I am constantly inundated with spam from supposed “SEO” (Search Engine Optimization) companies that go something like this:

We are interested to get your website on first page of Google, Yahoo and Bing. Please get back to us for more details.

These are always the same, normally someone sitting in India using a Gmail account, not disclosing their website and claiming to be named “Bob”, “Anna” or any other American sounding name.  (On occasion it’s some bored college kid, trying to not get a real job, which I can respect, but I still am not going for it.)

To be fair, there probably are legit “White Hat” SEO companies out there, but the “Black Hat” crowd has muddied the waters so bad that it’d be hard to spot them.

Without going into all of that, I’ve came up with my own canned response that just as full of crap:

We have all the SEO we can handle AND are already on the 1st page of every site. We own half of the Internet.

But hey, if you want to sponsor us to help you get on the 1st page too, feel free to do so.

All joking aside, if you’re really interested in hiring someone for SEO, here’s one main fact that you need to know:

No one can guarantee you the #1 spot in any search engine.

Now with enough money, you can purchase the top spot for an ad for a specific keyword in the search engines, but that’s a different animal which has absolutely nothing to do with the SEO company/individual. Money talks & why pay someone else to spend your money for you?

Anyway, if you want to talk general “SEO” practices, I’ll leave that for Watershed Studio.  And before you ask, no, SEO isn’t an official service that we provide, mainly as a business choice due to the nonsense mentioned above.

If you haven’t hard, the Indianapolis Colts cut backup quarterback Jim Sorgi a few days ago.  There’s really no surprise there since they kept Curtis Painter on the roster last season, Sorgi ended the season on the “IR” and he would be due a hefty veteran pay check for sitting on the bench.  And let’s be honest, if Peyton Manning gets hurt there’s no one who can step in and fill those shoes.

But the time in free agent land didn’t last long as the New York Giants quickly picked up Sorgi to be the backup to Peyton’s brother, Eli Manning.  Given history, Sorgi probably has a little better of a chance of getting in the game with the Giants, but let’s hope that doesn’t happen, as we need to see another Manning vs. Manning Throw-down this coming season!

Best of luck to Jim Sorgi though. I’ve always admired the man &have been a little bit jealous that he gets to hang out with Peyton Manning & gets paid the big bucks to do so. Not to mention, he’ll be in much better physical shape in retirement than many ex-NFL players are.

#wholiedtoyou t-shirts are now available via Printfection in various colors and sizes.  Other items such as mugs and aprons are available as well. Order yours today!

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From Naptown Buzz:

Scotty’s Brewhouse:

Yats: Delicious Cajun and Creole dishes. Did I mention that they’re delicious?!

Papa Roux: Po-Boys, King Cake & other goodies. Special Hours: 10:30am-8:00pm.

Zydeco’s: Various Cajun & Creole dishes. Located in Mooresville, Indiana. Normally closed on Tuesday’s, so I’d give them a buzz first.

Nawlins Creole Cafe: Various Cajun & Creole dishes including an Alligator Sausage Po-Boy (don’t knock it until you try it!). Located in Avon, Indiana. Normally closed on Tuesday’s, so I’d give them a buzz first.

I think that this is the third or fourth year running that I’ve tried to get press credentials for the NFL Scouting Combine that is held here in Indianapolis every year.  And to keep  my 0-fer record in tact I received yet another rejection that goes like this:

We have received your request for media credentials to the 2010 NFL Combine. Unfortunately, due to tremendous demand, we are unable to accommodate your request.

Thank you for your interest in the NFL.

Corry Rush
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

OK, fair enough. Surge Bucket Media is a small potatoes outlet that currently only publishes online via blogs & podcasts. But what gets me is the whole canned “due to tremendous demand” response that is sent out every year.

This isn’t the Super Bowl. This isn’t the Pro Bowl. This isn’t the NFL Draft. This isn’t a game. This isn’t even something related to a specific team. It’s the NFL Combine where they scout the potential incoming draft picks.

