Aug 31

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on
Search Engine Land and from other
places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:


  • Search in Pictures: Search Engine Fun, Yahoo Giant & The Google Dance
    In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more….

  • Google News Now Hosting Wire Stories & Promises Better Variety In Results
    Today, Google News will begin offering articles from several major wire services and news agencies hosted on its own site, rather than sending readers away from Google. The move is part of licensing agreements that have been stuck over the past year. Google News is also promising better duplicate story…

  • Yahoo Gives College Graduates A “Kickstart” With Social Job Networking Site
    Yahoo’s new social job network: Kickstart from News.com has an excellent review of Yahoo’s new social networking job site named Kickstart. The site is currently is currently a concept, which Yahoo wants to turn into a reality. The concept is to use social features to connect college alumni working at…

  • Searcharazzi: Last Time, on Yahoo! Executive Survivor…
    Coleman is out, and president Sue Decker rises to the top. Hilary Schneider (is it possible that she is Decker’s long lost twin?) smugly rules ad sales and partnerships (Global Partner Solutions), leaving Jeff Weiner to run content (Yahoo! Network Division). According to a Valleywag tipster, these two hate…

  • How To Go Beyond Google’s Advanced Search Page Date Options
    Google Operating System reveals a way to expand your date specific search beyond what Google has available on Google’s advanced search page….

  • SEOmoz & SEO Book Organize SEO Tools & Add Features
    SEOmoz and SEO Book both announced that they have organized their SEO tools. SEO Book organized his SEO Tools page and SEOmoz organized their SEO Toolbox page. SEOmoz also added an easy to use bookmarklet feature named “SEO Dashboard” for premium members….

  • An Insider’s View Of Google Universal Search
    Google’s Universal Search was definitely a buzz generator at Search Engine Strategies in San Jose. Universal was tagged as probably the most significant development in search this year, and its effects are just starting to be felt throughout the industry, by both searchers and search marketers alike. It’s particularly…

  • Yahoo Adds New Ad Tools & Reporting; Google Changes Reports Interface
    Yahoo has announced several new advertising features for their search marketing platform. You can now write ads faster, quickly check your quality score and create and save up to 45 customized reports. Google also announced changes to their AdWords reporting engine. Now, the Google AdWords reports are now more similar…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

Business Issues

Conferences

Local, Maps & Mobile

Link Building

Paid Search & Contextual

Searching

SEM Industry

SEO & SEM

Social Media

Video, Music & Image Search

Other Items

Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

Aug 31

I’m not up on Dutch royalty. I’m not up on any royalty cuz I’m an Uh-mer-kin and we don’t dig on that jazz, right? Well, some still do, or else the Today Show wouldn’t have anything to talk about on slow news days. Anyway, this about Wikipedia more than Dutch royalty, so let’s roll with it.

This Wiki Scanner tool has proven to be one powerful whistleblower, a nice KEEP OUT sign to the powers-that-be. It’s called citizen media for a reason.

After tracing edits back to the CIA, the FBI, and even a rather bizarre one about the IRA made from inside the Vatican (conspiracy theorists unite!), the latest to get busted are Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands and his wife, Princess Mabel.

Mabel? Really? Not something hipper like Gertrude or Bessie?

Ahem.

According to Reuters Mabel had a thing for "drug barons" before she hooked up with the prince, who renounced the throne to marry her. Now, it is Amsterdam, so for all I know, "drug baron," could be the owner of a chain of "coffee shops" or the CEO of a pharmaceutical company.

Whatever he was, he was shot outside of an Amsterdam hotel.

It was a small edit, changing the claim that Mabel provided "incomplete and false information" about her relationship with the drug baron to "incomplete information."

After all, nobody likes being called a liar.

It also highlights an inherent problem with open, collaborative editing: where there is personal incentive to edit, there will be editing, just as sure as eating follows hunger.

Tools like Wiki Scanner are good, then, for keeping the larger establishment accountable, but do little for the smaller varmints – and we wouldn’t want it to operate on a smaller scale, would we? It wouldn’t be protecting the voice of the people anymore then, but a flagrant violation of privacy.

Um. Is it time to slow down yet?  

Aug 31

It could be an act of misdirection - “here, watch the funny man while we fire you one by one!” - but things nonetheless took a lighthearted turn at Yahoo when Peter Koechley, Managing Editor of The Onion, came to visit.

If you don’t know what The Onion is, tough shallots - I’m prepared to move on without you.  And so, apparently, is the fine company is question.

“I was surprised to learn that they’re read in 752 countries, have news bureaus in 412 countries, are broadcast on 14,800 radio stations, offer a 24-hour news network, have a multinational intelligence agency, own 95% of all grocery store circulars, are the proprietors of an upscale haberdashery, offer mercenary embedded journalists for hire, and employ newsboys from an orphanage, which they also run,” wrote Yahoo’s Nicki Dugan on the Yodel Anecdotal blog.

For that matter, The Onion may also have an influence at Yahoo; this would explain why Koechley wound up in Sunnyvale instead of the famed Googleplex.  It would also account for a few recent moves on Yahoo’s part; I remain confused by one exec’s decision to combine Canada with Europe (strategically speaking), and a Yodel Anecdotal post about a cricket victory seemed rather out of place.

