Search Me

As I stated earlier, this year I am going to show a renewed effort to increasing income. That includes trying to make a successful blog. I mentioned that I would share with you my efforts in these regards and so I shall. Just as I have profited from the lessons of others, perhaps you can profit from the experiences I have gone through. By sharing these with each other we all benefit. I do not subscribe to the ideal of knowledge being power only when one person has it and withholds it from another. Knowledge only has power when it is put into motion. Pass it on, pay it forward. That is how we all have been benefited and enjoy what we have today.

So in reviewing the blog results over the last year as I have shared with you on the anniversary entry, I notice that I haven’t reached that ‘viral’ stage that so many have had to hit to see real results. Do I expect to become a household name with global recognition? Sure, doesn’t everyone? Reality of course deems that real readership will fall somewhere between one (me) and the worldwide population. I’m comfortable with that.

After all, not everyone will find these rantings amusing or even interesting. Some will. I hope you are one of them. I don’t have to please everyone. Not only is that difficult, it is impossible. ‘You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself’ is a wonderful lyric as well as a hint of wisdom.

As you might have noticed, I have made some slight changes to the layout of the web site. Call it experimentation. I am trying to fine tune it and will continually try to make it better. In the process I somehow lost Google Analytics tracking ability. Google Analytics is a tracking program you load on the web page that counts how many time a page has been viewed and how many times it was viewed uniquely. It tries to see how people found your page and if they looked at another of your pages or went on to other parts of the web. It does not identify anyone specifically or in detail, just an aggregate summation of the blogs usage. If I were making specific marketing campaigns and trying to drive sales, I could use analytics too help quantify the effectiveness of different advertising approaches. As this page is about anything and everything and not about marketing any products other than the blog itself, analytics is not being used the way other sites would use it.

Anyway, in the process of moving some items around and changing the Google ads display sizes and ability to display images, I managed to lose the analytics tool. It took me a lot of searching to finally come up with the fact that I needed to reload the code. I then had to track down the right code and my id code that goes with it. The simple 5 minute copy and paste operation lasted two hours. I have checked and it looks like it is working again.

That is the thing about new technology; it comes with a new language. And like any language it takes time to learn. When computers were first introduced I remember seeing stories on the news about the changes the dictionaries had to make to add all the new words that were being created to describe the workings of computers. This explosion of lexicon was amplified by the increase of personal computers and the internet. The word blog itself is an example of this as abbreviations such as web log created first slang then standard verbiage.

As I have entered the world of online ads and marketing and blogs I have been introduced to a whole new world of language. Some I have easily adopted from previous exposure to the computer world and some that is totally foreign. Some of the terms and their meaning are easier to decipher than others. For some there doesn’t seem to be any easy reference points to quickly gain their meaning other than slogging through and hoping that repetition and context will provide a clue. Sometimes it does sometimes it doesn’t.

Repetition and context have taken me a long way though. I can read some HTML when looking at it better than I could before. With ads there are terms like e-CPM or effective cost-per-thousand, and bounce rate and absolute unique visitors. Some make sense right away while some take time to see in action to fully comprehend.

Now to go back a little, I said that my analytics tool quit working. How did I know this? Google Adsense comes with its own tracking software code that is loaded on the web page. Whereas the Analytics tool is an option you add, the Adsense reports come automatically as a result of signing up an account to display Google Ads. Google Adsense reports are much, much simpler showing basically number of page impressions and number of clicks on ads with amount earned for those clicks and it only breaks it down into today, yesterday, week, month, last month, and all time categories. It doesn’t even tell you which pages were looked at or which ads were clicked.

Honestly I don’t even know what ads are placed on the site and that is why I added the disclaimer to the pages about the ads sponsoring me and not the other way around. I figure that if this site gets bigger and really popular, say like a Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, then I will start to dictate the ads and sell them direct. Until that time, you partner with someone that knows the business and can take care of that my knowledge and background isn’t large enough to handle. Google knows this part of the business and that is why I am here and using them.

So Adsense was the tipoff that Analytics was not working since one report showed visitors on these given days and the other didn’t. See, it is good to get information and facts from more than one source. Problem identified, problem fixed.

Or is it? I still seem to have the problem of not getting enough traffic driven to my blog. I know from experience that part of the problem is that the search engines do not see me. Analytics has shown me that the majority of traffic coming to my sight from search engines came from Google. I am glad that Google sees me but that is too be expected since this blog is hosted on a Google site and uses Google ads but what about the hundreds of other search engines out there?

I know Yahoo saw me at one time but it doesn’t seem to be able to find me now. IWON that uses the Ask search engine had never been able to find me. I have used that fact to gain points for searches as you can see on my IWON hint pages but it is discouraging. I have tried any number of different combinations or words and topics and even spelling out the web address with no matches found. This is the same result on a dozen other web sites.

