June 11, 2011

SEO Journalism In The Newsroom

By NAEEM ALVI

It is clear SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is becoming a necessary feather in the hat for any online hack looking to stand out, and it’s likely the more forward thinking universities around the world will soon introduce SEO techniques as part of online modules. The tricky thing for today’s journalists to accept, especially in print media, is whether the efforts to gear towards SEO techniques in a bid to increase page rankings will stifle creativity?
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In November 2009, the BBC website announced it would begin optimising its story headlines for search engines algorithms to help BBC pages appear higher in search results. Sam Tilston, online marketing director of vitabits.co.uk, commented on the announcement:
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”The BBC is optimising its own headlines along with many other online news publishers…They are not only optimising their headlines but also doing internal linking within the articles, which is a very effective SEO method.”
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In the SEO best practice guide, published on econsultancy.com last month, it said, ”at the beginning of 2010, the total worldwide search market had more than 131bn searches conducted by people aged 15 or older from home and work locations.”
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Figures which equate to 4bn searches per day – expected to have increased a further 46% in the 2010-2011 period.
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With such escalating trends, it is clear online news outlets need SEO techniques to survive.  However, as Mr Tilston highlighted, online media outlets need to tread carefully, as “overstuffing” a headline title with too many keywords could not only damage a website brand and reputation, but could also result in a Google penalty which will drop their rankings.
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Clearly, the BBC will have ensured their SEO strategy is among the most forefront and effective in the digital marketing industry, but the conflict of keywords versus creativity raises an interesting dilemma, especially for the struggling local rag which is looking to increase print and online sales, but not lose their existing print readership through what might be seen as less humorous, or less creative headlines.
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For example, The Daily Mirror‘s recent headline for the Ryan Giggs super injunction controversy of ”Naming Private Ryan” clearly stood out amongst its competitors. From an SEO point of view, including the subjects full name might have scored more points in the keyword battlefield, but of all the newspapers I saw that day, I remembered that headline more than any other.
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Furthermore, as Lisa Barone explains in Why Journalists Need To Stop Resenting SEO, one of the biggest complaints from today’s journalists seems to be that SEO is ruining their headlines. She  argues, SEO-powered words will make content easier to find, and not using them will lose traffic. To demonstrate her point, she draws upon this example:
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”When U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River, The New York Times was the first outlet to break the story. For some reason, they didn’t use the term “plane crash” in the title and created something clever instead. The result was that no one saw their story. All of their readers and their potential readers were searching for “plane crash”.
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This small decision meant the newspaper missed out on thousands, or possibly millions of potential readers who were desperately searching for information about what had happened.

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The simple answer it seems, is to have a sub-editor work on the headlines for the print story and leave the SEO maximised headline for an online specialist. Or even run the SEO headline as a sub-heading in the print edition?
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However, as job cuts continue throughout the regional press in England, and more online friendly graduates are forced to enter an extremely competitive market where there is little room for risk, it seems newspapers at least need to embrace an SEO middle ground, or they will inevitably fall by the wayside.
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With the rise of new media, outlets are faced with an audience which demands readily available and increasingly concise news in the most accessible form. An argument which The Independent has clearly cottoned on to with their recent release of the I.
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Fortunately, print media will continue to hold an authority based on each publication’s history and time-built reputation against online outlets, but editors and managerial staff need to work together to make print synonymous with online news in an SEO friendly manner.
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After all, news is what journalists choose to make from the facts.
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Naeem Alvi is multi-platform journalist and photographer based in the south-west of England. somescribblings.com is Naeem’s personal stamp on the internet.
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Get social with Naeem at Twitter.

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June 10, 2011

Eric Bibb: Meeting a musical hero.

”Hi Eric”, I blurted out as I extended my limp, rattling hand forward for an unexpected hand shake.

”That was amazing”, I shrieked before my heart jumped into my throat.

I’ve never been starstruck before. It’s a bit weird….

About three years ago, on a typical evening at university, me and my house mate’s found ourselves typically slouched on the sofa, lost in the blare and glare of one of our most exploited study aids, the television. Despite our best efforts to join our spines in holy matrimony with the mountains of scientifically unidentifiable lint tucked under the age-old cushions, the programme on said television was just about keeping us safe from drowning in the abyss.

Jools Holland has introduced me to a wealth of new music over the years; some ear-splittingly nauseating, some wonderfully thought-provoking and on rare occasions, some downright goose bump inducing. Hearing Eric Bibb for the first time, I realised tonight’s offering was fortunately the latter.

