I’ve just participated my first ever Google JuneTune online live chat, asking questions to a wide panel of Googlers from Matt Cutts to John Mueller - who did a excellent presentation on personalisation.

The JuneTune session does seem to be quite informative on the surface of things, offering an engaging forum to over 400 webmasters who joined in the session. Topics ranged from 301 redirects to Site Sculpting to confirming that “there is a future for SEO (Matt Cutts)” and debunking the myth that Google manually edit results for specific sites (apparently they can manually penalise sites)

However, I have to say in terms of the answers to some of the key questions were a little lacking in specifics. Here’s my favouite example:

Q: is position SIX a penalty?
A: Position 6 is always between 5 & 7. One site has to be at #6.

Now, whilst it’s great to state the obvious, I think many experienced search marketers will find most of the answers taken directly from the Google Help pages, without offering further insight.

Still, I think its a step in the right direction and I look forward to the next session!

Update:

Here’s the Full transcript of the session.

Download the MP3 audio of the session. Curtsey of Search Engine Round Table

Right behind my current offices is the new development described as “the newest aspirational shopping and lifestyle destination”. Introducing: St Martins Courtyard

Whilst I’m sure when St Martins Courtyard is completed, it will be a amazing new retail district. For the time being, with all the building work going on around me, I can barley hear myself think.

The development itself is worth £81Million and is due in November 2009. By which time, I’m sure we would of moved out of this office and onto far more quiter pastures.

In the mean time, let’s just wait and see which 3 new retail outlets will grace the front coming next month.

Image via Wikipedia

Firefox 3 is here. Released today after lots of anticipation.

Already online there’s been lots of buzz around its release.

You will read how its now more secure, faster, easier to customise and more productive.

You will catch on to a viral campaign (going for the record books) to kick start it’s launch as well as tonnes of reviews, recommendations, and debate.

Personally, I’ve been using Firefox 3 right from its buggy beta versions right up to its prelaunch RC3. As website browers go, I think downloading Firefox 3 is simply a no brainer. I challenge anyone to give me a reason against downloading FF3!

For your reference, Here’s my standard response to clients requesting further Keyword research:

“After looking under the bonnet, I’m going to leverage the granularity of the PPC keyword list so we can drill down and pre-prepare a high altitude view of an SEO strategy to summarise our 360 degree thinking. I’ll have it ready for the end of the day and we can touch base about this offline. Going forward, I will give it my 110% and want to make sure we’d not let the grass grow too long on this one, the idea is that we ramp things up in a strucutred way. My door is always open on this issue, but feel free to capture your colleges with a idea shower at any time.”

Reference: BBC buzzwords

Image by jovike via Flickr

‘Reverse pterodactyl’ impersonator Lee McQueen has snatched Apprentice victory from Claire Young after what felt like the most muted boardroom in the show’s history. No backstabbing / self promoting arguments at all!

As for the final task, both teams’ performances were appalling. Claire and Lee’s winning Roulette fragrance ‘for gambling macho guys’ was straight out of the 70s (Probably would of done well in Macau or Las Vegas!).

Meanwhile, the only innovative thing about Alex and Helene’s fragrance was the bottle - and that was the designer’s idea. It would have been interesting to see the bottle they had come up with if they had gone along with the name Helene suggested for the fragrance - Girth.

What did you think of the final? Would you have bought either team’s fragrance? Did Lee deserve to win? Was Claire robbed? Let me know what you think…

Its fair to say other then for sheer entertainment value, I do watch the Apprentice for some learning. As they would say, its better to learn for other’s mistakes because you can’t make them all your self! So With the series is over, what is your 3 best lessons to share with everyone?