What is SEO?

Seo, or search engine optimization, is the process of taking a website and tightening up the code, adding strategic keywords and other tricks to help a website rank on the search engines. It is far more than just keyword jamming, and too much can hurt. A good SEO will utilize keywords in such a way as to not alter the content or visual appeal of the site, and yet be able to get the most out of the site without sacrificing functionality, visual appeal, or load time.

Pay-Per-Click is NOT search engine optimization! If an SEO tries to sell you Pay-Per-Click (PPC) then they are only after your money and NOT looking out for your best interests. Yes, there are some cases where PPC is beneficial, but I will not discuss them here. The SEO Brigade offers only Natural SEO, also called Organic SEO. Natural SEO is the process of taking the website and optimizing it so that Google and other search engines picks them up and finds them more relevant than the competing web sites listed on the search engines.

Organic SEO takes time. Unlike Pay-Per-Click, keyword ranking doesn't happen overnight. In fact, keyword ranking might take several months. But unlike PPC, the effects are long lasting. Good natural SEO work can last years, unlike PPC which once turned off, you fall from the rankings.

Whether you consider the SEO Brigade to do your Natural Search Engine Optimization or another respectable company, you NEED to seriously consider Natural SEO or Organic SEO.

The History of Hot Wheels Online Price Guides
In 1997, Ken McClellan was searching the Internet for information on the values of some of his Hot Wheels. Finding nothing on the Internet, he searched print price guides, finding the only one available to be several years out of date. The Tomarts Hot Wheels Price Guide was considered the benchmark for price guides, but being out of date, and not available online, Ken McClellan began compiling value information into a database by searching
completed online auctions such as eBay.

As the database grew, McClellan made his first attempt at putting his information online, and on April 22, 1997, Treasure Hunt Alley was born. Treasure Hunt Alley was hosted on a Geocities.com free site, and was made up of many HTML tables. Traffic and interest grew, and as the bandwidth grew,Geocities soon became unsuitable for Treasure Hunt Alley. Ken McClellan began searching out Hosting, and through a contest held on Treasure Hunt Alley, www.alleyguide.com was born in late 1998.

Traffic on the new website began to multiply rapidly. A company was hired to transfer all of the price guide data into a searchable database, which by now contained over 4000 entries. In addition to listing every Hot Wheels car ever produced, every variation was included, including color, wheels, and errors. Alleyguide grew and was soon receiving over two million page views per month.

Alleyguide.com began accepting paid advertising to counter the rising server costs that resulted from the increased traffic. Online auction houses fought for real-estate on the index page, and diecast dealers from throughout the country wanted banners on the site. Several sent product samples for product reviews. The site had become self sufficient, and more.

In mid 1999, Mobilia, Inc. of Middlebury, VT, publisher of Mobilia Magazine and owners of Mobilia.com contacted Ken McClellan about a unopened box of 1972 Hot Wheels that they wanted appraised. In addition to the appraisal they also wanted to discuss the purchase of Alleyguide.com. Mobilia flew McClellan out to Vermont to talk business. Though a deal was not struck at that meeting, a retainer check was handed over to McClellan on the promise that a purchase deal would be agreed upon.

A phone call later that week to McClellan's home included an offer he couldn't refuse. A purchase price was agreed upon, and the deal included a monthly salary for McClellan to maintain Alleyguide for three years. Alleyguide was now owned by Mobilia.

Alleyguide continued to thrive for one and a half years, but Mobilia had other plans. They sold their magazine, and made the decision to go completely online retail, selling diecast and memorabilia. In doing so, the shut down the price guide, as well as the domain www.alleyguide.com. Six months after getting investments of over nine million dollars, Mobilia ran out of money, and Mobilia, as well as Alleyguide, was gone.

Ken McClellan wasn't finished. He had seen the end approaching, and was ready with a new website. Once Mobilia had breached his contract with him, McClellan launched his latest online price guide DiecastIllustrated.com. Diecast Illustrated, officially launched February 1, 2001, enjoyed much of the success that Alleyguide did. Diecast Illustrated even attracted the advertising of major diecast manufacturers.

The road wasn't as pleasant this time around for McClellan. After a falling out with a major sponsor, McClellan decided to call it quits. In March of 2002, Diecast Illustrated was no more. Though there have many imitators of Alleyguide and Diecast Illustrated, none have lived up to what the originals were.

What Happened to Auto World?



Auto World started as not a store but a mail order company operated out of Oscar's friend Bob "Smitty" Smiths basement. Because of their aggressiveness and knowledge (and need to make some money) they became important to real enthusiasts and manufacturers. Oscar's wife and he did the first catalogs on the kitchen table and ironing board. Their first two of four kids got to like licking the glue on the stamps! Eventually they all got to work at Auto World during school years. In 1962, Oscar met with Bob MacLeod (magazine assembler) and Larry Shaw (auto editor) and together started we Car Model Magazine (OLR Publishing, Oscar-Larry-Robert).

