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.

Week 16 MKTG 349: Adwords T&R

Trash and Refresh is a dumpster rental service located in Willowbrook, Illinois. They are looking for help creating ads. When creating an ad for T&R I wanted to make sure I chose keywords that would actually get clicks. To do this I went on to the keyword planner and looked to see what keywords would be relevant. I named the ad "Dumpster Rental." I chose this name because I think that making the ad as direct and straight forward, the better. The keywords I chose were garbage, dumpster, rent a dumpster, trash, dumpster rental, clean outs, dumpster delivery, garbage disposal, and haul away trash.

The second ad I created I named "Trash Removal." Again I wanted straight forward ad title names so I chose trash removal, dumpster delivery, trash, and removal. This ad is meant to attract people who are simply just typing something into Google and looking for a service to help them.

The next ad I made I used the name of the company as the ad title. I named it "Trash and Refresh." This will be effective because the name is straight forward to what it does, so it should help attract buyers. The keywords I used were Garbage removal, trash removal, dumpster service, rent, rent dumpster, garbage, trash, and haul away.

Week 15 MKTG 349: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is not something you here talked about often, but it is starting to creep up on all of us. For those of you who do not know what AI is, it is replacing the jobs that we work with robots. Instead of worrying about our jobs being outsourced to places like Mexico and China, we should be worrying about being replaced by robots. The US is the country most at risk for this simply because we are preforming tasks that are simple and easy in the work place. This in turn makes it easy to code a robot who can perform our jobs. About 30% of US jobs will be at risk. While this is saving firms money, this will cause the workforce to change. Those workers who perform highly skilled jobs, should not be worried. It is those performing tasks that can be easily replicated by a robot that should keep this on their radar.

People with jobs in education, health care and social work are the least at risk of being replaced. Some traits that will be highly valued are creative and critical thinking, as well as emotional intelligence. This is because these traits can not be replicated in a robot, so they will become more valuable. Creating these robots will cause a greater social inequality. All in all this is something that workers should keep on their radar. If you are worried about this issue I suggest working your creative and critical thinking, as well as your emotional intelligence. This will help set you aside from the robots that are being created.