Week 3: MKTG 345- Surfing the Tsunami Chapter 3

Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist on artificial intelligence (AI) you still need to take it seriously. Chapter 3 talks about why you need to take AI so seriously. One article that does a good job of explaining AI and its effects on jobs is:

https://www.cognizant.com/perspectives/21-jobs-of-the-future

It states that while jobs will be changing due to AI, jobs are always changing. Think about jobs from fifty years ago. Very few people work as telegraphists, switchboard operators, and lamplighters. Instead the people who used to have found new jobs, they did not just stay un-employed. Another positive of artificial intelligence is it could take away the jobs that people hate and replace them with new ones. This includes jobs that are dull, dirty, or dangerous. Even if jobs are being replaced with machines, humans are required to help the machine. This includes cleaning, creating, marketing, selling, delivering, and even feeding it. Technology will cause all of society to improve; education, health care, and gun violence are all things that could be improved and machines will not be able to fix. While technology solves some problems, it will create others, humans will be needed to fix the mistakes these machines make.

This article proposes that in the next ten years 21 jobs will be introduced into the work world. These could include data detectives, to cyber city analysts, and to augmented reality journey builders. Not all these jobs are highly technical, there will be low skill jobs created as well. While some people believe that AI will take away jobs from people, it will also help create brand new jobs that were not needed before.

Week 3: MKTG 345- Introduction to Google Analytics Chapter 2

Last week we set up your Google Account and Blogger Account. Now that both accounts are set up it is time to connect Google Analytics to Blogger. Go to your blog and click settings, under settings click other, find the section that says Google Analytics, paste the tracking code you just copied in the box, and  click save settings. It could take up to 24 hours for anything to happen but it is important to test it out to see if it worked. To test it out you need a few clicks on your blog.

Post on your blog and share it on your Facebook wall. Next, go to http://www.google.com/analytics. Sign in and click on home.Click on your website or "property." Google Analytics wants to show you your websites performance. It will show you how many people visit, and their behavior on your sight. You have now successfully linked your Google Analytics to Blogger!

This is a very simple version of Google Analytics. Most of the time Google Analytics is used to track revenue or goals. Once you have been tracking your blog for a while you can set a data range. This helps you to follow trends that your blog is taking. Google Analytics is an easy and free tool that really helps you make your website as best as it can be!

Week 2: MKTG 345- Introduction to Google Analytics Chapter 2

In this blog post I will be teaching you how to link your blog and your Google Analytics account. In order to do this you must make sure you have a gmail and a blog. If you do not go to http://mail.google.com and http;//www.blogger.com. From there click either create and account or sign into your existing account. Once you have signed up for both try and create a new blog on blogger. Come up with a title as well as an address. You are able to come up with a custom portion of the blog address. After the title and address you will pick out your template for your blog. Once that is done click create and you know have a blog!

Next you must create a Google Analytics account. To start go to http://www.google.com/analytics. Since you already signed up for a gmail you will have automatic access to this google tool. Once your signed in as a google user you can now sign up for a Google Analytics account. Come up with a blog name and a property. A property is whenever you add a new site or blog for Google Analytics to track. Once you've added the property click "Get Tracking ID." Tracking IDs are codes that Google gives you to place on your site or blog, so that the site can communicate with Google. Click the accept button and a page with the name you gave to your site or blog will pop up. Next you want to make sure you scroll down to the Tracking ID and copy it and put it somewhere you will not lose it. Next week, I will teach you how to link the two accounts for maximum efficiency!

Week 5: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 9

Hubspot is a developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing and sales. Inbound marketing is a technique used to draw customers to products and services using content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization, and branding. It is not just the process of SEO, it is the next step. It helps generate sales, and track them, using a platform such as Hubspot. Obtaining a Hubspot Certification is very beneficial because it helps place SEO in context, and it emphasizes content.

Sarch Engine News Certification is another great qualification to obtain, but it is pricey. Start off with obtaining your Hubspot certification, and from there see what your next best step is in the SEO world. Having these certifications looks great on your resume and companies will love that you have given your time, effort, and money to further your knowledge of SEO.

