Best Search Engine News

New Ad Technology Helps Sites Earn More

2004-12-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since our last writing, but we hope to begin making more regular posts here. ;)

Today, we would like to highlight a new service called LinkSmile.

LinkSmile.com is an advertising marketplace with a few distinctions.

- LinkSmile has developed a new technology to automatically manage text link ads*
- LinkSmile supports buying/selling of seo-friendly text links, banners, and standard text links**

*Text Link Ads are outbound links to other sites. By offering this type of ad, webmasters can generate a good bit of revenue. Buy buying text link ads, sites can increase traffic and possibly boost search rankings

**Standard Text Link are outbound links to other sites using a javascript method. They help boost traffic but not search rankings

There is so much to this program that we can't begin to touch the surface in a single post. However, we have set up ads on our SEO Monk web site and it has gone very smoothly.

You can join at no cost and there are no listing fees.

http://www.LinkSmile.com

Google adding advertisers

2004-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

"Google Inc. , the No. 1 Web search company that recently went public and said it will not issue financial forecasts, expects to add 372,050 advertiser accounts by 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Wednesday."
reuters

Search today - Matthew Koll Interview

2004-10-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

SearchEngineWatch interviews Matthew Koll of Wondir.

Do you think it's possible for any company to beat Google?
Of course it is. We haven't witnessed the end of history - not in the world, and not in the search business. Google's competitors are offering very competitive quality of results now. And Microsoft really has not been heard from yet. I think we should start a pool - picking the year and month in which Google is not the leader in search engine traffic.
searchenginewatch - full interview

Google moves onto the Desktop

2004-10-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

Google Desktop beta has just been released.

Google search becomes personal
"Google is expanding the borders of its search empire into people's computers.
The net giant has released a preliminary version of a desktop program that will search computer hard drives, as well as the web.
"We think of this as the photographic memory of your computer," said Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer web products."
bbcnews

Higher Paid Search Rank Not Always Better, Study Says

2004-10-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

"The research confirmed that, for high-volume keywords, conversion rates generally fall as rank decreases. However, when looking at the bottom 80 percent of keywords based on click volume, conversion rates often converted at higher levels than the top ranked listings."
clickz

SearchTHIS: All Things Google

2004-10-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

"Would be hopefuls of search traffic seek top listings by dumping buckets of cash into optimization strategies. Google AdWords advertisers pay equal or greater amounts of cash into trying to figure out how to maintain top pay-for-placement listings; publishers reap plenty of dough from content clicking AdSense listings placed (sometimes) strategically on their sites. But that wasn’t enough for Google.
Google has a shopping engine, news search, images, blogging, discussion groups, and even that didn’t satisfy the Googlers."
imedia

Wi-Fi not a slam dunk for basketball Maverick

2004-10-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

"Mark Cuban, the billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner, wouldn't think of surfing the Internet from his seat during Mavericks home games. "Hell no," he declares."
And thanks to him, neither will anybody else attending Mavericks games at the American Airlines Center.
The people running the center, where the Mavericks and the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars play, have just installed a Wi-Fi network. Joe Heinlein, the center's IT director, thinks selling Internet access to ticket holders would be a fine way of earning revenue. But Cuban has nixed the idea at Mavericks games, despite its revenue implications for the arena organizers."
zdnet

Lycos Acquired By Korean Internet Company

2004-10-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

"Daum Communications has completed the acquisition of Lycos. The transaction includes the Lycos.com site as well as Lycos' popular specialty sites, wired.com, tripod.com, angelfire.com, matchmaker.com, quote.com, and hotbot.com."
searchnewz

Google to begin indexing books

2004-10-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

"If you want to hit the books online - you can point your Internet browser to hit the online search engine Google.
The site is inviting publishers to include entire books in its index.
That will let people take a peek at the contents of a book before deciding whether to buy it."
canada.com

Gmail new features

2004-10-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

New Features for Gmail
Gmail Notifier Handy tool to let you know when you have new mail, without having to open your browser. Learn more
Search your contacts Plenty of new features for the contacts list. Learn more
Automatic forwarding to another email account New tool to forward your email to another account of your choosing. Learn more
Save Drafts For long winded emails that you just can't finish in one sitting!. Learn more

Need a Gmail invite? write to me.. woopidoo (at) gmail.com

Google Maths Problem

2004-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

I don't think a humble webmaster like me will be working at Google anytime soon if this is what it takes to solve their little maths problem.

