makayla3tg1: Black Hat, White Hat and Gray Hat SEO

Social entrepreneurs are quite excited about this new trend of mixing mission and money within the organizations they run. You can often hear many of them proclaiming their intention to "do well by doing good," implying that they will not only save the world but they will make money doing it. Behind the slogan, these entrepreneurs are experimenting with what we call "hybrid" organizations. In the for-profit world, new organizational creatures with descriptions like "social business" are now prioritizing social and environmental goals equally with financial performance. Among non-profits, social entrepreneurs are launching what are usually called "social enterprises" or income-generating businesses, like coffee shops, thrift stores, and bakeries, within non-profit organizations.

One the surface these hybrid organizations look very promising—an opportunity to have your cake and eat it too. The reality, however, is that these hybrid organizations come with substantial risks and consequences that are rarely discussed and that need to be carefully taken into consideration from the start.

Last week I participated in a research symposium on "Exploring Social Enterprises" at the UCLA School of Public Affairs; much of the discussion centered on organizational hybrids. Several researchers presented truly cutting-edge findings about the consequences of choosing the hybrid organizational type. Cumulatively, this research identified four key risks associated with hybrid organizations.

The first, overarching risk is that people just don't know what hybrids are. Is it a for-profit? Is it a non-profit? Is this about mission or money? This ambiguity doesn't just affect potential investors who, for a start, are often not sure whether these organizations are a fit for venture capital or venture philanthropy. The ambiguity also affects board members who are not clear on whether their primary responsibility is to uphold mission or financial performance. Internally managers and staff face similar confusion and their decision-making often wavers or stagnates as a result.

Risk No. 2 is that these hybrids often have no clear systems of accountability. In traditional for-profits, everyone knows that profit maximization is the ultimate goal. In traditional non-profits, everyone knows that social impact is the ultimate goal. In hybrid organizations, these two goals are purportedly equal and yet they are often at odds.

The magnitude of this risk is easily understood by looking at funding flows to hybrid organizations—they are virtually non-existent. Capital flows require transparency and certainty, particularly with regard to the organization's priorities. For hybrids with two equal priorities and no transparent system to uphold them, the risk of misalignment and failure is extremely high. Consequently, capital avoids these investments.

Over the past few years innovations such as B Corporations and Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies (L3Cs) have attempted to provide mechanisms to create this transparent accountability. But without formal, widespread legal infrastructure to codify decision-making authority, the risk of weak accountability is too high.

Risk No. 3 is that hybrids often have difficulty maximizing either social impact or financial sustainability. As the dichotomy between these two forces pulls social entrepreneurs in different directions, hybrid organizations often experience both internal and external pressures to lean more in one direction or the other. Non-profit social enterprises often ultimately choose social mission as their priority and find their enterprise running at a loss. For example, the leaders of one non-profit operating a Ben & Jerry's Partnershop decided that their commitment to employ disadvantaged youth with serious social and emotional challenges outweighed the gains in customer service that could be had from hiring more "polished" employees. The non-profit also determined that it was necessary to employ a social worker as full-time support staff for the youth in the ice-cream shop. Unsurprisingly, the Partnershop operated at a net loss.

For-profit hybrids often ultimately prioritize profit over mission and thus compromise their social and environmental impact. The social entrepreneurs who founded Blue Avocado, makers of a line of hip reusable shopping bags, found early on that they had to make difficult choices about the level of environmental sustainability they could achieve for a competitive price. Their original hope was to create a locally sourced, fully organic cotton bag, but with a resulting unsustainable price they realized that some sacrifices on sustainability would be required to keep their social business viable.

Finally, Risk No. 4 is that as hybrids face pressures to maintain financial sustainability it will come at the price of a long-term erosion of moral legitimacy. One research study presented at UCLA investigated social service non-profits that employ their clients through jobs-training programs at social enterprises such as coffee shops and janitorial services companies. In these organizations, moral legitimacy was often questioned as clients were increasingly treated like regular employees and were "commoditized" by the business. A second study looked at the particular case of NPower, a non-profit technology provider that received substantial cash and in-kind support from Microsoft. As NPower was perceived to become more "business-like" in its operations, peer organizations questioned their non-profit integrity and social focus.

The net result is that hybrid organizations are not exactly the panacea they appear to be. Mixing mission and money is tricky business, requiring strong leadership to articulate and maintain clear priorities and accountability. The attraction to this type of organization is rooted in our hopes of find more financially sustainable ways of creating social and environmental impact. But as social entrepreneurs explore this intriguing territory, we must also beware of serious and substantial risks.

