Pesky Panda, looking so cute but causing so many headaches

I’ve been hit by Panda three times Panda 2.0 (April 11^th), Pandas 2.2 (June 16^th) and 2.5.2 (October 14^th); all of my content is unique, though some is short (thin).

I feel that the 2.5.2 update is the hardest for me to understand as it has sent a lot of very bad sites (not being envious here, I do mean bad sites; broken links, scraped) and content farms (Hubpages especially) to the top of the sites. I am sort of hoping that they have made a mess of the 2.5.2 and it will be altered back some way and are therefore continuing with the steps that I was taking after 2.2, which seemed to have recovered a lot of my traffic until recently; I’m probably clutching at straws, but it is really hard to know what google wants anymore.

Maybe their aim is to have it that SMEs need to advertise to get seen in the SERPS? It sure as hell ain’t to get rid of content farms as eHow, Livestrong, Hubpages etc. seem to be back with a vengeance.

Perhaps the saddest side-effect of the Panda updates will be to force the smaller players into trying out spammier methods in order to maintain a living; this is not a good thing for the web, but I know that many people are now considering different methods in order to stop from going under.

Anyway on with a few things I was doing to get out of Panda, and which showed improvement until the last update; some of these are specific to my sites which are quite old.

1.  Move site to a new server; give it an independent IP address. I was previously with bluehost, this had the disadvantage of most of my sites being on the same IP address, but worst still with a popular firm such as Bluehost, it was also shared with a 1000 other sites that I had no control over and could have been on any subject imaginable.

2. Go over the site (+1500 pages) and identify problems, ideally start with your thinner pages, but in my case realize that there were a lot of problems (site started in 2005, the search game has changed a lot since then) so I needed to go through things systematically.

3. Add Images to every page.

4. Add video too. Google loves youtube (wonder why).

5. Do a spell check (makes things more professional/trustworthy both in Google’s and your visitor’s eyes).

6. Fire up dragon naturally speaking or Word, add a few hundred words of fresh content, keep on topic and fairly high quality, try to make all of those articles 600 words +

7. As above but write even higher quality, longer, linkable articles. I try to do this for most pages, but for a site of over 1000 pages , it is a bit of a waste of time on some of the articles that are unlikely to get many visitors anyway (step 6 will suffice).

8. On page SEO, tidy this up, (remove any KW stuffing or similar SEO from years ago), look to improve the Title, Headings etc

9. Remove Links. I had lots of links to my other sites, now gone.

10. Add Links. Do a search using site:.edu, site:.ac.uk, site:.bbc.co.uk on terms related to the page, add a references and further reading with a few good sites as references.

11. Remove/add links: Internal, concentrate links towards the money pages, use better anchor text, link to related topics only.

12.  Go through your Google analytics or use Hitail , for each page identify any long-tail KW opportunities, write these into your page text, but only if you can do it in a none spammy way that is useful to the end-user.

13. Reduce number of advertisements.

14. Now your pages should be looking sleeker, longer, and hopefully read better, fire up the website analyzer  and take a look at the readability scores, these will be high if scientific, technological based, but can you make the page just a little bit more readable?

15. Now that you are happy with the page, let Google and indeed BING know that it has changed/improved by using Ping-o-matic.

16. Take a look at your site and see how related the content is to other internal pages; in my case I am considering splitting the site up into two.  By keeping the sites more focused I am hoping that my main site will not be seen as a content farm (it isn’t, but can an algorithm see that is the case).

17. My site is fairly old, uses a lot of tables, the htm code seems to have become ugly over the years: time to update to HTML 5 (as with point 16 this is a time consuming job, but it is in process).

Well those are the main things that I am doing to improve my sites, as you can imagine these are very time consuming, and I thought that I was going in the right direction until Panda 2.5.2 minor update (I think they used the term minor as it mainly hit the sites that were not major).

So a few things on my mind post Panda 2.5.2.

1. Analytics/Websitetools. Google makes great tools but it knows everything about you. I have installed GetClicky for a trial run.

