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May 25, 2008 - May 31, 2008

Google Launches Google Merchant Search

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Google Merchant Search has quietly launched as a test program to compare products and services in shopping comparison engine fashion. Google Merchant Search is a test feature, apparently in the UK, and is not available for every search. You may see it when conducting some searches but not others.

Lead gen providers like Bankrate.com in financial services, one of Google's largest customer segments, can't be too pleased with Google offering a free service that competes indirectly with theirs.

Our friends over at SearchEngineLand had the story first with "Outing Google Merchant Search" as if GMS were in the closet.

Here's the view from Google and their FAQ for Google Merchant Search.

What is Google Merchant Search?

Google Merchant Search is an easy new way for you to find products or services from providers who match your needs.

What products or services are supported through Google Merchant Search?

The service is currently only available for secured loans from financial services providers.

How do you choose which providers to show me?

Our search results are based on the criteria you provided in your request; we compare your request with our list of participating providers, and show those that are most relevant for you. Participating providers pay Google when someone requests a quote through this system.

How does Google connect me to the provider?

You submit your contact details and request a time to speak to the provider. A Google operator will call you at the appointed time, then connect you with the provider. Because we do not share your contact information with the provider, they won't be able to contact you again about your request unless you decide to give then your contact details.

How much does it cost to use Google Merchant?

This service is free for the user (the person searching for services). Please note that when calling the free phone number from a mobile phone, operator or carrier charges may apply.

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 30, 2008, 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most Irrelevant Google News Story of the Day

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We know how fascinated people are by every move that Google makes. Google experiments on a daily basis. We're glad. It gives us something to do.

Sometimes, though, we think people get carried away with reporting Google news. It's like the song "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.

So here's our contribution: the most irrelevant Google news story of the day.

Google has apparently changed its "favorite icon" or favicon from an upper-case G to a lower-case G, as shown here blown up by 300 percent.

Granted, it may be a slow news day but does this story deserve play in Search Engine Roundtable, SearchEngineLand and SearchEngineWatch? If we're wrong and this is a life-changing event for you, let us know.

"Every move you make Every step you take Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you..."

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 30, 2008, 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Google Adsense Video Units Now Available in 8 More Countries

When Google announced the addition of video units to Adsense, it only rolled out the program only to U.S. Adsense users. A month later, the program was expanded to the UK, Ireland and Canada. Now, the program includes 8 additional countries, and here they are:

France
Italy
Spain
Australia
Netherlands
Poland
New Zealand
Japan

Hat tip to Australian SEW reader David Webb, who noticed the change.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 30, 2008, 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Testing Applies to Widgets and Accessories, Not Just Landing Pages

The Google Website Optimizer blog is serving up a helpful tip on testing widgets and other site accessories.

They gave an example of a popcorn company that tested their current trust seal against an upgraded one they were being pitched. The test also included a factor where there was no seal shown to visitors.

Having no seal at all performed poorly. But there was little difference between the old trust seal and the upgraded one. The popcorn company was able to put their money to better use than having a new seal on their site.

Do you test your widgets? Have any tips? Leave your advice in the comments!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 30, 2008, 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Need Sitelinks? Show Google Your Site Is Useful

Search Engine Watch Expert - Chris Boggs Search Engine Watch Expert - Frank Watson Not all sites are blessed with Google sitelinks. Google only shows them when its algorithms determine they'd be useful. In today's SEM Crossfire column, "Need Sitelinks? Show Google Your Site Is Useful," Chris Boggs and Frank Watson share some ideas on making your site useful, and addressing your site's structure to make sure Google can see that.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 30, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Winning the Local Search Battle

Search Engine Watch Expert - Gregg Stewart Consumers are shifting from "what to buy" category searches to "where to buy" phrases. With that specificity comes a higher propensity to purchase. In today's Vertical Search column, "Winning the Local Search Battle," local search expert Gregg Stewart looks at some of the publishers who are winning the local search charge.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 30, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Maps Spotcrime.com Mashup

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No, this isn't the latest update of Google Maps Guide to Grand Theft Auto IV.

