SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 7, 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 Destination Points From Google Maps To Your GPS Device
  The Google Blog just posted that BMW automotive in Germany is now supporting integration with Google Maps. What this means is that you can “send” a destination point from Google Maps directly to your BMW. Currently, it is only supported with some BMW GPS devices in Germany. If you are…
• 
  Reducing Barriers To Online Registration
  Many b-to-b search advertising campaigns are designed to generate online leads. Typically a company’s search ad promotes a specific resource or downloadable asset. Searchers clicking on an ad are presented with a highly tailored landing page that includes a registration form which must be completed in order to receive…
• 
  Strictly Business: New Column From Search Engine Land
  Our newest Search Engine Land column, Strictly Business, launches today. Strictly Business will appear on Wednesdays, covering business-to-business (b-to-b) search marketing, focusing on both organic listings and paid search issues. Strictly Business is a sister column to Small Is Beautiful, a column focusing on search marketing for small businesses….
• 
  SuperPages Upgrades Mapping With Virtual Earth
  Local search and directory site SuperPages.com has upgraded its mapping functionality, adding a range of sharing and personalization features built on top of the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform. SuperPages’ chief online yellow pages competitor, YellowPages.com also uses Virtual Earth….
• 
  Link Count Updates At Google & Yahoo Search
  This morning I reported that both Yahoo and Google are updating the number of links they account for each site. Yahoo! Search Link Update shows a number of webmasters reporting both increases and decreases in the number of links Yahoo is reporting at their Site Explorer Tool. Google Link Update…
• 
  Friendster Partners With Google & Drops Yahoo
  Friendster makes Google its ad and search supplier at Reuters reports that social networking site, Friendster, has selected Google to power their search and ads on their site. The financial terms have not been disclosed but we do know Google services will be added within the “second quarter of 2007.”…
• 
  My Yahoo Update Coming In “Few Weeks”
  PC World reports that My Yahoo will be launching an updated version within a few weeks. The reports do not specify exactly what we will see from the upgrade, but I am suspecting we may just see an enhanced RSS reader built into the portal….
• 
  YouTube Blocked In Turkey
  Turkish Court Orders YouTube Blocked at Forbes.com reports a court order has been submitted to block YouTube in Turkey. The reason was because a video was found insulting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Head of Turk Telekom said they have begun enforcing the ban immediately. Philipp Lenssen…
• 
  Yahoo China Sued For Linking To Unlicensed Music
  Yahoo! China sued for alleged copyright breach at Reuters reports that Yahoo China has been sued by Warner Music Group Corp. and other music giants for linking to “unlicensed music.” The case was filed in early January by “11 companies and seeks damages of 5.5 million yuan ($710,686).” In November…
• 
  Ask.com’s CEO, Jim Lanzone, Calls Yahoo Paid Inclusion “Hypocritical”
  In a comment left at the Stepforth blog, Jim Lanzone, Ask.com’s CEO, has said that he considers paid inclusion a “dis-service”. Jim explains that he finds it “hypocritical to charge for something we need to do anyway,” i.e. crawl the web to find quality pages to present to the searcher….
• 
  Version 5 Of Google Desktop Released
  Google Desktop has released a version five with new features and updates. Kevin Tom, Product Manager of Google Desktop, explains that they added: A new sidebar with “completely new look and feel.” A gadget redesign to make them “easy to tell apart, easy to read, and easy on the eyes.”…
• 
  Search Engine Land Reader Survey: We Have A Winner!
  Thanks to all of you who completed the first Search Engine Land reader survey! We’re still tallying up the results, but here are a couple of top-line stats you may find interesting: Nearly 30% of you work at a search engine marketing firm or full-service advertising agency; more than 25%…

Search News Headlines From Elsewhere

Applications, Toolbars, & Gadgets:

• Google helps
  terabyte data swaps, BBC NEWS

• Better
  branding part II, Google Custom Search

• Feedable Public Beta,
  Feedable
• Briefs:
  AddThis.com, UClue Launches; One Button Access to Many Social Bookmarking
  Services; Splashcast Update, ResourceShelf

• Super-Close
  Google Maps Zooms, Google Blogoscoped

Business Issues:

• Yahoo
  to run on millions of Windows Mobile phones, Reuters.com
• Yahoo
  Could Seek More Than Ads From Papers, Editor & Publisher
• Google
  on a search for engineers in China, International Herald Tribune
• Yahoo’s
  Ad-System Update Is Lifting Morale at Company, But Isn’t Boosting
  Revenue, WSJ.com
• Google
  Chief Defends Media Tactics, Wall Street Journal
• Google
  continues to show private data, AsiaMedia
• Google Hires
  “Analytics Evangelist”, Search Engine Watch Blog
• Yahoo
  HotJobs needs Craigslist to fill hot jobs at Yahoo, Digital Markets
• Search
  Ads Displace Yellow Pages, RED HERRING
• Mark
  Cuban’s Magnolia Pictures Subpoenas Google over Pirated Videos, Google
  Watch
• Google,
  Old Media Diverge on Video, WSJ.com

Paid Search:

• AdWords
  Editor V3 now Available for MAC, eWhisper.net
• Google AdWords
  Qualified Professionals Valid For Two Years, Search Engine Roundtable
• Search Traffic
  and Web Analytics: Easy Answers, Hard Lessons, ClickZ
• Wysi-what?,
  Inside AdSense
• A
  handy tool for troubleshooting account behavior, Inside AdWords Blog

SEO & SEM:

• Verify The Bots
  Accessing Your Site: Is Google.com Sending That GoogleBot?, Search
  Engine Roundtable
• Google
  Plus: A Sign Of The Future of Search, It’s The ROI
• Google
  KILLS Vanessa Fox, David Naylor
• Which
  Is Better For SEO: Shared or Dedicated IPs, Bruceclay.com
• Flash Implementation
  Tips, Ramblings About SEO
• SEO Clinic : TechSmith
  Screen Capture & Recording Software, Search Engine Journal
• How
  Does 6 SEOs Miss The Obvious?, Half’s SEO Notebook
• SEO
  for Firefox Updated, SEO Book.com
• Traffic
  & Link Building With Flickr, Cartoon Barry

Other Stuff:

• Brewster
  Kahle to Discuss “Universal Access to Human Knowledge” During Live
  Webcast, ResourceShelf
• New
  Research Papers from Google Labs, ResourceShelf
• Podcast:
  AdWords, Yahoo Directory Tag, Google Update, Ask.com Update, PPC Legal
  Issues, Microsoft adCenter & More, Search Pulse
• Searching
  for Michael Jordan? Microsoft Wants a Better Way, New York Times
• Google
  Earth Resume, Google Blogoscoped
• Google
  heard Aaron Stanton, Googling Google
• Interview
  with Donna Fontenot of SEO-Scoop, Viper Chill
• LookSmart
  Goes Offline, Search Engine Watch Blog
• February
  Search Market Share: Live Search is on the move, Compete.com Blog