Monday, June 11, 2007

Links can't hurt, though

Nice post in the discuss section by Lauren Springman, about the success of Sandy Sanderson's Mountain Scene Jewelry. Specifically,

I've been banging on Sandy's Mountain Scene Jewelry website for 5 years now, reading, taking advice, updating, etc. What I have not done is much linking - a small links page for friends in business, 2 links on the home page that were required for reciprocity, and I’ve put us in a few link farms whenever I’ve stumbled across one that’s relevant and easy.

As we all know, linking is supposed to be the deal, pretty nearly the whole deal.

So, how are we (almost completely) making a living from web sales when I’ve ignored the issue? First, we live well within our means, usually, and in a place where it’s not easy to go shopping and spend - a middle of nowhere. Second, linking seems to be secondary to defining your niche well and making all your coding/content relevant and redundant. Third, and most interestingly, is that folks find us.

I always enjoy it when success contradicts common wisdom (or even common sense). Not really a "business model", but it's working! Lauren says. Bravo. I'm tired of hearing about "business models" anyway. When did that expression come along? Must have been recently, or I wouldn't be so tired of it.

Scotland between the clouds

Flying out of London Saturday I got a little over two dozen pictures of Scotland — not nearly as many (or as good) as the ones the kid and I got last time. But since we took a more northerly route, the shots had new subjects. The shot above (and others in the series) are of Back Beach, on the northeast coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Loch Maree is featured in a number of shots as well. So is Poolewe, which features Inverlewe Gardens.

This little (far as I know) nameless beach on the Isle of Lewis caught my fancy. I'll bet it's gorgeous on the ground, wedged in a deep U between cliffs.

Maybe some natives can fill me in on what I missed in the descriptions.

[Later...] Iain Henderson (with whom I got some nice hang-time in London last Friday) has done one better: produced a nice set of photos taken from the ground, where the Outer Hebrides can actually be enjoyed, and not just shot from on high.

Rex Hammock has these shots from the Isle of Skye.