A New Dawn

As I have been spending my time this summer working for Oregon State University’s Community Service Center I have been busy doing research particularly on what other university’s community service or service learning centers look like. Looking into other center’s around Oregon I really get more of a feeling they are centered on service learning more than community service and volunteer opportunities. In the past few years the center ( also under a fair amount of construction ) has focused on providing students at Oregon State with volunteer opportunities around the community. This past year I actually found myself involved with the environmental board for the center. It was the first year they had split up into particular boards that were led by a student coordinator. Now being the first year of doing this and not having much to go off the students tried to organize a large volunteer opportunity for students at OSU. Unfortunately the results were not exactly what everyone was hoping for.

So as the new communications coordinator I am hoping first to get the name out about the community service center around the OSU campus and Corvallis community, with big goals to eventually have the center known state wide for our efforts in community service. The one important thing I must pin point before I plan my marketing campaign is what the center should focus on and represent: Community service or service learning.

The Difference between Service-Learning and
Community Service

Although they may seem similar, service-learning and community service are different concepts. Both emphasize developing civic responsibility, meeting authentic community needs, and creating strong collaborations with the community. Both value students’ personal, social, career and ethical growth.

However, there are a few significant differences:

 Service-learning is an instructional strategy; a way of teaching classroom content. Community service does not emphasize school curriculum.

 Service-learning uses reflection as a means for interpreting experiences. Community service does not require reflection.

 Service-learning, because it is integrated with school curriculum, can take place during the school day, and on the school campus. Community service often must take place outside of the school day, and off campus.

 Community service is often quantified by having students serve a designated number of hours. Service-learning, because it takes place both within and outside of the classroom, emphasizes “service experiences” as opposed to hours.

 Community service often involves students, as individuals, serving in local non-[profit agencies. Service-learning lends itself towards full class group projects.

Example of community service:

Students take a field trip to pick up trash, bottles and cans a long the banks of a river. They do this once in the fall and once in the spring.

Example of service-learning:

Students discover that a local river is degraded. While connecting their project to relevant curriculum, students and teachers work with an environmental group to design the project. They conduct water quality tests and research possible contamination sources. Students analyze data and present their finding to local officials. The environmental group then uses this data for watershed programs.

I see service learning be more of something that should be incorporated into the university rather into the university by a single center. As of now the center doesn’t have the ability to produce service learning to an entire university. It is a huge challenge to take on and in the next few years I hope that Oregon State will make an attempt at using service learning to fully benefit the school, community and Oregon. As for me and the Center I believe I need to focus on making it a hub for students and departments a like to come for volunteer opportunities. Hopefully by the end of summer the CSC will be known around town, that way when school starts we can have efforts to get students out helping in our community.

I have lots of ideas for getting the community service center off the ground..next up our new website! I will be taking a class on the basics of OSU’s website development software called Drupal. Should be interesting!

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Super excited to start up my internship this week with Limelight Department in Eugene, OR! Limelight is an ad agency that specialzes in online marketing and website development, and has many other awesome business projects along side. Unfortunately I have missed most of this week’s meetings due to the end of the legislative session and my duties that still reside at Oregon’s fine Capitol and to the great Representative Arnie Roblan, but I made it for half a day and already have learned so much! I did leave my trusty digital voice recorder so I wouldn’t miss too much important info. I have no experience in marketing except for what I have learned working as a store manager a year ago so I am incredibly excited to learn more about marketing and advertising, but there is plenty more that I will be learning along with that. I am so excited and ready to take in as much knowledge as I can : ) I have lots to learn!

Check out great internet marketing articles and free web tools from Limelight Department.

Climb the Google Ladder in 2 Easy Steps
By Shaylor Murray, May 2009

The early days of search engine optimization were, in hindsight, so simple. Back then all it took was a few good meta tags. Even tactics like invisible text and keyword stuffing not only wasn’t frowned upon but actually worked. Of course, that’s all changed. The search landscape is very different now, and while it used to be that scattering keywords around like confetti was all you had to do, today a much higher premium is placed on two things: content and inbound links.

There’s no absolute consensus on how important each element is, and it varies slightly from one search engine to another, but content weighs in as more important, probably about 70%, with inbound links making up the other third of this two part equation.

