Sarah Palin is McCain's running mate

Just got the announcement thru email.

"My Friends,
I am honored to announce that I have chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as my choice for the Republican nominee for Vice President. As a father with three daughters, I can't express how proud I am to choose the first female Republican Vice-Presidential nominee.

Sarah Palin is a trailblazer and a reformer. As the first female governor of Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and has been a tireless advocate for reform - passing a landmark bill on ethics reform. She has taken on the old politics in Alaska and reformed the state's energy industry. She rejects wasteful pork barrel spending. She's fearless - exactly the type of leader I want at my side and the type of leadership we will bring to Washington.

My friends, together Sarah Palin and I make the strongest presidential ticket and I know that she joins me in asking for your support as we head into our Convention week in Minnesota. We're shaking things up in this campaign - and Governor Palin and I are ready to bring real reform to Washington.

The polls indicate this will be a tight race as we head into the fall campaign against Senators Obama and Biden. I expect the polls to remain close all the way up to Election Day and that is why any help you can give today will go a long way to make history on November 4th.

You may already know that I have decided to accept federal matching funds for the final months of this campaign- keeping a campaign promise I made. But that means that August 31st marks the last day I can accept your primary contribution. Will you make an immediate donation of whatever you can give- whether it's $50 or $500 to ensure Governor Palin and I win in November?

You can be assured that as President and Vice President, Governor Palin and I will always put country before all else. We are ready to lead and I ask that you join our campaign today. Your support is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

John McCain

P.S. I have chosen Governor Sarah Palin as my running mate and today we will hold a joint campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio. Please tune in to any of the cable news stations to watch this rally at noon eastern time. After watching the rally, I hope you'll visit my website to financially support our ticket as we head into next week's Republican Convention. Thank you.
"

Shawn Hogan is accused of Cookie Stuffing

This is pretty ugly and since I am banned from posting on DP, I will do it here.
Regardless of what happened and what the outcome of the trial might be, I am very sorry to hear about this.
I am not surprised to see ebay looking for someone to make an example of and choosing someone as high profile as Shawn.
Seriously, this is one of those moments where I really don´t care what happened and will happen as long as nobody truly gets hurt.
The lawyers will have their way with this. Shawn has done a lot to help many.
One thing I have noticed is that ebay is using a number like $5k.
If a guy like Shawn was to do cookie stuffing, the true amount would be in the ...
gazillions.
So ebay is lowering the number to discouraging others from trying it, or something else is not right about that lawsuit.

Forums and social media .... the future?

I predict a lot less forum activity in the future. Personally, I have not posted on any forum in about a week. Social media and especially facebook are so much better for networking and I personally cannot see how many new forums will survive.
I believe that many of the older forums will be around 100 years from now, and people will say "wow, I wonder what it was like to be around back in those days when people like Mike Dammann posted". Or something like that. No, I am not flattering myself, just thinking it's cool to be a part of something new. So anyways, unless you have a really good idea, I would not recommend putting up another forum about something that has been done so many times before.
Start a social network, come up with some ideas. Forums are generally speaking for people who also like to read books. Social media is like watching TV.
Not everybody reads books, but almost everyone that I know does turn on the tube.

That is where I believe the future to be headed.

Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

For those of you who may not be too familiar with what Barack Obama has written before he ran for president, you may want to check a few exerpts from the book and you are also invited to join my facebook group called Obama is bad for America and the World
if you find it disturbing to think about a person with such opinions leading the strongest nation in the world:

From Dreams of My Father: 'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.'
From Dreams o f My Father : 'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race.'
From Dreams of My Father: 'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'
From Dreams of My Father: 'It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.'
From Dreams of My Father: 'I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself , the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.'

And FINALLY the Most Damming one of ALL of them!!!


From Audacity of Hope: 'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'

OK, now let me make a final comment.
What irks me is when I am accused of being a racist because I write negative about Obama. I can guarantee you that if he was caucasian with the same beliefs and agendas he has as a politician, I would probably be even harder on him, because I do know that anything I may say will be used within the "Ignore what he writes, he is just another white racist" excuse, and I believe it's time for Obama supporters to stop hiding agendas behind the "make whitey feel guilty" strategy.
Many white Americans feel like they should be voting for Obama and it would be a way to "give back" to African Americans which is complete bogus.
If you want to do something, create opportunities for all Americans regardless of color. Do your part. Within your community. Anywhere, your church, you name it.