MSN Forms Search Focus Group

2004-10-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

"Microsoft Corp. is quickening its march into search by setting up an advisory group of industry insiders to preview its search-engine plans and research.
Microsoft's Internet division has invited dozens of Webloggers, researchers and others to its Redmond, Wash., campus next week for an event called "Search Champs." They are scheduled to hear about and test upcoming features for MSN Search and to meet researchers from Microsoft Research, according to several people invited to participate."
eweek

Findwhat's Answer to Google's Adsense

2004-10-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

Adsense is King but others are looking for a piece of the pie too.

FindWhat Unveils Answer to AdSense
"FindWhat.com today debuted AdRevenue Xpress, an automated distribution partner program targeting small to mid-sized businesses. The distribution method is similar to Google's AdSense, but it uses category- or keyword-targeting, rather than contextual targeting.
The program allows smaller partners, through a step-by-step set up process, to add a search box which returns ads from the FindWhat.com Network. Alternatively, publishers who want to display ads on their site directly, rather than via a search results page, can choose a FindWhat category and display ads from that category."
clickz

Cendant offers $1bn for Orbitz

2004-10-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

"Travel company Cendant, the owner of Avis and Budget car hire firms, is in advanced talks to buy travel website Orbitz for $1bn.
Orbitz was started by five US airlines in 2000 and floated on Nasdaq for $300m in December 2003. It competes with the likes of Expedia and Travelocity, offering flights, hotels and vacations. Shares jumped 25 per cent late last night on reports of an imminent takeover. Both companies held board meetings last night to decide on the deal, according to newswires."
theregister

Ask Jeeves Spruces Up for Search-Engine Fight

2004-09-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

"Search engine Ask Jeeves has rolled out new functionality on its Web site that will help it take aim not only at the big players in this space -- Google , Yahoo and AOL -- but also at Amazon's up-and-coming A9.com.
One new feature in particular, myJeeves, which allows users to store queries and results, mimics some of the functionality in A9.com.
However, the serious battle for market share in search is being waged between Google and Yahoo, and it is here that Ask Jeeves hopes to make inroads."
newsfactor

Why Search is Slowing

2004-09-28T05:16:00.000-07:00

"It simply couldn’t keep going at the same pace could it? Where will search growth come from?
The big G has gone public and the ubiquitous excitement surrounding the latest thing to Google has died down. Search marketing might once again become just another thing people don’t seem to understand and it seems everything about search marketing that can be written, has been written."
imedia

IBM Finds Profit in Diversity

2004-09-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

Former CEO Lou Gerstner established a diversity initiative that embraced differences instead of ignoring them. In this Harvard Business Review excerpt, professor David A. Thomas describes why IBM made diversity a cornerstone strategy.
harvardbusinessreview

You Got Mail (& Ads)

2004-09-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

"Industry numbers are not yet available to gauge the success of Google's initiative because the service is still in beta testing. Yankee Group analyst Patrick Mahoney noted the Gmail invitation-only system of signing on new members in the development phase is a strategy for Google to monitor its penetration into the market."
ecommercetimes

Google caves in to China

2004-09-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

"This week we have seen some disturbing news from the East. Google has apparently given in to Chinese pressure and excluded some sites from the news listings it presents to Chinese searchers.
We find this very sad, indeed. Although China clearly is on its way to becoming a modern society, the country remains a dictatorship. People continue to be imprisoned for expressing their opinions, and the regime is not willing to accept the freedom of the press. "
pandia

Web Retailers Facing Pre-Holiday Changes

2004-09-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - It's a great time to be an Internet shopper, but the same search technology that is transforming the Web into a bargain-hunter's paradise is putting the squeeze on online retailers doling out discounts and incentives to lure customers.
As the holiday shopping blitz approaches, generally accounting for about one-third of annual online sales, Internet retailers are under pressure to keep up with a fast-changing market. "
reuters

Microsoft going after Spammers!

