I’m out in San Jose, California, this week, speaking at a conference (I’m apparently becoming something of an expert in the content/copywriting side of search engine optimization, who knew?), and while I’m not geocaching, I have been placing a few of my geocaching books in the area via Bookcrossing.
And as I’m talking with conference attendees, waitstaff in restaurants, and the bartender at my hotel about one thing and another, the conversation often veers over to books, as I generally like asking people what they read. And far too often that’s met with a shake of the head and a vague, “huh?”
Scary times, these, for readers and writers alike. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
In my upcoming Open Your Heart with Reading, I talk with people about literacy efforts; and there’s a tremendous need there. But what is amazing to me are the throngs of people who can read — and don’t. They have the magic ticket, they have entrée into this whole exciting marvelous world … and they do nothing about it.
Which brings me back to search engine optimization, and my presence here in California. The search engine “spiders” love content: new, relevant copy that they can crawl and report on back to the mothership, if I may be forgiven a mixed metaphor. So people are starting to write again, on websites and in blogs and newsletters, because it will get them noticed by Google et. al.
Maybe eventually we’ll get to a place where we pay as much attention to content as the spiders do. Where we, too, will get back to wanting to read, to wanting to see new copy. I hope so. If anyone has any ideas about how to encourage reading — and promote literacy — I’d love to hear them. Write a comment here; let’s get a discussion going!
Jeannette Cézanne
www.jeannettecezanne.com
Posted by: — jcezanne
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