Valentine's day for your PC February 1, 2005

 

MSN Search launches February 1, 2005

 

The beta is over. MSN Search has officially launched.

This strikes me as a remarkable achievement in such a short time, as the test version was only unveiled a few short months ago.

The new version includes more than 40,000 Encarta articles and media, a new and improved newsbot (similar to news.google.com), a button for RSS feeds at the bottom of relevant pages, and an increased MSN Music section.

Annoyingly for me, when I go to search.msn.com, I am automatically taken to the UK version of MSN, and there doesn't seem to be a way around this. Yet. Ah yes there is. I just couldn't find it.

Other first impressions are that it's blazingly fast, but interestingly displays overture ads at the top and bottom of the results. I'll be interested to see how this develops.

I was also delighted to see that when I searched for myself, I took the first and third spots. This bodes well.

Let the battle begin.

 

No Software Patents! February 1, 2005

 

From NoSoftwarePatents.com:

"Under the influence of the patent system and big industry lobbyists, the European Union is on the verge of making a huge mistake: to pass a law that would legalize software patents.

If that happens, you will pay dearly. Europe's software industry will fall victim to unscrupulous extortioners. A cartel of large corporations will crush smaller competitors. Consequently, we will all pay more money for less good and less secure software. You personally, your household, your company, your government, all of us."

 

Microsoft poised to push anti-virus February 2, 2005

 

From PCWorld:

"Consensus is building among industry watchers that Microsoft will have anti-spyware and antivirus products on the market for businesses and consumers by year-end.

Many expect Bill Gates to detail such a product rollout during his keynote address at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco in three weeks. Microsoft declined to discuss that prospect this week.

However, with Microsoft's pending security splash regarded as a fait accompli, antivirus and anti-spyware vendors are sizing up their chances of withstanding the Redmond giant. Business customers, stocked up on antivirus but now eager to buy spyware protection, wonder if a Microsoft entry would drive down costs, or if Microsoft--whose software seems to always require patching--really can be counted on as the first responder in worm and virus outbreaks."

 

Good going for Google February 2, 2005

 

DMNews, and the rest of the web, are reporting on Google's impressive fourth quarter results. A revenue of $1.03 billion, more than double the $512.2 million from a year ago.

 

The definitive guide to link buying February 2, 2005

 

Aside from the obsession of PageRank, few SEO issues are as misunderstood as links and link popularity.

"The definitive guide to link buying", by Patrick Gavin of Text Link Ads Inc., aims to cover the importance of links, link popularity, link relevancy, PageRank, tracking and more.

 

Ford dealers sold 210,000 cars via the web last year February 2, 2005

 

From Internet Retailer:

"Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers sold more than 210,000 vehicles from FordDirect Internet referrals last year, FordDirect reports, accounting for 9% of total Ford Division sales in 2004."

 

Net regulation 'still possible' February 2, 2005

 

The BBC news website is running an interesting article on the issue of internet regulation.

"The blurring of boundaries between TV and the internet raises questions of regulation, watchdog Ofcom has said.

Content on TV and the internet is set to move closer this year as TV-quality video online becomes a norm."

For those of you who don't already know, we're a UK company. And I'm proud to be British, even if I don't walk around with flag in hand.

But I am repeatedly reminded of a depressing fact. That the majority of UK businesses just don't get the internet.

And I'm not talking about our archaic means of finding out whether the building you're living or working in can actually get it. That's a rant for another day.

I'm talking about the fact that many small (and not so small) companies in the UK seem to have little idea how to use the web, and how to make it work for them.

Example. A UK company that we used to order a few bits and pieces online. A nice website, well laid out, clear and informative. When you go to order, you are given a page to print out, fill out the details, and then fax it to the company. You think this is unique?

Many companies still have their websites on free webspace, with domains like ourcompany.freeserver.co.uk.

Many companies have email addresses like professional-lawyer@hotmail.com.

Many companies consider broadband to be an unnecessary expense, and email to be a nuisance.

And our super-regulator Ofcom not only believe that TV-quality video online is about to become the norm, but that regulation of the internet is even possible.

This is a great country, but we really don't get this web thing.

 

Open source leaders slam patents February 3, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"The war of words between Microsoft and the open source movement heated up this week as Linux founder Linus Torvalds led an attack on software patents.

In a panel discussion at a Linux summit in California Mr Torvalds said software patents were a problem for the open source movement."

 

A First Look at IIS 7.0 February 3, 2005

 

FTP Online are reporting on the next version of Internet Information Services, scheduled for release around 2006:

"Microsoft's next-generation Web server, Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, isn't due for release until Longhorn ships sometime in 2006. But it's a good idea for Web developers to start thinking about the changes IIS 7.0 will bring, said Bill Staples, group program manager of Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS) and Web Platform and Tools Team, and Mary Alice Colvin, product manager for IIS and the entire IIS development team. In fact, the IIS 7.0 beta program is set to start sometime this year.

