With a final “fairness hearing” scheduled for February 18, the US Department Of Justice has filed briefs (PDF) in opposition to the Google Book Search Amended Settlement Agreement (“ASA”). The DOJ commends the parties for their efforts to reach an amended agreement that addresses some of the problems with the original settlement but concludes that […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: “Inkbait”: A Case Study In Linkability In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), the tactic known as “linkbait” is one of the few link building tactics the search engines embrace, […]
According to a hearsay report in Wired, Apple CEO Steve Jobs allegedly said the following at an internal town hall meeting for Apple employees coinciding with the launch of the iPad: We did not enter the search business, Jobs said. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Ballmer Blogs His Thoughts On Google, China Both current Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and former CEO Bill Gates have recently spoken out critically about Google’s stance on doing business in China. […]
Less than 24 hours after Apple announces the Apple iPad, Google announces improvements to the Google Books home page. The improvements include: You can now scroll through categories of books and magazines The My Library feature is now on the home page My Library selections can be kept private now You can now add one […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Docs Adds Files Storage, AKA GDrive The Google Docs blog announced a new feature that allows you to upload files and share those files with friends, co-workers and colleagues. Google […]
Germany’s justice minister accused Google of becoming a “giant monopoly” and threatening government action if it doesn’t become more transparent. According to a Reuters report over the weekend, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger shared her concerns about products like Google Earth and Google Books with the German magazine Der Spiegel: “All in all, what’s taking shape there to […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Caffeine Now Live On One Google Data Center As expected the Google Caffeine index is now live on one Google data center. Note, it will not be added to more […]
According to Reuters, French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said the European Union intends to develop a plan to offer a public and pan-European alternative to Google’s book scanning project. The French, among others, filed formal objections and opposition to the Google Book Search settlement with the court in New York this past September. An amended […]
Something’s up with Google’s Chrome operating system. Don’t know what, but we’ll all know soon as a press conference begins at 10AM Pacific. I’m coming at your live from the Googleplex. Buckle up, and we’ll see what’s happening. You can also watch from home. Webcast info is here. There will also be related coverage developing […]
As expected, a revised Google Book Settlement has been filed today — about as late as possible. The agreement narrows the scope to the US, UK, Canada and Australia. It alters how revenue generated by “unclaimed works” will be handled. It formally grants retailers who license out-of-print books covered by the settlement — including Google […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google, Book Search Partners Ask For Four More Days Today is the deadline for Google and its partners in the Google Book Search settlement to submit a new version of the […]
Today is the deadline for Google and its partners in the Google Book Search settlement to submit a new version of the settlement that satisfies the recent concerns laid out by the US Justice Department and others. But instead, as the New York Times reports, they’ve asked federal judge Denny Chin for an extension until […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How Google & Yahoo Make Money Off A Twitter Typo Domain Like many people, I misspelled a domain name today when I was trying to visit a web site. I typed […]
The clock is ticking: Google and the parties involved in the Book Search lawsuit settlement have one month from today — until November 9 — to revise the settlement and satisfy the recent objections from the US Justice Department and others. That may seem like an ambitious timeframe given the amount of objections the settlement […]
Google cofounder Sergey Brin and Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke today to a small gathering of reporters at Google’s New York office. Below, a live blog of the briefing. Note that I’ve tidied this up a bit since the briefing happened at 11am Eastern time. You’ll still find plenty of typos. I may try to […]
Now that Google Search Options has added new features, I thought it was a good time to revisit how everything works — and in some cases, doesn’t work. Let’s get up close and personal with all the filtering options! NOTE: See Meet The New Google Look & Its Colorful, Useful “Search Options” Column for important […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: How To Measure The Value Of A Fan Or Follower In Social Media It’s hard to justify the time spent on social media account management. But there are ways to measure […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Requests Hold On Book Settlement Hearings To Retool The Agreement In the wake of last Friday’s objections to the Google Book lawsuit settlement, Google along with the two other parties […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: Why DIY SEM Isn’t The Answer Everywhere you look today you can find books, television programs, and websites specializing in do-it-yourself. While this […]
