Rob The Explainer

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Absolute Beginners Part 2: How do Search Engines Work?

Welcome to part 2 of my multi-part series of posts on Search Engine Optimization for Absolute Beginners.  In part 1 of the series, I talked about why SEO matters.  Today, I'll explain, in vastly oversimplified terms that would drive a Google engineer nuts, how search engines work.

Search engines crawl the web like a hyperactive spider.  They start on a web page, then follow every link on that page.  When they get to a new page, they follow all of those links, and so on.  By doing so, the search engine builds a list of every page it can find and a knowledge of what's on those pages. 

Now that the search engine is sitting on this giant heap of pages, it has to make sense of what all that content is about.  By content, I mean not just the text of pages, but also the way that text is organized and connected with other pages on the web.  For example, something in big bold type at the top of the page is probably a more apt summary of what's on the page than than some small text at the bottom.  Again, I'm talking in gross generalities here, but understanding the general concepts will provide you a better foundation for the more specific, tactical lessons of SEO.

There are also other "on page" factors that search engines look at.  When you create a web page, bits of code called "meta tags" also help search engines determine the content of your web site.  Having a relevant term in your URL also helps (one of the reason I named my Baby DVD "That Baby DVD" is so I could rank for the term "Baby DVD").  Search engines also don't "see" pictures when they crawl, so it's also good practice to give your images text-based descriptions as well. 

It's important to know that search engines don't treat pages in isolation.  As important to your search engine rankings as what's on the page is the quantity, quality, and description of links to your page from other pages.  Let's break that last statement down a bit.  It's important. 

Quantity - The number of pages that link to your page is used by the search engine as a proxy for its authority.  Lots of people link to stories on TechCrunch, so search engines are likely to see TechCrunch as a site with relevant content.

Quality - Are the pages linking to you low traffic sites with ads for male enhancement products?  Or, are you getting "link lovin'" from authoritative sites like The New York Times or Digg?

Description - A link featuring the term Unique Baby Gifts is better than just http://www.thatbabydvd.com or even worse, click here.

In summary, search engines look at both "on page" factors of what's written on your page and how it's organized and "off page" factors of who links to you and how they do it to "understand" the importance of your web page an match it to a search for a given term.

In the next installment, I'll tell you how to use your newfound knowledge of how search engines work to rank better for terms related to your site.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Absolute Beginners Part 1: Why you should know SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of making sure that search engines see the pages of your website and displays them when someone searches for a term related to your site.  The internet is awash in websites, podcasts, blogs, and more kibbitzing on this topic--and for good reason.  If you run a website and want people to find it, it's critical to understand the concepts of SEO.  Even if you don't run a website, read on to find out how people are clamoring for your attention every time you do a search.

First, let's consider why people bother with SEO.  According to Comscore, in May, 2008, 643 Million people visited Google worldwide.  That's over twice the population of the US.  Getting in front of search engine results on terms related to your site can mean heaps of traffic.  And the people that come a knockin' aren't just random web surfers, either.  They're highly, highly qualified customers.

Think about it this way: Let's say you sell Unique Baby Gifts (as I do.  Seriously.  If you're in the market for a baby gift, go check it out.  I'll wait here).  Who better to reach than people searching for Unique Baby Gifts?  The logic of it is so obvious that it almost gets overlooked.  Compare that laser-like targeting with the older, cruder notions of targeting in traditional media: "we reach females between the ages of 18 and 35.  We think.  We're not really sure.  And we're not sure if they see your ad, let alone make a purchase from it."

So, for both quantity and quality, you can't beat the traffic that you could potentially get from Search Engines.  Again, SEO is the art and science of getting you to the front of the line.

It's important to note that, despite what some shady SEO Professionals claim, you can't just hire someone and know for sure that you'll get to the top spot on Google results for any term you want.  It's more complicated than that.  In the next installment of this series, I'll give a high level overview of how search engines determine what bubbles up to the top. 

What is Facebook?

So...FaceBook.  You've heard of it.  Your friends may be on it and inviting you to join.  But just what is it and why should you care? 

FaceBook is a Social Network.  By that, I mean it's a network built on connections with people you know.  You establish a profile with some information about yourself (name, location, photo, interests, etc).  Some of that profile can be seen by everyone, but most of it is hidden until you grant someone access to your profile.  Once signed up, you can "friend" (friend became a verb when you weren't looking) people you know.  If they grant you permission, you will then be able to see their full profile.

One of the first "aha!" moments you'll have with Facebook is when you sign up and look for friends already on the network.  You can search through your email address book, or even cooler, by high school or university graduating class.  You'll see names that you had long forgotten.  I've reconnected with people I hadn't spoken to in 20 years via Facebook. 

Facebook started off as a site just for college kids, but has opened up in the past few years to people of all ages.  Now, people of all ages use it.  High school kids, Gen X-ers like me, even my mom is there.  And it's not just for techno geeks either.  I've been surprised at how many people I know that rarely touch a computer for anything but checking their email and syncing their iPods that are now total Facebook addicts.

A while back, I wrote a post on What Is LinkedIn?  While I still use LinkedIn and recommend it for expanding your business contacts, it's more of a glamorized rolodex.  You use it to find contacts, then interact with them outside of the service through email.  Facebook is different.  There's stuff to do within Facebook, and it's pretty fun. 

In addition to connecting to people you know, there are also a variety of groups to find like-minded people.  For example, I belong to Facebook groups dedicated to fans of Adobe After Effects, the Cleveland Indians, and of course, the best baby gift ever.  There's a group for my high school graduating class, alumni of a summer camp I went to, and silly groups like "Why yes, I do frequently burst out in song" (currently at about 300,000 members!)  Whatever you're into, there are Facebook groups for it. 

There are also cool add-on applications that you can use within Facebook, such as a fun Scrabble-type game called Scrabulous, and silly little programs with which you can adorn your profile page like the "More Cowbell!" app.

