6 ms·

From Here On Out, Do What You Love

126 points by InfinityX0 15y ago

Yhippa 15y ago
Normally I'm pretty skeptical of these types of stories but I must say I'm pretty impressed. I think you have to hit rock bottom sometimes to get the best out of yourself. The trick is making sure you can push yourself when you're not at rock bottom.
babel17 15y ago
Great story. I gotta ask though, how can ANYONE love SEO ??
- momotomo 15y ago
  It has visible short to medium turn returns? I don't do SEO, but it seems like it's a case where you can do some analysis, engineering and tuning, then fairly immediately see some results. Beats the pants of slower cycle stuff where you need to work for months on the assumption that all your planning and resourcing will actually produce something that is sustainable.
- Ixiaus 15y ago
  Generally speaking, I agree with you. I down voted though because it's a silly statement to make when you really think about it in a more dynamic way: * Perspective is subjective * SEO isn't everything you think it is I'm an engineer and I'm actually building an SEO company; "SEO" (I really hate that acronym) is many different things. For some people it's a slimy practice, for other people it is marketing but on the internet ("Internet Marketing" and "SEO" pretty much go hand in hand these days). You might even be interested to know that YC funded an SEO startup (http://www.ginzametrics.com http://www.ginzametrics.com) - they are an SEO tools company (my competitor). So, can you love SEO? Sure you can, as an engineer, building useful SEO tools is rife with fun and interesting problems. Just gotta change your perspective a bit. BUT I agree with you in that on a big philosophical whole, SEO is not something I will be doing my whole life; matter of fact I see it as a stepping stone to interests that matter to my spirit and not just my intellect (interesting engineering problems) and my ego (money and stuff).
- randfish 15y ago
  I've loved SEO with every fiber of my being for close to a decade. It's an absolutely phenomenal field filled with complexity, challenges, rewards for creativity, attention to metrics and execution. It's hard to find or imagine a business endeavor that produces such remarkable return, nor one that has so many interesting elements (the detective work of uncovering why a site's rankings went up/down, the excitement of a content marketing play, the variety of tactics that can be used to approach a challenge). How can anyone NOT love SEO? That's the more salient question.
  - Ixiaus 15y ago
    As an engineer building an SEO company, I can think of plenty of reasons NOT to love SEO. Every coin has two sides (which is, effectively, what I said in the other comment) :)
    - BharatiAhuja 15y ago
      If SEO loses its importance and existence then the search engines will lose their true meaning for ranking websites keeping the quality web parameters in mind as they will become a platform for just displaying Ads. Only those search engines will survive in the long run which can rank quality searches and help people find what they are looking for on the search engines. Else search engines will be the domain of those corporates who can spend more for visibility. SEO helps in making the web a better place and focus on quality rather than make it a money making machine only for some. As the SEO techniques offer a global platform and equal platform for SMEs who have limited budgets and is one of the best web presence stategies for SMEs. As search engines do not rank websites on organic search on the basis of their fame or strong balance sheets but on the basis of the quality aspects of the websites. But as earlier said every coin has got 2 sides there are some people who misuse this but that does not reduce the value of SEO in any way.
- briggsjustin 15y ago
  As the writer of the story, I guess I should answer this. I think the acronym "SEO" feels a bit outdated. The problems and strategies involved in SEO are far more involved than it often gets credit for. There are a number of people who do the name a disservice and do bad SEO. But the type of work I do at Distilled is working on incredibly creative projects. It might include projects like managing domain consolidation across 3 domains comprising of pages in the millions without allowing for a massive drop in traffic. To solving speed optimization issues, to account for crawl budgets that limit indexation. Or determining IA on large scale sites. Or helping optimize a site running on a 16 year old CMS that won’t switch. And in the same day, I may switch gears to brainstorm some of the most popular viral content on the internet. Then I'll work with a client on their customer service center problems, because it's leading to reputation issues online. Then later that week, I'll be on the phone with the CEO of a cool startup talking through strategic business ideas. I get to help work on strategies that fall well outside the acronym of "SEO" that help lead to the