Archive for July, 2006
The Beauty of Babies
0Life changes. It’s a fact, we can’t avoid it even when we want to.
Like yesterday, I held a newborn baby for the first time I can remember. I don’t know what it is about babies, but they scare me. Maybe scared isn’t the best word. How about intimidate? They seem so small, so fragile, I guess. I guess I was never around a whole lot of babies growing up, and I just always feel awkward interacting with them. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t even really know why myself.
As I sat there holding one of the two twins, I marvelled at her features. Her tiny hands, fingers, fingernails, the tiny person resting in my arms. It was pretty amazing. I know that’s not a huge deal for most people, but for me it was.
And as I sat there, I wondered a couple of things…
1.) How could anyone honestly in their heart of hearts believe that we arrived here by chance – by evolution – that we made it from the sludge to a human being? That to me takes way more faith than believing in a creative God.
2.) How could anyone believe that aborting an unborn baby is an OK thing to do? Please, tell me how you justify that? I’ve heard the reasons – rape, the mother’s life being in danger, but I just don’t know. Do two wrongs make a right? I know rape is a horrible thing, but does that justify the killing of an unborn child? I’d like to know other peoples’ thoughts on that one. And please tell me how often, in the US at least, is the mother’s life in danger? I would wager that the number there is going to be awfully low. I’d like to see that number.
Amy and Jim’s babies are beautiful, and they were wonderfully created by a loving God. If you disagree, that’s fine, but I feel sorry for you.
About Me: My Job
0So I figured I would share a little bit about myself in this post today. I am a Search Engine Marketer / Search Engine Optimizer / lots of other things.
Let’s start with Search Engine Marketing. That’s the simple (or most of the time simple) part of what I do. Have you ever done a Google / Yahoo / MSN search and seen the “Sponsored Results?” Well I do those. We advertise on a variety of different search engines, and I manage / help to manage each of our accounts. It really is interesting to see where people come from, what they search for, and then to see them make a purchase. We use tracking cookies (no personal information) to help us know which ads are performing up to our standards and which ones aren’t.
Recently we’ve been much more involved with our Pay Per Click program. You see, that’s why these are Sponsored Results. They aren’t free, that’s for sure! Every time someone clicks one of our ads, it costs us. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but it actually works pretty well for us.
The second part of my job, Search Engine Optimization, can be challenging, and that’s putting it nicely. Basically, the goal is to rank well in the different search engines for certain keyword phrases. (Those phrases will remain anonymous). This part can be extremely frustrating. Basically you learn as much as you can about how to design Search Engine friendly web sites and then you take that knowledge, put it to use, and see what happens from there. It’s not quite that simple, but that’s the basic gist of it.
The challenging part is that this environment is always changing. You never know if what you did 3 months ago is still acceptable today or not. Well that’s not entirely true, but the engines do change their rules sometimes, and for some people it has drastic consquences. We try to follow the design guidelines laid out mostly by Google. If you follow those rules, you should be pretty safe.
There are lots of techniques you can use to try to fool the engines into ranking you higher. The problem with taking this approach is that it can cost you dearly in the end. Especially once the engines catch on to the tactic you are using.
Playing it safe is my best bet when I give advice regarding search engines. I hope to post more on the site about some tips I’ve learned in my time at my job. I know that everyone “in the industry” already knows them, but I would like to have one place where people can receive good information.
So that’s what I do in a nutshell. I’m Search Engine Man, you could say. I never thought I would, but I love it.
My Blog
0I’ve noticed lately that I don’t really post much “personal” stuff on here. Sure I talk about my opinions regarding politics, etc., but nothing to connect to on a deeper level than that. I hope to change that soon. Received some news yesterday that I want to write about when I can wrap my head around it a little better.
Peace in the Middle East?
1Will there ever be peace in the Middle East? In a word – no.
Well, let me clarify that answer. There will be peace in the Middle East, but only after Jesus returns. Don’t believe me, check the Bible – it’s all there.
Israel has been promised certain land by God. They are God’s chosen people. I take the Bible very literally, and when I read that they are God’s chosen people – I believe it. Working under this understanding, then the land God has given them, He has given them. It WILL be theirs’ – someday. There are no 2 ways around that.