But when it comes to voting, you should exercise your judgement better.
What Obama said in his book is disturbing.

The hype is so strong, that arguing will fall on dead ears. But if YOU want to make a difference, help me do one thing, and that is stating facts.
Facts will be on people's minds when they go to sleep at night after partying with fellow supporters.
The facts can not be changed. Hype changes.
We need to pray that those misguided will make the right decision when the hammer hits, so don't give up until the votes are in and counted. :)

~ Mike Dammann

The Bayou Bash is coming up!

You can still secure your own lot. Corey Smith will be headlining the 2008 Louisiana Bayou Bash in Delhi at Rooster's Country Bar.
Contact your fraternity or sorority leaders if you want to attend.

This is the official website with more information and a link on the bottom to their facebook group in case you'd like to join!

How to dance like a white guy!

44 tips to help da boys...its what girls want but dont say!

Read it

ok i just noticed you cannot read it unless you are her friend, so I post it here and ask her if it's cool:

1. Touch her waist.

2. Actually talk to her.

3. Share secrets with her.

4. Give her your jacket.

5. Kiss her slowly.

6. Hug her.

7. Hold her.

8. Laugh with her.

9. Invite her somewhere.

10. Hangout with her and your friends together.

11. Smile with her.

12. Take pictures with her.

13. Pull her onto your lap.


14. When she says she loves you more, deny it. Fight back.


15. When her friends say i love her more than you, deny it. fight back and hug her tight so she can't get to her friends. it makes her feel loved.


16. Always hug her and say I love you whenever you see her.

17. Kiss her unexpectedly.

18. Hug her from behind around the waist.


19. Tell her she's beautiful, but ONLY if you mean it.

20. Tell her the way you feel about her. you need to do to show her you actually do mean it.


21. Open doors for her, walk her to her car- it makes her feel protected, plus it never hurts to act like a gentleman.


22. Tell her she's your everything - only if you mean it.


23.If it seems like there is something wrong, ask her- if she denies something being wrong, it means SHE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT- so just hug her


24. Make her feel loved.


25-kiss her in front of OTHER girls you know!!!!*
~~WE MIGHT DENY IT BUT WE ACTUALLY LIKE AND KINDA WANT YOU TO TICKLE US~~

26-don't lie to HER.


27-DON'T cheat on her.

28-take her ANYWHERE she wants

29-txt messege or call her in the morning and tell her have a good day at work {or school}, and how much you MISS her.

30-be there for her when ever she needs you, & even when she doesn't need you, just be there so she'll know that she can ALWAYS count on you.

31. Hold her close when she's cold so she can hold YOU too.

32. When you are ALONE hold her close and kiss her.

33. Kiss her on the CHEEK; (it will give her the hint that you want to kiss her).

34. While in the movies, put your arm around her and then she will automatically put her head on your shoulder, then lean in and tilt her chin up and kiss her LIGHTLY.

35. Dont EVER tell her to leave even jokingly or act like you're mad. If shes upset, comfort her.

36. When people DISS her, stand up for her.

37. Look deep into her EYES and tell her you love her.

38. Lay down under the STARS and put her head on your chest so she can listen to the steady beat of your heart, Link your fingers together while you whisper to her as she rests her eyes and listens to you.


39. When walking next to each other grab her HAND.

40. When you hug her HOLD her in your arms as long as possible*
~~MAKE SURE SHE KNOWS SHES LOVED~~

41. Call or text her at night to wish her SWEET DREAMS*

42. COMFORT her when she cries and wipe away her tears.

43. Take her for LONG walks at night.

44. ALWAYS Remind her how much you love her

Bill O'Reilly calls Madonna a pinhead

I totally disagree with that, because she is very smart, but whether or not you are smart will not keep you from being misguided by any political movement or religious ideology.

