Tuesday, May 23, 2006
New Tool Scandoo Scans for Scumware in Search Results:
"The reports of hackers poisoning search results by optimizing landing pages that included links to viruses, spyware and other malware alarmed many people. Now a free new service called Scandoo serves as a front-end to Ask, Google, MSN Search and Yahoo, scanning results for potential nasties. It identifies potential threats in real-time without requiring a plug-in or download. 'Clean' results are labeled with a green checkmark; those with potential threats are labeled with a red 'X' (see it in action with this search for 'warez'). More about Scandoo and how it works here..."
"The reports of hackers poisoning search results by optimizing landing pages that included links to viruses, spyware and other malware alarmed many people. Now a free new service called Scandoo serves as a front-end to Ask, Google, MSN Search and Yahoo, scanning results for potential nasties. It identifies potential threats in real-time without requiring a plug-in or download. 'Clean' results are labeled with a green checkmark; those with potential threats are labeled with a red 'X' (see it in action with this search for 'warez'). More about Scandoo and how it works here..."
Social Networking's Gold Rush:
"The movement continues to defy doubters and draw big investments. The latest includes $25 million for a piece of Facebook
Just a few months ago, many experts and investors were inclined to dismiss social networking sites as a mere fad. Regardless of how many members sites such as MySpace (NWS) and Facebook racked up, critics warned that supposedly fickle young Internet users were likely to rush away as soon as the next hot startup came along. And some advertisers were skeptical about the effectiveness of the medium, which features user-created content of a sometimes questionable nature..."
"The movement continues to defy doubters and draw big investments. The latest includes $25 million for a piece of Facebook
Just a few months ago, many experts and investors were inclined to dismiss social networking sites as a mere fad. Regardless of how many members sites such as MySpace (NWS) and Facebook racked up, critics warned that supposedly fickle young Internet users were likely to rush away as soon as the next hot startup came along. And some advertisers were skeptical about the effectiveness of the medium, which features user-created content of a sometimes questionable nature..."
GigaOM : - Too Many Social Networks?:
"Business Week’s Social Netwoking Gold Rush had highlighted how social networks became the new black. And apparently, people, err… investors can’t get enough of them. Well, two more social networks have raised money. Rafat Ali has the details on the $15 million investment received by Bebo, a social network that is big in UK, Ireland and New Zealand. Benchmark,is the lead investor in Bebo, making this their second social networking investment. Friendster was the first, and was growing like mad when they invested.
Bebo is growing like crazy as well - it is ranked #10 by Comscore. Jeff Clavier notes that Alexa rankings put them ahead of Tagged, TagWorld, Buzznet and MyYearbook.
And there is news that Harvey Weinsten, formerly of Miramax along with ex-AOLer Bob Pittman have invested in aSmallworld.net, an invite only social network for the rich-types - aka anti-MySpace. If this is as exclusive a network, well, why not charge members for the privilege and use those funds to grow? Or is it really true - rich don’t pay for anything.
I am not sure where it is all going, but not all social networks are going to be around when the whirl-a-gig stops..."
"Business Week’s Social Netwoking Gold Rush had highlighted how social networks became the new black. And apparently, people, err… investors can’t get enough of them. Well, two more social networks have raised money. Rafat Ali has the details on the $15 million investment received by Bebo, a social network that is big in UK, Ireland and New Zealand. Benchmark,is the lead investor in Bebo, making this their second social networking investment. Friendster was the first, and was growing like mad when they invested.
Bebo is growing like crazy as well - it is ranked #10 by Comscore. Jeff Clavier notes that Alexa rankings put them ahead of Tagged, TagWorld, Buzznet and MyYearbook.
And there is news that Harvey Weinsten, formerly of Miramax along with ex-AOLer Bob Pittman have invested in aSmallworld.net, an invite only social network for the rich-types - aka anti-MySpace. If this is as exclusive a network, well, why not charge members for the privilege and use those funds to grow? Or is it really true - rich don’t pay for anything.
I am not sure where it is all going, but not all social networks are going to be around when the whirl-a-gig stops..."
Monday, May 22, 2006
AOL, Startups Emerge to Challenge MySpace - Yahoo! News:
"NEW YORK - It's only natural for companies large and small to want to capture some of the social-networking magic of MySpace.com, a Web site that has risen out of nowhere to become the Internet's second busiest by successfully figuring out what teens and young adults want.
AOL joined the pack this month with its own take on social networking, a loose term for services that help users expand their circles of friends by exploiting existing connections, rather than meeting randomly or by keyword matches alone.
The rapid growth of MySpace and last year's purchase of its parent company by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. for $580 million 'definitely accelerated something,' said Greg Sterling, an industry analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence in Oakland, Calif..."
"NEW YORK - It's only natural for companies large and small to want to capture some of the social-networking magic of MySpace.com, a Web site that has risen out of nowhere to become the Internet's second busiest by successfully figuring out what teens and young adults want.
AOL joined the pack this month with its own take on social networking, a loose term for services that help users expand their circles of friends by exploiting existing connections, rather than meeting randomly or by keyword matches alone.
The rapid growth of MySpace and last year's purchase of its parent company by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. for $580 million 'definitely accelerated something,' said Greg Sterling, an industry analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence in Oakland, Calif..."
Feld Thoughts:
"Web 2.0: The First 25,000 Users Are Irrelevant
For the past few months, whenever I talk to someone about a Web 2.0 application and hear that they already have "10,000 users", I've been telling that them the first 25,000 users are irrelevant.
Josh Kopelman has a perfect post up today called 53,651. This is the number of RSS subscribers to Michael Arrington�s great TechCruch blog, and is exactly at the core of the "first 25,000 user" issue. Since there are 53,651 RSS subscribers of TechCrunch (at least as of 5/12/06) , if something gets reviewed there, it,s likely to get 5,000 to 10,000 users in the next 24 hours "just to try it out." As so many traffic graphs of these "TechCrunched" products show, there is a huge spike in use for a day or two, and then it goes right back down to where things were before they were TechCrunched. For example:...
..."
Of interest:
"Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fraser on May 12, 2006 08:35 AM
The first 25,000 users aren't only irrelevant - they're potentially poisonous.
If the developers listen to the feedback of these early adopters (the initial audience) they'll take the product/service down a path that increases the geek factor rather than down-geeking the offering.
It's a difficult place to be. Many of these developers are fully involved with the blogosphere, web 2.0, ... and therefore are tapped into feedback loops that distort the reality of what needs to be completed in order to bring the product/service to the mainstream.
It's a difficult thing to listen to feedback from your initial users, the first 25,000, and do the opposite of what they recommend. You alienate your "support base" etc etc. Tough situation..."
"Web 2.0: The First 25,000 Users Are Irrelevant
For the past few months, whenever I talk to someone about a Web 2.0 application and hear that they already have "10,000 users", I've been telling that them the first 25,000 users are irrelevant.
Josh Kopelman has a perfect post up today called 53,651. This is the number of RSS subscribers to Michael Arrington�s great TechCruch blog, and is exactly at the core of the "first 25,000 user" issue. Since there are 53,651 RSS subscribers of TechCrunch (at least as of 5/12/06) , if something gets reviewed there, it,s likely to get 5,000 to 10,000 users in the next 24 hours "just to try it out." As so many traffic graphs of these "TechCrunched" products show, there is a huge spike in use for a day or two, and then it goes right back down to where things were before they were TechCrunched. For example:...
..."
Of interest:
"Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fraser on May 12, 2006 08:35 AM
The first 25,000 users aren't only irrelevant - they're potentially poisonous.
If the developers listen to the feedback of these early adopters (the initial audience) they'll take the product/service down a path that increases the geek factor rather than down-geeking the offering.
It's a difficult place to be. Many of these developers are fully involved with the blogosphere, web 2.0, ... and therefore are tapped into feedback loops that distort the reality of what needs to be completed in order to bring the product/service to the mainstream.
It's a difficult thing to listen to feedback from your initial users, the first 25,000, and do the opposite of what they recommend. You alienate your "support base" etc etc. Tough situation..."
Thursday, May 18, 2006
RED HERRING | Yahoo Tightens Focus on Ads:
"The Internet company explains to analysts how it will fend off Google and Microsoft.
May 17, 2006
Talk about bad timing. As technology stocks suffered a steep decline Wednesday, Yahoo was trying to convince Wall Street analysts that it will boost its revenue from Internet ads while fending off growing competition from Google and Microsoft.
At an analyst day in San Francisco
, the Internet media giant vowed to upgrade its online advertising system by the third quarter. And that's just one area the company plans to improve as competitors threaten Yahoo’s dominance of several Internet categories..."
"The Internet company explains to analysts how it will fend off Google and Microsoft.
May 17, 2006
Talk about bad timing. As technology stocks suffered a steep decline Wednesday, Yahoo was trying to convince Wall Street analysts that it will boost its revenue from Internet ads while fending off growing competition from Google and Microsoft.
At an analyst day in San Francisco
, the Internet media giant vowed to upgrade its online advertising system by the third quarter. And that's just one area the company plans to improve as competitors threaten Yahoo’s dominance of several Internet categories..."