I have always had an affection for gospel roots music. Born, I think, from those seemingly endless family car journeys as a restless toddler, fighting back waves of nausea as Dad performed yet another gut-wrenching gear change on the M4. Despite such unique driving technique, there were occasions when we weren’t all head deep in a carrier bag, and in those rare precious moments the stomach screams were usually replaced with the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, and if mum was with us, Rod Stewart.

So Last Friday, after three years of listening to Eric Bibb nearly every day, me and my younger brother were understandably excited to finally see our musical hero perform live at the Southbank centre. At first, our guard was a little thrown off when we realised we were about 20 years younger than most of the 500-strong audience. Regardless of such hilarious faux-pas, the gig was by far the best live performance I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. (Even better than the impromptu backpacker amateur sex show I saw in Cairns, Australia earlier this year. But I’ll probably save that for another time… or website.)

I’m not a religious person and never have been, but there is something about gospel music which does seem a little magical. After 20 minutes of finger picking, boot-stomping merriment, there was definitely a profound sense of joy in the air. Even the weirdly sweaty bloke next to me was proudly clapping to the beat and humming along. In fact, by the end of the gig, most of the middle-class British audience were rocking in their chairs and singing full volume.

*On a sidenote, watching people dance while sitting down is a brilliant British theatre convention which I think should be broadcast for humour purposes in every country around the world.

As the gig ended, I started to understand why so many people attend gospel churches. Even without a belief in a higher power, the feeling of overwheliming positivity is enough to keep you smiling for at least a week. I also realised, every sentence which came out of Eric Bibb’s mouth that night was cooler than anything I could ever say. I mean like Morgan Freeman or David Attenbrough cool.

In such fashion, he ended the show with: ‘

‘We like to press the flesh a little after these kind of things. So If you’ve got time we’d love to meet you all outside.”

Brilliant. Hundreds of positivity fuelled fans queueing to meet a man who is often referred to as the modern king of his genre.

Reaching the front of the queue, I confidently stepped forward. Smug in the knowledge I had cleverly prepared a really powerful opening sentence. Shockingly however, before I even opened my mouth, my heart rate went mental and the resulting sense of schoolgirl giddiness turned me into a creepy looking grinner.

”Hi Eric”, I blurted out. (because we are obviously on first name terms)

Eric Bibb: ”Hi brother, what’s your name?”

Me: ”That was amazing” (mumbled)

Eric Bibb: ”What, how’s that spelt man? Come closer.”

Me: ”Oh, my name is Naeem.”

Eric Bibb: ”What?”

Me: ”It’s spelt N-A-E-E-M”

Eric Bibb: ”Right on man, nice meetin’ you.”

Me. ”Nice to meet you. Bye.”

I think it’s safe to say I definitely made a lasting impression.

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January 23, 2011

Guest book review by Naseem Alvi: The Man in the White Suit – Ben Collins

 

