Why do I blog?
Vanessa Fox tagged me asking 5 reasons why I blog.
- So that I can write something once, and then I’ll have a place where I can point back to it. You try answering “I started/stopped buying AdWords and my rankings rose/dropped. Is Google boosting/penalizing me for buying ads?” for the 732nd time, and you’ll see the value in that. The answer is no, by the way.
- I wanted to see what it was like to be a webmaster so I’d have a better idea of how to help webmasters.
- So that I’d have a “guinea pig” site that the crawl/index/quality team could abuse, fold, mutilate, and spindle when they need to test something experimental, or to debug a problem.
- I wanted to be able to tap the most awesome power on the internet — the lazyweb. When I don’t know something, the readers here normally do.
- So everyone can enjoy getting to know my cats. You would not believe how many blog posts I do with Emmy sleeping on my chest. She’s napping on me right now as I write this. Here, I’ll take a picture with my cell phone:
That was Emmy and me just a few minutes ago. She loves when I blog, because the tap-tap-tapping of the keys puts her to sleep. Then again, pretty much everything puts her to sleep (sunlight, food, petting, breathing, …)
I think someone should start a “Cats of SEO” blog post.
Gary R. Hess Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
1) Your cat is super cute!
2) What cell phone do you have? That is one kick ass picture.
Matt Cutts Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
She is quite cute, isn’t she?
I’ve got an LG enV, and I like it a lot.
Ryan Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 5:37 pm
Matt, you’re lucky!
my cat likes to sit on the keyboard when I blog. She also cries constantly anytime I sit down and she wants to play. The problem is, she always want’s to play.
I’m thankful I don’t work at home, cuz I wouldn’t get any work done with her around.
Joel Lesser Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 5:45 pm
now THAT is a happy cat!
I am the owner (and obeyer) of two felines so I understand “tap-tap-tapping of the keys puts [them] to sleep”.. I have two that love to climb into my lap just as a client calls (and I am ready to walk around) … working from home does have its benefits!
in all seriousness and back on topic, blogging should be reserved for “immediate communiations”. save the rest for traditional publishing.
Brian Mark Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
The tap-tap-tapping of keys puts me to sleep, too.
Search EnginesWeb Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
AN IDEA….
Post that question to EACH of the Blog Owners / Founders
on the Technorati Top 100 Blog
http://technorati.com/pop/blogs/
The second question would be:
feedthebot.com Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
Cats of SEO? I can’t do that, but I can describe a “sneaky redirect” via cats and dogs.
My “Don’t employ cloaking or sneaky redirects” description is up now. It aint sexy, but it is a good intro for new webmasters to redirects (and it does use cats and dogs to explain what is sneaky)
Bob Gladstein Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
“I think someone should start a “Cats of SEO” blog post.”
That’s a great idea. I’d be happy to publish pictures, although my blog isn’t strictly SEO.
Hawaii SEO Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
Awwwwww!
That’s a happy picture.
I seriously miss my old cat now….
BTW - Thanks for blogging!
Will you be doing another “Grab Bag” post any time soon?
IncrediBILL Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 7:56 pm
I see you’re, ahem ‘pussy’ whipped there with your 4 legged furball on top of you when you try to use the computer. Luckily for me, my furball climbs all over the wife more then he climbs on me.
feedthebot.com Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
wow, i just realized that you might be entering cats into my subconscious, I also explain “link schemes” with cats too. funny.
Robin Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
My entry for the caption contest is…
“I’m holding the Internet to ransom for one MEELION DOLLARS!”
Christine Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
Oh man I think Emmy is cute!! Will have to get a pic of my Hercules (my puddy-tat) to show you what he does - he tries to lie ON the keyboard so that I will stop typing to play with him!
Dockarl Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 9:59 pm
How is it that the phrase ‘cat-nap’ became interpreted as a short sleep.
