Kintsukuroi

Play this while you scroll on for 5 min. If any country and it’s people ever typified resilience, Japan wholly qualifies. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fukushima. Incredible stories of destruction and suffering. And recovery. Kintsukuroi is a fabulous Japanese word, laced with a beautiful philosophical potency. Per Wikipedia: Kintsugi (Japanese: 金継ぎ, romanized: “golden joinery”), also known as […]

Vivir es urgente

Soy jarabesco. Y lo fui desde hace décadas. La música, la letra, y el espíritu de Jarabe De Palo siempre me ha encantado y el fallecimiento del cantante del grupo, Pau Donés, en el 2020 de cancer, me emocionó de una forma muy profunda. Annus horribilis Aunque los últimos dos años de mi vida, entre […]

Liz lettuce gets a facelift

The lettuce won – that’s how every person and their dog shared the news last week of the resignation of Liz Truss as the UK PM. What started out as a healthy LOL about 10 days ago for me when the live cam was created, rapidly turned into a work sprint to serve up a […]

50 Ways to Leave Your Filter

It’s some 44 years since Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” was composed. Released in December 1975, it only took a few weeks to become a hit in ´76. It has endured as a classic song marking the end of a significant relationship. The drum intro alone has been much sampled and the […]

Press the Stop Brexit button

An awful lot has happened since I last blogged. A lot that has happened since I last blogged has been awful. Those assertions could of course be true for many and the few. Since starting up Everywoah, the vision has remained to evoke a feeling, to elicit a woah, through augmented and virtual reality. Communicating feelings […]

The Black Swan Referendum

So last week, I had a moment where I thought out aloud. I tweeted this: pic.twitter.com/o3MGtqNcBZ — Paul Gailey (@paulgailey) June 14, 2016 I didn’t dwell any further to explain in detail what I was really thinking, until I was asked. In the increasingly toxic atmosphere of the discussion around the UK European Referendum vote, […]

Vive la réalité virtuelle!

We owe it to the French. When I retorted with this tweet to the statement about Morton Heilig’s Sensorama: @zillahwatson what about Antonin? pic.twitter.com/lDuExOW8yZ — Paul Gailey (@paulgailey) April 5, 2016 I was referring to Antonine Artaud (1896-1948), a french theatre director, widely recognised as one of the major figures of twentieth-century theatre and the European […]

Good day, good people

Sometimes you discover, quite by chance, that touching piece of writing or video, that no one else seemingly has. And it comes at just the right time, when the mood calls.  Maybe you’re not feeling at your absolute best and need a pep talk.  I did not give you permission to quit! Download I_did_not_give_you_permission_to_quit_.mp4 That […]

If Mr McGuire were real

I confess. I dropped a howler. Last time I mentioned Walter Brooke, as in the actor,  who played the wise family friend to Benjamin (played by Dustin Hoffman) in The Graduate, I made a mistake. In that infamous scene by the pool, where Mr McGuire gave the upstart graduate a single word of wisdom – plastics […]

Vaso

I do enjoy this music. I selected it to match a video I made recently and it was a really challenging exercise. Recently I’ve become far more tuned to sound in films and acoustics all around me. I think the impact that sound editing has on mood is huge. The blog post with it’s accompanying […]

Interactive Mega-SERP

Keeping up with Search Engine Results Pages is, these days, even for full time SEO professionals, a fraught affair. Google make hundreds of changes each year to their underlying algorithm. However, not only are the query processes altered – aka Hummingbird – and the ranking methods adjusted, but their display is also subject to huge […]

El relaxing sound of marketing que es la leche

A veces me mosqueo, aunque suele durar poco. Viralidad fuera de la red, reclamo de los bares, no todo va a ser #redessociales #relaxingcafeconleche (El Burgo) pic.twitter.com/xGsshiOls6 — Angel Peces (@AngelPeces) September 12, 2013 No me refiero al relaxing cafe con leche. Muy a menudo me preguntan ¿y tú? de donde eres?… Pues de aquí, […]

Adios Posterous, long live long form

In a few hours time some 59 million URLs will vanish from the web. Thousands of hours of personal pensive endeavours will disappear as blogs and content go to the digital graveyard. Posterous is closing on April 30. The Posterous backup tool will continue to be available until May 31 so you can download all your […]

Why you should follow the lowest of the low

A beloved raspy throated entertainer, Jimmy Durante, affectionately know as Schnozzola for that trademark nose, once said: Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down. It’s true. Some of the most grounded marketers, commentators and successful people in all walks of life out there, are at the […]

Claque SEO is out

History will teach us nothing….so sang a Geordie teacher who long since donned a yellow and black jumper. Indeed I was equally intrigued as Christian Payne, aka Documentally, of the parallels that Matt Locke – founder of the outfit named StoryThings – spoke about during a lecture about the History of Attention. Loving the mention […]

Google Drive is a lexical anachronism

What’s in a name? Quite a lot I would say. Thankfully when they decided against Backrub as it was initially called, the Google founders choose well. Since then, they have flirted with all sorts of naming conventions for Google products, but I do not regard yesterday’s choice of Google Drive as the zenith of product […]

