October 20, 2009
New Delicious Registrations Require Yahoo! ID; Twitter OAuth Support Added
New registrations to Delicious will now require a Yahoo! ID. The move comes several years after Yahoo! acquired the social bookmarking site.
For now, existing Delicious members can use their current login process. In the future, those accounts will be merged with Yahoo! ID accounts.
Delicious also has added Twitter OAuth support. Go to your Delicious settings page and authorize Twitter. This will prevent constant sign-ins in order to Tweet a Delicious bookmark.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Is Google the Black Hole of Protected Tweets? No, Not So Much
The L.A. Times printed a sensational expose on how Google had a deal with Twitter to index and make publicly searchable protected tweets. Twitter allows users to keep their tweets private, seen just by their followers. But the Times asserted that Google had special access and that the Tweets were viewable to the public via search.
TechCrunch quickly picked up on the probability that the Tweets were searchable were likely public ones that were published before users went private with their Twitter feeds.
Then, the LA Times published an update with official comment from Twitter saying they do not have a deal with Google for access to private Tweets.
So, that happened.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
AOL's Cahall Appointed to New Virginia Tech Board
The state of Viriginia has created a new technology board called the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority (IEIA). The thirteen-member board will consist of 12 citizen members and the state's Secretary of Technology. Of the 12 citizen members, three will be presidents of state higher-education institutions, three each appointed by the governor, state senate and state house. AOL's Chief Technology Officer, Ted Cahall, has received one of the three state senate appointments.
"The IEIA is an important new organization that will help enhance Virginia's role as a world technology leader, and I'm honored to have been selected to be a part of this effort," said Cahall. "I look forward to working with the distinguished group of politicians and citizens on the IEIA to support technology and innovation in the Commonwealth."
AOL was founded in Northern Virginia in 1985.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Advertising Association Urges DOJ to Approve Microsoft-Yahoo! Search Deal
The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) has written an open letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, urging them to approve the Microsoft-Yahoo! search deal. Announced at the end of July, the deal has Microsoft and Yahoo! partnering up on search in order to create what will become the number 2 search service in the United States.
In the letter (PDF), Nancy Hill, President and CEO of the AAAA, wrote:
These benefits are too important to wait for. As leading members of the advertising and marketing services industry, we urge the Department of Justice to bring its antitrust review to a speedy conclusion. This proposal enhances competition, and should be allowed to take effect as soon as possible.
CEOs of four ad agencies added their John Hancocks to the letter:
- Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe
- Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP
- Michael Roth, chairman and CEO of Interpubic Group
- John Wren, president and CEO of Omnicom Group
Analysts have predicted the regulatory approval process would be lengthy. But with the changes in the advertising industry over the past few years in addition to the current global economic uncertainty, it's no surprise that agencies are seeking a quick resolution in this matter.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Yahoo! Beats the Street with Big Boost in Third Quarter Profit
Yahoo! released their third quarter earnings today and their profit is up, way up. Net income was $186 million, up a whopping 244% from the third quarter of 2008, when net income was $54 million. Much of this can be attributed to cost-cutting, as revenue was down year-over-year. Yahoo! brought in $1.6 billion in 3Q 2009, down 12% from 2008's $1.8 billion. Still, revenue was up over the second quarter of 2009, a good sign for the Sunnyvale-based internet company.
"With revenue coming in above our guidance and flat sequentially, we had a solid third quarter that signals our major businesses have stabilized," said Yahoo! chief executive officer Carol Bartz. "With new products like Yahoo! homepage, our brand revitalization campaign and expansion in the Middle East through Maktoob.com, our execution is improving and we're focused on what we do best - being the center of people's online lives."
Analysts predicted Yahoo! would come in at $1.12 billion net revenue and 7 cents a share earnings. But Yahoo! beat those estimates, coming in at $1.13 net revenue and 13 cents a share earnings.
You can read the full earnings release here (PDF).
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Google Analytics Unveils a Slew of Updates: New Intelligence Engine, Goals, Alerts, Mobile Reports, Etc.