2. Removal of affiliate advertisements. Google openly claim they are after affiliates, and on the recently leaked Google reviews paper they use a CJ link as an example of someone who is using a sneaky redirect! How they can signal one of the major players in the internet advertising business as being a sign of spam is beyond me, but they do. I have therefore decided to remove all the CJ and similar redirect links (clickbank) from my main site to see if it has an effect.

I hope that you find my approach to improving my sites to fight off the Panda updates useful, I thought that I was taking the right steps until 2.5.2, but I guess that only time will tell.

Deano

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Dan and Dean in Bangkok

I have therefore had the pleasure of spending three weeks in Bako national park in Sarawak, and as Dan had a spare DSLR camera with him, I got to play about with a proper camera for the first time in about 25 years. I used to have an Olympus OM10 when I was a teenager, but due to the costs of film and developing, my hobby never really got off the ground. Here are some of the results of my return to photography, which I think are pretty good for three weeks experience with the Canon EOS 350D.

Well the first picture is actually took with the camera on my HTC legend (No HDR), the rest of the pictures of Bako park and it’s animals are taken on the Canon.

Sunset at Bako National Park in Borneo

Proboscis Monkey jumping between the mangrove trees in Bako

Male (small) and female Waglers pit viper

Looking out from the mangroves

Fiddler crab doing a mating display

Crab eating long tailed macaques

Bearded pig

Flying lemur

Baby silver leaf monkey (still orange so less than four months old)

Paradise Snake

Dragonfly

Proboscis monkey taking it easy

Mangrove skink taking a peek around

Silver leaf monkey and baby at Bako national park

Large stick insect found on one of our regular night walks

Proboscis monkey taking a dive into the water

Proboscis monkey about to land in the water, I love the position of the monkey in this picture

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of the Bako animals as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Deano

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Nam Khai Guest House, Mui Ne, Vietnam

Next will be some Joomla………

Loving the feel of Mui Ne.

Deano

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Can’t really see it on this picture but you get a nice view of the sea from this bar/cafe.

If you have never been to Mui Ne then it is highly recommended, this is my second time to this Kite surfers paradise on this trip. The place is very chilled.

Now to get some work done………….

Some time later……

And a tad earlier…

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But I’d like to talk more about the original ‘Dirty old town‘;  Manchester/Salford and the surrounding area has always had a rich tradition in grime (think industrial revolution, cotton mills and opium dens) and immigration (especially Irish, West Indies and South Asians); this has helped Manchester to produce many excellent musical acts over the years.

I was going to do a top ten Manchester bands list but realised it is pretty impossible as there are at least 20 outstanding groups. I thought that I could make it easier by omitting bands and individuals formed from the break up of other bands. So I’ve got rid of Morrisey, New Order, Ian Brown and Black Grape straight away. Then I’m not really into pop and dance so Simply Red, M people, The Chemical brothers and Take That can disappear despite their commercial success. I know little of the early music of the city though Ewan MacColl (Dirty Old Town/The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face) deserves a mention as does Gracie Fields. For a full history of Manchester music I recommend the excellent David Haslem book:  Manchester, England.

Rather than go on about all the bands that could be on the list I’ll do a grimy dozen and give an honorable mention to The Fall, The Chameleons, Badly Drawn Boy, and Elbow. Though the Bee Gees are from Manchester they developed their music overseas so they miss the cut.

12 – 808 State
Pacific state?

11 – The Buzzcocks
I just want a lover like any other, what do I get?

10 – 10cc
I’m not in love….so don’t forget it

9 – The Hollies
Check out ‘The air that I breath’ to see where Radiohead got the tune for creep!

8 – Inspiral Carpets
I suspect that Jesus holidayed in Hell.

7 – Doves
Here comes the action.

6 – James
I need to feel that you’re not all I need……..

5 – Joy Division
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio.

4 – Happy Mondays
You used to speak the truth, but now you’re clever.

3 – Oasis
Fool on the hill and I feel fine…. whatever!

2 – The Smiths
Hang the DJ!

