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The following was posted within the past 24 hours and taken from top Internet Marketing experts.
Threadwatch.org - Less Noise - More Signal Chitika roll out BlogContext - A Contextual Ad Program for Blogs (Wednesday, January 12, 01:20 AM EST)
Chitika, who launched back in November last year have just released details of their new Blog program BlogContext
Chitika is an aggregated contextual ad network currently partnered with FindWhat, Espotting, Shopping.com and Commision Junction and a few others.
This from the press release:
In real-time, BlogContext intelligently selects the most relevant ad for the content from the over 500,000 ads in Chitika's network. It adapts as the content of the blog changes, ensuring timely and related advertising. The ads are displayed to the user regardless of how the blog content is being viewed. Alden DoRosario, Co-Founder and CTO for Chitika points out, "Bloggers publish their content on their website, but in reality, they receive most of their viewership through feed technologies such as RSS or Atom. The unique value that BlogContext brings is that the contextual text-based ads are also distributed as a part of these feeds, significantly increasing revenue potential."
Ads are In Feeds Also...
According to Chitika the ads will be seen however a blog is viewed. This from co-founder Alden DoRosario:
"Bloggers publish their content on their website, but in reality, they receive most of their viewership through feed technologies such as RSS or Atom. The unique value that BlogContext brings is that the contextual text-based ads are also distributed as a part of these feeds, significantly increasing revenue potential.
Pitching Blog Companies to Incorporate Directly into Systems
Threadwatch member Eadz, who runs the PHP/Smarty based blogging system bBlog told me that he'd been approached by them, as had a number of other larger blog software players to incorporate the new ad network directly into their systems. Smart move if they'll bite, apparently this would be on a commision basis (well what else?) but I didn't manage to get a figure before eadz dissappeard on me :)
It sounds rather good don't you think?
No flash memory mp3 SHELF stereo systems? (Tuesday, January 11, 11:49 PM EST)
I'm early in the process of going digital re household music (video next on the list) and while it seems easy ~and relatively inexpensive~ to do either portable ipod-ish music AND entertainment server-based home theatre surround sound, the middle ground seems to be kind of barren.
What about a dumb-as-a-brick shelf stereo system? There are some parts of the house where I only want to slap in a sd card and hit the PLAY button and could care less about having the media center UI. Also, getting rid of the fan and disk noise would be a big plus in a study or bedroom installation. K.I.S.S. still is the best OS of all.
Having the Zen Micro jacked into an Extigy external Soundblaster card (with remote) and 5.1 CMSS digital speakers seems like the only way to go right now but, man, that's a bit of overkill don't you think?
Spamming Google Made Easy - Thankyou Daniel Brandt (Wednesday, January 12, 12:06 AM EST)
As most search marketers know, you can do some very useful things with a good scraping script - from simple stuff to check out your competitors in bulk without alerting the search engines to well, just about anything.
Mostly scrapers are used for decidedly dark seo tactics, and thanks to Daniel Brandt who is currently in bed with Andrew Orlowski in a parnoid frenzy over at the Register you can be a search spammer too!
Way to go daniel, that's a really bright idea mate....
Steve Jobs' Keynote in Quicktime (Tuesday, January 11, 10:26 PM EST)
Well, im gonna watch it as soon as i've made a cup of tea :-) thanks to MacMinute for the link...
Steve Jobs - Works the room with the ease of a comedian on a good night... (Tuesday, January 11, 09:48 PM EST)
Om Malik has some great commentary on Steve Jobs' performance at the MacWorld Expo:
A very gaunt looking Steve Jobs, in his classic Levi’s-black turtle neck outfit walks on to the stage, with a purpose and a tentative smile. The hair is a little more gray, but it is still the same old Steve. A master salesman selling to the faithful. I shudder when he could do had he focused on religion instead of computers. He works the room with ease of a comedian on a good night.
There is no one in Silicon Valley who can match the intimacy Jobs has with the products he demos. He knows the intimate details, that little trick which is going to catch the fancy of the audience, prompting them to break into an involuntary applause. He cares… enough to make you buy his products. It is a masterful performance. Balanced, scripted perhaps, but nevertheless enjoyable.
Maybe Jobs' is the only CEO that could pull that off in light of all the recent contraversy, it remains to be seen i guess..
MacWorld Blogging Boycott 0 - Story Greed 1 (Tuesday, January 11, 09:01 PM EST)
News comes in that Steve Safran at lost remote is calling for a blogging boycott on this weeks MacWorld expo over the recent law suits filed by apple against bloggers.
Well, bloggers may like to think special rights and privileges but here's the crux - they're just as human as the rest of us!
Threadwatch Prediction:
Bloggers forget all about law suits and wet pants over cool tech...
It just ain't gonna happen steve - everyone is going mad over the Mac Mini already and i cant see bloggers or anyone else being able to put the terrifying thought that their rival tech blogs may get the story first, or at all... heh..
New Exploreer Patch Blocks Adsense (Tuesday, January 11, 08:09 PM EST)
Threadwatch member cornwall points out the the new M$ Explorer patch that fixes the astonishing vulnerability reported recently will block Adsense!
