The significant challenges that we face today cannot be resolved by the same level of thinking that created them.

A warm hello to our new readers - we're always happy to see new faces. Feel free to comment in sections below items or contact me privately. I'm here to help you succeed too.

Our thoughts go out to our readers who had to endure the latest snow storm that started this past weekend. This storm hit 13 states in the U.S. and 3 provinces here in Canada. I do hope everyone is safe and our sympathies go out to those whose families who suffered fatalities.

Man, you can certainly tell the when the weekend has arrived even if it's nothing more than the dismal diluge of spam. I am thankful every day that I have such a reliable spam filter. That cuts down on a lot of unnecessary work. As most of you know, I use MailWasher® Pro and it truly saves me tons of time that can be put to good use elsewhere. If you've never tried this program, you can try the free version on one email account. You'll see for yourself - it's simple to set up and it's reliable.

What I find alarming is the subject lines that have started coming through lately. You'll see the usual garbage like the 'weekend pill', 'lose weight while you sleep', 'make a million overnight', increase various and sundry body parts. These are all caught by my filters but now there are ads for 'Steal Passwords' - or they have altered the headers to look like one of my mail accounts sent the message for something I would never want to be associated with. It's totally ludicrous!

It's obvious the spammers make money spamming or they wouldn't do it. The best thing you can do is to just hit that delete key. If you have a program like MailWasher® Pro, then be sure to make your filters as specific as possible and you will not have to deal with the nonsense coming in to your Inbox. In fact, you can have a report sent to you detailing the spam sent to you. I didn't even realize this feature was available until I did some looking on Sunday. The report can be sent to an address you choose as long as you have an SMTP server.

For example, between December 1st and December 7th, 2003 I received 1,328 email messages of which 1,055 were automatically marked for deletion. The only reason it didn't catch more is due to the fact that I had just set up the program on my laptop. Of the balance coming into my Inbox just over 250 were legitimate messages leaving very little in the way of unresolved messages.

You should also note that you do not have to worry about using the unsubscribe link for publishers you have subscribed to - these are valid links and it helps the publisher and you when you want to unsubscribe. There is a big difference between clicking on a spam message to unsubscribe and a responsible publisher's link. The only thing you accomplish when you click on a spam message to unsubscribe to something you didn't ask for in the first place is to confirm that it is a real address. Don't do it.

Yahoo Inc. has developed a system it says will go a long way toward curbing spam, but the technology's success is dependent on its widespread industry adoption beyond the borders of Yahoo's e-mail servers. You'll find more details in Yahoo pitching antispam initiative to industry.

Google has been shaking things up for webmasters who thought they 'knew it all'. Mel Strocen wrote The Future of WebSite Ranking which is today's Feature Article and it does a good job of explaining the changes. Mel has provided several resource links to help you gain a better understanding of what has been happening. It seems obvious that you are wasting your time attempting to manipulate your search engine listings. You may rank high today and tomorrow you may disappear altogether.

Today's Special Article is How to Find Meaning and Motivation in Life, written by Craig Lock. As another year draws to a close, spend some quality time to review your accomplishments. Don't forget to consider the projects that didn't work - they will help you set more specific goals by avoiding those pitfalls. Have you accomplished all that you set out to do this year? There are many who think the idea of writing down their goals is waste of time but they are usually the ones who complain about not being successful. Your goals - your 'to do' list - call it whatever you want - is like your roadmap. It will keep you motivated and on track.

Have a great day and keep on smiling.

Lois M. Jeary
Publisher, KIT
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The Future of WebSite Ranking
By Mel Strocen (c) 2003

The recent shakeup in Google's search results, which set the SEO (search engine optimization) community buzzing and saw tens of thousands of webmasters watch their site ranking plummet, was in many ways inevitable. Almost all SEO companies and most savvy webmasters had a fairly good handle on what Google considered important. And since SEO, by definition, is the art of manipulating website ranking (not always with the best interests of searchers in mind), it was only a matter of time until Google decided to make some changes.

