Published by parMaster on 19 Jul 2006
I have been away for quite a long time but while I’m away, I’m not wasting my time also. I’m learning new things about internet marketing and writing articles to help the readers more… stay tuned!
Archive for July, 2006
Published by parMaster on 09 Jul 2006
Business finds a place on MySpace
SeattlePI on the beast that is MySpace:
“More and more businesses from around the world are setting up camp on MySpace, using their bit of digital real estate within the Web site like lighthouses bordering a dark sea that, with a little luck — and enough approved “friend” requests — guide customers to their doorstep.”
It’s a good article covering an increasingly important online marketing channel. Read it here.
Published by parMaster on 07 Jul 2006
Organic SEO What Does it Really Mean?
When people refer to "organic SEO" (search engine optimization), they almost always use it as a blanket term to describe the unpaid, algorithm-driven results of any particular engine. However, a sophisticated search engine optimization company will often take the meaning of "organic" one step further. To such companies, the description of "organic SEO" is not limited to what shows up in the "natural" search engine results - it includes the methodologies used to achieve such rankings.
There's more than one way to skin a cat (although I must admit that I don't know the one way that everyone else presumably knows), and the same is true for achieving natural search engine results. A search engine optimization company usually falls into one of two camps. A "White Hat" search engine optimization company will use a largely content-based approach and will not violate the terms of service of the major search engines. A "Black Hat" search engine optimization company will use a largely technology driven approach and often ignore the terms of service. Neither approach is invalid (as I have said many times before, there is nothing illegal about violating a search engine's terms of service), and both can achieve high rankings. But a search engine optimization company that takes the word "organic" literally believes that the "Black Hat" approach is anything but "organic SEO."
Merriam Webster defines organic, in part, as "having the characteristics of an organism: developing in the manner of a living plant or animal." To a search engine optimization company, this definition accurately describes the approach taken to achieve long-lasting results in the "natural" section of search engines.
Below are just a few comparisons of the different approaches taken by the two types of SEO firms. I refer to the two approaches as "organic SEO" and "artificial SEO" for the sake of clarity.
Content vs. Technical Loopholes
There's an "old" saying in the SEO industry that "content is king." This is not necessarily true. In my experience, good content is king. Study after study has shown that when people use search engines, they are primarily seeking one thing: information. They are not seeking to be impressed by fancy flash sites. They are not looking for a virtual piece of art. A search engine optimization company that is truly practicing "organic SEO" recognizes this fact and will refuse SEO work when prospects insist that content addition is not an option. "Artificial SEO" firms, which embrace a technical loophole philosophy, will allow a company to leave its website exactly as it is, because the work that such firms do is by and large technical and is designed to trick the engine into showing content that it would not otherwise. Certainly, there are acceptable (from the engine's standpoint) technical aspects that any good search engine optimization company will use, such as relevant page titles and meta tags. But there are many more unacceptable technical methodologies than acceptable ones, including cloaking, redirects, multiple sites, keyphrase stuffing, hidden links, and numerous others. A company practicing "organic SEO" will avoid these.
Attracting Links vs. Linking Schemes
As any search engine optimization company knows, inbound links are critical to the success of an "organic SEO" campaign. But there are different ways to go about it. Firms that practice true "organic SEO" will look at the website itself and say "how can we make this site something that other sites would want to link to?" A search engine optimization company using "artificial SEO" will ask "how can I get links pointing to this site without adding anything of value to it?" The latter approach usually leads to reciprocal linking schemes, link farms, the purchase of text links, and more - anything save for making changes to the website that entice others to link to the site without the link being reciprocated, without paying the website owner, or without asking "pretty please."
There is a stark contrast between "organic SEO" and "artificial SEO." Of course, any decent search engine optimization company will make certain that a site is listed in all the popular directories, such as the Yahoo Directory, the Open Directory Project, and Business.com. A good search engine optimization company will also continually seek any industry specific directories where your site should be listed. But truly using "organic SEO" means evolving your site into something that holds actual value to your prospects. In my opinion, this is much more beneficial in the long run than the artificial methodology of trying to garner incoming links that the site does not truly deserve.
Creating a Valuable Resource vs. Algorithm Chasing
Search engines change algorithms frequently, and for two reasons. One is, of course, to improve their results based upon their most recent user studies. The other, which is obviously related, is to remove sites that are ranked artificially high. Such updates raise panic in the SEO community - particularly among "artificial SEO" practitioners who have just discovered that their most recent and cherished trick no longer works (and may have gotten their clients' sites removed from the engines altogether). It is not uncommon on the search engine forums to see the owner of such a search engine optimization company threatening to "sue Google" over a recent update. Not uncommon, but always amusing.