success of some great brands. As an ex engineering, math, and science fanatic - I love the problems that force me to just sit in front of a whiteboard for 2 days straight until I come out with a solution I think will work best for a client. I love the complexity of the problems. However, in the industry, I'm more known for "building links" which is the aspect that allows me to be creative. Also, my "hustle" has made me successful at getting my clients coverage. But in link building, you get to work on projects like data mining and analysis on client data to create interesting content. Then I get to take that same content and pitch it to publications. It's such a dynamic process for one content piece to cover everything from brainstorming concepts, to data analysis, to outreach. So yeah, I love SEO.
  - will_critchlow 15y ago
    I'm one of the founders of Distilled (mentioned in the story) and I also come from a technical background (maths mainly). The thing I love about SEO is that we get to work on harder problems in more fun ways than any other industry I've come across. You can make it whatever you want - Justin is a great example of this. And, yeah, he rocks - but you all worked that out already.
    - Ixiaus 15y ago
- sid6376 15y ago
  I have the same impression about SEO and also about a lot of other things. While I was in college, I thought web development was easy and for people who couldn't program in C/C++. I was dumb. Now i know otherwise. It can be the same with SEO. And that's beside the point, the story is about determination and hard work. What he chose to do is a sidenote.
revorad 15y ago
Now that is determination. Respect to the man. May greater things come your way.
sid6376 15y ago
As someone who has just pushed the reset button on his life, this was an amazing story. Good luck and may you continue inspiring people.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
wf 15y ago
As a student at school, (coincidentally, the University of Tennessee) trying to figure out where I really want to be and what I am doing with my life, this is absolutely inspirational.
briggsbio 15y ago
I usually shy away from these "Do what you love" stories, but when I saw the domain it came from I had to read it. I thought the universe (or PG) was sending me a direct message via HN! (And no, I'm not that stupid or that much of a megalomaniac, I hope.) So, from one Justin Briggs to another, thanks for an inspiring story, a newfound respect for SEO, and for bringing back some similar memories from my path. Good Luck!
- pluies_public 15y ago
  The bad news is you'll have to out-SEO him for people to see you when Googling "Justin Briggs".
Shenglong 15y ago
I've seen a few of these types of articles here - I'm just wondering... since this is one of the most intelligent communities I know of, how many people here have given up everything for one reason or another, and pushed back from rock bottom?
- buro9 15y ago
  I didn't give up much because I didn't have a great deal, but I voluntarily put myself in a place very low (homeless) in the belief that it would be a better place, and have come back from it to be who I am today. I'm not the only one. When I put a summary of my story on HN a while ago ( http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1201162 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1201162 ) I received a few emails from individuals who had done similar things but felt that they couldn't talk about it and thanking me for doing so. So yeah, there are others who have put themselves low just to start from there.
- skarayan 15y ago
  It happens to the best of us. One good thing about rock bottom, there is usually nowhere else to go but up. And other times, just when you think you can't get any lower, you are hit with a truck. Unfortunately, I have gone through at least 3 (depending on how you count) of these rock bottoms. Although it was unimaginable at the time, I am a stronger/better person for these experiences. Funny thing about humans, we always dream. It is important to go after these dreams, but also equally important to realize that we can fall down at any time. Unfortunately, sometimes you just lose control. It is how you get up that matters.
- chernevik 15y ago
  I left a perfectly plausible career, in a field I knew well, to learn enough programming to implement an idea of my own. (I'll recruit a real technical person when I have enough traction to do so.) This wasn't exactly pioneering, we did have some savings. I would have been better off stripping off still more cruft and going down deeper, but I've got a family and "bottom" wasn't an option. It's still nuts, as I've heard from many wise and loving people. Those savings could have gone to many other important uses, and I have a duty to make them back. So every day has had an urgent quality, and there have been many sleepless nights. (Come to think of it, what the hell am I doing here on hacker news?) Not there yet, but things are starting to look up.

