Well as 2009 is coming to an end, it will be sad for me to say that this blog will most likely be coming to an end as well. There are a bunch of reasons for this.
One of the reasons I began this blog was to express my ideas and some of my humour with the millions of fans that read my material. Another reason was to continue the process of documenting my thoughts. However, prior to this public version of my blog, I also use to write in a personal more private version. It was more of a journal and it helped me in my own ways. I could probably even write a post on the benefits of keeping a journal, but I digress.
When I looked back at the last couple of years from my personal blog I noticed that the amount of posts diminished significantly. And that is to my detriment. So you could say I'm being a bit selfish. I am.
You see, the amount of mental resources required for writing a public blog post that real people will actually read is quite significant. It takes some time and planning. You think that one could simply log in and start babbling, but from what I've learned that's not the case. Because as Tiger Woods has just found out, everything you do or say, has consequences, for better or for worse. And for that reason, I just don't have the time nor am I willing to make that large of an investment each time I write. For that, I'm sorry.
And as the new year starts, it's usually the time I start planning what the upcoming year will hopefully have in store. And it means I will have to devote more of my precious time to myself. I know that you as a reader will be strong and should have no problem carrying on with this newly created void. But I can only wish you all the best.
This experience has been a great one. And you never know, I might pull a Bret Favre and come out of retirement.
I'll probably end with one last post before the New Year and that will be it. So until then.
Thanks for reading!
Zye
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Objective vs Subjective Time
I haven't written here for a while. I've been rather busy. Is that the real reason? Who knows? But one things for sure is that writing a blog is difficult. I can see how, for some, it's a full time job.
I've always wondered why in some cases I put things off. We all do it. It's called
procrastination. And to me the idea of it is very counter intuitive. Because frankly there are many tasks that we want to do, and if we did them, they would benefit us. So the part that I don't understand is, why do we feel major resistance against doing them? Some call it laziness.
I tried to dig deeper on this subject and have been reading a little about procrastination. And lo and behold, it has a lot more to do than simply putting things off. In fact it has more to do with things like insecurity, fear of success, your relationship with authority/parents and more. It's rather interesting and I recommend reading about it yourself.
And here's something that I found really interesting. The concept of time. It plays an important part in why you may be putting things off. I know that it applied to me. The theory I'm talking about is that there are two types of time. One is called Objective and one called Subjective.
Objective time, is the time you see on a clock, or on a calendar. It's very precise or concrete. For example, 11:45am on Tuesday, September the 4th is an example of Objective time.
Subjective time on the other hand is a lot more loose, blurry or abstract than Objective time. It's essentially any time span, either short or long and is not predefined. For example, if your condo is currently dirty, you could say that you'll clean it eventually. Or if you have an important task that you need to get done, you could say to yourself that you'll get it done within the next few minutes, days, weeks, or months.
See the difference? With Subjective time, you don't set a real date and you're not speaking in terms of an exact time frame. You're not paying attention to the concept of Objective time. It's very blurry and can be dangerous. I'll give you a personal example. I've had a broken fish tank sitting in the corner of my condo for the longest time. I kept telling myself that I should look into fixing it and head over to a pet store to get it taken care of. I didn't assign any real date or deadline to the task. Well my tank first broke nearly two years ago! That's right, two years flew by without me taking any initiative to get it done. That's how powerful procrastination is. And in the end, it took me one phone call, and a week later to have the manufacturer send me a tank. Something I could have done a long way back.
So I'm not saying that every single thing you need to do, should be planned in a calendar. But as long as you understand or see the difference between Objective time and Subjective time, well that might be enough for you to get moving on some of your goals. I hope it is. For me, I'm still working it;)
I've always wondered why in some cases I put things off. We all do it. It's called
procrastination. And to me the idea of it is very counter intuitive. Because frankly there are many tasks that we want to do, and if we did them, they would benefit us. So the part that I don't understand is, why do we feel major resistance against doing them? Some call it laziness.