Last year at eMetrics, Google Analytics announced a ton of features and this year they're at it again. Today at the annual conference held in the nation's capital, a slew of updates to the robust analytics tool were announced. Here they are:
Advanced Intelligence and Custom Alerts
Google is developing a new intelligence engine. As part of the initial release, Google will serve up the most significant changes in a site's metrics when you view its profile in Analytics.
Here's a sample screenshot supplied to us by Google:
When something unusual happens in your analytics, Google will send you an email alerting you to the change. One example of an alert is when traffic spikes by a large percentage. You can set your own parameters for when you get an alert and there are also automatic alerts.
Here's a video explaining Analytics Intelligence and Custom Alerts:
Two New Goals
You can now set goals for engagement and branding. You can set thresholds for Time on Site and Pages Per Visit. Alos, you can now set up to 4 goals for 5 sets each - up to 20 per profile. For more info, check this video:
Expanded Mobile Reports
Google Analytics now tracks mobile applications developed for iPhone and Android. Developers for both platforms will be able to see which actions are taken and which features are used within an app. Android developers get a richer feature set, which includes advertising engagement.
Mobile websites are also getting better tracking. Previously, Google Analytics only tracked traffic from devices that ran Javascript. In the next few weeks, Google will provide code snippets for sites built on PHP, Perl, JSP or ASPX.
Multiple Custom Variables
The Google Analytics tracking API will offer developers the ability to define and track visitors according to visitor attributes, session attributes, and by page-level attributes.
Advanced Filters and Table Analysis Features
These new features help you manage vast amount of data, great for larger sites. If you're looking at large lists of keywords, for example, you can break it down by multiple filters and factors. Take a look at these two videos to learn more:
As with last year's batch of updates, this year's updates will all roll out at various times. Of course, experienced search marketers check their analytics regularly, so you'll know when you get one of the new feature sets. In the meantime, give us your first impressions of these new features by leaving a comment below.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Is Being nonPC The New PR Method? Ask Pepsi and Yahoo
Ok so Pepsi is getting grief about its iPhone app for helping men pick up women and Yahoo is apologizing for the lap dances given at their oPEN Hack Day in Taiwan, but do the two reflect a new non 'Politically Correct' approach to pr and branding?
When Pepsi launched its app there was an outcry from women online, particularly on Twitter, even going so far as a call to boycott their products. But funny I did a search on Twitter today and nothing but people singing the praises of Pepsi - and most are women I might add.
Seems the old adage "yesterday's news wraps today's fish" is in evidence here. Pepsi got a lot of press and its seems now, just days later, it may just have helped with some more branding.
Yahoo, on the other hand, made an apology for the fully clothed lap dances given at their Open Hack Day in Taiwan last weekend, and are now getting press on the apology.
While there are a number of women in the programmers space, it seems like this could be another instance of brand attention by the people Yahoo most wants to be playing with their APIs. Most of the male programmers reading this story will have a sly smile on their faces and making notes to see where Yahoo is holding its next event.
Has the need to be ultraPC changed of late? In an ever increasing battle for media spend during this time of economic limitations, have companies decided to go for the free branding and publicity shock ads seem to garner?
Playboy is doing a centerfold of Marge Simpson and an Australian beer just did a rather sexually implicit ad using Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We all know sex sells, but have the usual restrained methods given way to more explicit ones?
Landing pages with females smiling support for products have long shown better conversion than male counterparts, as have the engagement with online support where a woman's image is used.
It must make for hard decisions in corporate marketing offices around the globe. Funnily enough I did see a tweet calling for a female version of the Pepsi pick up app - now that would only be fair.
Posted by Frank Watson on October 20, 2009, 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Facebook Streamlines Groups, Tests New Homepage Feeds
Facebook has a couple of changes in store and they'll affect the way you interact with the site. The first change you'll see pertains to Groups. The pages for Groups will now look like the profile pages of members. There will be a Wall and you can click tabs for Info, Photos, and Discussions to view those sections.
Here's a screenshot of the Search Engine Watch group (which you can join here).
Some group activities will also be included in your News Feed. If one of your Facebook friends, who is a member of the same Group as you are, posts to that group, you'll see it. Otherwise, you'll still need to head to the Group page to see all of the activity of the Group.
If you don't see the changes to groups yet, hold tight. As with most updates, they're being rolled out over a few days.
