Everyday we experience a lot of emotions. You may have been hungry as soon as you woke up this morning; excited as you smell the aroma of your French toast breakfast; and disappointed to find out that you don’t have enough milk to partner with your coffee.
Human behavior as we know can be explained by 2 major attributes namely, our thoughts and emotions. We know too, that the pattern by how we think and feel are influenced by our respective backgrounds in family, education and experiences. But wouldn’t you agree that many times, we are governed by our feelings? Have you gone home in regret of buying something impulsively? How about wishing you hadn’t said what you said that ‘way’?
This article was inspired by the book ‘The Relationship Principles of Jesus’ by Tom Holladay
If you ask me, more often than not, we only do what we do because we feel like doing it. We choose what we eat because our pallets’ looking for that specific dish. I read from a book once that life is not a buffet. We cannot just choose to live on days when life is exciting, fun and safe. Rather, we have to go through every single day not knowing whether we’ll be hit by the most unwanted and devastating news of a dead relative or the unpleasant surprise of being replaced. Of course, when these things meet us in the face, our first reaction is? You guessed it! Our feelings!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings | God and you
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Domain Names are Going Down | SEO in Simple Terms
Google has been taking some serious steps in order to improve the quality of their search engine results page. They have released the Google Panda Update which has been a major shift in the search arena – now they’re going to do something about the domain name keywords.
Surprise, surprise…
It’s just a matter of time before the SEO shortcuts get to live off all the fun they’re having. Google will sooner or later find a way to penalize cheat gamers in their SEO stage. In the aspect of domain names, it’s not really a cheat to get a good domain name. But peppering it with your desired keywords doesn’t look too shabby to any internet user, does it?
Let’s be honest
Domain names have been one of the most considerably powerful ways to rank higher in the search engines. No wonder why they get sold for a crazily high price. Acquiring a really good domain name is equivalent of getting your company name in the web.
Domain names can be equated to your brand in the web. Its importance is just too high. For example, my seo-hacker.com domain name is really important for me because it’s my brand. It’s my signature. It’s also my company name. I will do anything for me to keep it.
Domain gaming for SEO
The point of buying a domain should be primarily for your branding and for attracting people. Unfortunately now, it’s becoming a game for SEO specialists to buy a domain which is peppered with their desired keywords because it is a major factor in ranking for Google
I think even with the update, domain names would still hold good weight because the URLs are taken into account as an entity and as a possible point of reference for the website.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Why you need to fill your Emotional Tanks | God and you
Believe it or not, we are emotional beings. We laugh, we cry, we get angry, we love, we hate, we get scared – we feel. Emotions are a very powerful force of will in us human beings. And as chances may have it, we have something we call Emotional Tanks - which we need to keep a keen eye on.
This entry has been inspired by the book Fit to Be Tied by Bill and Lynne Hybels and my talk last night with my wonderful girlfriend.
Running on Emotional Fuel
Just like how you’ll get in trouble when the fuel of your car runs empty, so is it when your emotional tank runs dry. Unfortunately, unlike how the fuel tank of your car is right in front of your eyes, your emotional tanks are not directly visible. And unlike fuel, you don’t fill up your emotional tanks with diesel or gas – you fill it up with relationships.
Separate spaces
Your emotional tank has separate spaces. There are specific allotments to specific kinds of relationships. For example, I love my girlfriend and I have a specific space just for her. In fact, that space that I allotted for her is big because our relationship is a big part of my life.
In the same way, I have a space allotted for God, family, work, friends, ministry, self-development, etcetera. It is something that you don’t consciously do but it’s there. What you need to be mindful of is how much space you’re giving to the relationships in your life right now.
Are you giving more to your friends than to your family? Are you giving more space to your relationship with the opposite sex than your relationship with God? Knowing which takes up the most space in your emotional tank is critical to you as an emotional being.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
I Just Want To Be Alone | God and you
“Today, the world seems to have rotated on a wrong axis. Everything turns out to be wrong!” Have you ever experienced something like this?
You’re late, your boss is calling, you’re in a hurry, and then you remembered you left the important file you’re supposed to present to the team which was why you’re in a hurry in the first place! Or you’re so tired, you lack sleep, you helped out with errands because a parent asked of you, and then forgot to do a requirement for school. To top it off, the professor who never checks assigned homeworks decided to do so and gave an exemption to the final project requirement for those who submitted!
Mad? Irritated? And then you scream, “Leave me alone!” but everyone doesn’t seem to hear it. They still continue on with the things to do tomorrow, long exams and projects. And then again you remembered, you’re in school, you’re at work, you have a reputation to take care of. If you could relate, I pray this article would bless your heart.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Side Commenting and Judging Others | God and you
We see people here and there – when we take a walk in the park or take a stroll in the mall. At times we can’t help but say a word or two about a certain individual whom we find weird or out of place. We make a side comment.
