SearchCap: The Day In Search, December 29, 2009

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Hitwise: Facebook More Visited Than Google on Christmas
  

  Hitwise tweeted this morning that Facebook reached the number one site in the U.S. for the first time ever and it happened on Christmas. The tweet was in it’s normal less than 140 characters and read: Facebook was the most visited site in the US on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 1st time the site [...]

• Google Movie Search Bug Shows Cryptic 9/11 Attacks Reference
  

  This morning spotted a case where Google Movie Search began showing this cryptic message about the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and United States. A search for [movie: nine nyc] returned the words “Showtimes for September 11 attacks” in the blue bar under the search box. Here is a picture:

  Google [...]

• Google Android Press Event For Jan. 5 – Announcing “Nexus One” Google Phone?
  

  We just received a press invitation from Google to an “Android Press Gathering” for January 5. That coincides a report that T-Mobile has advised employees that Google will be selling its own phone with T-Mobile “support” on January 5. So, the rumor of a new Google phone called “Nexus One” is moving closer to reality. From [...]

• Four Unobvious Strategies For Improving Google AdWords Profitability
  

  Sometimes the ideal AdWords strategies are counterintuitive. If you’re in a competitive market, you need every optimization you can get. The following tips will give you an edge in profitability.

• Collecta Launches Dedicated Real-Time MySpace Search
  

  Collecta has announced a real-time search tool that taps into content posted on MySpace. The dedicated MySpace search includes the public comments, blog posts, videos, photos, and links that are posted by MySpace users. It can be accessed at myspace.collecta.com for now, and Collecta says the MySpace content will eventually be incorporated into its primary [...]

• Microsoft Hopes To Grow “Bee-Ying” (Bing) Share In China
  

  Reuters published an article today in which Microsoft asserts that China is its top search priority: “Microsoft is committed to the China market and the search market in China is the most important strategic market for Microsoft,” the company said on Tuesday in emailed responses to questions from Reuters. China has the largest internet and mobile markets [...]

• 4 Comparison Search Tools You May Not Know About … But Should
  

  I may be the only one who noticed, but it seems to me that 2009 saw an unusual amount of new comparison search tools released. Perhaps it was the launch of Bing, or the growth of real-time search? I don’t know, but something inspired programmers to develop new tools and sites to let us compare [...]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Google’s Chrome OS Cited as Likely Hacker Vehicle, BusinessWeek

Business Issues

• Chicago company takes Yahoo to court over defamatory posts, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Plan a trip in one click, Google LatLong
• Google Local Suggest Nearly Broken and Mostly Useless, Michael Gray

Paid Search & Contextual

• Pharma Company Avoids Injunction By Dropping Competitive Keyword Ads–King v. ZymoGenetics, Eric Goldman

SEM Industry

• Best of Search Conferences 2009: The Agenda, BruceClay.com
• Keynoting at Market Saint Louis on April 1, 2010, Barry Schwartz

SEO & SEM

• 5 PPC Resolutions for 2010, PPC Hero
• Google Blogger & Webmaster Tools Verification Bug, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Uses ccTLD Over Server Location for Localizing Search Results, Search Engine Roundtable

Social Media

• A New Help Center for 2010, Facebook
• Digg Takes a Dip In Traffic, Half The Size Of Twitter, TechCrunch
• Digging into the Top Stories of 2009, Digg About
• Facebook Upgrades Notes Application To Post Feed Images, All Facebook
• Newspapers Join in Twitter Conversation, eMarketer
• Twitter banned passwords, SophosLabs blog
• Why You Need a Chief Branding Officer in 2010, outspokenmedia.com

Video, Music & Image Search

• Will Hulu Become a Blockbuster?, newteevee.com
• The story of Totlol, Totlol

Other Items

• Google Multivac, Neil Fraser