Cameron Butler (u/cameronb52)

Posts

That time an agency owner told me to stop chasing backlinks

Ran into a guy who runs a boutique SEO shop at a local meetup in Portland last spring. He straight up told me that for small local clients, I was wasting time on link building and should focus on Google Business profile optimization instead. I ignored him for 6 months and kept pitching backlink packages. Lost two clients who went with cheaper competitors who did exactly what he said. Finally tried his advice on a new client, got them ranking on page one for 4 keywords in 8 weeks with zero links. Anyone else had success skipping backlinks for local SEO?

2 comments

c/family-recipe-swap•

cameronb52•6h ago

My mother-in-law told me I was burning my garlic every time I cooked, so now I add it last instead of first.

She watched me toss minced garlic in hot oil and just shook her head, and after tasting the difference when I followed her way, I can't believe I spent years ruining the base of half my dishes without noticing.

1 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

cameronb52•22d ago

Blew a head gasket because I was torquing heads wrong for 8 years

Always did the star pattern on cylinder heads. Thought I had it down. Then an old Cummins guy watched me at a shop in Nashville and said I was skipping the stretch sequence on wet bolts. He showed me the factory manual. I was torquing to final spec too fast and never letting the lube settle. That $2500 mistake on a 5.9 taught me more than any class. Anybody else get humbled by a crusty old timer like that?

3 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

cameronb52•24d ago

That conversation with the old Delta guy about bonding straps

Was talking to a retired Delta tech at the shop last week and he said he never trusted a DMM reading without checking the bond first. Said he'd seen three different flight control issues traced back to a single loose strap on the tailcone. Does anyone else check bonding before you start chasing voltage drops?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

cameronb52•24d ago

Just hit 100 nights in my hammock setup this season

Ive been tracking every night I sleep in my hammock while car camping this year and I hit 100 last weekend at Indian Creek. That thing has held up way better than I expected for a $60 rig from Amazon. Anyone else keep a log of their gear usage like this?

3 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

cameronb52•26d ago

I finally measured the slump on a wet load and couldn't believe the number

Had a pump truck show up last Tuesday for a 30 yard pour on a slab foundation. The mix looked way too wet coming off the chute so I grabbed my cone and rod. Did the test right there on the driveway. Slump came out at 7.5 inches. Spec called for 4. The dispatcher tried to tell me it was just the water from washing out the drum. Has anyone else had a ready mix plant fight you on a slump test like that?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

cameronb52•1mo ago

Took me 3 hours to fix a leaky garden hose valve

I was trying to set up a rain barrel system last weekend and the spigot wouldn't stop dripping. Thought it was just a bad washer, so I grabbed a new one from the hardware store. But that didn't fix it, so I spent another 2 hours taking the whole thing apart and cleaning out sediment. Turns out there was a tiny rock stuck in the valve seat that I missed the first 3 times I looked. Anyone else deal with those little hidden particles messing up your water conservation setups?

2 comments

c/forgotten-tv-shows•

cameronb52•1mo ago

The trick to finding those old one-season shows from the 80s

I kept trying to search for a show called "The Highwayman" from 1987 and getting nothing but modern results. Then I realized if you put the year in quotes after the title like "The Highwayman" 1987 it filters out all the noise. I tested it on three other forgotten shows from the 70s and it worked every time. Anyone else have a better way to dig up these buried series?

2 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

cameronb52•1mo ago

I used to think Blum soft-close hinges were overpriced junk until I installed 30 of them on a single job

After fighting with those cheap knockoffs from the home center for years, I finally caved and spent the extra $180 on a full kitchen set and man, I was dead wrong about them. Has anyone else had that moment where paying more upfront actually saved you time and headaches down the road?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

cameronb52•1mo ago

Am I the only one who thinks The Great Gatsby is actually overrated

I used to defend it in high school but after rereading it at 32 last winter I finally admitted the characters are just boring rich people with no real stakes.

3 comments