What a great turnout for the Atlanta Web Entrepreneurs SEO Workshop last night!  Kudos to Mike Schnikel (@mikeschinkel) and the AWE crew for throwing on a great event.  I think many folks walked away with some great knowledge and some good networking — I know I did.

Looks like there were quite a few of us attendees who are on twitter.  Inspired by my friend Matt Leonard (@mjleonard), who recently compiled a list of Twitter users who attended the spectacular Search Marketing Conference IM Spring Break, I thought I would do the same for those who attended the April 16th Workshop.  The hash tag used for the event was #AWE.

If you feel I should add someone, you can leave it in the comments, or contact me on Twitter via @bobbykircher.

@andyed
@CeliaDyer
@CharlesLumpkin
@DianaBaldwin
@ewint
@felfoldi
@GAHomeChick
@HottestTea
@ImAnthony
@jeremiahcsmith
@kcolier
@kenedelstein
@krelnik
@mikeschinkel
@pclements
@sabalong
@sambeckett
@sharinaR
@stacywms
@TheLetterM

In case we didn’t meet last night, I was one of SEO guys providing tips for websites.  For more information about the services I provide, please visit Papaya Internet or you can find me on twitter.  I’m more than happy to give advice!

Twitterfied Review of My Favorite Albums of 2008 for those who care.

1.  M83 – Saturdays = Youth
I ignored it most of the summer until fall, when it enveloped me like a blanket when my boyfriend insisted that I’d hear it (after I gave it to him).  Coming of age album for everyone.

2.  Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
Dance music for old people.  I mean, old as in 30s… I’m 31, so I’m really old, but Mr. Butler created a sound that was “old school” with sincerity and love. While Moby made a similar attempt this year, it failed in comparison.

3.  The Walkmen – You & Me
A coming of age album for old people — read people in their 30s, like me.  Extra points if you’re drunk listening to it.

4.  Santogold – Santogold
Fun, fun, fun; “different;” future pop; indie pop; sounds like M.I.A., but not realy; sexy; looks fabulous with horses.  Pop music for old people.

5.  Q-Tip – The Renaissance
Hooks infectious, made me love hip-hop again.  Hip-hop for old people?

6.  Portishead – Third
Tragica for old people.  Meaning, those in their 30s who where in their teens and 20s when Portishead first came to be and have been dying for a new album.

7.  Okkervil River – Stage Names
Gives us a reason to love and appreciate the things we read, considering we’re old and think that most people younger than us don’t read anymore.

8.  Dungen -4
We’re old enough to tolerate great music spoken in a different language;  that it’s “proggy” we can tolerate, since we knew the tech dude who was into Dream Theater and didn’t pay much mind.

9.  Atlas Sounds – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel
Just because it’s fucking good.  He’s young so not old.

10.  Jazzanova – Of All The Things
They do old soul without making us feel old for listening to it, except that we are old if we think it’s interesting.

Also, I almost forgot my favorite guys from downunder:

Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Man, this album just smokes all the way through.

Honorable Mention:

Deerhunter – Microcastle
Only because I’m lame and old and haven’t given it a good listen.

Not a winner:

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
We’re not that old to think that Starbucks would actually promote and sell the most favorite album of the year.

Black Kids – Partie Traumatic
Indeed, everything about the album title makes old people like us avoid at all costs.

UPDATE:  Added Cut Copy — see senility.

One of my best friends had a small, intimate gathering of a few friends last night and he asked if I would provide the music for it. It proved to be rather popular, so I’m providing the song list here. Angel was looking for some fun, upbeat electronic stuff with an emphasis on female vocalists. He’s not a huge rock fan, so I kept some indie bands off the list and added some R&B, hip-hop, and Latin into the mix. Basically, I tossed songs into a playlist and then set the iPod in shuffle mode. If you have some of these songs, you can download the iTunes playlist and import it into your iTunes library.  Here’s the track list:

• Plug It In – Basement Jaxx
• Must Be The Moon – !!!
• Check The Rhyme – A Tribe Called Quest
• You Don’t Know My Name (Reggae Remix) – Alicia Keys
• Just Friends – Amy Winehouse
• Heartbeat – Annie
• Keep the Car Running – Arcade Fire
• New Years – Asobi Seksu
• ode to lrc – Band of Horses
• Rendez Vu – Basement Jaxx
• Finger Lickin’ Good – Beastie Boys
• Scarecrow – Beck
• Song For Sunshine – Belle & Sebastian
• Innocence – Björk
• There’s More To Life Than This – Björk
• Top Ranking – Blonde Redhead
• Good Boys (Scissor Sisters Extended Mix) – Blondie
• A Trip Out – British Sea Power
• Break The Ice – Britney Spears
• More Lemonade (Scissor Sisters Sticky Tits Radio Edit) – Bucci Bag
• I Want Your Love – Chromatics
• Fancy Footwork – Chromeo
• Waiting 4 U – Chromeo
• Walking With Thee – Clinic
• Vanished – Crystal Castles
• Lights & Music – Cut Copy
• So Haunted – Cut Copy
• Around The World – Daft Punk
• Face To Face – Daft Punk
• Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger – Daft Punk
• Call Me – Deee-Lite
• What She Wants – Felix da Housecat
• Get Him Back – Fiona Apple
• Happy – Fischerspooner
• Rolling Down the Hills – Glass Candy
• Beatific – Glass Candy
• Smiley Faces – Gnarls Barkley
• Modeling Sucks – Handsome Boy Modeling School
• This Is My Love – Hercules and Love Affair
• Hercules Theme – Hercules and Love Affair
• You Belong – Hercules and Love Affair
• One Pure Thought – Hot Chip
• Ready For The Floor (Album Version) – Hot Chip
• Qué Bueno Baila Usted – Ibrahim Ferrer
• Little bit of feel good – Jamie Lidell
• Miss You Much – Janet Jackson
• Handle With Care – Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
• Supersonic – JJ Fad
• Love Vibration – Josh Rouse
• D.A.N.C.E – Justice
• Sexy Ladies – Justin Timberlake
• All Woman – Kathy Diamond
• Between The Lines – Kathy Diamond
• Entropy Reigns (In The Celestial City) – Kelley Polar
• I Believe In You – Kylie Minogue
• Sugar – Ladytron
• Weekend – Ladytron
• North American Scum – LCD Soundsystem
• Deceptacon – Le Tigre
• Patty Lee – Les Savy Fav
• Houseclouds – Liars
• Smile – Lily Allen
• Jimmy – M.I.A.
• Bamboo Banga – M.I.A.
• Bucky Done Gun – M.I.A.
• Graveyard Girl – M83
• There But For The Grace Of God – Machine
• Beat Goes On (feat. Kanye West) – Madonna
• Get Together – Madonna
• Candy Shop – Madonna
• I’m Going Bananas – Madonna
• Raid – Madvillain
• Don and Sherri – Matthew Dear
• Time to Pretend – MGMT
• Paris Hilton – Mu
• Otto’s Journey – Mylo
• It Ain’t Hard to Tell – Nas
• Say It Right – Nelly Furtado
• Krafty – New Order
• Ice Cream – New Young Pony Club
• It’s for You – Out Hud
• Young Folks – Peter Bjorn and John
• Everything Is Everything – Phoenix
• Weekend (12″ Extended Version) – Phreek
• Bodysnatchers – Radiohead
• Ceremony – Radiohead
• With Every Heartbeat – Robyn
• Let Me Know – Roisin Murphy
• A Shade Shady (Now Prance) – RuPaul
• Stars Above Us – Saint Etienne
• Sylvie – Saint Etienne
• Hold Me So Tight – Sally Shapiro
• She’s My Man – Scissor Sisters
• It’s the Beat – Simian Mobile Disco
• Rhthm & Soul – Spoon
• We Used To Be Friends – The Dandy Warhols
• Dropkick the Punks – The Faint
• Huddle Formation – The Go! Team
• Your Mangled Heart – The Gossip
• The Captive Mind – The Helio Sequence
• Shining Skinned Friend – The Juan Maclean
• Neverland – The Knife
• Bad Up Your Betterness – The Presets
• Whoo! Alright, Yeah… Uh Huh – The Rapture
• You Keep Me Hangin’ On – The Supremes
• Good As Gold – Tiga
• (Far From) Home – Tiga
• Something Good – Utah Saints
• Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend
• Kelly – Van She
• Jessie – Zoot Woman

Enjoy!

As I eagerly await the arrival of my turntable belt, I thought I would talk about one of my favorite albums of 2008. Hercules and Love Affair‘s self-titled debut, created by Andrew Butler, features classically-styled dance tracks like Chicago house music, Disco, and even Arthur Russel-styled post-disco joints. Vocal duties come from Antony from Antony and the Johnsons, Kim Ann Foxman, Nomi, and Andy himself. DFA‘s Tim Goldsworthy assisted in the production of the album and certainly the DFA-influenced sound is present in the smoking first single “Blind.”

The production is excellent and the lyrics are very honest and sincere. And Antony, who can be an acquired taste for some, sounds awesome here.

The album is available in Europe and does not have a release date for the U.S. at the time of this posting, but you can snag it on import. I have yet to find it digitally in the states through either iTunes, Amazon, Emusic, or others. Still, if you have any interest in dance music, you owe yourself to seek it out.

What have you heard recently that you can’t stop playing over and over again?

I found this Yamaha YP-211 turntable while thrift store shopping in Atlanta today. It appears to be in good shape — electrical works, the motors move, and I hear audio coming into the amp. Nor is there any kind of physical blemishes to it.

It feels like a very solid turntable.  It has a nice hardwood case, a metal plate, and its mechanics appear very responsive.  Plus, the overall design has a nice modern look to it.

Unfortunately, I can’t use the record player yet as its belt was disintegrated. I ordered a new belt online today, but I’m concerned about the some of the residue from the old belt that is still on the metal plate. I attempted to clean it of with some cleaning spray, but there is still some material on the plate. Does anyone know if this residue will adversely affect performance of the turntable or cause an issue with the replacement belt?

I am also ordering a pre-amp for the turntable considering my modern amp does not have a phono input.  Older amplifiers with phono inputs raise the output of phono devices so its sound is equal to that of other devices around the same volume.  I’m considering the Art DJ II Phono Preamp.

I hope that it works so I can start to play records again and eventually rip them into MP3s!

Yamaha YP-211 Users Manual (PDF)

Whoops.

Being the careful online marketer, I am embarrassed to say made the mistake of spamming my contact list. This happened when I was searching for friends in my Gmail contact list. Once StumbleUpon went through my list, it grouped matches in one section and then automatically throws a check mark next to the rest of the addresses in list and gives me the option to email my lists to share my bookmarks. After clicking submit and watching StumbleUpon take its sweet time to add 4 friends, I realized that it was chugging through my huge contact list. What a noob move.

While I can understand StumbleUpon using this method to increase awareness of their site, ultimately it just looks like spam and reflects poorly on their site.

I really Stumbled Upon “it.” My sincerest apologizes for the intrusion. If you are truly interested in my bookmarks, please visit my del.icio.us links.