Dan Perry

Twitter Tip – Saving Links for Later

danperry — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:31:27 +0000

I often access Twitter on my iPhone, and see a link I’d like to follow but don’t have the time (or connection) to read it at the moment. In the past, I’d email the link to myself, which was kind of a pain in the butt. Then, I realized there was a much easier way to keep track of these links.

Instead of emailing them to myself, I just Favorite them. Then when I’m sitting in front of a computer, I can log-in, click on “Favorites” and all of them are present.

Too good of a tip not to share. Now do you have any Twitter time-saving tips?

Post from: Dan Perry

Twitter Tip – Saving Links for Later

No related posts.

Bing Advertising Fail

danperry — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:35:06 +0000

Details, details, details. If there’s one thing I learned in the Navy was attention to detail.

Looks like Bing may have forgotten a very small detail in their online advertising. Saw an ad for Bing online today that was specific to golf. Here it is:

Golf Advertisement for Bing

According to the ad you can enter a tournament in the Bing search box, and see who’s on the leader board. The example is the LPGA Corning Classic. In the ad, note that the term “LPGA Corning Classic” is spelled out. Once you click on the ad, you get this results page:

Bing SERP

Note that the results page doesn’t have spaces between the terms LPGA and Corning and Classic. If you actually add the spaces (or click on the link to it directly beneath the search box) you’ll see the correct result.

The correct SERP result

You might think I’m nitpicking, but the reality is that this single ad has altered my perception of the quality of Bing’s results. What if I hadn’t added the spaces? I would’ve found that Bing didn’t deliver on its promise to provide me with a leader board, and would’ve left the site with a very poor experience and a negative opinion of Bing.

Small details can have a big impact on perception. Just ask anyone who’s ever worked in User Experience.

Post from: Dan Perry

Bing Advertising Fail

Decrease email unsubscribes by adding frequency option

Decrease email unsubscribes by adding frequency option

danperry — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:21:52 +0000

Frequency option for email

I was getting a lot of email from L.L. Bean, and decided to unsubscribe. On the unsubscribe page, I saw the above image. Instead of just unsubscribing, it gives me the option to change the frequency that I receive email from them.

This may be old hat in the email marketing community, but I found it interesting enough to share. It actually caused me to change my frequency, and keep me from totally unsubscribing.

Job well done L.L. Bean!

Post from: Dan Perry

Decrease email unsubscribes by adding frequency option

Fun with Retail Email

Taste of Chicago – 2009

danperry — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:27:24 +0000

I’ve lived in the Chicago area for 5 years, but have never attended the Taste of Chicago. Well, I decided to change that this year. It started today at 11 a.m., and I thought I’d run down and check it out before the (legendary) crowds started piling in.

There are dozens of booths from local restaurants at the Taste. No cash changes hands at the booths; you have to buy tickets (12 tickets for $8 this year.) These locations are spread throughout the Taste, so they’re pretty easy to find.

So I bought some tickets and started wandering. To see all of the booths and other areas it’s quite a hike, so bring comfortable shoes and dress appropriately. This lady had it all figured out; loose clothes, and a hat with an umbrella on top. Well played.

Thee are so many places to eat, it’s tough to choose. All of the Chicago eateries are here: Manny’s Deli, Lou Malnati’s, Harold’s Chicken, Harry Caray’s, even Billy Goat Tavern.

Each booth gives you the option of ordering a lunch item (which is about 8-10 tickets) or a “taste” (hence the name) of an item, for around 4 tickets.

So what did I get? I got a “taste” of the Mustard fried catfish from BJ’s market and a BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich from Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs. They were both exceptionally good.

I also got some great summer pictures of the surrounding area. Here are a couple, but feel free to check out the complete set of 36 pictures from the Taste of Chicago on Flickr.

Here’s the Sears Tower seen through a Ferris Wheel:

The Clarence Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park:

And finally, just an interesting angle of Grant Park and the Fountain that I don’t think I’ve seen before.

I had a great tiem at the Taste, and plan on going back next week during lunch to try some new food. I’ve heard that it gets crazy busy, so if you plan on attending and would like to miss the huge elbow-to-elbow crowds, arrive around 10:45 – 11 a.m. It worked for me!

Post from: Dan Perry

Taste of Chicago – 2009

Chicago Twitter Users

My Favorite SEO Bloggers

danperry — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:19:18 +0000

I was recently asked which bloggers among the SEO community that I read the most. Considering there are easily hundreds (if not thousands) of SEO bloggers out there, I thought I’d share my list of must-reads.

