January 4, 2009 - January 10, 2009

January 9, 2009

Is Yahoo on the Verge of Naming Yang's Replacement?

The Wall Street Journal today is reporting that a new Yahoo! CEO could be named as early as next week. Lately, the buzz has surrounded Autodesk executive chairman Carol Bartz.

Bartz previously was CEO of Autodesk from 1992 to 2006. She has also been an executive at Sun Microsystems.

She serves on the board of Cisco with current Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang and on the Intel board with current Yahoo! President Susan Decker.

Last November, Jerry Yang announced that he would be stepping down from his role as CEO. He will remain at the Sunnyvale search engine as Chief Yahoo!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ogilvy Public Relations Launches Social Media RSS Dashboard

Ogilvy Public Relations has launched The Daily Influence, something they call a social media RSS dashboard. Built on Netvibes, an RSS aggregator (aka newsreader), the site comes standards with pre-selected feeds from popular social media and technology sites.

If you click on different tabs near the top, you'll find different niches.

Hey, Ogilvy - why not add Search Engine Watch to your advertising page? Just sayin'

Anyway, you can sign up and customize the feeds you want to see. If you already have a Netvibes account, you can use it to sign in.

This is probably best for Social Media newbies who just don't know what blogs to follow. Or if you're new to RSS and newsreaders, this might be a good place to start.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yelp User Being Sued for Negative Review

A new lawsuit brought by a San Francisco chiropractor Steven Biegel is raising a very good question about online reviews. The chiropractor was none too pleased to find a negative review about his practice on Yelp.

The review was written Christopher Norberg, who has a conflict with the chiropractor over a billing issue. His review said that Biegel was dishonest.

Biegel's attorney is calling it libel, thus the lawsuit. Today, the two sides are undergoing court-ordered mediation. If it's not resolved, the suit will go to court March 2.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Web Analytics Association Releases 2009 Outlook Survey Data

The Web Analytics Association has released data from a survey conducted about analytics proffesionals' plans for the coming year. Here's what they found:

Over 40 percent of respondents see funding as the biggest challenge in 2009, the investment outlook is positive
Over 96 percent of respondents indicated that they plan to increase or maintain current spending on web analytics in 2009. According to the survey, the budget increases will primarily be used to boost web analytics training.
Roughly 81 percent of respondents plan to invest in consulting and staffing to help make the most out of their existing analytics tools and take action on the data they provide to improve web site performance and boost ROI from online marketing campaigns.
Over 41 percent indicated they will be investing in add-on tools such as behavioral targeting and paid search.
Over 65 percent of respondents revealed a demand to have business decisions driven by analytics, a top web analytics initiative in 2009

What do you think of the results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Related Reading:
Web Analytics Association Asks for Public Comment on New Standard Definitions
Web Analytics Association Adds Yahoo's Mortenson to Board of Directors
New Board of Directors for the Web Analytics Association

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: We're All Convertibles, And It's Time to Take the Top Down!

Search Engine Watch Expert - Frank Watson Search Engine Watch Expert - Chris Boggs Many of us are still looking at the Web through a narrow perspective of search. If we think in terms of what search is -- not as it exists online, but what motivates it, how it can be answered, and what happens when it truly is delivered -- there may be an answer on where the industry is headed and how to be successful in it. In today's SEM Crossfire column, "We're All Convertibles, And It's Time to Take the Top Down!," Frank Watson and Chris Boggs discuss the future of search marketing accountability.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Search Engine Watch Expert - Gregg Stewart Over the past year, I've been in numerous meetings with advertisers, agencies, and online media vendors, and I'm often amazed at the confusion surrounding how local search campaign analytics are reported, and sometimes twisted, to create a desired story. In today's local & mobile search column, "Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics," local search expert Gregg Stewart lays out the basics you need to know to implement useful Web analytics for your local search campaigns.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: PPC Landing Pages: Surprising Examples

Search Engine Watch Expert - David Szetela It's time to kick off the New Year by looking at examples of good and bad combinations of PPC ads and their landing pages. In today's Profitable PPC column, "PPC Landing Pages: Surprising Examples," David Szetela looks at some real-world examples to see what they're doing right, and what they're doing wrong.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 8, 2009

Yahoo Gets Into the TV Business (Kinda), While TiVo Gets Into Search (Sorta)

The news coming out of this year's CES is turning out to be a showcase for the way things are changing for the internet, which in turns affect how people use search (for both searching and marketing).