2004-09-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Action against the people that ruin it for everyone.. lets hope big M keeps piling money towards fighting spammers.

Microsoft sues Web hoster over spam
"Microsoft has filed nine new lawsuits against those it says are responsible for spam, including a Web-hosting company that caters to people who send unsolicited e-mail, the software giant said Thursday.
With the latest batch of lawsuits, Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said, it is involved in more than 100 legal cases against spammers. Those cases include more than 70 lawsuits filed in the United States."
cnet

Earning money online..

2004-09-24T02:24:00.000-07:00

It won't happen over night, but it will happen..

Net Profits
"Fancy a work-from-home lifestyle or just a little spare cash on the side? The days of the dotcom bonanza are over, but dreams of making money from the internet live on.
Online riches may be just an illusion used to trap the unwary - an inventive array of get-rich-quick schemes, including the infamous Nigerian money scam, will quickly see the gullible fleeced - but for those willing to dabble in less lucrative, albeit legal, ventures, there are modest gains to be made."
SMH

Yellow pages search..

2004-09-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Original Search
Looking for more search ROI? Go back to the first engine -- the yellow pages. Those of us in this business of interactive marketing would agree that the Web has truly revolutionized marketing as a whole. Many of us would take that assertion a step farther, and agree that paid search has revolutionized marketing on the Web.
imedia

Internet Ad Revenues Jump 40 Percent

2004-09-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

"Internet advertising revenues jumped 40 percent in the first half of this year, driven largely by the growing popularity of keyword ads tied to search results."
bizreport

Sloppy emailing is bad for business

2004-09-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Email, often thought of as ultimate business tool, can actually slow decisions and be bad for business according to a new survey. The problem lies in a lack of email etiquette, a psychologist says.
The poll, which was taken across a sample of 750 workers from across Europe, picked out seven unforgivable sins of emailing. These are: ignoring the email, send-to-all, tactlessness, sloppiness, lying about getting an email, waffling and assuming that once sent, an email has been read."
theregister

Web's most famous hooker kills blog

2004-09-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

"Don't ever turn down pleasure because you were afraid of what other people might say," writes Belle de Jour on her blog.
The London call-girl this week delivered that parting wisdom, as she put an end to her famous online diary. No more whips, no more chains, no more homemade S&M devices. A tragedy? Probably so.
theregister

A9 search engine is out of "beta"

2004-09-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Business 2.0 talks about some of the A9 features and how it differentiates itself from other search engines on the block. Amazon's A9.com is also now officially out of beta stage.
There's a few interesting search engines around, going after the number 1 position that Google holds, but the only really way to get to number one is to wait for Google to do something wrong. The way it stands now, if you want to find something, you google it.

Feds Seize $87M in Counterfeit Software Sting

2004-09-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

"FBI officials said they have netted close to $87 million worth of counterfeit software and components in California, Washington and Texas as a result of a sting operation called Operation Digital Marauder."
internetnews

Virus war..

2004-09-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

Some people just have too much time on their hands..

Internet virus turf war resumes
"A new computer virus outbreak has emerged that packs a baffling message - a photograph of accused German virus author Sven Jaschan. Security officials believe this to be a geeky taunt from a rival gang of computer programmers. "
abc-australia

Internet Explorer losing market share..

2004-09-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Looks like Internet Explorer isnt so invincible afterall.

Market share of Internet Explorer is dropping
"According to web analytics firm Websidestory and a report published by eWeek, Microsoft's Internet Explorer suffered the most significant drops in usage in more than eight years. Microsoft's browser has dropped by 1.8 percentage points over the past three months to 93.7 percent of the market, Websidestory said."
tomshardware

Yahoo, Musicmatch.. and iTunes.

2004-09-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yahoo obviously sees that there is money to be made in the online music business..

Yahoo Buys Musicmatch, Targets iTunes
"Yahoo! said Tuesday it was buying digital-music group Musicmatch for about 160 million dollars in cash in a move aimed at boosting the Internet portal's online music offerings.
"Yahoo is committed to being a major player in digital music," said Terry Semel, Yahoo chairman and chief executive officer. "
ciotoday

Blogs and Money

2004-09-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Bizreport discusses the lack of money in blogging.. but Im sure adsense has positively affected the income of many blogs (with decent traffic).

