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Daily Archives: August 12, 2011
Market Concerns Push Mortgage Rates to New Lows | Chappaqua Realtor
Weak Appraisals Hamper Home Sales, Experts Say | Armonk Realtor
Mount Kisco NY Real Estate | Mortgage rates plummet to new lows on market concerns
Thursday, August 11th, 2011, 10:09 amMortgage interest rates plummeted to new lows this week as the economy felt the stings of European debt concerns and investors rushed to U.S. Treasurys, a scenario that pushed long-term yields lower.
The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.32%, its lowest point this year. That's down from 4.39% last week and 4.44% a year earlier, Freddie Mac said in its primary mortgage market survey.
The 15-year, FRM decreased to 3.5% from 3.54% a week earlier and 3.92% last year. In addition, the five-year, Treasury-indexed hybrid, adjustable-rate mortgage hit 3.13%, down from 3.18% last week and 3.56% a year ago.
The one-year, Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.89%, down from 3.02% last week and 3.53% a year ago.
Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist for Freddie Mac, said mortgage rates eased even further when the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee ensured it would keep the federal funds rate low through at least mid-2013 to nurture anemic economic growth.
Bankrate.com also noted record lows for interest rates, saying credit rating downgrades to the country, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were good for mortgages and opened "the door to refinancing for homeowners that missed the chance last year."
The 30-year, FRM hit 4.46% in Bankrate's survey, down from 4.54% last week. Meanwhile the 15-year, FRM hit 3.61%, down from 3.68%.
The 5/1 ARM inched up from 3.23% to 3.24% based on Bankrate's analysis.
Write to: Kerri Panchuk.
via housingwire.com
Waccabuc NY Real Estate | Foreclosure Declines Take on ‘Life of Their Own’ With Another 4% Drop
Check out this website I found at linkedin.com
North Salem NY Real Estate | Up-to-Date Google Algorithm Change History Released
Aug 10 2011
Up-to-Date Google Algorithm Change History Released
One of the best ways to gain insights into Google’s priorities is to look at its history. The major changes over the last decade show us what Google’s aiming at and what we should expect in the future. However, it’s been hard to find a good list of major algorithm changes – until now.
The SEOMoz List
SEOMoz has released a fully up-to-date version of their algorithm change compilation. This isn’t a list of all updates, of course. As their introduction to the list specifies, “Google changes its search algorithm 500 – 600 times” each year, and Googler Matt Cutts has given us the figure of “more than once per day” on average. But the major changes to the way search works have all been organized in an easy to scan way.
The list includes everything from Google Panda to social signals to Caffeine to Instant and beyond. The list takes us all the way back to 2000 (when Google Toolbar was released). Each item also includes links discussing what the changes entailed.
Insights from the Change History
There are a few broad insights that the study provides at a glance. For one, the algorithm changes are becoming more and more frequent. 2000 saw only one update, many of the years between 2001 and 2007 had just two, but we’ve since scaled up to six in 2010 and nine so far this year. Clearly, Google is more willing to make major changes than before. Additionally, their recent focus has been on search item quality, while most of the previous items were more oriented to UI changes that improved user experience from the Google front end.
One of the most useful ways to use the list is to compare your site’s traffic with the specific dates outlined for major algorithm updates. If you notice a drop, it’s wise to dig into the algorithm change and see what you can do to see why, specifically, your site suffered.
[Sources include: SEOMoz]
Written By:
Rob D Young | @RobDYoungWrites
Rob has been insatiably obsessed with Google, search engine technology, and the trends of the web-based world since he began life as a webmaster in 2002. His move into SEO work in 2006, and subsequently to writing for technology and internet-focused publications, has done nothing but fuel this passion.
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South Salem NY Real Estate | Don’t Be Anti-Social When You Work from Home
Aug 11 2011
Don’t Be Anti-Social When You Work from Home
For those individuals who have always dreamt of working from home, they know such an assignment comes with its highs and lows.