In a candid interview on the topic, Staples and Colvin discussed the coming changes (also see the sidebar, "Top 6 Features in IIS 7.0" by Eric Deily, who will be talking about IIS 7.0 at VSLive! next week). The most important of these is the componentization of IIS. All of IIS's functions will be specific components that you can turn on or off at your leisure. This means that when you install the Web server, you'll be able to add only the functionality you need, one piece at a time."

 

Google Referral Program February 3, 2005

 

"The Google referral program (beta) is for businesses whose customers and visitors include small to medium-sized businesses, and who want to help those companies become more successful by running Google AdWords, or serving ads with Google AdSense. The program works by giving approved sites unique links to Google, then compensating the referring site for passing on a new AdWords advertiser or AdSense publisher."

Now they tell me!

But does anyone else see the irony here? It was only last month that Google cracked down on the number of affiliate ads that can show up in search results...

 

MSN Shopping Beta February 3, 2005

 

MSN have unveiled the beta for their latest MSN Shopping.

It reminds me a little of Froogle, or for that matter the Windows Marketplace.

The Marketplace, however, seems to be more for techies. The Shopping BETA is clearly more mainstream.

Clearly one size does not fit all.

 

Festival show for Baghdad Blogger February 4, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"A film based on the internet musings of the "Baghdad Blogger" has been shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival.

The film has been directed by the man who calls himself Salam Pax, the author of the weblog about Iraqi life during and after the war."

The world has changed so much in such a short time.

 

Hey, Look What We Found: The Official Ask Jeeves Blog! February 4, 2005

 

Everybody's doing it.

 

Wanted: Hip, New Advertising Method February 4, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"Wanted: New advertising method that's part radio, part blog. Must appeal to consumers with varied interests. Should provide access to target audience at virtually all times.

If this is your idea of an attractive interactive media candidate, I'd like to introduce you to podcasting."

 

Google's Giant Sandbox February 4, 2005

 

SoftwareMarketingResource are running an interesting article on Google's sandbox:

"Before we get too far into an explanation as to what Google's sandbox is, it must be noted that not everyone even agrees that the sandbox exists. The sandbox is actually nothing more than a theory developed to explain what many different SEO experts have witnessed with their listings. Whether or not the sandbox really exists is actually irrelevant when we know that the effects of the sandbox exist."

 

Reboot ordered for EU patent law February 7, 2005

 

The BBC News website are reporting that a European Parliamentary Committee has ordered a rewrite of the proposals for the EU patent law:

"In the US, the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted.

This means that the US-based Amazon.com holds a patent for its "one-click shopping" service, for example.

Critics are concerned that the directive could lead to a similar model happening in Europe."

 

The year of the internet February 7, 2005

 

DMNews are running an article on their predictions for 2005:

"This is the year of the Internet. Any U.S. or international marketer without an Internet strategy, be it for advertising, communications or e-commerce, is planting the seeds for a grand disconnect with the consumer of tomorrow."

Read that a little too quickly, and you'll miss the key word. Strategy.

A follow-up article entitled Outlook 2005: Golden Child Adds More Luster looks at some of the issues and trends facing e-commerce in 2005. Well worth a look.

 

MSN Search's blog delving into Encarta Answers February 7, 2005

 

From the MSN Search blog:

"In the initial MSN Search Beta release we introduced a feature called Encarta Answers. This provides direct answers to all sorts of questions related to geographical locations, historical figures, definitions, calculations, conversions, and simple equations. Encarta Answers show the exact answer to your question or query right at the top of the MSN Search results pages."

Examples include:

What is the population of Sweden?

How many calories in spinach?

This appears to be similar to the Ask Jeeves approach, and could offer yet another compelling reason for Google users to start looking at the new MSN Search.

If (or when) MSN Search becomes a serious threat to Google, we're all going to have to ensure that our sites rank well there. Right now, however, there is a serious lack of sold, reliable information as to how to do so. Watch this space.

 

Nonconverting Keywords and the Search Continuum February 7, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"What if I were to tell you the majority of online purchases from search advertising happen after a searcher has conducted at least 12 nonconverting searches? Imagine, 12 searches on keywords that don't produce a single transaction. But these eventually led to a search that does.

What would you do differently? How would you change your pay-per-click (PPC) bidding strategy?"

 

Should your SEO firm give you a guarantee? February 7, 2005

 

From the Online Marketing SEO Blog:

"Many search engine optimization firms still tout guarantees of top ten rankings. A specific ranking or position guarantee on organic search engine listings is not practical for a couple of reasons."

There's more than a little knowledge and common sense here, but the author has missed one minor point that we've come across from time to time.

Many of the guarantees offered are less than worthless. Many, from the less reputable firms, offer some variation of "if we don't achieve our stated aims within X days, we will credit you with another month of our services for free".

What this amounts to is little more than "if after X days we have failed, we'll continue to fail for another month without charging you. We'll only bill you for failure one time only!"

What a deal.

 

Microsoft tweaking Windows Genuine Advantage to boost anti-piracy February 8, 2005

 

From Integratedmar.com:

"Microsoft makes another anti- software piracy announcement, declaring that it will be enhancing its anti-piracy engineering, education and enforcement efforts through the expansion of the Windows Genuine Advantage program, which checks the authenticity of a user's software and provides software updates.

