While Rebecca and I were in New York this past week, we sat down with
Michael McDonald of WebProNews to discuss some social media issues. While Rebecca is upset that she has a large strand of hair partially covering her face, and I'm amused at the awful look on my face in the embedded player, we didn't come across too badly on the film so we decided to post it here.
Many thanks to Michael for conducting a great interview, especially given the number of people he sat down in front of the camera with during the week. There seemed to be hardly a moment when the WebProNews camera wasn't rolling and Mike had his microphone in front of somebody. So, even though it isn't Friday and we didn't have a white board on hand, we hope you'll enjoy Rebecca's and my eight minutes and forty-nine seconds of fame...
Twitter-simulated review:
Dr. Pete: I just started watching your video interview.
Dr. Pete: I'm enjoying your video interview.
Dr. Pete: Oh, so that's what Michael McDonald looks like.
Dr. Pete: I'm learning about Twitter right now.
Dr. Pete: Twitter is so awesome.
Dr. Pete: Wait, they said Twitter is pointless!
* Sends IMs, Posts on LiveJournal, Flames Michael McDonald for preferring PCs and Nintendo *
Dr. Pete: TwitterVision?! There's a TwitterVision! * Loses consciousness *
funny dude, but I must have more details, this is web 2.0 now
*passes out*
Dude... that's just *SCARY*
I'm afraid I got bored of twitter pretty quickly - in fact I think my last twitter was: "trying out twitter"...
*giggles*
You forgot to twitter "bored now..."
Heh. Yeah. And now I've forgotten my login so I can't.
BTW, this wins the prize as the most incestuous (mozcestuous?) comment thread ever.
I love Micheal Mcdonald songs, I can't wait to see him singing to the two girls that are "so pretty that men in Seattle don't even notice that it rains alot" I bet he sings "I keep forgettin".
This is going to be great!!!! I can't wait to see it, I am going to go watch it now... hope I am not disapointed.
Queue: "awwww"
Disappointment ensues.
Actually quote from you (paraphrased) "Digg people can be mean, and they tend to comment on comments instead of the original post"
hmmmm.
Teehee.
Hey, that's related to the original post. My point was that the music on the video (you know; the one in the original post :P) isn't as you wished it were ;)
In regards to your comment, however, no one could forget "how much it rains" in Seattle since we're reminded of it by out-of-towners every time they care to mention our town.
Why hello, blue sky.
Rebecca, if it makes you feel any better, when you watch the video on 56k that wad of hair doesnt even look like hair, it instead looks like someone has drawn on your face with a marker.
Yeah, Todd Friesen said the same thing :(
At least I don't look like Gerard Butler's body double from 300...wait a sec, he was pretty ripped in that movie...
If it makes you feel any better, my hands look like they belong on a seven-foot-all giant. I mean, yeah, they helped me a) swim and b) play the piano and violin, but seriously. Not. Ladylike. At. All.
Neither is all your farting at the office, but you don't seem to have a problem letting 'em rip...
Much like your constant belching. I know you had garlic for lunch, Becs.
I'm beginning to regret checking the "Email me..." box ;)
Sorry.
you two are priceless, Rebecca, tell me more about that garlic.... but tell me slowly.
Jane, In addition to being talented, your hands are also lovely. And on the Seattle rain remark, I used to live there, so I know the deal, I always got mad at people for that too :)
Funny we hung out quite a bit in NY and I never noticed the hands :)
Seriously, that wad of hair will be my undoing.
I basically sit and gawk like an idiot while Jane talks like a social media champ. Good times.
Check out the dirty look you seem to be giving me in the picture of the embedded player. You're like, "Hey, I hired you. Shut up."
Shut up, Jane. Don't air out our dirty laundry on the blog. We hate each other in private.
It ain't private. The rest of us have to listen to you two scream and hiss at each other all day long. I bet your hotel room in New York was like Thunderdome.
Yeah, Rand's still bitching at us about our room damages...
Shut up. She said I was the best roommate. You're just jealous because you were lonely. The only bad thing I did was forget to set my alarm for the ladies' luncheon... sorry Liana et al!
You didn't forget to set it, you "accidentaly" smashed it in a tragic boomerang-throwing accident the night before. Tell the truth.
I. Am. Not. Australian. That is why you call me "Kiwi", remember?
Eh, whatever. A tragic magic elven sword "accident" then.
Hey, are there kangaroos in New Zealand?
-- running for cover--
Careful, dude, she'll stab you...I have many scars.
Gee wonder who thumb-downed me?
Nope - just sheep....
"I basically sit and gawk like an idiot while Jane talks like a social media champ. Good times."
So true Rebecca, so true. Oh and plus the hair.
I watched the video earlier this afternoon on webpronews. You guys did a great job.
Thanks! I was a bit apprehensive about the whole film thing since writing makes me a lot more comfortable than talking, but it went better than I'd thought it would.
If it was me I would have been apprehensive as well, but once you actually get going you gain confidence in yourself and naturally become more comfortable.