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
MySpace to begin selling episodes of '24' - May. 15, 2006:
"NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp.'s MySpace.com will begin selling episodes of Fox's '24' next week as part of a plan to turn the popular teen Web site into a business rivaling Yahoo! and Apple Computer's iTunes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
MySpace, one of the fastest-growing Web properties, will begin selling episodes of the show '24' for $1.99 each from seasons one and five, the report said.
Two free episodes of the show will also be available, sponsored by Burger King Holdings, according to the Journal.
In recent months, TV networks have rushed to make their shows available for sale on iTunes for $1.99, including News Corp.-owned Fox, which sealed a deal to sell shows on the service last week..."
"NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp.'s MySpace.com will begin selling episodes of Fox's '24' next week as part of a plan to turn the popular teen Web site into a business rivaling Yahoo! and Apple Computer's iTunes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
MySpace, one of the fastest-growing Web properties, will begin selling episodes of the show '24' for $1.99 each from seasons one and five, the report said.
Two free episodes of the show will also be available, sponsored by Burger King Holdings, according to the Journal.
In recent months, TV networks have rushed to make their shows available for sale on iTunes for $1.99, including News Corp.-owned Fox, which sealed a deal to sell shows on the service last week..."
Monday, May 15, 2006
John Battelle's Searchblog: Melanie's RoundUp: "Withdrawing the Branch from Olive
Despite rumors the past few weeks that Google was going to buy Olive for $75 million, after looking the software company up and down in a week of intensive interviews Google then walked away. Olive software converts various data files (like PDFs, microfilm) into xml, accessible to search.
Is it a coincidence that a large portion of Olive's employes are based in Israel and Google is opening new offices in Israel? Silicon Beat muses: Is Google turning into a Microsoft? Checking out the goods, and then going back and building it themselves? Or hiring away the better employees? Here's what one person said: 'Google learned a LOT about Olive... everything.' ..."
Despite rumors the past few weeks that Google was going to buy Olive for $75 million, after looking the software company up and down in a week of intensive interviews Google then walked away. Olive software converts various data files (like PDFs, microfilm) into xml, accessible to search.
Is it a coincidence that a large portion of Olive's employes are based in Israel and Google is opening new offices in Israel? Silicon Beat muses: Is Google turning into a Microsoft? Checking out the goods, and then going back and building it themselves? Or hiring away the better employees? Here's what one person said: 'Google learned a LOT about Olive... everything.' ..."
John Battelle's Searchblog: Melanie's RoundUp:
"Speaking of MySpace...
Following-up John's last post on the spike of hits from MySpace to Google, Paul Boutin has an article in Slate on why MySpace, as well as YouTube are pulling in the critical mass. Talking about the recent popularity stats on domains, which the WashPost posted, Boutin writes: I was skeptical when I heard how huge video-sharing hub YouTube and social-networking hotspot MySpace have become. YouTube claims 40 million plays a day, up from 35 million just a week ago. The answer he comes to is that the two social mega-hubs make it too easy to resist for non-geeks, making the web: "The secret to success is to make everything one-button easy, then get out of the way."
Boutin also complains that Google Video (along with others) fall short by specializing the tools---in his words, presuming they know what users want--whereas MySpace gives you everything in one personalized space. "MySpace isn't that much easier to use than Friendster, or than other shared-user-content sites like Flickr (photo sharing), del.icio.us (bookmarks), or Digg (tech news). But it mixes multiple publishing models—blogs, photos, music, videos, friend networks—into one personal space. Most important, it doesn't presume to know what your goals are." In retrospect from Press Day, it's a safe bet that the new Co-op exchange of social tags will include video soon enough..."
"Speaking of MySpace...
Following-up John's last post on the spike of hits from MySpace to Google, Paul Boutin has an article in Slate on why MySpace, as well as YouTube are pulling in the critical mass. Talking about the recent popularity stats on domains, which the WashPost posted, Boutin writes: I was skeptical when I heard how huge video-sharing hub YouTube and social-networking hotspot MySpace have become. YouTube claims 40 million plays a day, up from 35 million just a week ago. The answer he comes to is that the two social mega-hubs make it too easy to resist for non-geeks, making the web: "The secret to success is to make everything one-button easy, then get out of the way."
Boutin also complains that Google Video (along with others) fall short by specializing the tools---in his words, presuming they know what users want--whereas MySpace gives you everything in one personalized space. "MySpace isn't that much easier to use than Friendster, or than other shared-user-content sites like Flickr (photo sharing), del.icio.us (bookmarks), or Digg (tech news). But it mixes multiple publishing models—blogs, photos, music, videos, friend networks—into one personal space. Most important, it doesn't presume to know what your goals are." In retrospect from Press Day, it's a safe bet that the new Co-op exchange of social tags will include video soon enough..."
John Battelle's Searchblog: Melanie's RoundUp:
"Collexis Fingerprints
Yet another search service--but wait, Collexis claims individuality for 'helping to get your job done by thinking for you.'
Instead of caching full pages, Collexis crawls for 'Fingerprints' of content based on a thesaurus-rich text analysis that can access live pages, archives, and various other types of files.
'The system can create a fingerprint for each piece of text that contains relevant information, such as competence sheets, project descriptions or web pages. The fingerprinting process makes use of a structure of professional terminology of a particular field (essentially a thesaurus). Picture 10By doing so it embodies the way humans understand those terms and concepts.'
Collexis is a tailored industry search for government, university and medical research, pharmaceuticals, and banking and finance. Making data accessible and easy to manipulate will have nice implications for analysts and experts in all those fields, but Collexis also aims to make 'it easy to use for even the most non-technical user.'... "
"Collexis Fingerprints
Yet another search service--but wait, Collexis claims individuality for 'helping to get your job done by thinking for you.'
Instead of caching full pages, Collexis crawls for 'Fingerprints' of content based on a thesaurus-rich text analysis that can access live pages, archives, and various other types of files.
'The system can create a fingerprint for each piece of text that contains relevant information, such as competence sheets, project descriptions or web pages. The fingerprinting process makes use of a structure of professional terminology of a particular field (essentially a thesaurus). Picture 10By doing so it embodies the way humans understand those terms and concepts.'
Collexis is a tailored industry search for government, university and medical research, pharmaceuticals, and banking and finance. Making data accessible and easy to manipulate will have nice implications for analysts and experts in all those fields, but Collexis also aims to make 'it easy to use for even the most non-technical user.'... "
Snap.com's New User Interface & Adds New Features:
"Snap.com has released a new user interface for its search results page. As you begin typing your query, it does the whole Google Suggest, LookAhead, AllTheWeb LiveSearch auto complete AJAX thing. Then you submit your query and the interface snaps (literally) into a two column view. On the left are the search results and on the right is a preview of the landing page of the result selected on the left. This is a more, in your face approach to Ask.com's Binoculars, that allows you to mouse over to see a site preview. For the full release, download the PDF document..."
"Snap.com has released a new user interface for its search results page. As you begin typing your query, it does the whole Google Suggest, LookAhead, AllTheWeb LiveSearch auto complete AJAX thing. Then you submit your query and the interface snaps (literally) into a two column view. On the left are the search results and on the right is a preview of the landing page of the result selected on the left. This is a more, in your face approach to Ask.com's Binoculars, that allows you to mouse over to see a site preview. For the full release, download the PDF document..."
Search Engine Journal » Yahoo Answers Expansion & Integration into Yahoo Search Results:
"Since its launch, the Yahoo Answers program has been seen as a concrete example of how user generated content and participation can lead, in some cases, to better and more relevant search results. It has been five months since the launch of the Yahoo Answers community Q & A service, and within this short period of time the program has become a success among Yahoo users, with last week marking the 10 millionth answer to a question on Yahoo Answers..."
"Since its launch, the Yahoo Answers program has been seen as a concrete example of how user generated content and participation can lead, in some cases, to better and more relevant search results. It has been five months since the launch of the Yahoo Answers community Q & A service, and within this short period of time the program has become a success among Yahoo users, with last week marking the 10 millionth answer to a question on Yahoo Answers..."
PreFound - search what people have already found:
"search PreFound just like Google, Yahoo! or any search engine. But on PreFound, you'll get Groups of sites that knowledgable people like you have chosen about your topic, not what a computer program has chosen..."
"search PreFound just like Google, Yahoo! or any search engine. But on PreFound, you'll get Groups of sites that knowledgable people like you have chosen about your topic, not what a computer program has chosen..."
Search Engine Lowdown: Eric Schmidt on Google Co-op: "User-Generated Content Part of the Answer" :
"Bambi Francisco interviewed Google CEO Eric Schmidt on the new Google Co-op, a tool that seems, based on my reading of it, very much like PreFound's.
When I asked Google CEO Eric Schmidt what was the most exciting product launch in the last year, he said 'Google Co-op.'
In his words: 'It's a powerful idea' because it gets people to help Google structure the data. Through a co-op, 'user-generated data becomes part of the answer,' Schmidt said.
The Google Co-op, also called Google Notebook (I think...) is Google's forray into the Meta-Web.
So... how long before THIS gets spammed? I think that will remain one of the primary issues with scaling user value ads to SERPs, especially for Google. Watch for the ability for other users to VOTE on the value of posts and for Google to spin off a co-op API for all the vertical sites out there.