As expected, the US Department Of Justice today has filed a list of objections and modifications it would like seen made in the proposed settlement to the Google Book Search lawsuit. It’s not saying that the settlement should go back to square one. In fact, it suggests that “momentum” potentially could be lost to improve […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Facebook’s Focus Is Friend Search; Bing ‘Sort Of’ Adds Value When it comes to search, Facebook’s focus was, is, and apparently always will be on the idea of “friend search.” That’s […]
Friday could be an important day in the ongoing battle over the Google Book Search settlement. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US Department of Justice is expected to announce its concerns over the proposed $125 million settlement of the lawsuit over Google’s scanning of copyrighted books and making them available online. The DOJ […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Schmidt: Someday, AdSense Publishers May Know Google’s Cut Of Ad Revenues How much money does Google keep back for itself from the AdSense ads it places on third party sites across […]
As the proposed Google Book Search lawsuit settlement is debated, I’ve read calls from various critics that everything should go back to “square one” for a solution. Would Google be willing to do this? Google CEO Eric Schmidt says he’s open to ideas, but none of the critics are putting forward new solutions that would […]
The big news is that Google has officially acquired reCAPTCHA. reCAPTCHA are those funny looking letters you see when you fill out forms, asking you to enter in the letters into a box, in order for you to validate that you are indeed a human. Why did Google buy them? Not for the CAPTCHA feature, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Fast Flip – Google’s Newspaper & Magazine Reader Goes Live The previously rumored Google news site “Flipper” is in fact launching today as “Fast Flip” in Google Labs. But maybe […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Why You Can’t Ignore The Google Content Network – AdSense Q&A Recently, on the Inside AdSense blog, Google announced that it was opening up the Content Network to even more third […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google: Bigger Is Better When It Comes To Search Boxes Fresh off of patenting its home page design, Google is throwing caution to the wind and messing with success: It’s making […]
The legal briefs were flying fast and furiously as all the interest groups, supporters and competitors rushed to meet a deadline for third parties to weigh in on the Google Book Search settlement. The NY Times quotes legal scholars who argue that the “quality” and volume of the filings in the case will make it […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Obama Praises Twitter, Google & Facebook — But Not Microsoft’s Xbox Does today’s speech from President Barack Obama to school children across the United States need any more controversy? Having listened […]
Google reportedly made a number of concessions to European officials concerned about the European implications of the Google Books Search settlement deal. The company is fighting on both sides of the Atlantic to gain regulatory and judicial acceptance of the deal previously announced, which has been criticized by a number of self-interested parties and legal […]
There is a much longer post to be written on Google’s privacy policies and its history of combatting or complying with government requests for information and those of third parties using the courts to get access to user data. But I’ll take two recent items to illustrate the complexity and potential contradictions here. Google was […]
Germany has joined the growing chorus of people, groups, and even nations that are against the proposed settlement of a lawsuit over Google’s scanning of copyrighted books and making them available online. The Wall Street Journal reports that the German government filed its opposition on Monday. The full filing appears to be available on Justia.com. […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Organizing Your PPC Account For Maximum Success Account organization is the first and most important step in the optimization process – it’s the foundation for success. Google News Gets Search Suggestions […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Still No. 1 Search Engine On Earth; Search Activity Way Up, comScore Says Search activity around the world jumped 41 percent between July 2008 and July 2009, and Google remains […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Continues With Fake Referrers: What Part Of Stop Don’t They Understand? For over two years now, Microsoft’s search engine has been generating fake information that can make site owners think […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: French Upset Over Google Library Deal, Lawyer-Author Files New Arguments Against Book Search Settlement It’s probably fair to say that the French have a love-hate relationship with American culture, companies and […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 3 Things I Learned About Business On My Summer Vacation …and how it relates to your business and your SEO. As I write this, I’m on vacation in the Russian River […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Geekynomics? Finding The Hidden Government Within Google’s Magic Money Machine Joseph Heath, a philosophy professor at the University of Toronto, has published the timely Filthy Lucre: Economics for People Who Hate […]