Meanwhile, Mashable's Ben Parr, who was a friendly face in the press room last year at SES Chicago, got his hands on a four-page document outlining Facebook's new homepage changes. Yes, that's right. Facebook is changing their homepage AGAIN.
Facebook will be introducing two views: Top News and Recent Activity. Top News will prioritize the most important updates in your network (think birthdays) while Recent Activity will be essentially what you see with your current News Feed right now - a chronological timeline of updates with the most recent at the top of the feed.
Facebook anticipates that users will toggle between the two views. I must admit, their initial iPhone app did this - and they didn't do a good job with the "Top News" feed. They recently updated the app and did away with the focus on the Top News feed, which I hoped meant they were forgetting about it, but apparently not.
Here's the problem: Facebook has to determine which of your friend's updates are "Top News." Some people in my network I am obviously closer to than others. So I may indeed care about what my husband is having for lunch (we're watching my calories) than the birthday of someone who I haven't seen since college (but it's still nice to see what they're up to).
Now for some good news: Facebook will be reintroducing things they nixed with the last News Feed update. Photo tags, friend acceptances, group memberships, and RSVPs are coming back. Many Facebook users were sad to see them go, so they'll be happy they're back.
This will also be happy news for brands, as more people will see their friends interactions with brands on Facebook. For example, if you RSVP that you're going to attend the premiere of a movie, your friends will see it and it will help spread the word about that movie. Also, Facebook expects this to increase the number of members that become fans on brand pages.
What do you think about all of these Facebook updates? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Yahoo! Adds More Detailed Info to Site Explorer
Yahoo! Site Explorer is a great tool to check how many pages of your site are indexed as well as viewing inbound links to your site. Now, Yahoo! is adding even more detailed information.
SearchMonkey - If you've marked up your site with SearchMonkey code or provided a feed with a SearchMonkey template, you'll be able to use Site Explorer see what Yahoo! has indexed.
Yahoo! Search Key Terms - Launched last November into BOSS, Key Terms allows developers to develop refinement terms for their search services. Yahoo! is now providing information on Key Terms used on websites through Site Explorer
Delicious - Information about your site's pages being submitted to the social bookmarking site will now appear in Yahoo! Site Explorer.
Yahoo! has also updated the dashboard for Site Explorer as well as the backend logic for SearchMonkey feeds. Developers can now validate small test feeds quicker.
Have you checked out the updated Yahoo! Site Explorer? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Aardvark Launches Website: Social Search Meets Answers Site Mashup
Aardvark has launched its new social search site at vark.com. Though previously it was available through IM, Twitter, and email, having a presence as a bona fide website seems to be a boost.
Aardvark's version of social search is more like an answers site than other social search sites. To test it out, I first asked a question about last night's Monday Night Football game because I didn't catch the final score.
Yes, it is easy to just go to ESPN.com and look it up. But the advantage of Aardvark is similar to SMS search - go on about your day while someone else does the searching. Of course, a question about Monday Night Football wouldn't even require searching. I knew some dudes out there watched the game.
It feels a lot like throwing a question out to your Twitter or Facebook networks, but those contacts don't always want to answer questions. At Aardvark, the whole point is answering questions.
Here's how it works.
Type in your question and wait for a response. People in the Aardvark community will answer it. You'll get an email when they do. You can also answer other people's questions.
The only thing I didn't like was Aardvark's extensive sign-up process. They have Facebook connect, which is normally a quick way to use a membership site. But then they made me sign up for an Aardvark account as well. If I wasn't a search blogger, I can't say that I would have signed up for yet another site. As a search blogger, using the site was pretty fun, so I recommend signing up anyway.
One thing that would be nice to see Aardvark incorporate is real-time updates and a more seamless way of accessing questions. Perhaps links to a user's most recent questions on the right hand sidebar for easy access and then sidebar updating as the user asks questions and answers come in. Instead, the page must be manually refreshed - and only links to a separate page with your Q&As appears.
These are relatively minor pet peeves at launch. There are obviously some smart dudes behind Aardvark so keep an eye on how this site evolves.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 20, 2009, 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Go to SES Berlin or SES Chicago for "Six Booths Astounding"
During the past five weeks, I've provided five great reasons for going to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. For those who want to join in the chorus, they are "five brand new things, four keynote themes, three key trends, two early birds, and a ranking in the top three."
