Google Makes Google Docs a Cloud Storage Service

It has been quite awhile since Google’s GDrive project has been talked about. In fact it seems that Google may have shelved the project already. But not until now, as Google just announced that Google Docs users can now upload, store and organize any type of file in Google Docs. This may not be GDrive per se, but it could be Google’s baby steps towards launching GDrive or possibly turning Google Docs into it. Users can now upload any file, not just those currently supported by Google Docs, up to 250MB at a time. Free storage is up to 1GB and this does not include the files converted into any of the Google Doc supported formats. If you need more storage, you can purchase additional space at $0.25 per year. So basically, Google is going up against other cloud storage service such as Dropbox, Box and others. And given the popularity of Google Docs, Google just might give those other cloud storage service a run for their money. In addition, those files can be stored in shared folders as well. Hence making it easy to store, organize and collaborate on files. Uploaded files are also easily searcheable just like any Google Docs documents, spreasheets, presentations and PDFs. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Google Makes Google Docs a Cloud Storage

SEO is a Brick not a House

This post is in reference to SEO services as a business model, however many of the ideas can be juxtaposed to businesses and their utilization of the method for marketing So much gets said about SEO and its relevance or even legitamacy. Most of this is purely linkbait, and the SEO crowd is all to quick to fall into the trap. The arguements fall into three basic camps. 1.The SEO are scumbags camp, of which Derek Powazek became a member and then quickly left. 2.The SEO is bullshit camp, of which Jason Calacanis is probably the most visible member, but you can find tons of the linkbait here . 3. The SEO is a “dying business” concept, of which Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker is one of the main figure heads, and now Robert Scoble has joined the mix. None of these are 100% right, or for that matter wrong. 1. Some SEOs, like some circus clowns and some grocery baggers are indeed scum bags. But then there are people like, Neil Patel who have gotten rave reviews from savvy web people due to his aid of their web properties. From Quicksprout.com : “Neil has advised TechCrunch for more than two years and been an important part of the growth of the TechCrunch Network by helping us implement SEO best practices. Search engines have grown to be responsible for 1/3 of all TechCrunch traffic, so Neil’s ongoing support is critical to our business.” – Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch 2. Some SEOs offer services that are nothing more than bullshit, every SEO has had to clean up a mess by these types of unscrupulous business people. But there are a ton of proffesionals out their helping people transition to the online space, and thus save their livelihood. 3. Some SEOs have thriving businesses based on there insane prowess, like my bud Dave Naylor , others are feeling the economic crunch. For me, long term, I look at my business ventures and I side with Shoemoney on several points. SEO as a stand alone service offering is a tough long term business plan to feel solid about. The engines are changing too fast to allow anyone doing the service to feel confident about their business over the next 10 years, and everyone should be looking at the current changes in terms of personalization and taking it as a cue to diversify what they do. SEO is a block in the creation of a solid online marketing strategy, it isn’t the entire house. Good SEOs know this. Every site clinic I have ever seen with SEO rockstars like Greg Boser, Todd Freisen, Dave Naylor, Mikkel deMib Svendsen, and countless others always circles back to them spending as much time exploring conversion, usability, and social media as they do the standard SEO practices. To definitively say SEO as a practice or service based business model has lost its legs is a bit premature to say the least. Traditional media is dying quickly, and more businesses are turning to the web to make a new revenue stream. Search is the most logical place to begin for these companies. Also, the top 5% of SEOs out there will be making money as long search engines exist. Again though, search, paid or organic, can only be a piece of the online marketing puzzle. As we look at 2010 we are seeing that brands have cemented their position on the web, building a solid brand, via a mixture of online marketing streams is the only route towards continual prosperity online. Mobile adveritisng, due to the growth of app based mobile OSs, will likely grow from 2009s relatively small $416 million in spend, and acquiring the tools to make this a part of your offering as a service provider will soon become a necessity. Social media has become profitably, and now is a must have for CMOs. And so we start to get this view of online marketing like a machine, one distinct entity, but with sum parts that have little use on their own. What good is 100,000,000 search based visitors if you are only getting .02% conversion, and negative ROI on the money to achieve the paid and organic rankings? How real is a 90% conversion rate if you are only bringing in 2 natural visitors a month? Smart professionals in the space, like my friend Todd Malicoat , are using their talents to offer companies online business consulting services, and utilizing the revenue generated from these services to fund their long term goals. This has been the premise behind Search & Social from Day 1. Why make everyone else money? Utilize the skills and team you have built to build revenue streams beyond services. This site is the most public proof of this concept for us. We are looking at an evolution online, and not a death. The direction the online world is moving favors diversified marketing campaigns, more directly branding based marketing, and savvy service providers will make note and transition. Others will die off. This is the cycle of business in any sector, and not a fact reserved to SEO alone. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . SEO is a Brick not a

