Most of us know that url shorteners are valuable. Some of the leading services are bit.ly, Google and BudURL. While the temptation is to use a free service, consider an inexpensive premium service. Linking your url's to your web analytics service can really enhance your knowledge of what is truly generating your traffic.
For instance, for this post I could use this url, or the direct link given at the bottom of the post. The premium service from Bud also allows me to use my own sub-domain, and even QR Qodes (think smartphones).
Here is one day's worth of reports for the url which I have linked in the previous paragraph. Please note than much of the information is "clickable" and allows me to drill down for greater understanding of my results!
I wanted to post some quick results. I appreciated everyone who sent screenshots. I'll post more results when I have some additional free time to compile them. You can download the linked Powerpoint file and run the animations. The background results are from my browser. In successive order click through the results (the file will pause after each additional result giving you time to compare). You'll see a number of results from the United States, and also the Czech Republic and Australia. I found it interesting that some folks had "news" items presented, while some of us did not.
Why did I only focus on the top three results? Studies have shown that 85% of us never go beyond these top 3 (see the study from Cornell University … scroll to bottom of blog post)
I've also given two screenshots below for those of you who want a quick fix! These are the top three results for two different individuals (click to maximize).
Post Update on July 20th: Here are the Eric Whitacre results (ppt file). Interestingly enough, the results were almost 100% identical for everyone for the Whitacre example, but not for the corporate hacking. I invite you to make your own conclusions. Finally, if you have not watched (and listened) to the TED lecture and Whitacre's virtual choir … take the time. It's well worth it!
I recently learned that Google Search Results vary for the exact same keyword queries EVEN IF one is NOT logged into Google. Thus, Google Search picks up on other aspects of your online presence (browser, location, etc), and presents you with what it believes are your optimum results.
This appears to indicate my research will always be skewed by who I am. Watch this Ted Lecture to learn more about the subject.
If you would like to participate in an experiment, please conduct these two keyword queries, and send me screenshots of your results. Here is the experiment. I decided to go with one cultural search (Eric Whitacre) and one technical work related search (Corporate Hacking).
Set your display to 1024×768
Link to Google Search
Log out of Google (make yourself anonymous)
Query #1: Search on Eric Whitacre
Do NOT put quotes around your query
Take a full sized screenshot of your results
Name your jpg: Google-Eric-Whitacre-YourLastName.jpg
Query #2: Search on Corporate Hacking
Do NOT put quotes around your query
Take a full sized screenshot of your results
Name your jpg: Google-Corporate-hacking-YourLastName.jpg
There is also an interesting philosophical question at play here also … what is knowledge … or what represents knowledge. In the past, if you and I both read Aristotle, we were presented with the same readings. In the electronic age, that may not be the case.
Here are my two results. Click upon either image to view full sized. I will report back with my research results in a few weeks. Thanks in advance to anyone who particpates.
Sorry about the dearth of postings over the past month. Between a project go live at work, and then two weeks in Europe for some much needed vacation, NorthstarNerd.Org has taken a back seat.
I promise some new posts about Android, iPad apps for the Road Warrior, and Google Search in the days and weeks ahead, but in the meantime enjoy some updates from my vacation. I first spent a week cycling on the Isle of Jersey, and then attended a wedding a Oxford University. I've included a brief musical interlude from the wedding at the Balliol College Chapel.
It was particularly fun wearing my "stars and bars" cycling jersey on July 4th. The English loved my uniform, and it resulted in many neat conversations in honor of Independence Day.
And my cycling jersey … custom designed by me for last Summer's Father Son BWCA Superior Tour.
This is why I love northern Minnesota (watch video). Just last year we finished building a house in Duluth allowing my family to move back north. The Gunflint Trail is a dead end highway that reaches deep into the Minnesota border region with Canada, and is the premier canoeing region (BWCA) of North America (along with the Quetico Superior in Canada which it borders). Enjoy my three day bike ride, interspersed with some hikes and a short canoe trip. In total I travelled about 130 miles by bike, and an unknown distance by foot and canoe. Thankfully my son, Carl, carried the canoe on all six portages. After all, his Dad (me), had already biked 50 miles up to Tuscarora Lodge earlier that day.
The Ham Lake fire was tragic all around. Carl (my son), who worked this past Summer at Tuscarora Lodge, maintains his own blog. It has some great photos from the BWCA, including this Fall's Pagami Creek Fire. During my trip this June I canoed past the site where the fire started. Ham Lake is still beautiful, and is experiencing a rebirth (see Tuscarora Lodge, Gunflint, and Ham Lake photos in my video).
For additional information beyond the Dartmouth article, you may wish to read this blog post from from Voyageurs Canoe Outfitters, and this dramatic entry from Tuscarora Lodge (with photos) from the day the fire started and nearly burned down the lodge.
Gunflint Trail Tour on PhotoPeach
And of course, my Gramin data from the 3 days of biking! Click to maximize!