Francisco speculates based on her conversation with Schmidt:
Google has moved into community-based searching, which I've thought a compelling idea. Communities are formed in social networks, like MySpace.
MySpace wants a search engine. Is there a connection or partnership in the works?
Partnership or not I would love to hear what Larry and Sergey think of all this non-algorithmic tom-foolery..."
"Bambi Francisco interviewed Google CEO Eric Schmidt on the new Google Co-op, a tool that seems, based on my reading of it, very much like PreFound's.
When I asked Google CEO Eric Schmidt what was the most exciting product launch in the last year, he said 'Google Co-op.'
In his words: 'It's a powerful idea' because it gets people to help Google structure the data. Through a co-op, 'user-generated data becomes part of the answer,' Schmidt said.
The Google Co-op, also called Google Notebook (I think...) is Google's forray into the Meta-Web.
So... how long before THIS gets spammed? I think that will remain one of the primary issues with scaling user value ads to SERPs, especially for Google. Watch for the ability for other users to VOTE on the value of posts and for Google to spin off a co-op API for all the vertical sites out there.
Francisco speculates based on her conversation with Schmidt:
Google has moved into community-based searching, which I've thought a compelling idea. Communities are formed in social networks, like MySpace.
MySpace wants a search engine. Is there a connection or partnership in the works?
Partnership or not I would love to hear what Larry and Sergey think of all this non-algorithmic tom-foolery..."
Microsoft To Map The World In Real Time?:
"The TechnologyReview.com has an interesting article explaining a project at Microsoft named SenseWeb, that will strive to enable Windows Live Local to have real-time mapping and local data. The real-time information, is reportedly going to be up-to-the minute on local gas prices, traffic flows, restaurant wait times, parking information and more. It is important to note that Yahoo maps have been offering real-time traffic reports since at least January 2005. I am interested to see how Microsoft will enable local gas prices, restaurant wait times and parking information into this system.
I personally rarely use Yahoo maps for local traffic data before driving anywhere. But would real-time traffic data be of use to you while you are driving? I suspect I would use it often if it were fully integrated into my GPS system. If it is not integrated into your GPS system or you do not have a GPS system, then maybe TrafficGauge makes sense for you - it is one nice review. I would suspect whatever Microsoft does with SenseWeb, they would have plans to integrate it into their GPS device..."
"The TechnologyReview.com has an interesting article explaining a project at Microsoft named SenseWeb, that will strive to enable Windows Live Local to have real-time mapping and local data. The real-time information, is reportedly going to be up-to-the minute on local gas prices, traffic flows, restaurant wait times, parking information and more. It is important to note that Yahoo maps have been offering real-time traffic reports since at least January 2005. I am interested to see how Microsoft will enable local gas prices, restaurant wait times and parking information into this system.
I personally rarely use Yahoo maps for local traffic data before driving anywhere. But would real-time traffic data be of use to you while you are driving? I suspect I would use it often if it were fully integrated into my GPS system. If it is not integrated into your GPS system or you do not have a GPS system, then maybe TrafficGauge makes sense for you - it is one nice review. I would suspect whatever Microsoft does with SenseWeb, they would have plans to integrate it into their GPS device..."
Search Engine Journal » Yahoo’s New Search Advertising System:
"...Yahoo’s new “Panama” Search Marketing system comes on the heels of the MSN adCenter launch and heightened Google earnings via the Google AdWords interface. MSN adCenter includes search keyword, demographic (man, woman.. etc.) and geographic targeting while Google AdWords offers search keyword, automated behavioral profiling and geographic targeting for their search & contextually targeted offerings. Yahoo’s new system is expected to challenge both Google and newcomer Microsoft’s systems.
Wall Street Journal adds that Yahoo’s new advertising system will also go way beyond traditional web search; “making it easier for advertisers to run sophisticated keyword ad campaigns, judge their effectiveness and to improve them. It also is built to, eventually, carry Yahoo’s keyword ads beyond personal computers to mobile devices and television and to allow the addition of graphics, video content and click-to-call capability in its ads.”
Yahoo, which serves more search engine advertising than Google, has experienced difficulty in increasing the amount of clicks and cost-per-click of their search advertising placements...
...With the new system, even though the New York auto dealer is bidding the most, their ad may be served in a lower position due to the low click thru ratio and geo-specific market. Yahoo’s new Search Marketing technology should come more relevant advertisements across keyword searches and the Yahoo Network, leading to more clicks and in turn; more revenue.
The New York Times reports : Those clicks should immediately turn into a lot more cash for Yahoo. It will not say how much. But Jordan Rohan, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets, estimates that if the strategy works, Yahoo will increase search-advertising revenue at least 20 percent right away — about $125 million in the fourth quarter of this year and $600 million next year..."
"...Yahoo’s new “Panama” Search Marketing system comes on the heels of the MSN adCenter launch and heightened Google earnings via the Google AdWords interface. MSN adCenter includes search keyword, demographic (man, woman.. etc.) and geographic targeting while Google AdWords offers search keyword, automated behavioral profiling and geographic targeting for their search & contextually targeted offerings. Yahoo’s new system is expected to challenge both Google and newcomer Microsoft’s systems.
Wall Street Journal adds that Yahoo’s new advertising system will also go way beyond traditional web search; “making it easier for advertisers to run sophisticated keyword ad campaigns, judge their effectiveness and to improve them. It also is built to, eventually, carry Yahoo’s keyword ads beyond personal computers to mobile devices and television and to allow the addition of graphics, video content and click-to-call capability in its ads.”
Yahoo, which serves more search engine advertising than Google, has experienced difficulty in increasing the amount of clicks and cost-per-click of their search advertising placements...
...With the new system, even though the New York auto dealer is bidding the most, their ad may be served in a lower position due to the low click thru ratio and geo-specific market. Yahoo’s new Search Marketing technology should come more relevant advertisements across keyword searches and the Yahoo Network, leading to more clicks and in turn; more revenue.
The New York Times reports : Those clicks should immediately turn into a lot more cash for Yahoo. It will not say how much. But Jordan Rohan, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets, estimates that if the strategy works, Yahoo will increase search-advertising revenue at least 20 percent right away — about $125 million in the fourth quarter of this year and $600 million next year..."
Friday, May 12, 2006
Google Sued For Allegedly Profiting On Child Porn:
"The LA Times & ABC News reports that Google is being sued by Nassau County Legislator, Jeffrey Toback (in Long Island, New York) for allegedly profiting on child pornography. The lawsuit 'is a proactive step to keep children safe,' Toback said and that the suit is not seeking monetary damages, it just wants Google to be more proactive on blocking out illegal pornography from both the paid and organic results.
It is important to note that only Google is being sued here, and not Yahoo, MSN or Ask.com. Also, Matt Cutts is famed at Google for writing the 'safe search filter' at Google, I believe. Past coverage of pornography issues at the search engines include;
+ Google Removes Child Porn Post & Reports To FBI
+ Yahoo Sued Over Child Porn On Yahoo Groups
There is also many more stories on spam and porn issues out there in the blogosphere with Google.
Postscript: Eric Goldman from Marquette University Law School informed me that Yahoo went through the same thing and they won a motion to dismiss. He also says that the 'lawsuit is almost certainly preempted by 47 USC 230.'
Postscript: Eric has posted several updates including a link to the complaint (PDF) where he concludes that 'this lawsuit is just a publicity stunt, and a pathetic one at that. Among other evidence of cluelessness, the... "
"The LA Times & ABC News reports that Google is being sued by Nassau County Legislator, Jeffrey Toback (in Long Island, New York) for allegedly profiting on child pornography. The lawsuit 'is a proactive step to keep children safe,' Toback said and that the suit is not seeking monetary damages, it just wants Google to be more proactive on blocking out illegal pornography from both the paid and organic results.
It is important to note that only Google is being sued here, and not Yahoo, MSN or Ask.com. Also, Matt Cutts is famed at Google for writing the 'safe search filter' at Google, I believe. Past coverage of pornography issues at the search engines include;
+ Google Removes Child Porn Post & Reports To FBI
+ Yahoo Sued Over Child Porn On Yahoo Groups
There is also many more stories on spam and porn issues out there in the blogosphere with Google.
Postscript: Eric Goldman from Marquette University Law School informed me that Yahoo went through the same thing and they won a motion to dismiss. He also says that the 'lawsuit is almost certainly preempted by 47 USC 230.'
Postscript: Eric has posted several updates including a link to the complaint (PDF) where he concludes that 'this lawsuit is just a publicity stunt, and a pathetic one at that. Among other evidence of cluelessness, the... "
Google Sued for Porn Profiteering: "On Friday at SEW Blog I reported that Google was being sued by Nassau County Legislator, Jeffrey Toback for profiting on the sale of child pornography. We have some discussion on Google AdWords showing Child Prostitution Ads from the past. So is Google really profiting with a smile? I doubt not, and I doubt Jeffrey Toback believe so also. He clearly said that this suit is a 'is a proactive step to keep children safe.' It will basically make Google more proactive, instead of reactive with these sort of ads...."
