This is why it's so important to check your screenwash when it snows

Putting the wrong solution of screenwash in your car could have drastic consequences in the extreme cold

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/its-important-check-your-screenwash-14350003

Snow in Surrey: Best pictures from the county on Wednesday February 28

Thanks to everyone for their contributions - keep 'em coming

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-best-pictures-county-14349909

Storm Emma: Everything you need to know about the weather system from the Atlantic

After the Beast from the East, now it's Storm Emma's turn to dump her wild weather across Britain

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/storm-emma-everything-you-need-14350464

Prezzo closure of 100 restaurants nationwide leaves jobs at risk in Surrey

The announcement comes after Toys R Us and electronics retailer Maplin went into administration on Wednesday

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/business/prezzo-closure-100-restaurants-nationwide-14351411

These are the school snow closures in Surrey for Thursday March 1

Some of the schools will not be reopening until after the weekend

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/school-snow-closures-surrey-thursday-14351707

Horley police incident: Two arrested after police called to reports of a bomb on Chaffinch Way

Police were called to the address at 3am on Wednesday, February 28

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/horley-police-incident-two-arrested-14351097

What exactly firefighters get up to, the challenges they face and why their work is so important

Get Surrey spent a day at Rushmoor fire station, and this is what we found out

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/hampshire-news/what-exactly-firefighters-up-to-14345405

Epsom harassment: Man allegedly seen in woman's back garden on three separate occasions

Do you recognise him? Police would like a word

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/epsom-harassment-man-allegedly-seen-14348049

Snow in Surrey: Advice for driving on ice and other dangerous winter weather

From checking your tyres, making sure your vision is unimpaired and how to safely drive on snow and ice - we've got all the advice you need

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-weather-snow-ice-driving-12442081

Snow in Surrey: What are your rights if you can't get to work because of the weather?

So what actually happens if the snow means you can't get to work, if schools are closed, or if work shuts the office due to snow? We have the answers...

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-what-your-rights-12439637

School snow closures: This is how schools decide if they need to shut due to snow and ice

Head teachers have to take into account a number of specific risk assessment factors

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/surrey-weather-snow-big-freeze-14023596

When it snows in Surrey, this is how and when decisions are made to grit the roads

As the gritters come out in force, here's what you need to know about which roads are salted, when the decision is made and how that can affect you

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snows-surrey-how-decisions-made-14330650

Can you go home if your workplace is too cold? This and other questions answered as weather forecast says snow is coming to Surrey

Did you know your employer can't make you take a journey that's not safe? We explain what your rights are as snow heads to Surrey

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/can-you-go-home-your-14329054

Snow day? Your rights and the law if you're working in cold temperatures

Working in cold temperatures? Here are your rights, the law and how to claim compensation if you've been mistreated

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/your-rights-law-youre-working-14329087

14 essential things to have in your car when it snows

Driving in the snow can be daunting for you, bad for your car and an all round stressful experience          

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/14-essential-things-your-car-14328092

School snow closures: What to tell your boss if your child's school is shut due to snow

We've got all the facts you need to know about parental leave as snow hits Surrey and London

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/what-tell-your-boss-your-14328040

Weather explained, from Sudden Stratospheric Warming to Spanish Plume or Arctic Weather Bomb to Atlantic Superstorm

Yah, there's a cyclonic block on the horizon - you what mate!?

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/sudden-stratospheric-warming-spanish-plume-14314862

SEO tasks: Creation and prioritization

Snow in Surrey: How to keep your dogs and cats safe as 'Beast from the East' sweeps in

Cats Protection and the RSPCA both have advice on how to best protect your pets in the cold weather

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-how-keep-your-14336876

iPhones could stop working as 'Beast from the East' hits Surrey

Bitterly cold weather can affect your smartphone battery

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/iphones-could-stop-working-beast-14334040

Snow in Surrey: This simple mistake could lead to you breaking the law when driving in the snow

Even just a two-minute trip to the shops could result in a £60 fine, three points on your licence and possibly invalidate your insurance

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/snow-surrey-simple-mistake-could-14331118

M3 crash at M25 junction left motorcyclist needing hospital treatment

Surrey Police confirmed the man was taken to hospital, but his condition is not yet known

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/m3-crash-m25-junction-left-14349470

17 wintry things to do in Surrey when it snows

Check out these fun activities to enjoy with friends and family when the weather gets cold

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/17-wintry-things-surrey-hampshire-10759689

Guildford train station development: Leader reveals council 'cannot take legal action' against 'depressing' approval decision

The controversial £150m plan was given green light following a successful appeal by the developer

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/guildford-train-station-development-leader-14349373

Snow and ice forces closure of some South Western Railway car parks

It's officially the coldest end to February that Surrey has seen since 1986

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-ice-forces-closure-south-14348097

Snow in Surrey: Fresh yellow warning for snow and ice on Friday as temperatures continue to plummet

The "Beast from the East" continues to bring freezing temperatures

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-fresh-yellow-warning-14348651

Mayhem on the A24 between Dorking and Leatherhead as large heard of cows escapes onto the road

A number of people have taken to Twitter to share pictures of the cows

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/mayhem-a24-between-dorking-leatherhead-14348291

Maplin administration: Electronic giant collapses following failure to secure sale

The electronics retailer has seven stores across Surrey, including Guildford and Woking

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/maplin-administration-electronic-giant-collapses-14348409

M25 and A3 chaos as multiple crashes on snow-covered roads cause delays

There were two crashes at the same spot on Wednesday morning (February 28)

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/m25-a3-chaos-multiple-crashes-14348226

On the hunt for Surrey's coldest spot - Mole Valley weather station records temperature of -11.8C

The station in Mickleham, which is an official weather station for the Met Office, recorded a six-year low for February and the coldest end to the month since 1986

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/hunt-surreys-coldest-spot-mole-14348139

Fly-tipping in Surrey: Chairs, mattresses and water cooler bottles found dumped in Compton

Last year a bath and bucket were among the items dumped in the same road

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/fly-tipping-surrey-chairs-mattresses-14323147

Toys 'R' Us jobs in Woking and Staines at risk as firm goes into administration

The stores avoided the axe in December 2017 but their future is now in doubt

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/toys-r-jobs-woking-staines-14347866

Armed police fail to find 'man carrying a machete' in Horsell

This is why armed police and a dog unit were seen in the area

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/armed-police-fail-find-man-14345212

Ash gun shots: Investigation after car door damaged in firearms incident

Anyone who saw a car driving suspiciously or making off at speed should call police

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ash-gun-shots-investigation-after-14347802

Sean Benton inquest: Soldier claims he was told to 'rub his face in the dirt until it bled' by sergeant

The conduct of Sergeant Andrew Gavaghan was once again discussed at the inquest into the death of Private Sean Benton at Deepcut Barracks

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/hampshire-news/sean-benton-inquest-soldier-claims-14345306

Lingfield recycling plant fined after 'ignoring warnings' prior to massive explosion which left worker in coma and eight injured

A worker was left in a coma for 15 weeks and eight others were injured in the blast and fire, which blew the side of the building off

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/lingfield-recycling-plant-fined-after-14343693

