May 15, 2008

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: May 15, 2008
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Daily Search Coverage:

Google likes vodka. You can block your robots.txt files. Yahoo Site Explorer buggy? Yahoo redirecting UK users. Bookmark those Ad Words live chat links. ISPs stealing your ads. Google Maps adds more button. More on search engine redirection.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Of Course Google Indexes Content About Vodka & Hard Liquor
  2. Should Google Not Index Robots.txt Files in Search Results?
  3. Yahoo Site Explorer Mishandling HTTPS Vs. HTTP Protocols?
  4. UK Based Yahoo Users Redirected to Yahoo UK
  5. Quick Bookmark URL for Google AdWords Live Chat
  6. ISP to Spy on User Activity to Deliver Targeted Ads

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Google Maps Adds "More" Button For Displaying Videos, Pictures, Wikipedia & More Content
  2. How Search Engine Redirect Users To Country-Specific Sites

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the May 15th, issue of a daily post that will contain links to commentary of the posts over at the Search Engine Roundtable. All links I find throughout the day that ad some commentary to the posts written over at the Search Engine Roundtable, will be in the Daily Link Finds. The purpose is two fold: (1) To help people find discussion around our articles and (2) To thank people for linking to us. How do I find these links? Only one way, via a Google Blog Search link command, so make sure that (1) you are in Google Blog Search and (2) link to us.

Daily Link Finds for May 15th, 2008:

Posted at 4:19 PM in Daily Link Finds , Daily Search Coverage | TrackBacks (0) | Speak

May 15, 2008

Girls Don't Like My Search Videos
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Google announced that YouTube added demographic data to the video stats (aka YouTube Insights). It is really awesome, at least until I looked at one of my search videos and noticed that 90% of my viewers are male and 10% are female.

Come on!

How depressing is that!

Here is the chart:

YouTube Demographic Stats

Very depressing! Well, I assume there is a skew here, but still.

It also shows age groups, here is my break down:

YouTube Demographic Stats

But you can see what ages each gender is by clicking on the pie chart. My 10% of women are between the ages of 25 and 35.

YouTube Demographic Stats

Neat stuff. How about my most popular video?

YouTube Demographic Stats

25% female, with a wide range of ages.

Posted at 11:55 AM in Blogging | TrackBacks (0)

May 15, 2008

IAC's Safka Calls Me Horsesh!@#@
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Typewriter RepairAsk.com: We're Not Dead from Andy at Forbes discusses the recent news that Ask.com Buying Dictionary.com Parent.

In Andy's interview with IAC's Jim Safka, he called my worries about Ask.com's future in search horsesh!@#@. He said that in response to to Danny, Lisa and my thoughts on them cutting staff. Okay, so they bought Dictionary.com - good. Let's see search algorithmic improvements. Let's see a better search index. Show us something outside of UI changes. You can have a nice UI, but without the index to back it, then you are nothing.

And I quote the Forbes:

Safka has a response: "It's horseshit," he told Forbes.com in an interview. "It's categorically not true. We're more committed to our algorithm and engineers than ever."

Give me a break. Show me index improvements. Show me algorithmic improvements. I have been hearing excuses since 2002, let's get serious. Core search, core!

Posted at 10:14 AM in Blogging | TrackBacks (0)

May 14, 2008

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: May 14, 2008
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Daily Search Coverage:

Tired, way too many meetings. Analytics drops data, No Archive debates again. Google goes bird hunting (yea, cloud article). Ad Words display URL and the quality score. Can porn hurt you? Ad Words downtime scheduled. Twittering twitter. Google updates map images and blurs faces.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Google Analytics Has Major Data Processing Issue: Loses 6 Days of E-Commerce Data
  2. In 2008, Is The NoArchive Tag a Red Flag in SEO?
  3. Does Google Index Content in "The Cloud" (Amazon S3, etc)
  4. The Display URL May Impact Your Google AdWords Quality Score
  5. Can Links From Porn Sites Hurt Your Search Rankings?
  6. Google AdWords Dowtime Schedule on May 17th & Minor AdWords Editor Update
  7. Building a Powerful Presence with Twitter