Olbermann Suspended Without Pay From MSNBC After Making Political Donations To Democrats

Today, Politico reported that MSNBC host Keith Olbermann made political contributions to three Democratic candidates — Kentucky senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona House members Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. Following the story, MSNBC President Phil Griffin released a statement this afternoon stating that Olbermann has been suspended without pay:

I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.

MSNBC’s policies governing its employees states:

Anyone working for NBC News who takes part in civic or other outside activities may find that these activities jeopardize his or her standing as an impartial journalist because they may create the appearance of a conflict of interest. Such activities may include participation in or contributions to political campaigns or groups that espouse controversial positions. You should report any such potential conflicts in advance to, and obtain prior approval of, the President of NBC News or his designee.

It’s unclear what harm Griffin determined resulted from Olbermann’s contributions. Politico noted that Olbermann donated to Grijalva on the same day that Grijalva appeared as a guest on his show. In his defense Olbermann said, “I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns, nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level.”

Atrios reports that Pat Buchanan, a very frequent guest on MSNBC and an official contributor, has also made a number of donations to Republican candidates.

Meanwhile, Steve Benen observes that, while Olbermann made his donations in a personal capacity, News Corp. — Fox News’ parent company — “made multiple undisclosed donations to the Republican Governors Association, totaling at least $1.25 million, in addition to a $1 million contribution to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its pro-Republican election-year activities. Fox News has helped GOP candidates raise money on the air; Fox News personalities are featured guests at Republican fundraisers; while other Fox News personalities continue to help generate financial support for Republican candidates now, even after the elections.”

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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/15 - Arrowhead Pride

Well, that happened. Who invited the 2009 Chiefs to yesterday's game? As you can imagine, there are a lot of recaps and opinions on the game (and a missing handshake). Here's today's Kansas City Chiefs news.

Afghan Insurgents in Weakened State « Liveshots

KABUL, Afghanistan -US and NATO officials claimed Sunday that insurgents in Afghanistan are.

Cable announces new business mentoring network - News : NDS

p>Vince Cable announced a new 40000-strong network of business mentors at the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week today, and called on more businesses to join up.

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Probably Bad News: Congressional FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and ...

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NBC Ad Urges Recording News - NYTimes.com

The anchor Brian Williams encourages people to record "Nightly News" if they cannot watch it at 6:30 pm.

News - PIC: See Jessica Simpson's Stunning Engagement Ring ...

The singer debuted her new bling at an in-store appearance Saturday.

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Debian Project News - October 18th, 2010

State of Debian 6.0 Squeeze , ask.debian.net, updated DebianEdu, new sloppy backports, Debian project membership.

News - PIC: See Jessica Simpson's Stunning Engagement Ring ...

The singer debuted her new bling at an in-store appearance Saturday.

Cable announces new business mentoring network - News : NDS

p>Vince Cable announced a new 40000-strong network of business mentors at the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week today, and called on more businesses to join up.

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Cable announces new business mentoring network - News : NDS

p>Vince Cable announced a new 40000-strong network of business mentors at the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week today, and called on more businesses to join up.

Monday News Roundup - - The Offside - Liverpool Football Club Blog

Hodgson, aka The Manatee, as seen in this stock photo from 1937. A short international break.

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NBC Ad Urges Recording News - NYTimes.com

The anchor Brian Williams encourages people to record "Nightly News" if they cannot watch it at 6:30 pm.

Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 11/15/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee .. Horse Tracks!

Pulse News Reader for iOS now free

This is both a strength and a weakness -- it works better with some types of feeds than others -- but overall it provides a pleasant way to catch up with the news over your breakfast. Tags: AlphonsoLabs, ipad, new york times, ...

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Networked news: the digital future of regional journalism | Media ...

US local and regional media are rebuilding using new business models, including that of Washington-based site TBD. By Kevin Anderson.

Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 11/15/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee .. Horse Tracks!

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Cable announces new business mentoring network - News : NDS

p>Vince Cable announced a new 40000-strong network of business mentors at the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week today, and called on more businesses to join up.

Denver Broncos News: Horse Tracks - 11/15/10 - Mile High Report

Your Daily Cup of Orange and Blue Coffee .. Horse Tracks!

News - Jessica Simpson, Eric Johnson Are Engaged! - Healthy ...

The singer flashed a sizable ring during an in-store appearance on Saturday.

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News - PIC: See Jessica Simpson's Stunning Engagement Ring ...

The singer debuted her new bling at an in-store appearance Saturday.

