GeekSugar

Steven Colbert Promotes 'Google Bombing'

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:00:57 PDT

In yet another self-promotion quest, Comedy Central's faux newsman Steven Colbert launched a 'Google Bombing' campaign last week in an effort to make ColbertNation.com the top search result on Google for "greatest living American."

He was successful. He did however, have the help of some strategists, who after visiting his show gave a few pointers. Here's more:

We got a chance to see a taping of The Colbert Report hosted by Stephen Colbert, a true american hero. During the Q&A period before the show, Stephen said he would like to rank first on Google for Giant Brass Balls. Well-that just seemed way too easy, so we decided to do some keyword research and find other words that the show could rank for…

A quick check on Google shows he doesn’t even rank for Truthiness, a word he invented. So, Colbert Nation, we are not -ahem- suggesting a Google Bombing campaign… but isn’t it time to start linking to the Greatest Living American?

In case you haven't considered Google bombing before, it's not like sake bombing, but the next day results are much better. CNet explains: It's a method of directing mass links that contain a particular line of text to a certain site, which then bolsters that site's ranking on Google when that line of text is used as a search query. Oh the fun geeks have.

Source

Shop For Good: Your Guide to Conscious Consumerism

SavvySugar — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:15:00 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Trends. They seduce us into buying a hot item, only to leave us a year later with an emptier wallet and a useless widget.

But there’s one trend we at LearnVest can get behind: conscious consumerism.

At its most basic level, buying consciously just means taking a couple of extra seconds to consider each purchase. It’s a way to buy healthier food, keep your home free of clutter and keep your budget intact.

But what we’re talking about in this case is the ethical consumption movement, or buying with an eye toward your fellow (wo)man and the environment.

The Basics of Conscious Consumerism

Often called “voting with your dollar,” conscious consumerism is a way to support your values every time you walk into a store. It can be as simple as using natural toothpaste, as stylish as finding a fair trade purse from a company that employs women in Ghana or as grand as boycotting a misbehaving corporation.

It’s also effective. The rise of brands like Burt’s Bees and Newman’s Own shows that consumers like you are eager to support brands that treat people, animals and the environment with respect. Conscious consumption can even be a fashion statement. Just ask one of the many proud wearers of TOMS shoes. Because of these brands’ successes, large corporations are sitting up and taking notice.

Read on to find out more.

Companies Can Comb Through Your Entire Social Media History

Emily Co — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:08:11 PDT

If you need a reason to watch what you tweet and Facebook, know that potential employers have their eye on everything you've ever published on social media platforms. Initially, we assumed people only had to be wary of their recent history, but this New York Times article opened my eyes to the fact that firms have the ability to get a record of your whole social media history, which includes things you've posted on Craigslist, image-sharing sites, and YouTube.

It's getting easier for firms to look up your history thanks to startups which do the searching for them. There's one called Social Intelligence that neatly compiles a report of all your Internet activity in the last seven years and searches for things like "online evidence of racist remarks; references to drugs; sexually explicit photos, text messages or videos; flagrant displays of weapons or bombs and clearly identifiable violent activity."

Here's how to make sure your records will be squeaky clean.