Danny founded Search Engine Watch in 1996 and spent a decade there educating the world on search engine marketing. In 2006 he left SEW to start up a new website Search Engine Land where he serves as Editor-In-Chief. Danny also continues to speak at Search Marketing Expo (SMX West) on all things search related. Perhaps no one has done more to evangelize SEO than Danny Sullivan.

Podcast Highlights

• 00:29 – What in the world is a technologist?
• 01:13 – What’s new with Danny?
• 04:34 – Does Google deserve it’s high public approving rating?
• 12:11 – How has social media change Internet Marketing?
• 16:20 – What are some social media strategies?
• 17:19 – We learn about Sphinn.com
• 21:21 – Random question time

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This is part two of my talk with Jonathan Snook. In the first episode, Jonathan and I talk about the technical side of the web — in this episode we talk business and get personal. Jonathan is a partner at Sidebar Creative and of course you can see him on his blog, Snook.ca.

Podcast Highlights

• 00:09 – What are his software preferences?
• 05:37 – How did Sidebar Creative come about?
• 10:42 – How does he define the “new web”?
• 11:32 – What are some of the biggest mistakes freelancers make?
• 14:37 – How much time is spent in front of the computer?
• 15:57 – We talk Microsoft?
• 19:21 – Does he have performance pressure
• 23:42 – Random question time!

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I was pretty stoked to get to talk to Jonathan Snook this week. Jonathan is author of Accelerated DOM Scripting with Ajax, APIs, and Libraries, and The Art and Science of CSS books. He also publishes columns for Digital Web Magazine, Sitepoint and of course his blog Snook.ca. You can see him this week speaking at Web Directions North on Ajax frameworks.

Once Jonathan and I got talking, it took a lot to get us to shut up so on the negative side, the talk will be split into two, but on the plus side, it was a great conversation. Part 1 is a more technical talk whereas part 2 we talk about the business side of freelancing.

Have a listen and as always, I appreciate your thoughts.

Podcast Highlights

• 00:12 – Has Jonathan always been involved in Web Development?
• 2:42 – We talk Snitter and working with the Twitter API
• 12:22 – Find out what his thoughts are on Adobe AIR?
• 14:57 – Can people who consider themselves more server-side developers tackle Ajax?
• 21:25 – Which JavaScript framework/libraries does he use?

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Yaro Starak is a young entrepreneur from Australia. Yaro has created, managed and sold several different Internet businesses since 1998 and currently teaches people how to make a full time income from blogging part time.

At the beginning of each conversation, I like to tell the guest what to expect. As usual, I told Yaro that the calls usually last from 20-30 minutes unless we just really start talking. Well, that happened here. After much editing, the talk is still a solid 45 minutes — there’s just too much good information for any person looking to do commerce online that I had to include. So you get to enjoy an extra 15 minutes for FREE!

Have a listen and as always, I appreciate your thoughts.

Podcast Highlights

• 00:27 – How many websites does he own?
• 01:32 – We discuss buying websites.
• 06:20 – How does interest in a topic measure up with your site’s/blog’s success?
• 13:10 – How do you filter out the crap from the quality?
• 18:10 – What is your exit strategy?
• 23:11 – What was the motivation behind closing the enrollment of Blog Mastermind?
• 29:39 – We really talk about who Blog Mastermind is for and who will benefit from it the most.
• 40:00 – Have you ever thought of taking this data and porting it over for internet entrepreneurs?

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I was really excited for this talk as I am a big SU user (see my profile) and think the service is really cool in general. Our chat reveals some interesting information for both web developers (think API) and webmasters (increased traffic opportunities). After plenty of begging on my part and because I let Garrett win a match of arm wrestling, he was gracious enough to join me for a conversation. The sound quality on Garrett’s end is not the best at times, but I cleaned it up the best I could. If there are any whiz audio editors who want to give a shot at making it better, let me know!

Have a listen and let me know what you think! What did you like and what didn’t you like?

