Category: Game Theory

When I took a job with Visible Technologies in Seattle in late 2006, we had several fire drills per year. Everyone laughed or made fussy complaints about the inconvenience. I sometimes packed my laptop during these drills and took it with me. I wanted …

One minor controversy in the SEO sphere is what to do with “underperforming content”. Some people like to trim it away, calling it “dead wood”. Other people leave it alone. And a third school of thought is to improve the underperforming content so that it has a better chance of attracting traffic. I feel this…

There was a time when no one cared about how they should compose their Web copy. You put up a Website and started writing. And then came Search Engine Optimization, where suddenly everyone was an expert on how to write Web copy. You’re doing it wrong, they told us. Insert your keywords here and here…

Google Core Algorithm Updates (CAUs) aren’t designed to specifically penalize Websites. They are designed to change the way the search engine works. In a sense, each Core Algorithm Update introduces a whole new search engine to the Web. So if you lose traffic after a CAU rolls out, here are a few things you (may…

Google may always be on the losing side in the propaganda wars it wages if only because the sheer weight of numbers is against Googlers’ collective voice. Recent research suggests that large groups’ decision-making processes are influenced by two important…

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The tools for free Website promotion have not really changed much over the past fifteen years. The rules imposed by search engines have changed and their abilities to enforce those rules have improved. So we need to look carefully at what can be done versus what should still be safe to do when devising campaigns to promote Websites for free. Of course, there is no such thing as “free Website promotion”. We have to invest time if not money in Website promotion so it’s still not useful to think in terms of how to promote Websites for free. Let’s instead think in terms of “how to promote Websites without spending money.” Here are the basic methods: Publish content for discovery on your site Publish content for discovery on other other Websites Ask other Websites to link to your site Wait for other Websites to link to your site Let’s assume for the sake of discussion that these links only send visitors to the site being promoted. When you publish content it may be discovered either via self-promotional links you share (such as by emailing friends or through unlinked advertising) or by random search engine placement. Publishing content for discovery on […]

The US military has pioneered the use of robotic vehicles in both urban and open terrain warfare. Many of the vehicles that the news media has covered are used for benign purposes, such as surveillance and disarming or destroying booby-traps. We now know that various police agencies have also expressed an interest in the use of “drones” for crime-fighting and anti-terrorist operations. Military drones have already been weaponized, though, as our enemies (the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and their allies) have learned quite thoroughly. Civilian populations have felt the impact of weaponized robotic warfare, and public concerns over our use of weaponized drones around the world have been raised in support of “greater transparency” with respect to the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. As the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing learned not long ago, virtually any benign object can be weaponized. It doesn’t have to be designed specifically for the military. And automobiles have been weaponized by our enemies in various countries. But to deliver those bombs to their targets the terrorists have to either find volunteers or coerce people into driving the vehicles. We know they have used coercion because forensic analysis of some car bombs in Iraq showed […]

Regardless of whether you are a churn-and-burn “black hat” marketer chasing affiliate leads or a major brand building a massive online customer community, you are a member in a very select group. Actually, you are a member of multiple groups. The psychology of groups has been studied in many ways for decades and marketing science draws extensively upon research that deals with group behaviors. According to Bruce Tuckman’s modified model, groups typically pass through five stages in their life cycles: The Formative Stage, in which members initially identify with the group and bond with each other The Conflict Stage, in which points of view are compared, evaluated, and prioritized The Normative Stage, in which consensus on group needs, priorities, and utilities is achieved The Performing Stage, in which things happen and the group achieves the majority of its successes The Dissolution Stage, in which harmony breaks down and members leave the group This model is often designated as the Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing(, Adjourning) model for a group life cycle. Alternate life cycle models have been proposed but I will use this one. Every community goes through these stages. Some communities may pass through multiple life cycles. Some communities may […]

Imagine 3 people entering a room. There is a table with 2 chairs on 1 side and 1 chair on the other side. The 3 people choose seats randomly. All 3 bring some unique qualities into the room. Which of the 3 people is most likely to be seen as the “leader” of the group? If you say the one who chooses the lone seat, you’re a proximity marketer. If you say the one who takes the initiative and acts first, you’re an engagement marketer. Proximity Marketing looks for the best angle, the strongest advantage, the leverage that makes a difference. It’s all about location, location, location. In other words, what is fastest, easiest way to get the message to the consumer? In search engine optimization a proximity marketer believes that the only way to influence a search engine algorithm is through [INSERT FORMULA HERE]. Up until about a year ago most SEO agencies would have told you that in order to win in the SERPs you had to have links (they were wrong). Now most SEO agencies tell you that in order to win in the SERPs you have to have content (they are wrong). All you get to […]