Thursday, July 29, 2004
Marchex Acquires Marketing Technology Provider for Small Merchants:
"Thursday July 29, 9:00 am ET
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2004--Marchex, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCHX - News), a leading provider of technology-based services for merchants engaged in online transactions, today announced the acquisition of goClick.com, Inc. (www.goclick.com), a provider of marketing technologies and services for small merchants, for $12.5 million in a combination of cash and stock. The acquisition is effective immediately and is anticipated to be accretive to Marchex's adjusted operating income before amortization..."
"Thursday July 29, 9:00 am ET
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2004--Marchex, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCHX - News), a leading provider of technology-based services for merchants engaged in online transactions, today announced the acquisition of goClick.com, Inc. (www.goclick.com), a provider of marketing technologies and services for small merchants, for $12.5 million in a combination of cash and stock. The acquisition is effective immediately and is anticipated to be accretive to Marchex's adjusted operating income before amortization..."
Microsoft goes in search of Google:
"By Scott Morrison - Published: July 29 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: July 29 2004 5:00
Google said this week it hoped to raise up to $3.8bn in its initial public offering, which would value the world's leading internet search company at as much as $36bn.
But lurking in the shadows is Microsoft, which has set its sights on the internet search market.
And some observers suggest that its aggressive push into search technology recalls the software giant's drive to dominate the internet browser market, which eventually crushed Netscape..."
"By Scott Morrison - Published: July 29 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: July 29 2004 5:00
Google said this week it hoped to raise up to $3.8bn in its initial public offering, which would value the world's leading internet search company at as much as $36bn.
But lurking in the shadows is Microsoft, which has set its sights on the internet search market.
And some observers suggest that its aggressive push into search technology recalls the software giant's drive to dominate the internet browser market, which eventually crushed Netscape..."
Lost Per Click: Search Advertising & Click Fraud:
"By Jessie Stricchiola (http://www.alchemistmedia.com/), July 29, 2004
Click fraud -- the practice of clicking on a text advertisement served by a search engine for the sole purpose of forcing the advertiser to pay for the click -- is emerging as an important concern for search engine marketers.
Click fraud is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening for years, since the original installation of the cost-per click (CPC) pricing model. Click fraud has been increasing in frequency and impact as more advertisers launch CPC campaigns and as the overall cost of online advertising (both search and non-search related) continues to rise..."
"By Jessie Stricchiola (http://www.alchemistmedia.com/), July 29, 2004
Click fraud -- the practice of clicking on a text advertisement served by a search engine for the sole purpose of forcing the advertiser to pay for the click -- is emerging as an important concern for search engine marketers.
Click fraud is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening for years, since the original installation of the cost-per click (CPC) pricing model. Click fraud has been increasing in frequency and impact as more advertisers launch CPC campaigns and as the overall cost of online advertising (both search and non-search related) continues to rise..."
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: MSN Lifts The Hood:
"So we've all seen MSN's new front end, but what's happening behind the scenes? They're offering a limited time only sneak peek. Search for your favorite keywords and see what happens.
Yahoo still powers their main search results.
For indexing and relevance observations be sure to check out the SEW discussion."
"So we've all seen MSN's new front end, but what's happening behind the scenes? They're offering a limited time only sneak peek. Search for your favorite keywords and see what happens.
Yahoo still powers their main search results.
For indexing and relevance observations be sure to check out the SEW discussion."
Google's Ad Technology Tussle:
"By Susan Kuchinskas
Google's potential $3.3 billion IPO is based on the billions it rakes in from search engine advertising. But there's one huge risk factor: Overture Services, its fiercest rival, claims a patent covering paid search. The two companies are poised to duke it out in court.
As Google prepares to go public, this two-year-old patent infringement suit, set to go to trial in San Francisco, calls into question the very basis of Google's advertising business..."
"By Susan Kuchinskas
Google's potential $3.3 billion IPO is based on the billions it rakes in from search engine advertising. But there's one huge risk factor: Overture Services, its fiercest rival, claims a patent covering paid search. The two companies are poised to duke it out in court.
As Google prepares to go public, this two-year-old patent infringement suit, set to go to trial in San Francisco, calls into question the very basis of Google's advertising business..."
Ask Jeeves 2Q Earnings More Than Double:
"Wednesday July 28, 6:44 pm ET
Ask Jeeves 2Q Earnings More Than Double; Company Forecasts 3Q Below Views
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- Internet search and media provider Ask Jeeves Inc. said Wednesday second-quarter earnings more than doubled after the company substantially increased its market share with the acquisition of Interactive Search Holdings earlier this year.
Second-quarter earnings rose to $11.6 million, or 18 cents per share, from $4.9 million, or 9 cents per share, last year, the company said.
Excluding amortization and other charges, the company had earnings from continuing operations of $15.7 million, or 24 cents per share, up from earnings from continuing operations of $5.2 million, or 10 cents a share, last year.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call estimated Ask Jeeves' second-quarter earnings at 22 cents per share.
Revenue for the second quarter rose 136 percent to $60.3 million from $25.6 million last year, Ask Jeeves said.
The company said it expects third-quarter earnings of $16.5 million, or 24 cents per share, excluding charges, on revenue of $74 million. With amortization charges from the acquisition, the company predicts earnings per share of 14 cents. For fiscal 2004, the company expects unadjusted earnings of $1.03 per share, or 77 cents per share after charges, on revenue of about $260 million.
Analysts predict the company will post third-quarter earnings of 27 cents a share on revenue of $76.6 million and fiscal 2004 earnings of $1.04 a share on revenue of $260 million.
Shares of Ask Jeeves recently traded down 51 cents to $27.35 in after-hours trading on the Nasdaq National Market after ending the regular session down $3.16 to $27."
"Wednesday July 28, 6:44 pm ET
Ask Jeeves 2Q Earnings More Than Double; Company Forecasts 3Q Below Views
EMERYVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- Internet search and media provider Ask Jeeves Inc. said Wednesday second-quarter earnings more than doubled after the company substantially increased its market share with the acquisition of Interactive Search Holdings earlier this year.
Second-quarter earnings rose to $11.6 million, or 18 cents per share, from $4.9 million, or 9 cents per share, last year, the company said.
Excluding amortization and other charges, the company had earnings from continuing operations of $15.7 million, or 24 cents per share, up from earnings from continuing operations of $5.2 million, or 10 cents a share, last year.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call estimated Ask Jeeves' second-quarter earnings at 22 cents per share.
Revenue for the second quarter rose 136 percent to $60.3 million from $25.6 million last year, Ask Jeeves said.
The company said it expects third-quarter earnings of $16.5 million, or 24 cents per share, excluding charges, on revenue of $74 million. With amortization charges from the acquisition, the company predicts earnings per share of 14 cents. For fiscal 2004, the company expects unadjusted earnings of $1.03 per share, or 77 cents per share after charges, on revenue of about $260 million.
Analysts predict the company will post third-quarter earnings of 27 cents a share on revenue of $76.6 million and fiscal 2004 earnings of $1.04 a share on revenue of $260 million.
Shares of Ask Jeeves recently traded down 51 cents to $27.35 in after-hours trading on the Nasdaq National Market after ending the regular session down $3.16 to $27."
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Time Warner broadcasts improved results | CNET News.com:
"By Jim Hu and Matt Hines - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
update: Time Warner reported better-than-expected second quarter earnings on Wednesday as its cable business added broadband customers and AOL contributed higher ad revenue...
...Time Warner's numbers benefited from an unexpected surge in advertising revenue at its America Online division, which posted revenue of $2.1 billion and a 13 percent higher operating profit, compared with the same period last year.
Operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBITDA) for the quarter reached $2.6 billion, a gain of 30 percent from last year. Excluding asset gains and losses, adjusted OIBITDA rose 17 percent.
While Time Warner as a whole showed strength in its core businesses--film, publishing, television and cable--the surprising star for this quarter was its long-battered AOL division.
AOL climbing out of its hole
For the first time since the third quarter of 2001, AOL reported growth in its advertising business. The results mark the first bit of good news since the division's fortunes started nose-diving in 2001 and..."
"By Jim Hu and Matt Hines - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
update: Time Warner reported better-than-expected second quarter earnings on Wednesday as its cable business added broadband customers and AOL contributed higher ad revenue...
...Time Warner's numbers benefited from an unexpected surge in advertising revenue at its America Online division, which posted revenue of $2.1 billion and a 13 percent higher operating profit, compared with the same period last year.
Operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBITDA) for the quarter reached $2.6 billion, a gain of 30 percent from last year. Excluding asset gains and losses, adjusted OIBITDA rose 17 percent.
While Time Warner as a whole showed strength in its core businesses--film, publishing, television and cable--the surprising star for this quarter was its long-battered AOL division.
AOL climbing out of its hole
For the first time since the third quarter of 2001, AOL reported growth in its advertising business. The results mark the first bit of good news since the division's fortunes started nose-diving in 2001 and..."
John Battelle's Searchblog: Google IPO Headline Roundup: The Press Lashes Back:
"I get a daily news roundup on the term 'Google IPO' from, yup, Google News. In any case, the headlines that just crossed my desk are pretty uniformly...cranky. A sampling:
WHY not to bid on Google IPO
San Jose Mercury News (subscription) - San Jose,CA,USA
GOOGLE IPO May Hasten Staff Turnover
San Jose Mercury News (subscription) - San Jose,CA,USA
JUST Say No to Google IPO
eWeek - USA
GOOGLE'S IPO: Asking Too Much?
BusinessWeek - USA
BEHAVIOUR experts see pitfalls in Google IPO frenzy
Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand
VIRUS Puts Damper on Google IPO Pricing News
NPR (audio) - USA
Next up: the'Bloom Is Off The Google Rose' article. If history is any guide, it is already being prepped at any number of publications.
Posted by John Battelle at July 27, 2004 04:16 PM "
"I get a daily news roundup on the term 'Google IPO' from, yup, Google News. In any case, the headlines that just crossed my desk are pretty uniformly...cranky. A sampling:
WHY not to bid on Google IPO
San Jose Mercury News (subscription) - San Jose,CA,USA
GOOGLE IPO May Hasten Staff Turnover
San Jose Mercury News (subscription) - San Jose,CA,USA
JUST Say No to Google IPO
eWeek - USA
GOOGLE'S IPO: Asking Too Much?
BusinessWeek - USA
BEHAVIOUR experts see pitfalls in Google IPO frenzy
Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand
VIRUS Puts Damper on Google IPO Pricing News
NPR (audio) - USA
Next up: the'Bloom Is Off The Google Rose' article. If history is any guide, it is already being prepped at any number of publications.
Posted by John Battelle at July 27, 2004 04:16 PM "
A Multifaceted Online News and Blog Search Tool:
"BY Chris Sherman | July 28, 2004
Rocketinfo Desktop is a powerful news search engine with a lot of additional goodies designed for news junkies and online researchers alike.
The program is designed to help users get to news that interests them quickly, by either keyword searching or browsing. Rocketinfo searches more than 10,000 sources of online news and categorizes each story by subject matter..."
"BY Chris Sherman | July 28, 2004
Rocketinfo Desktop is a powerful news search engine with a lot of additional goodies designed for news junkies and online researchers alike.
The program is designed to help users get to news that interests them quickly, by either keyword searching or browsing. Rocketinfo searches more than 10,000 sources of online news and categorizes each story by subject matter..."
Terra finds buyer for Lycos | CNET News.com:
"Last modified: July 28, 2004, 6:25 AM PDT - By Reuters
Spanish Internet service provider Terra Lycos is finalizing a deal to sell its U.S. portal business to a South Korean company for a price above its book value of $75 million, the Spain-based newspaper Expansion said Wednesday.