Now I know that there are quite a few people in town for it (just try to go to lunch around the stadium and you’ll see that). But go and take a look at the photos & video from previous Combine’s and you’ll see that there really aren’t that many people in the stands watching. Maybe they’re milling around the stadium or back in the media rooms, or at the food court at Circle Centre Mall, I don’t know, but I don’t believe for one minute that there’s “tremendous demand” if that’s derived at just by the number of good seats in the lower level of Lucas Oil Stadium. (BTW, Indy.com reports that the estimated attendance is 3,400 people.)

Anyway, complaining about it will not do any good. But I just wish for once that the NFL would be honest about it. If you don’t cater to smaller media outlets, please be up front about it. That’s your choice as all attendees are your guests. While that would bum me out a bit, that is something I could totally respect.

That said, as long as it’s held in Indianapolis (I’ve not heard if they extended the contract beyond 2010 or not) I will continue to throw our name in the hat. And who knows, maybe one year we’ll be able to attend.  But in the meantime I’ll sit back with the rest of you doing my best to follow what’s going on down at the Combine.

Hello fellow Indianapolis Colts fans! Please send in your Colts related videos, pictures & voicemails (317-565-4250) and we’ll get them posted to our Show Your Colts section.  Also, be sure to check out the Indianapolis Colts Friendly Establishments list.

Check out Show Your Colts now!

Some Indy establishments (bars, restaurants, etc) are apparently not Indianapolis Colts friendly.  So we’re putting together a list of where Colts fans are welcome on game day.  If you’d like to add an establishment, please contact us.  Check it out, leave us a message and GO COLTS! Beat those Baltimore Browns on Saturday night! And leave a message for Blue Shotgun Radio at 317-565-4250!

BURBANK, Calif., Jan 12, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) announces the return of seven movie favorites to the Disney vault on January 30, 2010. Treasured by families, fans and coveted by collectors, the exciting, limited-time releases that return to the vault include multiple animated classics and live-action favorites.

• Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) on DVD
• Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition + Standard DVD and BD Live) [Blu-ray]
• The Jungle Book (40th Anniversary Platinum Edition) (animated) on DVD
• The Jungle Book 2 (Special Edition) (animated) on DVD
• 101 Dalmatians (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) (animated) on DVD
• 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure – Special Edition (animated) on DVD
• 101 Dalmatians (live-action) on DVD
• 102 Dalmatians (live action) on DVD

Here are my 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Twenty Ten:

1. Don’t make resolutions. Doh! I prefer “goals” anyway.
2. Eat more chicken. Specifically more wings!
3. Eat more beef. My grill ran out of gas early in the summer of 2009 and I never managed to get my lazy self down to get a full tank. That’s just a shame.
4. Eat more Slyders. My White Castle intake was lacking in 2009. My gut has recovered, so bring them on!
5. Make stuff up. I’ve got that covered.
6. Write more. Every year I say this and every year I don’t feel like I’ve written enough. I doubt I’ll ever be satisfied with that even if I wrote an entire library in a year.
7. Stick it to the man. OK, in a way I am the man, but I’m sticking it to the bigger men, how about that?
8. Get out there and do. I feel like I’ve been a bit out of touch on the pulse of life in general these past few years (even though I know that’s not totally the case).  There’s just been a lot on my mind and I just need to get to where I’m putting things in action…and that ball is already rolling.
9. Dream BIG dreams. Life is too short to settle for mediocrity.  While I don’t desire or aim to fail, if I’m going to fail, let me fail BIG. And if I’m successful it’ll be HUGE!
10. Don’t let the year slip away. I was on a roll at the start of 2009 but was totally blindsided in June when we found out that our in-utero son had a “universally fatal” birth defect…this on the heels of losing a son stillborn in 2008. Here’s to hoping 2010 will be a much better year!

So there are my resolutions/goals for 2010, some silly, some serious. I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!

Via ESPN