It's officially the coldest end to February Surrey has seen since 1986

The temperature recorded at Gatwick on Wednesday morning was -10C

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/its-officially-coldest-end-february-14347130

Snow in Surrey: Driver steps in to grit treacherous road after cars 'slide off sheet ice'

After stopping to help push a car up the road, Simon Mattinson remembered he had a bag of rock salt in his boot

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-driver-steps-grit-14346282

M3 accident between motorbike and car leads to full southbound closure

Highways England reported that all emergency services were at the scene on Tuesday evening

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/m3-accident-between-motorbike-car-14346588

Site structure: the ultimate guide

CCTV images show hooded man who allegedly stole iPhone from teenage boy as he walked home from school

Do you recognise this man? Police want to hear from you

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cctv-images-show-hooded-man-14339882

Tolworth fire: Second man pronounced dead in flat fire near the A3

Five other men were hospitalised after suffering smoke inhalation

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/tolworth-fire-second-man-pronounced-14342811

Snow in Surrey: Delve back through the archives as the county is set for another flurry of snow

As the "Beast from the East" edges closer, look back at previous snowfall in Surrey

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-delve-back-through-14329496

Reigate and Redhill men sentenced to combined total of nearly 22 year in prison for Guildford burglary

Three men were sentenced in total to nearly 22 years for the incident which took place in April 2016

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/reigate-redhill-men-sentenced-combined-14341233

A3 delays during rush hour as firefighters battle blaze which left one man dead

Traffic on the A3 was gridlocked as drivers slowed down to see the aftermath of a fire

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/a3-delays-during-rush-hour-14342346

Snow in Surrey: New yellow warning for snow and ice as possible travel delays and power cuts expected

The so-called "Beast from the East" has brought below zero temperatures and snowy weather to Surrey

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-new-yellow-warning-14341963

£500k confiscated from drug gang leader who bought £1.5 million house, expensive watches and paid for £26,000 car in cash

Christopher Monaghan was jailed in 2015 for conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply drugs and three counts of money laundering

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/500k-confiscated-drug-gang-leader-14325469

Tolworth fire near the A3 leaves one man dead and five in hospital

Five people have been hospitalised suffering from smoke inhalation

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/tolworth-fire-near-a3-leaves-14342082

Snow in Surrey: How to keep your dogs and cats safe as 'Beast from the East' sweeps in

Cats Protection and the RSPCA both have advice on how to best protect your pets in the cold weather

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-how-keep-your-14336876

Snow in Surrey: Oxted schools shut after Beast from the East causes heavy snowfall overnight

The snow has most affected the eastern edges of Surrey

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-oxted-schools-shut-14341750

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Posted by Dr-Pete

Early search engines were built on an unspoken transaction — a pact between search engines and website owners — you give us your data, and we'll send you traffic. While Google changed the game of how search engines rank content, they honored the same pact in the beginning. Publishers, who owned their own content and traditionally were fueled by subscription revenue, operated differently. Over time, they built walls around their gardens to keep visitors in and, hopefully, keep them paying.

Over the past six years, Google has crossed this divide, building walls around their content and no longer linking out to the sources that content was originally built on. Is this the inevitable evolution of search, or has Google forgotten their pact with the people's whose backyards their garden was built on?

I don't think there's an easy answer to this question, but the evolution itself is undeniable. I'm going to take you through an exhaustive (yes, you may need a sandwich) journey of the ways that Google is building in-search experiences, from answer boxes to custom portals, and rerouting paths back to their own garden.

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I. The Knowledge Graph

In May of 2012, Google launched the Knowledge Graph. This was Google's first large-scale attempt at providing direct answers in search results, using structured data from trusted sources. One incarnation of the Knowledge Graph is Knowledge Panels, which return rich information about known entities. Here's part of one for actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (note: this image is truncated)...

The Knowledge Graph marked two very important shifts. First, Google created deep in-search experiences. As Knowledge Panels have evolved, searchers have access to rich information and answers without ever going to an external site. Second, Google started to aggressively link back to their own resources. It's easy to overlook those faded blue links, but here's the full Knowledge Panel with every link back to a Google property marked...

Including links to Google Images, that's 33 different links back to Google. These two changes — self-contained in-search experiences and aggressive internal linking — represent a radical shift in the nature of search engines, and that shift has continued and expanded over the past six years.

More recently, Google added a sharing icon (on the right, directly below the top images). This provides a custom link that allows people to directly share rich Google search results as content on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and by email. Google no longer views these pages as a path to a destination. Search results are the destination.

The Knowledge Graph also spawned Knowledge Cards, more broadly known as "answer boxes." Take any fact in the panel above and pose it as a question, and you're likely to get a Knowledge Card. For example, "How old is Chiwetel Ejiofor?" returns the following...

For many searchers, this will be the end of their journey. Google has answered their question and created a self-contained experience. Note that this example also contains links to additional Google searches.

In 2015, Google launched Medical Knowledge Panels. These gradually evolved into fully customized content experiences created with partners in the medical field. Here's one for "cardiac arrest" (truncated)...

Note the fully customized design (these images were created specifically for these panels), as well as the multi-tabbed experience. It is now possible to have a complete, customized content experience without ever leaving Google.

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II. Live Results

In some specialized cases, Google uses private data partnerships to create customized answer boxes. Google calls these "Live Results." You've probably seen them many times now on weather, sports and stock market searches. Here's one for "Seattle weather"...

For the casual information seeker, these are self-contained information experiences with most or all of what we care about. Live Results are somewhat unique in that, unlike the general knowledge in the Knowledge Graph, each partnership represents a disruption to an industry.

These partnerships have branched out over time into even more specialized results. Consider, for example, "Snoqualmie ski conditions"...

Sports results are incredibly disruptive, and Google has expanded and enriched these results quite a bit over the past couple of years. Here's one for "Super Bowl 2018"...

Note that clicking any portion of this Live Result leads to a customized portal on Google that can no longer be called a "search result" in any traditional sense (more on portals later). Special sporting events, such as the 2018 Winter Olympics, have even more rich features. Here are some custom carousels for "Olympic snowboarding results"...

Note that these are multi-column carousels that ultimately lead to dozens of smaller cards. All of these cards click to more Google search results. This design choice may look strange on desktop and marks another trend — Google's shift to mobile-first design. Here's the same set of results on a Google Pixel phone...

Here, the horizontal scrolling feels more intuitive, and the carousel is the full-width of the screen, instead of feeling like a free-floating design element. These features are not only rich experiences on mobile screens, but dominate mobile results much more than they do two-column desktop results.

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III. Carousels

Speaking of carousels, Google has been experimenting with a variety of horizontal result formats, and many of them are built around driving traffic back to Google searches and properties. One of the older styles of carousels is the list format, which runs across the top of desktop searches (above other results). Here's one for "Seattle Sounders roster"...

Each player links to a new search result with that player in a Knowledge Panel. This carousel expands to the width of the screen (which is unusual, since Google's core desktop design is fixed-width). On my 1920x1080 screen, you can see 14 players, each linking to a new Google search, and the option to scroll for more...

This type of list carousel covers a wide range of topics, from "cat breeds" to "types of cheese." Here's an interesting one for "best movies of 1984." The image is truncated, but the full result includes drop-downs to select movie genres and other years...