I know I’ll forget some of the great ones, so be sure to add them in the comments, and explain why you think they’re great.

In no particular order:

Danny Sullivan – This was a given, but when I think of journalism and SEO, Danny bubbles to the top by a wide margin. His writing style, depth of content and ability to consistently provide citations makes him the well-deserved king.

Aaron Wall – Generates some of the most thought-provoking SEO posts, period. Aaron has such a keen business sense in addition to SEO, and the combination of the two makes for a must-read.

Stephan Spencer – Has a knack for taking technical SEO issues (301’s, nofollow, canonical tag issues, etc.) and conveying them in an easy to understand format. Plus, Stephan’s Powerpoints are top notch (like these two on Long Tail and Internal Linking and Architecture.) Truly adding value to the SEO community by sharing these.

P.J. Fusco – Been writing for ClickZ since 2004, but actually works for Stephan Spencer at NetConcepts. Very impressed with the consistency of articles. Love her writing style, and appreciate the value she puts into SEO. She (as well as Aaron) are quoted in my favorite marketing quotes page as well. Preaching to the choir, I know, but she finished this article perfectly:

“Attaining peak search engine performance is not free. It’s an ongoing, evolutionary process that requires adequate budget allocations year after year. If you are surrounded by those who think SEO is free, now is a great time to remind them that they get what they pay for.”

David Mihm – When it comes to Local SEO, this is THE guy. Realizing one of my favorite posts is a compilation (thus not specifically a blog post) it’s the thought-process that goes into it, and how to get there that I appreciate. Plus his Links of Local Interest are gold if you’re working in the Local SEO space.

Laura Lippay – Doesn’t blog as often as most, but her inhouse stuff (she does Inhouse SEO at Yahoo!) is easily the best I’ve read.

Eli Aloisi - Most of what Eli discusses is over my head, and some of it uses “blue” language, but I’ve never read a post of his and not learned something. Definitely read his post on building an SEO Empire but I’m warning you, have a few hours cleared. BlueHatSEO is like crack; once you start reading, you can’t stop at just one post.

OK… Now who did I forget?

Post from: Dan Perry

My Favorite SEO Bloggers

Sultans Run Golf Course Review, Jasper, Indiana

danperry — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:32:45 +0000

I spent a week in French Lick Indiana playing a couple other golf courses (Ross and Dye), and a number of my golf friends suggested I play Sultan’s Run in Jasper. This group has never pointed me in the wrong direction, so I called the day before and was able to get a morning tee time the next day as a single.

I played Sultan’s Run on a Thursday morning in May, and 18 holes with a cart, a bottle of water and a small bucket of range balls totaled $47. So far, so good.

The course opens with a reasonable par 4, with some well-placed bunkers down the left side. The pin was tucked behind one, and I ended up hitting a bit long. Luckily there was room to play, so I chipped close and made my up and down for an opening par.

Two is a downhill par 3 over water. The green is on the large size, so if in doubt, a little long here is OK too, especially considering the bunkers in the front.

The third is only 304 from the Gold tees (which I played, totaling 6,429), meaning it’s almost reachable. The smart play is an iron, leaving a wedge to the green (which is elevated, so a bit tough to see from the fairway.) Of course, I’m not the smartest player, so I took driver, but got a pretty good poke and ended up with only a short chip. Unfortunately, I 3-jacked for a bogey. If I play here again, I’d definitely change clubs on the tee shot.

The 5th is a 159 yard par three to a thin but wide green, with lots of bunkering in the front. The bunkers also seem to be magnets, as it plays a bit downhill, so don’t be afraid to take an extra club. I pulled out my Flip camera and took a minute-long video of this hole, not because it’s the most scenic, but for the sounds. There is an abundance of wildlife on this hole, with a swampy area to the right of the green. Have a listen for yourself; be sure to turn your speakers up for this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 7th is another short (326 yard) par 4. The smart play is, well… you know what the smart play is. It doglegs slightly to the left to an elevated green, but is pretty open, so I went with driver. I even hit the slight draw, and had about 70 yards left to the flag. The wedge wasn’t sharp enough and it left me with 2 putts, but as a 12-15 handicap, I’ll never complain about a par.

The tee shot on 9 is wonderful, and one of the things I like most about golf. It’s uphill, reasonably blind, with a carry over water. Great, challenging drive, and I absolutely love it.

After hitting your tee shot, you need to navigate your way to the raised fairway. It made for an interesting journey, so again, I pulled out the Flip, and made a quick video. A cart really comes in handy on this hole, as you’ll see.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 10th is a great, long par 5. Although it measures 544, it’s still reachable (with two near-perfect shots) because it’s all downhill. Beware of the bunker behind the green that you can’t see; it’s a tough up and down from there.