First, Microsoft had its major Live Search announcements. Then, we saw a device with Android to compete with the iPod Touch.

But another major topic is the merging of TV with the Internet. This isn't anything new, it's just getting cooler. You or your grandma may have used Web TV before. Remember those good ol' days? But it's online video sites like YouTube and now Hulu which are really driving the convergence.

Electronics companies such as LG and Samsung are debuting new televisions that are Internet connected. Yahoo is taking advantage of the opportunity.

Yahoo has developed a Widget Channel for these new devices. The channel is powered by their Widget Engine. Developers can create widgets to enhance a viewer's TV watching experience.

Here's what a Yahoo! weather widget looks like:

eBay, CBS and MySpace have widgets on the channel, with more expected soon from Netflix, Twitter, the New York Times and more.

“Yahoo! has combined key attributes of the Internet, including openness, community, and personalization, with the power of television,” said Patrick Barry, vice president, Connected TV, Yahoo!. “By creating this revolutionary new Internet experience, and combining our technology with the global distribution of major consumer electronics partners, we enable consumers to access the relevant information and content to enhance their television watching experience.”

Last but not least, TiVo has updated the search on their digital video recording service.

"What Google did for the Internet, TiVo is now doing for the TV, bringing people a combination of excellent search results and innovative discovery that can't be found anywhere else," said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo. "TiVo has always been known as the best way to watch what you want, when you want it. Now we're taking that to a new level, using TiVo technology to find just the right program from hundreds of channels and thousands of broadband options, all in seconds. It is clear TiVo is leading the way in providing more choice, and also leading the way in finding content quickly. TiVo Search is a new way to find what you've been missing."

With the marriage of TV and the internet, TiVo could rise as a player in search.

What do you, dear reader, think about these new developments? Share your thoughts on the convergence of TV and the internet in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Web Application Delays of 5 Seconds or More Significantly Affect Business Performance

If you have web applications as part of a linking strategy or other online marketing strategy, be sure you don't have delays of 5 seconds or more. That's the moment when business performance really starts being affected, according to new data released by Aberdeen Group.

For every second after the 5 second mark:

Page views decline by 11%
Conversations decline by 7%
Overall customer satisfaction decreases by 16%.

"As the importance of managing performance of Web applications is increasing, some of the power that traditionally was reserved for technology vendors is shifting to the end-user side," states Bojan Simic, research analyst, Aberdeen. "Going forward, market leaders in this space will be defined not by features and functionalities of technology solutions, but by the willingness to understand end-users' expectations, usage patterns and needs for new types of Web content."

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GiiNii's Movit Mini is like the iPod Touch for Android

Last week, we talked about the idea of putting Google's mobile operating system Android on a netbook. This week at the Consumers Electronic Show (CES), a device akin to the iPod Touch is also running Android.

The GiiNii Movit Mini is basically a small tablet running Android. It's Wifi-enabled, has a touch screen and of course, can play music. The screen is 4.3 inches with a resolution of 480 x 272. It only comes with 256mb of storage, but a microSD slot allows users to add memory cards.

Engadget got to play with the device at the trade show and when they asked about pricing, they got a very vague answer about the device costing less than an iPod Touch.

With less internal storage, lack of multi-touch and a not-so-sexy design, pricing it below the iPod Touch will be a necessity!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Going to Search Engine Strategies? In a New York Minute!

Are you going to Search Engine Strategies New York, which will be held March 23-26, 2009? Of course you are. It takes less than a New York minute to make that decision.

SES%20New%20York%202008.jpg SES New York is a not-to-be-missed event in the search industry. I've been attending each and every year since 2004. And I attended SES Boston in 2002 and 2003, before the spring conference and expo was moved to the Big Apple.

