Is this title SEO appropriate?

Recently, Editing and Design has become quite fun for me. Not that it wasn't always this way, but I've found that I highly enjoy writing headlines. Being a language person,this isn't surprising; finding the perfect word or witty combination is the greatest joy of any writer, but proficiency in this area does seem to be correlating success in the online news world.

While interesting headlines do grab attention, it has been discovered that online search engines may have trouble bringing up a related story when the headline contains no words that are literally germane to the topic. This situation translates into less readership, and that's not good for anyone but the competition. The way that news rooms have chosen to combat this is the science of search engine optimization, which helps these stories get noticed by major search engines like Google.

SEO is, more simply, a way of making headlines more literal and straightforward so that readers not only comprehend what the story is about, but can find it when they enter simple search terms into online databases. The Boston Globe's sister web site, Boston.com, has become a leader in this area, though it is not even in the top 10 of the United States' most ciruclated newspapers. Because of SEO though, their readership stands ready to grow.

While writing headlines is an essential talent for a copy editor, making the jump from print to online is a skill they must possess as well.

Mickey Mouse and Confederate Flags

Besides killing a portion of my childhood this week, our class discussions reminded me of Song of the South, a movie Disney released in 1946. Song of the South is about the America South on a plantation during the 19th century slave era. The main focus of the plot is on Uncle Remus and his stories of Brer Rabbit and his adventures --all common African American folk tales. The movie was the source of the popular song, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" which won an Oscar in 1947.

You may be asking yourself, why have I never even heard of such a movie? Well, because Disney unwittingly made a film that made the slave-slave owner relationship look like the most jovial little family you've ever seen. The movie has never been released on video in the United States, though the VHS can be found on eBay and sent from England for the bargain price of $40 plus shipping.

The rampant stereotyping of African Americans is what makes the movie still so controversial today. Disney execs have recently been discussing a re-release, but are obviously hesitant. Several web sites have been set up to encourage its release and thousands have signed petitions written up by various fans and organizations who feel that the movie is part of our history and not racist, but a product of the time it was made. It has also been suggested that the movies's re-released format should include statements that reflect modern views of culture and ethnicity as a part of that culture. Whatever is decided, I question whether we have matured enough as a society to handle a text such as this as well as share it with our children.

*Bonus Material* Thank you, SNL! (Material does not necessarily display my views, but is hilarious nonetheless)