Senator-Elect Rand Paul Pushes Earmark Ban - FoxNews.com

Paul said during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, "I think ear markings are bad. There is some symbolism. Definitely the symbolism is bad. And, I think it encourages people to vote for large appropriations bills, because all of a ...

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Senator-Elect Rand Paul Pushes Earmark Ban - FoxNews.com

Pulse News Reader app celebrates VC success by going free

Celebrating their anticipated announcement of a successful VC injection of $800000, Alphonso Labs, makers of the Pulse News Reader iOS application , have made the application a free download. The Pulse News Reader, which formats RSS ...

What to Expect in House Lame Duck - FoxNews.com

FOX News covers politics on America's Election Headquarters. FOX News political coverage on elections, races, foreign policy, candidates, and national security.

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Afghan Insurgents in Weakened State « Liveshots

KABUL, Afghanistan -US and NATO officials claimed Sunday that insurgents in Afghanistan are.

Monday News Roundup - - The Offside - Liverpool Football Club Blog

Hodgson, aka The Manatee, as seen in this stock photo from 1937. A short international break.

» Movie Review: LennoNYC - Blogger News Network

We are pleased to announce our latest endeavor, Blogger News is now sponsoring some radio shows on Blog Talk Radio. You can check our full schedule, and listen to previous broadcasts here, and we hope that you will join us on the air in ...

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November 14, 2010 | In News, c++, openFrameworks | View Comments. There have been a number of exciting developments in the last few days related to XBox Kinect. For those that may not be aware of what it is, it's a brand new interface ...

NBC Ad Urges Recording News - NYTimes.com

The anchor Brian Williams encourages people to record "Nightly News" if they cannot watch it at 6:30 pm.

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Monday News Roundup - - The Offside - Liverpool Football Club Blog

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Sea Ice News #29 | Watts Up With That?

In sea ice news this week, Arctic sea ice continues its inexorable climb toward the summit, to be reached sometime in March 2011. At present the ice growth is tracking just below the rate of 2007, but it should also be pointed out that ...

Senator-Elect Rand Paul Pushes Earmark Ban - FoxNews.com

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FOX News covers politics on America's Election Headquarters. FOX News political coverage on elections, races, foreign policy, candidates, and national security.

Senator-Elect Rand Paul Pushes Earmark Ban - FoxNews.com

Monday News Roundup - - The Offside - Liverpool Football Club Blog

Hodgson, aka The Manatee, as seen in this stock photo from 1937. A short international break.

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Senator-Elect Rand Paul Pushes Earmark Ban - FoxNews.com

Debian Project News - October 18th, 2010

State of Debian 6.0 Squeeze , ask.debian.net, updated DebianEdu, new sloppy backports, Debian project membership.

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The job of a Search Engine Optimizer, popularly referred to as an SEO helps the visitors to acquire the required information from the visited website. So, an SEO plays a major role as far as research and development are concerned. Both, the clients availing of the services of an SEO as well as the visitors to the website, many a times, prove to be too demanding for the Search Engine Optimizer. Well no pains, no gains. An SEO's job seems to be based on this pattern rather too strictly.

The SEO's Job vs. Sales

The SEO's role is quite important not only for researching a particular subject or idea, but more so when it comes to sales. The Optimizer in the majority of the cases provides his services to help the visitors to the website research about the products of the company.

The products may vary from biscuits or other eatables to cosmetics to electronic devices including almost any saleable product, object, idea etc., that exists upon the earth. An SEO understands well that basically his job aims at optimizing the sales for the company. He would not like to displease the company or those who visit the company's site. So, most of the SEOs prefer a little sentence at the bottom of the page to the effect that the visitor's search results may vary from site to site. After all, an SEO, like any other professional prefers to play safe!

Expectations from an SEO vs. A Few Realities

As the company's demands from an SEO are sometimes even unrealistic, he has to be extra smart (that of course, is different from being over smart). When it comes to selling a new product, the Search Engine Optimizer is not just asked to optimize the sales, in such specific cases, he has to initialize the sales for the new product first, more so if the business house happens to be a small one or a newly opened one.

If an SEO's services are hired by a small or newly opened business, the Optimizer is expected to optimize the sales of the products (if they are new, then even to initialize the sales) so that the business comes closer to the big rivals and then gradually goes ahead of them. Now, anyone can understand the kind of expectations regarding the sales from an SEO. When the expectations are not met with (that may be the case sometimes), the resulting picture may be a sad one.