Why do I keep coming back year after year? Because search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are not static fields. You can't learn the industry best practices in a week and then continue applying them without getting an annual update.

Let me share a recent conversation I had with an unnamed organization. (All I can say is that it's big, which is why it wouldn't want its name dropped in a blog post.)

This organization's website was built seven years ago. And it was “optimized” back in 2002. But nobody inside the organization could understand why the website didn't have high rankings anymore.

I diplomatically observed that the website had been optimized back when AltaVista was the leading search engine. Who knows, maybe it still ranks well in AltaVista – but that doesn't matter anymore.

And one of the industry best practices back in 2002 was changing the Meta keywords tags. Hey, I still remember those days like…they were yesterday.

So, I had to explain politely that no one in the organization had made a mistake in the spring of 2002. It's just that AltaVista dropped its support for the Meta keywords tag in July 2002, prompting Traffick.com's Andrew Goodman to declare “the end of the metatag era, full stop."

Oh, and during 2002, Google charged past AltaVista to become the leading search engine. And Google never supported the Meta keywords tag.

In other words, things change in the search industry.

A couple of years back, I tried to get a handle on the pace of change and discovered that about half of what I had learned the previous year was obsolete. That's why I had to go back to SES New York each year to discover which half.

And then the pace of change increased. Today, I estimate that about two-thirds of what I learned last year is now obsolete.

Hey, anyone still optimizing the video on their website for Google Video and Yahoo! Video?

Well, according to comScore Video Metrix, YouTube.com accounts for more than 98% of all videos viewed at Google Sites. (This means Google Video accounts for less than 2%.)

As for Yahoo! Video, while it began as an internet-wide video search engine, it added the ability to upload and share video clips in June 2006. And Yahoo! Video launched a re-designed site in February 2008 that changed the focus to Yahoo-hosted video only.

Meanwhile, comScore just reported that 97 million viewers watched 5.1 billion videos on YouTube.com during November 2008, ranking it as the top U.S. video property. MySpace.com ranked second, with 52.5 million viewers watching 371 million videos that month. Neither are video search engines.

And this is just one example of the kind of changes that can fly past you like a stealth jet under the radar.

This is what makes SES New York 2009 a not-to-be-missed event in the search industry. Even if you've attended in the past, you can't afford to miss the latest twists and turns in this ever-changing business.

So, you know you're going to Search Engine Strategies New York. It's a no brainer.

Then, here's a tip: Register by Friday, Jan.9, 2009, and you'll save up to $700 with the Early Bird Rate. That's tomorrow! Just do it.

Now that I've done you a favor, maybe you can do me a favor.

At SES New York 2009, we plan to do some more “Escalator Pitches” like the ones we did last year. An Escalator Pitch is like an elevator pitch – except the escalators at the Hilton New York move much faster than the elevators. Check out the YouTube videos below to see what I'm talking about.

Escalator Pitches at SES NY 2008

So, if you've got a story to tell that can be told in the time it takes to get from the bottom to the top of the escalator (or the other way around), just let me know. You can email me at Greg (dot) Jarboe (at) SEO-PR (dot) com.

Get it? Got it? Good!

Posted by Greg Jarboe on 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Street View Aids Cops in Finding Missing Child

We often hear about the bad stuff about Google's Street View on its mapping product. People are concerned about privacy and some have been photographed in a less than flattering light. Google's street view vehicles have also been banned from U.S. military bases.

But today Street View is getting some good press by way of a happy ending to a missing child case.

Nine year old Natalie Matlais was picked up from her legal guardian's house by her biological grandmother last Saturday. Some comments made by the grandmother alarmed her guardians and they notified police.

Cooperating with a cell phone company, they were able to track GPS coordinates. One smart officer plugged in the coordinates to Google Maps, and found a hotel near the given coordinates using Street View.

