Greg Hartnett

A few months ago, I was interviewed for a book to be published by Wiley. Due out next month, Online Marketing Heroes is a collection of interviews with 25 search industry professionals. The book features some very sharp minds, and I am truly honored to have been included amongst such an illustrious group. I had a fantastic time doing the interview, and have an entire chapter devoted to my experience in running online businesses. If you are so inclined, I’d encourage you to grab a copy.

Yesterday, one of the interviewees, Lee Odden, was good enough to ask a handful of us for a recap of our interviews so that he could help to spread word of the book’s launch. As is often the case, one person’s good news is another’s excuse to lash out. After Lee’s post a comment rolled in on what a lame and self-congratulatory group we are. Sheesh - get a grip. We were all individually approached to provide an interview for a book on online marketing. I don’t think anybody was paid (I wasn’t), and we all spent time to try to provide interested parties with insight into marketing online. And we didn’t pick the name of the book…

But for the record - I am a hero. But not because Wiley claims I am. I’m a hero to my daughter when I sit down and help her with her science homework, or when I try to calm her down after an argument with her friend. I’m a hero to my son at t-ball practice, or when I teach him to use his words and not his hands. I’m a hero in my community when I volunteer or go out of my way to help a neighbor. I’m a hero at my organization when I set a good example or steer my people down the proper path.

Lastly, I’m a hero because I celebrate other’s accomplishments and successes, not hate them for it.

If you pay attention to the online world at all, then you’re familiar with contextual advertising. It’s a huge business, generating billions of dollars for website owners and the companies serving the ads. It’s the primary revenue stream of Wall St darling Google Inc, and online behemoths Yahoo and Microsoft, while late to the game, are making strides in parlaying their real estate into cash cows.

It’s a fantastic platform in which readers see relevant ads, website owners are able to monetize their traffic, advertisers can reach targetted visitors, and the server of the advertisement collects revenues. The primary flaw in the system appears to be click fraud, in which a user clicks on the ad without any real interest in the underlying product or service.

While most talk concerning click fraud centers on companies clicking ads to cost their competition money or the website owner clicking ads to generate income, I have yet to hear anybody speak of clicking for friends. Is it common practice, or am I alone in my ways?

When I go to a blog or site owned by a friend and I see some contextual advertising, a lot of times I’ll click on an ad or two to help my buddy out. No, I am not really interested in purchasing some new chopsticks, but if I can click on an ad and generate some revenues for him/her, why not? Likewise for a site that I come across that I enjoyed. Great new page on Digg? I check it out, read the article, and if I enjoy it, I’ll throw the site owner a bone by clicking on an ad. Hey, he made my day better with a great post, why shouldn’t I reciprocate in kind with a little clickity-click??

It should be noted that I have never had somebody ask me to click on their ads - that would be a violation of most TOS, and a bit tacky to boot. Fortunately, I seem to have friends that hold themselves to a higher standard. This is just something I have taken upon myself to help boost their revenues.

So, do you click for friends, or am I the lone miscreant?

If you haven’t yet figured out a plan to tap into the traffic at StumbleUpon, I would suggest you do so - pronto. I think I read recently that their userbase is approximately 2.5 million people. That’s a lot of eyeballs, and some of them could be yours.

I have been a fan of StumbleUpon for awhile now. As a user, I like how they feed me sites that are of interest to me - and should a site pop up that I don’t like, I can voice my opinion about it with a simple thumbs down. As an online marketer, I love the traffic they send me. In my presentation at PubCon Vegas in November, I recommended that users try the advertising option at StumbleUpon. It’s a great way to send cheap traffic to your site. One of the audience members took my advice, and seems to have had a very positive experience - read all about it here (great job Everett!).

