Sign in

Mark Alves

@markalves.com
733 followers 259 following 436 posts

Tab hoarder. Wrangler of GA4, dashboards, and SEO for nonprofits. Happily married with 3 sons. Overgrazer of ice cream, podcasts, and the Steelers.

PostsRepliesMedia
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 25/09/2026
Is this the support ticket’s way of ignoring requests either way? No, it's still not resolved. Yes, it’s still not resolved.
Interface says Issue still not resolved with a slider next to it defaulting to the answer No
110
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 02/08/2026
I’m just the messenger
It’s candy corn season says the grocery store display
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 04/07/2026
“Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” — Psalm 85:11 Values to ponder this Independence Day.
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/07/2026
Celebrating my birthday with a time capsule playlist of July 3 hits through the years open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ak...
open.spotify.com
July 3rd Hits 1968 Onward
Playlist · Mark Alves · 59 items
010
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/07/2026
Happy 7️⃣0️⃣3️⃣ Day, Northern Virginia!
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 13/06/2026
The storm passed through…
Rainbow in the neighborhood
020
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 09/06/2026
Google One is cutting benefits again. Gemini limits and no more AI credits. But at least it’s getting a new name: Google AI Plus. (Yes, Google…Plus!) I remember when they used to throw in freebies, like a VPN.
020
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 09/06/2026
Ah, Tony Awards last night, Tiny Awards announcement today.
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 28/05/2026
Foggy morning in Georgetown this morning on the way to work. No, that isn’t me rowing.
Washington Harbor with the Kennedy Center floating on fog
010
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 20/05/2026
You’re absolutely right. Those quotes are made up. Would you like me to make up some more?
NY Times: Book on Truth in the Age of
A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I.
Steven Rosenbaum, author of "The Future of Truth," said he had started his own investigation atter The New York Times asked about the fake quotes.
020
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 04/05/2026
Busting out the Star Tours tee for Star Wars Day #Maythe4th
Me in my Star Tours tee from an old ride at Disney World
010
Reposted by Mark Alves
Chris Johnson @defaced.dev · 22/04/2026
I had a bit of motivation to refactor away from paid services and I'm slowly bringing the different parts of TAPEFEAR.com back online after a hiatus due to funds. It's now crawling and updating again *fingers crossed* but still needs an overhaul of many of the other backend systems.
tapefear.com
TAPEFEAR
Rediscovering music discovery.
131
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 17/04/2026
Beautiful night in DC. Enjoyed The Two Georges exhibit at the Library of Congress. King George and Washington lived parallel lives in many ways.
Us Capitol dome at sunset
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 11/04/2026
Here we go again. Looker Studio is reverting to its original name, Data Studio. Can Google Webmaster Tools make another run? cloud.google.com/blog/product...
cloud.google.com
Looker Studio is Data Studio | Google Cloud Blog
Data Studio, formerly Looker Studio, is playing a significant role serving Google Data Cloud content, on top of its data visualization capabilities.
010
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 25/02/2026
Google patent for an AI search based on what you're doing and assumed intent without you even searching. Instead of User intent → type query → receive result New: Device observes behavior → system infers intent → generates query → retrieves results → pushes AI summary. dejan.ai/blog/implici...
dejan.ai
Implicit Queries in AI Search
Back in 2015 I wrote about Google’s reliance of user behaviours signals for ranking purposes. In that article I already covered their use of implicit signals, but now there’s an update! While investig...
110
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 19/02/2026
It’s Ash Wednesday so I’ve got my #ashtag to kick off Lent
Selfie outside church with my ashes
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 11/02/2026
Some AI performance data is now in Bing Webmaster Tools -- pages cited and some kind of partial grounded query (root topic?) A good start from Bing. Not expecting Google to follow but would be thrilled to be mistaken. www.seroundtable.com/bing-webmast...
seroundtable.com
Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance Reports Go Live
A couple of weeks ago I reported Bing was beta testing a new AI performance report within Bing Webmaster Tools. These reports are now available as a public preview for all to see. Plus, Bing Webmast...
000
Reposted by Mark Alves
Coywolf @coywolf.social · 06/01/2026
All major browsers now support the hidden=until-found attribute on the Details disclosure element, allowing visitors to search and auto-expand hidden text on pages without JavaScript. coywolf.com/news/seo/det... #WebDev #HTML
coywolf.com
Details disclosure element can now auto-expand using the browser's find on page feature
All major browsers now support the hidden=until-found attribute on the Details disclosure element, allowing visitors to search and auto-expand hidden text on pages without JavaScript.
032
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 01/01/2026
Happy new year! Hope it’s a great 2026!
Me, my wife and son
080
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 18/12/2025
Handy bookmarklet for pulling query fanouts and sources from ChatGPT via AI Notebook newsletter www.jcchouinard.com/chatgpt-quer...
jcchouinard.com
ChatGPT Query Fanout Analyzer (Bookmarklet) - JC Chouinard
This Bookmarklet will help you parse the conversations data from your ChatGPT prompts including the fan-out queries, which URLs rank and what entities are Learn Non classé by JC Chouinard
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 11/12/2025
A Virginia company is trying to grab the Twitter trademark on abandonment grounds. Are you reserving your handle just in case? www.twitter.new
twitter.new
Twitter.new: The New Twitter Social Media Platform
Twitter.new: The public square returns + AI verification to evolve the social media experience you can trust #BackWithYourEx
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/12/2025
Most listened podcasts of 2025 are mostly comedy, commentary, and crime. 6 of the top 10 have video and 24 of the top 50. The Joe Rogan Experience This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von The Mel Robbins Podcast Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy Crime Junkie The Shawn Ryan Show variety.com/2025/digital...
variety.com
Spotify Unveils Top 50 Podcasts of 2025, Led by Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Mel Robbins