If you run your own small business out of your residence, you also know that communication is essential in order to sell your products and/or services, given the fact that all in likelihood you do not have corporate weight behind you spreading the word.
In the event you are scratching your head over how to spread the word about your business – have you given social media a try?
Social Media Provides Forum for Promotion
When working your business from home, social media proves a great tool to market and network both you and your company, through such sites as Facebook and Twitter to name two. What makes these two sites and others great is that they do not cost anything other than your time.
Unfortunately, too many home-based business owners are asleep at the switch and do not take advantage of these social media tools. The end result is less exposure and missed opportunities.
If you’re not social networking from home, look at what you could be missing out on:
- Networking without leaving your home – If commuting and meeting with clients proved a hassle over time; think about the advantages networking from home brings you. You can network from home 24/7, think about and review what you want to say as opposed to a face-to-face meeting, and providing instantaneous responses;
- Networking to a larger audience – Before the Internet and social media’s growth, reaching out to customers and potential customers meant phone calls and many face-to-face encounters. By using social media, you can reach out not only to those in your state and across the country, but around the world should you so choose;
- Networking and saving money – One of the many beneficial things to sites such as Facebook and Twitter is that you can use them for free. Not only are you spreading your company’s message, but you open yourself up to co-shares and retweets by those you follow or follow you, along with strangers who may come upon your messages;
- Data analysis – You don’t have to be a computer geek to be able to analyze and crunch certain numbers. Whether you use Google Analytics or another tool, use social media to review the data and see where your marketing and communication efforts need to be stepped up.
While home-based businesses can be very satisfying and even lucrative in a number of instances, the bottom line is that the business will only succeed if the owner can reach and even surpass their target market.
If you’re looking to employ social media in your home business plans, be sure to locate a dependable networking site that is driven with high traffic, promote your business left and right (tweets, shares, blogs, videos, podcasts etc.) and engage with others who comment on your posts.
A home-based business is the dream of many Americans; making it work takes time, effort and the ability to be social.
Written By:
Dave Thomas | Resource Nation
Dave Thomas is an expert writer on telemarketing and is based in San Diego, California. He writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.
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Bedford Hills NY Real Estate | 6 Ways Content Strategists Can Get Along with SEOs from the Beginning
Aug 11 2011
6 Ways Content Strategists Can Get Along with SEOs from the Beginning
In the realm of content strategy and SEO, there is nary a website launch that isn’t marred by the occasional squabble over which is a priority. Putting emotions and disciplines aside, we all know content and SEO are equally important. Obviously they are so equally important that one doesn’t exist without the other.
So, how does one ensure that the proverbial arguments over content and SEO don’t come between a successful and strategic website launch?
As a content strategist and copywriter, I have learned to understand and embrace SEO, though it has taken me some time to make it part of my own strategy from the beginning. Thankfully, I have had the experience of working collaboratively with some great search engine marketers on several successful website projects.
What we’ve come to realize is the answer lies in defining processes that help content strategists, copywriters, user experience designers and SEOs find common ground from the get go. Come to find we all kind of want the same thing – effective content that drives traffic and increases leads.
The following are some elements that have worked for our agency. Adding them to your own internal processes might help improve the relationship between your SEO and content strategy a little more with each website. And they are likely to positively impact your conversions in the long run.
1- Get buy-in from all disciplines involved early on.
For me, this is the most important part of any project. No copywriter wants to be thrown an empty website design and asked to fill it in, just as no SEO wants to be handed a website full of content that doesn’t align with what people are actually searching for. All this leads to is making people feel like their work is unimportant.
When all team members truly understand the goals and the strategy behind a project, they just do their jobs better and they work together more effectively. It’s amazing how much more energetic and supportive a project can feel when everyone is rallied around it from the beginning. Taking personal interest in a project’s success can only happen when people feel like they’re a part of it.
2- Create a keyword map alongside the sitemap.
