Previous to working here at WebLinc, I was a Google noob. My name, that is the Matt Slusser that actually referred to me, only came up for some petitions I signed way back in my revolutionary days. These days however, now that my Christian name rather than a handle is used, I find that I am a member of the Google-able masses. The only problem, after my initial pleasure at seeing myself ranked so well, is that I am now in a constant battle with a hand drummer from New York whose myspace and youtube videos compete with my blogs.

This doppelganger Matt Slusser seems nice enough. He has cats, plays a Roland Handsonic 10 e-drum and fancies himself a poet. Now, I am sure he Googles himself too; we’re all vain creatures searching for some recognition, so why not search the massive database that is Google to find that sliver of recognition? In any case, I am sure he will see this, our battle for top rankings will carry on and the world will continue to wonder how George Bush retains a sense of legitimacy; but the question that matters a bit more than my vanity is a significant one for a person in SEO and SMO. What is it that creates this competition?

First, Other Matt Slusser’s myspace url and his youtube titles contain his first and last name. This is a good start for doppelganger Matt Slusser whose name, by the way, also appears 10 times throughout his myspace. He also has bunches of good links to and from his pages, which is another plus for my nomenclatural clone. The name also appears on his musical partner’s page, which sometimes vies for our Matt Slusser rankings, but usually doesn’t fare as well in the ongoing battle.

What this seems to say is that social media sites are steadily gaining ground without their purveyors even realizing it. He never thought of search engine optimization or social media optimization when he designed his myspace page or created some youtube videos. He made an honest and simple site and he is rewarded with high rankings for it. He is propagating his name to further his music career, so his name, Matt Slusser does well where as I, who am not selling my name but our SEO services, am usually playing second fiddle, or should I say second hand drum, when it comes to Googling my name.

So when businesses refuse to see that social media sites are gaining real recognition from Google they are, for humor’s sake, missing the beat. I realize this is old news to some, but many folks have yet to recognize the importance and tangibility of this medium. The fact that there is a major lack in the creation of blogs and other user generated discussion, which produces the all important back-links as well as recognition, is a prime example of the nescience of this emerging trend, even in the face of the staggering numbers that myspace and the likes garner. So whether one likes it or not social media optimization is becoming an integral element of marketing and will be with us as long as Google still creates results that acknowledge social media sites.

And not to be a sore sport about the whole name thing, I’m going to give my doppelganger a link. Good luck with your music, Other Matt Slusser.