The board of Terra, Europe's third largest Internet service provider, approved the sale at a meeting on July 22, the newspaper said, but a few details remain unresolved. It did not name the Korean company involved in the deal.
A Terra Lycos representative had no comment.
Web portal Lycos was put up for sale in April at an asking price of $170 million with investment bank Lehman Brothers acting as its adviser, Expansion said.
A company representative had said last month that Terra, 72 percent controlled by Telefonica, had received four bids for Lycos. Terra bought Lycos for $12.5 billion in an all-stock deal in May 2000, at the height of the Internet boom. It wrote off goodwill on the deal in 2002.
Terra expects to post its first profit in 2005. "
"Last modified: July 28, 2004, 6:25 AM PDT - By Reuters
Spanish Internet service provider Terra Lycos is finalizing a deal to sell its U.S. portal business to a South Korean company for a price above its book value of $75 million, the Spain-based newspaper Expansion said Wednesday.
The board of Terra, Europe's third largest Internet service provider, approved the sale at a meeting on July 22, the newspaper said, but a few details remain unresolved. It did not name the Korean company involved in the deal.
A Terra Lycos representative had no comment.
Web portal Lycos was put up for sale in April at an asking price of $170 million with investment bank Lehman Brothers acting as its adviser, Expansion said.
A company representative had said last month that Terra, 72 percent controlled by Telefonica, had received four bids for Lycos. Terra bought Lycos for $12.5 billion in an all-stock deal in May 2000, at the height of the Internet boom. It wrote off goodwill on the deal in 2002.
Terra expects to post its first profit in 2005. "
IAB Issues New Research From Nielsen//Netratings On Branding Value Of Sponsored Text Advertising
:
"Top Position Text Ads Lift Unaided Brand Awareness by 27 Percent
New York, NY (July 15, 2004) � IAB and Nielsen//NetRatings today presented innovative research that demonstrated the effectiveness of sponsored text advertising in moving brand marketing metrics within the online advertising environment. The IAB Search Engine Effectiveness Committee commissioned Nielsen//NetRatings� �Internet Search Brand Effectiveness Research,� project, which studied brand impact of text and search advertising for leading brands from the Health, Auto, Beverage, Electronics, Retail and Finance industries. The research was presented at the first IAB Search Road Show stop in Los Angeles
The study demonstrated that sponsored text advertising in the search environment works for an array of branding objectives. Sponsored text ads, much like the standard image based ad, had their biggest impact on �unaided brand awareness,� especially where a brand held the top position on search results pages. On average, when respondents were asked to name a specific leading brand within a tested industry, they were 27 percent more likely to name the brand displayed in the top spot compared to a control group not exposed to the ad. For the articles pages (pages containing contextually targeted text advertising), the text ad caused a 23 percent lift among respondents that saw the ads..."
:
"Top Position Text Ads Lift Unaided Brand Awareness by 27 Percent
New York, NY (July 15, 2004) � IAB and Nielsen//NetRatings today presented innovative research that demonstrated the effectiveness of sponsored text advertising in moving brand marketing metrics within the online advertising environment. The IAB Search Engine Effectiveness Committee commissioned Nielsen//NetRatings� �Internet Search Brand Effectiveness Research,� project, which studied brand impact of text and search advertising for leading brands from the Health, Auto, Beverage, Electronics, Retail and Finance industries. The research was presented at the first IAB Search Road Show stop in Los Angeles
The study demonstrated that sponsored text advertising in the search environment works for an array of branding objectives. Sponsored text ads, much like the standard image based ad, had their biggest impact on �unaided brand awareness,� especially where a brand held the top position on search results pages. On average, when respondents were asked to name a specific leading brand within a tested industry, they were 27 percent more likely to name the brand displayed in the top spot compared to a control group not exposed to the ad. For the articles pages (pages containing contextually targeted text advertising), the text ad caused a 23 percent lift among respondents that saw the ads..."
iMedia Connection: Web Ad Spending to Double:
"Study says that online advertising is the fastest growing media field.
Online advertising spending is expected to nearly double by 2009 to $16.1 billion, and to represent a much higher percentage of marketers' total budgets in that time, a study has found.
The study conducted by JupiterResearch, a unit of Jupitermedia, says that Internet advertising will grow 27 percent this year to $8.4 billion, with double-digit growth for both paid search listings and display ads such as banners.
Paid search also will continue its growth this year, jumping 34 percent to $2.6 billion. That growth is expected to be driven by boosts in the cost per click of search ads, the report says, leading marketers to focus on efficiency in the conversion of clicks into paying customers..."
"Study says that online advertising is the fastest growing media field.
Online advertising spending is expected to nearly double by 2009 to $16.1 billion, and to represent a much higher percentage of marketers' total budgets in that time, a study has found.
The study conducted by JupiterResearch, a unit of Jupitermedia, says that Internet advertising will grow 27 percent this year to $8.4 billion, with double-digit growth for both paid search listings and display ads such as banners.
Paid search also will continue its growth this year, jumping 34 percent to $2.6 billion. That growth is expected to be driven by boosts in the cost per click of search ads, the report says, leading marketers to focus on efficiency in the conversion of clicks into paying customers..."
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: Microsoft Starts MSN Search Ad Push:
"Looks like MSN is ready to start pushing their new search interface (not the beta index, just the new interface). They sent out the email below to all Hotmail account holders today..."
"Looks like MSN is ready to start pushing their new search interface (not the beta index, just the new interface). They sent out the email below to all Hotmail account holders today..."
Google News faces Microsoft rival | CNET News.com:
"By John Borland - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
update: Microsoft on Tuesday began testing a new online news aggregation service, as part of its growing search rivalry with Google.
In conjunction with its own MSNBC news site, the software giant is creating a page dubbed 'Newsbot' that will draw news headlines from more than 4,800 other sites, in a manner similar to the Google News service..."
"By John Borland - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
update: Microsoft on Tuesday began testing a new online news aggregation service, as part of its growing search rivalry with Google.
In conjunction with its own MSNBC news site, the software giant is creating a page dubbed 'Newsbot' that will draw news headlines from more than 4,800 other sites, in a manner similar to the Google News service..."
Ask Jeeves Extends Advertising Relationship with Google Through 2007:
"EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Ask Jeeves, Inc. - (Nasdaq: ASKJ), a leading provider of information retrieval brands, technologies, and advertising services, today announced that it has extended its relationship with Google as a provider of sponsored advertising links on Ask Jeeves' global search and portal brands through 2007. The extension renews the agreements with the Company's flagship sites, Ask Jeeves (Ask.com) and Ask Jeeves UK (Ask.co.uk). Google's sponsored links product complements Ask Jeeves' own suite of advertising products, including its proprietary paid listings product and branded ad units..."
"EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Ask Jeeves, Inc. - (Nasdaq: ASKJ), a leading provider of information retrieval brands, technologies, and advertising services, today announced that it has extended its relationship with Google as a provider of sponsored advertising links on Ask Jeeves' global search and portal brands through 2007. The extension renews the agreements with the Company's flagship sites, Ask Jeeves (Ask.com) and Ask Jeeves UK (Ask.co.uk). Google's sponsored links product complements Ask Jeeves' own suite of advertising products, including its proprietary paid listings product and branded ad units..."
The Older You Are, The More You Want Personalized Search:
"By Danny Sullivan, Editor - July 26, 2004
Personalization of search results is seen by many including myself as a big step forward to a next generation of search. But will consumers accept it? A new survey conducted on behalf of ChoiceStream, which provides personalization capabilities to portals and others, provides some insight.
Apparently, those who are aged 50 and older are most interested in personalized web search, with 35 percent rating it tops, followed by personalized book recommendations (30 percent), personalized news (22 percent) and personalized travel (21 percent).
Interest in personalized search drops off as the age range becomes younger:..."
"By Danny Sullivan, Editor - July 26, 2004
Personalization of search results is seen by many including myself as a big step forward to a next generation of search. But will consumers accept it? A new survey conducted on behalf of ChoiceStream, which provides personalization capabilities to portals and others, provides some insight.
Apparently, those who are aged 50 and older are most interested in personalized web search, with 35 percent rating it tops, followed by personalized book recommendations (30 percent), personalized news (22 percent) and personalized travel (21 percent).
Interest in personalized search drops off as the age range becomes younger:..."
BBspot - Google Reveals New Search Formula:
"By Brian Briggs
Mountain View, CA - Google announced a revamped search results ranking procedure to combat complaints that results were becoming less relevant due to commercial sites gaming the current system.
'Right now, if someone searches for information on cialis, most of the results will be for dubious online pharmacies instead of places to get more information about Cialis. We think many sites are abusing our system,' said Google spokesperson Harold Li..."
"By Brian Briggs
Mountain View, CA - Google announced a revamped search results ranking procedure to combat complaints that results were becoming less relevant due to commercial sites gaming the current system.
'Right now, if someone searches for information on cialis, most of the results will be for dubious online pharmacies instead of places to get more information about Cialis. We think many sites are abusing our system,' said Google spokesperson Harold Li..."
Change To Link Bomb Sign Of New Link Analysis Shift?:
"If you aren't aware, Daniel Brandt of Google Watch fame started a link bomb to make the page about Google's management come up tops by linking to it with the words 'out-of-touch executives.' It's ranked tops until apparently this week..."
"If you aren't aware, Daniel Brandt of Google Watch fame started a link bomb to make the page about Google's management come up tops by linking to it with the words 'out-of-touch executives.' It's ranked tops until apparently this week..."
BBC NEWS | Technology | Google recovers after virus hits:
"Net giant Google has recovered after a sneaky virus severely affected its search engine.
Net security firms reported that the havoc had been caused by a new variant of the MyDoom virus..."
"Net giant Google has recovered after a sneaky virus severely affected its search engine.
Net security firms reported that the havoc had been caused by a new variant of the MyDoom virus..."
Friday, July 23, 2004
Yahoo! gains on Google...or does it?: "By Jennifer Laycock, Editor - July 21, 2004
A recent Consumer Technographics survey, sponsored by Forrester Research revealed that popular portal site Yahoo! has increased its share of the search engine market to 40% of Web searchers who use a portal or search site at least once a week. The survey also listed Google as owning 40% of the market.
Forrester conducts the survey twice yearly by surveying over 60,000 households on their Internet usage. Participants in the survey were asked which portal or search engine they used at least once a week. Users were allowed to name more than one engine in the survey. Beyond Google and Yahoo!, which each receive a 40% share of the market, MSN came in with 23% while AOL scored 18%. AskJeeves rounded out the top five with 9%..."
A recent Consumer Technographics survey, sponsored by Forrester Research revealed that popular portal site Yahoo! has increased its share of the search engine market to 40% of Web searchers who use a portal or search site at least once a week. The survey also listed Google as owning 40% of the market.
Forrester conducts the survey twice yearly by surveying over 60,000 households on their Internet usage. Participants in the survey were asked which portal or search engine they used at least once a week. Users were allowed to name more than one engine in the survey. Beyond Google and Yahoo!, which each receive a 40% share of the market, MSN came in with 23% while AOL scored 18%. AskJeeves rounded out the top five with 9%..."
Mooter:
"Mooter is an innovative young company which aims to help you effectively navigate through information. We use intelligent algorithms to understand the meanings of bodies of information, and cluster the themes within them. We dynamically personalize your searching experience to make it as effortless as possible."
MooterSearch http://www.mooter.com/moot
"Mooter is an innovative young company which aims to help you effectively navigate through information. We use intelligent algorithms to understand the meanings of bodies of information, and cluster the themes within them. We dynamically personalize your searching experience to make it as effortless as possible."
MooterSearch http://www.mooter.com/moot
apcmag.com: Google killers:
"By Simon Sharwood
Can Google's armoury fight off the swelling ranks of rivals? Simon Sharwood checks out the future of Internet searching.