As I have been searching for a solution to this problem, I ran across the idea that you had to submit a web site so that the spiders or web crawlers would go take a look. I have done this a few times and I think that is why I got a few hits from Yahoo and MSN but they only looked once and they only looked at a few pages. Google is the only one that has many pages listed.

Even finding the method to submit your web page is difficult for many of the search engines. Some you run across by accident, others from a link, but many don’t seem to want to publish this information at all. This seems strange since a search engines business is to search the web and provide all the information out there to its users. You would think that whichever service did this the best would be the winner in the search engine competition but I find a lot of them lacking.

I have stated this before about most searches now just pointing you to the commercial sites and missing all the great individual informative small sites all together. Those were the fun days of the web, when you could actually connect to people and not just businesses. It was back when businesses didn’t know what the web was or what to do with it. There must be a balance in there somewhere.

If you search for ‘search engines’ or ‘submit a site’ on most search engines you will get all kinds of things, not many of which are useful. I have found that there are a lot of services out there that will mega submit your site for a fee. Some will do it for ‘free’ only to find that free also has a cost of adding their software to your site, or submitting to a constant barrage of e-mail. Jayde Online is one such company that I have signed up for and though I haven’t seen any results from the supposed submission I have seen a large influx of e-mail. They do say I can unsubscribe at any time, but I will try their newsletter for a little while and see if there is any value. So far it looks like it is directed at full on business sites.

I have learned two things about search engines and their web crawlers. First, web crawlers will look at your site if it is referred to by another site that they have crawled. The more sites referencing your site, the more chances that your site will be looked at. Therefore, if someone is surfing and comes upon this site and decides to add mention of it on their site and it is one that gets crawled there is a chance that my site would be added to the list of sites to get crawled. That is why there are many people selling cross listing services or doing the “I’ll list your site if you list mine”.

Once the web crawler as decided to take a look at your site it must have permission to look and this is granted in a file called ‘robot.txt’. The robot.txt tells web crawler what they can and cannot look at. As I found this out I decided to take a look at mine and see if it is blocking sites. I kind of think that it might be but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to change it back to a simple basic open door policy. As near as I can tell this is a Google BlogSpot hosting rule. They help you set it up initially and block things if you so desire, but it is a set it and forget it notion. I have always had the intention of having this blog shared with all so I tried to leave the setting open. I thought I had anyway. I cannot find a way to directly access the file as it is on the BlogSpot server and after hours of searching I finally came across the setup menu for the robot.txt file, redid what I thought I needed to do but it looks exactly as it did before. This may be something I just have to learn to live with.

The other mentioned items for the web crawlers is a site map of which I am not sure how to develop, again because of BlogSpot’s lock on things, and Meta Tags. I think I am using Meta tags as the topic links that I include with each entry but I am not sure if it is the same thing as what the web crawlers are looking for. These are a couple more examples of this new language I was talking about. For those that already know what these things are, do not laugh. Just reflect on the first time you heard some of these terms and remember how you just went along with it rather than admit you didn’t know. It happens to everyone, and it happens all the time.

In order to get the address out there and see if this referencing thing has any merit I am going to be surfing the web a little more and dropping the web site address if possible in comment boxes and wherever suitable and see if it makes any difference. I am not going to do this in a spamming manner. The name dropping will only be done with true contributions and comments of relevance or not at all. I still want to maintain the better side of the web where people interact with people in a positive light. I would rather shed light on the sleazy characters and scare them back into their cockroach dens than promote their way of doing things. I know I won’t always measure up to the highest standards but at least I will be trying, as I hope you do too.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.

Farrwestview one year anniversary

This is the one year anniversary of the Farrwestview blog. This is also the 75th entry to the Farrwestview blog. A lot has happened since starting this blog and a lot has been left out but I just wanted to give a kind of status report of where this blog has been.

I mentioned from the start that this was going to be a learning experience about blogging and what goes along with it and that I would share this experience with you so hopefully we all learn along the way.

As you have noticed, I signed up for Google Adsense and AdSense for Search. This was to give a sense of viewership and maybe generate a little income. As you may have guessed, I have not retired from my regular job yet. In fact, after one year of blogging I have earned exactly $10.86 which remains on account and will not be paid out until it reaches at least $100.

This is not a plea to have anyone start punching ads (though it wouldn’t hurt, curiosity and all). It is just me reporting my experience so far. I am finding that it takes quite a bit of effort to make a successful blog. It starts with providing what is hopefully interesting content that will be of interest to the readers. It takes an effort to keep it freshened up periodically and not just let a few pages rest on their laurels. That means not becoming a one trick pony or having a one track mind. I have to watch myself for that one because that is part of my promise to myself. This blog is supposed to cover anything and everything, not just political woes or examples of bad driving habits.