If you've been asleep at the SEO switch, here are a few links to articles and forums that have focused on the recent changes at Google:

Articles:

http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2003/dec/1prt.html
http://www.searchengineguide.com/lloyd/2003/1125_bl1.html http://www.searchenginejournal.com/index.php?cat=1
http://www.accordmarketing.com/tid/archive/
google-update-florida.html

Forums:
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/

http://www.jimworld.com/apps/webmaster.forums/action::topiclist/
forum::google/

http://www.searchguild.com/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=3d5d777a7a9c7dda31622896015f733a

To date, most of the commentary has been predictable, ranging from the critical and analytical to the speculative.

Here's a typical example from one of our SiteProNews readers:

"I'm not sure what has happened to Google's vaunted algorithm, but searches are now returning unrelated junk results as early as the second page and even first page listings are a random collection of internal pages (not index pages) from minor players in my industry (mostly re-sellers) vaguely related to my highly-focused keyword search queries."

So, what is Google trying to accomplish? As one author put it, Google has a "democratic" vision of the Web. Unfortunately for Google and the other major search engines, those with a grasp of SEO techniques were beginning to tarnish that vision by stacking the search result deck in favor of their websites.

Search Engine Optimization or Ranking Manipulation?

Author and search engine expert, Barry Lloyd commented as follows: "Google has seen their search engine results manipulated by SEOs to a significant extent over the past few years. Their reliance on PageRank™ to grade the authority of pages has led to the wholesale trading and buying of links with the primary purpose of influencing rankings on Google rather than for natural linking reasons."

Given Google's dominance of search and how important ranking well in Google is to millions of websites, attempts at rank manipulation shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. For many, achieving a high site ranking is more important than the hard work it takes to legitmately earn a good ranking.

The Problem with Current Site Ranking Methods

There will always be those who are more interested in the end result than on how they get there and site ranking that is based on site content (links, keywords, etc.) and interpreted by ranking algorithms will always be subject to manipulation. Why? Because, for now, crawlers and algorithms lack the intelligence to make informed judgements on site quality.

A short while ago, author, Mike Banks Valentine published an article entitled "SEO Mercilessly Murdered by Copywriters!". The article rightly pointed out SEO's focus on making text and page structure "crawler friendly". Other SEO authors have written at great length about the need for "text, text, text" in page body content as well as in Meta, Heading, ALT, and Link tags. They are all correct and yet they are all missing (or ignoring) the point which is that the "tail is wagging the dog". Search engines are determining what is relevant, not the people using those engines. Searchers are relegated to the role of engine critics and webmasters to being students of SEO.

SEO manipulation will continue and thrive as long as search engines base their algorithms on page and link analysis. The rules may change, but the game will remain the same.

Therein lies the problem with all current search engine ranking algorithms. SEO's will always attempt to position their sites at the top of search engine results whether their sites deserve to be there or not, and search engines will continue to tweak their algorithms in an attempt to eliminate SEO loopholes. If there is a solution to this ongoing battle of vested interests, it won't come from improving page content analysis.

Incorporating User Popularity into Ranking Algorithms

The future of quality search results lies in harnessing the opinions of the Internet masses - in other words, by tying search results and site ranking to User Popularity. Google's "democratic" vision of the Web will never be achieved by manipulating algorithm criteria based on content. It will only be achieved by factoring in what is important to people, and people will always remain the best judge of what that is. The true challenge for search engines in the future is how to incorporate web searcher input and preferences into their ranking algorithms.

Website ranking based on user popularity - the measurement of searcher visits to a site, pages viewed, time viewed, etc. - will be far less subject to manipulation and will ensure a more satisfying search experience. Why? Because web sites that receive the kiss of approval from 10,000, 100,000 or a million plus surfers a month are unlikely to disappoint new visitors. Although some websites might achieve temporary spikes in popularity through link exchanges, inflated or false claims, email marketing, pyramid schemes, etc., these spikes would be almost impossible to sustain over the long-term. As Lincoln said "You can fool some of the people all the time. You can fool all the people some of the time. But you can't fool all the people all the time." Any effective ranking system based on surfer input will inevitably be superior to current systems.