I stumbled upon this verse in Proverbs while I was having my quiet time:
“Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.” - Proverbs 11:12 (ESV)
Sometimes we ‘just can’t help it’ but conjure something in our thoughts as an opinion towards other people. Lately I was made aware of this developing habit in me. A habit of taking a look at other people and finding something wrong. This verse opened up my eyes to this dangerous growing habit. I praise God that I stumbled upon this verse early on.
How do we change this habit?
By renewing our minds. We have to see people in a different light – that there is always something in someone which is good.
“Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him.” - Emerson
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
SEO Services Testimonials | SEO Services Philippines
Here are some of the testimonials that SEO Hacker has received from its clients:
“Sean Si is one of our most reliable partners (always on time, target oriented and output focused, expert knowledge, creative and trustful) and improved our companies web presence in a very short time. I can recommend his services highly. Furthermore is Sean Si a very professional person with a great and efficient work attitude and excellent social skills. … and by the way a good scuba diver
”
– Karin Timmel
Expeditionfleet Marketing Manager
“SEO Hacker has surpassed our expectations. Sean and his team have been responsive to our needs and have been diligent to address our queries in a timely manner. He patiently explained how the process would evolve and he also provided practical solutions to our company’s requirements. We are pleased with the results and we are looking forward to more quality business dealings with SEO Hacker.”
– Mike Gonzalez
Roberts AIPMC General Manager
Sunday, March 13, 2011
How does Google Panda Update affect Social Media? | SEO in Simple Terms
I’ve been talking quite a lot about the Google Panda update recently. I pointed out how it would affect your SEO, Linkbuilding, and what you can do if and when you are unjustly affected. For this entry, I want to point out what effects it has on social media.
Putting all your Eggs in one Big Basket
Some of the websites affected by Google Panda update suddenly realize that they have been relying on Google for traffic too much. Now that they have dropped in rankings, they’re hanging on loose ropes. They’re trying everything they could to get back in the game.
The reason behind this is that Google can be too good a source for traffic. It just comes naturally when you have searchable content. Unlike when you’re trying to haul in traffic from social media, you have to constantly work for it.
What happened in the Google Panda Update? Now people realize how harsh Google can be. And you can’t blame them – they’re only doing what’s right in improving their search algorithm to serve end-users better.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Beauty of Being Lost | God and you
Note from Sean: Arnel is a good friend of mine in Church. He loves writing for God and has blessed a lot of people in doing so. I am honored that he has allowed me to share some of his works with you.
Last week I went to a wake with my discipler, his wife, and a friend at church. We didn’t know exactly where the place was, so we just drove out to find it with the few instructions we had. The next thing we knew we were in the middle of what seemed to be a congregation of trucks going towards heaven-knows-where.
We were stuck for while in the sea of sixteen-wheelers, but we managed to inch our way through. I don’t know about them, but at that point I was already clueless as to where we were. A few kilometers more and a few turns lead us to a busy side street.
The road started to look a bit scary as we looked around and see no signs of our destination. One of us jokingly asked, “Are we still in the Philippines?” The place looked like Manila’s version of a ghetto – with guys hanging outside shirtless with bottles on hand and children running around the street as if it was their personal playground, without a care if cars were rushing towards them.
We asked a few bystanders on how to get to where we should be, but to me the instructions were not crystal clear. Finally, my discipler’s wife called up our friend and said, “I think we’re lost.”
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
How does the Google Panda update affect your Linkbuilding? | SEO Marketing | SEO School | Learn SEO Online
Well now that we know that the Google Panda update is no joke in the way it has affected high page rank websites and big brands, we need to be more cautious about how it can affect us. The question we need to ask ourselves now is how this new Panda algorithm will affect our linkbuilding.
Links will never be the same
Google’s Panda algorithm has uncovered shady linkbuilding methods such as JCPenney, Overstock.com, Forbes and more. It has also penalized low quality sites as well as spammy/scraper sites in their recent update. What does this mean for SEO specialists and linkbuilders?
Don’t stick to what Google deems as ‘low quality’ sites. Meaning now that they have penalized wisegeek, ezinearticles, mahalo, etcetera – don’t work yourself up anymore in trying to acquire links from those websites. For example, if you were someone who liked to go with article submission through ezinearticles for links back to your site, you have to think twice now that it has significantly dropped in ranking due to its reputation with Google as a low quality site.
Watch out for sites that are peppered with Google adsense, text links, or other advertising gimmicks.They are not really something that neither Google nor people would call ‘quality sites’. Get away from them.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
What is your name? Jacob Changed my Mind | God and you
When you meet someone, it is always polite to introduce yourself. Tell the person your name. When you meet God, He already should know. But in the case of Jacob, he asked a simple and intriguing question. He asked “What is your name?”
Do you know me, God?