Podcast Highlights

• 00:22 – What makes SU so addictive?
• 1:39 – SU has been around for a while but it really took off in 2006. Why is that?
• 3:50 – SU can bring great traffic
• 5:19 – How much of SU’s success is due to the social networking?
• 7:09 – How does the thumbs down affect your site?
• 9:56 – Are you allowed to submit your own sites!!??
• 11:00 – You can Advertise on SU!
• 16:04 – Some SU Algorithm discussion
• 20:28 – What are some features that aren’t as well known that people SHOULD know about?
• 23:41 – Any SU API for site-specific stumbling?
• 26:01 – have there been any sites that you found and wished you had that idea?
• 27:45 – What are the future plans?
• 32:44 – A chance to get to know Garrett better.

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This episode with Matt is a great one whether you are a developer, blogger, or both! But before I get started, let me first apologize for the break in episodes. We had some technical difficulties and one of our interviews didn’t record…twice! Yes, that’s right. Neil Patel talked to me on two separate occasions, and BOTH conversations failed to record. They were great talks so I hope that one day, I have the nerve to ask Neil to do it again!!

Back to my talk with Matt. I got to talk to him after some pretty big events: Blog World Expo, the announcement of the WordPress Theme MarketPlace, and the infamous PR update. Matt also tells us about the future of WordPress! This conversation really does speak for itself; have a listen now!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:25 – Matt talks about BlogWorldExpo.
• 2:18 – We talk about the Theme MarketPlace.
• 10:09 – Could there be a plugin marketplace?
• 11:39 – Something close to Matt’s heart–Open Source software.
• 13:29 – How much thought goes into the User Experience Design?
• 15:30 – If Matt couldn’t use WordPress, what would he use?
• 16:30 – Will there be any default plugins in the next release?
• 19:25 – Is WordPress becoming more cache friendly?
• 20:41 – bbPress anyone?
• 23:35 – When will we see 2.4?
• 24:15 – WordPress as a CMS…
• 25:35 – Getting personal, we learn of mistakes Matt has made along the way.

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/11/19/random-bits-podcast-with-matt-mullenweg/feed/ 33 http://www.search-this.com/2007/10/08/random-bits-podcast-with-alex-king/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/10/08/random-bits-podcast-with-alex-king/#comments Mon, 08 Oct 2007 13:39:53 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/10/08/random-bits-podcast-with-alex-king/

Episode 11 – 10/08/2007

Guest: Alex King, Developer and Entrepreneur AlexKing.org

Background: Designer, Developer, WordPress guru, Volleyball Player

Total Time: 30 minutes

It was really awesome to sit down and talk to Alex King about WordPress, which is what most people know him for, but also to learn more about his business, Crowd Favorite, the projects he is working on, and the man behind the Mac!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:20 – Find out what Alex attributes to WordPress’ widespread success?
• 02:44 – How many plugins does Alex have installed?
• 03:37 – Which WordPress plugins should be standard issue?
• 06:02 – What is a favorite plugin of Alex’s that HE didn’t write?
• 07:28 – Will WP always be free?
• 09:19 – What do you say to people who say blogging is just a fad?
• 11:28 – We learn more about Alex running his own company
• 14:59 – We talk about bad client experiences
• 16:49 – Find out what web development tools Alex uses
• 18:03 – I ask about two projects Alex is working on: ShareThis.com and MyFreeBusy.com
• 27:38 – We get personal

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/10/08/random-bits-podcast-with-alex-king/feed/ 5 http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/17/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer-part-2/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/17/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer-part-2/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:45:32 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/17/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer-part-2/

Episode 10 – 9/17/2007

Guest: Eric Meyer, CSS Guru meyerweb.com

Background: CSS Master, Author, Teacher

Total Time: 26 minutes

This is Part 2 of the Random Bits podcast with CSS master Eric Meyer. Our guest host is Tommy Olsson of Autisticcuckoo.net. I would strongly recommend you listen to part 1 if you haven’t done so already! We concluded our talk last time with a discussion on sites built in Adobe Flash. Now enjoy part 2!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:14 – We talk about the books and a possible next book
• 04:56 – Eric shares some of his struggles with CSS
• 07:42 – Let’s hear some favorite CSS tricks
• 10:51 – We talk about An Event Apart
• 17:09 – Getting personal

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/17/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer-part-2/feed/ 2 http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/03/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/03/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer/#comments Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:47:05 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/03/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer/

Episode 9 – 9/3/2007

Guest: Eric Meyer, CSS Guru meyerweb.com

Background: CSS Master, Author, Teacher

Total Time: 25 minutes

What I like about doing Random Bits is the format — it’s very different from a typical interview where it’s just a question and answer session. Instead I try to have more of a conversation with the guest and let you, the audience, ease-drop in on the conversation.