Can new weapons in Google's armoury fight off the swelling ranks of rivals?... "
"By Simon Sharwood
Can Google's armoury fight off the swelling ranks of rivals? Simon Sharwood checks out the future of Internet searching.
Can new weapons in Google's armoury fight off the swelling ranks of rivals?... "
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: Trellian Launches Keyword Search Tool:
"Thanks to Dan Thies for passing on the information that Trellian has launched a new keyword research tool with a database of over 9 billion searches.
The new tool also includes seasonal trends and related search terms.
Update: Just clicked on a 'help' link that displayed this...
'Our database contains over 20 billion searches spaning the last 12 months. We compile this information from 37 different sources. These include major international, pay per click, meta and regional search engines.'
So when you view the total number of searches, be sure to click on the number to reveal the popularity of those searches over the past 12 months.
Here are the results for 'flowers'..."
See "Search Term Research" below.
"Thanks to Dan Thies for passing on the information that Trellian has launched a new keyword research tool with a database of over 9 billion searches.
The new tool also includes seasonal trends and related search terms.
Update: Just clicked on a 'help' link that displayed this...
'Our database contains over 20 billion searches spaning the last 12 months. We compile this information from 37 different sources. These include major international, pay per click, meta and regional search engines.'
So when you view the total number of searches, be sure to click on the number to reveal the popularity of those searches over the past 12 months.
Here are the results for 'flowers'..."
See "Search Term Research" below.
Search Term Research:
"This invaluable research tool will tell you what users are searching for and help you find the right keywords to target.
Our database is one of the biggest, with over 9 billion searches compiled from 37 sources that include major international, pay per click, meta and regional engines..."
"This invaluable research tool will tell you what users are searching for and help you find the right keywords to target.
Our database is one of the biggest, with over 9 billion searches compiled from 37 sources that include major international, pay per click, meta and regional engines..."
Search Startup Moves Beyond Keywords:
"By Matt Hicks - July 21, 2004
To search startup Blinkx Inc., keywords are passe. The future of search lies instead with bigger concepts.
Blinkx, which last month quietly launched a beta of its desktop search application, is getting ready to take on the increasingly competitive Web search market. On Friday, it plans to formally launch the company and its new approach to search..."
"By Matt Hicks - July 21, 2004
To search startup Blinkx Inc., keywords are passe. The future of search lies instead with bigger concepts.
Blinkx, which last month quietly launched a beta of its desktop search application, is getting ready to take on the increasingly competitive Web search market. On Friday, it plans to formally launch the company and its new approach to search..."
Nate Elliott: DoubleClick Gets Killed:
"'This is a disappointing quarter for us,' Kevin Ryan started the DoubleClick earnings call today. No kidding. Top line was up 9 percent from 2Q03 to 2Q04, but bottom line was down 33 percent. eCPMs continue to fall. Motif still isn't doing enough business that they're willing to break out revenues. (Despite this, they used the words 'rich media' about a dozen times on the call.) Performics wasn't in the fold as of Q2, so they couldn't count on that cash. Even Abacus, which has never let DoubleClick down, had a bad quarter. In a bizarre flashback to 1999, Kevin actually spent part of the call talking up the potential of DoubleClick's e-mail product. It wasn't pretty.
I'm sure the after-hours feeding frenzy will begin immediately. [Update: Oh yeah. As of 4:57, they're down 1.13 to 5.85.]"
"'This is a disappointing quarter for us,' Kevin Ryan started the DoubleClick earnings call today. No kidding. Top line was up 9 percent from 2Q03 to 2Q04, but bottom line was down 33 percent. eCPMs continue to fall. Motif still isn't doing enough business that they're willing to break out revenues. (Despite this, they used the words 'rich media' about a dozen times on the call.) Performics wasn't in the fold as of Q2, so they couldn't count on that cash. Even Abacus, which has never let DoubleClick down, had a bad quarter. In a bizarre flashback to 1999, Kevin actually spent part of the call talking up the potential of DoubleClick's e-mail product. It wasn't pretty.
I'm sure the after-hours feeding frenzy will begin immediately. [Update: Oh yeah. As of 4:57, they're down 1.13 to 5.85.]"
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Yahoo Japan profit nearly double:
"By Yukari Iwatani Kane
TOKYO (Reuters) - Yahoo Japan, Japan's top Internet portal, says its first-quarter net profit rose 83 percent but it forecast flat growth in the current quarter due to higher costs.
It said on Wednesday first-quarter results benefited from lower-than-expected costs, as it put off some operational plans such as expansion of office and data centre space and focused on tightening security measures to protect customer information and prevent fraudulent sales in its auction business..."
"By Yukari Iwatani Kane
TOKYO (Reuters) - Yahoo Japan, Japan's top Internet portal, says its first-quarter net profit rose 83 percent but it forecast flat growth in the current quarter due to higher costs.
It said on Wednesday first-quarter results benefited from lower-than-expected costs, as it put off some operational plans such as expansion of office and data centre space and focused on tightening security measures to protect customer information and prevent fraudulent sales in its auction business..."
Center for Media Research - Daily Brief:
"Migration of Print Advertising to Internet is Five Percent in US
A new publication from the World Association of Newspapers 'New Classified Models,' from WAN's Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, says that only those newspapers that are aggressively and proactively ensuring they will own the digital classified market are succeeding in retaining (classified) market share and profitability.
The report says the migration of classified advertising from print to the Internet is much slower than many have predicted, but it is relentless nonetheless..."
"Migration of Print Advertising to Internet is Five Percent in US
A new publication from the World Association of Newspapers 'New Classified Models,' from WAN's Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, says that only those newspapers that are aggressively and proactively ensuring they will own the digital classified market are succeeding in retaining (classified) market share and profitability.
The report says the migration of classified advertising from print to the Internet is much slower than many have predicted, but it is relentless nonetheless..."
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor's eJournal - Google and Trust:
"As Google nears the day when it sells stock to the public, a fundamental question arises: How can the company possibly justify the rich price it hopes to get in the marketplace?
However brilliant Google's technology may be -- and it's both innovative and path-breaking in many ways -- the online search and advertising company doesn't have a monopoly. And it faces plenty of competition from small and large businesses that have their own share of smart people.
There's only one way the fast-growing search and media powerhouse can pull this off, and a single word sums it up: trust."
"As Google nears the day when it sells stock to the public, a fundamental question arises: How can the company possibly justify the rich price it hopes to get in the marketplace?
However brilliant Google's technology may be -- and it's both innovative and path-breaking in many ways -- the online search and advertising company doesn't have a monopoly. And it faces plenty of competition from small and large businesses that have their own share of smart people.
There's only one way the fast-growing search and media powerhouse can pull this off, and a single word sums it up: trust."
Yahoo! News - Britain's Online Ad Market Surges in 2003 - Study:
"LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Internet advertising market topped 350 million pounds ($650 million) in 2003, putting the industry solidly on track to surpass commercial radio within the next three years, an industry trade group said on Tuesday.
The demand for corporate-sponsored search listings and a surge in new users attracted a host of new advertisers to the Internet and pushed ad revenues up 80 percent year-on-year, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK said in an annual report audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP..."
"LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Internet advertising market topped 350 million pounds ($650 million) in 2003, putting the industry solidly on track to surpass commercial radio within the next three years, an industry trade group said on Tuesday.
The demand for corporate-sponsored search listings and a surge in new users attracted a host of new advertisers to the Internet and pushed ad revenues up 80 percent year-on-year, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK said in an annual report audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP..."
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
DMNews.com | News | Article:
"Will Paid Inclusion Be Banished?
By: Brian Morrissey - Senior Editor
With MSN and Ask Jeeves eliminating paid inclusion listings from their search results this month, Yahoo is the lone holdout among major search engines to let advertisers pay to have their Web pages in its search results.
Unlike paid placement, advertisers paying for inclusion in a search index are not promised placement. Instead, they are promised that their sites will be included in a search index. The practice has advantages for businesses with constantly changing Web pages that are not indexed as frequently by Web search spiders.
Search leader Google has taken a firm stand against the practice, vowing never to accept payment for inclusion. Its IPO filing makes its stance explicit: 'Our search results will be objective and we will not accept payment for inclusion or ranking in them.' ..."
"Will Paid Inclusion Be Banished?
By: Brian Morrissey - Senior Editor
With MSN and Ask Jeeves eliminating paid inclusion listings from their search results this month, Yahoo is the lone holdout among major search engines to let advertisers pay to have their Web pages in its search results.
Unlike paid placement, advertisers paying for inclusion in a search index are not promised placement. Instead, they are promised that their sites will be included in a search index. The practice has advantages for businesses with constantly changing Web pages that are not indexed as frequently by Web search spiders.
Search leader Google has taken a firm stand against the practice, vowing never to accept payment for inclusion. Its IPO filing makes its stance explicit: 'Our search results will be objective and we will not accept payment for inclusion or ranking in them.' ..."
UC fires back at Microsoft in browser battle | CNET News.com:
"By Paul Festa - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
The University of California hit back at Microsoft in its pitched patent battle over fundamental Web browsing technology.
UC and its one-man software spinoff Eolas on July 16 filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the federal circuit, in Washington, D.C., to counter Microsoft's request for an appeal in a patent infringement case that has rattled the Web, from site authors to browser vendors to standards groups.
Last year, Microsoft got socked with a $521 million judgment after a jury found it guilty of infringing on Eolas's system for running plug-ins, applications like Macromedia's Flash animation software and Adobe's Acrobat document reader that run inside the Web browser..."
"By Paul Festa - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
The University of California hit back at Microsoft in its pitched patent battle over fundamental Web browsing technology.
UC and its one-man software spinoff Eolas on July 16 filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the federal circuit, in Washington, D.C., to counter Microsoft's request for an appeal in a patent infringement case that has rattled the Web, from site authors to browser vendors to standards groups.
Last year, Microsoft got socked with a $521 million judgment after a jury found it guilty of infringing on Eolas's system for running plug-ins, applications like Macromedia's Flash animation software and Adobe's Acrobat document reader that run inside the Web browser..."
Ask Jeeves More Than Doubles Internet Traffic DMNews.com | News | Article:
"By: Brian Morrissey - Senior Editor
In the first month since closing on the acquisition of new search properties, Ask Jeeves increased its Web traffic 150 percent to become the sixth-most-visited Internet property in June, according to comScore Media Metrix.
The Internet measurement firm said yesterday that Ask Jeeves' monthly unique visitors ballooned to 39.3 million, up from 15.7 million in May. The traffic explosion, which vaulted the company up 18 places to No. 6, came thanks to the addition of properties acquired through Interactive Search Holdings, including the MyWay, iWon and MySearch portal sites..."
"By: Brian Morrissey - Senior Editor
In the first month since closing on the acquisition of new search properties, Ask Jeeves increased its Web traffic 150 percent to become the sixth-most-visited Internet property in June, according to comScore Media Metrix.
The Internet measurement firm said yesterday that Ask Jeeves' monthly unique visitors ballooned to 39.3 million, up from 15.7 million in May. The traffic explosion, which vaulted the company up 18 places to No. 6, came thanks to the addition of properties acquired through Interactive Search Holdings, including the MyWay, iWon and MySearch portal sites..."
Monday, July 19, 2004
The New York Times > Technology > E-Commerce Report: A Drop in Search Engine Ad Supply:
"By BOB TEDESCHI - Published: July 19, 2004
SEARCH engines like Yahoo and Google have spawned bidding wars among a growing number of marketers who want to place their ads next to search results. That is a beautiful thing for Yahoo and Google, of course, but in the long term, some analysts think it could haunt them.