1 – The Stone Roses
I don’t need to sell my soul, He’s already in me

Amateurs…

Disclaimer: I have only seen four of these groups live (Stone Roses, James, Doves, Oasis) I can not guarantee the live performances of the other groups

And I’ll end by bringing Manchester and Detroit together; Go Gloria, Go!

Deano

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Despite living for 15 months by the sea at Mavisehir I am more of a mountain/forest/nature sort of a person than a sea lover. Therefore I choose not to base myself on a little island such as Bali, a beautiful one such as Palawan, or even my beloved Borneo, but in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Even though I have chosen to base myself here for the next few months, that does not mean I do not get to travel around. I have recently been in the Philippines, and have had visa runs to Myanmer and Laos.

Also as many of you know I like to move around a bit (I have not lived in my native UK for over 9 years now) and although this post is about the benefits of lifestyle travelling in Chiang Mai, I only expect to be here for a few months before moving on.

So why is Chiang Mai a great place to live for the self employed Internet marketer, budding writer, or whatever your lifestyle choice?

Well, the city itself has a lot going for it and has long been on the backpacking circuit due to its culture and history. In addition to the hundreds of Wats to explore there are lots of activities to try here, such as Massage schools, Cooking Schools, Muay Thai schools, Jungle zip lining, Trekking, Mahooting, Off roading, Gliding/Flying, Mountain Biking, Kayaking and much much more.

These are all great for visitors but as some one living here with plans of running/creating a business you are more likely to be eating the Thai food (Pad Thai 25 baht ~70cents/50 pence) or having a massage (one hour foot massage 150 baht ($5/£3), than learning how to do them; though you  should find some time to do at least one Thai cookery lesson.

There are numerous reasons why Chiang Mai is a great place for the budding lifestyle traveller.

1. Chiang Mai has Plentiful Short Term Accommodation

One of the problems with working overseas as a long term traveller is accommodation costs. If you travel to many different places spending a few days at each the costs soon add up, and you tend not to get much work done; travelling all the time can also lead to burn out.

Many people get around this by basing themselves in a city for a few months then backpacking around for a month or so. They will then settle down in a different city/country for a few months before going off on their travels again.

One of the great advantages of Chiang Mai for the lifestyle traveller is the availability of good short term accommodation. The place that I am staying in at the moment requires a one month deposit and monthly rental; there is not a  12 month tie in like you may find in many places (This is one of the reasons I am not currently based in Borneo or Palawan).

Costs are cheap too; my little apartment has two rooms (a nice bedroom and a small living room) + bathroom, a small balcony, Internet (6meg), Air con, Cable TV, Fridge, Microwave, and a view if the mountains for 6700 baht ($225/£140) per month + electricity (about 800 baht ($26/£16)).

2. Easy Availability of Computer Equipment and Accessories

In addition to a good Internet connection one of the things that us lifestyle travellers need is lots of geeky electronics. Chiang Mai has three large computer malls, selling all sorts of things that you may need, from laptop memory, computers and monitors, through to USB power chargers and cables; Prices tend to be cheaper than in places such as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore; mouse pads, cables etc are dirt cheap.

3. Lots of Non Thai food

I love Thai food, I can eat it all day, every day. Well I used to think so until I moved to Thailand, and though I still have at least one (often two) Thai meals a day I am glad that Chiang Mai seems to have every sort of food available that you can think of. Ranging from Japanese restaurants serving sushi and Ramen noodles; Italian restaurants with wood burning pizza ovens, a fair few Mexican places, and lots of places that serve western foods, such as English breakfasts, American Beefburgers or even a chunk of German Haxe.

4. Great Food Shopping in Chiang Mai

Once you have your own apartment you may find that you want to cook at least a few meals for yourself  every now and again. One of the great things about Chiang Mai is the availability of good supermarkets that carry a large array of foods that you miss from back home. Although these items tend to be more expensive than at home it is great to be able to go out and pick up some Stilton cheese, a bottle of French wine, some Italian olives, some Pita bread and some Hummus. People who have been living abroad for a long time know how exhilarating that these little luxuries can be.