There is, with only a few exceptions, a common denominator in the websites that remain highly ranked throughout these algorithm shifts. They offer something of value to their visitors and are considered a resource for their industry. "Organic SEO" practitioners generally do not have to worry about going back and redoing work because of an algorithm shift. While an "artificial" search engine optimization company desperately tries to re-attain the rankings it lost for its clients (or to get the sites re-included in the search engine at all) because it was dependent on technical loopholes that have now been closed, "organic SEO" firms continue adding valuable content to a site, strengthening its value and bolstering its rankings.
A common argument from companies when advised by "organic SEO" practitioners to take this approach is "we aren't trying to provide a resource for our industry - we are trying to sell products or services." This is, in my opinion, shortsighted. Remember, you are trying to reach prospects in all stages of the buying cycle, not just the low hanging fruit ready to buy now. Let your website be their resource to learn about your industry, rather than your overpaid salesperson. Prospects are very likely to call you when they are ready to buy - after all, you've done so much for them already!
In addition, taking advantage of "organic SEO" to make your website an industry resource provides a tremendous natural boost to your rankings for your individual product or service pages. This means that with "organic SEO", you'll get the best of both worlds. You'll reach people early in the buying cycle, educate them, and steer them toward your solution by using your website instead of your salës personnel. You will also reach the low hanging fruit because your individual product or service pages, which are intended for people who are ready to buy now, will get a significant rankings boost.
Learning from Engines vs. Learning How to Exploit Them
As I have said many times before, search engines conduct very expensive and frequent studies on what their users want to see when they enter search queries. Obviously, no company has a more vested interest in serving up the type of results that their users want than the engines themselves. "Organic SEO" firms will take the "piggyback" approach. A search engine optimization company that uses "organic SEO" will try to learn what the results of these studies were by examining the sites that figure prominently in search engine results over long periods of time. In this way, the search engine optimization company is using "organic SEO" to make the website not only better for search engines, but also for the user- presumably, the engine's internal research has shown that these sites have what their users have consistently desired, study after study. "Artificial SEO" practitioners have no real interest in these studies- they are instead expending a great deal of energy finding the next technical loophole to exploit after their most recent one has failed.
The latter approach can make results erratic, but it also raises a largër issue - the goal of the campaign. If an "artificial" search engine optimization company finds a temporary loophole in an algorithm that brings your site to the top, but does not take the time to delve into the user experience once a user gets to the site, it will defeat the original purpose. You may get plenty of visitors, but a large percentage of these will be short-term visitors who do not find what they want on your site and back out without a second thought. The search engine optimization company did not "piggyback" on the engines' research to learn what type of content users wanted to see when they entered their query.
"Organic" Revisited (AKA "one step too far")
A search engine optimization company that takes a true "organic SEO" approach will actually take the Merriam Webster definition literally. A good website does have the characteristics of an organism and does develop in the manner of a living plant or animal. It builds upon itself. It learns how it should behave for its own benefit. Most importantly, it establishes its territory at the top of the search engine results. And as the organism thrives, artificial machine after machine fades into obsolescence.
About The Author
Scott Buresh is managing partner of Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing, an Atlanta-based company that works with clients all over North America. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including SiteProNews, ZDNet, WebProNews, MarketingProfs, DarwinMag, PromotionData, Search Engine Guide, and SEO Today
There's more than one way to skin a cat (although I must admit that I don't know the one way that everyone else presumably knows), and the same is true for achieving natural search engine results. A search engine optimization company usually falls into one of two camps. A "White Hat" search engine optimization company will use a largely content-based approach and will not violate the terms of service of the major search engines. A "Black Hat" search engine optimization company will use a largely technology driven approach and often ignore the terms of service. Neither approach is invalid (as I have said many times before, there is nothing illegal about violating a search engine's terms of service), and both can achieve high rankings. But a search engine optimization company that takes the word "organic" literally believes that the "Black Hat" approach is anything but "organic SEO."
Merriam Webster defines organic, in part, as "having the characteristics of an organism: developing in the manner of a living plant or animal." To a search engine optimization company, this definition accurately describes the approach taken to achieve long-lasting results in the "natural" section of search engines.