I tried to dig deeper on this subject and have been reading a little about procrastination. And lo and behold, it has a lot more to do than simply putting things off. In fact it has more to do with things like insecurity, fear of success, your relationship with authority/parents and more. It's rather interesting and I recommend reading about it yourself.
And here's something that I found really interesting. The concept of time. It plays an important part in why you may be putting things off. I know that it applied to me. The theory I'm talking about is that there are two types of time. One is called Objective and one called Subjective.
Objective time, is the time you see on a clock, or on a calendar. It's very precise or concrete. For example, 11:45am on Tuesday, September the 4th is an example of Objective time.
Subjective time on the other hand is a lot more loose, blurry or abstract than Objective time. It's essentially any time span, either short or long and is not predefined. For example, if your condo is currently dirty, you could say that you'll clean it eventually. Or if you have an important task that you need to get done, you could say to yourself that you'll get it done within the next few minutes, days, weeks, or months.
See the difference? With Subjective time, you don't set a real date and you're not speaking in terms of an exact time frame. You're not paying attention to the concept of Objective time. It's very blurry and can be dangerous. I'll give you a personal example. I've had a broken fish tank sitting in the corner of my condo for the longest time. I kept telling myself that I should look into fixing it and head over to a pet store to get it taken care of. I didn't assign any real date or deadline to the task. Well my tank first broke nearly two years ago! That's right, two years flew by without me taking any initiative to get it done. That's how powerful procrastination is. And in the end, it took me one phone call, and a week later to have the manufacturer send me a tank. Something I could have done a long way back.
So I'm not saying that every single thing you need to do, should be planned in a calendar. But as long as you understand or see the difference between Objective time and Subjective time, well that might be enough for you to get moving on some of your goals. I hope it is. For me, I'm still working it;)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Your Best Body Ever
(This one is a bit long but trust me there is some juicy info and links in there!)
I had a sudden wakeup call recently when I looked down at my belly and noticed that, well, it was bigger than usual. Turns out that by the time you reach the age of 30, your metabolism begins to slow down. They call it the Dirty 30. I did not know this as no one had sent me a memo. In fact if I cupped my hands around my little gut I could protrude something that resembles a bagel and in my case, because I’m darker skinned, a pumpernickel bagel. My friends got a good laugh every time I would show them my new found discovery.
But for me, it was indeed a wakeup call, because for the most part of my life I’ve been eating whatever I liked. Being a skinny guy, my metabolism was fast enough for me to never gain any weight. Well things have definitely changed. And by no means am I saying I’m overweight. I’m still pretty much that slim good looking, handsome, sexy guy that everyone knows me as, but when I went to see my chiropractor the other day, I jumped on the scale and saw that I was 10lbs more than I’ve ever been. Not to mention, I have always had rather poor eating habits. Living the bachelor life style contributed to this. Me being lazy and not planning also contributed to this. I mean my fridge was pretty much empty except for every possible condiment you can think of. I also have to admit that I am the type of person who goes through phases, but aren’t we all, so my journey into eating better and excising more could be just another phase, but if it’s for the better then why not.
So over the last little while I began to research food and exercise for the first time in a while. And I have to admit that the amount of information out there is overwhelming. I also have to say that anyone who is battling their weight, well all the more power to you, because in my opinion it is probably one of the hardest things to do.
So by no means am I an expert in this field, and to be honest I’m still learning and experimenting. In fact I haven’t even lost any weight yet, but here are a couple of things that I’m doing, with explanations behind them, that you might find helpful yourself. It’s essentially a list of all the information I’ve compiled over my phase. And I’m not a doctor, so if you do any of this stuff use your discretion.
