Recently while doing some research about the semantic meaning of words, I came across a very cool search engine called Hakia.com. I wanted to share my discovery with you.

Hakia is a search engine that has been around since 2004. Hakia uses an algorithm based on semantic rank. It’s a bunch of stuff I do not understand.

For example, sign out of Google and type in the word Holiday as your search term. Look [...]]]>

Recently while doing some research about the semantic meaning of words, I came across a very cool search engine called Hakia.com. I wanted to share my discovery with you.

Hakia is a search engine that has been around since 2004. Hakia uses an algorithm based on semantic rank. It’s a bunch of stuff I do not understand.

For example, sign out of Google and type in the word Holiday as your search term. Look at the results. Google relates the word “Holiday” with many different meanings. Hotel deals, Federal Holidays, Movies, Motels etc. By using the semantic meaning of words, Google delivers results that have many different meanings.

Google incorporates semantics heavily. Type in a search and look at the related searches. I used the word Holiday. Look at the related searches that Google gave me with the screenshot below.

When you are writing content and building links, it’s a good idea for you to incorporate the variations of words that Google deems to be semantically related. For example, if I were writing an article about “Family Holiday Memories”, I wouldn’t include Jude Law or Holiday Inn Express. I would include many of the other terms in the list.

Type in the word “Family”. Look at the related searches. Based on the results, I would be smart to add the words love, friends and money into my content and links.

I work hard at ranking a lot of different keywords and keyword phrases. I want every edge I can get. Sometimes when I do not understand something, I tend to shy away from it. However, in this case I think I can become better at SEO and internet marketing if I take the time to study semantics a little more and incorporate it into my overall strategy.

If you are an internet marketer or if you are involved in SEO, ranking keywords can be a mystery. Sometimes I type in keyword phrases and study the first page of Google searching for clues as to why certain sites are ranked. The overwhelming factor is usually incoming links but there are other factors.

The search engine Hakia delivers results based on semantic technology. As an internet marketer, I want to give myself the best chance of ranking with the search engines by incorporating semantics in my content and also my inbound links. It’s a fascinating study of words.

Hakia.com gives you many semantic variations of search results on one page. Images, videos, wiki, twitter etc. etc.

How you may use it, I don’t know but I hope you may find it useful. It will certainly condense a lot of results for your searches on one page.

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Sometimes a video comes along that’s just too good not to share. Such is the case today as I want to share an article and video with you from my friend Allyn Hane, the internet’s best video blogger. Allyn shares his expertise in the world of internet marketing by offering no B.S. advice and methods about how you can rank in Google. In his latest video, he explains the do’s and don’ts of internet marketing [...]]]>

Sometimes a video comes along that’s just too good not to share. Such is the case today as I want to share an article and video with you from my friend Allyn Hane, the internet’s best video blogger. Allyn shares his expertise in the world of internet marketing by offering no B.S. advice and methods about how you can rank in Google. In his latest video, he explains the do’s and don’ts of internet marketing and shares the story of how a monumental idiot pissed off and got slapped by the big G. Do not miss this one.

Leave me now and go watch Allyn Hane, Video Blogger>>>>>.

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My Final Traffic Update

This article and video were written and produced based on my opinion of what I call Social Media Hype. You may have a totally different opinion. I base mine on actual events that happened to me and my blog. Please join in the discussion whatever your viewpoint may be.

I thought I would announce the final results of my recent surge in Social Media traffic and non-Social Media traffic. Guess which [...]]]>

My Final Traffic Update

This article and video were written and produced based on my opinion of what I call Social Media Hype. You may have a totally different opinion. I base mine on actual events that happened to me and my blog. Please join in the discussion whatever your viewpoint may be.

I thought I would announce the final results of my recent surge in Social Media traffic and non-Social Media traffic. Guess which one won? Anyone who is familiar with this site knows that I was recently posted over at Chris Brogan. I made a spoof video about all the hype and hoopla that was being made over the release of Chris’s “Trust Agent” book. To my surprise and delight, Chris posted the video. What a cool thing for Chris to do for me.

At the same time, Allyn Hane at BloggerIllustrated.net, Internet Marketing Video Blog made several spoof videos of A-list bloggers also. Allyn was mentioned on Grizzly Brears blog, Make Money Online For Beginners. I also have been receiving some traffic from another up and coming internet marketer, Lis Sowerbutts, Passive Income Online. She made mention of our video spoofs and I have received traffic from her. BTW, if you haven’t read Lis, I would go and check out her blog. I dig chicks with attitude.

Allyn received a huge surge in traffic from a non-Social Media blogger (Griz). I appreciated the fact that Chris posted my video, but my Social Media traffic results were disappointing to say the least when you consider the huge amount of so called social media subscribers Chris has. As someone new to internet marketing, I feel lucky to received such a quick and helpful education that I hope I will carry with me as I continue to work on internet marketing in various forms. After I was mentioned on Griz’s blog, my traffic also surged and has been steady ever since.

There is a huge lesson to be learned here in Social Media marketing. However, I’m not the teacher, only a student. I made a video presentation of my Social Media surge and I hope that you will enjoy it and I also hope that the stats will open your eyes and help you on your journey in internet marketing. Your Social Media strategy may deserve a second look if you are serious about traffic to your blog.

For those who may be interested in the technical aspect of the video, here is how I made the video. Everything is Apple Mac based. I first made the presentation using the Apple Keynote program. All of the slides, transitions and typewriter text was made in Keynote. Keynote is how Apple kicked PowerPoint’s rear end.