I would like to point out there are about 100 other factors that play a dynamic roll in acheiving top ranking but these are the foundation of everything else. If you don’t have these two, the rest is useless.

Step 1: Content, Content, Content

Much like the real estate mantra “location, location, location,” climbing the ladder to the top of Google requires great content. The bottom line is that visitors will not stick around to check out your site unless your content is worth looking at. This will not be an overnight process.

Writing for a website is a bit of an art. It’s important to use keywords, but the tone should be one of natural speech. If you’re using to many keywords that you’re stumbling across the words as you read them, and you’re sacrificing general readability to get more keywords in there, that’s a mistake. If you’re unsure, ask a friend to help you write something in a naturally conversant way.

Ideally, each keyword phrase should have its own optimized page. That’s not likely in reality, but you should limit your usage to no more than two or three keyword phrases per page. You should allow for about 200 words per keyword. For a paragraph of the length of this one you’re reading now (~190 words), use the keyword no more than two times within the body text. The keyword should definitely be in the page title, and should be used within the first sentence of the content. Beyond that, limit use of your keyword phrase and spread it equally throughout the page. Wrap up the whole page of text with another usage, to show the spiders that the content is relevant throughout. Incorporate the keyword as anchor text for links that lead to another page of your own site, particularly the first usage. The link should lead to another page optimized for a different keyword, but with related content. For content with two different keyword phrases, the same rule applies: about 150 words per usage of the keyword.

Step 2: Link, Link, Link

When linking, go for the highest quality sites with content that is relevant to yours. Link farms that link your digital photography equipment website to a running shoe website are likely not going to help you. When linking, be consistent in how you enter your website, because in Google’s eyes, “http://www” is not the same as “www”. Google considers links from high PageRank pages as more “authoritative” than links from low PageRank pages. Sites with PR of more than 5 will likely know they are in desirable link territory because they’ll be receiving a lot of link requests. So go back to Step 1 above, and start building that great content so that they’ll have no reason to deny your request.

There are several tools available that can help you determine the PageRank of a site. (This is not the same as a site’s placement in the search engine results pages.) The free Google Toolbar is one tool that can help you quickly determine the PR of any page you surf to. It will appear as a blue bar indicating a whole number strength between 0 to 10. Most high quality pages have a PR of at least 4. Only the most popular pages, like Google itself or something like CNN.com, have a PR of 10.

One thing to avoid if possible is a Links page, where all of your inbound links are essentially relegated to the content dustbin. Having all of those precious links going to one page, or all to your home page, is a big mistake and a waste of what could be major link juice. The links should go to your actual content pages, where they are most closely related to the content of the linking site. Most often, the home page is the highest PR page on a site, so the link should originate from the other site’s home page, to one of your deep content pages.

Inbound links to your pages should feature your keyword as the anchor text triggering the hyperlink, in other words, the keyword is the clickable part leading to your page. Surround the link on your own site with as much relevant content as possible. This is not the place to use generic, placeholder text.

The Method

Building links is a bit of a chore. The best way to handle it is to add it to your schedule and do it like any other task. There’s really no better way, other than great content as we just discussed, to build your website’s stability and authority on the major search engines. It’s a task that will repay you in full, provided it is undertaken with some care. The automated reciprocal link services are questionable. The links are often to low quality junk pages, or temporary, or are links to pages that can get your site blacklisted on Google.

It’s tedious to link manually, so the other option is to hire that service out to a professional. If you do choose to investigate paying a link service, find one that sets it up so your page links to another, which links to a different page, which then links to you. That way each link is counted as a one way inbound link by Google, which is the most valuable type of link to have. Periodically check your backlink profile, and make sure the links aren’t broken, and are to quality pages.

If you’re building the links yourself, take a little care with how you phrase your link request. Some people aren’t aware of the value of links, so explaining to them what you want to do and how it will benefit both of your sites will improve your odds. Don’t write the email like a caveman. Explain why the page you want them to link to is most relevant to the content they have on their own site. Link to it in the email so they can see the page and be sure that what you’re saying is true. Put the link to their site in place first. When possible, use the webmaster’s name, so they know you’ve actually done your homework and you’re not an automated linkbot.