DRUGS

Responsible for Americans finally learning the metric system.

Universal Healthcare

To many Americans this is a keyissue in this election. I grew up in Europe and remember my aunt sending my cousin in the U.S. money, because they couldn't afford their doctor bill at the time and I was thinking "No free healthcare? Since when do you have to pay a doctor?".
Years later I wound up in the position where I wound up in debt over a surgery my wife needed and I realized that indeed, there are situations in life where you do need help. But the reason it happened was because I delayed singing up for a healthcare plan the company I worked for offered by a week and guess what, within that week the emergency arose.
I do believe that the free market is the only way to go given that everyone has an opportunity to rise and succeed. Unlike Europe where you have a strong class system, America does not judge people by their background. It's actually a badge of honor having grown up poor and succeeding at the end while in Europe it's not that easy finding respect amongst the upper class if you dad was a plumber.
I choose a society where I have the opportunity to fight for my needs over one that puts me in a box and then hands me a cookie here and there to shut me up.

The Bee Gees kick ass!

Seth Godin

Seth has suggested clicking on Google ads as a way of saying "Thank you!" to the bloggers who create content you like to read. Of course, a donation button should be clicked instead if you really like it.
But in his defence there is something I need to say:
Not all clickfrauds are created equal, and while clickfraud in general is downright theft, and encouragement to click a couple of ads can still benefit the company which is paying for the ad. It's exposure. No, I do not believe in clicking Google ads to say "thank you", but let's not forget that real clickfraud, the one costing advertisers billions, involves high volume clicks and not a couple of clicks here and there to say "thank you" to a blogger.
What I have noticed is that many people on several networks already are doing this.

"We are united!"

This is pretty fun for sure, Hillary now supports Obama and all of a sudden we see unity. Hillary must be so mad, but one thing I have to give her, she is professional. I don't believe that the democrats overall have good agendas, but Hillary is mind over matter. Obama is not. He is emotional and will make emotional mistakes. The convention is going to be pure comedy. You cannot take anything seriously which you are going to watch, but you should definitely tune in for same grade A entertainment.

the promise of hope

is yet to arise the beebaby
is the loove of my life
the fear you conquered
never in you life
i will defeat
and i won´t blink my eye

No, we can´t ...

make a difference in America if hatred guides our hearts.
No we can´t do anything if we have no respect for our forefathers.
No we can´t, be selfish and play on our race to win an election.
No, we can´t ... believe that confusing the ignorant will lead to the most important position in the most important office on earth.

Obama Bin Laden?

Is it just me or does
Obama - Binden
look a lot like
Osama-Bin Laden
?
Seriously whenever I read that on TV, I remember the news years ago and think it says Osama Bin Ladin. What is missing would be the letters
sla
just like the group that abducted Patty Hearst.

Umm, no it means nothing, just something I had to get off of my chest. ;)

voterfraud@foxnews.com

For those of you who believe to have evidence for voterfraud being committed anywhere in the U.S., email the address in the title and let them know what you know.

It's ok to lie, it's only politics

I hate how this line is being used to make things even worse. When Biden said that Obama would be an aweful choice for president and how he would be honored to run with McCain, I do believe that that was the real him.
Say "Hi" to the fake Biden who has a shot at the White House now and hear how he attacks McCain right away.
Ouch. Flip flopping is common, but this one takes the cake.
This is a matter of integrity and if you don't have any, then you should not be in a position where others depend on your weak decisions.
Obama may not be a bad guy, but come on guys, do you really want a president who supports this?

Being successful is a crime

My mom's side is very well off and my dad's side probably what would be considered lower middle class.
My mom's dad always said "It doesn't matter what it is you do, just be great at it and take pride and you will make it in life" and I love a lot of what he said, which unfortunately had to be passed on to me by my mom since he died when I was 6 months old.
I hear what Mr. Biden said about McCain's 7 kitchen tables and I have immediately realized that a guy like him is going to be an aweful choice to handle economical issues.

