So, I posted 3 twitter messages yesterday.  I checked my stats, 1 click, but that was mine, so no clicks.  But, my blog post did get a comment, so that is a bonus.

As I have looked around the web, there are reports that as many as 11% of people us Twitter, or Twitter like products.  That seems a bit high, so I’m going to find the hard data.

I will get a couple of posts up today, we will see what happens.

This story starts at the “digital overload of information and crap”, I’m not sure where it ends. But, I am willing to test out my theory and see the results.  So for the next twelve days, I will Twit on Twitter, religiously, and see what happens.

My Steps of the Scientific Method

Ask the Question

Why does anyone actually think Twitter works for business?

Do Background Research

I have, I’ll come back and make my notes.

Construct a Hypothesis:

My hypothesis is that one actually cares what you say on twitter.

Test Your Hypothesis by doing an Experiment.

The test it pretty easy.  I’m going to twit, and every twit will be tracked through Google Analytics to see, if anyone actually cares what I am saying.  I have some great content at my finger tips, so I think I can provide reasonable twits, that should cause someone to click through to the sites.

6/23/09

Following 13, 14 Followers.  16 Updates

Coming Later

·  Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
·  Communicate Your Result

First Tweet.

9:50am 6/23/09
I’m starting my study, “12 Days of Twitter”. I think Twitter is a complete waste of time for businesses, but I’m willing to te… 8 minutes ago.

For 10 years we have been running a local directory site for Redlands California. Admittedly, we haven’t been the best of stewards for the past couple of years.  So we have decided, “lets go social”, and the new www.eredlands.com is a completely public site, driven by Redlanders.  We will see how it goes, so far it looks promising.

We have just finished and launched some new websites from the Redlands California headquarters of RedFusion Media.

Paramount Windows and Doors.
Paramount started building top-quality wood, hand-crafted windows more than two decades ago. Today Paramount also builds Wood Doors to custom specifications, using the highest quality standards.

Statistical Research, Inc.
We had the great opportunity to build a website for a leading archaeological firms in the U.S. Statisical Research (SRI) is a full service cultural resource management company

Published article:
March 2009, on “The Internet Defined - theinternetdefined.com“, and in RedFusion Media’s client newsletter.

Lots of people have been asking me about Facebook, who should use it, and what it means to business?

Facebook is one of the largest social media websites, with millions of members. Its real purpose is to connect people. This is a great tool for staying connected with old friends, business contacts, or family. Anyone can use it, and it offers many levels of security, so that you can have your settings as public or private.  Continue reading about Faceboook …

This is a paper I wrote for my Masters. The interesting thing is that it provided proof that my theory of “Search Engine Optimization” is true.  That theory is that you have to be an expert about a subject, adding quality content, not using tricky-tweaking of the code.  This was not a great work of writing, but it shows that when you write quality content, your Google Rank will respond.  Search Google for “How does Google work” and see how it comes up.

The story about the success was published in the Inland Empire Business Journal, June 2008.

How does Google Work?

By Jon Burgess, RedFusion Media

In 1998, two Stanford University students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, created Google, an Internet search engine. Their success was founded in the fact that they could quickly and efficiently deliver relevant search results to their users. Google was a well-developed system that could show immediate results, based on the top queries of their unique “page-rank” system. The page-rank system could easily read documents on the Internet, reporting back the page’s individual performances within certain criteria. Google’s page-rank system is a mathematical equation that brings together and defines three main areas of interest: content, backlinks, and outbound links, with the ultimate idea of determining a website’s “page-rank,” enabling the website to be pigeonholed into a ranking against all the millions of Internet sites in the world.

The content that Google looks at can be described as any words, information, or photos that are placed on a website to create a general topic. That is, simply put: all information included on any given site. The content then goes on to provide a base from which “keywords” can be pulled. Keywords are the most specific words derived from the real purpose or content of your website. Keywords contain the composite meaning or definition of what your website is really all about.

Continue reading the full article, “How Does Google Work?” at its original location, on RedFusion Media’s website.

© 2005 Jonathan Burgess

posted by RedFusion Media at http://www.redfusionmedia.com/2005/07/google-how-does-it-work.htm

An article I wrote for RedFusion Media - 10/28/08

“Google Books Agreement Made”

- by Jon Burgess

I have been touting the wonderful world of Google books for a few years.  I was originally interested in the subject when it came up in a master’s law class I was taking, discussing the copyright implications. I regularly use Google Books to search for quotes and books for my own articles, a long with helping a few of my client’s get their works published on Google for promotional reasons.

Read the whole story, click below.
http://www.redfusionmedia.com/news/google-books-agreement-made/

Published - 6/6/2008 as a Press Release.

Winning the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) game is not easily done. “It is like creating a sand painting in the wind,” acknowledged Jon Burgess, author of Google: How does it Work? Burgess is Internet Manager at RedFusion™ Media, the leading web development and maintenance firm in the Inland Empire. In his recent article Google: How does it Work? Burgess discusses the dynamics of how to get highly ranked by Google’s search engine. He believes that there is no substitute for good writing.

“More important than trying to guess which keywords are most sought out, the best way to receive high Google ratings online is obtained by writing relevant and word-rich content, with the intent to specifically target search engines,” he theorizes. To prove his point, the keyword phrase, “How does Google work?” shows his article currently holding the #5 Google ranking, out of 10,600,000 pages.

“When you omit the fact that Google.com holds the top two positions (which is not surprising, since they are obviously the experts on Google’s search engines) my page actually holds the

#3 position.” he stated.  Although, RedFusion™ Media gets many hits from that page alone, what this really proves is that Google doesn’t place as much value on the common “keyword and meta-keyword” techniques that most self-proclaimed search engine professionals teach their clients about at their expensively priced SEO seminars.

Jon explained his theory, “For years I have felt like SEO – as you see it being sold by other professionals – is a scam. I didn’t write one word or do any research to get it ranked in the top 10.  After my paper received a #9 ranking, I spent only ten minutes adding meta-tags, which resulted in a jump from number nine to fifth place in only three days.”

A company’s website is central to utilizing the Internet to its maximum potential as an effective marketing tool. Websites are now considered to be comprehensive and strategic management devices, able to wield multiple functions in new and dynamic ways. But, without the ability to garner top SEO rankings, websites can slip into oblivion and fail to achieve their potential.

When looking for a Search Engine Optimization (SE0) company to work on your website, you see them selling keyword research, stressing the re-writing of a site’s content, and promising success. The simple truth is that writing relevant content about one subject is the key; there is no trickery involved. What is necessary, in order to achieve recognition by search engines, is plentiful and well-written content. Period.

Very good writers are probably the pivotal factor in determining SEO rating success. Well written content, using rich and varied language, probably will steer a website safely into the highest rankings available. Good writing will take keywords into account, but the concentrated effort should be on creating rich and informative copy; not on producing copy solely from a set of words chosen as magic SEO magnets.

Traffic generates traffic. When someone finds your site, they will generally stay, only if your site has something to say. Information-rich content is the highway to Internet marketing success. There is just no substitute for good writing.

Burgess is a MBA candidate at the University of Redlands who often writes on Internet Marketing topics. He is recognized for his understanding of the constantly changing landscape of the Internet, as evidenced by his high rate of success with SEO. Simply put, his websites receive consistently high Google rankings. He writes and consults about a variety of Internet and marketing issues, and is currently compiling his research into a book, to help others learn about effective Internet marketing strategies.