"In the second half of 2005 we will make authentication required," said Elliot Katz, senior product manager, Windows Client, Microsoft Canada. "It will be required that people have their machines authenticated to access Windows updates and the download centre.""

 

AskJeeves blog strategy February 8, 2005

 

AskJeeves yesterday announced that they have bought BlogLines - "the most comprehensive, integrated service for searching, subscribing, publishing and sharing news feeds, blogs, and rich Web content"

With more than 300 million articles in the archives, this offers the search engine an instant burst of fresh data for their index, and an assortment of tremendous opportunities.

Could this be enough to put them back in the running?

 

Keyword Prices Get Cheaper After Holidays February 8, 2005

 

According to a study written up on DMNews, search engine keyword prices dropped an average of 3 percent from December to January.

"Fathom Online, San Francisco, found that in the month after the 2004 holiday season's $23 billion online shopping period, the prices that advertisers paid for keywords dropped as search engine queries remained strong.

As it stands, 3 percent over a single month period is little to get excited over. It'll be interesting to see whether this is followed up next month, or just becomes one more blip in an ocean of meaningless statistics.

 

Update Report: My Site Disappeared Completely / Traffic Doubled in Google February 8, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"This morning the moderators on SEOchat were having a discussion on the impact of this past [Google] update and what we were experiencing first hand. If you are one of the lucky ones, some have reported that their traffic has doubled within the last week and remained consistent since that time or before that.

If you are on the opposite side of the situation, your site has suffered completely either by dropping out completely or by being pushed back to the oblivion where no one is going to find your site. So what is going on??"

 

Tracking Organic SEO Benefits February 8, 2005

 

ClickZ Stats have an interesting article on research into what happens to a site entering Google's top results for the first time:

"In the first month a site appears on Google's first SERP, its conversion rates rise 142 percent, according to the study. The second month, conversion rates nearly doubled (194 percent) compared to the month prior to entering the top SERP. In terms of unique visitors, the average site appearing in Google's top natural SERP could expect a 337 percent increase in traffic in its first month and a 627 percent increase in the second month."

Interesting, but I can't say that I'm convinced!

 

Gizoogle does SharewarePromotions February 9, 2005

 

When you mix Google with Snoop Dogg, you get an interesting twist.

From our own website, courtesy of Gizoogle:

"SharewarePromizzles is a well-established fizzle deal'n exclusively wit software market'n activities, utilis'n all aspects of tha internet so sit back relax new jacks get smacked. Bustin' worked wit ova 300 companies in mizzle tizzle 30 countries our aim is simple - ta raise tha profile of yo software puttin tha smack down."

 

AskJeeves purchase of Bloglines - insider details February 9, 2005

 

paidContent.org have released details of the deal:

"The money was being thrown at Bloglines left, right and center, most of it venture investment, but the company decided to go the acquisition route...and then, of course, the usual suspects were after Bloglines to buy it outright. It will never be clear why Bloglines chose AskJeeves over say a Yahoo..."

 

Microsoft Buys [another] Enterprise Anti-Virus Firm February 9, 2005

 

From eWeek:

"Microsoft Corp.'s big plans to roll out an enterprise-ready anti-virus product took shape Tuesday with the acquisition of Sybari Software Inc.

The acquisition of Sybari comes less than two months after Microsoft's purchase of anti-spyware vendor Giant Company Software and is seen as the key to an anti-spyware/anti-virus bundle sold as a renewable subscription service."

 

Curse of the blog strikes Google employee February 9, 2005

 

Silicon.com (and the rest of the web) are reporting that Mark Jen, whose comments about life at Google created a small firestorm last month, has not left the company.

"Employee blogging is on the rise, sparking increasing clashes between workers and management over the line between appropriate and inappropriate commentary. In one recent dispute, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant lost her job after posting photos of herself in uniform on her blog.

A Microsoft contractor lost his job last year after he took some pictures of Apple G5 computers being unloaded onto the software company's campus and posted them to his blog.

Friendster, known for breaking new ground in online social networking and promoting self-expression among peers, fired one of its employees in August over her Troutgirl blog."

 

AOL Releases Standalone Browser In Beta February 9, 2005

 

From Yahoo! News:

"America Online Inc. on Tuesday made available in beta a standalone browser that includes desktop search, a feature already offered by rivals Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc."

Just what the world needs. Another browser.

 

Google Officially Announces Image Update February 9, 2005

 

John Batelle's Searchblog has announced that Google Images has been officially updated :

"Today, Google announced two new updates to Google Image Search that further help users find the information they need. First, Google Image Search now includes more than 1.1 billion images from around the world. With a comprehensive index of images, users can quickly and easily find relevant images of both popular and obscure queries.

In addition, Google released a new feature that displays images from Google Image Search above Google web search results when they're relevant to users' search queries. When users search for queries such as [sunsets], [mountains], [torre eiffel], or [inverno] on the Google homepage, they may see relevant thumbnail images at the top of their search results marked "Image Results."