According to a report to be released today by the Internet research firm Nielsen//NetRatings, the demand for search advertising is growing far more quickly than the supply of available advertising spots. The report's author, Kenneth Cassar, said the implications could be far reaching.
'In the long term, we'll hit a wall where a lot of the search buys that make sense today won't make sense anymore because prices will have risen so high,' Mr. Cassar said. 'So for the search engines to grow their revenues, they'll have to increase supply.'
...Eduardo Pretell, eLoan's vice president for marketing, said the company determined how well each search advertisement did in bringing in paying customers, then settled on a bidding price. As a result, the company has refused to outbid Centex, another mortgage company, to advertise next to the search results for "mortgage lender." Last week, Centex topped all bidders at $9.31; eLoan was second highest at $6.26. "But as long as that ad is performing well," Mr. Pretell said, "we're perfectly happy to pay what might appear to others as an exorbitant price." ..."
"By BOB TEDESCHI - Published: July 19, 2004
SEARCH engines like Yahoo and Google have spawned bidding wars among a growing number of marketers who want to place their ads next to search results. That is a beautiful thing for Yahoo and Google, of course, but in the long term, some analysts think it could haunt them.
According to a report to be released today by the Internet research firm Nielsen//NetRatings, the demand for search advertising is growing far more quickly than the supply of available advertising spots. The report's author, Kenneth Cassar, said the implications could be far reaching.
'In the long term, we'll hit a wall where a lot of the search buys that make sense today won't make sense anymore because prices will have risen so high,' Mr. Cassar said. 'So for the search engines to grow their revenues, they'll have to increase supply.'
...Eduardo Pretell, eLoan's vice president for marketing, said the company determined how well each search advertisement did in bringing in paying customers, then settled on a bidding price. As a result, the company has refused to outbid Centex, another mortgage company, to advertise next to the search results for "mortgage lender." Last week, Centex topped all bidders at $9.31; eLoan was second highest at $6.26. "But as long as that ad is performing well," Mr. Pretell said, "we're perfectly happy to pay what might appear to others as an exorbitant price." ..."
CyberJournalist.net: Paid search: Jump on the bandwagon now:
"Borrell Associates has reversed its previous position and sent a memo to clients strongly recommending local Web publishers jump on the paid search bandwagon. "We believe that the scales have tipped in favor of local Web operators participating in programs such as those offered by Google and others, and that non-participation will actually disadvantage site operators." Borrell estimates that paid search boosts online revenue of newspaper and TV sites by 2% to 10%. "Whatever you do, get in the game now," the memo says.
If sites wanted to maximize revenue, Borrell recommends:
• Increasing the number of pages on the site, and/or increasing the locations
where the text ads appear.
• Determining which ads produce the highest click-through rates and making sure you're producing pages on which those ads will appear.
• Employing page-design techniques that ensure readers will look at the ads."
"Borrell Associates has reversed its previous position and sent a memo to clients strongly recommending local Web publishers jump on the paid search bandwagon. "We believe that the scales have tipped in favor of local Web operators participating in programs such as those offered by Google and others, and that non-participation will actually disadvantage site operators." Borrell estimates that paid search boosts online revenue of newspaper and TV sites by 2% to 10%. "Whatever you do, get in the game now," the memo says.
If sites wanted to maximize revenue, Borrell recommends:
• Increasing the number of pages on the site, and/or increasing the locations
where the text ads appear.
• Determining which ads produce the highest click-through rates and making sure you're producing pages on which those ads will appear.
• Employing page-design techniques that ensure readers will look at the ads."
They think they can: Small sites challenge big search engines / :
"Newcomers focus on niches, use different methods
Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, July 19, 2004
The success of Google and its major rivals has legions of upstarts hoping to be the next big Internet search destination, or at least rise above obscurity.
Dozens of small Web sites offer ways of finding information that differ at least modestly and in some cases radically from some of the most popular search engines..."
"Newcomers focus on niches, use different methods
Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer Monday, July 19, 2004
The success of Google and its major rivals has legions of upstarts hoping to be the next big Internet search destination, or at least rise above obscurity.
Dozens of small Web sites offer ways of finding information that differ at least modestly and in some cases radically from some of the most popular search engines..."
Ask Jeeves searches for profits, gets results / Search engine retools itself to go against big guys:
"Marcos Sorensen, the artist who created the natty butler that emblazons the Ask Jeeves Internet search engine, can think big again.
Confined to designing logos for company T-shirts, presentations and the Web site in recent years because of limited advertising, he is now helping design a giant balloon in the butler's likeness for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade again..."
"Marcos Sorensen, the artist who created the natty butler that emblazons the Ask Jeeves Internet search engine, can think big again.
Confined to designing logos for company T-shirts, presentations and the Web site in recent years because of limited advertising, he is now helping design a giant balloon in the butler's likeness for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade again..."
Exposing click fraud | CNET News.com:
"By Stefanie Olsen - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Internet marketers facing higher advertising fees on search networks are becoming increasingly concerned about a form of online fraud that was thought to have been contained years ago.
The practice, known as 'click fraud,' began in the early days of the Internet's mainstream popularity with programs that automatically surfed Web sites to increase traffic figures. This led companies to develop policing technologies touted as antidotes to the problem. But some marketing executives estimate that up to 20 percent of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on nonexistent consumers in today's search industry..."
"By Stefanie Olsen - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Internet marketers facing higher advertising fees on search networks are becoming increasingly concerned about a form of online fraud that was thought to have been contained years ago.
The practice, known as 'click fraud,' began in the early days of the Internet's mainstream popularity with programs that automatically surfed Web sites to increase traffic figures. This led companies to develop policing technologies touted as antidotes to the problem. But some marketing executives estimate that up to 20 percent of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on nonexistent consumers in today's search industry..."
Deconstructing the spyware face-off | Perspectives | CNET News.com:
"July 19, 2004, 4:00 AM PT - By Declan McCullagh
Thanks to skillful lobbying and bipartisan political schmoozing, America's high-technology industry can point to a handsome number of legislative victories, like the R&D tax credit, more H-1B visas, restrictions on Internet access taxes, free trade with China, and curbs on lawsuits arising from the Year 2000 computer bug.
Now this enviable winning streak may be ending. Even the combined might of Microsoft and some of Silicon Valley's largest corporations wasn't enough to derail a spyware bill that's hurtling through the U.S. House of Representatives at an unusual speed and is now awaiting a floor vote...
"We didn't get very far at the end of the day," admits Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America. The ITAA wrote its own letter warning that the "current bill will generate a veritable blizzard of legally mandated pop-up notices that only a lawyer would love," and would unreasonably target any utility that might "update, renew and monitor programs residing on the computer user's system."
...The Spy Act is no prize, either. The latest version has ballooned to 21 pages and hands broad new powers to the Federal Trade Commission to police the U.S. software industry. Legitimate firms would have to comply with an avalanche of regulations of dubious value--yielding notices that Americans will ignore as completely as they do the junk mail the Gramm-Leach-Bliley law requires banks and credit unions to send out..."
"July 19, 2004, 4:00 AM PT - By Declan McCullagh
Thanks to skillful lobbying and bipartisan political schmoozing, America's high-technology industry can point to a handsome number of legislative victories, like the R&D tax credit, more H-1B visas, restrictions on Internet access taxes, free trade with China, and curbs on lawsuits arising from the Year 2000 computer bug.
Now this enviable winning streak may be ending. Even the combined might of Microsoft and some of Silicon Valley's largest corporations wasn't enough to derail a spyware bill that's hurtling through the U.S. House of Representatives at an unusual speed and is now awaiting a floor vote...
"We didn't get very far at the end of the day," admits Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America. The ITAA wrote its own letter warning that the "current bill will generate a veritable blizzard of legally mandated pop-up notices that only a lawyer would love," and would unreasonably target any utility that might "update, renew and monitor programs residing on the computer user's system."
...The Spy Act is no prize, either. The latest version has ballooned to 21 pages and hands broad new powers to the Federal Trade Commission to police the U.S. software industry. Legitimate firms would have to comply with an avalanche of regulations of dubious value--yielding notices that Americans will ignore as completely as they do the junk mail the Gramm-Leach-Bliley law requires banks and credit unions to send out..."
Friday, July 16, 2004
MediaDailyNews 07-16-04. Digitas Acquires Modem In Estimated $200 Million Stock-for-Stock Deal :
"By Ross Fadner - Staff Writer
Interactive merger mania continued Thursday, as Digitas Inc. announced that it acquired Modem Media, Inc. in a stock-for-stock transaction. The acquisition is valued at approximately $200 million.
The Digitas-Modem Media deal represents the third interactive agency merger/acquisition in recent weeks. Aquantive recently added Web services and interactive brand development firm SBI.Razorfish to its portfolio, and Agency.com scooped up Exile on Seventh. And one of the highest profile pickups on the interactive scene in recent weeks-America Online's $435 million acquisition of Advertising.com..."
"By Ross Fadner - Staff Writer
Interactive merger mania continued Thursday, as Digitas Inc. announced that it acquired Modem Media, Inc. in a stock-for-stock transaction. The acquisition is valued at approximately $200 million.
The Digitas-Modem Media deal represents the third interactive agency merger/acquisition in recent weeks. Aquantive recently added Web services and interactive brand development firm SBI.Razorfish to its portfolio, and Agency.com scooped up Exile on Seventh. And one of the highest profile pickups on the interactive scene in recent weeks-America Online's $435 million acquisition of Advertising.com..."
Broadband Energizes the Internet:
"July 16, 2004
Forrester reports that broadband is the force behind a new wave of technology adoption and online activity.
According to the 'Benchmark 2004 Data Overview: Consumer Technographics North America.' Report just released by Forrester Research, North America's 23.1 million broadband households are more likely than dial-up households to use the Net for researching products, shopping, banking, booking travel and getting health care information. They are also more likely to adopt new technologies like home networks and digital video recorders (DVRs)..."
"July 16, 2004
Forrester reports that broadband is the force behind a new wave of technology adoption and online activity.
According to the 'Benchmark 2004 Data Overview: Consumer Technographics North America.' Report just released by Forrester Research, North America's 23.1 million broadband households are more likely than dial-up households to use the Net for researching products, shopping, banking, booking travel and getting health care information. They are also more likely to adopt new technologies like home networks and digital video recorders (DVRs)..."
BW Online | July 16, 2004 | So Many Pages, Such Feeble Search:
"By Steve Hamm
Microsoft is just the latest tech outfit to tackle the info-overload problem. It's joining a host of others that have miles to go
For proof that Internet search technology is still in its infancy, go to the Web site for Microsoft's (MSFT ) new would-be Google killer. The company has invited people to try out a test version and suggest improvements. It could definitely use some. A search for Web pages related to the key words 'Bill' and 'Gates,' for instance, starts off well with a couple of links to Gates' own Web pages on Microsoft's corporate site. But the results quickly devolve into a catch-all of random and even loony Gates-related material -- including a guide to hiring a William H. Gates III impersonator and a tongue-in-cheek spoof that tries to prove Gates is the devil..."
"By Steve Hamm
Microsoft is just the latest tech outfit to tackle the info-overload problem. It's joining a host of others that have miles to go
For proof that Internet search technology is still in its infancy, go to the Web site for Microsoft's (MSFT ) new would-be Google killer. The company has invited people to try out a test version and suggest improvements. It could definitely use some. A search for Web pages related to the key words 'Bill' and 'Gates,' for instance, starts off well with a couple of links to Gates' own Web pages on Microsoft's corporate site. But the results quickly devolve into a catch-all of random and even loony Gates-related material -- including a guide to hiring a William H. Gates III impersonator and a tongue-in-cheek spoof that tries to prove Gates is the devil..."