With the ads come a way to track usage and according to the latest reports, http://farrwestview.blogspot.com has enjoyed 477 page views from 256 visits by 176 absolutely unique visitors according to the Analytics tool. Ad Sense reports 496 page impressions resulting in 26 ad clicks by Ad Sense and 7 queries with 6 clicks from Search. These have come from 15 different countries but mainly from the U.S.A. Is this good or bad? I do not know. I don’t have a lot to compare it too but being a numbers guy I find it interesting.

By the way, the ads presented on this blog sponsor me, but I do not sponsor them. In other words, I do not select them and am not always sure what or who shows up. Goggle ads place the ads and sell the spots that appear. I just provide a forum for them to hang their billboard.

The favorite search topics that have brought in viewers have been the ACSC (Air Command and Staff Course) article and the write-ups on my hints for IWON. Many of these visitors stayed only long enough to find that the page wasn’t for them and they moved on while others stayed for a read. I think that my largest following is still from my friends and family. Thank you for the support.

I am thankful to all who do read these blogs and hope you all enjoy them. I am going to reinvigorate my efforts to keep this blog going and infuse it with more articles covering more topics. This idea of making money on the web and possibly through blogging is drawing on me now and so I will put some effort in that area and let you know what I find. I am also going to make more efforts in marketing the Farrwestview blog so that the audience will grow as will the depth of this blog. If no one knows you’re out there then no one knows to stop by for a visit.

There are still far too many search engines that can’t find me no matter how I put forth the query. Ask.com still has no clue, but I am finding that true for other topics as well. Ask.com is the search engine IWON uses. Yahoo has find me a couple of times but only if I ask the right way. I seem to have the best luck with Google’s search engine but then this blog resides on a Google domain.

To all my readers, thank you one and all. Stay with me and I will try my darnedest to make this of worth to you. Always open to suggestions and comments. Though they come through an edit it, is only to keep things clean. There is too much vulgarity on the web and in life and there really isn’t any need for it. It adds nothing. And this blog isn’t going to be about nothing. Well mostly not anyway.

Never stop learning, never stop searching, and never stop sharing. It is not what we keep to ourselves that makes us rich but that which we share with others that gives us value.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.

Google me carefully

Have you ever Googled your name? I think that everyone has at least once. I have more than a few times and more lately since I started this blog. Curiosity leads me to see if the blog will show up in an internet search. This can be pretty disappointing especially when you reference very unique things that you know should come back with a hit only to find that you don’t even make the top ten pages.

I have tried different search engines with varying results. Since this site is hosted by Google it only makes sense that they should be able to find me and they have after a bit of coaxing. Other web sites don’t even try very hard and ask me to change the spelling of Farrwestview even if that is how I have it entered.

They really sad part for me though is when I do Google my own name. It is a relatively simple name and I have kept it as such because of the simplicity. Also, any variations thereof should show when just using the roots.

Alas, therein lays one of my greatest problems. Ever since Bob Dole came out as a spokesman for Viagra or one of its derivatives and gave the problem the short hand label of “E D”, I can’t do a word search on my name without getting back a plethora of advertisements that have nothing whatsoever to do with me, trust me. Even when the word search contains both names, it’s as if the person didn’t exist.

Well that is not totally true. As rare as this name is I have come across one other individual that shares my name. He has been made mention of in association with Andover university and charitable work with the people of Mongolia. He has a Swiss background, as do I. I would like to meet him someday for he sounds a very interesting fellow.

I on the other hand, am also an interesting fellow, just not as well known…yet. Who knows, one day I might make some profound breakthrough that will be worth mention and a selection on a web site browser. Perhaps my forthcoming Nef Tax Plan will be the newsworthy item that will be worth noting.

In any case, it would be nice to have this name be associated with something other than a sexual dysfunction again. After all, there is so much more to the Ed’s of the world. We are very deep, rich, intelligent people. Don’t let the real Ed’s be overshadowed by fleeting Madison Avenue sound bites sprouted by some washed up hackneyed politician. We deserve better than that.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.

Google comes through

In and earlier post I mentioned my frustration setting up this blog account and that I had been denied an account to include AdSense on the site. A little later an e-mail showed up telling me that a mistake was made and it was now available. This came quicker than the original request and it seems to be working as advertised. Thank you Google and AdSense. Chivalry is not dead and customer service still lives. Keep up the good work.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.

Google blogging not as easy as it looks.

O.K. so I thought I was getting the hang of this blogging thing but now I am having second thoughts. I was feeling good about my first attempts and have been enjoying myself but something has happened, or rather not happened. Like many of you I have had a desire to have this experience be supplemented with a few sponsorship ads placed using Googles own AdSense. I have applied for an account but my application was denied for an incomplete name and address which I am sure I submitted. Every attempt to try again has met with failure. I sent back a reply e-mail but now have to wait another 4 days for a response.