Once again, each result links to a new search with a Knowledge Panel dedicated to that movie. Another style of carousel is the multi-row horizontal scroller, like this one for "songs by Nirvana"...

In this case, not only does each entry click to a new search result, but many of them have prominent featured videos at the top of the left column (more on that later). My screen shows at least partial information for 24 songs, all representing in-Google links above the traditional search results...

A search for "laptops" (a very competitive, commercial term, unlike the informational searches above) has a number of interesting features. At the bottom of the search is this "Refine by brand" carousel...

Clicking on one of these results leads to a new search with the brand name prepended (e.g. "Apple laptops"). The same search shows this "Best of" carousel...

The smaller "Mentioned in:" links go to articles from the listed publishers. The main, product links go to a Google search result with a product panel. Here's what I see when I click on "Dell XPS 13 9350" (image is truncated)...

This entity live in the right-hand column and looks like a Knowledge Panel, but is commercial in nature (notice the "Sponsored" label in the upper right). Here, Google is driving searchers directly into a paid/advertising channel.

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IV. Answers & Questions

As Google realized that the Knowledge Graph would never scale at the pace of the wider web, they started to extract answers directly from their index (i.e. all of the content in the world, or at least most of it). This led to what they call "Featured Snippets", a special kind of answer box. Here's one for "Can hamsters eat cheese?" (yes, I have a lot of cheese-related questions)...

Featured Snippets are an interesting hybrid. On the one hand, they're an in-search experience (in this case, my basic question has been answered before I've even left Google). On the other hand, they do link out to the source site and are a form of organic search result.

Featured Snippets also power answers on Google Assistant and Google Home. If I ask Google Home the same question about hamsters, I hear the following:

On the website TheHamsterHouse.com, they say "Yes, hamsters can eat cheese! Cheese should not be a significant part of your hamster's diet and you should not feed cheese to your hamster too often. However, feeding cheese to your hamster as a treat, perhaps once per week in small quantities, should be fine."

You'll see the answer is identical to the Featured Snippet shown above. Note the attribution (which I've bolded) — a voice search can't link back to the source, posing unique challenges. Google does attempt to provide attribution on Google Home, but as they use answers extracted from the web more broadly, we may see the way original sources are credited change depending on the use case and device.

This broader answer engine powers another type of result, called "Related Questions" or the "People Also Ask" box. Here's one on that same search...

These questions are at least partially machine-generated, which is why the grammar can read a little oddly — that's a fascinating topic for another time. If you click on "What can hamsters eat list?" you get what looks a lot like a Featured Snippet (and links to an outside source)...

Notice two other things that are going on here. First, Google has included a link to search results for the question you clicked on (see the purple arrow). Second, the list has expanded. The two questions at the end are new. Let's click "What do hamsters like to do for fun?" (because how can I resist?)...

This opens up a second answer, a second link to a new Google search, and two more answers. You can continue this to your heart's content. What's especially interesting is that this isn't just some static list that expands as you click on it. The new questions are generated based on your interactions, as Google tries to understand your intent and shape your journey around it.

My colleague, Britney Muller, has done some excellent research on the subject and has taken to calling these infinite PAAs. They're probably not quite infinite — eventually, the sun will explode and consume the Earth. Until then, they do represent a massively recursive in-Google experience.

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V. Videos & Movies

One particularly interesting type of Featured Snippet is the Featured Video result. Search for "umbrella" and you should see a panel like this in the top-left column (truncated):

This is a unique hybrid — it has Knowledge Panel features (that link back to Google results), but it also has an organic-style link and large video thumbnail. While it appears organic, all of the Featured Videos we've seen in the wild have come from YouTube (Vevo is a YouTube partner), which essentially means this is an in-Google experience. These Featured Videos consume a lot of screen real-estate and appear even on commercial terms, like Rihanna's "umbrella" (shown here) or Kendrick Lamar's "swimming pools".

Movie searches yield a rich array of features, from Live Results for local showtimes to rich Knowledge Panels. Last year, Google completely redesigned their mobile experience for movie results, creating a deep in-search experience. Here's a mobile panel for "Black Panther"...

Notice the tabs below the title. You can navigate within this panel to a wealth of information, including cast members and photos. Clicking on any cast member goes to a new search about that actor/actress.

Although the search results eventually continue below this panel, the experience is rich, self-contained, and incredibly disruptive to high-ranking powerhouses in this space, including IMDB. You can even view trailers from the panel...

On my phone, Google displayed 10 videos (at roughly two per screen), and nine of those were links to YouTube. Given YouTube's dominance, it's difficult to say if Google is purposely favoring their own properties, but the end result is the same — even seemingly "external" clicks are often still Google-owned clicks.

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VI. Local Results

A similar evolution has been happening in local results. Take the local 3-pack — here's one on a search for "Seattle movie theaters"...

Originally, the individual business links went directly to each of those business's websites. As of the past year or two, these instead go to local panels on Google Maps, like this one...

On mobile, these local panels stand out even more, with prominent photos, tabbed navigation and easy access to click-to-call and directions.

In certain industries, local packs have additional options to run a search within a search. Here's a pack for Chicago taco restaurants, where you can filter results (from the broader set of Google Maps results) by rating, price, or hours...

Once again, we have a fully embedded search experience. I don't usually vouch for any of the businesses in my screenshots, but I just had the pork belly al pastor at Broken English Taco Pub and it was amazing (this is my personal opinion and in no way reflects the taco preferences of Moz, its employees, or its lawyers).

The hospitality industry has been similarly affected. Search for an individual hotel, like "Kimpton Alexis Seattle" (one of my usual haunts when visiting the home office), and you'll get a local panel like the one below. Pardon the long image, but I wanted you to have the full effect...

This is an incredible blend of local business result, informational panel, and commercial result, allowing you direct access to booking information. It's not just organic local results that have changed, though. Recently, Google started offering ads in local packs, primarily on mobile results. Here's one for "tax attorneys"...

Unlike traditional AdWords ads, these results don't go directly to the advertiser's website. Instead, like standard pack results, they go to a Google local panel. Here's what the mobile version looks like...

In addition, Google has launched specialized ads for local service providers, such as plumbers and electricians. These appear carousel-style on desktop, such as this one for "plumbers in Seattle"...

Unlike AdWords advertisers, local service providers buy into a specialized program and these local service ads click to a fully customized Google sub-site, which brings us to the next topic — portals.

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VII. Custom Portals

Some Google experiences have become so customized that they operate as stand-alone portals. If you click on a local service ad, you get a Google-owned portal that allows you to view the provider, check to see if they can handle your particular problem in your zip code, and (if not) view other, relevant providers...

You've completely left the search result at this point, and can continue your experience fully within this Google property. These local service ads have now expanded to more than 30 US cities.

In 2016, Google launched their own travel guides. Run a search like "things to do in Seattle" and you'll see a carousel-style result like this one...

Click on "Seattle travel guide" and you'll be taken to a customized travel portal for the city of Seattle. The screen below is a desktop result — note the increasing similarity to rich mobile experiences.

Once again, you've been taken to a complete Google experience outside of search results.

