MSN Readies New Blogging Service December 1, 2004

 

China 'blocks Google news site' December 1, 2004

 

The BBC News website is reporting that China has blocked access to Google News.

Yet strangely enough, a search on Google News for "China" shows no such news.

Must be a conspiracy. You didn't read it here.

 

What Are The Greatest SEO Myths? December 1, 2004

 

An amusing and interesting read on the Search Engine Roundtable - a list of the greatest SEO myths of all time.

 

Coming soon: Google TV? December 2, 2004

 

ZDNet are reporting that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are all working on new search tools for digital video. No great surprise there, but according to the article, Google's plans are the most ambitious and extensive.

"According to sources familiar with the plan, the search giant is courting broadcasters and cable networks with a new technology that would do for television what it has already done for the Internet: sort through and reveal needles of video clips from within the haystack archives of major network TV shows."

 

Google Tells Us that PageRank is for Entertainment Purposes Only December 2, 2004

 

According to an item on the Search Engine Roundtable, Google have described the PageRank displayed in the Google Toolbar as being "for entertainment purposes only".

The claim is as yet unconfirmed, but personally I hope it's true. The sooner people start worrying less about their PageRank and more about their content the better all round.

 

Utility to check MSN Beta rankings December 2, 2004

 

If I was a betting man, I'd probably consider placing some money on MSN's Beta being the Search Engine most likely to worry Google right now.

But anyone who writes about "probably considering" placing a bet clearly doesn't have their heart in it, right?

Either way, this is a useful tool to see where your site ranks for different keywords in the new MSN engine.

 

Japan sentences web film pirate December 2, 2004

 

The BBC News website is reporting that a Japanese businessman has been sentenced to one year in jail for making a pirated film available on the internet.

Let's hope that this is the beginning of a trend.

 

Kazaa trial kicks off with a bang December 2, 2004

 

I.T.Vibe are reporting that the trial of Sharman Networks, the company behind the Kazaa peer to peer app, has now begun.

"Kazaa accounts for around 3 billion file transfers a month. These files can be in many formats including audio, video and images. Although the Kazaa license agreement makes users promise not to share copyrighted files on the Kazaa network, Sharman Networks appear to be powerless to implement such an agreement.

The result is that many millions of copyrighted works are shared on Kazaa every month. Sharman Networks however believe that they cannot be held responsible for this, in much the same way that video recorder manufacturers are not responsible for what their customers record with their products."

 

Pupils to get anti-piracy lessons December 2, 2004

 

The BBC News website is running an intriguing article on how lessons on music piracy and copyright issues are to be taught to 11 to 14 year olds in the UK.

Aside from irrefutable proof that the world really has changed since I went to school, the move also suggests open and official recognition of the seriousness of these issues to the future of the industry.

In my opinion this may be the start of finally tackling the problem head on. Legislation alone simply isn't enough. You need education too.

 

Getting it wrong - AllPosters.com December 3, 2004

 

We recently spent a number of hours (yes I did say a number of hours) choosing some prints and frames for our new home from AllPosters.com.

We found the website through Google (where else?), and were impressed by their extensive range and framing options. As the prices were in UK Pounds, we assumed that this was a UK based store. Big mistake.

We wanted to spend around £250 or so (around $500), and spent a lot of time choosing the prints and framing options. When we finally got to the payment page, we then saw that our order consisted of £240 worth of pictures and frames, and £206 for shipping! A slight shock.

Having the prices displayed in a visitor's local currency isn't a bad idea, but you need to be careful.

If you're basing this on an IP address, this may be incorrect. In the past our company had to use a 2-way satellite connection whose IP address indicated that we were in Germany, even though we were in the UK.

If the amount displayed is an "illustrative approximation", then the visitor may end up somewhat peed off.

And another risk is that the visitor may assume that you're based in their country.

If they're downloading the software, then it doesn't matter. But if there's a chance that delivery charges will significantly increase the price, then be up front about it. If AllPosters.com are clever enough to show me their prices in my local currency, why can they not advise me of the shipping charges from the outset?

AllPosters.com wasted many hours of our time, and as a buyer with a blog, I won't be forgetting it in a hurry!

 

Separation of content and advertising December 3, 2004

 

DMNews are reporting that Forbes.com have "quietly removed paid advertiser links in its news stories after objections from its editorial staff."

 

MSN launch blog service December 3, 2004

 

Microsoft have launched a beta of their MSN Spaces service.

Now begins a good time for the consumer.

 

GoogleGuy Claims PageRank Statement to be False December 3, 2004

 

Search Engine Roundtable are (sadly) reporting that yesterday's quote from a supposed Google representative, stating that PageRank is for entertainment purposes only, has been refuted.

 

Musicians 'upbeat' about the net December 6, 2004

 

The BBC News website are reporting that musicians are starting to embrace the web.

The article suggests that the ignorance demonstrated by the leaders of the industry doesn't always trickle down:

"The study by US researchers, Pew Internet, suggests musicians do not agree with the tactics adopted by the music industry against file-sharing.

While most considered file-sharing as illegal, many disagreed with the lawsuits launched against downloaders."

 

Blogs May Be a Wealth Hazard December 6, 2004

 

Wired News are reporting that "the rise of blogging over the past few years has, inevitably, given way to another phenomenon, as companies are forced to confront employees' easy access to ranting and raving about work in public online forums like Blogger and LiveJournal."

Personally I don't get it. For as long as groups of people have been engaged in business, there have been people within their ranks who've had the tendency to publicly say things they shouldn't.