Below are just a few comparisons of the different approaches taken by the two types of SEO firms. I refer to the two approaches as "organic SEO" and "artificial SEO" for the sake of clarity.
Content vs. Technical Loopholes
There's an "old" saying in the SEO industry that "content is king." This is not necessarily true. In my experience, good content is king. Study after study has shown that when people use search engines, they are primarily seeking one thing: information. They are not seeking to be impressed by fancy flash sites. They are not looking for a virtual piece of art. A search engine optimization company that is truly practicing "organic SEO" recognizes this fact and will refuse SEO work when prospects insist that content addition is not an option. "Artificial SEO" firms, which embrace a technical loophole philosophy, will allow a company to leave its website exactly as it is, because the work that such firms do is by and large technical and is designed to trick the engine into showing content that it would not otherwise. Certainly, there are acceptable (from the engine's standpoint) technical aspects that any good search engine optimization company will use, such as relevant page titles and meta tags. But there are many more unacceptable technical methodologies than acceptable ones, including cloaking, redirects, multiple sites, keyphrase stuffing, hidden links, and numerous others. A company practicing "organic SEO" will avoid these.
Attracting Links vs. Linking Schemes
As any search engine optimization company knows, inbound links are critical to the success of an "organic SEO" campaign. But there are different ways to go about it. Firms that practice true "organic SEO" will look at the website itself and say "how can we make this site something that other sites would want to link to?" A search engine optimization company using "artificial SEO" will ask "how can I get links pointing to this site without adding anything of value to it?" The latter approach usually leads to reciprocal linking schemes, link farms, the purchase of text links, and more - anything save for making changes to the website that entice others to link to the site without the link being reciprocated, without paying the website owner, or without asking "pretty please."
There is a stark contrast between "organic SEO" and "artificial SEO." Of course, any decent search engine optimization company will make certain that a site is listed in all the popular directories, such as the Yahoo Directory, the Open Directory Project, and Business.com. A good search engine optimization company will also continually seek any industry specific directories where your site should be listed. But truly using "organic SEO" means evolving your site into something that holds actual value to your prospects. In my opinion, this is much more beneficial in the long run than the artificial methodology of trying to garner incoming links that the site does not truly deserve.
Creating a Valuable Resource vs. Algorithm Chasing
Search engines change algorithms frequently, and for two reasons. One is, of course, to improve their results based upon their most recent user studies. The other, which is obviously related, is to remove sites that are ranked artificially high. Such updates raise panic in the SEO community - particularly among "artificial SEO" practitioners who have just discovered that their most recent and cherished trick no longer works (and may have gotten their clients' sites removed from the engines altogether). It is not uncommon on the search engine forums to see the owner of such a search engine optimization company threatening to "sue Google" over a recent update. Not uncommon, but always amusing.
There is, with only a few exceptions, a common denominator in the websites that remain highly ranked throughout these algorithm shifts. They offer something of value to their visitors and are considered a resource for their industry. "Organic SEO" practitioners generally do not have to worry about going back and redoing work because of an algorithm shift. While an "artificial" search engine optimization company desperately tries to re-attain the rankings it lost for its clients (or to get the sites re-included in the search engine at all) because it was dependent on technical loopholes that have now been closed, "organic SEO" firms continue adding valuable content to a site, strengthening its value and bolstering its rankings.
A common argument from companies when advised by "organic SEO" practitioners to take this approach is "we aren't trying to provide a resource for our industry - we are trying to sell products or services." This is, in my opinion, shortsighted. Remember, you are trying to reach prospects in all stages of the buying cycle, not just the low hanging fruit ready to buy now. Let your website be their resource to learn about your industry, rather than your overpaid salesperson. Prospects are very likely to call you when they are ready to buy - after all, you've done so much for them already!
In addition, taking advantage of "organic SEO" to make your website an industry resource provides a tremendous natural boost to your rankings for your individual product or service pages. This means that with "organic SEO", you'll get the best of both worlds. You'll reach people early in the buying cycle, educate them, and steer them toward your solution by using your website instead of your salës personnel. You will also reach the low hanging fruit because your individual product or service pages, which are intended for people who are ready to buy now, will get a significant rankings boost.