Start with the stats –
I figured I need to know what my daily consumption levels are to see if I’m consuming way too many calories. To be honest I didn’t even know much about calories, fat, protein, etc. until I started paying attention to labels. So read the labels! When you go to restaurants, check the nutritional information. And then start tracking. I use an amazing tool called The Daily Plate. It’s a free tool that is backed by Lance Armstrong, and it is essentially a database of every single food you can think of. It tracks all the nutritional information and is easy to use. And it’s FREE. There is even an iPhone app ($2.99) that makes my life even easier. This tool is amazing!
Get a fitness assessment –
You need to know if you really are overweight. Depending on your size and frame, your scale weight might be just fine. Your fat percentage on the other hand is a real stat that you need to know. This might mean you have to schedule an appointment with a trainer or dietician or get a special scale. Luckily for me, my friend is a trainer and I visited him to find out my critical health stats. Turns out I’m around 21.8% body fat which is moderate for my height and age, but I could be 14-18% which is optimal. I also learned an important number called my body age. Body age represents how old your body is with respect to your health. So if your body age is a lot higher than your chronological age, then it means you need to seriously work on your health.
Change your eating habits –
For me, it doesn’t make sense to go on a diet. I need to ensure I’m getting the proper amount of calories for healthy living. So instead of a diet, what I am doing is changing my eating habits. What are some things I’m doing?
· Eating breakfast: I always wondered why everyone says this is so important until I finally heard an editor from Men’s Health state that by missing breakfast your metabolism decreases (slows down) by 10% for the day! I’m eating my breakfast now.
· Increasing proteins, decreasing fats, and choosing good carbs: I eat more leaner meats including turkey, tuna, chicken and some beef. I cut out bad carbs like white rice, white bread, pastries, deserts, croissants, etc. and include more good carbs, like whole grain breads, vegetables and fruit. I do not eliminate carbs all together. And I pay attention to fats in food. I try to avoid food with high fat (sounds obvious enough). But I don't eliminate fat either.
· Eating more often: This one sounds contradictory to losing weight but I eat more frequently now during the day. And I find I’m actually feeling full more often. Putting healthy snacks in between your meals help. Like having a yogurt and an apple. Having a lighter lunch also feels good too because you don’t feel tired/lethargic after it. 5-6 smaller meals is ideal.
· Kill the pop: this one is the toughest but by eliminating pop from your diet, and I mean all pop, you can lose about a pound a month! Or according to an American Journal study, 15 pounds in a year! Drinking juice that is high in sugar doesn’t help either. Your best bet is quality H2O or water;) 8 glasses if you didn’t already know.
· Eating out properly – look if eating out is my vice then I better try my best to choose menu items that aren’t as lethal. Men’s health has an excellent read on the 14 Best Fast Food Meals under 500 calories
· Add some power foods to your diet. Men’s Health uses the acronym ABS DIET POWER that stands for including the following in your diet: almonds (and other nuts), Beans (and other legumes), Spinach (and other green vegetables), Dairy, Instant Oatmeal, Eggs, Turkey (and lean meats), Peanut Butter, Olive Oil, Whole grain breads/cereal, Extra Protein powder, Berries. Add those to your diet and your body will thank you for it.
· Have a Big Mac once in a while. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but if I don’t have a Big Mac every now and then I’d probably end it all. My point is, cheat once in a while, don’t go overboard and don’t cheat for a whole day, maybe a meal or two. It will keep you sane and on track.
Exercise-
It goes without saying that you need to include exercise if you want to lose any weight. Not to mention exercising actually does provide you with more energy and makes you feel so much better.
I’m a huge fan of running and I’ll probably write a post on it and it’s a great way to start getting into a shape. Even if you run for 1km it’s a damn good start. Try to take advantage of any opportunity where there is physical activity. In the summer time, I play Volleyball with my co-workers and softball too. I work out at home using Tony Horton’s 10 Minute trainer plus I go to the gym with a real trainer once a week. And of course I run about 3 times a week which in itself should help you lose weight.
