WooHoo! *I* get to add the *50th* post to this thread...it started out to be a useful thread, and then:

1)MichaelBlueJay says "Meta tags are useless, the search engines have ignored them for nearly 10 years now."(1)

2)Seiler points out MichaelBlueJay is mistaken on this.

3)Michaelbluejay "kinda conceeds" the point, but still maintains he is an SEO expert and wants to bet on his expertise being validated by search results positions.

blah,blah, blah, blah...

Have search engines changed the way they use/don't use Meta Keyword tags? Sure! but many search engines used them up through the year 2000 (AltaVista didn't drop their use until July of 2002, and Inktomi still used them at that point). And that is just regarding Meta Keyword tags, yet you pontificate "Meta Tags are useless", which completely ignores all the other Meta tags, which continue to have (arguably) value for SEO *and other* purposes.

I wouldn't bet you either; you've already shown that "reason" is less important to you than "posture" - how would we ever agree on what we had bet on?

Generally speaking, giving no advice at all is better than giving "bad" (incorrect, inaccurate, insert-your-adjective-here, etc.) advice. You lost all credibility with me way back at the back at item #1 above ( how can you expect to be taken seriously on SEO topics with such an indefensible statement as that?), and without credibility, why would anyone want to "bet" with you on anything?

--rlparker

(1) - Search Engine Birthdays article from searchenginewatch.com. Google's engine is only 8 years old *now*