Before the UX designer has completed a sitemap or a copywriter has written a single word of content, the SEO should be consulted. Aligned with the goals of the project, the SEO should focus on how keywords can be used to help push those goals. For example, if a lawnmower company wants to focus on the eco-friendly push mower market, the SEO should be advising on keyword strategy around landing pages that is informed by his or her keyword research. Is there opportunity to capture that market based on keyword volumes?
Of course, there is a lot of overlap between content strategy and SEO but the SEO will have an idea based on keyword research whether or not there should be an eco-friendly mowing section or simply a landing page with keyword content about push mowers. At the end of the day, intense keyword research should guide the site map just as much as UX and content strategy do.
3- Make sure everyone agrees on a goal for each page.
One of the first things I learned about SEO as a content strategist was that it’s important to give the user a page that most closely represents what it is they are searching for. Having a keyword strategy that is focused on giving the user exactly what they want is important. It’s even more important to make sure the pages that contain that information are focused on converting them in that same visit.
This means the content strategist and the SEO have to work closely to make sure the content is designed to funnel each user to a specific calls to action related to their search. Determining what the common goal is for each page helps the SEO and the person writing the content once again work together from the beginning to make sure search behavior and calls to action anticipating that behavior are cohesive.
4- Exercise all your options for keyword usage.
If you’ve planned well from the beginning, the body copy of each page will closely align with the keywords you’re targeting. We all know it’s a lot easier to use keyword variations naturally when they’re relevant to what you’re writing about.
There is, however, a limit to how frequently you can use keywords in the body if you want to keep your copy clear and punchy. Work with your SEO to balance keyword usage in the body and in other, more out of the way areas like titles, headlines, photo captions, in the sidebar, etc. This will give you more room to keep your copy sounding natural while ensuring all the relevant variations make it on the page.
5- Budget more time for content.
You can rank awesome in the search engines all you want but if the content on your website isn’t clear and focused on getting the user to actually do something there, it’s a complete waste. Your bounce rate will reflect that. Very often content is one of the most under-budgeted pieces of a project.
When you are realistic about how much time it takes to write engaging, thoughtful content that is also strategic and aligned with the goals of a website, more consideration can be given to SEO. Quality content is not cheap or quick. Be honest with your client and budget project time appropriately.
6- Strategize a plan for ongoing SEO.
Fresh content, linkbuilding, social media and outreach can all have a huge impact on search engine rankings. When you formulate a plan for ongoing tactics to boost your search engine ranking, you don’t have to overly obsess about the foundational content on your website. Having a baseline plan for the content on the website is great, but that will only get your website so far in the search engines. An ongoing SEO strategy is key to consistently driving traffic and building a stronger website that will rank better and better over the long run.
Written By:
Camella Mendez | Internet Exposure | @iexposure
Camella is a magazine editor turned web content strategist. She takes a critical approach toward content planning, management and digital marketing for clients at Internet Exposure, a web design, development, and SEO agency based in the Twin Cities. For more information on Internet Exposure’s web design services, contact info@iexposure.com.
More Posts By Camella Mendez
Point 1 is probably the most effective way to streamline the whole process. It’s much easier to get people on the same page when you are just starting out, as opposed to playing catchup later. Everyone will have a chance to add their input and not feel like they are getting left behind.
I agree – point 1 is so critical. I would add the web designer into the mix. No web designer wants to be faced with an empty screen and told to “create something.” Get all parties around the table to start from the same page.
A source of much frustration for most web copywriters is having to educate clients on the real value of content in the first place. For many, it is an afterthought – they think they can throw it in later.
Good stuff. Worthy of sharing for sure!
I find point 1 and 2 are the most effective points.
Great points… I love the information being shared here. Point 1 is very effective followed by Point 2… Thanks for sharing
Point 4 is something that’s important to keep in mind. Being careless with keywords can be devastatingly expensive.
Camella, Great summery at the end. Every points are very clear and understood. Content is always critical part in SEO. Unique Content will definitely help you to get valuable inbound links. Various Authoritative sites will likely to link to your site if you offer the end user something unique and interesting. Always try to include vital keywords as you can and making text interesting and readable.
Katonah NY Real Estate | Judge Invalidates Michaelis Petition for Independence Party Line – Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch
Update, 3:15 p.m.
Peter Michaelis’ name cannot appear as a write-in candidate on the Independence Party ballot line on Sept. 13, primary day, or Nov. 8, the general election, a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled today.
In his decision, the Hon. John La Cava said that neither Dean Travalino, a wheelchair-bound notary public who had collected signatures with the assistance of Lewisboro Town Supervisor Charles Duffy, nor John Pappalardo, a Lewisboro resident who also collected signatures on Michaelis’ behalf, had formally placed “any one of the combined 49 signers of the petitions sheets that they had notarized under oath. Nor did either of the notaries ask any of the signers to swear that the information provided was true,” as required by election law.
The invalidation of those signatures leaves Michaelis about 30 signatures short for his bid the Independence Party line in the upcoming elections.
Among the court’s findings was the fact that Travalino remained in the car (see first story, below) while Duffy met with voters at their front doors, explained why they were asking for signatures and told them Travalino was in the car to witness and notarize their signature. Travalino told the court that he felt “each signatory was ‘sworn’ by Duffy in his presence” with the explanations given to voters and their indications of understanding the process. The court also found that Pappalardo thoroughly explained the petition process to voters but did not swear them in.
If Duffy had asked voters to approach the car to be sworn by Travalino, things may have turned out differently, La Cava’s opinion states, noting there was no “compelling reason to fashion an exception due to Mr. Travalino’s disability.”
Harckham said he was pleased with the ruling.
“The Court’s ruling today…is a victory for legitimate and fair elections,” he said in a press statement. “It is particularly shameful that Peter Michaelis would attempt to spin this into a disability disenfranchisement issue because one of the notaries involved is disabled. It is Mr. Michaelis who threatened to disenfranchise the Independence Party voters who awarded the official party endorsement to my campaign and who have a right to know that all candidates are playing by the rules.”
For his part, Michaelis didn’t comment on how he thought the decision would affect his campaign, but issued a statement saying that Harckham was afraid to face voters at the ballot box.
“Instead of hiring a private investigator and a high-priced attorney to use up taxpayer-paid court resources, Harckham’s time would have been better spent finding solutions to cut wasteful spending in county government. Harckham’s constituents need to be served tax relief, not subpoenas.”
First story:
Westchester County Judge John LaCava is expected to rule today on a ballot line case in the run for the Westchester County legislative seat for District 2.
County Legislator Peter Harckham said that his lawyers were investigating “several discrepancies” in a petition submitted by Peter Michaelis required for voters to have the opportunity to write his name in as a candidate on the Independence Party line on primary day, Sept. 13.
Harckham, a Democrat and the incumbent, has been endorsed by the Independence Party. Michaelis, endorsed by the Republican and Conservative Parties, obtained enough signatures to force a primary for the Independence Party—if the judge rules that the signatures are valid.
“There were indications that proper procedures were not followed when the signatures were collected,” Harckham told Patch. “If the individual collecting the signatures is not a member of the Independence Party, you need to have a notary have signers take an oath swearing to their identities.”
Dean Travalino, 57, a Lewisboro resident an a notary public, was one of several individuals subpoenaed by the Harckham campaign. He took the stand in county court Tuesday afternoon to defend the manner with which he collected signatures in the field.
Travalino, who is wheelchair-bound, said Lewisboro Supervisor Charles Duffy assisted him in collecting signatures by going to residents’ doors while he remained in the car.
“It seemed like a reasonable accommodation,” he said, noting that Duffy asked residents to raise their hand and verify their identity and knowledge about what they were signing. “There are a lot of stairs leading up to Lewisboro homes,” adding that his and Duffy’s testimony lasted several hours.
For his part, Harckham said Travalino and Duffy were not the only individuals questioned. “There were several notaries involved—it’s not just about Dean Travalino— it’s the law.”
There are 1,576 registered members of the Independence Party in the 2nd legislative district, according to the county board of elections. A minimum of 79 signatures were required for the opportunity to ballot on the Independence Line.
