[] Google, Wherefore Art Thou Google? Sites Abandoned by Googlebot!

has posted a new item, 'Google, Wherefore Art Thou Google Sites Abandoned by
Googlebot!'

Google, Wherefore Art Thou Google? Sites Abandoned by Googlebot! © August
30, 2004 As a search engine optimization specialist I often optimizeexisting web
pages for small business clients, upload them tothe site and see pages
re-indexed by Google within a week.This only happens with existing business
sites that have beenonline for a few years. Google seems to be updating
theirindex as often as every other week at this point and olderestablished sites
that are already indexed seem to be re-crawled on that twice a month schedule on
a fairly routinebasis.Two clients that hired me for recent work saw their
rankingsshoot to the top for a newly targeted search phrase in aweekend when I
did optimization on a Thursday and they wereranked instantly by Saturday. Now
keep in mind that thisdoesn't happen for everyone, only those that have been
onlinefor some period and already have significant content thatsimply needs
tweaking and proper title and metatag informationadded. They usually have
relatively good existing PageRank anddo well for other RELEVANT search phrases
already. I offer thatwarning only to avoid instilling false hopes in anyone
hopingto achieve the same instant ranking boost overnight.Those clients that do
succeed in this way are often thrilledwith the results accomplished in such
short order. I'd loveto be able to offer that type of ranking boosts to
everyone,but some are more equal than others when it comes to easy,inexpensive
SEO tune-ups that rev up your rankings overnight.Your mileage may vary.WHY DO
NEW SITES SUFFER?What is going on with newer sites that don't get crawled
formonths? I've got a client, a newer attorney directory thatoffers tons of
great information in the form of articles onspecific areas of law, links to
incredibly valuable andrelevant legal sites and over 600,000 attorneys listed
bypractice area and state. Yet the site has not been re-crawledby Google for
over 3 months! Now this would not be such a bigissue for many sites, but this
site is relatively new and we'veoptimized all the titles, tags & page text,
created a completesite map and placed links to all these resources on the
frontpage.I know that the site is not being crawled because Google'scached copy
of the front page shows it before we did thework four months ago, without the
new links and withouttitle tags. We've submitted the site by hand,
(manually)once a month for three months via the Google Add URL
page.http://www.google.com/addurl.html When the hand submissionfailed to get it
re-indexed for four months, we submittedthe sitemap page, which has not been
crawled at all. Googleshows only ONE page on this site, when in fact it
hasthousands of pages, a sitemap and dozens static pages!Part of the problem is
that this site must be dynamic, sincea database of over 632,000 attorneys must
be accessed,retrieved and served for any of those law firms searched forto be
returned to the site visitor. Google warns owners ofdynamic sites that Googlebot
may not crawl dynamicallygenerated pages with "?"" question marks in the URL.
This isto avoid crashing the server with too many concurrent pagerequests from
Google's spider.http://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html#A1 The solution to this
dynamic URL problem has been discussedwidely in search engine forums and
solutions have been bandiedabout including software provided by SEO's, URL
re-writetechniques for dynamic pages on APACHE
servershttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/urls/ and PHP
pageshttp://www.stargeek.com/php-seo.php to generate search enginefriendly
URL's. Others recommend simply adding static HTMLsitemap pages as alternatives
for the search engine spiders. In this instance the client's developer simply
said "Ican'tdo that (PHP solution) on this server". So we resorted toputting up
the static HTML sitemap pages with hard-codedURLS to the main 54 pages of the
site athttp://lawfirm411.com/Law-Firm-411-sitemap.html This shouldget at least
those fifty pages crawled by Googlebot, butGoogles' spider appears not to be
crawling this site at all.How do we know this? See for yourself by using the
