SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 1, 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:

• 
  Techmeme Launches Leaderboard
  This morning there was a ton of buzz about Techmeme launching the Techmeme Leaderboard. The leaderboard is now live at https://www.techmeme.com/lb and Gabe Rivera posted some insight on how it works….
• 
  FriendFeed: Easy Way To Track What Friends Doing On Social Web
  Service Helps Friends Share Their Online Discoveries from the New York Times reports on a new service named FriendFeed the enables friends easily keep track of what their friends are doing on the social web. FriendFeed was created by four former Googlers, Bret Taylor and Jim Norris who created Google…
• 
  SMX Social Media Conference Preview: Categorizing Social Media Sites
  Search Engine Land’s first Search Marketing Expo show focused on social media marketing, SMX Social Media, comes to New York on Oct. 16 & 17. I’m super-excited about the show, especially having the chance to stretch out with many sessions exploring how social media is as I wrote earlier this…
• 
  Educate Your Team: SEO Isn’t Voodoo
  In a recent project document floated my way, everyone’s role was listed with many sections explained in extreme detail—programmers were given explicit instructions on expected functionality, designers were shown painstakingly built visual mockups… and the section for search said, “Duane to cover SEO.” Basically, “Oh Shaman of search, work your…
• 
  Yahoo Launching “Blocked Domains” Feature For Advertisers
  As expected, Yahoo has just informed me that they will be launching a new advertiser feature named “Blocked Domains” this month. Blocked Domains will allow Yahoo advertisers to block their ads from showing on up to 250 domains within the Yahoo Publisher Network and distribution network….
• 
  IAC Hopes More iWon Giveways Will iWin New Searchers
  The iWon site has been relaunched with a new look and with the intention to give away more prizes. Barry Diller’s IAC revamps iWon.com from BusinessWeek details most of the changes, which include more “games, more prizes and plans to add social networking functions.” In addition, iWon will contain a…
• 
  Microsoft Office Live Workspace To Challenge Google Docs
  Microsoft announced the beta launch of Microsoft Office Live Workspace. This is Microsoft’s answer to Google Docs and will be a “web-based feature of Microsoft Office that enables people to access their documents online anywhere and easily share their work with others.” Microsoft is currently accepting beta testers over here…
• 
  Google’s Tips On How to Write a Good Meta Description
  The Google Webmaster Central Blog described what makes for a good meta description versus what makes for a bad meta description. Meta descriptions are a special tag that you place within the source code of your html page. They can be used by search engines for ranking purposes as well…
• 
  Google Expanding Engineering Staff In Europe
  Google Hiring Engineers Abroad from the New York Times reports Google is expanding their engineering base in Europe. They are hiring local engineers in Europe and outside of the U.S. in order to build out better products in those local markets. The report claims a Google spokesperson as saying Google…
• 
  Krillion Launches ‘Stock Check’ Inventory Info For Local Product Search
  Product search engine Krillion has launched a feature, called “Stock Check,” that enables consumers to see if products (starting with TVs) are in stores locally, buy them online and pick them up at a range of major U.S. retail chains, including Sears, Best Buy, Circuit City, and others. Krillion had…
• 
  How To Be The Elvis Of Linking
  Elvis Presley is credited with being one of the first pioneers of rock and roll. He launched his career in 1955 by popularizing black and bluegrass music and scandalized many with his suggestive pelvis moves. A lot of musicians have become famous since then, but none have defined rock…
• 
  Google StreetView Goes To London
  Google Maps is global, so why not Google StreetView as well? A London expansion is suggested by this image of one of the vehicles that takes the 360 degree street images. (Google has done some of the photography itself, but also uses partner Immersive Media in the U.S.). StreetView image…

Search News From Around The Web:

Applications & Portal Features

• "M" is for…mute, Official Gmail Blog
• Gmail Help Center Includes External Data Source, Gspy
• Sharable $user feeds, Google Mashup Editor Blog
• The Disjointed GDrive (or Where Do I Upload My Files?), Google Operating System
• Different Themes for Each iGoogle Tab, Google Operating System
• Google Fixes Gmail Cross-site Request Forgery Vulnerability, Netcraft
• Google Reader Suggest "Feed Bundles" to Users, ProBlogger

