Choosing not to have goals is exactly that, it’s a choice. Yes, I was a bit confused when I read the philosophy behind having no goals. Rather than having a goal to “eat healthy,” I make it a choice. It just becomes a part of my life, and therefore, it’s something I don’t need to strive for.

For example, one of the things I listed as a goal was to lose 15 pounds. Instead of making this a goal, I’m making a choice to eat healthy and exercise regularly. If I do those things, I’ll lose the 15 pounds. I want to become a web analyst. Well, if I make a choice to study, learn, attend events, apply what I’ve learned, etc., I’ll become one.

I have a category for goal setting which I used to help me focus for the coming year. But, if all goes well with this 30 day experiment, I’ll convert it to my bucket list. And, it will become a “things I want to do” list versus a “goals list.”

I know it sounds so simple… we all know it’s difficult to execute in real life. Well, there’s no time like the present right? I’m starting now because I choose to…

Here’s the inspiration behind this post if you’re interested: http://zenhabits.net/100-days/. This was a guest post on Leo Baubata’s site by Joshua Fields Millburn of The Minimalists.

Being on time is an art form.

It can be elegant… it can be hectic.

Do you know someone who is on time but really isn’t? They hit you like a whirlwind and then need a few minutes to gather themselves. This is not being on time.

When you aren’t on time, it’s disrespectful to the people you’re meeting (unless you have a legitimate reason).

By being on time, it shows you’re thinking of others. That you care and respect others and everything they have to deal with. It’s a courtesy that I feel is thoroughly lacking in our society today.

When was the last time you cared?

Image by wwarby via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

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I was inspired to write this after reading Jan Wong’s My 100th Post and a 1000 Awesome Things (congrats again Jan!).

He shared a wonderful Ted Talk by Neil Pasricha about The 3 A’s to being awesome:

Among the three, Authenticity really resonated with me. Neil talked about a football player by the name of Rosie Grier. He was part of the Fearsome Foursome of my beloved Los Angeles Rams back in the day (before they moved to St. Louis *sniffle*). Anyways, he talked about how Rosie loved to knit… and, wasn’t afraid to let it be known. Even wrote a book about it! Can you imagine a modern day player admitting that in this day and age?”

Over the past weekend, we visited Legoland because our little nephew was in town. He wanted to see the Star Wars exhibit which was recently built. Honestly, I loved my Legos as a child (still do to some degree) and LOVE my Star Wars. But, in reality, I never had an inkling to visit this place. “I’m not a child for goodness sakes!”

Well, it was a cool experience to say the least. I loved checking out all the neat Lego structures like the NY skyline, the Vegas Strip and wait for it… STAR WARS movie scenes. The Force was very strong with these exhibits (in Darth Vader voice for added effect).

So, what’s the big deal if I like Legos, Star Wars, Wicked the Musical, Lord of the Rings, 80′s hair band music, Indigo Girls, Backstreet Boys… etc, etc. It’s simply awesome when you know who you are and don’t care who knows it! *big grin*

Recap
I created a Read It All plan last week with the notion of reading/listening to all my personal media (blog posts, podcasts, magazine articles and misc. online articles) on a consistent basis. How did I do? Well, here are the results.

First, the numbers

How I spent my time
I was fairly consistent with staying on schedule. There were a few hiccups but I either re-scheduled or let it go. As I soon realized, I scheduled more than enough time to consume all the media I wanted. Better to over estimate than come up short.

This past weekend was a bit tougher due to family activities but I still squeezed in some time. Judging from my Google reader, I think everyone was on the same wavelength and enjoying the weekend as well. This lead to quite a revelation. In the past, my reader was so backed up, I was always playing catch up. I probably never noticed that people seem to post less on weekends. Granted, it’s only been one week but I have a hunch it’ll be a consistent trend.

Whatever time I had left over was used for online articles from various websites. These mainly turned out to be for entertainment, news, sports, etc.

In the end, my epiphany was this… be consistent with your reading during the week. Then, schedule an hour or two on the weekends for those diehard bloggers and all should be good.

What I learned about my media consumption
I read all the blog posts in my Google reader. With a set time, I found myself more focused and investing 100% of my brain power. Prior to this plan, I would begin reading a post, get distracted and end up starting another activity. The worst time vampires were email and Twitter. By having them open in my browser tabs, the temptation to check was too great. For this exercise, I logged out of everything and only had my reader open. Simple yet quite effective.

Another revelation was that I didn’t have to read everything in my reader. For example, there was a “how-to” post for video creation on the iMac (I’m a PCer) that didn’t relate to me in anyway. Therefore, I didn’t waste one second on it. I applied this same methodology to other similar posts as well. In the name of focus and time management, I just let them go and moved on.

Other than my drive time commute (where I’m basically confined), I found it difficult to stay in one place and listen to podcasts that typically lasted from 30-60 minutes. On the work commute? No problem. Out and about? I couldn’t sit still and concentrate. I think I’ll be fine with commuter time podcast listening.

