Fun Metrics

The Numbers I Live By
Not sure if this makes any sense to anyone, but I am just reflecting on all the metrics I encounter in my daily life that excite me. I'm sure if we all reflect a little we may be able to think of some. Let me know what numbers you watch. Stock prices? Church attendance? Sales reports? Commissions? Comments?

For me, there are lots of numbers I enjoy watching:

1. Google Analytics - Analyzing the traffic to all the sites I manage passes a lot of time fast. Not a day goes by that I don't scrutinize these numbers.
2. AdSense - I have a few monetized sites that are making some change here and there. Not big numbers yet, but I find it fun to watch.
3. Twitter Followers - I manage a lot of Twitter accounts and watching the numbers grow there is pretty cool. Learning what makes them grow faster is stimulating.
4. Political polls - These can be pretty ridiculous and also incredibly meaningless, but nonetheless, I am very interested in this Republican race going on now and any numbers relating to it interest me.
5. Video views - I also manage a large number of online video accounts and it is fun to watch them get attention. New subscribers and new comments are thrilling, but take a lot of effort and some great content to obtain.
6. Backlinks - A backlink is a link from someone else's website to yours and is extremely valuable for improving your website's search engine rankings. You never know when something on your site may be picked up by others and it is thrilling when it happens.
7. Social sharing - Checking how many Likes, Tweets, Plus 1's and so on your content is getting can really get exciting when things begin to take off.
8. Calls / Texts - Not something I really watch numbers on actually, but I enjoy hearing from my family and friends and I often gauge a day roughly on how many notifications my phone is getting.
9. Meals - The higher this number, the better the day. Some days I miss breakfast, some days lunch, some days even dinner. A good day includes three good meals. I am always working harder to improve my eating habits and can see the benefit of doing so very plainly in my daily life.
10. Sleep - I know how much sleep I need to make it through the day. I am often gauging how much later I can stay awake based upon how sleep deprived I am. More sleep is better and towards the end of the day, I am always looking at the time and thinking how much sleep I will be getting and how much I need for the next day.

So there you have it. These are the numbers I pay attention to. What numbers do you watch?

Michigan Wolverines go 10 and 2 - Video Blog

Go Michigan!

This is my follow-up video blog for my previous Michigan Football prediction post which I made early in the season. To basically sum it up, I was incorrect on which 2 games Michigan was going to lose but I did correctly predict their final record which was 10-2. Extremely happy that they prevailed over our evil arch-rivals to the South in the final game of the season. Woohoo! We are back to being a competitive Big 10 team!

So....did you make any football predictions this season that came true?

Top Ten WWII Movies

My ten favorite WWII films

1. Life is Beautiful
   Probably the most touching movie I have ever seen and also the most likely to make you cry. This is an all around fantastic film that everyone should love. It is a foreign film and is subtitled throughout but you barely notice. This movie inspires me.
   
   
   
2. Schindler's List
   Perhaps the definitive WWII movie. An artistic masterpiece from Steven Spielberg.
   
   
   
3. Saving Private Ryan
   Another amazing film from Steven Spielberg. A great story full of action and lots of appearances from big stars.
   
   
   
4. The Scarlet and the Black
   Solid performance from Gregory Peck in a thrilling story about the Vatican during the second world war.
   
   
   
5. I Am David
   Brilliant story that is adventurous while at the same time deeply touching. About a boy traversing Europe alone in search of his mother.
   
   
   
6. The Best Years of Our Lives
   Well written film detailing the trials and challenges endured by WWII soldiers as they return home from the war. Recommended by the WWII veterans and experts I know as you can read about on Larry Martin's blog.
   
   
   
7. Saints and Soldiers
   Lesser know film about some WWII soldiers lost in enemy territory. Great story with really good characters.
   
   
   
8. The Bridge on the River Kwai
   Excellent work from Alec Guinness, as usual on this great tale of british soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese.
   
   
   
9. Inglorious Basterds
   Quentin Tarantino plays with history in a comical romp about a troupe of Nazi killers who assassinate Hitler. B.J. Novak even has a small role.
   
