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vineri, 19 septembrie 2014

It's On Us to Stop Sexual Assault

Featured

Today at the White House, President Obama joined Vice President Biden and Americans across the country to launch the "It's On Us" initiative -- an awareness campaign to help put an end to sexual assault on college campuses.

"It's On Us" asks everyone -- men and women across America -- to make a personal commitment to step off the sidelines and be part of the solution to campus sexual assault.

"An estimated one in five women has been sexually assaulted during her college years -- one in five," the President noted. "Of those assaults, only 12 percent are reported, and of those reported assaults, only a fraction of the offenders are punished."

Learn more about the "It's On Us" initiative, and take the pledge to help stop sexual assault.

How Google is Connecting Keyword Relevance to Websites through More than Just Domain Names - Whiteboard Friday

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 05:18 PM PDT

Posted by randfish

We're seeing Google continue to move beyond just reading pages, instead attempting to truly understand what they're about. The engine is drawing connections between concepts and brand names, and it's affecting SERPs. In today's Whiteboard Friday, Rand explains just what Google is doing, and how we can help create such associations with our own brands.

For reference, here's a still of this week's whiteboard!

Video transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we're talking about how Google connects keyword relevance to websites, particularly how they do this beyond just the domain name.

Obviously, for a long time Google looked at the name of a particular website and the queries that were entered and might rank that site higher if the domain name had some match with the query. We called this the exact match domains or the partial match domains.

For a long time, they did have quite a bit of power. They've gone down dramatically in power. These days MozCast is reporting 2.5% to 3% of domains that appear in the top 10 over many thousands of search results are exact match domains. It used to be above 7% when we started MozCast. I think before that it was in the 12%, 13%, or 14%. So it's gone way, way down over the last few years.

Google has gotten tremendously more sophisticated about the signals that it does consider when it comes to applying relevance of keywords to a particular domain name or to a particular website.

I'll give you some examples. One is RealSimple.com. If you're someone who does searches around home organization or gadgets for the home, or especially quick recipes, not like the long, drawn out recipes, but like 10, 15 minute recipes, cleaning products, physical fitness and workouts, makeup and beauty, all of these topics Real Simple always seems to rank on the first page, at least somewhere. I'm not talking about these specific terms, but anything related to them.

It's almost like Google has said, "You know what, when people are searching for cleaning products, we feel like Real Simple is where they always want to end up, so let's try and find a page that's relevant on there." Sometimes the pages that they find are not particularly excellent. In fact, some of the time you will find that you're like, "That doesn't even seem all that relevant. Why are they showing me that page for this query? I get that Real Simple is a good site for that usually, but this doesn't seem like the kind of match I'm looking for."

You'll see very similar things if you look at Metacritic.com. Metacritic, of course, started with games. It's gone into movies and now television. They essentially aggregate and assemble, sort of like Rotten Tomatoes does and some other sites like that, they'll assemble critic reviews and user reviews from all over the place, put them together and come up with what they call a METASCORE.

METASCORES are something that they rank very well for. But around all of these pop culture mediums, PC game reviews, critics opinions on games, PlayStation games, TV show ratings, movie ratings, they always seem to be in the top 10 for a lot of these things. It doesn't have to be the broad PC game or TV show. You can put in the name of a television show or the name of a movie or the name of a game, and it will often show up. That seems to be, again, Google connecting up like, "Oh, Metacritic. We think that's what someone's looking for."

You can see this with all sorts of sites. CNET.com does this all the time with every kind of gadget review, electronics review. Genius.com seems to come up whenever there's anything related to lyrics or musical annotations around songs.

There's just a lot of that connection. These connections can come from a number of places. It's obviously not just the domain name anymore. Google is building up these connections between terms, phrases and indeed concepts, and then the domain or the brand name probably through a bunch of different inputs.

Those inputs could be things like brand and non-brand search volume combined together. They might see that, gosh, a lot people when they search for song lyrics, they add "genius"' or "rap genius." A lot of people who search for quick recipes or cleaning products, they add "Real Simple" or "Martha Stewart." Or if they're searching for PC games they look for the Metacritic score around it. Gosh, that suggests to us maybe that those domains, those websites should be connected with those search terms and phrases.

Probably there's some aspect of co-occurrence between the brand name and/or links to the site from lots of sites and pages on credible sources that Google finds that are discussing these topics. It's like, "Oh, gosh, a lot of people who are talking about cleaning products seem to link over to Real Simple. A lot of people who talk about cell phone reviews seem to mention or link over to CNET. Well, maybe that's forming that connection."

Then where searchers on these topics eventually end up on the web. Google has access to all this incredible data about where people go on the Internet through Chrome and through Android. They can say, "Hmm, you know, this person searched for cleaning products. We didn't send them to Real Simple, but then eventually they ended up there anyway. They went to these other websites, they found it, maybe they typed it in, maybe they did brand search, whatever. It seems like there's an affinity between these kinds of searchers and these websites. Maybe we need to build that connection."

As this is happening, as a result of this, we feel as marketers, as SEOs, we feel this brand bias, this domain bias. I think some of the things that we might put into brand biasing and domain authority are actually signals that are connections between the domain or the brand and the topical relevance that Google sees through all sorts of data like this.