The only thing that's really changed is the ease of drawing attention to themselves.

If you've been running a blog of your own for any amount of time, you'll already know that just pushing it out there doesn't guarantee success. You have to actively draw people in, and give them enough of what they want to make sure they come back. And it's often easier said than done.

Ellen Simonetti, the former flight attendant for Delta Airlines, lost her job as a result of her blog, and others will doubtless follow in her path.

But didn't Delta realise that her blog only became massively popular as a result of their own actions? What were they thinking?

The web presents many opportunities and threats to all businesses, irrespective of size. Yet despite it's continued growth and popularity, there are many who don't yet fully understand what it's all about. People fear what they don't understand.

 

Internet Radio Advertising to Increase Tenfold by 2009 December 6, 2004

 

ClickStats are reporting that advertising on online radio websites is set to grow 56 percent annually over the next five years.

"This year, a total of $30 million will be spent on banner ad placements and $4.5 million on streaming audio ads across online radio sites. Combined, that amounts to roughly $35 million, or 0.3 percent of the $10.5 billion projected to be spent on Internet advertising in 2004."

 

VeriSign Domain industry report: Domain registration hits record levels December 6, 2004

 

The Domain Names Net are reporting that Verisign have released their Domain Name Industry Brief for Q3 2004:

"According to the report, 5.1 million new domain names were registered in the third quarter of 2004, representing the highest quarterly growth in Internet history. In total, worldwide domain name registrations reached a record high of 66.3 million domain names. Other important trends in Internet usage continued at strong levels, including renewal rates and the percentage of domain names associated with Web sites."

The report also points out, under growth opportunities:

"The domain name industry is experiencing a revival in value of domain names for the communications traffic they generate. The PPC advertising market is driving much of this domain registration growth."

 

Google Groups new features December 7, 2004

 

It looks as though Google have now implemented their BETA version of Google Groups.

New features include the ability to join groups, track favourite topics and create your own groups.

 

Firefox users ignore online ads, report says (?) December 7, 2004

 

An article on CNET's News.com is claiming that IE users are "at least four times as likely to click on Web ads than Firefox users".

The article is based on research carried out by a German advertising company.

The main reason cited for is the "different surfing habits" of Firefox and IE users.

But this is where it starts to get a little strange:

"Adtech's findings could have significant implications for the online-advertising market. It may be bad news for sites that rely on online advertising, because as the number of Firefox users grows, those sites may get lower click-through rates."

Surely the only reason for the "trend" is that Firefox users are almost certain to be more web-savvy, and therefore less likely to click on ads.

So why is the article writing about these people as though they're a new market or user group?

We all know that there are lies, damned lies and statistics. But all, apparently, may be used to support ill thought-out ideas.

 

New MSN Messenger BETA December 7, 2004

 

MSN's new Messenger BETA is out, with surprisingly few new features of interest:

"Winks: Express yourself with impact. Send animations with sound to really get some attention.

Drag and Drop Backgrounds: See an image you like? Drag it to your MSN Messenger window to set it as your background.

Set Status Before Logon: See who's online before others know you've logged in by setting your status! Subsequent logons can start you up in stealth mode.

Send Feedback: Tell us what you think. Send the MSN Messenger team feedback right from the MSN Messenger Help menu."

I was expecting much more.

 

Anti-spam screensaver scrapped December 7, 2004

 

The BBC News website is reporting that Lycos Europe's "Make Love, Not Spam" campaign has been dropped.

The campaign was based around the idea of flooding spammer's sites with data.

"Lycos has shut down the campaign saying it had been started to stimulate debate about anti-spam measures and had now achieved this aim."

Of course.

 

Citysearch Starts Pay For Call Ad Service December 7, 2004

 

From DMNews:

"Citysearch said yesterday it has begun offering advertisers the opportunity to pay for consumer phone calls, rather than clicks to Web sites.

Called PFP-Calls, the new Citysearch ad product charges merchants when a searcher calls a toll-free number that is routed to their business phone. Citysearch has contracted with Cirxit, a Silicon Valley-based Web telephony company."

 

Windows 2000 to get its last major update December 7, 2004

 

Microscope are reporting that Windows 2000 will not be receiving a fifth service pack, but will be issued with a single security update:

"Nick McGrath, head of platform strategy at Microsoft, said the update would be the last patch bundle for Windows 2000. After its release, McGrath said, "There will only be hot-fix releases."

Microsoft said SP4 would be the final service pack for Windows 2000."

 

One AdWords Advertiser Per Landing Page December 7, 2004

 

Search Engine Roundtable are reporting that Google may be changing their AdWords policy:

"Google is going to restrict the number of affiliates that can send traffic to the same place (tracking/affiliate code not counted)."

 

The Windows Feedback Panel December 8, 2004

 

"We are committed to making the Windows experience better for you. A lot of our efforts focus on engaging with customers in focus groups, surveys, usability studies, and visits to customers' homes and workplaces. Even with all these activities, we believe we have an opportunity to do more. For that reason, we created the Windows Feedback Panel Program. It's an exciting new way for us to get feedback from you so we can produce software based on your needs. With this program, we are getting our customers even more actively involved in helping to create the world's best software."

 

Last Updated: Tuesday, 7 December, 2004, 09:06 GMT December 8, 2004

 

The BBC News website has written how different the web looks than it did 10 years ago.

"Back in 1994, Yahoo had only just launched, most websites were text-based and Amazon, Google and eBay had yet to appear.

But, says usability guru Dr Jakob Nielsen, some things have stayed constant in that decade, namely the principles of what makes a site easy to use.