followingquery in the search box at Google: allinurl:www.lawfirm411.comwhere the
result page shows ONE page in the results. If youtry that query on your own site
(replace your own domain namefor lawfirm411.com), you'll see the results lists
ALL yourpages.The site home page was crawled by Google four months ago, whenthey
took their "Cached Snapshot" of the page. You can seethis by visiting the Google
cached page
here:http://66.102.7.104/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=cache:www.lawfirm411.comwhere
the date of this snapshot is "Apr 20, 2004 07:42:19 GMT"and they haven't been
back since. The page in that snapshothas none of the newly added links, an
outdated title tag, andold content.This problem is not unique to this site. One
client we workedwith two years ago had a dynamically generated, framed
site!Those two site structures have always given search enginestrouble. Their
site was not crawled at all and only the frontpage showed up. Our solution was
to create a second domain(owned by the client), which had static HTML pages that
precisely mirrored the content of the client's framed,dynamically generated
site. Guess what happened afterGooglebot crawled the static site? Google indexed
the framedsite in full and then banned the static site from the index!Not an
approach we advocate, but the one that worked for thisclient.We're still
searching for ways to get Googlebot back toLawFirm411.com before creating that
new static site, butdecided to share this odd experience with the SEO
communitybefore going to any extremes. Google provides over 70% ofmost search
engine referred traffic to ALL of our clientsand we realized we can't site idly
by and see a major clientlanguish because Googlebot didn't like what it found at
theclient site on the first visit four months ago.This issue dogs newer sites in
other places as well. The OpenDirectory Project has also become notoriously slow
in addingnew sites to the directory and in this case, has not pickedup this site
even after 6 regular monthly submissions. Theweb playing field may have begun
tilting toward older,established sites and away from new ones. © August 30,
2004 As a search engine optimization specialist I often optimizeexisting web
pages for small business clients, upload them tothe site and see pages
re-indexed by Google within a week.This only happens with existing business
sites that have beenonline for a few years. Google seems to be updating
theirindex as often as every other week at this point and olderestablished sites
that are already indexed seem to be re-crawled on that twice a month schedule on
a fairly routinebasis.Two clients that hired me for recent work saw their
rankingsshoot to the top for a newly targeted search phrase in aweekend when I
did optimization on a Thursday and they wereranked instantly by Saturday. Now
keep in mind that thisdoesn't happen for everyone, only those that have been
onlinefor some period and already have significant content thatsimply needs
tweaking and proper title and metatag informationadded. They usually have
relatively good existing PageRank anddo well for other RELEVANT search phrases
already. I offer thatwarning only to avoid instilling false hopes in anyone
hopingto achieve the same instant ranking boost overnight.Those clients that do
succeed in this way are often thrilledwith the results accomplished in such
short order. I'd loveto be able to offer that type of ranking boosts to
everyone,but some are more equal than others when it comes to easy,inexpensive
SEO tune-ups that rev up your rankings overnight.Your mileage may vary.WHY DO
NEW SITES SUFFER?What is going on with newer sites that don't get crawled
formonths? I've got a client, a newer attorney directory thatoffers tons of
great information in the form of articles onspecific areas of law, links to
incredibly valuable andrelevant legal sites and over 600,000 attorneys listed
bypractice area and state. Yet the site has not been re-crawledby Google for
over 3 months! Now this would not be such a bigissue for many sites, but this
site is relatively new and we'veoptimized all the titles, tags & page text,
created a completesite map and placed links to all these resources on the
frontpage.I know that the site is not being crawled because Google'scached copy