Lastly, I just couldn’t get myself to read any magazine articles. I subscribe to three mags and earmarked many articles but it just didn’t happen. I was left wondering why I even subscribed to them. Come to think of it, the last time I remember reading (and that’s a loose interpretation) any magazines was in a doctor’s office. Perhaps, I’m just not into “paper” reading anymore. However, I still prefer reading my business books on paper but if I pick-up an iPad or Kindle one day, maybe that will change.

Final thoughts
This exercise was a definite eye-opener and I was pleasantly surprised with a few things. I’m happy to say that I’ve been consistent with my schedule and even added a few more blogs to the reader. Thanks to Ian M Rountree for the inspiration.

Image by Wonderlane via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

Last week, I began my journey to become a Web Analyst. I enrolled in the Web Analytics program at The University of British Columbia. My past experience has taught me that I learn better in a structured environment that can hold me accountable. I’ve done the books, blogs and online tutorials but it just hasn’t sunken into my noggin. I’m confident that with this move (and plunking down some hefty cash), it’ll give me the incentive and motivation to do my best.

I can also apply what I learn to my current job as Web Producer at Cycle World Magazine. I actually found this job after being laid off in April 2010. I was mainly a web designer/front-end developer before I landed here. And, when I was hired, my main responsibilities were content management and some light SEO. But, as my job evolved, I wanted to move forward in my career and learning web analytics seemed to just “click” with me. I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason. In retrospect, this layoff was the best thing that could of ever happen to me.

I’m really excited about my new found career path and will chronicle the highs and lows here on my blog. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding my journey, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to talk about my experiences.

Image by glaciernps via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

I just happened to catch my tweetstream at just the right moment. I read a re-tweet by Justin Kownacki for Ian M Rountree‘s #ReadItAll challenge for 2011. It stated that if you subscribe to more blogs than you can read, Mr. Rountree has a solution for you. Quite honestly, that hit me right between the eyes. For months, my Google reader was like a raging wave, ebbing and flowing with subscribes and unsubscribes as I tried to manage a behemoth of unread blog posts and articles. Even after cutting it to a manageable 26 (thank goodness they all don’t post everyday!), I still felt overwhelmed and frustrated. This couldn’t have come at a better time.

I won’t go over the specifics (you can check out his post for that: #ReadItAll challenge for 2011. Here are my goals for this challenge:

Preparation:
- Mark everything as read. I’m actually starting a day late so I decided to just go with it and read all 16 posts (as of right now) by tonight.
- Set-up a specific time to read/listen.

0.5 hr. – morning relaxation time
2.0 hrs. – morning/evening commute (yes, my commutes sucks)
0.5 hr. – lunch time
1.0 hr. – evening
4.0 hrs. Total

- I’ll be reading blog posts, magazines, listening to podcasts and reading miscellaneous online articles.
- I plan on committing to at least the following amount of content per day:

Blog posts: 10
Podcasts: 2
Magazine articles: 1
Misc. online articles: 2

During the week:
- Actually read/listen to everything.
- Don’t subscribe to new blogs during this time. Bookmark them for later review.
- Take notes of your experiencing (hashtag: #readitall)

After doing this, write down how it felt… did I actually absorb the materials or did it feel like I was rushing just so I can could “finish” everything. These and other feelings should be written down for the challenge.

If I can clear my reader consistently or get close, and absorb the materials while doing so, I think I’ll be alright. I’m looking forward to see how I do.

These tips are meant to give you the basics. Algorithms used by search engines are as mysterious as Area 51. However, by following a few SEO best practices, you may be able to obtain higher rankings for your web pages. To reiterate, having great content will make a world of difference from the get go. I’m only addressing the web page structure and how it can maximize your listing on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Let’s get started.

1. Domain name. I wouldn’t consider this part of SEO technically but it could help. It should relate to the product, service, information, etc. and contain keywords if possible. Unless you have a niche business or something really unusual, most of the good domain names are probably taken. It’s not a deal breaker but it could help.

2. Directory (folder) and file (web page) naming. It should accurately represent content for each section or page. Folders may contain related sub-folders and/or related files.

Products > Televisions > Brand-Name > plasma-model-1234.html

In the above example, the main folder for this set is Products. Within this folder is the sub-folder Televisions. Next is the sub-folder Brand-Name. Finally, within the Brand-Name folder is the file plasma-model-1234.html which is the web page itself.

When you build a logical site architecture, it will be easier to maintain and organize. Also, accurately naming your folders and files will allow search engine crawlers to index your content much more efficiently.

3. Title tags. Search engines place major importance on these to determine the subject of each web page. It’s also used as the title for your listing in SERPs. Ideally, each title tag should be customized for each page. Maximum length is around 70 characters (including spaces).

Bonus tips: include a value proposition. Include keywords (only if it’s applicable to the web page). For small businesses, including your location can be extremely important as it targets users searching locally.

4. Meta tags. The meta description tag is the most important for SEO. It’s also used to describe the web page in SERPs. A key strategy is to place compelling copy here to entice users to click on your listing. Keep the length to around 170 characters (including spaces).

