Sunday night, LeBron James once again gave us all a peek into his dark heart, and in doing so he revealed the essence of a lost generation not bent on success in anything but being the most noticed or the most on reality TV. The self-absorbed way in which the self-proclaimed King told the detractors (most of America) rooting for his downfall paints the picture.

Q: Does it bother you that so many people out there are rooting for you to fail?

A: Absolutely not. Because at the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that.

They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point.

LeBron doesn’t care to lead, or achieve, because as you see, he already has. His life is already an achievement in his eyes. Better than yours, it seems, because you wish for him to see the error of his wanton hubris, and because his wealth and fame make his life better than yours. The blank stares when he can’t do his thing, or the childish mocking of other players, smack of a person living in a world where the drive to achieve is gone with the wind. His early contemporaries in Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and other greats now moving into the twilights of their careers, have all shown that singular winning focus and carried their teams to victory in the most trying of times. LeBron has wilted away into the shadows when the light shines brightest, because he has never had to earn anything, and simply lacks the will to make a way.

Because he already has the things his generation has been told it needs. Fame. Fortune. LeBron will never be the freakish next generation of dominant NBA super-human, but more likely a circus sideshow, running wild on the court when the times are good and falling into the background when the center ring spotlight shines.

Google Webmasters support:

Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.

Contingency design is always user oriented, and SEO tends to be very bot oriented, so the two might seem disconnected. Look a little closer though and you’ll see where they meet. Search engine robots are designed to provide searchers with the most relevant and useful results possible. Contingency design is also similarly user oriented, making it easier for users to decipher websites and helping them take the right path when they veer off course. Writing a website shouldn’t be uniquely focused on attracting search bots. Using tactics like incessant bolding of words and keyword stuffing within site content won’t do much for a user looking to get actual information out of your website. Getting the user to your site is important, but what you deliver for the user once he or she arrives is so much more important.

The bottom line is that no matter how much search traffic you attract, not delivering with well crafted, pertinent content will just lose your site credibility with users. Write a site for people, and search engine optimization will happen naturally.

• Web Analytics An Hour a Day by Avinash Kaushik
  I’m already peeking into this one, and I’m sure the insights will be really great. I follow the Occam’s Razor blog (as you can see in the blogroll) that Avinash publishes. He’s a wise fellow when it comes to the analytics, so I’m expecting plenty of insight.
• Advanced Web Metrics With Google Analytics by Brian Clifton
  I’m not as familiar with Brian’s work, but I’ll be paying more attention now that I’m reading this book. I use Google Analytics quite a bit, so this should be some great info.
• Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions by Tim Ash
  I’ve been working on my landing page optimization skill and really trying to stay in tune with the latest on the subject. Hopefully, this book just improves my base of knowledge and prepares me for any new developments.
• Website Optimization: Speed, Search Engine & Conversion Rate Secrets by Andrew B. King
  I’m really curious about the secrets. Seriously though, I’m just hoping to get some knowledge and a different perspective on things.

I’d love to know if anyone has a book they’ve read that they really likes, please let me know. Now, I’m off to get in some mindless entertainment from my cable before it goes away.

We’ll have to convince them to come to Phoenix. I don’t want to wait a year for video.

• Warming Up – So much of writing is about preparation. At the gym, if your muscles haven’t been stretched and limbered-up, you’ll risk injury, cramps, etc. Likewise, when I’m getting ready to write for the web, I always make sure I know which keywords I’m targeting and where my linking opportunities will be. Stretching the brain is an important first step before writing begins.
• Getting Started – This can be one of the hardest parts of any workout. Even after a sound warmup, before you actually start the real activity, you don’t always feel like going through with things. That’s where it’s important to remain focused. Before writing, the feelings are often the same. You just have trouble feeling the subject or direction or you aren’t sure if you have the right search optimization strategy behind the copy you’re about to write. Again, just try to stay focused, trust your ability and get started.
• Maintaining Intensity – There’s always that guy in the gym, who takes way too long between sets and sort of wanders over to the TV for long stretches while you want to use the equipment he’s using. No one wants to be that guy, but we almost all are at one time or another. The breaks between sets can really hurt your ability to progress toward your goals, and it’s the same when you’re writing or optimizing a site. Write with a purpose and keep moving forward.
• Staying Hydrated – It’s that simple. Have a glass of water and make your mother happy.
• Finishing Every Rep – Half-assed workouts won’t do you any good. Those people you see in the gym who are trying to make a walking pace look like running are only fooling themselves. Make sure you finish the job when you write the site or the ad. Review your work and question everything you’ve written. Could I put a link there? Did I use the right word? It will pay off with better results in the end.
• Cooling Down – When you’re finished with a sound workout, you take just a few moments to stretch again and let your heart rate return to normal. Now, read the page to yourself one last time before you’re sure you’re done. Don’t scrutinize this time though, but be confident and read the page as if someone else wrote it. Enjoy your writing and the job well done.
• Resting – Any weightlifter will tell you that the real work is done between workouts, when the body is rebuilding the muscle, stronger than before. That’s really the key to achieving your goals in the gym, and in the craft of writing. When you aren’t writing, read about it. Read for pleasure, read for work, and read to your kids. Sometimes the best inspiration will come from people who do it better than you.

I’m always looking to other writers for the various connections they make to other aspects of their lives and their writing, so if you have something to share about your process, please do.

For now, check out those other great info sources for search optimization information, news and tips.

Google Webmaster’s Central – The best place to get the information is straight from the horse’s mouth. If you’ve got a question about how Google operates, and some of the best ways to make your site searchable, this is the place to get the info.

Yahoo! Search Blog – The other horse. Especially now that Yahoo! and Bing are making nice, it’s important to know what the big dog’s main competitor deems important as well.

Matt Cutts’ Personal Blog – Matt started out as a software developer at Google and now heads their webspam team. Good guy to have on your side.

Occam’s Razor – Avinash Kaushik delves into the world of analytics. How to improve measurement, and make the most of your numbers.

Online Marketing Blog – More than just search optimization, Online Marketing Blog by TopRank gives advice on everything from social media optimization to traffic conversion techniques.

Search Engine Journal – Gives great advice on search optimization techniques, best practices and key resources. This one is my personal favorite.

Search Engine Land News – The latest in goings on with the world of search, this site is just a great way to stay in touch with the business side of search, and get great tips on search techniques. They also throw in some sweet advice on obscure, lesser-known search engines.

SEOMoz – Great resource with a variety of tools and advice on search optimization.

These are just a few of the great sites I’ve come across. The more I read, the more I realize that in the world of SEO, there’s information to be found in all of the tiny crevices of the internet. If you’ve got any suggestions, sound off in the comments.

*image courtesy of Technologygear.net