Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder on November 5, 1605 and was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. The nursery rhyme “Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot” can be applied to seo.
SEO’s have the capability to have an idea shared with tens of thousands of viewers with a click of a mouse. Awesome the power, awesome the responsibility. Do we understand what we are? Do we merely promote goods and services for clients or are we sharing information, sharing ideas?
“A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world.”
SEO’s need to keep in mind that everything we promote, though it pays the bills, affect our country and society. Too many industries are employing seo’s to present their crap on the computer screens of our children and grandparents. We read conspiracy theories that some believe is news. We are led to believe things that are untrue, stories disguised as news. It makes me sick.
I cannot promote a service if I think it’s evil. Malum In Se. Evil at heart. Guy Fawkes lives on because his ideas were promoted by the passing on of the story, just as blog headlines and email are today.
The Orwellian movie “V is for Vendetta” portrays a world where government has total control of the people by means of fear. The Character V, 400 years after Guy carries out the initial treasonous plan and is championed as the hero. “People shouldn/t be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people” is the theme of the movie.
Though some believe the movie portrays our modern society, I do not. Our founding documents charged us to change government when we feel we need to. The internet is a tool of the people and prevents, I believe, the Orwellian nightmare portrayed in the movie.
If we are responsible, if we share good ideas and question the status-quo as a rule, seo’s can influence the course of a country.