As if that is not enough, even the sales department of the company loves to transfer the major share of its responsibility to the shoulders of the SEO, once his services are hired. The department's attitude, most of the times, sends the message across to the SEO, in no implicit terms that it is his responsibility to optimize the sales of the popular products, initialize and optimize the sales for new products and reinitialize the sales even for those that had previously failed in the market.

In other words, it is the SEO rather than the sales department who is expected to optimize and maintain the market. The Optimizer is left only with two options: either fulfill all the expectations or if he fails to do so even once, then provide an absolutely convincing explanation to the company that has hired his services.

SEO: Catering to the Clients' Expectations

Though the contract letter as provided to the SEO clearly reads the terms and conditions related to the responsibilities and even ranking, traffic, ROI, and conversions etc., it is the result of the work that counts in the long run rather than the job profile as discussed in the contract letter.

An SEO's Perception of His Job: Risk Factors

Thus a potentially existing, but not a very explicit (and hence not very frequently realized) risk factor is that most of the SEOs focus on executing the operations as specified in the contract letter rather than laying stress on the results. The result: the sales for the company for which an SEO's services are hired are far from being optimized. In some cases, the SEO fails to maintain even the previously existing sales. It can even tell upon his professional relationships with the sales department of the company. Eventually, he may be sacked and replaced by another SEO, in most cases, a tried and tested one by one or more reputed or established companies. So focusing upon the result is the key factor for any SEO. He must focus on the TARGET.

Services Provided by An SEO: How Do the Clients Evaluate Them?

A large number of the companies hiring the services of an SEO are extremely conscious of their web ranking. Naturally, they want the ranking to shoot up faster when they hire an SEO. A sensible client would allow at least a reasonably period of time to the SEO as even a highly intelligent and professionally smart Search Engine Optimizer would require at least a little bit of time to increase the number of the visitors to the website of his client.

Even if the search engine is optimized making it several times more effective than it originally was, the improvement will catch the notice of the net surfers within a little time only. Given the time (a reasonable one, of course, and not an unusually longer span), the web ranking of the client's site can be expected to shoot up the popularity charts.

Moreover, the requirements of the visitors to the website of the clients vary from time to time. Thus the SEO is expected to be on his toes all the time. Further, the phrases searched by the visitors most of the time would never be an all time favorite with the net surfers. They may change with the changing requirements of the surfers. Thus the client would obviously expect the SEO not only to make the web ranking go higher, but even to maintain it. Not a very easy job, indeed.

How Does Web Ranking Effect A Company's Sales and An SEO's Performance?

Though a smart SEO can employ a number of ways to make the web ranking shoot up, the point is that whether the people who visit the web site actually get converted into the customers buying the products of the company or not. So even if the SEO manages to attract a large number of visitors to the site of the company, what actually counts is whether they are the targeted visitors or not. The SEO must never forget that as far as the results of his work are concerned, the web ranking is to be used as a means to enhance the sales for the company. After all, it is for this purpose that the client has hired his services.

In some cases, a client's website may already be enjoying an excellent web ranking, but a poor conversion rate. In such case, the SEO is expected even to a greater extent to focus upon the conversion rate. A greater chunk of the traffic visiting the site is to be converted into actual buyers of the products of the company. This is what the SEO is expected to achieve.

The Job of an SEO: A Few Tips

The SEO may suggest the clients to alter a few links in the SERPs i.e., the search engine result pages. It can make it easier for the visitors to the site to find what they are looking for? When a visitor himself/herself refers the site to other surfers, it counts. Because making the web ranking move up, it definitely increases the conversion rate.

Finally, the SEO must take care that the desired, if not higher, conversion rate is achieved within a specific time. Though there should be synergy between the client and the SEO and the required time should be allowed for achieving an excellent web ranking as well as conversion rate, the SEO must not forget that he cannot delay in producing results beyond a certain time period. He is fully responsible to make the client progress in the business as fast or even faster than expected by the client.

Finally, the SEO should be focusing on improving upon the sales for the company. After all, this is what that actually counts for the client. It is the result, the result and the RESULT ONLY that will matter in the long run, as already discussed in this article.

Bibhash Sharma is an expert writer for a variety of subject matters, including internet, web design and development, computer technology, internet marketing etc. Please visit http://www.obiyanits.com to browse his present activities.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bibhash_Sharma

Bibhash Sharma - EzineArticles Expert Author

Monday, November 15, 2010

Black Hat, White Hat and Gray Hat SEO

Olbermann Suspended Without Pay From MSNBC After Making Political Donations To Democrats

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