In this week's Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more. I only have three photos for you this week--it has been incredibly busy with Danny on vacation. Check out this parachute: Matchbox 20 performed at Google: Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Noble Peace Prize winner, at Yahoo: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Search In Pictures

I'm still on vacation, but catching up on my reading, I see that Facebook is "years away" from going public, said founder Mark Zuckerberg last week. I also see Facebook will have more than 700 employees next year, in 2008. So, like Google and Microsoft, it'll be forced to IPO against its will sometime next year, if those employees all have options (as they likely will). POSTSCRIPT: I stand corrected: A Letter to Facebook’s Founder covers how the law was recently changed. Below, the rest of my original article. To quote what Barron's Online wrote about Google back when it played t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook

The YouTube Blog announced that new features are going to be launched in the upcoming months. One new feature is a new user interface for the video browsing page. You can preview the new page at this location. You will notice that if you mouse-over the video tab, it pops up categories for you to select. YouTube added drop down menus for quicker sorting. Plus, the page has a new layout for easier usability and performance. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Google: YouTube & Video

AdSense Disallowed On URLs Containing "Google", Google Says from Google Blogoscoped shows an almost comical AdSense ban of a portion of his site. Reportedly, Google has disallowed him from displaying Google AdSense ads on the Chinese version of his site because it is located at http://google.blogoscoped.cn/. Google sent him the following explanation: Publishers are not permitted to make prominent use of "Google Brand Features" on sites showing Google ads. Google Brand Features include Google logos, product screenshots, or other distinctive features. Additionally, publishers may not place G [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display | Google: AdSense

Eric Goldman reports Judge John McBride has denied Google's motion to dismiss the American Airlines search ad trademark suit. The court document does not explain why the judge denied Google's motion. All it says is that he dismissed the motion. Eric Goldman feels that taking this case to court will be a lot of wasted money and time for both Google and American Airlines, as well as the court and tax payers. Paid Search Ads & Trademarks: A Review Of Court Cases, Legal Disputes & Policies is our recap of similar cases over the years. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Legal | Legal: Trademarks

Because Google has been so successful financially, one tends to think of Microsoft as the underdog these days. It's not. Microsoft had a huge overall quarter, with revenue of $13.76 billion and profit of $4.29 billion. Vista appears to be selling well, despite mixed to negative reviews. So are Office and Halo 3. The Online Services Business, which houses the Internet business and online advertising, posted a 25 percent revenue gain, boosted by the aQuantive acquisition, at $671 million. But the division saw an operating loss of $264 million. In this larger context, the $240 million invested [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Microsoft: Business Issues

Mickey Kataria has posted on the Google Webmaster Central blog that if you can verify ownership of multiple sites, you can consolidate the Sitemap files for those sites and either combine the URLs from those sites into one Sitemap or create separate files for each site, but store the files in one location. Previously, any Sitemap you submitted could contain only URLs from the site on which the Sitemap was hosted. One instance in which this new functionality may be useful is sites with subdomains. It may be easier to write one file that contains URLs from all subdomains on a site. In this case [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Google: Webmaster Central | SEO: Submitting & Sitemaps

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Facebook Raises $500 Million MoreIt appears that $240 million is not enough. Forbes is reporting that Facebook has raised an additional $500 million from two New York based hedge funds, each contributing $250 million at the same $15 billion valuation. That would mean Facebook has raised about $740 million in this round, giving up... Microsoft's Ballmer: Bidding On 700 MHZ Would 'Alienate The Telecom Industry'Speaking on Tuesday at the CTIA mobile trad [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SearchCap

Search Marketing Expo - SMX West is coming to the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley, February 26-28, 2008. Here are 5 reasons why you should register today for an event that's five months away: 1) This 3-day, multiple track event has programming for all levels of search marketing experience. 2) The show is programmed by Search Engine Land editors Danny Sullivan and Chris Sherman - the most knowledgeable and experienced conference team anywhere. 3) We're offering a great deal if you register today - just $995 for all the tips, tactics, and networking. 4) We guarantee [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | SMX & DMD Alerts

It appears that $240 million is not enough. Forbes is reporting that Facebook has raised an additional $500 million from two New York based hedge funds, each contributing $250 million at the same $15 billion valuation. That would mean Facebook has raised about $740 million in this round, giving up roughly 5 percent of the company for the money. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook

Speaking on Tuesday at the CTIA mobile trade show, Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer definitively said that the company would not bid for wireless spectrum licenses next year. Reuters quotes Ballmer as saying, "What would it buy us to buy a piece of spectrum, one piece of spectrum in one country...It would do a lot to alienate the telecom industry." Google, which publicly said it may bid on the spectrum, recently declined to confirm whether it would in fact do so when the auction begins in January 2008. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Business Issues

There are a number of stories this morning recapping aspects of the Google Analyst Day discussions, which were overshadowed to some degree by the Microsoft-Facebook announcement yesterday. While most of it appears to have been a basic overview intended to remind financial analysts and some press about the range of Google's product offerings and their growth, there were some interesting nuggets. From Miguel Helft from the New York Times, the following is some interesting discussion about the Microsoft-Facebook deal and why Google may not have been willing to go higher: Like other executives [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords

Google bullish on advertising system from the Financial Times reports that Google has made 20 or so improvements to their search ad system in the last quarter. Nick Fox, director of product management in the advertising division, said that in the third quarter of 2006, Google only made 2 or 3 improvements to the AdWords platform. Why did Google make so many changes, which consisted of landing page factors, quality scores, and so on? "There is still substantial headroom in monetization," said Fox. Fox added that "the quality of ads is still quite low" and by improving the ad quality, they c [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Google: Business Issues

Yahoo has informed me that they have launched Yahoo Search Assist in the UK. If you go to http://uk.search.yahoo.com/ and conduct a search, you will see the Search Assist feature: Yahoo launched this in the US earlier this month. "The new Yahoo! Search is focused on providing consumers with the most relevant information as well as providing the best user experience possible. We know that consumers want a complete answer, not just links, and the enhancements we are making are focused on getting people to the best answer in one search whether that’s a Web link, photo, video or music clip [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Yahoo: Outside US | Yahoo: Search

Yahoo Chairman Semel exercises options from CNNMoney reports that Terry Semel, Yahoo's old CEO, has exercised 750,000 options. He exercised options for $15 each and then sold those options for $29 to $29.90 each. You can see the detailed transactions on this SEC filing, which shows he first exercised 500,000 shares at $15 each on 10/19/2007 and sold them that day, and then exercised 250,000 shares at $15 each on 10/22/2007 and sold them that day. Here is a screen capture of those transactions: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Yahoo: Employees

Google In 'Good Shape' Awaiting OK On DoubleClick Buy - CEO from SmartMoney reports that Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, is very confident the DoubleClick acquisition will be approved by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Schmidt said at Google Analyst Day that Google is in "good shape" for the deal to be approved. He added: It is possible it could be approved by the end of the year, it is possible it could take longer. The European Commission makes their decision by November 13th. For past coverage of this deal, see the Google Acquisitions archive. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Acquisitions

Google to focus on mobile Internet in China from Reuters reports that Google China will be re-designing their products for the Chinese user base. Lee Kai-fu, Google Inc's president for greater China, said: These mobile users have very different usage patterns from the American users. Most Chinese users who touch mobile Internet will have no PC at all. That requires thinking from ground zero on how to design products that fit their needs. Lee Kai-fu did not get into any detail on how or what steps they will take to make specialized products for the Chinese market. He did imply that they wi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Mobile | Google: Outside US

Fall is the time of year when we start to look at where search marketing is heading. Looking at the latest search marketing conference agendas, articles, and online news in the SEM space, it certainly appears that social media marketing and networking are the wave of the future. To a certain extent, they are. Social media, and social networking in particular, create a back-and-forth conversation with your target audience, giving you the ability to virally market your website through the "buzz" that can be created. When something interesting, cool, or unique is being talked about in "all th [...]

Related Topics: All Things SEO | Channel: SEO | SEO: General | Social Media Marketing

There are opportunities that small businesses have that large businesses might not even considering touching, or that they may not have the ability to respond to quickly enough. The aerospace industry uses the term "launch window" to describe the right combination of time and location for a rocket to be launched so that it will successfully go into space, and to a specific destination. The term has been adopted by the business community and changed to "window of opportunity." There are efforts that a small business might launch that can take advantage of windows of opportunity, and I want [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Other | Small Is Beautiful

During this afternoon's Microsoft-Facebook conference call, the question was asked whether the new deal would include paid search. Microsoft's Kevin Johnson and Facebook's Owen Van Natta declined to directly answer the question and made general statements about future collaboration and that the deal a "win win win." Nobody listening was really all that clear on what it might mean as a practical matter beyond traditional display ads and hypothetical Facebook-specific ad types soon to be announced. However, if one steps back it seems that one thing is fairly certain: A Live Search box and relat [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Microsoft: Partnerships