Yesterday, the folks at StumbleUpon rocked my world, sending me almost 6000 unique visitors. For free! That’s right, I didn’t add an extra zero in there - six thousand visitors from StumbleUpon in one day. And today is shaping up to be another banner day - as of this writing, they have sent me over a thousand uniques, and the day is just starting. I have included a snapshot of my top referrers from yesterday for all of you Doubting Thomases:

So head on over to StumbleUpon, download the toolbar, and get started. Start by stumbling around a bit to get a feel for it. Once you are feeling comfortable, recommend your own site, and let your fellow stumblers know that you did. Once you receive a handful of thumbs up votes, your site will get thrown into rotation. If you get more positive feedback, they’ll display you more often. Then the fun begins…

At my presentation at PubCon, I decided to mix it up a little bit. I experimented a little by not using a PowerPoint, and speaking more off the cuff. I think it worked out pretty well, as I kept my ad-libbing to a minimum, and stuck to my pre-rehearsed topics of discussion. Integrating the video clip of my son’s hockey fight into my part on multimedia got the crowd laughing, and from there it was smooth sailing. Thanks for the encouragement to do so from Todd and Brian.

My biggest fear was losing the crowd a bit. I was afraid that if I wasn’t able to keep their attention throughout the speech, their minds would definitely wander. If I wanted them dozing off, I would have opted for a bullet point laden PowerPoint. At one point a few minutes in, I tried spinning a bit off the cuff. While the comments I made flowed well while ad-libbing, I lost my track in where I was, and had to briefly refer to my note cards - it was a four second lapse that seemed like an eternity.

One thing I screwed up on - not providing handouts of the important points of the presentation. I did it when I spoke in Boston, and the crowd definitely dug it. Next time, for sure. For the handful of people that asked me about the books I mentioned, they were: Lexus, by Mark Buchanan and Linked by Albert Laszlo Barabasi. Both of them discuss network theory, and are very insightful from a search marketing perspective. I highly recommend both. If you enjoyed Tipping Point, and have some interest in science, these will be right up your alley.

So next time, I think I’ll stick with my no PowerPoint, and make sure to give handouts. I already got the heads up from Brett that I’ll be back for more presentations, so I’d better start thinking of some cool new stuff - I can’t rely on that hockey fight video forever

Now that I am finally home from my conference tour, I’m getting back into my groove. Two nights of real sleep, and some time with my family were just what the doctor ordered. After a few days in New York, and almost a full week in Vegas, these old bones needed some down time.

Once again, I depart from a conference a bit torn. While it is nice to return to the homestead, I immediately long for the next conference. We are a very fortunate group, for ours is a close-knit community, unique with knowledge share, friendship, and collaboration. White hats and black hats, side by side. Newbies and old-timers mixing it up. Programmers and designers sharing notes. You can feel the energy as some of the sharpest minds in the industry wheel and deal.

And yet I’m left feeling as if I am doing it all wrong. Maybe I should start doing a little more business at these things and stop viewing them as a social function. For me, these things serve as a vacation where maybe I can do some business. I use these times to catch up and hang out with old friends, and as an opportunity to make new friends. And PubCon provided many opportunities for both.

So, much love to friends new and old:

Brett - a big shout out. Awesome conference - the best yet. Thank you for putting it together, and making it all happen. Without your efforts, we’d all be more isolated, and less the wiser.

The Shoemoney Crew, Jeremy and Dillsmack - great times boys. I was very happy to be able to spend so much time with you two.

Shandyking - awesome to meet the Mrs., I definitely wish we could have all spent even more time together. Thanks for giving me the poker bug.

Todd “Oilman” Friesen - it was great to finally be able to hang out a bit, and I was happy to learn what a down to earth guy you are.

Greg Boser - thanks for throwing such a great party and sharing some of your personal life with us yabos. I feel very priviliged to have been there.

Markus - dude, I’m going to send you a list of all conferences I am going to be at, in hopes that you will attend each one as well. You ROCK!

Shawn Hogan - one of the peeps I have wanted to hang with for awhile.

Chris Boggs - one of the funniest guys in search (and genuine to boot). Love hanging out with you.

