Thanks to a ground-breaking agreement between Dell and Google, SEO may soon be a mainstream topic of conversation. Dell, the world’s leading maker of personal computers, has announced that it is testing a pre-installed package of Google software, including a Google-powered Dell home page, Google Desktop Search, and a Google Toolbar.While the home page and Desktop Search will be an undeniable boost to Google’s share of the Search market, and maybe even a threat to Microsoft’s desktop dominance, it’s the pre-installation of the Google Toolbar that will be of most interest to SE marketers and optimizers around the world.Currently a specialist ‘industry tool’ used predominantly by SE practitioners, the Google Toolbar may soon be automatically available to hundreds of thousands of mainstream computer users. As a result, Google PageRank and, by extension, search engine marketing and optimization look set to become part of mainstream vocabulary. (Well, maybe that’s a little optimistic… Perhaps they’re more likely to become part of the vocab of the computer savvy mainstream.)So what does this all mean to SEO and SEM? In my humble opinion, the four most important implications of the Dell-Google agreement are:1) Business decision makers will finally ‘get’ SEOAlthough not overly helpful to SEMs and SEOs, Google PageRank is an ideal hook for busy decision makers. It’s very simple (in that it’s just a mark out of ten) and measurable, and it’s just THERE; you don’t have to go out of your way to see the PageRank of a site. It’s exactly what decision makers need to get their collective heads around SEO. They don’t have the time or inclination to understand the complexities of SERPs, IBLs, spiders, indexing, keyword phrases, metatags, article PR, SEO copywriting, etc. For better or worse, PageRank eliminates all shades of gray, leaving the two colors many decision makers understand best: black and white.2) Business will become aware of the importance of PageRankWhile most business decision makers are aware that a good search engine ranking is good for business, they’re not yet aware that a bad PageRank is bad for business. But with the Google Toolbar at their disposal, they soon will be. Decision makers will immediately start to use PageRank as a one-shot assessment of the credibility and authority of every website they visit. And in the process, they’ll become painfully aware of what their own PageRank says about their company.3) Business will be more Search-proactiveOnce decision makers realize that a bad PageRank is bad for business, they’ll be more likely to be proactive about their search engine ranking.4) More businesses will dedicate a budget to SearchPageRank will become just a part of ‘doing business’. Just like TV, radio, and newspapers, it will be proactively communicating with decision makers, each and every day. While the mechanics of a high search ranking will remain a mystery to most, the Search DOMAIN will no longer be considered a black art, and SEMs and SEOs will no longer be considered witch-doctors. This will make decision makers far more comfortable dedicating a budget to Search (especially as they now have something measurable to grab a hold of – see point 1 above).ConclusionIt appears that Google has once again made a very astute business decision. For better or worse, they’ve improved their position in Search and made significant inroads into the desktop software market. Will they threaten Microsoft’s desktop dominance? We’ll have to wait ‘n see. Will they enrich the SEM / SEO industry? In my humble opinion, yes! Google may not be everyone’s favorite search engine, but if they bring PageRank into the mainstream, the Search industry will finally attract the percentage of corporate advertising spend it deserves.(See Australian IT News [http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18080942%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html] for further details of the Dell-Google agreement.)
Japanese Tea Gardens – Create Your Own Japanese Sanctuary | gardening
What is the difference between a Japanese tea garden and a Japanese garden? A tea garden is often associated with residences and are essentially paths leading to a Japanese tea house. They are often much more secluded and private, reflecting the process of leaving our ordinary world and lifestyle and entering into a special a place.Many Japanese gardens are meant to be viewed from a certain perspective or observation spot, while tea gardens are often more geared toward the experience of walking through a garden and taking in the atmosphere. Of course there are strolling gardens (Kai-yu shiki), but again the process is different. The best view of a tea garden is after passing through the entrance gate and entering the tea house grounds. Machi-ai, or waiting benches, are also great places to sit and take in the experience before continuing on the tea house.In a tea garden, or Roji in Japanese, the detailed placement of stepping-stones is meant to keep your focus on the ground, not letting the mind wander to far from the path. On a practical level, these stepping-stones, which are raised above the soil line, are there to keep your feet from getting dirty after it rains.These Serene Gardens are meant to bring about the image of a mountain pass or a stroll up to a hermit’s house deep in the woods. It often conflicts with the more refined, elegant, and tightly pruned Japanese garden often seen from a temple porch, imperial palace, or art museum. It doesn’t mean that there is no pruning done, but the selected shrubs and trees are pruned a little more naturally.In general, I would suggest that Japanese gardens tend to be about 75% evergreen (plants that keep their leaves all year) and 25% deciduous (plants that loose their leaves in winter). Of the 25% deciduous materials the majority are probably Japanese maple trees. Bright, attention-grabbing flowers are rarely used. Especially in the tea garden, a rustic natural look is desired so flowering trees may be used but still kept to a minimal use. A white flowering Dogwood is a great example of an elegant tree that would fit well in this type of garden. Azaleas are often highly sculpted in the general Japanese garden, but are left a little rougher in a tea garden.Because the focus of a Roji path is on experience, the process of walking through often leads one to smaller outside rooms, creating a small journey for the person. There are often many curves, which intrigue and keep you guessing as to what is to come around the next corner.That being said, contemporary tea gardens sometimes push the limits of what is acceptable in a traditional tea garden. I believe that modern architecture of the Japanese home is also influencing the way many contemporary garden designers create their gardens. In Japan we are seeing more open style tea gardens with less shade. A more modern garden may very well compliment an avant-garde Japanese tea house.Authentic Japanese garden landscape companies such as Serene Gardens are great places to look for ideas on Japanese gardening. A good site will have Japanese garden tips, ideas, and products that will help you build the type of garden or interior space that fits your lifestyle.