Jenifer Slegg of Jensense had this to say on the new patch, which sets the security level to HIGH:
But setting the security level to high for internet zone does more than protect the surfer from this browser exploit... it also blocks all Google AdSense ads from displaying within the browser. So anyone who follows their instructions will no longer be able to view and click on AdSense. The entire ad space usually occupied by AdSense will disappear.
This is actually very similar to the problem publishers have with Norton's Internet Security, which comes free on many new computers, with the "ad blocking" feature turned on my default. Most users have no idea they even have this option turned on.
If this fix becomes widespread - and depending on how long it takes Microsoft to issue a patch for this exploit - this could impact publisher earnings. And coming right on the heels of the upcoming Adwords affiliate changes, some publishers may be set up for a double hit to their earnings.
Damned if you do, damned if you dont. Interesting times for publishers ahead...
The Mac Mini - $500 Mini Mac - Web Round Up (Wednesday, January 12, 12:27 AM EST)
It's finally here, after weeks of Speculation, law suits, condemnation, analysis and user backlash....
The Mac Mini is Finally Here!
From the Mac Mini hompage:
Live the digital life in stylish simplicity. Just 6.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall, Mac mini provides what you need to have more fun with your music, photos and movies — right out of the box. And it boasts a miniscule price to match: Mac mini starts at $499.
and from the technical specs:
Introducing the Mac mini. Everything you need — and not an ounce more — to enjoy digital photos, music and movies. Get a fast G4 processor, slot-loading CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive and a reliable operating system in a body just 6.5-inches square and 2-inches tall. Simply add monitor, keyboard and mouse. You’ll be organizing music and photos, composing tunes and editing movies with iLife ’05 in no time. Surf the Internet with the peace of mind of the secure and stable UNIX-based Mac OS X operating system. And since Mac mini can do wireless, you don’t even have to put it near a phone jack. Configure your Mac mini with an AirPort Extreme Card, hook up an AirPort Express to your DSL connection or cable modem, and start surfing and printing wirelessly. Using AirPort Express and AirTunes, you can even listen to tunes from your Mac mini on speakers in a different room. Starting at just $499.
Configurations
- Processor - 1.25GHz PowerPC G4
- Memory - 256MB of PC2700 (333MHz) DDR SRAM, supports up to 1GB
- Graphics - ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB of DDR SDRAM with AGP 4X support
- Hard drive1 - 40GB Ultra ATA1
there is far more detail on the page linked above, you want me to get this story out today right? :-)
Reactions Around the Web
Russell Beattie
$499! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
BBC
The new computer shifts the company into new territory - traditionally, the firm is known as a design and innovation-led firm rather than as a mass-market manufacturer.
The Mac mini comes without a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and a second version with a larger hard drive will also be sold for $599.
The Mac mini will appeal to PC users looking for an attractive, 'no fuss' computer
Ian Harris, Mac Format
The machine - which will be available from 22 January - was described by Jobs as "BYODKM... bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse".
MacWorld
Encased in brushed metal, the new Mac mini features a square shape with rounded edges and is somewhat similar in appearance to an Apple
Gizmodo
Here it is, the new Mac Mini, available in G4 flavors for $500 and $600.
Jupiters Michael Gartenburg: Is Mac Mini "the computer for the rest of us?"
This is a perfect response from Apple to the fact that there's been a premium to be paid for using a Mac for the last twenty years. A perfect low cost second computer even if your first computer is a PC with a huge value out of the box experience. Expect more than one iPod owner to want to make the leap and get one of these to use in their home along with their PC. This is where the iPod halo effect will really kick in. Macs for the masses.
ADDED: Here's a list of other coverage - no time for quotes - check out whatever takes your fancy..
Also, Hurricane have the link to the UK Mac Mini Page
Well, what do you think?
IBM to Open Source 500 Patents - A Shift in IP Thinking? (Tuesday, January 11, 03:41 PM EST)
As techdirt points out, the number of patents IBM are realeasing to Open Source is rather small, but may signify a shift in thinking regarding Intellectual Property. There has been much dirersion over Bill Gates' CNet interview where he essentially labeled free software advocates as "modern day communists". In light of that, and much more to be found all over the web it's refreshing to see a company like IBM make even a small step in, what I beleive, is the right direction.
From the NYT article threadlinked above:
The new model for I.B.M., analysts say, represents a shift away from the traditional corporate approach to protecting ownership of ideas through patents, copyrights, trademark and trade-secret laws. The conventional practice is to amass as many patents as possible and then charge anyone who wants access to them. I.B.M. has long been the champion of that formula. The company, analysts estimate, collected $1 billion or more last year from licensing its inventions.
Advertisement
The move comes after a lengthy internal review by I.B.M., the world's largest patent holder, of its strategy toward intellectual property. I.B.M. executives said the patent donation today would be the first of several such steps.
and further on..
"This is exciting," said Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Stanford Law School and founder of the school's Center for Internet and Society. "It is I.B.M. making good on its commitment to encourage a different kind of software development and recognizing the burden that patents can impose."
I.B.M. has already made substantial contributions to open-source software projects in the last few years. The company has been the leading corporate supporter of Linux. It donated computer code worth more than $40 million to an open-source group, Eclipse, which offers software tools for building programs. Last year, I.B.M. gave to an open-source group a database program called Cloudscape, which cost the company $85 million to develop.
