Celebration Time!

I am proud to say that when you search for Ben Parr in Google, this blog is now the top search result! When I first started this blog back in April, I stated several specific goals. One of them, chronicled in this early blog post, was this:

To beat Ben Parr the UK model in Google

For those of you who do not know about my one-sided rivalry, Ben Parr in the UK is an actor, model, and blackbelt. He has a famous dad (the singer of St. Elmo’s Fire), but none of that stopped me from declaring war on him and his top search ranking.

Now, 3,000+ diggs and hundreds of thousands of visitors later, BenParr.com has assumed the top spot in Google. And let me tell you, I am not going to relinquish my crown anytime soon.

Now this blog is about practical and entrepreneurial musings, so why should you care about this great achievement? You shouldn’t, unless I give you a few quick lessons about how it happened.

It’s about visitors, it’s about SEO, it’s about inbound links, and it’s about consistently updated, quality content (sounds a lot like spine-health.com, the great health website I work for). Here’s some events that I believe helped in the process. Hopefully you can use these tips to help improve your ranking in Google for your targeted keywords

• 1) Google Pagerank of 4. When you start out with a new website, your pagerank in Google is a big, fat zero. That rank is a big factor in how highly search engines view you. I rose from 0 to 4 by having several articles hit high traffic and keywords.
• 2) Over 3000 Diggs total. This blog has over 3000 diggs total and has hit the front page once, an article on Digg and Google that drove nearly 50,000 people in a single day to this blog. It’s got a PR of 3.
• 3) Being linked from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a major referrer to this blog, mostly due to an article I wrote on the definition of social media (PR3). It’s used as a reference for the definition of social media on Wikipedia. Although Wikipedia uses nofollow tags for outbound links, the consistent traffic and secondary linking caused by wikipedia has resulted in a high traffic page. I hope to continue to be a positive source of information for Wikipedia as I write and blog.
• 4) Good SEO and Clean code. Good link structure, title tags, and wordpress plugins have helped. Caching, fast loading speed, and a clean interface make sure people stay. Although this blog is not completely SEOified, it is a good and consistent model for driving traffic via Google.
• 5) Constantly updated content. I try to blog every week, even if I am busier than hell. Rather than my website going down in the last few days (Ben Parr UK), my site stays updated and fresh with content people want to read. Without that, this blog means nothing.

So I hope you understand my enthusiasm and you use the lessons I’ve learned and put them towards improving the ranking of your blog or website. There is no magical formula that improves your site’s rankings. Seriously, it’s about hard work, good code, and people linking to you because they think you are a quality website.

- Ben

I love experimentation.

Bloggers sometimes have this problem where they make grand statements and predictions without hard data or experimentation to back their words up. Even a little data goes a long way towards proving or disproving your point. Being scientific is usually a smart way to go about things.

One of my worst qualities is following up with people. I let my email grow wild and I lose touch with people I desperately don’t want to lose touch with. There’s people in my phone I haven’t called in over five years. Yeah, it’s bad.

Then I thought about Facebook, Twitter, and social networks: Isn’t this the point of social networking and social media? Then my scientific and techie nerves began to tingle – why not use these networks to reconnect with people? There’s everything from high school buddies to ex-girlfriends on my Facebook friend list, many of whom I’d like to keep in touch with. So how good is Facebook for initiating the conversation?

My intention over the next two months is to contact at least twenty people day until I’ve contacted all of my Facebook friends. For some, I will use the Facebook wall. For others, a private message. I will run a tally and run the data through a simple excel spreadsheet to figure out whether or not it’s a viable method of keeing in touch with people and reconnecting, as well as my general thoughts on it.

You’ll have the opportunity to see the results of the experiment on both the BenParr.com blog and on Mashable, where I will report most of the results.

Should be interesting. You’re welcome to follow the experiment by friending me on Facebook. Just make sure to put a note with “I want to follow the Facebook Experiment” or something of the sort so I know.

Wish me luck reconnecting with old friends and crazy foes.
- Ben

So last week, I was, well, coerced into doing an online show. It became a show about the impact of the economy on technology, two areas of which I have some expertise, and people got to ask me questions live, and I answered them.

So I’m going to do a show, as a trial, twice a week at 10:00 PM EST/7:00 PST on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Today’s a Sunday, so this will be the first “official” episode of TechThrill TV. Below is an embed of the show if you’d like to watch from the blog.

Wish me luck!

- Ben

Live Videos by Ustream

Got Depression and Economic blues? To say you’re not alone would be an understatement. People are radically pulling back on their spending, scared to open their 401k statements, and simply shaking in their boots.

In these hard times, people panic, especially when they don’t understand what exactly is going on.

For the next few weeks I’m going to be writing a series of articles on entrepreneurship during a recession. I’m hoping by the end of the series, you’re going to end up a little wiser, a little calmer, and a lot more aware of the opportunities that exist in down economies. And there are plenty of opportunities.

Before we get into how to succeed in a recession, we first have to get you into the right mindset. That means not panicking, making hasty decisions, and or forgetting to think things through.

So here’s 13 quick tips on how you can hold back your panic and think things through:

1) Open that 401k Statement!

The first step in your quest to hold back the panic is to face reality. Yes, that 401k statement letter on the counter needs to be opened, read, and examined. You need to know your position before you can act. Not knowing will only preoccupy your thoughts. If you can’t do it, get a significant other or close friend to open it and read it to you.

