Were you fooled? April 3, 2006

 

EU Vista concerns April 3, 2006

 

Somewhat bizarrely, it appears that the European Union has written a letter to Microsoft stating that they are concerned that Vista won't offer customers a real software choice.

"We're concerned about the possibility that the next Vista operating system will include various elements which are currently available separately either from Microsoft or other companies," said EU competition spokesman Jonathan Todd."

Ahem. Apparently, this Vista endeavour is "entirely separate" from their ongoing battle with Microsoft.

EU writes to Microsoft over Vista

 

Understanding Google AdWords April 4, 2006

 

Issue one of our Competitive Edge newsletter is now live.

Competitive Edge is an in-depth look at the issues that concern independent software developers today, with plenty of useful, actionable information on everything from marketing and Google AdWords to new operating systems and general business development.

"It doesn't take a genius to notice that PPC has now become the norm in online advertising, and that Google AdWords has become the king of that particular hill.

Because of the very nature of what the system is and how it works, small and large companies alike are using it, yet the startling fact is that most are using it quite badly.

A few years ago, chances are that only a very small handful of your competitors were using AdWords, but that's changed now. Today you can count yourself lucky if any of your serious competitors aren't doing so.

Meaning? More competition, resulting in it being increasingly harder and more costly to maintain your prominence and a good ROI.

Last year, Google quite radically changed their system, and introduced what they called the Quality Score. I have to admire the concept, as it basically allows Google to clarify how their system works, without giving away a single piece of new information. Not one.

However, beneath the Quality Score system lay a fundamental shift from brain to brawn, that many have overlooked.

Under the old system, you basically had to work quite hard to effectively maintain your hold above your competition. Google lovingly described it as "relevance", but from their point of view they could just as easily have called it profitability. It's to Google's credit that the two are interchangeable."

Competitive Edge Newsletter

 

First impressions and what you do with them April 4, 2006

 

More from our Competitive Edge newsletter:

"Content is king. Silence is golden. Those are two rules that can be applied to websites - and no, I'm not just saying that you should have great content and never even consider adding music to your website (not even the Simpsons theme). What I would like to see is more websites that get the balance right - enough content, but not so much that it turns into a cacophony of chatter that threatens to deafen your visitors.

In this era of content hype, a mistake that many websites make is to say far too much in all the wrong places.

The simple addition of more text does not make your website better. Too many sites are guilty of boring their visitors to tears, or just numbing them with empty talk as soon as they arrive.

A prime example of this is what you do with your Index page. As I'm sure you know, the first paragraph of this page is the most valuable location on your entire website. Do you devote this to a clear and appealing introduction to your products, or have you fallen into the "Welcome to my humble Internet abode" trap?

To be blunt, the first thing your visitors want to know isn't that you've been located in Sampleville, Noland, since 1978. They're not itching to discover that you released a small update for your software on January 22. They're not remotely interested in the fact that you focus on building really good software - you would say that, so why should they care?"

Competitive Edge Newsletter

 

Older users and usability April 5, 2006

 

Have you given any thought to older web users recently? Most Western countries are seeing a trend towards an ageing population, and many of these over 65's are increasingly computer savvy. But do they use the Internet in the same way as the younger generations?

A usability study by Tim Fidgeon revealed some interesting results. He tested a number of users over 65, and compared them with users under 40. There were some surprising differences.

For example, older users often failed to scroll down a page. They read everything that was visible on the screen, but seemed to forget that important information might be found further down the page. They also preferred links that changed colour once you'd clicked on them, and the majority were concerned about downloading documents due to a fear of viruses.

It's an interesting study, but the sample group is so small (eight older users compared to eight younger) that it's impossible to draw any lasting conclusions, in my opinion. Nevertheless, it does give some food for thought.

Improve usability for older users

 

The domain name game April 6, 2006

 

If you've tried to find a new domain name recently, you know how hard it can be. All the good .COMs are taken - and nobody seems to be willing to embrace the .nets, the .infos or anything else.

