Although I don’t consider myself a journalist, nor in most cases is Answer Guy Central what I believe most people consider to be a “news source”, one of the habits I share with publishers is that I keep a close eye on what people read here. You can see part of what I see at the right of this page (or at the bottom on a mobile device) where we show you what’s been most popular recently as well as over the last year.
As I write this, there are several entries that match both criteria. Many, many people are reading my stories about Google Dumbing Down The Nexus 7, Siri Running on Any Computer, Verizon FIOS Quantum, and Poor Customer Service at Acer.
Part of this is because we practice the same Search Engine Optimization techniques we use for our SEO clients, here. Part of it has to do with the way people behave when I write about specific topics (my piece about Sex.com and Pinterest is on both the long and short term lists, too).
And part of why you see the pattern I’m describing is about the vagaries of social media.
This was what I was talking about yesterday when I pointed out the difference between real time and Internet time; while I like people to see the things I write the moment I write them, on the Internet the value of that happening isn’t as cut-and-dried as it is in “real life”. And again: here’s one of the reasons I say “I’m not a journalist”; my business goals are different than the goals of most members of the press. I don’t usually need you to see my work “today”; I just need to you see it.
Often, journalists don’t understand this; too often the see their craft as a one-way communication.
I mention all of this today for a couple of reasons.
First, as always, I write here about what I do in the way that I do because it suits my business needs. It is what it is; I’m doing that Search Engine Optimization thing.
But even more important, I feel like I can help you the most when I get you thinking about the way you’re pursuing your business change goals. So I’d like to point you at a link that one of our readers today happened across this morning: It’s a roll-up of all the times I’ve talked about social networking, and as I started reading through it I realized how compelling a story is tells.
I’d never have seen that story if I didn’t keep an eye on what’s important to you. And that’s social media.
And it matters.
If you’d like to talk about how Answer Guy Central does social media for our clients, shout out.