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Google Updates Earth Imagery & Begins To Blur Faces

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the May 14th, issue of a daily post that will contain links to commentary of the posts over at the Search Engine Roundtable. All links I find throughout the day that ad some commentary to the posts written over at the Search Engine Roundtable, will be in the Daily Link Finds. The purpose is two fold: (1) To help people find discussion around our articles and (2) To thank people for linking to us. How do I find these links? Only one way, via a Google Blog Search link command, so make sure that (1) you are in Google Blog Search and (2) link to us.

Daily Link Finds for May 14th, 2008:

Posted at 6:21 PM in Daily Link Finds , Daily Search Coverage | TrackBacks (0) | Speak

May 14, 2008

Typewriter Repair Man: I Met One, Really!
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Typewriter RepairSeriously, I met a real live typewriter repair man just a few minutes ago.

My office neighbor came in with a computer question (yes, I am their free tech support man). So I went in to the adjacent office to help them with the computer issue. As I am playing computer technician, a man walks in. He announces that he is here to repair the typewriter.

I look up and say... Where do you find a typewriter repair man these days? The office people laughed and then one showed them to the typewriter that needed repair. The office is a law office and they use a typewriter to make quick adjustments to faxed over contracts (like they white things out and then use the typewriter over the whiteout).

In any event, I wanted to see if people actually used such services. So my first instinct was to conduct a search at Google on typewriter repair to see if ads come up. And guess what, they do! Heck, a shop in California even owns www.typewriterrepair.org!

My next step was to try to see if people search on the term. I head over to SEOBook's tool and see it returns estimates from various databases, one says 9 searches, one says 11, another says 3 and the last says 1. Overall, about 16 searches per day from the various engines, based on that tool.

But would those in need of typewriter repair use Google to find a repair man or open the Yellow Pages? :-)

Posted at 10:38 AM in Just Interesting | TrackBacks (0)

May 14, 2008

How Do I Spew Out Useless Stuff All The Time?
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randomLast night I was thinking... Wow, how do I come up with about 2 - 4 things per day to write at this blog. In fact, I have written over 1,800 blog posts here since I started the blog on July 20, 2006.

Honestly, I think I write too much here. Heck, I barely even write about search stuff here - I write dozens of articles per day on search at the Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land.

On top of that, I write about the most random stuff here. Yet, I continue to spew this stuff out on a daily basis, with virtually no "bloggers-block." Lucky, I guess. Not so lucky for you, who subscribe and read it. ;-)

Maybe this is a good time to share my top pieces of content on this blog since January 1st:

  1. Macbook Air Song By Israeli Yael Naim
  2. Comcast Plays Porn Instead of Cartoon on Disney Channel
  3. Google Sucks! Google Maps Got Me Arrested!
  4. Shaky iPhone Home Screen Icons
  5. Need Advice on iPhone & Verizon
  6. Practice Parking Your Car Online
  7. The Truth Behind my iPhone Popcorn & Goldfish
  8. MacBook Pro Keyboard Issues
  9. America's Most Drunk Cities
  10. How To Make Your Own iPhone WebClip Bookmark Icons

Here is to another two years of spewing out this stuff here. :)

Posted at 9:42 AM in Blogging | TrackBacks (0)

May 13, 2008

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: May 13, 2008
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Daily Search Coverage:

Google mass emails publishers. Google Maps makes some changes. Yahoo adds geo data to ads. SEOs fear competitors. Google does friend connect. Google News has videos. Matt Cutts depends SEO. Delicious gets more tasty on IE.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Google Has More Mass Email Problems With AdSense
  2. Google Moves "Saved Locations" Feature in Google Maps
  3. Yahoo Now Showing Geo-Location Under Search Ads
  4. Most SEOs Believe Competitors Can Hurt Your Google Rankings
  5. Google Goes Social With Friend Connect
  6. Google Adds Video to the News Mix
  7. Matt Cutts Discusses Google's Knowledge of Spam