Bloggers Find Clicks Don't Mean Cash
"If you think those Web journals of opinions and obsessions are a way to get rich, consider Jeff Soyer, a self-described "gay gun nut" in Vermont.
Soyer, who runs the journal Alphecca.com, pleaded for donations last month alongside an image of a tip jar topped by gun-toting cartoon character Yosemite Sam. "Ten bucks buys a box of bullets or feeds my cats for a week," he wrote on the blog."
bizreport

Search engine marketing: advertising nirvana

2004-09-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

"Imagine being able to tap in to consumers who are actively looking to buy what you're selling. If this sounds like your idea of nirvana, then search engine marketing could be just what you're looking for."
enn

Yahoo! and the Future of Online Travel

2004-09-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

"Yahoo's Farechase allows a person to simultaneously search 150 travel Web sites for the best airfares, hotel rates, and car rental rates. Youssef H. Squali, a Jefferies & Co. analyst, in a research note, calls the new Yahoo service a "direct assault on pure-play travel sites."
thestreet

Spammers use e-mail ID to gain legitimacy

2004-09-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

"With few junk e-mail filters supporting a protocol for verifying the source address of digital messages, spammers have adopted it themselves as a way to appear more legitimate, according to a report released on Wednesday."
news.com

Sasser kid charged with computer sabotage

2004-09-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

"The self-confessed author of the infamous Sasser worm has been charged with computer sabotage. Sven Jaschan, 18, was arrested in the village of Waffensen near Rotenburg, in northern Germany, in connection with writing and distributing the Sasser worm back in May. He later confessed to police that he was both the author of Sasser and the original author of the NetSky worm. The computer sabotage charges, announced by prosecutors today, come as little surprise."
theregister

250,000 visitors and life in prison!

2004-09-07T01:31:00.000-07:00

This is one way of stopping porn online! Get more than 250,000 visits and you'll be marched off to prison for the rest of your life!.. harsh..

"Those who are engaged in the profit-oriented production and dissemination of pornographic materials through the Internet, mobile communication terminals and"phone-sex" services in China are subject to punishment as severe as life imprisonment, according to the latest legal interpretations"
chinaview

Fortune 100 Companies not optimized..

2004-09-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

Maybe that's a good thing for a lot of smaller websites ;-)

Level of Search Engine Optimization Not Optimal
"Less than 10% of the Fortune 100 is effectively using search engine optimization for their Web sites, according to a new study by Oneupweb."
emarkerter

Another lawsuit for Google?

2004-09-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

It really must be annoying being the best or most successful company in your industry. As soon as you start making money the vultures come out to get a piece of the pie.. just because the courts let them!

Google May Face Another Lawsuit
"A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a trademark infringement suit filed by the Government Employees Insurance Co. (GEICO) against Internet search giants Google and Overture Services can proceed."
pcworld

Report states the obvious.. we get lots of SPAM!!

2004-09-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

"A new study by IDC reports that, just as it is now, spam will continue to be a major problem in 2005, accounting for 12 billion daily e-mails, compared to person-to-person e-mails, which will account for 13 billion daily e-mails by the end of next year."
emarketer

Multiple Google ads

2004-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Adsense now allows publishers to place up to 3 ads on each page. I always thought two should be allowed but 3 might make it a little too much. Will be interesting to see how un-creative some people will be with the freedom of 3 ads.

"To provide even more value to your users, and to help you further monetise your web pages, we are allowing publishers to place up to three ad units on every web page."
Google Adsense

Instant messenger gossip..?

2004-08-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

There's talk of Google bringing out an IM (Instant Messenger).. its just gossip at the moment though. It would give GOOG a range of communication capabilities.. there's emailing with Gmail .. online community/ meeting place with Orkut.. and possibly Instant Messenging?

CyberCrime and the Feds..

2004-08-31T03:02:00.000-07:00

Interesting read about cybercrime..

"A Massachusetts businessman allegedly paid members of the computer underground to launch organized, crippling distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against three of his competitors, in what federal officials are calling the first criminal case to arise from a DDoS-for-hire scheme."
the register

Internet still evolving

2004-08-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

The Internet continues to evolve.. and needs to overcome some challenges (commercial/legal/political)..