It was their best bet, and their hunch turned out to be right. You can read the entire story at the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

Related Reading:
Street View and Walking Directions Added to Google Maps for Mobile
Google Releases Updates to Google Earth; Includes Street View

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Three Major Announcements from Microsoft Regarding Live Search

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and President, Entertainment & Devices Division Robbie Bach took to the stage at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to make three major announcements about Live Search.

They are:

Dell: Beginning February 1, Dell will offer Live Search on the majority of its consumer and small business PCs in 23 countries around the world. Live Search will be the default search engine in the browser, and Dell will also include a Live Search-powered toolbar and Windows Live Essentials on new PCs. Last year, Microsoft struck a deal with HP to ship the Live Search toolbar on 2009 PCs.
Verizon Wireless: Verizon Wireless has selected Microsoft to provide portal, local and Internet search as well as mobile advertising services to customers on its devices beginning the first half of 2009. Microsoft beat out Google, who was also courting Verizon.
Live Search for Mobile: Microsoft is releasing an update to the Live Search for Mobile client for Windows Mobile phones. The update will include several new features, including Query Autosuggest, Bird's Eye View imagery, and LocateMe, which helps people automatically know their approximate location, even without GPS.

What do you think about these announcements? Let us know in the comments.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Microsoft Could Win Mobile Search With Verizon Deal

While Google may own the web search market, Microsoft's announced deal with Verizon could put them at the top of the mobile search space. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the partnership at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas yesterday.

With the purchase of Alltell expected to be completed soon, Verizon would have the largest market share of the mobile space in the United States.

"Under a five-year agreement, Microsoft Live Search will become the default search service on cellphones and smartphones running on the Verizon Wireless network. Verizon's customers will still be able to access other search services through their mobile Web browsers," the New York Times reported.

Though they can access other engines, just like the browser installed on a computer, most would likely use the default. Given the growing use of mobile devices in place of computer use this could be a major play by Microsoft in what could become the future of search.

Posted by Frank Watson on 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Don't Overlook These Link Building Opportunities

Search Engine Watch Expert - Justilien Gaspard With each passing year, link development becomes increasingly difficult. Yet we sometimes tend to overlook good link opportunities that are right under our noses. In today's online promotion & linkbuilding column, "Don't Overlook These Link Building Opportunities," Justilien Gaspard outlines a few types of links that may not seem worthwhile, but could turn out to be a useful link.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

January 7, 2009

Two New Free SEO Tools Released by Bruce Clay

The folks over Bruce Clay have released two new SEO tools and the best part is that they're free.

The first one is called the Search Engine Optimization/KSP tool. It helps you know how competitive the keyword term or phrase is that you wish to optimize for. Just type in the keywords and the results appear in a chart below. Here's a screenshot of how it works.

The second tool is the SEMToolBar. It's only available for Internet Explorer. Use the search box with the toolbar to conduct a search for the keyword or phrase you're interested in. Once the regular results load, wait a few moments as the toolbar performs its magic. Underneath the results, you'll see a variety of competitive intelligence data including page rank and inbound links.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Facebook Reaches 150 Million Users Worldwide

Facebook is starting off the new year with a bang. Today, the social network announced that it has reached the 150 million user mark. Members speak in 35 different languages and represent 170 countries and territories.

But how many of those users are active? Facebook says half of them use the social network every day. That's remarkable.

Writing on the Facebook blog, founder Mark Zuckerberg said, "The full potential of the web is to make the world more open, so everyone has a voice and can share what is important to them. With 150 million voices and counting, we can't wait for the rest of 2009, and we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most."

This should make Microsoft happy as well. Last year, they struck a deal to become the search engine for Facebook.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Google Maps for Mobile Updates Servers for Easier Local Business Search

If you've ever typed in the name of a business into Google Maps for Mobile, you may have been a bit frustrated. Google would return results of street names that contained the search term you typed in instead of finding the business itself.

That all changes today. With a new update to their servers, Google Maps for Mobile is smarter. Type in Starbucks and find a local Starbucks store.

If you're using a smartphone such as a BlackBerry, Nokia S60, T-Mobile G1, or iPhone, you do NOT need to download anything new to see the change.