Im sure there's a whole bunch of nasty stuff you could dig up to countermine such a good press but it really is nice to read something about a large corp that for all appearances seems to get the point of Open Source.
Brandt and Orlowski - Google Paranoia Nutjobs in Bed Together (Wednesday, January 12, 12:10 AM EST)
Not entirely unsurprising that the Registers resident paranoic fruitcake Andrew Orlowski (see threadlink above) should hook up with notorious embittered SEO Daniel Brandt of Brandt Rant™ fame.
Check out the opening paragraph of Orlowski's piece:
With the hope of returning at least one corner of the web to its non-commercial roots, Google watcher Daniel Brandt, who curates the NameBase archive, has released the source code to a Google scraper. Brandt has been making an ad-free proxy available for two years using Google's little known minimal "ie" interface. By using this proxy, users bypass both Google's notorious "2038" cookie (that's when it expires) and the text ads.
Only someone of his towering parnoic calibre could write something like that about Brandt, who in the Search community is regarded as little more than a sad joke. One wonders why the register thinks this does them any good?
RSS Market Share - Feedster's Top 20 Aggregators (Tuesday, January 11, 12:48 PM EST)
Bloglines comes out on top of the newley released stats from Feedburner with a whopping 32.86% of the market share. The poll has many caveats and the figures can only be taken as a rough guide at best but, they're very interesting nonetheless - Particlularly in light of talk about a Bloglines business model rumoured to be put into play later this year.
With an estimated 2 million users, Bloglines looks to have a clear advantage over it's nearest competitor, NetNewsWire who currently corner 16.95% on Feedburners poll of their top 800 feeds.
Here are the figures as they stand...
- Bloglines (32.86%)
- NetNewsWire (16.95%)
- Firefox Live Bookmarks (7.78%)
- Pluck (7.20%)
- NewsGator Online(4.45%)
- (not identified) (4.07%)
- FeedDemon (3.83%)
- SharpReader (3.27%)
- My Yahoo (2.58%)
- iPodder (2.42%)
- NewsGator (2.23%)
- Thunderbird (2.13%)
- RSS Bandit (1.12%)
- NewsFire (1.05%)
- iPodderX (1.02%)
- Sage (0.71%)
- FeedReader (0.67%)
- RssReader (0.54%)
- LiveJournal (0.46%)
- Opera RSS Reader (0.45%)
Makes for an interesting list doesn't it?
YDS - Yahoo! Desktop Search out now in BETA (Tuesday, January 11, 08:23 AM EST)
Y! finally weighs in with it's long awaited desktop search product. You can download the beta here. From the Yahoo! blog post threadlinked above:
Features:
- Speed. YDS is really fast.
- Instant Feedback. YDS provides incremental search, much like you find in Firefox. As you type each character of your search, the results are updated instantly. Not only does this mean less typing, but you'll catch spelling mistakes a lot faster too.
- Comprehensiveness. YDS indexes a lot of file types. Over 200.
- Built in Preview: YDS renders a preview view for most of the 200+ file types and enables you to page through the preview, so you don't need to launch the full-blown application just to see if you've found the right document. You can page through a PowerPoint, Word or PDF doc, examine individual cells in Excel, or even play an mp3 file--right there in YDS.
- Actions. If you right click on a result, YDS provides a context-specific menu that allows you to do things with the email or document: reply, forward, print, open, etc.
- Cost. YDS is free.
and a note on future direction:
We don't think you should have to think about where your stuff is stored in order to find it. That's where this is all headed. And as YDS evolves, you'll see that becoming more and more clear.
So, has anyone tried it yet? If so, what do you think?
Search Engine RoundtableRe-Organizing Entries & Categories (Wednesday, January 12, 06:21 AM EST)
The server crash gives me the opportunity to rework how I have been using the category system so far. Since the crash caused the lost of the association of all categories to entries, I will need to go through each... The Four C's Drive the "5th P" (Tuesday, January 11, 05:51 PM EST)
There is a very interesting thread in the Online Marketing & Promotion forum at Cre8asite Forums named The 5th P in Marketing, which discusses a blog entry named Weblogs and the Power of the Fifth P. I began writing up... SMA-NA Wants to Know What You Want Out Of It? (Tuesday, January 11, 04:52 PM EST)
The Search Marketing Association - North America is requesting you to voice your opinion on what you want it to do for the members (small and large) and the industry. Thread started today on SEW Forums detailing some ideas and... Cool Asian Unicode Search at Google _,.-~*'`'*~-.,_ (Tuesday, January 11, 04:23 PM EST)
Philipp Lenssen always finds great stuff at Google. The latest thing he found was that a search done on _,.-~*'`'*~-.,_ brings back only Oriental results in Google. He asks why in his forum thread. One individual notes that a search... Spurl - Online Bookmarking - Breaks 1 Million Shared Bookmarks (Tuesday, January 11, 03:29 PM EST)
Spurl, where search engine meets bookmarking, hit the 1 million 'spurl' count on December 23rd. Here is the announcement posted at the Spurl Help Forums: On December 23rd Spurl.net passed the 1 million spurl mark. One million pages, hand picked... Google Cache Date Reverts to Older Date (Tuesday, January 11, 03:01 PM EST)
Have you ever noticed that Cache date in Google revert back to an older date, from a newer date? Yea, me neither. But some do notice these things and talk about it. Bottom line, no need to panic about such... Yahoo! Desktop Search is Here (Tuesday, January 11, 02:22 PM EST)
As expected, Yahoo announced a Desktop Search of their own. There are some nice screen captures here. Chris Sherman authored the Search Engine Watch article on this, named Yahoo Launches Desktop Search. Gary Price blogged on it, so did John... Added Image Security Access Code for Blog Comments (Tuesday, January 11, 01:59 PM EST)
Last night I added a new preventive measure for comment spam at this site. Its a very simple image security access code, that is required before submitting a comment. I tried to stay away from using this as a preventive...
