Meerkat Communications

I often think about the sheer volume of the Internet. I remember clearly the first time I saw “the Internet” (yes, I remember life before it…) and the person who showed me asked me for something to search for and we decided on “macaroni cheese recipes”. I wish I could remember the amount of hits, but must have been in the hundreds or possibly low thousands, which at the time seemed staggering. Now, that’s a drop in the ocean of data.

With the steady increase in mobiles and the ability to access the web on the go, the amount of money exchanged, videos downloaded, photos uploaded, interactions, emails, etc. is astounding. At the Plain Language Conference 2013 that I attended a few weeks ago, I was interested but not surprised to see the stats on mobile web usage growth between this year and last, as presented by Dr. Neil James of the Plain Language Foundation (see infographic below).

I also recently came across a fascinating article on the Intel website that ties into this. The article (by Krystal Temple) discusses what happens in just 60 seconds on the Internet. Besides the really useful and somewhat frightening infographic below, one quote leaped out at me: “By 2015, the number of networked devices is expected to be double the world’s population. And by the time we reach 2015, it would take five years to view all the video content crossing IP networks each second.” (Temple).

So on we hurtle. And if today, there are roughly 8,850,000 Google results for “macaroni cheese recipes”, what will that number be in just a few years time?

Geraldine

“High-quality web content that’s useful, usable, and enjoyable is one of the greatest competitive advantages you can create for yourself online.”

― Kristina Halvorson, Content Strategy for the Web

If you use the popular Google Keyword Tool for SEO and keyword research for websites and ads, you may have noticed that there’s soon to be a shift to the new Keyword Planner. Similar to its predecessor,  Keyword Planner allows you to create keyword lists as well as ad groupings, but it’s not too hard to see that Google seems to be trying to push users towards creating ads and buying keywords as opposed to simply using the tool for organic SEO. This makes sense seeing as that’s how Google makes more money…

How is Keyword Planner different from Keyword Tool?

As the name suggests, the focus is on planning out whole AdWord campaigns, with an emphasis on keyword searches along with traffic estimates. Some of the main changes seem to be around the statistics on searches.You need to add your keyword ideas to your overall keyword plan to get more information and traffic estimates. The good news is that you get more data – instead of a default of search estimates for desktop and laptop users only, the new functions include all mobile users and tablets too, which makes sense in terms of today’s web users.

Keywords From Webpages Removed

Something that I really like with the Keyword Tool is the ability to look at what keywords already appear on a site (especially useful if I am trying to update the content on a website and want to know what they already have). This has been taken off the main interface. Now, to get this information, you need to download your historical statistics from the Keyword Planner and it will then give you that data.

Local and Monthly Searches Replaced

Of course one of the main elements of organic SEO, as well as ad campaign choices, is to review local and monthly searches to get an idea of how the keywords perform. This has been replaced with “average monthly searches”. The focus seems to be on nano targeting. You can still get global monthly searches if you select to target all locations, but now you can get a simplified version of this information. The average monthly search function allows you to pick specific targets (e.g. countries, cities, or regions) to help create more accurate keywords. You can also still get local search volume trends, but this is also only when you download your historical statistics. It does seem like the changes are making the process a little simpler, though in playing around with the tool, I get the impression you see less upfront.

Other Changes in Keyword Planner

Some of the features that have been removed from the Keyword Tool include the Search Share column and the Ad share column (according to the Keyword Planner information page, Google is working on a replacement for the latter). Another change is more accurate  CPC (Cost-Per-Click) data. Instead of “approximate CPC” – the Keyword Tool version, Planner has an “average CPC” column, making this data more specific and, therefore, more useful for ad campaigns.

Keyword Research With Keyword Planner

Keyword Planner still works well for keyword research as it still allows you to get ad group ideas as well as individual keywords and keyword phrases, but it operates more on a selection – Google likens it to a shopping cart idea. You can pick the words you want to use and add them to your overall plan. You can then build lists and the tools are able to do automatic combinations. For example, you may have a list of locations and then a list of keywords that you want to combine with those locations (e.g. real estate agents and the cities they work in). Keyword Planner can combine these and generate a list of suggested keyword phrases based on your separate lists (e.g. real estate agents Vancouver). The instructions on the Google Planner information site explain exactly how to do this. I foresee this as a great time saver as you can then get traffic estimates and statistics for these new phrases.