So there you have it. Some of the things I’m trying to incorporate to become healthier and hopefully shed a pound or two. Again, I’m by no means an expert physician so use your discretion and common sense with regards to the above advice. And of course if you find something conflicting then leave a comment, but be polite about it;)
If there is a tip you have to help someone handle their health and weight then please share it!
I had a sudden wakeup call recently when I looked down at my belly and noticed that, well, it was bigger than usual. Turns out that by the time you reach the age of 30, your metabolism begins to slow down. They call it the Dirty 30. I did not know this as no one had sent me a memo. In fact if I cupped my hands around my little gut I could protrude something that resembles a bagel and in my case, because I’m darker skinned, a pumpernickel bagel. My friends got a good laugh every time I would show them my new found discovery.
But for me, it was indeed a wakeup call, because for the most part of my life I’ve been eating whatever I liked. Being a skinny guy, my metabolism was fast enough for me to never gain any weight. Well things have definitely changed. And by no means am I saying I’m overweight. I’m still pretty much that slim good looking, handsome, sexy guy that everyone knows me as, but when I went to see my chiropractor the other day, I jumped on the scale and saw that I was 10lbs more than I’ve ever been. Not to mention, I have always had rather poor eating habits. Living the bachelor life style contributed to this. Me being lazy and not planning also contributed to this. I mean my fridge was pretty much empty except for every possible condiment you can think of. I also have to admit that I am the type of person who goes through phases, but aren’t we all, so my journey into eating better and excising more could be just another phase, but if it’s for the better then why not.
So over the last little while I began to research food and exercise for the first time in a while. And I have to admit that the amount of information out there is overwhelming. I also have to say that anyone who is battling their weight, well all the more power to you, because in my opinion it is probably one of the hardest things to do.
So by no means am I an expert in this field, and to be honest I’m still learning and experimenting. In fact I haven’t even lost any weight yet, but here are a couple of things that I’m doing, with explanations behind them, that you might find helpful yourself. It’s essentially a list of all the information I’ve compiled over my phase. And I’m not a doctor, so if you do any of this stuff use your discretion.
Start with the stats –
I figured I need to know what my daily consumption levels are to see if I’m consuming way too many calories. To be honest I didn’t even know much about calories, fat, protein, etc. until I started paying attention to labels. So read the labels! When you go to restaurants, check the nutritional information. And then start tracking. I use an amazing tool called The Daily Plate. It’s a free tool that is backed by Lance Armstrong, and it is essentially a database of every single food you can think of. It tracks all the nutritional information and is easy to use. And it’s FREE. There is even an iPhone app ($2.99) that makes my life even easier. This tool is amazing!
Get a fitness assessment –
You need to know if you really are overweight. Depending on your size and frame, your scale weight might be just fine. Your fat percentage on the other hand is a real stat that you need to know. This might mean you have to schedule an appointment with a trainer or dietician or get a special scale. Luckily for me, my friend is a trainer and I visited him to find out my critical health stats. Turns out I’m around 21.8% body fat which is moderate for my height and age, but I could be 14-18% which is optimal. I also learned an important number called my body age. Body age represents how old your body is with respect to your health. So if your body age is a lot higher than your chronological age, then it means you need to seriously work on your health.
Change your eating habits –
For me, it doesn’t make sense to go on a diet. I need to ensure I’m getting the proper amount of calories for healthy living. So instead of a diet, what I am doing is changing my eating habits. What are some things I’m doing?
· Eating breakfast: I always wondered why everyone says this is so important until I finally heard an editor from Men’s Health state that by missing breakfast your metabolism decreases (slows down) by 10% for the day! I’m eating my breakfast now.
· Increasing proteins, decreasing fats, and choosing good carbs: I eat more leaner meats including turkey, tuna, chicken and some beef. I cut out bad carbs like white rice, white bread, pastries, deserts, croissants, etc. and include more good carbs, like whole grain breads, vegetables and fruit. I do not eliminate carbs all together. And I pay attention to fats in food. I try to avoid food with high fat (sounds obvious enough). But I don't eliminate fat either.