Business Issues

• Steve Jobs, Motivational Speaker For Yahoo, Gigaom
• LookSmart Closes Wisenut Search Engine, Search Engine Journal
• Does Google really take privacy seriously?, Googling Google
• Threats to Microsoft’s franchises multiply, Los Angeles Times
• Samsung CEO Yun Picks Google as New Role Model, The Korea Times
• Would-be politician fails in Yahoo! and Ask.com lawsuit, OUT-LAW.COM
• Yahoo to Provide Search Services To Telefonica Customers, Wall Street Journal
• Erik Selberg Leaves Microsoft Live, Joins Amazon, SEO By The Sea

Conferences

• Blogging From SMX Local And Mobile, Mike The Internet Guy

Local, Maps & Mobile

• Will A Google Phone Change The Game?, BusinessWeek
• Google’s Friends And Family Plan, Forbes
• Nokia Agrees to Acquire Navteq for $8.1 Billion, Wall Street Journal

Link Building

• How to Rent a Half Million Links, SEO Book
• Are search engines using link-data over time?, Joost de Valk
• Help! I’m New, I Need Links, What Can I Do?, The Link Spiel
• Buy Old Trusted DMOZ Listed Domains, SEO Book
• TNX.net Link Advertising Network, Search Engine Journal

Paid Search & Contextual

• AdWords Optimization Tips: Managing and Optimizing Bids, Inside AdWords
• Brief Account Outage Monday, Yahoo Publisher Network Blog
• Out-of-Context Ads Prove Effective, AdWeek
• YouTube offer Publishers AdSense Embedded Video Players, ProBlogger
• Google AdSense Expands Western Union Payment Option, Search Engine Roundtable
• Reviewing Google’s Top Ad Placement One Month Later, PPC Hero
• Some AdSense Publishers Can Get Paid After Being Banned, Search Engine Roundtable
• The US Dollar at Near Time Low: Impact on Google AdSense Publishers, Search Engine Roundtable
• Has Change In Google PPC Algorithm Created New Budget Busting Possibilities?, Search Engine Watch Blog

Searching

• Book Search: Back to School Edition, Inside Google Book Search
• Judging Tomorrow’s Technology with Today’s Behavior, Hakia Blog
• Out-Googling Google, a la Krugle, News.com
• Search has finally arrived!, Askville Blog
• Trouble finding My Askville in new navigation bar?, Askville Blog
• Yahoo tops Google in quality of searches, study says, ComputerWorld
• oneSearch expands to Europe and LatAm, Yodel Anecdotal
• Plug To Be Finally Pulled On Findory, TechCrunch
• Does Blended Search, User Type Change Compete’s Data?, BruceClay.com
• Why Index Size is Important, Search Engine Watch Blog

SEO & SEM

• News sitemaps for publishers around the world, Google News Blog
• How to Crawl the Web like Slurp, How to Block Such Scrapers, and Explaining Weird Slurp Requests, eKstreme.com
• The Top 10 List For Finding A Competent Plumber — or SEO, Bob Massa
• Breaking Down Silos: Specialization With Integration, Search Engine Watch
• How Has The Regionalization of Results Affected Multi-Language and Geolocation Websites?, Search Engine Roundtable
• Search Engines, Classifications, and Assignment of Categories, SEO By The Sea
• Yahoo! Is the Most Fulfilling Search Engine?, SEOmoz
• Brand New Websites: A Search Engine Optimization Company Perspective, Search Engine Guide
• How to Optimize for MSN, Search Engine Guide

Social Media

• Facebook’s Killer Feature Coming Soon, The Unofficial Facebook Blog
• Payloads for Twitter, Scripting News
• Techmeme Leaderboard To Launch, Attacking Technorati’s Last Stronghold, TechCrunch
• A Proper Goodbye for the login page faces!, Orkut Blog
• Zannel: Twitter With Pictures And Video, TechCrunch

Video, Music & Image Search

• All Videos Uploaded by a Google Video User, Google Operating System
• TV Guide cuts clutter with online video service, Reuters

Other Items

• Google Search downtime low in Brazil, News.com
• GoogleAppsApis.com – 3DMaptour.com: New – Transferred Domains from Google and Microsoft, ResourceShelf
• U.S. Fares Poorly in Google Downtime Study, eWeek
• Google’s Secret Sauce, Google Operating System
• Google is big man on and off campus, Los Angeles Times
• Google’s New Ad Platform Gets Cool Reception At NAB, MediaWeek
• Yahoo Animated Logo Honors Breast Cancer Awareness, Search Engine Journal
• Bank at Google?, News.com
• Discussion with Dr. Prabhakar Raghavan, Head of Research at Yahoo, Search Engine Journal
• Google Groups suffers spam onslaught, SEOptimise
• Immersive Media announces termination of content licence deal with Google, The Canadian Press

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