"Thirty-five years after computer scientists at UCLA linked two bulky computers using a 15-foot gray cable, testing a new way to exchange data over networks, what would ultimately become the Internet remains a work in progress."
CNN Technology

Search Engines Rule the Web

2004-08-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hardly surprising..

Search Is Second Most Popular Online Activity
"Approximately 38 million Americans use search engines each day, making search second only to e-mail as the most popular online activity according to a new report."

and here's some stats from the report..
+ In June 2004, Americans carried out 3.9 billion searches.
+ Of those searches, 49 percent originated from work-based computers, 44 percent from home-based computers, and seven percent from university-based computers.
+ During an average search-engine session, users performed 4.4 searches.
+ Users typically scroll through 1.8 pages of search results.
+ In June 2004, the average user performed 33 searches and spent 41 minutes at search engines sites.
+ In March 2004, approximately seven percent of searches included a local modifier. Examples of local modifiers include city and state names, phone numbers, and the words "map" or "directions."
+ Approximately seven percent of searches carried out in June 2004 originated from browser toolbars.
+ According to comScore estimates, between 40 and 45 percent of searches generate sponsored results.

InternetWeek..

Domain name sanity

2004-08-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Spike Lee gets his domain name spikelee.com from a Philippines guy that was forwarding the traffic to a porn site.

Cyber crime.. what about spammers?

2004-08-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

A little action against cyber crime..
"Operation Web Snare is the largest and most successful collaborative law-enforcement operation ever conducted to prosecute online fraud, stop identity theft and prevent other computer-related crimes," Ashcroft told reporters.

Let's hope spammers are next on the hit list..
"And, they say, contrary to initial media reports, regulators did not focus on slowing ordinary spam, most of which was made illegal by the Can-Spam Act, which took effect in January."
read the rest at USAToday

Google - Playboy Interview

2004-08-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

Playboy has put up an excerpt from the now famous interview with the Google boys.

"We don't have as many managers as we should, but we would rather have too few than too many. We want a thin structure." says mr Page.

There's some more Larry Page quotes or Sergey Brin Quotes at seomonk.com
If you know of a few famous technology quotes, send them along.. hopefully a new author will be added every few days.

Spam, Spam, Spam!!!

2004-08-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

We all love it! According to a recent report, the United States sends the most SPAM with 42% of all spam originating there.
Followed by South Korea, China and Hong Kong.

If people didnt support spammers by purchasing their products, spammers would have no income, and no incentive to keep spamming! I find it hard to believe that people still buy from spammers. Even if it is 1 person in 20 million that buys something it gives the spammers the funds and the motivation to send 40 million emails!!
spam sux.

Directory Listings

2004-08-24T00:14:00.000-07:00

Slowly putting together a listing of directories at SEO Monk.
DMOZ Directory review
Probably one of the largest and most useful web directories on the Internet. It is human edited by a large group of volunteers all over the world. The listings at DMOZ are freely distributed, meaning web site owners can download DMOZ feeds and create their own directory (as long as credit to DMOZ remains). The Google directory is one of the better known users of DMOZ.
read the rest of the review

Yahoo! Directory review
Yahoo is one of the most popular web sites on the Internet so their directory has to be considered when you are trying to get your site seen. It can be quite a challenge to be listed though unless you can afford the express listing fee of $300USD (299 actually). Professional or Business listing must pay an annual fee of $300 but other noncommercial listings only pay it once (unless you're one of the chosen few that get listed FREE!)
read the rest of the review

There's also a small listing of smaller Web Directories online. Eventually there should be quite a comprehensive listing of Directories.

Blogs and Adsense

2004-08-23T23:41:00.000-07:00

Bloggers are now given the option to put adsense on their blogs. This should make a few blogs a bit more active.. There's AdSense in My Blog! Im sure there'll be few "terms and conditions" violations due to bloggers blogging about their results.. afterall, blogs are about sharing information, right?

Amazon.com pays $75 million for Joyo.com

2004-08-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

"After quite a few of negotiations, China's non-state-run Joyo.com Ltd. has finally reached a deal with Amazon.com Inc., the US E-commerce giant, which possibly meant a beginning of the foreign Internet companies' landing in china. "
read full article

Google is listed finally!