   
   
10. The Fighting Seabees
    This is actually a really good movie starring John Wayne that I may never have seen if my dad had not been a Seabee for almost 20 years.
    
    

I hope you all enjoyed this list. Please feel free to share your own favorite WWII films below.

Thanksgiving and Songwriting

Today we hosted Thanksgiving for the first time. It was a very enjoyable experience and I am glad we were able to. We did not have a large number of guests but it was still very nice and we felt privileged all the same.

Right now, I am home alone while my wife is working overnight at Target for their huge Black Friday shebang. Kinda lonesome here. I believe this will make the third or fourth night apart for us since we have been married. Don't really like it.

Ash actually likes working Black Friday but it is taxing. Tomorrow we are going to the fam's house for further festivities and she will be doing it on no sleep. She says she will be fine but I remember what that was like, working a third shift and then going straight into some activity the next day without sleeping. I did that before when I was working two jobs for a while. Occasionally had to work an overnight at the gas station and then go to the library first thing in the morning. It is not very easy to do.

Just wrote another song. I do pretty much every time I pick up the guitar for longer than 2 minutes lately (which averages around 2 or 3 times a month). It sounds alright but I think it is a little sad which is unusual for my music. It just came out that way I guess. Probably won't keep it. 90% of the songs I write I just end up throwing away or forgetting. In a way, I don't really mind that. For a long time I struggled with that. Anytime I wrote something that sounded even remotely like a song, I would have to write it down and practice it and never forget it. But eventually I began thinking very differently. I learned that my greatest goal wasn't just to write some good songs. My goal was to become a songwriter. Someone who could sit down with the guitar or piano or whatever and write a song every time. Now, instead of clinging to every piece I write, I find a strange pleasure in writing songs and throwing them away. Each time I do, I bolster my confidence that the next time I sit down to write I will create another song and it will be better. Today I have written probably hundreds of songs and kept less than fifty. Probably less than thirty of those I have actually played for someone and less than a dozen I think I have performed before an audience. Anyway, I don't know why I am writing about this. I started writing about the great holiday and then.....whatever.

I guess that is all. Oh, I think I will leave a link here to the recent article about George and I performing at Cuppa for those who have not seen it. It was nice and I recommend anyone who can make an effort to swing by there sometime for some great coffee and some cool performances.

Homework and Today's Playlist

Jamming out some major homework now. Ridiculously long assignment for my global marketing class. Pretty lame. I mean, seriously this is global marketing. Not like I'm Gabe doing his crazy nursing stuff or going into chemical engineering. Jeez.....

The homework today is uniquely accompanied by rap hits from 10 years ago. When I was 14 and thought I was destined to play in the NBA I really dug the rap stuff. Now, a decade later, some of these ridiculous songs actually sound pretty good to me. Those who know me, understand how silly that is. Anyway, here is my currently playing playlist:

Welcome To Atlanta - Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris
Country Grammar - Nelly
Always on Time - Ja Rule
Rollout - Ludacris
E.I. - Nelly
Ride With Me - Nelly
Never Again - Ja Rule
Saturday - Ludacris
Batter Up - Nelly
Livin' It Up - Ja Rule


So....yeah. Weird, I know. But it sure is bouncing.

Top 10 Modern Rock Bands

My criteria for this list is that the band peaked in popularity post 2000 at least and are still going. But these are the bands I like the most who have rocked this most recent decade.

10. Fuel

Ever since I got their Natural Selection album I was a huge Fuel fan. They have so many great songs and some cool videos too. I still love "I Won't Back Down" and "Hemorrhage".
Favorite song: Quarter

9. Stone Sour

Some of the guys from Slipknot came together to make an almost equally awesome rock band with a more mainstream sound. Plenty of heavy jams, but also some lighter songs like "Through Glass" and "Bother". Check Stone Sour out for sure.
Favorite song: Through Glass

8. Breaking Benjamin

Consistently awesome. Of all the bands on this list, these guys are the most popular with the girls I know. They have something for everyone.
Favorite song: Breathe

7. Slipknot

These guys on the other hand don't really have something for everyone. But they do kick out some pretty amazing rock tunes. Subliminal Verses Vol. 2 was one of the most legendary rock albums I have ever heard.
Favorite song: Duality