Also, steady linking over time is much more important than just lots of links. Google want to see that people continue to see your site as a valuable resource over time. If links suddenly stop coming, it’s a sign that your site or page no longer holds it’s value. A priceless tool in combating this is to provide something related to your topic like an online tool, video or article (”sticky content”) that makes others want to link to it.

Summary

The goal of having a quality site is that people will naturally want to link to you, and while link-building will be something you have to do, it will be a supplement to organically-grown (so to speak) links on your site. As your content improves, you will get more links, and you will begin that climb up the Google ladder. Add in some links that were hand-picked by you, and improved content, and you’ll climb even higher.

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About Limelight Department

Limelight Department in advertising agency that specializes in Internet marketing for businesses across the US and Canada. Our experts utilize proven strategies of website development, media design, search engine optimization, pay-per-click, copy writing, content distribution and many other services to send targeted, ready-to-buy traffic to your site. Visit LimelightDepartment.com for more information.

Plus more awesome and helpful internet marketing articles.

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As I learn more about new media I am always finding excellent blogs as I browse the vast internet, recently I came across an excellent blog on Careerealism’s site about the importance of YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY. As I spoke in my last blog about the importance of new media in searching for a job, this blog also touchs base on huge issues on this subject. I found it very insightful.

Career Truth #1: Brand or Be Branded (Are YOU Willing to Risk What Shows on the Top Fold?)
March 12, 2009 by sparktalk
By J.T. O’Donnell

Several people have told me lately they don’t care about their career identity online. “I should be able to do what I want,” or, “My life shouldn’t be judged by employers based on what they see on the web.” I say this: brand or be branded. You can either make sure people ‘hear what they see’ in a way that boosts your credibility. Or, you can ignore your online presence and be seen as, A) non-existent and unimportant, or perhaps even worse, B) the Dennis Rodman of the net.

Let me explain…(and trust me, you are going to want to read this story!)

A young woman reached out to me recently supposedly ‘desperate’ about her job search. Having graduated college last spring and yet to land an interview, she claimed to have ‘tried everything’ and was sure she was doing something wrong. I looked at her resume which had some things that could be improved, but her academic achievements were solid and in a specialized field. Then, I checked her cover letter. It was pretty standard, but not bad, which then made me wonder if her online identity was the issue. So, I decided to complete an Internet search on her – just as 4 out of 5 hiring managers do today. I put in her name and the school she graduated from. What popped up in the results shed some light. The #1 item in the results was her Facebook picture. It was a blurry photo of her in a sweatshirt and her eyes were closed. Okay, so it was nothing terrible, but it also wasn’t a powerful first impression.

And besides, what followed was much worse…

You see, her Facebook photo also happened to be the ONLY thing that popped up about her. Nothing related to school, nothing related to volunteering, nothing related to her field of study…absolutely nothing. In fact, the next 10 entries thereafter were for someone with the same name but different middle initial who currently writes a very open and direct blog about an alternative lifestyle subject.

Now, is it frustrating to think she might actually be getting discriminated against because of an online search? Of course! This recent grad doesn’t have a lot of experience, which means her career identity is being branded as sub-par (and maybe even misinterpreted) from lack of solid professional online content. Yet, that doesn’t mean a person with this problem should sit in the sandbox and pound their fists. Any person, at any age, at any time in their career can build a strong online career identity. The reality is you only need 5-6 good things to come up in a search so the top fold (the uppermost portion of the computer screen that shows the top search results) is filled with positive items about you. Why? Because people rarely, if ever, bother to scroll down or click on the next page of a search. They usually assume what is in the top fold is the most relevant.

So, how do you create and/or improve your online career identity?

Step 1: Identify Your Brand’s Keywords

Do a search on yourself and see what comes up. You may find someone with your name has coveted the top fold. From there, identify what keywords you can use to differentiate yourself from this person. Should you be using your full name? Your middle initial? Your affiliation with an organization or a type of work? Figure out how you want people to find you so you can build your brand around these keywords.

