SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 3, 2007

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

From Search Engine Land:

• Send a Greeting with Google Maps
  Spotted via Good Morning Silicon Valley, a site called Geo Greeting lets you create greeting messages that are displayed using buildings or other objects that resemble the alphabet from images found on Google…
• First Results Of Google’s Newspaper Ad Test Published
  Jeremy Mayes has posted the first seen results of the Google newspaper ad test, that we have been tracking. He noted about 1,000 visitors came from the ad, which generated 70% less page views than the PPC counterpart…
• YouTube Hiring Advertising Sales Representatives
  ClickZ reports that Google’s YouTube is hiring six advertising sales representatives. I tracked down five of the job postings, all for the same position, but all based in different parts of the United States. Here they…
• Intertainer Sues Google For Patent Infringement On Online Video & Audio Distribution
  The NY Times reports that Google, Apple and Napster were all sued by Jonathan T. Taplin’s Intertainer for patent infringement of a 2005 patent. Intertainer’s patent covers commercial distribution of audio…
• Google Beta Testing Keyword Based AdSense Competitive Filter List?
  Caydel reports that Google is beta testing a keyword based competitive ad filter solution for Google AdSense. Currently, AdSense publishers can block ads from showing on a URL by URL basis. It appears that…
• Google & Earthlink Said To Be Near Start Date Of WiFi Network
  MarketWatch reports that Google and Earthlink are finally near a deal to finalize the agreement with San Francisco officials to provide free WiFi to the city. It has almost been a year since Google started the process…
• Google Changes Hiring Process To Meet Job Opening Needs
  Google Answer to Filling Jobs Is an Algorithm at the NY Times (also at International Herald Tribune) describes how Google is changing their hiring process to accept a more diverse set of candidates. They have…
• Yahoo Teams With Dash For In-Car Local Search
  In-car navigation provider Dash and Yahoo Local announced a deal to deliver Yahoo Local content via Dash’s portable “Dash Express” device and system. Dash Express, which features Internet connectivity, will be…
• SMBs, Paid Search And Self-Service
  One of the most challenging aspects of local search is small business (SMB) advertiser acquisition. Everyone is aware, especially Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, that the US SMB market is where the advertiser volume is…

Search News Headlines From Elsewhere:

• Must Read Search Marketing Blogs, Online Marketing Blog
• SEOmoz : Best SEO Blog of 2006, Search Engine Journal
• Matt Cutts : Best Search Blogger of 2006, Search Engine Journal
• Will Google-Apple Alliance Make Waves Next Week?, TechWeb
  
• Google Patent Search under fire, vnunet.com
• Kirkland calling, Official Google Blog
• Embed a photo gallery with Picasa Web Albums, Inside AdSense
• Google’s biggest bull sets $630 share price target, Reuters.com
  
• Stifel places Google on select list, Reuters.com
• MSN Live introduces related searches via ad, SEO Scoop
• Yahoo names top UK websites, Computeract!ve
• Windows Live for TV Enters Public Beta, Search Engine Watch Blog
• 134 Countries where you can Google but you can’t Yahoo, Naffziger’s Net
• Google Q&A Patent Applications?, SEO By The Sea
• Stopping Data From Flying Off to Google, Computer World
• Google Patent Search under fire, vnunet.com
  
• Louisville Grad Student Gets Grant To Study Click Fraud, Search Engine Watch Blog
• Browsing the Web Using Google Cache, Google Operating Systems
• Did Buy.com Remove Google Checkout After $20 Discount Expired?, Cartoon Barry
• G Anti Phishing Toolbar Phishes for the Phishers, Threadwatch.org
• SIGIR Forum: A Reference Collection for Web Spam, Open Source Information Retrieval Systems Other Articles, ResourceShelf
• Amazon.com Services Review: Clickriver Ads Online; QandA askville Promotions; Questville & NowNow Coming in 2007, ResourceShelf
• Finding the “Search