Learning from Engines vs. Learning How to Exploit Them
As I have said many times before, search engines conduct very expensive and frequent studies on what their users want to see when they enter search queries. Obviously, no company has a more vested interest in serving up the type of results that their users want than the engines themselves. "Organic SEO" firms will take the "piggyback" approach. A search engine optimization company that uses "organic SEO" will try to learn what the results of these studies were by examining the sites that figure prominently in search engine results over long periods of time. In this way, the search engine optimization company is using "organic SEO" to make the website not only better for search engines, but also for the user- presumably, the engine's internal research has shown that these sites have what their users have consistently desired, study after study. "Artificial SEO" practitioners have no real interest in these studies- they are instead expending a great deal of energy finding the next technical loophole to exploit after their most recent one has failed.
The latter approach can make results erratic, but it also raises a largër issue - the goal of the campaign. If an "artificial" search engine optimization company finds a temporary loophole in an algorithm that brings your site to the top, but does not take the time to delve into the user experience once a user gets to the site, it will defeat the original purpose. You may get plenty of visitors, but a large percentage of these will be short-term visitors who do not find what they want on your site and back out without a second thought. The search engine optimization company did not "piggyback" on the engines' research to learn what type of content users wanted to see when they entered their query.
"Organic" Revisited (AKA "one step too far")
A search engine optimization company that takes a true "organic SEO" approach will actually take the Merriam Webster definition literally. A good website does have the characteristics of an organism and does develop in the manner of a living plant or animal. It builds upon itself. It learns how it should behave for its own benefit. Most importantly, it establishes its territory at the top of the search engine results. And as the organism thrives, artificial machine after machine fades into obsolescence.
About The Author
Scott Buresh is managing partner of Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing, an Atlanta-based company that works with clients all over North America. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including SiteProNews, ZDNet, WebProNews, MarketingProfs, DarwinMag, PromotionData, Search Engine Guide, and SEO Today
Published by parMaster on 07 Jul 2006
Search Engine Promotion:No Strategy. No Success.
Whether you're planning the launch of your first site, or wondering why your site counter is actually moving backward, stop. You need a strategy to promote your site to search engines and to visitors. A plan of action based on five key factors, all of which should be weighed carefully before you take another step. Here are the five, most important considerations in the development of any search engine promotion.
1. The Site's Objectives
What are your expectations for the website? These will usually point you to the site's objectives. In the case of commercial sites, the broad objective is straightforward � to sell enough goods and/or services to become profitable.
However, you might also want to educate, motivate, persuade and inform in addition to, or instead of, selling. A top-down analysis of your site's objectives is the place to start the development of your action plan.
Once you've determined the site's objectives, keep them front and center during the entire development of an SE promo strategy. It's important that any search engine understand your site's objectives on the very first spider visit.
2. Market Analytics
Essential. Who are you trying to reach � your salës demographic? What do the members of your demographic need? How do they make purchase decisions? Are they computer savvy? Critical to the design and implementation of a search engine promo strategy is to know your market.
And the best place to learn is from the competition. Pull a Google on the competition to see how the successful sites do it. Perfectly ethical and a measurable, absolute guide to what works and what doesn't.
But you can't stop there. Market metrics are also a part of a successful promo strategy. The development of multi-dimensional metrics will be useful in virtually every step of the design, development and SE optimization phases. There are plenty of metrics software packs on the market. Some are even free.
The problem with these number crunchers is simple: all they do is provide the raw data. Number of hits. Average number of pages viewed. Ratio of visitors to buyers. Just stats, not strategy
Analytics gathered using a variety of apps and tools must be properly correlated and analyzed to develop an effective search engine promotion. It's not enough to have the data. You must interpret the numbers in order to take actionable steps.
3. Techno-Factors
An over-achieving website doesn't just happen. It must be crafted. It requires highly-specialized knowledge of everything from HTML, SEO and CSS to human nature and purchase motivators.
Search engines spider sites in a variety of ways. The simpler and clearer your site is to an SE spider, the greater the likelihood that your site will be assessed and ranked properly. Conversely, if the technical design of your site isn't dead on for search engine spiders, a site may be mis-indexed or even banned from SEs altogether for what spiders perceive as black hat tactics, though it's simply inept (and therefore costly) programming. You might as well hang out the 'Going Out Of Business' sign.
Techno-factors come into play during the design phase, the development and testing phases and after the site's launch when refinement, optimization, content updates and routine site maintenance are undertaken.
Any well-considered strategy must provide the means to design (or redesign) the site, develop it, promote it to the SEs and optimize it over time. Search engine promotion and site optimization aren't goals. They're part of the process.