Dr Nielsen has looked back at a decade of work on usability and considered whether the 34 core guidelines drawn up back then are relevant to the web of today.

"Roughly 80% of the things we found 10 years ago are still an issue today," he said."

 

Google Plans Flashier Image Ads December 8, 2004

 

From DMNews.com:

"Google will test animated ads through its AdSense network, the search company said yesterday.

The animated image ads will appear shortly on Web sites that opted to display Google's graphical ad units, which the company introduced in May. Until now, Google has allowed advertisers to use only static banner ads. A test group will run animated GIF files, though Google said it would keep its maximum file size for image ad units at 50 kilobytes."

This one took me by surprise. Not that they're allowing such a thing, but that it took them so long to do so.

The question is whether the AdSense publishers will be allowed to choose between static and animated options.

 

Google Now Indexing Up to Six Url Variables December 8, 2004

 

The Search Engine Roundtable are reporting that Google have been "pushing the envelope in terms of spidering URLs that contain more than 5 variables and up to 6 variables in most cases."

 

Search sites get closer to users December 9, 2004

 

The BBC News website are reporting on attempts by some search engines to get to know their users better.

"Not content with providing access to the millions of websites, many now offer ways that do a better job of remembering, cataloguing and managing all the information you come across."

I don't agree with the idea. I think that this is a classic scenario of the developers not understanding the needs of the users.

I don't believe that many people using a search engine will be particularly interested in remembering their past searches, or their past search results.

Why should they?

This same concept applies perfectly to software as well.

I've seen too many applications with features that no user will ever be interested in. The ability to put a feature into an application doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do. Too many features (and too many unwanted features) just contribute to feature bloat and confusion. Not only do they fail to make an application stronger, they may even make it weaker.

AskJeeves may be very proud of this feature, but have a look how much traffic they're sending your website compared to Google, MSN Search and Yahoo.

 

Wal-Mart's web store crashes December 9, 2004

 

Microscope are reporting that Wal-Mart's online store crashed yesterday, two days after the Amazon.com site also encountered performance problems.

It's all about timing.

 

Link Building with Landing Pages: a basic guide December 9, 2004

 

There's an interesting discussion going on at the SearchEngineWatch forum about the link building issues associated with landing pages:

"When seeking links to their sites, some webmasters make the mistake of thinking that everything has to point to their index page, or else that they need to spread a lot of links around a lot of different product pages. In such instances, these webmasters are overlooking the clear efficiencies of Landing Pages for their link building programs."

 

SEO Tools December 9, 2004

 

SEOSurvey have some useful tools for anyone involved in SEO.

There are tools for site analysis, link analysis, keyword difficulty, rank checking and more.

 

Pricing Policy: Seven Factors to Consider December 9, 2004

 

ClickZ Experts are running a well rounded article on pricing.

Like many of the ClickZ articles, if you manage to filter out the padding and corporate-speak, there are some good ideas there.

Let me rephrase that, so you don't need to filter out the facts from the diplomacy. There's a lot of waffle, and the author tries too hard to sound corporate and clever. But it's still a worthwhile read.

"Marketers too often underestimate the strategic importance of pricing. As a result, they don't optimize revenue potential. To avoid this, examine your offering's benefits, both tangible and intangible, in fulfilling the consumer's specific needs. Consider how you can move your product from generic, including only its core physical attributes, to augmented, including additional features to enhance the offering and enabling you to charge more. In doing so, be careful how customers perceive the offering."

 

At home with the brave December 10, 2004

 

Is it just me, or is this going a little too far? From the Microsoft website, under "at home: better living in the digital world":

"This show captures the emotional stories of three surprise home makeovers for soldiers returning from Iraq for a holiday reunion with their families. Shot in small towns across America, At Home with the Brave will show how neighbors and communities joined together to make these makeovers possible and spread cheer."

Am I missing something, or is this a little odd and tasteless?

 

Yahoo to begin testing desktop search in January December 10, 2004

 

"Yahoo Inc. said on Thursday it will begin testing a free desktop search service in early January, following rivals hoping to extend the reach of wildly profitable search-related advertising.

Desktop search, which helps excavate information buried on computer hard drives, is seen as the next frontier in the booming search sector that has generated billions in revenues from ads generated by Web search queries."

One more in the club then.

 

A Review of Trademark Infringement in Meta Tags - Is It Possible? December 10, 2004

 

The Search Engine Roundtable are running an interesting article on the issue of trademark infringement in META tags.

It's a complicated subject, and my completely unfounded gut instinct is that it's something that may eventually affect all of us. Eventually. Right now though, it's somewhat of a grey area.

The article, as is typical in all things legal, clarifies some issues but raises many more. Well worth a read though.

 

PPC Search Copywriting Strategies, Part 1 December 10, 2004

 

One of the ClickZ Experts has written an introduction to PPC copywriting.

It's a little basic, but is only the first part. More to come later.

"Search engine copywriting is an art. It may not seem possible to pack creativity and strategy into such short headlines and descriptions, but copy is a tool you need to win the search marketing wars."

 

BoingBoing publishes web stats December 10, 2004

 

BoingBoing, allegedly "one of" the most popular blogs on the web, are now publishing their online statistics.

Aside from the nosey thrill of poring through someone else's stats, there are some interesting trends in there.

1,182,402 unique visitors in November is fairly impressive, but I can't copy and paste their top performing keyphrases used on search engines here.