Spotify, as part of Spotify Wrapped, released the top 50 podcasts of 2025 -- with Joe Rogan coming in at No. 1 for the fifth straight year.
100
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 20/11/2025
The Rich Snippets newsletter always teaches me something new. Great info on Web Guides and Gemini 3. trafficthinktank.com/rich-snippets/
trafficthinktank.com
Staying informed just got easier.
Get bitesize commentary on the most important developments and happenings within the world of SEO delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday.
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 18/10/2025
Couldn’t resist posting this one
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 01/10/2025
"Free" AI
WSJ headline: Meta Will Begin Using AI Chatbot Conversations to Target Ads
While users won’t be able to opt out from the new policy, the content of some conversations will be automatically excluded
010
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 23/09/2025
Yay! Bluesky has bookmarks now! Whether I’ll revisit them is another matter, but I like the feeling of aspiring to do so.
020
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 22/09/2025
OpenAI offering keyword suggestions like an SEO tool, including the expired dates that appear in both
I started typing Here is a list of and OpenAI suggested books you should read in 2024
030
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 11/09/2025
Sometimes the Gospel reading for the day throws down a challenge.
010
Reposted by Mark Alves
Dave Smart @tamethebots.com · 10/09/2025
Bye Bye CrUX Dashboard, I'll always be nostalgic for your stacked bars of Goodness: developer.chrome.com/blog/crux-da... You can use tamethebots.com/tools/cwv-hi..., the cruxvis.withgoogle.com or one of the many other great free tools that use the CrUX History API.
developer.chrome.com
CrUX Dashboard deprecation  |  Blog  |  Chrome for Developers
We're planning on deprecating the CrUX Dashboard after the end of November 2025. CrUX Vis is a newer tool that visualizes historical CrUX data that has many advantages over the older CrUX Dashboar...
297
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 01/09/2025
Happy Yes Day! It’s 9/01/25 (US) and I’m listening to one of my all-time favorite albums. Blasted the heck out of this in my youth. Already loved classic progressive Yes but my friends and I embraced the new sound of 80s and the original intense Owner of a Lonely Heart video on MTV.
Cover of 90125 CDBack cover with song list 
1) OWNER OF A LONELY HEART
2) HOLD ON
3) IT CAN HAPPEN
4) CHANGES
5) CINEMA
6) LEAVE IT
7) OUR SONG
8) CITY OF LOVE
9) HEARTS
030
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/08/2025
NY Mag says "SEO Is Dead. Say Hello to GEO." But the keys to success in AI search are, checks notes, clear writing and good press coverage. archive.is/NunPq
archive.is
020
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/07/2025
Watched I’m Still Here on Independence Day. Increasingly felt like it could have been called You Are Here. boxd.it/adGYwd
boxd.it
A ★★★★½ review of I'm Still Here (2024)
Watched this on Independence Day, with unintentional irony. increasingly felt like it could have been called You Are Here.
110
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 04/07/2025
Neil Diamond’s Coming to America hits different now. music.apple.com/us/playlist/...
music.apple.com
Boomer Fourth Of July by Mark Alves on Apple Music
Playlist · 26 Songs
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/07/2025
Just updated my playlist of one current hit on my birthday each year since I was born. Available on Spotify… open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ak...
open.spotify.com
July 3rd Hits 1968 Onward
Playlist · Mark Alves · 58 items
100
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/07/2025
Northern Virginia, happy 703 Day! 🎉7️⃣0️⃣3️⃣☎️🗓️
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 25/06/2025
Cassidy strikes again. Handy calendar with date info stored in URL. Free and no account sign up. pocketcal.com
pocketcal.com
PocketCal - Pick dates, share a link.
Pick dates, share a link, and that's your calendar. PocketCal is a free, open-source web app that lets you select dates and instantly share them. No accounts, just a link, and nothing in your way.
1105
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 23/06/2025
Understandable but disappointing for smaller organizations looking for a GA4 alternative.
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 15/06/2025
We joined in the #nokings rally in Arlington, Virginia today. Well organized and lots of support.
Elizabeth and I in red, white, and blue
020
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 09/06/2025
Great show tonight by Tajmo (Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo”)
Band on stage with Taj Mahal on left seated, and Keb Mo standing in jeans and hat
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/06/2025
Washington problems: Walk from Metro to office interrupted by a motorcade
At the front is a marked police SUV with emergency lights activated.
	•	Following it are several black SUVs — typical of government or official escorts, potentially Secret Service or VIP protection vehicles.
	•	A few marked and unmarked police or security vehicles are visible in the convoy.
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 21/05/2025
I’m team AEO/GEO is really SEO. Different engines and surfaces? Sure. Longer queries? Yep. Third-party endorsements? As always. The tools will change and so will how you apply the techniques. But we’re still trying to get a brand shown as what will satisfy a searcher’s intent.
392
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 19/05/2025
Great interview with Bluesky's CEO on not downranking links and the future of social. Refreshing perspectives from a social platform leader. www.wired.com/story/big-in...
wired.com
Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet
All the lefties fled to Bluesky following Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. But CEO Jay Graber says the app is for everyone—and could revolutionize how people communicate online.
010
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 06/05/2025
I asked AI tools to help me: “I heard someone mention HTPs or similar in reference to a medical audience. Any ideas?” 🥇 ChatGPT win this round with health technology professionals ❌ Google went with “https” ❌ Claude, Gemini, Nova, Grok offered heated tobacco products + other medical conditions
140
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 05/05/2025
It’s May the 4th so of course we had to see The Empire Strikes Back
Me and Sam in front of Empire poster before the show at AFI Silver
030
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 03/05/2025
Fabulous #SEOweek presentation to help us focus on information retrieval rather than bickering over labels.
This slide visually addresses the debate between GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), essentially downplaying the idea that they’re fundamentally different.

