Ryan Sproull's Comments

Born on State Highway One : If you think...

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:20:41 +0000

I prefer to think of it as an investment.

Born on State Highway One : Temporarily in Toulouse

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:36:40 +0000

Cheers, Lee. Not missing Nîmes. In fact, that\\\'s where I am right now. Will have to gather some photos of the amphitheatre before I post about it, I think.

Born on State Highway One : Temporarily in Toulouse

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:35:04 +0000

Yeah, it was certainly an experience. We\\\'re going to take it easy for a few days now, I think.

You\\\'re right about the beggars. I had a guy in Bordeaux follow me up the street tapping on my shoulder and asking me for money. Foolishly said that I only have plastic, which usually works in New Zealand. The guy was bold: \\\"Oh, that\\\'s fine, that\\\'s fine. Come to this patisserie and buy me a chocolate eclair.\\\"

Born on State Highway One : Bedding in Bordeaux

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:57:47 +0000

Yeah, I\\\'ve come to travel a bit late in life, mainly due to being terrible with money in the past.

Regarding public transport, this may make you feel a bit better. Yesterday we tried to buy some tickets through the automated system and it froze for a bit, then buzzed, went blank, then rebooted and we were left with a Windows start-up screen staring at us.

Born on State Highway One : Pure SEO: Update

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:10:13 +0000

That\\\'s a good point, regarding the cost-per-click against how many of them realise they\\\'re in the wrong place and bounce. Cheers for the feedback.

What happens when someone\\\'s brand name is a pretty generic keyword(s)?

Born on State Highway One : Pure SEO: Update

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:16:07 +0000

Hi Richard, thanks for your response.

Fair enough that you would not be precluded from using \\\"Auckland Search Engine Optimisation\\\" if such a company existed. It would be a very generic term for an SEO company to use as their name. But if such a company existed, how would you feel about them purchasing SEM ads with the title copy \\\"Pure SEO\\\" and the link \\\"www.aucklandseo.co.nz/PureSEO\\\"? Would you not feel at least a bit like they were not targeting generic terms, but looking to get traffic from people who were searching for your company in particular?

I understand that you\\\'re saying that, in this case, \\\"Glendowie Dental Centre\\\" happened to be both the name of an existing company and a more generic term than \\\"Pure SEO\\\" would be. But the net result was that if I recommended the existing Glendowie Dental Centre to someone and they searched for it on Google, at the very top of the page would have been a link to an entirely different dental centre under the name of the business I had recommended. I find it difficult to believe that you had not researched the search terms and/or had not considered that this would very likely deceive people in a way that profited your client to the detriment of Glendowie Dental Centre. Just as our imaginary Auckland SEO company would be well aware that by buying out ads with the title \\\"Pure SEO\\\", they would probably trick some people looking for you into clicking through to them.

And you did very quickly change the title copy of that ad so that it still came up for relevant searches, still advertised your client for the suburb, but could no longer be accused of tricking people into thinking they were clicking through to Glendowie Dental Centre. It clearly didn\\\'t take much time or effort to change that wording, and the only traffic you lost in doing so was traffic that was specifically looking for the existing Glendowie Dental Centre.

You\\\'ve listed the techniques you don\\\'t use, and I can see why, in comparison to them, you\\\'d call yourself white-hat. In comparison to them, so would I. I just would have preferred you\\\'d used your revised, non-deceptive title copy from the outset.

I\\\'ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that rather than a calculated move to steal GDC\\\'s referrals or existing customers, this was just a case of ploughing through a bunch of SEM ads quickly for each suburb, only pausing at \\\"St Helier\\\'s Dental Centre\\\" because you saw that there were already SEM ads with that title, and not really noticing that there was already a Glendowie Dental Centre – which you fixed when it was pointed out to you.

SEM aside, certainly your SEO work is effective, and I\\\'m certain you\\\'re giving clients value. Again, cheers for the response.

Born on State Highway One : Pure SEO, Pure SEO, Pure SEO!

Tue, 6 Sep 2011 23:34:04 +0000

Possibly. Google makes all of their money through advertising, so they must have to walk a line between ensuring search results remain relevant enough that people will favour their engine and at the same time not punishing paying clients.

There\\\'s really two things here: SEO and PPC. The SEO they\\\'ve done leaves me feeling dirty, but it\\\'s basically within the rules, though they may be courting penalties with the duplicate-content pages. The PPC is also basically above board, in that Baycare is within 15-20 minutes\\\' drive from the suburbs they\\\'re hitting search results for.

The only full-blown dodgy thing here is advertising with a competitor\\\'s business name. It\\\'s intentionally deceptive and is clearly done in the hopes that people who are searching for Glendowie Dental Centre (perhaps having had it recommended to them) will convert through to business for Baycare after thinking they\\\'ve clicked on the right link (since it\\\'s named exactly the same as the business they were looking for).

