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marți, 20 august 2013

A New Puppy at the White House

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A New Puppy at the White House

Yesterday the Obamas welcomed the newest member of their family -- a new puppy named Sunny.

Click here to find out more about Bo's new little sister, Sunny.

A personal mission

Hello, everybody --

Michelle and I know exactly how tough it can be to pay for higher education. By the time we finished paying back the loans we took out to go to college and grad school, I was on my way to being a U.S. Senator.

I believe that anyone who works hard should have the same opportunities that our educations gave us. That's why, as President, I've made it a personal mission to make higher education more affordable -- and why I'm going to be visiting school campuses later this week.

Learn more about why this is the time to take action.

The facts are clear. Over the past three decades, the average tuition at a public four-year college has more than tripled. At the same time, many state governments are actually reducing their support for education, and many middle-class students are getting stuck with the tab. Today, the average student taking out loans to pay for education graduates with more than $26,000 in debt.

Just tinkering around the edges won't be enough: To create a better bargain for the middle class, we have to fundamentally rethink about how higher education is paid for in this country. We've got to shake up the current system.

That's why, starting Thursday, I will be embarking on a bus tour to offer my plan to make college more affordable, tackle rising costs, and improve value for students and their families. My plan includes real reforms that would bring lasting change. They won't all be popular with everyone --including some who've made higher education their business -- but it's past time that more of our colleges work better for the students they exist to serve.

Over the past four and a half years, we've worked to put college in reach for more students and their families through tax credits, improving access to financial aid, and new options that make it easier to repay those loans.

But if we're going to keep the doors of higher education open to everyone who works for it, we need to do more -- much more. And that's exactly what I'm going to be talking about this week.

So learn more here, then help to spread the word:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/college-affordability

Thanks,

President Barack Obama

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Amazing Correlation Between Google +1s and Higher Search Rankings

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 05:46 PM PDT

Posted by Cyrus-Shepard

Every two years, Moz runs a scientific correlation study to discover the qualities of web pages that have a strong association with ranking highly in Google. This year, for the first time, Dr. Matt Peters and the Moz Data Science Team measured the correlation between Google +1s and higher rankings.

The results were surprising.

After Page Authority, a URL's number of Google +1s is more highly correlated with search rankings than any other factor. In fact, the correlation of Google +1s beat out other well known metrics including linking root domains, Facebook shares, and even keyword usage.

Moz isn't the only one to discover this relationship. Searchmetrics, using a slightly different methodology, found Google +1s to be the highest-correlated factor they studied, and other studies have found similar results.

Here's the million-dollar question: Can Google+ activity actually help your pages rank higher?

Beyond correlation: Why it matters this time

Back in 2011, folks may remember the controversy that erupted when Moz found a similar correlation between higher rankings and Facebook activity. At the time, Google claimed they didn't use Facebook shares for ranking websites. Dr. Peters concluded that the relationship between Facebook activity and higher rankings was likely not directly related, but probably caused by overlapping factors such as links and high-quality content.

Now in 2013, there's strong reason to suspect it's different with Google+, and that the relationship between +1s and higher rankings goes beyond correlation into the territory of actual causation.

Not only is the correlation for +1s higher than that for Facebook activity, but the Google+ platform has qualities that make it a far superior platform for SEO. These qualities suggest sharing content on Google+ has the potential to influence search rankings in significant ways.

Intentional or not, the engineers who made Google+ built it for SEO. Consider the factors that make sharing content on Google+ far different than sharing on other social networks:

1. Posts are crawled and indexed almost immediately

One of the original goals for Google+ was using it to power real-time search after Twitter cut off Google's firehose access to its data in 2011. Since then, Google has been using Google+ to discover new content, and many web professionals have discovered that URLs shared on Google+ are crawled and indexed very quickly.

Compare this to Facebook, where because of privacy settings and restrictions on data sharing, it's not uncommon for posts to never be crawled or indexed by Google at all.

Unlike Facebook, which hides data from Google, or Twitter, which directs Google not to follow most of its links, Google+ data is immediately and fully accessible to the company that built it.

2. Google+ posts pass link equity

Pages and posts on Google+ not only accumulate PageRank, but because links to posts are followed, they pass link equity on as well.

Using the free MozBar, you can see all of the followed links on a typical Google+ page.

