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Dam due to ill health and a lack of response from my website hosting, I missed the opportunity to take part in what is certainly blogging for a good cause! http://blogactionday.org/ came and went before I had a chance to take part, so I will post my after thoughts about what I see as keys to global poverty.

Basically it comes down to one simple thing, greed. We all want more, we all want bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger salaries, bigger dinners, bigger TVs and we all want them cheaper as well. This greed goes far and beyond everyone’s basic human rights, and most basic human needs.

It saddens me that whilst so many people live in luxury, there is so many more people who have nothing, or live so close to the poverty line that they have no idea where or when their next meal is coming from. We can fly all these great instruments to Mars, and spend billions on a 27km tunnel to test the big bang theory, yet collectively, as a human race, we continually fail to actually do anything which benefits mankind.

We all want the easy solution, we don’t care about recycling, we care less about food waste. There is so much overall waste, both food and money that it really is criminal how the western world eats and lives (to excess) when there are those who truly go without.

I wrote recently about defence budgets, and it is truly sad how much money is throw at defence globally, compared to how much money is spent developing a cure for aids, cancer or malaria.

The world needs to change, we need to change. Both internationally, nationally and regionally. The world needs to care, about the health of our planet, and the health of our fellow human beings. Big businesses need to start taking responsibility for their greed, and their waste. Governments need to start looking out for the welfare of its citizens, instead of how much profit business is making.

Everybody should have access to good food, clean water, security, a free education and hope that the future can be better, if we work united, for the good of mankind and all nations. Not for the good of profits, or greedy execs, the mentality of the world needs to change, and true leadership is required from those who have been elected to represent the people of the world. True leadership is required from big business, it is time to start working in a sustainable way.

The poverty that was around in my parents generation has only become worse, perhaps it is time our generation started to do something to improve these points?

Filed under: Politics by Moley
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I check out a lot of blogs, mostly based around professional understanding, however there are a few blogs I visit on a lesser basis. One of those is Seth Godin’s blog, and he puts some really interesting points in his recent blog post about effort.

On many occasions I feel like I don’t have enough time for life, yet I know each night I veg out in front of the TV or PS3 for at least an hour, maybe 3. What Seth proposes is for us to take 120mins a day and put it to good use! To learn new skills, improve our fitness and generally do things we wouldn’t normally do.

I believe there is merit in his points. Having recently read the book “Evolve Your Brain” there are clear parrallels in both points. One key point that Seth makes is to ensure that you only spend money on what you need to for a whole year and save the rest. Such conservative thinking might actually help a lot of people across the world deal with the current financial stresses. He also discusses learning new skills – surely upskilling will also equate to improved pay as well?

Not to mention exercise – it is no secret that people who exercise regularly are generally healthier and happier than the rest of us. So for everyone depressed about the financial state of the globe, take yourself for a walk and cancel your cable subscription! You will be rewarded with better health and more cash in your wallet.

Whilst I do Veg out everyday for sometime, I do also try to get my 30mins of exercise, walking the dog! I also spend an hour getting the train to work, and an hour back, so I try to read, and learn new skills during these crucial 2 hours each day. However having recently bought a house I can honestly say that at the moment I have too many DIY projects to try and save any extra, but maybe next year I will take Seth up on his challenge.

Filed under: SEO, PPC, Design by Moley
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I have had the pleasure of working with a lot of creative people during my career, and I love how passionate those people are, both about their jobs and other projects they get involved in. Right now I work closely with a great young creative who shares a passion for computer games and the web. Whilst we work together on web projects, it is the affection for computer gaming which has kick started his own little off-shoot project.

So let me introduce to you Mindtank Studio’s - they are currently developing their first adventure flash game, and will be sharing the journey with everyone direct from their website, including development, successes and failures.

Filed under: SEO, PPC, Design by Moley
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Firstly apologies for not adding more recent blog posts. Work has been slightly hectic the past couple of weeks which has resulted in me actually having to work – instead of thinking of cool stuff to blog about. So for those of you anxious for some blog love, I can recommend the following post of SEOmoz, which discusses the importance of community in driving SEO.

It is a great piece, and proves you do not need to be an “expert” to achieve success online. Well an expert on SEO that’s for sure. What I liked about the thread and what I commented on, was that the communual aspect of real life, is now fully entrenched online. Long may it continue!

Filed under: SEO, PPC, Design by Moley
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Over the years I have had some great conversions (normally heated) and challenges related to the use of Keywords Vs Branding, this excellent thread poses some options for title tags on your website.

When looking at it purely from a search engine perspective though I would argue that Keywords should always win first. When arguing this point with a a “Marketing Guru” I tend to get them to understand that search engines are the method of getting your customers to your marketing message, which in this case is the website. This is no different from using postal services to deliver personalized mail to your database. The personalized mail is the marketing message, the postal service just puts your message under the noses of your customers.

Your branding will always be better reflected on your website anyway, and as such, you have control over images, design and words/phrases which reflect your brands message. So you should focus on improving the sites ability to be ranked well in search engines, as this will supply a nice amount of traffic/qualified leads to your site, who can then interact with your brand.

Most brands, if unique will naturally rank well on their own, without the need to worry about ramming the brand message home in every conceivable way. If you have a real unique catchphrase, that potential customers are going to search for, then be all means ensure those keyword phrases are included. But rather than thinking about search engine optimisation (Optimization, SEO), as a marketing tool, consider it the process of delivering qualified leads to your website, the point upon which the brand awareness should really begin.

Your website will always have brand dominance, as you control the real estate. So don’t try to battle for brand positioning on search engine results, your message will always have to compete and most often will be diluted.

Filed under: SEO, PPC, Design by Moley
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