To embed the video clips in Keynote, I used a screen capture program for Mac’s called IShowU.

Once I finished the presentation, I exported the presentation as a QuickTime movie. This is a very cool feature of Keynote. You can turn a presentation into a movie.

Once I made the presentation into a QuickTime movie, I imported it into my Mac video editing software, Final Cut Express. In FCE, I tweaked the video and added my music etc. I made this particular video in 4:3 aspect instead of the usual 16:9. The process is not a quick process but it’s very flexible. If you can think it in your mind, there is a good chance you can reproduce it in video form with these applications I mentioned. It’s not hard, it just takes practice like everything else in life we do.

Music by the O’Jays.

2009 BloggerLens.com

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Caution: The article that you are about to read contains extreme bias on my part.

Traffic, that’s what an internet marketer can teach you about hyperlocal blogging. I could stop right there and this article would be complete. If you take a moment and give it some thought, what else do I need to say? Internet marketers are brilliant when it comes to internet traffic. At least the good ones are. An internet marketer depends [...]]]>

Caution: The article that you are about to read contains extreme bias on my part.

Traffic, that’s what an internet marketer can teach you about hyperlocal blogging. I could stop right there and this article would be complete. If you take a moment and give it some thought, what else do I need to say? Internet marketers are brilliant when it comes to internet traffic. At least the good ones are. An internet marketer depends on traffic to make a living online. As a hyperlocal blogger, I depend on traffic to build my media empire. No traffic, no empire, no advertising, no money.

I study internet marketers for a reason and you should too. A good internet marketer knows SEO. A good internet marketer understands link building. A good internet marketer understands affiliate programs and how to use them to his advantage. Rarely do you find an internet marketer willing to share their knowledge without pushing some sort of bullshit (sorry) product on you. Personally, I follow only 4 internet marketers faithfully and today I’d like to highlight my favorite internet marketer.

Allyn Hane of bloggerillustrated.net. I found Allyn through some comments he had made on one of my other favorite sites. I clicked through and that’s when I found Blogger Illustrated. Allyn is one of the most entertaining video bloggers on the internet. He teaches his viewers about the nuts and bolts of internet marketing and how to build traffic to your site. Let me warn you right now about Allyn before you visit his site. If you are an Oprah or Dr. Phil type sensitive person who just wants to feel good about yourself and your blog and no one reads it but you and your mommy, don’t bother. Allyn will sense you watching his videos and will reach through your monitor and open hand slap you where you sit.

I trolled Allyn’s site for quite a while and every now and then I would make a comment on his blog. I studied Allyn’s videos and what he teaches and I apply much of what he says on my own hyperlocal blog. Although I have never met or spoken to Allyn, I was connecting with him through his videos because I felt we had a lot in common. Surely that happens to all of us. How many of you have a co-worker or someone you see on a regular basis and you just feel a click with but do not actually know? That’s human nature folks, we tend to gravitate to those we are most like.

I found myself always looking forward to Allyn’s next video and actually get pissed off at him if he doesn’t put them out fast enough. Allyn drinks beer on his videos. I drink beer while watching Allyn’s videos. How cool is that? Allyn uses a whiteboard to get his point across. I drink beer while watching Allyn use a whiteboard.

Allyn truly cares about your success online and he is the master of his own domain. Allyn usually sets his camera up in his kitchen and talks to you as if you had just dropped by to bum a beer after watching him cut his grass. Funny how folks stop by after the work is done. He leans over the counter and tells you straight up how to be successful online. There is always a cold beer on the counter and he’ll grab his laptop and flip it toward the camera to show you something trying to make a point.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a new rock song by the group Shinedown. The name of the song was “Sound of Madness”. As I listened to the song, I thought to myself that’s got Allyn Hane written all over it. I had an idea. I would create Allyn a video introduction for his videos. He would be able to use it as an intro and an outro for his videos. I spent a while doing some editing and using a picture of him found online, here is what I created.

I had no idea of how Allyn would take it or think about the video I made for him. Why did I do it? I did it as a sign of appreciation for what he does. I do a lot of video work and I know first hand how much work he puts into it. What else could I do? I could have sent him a case of beer but I would rather drink it myself. Only 8 out of 24 would have arrived.

What happened after I sent my video to him, just blew my mind. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything for anyone in my life who showed as much appreciation. Allyn’s a humble guy and I never expected his response. Allyn’s very next video was a video review of my hyperlocal site, the Monroe Scoop. Grass Roots Internet Marketing. Go Hyperlocal. I was blown away and I appreciated the review very much. Allyn’s review has sent this site and the Monroe Scoop a ton of new traffic. Below is the video review from Blogger Illustrated.

You may watch a video of Allyn outside while grilling some chicken on his deck or he may post a quick video of his thoughts while sitting in his car. You should be able to get a sense of his passion and excitement from the video above. Folks, you ain’t seen nothing yet until you head over to Blogger Illustrated and watch all of his videos. No doubt you will become a fan.

If you want a better hyperlocal blog with more traffic pay attention to what Allyn teaches and implement it on your own site. Your site will be better, Google will find you and rank you higher, your traffic will increase and you will be a happier blogger.

Enjoy or download for free, Shinedown. “Sound of Madness”.

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Copyright 2009 bloggerlens.com Hyperlocal Blogs & Citizen Journalism

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