SEO Book.com
Search Engine Guide Daily NewsOpening The Backdoor To The Google Platform (Wednesday, January 12, 07:16 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: Techdirt - In a move that looks much more designed to be about getting publicity than actually being useful, someone has released, as open source, code needed to scrape Google, and present a Google clone -- sans ads.... HotSpot Haven (Wednesday, January 12, 07:12 AM EST)
(Direct Link) "Find free wireless hotspots across the world and download our portable hotspot locator to find wifi hotspots when you are offline."... Click Fraud: Somebody Is Cheating You (Wednesday, January 12, 03:37 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: ClickZ - Click fraud is something of a ticking bomb and carries the same sort of reputation-besmirching potential as pop-ups and spam. If we address the issue now, we can get a handle on it before the industry panics.... Google Target Rises (Wednesday, January 12, 03:33 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: TheStreet.com - New RBC analyst Jordan Rohan issued a report Tuesday dubbing Google his top pick and assigning a price target to the stock of $235.... Trusted Feeds for Search Campaigns (Wednesday, January 12, 03:23 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: iMedia Connection - Have you ever looked at the keywords that lead consumers to click on your trusted feeds listing to land on your site? You will find a minefield of information on how consumers think. You will discover... Yahoo Launches Desktop Search (Wednesday, January 12, 03:03 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: SearchDay - Long anticipated, Yahoo's new Desktop Search beta is a solid contender in the increasingly crowded desktop search playing field.... Search TV and Radio Broadcasts via new blinkx.tv Search Engine (Wednesday, January 12, 02:39 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: URLwire - blinkx TV is a search engine for television. You can quickly find relevant video and audio clips using not only standard keyword and Boolean queries but also conceptual searches.... Group Seeks To Rep Search Engine Marketers (Wednesday, January 12, 02:26 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: MediaDailyNews - The Search Marketing Association North America (SMA-NA) will join its continental European and British counterparts--SMA-EU and SMA-UK, respectively...... MSN: RSS Feeds for Search Results (Wednesday, January 12, 02:00 AM EST)
(Direct Link) "Use them from your RSS readers, but please don't recreate our search engine with them. But dont get me wrong this is a service we want to provide and make great."... Yahoo joins desktop search fray (Wednesday, January 12, 01:29 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: News.com - Yahoo has become the latest major Internet company to introduce consumer software for searching e-mail and other desktop files.... Apple centers Spotlight on desktop search (Wednesday, January 12, 01:25 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: News.com - Not to miss the search beat reverberating throughout the PC market, Apple Computer chief Steve Jobs touted the company's innovations in desktop search coming with its next Mac OS X upgrade.... Desktop search from Yahoo! (Wednesday, January 12, 01:13 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: Webmaster World - "The out of box experience has been pretty good so far. Looks like this might be the one we've been waiting for . I really like the indexing options."... A Few Notes on AdSense Stats (Wednesday, January 12, 01:08 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: Webmaster World - "...the closest you can get to a serious analysis of your figures is to look at them over the course of several days/weeks/months (and preferably excluding the last few days from your analysis). One method used... Are Two Sites Better Than One? (Wednesday, January 12, 12:55 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: High Rankings Forum - "Would the product be better served to stand on its own, in its own website and domain? If I chose to keep my products tied to one website, can I still achieve high-rankings and traffic... SEMPO Versus SMA (Wednesday, January 12, 12:23 AM EST)
(Direct Link) Source: Search Engine Watch Forums - "...the SMA movement is about making sure they have THEIR say in the industry. It's about the way the industry develops and probably even ways they can protect themselves from cash grabbing, self appointed...
Search Engine News JournalMSN Search Beta to Begin Roll Out to Production (Wednesday, January 12, 02:00 AM EST)
MSN Search Beta to Begin Roll Out to Production
In a recent post over at the MSN Search Blog named Beta Ramp-Up, Oshoma Momoh, General Manager, MSN Search Program Management tells us that MSN will "begin turning up the dial and direct more of our users to the Beta." Some have ... Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta is out (Tuesday, January 11, 04:15 PM EST)
Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta is out
The drama continues with Yahoo! rolling out their own version based on X1 technology in the newly created and already flooded Desktop Search market. Google has made everyone and I repeat everyone to standup and take notice. So much so that even unknown brands in ...
real SEO .com (SEO News)Using Google to search for security holes in websites (Tuesday, January 11, 07:22 AM EST)
SiteDigger 2.0 searches for information about a site's security features by sending specific queries to Google's database. Known as Google hacking, such queries can turn up easily exploitable security holes and some sensitive information, including such things as credit card...