Though Auto World closed it's doors in 1991, many still hold fond memories of Auto World, and today it is the benchmark by which other mail order hobby stores are measured.

Oscar today is now operating AutoWorldMobilia.com as well as his KidRacer project to get kids involved in racing at an early age and teach them the fundamentals of racing, sportsmanship, and teamwork.


Kid Racers In Action

Angels of a Lesser God
They roll like thunder into town. They park their custom motorcycles like the outlaws of a wild west drama. Though they appear as ordinary bikers, the local and federal law enforcement agencies call them outlaws. Much like their wild west ancestors, the iron horse riding outlaws are gun slingers, often crossing the line that separate the good, from the bad and the ugly. Outlaw bikers, such as the Hell’s Angels, are a counter-culture that lives by its own rules. Closer than many families, the Hell’s Angels live the life that many long for, or fear with the very fiber of their being.

The Hell’s Angels were founded in 1949 in Fontana, CA. Many of the original members were prior military looking for an outlet for pent up frustration at the government, rules and laws. Starting as an innocent motorcycle club, the Hell’s Angels quickly rose into the limelight as alcohol and drugs began bringing an infamous reputation to the group. Early chapters of the club sprang up in Oakland, San Francisco, and Gardena. As the organization grew, so did the reputation. The “club” became a “gang” in the media, and the lines between myth and fact became blurred (Barger, 2000, pp. 25-35).

In July of 1946, an American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) sanctioned motorcycle rally in Hollister, California started like any other motorcycle event. There were organized races and some partying, as well as games and events for people to show off their bikes and skills. A motorcycle club by the name of The Boozefighters became notorious for racing their motorcycles down the streets of Hollister and causing fights. There were 60 reported injuries, three of which were serious. The national media, particularly Life Magazine, told the story with pictures of the folly, bringing the biker image to the forefront. The AMA claimed the outlaw biker as being only one percent of the motorcycling population. Thus, the outlaw biker began referring to themselves and “1%er’s”. In 1953 the movie The Wild One staring Marlin Brando and Lee Marvin chronicled the event in typical Hollywood fashion. The image of what a biker was became common knowledge, though the true secrets of these secret societies were far from public view (Gardiner, n.d.).

The Hell’s Angels didn’t start out by being an outlaw biker gang, but they just seemed to fit into that roll. Once having grown outside the boundaries of California by opening charters further east, the club began gaining national recognition on it’s own. As with all groups, there will always be members that cause trouble. Once the club had started gaining a reputation for roughhousing and illegal activity, the whole group was labeled as bad, and it seemed to attract members of this nature.

Movies started filling the theaters glamorizing the biker lifestyle, a few even included members of the Hell’s Angles themselves. Hell’s Angels ’69 included the Oakland Chapter President, Ralph “Sonny” Barger and several other members of the Oakland Chapter. Another movie, Hell’s Angels on Wheels, and a book by Hunter Thompson called Hell's Angel, the Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, both added to the mystique. By the mid 1970’s, dozens of movies have been released on the subject of motorcycle gangs, many with the name “Angels” in the title. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s outlaw bikers started becoming folk heroes, much like Jesse James or Billy the Kid.

Sonny Barger, who founded the Oakland Chapter of the Hell’s Angels, is probably the most famous member of the group. Though many believe that he is the overall leader of the organization, Sonny claims that he was only the Oakland Chapter President and nothing more (Barger, 2000, p.247). The group claims to be completely separated clubs with the same name, all functioning as one though a process “more democratic that the U.S. Government” (Winter, n.d.).

The Hell’s Angels have many rules for membership, though only a few are allowed to be made public. The rules are taken very seriously, and infractions could cost the offending member his membership within the club. One of the most ominous rules revolves around the “Death’s Head” patch that all full members wear. The patch, or “Colors,” is worn by all members, but does not belong to the individual. It belongs to the club and once an individual is no longer a member it must be returned to the club. The club has been known to even sue prior members to get the colors back. The patch is a symbol of the club, and is even a registered trademark. Members never allow another to wear their patch, and the members must retain positive control of their patch at all times. In the early years of the club it was allowed that members could have their female partners wear the patch while riding on the back of a members bike in order to show the colors on the road, but this rule has been changed and only members can wear their patches (Barger, 2002, p.43).

If a member lays his colors down somewhere, and a ranking member of the organization picks it up, the offending member will be fined heavily. This is probably one of the strongest rules in the club. Members cannot take the patch from another member, as if removing his membership. Only officers within the organization can take the patch from a member, and this action must be voted on. To do so without authority is a serious offense within the club (Barger, 2000, pp. 45-46).