This is the real deal: Manhattan crime committed in New York, NY and depicted over a two month period from April 2008 to the end of May, 2008.

Spotcrime.com claims it's the most comprehensive online source of crime information. The site is probably right. They offer local maps, crime reports, crime classifications, and real-time interactive maps.

Soon you'll be able to find the exact location of the Manhasset High School lockdown as reported by News 12 Long Island, where two students were found at the Manhasset high school carrying firearms.

Spotcrime.com is a Google Maps mashup. Sure Google I/O and 3D apps have drawn all the media attention lately. We thought it would be worthwhile to keep our readers safe in this dangerous world.

You have your choice of crime alerts if you're interested in a particular illegal act, or if you need to brush up on definitions of illegal acts, Crimespot.com offers a handy index of crimes:

SpotCrime.com Crime Classifications

* Theft - The act in which property belonging to another is taken without that person's consent.

* Burglary - The criminal offense of breaking and entering a building illegally for the purpose of committing a crime in that building.

* Robbery - Using force or intimidation to take property away from another person in the presence of that person.

* Assault - A physical attempt or threat to use violence with the intent to do harm to another.

* Arson - The crime of intentionally setting fire to a building or property of another or the burning of one's own property to collect insurance.

* Shooting - The act of firing a weapon in order to hit, wound, or kill someone or something.

* Vandalism - The intentional destruction of or damage to the property of another.

* Arrest - The seizure of an alleged or suspected offender to answer for a crime.

Plus, you can drill down to see the details of the crime. Oh look, here's one that occurred uptown just from last week:

Shooting - 126th St and Lenox Ave, New York, NY 2008-05-26

EMS command is reporting 10 people shot in total. During this situation multiple foot pursuits, random gunfire, and a RMP MVA took place. Several large pockets of crowds are within the confines this large scene. Ems command has given a general summarization describing the victims as either yellow or green tag patients.

Of course, if you're a criminal it doesn't hurt to know what neighborhoods have been overfished by your fellow criminal element. It's all here for you at Crimespot.com, with new service available on the iPhone.

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 29, 2008, 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yahoo to File White Proxy Card with SEC

Yahoo is urging its shareholders to use the white proxy card to vote for the current board, which the company has nominated to continue serving for the coming year. Additionally, Yahoo is advising shareholders to read the proxy statement that will be filed with the SEC.

Here's the statement from the Yahoo corporate blog:

Yahoo! will be filing a definitive proxy statement and accompanying WHITE proxy card with the SEC in connection with the solicitation of proxies for its 2008 annual meeting of stockholders. Stockholders are strongly advised to read Yahoo!'s 2008 definitive proxy statement when it becomes available because it will contain important information. Stockholders will be able to obtain copies of Yahoo!'s 2008 definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by Yahoo! with the SEC in connection with its 2008 annual meeting of stockholders at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or at the Investor Relations section of Yahoo!'s website at yhoo.client.shareholder.com. Yahoo!, its directors, and certain of its officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with Yahoo!'s 2008 annual meeting of stockholders. Information concerning Yahoo!'s directors and officers is available in its preliminary proxy statement filed with the SEC on May 22, 2008.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 29, 2008, 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

AOL Joins OpenSocial

At the All Things Digital conference, AOL announced that it would be joining Google's OpenSocial. AOL recently acquired social network Bebo, which had already joined OpenSocial. First up will be the adoption of gadgets on myAOL.com.

Writing on the OpenSocial blog, AOL Principal Software Engineer Eric Staats said, "We're excited to work toward supporting Gadgets and OpenSocial across AOL's many products, platforms and services. By working with Google and other leaders in the industry to create products based on a more open, uniform standard, AOL and AOL users will be able to safely take advantage of a wide variety of new applications within our products that have been built by developers around the world.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 29, 2008, 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Obama's Online Ad Spend Favors Google, Top Source of Donations

Kate Kaye at Clickz has done some in-depth analysis of the online ad spending of Democrat Presidential Candidate Barack Obama. The Illinois Senator has spent $3.47 million this year in online advertising.