MarketingVOX - The Voice of Online MarketingAkamai to PJA (Tuesday, January 11, 02:31 PM EST)
AdWeek reports that Akamai chose Cambridge, MA-based PJA for its marketing duties. The very small budget (reportedly $600,000) will be spent in the first six months of 2005.
[summary]
[summary] Two Ad Execs Indicted for Actions when at AOL (Tuesday, January 11, 02:28 PM EST)
A federal prosecutor yesterday indicted two former AOL executives, along with four people associated with PurchasePro.com, a company that allegedly went along with AOL's scheme to inflate its...
[summary] AvantGo Adds Customization, Sponsorships (Tuesday, January 11, 01:59 PM EST)
AvantGo upgraded its download-the-net-to-your-PDA service, according to DM News. Users can now access more online content and do so in a more personalized fashion. And some of the added features...
[summary] MarketWatch Founder Settles SEC Charges He 'Scalped' Newsletter Readers (Tuesday, January 11, 01:59 PM EST)
One of the founders of MarketWatch.com settled with the SEC charges that he "scalped" newsletter readers by selling out of positions he recently recommended, according to CNET. Thom Calandra...
[summary] Mac Bloggers Seek Journalism's Legal Protections (Tuesday, January 11, 01:55 PM EST)
Three Apple Mac-oriented blogs that focus on rumors that typically swirl around the "other" computer company around this time of year, prior to its new product releases, found themselves subpoenaed...
[summary] Microsoft to Test Search Beta System on Search.MSN.com (Tuesday, January 11, 01:00 PM EST)
SearchEngineLowdown reports that MSN is about to connect the fire hose of its search traffic to its beta search product. Only a portion of the customers will be routed through the new system as a...
[summary] 2004 Retail Sales up 26 Percent to $66.5 Billion (Tuesday, January 11, 12:59 PM EST)
comScore reports in a story on Internet Retailer that the final figures for 2004 show that online retail spending rose 26 percent, from $52.9 billion to $66.5 billion. That compares to all-sales...
[summary] Yahoo Desktop Search Beta Released (Tuesday, January 11, 12:00 PM EST)
Yahoo finally seems to have launched its desktop search beta version, although it isn't very much changed from the existing version of the X1 product it purchased some months ago to jumpstart its...
[summary] Music Services to Gain Ads (Tuesday, January 11, 11:31 AM EST)
Music download sites hint that they may soon become advertiser-supported, at least in part, according to MediaPost. Yahoo's MusicMatch and RealNetworks' Rhapsody services both are lining up ad...
[summary] ValueClick Upgrades Publisher Offering (Tuesday, January 11, 10:31 AM EST)
ValueClick announced it upgraded the interface it presents to publishers so they can manage their inventory on ValueClick's network. Publishers now have more tracking information, the ability to...
[summary] Akamai to PJA (Tuesday, January 11, 02:31 PM EST)
AdWeek reports that Akamai chose Cambridge, MA-based PJA for its marketing duties. The very small budget (reportedly $600,000) will be spent in the first six months of 2005. AvantGo Adds Customization, Sponsorships (Tuesday, January 11, 01:59 PM EST)
AvantGo upgraded its download-the-net-to-your-PDA service, according to DM News. Users can now access more online content and do so in a more personalized fashion. And some of the added features specifically benefit advertisers, according to the ClickZ account of the upgrade. AvantGo is selling sponsored areas, such as an automotive dealer search feature. MarketWatch Founder Settles SEC Charges He 'Scalped' Newsletter Readers (Tuesday, January 11, 01:59 PM EST)
One of the founders of MarketWatch.com settled with the SEC charges that he "scalped" newsletter readers by selling out of positions he recently recommended, according to CNET. Thom Calandra agreed to pay $540,000 to settle civil fraud charges that he made at least $400,000 in illegal profits by pumping up thinly-traded stocks he owned. He also allegedly profited from his own positive reviews of two mining stocks he was offered at a discount. Last year, Calandra resigned from his columnist position at CBS MarketWatch because of the SEC probe. Microsoft to Test Search Beta System on Search.MSN.com (Tuesday, January 11, 01:00 PM EST)
SearchEngineLowdown reports that MSN is about to connect the fire hose of its search traffic to its beta search product. Only a portion of the customers will be routed through the new system as a means of testing how ready the new application is for real-world performance requirements of a top traffic search engine. ValueClick Upgrades Publisher Offering (Tuesday, January 11, 10:31 AM EST)
ValueClick announced it upgraded the interface it presents to publishers so they can manage their inventory on ValueClick's network. Publishers now have more tracking information, the ability to stop and start specific campaigns and filter ads by offer type.
Search Engine News BlogYahoo Launches Local Search BETA (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST) Lycos Sells to Korean Internet Portal (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST) Google Launches Bidding Site (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST) Search Engine Marketing Organization Cops Criticism (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST) MSN Previews New Search Engine (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Search Engine News :: Search Engine LowdownSearch Clustering from Microsoft (Tuesday, January 11, 07:36 PM EST)
Gary has news of some clustering technology being tested by Microsoft and others. Interesting AdWords Ads? (Tuesday, January 11, 06:11 PM EST)
Filed under schoolboy humor...