This was definitely a fun interview for me! I’ve been wanting to interview Eric for awhile now but, well, I’m only a novice at CSS so I wasn’t sure I was worthy of being in his presence.

But because I didn’t want to limit you, our audience, from diving deeper into Eric’s CSS knowledge I decided to ask Tommy Olsson, friend of Search-This and CSS guru in his own right if he would join me. That way we could represent both sides of the CSS field, that of a beginner as well as someone who is very experienced.

You will be happy to hear that this will be a two part series! So what are you waiting for? This is Eric Meyer — the CSS ninja! Start listening!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:27 – Learn some of the things Eric really enjoyed seeing implemented over the last 10 years
• 03:36 – Looking forward to CSS3
• 07:34 – They dumb things down for me
• 08:39 – We talk browsers
• 11:52 – Is IE working with the CSS community?
• 14:57 – Combating the “tables are ok” attitude
• 20:21 – Are the W3C specifications too hard to understand?
• 22:51 – Sites built in Flash *GASP*

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/09/03/random-bits-podcast-with-eric-meyer/feed/ 11 http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/20/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-2/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/20/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-2/#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:20:07 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/20/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-2/

Episode 8 – 8/20/2007

Guest: Chris Garrett, Blogger ChrisG.com

Background: Developer, Entrepreneur, and Blogger

Total Time: 24 minutes

This is part 2 of my talk with Chris Garrett. I strongly recommend you listen to part 1 if you haven’t done so yet! In part 1 we ended by discussing that if you build it, they will not come and made the exception for your big celebrity blog. Your average blogger, like a small plumbing company, will need to work hard at achieving an audience!

As an aside, please forgive me for not creating an intro for this episode. My microphone decided to quit working

Podcast Highlights

• 00:00 – We talk about how a blog can benefit a business, specifically your local plumbing company.
• 07:41 – Learn more about giving and how giving can really provide great benefits to you!
• 19:31 – Chris tells about the community he has started for bloggers at AuthorityBlogger.
• 21:22 – We get the juicy info on Chris….well..I tried at least but he made me edit them out

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/20/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-2/feed/ 12 http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/06/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-1/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/06/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-1/#comments Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:42:29 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/06/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-1/

Episode 7 – 8/6/2007

Guest: Chris Garrett, Blogger ChrisG.com

Background: Developer, Entrepreneur, and Blogger

Total Time: 27 minutes

Chris blogs numerous places, including here sometimes, and is someone who is considered a professional blogger. He and I sat down and had a great conversation about blogging tips and strategies. Our talk actually went twice as long as it should have, but it was a great conversation and I didn’t want to cut it short! So, we rambled on and I have turned this into a two-parter packed full of great information. Chris really knows his stuff and this is a great post for beginner and experienced bloggers alike!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:28 – How does Chris keep up with his posting pace?
• 03:45 – We discuss what kind of topics get people to comment.
• 07:45 – How do you get people to comment?
• 11:40 – How being a blogger can affect your life.
• 17:43 – We talk about hosting your own blog versus a hosted solution.
• 24:38 – The misconception of “Build it and they will come”.

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/08/06/random-bits-podcast-with-chris-garrett-part-1/feed/ 5 http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/16/random-bits-podcast-with-craig-newmark/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/16/random-bits-podcast-with-craig-newmark/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:19:44 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/16/random-bits-podcast-with-craig-newmark/

Episode 6 – 7/16/2007

Guest: Craig Newmark, Chairman, Customer Service Rep and Owner of Craigs List

Background: Community Builder, Entrepreneur

Total Time: 22 minutes

Craig took the time to have a phone call with me last week and not only is he the brains behind craigslist; but he is also the heart behind it. Craig tells us some reasons why he feels craigslist has grown as much as it has and why it will continue to do us. Listen to this interesting podcast and learn a little more about the man behind the list.