Week 5: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 8

Once you have mastered SEO you are not done. SEO is constantly changing so it is important that you are following the changes so you stay up to date. In order to stay up to date try reading blog posts, attending webinars, and reading books. Some websites that are great sources are; www.searchenginenews.com, www.moz.com, and www.semrush.com. One thing to remember is to always check the dates, when it was written it was current but it might be an old post.

A quick example of the constant changes in SEO is an event called "Mobilegeddon." It occurred on April 22, 2015. Google released an algorithm update, stating that mobile rankings would differ for mobile-friendly sites starting on April 21, 2015.

Just like fashion, SEO does go out of date. Think of it this way, would you want to show up to a prom wearing the same dress your grandma wore to prom? Unless you have an extremely fashion forward grandma, her dress is probably very out to date and you would stick out like a sore thumb. You do not want your SEO to be the outdated dress at the prom, keep up to date!

Week 4: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 7

One important thing to always check is how Google sees your website. In order to do this simply type in your website domain into the Google. It will then list all the pages it sees. You can click through and find your page, you may even find that you had published pages you did not mean to. Doing this helps you keep up with the maintenance on your page.

Before website templates were available, you had to create your own website templates. This process is extremely difficult and not something that can be done easily. Often a Webmaster is hired to be incharge of optomizing the website and making sure that it is running smoothly for customers. Using another Google tool go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools. Once there click add property, copy your blog address into the box, and click the add button. If you are signed into the same gmail you used to make your blog, Google will tell you that you are a verified owner.

Week 4: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 6

One thing to look out for is having duplicate content on pages of your site. Content should be unique, so it is worth going to Siteliner.com. This website is a good tool to scan for duplicate content. If you do find any duplicate content simply delete one of the pages. While duplicate content is not a good thing, sometimes it can be hard to get rid of all cases of it.

Something even more important to monitor is rank. The higher you are up on a page the more likely customers are to click your page. If you go to http://tinyurl.com/seocentrokp, you can enter your website and it will give you your rank. If you're above 100 for a given keyword, it will show the rank. Once you're ranked it is important to try and maintain the rank as well as work to increase the rank.

Week 3: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 5

SEO can be done not only on google, but it can be used on Blogger too. If you have a blog on blogger log into it and we can enter in our own overall meta description. Once you're logged in, scroll down in settings, and choose Search Preferences. Click edit next to description and you can add a maximum of 150 characters. Once you click save the description you just entered will appear in Google search results. Not only can this be done for the entire site, but it can be done for individual posts.

In order to do this, click edit on an individual post. On the right, in Post Settings, you can click Search Description. Enter in your description, click done, and do not forget to save. Now you have personalized not only your entire blog, but your individual post as well!

Week 3: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 4

In my last blog post we talked mostly about content and a little bit about keywords. Today, we are moving on to focusing on keywords. When trying to determine key words it is smart to ask yourself, what keywords are people using to get to your site, and what kind of keywords are people using, who might be interested in our sight? When picking keywords you want to use generic words as well as more specific ones as well. For example, imagine you are working for a company who builds drone kits. Now imagine what a customer who wants a drone kit would type in. Some of these keywords could be: how to build a drone, how do I build a drone, drone kits, best drone kits. All of these keywords are very vague and specific. The drone company would also use more specific keywords such as brand names or specific types of drone kits.

Search volume is also important. Even if your keywords relate well to products, that does not mean there will be a demand for the keywords. Even if you may think it is a good keyword, if customers are not searching the word, it is relevant. Using Google Adwords keyword planner is an easy way to research keywords. With a little bit of patience keywords are easy to master and can help customers reach your website.

Week 2: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 3

When trying using SEO it is important to ask where is the content going to go? You want to use different types content on social media and your website to draw in more customers. The more content, leads to more visitors, more google notices, which leads to a higher rank and better value. In order to perform proper SEO you need to understand your customer. Different content should be used based your your target market.

