Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

I’m completely exhausted from lack of sleep, but thankfully still running on adrenaline from Link Love Boston. I wanted to write about why the experience changed my life, but I thought that might be a little dramatic, so I settled for why I loved it.

Here’s why:

The people are, well, human
The people at Link Love restored my faith in humanity. They were genuine and real. There were hundreds of people who attended (delegates as they called us) who actually engaged and became friends. People were talking to each other with excitement and energy. You could honestly tell that everyone felt pretty lucky to be there.

Even the speakers were approachable (and friendly) and actually spent time with the delegates. I had a great chat with Justin Briggs from Big Fish Games about his passions and career path. I spoke at length with several team members from Distilled about the structure of their organization and how they effectively manage their workload (they don’t mess around).

Before the conference I had emailed Distilled to ask some questions regarding the growth of Mack Web. Will Critchlow (who just so happens to be the founder of Distilled), was kind enough to email me himself and offer his time.

He’ll probably never remember it (which is why I have a picture to prove it), but I actually got to shake the hand of Rand Fishkin (I’m not even going to tell you who that is. Look it up people).

Meeting Rand was the highlight of my year (I would say life but that kind of downplays the importance of my marriage and the birth of my two kids). Rand even took a few minutes of his time to chat about how much we love SEOmoz and how it’s changed our business. Truly, he is an amazing man (he is totally worth stalking…I mean following).

It just goes to show you the kind of awesome people who are behind Link Love.

The speakers killed it
No other way to say it. The speakers rocked. Amazing. Awesome. Really, so good. And get this, they were engaging (imagine that). I was probably a little over excited from all of the energy in the room, but seriously, they were funny.

The line up:

Rand Fishkin
Justin Briggs
Ross Hudgens
Rhea Drysdale
Wil Reynolds
John Doherty
Adam Audette
Colby Almond
Tom Critchlow

The best part about the speakers is that they didn’t sugar coat stuff. They just came right out and said look, what we do in SEO is hard work. It takes a lot of effort, time, creativity and patience to do it right (and ethically). So suck it up and just do it (they used a couple of choice adjectives in there but I’m trying to keep this post clean).

We got some s@#! done
Because this was my first Link Love conference, I didn’t know what to expect from the schedule. I thought that there would be a hundred different presentations offered and that I’d be running from room to room with no chance of getting in to hear the big guys speak. I was pleasantly surprised.

The speaker line up (all rockstars if you didn’t quite catch that) consisted only of the top talent. The content they presented was valuable, balanced and inspiring. We got more done in one day than most people do in a month. They didn’t waste any time and the event never ran behind. It was flawless (except for the part when Rand couldn’t log in to SEOMoz. Now that was funny).

I kind of felt like I was on vacation
I probably will not be able to go to another conference that is not held by Distilled or SEOMoz. Hands down it was one of the most professional events that I have ever attended. Instead of walking the mile or so from the hotel to the conference center, there was a luxury shuttle bus that provided the group with a ride (to the Conference Center at Harvard Medical School no less).

And they fed us. All day (with snacks and everything). Right when you walked into the venue there white linen-lined tables with Starbucks coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, muffins and scones (they’re from London). For lunch each person could select from several types of individually packaged lunch sacks. There were never ending beverages and they even put out a dessert table at afternoon break (but since I was so ecstatic about my encounter with Rand, I was way too excited to eat ice cream).

And that’s not all. After the day was done, we were shuttled to a local pub where we were treated to appetizers, an open bar and all around good times with our new Link Love friends.

I learned a lot (for reals)
One word sums up Link Love: value. There were people who worked for big companies, small companies or who even owned their own companies. The information delivered at Link Love appealed to everyone in the room. I took home ideas that will change our processes, systems and approach (because I’m a freak about those things). And of course I can’t wait to deliver more value to our clients.

Hands down, what I respect most about Link Love is that none of the speakers tried to pass off what we work so hard to do for our clients every day as easy work. There were brilliant ideas, tools, and strategies, but no one ever said that there was a quick and easy way to deliver good SEO.

You should go
The Link Love conference completely exceeded my expectations (and I set those suckers high). If you are an SEO, or want to get a feel for the best in our industry, go to a Distilled or SEOMoz conference. You won’t be sorry.

Distilled has an SEO conference called Search Love going on in San Fran in June.

I’ll be at MozCon in Seattle in July. Maybe I’ll see you there.

We know, we know. We said the last one was the last one.

But, we promise, this is the last one.

Probably.

Really, we just wanted to thank everybody who came to our birthday party. It meant a lot to be able to celebrate our 9th birthday with such wonderful, inspiring, supportive people.