So go sign up and check it out.  I'll even be your friend.

Tips on Buying a Digital SLR Camera

So you've decided to graduate from that little point and shoot digital camera that you've been carrying around for a few years.  Yes, it's small and convenient, but boy, that shutter lag can really be a pain when you're trying to photograph kids.  What you need, dear reader is a digital SLR--one of those full-sized cameras with the detachable lenses.  DSLRs have zero shutter lag and can, in the right hands, take some beautiful pictures.  In this post, I'll tell you a bit about why they're great and how to research and buy one.

DSLRs used to be the exclusive domain of professional photographers, but they've come way down in price over the last few years.  What used to cost thousands of dollars now cost about $600 or so.  But wait--that's not exactly what it costs.  If you plan on spending about $1,000, you'll be able to get a few extras that will greatly enhance your setup. 

Brands

The major brands today are Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Olympus.  I personally shoot with a Canon, but I think all 4 brands are just fine.  Two slight advantages to Canon and Nikon are their longevity and popularity.  These brands benefit from several generations of refinments, and a wide variety of stores carry their cameras and accessories. 

The camera body usually comes with a basic lens that will get you started.  You might want to buy an additional lens with your camera, or wait and buy one later.  This lens will have a range described in millimeters, such as 18-55 or 24-70.  This describes how tight or wide the lens can zoom.  Depending on the type of pictures you lik to take, you might want to get a wider lens (better for landscapes and real estate) or a one with a higher zoom (better for people, sports, and wildlife).

Extras - a few things that you should consider along with your purchase:

• Extended Warranty – I don’t recommend these for most electronics purchases, but cameras are an exception.
• Memory Card – watch the sales on these or buy one at Costco.  The price can vary greatly.  Get a 2 Gig or higher card.
• Card reader – Good for transferring images to your computer from the memory card.  This is an alternative to connecting the camera to the computer with a cable, which will drain the batteries.  Your PC may already have a card reader built in.  If not, you can find one for 10 or 20 bucks anywhere (even a drugstore).  Make sure it says USB 2.0 or USB Hi-Speed (faster transfers)
• Additional Lenses – the kit lens that comes with most cameras (particularly the Canon) are just ok.  You’ll really improve the quality of your images with an additional lens.
• External Flash – As you get more into the camera, this is a good add-on for better lighting on indoor pictures
• Camera Bag - Lowe makes som nice backpacks with space for everything
• Tripod - Good for landscape shots
• Picasa – If you’re using a PC, this is a free piece of software from Google that’s awesome for organizing your photos, doing touchups, and uploading to your beloved Snapfish.  My wife and I swear by it.  You can download it here: www.picasa.com

Before you go to the store - researching your camera

Yes, it's good to read reviews, but many of them are filled with camera-geek jargon that will just confuse you.  A few sites tht you may find useful:

• Flickr Camera Finder - See graphs and sample photos comparing the most popular cameras used by the Flickr photo sharing community
• Viewscore - A summarized scorecard of camera reviews from around the web
• Amazon.com - Lots of useful reviews by actual users of each camera.

Where to buy

• Be careful of online prices that look too good to be true.  They probably are.  There are a number of grey-market dealers (mostly based in Brooklyn) that will advertise a really low price, then gouge you on shipping and accessories.  The only places I recommend to buy online are Amazon, Buy.com, J&R, Adorama, B&H, and OneCall.
• Best Buy and Circuit City are fine, and have good extended warranty programs
• I also like buying from the Ritz/Kits/Cameras West/Wolf Camera chain (they’re all owned by the same company).  The people there really know their stuff.  If you watch for sales, you can often get the same price as you’d get from Best Buy.  They’ll also throw in extras like memory and classes.
• Costco’s also a good place to buy for their generous return policy, but they tend to have a limited selection and no help.

Once you get the camera, get out there and practice!  Have fun and let me know if you have questions!

Digital Camcorders: some basics

I hate it when bloggers say "hey everyone, sorry I haven't written in a while."  So I won't.  Let's get down to business.  Our topic today?  Camcorders.

So the baby's on its way, the big vacation's coming up, or you're determined to catch some footage of The Loch Ness Monster.  You need a video camera.  I know your digital camera takes 30 second motion clips, but come, on.  Seriously.  You need the real deal.

Just about all camcorders sold today are digital.  Many record to magnetic tape, but the method in which the image is captured is digital.  Digital camcorders allow you to connect them to a computer using a cable called either FireWire (an Apple trademark), iLink (Sony's name for the same technology), or the generic and sexy IEEE 1394a (or b).  These names can be used interchangably with store personell and at cocktail parties.

Cost
You can spend anywhere from $200 to well beyond $1,000 on a camcorder.  While I'm all for avoiding overkill in tech purchases, don't be pennywise and pound foolish.  Besides, you deserve something nice.  When was the last time you really did something for you? 

As the price goes up, you get more and larger image sensors, which translates into richer colors and better performance in low-light situations (like indoors).  If you're heading north of $500, look for something with 3 CCDs.  This helps image quality tremendously.  Another feature that improves with price is the size and quality of the LCD screen.  Bells and whistles that aren't worth the extra money are still-picture capability and in-camera editing effects.

Format Considerations
The most common, and in my opinion, best format for digital camcorders is MiniDV.  These are small video tapes that are easily found in most drugstores.  Some people may be attracted to the convenience of camcorders that record directly to DVD.  I suggest avoiding these.  The quality isn't as good as MiniDV and the video it records is harder to edit.  Some new camcorders record directly to a hard drive.  While this is nice because you don't have to buy blank tapes, you are limited to the space available on the drive--you can't just pop in a new tape.  Also, tapes give you a permanent backup of your work, even after you've transferred them to your computer for editing.

