Change is Good, Except When it is Bad

Remember when Coca Cola changed their recipe to be more like Pepsi, and created New Coke? Then everyone stopped buying Coca Cola because it was different, even though studies said people preferred the taste of New Coke?

Mashable, my all-time favorite blog recently had a make-over, new logo, and new slogan. I have to assume that the information they are offerings is still the same (or the same themes), however Mashable has revised their blog layout. Yes, they took away the soft pink and blue colors and replaced them with a more neutral color layout, but something is just not right.

What is wrong with the new layout? The advertisements used to pop and now they blend into the background (maybe that is a good thing). The fonts are different, the color scheme is different and the background is much lighter. Everything on the page just blends and nothing really stands out, except the photos of the bloggers. Those photos are ridiculous looking.

I guess my point is, change is good except when it is bad. Keeping a blog fresh and new is good. However, you can have the best ideas in the world but it is all about the execution. It hurts my eyes to look at the Mashable website. Will I still continue to read it? That remains to be seen. By the way I like both Coca Cola and Pepsi. Like fine wine different soda goes good with different meals.

8 Google Blogs for Search Marketing Professionals

Google has blogs on almost all of their products. Here are a few Google blogs that Search Marketers can read and get a jump on the competition.

1) The Official Google Blog Insights into Google products, services, and algorithm.

2) The Official Google Webmaster Tools Blog Insights and information about Google Webmaster Tools.

3) The Official Google Video Blog - Showcasing cool new videos from across the web and keeping you current with the latest news from Google Video.

4) The Official Google Analytics Blog - The latest news, tips, and resources straight from the Google Analytics team.

5) The Official Google Base Blog - The latest news, tips, and resources straight from the Google Base team.

6) Official Google Mobile Blog - News and views from the Google mobile team.

7) The Official Google.org Blog - News and notes from Google's philanthropic arm.

8) The Official Google Checkout Blog News for sellers using Google Checkout.