Of that, $2.8 million went to Google while Yahoo received $180,000. Smaller amounts also went to Facebook, CNN.com, Gothamist, and Politico.

Google, of course, dominates the online advertising market, so it's a smart play by anyone to spend with them. But Google just happens to be number 13 on OpenSecrets.org list of top donors. The list compiles monies donated by corporate political action committees and individuals (who must report who they work for when contributing).

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 29, 2008, 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

comScore Acquires M:Metrics

comScore has acquired mobile measurement company M:Metrics. The acquisition will include three measurement products:

MobiLens is a syndicated monthly online survey that captures overall mobile phone usage of a representative sample of more than 40,000 mobile device users.

MeterDirect is an on-device meter that passively measures the mobile Internet behavior and media consumption of more than 4,000 existing Smartphone panelists on more than 280 device models.

M:Ad is a mobile ad tracking service that continuously monitors clickable display advertising.

“With the substantial growth of 3G devices and Internet friendly handsets, we believe we are now at an inflection point in Internet usage on mobile devices,” said Dr. Magid Abraham, comScore's president and chief executive officer. “Our acquisition of M:Metrics makes comScore an immediate market leader in this space and positions comScore to deliver significant shareholder value as wireless carriers, telecom equipment providers, media companies, advertising agencies, online publishers, and marketers extend their reach into the mobile Internet world.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 29, 2008, 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ascent of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hilary: New Google Logo

Google has created a logo on its homepage to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Mt Everest, the world's highest mountain..

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Sir Edmund Hilary, a New Zealand native, died in January. His ascent of Mt. Everest, with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was the first to reach the peak.

The only problem?

The logo is only visible on the Australian and New Zealand Google homepages:

* Google.co.au

* Google.co.nz

Google celebrates special events and anniversaries by changing its logo, much as the Empire State Building changes its lighting scheme to celebrate holidays.

UPDATE: The logo appears to be showing up on Google's home pages worldwide.

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 29, 2008, 7:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

SEW Experts: Five Traits of the Ideal Link Builder

Search Engine Watch Expert - Justilien Gaspard If you've decided to expand your team, or perhaps hire your first link marketer, there are some important qualities to look for in potential hires. In today's Link Building column, "Five Traits of the Ideal Link Builder," Justilien Gaspard outlines those five traits, which can help you identify candidates that are most likely to be successful and productive members of your link marketing team.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 29, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Microsoft Search CashBack: Stealing from Google?

Search Engine Watch Expert - Erik Qualman Microsoft announced it will give cash back to people who use Live Search and subsequently click-through and make a purchase. In today's Building Brand Equity column, "Microsoft Search CashBack: Stealing from Google?," Erik Qualman notes that the Live Search CashBack program just might steal that cash (in the form of market share) back from Google.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 29, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Matt Cutts: Can You Help A Brother Get A Lap Dance?

Figured the title would get Matt's attention. Okay Matt I need some help. I have been hired by an adult entertainment site to build their presence online - get better rankings etc.

I need to build their inbound links and want to make sure I am not wasting my time and their money. So before I started I did a search for your comments on directory submissions, paid links (well everyone knows that opinion), reciprocal links, bad neighborhoods (of the IP kind - not the seedy parts of towns where my client's businesses are located) and your example site review post.

So I began to think that I may not be able to do much for them. In general adult content has a bad rap in our industry - the job no one wants to take on for fear of the association - but it is also the industry that has been 'gaming' the system for the longest and thus most neighborhoods have been marked bad.

What's a guy to do Matt?

Directory listings seem to be one way. But how do we really know which ones are still considered any good and are the adult areas of some of the bigger directories taken with a TON of salt?

