Next week kicks off the very first ever Search Marketing Expo (SMX) show in Seattle, a conference for advanced search marketers, and the Klog and I will be among those in attendance. Actually, it's more like a dozen or so Klogs and I will be in attendance, but who's counting. Yes, I'll be handing them out so please, please feel free to ask for one. :)

Unlike other marketing conferences, SMX is designed for the experienced search marketer as it skips right over the "beginner" sessions and moves the conversation right to an advance setting. Each day is scheduled to feature two tracks of sessions, one focused on organic SEO issues, and the other on paid search advertising.

I for one am very excited about attending this conference. Aside from my girlfriend Jackie, I'll be attending this show solo and look forward to meeting up with a few of my industry buds (Disco, Todd, Lisa, Li, David, Rob, Balestino, Bailey, Joe, David - any of you guys attending?) as well as meeting some new folks, mainly those I've been reading via their blogs (Bill, Barry, McGee, Hooley, Ray, Lee, Chris - Any of you guys attending?).

In addition to the work aspect of this trip, I've never been to Seattle and definitely look forward to the first few days where we've committed ourselves to a bit of sight seeing.

Just a quick overview of my itinerary:

June 1st (Friday) - June 3rd (Sunday)
We'll be flying in early on Friday. Thus far, our plans for the weekend include a Seattle Mariners game on Friday (vs. Texas Rangers), a trip on the space needle and observatory deck on Saturday, and a variety of other sight-seeing destinations such as the Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, Argosy Cruises - Seattle Harbor Tour, and The Museum of Flight on Saturday and Sunday.

As of now, I'm also planning on finding my way over to the conference hotel and bar on Sunday night (I'm actually staying a bit down the road) where, if this conference is like any of those I've attended in the past, there is likely to be a pre-conference gathering. However, depending on how tired I become from my sight-seeing extravaganza, this may be cut short or postponed until Monday or Tuesday night.

June 4th (Monday) - June 5th (Tuesday)
These are conference days and as you might have guessed... I'll be attending sessions for most of each day. I'll also be on the look-out for any post-conference parties and events. However, I have yet to hear of anything thus far.

June 6th (Wednesday)
Jackie and I fly back home to Chicago.

All in all... this is shaping up to be a great trip with just the right mixture of work and play. If any of you readers/marketers out there are attending and want to meet up... feel free to drop me a line at: karl [at] karlribas [dot] com. We can set up something then or at least exchange cell numbers. Otherwise, rest assure that I'll be delivering daily coverage and pictures of the conference and it's events as they unfold.

In honor of bossman's birthday last Friday, and because he had the nerve to skip-out on work for a "client meeting", team All Web and I decided that we would have a little fun on his behalf... I mean what the hell, when the cat is away the mice will play... right?

To commemorate his fifty-something birthday (I'm so fired) we put together a top 5 list titled "5 Wacky Ways to Use Tin Foil" and taped it to his door. The list reads:

And would you guess that we did? You better believe it!

If I know Michael as well I think I do... everyone involved in this prank, even yours truly, is going to be watching over their shoulder every minute of every day this week. Retaliation isn't a question... it's a certainty, and Michael doesn't just get even... he gets ahead!

Happy Birthday Michael. Let the games begin.

I finally, and I do mean finally, got around to reading "Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?" by Bryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg. I picked up the book free at last year's Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose when the brothers were in attendance signing and handing out copies. Now, almost nine months later, I'm finally ready to review it... or at least I think I am.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how to go about rating this book. I'm a big fan of the Eisenberg's - they put out a hell of a newsletter, and their previous book, "Call to Action" was a damn good read (that reminds me, I should probably get around to reviewing that one too). However, I have mixed feelings about this one. I've literally got a split decision.

"Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?" highlights two very strong ideas. The first idea is to enter the mindset of website's visitors / customers and browse your website asking the same questions that they would. Theoretically, in this mindset you don't know enough to understand the problem; rather you know only that a problem exists and that you've turned to the Internet for a solution. What phrases did you search for? What questions are you asking? Afterwards, review your website and ensure that it addresses these same questions.