It’s kind of comical to watch all these Arab nations complain about Israel inhabiting, “their land.” Right, the land given to you by the United Nations. We all know what a wonderful, well-run organization that is. If I were in charge the United Nations would need to change drastically, but that’s another story.
The Middle East appears on the verge of a meltdown due to hostilities STARTED BY the terrorist group Hezbollah, which receives help from both Iran and Syria. Who started the mess – Hezbollah. Let’s remember that. It would be not unlike Al Qaeda coming in to America, capturing our soldiers from say Texas, and then attempting to smuggle them through Mexico. We would not stand for it, and neither should Israel. Has Israel done some wrong things? Certainly. But they come under attack almost constantly. Why?
Because they exist. Plain and simple. They exist and are a “thorn in the side” of the other Arab nations. It’s been a struggle ever since Isaac and Ishmael. It will always be a struggle, plain and simple.
God help us if we ever turn our back on Israel. Also, we should not blindly support any wrongdoing by either side. It’s a tough issue.
Good-bye, World Cup
0Well, the 2006 FIFA World Cup has come and gone. This year I have followed the tournament closer than ever.
It definitely was not any fun watching the U.S. get trounced. This was supposed to be the year that they played better and went deep into the tournament, but they failed to even make it out of the first round. It’s really not terribly surprising when you realize how much apathy there is regarding soccer in the US. When I go to a sports store and there is literally one small section of World Cup gear, that’s kind of sad. Understandable I suppose, but you would think that the world’s largest sporting even would get better treatment than that. But I digress…
I was definitely pulling for Brazil, mostly because I recognize many of their players and I know what a great level of talent they have, but even they didn’t perform they way I thought they would. France beat them pretty handily in the quarterfinals, and that was that.
For political reasons, I’m not a huge fan of France. I’m sure they’re great people and all, but it’s not my favorite country. However, I was pulling for them in the final yesterday, mostly due to Zinedine Zidane, one of the world’s greatest players, who was retiring after the game. I didn’t see much of the game, but I did get to see Zidane pull a really bone-headed move. In the second over time period, with not much time left until penalty kicks, something must have happened, because Zidane did a 180 and threw a vicious head butt into one of Italy’s players. The main ref didn’t see the play, but the sideline ref did, and Zidane received the red card – automatic dismissal from the match. Had Zidane made it to penalty kicks, we might have seen a different end result, but the world will never know.
It’s a little sad to know that this international event won’t be around for another 4 years, but now that I know some more players, hopefully I’ll be able to catch some of the Euro club games while I wait for 2010 in South Africa.
Penalty Kicks
0I just finished watching Portugal defeat England on penalty kicks. We really have nothing like penalty kicks (I guess except for a shootout in hockey) like them in American sports, at least that I can think of.
There is an incredible amount of pressure on players in the World Cup. Although we Americans might not realize it, soccer is THE most popular sport in the entire world. These players carry the hopes and dreams of the fans in their respective countries on their shoulders.
I feel bad that a game has to end in penalty kicks. The players have played their hearts out for 2 hours. That’s right – 2 hours! And they have to settle for 5 kicks to determine the fate of the match. What a way to lose, but on the other hand I imagine it would be a pretty exhilirating way to win a match.
I always laugh when people say soccer isn’t a real sport, or is a sissy sport. Please. Soccer matches are 90 minutes. You won’t find a regulation game that long, save for baseball, in all of the major American sports (NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, etc.) Plus there is constant movement. No starting and stopping all the time, like football. And here’s the kicker. You only get 3 subs, that’s right 3, for the entire game. When they’re used up, then you’re out. It’s pretty insane when you think about in the context of American sports. Shaq gets tired – rest him a couple minutes. Your running back just makes a long run – rest him for a few plays. Line changes in hockey. There is no such thing in soccer.
I wish there was an easier way to watch the matches of this year’s World Cup, but at least I’m catching the match between France and Brazil at the moment, and the championship match will be next Sunday, so that’s a definite plus. Until then….GGGGGOOOOOAAAALLLLL!