In this journey of life, names have a very important meaning. It’s significance connects you to an identity that you own and hold. No one else shares that identity but you. It is an identity given to you by God – together with where you’re born, what nationality you have, what color your skin is, and all the other factors that make you… You.
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” - Genesis 32:26-28
When God asks
God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. Meaning He knows everything – every star, every creature, every hair on your head… And every name under heaven. But as you can see, in this short story, God asked Jacob something that He already knows. A simple question of his name. Why did God ask such a trivial thing?
He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.” - Gensis 27:18-19
Sunday, March 6, 2011
What to do if the Panda update affected your site | SEO Marketing | SEO School | Learn SEO Online
As you well know, Google has recently implemented the Panda ‘farmer’ update in their search algorithm. There have been some serious issues with webmasters who have been ‘unjustly’ affected by this change as they claim that they are not content farmers. What should you do if the update has affected your site as a civilian casualty?
Stray bullets
It happened to Cult of Mac blog. What are the chances that it won’t happen to yours? Just in case, I want to let you know that you can tell Google if you have been unjustly affected by the Panda update. How? You can post in a thread created by Google Webmaster Central wherein you can let Google know that your site was affected by the recent algorithm change.
Why did Google allow this thread? Well, take it from Google’s Michael Wyszomierski as he says:
How will Google's Panda update affect your SEO? | SEO Marketing | SEO School | Learn SEO Online
Google has recently updated their search engine algorithm with the latest Panda update. They have applied the changes in the US and it has created controversies and havoc in the internet industry. Now the question is, how will this change affect your site’s SEO once it is released all over the world?
A big question mark
I for one am excited and at the same time a bit anxious on how it will affect some of my blogs. There have been some civilian casualties in the US such as Cult of Mac (which is a blog that discusses about Mac) and other seemingly innocent websites that do not practice content farming at all.
The question we need to ask ourselves is ‘if there have indeed been any civilian casualties, what are the chances that I might be one of them when the change is implemented in my country?’ The bigger question you need to ask yourself is, ‘how does this change affect my site’s SEO?’
The purpose of the Panda
The change is implemented in order to eliminate ‘low quality’ content, or in other words, spammy content trying to rank in the search engines. You have to understand that Google is only trying its best in eliminating results that are not relevant or not useful because its users have requested it.
The Panda update has affected sites like Mahalo, Ezine articles, Wisegeek and a lot of other websites. I was personally surprised that Ezine articles was affected because they do look over and edit their articles (they even reject some) – although perhaps quite loosely. Now they said that they’ll be more strict with the articles they are accepting.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Attitudes of a Problem Solver | God and you
Growing up, I was taught that each of us have our own problems. They come in different ways, sizes and occasions in our life. I also hear them say that God wouldn’t lead me to a problem I cannot solve. Now that I have a personal relationship with Jesus, I DISAGREE.
THE RIGHT MENTALITY
- In The Eye of the Beholder
In Psychology, I remembered one professor who emphasized that when a close friend or even a loved one says, “I understand”, he or she doesn’t fully so because that person merely sees the problem through his or her eyes. No matter how similar your experiences are, the feelings you have will always be unique to you. While this may be true, often times we personally magnify our problems as it is. In many cases, we need others to bring their more objective perspective into the table and state what our real problem is.
When we encounter a re-occurring problem; a bad grade, a scolding from a superior or parent, we immediately draw from our past experiences and conclude why this happened. “I’m not really good at this subject.”, “Oh my mom? Don’t mind her, she’s always been that way.” we say. Our past experiences dictate how to ’solve’ our problems now which then becomes a cycle of the problem arising and being ignored. We shrug it off and stash it inside our closets. Little that we know, the pile’s getting higher, our hearts are getting calloused and tension’s building up.
would you rather be mediocre in a LOT of skills/things, or a total expert in just ONE?
I'd rather be a total expert in one
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
How to Increase Post Readability | SEO Marketing | SEO School | Learn SEO Online
It’s normal for bloggers to have varying post lengths. Sometimes we can go for a quick 300-word post (just the specifics) or a lengthy 1,000-word post (really detailed ones). Whatever the post length is, there’s one sure challenge- to make sure that your readers would actually read it from start to finish. Or at least most of it.
In reality, with the large multi-tasking involved in the internet, people rarely have the time to fully focus on a post and read it from the first to the last words. Even if you manage to draw their attention, you’d have to realize that your content will be skimmed just to get to the main essence.
The Goal of Increasing Post Readability
There are two main goals here. The first, and probably the most important, is to retain a reader’s interest in whatever it is you’re writing. And the second is to be able to highlight your key points or message (because that’s the thing you want to be remembered for). It’s also possible that you want a reader to do an action, based on a post (i.e. visit a site/product, click a link etc.) but the bottom line is, for you to be able to invoke a certain action, you must make sure that it’s readable enough in the first place.
And how do we do that? Here are 4 simple tips that shows you how:
