Stories, news, and other notable items from the past week:

• Stephen Tallamy did an interview with the SEO team at Distilled. I love the Mod Squad-esque snapshots of each employee. They're so posh.
• Joost de Valk wrote up a new guide to Magento SEO. Since the platform keeps evolving, he'll keep it nice and up-to-date for all you nerds.
• Maybe I need to implement this strategy in order to shave my swim time down a bit...
• Here's an amusing story about how the Internet community saved Alf by helping decipher a series of clues. Just in time for that DaVinci Code sequel!
• The Web Design Schools Guide came up with a list of 50 social sites for web designers. Hey, YOUmoz made the list! Wahoo! They also presented 100 web design cheat sheets (cough, one of our blog posts made the list, cough).
• For the four of you who aren't aware, Digg launched a toolbar/URL shortener/life ruiner, and there have been quite a few articles about its negative SEO impact.
• Leapfish is bringing sexy back! (And by "sexy," I of course mean their popular free domain name appraisal service.)
• It's every young person's nightmare conveniently packaged on one website.

• In case you're still bummed that the NCAA tourney is over (way to get your ass kicked, MSU), you can take solace in ESPN's meat bracket. SPOILER ALERT: Bacon loses in the finals!
• Speaking of tourney brackets, SEOmoz won the EngineWorks blog bracket. Queue up "One Shining Moment," cuz it's time for us to cut the net...
• We were also fortunate enough to be listed as the 15th best Seattle startup. *shakes fist at Zillow*
• Further Online talks about how to calculate keyword selection value. I want them to calculate the "deliciousness of bacon" value. I bet that's tough to calculate. (Wait, apparently it's a chemical reaction. Mmm, science...)
• "Coming Soon" pages don't have to be lame--here are 25 examples of cool Coming Soon page designs.
• Ian Lurie reviewed some competitive link research tools (including Linkscape, thankyouverymuch).

• Smashing Magazine shares 15 essential checks before launching your website. Regarding cross browser checks, I bet the process goes something like this.
• Jeff Sliger, beloved SEOmoz member, came up with a free charity fundraising tool. Spread the word to any charities, non-profites, colleges, etc. that you know!
• Wondering how to nail that interview? This website should help give you some pointers. (By the way, Rand and I can attest to the "Do not wear perfume" suggestion. I bet our old office still reeks of that applicant's au de toilette.)

YOUmoz entries:

• An Idiot's Attempt to Explain Term Vector Theory, Term Weight, and a Slight Argument for Keyword Density. ASHen gave a very scholarly approach about term weight models and other smart sounding stuff that made me go "Derrrr."
• Let's Talk About Changes. Archshrk brought up our recent comment design changes and asked the community when a website should announce site changes.
• How to Choose a URL. Mardek ran a test to see if dashless vs dashed URLs perform better in the SERPs.
• The Small Business Link Building Guide: Get Your Own House in Order First. Ken Lyons created a link exchange analysis checklist for small business owners.
• Does Wordtracker Provide Valuable Local Keyword Data? MikeTek questioned the accuracy of Wordtracker's free keyword tool when it comes to local data. 
• Social Media and Ethics for Small Businesses. AnnLuck shared an outline of social media campaign goals she and her business use regarding rules and ethics.
• Die, Digg-Bar, Die, Die! PBHJ outlined the pros and cons of the new Digg toolbar.
• Abstract Link Building Ideas: Desktop Customization Sites. Elbrian suggested a few desktop customization websites for dofollow link building.

Best of YOUmoz:

• Twitter Impacts Relevance Like I Impact Gravity. Darren Slatten has a little fun with the community and comes up with new ranking signals...
• Are You Leaking Juice? CharlotteSEO encourages an interesting discussion/debate by talking about potential link juice leakage areas on websites.

New additions to the SEOmoz Marketplace:

Featured job postings:

• SEO manager for Logitech in Fremont, CA
• SEO business analyst for SEO Works in Sydney, Australia
• Director of SEO for PEAK6 Online in Seattle, WA
• SEO strategist/analyst for Position2 Marketing
• Contracted SEO expert for Optimise Internet in the UK
• Contracted SEO specialist and PPC specialist for Sitewire in Tempe, AZ
  

Featured companies:

United States/North America:

• element-e in the US
• New Edge Media in Dallas, TX
• Toro Search in Massachusetts
• SEO Google Guru in Minnetonka, MN
• Del Sur SEO in San Diego, CA
• PlattForm Advertising in Olathe, KS
• Vizergy in Jacksonville, FL
• The Outsourcing Company in Aspen, CO
• SEOsean.com in Pittsburgh, PA
• OrangeSoda.com in American Fork, UT
• Wasabi Marketing Elements in Hawaii
• Chempetitive Group in San Diego, CA
• Kettlewell Enterprises in Grand Junction, CO
• Crowley Webb in Buffalo, NY
• Loud Dog Corporation in San Francisco, CA
• HiveMind Marketing in San Jose, CA
• WG Studios in Miami, FL
• Adapt Marketing in Cary, NC
• SEOP in Santa Ana, CA
• Quantum Web Studios in Missouri
• YMedia Labs in San Francisco, CA
• InnoVision in Memphis, TN, as well as Russia and Uzbekistan
• Blueprint Design Studio in Chicago, IL
• Fathom SEO in Ohio
• SEOteric in Georgia
• Rand Media Group in Illinois
• nFusion from Austin, TX
• Radium in Boston, MA
• Gatesix Inc. in Phoenix, AZ
• Lead Maverick in Dallas, TX
• Eclipse Web Media in Atlanta, GA
• Groundwork Professional Business Services in Burbank, CA
• SynchSmart in the US
• Authority Domains in Nevada
• Overdrive Interactive in Boston, MA
• Alternative Web Media in Scottsdale, AZ
• Vivid Web Graphics in Carlsbad, CA
• 3dB Creative in Bellevue, WA
• Phoenix Designs in Baltimore, MD
• Global Results in Baltimore, MD
• Sales & Marketing Technologies in Florida
• ITN Marketing Consultants in Delray Beach, FL
• Disc in Massachusetts
• Jtree.net in Boise, ID
• Corporate Performance Artists in New York, NY
• Carlyle Inc. in Colorado
• Moose Logic in Bothell, WA
• Key Relevance in Dallas, TX (SEOmoz Recommended Company)
• Logitech in Fremont, CA
• Hudson Horizons in New Jersey
• Newport SEO in California
• Customer Magnetism in Virginia Beach, VA
• Flyte New Media in Portland, ME
• Designworks in San Jose, CA
• eCopywriters in San Diego, CA
• CreativeMind Search Marketing in the US
• Local Business Videos Online in Markham, ON, Canada