Last year, Google jumped into the job-hunting game, launching a 3-pack of job listings covering all major players in this space, like this one for "marketing jobs in Seattle"...

Click on any job listing, and you'll be taken to a separate Google jobs portal. Let's try Facebook...

From here, you can view other listings, refine your search, and even save jobs and set up alerts. Once again, you've jumped from a specialized Google result to a completely Google-controlled experience.

Like hotels, Google has dabbled in flight data and search for years. If I search for "flights to Seattle," Google will automatically note my current location and offer me a search interface and a few choices...

Click on one of these choices and you're taken to a completely redesigned Google Flights portal...

Once again, you can continue your journey completely within this Google-owned portal, never returning back to your original search. This is a trend we can expect to continue for the foreseeable future.

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VIII. Hard Questions

If I've bludgeoned you with examples, then I apologize, but I want to make it perfectly clear that this is not a case of one or two isolated incidents. Google is systematically driving more clicks from search to new searches, in-search experiences, and other Google owned properties. This leads to a few hard questions...

Why is Google doing this?

Right about now, you're rushing to the comments section to type "For the money!" along with a bunch of other words that may include variations of my name, "sheeple," and "dumb-ass." Yes, Google is a for-profit company that is motivated in part by making money. Moz is a for-profit company that is motivated in part by making money. Stating the obvious isn't insight.

In some cases, the revenue motivation is clear. Suggesting the best laptops to searchers and linking those to shopping opportunities drives direct dollars. In traditional walled gardens, publishers are trying to produce more page-views, driving more ad impressions. Is Google driving us to more searches, in-search experiences, and portals to drive more ad clicks?

The answer isn't entirely clear. Knowledge Graph links, for example, usually go to informational searches with few or no ads. Rich experiences like Medical Knowledge Panels and movie results on mobile have no ads at all. Some portals have direct revenues (local service providers have to pay for inclusion), but others, like travel guides, have no apparent revenue model (at least for now).

Google is competing directly with Facebook for hours in our day — while Google has massive traffic and ad revenue, people on average spend much more time on Facebook. Could Google be trying to drive up their time-on-site metrics? Possibly, but it's unclear what this accomplishes beyond being a vanity metric to make investors feel good.

Looking to the long game, keeping us on Google and within Google properties does open up the opportunity for additional advertising and new revenue streams. Maybe Google simply realizes that letting us go so easily off to other destinations is leaving future money on the table.

Is this good for users?

I think the most objective answer I can give is — it depends. As a daily search user, I've found many of these developments useful, especially on mobile. If I can get an answer at a glance or in an in-search entity, such as a Live Result for weather or sports, or the phone number and address of a local restaurant, it saves me time and the trouble of being familiar with the user interface of thousands of different websites. On the other hand, if I feel that I'm being run in circles through search after search or am being given fewer and fewer choices, that can feel manipulative and frustrating.

Is this fair to marketers?

Let's be brutally honest — it doesn't matter. Google has no obligation to us as marketers. Sites don't deserve to rank and get traffic simply because we've spent time and effort or think we know all the tricks. I believe our relationship with Google can be symbiotic, but that's a delicate balance and always in flux.

In some cases, I do think we have to take a deep breath and think about what's good for our customers. As a marketer, local packs linking directly to in-Google properties is alarming — we measure our success based on traffic. However, these local panels are well-designed, consistent, and have easy access to vital information like business addresses, phone numbers, and hours. If these properties drive phone calls and foot traffic, should we discount their value simply because it's harder to measure?

Is this fair to businesses?

This is a more interesting question. I believe that, like other search engines before it, Google made an unwritten pact with website owners — in exchange for our information and the privilege to monetize that information, Google would send us traffic. This is not altruism on Google's part. The vast majority of Google's $95B in 2017 advertising revenue came from search advertising, and that advertising would have no audience without organic search results. Those results come from the collective content of the web.

As Google replaces that content and sends more clicks back to themselves, I do believe that the fundamental pact that Google's success was built on is gradually being broken. Google's garden was built on our collective property, and it does feel like we're slowly being herded out of our own backyards.

We also have to consider the deeper question of content ownership. If Google chooses to pursue private data partnerships — such as with Live Results or the original Knowledge Graph — then they own that data, or at least are leasing it fairly. It may seem unfair that they're displacing us, but they have the right to do so.

Much of the Knowledge Graph is built on human-curated sources such as Wikidata (i.e. Wikipedia). While Google undoubtedly has an ironclad agreement with Wikipedia, what about the people who originally contributed and edited that content? Would they have done so knowing their content could ultimately displace other content creators (including possibly their own websites) in Google results? Are those contributors willing participants in this experiment? The question of ownership isn't as easy as it seems.

If Google extracts the data we provide as part of the pact, such as with Featured Snippets and People Also Ask results, and begins to wall off those portions of the garden, then we have every right to protest. Even the concept of a partnership isn't always black-and-white. Some job listing providers I've spoken with privately felt pressured to enter Google's new jobs portal (out of fear of cutting off the paths to their own gardens), but they weren't happy to see the new walls built.

Google is also trying to survive. Search has to evolve, and it has to answer questions and fit a rapidly changing world of device formats, from desktop to mobile to voice. I think the time has come, though, for Google to stop and think about the pact that built their nearly hundred-billion-dollar ad empire.

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

from The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/8401777

Surrey street lights switch-off: Campaigners continue to fight for illumination as concerns mount over increased crime levels

Increases in crime "do not show a statistically significant link to changes in street lighting", said Police and Crime Commissioner David Munro

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-street-lights-switch-off-14337425

Leith Hill oil protests come to Guildford Cathedral with late-night 'guerrilla projection'

The projection was part of a long-running campaign against oil drilling near Dorking

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/leith-hill-oil-protests-come-14336871

Blackwater shooting: Officers spotted smashing through ice during Darby Green pond search

The teenager was found suffering serious injuries by Hampshire Constabulary on Saturday February 10 following a shooting

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/hampshire-news/blackwater-shooting-officers-spotted-smashing-14340954

Travellers in Surrey: Groups of caravans seen in Walton, Ottershaw, Old Woking and Pyrford in recent weeks

Groups of caravans have been spotted at a Walton school, a Grade-II listed building, a car park and former car showroom in recent weeks

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/travellers-surrey-groups-caravans-seen-14328656

Redhill station delays: These are your rights if you missed your flight due to the disruption

Holiday goers will fear they are set to face more disruption with work scheduled to continue over the next three Sundays

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/redhill-station-delays-your-rights-14340932

Redhill Sainsbury's: Second window falls out and smashes on the ground 'narrowly missing a woman'

It is a second time in five days that a window has come loose from the building in London Road

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/redhill-sainsburys-second-window-falls-14340252

Snow in Surrey: Brace yourself for potentially blustery blizzards and freezing rain as weather warning takes 'hazardous' turn

Meteorologist Aidan McGivern didn't beat around the bush when he presented this week's snow warning

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/snow-surrey-brace-yourself-potentially-14340124

Redhill Station chaos: Kind-hearted residents and councillors offered free lifts stranded passengers to prevent them missing their flights

Some commuters were in danger of missing their flights due to the travel delays at Redhill