If you are of a jealous nature, you need to live a life which doesn't impact others too much. Negativity and jealousy has no business in the oval office. My dad's side would always make negative comments out of envy yet they never did anything to improve their own lives. They even tried to discourage me from doing what I had to to be successful in life and wanted me to always play it safe and just live the sort of life that would not make them even more envious of me.
Sad!
But that is how a lot of people are and there is a reason that we elect successful people. Winners. McCain is a winner in life. I want him up there and not some little whiner or victim.
America needs to be bigger than that. In Europe it is the way to go, talk bad about those who are doing better than you. Take the high road guys.

Pick a winner and not a whiner!

Obama shot himself in the foot

A lot of you misunderstood my comments on facebook. I have chosen the title "McCain loves war" because of friends' comments about how McCain supposedly wants to keep this war going forever and it was my way to reach those who I believe to be misguided.
Obama chose Biden. He just ended his chance for becoming President and it goes to show that he will never be able to make good decisions. At least not for a while.
Choosing your own worst critic as a running mate indicates that you constantly need approval from people and it indicates that you lack some serious self esteem.
One prominent web marketer gave me a piece of advice once which I will never forget:
"Never ask for permission to do something, if you believe in it, just go for it."
As a leader you have to have that attitude. You have to want to do the right thing and then rely on your own judgement. BO is too much of a pleaser and you cannot have someone like that in office.
Him and Hillary would have been strong, but him thinking he can do without her shows that right now he is way ahead of himself.
I almost feel sorry for him now that he is gone.
He is a great example for an average guy thrown into extraordinary circumstances and being so unprepared that he becomes his own worst enemy.
Barack Obama is done and I am looking forward to more people being able to understand what it takes to make a nation strong and keep it from falling apart.
McCain is all we have, and if John is smart, he will choose Lieberman.
Time to watch Fox News and get on top of the current events.


~ Mike Dammann

Ahmed the Terrorist

When I was a kid, Ronald Reagan was president. I loved the guy and still hold him in the highest regard. But there were a lot of jokes made about him and I laughed at many of them. If we allow people to joke about good people, then we need to let people make jokes about bad people, and by bad people I do NOT mean ANYBODY based on their descent, but their belief!

ENJOY:

John McCain loves war!

This is most likely the biggest myth coming from the Obama camp.
John McCain seems to me according to his record more anti war than most politicians, but as an experienced military guy he does understand what it takes to end something without suffering worse consequences.
Let's assume that we pull out of Iraq right now. What are the dangers?
I am so far from being an expert when it comes to military issues, but if I had to bet money on what would come next, this is what I would feel safe to invest about 80 percent of what I have in the bank right now:
1) A group of new militant Muslims and old militant Muslims will come together and in their believe that Allah will bless killing Jews and Americans, they are taking over the country thru intimidation, murder, terror and putting religious fear into those who are already confused.
2) The pulling out will be interpreted by them and other supporters as victory over the infidels and that Allah is calling them to do even greater things and continue to conquer the world by the sward.
3) Europe will be pleased, and they are going to assume that the United States is now in their hands. Doesn't independence day stand for us following our instinct and faith in God's coming blessing rather than submitting to some government 10,000 miles away in order to help them establish an even bigger status as a world superpower?

Let us face it: The United Nations is corrupt and powerless and only benefits their delegates.

America needs to be strong and united and if you don't like Bush, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater and listen to where the candidates stand on important issues.
Join my Facebook group and if you believe that my words there might be too strong, let me know and I may change it.


~ Mike Dammann

McCain needs Lieberman

John, if you or anyone close to you reads this, you NEED Lieberman to win!

Meghan McCain

Meghan McCain is John McCain's daughter and her blog is a perfect example for a natural, well written blog that is lacking SEO.
It ranks for all sorts of terms, city names, blues music, you name it, but nothing about what her dad's campaign is really about.
One may say that it is targeting the undecided masses and doesn't need SEO, but the reality is that just a few blog posts targeting terms related to gas prices etc. could work wonders.
The ppc campaign is targeting very cheap terms and getting organic results will not be that hard either since those are not that commercial and the internet marketers working for both candidates seem to either be overworked, asleep or just not passsionate enough to get them all of the traffic that they could.
It would probably take 3 or 4 hours of work to attract a large amount of visitors interested in political issues which are likely going to influence the way that they will vote.