of the front page shows it before we did thework four months ago, without the
new links and withouttitle tags. We've submitted the site by hand,
(manually)once a month for three months via the Google Add URL
page.http://www.google.com/addurl.html When the hand submissionfailed to get it
re-indexed for four months, we submittedthe sitemap page, which has not been
crawled at all. Googleshows only ONE page on this site, when in fact it
hasthousands of pages, a sitemap and dozens static pages!Part of the problem is
that this site must be dynamic, sincea database of over 632,000 attorneys must
be accessed,retrieved and served for any of those law firms searched forto be
returned to the site visitor. Google warns owners ofdynamic sites that Googlebot
may not crawl dynamicallygenerated pages with "?"" question marks in the URL.
This isto avoid crashing the server with too many concurrent pagerequests from
Google's spider.http://www.google.com/webmasters/2.html#A1 The solution to this
dynamic URL problem has been discussedwidely in search engine forums and
solutions have been bandiedabout including software provided by SEO's, URL
re-writetechniques for dynamic pages on APACHE
servershttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/urls/ and PHP
pageshttp://www.stargeek.com/php-seo.php to generate search enginefriendly
URL's. Others recommend simply adding static HTMLsitemap pages as alternatives
for the search engine spiders. In this instance the client's developer simply
said "Ican'tdo that (PHP solution) on this server". So we resorted toputting up
the static HTML sitemap pages with hard-codedURLS to the main 54 pages of the
site athttp://lawfirm411.com/Law-Firm-411-sitemap.html This shouldget at least
those fifty pages crawled by Googlebot, butGoogles' spider appears not to be
crawling this site at all.How do we know this? See for yourself by using the
followingquery in the search box at Google: allinurl:www.lawfirm411.comwhere the
result page shows ONE page in the results. If youtry that query on your own site
(replace your own domain namefor lawfirm411.com), you'll see the results lists
ALL yourpages.The site home page was crawled by Google four months ago, whenthey
took their "Cached Snapshot" of the page. You can seethis by visiting the Google
cached page
here:http://66.102.7.104/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=cache:www.lawfirm411.comwhere
the date of this snapshot is "Apr 20, 2004 07:42:19 GMT"and they haven't been
back since. The page in that snapshothas none of the newly added links, an
outdated title tag, andold content.This problem is not unique to this site. One
client we workedwith two years ago had a dynamically generated, framed
site!Those two site structures have always given search enginestrouble. Their
site was not crawled at all and only the frontpage showed up. Our solution was
to create a second domain(owned by the client), which had static HTML pages that
precisely mirrored the content of the client's framed,dynamically generated
site. Guess what happened afterGooglebot crawled the static site? Google indexed
the framedsite in full and then banned the static site from the index!Not an
approach we advocate, but the one that worked for thisclient.We're still
searching for ways to get Googlebot back toLawFirm411.com before creating that
new static site, butdecided to share this odd experience with the SEO
communitybefore going to any extremes. Google provides over 70% ofmost search
engine referred traffic to ALL of our clientsand we realized we can't site idly
by and see a major clientlanguish because Googlebot didn't like what it found at
theclient site on the first visit four months ago.This issue dogs newer sites in
other places as well. The OpenDirectory Project has also become notoriously slow
in addingnew sites to the directory and in this case, has not pickedup this site
even after 6 regular monthly submissions. Theweb playing field may have begun
tilting toward older,established sites and away from new ones. ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Mike Banks Valentine is the SEO for
http://www.lawfirm411.comContact him at
http://www.seoptimism.com/SEO_Contact.htm Improve Your Small Business Online at
our Ecommerce Tutorialhttp://website101.com/Free-Tutorials/index.html