John Battelle's Searchblog: Melanie RoundUp - Brief Weekend Edition: "Melanie RoundUp - Brief Weekend Edition
Quintura Search Approaches Launch
Quintura Search brings out version 1.5 boasting 'complex query using a map of related words.' It's generating some buzz as intuitively easy to understand - its display is interactive and lively, with fairly rewarding results.
Some initial questions after I checked-out the demo (I didn't fool around with the program because you need IE to install). What if the secondary search term you want isn't displayed? It's not clear if the order in which you choose the search terms effects the results. Quintura looks to be a great tool for exploration, for example of linguistic association or hierarchal learning, but it's potential to compete directly with single-entry search looks murky. Even if not a replacement to the titans, Quintura is adding a welcome dimension to the evolution of search... "
Quintura Search Approaches Launch
Quintura Search brings out version 1.5 boasting 'complex query using a map of related words.' It's generating some buzz as intuitively easy to understand - its display is interactive and lively, with fairly rewarding results.
Some initial questions after I checked-out the demo (I didn't fool around with the program because you need IE to install). What if the secondary search term you want isn't displayed? It's not clear if the order in which you choose the search terms effects the results. Quintura looks to be a great tool for exploration, for example of linguistic association or hierarchal learning, but it's potential to compete directly with single-entry search looks murky. Even if not a replacement to the titans, Quintura is adding a welcome dimension to the evolution of search... "
Google's Click Fraud Settlement Update:
"The Associated Press offers an update today on Google's proposed $90 million settlement to a click fraud class action lawsuit. While some advertisers seem prepared to accept Google's proposed advertising credits, others are shunning the settlement to move forward with their own suits against the company.
While the settlement has been reported to amount to $90 million, it's important to remember that $30 million of that will be going to the law firms that brought forth the suit. That leaves $60 million in advertising credits to be distributed at a rate of $4.50 for every $1000 spent with the firm.
For those that don't want to do the math, that amounts to less than half of one percent of an advertisers spending. With conservative click fraud estimates pegging the number closer to 15% and some putting the number as high as 40%, the AP article notes that Google could be getting away with anywhere from $1 billion to $5 billion in non-refunded fees.
On the other hand, if Google offered up a settlement that amounted to a more realistic 10% or 15% of advertising costs, they would effectively be admitting that the problem is a large one and would then give companies ammunition to use in future fights against the company..."
"The Associated Press offers an update today on Google's proposed $90 million settlement to a click fraud class action lawsuit. While some advertisers seem prepared to accept Google's proposed advertising credits, others are shunning the settlement to move forward with their own suits against the company.
While the settlement has been reported to amount to $90 million, it's important to remember that $30 million of that will be going to the law firms that brought forth the suit. That leaves $60 million in advertising credits to be distributed at a rate of $4.50 for every $1000 spent with the firm.
For those that don't want to do the math, that amounts to less than half of one percent of an advertisers spending. With conservative click fraud estimates pegging the number closer to 15% and some putting the number as high as 40%, the AP article notes that Google could be getting away with anywhere from $1 billion to $5 billion in non-refunded fees.
On the other hand, if Google offered up a settlement that amounted to a more realistic 10% or 15% of advertising costs, they would effectively be admitting that the problem is a large one and would then give companies ammunition to use in future fights against the company..."
TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Squidoo: Seth Godin’s Purple Albatross?:
"...The Squidoo idea was simple and easy to explain: allow anyone to build a single page, called a lens, on a topic that he or she is passionate about. The person building the lens, the “lensmaster”, gets recognition as an expert in his or her area of expertise, and cash. Squidoo shares a percentage of profits with its authors.
Now here’s the problem... "
"...The Squidoo idea was simple and easy to explain: allow anyone to build a single page, called a lens, on a topic that he or she is passionate about. The person building the lens, the “lensmaster”, gets recognition as an expert in his or her area of expertise, and cash. Squidoo shares a percentage of profits with its authors.
Now here’s the problem... "
TechCrunch » Blog Archive » AIM Pages Launches - First Impression:
"AIM Pages, the new AOL Myspace competitor that we’ve been buzzing about for the last couple of weeks, launched this morning at aimpages.com.
First impression: The site is clean and organized (something I’m not sure the Myspace crowd wants), and module based (about me, photos, etc.). Modules can be dragged to any point on the screen..."
"AIM Pages, the new AOL Myspace competitor that we’ve been buzzing about for the last couple of weeks, launched this morning at aimpages.com.
First impression: The site is clean and organized (something I’m not sure the Myspace crowd wants), and module based (about me, photos, etc.). Modules can be dragged to any point on the screen..."
TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Rumor: Yahoo Acquired Jotspot: "From recent buzz and confirmation from two trusted sources, it sounds like Yahoo closed its rumored acquisition of Joe Kraus’ Jotspot, and will be entering the wiki market. No official announcement of this, or any indication of price (buy Yahoo is famously stingy)..."
TechCrunch » Blog Archive » CollectiveX to Launch Thursday:
"CollectiveX, the group-focused professional social network founded by Clarence Wooten, will launch early Thursday morning.
The focus of CollectiveX is on the group, not the individual. Members of the group can interact via file sharing, messaging, calendaring and exchange of leads/contacts. It frankly answers to question that many social networks pose: Ok, we’re here, now what do we do? With CollectiveX, the entire point is to facilitate interactions among existing groups. As a member, you can be a part of as many groups as you like: boards, company teams, charities, whatever. For additional information, see my last post on CollectiveX, when it was just entering private beta. As I said before, CollectiveX is what LinkedIn should have been...."
"CollectiveX, the group-focused professional social network founded by Clarence Wooten, will launch early Thursday morning.
The focus of CollectiveX is on the group, not the individual. Members of the group can interact via file sharing, messaging, calendaring and exchange of leads/contacts. It frankly answers to question that many social networks pose: Ok, we’re here, now what do we do? With CollectiveX, the entire point is to facilitate interactions among existing groups. As a member, you can be a part of as many groups as you like: boards, company teams, charities, whatever. For additional information, see my last post on CollectiveX, when it was just entering private beta. As I said before, CollectiveX is what LinkedIn should have been...."
TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Google Notebook Screen Shots:
"A Google employee named Erica Joy has posted a number of screen shots of Google Notebook, which will launch next week at google.com/notebook.
Notebook looks like it is designed to be a flat out del.icio.us competitor, allowing you to gather content from around the web, add metadata like categories and, if you like, publish the information. More from Philip Lenssen..."
"A Google employee named Erica Joy has posted a number of screen shots of Google Notebook, which will launch next week at google.com/notebook.
Notebook looks like it is designed to be a flat out del.icio.us competitor, allowing you to gather content from around the web, add metadata like categories and, if you like, publish the information. More from Philip Lenssen..."
TechCrunch » Blog Archive » Rapleaf is Now Live:
"Rapleaf’s open feedback system (more about it here) went live late Saturday night, and already has hundreds of users who’ve left thousands of feedback posts on others.
CEO Auren Hoffman promises the APIs for the core Rapleaf functions sometime this week, so expect to see Rapleaf mashups very soon. Users can pull their “reputation box” via a code snippet and post it on a website. Mine is below.
My TechCrunch reputation score on Rapleaf is here. As I said before, I believe Rapleaf is going to be a winner if they can close the right business development deals..."
"Rapleaf’s open feedback system (more about it here) went live late Saturday night, and already has hundreds of users who’ve left thousands of feedback posts on others.
CEO Auren Hoffman promises the APIs for the core Rapleaf functions sometime this week, so expect to see Rapleaf mashups very soon. Users can pull their “reputation box” via a code snippet and post it on a website. Mine is below.
My TechCrunch reputation score on Rapleaf is here. As I said before, I believe Rapleaf is going to be a winner if they can close the right business development deals..."
CNN.com - Report: Microsoft feeling heat from Google - May 4, 2006:
"NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Microsoft Corp. has held discussions to buy a stake in Internet media company Yahoo Inc. to compete against Google Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Although talks over an equity stake do not appear to be active, Microsoft's top management remains open to a deal with Yahoo as pressure grows from shareholders to perform better against Google, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation...."
"NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Microsoft Corp. has held discussions to buy a stake in Internet media company Yahoo Inc. to compete against Google Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Although talks over an equity stake do not appear to be active, Microsoft's top management remains open to a deal with Yahoo as pressure grows from shareholders to perform better against Google, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation...."
Blog-sharing "commons" goes live | News.blog | CNET News.com:
"Lost in the ocean of blogs that is the blogosphere? Web logging pioneer Dave Winer on Monday launched a project called Share Your OPML, a Web site dedicated to gathering blog subscription lists.
The site is designed around a top 100 list of blogs and news sites chosen by the people participating in Share Your OPML. To participate, people need to create a membership.
Members can allow anybody else to look at the blog feeds that they subscribe to.
The mechanism for sharing is OPML, an XML-based protocol for sharing 'outline-structured information' between applications.
According to the site's FAQ, most blog aggregators have a way for publishing blog subscriptions in OPML format.
On his blog Monday morning, Winer dubbed the launch 'an instant hit.'..."
"Lost in the ocean of blogs that is the blogosphere? Web logging pioneer Dave Winer on Monday launched a project called Share Your OPML, a Web site dedicated to gathering blog subscription lists.
