Content May Be King But Context Rules!
10-Nov-06
We went from the "Information Age" to the "Recommendation Age" in the blink of an eye!
Everyone knows that information is readily available online these days. No matter where you browse, you'll always find what you're looking for.
Well . . . eventually anyway.
One of the "flies in the ointment" of Internet browsing is that there is just so much information available that sometimes it's hard to find exactly what you're looking for amidst all the garbage.
Oh don't be mistaken, one man's garbage is another man's gold! And that's what also makes the Internet so great.
Anyone and everyone can find just that right thing to "float their boat."
But on a personal level, when you go browsing for material to lead you in the right direction, you're looking for specifics. So in this regard, finding a specific on a hugely populated Internet with just about everything for everyone, can be a little tricky and time consuming.
This is why the search engines are working feverishly to find better filters and algorithms to fine tune specifics so you can find the exact information you're desiring as quickly as possible.
So then in the vast sea of content that's available, context plays an enormous role in determining how to create the best filters and algorithms possible to achieve complete specificity.
Context then, is of extreme importance to anyone who's web surfing goes the least bit beyond clicking for the sake of clicking. For those who views their searches as a journey and a quest for knowledge, context plays a key role.
From music lovers to the extreme student or any combination in between, finding just the right information is what its all about.
Because of the latest filters and algorithms supplied by search engines, social bookmarking sites, and all the way to the most elite group of bloggers and corporate merchandise suppliers, people can "dig deep" and find the most obscure information out there.
On the other side of this proverbial coin, you, the supplier of content and information want to be sure your contributions to this sea of knowledge is found by these seekers of specifics especially if you're providing articles on a niche topic.
Again, the latest technology in search comes into play. And so much so, that a totally unknown "garage band" that may never have been heard by anyone other than themselves, can shoot up the ladder of success because their mp3 file manages to reach the "if you like this group, you might also like . . ." level on Rhapsody or another music site.
Or a brand new niche can open up one day and become all the buzz tomorrow because the right article was submitted to the right category and everyone read it.
Yes, the first place to crack the context code is the most obvious . . .
Category choice!
It can start the wheels turning in the right direction if utilized properly. However, too often its not.
Supposing you were looking for articles about "fly fishing." You visit an article directory and find that there's a category specifically for "fly fishing," but there's another that's just "fishing."
Where would you look first?
Now supposing you were supplying an article about "fly fishing." Which category would you think your article would be seen in first if you submitted it to that same directory?
Chances are if you didn't put it in the best possible category, and just went general with it, the person searching might find several good articles in the "fly fishing" category and not feel the need to look any further, and you'd lose.
Could be that your article is the best out there. And could be that your site linked to that article would have taken them to exactly what they were looking for. But I guess they'll never know.
And to make matters worse, the search engines are watching where people, who are looking for specific information, are going, and you're site isn't it.
So much for link popularity.
In this "Recommendation Age" people are looking for direction. They want to know that something is valued by others and they want you to show them. The days of haphazardly roaming about the Internet are over!
To supply the demand, you just have to make sure that your content is good, but the context in which it can be found in is better!