You may view the latest post at
http://www.richproject.co.cc/?p=4059

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates are
posted.
Best regards,
admin
k_malee@hotmail.com

[] For Publish

has posted a new item, 'For Publish'

AmericaEddie BruceI have to admit to being readily impressed by company names.
Maybe it's an age thing. You see, I was around when we had nationalised
industries here in Britain, you know, British Railways, British Gas, British
Steel, British Road Services, etc., etc. Those companies may have been
over-staffed and under-efficient but you always knew you could trust them, and a
product marked "Made in Britain" had class - in those days. Even after they
became privatised the word "British" in a company name still, in my subconscious
at least, gave that firm a stamp of approval. Those were the heady days when we
had some traditional industries and workers could rely upon union protection to
prevent their jobs being shipped out to third world countries.When a company
called PublishAmerica (http://www.publishamerica.com/index.asp) agreed to
publish my small collection of short stories, I was delighted. This wasn't a
'tuppence ha'penny' outfit but an organisation that boasted "America" in its
title. I've never been to America but I have made some good "virtual" friends
there and know how patriotic Americans are. How could you not feel safe doing
business with a firm that so proudly flew the flag of that famous super power?
When I checked out PublishAmerica's website, all red, white and blue with the
slogan "We treat our authors the old-fashioned way - we pay them," I felt truly
blessed. A publisher of high esteem (I believed the testimonials) recognised the
reader-appeal of my stories and my potential as a writer. Further encouragement
came from the "Why PublishAmerica?" page where I was told "The majority of our
books that are sold retail are sold in physical brick and mortar bookstores" and
"PublishAmerica can remove the stigma of paying to be published. With
PublishAmerica, you will have the very important distinction of having your book
ACCEPTED BY A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY."Yet something about the company
name puzzled me. I mean, why not "The American Publishing Company" or similar?
As it stands "PublishAmerica" could be interpreted as an ambition to publish
anything and everything that was ever written in that country. Amazingly, that
interpretation very much sums up their objectives.In my enthusiasm I had been
studying PA's Author's Message Board, following links to previously published
author's websites and reading all the reviews and book excerpts I could find
(not realising that authors with anything pertinent to say are instantly barred
from posting). Then I read one of their books from cover to cover. Now, my own
education at an orphanage school in the Highlands of Scotland was very basic, so
my grasp of English Grammar left something to be desired. Nevertheless,
convinced I had stories to tell and the ability to tell them, I had joined
Internet critique groups to learn how to present them. When I read my first
PublishAmerica book my feelings were a blend of embarrassment, anger and
disbelief. The writer had obviously worked hard to put the story together and it
had the makings of an entertaining read. It reminded me so much of my own first
and only attempt at writing a novel - abundant clichs, suspect word selection,
contrived scenes and wooden characters existing in a plot that lacked cohesion.
It was in fact a story barely at the first draft stage, complete with spelling
and grammatical errors. How could an ethical, self-respecting publishing house
allow this to happen, I wondered? PublishAmerica/ScamAmerica are most definitely
NOT traditional publishers whatever their slogan implies. Recently interviewed
by Steven Zeitchik of Publishers Weekly, PublishAmerica executive director
Miranda N. Prather admits that her company DOES NOT EDIT FOR CONTENT, only for
grammar and spelling. For readers and writers everywhere this has to be the most
worrying statement ever made on behalf of a publisher. But it gets worse.
Simultaneously Ms Prather announced the creation of an affiliation between
PublishAmerica and Online Publishing Bookstore - Tome Toaster
(http://www.onlinepublishingbookstore.com). Quote "Authors that generate sales
and create a track record showing that they are able to promote as well as write
a book will be referred to PublishAmerica by Tome Toaster." So we have a
situation where a writer's ability to self-promote supersedes everything,
including the ability to pen a readable story. I find it a frightening fact that
PublishAmerica already have 10,000 published books in the marketplace (recent
announcement). Since they don't edit for content it is safe to assume that the
bulk of these are badly written at best. By choosing PublishAmerica, genuine
AUTHORS who have worked hard at sharpening their writing and storytelling skills
find their works irretrievably associated with some of the most inane rubbish
ever written, for the period of their contract - SEVEN YEARS! Meanwhile READERS
have the dilemma of finding a readable piece of fiction (or non-fiction) in an