To date, none of the major search engines have shown a serious interest in incorporating user popularity into their ranking algorithms. As of this writing, ExactSeek is the only search engine that has implemented a site ranking algorithm based on user popularity.

Resistance to change, however, is not the only reason user data hasn't made its way into ranking algorithms. ExactSeek's new ranking algorithm was made possible only as a result of its partner arrangement with Alexa Internet, one of the oldest and largest aggregator's of user data on the Web. Alexa has been collecting user data through its toolbar (downloaded over 10 million times) since 1997 and is currently the only web entity with a large enough user base to measure site popularity and evaluate user preferences in a meaningful way.

The Challenges Facing User Popularity Based Ranking

1. The Collection Of User Data:
In order for web user data to play a significant role in search results and site ranking, it would need to be gathered in sufficient volume and detail to accurately reflect web user interests and choices. The surfing preferences of a few million toolbar users would be meaningless when applied to a search engine database of billions of web pages. Even Alexa, with its huge store of user data, is only able to rank 3 to 4 million websites with any degree of accuracy.

2. Privacy:
The collection of user data obviously has privacy implications. Privacy concerns have become more of an issue in recent years and could hinder any attempt to collect user data on a large scale. The surfing public would need to cooperate in such an endeavor and be persuaded of the benefits.

3. Interest:
Web search continues to grow in popularity with more than 80% of Internet users relying on search engines to find what they need. However, with the exception of site owners who have a vested interest in site ranking, most web searchers have not expressed any serious dissatisfaction with the overall quality of search results delivered by the major engines. Harnessing the cooperation and active participation of this latter and much larger group would be difficult, if not impossible.

The future of web search and website ranking belongs in the hands of all Internet users, but whether it ends up there depends on how willing they are to participate in that future.

Mel Strocen is CEO of the Jayde Online Network of websites. The Jayde network currently consists of 12 websites, including ExactSeek.com and SiteProNews.com

While the The Secret To Success was presented as part of the humor for the week in Bob Osgoody's Internet Tip of the Week, it really does speak the truth. Here it is:

"Sir, What is the secret of your success?" a reporter asked a bank president.
"Two words."
"And, sir, what are they?"
"Right decisions."
"And how do you make right decisions?"
"One word."
"And, sir, What is that?"
"Experience."
"And how do you get Experience?"
"Two words."
"And, sir, what are they?"
"Wrong decisions."

How many times have you ordered a product that came with resell rights? In most or many cases, the website is already part of the package and all you need to do is add your payment and download links and you're up and running.

Most of us have done this simply because it's easy and we don't have to create a special site or template. And here's the -- as soon as you add your name to that website, the contents and everything contained within those pages become your responsibility.

It's only natural to want to keep the website documentation with the compelling copy, however, the claims made in the original do not necessarily apply to you - or at least not yet anyway. This is particularly important when claims about income or earnings are presented throughout the site. Take the time to go through the template and modify it so that it fairly represents you.

It's a smart step to take because most will just use the template as is. Make yours stand out from the crowd and be sure it fairly represents your own experience.

In today's lawsuit crazy world, it's more important than ever to protect you and your business. If you don't have the proper disclaimers and legal documents on your website, you may not be protected. The FTC is clamping down on sloppy business owners - as they should.

I purchased AutoWeb Law a few months ago and it's one of the best purchases I've made. Most of my 'working career' was spent in lawyer's offices but I wouldn't have been able to create the proper legal documentation for my site without help. AutoWeb Law made it easy to create the right documents for the right purposes.

Stop Taking Risks

None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
- St. Basil

There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
- John F. Kennedy

How to Find Meaning and Motivation in Life
by Craig Lock

Firstly, ask yourself the following questions:

What do you want out of life?