The Importance of HTML Sitemaps

In my opinion an HTML sitemap is one of the most important tactics you can use to distribute your link juice efficiently within your site. Yet many bloggers and webmasters neglect it. In this article I will explain how the HTML sitemap works, and also give you a hot tip you can use to boost your search engine optimization. First things first, what is an HTML sitemap? It is an actual page of your website that outlines the complete structure of your site, and that links to all the important pages on your site. If you want to see an example, check the Archives section of my blog. I call it “Archives”, but that is nothing more than an HTML sitemap, because it outlines the structure of all the posts I have published  there month by month, and it also links to all of them. Now it is important to not confuse an HTML sitemap with an XML one. An XML sitemap also outlines the structures of your site, but the  XML format is understood by search engine bots only. If you visit an XML sitemap you will just see a bunch of code. XML sitemaps are useful if you are having crawling or indexation problems on your site. That is, if search engine bots are not visiting or indexing your pages correctly. If you are not having such problems, however, having an XML sitemap is not essential. The HTML sitemap, on the other had, can be very useful no matter what. First of all because it is valuable for human visitors, as it allows them to find any page within your site quickly. Second, and most important, HTML sitemaps represent a very efficient way to distribute your link juice among the pages of your site. Ideally you want to have all the pages linking to the HTML sitemap and the HTML sitemap linking back to all the pages (you can exclude non important pages like the privacy policy or contact page if you want). One way to accomplish this is to put a link to the HTML sitemap on the main navigation menu or on the footer of your site. Finally, here is the hot tip that I promised: getting external backlinks pointing to your HTML sitemap can be very good to your search engine optimization. Why? Because that link juice will pass directly to all the pages on your site. If you get a backlink pointing to an internal page (e.g., a blog post) it will need to pass through at least one hop before it passes juice to other pages. Links to the HTML sitemap, on the other hand, pass juice directly to all other pages on your site. The next time you do a guest post, therefore, consider pointing the byline link to your HTML sitemap instead of your homepage. Daniel Scocco is the owner of Daily Blog Tips . Make sure to download his Make Money Blogging ebook if you are looking to take your blog to the next level. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . The Importance of HTML

Save Money while you Shop Using Google Checkout

The culmination of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale officially starts the holiday shopping season. So, if you still got some Christmas shopping to do, you might want to do it via Google Checkout. Google’s online payment facility , which supports various online store is offering exclusive discounts ranging from $5 – $20. The promo gig is running until Dec. 17, just about enough to give yo all the time you need to complete your Christmas Gift list. Participating stores include the likes of TigerDirect.com, BlueNile.com and Petco.com. You can check out more great deals at Google Checkout’s deals page and browse Google Product Search team’s top choice of popular products to give you an idea what to get for your friends and family. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . Save Money while you Shop Using Google

4 Steps To Make Money Online Quickly

by Oscar Acosta Have you ever wondered whether it is possible to make money online quickly? Today the internet is becoming ever useful in peoples quests to earn a little extra. The following are 4 useful tips and ideas which can help to achieve this goal. Paid Surveys – Many companies are constantly looking for people to take part in simple surveys, complete questionnaires and voice their opinions. The company will send you regular emails with all available surveys. These are no obligation for you to pick and take part in at your convenience. Once you have reached a specified money level payments will then be sent. Ebay – Ebay is a great and easy source from which to make money. Many people are now earning by simply offering their unwanted items at low a cost. However, the final selling price often provides a handsome profit. You can also choose to buy low priced goods from other sellers and then attempt to resell them for a small profit. With Ebay payments are fast, and safe, and plenty of user support is on offer. Article Writing – Anyone who enjoys writing will has the opportunity to make money online. Numerous websites and companies are in constant need of well written articles and willing to pay you for your work. Articles are generally required to be between 400 – 1000 words and can be on varying topics. Product Reviews – Nowadays everything is being reviewed online, from websites to restaurants to household appliances. Better still, there are companies willing to pay you for these reviews. Simply register with the company, choose the product, submit your review and wait for the money to be sent. The above are ideas to make money online quickly and there are plenty of other opportunities out there. Whereas you may not make a fortune you certainly, with a little endeavor, have the chance to increase your income. About the Author: CPA marketing is another method to make fast cash online. Cost per action can be incredibly lucrative if done correctly. The new program Commission Payload will help you to make massive cash with cost per action. Watch my ground breaking Commission Payload video to learn about the program and find out about my super bonus.