Don't forget the Extras
Save money for some blank tapes, a case, a firewire cable, a good tripod, and yes, an extended warranty.  You may have been warned that buying an extended warranty from an electronics store is a waste of money, and it often is.  However, camcorders are a category of products for which a warranty makes sense.  Laptops and printers are too.  Bonus tip: these warranties are often high-margin items for the store.  You can use them as leverage to get a price break on the camera.

If you plan on doing any editing, you know what else you're going to need?  A new hard drive.  Video chews up a ton of space (30 digital pictures per second!).  External hard drives have become remarkably inexpensive and easy to use.  Watch the Sunday circulars for sales.

Brands
I'm a big fan of Panasonic's camcorders.  Even their most affordable cameras have 3 CCD's, an important feature I discussed above.  Other than Panasonic, Canon and Sony make decent camcorders.  JVC has been coming on strong in the small hard-drive-based category.  If you'd like (very) detailed reviews of camcorders, check out www.camcorderinfo.net.  I also like a site called ViewScore, which aggregates reviews from many sites around the web.

Where To Buy
Given a purchase this large, it's nice to be able to go into a store and hold the camera in your hands.  See how it feels, how rich the colors look, and how the shadows fall on faces in indoor lite.  Best Buy, Circuit City, and camera stores like Ritz/Kits/Camera's West (all the same chain) have a good selection to try for yourself.  Costco has a more limited selection and less helpful staff, but the price is right and the return policies generous.

If you buy online, avoid many of the fly-by-night operations in Brooklyn.  They'll sell you a grey market camera without a battery, a PAL version (the European standard that won't work on your TV), rip you off on shipping, and abruptly cancel your order if you don't buy expensive add-ons.  If an online price looks too good to be true, it probably is.  Good places to buy online are Amazon, B&H Photo, Adorama, Vann's, and OneCall.  These are all authorized dealers that won't pull any of the aforementioned shenanigans.

So now you're ready to go out and buy a camcorder!  In my next installment, I'll tell you what to do with it.

The Best Way to Speed Up your PC for Free

I know...it all sounds too good to be true. 

There is a simple procedure you can do that can dramatically improve the performance of your PC called disk defragmentation.  It sounds complicated, but it's really quite simple.  Let me explain.  After all, that is what I do around here.

Have you noticed that your PC runs slower than it did when you took it out of the box a few years ago?  Well, part of that's due to the unecessary crap you've loaded onto that thing, and another is a normal condition that happens over time called fragmentation.

Imagine your computer's hard drive as a book full of blank pages.  When your computer's new, it can write information just about anywhere.  It groups big chunks of data close together, so it can access it all at once.  Over time, as the pages get filled up, your computer needs to write things in whatever blank spaces it can find.  So, it'll write something on Page 1, 42, and 112, then need to access each of those pages to get all of the information.  That's essentially what happens when your drive gets fragmented.

Defragmenting your drive tidies up all that data so your computer can access it faster.  There's a defragmenting tool built right into Windows XP.  Or, if you're a bit more adventurous, I can suggest a more sophisticated one that you can download from the web.

Defragmenting takes a long time.  I call this "sleepware" because it's best to set it up and let it run overnight.  If you're doing this on a laptop, make sure it's plugged in, as the procedure will likely take longer than your battery will last.

To use the built-in defragmenter of Windows XP, double-click on the My Computer icon, then right-click on your hard drive and choose "properties."  Click on the "tools" tab and then "defragment now."  That's all there is too it!  You can repeat this for each hard drive on your system if you have more than one, but it's most important to do this on the drive that holds your operating system (almost always the "C" drive).

As I mentioned above, there is a more advanced tool for defragmenting that you can download.  It does essentially the same thing as the built-in one, but is able to defrag some sections of the hard drive that the other can't.  The one I like best is PerfectDisk by Raxco Software.  You can download a free 30-day trial here.

Hey Rob, What Did We Learn Today?  Defragmenting your hard drive is a free and easy way to give your aging computer a kick in the pants.

You: I have 200 Gigs of RAM in my PC. Me: Um, no you don't.

I'm a big proponent of the idea that you shouldn't need to know how your computer works; you just need to know how to use it.  Same goes for TVs, microwave ovens, and cars.  Technology at its best, as Arthur C. Clarke put it, should be "indistinguishible from magic." 

Though that's how things should be, that's not how they are.  Back here in reality, there are a few things about your computer that you simply must know to make the best use of it.  Particularly when upgrading software or deciding on a new computer, you need to know what some specifications mean and how they'll impact your computer usage.

The difference between memory and hard drive space
Two of the most important facts to know about your computer are:
1) How much memory (RAM) do you have?
2) How big is your hard drive?

The answers to these two questions are often confused.  It's easy to do so, since both answers are measured in megabytes and gigabytes (1 megabyte = 1 million bytes, 1 gigabyte = 1 billion bytes, ergo, 1000 megabytes = 1 gigabyte.  Ok, no more math for now.) 

Your computer's memory (aka RAM) is an important determinant to the speed of your PC.  When you don't have enough of it, your computer will use the hard drive to reach the level of memory it needs.  If you notice your computer chugging on the hard drive while you wait for it to catch up to you, chances are good that you don't have enough memory.  Adding memory is an easy and low-cost way to boost the speed of your PC.

A typical PC sold in the past few years will have 256 megabytes (barely enough to run Windows XP), 512 megabytes (better), or 1 gigabye.  To find out how much you have, right-click on your My Computer icon and choose "properties." 

(click for larger image)

Hard drive space is also measured in bytes, usually gigabytes.  Computers in the last few years came with drives in the hundreds of gigabytes.  So, while a typical PC sold today may have 1 gigabyte of RAM, it might have a 200 gigabyte hard drive.  200 gigs of RAM?  That, you probably don't have.

How much hard drive space do you have?  Double-click on the My Computer icon and you'll see your hard drive(s).  Typically, you'll have a drive labeled "C:" and possibly subsequent letters of the alphabet.  Some of those additional letters may also represent other types of drives, such as DVD burners or memory card readers.  For each hard drive, right-click on the drive and it will tell you how much free and used space you have.