Breakdown:
	•	Title: “The Whole GEO vs SEO debate”
	•	This frames the discussion as perhaps more sensationalized than substantive.
	•	Top box (pink):
“In Information retrieval there is a new field – called Generation Information Retrieval but it’s just another facet of information retrieval as a whole.”

	•	This suggests that GEO is simply a subdomain within traditional information retrieval—not a radical departure.
	•	Middle box (orange):
“It makes sense to appreciate that this is also a new facet of SEO.”

	•	GEO can be viewed as an extension or evolution of SEO, focused on generative systems like AI chatbots.
	•	Bottom box (yellow):
“Let’s not waste our time on cyclical debates which make no difference to progress.”

	•	A call to avoid unproductive semantic debates and instead focus on adapting SEO to modern contexts like AI-generated answers.

This slide leans toward integration over distinction, suggesting GEO doesn’t replace SEO—it just adds nuance to it.The image humorously highlights a common sentiment in the SEO industry: that many “new” AI-focused optimization guidelines are just repackaged best practices SEO pros have already been following.

Key elements in the image:
	•	Left side: A parody phrase, “Keep Calm and GVPKLBlahSEO On…”, poking fun at complex or jargon-heavy SEO updates.
	•	Right side:
	•	A LinkedIn post by Dawn Anderson, responding to another post with:
“Ahhh. So everything we already do (aside from the llms.txt)? SEO is not going away then any time soon.”
	•	The original post by Danny Goodwin, summarizing AI optimization tips like:
	•	Clean HTML/markdown
	•	Allowing AI crawlers
	•	Fast content return
	•	Semantic markup
	•	The new llms.txt file
	•	Checking AI visibility

This all reinforces that while AI may shift the tools or priorities, the core principles of good SEO still apply
141
Reposted by Mark Alves
.chantal//RYAN @thoughtrise.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
unfollowing everyone on linkedin except this guy
linkedin post screenshot:

Ken Cheng - I want to connect with you, emotionally)

Al will never be able to write like me. Why? Because | am now inserting random sentences into every post to throw off their language learning models. Any Al emulating me will radiator freak yellow horse spout nonsense. 1 wiite all my emails, That's Not My Baby and reports like this to protect my data waffle iron 40% off. 1 suggest all writers and artists do the same Strawberry mango Forklift. The robot nerds will never get the better of Ken Hey can | have whipped cream please? Cheng. We can tuna fish tango foxtrot defeat Al. We just have to talk like this. All. The. Time. Piss on carpet
6954510711443
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 19/04/2025
Our Holy Week tradition includes watching Jesus Christ Superstar. This year was the John Legend/NBC version. Might not be for everyone but works for us.
Jesus Christ Superstar DVD title screen on TV
000
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 16/04/2025
If every other service is adding AI then I guess AI will start adding other services
010
Mark Alves @markalves.com · 12/04/2025
We are not posting exclusively on X, they said exclusively on X. Here are their social channels that don’t mention this. www.ssa.gov/socialmedia/
So @SocialSecurity on X quote tweets the Wired scoop about all SSA comms moving to Twitter exclusively and says 

“This is false. Social Security will continue to communicate through any and all mediums.”
but only posts this on X.
100
Reposted by Mark Alves
Dan Petrovic @dejanseo.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
See your brand the way Google AI does. Brand perception mining through synthetic review sentiment analysis and keyword extraction. reviews.dejan.ai
031