An interesting report by Dennis Forbes (found first by Rand) shows exactly how tricky dot-com hunting can be. For example, did you know that of the 17,576 possible three-letter combinations, every single one is already taken? All the two-letter combinations are taken, too, not that you're allowed to register two-letter .COMs anymore.

The report includes some fascinating statistical titbits. Did you know that the average domain name is eleven letters long, and starts with s? What with all the Software sites and Search companies out there, that's hardly surprising.

What's the longest domain? Well, you're only allowed sixty-three characters, which is why there are gems like this out there: http://www.WEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEBWEB.com

Hmmm. All I can say is this: we need to move away from the .COMs, people. I know it hurts, but it has to happen.

The Search For A Domain Name

 

Yahoo, spyware and click fraud April 6, 2006

 

Last August, Ben Edelman reported that a surprisingly large number of well-known spyware programs were receiving payments from Overture, Yahoo's pay-per-click system. Now, he claims that that they have been found to facilitate fraudulent click activity.

Essentially, it appears that ads run in syndicated spyware applications which render each impression as an ad click the advertiser must pay for. That's right - advertisers are paying for fake clicks. According to Edelman, Yahoo and the spyware vendor then split the revenue.

This is not based on speculation and guesswork. Edelman is a researching PhD candidate at the Department of Economics at Harvard, and for each case, he has provided a full packet log, annotated screenshots, and video of the spyware-based click fraud taking place.

For the full report, please click here.

As you may know, I've been concerned by Yahoo's actions in the past, and have already closed my own account. This certainly strengthens my determination to stay far away from them.

Yahoo Used in Spyware Click Fraud Scheme

 

Windows on Apple ready to go April 6, 2006

 

Yesterday, Apple declared that the public beta of Boot Camp, the software that lets Windows XP run natively on Intel-based Macs, has been released.

"Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said in a statement. "We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.""

I think this statement lies at the core of it. There might be a few Mac users who are itching to use Windows, but the amount of people who've been put off Macs for fear of learning a whole new system and losing their old software must be high. Now, there's nothing to stop them.

Apple: Windows on a Mac is here

 

Clever viruses April 7, 2006

 

It's Friday, and everyone's worrying about the bird flu virus. I though I'd try to cheer you up by pointing out that some viruses are good, friendly and helpful.

Seriously, it's quite an interesting story:

"Researchers trying to make tiny machines have turned to the power of nature, engineering a virus to attract metals and then using it to build minute wires for microscopic batteries."

Viruses, building wires?! Astonishing. The future is bright. It is easy to picture new developments in viral manufacturing: The latest Toyota, brought to you by Rubella. Dell PCs, in collaboration with Ebola.

I'm so glad it's Friday.

Viruses "trained" to build tiny batteries

 

So what's the whole Web 2.0 about? April 7, 2006

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been coming across this term several times a day. I had a vague idea about what it was, but wasn't really particularly interested. Who needs Web 2.0 when the first version is working just fine, thank you very much?

Well, today I decided that I had to find out more and I headed over to the Web 2.0 Awards website. There, I found the explanations I'd been wanting all along. So if you're like me, vaguely curious but not really all that bothered, here's the official explanation:

"Web 2.0" refers to a recent rebirth of sites that focus on user empowerment and open-source applications online."

Aha! It's like the 1970s, but on the web. Noticed the growing tendency to use flowers and butterflies on websites? Easy, it's just Flower Power returned to haunt us.

I suddenly feel very old and cynical. Apparently, typical Web 2.0 phenomena include blogging, social tagging, wikis and RSS. These are great, true, but do they need their own umbrella term? I'm inclined to agree with Danny Sullivan, who states:

"So I pretty much hate the entire Web 2.0 idea. When it came up, if I was asked to define it, it would have been something like "Lots of people who failed at Web 1.0 are back again, hoping you've forgotten their failures."

I think that pretty much sums it up.