4. Plan Your Presentation Layer
Once the technical aspects of the site have been incorporated into your promo strategy, turn your attention to the presentation layer. The presentation layer can make or break a site, regardless of how well-designed the technical structure supporting the site's skin.
Navigation should be simple. Buttons and links clearly labeled. The user should always be able to go 'Home' from any page. Check-out should be clear, uncluttered and instill buyer confidence. A site map is useful to visitors and SE spiders. Anything less will hurt the bottom line.
The site skin also presents the look, feel and tone of your on-line enterprise. Stately and dignified, WiLd & KraZy, helpful and concerned � all determined by the look of the site. Color combinations, type font and size, type placement and the tone of the content make up your public persona.
And the skin is spidered right along with the back office so it should appeal to eyeballs and make spiders happy, as well. Header placement, number of headers above the fold, keyword density and other SE search parameters must be fine-tuned for successful search engine promotion.
5. Promotion and Optimization
Once you've gone live with your site, you've only just begun. The world of ecommerce is fast-paced and cutthroat. And if you don't promote your site to search engines and to potential buyers your chances for success diminish accordingly.
Today, site success depends on promotion - search engine promotion and eyeball promotion. You can promote on a shoestring or you can launch a pedal-to-the-metal campaign with banner ads, Google Adwords, links building and opt-Ãn cultivation. If you aren't SEO-experienced, you'll be best served by professionals who can track site activity, develop useful metrics and devise and implement a strategy for improved site perförmance.
The same goes for the process of optimization. Sites must be search engine optimized and conversion optimized � two very different things. Much of SEO takes place behind the scenes. That's why it's essential that you use SEO pros to actually build your site. This is not where you can cut a few corners.
Then there's conversion optimization � converting visitors to buyers. Most of this takes place at the presentation level. Does the site meet or exceed the visitor's expectations? You have 6.4 seconds to convince a visitor to explore your site. That's how much time web users devote to site evaluation.
DYI or Go With The Pros?
94% of all ecommerce ventures tank. Down in flames. Many of these failures are based on poor business models, but just as many are due to poor site design, lack of SE recognition, an off-putting presentation layer or a home page that looks like a carnival midway.
If you're a start-up and you don't know much about SEO and SE promotion, do not let your teen-aged nephew design your site. And if you're the owner of an underperforming site and you can't figure out why, don't waste your time tweaking. You're losing salës every day.
If you know ecommerce, develop a strategy that encompasses all five of these critical facets. If you don't know ecommerce, hire somebody to do it for you.
It's the best monëy you'll ever spend.
About The Author
Frederick Townes is the owner of W3 EDGE Web Design. W3 EDGE is a Boston web design and Internet Marketing company that provides bleeding-edge web development solutions and marketing services to help you make the most of your online presence. You can contact him at their Boston office at 1-617-375-6134 or via email at ftownes@w3-edge.com.
1. The Site's Objectives
What are your expectations for the website? These will usually point you to the site's objectives. In the case of commercial sites, the broad objective is straightforward � to sell enough goods and/or services to become profitable.
However, you might also want to educate, motivate, persuade and inform in addition to, or instead of, selling. A top-down analysis of your site's objectives is the place to start the development of your action plan.
Once you've determined the site's objectives, keep them front and center during the entire development of an SE promo strategy. It's important that any search engine understand your site's objectives on the very first spider visit.
2. Market Analytics
Essential. Who are you trying to reach � your salës demographic? What do the members of your demographic need? How do they make purchase decisions? Are they computer savvy? Critical to the design and implementation of a search engine promo strategy is to know your market.
And the best place to learn is from the competition. Pull a Google on the competition to see how the successful sites do it. Perfectly ethical and a measurable, absolute guide to what works and what doesn't.
But you can't stop there. Market metrics are also a part of a successful promo strategy. The development of multi-dimensional metrics will be useful in virtually every step of the design, development and SE optimization phases. There are plenty of metrics software packs on the market. Some are even free.
The problem with these number crunchers is simple: all they do is provide the raw data. Number of hits. Average number of pages viewed. Ratio of visitors to buyers. Just stats, not strategy
Analytics gathered using a variety of apps and tools must be properly correlated and analyzed to develop an effective search engine promotion. It's not enough to have the data. You must interpret the numbers in order to take actionable steps.
3. Techno-Factors
An over-achieving website doesn't just happen. It must be crafted. It requires highly-specialized knowledge of everything from HTML, SEO and CSS to human nature and purchase motivators.