 

Opera getting ready February 10, 2005

 

Whispers are circulating as to what may or may not be in the new version of Opera, scheduled to be released next month.

Regular readers of this blog will already know my thoughts on Opera. In my mind, they're the ultimate example of what happens when you don't push out a new product quickly enough, and you don't draw enough attention to the right features and benefits.

Case in point: they more or less invented the idea of the tabbed browser interface. Few people remember that today.

Will the new version save their name and reputation? I hope so, but personally I doubt it.

Take a look at their website today, and it looks good. Clean, neat, sharp and slick, with good use of graphics, screenshots and other images. All of which more or less drown out the actual benefits of using the software. A missed opportunity if I ever saw one.

 

Is MSN getting there already? February 10, 2005

 

An interesting thread on the SEO Chat Forums is discussing whether people have made the switch to MSN Search yet. And a surprising number of people are saying yes.

 

WebSideStory Acquires Atomz February 10, 2005

 

From ClickZ News:

"Web analytics provider WebSideStory has acquired site search and Web content management provider Atomz for $39 million in cash and stock.

Atomz' applications will join WebSideStory's HBX Analytics and a new pay-per-click bid management product in the Active Marketing Suite of products."

 

Online Banking Increased 47 Percent Since 2002 February 10, 2005

 

ClickZ Stats are reporting that online banking has been the fastest growing internet activity in the US over the last five years.

When we were based in Finland, the online banking offered by Finnish banks was years ahead of the rest of the world. The US and some of the other European countries seemed to follow behind, with the UK a long, long way back.

But times have changed, and online banking has grown from a geeky toy of the gadget lover to an established norm.

I still believe that one of the biggest hurdles faced by e-commerce is security. Or more precisely the perceived threats of buying and selling online.

But when people start to trust the web with their money and savings, this can only be good for all of us selling our goods and services online.

Long may the trend continue.

 

Virus Writers Target Microsoft Anti-Spyware February 11, 2005

 

InformationWeek are reporting that malware has been discovered that aims to disable Microsoft's new anti-spyware product.

For me it's a harsh reminder that real spyware isn't about spying on what your kids get up to online. For some, it's a highly profitable venture, and as such, the stakes are high.

The biggest threat to e-commerce, at least at the present time, is security. Usage of broadband is growing, purchasing online is becoming the norm, and as mentioned yesterday, an increasing number of people are now handling their banking online.

But every major security scare represents a significant setback. And in these uncertain times, visitors to your website need all the reassurance you can give them.

 

Giants to tackle Viagra spam ring February 11, 2005

 

The BBC have a way with words that never ceases to impress me:

"Software giant Microsoft and the world's biggest drug company Pfizer are getting into bed together to combat an internet Viagra spam ring."

 

Firefox Got Yahoo! February 11, 2005

 

The Yahoo! Search Blog have announced the release of their Yahoo! Toolbar for Firefox.

This represents further recognition that this browser is here to stay.

2005 looks like it may be interesting for browsers and search engines alike. All we need now is a Google operating system, and the PC experience may change forever...

 

Why Search Engine Marketing Has The Hots for User Centered Design February 11, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"In one of Seth Godin's maddening blog posts about the SEO industry he wrote,

"Just a short time ago, SEO was seen as a shortcut by marketers unwilling to do the hard work of actually making a product and a site that mattered. In that era, SEO was the quick way to get cheap traffic-cheap so you could afford to waste it."

What's infuriating to me is that he must've had a very bad date with a dishonest SEO/SEM company, because it was no "short time ago" in my book. As far as I could see, way back in the late 1990's when I was an SEO, there was trouble. I made no guarantee's to clients about how rich and famous they'd get when I was done because in many cases, their sites were in bad shape."

Seth is often held up as an online marketing guru, but I'm constantly amazed by how little he seems to understand the reality of search engine optimisation, or optimization if you prefer.

The SEO industry has been to some extent damaged by the sheer number of amateurs out there, using ill-thought out and dangerous "techniques" in an attempt to trick the search engines. But every industry has its quacks. This should not detract from the importance of genuine, solid, safe and effective search engine optimisation. The importance of which should be realised by anyone selling their products or services online.

 

Opera to MS: Get real about interoperability, Mr Gates February 14, 2005

 

From The Register:

"Last week Bill Gates got the interoperability religion. Allegedly - given Microsoft's long and sometimes less than constructive history in the field of interoperability, a certain amount of scepticism is perhaps appropriate. Hakon Lie, Chief Technology Officer of long-standing Microsoft competitor Opera Software, welcomes Gates' new-found enthusiasm for interoperability, but in the following response to Gates, has just a few suggestions about what Microsoft might do to actually achieve it.

So, Mr. Gates, writes Hakon Lie, you say you believe in interoperability. Then why, pray tell, doesn't the web page of your interoperability communiqué conform to the HTML4 standard as it claims to? Why does the W3C validator diagnose 126 errors on your page?

You say you believe in interoperability. Then why is your document served in different versions to different browsers? Why does your server sniff out the Opera browser and send it different style sheets from the ones you send to Microsoft's own Internet Explorer (WinIE)? As a result, Opera renders the page differently."