What do you value most? What does your life say to you? Which means to say: What has been the purpose of it so far? Ever thought about it? Funny question for all of us when one day just seems to drift into another. What ideals do you aspire to? What is your core value (or values). In other words, ask yourself this: what is the single most important value I stand for in my life, my core reason for being?

Write your answers down on a blank sheet of paper. Then ask the person nearest and dearest to you to do the same. Make a quiet time when you won't be disturbed. Spend this uninterrupted time while you talk about your lives together: your values, goals and dreams - for yourself and for the family. This is a great opportunity for you to spend quality time sharing your innermost fears, goals and dreams with someone you love. If you are single, just love yourself (my motto is: 'fall in love with yourself and be sure of a life-long romance'). You can also find out what those nearest and dearest to you really want out of life and from you. What are their expectations of you? Usually very different from what you think they are! Ask yourself: Are you living out your values? Do you have a dream? If so, do you value your dream? Is it that important to you? How important? What steps do you need to take in order to achieve it? You may have to ask for help from others; because not all goals can be achieved by you alone.

The Bible said that man must have a vision ("Without a vision the people perish"). The famous painter Jean Monet said that there are two kinds of people:

those who want to be someone, or those who do something. Do you want to be one of them or not? Nothing wrong with that at all, if that's what you truly want out of life. Just to be an inconspicuous ordinary person. Those people are generally far happier than the achievers, who are continually striving towards success with great hopes and dreams. Great! Except don't repeat the word 'great', dumbo. I teach that in my creative writing course. Rather say 'wonderful'.

MOTIVATION:

I think that I am a very motivated person, who throws himself into situations with enthusiasm. Just live and let live. Not the James Bond movie.

Our motivation varies from day to day. No-one can expect to be greatly motivated all of the time. There are often times when I need motivation and emotional nourishment. Some days when I'm "not in the mood", writing is such a "drag" and I have to force myself to do it, like any other job. This is probably the area in which you can develop and improve yourself the most. I believe the potential to motivate yourself is unlimited and it is a key element in making the most of yourself. I also think that your level of motivation will probably be the most important single factor that determines where you'll finish up in life. A good "spur on". So that makes it easy to work on!

Let us now look at some of the theory behind human motivation. Now lets go into a bit more depth down the mine ... I believe success, even small amounts of it, is the best motivater of all, to keep one going, whatever the quest.

When motivation comes from within, it is self-fulfilling. What motivates people to do what they do? Is it to gain approval, recognition or reward from someone else? This, I believe, is often the case and is known as a reinforcement or reward theory of motivation - a fancy term used by the psychologists, when you do things for personal gain. Or it could be the 'pain' theory of motivation, where you take action out of a fear of punishment (or pain). These two approaches are sometimes known as the "carrot" and the "stick" approach.

Spend some quiet time to reflect on motivation and what it means to you personally: What do you want your tombstone to say? What drives you? Ford, Nissan, Holden, VW Beetle or Chevrolet (for American readers)? What motivates you, "presses your hot buttons"... and makes your "heart sing"?

Craig's FREE e-book Steps to Success is now available at: http://www.bridgeniche.com/stepstosuccess/

P.S: Don't worry about the world ending today ... it's already tomorrow in "little" scenic and tranquil New Zealand.

Here's a short article to let you know what sets the successful internet marketers apart from the rest.

The secret is simple! So simple that you can do it too!

http://www.resource-a-day.net/resources/truth/

Ray Ozzie of Groove Network says eMail is " ... a fundamentally unaccountable medium"

Trying to manipulate your search engine listings is a waste of time. As soon as you figure out how the new algorithms work, you can bet that 'the rules will change'. Stay focused on your content and relevant linking and let the search engines and your customers find you based on what you have to offer.

Stop playing games. Here's how to 'do it right'. Hitting The Search Engines

Legal Stuff ...

We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within KIT.

And, although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.