2004-08-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's here.. finally!

GOOG traded at $100 at close of trading on the NASDAQ (Quote, Chart) on Thursday, its opening day. The price is substantially lower than its initial price range of $108 to $135, but substantially higher than its IPO price of $85.
read the rest..

Sergey Brinn Quote for the day

2004-08-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Obviously everyone wants to be successful, but I want to be looked back on as being very innovative, very trusted and ethical and ultimately making a big difference in the world.
Sergey Brinn - Google Founder

A Brief History of Search Engines - webreference.com

2004-08-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Interesting stuff..
Read it here

Google IPO: Not feeling lucky

2004-08-16T05:40:00.000-07:00

So much Google gossip going on right now..

Google IPO: Not feeling lucky
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - If you didn't get a chance to register for shares of Google before it goes public, don't worry.
And if you're tempted to buy shares of the company once it finally starts trading, which will probably be next week, here's my advice. Don't. At least not for a couple of weeks.
Why such pessimism for a company whose technology everybody seems to love? Is it because Google is destined to become another theglobe.com or VA Linux, a stock that shoots up to absurd heights on its first day and never trades in that rarified air again? No.
read more..

Danny Sullivan Interview

2004-08-16T05:32:00.000-07:00

Interview with SeachEngineWatch.com mr Sullivan..

An Interview with Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Expert
"I was managing a Web marketing company back in 1995, getting people online. There were a lot of questions about how search engines operated but few real answers. So I looked into the situation and published the information I found in early 1996. That grew into Search Engine Watch."
read the interview

Good tips for a company working with an SEO

2004-08-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

Things you should consider before contacting a Search Engine Optimization Firm.

Seven Gifts Your Search Engine Marketing Company Will Love from etrafficjams

Google IPO news

2004-08-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting to see Google upsetting the rich and powerful on Wall Street.

"Why? Because the company went with a "Dutch auction" format, and that's a threat to the cozy system maintained by the investment banking establishment. If Google's IPO goes well, it'll set a bad precedent: The banks won't get an enormous cut of the fees, and they won't get shares they can "flip" for profit."

and..

"Interestingly, the negative stories reporting soft interest in the stock all appeared within a 24-hour period starting on Aug. 5. Almost all of the bad press was attributed to anonymous sources. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the sudden burst of news from multiple outlets bore all the marks of a vendetta."

read more at CNN - Googling 'Schadenfreude'

OK, one more from the article..

"We were warned by big banks that if we [went public via Dutch auction], there'd be retaliation. Most said no one would ever talk to us, or pick up coverage. They've been true to their word on that." says Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com

Kens Radio

2004-08-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Always good for hearing about what's going on in techland.. Ken's Tech Radio online.

Microsoft Blog & Internet Explorer

2004-08-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

Here's something I just learnt over at the microsoft internet explorer blog.. with Internet Explorer, when you save a web site to your favorites, you rename it something simple.. for example I have http://www.woopidoo.com named "woop" in my favorites.. and when open my browser and type "woop" into the address bar, my site comes up.
It would only work with a few sites that you use quite a bit as I'm sure it would become impossible to remember too many.
Here's some I use..
ym
gm
art
seo
gg
They have to be saved and renamed in the favorites, not in a folder in the favorites..

Yahoo's anti-spy toolbar!

2004-08-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! has added an anti-spy tool to its browser toolbar.
Yahoo Toolbar

I still think the Google toolbar is by far the best though ;-)
Google Toolbar

Two Search Giants kiss and make up

2004-08-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

The two biggest search engines kiss and make up. It's amazing what a few hundred million can do. It can bring the worst of enemies together..

Google and Yahoo! Patch Up Their Differences
As the day of its expected initial public offering approaches, search giant Google has settled two outstanding disputes with portal rival Yahoo! The settlement calls for Google to issue 2.7 million class A shares, which will be worth around $328 million if Google's stock prices at the mid-point of its expected range.
read the rest at clickz

New Meta Search Engine - IceRocket.com

2004-08-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

Another new Search Engine has been released.. there's a few cool features on it too. Worth a peek.. Ice Rocket - Meta Search Engine

Google Mania - IPO

2004-08-09T02:52:00.000-07:00

Some things to consider if youre about to purchase a piece of everyone's favorite Search Engine.

