Are you using an SEO Plugin on your website and/or Blog?

If you are, I recommend deleting the plugin and adding the necessary search engine optimization properties directly to your HTML files. If you’re using a blogging theme such as Thesis, you don’t need to add additional SEO plugins; everything you need to affect these fields is easily accessible within the admin panel and the individual posting pages.

The word is spreading that Google may in fact have a new website penalty for using a WordPress SEO plugin. This plugin actually hides a portion of your page and won’t allow Google to index the page properly. It’s described as a “seven-day penalty” which prevents your post from being indexed for, duh – seven days. Keep in mind, your new post always appears on the home page of your blog – and this could have an impact on your blog’s index page.

Have you seen this happen to your site? If so, please share the details.

Austin, TX is the place to be right now. South by Southwest kicks off today and runs until March 16th. SXSW is a one-two punch combo Conferences & Festival. It bundles the hottest original music, independent films, and emerging technologies into a glorified uber-cool, nerd-fest. The latter portion – emerging technologies – is what captures my attention. SXSWi is described as:

An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the SXSW® Interactive Festival brings together the world’s most creative web developers, designers, bloggers, wireless innovators, content producers, programmers, widget inventors and new media entrepreneurs. Five days of captivating keynote presentations and provocative panel sessions provide hands-on training as well as big-picture analysis of the future of this industry. In addition to the bountiful business opportunities at the Trade Show & Exhibition and the hands-on gaming fun at the ScreenBurn Arcade, SXSW Interactive provides a full array of exciting evening events to entertain attendees.

With so much to between the events, networking, panels and parties. Two key activities:

1. Planning your schedule: Plancast is popular to stay organized and keep others informed.
2. Bragging about what you did, who you did it with and where you did it: Foursquare is among the top choices. (Location is the buzz – look for more of this to come)

If you’re at SXSWi, try to unlock these special achievement badges made exclusively for attendees:

Animal Collect: See three bands that have an animal in their name.

Austin Explorer: Check in at 5x in Austin locations. HINT: Seek out new adventures and badges shall be yours.

Bands on the Run: See seven bands in one day. Yes, Seven.

Decathlon: Check in at 10 SXSW parties.

Early Adopter: For those who checked in last year & check in again this year. HINT: You should have been here last year!

Far Far Away: Check in outside of SXSW territory – or maybe when you’re in a cab. HINT: “TAXI!”

Fixin’ Wagon: Check in here if you find yourself eating street meat. HINT: Some of the best tacos come from shacks on wheels.

Groupie: Check in with the Foursquare team. HINT: “The Backstreet Boys of tech! The Menudo of the interne…. OMG! @NAVEEN JUST TOUCHED MY SHIRT!”

Hangover: No explanation needed. HINT: Late to bed, early to rise.

Hookup: Last year this badge was called Slut. Same accomplishment, different name. HINT: Late night is for exploring the hotel circuit.

Karaoke RV: Check in at the Karaoke RV. HINT: If you need a hint, you’re doing something wrong.

Name Dropper: “Shout” a celebrity showing. And no, your own name doesn’t count. HINT: There’s no shame in using checkins for web 2.0 celeb sightings.

Panel Nerd: Last year, you got this by checking in three times before noon at the convention center. HINT: Less partying, more working.

Porky: Check in while chowing down on some delicious BBQ. HINT: Oink oink!

SPINsider: Check in at three bands recommended by the editors of SPIN Magazine.

Super Swarm: Check in with more than 249 of your friends in one spot. HINT: Get your FlashMob on. XL’ed for SX.

Survivor: Check in at the airport when you leave. HINT: The airport is your beacon home.

Swimmies: Check in at a pool, hot tub – any body of water. HINT: Underoos make for a great bathing suit.

Tarantino: Check in at one (or more) showing of a Tarantino film. HINT: That Gold badge works for movies too, you know?

Trailblazer: Check in at three shows beyond Downtown Austin.

Let me know if you discover other special Foursquare badges…and how to unlock them.