Thursday, January 19, 2012

Tag Your It

Step 51.

My little Audrey, with one arm embraced tightly around my leg, presents her latest masterpiece . . . a unique assortment of colors and shapes. As I scoop her up and pace about, my mind struggles to find some point of reference within the work-of-art. “Perhaps this purple and pink strip curve thing with what appears to be an orange Isosceles Triangle is a creature of sorts?” I think to myself. Tracing over steps, Audrey patiently awaits for my acclaim for a drawing destined to be proudly magnetized to our refrigerator door.

My first words are, “Wow honey, this is fantastic!” However, she informs me I’m holding the picture upside down. “Oh sure of course,” I say aloud but my mind screams “You idiot!” Turning over the magnificent imagery that only a parent can love doesn’t help bring clarity . . . in fact I’m convinced not even the Pythagorean Theorem can save me.

In complete surrender, I plop us down on the floor and ask, “Why don’t you tell me about your picture.” For the next several minutes Audrey shares her remarkable imagination on painted paper. “Daddy, animals are friends not food.” Amazing, I thought as she defines each of her marvelous colorful shapes, “here is a pig, a worm and a platypus and a spider.” As I voice praise for her creativity and gentle spirit I have an epiphany.

Some of the very best allies charities have online are Search Engines. However, many nonprofits are simply not defining their photos, imagery and other content on their Web sites. Therefore, let me encourage you to tag your it. “It” being your photos and imagery and “tag” meaning a word and/or phrases to define and position what is contain in such photos, imagery and the organization itself.
Example of Tagging Photos
For example, let’s say your organization is responding to the crisis in Darfur and you have several photos depicting your work but without “tags” how is some “Yahoo” going to know what they’re about unless you tell them? They’re not . . . it’s like me trying to interpret my daughter’s artwork without her thoughtful direction.

Don’t get me wrong, Search Engines are doing their best to make sense of your Web content but without tagging your “it” all they see are a bunch of virtual ink-blots on a screen.

Before you begin the tactical approach of tagging your Web content, you should determine those keywords and phrases that will define and position your organization. For every tagging opportunity, it is also one to strengthen your organization’s hold on those keywords by including them when appropriate.

My wife catches me staring at Audrey’s painting affixed to our refrigerator door mumbling to myself, “What did you say?” She asks.

“The platypus, I see it you know? It’s right next to the worm.” I reply.

“Ahuh” she responds.

“You know honey, every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” I proudly state.

“Okay, someone has been reading Picasso quotes online” she smiles after her reply.

Nothing gets past her . . . nothing.


Givers Take Image, I came across your stunning image and story through a Google search.

Step 52. War for Words
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