 

Firefox surpasses 10 million download mark December 13, 2004

 

CNET's News.com are reporting that Firefox has passed the 10 million downloads mark, in little less than a month since it was released.

"The free Web browser from the Mozilla Foundation surpassed 10 million downloads on Saturday as Web surfers continue to move away from Microsoft's market-dominating IE. The milestone highlights growing frustration with the security vulnerabilities that have dogged IE during the past few months. Nearly two dozen holes in the Web browser have been discovered during the fall, ranging in degrees of seriousness."

 

WinFS slips out of Windows Server schedule December 13, 2004

 

ZDNet UK are reporting that it may be years before WinFS finds its way into Windows Server.

""We've been working on this for a long time, and this team is going to deliver," he said. "Our mistake, frankly -- and it was a mistake -- was to go out and talk about it before we really had clarity as to how we would be able to deliver it and all the complexities there.""

 

Adobe- moving ahead by exploiting the strategic role of the document in the FS sector December 13, 2004

 

IT-Analysis.com have an article on Adobe's efforts to develop and refine the changing role of the document.

It's a classic example of how the primary aim of the software has evolved with time. The final product itself is more or less unchanged, but the focus of the features has grown around the needs of the users themselves.

 

Eight Months of Click Fraud in Oregon December 13, 2004

 

ClickZ News are reporting on another Click Fraud horror story. This time the victim used a company specialising in "preventing, detecting, and eliminating click-fraud".

"For his part, Hendison took the additional step of reporting the incident with documentation to both Google and Overture, asking for reimbursement. He estimates he was reimbursed for 95 percent of the fraudulent click charges by Overture. He was reimbursed for only 50 percent of the charges by Google, which he said took longer to get back to him, and later contested whether what looked like minimal traffic qualified for click fraud at all."

 

People Aged 55 and Up Drive U.S. Web Growth December 13, 2004

 

According to ClickZ Stats:

"Young people largely drove the early stages of Internet growth in the U.S. But in the last four years, most new growth in Web adoption came from people aged 55 and up."

 

Windows Marketplace - no hype? December 14, 2004

 

There seemed to be a lot of hype about the Windows Marketplace before it launched, but things appear to have gone a little quiet right now.

Why so little hype at what should be the busiest time of the year?

 

Microsoft Debut Desktop Search Tool December 14, 2004

 

A beta of Microsoft's much-anticipated desktop search tool was launched yesterday:

"Three search toolbars make searching quicker and easier

Desktop Search finds things on your computer, fast

Automatic form fill manages personal information and passwords

Pop-up Blocker prevents bothersome advertisements

Highlight helps skim through result pages"

 

SEMPO: Advertisers Use Search for Branding December 14, 2004

 

From DMNews:

"A survey of search engine advertisers found that the No. 1 objective for their search marketing programs is building brand awareness, rather than generating sales.

In the survey, carried out by the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization, 61 percent of respondents said increasing brand awareness of products was an objective of their paid placement campaigns. The response narrowly beat sales and lead generation. The survey, conducted by IntelliSurvey, polled 288 search advertisers and agencies."

 

Google to digitize millions of books December 14, 2004

 

From Yahoo! News:

"Google is launching an ambitious effort to make digital copies of some of the world's largest university library collections and will incorporate the texts into its vast Web index, apparently the largest project of its kind ever attempted.

The project is another manifestation of the company's oft-stated goal to "organize all the world's information," Google representatives said, reflecting Google's ambition to cast itself as the most authoritative search engine."

 

Generic Search Terms Drive Most Buying December 14, 2004

 

According to an article on the ClickZ network, a new study suggests that the majority of consumers make purchases after searching for general terms:

"Conventional search marketing wisdom holds that searchers are more likely to use brand- or product-specific keywords as they grow closer to making a purchase, but the study finds that 83 percent of consumers start their search process with a generic term and only a relatively small percentage later refine their searches with a product-specific query."

Just when you think you were starting to understand consumer behaviour...

 

Buzz-Informed Predictions for 2005 December 14, 2004

 

Pete Blackshaw has written his predictions for 2005, including "predictable slew of fashionably righteous articles de-hyping and pooh-poohing all things blog related", free wireless access and branded silence!

It makes an entertaining read.

ASP members will receive my predictions for 2005 in the January ASPects issue. The excitement must be excrutiating.

 

Government calls for tighter home PC security December 14, 2004

 

Vnunet.com are reporting that the UK Government has called for home computer users to tighten their security.

Regular readers of this blog will already know that I consider security to be an increasing concern for almost home users and businesses alike.

A few years ago, the novice PC user was a little oblivious to the security risks of being online, while the technical user was confident that their anti-virus app and firewall kept their systems safe.

Today the novice is totally bewildered by an endless list of viruses, threats, worms, vulnerabilities, security scares, browser weaknesses and patches. More importantly, many technically advanced users don't feel as confident as they used to. I consider myself to be reasonably technical, yet the past year has seen so many flaws and vulnerabilities in software, browsers and operating systems that I nowadays assume that I'm only safe until the next weakness is discovered.

It's a very serious threat that affects all consumers, but the important point is that it can very easily be turned into an opportunity for the software company with a little vision.

People are looking for a safe, reliable and trustworthy single solution for all their security needs. Someone needs to fill this gap.

 

Download.com publish Upload.com changes December 15, 2004

 

CNET's Download.com have published details of changes to their subscription model:

We have changed the name of the Silver listings package to Premium and now will ensure a two-hour response time to all customer-service inquiries between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday.