The Web 2.0 Awards Zeitgeist

 

BootCamp tests April 10, 2006

 

The software that lets you run Windows on Macs is being thoroughly tested, and so far the news is good.

"According to tests carried out by CNET product reviewers, a MacBook Pro and iMac running Intel's Core Duo processor and Windows XP delivers equal performance to similarly configured PCs designed to run Windows."

Interesting.

Boot Camp passes muster in speed tests

 

Do .eu want a new domain? April 10, 2006

 

Apparently, hundreds of thousands of people have signed up for .eu domains since they became available on Friday. The majority of them are British, which is surprising since a lot of Brits are notoriously anti-European and see themselves as a separate entity altogether. Of course, there are attempts to try to hype the whole thing up.

"The new .eu domain name will become second only to .com in terms of importance and the volume of traffic that the best .eu domains are likely to attract," said Markus Eggensperger, legal and PR director for domains for web portal Lycos."

There have already been some domain battles, too - most notably for polo.eu, which was sought after by Volkswagen, Ralph Lauren and Nestlé. It went to the car manufacturer, as they got there first.

This is all good and well, but I wonder how all these people managed to get anything done at all. I went to Eurid, the site that claims to register the .eu domains, to have a look. It's a messy, ugly, old-fashioned site. I clicked on the "How to get a .eu name", and was met by a page in French. They've since fixed this, but it was there for a good few minutes.

Even in English, it's not the most user-friendly page. I would copy the text for you, but they've disabled that function. Charming. Anyway, there's a lot of talk about EC regulations and accredited registrars, and the whole thing just stinks of EU bureaucracy.

I think I'll pass on the .eu, thanks.

Rush to grab European net names

 

Google "buys" inventor of new algorithm April 11, 2006

 

A 26-year-old student at an Australian university has struck gold. During the weekend, the news broke that Ori Allon moved from Australia to the Googleplex six weeks ago. The inventor of the search algorithm Orion had also been in talks with Yahoo and MSN, but Google won - what a surprise.

Clearly, Ori Allon is both talented and fortunate, but what is so great about Orion? Well, many people are pointing out that it seems to follow in Ask's footsteps - it appears to be all about related topics:

"Orion finds pages where the content is about a topic strongly related to the key word. It then returns a section of the page, and lists other topics related to the key word so the user can pick the most relevant."

Nevertheless, the university where the algorithm was created retains ownership of the intellectual property - but personally, I think Google will be happy just to have snatched up Ori Allon and thus anything he might think up in the future.

Google wins rights to Aussie algorithm

 

Fat Spaniard faces jail for hacking April 11, 2006

 

Yes, I admit it, the main reason I'm telling you this is because I thought the headline might catch your attention. It certainly caught mine. But before you jump to any conclusions, let me tell you that this particular hacker could face 40 years jail, and his nickname is the Fat Spaniard.

"José Manuel García Rodríguez, aged 24, was deported from Buenos Aires in Argentina last week and now faces trial by Spanish authorities for stealing online banking passwords and hacking into accounts."

Apparently, he is suspected of stealing thousands of Euros, maybe because of his healthy appetite. I imagine he'll be slimming down quickly, where he's going.

Fat Spaniard faces jail for online bank hack

 

Is traffic ranking the future of Google? April 12, 2006

 

A very interesting thread over at WebmasterWorld discusses that fact that a lot of people feel that Google are moving away from relying on links for ranking, and heading towards traffic popularity instead. In other words, sites that get a lot of traffic would also rank more highly.

Obviously, even of there is something to this theory, Google would still have to continue to use other methods - otherwise no new websites would ever stand a chance.

Nobody in the thread seems to be able to agree on a definite conclusion, but the idea is still worth keeping in mind. As one participant puts it, Google can no longer trust webmasters not to stuff their own sites with keywords, or other webmasters no to link to rubbish sites for money, so the only remaining trustworthy participants are the actual website visitors.

In other words, vote with your mouse.