Microsoft buys Lookout to boost search | CNET News.com:
"By Jim Hu - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Microsoft's MSN division announced Thursday that it has acquired Lookout Software, a firm whose technology searches messages in the software giant's Outlook e-mail client.
Details of the acquisition remain murky, as Microsoft did not disclose financial terms and did not describe how Lookout will be integrated. What the company did say was the acquisition builds on MSN Search's ongoing efforts to refurbish itself through a series of changes..."
"By Jim Hu - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Microsoft's MSN division announced Thursday that it has acquired Lookout Software, a firm whose technology searches messages in the software giant's Outlook e-mail client.
Details of the acquisition remain murky, as Microsoft did not disclose financial terms and did not describe how Lookout will be integrated. What the company did say was the acquisition builds on MSN Search's ongoing efforts to refurbish itself through a series of changes..."
PageRank Dilution Explained:
"Simple works best, so no complex numbers here. Just a picture and words.
PageRank is a number. If you put a link from page A to page B, page A will distribute PageRank to page B. Page A's PageRank does not get diluted by linking out, but the links are worth less, in terms of the value of the PageRank, when there are more links on the page A. In other words, the PageRank to the pages page A links to does get diluted but not the PageRank of page A itself..."
"Simple works best, so no complex numbers here. Just a picture and words.
PageRank is a number. If you put a link from page A to page B, page A will distribute PageRank to page B. Page A's PageRank does not get diluted by linking out, but the links are worth less, in terms of the value of the PageRank, when there are more links on the page A. In other words, the PageRank to the pages page A links to does get diluted but not the PageRank of page A itself..."
Desktop Search LookOut Purchased by Microsoft:
"Lookout Software was purchased by Microsoft. This is what they do... 'Built on top of a powerful search engine, Lookout is the only personal search engine that can search all of your email from directly within Outlook - in seconds...'
So Ask Jeeves purchased desktop search company Tukaroo, we know Google is working on something. So here we go."
"Lookout Software was purchased by Microsoft. This is what they do... 'Built on top of a powerful search engine, Lookout is the only personal search engine that can search all of your email from directly within Outlook - in seconds...'
So Ask Jeeves purchased desktop search company Tukaroo, we know Google is working on something. So here we go."
John Battelle's Searchblog: Is Subscription the Next Thing? :
"Adam Pennenberg does a fine job of beating up the Times in this Wired News piece. He points out that folks go to Google (and others) to find things, and that, for the most part, you can't find the Times in Google. He then critiques the Times' current business model, but offers no viable alternative, suggesting only that the Times figure it out.
Well, I agree. But how about we suggest some alternatives?
Adam points out: The Times attracts 9 million unique visitors a month, while only about 1 million read the daily paper. But the dot-com makes a scant $11 per user, while the printed paper earns the Times a whopping $900 per reader (in subscription fees and advertising)..."
"Adam Pennenberg does a fine job of beating up the Times in this Wired News piece. He points out that folks go to Google (and others) to find things, and that, for the most part, you can't find the Times in Google. He then critiques the Times' current business model, but offers no viable alternative, suggesting only that the Times figure it out.
Well, I agree. But how about we suggest some alternatives?
Adam points out: The Times attracts 9 million unique visitors a month, while only about 1 million read the daily paper. But the dot-com makes a scant $11 per user, while the printed paper earns the Times a whopping $900 per reader (in subscription fees and advertising)..."
Search-Style Ads Lift Brand Awareness, Study Says:
"By Janis Mara | July 15, 2004
Contrary to generally held industry beliefs, sponsored text advertising does work for a number of branding objectives, according to a massive study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Nielsen//NetRatings released Wednesday.
The study was done online with more than 10,500 participants using a controlled experimental design. It measured the brand impact of sponsored and contextual listings in the health, auto, beverage, electronics, retail and finance industries.
On average, respondents were 27 percent more likely to name a specific brand if it was in the top spot on the search results page, according to the study. Contextual listings -- text ads on non-search pages -- caused a 23 percent lift among respondents..."
"By Janis Mara | July 15, 2004
Contrary to generally held industry beliefs, sponsored text advertising does work for a number of branding objectives, according to a massive study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Nielsen//NetRatings released Wednesday.
The study was done online with more than 10,500 participants using a controlled experimental design. It measured the brand impact of sponsored and contextual listings in the health, auto, beverage, electronics, retail and finance industries.
On average, respondents were 27 percent more likely to name a specific brand if it was in the top spot on the search results page, according to the study. Contextual listings -- text ads on non-search pages -- caused a 23 percent lift among respondents..."
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: Copernic to Launch Desktop Search Tool:
"Copernic is secretly testing a new product to be called Desktop Indexer. The tool, currently in beta testing, will offer direct and integrated desktop and web search capabilities within Windows..."
"Copernic is secretly testing a new product to be called Desktop Indexer. The tool, currently in beta testing, will offer direct and integrated desktop and web search capabilities within Windows..."
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: Search Engine Watch's Chris Sherman Shares Views on Search Industry:
"...Q1. What search engine industry development/announcement has surprised you the most in the past 12 months?
Q2. What do you think will be the most significant development in the next 12 months?..."
"...Q1. What search engine industry development/announcement has surprised you the most in the past 12 months?
Q2. What do you think will be the most significant development in the next 12 months?..."
MSN Search Gets New Look; Microsoft Gets New Search Engine, Part 2:
"BY Danny Sullivan | July 14, 2004
Microsoft released a public preview of its Web search technology and gave its popular MSN Search site a facelift. Last time, I reviewed the new search technology. Today, we'll look at MSN Search's changes and what these things mean going forward..."
"BY Danny Sullivan | July 14, 2004
Microsoft released a public preview of its Web search technology and gave its popular MSN Search site a facelift. Last time, I reviewed the new search technology. Today, we'll look at MSN Search's changes and what these things mean going forward..."
Google's next earnings report in spotlight:
"IPO likely to update financials by Aug. 16
By Steve Gelsi, CBS.MarketWatch.com - Last Update: 4:09 PM ET July 14, 2004 [ Page 1 | 2 ]
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Google is expected to outpace rival Yahoo in its next earnings report, due out in August, but the company's eagerly awaited IPO could hit a speed bump if it fails to keep up with its larger rival.
Yahoo's second-quarter net income figure of $113 million climbed 11.6 percent from $101.2 million reported in the first quarter. See full story.
The Internet firm's (YHOO: news, chart, profile) second-quarter revenue figure minus distribution costs was $609 million, up 10.7 percent from $550 million in the first quarter.
To keep pace, Google would have to post second-quarter net income of about $72 million and revenue of $433 million, up from its first-quarter results of $64 million in net income and $390 million in revenue..."
"IPO likely to update financials by Aug. 16
By Steve Gelsi, CBS.MarketWatch.com - Last Update: 4:09 PM ET July 14, 2004 [ Page 1 | 2 ]
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Google is expected to outpace rival Yahoo in its next earnings report, due out in August, but the company's eagerly awaited IPO could hit a speed bump if it fails to keep up with its larger rival.
Yahoo's second-quarter net income figure of $113 million climbed 11.6 percent from $101.2 million reported in the first quarter. See full story.
The Internet firm's (YHOO: news, chart, profile) second-quarter revenue figure minus distribution costs was $609 million, up 10.7 percent from $550 million in the first quarter.
To keep pace, Google would have to post second-quarter net income of about $72 million and revenue of $433 million, up from its first-quarter results of $64 million in net income and $390 million in revenue..."
Google Toolbar Adds Keyword Browsing to Internet Explorer:
"By Chris Sherman, Associate Editor - July 15, 2004
Google has added a keyword based browsing feature to its toolbar, allowing users to type words rather than URLs into the Internet Explorer address bar and automatically see the 'most relevant' site for those terms.
By default, words typed into the Internet Explorer address bar trigger an MSN search, just as if the words were entered into an MSN search box. The new Google toolbar feature bypasses that functionality.
The feature is similar to, but not exactly like the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button on the Google home page, which skips search results and loads the number one search result for a query into your browser window. 'It's a dynamic service that changes when the web changes,' said John Piscitello, Google product manager. 'I'm feeling lucky will always send you to the same result. Browse by name will only send you to the site it recognizes that the user wants to go to...'"
"By Chris Sherman, Associate Editor - July 15, 2004
Google has added a keyword based browsing feature to its toolbar, allowing users to type words rather than URLs into the Internet Explorer address bar and automatically see the 'most relevant' site for those terms.
By default, words typed into the Internet Explorer address bar trigger an MSN search, just as if the words were entered into an MSN search box. The new Google toolbar feature bypasses that functionality.
The feature is similar to, but not exactly like the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button on the Google home page, which skips search results and loads the number one search result for a query into your browser window. 'It's a dynamic service that changes when the web changes,' said John Piscitello, Google product manager. 'I'm feeling lucky will always send you to the same result. Browse by name will only send you to the site it recognizes that the user wants to go to...'"
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Larry Chase Adds Google Tool Category -- ResearchBuzz, July 14, 2004:
"Larry Chase's 'Search Engine for Marketers' site has added a category for Google tips and tools. Tools listed here (there are 13 at the moment) include AdSense charts, Froogle tools, and a 'Poodle Predictor' to predict what your pages will look like in Google's search results. "
"Larry Chase's 'Search Engine for Marketers' site has added a category for Google tips and tools. Tools listed here (there are 13 at the moment) include AdSense charts, Froogle tools, and a 'Poodle Predictor' to predict what your pages will look like in Google's search results. "
Fool.com: How Will Google Grow? [Motley Fool Take] July 14, 2004:
"By Tom Taulli - July 14, 2004
It's a perennial question for companies: Build or buy?
It appears to be something Google thinks about a lot. It knew it needed email and thought the approach should be, well, revolutionary. The result was building out Gmail. This was also the case with Froogle, the online shopping comparison service, and Orkut, the online social networking site..."
"By Tom Taulli - July 14, 2004
It's a perennial question for companies: Build or buy?
It appears to be something Google thinks about a lot. It knew it needed email and thought the approach should be, well, revolutionary. The result was building out Gmail. This was also the case with Froogle, the online shopping comparison service, and Orkut, the online social networking site..."
IBM grabs Alphablox | The Register:
BI Firm Sold
"By Ashlee Vance in Chicago - Published Wednesday 14th July 2004 16:43 GMT
IBM has bought itself another software maker with the acquisition of Alphablox - a small firm based in Mountain View, California.
Neither company released financial details for the deal, which is expected to close by the end of July. IBM plans to bring Alphablox's analytics software in-house, adding it to the DB2, WebSphere and Rational lines. This acquisition marks the sixteenth software buy IBM has made since 2001..."
BI Firm Sold
"By Ashlee Vance in Chicago - Published Wednesday 14th July 2004 16:43 GMT
IBM has bought itself another software maker with the acquisition of Alphablox - a small firm based in Mountain View, California.
Neither company released financial details for the deal, which is expected to close by the end of July. IBM plans to bring Alphablox's analytics software in-house, adding it to the DB2, WebSphere and Rational lines. This acquisition marks the sixteenth software buy IBM has made since 2001..."
Yahoo acquires Oddpost to bolster e-mail | CNET News.com:
"By Matt Hines and Stefanie Olsen - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Online portal Yahoo has agreed to buy Oddpost.com, a vendor of online e-mail and news services, for an undisclosed sum.
The two companies confirmed Yahoo's plan to purchase Oddpost on Monday, but disclosed few details about the buyout. According to a source familiar with the acquisition, Yahoo paid close to $30 million for the company. Oddpost's 10 employees, based in San Francisco, will now report to Yahoo's Sunnyvale headquarters..."
"By Matt Hines and Stefanie Olsen - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Online portal Yahoo has agreed to buy Oddpost.com, a vendor of online e-mail and news services, for an undisclosed sum.