The twelfth is probably my favorite hole on the course, mainly because I birdied it! It measures 191 from the Golds, and I took a 6-iron and hit it pin-high to the right just off the green. Normally, I hit a 6 iron about 170-175, so this downhill hole plays at least 1.5 clubs less. I was able to putt, and drained about a 15 footer; nothing like a birdie to get your mojo pumping!

The one thing I noticed with the back 9 is as the holes progress, they seem to get stronger, and more visually impressive. The front was great, but the back is where the real aesthetic value kicks in.

Fourteen is a great example of that. The tee shot looks innocuous enough; keep it a little right of the bunker, and you should be fine. The approach is again, impressively downhill. Here’s a shot:

This was totally unexpected, and really made me stop and think what a great track this really is. (For the record, I hit it long, chipped on and 2-putted for a bogey, but I was so taken with the beauty of the course, it was painless.)

The fifteenth is long and straight, with water up the entire left side. Luckily there’s a long, thin bunker between the water and fairway the entire length of the hole. There’s also a single tree behind the green that may come into play, depending on how far you hit the tee shot. Here’s a view from behind the green.

The 16th (named Talent Contest) is another strong par 3 (175 from Gold). The tees are elevated, and the green is well guarded with sand. The water is more of a visual problem, and shouldn’t come into play, although it may force you to hug the right side of the green (like I did.) Really a beautiful, well thought par 3.

The 17th is an uphill par 4 that looks a lot longer than it is (at least to me.) It measures only 383 from the Gold tees, but standing on the tee, looks much longer. Even though the approach is uphill, consider a 3-wood off the tee; it may keep you out of trouble. Here’s a view looking back from green to tee.

Finally, eighteen is truly a pleasure to play, especially the first time you play it. The tee shot is downhill, and it’s obvious it doglegs sharply to the right. There’s plenty of room to land, so let it fly.

Your approach is one of the most picturesque on the course, with the clubhouse on the left, the green on the right, and a waterfall behind the green. You can start hearing the rushing water when your cart stops for the approach. Absolutely wonderful finishing hole; not only great for the visual senses, but for the auditory ones as well.

There’s one final walk down the stairs to the green for your last putt(s) of the day. Take a look around once you’re on the green; it’s really a beautiful spot.

For the price, playing this course would easily cost you double (or triple) in most areas of the country. Plenty of length, lots of elevation change, and a finishing hole that’s second to none. If you ever visit the French Lick area, Sultan’s Run in Jasper is only about a half-hour away. If you have time then be sure to play it, and let me know what you think in the comments below. I can’t imagine that you’d be disappointed.

Post from: Dan Perry

Sultans Run Golf Course Review, Jasper, Indiana

Donald Ross Golf Course Review, French Lick Resort, Indiana

danperry — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:24:39 +0000

The Donald Ross Golf Course in French Lick is easily one of the best Ross courses I’ve ever played. A friend of mine said it was the best he’s ever played. It has the classic Ross elements (Easy bogey – tough par, raised tees and greens, specific landing areas on greens, wonderful bunkering, etc.), and is a complete delight to play. I had the pleasure of playing it 3 times during a week span, and it was interesting and challenging each time.

The course starts with a par 4, teeing off from an elevated tee. The approach is (as is often the case with Donald Ross courses) uphill to a tiered green. Pay attention to the GPS for the pin positions; being on the proper level is key to scoring well and avoiding three-putts.

The second hole is similar to the first, except it plays a bit shorter. If you hit driver (probably unnecessary, but you could) you’re approach will be under 100 yards. The approach is uphill, and semi-blind from this position. If you’re not being rushed, you may want to walk up to the green to see where you’d like to land the ball. I did, and it helped me save a par. Here’s the view of my approach:

The tee shot on three is blind. The best shot is going over the bunkers on the left with a slight fade. After the bunkers, the fairway slopes downward all the way to the hole, where the green is again, raised. Being on the proper level of this green is key, so be sure to take into account the downhill lie for your approach.

The 4th is the first par 3, and let me say right now that Donald Ross isn’t shy about adding some length to his par 3’s. Playing from the Ross tees, the distances for the four par 3’s is as follows: 194, 210, 228 and 133. Oh yeah, and the Ross tees aren’t even the back tees. I hope your long-iron/hybrid game is on; you’ll need it. For this hole, don’t be long or left; you can see the trouble.