As that's happening, this has some requirements for SEO. As SEOs, we've got to be asking ourselves, "Okay, how do we build up an association between our brand or our domain and the broad keywords, terms, topics, phrases, so that we can rank for all of the long tail and chunky middle terms around those topics?" This is now part of our job. We need to build up that brand association.

This is potentially going to change some of our best practices. One of the best practices I think that it immediately and obviously affects is a lot of the time Metacritic might say, "Hey, we want to target PC game reviews. We've got this page to do it. That's our page on PC game reviews. All these other pages, let's make sure they don't directly overlap with that, because if we do, we might end up cannibalizing, doing keyword cannibalization."

For those broad topics, Metacritic might actually say, "You know, because of this functionality of Google, we actually want a lot of pages on this. We want everyone, we want to be able to serve all the needs around this, not just that one page for that one keyword. Even if it is the best converting keyword and our content resources are limited, we might want to target that on a bunch of different pages. We might want to be producing new content regularly about PC game reviews and then linking back to this original one because we want that association to build up."

Other best practices that we have in SEO are things where we will take a keyword and will essentially just make our keyword research very limited to the ones that have produced returns in our paid search account or in our advertising. That also might be unwise. We might need to think outside of those areas and think, "How can we serve all of the needs around a topic? How can we become a site that is associated with all of the keyword topics, rather than just cherry picking the ones that convert for us?"

That might get a little frustrating because we are not all content factories. We are not all big media brand builders. But these are the sites that are dominating the search results consistently, over and over again. I think as Google is seeing this searcher happiness from connections with the brands and domains that they expect to find, that they want to find, they're going to be biasing this way even more, forcing us to emulate a lot of what these big brands are doing.

All right, everyone. Look forward to some great commentary, and we will see you again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

Meet Brittany:

Last week, I met Brittany.

She's a hardworking student at West Georgia Technical College who is now just months away from being certified as a nursing assistant, but there was a point when she didn't think she'd be here. In high school, Brittany became pregnant and her future suddenly became uncertain. Her high school counselor suggested she apply for the 12 for Life program, a local program that offers students who have fallen behind in high school the opportunity to attend class, work, and get back on their feet.

As I talked with Brittany and her fellow students -- many of whom were the first in their family to graduate high school -- they spoke powerfully and tearfully of the program's success, and how it had given them hope for the future.

Brittany's inspiring story is just one of many I heard last week during the Department of Education's annual back-to-school bus tour. This year's tour took us to Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, and provided my team and me with the opportunity to see innovations in education and to discuss progress, promise, and results.

I wish I could see every innovative program -- every initiative creating promise for our children -- happening across the country, but even after visiting all 50 states and more than 350 schools during my time as Secretary, I can't visit every school. So that's where you come in.

What cutting-edge programs are your local schools undertaking? Or, if you don't know of any, what would you like to see them do?

We'll share some of your stories and suggestions on the White House blog.

Brittany tells me about her positive experience in the 12 for Life Program during a stop on my back-to-school bus tour in Carrolton, Ga. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education by Joshua Hoover)

This was my fifth back-to-school bus tour, and with each tour, I become increasingly optimistic about our country's ability to elevate and strengthen education. High school graduation rates are at an all-time high, college enrollment has hit record levels, dropout rates are dramatically down, and principals, teachers, parents, and students are taking the lead on improving education for all students.

But during the bus tour and around the country, I also hear a lot of people worried that our children won't inherit a better America than we did. That's why we have such an important shared mission: to make sure that every student, everywhere, gets an effective education. It's a mission that we can all agree on, and it's one that matters immensely.

The best ideas in education will never come from Washington, which is why the Obama administration is working hard to help states and communities strengthen schools -- in particular, through supports for great teaching, and higher standards. It's inspiring to see states and local communities stepping up to expand access to high-quality early education, transition to college- and career-ready standards, and support innovation in education.

So I want to know what's happening in your community. Share the innovative things the schools in your area are doing -- or what you'd like to see happen.

We should celebrate the gains we've made these past couple years, but we can't be fully satisfied. There's still more to do to support all students so they may reach their full potential. So, in this new school year, let's get to work.

Thanks for sharing,

Arne

Secretary Arne Duncan
Department of Education
@arneduncan

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Seth's Blog : What are you seeking at work?

What are you seeking at work?

Some people want safety and respect. They want to know what the work rules are, they want a guarantee that the effort required is both predictable and rewarded. They seek an environment where they won't feel pushed around, surprised or taken advantage of.

Other people want challenge and autonomy. They want the opportunity to grow and to delight or inspire the people around them. They seek both organizational and personal challenges, and they like to solve interesting problems.

Without a doubt, there's an overlap here, but if you find that your approach to the people around you isn't resonating, it might because you're giving your people precisely what they don't want.

• Email to a friend •

joi, 18 septembrie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Lesson of the Day: The Political Class Always Wins

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 09:45 PM PDT

With a ramp up in fearmongering led by financial institutions and every UK political party, the preliminary votes indicate Scottish Anti-Independence Campaign Poised for Victory in Vote.