The two companies confirmed Yahoo's plan to purchase Oddpost on Monday, but disclosed few details about the buyout. According to a source familiar with the acquisition, Yahoo paid close to $30 million for the company. Oddpost's 10 employees, based in San Francisco, will now report to Yahoo's Sunnyvale headquarters..."
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: Google's Patrick Keane Afraid of Search Engine Optimizers:
"I admit, sometimes I'll post something controversial on here. If it's about Google, you can bet that they are are on the phone to me to discuss their position and make sure that I am 'educated'. I have no problem at all with that. I like to think I, and our company, have a great relationship with Google.
However, don't you think the process should be a two-way thing? Let me get to my point..."
"I admit, sometimes I'll post something controversial on here. If it's about Google, you can bet that they are are on the phone to me to discuss their position and make sure that I am 'educated'. I have no problem at all with that. I like to think I, and our company, have a great relationship with Google.
However, don't you think the process should be a two-way thing? Let me get to my point..."
New York Post Online Edition: business:
Google to Launch New Search for Audio and Video Clips
"By HOLLY M. SANDERS and TIM ARANGO
July 13, 2004 -- Google is planning to launch a new feature to allow users to scour the Internet for audio and video clips, The Post has learned.
The company has yet to announce plans for the new service, but Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page made no secret of it during talks with investors and media executives at an annual retreat hosted by investment bank Allen & Co. in Sun Valley, Idaho..."
Google to Launch New Search for Audio and Video Clips
"By HOLLY M. SANDERS and TIM ARANGO
July 13, 2004 -- Google is planning to launch a new feature to allow users to scour the Internet for audio and video clips, The Post has learned.
The company has yet to announce plans for the new service, but Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page made no secret of it during talks with investors and media executives at an annual retreat hosted by investment bank Allen & Co. in Sun Valley, Idaho..."
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
100 com Joins The LookSmart Family:
"A recently launched search engine called 100.com has joined the ranks of LookSmart. The partnership calls for LookSmart to provide directory listings and bid-for-placement distribution network in its search results..."
"A recently launched search engine called 100.com has joined the ranks of LookSmart. The partnership calls for LookSmart to provide directory listings and bid-for-placement distribution network in its search results..."
Google Acquires Picassa, Inc - Digital Photo Company:
"Move over Yahoo Photos, here comes Google again on its quest to become the unofficial web portal! Google today announced it acquired Picasa, Inc., a Pasadena, Calif.-based digital photo management company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Picasa enables users to easily manage and share digital photographs, and its technologies complement Google's ongoing mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president, Product Management. "Picasa is an innovator in the field of digital photography, and we're excited that the Picasa team is joining Google."
Picasa was founded in October 2001. In May 2004, Picasa announced a technology partnership with Google's Blogger service to make publishing digital photos with Blogger faster and easier. Further product integration plans have not been announced. Picasa users will not experience any interruption in service. "
"Move over Yahoo Photos, here comes Google again on its quest to become the unofficial web portal! Google today announced it acquired Picasa, Inc., a Pasadena, Calif.-based digital photo management company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Picasa enables users to easily manage and share digital photographs, and its technologies complement Google's ongoing mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president, Product Management. "Picasa is an innovator in the field of digital photography, and we're excited that the Picasa team is joining Google."
Picasa was founded in October 2001. In May 2004, Picasa announced a technology partnership with Google's Blogger service to make publishing digital photos with Blogger faster and easier. Further product integration plans have not been announced. Picasa users will not experience any interruption in service. "
Edmunds.com Taking PPC Seriously :
"This excellent case study by MarketingSherpa describes how Edmunds, the automotive info site, built its Overture and Google AdWords keyword advertising campaigns to a level where they're spending $400,000+ per month.
The VP responsible for the project notes that the initiative has had a multimillion dollar impact on their business and that they wish they'd started sooner..."
"This excellent case study by MarketingSherpa describes how Edmunds, the automotive info site, built its Overture and Google AdWords keyword advertising campaigns to a level where they're spending $400,000+ per month.
The VP responsible for the project notes that the initiative has had a multimillion dollar impact on their business and that they wish they'd started sooner..."
Ask Jeeves CEO: Technology Matters in Web Search:
"By Matt Hicks - July 9, 2004
Q&A: It may get overshadowed by Google, Yahoo and MSN, but the company is ready for the search wars, top exec Steve Berkowitz says. And its Teoma engine and new Internet properties will help lead the charge..."
"By Matt Hicks - July 9, 2004
Q&A: It may get overshadowed by Google, Yahoo and MSN, but the company is ready for the search wars, top exec Steve Berkowitz says. And its Teoma engine and new Internet properties will help lead the charge..."
Yellow Pages linked to search engine :
"The Yellow Pages had a problem: too many people's fingers were walking on over to Google or Yahoo than across the pages of the phone book.
While more than 400,000 small to medium businesses have paid for listings in the White and Yellow Pages, owned by Telstra Corp's Sensis business, many consumers simply haven't been looking there..."
"The Yellow Pages had a problem: too many people's fingers were walking on over to Google or Yahoo than across the pages of the phone book.
While more than 400,000 small to medium businesses have paid for listings in the White and Yellow Pages, owned by Telstra Corp's Sensis business, many consumers simply haven't been looking there..."
Monday, July 12, 2004
AskJeeves gets smarter and shows thumbnails of web sites:
"By Lars Vage - (July 12 2004)
Ask Jeeves adds 'smart' links and thumbnail previews of result pages.
AskJeeves, the search engine with the third largest search index has some interesting news..."
"By Lars Vage - (July 12 2004)
Ask Jeeves adds 'smart' links and thumbnail previews of result pages.
AskJeeves, the search engine with the third largest search index has some interesting news..."
MediaDailyNews 07-12-04:
"W3 Data Acquires 411.com
W3 Data, provider of online directory assistances services, has acquired 411.com, an online directory resource from 911 Inc., Berkeley, Calif. Financial terms were not disclosed. The branded directory, ranked the 8th largest directory portal and drawing more than a half-million unique visitors per month, according to comScore Media Metrix, will be integrated into the WhitePages.com network of directory assistance Websites. The WhitePages.com Network is made up of properties including www. whitepages.com, www.phonenumber.com, and the Find Person sections of more than 1,300 partner sites. The Network receives approximately 6.3 million unique monthly users, according to comScore Media Metrix. W3 Data reports that since acquiring the PhoneNumber.com site in 2002, it has experienced month-over-month compounded growth of approximately 18 percent."
"W3 Data Acquires 411.com
W3 Data, provider of online directory assistances services, has acquired 411.com, an online directory resource from 911 Inc., Berkeley, Calif. Financial terms were not disclosed. The branded directory, ranked the 8th largest directory portal and drawing more than a half-million unique visitors per month, according to comScore Media Metrix, will be integrated into the WhitePages.com network of directory assistance Websites. The WhitePages.com Network is made up of properties including www. whitepages.com, www.phonenumber.com, and the Find Person sections of more than 1,300 partner sites. The Network receives approximately 6.3 million unique monthly users, according to comScore Media Metrix. W3 Data reports that since acquiring the PhoneNumber.com site in 2002, it has experienced month-over-month compounded growth of approximately 18 percent."
The Whole Wide World Hates Spam: "July 09, 2004
According to BT, 71% of all e-mail worldwide will be spam by the year 2008.
People around the world don't agree on much, but according to a recently conducted Yahoo! Mail survey of 37,000 Internet users in 11 countries on five continents, nobody likes finding spam in their e-mail boxes.
E-Mail users everywhere hate spam. How much? Listen to this:..."
According to BT, 71% of all e-mail worldwide will be spam by the year 2008.
People around the world don't agree on much, but according to a recently conducted Yahoo! Mail survey of 37,000 Internet users in 11 countries on five continents, nobody likes finding spam in their e-mail boxes.
E-Mail users everywhere hate spam. How much? Listen to this:..."
Yahoo! News - Internet Explorer rivals celebrate gains:
"By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
Security flaws in Microsoft's (MSFT) ubiquitous Web browser are breathing life into Internet Explorer's rivals. Since early June, Explorer's share of the market has dropped from 95.48% to 94.42%, according to San Diego Web analytics firm WebSideStory.
"If I'm Mozilla and Netscape, I'm thrilled about this," says WebSideStory analyst Geoff Johnston. "Here's a sign of a little uprising. It's a hope-generator for the open-source crowd."
The revolt barely puts a dent in Microsoft's dominance. But the decline of a full percentage point suggests millions of users are paying heed to warnings from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which is advising people to "use a different Web browser."..."
"By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
Security flaws in Microsoft's (MSFT) ubiquitous Web browser are breathing life into Internet Explorer's rivals. Since early June, Explorer's share of the market has dropped from 95.48% to 94.42%, according to San Diego Web analytics firm WebSideStory.
"If I'm Mozilla and Netscape, I'm thrilled about this," says WebSideStory analyst Geoff Johnston. "Here's a sign of a little uprising. It's a hope-generator for the open-source crowd."
The revolt barely puts a dent in Microsoft's dominance. But the decline of a full percentage point suggests millions of users are paying heed to warnings from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which is advising people to "use a different Web browser."..."
Online Travel Is Going Places:
"July 12, 2004
Online travel will comprise 33% of all travel bookings by 2006, according to a PhoCusWright report released last week.
Online travel revenues will increase by 34% to reach 52.8 billion in 2004, compared to $39.4 billion in 2003. This represents a large increase from 1998, when early online travel sites accounted for just $3 billion in revenues, but still a far cry from the $120 billion worth of online travel revenues that come in through the phone..."
"July 12, 2004
Online travel will comprise 33% of all travel bookings by 2006, according to a PhoCusWright report released last week.
Online travel revenues will increase by 34% to reach 52.8 billion in 2004, compared to $39.4 billion in 2003. This represents a large increase from 1998, when early online travel sites accounted for just $3 billion in revenues, but still a far cry from the $120 billion worth of online travel revenues that come in through the phone..."
The Importance of Search - : "Val Souza, Editor
Here's a thought-provoking prediction: More than two centuries will elapse before we have artificially intelligent search functionality that can match the intuitive capabilities of the average human reference librarian of today. That sobering comment is from Craig Silverstein, technology director of Internet search-engine leader Google Inc, in a recent interview. And if you need further corroboration, here it is: "We think the sun has not set on even the first day of the search opportunity." That's from Yusuf Mehdi, a Microsoft vice president responsible for the company's MSN portal.
As the information explosion continues unabated on the Internet, and personal and corporate repositories of data continue to grow, one needs increasingly sophisticated search tools to enable accurate and speedy retrieval of relevant information to suit an individual user's needs. And when one moves from the Internet to the desktop, the problem is exacerbated by the presence of myriad file formats, differing authorisation and security levels, and a host of other technical issues. All of which make for such a high level of complexity, that no one has thus far succeeded in providing a comprehensive search tool that can seamlessly sift through all the data files on a system.
That search is a killer app is quite evident from the huge success of Google, which is streets ahead of everyone else when it comes to Internet search. The buzz and hype surrounding its imminent initial public offering, while heightened by the theatrics of its founders, has its basis in the company's unquestionably impressive financials. Make no mistake, Google is sizzling hot at the moment..."
Here's a thought-provoking prediction: More than two centuries will elapse before we have artificially intelligent search functionality that can match the intuitive capabilities of the average human reference librarian of today. That sobering comment is from Craig Silverstein, technology director of Internet search-engine leader Google Inc, in a recent interview. And if you need further corroboration, here it is: "We think the sun has not set on even the first day of the search opportunity." That's from Yusuf Mehdi, a Microsoft vice president responsible for the company's MSN portal.
