After reading the comment on the previous post, I went to Google and searched for “SEO poker tournament Pubcon” and there it was… Cool! I’m not sure how I missed this, and it’s even had several Sphinns.

I just want to let people know that SEMpdx Board Members Todd Mintz & Scott Hendison will be at the Webmaster World Conference (aka Pubcon) in Las Vegas that’s starting on 12/4. While I’ll be taking in the top sessions from the comfort of the audience, Scott will be doing a presentation on Webhosting & SEM which will certainly be the absolute highlight of the conference.

Do you even know what Google Notebook is? Even if you do know what it is, you probably aren’t using it very much, but you may want to start, because not only is it a handy tool, it might start to affect rankings.

According to this article by Bill Slawski, there may be a new Google ranking factor coming soon. It’s probably already on your computer, and if you’re like me, you rarely find yourself using it, although I did play with it extensively for about two weeks over the summer, while I was contemplating giving up Microsoft Office completely.

We never stop trying to add more value to our membership, so in addition to the monthly events (which have been getting better and better), we’ve been trying to obtain more member discounts.

The latest discount obtained comes from http://www.affiliatesummit.com/, whose biannual conferences are a marketer’s dream. If you’ve never been to an Affiliate Summit, you’re missing out, with the next one coming in February in Las Vegas. The discount is for 10% off, and will be added to our members password-protected area, from the SEMpdx.org site. If you need it sooner, just drop us an e-mail…
Thanks to Sean Collins from AS, and Paul Colligan, who helped connect us and make this happen…

I just set up a quick campaign on Google Ad Words for one of my new affiliate sites, and nowhere along the way was I offered the option of being in the content network, nor was I shown this usual checkbox that says I’m going to be included. Doesn’t that seem wrong?

If you are going to attend Webmaster World / Pubcon in Las Vegas, you likely have already bought your ticket. However one member e-mailed us to say that they just tried the discount code today, and it had expired, since it was only good through the 15th.

A quick e-mail to the Webmaster World office got them to extend the discount for three more days only, even though they told us it would expire.

Partnership will link Portland SEM professionals more closely to SEMPO classes and services

PORTLAND,Oregon, November 19, 2007 – SEMpdx, Portland’s professional search marketing network, www.sempdx.org., announced today it is partnering with the global Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), www.sempo.org, to bring SEMPO’s distance learning program and other services to the Portland, Bend and Salem markets.

Will people ever be able to put domains into a 529 College Plan?

Will governments ever try to tax domains based on their real or perceived “book” value?

Will governments ever use the power of “eminent domain” to take custody of a domain?

Will every bank trustee ever need to know domain optimization as part of their job description?

Would domains ever need to pass through probate?

Sean McMahon is the president of EngineWorks Inc., and here is his presentation.

“Enticing Content” published to major social networks, increasing quality website traffic, prominent positioning withing natural search engines. The more enticing the content, the more backlinks that are created.

Here are examples of how social media can spread…

http://www.shoewawa.com/2007/11/heelscom_a_new.html
http://www.shoeblog.com/blog/this-week-in-shoes-18/
http://www.sevenmile.com/2007-11/wheres-jessica-simpson-heelscom/
http://www.ucdailynews.com/lifestyle/fashion/11041226.html
http://vipglamour.net/2007/11/05/celebrities-in-high-heels/

Stan is the president of Straight-On Internet Consulting, and here is his presentation.

SEO Game Plan – On Page Strategy (SEO Optimization), Off Page Strategy (Link Development / PPC). Solid Foundation – Right Keywords, content, web structure, page structure. Reasons people to visit, revisit site.

Right keywords–Appropriate, Popular, Relevant, Competitive & Targeted.

Linkbait – Authoritative Source of Information, Desirable Tool, Business Partners & Valuable Information.