As well as having the standard supermarkets such as Tesco, Big C, Carrefore and Tops, Chiang Mai has a jewel in its crown in the Rimping supermarkets; these are a cross between a large delicatessen and a supermarket, and carries lots of ready made treats such as couscous, beef stews and pasta dishes.

5. Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market

As a generalization I don’t like markets, but the Sunday night market (don’t confuse this with the night bazaar) is amazing. All of the local hill tribes (and a few locals I expect) display their hand made wares. Prices are cheap, a fraction of what you see the items sell for back in Europe/North America etc. Though not essential for the lifestyle business traveller, I am sure that many an entrepreneur is making money by shipping these goods back home, or selling items through websites and eBay.

6. Thai Visas for the Lifestyle Traveller

One of the problems about living in Thailand is Visas; if you come in to the country overland you get just 15 days, if you fly in you get 30 days. This puts many people off visiting Thailand. But fear not as someone who wants to spend a long time in Thailand, and does not intend to work here it is easy to get a double entry tourist visa; this will last for 2 x 60 day periods, and can be extended for 2 x 30 day periods at the Chiang Mai immigration office. This allows for a stay of 6 months; which is plenty for most people.

After each ninety day period you will need to nip out of the country; the easiest way of doing this is to get the bus to Mai Sae and spend a couple of hours in Burma. Due to the decline of the US dollar it is much cheaper to enter Burma if you pay in USD ($10) than in THB (500 ($17). This is also the case if you decide to nip across to Laos ($35 if you pay in USD or $50 if you pay the 1500 THB).

Presently the Thai tourist visa is free, but the extensions will cost you 1900 baht each time. It is best to get the visa from your home country before you come out here as many neighbouring countries will only offer single entry tourist visas (60 days, extendable to 90 days), and may charge a processing fee (the Thai Embassy in KL charges 70 RM ($25)). An exception to this is the Thai consulate in Vientiane, Laos; here you can get a double entry tourist visa for no fee.

The procedure at most Thai consulates is that you apply for the visa in the morning (fill out a form; attach two passport photographs; attach a photocopy of your passport; pay a fee if necessary), and collect the visa the following afternoon.

For people who want to stay longer than 3/6 months there are two main options. The first option is to leave the country and apply for another tourist visa; you can only do this for a limited number of times, though you should be fine for at least a year.

The second option is to apply for an ‘O’ visa, You can get one of these if you are visiting a friend in Thailand who will act as a sponsor (eg. girlfriend/boyfriend), creating a business based in Thailand (complicated business laws, suggest that you visit Thai visa forum for further information), retiring, carrying out an education course or volunteering.

With regards to the ‘O’ visa, one of the advantages that Chiang Mai has over many other Thai cities is the availability of Thai language schools and volunteering options. I cannot recommend a Thai language course in Chiang Mai as I have not partaken in one, however the ones ran by Walen, Chiang  Mai University and Payap University seem very popular. The CMU also offers a very interesting volunteering option for those who have some spare time and are willing to use their experience to help others through their cultural exchange program.

7. Entertainment

In addition to the activities mentioned in the introduction there are many entertainments available in Chiang Mai; there is a 3D English language cinema at the Airport Central Plaza; a zoo; lots of great places to eat and drink, and many nightclubs to dance and party in. There are also many festivals throughout the year such as Loy Krathong and Songkran; you will find that the Thais love to party.

8. Getting About in Chiang Mai and the Surrounding Areas

One of the best ways to get around Chiang Mai is to hire a scooter such as a Yamaha Fino, or a  Honda Wave. As with accommodation it is much cheaper to rent these by the month than daily; rental costs around 3,000 baht a month ($100/£62). Having a scooter also enables you to see sites in the surrounding area without the hassle of using a travel agency/Tuk Tuk. They are also handy when it is time to nip to the Rimping or the cinema.

One if the good things about Chiang Mai is that even if you do not have a scooter it is easy to get around in Chiang Mai by using a Songthaew or a Tuktuk. Despite being much bigger than a Tuk Tuk it is usually much cheaper to use a Songthaew; journeys usually cost 20 or 30 baht.