If you don't have Google Maps for Mobile downloaded on your phone but would like it, click here. Warning: it won't be available for all devices.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Paid Search Spend up 12% in Q4 2008

Paid search spending was up 12% in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same quarter in 2007, according to SearchIgnite.

We've been hearing that advertising dollars were being shifted online, with the strategy accelerated by the rough economy. But is that trend slowing?

SearchIgnite says October's spend was up by 15% and November was up by 43% year-over-year. But December's spend dropped 14% from the previous year.

It could be a reaction to consumer behavior. Conversion rates increased by 11% in October, but dropped 2% in November. They went back up in December but just by a 4% increase.

Still, Roger Barnette, President of SearchIgnite, suggests that in all the confusion there is opportunity for the technologically innovative.

“Retailers were more aggressive with their paid search spend in the first half of the quarter compared with the year earlier in an effort to capture more consumer dollars ahead of the holidays.” said Barnette. “This is evidence that the challenging and changing economic environment is requiring retail marketers to adjust their online marketing strategies accordingly. As such, tools for testing and understanding how both search and other online media are performing together will become increasingly important for retailers as they look to make more nimble, data-driven decisions about where to allocate their media spend.”

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Writing Sales Copy for Conversions

Search Engine Watch Expert - Tim Ash One of the most common components you can test is sales copy. In today's By the Numbers column, "Writing Sales Copy for Conversions," Tim Ash explains that changing your approach to writing can often lead to a double-digit increase in conversion rates.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SEW Experts: Forget Tibet; Free the Content

Search Engine Watch Expert - Kevin Ryan In China, search engines are responsible for the content to which they provide links. This means anytime the Chinese government decides that a certain type of content isn't worthy of its people, they can tell search engines not to list them. In today's Searching for Meaning column, "Forget Tibet; Free the Content," Kevin Ryan discusses the Chinese government's ongoing efforts to censor the Internet.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 6, 2009

hakia Updates Search Box

hakia has updated their Search Box, which is a site search feature you can place on your website. The biggest change is the ability to search multiple domains. Here's a mockup, via the hakia blog:

Another update is the highlighting of the semantic relevant words in the results:

Search box is available for free, up to 30,000 searches per day.

Related Reading:
hakia Launches Personalized Search Feature
Meet the New hakia
hakia Calls for Librarians to Contribute Credible Web Sources

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Judge Rejects Universal Music's Arguments in Another Veoh Copyright Case

You might remember that online video site Veoh recently had a copyright lawsuit thrown out by a judge. That lawsuit was brought by adult entertainment company IO Group.

But Veoh has other lawsuits it's facing, one of them brought by Universal Music Group. Techdirt reports that one of the main arguments being made by Universal was that Veoh didn't have DMCA safe harbor protection because it changed the format of the video and made smaller chunks than the original.

The judge in the case has now said Universal's argument doesn't fly. The lawsuit isn't over yet, but it's another good sign for Veoh and online video in general.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Online Video Views for November 2008 Up 34% Year Over Year

comScore has released the stats for online video viewing in the United States for November 2008. Overall, the number of videos viewed was up 34% from November 2007.

YouTube-fueled Google sites saw almost the same number of visitors as they did in October, which saw 100 million unique visitors. This time, it was 98 million.

Other interesting tidbits:

77 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video.
The average online video viewer watched 273 minutes of video.
97 million viewers watched 5.1 billion videos on YouTube.com (52.3 videos per viewer).
52.5 million viewers watched 371 million videos on MySpace.com (7.1 videos per viewer).
The duration of the average online video was 3.1 minutes.
The duration of the average online video viewed at Hulu was 11.9 minutes, higher than any other video property in the top ten.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yahoo Gives Itself Permission to Change Your Search Marketing Campaigns

If you conduct search advertising through Yahoo, you just got a brand spanking new addition to your search marketing team: Yahoo.