As the information explosion continues unabated on the Internet, and personal and corporate repositories of data continue to grow, one needs increasingly sophisticated search tools to enable accurate and speedy retrieval of relevant information to suit an individual user's needs. And when one moves from the Internet to the desktop, the problem is exacerbated by the presence of myriad file formats, differing authorisation and security levels, and a host of other technical issues. All of which make for such a high level of complexity, that no one has thus far succeeded in providing a comprehensive search tool that can seamlessly sift through all the data files on a system.
That search is a killer app is quite evident from the huge success of Google, which is streets ahead of everyone else when it comes to Internet search. The buzz and hype surrounding its imminent initial public offering, while heightened by the theatrics of its founders, has its basis in the company's unquestionably impressive financials. Make no mistake, Google is sizzling hot at the moment..."
5 years ago - Search engines are rubbish - silicon.com: "July 09 2004 - by silicon.com
Now everyone wants a piece of the action
09.07.2004:Internet search engines are struggling to keep up with the continued expansion of the web, according to two professors from the NEC Research Institute.
Research shows that the top 11 engines are actually getting worse at looking through the 800 million pages now on the web. The last time performance was measured in December 1997, the main players reached 60 per cent of all pages but this time the top 11 managed only 42 per cent.
One of the report's co-authors, Dr C Lee Giles, said: 'We were surprised at the results. I think search engines are not trying to search the whole web. Users want quality information rather than quantity.' He added: 'Search engines need to be more specialised and more niche.'..."
Now everyone wants a piece of the action
09.07.2004:Internet search engines are struggling to keep up with the continued expansion of the web, according to two professors from the NEC Research Institute.
Research shows that the top 11 engines are actually getting worse at looking through the 800 million pages now on the web. The last time performance was measured in December 1997, the main players reached 60 per cent of all pages but this time the top 11 managed only 42 per cent.
One of the report's co-authors, Dr C Lee Giles, said: 'We were surprised at the results. I think search engines are not trying to search the whole web. Users want quality information rather than quantity.' He added: 'Search engines need to be more specialised and more niche.'..."
A Visual Search Engine for Music:
"By Chris Sherman, Associate Editor - July 12, 2004
Want to find music similar to what you already enjoy? Musicplasma creates stunningly intriguing music maps revealing connections between musicians, styles and musical epochs.
Musicplasma is similar to the Kartoo meta search engine. Enter the name of a musician, and you'll see a collection of colored balls featuring musician names or bands as search results. The musician you searched on is at the center of the map, and closely related artists are positioned nearby. The size of the circle around a musician's name indicates popularity..."
"By Chris Sherman, Associate Editor - July 12, 2004
Want to find music similar to what you already enjoy? Musicplasma creates stunningly intriguing music maps revealing connections between musicians, styles and musical epochs.
Musicplasma is similar to the Kartoo meta search engine. Enter the name of a musician, and you'll see a collection of colored balls featuring musician names or bands as search results. The musician you searched on is at the center of the map, and closely related artists are positioned nearby. The size of the circle around a musician's name indicates popularity..."
Friday, July 09, 2004
Suspect in AltaVista hacking case works at Microsoft:
"By TODD BISHOP - SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A Kirkland man arrested last week on allegations that he stole proprietary technology from the AltaVista search engine two years ago is a Microsoft Corp. employee who has been working on the Redmond company's MSN Search initiative..."
"By TODD BISHOP - SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A Kirkland man arrested last week on allegations that he stole proprietary technology from the AltaVista search engine two years ago is a Microsoft Corp. employee who has been working on the Redmond company's MSN Search initiative..."
Ad Agencies & Search Engine Marketing Firms Beginning to Play Together:
"By Shari Thurow, Guest Writer - July 8, 2004
Advertising agencies are spending more on search engine marketing, with one in five marketers buying in excess of 1,000 keywords, according to Jupiter Research..."
"By Shari Thurow, Guest Writer - July 8, 2004
Advertising agencies are spending more on search engine marketing, with one in five marketers buying in excess of 1,000 keywords, according to Jupiter Research..."
Paid search feels growing pains | CNET News.com: "By Jim Hu - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
news analysis Paid search, the engine that's driving many Internet companies into profitability, is getting a dose of reality.
After surging at dizzying rates for the past two years, the paid search market this quarter showed signs of slowing down. Analysts and industry executives dismiss the idea that the paid search business is contracting. Instead, they say, paid search may be growing up.
'Could the search market--after explosive growth in 2002 and 2003--have reached the beginning stages of maturity, with pronounced seasonality in terms of price and volume? Probably,' Mark Mahaney, an equity analyst at American Technology Research, wrote in an investor note Thursday..."
news analysis Paid search, the engine that's driving many Internet companies into profitability, is getting a dose of reality.
After surging at dizzying rates for the past two years, the paid search market this quarter showed signs of slowing down. Analysts and industry executives dismiss the idea that the paid search business is contracting. Instead, they say, paid search may be growing up.
'Could the search market--after explosive growth in 2002 and 2003--have reached the beginning stages of maturity, with pronounced seasonality in terms of price and volume? Probably,' Mark Mahaney, an equity analyst at American Technology Research, wrote in an investor note Thursday..."
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Behind the Scenes at Yahoo Labs, Part 3: "By Gary Price, Guest Writer - July 7, 2004
Dr. Gary Flake is Principal Scientist & Head of Yahoo! Research Labs. In part one of this wide-ranging interview, he talked about the daily work of researchers at Yahoo Labs, and what they're doing to make search better. In part two, he talked about the challenges of indexing various types of information, and Yahoo's efforts at realizing a current hot trend -- personalized search. In this final installment, he touches on a wide range of other search related topics..."
Dr. Gary Flake is Principal Scientist & Head of Yahoo! Research Labs. In part one of this wide-ranging interview, he talked about the daily work of researchers at Yahoo Labs, and what they're doing to make search better. In part two, he talked about the challenges of indexing various types of information, and Yahoo's efforts at realizing a current hot trend -- personalized search. In this final installment, he touches on a wide range of other search related topics..."
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
The impact of links and link text on search engine placement:
"Michael Meadhra | June 23, 2004
While listening in on a teleconference about search engine optimization, the speaker, Peter Kent (author of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies), relayed a story that graphically illustrates how much impact inbound links and link text have on search engine results.
Whether it's a prank or a political statement, a group of Web-savvy individuals set out to make George W. Bush's biography on the White House Web site come up in response to a Google search for the term "miserable failure." They succeeded; it's been in the top position (or close to it) consistently since last fall.
What's interesting is how the miserable failure project managed to achieve this stunt, as well as the implications it has for your site's search engine ranking..."
"Michael Meadhra | June 23, 2004
While listening in on a teleconference about search engine optimization, the speaker, Peter Kent (author of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies), relayed a story that graphically illustrates how much impact inbound links and link text have on search engine results.
Whether it's a prank or a political statement, a group of Web-savvy individuals set out to make George W. Bush's biography on the White House Web site come up in response to a Google search for the term "miserable failure." They succeeded; it's been in the top position (or close to it) consistently since last fall.
What's interesting is how the miserable failure project managed to achieve this stunt, as well as the implications it has for your site's search engine ranking..."
Content Providers - Provide the Content Already:
"Jakob Nielsen came out with a new one just a few days ago named Time for a Redesign where one area he discusses that his problems with search and where part of the fault lies with '[The content] does not explicitly say what you want to know.'
There is currently a dialog taking place at the Search Engine Watch Forums where Associate Editor, Chris Sherman explains this quote as follows: 'If information is missing, there's no way a search engine can manufacture it to help solve the need of the user. That's the fault of the content creator, not the search engine.'..."
"Jakob Nielsen came out with a new one just a few days ago named Time for a Redesign where one area he discusses that his problems with search and where part of the fault lies with '[The content] does not explicitly say what you want to know.'
There is currently a dialog taking place at the Search Engine Watch Forums where Associate Editor, Chris Sherman explains this quote as follows: 'If information is missing, there's no way a search engine can manufacture it to help solve the need of the user. That's the fault of the content creator, not the search engine.'..."
Sort And Share Web Findings with `Search Information Managers':
"The Dallas Morning News - By Doug Bedell - Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Every 24 hours, Americans initiate nearly 1 billion Internet searches for information. Knowing that, you'd think the people producing the dominant Web browser, Internet Explorer, would churn out newfangled ways to help us organize and share the stuff we find.
But Microsoft - for legal and pragmatic reasons - hasn't added any truly innovative features to IE recently. In fact, the company calls the browser 'finished.'
Frustrated users have developed kludgy ways to store information gathered on Web forays. Some create desktop folders and laboriously drag and drop relevant URLs inside. Others cut and paste text and graphics into Word documents. And most repeat the same searches over and over as they move from home to work computers on unconnected networks..."
"The Dallas Morning News - By Doug Bedell - Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Every 24 hours, Americans initiate nearly 1 billion Internet searches for information. Knowing that, you'd think the people producing the dominant Web browser, Internet Explorer, would churn out newfangled ways to help us organize and share the stuff we find.
But Microsoft - for legal and pragmatic reasons - hasn't added any truly innovative features to IE recently. In fact, the company calls the browser 'finished.'
Frustrated users have developed kludgy ways to store information gathered on Web forays. Some create desktop folders and laboriously drag and drop relevant URLs inside. Others cut and paste text and graphics into Word documents. And most repeat the same searches over and over as they move from home to work computers on unconnected networks..."
Pluck: Search, Retrieve, Organize & Share the Web
Another new tool to help search and share knowledge:
"Pluck enhances Internet Explorer to: Deliver stories from all your favorite sites
Organize your Favorites so you can access them from any computer
Share Web pages and folders with colleagues and friends
Search Google, eBay & Amazon in a single window..."
Another new tool to help search and share knowledge:
"Pluck enhances Internet Explorer to: Deliver stories from all your favorite sites
Organize your Favorites so you can access them from any computer
Share Web pages and folders with colleagues and friends
Search Google, eBay & Amazon in a single window..."
The New York Times > Technology > You've Got Mail (and Court Says Others Can Read It) :
"By SAUL HANSELL - Published: July 6, 2004
hen everything is working right, an e-mail message appears to zip instantaneously from the sender to the recipient's inbox. But in reality, most messages make several momentary stops as they are processed by various computers en route to their destination.
Those short stops may make no difference to the users, but they make an enormous difference to the privacy that e-mail is accorded under federal law.
Advertisement
Last week a federal appeals court in Boston ruled that federal wiretap laws do not apply to e-mail messages if they are stored, even for a millisecond, on the computers of the Internet providers that process them - meaning that it can be legal for the government or others to read such messages without a court order..."
"By SAUL HANSELL - Published: July 6, 2004
hen everything is working right, an e-mail message appears to zip instantaneously from the sender to the recipient's inbox. But in reality, most messages make several momentary stops as they are processed by various computers en route to their destination.
Those short stops may make no difference to the users, but they make an enormous difference to the privacy that e-mail is accorded under federal law.
Advertisement
Last week a federal appeals court in Boston ruled that federal wiretap laws do not apply to e-mail messages if they are stored, even for a millisecond, on the computers of the Internet providers that process them - meaning that it can be legal for the government or others to read such messages without a court order..."
Search Engine News :: Search Engine Lowdown: Spurl.net Online Bookmark Searching: "Can't wait for Microsoft's 'Stuff I've Seen'? Hjalmar Gislason tells me that his site Spurl.net, allows users to bookmark a site's content, search thru it at a later date and share it with friends.
The handy little sidebar is easy to set-up, promises privacy and has no spyware or adware. If you're a user of Spurl, let me know your thoughts."
The handy little sidebar is easy to set-up, promises privacy and has no spyware or adware. If you're a user of Spurl, let me know your thoughts."
