The Big Problem of “Little Things”
Most of us have been there. You’ve got a busy week ahead of you, full to the brim with big projects. Inevitably, though, someone asks if you can, “Do this one little thing real quick.” You take a few minutes to do so. After all, what’s the harm? Then another “little thing” pops up. And [...]
SEO Career Advice for Power Digger Neal Rodriguez
A few weeks ago, my good friend Simon Owens introduced me via email to noted Power Digger Neal Rodriguez. As it turned out, Neal was interested in a career in SEO, and I was more than happy to weigh in with the following advice. Don’t just be an SEO specialist; be an online marketer. SEO [...]
WYSIWYR: What You See is What You Regret
Once upon a time much earlier in my career, a coworker observed me composing code in a basic text editor and described the approach as, “Spartan.” I argued that my argument was cleaner, leaner, and all together better. My coworker argued that WYSIWYG code was more convenient and efficient. In the time since, I’ve progressed [...]
Aside: Working in Moderation
Work to live; don’t live to work. – Steve Povlish Don’t get me wrong; I value a job well done as much as the next person. In fact, I feel unfulfilled at the end of the day if I don’t do something meaningful at work. I don’t have to get everything done, but as long [...]
Aside: 7+1 Personal Finance Tips for Web Professionals
I try to keep this blog strictly related to its core purpose: Giving advice on improving your website and your career as a web professional. From time to time, though, I feel the need to talk about something a little further off to the side. This post will be the first in a category I’ll [...]
The Three Things You Need to Become an Expert in Anything
Like many autodidactic web workers out there, I never received a formal indoctrination in my various fields of expertise. Sure, I learned some useful things in college, but there’s a wide gap between my education and my professional ability. Realizing this, and the fact that I learned at least half of my professional disciplines on [...]
How to Pass the Google Advertising Professional (GAP) Exam
Last year, I managed millions of dollars worth of online advertising, well over a million of which was through Google AdWords. Adding up those numbers for my yearly review brought me to the sobering conclusion that I was long overdue for completing my Google Advertising Professional (GAP) certification. For those who don’t know, the Google [...]
Death of the Computer Guy
(Rant Warning: This article is a departure from my normal tone. I’ve dealt with this issue far too many times to word it less strongly. I hope you’ll bear with me.) You wrote the cover letter. You submitted the resume. They knew who you were, what you could do, and why you were interested in [...]
The Secret to Blogging for Money
For many, professional blogging is a dream job where you sit at home, work your own hours, and earn boatloads of money with little effort. You can live freely and make your living writing about your passions, all without changing out of your PJs. These starry-eyed dreamers look up to the greats and say, “Me [...]
Show Results, Win a Free Lunch
Case: Marketing Contest Earlier this month, my supervisor challenged our team to produce our own original marketing campaign proposals. The rules of this little game/performance evaluation were simple. We were to create our own lead generation campaigns using any renewable audience, in any medium, targeted toward any of our company’s products. A week later, we [...]