(click for larger version of this image)

It's easy to add a hard drive to your system for extra capacity.  Typically, you'll want to simply add an additional drive, rather than replacing the one you've got.  You can either get an internal drive, which installs inside of your (desktop) PC case, or for a few dollars more, an external drive that simply plugs into the back of your computer.  If you're filling up on digital pictures and videos, this is an easy and cheap upgrade.  If you watch the Sunday newspaper circulars, you'll typically see some great deals (under 40 cents per gigabyte). 

Of course if you need both more memory and a bigger hard drive, maybe it's time to start thinking about a new PC.  I covered that topic a bit on my earlier post, "What is Windows Vista?"

So, now you know the difference between memory and hard drive space.  Next time, I'll tackle some other specs, like video cards and processor speeds. 

As my son likes to say, quoting Tigger, TTFN...Ta Ta For Now!

How to set up a new iPod

Just a simple cross-post today from one of my favorite blogs, LifeHacker.  The topic: Setting up a new iPod.  Here's the link.

What is LinkedIn?

Over the past few years, you may have gotten an email from a friend asking you to join his network on a service called LinkedIn.  What is it and should you bother?  I'm about to tell you, and yes, respectively.

LinkedIn is a website that facilitates professional networking.  Once you register as a member (it's free), you invite people to join your network of connected colleagues.  The site makes it easy for you to find contacts with similar backgrounds to you.  For example, I can find colleagues at Microsoft, people with whom I once worked at Avenue A, and classmates from my undergrad and graduate schools. 

Each of these "connections" in my network have networks of their own.  I can see the members of their networks, but in order contact them, I need to get introduced by our mutual acquaintence.

So, if you're looking for a web developer, a Search Engine Optimization expert, or an accountant, LinkedIn is a great way to find them.  Conversely, it's also a great place for people to find you - whether you're looking for a full-time job, a consulting gig, or sales leads.

There's alot I like about LInkedIn.  They've managed to build both the critical mass of members necessary to be useful and the proper barriers to keep it from being overrun by spam.  It's a useful business tool that's worth the time and effort it takes to get going.

You can see my LinkedIn profile (and request a connection) here Rob Wolf's LinkedIn Profile

(Updated June 2, 2008 with a cross-post from something I wrote elsewhere)

I've had some success making connections through LinkedIn. For example, I've found new retail partners for the Baby DVDs and CDs I produced via LinkedIn. The key is using the "advanced search" functionality. Figure out the companies or titles to people you'd like to reach, and search away. When you have a 2nd or 3rd degree connection, you can ask your mutual acquaintance to make the introduction on your behalf.

Also, build out your network by clicking on people you know and looking at their connections. Chances are, you'll know some of them too.

And finally, use LinkedIn for the SEO benefit it provides (it has a Google PageRank of 8. If you don't know what that means, we need to start teaching you about SEO!) Where you put in links on your profile that say "my website" "my blog", change the label to something rich in the keywords for which you'd like to rank. For example, mine doesn't say "My Website," it says Unique Baby Gifts - That Baby DVD and That Baby CD.

Further Reading: Guy Kawasaki's 10 ways to use LinkedIn

I Swear This Is True: Snopes.com rules!

Everyone has that friend who, despite all other indications of intelligence and common sense, finds it necessary to send you stupid emails.  You know the kind...the ones that include phrases like:

• I swear this is true
• Please forward this to your friends
• Wow...be careful of this scam

Your friend is a good person.  He or she means well--but is also a complete sucker.  Most of these emails have been making the rounds for years, even decades, in one form or another.  Ever wish their was a resource for checking whether or not these emails are "for reals" or not? 

There is: www.snopes.com

Snopes is an awesome catalog of these Urban Legends that bounce around the internet.  Need to know if that's really Dr. Phil's Personality Test?  Worried about the Backing up in the Parking Lot Carjacking Scam?  Wake up in a European city in a bathtub full of ice with a missing kidney?  Snopes is the site for you! 

Each entry reproduces the description of the legend (usually identical to the version in your inbox), then follows up with an assesment of the veracity of the claim (true, false, undetermined, or multiple).  They then give a lengthy analysis of the possible origins of the story and deconstruct why there is no way the story could be true.

So, the next time you get that email about The Reverse PIN ATM Panic Code, write back to the sender and turn them onto the wonderful fact-checking abilities of Snopes (but don't be a jerk about it, mmkay?)

What's a Beta?

Oftentimes you'll see a website or a piece of software labeled as "Beta."  What does that mean? 

In the Stone Ages of software development (the early 90's), Betas were pre-release and admittedly buggy versions of software, given to a select group of people willing to test them and report on the problems they encountered.  Today, they are pre-release and admittedly buggy software or websites foisted upon the general public. 

Under pressure from investors, competitors, or users of previous versions, or worst of all, us folks in marketing, they're released into the wild before they've been given enough testing to be certified "gold."  "Beta" has become computer industry code for "here, you can use it, but don't blame me if it erases your hard drive." 

As one of my favorite blogs, the celebrigeek tabloid ValleyWag, put it,

Today, beta gets thrown around as a metaphor for "newer" rather than "not ready."

Actually, it's come to mean both.

What is Windows Vista?

Never heard of it?  You will in about a month. 

On January 30th, Microsoft is launching Windows Vista, the next version of its Windows operating system.  Like Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98, and 95 before it, the launch will be accompanied by a massive marketing campaign by both Microsoft, computer manufacturers, and computer retailers.

Now's a great time to remind you all that the opinions expressed on this blog are mine and not those of my employer.

There's not one stellar feature of Windows Vista that makes it worth the upgrade, but there are about a hundred little things that'll make you say, "ooh...I want that."  It's more secure, looks better, and makes finding things on your computer much easier.  That's a drastic oversimplification of things, but hey, that's what I do.  If you really want to dig into what Windows Vista is all about, check out the Vista website. 

