Article Subject: Dr Dato’s briefs in Google’s new method of screening unique content

Dr. Dato’s Brief:

* A note to readers - this post may have some technical jargon, but informative stuff that you need to know, give it a try!

Google has just announced that it has improved it’s search algorithms to ensure that only unique content are pushed to the end user instead of ’scraped’ content that many websites utilize to push up their rankings. Scraping is a term used to copy content from another content provider and have it pushed through their own website so Google can pick up on it and give it some kind of relevancy.

I wanted to specifically mention this post, because it embodies some of my own thinking as I have been blogging for a short while now. I believe ‘content farm’ can be useful to provide a compiled set of links that are unique and useful to the end user for the area of interest, but the final goal has to be kept in mind. For example, it is fairly easy with some technical prowess and knowledge to create a customized ‘crawler’ and yes I mean your own unique crawler that will scan various sites on the internet looking for specific terms that you are interested in. I actually developed a crawler back in the 1990s when I was working in the area of search engine optimization (SEO).

So the end goal is what it is all about and Google has a very clear end goal to it’s work and very existence in that it provides the most relevant and useful information it possibly can to their end users. This means they will bypass all ‘black hat’ tactics used by web companies in order to rank their site without building unique content through themselves but rather scraping (copying & manipulating) content from other websites. Companies may be able to get away with this kind of tactics only for a short time until Google develops algorithms that will detect and bypass them altogether leaving those companies in an embarrassing position. I have actually seen this happen previously with link farm websites that were doing so well and almost overnight their business had folded.

I have been advocating unique content for as long as I can remember, although the path to this kind of content takes hard work and determination, you are not only providing a good service to your readers but at the same time keeping search engines very happy too. The long-term benefits to your website far outweighs the short-term gains.

Other good resources:
Search Engines are Matchmakers, Don’t Break Any Hearts
- a good post in the value of good ethics when it comes to ranking higher in search engines

Dr A Dato

Google algorithm improves on unique content filtration

Tags: google content farms, google new algorithms, google search engine, unique website content

Article Subject: 5 Fundamental Truths of Online Dating

Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cristen-conger/online-dating-facts_b_823816.html

Article Rating: 3.0 (out of 5)

Website: none

Dr. Dato’s Brief:

Some good points on this post by Cristen Conger who is a staff writer for HowStuffWorks.com and talks about the few important points about online dating.

Her first point ‘It Works’ which she is saying that 10 million adult American couples met online in 2010 seems a little bit exaggerated and was based on a survey conducted by Stanford University on 4,002 adults. This small pool of adults is not sufficient enough to give a good representation of the facts that account for the dating habits of the entire American population.

I particularly agree on her fourth point which states “Beware the Hyperpersonal Effect” which means in other words not to get too carried away with someone you just met online and start ‘fantasizing about a blissful future together’. This could lead you to a big disappointment in the first person meeting but I would go far as to say that it could potentially put you off from online dating altogether.

She concludes nicely with the final point “Disappointment Happens a Lot” and is to be expected, so the advise is that online dating is only the first step in the dating process and it still has to go through the ‘real world’ dating process of meeting somebody, hanging out and hoping for the best. My advise is to filter through as many people that meet your criteria in the online dating site and start establishing an ‘online dating relationship’ with them until you are comfortable in meeting up with some of them.

following good online dating tips can help you get successful dates

Tags: dating persistence, hyperpersonal effect, online dating statistics, Online Dating Tips

Article Subject: Virtual dating game for fun

Game Link: http://teens.aol.com/games/red-virtual-date

Rating: 3.0 (out of 5)

Website: none

Dr. Dato’s Brief:

It’s surprising what you can find online these days.

I came across this virtual dating game as I was browsing for more interesting tit-bits in online dating and came across this online game called Virtual Date.

The idea behind this game is that you select the gender you are looking and you go through a virtual ‘conversation’ with them and at the end of the game, she (in my case) will let you know if she wants to date you or if she is going to see her grandmother.

When you hit play, you are presented with three personable virtual characters to choose from and the scene for your first date. I happen to pick the beach and of course the natural sound of the crashing waves on the beach could be heard in the background. The opening starts with a set of questions to choose from and ask the lady and if you pick a good one she will smile at you and ask a question, however if you get it wrong she will get quite upset.

It’s quite fun trying your hand in this, not sure if you can improve your dating skills though!

virtual dating game for fun, when you get bored

Tags: online dating conversation, virtual dating game, virtual online dates

Article Subject: In China, matchmaking means gold digging

Article Link: http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/24/5690200-in-china-matchmaking-means-gold-digging-

Article Rating: 3.0 (out of 5)

Website: none

Dr. Dato’s Brief:

Quite an interesting article on the current dating scene in China.

It briefly talks about a reality show organized by Golden Bachelor Matchmakers to find suitable chinese women to be matched to wealthy millionaire bachelors.

The post touches on the changing scene of China and its prosperity through the economic boom that has led to great divisions in wealth and power and as a result changing peoples attitudes to marriage. It would seem that now that money is abound it has attracted many women to the city looking for the ‘good life’ whereas previously arranged marriages were organized by families based on traditional values.

What I found most endearing is that Shanghai has a ‘marriage market’ held every weekend with a giant wall covered with handwritten posters of would-be suitors for parents to find mates for their sons and daughters.

Walking through the streets of the city, the author has observed many conversations with mothers talking with their daughters, ‘Oh, what does he have? Unfortunately, this materialistic view is also taken into the many online dating sites that are now popping all over China.

china's economic boom has changed the attitudes of people when it comes to dating and marriage

Tags: china dating scene, chinese economy, chinese materialism, online dating china

Article Subject: Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!

Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gena-grish/bibbidibobbidiboo_b_826064.html

Article Rating: 3.0 (out of 5)

Website: smartdatingacademy.com

Dr. Dato’s Brief:

This is a post by Gena Grish who is a columnist of the Huffington Post and writes about Bela who is a dating coach and her experience in coaching her friend named Jamie.

The post gives high praise to Bela who has her own unique methods in personal coaching and the amazing transformation in Jamie to open up and see dating with a renewed confidence. The coaching involves questionnaires, meetings and forced Jamie to look at her weaknesses and strengths and Bela furnished Jamie with a dating profile/personality. Since the meeting with Bela, Jamie’s outlook in dating took a complete 180 turn according to Gena Grish.

I think the story rings well with most of us and sometimes we need that ‘push’ and ‘nudge’ to get us motivated and moving again. This is also true of seeking dates in the online dating scene or the offline world, we become very wrapped up in our own world that we end up NOT giving the time or importance to the other aspects of our lives. This is not to say that we are incompetent or incapable of doing what we want to do but more to do with the lack of fear, significance and other anxieties that stands in between. What we need is just a simple nudge, and so if you are reading this, I want to give you a gentle nudge so you can be on your way and discover the greater values within yourself…

sometimes all we need is a nudge in the right direction to get us going

Tags: busy professionals dating, online dating agency, online dating coach, overcome anxieties, smartdatingagency.com