Judging from my observations of cats, if one of my co-workers said “I’m just going to have a cat-nap” I’d be expect it meant “I’m just going to lie comatose here for the next 15 hours and not move a single muscle unless someone opens the fridge”…
M
Harini Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
Hi Matt,
A nice pic
Harith Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 10:31 pm
Matt
My good friend Emmy napping? while should be awake keeping an eye on what you are writing and keeping me informed about the new google algos and filters
Btw, you haven’t posted any pictures of Ozzie, only a very short video.
Dr. David Klein Said,
April 6, 2007 @ 11:05 pm
Meow Mew Mew Meowww, mew Google Meow, mew mew Meow, Spam Penalty for paid linking Hissssssssss…….. Meow, Mew Mew Meow, Mew Meow Meow, Penalty Removed, top 10 Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……., ZZZZzzzzz….. (Dream of Canned Crab) Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……
Multi-Worded Adam Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 12:15 am
I just find it kind of disturbing that the cat’s head looks kind of like an extension of Matt’s goatee.
Katja Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 1:57 am
Nice cat!
It can´t be easy to type like that.
Smidigt Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 1:57 am
Very cute indeed! The cats around here also get sleepy around the computer.
Gary Beal Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 2:19 am
Good to know there’s another male cat lover out there that’s not ashamed to be one!
I used to have a tabby that was 23 lbs and couldn’t stay off my lap while I was online.
There are some great online videos that will entertain them while your on.
Thats how I handled mine.
GaryTheScubaGuy
SearchTheWeb2 Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 7:05 am
I started to wonder why people like to post their cats or dogs instead of their kids. Reasons?
Matt Cutts Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 9:51 am
Harith, Ozzie still moves at the speed of sound, so getting him to hold still long enough to take a picture is difficult. I’ll try though.
Well said, Dr. David Klein. Just like that Far Side: blah blah Ginger blah blah blah Ginger blah.
SearchTheWeb2, I have no kids, just cats.
Aaron Pratt Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 10:03 am
“SEO Cat Post” could be the title of a thread listing pictures of all our cats. I would expect some attention junky like shoemoney to be on this in under an hour. I got outside projects going on today…
Er Matt, does that cat need a diet? =P
Love cats, got a small clan of them here.
Remo Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 10:17 am
thats why I divorced, sounds odd but nice pussy Matt
Remo Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 10:19 am
oops, just made myself sound like a shirt lifter (which is not the case)
Loren Baker Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 11:19 am
Matt, that’s an awesome pic for a cell phone. May I ask, which model do you use?
Bill Hartzer Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
Very cute picture…I have to agree that the quality of the picture is very good, too. I’ll definitely be checking out that phone.
That picture definitely wasn’t taken at the Googleplex, as I recall there’s some policy about a Cat restriction there? Only dogs allowed?
Rick Trethewey Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
I always thought that cats are the best cure for insomnia. How could you look at a sleeping cat and not get drowsy? Being a nap partner is their best thing.
George Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Did your cat do this?
http://www.google.com/search?q=site:*.*.info+-www&hl=en&start=0&sa=N
Once again my site has disappeared for no apparent reason in the latest update. It’s like a jo-jo SERP and what I can see are spam sites that was registered 2-3 days ago in China(?) and they show up in your search results already?
Tons of the use a javascript that I have isolated and when clicking on the search result you are redirected to a blog site and she says she doesn’t know whats going on with her site.
Can you please have a look at it? If you need to, email me and I’ll give you more info about these new sites and/or my site.
Damon Hart-Davis Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
Arrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Flowers Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Such a cute kitty, ours is a long hair with soft fur, and luvs me so much more then my wife, even though she is the one that tamed him by holding him hours on end. I’m the cat person, so they just gravitate towards me, which is great cause petting a cat is the one thing I missed the most being in the military. Little things that we take for granted eh?
Sebastian Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Cats are sooo cute and like you they don’t always play by the rules
You’re supposed to tag 5-7 bloggers:
http://www.soloseo.com/why-blog-meme.html
Never mind.
Aaron Pratt Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 7:21 pm
Sebastian - You should know by now that all SEO contests end with Matt Cutts, literally.
Dave (Original) Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
Matt, no dog(s)? I find dogs sooooooooooo much more rewarding.