Central/South America:

• Zeemp in Belem, Brazil
• Web Copywriting Services in Ecuador

UK / Europe:

• Cimex Media in London, UK 
• DesignsOnline in Essex, London, UK
• Amplified Media in London, UK
• Totally Webwise in Swansea, UK
• Totally Communications in London, UK
• Mojo Media in London, UK
• Flipside Digital in the UK
• Schux in Brighton, UK
• Roxbourne in Birmingham, UK
• Optimise Internet in the UK
• Codehouse in the UK and Denmark
• 11 Internet in Nijmegen, Netherlands
• Mindworks Interactive in Thessaloniki, Athens, Greece
• Enterso in Poland
• Sherpatec in Munich, Germany
• Antezeta Web Marketing in Italy
• Metronet Norge in Norway

Asia:

• IndiaBook SEO in Chd, India
• India SEO Consultants in Bangalore, India
• Position2 Marketing in India
• Cloud360 in New Delhi, India
• Green Fin Technologies in Pakistan
• Promotion King in Lahore, Pakistan
• 2Aware in Tel-Aviv, Israel
• Bdhire.com in Chittagong, Bangladesh
• SinoTech Group in Beijing, China

Australia:

• TrainSEM in Australia
• Metis Internet Partners in Australia
• Design Junction in Melbourne, Australia
• First Rate in Australia and New Zealand

Miscellaneous:

• Online 365 located somewhere on the interwebs
• Social Juice located in the tubes
  

Featured resumes:

Currently looking:

• Marshall England is the online marketing manager for IP Commerce in Denver, CO. He oversees all SEO, SEM, SMM, online PR and email campaigns, as well as tracking and web analytics reporting. Marshall would like a new role in Internet marketing to advance his career and take on new and different challenges.
• Angel Singh is looking for SEO, SEM and SMO positions in Seattle, WA. Angel has experience with SEO, SEM, UI, web architecture and design, and enjoys working on detaild projects.
• Amy Reis is an SEM living in Aurora, CO. She has over 8 years of web design and marketing experience and 5 years of Internet marketing skills, including organic SEO, PPC management, and social media marketing. She's looking for a position that allows her to focus on online marketing goals as a whole and would also like to be part of a team that's forward-thinking and moving.
• Eric Burgess is looking for an online marketing position. He has experience with building brands and managing web content, as well as project coordination, art direction, online social networking and web research, advertising and more.
• Christie Wang from Austin, TX, is a paid search analyst who has managed multiple campaigns, performed bid management, edited ad copy, and tested tracking methods. She's also experienced with generating Internet marketing strategy and keyword research reports.
• Lawrence Ladomery has over 10 years of experience in new media and has worked for large organizations doing web management and consulting. He's offering his design skills for hire and works primarily with text-heavy sites.
• Ed Youngs is a directory advertising sales professional who is seeking an opportunity to leverage his skills and experience within the SEM industry.
• Joel Goldstein is an independent consultant in Orlando, FL, who's available for hourly consulting and creating online marketing campaigns.
• John Sisler is looking for an SEO architect/online marketing director position. He's well versed in implementing organic white-hat SEO, PPC, and link acquisition and building strategies.
• Kimberly Wolfson is looking for a client services role or an analytical role within the digital/interactive marketing area.
• Michael McAnally is a senior marketing major at the University of Northern Iowa, and he's focused the majority of his studies on aspects of Internet marketing and SEO. He'd love to start his career in the SEO field and has experience with the fundamentals of SEO, link building, content development, web hosting services, and PPC.
• Rich Grosskettler is an experienced online media, product development and marketing executive. He has strong operations, product management and product marketing skills.
• Kevin M. Rose is an Internet marketer who is looking for full-time positions in the Los Angeles area, as well as contracted work.

Happily Employed:

• Trevor Ginn is an ecommerce consultant and entrepreneur with experience in launching online businesses.
• Justin Britt is a link builder and SEM who works for Wasabi Marketing Elements.
• BHaskar is an IT enthusiast from India. He's been in the IT industry for the past 10 years.
• Annapurna K S works for GoodBazaar.com and has been doing web design and SEO since 1999.
• Gunakesh Parmar is an SEO expert who specializes in both on and off-page optimization.
• Ben Rush is the SEM for Premier Farnell PLC and is responsible for the search engine marketing activities of more than 35 global locations across Europe and Asia Pacific.
• Peter Uzzi is a web designer and front-end developer who loves content, evangelizing web standards, and designing great user experiences.
• Carmelo Jose Diaz is an online marketing analyst with over 5 years of professional work experience in the paid and organic search market sector.