Regarding the meta keyword tag, it seems the consensus around the search community is that it is no longer relevant. However, it never hurts to drop a few in. No need to go overboard, 3-5 words and/or phrases should be sufficient.

5. CSS/JavaScript placed in external files. By moving these elements into externally linked files, it won’t hog up precious search engine crawler indexing resources. And, be sure to exclude these files from being searched by disallowing these files in your robots.txt file (see #11).

6. Heading tags. These help to organize key information points and give structure to your content. The h1 tag should be used to explain the main point of your page. Use additional heading tags (h2 thru h6) to further break down your page into additional sections. With your content properly outlined, search engines crawlers will understand your content a lot better and index it properly.

7. Add title attributes to your links. Use descriptive text for your text links. Be sure they describe the relevancy of the resulting page from which it is linked.

e.g. Purchase any of our <a href=”web-design-books.html” title=”View our list of web design books”>web design</a> books.

8. Add alt attributes to your images. First off, placing these assists visually impaired people who access sites through screen readers. A very important reason to use them.

In regards to SEO, using an alt attribute with your image can place additional relevant text on your page. And, with the advent of Google Image Search, your image content can now be indexed as well. Just another way for your users to find you.

9. Build a site map and XML Sitemap. This is a great way to display your content in a hierarchical format to assist users in finding specific pages. This page can also be used by search engine crawlers to help index your website.

Another useful strategy is to create and submit an XML Sitemap to Google so all your pages can be properly indexed. Go to Google Webmasters Tools to get started.

10. 404 error page. It’s best to customize this because users will inevitably find their way to this page. Web pages can be accidentally deleted or maybe a redirect wasn’t added. We all can’t be perfect! Plus, users can sometimes mistype or receive the wrong URL as well. Try adding a few suggestions such as a site map, search box or popular page links to lend them a helping hand.

11. Create a robots.txt file. Used to disallow files from being indexed by search engine crawlers. Examples include login pages, admin pages, shopping carts, entire directories such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) or JS (JavaScript). The point is to allocate as much of the crawler’s resources to your most important content.

Well, there you have it. Follow these tips and you’ll be ahead of the game.

One last thing… you may be asking yourself how I learned all this? Well, check out Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide for more in-depth explanations and tips.

Sure, that guide has everything I need to know so why bother writing this post you say? Well, it’s more about me than it is for you I suppose… I think writing about this or any subject (in your own words) not only validates what you learned but also helps you think and absorb it as well. If you’re just starting out like me, give it a try.

Do you have any tips I missed? Or, did I miss the boat on something? Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions (or just to say hey!).

Our hike is but a distant memory as it took place last Sept 2010. As I recall, it began under a full moon with only our head torches to guide us. Long story short, we made it up and back without a hitch (well, other than aching muscles and sore joints!). But, instead of telling the obligatory hiking story (I’m sure you can google a boatload of Half Dome stories), I’d like to write about an interesting meeting we experienced right at the beginning of the hike.

It was a couple, in obvious pain and limping painfully towards us. Their only question… “where’s Curry Village?” I told them it was about a mile down the road and did they need any help? They said no and without another word, they limped off into the darkness (in retrospect, maybe we should have given them a ride).

After thinking about that brief encounter, they seemed fully prepared and had all the right gear. Yet, here they were, struggling in the middle of the night to return back. Of course, I don’t know their whole story… had they made it to the top? Did they take a wrong turn on the trail somewhere? Perhaps one of them got hurt… regardless, I’d like to think they at least made it to the top so it was worthwhile for the pain they endured. If anything, they’ll have a hell of a story to tell the grand kids.

My wife and I trained for months before the hike and brought all the gear we needed to have a successful trip. Even so, sometimes all the preparation in the world won’t guarantee success. All it can do is give you a chance. Right at that point, I knew if something came up, like an injury or bad weather or whatever, we did everything we could to succeed but it wasn’t meant to be. And, I was ok with that. Maybe if we didn’t meet that couple, I would’ve been upset that all our training was for not. That chance meeting put everything back into prospective. There will always be factors that may cause you to not reach your goals. As long as I know in my heart that I did everything I could to prepare, I can live with that. There’s always a next time.

And if not? Well, I’m ok with that.

I want to keep up with my blog posts but if I don’t, I’m not going to stress about it. For the time being, I’m happy with how things are going in 2011 and will do my best to keep it going. I do have 10 goals that I’ve written on the wallpaper of my laptop. Every time I open it up (nearly everyday), I read them to reinforce what I want to do. And, I’ll be sure to post them as they’re completed… another excellent way for me to create new blog post.

My goals are simple… focus on what I’d like to accomplish and to increase my face to face contact with family and friends. I’d also like to get involved with in-person networking events and attend industry conferences as well. It just feels like I’m living in a virtual world right now and I’ve lost touch with the “real world.”

Once these goals are in order, I’ll have a better grip on my Facebook usage and return triumphantly. A small price to pay eh?