BevLog

I'm following this latest SEO change because it's about content - specifically writing - and I am a copywriter who writes Web site content, articles, blogs and case studies. Potomac Tech Wire reported more details about Google's recent change. Their story linked to The Official Google Blog posted 2/24 by Amit Singhal and Matt Cutts.

MediaPost Search Insider wrote a story on Friday, "When Google Listens" that says a key to this change is a new plug-in for Google's Chrome browser that lets users block sites "they feel do not deliver quality content relevant to the search query." That is really good news for everybody, especially every professional copywriter and his/her clients in today's fast-paced online world.

AOL announced the aquisition of The Huffington Post. Yesterday, AOL announced the company is merging AOL Media with "HuffPo" to form the Huffington Post Media Group to house all content and local experiences under the editorial leadership of Arianna. AOL-owned TechCrunch posted a story with the AOL internal email.

In that email, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong told employees about using the "80/80/80 strategy." I admit that I had to do a Google Search to find out what that meant. That sounds like "80/80/80" is very similar to the old "mass marketing."

That same TechCrunch editor reported that "Google Targets Content Farms with Major Search Algorithm Tweaks." Keyword: Content. Google's goal was to "weed out low-value content." Are unpaid/free content glory days in count down. Did AOL have bad timing again?

"The Wall Street Journal" (WSJ) broke the news yesterday that "Borders Group Inc. is in the final stages of preparing a bankruptcy filing..." Borders shares closed under $1 on Friday (vs. the all-time high of $37 in 1998) after the WSJ reported the bankruptcy plans.

A local Michigan newspaper, "Crain's Detroit Business" reports the page-turning story in detail, complete with an industry analyst's take.

Borders has 674 stores and 19,500 staff. The popularity of online shopping and e-readers continues to grow. You can Follow "Publishing Trends" from here on. I'm going back to focus on media/marketing.

On Sunday, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and Huffington Post's co-founder Arianna Huffington were at the Super Bowl. But they were gaming their own way. AOL, once the leading high-flyer of online is seeking to revive growth in advertising revenue after another drop in ad sales in the fourth quarter. (Not the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl)

Armstrong said it was creating "a new American media company...the future of the Internet will be a lot more driven by females...we wanted Arianna's voice at AOL and for her to help us creatively."

I was surprised to see how quickly PBS News Hour picked up an interview with Armstrong and Huffington. The transcript is there, too. Here's a picture of the "AOL/Huffington Post family album."

P.S. Arianna may be the merger's big winner.

Since my last post about bookstores, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 1, "Borders Group May File for Bankruptcy as Soon as Next Week..." The shares were -36 percent to $0.47. New-York-based Barnes & Noble, the largest U.S. bookseller, advanced $1.17/share or 7.4 percent to $16.92. Off the "record," I wouldn't be a buyer.

Prior to that news, the WSJ "Deal Journal" blog hinted, "Borders news, in translation, yeah, bankruptcy is a possibility."

Wikipedia reports that Borders' first chapter was written in 1971 by Borders brothers, Tom and Louis, who launched the first store in Ann Arbor during their undergraduate and graduate years at University of Michigan. Today, books have turned the next page - virtual.