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Here is a list of the 5 best webmaster forums that I continue to refer to when seeking information about websites, SEO, marketing, etc.; all of these forums are great communities! Be sure to bookmark them if you’re not doing so already!

The Top Webmaster Forums:

• DigitalPoint Forums
• SitePoint Forums
• V7 Network Webmaster Forums
• Webmaster-Talk Forums
• WebProWorld

If you have any other great ones you’d like to share, please do so below.

What webmaster resources do you use most?

Tags: Chats and Forums, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, SitePoint, Web Design and Development, Webmaster

I just learned about a new video from Matt Cutts, thanks to Darren Monroe, that confirms once and for all that Google is NOT using the META KEYWORDS tag in their main search results.

Check it out and keep it in mind as you move forward with your website development and SEO efforts.

Tags: Google, Keywords, matt cutts, meta tags, search results, SEO, website

Over the past week or two I’ve noticed a new form of what I would deem Twitter SPAM. I’m not talking about all the crappy auto-responder messages or the direct tweets that try to get you to visit a link. This new form of spam on Twitter is more devious.

Examples:

As you can see from the examples above, the posters are sending out Re-Tweets, but in their messages, they are linking back to their websites in the very beginning of EVERY message. As you can see from the image below, these guys have made a habit out of it.

I’m starting to think that there is some social media “guru” teaching this twitter spam technique to people in real estate, because I’m not really seeing it in any other niche that I’m a part of. Anyone know who is putting this out there?

Why is This Spam?

I’d call this practice spam because it is an underhanded method of shoving your links into the face of anyone that you are communicating with. People can very easily go to your profile and see your link – you don’t need to post it in every one of your tweets that involve other people.

When your friends/followers visit your at (@) messages, these guys now have visibility.

You’re not going to build real relationships by annoying people; social media is about forging bonds. I see no reason to stay connected with someone that does this to those people who are interested in what I’ve got going on.

The Dilemma

Would you rather have some spammy person retweeting your articles, or simply block those people altogether?

I think this will pose a dilemma for many people.

These people are helping to market you, but they are doing so in a spammy way, right? They are potentially putting your link in front of thousands of their followers; is it a good idea to let them continue?

What would you do?

FYI – Clearly, anyone who knows me, realizes that I am no longer following these people; I also blocked them for good measure. I don’t care if I get an extra click here or there because of their re-tweets. The principle of how they are doing it just pisses me off!

Tags: Online Communities, Real estate, Social Media, spam, Twitter

I just wanted to share a great tool that I recently found, called Balsamiq, used for creating software mockups. This is great for developers, designers, or web-entrepreneurs like myself.

Check out the demo to get a quick walk through.

Tags: balsamiq, development, software

Here’s a great video taken at WordCamp 2009 of Matt Cutts, sharing some SEO Tips for Wordpress users:

Thoughts?

Tags: matt cutts, SEO, Wordpress

It looks like our good friend, Twitter.com is down once again. Facebook has also been giving me problems for a few days, so my guess is that there is another attack happening . . . of course that is just speculation!

Where’s the Fail Whale when you need him?

Tags: facebook, fail, Social Media, Twitter

A short while ago, a call came into my office from someone asking for me. My secretary answered the call and asked the caller how he could help them. The caller responded with his name and asked to talk to me (Josh Dorkin).

My secretary then asked the caller what this was regarding and he insisted on talking to me without providing any details. Again, he was asked what it was regarding and after a moment and a huff, responded, “real estate.” Finally, in hopes of finding out what the call was about, my secretary asked the caller if he could be a little more specific, and the caller hung up on him.

My secretary did as he was told, and screened the caller to find out who was calling for me and what they were calling about. This person refused to give any details, and my secretary was correct in not passing me the phone.

If You Can’t Respect the Help, You’re Not Going to Get Very Far!

One of the greatest things about my secretary is that I am my secretary. I was screening my own calls, and the person calling was not going to get to talk to me (the real me) if he wasn’t going to give my secretary (the fake me) any respect, or acknowledge what he wanted with me.

So, next time you’re calling for someone, treat them with respect and let them know the reason for your call, as you never know who you’re talking to.

BTW – I’m looking forward to seeing if he calls back/emails again . . . should be fun!