 

Longhorn set to appear in June? February 14, 2005

 

CNET's News.com are reporting that the first full test version of Longhorn may be available by the end of June:

"The company has said publicly that Beta 1 of Longhorn would arrive by the end of 2005, though internally, the company has been aiming for a release by midyear. The final version of Longhorn is slated for the second half of next year."

 

EC continues to push for software patent law February 14, 2005

 

From SIlicon.com:

"Last week the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) of the European Parliament (EP) demanded that the Computer Implemented Inventions Directive (CIID) be started again from scratch. The European Commission (EC) is not obliged to agree to the EP's request for a restart, but is under pressure to adhere to the will of the Parliament.

But an EC spokeswoman said on Friday that the Council is prepared to renegotiate the patent directive, but does not want to start again from scratch.

"The software patent directive is absolutely necessary," said the EC spokeswoman. "We're prepared to discuss things, but can't even get as far as discussing things if other institutions don't move things forward.""

 

GoogleGuy Asks for "Feedback" On Past Update February 14, 2005

 

From the Search Engine Roundtable:

"There has been a recent sighting of the famed GoogleGuy on WMW forums. Normally I wouldn't post directly about such a post but this one seems to provide an outlet for those that would like to comment about the search results to engineers. You can comment directly to Google, without going through the extra step of user support. Is your site gone completely? Rankings disappear? Would like to see a good quality site in the serps? Find a spammy site in the results? Just maybe want to vent a little? Many people are very frustrated with the results of the last update, for some though - this is just another update. He does go on to make a very good point, that with every update some site move to the first page and some move out and that is the way it is."

 

Browser Wars: Who's Winning, Who's Losing February 14, 2005

 

ClickZ Stats are getting the week off to a good start (statistically speaking) with some updates figures and statistics regarding the latest browser war statistics.

Highlights include Netscape and AOL having a combined browser market share of just over 5 percent (and falling), IE's market share falling in the past twelve months and my personal favourite (or favorite) - Firefox becoming the number two browser in North America.

It should be pointed out, however, that although in second place, Firefox still only accounts for just under 4.5 percent of the market. No prizes for guessing who's in first place with 84.5%.

 

Google Data Center Movement Again February 15, 2005

 

Search Engine Roundtable are reporting further "major search results positions changes at the 104 data center".

 

One out of two online purchases is preceded by a relevant search February 15, 2005

 

DoubleClick have unveiled a new study, Search Before the Purchase, to demonstrate how consumers use search engines in the process of making purchases online.

"The study, which analyzes pre-purchase search activity across four categories (Apparel, Computer Hardware, Sports & Fitness and Travel), showed that roughly half of all online shoppers conducted related research at a search engine before making an online purchase. It also found that most searchers complete their purchase-related search activity weeks in advance of the purchase transaction."

 

Publishers Cautiously Approaching RSS Feeds February 15, 2005

 

From MarketingVOX:

"Troubled by the prospect of giving away their content shorn of advertising, many publishers haven't yet grappled with increasing consumer demand that they offer syndication feeds so viewers can download stories directly into their RSS readers.

A few are now experimenting by offering their own reader, with the help of developer Consenda, testing a new application called NewsPoint, according to MediaPost. Currently only about one in twenty internet users employs an RSS reader to view content, but that number has been climbing quickly."

While I find the trend towards RSS feeds unsurprising, I don't quite understand the need for publishers to offer their own readers.

Aside from the questionable wisdom of reinventing the wheel, isn't this comparable to offering a browser for customers to view your website?

 

Creative Marketing Destruction: Add Water and Blog February 15, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) recently launched a new Web site for members and prospects. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. It includes lots of content, links to key resources, fields to sign up for key services, e-commerce tools, and much more.

What's the big deal? After all, most Web sites do this.

Well, WOMMA's site is built on a blog. Yes, the same platform powering the "digital diary" and consumer-generated media (CGM) revolution."

 

DVD copy protection strengthened February 16, 2005

 

From the BBC news website:

"DVDs will be harder to copy thanks to new anti-piracy measures devised by copy protection firm Macrovision.

The pirated DVD market is enormous because current copy protection was hacked more than five years ago.

Macrovision says its new RipGuard technology will thwart most, but not all, of the current DVD ripping (copying) programs used to pirate DVDs."

 

Gates: Consumer Anti-Spyware Tool Will Be Free February 16, 2005

 

eWeek are reporting that the consumer version of Microsoft's forthcoming anti-spyware software will be free.

""We've looked hard at the nature of this problem, and made a decision that this anti-spyware capability will become something that's available at no additional charge for Windows users-both the blocking capability, and the scanning and removal capabilities. Those are features we think should be available to protect every system," Gates said."

 

Internet Explorer 7.0 February 16, 2005

 

From Microsoft Watch:

"Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday that Microsoft will deliver Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0 for Windows XP Service Pack 2 customers. The 7.0 release, which will go to beta this summer, will add new anti-phishing, anti-spyware and anti-virus safeguards, according to company officials. Microsoft officials did not offer a target release date for the final IE 7.0.