Could Google set up a Monitored By Google program? Why not give a Good Search Keeping Seal of Approval? Since directories should be an important part of deeper search results, if there was a system or established list maybe the work on one end could help in other areas of the fight against spam.

I know I am going to hear: "Google does not want to classify good and bad" or some variation of that, but we are being told to use no follow - so maybe other rules and system checks could help this.

Given the basis of the Google algorithm is link based and your job is to fight back the constant spamming, some sort of system could help people.

Interestingly, as I did my searches I did find a lot of people using your name to promote themselves, the one by submit edge is particularly good. They are 2 and 3 for Matt Cutts Directory Submissions and offer to get you in to hundreds of directories for a fee. Despite their SEO efforts I am thinking they may not be a good investment.

There are millions of directories, hell I started dozens back in the day. But if you are going to push your way up the rankings you need links.

I want to do it the right way, so am reaching out to you Matt for some advice. I could do a hoax press release about some gossipy fake story - hey include a porn star and a search industry leader (Danny smart move introducing me to your wife now I can't use you) and I will get a lot of links.

I have read your advice to use common sense when looking at directories but unless I am building the ultimate "good directory list" it is an endless job and one that is still subjective.

Hell, I am sure the people below still do not share the views they once stated:

Rand may not still think:

What does suck, imo, is that Google doesn't want to recognize more legitimate sources of paid links - I'm not talking about link brokers, but about sponsored links on particular sites or in directories, etc.

The belief that a link should not be counted as a vote if someone paid for it is a very dangerous idea. Imagine the link structure of the web without the influence of paid or monetarily influenced links. It would be a very, very different environment and I wonder if Google really believes it would be a better one. It's particularly egregious since their business model is serving links to paid sponsors, but they don't want folks doing it on their blogs or sites unless they add "nofollow" and remove some of the value of that link... Seems highly hypocritical to me.

Jill Whallen:

Come to think of it, it's just not fair that Google doesn't want to count my link farm links as links. Google sucks and so does Matt Cutts.

Okay that one was a joke - don't shoot me Jill.

Time has changed what w do. Would love some insight into where directories stand now as a link building tool.

Posted by Frank Watson on May 28, 2008, 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

China Real Estate Search Engine Launches in English Before Beijing Olympics

Jipingmi.com, a real estate search engine in China, officially launched an English version of the site yesterday. English.Jipingmi.com collects real estate property listings from a variety of English property listing sources and organizes the results into a single search platform.

The sophistication of the search engine falls somewhere between Craigslist and Craigslist, with a 2-D Google Maps thrown in. Tremendous opportunity remains in the Chinese real estate market online.

Since the launch of Jipingmi.com (Mandarin for "How many square meters?" or "A few square meters") in late 2007, Jipingmi.com has become the stripped-down Zillow or Trulia of the Chinese real estate search engine market. Jipingmi.com now hopes to open the platform to international users.

Jipingmi Co-founder and VP Strategic Development, Alex Farfurnik said English.Jipingmi.com will organize the foreign real estate market in China:

"There are over 6 million foreigners living in China, and the number is constantly growing. All these people need housing solutions and often turn to the internet to look for related information. The number of websites that provide real estate listings is increasing rapidly as well. There are more and more Chinese and foreign companies aiming to target foreign clients.
"Currently the foreign real estate market in China is very fragmented and there is a growing need to organize this market. Altogether, this makes it a perfect time for Jipingmi to come in and assist the market by using its superior technology and industry knowledge to help and connect all sides: home seekers, foreign targeted companies and English websites in China." Mr. Farfurnik said.

Jipingmi Co-founder and Co-CEO, Guy Sivan said English Jipingmi.com is designed specially to suit the unique needs of the foreign real estate market in China.

"The English version of Jipingmi.com was designed with the target market in mind. Understanding that the local knowledge of many foreigners is limited, English.jipingmi.com provides several creative features to assist home seekers including map-based navigation and housing complex information for housing complexes that are most relevant to foreigners. The Interface of English.Jipingmi.com was completely redesigned and looks entirely different from the Chinese website in order to answer the unique needs of the foreigners In China." Mr. Sivan said.