environment awash with literary garbage.The scam is brilliant in its simplicity.
Instead of asking for money up front, PublishAmerica solicit a list of up to 100
of the author's friends and family whom they bombard with pre-publication flyers
offering discounted copies. The sting is in the book's cover price - anything
from 25-50% above the going rate for a similar book - ensuring that the
friends-and-family discount does not effect the publisher's profit. My own 136
page "tome" was originally priced at $19.95 then reduced to the still
prohibitive cover price of $16.95 when I expressed my disgust. Print-on-demand
format allows the publisher to recoup publishing costs almost immediately on
just a few such sales which are followed up by a "special" bulk purchase offer,
irresistible to the author who has received only two free copies for review
purposes. I invested three to four hundred pounds sterling and countless
frustrating hours that I could ill afford on a marketing project that was doomed
to failure from the start. PublishAmerica's lack of author support, only
answering phone calls for book orders and ignoring almost all email complaints,
is legend, as is the nigh impossible task of finding a bookseller willing to
stock PublishAmerica non-returnable titles. PublishAmerica have a branch called
PublishBritannica and I now realise how nave I have been to believe that a
company would necessarily show respect to the country whose name they cynically
exploit. Maybe such business practices are par for the course in today's
dog-eat-dog, winner-take-all world. I know there are "authors" prepared to buy
huge quantities of their books then sell them on to sympathetic, unsuspecting
acquaintances, mug gullible punters at book fairs and the like or just sell them
to each other. I just enjoy writing stories, being neither a super salesman nor
a confidence trickster. Is it too much to expect that a writer's work might
succeed on merit rather than misrepresentation and deceit? If companies like
PublishAmerica are allowed to legally flourish while exploiting new authors,
deceiving the reading public and stifling writing talent, apart from GENUINE
TRADITIONAL HOUSES, the book publishing industry will surely drown in a
dumbed-down literary quagmire of its own making.NOTE: Many authors who value
their work and who have fallen victim to this disreputable company are
campaigning to have the sole rights to their material restored. To those who
threaten legal action PublishAmerica offer a release agreement containing a
gagging clause. Authors who feel that they have been misled or defrauded by this
company are advised to write to - Office of the Attorney GeneralConsumer
Protection Division-Beth Silverman200 St. Paul PlaceBaltimore, MD 21202and BBB
of Greater Maryland1414 Key Highway, Suite 100Baltimore, MD 21230 -5189 WWW:
www.baltimore.bbb.orgEmail: info@bbbmd.orgPhone: (410)347-3992Fax:
(410)347-3936Eddie Bruce 23.11.2004. When a company called PublishAmerica
(http://www.publishamerica.com/index.asp) agreed to publish my small collection
of short stories, I was delighted. This wasn't a 'tuppence ha'penny' outfit but
an organisation that boasted "America" in its title. I've never been to America
but I have made some good "virtual" friends there and know how patriotic
Americans are. How could you not feel safe doing business with a firm that so
proudly flew the flag of that famous super power? When I checked out
PublishAmerica's website, all red, white and blue with the slogan "We treat our
authors the old-fashioned way - we pay them," I felt truly blessed. A publisher
of high esteem (I believed the testimonials) recognised the reader-appeal of my
stories and my potential as a writer. Further encouragement came from the "Why
PublishAmerica?" page where I was told "The majority of our books that are sold
retail are sold in physical brick and mortar bookstores" and "PublishAmerica can
remove the stigma of paying to be published. With PublishAmerica, you will have
the very important distinction of having your book ACCEPTED BY A TRADITIONAL
PUBLISHING COMPANY."Yet something about the company name puzzled me. I mean, why
not "The American Publishing Company" or similar? As it stands "PublishAmerica"
could be interpreted as an ambition to publish anything and everything that was
ever written in that country. Amazingly, that interpretation very much sums up
their objectives.In my enthusiasm I had been studying PA's Author's Message
Board, following links to previously published author's websites and reading all
the reviews and book excerpts I could find (not realising that authors with
anything pertinent to say are instantly barred from posting). Then I read one of
their books from cover to cover. Now, my own education at an orphanage school in
the Highlands of Scotland was very basic, so my grasp of English Grammar left
something to be desired. Nevertheless, convinced I had stories to tell and the
ability to tell them, I had joined Internet critique groups to learn how to
present them. When I read my first PublishAmerica book my feelings were a blend
of embarrassment, anger and disbelief. The writer had obviously worked hard to