This week, I'll share a sixth compelling reason -- and it isn't "six geese a-laying."
You should plan to attend SES Berlin or Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009 to discover "six booths astounding."
I know, I know, most of us attend SES events to learn as much as we can in the conference sessions. Hey, I spend more than 80% of my time there, too.
But, I always make room in my schedule to walk the trade-show floor at SES events -- because I always discover half a dozen booths from companies that have astounding new products or services.
Now, it's hard to predict which six booths will astound you at Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. But I do recommend that you make time to check out the expo hall.
And I can share with you half a dozen exhibitors that astounded John Mulligan, my colleague at SEO-PR, as he walked the trade show floor for SESConferenceExpo's Channel at Search Engine Strategies San Jose back in August.
If past is prologue, then you'll find that it's well worth your time to visit the booths in the exhibit hall, too.
Ryan Hupfer, HubPages, and Ren Chin, YieldBuild on exhibiting at SES San Jose 2009
Ryan Hupfer, Communicator of Awesomeness!, and Ren Chin, VP of Marketing, YieldBuild discussed exhibiting at SES San Jose 2009 with Mulligan. YieldBuild is an online ad optimization company which helps web publishers make more money from their online ads. This is done by formatting optimization, help publishers figure out best placements for their ads for their website and which networks perform best in which ad spot. YieldBuild supports different networks including Google AdSense, Microsoft PubCenter and Ad.com.
Steve Wiideman on Local Splash, search engine marketing solution at SES San Jose 2009
Steve Wiideman, owner of SEO Expert TV spoke at SES San Jose 2009 about Local Splash, a local search engine marketing solution for businesses that are regional or local. Local Splash has a proprietary application that helps businesses get higher ranking in the map sections of Google, Yahoo and Bing. Local Splash helps businesses by verifying their information, lock down the account and optimize it so it gets better ranking. Local Splash also looks at categories for all of your competitors to understand the best possible sequence of categories that a business can be placed in.
Jennifer Whaley, Century Interactive, on driving phone calls to your website at SES San Jose 2009
Mulligan also interviewed Jennifer Whaley of Century Interactive on the exhibitor floor at SES San Jose 2009. Century Interactive links website sessions to phone calls and tracks those phone calls, chats and clicks that result from print and web campaigns. Jennifer described the types of clients that Century Interactive caters and, in particular, those clients who don't sufficiently understand clickthroughs and bounce-rates but understand phone calls and helps them understand what key influences are driving their business such as keyword terms, referring websites, etc.
Paul Pellman, ClickForensics, on exhibiting at SES San Jose 2009
Paul Pellman, the CEO of ClickForensics, discussed the company's product at SES San Jose 2009 with Mulligan. Pellman talked about many of ClickForensics new initiatives, including their new interface for their publisher and ad network clients which allows their customers to drill down and monitor their existing source of traffic and quickly screen approve new sources of traffic and identify the quality of that traffic. Pellman said clients are seeing an immediate impact on the quality of traffic they deliver to their advertisers and feed partners and to be able to negotiate better deals.
Frank Rocco, Adfare Video Solutions discusses cheap video advertising at SES San Jose 2009
Frank Rocco of Adfare Video Solutions discussed exhibiting at SES San Jose 2009 with Mulligan. Adfare produces video ads in a short time frame and deliver them in less than $150 per video. Adfare can produce cheap video ads because it can take existing content, anything the customer or advertiser has online, and download those images or footage and build a script and produce a high powered, effective video within 48 hours. Adfare works across a variety of platforms, including mobile.
Wendy Roe, Pixelsilk, on exhibiting for the first time at SES San Jose 2009
Last, but not least, was Wendy Roe of Pixelsilk, who discussed the company's content management system. Pixelsilk debuted Bruce Clay's SEO toolset inside the company's Search Advice so you can get advice and recommendations for your SEO next to the content editor.
Next week, we'll look at more reasons to go to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. In the meantime, keep singing "six booths astounding, five brand new things, four keynote themes, three key trends, two early birds, and a ranking in the top three."
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 20, 2009, 2:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