Though it is not disputed that members of the Hell’s Angels deal drugs and firearms, they do argue that it done as an organized unit. In 1978, an infiltrator within the Hell’s Angels gathered evidence that the Hell’s Angels functioned much like organized crime. The RICO law, short for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, allowed law enforcement to prosecute entire organizations for the actions of individuals within the organization on the belief that they functioned as a unit. This federal statute was part of the Organized Crime Control Act package passed by congress in 1970 (Barger, 2000, p.209). Though some members of the club did serve time because of this act, including Sonny Barger himself, the club has never been found guilty of racketeering, and after a lengthy trial, none of the Hell’s Angels were found guilty (Barger, 2000, pp. 226-227).

The Hell’s Angels, good or bad, are certainly a representation of a counter-culture within the major cultures of the world. They live by their own rules, and govern their own members through, what they claim, a democratic process that rivals that of the United States Government. Love them or hate them, they are most likely here to stay. Though no longer in the limelight, they are certainly out there and stronger than ever.

References
Barger, R. (2000). Hell’s Angel. New York: Sonny Barger Productions.
Barger, R. (2002). Ridin’ High, Living Free. New York: Sonny Barger Productions.
Gardiner, M., (n.d.)The Real Wild Ones – The 1947 Motorcycle Riot. Retrieved on May 16, 2008 from http://www.salinasramblersmc.org/History/Classic_Bike_Article.htm

Hell’s Angels. (n.a.)(n.d.) Retrieved on May 18, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hells_Angels

Understanding Childhood Sexual Abuse
A young girl cries in her room and begins scratching her arm or leg until it bleeds. She calls herself Emo, short for emotive or emotional. She may try alcohol or drugs at a young age. She may even go further and try to kill herself. Yet, in all this turmoil, she fails to tell anyone what the problem may be. Talking about the problem may seem unimaginable, or impossible. Even her closest friends know nothing of what might be going on, other than the girl is a bit odd. Though the possible causes for such behavior could be any number of things, these symptoms often point to childhood sexual abuse, and recognizing them early is critical.

On the average, one in five girls has experienced some form of childhood sexual abuse, including rape (Levenkron & Levenkron, 2007, p. 11). Often the offender is a family member, whether it be a father, brother, or step-father or step-brother. Teachers, mentors, trusted members of the community can all be suspect. It is because of this that getting victims to open up is difficult.

In the 1800’s, childhood sexual abusers were rarely convicted due to the mistaken belief that young girls could not be raped. It was also not believed that any woman could be raped if they didn’t allow it. In a book published in the 1890’s entitled Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic Medicine, and Toxicology, it was written that “a fully matured woman, in full possession of her faculties, cannot be raped, contrary to her desire, by a single man” (Bourke, 2007, p. 25). Victims had no where to turn, no one to believe them, and no one to defend them if they spoke up. Lawyers wouldn’t take the case because rape cases could rarely be won. Women were suspected of lying about such abuse, and in a male dominated society they had no chance at justice.


Today we have learned that women have in fact been victimized. Sadly, it has not been limited to the mature adult women of our society. Young girls, even toddlers and babies are not safe from predators. We are, however, able to recognize the symptoms of abuse, and if acted on quickly enough, we can minimize the damage done in an effort to allow these poor souls to lead productive and happy lives.


The symptoms of childhood sexual abuse can be broken down into several major categories. They are self mutilation, aggressively seductive or fearful of others, feeling guilt over sexual arousal, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, early alcohol or drug addictions, sleeplessness, recurring nightmares, and mood or anxiety disorders.


Self mutilation can take many forms. The most common is cutting. Cutting takes on two forms. The most common is what is referred to as delicate cutters, where the abused takes to scratching oneself with a sharp, or sharpened object to draw a small amount of blood. The victim sees this as a pain that they can control. Often they make several scratches on the first layer of their skin, and though scaring is possible, these usually heal without a trace of the act. Gross cutters use sharp objects such as knives or razor blades to cut deeper into the skin which may lead to scarring. Often this action is mistaken for acts of committing suicide. As with delicate cutters, the abused looks upon this act as a pain that they can control.


Abuse victims often become either overly seductive, or fearful of others. This is often reflected in their dress by either dressing overly seductively, or dressing down to hide their features.
Often, as the abused reaches maturity, they feel a sense of guilt over feelings of sexual arousal. They associate the normal, pleasurable feelings they experience with the feelings they may have had when they were being abused. This can cause sexual dysfunction, displeasure, and feelings of guilt.


Eating disorders are very common among sexually abused children. The symptoms range from anorexia; abstaining from eating, bulimia; eating and then regurgitating, and compulsive overeating.


Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is very common among the sexually abused.
Alcoholism and drug addiction at an early age is another symptom of the sexually abused child. The child looks at this as a means of escape in much the same way as someone would use these vices to escape any other problem in life. The sexually abused child might display signs of addiction sooner than the average adolescent.