6. System of a Down

Got into these guys a long time ago and they introduced me things I had never heard before. Profoundly influential on me, System of a Down has been one band that has not made enough records. Everything they make is so awesome and I deeply wish they would make more.
Favorite song: Lonely Day


5. Audioslave

Two awesome bands from the '90s (Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine) came together to form this killer rock group. They have something for all of my moods.
Favorite song: Cochise


4. Seether

This band REALLY knows how to rock and roll. They are incapable of making stuff that isn't amazing. Gosh, I wish I could see them live.....
Favorite song: Fine Again


3. Avenged Sevenfold

Waking the Fallen was a life-changing album for me. That CD is an absolute masterpiece which I would compare sooner to the works of Bach then Black Sabbath. It is intense, beautiful, melodic, talent-driven art from start to finish. I guess their other albums are alright too. Not quite the same level though. I prefer everything before City of Evil, personally.
Favorite song: Unholy Confessions

2. The White Stripes

Holy living animal crackers, has there ever been a more amazing duo in the history of music? Jack White is singlehandedly changing the world of music and is one of my biggest influences. Elephant is one of the greatest albums ever made, without question. It is the complete package.
Favorite song: Ball and Biscuit

1. Chevelle

These.....guys.....ROCK!! Every single song is absolutely incredible and I can listen to every album straight through repeatedly. No one sounds like them either. Chevelle is totally unique.
Favorite song: The Clincher

Each of these bands is worth checking out. They continue to prove that not all great music is behind us and it is still possible to ROCK! I would also love if you would share in the comments some of the bands I am sure I missed or that you think deserve to be on this list.

Today's Playlist

Here are the cool jams on my playlist for today:

Mumford and Sons - Feel the Tide
Sleeper Agent - Get it Daddy
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Damn Regrets
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Weezer - Buddy Holly
Bush - Machinehead
Ludacris - Welcome to Atlanta
Cranberries - Zombie

What is on your playlist?

10 Ways to SEO Your Blog Posts

10 easy steps to target organic searches with your blog posts

Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting your content to rank higher in online search results. Research indicates online search is one of the primary sources people today use for obtaining information and also that people do not tend to go very deep in the search results. This means that ranking higher in those results maximizes the chances of your content being clicked on and getting the attention you want.

Why use a blog for SEO?

Creating unique content is essential to getting any attention in search results. For this reason, many people and companies use a blog so new articles, reviews, updates and other content can be continuously added to increase online exposure. This is one of the best tools for targeting online searches. You can keep on top of what is going on in your industry and contribute related content that your community will value. This sort of marketing is becoming increasingly prominent. Creating content that will educate, inform, entertain and benefit your community is quickly becoming one of the best possible ways to gain exposure and grow your business.

Now getting the rankings you want is no easy task. Depending on your industry and topic, there could be thousands of other people trying to compete for the same search. However, there is still a lot you can do to improve your standings and get the best possible results. Here are 10 great ways to search engine optimize your blog posts:

1. Research your keywords.

   Google AdWords Keyword Tool is awesome for looking at the number of monthly searches for a given keyword and also tells you the results for a long list of related searches. In addition to that it shows you the relative competition for the keyword as well so you can determine the best phrasing of the search and what topics might be worth focusing on.

2. Page title.

   The most significant place for a keyword to be placed is in the title of the page. This tells search engines (and users) what the page is about. Each page title on your site should be unique and should accurately describe the page content.

3. Page URL.

   The page link should be descriptive as well. This is usually some setting in the backend of your blog. I know Blogger and WordPress have settings for permalinks that can be configured easily. The link should include the title of the post and not lengthy strings of meaningless characters.

4. Post title.

   Remember your research from step 1 and write a descriptive title for your blog post. Include the keyword or phrase you are targeting while at the same time making it appealing to potential readers and accurately reflecting the post content.
5. Post headings.The headings break up your posts into sections and describe the content that is to follow. These serve to inform both users and search engines what the content is about and are also an important an important place to put descriptive, targeted keywords.
   