Google algo moves away from links, towards traffic patterns

 

The Webby Awards April 12, 2006

 

It's time for the tenth annual Webby awards, which will be presented on June 12th at a ceremony in New York City. There are an impressive/ridiculous 65 different categories, which include Banking/bill paying, Corporate, Fashion, Health, Law, Personal Web Site, Pod Casts, Real Estate, and much, much more.

If you want to, you can register and vote for the People's Voice part. Personally, though, I think it's nice to just browse through the long list of sites, as they are some of the best-looking, most creative and innovative places on the web right now.

Some of my favorites? Well, I'm intrigued by Dave Loves Elizabeth, although I haven't yet figured out exactly what it's about. The Boneless Pig Farmers and Bovine Unite also caught my attention. In the IT Hardware/software section, I was not surprised to see Download.com and Sun Microsystems.

It's a long, interesting list and you're bound to find something you've never seen before.

The Webby Awards

 

No clicking allowed. April 12, 2006

 

Yesterday, I came across an experimental website that lets you navigate without clicking your mouse. You move the mouse, yes, but there's strictly no clicking allowed. It sounds odd, but it's easy enough to get the hang of - until you accidentally click something and the screen blows up in your face (yes, that happened to me).

It's a clever, slick-looking site and it features a variety of options that you use instead of clicking. These include moving your mouse pointer over a button, circling the button, or just hovering over it for a few seconds.

I have to say, it works surprisingly well and it's quite nice to give your index finger a break. But will it take off? I doubt it. People are quite set in their ways. There's also something slightly worrying and a little dizzying about the speed at which you're taken through the site, without really being able to read things properly.

Still, it's well worth a look.

Don't Click It.

 

Google Calendar April 13, 2006

 

To the horror of calendar software makers everywhere, the long-rumoured Google Calendar is now here. Free, web-based and tied in with Gmail, it looks likely to be a success. It's even integrated with Google Maps so that you can see exactly where you're going for all those meetings and conferences, and reminders can be sent to your mobile phone.

Sigh. Is there anything they don't do? Ten years from now, will we be popping out to GoogleMart in our nifty little GoogleCar? The whole thing is making me tired.

Google Calendar

 

More details released about Vista Aero April 13, 2006

 

Everyone's heard something about the fancy new graphics that Windows Vista promises to offer - everything from translucent windows to animated flips between open programs. Now, we also know who won't be able to enjoy the impressive visual side of Vista, known as Aero.

Apparently, pirated versions will be as dull as anything, because Vista will run a check to make sure it was properly purchased before it displays any graphic acrobatics.

Aero won't be on your computer if you buy the low-end version Vista Basic, either - it only comes with the higher-end versions, and will only run properly if your system meets some very specific demands. The final hardware requirements have not yet been made public, we do know that Vista Aero will need memory bandwidth of at least 1,800MB per second. Also:

"The system will need a graphics chip with a Vista-specific driver, as well as a varying amount of minimum graphics memory, depending on the size of the monitor. A computer with a single display of 1280-by-1024 pixels or less, for example, must have 64MB of graphics memory. For a larger screen, 256MB may be needed, as well as additional memory for secondary displays."

For more details, go to this article on Cnet.com.

Vista won't show fancy side to pirates

 

Spammy faxes April 17, 2006

 

Once again, Matt Cutts hangs someone out to dry - although this time he's not naming any names. It's very funny though, as the most recent offender actually sent out an unsolicited fax claming to be from the "Official Internet Registry and Optimization Bureau."

What isn't funny is the thought that someone might actually fall for this scam - so if you receive any faxes requiring your "prompt attention" and claiming that payment for your annual "Website Marketing & Monitoring Bundle" is due, make sure you file it where it belongs - in the bin.

SEO Mistakes: Unsolicited Faxes

 

Searchers stop at page three April 17, 2006

 

A new survey by Jupiter Research has found that most people won't go beyond the first page of results when they're using a search engine. At the most, searchers will carry on to page three before giving up.