Algo Columbo

If you’ve ever asked two SEO professionals a probing question, you’re likely to have recieved at least three different answers. Search is never truly a precise science, because it’s conditions are set, not just by the mighty G force, but also by the behaviour of everyone else using their services. And because neither Google or […]

Death, pets, children and renewal

I am melancholy. My wife and I just took the decision at the veterinary clinic to put down one of our two cats. Maasai was a fantastic Seal Point Birman. Like many cats of his breed, at the age of twelve, Maasai had developed a kidney dysfunction which had rapidly reached a chronic stage, and after two days […]

SEO Anglo Spanish conference comparison: No contest

Last November I had the pleasure of attending the Congreso SEO – also referred to as the SEO Pro – as an invited speaker at the Olympia Hotel in Valencia, here in Spain.¿Lo prefieres en español? The organiser, Miguel Lopez from Marketing Online Valencia, had made a herculean near solo effort to put on a superb […]

Una comparación de conferencias SEO entre España y Inglaterra

El pasado noviembre tuve el placer de acudir al Congreso SEO – también conocido como el SEO Pro – como ponente invitado en el Hotel Olympia de Valencia, aquí en españa. Prefer English? El organizador, Miguel Lopez, de Marketing Online Valencia casi el solo, organizó con un esfuerzo tremendo, un evento fabuloso que reunio la mayor peña de los […]

Dr Seuss’ SEO Star Wars

So Search is changing, what’s new? SEO is ever more morphing to inbound marketing. Sometimes advantages in Search last only as long as the professionals privileged to have tested their thesis, discovered a prize technique, exploited a flaw, escaped punishment of one, or preferably gained a massive reward for successful inbound marketing efforts. And before […]

Happy Marketing Christmas

Actually, I’m being serious. I started the relationship because I thought we would both get something out of this, but alas no, you: email marketing manager, just bundled me into a huge list, and this is your nemesis. Don’t worry, email marketing manager, there’s plenty more like you out there and with cool services such as […]

The Supermechanical Internet of Things – Twine

When people postulate what web 3.0 will be like, or talk about the Internet of Things, they typically prescribe it’s creation to men in labs with white coats producing web enabled devices for giant corporations to churn out of factories. Your power to connect stuff. This is different. Twine is exciting because it honours that […]

Unloving the #SearchLove cookie monster

If there is one aspect that really surprised me this week at the SearchLove Distilled event in London this week, it certainly was not the: quality of the speakers’ insights, or the diversity of online marketing subjects related to SEO, or the high level of skill among the audience, or the general excellence of the […]

The six and ⅔% more interesting Trey Pennington

I never met Trey Pennington. I wish I had. Many people close to him have written moving tributes to him in the last few days. Others have tried to rationalise Trey’s passing, the illness he suffered from and the helplessness of social media in his death. I won’t go there. Trey touched many people’s lives. […]

Response to the OFT Debt Management Guidance

The OFT (Office of Fair Trading) has invited responses from interested parties to the document, Debt management (and credit repair services) guidance of June 2011 consultation ending September  5th. As per the scope of the consultation the document represents the OFT’s draft guidance for all licensees engaged in the licensable activities of debt counselling and debt adjusting (where the […]

Don’t know how to plan an Internet Marketing Strategy?

Yes you do. But maybe not yet. That’s because the trouble with the internet, is you can never finish reading it. If like me, you spend your working hours devising an internet marketing strategy for clients and executing it, then such a report from the likes of Econsultancy makes compelling reading. This document – which is […]

The reason Google+ is not yet available to Apps Users

First off, I don’t have the answer. Maybe you do. Familiar with this message? If you are a Google Apps user and have tried to access Google Plus, or use the +1 button, that image will have haunted you a plenty. There are great deal of benefits from being a Google Apps user. It’s essentially […]

IFTTT is Automatic for the People

I don’t remember a time when I never wondered: How does that work? Equally I cannot recall a moment when I have not wondered: and what if? I fondly recall, how avidly as an eleven year old, I read through my first hardback, proudly bought with my own pocket money, entitled 1000 questions and 1000 […]

Do you misunderstand the pursuit of #linklove ?

Last week I attended the brilliant SEO seminar about Link Building by Distilled otherwise known by #linklove among the 300 or so attendees in London. Many a blog has already effused and poured over the topics and professional speakers who shared their experiences and expertise. And since the event, the reaction has been very positive. […]

The psychological brilliance of Microsoft’s upside down #ie6countdown campaign

So it’s not often you’ll hear such effusive adjectives in the same sentence as Microsoft, let alone in relation to their communications which so frequently has attracted derision for its allegiance to a well trodden 90’s style fresh faced clichéd image library. However with the advent browser wars again, this time it’s different: Instead of lauding the […]

The greatest action to take with Your Data is to remove Y

Leerlo en español Some people may know that I am a regional organiser of The Monday Reading Club for Murcia in Spain. Each first Monday of every month, in around ten to to twelve cities in Spain, people with an interest in marketing, get together typically at the local bookstore for an informal presentation by […]

