Some Microsoft researchers have found a way to trace back redirection web spam to it’s origins. Apparently most of the web spam using this technique originates from just a few hosts, leading the authors of this paper to believe that there are a few syndicates creating most of the spam sites that flood many search terms.

The paper also lists the most commonly used free hosting/blogging sites of spammers, and a number of other techniques and tricks they use.

Read it here 

So, I suppose I’m behind the curve again…. I never figured it was as easy as it is to add a video to Google.

But tonight as midget was watching Little Einsteins on my main computer, I sat fiddling with the laptop that recently came with us on a visit to Edmonton, and as a result had some video clips on it from my camera.

Since I’m not quite ready to put video of my kidlet on a public video sharing service, I decided to upload this one: a clip from the Sea Lion show at West Edmonton Mall

In my little town, we’re in the middle of election campaigning. Hopeful mayors and council members are going door to door and dropping off pamphlets and flyers at an insane pace. They’re desperately trying to get in touch with everyone.

Yet, with all that footwork, one mayoral candidate made a surprisingly dumb move over the weekend.

You see, on Saturday, all the stores and offices on the main street downtown had a ‘mini-halloween’ celebration, with kids and their parents going from store to store to get treats.

The candidate I’m writing about has his campaign office right in the middle of that downtown strip. Yet, during the three hours of the downtown trick-or-treat, his office was closed. He was out going door to door, when hundreds of parents and their kids were filing right past his door.

Dumb.

And then I thought… tomorrow, hundreds of kids are going to be coming to my door. I’m going to give them candy, but why not package it up in a small bag with a marketing message on the front? Or staple it together with a business card if you provide a local service? If you don’t have a product or service that would appeal to a broad range of people, why not make a quick ad for a ‘work at home’ course or product that you’re an affiliate of?

Most of the time, you have to go to the people Every once in a while the people will come to you. Take advantage of those times.

It seems that people really, really want incoming links. I don’t know how many people reading this actually will follow through and DO the things that will lead to tons of incoming links, but I’ll throw some more ideas out there anyway, for those who DO have the motivation.

 1) Articles. Yep, articles with links back to your site. They actually work to some degree, as long as 1) they are well written and specific, 2) they are in a niche that is at least moderately well covered by other marketers building their sites.

2) Articles on steroids… would be to not just distribute articles, but to create a few variations of a full Adsense-optimized website with multiple links to you.  

3) Templates… This works too. Create WordPress templates, blogger templates, vbulletin templates, myspace templates, neopets templates… whatever floats your boat, and give them away as long as a link to your website is maintained.  (In some cases, you can even sell the template and require the link. I just paid $160 for a vbulletin template. The terms state that the link back must stay unless I pay another $120 to remove it.)

 4) Template Adaptations– A thought for those with some HTML knowledge but no design ability – adapt OSWD.org templates for your favorite tool, whether it be Instant Niche Site Builder or XSite Pro.

5) Organize the unorganized : If you don’t know how to do either 3 or 4, why not find a tool where templates are scattered hither and thither and compile a directory of all the best templates. A well organized template directory site is easy link bait.

6) RSS. I don’t mean putting feeds on your site, I mean offering a really solid daily article, recipe, craft, themed photo, or other valuable tidbit via RSS that other people can host on their site. Include your link in every article, and you’ve got a one-way link, and the webmasters using your feed get free evolving content they can monetize.

7) Syndicate a database of …. anything. If your site is focusing on fishing rods, why not create a widget that people can plug in to their websites that offers a search of fishing rod repair shops by location? You can include a “widget by yoursite.com” link to get the return from the main widget and any results pages too. You’re offering solid, useful content to webmasters that use the widget, and in return you’ll get plenty of front page high profile links to your site. And depending on the complexity of your content, I’d bet you could have something built for under $100 on RentACoder. And if your widget gets a lot of use, you could charge repair shops for inclusion in the database.

Reciprocal linking. It’s not dead, it just needs to be more discriminate. Try SiteSell’s Value Exchange for a way to exchange links that doesn’t turn your links pages into a liability instead of an asset.

9) Buy links… but not necessarily through text link brokers. Why not find a blogger with a closely related subject and offer them cash to link your site to every instance of “keyword” on their website.  You could even offer a WordPress plugin that does the work for them automatically — just follow along with this tutorial and change ‘fu’ and ‘bar’ to ‘keyword’ and  linked keyword and you’re home free.

10) Social Bookmarks – ok, I know this is probably self-serving, but it does bring links and traffic, so just check it out   

My son wants me to color with him now, so that’s where I’ll leave off. Use your imagination to come up with variations. If you offer webmasters something that’s valuable to them, you can get links back. Not just links on hidden link directories and invisible pages, but solid, high profile links.

But you have to take the time or money to create, invent, or develop something worth the link first.

 

 

 

I’ve been on a short vacation visiting family the past two weeks. I left by plane just one day before the “terrorists carrying water bottles” threat, so my trip west was uneventful.

Ten fun-filled days later, I once again found myself at an airport.

To give credit to the airport workers, things went about as smoothly as you could expect given the new regulations they have to enforce, but the whole process was far more painful than before the new rules.

To start with, some people don’t watch the news or read the paper, I suppose, because they end up moving half their carry-on bag contents into their checked baggage at the check-in counter. It took the couple in line in front of me about 30 minutes to get through.

Then at the security gate things were slowed down again (though not as badly as at the checkin) as the really, really dense people who didn’t pay attention to the news OR the person at the checkin counter OR the big display in front of the security area STILL had lighters, lotions and water bottles in their bags.

Those complaints don’t reflect too badly on the airlines or the airport, since those of us who took a little time to sort through purses and carry on bags still pretty much whizzed through check-in and security at normal speed.

But what really irked me was that, once past security, you still couldn’t buy a coke from a vending machine or bottled water.

I know those are the new rules, but if (as I was) you’re travelling with a young child or if the flight is delayed (as ours was), it is a major pain in the butt. As I stood in line at a Starbucks half way across the airport from our gate to buy a way too expensive smoothie for my thirsty son (since it was either that or a beer a lounge), I thought  that a smart airline would serve complementary beverages in the waiting area for anyone who has a valid boarding pass with their airline.

I know it would have been appreciated by many by our gate waiting for our late-to-arrive aircraft. And it would make me far more likely to use the airline that adapted to serve the needs of its customers in inconvenient circumstances in the future.