Tweeting to say “CONGRATULATIONS” to David Harry, aka theGypsy, is not enough to express my sentiment and excitement that his post, “SEO Higher Learning” on Huomah.com won a Semmy in the Search Tech category. I wanted to take a moment to share the value of his contributions to the SEO industry (and to my understanding of search).

2010 Search Tech Semmy Winner: David Harry

2010 Search Tech Semmy Winner: David Harry

The above screenshot of the Semmy Winner page shares a snippet from the winning post. I highlighted the following which should be the core driver for every SEO:

“We should learn knowledge management and algorithms with the same verve we apply to playing in social media.”

Well said, David! Your work constantly reminds me that social media can be a distracting shiny object. Obviously, we know social signals are now a factor in the new social search; however, search remains primarily about knowledge management.

SEO Geeks Guide to Information Retrieval

The subtitle, “The SEO Geeks Guide to Information Retrieval,” summarizes the depth and breadth of this higher learning guide that educates by providing a slough of resources relating to the science of SEO.

SEOs is more than modifying meta tags and writing good descriptions with keyword-rich headlines and body copy, and gainingĀ  inbound links. As David explains in his SEO Higher Learning post,

“… it seems logical that those working with (marketing to) search engines might want to know a thing or two about how they work.”

Understanding how search engines evaluate, process and rank content is the core of effective SEO. Research and algorithms are required study for anyone making a living by doing search engine optimization.

Heck, how does one effectively optimize if they don’t know the search engines?

SEO Dojo Community

It’s been over a year since theGypsy compiled this higher learning guide for SEO geeks. Since then, David Harry launched the SEO Dojo, a community for search professionals. If you are in this field, I highly recommend you consider one of the SEO Dojo Membership Plans. (This is not an affiliate link, which means I’m not getting any kickback for sharing.)

I was honored to be one of the initial band of SEO Gypsies on the trail, and I’ve been unable to fully participate during the past few months. One of my career lifestyle changes involves soaking up the content and increasing participation in the SEO Dojo. Our Friday chat sessions on Skype have been an insightful lifeline to me for a while now.

THANK YOU, David Harry, for your obsession with Information Retrieval, for sharing your insights, and for providing such a valuable contribution to the SEO industry. You well deserve the 2010 Semmy Award for Search Tech!

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Yo! Yo! SEO Returns, Soon

January 22, 2010 News
Yo! Yo! SEO Color Guide

Dana Lookadoo is returning to the world of search marketing consulting under the banner of “Yo! Yo! SEO.” Get the story and a sneak peak at the YoYoSEO.com color guide.

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Goodbye Resolutions. Hello Lifestyle Change!

January 1, 2010 Productivity
Goals, Goals, Goals!

Think.
Think about the most common questions you hear at the end of every year. They occur in December and early January.
“Are you ready for Christmas?”
“Do you have a New Year’s resolution?”
Why are New Year’s Resolutions such a big deal? Goal setting and the desire to change is so important that weight loss products and self-help [...]

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Communication & Planning: A Dental Client

December 5, 2009 Productivity
Happy Client = Big Smile

How important is communication and planning from the client perspective?
I’m currently a client, a client of my dental office. Communication and planning are foremost on my mind right now – and in my teeth. My opinion:
Communication and planning from the client perspective is paramount. A happy client produces a big smile!
It took a year and [...]

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Swamped – Coming up to Breathe

November 22, 2009 Productivity
Like an alligator in a swamp

Swamped! What the heck does this have to do with online marketing?
“Swamped” is a state of mind – right now, my mind.
It’s too easy for one who lives in the world of search to feel like an alligator in a swamp. Even alligators need to come up to breathe.
Online marketing is far from the stale [...]

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I Threw Away My Business Cards!

October 11, 2009 News
Yo! Yo! SEO business cards

Staring at the round file, I flashed back at the numerous changes of the past year. There are no doubts and few regrets …
Yes, I threw away my new business cards!
Yo! Yo! SEO?
Yo! Yo! SEO was set to launch in September. I have been rebranding from Pixel Position for months … and months. [...]

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Free Keyword Tool! Thank You, WordStream!

September 17, 2009 Tools
Thank you, WordStream!

I am thankful for WordStream for more than your free keyword tool. Here’s a “Thank you” for a number of reasons. I can’t say it enough!
You give so much and deserve even more in return!
NEW! Free Keyword Tool
The launch of your new Free Keyword Research Tool is a gift to the SEO/SEM industry! FREE? It’s [...]

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The Story of a Social Media Addict

September 4, 2009 Social Media
Texting Addiction

The following story of a Social Media Addict is fictional … or is it?
I walked into the room and saw many familiar avatars, I mean faces.
A few tweeps, I mean people, looked up and smiled. They immediately looked away and down.
Tap. Tap. Click. Click.

My cell phone vibrated.
I kept walking, trying to [...]

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Search Engine Strategies Winnings

August 23, 2009 Conferences
Search Engine Strategies Winnings

My Search Engine Strategies winnings added up to at least $2,225! Special thanks to Technorati, Enquisite, WebmasterRadio.FM, PixelSilk and Twitter.

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Adrenaline Rush of Cycling & SEO

August 7, 2009 SEO
Adrenaline Rush of Cycling & SEO

Cycling (the discipline of riding one’s bicycle enough to consider the sport a habit) and SEO (the process of optimizing one’s online presence for search engines and people) have many parallels. Both “sports,” by nature, include:

Discipline to be consistent, focused on one’s goals;
Awareness of one’s surroundings, what others are doing, how they are doing it;
Technical [...]

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