90% of the struggle of SEO is having high quality content. The other 10% of SEO is technical tweaks. Making sure that your content is easily accessible will help Google make your content available to customers. If google can't find it, customers will not be able to. Next, you should make sure you enhance your own website so when people do visit it, the content is relevant. Last, you should think of how your getting traffic from other websites. This connection will help link others to your page.

At the heart of SEO are keywords. Keywords are the phrases you think customers will type in to lead them to your page. For example, if you have content for a dog adoption website some keywords people would type in could be; dog, adoption, dog adoption, help dogs, adopt dogs, and adopt. One thing that is very important, is that your keywords match your content. While keywords are very important, it is still more important to focus your time on the actual content of your campaign instead of keywords.

Week 1: MKTG 345- Surfing the Tsunami Chapter 2

If someone were to utter the words "self-driving cars" ten years ago everyone would turn and laugh. In 2018 it sounds much less ridiculous, and even realistic. With rapid growth cars went from manual transmission, to automatic, to being able to park themselves, and now they can drive by themselves. This just shows how fast AI is taking over the world. In the last couple years there has been a significant advance in machine learning, teaching a computer how to do something. This has lead to drastic advancements in technology.

The core of artificial intelligence and machine learning is math. Using statistics, algebra, and probability machines can be built to do virtually anything.

Drones are another area of AI that have advanced drastically. They can fly, take videos and pictures, and capture a birds like view all with one tiny machine. Just like cars, drones are starting to gain the ability to function on their own. They no longer need a human brain to run it, technology has grown so much that a machine can perform the tasks needed without a humans help. AI is not just effecting cars and drones, it has advanced the medical field and science as a whole. New advancements come out every day involving AI so being able to understand it is very important in today's world.

Week 2: MKTG 345- Introduction to Google Analytics Chapter 1

When I think of Web Analytics the first thought that pops into my head is numbers. Now I know that numbers can be intimidating but if you just take a step back and slowly start to learn the basic ins and outs of google analytics it will be much less intimidating.

To start off with, what is google analytics? Google analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Why is this important though? Google analytics helps companies to see how many people visit their websites. With this information they can analyze and change their campaigns to fully optimize their performance. Analytics helps companies to become as efficient as possible and build successful campaigns.

Thought these blog posts I will be giving simple and easy to understand points on Google Analytics. I will talk about the importance of understanding web analytics, as well as how to fully take advantage of the free tools that are offered by google.

Week 2: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 2

The foundation of Search Engine Optimization isn't the keywords you use or the number of clicks you receive. The foundation is your actual content. Like I've mentioned before if you want to get higher up the page, you want quality over content. The better your content the more viewers and the higher you will go up the page.

When creating content there are three different ways you can do it. The first is curation. All you have to do is go out and and find content, share it, review it, and comment on it. This technique is best if you are not creative at all. This blog post is an example of curation because I am commenting on the content of the book below. The second way of creating content is actual creation. This way is the best way. It takes more time and creativeness but if done right, it will have the highest impact on SEO. The last way is collaboration. This saves money, and helps give you a fresh perspective because you are working with other people. All of these techniques are effective, its about finding what is right for you.

A great starting point for developing content is a blog. Another technique that is a good starting point is making YouTube videos or creating a free website. Whatever way you choose should fit the content you are trying to portray the best. For example, blogging is great for someone who wants to blog about their traveling. YouTube is great for tutorials, and websites are great for businesses. Google can help you get started and provides many resources to ensure that SEO is an easy process.

Week 1: MKTG 345-Surfing the Tsunami Chapter 1

AI stands for Artificial Inteligence. It is using machinery to perform tasks that normally would require human intelligence. Things such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages are becoming more and more easier for robots to understand. As technology increases so does AI.

Why do we all need to know about it though? Who cares if robots can do tasks faster than humans. It helps companies and saves time and money. But what happens to all those humans who once were performing those tasks? Suddenly they're unemployed while a robot does their job with ease.