With 26 of Scotland's 32 local authorities declared, the Better Together camp backed by Prime Minister David Cameron and the main U.K. parties had garnered 54 percent of the vote, while the "yes" campaign led by Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond had 46 percent.

"It does look like we have secured a 'no' vote," Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, a Liberal Democrat and the most senior Scot in the U.K. government, told Sky News as the first results trickled in. "But a 'no' vote is also for change, it's our responsibility to get on with that."

Looking Ahead

Via email, Steen Jakobsen, chief economist at Saxo Bank writes ...

We have Quebec like situation in Scotland now – The independence talk is gone for now but the next item on the agenda politically is UK referendum next year where the independence and anti-EU vote will continue to play a role. 2017 is the big year, if the promised EU votes takes place……

EU did not do themselves any favors by ruling Scotland out of EU even before the election results was known. Scots, like danes, don't take outside pressure easy especially from something like the EU.

The main take away from macro perspective is the move towards very nationalistic and domestic driven political agendas. The EU and global agendas now plays 3rd violin as lack of growth and reforms become real issue.

The real economy is at least politically catching up to the artificial markets, so while the markets celebrate RISK ON again this morning, the politicians around Europe is taking notes: Change or lose your job! Just ask the Labor party in the UK who almost lost their ability to get back into government as 30 MP's would have been lost overnight with a Yes.

Steen Jakobsen

Lesson Learned

For the political class, this vote was far too close for comfort. Next time, there won't be a vote.

In the case of Spain, a Catalan vote for independence scheduled later this year will simply be declared illegal. Should the vote for independence fail, the vote would of course be accepted.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

ECB's Targeted Lending Spree Starts Out As Flop; Modern Monetary Insanity

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 11:17 AM PDT

Following on the "success" of the ECB's LTRO (Long Term Refinance Operation) which did nothing to spur lending and everything to create the biggest sovereign bond bubble the world has ever seen, ECB president Mario Draghi announced a TLTRO or Targeted LTRO on September 4.

The ECB's intent is to spur lending.

Lending Spree Short of Expectations

Today the Financial Times reports ECB's Lending Spree Short of Expectations.

The European Central Bank's first offer of cheap four-year loans has fallen short of expectations, dealing a blow to president Mario Draghi's hope of sustaining the eurozone's ailing economy by expanding the central bank's balance sheet.

Banks borrowed €82.6bn through the first of the ECB's Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations, or TLTROs, one of policy makers' big ideas to revive the currency area's recovery. A poll by Bloomberg earlier this week showed economists, on average, expected banks to bid for €174bn of loans from a maximum of €400bn.

Analysts said the disappointing take-up would pile pressure on the ECB to embark on large-scale government bond buying, or quantitative easing, before the end of this year. With inflation as low as 0.4 per cent in the year to August, the central bank is struggling to hit its inflation target of just below 2 per cent.

The TLTROs allow banks to borrow at a rate just above the ECB's main refinancing rate of 0.05 per cent until late 2018 so long as they meet targets for lending to businesses. If they miss the targets, they must pay the funds back in 2016.

The ECB will conduct another seven auctions, with the next TLTRO taking place in December. The central bank hopes the auctions, through which it will lend a maximum of €1tn over the next three years, will boost inflation and restart the region's flagging economic recovery by spurring lending to smaller businesses.

Why TLTRO Won't Spur Lending

Banks may eventually take the money. Why not? The only penalty is they have to pay it back in 2016 if they don't lend it. But taking money, and lending (more than one would have anyway), are two different things. For now, banks did not even take a big bite at the money.

For an explanations as to why TLTRO will not spur lending, please see ECB Pulls Out Bazooka, Cuts Rates, Buys Assets; Will this Stimulate Lending?

Modern Monetary Insanity

Central banks ought to be worried about asset bubbles and asset deflation, not price deflation on ordinary consumer goods. Nonetheless, central banks target prices even though they cannot push price inflation where they want it!

Asset deflation (more precisely loans that cannot be paid back as asset prices fall) not price deflation is what will cripple banks. Yet by targeting consumer prices with monetary inflation, they bring upon asset inflation then asset deflation which is precisely what they should seek to avoid.

From this perspective, the ECB is hell-bent on making the problem worse. It's modern monetary insanity.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Damn Cool Pics

Learn to Read Russian in 15 Minutes! [Infographic]
You Just Can't Fix Stupid
This Bear Does What It Wants

Learn to Read Russian in 15 Minutes! [Infographic]

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 12:45 PM PDT

Here's a really interesting and surprisingly simple breakdown of the Russian alphabet from writer Peter Starr Northrop and cartoonist Ryan Estrada. Give it a few minutes of your time and you'll be confidently sounding out Russian words by the end.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

You Just Can't Fix Stupid

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Stop these people before they hurt themselves. They're too dumb to live.

This Bear Does What It Wants

Posted: 18 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

Being a bear in Daytona Beach, Florida can get pretty tiring. Sometimes you need to take a break and there's no better place to do it than a hammock in some stranger's backyard.