As there are many tourists in the area drivers often try it on, and will say 80 baht (or in the case of Tuk Tuks, up to 200 bahts), just hold two fingers up at them and say 20 bahts, they will normally smile and say 40 baht, insist on 20 and they will come down to 30 baht, you can now either jump in the back, or spend another 10 minutes arguing until you get the price down to 20 bahts. Tuk Tuk drivers are another animal, they feed off tourists, it is often difficult to get a price of less than 50 baht, even for a short journey as they would rather wait for a naïve traveller who does not know the true cost of transport.

9. Cost of living in Chiang Mai

I gave the prices of many items such as cars, motorbikes, food and beer in this blog post: Living Costs In Thailand. I feel that 30,000 baht a month (£620/$1000) will give you a very good lifestyle in Chiang Mai. It will allow you to have a nice place to live, eat out everyday, hire a motorbike, go to the movies, treat yourself to things that you miss at the Rimping, and to have lots of nights out on the town.

10. Bad things about living in Chiang Mai

One of the problems about Northern Thailand and Myanmar is that in February they burn the fields to clear the land for crop use, this results in the air quality being very low and somewhat smoggy. If you are living here full time then this is the time to head south to the beaches or travel the surrounding countries. If you are only planning a short time stay in Chiang Mai, then I recommend that you wait until April when the air has cleared up.

A few final thoughts

Having read this blog post you may feel that I am a bit of a wimp of a traveller, wanting all of these home comforts, after all part of the joy of travel is to be able to get away from everything and spend a month next to the beach, reading lots of books, and eating all the delicious local food and drinks. For a short term traveller, who wants to get away from everything for a while, I totally agree; indeed I would go further and say leave your phone and computer at home, and get down to Cherating; don’t waste all your time at the Internet cafe posting on faceboook like the backpackers do.

However for those who are running a lifestyle business, and are looking to have a period of time where they can be creative you will be amazed at how much a few home comforts can make to your life and productivity.

Deano

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Anyway when I was last at Bangkok airport, True had a time based package information pamphlet available. I thought the following information may be useful to smartphone users who use the True network in Thailand.

In all cases text the message to 9789, and wait a few minutes for the reply before using the service.

Daily Packages

39 Baht (EDGE/GPRS) send text message: D1 (period midnight to midnight)

49 Baht (EDGE/GPRS 3Hrs Wifi) send text message: D2 (period midnight to midnight)

Monthly packages by the hour (choose one per 30 day period)

20 baht (EDGE/GPRS/Wifi) 1 Hour;  Send text message: H1

30 baht (EDGE/GPRS/Wifi) 2 Hours;  Send text message: H2

50 baht (EDGE/GPRS/Wifi) 5 Hours;  Send text message: H3

99 baht (EDGE/GPRS/Wifi) 20 Hours (3G) 5 Hours;  Send text message: T1; to cancel CT1

199 baht (EDGE/GPRS/Wifi) 50 Hours (3G) 10 Hours;  Send text message: T2; to cancel CT2

349 baht (EDGE/GPRS/Wifi) 100 hours (3G) 15 Hours;  Send text message: T3; to cancel CT3

Monthly packages by Volume (choose one per 30 day period)

129 baht (3G/Edge/GPRS) 100 Mb + 5 Hrs Wifi;  Send text message: V1; to cancel CV1

399 baht (3G/Edge/GPRS) 500 Mb + 10 Hrs Wifi;  Send text message: V2; to cancel CTV2

699 baht (3G/Edge/GPRS) 1 Gb + Unlimited Hrs Wifi;  Send text message: V3; to cancel CV3

For the monthly plans you can check your balance by sending text message: B to 9789

If you do not use a package the charge is 1 baht per minute.

Hope that this information is useful to you,

Deano

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Bako National Park

Gunung Gading National Park

I visited the North Borneo region of Sabah with my friend Shawna, who was ready to escape the cold of the Chinese winter.