Analysis of Keyword Planner

So is it a good change? I don’t see it as being too different from the latest incarnation of the AdWords Keyword Tool, though it may take a bit of time to get acclimated to the changes and the concept of keywords first, data after, as well the ‘shopping cart’ concept to build keyword plans. I look forward to exploring it and seeing whether it really improves my organic SEO campaigns. I like the idea of being able to get more specific with targeting and that there seems to be a less is more approach to the layout and set up. I also think that, as the name suggests, rather than just doing research with the tool, you can build more of a concentrated plan for your SEO.

Only time will tell, though, and I still suggest that no matter the tool, always default to the number one rule of SEO – write for people, not search engines.

Geraldine

Too precious!

(Unfortunately I don’t know the original meme source)

Before I get into Monday’s Wired Woman event on “Building Community with Social Media“, I have to share this brilliant comic from The Oatmeal. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you really should!

I think it really does illustrate the difficulty with Web 2.0 and the social media explosion. How are you an expert? How did you build your reputation? And do you really know more than the next guy? It also ties in wonderfully to the Building Community theme (albeit in a humourous stab at the subject).

The fantastic speakers we had at our event definitely were not “Social Media Douchebags” and really did have a lot of insight into turning that online community into ROI, and gave us valuable tips, tools and insights. The speakers were:

• Briana Tomkinson / Tenth to the Fraser and Fjord West – Co-creator of popular New Westminster blog, and Marketing Strategist with Fjord West
• Carisa Miklusak / SoMedios – New media marketing, business development, and leadership consultant
• Chris Breikss / 6S Marketing – Co-founder and Director, and Vancouver’s Social Media Innovator for 2010 with partner John Blown
• Mhairi Petrovic / Out-Smarts Marketing – Social Media and Internet marketing strategist and CMO of Out-Smarts
•  Sibylle Tinsel / Club Fat Ass – ‘Chief Executive Fat Ass’ Online Community Manager and social media co-ordinator

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the round table format and it generated a lot of discussion, with different women from vastly different industries coming together to add their insights too. One of the biggest lessons I took away from the event was the importance of listening. See what people are saying about you/your industry and start to build a following by answering their questions and finding your audience in the right places.

I came away with a lot of ideas and also a sense of pride that the event went off so well.

Now to get to the point were I really can add “social media expert” to my Twitter bio… 🙂

Geraldine

If the jobs that most current students will do when they graduate don’t yet exist, and we’re supposed to be preparing them for the workforce, then what the heck do we teach them?

As you may know, I teach Business Communication part time at BCIT and earlier this week we had a Professional Development workshop for the department. We had some interesting speakers (including department members) and a lot of the discussion focused on teaching millennials. One morning session was lead by Jim Muldowney, a former instructor at North Island University, and he talked about the challenges of teaching the NetGeneration (to use a Don Tapscott term).

It was an interesting discussion and one point that I brought up (because of my experiences as a South African and a teacher in the Third World) was the fact that the majority of the research out there focuses on a lot of assumptions around access to technology, and centres largely on the First World. I would be really interested to see some research done on the same age group in places where technology isn’t as prevalent. Do the same types of values hold? Are the differences between generations less apparent? Do they have different abilities and principles?

An area that Jim addressed was around the assumptions that many researchers are making about so-called shared principles and abilities of the NetGen. One of the major inferences is that when confronted with all the information that is at their fingertips on a daily basis, the NetGen has the ability to think critically and analyse the billions of megabytes of data zooming at them. Not so true if some of the research papers I have seen over the years as a teacher can be taken as empirical evidence…

Having studied an MA, I am well familiar with the scornful “so what are you going to do with that?” questions. One thing that I can truly say that I learned in my years of study in Humanities was the ability to think critically, evaluate texts (of any kind – image or written), and select the best material for my purposes. This has given me frustration at times (I can often not watch movies or read books without overanalysing), but also great joy at the layers of meaning and information I have uncovered for myself.