Born on State Highway One : Sassy Candidate Appalled by $8 Billion Abortionplex

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:53:15 +0000

Not at all. Excellent!

Born on State Highway One : Video: Childish Gambino (reverse)

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 20:50:34 +0000

That doesn't look like stiffening to me. Maybe a fan.

But still, if he did it, the answer to your question, "Why?" is "BECAUSE IT'S AWESOME."

Born on State Highway One : Doing Facebook Right

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 06:21:05 +0000

Where would the fun be in that? I approved all three at the same time. Mwahaha, etc.

Born on State Highway One : Doing Facebook Right

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 06:16:46 +0000

Hi Debbie,

Yes, I didn't look further back than a month of your activity, and I understand your frustration and throwing in the towel. It can be very discouraging.

If LinkedIn is giving you immediate results for much less investment, then absolutely, go where the business is.

I return telephone calls and emails first too. But they are primarily one-one communication, lacking some of the opportunities that a community forum can offer.

As I often say, social media is a tool – it is one of many; you are at a disadvantage if you do not know how and when to use it, but it is not the right tool for every job. At first glance, Facebook is almost certainly not the right tool for a funeral director.

However, I think Facebook can work for a significant number of your column's readers, which was my main concern. Also, I think Facebook can work for you specifically. You've felt like you're pushing shit uphill for two years; fair enough. Try something different. Talk to people who might have other ideas. I'm sure you've done this at least a bit, but I really think that what you're selling – books and speaking engagements – and the brand through which you're selling them – Expert Advice Lady – have potential in that space.

Finally, you talk about "bang for their (free) buck". I'm very wary of that attitude. As I'm sure you can attest, success on Facebook doesn't come free. It may not take money, but it takes time and effort and no small amount of optimism.

Thanks for your response. I'm glad LinkedIn is working for you, and I do think you should invest in what gives you the best return. And I really do sympathise with that Facebook discouragement. Good luck.

Born on State Highway One : Doing Facebook Right

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 23:43:40 +0000

I\\\'d be very surprised if you didn\\\'t have great content, Robyn.

Born on State Highway One : Review: X-Men First Class

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:25:24 +0000

Heck, can\\\'t two really attractive guys drink cocktails in a bed together while they watch strippers without it being \\\"gay\\\"?

Born on State Highway One : A True and Accurate Account of Some Things I Have Been Watching Lately II

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:49:23 +0000

I haven\\\'t, but I\\\'ll add it to my list. Someone has also suggested \\\"Breaking In\\\".

I realised last night I left The Office off the list, but I think that might speak volumes by its absence. It\\\'s not that I don\\\'t enjoy it a lot. I just plain forgot about it.

Born on State Highway One : Shut up, crime!

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:49:53 +0000

Of what? Kickass, Scott Pilgrim, Rainn Wilson's character in The Office, Ellen Page's character in anything she's ever done, comic books in general and every other twee film with childishly drawn roughly animated credit sequences?

I DON'T CARE. HE SAYS SHUT UP CRIME AND ELLEN PAGE IS HELL OF CUTE.

AND NATHAN FILLION IS IN IT.

Born on State Highway One : Neologisms

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:58:50 +0000

That feeling you get while reading a book of being annoyed that the narrative has gone away from one plot line where you really wanted to find out what happened next, then being delighted to realise it's back to another plot line where you'd forgotten you really wanted to find out what happened next.

Born on State Highway One : Neologisms

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:45:14 +0000

The Admirable Morgan.

Born on State Highway One : Consistency

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:20:13 +0000

Maybe. Keith gives the impression that he's responding to the suggestion that the state step in and stop people from calling Paul Henry a cunt. He says, "Calling someone a cunt for what they said does not interfere with their freedom of speech." True, but then, I haven't seen anyone claiming that it does – certainly not Wallace. They're suggesting, if anything, that freedom of speech should require that the state protect Henry from losing his job as a consequence of his speech. Keith's most relevant response is this: "[Freedom of speech] is not a guarantee of employment - especially when the substance of the employment *is* speech." That does raise questions, though. If I was explicitly employed as a right-wing pundit, should I lose my job for repeatedly expressing left-wing ideals? If I was explicitly employed as an atheist pundit, should I lose my job for repeatedly expressing theistic beliefs? There just has to be a line drawn between the protection from interference for what you say, and clear job requirements when speech is integral to the job.

Born on State Highway One : Could the real Ryan Sproull...

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:48:54 +0000

If we Google each other at the same time, it will break the internet. Fact. When I Google myself now, I discover that I am a "single father, taking computer classes" - http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/13/2955849/steinber...

Born on State Highway One : Booze in Brasov

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Oh, I can\\\'t remember. It was more of a chat where he seemed legit.