EduNotes Blog

Last week I attended a seminar introducing the next version of the Microsoft Operating System. Called Vista, this operating system has some cool features. My Mac-friends will tell us that Bill Gates is still “innovating” in Steve Job’s footsteps though as many of the WOW features look similar to OSX running on Apple computers.
But a lot of the time saving features were very impressive. As I watched the demonstration of how easy the search would work, I had a nagging feeling I’d seen something similar before. And then it hit me – Google desktop search does (or tries to do) the same thing. Many of the new features I saw were obviously driven by competition whether from the Mac crowd or the Google crowd. As Windows Vista gears up for release late this year and early next, keep an eye on Google and Microsoft to see how this rivalry will play out.

Are you subscribed to EduNotes or does someone send this to you? If you’re not signed up, sign up now and get our “10 Mistakes in Designing Your Website” for free. If you’re already signed up and would like this publication, send a message to edunotes@educyber.com and we’ll send it to you.

Someone asked me how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works. I wish I had a handy answer but there isn’t one. It’s a constantly moving target, trying to get your web site to attain and maintain a high ranking in the search engines for your key words. But there are a few quick rules you can use:

1. Determine the key words you want to be ranked for
2. Actually use those words and phrases in your site
3. Use meaningful hyperlinks – instead of “Click Here for your files” where Click Here is linked, try “Get your Important Files” where Important Files is linked.
4. Check your web site statistics to see if your site is being indexed by the search engines (you’ll see visits by spiders like Googlebot or MSNBot or Inktomi Slurp. As strange or disgusting as these names might sound, they are good news because they mean your site is being indexed by the search engines.
5. If you don’t see these spiders in your web logs, you’ll need to visit each engine and add your site to the mix.

Confused by terms like spiders and web blogs? It’s not quite a jungle out there but call EduCyber at 720-275-4646 to learn more.