Bradley The Ward

Singer, Songwriter, Insurance Selling Extraordinadire

[fastcompany]

Should You Be Paid For Your Social Media Posts?

A new social media platform aims to subvert the traditional model by paying users for their updates. But what’s the value of what people put on the Internet?

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[bradleytheward-blog]

These 60 Rare Photos Will Destroy Everything You Knew About The Past. Mind = Blown.

Check out these rare photos. 

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Sting discusses why he started writing songs. 

[bradleytheward-blog]

Google Algorotithm Updates...Why Does Search Still Suck?

I won't claim to be an expert in SEO (search engine optimization) but I will claim to know more than most layman. I follow various SEO blogs and twitter users about updates and suggestions on increasing web traffic.

That's why I also know how terrible most search engine results tend to be, especially after to scores & scores of algorithm changes Google has made in the past few years. 

Why Search Engines Suck

Because I am interested in SEO I do look at the type of search results I get when looking for answers. That's why I gotta say even with the constant updates, search engine results still suck the big one when you're searching anything in a niche market.

Here's an example. I am going to ask Google "How Do I Increase My Website Views". Now lets see what I find.

Five Minutes Later

Above me is a screenshot of the results that showed up when I search "How Do I Increase My Website Views". The first result being an article from Wikihow, a PR7 site. 

The first thing that any Webmaster is going to notice (at least I did) is that this website doesn't have any date. Should we assume that this is relevant information? Was this updated Pre or Post Panda? Who knows? 

Let's re-visit my first screenshot and look at the dates featured on these sites, some of these pages we're uploaded almost a year ago. SEO isn't knitting. It changes constantly so what gives? 

You can't see it in the pictures but want to one of the results at the bottom of the page? 

http://www.trafficswarm.com/

TrafficFreakingSwarm! If TrafficSwarm doesn't scream black hat I don't know what does. This is spam incarnate, so why is it showing up on page one of a Google Page? 

Maybe I don't remember the days of keyword stuffing well enough, but it seems like there still is a lot of garbage showing up in search engines. Then again, maybe its just me. 

[bradleytheward-blog]

Nintendo just tweeted this. 

[bradleytheward-blog]

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

Albert Einstein 

[bradleytheward-blog]

Give Me SNES or Give Me Death!

Call me old fashion but I still prefer playing SNES over any of the next generation consoles. In fact, I am watching my son play watchdogs and to me its far from relaxing. 

Watchdogs is a game like the GTA series where you have infinite options on places to go and things to do. Sometimes those these options can be cumbersome. With so much to see and do...how do you decide? There is always something there to distract you from your current actions. 

That why I say "Give Me Snes Or Give Me Death!". Give me games that are simple and easy to follow and I'll give you my credit card number!  Too much choice isn't always a  good thing. Don't believe me, watch this Ted Talk that covers the paradox of choice. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM

[bradleytheward-blog]

Gotta say, today has been a great day. Not only did I finish #Allstate's Harassment Policy course that HR sent me, I also received a badge for the five post club! 

[fastcompany]

Google’s Self-Driving Car Is Real, And It Looks Like A Tiny Bubble-Car

We’ve known Google has been working on self-driving cars for awhile now, but all of a sudden, the project is real: last night, Google revealed a working prototype of its self-driving car. It’s a two-seater that looks something like a mashup of a Fiat 500, Steve Urkel’s car, and a cartoon smiley face.

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[bradleytheward-blog]

Here's an example of a beautiful song that just started playing on #Rdio. 

This site is amazing!

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Rdio - An Incredible Music Site I Didn't Even Know Existed

One of my biggest weaknesses as a songwriter is that I am terribly narrow minded against new music. Ironic because some of my greatest influences are people who listen to everything. 

I mean EVERYTHING. 

Brian Eno, sure. Coltrane...sounds good!  The cries of a native priestess giving birth? Let's give it a whirl! 

The first part to fixing a problem is admitting that there is one, three weeks ago I admitted mine. I am a shitty excuse of a music snob. A habit that if continued will affect my own songwriting and even worse, cause me to miss out on incredible acts like Julien Plteni. An artist that I didn't even know existed 15 minutes ago. 

Rdio

Three weeks a week ago I stumbled across a website called Rdio, a free music streaming site that features millions of artists/bands. As you would expect like most platforms are in 2014, it is incredibly social, allowing you to sign up with your twitter/facebook account. 

Rdio also allows you to share what your friends really are interested in...new music. What better way to discover new music than through the friends who generally good taste. 

I could go on for an hour about how great Rdio is but I'm tired more interested in focusing on building a playlist. Come find me when you join Rdio. 

http://www.rdio.com/people/BradWard83/

[bradleytheward-blog]

Arcade Fire - Reflektor full album

The more I listen to this album, the more I fall in love with The Arcade Fire. 

[bradleytheward-blog]

TIL - The first Rambo movie "First Blood", Rambo doesn't kill anyone. In fact, the only death in the whole movie was an accident. Compared to 69 in "First Blood II", 132 in "Rambo 3" and 236 in "Rambo".