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/redhill-station-chaos-kind-hearted-14339668

Driver admits causing death of three teenage boys including ex-Farnborough FC Academy player

Former Farnborough FC Academy player Harry Louis Rice was carried on the bonnet of a car which crashed into a cemetery wall, the Old Bailey heard

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/driver-admits-causing-death-three-14339739

Toys R Us stores in Woking and Staines could be at risk as toy store giant set 'to go into administration'

Poor Christmas trading has been compounded by a £15m VAT bill

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/toys-r-stores-woking-staines-14338862

Surrey weather forecast: Now Storm Emma from Portugal could bring blizzards, strong winds and snow

Turns out the so-called Beast from the East is not the only weather front we should concern ourselves with

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-weather-forecast-now-storm-14339477

Dorking Road in Tadworth fully reopened after burst water main is repaired

Engineers closed part of the road near to the Tadworth Roundabout

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/dorking-road-tadworth-fully-reopened-14325890

Can you go home if your workplace is too cold? This and other questions answered as weather forecast says snow is coming to Surrey

Did you know your employer can't make you take a journey that's not safe? We explain what your rights are as snow heads to Surrey

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/can-you-go-home-your-14329054

SEO basics: Elements of the Google Search Engine Results Page

Pretty pictures of snow in Surrey capture sprinkling of the white stuff as 'Beast from the East' arrives

These were the best pictures taken by Get Surrey readers on Monday morning after a fresh dusting of snow arrived

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/pretty-pictures-snow-surrey-capture-14338774

Snow in Surrey: 'Leave work early and go home,' says Southern Rail as services could be disrupted

Passengers are "strongly advised" to "complete your journeys early"

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-leave-work-early-14339650

Hour-by-hour weather forecast for Surrey as 'Beast from the East' set to bring snow to the county

Weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for Surrey as snow threatens to cause travel delays

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/hour-hour-weather-forecast-surrey-14339150

Snow in Surrey: This is where the roads will be gritted overnight

Gritters will be out on Monday night (February 26) and Tuesday morning (February 27) to keep the county moving

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-roads-gritted-overnight-14339290

Handley Page Herald aircraft: Take a video tour inside a piece of aviation history at Gatwick which has seen better days

The UK Heritage Aviation Trust is crowdfunding to restore the aircraft which one sat atop the South Terminal

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/handley-page-herald-aircraft-take-14268715

These are all the weather warnings in place for snow in Surrey this week

Here's all you need to know about the weather warnings in place for Surrey as the 'Beast from the East' arrives in the UK

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/weather-warnings-place-snow-surrey-14337922

Mick Paull funeral: Hundreds pay their respects to 'hero' fire station watch manager

Mick Paull spent 44 years serving the community and his memory will live on forever in an online book of condolence

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/hampshire-news/mick-paull-funeral-hundreds-pay-14329400

Snow in Surrey: Box Hill's Zig Zag Road has been closed due to icy conditions

Don't worry, you can still get to it from the village side and the café remains open

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-box-hills-zig-14338468

Snow in Surrey: This simple mistake could lead to you breaking the law when driving in the snow

Even just a two-minute trip to the shops could result in a £60 fine, three points on your licence and possibly invalidate your insurance

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/snow-surrey-simple-mistake-could-14331118

Epsom 'brothel' investigation: Man acquitted of using High Street premises for sex work

Prosecution offered no evidence against Borys Bobinski, 36, at a hearing on February 15

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/epsom-brothel-investigation-man-acquitted-14337051

When it snows in Surrey, this is how and when decisions are made to grit the roads

As the gritters come out in force, here's what you need to know about which roads are salted, when the decision is made and how that can affect you

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snows-surrey-how-decisions-made-14330650

Man charged with sexually assaulting woman after alleged incident in alleyway

The suspect is also accused of another offence in relation to a separate incident in the same alley last December

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-charged-sexually-assaulting-woman-14330050

'He was lying on his bed covered in blood and crying': Deepcut sergeant describes Sean Benton behaviour at barracks as inquest continues

The sergeant described finding Pte Benton "on his bed, crying and covered in blood" four months before the young soldier died at the barracks

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/he-lying-bed-covered-blood-14330958

What to tell your boss if your child's school is closed due to snow

We've got all of the facts you need to know about parental leave as snow hits Surrey and London

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/what-tell-your-boss-your-14328040

14 essential things to have in your car when it snows

Driving in the snow can be daunting for you, bad for your car and an all round stressful experience          

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/14-essential-things-your-car-14328092

Your rights and the law if you're working in cold temperatures

Working in cold temperatures? Here are your rights, the law and how to claim compensation if you've been mistreated

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/your-rights-law-youre-working-14329087

A3 Milford incident: Motorcyclist in 'serious condition' after unexplained crash

The motorcyclist was taken to hospital by air ambulance having been found seriously injured

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/a3-milford-incident-motorcyclist-serious-14336612

Everything you need to know before driving on ice and snow as 'Beast from the East' arrives

These are the top winter driving tips everyone should read before heading out on Monday morning (February 26)

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/everything-you-need-know-before-14336675

MozCon 2018: Making the Case for the Conference (& All the Snacks!)

Posted by Danielle_Launders

You’ve got that conference looming on the horizon. You want to go — you’ve spent the past few years desperately following hashtags on Twitter, memorizing catchy quotes, zooming in on grainy snapshots of a deck, and furiously downloading anything and everything you can scour from Slideshare.

But there’s a problem: conferences cost money, and your boss won’t even approve a Keurig in the communal kitchen, much less a ticket to a three-day-long learning sesh complete with its own travel and lodging expenses.

What’s an education-hungry digital marketer to do?

How do you convince your boss to send you to the conference of your dreams?

First of all, you gather evidence to make your case.

There are a plethora of excellent reasons why attending conferences is good for your career (and your bottom line). In digital marketing, we exist in the ever-changing tech space, hurtling toward the future at breakneck speed and often missing the details of the scenery along the way.

A good SEO conference will keep you both on the edge of your seat and on the cutting-edge of what’s new and noteworthy in our industry, highlighting some of the most important and impactful things your work depends on.

A good SEO conference will flip a switch for you, will trigger that lightbulb moment that empowers you and levels you up as both a marketer and a critical thinker.

If that doesn’t paint a beautiful enough picture to convince the folks that hold the credit card, though, there are also some great statistics and resources available:

• HubSpot's statistics showing the value of meeting face-to-face and networking
• Rand's excellent deep-dive into the reasons for and against attending marketing conferences
• The ROI of investing in employee education

Specifically, we're talking about MozCon

Yes, that MozCon!