Features - Engadget - features.engadget.com:
"New MSN Search on PDAs
Posted Jul 1, 2004, 12:35 PM ET by Phillip Torrone
Last night MSN released a preview/beta of their brand spanking new search engine. It reports to have index over a billion pages, uses a minimalist interface and has the paid advertisements removed. They�re asking people out there to pound on it and give feedback.
So what do we do? Hit it with our PDA of course. Here are the results on a Pocket PC and also a comparison to Google..." [Has screen shots of Google and MSN]
"New MSN Search on PDAs
Posted Jul 1, 2004, 12:35 PM ET by Phillip Torrone
Last night MSN released a preview/beta of their brand spanking new search engine. It reports to have index over a billion pages, uses a minimalist interface and has the paid advertisements removed. They�re asking people out there to pound on it and give feedback.
So what do we do? Hit it with our PDA of course. Here are the results on a Pocket PC and also a comparison to Google..." [Has screen shots of Google and MSN]
Yahoo! News:
"Banner day for online ad biz
Wed Jun 30, 6:00 AM ETAdd Business - TheDeal.com to My Yahoo!
by David Shabelman
Online advertising, once disparaged for its aggressive and annoying use of banner ads, is making a comeback, with renewed interest in the sector triggering deals.
What you're finding is a lot of undervalued assets in some of these firms," said Don Scales, president and chief operating officer of Agency.com Ltd., a Chicago online ad firm that on Tuesday, June 29, acquired rival Exile On Seventh LLC of San Francisco for undisclosed terms. "As the market picks up, people recognize the assets are undervalued and are acquiring them for future growth."..."
"Banner day for online ad biz
Wed Jun 30, 6:00 AM ETAdd Business - TheDeal.com to My Yahoo!
by David Shabelman
Online advertising, once disparaged for its aggressive and annoying use of banner ads, is making a comeback, with renewed interest in the sector triggering deals.
What you're finding is a lot of undervalued assets in some of these firms," said Don Scales, president and chief operating officer of Agency.com Ltd., a Chicago online ad firm that on Tuesday, June 29, acquired rival Exile On Seventh LLC of San Francisco for undisclosed terms. "As the market picks up, people recognize the assets are undervalued and are acquiring them for future growth."..."
John Battelle's Searchblog: "Yahoo's New Search Results Page...
(Logging in from BookLand with more news...) Yahoo has tweaked its search page....click on the gif at the left for a larger shot...this will fully populate Yahoo's servers by later this week, I'm told. The main changes: slightly muted colors, slightly cleaner design, and the 'Related' searches have been moved and renamed 'Also try...' This feature (which is not a new idea, but still, this is Yahoo...) was found to be very valuable but underutilized in its previous form. I think it's a neat feature, it adds another beat to the search process - rather like the 'Did you mean?' approach in spellchecking. It's based on analysis of logfiles for possibly related searches..."
(Logging in from BookLand with more news...) Yahoo has tweaked its search page....click on the gif at the left for a larger shot...this will fully populate Yahoo's servers by later this week, I'm told. The main changes: slightly muted colors, slightly cleaner design, and the 'Related' searches have been moved and renamed 'Also try...' This feature (which is not a new idea, but still, this is Yahoo...) was found to be very valuable but underutilized in its previous form. I think it's a neat feature, it adds another beat to the search process - rather like the 'Did you mean?' approach in spellchecking. It's based on analysis of logfiles for possibly related searches..."
InformationWeek > Software > Allaire Founder Debuts Online Research Tool > March 15, 2004: "By Tony Kontzer
JJ Allaire, half of the brother team that founded Allaire Corp. and engineered its sale to Macromedia Inc. in January 2001, is back in the public eye. The architect of the legendary ColdFusion application server for Windows this week launches Onfolio, his first venture since Allaire, with a productivity tool designed to simplify online research..."
JJ Allaire, half of the brother team that founded Allaire Corp. and engineered its sale to Macromedia Inc. in January 2001, is back in the public eye. The architect of the legendary ColdFusion application server for Windows this week launches Onfolio, his first venture since Allaire, with a productivity tool designed to simplify online research..."
.net - .in-depth articles :
"Search engine secrets
Want to improve your site's search rating, but don't know how to do it? Gary Marshall persuades search engine insiders to share their secrets..."
"Search engine secrets
Want to improve your site's search rating, but don't know how to do it? Gary Marshall persuades search engine insiders to share their secrets..."
Search Engine News Journal - How Much Are Google Executives Worth?:
"Several Google Officers and Directors File Documents with the Securties and Exchange Commission
Late Monday, several Google execs and board members filed Form 3 (Initial Statement Of Beneficial Ownership Of Securities)with the SEC. It contains the number of shares (preferred stock, common stock, stock options) that these officers and directors will receive. Some of this was included in the IPO filing but a bit more detail in Monday-s filings:.."
"Several Google Officers and Directors File Documents with the Securties and Exchange Commission
Late Monday, several Google execs and board members filed Form 3 (Initial Statement Of Beneficial Ownership Of Securities)with the SEC. It contains the number of shares (preferred stock, common stock, stock options) that these officers and directors will receive. Some of this was included in the IPO filing but a bit more detail in Monday-s filings:.."
Monday, July 05, 2004
Google no threat to paying site:
"By ANGUS KIDMAN - Special to CNET News.com
Factiva's top executive has dismissed suggestions that the company's paid search services are under threat from high-profile free rivals such as Google.
'Google has actually complemented Factiva,' CEO Clare Hart told ZDNet Australia, adding that while it was useful for generic information, news access required a more sophisticated approach. 'Our customers recognize the value in the comprehensive service they're getting and the time that they are saving. Time is one of the most important assets to business people..."
"By ANGUS KIDMAN - Special to CNET News.com
Factiva's top executive has dismissed suggestions that the company's paid search services are under threat from high-profile free rivals such as Google.
'Google has actually complemented Factiva,' CEO Clare Hart told ZDNet Australia, adding that while it was useful for generic information, news access required a more sophisticated approach. 'Our customers recognize the value in the comprehensive service they're getting and the time that they are saving. Time is one of the most important assets to business people..."
Herald Sun: Telstra to unveil search engine [05jul04]:
"05jul04
TELSTRA Corp Ltd is set to unveil plans to revamp its Sensis business with a new, youth-focussed search engine.
Sensis - which owns the Yellow and White Pages telephone directory businesses - will announce its new Internet search engine at a briefing for analysts and media next Tuesday..."
"05jul04
TELSTRA Corp Ltd is set to unveil plans to revamp its Sensis business with a new, youth-focussed search engine.
Sensis - which owns the Yellow and White Pages telephone directory businesses - will announce its new Internet search engine at a briefing for analysts and media next Tuesday..."
Thursday, July 01, 2004
blinkx:
Another search tool with visual capabilities. Looks to me like the visualization is based on TouchGraph. The claims seem to sound somewhatlike Watson's and Longhorn's. They have an online version and a download.
"blinkx changes the way you find and access all kinds of information, from anywhere in the world, without having to search endlessly. blinkx rapidly links you with the information you need from the web, from online news sources and files on your own PC.
*Search information from your desktop
*Link don't search
*Ideas not keywords..."
Another search tool with visual capabilities. Looks to me like the visualization is based on TouchGraph. The claims seem to sound somewhatlike Watson's and Longhorn's. They have an online version and a download.
"blinkx changes the way you find and access all kinds of information, from anywhere in the world, without having to search endlessly. blinkx rapidly links you with the information you need from the web, from online news sources and files on your own PC.
*Search information from your desktop
*Link don't search
*Ideas not keywords..."
Tiger, Longhorn search for desktop answers | CNET News.com:
"By Ina Fried - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Microsoft and Apple Computer are searching for the same thing with their next operating systems: a better way to find stuff on an increasingly cluttered hard drive.
The software makers have made scouring for information a top priority. In large part, that's because hard drives have continued to grow, stretching the limits of old ways of accessing information, such as looking through folders..."
"By Ina Fried - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Microsoft and Apple Computer are searching for the same thing with their next operating systems: a better way to find stuff on an increasingly cluttered hard drive.
The software makers have made scouring for information a top priority. In large part, that's because hard drives have continued to grow, stretching the limits of old ways of accessing information, such as looking through folders..."
Google sued over alleged code theft - silicon.com:
"July 01 2004 - by Jim Hu
Anti-social networking?
A Silicon Valley start-up has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming an engineer employed at the search giant stole software code to create the popular online social networking service Orkut.com.
The lawsuit alleges that Google engineer Orkut Buyukkokten stole code from former employer Affinity Engines to create Google's Orkut social networking site. The suit also alleges that Buyukkokten promised he would not develop a competing social networking service when he left to join Google..."
"July 01 2004 - by Jim Hu
Anti-social networking?
A Silicon Valley start-up has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming an engineer employed at the search giant stole software code to create the popular online social networking service Orkut.com.
The lawsuit alleges that Google engineer Orkut Buyukkokten stole code from former employer Affinity Engines to create Google's Orkut social networking site. The suit also alleges that Buyukkokten promised he would not develop a competing social networking service when he left to join Google..."
"About Find.com :
"...Find.com is the new publicly accessible search engine designed specifically for the business community, helping executives work smarter and sort through informational clutter. Find.com utilizes the most advanced search technology on the Web to retrieve documents from major consumer search engines, leading business sites and combines them with access to premium research content from the finest business information sources. Find.com is a partnership of FIND/SVP, Inc. (OTCBB:FSVP)..."
"...Find.com is the new publicly accessible search engine designed specifically for the business community, helping executives work smarter and sort through informational clutter. Find.com utilizes the most advanced search technology on the Web to retrieve documents from major consumer search engines, leading business sites and combines them with access to premium research content from the finest business information sources. Find.com is a partnership of FIND/SVP, Inc. (OTCBB:FSVP)..."
MSN launches revamped search engine | CNET News.com:
"Last modified: June 30, 2004, 7:40 PM PDT - By Stefanie Olsen - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Microsoft is expected to take its first baby steps on the road to Web search independence on Thursday, with the launch of a homegrown Internet search tool and changes to its Internet search engine.
The revamped MSN Search remains a front end for technology provided by Yahoo, offering mainly a face-lift aimed to make it look more like Google. The relatively minor changes signal that--after a year in development and a $100 million investment--Microsoft's ballyhooed search push still has a long way to go..."
"Last modified: June 30, 2004, 7:40 PM PDT - By Stefanie Olsen - Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Microsoft is expected to take its first baby steps on the road to Web search independence on Thursday, with the launch of a homegrown Internet search tool and changes to its Internet search engine.
The revamped MSN Search remains a front end for technology provided by Yahoo, offering mainly a face-lift aimed to make it look more like Google. The relatively minor changes signal that--after a year in development and a $100 million investment--Microsoft's ballyhooed search push still has a long way to go..."
Improved Ad Relevancy for Google AdWords:
"At least that is was Google is saying. Google sent out an email notification to their Google AdWords customers yesterday informing them of changes to be made to their Google AdWords ad relevancy algorithms. The email touched on the following points:
Our ad quality improvements will help us be more precise in identifying the most relevant ads for a particular query.
You may start to see a change in your website traffic and ad performance metrics, such as your clickthrough rate (CTR), cost-per-click, or ad ranking.
We recommend that you monitor your performance metrics and optimise your account as necessary."
"At least that is was Google is saying. Google sent out an email notification to their Google AdWords customers yesterday informing them of changes to be made to their Google AdWords ad relevancy algorithms. The email touched on the following points:
Our ad quality improvements will help us be more precise in identifying the most relevant ads for a particular query.
You may start to see a change in your website traffic and ad performance metrics, such as your clickthrough rate (CTR), cost-per-click, or ad ranking.
We recommend that you monitor your performance metrics and optimise your account as necessary."