The second idea involves creating personas by breaking down your website's visitors into classes, such as gamers or the ever popular soccer moms. Once you've done this than you can begin to ask yourself what is needed in order to attract these kinds of people. What questions are they asking? Why are they interested in making a purchase? How would they use your company's website? Addressing these questions is a great way to ensure that you're in tune with your target audience, and that your website appeals to those it intended to.

Here is a small excerpt from the book:

All in all... the book offers solid and actionable advice. However, my only problem with it is that after several pages in it became a bit of a chore to read. The concepts were those that I've personally become familiar with over the years, and so I feel that this book provides very little in return for advanced marketers... or even those with several months of ecommerce experience. Instead of being enlightened, I thought that the authors were just stating the obvious.

So in the end, my review is this: If you're new to ecommerce and the online marketing world, this is a great read for figuring out what needs to be done in order to make your business inviting to your general audience. If you're on the other end of the spectrum and are looking for advanced reading... I'm quite sure that this isn't the book for you.

In any event you can get more information about "Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?" from its Amazon page.

Check it out... last week's mail brought me a complimentary copy (manuscript version) of David Meerman Scott's new book "The New Rules of Marketing & PR".

As if that wasn't kick-ass enough, David was considerate enough to personally autograph my copy and acknowledge me and my blog in the "Acknowledgements" section of the book! Thanks buddy!

Here's a small excerpt from the book:

Anybody looking for more information on the book, including details of when and where you can pick up a copy, check out this Amazon page.

A "thanks" goes out to David. I'll be sure to give it a read, and a review sometime soon.

Thanks man!

If there is ever a certainty in life it is that people change. Over time a person's needs, views, and desires will undoubtedly change to reflect the events that have taken place throughout the course of his or her life. What was once important a year ago may be seen as trivial today.

Changes like this occur all the time in business (especially in the SEM industry), and it's not always for the good. If there ever comes a time when your company feels that they no longer need a certain resource, manufacturer, or business partner then its best that you cut your losses as soon as possible. Otherwise you'll be responsible for dragging both parties through a long, ongoing, and messy separation.

Take my recent fall out with PSM (PlayStation Magazine) for instance. Their magazine was easily my favorite monthly read a year ago (and to be honest years before that). It seemed that I was always waiting for the next issue to be delivered and when it was, I usually had it read front-to-back in a day or two.

Over the past year my feelings toward the Sony PlayStation brand have changed greatly, and sadly, this also means that my feelings towards the PSM magazine have changed as well. I no-longer find myself dying to get my hands on the next issue, and to be honest it's gotten to the point where I actually could care less if I even receive the next issue.

Just for kicks... here is the email that I sent to PSM informing them that I no longer wished to receive their magazine, and that I (jokingly) wanted them to refund me for my unused issues. I wonder if I'll even get a response. Better yet, I wonder if they'll address my email in their next issue. Should be interesting.

Title: It's Not You... It's Sony

Dear PSM ~

There comes a time in every gamer's life when he (or she) must stop, put down his controller, and re-evaluate his priorities on gaming. This week was my time. Today I made the single most difficult decision of my gaming life. Today, I officially turned my back on Sony and the PlayStation brand.

To be honest... I've been tossing this decision back and forth in my head from as far back as last November when Sony tanked the launch of its own PS3 console. That day, it was made very clear to me (and apparently other readers of your magazine) that Sony isn't focused on doing right by gamers, but rather out to claim an even bigger stake in the future of the movie entertainment industry. Why else would they launch a $600 videogame console in November with 2 million consoles shy of what was originally planned and with only one quality launch game to boot? It's beyond me!

In any case, before the mistake that was the PS3 launch, I went ahead and signed up in advance to receive your magazine up-and-to April of 2009. At the time, I was dead set on getting a PS3 (there was no reason not to) and I knew you guys would have the better PS3 coverage (previews, reviews, and commentary) that I've come to love. It was a simple no-brainer. However, with this recent change in my gaming lifestyle, one that is free of all things Sony, I really no longer see the need to carry on my subscription with PSM magazine.