These skills have also in turn, I feel, lead to a stronger ability to do the same with people, and have well prepared me for the path of an entrepreneur. I would not trade these skills for all the “practical, useful” degrees in the world. As the realms of information and technology, and education change, I agree with Jim; I think we are assuming a level of sophistication that just isn’t there yet. I know it certainly took me time, effort, passion, and engagement to reach a certain level of ability, and I had the guidance of instructors along the way.

To me, this lack of sophistication can be a good thing though, because as educators, we are working with a clean slate. However, the difficulty is always the fact that we have limited time and resources to try and get through a curriculum and also promote and instill these skills. In a culture that I have observed to be very entitlement-based, this is certainly a challenge. Add to the fact that I teach at a training institute and the challenge swells.

One thing that I took away from the workshops, though, was the need for us as educators to be adaptable. I think this is a vital skill in business too. Something else that Jim discussed struck me immensely; the students are a resource in themselves, and we should be talking to them about what they want. If collaboration is a sign of the new world of communication, then this needs to become a large part of what we do, for our own success, and theirs.

Geraldine

I’ve recently been working with some wonderful women on their resumes, helping them update them as they look for a new direction in their career paths. One of the tough things about resumes is that because they are so personal, they can be so hard to write without a helping hand. There are so many things we want to highlight and illustrate; we want to prove we are well-qualified for the job, but it can be so hard to know what to include, and perhaps even more difficult, what to exclude. There are a few things to bear in mind before we get too carried away. Here are some tips to enhance your resume:

Targeted Key Words

It is absolutely vital, for both your resume and your cover letter, that you include key words that are mentioned in the job ad. If you are applying for a job that has not been advertised, then simply find a similar sounding position online and use those key words. Why are these key words so important?

Well, the reason is two-fold.

A) These days, many resumes are put through search engine-like scanners that check to see if you have what the ad asks for. You may have all the essential qualifications they ask for, but if you don’t word them the way the ad specifies, then you run the risk of being passed over.

B) Bear in mind that the person who reads your resume first may not be in the same profession that you are. They may be an HR Manager, who has a general knowledge of what the company is looking for, and has a copy of the same job description listed in the ad, but they don’t necessarily understand what it is that you do. They will scan for easily identifiable, relevant key words. Make their job easier by using similar language and targeted keywords.

Although this may seem like a lot of work, tailor-making each resume (and cover letter for that matter), you will find that similar positions ask for similar things, so all you need to do is just tweak the main draft you have to suit each slightly different position.

Clear, Measurable Duties

When you are listing the duties/explaining what it is you did under your previous positions, it is important to remember a few things. You need to ensure you cover measurable achievements. Don’t just say you increased productivity in your department. Put a percentage to it; show the number of people you managed; put down figures that people can understand and that give tangibility to your experience. Try and think of five key duties or tasks that you performed under each position. If you have held similar positions in different companies, then highlight different aspects of the job (remembering those key words). Use strong verbs and precise, active descriptions. Also remember that your resume is more a fact sheet of your achievements. Try not to be too wordy; rather save the elaborations and “stories” of what you have done for your cover letter.

Focus on the Receiver

Perhaps one of the hardest things to do with a resume or cover letter is to adapt it to the audience. We get so caught up in trying to show what we have done, that we forget to prove how it will benefit the company organisation that is hiring. Try and think of how you can list your experience in a way that shows what it will bring to the position, not what you’ll get out of being hired. Prove to them, through the measurables and the key words, that you have what they are asking for, and that you are eager to bring those skills to work for them. Although this is easier to do in your cover letter, it is still important to bear this in mind in every aspect of your resume, from design to content. Does everything you mention cover not only your “hard” /technical skills, but your “soft” skills too (i.e. communication skills, interpersonal and teamwork abilities, and organisational skills)?

Remember that many people may have the same “hard” skills as you, but you bring your experience and your “soft” skills, and as importantly, your personality to the position. You need to ensure that this is illustrated in your resume and your cover letter.

I know that job hunting can be depressing, challenging and frustrating, but the more you focus on how to prove to a potential employer that you have what he or she is looking for, the greater your chance of success will be. If you would like more tips on resumes, please feel free to read an article I wrote for Suite101.com entitled Writing the Perfect Resume and its companion articles on cover letters and interview skills. Please also feel free to email me to set up a one-on-one resume consultation, if you are in the Vancouver, BC area.

Geraldine