Why was it done?
To fight spam which, in turn, will help improve search results.

What sites seem to be hit hardest?
Any site which performs in spamming activities. These are some examples:

- Putting hidden text or links on a page
- Using cloaking or sneaky redirects
- Sending automated queries to Google
- Loading pages with irrelevant keywords
- Creating multiple pages, subdomains or domains with substantially duplicate content
- Using “doorway” pages created just for search engines with little or no original content

What to do if your site was hit?
Google Webmaster Central may be used to submit a request to be reconsidered. However, this does not guarantee automatic ranking improvements. In general, it is always important to:

- Create pages primarily for users, not search engines
- Avoid tricks or link schemes intended to improve your rankings in search results
- Don’t use unauthorized computer programs to submit pages, check rankings, etc.

What about over-optimizing?
There are some rumors about sites which may be penalized for over-optimizing. The Penguin update was done to target spam, not over-optimization.

Once again, following proper guidelines and best practices when designing a website and keeping in mind the website should be built for the user is of utmost importance. These are practices our SEO and web development team at LoSasso work together to make sure we consistently follow to prevent our client sites from being hit by Google updates like the Penguin update.

Keep a timer at your desk. This has multiple uses and is a good way to monitor your time and stay on top of your work. For instance, some people find setting a timer helps them achieve tasks by staying focused and on point knowing they are racing against the clock rather than getting it done whenever they get to it. Also, it is highly recommended that for every fifty minutes spent sitting ten minutes should be spent standing, so set that timer and stand up! Try standing up for example when making phone calls. As long as it isn’t a disruption to others timers can be an extremely efficient way of managing your time and tasks.

Switch up your Feng Shui. If you don’t have a window for fresh air, keeping a small potted plant near by produces a regular and fresh supply of oxygen to the brain. Consider holding a “walking meeting” out of doors if the weather permits. Try reducing work space clutter on a regular basis to keep the flow free of negative energy. A small fish bowl can be considered therapeutic as something to look at other than your computer which is good for your eyes. In fact while you’re at it, fight “computer vision syndrome” by focusing your vision on something in the distance for a sustained period of time to battle eye cell degeneration. Rearranging your desk or office from time to time can help keep a fresh vibe for your thoughts and clients as well.

Stay Engaged. Often times due to the accessibility of technology we are either too lazy or busy making excuses to get out of our chair and deliver a message in person. Delivering a message in person is a good way to remind yourself to stand up occasionally and also promotes a face to face interaction with your co-workers. Exchanging a compliment or a few pleasantries is never a bad idea and serves a nice distraction to the work day as well.

Implementing a few of these workplace tactics are healthy and helpful ways to a more positive environment at the office. Managing a career can be a challenging task when it comes to being actively engaged. Leaving our health consciousness to our “personal” time outside the workplace will ultimately come at a heavy cost for a 40 hour/week worker. We owe it to ourselves, our co-workers and our jobs to manage our health with as much care as we do our most valued clients. Check in daily to remain hydrated, engaged, positive and healthy.

Good Posture. Most of us are guilty of this but few of us realize it. Good posture not only makes you look good by presenting a healthy and confident stature but fights against certain spine related diseases and back issues. There are many ways to improve your posture, sitting on an exercise ball rather than an office chair which engages back and abdominal muscles is one good way. Another good adjustment is to simply make sure that the placement of your key board and monitor are at a comfortable setting in relation to your space to avoid leaning forward and craning your neck downward. Also, using a pillow or lumbar support for your lower back is important if an office chair is the only option.

Stay Hydrated. Hydration is extremely important within the workplace. Coffee, pop and other sugary drinks don’t count and in fact have the opposite effect on our bodies balance. Diuretics such as coffee create an acidic pH balance and cause hydration to be eliminated from the body rather than stored and used as needed. Often times our bodies confuse hunger and thirst so be sure to drink 2x the amount of water if consuming energy drinks and coffee. Accompany meals with water as well. One way to spice up your boring water routine can be to add freshly sliced lemons or limes to balance pH and enhance flavor. Be mindful of using a reusable water resource such as a glass or Nalgene rather than contributing to unnecessary waste with 12oz plastic water bottles which may contain BPA.