Podcast Highlights

• 0:33 – I ask if Craig is really his name. Yes I asked this. It was a must!
• 0:50 – Craig and I talk about how craigslist started
• 2:41 – Craig tells us he is just a customer service representative
• 3:41 – We talk about how the site has changed much in terms of look and feel
• 5:53 – Craig talks about the no-ad policy at craigslist
• 8:33 – Learn how big craigslist is now
• 11:05 – Craig tells us about some interesting ads on craigslist and we talk about the future of the site
• 18:09 – I get personal with Craig and learn a little more about his personality

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/16/random-bits-podcast-with-craig-newmark/feed/ 2 http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/02/random-bits-podcast-with-lee-dodd/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/02/random-bits-podcast-with-lee-dodd/#comments Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:04:50 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/02/random-bits-podcast-with-lee-dodd/

Episode 5 – 7/02/2007

Guest: Lee Dodd, Internet Entrepreneur and Owner of the Earners Forum

Background: Community Builder, Entrepreneur

Total Time: 30 minutes

Lee Dodd is very well known in the web industry for being a successful community owner and has recently branched out into teaching!

Lee shares some tips on community building and gives us personal examples with which we can relate. One of Lee’s tips is to not monetize a community (or any website for that matter) until you reach at least 500 visits a day! I hadn’t really looked at things that way. Lee also talks about the elite retreat and who can benefit from attending such an event!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:22 – We hear about Lee’s background and learn how he got started in this business
• 1:55 – I find out what techniques Lee uses to build a strong community
• 5:58 – Learn how and when to monetize a forum
• 12:21 – I ask Lee about premium membership programs
• 15:08 – Lee talks about the upgrades at Earners Forum
• 18:25 – We learn more about the Elite Retreat
• 27:46 – Getting personal with Lee

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]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/07/02/random-bits-podcast-with-lee-dodd/feed/ 0 http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/25/random-bits-live/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/25/random-bits-live/#comments Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:22:07 +0000 Golgotha http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/25/random-bits-live/ We FINALLY did it! The Random Bits Podcast main page is ALL done! Let me take just a moment to tell you about it.

For those of you just joining us, welcome, we’re glad you’re here. Random Bits is a podcast that features conversations with some of the biggest names behind the web. Hosted by Sara Smith, she discusses hot topics with guests in their respective field as well as Random Bits of more personal questions allowing you, the audience, a closer look at their personalities!

Over on the right side you will notice the Random Bits Podcast section. Here’s how it works:



I’d like to tell you some of the names of people that you will be hearing from in the coming months on Random Bits, but Sara won’t let me! She wants to keep you all surprised. Yeah, she sucks!

If there is someone that you would like to have interviewed let us know – there’s a good chance we can make it happen.

Please do subscribe to the Random Bits Podcast below. You should also be able to find Random Bits in iTunes soon.

Subscribe to Podcast feed!Subscribe to Podcast by Email
]]> http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/25/random-bits-live/feed/ 8 http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/11/random-bits-podcast-with-peter-flaschner/ http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/11/random-bits-podcast-with-peter-flaschner/#comments Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:49:08 +0000 ses5909 http://www.search-this.com/2007/06/11/random-bits-podcast-with-peter-flaschner/

Episode 4 – 6/11/2007

Guest: Peter Flaschner, Creative Director and Founder of TheBlogStudio.com

Background: designer, entrepreneur, ski bum

Total Time: 28 minutes

I have been a fan of TheBlogStudio.com and their business model for over a year now so I jumped at the opportunity to interview Peter!

Peter is someone who has experience in running a business in the B&M sense, and he took his dream of an online business and made it a reality. He points out some great things to consider when starting an online business. The Blog Studio is a web development company based in Toronto, who work globally! They have set themselves apart from other web dev firms by targeting a niche market which we discuss. Have a listen and enjoy some of his insight!

Podcast Highlights

• 00:30 – We learn a little bit more about Peter and The Blog Studio
• 5:07 – I ask Peter about the effect of having a niche business on his success
• 7:50 – Which blogging platform does The Blog Studio prefer to develop for?
• 9:05 – Find out why Peter is so passionate about blogs
• 14:30 – Find out some things NOT to do when you blog
• 17:35 – Find out how Peter learned from his mistakes
• 24:34 – I get personal with Peter

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