Let’s just take a moment to address the elephant in the room here: you all know why we wrote this post. We want to see your smiling face in the audience at MozCon this July (the 9th–11th, if you were wondering). There are a few specific benefits worth mentioning:

• Speakers and content: Our speakers bring their A-game each year. We work with them to bring the best content and latest trends to the stage to help set you up for a year of success.
• Videos to share with your team: About a month or so after the conference, we’ll send you a link to professionally edited videos of every presentation at the conference. Your colleagues won’t get to partake in the morning Top Pot doughnuts or Starbucks coffee, but they will get a chance to learn everything you did, for free.
• Great food onsite: We understand that conference food isn’t typically worth mentioning, but at MozCon you can expect snacks from local Seattle vendors - in the past this includes Trophy cupcakes, KuKuRuZa popcorn, Starbucks’ Seattle Reserve cold brew, and did we mention bacon at breakfast? Let’s not forget the bacon.
• Swag: Expect to go home with a one-of-a-kind Roger Mozbot, a super-soft t-shirt from American Apparel, and swag worth keeping. We’ve given away Roger Legos, Moleskine notebooks, phone chargers, and have even had vending machines with additional swag in case you didn’t get enough.
• Networking: You work hard taking notes, learning new insights, and digesting all of that knowledge — that’s why we think you deserve a little fun in the evenings to chat with fellow attendees. Each night after the conference, we'll offer a different networking event that adds to the value you'll get from your day of education.
• A supportive network after the fact: Our MozCon Facebook group is incredibly active, and it’s grown to have a life of its own — marketers ask one another SEO questions, post jobs, look for and offer advice and empathy, and more. It’s a great place to find TAGFEE support and camaraderie long after the conference itself has ended.
• Discounts for subscribers and groups: Moz Pro subscribers get a whopping $500 off their ticket cost (even if you're on a free 30-day trial!) and there are discounts for groups as well, so make sure to take advantage of savings where you can!
• Ticket cost: At MozCon our goal is to break even, which means we invest all of your ticket price back into you. Check out the full breakdown below:

Can you tell we're serious about the snacks?

You can check out videos from years past to get a taste for the caliber of our speakers. We’ll also be putting out a call for community speaker pitches in April, so if you’ve been thinking about breaking into the speaking circuit, it could be an amazing opportunity — keep an eye on the blog for your chance to submit a pitch.

If you’ve ever seriously considered attending an SEO conference like MozCon, now’s the time to do it. You’ll save actual hundreds of dollars by grabbing subscriber or group pricing while you can (think of all the Keurigs you could get for that communal kitchen!), and you'll be bound for an unforgettable experience that lives and grows with you beyond just the three days you spend in Seattle.

Grab your ticket to MozCon!

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

from The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/8390868

More than 250 homes, care home and offices mooted for former Ministry of Defence site

Plans for a 900-pupil private secondary school at the Broadoaks site fell through at the end of 2017 due to "financial pressures"

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/more-250-homes-care-home-14324654

'Prisoners get treated better than us': More than 100 soldiers living with no hot water or heating at Keogh Barracks

A £1.5m upgrade to the heating system is expected in 2019, but it's been acknowledged the Ministry of Defence "needs extra funds"

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/prisoners-treated-better-us-more-14323870

Woman who repeatedly dialled 999 and asked police to 'sit down and watch TV with her' admits making nuisance calls

Guildford Magistrates' Court heard Julie Taylor made 32 calls to 999 and 111 as a "cry for help"

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woman-who-repeatedly-dialled-999-14329666

See the absolute carnage replacement bus services are causing at Redhill station

Hundreds of passengers trying to travel to Gatwick Airport are being heavily delayed

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/see-absolute-carnage-replacement-bus-14335757

TfL ready to tackle 'Beast from the East' with gritters and salt to avoid London transport standstill

Measures have been taken to keep London train networks and roads running through the snow and freezing temperatures

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/tfl-ready-tackle-beast-east-14335050

Snow in Surrey: MET Office issues amber warning of snow

Snow warnings have been issued for Surrey as freezing air from Russia causes temperatures to plummet

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/snow-surrey-met-office-issues-14335019

Surrey set to wake up to snow on Monday morning

Snow is expected to reach Surrey in the early hours of Monday (February 26)

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/surrey-set-wake-up-snow-14334610

Foxoak Hill crash: Road by Seven Hills Garden Centre closed following collision

Foxoak Hill was partially closed following a collision on Sunday morning (February 25)

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/foxoak-hill-crash-road-seven-14334519

iPhones could stop working when 'Beast from the East' hits Surrey

Bitterly cold weather can affect your smartphone battery

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/iphones-could-stop-working-beast-14334040

Snow in Surrey: Snow could last for FIVE days with HEAVY snow on Thursday

The latest five day forecast shows snow could fall throughout the week

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/snow-surrey-snow-could-last-14334241

Chaldon home that comes with a two bedroom apartment above the garage goes on sale for £1,250,000

It was built for the 1920 Earls Court Ideal Home Exhibition

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/property-news/chaldon-home-comes-two-bedroom-14312965

Kestrel Hydro Naturist Spa: A timeline of the Stanwell 'sex dungeon' controversy

The spa shut down earlier this month after a battle with the local council lasting several years

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/kestrel-hydro-naturist-spa-timeline-14314955

Five day weather forecast for Surrey: This is WHEN we can expect snow

Get ready for freezing temperatures, snow and plenty of sunshine in Surrey

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/five-day-weather-forecast-surrey-14332524

Snow set to hit Surrey on Monday - and it could last until Wednesday night

We could be getting snow in Surrey all the way from Monday afternoon through to Wednesday night

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/snow-set-hit-surrey-monday-14332558

How much more you'll have to pay for your TV licence from April 1

TV licence fees will continue to rise in the future         

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/how-much-more-youll-pay-14329592

British Kebab Awards: See which Surrey takeaway made the shortlist

You can vote for the takeaway to win the award now

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/british-kebab-awards-see-surrey-14323208

Sheerwater man jailed after breaking into family home and crashing their car

He was man sentenced for burglary and other offences after crashing the stolen car

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/sheerwater-man-jailed-after-breaking-14331983

Snow in Surrey: Health warning issued as freezing cold weather sweeps the country

Young children and elderly people are particularly at risk in cold weather, according to Public Health England

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-health-warning-issued-14331801

Surrey could get as cold as the Swiss Alps as 'Beast from the East' engulfs the county

Get the hot chocolate warming on the stove, the sledges out of the garage and dig out your best neon ski suit - because Surrey is set to be as chilly as a Swiss piste

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/weather/surrey-could-cold-swiss-alps-14328695

Delays and cancellations as train strikes tree near Upper Warlingham

The tree fell on the tracks at around 6.40am on Saturday (February 24) between Upper Warlingham and Woldingham.

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/delays-cancellations-train-strikes-tree-14331694

Snow in Surrey: Gritters return to roads as Surrey prepares for 'Beast from the East'

Weather forecasters are predicting an extended period of cold weather

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-gritters-return-roads-14330729

'I was just really happy to help': Meet the hero street cleaner who may have saved someone's life

"His heart was really pounding but I managed to get him out and he calmed down," Paul Lawrenson said

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/i-just-really-happy-help-14315769

Snow in Surrey: Met Office predicting cold weather could last into the spring

Don't ditch those winter coats and hats too soon

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-met-office-predicting-14329835

Snow in Surrey: 'Nowhere will be immune from disruptive snow' Met Office warns as UK braces for harsh cold snap

The Beast from the East will arrive in Surrey on Sunday night, it is forecast

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-nowhere-immune-disruptive-14329446

Blackwater shooting: Two further arrests after 17-year-old found with serious injuries

The teenager was found suffering serious injuries by Hampshire Constabulary on Saturday February 10 following a shooting

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/hampshire-news/blackwater-shooting-two-further-arrests-14328959

What is measles? How does it spread? And how can you avoid getting it?

