MKT420 Book Review Blog Post #1 Introduction

I read The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization by Michael Miller. The reason that I choose this book was because I am interested in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and I wanted to learn more about all aspects of SEO. The most interesting thing about SEO for me is that fact that it is all free (unless you hire someone to do it for you). Organizing and optimizing the content on your site can make a huge difference in your search results. When done correctly it will drive more relevant traffic to the site resulting in more visitors or conversions (if you are an ecommerce site). This book was a great choice because it gave me a solid overview of everything about SEO. Before I start diving into what is in the book I want to provide a definition of Search Engine Optimization for those who are unfamiliar with it. According to SearchEngineWatch.com SEO is defined as,


“The process of making a site and its content highly relevant for both search engines and searchers. SEO includes technical tasks to make it easier for search engines to find and index a site for the appropriate keywords, as well as marketing-focused tasks to make a site more appealing to users. Successful search marketing helps a site gain top positioning for relevant words and phrases.”

I think this definition says it very well by calling it a “process.” There is a process that has to take place before your site is optimized and there is a process that needs to take place to keep it optimized. Before you jump into optimizing a site you must first understand how search engines and SEO works. Then from there you can optimize your site for search engines and finally you must maintain your site through analytics and management. Miller breaks the book into these parts which is how I will address them through the blog posts: how search engines and SEO works, how to optimize your site, and how to maintain your site.

Shearon Harris Emergency Shutdown, Say What?!!

1. The 5-7 essential "facts" re: your Project Censored 2010 story, based on your reading of the PC2010 text;

The Shearon Harris nuclear power plant contains the largest nuclear waste storage pools in the country.


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has estimated that there is a 1:100 chance of a pool fire happening under the best scenarios.


The 2002 the NRC put the plant on notice for nine unresolved safety issues detected during a fire prevention inspection.


Between January and July of 2002 the plant manager was forced to manually shut down the reactors
four times.


In spring of 2003 there were four emergency shutdowns that included three over a four day period.


Between 1999 and 2003 there were twelve major problems resulting in shutdowns of the plant.


The NRC says that the national average for commercial reactors is one shutdown per eighteen months.





2. The specific results of your LEXIS NEXIS search for articles about your story - is this, in fact, a truly "censored" story? Provide us with as many links as you can to news coverage of this story in the global press;



After doing the Lexis Nexis search I found that the story about the emergency shutdowns of the Shearon Harris plant was truly censored. None of the articles that I read address any of the shutdowns or the fact that they failed to resolve nine safety issues in 2002. There was talk about how 30% of the surrounding population lived in a critical meltdown zone but nothing about any emergency shutdowns.

The only source that I could find on the internet that addressed the issues of the emergency shutdowns was the Project Censored website. Wikipedia cited some information that was from the Project Censored website. And the Organic Consumers Association posted up the article directly on their site.
The only source that uncensored this story was the Project Censored group.

Fact sheet about the Shearon Harris Power Plant

Safety Information for the plant



Community Members voice their opinon on the plant

MidTerm Reflection

1) I have learned that you always have to question all media. Ask yourself who is making the media and who is paying for it. Look for underlying meanings and messages. How is the media shaping the community?



2) The most important thing that I have learned so far is that you have to READ CAREFULLY. I have to make sure that I read everything in the text in order to fully understand and fully examine the text. Don't leave any rock unturned. Explore every angle to get the true meaning of the message.



3) The one thing that I would do differently would to be prepared for class. Make sure I do all the reading so I can fully engage in the class discussion.



4) One thing that I would like the class to do would be to ease up on the reading and homework. This class is very interesting but the amount of reading and homework can be discouraging for me and it can take away from the class. I have other homework in my other classes and I can be hard to get it all done when there is so much.



5) The course blog is great. I can always access the homework through the internet. The personal blog is cool. It adds to our online presence helping to build our personal brands. Films are fun as there is a technological shift from analog to digital in our current society.