Gagging On Google's IPO
Interest in the IPO is driven by something close to mob psychology. The Dutch auction method of allocating Google's shares is intended to eliminate the wild first-day gains seen during the 1990s tech bubble. But keep in mind that the crazies are out, and Google's stock may climb as much as 40% in early trading because some people don't understand the Dutch auction and will gleefully pay for their ignorance. Selling is the only way to pocket the premium, but selling too quickly is a recipe for volatility.
read more at forbes

Yahoo Interview - part 2

2004-08-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of the WebProNews interview with a couple Yahoo! representatives.. discussing the future of search engines and Yahoo!

How Yahoo! Plans To Tackle Google
Over the next few years, Ken predicts we'll see "a solidification of the top players." Additionally, in what he calls the third phase of search, he believes there'll be clear differentiation between the resources offered by these companies. During this phase, the search experience will improve. Search engines will find new ways to improve the user relationship and understand user intent, therefore making searchers feel like they are recognized as people and not just another anonymous entity.
read it all..
or read part 1 of the interview first..

Microsoft and Security

2004-08-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

The news that a lot of people have been waiting for..

Microsoft's XP SP2 Arrives
Analysts say that customers must expect some drama when they install the service pack, which makes changes to the operating system itself.
"This is necessary. But it will be a little bit surprising if there isn't at least a minor backlash from consumers," said Stephen O'Grady, an analyst with RedMonk.
Peter O'Kelly, a Burton Group analyst, said, "Unlike other similar updates, this will break applications. Microsoft knows that and warned people, and there's nothing they can do about it. Some applications were built with the expectation that it's okay to drive around the Internet with your windows down."
read full article..

Keep Your Meta Tags in

2004-08-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Theyre probably not as important as incoming links or title tags, but every bit helps ;-)

Yahoo Looking At Meta Tags
John Glick confirmed that yes, Yahoo currently looks at meta tags to determine relevance. Separate your keywords with commas. Multiple instances of the same word - as long as it's in a phrase - are acceptible. No stuffing though folks.
rest of the article (very short)

Google and Wall Street

2004-08-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Google doing things a little differently.. and why a few fatcats dont like to do things differently on wall street.

Why Wall Street wants Google to fail
Investment bankers have a lot to be unhappy about. To start with, Google’s underwriters have been told not to expect the typical 7% commission they generally pocket for acting as the middleman between the company and the stock-buying public. Instead, the underwriters, led by Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston, will get 3%. If the offering generates $3.4 billion as expected, that means the underwriters will earn $103 million -- not bad, but still far less than the $241 million they would net with the normal commission fee.
read full article at msn money

Interview with Yahoo!

2004-08-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

The guys (one gal) from web pro news dot com scored an interview with some Yahoo! people at the latest and greatest search engines & internet stuff convention..

Exclusive Yahoo Interview
"Going forward, clearly understanding user intent is going to be very important," he revealed. "Search right now is very vanilla. You do a search and you'll get the same results as if I do a search, even though we're very different people and even though the context may be completely different. This is really an opportunity to use better understanding of user context to provide much more personalized search."
Read the rest..

Good Optimization - Bad Optimization

2004-08-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Good advice to keep away from fads.. in the end its best to be honest! ..and ignore your SEO when he/she wants to get aggressive!

Common-sense Search Engine Optimization
For years, when people thought about search engine optimization, in all likelihood, gateway pages, doorway pages or informational pages probably came to mind. If you're a search engine optimization specialist, you've probably had clients requesting that you create these types of pages for them.
http://www.webpronews.com/ebusiness/seo/wpn-4-20040804CommonsenseSearchEngineOptimization.html

Search Engines getting personal

2004-08-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Search is getting smarter everyday.. makes one wonder where they'll be in 5 years! That sounds like a hundred years away in Internet talk!

PC World
The next time you enter "Thai restaurants" in a search engine's text box, you might find more than just ten blue links. Don't be surprised to be served reviews of establishments in your vicinity, and maybe even a link to make a reservation.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,117257,00.asp