Sunday, March 30, 2014

Laughter Is The Best Medicine 19

Good Beautiful Sunday Morning!!! Having a cheerful, positive attitude about life is so important.  Often people feel that they have nothing to be grateful about but I challenge those that are in this slump to simply take inventory of their blessings.  Simply breathing is one (there I started you out. ;)

I know that this can be a challenge because I have been in the rut of negative thinking but I have worked and worked and keep working at being positive.  I am so much more happy than I have ever have been and the things that used to stress me out do so much less frequently.  When I take inventory of all of the blessings God has given me, it makes me realize how He truly does have me in His hands.  What a comfort and that in itself is a blessing.

I would love for us all to have peace and true contentment.  Nothing feels better so I hope that you will continue to join me on my journey to positivism.

God Bless!

Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones

Here is my inventory:
From FB Page  Gift of Niceness
From FB Page Green Renaissance
From FB Page When I Laugh, You Laugh, We Laugh
From FB Page Crosswords
From FB Page Yes We Coupon


Saturday, March 29, 2014

Networking Saturday; Link Your Shop or Blog 6

So I said that we would talk about Google's New Hummingbird Algorithm today.  With that of course I needed to do a little Google search of what the Hummingbird Algorithm is and found that it is not too new.  It came out in August or September 2013 from what I gleaned from the many articles offering information.
Look at it!  acting so innocent. 
What I have learned from this adventure was that I need to start paying better attention to what is going on in the web world.  So with that a little disclaimer: I apologize if many of you have already researched this and know all about the new algorithm.

Since there are many more knowledgeable sources of information on the Hummingbird Algorithm I am only going to spend a little time explaining it from the Colleen version (basically even more simplistic than___ For Dummies.)  Google's new algorithm is smarter than previous and has limited the amount of time users need to hunt and peck for answers to their questions.  I have noticed that my searches seem to provide what I need faster; while I did think that it was because I was asking questions better it turns out it is because of our Hummingbird friend.

Google's obligation is to the user of their product (the searchers) not us the bloggers, websites and eCommerce sites.

The new algorithm looks at a combination of words instead of just keywords that it gleans from our questions.  Previously when I asked a question it looked like this:  What is Google's New Hummingbird Algorithm  which may give me options ranging from information on hummingbirds and their habitat, how algorithms work, information about Google as a company, etc. But now it may look at it more like this: What is Google's New Hummingbird Algorithm giving me a selection of items pertaining to the new search format.  Which of course makes me a much more happy searcher.  But often it will gives me the answer to my question immediately at the top so that I don't have to bother clicking on any one site's information.  (bad for us that rely on the content of our blogs to draw people to them.)

How that affects me as a small business owner?  Most of us do use a blog or an actual website to draw people to us.  So the key thing that I got out of my research is that I need to make sure that my content is useful.  Obviously in the example above my answer was right at the top of the page if the only thing I wanted to know was what a hummingbird is, but Melissa has more to offer me than just that it is an American bird that hovers.  Is it likely that I or another person searching for information on a hummingbird will be satisfied with Google's bit?  No, so it all comes back to the basics of what we should have been doing in the first place; providing quality and useful information in our content.

One of the articles stressed the importance of connecting blogs and sites to G+ but when I have done that in the past I have received severe negative feedback for doing so.  I would love some feedback from viewers in the comments section, if you don't mind, especially if you read about it or found this to be true.

The big change for me and probably others will be how we list our search tags.  Using one word search descriptions (tags) will not help us reach the top of the search list.  Using key word phrase such as "Networking for small business" vs "networking" will be better.  It is very hard for me to get used to but I am trying it today.  SEO are still important and most of what we did in the past will apply but I do think that it may even the playing ground for those of us that actually work at our content vs. those that literally "buy" their followers.

In relation; I have received several questions this month about how my shops are doing from concerned sellers that have seen their sales drop, especially this month.  My sales have drop significantly over the last 12 months and I have had to work harder than ever to get the few sales I did have.

What I am wondering is if these changes made at Google has had an effect on our sales.  Is Etsy and Artfire changing the way they "advertise" us on Google (which they do say that they are doing automatically.)  I am not sure but it is food for thought and worth some research.  If anyone has any insite please contact me I would love to have either a guest blog, pick your brain for a post or even if you leave the information in the comment section that would be great!

Here is a list of helpful sites on the Hummingbird Algorithm:
What Google 'Hummingbird' Means for Your SEO Strategy
Why Google’s New Hummingbird Algorithm is Good News for Serious Content Creators
Google Hummingbird & The Keyword: What You Need To Know To Stay Ahead
FAQ: All About The New Google “Hummingbird” Algorithm
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If you have any great networking opportunities you would like me to feature please contact me directly at ButterflyInTheAttic at yahoo dot com or post the information in the comments section.  I will add it to next week's post. 

So now a little homework; think about how the changes in  Google's Algorithm are going to affect you. And how do you feel about connecting your site to Google + My homework:  more research on how we can really work Hummingbird to our advantage as a group and individuals.  Also to make sure nothing else sneaks past me.

Now lets have some Networking Fun!!!
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Post any of your family friendly sites (blogs, shops, FB, etc.)  What ever sites you would like to share. 

Please help promote this post using your social networks.  Here is an easy one:

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Twitter Tree


The Twitter Tree© will is hosted by a different shop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday:

Instructions:
Only 2 Items per person
Each Tweet must contain the hashtag #CCFRNDS
(NOTE:  Important only use #CCFRNDS for Twitter Tree Tweets!)
Only 1 other Hashtag may be used.
Include your Twitter Id, mine is @ButterflysAttic 
Please include a brief description of your item in the tweet.
Keep your Tweet under 140 Characters (including spaces).

No Mature Items

Tweet Everyone’s listings. (It is not fair to others if you do not fully participate. Team Leaders do watch who is tweeting and who is not.)

Help us get more visitors to this post and tweet this post (I made it easy with the button below)
 

 Here are Mine



Antique Postcard Birthday Greeting Purple Pansy Heavily Embossed Velvet Fabric Accent
http://etsy.me/1pfTNLU
@ButterflysAttic #CCFRNDS



 

#Antique Postcard 1912 Artist Signed H A Weiss Cherub Angel w/ Flute
http://etsy.me/1rIRvr0
@ButterflysAttic #CCFRNDS


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I would love it if you would share this link up


get the InLinkz code

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Collections from Countdown To Mother's Day; Gift Guide

Good morning, Here are some great collections from the group at the Countdown to Mother's Day.
 What a great selection!



Don't for get to stop by The Blue Print and see her wonderful post featuring a great series progressing through the months.  This week it is "She was born in April"  here is a sneak peek of her post:

Springing Forth

This beautiful, blooming, budding and exciting month brings new birth to the earth in the Northern Hemisphere and the darkening days of the fall in the Southern Hemisphere. April is sacred to Venus and Aphrodite if you prefer the Greek way of telling things. April used to be second before being bumped to fourth by King Numa Pompilius when he added January and February to the beginning of the Roman calendar. Filled with feasts and festivals, this month is exploding with new beginnings and good friends.
http://bmebluprint.blogspot.com/2014/03/she-was-born-in-april.html