My Google Search For Consciousness, Truth, and Freedom.

You gotta get your name out there somehow!

How much of it is in the packaging? How much is it content or message? Don't forget, there has to be SEO.

Pic courtesy of Terry Johnston.

According to Google Analytics Support, the terms 'visit' and 'session' have similar meanings and can be used interchangeably. Good to know if you know the definition of either, but if not, you better go google.

We must also deal with figuring the difference between clicks, visits, visitors, pageviews, and unique pageviews. Wikipedia has a decent enough explanation of web analytics that define the majority of terms, and Google offers an explanatory PDF that offers up pretty fair advice, definitions and explanations, but damn, this stuff is complicated.

In the end all I want is...

...to be seen.

It seems that each page view or impression should do as it is supposed to and showcase content, therefore keeping readers through natural engagement. This would be ideal as it would lend credence to the theme and presentation, but how to actually get people's attention in the first place? Keywords, tags, meta tags, image properties, links, comments, white hat, black hat, lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!

Raising eyebrows, money and awareness in a manner similar to PETA, Grand Rapids based nonprofit Carol's Ferals grabbed attention with the human-in-a-cage style at their booth during the 2012 Eastown Street Fair. A certain donation level had to be reached in order to "free" the caged human and they shouted out to all passersby. They definitely got some attention from the crowds, but it was also fun to watch people completely (and intentionally) ignore their pleas. It seemed like some festival attendees were uncomfortable seeing and hearing about the plight of the feral cat, as they kept their heads down when passing the Carol's Ferals booth. Tough stuff, that truth stuff.

PETA protest.

Carol's Ferals at Eastown Street Fair.

Unfortunately, there is some practicality found within promoting and sharing online these days. It is what it is. This is not something I am attempting to change, but I dislike Facebook, tweet very infrequently and tend to enjoy sharing by just existing. This relatively passive involvement combined with the inevitable inertia that comes from conscious living can still create a force and sneak up on us! I believe my life is my testament and pedigree and that fact is the same for everyone else, formally educated or not. Our experiences speak for themselves and can result in amazing revelations about life, love and happiness if we allow them to. I have been very fortunate to find great meaning in all I have ever done and attempt to represent these findings in my day-to-day living.  

As I attempt to practice what I preach and maintain a healthy awareness that my actions affect others, I realize how much I appreciate this ongoing education. Although times have been difficult in the past, it all had a purpose and place. There is an understanding and belief that the pieces of the preceding months, years and lifetimes all fit together, were organic and completely necessary to unfold as they did.

So I float around online...

I came across a site called 'Technorati' today. Technorati is a blog index and directory claiming to have over a million blogs listed. They have a Tag Index page that shows the tags used in blogs over the last month, but none of the big three words listed in the post title are to be found. 

The top tags on Tumblr, Instgram (No.1) and WordPress all contain the word Love, the other big one/umbrella term for life, but Consciousness, Truth and Freedom are lacking a presence. Of course, a Google search for consciousness brings over 88 million results, but which of the first page's suggestions to click on? It contains a Wikipedia article, a related (potentially scholarly) article or two, and a few dictionary definitions. As we all know, most people do not migrate past the first page of results, sometimes not even beyond the virtual "fold" on the screen. Can we trust that the top results found for any search actually contain the information we actually are seeking?

Does a high Google ranking equate to trust, or just allow misinformation to be shared more easily by those with the money? Either way, one page of results offers only a few clues to true consciousness, let alone tells people how to achieve an enlightened state. Keep reading, and remember: To ever bear fruit, a seed must first be planted.

Thirty million people may say its true, but that don't make it true, y'all.

Awear Yoga. 

Maybe I am not searching deep enough. Maybe people are not writing about these topics. Maybe there are not enough people searching. Maybe we are not asking the right questions. If that is the case, it is  impossible to generate the right answers and the cultivation of our personal evolutions is stunted. You must grow for me to grow...

Maybe it truly is all about the packaging and not content. How disappointing if that is the case. It would be much more comforting to learn that people are done being mislead by advertising and marketing campaigns. This would result in the desire and drive to find their own truths -a great first step in finding freedom.

According to Seattle Organic SEO, here are the top 25 searched terms from 2012. Wow. Really though? Over 3 billion monthly searches for Facebook? Time to step away from the computer, people...

Porn found at 18, but still occupying one quarter of the list.

Sharing. Living. Learning. Writing. Loving. These are the things I commit my time to. I give, and it is returned multiple, multiple times over.

Now if I can just figure out how to get people to read this damn blog...

Ryan

Observe, Absorb, Manifest.