Amazon, eBay and a host of other large AdWords users often have ads that are automatically generated using the search term entered.
John lightens thing up with this discovery...
Question is, why was John search New SMA-NA Continue to Gain Traction (Tuesday, January 11, 02:17 PM EST)
MediaPost takes a look at the newly forming SMA-Na - a North American association that will represent the interests of SEO providers.
What is so ironic is this recurring statement...
"One of the problems that I saw with SEMPO is that although they s Yahoo Launches Desktop Search (Tuesday, January 11, 02:02 PM EST)
This is amazing, Yahoo continues to get press about its desktop search product even though it hasn't even launched the darn thing!
Update: It looks like they have now made desktop search available.
Yahoo! says the tool can index over 200 different t WebSourced Searches for Larger Office Space (Tuesday, January 11, 01:56 PM EST)
Yes, our fantastic growth keeps on, keeping on. We moved from 7,500 square feet of office space to 31,000 back in March '04, but our growth means we need to move again. This time, we are looking to build an office of at least 90,000 square feet.
The Ne
The Unofficial Google WeblogOpen-source, Ad-Free, and Possibly Illegal Google Clone (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Daniel Brandt seems to regard Google as a corporate crominal, and stealing back as the solution. Google, according to Brandt has built a commercial empire upon scraping free content from the internet and assigning relevant advertising to it. So, turning the tables, Brandt has used a loophole in the Google API to create an ad-free Google; in other words, he is scraping the scraper. He expcts to be sued, and even seems to hope for it. Brandt's point is not entirely capricious. Google does Google on 60 Minutes: Transcript (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Here is the transcript of the recent 60 Minutes piece on Google that is receiving so much criticism. It's not that the segment was a puff piece, in my opiniong, but that it was primarily a backgrounder for people who haven't been paying attention--the basic audience for 60 Minutes, I guess. Plus, who doesn't want to follow a camera into the Googleplex? Google Employee Worth Revealed (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
New securities regulations now require disclosure of stock transactions at public companies, in hierarchical levels below that of top executives. That means that anyone can now see the insider buys and sells of company stock by common employees. Apparently this intrusive spotlight has created some tension inside Google, where, as this article speculates, a new millionnaire might be sharing a cubicle with a new employee worth very little (in stock terms). Google's Auction-Style IPO Might Have Been Influential After All (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
The financial information company Morningstar is (finally) going public, and has announced its intention to operate an auction-style IPO with W.R. Hambrecht as the lead underwriter. W.R. Hambrecht developed level-playing-field IPO mechanisms long before Google ever dreamed of getting all Nasdaq on us. Observers have criticized Google for its IPO method on several fronts, noting that the company failed to capture a tremendous amount of money that flowed into the stock after it went public. Fair Affiliates Demoted in AdWords (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
The rumor of Google making some sort of change to AdWords policy regarding affiliates has proved true. A new policy limits displays of AdWords ads run by affiliates, and leading to the same landing page to a single ad per search results page. This will largely solve the affiliate glut that pushes non-affiliate ads off the page. Several results that change the nature of affiliate marketing on Google should follow: First, competition for that single affiliate slot wi increase, and the per-click Google-Scraped Dictionary (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Google Blogoscoped has a work in progress: a dictionary scraped from Google's define operator, and the translation tool. Translations are complete for the letter "A." Naturally, the thing searches for words, as well as listing them in alpha order. Page and Brin Make Business Week "Great Innovators" List (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Not much to say beyond that--here is the article. Business Week is celebrating its 75th anniversary by profiling great business innovators of the past 75 years. The profiles aren't deep; just quick backgrounders. Displaying Sponsored Links Only (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Thanks to reader Tom for pointing out something I wasn't aware of: If you want to display only the sponsored links (AdWords ads) in Google for any keyword, use this dedicated engine. Battelle's Most Important prediction (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Among John Battelle's 17 predictions for 2005 (one of which is the revelation that he will start a new media-technology business), the most important, in my opinion, is this: 12. By the end of the year, there will be no question that search is a media business, and that the major players in search are major players in the content business. This point might be driven home by the introduction of media-content searching (Yahoo! has already started down this path with its video search engine, Google's 2004 (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Following are highlights of 2004 from the Google perspective. All links are to blog entries. Enjoy the reminiscence. JAN: Google hires Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to organize IPO, hoping to raise $40B. FEB: Google releases social networking site Orkut, not realizing at the time how extremely short-lived would be the buzz. FEB: Google shoots down Booble, a parody porn search engine. FEB: Google makes Microsoft froth at the mouth, motivating Bill Gates to admit defeat, then promise Who Needs to Chill Out? (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Have you seen the indignant responses of the Google team to an anonymous writer who criticized (tongue in cheek, I believe) the holiday logo doodles? I'm not certain who needs to get a sense a humor more, but it makes for fun reading. New Santy Worm Targets Yahoo!, and Doesn't Forget Google (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
After Google terminated the original Santy worm, which used Google's Web index to find vulnerable sites to deface, new generations of the virus are slithering into the search indexes of Yahoo! and AOL Search, while still attempting to launch attacks from Google. The Santy descendents (Santy.b, Santy.c, and so on) maintain the same mission as the original, which was and is to deface Web sites using the phpBB message-board system. Will Google Keep Its Cachet? (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