I don't think anyone needed a survey to work this out. It's always been important to be on the first page, and now it's been proven. What's next - most people find that their feet hurt if they walk on broken glass without shoes on?

Search users 'stop at page three'

 

Scanning sites in the shape of an F April 17, 2006

 

When visitors come to your website, what do they see first? New research indicates that they scan the page in a way that loosely resembles the letter F - two horizontal lines followed by one vertical line.

Jakob Nielsen's report on a new eyetracking study contains some interesting heatmap images that do look like Fs, at least vaguely - and I don't think I'm the only one who'll nod my head in recognition and say yes, that's what I do, too.

So what does all this mean? Well, there are no amazing changes - it is still very clear that most visitors scan rather than read, and that the first two paragraphs of your page need to contain the most important information.

But if your site is set up correctly, you have nothing to worry about.

F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content

 

Academic search with Windows Live April 18, 2006

 

Last week, a new, academic search service http://academic.live.com/ was launched on Windows Live. According to the MSN blog:

"Academic search helps users to locate information in academic journal content, and allowing them to complete their research and information gathering work more efficiently. At beta, the index focuses on journal content from the subjects of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Physics - we will be expanding the index to additional subjects soon."

Interesting. Not dissimilar to Google Scholar, of course, but with a very different interface. This includes a preview pane with abstracts from the text, the ability to sort by different key elements, and a citation export feature. Like Windows Live in general, it doesn't feel very intuitive or easy to use, but it does have some potential.

Windows Live Academic search

 

Google and the Da Vinci Code April 18, 2006

 

First it was the Sopranos, now it's a blockbuster film. Yep, Google has teamed up with Sony to promote the Da Vinci Code. Starting yesterday, you can solve puzzles on your personalized Google home page.

With a new puzzle each day for 24 days, the competition has created a fair amount of buzz. Not least because the first 10,000 people who solve all 24 puzzles will be invited to participate in a final 48-hour challenge, and the winner will receive vacations to New York, Paris, London and Rome. Sounds good, doesn't it?

What's really interesting is that Google appears to be doing this for free. The puzzles will introduce people to a variety of Google services - the Calendar, Gmail, Google Talk, and of course the personalized homepage.

Clever. And very much a sign of the times.

Da Vinci Code Promo Breaks New Marketing Ground for Google

 

Want to play with Google Maps? April 19, 2006

 

Over at SearchEngineWatch, there's an interesting write-up of Google Maps Hacks by Rich Gibson and Schuyler Erle. Like other books in the series, this one include hacks that range from simple feature descriptions to complex scripts that demand a certain degree of programming knowledge. Chris Sherman writes:

"The real fun begins with a discussion of the Google Maps API (application program interface), a free set of tools that Google has made available for anyone to use to combine Google maps with just about any type of content or information imaginable."

He lists some great examples of websites that use Google Maps for everything from Chicago crime reports to the position of the Hubble telescope. Very cool.

Hacking Google Maps

 

Is Google building a travel portal? April 19, 2006

 

In the last few days, blogs and forums have been rife with speculation about the possibility that Google might be planning a travel portal. Mainly, this is based on a job posting for "Google: Senior Account Executive, Travel Vertical", and it doesn't necessarily mean anything - but it would certainly be an interesting market for Google to move into.

While we wait to find out more, here's something I didn't know: if you search for AIRPORT CODE to AIRPORT CODE on Google, you get a clever little OneBox result with links to Expedia and other travel companies. Like this: LHR to JFK. Nice.

Google.com Travel Rumors

 

New Google layouts April 20, 2006

 

Recently, I've come across two new Google layouts - one of which I now can't get rid of, but that's a different story. Clearly, we can expect to see some changes in the search results sooner rather than later.

First, this discussion over at the High Rankings forum shows you how to paste a strip of code into your browser address bar, after which you get to see the new Google search result layout complete with links and green bars on the left hand side. Not bad, but a little bit too busy in my opinion - which is a shame as I appear to be stuck with it now (although I still haven't tried rebooting, which might work).