Here then lies the test of a true modern day company – company service. It seems so lacking in this day and age. The subjective test of how well does a company do what it is supposed to do when it is doing what it is supposed to be doing and how well does it handle things when they go wrong.

I like companies that have easy access and an open ear to listen to its customers. It seems like such a simple little thing but few companies know how or even seemingly want to do right by their lifeblood – the customer. Many companies spend large amounts on feedback campaigns but you seldom see any real results from them. It’s sort of like when bosses ask ‘How are things going?’ you just know that anything other than “Great” is an unacceptable or unheard answer.

I have seen some creative request for feedback such as giving out pennies by a restaurant as patrons finished their meals that they could put in their choice of gumball machines as a way of casting a vote as to the quality of their meal. I have also seen far too lengthy surveys given using questions and responses that never really capture the true feelings of the respondent with nothing more in thanks than a million to one shot at some trivial prize.

But that covers the day to day, average business transactions that are made. What is a company willing to do when something goes wrong? When I have experienced something that has gone wrong to a large enough degree, I generally like to inform the company so that they might correct the problem. They might not be aware of it and with good intentions, things are made better. For many this is the final step in quality control for those things that may have slipped past all the other testing and checks to ensure a good product reaches their customers. Most are grateful for the information and will replace the damaged item quickly. Calling the local Coke producer to let them know of a can problem I had, or letting the Fritos people know of a recent bag of chips that was missing its seasoning, or commenting to the makers of Puffs tissues about a packaging issue I was noticing are all replied to with a sincere thank you and a coupon for replacement product.

On the other hand I have seen companies that have gotten defensive and combative when all you are trying to do is work through a problem and come to a mutual resolution. The worst example that still haunts me to think of it, was trying to work through a billing problem with AT&T. This occurred twice when trying to solve my Grandmother's account and one episode that lasted almost two years with an account at work. I went in with the best of intentions simply trying to correct a mistake made by AT&T and was met with sugary sweet remarks and promises of swift action resulting in nothing to being turned over to collections agency. I had the problems blamed on everything from people changes to Hurricane Katrina. I was lied to so many times that there is no credibility with them any more.

As a result I will not deal with AT&T for anything else, at all, ever again if I can help it. I tell that to anyone that will listen if the subject comes up. In looking for a new cell phone I was strongly considering Cingular but when they were bought by AT&T, there is just no way. Apple brought out the new iPhone but I won’t even look once, let alone twice because they made it exclusive to AT&T. (There is a lesson here about who you make friends with and even more importantly who you take on as a business partner.) The experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that they are one of the few companies that genuinely earns the phrase AT&T SUCKS.

In this whole affair I wanted to pass along the knowledge of the misguided customer service that was experienced but in all my efforts I could not find an outlet. I would have talked to the president if there was even a remote possibility of doing it. After the whole thing was completed however, I am pretty sure that it wouldn’t make any difference. The culture at AT&T is so bad that it seems beyond repair. It doesn’t matter what Jim Kramer of Mad Money thinks, bad customer service will eventually make an impact.

Now don’t get me wrong. I did run into a few well meaning employees and I think they were honest in their efforts to make amends, but they were powerless to do so. For the most part, the ones I had to deal with were incompetent in problem resolution and wholly inadequate in customer relations. And to have so many different departments that did not begin to know how to communicate with each other in this day and age is usually a sign of the coming end. It appeared on occasion that they deal with each other internally as poorly as they deal with the paying customer.

I know some of you have been with AT&T and have had nothing wrong to report and think that all is well and I am glad for that. I hope that you or anyone you know or ever will know ever in your life will never have to go through what I had to. It is just not worth it. As for me and anything I have a say in, there is no use for AT&T. I will not deal with them.

The point I am trying to make here is that all this bitterness towards one company came from an extended bad experience, and one at this point that can not be repaired. I know that the loss of one customer to them is nothing. But this one customer has a voice. And bad experiences are shared. I remember seeing a report somewhere that said a bad experience is shared 10 times where as a good experience is shared about three. The report also said that it is better and cheaper to keep a good customer than to acquire a new one. Sage advice.

I hope that my ratio of sharing is better than 10 to 3 of bad to good. In fact, I have tried over the years to find someone doing something good with which to praise and then trying to do so. Many places have the comment box or an 800 number to provide feedback and most of us will only use them when we find something wrong, but how many will try to find something right or praiseworthy to positively provide reinforcement for good service. If you note something good, take the time to pass it on. It can, and should make a difference. If it only affects the person you are praising, then it is still worth it.

So Google I await your response. I am hopeful and optimistic as I am with most companies. I give most the benefit of the doubt and several second chances. Please don’t disappoint. We’re all in this together. I’m pulling for ya.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.