   

6. Post sub-headings.

   One of the best things you can do to SEO your blog is remember to use good sub-headings. Sub-headings should also be used continuously throughout your posts to both enhance the readability for users and insert different keyword phrases. In this post I used a heading below the post title, a sub-heading before the 2nd paragraph and smaller sub-headings for each numbered item on this list.

7. In text content.

   While keyword density used to be a pretty big deal, it is not nearly as important anymore. However, it is crucial that whatever you have described in the other steps is reflected in the text. Use keywords, just not excessively. Focus mostly on making readable, interesting content.

8. Images.

   Original photos with captions, descriptions and alt text make your content more pleasing to readers and give you one more opportunity to insert keywords. Plus you can target image searches as well.

9. Video.

   Original videos rank very well on their own in searches and do a lot to enhance your posts. It adds another useful element for the viewer (I keep emphasizing this for a reason) and it is one more thing that can have titles and tags with keywords. Here is an example of placing a related video in your blog post. This is a short video from Matt Cutts describing common problems with article marketing and stressing the importance of creating original content that will spread organically.
   

10. Keep posting.

    One post about fly fishing on a graphic design blog will not be given the same value as a post about fly fishing on a fly fishing blog. Continue writing posts about your topic and industry and your entire blog will begin seeing improved results. Plus, as you create related posts you can take the opportunity to reference your other posts with links and give your readers as much information as they need.

Remember to always keep in mind the readability for your viewers and include as much useful information as you can gather. Great content will naturally get more attention, these tips are merely intended to help.

I hope you find my tips helpful. Keep checking back here for more and feel free to suggest more topics that I could blog about.

Stupid DVD Rentals

The way we watch movies has changed in so many ways over the past several decades. When everything switched from VHS tapes to DVDs the experience of watching films at home took a huge leap forward. But.....not quite far enough. I think we are experiencing a new transition now with Blu-Rays and streaming and I am extremely excited about this. While VHS tapes provided much lower quality and had to be rewound and all that, DVDs get SCRATCHED!!! It drives me INSANE!!! Last night my wife and I tried to watch the 1933 version of King Kong and we coud only watch the first 15 minutes. What a nuisance. It may be so that the video rental industry is in its decline and my kids may never know what a video rental store is but I am pretty much indifferent to that now. I am so sick of renting movies from Family Video or the library and getting dirty scratched up discs. Streaming will be so much better.

New Blog Address and Design!

Just set up a new address for this blog. No changes for you but the blog's URL will now be www.kyleblog.net. I am also in the process of re-working the design of my blog. It is my hope that I will be able to start developing more great content for everyone here and make my blog a place for useful information and entertainment. I plan on making a series of tutorials and would love your suggestions on topics that I could cover, particularly relating to technology and the Internet but not limited to by any means. I also enjoy writing up Top Lists and other such nonsense and love to see others create such things as well.

Anyway, check back here for lots more to come!

Top 10 Breakfast Meals

Breakfast is an extremely important meal and makes a big difference in your day. These are my top 10 favorite breakfast meals.

1. Breakfast Enchiladas
   
2. Eggs Benedict
   
3. Biscuits and Gravy
   
4. Blueberry Pancakes
   
5. Strawberry French Toast
   
6. Breakfast Burritos
   
7. Scramble
   
8. Egg Sandwiches
   
9. Omelette
   
10. Bacon, Eggs & Toast
    

What are your favorite breakfast meals???

Blowing Up Melons

Video I made recently of my siblings and I having fun with some old melons.

There is also a lot of cool stuff going on at The Wild North which is another very cool blog I write for that has a new blog post every day and lots more cool videos.

Great Show at Cuppa

Just completed another fun show at Cuppa today. It was so much fun. Somehow everyone found out it was the day before my birthday and Mandy made me a delicious apple pie. It was so cool! I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to hang out with all these great people over at Cuppa and to play our music.

Michigan just beat Northwestern too, as I predicted. 6 and 0 for the first time since 2006! Very exciting. Last I checked the Tigers were rained out. I really hope they can beat Texas.

Go BLUE!!! Go TIGERS!!