Search engines spider sites in a variety of ways. The simpler and clearer your site is to an SE spider, the greater the likelihood that your site will be assessed and ranked properly. Conversely, if the technical design of your site isn't dead on for search engine spiders, a site may be mis-indexed or even banned from SEs altogether for what spiders perceive as black hat tactics, though it's simply inept (and therefore costly) programming. You might as well hang out the 'Going Out Of Business' sign.
Techno-factors come into play during the design phase, the development and testing phases and after the site's launch when refinement, optimization, content updates and routine site maintenance are undertaken.
Any well-considered strategy must provide the means to design (or redesign) the site, develop it, promote it to the SEs and optimize it over time. Search engine promotion and site optimization aren't goals. They're part of the process.
4. Plan Your Presentation Layer
Once the technical aspects of the site have been incorporated into your promo strategy, turn your attention to the presentation layer. The presentation layer can make or break a site, regardless of how well-designed the technical structure supporting the site's skin.
Navigation should be simple. Buttons and links clearly labeled. The user should always be able to go 'Home' from any page. Check-out should be clear, uncluttered and instill buyer confidence. A site map is useful to visitors and SE spiders. Anything less will hurt the bottom line.
The site skin also presents the look, feel and tone of your on-line enterprise. Stately and dignified, WiLd & KraZy, helpful and concerned � all determined by the look of the site. Color combinations, type font and size, type placement and the tone of the content make up your public persona.
And the skin is spidered right along with the back office so it should appeal to eyeballs and make spiders happy, as well. Header placement, number of headers above the fold, keyword density and other SE search parameters must be fine-tuned for successful search engine promotion.
5. Promotion and Optimization
Once you've gone live with your site, you've only just begun. The world of ecommerce is fast-paced and cutthroat. And if you don't promote your site to search engines and to potential buyers your chances for success diminish accordingly.
Today, site success depends on promotion - search engine promotion and eyeball promotion. You can promote on a shoestring or you can launch a pedal-to-the-metal campaign with banner ads, Google Adwords, links building and opt-Ãn cultivation. If you aren't SEO-experienced, you'll be best served by professionals who can track site activity, develop useful metrics and devise and implement a strategy for improved site perförmance.
The same goes for the process of optimization. Sites must be search engine optimized and conversion optimized � two very different things. Much of SEO takes place behind the scenes. That's why it's essential that you use SEO pros to actually build your site. This is not where you can cut a few corners.
Then there's conversion optimization � converting visitors to buyers. Most of this takes place at the presentation level. Does the site meet or exceed the visitor's expectations? You have 6.4 seconds to convince a visitor to explore your site. That's how much time web users devote to site evaluation.
DYI or Go With The Pros?
94% of all ecommerce ventures tank. Down in flames. Many of these failures are based on poor business models, but just as many are due to poor site design, lack of SE recognition, an off-putting presentation layer or a home page that looks like a carnival midway.
If you're a start-up and you don't know much about SEO and SE promotion, do not let your teen-aged nephew design your site. And if you're the owner of an underperforming site and you can't figure out why, don't waste your time tweaking. You're losing salës every day.
If you know ecommerce, develop a strategy that encompasses all five of these critical facets. If you don't know ecommerce, hire somebody to do it for you.
It's the best monëy you'll ever spend.
About The Author
Frederick Townes is the owner of W3 EDGE Web Design. W3 EDGE is a Boston web design and Internet Marketing company that provides bleeding-edge web development solutions and marketing services to help you make the most of your online presence. You can contact him at their Boston office at 1-617-375-6134 or via email at ftownes@w3-edge.com.
Published by parMaster on 05 Jul 2006
Startup Sacrifices
Most entrepreneurs will tell you that launching a company comes at a stiff personal price. You need to dig deep and make sacrifices for your startup. Maxed out credit cards, tiny salaries (or none at all) and friends that give up calling.
This morning however I reached a new level of sacrifice. A conference call was fast approaching and I didn’t have time for a trip to the grocers. Instead, I went on a scavange through my cupboards and was delighted to discover a box of Raisin Bran.
Down to the last few bites, spoon in one hand and a mouse in the other, I noticed them………
Red Flour Beetles - a good half dozen swimming about.
I’m not sure how many I oblivously devoured, but I’d say I’ve crossed some sort of line here.
“The mice which helplessly find themselves between the cats’ teeth acquire no merit from their enforced sacrifice.”
Mahatma Gandhi
