photo by Robert Scoble on flickr
Just wanted to mention something that has been weighing on my mind.
Google. It.
I get increasingly stressed when I hear people asking questions that they could easily have found the answers to on Google. My forehead creases up when I realise that people aren’t conducting enough research before doing things. I start sweating a little bit when I find out people are paying to find out information.
I can understand how this happens. Not everyone is a complete nerd like me, spending hours pouring over information on the internet. I get that. I’m obsessive when it comes to information- if I don’t know something I have to find it our for myself.
I realize some people don’t have the time or they would rather be handed the information instead of going looking for it. But sometimes that leaves you a little bit vulnerable- if you’re a traveller and you don’t do your research, you might end up paying a lot more than you should for flights, tours, or accommodation. If you’re setting up a travel blog, you might make some rookie mistakes that could have been avoided.
Thanks to google, you can find pretty much everything you need to know without having to pay a cent for it. Yep, that’s right, information is free!
I’m a complete google whore, I use google for pretty much everything. When I bought a new Mac and I couldn’t find the delete button, I googled “Where is the Delete Button on a Mac?” I didn’t annoy my poor friends by asking the question.
When I started setting up websites, I googled things like “Monetizing your blog”, “How to Build Traffic to your blog” and “How to get more followers on twitter/facebook/stumbleupon”. I researched “Best premium wordpress themes” as well as “SEO tips for beginners”.
You name it. I’ve googled it.
If you’re setting up a travel blog, that’s the best piece of advice I could possibly give you- Google contains everything you need to know. There are no secrets to blogging or making money from blogging. The information is ready for the picking on the internet. Don’t limit your searches- search for the longest most detailed things you want to know, and you’ll still probably find the answer.
With that I’d like to add one final tip whilst we’re on the subject of Google.
I use Google Webmaster Tools. It’s really useful so if you’re not using it yet for your travel blog, check it out. I realised from a few conversations last week that people didn’t know what it is- in a nutshell, you can submit a sitemap to help google find you and see whether there are any problems with googlebots crawling your site.
photo is by Robert Scoble on flickr
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I’m a bit the same
If anyone ever asks me a question (ESPECIALLY over IM) that they could have very easily Googled and found an answer in about 3 seconds – I use this: http://lmgtfy.com/
Give it a whirl, you’ll love it
LOL I will definitely send them that link Chloe!
Heh, I remember having this EXACT conversation with you in the burrito joint in Manchester.
Yep, always inspired to write by conversations I have with people Justin
I hear you! GAT and GWT are very useful utilities. I can’t remember life before Google – it allows progression in so many areas, both professional and personally. The only downside is information overload and addiction to information
I’m in the process of rolling out a new blog layout and Google has come to the rescue many many times. It’s like having a Web dev on tap.
you can literally find out anything you need to know, particularly about blog/wordpress stuff. i’m such a google addict, i’ve stopped using Microsoft Word and only use Google docs. google reader, GWT, GA, google checkout, google goggles
google has made me smarter but i spend way too much time on it! getting square eyes.
“Google whore.” HAHA! I also put the word “whore” after words to show my love for a cause, it’s simply charming and direct.
it’s one of those words that cuts straight to the chase!
OMG! I need to say this more when people come to me with stupid “technical support” type questions. I always Google before I go asking people mundane stuff … BTW, great blog – Rhonda Swan recommended you, so I shared this post – thanx for the great info
Thanks Tracey!