put the story together and it had the makings of an entertaining read. It
reminded me so much of my own first and only attempt at writing a novel -
abundant clichs, suspect word selection, contrived scenes and wooden characters
existing in a plot that lacked cohesion. It was in fact a story barely at the
first draft stage, complete with spelling and grammatical errors. How could an
ethical, self-respecting publishing house allow this to happen, I wondered?
PublishAmerica/ScamAmerica are most definitely NOT traditional publishers
whatever their slogan implies. Recently interviewed by Steven Zeitchik of
Publishers Weekly, PublishAmerica executive director Miranda N. Prather admits
that her company DOES NOT EDIT FOR CONTENT, only for grammar and spelling. For
readers and writers everywhere this has to be the most worrying statement ever
made on behalf of a publisher. But it gets worse. Simultaneously Ms Prather
announced the creation of an affiliation between PublishAmerica and Online
Publishing Bookstore - Tome Toaster (http://www.onlinepublishingbookstore.com).
Quote "Authors that generate sales and create a track record showing that they
are able to promote as well as write a book will be referred to PublishAmerica
by Tome Toaster." So we have a situation where a writer's ability to
self-promote supersedes everything, including the ability to pen a readable
story. I find it a frightening fact that PublishAmerica already have 10,000
published books in the marketplace (recent announcement). Since they don't edit
for content it is safe to assume that the bulk of these are badly written at
best. By choosing PublishAmerica, genuine AUTHORS who have worked hard at
sharpening their writing and storytelling skills find their works irretrievably
associated with some of the most inane rubbish ever written, for the period of
their contract - SEVEN YEARS! Meanwhile READERS have the dilemma of finding a
readable piece of fiction (or non-fiction) in an environment awash with literary
garbage.The scam is brilliant in its simplicity. Instead of asking for money up
front, PublishAmerica solicit a list of up to 100 of the author's friends and
family whom they bombard with pre-publication flyers offering discounted copies.
The sting is in the book's cover price - anything from 25-50% above the going
rate for a similar book - ensuring that the friends-and-family discount does not
effect the publisher's profit. My own 136 page "tome" was originally priced at
$19.95 then reduced to the still prohibitive cover price of $16.95 when I
expressed my disgust. Print-on-demand format allows the publisher to recoup
publishing costs almost immediately on just a few such sales which are followed
up by a "special" bulk purchase offer, irresistible to the author who has
received only two free copies for review purposes. I invested three to four
hundred pounds sterling and countless frustrating hours that I could ill afford
on a marketing project that was doomed to failure from the start.
PublishAmerica's lack of author support, only answering phone calls for book
orders and ignoring almost all email complaints, is legend, as is the nigh
impossible task of finding a bookseller willing to stock PublishAmerica
non-returnable titles. PublishAmerica have a branch called PublishBritannica and
I now realise how nave I have been to believe that a company would necessarily
show respect to the country whose name they cynically exploit. Maybe such
business practices are par for the course in today's dog-eat-dog,
winner-take-all world. I know there are "authors" prepared to buy huge
quantities of their books then sell them on to sympathetic, unsuspecting
acquaintances, mug gullible punters at book fairs and the like or just sell them
to each other. I just enjoy writing stories, being neither a super salesman nor
a confidence trickster. Is it too much to expect that a writer's work might
succeed on merit rather than misrepresentation and deceit? If companies like
PublishAmerica are allowed to legally flourish while exploiting new authors,
deceiving the reading public and stifling writing talent, apart from GENUINE
TRADITIONAL HOUSES, the book publishing industry will surely drown in a
dumbed-down literary quagmire of its own making.NOTE: Many authors who value
their work and who have fallen victim to this disreputable company are
campaigning to have the sole rights to their material restored. To those who
threaten legal action PublishAmerica offer a release agreement containing a
gagging clause. Authors who feel that they have been misled or defrauded by this
company are advised to write to - Office of the Attorney GeneralConsumer
Protection Division-Beth Silverman200 St. Paul PlaceBaltimore, MD 21202and BBB
of Greater Maryland1414 Key Highway, Suite 100Baltimore, MD 21230 -5189 WWW:
www.baltimore.bbb.orgEmail: info@bbbmd.orgPhone: (410)347-3992Fax:
(410)347-3936Eddie Bruce 23.11.2004. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Eddie
Bruce is retired and writes Scottish and English short fiction. A recovering
alcoholic, his works reflect the ordinary man's eternal struggle to find a niche
in life. Some of his acclaimed stories can be read at
http://www.adrifterslegacy.co.uk