You now have the option to pay either on a monthly or an annual basis for both the Basic and Premium listings packages. This gives you more billing-cycle flexibility and lets you easily test the performance of more of your products in our directory.

Want to know more about your trial users? Now you can sign up for Customer Registration Services, powered by our partner Protexis, at the same time you sign up for your listings package, creating a simplified purchasing process as well as a unified billing cycle.

We have changed Basic listings from a multiple pay-per-submission fee to a single paid subscription service to provide free hosting and free product updates.

 

PC ownership to 'double by 2010' December 15, 2004

 

The BBC News website is reporting that the number of personal computers worldwide is expected to double by 2010.

"The growth will be driven by emerging markets such as China, Russia and India, the report predicted.

More than a third of all new PCs will be in these markets, with China adding 178 million new PCs by 2010, it said."

 

Ask Jeeves Joins Battle for Desktop December 15, 2004

 

DMNews are reporting that Ask Jeeves have also joined the ranks of search engine offering to spider our desktops:

"For now, the economic rationale of desktop search is unclear. Google, Yahoo and MSN representatives have said their products will drive consumer loyalty, which will bring financial benefits through more clicks on paid listings. Ask Jeeves will not show paid listings for desktop searches, though the tool can be used for Web queries, which carry advertiser links from Ask Jeeves' partner Google."

 

Microsoft issues five bulletins on Windows flaws December 15, 2004

 

From InfoWorld:

"Microsoft on Tuesday released five Security Bulletins warning of several vulnerabilities that put computers running Windows at risk of attack."

 

What's Next for Google? December 15, 2004

 

TechnologyReview.com have an interesting article on the future of Google:

"Google now faces choices as fundamental as those Netscape faced in 1995. Google, whose headquarters in Mountain View, CA - familiarly called the Googleplex - is only five kilometers from Netscape's former home, needn't perish as Netscape did, but it could.

Despite everything Google has - the swelling revenues, the cash from its initial public offering, the 300 million users, the brand recognition, the superbly elegant engineering - its position is in fact quite fragile. Google's site is still the best Web search service, and Gmail, its new Web-based e-mail service, Google Desktop, its desktop search tool, and Google Deskbar, its toolbar, are very cool. But that's all they are.

As yet, nothing prevents the world from switching (painlessly, instantly) to Microsoft search services and software, particularly if they are integrated with the Microsoft products that people already use."

 

Google Finds Big ROI Jump for Content Ads December 16, 2004

 

From DMNews:

"Advertisers participating in Google's contextual advertising network have seen a 50 percent increase in their return on investment in the past year, the company said yesterday.

The Mountain View, CA, search giant conducted a study with Atlas DMT that examined conversion data culled from Google's free conversion tool for advertisers and those using Atlas to track conversions.

Google said the research showed a 50 percent jump in ROI in 2004, based on cost per conversion, compared to 2003. The average amount of money spent by those clicking on content ads has risen 70 percent over the same period, the company said."

 

Google Wins Trademark Victory Over GEICO December 16, 2004

 

Finally, a common sense legal ruling in the GEICO vs. Google case.

From Reuters:

"A federal judge on Wednesday handed online search engine Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) a victory in a trademark infringement case on Wednesday, ruling that when users searched for insurer GEICO, Google could display rivals as well."

 

AskJeeves attempt to strengthen position December 16, 2004

 

AskJeeves is allegedly attempting to strengthen its search engine by offering features found elsewhere in its online network.

Too little too late?

I remember when AskJeeves was an interesting idea. These were the days when advanced use of many of the search engines was a technical process, using Boolean operators and complex formatting options.

In retrospect, I think they missed the opportunity, and I can't see this changing anything at all.

When will the "other" search engines realise that the main reason Google are so popular is because of their search system?

 

Redirects and/or rewriting December 16, 2004

 

SearchEngineRoundtable have an interesting summary of a presentation on the issue of redirects and rewriting.

The panel included Bruce Clay, Matt Bailey and others.

The writing style makes it hard to read, but there are some useful nuggets of information in there.

 

Symantec in $13bn Veritas merger December 17, 2004

 

The BBC News website are reporting that Symantec are taking over Veritas Software in a merger deal valued at $13.5bn.

"A statement from Symantec said: "The combined company will be uniquely positioned to deliver information security and availability solutions across all platforms, from the desktop to the data centre, from consumers and small businesses to large organisations and service providers.""

 

A click too far? December 17, 2004

 

An article on DMNews is questioning whether the rapid cost-per-click price increases at Google and Overture may be driving some marketers away:

""As massive as Google and Overture are ... they have a finite amount of inventory," Peter Hershberg, managing partner at search marketing firm Reprise Media, New York, said during a Search Engine Strategies panel covering alternative search ad programs.

Hershberg said that though paid search providers such as FindWhat.com, Kanoodle and LookSmart often have lower conversion rates, the difference in bid price often more than compensates."

 

Microsoft buys anti-spyware firm Giant December 17, 2004

 

UK-based The Register are reporting that Microsoft have announced their acquisition of the anti-spyware firm Giant Company Software.

"A beta version of a spyware protection, detection and removal tool, based on Giant's AntiSpyware product, should be available within one month. The tool will work on machines running Windows 2000 and above. Microsoft declined to say when a full version of the product might be released."

It looks as though my pleas are being heard! My prediction? Anti-Virus will be next.

 

Microsoft to pull plug on Windows NT Server 4.0 December 17, 2004

 

Globeandmail.com are reporting that Microsoft are to finally pull the plug on lifecycle support for Windows NT Server 4.0:

"The first year of mainstream or free extended support for Exchange Server 5.5 is also ending the same day; that product's lifecycle support system will end a year later.