When you share a link on Google+, the anchor text becomes the title of the page you are sharing. Some important things to remember about followed links within Google+:

Only "shared" links (the links that show up beneath your post) are followed. Any external links you add withing the post body itself are nofollowed, so these don't pass any link equity.
For obvious reasons, uploaded images don't pass external link equity. Some people like to upload a screenshot of a page and then link to it in the body of the post. While a good image may increase post popularity and click-through rate, these posts do not pass link equity.
Certain links in your Google+ "About" page are also followed and pass link equity.

3. Google+ is optimized for semantic relevance

Unlike Facebook or Twitter, each post you make in Google+ has most of the characteristics of a full-blown blog posting.

Each post has its own URL.
The first 45-50 characters of the post appear in the title tag.
Just like a blog post, entries can be long and complex in order to explore a subject deeply. Various correlation studies have show a strong relationship between longer pages and higher rankings.
If a post is reshared, it can accumulate internal links from the Google+ platform, all with relevant anchor text.

Because of these factors, each post has the potential to send strong semantic signals to Google's search algorithm. This not only helps the post itself to rank in Google's search results, but potentially sends relevancy signals to a URL shared by the post.

What about Author Rank and Publisher Rank?

Many publishers have added Google+ authorship information to their websites in order for author photos to appear in Google search results. Another hope is that someday Google will use authorship information (and perhaps publisher information) connected to Google+ accounts to actually rank websites.

While there is no evidence that Google uses anything like Author Rank at the moment, many believe it will be here very soon. In the above video, Matt Cutts of Google suggests this is a path he'd like to see Google explore.

Roadmap to rankings: taking advantage of Google+ for SEO

While there are hundreds of ways to optimize your Google+ experience, the most important activities can be summed up by these nine points:

1. Start building relationships now on Google+

It's never too late to start. Google+ is a social network. Following great people, commenting on posts, and sharing great content not only helps to increase your own influence, but it can be extremely educational as well.

2. Post share-worthy content on Google+ to attract natural links

When you share content, don't just post a link and walk away. Add additional value with commentary and relevant information.

Consider these examples of long Google+ posts. Each acts like a mini blog post and adds highly shareable, linkable context. I don't recommend replacing your personal blog with Google+ entirely, but sometimes a few lines of context makes all the difference.

3. Add Google authorship information to your online content

Adding rel="author" to your website is a no-brainer. If you guest post or otherwise contribute content to other high quality sites, ask the publisher if they will add author markup to your bio. Kane Jamison recently did this for me when I contributed content to his blog.

4. Link out to all relevant profiles from your Google+ "About" page

Think of Google+ as a primary hub of your online virtual identity. Google offers you several places to link to other online profiles, sites that you contribute content to, and simply sites that you want to share.

5. Take advantage of rel="publisher" by connecting your website to your Google+ brand page

If you are a business, organization or brand, follow these instructions.

6. Make your content easy to share on Google+ with relevant social sharing buttons

You would think everyone wants to add social sharing buttons to their content, but some folks are just stubborn. Don't be stubborn.

7. Completely fill out your Google+ profile with relevant and engaging information

The information you provide in your profile influences how you show up in Google+ search results and also plays a role in whom Google suggests others to follow.

8. Make it easy for people to add you to your circles

Use Google's easy-to-create badges, or create your own to place on your own online profiles so that others can easily add you to their circles.

9. Make your posts public
Posts shared privately don't pass the same juice as publicly shared post. For SEO purposes, you likely want your posts spread as wide as possible. Philipp Steuer made this great Google+ infographic simplifying the complexities of who sees your posts:

Google+ Infographic by Philipp Steuer, used with permission

Additional resources for success

Entire books can now be written on using Google+ to boost your SEO efforts. In reality, there are exactly 3 articles that contain 99% of everything you need to know:

What's your favorite Google+ tip? Please share in the comments below.

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!

Seth's Blog : Now it's ruined

Now it's ruined

Photography is a cheat, the death of painting

Photoshop is a hack, the death of photography

Instagram filters are crap, the death of Photoshop

Typing is mechanical, the deathknell for organic handwriting

Word processors are a cheat, the end of linear writing via the typewriter

eBooks are for losers, stealing the magic and majesty of the printed book

Blogging is impermanent, the end of thoughtful word processing

Tweeting is stupid, the end of intelligent blogging

Video is too easy, a cheap shortcut that destroys the essence of film

YouTube has no curators, the end of quality video

Wikipedia is an unproven shortcut, true scholarship is threatened

Selling by phone is for losers, closers show up in person...