Yeah, I forgot about the cameras after a while and just thought about talking to the guy behind them :)
Just looked at the twitter site. What is the point of this site? It amazes me how stuff like this can become popular and some sites that are actually useful don't.
"I am typing..." Hope some one finds that interresting :)
This postindulges my thoughts on Twitter in more detail. I completely agree with you: no one cares that I'm writing a comment and then am going to bug my co-workers go to get lunch.
However, Twitter appeals to the "I'm going to record my entire boring life for public consumption" crowd. I am now clicking "Add Comment"...
Start bugging ASAP, I'm hungry. Should I put that on Twitter? "I'm sitting here being hungry."
Hey Valiik - I'm writing a comment to you on SEOMoz right now. Oh, and I'm also picking my nose: right nostril, index finger.
Maybe I'm getting old, but I'm also not sure I appreciate the need for Twitter. Besides, I already bore people with my thoughts; it's called a blog :)
Wow, this is great! Who needs twitter whan we have SEOmoz!
P.S. "getting ready to go home, almost 5pm"
"envious as not 5pm here...."
Oh how far behind am I? *sighs*
Yeah that's why I have my teenage daughter do all my social media research... she gets to intern with us this summer and go to San Jose SES for her work on MySpace for us!!
Great video guys.
And thanks to the mean person (wink - wink Jane) who didn't let Rebecca know about her hair issues, that is one of the funniest "hair and make up" plunders I have seen.
To Rebecca, sorry but it is funny and thanks for the laugh.
Cheers.
No one ever told me about my man-hands, dude! And it's been twenty-three years!
Actually, I'm pretty sure this is on record as the worst hair & makeup blunder ever.
Personally I'd like to nominate the disaster that is my hair in my new SEOmoz photo to the left of this comment (yes, I've ditched the cartoon).
The worst thing? This is the photo they took at my mew job, and is up on the intranet for all to see!
Seeing as half of the guys in Seattle have your hairstyle, I didn't even notice. Very hipster, very emo.
I'd love to have a look, but the viewing policy at the new company I'm at seems to think that WPN videos are unsuitable!
:(
Do you work for Google now?
Do you think that they would take me?!
;)
Hey, you're not a cartoon anymore.
Yeah - I had my Pinnochio moment!
... and now you are again. I enjoyed seeing what I think was likely your real face.
Yep - this is the real me, stupid fringe and all!
Hey I should but then I would not be able to work in porn.......
Is this the post with the most amount of comments from the SEOmoz staff, lol!??
As a web 2.0 newbie, I greatly appreciated your synopses of the hot sites (non-Digg category). Rebecca, the impression I got was that you had a more fun time out the night before the interview than Jane did :)
Haha, I can't argue with you there...
Jane does know more about social media than I do, though, so it was her time to shine, sober or not :P
I can assure you that a good time was had by the both of us the night before. I just drink more coffee than Becs.
I was supposed to join the interview but, seeing as I had the best time of all the night before, I had to pass. I would've made Rebecca look perkier than Mary Lou Retton on speed.
Worst. Hangover. Ever.
Heey great movie. i loved it. i love to watch better than to read :D
It wasn't all that nice and I apologize. You've officially made me feel bad. You will do well and you're starting in a good place. I took a bad day out on the two of you.
Okay, no problem...
Wow - Mr X even gets downthumbs when he tries to be nice. That's a whole heap of Moz-mosity he's stirred up there!
And Will:
Isn't it obvious? He's the CGI of the guy from 300 come to life and he's decided to take on the Persians of the SEO world..
;)
That explains things - I'm scared of his cartoon abs...
Moz-mosity. teehee.
one other thing, I am not a robot, and my abs are not made of cartoon,
I have to admit, during that thread about cities a bit back, I could almost picture you shouting:
Aaah. But a robot might say that. TURING TEST NEEDED.
If you show me a set of letters that are all squiggly, I will verify that I am human by activating my text and image analysis circuits, er I mean I can, like type the letters you show me.
ps <--- I didn't know what a turning test was, now I do. I am computing methods to bypass this piece of human sillyness.
I am so bad at those - I always get the squiggly ls and is and 1s confused and stuff. Maybe I'm a bot and I don't know it...
Speaking of which, if you haven't come across Turing before and you are at all interested in theoretical computer science, you should read about the halting problem. I love all that logic stuff (at least now there's no chance I'll be examined on it).
thanks for the suggest, I will check it out
Good call. You are not an asshole either. You're learning.
Hey JohnyX,
Your mom and I had a conversation about you lashing out at Jane and Rebecca and we have concluded that it was our fault for raising you with a limited amount of schooling and locking you in the closet with a laptop.
Big up to Jane and Rebecca. I meet you and I think you both are not only nice people but you have more seo knowledge in your pinkies then this guy has in his whole body.