Promote Wellness. If it’s possible to avoid eating at your desk do so, touching your money, food, keyboard, mouse and phone while eating is extremely unhealthy and create a cesspool of bacteria likely worse than the company restroom. Wash your hands several times a day and keep sanitizer at your desk. Walk or ride your bike to work if it is possible. If it is not possible for alternative means of transportation then perhaps consider bringing your athletic shoes for a light jog during your lunch break. Taking a standing break every hour or two promotes blood flow to the brain and continuous circulation. Stretch as often as possible and when considering what to eat try packing a lunch. Save money and calories by managing your own meals which helps maintain weight and manage time. Eating every 4 hrs is important to keep metabolism up, and your mind and body fueled. Consider foods that are antioxidant rich in fighting free radicals in addition to nuts, fruits and veggies.

Last year Time Magazine declared Pinterest among its top social media websites to watch out for in 2012 and it would seem that their time has come. Ben Silbermann the founder of Pinterest out of West Des Moines, Iowa knew it would be big, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Pinterest’s mission statement is to, “connect  everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting” and while the concept seems broad it is clearly taking shape by incorporating not just the “things” that interest us but the people, places, concepts, ideas and companies we love.

Useful Ideas

Companies big and small such as Whole Foods, Etsy and Real Simple to name a few, are jumping on board the Pinterest train paving the way for the website to be used as a fabulous tool in addition to personal interests. From product promotion to customers, to teamwork through collaboration by engaging employee’s participation are just two ways Pinterest can add value and contribute. For instance, “Ideas for a Company Outing” might be a board a company could build to allow its employees to voice their PIN ideas visually on a few of their favorite places or activities others might enjoy. More stimulating than circulating an office email with links embedded, why not link pictures to spark a like, comment or repin?

Things to Keep In Mind

Building a profile will help connect people and businesses alike to their communities and strengthen their reach, however there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Etiquette: Just as the other aspects of human interaction demand certain pleasantries, so does social media. When it comes to sharing, commenting, pinning and repining it is polite to thank the original poster and to credit your sources. Above all, BE NICE! As outlined by Pinerest on the ‘Pin Etiquette’ portion of the website, their number one rule is “be nice.” After all the object of the game is to generate a community where people’s likes are valued and positive energy is promoted.

2. The Risk Factor: Limit the liability of risk when posting images you do not own by either asking the owner’s permission or in most cases, accurately giving credit where credit is due. The images are vibrant and attractive to the eye but nine times out of ten people are too busy pinning to take the time necessary to cover their bases. The Pinterest disclaimer is very pronounced in that WE not them are liable for the images we post and the repercussions therein. “You acknowledge and agree that, to the maximum extent permitted by the law, the entire risk arising out of your access to and use of the site, application, services and site content remains with you”

In a recent article by Advertising Age, How Brands can use Pinterest without breaking the law Attorney Brian Heldelberger outlined how to navigate the site as a brand or company with limited risk. He points out that “a brand or business will be more attractive to potential plaintiffs” given the risk of copyright infringement than an individual would be. Given that fact, it is best as a brand to post images that have either been “appropriately licensed” or that company itself owns. An increased image library can help companies drive traffic to their own page without any risk of liability. There are many ways to effectively manage a Pinterest page for a business and successful companies are taking advantage of this opportunity, but it is highly recommended to do so with care.

As Pinterest continues to grow some may argue that the legality issue over images raises red flags ultimately limiting the long term stamina. Yet, this giant is not going anywhere anytime soon and seems to be generating more buzz by the minute. While it is important to call attention to a few cautionary issues remaining, there is no doubt that this website is a fabulous tool for business, branding and personal pin interests alike.

Historical Posting

Posts may be entered in as far back as 1800, allowing companies to enter in their history from when they were founded, opened, etc. with other milestones along the way to the current date.