Technology almost always democratizes art, because it gives us better tools, better access and a quicker route to mediocrity. It's significantly easier to be a mediocre (almost very good) setter of type today than it was to be a pretty good oil painter two hundred years ago.

And so, when technology shows up, it's easy to imagine that along with the old school becoming obsolete, the new school will be populated by nothing but lazy poseurs.

Don't tell that to Jill Greenberg, Sasha Dichter or Jenny Holzer.

... all this ending is leading to more and more beginnings, isn't it? It's not ruined, it's merely different.

• Email to a friend •

luni, 19 august 2013

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Fed Chairman Update: Odds Shift Heavily Towards Tweedle-Dum vs. Tweedle-Dee
Egypt Ponders Banning the Brotherhood to "Protect the State"; Court Frees Ousted President Hosni Mubarak from Prison
Government Spending as Percentage of GDP; Federal Deficit as Percentage of Revenue
Celebrating Life; Greetings From Prague

Fed Chairman Update: Odds Shift Heavily Towards Tweedle-Dum vs. Tweedle-Dee

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 10:25 PM PDT

In Tweedle Dum vs. Tweedle Dee; Does Janet Yellen Have What It Takes? I made the case it did not matter much whether Larry Summers of Janet Yellen was the next Fed chairperson.

Here is a recap:

Tweedle Dum vs. Tweedle Dee

The only candidate that makes sense is the candidate who will set a target date to end the Fed. Unfortunately, no such candidate is on the short list.

The choice is between Tweedle-Dee who rates to slosh money around even more than Bernanke in a futile effort to create jobs, and Tweedle-Dum who will do whatever Wall Street wants.

Practically speaking, is there really a difference?

The "Dums" Have It

Last week I thought it was something on the order of 50-50 (Tweedle-Dee heads we lose vs. Tweedle-Dum tails we lose) since both potential nominees are losers.

I now think it's more likely a case of Tweedle-Dum tails we lose, with Larry Summers playing the role of Tweedle-Dum.

I changed my 50-50 lose-lose stance to a 65-35 lose-lose stance after reading Obama Focuses on Risk of New Bubble Undermining Broad Recovery.

President Barack Obama, who took office amid the collapse of the last financial bubble, wants to make sure his economic recovery doesn't generate the next one.

Obama this month spoke four times in five days of the need to avoid what he called "artificial bubbles," even in an economy that's growing at just a 1.7 percent rate and where employment and factory usage remain below pre-recession highs.

"We have to turn the page on the bubble-and-bust mentality that created this mess," he said in his Aug. 10 weekly radio address.

Why the Odds Changed

Yellen has all but guaranteed she will keep the money flowing faster than Bernanke, and coupled with the above warning from Obama about asset bubbles, the odds shift heavily towards Tweedle-Dum as Obama's choice.

Don't Fret, It Does Not Matter

Some will be delighted by this, others severely disappointed. But I am here to ease your mind. It does not matter. They will be equally horrendous.

The timing may change slightly , but the outcome won't.

"We have to turn the page on the bubble-and-bust mentality that created this mess" said Obama. Mish says "It's too late" the Fed has already re-blown bubbles in both stocks and bonds.

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

Egypt Ponders Banning the Brotherhood to "Protect the State"; Court Frees Ousted President Hosni Mubarak from Prison

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 12:54 PM PDT

Court Frees Ousted President Hosni Mubarak

Violence has escalated in Egypt and a couple of new complications are in the works. Please consider Egypt Defense Chief Says Army Will Fight to Protect State.

A Cairo court ordered ousted President Hosni Mubarak freed from prison, a move that could complicate Egypt's increasingly violent political transition, while militants in Sinai killed 26 policemen.

The Cairo criminal court's order to free Mubarak threatens to inject new tensions in a nation convulsed by unrest that has killed almost 1,000 in the past six days. His potential release may spur arguments by the Muslim Brotherhood and others locked in a standoff with the government that the military-installed leaders want to restore the kind of police state Mubarak led.

