At Michael's insistence, I'm going to try to put together a large list of terms and definitions relevant to SEO, web development and the Internet in general. The formats will look like (as Dan suggested):
Cloak·ing
n.
1. Something only bad people do
2. Something only smart people do
3. The only way to keep "them" from seeing your super-optimized META tags
4. Something Google does because people in Brazil get the Brazilian version when they type in www.google.com
We'll also have a nifty little delivery system ala Google suggest (since they're relatively easy to build). The only part we need help with is the list of terms... Want to contribute (and have your name and site on the list)? Just drop ideas in the comments below - you can just leave a list of terms and we'll research the possible meanings and format them. We'll also include a suggestor tool so you can add to the dictionary once it's live.
LOL - that was funny, Michael. And, I'm afraid, too true.
I think I'll make it a system that accepts submissions - that way folks can submit their own words and definitions and we'll approve them.
Rather than require 2 reference URLs (which may add busy work), it might be better to start off with moderators who monitor spam, in addition to allowing the public to monitor that as well. As contributors build up points (via posting new definitions, perhaps with a rating system for quality of contribution), they become moderators themselves.
I think wiki style would be a great idea. Among the contributors, i'm sure some will have deeper knowledge than others, while others may just be better writers - and a combined effort would produce better results.
To prevent abuse and poor quality, I would limit the exposure given to contributors for individual posts. On the one hand, i'd like the extra publicity, but for this to become a true industry-wide resource, I don't think it can selectively promote one SEO or the other based on who supplied the content. I'm sure many people would be reluctant to link to a resource that promotes their competitors.
I always wondered how dictionaries were made... I suppose you make it the best you can on your own then let people point out mistakes and constantly add to and improve on it?
Is the dictionary available now since this is quite an old post? Please let me know I would like to get my hands on one of these.
I like the wiki idea too. If you need any help writing up some definitions, I'd love to help.
Some terms would benefit from a "related terms" section - like the cloaking term. You could have links pointing to IP Cloaking, Javascript cloaking, user-agent cloaking, etc. Antonyms would be helpful too. Both would add to the stickiness of the site.
As for terms, let’s make sure to include the very basic ones too: Title Description Body Head Doctype Link Text Anchor Text Sitemap Page Site
I see many people interchanging site and page - but the two terms do not mean the same thing.
Count me in as a participant.
Here is my initial list of terms per your request:
Algorithm Backlinks Competitor Rankings Report Conversion Rate CPC - Cost Per Click Doorway Page Express Feeds External Optimization Grey Hat Internal Optimization Keyword Phrase Landing Page Lead PageRank PFI or Pay for Inclusion PPC - Pay Per Click PPC Text Links ROAS Search Directory Search Engine Search Engine Marketing Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Placement Search Engine Positioning Search Engine Promotion Search Engine Query Search Engine Ranking Search Engine Submission Search Term SEO SEP Site Analysis Spider Sponsored Links Trusted Feeds Venue White Hat
Greg's right, even Brad from Newsweek contacted the spammer first :)
Reporters know the difference. They just don't find white hat stuff interesting enough to write about it.
Rather than simply linking out, (people that want a dictionary want one that is easy to use, not a link list), why not create a comprehensive dictionary and provide links to other dictionaries in the footer or preface? Or something like: See Other Definitions On The Web.
And why not throw in marketing definitions as well? SEO/SEM is converging so why not cover it?
And is this a serious project or a humorous one ? ;) The cloaking definition provided would only be useful (not really) or humorous to industry insiders.
There is a definite need. And serious implications - “The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.” -Philip K. Dick
I think it will be somewhat serious. I wrote a list of about 400 or so terms on the plane (also watched I Heart Huckabees, which was enjoyable), and managed to read about half of Gladwell's Tipping Point. Planes are productive places... Must be the lack of email. :)
Heh 'Tipping Point' is brilliant, Rand is certainly a strong 'connector' type as Malcolm calls them. The Paul Revere of the OLM space.
Back on topic. I think the best possible format for the dictionary project would be to base it on the wikipedia model. As DigitalGhost points out with his Dick quote (ok that sounds funny), he who controls the words controls the world in which they are used.
A dynamic dictionary model would also encourage content contribution - and we all like that.
Good luck :D
Great idea!
I think you should have a large section explaining the difference in your hat's color. :) A lot of people tend to think that all SEO is black, it might be nice for some reporters to have a place to realize that there is a difference between White and Black hat.