· Eating more often: This one sounds contradictory to losing weight but I eat more frequently now during the day. And I find I’m actually feeling full more often. Putting healthy snacks in between your meals help. Like having a yogurt and an apple. Having a lighter lunch also feels good too because you don’t feel tired/lethargic after it. 5-6 smaller meals is ideal.
· Kill the pop: this one is the toughest but by eliminating pop from your diet, and I mean all pop, you can lose about a pound a month! Or according to an American Journal study, 15 pounds in a year! Drinking juice that is high in sugar doesn’t help either. Your best bet is quality H2O or water;) 8 glasses if you didn’t already know.
· Eating out properly – look if eating out is my vice then I better try my best to choose menu items that aren’t as lethal. Men’s health has an excellent read on the 14 Best Fast Food Meals under 500 calories
· Add some power foods to your diet. Men’s Health uses the acronym ABS DIET POWER that stands for including the following in your diet: almonds (and other nuts), Beans (and other legumes), Spinach (and other green vegetables), Dairy, Instant Oatmeal, Eggs, Turkey (and lean meats), Peanut Butter, Olive Oil, Whole grain breads/cereal, Extra Protein powder, Berries. Add those to your diet and your body will thank you for it.
· Have a Big Mac once in a while. Maybe I’m kidding myself, but if I don’t have a Big Mac every now and then I’d probably end it all. My point is, cheat once in a while, don’t go overboard and don’t cheat for a whole day, maybe a meal or two. It will keep you sane and on track.
Exercise-
It goes without saying that you need to include exercise if you want to lose any weight. Not to mention exercising actually does provide you with more energy and makes you feel so much better.
I’m a huge fan of running and I’ll probably write a post on it and it’s a great way to start getting into a shape. Even if you run for 1km it’s a damn good start. Try to take advantage of any opportunity where there is physical activity. In the summer time, I play Volleyball with my co-workers and softball too. I work out at home using Tony Horton’s 10 Minute trainer plus I go to the gym with a real trainer once a week. And of course I run about 3 times a week which in itself should help you lose weight.
So there you have it. Some of the things I’m trying to incorporate to become healthier and hopefully shed a pound or two. Again, I’m by no means an expert physician so use your discretion and common sense with regards to the above advice. And of course if you find something conflicting then leave a comment, but be polite about it;)
If there is a tip you have to help someone handle their health and weight then please share it!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A change for the better
Notice anything different with this post? Can you feel the serenity? Take a closer look at how the text is composed and notice how the words flow so much better. Well if you can't see the difference it's probably because you're on a PC. And there's nothing wrong with that. For me however I recently got a Mac mini. And all I can say is wow. I love it. Here are a couple of things that I like so far:
It's so quiet that I can't tell if it's even running
It's so fast
It has no viruses
It syncs with my entire place including all the speakers in my apartment
My iPhone hooks up to it so much more quickly and congruently
The software on it is intuitive and amazing
All I have to say is that I'm happy that my life is back in order and the world for me is a better place.
Long live the Mac.
It's so quiet that I can't tell if it's even running
It's so fast
It has no viruses
It syncs with my entire place including all the speakers in my apartment
My iPhone hooks up to it so much more quickly and congruently
The software on it is intuitive and amazing
All I have to say is that I'm happy that my life is back in order and the world for me is a better place.
Long live the Mac.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Running and Reading
I have to admit when I was in high school I wasn't the biggest fan of reading. And looking back now it's a bit of a shame. Maybe it was all of the novels that I was forced to read, like Stone Angel, that deterred me. I just couldn't get through some of those books. And I realize now, that that's fine. If a book is boring, it's alright to put it down and move on. Regardless on whether the book is influential or classical or what not.