When you click Milestone, you can enter in the Event name, an optional Location, the specific date, and an optional story of what the event was about. You can even upload photos of the event. An example of a Milestone to post would be the first Haas machine built, where it was built, what day it was completed with a short story talking about what kind of machine it was, who the customer was, etc. Then if there was an actual picture of that machine to upload, it could be posted along with this Milestone.

Highlight a Post

When a post is particularly noteworthy and you would like it to expand across the entire page, you can select that it be highlighted to make it a larger post. (Note, in the new format, posts are divided into columns.) You must first publish the post, and then you can select the star to Highlight it afterwards to make the post stretch across the page.

This is beneficial to do for posts like new product announcements, new location announcements, special events, etc. However, don’t go overboard with this feature and make every other post a Highlighted post.

Pin a Post

When there is a particular post that is timely and is important to keep at the top of the page, you can Pin it which will keep it static at the top of the page for seven days, or until you unpin it before the seven days are up.

This is ideal to promote upcoming events, upcoming product releases, new videos, etc. If the post has not been unpinned in seven days, Facebook will automatically unpin it from the top and it will be placed back in the timeline as a normal post.

New Apps Setup

Facebook’s old setup where users could browse through the Photos, Videos, Events, and all the custom apps which have changed. Now, only four of these will be visible at the top. The rest are shown by means of a dropdown button, and the first of the four shown is always Photos. The other three can be rearranged to be whatever you like.

To rearrange the order of these apps, simply click that dropdown button, then hover your mouse over the app you want to move so a pencil icon appears at the top right corner of the app. When you click the pencil icon, you’ll then see a menu to “Swap position with:” then it will list all the available apps you can switch it with.

Image Updates

Facebook Timeline now has two images a brand can load to its page. The profile photo has been changed to a 180×180 pixel size and is recommended to be a logo or something else to clearly identify the brand. The cover photo is a 851×315 pixel size and should also be something to identify the brand, but must not include pricing or promotional information, contact information, references to Facebook (cannot say “like” or “share”) or any other calls to action (cannot say “tell your friends” or “get it now.”)

Custom apps are now also wider. The new width is 810 pixels.

Next Steps

Now that you are aware of the changes, you may start to prepare your company history through posts, create the new images needed in the correct sizes and update your apps to the correct widths.  To start making some of these changes in Preview mode, click Preview at the top of your current Facebook Page:

If you are ready to publish the page to the Timeline format before the March 30^th deadline, you may do so by clicking Publish Now at the top of your current Facebook page when it is in Preview mode:

The use of social media undeniably optimizes our connections both personally and professionally. These tools we have grown to love and utilize now seem to be working for us while we multitask across platforms.  By simplifying the number of clicks we make suddenly Google, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest all appear to be in cahoots with one another. What you “PIN” simultaneously pops up on your Facebook home screen, likewise when you log onto Gmail you are also prompted to your Plus account! While user options typically allow one to disable these settings if desired, they still interface quite nicely to prompt the sharing of content through various options.

It can get confusing, and of course Posts and Pictures are encouraged for all

• Facebook: Like, Comment, Share
• Pinterest: PIN, RePin, Like, Comment, Follow & Unfollow
• Google+: Hangout, Share, +1, Comment
• Twitter: Tweet, Retweet, Reply, Favorite

Syncing, simplicity and integration are all goals of the social media networks because traffic for one, means traffic for all. While we might think they are in direct competition with one another, in reality they realize that they need us as much as we need them. Why not team up to cover all the angles? The same goes for us as it does for the online giants. We are not in direct competition with one another or rely solely upon one platform from which to operate.

By retweeting, sharing, liking, pinning or +1’ing posts or content, the good word spreads faster and more people benefit from the network of activity. So the next time you find content relevant, stimulating or entertaining feel free to pass it along via PIN, Share, Like or +1. As we do, our virtual and real life circles grow and if knowledge is power then the key holders are in fact the businesses and individuals. Perhaps rather than asking where to focus our media strategy attention, maybe the question should be how best to effectively navigate using them all at once, or at least as many apply.  Though this proposition may sound daunting consider this: while we are hard at work in our day to day lives, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest are all working behind the scenes acting as the “digital face” of us, and our companies.