Joe Hunkins | Joe Duck Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
Matt, I know Chico the Wonder Dog would like to meet Emmy, but I would not recommend they get together.
http://joeduck.wordpress.com/2006/12/01/chico-the-wonder-dog/
Matt Cutts Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 9:52 pm
Aaron Pratt, the camera adds 10 pounds.
Loren Baker, it’s an LG enV. I like it a lot.
Bill Hartzer, this picture was taken at home.
Sebastian, I tag… *you* ! Five time!
Angela McCormick Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
Glad I found your blog, it’s an immediate bookmark.
Yes, I have alot of cool photos of my cats on my desk, my black one is sprawled out behind one of my monitors now, I should put a cat bed back there. Back when I had large CRT monitors, they used to perch on top of my monitor, in the dark with only glowing green eyes looking at me…
Angela McCormick Said,
April 7, 2007 @ 10:12 pm
Ok, found a photo that I had submitted like 3 years ago of my Russian Blue: http://www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/search
Tanja Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 2:14 am
My cat resents the mac for all the attention it gets from me, she has resorted to desperate measures @Flickr
Maurice Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 4:54 am
Cats
Dave well cats are suposely more in tune with the hacker mindset (in its real sense) - though i can see some of the more outdoors geeks prefering proper working dogs.
Matt Check out The Book of Night with Moon by Diane Duane for some nice Cat related sf
http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/susan/sf/books/d/duane.htm#8505
Multi-Worded Adam Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 9:02 am
I’m with Dave. I’m a dog man myself…especially sporting dogs. I find it’s easier to form a bond with a dog than it is with a cat.
Andrew Calvo Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 9:09 am
wow. nice cell phone picture.. looks as good as my digital camera.
Multi-Worded Adam Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 10:25 am
You still got 4-6 more to tag, Matt.
Sebastian Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 10:34 am
Thanks Matt
http://sebastianx.blogspot.com/2007/04/5-reasons-why-i-blog.html
Harry Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 11:25 am
Good reasons to blog. One more reason would be just because people come here to read :d. Nice post, super pic & a super cat.
Okinawa Said,
April 8, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Your cat looks so happy.
Xu Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 1:52 am
Laptop and cats definitely match :
http://www.ragingfish.fr/xuoan/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/flemme-chats-z.jpg
William Donelson Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 2:27 am
Matt, we have a cat (sweet, beautiful, but stoopid) who is now 16 years old. The major difference in all those years is: instead of sleeping 21 hours per day, she now sleeps 22 hours per day.
http://www.armchair-travel.com/donelson/malfie-01.jpg
William Donelson Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 2:28 am
BTW - Her name is Malfie; short for “Malfunction”
dockarl Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 3:30 am
I had a Cat called arfa.. because he was arf-alive when we found him as a stray…
M
Caraie Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 7:30 am
hey Matt, your cat is trainned like this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vja83KLQXZs
Gurtie Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 9:43 am
damn, I wanted to help my cats launch GrayCatNews a few weeks ago, with guest bloggers Emmy and JackJack, but Chris wouldn’t let me and claimed no one would read it.
Although in fairness it would be a rare day they could rouse themself from a sunny windowsill for long enough to write an entire post.
Terry Reeves Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 10:15 am
No pets on my chest… but frequently I have to type around a 4 year old.
Gregg Opper Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
Hah! Proof that cats own us! I have a mother cat (Oreo) and her two sons (Carter and Blossom) who were named by my daughter. Carter is the curious cat that uses me as his favorite pillow. Blossom is the scared cat that runs away from people and Oreo… well is that cat that I am totally allergic to!
Jeff Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
Matt, are you sure its you blogging and not really the cat?
Douglas Boldt Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
I have a couple cute cuddly kittens which like to sleep together. Two girls from the same litter.
