Author: Nancy McCord

Nancy McCord is the President and resident blogger for McCord Web Services LLC. She has been providing global web services since 2001. She is a web designer, search engine marketing professional, and search engine and blog expert. She lives in Maryland just south of the Washington DC metro area.
Posted on

Google WiFi Is It Safe?

You know I never gave WiFi networks a thought until I started doing webmaster work for the Council on Wireless Technology Impacts. I myself was thinking isn’t this great, I can be connected anywhere I go with new wireless networks.

With Google and Earthlink trying to create a big WiFi hot spot in San Francisco and Google celebrating the first year anniversary of covering cover about 12 square miles and 25,000 homes serving approximately 15,000 unique users, I am wondering now what the health tradeoffs will be by going wireless in public spaces. Are we polluting ourselves with electromagnetic radiation and simply thinking what we can’t see can’t hurt us?

We all love technology, our kids are all tuned in to it too. If you haven’t seen the technology used on university campuses now, you just wouldn’t believe it. Our kids in college now have piped in cable, high speed Internet, WiFi spots and some campuses going totally WiFi. The libraries have more computers that you may see in a year, and many campuses even offer free computer tech services to students for their own computers. Every college student now needs a laptop and teachers upload their class notes and lectures to the Web.

With this new push for technology and being online all the time, are we trading off our health? Are we polluting our air with radio and microwaves that we can not see but may be causing health issues down the road? I am not sure myself what the answer is, but I have to say after having read the papers and documents that I am posting for this client, I am starting to wonder whether the trade off may simply be too big or whether we should have more definitive research before we push more wireless networks.

Tell me what you think, by leaving your comment below.

Posted on

Carnivals, Blog Memes, & Synchroblogs

What is a carnival, meme or synchroblog? I’ve pulled a snippet from Wikipedia to help you understand what each one is so you can decide if you want to participate.

Carnival
“There are many variations, but typically, someone who wants to organize a carnival posts details of the theme or topic to their blog, and asks readers to submit relevant articles for inclusion in an upcoming edition. The host then collects links to these submissions, edits and annotates them (often in very creative ways), and publishes the resulting round-up to his or her blog.” Full definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_Carnival

Blog Meme
“…an Internet meme is simply the propagation of a digital file or hyperlink from one person to others using methods available through the Internet (for example, email, blogs, social networking sites, instant messaging, etc.). The content often consists of a saying or joke, a rumor, an altered or original image, a complete website, a video clip or animation, or an offbeat news story, among many other possibilities. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself.” Full definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_phenomenon

My version a blog meme is where you post links of blogs that you like and then ask others to add them name and five others to the list and then post to their blog. It creates interest and typically works in someways like a chain letter – you take off two from the bottom and add two at the top. Let me know by posting a comment if you’ve seen other uses or definitions of blog memes.

Synchroblogs
“A recent variant is Synchronised Blogging, or synchroblog, where a group of bloggers agree to post on their own blogs on the same broad topic on the same day. The titles are circulated a day or two beforehand, and each blogger includes links to the other blogs.” Wikipedia considers this an extension of a carnival. See the full definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog_carnival

The bottom-line on all of these terms is that they are about connecting with others in much the same way as old web rings used to work. That being said they have a special twist, can spice up your blog, and are a fun way to interact with other bloggers in the blogosphere.

Posted on

Checking Out Brand Marketing

Here’s a new site that we have started to work on for Web visibility that you may want to check out if you are interested in branding, brand growth, brand marketing, and brand ideation.

It is called Candescence. Run by Robert Davies, this firm is located in Charlotte, North Carolina but with engagements all over the United States. We are working to help this great looking site have better web visibility through search optimization, online marketing, and will also be doing blogging as well.

Check it out today for information about brand consulting services.

Posted on

Need a New Brand Strategy?

We’ve just completed a mini site optimization for a great website and business. You can visit Candescence online now to read more about branding, brand strategies, market ideation, and brand creation.

Candescence is a brand creation and brand marketing firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Robert Davies, the President of Candescence Inc. is an independent consultant who works directly with large and small firms in the brand management field as well as is employed by a number of advertising agencies to be their resident expert in brand ideation.

This is an interesting site that you will definitely want to check out!