You may view the latest post at
http://www.richproject.co.cc/?p=4018

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates are
posted.
Best regards,
admin
k_malee@hotmail.com

[] The Fabulous Fifties

has posted a new item, 'The Fabulous Fifties'

By the time the Korean War ended, in 1953, fifty thousand Americans had
returned home in coffins. With the end of the War came President Eisenhower's
promise of a bright future for the United States. It was the beginning of an
economic boom unlike any in the history of the Country. For the first time since
the Great Depression of 1929 America was not in crisis.By the time the Korean
War ended, in 1953, fifty thousand Americans had returned home in coffins. With
the end of the War came President Eisenhower's promise of a bright future for
the United States. It was the beginning of an economic boom unlike any in the
history of the Country. For the first time since the Great Depression of 1929
America was not in crisis. During the latter part of 1953 mass consumerism
was on the rise and money was in the bank. Americans moved up to the "middle
class" at the rate of one million a year and real wages were rising at an
unprecedented 4.5% yearly. It was a time of conformity when men, dressed in gray
flannel suits and white shirts, went to their white-collar jobs and women kept
the home fires burning in their pastel, "cookie cutter" houses of America's new
suburbia. Life centered around the stability of home and family and 97% of
marriageable men and women were married, it was a couples society and they were
all having children, the baby boom was in full swing..Americans began their love
affair with TV during the early part of the decade and by the mid 50s 3/4 of
them owned a television set and spent 1/3 of their waking hours watching I Love
Lucy, The Honeymooners, Jack Benny, Queen for A Day, What's My Line, Ed Sullivan
and American Bandstand. Consumerism flourished as television ads convinced
viewers of the need to keep up with the "Jones'" by owning the latest gadgets
and goods.For Black citizens, in the midst of this new American prosperity, life
remained unchanged but change was in the air. The 1954 United States Supreme
Court decision in Brown v. the Board of Education was among the most significant
turning points in the development of our country. It dismantled the legal basis
for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities by declaring that
the discriminatory nature of racial segregation ... "violates the 14th amendment
to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the
laws,"The southern states resisted integration. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks,
weary from an exhausting day of work as a seamstress, boarded a bus in
Montgomery, Alabama. She sat in the black section at the back of the bus but
when the white seats had filled she was told to give up her seat to a white man.
Rosa Parks refused and in so doing became the first prominent figure of what
became the Movement. The twenty-six year old minister, Martin Luther King, Jr.
led the black citizens in a non-violent boycott of the Montgomery buses. During
the boycott white extremists bombed Kings home. The boycott continued for 381
days until, in 1956, the Federal Supreme ruled to desegregate the buses. In 1957
President Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne to accompany the Arkansas Nine
to classes at Central High in Little Rock. Three weeks earlier the black
students were prevented by white students, teachers and parents from entering
the school in spite of the Brown v. The Board of Education ruling.There was a
change happening in music. A sound that had its roots in black music and was
referred to as "race music" was becoming popular with white teens. Early in 1951
disc jockey, Alan Freed, realized that white teenagers with money to spend were
buying records of what had been considered exclusively Negro music a year
earlier. By the summer of that same year the "Moondog Show" premiered from
Cleavland. Disc jockey, Alan Freed, was "The Moondog" and played this new music
with a "beat". His shows were a phenomenal hit and Alan Freed is credited for
naming the new music, "Rock 'n Roll" Sam Phillips, a Memphis recording man and
enthusiast of black music immediately recognized a special quality in Elvis
Presley, who had been influenced by Southern black gospel and blues. On July 5,
1954 at Sun Records Elvis recorded "I'm All Right, Mama" with "Blue Moon of
Kentucky" on the flip side. Soon after, he was named "Most Up and Coming
Hillbilly Artist of The Year".By February of 1955 Bill Haley's version of "Shake
Rattle and Roll" had sold 1 million copies, Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" was on
the charts and then came Little Richard with, "Tutti Frutti". Rock'n Roll was
born, and here to stay. Even as parents disapproved of it as "devil music" the
kids couldn't get enough. The automobile became an American icon during the
prosperity of the 50s. The Ford Thunderbird, Chevrolet sedans and Chrysler
station-wagons became symbols of the new affluent American society. The nation
was suddenly mobile and "Drive-in" became a part of the language and culture.
Public Works began the construction of an extensive highway system like no other
time in history and road trips in big-finned cars became a national
past-time.The Cold War between the world's Super Powers, America and Russia,
cast a shadow of fear over the Frivolous Fifties. The Atomic and Hydrogen bombs
were created and the military performed 200 above-ground nuclear tests between
1954 and 1958. There was failure after failure in the rocket launching
competition between the two countries until Russia realized success with it's
Sputnik on October 4, 1957. Americans found themselves watching the skies and
learning to "duck and cover". By the latter part of the decade Marilyn Monroe
had appeared as the first centerfold in Hugh Hefner's Playboy magazine and Ed
Sullivan had backed down by inviting Elvis to perform, two months after calling
him vulgar and exclaiming that he would never appear on his television show. The
youth had their own music and the Beats, with their hip new language, became the
forefathers of the 60s counter-culture.Profound economic, political, racial and
social changes had taken place in a short time. Happy Days? Yes, but complex and
evolving too. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vicki writes original content for her
retro website, The Nostalgic Boomer. She is a baby boomer who lives and works as
a Legal Assistant in a County Attorney's Office in Arizona and spends her spare
time writing poetry, fiction, articles for web content and creating web design.

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