After seven years, the undercover bond-like figure who raced around the BBC Top Gear track, has been launched into the public conscious.
The BBC recently failed to issue an injunction against the release of the Stig’s autobiography, and we now all know the identity of the man behind the white mask. His name, to be exact, is Ben Collins: the winner of the Ascar series championship, a member of the armed forces and a stunt driver.
Not exactly the F1 demi-god we were all hoping for.
The public had pondered the identity for years, and speculative announcement appeared in tabloid newspapers, online forums and more commonly, general conversations which had the whole family chipping in their own far-fetched revelations.
Now the big question has been revealed I’m slightly disappointed. Not only because it wasn’t an Ex-F1 driver who spent his weekends reliving his glory days, but also the way in which the story came to the public’s attention. It should have been a grand occasion in Top Gear’s history, yet it was a more a man standing outside the courthouse posing for cameras, while everyone whispered the same awkward question: ‘’who is he?’’
Reading on, I was hopeful Ben Collins book would answer this question.
I am a fan of the show, but every Christmas I receive a Top Gear gift like a DVD or a calendar and whilst I feel grateful,  I usually feel a little cautious. This merry occasion it was ‘The man in the white suit’ which unsettled my stomach.
I mean honestly, how can a man who has already spoiled the big ending in two words throw together a whole book. Despite my scepticism, I succumbed to the pressures of trying to enjoy every gift and gave it a chance. Surprisingly, It wasn’t all bad.
Mr Collins book starts out slow, but gains momentum as the reader is shown the enormity of the Top Gear show and the surreal life The Stig has lived in the shadows. He recalls the struggles he faced concealing his identity from the media, while juggling his own life as a racer and a father.
A big highlight of the book is when he answers the questions I’ve been shouting at the T.V for years: ‘‘Come off it Clarkson, that isn’t real? It’s quite clearly fake?’’ and so forth.
As the years went on, I became more apprehensive about Top Gear’s validity in their film-making. It seems with the rise of the shows success, more and more entertaining scenarios just happen to fall into place.
Most of which are more set up than an episode of You’ve Been Framed.
Thankfully, Collins book is dictated around the over the top challenges and nail-biting driving sequences because as expected, the Stig was an essential part of the operation. While I found joy in reading that certain challenges were innocent from having a script , there are too many occasions when the Stig’s driving is masqueraded as Clarkson’s or Hammond’s . It’s like a magician revealing his secrets and I can understand now why Clarkson and co feel betrayed.
On a happier note, the book does provide an insight into the soft nature of the 3’lads’: Clarkson, Hammond and May. Looking at Collin’s relationships with the cast, it is welcoming to read the three presenters are still fairly passionate about the entire production. Surprisingly, the Top Gear team, while only in the minority, have accumulated 350 million followers across the globe.
Unfortunately, Ben Collin’s endless rambling about his personal life ultimately hinders much of the fun. He expresses his life outside of the ‘white suit’ in far too much detail. I understand, some may find it interesting to read about the everyday life of Ben Collin‘s, but I didn’t.
In reflection, this type of self-focused dribble was my initial fear when I tore open the dubious package on Christmas day. With so many other inspirational stories on the Waterstone’s bookshelves, I found it difficult to admire the apparent struggle of Collin’s own life. For a man who has great job as the Stig, he seems to give off the impression that his real passion is racing. Before reading this book I barely heard of the Ascar series, yet I certainly read a lot about it in this book.
In the conventional sense, a biography of your life should include all aspects, but Collins simply over sells it. There are points in the book where I feel he is trying to claw on to other people’s experiences rather than his own.
Overall, the book does bear some resemblance to a magician revealing his secrets, but it’s more amateur theatrics than Houdini or Harry Potter.
With all the exposure of production processes, I don’t think Top Gear can really be viewed with the same dazzling and entertaining polish it once was.
To enjoy this book you need to be someone who has happily enjoyed most of the Top Gear shows, but to truly understand what he is trying to put across, you need to have a passion for motor sport.
It is an enjoyable read, but with Collins endless yarn about struggling to find sponsorship, it feels like an obvious advertising tool to promote his racing career.
By coming out as the Stig he may now get to live his dream of racing at a high-end level,  but at what price? He has turned his back on the Top Gear team and from what I can gather, there isn’t a sincere apology from either side of the fence.
He blames a questionable palm reading with a fortune teller as his motivation  for coming out of the closet. Yet, as the British media have said, the real reason seems to be his own fury at being paid a ‘mere’ £5000-£10,000 an episode.
If Collins admitted to this instead of making up some laughable excuse I would have read this with more of an open mind. When you know the book was written out of some form of spite; you can’t help stand in Clarkson’s corner.
That being said, it does answer who the Stig is… or more correctly who he was. If your fan of the programme then this is a good book for you and it does have some insightful comments.
It’s just a bit Marmite really, it might enhance your love of the show, or it might have you smugly flicking over to ITV at seven O’ clock on a Sunday. After all, they do say that ignorance is bliss.