How to show Quora content on your blog

Contrary to reports in Spanish that I’m disillusioned about Quora – La Gran Decepción de Quora – note, that decepción in Spanish does not mean deception in English!, infact I personally think it’s superb, here’s a quick and easy screencast showing you how to embed your Quora activity on your WordPress blog. Have a WordPress blog and wish to […]

La gran decepción de Quora

Tras observar la llegada de Quora a los Trending Topics de Twitter en España está tarde, estoy viviendo unos momentos realmente agridulces. Por una parte a mi me ilusiona ver que este proyecto tenga tanto éxito porque a nivel personal me encanta Quora y sin embargo temo que tan rápido que haya materializado la fiebre de […]

How Quora is taking off

Social network fatigue afflicts all of us at some time or another. And equally, shiny new networks attract attention from the fatigued. I just took a five day sabbatical from Twitter as a sort of Christmas truce offering to my family. It was a great Christmas. It reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the Twitter upon my […]

Let’s have a post strike

Nobody likes jargon. Least of all, anyone who does not understand it. I mentioned this with a fellow usability soul recently and the conversation soon degenerated into a shared rant about the hangover of web design conventions that all too often leave us with websites littered with buttons that say Submit, Reset, and Post. Well fine […]

The elephant, a cow, and a room full of #ProSEO

This week I shared a room with the finest SEO minds in town and a cow disguised as an elephant. Yes, I attended the superb Pro Seminar in London. It was hugely gratifying to experience in person the final session showdown between Rand Fishkin and Will Critchlow as they intellectually bludgeoned us with their SEO […]

If Mr Maguire spoke today

If all the talk of New Twitter and Google Instant is distracting, please spare a thought for Ben. You see when Mr Maguire led young Ben aside in The Graduate he only wanted to utter a single word. If Mr Maguire were here today, I’d bet he would say something different: Filters Maybe yesterday Mr Maguire would have said: […]

Mine a timeline in Twitter

Metal detectorist by macaz1977 © Flickr Do you like to rummage? Do you like to get to know people not just for what they are saying right now and a just a few days ago, but also for what they said months ago? Don´t you ever wish you could investigate further back on Twitter more […]

¿Rastreas en Twitter?

Beep Beep Beep by Ian Han © Flickr ¿Te gusta indagar? ¿Te gusta conocer a la gente no sólo por lo que dicen ahora mismo y hace unos pocos días, pero también por lo que dijeron hace meses? No te pasa alguna vez que quisieras indagar algo más de lo permitido en Twitter, más alla de los […]

PacMan nearly goes social

Friday afternoon and few office workers are in the mood for a great deal of productivity. What better moment than for an inspired Google homepage doodle to be released to the wild. Has to be one of our best doodles ever! PacMan’s 30th anniversary – you can play the game on our logo! http://www.google.comFri May […]

Aeroccino – Coffee customer service

A few months ago after lots of (real world) searching I had the misfortune of discovering my beloved Aeroccino in the dishwasher. After a full wash cycle. (Video below for those unsure what this thing is.)   Sure, it was shiny shiny clean, but I tried to diplomatically explain, in my not-so-subtle gesture like heated […]

7 is the social media number

My earlier post on the theme of numbers (http://blog.paulgailey.com/el-espanol-peor-pagado-de-la-historia) produced a healthy but mixed reaction when it transpired that I had miscalculated some estimates confusing my billions and trillions. I had made an error using differing numbering conventions that each side of the Atlantic prefers. This time I’ll stick with single digits. So, after a […]

Esa foto desde otra perspectiva

Esa foto, la salida de la tierra (Earthrise), esta entre las más famosas de la historia y fue fotografiada en 1.968 por el astronauta William Anders, tripulante en la misión Apolo 8. Apolo 8 fue el primer viaje espacial tripulado en entrar en el campo gravitacional de otro cuerpo celeste y tuvo gran éxito científica. […]

El español peor pagado de la historia

¿Te suena su cara? Quizá no, pero la melodía: Download Grande_Valse_piano.mp3 Se estima que el Gran Vals del compositor y guitarrista de Castellón, Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909), se reproduce unos 20.000 veces por segundo en todo el mundo que yo calculo ser unos 657 billiones de veces al año. Más o menos. No obstante Nokia reclamarón […]

iPad reveals a Bing monkey weakness

When Bing came on the scene I was quite lifted. Secretly chuffed. Here was a contender to Google for search, that somehow had less of a Mircosoft edge than before, and despite a starting share of the search market at around 8% there were plenty of early indicators it was quite promising. Despite being wedded […]

Blogging gets easier, choosing where to blog gets harder.

The announcement of the Posterous themes directory is a welcome part of the evolution of their excellent service, one that does simplicity really well. I must admit when I opted for using Posterous as a blog platform for this adventure, like may other people, the ease factor really swayed me. That and the email thing. I […]

Evocative Summer 2009 Memories

It seems no part of the northern hemisphere escapes the cold at this time of year. Furthermore, the tourist industry goes into overdrive in January enticing us to select our next summer holiday or winter break. This summer holiday video brings back lots of memories of yesteryear and also elicits mixed emotions for me. It […]