Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
From Search Engine Land:
- Google Launches Encrypted Web Search
Want to keep your searches from being seen when using open WiFi or other networks? Google’s introduced a new “secure” encrypted version of its search.
Anyone who has been to a bank web site will be familiar with the idea of encryption, where a little “lock” symbol appears at the bottom of Firefox or the top […] - Why I’m Not Deleting My Facebook Account (Yet)
Jason Calacanis plans to commit “Facebook suicide” today and become the latest in a line of prominent tech people to delete their accounts. I considered doing the same back in December but have hung in there. That’s not due to gaining more faith in Facebook. Instead, I shifted to sharing via a fan page. You […]
- Google Captures Cougars And Releases Them Into The Wild
A dating website for older women looking for younger men is no longer able to advertise in the Google Content Network. The website CougarLife.com has told The New York Times that its advertisements have been removed from the Content Network because Google deemed them “non-family safe”.
Claudia Opdenkelder, founder of CougarLife.com, said the campaign, which cost […] - FTC Decides Not To Block Google-AdMob Acquisition
The champagne is flowing in Mountain View; the FTC has declined to sue to block Google’s $750 million acquisition of mobile ad network AdMob. It appears that the public-facing rationale for the decision is the entry of Apple into the mobile ad market.
The FTC put out the following statement:
In a statement issued today, the Commission […] - Google Analytics Releases New, Faster Tracking Code
Last December, Google Analytics announced an alternative tracking setup by using a “parallel rail” to execute JavaScript, meaning analytics wouldn’t slow down your site, and your site wouldn’t hold up analytics. They call it their asynchronous code, and it’s now out of beta and available right in the Google Analytics setup process.
This is important for […] - Insert Coin, Play Pac-Man — In The Google Logo! A 30th Anniversary Tribute
Over the years, I’ve played Pacman on platforms from the original coin-operated arcade game, to my PC, my Xbox, my PSP, my Nintendo DS and the iPhone. I never expected I could add playing Pacman inside the Google logo to the list. Now I can, and so can you, in a special […]
- The Anti-Apple: Google Is The New Microsoft
Microsoft is apparently no longer the target for Google. Apple is now the symbol of all that’s wrong with the world.
I was struck at yesterday’s Google I/O Android keynote by how directly and repeatedly Google’s Vic Gundotra slammed erstwhile partner Apple about its philosophy and its devices. Again and again the message was “we’re […] - Inside Google, Consumer Watchdog Group News Site On Google Privacy
A new web site named Inside Google has launched aimed at tracking and reporting on Google’s privacy issues and other issues surrounded around Google’s “dangerous dominance over the Internet,” as the site explains. The Consumer Watchdog group, backed by the Rose Foundation currently has four bloggers reporting on these concerns.
In fact, […] - Caution: Reported Trends In Search Query Length May Be Misleading
We constantly are hearing reports about how web surfers are getting increasingly savvy with their searches. For example, Hitwise reports that average query length is getting longer. Search marketers have interpreted this information in the following way:
If queries are getting longer, the long tail of search must be increasing; further, if web users are […] - What Skills Do Successful Website Teams Require?
If you have the role of quoting jobs for clients or working out budgets for outsourcing to contractors, you know it’s no easy task. There are many things to consider, from staff to skills to job requirements. Your client, however, wants to know just one thing: how much is it going to cost?
Let’s […]
Search News From Around The Web:
Business Issues
- James Murdoch: Surprised By Schmidt, Search Sites Should Give Us Answers, paidContent.org
- More Countries Question Google on Privacy, New York Times
- Collection of Private Wi-Fi Data Just Google’s Latest German Gaffe, IEEE Spectrum
- Exclusive: Yahoo Poised to Unveil “Project Nike” Partnership Deal With Nokia at Monday Event, AllThingsD
- Google evangelist Vic Gundotra is the company’s new star, VentureBeat
- Unbelievable: WSJ Calls Facebook’s Referring URLs a Privacy Violation (UPDATED), Read/Write Web
Local, Maps & Mobile
- Add Style to Your Google Maps, googlemapsmania.blogspot.com
- Android 3.0 "Gingerbread" coming in Q4 2010, says WebM media team, EuroDroid
- Google Maps Ranking Jewish Businesses For Nazi Related Keywords?, Search Engine Roundtable
- Google’s Gundotra Goes After Apple: The Video, TechCrunch
- Train station searches, simplified, Google LatLong
Link Building
- Why Buying Paid Links Is Like Taking Drugs, Site Visibility
Searching
- Google Removed Only Way To Get To Old Google Design, Search Engine Roundtable
- Google Tests a New Sidebar Without Icons, Google Operating System
- Google’s Disappearing Search Query Bug, Search Engine Roundtable
SEM Industry
- Video Recap of Weekly Search Buzz :: May 21, 2010, Search Engine Roundtable
SEO & SEM
- SEO With Google Webmaster Tools – Part 6: Labs, Search Engine Guide
- Best practises for an HTML Sitemap, Vertical Leap Blog
- Google Experts Answer your SEO Questions, Digital Inspiration
- Small Business SEO – 7 Essential Tips for Success, Online Marketing Blog
- Whiteboard Friday – Sitewide, Reciprocal, and Directory Links, SEOmoz
- Yahoo Site Explorer Link Count Drops Significantly, Search Engine Roundtable
Social Media
- Facebook, MySpace Confront Privacy Loophole, Wall Street Journal
- Facebook Knows Who You’ll Hook Up With, gawker.com
- Facebook Leaks Usernames, User IDs, and Personal Details to Advertisers, benedelman.org
- Study: 60 Percent of Facebook Users Mulling to Quit, PC World
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