It is not uncommon for the sexually abused child to show signs of sleeplessness. They often stay up later watching television, writing poetry or in a journal, or just lying awake. Though often tired, sleep does not come. When sleep does come, it may often be accompanied by nightmares.
Many sexually abused children face mood or anxiety disorders brought on by low self esteem, guilt, and shame.


The treatment of the sexually abused child is not cut and dried. It is important to break through the victim’s protective shell. We must find a way into their guarded world in order to break down the walls that they have set up to protect themselves. We must find the way to relieve them of their psychosis, mood disorders, and anxiety.


Statistically, as the victims of sexual child abuse face a tough road. Often as they grow into adulthood they find themselves in failed relationships. The often become alcoholics or drug abusers. Some turn to lesbianism to combat the feelings of fear and resentment towards the male gender. If caught early enough the abused will have a better than average chance at leading a normal life. Childhood sexual abuse, though not preventable, is detectable, identifiable, and with the proper amount of care and caring, survivable.


References
Levenkron, S. & Levenkron, A. (2007). Stolen Tomorrows: Understanding and Treating Women’s Childhood Sexual Abuse. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Bourke, J. (2007). Rape: Sex Violence History. Great Britain: Virago Press

Watkins, C. (Ed). (2007). At Issue: Date Rape. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press

Qualities of a Good Instructor

Good instructors are more than just college educated individuals placed in front of a group of students and regurgitating facts and figures. A good instructor must captivate his audience and not only give them the information, but encourage them to learn, and ultimately get them excited about learning. A good instructor must have at least three main strengths in order to be effective: good speaking ability, knowledge of the subject, and an enthusiasm for the subject.

Good speaking ability is essential in order to keep the students interest (Smart, 2008). Oral communication is something that can come natural for some, but must be learned by others. Classes are available in oral communications which provide the basics in speech, but practice, and an awareness of how one comes across to an audience is essential. If the instructor can speak well and entertain the audience, the job is half way done.

Though it is not impossible, the ability to teach a subject that the instructor does not know well is less likely to be successful. Instructors that rely on the book to teach the class is far less effective than a knowledgeable instructor that can guide the students through the material and explain the subject matter. An instructor can never know too much about the subject they are teaching, and learning must be an ongoing process to keep on top of technology and changing subtopics within the subject they are teaching (McGraw). If an instructor isn’t on top of the latest data on a given subject, he cannot be effective.

Instructors must be enthusiastic about the subject they are teaching (McGraw). An instructor that doesn’t love their subject cannot be effective, and cannot pass their enthusiasm for the subject onto the students. Students can pick up the love or dislike of a subject from an instructor, and an effective teacher will be able to motivate the students with his own enthusiasm for the subject matter. By being excited about the topic they are teaching the instructor will go beyond the text books, raising the material above and beyond the level of curriculum that the course expects the instructor to teach. Enthusiastic instructors breed enthusiastic students, and enthusiastic students get better grades, and will try harder and go farther than those students bored to death by a subject.

Garbage in equals garbage out can be applied to many things, but the analogy is so true when it comes to instructors and students. No one can argue that a knowledgeable instructor in essential to teaching students, but as this paper has noted, it goes much farther than that. An instructor must also have good speaking qualities, and an enthusiasm for the subject as well. With all three, an instructor will be an effective teacher, and the students will be better learners.

References
McGraw, C. In Search of a Master Teacher: What qualities make a good teacher? Retrieved on May 8, 2008 from http://www.partnershipforlearning.org/

Smart, M. (Feb. 28th, 2008). Reflections on Teaching Quality. Retrieved on May 9, 2008 from http://www.toymn.org/reflections-on-teaching-quality.htm

Michigan SEO Company

Natural search engine optimization (vs. pay per click) is an acquired art and internet marketing skill designed to ensure that website properties rank well when target keyword phrases are used in an internet keyword search query.

Michigan SEO Company SEOBrigade.com of Kingsley Michigan, is an search engine optimization firm offering proven Michigan SEO and internet marketing solutions that ensure client websites appears early and often on the keyword search results pages of; Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and more.

In the past, search engine optimization could often become as successful simply by adding meta tags to the source code of a website in the hope that when internet searchers searched the keywords, the website would list high in the search results.

Jaws still drop in company boardrooms and Internet marketing meetings when our Michigan SEO consultants demonstrate that meta keywords alone, rarely lead to premium keyword rankings on the major search engines, and in some cases, improper use of meta tags and meta keywords actually serve to restrict natural search engine placement.

In today's era of search engine marketing success, the meta keyword tags are ALMOST COMPLETELY IGNORED by the major search engine spiders. The meta keywords and related web page code although stillnecessary and 'banked' by the search engine spiders, rarely if ever lead to premium keyword 'rank' on today's major search engines.