Subdomains and Root domains are treated somewhat similarly. So, monkey-fights.mfl.com should receive a similar exact match domain "bonus." But, it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the exact match as to whether or not it is a good idea. SubDomains do not usually get the benefit (or at least not the full benefit) of the various ranking metrics acquired by the root domain. 
If this would otherwise simply be a single page on your main site, you are better off in my opinion to go with mfl.com/monkey-fights.com. You get the benefit of the URL having a keyword match without giving up the acquired rank of the root domain. Also, many in SEO believe the amount of "bonus" afforded with an exact match domain is weakening.

Lastly, my response in no way signifies my endorsement of Monkey Fights, I find the practice abhorrent.

EGOL - This is truly great. We have 9 copywriters of which 8 are either in journalism, English, or political science or have graduated, and done well in school. They come in and take to this and the fact that they are really learning like crazy.

I still wish there was an organization that actually had some clout with SEO that did a test or cert. for same.

We do use Craig's list, but our copywriters also go after others in advertising org on campus, etc. They make great recruiters! Your suggestion for ad is excellent and I will try immediately.

As usual, you are spot on with your answer. Thanks,

Thanks Stephen,

Actually, that is well put.

I think it kind of hangs with the English majors. Enough questioning to make them open minded in SEO and, if you can read that stuff with any level of comprehension, you can probably write!

Well put.

Dana

You make a great point around the various facets of SEO and how long term some may be affected. However, I think there will be a need for SEO going forward just as there was after keyword meta tags and seeing how many times you could get the keyword in faded. I remember about ten years ago a gentleman came and presented to our company about eZines and how they were going to revolutionize the web, etc. Obviously, they did have an effect just as the PRWebs/newsline, etc. (web trash I affectionately call it now) have an effect today. But, will they still be here tomorrow? Don't think so, IMO.

There seems to be a continuum that goes one side to the next. This is driven not in a small part by those who think of the search "system" as something to beat. So, black hat says use a link wheel, hide links in periods and colons, etc. But, my belief is that people who search will ultimately determine what is Optimum or not. 5 years ago I was looking for a water pump for a small fountain for my home in Houston. I searched on Fountain pumps etc. + Houston and could not find anyone with a fountain pump in Houston. tons in Ohio, etc. I have now watched as the web has become more and more localized. That was driven not by the engines, but by their customers.

Remember that with Panda or Penguin, many perceive it as Google spanking a bad child and I see that as not being thought through. Google understands that when I search for water pump Houston and someone or two or 5 have gamed the system in order to show up high on page one, but none are in Houston. That is not a good result for GOOGLE. There customer does not like it because they were clear about what they wanted. So, the technical SEO will be there as it is very important. But, good content that is not stolen, spun, or rehashed by a "PR" vomit machine is what people want and what they will come back to over and over. If I know I can search on any engine and consitently get what I was looking for, that is where I am going.

Remember, this is a change but one that will allow the early adopters and true believers to gain a lot of real estate if they are diligent.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses,

Robert

Gosh guys way to heat up the seemingly boring I like it.

Everyone makes interesting points. Alan, as always knows the code back and forth. Ben makes a good point as well (moderation, nothing wrong with that in SEO). I would have to say that when it comes to 301 redirects, as an agency that does a few site redesigns, client purchases of sites, etc. we do a few redirects. We also have clients who end up with multiple sites for one reason or another and we convince them to "merge." Here is what I know of 301 redirects. The common belief is that you lose up to 10% of the juice with a 301. My experience has been that it is not even close. When 301's are done appropriately (url to url in .htaccess say for apache) we do not see more than a 1 to 2% loss. That is from experience and not theory.

That said, I like what Alan says regarding Matt Cutts...If it was his $$ on the line. Understand that Matt has to be Googles non committal answerer of things SEO. How many times do you here him say Google absolutely does this and you should absolutely do that?

Using the one keyword _ versus the two keyword - , for me it would come down to if my _ were ranking really well and making me money, there would have to be some component of that ranking that is based on the keyword. Therefore, in spite of what I know about a 301, I would not change it. If it is there and not making me $$ I am going to go with a best practice in my opinion of hyphen vs. Underscore and make the 301.

you guys are fun, hope I added something.

Best to all,

Chait

I think there are really two questions you should ask: the one re SEO effect, Google/Bong, etc. and, how they are perceived.

As to Google others have stated correctly there is no penalty. I am not sure that using a .ca/.in is wise even if you are US based, use US server, and make correct geotarget selections in GWMT.  The reason is not Google/SEO per se, but perception. 
It is a given that in some countries, having a cc tld that is different is not wise due to bias. A documented one is the French bias in Europe (no hate mail please, my son was born in Paris - yes France, not Texas). In the US, as open minded as half of us seem to be, there will always be a bias if someone knows the .in is India and there may well be one with .ca especially if you are in more northern states that are more likely to see it.

So, you have to factor all in and then ask: "Why am I going this way?" Is whatever domain name so critical that you are willing to sacrifice for it? Have you considered using hyphens?

We do a lot with EMD's using hyphens and without. At the same time, I believe many over emphasize EMD and could spend time and energy better elsewhere. Is there a second best EMD and then spend all the energy on something else SEO?

I cannot imagine, short of a known and, likely, very well known brand where I would risk a .ca or .in in the US for that EMD.

Good Luck, let us know what direction you take and how it works,

Robert

Josh,

Under Traffic Sources - Search - Organic, You are saying your primary dimension is Keyword, and under that first column, there are urls as opposed to keywords? 
It is not under a secondary dimension, correct?

Just clarifying before going further.

When you made the change back to original, did you resubmit the xml sitemap? I would give that a quick try. Also, to see if it is showing, Do a Site:exacturlofchangedpage  on Google. This should show if the page is there but not ranking for some reason.

Sorry to take so long to get back with you, long and busy day.

"but how to market our products and services on social media channels in a manner that can even attract the attention of totally irrelevant and unrelated people. I want people to view our campaigns and make it viral and create a perception that even an ERP company can create engaging campaigns across the channels."

IMO, when you say the above, you are to a great degree on the right path. At the same time think about how many people want something to be "viral." If there were magic to "viral" I would go into that business exclusively and be a billionaire in a year or two. Viral does not happen by wanting it; it happens by continuously creating content people share and comment on and that you engage with back and forth. You might try a hundred or more pieces of content and get varying levels of response and engagement, and not have any of it bring you even a thousand visitors. But, over time it will grow your traffic.

Except for certain situations or businesses, the idea of approaching social media for immediate conversions does not work to any great degree. The approach of using it for engagement does.

Hope that helps,

Robert

Pravin,

Think about it this way: If a low ranking "carried over" none of us would ever be able to increase rankings. Especially those of us in agencies who go into large sites that cannot be rebuilt at this time. So, don't worry about that.

A couple of things are these: Redo the content and if the site has a blog, feature some aspect of that page in the blog and link back so that someone reading the blog who might not go to the page again sees it, they can go to it from the link.

Then, if you can change an image or  add to the page in some small way each month, do that.

If the other on page is good, you will likely see a rise. Yes, still do work on getting more links, etc.

Hope this saves you a bit of work.

Josh, 
I use GA a lot and have not experienced that. If you can either put an image (use something where you can show everything like awesome screenshot) here or if it is better, PM me, I will look at it to see what is happening. If I don't have an answer, I will shoot an email to an expert (whose only works is GA and other analytics) with the screen shot.

Thanks