I'm not saying that JohnyX has no knowledge: I fully believe that he is a great SEO, because he has no real reason to make that up. My beef with the whole thing is that there's no reason to be awful to us. People disagree all the time without making statements like "12 seconds of knowledge." When I was an athlete, I didn't make fun of the age-group swimmers with comments like, "Wow, why would I want to swim with you? You've been in the sport for, like, two minutes."
Why not? Because it's inappropriate and unnecessary.
Gotta love it when the mum gets involved ;)
HAHA, sorry but I cracked up when I saw JohnyX has -14 MozPoints. Is there anyone else in the history of Moz who has a minus amount of MozPoints?
Good work Jane & Rebecca, you schooled JohnyX's ass in that slang war!!! GO TEAM MOZ!
There've been a couple, but -15 might be a record. Most of the members with negative points have -2 and it's because they're just spamming the comments.
Speaking of points, I think the quickest rise to fame is feedthebot who has accumulated about 160 points in about three minutes.
I think feedthebot is in fact a bot. He doesn't sleep. Has anyone ever met him? He chooses a photo for his profile just to put us off.
Writes well though.
Wow! Just noticed that - Feedthebot has got stacks of MozPoints in such a small time! Congrads.
He could be the first up for a free month of Premium Content . You guys are still doing that thing if you get 150 MozPoints in a month you get a free month of prem. content right.
*Oh stupid me, I just noticed that feedthebot is on Premium membership atm.
Where I come from you have to earn respect. This is the real world. I could care less if you call me out. Inexpereince and low barriers to entry hurt this industry, it's not about being nice. Criticism is what makes you better, not this kiss your ass for no reason bs. You'll do well and even better if you take criticism as a good old fashioned challenge. I really wasn't trying to turn this into a big thing. Have a great weekend!
It's "couldn't care less."
Also, I believe you are referring to constructive criticism. Your criticism is just plain mean. No one likes that sort of crap. Rebecca and I have been welcomed by the SEO community and no one, aside from you, has felt the need to be horrible to us. You come across as very bitter and mean.
Not doing such a good job here.
Has to be a kiwi!!!
Neither Jane nor I are claiming to be an SEO guru, so I have no idea where this animosity of yours stems from. There are aspects of SEO that both of us know very well, and there is plenty that we don't know a lot about. We've earned respect from plenty of SEOs because of our eagerness to learn.
I'm sorry that you feel bitter because you think everyone's kissing our asses. That's pretty sad.
I come back to my original point: there were far more constructive ways he could have made his point. And no, I'm not suggesting he should have kissed anyone's ass. Coming near my ass would get him a swift kick where it hurts.
There would a line a mile long of some of the best SEOs in the world to kiss either ass!
Oh we were talking about your skills... for that the line would be even longer (figure a few married guys may not be on the first line)
I am just being honest. The two of you do not have all that much experience. You seem nice and I'm not trying to be an asshole. Correct me if I'm wrong. Are you highly expereinced search marketers? My experience, which is extensive, does not matter, I'm not claiming to be an expert. I have been in the indusrty for ten years.
Don't come on our blog and be awful and then try and explain yourself after you're called out. You could have said, "Gee, it's good to see two industry newbies getting some conference and speaking experience, even if it's just on a video. Good on you. I hope your level of experience is climbing daily. And Jane, did you see the spelling error you made in "Random Post"?"
Instead, you had to be mean, snide and crabby. I don't care how long you've been in SEO. It doesn't give you the right to be blatantly horrible.
What does our inexperience have to do with what we say in the video? We're not giving any SEO advice. We're talking about various social media sites. I suppose only "experienced" SEOs are allowed to have an opinion about Digg, reddit, Twitter, etc.
You were trying to be an asshole. Saying that Jane and I combined have "12 seconds of SEO experience" is an asshole thing to say. I've been working for an SEO company for a little over a year, and Jane's been here for about seven months, so yeah, we're still new to the industry. That doesn't mean, however, that we don't know anything about SEO. Jane could school you on social media, I wrote the frickin' keyword research guide, and Rand seems to have no problem with assigning us various tasks for our clients--if he thought we didn't know what we were doing, he wouldn't have us do client work, or he would have fired us.
Just because you've been in the industry for ten years doesn't mean you're better than us. Your comments clearly indicate otherwise.
If you seeking to take the honest path, the first step would be making a profile. As far as search experience goes, they work for the best SEO company around (you can learn this from their profiles) and have thousands of examples of their writing transparently available through this site and others.
The only real benefit of being an ass in SEO is to generate controversy in order to drive traffic, and since you aren't doing that, those those "ten years of experience" just aren't shining through.
Put that assholyness to work for you...
Create a profile.
Why would I watch this? The two of you have a combined 12 seconds of seo experience. Might want to keep an eye on the spelling as well Jane.
...whereas you have a lifetime of experience being a jackass.
You, my friend, are what is commonly known as an asshole.
Flame on Johnny..... and what are your credentials? Apart from experienced asshole and jackass!!!
The crickets chirping on his SEOmoz profile don't tell you much, eh?
JohnyX:
Removed Comment (Rand)
That will be all.