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August 11, 2010

Increasing Avalanche Awareness with the NZ Mountain Safety Council

Avalanche awareness is a subject that most winter enthusiasts will eventually come across. One sure fire way of increasing your own knowledge is to sign up for a course with the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council. At an introductory level they offer a two day course that provides a foundation knowledge for those looking to travel out of bounds.
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Day 1
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My first contact with the Mountain Safety Council approaches the avalanche phenomena from a theoretical perspective. Starting with a short introduction into understanding avalanche forecasts and how to use them effectively. From here we looked specifically at understanding all of the technical lingo associated with risk evaluation and how to identify safe terrain. For only a 3 hour lecture I was surprised by just how much they managed to cram in. In essence they aim to cover all areas that we were to explore the following day. Just as surprising, was how extensive and in depth a subject avalanche science really is. As our course leader, Lee Blazek said:
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“Increasing your avalanche awareness should be an ongoing thing. I still learn things after 30 years in the business. It’s all about reducing risk and making the right decisions.”
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After having our heads filled with avalanche wisdom we were shown a couple of sections from an educational DVD called ‘The Fine Line’. Produced by Canadian Avalanche experts, the DVD manages to squeeze a massive amount of vital information into four sections; totalling less than an hour. To find out more about The Fine Line take a look at http://rockymountainsherpas.com.
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Day 2
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The practical side of things. As a group of six we met at 8am in Frankton car park to equip ourselves with a transceiver, a shovel and a probe. Jumping back into the cars, and out of the early morning cold, we headed up to The Remarkables ski field eager to get started.
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Once up the mountain, our first port of call was the café for one final snippet of theoretical education. We ran back through the most important elements from the evening before and listen to what we should expect to learn from the practical instruction over the course of the day. Before heading up the lifts, we make a quick visit to the first aid room and then to ski patrol. As Lee quipped at the time, “its my job to stop you from ending up in here and if you do, its their job to make sure you make it back out again.”
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Our first practical piece of education for the day was to try and spot dangerous areas from the chairlift while ascending. Using our knowledge from the night before we were asked to identify trigger points across the surrounding faces. Then, while riding back down, we were shown how to assess dangerous areas in a safe fashion and subsequently choose the safest descending route of travel for the group.
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After some further discussion of how to descend safely in avalanche terrain we head back up to get to grips with our avi gear. Splitting into two groups and each burying a transceiver a short distance away from each other we are rapidly shown how to use our gear in the most efficient and effective way. Repeating the scenario a number of times, Lee stresses the importance of knowing how to use the equipment correctly before you consider heading out of bounds. “Just having the equipment is not enough. You have to actually get out there and learn how to use it. Our aim is to make sure that if there is a slide you know, by instinct, what to do and then how to use the gear correctly”.
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Once we have all managed to locate a buried transceiver a number of times we begin to look at the procedures that accompany safe rescue. Using the last point of visible reference, looking for physical clues, zigzagging towards the buried person. All ideas that may sound obvious but will ultimately ensure a higher likelihood of safe rescue. As Lee expressed at the time, “This is a pretty new science. The practices we teach are all based on experience and collaboration knowledge. ”
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Our final lesson in actual companion rescue was how to dig. Not a subject I anticipated we would be covering but something it turns out that increase a victims chance of survival by a large percentage. As a group of six we were set the task of digging a hole 1meter deep. We took just over  five minutes and then learnt how we could have cut that time in half.
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Feeling suitably exhausted our final area of instruction gave us all a moment to sit down. Using a saw Lee tidied up our handiwork and gave us a basic introduction to examining the snow pack in terms of consolidation and layer construction. An area which really requires a lot more instruction to fully understand but certainly an interesting part of avi awareness to touch upon. As a final point of detail we looked at a couple of tests the industry relies upon to measure the strength of the snow pack. Firstly, using a shovel to perform a shear test and then a rutschblock test. Our final test was a full body compression test which basically involved me jumping up and down until the snow gave way. Two jumps in, it crumbled. A weakly constructed snow pack.
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Overall, for only a 100 NZD this course was incredible value for money. Moreover, the level of instruction and the learned wisdom of the professionals involved made the experience incredibly thorough. Having the knowledge to assess risk in the backcountry and consequently make the right decisions, even at an introductory level is extremely re-assuring. The MSC offer a variety of courses throughout the southern hemisphere winter season and from what I have learnt, I would highly recommend getting involved. As the most affordable method of professional instruction I have managed to find in New Zealand they are an excellent option for the financially strained seasonnaire.  So much so, I am currently saving for their advanced awareness course. To find out more about the NZMSC and the courses they currently have on offer visit www.mountainsafetycouncil.org.nz. You wont regret it.

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June 4, 2010

The Baseball Man

A short Story:

The moon is a bizarre sight to illuminate the horizon above the diamond. One of those romantic afternoons where the moon and the sun share the sky in a battle for dominance. At this stage in the day the moon will always prevail.
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Working as a groundskeeper for the Canmore Baseball pitch was a job that Andrew Spear was content with. Firstly, he was the only man who held permission to enter the diamond after hours. Never voicing this thought out loud, he was well aware of the flickers of pride he felt as the neighbourhood kids longingly gazed in on their way past.
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Secondly, his commitment to the absolute quality of the pitch and his overall length of service had granted him respect amongst his local peers. Sitting at the bar after work he often felt like a man of power. Quite similar to the feeling a president must get when a guest enters the white house.
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Asides from the feeling of being a certified object of stability within the neighbourhood, there was one more thing that kept him so committed to this somewhat monotonous role. Once the gates were locked up and the lights were turned off once more, he returned home. Every night, he returned to an empty home.

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May 6, 2010

Chatroulette? Gambling with the unfamiliar.