Through an update to their terms and conditions, Yahoo gives itself permission to hijack your search marketing campaigns. Check out the new language:

Sponsored Search 3. OPTIMIZATION. In the U.S. only, for those advertisers not bound by an Insertion Order, we may help you optimize your account(s). Accordingly, you expressly agree that we may also: (i) create ads, (ii) add and/or remove keywords, and/or (iii) optimize your account(s). We will notify you via email of such changes made to your account(s), and can also include a spreadsheet of such changes upon your written request. If you would like any of such changes reversed, please reply to such email within 14 days of the change(s), and we will make commercially reasonable efforts to reverse the change(s) you specifically identify. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you remain responsible for all changes made to your account(s), including all click charges incurred prior to any reversions being made. It is your responsibility to monitor your account(s) and to ensure that your account settings are consistent with your business objectives.

Actually, Yahoo began invading its customers' personal space about a month ago. Al Scillitani was alarmed when he got an email from Yahoo saying they had made changes to his account - after the fact.

Now, it's just official.

This is kind of like a fast food restaurant going into your burger after you've take a bite and removing or adding pickles, ketchup and cheese. Or your cable company going into your DVR and choosing which programs to record.

Have you received the new Terms and Conditions? Has Yahoo made changes to your account? Let us know in the comments!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

SEW Experts: There's No Shortcut to Good SEO...Or Is There?

Search Engine Watch Expert - Mark Jackson If search engines want all SEOs to operate in an ethical manner, they should show us that they're penalizing the Web sites that abuse their guidelines, and reward those who follow their guidelines. In today's organic search engine optimization column, "There's No Shortcut to Good SEO...Or Is There?," Mark Jackson explains that anything less makes it hard to justify following the rules.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SEW Experts: E-mail Marketing Tips for Small Business

Search Engine Watch Expert - Carrie Hill Any well-rounded Internet marketing campaign must include a strong e-mail marketing campaign. In today's small business search engine marketing column, "E-mail Marketing Tips for Small Business," Carrie Hill shows how search plays a role when you use PPC or organic search to grow your subscriber list.

» Full story

Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 5, 2009

Track Google Rankings With Google Analytics

Guest blogger for Yoast Andre Scholten has come up with what I think is the best filter ever created for Google Analytics. He has given us a way to track keyword rankings!

The filter is so good it even has options of how deep to go, a choice between word rank by number or page number. Click now - rush to this one - everyone has to read this.

Bravo mate - this goes down as the Best Damn Google Analytics Filter Ever. Mr De Valk - a truly great guest find.

UPDATE: Was linking to wrong page but corrected.

Posted by Frank Watson on 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Call Secret Service Someone Hacked Obama's Twitter Account

Hackers usually are smart, but can be really, really stupid. The person who hacked Twitter - not the Direct Message phishing expedition that started over the weekend - could have picked pretty much anyone else on the planet and be less concerned of being tracked down.

This person hacked President-elect Obama's Twitter account! There has to be Secret Service people - like the Diane Laine character in Untraceable - crawling through the internet tracking him/her down. That is if the person has not been quietly killed already (for my conspiracy theorist readers).

Barack's account was one of 33 hacked, according to the Twitter blog.

"This morning we discovered 33 Twitter accounts had been "hacked" including prominent Twitter-ers like Rick Sanchez and Barack Obama (who has not been Twittering since becoming the president elect due to transition issues). We immediately locked down the accounts and investigated the issue. Rick, Barack, and others are now back in control of their accounts," the site stated.

If the Secret Service kill the person during the arrest, I have a nomination for the Darwin Awards.

Posted by Frank Watson on 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 5 Web Resources You Need to Find a Job in Search

It's a New Year, but we've got that same old economy from 2008. If you find yourself looking for a job in search, these five resources should be the foundation of your efforts:

Indeed.com - Culls results from a variety of jobs sites as well as job listings from company web sites. Searching here keeps you from having to go individually to a variety of sites. You can pull an RSS feed of your job search into your news reader, making your search process even faster. You'll find results from:
- SEMPO
- Monster
- HotJobs (owned by Yahoo)
- CareerBuilder
- Dice
- TalentZoo
Twitter Let your followers know you're looking for a job. I once did and had three leads in 24 hours. I got offers from all three. The Twitter community is generally a very compassionate bunch, raising money for good causes. Helping people find jobs is something I think we'll see a lot of in 2009 - 2010.
LinkedIn Not only does LinkedIn have its own job listings, but here you can many times find the people who are doing the hiring or at least work in Human Resources at the company you're interested in. Use your network to get introduced and create connections.
Craig's List Answering an ad for a Search Marketing Copywriter on Craig's List is how I got my start in search. Well, that and the great Marketing Don taking a chance on me.
Search Engine Watch Board - Rounding out the list is a completely shameless plug for our very own jobs board.

What resources do YOU recommend? Leave a comment and let us know!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Google, Microsoft Higher Ups Dish Out the Dough for Obama Inauguration

Execs from Google and Microsoft are ponying up big time for President-elect Barack Obama's big day. On January 20, the former junior Senator from Illinois will become the 44th President of the United States.

Who from search is giving big for the shindig?

From Google:

Eric Schmidt (CEO) $25,000.00
Larry Page (Co-founder) $25,000.00
Marissa Mayer (Vice President, Search Products & User Experience) $25,000.00
Richard Costolo (former Feedburner CEO) $25,000.00
Chad Hurley (YouTube co-founder) $25,000.00
David Drummond (Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer) $25,000.00

From Microsoft:

Steven Ballmer (CEO) $50,000.00
Bradford Smith (Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Legal & Corporate Affairs) $25,000.00
Craig Mundie (Chief Research and Strategy Officer) $25,000.00
Steven VanRoekel (Senior Director, Windows Server Solutions Group, Microsoft) $50,000.00

So far from Yahoo, one lone donation, from an attorney:

Laura Covington $10,000.00

For a full list of donors, click here.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

China to Crack Down on Search Engines

Bloomberg is reporting that China plans to crack down on search engines, among other sites they deem harmful. This certainly wouldn't be the first time.

The reason this time is concerns over pornography. Of course, search engines don't host pornography on their sites, they simply provide links to searchers. If China feels it has a pornography problem, the origination of that problem begins with the searcher, not the engine.

Web sites and search engines that ignore their new found regulations will face penalties and possible closure.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

UPDATE: Steve Jobs Weight Loss Due to Hormonal Imbalance

UPDATE: Link to Steve Jobs Letter at Apple Site

Last week, Frank Watson reported to you that Steve Jobs health was in question. If you read a bunch of tech blogs, you've seen the rumors. Jobs once had cancer, and bloggers, journalists and Wall Street analysts have been wondering if it had returned because Jobs had lost a lot of weight.

The good news is that the cancer is not back. According to Fox Business (which I have on in the background, sorry no link yet, but check out the screen shot below) Steve Jobs has released a letter to shareholders acknowledging the weight loss and explaining that the doctors have finally determined that it is a hormonal imbalance. He is being treated and expects to gain the weight back.

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Phishing Scam Hits Twitter; Will it Become the Next MySpace?

This morning, I received a direct message from one of my Twitter friends. It was a very strange message. Check it out:

I clicked on the link, which lead to this:

I checked the Tweet stream of the friend who sent me the direct message. She said she had been fooled into following a phishing scam.

She wasn't the only one. Originally, the blogspot page directed people to another site which looked like the Twitter homepage. They signed in, giving away their user name and password. Of course, this helps spread the phishing scam via direct messages.

What really happened is that a mockup of the Twitter homepage was hanging out at a very bad URL. The good folks at Twitter captured this screenshot of the site:

These phishing scams hit MySpace pretty hard once it got popular. Now, it looks like we have to watch out for them on Twitter.

Phishing schemes kind of took the shine off the once popular MySpace. Looking back, I think it's one of the reasons I stopped hanging out on the social network. I saw so many messages that weren't from my friends even though it looked as though they were. I haven't noticed the same on LinkedIn or Facebook yet.

If phishing hits Twitter consistently, then it might just be their demise.