Yesterday afternoon, the Michaelis campaign released a statement on the matter.
“Harckham is denying Lewisboro Independence voters an opportunity to express their opinion in a primary and now has brought an action to deny a disabled resident the right to fully participate in the election process. Petition challenges are to be expected, but I find the grounds for this challenge to be despicable, at best,” said Duffy.
“Harckham is afraid to let voters have a choice at the ballot box and is subverting democracy in order to keep his office,” said Michaelis.”
Check back with Patch for updates.
Bedford Corners NY Real Estate | Boo and Cecil Grace’s Secret to Cultivating Kindness – Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch
Boo Grace had a life-long dream of seeing kindness and strength of character recognized – even glamorized – among school-aged children.
She and her husband, Cecil Grace, noticed an abundance of local programs focused on promoting athletic, artistic, and scholastic merit in students, but a void of programs aimed at celebrating their decency and positive character.
They took matters into their own hands and, in 2002, created the F. Cecil Grace Foundation’s Operation Positive Role Model.
“Honoring goodness is the heart of all religions and of our country’s character,” Boo Grace said. “Over the years, Cecil and I have tired of the standard charities.”
The Grace’s, who have residences in both Katonah and Manhattan, have taken special interest in the students of Yorktown an provided almost $200,000 in grants and scholarships to students of the Yorktown School district.
Most recently the Grace’s donated $50,000 in scholarships to students of the Mildred E. Strang Middle School’s Operation Positive Role Model Program, the program in which 8th grade students nominate each other for the acts of kindness during the school year. Students involved in the program met regularly and engaged in dialogues about what decency is. Eventually the council of students selected the winners who each received a scholarship in the amount of $1,000.
We asked Boo Grace to share her secrets to building character and making acts of kindness glamorous.
Patch: What motivated you to create Operation Positive Role Model?
Boo Grace: Problem kids and brilliant kids received the bulk of attention. The nice kid who helped his neighbor was usually overlooked. It occurred to me that the majority of the kids—the nice kids should be recognized for their acts of kindness.
The logical way of choosing the role models would be to have them nominated by their peers. We put ballot boxes around the schools. The school kids nominated their peers who did these unusual acts. The student council studies the nominees and selects the top candidates. They rank the student awards according to their evaluation of the importance of the action.
The top recipients are awarded $1,000. We have devoted several million dollars to the creation of the programs and giving awards to the four schools now involved.
Patch: When did you launch the program and how many kids have you impacted?
BG: We launched in 2002. We have impacted several thousand children over the years.
Patch: You mentioned that you live in Manhattan and Katonah. Why the focus on Yorktown schools?
BG: My dear friend was a clergyman in Yorktown. He felt passionate about Yorktown’s program and helped sponsor it with the clerical and lay leaders of the community.
Patch: What is your definition of success?
BG: Finding an area of creativity that needs help and then being able to provide that help.
Patch: What’s the hardest thing about running a foundation?
BG: The foundation has been pure sunshine in most ways. The youngsters love the program. They gave us a bench in their hero’s garden and used their allowance money to buy us a tree and plaque saying “Grow with Grace.” The only difficulty is that we have been the sole supporters of the program over the years.
The program is so desperately needed and so very successful that we assumed that others would begin parallel programs in their own names. From the start we have emphasized that we have no pride of authorship. We had assumed that many of our friends would memorialize dear ones or just plain create the program in additional schools to fulfill the obvious need for keeping our youth on the straight and narrow.
The reality is that not a single parallel foundation has been started.
Patch: What are the most important things a person needs to be successful?
BG: To find a “niche” where there is need for support and devotion and to be able to help fill that need.
Patch: If you could go back and do one thing differently, what would it be?
BG: There is no question as to what that would be. I would, from the beginning, state that my husband and I are blessed with wealth. However, the needs of the coming generation for the Role Model program are beyond our wealth or any single person’s wealth. We must have cooperation of other like minded philanthropists for this vital program to continue and to grow.