To help customers not ready to migrate upward, Microsoft has posted a PressPass feature as a central resource for the on-line tools, services and training available to customers migrating from Exchange Server 5.5 and Windows NT Server 4.0."

 

Firefox two page ad in the New York Times December 17, 2004

 

Firefox enthusiasts somehow contributed and raised enough money to place a two page ad in the New York Times yesterday.

How's that for a dedicated user base?

 

Beyond US borders December 17, 2004

 

Every few days, I receive an email from someone correcting my broken English.

People email to point out that our services don't look particularly impressive when our website is full of misspellings like optimisation.

While I appreciate that some of these people are genuinely trying to be helpful, I would like to remind people that I am actually British.

As a Brit, I of course know that my way of spelling is the right way. Yet I am also very tolerant, and will not sneer down my British nose at other people's bastardisation (not bastardization) of the Queen's language.

Unlike the anonymous profezzional who emailed me yesterday.

I dedicate this link to him.

 

Search Engines Battle for the Desktop December 20, 2004

 

DMNews are reporting that "the fight for search market share has moved from the Web page to the computer desktop, as search engines look to build loyalty in their user bases."

No great surprise there, but it's worth remembering why they're doing so.

The simple reason is that Google, Microsoft, AskJeeves and others want to give you the best tool possible. The more you use it, the more likely you are to be steered to their search engines.

It's all very obvious, but on a basic level, the strength of a search engine is based on the power of their search capabilities. This is the single most important factor.

But other factors include familiarity and habit. Meaning that if someone has been using HotBot for the last five years, they may not want to change. It's what they're used to.

The idea is that the avid HotBot fan may use Google's desktop tool, and in time, will probably be tempted to start using Google for the occasional search.

Yet even an exceptionally good desktop tool will not convince a person to start using a poor search engine. It may, however, convince them to give it a try.

Take the theory a little further, and the assumption seems to be that each of the search engines offering one of the desktop tools are quite convinced that what they are offering is better than anything else.

Ultimately, their free offerings are useless unless the consumers start using their actual products.

As always, the consumer will decide.

 

Opinion: Microsoft plays the ethics card December 20, 2004

 

From PCAdvisor, an interesting opinion on the issue of piracy and ethics:

"According to Microsoft, when people buy pirated software, it's not just the company that suffers - no, the British government and all that it supports are hurt, too, because no taxes are paid. This seems reasonable enough, but there's more to it than that, because in saying this, Microsoft is likening itself to small-scale coffee growers in Third World countries.

"People who pay a little more for free-trade coffee hope that at least part of the premium will end up in the pocket of the grower," says Robin Littau, general manager of a Houston coffee company. Microsoft knows it can't persuade people that they should make sure part of the price of the software they buy ends up in the pocket of Bill Gates, so it sets up the UK tax man as the injured party."

 

Press Releases & Search Engine Optimization December 20, 2004

 

The Search Engine Roundtable have an interesting piece on press releases, the statistics of which are picked up by media outlets, and where they come from.

 

Talking Search Engines December 21, 2004

 

The BBC News website are running an article on Speegle - a search engine that reads out the results.

The idea is to provide a usable system for people with visual impairments.

Nice concept, but the reality is that the sound quality is very poor, the speed very slow, and some of the "messages" from the system proved to be almost impossible to understand. Unless I imagined it, at one point I heard an apology for the slow service due to unprecedented demand - read by someone with an impressively thick Scottish accent.

On top of everything else, visually impaired people already have software that enables them to use their browsers. Nice idea, poor implementation, no real user base.

 

Click-Fraud Threat: 'Staggering' Or 'Overblown'? December 21, 2004

 

DMNews are running an article about the worrying issue of click fraud:

"Click fraud, long a bothersome fact of search advertising, garnered increased discussion after George Reyes, Google's chief financial officer, declared recently that click fraud "threatens our business model."

Reyes' comments, made Dec. 2 during Google's first presentation at an investors conference, ignited speculation that click fraud could derail the expansion of search marketing.

The level of click fraud is difficult to peg. Estimates run from 5 percent of search clicks to 20 percent. One vendor of click-fraud detection software thinks as many as half of clicks on high-priced keywords are fraudulent."

My own experience of the issue has been that Google tend to be quick to respond to suspected cases, and are also quick to pay back unfair charges.

However it's more than a little worrying that the problem appears to be so widespread. How much of this goes on undetected?

One way or the other, Google and other PPC companies need to find a way to effectively combat this problem.

My gut instinct is that right now there is a small amount of click fraud, but for most people, the low level simply isn't a problem. If this is the case, the scale of the problem will grow with time. If the fear of click fraud continues to grow, it will almost certainly reach a point where it will start to spread like wildfire.

Google have to stamp out the small flames immediately before this happens. Beyond a certain size, control will be almost impossible.

 

The LinkBox Effect December 21, 2004

 

The Best Practices Search Engine Forums are running an interesting thread on a new theory, based on a combination of the much talked about "Sandbox Effect" and new links.

It's pure speculation, but interesting nonetheless.

 

A Look Back December 22, 2004

 

John Battelle looks back over the predictions he made one year ago.

Interesting and entertaining reading.

 

Dangerous Cross Linking: Where is the Line? December 22, 2004

 

The Search Engine Roundtable are taking a calm and rational look at the issue of cross-linking, and trying to work out at what point it becomes dangerous.