A CNET story mostly rehashes the question of whether Google can maintain its status as the "It" place to work, while expanding into a mainstream company. We also learn that Microsoft has been raided, losing some engineering talent to Google. Googleplex Photos (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Chris Breikss at 6S Marketing took some meetings at Google during the fall, and has posted photos of the outside and inside of the Googleplex. 2004 Google Zeitgeist (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
It's not quite end-of-year, but Google has released the 2004 Zeitgeist. An interactive Flash version is loads of fun, even if more detail could have been built into it. Froogle and Local search queries are included for the first time. SearchEngineBlog: Year in Review (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
"None of this is true. Surely." But most of it is, with exceptions for scorching satire. AOL Readies Free Webmail for Everyone (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
AOL is not new to the Webmail game, but so far has restricted its Web e-mail interface to subscribers. In 2005 WOL will launch a free Webmail service in competition with Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail, thereby filling out the Webmail landscape with entries from the four major Internet giants. What you would do if you ran Google? - Win the crazy glowing Google Radio thingy! (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
The good folks at Google sent me a really cool glowing AM/FM clock radio as gift, and since we don't like to keep gifts here at Weblogs, Inc. (that whole "ethics" thingy) we've decided to give it to one of our readers in a joint contest with Engadget.com. Now, you can't buy one of these, it can't be found in stores at any price (as least that we know of!). You could probably turn around and sell this bad boy on EBAY for 20 large and finally get out from under (or Google Responds Sluggishly to Virus (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Robert Lemos at CNET reports that the Santy.a worm could have been stopped quicker if Google had responded sooner to pleas from security company F-Secure. The worm used Google's index to target the sites it defaced. "By the time Google put defenses in place, as many as 40,000 sites had been defaced by the worm, according to search statistics from Microsoft's search engine, a competitor to Google's service. By late Tuesday, Google had set up filters to weed out the Incoming Book About Google (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Watch for a business history of Google, The Google Story, authored by David Vise of the Washington Post. (According to Publishers Weekly.)
Pandia Search CentralExalead gets a 1 billion document index (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
European Exalead is preparing an even larger index. MSN Search tests RSS feeds (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
MSN is alphatesting the possibility of displaying search results through RSS feeds. Yahoo's new desktop search software (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Yahoo! Desktop Search lets you search your own computer. FexIT -- business oriented search service (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Iceland has given us a new online business portal and search service. MSN's gradual transfer to new search engine (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
MSN is giving regular searchers some taste of its new search engine technology. Answers.com -- new free reference search service (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
GuruNet launches free search engine Gigablast now indexes 1 billion pages (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
The Gigablast search engine is growing Google to establish charity foundation (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Google plans to establish a foundation this year based on 1 percent of its stock. Everything I know about web marketing I learned from my gas station (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
How do you design a site and a search engine strategy that actually sells? Blinkx desktop search for Mac (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Next week you may download Blinkx for the Mac. Everything I know about web marketing I learned from my local gas station (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
How do you design a site and a search engine strategy that actually sells? Alternative desktop search tools (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
There is more to desktop searching than Google and MSN. Search Engine Trends 2004 (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Pandia takes a look at what happened in the world of search engine this year. New version of the Santy worm (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Santy.e uses Yahoo! and AOL Search to spread. Google Scholar advanced search interface (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
New menu based search form for Google Scholar. Behind the scenes at MSN desktop search (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
On interviews with the teams developing the Microsoft Toolbar Suite. Pandia launches search engine search engine (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
A new topic search tool that lets you search the best search engine oriented sites in one go. Internet Explorer rapidly loosing ground (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
On the new browser war. Worm uses Google to attack sites (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
A Web worm is using Google to identify sites using the vulnerable PHP Bulletin Board software. Survey of desktop search tools (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Pandia presents various tools for searching your own computer. New European search engine for the UK (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Seekport UK gives priority to British sites. Blinkx launches radio and TV search engine (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
A search engine that captures spoken words. New Yahoo! Video Search (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Yahoo! adds video search. Google to scan books (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Google to include text from library books. Ask Jeeves launches desktop search tool (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Ask Jeeves lets you search your own computer. MSN has launched its new MSN Toolbar Suite (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
MSN has launched its new desktop search tool. New from Google: automatic suggestions (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Google betatests a new feature. More local versions of Google News (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Google has added seven new national incarnations of the Google News portal. Search the Web and win prizes! (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
The new Blingo search site is powered by Gigablast. The new Accoona search engine (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
New business search engine. Trouble at Webmaster World (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Several moderators have left the Webmaster World discussion forums.