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. del.icio.us Extension For Internet Explorer Adds Firefox Features
  2. Yahoo Displaying Geo Criteria Of Search Ads

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the May 13th, issue of a daily post that will contain links to commentary of the posts over at the Search Engine Roundtable. All links I find throughout the day that ad some commentary to the posts written over at the Search Engine Roundtable, will be in the Daily Link Finds. The purpose is two fold: (1) To help people find discussion around our articles and (2) To thank people for linking to us. How do I find these links? Only one way, via a Google Blog Search link command, so make sure that (1) you are in Google Blog Search and (2) link to us.

Daily Link Finds for May 13th, 2008:

Posted at 5:32 PM in Daily Link Finds , Daily Search Coverage | TrackBacks (0) | Speak

May 13, 2008

Teach A Man To Fish? How About Home Repair!
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FishMy dad taught me how to fish, cause - every man should know how to fish, no?

How about stuff like simple electric work? How about laying tile? How about putting up dry wall? Painting, etc?

I wish I knew the proper way to do electric work. I would love to install a few more electrical outlets in my basement but I rather not bring in an electrician to do the work. I mean, it is a small job and why call someone in to simple install an outlet?

Yea, I know the "Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" applies to a lot of things, such as electrical work. At least, I can pay an electrician - thankfully.

But honestly, I may read up on doing electrical work myself. I bet my wife would love that. ;-)

Posted at 3:01 PM in Homey | TrackBacks (0)

May 12, 2008

My Screen Virtually Cracks: MacBook Pro & Cinema Display Issues or Graphics Card
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Every now and then, but typically daily, my monitor looks like it is going to break in half. It only happens when I have my laptop hooked up to my Apple Cinema Display. But I don't think it is a hardware issue. I am convinced it is a graphics card issue, associated with a software OS update.

When I use programs and they overlap, and my computer runs slow. Sometimes the windows skid on each other causing parts of the screen to look like they are tearing apart, or sometimes even a white TV screen fuzz look. Here is a picture of the weirdness:

Weird Graphics Issue on MacBook Pro

Honestly, it doesn't bother me that much. It goes away as soon as I move another window on top of it.

Posted at 3:34 PM in Apple Macs | TrackBacks (0)

May 12, 2008

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: May 12, 2008
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Daily Search Coverage:

My latest video is up. Happy Mother's Day. YPN a flop? New parameter in Google discovered? Google AdSense no-nos. Yahoo drops ambassador program. AdSense phone verification not working in the UK. Network linking, should you do it? Yahoo mixing up Google as malware. Vote on the Doodle 4 Google.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Video Recap of Weekly Search Buzz :: May 11, 2008
  2. Mother's Day '08 from Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, Ask.com & Search Industry
  3. Almost Three Years Later, Yahoo Publisher Network Still Failing To Compete Globally
  4. HS Parameter in Google Search Results When Using Firefox
  5. Google AdSense No-Nos
  6. Yahoo Drops Search Marketing Ambassador Program
  7. UK Users Report Google AdSense Phone Verification Not Working
  8. Is Network-Linking Frowned Upon?

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Yahoo Labels Google As Malware? No, Yahoo URL Mix Up
  2. Cast Your Vote For Doodle 4 Google Contestants
  3. Yahoo Search Ambassador Program Closing

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the May 12th, issue of a daily post that will contain links to commentary of the posts over at the Search Engine Roundtable. All links I find throughout the day that ad some commentary to the posts written over at the Search Engine Roundtable, will be in the Daily Link Finds. The purpose is two fold: (1) To help people find discussion around our articles and (2) To thank people for linking to us. How do I find these links? Only one way, via a Google Blog Search link command, so make sure that (1) you are in Google Blog Search and (2) link to us.

Daily Link Finds for May 12th, 2008:

Posted at 2:40 PM in Daily Link Finds , Daily Search Coverage | TrackBacks (0) | Speak