Hachamovitch added that Microsoft is now discussing its plans for an IE 7.0 release "because our customers and partners have asked us, with increasing urgency, what our plans are. We want to convey our intentions to our customers and partners clearly and in a timely way.""

Nothing to do with Firefox then.

 

UK Online Ad Spend Surges February 16, 2005

 

ClickZ News are reporting that the amount spent on online advertising in the UK increased 52 percent in the first half of 2004, compared to the same time period in 2003.

 

Google and The Golden Ratio February 16, 2005

 

Sharon Housley's Software Marketing Resource has uncovered an interesting theory that may (or may not) explain Google's antics.

Sharon describes the theory as "the most intelligent or the most hair brained explanation".

See for yourself.

 

Microsoft to give developers a new look at Longhorn February 17, 2005

 

From ZDNet:

"Microsoft plans in April to offer developers an updated test version of Longhorn, along with more details on what's in store with the next major update to Windows."

 

IE 7 Sparks Talk Of Browser Wars February 17, 2005

 

Sometimes I just don't get it.

An article on Yahoo! NEWS is speculating that Microsoft's decision to update Internet Explorer may be less about security and more about their competition. No great surprises there.

Then:

"Nevertheless, there are signs that a browser war is imminent."

Erm... am I missing something here?

With Firefox now claiming more than 25 million users, rumours of a Google browser, a new AOL browser, research into an AskJeeves browser, a drastically new version of Opera in the works and more... can there really be any doubt?

 

New Google Toolbar (beta) February 17, 2005

 

A new Google Toolbar BETA is available.

New features include auto linking, word translator, address bar browsing by name, spell checking and more.

 

What, Exactly, is Search Engine Spam? February 17, 2005

 

Many companies seem to take one of two different attitudes towards trying to trick the search engines.

Attitude (1) - All is fair in love, war and search engine optimisation.

Ultimately whatever you do, within reason, to pull in traffic from the search engines is legitimate.

Find out what people are searching for - Paris Hilton, Alicia Keys, Green Day, 50 cent, Eminem etc - and shove it in the page. Like I'm doing here.

(Note: I may well now get some traffic from people searching for Paris Hilton, Alicia Keys, Green Day, 50 cent and Eminem. But will it help me?)

Other variants of this attitude include the "what's the worst thing that can happen to me?" approach, and "we've never been in trouble in the past by doing this".

Attitude (2) - 85% of my website traffic comes from the search engines. I can't risk being banned, penalised or blacklisted.

Even though your website sells an email client, you're worried because your front page contains the word "email" more than ten times.

You've heard of search engine spamming, and don't want to risk being blacklisted.

Other variants of this attitude include worrying that legitimate content pages as doorway pages are dangerous, and that SEO of any kind is a risky business.

Even if your website is a comparative review of Alicia Keys, Green Day, 50 cent and Eminem, with Paris Hilton thrown in there for good luck, you'll be too scared to say so.

The right attitude, of course, is somewhere between the two. Ultimately, common sense wins.

If you can read a page on your website out loud, and it makes sense and also reads well, then chances are you're not going to run into any trouble.

If you're still not sure, Bill Hunt has a useful list of sixteen flavours of search engine spam.

And I'll let you know how much traffic we get from people looking for Paris Hilton, Alicia Keys, Green Day, 50 cent and Eminem.

 

EU software patent law faces axe February 18, 2005

 

From the BBC News website:

"The European Parliament has thrown out a bill that would have allowed software to be patented.

Politicians unanimously rejected the bill and now it must go through another round of consultation if it is to have a chance of becoming law."

 

Joel on Microsoft AntiSpyware February 18, 2005

 

Joel Spolsky has been taking a look at Microsoft AntiSpyware, and doesn't like the fact that he won't have to pay for it. And he's right.

"So far, it looks like this is a nifty program, and consumers should be happy that Microsoft has announced it will be free, but it really, really would have been nice for us here in the software industry if Microsoft had set a price on this thing just to provide some air cover for the other companies working on spyware removal. This is not a software category where a monopoly monoculture will be a good thing."

 

Windows more secure than Linux? February 18, 2005

 

One of the blogs at MSDN is entertaining the possibility that Microsoft Windows may actually be more secure than Linux:

"A Linux enthusiast at the RSA Conference in San Francisco has reluctantly concluded that Microsoft produces more secure code than its open source rivals.

In an academic study due to be released next month Dr Richard Ford, from the Florida Institute of Technology, and Dr Herbert Thompson, from application security firm Security Innovation, analysed vulnerabilities and patching and were forced to conclude that Windows Server 2003 is more secure than Red Hat Linux."

The icing on the cake?

"It might seem like this has been a long time coming, but the changes at Microsoft over the last few years to put Security at the top of our agendas are paying off."

I don't wish to sound like one of the anti-Microsoft ranters, but that made me smile. A lot.

 

Does PageRank Affect Your Ranking in Google? February 18, 2005

 

A thread in the WebmasterWorld forums has SEO folk clashing swords on how much PageRank is a factor in Google ranking.

