SeanGolliher.com

Brief Bio:

Sean is currently an adjunct professor of search engines in the computer science department at MSU in Bozeman, MT. He also blogs for SemanticWeb.com and has been involved with internet marketing for nearly ~10 years. In 2007 he founded the search marketing industry’s only peer-reviewed search marketing research journal, SEMJ.org, whose subscribers include companies like eBay and Overstock.com. Recently he joined Future Farm Inc. as president of and director of search marketing. Editors include well-known search marketing experts from around the world.

Sean received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1993 and his master’s in electrical engineering from Washington State University in 1998. He is a frequent speaker at search marketing conferences in the U.S. He also writes frequently on the subject of search marketing and blogs on technical issues at www.seangolliher.com. He co-authored a paper entitled “Understanding Social News” with the co-founder of Reddit.com. He has appeared and been interviewed on well-known blogs and radio stations such as Clickz.com, Webmasterradio.com, and SEM Synergy. He was featured in a radio interview on SEM synergy with representatives from eBay discussing the future of affiliate marketing. To maintain a competitive edge for his clients he reads search patents, papers, and attends search marketing conferences on a regular basis.

Speaking:
Semantic Web conference: SEO and the Semantic Web, San Jose, Ca.
Panel Moderator Search Engine Strategies: Semantic Web and SEO, Chicago
Tech Ranch: Adwords & Search Marketing
Bozeman Chamber, Adwords & Advanced Adwords
Invited International Search Summit London
Montana State University, Emerging Technologies Conference

Writing:
SEMJ.org: Introduction to Search Engine Ranking Variables and Algorithms, SEMJ.org 2008
SEMJ.org: Understanding Social News: Case Study Using Reddit.com, SEMJ.org 2009
Clickz.com: New Developments in Information Retrieval- http://www.clickz.com/3635768

Radio:
SEM Synergy- Interview with founder of Search Engine Marketing Journal
SEM Synergy- Sean Golliher, Will Martin-Gill eBay, http://www2.webmasterradio.fm/sem- synergy/2009/inside-search-engine-optimization-journal/

Video:
WebMasterRadio: Interview with SEMJ.org founder Sean Golliher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dCJCul4NQ4&feature=related

Where did the title “Out of the Quantization Noise” come from?

I graduated high school from Rogers in Spokane in 1998. I was awarded a jazz guitar scholarship out of high school and was accepted to Berkley College of Music in Boston. In high school I taught nine guitar students out of my home. I played in jazz clubs in high school as well. I toured Europe and played at the Montreux, North Sea, and Ozone Jazz festivals.

After studying music theory and jazz for a year I decided I didn’t want to be taught how to play music and that it was just a hobby for me. So I changed my major to physics because I have a strong desire to know how things work. I went to University of Washington to study physics and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1993. I worked on the UW particle accelerator ( smashed particles) for a few years. I was the only undergraduate at the time that was working on the accelerator. I had to work the 12am to 8am shift. I love mathematics and took a lot of graduate level mathematics courses including mathematical physics.

I then decided to go to graduate school in electrical engineering (I wanted to eat). So I joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to help pay for college. After graduating with an advanced degree in electrical engineering I went to work building data converters and integrated circuits (chips) in Fort Collins, Colorado.

My wife was a realtor in Colorado, and I built her website and noticed it didn’t appear on search engines. So, being an engineer, I started reading papers on how search engines rank web documents. I learned about ranking algorithms in about 1999. From there I began making my own money online for many years until I was making more money from my own websites than at work. I invested a lot of the money and then left my job. I also began consulting for other small businesses about search marketing.

I 2007 I started SEMJ.org. It is a project I started out of a love for studying Internet research and search marketing, which I think is a perfect blend of art and science. The journal attracts a certain type of person. People that love research and understand the need for objective writing and analysis in the search marketing industry. It is not for everyone.

This blog is about helping one stay out of the noise by generating a strong foundation on which to build your knowledge about the WWW and how it works. Because I worked on data converters I also, in a sense, literally left the quantization noise, thus the title.

I hope this blog helps build a strong foundation of knowledge for you so you can
filter through the noise and solve problems on your own.

If I ever forget to credit the original thinkers on any idea please let me know and I will make a correction. I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

My Best,
Sean