"The fact that we're fighting the Brotherhood doesn't mean we'll allow the return of the Mubarak regime, simply because both regimes are two sides of the same coin," said Islam Hammam, a leader of the Tamarod group.

The court ruling comes at a difficult time for the government. International censure has mounted since it cleared out two pro-Mursi protest camps in the Cairo area on Aug. 14, touching off a cycle of violence from which the country has yet to emerge. About 900 civilians and 100 policemen have died since the camps were stormed.

In Sinai today, militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades killed 25 policemen near the border with the Gaza Strip. The Interior Ministry, in an e-mailed statement, described the incident as a "continuation of the terrorist crimes in Sinai."

Hours earlier, at least 36 Muslim Brotherhood members were reported killed during what the Interior Ministry said was an attempt to escape from custody while en route to prison. The cabinet said in a statement that security forces responded after prisoners took a police officer hostage. There was no way to reconcile the reports.

Brotherhood Ban Considered

The government is currently considering banning the Brotherhood. Hundreds of its members have been detained. Imams who criticize the army or state institutions in their sermons may be suspended, Ahram Gate reported, citing a statement from the ministry of religious endowments.

Powder Keg Setup

Inflation is rampant
The Muslim Brotherhood wants back in power
Mubarak wants back in power
The Brotherhood and Mubarak hate each other and both dislike the military
Criticizing the state is illegal
Civil war is underway

Prepare for the civil war to escalate.

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

Government Spending as Percentage of GDP; Federal Deficit as Percentage of Revenue

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 10:32 AM PDT

Here are a few charts from reader Tim Wallace on spending, the deficit, and GDP.

Federal Spending as a Percentage of GDP

Spending and GDP in U.S. Dollars

Deficit Compared to Revenue

Wallace writes ...

Hello Mish

1. In the past 48 years we have averaged about 19.3% of GDP in federal spending. Since 2009, federal spending has averaged 22.7% of GDP.

2. The second chart shows 4th quarter GDP numbers along with the federal spending numbers. Note the huge surge in 2009 which has never been pulled back.

3. The last chart shows deficits as a percentage of revenue. Historically, the average is 17.5%. Since 2009 however, 52.7% of spending has been deficit spending. 57 cents of of every dollar spent was borrowed.

My contention is that there has not been an economic recovery, just deficit spending by government to cover up failed economic policies.

Tim

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

Celebrating Life; Greetings From Prague

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 08:44 AM PDT

Greetings from Prague, the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Actually, I am now back in the states, having returned from a fantastic European trip with Liz, on a delayed honeymoon following our June wedding.

Here are some images from Prague that I would like to share. Click on any image for larger, sharper view.

Prague Old Town Historic Square

Prague Old Town Historic Square

Charles Bridge and Pražský Hrad (Prague Castle)

Fireworks Over Charles Bridge

Stained Glass Windows in St. Vitus Cathedral

Liz in front of St. Vitus Cathedral

Nightime Scene from Charles Bridge

Liz and Mish Dining at Hotel U Zlatého Stromu

On a 12-day European trip, we also traveled to Munich and Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany. I will post some images from Germany shortly.

Celebrating Life

I met Liz through Selective Search as noted in my June post Celebrating Life: I Got Married on Friday.

Please click on the previous link for more on our story, how we met, and images from some trips we took in June shortly before we were married.

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

Damn Cool Pics

Water Bomber at Trans Labrador Highway Accident [Video]
Intersting Facts About The Movie “Ghostbusters”
Girls High Jump Landings
Star Wars Actors Then and Now
How to Kiss a Girl in 1911

Water Bomber at Trans Labrador Highway Accident [Video]

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 01:38 PM PDT

Milestone Media reports that a semi-truck in Canada crashed on a remote highway. As emergency vehicles were hours away, a water bomber was dispatched to extinguish the flames with a huge water dumping from a propeller plane.

Intersting Facts About The Movie “Ghostbusters”

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 12:31 PM PDT

Both Chevy Chase and Michael Keaton turned down the role of Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray's character).

Eddie Murphy and John Candy both turned down main roles.

Eddie Murphy starred in Beverly Hills Cop the same year Ghostbusters was released.

Bill Murray's role was originally written for John Belushi, but he died while the script was being written.

On set, Dan Aykroyd referred to Slimer as the ghost of John Belushi.

Dan Aykroyd's script originally took place in the future, but Harold Ramis rewrote it to take place in modern times.