Secondly, a post over at Cybernet features screenshots of another new look. This is apparently tested randomly, and includes a search feature within the search results, enabling you to search inside a particular site.

Screenshots Of Google's New Search Results Screen

 

Mozilla security flaws...yawn. April 20, 2006

 

Lately, I feel like half the news in the world is about all the threats we face. Apparently, everybody is constantly at risk of all kinds of terrible attacks - and in the safety of your own home, those attacks are directed against your computer.

We're constantly reminded of the horrific dangers that are lurking out there, and daily exposure to "the latest security flaws" and "must-have security patches" makes it feel like we're running a battalion under fire, not Windows XP.

The latest chapter deals with Mozilla. Apparently, older versions of Firefox should be upgraded. This is what CNET writes:

"Users have been urged to upgrade to the latest versions of Mozilla's software to protect themselves from a series of critical security holes.´"

Urged? Protect themselves? Critical security? Is this a browser, or nuclear fallout? The message from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (see my point?) makes it sound like this is the worst thing humanity has faced in a decade.

Seriously. It is good to be careful, of course, and nobody wants to experience the horrors of viruses, trojans or hackers, but is there really a need for this constant atmosphere of tension and doom? Personally, I feel like the whole thing turning into the boy who cried wolf - soon I won't even notice when I'm told that I need another update, or else...

Mozilla users urged to upgrade

 

Apple pushes to out bloggers April 21, 2006

 

Yesterday witnessed the continuation of the court case where Apple Computer is trying to gain access to the records of certain blogs, to determine who leaked the news of an unreleased product. CNET News writes:

"The case being argued Thursday addresses whether online journalists deserve the same rights as traditional reporters. In previous court filings, Apple claimed they should not. Its lawyers say in court documents that Web scribes are not "legitimate members of the press" when they reveal details about forthcoming products that the company would prefer to keep confidential."

I think the whole discussion of "bloggers' rights" is very interesting - I can't wait to see what the judge decides.

Apple argues for blogger records

 

One, two, or three? April 21, 2006

 

LCD monitors are getting cheaper and cheaper. We've all seen the TV shows where the important people have desks with four or five displays, but is there really a point to them beyond the show-off component?

Having worked with two monitors for five years, I would have to say that the answer is a resounding yes - and a new study appears to confirm that. According to the NY Times, users will see as much as a 20-30% increase in productivity if they run multiple monitors on their PCs.

I certainly recommend it. I can no longer work with just one screen - having several windows open at the same time helps me do my job, and I don't have to spend as much time looking for elusive applications.

For an interesting discussion and some photos of incredible, 36-screen setups, make sure you read this, too.

Displays: the more the merrier?

 

Free version of ClickTracks April 24, 2006

 

Long-readers of this blog will know how I feel about ClickTracks. I honestly think it's the most effective tool available if you want to understand how your visitors are behaving, and I think their visual representations are superb. However, it's also a little on the pricey side, so I can understand why many people would hesitate to buy it.

The good news is: they've just released a free version, and it looks excellent. ClickTracks Appetizer offers many of their most popular features, including overlay view, path view, page analysis and basic visitor labelling. There's a very clever, bonus, too. From the ClickTracks site:

"Once a month, we'll announce "Web Analytics Day" and 'turn on' advanced features in your version of Appetizer. During this time, you'll be able to see and use some of the more advanced features found in our other editions (Analyzer, Optimizer, and Pro)."

Very, very impressive. If you're at all interested in visitor behaviour, I urge you to take advantage of this amazing piece of software.

This is a really nice spin on Try Before You Buy.

ClickTracks Appetizer Offers Powerful Web Analytics

 

Awareness, hype, stats & paranoia April 24, 2006

 

I've just been reading Webroot's State of Spyware 2005 Report, and believe me, it makes chilling reading.

During 2005 Webroot identified more than 400,000 sites that host spyware, and it's no surprise that many security analysts consider 2005 to be "one of the worst years ever for data security losses". How much do you want to bet that 2006 will be worse?