Everything you need to know about measles following an ongoing outbreak in Surrey this winter

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/health/what-measles-how-spread-how-14327876

Surrey Police inspector was having sex at Guildford headquarters when he should have been co-ordinating the control room

Andrew Grand will never be able to work in policing again but he will still pick up a £40k pension

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-police-inspector-having-sex-14326487

Mary Gwanyama search: 'Vulnerable' missing Walton woman last seen before doctor's appointment

Ms Gwanyama, 44, was last seen before a doctor's appointment on Friday morning (February 23)

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/mary-gwanyama-search-vulnerable-missing-14328817

Man interviewed by Surrey Police over allegations of historic sex offences

The man was interviewed by Surrey Police as part of Operation Ravine on Wednesday (February 21)

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/man-interviewed-surrey-police-over-14321099

Ask Yoast: Order of categories and subcategories in URLs

Snow in Surrey: 10 of the best places to go sledging or see beautiful winter scenes

Leave the slush and patchy frost of the towns, villages and valleys below and head to the hills for a wintry wonderland

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/snow-surrey-10-best-places-14256422

Morrisons is launching unicorn and rainbow drip cakes - and they look pretty impressive

Morrisons has launched unicorn and rainbow Madeira cakes for just £10 each

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/morrisons-launching-unicorn-rainbow-drip-14327785

Pug Café rules and regulations, including whether you actually have to own a dog

Everything you need to know about the famous pop-up pug events

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/pug-caf-rules-regulations-including-14324321

The Surrey town that doesn't have a problem with breastfeeding

If you fancy a shopping trip in Surrey but also have a baby to care for, this is the place to go

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/surrey-town-doesnt-problem-breastfeeding-14327696

Snow in Surrey: Met Office warns of possible travel disruption and power cuts in fresh yellow warning of snow across south east England

Temperatures are falling as the so-called "Beast from the East" weather front heads our way from Russia

from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/snow-surrey-met-office-warns-14327669

Hit and run driver fails to clear his name after trying to argue that he shouldn't have been convicted

Bernard Matthews said the jury should not have been told he had cocaine in his system when he killed Martin Standen-Grant

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How (and Whether) to Invest in and Structure Online Communities - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

Building an online community sounds like an attractive idea on paper. A group of enthusiastic, engaged users working on their own to boost your brand? What's the hitch?

Well, building a thriving online community takes a great deal of effort, often with little return for a very long time. And there are other considerations: do you build your own platform, participate in an existing community, or a little of both? What are the benefits from a brand, SEO, and content marketing perspective? In this edition of Whiteboard Friday, Rand answers all your questions about building yourself an online community, including whether it's an investment worth your time.

Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week, we're chatting about how and whether to invest in and structure online communities.

I want to say a thank you to @DaveCraige on Twitter. Dave, thank you very much for the question, an excellent one. I think this is something that a lot of content marketers, web marketers, community builders think about is, "Should I be making an investment in building my own community? Should I leverage someone's existing community? How can I do that and benefit from an SEO perspective and a content marketing and a brand awareness perspective?" So we'll try and tackle some of those questions today on Whiteboard Friday.

Strategy first!

First off, before you go and invest anywhere or build anything, I urge you to think strategy first, meaning your business has goals. You have things that you want to accomplish. Maybe those are revenue growth or conversions. Maybe they have to do with entering a new sphere of influence or pursuing a new topic. Maybe you're trying to launch a new product. Maybe you're trying to pivot the business or disrupt yourself, change with technology.

Whatever those business goals are, they should lead you to marketing goals, the things that marketing can help to accomplish in those business goals. From that should fall out a bunch of tactics and initiatives. It's only down here, in your marketing goals and tactical initiatives, that if online communities match up with those and serve your broader business goals, that you should actually make the investment. If not or if they fall below the line of, "Well, we can do three things that we think this year and do them well and this is thing number 4 or number 5 or number 10," it doesn't make the cut.

Online communities fit here if...

1. A passionate group of investment-worthy size exists in your topic.

So if, for example, you are targeting a new niche. I think Dave himself is in cryptocurrency. There's definitely a passionate group of people in that sphere, and it is probably of investment-worthy size. More recently, that investment has been a little rocky, but certainly a large size group, and if you are targeting that group, a community could be worthwhile. So we have passion. We have a group. They are of sizable investment.

2. You/your brand/your platform can provide unique value via a community that's superior to what's available elsewhere.

Second, you or your brand or your platform can provide not just value but unique value, unique value different from what other people are offering via a community superior to what's available elsewhere. Dave might himself say, "Well, there's a bunch of communities around crypto, but I believe that I can create X, which will be unique in ways Y and Z and will be preferable for these types of participants in this way." Maybe that's because it enables sharing in certain ways. Maybe it enables transparency of certain kinds. Maybe it's because it has no vested interest or ties to particular currencies or particular companies, whatever the case may be.

3. You're willing to invest for years with little return to build something of great long-term value.

And last but not least, you're willing to invest potentially for years, literally years without return or with very little return to build something of great long-term value. I think this is the toughest one. But communities are most similar in attribute to content marketing, where you're going to put in a ton of upfront effort and a lot of ongoing effort before you're going to see that return. Most of the time, most communities fail because the people behind them were not willing to make the investments to build them up, or they made other types of mistakes. We'll talk about that in a second.

Two options: Build your own platform, or participate in an existing community

You have two options here. First, you can build your own platform. Second, you can participate in an existing community. My advice on this is never do number one without first spending a bunch of time in number two.

So if you are unfamiliar with the community platforms that already exist in interior decorating or in furniture design or in cryptocurrency or in machining tools or in men's fashion, first participate in the communities that already exist in the space you're targeting so that you are very familiar with the players, the platforms, the options, and opportunities. Otherwise, you will never know whether it's an investment-worthy size, a passionate group. You'll never know how or whether you can provide unique value. It's just going to be too tough to get those things down. So always invest in the existing communities before you do the other one.

1. Build your own platform

Potential structures

Let's talk quickly about building your own platform, and then we'll talk about investing in others. If you're deciding that what matches your goals best and your strategy best is to build your own platform, there are numerous opportunities. You can do it sort of halfway, where you build on someone else's existing platform, for example creating your own subreddit or your own Facebook or LinkedIn group, which essentially uses another community's platform, but you're the owner and administrator of that community.

Or you can actually build your own forum or discussion board, your own blog and comments section, your own Q&A board, your own content leaderboard, like Hacker News or like Dharmesh and I did with Inbound.org, where we essentially built a Reddit or Hacker News-like clone for marketers.

Those investments are going to be much more severe than a Facebook group or a Twitter hashtag, a Twitter chat or a LinkedIn group, or those kinds of things, but you want to compare the benefits and drawbacks. In each, there are some of each.

Benefits & drawbacks

So forums and discussions, those are going to have user-generated content, which is a beautiful thing because it scales non-linearly with your investment. So if you build up a community of people who are on an ongoing basis creating topics and answering those topics and talking about those things in either a Q&A board or a forum discussion or a content leaderboard, what's great is you get that benefit, that SEO benefit of having a bunch of longtail, hopefully high-quality content and discussion you're going to need to do.