Neil and Cameron - thanks for helping us with the booth. You guys are princes among men - I apologize for missing you afterwards. Damn alcohol induced flakiness…

Chris Sherman - it’s the quiet ones you have to look out for.

Jenn Slegg - what a sweetheart. Sorry I wasn’t a very good teacher - luckily it was a free game

Brent Csutoras - an up and comer. I love meeting future stars, though you and Annie are never allowed to play Hold ‘Em with me again!

Brandy and Daron - the hardest working couple in search. Always a blast to spend time with.

Marc Levin - thanks for the invite to the awesome party. Definitely the best conference party I have ever been to. You guys know how to do it right.

I’m sure that there are others, but in an effort to get some work done today, I’m going to cut it off there. So for all my homies, much love - I look forward to spending time with you guys again. And to the people I met for the first time, let’s make sure that it’s not the last. See you all at the next show.

Throughout my life, I never would have considered myself a morning person. When I was enrolled in college, many a day would pass that saw me finally emerge from my room close to the dinner hour - just in time to pretty myself up, and get ready for another evening of rabble rousing. I dreaded waking up in the morning, and the only time I ever got up pre-6 AM was if I was headed to the mountain.

As an adult, I have grown to love the mornings. I find that my days are filled with distractions - some self imposed, most external. When I worked in an office, most distractions came from coworkers. Now that I am working from home, my family has filled that role nicely. Between taking the kids to school, playing with them upon their return, and helping my wife with daily tasks, I lose hours of productivity each day. I found myself staying up later at night in an effort to make up for lost productivity. But those hours at the end of the day were tough to work through and remain focused on the task at hand.

Approximately two years ago, I decided that the only way for me to “do the needful” and maintain a meaningful personal life was to start my day earlier. So I set about creating a plan to get my ass in to work earlier. After some trial and error, I discovered the best way to accomplish it was in baby steps.

So I started off by setting my alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than I used to. Anybody can wake up 15 minutes earlier - it doesn’t take much will power. After a week of waking at the earlier time, I set my alarm clock 15 minutes earlier yet again. Continue for another week, and repeat. After the course of a couple of months, I was able to start my day almost three hours earlier than I had previously. Instead of starting my work day at 8 o’clock, I was consistently beginning at 5 AM.

Most other people start their day a few hours later, so I was able to create three hours of distraction-free work. Typically, I use the time to pour through some email and RSS reading (about an hour), and then I use the other two hours to jump into any outstanding projects I may be working on. That way, by the time everyblody else’s day has begun, I know that I have some productivity under my belt.

Another benefit - by waking so early it is damn near impossible to stay up later than 9 or 10 o’clock. I have found that by going to sleep earlier, I watch a lot less television. That should be enough of an incentive to give it a shot. While I don’t know if there is a direct correlation between early rising and success, it makes me feel more productive, and thus puts me in a successful mindset.

Give it a shot, and let me know how it works out for you.

With employees scattered worldwide, staying on the same page often proves difficult. In an effort to keep all of us more in tune with each other, we have decide to implement a web-based calendar application.

After an initial search, the Google Calendar seems to be the front runner. However, I also noticed that Yahoo has it’s own offering, and there are more than a handful of applications offered for free, or sale.

I’m leaning towards recommending the Goolge service.  Anybody have any opinions?

We all know that honesty is the best policy. Our parents and teachers have always taught us that you never get ahead with being dishonest, and that being truthful is always the right choice. But is it? Does honesty really pay?

So we all know this, and yet we continue to be less than 100% honest. How many times do you lie, every day? 10 times? 20 times? More?? Each of us does it - every day, we lie. We lie to our spouses, our kids, our boss, officials, coworkers, strangers, business associates, and friends. Hell, we even lie to ourselves.