The site is designed around a top 100 list of blogs and news sites chosen by the people participating in Share Your OPML. To participate, people need to create a membership.
Members can allow anybody else to look at the blog feeds that they subscribe to.
The mechanism for sharing is OPML, an XML-based protocol for sharing 'outline-structured information' between applications.
According to the site's FAQ, most blog aggregators have a way for publishing blog subscriptions in OPML format.
On his blog Monday morning, Winer dubbed the launch 'an instant hit.'..."
Mapping a path for the 3D Web | CNET News.com:
"PALO ALTO, Calif.--With the spread of online games, virtual worlds and services like Google Earth and MySpace.com, people may soon be spending more time, communicating more and shopping more in complex 3D Web environments.
That's why several dozen of the most influential figures in video game design, geospatial engineering, high-tech research, software development, social networking, telecommunications and other fields gathered here Friday and Saturday for the first Metaverse Roadmap Summit.
The event, held at the SRI International and produced by the Acceleration Studies Foundation (ASF), was the initial step toward what organizers and attendees alike hope will be a coherent path to the so-called metaverse--an Internet dominated by 3D technology, social spaces and economies. As such, the invite-only group spent the two days in a series of talks, small breakout discussions and group presentations--all in the pursuit of consensus about what the metaverse, or some would say 3D Web, will look like in 10 years..."
"PALO ALTO, Calif.--With the spread of online games, virtual worlds and services like Google Earth and MySpace.com, people may soon be spending more time, communicating more and shopping more in complex 3D Web environments.
That's why several dozen of the most influential figures in video game design, geospatial engineering, high-tech research, software development, social networking, telecommunications and other fields gathered here Friday and Saturday for the first Metaverse Roadmap Summit.
The event, held at the SRI International and produced by the Acceleration Studies Foundation (ASF), was the initial step toward what organizers and attendees alike hope will be a coherent path to the so-called metaverse--an Internet dominated by 3D technology, social spaces and economies. As such, the invite-only group spent the two days in a series of talks, small breakout discussions and group presentations--all in the pursuit of consensus about what the metaverse, or some would say 3D Web, will look like in 10 years..."
InformationWeek | Click Fraud | Yahoo Hit With Second Spyware Click-Fraud Suit | May 5, 2006:
"Another Web site filed a class-action suit against Yahoo Thursday, adding a second filing to the original submitted on Monday that accused the portal of using spyware to distribute ads.
Like Monday's class-action lawsuit, the most recent pits a Web site -- in this case the online dating service Metrodate.com -- against Yahoo, its Overture advertising network, and unspecified third party affiliates. The charges filed by Metrodate in a California federal court were nearly identical to those offered up by New Jersey-based Crafts by Veronica..."
"Another Web site filed a class-action suit against Yahoo Thursday, adding a second filing to the original submitted on Monday that accused the portal of using spyware to distribute ads.
Like Monday's class-action lawsuit, the most recent pits a Web site -- in this case the online dating service Metrodate.com -- against Yahoo, its Overture advertising network, and unspecified third party affiliates. The charges filed by Metrodate in a California federal court were nearly identical to those offered up by New Jersey-based Crafts by Veronica..."
Microsoft and SAP make sweet music together:
Is Microsoft learning how to play nice with others???
"Back in late 2003, Microsoft secretly approached SAP to discuss the potential of a merger that would have been by far the largest coupling in software industry history. After months of discussion, the two companies agreed to part ways. But all that executive time didn’t go to waste. They agreed ultimately to jointly develop a new generation of corporate applications that combine the capabilities of SAP’s products with those of Microsoft Office. The project was code-named Mendocino—since that quaint California coastal town is about halfway between Microsoft’s headquarters in Washington and SAP’s operations in Silicon Valley. On May 2, the two companies lifted the veil and revealed what Mendocino—now called Duet—is all about. It’s quite a nifty thing. For the first time, desktop PC applications are effectively integrated with heavy-duty run-the-business applications. And clearly it’s a win-win for the two companies. Duet makes Office even more valuable to customers, making it more likely that they’ll upgrade. For SAP, there’s the potential of dramatically expanding the company’s reach within giant corporations that are already using its products...."
Is Microsoft learning how to play nice with others???
"Back in late 2003, Microsoft secretly approached SAP to discuss the potential of a merger that would have been by far the largest coupling in software industry history. After months of discussion, the two companies agreed to part ways. But all that executive time didn’t go to waste. They agreed ultimately to jointly develop a new generation of corporate applications that combine the capabilities of SAP’s products with those of Microsoft Office. The project was code-named Mendocino—since that quaint California coastal town is about halfway between Microsoft’s headquarters in Washington and SAP’s operations in Silicon Valley. On May 2, the two companies lifted the veil and revealed what Mendocino—now called Duet—is all about. It’s quite a nifty thing. For the first time, desktop PC applications are effectively integrated with heavy-duty run-the-business applications. And clearly it’s a win-win for the two companies. Duet makes Office even more valuable to customers, making it more likely that they’ll upgrade. For SAP, there’s the potential of dramatically expanding the company’s reach within giant corporations that are already using its products...."
Friendster lost steam. Is MySpace just a fad?:
"A lot of folks have asked me 'What went wrong with Friendster? Why is MySpace any different?' I guess i never directly answered that question, even though i've addressed the causes in other talks. Still, i guess it would be helpful to piece some of it together and directly attend to this question.
There is no single answer, but there are a lot of factors that must be considered. To an outsider, Friendster and MySpace seem identical. But they are far from that. They are rooted in different cultural practices and values. People use them differently and they relate to them differently. If you want to understand the differences, you need to understand the history, the decisions that were made, and how these decisions affected practice. Let me address some of the most critical components..."
"A lot of folks have asked me 'What went wrong with Friendster? Why is MySpace any different?' I guess i never directly answered that question, even though i've addressed the causes in other talks. Still, i guess it would be helpful to piece some of it together and directly attend to this question.
There is no single answer, but there are a lot of factors that must be considered. To an outsider, Friendster and MySpace seem identical. But they are far from that. They are rooted in different cultural practices and values. People use them differently and they relate to them differently. If you want to understand the differences, you need to understand the history, the decisions that were made, and how these decisions affected practice. Let me address some of the most critical components..."
Once Bitten, Twice Bold - Forbes.com:
"Burlingame, Calif. - For those who are wondering, Web 2.0 is just getting started. Yeah, I said it.
Witness the frenzy at marquee venture capital firms. Given the piles of money they're deploying, we've probably got three to five more years of new deals ahead of us. VC firms typically take that long to invest each fund--and many firms are only now beginning to bet on Web 2.0 startups.
Another clue: Look who these guys are hiring. In recent months, Greylock Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Mayfield Fund have recruited executives from the first Internet boom to serve as guides through the next one.
Greylock, which raised $500 million in November and last month led a $25 million investment in social networking engine Facebook, nabbed James Slavet from Yahoo!'s (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) travel and automotive businesses. Jeremy Liew, general manager of AOL's Netscape unit and an executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp (nasdaq: IACI - news - people ) and Citysearch, is helping Lightspeed invest its recent $475 million fund. And Mayfield, an investor in online teen hangout Tagged.com, brought in Chamath Palihapitiya, former head of AOL's instant message business, to help dole out the $375 million it raised last August.
Long-time tech investor Norwest Venture Partners closed a $650 million fund in April and plans to allocate much of it to Internet and entertainment-technology deals. Last month, the firm promoted Jeffrey Crowe, a former president at online auctioneer DoveBid, to partner..."
"Burlingame, Calif. - For those who are wondering, Web 2.0 is just getting started. Yeah, I said it.
Witness the frenzy at marquee venture capital firms. Given the piles of money they're deploying, we've probably got three to five more years of new deals ahead of us. VC firms typically take that long to invest each fund--and many firms are only now beginning to bet on Web 2.0 startups.
Another clue: Look who these guys are hiring. In recent months, Greylock Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Mayfield Fund have recruited executives from the first Internet boom to serve as guides through the next one.
Greylock, which raised $500 million in November and last month led a $25 million investment in social networking engine Facebook, nabbed James Slavet from Yahoo!'s (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) travel and automotive businesses. Jeremy Liew, general manager of AOL's Netscape unit and an executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp (nasdaq: IACI - news - people ) and Citysearch, is helping Lightspeed invest its recent $475 million fund. And Mayfield, an investor in online teen hangout Tagged.com, brought in Chamath Palihapitiya, former head of AOL's instant message business, to help dole out the $375 million it raised last August.
Long-time tech investor Norwest Venture Partners closed a $650 million fund in April and plans to allocate much of it to Internet and entertainment-technology deals. Last month, the firm promoted Jeffrey Crowe, a former president at online auctioneer DoveBid, to partner..."
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Search Engine Journal » No Yahoo Directory Links on New Yahoo Homepage?: "Yahoo is testing a new design for their homepage which is quite sleek, tabbed, and interactive - but does not include links to the Yahoo Directory, which is the foundation (or was the foundation) of Yahoo and its human edited differentiation from Google. The end of directory access via links from the Yahoo homepage does not mean that they are dumping the human edited version of web search, as Yahoo Answers, MyWeb, Ratings, Reviews and tags are all created or edited by humans and having more and more influence on all around search results.