There are some good points in there, but as invariably happens when experts and self-professed experts get together to talk, the useful information is somewhat drowned out by egos and nit-picking.

Still worth a look though.

 

Valentine's Day becomes a major online shopping time February 18, 2005

 

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Payments processor and provider of security systems VeriSign Inc. reports that Valentine's Day online spending increased by 30% this year over last, reaching $3.9 billion from Feb. 1 to Feb. 14."

 

Bye Bye Email? February 18, 2005

 

An article on iMediaConnection is reporting on a Blog Business Summit, where some speakers believe that blogs are replacing email as an effective two-way dialog tool:

"Going forward from the recent Blog Business Summit in Seattle, two powerful messages have been reverberating through the marketing world:

1) Blog feeds are rapidly replacing email as a form of proactive marketing communications

2) Marketers wishing to post their own blogs should not approach the form as another one-way communications medium, but should plan for their blogs to offer two-way dialog.

As to the first point: Spam=bad. RSS=good."

 

Interview With Fired Google Blogger February 18, 2005

 

Gelf Magazine have an interview with Mark Jen, the famously fired Google blogger.

I was quite looking forward to reading this (as you are too!), but walked away a little disappointed. Is it that Jen actually says very little in the so-called interview, or is it that there really isn't much to be said?

I do, however, like the fact that Jen's site now has so many visitors that he's enrolled it in Google's AdSense. Nice touch.

 

The copyright 'copyfight' is on February 21, 2005

 

The BBC News website are running an interesting article by columnist Bill Thompson, on the subject of copyright.

The article nicely rounds up all of the well-known and lesser-known issues surrounding copyright, and correctly points out that copyright has given us the EU Copyright Directive and the US Digital Millennium Copyright act, as well as Napster, deCSS and BitTorrent.

"Although I sympathise with him, since I rely on copyright too, I do not think he can stand in the way of the great changes that new technology makes possible.

The geeks and hackers will not allow it."

Spot on. Well worth a read.

 

SEO Showdown: Real Results vs. the Straw Man February 21, 2005

 

Dan Thies has an interesting post on press releases, and their becoming the "new thing" in SEO.

"Some folks have argued that getting rankings for search terms like "Microsoft exchange hosting" is not any kind of achievement, because very few people are searching for that. It's probably true that very few people are looking for that service, but the purpose of search engine marketing is to reach the people who are looking for what you have to offer.

If there are only a few of them out there, then you must target them precisely. Outside of search engine marketing, there are few ways to reach such a small audience effectively, so the channel can get crowded, and costs can get pretty high."

 

Pro's & Con's Of Using "Free Content" To Generate Traffic February 22, 2005

 

The Search Engine Roundtable have written a (typically) interesting article on over-usage of free content.

"Some are reporting that a lot of the free content isn't cracking up to be: free. One of the main problems is that people are using these articles multiple times in many different locations. I mean its free right? Why wouldn't you paste it on your site in hopes it does whats its supposed to do: Get Readers. If you didn't grab the article first or at least get it spidered first then, you may not really realize the traffic you had hoped to obtain."

The writer of the article prefers to either write the content for themselves or hire someone to do this for them.

But is it really so black and white?

If you're using "free content" as the base of a website, with little else to offer, then perhaps the benefits are diminished by the sheer number of people out there that already use it. But even then, it only takes a minimum amount of effort and ingenuity to work out a means of compensating for this.

And if you're using targeted free content as a supplement to existing content on your website, I fail to see how you can lose.

 

WebmasterWorld.com on AdSense February 22, 2005

 

The WebmasterWorld forums have an excellent discussion on the ins and outs of AdSense.

If you're been thinking about dipping your toes in, this is a great starting point.

"A lot of webmasters on this forum are making a living off their sites. What I'd like to know is: How do you do it? Does it take a huge, professionally created site? A series of small sites? Can one person working alone with minimal programming skills manage it? I know that every site and topic is different and that there are probably tiny hobby sites out there raking in the cash, but what kinds of site setups are most likely to pull in enough cash to live off of?"

 

The Importance of Log Analysis part I February 22, 2005

 

Anyone who knows me, anyone who's been reading these comments for a few months, or anyone who regularly visits our DaveTalks website will already know that I'm a little on the obsessive side when it comes to web log analysis.

A company's web server logs are one of the most important and often-neglected sources of information at their disposal.

Without a detailed and careful analysis of this data, a company will be more or less blind and oblivious both to threats and opportunities.

There are two common mistakes that I see, time and time again.

(1) "My web host already offer online statistics. This is more than enough information."

Big mistake. Huge mistake.

Comparable to "well there's usually enough money in the bank, so who needs to plan and budget?"

(2) "I simply don't have the time".

Even bigger mistake.

If a company isn't setting aside time each week or month to look through their log data, they have no idea how well their website is performing as a marketing tool, no idea how well they're doing on the search engines, no idea how well their AdWords are performing, and no idea of how easily they might be able to improve their sales.

The good news is that even if you're tight for time and don't want to spend money on expensive software, there's a lot you can do to start seizing these opportunities.

