Andy Kramek

Tiobe Metrics are cool - but they are utilizing Google to look at things, and google utilizes the googlebot -

Take a look at http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~TiobeProgrammingLanguagePopularity

and if you need pointers with Google-izing yerself, let me know.

Yes, I understand that, but most people who look at these things do not. All they know is that "Well VFP is not even in the Top Twenty Languages". Wanna bet that most of them don't even read the meaning of the "A"/"B" ratings, let alone understand the basis?

If I Bet, Andy, what kinda metrics are we gonna use to prove either point? Accumulation of random sampling, waving a 20 dollar bill when we ask, "Do you understand the meaning of the 'A' rating?" ..
Sorry - I make fun in an area which is quite dear to me, and since Tiobe is something that a PHB can get to, it makes sense to assist in the upwards traversal for VFP. Get yerself Google-ised, Mr. K. hint hint, nudge nudge.

In the 11/2005 edition of Software Development Magazine, there's an article: "Salary Survey 2005". VFP is listed in several categories - granted it's lumped together in the "Oracle/SQL Server/Sybase/Foxpro/Other Database" group. The three categories this group is listed in include:

Which Languages Technologies do you use?
* The "Oracle/SQL Server/Sybase/Foxpro/Other Database" group
rated #1 with 64%

Average Salary by languages used?
* The "Oracle/SQL Server/Sybase/Foxpro/Other Database" listed
a respectable 80k for staff, 100k for Management.

Languages/Technologies used by IT Teams 2003-2005
* The "Oracle/SQL Server/Sybase/Foxpro/Other Database"
was listed as:
2003 2004 2005
70% 67% 64%

Although there's a slight decline in this area, it's still the number one category for all three years.

It's rare to see VFP mentioned in an industry magazine (at least in my experience), so I'm glad it was included with the other database tools

Hi Bill, YOu say get myself "Google-ised" but how? I'd welcome an idea or two from an expert

[HOWTO] Make your website get Google'd by the GoogleBot
aka 'Getting Google-ized for Tiobe Metrics Count'

Intro: Over the past two years the Tiobe Metrics have been coming out, listing and ranking
the popularity of Programming Languages by how often entries can be found in Google,
via a simple Google Count Technique. Specifically for VFP, the ranking has been moving upwards,
from ranking 51st in December 2004 to ranking 20th this December. IMO, this is a great upward movement,
and since the PHB's, that most independent contractors deal with, KNOW about the Tiobe Metrics, it
will be a good thing for the VFP Community. I mentioned to Andy Kramek that it's always a good thing
to get yourself Google-ised, and he flat out asked me, 'OK, How do I do that?';
(http://weblogs.foxite.com/andykramek/archive/2005/12/15/1037.aspx#1050 )
so I thought I'd
spend some time to answer his question, and hopefully share it out there with everyone else. For some
of you, this will be stale info, for others, hopefully you've not seen it before and you can attend
to your own personal google-isation plan in the immediate future.

Thing 1: If you take a look at http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~TiobeProgrammingLanguagePopularity
you will notice, hopefully, one big thing: The count comes about because the GoogleBot scanned your
website. Repeat for Emphasis: The count comes about because the GoogleBot scanned your website.
The count is then broken down into 3 categories: 1) availability of skilled VFP engineers,
2) availability of VFP courses, 3) availability of VFP-based third party vendors, all found online.

Thing 2: If you fit into any of these categories, and you have an online presence of ANY KIND, you need
to do things with your website to include the right meta tags and meta description for the googlebot
and Tiobe to properly count and categorize. Take a look at your main file (html or php) - do you have anything
for the meta tags or meta description area? NO ? Add Some! Here's a sample from http:/efgroup.net/vfpwebhosting :
[code]
<meta name="description" content="efGroup.net offers VFP-based
WebHosting for VFP Developers .">
<meta name="keywords" content="VFP Webhosting, Visual, FoxPro, Visual FoxPro,
WebHosting, Active FoxPro Pages, AFP, Active VFP, AVFP, West Wind Web Connect, WWWC">
<meta name="revisit-after" content="15 days">
<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">
<meta name="language" content="en-us">
<meta name="rating" content="General">
<meta name="resource-type" content="document">
<meta name="distribution" content="Global">
<meta name="copyright" content="Copyright 2004 efGroup.net">
[/code]

Please note that some dynamic data driven website portal software and frameworks SUCK at being scanned by the
google bot and you absolutely have to do some manual things to get the right meta names set up. The most
common way to make that happen is to include a header file in each of your dynamic html generation for
output that has the right stuff in it.

Thing 3: If you have an online presence you should really think about when and how the bot crawlers
(Google, MSN, Yahoo) are reviewing and scanning your websites. The fastest way IMO for the GoogleBot
to find you is for you to post your website's URL in a public area, such as 1) the MS News NNTP Server
(msnews.microsoft.com) with the News Account Setup, for example, with Outlook Express,
2) the message forum in Foxite (http://www.foxite.com/forum ) 3) Profox Email Distribution List (scanned almost hourly
by the GoogleBot) - see http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox for messages and http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox to

signup to post.

Thing 4: Got a good website presence, all SEO'd, and Google-ized? Replicate it elsewhere !! Go to GeoCities and put up
another site for FREE !

Thing 5: You and your buddies all hang with VFP development? Post each others links on yer websites. This process is called
linkto referencing and it actually increases your Google Rankings. I keep mine in a vfp links page over at
http://www.efgroup.net/vfpwebhosting/vfplink.html (email me to linkme@efgroup.net if you want me to add u in).

Thing 6: Get yourself an account at FoxCentral.net and post to it twice a month with news. Believe it or no, the googlebot

actually checks there more often than other sites.

Thing 7: Put out a VFP-related training Video Session once a month with TerraFox Publishing (effacious self-plug here). We are

compiling Video Training Segments for VFP and we're putting out material that can be found on Amazon and elsewhere WITH an ISBN

#. see http://www.terrafox.net for more info and a Video Content Author's kit.

Thing 8: Put your resume on line on Dice, YOUR WEBSITE and your FREE mirror websites. List VFP in your skill set. It sounds like

a simple thing, yes? This is one of the main 3 categories the Tiobe Metrics are counting, gleaned from what it can find with the

GoogleBot.

Thing 9: Got a blog ? replicate it over at Tech Republic for Free! The GoogleBot Scans there as well.
See http://leafe.com/archives/showFullThd?cMsgNum=272233&cList=profox for the HowTo .

Thing 10: Announce your VFP Course online, and give it at least once a semester at the local university in its extension classes in your area. If you do

not have a VFP Course to teach, email me to 'GetMeVFPCourseWare@efgroup.net' and I will give you a 3 to 10 session class outline

with powerpoint slides and codebase to use (just tell me what you're comfortable with from a session count standpoint) . If you

do not know how to get IN to your local university and set up an extension course, email me to

'VFPExtensionCourseMarketing@efgroup.net' and I'll forward to you the steps I take to get in to the local university in your

area. This is one of the major Tiobe Metric Count areas, as well.

Thing 11: Are you a Vendor of a 3rd Party Tool for VFP? Make SURE your web presence is google-ized! This is another major

category for the Tiobe Metrics.

Thing 12: Check your website logs for the googlebot. Then review again what you are doing, and on what frequency, with Thing 3.

Well - you've been quiet for a bit so I'm assuming you got yer site google-ized. I applaud yer efforts, as VFP has moved from position 20 to position 16 in the Tiobe count for end of January. Way to Go Andy!!!!