If you read this, Meghan, contact me, I will be more than happy to talk to you about it.


~ Mike Dammann

Rock the vote

What I have a huge problem with when getting others to register to vote is the fact that those people tend to be so undecided who to vote for, they will cast their spell for whoever those signing them up will tell them to.
If you don't care about who you should vote for, you should first be educated and then vote if you are inspired to exercise your priviledge for someone whose agenda you believe in.
Mr. Obama is getting a huge advantage over John McCain thru the drive to reach out to those who have a voice but really no idea what these elections are all about.
This drive is absolutely perfect fit into a campaign which has nothing to do with substance and everything with hype.
This is a presidential election and not the Grammy awards for crying out loud.
Obama has no agenda other than attacking the current government and instigating more hatred amongst Americans.

If you truly believe in Obama and whatever agenda you think he has, sure ... vote for him. That is your right.
If you have no clue, then please don't let anybody decide for you who to vote for.
Everyone has ONE vote and it is up to everyone whether or not and how they want to use it.
Do what you believe in. Or start taking an interest in the future of this world.

Getting back into the SEO game.

It has been a few years since I really did this other than having a few clients and some sites of my own, but now I'm back in the game and love it.
It took some time to rekindle the fire. The one thing I can tell you right now is that in order to do SEO right, you need to have an interest in it other than money, or you need some good employees who are into it.
SEO can burn you out so quick and once you are on the wrong train, you will start hating Google, clients and everyone who asks you questions which you may or may not have the answer to right now.
Once you get to the point where you rank again and get good results, you will be able to go the extra mile knowing that as soon as you get it right, everything else will fall into place.
Here is some advice that I myself need to remember and some of you should definitely read:
1) Don't waste time on forum signatures or directory submissions unless you pay someone reliable to submit to good directories for you or get a good deal on some reputable forums member's signature links.
2) Contextual links from sites that Google likes benefit you in many ways.
a) Those blog posts, hubs or lenses usually rank immediately for a few terms that can get you business right away. If you create professional looking posts and informative hubs, people will contact you thru the link within those and you will be able to benefit within a day or less if done right. Spammy posts are not only dangerous when it comes to the well being of the blog they are on, you will also alienate potential clients. Find good places to post with a couple of links to your pages and put your heart into those, treat those like this is all you have right now to make a great impression to first time visitors.
b) Contextual links within blogs with good text will help you with credibility in Google and also with ranking you for terms related to surrounding text and anchor text of the links. It may only take you 3 or 4 of those posts to already make an impact and move you up. The better the links, the sooner you will have a trusted site of your own and be able to just maintain by adding meaningful content and getting links from other good sites as opportunity arises. The key is to break the ice with Google. It's almost like when you're dating, you say a few things here and there which get the girl's interest and once you get to the point where she likes you, you're in unless you really screw up (and believe me, whether it's with girls or Google, once you get arrogant and careless, that can happen and Google is patient, but not a doormat).
c) If you really want to benefit from links on forums, forget signatures. Adding one or two links in your long introduction post and a well written review request will benefit you just like links from blogs. But be personable, and networking is going to be a big part of it. Take your time when writing the posts. Share something that other members may not know. Establish credibility in the eyes of the readers and search engines will follow.
d) Do something that gets readers' attention. Whether it's a little joke or some info most readers are not aware of. It will go long ways, once you have moved up in Google, it's crucial to bank on it and keep the ball rolling. If you do things right in the beginning, you're golden.
3) Think outside of the box and find any site that seems to get traffic for terms you are after. Find out what it takes to get your banner or link on there. Pay, link back, do whatever. Make sure you get some good banners done, anything that get's people's attention. At the end of the day it's all about business. Algorithms change and the more presence you create, the better off you will be and you never want to depend on Google 100%.
4) Network with reputable marketers and get the word out about your own niche, and they will remember you when they come accross a potential client for you or a site which you may benefit from. Never be selfish, offer free links to those who do you right. Cut off the leaches, but don't be "link greedy". If you trust someone and he gives you a link, don't bug him asking him to change your anchor text daily. First of all, he has no time and secondly, instead of changing current anchors, your focus should be on spreading your word further and getting a variety of anchor texts on new blogs and sites. Work fast, jump on good opportunities and reward those who help you get results.
5) Spy on your competition. Look at the sites of those which are where you want to be. Don't copy their style, but get an idea on what it may be that gets them to be there. This is the part I love doing. Once I get an idea on what it is I haven't been doing and complete the circle by trying something new and moving up because of it, that is when things usually get a lot better and I learn some valuable lessons for many future projects as well as present ones.