As for infection rates, the report states that the US had the highest number of spies detected - 27 per scanned PC!

As horrific as these figures are, I can't help but question a number of issues.

(1) When a company selling anti-spyware software produces a risk assessment report, you have to (at the very least) question their neutrality. Am I suggesting that they're lying? Absolutely not. But we all know how facts and especially figures can be tailored to fit the needs of the person providing them.

(2) How do they define spies and/or infection? I'm a very satisfied user of their software, but if I remember correctly, their default setting flagged the legitimate cookies on my system as potentially harmful.

Am I saying that spyware isn't an issue? You've got to be joking. There's little doubt that it's an extremely serious threat to all of us, and constant use of at least one anti spyware application is now vital.

But I'm a little torn here. One part of me admires the marketing strategy of putting out such a report.

Yet the other part of me has installed around 7-8 different anti spyware solutions over the years, and has found all of them to be less than reliable.

The fact is that if you download five different anti-spyware applications and scan your system, all of them will report different threats and infected files. And as good as Webroot are, their software doesn't offer 100% protection.

Five years ago, I could be 100% certain that my system was secure. I used a well-respected anti-virus solution, a solid firewall, kept up with my security updates and even used anti-spyware software.

Today I'm not so sure. I take all the steps I can to secure my system, using a (better) anti-virus solution, a software and hardware firewall, two anti-spyware applications, and even keep my private data encrypted and hidden away. But the last year has seen vulnerabilities in my media player, two of my browsers, graphic files, word processor, newsgroup reader and more.

Last month I saw a £450 charge from an online gambling company on my credit card. I've never used them, and never will. But someone did. With my card details.

And I'm PC savvy, or at least I think I am.

Just imagine how worried your actual customers may be when it comes to entering their credit card details on your website.

If you're selling peace of mind, there's a fine line between raising awareness and scaring your customers into shredding their credit cards.

Too much information can be a bad thing. Too little can be even worse.

State of Spyware 2005

 

Matt says: don't rule anything out April 25, 2006

 

It's official. Anyone who makes broad, sweeping statements about Google - think "meta tags are dead! PageRank is dead!" - is actually dead wrong. In a letter over at Lee Odden's blog, Matt Cutts writes:

"In general, when someone asks me the question "Do you use signal X in rankings?" a good way to answer that question is usually to say that while we don't comment specifically on most of the factors that we use in ranking, it's wise not to rule something out absolutely."

There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. With search engines, it's never a good idea to generalise - because nobody who isn't actually working at Google really knows what's going on.

That's clarified everything.

Matt Cutts on Toolbar data

 

New digital rights law proposed April 25, 2006

 

You've all heard about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Now a new, tougher, tighter law is on the way, designed to close some of the existing "loop-holes". In the future, merely attempting to infringe on copyright would be illegal. Nobody would even be allowed to "make, import, export, obtain control of, or possess" hardware or software that could be used for getting around copyright mechanisms.

Gulp.

Ars Technica writes:

"Criminal enforcement of copyright violations will be extended to cover works not registered with the US Copyright Office at the time of the violation. Also, asset forfeiture will be used as a weapon against those infringing on copyright. That PC you use to rip a copy of The Empire Strikes Back to your hard drive could be confiscated and either destroyed or sold at government auction."

Needless to say, people are worried, and it could certainly mean the end of a lot of free, online content. What it might mean for software authors remains to be seen.

New, tougher copyright legislation in the works

 

Google habits April 26, 2006

 

You may already have seen the blog posting by Joe Schmidt, where he discusses the search data of his Personalized Homepage. To his horror, he discovered that it had logged 6357 search queries in one year - or an average of 17.4 a day.

Now, I don't really use the Personalized Homepage much, so I can't access those kinds of statistics for myself. However, I do know one thing - I probably do two or three times as many searches a day as Joe Schmidt. Horrific, I know.

