Spoken Gently's Blog: All Categories

It's one of the worst things to ever happen in the search
engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density.
I won't venture off into a discussion about whether keyword
density is still a valid measure of search engine optimized
(SEO) copywriting success. I will say, however, that the
mere introduction of this concept led to the mutilation and
destruction of innocent copy all across the globe. Without
any regard to flow or customer experience, website owners around
the world began shoving keyphrases into their copy like wild men.
The results have been disastrous! Otherwise wonderful content
has been utterly destroyed. This slaughter of innocent copy
must stop!

All joking aside, the realization several years ago that
keyword density…

I could just cry looking at the damage to my home, wrote one landlord as she surveyed the damage done by a good tenant.  She never complained about anything, and always paid her rent on time.

This landlord discovered that the tenant had inflicted $5,000 in damage to the property, including trying to steal fixtures and the central air unit, plus operating a meth lab upstairs. 

Many landlords define a good tenant as one whose rent arrives like clockwork on the first of the month and who doesn't bother the landlord.  This landlord got both.  That idea worked, huh.

As investing in the stock market becomes less attractive, real estate prices drop, and the renters we lost to homeownership come back to the rental market through foreclosure, investors are…

Charles Knight at Read/Write Web has an interesting post about the top 100 alternative web search engines. That's right, the top 100...there are many more that didn't make the list.

I took Mr. Knight's list plus my own list, mashed them together and categorized the search engines by major area. Entrepreneurs are trying everything they can think of to beat Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Live. Here are some of the approaches and the companies that are trying.

User Interface (UI) enhancements attempt to improve the user experience and visual representation. Companies working in this area include; Snap, Live.com, and SearchMash. Another, Quintura, presents search results in a "visual cloud" that clusters results by meaning and intent. AskVox and Ms.Dewey use…

There's a great sense of relief when you finally admit to yourself that, though it sounds cool, you have no idea what it means to Digg, Stumble or Spurl. That you spell delicious without random periods and that, in your world, Reddit is two words and not at all spelled like that. As an average Web user, you don't have to be a fan of social media optimization. However, as a site owner, you do need to know that it exists and be aware of the effects and potential benefits it could have on your site.

Social media optimization has become the hot new buzzword over the last 12 months, similar to the way "the long tail" dominated conference speak before that. If you're a frequent blog reader or conference attendee you've probably heard about sites like Wikipedia,…

WEST RICHLAND - There are four major projects over at Red Mountain. There's the grape growing region, two separate plans for new highway interchanges in Benton City and into West Richland, and then there's the Red Mountain Center. The project's just starting to take shape.

For this empty stretch of roadway, big plans are in the works. Wineries and retailers could make this a tourism hot spot.

"We're a community with a blank slate with access to city services so there is a great deal of potential out there," said West Richland City Manager Mark Panther.

Last year Keane Road connected with Van Giesen. Now the road gets pushed even further. A dirt path leads into new Port of Kennewick properties. The port owns 15 acres, 12 are already leased out. Red…

Is it just me or has everyone been becoming a little ‘link obsessed’ lately?  This week I’ve been counting the number of posts I’ve seen written about getting links - I’m over 40 and still counting...[read on]

Joe and Colleen Lane are Southeast Washington State Realtors® specializing in Real Estate Tri Cities WA buyer/seller services for Kennewick Real Estate, Richland Real Estate, Pasco Real Estate, and surrounding areas.  Search the MLS for residential houses, multifamily homes, commercial buildings, vacant land, and condos.  Professional service providing real estate information for all areas of Benton/Franklin counties.  Check out our Free Real Estate Articles.  Call Joe or Colleen Lane toll free 1-800-526-3588.

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Recently, I found this article on 11 guidelines for getting authoritative links written by Eric Enge.  Here is the article's introduciton:

This post will offer 11 guidelines for getting authoritative links. Authoritative links bring value to your web promotion strategy that far exceeds their value on the surface. There is plenty of evidence that search engines will place more value on links from sites that they consider authoritative.  To read more, click here.

Joe and Colleen Lane are Southeast Washington State Realtors® specializing in Real Estate Tri Cities WA buyer/seller services for Kennewick Real Estate, Richland Real Estate, Pasco Real Estate, and surrounding areas.  Search the MLS for residential houses, multifamily homes, commercial buildings,…

Tuesday, February 27
Auditions for The Glass Menagerie, a Walla Walla Community College production, 7 p.m., China Pavilion theater on the campus. Two roles each for men and women ages 20-50 available. Bring a one-minute prepared monologue from the play. Performance dates: April 13-14, 20-22. Call 509-527-4317.

Wednesday, February 28 
Auditions for The Glass Menagerie, a Walla Walla Community College production, 7 p.m., China Pavilion theater on the campus. Two roles each for men and women ages 20-50 available. Bring a one-minute prepared monologue from the play. Performance dates: April 13-14, 20-22. Call 509-527-4317.

Films
The 35-minute documentary Wild Connections: The Hells Canyon-Wallowa Ecosystem will be screened followed by a discussion, 7…