I’ve been debating about writing this post for the last 3 weeks, but I figured it was time. There’s nothing worse than going around with things bugging you and never working through it. I’m ready to vent about those things and I know that this post is probably gonna piss some people off but I’m OK with that. In fact if it doesn’t have that affect it will only reinforce what I already believe.
Posers
Back in 2002 I changed the clutch on my 1985 Toyota Corolla by myself with only a Chiltons manual, some rusted tools and hydraulic floor jack. After I did that, I didn’t feel compelled to go around and start claiming I was a mechanic or a clutch specialist. I was just a guy who changed the clutch on his car on his own.
If I did suddenly decide to start claiming I could change anyones clutch (which I can’t), I would botch up some people’s cars, end up in court for damages and would probably tarnish the reputation of other “backyard mechanics” who are capable of doing the job right just because I was armed with a little knowledge and a little experience.
Right now if you head over to Matt Cutt’s blog and look at all the comments, I have a perfect example of someone like this. I’ll give you a hint; he spells HIs nAmE liKE ThiS. If you’ve seen his comments, then you already know that this guy is a fucking idiot. Go check out his site. This is a grand example of how there’s people out there supporting misinformation and holding back our profession from being recognized as an asset to any size business or website.
That little story about my clutch serves another purpose as well. Clearly I had no right to think that just because I’ve done something successfully once that I can do it flawlessly again. And that definitely holds true for people just getting involved in SEO or SEM. You just can’t claim that you’re knowledgeable enough to do this until you have had the ups and downs that many of us have had. So, when you’re out chasing your first real client, I hope to hell that you have earned enough experience from practicing on your own sites (notice plural, not singular) before you go and bomb someones website to the point of no return because you thought you could do it. Trust me, you’ll know when you’re ready.
If I had a specific message for the asshat that I mentioned earlier, it would be this; go fuck yourself and whine about Google somewhere else. Your opinion is worthless and you’re not doing anything to help the SEO community or reputation/awareness for our services.
The Experts Can Be Useless Sometimes
Not trying to single out Matt Cutt’s blog, but I want people to realize something about his public facing role. He will never give away the good stuff that will make our job’s any easier. In fact let’s get right to the point; Matt Cutt’s is the buffer to keep the SEO and webmaster community at bay to a certain degree. I have a ton of respect for Matt. He’s smart, he’s a good blogger, he’s a fellow Linux user, and I’m grateful that Google has him as a conduit for public inquiry. But no employer in their right mind would allow an employee to give away the secret formulas to their main product for free. Bottom line; read his posts objectively and look for what’s relevant to your job.
A couple of months ago, I put up a post about how SEO forums can sometimes be one of the absolute worst places to go if you have questions. I still stand by that and I’m sure as hell not gonna back down from it. In that post, I didn’t name anywhere or anyone in particular but today I think I’m going to.
Webmaster World and Digitalpoint are great forums for the most part but you always have your group of people that fit the bill that I mentioned earlier (see asshat). Sitting around all day on a forum waiting for someone who is just learning the ropes to post something so they can jump in and try to start a pissing contest with other “experienced” marketers in an attempt to feed their own ego. You guys are dinks. If you were half as good as you claim to be, then you wouldn’t have time to endlessly troll forums in a pointless attempt to flex your puny little muscles. You’re frauds and a waste of time.
This is unacceptable. I don’t give a god damn what anyone can say about this because it is just not right. Learn some humility and remember that life is about learning, not treating people like they are less than you. Share your knowledge when and where appropriate in order to help people. Otherwise you should shut the fuck up and mind your own business. Don’t like my suggestion? Then prove to me and everyone else that you actually practice what you preach instead of what the mob programmed you to think is the way to do it.
One forum in particular though has really disappointed me because I have been on the receiving end of the shit stick. High Rankings forum is just like the other 2 above, but something far worse is happening here. On numerous occasions I have watched Jill and certain moderators team up on people who say something that they find as irrelevant and to the most part stupid. On some of these posts, I have even seen what appears to be other members try to stand up for the person who just got belittled as an attempt to clarify or defuse this bullshit.
I know Jill is one of the industry’s brightest minds and has been involved in this industry for quite some time. I also know that this is her forum and she can act as she wants. But that’s just the problem I have with this; galvanizing people turning to you for insight and a better understanding is one of the worst things that can happen. You and those mods have no right to do that, and I think you need to remember what makes your forum a community. People. Feel free to terminate my account. SEO Refugee is the best damn SEO forum I have ever found anyways.
To Hell With Celebrity
I’m guilty of this. I let the excitement of meeting well known people in this industry get the best of my judgment. But believe me, I have absolutely no regrets about meeting them. It was fucking awesome and I would do it again any day of the week. But I lost sight of why I even started this blog to begin with; to talk about things I have learned and lightly about things happening in the industry itself that affect what direction SEO is going in.
But the downside of chasing this quest for status was that I figured a few things out the hard way last week. I haven’t been spending enough time on my clients and more importantly with my family. I lost a damn good client and it was my fault entirely. My 3 year old started preschool and I realized that I should have spent more time with him these last couple of months because I only get that chance once. All because I got caught up in trying to impress people.
Another thing I’ve learned about chasing celebrity status is that people really hit my site hard when I do interviews. I’ve had a few people comment on my other posts (and you totally rock for it too), but all that seems to matter is who gets interviewed. I’m not disappointed about getting ANY visits on my blog, but I am disappointed that I had to see how people react to my regular posts versus interviews. I’ll keep doing interviews, but not every week in an attempt to boost my readership or have my name or site recognized. I’ll do it because it’s useful for people who find value in it.
Final Note
I’m done wearing the kid gloves so I can make this blog appeal to everyone. This pissed off guy with the bad language… this is the real me. I’m a grump. Ask my wife. Sarcasm, nicotine and caffeine fuel my day. I’m a political dissenter. I’ll burn bridges to make my point. I wear EVERYTHING on my sleeve because life is too short for mysteries.
I’m sorry that I was never totally true to my roots and attitude when I would write posts. It wasn’t right of me to shortchange myself or be misleading to anyone who reads my blog. I hope you understand.
If this post gets me essentially blacklisted from the community, then so be it. If I pissed you off, then that was the point. At least I did it my way and with total honesty.