Watch this space for a series of actionable items that will show you what you can do with your log files. Topics to be covered include saving money, stamping down on piracy and selling more software. Interested?

 

New Google toolbar raising eyebrows and blood pressure February 23, 2005

 

Google's new toolbar has a feature that looks set to upset an awful lot of people.

When the new version is installed, and the AutoLink button selected, web pages with street addresses automatically link to Google's new map service, book publishers ISBN numbers link to Amazon, package tracking numbers links to shippers websites and more.

Is this a case of Google modifying the display of web pages without the consent of the websites?

Personally I want to make sure that when someone is on one of our websites, we (and only we) control who we link to.

I'm expecting a U-turn from Google on this one.

 

Google Gmail launch edges closer February 23, 2005

 

The BBC news website are reporting that Google is edging even closer to launching their Gmail service.

""We are excited to send invitations to those who supported us during the launch," Google said in a statement. "This round of invitations does not mean we're out of beta or offering an open subscription to the world.""

 

Email Send Day Studies Prove Self-Influencing February 23, 2005

 

From MarketingVOX:

"Email firm ExactTarget released a study on the effectiveness of email campaigns relative to the days of the week emails are sent. Several earlier studies suggested that Monday and Tuesday have been the most effective days of the week. But the new study suggests that the best day for opening emails aren't necessarily the best days for conversions."

 

The Importance of Log Analysis part II - why analyse? February 23, 2005

 

Yesterday's posting looked at the importance of web log analysis. Today's posting covers the basics of what you need to carry it out for yourself. The good news is that you only need three things. And some of them, or perhaps even all of them, are free. More... Read rest of article here

 

UK gets official virus alert site February 24, 2005

 

The BBC news website are reporting that the UK government is launching a "rapid alerting service" to tell home computer users about serious internet security problems.

"The scheme is aimed at home users and small businesses. The government estimates it will issue security alerts about six to 10 times a year, based on previous experience of virus outbreaks.

"There is a clear need for easy-to-understand and simple independent advice for non-technically minded people who use computers either at home or at work," said Home Office Minister Hazel Blears.

"The purpose of this new government service is to ensure computer users are aware of the risks involved and how to deal with them easily and effectively without causing alarm."

Those signing up will only be told about the most serious security threats that have the potential to affect millions of people."

It's an interesting development and a nice idea. But it's a shame that the website has to look as though it's a school project.

 

The Microsoft Marketing Myth February 24, 2005

 

From PC Magazine's John Dvorak:

"The word on Microsoft is that it's a copycat with great marketing. The company, however, likes to toss around the term "innovation" and rarely brags about its marketing. And nobody accepts the company's view of itself but me. I argue that Microsoft is a technology-centric company with incredibly poor marketing. So poor that it cannot even convince the pundits that it is anything but a me-too developer."

 

The Importance of Log Analysis part III - which software to use February 24, 2005

 

Yesterday's posting looked at the three things that you need to carry out web log analysis for yourself. Access to your web server log files, web log analysis software, and time. Today we'll be delving a little deeper into the software itself, and looking at... Read rest of article here

 

Google and Yahoo see ratings cut February 25, 2005

 

The BBC news website are reporting that shares in both Google and Yahoo fell yesterday (Thursday), after RBC Capital Markets cut its ratings on the companies.

 

Anti-Spam Software Revenues Seen Climbing To $1.7 Billion By 2008 February 25, 2005

 

Yahoo! News are predicting that the forecast for spam is a good one, but only if you're selling anti-spam solutions.

The article predicts worldwide revenues of $1.7 billion for anti-spam software and hosted services by 2008.

 

"In conversation with..." Jim Lanzone & Apostolos Gerasoulis of Ask Jeeves/Teoma February 25, 2005

 

Mike Grehan from e-marketing-news has published a fascinating interview with some of the top brass from Ask Jeeves.

It makes for very interesting reading, not least because of their theory that Google no longer use PageRank.

 

The Importance of Log Analysis part IV - what to look for February 25, 2005

 

Yesterday's posting looked at four of the applications that I recommend for working with your web server log files. Analog, 123LogAnalyzer, Web Log Storming and ClickTracks. Now that you've (hopefully) decided which tool you're going to use, we'll start looking... Read rest of article here

 

Research Supports Aggressive SEM and SEO February 28, 2005

 

From ClickZ Experts:

"Two recent research reports suggest search marketers should probably assign different success metrics to generic search words within campaigns. Research is validating that lagged and offline conversions represent a huge proportion of search traffic value. The data often support a different, measured ROI decision for generic keywords."

 

Search Engines and Legal Issues February 28, 2005

 

SearchEngineWatch are running an interesting article on some of the legal issues associated with the search engines.

Topics include copyright infringement, trademarks and search-engine advertising and click fraud.

 

The Importance of Log Analysis part V - understanding the data February 28, 2005

 

Friday's posting in the Importance of Log Analysis series looked at what to actually look for in your log analysis. Since writing the posting, I've been inundated by emails asking for more practical and actionable items. Okay so there were only three emails,... Read rest of article here