Anyway, it's an interesting posting with lots of comments, and it gets you thinking about Google and how much you depend on it. I know what I'd do without it - languish.

How much do you Google?

 

The worst products of the year, so far April 26, 2006

 

Okay, so it's not exactly software related, but if you're anything like me (and if you read this I suspect you are), you'll have a "healthy" interest in gadgets and technology. And if you're currently thinking about buying something new, you need to see this. PC Magazine have put together a list of the worst products they've seen so far this year, complete with explanations why and suggestions for alternatives.

The products include a Dell Plasma Display, and HP Photo Scanner, and a Nokia mobile phone. Bookmark it, and don't make the mistake of buying anything from this list!

Worst Products of Q1 2006

 

Webmaster warnings April 27, 2006

 

I like this. Matt Cutts and the Google Webspam and Sitemaps teams are working to alert the owners of some websites that their site is about to be penalized. Basically, they're accepting that there's a big difference between a small, so-called mom-and-pop site that (perhaps unwittingly) is using hidden text, and sites that use thousands of spammy pages and sneaky redirects. Smaller sites would be warned, whereas the big spammers would not be shown any mercy.

This seems to be a good, common-sense and decent thing to do, and I hope it takes off. So far it's just a test, but it appears that Google wants to spend more time working with webmasters rather than just banning them straight away.

Read the full article for the usual entertaining screenshots.

Notifying webmasters of penalties

 

Google and Firefox, sitting in a tree... April 27, 2006

 

If you're in the US, chances are you've already seen that Google is promoting Firefox on their homepage. The rest of us have to make do with screenshots, but it's certainly interesting that Google are promoting something the didn't create, or buy, themselves.

Of course, there are lots of theories as to why they're doing this - fear of the new IE7, perhaps?

Either way, it should provide a nice boost for Firefox. Personally, I use Firefox sometimes, but I'm still sticking with Maxthon for easy, comfortable, tabbed browsing.

Google Promotes First Non Google Product on Homepage

 

Google SketchUp April 28, 2006

 

Another day, another Google product.

"Google SketchUp (free) is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D. With just a few simple tools, you can create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects - even space ships. And once you've built your models, you can place them in Google Earth, post them to the 3D Warehouse, or print hard copies."

Quite brilliant.

SketchUp - model your world

 

More AdWords changes afoot April 28, 2006

 

Don't let the title of this posting fool you. Changes to the Google AdWords system are constant and ongoing. And I don't always believe that they're in the best interests of the AdWords account holders.

But I am noticing an increasing number of minor changes and additions lately. What really annoys me, however, is that most are not documented.

The Inside AdWords blog is a chance for the people behind Google AdWords to put a friendly face on and "mingle" with their customers. In theory.

Why only in theory? Take a look at the recent entries.

Choose a different account time zone explains that in the coming weeks you'll be able to set your account's local time zone. Very useful. But I can't help wonder if it's such a good idea.

More importantly though, you can only do this one time only - the entry advises you to "choose wisely"! So if changing this doesn't work out for you for you're stuck? Apparently so.

Stick with only fixing what's broken I think.

Then take a look at this entry: Ads quality and you.

"Starting today, and over the coming weeks, we'll be implementing an ads quality change designed to show fewer ads on queries for which our users might prefer not to see them and more ads on queries for which ads are useful. The impact of this change will vary from advertiser to advertiser, so we wanted to give you a heads-up and suggest that you keep an eye on your keyword performance over the next few weeks."

Eh?

They're upgrading the system to not show users ads that they don't want to see? That's a change?

Think about it. What are they actually saying here?

Regular readers of this blog will already know how much I admire the Google AdWords system. But I've always noted how they hide much of their system behind a confusing web of intangible factors, and quite rightly so. However I can't help but feel that the tide is starting to turn, and they're starting to not only hide more of the workings behind the scenes, but also throw out a little too much useless information.

The result is confusion. And whether you like the idea or not, the fact remains that a slightly confused AdWords account holder is likely to be more profitable for Google.