Why do most of us lie? Fear. The fear of disappointment or negative consequences. The fear of not being seen in the light that we wish to be seen. The fear of rejection. The fear of confrontation.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Hey, I don’t lie”. Bullshit. You do. You know it. Have you ever rationalized something to yourself? That’s a lie - sugar coating reality. A rose by any other name… While you may not blatantly lie to another, you are bound to “exaggerate” (lie), fail to mention (lie), gloss over (lie), or rationalize (lie) multiple times daily. There’s really no escaping it - your’e a liar.

What can you do about it? It’s simple really. First, you need to come to the realization that you are not going to be able to please all the people all the time. Your actions and decisions are bound to ruffle some feathers, and you need to be prepared to deal with the fallout. You can’t live your life expecting to never step on any toes. People will accept your decisions, so long as you are truthful and forthright in your explanation. What they won’t forgive is dishonesty.

Secondly, and more difficult, you need to shift your paradigm. Instead of shying away from situations that may require you to be less than 100% honest, embrace those opportunities as a time to shine. Step into a difficult spot, and let your honesty fly. Watch the wonder in others as you step up and take the heat. Take responsibility for a failure, and swell in other’s eyes. Awaken to the realization that other’s will expect you to lie, and will respect you when you surprise them with your honesty.

Finally, see yourself as an example for others to follow. If you are fortunate enough to have children, remember that they will learn through your actions, not your words. Telling them to be honest is merely lip-service. Let them see you live honestly, and they will truly learn. If you have subordinates, remember that they too will follow your lead. Always remember that others are taking their cues from your actions, and it should help when you are feeling weak.

So give it a shot. Try incorporating a little more honesty into your daily routine. Next time you feel the urge to lie, take the alternate route. Muster up the courage to speak honestly - you’ll be glad you did.

I haven’t heard any chatter, and a few searches don’t bring up anything relevant, so this may be out of left field.  But…

Is the WordPress platform no longer displaying incoming links using Technorati?  Used to be that when I logged into my dashboard, in the right column there was an area displaying most recent links, with a “more links” that did a link: query on Technorati.  I think it was even there earlier this morning.  I noticed an error while trying to hit the link this afternoon, and the next time I logged in, it was gone.

This blog is using WP 2.0  I verified that it is not just this version by checking the BOTW Blog, which is still running on WP 1.5.2 (I don’t know why??)  So is it just a hiccup, or has there been a change?  Is it still there on any other versions?

I thought it was a great feature, and probably good for both companies - I’d be bummed to see it go.

I submitted this blog to the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) about 10 days ago. I was surprised to see the following referrer this morning - http://editors.dmoz.org/editors/editunrev.cgi?site=235204&cat=Computers/…

So it looks like an editor was taking a peek at the blog. I stroll over the the applicable category, and booya. There’s my listing three quarters of the way down. Pretty responsive review for a free submission.

I am going to take a pretty unpopular stance here - I like DMOZ. I think they’re great, and not just because they accpeted my blog. I think they almost embody the best of what the web can be. I know they have some flaws, and that there are a few bad apples (maybe a bushel). Overall though, I still feel they are the best directory online, though I do know of another directory biting at their heels.

Last Tuesday, Jeremy Schoemaker was kind enough to ask me to cohost the Net Income show live from the trade floor of SES San Jose. It was an impromptu show, very casual in nature, and lots of fun. Basically, we grabbed people from the floor and tried to strike up some conference related talk.

We had no real topic, so at times it was a bit choppy. I think it worked though (except for my King of the Hill impression after the first commercial break - ha!). I definitely had a good time. Thanks some of the people who didn’t mind us grabbing them and sticking a mike in their faces: Dax, Marcus (in the cowboy hat), Chris Boggs, Heather Lloyd Martin, Adam Sussman, Scott Richter, Michael Sevins(?), and Mikkel deMib (in the red suit).

You can listen to the show here.

I don’t come from a computer background. Without knowing my audience, I once made the blunder of revealing in a business meeting that the only experience I had with computers was doing bong hits and playing Playstation in college. I didn’t take any computer classes in school, I don’t know any real programming languages (unless you count HTML), I don’t know shit about hacking, and sometimes I get confused trying to configure my home network. And yet, here I am, running two successful technology companies. How can that be?