We had just eight days here but managed to cram a lot in, having a few days snorkeling on the islands off Kota Kinabalu, a few days wandering the treks at the base of Mount Kinabalu, some animal watching on the Sungai Kinabatangan, and scones and cream at a colonial house in Sandakan.

Kota Kinabalu has a diverse population including many Chinese, this amused Shawna as she thought that she was leaving the language behind her, as it was still Chinese New Year (which seems to last for about a month) we saw some celebrations, including these dancing Lions.

Kota Kinabalu dancing Lion

It is pretty easy to get to the islands from KK. Their are lots of boats that go from the Jetty and they cost about 13 to 17 MYR, there is an additional charge of 10 MYR to the national park to enter the islands (keep your ticket as they are valid on all of the islands if you are island hopping). Snorkels also cost 10 MYR to hire.

The Borneo sea has some fantastic creatures beneath its surface. At the time of year we were there, (February) it was Jellyfish season (I managed to get a nice sting) but they are not that dangerous; I went back to KK in July and there was not a jellyfish in site.

Other than the jellyfish there were lots of beautiful fish to see amongst the coral. The islands off KK are a great place to go snorkeling.

Kota Kinabalu Tropical Island

After a hard days snorkeling it is nice to get some food down you. Kota Kinabalu does not fail in this regard. There is a large outdoor food market, and the waterfront part of town has a lot of good (though fairly expensive) restaurants.

Food at the KK Market

The town faces west this means that the sunsets can be quite pretty.

Kota Kinabalu Sunset

After KK we went to the Mount Kinabalu national park, we didn’t go up the mountain, which was pretty expensive, and pretty damn high. We did do some of the treks through the forest at the base of the mountain, which were tough but worth it.

Kinabalu National Park

We next went to Sandakan, and then onto the Sungai Kinabatangan where we did a two day/ one night stay. On the way we called in at the caves where they harvest Swiftlet nests for the Chinese birds nest soup dishes.

Birds nest cave

Once we got to the Sungai Kinabatangan we went on a few river trips. The animal life had to be seen to be believed. What has happened is that much of the area has been took over by the palm tree growers; this has resulted in the animals retreating to the protected national park area by the river.

We saw lots of animals including proboscis monkeys, Orang utans, long tailed macaques, a baby crocodile, Darters, Fish Owls and my favourite, the horn bills.

Sungai Kinabatangan river trip

Sungai Kinabatangan Lizard

Sungai Kinabatangan Proboscis Monkey

Darters in the tree tops

I’d recommend a trip to Sabah, North Borneo to anyone,

Deano

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So here is a continuation of the post from Langzhong and Chengdu. I cannot be bothered to write it all again, other to say that I had a fantastic time in both places, and would recommend a visit to China for anyone who has never been before.

Langzhong rooftops

Cormorant Fishermen

Mr Mao

Old Town Chengdu

Chengdu Temple Elephant

Chinese food stall

Deano

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As I was in the area it was a great opportunity to visit my friend, to see some of China, and to sample the food.

That’s all very well you may say, but what about the Pandas? Yes I admit it I have a soft spot for great big fluffy, slow moving bamboo eaters and the Sichuan area is famous for both its Pandas and its pretty girls. There were just so many reasons to visit, so I jumped on an Airasia flight from KL, cheap as chips to get there, I love Airasia An additional benefit was that I would be there to celebrate New Year too.

Anyway onto the Pandas. Chengdu has a Giant Panda rehabilitation centre. Here they manage to successfully breed the Giant Pandas by showing them Panda porn (the things you learn on a backpacking trip). In reality the place is more like a zoo, but it has lots of Giant and Red Pandas. The highlight without doubt are the baby Giant Pandas who love to show off their Kung fu skills; they are just so cute when play fighting that it is untrue.

Chengdu Giant Panda

Chengdu Baby Giant Pandas

The Red Pandas were also pretty cool.

Chengdu red panda

Although Chengdu is a nice place and has great food, we did not want to stay in the city the whole time, so we went on a trip to the Feng Shui city of Langzhong. This is  a really old school Chinese city, full of cool streets and temples.

Langzhong streets

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