Many computer makers are offering an Express Upgrade to Vista.  That means if you buy a Windows PC today, you'll get a copy of Vista that's almost free when it ships (you'll pay a nominal fee for shipping and handling).  However, if you're thinking about getting a new computer in the next month, I'd suggest holding off until January 30.  Why?  Two reasons:

1. Though alot of work has gone into making the upgrade process easy, it's never trivial.  It's much easier to just buy a new machine with the Operating System pre-loaded.  Many retailers, such as Best Buy, offer a service that will transfer your old data to the new computer for 50 bucks or so.  (As a side note, I'd recommend transferring just the data and settings, but reinstall all of your programs on the new computer from their original CDs)
2. Computer retailers typically fall all over themselves offering great deals on new computers on launch day.  They throw in free hard drives, monitors, file transfer services, their first born children, etc. to entice you to buy from them.

Vista does have some fairly beefy system requirements.  At a minimum, people with computers more than 2 years old will probably have to upgrade their memory.  That's not a terribly expensive endeavor, but if your hard drive's filling up, and you add the cost of the OS itself, it starts to approach the price of a new PC.  And let's face it...your machine is getting a little long in the tooth, isn't it?

It's amazing how much performace you get these days, even from a fairly low-end PC.  The $500 advertised special at Circuit City will run circles around the machine you paid a grand for a few years back.  Unless you're doing heavy video editing and making cool baby videos like me or fashion yourself as an extreme PC gamer, stick with the lower-end PCs.  Anything over $1,000 would be complete overkill.  (that applies to desktop PCs only, laptops cost more for comparable performance and acceptable size and weight).

So, I suggest you take a look at Vista and see if that's the trigger you need to buy a new PC.  The early reviews of have been very positive, and there will be some great deals around January 30th.

Update from original post:  I found a very cool web page that will diagnose your system and tell you whether or not you can run Windows Vista.  You can find it here.

Two tips to using this page:
1) It's ok to bypass all the security warnings on this page and install the software it asks you to install
2) Pay particular attention to the memory and hard drive requirements sections.  The video card section tells you if you can use a specific user-interface style of Vista called Aero Glass.  It looks cool, but is not required to run the OS.

What did we learn today?
Windows Vista is the new operating system from Microsoft that will be launching on January 30th.  It may be the catalyst you need to get that new PC.

You Got a New Digital Camera This Year. Now what?

So you finally replaced your old digital camera with the cracked LCD screen and got a brand new one.  Mazel Tov!  Here's a list of tips, most of them free, for getting the most out of your new camera.

Go Outside
There is no better light source for taking pictures than natural light.  Most people take lousy pictures because they shoot indoors and have to resort to the camera's flash.  Outdoor provides much more light, over a broader area.  Because there is more light, you shoot at a faster shutter speed.  This, in turn, allows you to capture your subjects in focus, even when they're moving.  And, because the light isn't eminating from a tiny flash, your subject and background are lit more evenly.

Cloudy days are better than bright sunny ones.  Clouds diffuse the light and soften the harsh shadows that bright sun can produce. 

If you must shoot inside, open up the window shades and stand close to the window.  Position yourself between the window and your subjects.  Never pose your subjects in front of the window, unless you want everyone to look shadowed.

Set Your White Balance
You may have noticed a setting on your camera's LCD that says "AWB."  That stands for Auto White Balance.  White Balancing is something all digital cameras need to do to "understand" the color of light they're seeing. 

Different types of lights make colors appear differently.  For example, incandescent indoor lighting often gives pictures a yellowy tone.  Outdoor and fluorescent shots tend to be bluer.  This is also why those pants you bought at the gap look different than they did in the store.  But I digress.

White balance allows your camera to nuetralize those shifts and give you truer colors.  Though Auto White Balancing sometimes works, you'll get better photos if you change this setting to match your shooting conditions.  Most cameras will have a white balance setting for indoor (a lightbulb), outdoor sunny, outdoor cloudy, etc.  Try it and see if the colors of your pictures improve.  Just don't forget to change it back when you go inside!

Pre-focus to Minimize Shutter Lag
On point and shoot digital cameras (those without removable lenses), there's often a delay between pressing the button and snapping the picture.  This is called shutter lag.  You can minimize shutter lag on most cameras by composing your shot, then pressing the button down half-way.  This focuses the shot.  When you're ready to shoot the picture, just press the button down the rest of the way. 

Pre-focusing also helps when taking a picture of two people standing side by side.  In this case, people often make the mistake of focusing right through the middle of those two people and unintentionally focus on the background behind them.  This leaves the subjects out of focus.  To fix this, just pre-focus on one of the subjects by holding the button half-way down.  Then, with the button still half-pressed, pivot to reframe the shot to include both subjects.  Presto!  No more blurry couples.

Download Picasa
This is an outstanding, free program that's been around for years and keeps getting better.  It was originally developed by an independent company that was bought out by Google. 

What's so great about it?  First, it'll scour through your hard drive and catalog every picture on it, giving you a quick view of the byzantine folder structure you swore you'd clean up one of these days.  Second, it allows you to do minor touchups, such as cropping, red-eye, brightness and contrast, etc.  Finally, it allows you to upload your photos from right within the program.  Photos can be uploaded to either Web Albums for online viewing or to photo printing services such as Shutterfly, Kodak, Snapfish, or my personal favorite, Ritz Camera.

You can download Picasa here.

Beyond Picasa, Photoshop Elements
While Picasa is excellent at both managing your photo collection in the aggregate and doing simple touchups, there's alot it doesn't do.  Picasa's editing ability is mostly limited to changes that apply to the entire image.  So, something to work alongside Picasa is an image editor.  The most popular of these among professionals is Adobe Photoshop, but it costs several hundred dollars.  Fortunately, Adobe makes a slightly limited version of Photoshop called Photoshop Elements that is excellent for home users. 