English.Jipingmi.com is plans to provide special features for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, such as short-term rentals. An estimated 500,000 foreigners will stay in Beijing during the Olympics.

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 28, 2008, 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Launches Google Earth API and Browser Plug-in

In the escalating war over the planet Earth between Google and Microsoft, Google has opened up Google Earth for development.

Today at the Google I/O developers conference, Google launched the Google Earth API and browser plug-in. The Google Earth API enables web developers to Web pages into 3D map apps.

Google points to the rise of the Geoweb, a collection of user-generated content (UGCe.g. photos, videos) associated with a location.

The Google Maps API, with over 150,000 developer sites, and the Google Earth client, with over 400 million downloads, promise to help users visualize this Geoweb of content.

Key features from the Google Earth team:

• Embed Google Earth inside any web page with only a few lines of code.

• Use the JavaScript API to enable rich Earth-based web applications.

• Manipulate KML and the 3D environment: create polygons, lines, placemarks, and more.

• Convert your existing Google Maps API site to 3D with as little as one line of code.

• View the thousands of existing 3D buildings, or add your own 3D models.

• Switch to Google Sky mode for high-res imagery of stars, planets, and galaxies.

Google has yet to launch a desktop telescope to keep pace with Microsoft but opening up the API should yield some innovative applications.

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 28, 2008, 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SES San Jose: Speaker Deadlines

Search Engine Strategies San Jose is fast approaching, and as Kevin Ryan outlined earlier this month, the SES San Jose speaker deadlines are coming up:

Deadline for new session pitches: May 31, 2008.
Deadline for speaker pitches: June 15, 2008.

To submit your idea for a session, or your services as a speaker, use this online form. For more details, check out Kevin's post to the Search Engine Strategies Blog.

Remember, even past speakers will need to submit a pitch, so if you're sitting around waiting for your invitation, you'll be left out in the cold.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 28, 2008, 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yahoo Rolls Out Search Index Update

If you're seeing a shift in your Yahoo rankings, you're not alone. Yahoo has announced that it is rolling out updates to its search index.

Writing on the Yahoo Search blog, Priyank Garg and Sharad Verma said, "We'll be rolling out some changes to our crawling, indexing and ranking algorithms over the next few days, but expect the update will be completed soon. As you know, throughout this process you may see some ranking changes and page shuffling in the index."

Have you noticed a difference? The last time website owners noticed a difference in Yahoo was the middle of April. Let us know what you're seeing in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 28, 2008, 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Belgian Newspapers Want $77.5 million in Damages from Google

A Belgian newspaper group has filed a suit asking for $77.5 million in damages from Google. The group, Copiepresse, claims Google has violated copyright law by publishing their pages on Google News and caching pages from their websites.

Copiepresse first brought a suit in 2006 and The Court of First Instance in Brussels sided with the newspaper group. Google has appealed, but removed the pages from its News and main search sites.

But Google began indexing the pages on its main site again, which drove Copiepresse to bring its latest suit. Google maintains that its search products are legal.

What do you think of Copiepresse's lawsuits? Think they should just slap a robots.txt file on their site? Tell us how it is in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 28, 2008, 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Gates: Microsoft will Build World's Best Search Engine

Last year, Bill Gates announced that his focus for his remaining full-time work at Microsoft would be search. But the job is not yet done and now he's announced that search will be a projects he will be involved with post-retirement (besides his Chairmanship). Buried in the stories about Windows 7 and its multitouch abilities is a statement from the software giant's founder about his vision for the future of Microsoft's search.

"I'm very involved in search, the internal development," he told the audience at the D6 conference. "We will build the world's best search."

Do you think Gates can pull it off? Discuss in the comments.

via BBC News

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 28, 2008, 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

SEW Experts: Forget Competition, the Search Wars are Over

Search Engine Watch Expert - Kevin Ryan Advertisers love competition because (arguably) costs will be driven down. In the single search environment that already exists in many countries around the world, search advertising costs are set by one entity. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Forget Competition, the Search Wars are Over," Kevin Ryan wonders if maybe we shouldn't count the other (non-Google) search engines out just yet.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 28, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reinstalling My PC, Part 2: Secure Your PC, For Free!

Once the most popular reasons for reinstalling your operating system is that it is often the easiest way to deal with a preponderance of viruses, spyware and other collected nasties that find their way onto your computer. So when reinstalling, it make sense to secure your like-new PC as best as possible. Here are five programs that make that possible.

AntiVirus – AVG Free
The most important security measure you can take on a new computer is protecting against viruses and Trojans. That's where anti-virus software comes in. AV software, usually, runs in the background of your computer, analyzes new files received via email, downloaded or elsewhere to make sure they are safe. You can also schedule it to check your computer for viruses it may have missed, or manually check whenever you want.
For AV software to be good, it needs to stay up-to-date. For it to be tolerable to the user, it needs to run lightly in the background, and it needs to easily offer the user options to override it when it's too aggressive, as nearly all anti-virus programs have been reporting too many false positives lately. AVG's Free version accomplishes all that—and does it for free. Runner ups include NOD32, Kaspersky and BitDefender.

Anti-Spam – SpamBayes
Viruses may be the most dangerous problem possible affecting your computer, but Spam is probably the annoying. According to Akismet, nearly 90% of all email received is Spam. That comes out to 1,000 spam messages per day for an average user. While most of that Spam is trapped on your mail server, more than enough makes it through to your email reader, clogging up your folders, slowing down your email downloads and generally making finding real emails that much more annoying and tedious.

That are plenty of solutions for combating Spam, including the filters built into Microsoft Outlook, but I'm a big fan of SpamBayes. I've been using the open-source SpamBayes filter for more than five years now, ignoring newer and flashier filters. Why? Well, for one, it just works. It catches nearly all my Spam, and I get very few false positives. The way it works is also significant; like the name suggests, SpamBayes draws its power by using Bayesian algorithms to determine what is spam and what is ham. Simply stated: SpamBayes learns from you. Every time you tag a message as spam or ham, SpamBayes analyzes the email for clues as to what makes spam and what comprises ham. The more emails you tag, the smarter it gets.
SpamBayes is easily added on to Outlook, other desktop mail applications, webmail or even to your mail server. Set up is a breeze (just tag a few emails and go) and the program is light and fast.

Anti-Spyware – Ad-Aware and SpyBot
If viruses are dangerous and spam is annoying, spyware is the unholy marriage of the two; it slows down your computer, hijacks your home page and—as its name suggests—spies on you. It certainly annoys you, and can be very dangerous, either leaving your PC susceptible to viruses or stealing private data from you. Above all, it is intrusive. And it comes from some unlikely sources: companies you know, love and trust.
But you don't have to succumb to it. Anti-virus programs like AVG will prevent most spyware programs from lodging on your computer, but there is more you can do. Firstly, read the End User License Agreement (EULA) on every new software program you install. Don't just blindly click ‘Next' when installing new programs. Secondly, download the above two programs: Ad-Aware and SpyBot. Both will scan your computer for spyware, adware and malware programs, and offer you the option of removing the programs they find. The free version of Ad-Aware won't protect your PC in real-time, but you can upgrade to get that feature. SpyBot, which is freeware, includes TeaTime, which provides free real-time protection, including registry monitoring. SpyBot can even replace spyware programs with “dummy programs” so you can still run spyware-dependant programs. Between the two, you can remain completely spyware-free.

Extra Protection – Sandboxie
Even after all that protection, sometimes you need a little bit more. That's where Sandboxie comes in. Sandboxie is a remarkable (and free) program that protects your PC from everything and anything run on it—by providing a virtual “sandbox” for that program to run it. Within the sandbox, no registry changes can be made and nothing can be installed to your actual PC; nothing bad can happen.

Someone sent you a program they swear is virus-free—and AVG also thinks it's clean—but you're still unsure about? Run it in the sandbox. You teenage niece is using your computer and you don't want her messing anything up? She can browse the internet and work in Sandboxie. Son uses P2P software? No problem when it runs in Sandboxie. Don't trust Internet Explorer? Set it to always run sandboxed. All downloads need to be approved by you before they can run. Executables run without affecting anything else.
And Sandboxie manages to give you all this protection without slowing down your PC. It runs quietly and unobtrusively in the background, and gives you that extra measure of protection you need.

Posted by on May 27, 2008, 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Twitter Birds Just Can't Lift That Whale

The constant over capacity problems Twitter is experiencing - and also its millions of new users - has been creating a situation where people are slowing there use of this new social media community. Whenever the site goes down and back up it is inundated with comments about it going down which in some cases causes it to drop offline again.

There have been offers of donations and suggestions of ways to monetize. The Twitter team - tweam? - has their hands full. But lets hope this gets solved soon.

You have to love the picture though... well captures the size problems they are having right now.

Posted by Frank Watson on May 27, 2008, 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

JumpTap Expands Mobile Search and Ad Network in Europe

Cambridge, Massachussets-based JumpTap has announced the expansion of their European mobile search and advertising network. The company is adding offices in Madrid, Spain and Stockholm, Sweden as part of the expansion. JumpTap pointed to recent projections from eMarketer, which see European spending tripling over the next three years, as part of the reason for the expansion.

“We are experiencing stellar renewal rates from our advertisers in Europe which is attributed to highly successful campaign results,” commented Dan Olschwang, president and CEO of JumpTap. “We have established our superior leadership working with the mobile advertising medium across global markets, and our clients are gaining a competitive advantage derived from our expertise and lessons learned.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 27, 2008, 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Testing Landing Pages Includes Testing Best Practices

The Google Website Optimizer blog has an interesting case study about a landing page test. The test was done for a stair remodeling and new home construction business. Best practices dictate that the original page with a model of a customer service rep should have done better. But it did not.

Instead, the page performed better after removing the image and a sidebar, both of which impeded the view of a beautiful set of stairs. How much did it improve? Online conversions increased by a whopping 144% and average order size increased 18%.

What do you think about this case study? Do you test best practices? Let us know in the comments!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 27, 2008, 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Releases Study on Mobile Search Query Suggestions

Google has released the results from a study on query suggestions for mobile search. The study tested search queries for phones with a numeric keypad. Typically, a 15 character query requires approximately 30 key presses to perform, according to the study.

But when query suggestions are added to the mix, workload and key presses declined while enjoyment increased. However, the suggestions did NOT decrease the amount of time spent querying a search.

Google has already implemented query suggestions for the iPhone.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on May 27, 2008, 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google to Viacom: Don't Turn YouTube into SueTube

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Viacom President and CEO Philippe Daumann joined Kevin Johnson, President of Microsoft, onstage last Wednesday at the Microsoft advance '08 client sumnmit to discuss the Future of Search. They didn't discuss copyright infringement or Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube. Perhaps they should have.

Google, YouTube's owner, claims the $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit questioning YouTube's ability to keep copyrighted material off YouTube.com threatens the free exchange of information on the Internet.

Google's lawyers filed papers on Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in response to Viacom's lawsuit alleging that the Internet has led to "an explosion of copyright infringement" by YouTube and others.

Viacom filed its lawsuit last year, asking for damages for the unauthorized viewing of programming from MTV, Comedy Central and other networks, including such hits as "The Colbert Show" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

In papers submitted to a judge late Friday, Google claimed YouTube "goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works."

By seeking to make carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Google said Viacom "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression."

Google said YouTube was faithful to the requirements of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, saying the federal law was intended to protect companies like YouTube as long as they responded properly to content owners' claims of infringement.