If you haven’t had a chance yet, you should seriously check out the rest of the new site.

To those of you who didn’t make it:

1. You owe us a present. And it had better be a nice one.
2. Yep. Ninth birthday, complete with a rebrand and a new website. That was the big secret. Was it really so hard to guess?
3. If you had made it to the party, we might have let you use the Mack Web Solutions Time Machine, but it was kind of a one-time-only thing. Sorry.
4. You should doubly check out the site. That way you can meet us virtually, since you missed your chance to do it in person.
5. You should also keep an eye on our facebook. We’ll be posting more pictures of the event, just so you can see what you missed and lament.

For example:

Anyway…

The last nine years have been fantastic and we feel like they’ve primed us for an explosion of growth and success and general awesomeness. We’re just getting started.

We’d also like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the party, the website, and our company.

Amanda Miller of the Place Setting Company helped us coordinate the event and was an unshakeable support while we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Chris Musa of the Campus West Liquor Depot helped us select the libations that provided the party’s social…encouragement.

Chef David Daggett of Tastebuds provided the seriously amazing spread of food that we used to lure hapless passers-by into our celebration.

Without the great team over at Rocket Jones Interactive, there would be no new website. And that would be a crying shame.

And lastly, of course, the person who made the party a success and gave us a reason to celebrate:

You.

Unless you didn’t attend. In which case…we don’t even know what to say to you. You make us very, very sad.

Seriously, though, thanks all for a great nine years.

Here’s to the next nine!

This is it, friends.

The last clue. The very last. The ultimate. The end. C’est fini. Finite Incantatem.
Aren’t you sad?

Okay, let’s be honest. You’re equal parts sad and omg-thank-goodness-it’s-over relieved, right?

Yeah. Us too.

But here, for the finale, we’ve got something special for you.

Remember this little trick?

Think of a big, gray land mammal the large ears and a big nose.
What letter does that animal start with?

What number in the alphabet is that? (a=1, b=2, etc.)
Add 4.

Multiply by the number of letters in your first name.
Add the digits together.

The result (unless you did your math wrong or have misdefined the words “large,” “gray,” “land,” “mammal,” “ears,” or “nose):

So put that together with everything else:
Icebergs.
Ferris Bueller.
Lords-A-Leaping.
Hollywood Marriage.
The Trojan War.
New Hampshire.

And then take your best guess.

If you guessed right, congratulations! You get to come hang out with us at our party tomorrow and personally receive a high-five from the members of the Mack Web Team.

If you guessed wrong, sorry. You have to come hang out with us at our party tomorrow and we will point and laugh at you.

But there will be food and booze, either way. So that’s okay, then.

And, hey! You want to see something cool?

We (with a little…all right, a lot of help from the ever-awesome development team at Rocket Jones) got ourselves a little present in honor of our celebration.

Wanna see? Check out the best present ever (our new website).

Seriously. It’s even better than a pony.

Well friends, we’re nearing the end of your long and terrible wait.

Soon you shall know the Great Secret of Mack Web Solutions (third only to the Great Secret of the Pyramids and the Great Secret of Why We Put Two Socks in the Dryer but Only One Comes Back Out).

We’ve discussed the nature of icebergs, taken a whirlwind tour of an eighties classic, debated a long-standing Christmas enigma, celebrated successful celebrity marriages, and conducted an overview of the Trojan War.

With hints like that, the subject of our celebration should be blindingly obvious…right?

Just in case it’s not, we’ve got another clue for you.

Today’s clue is…New Hampshire.

Yup. That’s it. Just…New Hampshire.

Not to be confused with Old Hampshire which, I am reliably informed, was a mystical island culture said to have been swallowed by the sea at the dawn of time.

No, we’re talking about New Hampshire. Y’know, 9th state to join the Union, site of the first primary in every presidential election, home of Robert Frost and many cows. Ringing any bells?

Little fun fact about New Hampshire? Their state motto is Live Free or Die. They take this very seriously: they are the only state with no seatbelt laws.

Which seems to imply that they could just as easily adopt Live Free and Die.

Here’s another thing about New Hampshire that I bet you didn’t know: It was once home to Mack Web Solutions’ very own social media strategist, June Macon.

You’ll get the chance to meet June at the big unveiling of the Mack Web Solutions Secret (which, as previously stated, is neither a baby nor a time machine) at our offices on February 9th.

But be sure to let us know if you’re coming.

Otherwise, I will eat all the food that could otherwise be yours.

I will, too. I am not lying.