126 points by InfinityX0 15y ago

Normally I'm pretty skeptical of these types of stories but I must say I'm pretty impressed. I think you have to hit rock bottom sometimes to get the best out of yourself. The trick is making sure you can push yourself when you're not at rock bottom.

babel17 15y ago

Great story. I gotta ask though, how can ANYONE love SEO ??

momotomo 15y ago
It has visible short to medium turn returns? I don't do SEO, but it seems like it's a case where you can do some analysis, engineering and tuning, then fairly immediately see some results. Beats the pants of slower cycle stuff where you need to work for months on the assumption that all your planning and resourcing will actually produce something that is sustainable.
Ixiaus 15y ago
Generally speaking, I agree with you. I down voted though because it's a silly statement to make when you really think about it in a more dynamic way: * Perspective is subjective * SEO isn't everything you think it is I'm an engineer and I'm actually building an SEO company; "SEO" (I really hate that acronym) is many different things. For some people it's a slimy practice, for other people it is marketing but on the internet ("Internet Marketing" and "SEO" pretty much go hand in hand these days). You might even be interested to know that YC funded an SEO startup (http://www.ginzametrics.com http://www.ginzametrics.com) - they are an SEO tools company (my competitor). So, can you love SEO? Sure you can, as an engineer, building useful SEO tools is rife with fun and interesting problems. Just gotta change your perspective a bit. BUT I agree with you in that on a big philosophical whole, SEO is not something I will be doing my whole life; matter of fact I see it as a stepping stone to interests that matter to my spirit and not just my intellect (interesting engineering problems) and my ego (money and stuff).
randfish 15y ago
I've loved SEO with every fiber of my being for close to a decade. It's an absolutely phenomenal field filled with complexity, challenges, rewards for creativity, attention to metrics and execution. It's hard to find or imagine a business endeavor that produces such remarkable return, nor one that has so many interesting elements (the detective work of uncovering why a site's rankings went up/down, the excitement of a content marketing play, the variety of tactics that can be used to approach a challenge). How can anyone NOT love SEO? That's the more salient question.
- Ixiaus 15y ago
  As an engineer building an SEO company, I can think of plenty of reasons NOT to love SEO. Every coin has two sides (which is, effectively, what I said in the other comment) :)
  - BharatiAhuja 15y ago
    If SEO loses its importance and existence then the search engines will lose their true meaning for ranking websites keeping the quality web parameters in mind as they will become a platform for just displaying Ads. Only those search engines will survive in the long run which can rank quality searches and help people find what they are looking for on the search engines. Else search engines will be the domain of those corporates who can spend more for visibility. SEO helps in making the web a better place and focus on quality rather than make it a money making machine only for some. As the SEO techniques offer a global platform and equal platform for SMEs who have limited budgets and is one of the best web presence stategies for SMEs. As search engines do not rank websites on organic search on the basis of their fame or strong balance sheets but on the basis of the quality aspects of the websites. But as earlier said every coin has got 2 sides there are some people who misuse this but that does not reduce the value of SEO in any way.
briggsjustin 15y ago
As the writer of the story, I guess I should answer this. I think the acronym "SEO" feels a bit outdated. The problems and strategies involved in SEO are far more involved than it often gets credit for. There are a number of people who do the name a disservice and do bad SEO. But the type of work I do at Distilled is working on incredibly creative projects. It might include projects like managing domain consolidation across 3 domains comprising of pages in the millions without allowing for a massive drop in traffic. To solving speed optimization issues, to account for crawl budgets that limit indexation. Or determining IA on large scale sites. Or helping optimize a site running on a 16 year old CMS that won’t switch. And in the same day, I may switch gears to brainstorm some of the most popular viral content on the internet. Then I'll work with a client on their customer service center problems, because it's leading to reputation issues online. Then later that week, I'll be on the phone with the CEO of a cool startup talking through strategic business ideas. I get to help work on strategies that fall well outside the acronym of "SEO" that help lead to the success of some great brands. As an ex engineering, math, and science fanatic - I love the problems that force me to just sit in front of a whiteboard for 2 days straight until I come out with a solution I think will work best for a client. I love the complexity of the problems. However, in the industry, I'm more known for "building links" which is the aspect that allows me to be creative. Also, my "hustle" has made me successful at getting my clients coverage. But in link building, you get to work on projects like data mining and analysis on client data to create interesting content. Then I get to take that same content and pitch it to publications. It's such a dynamic process for one content piece to cover everything from brainstorming concepts, to data analysis, to outreach. So yeah, I love SEO.
- will_critchlow 15y ago
  I'm one of the founders of Distilled (mentioned in the story) and I also come from a technical background (maths mainly). The thing I love about SEO is that we get to work on harder problems in more fun ways than any other industry I've come across. You can make it whatever you want - Justin is a great example of this. And, yeah, he rocks - but you all worked that out already.
  - Ixiaus 15y ago
sid6376 15y ago
I have the same impression about SEO and also about a lot of other things. While I was in college, I thought web development was easy and for people who couldn't program in C/C++. I was dumb. Now i know otherwise. It can be the same with SEO. And that's beside the point, the story is about determination and hard work. What he chose to do is a sidenote.