"User intent is critical in defining relevancy when it comes to these gray areas. If your intent includes other intentions outside of ranking number one for Blue Widget, when building these network of sites, then great. If not, or if much of the intent has to do with rankings, then you need to sit down and rethink your strategy."

It's also well worth following the thread to the actual forum discussion.

 

Myers: Online Advertising to Grow 30 Percent in '05 December 22, 2004

 

An article on ClickZ News is reporting that online advertising is estimated to grow by 30 percent next year.

"Key drivers of online growth include video advertising, content sponsorship and behavioral marketing. Search engine advertising will continue to be hot, with growth of 25 to 30 percent."

 

Blog on holiday December 22, 2004

 

Even the best of us have to charge our batteries once in a while, so the SharewarePromotions office, myself and this blog will all be off until Wednesday the 29th of December.

Please be sure to come back then, and wherever you are in the world, and whatever you celebrate, all the best for a peaceful and relaxing holiday season.

 

Opinion: 2004 Was the Year Everything Changed for Microsoft? December 29, 2004

 

WindowsITPro have an interesting article on 2004 being the year that everything changed for Microsoft.

"Remember that software colossus called Microsoft? It was known as the 800-pound gorilla of the PC industry, a recalcitrant monopolist that could send competitors careening out of business simply by announcing that it was entering a particular market. Well, that Microsoft is dead. And its death has little to do with the company changing its ways to become a better corporate citizen and partner. Instead, Microsoft has grown lazy, complacent, and fat--arguably another IBM, a company Microsoft never intended to emulate. And rather than exit markets when Microsoft jumps in, the company's competitors are now watching Microsoft to see where it's heading, then jumping in with both feet. More often than not, Microsoft's tiny competitors get to market first and reap the rewards."

The industry's stance on Microsoft often reminds me of the issue of globalisation. There must be a reasonable number of intelligent and articulate people out there who are genuinely against globalisation. Yet their very real concerns are often more or less ignored, mainly because of the large number of headcases involved in "the cause", who are really only on the streets for a good fight with the Police.

In other words, once a significant number of headbangers jump on the bandwagon, the rational cries and pleas are often drowned out by grunting and stamping feet.

Such is the case with many of the anti-Microsoft lobby. To hate Microsoft has become almost fashionable, despite the fact that most of us are using their operating systems and software. Yet it's also important to remember that there are legitimate fingers wagging out there too. This is one of them.

 

Amazon trumpets record Christmas December 29, 2004

 

The BBC News website are reporting that Amazon have had the busiest Christmas in their ten year history.

 

CleanSoftware.org - Free software, no nasties! December 29, 2004

 

"CleanSoftware.org is a resource to help Windows users find the best free daily-use software, free from nasties: adware, spyware, harmful/intrusive components, and threats to privacy."

This struck me as a nice idea, but the overall impression seemed a little basic and amateur.

In terms of PC security, we are living in a climate of fear. This represents a serious opportunity for the more broad minded software companies.

 

Most Popular Searches of 2004 December 29, 2004

 

The SearchEngineRoundtable have links to the top 2004 searches from Google, Yahoo, AskJeeves, AOL and Lycos.

 

URL Normalization: Is a Trailing Slash the Same Page December 29, 2004

 

"There is a very interesting thread brewing at Search Engine Watch Forums named Is A Trailing / On A Directory Seen As A Different File By Google?.

In this thread a member lists an example of the same page, different URLs due to the trailing slash, have different PageRank values. His example is:

http://www.avismauritius.com/en/locations/ PR=3

http://www.avismauritius.com/en/locations PR=0"

 

Lies, damned lies and very interesting statistics December 29, 2004

 

ClickZStats have some very interesting statistics for those who like that sort of thing:

Home Web Use by Country, November 2004:

"Of the 11 nations for which Nielsen had fresh data in November, France led the growth, adding 1,360,355, or 9.56 percent. Four other nations, meanwhile, added close to 1 million users as well: the U.S. added 957,980; Japan grew by 936,606; and Spain by 886,904."

More here.

Snapshot of the 2004 Online Holiday Shopper:

"In terms of conduits leading to the point of sale, the average online shopper is most likely to find an online gift through a search engine this season. Approximately 38 percent of respondents found their gift through search engine results, according to the DoubleClick report. The next most popular means of finding an online gift included: "seeing products on a Web site" (30 percent); "seeing them in a catalog" (22 percent); or a store (20 percent); via ads on search engines (17 percent); and e-mail marketing (16 percent)."

More here.

 

EU, Software Patents, Agriculture & Fishery December 30, 2004

 

EDRI-gram, the well-known bi-weekly newsletter for civil rights in Europe (?), are reporting that the Dutch EU presidency has failed to push through the controversial proposal on software patents:

"Thanks to the last-minute arrival of the Polish secretary of state of Science and Information Technology at the EU Council of Agriculture and Fishery on 20 December, the proposal could not be adopted without voting."

 

Why There's No Escaping the Blog December 30, 2004

 

From the website of Fortune magazine:

"Freewheeling bloggers can boost your product - or destroy it. Either way, they've become a force business can't afford to ignore."

It appears that the offline world really is starting to catch on.

 

Is The "Sandbox" Ending? December 30, 2004

 

A thread on the WebmasterWorld forums is looking at the issue of the much-debated sandbox, and whether it is coming to an end.

The quality of the discussion, as is often the case, becomes diluted the further down the thread you read, but there are some interesting ideas and observations in there. Well worth a read.

