Frankly, most people in the SEO world think I’m more successful than I really am, and I’m just now getting comfortable with admitting that. The truth is, I leveraged my writing abilities and a cartoon avatar bought from a stock photo site into a personal brand. But I don’t know the first thing about getting rich, quick or otherwise. Now that I’m … *cough* … “self-employed,” I’m trying to figure out the right business model for my skills and personality. I’d happily settle for “get-enough-money-to-buy-diapers-this-week.”

Oh, and if you ever see an auto DM from me, sound the alarms, because my account just got hacked.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one with a healthy perspective on the social media numbers game. If people did more listening, less talking (and less worrying about who’s listening to them), they’d be a lot better off.

p.s. I’m in Sonoma County, and goddamn if this isn’t the most beautiful piece of Earth I’ve ever set foot upon.

For my money you’ve already “something worth noticing” with this thoughtful post – you’ve gained a new follower, anyway! And I very much doubt you’ve got an auto DM responder on Twitter broadcasting some lame get-rich-quick scheme. Keep at it!

Btw I read your husband is from SF, I live in North Beach…been in the city since 1988. I have been in the South for a couple of years… but I have to tell you I can’t wait to go back home.

Found you through Twitter and had to check out the blog, very nice. Love the logo.

Most social media sites seem to be very false, with everybody commenting or ‘appreciating’ something for their own personal gain.

I hate the people on Web sites such as Twitter who think they are above everybody else because they have tens of thousands of followers – and as you say – don’t give people the time of day.

The internet is a cesspool. One big pyramid scheme in some circles. Total fraud in others.

I find if I help people out in networks when it’s no skin off my back, its usually reciprocated, and in general, people are very appreciative. If I ask for a favour, I always expect one day to repay or give some support in future.

I HATE the bitching in SM today, the celebrity that is derived from it and I HATE even more the people who try to bully people online when they wouldn’t say boo to your face – especialy when I see them harass ‘newbies’ as if they havent made a mistake before.

What I am looking for when I subscribe to feeds (like yours ) etc and Twitter accounts is a tad of honesty, even misguided honesty is better than the false crap or misdirection you see these days.

I think enjoying what you do and making a living (nay career) from it is more useful than being noticed. I honestly think honest participation usually comes before getting noticed. Everybody gets their 15 minutes anyway

Getting noticed is only part of it anyway… then you need to sell your soul

Take care Adrienne

It seems like a lot of people these days are questioning whether SEO is losing relevance. If you’re talking strictly in terms of on-page optimization, then sure, it’s not the end-all, be-all anymore. But I think what a lot of the top dogs in the industry forget is that not everyone is working for a Fortune 500 brand. In unglamorous niches, for your average mom-and-pop client, on-page SEO is still a very big deal. The average small business website is so deeply flawed that fixing the fundamentals can make a big impact.