guide . The one place I will caution using Google’s advice is with 302 redirects. IMHO Google has a sketchy history handling 302′s, and I would steer clear of that issue entirely. In addition to maintenance and link equity, you need to think about the user experience. If people are sharing your URL and it crosses platforms, like desktop to mobile, desktop to tv, tv to mobile, or mobile to tv, there is the potential for things to go wrong. Unless you redirect based on browser platform, you will run the risk of serving content that’s formatted incorrectly and might not be readable/usable. Want a real life scenario? Let’s say I’m reading Facebook on my iphone and click a link that one of my friends posted. If they posted a link to the TV version and I try to view it on my mobile phone, it’s not going to work. In my experience using multiple websites to solve platform specific content formatting issues is seldom the best choice and leads to bigger problems down the road. What are the takeaways from this post:
The one instance where I feel it’s advisable to use multiple domains or subdomains is country level tld’s or for different languages. If you own example.com and have a French version I would use example.fr, example.com/fr/ or fr.example.com to serve content, especially if you are trying to capture traffic from French language searches and search engines like google.fr. ![]() Related posts:
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[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]
Perhaps this can be our new rallying cry.
If it's a new problem, perhaps it demands a new approach. If it's an old problem, it certainly does.
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Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
Posted: 21 Nov 2010 07:10 PM PST Defined benefit pension plans are in trouble across the country, but politicians in states like Arizona and Illinois are reluctant to tackle the problem. Voters across the country however, have taken matters into their own hands by refusing to agree to tax hikes and by voting to reduce benefits. In California, voters in eight of nine cities or counties approved measures to reduce public-pension benefits. Moreover, six new governor-elects want to kill defined benefit plans. Finally, the speaker of the House in Arizona wants a constitutional amendment to lower pension benefits. Arizona Central covers these issues and more in a pair of articles. Let's start with a look at Pension reform a difficult task. The Arizona Legislature's incoming House speaker and Senate president said lawmakers can go only so far to slow the rate of growth for the state's pension systems, which an Arizona Republic analysis found cost taxpayers $1.39 billion last year, a 448 percent increase from a decade ago.Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams Proposes Constitutional Amendment There is much more in the article, please give it a look. Also consider House speaker unveils sweeping plans Adams plans next session to ask lawmakers to:Fraudulent Promises Need Not Be Kept Many will say we cannot renege on promises. The reality is those promises are invalid because they came about as a result of fraud. Politicians got into bed with public unions by making promises they knew they could not keep, in return for endorsements from unions to get elected. The entire vote-buying process by unions is fraudulent. No one represented taxpayers, even though public workers are supposed to be public servants. It is not at all wrong to take away promises made via fraudulent vote buying, influence peddling, and bribes. The same applies to public union wages as well. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Irish Citizens Sold Down the River in "Firepower of Stupidity" Posted: 21 Nov 2010 04:32 PM PST Today the Irish Government sold its citizens into debt slavery by agreeing to guarantee stupid loans made by German, British, and US banks. Those loans fueled one of the biggest property bubbles in the world. Ireland has since crashed. Ireland Agree To Bailout Please consider Ireland Seeks Bailout as 'Outsized' Problem Overwhelms Nation Ireland applied for a bailout to help fund itself and save its banks, becoming the second euro member to seek a rescue from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.Bondholders Should Foot Entire Bill Trichet is pissed about common sense statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel about who should foot the bill. Actually, Merkel did not go far enough. When you make stupid loans you pay the price. Or at least you should. But no! Trichet as well as the Irish Prime Minister seem to think that Irish taxpayers should bail out the Irish banks (which is in reality a bailout of German, and UK banks that made piss poor loans to Ireland). Why the average Irish citizen should have to bail out foreign bondholders is beyond me, but I do note that the same happened in the US with taxpayers footing an enormous bill for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG. No matter what stupid thing banks do, prime ministers and presidents are all too willing to make the average taxpayer foot the bill for the mess. That by the way,is one reason why we get into these messes in the first place. For a full text of the actual bailout agreement, please see Government statement on request for support. I must say it is pretty boring lacking in details. Firepower of Stupidity Finance Minister Brian Lenihan bragged about the "firepower that stands behind the banking system." Yes there is firepower alright, a firepower of stupidity. Wikipedia notes the population of Ireland is approximately 4.35 million. Going into debt to the tune of $137 billion would saddle the average Irish citizen with $31,494. How long will it take to pay that back? For whose benefit? Perhaps a better question is will it be paid back? By agreeing to take on that debt, and sticking it to the Irish taxpayers who will be forced to accept various austerity measures to pay back that debt, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen and Finance Minister Brian Lenihan just sold Ireland down the river. For additional insight on how the crash affects Ireland, please see Ghost