"With MSN's new engine expected to go online perhaps as early as February, and google's known fondness for upstaging MS, how much later can they wait before they release the sandbox? The SERPs are apparently beginning to change. I've already heard of several people who've claimed their many-month-long-sandboxed site is out of the sandbox. Could it be that this is really the beginning of the end?"

 

Another Watershed Year for Old Media December 30, 2004

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"Fundamental changes are happening so fast, 2005 is certain to be another watershed year in digital media. Today, search represents only 3 percent of the 350 billion monthly page views generated by U.S. online audiences. The opportunity for growth is extraordinary. The only bottleneck is a shortage of searches, or audience "interactions," that can be targeted for search-like advertising."

 

Fresh, colourful and smelling good December 30, 2004

 

Here in the UK, a small island off Europe, the supermarkets are constantly battling it out with each other in a desperate bid to win our loyalty and eternal devotion.

In doing so, they offer a fascinating assortment of techniques and tricks for our study, many of which can be applied just as effectively to the online store.

Some choose to compete on price, others aim for the more discerning shopper who is prepared to pay for quality. Some place a great deal of importance on location, while others offer quite sophisticated online ordering and delivery options.

Yet whatever their strategy, the competition is so intense that no detail can be overlooked or ignored.

A recent article in the UK's Guardian Unlimited shared details of how one supermarket ordered almost 300,000 new ergonomic shopping trolleys, partly based on the fact that more men buy the weekly groceries, partly on the fact that the typical British woman is 4cm taller than her counterpart in the 1950s.

But there's one universal tactic that I really like.

Almost every single supermarket in the UK will make sure that the very first thing you see when you arrive at the entrance is the fruit and vegetables. The reason is obvious, as the first impression the shopper gets is that of a bright, colourful and fresh smelling place. Far better than walking straight into an aisle with cardboard boxes and tins.

The first impression created by the visitor to your website is of equal importance. From the moment they arrive, they need to see a professional, slick, confident and clear setup, that immediately creates the right impression, and confirms that they've come to the right place.

Obviously, however, the whole process is only as strong as the weakest link (no pun intended), but if the initial impression created is less than favourable, you'll probably never repair that initial damage.

It's therefore critical to ensure that your main page, or your main point of entry, creates the right impression, and presses all of the right buttons.

We recently spent a fair amount of time redesigning the appearance of our own website, and spent a great deal of time on polishing the main page. Log analysis has already confirmed that less visitors to the page are leaving without going further. Make sure that your own front page gleams.

 

eBay to ditch Microsoft Passport December 31, 2004

 

From CNET's News.com:

"Microsoft's Passport service has just lost one of the biggest e-commerce companies on the planet. eBay said in a statement on its site that from late January it will no longer support the ability for members to sign on using Passport."

 

60 Minutes Google December 31, 2004

 

2005 looks set to be a Google-centric year, with a 60 Minutes profile on Google scheduled for this Sunday on CBS.

A text transcript of the show was posted on the CBS website, but now appears to have been pulled.

I suspect there'll be more hype and speculation than anything of any real interest, but it should make for entertaining viewing anyway.

 

Google image suggestion December 31, 2004

 

A discussion in the Google News section of the SEOChat forums suggests that Google may be testing some new image suggestion ideas.

 

Google and Overture Define Click Fraud December 31, 2004

 

CLickZ News are reporting on growing concerns over the issue of click fraud:

"The issue has been bandied about for years by online advertisers, yet click fraud remains misunderstood. Even with a spate of media attention devoted to the subject in the latter part of this year, a recent panel at Search Engine Strategies in Chicago revealed a lack of industry-wide consensus on what constitutes an act of click fraud.

So ClickZ News asked experts at Google and Overture how the two leading search engines define click fraud, and what proprietary mechanisms they have in place to protect advertisers against it."

 

2005 - the year of opportunities December 31, 2004

 

2004 has been an interesting year, and a good one for the "try before you buy" concept, AKA shareware.

2005, on the other hand, holds some serious challenges for the industry. One way or the other, the ever-growing menaces of PC security, piracy and the worldwide economy will undoubtedly affect all of us to some extent.

But the outlook is a good one, and I for one am looking forward to an interesting year that lies ahead.

Without further ado, my predictions for 2005:

2005 will be the year of RSS.

RSS has been around for some time now, but the past year has seen it go straight from the teething stage to the teenage years. The RSS orange logos have become commonplace, and the technology is really starting to take off.

Software like FeedForAll makes creating the feeds and using the technology a piece of cake. There really is no excuse to not be embracing this opportunity.

2005 will be the year of marketing.

Forget about "the world is your marketplace". That was yesterday's news, and if you haven't worked it out yet, then it may be too late.

Developers from all over the world are now selling their software online, and if you want to give your competition a run for your money, marketing has to be one of your top priorities.

Every single person looking for your software will also be exposed to your competition. To sell your software, you have to make sure that these people find you first. Then you have to make sure that when they do, their search is over.

2005 will be the year for PPC development.

There's no doubt that PPC is here to stay, and the past few years have seen a good idea transformed into a great one. Google are leagues ahead of any of the other options, but I think that interesting options and opportunities lie ahead over the next 12 months.

2005 will be the year that the search engine landscape will begin to change.

Google are very good, there's no doubt about it. But no King remains seated on their throne forever, and there are no shortage of eager heirs waiting to take their rightful place.

My gut instinct is that by this time next year, Google will still be hanging on. But I think that other engines are finally going to start giving them a real run for their money.

Whatever lies ahead, I hope that 2005 will be a happy, healthy and successful one for us all. Here's to a very happy new year!