Ah, well, anything for a laugh, and from the sound of it, Koechley got a lot of them during his stay at Yahoo’s headquarters.

Tags: ,

Aug 31

Expect more than one mobile phone for every person in the U.S. by 2013, according to new data from SNL Kagan.

That is an increase from the current 84 percent penetration level of the U.S. population (including business, consumer and double users) who have mobile phones. Kagan projects that mobile phone subscriptions will grow about 13 percent through 2017, faster than the country’s 1 percent population growth.

"If carriers can hold onto their position in the revenue chain, data is poised to give them a second growth spurt," said Sharon Armbrust, a senior analyst at SNL Kagan.

"While subscriber units and voice revenue will inch along, we expect data revenue to grow at a compound annual 14% rate over the next 10 years, rising to at least 22% of service revenue, compared to under 10% today," she said.

SNL Kagan predicts total mobile industry average revenue per users will grow at an inflation- paced compound annual growth rate of 1.5 percent over the next 10 years, to $61.9 in 2017 from $52.38 in August 2007.

 

Aug 31

Amazon is set to launch its long awaited download store in mid-September according to the New York Post.

All tracks on the new service will be DRM-free including tracks from EMI and Universal and hundreds of independent labels including several we hear that have never sold DRM free previously. Absent will be copy protected tracks from WMG or Sony/BMG.

Amazon will have at least two track prices - 99 cents for new and hits songs and 89 cents for music from emerging acts and back catalog. Full album downloads are expected to cost between $7.99 and $9.99.  The pricing strategy is rubbing some labels the wrong way leaving Amazon still negotiating with some labels.

COMMENTARY: While it is unfortunate and potentially confusing to consumers that some major label product will not be available as downloads, it is hard to overstate the potential of Amazon’s new store to attract both adult and indie fans. 

By all measures, Amazon is one of the top five music retailers in the country. Their exclusive adoption of universally compatible DRM free mp3’s at normal or discount prices should help expand the digital download market.  And the availability of downloads alongside physical product in a trusted and user-friendly environment is long overdue.

Comments

Aug 31

It’s official. Americans love blogs. According to a new Synovate/Marketing Daily survey out today, 8 out of 10 Americans know what a blog is–and just about half of us have visited a blog.

This new study polled 1000 U.S. adults using Synovate eNation and took place between July 30, 2007 and August 1, 2007. The survey’s results prove that blogging has now officially entered the mainstream.

Not only do Americans know what blogs are and have visited a blog in the past, blog loyalty is strong–46 percent of those who read blogs said that they visit the same blogs on a regular basis–versus 54 percent who surf the internet for new and different blogs.

What’s interesting to note, also, is that the awareness and usage of blogs, (along with people who have their own blog) “strongly correlates to age, with younger people being much more active. About 90 percent of people aged 25-34 know what a blog is. Only 65 percent of those aged 65 or over know what a blog is. Further more, 78 percent of the respondents aged 18 to 24 who are aware of blogs said that they have visited a blog, compared to only 45 percent of older Americans.

More Women are Bloggers

According to the results of the survey, more women than men are bloggers. 20 percent of American women who have visited blogs have their own blog. 14 percent of American men who have visited blogs have their own blog.

Blog Popularity

Over the years, as blogs have become more popular, the frequency with which blogs are being read is growing. According to Synovate, “Though the majority of blog readers (39%) view them less than once a month, another 28% visit them monthly, 15% visit them daily and 5% read them several times a day.”

Blogs as a Marketing Tool

As blogs have continued to grow and more and more people are using them, visiting them, and reading them, the atractiveness of blogs as a marketing tool is rising. The survey results show that 43 percent of blog visitors indicated that they have seen ads on blog. This has been steadily rising, 61 percent among those aged 18 to 24 have said that they notice ads on blogs. “Almost one-third of consumers have clicked on an ad while reading a blog”, according to the survey results.

Blogs Not Replacing Other Media

Apparently blogs are not replacing other media, though. Only thirteen percent of those who read blogs on a regular basis say that they spend less time with other forms of media (newspapers, television, radio) since they’ve started reading blogs.

“Because anyone can start one anytime, blogs are not necessarily seen as legitimate information sources despite the fact that some bloggers are experts in their area,” said Mularz. “However, as their prominence and influence continues to rise, this could certainly change.”

When asked about the types of information they get from blogs, sixty five percent of survey respondents said that they get opinions from blogs–39 percent get news and 38 percent get entertainment from blogs that they read. About one third read gossip on blogs. Only 2 percent use blogs to keep up with news about their family members and their friends.

Why Do We Read Blogs?

According to the blog survey, half of read blogs because it’s entertaining. 26 percent read them to find out more about our hobbies or other topics we’re interested in. But only 15 percent say that we read blogs for the news–which means that other forms of media are still popular for news.

Why Don’t We Read Blogs?

Of the survey respondents to said that they have never read a blog, the biggest reason was that they’re “just not interested”. 15 percent reported that they just don’t care about the ideas and opinions of bloggers.