On that count, Viacom says Google has failed miserably.

The Associated Press reports that in a rewritten lawsuit filed last month, Viacom said YouTube consistently allows unauthorized copies of popular television programming and movies to be posted on its Web site and viewed tens of thousands of times.

Viacom said it had identified more than 150,000 unauthorized clips of copyrighted programming — including "SpongeBob SquarePants," "South Park" and "MTV Unplugged" episodes and the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" — that had been viewed "an astounding 1.5 billion times."

The company said its count of unauthorized clips represents only a fraction of the content on YouTube that violates its copyrights.

It said Google and YouTube had done "little or nothing" to stop infringement.

"To the contrary, the availability on the YouTube site of a vast library of the copyrighted works of plaintiffs and others is the cornerstone of defendants' business plan," Viacom said.

Posted by Kevin Heisler on May 27, 2008, 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: It Pays to Link Consistently

Search Engine Watch Expert - Mark Jackson You have control over the internal links on your site, so be sure you're taking advantage of that when creating them. In today's Organic Search Engine Optimization column, "It Pays to Link Consistently," Mark Jackson takes a look at ways to improve your Web site's consistency in internal linking and the use of your domain name, which can make a big difference in your site's organic search engine rankings.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 27, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: The Big Picture -- Well Rounded SEM for SMBs, Part 1

Search Engine Watch Expert - Carrie Hill There are many different elements a small business can use to put together a well rounded online marketing campaign. In today's Small Business Search Marketing column, "The Big Picture -- Well Rounded SEM for SMBs, Part 1," Carrie Hill puts together a list of things to think about when putting your search marketing to the test.

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on May 27, 2008, 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CAPTCHA Hacks For Gmail, Blogspot, Craigslist Causing Problems

Seems the hackers have found a way to work around CAPTCHA - the once great hope of stopping bots from spamming. SEW Forum member, Sitetruth, notes that there are now programs being offered that work around the filter.

So if you notice a lot of spam coming from Gmail accounts and hacks of Blogspot you will know why. Even the spam fight over at Craigslist is getting to be a major problem according to TechDirt.

Matt Cutts' team over at Google must be working over time on this one. I have been noticing bounces off my Gmail account in my spam folder - hey this has always been a problem, but if bots are out there creating millions of "soon to be spamming" accounts - then Gmail may start getting blacklisted by various email filters.

Hackers have always been part of the internet landscape. Gaming systems is almost part of the lore of the web - at least in the regular media. No doubt many of the 'Black Hats' grew up with a steady diet of movies where the hacker is the hero's sidekick. Virtually all the people I know begrudgingly admit the skills used to hack systems is impressive... but most also see them living in their parents' basements.

Hey guys the weather is gorgeous today. Step away from the computers and go outside. Life in the light feels good and it is a lot of fun interacting with flesh.

Leave Craigslist alone. It is such a globally shared egalitarian resource - that it should be an "all hat colors free zone".

Matt if you need any input or help from this community just let us know.

Posted by Frank Watson on May 26, 2008, 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Is Yahoo Gouging For Domain Registrations?

A thread over at WebmasterWorld has reported that Yahoo will be increasing its charges for domain registration as of July 1, 2008 to $34.95. Now I have not heard that the major domain registries have increased prices so is this another way Yahoo thinks it can help increase revenue?

Most companies charge about a third of the new price so it looks like Yahoo will be losing a lot of that business. Guess the ones left will pay extra and Yahoo can cut back on staff.

This is not a smart move given all that is happening right now. Almost looks like they don't want to do it any more and figure to just boost the prices to a level where everyone leaves.

The price seems to include a starter hosting package. Curious would this have a spill over effect on visitor counts to Yahoo? Does it force sites to include Yahoo links or advertising?

I know gas prices are increasing a lot of goods and services but there is no gas needed to do this service.

Yahoo may want to reconsider this move. Sounds like desperate measures.

Posted by Frank Watson on May 26, 2008, 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

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