So much to learn

There's always so much to learn when you're getting involved with something new. I never knew that link building was such a complicated thing. I juts thought I'd have to leave my url all over the palce, but that's not the case at all. Apparently there are parts of a link and there are smarter places to put them than others. Who knew? Some of my favorite quotes about link-building are:

If you diversify your anchor text and stick to these seven link building tips your rankings will skyrocket. Beating the Penguin isn’t about being lucky; it’s about smart link building.

from 7 link-building tips after the penguin update
Another one I like is:

Try to think about building links as a way of connecting to ‘colleagues’ working within the same industry. This mindset will serve you far better than just spamming blogs for links; the effects will be longer lasting, far more genuine, and ultimately fruitful.

from SoccerWidow's article Link building and back-links which features some other great quotes, too.

hubshout.com

Press releases for electricians

So my buddy was working on the power lines and his photo ended up winning an award. Our local office sent a press release out to a few local papers and suddenly the company website for Puget Sound Energy is getting a lot more traffic. I had no idea that would happen and now I'm trying to figure out what I can do to get more traffic here. I should have taken more pictures at the opening of the Snoqualmie Hydroelectric Park. I took a great picture of a kid powering a light bulb with her own brute force. Surely that's newsworthy, right?
Graphic Citation

Random things I looked up today

Man, I am so glad to be a live in 2013 when we have an internet and a google and high speed wireless internet access. When we lived at the farm house, we were using DSL from the cable company and that was fed into a wireless router but now we have the fastest plan the satellite company will allow and it's like lightning fast. I couldn't think as fast as I was googling. ONe minute I'm looking into Canvas Printing for some Christmas gifts (Who WOULDN'T want a giant canvas picture of the wife and I over their fireplace?)
The next minute I'm comparing Shipping Containers Prices because I've always wondered what those would cost, right? I don't even think I found the answer to that question, but I did find a bunch of modular apartments that were made from shipping containers. It's an entire complex in Japan and when people want to move, they just lock their door and it moves them all, rearranges the entire configuration of the building. Can you imagine coming home to find your third story apartment that faces East is now on the twelfth floor and facing West? that could mess with your feng shui for sure.
And the final random thing I was looking into was Sheet Metal Fabricators. One of the sites I found had a bunch of welding videos and to me that's just the most fascinating thing to watch. If I hadn't become an electrical lineman I would have been a welder. Welding is sexy and awesome. It's also harder than it looks. Sheet metal fabricators are great for building things like metal desks and cabinets.

New job, new house?

Things have been quiet around here, but that's just on the blog. In real life, things have been hectic and chaotic, to no end. See, I found a new job on Craig's List and we ended up having to move clear across the state. We found ourselves a nice little house in the suburbs of the big city. We are within walking distance to all of the cute little downtown shops and restaurants and night clubs. We left my sister and her boys in charge of the farm. She's been working it for the past year anyway, so I'm sure it will be in good hands and it's just a few hour's drive, so it's not that big of a deal. It's crazy, though, how difficult it is to sleep here. I can sleep through the train coming through town a mile from the farm house, it's loud in the dead of night and when we first moved in, it did wake me up. I thought I was dreaming because the nearest train tracks were literally a mile away. Maybe I'll learn to sleep through the sounds here, but they sure are different. I went ahead and ordered some Hearing Protection Earplugs so I can fall asleep because it's just so ahrd to wake up after all of the noise and sirens and crazy commotion out there. Oh well, I guess it's just part of life.
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generating buzz

Generating buzz is something I have avoided up until now in life. You don't mess around with power lines, right? But blogging is different than keeping the lights on in the middle of a storm, folks. This is fun and social and I think I'm really starting to dig it. Have you ever been a blogger? I think it's more fun to write about what's going on in my life and work but helping companies advertise is fun, too. If I had to choose who I'd advertise for right now, it would be Bring the Fresh because it's so easy, my wife built a beautiful site for my neighbor last night and I can't wait to try it myself. The other one would be Sell Solar Now and I'm really excited about this one. As a lineman, I happen to know a bit about electricity and I would much rather be self-sufficient on my own little mountain house than wired into the city grid somewhere. This might be my ticket to retirement. Wanna buy a solar panel?

we're traveling

I was totally inspired by GypsyMom and decided that we're going to take a road trip. Our first stop will be the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I was looking for pictures of it and found a great website for web graphics, too. I know the kids will be so excited to look around at all of the classic and modern and postmodern artwork that has inspired us year after year in our family. See, maw buys their fundraiser calendars every year so Moma has been part of our life.
Image Source Isn't it awesome that we get to do that? So what are you looking forward to the most next summer? I know this one has barely ended but I'm always thinking ahead. You should, too.

Lineman blogs

well I've never been much of a blogger, I'm just here sharing tips and ideas for people who wanna do the work I do. my training has made me the happiest on earth, so I think you should do it too. But recently, I learned that people do make money at this and I think that's really cool. I poked around a bit to see if there were other linemen who were blogging and I learned a lot. First of all, I learned that last week was lineman appreciation day. My friends over at the "It's in our blood" website had the neatest thing to say about it: "We would like to thank the lineman who work hard and risk there lives everyday to keep the lights on." In spite of the fact that they used the wrong form of "their/there/they're" it's still a heartfelt type of appreciation and I'm honored to learn that Tracy Moore worked really hard in the state of Florida to get the Lineworker Appreciation day passed. She is also the one who started the High line Hero Foundation. That's an organization that helps lineman and their family get through hard times. You should totally follow them on Facebook.