The fifth is a relatively straight-forward par 4. The tee shot is crucial; there are bunkers in the fairway at about the distance of a well-struck drive, so you need to decide whether to hit a bit shorter and guarantee a fairway approach (albeit a bit longer), or grip and rip.

The sixth is the next par 3. Not only is it 210 from the Ross tees, but it’s uphill AND into the wind. This was a hybrid for me, and it had to be struck perfectly.

The seventh is the only par 5 on the front, and reachable for the longer hitter (513 from Ross tees.) Avoid the bunkers in the middle of the fairway, and be prepared for a downhill lie for your second. I made it once, but three-jacked. Still, a par’s a par right?

The eighth is probably my favorite hole, at least on the front 9. The tee shot calls for a mid-iron to small hybrid at the most, unless you want to risk hitting driver and hitting your second from a deep valley of rough. I tried both ways, and prefer the approach from the fairway. The green is almost an island, and slopes SEVERELY from back to front. If the pin is back, be sure to get it to, or past the hole. Here’s a view from behind the green, but it doesn’t truly do it justice. It has to be seen to be believed.

The tenth hole almost mirrors the first, with a tee shot from a raised box, hitting into a valley with an uphill approach to a raised green. Ross at his finest! I found myself short on this hole all three days; it’s tough taking enough club. My advice; when in doubt, take the extra club.

The eleventh is the shortest par 4 on the course. The difficulty here is avoiding the bunkers. The fairway slopes left to right, so be sure to land your tee shot on the right side. The approach is all uphill; again I advise walking up to the green and deciding on where you want to land the ball, if you have time.

Thirteen is a monster par 3, period. Uphill, into the wind and measuring 228 from the Ross tees (252 from Medal tees). There’s room to bail left of the green, and bunkers front and right. I hit 3-wood twice, and driver once, and missed the green all three days. Difficult? Definitely, but easily one of the most interesting and challenging par 3’s I’ve ever seen.

The fourteenth is very similar to the third; blind tee shot (with the best bet up the left side), and a fairway that runs downhill the entire way, leaving a downhill approach. Be sure to be left; there’s a single, large tree that will get in the way of your approach on the right, as you can see from the picture.

The sixteenth is the only short par 3 on the course. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The bunkering is impressive, and it also slopes pretty severely from back to front, so be wary of that when you hit. Almost every shot will roll down the green, and if there’s any backspin (which is expected hitting PW/9 iron), it’s even more so.

Standing on 18 tee, I decided to take a picture of 17 green, which was beneath me. I think it clearly shows what I mean when I say Donald Ross makes some of the toughest greens. Imagine hitting your approach to the wrong side of this green; a two-putt would be lucky.

The eighteenth is as strong of a finishing hole as I’ve ever seen. A great tee shot might still leave you with a 200 yard approach. Again, it’s of the utmost importance that you aren’t short on your approach, or it will roll 15-20 yards down the hill (experience talking here.) I was short the first two times I played here, and long the final day, and I took two extra clubs to be long. Fantastic hole.

The first time I played it, I was in a scramble format, so I wasn’t able to keep a personal score. The second time I shot an 86 from the Regular Tees, and the third day a 92 from the Ross Tees. I got to be honest; I’m pretty happy with those scores. The difficulty isn’t in keeping the ball in play; it all revolves around tee placement, and where your approach lands. There were holes where two approaches might land ten feet apart, but after rolling, end up between 10 feet and 50 feet from the hole. It really is a different game of golf on a Donald Ross course, and I highly suggest this course to any fan.

Here’s a short video I took while standing on the practice green between the clubhouse and first tee:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Post from: Dan Perry

Donald Ross Golf Course Review, French Lick Resort, Indiana

Pete Dye Golf Course Review, French Lick Resort, Indiana

danperry — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:14:49 +0000

I had the honor of playing the Pete Dye Course at French Lick within the first month of it’s opening. It was so new that I think I used rakes in bunkers that may have never been used before. Quite an experience, to say the least.

The course is going to be famous for two things (in my opinion): The unbelievable views (some over 30 miles in each direction) and the length. Pete wasn’t shy here; it tops out at over 8,100 yards. Yeah, that’s right; when most courses are barely over 7,000 from the tips, Pete Dye upped the ante by 1,000 yards.

I played the Blue tees (middle tees) which were ONLY 6,700 yards. The course opens with a relatively straight-forward dogleg left par 4. If you don’t have a draw, you may end up in the right bunker, so be wary.

Hole #2 is a relatively short par 4, but the most important course feature here are Pete’s volcano bunkers. They are bunkers placed on top of hills. Kind of hard to explain; take a look.