Some questions are arising about whether or not the value of a Yahoo Directory (Yahoo Category) listing will drop over time with Yahoo turning to the Web 2.0 human edited model and without direct link access to those directory listings...."
Some questions are arising about whether or not the value of a Yahoo Directory (Yahoo Category) listing will drop over time with Yahoo turning to the Web 2.0 human edited model and without direct link access to those directory listings...."
Sphere: A New Approach to Blog Search: "The blogosphere continues to both fascinate and frustrate, because great content is out there, but it's often drowned in a sea of garbage. Newly launched Sphere aims to change that with a different approach to blog search.
Blog search has yet to rise to the quality of web search, in large part because the blogopshere is volatile and many of the ranking metrics that work well with web content break down when applied to blog postings. Other approaches rely on tags to identify relevant content—and we're highly skeptical about tagging here at Search Engine Watch.
Sphere's creators are veterans of several internet startups who've applied the lessons they've learned from previous companies (Oddpost, Wordpress and others) to build a powerful, but easy-to-use blog search engine, with a number of interesting twists.
'Once you've discovered good blog content it's like a drug,' said Tony Conrad, Sphere CEO.
Sphere takes a new approach to blog search, looking at three critical variables to understand both individual blog posts and the nature of the blog they appear on. As with web search, Sphere attempts to understand link structures—who's linking to whom, and what are the quality of the links. Crucial to this analysis is an attempt to understand who's starting or leading discussions in contrast to those bloggers who are simply comme..."
Blog search has yet to rise to the quality of web search, in large part because the blogopshere is volatile and many of the ranking metrics that work well with web content break down when applied to blog postings. Other approaches rely on tags to identify relevant content—and we're highly skeptical about tagging here at Search Engine Watch.
Sphere's creators are veterans of several internet startups who've applied the lessons they've learned from previous companies (Oddpost, Wordpress and others) to build a powerful, but easy-to-use blog search engine, with a number of interesting twists.
'Once you've discovered good blog content it's like a drug,' said Tony Conrad, Sphere CEO.
Sphere takes a new approach to blog search, looking at three critical variables to understand both individual blog posts and the nature of the blog they appear on. As with web search, Sphere attempts to understand link structures—who's linking to whom, and what are the quality of the links. Crucial to this analysis is an attempt to understand who's starting or leading discussions in contrast to those bloggers who are simply comme..."
Yahoo Tests Yahoo Buzz Box Within Search Results Page:
"I reported this morning that Yahoo has been testing adding the Yahoo Buzz box within the search result pages. Conduct a search at Yahoo Search on any term, and you may notice this big bright yellow box on the right hand side (above or possibly below the ads) with other popular searches from the Buzz index. To see image of this in action visit my site. This just seems way off target to me, how does this enhance the user experience for the searcher's query? The buzz index does not seem to be matched on the query, it just seems to be based on today's most popular searches..."
"I reported this morning that Yahoo has been testing adding the Yahoo Buzz box within the search result pages. Conduct a search at Yahoo Search on any term, and you may notice this big bright yellow box on the right hand side (above or possibly below the ads) with other popular searches from the Buzz index. To see image of this in action visit my site. This just seems way off target to me, how does this enhance the user experience for the searcher's query? The buzz index does not seem to be matched on the query, it just seems to be based on today's most popular searches..."
John Battelle's Searchblog: The Intention Cloud:
"How cool is it that some smart geeks hacked up an application inspired by the Database of Intentions framework of The Search? Check out The Intention Cloud. From the About section:
The Cloud is the result of a mashup between the concept of 'Database Of Intention' and 'Tag Clouds' visualization. The current live engine of the Intention Cloud is collecting data from the Google Suggest service, but will be extended in the future to integrate other databases of intention.
Intent Cloud
Here's the cloud for 'we want'...."
"How cool is it that some smart geeks hacked up an application inspired by the Database of Intentions framework of The Search? Check out The Intention Cloud. From the About section:
The Cloud is the result of a mashup between the concept of 'Database Of Intention' and 'Tag Clouds' visualization. The current live engine of the Intention Cloud is collecting data from the Google Suggest service, but will be extended in the future to integrate other databases of intention.
Intent Cloud
Here's the cloud for 'we want'...."
ResearchBuzz: Yahoo Starts Up Yahoo Babelfish:
"Ah, Babelfish, how I love thee. Even when Altavista was plucking every last nerve I had, Babelfish remained an awesome translating tool. Now Yahoo has taken Babelfish from the AltaVista franchise and created Yahoo Babelfish, as they explain in a Yahoo Search blog post. Yahoo Babelfish is available at http://babelfish.yahoo.com/.
According to the blog post, it's the same old groovy Babelfish with a couple of changes. First is a new pair of translation options (Simplified Chinese into Traditional Chinese and vice-versa) and a new option called Yahoo! Search Translator Beta, available only in Germany and France, which allows users to translate queries and search across materials in several languages simultaneously. (There also seems to be a new logo that looks like a cousin to a Goldfish cracker.)..."
"Ah, Babelfish, how I love thee. Even when Altavista was plucking every last nerve I had, Babelfish remained an awesome translating tool. Now Yahoo has taken Babelfish from the AltaVista franchise and created Yahoo Babelfish, as they explain in a Yahoo Search blog post. Yahoo Babelfish is available at http://babelfish.yahoo.com/.
According to the blog post, it's the same old groovy Babelfish with a couple of changes. First is a new pair of translation options (Simplified Chinese into Traditional Chinese and vice-versa) and a new option called Yahoo! Search Translator Beta, available only in Germany and France, which allows users to translate queries and search across materials in several languages simultaneously. (There also seems to be a new logo that looks like a cousin to a Goldfish cracker.)..."
ResearchBuzz: Google Scholar Enhancement -- Recent Articles:
"Google has mentioned on their blog an enhancement to its Google Scholar service, which itself is available at http://scholar.google.com/.
Do a search. I'll do one for Chris Sherman. If you look at the right side of the results page you'll see that the default search result gives you all articles for that search. However you also have the option to see recent articles.
An initial search for Chris gives 184 results. But looking at recent articles narrows that down to 69. Google notes in the blog post that 'It's not just a plain sort by date, but rather we try to rank recent papers the way researchers do, by looking at the prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written, and so on.' If you glance at the citation listings for each item on the recent article list, you'll be able to tell that the results aren't listed in order of citation. But they don't appear to give a lot of weight by date, either. Perhaps by recentness of citation and number of citations and date?..."
"Google has mentioned on their blog an enhancement to its Google Scholar service, which itself is available at http://scholar.google.com/.
Do a search. I'll do one for Chris Sherman. If you look at the right side of the results page you'll see that the default search result gives you all articles for that search. However you also have the option to see recent articles.
An initial search for Chris gives 184 results. But looking at recent articles narrows that down to 69. Google notes in the blog post that 'It's not just a plain sort by date, but rather we try to rank recent papers the way researchers do, by looking at the prominence of the author's and journal's previous papers, how many citations it already has, when it was written, and so on.' If you glance at the citation listings for each item on the recent article list, you'll be able to tell that the results aren't listed in order of citation. But they don't appear to give a lot of weight by date, either. Perhaps by recentness of citation and number of citations and date?..."
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
SketchUp - Home:
"Dream. Design. Communicate.
SketchUp is a simple but powerful tool for quickly and easily creating, viewing and modifying your 3D ideas.
pencil icon Click on a shape and push or pull it to create your desired 3D geometry.
pencil icon Experiment with color and texture directly on your model.
pencil icon Real-time shadow casting lets you see exactly where the sun falls as you model.
pencil icon Select from thousands of pre-drawn components to save time drawing..."
"Dream. Design. Communicate.
SketchUp is a simple but powerful tool for quickly and easily creating, viewing and modifying your 3D ideas.
pencil icon Click on a shape and push or pull it to create your desired 3D geometry.
pencil icon Experiment with color and texture directly on your model.
pencil icon Real-time shadow casting lets you see exactly where the sun falls as you model.
pencil icon Select from thousands of pre-drawn components to save time drawing..."
TechCrunch » Did YouTube Just Raise another $25 million?:
"I’ve heard from three independent sources that YouTube may have very quietly raised another $25 million in venture capital after raising two rounds totalling $11.5 million from Sequoia Capital. YouTube’s last round ($8 million) was announced just a month ago, on April 5, 2006.
There are two reasons why I think this rumor may be accurate. First of all, YouTube is on a roll: 35 million videos are watched daily and they have 13 million unique monthly visitors. Bandwidth costs for all of these videos adds up: Forbes reports that YouTube’s bandwidth fees are approaching $1 million per month. Since YouTube is revenue-free (they just started placing ads on the site in March), they need more than $11.5 million in capital to keep up with growth.
Second, it is also understandable that they would raise a lot of cash over two rounds given that Sequoia Capital is involved and almost certainly has veto rights over new rounds of financing. Sequoia will want to maintain their equity share of the company (probably in the 25-30% range), but won’t want to pay current prices for those shares by participating in a new market valued venture round. The solution? Do a round at a lower valuation where only Sequoia participates, and then follow up with a subsequent round (possibly only days later) with new venture capitalists at a significantly higher valuation. This is the VC game, and funds like Sequoia can pull this off with their hotter startups.