Never heard of it? I’ll have a look. Oh, fantastic! That Asian man is naked and it seems his camera is focusing on a blurry sausage. Actually, I can’t see it being edible. He’s thrashing it about like… Oh I see.
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Having just returned to the UK after spending the last six months in the French Alps I found myself a little out of the loop. Flicking through a newspaper I came across an article concerning the latest social networking breakthrough. Chatroulette, it turns out, is a live webcam-to-webcam site that enables global communication with strangers the world over. Quite a unifying and harmonic concept on the surface, but really more of an insight into just how technologically reliant the human condition has become; or at least, how bizarre a socially deprived person can become.
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The original article I discovered this website through was written by a concerned mother. Full of the typical, “I don’t know what my children are up to online” rhetoric that helps to publicise so many of these websites to global status. After skimming over the article, I came to the assumption that such a platform for worldwide discussion may be a good thing. As anyone will know that has visited the site, I was sadly mistaken. Clicking ‘Next’ would frequently reveal a webcam pointed at the male form, or in some oddly memorable cases, a naked man jacking himself to kingdom come. Occasionally, of course, the site would fulfil its original purpose. A rather bored looking person would strike up a conversation that never really got any further than, “How are you? Had a good day?”
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In truth, I’m not sure which is more disconcerting. The man hoping to rid himself of social frustration or the man hoping for release, so to speak. Just the fact that people all over the world are happy to have strangers access their lives is a concept that is truly part of the ‘modern’ world. If such a person is so willing to put themselves up for social sale why not just go out into the street and approach strangers until one responds positively? No, its much easier to just click ‘next’.
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First instant messaging services let us strike up conversations with ‘friends’. Social networking sites took it a little further with constant status updates, photo albums and peer messaging visible to most. However, the idea of live video chat with strangers may just be a step to far. Just googling the term, ‘Chatroulette’ will come up with some pretty humorous photo’s. Looking slightly further though, is this not just a measure of how disconnected we are becoming as a race. Sure, it enables communication the world over but why force a conversation with a stranger online, when you could just chat to a human being. What’s next? Nights out on the town that require you to have your webcam permission settings pre-defined just to have a good time?
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November 24, 2009

The Snow Tourist – Charlie English

“After months of negotiation, list-making and packing, the day finally came when the first part of my journey was to begin. That winter morning I kissed my family goodbye, closed the door on the warm house and walked away under a sky the colour of dull lead. Slowly, I felt the weight of the city begin to lift” (P10, The Snow Tourist, C. English, 2008)

A search for the world’s purest, deepest snowfall reads the description on the front cover. I spontaneously picked up this book while looking for a different travel book in the local book sellers. In hindsight, having just spent the last few days thoroughly engrossed, I’m happy the other book wasn’t available.

At its most descriptive level, The Snow Tourist is a record of one man’s experiences as he attempts to find the best snow in the world. However, after reading the first few pages it becomes clear that this is a more than just a simple record of events. Filled with the history and science of snowfall, English uses snow-related art and poetry to expand certain points and feelings, and ultimately expresses his almost childlike passion for snow, the world over. By combining the incredible events he experiences on his quest, with the culture and history that surrounds snow, it is hard not to find yourself yearning to pack a bag and enjoy snow for all it is worth. Fortunately in 10 days time, I am.

What I feel I enjoyed most about this rare gem was the discovery that my personal affinity for snow is something that is clearly shared with countless others.  On a physical level, Snow is just the end product of combining cold with water. In reality, of course, it is so much more. For the Inuit it is a means of survival, for the winter sports enthusiast it is the substance that forms an adrenaline-filled winter playground. While it may at some times be a hindrance to certain areas of the world, it is a hindrance that the world should put up with. If all the speculation surrounding global warming is proved to be correct, it seems snowfall is a dying luxury. Let’s all enjoy it while we can. As English so succintly describes it:

“Beauty fades, people die, civilisations rise and fall. Our lives, like those of snow crystals, are transient moments within a succession of other transiences. We resemble those crystals in another way, too. Like them, we are made mostly of water. When we die, the water in us will find its way to the sea, where in time it will be lifted up by the sun, to fall again as snow.” (P58, The Snow Tourist)

This really is an enchanting read. English’s easy narrative style and his clear fascination for snow, be it fearful or loving, creates a travelogue full of wonder and intrigue. His clearly heavy level of research, driven by passion, helps to give the book an informative tone throughout. A thought provoking tale of one man’s quest to explore snow becomes overshadowed by a struggle to truly understand the forces that drive him. If you enjoy snow you will enjoy this book.

The Snow Tourist

By Charlie English

(Portobello Books. £8.99)

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