SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 7, 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:

• Microsoft Adds Photosynth To Virtual Earth
  

  Microsoft’s innovative Photosynth technology has been integrated into Virtual Earth, marking the first time Photosynth has been available for commercial use. Photosynth is a tool that lets users upload regular photos and then stitches those photos into 3-D scenes of whatever the photos depict. Our Greg Sterling has previously shown some Photosynth screenshots and called it [...]

• Yahoo Testing Favicons In Search Ads
  

  The Yahoo Search Blog announced they are now testing favorite icons (favicons) in the search ads. For example, a search for expedia may return an ad that shows Expedia.com’s favicon. Here is a picture:

  Why is Yahoo testing this? Yahoo said: Well, it’s just one more way for users to know they’re really [...]

• Successful SEM Means Original Thinking
  

  There are literally thousands of SEO blog posts made every day. Sometimes it is hard to sound original or write something remarkable, particularly if you spend too much time reading too narrowly. It sets in a sort of tunnel vision that makes you think it has all been done. As the web grows richer and [...]

• A Guide To Video Search Marketing For Small Businesses
  

  Search engines are pushing the universal search movement to evolve results into a multimedia-rich blend of images, maps, local and video. As a result, search engine algorithms will look more favorably on video content for the top spots on their result pages, meaning the opportunity for exposure increases for any video producer that is on [...]

• Dell Looking At Android For Netbook OS
  

  Android was intended from the outset to be an OS that could support devices beyond smartphones. And the fast-growing netbook market is one in which Android may see considerable adoption. The Wall Street Journal reports that Dell is considering building netbooks using the Android OS instead of Linux or Windows. The first netbook to use Android [...]

• Microsoft Aiming For ‘More Disruption’ In Search
  

  Next month Microsoft will relaunch its search engine or launch its new search engine (currently dubbed Kumo/Kiev) together with a new marketing campaign to promote it. The question on everyone’s minds is: will it change anything? Despite a range of efforts so far Redmond has not been able to boost its market share in search. Speaking [...]

• Search Marketing Industry Feeling 7% Unemployment?
  

  This morning, I posted the results of a poll I ran at the Search Engine Roundtable asking SEMs if they are currently employed. We received just about 400 responses, and from those responses we learned there is a 7% unemployment rate in the search marketing industry. The poll was far from a valid study, [...]

• Twitter Search To Crawl Links & Add Ranking Algorithm
  

  Cool changes coming to Twitter Search from News.com reports Twitter will be improving Twitter Search to index content beyond Twitter.com by crawling links within Twitter posts and also by adding a ranking algorithm to the search results. In a one-to-one conversation with News.com’s Rafe Needleman and Twitter’s new VP of Operations, Santosh Jayaram – who was [...]

• Google Analytics Adding Two Advanced Features
  

  Against the backdrop of this week’s eMetrics conference, Google has announced a pair of advanced features that are coming soon to Google Analytics. And they’re specifically warning that these are for advanced users. The first, Pivoting and Secondary Dimensions, is described this way: “You can use these new power features to do in-depth, on-the-fly analysis and see [...]

• Google Testifies Before Senate About State Of Journalism
  

  CNET reports on testimony provided by Google VP Marissa Mayer on the “Future of Journalism” during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. Defending against claims that Google “parasitically” makes money off the backs of print newspaper content, Mayer said: Google connects Internet users to [...]

• Previewing SMX London: The Speakers Speak!
  

  Still wondering whether to attend Search Marketing Expo London? Our speakers have been particularly enthusiastic about telling the world about the conference and what they plan to talk about. Here’s a roundup of what they’re looking forward to at SMX London on May 18-19. Each of the links below points to a blog post [...]

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• Student’s Wikipedia hoax quote used worldwide in newspaper obituaries, The Irish Times
• Google Gadget Porn Becomes an Issue, Search Engine Roundtable

Business Issues

• EPA investigating alleged Google chemical release, News.com
• Google: American phenomenon and antitrust target, Reuters
• Reducing our carbon footprint, Official Google Blog
• Google’s print mistake, Search Cowboys
• Google’s Strength May Be Part of Microsoft Defense Strategy, New York Times
• Interview: Mo Koyfman, Principal At Spark Capital, On Why Twitter Won’t Fail, paidContent.org
• Jack Ma’s Five-Year Plan, Forbes
• Should Google Move HQ to DC?, Marketing Pilgrim

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Advertising through Mobile Paid Search, Pay Per Call, LinkedIn, SageRock
• Google Ads in Some Google Earth Panoramio Placemarks, Google Earth Blog
• HelpHive Aims to be "Yelp for Home Services", Screenwerk
• How Google Maps Can Seriously Hurt Your Business, Search Engine Roundtable
• MSN revamps City Guides, LiveSide
• Optimize Your Mobile Website And Stop Losing Money!, The SEO Scoop

Link Building

• Link Building from A to Z, SEOmoz

Paid Search & Contextual

• Register for our next AdSense Optimization Webinar, Inside AdSense
• Tuning in to TV data, Official Google Blog
• 10 Important PPC Budget Management Tips That Really Work, Search Marketing Sage
• Google’s Call Tracking & Free 800#s Discontinued, Search Engine Roundtable
• Upcoming Budget Optimizer Changes, AdWords API Blog
• X Marks the Spot! How to Get Listed In Google Local Map Ads, PPC Hero

Searching

• Can you talk about the change in Google’s referrer string?, YouTube
• Did Google Scrape My Website? You Be The Judge., AgentGenius
• Measuring Google TV Advertising and Privacy, SEO By The Sea
• Three Reasons Why Twitter Will NOT Index the Links You Share, Read/Write Web

SEO & SEM

• 3 Ways Companies Sabotage Their SEO Investment, Online Marketing Blog
• Essential Press Release Optimization Tips, Online Marketing Blog
• How to Find a Great SEO Company, SEOptimise
• SEO Competition Report: Essential Checklist, Search Engine Journal

Social Media

• Mahalo Answers Is Hijacking Twitter Questions From IMshopping, TechCrunch
• Sort YouTube Results by Oldest, Google Operating System
• Twitter Just Made Its Email Notifications Much More Useful, TechCrunch
• Facebook Adds New Feed And Friend Filters, All Facebook
• Facebook’s E-mail Censorship is Legally Dubious, Experts Say, Wired
• FBController allows for hijacking of Facebook accounts, News.com
• FriendFeed is absorbing more Twitter users, and that’s good for Twitter, VentureBeat
• How To Make the DiggBar Work for You, 10e20 Blog
• How to Use Social Media Metrics, SEO.com
• Why I have quit Twitter, Bruceclay.com.au
• YouTube River Diverted Into The Google Social Ocean As Well, TechCrunch

Video, Music & Image Search

• Growing Pains for Online Video Chat, BusinessWeek
• Two Are Better Than One, YouTube Blog

Other Items

• What’s your Google story?, Official Google Blog

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

• Is Keyword Discovery Suggesting the Wrong Keywords?
• Bruce Clay: “How I Built My SEO Business”