For less than $100, it gives you about 90% of the functionality of the full-blown version.  You won't miss the other 10%.  For a bit more, you can get a version of Photoshop Elements that also comes bundled with Premiere Elements, Adobe's entry-level video editing program.  It too is excellent.  I'll cover video in a future post.

So, Rob, What did we learn today?
You can get better results from your digital camera by shooting outside, setting your white balance, pre-focusing, downloading Picasa, and buying Photoshop Elements.  Enjoy your new camera!

How does Google make money?

It's amazing to think that just 7 years ago, no one had heard of Google.  Now it's reporting quarterly revenues of nearly $2 Billion and has a market cap of $147 Billion.  For a little perspective, that puts Google at a value almost twice that of Yahoo, Ebay, and Amazon combined.

You use it.  Your mother uses it.  Even our President talked this week--in the butchered syntax with which we all must cope for 2 more years--about his use of "The Google."  And yet, you've never paid them for anything, have you?  So where are they getting all that money? 

They make it a nickel, dime, and quarter at a time, and make those coins add up with volume.  Lots and lots of volume.

Every time you search on Google, you actually get 2 sets of results:

1. Natural results (a.k.a. algorithmic results) - these make up the "center stack" of results for your search.  They're based on a technology called PageRank, Google's method of determining the most relevant results from across the web.  (note the yellow arrow in the picture below)
2. Paid results - text ads placed by Google advertisers.  These ads show up on the top and/or right side of the page and are marked as "Sponsored links."  Advertisers buy space on Google by bidding on specific search terms.  So, when you search for "digital camera," you see ads from top-paying sponsors such as Kodak, Circuit City, Best Buy, etc.  (note the green arrows in the picture below)

In addition to showing ads around search results, Google also syndicates their advertising to more content-related sites.  For example, you could be reading a site with reviews of digital cameras, and the publisher can place Google ads alongside the article.  Google, in its omniscience, detects the content of the page and (usually) displays ads that are contextually relevant.

Amazingly, this is pretty much all it takes for them.  Text ads, whether on search result pages or paired with content, are the source of about 98% of Google's revenue.

Update, 1/10/07: As someone pointed out in the comments, other search engines make money this way, too.  Yahoo and MSN both have similar systems of free algorithmic results in the "center stack" and paid text ads on top and in the "right rail."  What makes Google unique from a business perspective is that this is pretty much all they do for revenue, while the others have more diversified businesses.  Both Yahoo and MSN, for example, offer more editorial content and with it, display banner advertising as well.

What is YouTube?

You may have heard the news last week that Google plunked down $1.65 Billion of its stock for a company called YouTube.  You may have thought to yourself "my, that's a lot of money.  I wonder what they do?"  Or, if you're just slightly more with it, you may know what YouTube is, but fail to understand just why on Earth it was worth so much.

YouTube is an online video sharing site.  Users can upload videos for others to watch for free.  Chances are, when a friend of yours (you know, the one that was nice enough to put you on his "joke email" distribution list) sent you some funny video of a cat flushing a toilet, it was probably hosted on YouTube.  There's actually some worthwhile original content on YouTube, and it's gaining prominence as a way to showcase unscripted moments caught on video.  So, politicians and celebrities, beware.

Much of YouTube's most popular videos are shows recorded off of regular TV.  Typical examples are clips from The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Saturday Night Live.  Also popular are videos of teenagers dancing around and lip-syncing to some Christina Aguilera song.  Copyright holders are throwing a hissyfit, and are trying to put the toothpaste back into the (You)Tube by making them sign licensing deals or threatening to sue. 

Now that YouTube's going to be owned by a company with a $128 Billion market cap, I'm predicting an increase in the latter.  Of course, these media companies are also ignoring a golden opportunity to reach a new audience, but that's par for their course.

YouTube has negligible revenues and has been in business for about a year.  They aren't even close to being profitable.

"Ok, I'm with you, Rob.  Still not getting the whole $1.65 Billion thing," says your ongoing internal dialogue.

In this case, Google was really buying an audience.  YouTube has become phenomenally popular in the past year.  If my rudimentary coding skills haven't failed me this evening, you should see a graph below.  The blue line is the number of people that visit CNN.com.  The red line is YouTube (readers using RSS readers may not be able to see the graph. 

click here to see the graph on an awesome site called Alexaholic

YouTube's dizzying ascent owes itself to a rather ingenious approach to building traffic.  They didn't invent this technique, but it sure became popular on their watch:  They gave users the ability to embed videos on sites outside of YouTube.com.  If I upload a video to YouTube, YouTube hosts the video on their site, but also gives me the chance to take some code, paste into my own website, and have it shown there as well.  For example, I have a small business that sells a baby DVD I created.  I made a demo clip, uploaded to YouTube, and can now show it to you here (readers using RSS readers may not be able to see the video.  Click the title of this post to be taken to its corresponding web page):

See what I mean?  Once it finishes playing, you can watch more videos on YouTube's main site.  This approach spreads YouTube's product far and wide on the internet and draws you in to see more.  That's what's driven YouTube's phenomenal growth.  Steve Rubel coined a brilliant term for this method of traffic building: Picture In Picture Marketing.

Because they've built such a massive audience, people are starting to see YouTube as a new frontier in on-demand TV viewing.  Media companies--at least those that aren't so short-sighted to be threatened by YouTube--are embracing it as a way to showcase new bands, new shows, movie trailers, etc. 

So, what did we learn today?  YouTube is a service that lets users upload and share videos.  It's explosive growth and easily sharable technology have just made its founders the latest Internet billionaires.

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is a term that's been bandied about in the past year or so by the technorati, and it's starting to seep into popular culture.  How do I know?  My mother asked me what it was.  

