SearchCap: The Day In Search, November 14, 2008

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

From Search Engine Land:

• SMBs, Video and Search – Looking Backward and Forward
  I’ve been writing monthly articles for Small is Beautiful for about almost a year now, offering observations and insights into what we’ve seen working with small and medium sized businesses from the front lines but will be winding down a bit in 2009. Our focus is still very much on serving the SMB advertiser, but we are finding that the best way to serve them is through partners. We’ve also found that, although our advertising platform is very useful for helping SMBs optimize their search efforts with video, our technology is more complementary to the smart “blocking and tackling” things businesses should already be doing to optimize their basic search efforts. As my final monthly column for Search Engine Land this year, I thought it would be both fun and interesting to take a look back at some of the items I’ve written about throughout 2008, to see if they are still holding true today. I will return to Search Engine Land from time to time, with occasional postings from the world of online video advertising, but for now let’s take a quick look back.
• Search Biz: Wall St. Flips On GOOG; Google Canning Slackers & More
  When Google went public in August, 2004, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin made no secret of the company’s disdain for how the Wall St. system of analyst ratings and recommendations works. They wrote a letter saying they had no interest in trying to manage analysts expectations and keep Wall St. happy on a quarterly basis. You can imagine how they’re feeling this week as Wall St. keeps changing its mind on how Google will fare in the slowing economy.
• Search In Pictures: Yahoo Still Partying, Google Censorship & Yahoo Posters
  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.
• Are Our Brains Becoming “Googlized?”
  Are our brains being rewired by using the Internet? The evidence tends to be pointing that way. As somebody interested in how the mind works, I read with interest the results of a recent study at UCLA that used the sexiest research tool around today, fMRI scanning. fMRI allows researchers to see which parts of the brain are active when participants are exposed to different stimuli. And for the first time I’m aware of, this was used to track brain activity while people engaged in various online tasks, including searching. First of all, the “official” story of the study. Then I’ll launch off into my own personal speculation, as the study raises some mind altering implications, and I use that term “mind altering” in it’s literal sense.
• Save $600 By Registering Now For SMX West
  It happens at the end of every year at this time. Planning for next year, and figuring out how to wisely invest money left in 2008 budgets. If you’re planning, don’t forget to budget for Search Marketing Expo - SMX West, February 10-12 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. You’ll get more than 50 cutting edge sessions, insightful keynotes and invaluable community-building activities. You’ll be satisfied with your decision to attend SMX West; we guarantee it.
• Google Brings Voice Search To The iPhone
  The New York Times reports in Friday’s newspaper that Google’s iPhone app will be updated with voice search capability. The move should come as no surprise: The launch of Goog411 in 2007 brought immediate speculation that mobile voice search was on the way, and Google tells the Times that data collection from the Goog411 project helped create this new iPhone service. With the new Google iPhone app, you’ll be able to speak your search query into the phone rather than having to type it out. The Times article explains what happens after you ask your question:
• PubCon Vegas ‘08 - Day Three Coverage
  The third day of the sessions at PubCon is now complete. If you missed the sessions, do not worry, here is live blogging and coverage from several search and Internet marketing blogs across the web.

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Chromium Blog: Understanding Phishing and Malware Protection in Google Chrome, blog.chromium.org
• Google Notebooks and Security - a wake up call, www.martijnbeijk.com

Business Issues

• Google China’s Learning Curve, Forbes
• Google Executive Says Sees Long Battle To Win Over Asian Markets, EasyBourse actualite
• Google’s Consumers Are Checking Out, Wall Street Journal
• Larry Page and Kevin Martin talk white spaces, Google Public Policy Blog

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Local Search results now include China, Google AJAX Search API Blog
• MapQuest 4 Mobile Now Available on AT&T BlackBerry Bold; new Verizon and T-Mobile RIM Devices, MapQuest Blog
• Businesses warming up to the iPhone, News.com
• Google Maps embedded in ATM Machine, www.martijnbeijk.com

Other Items

• Introducing the Microsoft Store, The Windows Blog

Paid Search & Contextual

• Introducing Website Optimizer Seminars for Success, Inside AdWords
• Federated Media slashes rates to $5 CPM, Valleywag
• Google AdSense’s Two Hour Reporting Outage, Search Engine Roundtable
• The Blocked Domains 500, Yahoo! Search Marketing Blog
• Why is Google Running Ads for Known Malware Sites? , Maximum PC

Searching

• Google Using Novel Content as a Ranking Signal?, SEO By The Sea
• Is There a Privacy Risk in Google Flu Trends?, New York Times

SEM Industry

• My Pubcon 2008 Highlights - Social Media Panels on a Short, Search Marketing Gurus
• PubCon 2008 - Sessions From Day 3, Search Engine War
• PubCon: Post BBS Pioneers Take Over the World, AIM Clear Blog
• I’m Insulted But Should We Give Up Live Blogging?, Search Engine Roundtable
• PubCon Recon - Looking Back Already, Marketing Pilgrim
• Scottish universities not connecting students to real world, BigMouthMedia
• Why Liveblogging is Not Useless or Evil, We Build Pages

SEO & SEM

• Better targeting your indic language site, Official Google Webmaster Central Blog
• Ditched GoogleBot But Now Want To Make Friends Again?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Whiteboard Friday - PageRank Part II, SEOmoz

Social Media

• A scientific formula for popularity on Digg, YouTube, News.com
• Video: Eric Enge on Using Social Media for Link Building, WebProNews
• What Is the Best Time to Submit a Story on Digg, Digital Inspiration

Video, Music & Image Search

• High quality YouTube video hack, Kottke.org
• Verizon Wireless And Photobucket Launch Instant Mobile Photo Uploading, Verizon Wireless

Recent Hot Items From Sphinn, Our Social News Sharing Site:

• Is Social Media Marketing A Waste Of Time?
• Pubcon Highlights Day 1 - Don't tell them that link building is dead!
• The 11 Rules of Social Media Etiquette
• Research your posts with Buzz Monitoring
• How Much Does Semantic HTML Structure Matter for SEO?