v7ndotcom elursrebmem | Great cause

2006-05-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all...

NeO here, Just a quick note...

We're (L3DG) bowing out of the v7ndotcom elursrebmem contest hopefully in time to help a great cause! Check out v7ndotcom elursrebmem to see Alek's Charity site! If you have a high Google PR please link up to Aleks site! Only 5 days left and every little bit helps! Thanks in advance!

NeO

10k SEO Contest - John Scott Interview

2006-01-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

Time to get started with the SEO Contest! L3DG - Level 3 Development Group, has decided to throw our hats into the ring for the latest big SEO Contest. You might have noticed the domain (seo-contest.blogspot.com). Since Nintendo from v7n and DigitalPoint forums has already scooped up seo-contests.com we figured... Google loves Google ;) You get the point...

I had a chance earlier today to interview John Scott: Owner of v7n and SEO Contest benefactor. Which you can read about in full unabridged forum banter from the beginning HERE. I have to say Thank You John for you're time and candor, Cheers M8!

NeO:I haven't been this excited about something web-related for awhile now, what kind of response is this Contest generating?

John Scott: It’s exceeding our expectations.

When we started the contest, I hoped to pick up a few hundred more unique visitors a day and get at least 20 more active members on the forum. But it didn’t go that way at all. We doubled our traffic, picked up many active members, and the community spirit we have going on is at an all time high.

A lot of this is due to Greg Boser's attack. Community members felt that we as a community were being attacked and they have rallied to defend the community. For showing us what a great community we have at v7n, I thank Greg.

NeO:I'm sure that all of our readers want to know you're take on Greg Boser's personal slam to your contest idea. A few words?

John Scott: There are some horrible people online, some people who lack even a shred of integrity.

Greg Boser is not one of these. I’ve read his postings on forums, and we have several mutual friends, and they assure me he’s not an entirely evil person. I think he simply failed to read the v7n SEO Contest announcement entirely, and made his decision to attack a bit hastily. If he had read the entire announcement, and the ensuing thread, he would have known without a doubt that we were not requiring contestants to hand over their PageRank.

What does disturb me a bit is his failure to acknowledge his misdeed. But then that would deflate the controversy – and it’s that controversy that is driving a lot of this publicity.

NeO: My personal opinion... L3DG is not joining to 'win' the money, we're doing this to learn and have fun! Do you think that alot of other SEO's are in the same boat? Or is it all about the greenbacks?

John Scott: You never know. I guess that a lot of people will go after it for the money. With this much money at stake, there are bound to be some people taking the contest a little more seriously than we intended.

But for the most part, I see webmasters talking about it as a fun thing to do, and that’s what we intended it to be. When the nigritude ultramarine contest was going on, the v7n forums participated in that, and it was loads of fun. These sorts of contests can bring communities together, and that’s what we hope happens here.

The SEO community rarely agrees on anything, but one thing that we all appear to agree on is that it will be a learning experience no matter who wins.

NeO: You own and operate the SevenSeek directory. I read on a blog that you are offering free links to anyone blogging about the SEO Contest, care to share the Process with us?

John Scott: We created a category just for all the SEO contest bloggers - http://www.sevenseek.com/dir/46136.php - just submit your blog page there, and we’ll approve it free of charge. To be sure, when you submit the page will redirect to PayPal. Do not pay, and exit the browser. We’ll approve any blog or website that blogs about the contest.

NeO: Do you have any hints/clues as to what SEO's should prepare for?

John Scott: Everything. This is going to be a fierce competition, and there are bound to be a lot of dirty tactics coming into play. Referral log spamming, guestbook comment spamming, Wiki spam, etc.

The best advice I can give is to create a page about the competition that is conducive towards natural linking. If it were me, I would probably create a page with the history of the competition with daily updates on the rankings, and perhaps listings of techniques used by leading competitors. This is the kind of page that develops links naturally, and it would be my bet that this is the kind of page that will win.

Of course, natuaral linking alone will not do the trick. Get your friends involved, and do it with the end date in mind. Placing first in the SERPs in March doesn't mean you'll place first in the SERPs in May.

NeO: Thanks for your candor John! You have a great forum & directory I wish you, this contest, and the participants the BEST! I know we'll have fun and more importantly Learn a lot from this exercise.

John Scott: Thank you!

Well folks... you heard it / read it here first! Stay tuned L3DG will keep you up-to-date with all of the SEO Contest happenings.

Great Rankings,

NeO