I have learned over the last year that even though the vast majority of the work that we do (and I mean we collectively: me, you, all of us who make our living online) deals with computers, it’s not about the technology. The technology comes and goes, and what’s hot today will be outdated next year. This month’s tricks are next month’s pitfalls.

Much like other industries, ours is about the people. The relationships and alliances struck between sometimes powerful forces, coming together to shape tomorrow’s WWW. The power that comes from meeting new and interesting people in the industry, providing for collaborative opportunities. The challenge that comes from dealing with some of the sharpest brains I have ever encountered. It’s about the people. It’s all about the people. Fortunately, dealing with people is one thing I know.

Below are some “tips” for dealing with business associates. Most of them are pretty much common sense, with a dose of Buddhist tradition for good measure.

1. Hire the absolute best people you can find. Ideally, you’ll be the dumbest guy in the room when you meet with your good people. Buy, beg, steal, give away part of your company to get them on board.
2. Never betray somebody’s confidence. I have some of the most influential and respected people in the industry ask me for advice on a regular basis. Not because I am so smart (regardless of what I tell my family). Because they know what we talk about stays between us. Once trust is lost, it is almost impossible to replace.
3. When speaking with somebody, pay attention exclusively to what they are telling you. Don’t let your mind wander. Focus all of your energy on that person. Let them see that you are paying attention.
4. Participate in the conversation. Provide meaningful dialogue when conversing. Ask questions and provide comments that indicate that you are listening. Let them hear your interest.
5. Be authentic. Probably the most important point. If you are not authentic, smart people will smell you coming from a mile away. Leave your polished smile at home, and can the cheesy sales talk. Show people that you are genuinely interested in helping them, and they will flock to you. If you can’t nail this one, then you shouldn’t be the public figure for your company.
6. Show humility. No matter how big your house, no matter what kind of car you drive, no matter how much money you make, how old your domain is, or how many employees you have, you need to treat others as if they are as important or more important than you are. Show everybody you meet at a conference the same respect you would show to Matt Cutts.
7. Refrain from boasting. There is nothing wrong with some self promotion, but remember that nobody likes a braggart. It may be a fine line, but you need to know where that line is, and make sure not to cross it.
8. Master the art of the soft sell. Don’t be a pushy salesman. Let people know what it is that you do, and let them lead. Read the signals, and they’ll let you know if they are interested.
9. Be generous. Pick up the tab for the drinks. Don’t be afraid to grab the entire tab for that nice dinner. Make others happy through your actions and generosity. Remember to put other’s happiness in front of yours.
10. Make people feel at ease. Make them laugh, even if it’s at your own expense. People will tolerate a stick in the mud if they have to, but they’ll seek out somebody that’s fun to be around.
11. Be yourself. You need to feel comfortable with yourself, or others will feel uncomfortable in your presence. With comfort comes confidence, and confidence acts like a magnet.
12. Don’t criticize. Never bad mouth others in the presence of business associates. If you need to talk smack about somebody, tell your wife, your dog, your parents. Just don’t tell people you work with.

Most importantly, treat others as you would like to be treated. Go out of your way to make a newbie feel welcome. Go talk to the weird looking girl standing alone. Make everybody you meet feel like the special person that they are, and you will never stand alone.

As expected, the SES conference in San Jose passed with much fanfare - check out all of my pics here. There was much networking to be done, many people to speak with at the booth, a handful of drinks to knock back, and some great dinners. It was awesome to see my boys from BOTW, as well as hang out with some of the familiar faces. I was also able to meet a lot of new people - in particular, the impromptu hang-session with Loren Baker.

I feel really fortunate to be in an industry where the people I work with have become friends. As I have aged, I have noticed that I don’t have nearly as many friends as I once did, and I find myself appreciating the friends that I do have even more. Guys like Adam Sussman, Jeremy Schoemaker, Jim Boykin, Darron Babin, Roger Monti. People that I have grown to respect as associates, and value as friends.