Like I said, this is only a rumor (and I’ve been dead wrong with YouTube rumors in the past), but this one makes a lot of sense..."
"I’ve heard from three independent sources that YouTube may have very quietly raised another $25 million in venture capital after raising two rounds totalling $11.5 million from Sequoia Capital. YouTube’s last round ($8 million) was announced just a month ago, on April 5, 2006.
There are two reasons why I think this rumor may be accurate. First of all, YouTube is on a roll: 35 million videos are watched daily and they have 13 million unique monthly visitors. Bandwidth costs for all of these videos adds up: Forbes reports that YouTube’s bandwidth fees are approaching $1 million per month. Since YouTube is revenue-free (they just started placing ads on the site in March), they need more than $11.5 million in capital to keep up with growth.
Second, it is also understandable that they would raise a lot of cash over two rounds given that Sequoia Capital is involved and almost certainly has veto rights over new rounds of financing. Sequoia will want to maintain their equity share of the company (probably in the 25-30% range), but won’t want to pay current prices for those shares by participating in a new market valued venture round. The solution? Do a round at a lower valuation where only Sequoia participates, and then follow up with a subsequent round (possibly only days later) with new venture capitalists at a significantly higher valuation. This is the VC game, and funds like Sequoia can pull this off with their hotter startups.
Like I said, this is only a rumor (and I’ve been dead wrong with YouTube rumors in the past), but this one makes a lot of sense..."
| Google Profits From Parked Domains |:
"Google is offering AdSense for parked domains for quite some time now. It’s certainly a shady business – don’t we all hate domain squatters and typo squatters for polluting the web? The Seattle Times did some analysis..."
"Google is offering AdSense for parked domains for quite some time now. It’s certainly a shady business – don’t we all hate domain squatters and typo squatters for polluting the web? The Seattle Times did some analysis..."
ongoing · The Rails Lesson:
"Over at Geertjan’s blog, The Best Feature Of The Upcoming NetBeans IDE 5.5 is the strongest evidence I’ve seen that the mainstream Java universe is really paying attention to that lesson. Sure, over at the excellent Aquarium, you can read about how they’re slaving away in the engine room trying to make Java EE.next simpler and simpler and yet simpler. But I haven’t been convinced that they’ve got to a place yet where they’re going to win lots of converts from PHP and Rails. But this GlassFish+IDE combo is really coming along: in Geertjan’s example, he makes what looks like a basic CRUD app with no coding and no file editing. In particular, it looks like they’re getting close to Rails levels of DRY (“Don’t Repeat Yourself”). Geertjan skips lightly over the database-selection wizard; I wonder how much more than “use these tables” it needs? [Update: He follows up with the details.] And the Rails people will be asking “What is this ‘Deploy’ of which you speak?” But still, we’re in interesting territory. [Update: Not ten minutes after writing this, I ran across Java web frameworks - the Rails influence, which in turn led me to the (excellent, albeit in PDF) Java Web Frameworks Sweet Spots. Did I say “interesting territory�"
"Over at Geertjan’s blog, The Best Feature Of The Upcoming NetBeans IDE 5.5 is the strongest evidence I’ve seen that the mainstream Java universe is really paying attention to that lesson. Sure, over at the excellent Aquarium, you can read about how they’re slaving away in the engine room trying to make Java EE.next simpler and simpler and yet simpler. But I haven’t been convinced that they’ve got to a place yet where they’re going to win lots of converts from PHP and Rails. But this GlassFish+IDE combo is really coming along: in Geertjan’s example, he makes what looks like a basic CRUD app with no coding and no file editing. In particular, it looks like they’re getting close to Rails levels of DRY (“Don’t Repeat Yourself”). Geertjan skips lightly over the database-selection wizard; I wonder how much more than “use these tables” it needs? [Update: He follows up with the details.] And the Rails people will be asking “What is this ‘Deploy’ of which you speak?” But still, we’re in interesting territory. [Update: Not ten minutes after writing this, I ran across Java web frameworks - the Rails influence, which in turn led me to the (excellent, albeit in PDF) Java Web Frameworks Sweet Spots. Did I say “interesting territory�"
Search Engine Journal » Google AdWords Quality Based on Commerciality of Keyword Phrase:
"Google announced a “quality change” to the AdWords ad delivery system. Danny Sullivan explained that the ads displayed on a search result page will differ in quantity based on the commercial nature of the keyword phrase.
So if a keyword is more educational (non-commercial) in nature, less ads will be displayed. If a keyword phrase is more commercial in nature, more ads (up to 11) will display on the search results page. How does Google change the number of ads? Well, if it is less commercial, it will tend to use less of the broad match criteria in displaying ads (which tends to bring up more ad inventory).
As you can imagine, this will affect impressions for ads, which affects your CTR and your quality score - ultimately your ads rank in Google.com. Also, advertisers will get more “qualified” leads this way. I also guess this means that Yahoo! will continue to lead in displaying more ads as a percentage of Web searches. Makes you think, doesn’t it? Google is lessing it’s ads, making the ads more relevant but will Google make as much money? Yahoo? well, they just seem to want to show more ads, and give it up to the highest bidder."
"Google announced a “quality change” to the AdWords ad delivery system. Danny Sullivan explained that the ads displayed on a search result page will differ in quantity based on the commercial nature of the keyword phrase.
So if a keyword is more educational (non-commercial) in nature, less ads will be displayed. If a keyword phrase is more commercial in nature, more ads (up to 11) will display on the search results page. How does Google change the number of ads? Well, if it is less commercial, it will tend to use less of the broad match criteria in displaying ads (which tends to bring up more ad inventory).
As you can imagine, this will affect impressions for ads, which affects your CTR and your quality score - ultimately your ads rank in Google.com. Also, advertisers will get more “qualified” leads this way. I also guess this means that Yahoo! will continue to lead in displaying more ads as a percentage of Web searches. Makes you think, doesn’t it? Google is lessing it’s ads, making the ads more relevant but will Google make as much money? Yahoo? well, they just seem to want to show more ads, and give it up to the highest bidder."
Search Engine Journal » Yahoo Local Featured Listings : Flat Fee Search Marketing:
"In an effort to simplify Search Engine Marketing on the Local level for brick and ‘Mom & Pop’ shops, Yahoo Local has introduced Yahoo! Search Marketing Local Featured Listings. Now, for a flat monthly fee starting at $29.95 (depending on business location and category) small businesses can advertise in specific local search results..."
"In an effort to simplify Search Engine Marketing on the Local level for brick and ‘Mom & Pop’ shops, Yahoo Local has introduced Yahoo! Search Marketing Local Featured Listings. Now, for a flat monthly fee starting at $29.95 (depending on business location and category) small businesses can advertise in specific local search results..."
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
CNN.com - Viruses catch up to the Mac - May 1, 2006:
"Experts debate just how susceptible Apple is becoming"...
...Ferris said he warned Apple of the vulnerabilities in January and February and that the company has yet to patch the holes, prompting him to compare the Cupertino-based computer maker to Microsoft three years ago, when the world's largest software company was criticized for being slow to respond to weaknesses in its products.
"They didn't know how to deal with security, and I think Apple is in the same situation now," said Ferris, himself a Mac user.
...
"A lot of Mac users are in denial and have blinders on that say, `Nothing is ever going to get to us,' " said Neil Fryer, a computer security consultant who works for an international financial institution in Britain. "I can't say I agree with them."
...
Among the other signs Macs are a growing target:
# The SANS Institute, a computer-security organization in Bethesda, Maryland, added Mac OS X to its 2005 list of the top-20 Internet vulnerabilities. It was the first time the Mac has been included since the experts started compiling the list in 2000.
# This week, SANS updated the list to warn against flaws in Safari, the Mac Web browser, which the group said criminals were able to attack before Apple could fix.
# The number of discovered Mac vulnerabilities has grown in recent years, with 81 found last year, up from 46 in 2004 and 27 in 2003, according to the Open Source Vulnerability Database, which is maintained by a nonprofit group that tracks security vulnerabilities on many different hardware and software platforms..."
"Experts debate just how susceptible Apple is becoming"...
...Ferris said he warned Apple of the vulnerabilities in January and February and that the company has yet to patch the holes, prompting him to compare the Cupertino-based computer maker to Microsoft three years ago, when the world's largest software company was criticized for being slow to respond to weaknesses in its products.
"They didn't know how to deal with security, and I think Apple is in the same situation now," said Ferris, himself a Mac user.
...
"A lot of Mac users are in denial and have blinders on that say, `Nothing is ever going to get to us,' " said Neil Fryer, a computer security consultant who works for an international financial institution in Britain. "I can't say I agree with them."
...
Among the other signs Macs are a growing target:
# The SANS Institute, a computer-security organization in Bethesda, Maryland, added Mac OS X to its 2005 list of the top-20 Internet vulnerabilities. It was the first time the Mac has been included since the experts started compiling the list in 2000.
# This week, SANS updated the list to warn against flaws in Safari, the Mac Web browser, which the group said criminals were able to attack before Apple could fix.