What do you think? Did you get an unusual direct message? Think phishing could ruin Twitter? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

Posted by Nathania Johnson on 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Building a Business Case for Going to SES London 2009

With six weeks to go before SES London 2009, it's time to build a business case for going to the definitive event for UK and European marketers, corporate decision makers, webmasters and search engine marketing (SEM) specialists, including pay per click (PPC) advertisers and search engine optimization (SEO) consultants.

SES%20London%202008%20busy%20bees.jpg Yes, yes, I know there's a recession on both sides of the pond. I read The Economist. (I loved the article in the print edition on December 30, 2008, which reminded us that Alfred Kahn, one of President Jimmy Carter's economic advisers, was chided in 1978 for using the “R” word. So, Mr Kahn, in his next speech, replaced the offending word, saying, “We're in danger of having the worst banana in 45 years.”)

So, how do you make the business case that you need to go to an SEM conference during the worst banana since 1978?

I would argue that it is penny wise and pound foolish to miss SES London 2009 just because we're in a recession. In fact, it's probably more important to go now than ever before.

So, what makes Search Engine Strategies London a not-to-be-missed industry event? And what makes it particularly important for people who have attended in the past to make a return visit this year?

First, SES London 2009 is the place where the search industry gathers to chart the year ahead. The pace of change in this industry hasn't slowed down. This search industry keeps reinventing itself at an amazing pace and last year's cutting-edge program already is dated in some areas. You can't afford to be left behind.

Second, it's where you can learn how to calculate the ROI of your search marketing efforts from top search experts. Now, I'm just one of the 48 conference speakers who will be making presentations at SES London 2009. And I plan to share some case studies of how optimized press releases generated:
• $200 million in B2B leads for Symmetricom's chip-scale atomic clocks,
• More than $2.5 million in ticket sales for Southwest Airlines, and
• Almost 1.3 million searches for “florists” on SuperPages.com.

I'll also explain how combining blog outreach with press release optimization generated:
• A record 450,000 unique visitors to The Christian Science Monitor in 24 hours,
• A record 88,000 entries into Parents magazine's cover kid photo contest, and
• A record 1,100 attendees to the Wharton Economic Summit.

Now, I think I'm supposed to say, “Past performance is no indicator of future success.” And I should disclose that SES became a client about 14 months ago.

But check out the list of speakers who will be presenting at SES London 2009. I know most of them. I've heard many of them speak at previous Search Engine Strategies conferences. And I know they have similar success stories to tell.

If you want to hear more than 200 of their success stories from 2008, just go to SESConferenceExpo's Channel on YouTube. Or watch the three SES London 2008 Roundup Reels below.

So, can your organization really afford to skip SES London 2009 just because there's a recession? Missing a not-to-be-missed industry event would be penny wise and pound foolish. Skipping the event because you went last year would be “bananas.”

Now, you could simply cut your print magazine, print newspaper and other offline advertising budgets. But that isn't going to grow your business online and it isn't going to help you weather the storm any better than your competitors.

The only way you can do this is by learning the SEM strategies, PPC tactics and SEO tips that generate a measurable marketing ROI. And then you need to keep learning what's coming next in the constantly evolving world of search, and how you can profit from those changes.

And where can you do that? You already know where I'm headed. You can learn all this by going to SES London 2009.

Posted by Greg Jarboe on 3:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Search Shifts and Predictions for 2009

Search Engine Watch Expert - William Flaiz Time to ring in the New Year with a few search marketing predictions for 2009. In today's SEM agency issues column, "Search Shifts and Predictions for 2009," William Flaiz predicts what another year will hold for Google, the Web and SEO.

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Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SEW Experts: Search Ad Quality Score 101, Part 1

Search Engine Watch Expert - Ron Jones It's been about two years since Google and Yahoo implemented their quality score algorithms. Instead of giving the top ad spot to the highest bidder, search engines now take the perceived quality of the ad's landing page into account. In today's SEM 101 column, "Search Ad Quality Score 101, Part 1," Ron Jones takes a closer look at what affects the quality score.

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Posted by Kevin Newcomb on 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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