Fast forward to after University, and I discovered reading as a hobby and passion. I figured, what would happen if I read books that interested me instead of books that I was forced to read. Well, as simple as it may sound, I got hooked. What's funny is that I actually went back and read some of the classic books that were pushed in high school, and had a better appreciation for them. Maybe because I related better to them. I also started getting into business books and as you can tell from a lot of my posts, I got into productivity books and self help. And for me, I'll read anything, be it fiction or non-fiction.
I don't think I really understood how important reading was until only later in my life. I think growing up in the comfort of our educational system, we take it for granted. Sadly, there are people in our world who don't have the opportunity or the resources to learn to read. And that's a shame.
I really do believe that reading is the foundation for any individual to succeed. It doesn't matter what you have, if you are able to read you can accomplish pretty much anything. If you look at many of the great leaders in our society most of them always preach the importance of a book. If you look at Oprah, who is astoundingly successful, all she does is read.
And every time I'm at a conference or attending a speech, the person usually speaking talks about a book that he's read or recommends. I don't think it's any coincidence that people who explore new ideas and enjoy learning from a book, go on to become successful. I'm not saying it's the only way, but I am saying it's rather coincidental.
So that being said, here's one of my favourite videos by my main man Will Smith that always gets me fired up. I could write an entire post on Will Smith and my thoughts on how I think he is one of the hardest working, amazing celebrities of our time, but I would digress.
So enjoy and pick up a book or two:
And as for running. I'll have to write another post on why I love it.
So tell me, what has been your experience with reading? Do you like it?
Fast forward to after University, and I discovered reading as a hobby and passion. I figured, what would happen if I read books that interested me instead of books that I was forced to read. Well, as simple as it may sound, I got hooked. What's funny is that I actually went back and read some of the classic books that were pushed in high school, and had a better appreciation for them. Maybe because I related better to them. I also started getting into business books and as you can tell from a lot of my posts, I got into productivity books and self help. And for me, I'll read anything, be it fiction or non-fiction.
I don't think I really understood how important reading was until only later in my life. I think growing up in the comfort of our educational system, we take it for granted. Sadly, there are people in our world who don't have the opportunity or the resources to learn to read. And that's a shame.
I really do believe that reading is the foundation for any individual to succeed. It doesn't matter what you have, if you are able to read you can accomplish pretty much anything. If you look at many of the great leaders in our society most of them always preach the importance of a book. If you look at Oprah, who is astoundingly successful, all she does is read.
And every time I'm at a conference or attending a speech, the person usually speaking talks about a book that he's read or recommends. I don't think it's any coincidence that people who explore new ideas and enjoy learning from a book, go on to become successful. I'm not saying it's the only way, but I am saying it's rather coincidental.
So that being said, here's one of my favourite videos by my main man Will Smith that always gets me fired up. I could write an entire post on Will Smith and my thoughts on how I think he is one of the hardest working, amazing celebrities of our time, but I would digress.
So enjoy and pick up a book or two:
And as for running. I'll have to write another post on why I love it.
So tell me, what has been your experience with reading? Do you like it?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
How To Get Your Name on the First Page of Google
Ok so I think it's time for a value added post for my wonderful readers. And it involves you and your name in the Google search engine listings. I always hear people talking about how they wonder what would appear if they Google'd their own name in the search engine. Well it's actually not as hard to control as you think.
Now if you run a Google Search on the term 'Zaid Rasid' you'll see that the first two pages of Google are pretty much owned by me. There's a couple of reasons for this. One, I'm extremely obsessive. Two, social media competition can work in your favour. Three, I do search for a living.
Ok, let me cut to the chase and explain how you can own Google. Here are my three most effective ways:
1) Own your own domain
2) Setup profiles on different social media sites
3) Comment on other blogs and questions sites
So with regards to the first one, this might take a little more technical expertise, but you want to go to a site like Go Daddy and buy as many domains as you can. For example, I bought zaidrasid.com, zaidrasid.ca, zaidrasid.org, etc. And if you can, on each home page of each domain, upload a simple blurb of you, and adjust the title tags of the pages to include your first and last name. Wait for Google to start indexing these domains, and in about a week you should start showing up.
Now if you aren't as nerdy as me and the above seems excessive, then this next step is rather easy. Find as many social sites as you can and sign up for them (you don't even have to fill out full profiles). But look for the ones that create public profiles, that allow you to edit or create a unique url to your profile page, preferably one that contains your name in it. For example, Facebook just announced that usernames are now available and so you want to grab your first.lastname as soon as you can. Think of these profiles as free highly valued home pages on the internet for your name.
For creating a unique profile url I highly suggest trying to find sites that allow you to use the format first-lastname, with the emphasis on the hyphen. This will help your search results. The authority of the site is also important, so Facebook and Linked In in are really good ones.
Here are some examples of mine:
http://www.facebook.com/zaid.rasid
www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/zaid/rasid
www.myspace.com/zaid-rasid
www.ziki.com/en/zaid-rasid
www.naymz.com/search/zaid/rasid
www.plaxo.com/directory/profile/193275203900/accf128a/Zaid/Rasid
explore.twitter.com/zaidrasid
www.lookupanyone.com/namelistings/zaid-rasid
And so on...
On most of those profiles I barely have any content so signing up for them was quick and easy. Give Google a few weeks and soon enough, you'll start showing up.
As for the third method, go out and comment on people's blogs. Find some blogs that are interesting to you, and include a link to your site or at least your first and last name. A lesson from my own experience is to be weary of what and where you write, as Google is a permanent record! So if you say something you might regret, people will see it. So use all of the above advice with some discretion.
Now why might you want to even own Google with your name in the first place? Well frankly my friend, it's because one day you might be famous, and when that day comes you can thank me for helping you control Google.
If you know any other good Social Media sites with good authority and public profiles, please share.
Now if you run a Google Search on the term 'Zaid Rasid' you'll see that the first two pages of Google are pretty much owned by me. There's a couple of reasons for this. One, I'm extremely obsessive. Two, social media competition can work in your favour. Three, I do search for a living.
Ok, let me cut to the chase and explain how you can own Google. Here are my three most effective ways:
1) Own your own domain
2) Setup profiles on different social media sites
3) Comment on other blogs and questions sites
So with regards to the first one, this might take a little more technical expertise, but you want to go to a site like Go Daddy and buy as many domains as you can. For example, I bought zaidrasid.com, zaidrasid.ca, zaidrasid.org, etc. And if you can, on each home page of each domain, upload a simple blurb of you, and adjust the title tags of the pages to include your first and last name. Wait for Google to start indexing these domains, and in about a week you should start showing up.
Now if you aren't as nerdy as me and the above seems excessive, then this next step is rather easy. Find as many social sites as you can and sign up for them (you don't even have to fill out full profiles). But look for the ones that create public profiles, that allow you to edit or create a unique url to your profile page, preferably one that contains your name in it. For example, Facebook just announced that usernames are now available and so you want to grab your first.lastname as soon as you can. Think of these profiles as free highly valued home pages on the internet for your name.
For creating a unique profile url I highly suggest trying to find sites that allow you to use the format first-lastname, with the emphasis on the hyphen. This will help your search results. The authority of the site is also important, so Facebook and Linked In in are really good ones.
Here are some examples of mine:
http://www.facebook.com/zaid.rasid
www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/zaid/rasid
www.myspace.com/zaid-rasid
www.ziki.com/en/zaid-rasid
www.naymz.com/search/zaid/rasid
www.plaxo.com/directory/profile/193275203900/accf128a/Zaid/Rasid
explore.twitter.com/zaidrasid
www.lookupanyone.com/namelistings/zaid-rasid
And so on...
On most of those profiles I barely have any content so signing up for them was quick and easy. Give Google a few weeks and soon enough, you'll start showing up.