Estates and Broken Lives: the Human Cost of the Irish Crash Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Following the Path of Japan and the Madness of Bernanke Fighting Just That Posted: 21 Nov 2010 01:13 AM PST I have been saying for 5 years the US would follow the path of Japan. An interesting chart in the New York Times shows this is indeed what has happened. ![]() click on chart for sharper image Following Japan's Path, So Far In the United States, the core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.6 percent in the 12 months through October. That was the smallest 12-month gain since government calculating the figure in the 1950's. The chart shows the 12-month changes in core CPI for the US and Japan, in the years before and after housing prices peaked in each country. The above chart and commentary is from After the Fed's Action, Watching Inflation's Trajectory Since the collapse of the housing market in the United States and the beginning of the global financial crisis, the Federal Reserve has made avoiding deflation a major priority, recalling the experience of Japan after its bubble burst in the early 1990s. The Fed has set an annual inflation target of 2 percent or a little lower, but is not getting it.Major Disagreements With Times Article Although I agree with the premise "we have been following the path of Japan", I sure disagree with the undertones that the Fed can or should do something about it. Japan is now in debt to the tune of 200%+ of GDP. It build bridges to nowhere hoping to cure deflation. It is madness. All Japan has to show for massive fiscal stimulus is debt. Moreover, as soon as Japanese interest rates spike to 3% or so (Something guaranteed to happen, we just don't know when), Japan's interest on its national debt will exceed all income. This is the path the US is heading down unless we change course. Yes it will be painful, but after a world record housing party it is the height of foolishness to think there will not be a massive hangover as a huge price to pay. It is startling that Paul Krugman and other Nobel prize winning economists cannot see the foolishness of proposing we can spend our way to prosperity. Ironically, the average 12th grader can see the foolishness of it, but the average academic professor cannot. Unfortunately Congress (both Republicans and Democrats) have been unwilling to deal with the issue as well. Republicans Need to Admit US Cannot Afford to be World's Policeman Regardless of what Republicans may think, we can no longer afford to be the world's policeman. For details please see Cost of War Since 2001; Federal outlays and revenues, 1940-2015. Democrats Need to Admit Problem with Public Unions States are bankrupt because of pension promises that cannot and will not be met. Public unions have destroyed states and municipalities. State pension plans are $3 trillion in the hole. For more details, please see Interactive Map of Public Pension Plans; How Badly Underfunded are the Plans in Your State? Thus, no matter what Democrats think, we cannot afford our love affair with public unions, union wages, and most importantly, union benefits. Both parties need to rework the healthcare bill so that it contains provisions that will actually encourage lower costs and not damage small businesses. The bill as it sits made matters worse. Search for Scapegoats Avoids the Truth Somehow, some way, if you listen to Treasury Secretary Geithner and economist Paul Krugman, all of these problems are supposed to go away if only China would float the Yuan. Well none of this will go away as long as the US looks for scapegoats instead of admitting reality. That reality is we are on the road to bankruptcy and neither Keynesian nor Monetarist stimulus will help. Our problems are structural in nature and everyone needs to admit there will be no quick solutions and we cannot spend our way out of this mess. The only thing that can put the US back on track is fiscal prudence and sound monetary policy. Unfortunately, no one wants to hear the truth. Madness of Bernanke Bernanke wants prices to rise 2% a year. One problem is he does not count food, energy, or housing. Although OER (Owners Equivalent Rent) is the largest component of housing, rent and housing prices are two different things. Property taxes and sales taxes are yet another thing, and those are not factored into the CPI either. We are clearly following the path of Japan, especially if we include an analysis of housing and equity prices including the Nasdaq. Yet to the pocketbook of the average US citizen, costs are going up, wages and benefits are going down (except of course for Wall Street and public employees). Bernanke Doubly Wrong Regardless of what your position is regarding measuring inflation (prices or credit-based), Bernanke is horrendously wrong. It is sheer madness in a world of global wage arbitrage, where 14 million are unemployed, where the unemployment rate is close to 10%, to pursue a policy of attempting to force prices up, to meet some asinine idea that prices need to rise 2% a year, when to the perspective of the average consumer prices are going up much more than that, via taxes alone, let alone the grocery store and gasoline pump. Berkanke's policies are just as mad from the perspective credit. In a fiat credit-based regime, there will be no significant sustainable hiring or economic growth when consumer and business credit is collapsing. Net credit creation has been negative for 10 quarters. Bernanke is attempting to stimulate lending, and the Fed can print all the money it wants. However, the Fed cannot force banks to lend or consumers to borrow. For now, Bernanke's efforts have caused rising commodity prices, which is hurting small businesses that cannot pass on those price increases because consumers are tapped out. The net effect of the policies of this Fed and this administration is small businesses are getting crucified in a price squeeze. Thus, whether you view inflation from a price perspective, or from the proper perspective of credit expansion, Bernanke is simply wrong. His policies have failed. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
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