And yes, I did end up in one of them. It was here that I felt I was the first one to ever use a rake on this hole (and there are PLENTY of rakes for plenty of bunkers, as you’ll see.)

The third is a true three shot par 5. The tee shot is semi-blind (as are many tee shots here), and the second shot, if you decide to go for it, is over a large chasm. I mishit the second, leaving myself an extra-long third into the green. Here’s the view:

The fourth is a reasonably easy par 3 (as long as you’re playing from the correct tees), but a hint of the unbelievable views to come start appearing on this hole. Here’s a view from the tee box:

The fifth was one of my favorite (and the shortest) par 4 on the course. You’re going directly back at the clubhouse (which, by the way, used to be someone’s home), and the view of the bunkering in addition to the “house on the hill” really made for a great picture. In addition, this was the first hole I parred on the front.

One of the things that make this course so difficult is that some fairways are only 85-90 feet wide, while most courses are 120+ (and resort courses even more). The sixth hole is one of those thin fairway holes. The tee shot is semi-blind, and the hole curves to the left, with the green looking like it drops off into nowhere. The views from this green were unbelievable; easily 20-30 mile views.

Seven is a long, strong par 5, with trouble on the left. Here’s a view from the green looking back to the tee. Note the undulation in the fairway. Most of them are like this.

The bunkers really start showing their teeth on the par 3 eighth hole. Great view of the clubhouse from this hole.

The ninth calls for a fade off the tee. Aim directly for the flag, and play a fade. If overcooked, there’s a waste bunker that runs up the entire right side.

Here’s a shot of the approach on 9; as you can see, anything not on the green is trouble, regardless of direction (especially long, as it drops off over the hill.)

The 11^th hole is another one that has the thin fairway that is barely visible from the tee. Take a look, and figure out where the fairway is on this hole:

It actually starts out on the right, and works its way down and to the left. Here’s a view from the green looking back. Tough to hit this fairway and make it stay.

The 12^th is a long par 4 which has a green that falls off (like a number of other holes). The approach is key; ensure it sticks the green, or it rolls on for quite a ways, leaving a very difficult up and down. Did get a great pic of the flag and a hawk here; hawks were everywhere on this course, because of its location. Really appreciated that.

The 14^th is a par 5 with a split fairway. For me this was easily a 3.5 shot par 5, due to it’s severe incline. Pictures don’t do it justice, but here’s a shot anyway.

The 16^th is the last par 3. It was only a seven iron from the Blue tees, but from the big boy tees, this par three comes in at 305 yards. That’s right; a 300+ yard par 3. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before in my life. There’s water up the right, but a little room on the left to play with.

The finishing hole is another semi-blind, three shot par 5. I thought I hit a perfect tee shot and ended in the junk on the right. Forecaddies are well worth it on this course, believe me. The fairway doglegs to the left. I did hear that originally it went to the right, but Pete wasn’t happy with it, so he changed it. I’m sure there was considerable expense in that. Here’s a shot from the fairway; the green is on the left side of the picture.

I’m a fan of Pete Dye. My wife and I honeymooned at Kohler, and played all four of the courses there (Pete Dye designed all of them.) The key with this course is to put your ego aside and play the correct tees. I would also suggest forecaddies to point you in the right direction for tee shots, and to help you find a “misplaced” tee shot or two.

French Lick is clearly off the beaten path. From Chicago, it was just over a 5-hour drive. Combining the French Lick Resort (and West Baden Springs Hotel) with this unbelievable Pete Dye course, in addition to their existing Donald Ross course (built in 1917) really makes it worth the trip. Although the Pete Dye course isn’t inexpensive, the overall package was well within what I’d expect to pay for this level of golf and accommodations.

I did a walk around with my little Flip camera, to try and show the impressive views from the clubhouse. Let me know what you think.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Post from: Dan Perry

Pete Dye Golf Course Review, French Lick Resort, Indiana

Search Insider Summit – Captiva Island

danperry — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:48:22 +0000

I’ve attended three SIS events, and this time I was asked to share my thoughts.

I honestly think it’s one of the best conferences out there. Take a look.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Post from: Dan Perry

Search Insider Summit – Captiva Island

Google Business Cards

danperry — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:08:47 +0000

I read an article on Google giving away business cards and thought since I already had a profile, I should get my own. It’s part of a promotion to get people to fill out their Google profiles (here’s mine).

Got home from work yesterday, and guess what was in the mailbox? You got it; here’s a picture:

Now go get your own!

Post from: Dan Perry

Google Business Cards