2) Calmly Assess Your Current Assets

Request statements from ALL of your accounts. Assess your investments, loans, and cash on hand. Know how much you pay out each month and what it will do in the next year. Know how much your investments have fallen and how that relates to your cash standing. If you’re not a financial-minded person, bring in a friend who invests to help you sort it out.

3) Understand your Risk Tolerance

This type of market is a true test of your risk tolerance. If you were screaming at 2% drops, how will you react to 40% tumbles? Truly ask yourself if you’re high risk or low risk. Treasury bills, money market accounts, and CDs are all fine investments for your money during these risky times. If you’re a person who can stomach the downturn and enjoys options, futures, and short positions, then that’s fine as well. Know your tolerance, though.

4) Take a look at the Big Picture

This is the big picture. Since the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index was created, stocks have increased in value over time. Even after the crash, stocks rose again over the long haul. And we have more safeguards than back then to hold back such a fall.

Stocks WILL go back up in value eventually. Forgetting this can kill your money and your sanity.

5) Set a Consistent Budget and Stick to It

Now that you know all about your current money position, budget based on it. Set strict limits on how much you’re willing to spend on electronics, rent, utilities, groceries, dinner, and more.

Mint.com is a great way to manage finances and set budgets automatically. But once you’ve set a budget, stick to it. If you go over on any item, stop spending, period. And always take some time to think before making an “impulse purchase.” That may even mean banning Woot.com from your browser.

6) Decrease your Dependence on Debt. For Good.

I would say this one is an obvious one, but for many people, it really isn’t. Over reliance on credit cards and mortgages has killed our economy, and it will kill your finances if it has not already.

If you don’t remember anything else from this post, that’s fine, so long as you remember this. I pay off my credit card in full each and every month to avoid the fees and debt. That type of behavior will always make sure you don’t spend beyond your means.

Quickly pay off your debt if you have it. Cut spending, take a hit in your cable or your clothes shopping while you drop the debt down. When you don’t have any debt, you have piece of mind. Peace of mind means you aren’t panicking.

7) Prepare/Expand your Emergency Fund

The emergency fund should be a separate, liquid account that can help you through six months of unemployment. Store six months of rent, groceries, and interview expenses in the fun in case things go south for your career. It can be a savings account, money market, whatever you are comfortable with. But make sure that it is a low-risk account and that it is absolutely NEVER touched unless you face a dire financial emergency. Low Christmas shopping funds IS NOT AN EMERGENCY!

Be prepared, so say the Boy Scouts.

8) Have Action Plans Prepared and in Place

What’s the first thing you would do if you were suddenly fired from your job? Where will your emergency funds come from if you are permanently injured in an accident?

People don’t like asking themselves these questions, and they hate planning for these scenarios even more, but it is necessary and it will help you not panic if the time comes. Have a plan for major injury or being fired. Will you move in with your parents? Have you talked to them about this? How about your girlfriend or wife? Do they have resources backed up? Will you finally move to Chicago like you always talked about?

Put this onto paper and keep it in a safe place. Just knowing you have the plan will put you at ease.

9) Do What You Love

What? What the hell are you talking about?! I have rent to pay, a family to raise, and you’re telling me I should quit this shitty job I’m in and try to be an artist?!

Well, not quite, but close.

If you hate your job, you’re looking over your shoulder, worrying about being fired, worrying about not meeting deadlines and quotas, and simply stressed. You’re panicking, but you don’t even know it. And if you are eventually fired, you’re just going to get worse.

Stop the cycle now. There are still plenty of job opportunities for people who are motivated and hard-working. Hell, I’m willing to help you find those opportunities, and so are many other people you may not be reaching out to.

If you’re in a job you love, you simply do better, feel happier, come home more refreshed, and don’t dread work the next day. Even if that just means starting a side project, a new business venture, or writing a novel, then do it!

It may be easier said than done, but it will make you panic less.

10) Remember What’s Important in your Life

Is money or family more important? Your happiness or your job? Only when you put these comparisons into direct terms do the answers seem so clear.

Money is important, but money comes and goes and has limited return. Family, friends, life, and love are once-in-a-lifetime events that have unlimited returns.

Corny, yes. True, even more so during tough times. Rely on what’s important when you’re about to panic.

11) Take up a new Hobby; Try Something Different

There’s a reason that people love the phrase “Variety is the spice of life.”

It’s because it’s true.

You’ll go nuts doing the same tasks every day. And that will bleed into fear, panic, and hesitation. So nip it in the butt now. Take up piano lessons to soothe your mind. Or do some Yoga to enhance the body. Or you can be crazy like me, and try to start a business and write a novel at the same time.

Just take a different path. Take a random drive into the unknown or learn swing dancing. Learning something new, trying something new will put your focus on fun and useful tasks rather than the news.

12) Watch and Read the News Less

Tell me now: How many times have you searched the financial news or watched the Dow Jones charts in the last two weeks?

You’ve been adding to your panic.

Checking once a day to get your news and information is good. It’s good to be informed. But four straight hours of financial meltdown news is not good for your psyche. It will cause you to shiver in fear and become addicted to the news.

So do yourself a favor and just close those news tabs and turn off CNN. Watch House, football, or do what I suggested in #11 and start a new hobby.

13) Smile

Just think about the great things you have in life. Take a look outside, think about how you’ve grown. Then smile and pat yourself on the back.

Thanks to Compfight, MotherPie, olivander, and analyzeindices.com for the images.