As for the third method, go out and comment on people's blogs. Find some blogs that are interesting to you, and include a link to your site or at least your first and last name. A lesson from my own experience is to be weary of what and where you write, as Google is a permanent record! So if you say something you might regret, people will see it. So use all of the above advice with some discretion.
Now why might you want to even own Google with your name in the first place? Well frankly my friend, it's because one day you might be famous, and when that day comes you can thank me for helping you control Google.
If you know any other good Social Media sites with good authority and public profiles, please share.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Mac vs PC
You can't probably tell whether I'm writing this post on a PC or a Mac but one thing's for sure is that I can. That's because I'm at my computer and it's a PC. Aside from the obvious there's another tell tale way that I know I'm on a PC. Because it has a virus. It's a reason I haven't written in a while, because I'm afraid of opening my browser.
Now the debate between Mac vs PC could go on forever. And there are definitely two very passionate sides to the debate. Really I had no problems with PC's. They allowed me to do pretty much anything I needed including web design using Photoshop, etc. But what happened to me is that the free version of my security software finally expired after about 4 years. And in between the span of the software expiring and me purchasing the upgraded version, I got myself a nasty virus.
What happens is every few minutes, Internet Explorer decides to open a random web page and inundate my computer with random music, noises and screaming babies. I usually forget my speakers are on, so every so often I end up with a minor heart attack. I will never look at babies the same.
Now in the past the solution to this problem would be a rather simple one to me. I would re-install Windows. Working with computers myself, this task is an easy one but I also know the amount of time it takes. You can pretty much write off an entire afternoon...maybe even a whole day. From installing software to installing drivers, it's just a pain in the ass.
So I've decided that my journey with PC's will finally come to an end. At home anyways. I'm saving up to buy myself a nice little Mac Mini and I can't wait. In fact, my first computer was an Apple Macintosh. I remember visiting my friends house and watching him enter all those DOS commands into his IBM machine. Back then I thought he was so smart and a computer wizard. In retrospect, little did I know that the machine I had, with an actual user interface, was far more advanced....well user friendly anyways.
And I'm not going to get into the MS vs Mac ads. It does confuse me that MS doesn't even sell PCs. So really they're advertising on the behalf of thousands of other manufacturers. You think Dell would say a thing or two. That being said, the Mac ads are just funnier and a whole lot sexier.
And soon so will be my computer.
I think I hear a baby crying.
Now the debate between Mac vs PC could go on forever. And there are definitely two very passionate sides to the debate. Really I had no problems with PC's. They allowed me to do pretty much anything I needed including web design using Photoshop, etc. But what happened to me is that the free version of my security software finally expired after about 4 years. And in between the span of the software expiring and me purchasing the upgraded version, I got myself a nasty virus.
What happens is every few minutes, Internet Explorer decides to open a random web page and inundate my computer with random music, noises and screaming babies. I usually forget my speakers are on, so every so often I end up with a minor heart attack. I will never look at babies the same.
Now in the past the solution to this problem would be a rather simple one to me. I would re-install Windows. Working with computers myself, this task is an easy one but I also know the amount of time it takes. You can pretty much write off an entire afternoon...maybe even a whole day. From installing software to installing drivers, it's just a pain in the ass.
So I've decided that my journey with PC's will finally come to an end. At home anyways. I'm saving up to buy myself a nice little Mac Mini and I can't wait. In fact, my first computer was an Apple Macintosh. I remember visiting my friends house and watching him enter all those DOS commands into his IBM machine. Back then I thought he was so smart and a computer wizard. In retrospect, little did I know that the machine I had, with an actual user interface, was far more advanced....well user friendly anyways.
And I'm not going to get into the MS vs Mac ads. It does confuse me that MS doesn't even sell PCs. So really they're advertising on the behalf of thousands of other manufacturers. You think Dell would say a thing or two. That being said, the Mac ads are just funnier and a whole lot sexier.
And soon so will be my computer.
I think I hear a baby crying.
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