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I think this is a good discussion. I believe there is a difference between self promotion and sphinning your own good content.
My understanding is that self promotion is when you use Sphinn to try and sell your own product. . I don't think submitting one's good articles is self promotion. In fact, I think we are encouraged to do so in the submission guidelines. I'd have to read again to confirm.
This post is written like the IYPs should be making the content they create search engine friendly in an effort to have their customers get business from Google. That probably isn't a great strategy. I think the idea of the local video is to provide better content on the IYPs in order to draw the local searcher to their site, so they can charge more for advertising.
Turn this around and imagine Google trying to get their content in a format that is easier for an IYP to read and use to get customers.
*Planetc1 - I look forward to seeing those stats.
Story: David Ogilvy on SEO
Next trip to Barnes & Noble, I'm going to pick up one of his books. This is right on!
The comments on this post are somewhat interesting as well. I added a new phrase to my vocabulary... "revealed infrormation."
Not sure I agree with submitting your posts to all of these sites. Especially if one hasn't taken the time to learn about the sites and members. I wouldn't.
Sphunn because it is a very good list and made into my bookmarks. Thanks
This discussion made me read the submission guidelines a little more closely and I wasn't able to find anything regarding promotional material. And I've seen posts before written by high profile sphinn members, though submitted by someone else, with affiliate links. And those posts weren't pulled. So, I don't think this one should've been pulled.
Sometimes spam is like pornography, you know it when you see it. If I put up a post offering paid content it's spam... but for Andy, because of his credibility, it might be considered news.
Anyway, it was on topic and didn't (as far as I can tell) violate any guidelines.
Perhaps some good can come of this with some clarification in the guidelines.
This is a good checklist for local optimization. I partly disagree with number 8 because I believe that can lead to higher rankings. As it will be natural writing filled with juicy keywords.
The post was very funny, but reading your comments and the last one by Xrproto comes off as genuine disrepect for the site and the community. Local Hound spoke his peace.
Matt, I have enjoyed the Semmy's and like that the nominations are by 'experts' but the rest of us gets the final say.
Just wondering what will happen to that wonderful list of links that are now pared down?
Search marketing is already a big part of the mix for the Yellow Page companies bundling google, yahoo and their own IYP.
I agree that seo could be next. If the IYP could get it done as part of a "pay for each click package" it could be very profitable.
*planetc1* - I'm surprised you didn't get more than 2 calls from telemarketers :) ...and I hope that wasn't an 800# you used for tracking.
I also think that there are options to make your advertising more cost effective on IYPs, like ppc and such.
I don't know if I like the idea of DeSPhinn... Sphinn is a friendly place and I hope that doesn't change. If people use comments as an opportunity to educate when they desphinn it could make sphinn an even better site. If it gets personal... it could go the wrong way fast.
On my wishlist would be a function that would simply sphinn an article that I went to submit... if it was already submitted.
I agree with Igor, the intro alone was worth the sphinn. Lyndon's comment on the post is worth a read too. Now, I have to go and get some mammoth.
Story: Targeting Seasonal Keywords
Important to keep in my mind for negative keywords as well for those in PPC.
I read what I sphinn. JeffQuipp - if you're tracking me, I sometimes read articles, when...uh... let's just say spending time on a social media site might be frowned upon... and then I sphinn 'em later.
Also, Jeff, that link didn't work for me.
@ Funny World8 - I thought the title of the post was fair. It described the contents of the post fairly accurately.
The first question was about pagerank, and that was in the title, so If one isn't interested in that subject they could skip the post.
Also, the post gave those interested in the Local Space a chance to learn a little bit more about Andrew Shotland. A person I respect in my niche, and I thougt others might be interested as well.
Again, metioned in the title, so if one is not interested they could just skip.
It wasn't a title that was overhyped or misleading, so I'm not sure why you became "incensed" instead of just passing on the article.
If you want to write a post about getting 1.5 million backlinks in a year, that would be great, I would take a look at that... especially if it was a search marketing blog or a local business website. Others probably would too... as seomoz, one of the most popular blogs in seo "only" has about a million (source: seo for firefox).
This is a good article... but the graphic alone is worth a sphinn. How many hours have been spent looking for the right image to go on a site? Lined paper + black sharpie = 2 minutes to the perfect graphic.
Burgo,
Yes, I would. I like the What's new page. I would just be on it less. And the more I think about the whole idea, the more I like it.
It will be interesting to see if we now go down the "Spiral of Silence" :)
http://sphinn.com/story/11856
I would probably head to such a page first... As it is now I spend most of my time on the What's New page.
The downside of course is taking people like me off the What's New Page and end up Sphinning only what the mods have decided is good.
I will hang out in the dark corners of Social Sites, just to find interesting tid-bits like this one. Come to think of it hanging out in the dark corners worked for me in High School too!
Story: Is it a sin to Sphinn… yourself?