Thursday, November 1, 2007 

Out on the Porch

The sound of those words can shift my mood, shape my posture, awaken my memory and conjure images of rocking chairs. I can almost feel the cool breezes on warm afternoons. Simply thinking about the porch, on the house I grew up in, lowers my blood pressure and reduces my stress. It was my place for reading, rocking, storytelling and sharing with family, neighbors and friends. It was a fort, a rocket ship, a safe harbor and sanctuary.

The porches of our lives hold fond and vivid memories for families. All of our greetings and partings of family and friends take place there. For most, the porch became the outdoor living room - a place to spend hours sitting and talking with family and friends. Folks didnt really used to think much about their porches most people had them and used them. It was just there, open and social, an unincorporated part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one. It was the heart and soul of home where for family and friends to passed the time.

I would venture to say that more of lifes issues were resolved on the front porches of my childhood than in any other place. Today, televisions, computers, cell phones, air conditioners and privacy fences have usurped the porch for stairs and stoops. I mark the disappearance of the porch with the declining popularity of Halloween, the appearance of the ATM and our fascination with drive up windows.

With so many things pulling us away, it may take some special effort to get back, out on the porch. Weve become accustomed to watching the kids whack the waffle ball, chase the dog and celebrate birthdays out on the deck. Dont get me wrong it can be nice out there; but, in all these years I've not come to know my neighbors the way I did when I lived in the house with the big front porch. About the best we can muster is a wave when we are getting into our cars.

This is all quite contrary to the human spirit and my experience is folks find ways to balance the ledger. Which brings me to my pointdoes you porch say welcome? Do you have a cheerful porch? The front door gives a glimpse of the personality of a home and its owner. The entrance to the place you call home speaks volumes about who lives beyond the door. No matter how big or small your porch, it can call out a warm welcome to guests with a little creativity. Dress it up on holidays and get yourself one of those ubiquitous outdoor welcome signs that are hand carved into cedar and offer a friendly, Hello! Remember, it is your front porch, the place where you welcome others into your life.

Thom Inman - I love Western Red Cedar and have been using this amazing and legendary medium for over 40 years in construction and my art of carving personalized outdoor welcome signs. Find us at http://www.cedarsign.com where we've been hand crafting personalized outdoor welcome signs since 1966!Chittenden Vermont Bed And Breakfast
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The Web's Best Kept SEO Secret

Did you know there's a way to get 100s of inbound links to your site - and improve you Google ranking - for free?

Message board seeding is the technique nobody's talking about - because they don't want you to know about it!

In this article top web designer Richard Quick uncovers the secrets of this powerful technique.

What are message boards?

Message boards are websites, or sections of websites, where people go to chat, usually about a single subject. There are message boards about everything from pop stars to politics.

The way they work is simple, people write messages, or posts, which appear online. For example, they might post a question ("How do I add a link in HTML?") or an opinion ("The new Tom Cruise movie is awesome!"). Other people can then reply.

How does this help me?

The obvious way to try to increase traffic to you website might be to post to a message board promoting your site. Don't do this - ever. People treat these kind of unsolicited adverts as spam and get very angry with people who post them. You're likely to get angry emails, abusive posts on the board or even complaints to your ISP, asking for your site to be shut down.

So what can I do?

Well, while people don't like their message boards being spammed they always welcome new members. If there's a subject you're interested in or knowledgeable about then you can join a few popular message boards and join in with the discussions.

Most message boards allow their members to have a signature, with a link to your website.

How does this help me?

Message board seeding, as this technique is known, will help you in two ways. Firstly, people on the boards will come to know and trust you. Some will look at your site out of interest and next time they need a service similar to yours they may contact you.

Secondly, and much more importantly, every time you post on a message board you will be creating a link to your website. This will improve your page rank and help push you further up Google.

How to link to your site

When you link to your site, make sure the link text (or anchor text) you use contains your main keywords. If you own a Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn your link text should be Chinese restaurant Brooklyn not The Golden Lotus.

Share the love

Posting 100 messages to 1 message board won't have the same effect on your Google position as posting 10 messages on 10 different message boards.

Where to post

Make sure you choose message boards that closely match your business. If you run a golf course near Miami, you should post on message boards about Golf or Miami - not on message boards about web design or orange juice.

Richard Quick is the author of the forthcoming book "Web Design in easy steps". He has a background in designing websites for multinational companies and works as a freelance web designer in Cornwall (http://www.thepasty.com), England. Richard also runs a site selling Cornish Pasties (http://www.thepasty.com).Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport
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