Synovate, the company that performed the survey, is the market research arm of Aegis Group plc. Synovate generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 5,700 staff in 118 cities across 52 countries.

Comments

Aug 31

It appears Viacom hasn’t learned its lesson after its last abuse of the DMCA takedown notice. It’s now targeting a YouTube video that includes a clip of a VH1 show, which includes the unauthorized use of video created by the person who uploaded the YouTube clip.

Confused? This should help:

  1. Chris Knight creates a funny video as part of his campaign Rockingham County Board of Education.
  2. Viacom’s VH1 takes the clip from YouTube and uses it in a VH1 segment, without Knight’s permission.
  3. Knight’s flattered and uploads the VH1 clip to YouTube.
  4. Viacom accuses Knight of copyright infringement and YouTube takes down the video.

Absurd? It doesn’t get any more ridiculous than that!

Knight is obviously feeling victimized by Viacom…

What does this mean for independent producers of content, if material they create can be co-opted by a giant corporation without permission or apology or compensation? When in fact, said corporations can take punitive action against you for using material that you created on your own?

That’s what’s happening to me right now, folks. Viacom is penalizing me for using my own original material, which they used without permission to begin with.

He says he doesn’t have the money to fight Viacom. Maybe Google could chip-in and help or perhaps the EFF might take up the cause.

Want to watch the VH1 clip?

via

Comments

Aug 31

MSDN has a new blog: Hackers @ Microsoft. The new blog is written by and about the white hat hackers employed by Microsoft, who work on improving security in Microsoft’s products (as well as research, development, testing and even management). The first post explains the kind of hackers who work at Microsoft:

We employ “white hat hackers” who spend their time pentesting and code reviewing applications and software looking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities so that others don’t once we’ve released that code into the wild. We employ many many smart testers who know more about some of our software then perhaps the architects who designed it. We also employ some of the top researchers in their industry, dedicated people working on the bleeding edge of whats going to be common place in the next 5 or 10 years of computing.

(via Amit Agarwal)

Comments

Aug 31

Google announced this week that Chief Financial Officer George Reyes is retiring and leaving the company later this year. Reyes, who has been with the company five years, is only the second major executive to leave Google, ever, as far back as anyone can remember. Reyes intends to stay with the company while it searches for a new CFO and help with the transition, leaving by the end of the year.
(via Search Engine Land)

Let see if we can figure out the Google executive history timeline:

Chairman: Eric Schmidt (March 2001-); Sergey Brin (1998-2001)
CEO: Eric Schmidt (August 2001-); Larry Page (1998-2001)
President (sole): Sergey Brin (1998-2001)
President, Products: Larry Page (August 2001-)
President, Technology: Sergey Brin (August 2001-)
CFO: George Reyes (2002-2007)
Chief Legal Officer: David Drummond (December 2006-) [previously General Counsel, February 2002-2006]

SVP, Business Operations: Shona Brown (January 2006-)[previously VP of Business Operation, September 2003-2006]
SVP, Corporate Development: David Drummond (January 2006-) [previously VP of Corporate Development, February 2002-2006]
SVP, Engineering and Research: Alan Eustace (January 2006-)
SVP, Operations: Urs Hölzle
SVP, Global Sales & Business Development: Omid Kordestani
SVP, Product Management and Marketing: Jonathan Rosenberg (February 2002-)
VP, Engineering: Bill Coughran and Jeff Huber; Alan Eustace (July 2003-2006); Urs Hölzle (1999-2003)
VP, Global Communications & Public Affairs: Elliot Schrage (October 2005-)

Anyone want to help fill in the gaps or correct anything, or suggest others I should include in this list?

Comments

Aug 31

Late on Friday afternoon is a brilliant time for Google to announce a major change with their news service if they do not want people to talk about much. With their AP, Agence France-Presse, The Press Association in the United Kingdom and The Canadian Press syndication deals, Google claims they are improving duplicate detection, increasing listing variety, and as a net result they are sending MORE traffic to the people they signed syndication deals with.

Danny stated:

Google’s going beyond just hosted news articles as part of this release. The company also says it will be doing a better job of duplicate detection overall, so that if there’s the same article from wire agencies it doesn’t have agreements with, such as Reuters, it should be more likely to point to the Reuters site than someone running Reuters material.

Google’s market position allows them to address relevancy issues as needed, in order to suit their business agendas. They were lax on duplicate news content for nearly a decade because they wanted to spread their public relations spin through the media and get ad deals with many of the media outlets. After Google secured their CNN partnership, now it is time to solve the news syndication duplicate content problem and send traffic to the international news agencies.

A year or two down the road Google News will likely shift from temporarily archiving news to permanently doing so, and news will be yet another content vertical they own, along with search, ads, analytics, video, and books.

Look mom, newspaper ad revenue shrunk 8.6% year on year and Google is getting those ad dollars. With improved duplicate content filters you can look for those numbers to fall further. I wonder if this is the end of Google’s successful public relations campaigns in the mainstream media.

They use coersion to control traffic, and then sell it to you as a feature you wanted. Those guys are soooo good at business!

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