As a result, the production budget was cut from a projected $300 million (according to director Ivan Reitman) to just over $30 million.

The original trailer featured a 1-800 number, not a 555 number, which led to a prerecording of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd.

They got 1,000 calls per hour, 24 hours a day, for six weeks.

The Ghostbusters' firehouse headquarters was remodeled as the mechanic shop in The Mask.

It's located at 14 N. Moore St., Manhattan, New York.

The marshmallow goo that explodes onto William Atherton is actually 50 pounds of shaving cream.

The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man suits cost $20,000 each.

Three were made and all were destroyed during filming.

Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song for the film was a No. 1 hit for three weeks.

Huey Lewis later sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarism, due to similarities between the Ghostbusters theme song and Lewis' "I Want a New Drug."

The jail scene was filmed in a real prison, and Dan Aykroyd was convinced the building was haunted.

Bill Murray only agreed to star in Ghostbusters because they offered to remake The Razor's Edge with him as the star.

The party scene with Rick Moranis and his guests is almost entirely improvised.

Ghostbusters was the highest-grossing comedy of all time, until the release of Home Alone.

It made $240 million domestically in 1984, which is equal to about $580 million when adjusted for inflation.

The term "proton pack" was never actually used until the middle of Ghostbusters II.

In the sequel, Spengler said "before we go any further I think we should get our proton packs."

The guns for the proton packs were originally wands.

The wands were changed to laser guns to make it more believable that the Ghostbusters created their gear from practical equipment.

The film was originally titled Ghost Smashers.

But director Ivan Reitman called it "the telephone book" because of how long the first draft was.

Ghostbusters was Larry King's film debut.

Ron Jeremy was an extra in the film and later starred in a porn parody entitled This Ain't Ghosbusters XXX.

The cast and crew referred to Slimer as "Onion Head" because of how bad the prop smelled.

To show its massive size, the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man was originally supposed to come out of the water next to The Statue of Liberty.

But the scene was too difficult to shoot, so they scrapped the idea.

There was a second version of the Librarian Puppet, but it was rejected because it "looked too disgusting."

It was later used in Fright Night, which was released one year after Ghostbusters.

The demonic voice of Dana/Zuul was performed by director Ivan Reitman.

And most of Bill Murray's lines were ad-libs.

Girls High Jump Landings

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:40 AM PDT

These girls know how to land right after a high jump.

Star Wars Actors Then and Now

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 11:25 AM PDT

Harrison Ford

Billy Dee Williams

Hayden Christensen

Natalie Portman

Ewan McGregor

Jake Lloyd

Mark Hamill

Carrie Fisher

James Earl Jones (voice)

Anthony Daniels

Frank Oz (voice)

Peter Mayhew

Kenny Baker

Ian McDiarmid

How to Kiss a Girl in 1911

Posted: 19 Aug 2013 09:31 AM PDT

The kissing game's changed quite a bit in the last 100 years and not always for the better. While ladies today would prefer to give the go-ahead and probably won't have any Listerated Pepsin Gum lingering at the bottom of their purse, a sigh or two wouldn't hurt to set the mood. Hey, if it worked for great-grandma…

marți, 20 august 2013

A New Puppy at the White House

A personal mission

Amazing Correlation Between Google +1s and Higher Search Rankings

Amazing Correlation Between Google +1s and Higher Search Rankings

Beyond correlation: Why it matters this time

1. Posts are crawled and indexed almost immediately

2. Google+ posts pass link equity

3. Google+ is optimized for semantic relevance

What about Author Rank and Publisher Rank?

Roadmap to rankings: taking advantage of Google+ for SEO

Additional resources for success

Seth's Blog : Now it's ruined

Now it's ruined

More Recent Articles

luni, 19 august 2013

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Damn Cool Pics

Damn Cool Pics

Pagini

Persoane interesate

Arhivă blog

marți, 20 august 2013

Beyond correlation: Why it matters this time

1. Posts are crawled and indexed almost immediately

2. Google+ posts pass link equity

3. Google+ is optimized for semantic relevance

What about Author Rank and Publisher Rank?

Roadmap to rankings: taking advantage of Google+ for SEO

Additional resources for success

More Recent Articles

luni, 19 august 2013

Pagini

Persoane interesate

Arhivă blog

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