So with that being said... what I propose is that you consider ending my subscription starting immediately and refund me for the remaining two years that I have left. What do you say... sound like a plan?

Finished laughing? It's ok... I'll wait.

If that is something that you're not up to doing than may I propose that you give the remaining two years of my subscription away to a fellow loyal reader... maybe as a prize to a contest? After all, it's not PSM that betrayed me... it is Sony, and unlike Sony I'm willing to give back to gamers!

To the great staff at PSM I'm sorry you had been caught in the middle. It's not you... its Sony!

Thanks for the memories.

Karl Ribas

It's news and reports on S-E-Ooooohhhhhh... it's Mr. S-E-O, Joe Balestrinooooo... yeah! Man, I love that intro.

If you didn't happen to catch it, yesterday I was interviewed by Joe Balestrino on his "Mr. SEO podcast". We had a great conversation on Pay Per Click advertising and management, and we even went into specifics on how to set-up a campaign, improve click-throughs, and increase conversions.

Download our interview (FREE) on Joe's podcast page.

Overall it was great interview, and one I believe PPC advertisers will get a lot out of. As I've mentioned so many times before, the Mr. SEO podcast is one of, if not the, best search marketing podcast available today. Joe and company do an excellent job with providing step-by-step instructions to many basic and moderate level SEO techniques. If you haven't yet tuned into one of Joe's podcasts, now is certainly the time to do so.

The good folks over at Bruce Clay, Inc. have just recently announced that they are holding the next big SEO contest in which the winner not only secures a search marketer's dream package (valued at near $4000.00), but also lends a helping hand to a community-driven non-for-profit organization of his or her choosing.

The "search marketer's dream" prize package includes:

• 1 FREE Full-Conference Pass to SMX in Seattle
• Enrollment into the Bruce Clay SEO Training Seminar
• Enrollment into the Bruce Clay Advanced Certification Course

Do the math... that's near $4,000 in prizes. And, that's not including the extra added value of learning the latest tips, tricks, and strategies from many of the industry's top online marketing professionals.

If anyone's interested in participating, be sure to check out the Bruce Clay Blog for more official rules and details. Kudos to the BC gang for putting together a very worthwhile contest.

Yesterday while catching up on some blog reading, I came across a very interesting video on the Did-It blog. The video was created by the "Click Quality Council" (CQC), a group of individuals, agencies, and click-quality monitoring firms that seek "click-standards" in the PPC arena.

As a marketer who works for an agency that provides Pay Per Click management services, I've always felt that the more transparency between PPC Providers (the search engines) and advertisers/agencies the better both parties would be at achieving their goals. In the long run, search engines would of course continue to profit from a pay per click platform that delivered relevant sponsored advertising, and advertisers would have the information needed to make more in-depth and accurate marketing decisions.

This video highlights 8 core principles that the CQC organization believes Pay Per Click providers should follow as a basis for their platform's methodology. After watching this video, and hearing these 8 core principles, I'm certainly in agreement with the group.

Here's the video:

RSS and email readers click here to see the video.

I noticed a HUGE change in the look and layout of Yahoo's Search results pages today... however it appears to only be showing up on a few computers within our office.

Click on Image to See Full Size

Yahoo's search results now display a "shopping cart" icon for which seems to be a quicker checkout option offered through PayPal... similar to what Google Search has done with Google Checkout. If you're a Yahoo! Store owner and looking for more information on this "quick checkout" option or if you're looking for ways to integrate this new function in with your Yahoo! Store, check out this post by Michael Roebuck.

Anybody else seeing this?

I just came across a relatively new blog today that I feel is worth plugging. The blog is titled "Social Media Marketing" and, as you can guess, it promises to deliver regular news, updates, and commentary that is specific to Social Media Optimization and Marketing.

This blog is authored by Joe Williams (whom also blogs at SEM Consultancy) and Kevin Gibbons (whom also blogs at SEOptimise), and is written to gather the attentions of current Social Media marketers as well as those looking for more information on using social media platforms as a basis for promoting their websites.

If you're among those who'd like to keep updated on SMO/M, this blog is for you! Be sure to check it out!