So, in conclusion, your sixth and penultimate clue was…New Hampshire.

Take it how you will.

So…are you coming to our party? Are you? Are you?

Join us on Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 4-6 pm as we celebrate something big.

Mack Web Solutions
204 Walnut Street, Suite D
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
970-377-2358

Why the party? See if you can figure it out from these clues:

Clue #1: Icebergs
Clue #2: Ferris Bueller
Clue #3: Nine Lords-a-Leaping?
Clue #4: Hollywood Marriage
Clue #5: The Trojan War

Everybody knows all about the war waged by the Greeks against the city of Troy, right?

We all had to read the Iliad in school and we’ve seen Brad Pitt’s excruciating performance as Achilles in Troy.

We know about Helen and her ship-launching face and handsome, useless Paris who just couldn’t leave well enough alone.

We know about clever Odysseus whose one desire in life was to get back his wife and newborn son as soon as possible. Poor Odysseus who was the last of the Greeks to finally make it to familiar shores after a decade of wandering and odd adventures. (And subsequently subjecting legions of baffled freshman to the Odyssey’s wine-dark sea).

We know about Odysseus’ frickin’ wooden horse, right?

And maybe we like Monty Python’s wooden bunny better.

But all of the stories we know about the actual siege of Troy: the epic battles of Hector and Achilles, Achilles dragging Hector’s body behind his chariot, Priam’s grief, the poisoned arrow that finally took down otherwise invincible Achilles when it hit him in the heel…did you know that all of that took place in a single year?

And between the Greek arrival on Trojan shores and that eventful year, there were nine years of siege during which almost nothing of significance happen?

For nine years the Trojans hid behind their walls and let their allies and neighbors battle the invading Greeks.

For nine years, the Greeks waged war against everyone but the Trojans.

For nine years, the Greeks fought amongst themselves and did a little farming on the side.

Nine, long, boring years.

But those nine years prepped them for the good stuff to come.

(Or, hey, maybe Odysseus finally found the motivation to just do something about it so he could get home).

Anyway you look at it, it was only after nine years of what amounted to combative camping outside Troy’s walls, defeating lesser enemies, that the Greeks were actually ready to take down the big kahuna.

With, y’know, a wooden horse.

“So,” we hear you ask, “what does that have to do with the great mystery of Mack Web Solutions?”

Well, simple, really. We’re branching henceforth into equine construction and the besiegement of extinct Asian cities.

Duh.

Just kidding.

Like the Greeks, Mack Web Solutions knows that only after you’ve proved yourself against lesser challenges are you ready to advance to Troy itself.

That taking on new challenges requires creative solutions.

That good things come to those who wait.

Which is what you’re going to have to do.

Wait.

Ha!

(But hey…not too much longer. 20 days and counting… are you ready for the defeat of Troy?)

Uh, the metaphoric defeat of course. We are, sadly, not celebrating the unveiling of the Mack Web Solutions Time Machine.

Sorry. Didn’t mean to get your hopes up.

See you on February 9th at 4pm.

PS: So…how was that for a clue? Any guesses? Don’t forget to compare your thoughts against our other clues (only a few more to go!):

Clue #1: Icebergs
Clue #2: Ferris Bueller
Clue #3: Nine Lords-a-Leaping?
Clue #4: Hollywood Marriage

Happy New Year from Mack Web Solutions!

Today you will find your fourth clue. Do you think you have the answer yet? Have you checked your guess against our other clues? You’re over halfway there! The first three can be found here:

Clue #1: Icebergs
Clue #2: Ferris Bueller
Clue #3: Nine Lords-a-Leaping?

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program…

Starting a new year is traditionally viewed as a time for starting new things: new diets, new habits, new projects.

New marriages.

Well, that last one seems to be mostly for the tabloid celebrities. There’s an old joke–and judge for yourself how much truth underlies it–that the average Hollywood marriage never makes it past the nine-year mark.

The oh-so-cynical reasoning behind this?

The vast majority of Hollywood actors live in the shiny, shiny state of California.

According to the divorce laws of said shiny, shiny state, ten years makes for a “lengthy marriage.” And the dissolution of a “lengthy marriage” snarls up financial distribution in a way that a marriage of nine years, eleven months, and twenty-nine days does not.

Makes a terrible kind of sense, doesn’t it?

But here at Mack Web Solutions, we like to dwell on the positive. Which is why we’ve compiled this list of those actors who made it past ill-fated number nine in 2011 and those poised to do it in 2012.

A little way of reaffirming everyone’s faith in humanity. And the number nine.