It doesn't refer to an actual product.  There's no strict definition of what constitutes a web 2.0 site, but there's a general consensus around the ideals it represents.  Think of it as more of a movement, like neo-classicism or dadaism.  I don't know what either of those two are, so let me tell you a bit about Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 is a collective term for a series of technologies, websites, and user behaviors that represent an evolution from the way the web has traditionally worked.  A few of its precepts:

• Dynamic pages - Websites have traditionally been made up of flat, static pages, with text, pictures, and links.  You see a link you like, click on it, and off you go to another flat, static page.  Not so in the Web 2.0 world.  Web 2.0 pages have content that dynamically changes and updates without needing to go to an entirely new page.  Sections of the page can change without having to reload the page again.
  
• More "App Like" - Think of some of the conventions that make doing things on your computer easy--drag and drop, highlighting, keyboard shortcuts--the kinds of things that are old hat in the operating system and programs like Word and Excel.  With Web 2.0, such useful convention come to websites.  For example, many of the free email services, like Google's Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail are starting to use these technologies to make sifting through email easier.  I love--love, love, LOVE--a free to-do list called BackPack that incorporporates many such app-like behaviors.
  
• User-Generated Content - There is a notion in web 2.0 that users have increased ability to provide content, and in turn, the collective input they provide is used to provide a richer experience.  For example, Flickr is a photo sharing community in which users can upload and tag their photos.  The result is a product whose utility not only in the ability to upload your photos, but in your ability to tap into the contributions of others.  Digg.com, Wikipedia, and Del.icio.us (profiled earlier on this site) also tap "the wisdom of the crowds" through tags, user provided suggestions, and popularity ranking.  How very web 2.0 of them!
  
• Syndication - Going hand-in-hand with the ability to provide content is the ability to receive content in a variety of ways as well.  Content on the web is no longer shackled to a specific page.  Instead, it can be syndicated out, through technologies like RSS (What is RSS?) to meet the reader where he or she lurks.  For example, the series of images on the main Rob The Explainer page pull content from my Flickr account.  I also show a list of books I'm reading generated from my Amazon account.
  
• Extensible Through Programming - Many web 2.0 properties make some or all of their functionality available to programmers to create "mashups"--websites that utilize this borrowed functionality to create an entirely new experience.  This blurs the line of what is and isn't a web site, since a mashup can bring together the features of several sites.  For example, many have created mashups using Google maps, such as this mashup of Chicago crime statistics

But really, the best way to understand web 2.0 is to dive in and start wallowing around in it.  Try Flickr.  Try Del.icio.us.  And by all means, try BackPack.  Soon, you too will be living la vida Web 2.0.

Hey Rob, What Did We Learn Today?  Web 2.0 isn't a product.  It's a concept that encompasses the tennents of dynamic pages, app-like functionality, user generated content, syndication, and extensibility.

What are tags?

"Tags" are a rather ingenious addition to the usefulness of the web over the past few years.  They're freeform labels you apply to your content: documents, photos, contacts, websites, etc. that help you form groups of related items.  An item can have multiple tags, and consequently show up in more than one grouping.

For example, let's say I have some photos from my birthday party.  I can tag all of the photos in the group "RobsBirthdayParty" and "JacobsField".  In addition, I can also apply the tag "family" to some of the pictures in that group and "friends" to another. 

If those pictures are up on a public photo sharing site like Flickr, they'll be included when anyone searches on the tag "JacobsField."  Or, if I tell all my friends to use the tag "RobsBirthdayParty," I'll be able to find all of the pictures that they took with their cameras as well.

The tagging concept can be applied both locally (documents on your hard drive, email) or on the web, where it gains utility and findability by others using those same tags.

The brilliance of tagging is in its flexibility.  In the early days of the web, Yahoo shoehorned every web site in existence into a rigid, hierarchical categorization.  Can you imagine trying to do that today?  With tags, you don't have to fit in with a pre-defined classification.  You make it up the classification yourself.  Rather than adhering to a rigid taxonomy, you create what some have dubbed a "folksonomy."

For example, I use a video effects program called After Effects.  There's a small but very helpful community of users that post tutorials on the program.  Using Del.icio.us (which I explained here), I can see the bookmarks tagged "AfterEffects".

Another great use of tags is to apply them to blog posts.  Rather than having a search engine try to figure out what you've just written about, you can tag the post with information about its content.  This is a more structured--and some say, accurate--way to search through blog posts.  Blog search engine Technorati makes extensive use of tags.

Sites that use tags often display information in something called tag clouds.  A tag cloud is a visual representation of tags and their prominence.  For example, here's a tag cloud of popular tags on Flickr.

The flexibility inherent in tagging is also its achilles heel.  Different spellings and synonyms result in different tags.  For example, searching for the tag "funny" will bring up different results than the tag humor.  Same goes for "blog" and "blogs."  Even with that inefficiency, tags are an awesome tool to keep in your organizational arsenal.
So, start tagging your content and use tags created by others to help you find the stuff that matters to you!

Tag...you're it!

What is Net Neutrality? (and why you should care)

I can almost see your eyes glazing over out there. 
"Net Neutrality," as Arianna Huffington wrote, sounds like "a tennis match in Switzerland." 

You may have heard the term while flipping past C-Span or in the histrionics of your most geeky friend.  But hang on, Mr. or Ms. not-a-policy-wonk-like-Rob, this is important stuff.

Ever since Al Gore invented the Internet*, it has operated on the basic premise that all bits are created equal.  Once connected, you can visit any site without worrying whether or not your ISP allows you to access that site (in free countries, at least).  Conversely, if you manage a web site or other internet service, you don't have to pay a toll to get access to the users of a certain provider.  That's the idea behind net neutrality.  Some have called it "The First Amendment of the Internet."

Net neutrality has been widely practiced--though not mandated by law--throughout the Internet's commercial life.  A 2005 policy statement by the Federal Communications Commission established it as the operating principle for companies doing business in the US.  It also mirrors similar interoperability principles of TVs, telephones, etc.

Now, telecommunications and cable companies are fighting legislation that would permanently require network neutrality on the part of ISPs.