Mostly, what you're going to worry about is drawbacks like the graveyard effect, where the community appears empty and so no one participates and maybe it drags down Google's perception of your site because you have a bunch of low quality or thin pages, or people leave a bunch of spam in there or they become communities filled with hate groups, and the internet can devolve very quickly, as you can see from a lot of online communities.

Whatever you're doing, blog and comments, you get SEO benefits, you get thought leadership benefits, but it requires regular content investments. You don't get the UGC benefit quite like you would with a forum or a discussion. With Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups, Twitter hashtags, it's easy to build, but there's no SEO benefit, usually very little to none.

With a Q&A board, you do get UGC and SEO. You still have those same moderation and graveyard risks.

With content leaderboards, they're very difficult to maintain, Inbound.org being a good example, where Dharmesh and I figured, "Hey, we can get this thing up and rolling," and then it turns out no, we need to hire people and maintain it and put in a bunch of effort and energy. But it can become a bookmarkable destination, which means you get repeat traffic over and over.

Whatever you're choosing, make sure you list out these benefits and then align these with the strategy, the marketing goal, the tactics and initiatives that flow from those. That's going to help determine how you should structure, whether you should structure your own community.

2. Participate in existing communities

Size/reach

The other option is participating in existing ones, places like Quora, subreddits, Twitter, LinkedIn groups, existing forums. Same thing, you're going to take these. Well, we can participate on an existing forum, and we can see that the size and reach is on average about nine responses per thread, about three threads per day, three new threads per day.

Benefits & drawbacks

The benefit is that it can build up our thought leadership and our recognition among this group of influential people in our field. The drawback is it builds our competitor's content, because this forum is going to be ranking for all those things. They own the platform. It's not our owned platform. Then we align that with our goals and initiatives.

Four bits of advice

1. If you build, build for SEO + owned channels. Don't create on someone else's platform.

So I'm not going to dive through all of these, but I do want to end on some bits of advice. So I mentioned already make sure you invest in other people's communities before you build your own. I would also add to that if you're going to build something, if you're going to build your own, I would generally rule these things out — LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups, Twitter hashtag groups. Why? Because those other platforms control them, and then they can change them at any time and your reach can change on those platforms. I would urge you to build for SEO and for an owned media channel.

2. Start with a platform that doesn't lose credibility when empty (e.g. blog > forum).

Second, I'd start with a platform that doesn't lose credibility when it's empty. That is to say if you know you want to build a forum or a content leaderboard or a Q&A board, make it something where you know that you and your existing team can do all the work to create a non-graveyard-like environment initially. That could mean limiting it to only a few sections in a forum, or all the Q&A goes in one place as opposed to there are many subforums that have zero threads and zero comments and zero replies, or every single thing that's posted, we know that at least two of us internally will respond to them, that type of stuff.

3. Don't use a subdomain or separate domain.

Third, if you can, avoid using a subdomain and definitely don't use a separate domain. Subdomains inherit some of the ranking ability and benefits of the primary domain they're on. Separate domains tend to inherit almost none.

4. Before you build, gather a willing, excited crew via an email group who will be your first active members.

Last, but not least, before you build, gather a willing, excited group of people, your crew, hopefully via an email group — this has served me extremely well — who will be those first active members.

So if you're building something in the crypto space, as maybe Dave is considering, I might say to him, hey, find those 10 or 15 or 20 people who are in your world, who you talk to online already, create an email group, all be chatting with each other and contributing. Then start your Q&A board, or then start your blog and your comments section, or then start your forum, what have you. If you can seed it with that initial passionate group, you will get over a lot of the big hurdles around building or rolling your own community system.

All right, everyone. Hope you've enjoyed this edition of Whiteboard Friday, and we'll see you again next week. Take care.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

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from getsurrey - News https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/san-domenico-a3-site-history-14314588

How to Deal with Fake Negative Reviews on Google

Posted by JoyHawkins

Fake reviews are a growing problem for those of us that own small businesses. In the online world, it's extremely easy to create a new account and leave either a positive or negative review for any business — regardless of whether you’ve ever tried to hire them.

Google has tons of policies for users that leave reviews. But in my experience they're terrible at automatically catching violations of these policies. At my agency, my team spends time each month carefully monitoring reviews for our clients and their competitors. The good news is that if you’re diligent at tracking them and can make a good enough case for why the reviews are against the guidelines, you can get them removed by contacting Google on Twitter, Facebook, or reporting via the forum.

Recently, my company got hit with three negative reviews, all left in the span of 5 minutes:

Two of the three reviews were ratings without reviews. These are the hardest to get rid of because Google will normally tell you that they don’t violate the guidelines — since there's no text on them. I instantly knew they weren’t customers because I'm really selective about who I work with and keep my client base small intentionally. I would know if someone that was paying me was unhappy.

The challenge with negative reviews on Google

The challenge is that Google doesn’t know who your customers are, and they won’t accept “this wasn't a customer” as an acceptable reason to remove a review, since they allow people to use anonymous usernames. In most cases, it’s extremely difficult to prove the identity of someone online.

The other challenge is that a person doesn’t have to be a customer to be eligible to leave a review. They have to have a “customer experience,” which could be anything from trying to call you and getting your voicemail to dropping by your office and just browsing around.

How to respond

When you work hard to build a good, ethical business, it's always infuriating when a random person has the power to destroy what took you years to build. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit upset when these reviews came in. Thankfully, I was able to follow the advice I’ve given many people in the last decade, which is to calm down and think about what your future prospects will see when they come across review and the way you respond to it.

Solution: Share your dilemma

I decided to post on Twitter and Facebook about my lovely three negative reviews, and the response I got was overwhelming. People had really great and amusing things to say about my dilemma.

Dear: Whoever spammed my listing this morning with fake reviews. You probably should have gone with more believable usernames. #StopCrapOnTheMap pic.twitter.com/9Nat163d93

— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) January 16, 2018

Whoever was behind these three reviews was seeking to harm my business. The irony is that they actually helped me, because I ended up getting three new positive reviews as a result of sharing my experience with people that I knew would rally behind me.

For most businesses, your evangelists might not be on Twitter, but you could post about it on your personal Facebook profile. Any friends that have used your service or patronized your business would likely respond in the same manner. It’s important to note that I never asked anyone to review me when posting this — it was simply the natural response from people that were a fan of my company and what we stand for. If you’re a great company, you’ll have these types of customers and they should be the people you want to share this experience with!

But what about getting the negative reviews removed?

In this case, I was able to get the three reviews removed. However, there have also been several cases where I’ve seen Google refuse to remove them for others. My plan B was to post a response to the reviews offering these “customers” a 100% refund. After all, 100% of zero is still zero — I had nothing to lose. This would also ensure that future prospects see that I’m willing to address people that have a negative experience, since even the best businesses in the world aren’t perfect. As much as I love my 5-star rating average, studies have shown that 4.2–4.5 is actually the ideal average star rating for purchase probability.

Have you had an experience with fake negative reviews on Google? If so, I’d love to hear about it, so please leave a comment.

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