Step 2: Become a Blog Reader & Commenter

Begin reading career-related content on blogs for 10 minutes daily. This will help you stay-up-to date and in-the-know. Then, start posting thoughtful, well-written, professional comments on these blogs related to your field of interest. Don’t know where to find these blogs? Go to www.AllTop.com – they are like a magazine rack of online blogs. There, you’ll be able to find dozens of blogs related to your career aspirations so that you can post comments to enhance your credibility as a knowledgeable member of your field/industry. Better still, if you are reading this, you are on a blog RIGHT NOW. So, take 2 extra minutes to post a comment and you’ll be on your way.

Step 3: Ask to Guest Post & Become a Subject-Matter Expert

Once you’ve got commenting down, it’s time to consider writing a guest blog post on a subject related to your career. After you’ve become a regular commenter on a particular site and feel you relate to their readership, contact them and ask if they would accept a guest post from you. Give them an overview of the topic you would write about. If they are interested, you can write the whole article, submit it, and voila – you are a published author on the net.

Step 4: Get Your Twitter Brand Up and Running

Finally, get a Twitter account and learn the 3 key phases for leveraging its power for your career. (FYI – sign up HERE to get step-by-step instruction on how to do that). Twittering is micro-blogging. Better still, it’s like instant messaging for professionals. It is an easy, fast way to connect with hundreds of like-minded people in a short period of time. You can be connected to 1000’s of people in a matter of weeks. Better still, you can ‘tweet’ (post short 140 character comments) to them which a hiring manager can read if they do a search on your Twitter account name. So, it’s like inviting an employer to see what you are like to converse with. A great way to brand yourself! (And don’t forget to follow @careerealism on Twitter so you can see the 14 career experts who are donating their time and providing real-time advice to career questions from our followers as part of our Twitter Advice Project.)

Does this sound like too much work? It’s really not, I promise. But, even if it does take a little effort, it’s worth it.

Here’s an example:

One of the interns in our CAREEREALISM program actually joined the marines and was deployed in Iraq. He did this so he could pay for college. When he came back to the university, he was contacted by a student who wanted to write a story about his experience. He’s an extremely humble person, but agreed to do the interview. The story posted online and it is an incredible look at what life is like there. Now, he never told myself or the rest of our team about this. Actually, with his permission, I was the one that shared this online story with his fellow interns; many of whom have become friends with him in the last year and didn’t even know he served in the war. So, how did I know? As his potential employer, I looked him up. You can imagine how much his credibility went up in my mind when I saw and read the story. And, since joining our internship, he’s also begun blogging. At this point, he has a pretty incredible top fold – and he’s only a junior!

In summary, it’s like I said…brand or be branded. Why risk having a lack of any career identity or a bad online presence just because you didn’t take control of the situation? Yes, getting your top fold to look good takes a little effort, but it can provide an incredible return on your time and energy investment.

I am lucky to say I am the ONLY Makenzie Marineau out there (at least that I am aware of ! ) so when I am googled all the articles I have wrote for the newspaper pop up along with my twitter, Facebook, blog etc. Try doing a search on yourself and see what comes up!

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I should be studying right now for my last final of the term but unfortunately I keep thinking of all the other things going on and what I must get done etc.! Blah I am exhausted. I leave today for my home town to visit family and friends for an evening before I ascend onto my trip to San Fran where I will then board a plane to Mexico! It really hasn’t hit me that I will be sipping margaritas on a tiny island in the Caribbean in less than a few days, but I know I will be enjoying it when the time comes. We fly into Cancun but directly take a ferry to Isla Mujeres, a tiny island that hosts less tourists then Cancun. I am looking forward to my trip tremendously but I still have yet to pack and I have no idea where my swimsuits are! Moving around as much as I have in the past year leaves a lot of stuff packed away in storage. Now I must get back to my studying. Mexico here I come!

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Hey everyone I am just stepping into the blogging world.  The other day I created my first travel blog on Letsgo.com and was quite excited to get more involved.  I haven’t blogged much before except for the occasional Facebook notes.  I did at one time have a msn.space I used quite frequently but that was some time ago!  As a soon to be journalism major I want to get out in the world and involve myself with everything and everyone.  I am interested in so many things and love learning.  I love to write and I hope by blogging I can practice my skills. Can’t wait : )

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