If you are a beginner, I recommend learning on SEO.com, if you know a little bit more, read SEO Book and check out some of the interviewees on Search Feature.

You may also want to check out Search Engine Roudtable to get a better feel about the industry. More than anything you need to find your own style and do what works for you. If you copy someone else's style, you will lose the respect of your peers and the interest of your readers.
After years in this business, I can tell you that reputation is everything.
An extra backlink is never worth losing it. When you have passion, energy and an interest to learn, then good things will come your way.


I'm planning to add a lot more info here and also work on some new interviews with SEO people which I personally have questions for. Less fluff, more substance. Those of you who have questions, leave them here or start a discussion there.
Share some of your own experiences and struggles when it comes to getting sites ranked and I'm sure others will chip in and get something out of it as well.
If there is anything I have learned, it's that positive energy never dies. What you put out there, you get back eventually.
And in everything you do, don't be afraid to be unique. Don't be scared to be you.
You can play it safe and stand on the sidelines afraid to get in the game or you can go for it and gain respect from onlookers for doing your best and getting better.
Watch some of those movies where the geek becomes a good football player and gets the girl.

That can be you.

In SEO and in real life. :)

Cheers,


~ Mike Dammann

Why I still like Costa Rica

Regardless of how much I miss certain things about the United States, I am not planning to leave Costa Rica for a while. I actually feel like this is one of those groundfloor opportunities I always fall into early on. Costa Rica is the place where I would like to start something that means something. Not sure what it will be yet though.
Many of you have the wrong impression of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is not like the rest of central America, and neither is Panama. Those of you who don't really know this, Costa Rica is the hottest real estate market on earth.

If you are interested in more information, you can contact us thru 506 Properties Costa Rica.
You can find more information about Costa Rica on Tico Ville Costa Rica and some on this reggae blog.

Political SEO

Came across a post by Aaron where he asks about what we think about the job that Presidential Candidates and their teams have done when targeting keyterms that could help web searchers get on their side and it got me thinking.
So rather than posting an article there, I do it here and want to tell you why this has been causing me to remember me first blogging when I had no clue what the blog was going to be.
Presidential candidates change their voices, maybe not their stand but the way they prioritize with their issues and so many times they get adviced to just cool it and move to another subject that makes them look better than their opponent. Before you target a term, you need to know that you can benefit from it before you spend time energy and money on it.
It has to be worth your while.
There are certain terms that will always be good, but how about the many phrases that are often so small but add up and would cause people to pay more attention to you since people typing those things in should be an indicator that those issues might be important enough to the searcher to decide their vote upon it.
I think all Presidential candidates have failed when it comes to using the web to get their word out and not targeting the undecided voters more. McCain is keeping things as simplistic as he can, Obama decides he hasn't said something he actually did and Hilly just tags along waiting for her chance to make the headlines with whatever is popular RIGHT NOW, so as always, there is nothing really anybody wants to stand for to the point where it cannot be changed later.
Or so it seems.
Had is been me, I would have ordered my staff to write huge articles about what impacts the gasprices and then add my 2 cents on how to fix that.
Same with the war, same with whatever else.
You don't always have to make all of your content say what you want to say. BUT ... you can keep info general and then add some of your opinion to it to where it makes sense to the general public and leads them into your direction.
Will be interesting to see if in 4 years the candidates will have a better grip on this. :)