Kids and the Internet

Posted in: Web Info, Tips & Tricks, Website Links

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m far from a parenting expert. Justifiably, I spend pretty much zero time each day thinking about parenting since I have no children.

I do, however, seem to have many dear readers with plenty of kids, and they often send along e-mails asking about best practices in relating to children and the internet. Not knowing the answers to these questions, I’ve conducted a bit of research for all you dutiful parents out there.

Frustratingly, many of the links I found that related to children and the Internet were outdated. I located many sites pointing to “a great guide” by the U.S. Department of Education only to find out that it was published a couple years short of a decade ago and had “ARCHIVED INFORMATION” across the top in big red letters.

So that you’ll not have to pick and sort your way through the outdated sites yourself, here are some of the worthier resources I located:

  • PBS Web License (http://pbskids.org/license) - A fun and colorful interactive quiz that teaches kids excellent “general” rules about web use and safety.
  • Safe Kids (www.safekids.com) - Though far from a glamorous-looking site, the information provided here is useful and up-to-date. This is a site for the entire family, offering guidelines for parents, rules for kids and related articles and issues that are quite interesting.
  • Safe Teens (www.safeteens.com) - Same as above, but for the older kids.
  • What Should I Do If …? (www.cybersavvy.org/cybersavvy/parents/1b3.html) - Part of the Direct Marketing Association’s “Get CyberSavvy” website, this site subsection offers a list of realistic situations parents might encounter. It was designed for parents and children (both young children and teens) to work through together.
  • NetSmartz (www.netsmartz.com) - A bright and very interactive website that is committed to teaching kids and teens how to “stay safer on the internet.” Parents are recommended to at least browse through this site to read about safety tips, online risks, real life stories and statistics. Great information here!
  • GetNetWise (www.getnetwise.org) - Though an excellent overview site for anyone, there’s an entire section on “Keeping Children Safe Online” that offers tools for families, online safety guides and websites for kids.
  • Net Family News (www.netfamilynews.org) - A neat site that acts as an electronic news service to inform and educate families and parents of children who spend time online.

I’m sure at least one of these resources will prove valuable to Summit County parents with current or soon-to-be “cyberkids.”

Stay informed and up-to-date; there are reasons so many child-safety sites exist.

The Truth About Search Engine Rankings

Posted in: Web Info, Tips & Tricks

I wish the truth could be a bit more pleasant.

Gone are the days when one could simply submit her website to multiple search engines (or pay a company to take care of such work) and feel confident that she did everything in her power to achieve good rankings.

The guidelines related to search engine rankings are more convoluted and confusing than they’ve ever been - yet at the same time they’re far less set in stone.

Frustratingly, following all the rules can’t guarantee high rankings for your website; in fact that’s rule No. 1 in the search engine ranking industry: there are no guarantees.

Unfortunately, a large number of individuals and companies claiming to be search engine specialists make gobs of money by feeding off innocent and naive business owners.

Remember, if a company approaches you touting its search engine ranking services and you see any of the following warning signs, simply say, “No, thank you,” and walk the other way.

  • The company guarantees you top 10 rankings (for something other than a ridiculously obscure phrase). As I said before: In this industry, there are no guarantees.
  • The company sends you an e-mail out of nowhere, explaining that they saw your website but that you’re not listed in any of the major search engines. These e-mails are nothing more than spam, just like all those Rolex watch and breast enhancement e-mails.
  • They require you put a link to their website on your website.
  • They won’t explain clearly exactly where all your money is going. Some companies will use your money to simply place you high in the advertising sections of search engines. Temporary advertising is very, very different than permanent inclusion.

Another way to go

Instead of using one of these scam-companies, you may wish to try focusing on what you can do to your website to make it more search-engine friendly.

First off, remember that search engines just love text. They can’t tell that the big picture of the elephant of your homepage is, in fact an elephant.

One of the few ways they can discern that your website is about elephants is if you actually discuss elephants in your text. Makes sense though, eh?

Also keep in mind that incoming links are important in achieving good rankings.

If no one out there on the web is linking to your website, then your site is essentially an island, and search engines won’t be able to find you.

Placing yourself in reputable online directories, such as www.summitdirectory.com and www.coloradolinks.net are great ways to get started. (Both of these are free and easy to use.)

Though certainly not true in all cases, sites with larger numbers of incoming links often rank higher than comparable competitor’s sites with fewer incoming links.

Remember, stay away from those search engine ranking companies that promise you the world, and instead roll out the red carpet for the search engines yourself and focus on the steps you can take in achieving better rankings.