Also, look forward to some cool new stuff from Ian and I soon. We have some neat musical ideas in development. All credit goes to the amazing support we get from our (dare I say it?) fans. We couldn't be more grateful.

Michigan Wolverines 2011 predictions after week 5

Here are my 2011 Michigan Wolverines predictions after 5 weeks of great football:

• Northwestern - WIN
• Michigan State - WIN
• Purdue - WIN
• Iowa - WIN
• Illinois - LOSS
• Nebraska - LOSS
• Ohio State - WIN

We will finish the season 10-2. I am hoping for a share of the Big Ten Title with Wisconsin as well but that might be dreaming. Anyway, there you have it.

More of the Same

Still trying to come up with a good band name. A friend suggested the "Spice Boys" which I was considering. Anybody have any good ideas? Ian and I are talking over some cool ideas and trying to see how much spare time we can afford to work on our music projects. We have been really inspired to take it all to the next level since we have received so much support from everyone.

Lots of other stuff on my mind lately, mostly business related but not a lot that I can discuss publicly yet. Soon I hope. We'll see how things work out.

In the meantime I am still promoting The Wild North and working on an ever increasing number of side projects. Also read a really cool blog post from one of my oldest friends, Kenny this morning. That was really neat. And my family just got back from a great vacation to Marquette and my wife finished knitting her first sock!

How To Make a Video Blog

The Easiest Way To Make a Video Blog

You will need:

• Computer with Internet
• Blog
• Webcam and microphone
• Something interesting to say

1. Create/login to a YouTube account. If you have a Google account for a Gmail or Blogger you should be able to login with that after you create a username. I recommend creating a username similar to your blog name to help your readers find you there as well.
2. Make sure you have your webcam and microphone connected and installed properly, then go to the YouTube webcam video recorder.
   
3. If prompted, select "Allow" in the Flash player to authorize the recorder to use your webcam. Then hit "Record" and speak your piece. When you are finished hit the "Stop" button.
4. When the video has finished processing, hit "Publish". You will then need to enter in the information about your video. Basically the "Title", "Description" and "Tags" are the essentials. If you are unsure about any of the fields just leave them blank.
   
5. Hit "Save Changes" and go back to your blog.
   
6. Start a new post and select the "Insert a video"button.
7. A window should pop up with three options on the left side. Choose "My YouTube videos" and you should see all of your YouTube videos show up. Your newly created video blog should be the first so select it and hit "Select".
   
8. Your video should now appear in the body of your post. Now it would be a good idea to give the post a relevant title and then you are ready to publish. Congratulations, you are now a video blogger!

Notes: This is done using the new blogger layout. Some commands may be slightly different in the old interface. Also, for WordPress users, Step 6 and beyond would be only slightly different:

1. On the YouTube page, click on "View on Video page" or go to "My Account-->Videos-->NEW VIDEO". Then copy the URL (link address) of that page.
2. Go to your blog and start a new post.
3. Click in the body of the post and paste the URL. When published it will show the video.

If you have any questions or comments I would love for you to leave a comment below so as to continue the discussion and share the information with others.

Top 10 Reasons To Sleep In

We all have to get up in the morning and most of us don't enjoy it very much. I am not particularly fond of this ritual and decided to make my case for not getting up early. They are not really in order. Here are my Top 10 Reasons I Don't Mind Sleeping In:

• People are grumpy in the morningWhen I walk into work at 7 or 8am I am not usually greeted with cheery, smiling faces. At that dreadful time my coworkers more closely resemble something from Dawn of the Dead and are about as pleasant.
• It is colder in the morningThings start warming up when the sun somes out. Why can't we just wait for that?
• Everyone else is asleepNot much happening. Some may refer to that morning time as quiet and peaceful, I think of it as lonely and unproductive. Everyone else is still cozy in dream-land and I have to throw on a tie and stumble out to the car for the long commute.
• You have to make the coffeeBeing the first up may have some advantages......but not many. For the most part you just end up catching the wrath of late sleepers for what you neglected to do.
• Won't fall asleep at my deskGetting enough sleep is so ridiculously important. Take away a couple hours from my regular sleep quota and the day is pretty much shot. I usually find myself resorting to StumbleUpon just to try and stay awake. The boss doesn't find it very funny when he finds me completely zonked on the job.
• Reduced back painThis won't apply to everyone but is huge for me. My back is totally screwed up and if I don't get enough Z's then I will pay for it big time.
• Miss the morning trafficThe days I forget to set the morning alarm tend to have the best commute. Imagine that. If I just wait another half hour I don't have to park my car on I-127 to let 5,000 morons on at Jolly Rd. Smooth sailing after 8:30am.
• Shorter work dayDuh. Coming in to work late is like fast-forwarding to try and get to the best part of the day: leaving work. Punch out at 5 either way so why not just skip the first hour or two......or three anyway.
• Everyone assumes you must have done something interestingThis has been my observation. If I come in late, everyone gets this idea that I must have been to some wild-drunken party last night or my car broke down or I was held hostage by Libyan rebels. I kind of enjoy this and keep score in my head on how many will believe my fictitious excuse.
• You don't have to tiptoeIt can be very challenging trying to get dressed and find your wallet and make your lunch and tie your tie and everything else, all without turning on lights or making any noise because you don't want to disturb all the fortunate souls who are not doomed to your unpleasant fate of working traditional business hours.

Note: Don't show this to my boss.

Another note: If you are my boss reading this....I can explain....it was these Libyans you see....they held me at gunpoint.....

Band Name Ideas

Ian and I are very seriously looking for some cool band name ideas. We have been performing at Cuppa Coffee all summer and are getting to the point where we think we may as well give ourselves a name. I am hoping to come up with something pretty soon so if you have any thoughts, go ahead and drop a comment below with your suggestions. We would love to hear your ideas.

If you haven't seen us perform before, we mostly do acoustic originals and covers of mostly rock stuff but it is still pretty eclectic and our set list is expanding rapidly.

Also look forward to some videos coming out soon after we choose a band name.

Writing a song on top of a mountain

Planning for the future

I have discussed this sort of thing with close friends and family for a while now. The truth is I really am pretty serious about one day starting my own business. Not quite sure yet when I will do this but I have almost made up my mind that this is my eventual fate. There are lots of reasons for this being on my mind as an appealing option for my career, not least of which is the fact that my father has been very successful running his independent business for over a decade and has been very inspiring and encouraging to me.

While my skill set is remarkably different from my father's, I still feel that I have a pretty good chance of making a good living doing what I do independently. This also isn't meant to say anything about my employers, past or present, only that I think it is what I will end up doing one day. That day may be far away but who's to say? I welcome the advice of others of course, as I know many have had diverse experiences relating to self-employment and I am as of yet still weighing pros and cons.

My cool dog!

Great weekend

Civil War weekend here in Jackson. Always a big event around here. Thousands of people pour in from surrounding states for one of the largest Civil War reenactments in the Midwest. Last night was the annual Civil War ball which my family always enjoys. Ashley made her own ball gown this year and looked fantastic.

Jackson Civil War Muster

I missed most of the ball yesterday, unfortunately, because my buddy Ian and I were performing at Cuppa Coffee. It was probably one of our best shows ever. I had a great time and the people there are incredibly nice. I encourage everyone to make a trip down there sometime for some great drinks and music.

In the Big House

Awesome video from Pop Evil

Just discovered this video and loved it. Pop Evil came up with this sweet song as a tribute to Michigan football.

Cannot WAIT for football to start this year! The Wolverines are really going to have a comeback year, I can feel it.

About Me

I made an about me page here on the ol' blog. Still working on the rel=author thing. Still feeling the back pain. I think I will go home early today.

Back Pain

My back is killing me today. Gosh.....I think it is because I didn't get to bed until pretty late last night. I really need to see a chiropractor. Never have before so I am really hoping they will have some sort of miracle cure. Thus far almost everyone I know with similar ailments uses medical marijuana or something like that.

Trying to get this "rel=author" thing working. Kind of a cool new thing from Google for webmasters. I will update later on how it is coming. Being a webmaster is pretty fun sometimes.

My loveable pooch, Beau Bear