Seo Practices Said,
April 9, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
I blog as a chance to practice seo and the English language, also it lets me build a profile online and connect with people interested in the subject I’m into. I also helps my resume.
cicogal Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 6:39 am
Hey,
It would be nice if you can point a flash games about cats , i love cats but never found a game which has cats involved. Need few cats games to host on the http://www.cicogames.com
Stevo Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 7:17 am
errr is there such a thing as Black Cat SEO?
rimian Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 7:28 am
I run a web/seo forum and my cat sleeps (on her back) next to me in a beanbag while I post. She’s kind of ginger/tabby like yours. However, I never thought I would post about my cat.
ECWseo Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 8:48 am
Matt: I have a good candidate for you to run the Cats of SEO blog:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/res/298286053.html
David Dalka Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 8:49 am
So who did you tag?
Mark Nunney Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
Sorry to deviate from the cat love-in theme but I’d like to try and get you back to your first reason for blogging. A new client has tough situation:
Client has two sites that pretty much cover the same subject - widgets - although one might have more emphasis on outdoor widgets.
First question: two sites on the same subject I assume carries a risk of a penalty.
Second question is more interesting: penalty or not, two sites is twice the work so can site one have its pages 301ed to site two and take all their inbound link power with them?
Dave Said,
April 11, 2007 @ 8:50 am
Well I love cats but their fur makes me sneeze so I suffer with and without them. : (
Jonathan Said,
April 11, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Matt! Your cat looks EXACTLY like mine! Except mine is … 15 years old and weights about 40lbs lol
BlackMax Said,
April 12, 2007 @ 1:27 am
You are so right! There is something about cats and laptops and it’s not just the warmth. Meet Biggles, I think in her world she believes I shouldn’t work, that’s why she’s always attempting to stop me using one arm… http://www.blackmaxmedia.com.au/images/biggles.JPG
Soul Said,
April 12, 2007 @ 9:10 am
Heh, i understand you about cats.
It’s so cute.
My cat is rolling eyes and touching my hand by his paw
Harith Said,
April 13, 2007 @ 7:28 am
I have visted Vanessa Fox Nude blog and could see that she too has cats, but no nude cat pictures where there
Most interesting that she, I mean Vanessa Fox, is in competition with DaveN whos site is ranking for Vanessa Fox higher than Vanessa Fox Nude blog? can you imagine?
Maybe we should start a SEO competion on Matt’s blog to bring it at the top for search: Vanessa Fox or Vanessa Fox Nude
Sitescene Web Design and Development Melbourne Said,
April 27, 2007 @ 8:16 am
lol, you guys are funny
Andrew Said,
April 30, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Is Emmy in a healthy weight range? Oz looks lean and mean.
Seo Красавчег Said,
May 16, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
Your cats are webmasters now
Jana Said,
July 9, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
Matt can you please help me… almost all my pages have been placed into google supplemental. I dont know why this has happen because my site has been around since 1988 and I have strong links coming to my site. My business has tremendously gone down since this has happen and I am desperate to get some help. My whole family depends on the business that is coming from my site. Its is a very serious problem for me that this has occurred. I’m losing night sleep and I’m going through sooo much stress trying to figure out why this has happen. Please could you help me.
el Said,
July 14, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
I think this is a very nice photo of your cat napping on you! I too blog and surf with my cat napping on me. It’s a wonderful feeling.
webfly Said,
July 29, 2007 @ 4:38 am
Hey
but i have dog - man’s best friend 
photo is nice..
I don’t like cats
greetings, webfly
SEO Cats Said,
August 1, 2007 @ 2:07 am
Hi Mat…
actually i never came across this blog post until today…
and i never knew this whole “SEO & Cats” thing, but this march/april we started a whole new blog called “SEO Cats” - that’s a nice coincidence, i’d rather think, eh?
Claudette Said,
December 27, 2007 @ 1:07 pm
Hi Matt, Emmy is very beautiful and I am not biased just because she happens to look almost exactly like my cat Abby – they could be twins except for one minor difference, Abby has one tear-drop eye. She loves to assist at the computer – just getting between me and work or the paper or a book or TV is generally her goal. Abby can’t chat right now because she’s… well, asleep on the chair beside me. Happy New Year from Canada!!