revorad 15y ago

Now that is determination. Respect to the man. May greater things come your way.

sid6376 15y ago

As someone who has just pushed the reset button on his life, this was an amazing story. Good luck and may you continue inspiring people.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

wf 15y ago

As a student at school, (coincidentally, the University of Tennessee) trying to figure out where I really want to be and what I am doing with my life, this is absolutely inspirational.

briggsbio 15y ago

I usually shy away from these "Do what you love" stories, but when I saw the domain it came from I had to read it. I thought the universe (or PG) was sending me a direct message via HN! (And no, I'm not that stupid or that much of a megalomaniac, I hope.) So, from one Justin Briggs to another, thanks for an inspiring story, a newfound respect for SEO, and for bringing back some similar memories from my path. Good Luck!

pluies_public 15y ago
The bad news is you'll have to out-SEO him for people to see you when Googling "Justin Briggs".

Shenglong 15y ago

I've seen a few of these types of articles here - I'm just wondering... since this is one of the most intelligent communities I know of, how many people here have given up everything for one reason or another, and pushed back from rock bottom?

buro9 15y ago
I didn't give up much because I didn't have a great deal, but I voluntarily put myself in a place very low (homeless) in the belief that it would be a better place, and have come back from it to be who I am today. I'm not the only one. When I put a summary of my story on HN a while ago ( http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1201162 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1201162 ) I received a few emails from individuals who had done similar things but felt that they couldn't talk about it and thanking me for doing so. So yeah, there are others who have put themselves low just to start from there.
skarayan 15y ago
It happens to the best of us. One good thing about rock bottom, there is usually nowhere else to go but up. And other times, just when you think you can't get any lower, you are hit with a truck. Unfortunately, I have gone through at least 3 (depending on how you count) of these rock bottoms. Although it was unimaginable at the time, I am a stronger/better person for these experiences. Funny thing about humans, we always dream. It is important to go after these dreams, but also equally important to realize that we can fall down at any time. Unfortunately, sometimes you just lose control. It is how you get up that matters.
chernevik 15y ago
I left a perfectly plausible career, in a field I knew well, to learn enough programming to implement an idea of my own. (I'll recruit a real technical person when I have enough traction to do so.) This wasn't exactly pioneering, we did have some savings. I would have been better off stripping off still more cruft and going down deeper, but I've got a family and "bottom" wasn't an option. It's still nuts, as I've heard from many wise and loving people. Those savings could have gone to many other important uses, and I have a duty to make them back. So every day has had an urgent quality, and there have been many sleepless nights. (Come to think of it, what the hell am I doing here on hacker news?) Not there yet, but things are starting to look up.