Ian M Rountree

Project Manager, Copywriter, Digital Marketer

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Are People Actually Searching for Buzzwords?

January 8, 2011 by Ian Leave a Comment

Ever worry that Twitter is overtaking the blogosphere?

Well, it is. If you look at Google Trends and compare “blog” with “twitter” for search (like the screenshot below) you may think that Twitter has indeed taken over the search volume. However, looking at the numbers with a little more scrutiny, it’s entirely possible that searches containing “blog” are just as strong as it ever was, with Twitter accounting for more of the remaining available search statistics. This is probably a case of “everything is with, not instead of” (hat tip to Mitch Joel for that phrase).

Google Trends - Comparing Blog to twitter - Screenshot taken January 8th, 2011
Google Trends - Comparing Blog to twitter - Screenshot taken January 8th, 2011

Concerned that we’re too worried over Return On Investment?

This time last year, “Social Media ROI” was a massive idea – the concept of measuring the business value of human interaction is very appealing. but – was this because social media was on the rise? Or because people were more concerned with ROI itself?

Again, Trends gives us what we needed here – comparing Google Trends for “social media” with “roi” for search terms shows us that the latter saw very little overall fluctuation; our awareness of all things social media, however, increased very strongly. This of course must include ROI, as the social media ideal began to enter the business world.

Google Trends - Social Media compared to ROI - screenshot taken January 8th, 2011
Google Trends - Social Media compared to ROI - screenshot taken January 8th, 2011

It’s good to be aware of trends – but it’s also important that trends get some perspective. Scale, volume, and capacity don’t always mean the same things.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: analytics, blog measurement, Blogging, buzzwords, google trends, hack analytics, mitch joel, never mind the buzzwords, perspective, roi, social media, statistics, twitter

Stop Acting Like a Fool and Blow Something Up!

January 13, 2010 by Ian 5 Comments

Double Explosion, Lake Austin Fireworks on FlickrWhen I initially made the switch to retail, one of my first managers – a very wise dude we refer to as Yoda – told me that “there is no such thing as a big deal. Anything can be handled, if you have the presence of mind to approach it the right way.” I’ve let this be my guiding principal for everything I do relating to client care for five years, and it’s turning out pretty well so far.

Amber Naslund of Altitude Branding made a very good point this morning with her post about Tough Love. In short, she says that there’s a lot of work to be done in any organization, from the giants to the individuals. We all need to get better at whatever it is we do, and one o the answers isn’t necessarily training or new tactics, it’s as simple as personal evaluation and nose-to-the-wheel effort.

It feels like a big deal, doesn’t it? It’s not, really, if you know where to look for the tools that will help you do better. They’re not the same for everyone, but I do have a few suggestions:

  • Rest up! Make sure you’re taking time for yourself, and make sure it’s on purpose. There’s a big performance gap between people who rest whenever there’s less work to be done, and those who rest actively, taking part in community activities, or hobbies, or even doing hobby style work on the side. While moonlighting is stressful most of the time, having a hobby business loosely or not at all associated with your “real work” can give you something meaningful to do with your time. Active rest means avoiding the Summer Break syndrome at the end of the weekend, keep your momentum going and growing, and leave the lazy in the dust.
  • Stop absorbing so much! Face it, we all love our blogs. If we didn’t, I wouldn’t be talking to you like I am now. But when we notice, forlorn, that our Google Reader unread list grows by a hundred articles a day, and it’s largely passive amusement, it’s time to pare down. Do something with what you’re reading. React to it on a blog, comment on the articles, encourage conversation. If you’re a creative, follow the tutorials and actually do them, don’t just read them. Our problem isn’t search overload, it’s stack overflow. We can only retain so much information in a useful way before it all becomes a blur of meaningless white noise. How much value do you get out of the two dozen blogs you follow then?
  • Read Up! Counterintuitive, I know, given that I just said stop absorbing. But what I mean is, change formats once in a while. If you mostly read blogs, pick up a book. I don’t care if it’s hardcover, soft cover, kindle – fiction, non-fiction, a technical manual. Just read something different, exposure to new things is always a good idea.
  • Blow Up Your Routine! Stop wasting your time! Active rest is a big help for this, but going through your day with intention is bigger. For example, the first thing I do in the morning is spend five to ten minutes outlining. I write much of what I post over lunch break, and edit when I get home in the evening, schedule for the following morning. This broken up routine beats writers’ block effectively because it keeps me engaged all day with a subject, but never allows room for getting overwhelmed. And that’s the trick.

After all, it’s all about avoiding the feeling of being overwhelmed, and knowing how to steer your own boat. You have massive opportunities waiting in the five minutes of down time you see three or four times a day. Even if you’re doing things not entirely related to work, building the habit of some kind of productivity, and eschewing the tendency to non-productive activity, is pretty likely to help with whatever it is that you’re doing to pay the bills.

Nothing’s a big deal. Go at it consistently and, most of all, make decisions! No one got anywhere waiting for a committee vote on their own lives. You’re the one who has to pull the trigger.

Photo by Jim Nix.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: altitude branding, amber naslund, explosions, lessons, perspective, retail, work to do

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