(To my beloved non-US readers: this is admittedly US-centric post. I'd love for you to use the comments feature of this blog to tell us what's going on in your country with respect to this topic)

The telcos believe that certain uses of the internet require a premium level of service, and that they should be allowed to charge extra to prioritize the traffic related to such services.  At first blush, it sounds pretty reasonable, until you consider a real-world example:
Let's say that you pay $50 a month for your broadband access through your phone or cable company.  You assume that for your 50 bucks, you can pretty much surf the internet in any law-abiding way you see fit. 

Now suppose your ISP decides that the things you do with your internet connection--instant messaging, downloading music, watching online videos, or accessing your company's network--require a "premium" level of service.  They might charge you extra to use the internet in that way.  Or, they might charge the providers of such services--MSN, Google, Yahoo, Skype, MySpace, etc.--for access to their customers.  Or maybe they'll want a piece of the action from both sides.  In addition to the 50 bucks they've already got from you.
In an interview with BusinessWeek, SBC CEO practically bragged about his company's plans:

"The Internet can't be free in that sense, because we and the cable companies have made an investment and for a Google or Yahoo! or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes [for] free is nuts!"

The telcos argue that they're not going to deliberately slow down the traffic for which you don't pay extra.  They just want to establish a "high speed lane" for what they deem to be premium services.  However, anything that prioritizes some bits by definition slows down the others.

What kind of a protection racket is that?  They sound like Bobby Baccala on the Sopranos!  "Those are some nice bits ya got there.  It'd be a shame if anything were to happen to them on the way to your house one night.  Better pay us some protection money to make sure they arrive safe and sound."

What's really at stake here is turf protection.  If I get my phone service through Vonage, use MSN Messenger for video conferencing, play online games through XBox Live, and download my TV shows from the net, the only piece of the action the telcos are getting from me is the price I pay for internet access.  If they can charge a toll on my use of these services, maybe it would be easier for me to say "I'll just get it all from my trusty phone company."

Like all arguments, this one has two sides.  The telcos say "hey, in a capitalistic society, we should be able to charge what and how we want."  Maybe, but the reality is that many places in the US have one or two choices for getting their broadband access.  If we allow the handful of companies that own those wires to discriminate among bits, we'll end up with a fragmented internet in which you can't be sure if you'll be able "to get there from here."

I encourage you to get involved in the debate about net neutrality.  Save The Internet is a great sight for further information and news on the topic.

* Ok, save your angry comments.  Al Gore didn't really invent the Internet, he just made a clumsy comment in an interview, and he still gets ribbed about it.  In 1999, he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."  He was referring to legislation he sponsored in 1991 that really did set the stage for the commercial growth of the internet in the 1990's.

What is del.icio.us? (other than my mother's chicken paprikash)

You may have noticed two links on the bottom of each 10 blog posting: "Digg this" and "add to del.icio.us". What do these two links do?

We covered Digg in the last post.  Now onto Del.icio.us.

Del.icio.us bills itself as a "social bookmarking" service.  The bookmarking part is easy to understand.  Just like the "favorites" feature of your internet browser, del.icio.us allows you store store web links for easy retrieval.  So, once you set up an account on the service (it takes a second and they won't spam you), you use the link at the bottom of each story to easily add it to your list of bookmarks.

Since the system is web based, it opens up a whole world of possibilities:

1. You can retrieve your bookmarks from any computer
2. You can "tag" your bookmarks for easy classification
   (and here's where the "social" part comes in)
3. You can see how many other people have bookmarked the same site
4. You can see the other sites that people have tagged.  For example, I'm into a video editing program called Adobe After Effects.  I can go to this page and see all the links that people have tagged as "aftereffects".
5. And, perhaps coolest of all, you can subscribe to a list of tags or your own bookmarks via RSS.  You do remember what that is, right?

Now, what's with the name?  The hard to spell word.  The weird placement of periods.  What gives?  Well, thanks to the arcane rules of web naming, ".us" is one of the allowed domain extensions (like .com, .org, .edu, etc).  Also, websites don't always have to start with "www".  The creators of del.icio.us decided to get cute and make that their web address.  So, when you visit the site, there's no "www" and no ".com".  Just type del.icio.us and you're there.

At first glance, I wasn't all that impressed with del.icio.us.  But the more I used it, the more I became impressed with its simplicity and elegance.  Especially useful are the shortcut buttons you can add to your web browser that allow you to easily bookmark and visit your del.icio.us account.

Bonus time-waster: my del.icio.us links tagged as "funny"

So, what did we learn today?  Del.icio.us is an oddly named but simple and useful site.

What is Digg?

You may have noticed two links on the bottom of each of my blog posting: "Digg this" and "Add to del.icio.us".  What do these two links do?  First, I'll cover Digg, and in the next post, I'll tackle del.icio.us (even the silly spelling!)

Can you Digg it?  I knew that you could!
Digg is a website located at www.digg.com that enables people to submit and vote on the most interesting stories on the web.  

Digg has a complex ranking system that gives each submitted story both a numerical score and position on its listings of stories.  The numerical score represents the number of people that voted for--or "dugg"--the story.  The ranking on the page probably has more to do with the currency and velocity of the story's votes.

Digg has become a very popular site with the geek crowd over the past year.  It's even overtaken previous geek stomping ground Slashdot.org (check out this graph).  This popularity has given rise to something called the "Digg effect."  Having a story show up on the front page of Digg can cause a massive spike in traffic, so much so that it can bring down a website not prepared for the onslaught.

I love Digg for the serendipity of it all.  Its community of users ferret out some really interesting stories.  For instance, some of today's top stories include using the new Nintendo Wii controller as a lightsaber, monkeys that speak in sentences, and The RIAA suing a technology company again (did someone drop a hat?).  I encourage you to check it out and further procrastinate whatever else it is you should be doing.

So, what did we learn today?  Digg.com is a popular site for submitting and discovering cool technology stories on the web.