In recent years robots technology has been increasing drastically. Before they were a thing of fiction, but new robots are being brought to life everyday. There are physical robots, and there are software robots. With software automation these robots are able to perform tasks that humans only could do. AI is something that is quickly approaching, and soon will be engulfing our world. Even if you do not like, or support it, being able to understand and acknowledge it is key in the world today.

Week 1: MKTG 348-Surfing the Tsunami Introduction

Surfing the Tsunami details Artificial Intelligence and how workers need to prepare and adapt to the change in work. Artificial intelligence is the use of machinery to perform tasks that used to be done manually. Some people believe that it is a good thing. They think that while some jobs will be lost, some will change because of the creation of these robots, and other jobs will be created in the process. Not everyone believes that AI is a good thing though, a lot of people believe there will be a substantial loss of jobs.

Whatever you believe it is a good or a bad thing, it is important to learn how to change your perspective and take AI seriously. Surfing the Tsunami outlines three separate ways to change your perspective. The first is adapt, this involves just keeping yourself informed. The next is adopt, and the last is adept. As you continue reading my blog, you will learn in much more depth about Artificial Intelligence, why it applies to you, and how you can change your perspectives to it.

IDS 202: Module 1- Food Identity

One way to describe my food identity is a melting pot of all different cultures. This may be why my favorite meal I've ever had was a Christmas Eve Mexican feast. Ironically, I have never been to Mexico, but I have always loved trying to recreate their food. This meal was so special not only because it was delicious, but because I was able to spend it with family members who I loved.

A big part of my life consists of traveling and experiencing different cultures. One of my favorite parts of traveling is going to restaurants and experiencing the local foods that different countries have to offer. When I went to England I had a dish called a pasty, a pastry crust filled with vegetables. I also tried my first Indian dish while in Bath, England. It was kind of like a pancake filled with vegetables and served with a tomato and mango dipping sauce.

When I went to Sweden I had a vegetarian version of Swedish meatballs. It was served with mashed potatoes, a side salad, and some type of sweet berry.

These two dishes pictured above are one of many dishes I have tried in other countries and now try and create in my own kitchen. Traveling is a huge part of me, and with that comes me loving to try different kinds of foods. Making these dishes helps me to reflect back on all my trips, and reminds me of all the good times I have had exploring the world.

While I may not be able to match all of the flavors these authentic dishes have, I adapt them to my own tastes and preferences. One thing I have noticed while traveling is that in tourist areas restaurants are much less authentic to the culture. They try and create dishes that all different cultures will enjoy, even if this means sacrificing their cultural identity. 

For example, when I was in Stockholm I purchased a mocha at a chain restaurant called Espresso house. This coffee was not at all like normal Swedish coffee. Since we were in such a touristy area they added more sugar to appease the taste buds of travelers from different countries.

While this mocha was good, it got me thinking. Why do other countries feel the need to change their cultural identity for other cultures to enjoy their food? We should be embarrassing the culture we are in and enjoying their food as they cook it, not an Americanized version. When I look back at my favorite Mexican meal, I realize how different it is from authentic Mexican food. One day I hope I get the chance to travel to Mexico to enjoy their local cuisine. 

Week 1: MKTG 348- Introduction to SEO Chapter 1

When someone hears's the words "Search Engine Optimization" what do they think? Most people have no idea what this phrase means, but it affects them every day. Just simply typing phrases into the google search bar will cause the internet to start the search engine optimization process. SEO is maximizing the number of visitors to a website by trying to make the site appear high on the list of results returned by a search engine. The higher the website is on the search engine the more likely it is to get views. One thing that is important to take note of with SEO is it's about quality and not quantity. If you have a couple websites with great content they will get viewed over and over again. This will cause them to move up the rankings. If you have a high quality of websites but no one wants to view them they will stay at the bottom of the table.

While the most common search engine is Google, there are other search engines out there. The second most popular search engine is Youtube. People use Youtube not only for entertainment but also to become more informed on certain topics. Very similar to Google is the Bing search engine. It works just like Google and while it is not as popular, it is still an effective search engine.