Seth's BlogSpeaking of Apple (Wednesday, January 12, 02:34 AM EST)
What is it about Apple that makes pundits want to talk about it all the time? I know I do. Why is it so unique? Why is Steve Jobs singular among CEOs, not commonplace? I have no clue. I do... It's about going to the edges (Tuesday, January 11, 10:24 PM EST)
My friend Rich talks about how my friend Jack (and his ace Aaron) went all the way to the edge in delighting a customer. It is patently stupid to send a Christmas card. Christmas cards are invisible. This is not.... The myth of the CMO (Tuesday, January 11, 06:39 PM EST)
I feel sorry for Judy Verses. She's the Chief Marketing Officer of Verizon, a brand that is justifiably reviled by millions of people. Is Verizon disdained, mistrusted and avoided because Judy's not doing a great job? Of course not. She's... The HughTrain (Tuesday, January 11, 01:33 PM EST)
It's possible (unlikely, but possible) that you haven't come across gapingvoid. If you haven't, it's worth a click. Hugh's blog is awfully different from mine (for one thing, he works harder and is more prolific) but it's certain that it...
SEO - Online Marketing BlogSEO Blog (Tuesday, January 11, 07:49 PM EST)
Recently I had this SEO blog redesigned by Thomas, our resident design-savvy SEO guy. Feedback regarding layout and content would be much appreciated. We want to make sure this blog is providing the kind of information you want regarding search engine news, site optimization, search marketing and online PR.
I'll even throw out an incentive: I have 10 Gmail accounts to give away to the first Google Search Ads/No Ads (Tuesday, January 11, 12:34 PM EST)
Some interesting Google search options:
If you want to search Google without any sponsored links, use the ie verion.
Or maybe you really like the ads on Google and that's the only thing you want to search. You can search Google sponsored links. Yahoo! Search blog (Tuesday, January 11, 11:58 AM EST)
Yahoo! Search blog announces Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta is now available.
Here's a list of major Desktop Search Tools:
Google Desktop Beta MSN Toolbar Suite with Desktop Search Blinkx Ask Jeeves Desktop Search Copernic Yahoo has also created a Desktop Search forum to provide feedback.
A bit of coverage on this from Search Engine blogs already at: Threadwatch.org, John ADV: PClessons.info (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Free articles and lessons about Windows, MS Word, MS Excel and Internet.
Marketing Tom - Internet MarketingSearch Engine Marketing Resolutions (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
A New Year! and why don´t we start with some New Year resolutions? These are some of the tips I saw on Shari Thurow´s interesting article SEM New Year´s Resolutions on the Clickz site. Resolution 1: I will stop focusing... Merry Christmas (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year... British eCommerce Success Story (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Alan Meckler, CEO of Jupitermedia, has an written interesting article on his blog Internet Media Comentary about a British artist who has created a phenomenally successful online business. Entitled Internet Commerce Success Story, this is a brief overview of... Real-time Keyword Suggestions from Google Select (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
According to 4WebResults Google is testing a new tool called "Google Suggest". The tool sounds really cool as it will throw up keyword suggestions as you type in the words. As Tom says in New Internet Tool Offers Suggestions... Help Inc.com Build the 2005 Entrepreneurs' List (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
This year (2004) Inc.com published their 25 Entrepreneurs We Love list. They are now inviting people to submit entries for their 2005 list. All you need do is go to their Entrepreneurs We Love page; check your candidate meets their... Blogging till the Cows Come Home (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
Rick Bruner has got an interesting post on his blog, Business Blog Consulting, about the blog marketing exploits of organic dairy seller, Stonyfield Farm. Stoneyfield produces quality dairy products, such as yoghurt, which strictly adhere to organic principles -... Pictures from Google's Googleplex (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
As I mention Google rather a lot on this website, I thought it would be nice to let people view some photos of the Google complex, taken by an Internet Marketing company on a recent visit there. Chris Breikss,... Biggest Internet Growth Comes From People Over 55 (Wednesday, January 12, 08:55 AM EST)
A recent survery, by International Demographics, has found that the biggest U.S. growth in the Internet has come not from young people but from the 55's and above. The report is based on the findings of 80 U.S. Metropolitan markets...
Search Engine Positioning and Web Marketing NewsIBM makes 500 patents available to Opens Source Developers (Tuesday, January 11, 02:05 PM EST)
The opening of the 500 patents to open source developers by IBM is certainly a gesture that opens 2005 with a sense of freedom and optimism. 'It is a small but significant measure for a company with major efforts to...
The Unofficial Yahoo! WeblogYahoo! Desktop Search, First Glimpse (Tuesday, January 11, 11:16 PM EST)
Yahoo! Desktop Search Beta is available for download. I’ll have a more
comprehensive review if this thing ever finishes indexing my computer. YDS handles 200 file types, making it far more
thorough than Google’s product, but also making it
slow to crawl a file-heavy machine. It’s not an easy beta to figure out, and one thing it definitely needs is some kind
of dialogue box informing the user of what’s happening. I stared at it for a half hour, wondering if it was finished
indexing—the hard drive churned intermittently. YDS showed 28 music files on my system, out of the 30+ gigabytes of
music tracks actually there. (Hey, there’s an embedded media player! It’s RealPlayer.) It was tying my computer in
knots, making it impossible to do anything else, and I finally rebooted—with great difficulty, I might add. This thing
is either not ready or I’ve flubbed its operation somehow. I’m eager to figure out which, and will post details as they
transpire.
PC Magazine gave YDS a good review.
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