# The number of discovered Mac vulnerabilities has grown in recent years, with 81 found last year, up from 46 in 2004 and 27 in 2003, according to the Open Source Vulnerability Database, which is maintained by a nonprofit group that tracks security vulnerabilities on many different hardware and software platforms..."
Monday, May 01, 2006
Web 2.0 meets the enterprise | CNET News.com:
"Long set up like a gated community, the enterprise software industry is quickly gaining a populist streak.
New ideas in consumer technology are rapidly creeping into the design and marketing of software aimed at corporations. For example, Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs and AJAX are starting to show their potential behind corporate firewalls, analysts said..."
"Long set up like a gated community, the enterprise software industry is quickly gaining a populist streak.
New ideas in consumer technology are rapidly creeping into the design and marketing of software aimed at corporations. For example, Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs and AJAX are starting to show their potential behind corporate firewalls, analysts said..."
eMarketer.com - Online Advertising Revenues Hit a Record High:
" APRIL 25, 2006
The final numbers are in for 2005, and they are good, very good.
Many agencies and leading researchers, eMarketer included, consider the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) numbers to be the benchmarks for Internet advertising. The latest data show that online advertising is doing better than ever.
According to the latest figures from IAB and PwC, total online advertising revenues in the US came to $12.5 billion for 2005, a new annual record and exceeding the 2004 total by 30%.
In the fourth quarter alone online advertising revenues totaled a record $3.6 billion, representing a 34% increase over same period in 2004.
Is the news too good? Is growth like this just froth, a sign of another bubble? IAB and PwC do not think so.
"Interactive Advertising continues to experience tremendous growth as marketers experience its overall effectiveness in building brands and delivering online and offline sales," said Greg Stuart, IAB CEO. "We are confident that this growth trend will continue as more marketers find Interactive to be an imperative and additional platforms including broadband video, gaming, iPTV and others continue to emerge as real opportunities."
"Continued strong growth in online advertising documents that an increasing number of advertisers and marketers see the Internet is an essential brand-building component in their media planning," added Peter Petrusky of PwC. "The Internet delivers the right audience at the right time — a winning combination for all types of marketers. We expect to see continued growth in Internet advertising spend."
Search continued its dominance in 2005, accounting for 41% of all online advertising, up from 39% in 2004.
Not surprisingly, CPM, or charging per impression, was the leading pricing model, accounting for 46% of the total, up from 42% last year.
For the latest on online advertising tactics and techniques, read the eMarketer report, Online Ad Targeting: Engaging the Audience."
" APRIL 25, 2006
The final numbers are in for 2005, and they are good, very good.
Many agencies and leading researchers, eMarketer included, consider the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) numbers to be the benchmarks for Internet advertising. The latest data show that online advertising is doing better than ever.
According to the latest figures from IAB and PwC, total online advertising revenues in the US came to $12.5 billion for 2005, a new annual record and exceeding the 2004 total by 30%.
In the fourth quarter alone online advertising revenues totaled a record $3.6 billion, representing a 34% increase over same period in 2004.
Is the news too good? Is growth like this just froth, a sign of another bubble? IAB and PwC do not think so.
"Interactive Advertising continues to experience tremendous growth as marketers experience its overall effectiveness in building brands and delivering online and offline sales," said Greg Stuart, IAB CEO. "We are confident that this growth trend will continue as more marketers find Interactive to be an imperative and additional platforms including broadband video, gaming, iPTV and others continue to emerge as real opportunities."
"Continued strong growth in online advertising documents that an increasing number of advertisers and marketers see the Internet is an essential brand-building component in their media planning," added Peter Petrusky of PwC. "The Internet delivers the right audience at the right time — a winning combination for all types of marketers. We expect to see continued growth in Internet advertising spend."
Search continued its dominance in 2005, accounting for 41% of all online advertising, up from 39% in 2004.
Not surprisingly, CPM, or charging per impression, was the leading pricing model, accounting for 46% of the total, up from 42% last year.
For the latest on online advertising tactics and techniques, read the eMarketer report, Online Ad Targeting: Engaging the Audience."
eMarketer.com - Blogs Continue to Multiply:
" APRIL 20, 2006
The bloated blogosphere?
It may seem hard to believe, but according to the "State of the Blogosphere" report issued in January by Technorati, there were 26.6 million blogs online.
Now the latest "State of the Blogosphere" report has upped the number to 35.3 million blogs, and Technorati's David Sifry claims that is a mind-blogging 60 times more blogs than existed three short years ago.
Well, almost.
Looking back at Technorati's own numbers, the blogosphere is only about 16 times as large as it was three years ago. But, to be fair, if you go back a few months earlier and compare with August 2003, the blogosphere is now more than seventy times larger than it was then.
Technorati claims over 75,000 new weblogs are created every day, which means that on average, a new weblog is created every second of every day.
According to the latest report, 19.4 million bloggers (55%) are still updating their sites three months after their blogs were created. That's an increase in both absolute and relative terms over January, when only 50.5% or 13.7 million blogs were 'active'. In addition, about 3.9 million bloggers currently update their blogs at least weekly.
As Mr. Sifry writes in his own blog, "In other words, even though there's a reasonable amount of tire-kicking going on, blogging continues to grow as a habitual activity."
That statement is hard to argue with. Whether growth was actually 60 times or 16 times over the last three years, one thing is certain. There are a lot of blogs out there, and tomorrow there will be more.
For more information on blogs, read the eMarketer report, The Business of Blogging."
" APRIL 20, 2006
The bloated blogosphere?
It may seem hard to believe, but according to the "State of the Blogosphere" report issued in January by Technorati, there were 26.6 million blogs online.
Now the latest "State of the Blogosphere" report has upped the number to 35.3 million blogs, and Technorati's David Sifry claims that is a mind-blogging 60 times more blogs than existed three short years ago.
Well, almost.
Looking back at Technorati's own numbers, the blogosphere is only about 16 times as large as it was three years ago. But, to be fair, if you go back a few months earlier and compare with August 2003, the blogosphere is now more than seventy times larger than it was then.
Technorati claims over 75,000 new weblogs are created every day, which means that on average, a new weblog is created every second of every day.
According to the latest report, 19.4 million bloggers (55%) are still updating their sites three months after their blogs were created. That's an increase in both absolute and relative terms over January, when only 50.5% or 13.7 million blogs were 'active'. In addition, about 3.9 million bloggers currently update their blogs at least weekly.
As Mr. Sifry writes in his own blog, "In other words, even though there's a reasonable amount of tire-kicking going on, blogging continues to grow as a habitual activity."
That statement is hard to argue with. Whether growth was actually 60 times or 16 times over the last three years, one thing is certain. There are a lot of blogs out there, and tomorrow there will be more.
For more information on blogs, read the eMarketer report, The Business of Blogging."
eMarketer.com - Online Advertising Still Growing Strong:
"APRIL 19, 2006
Good news! A pair of new reports indicate that online advertising continued to grow in the first quarter of 2006.
According to new Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance tracking data, marketers bought 185 billion display ad impressions in the month of March. That is nearly twice as many as the 97 billion that were bought in March 2005 and 31% more than February's 141 billion.
Confirming this trend, the results of a survey from Deutsche Bank and MediaPost, and conducted by InsightExpress, found that, of the media executives interviewed for the survey, 72% said their clients spent more on Internet advertising in the first quarter — and 41 % of them saw increases of more than 10%. Only 6% reported a spending decline, while 18% saw no change in spending.
The survey showed that online ad prices are rising, too.
A majority of responents to the survey (55%) said that the cost-per-thousand impressions for premium inventory was more in 2006, and 15% reported increases higher than 10%. Half the respondents also said pricing for run-of-network inventory had increased, with 9% reporting price increases of more than 10%.
The unsurprising conclusion? Advertisers are spending more on online ads — and online ads are costing more.
For more information on search marketing, one of the key driving forces behind online advertising growth, read the two new eMarketer reports, Search Marketing: Spending and Tactics and Search Marketing: Players and Problems."
"APRIL 19, 2006
Good news! A pair of new reports indicate that online advertising continued to grow in the first quarter of 2006.
According to new Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance tracking data, marketers bought 185 billion display ad impressions in the month of March. That is nearly twice as many as the 97 billion that were bought in March 2005 and 31% more than February's 141 billion.
Confirming this trend, the results of a survey from Deutsche Bank and MediaPost, and conducted by InsightExpress, found that, of the media executives interviewed for the survey, 72% said their clients spent more on Internet advertising in the first quarter — and 41 % of them saw increases of more than 10%. Only 6% reported a spending decline, while 18% saw no change in spending.
The survey showed that online ad prices are rising, too.
A majority of responents to the survey (55%) said that the cost-per-thousand impressions for premium inventory was more in 2006, and 15% reported increases higher than 10%. Half the respondents also said pricing for run-of-network inventory had increased, with 9% reporting price increases of more than 10%.
The unsurprising conclusion? Advertisers are spending more on online ads — and online ads are costing more.
For more information on search marketing, one of the key driving forces behind online advertising growth, read the two new eMarketer reports, Search Marketing: Spending and Tactics and Search Marketing: Players and Problems."
