It's strange to read that Google is saying that "seo can be positive" because we know how much they really HATE SEO - but - there is POWER in KNOWLEDGE so I suggest you take a little time and read what Google says publicly.
Checl out the links and see what they say. It just might help you understand why things happen the way they do.
Grab the link and more info at the BU BLOG POST:
http://blog.bloggingunderground.com/google-from-seo/
The situation is entirely manageable! So don't let these changes get you down!
