SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 6, 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:

• Dissecting Microsoft Slams At Google As Copyright Infringer
  Last October, Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer gave us a taste of how Microsoft was going to position Google as a copyright leech. Today, Microsoft launched a full-out assault on the company. Google deserves some of this, no doubt. But the idea as Microsoft as some altruistic copyright savior deserves some critical…
• Google’s Schmidt At Tech Conference Talks On Mergers, Ads, Apple & Arrogance
  Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, spoke at the Morgan Stanley technology conference in San Francisco yesterday. Blogging Stocks has live coverage from Eric Schmidt’s speech and question and answer session. The four main points taken from his presentation were: Google Says Using Cash for Merger Spree Unlikely at PC Magazine explains…
• More Google Phone Rumors
  Simeon Simeonov has an excellent write up on the recent Google Phone rumors that have been buzzing around the blogosphere over the past day or so. In short, the recent Google acquisitions and partnerships, coupled with the Google & Orange talks and Google & Samsung partnership, with some insider information…
• Report: Google Gaining, But Baidu Still Dominates In China
  Reporting from the Fourth Annual Piper China Growth Conference, analyst Safa Rashtchy says that China-based search engine Baudi continues to dominate in market share for both organic and paid listings, but apparently Google’s increased investments in China are paying off. Baidu also believes the opportunity in Japan will be significant…
• Google & Yahoo Execs Stay On $1 Salary
  There is this theme in the technology world where high-profile executives get an annual salary of $1. Apple’s Steve Jobs has been earning one dollar for years. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt and co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin earn $1 each, as well. Even, Yahoo’s CEO Terry Semel makes a…
• Pandia Offers Custom Search For Search Information
  Pandia is offering a free custom search called the Search Engine Detective, a meta search engine which lets you do specialized searches for anything search engine related. Search Engine Detective give you two options: “All the best sites about search engines” searches a wide variety of sites and blogs on…
• Buttons, Buttons, Everywhere – Site Owner, Beware!
  Placing social media buttons all over blogs and web sites has been a hot trend. Webmasters feel that adding these small buttons to their website will increase their social traffic. In some cases this is true, but in most it is not….
• Meta Robots Tag 101: Blocking Spiders, Cached Pages & More
  Last week, I covered a new command for the meta robots tag — one to prevent search engines from using Yahoo titles and descriptions. In doing that, a number of questions came up about the meta robots tag syntax itself. Google Webmaster Central has now posted "Using the robots meta…

Search News Headlines From Elsewhere

Applications

• Google Forces You to Install Google Pack, Google Operating System
• FAA May Ditch Microsoft’s Windows Vista And Office For Google And Linux Combo, InformationWeek

Business Issues

• Yahoo CEO says business repairs done; eyes growth, Reuters.com
• Google expected dMarc founders to leave, ITworld.com
• Yahoo sees smooth sailing for Panama, Seattle PI

Local Search & Maps

• And then there were two (KML editors), Ogle Earth
• The 10 Minute Map, Windows Live Local Blog
• Local.com Now Distributing SuperPages.com Ads, Search Engine Journal
• Hitwise confirms: Dramatic rise in Google Maps traffic due to Onebox update, Mike Blumenthal
• Little old lady gets called for tech support…, Understanding Google Maps & Yahoo Local

Paid Search & Contextual

• Search Engine Wish Lists, Part 2, ClickZ
• Google AdWords Select Interface Design Patent Granted, SEO By The Sea
• Microsoft Refunds adCenter Advertisers Too Much, Search Engine Roundtable
• Google Related Links Are Not AdSense Ads, Search Engine Roundtable
• Yahoo Panama Conversion Tracking Broken, Marketing Pilgrim
• Branding on the Cheap, Traffick
• Rescuecom Files Reply Brief in Rescuecom v. Google, Eric Goldman
• Yahoo Publisher Network giving false compliancy alerts, JenSense
• A handy tool for troubleshooting account behavior, Official Google AdSense Blog

SEM Industry

• Google Hires "Analytics Evangelist", Search Engine Watch Blog
• Dave Pasternack Says SEOs Need to Grow Up, Threadwatch
• When The Very Best Get Touchy, eTrafficJams
• Has Webmaster Radio Forgotten About Webmasters?, Poor SEM
• Search Engine Strategies in New York, Pandia
• New Smaller SEO Conferences & Workshops, Search Engine Journal
• 6 Keys to finding your SEO Niche, SEO Hotline
• An Interview with Li Evans, Karl Ribas.com Blog

SEO & SEM

• SEM, Measure for Measure, ClickZ
• Understanding the Search Buying Cycle, Search Engine Guide
• Tackling Localization Troubles, Google Blogoscoped
• Do MSN Live.com Search Reinclusion Requests Work?, Search Engine Roundtable
• 7 Homework Items to Complete Before Any SEO Class, SEO Class
• Press Releases as Marketing Tools, Online Marketing Blog
• Why Google won’t index USAToday’s New Long Tail, ClickInfluence
• SEO Clinic : TechSmith Screen Capture & Recording Software, Search Engine Journal

Social Media

• The Rebirth of My.Netscape, Netscape Blog
• Let Friends Help You Get on Reddit, Pronet Advertising
• Please Don’t: Linkjack!, Pronet Advertising
• I Wouldn’t Submit That to StumbleUpon, Pronet Advertising

Toolbars & Gadgets

• Breaking Out of the Browser, Live Search’s WebLog
• Toolbar Tips and Tricks, Yahoo! Search blog

Video Search

• Fox Decides That Irreparable Harm From YouTube Not Worth Suing Over, TechCrunch
• Google moves YouTube ahead / Since the acquisition, more deals struck for video, though copyright issues remain, SFGate.com

Wikipedia

• Wikipedia, Search and School Homework, Hitwise
• Wikipedia Senior Editor Scandal!, Threadwatch.org

Other Vertical Search

• Ex-Google Answers Researchers Launch Q&A Site, Google Blogoscoped
• Yahoo Mixd Closes – Peanut Butter Manifesto in Action?, Read/WriteWeb
• Dynamic Instructions: Improved layout and clearer examples, Official Google Base Blog
• Ask.com Shopping Switching to Pronto?, Search Engine Journal
• New Search Engine for Finding Articles in PubMed, ResearchBuzz
• Google Advances Into Real Estate, John Battelle’s Searchblog
• e Bavarian State Library becomes largest non-English library partner, Official Google Book Search Blog
• Yahoo China sued for music downloads, Shanghai Daily

Other Stuff

• Librarian wanted, Google Librarian Central
• Yahoo’s Search SDK Updated, WebProNews
• Random AOL user search tool, Skrentablog
• The Intersection of Social Search & Pop Culture, Search Engine Watch Blog
• Oscars, "Idol" Dominate The Google Weekly Zeitgeist, Google Zeitgeist
• Podcast: Microsoft Slams Google On Copyright; Everyone’s Working For $1; Meta Robots Tag & More!, Daily SearchCast