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4 Steps To Make Money Online Quickly

UK Microsoft SQL Computer Training Clarified

by Jason Kendall What kind of things do you expect the most superior Microsoft accredited suppliers to offer a client in this country currently? Undoubtedly, the finest Microsoft authorised training routes, providing a selection of courses to take you into different areas of the IT industry. Try to discuss all the different permutations with a person who has knowledge of the commercial demands for IT staff, and is able to show you the most fruitful career to suit your abilities and character. Be sure your training is tailored to your needs and abilities. The best companies will make sure that the course is relevant to the career you want to get into. Kick out the typical salesman that recommends a training program without a thorough investigation so as to understand your abilities as well as level of experience. Make sure they can draw from a generous array of training from which they could solve your training issues. Occasionally, the level to start at for a trainee with some experience can be hugely different to the student with no experience. For those students starting IT studies and exams as a new venture, it can be helpful to ease in gradually, kicking off with a user-skills course first. Usually this is packaged with any study program. Look at the following points and pay great regard to them if you think that old marketing ploy of an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value: Obviously it’s not free – you’re still coughing up for it – the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. People who enter their exams one by one, funding them one at a time are much more likely to pass. They’re thoughtful of the cost and take the necessary steps to ensure they are ready. Go for the best offer you can find at the time, and hang on to your cash. You’ll also be able to choose where to do your exams – so you can find somewhere local. Considerable numbers of unscrupulous training companies secure huge amounts of money because they’re getting in the money for all the exam fees up-front and hoping that you won’t take them all. The majority of organisations will require you to sit pre-tests and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass – which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all. With average Prometric and VUE examinations coming in at around 112 pounds in the UK, it makes sense to pay as you go. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through. Be on the lookout that any certifications that you’re considering will be commercially viable and are the most recent versions. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment. All the major IT organisations like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco each have widely recognised proficiency programmes. These heavyweights can make sure you stand out at interview. Looking around, we find a plethora of job availability in computing. Picking the right one out of this complexity is a mammoth decision. I mean, without any background in the IT sector, how can you expect to know what some particular IT person fills their day with? Let alone decide on what training route would be most appropriate for ultimate success. To come through this, we need to discuss many definitive areas: * Your personality can play an important part – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what tasks ruin your day. * Do you hope to accomplish a key aim – for instance, working for yourself sometime soon? * Is your income higher on your wish list than other factors. * Considering the huge variation that IT encapsulates, it’s obvious you’ll need to be able to understand how they differ. * You’ll also need to think hard about the amount of time and effort you’ll put into your training. When all is said and done, the best way of checking this all out is through a meeting with someone that has enough background to be able to guide you. About the Author: (C) Jason Kendall. Hop over to LearningLolly.com for excellent advice on SQL Server Course and MCITP Course .

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UK Microsoft SQL Computer Training Clarified

Getting Started In Residential Property Investment

by Layla Vanderbilt A residential investment property is a real estate property which is not occupied by the owner. Acting as a landlord, the owner rents out the property to tenants, or contracts tenant management to a property management company. There are a number of different types of residential investment property, and many people are introduced to the world of real estate investing through such properties, gradually acquiring skills which allow them to invest in bigger projects and to explore other types of real estate investment options. While it is good to have luck on your side, you need more than luck to make this work. The more information you have when making an investment, they better off you will be. You must research the residential property investment that you are considering. Your money is valuable and you will want to protect yours with a well-thought out strategy. Managing a residential investment property can be a lot of work. In addition to finding and keeping reliable tenants, a landlord must also be involved in the maintenance of the property, responding to tenant complaints and providing routine maintenance which keeps the property in good shape. Landlords must also be concerned with servicing a mortgage, keeping property taxes current, and obtaining the appropriate insurance for their property. The amount of income which can be generated from such a property varies, depending on whether or not it is mortgaged, the size and condition of the units, the area, and the landlord’s abilities. Expenses associated with residential investment properties are considered write-offs for tax purposes, just like the expenses associated with running any business. For example, when a landlord pays to have a house painted, hires a plumber to fix a backed up shower, or pays for the installation of landscaping at an apartment complex, these expenses are all write-offs Purchasing residential investment property is a major commitment and it can be tricky to make good investment decisions. Anxiety, fear and a feeling of being overwhelmed is common to first time property investors. While these feelings are normal, you need to be aware of the pitfalls they can lead you into. Sometimes excitement can get in the way of common sense and may keep you from making the best deal. Fear can stop you from doing the right thing. You should begin by considering these questions: ? What are your long-term goals for your investment? ? What are you personally looking to accomplish with this investment? ? What are your expectations for your investment? ? How do you plan on financing your real estate investment? ? What are your cash flow needs? You can also generate rental income from your residential home by renting out spare rooms, but this is finding compatible and reliable tenants can be tough. So, buying a separate investment property and using this to generate rental income is usually a better option. Benefits of Buying Investment Properties are Investment in property is usually prone to less volatility than shares. The investment in this sector is relatively a safe form of investment, the value of our property rises in the long term; we become eligible to receive tax deductions. We can include depreciation in the value of the investment property due to wear, tear and obsolescence as deductions in our tax returns, we can obtain tax variations and enhance our cash flows, we can earn from the rental income, we can earn from the rental income. By seeking proper advice from qualified experts such as accountants, financiers and quantity surveyors, it is possible to maximize the benefits you receive from your investment property. About the Author: Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management solution review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.

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Getting Started In Residential Property Investment