I wasn’t able to attend any of the sessions, so I don’t have any feedback to provide on that front, but below I present a list of 10 things I took away from San Jose:

1. People shouldn’t start a conversation by saying, “Do you remember my name?”. It’s not a good idea to put the other person on the spot.
2. I am not going to mix any alcohol on the first night - no beer and wine, or wine and vodka. And definitely not beer, wine, and vodka.
3. There are a lot of people in this industry that are a lot smarter, and/or younger, than I am.
4. Rubber band propelled foam rockets fly approximately 100 ft given the proper trajectory.
5. I am unable to throw a ball and dunk the guy in the booth when I have a handful of beers in me, though it doesn’t seem to effect BOTW Dragonslayer, Rob Schmid.
6. Girls’ tank tops are the best booth schwag ever.
7. Dave Naylor will punch you in the balls. Not mine. Hopefully.
8. Shoemoney has officially reached rock star status.
9. Blackhats and whitehats can mutually coexist - in the pub at least.
10. Companies don’t need any more analytics services.

Less than 24 hours since the show is over, and already I look forward to seeing all of you again in just a few months. Now that the show is over, it’s back to business, and following up on some contacts made at the conference. It’s not all fun and games there you know. We do some business too…

How many jobs have you had? How many jobs or tasks have you taken for which you were completely unqualified?� Back in the day, I was the king of “fake it until you make it”.

Until I started my own company, I made the rounds working for the man. I tried my hand in various industries, mostly white collar, though I was no stranger to menial labor.  I always had high aspirations. I knew that there was no way that I was going to be working in the mail room for a living, and without the fancy Ivy League degree, I was looking at a low ceiling in corporate America. So, I learned pretty quickly that in order to get ahead, I’d need to do a little bull-shitting.

Fortunately, I was born with the gift of gab - a talent further developed by my love of reading. I mastered the art of the interview, and was able to quickly identify the qualifications that I needed to possess, and subsequently portray, in order to get the job. You need somebody with software experience? I got it. Team player? That’s me. Sales experience? You betcha. Supervisory talents? Out the wazoo. Got some puzzles or problems? Bring ‘em on.

By listening intently to what the other person says during the interaction, you should be able to identify what they need to hear in order to close the deal. Nine times out of ten, if you listen properly, they will tell you exactly what they need to hear, and feel, in order to give you what you want. By focusing in on those factors, and manipulating them to your advantage, you should be able to snag the prize.

Sometimes, it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. If you are sharp, and learn quickly, you should be able to fake your way through the first steps. Most of the times, you get some slack for taking on the new role. However, you’ll need to get your shit together quickly, and follow through on your promises.

So don’t be afraid to reach for the golden ring. Go for that job or project that is completely above you. Start the journey- maybe you’ll try, fail, and even get fired. Better than wasting away in mediocrity.

For those of you in the SEO industry, Shoemoney has become a pretty popular name. For those of you in the real world, Shoemoney is the pseudonym of affiliate marketer extraordinaire, Jeremy Schoemaker. I met Jeremy at SES San Jose 2005, and we really hit it off. I remember that he had brought his mother-in-law with him to the show, and I thought that was pretty cool. We had a bunch of drinks, talked some shop, and have stayed in contact ever since. I now count Jeremy as not only one of my work acquantainces, but one of my friends as well, and always look forward to seeing him at the conferences.

Jeremy now hosts the NetIncome show on WebmasterRadio.fm, and was kind enough to invite me to be his guest this evening. We’ll be talking about what’s new in the search industry, million dollar ideas, conferences, BOTW, and much more. The show airs tonight, 6PM EST. If you haven’t tuned in to WebmasterRadio before, you should. Tonight

If there is anything you’d like me to cover, let me know, and I’ll try to squeeze it in. Feel free to call in to the show, or hop into the chat room during the show. I know from previous shows that it can get pretty busy, so get there early.