Here ya go:

Richard Gere
Freddie Prinze, Jr. & Sarah Michelle Gellar
Brad Paisely & Kimberley Williams-Paisley
Alessandro Nivola & Emily Mortimer
Jennifer Connelly & Paul Bettany
Adam Sandler
Amy Poehler & Will Arnett
Emma Thompson
Alexis Denisof & Alyson Hanigan

So, congratulations to all of them!

And here’s your newest hint: What could Mack Web Solutions possibly have in common with Billy Madison, Lancelot, and Nanny McPhee?

Beyond our humor, charm, and wit, naturally.

Stay tuned….only 3 more clues to go. We will unveil the secret on Thursday, February 9th from 4:00-6:00 pm at Mack Web Solutions. See you there.

We at Mack Web Solutions have long associated this time of the year with a sense of mystery and wonder. It starts with:

Who in my life is Santa’s spy, reporting on my yearly behavior? Is is my parents, using third party pressure to make sure I behave? Is one of my siblings a plant? Or just a traitor, trying to get in good with the man in red?

The next big question, is, of course:

How does he deliver all those gifts around the world in just one night?

And, of course, the standard:

What is in that big, shiny, beautiful red-and-green box with my name on the tag? Is it the long-awaited pony? Or am I going to open it only to find a babushka-box thing happening, culminating in a pair of socks?

But really, to us, the deepest mystery of all, the one that baffles and confuses and wreaks merry havoc on all Christmas celebrations is…

What did my true love send on day nine?

I mean, we’re pretty clear on days 1-8: a bunch of birds and some bling and even some industrious employees and nutritious milk (He cares about my calcium intake, how cute).

But after that, things get muddy.

Is it nine lords-a-leaping?
Nine ladies dancing?
Nine pipers piping?
Nine drummers drumming?

We’ve heard it so many ways…

And even if we can agree on what he sent me nine of, the question remains:

Why on earth would he think I wanted one of any of those things, let alone nine?

Curious. Curious, indeed.

So. What’s your favorite version of the ninth day?

Also…Merry Christmas from Mack Web Solutions!

PS–Your third clue was hidden in there somewhere. Yet another mystery. Just for you. You’re welcome.

Okay, for those of you who have been guessing, wildly, about what we’re celebrating…

NO. Nobody is having a baby.

Here’s a few pieces of random pop culture trivia cleverly disguised as a clue:

• The script was written in six days.
• The main characters, teenagers all, were portrayed by actors from age 19 to 29.
• It heavily featured a cheap car made over with fiberglass to look like a…not so cheap car.
• It was about truancy.
• It contains the phrase, “a righteous dude.”

Who would have expected a movie with these vital stats to turn into a film icon?

But it is.

‘Cuz you know exactly what movie I’m talking about, don’t you?

That’s right, Ferris Bueller was absent from school nine times. And I think we can all agree, even without knowing what he was doing for the first eight, number nine was the most spectacular of them all.

We here at Mack Web Solutions are big fans of our buddy Ferris. We’ve learned a lot from him:

• Sometimes brilliance only takes six days and the right combination of people.
• Work with what you got. Make it better. Waste not, want not.
• And though Ferris may have been truant, he was always in the right place, nevertheless. Sometimes knowing what’s truly important means that instead of listening to Ben Stein drone on about economics in the 1930s, you get to catch a baseball game, lead the crowd in a rendition of Twist & Shout from a parade float, and eat pancreas as Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago. Which would you rather do?
• And, finally, strive always to be a righteous dude. It’s the way to take your place among icons.

And here’s your next cryptic hint: If eight are great, number nine is going to be just fine…

We’re celebrating something big!

Want to know what it is?

Stay tuned. Save the date: February 9, 2012.

In the meantime, a cryptic hint and fun factoid all rolled into one:

Did you know that only 1/9th of an iceberg sits above the surface of the water? Think about how huge the visible part of an iceberg is. And that’s only a small part of the whole.

The rest of it lurks unseen in the opaque, icy waters of the sea.

Hence the Titanic.

But that’s another story. What were we talking about?

Icebergs.

Serenely floating in their frozen majesty, never revealing the true magnitude of the mass that underlies their, uh, floating serenity.

We here at Mack Web Solutions like to think that we are something like that iceberg. That when you look at us and our work, you see the grace and dignity that can only exist when there is a massive foundation of knowledge and experience.

Yep. We’re an iceberg.

But, uh, not the kind that sinks ships. Nope. The, uh, other kind.

Serenely floating. That’s Mack Web Solutions.

Oh…and here’s that hint we promised you: What does the other 8/9ths look like?