Badges and seals seem to be the big thing again. I was wondering if you guys forgot that I offer Search Engine Roundtable Seals? I have not received a request in a really long time, maybe a month or so, for a seal. So here is a reminder...

Sad, but true... I forgot about them also and they are my seals. I added one to my blog, on the right. Looks pretty good, if you ask me. ;-)

• Author Seal - for all recognized and active authors at the Search Engine Roundtable Blog.
• Super Moderator Seal - for all recognized and active super moderators at the Search Engine Roundtable Forums.
• Moderator Seal - for all recognized and active moderators at the Search Engine Roundtable Forums.
• Member Seal - for all recognized and active members at the Search Engine Roundtable Forums.
• Contributor Seal - for all individuals that have submitted ten or more threads to the Search Engine Roundtable blog authors.
• Fan Seal - for any recognized fan of the Search Engine Roundtable. You can email me at the email address below to become a "verified" fan or just take the logo from this page. Any reader or forum lurker can be a fan, there are no requirements. :)

The seals looks like:



But a verified live seal looks like:

Comment below with a request or submit the request at our forums. Please make sure to specify the type of logo you would like and the name you would like to be present in the verification page.

Posted at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (2) (0)

I was looking for something not so computer related to write about and up came Jazz on my iTunes. I quickly clicked the forward button. In fact, I have a filter on my iTunes playlists that does its best to remove any Jazz song from my list.

I honestly do not know what I hate so much about Jazz. But whenever I hear it, it makes me want to pull out my hair. Really, no idea why.

I like most music styles, with a strong preference towards Classic Rock - I even like Funk, but not Jazz.

That doesn't mean I don't respect Jazz. I respect Jazz musicians, I even feel the Jazz culture is incredibly cool. But there is something about the music that makes me feel - ahhchhhh.

Posted at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Category: Music | Comments (3) (0)

I love Wall Street.

As Danny reports; Google Reports Revenues Up 19 Percent From Previous Quarter.

Revenues - Google reported revenues of $3.21 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2006, representing a 67% increase over fourth quarter 2005 revenues of $1.92 billion and a 19% increase over third quarter 2006 revenues of $2.69 billion. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs, or TAC. Net Income - GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2006 was $1.03 billion as compared to $733 million in the third quarter. Non-GAAP net income was $997 million in the fourth quarter, compared to $812 million in the third quarter. GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $3.29 on 313 million diluted shares outstanding, compared to $2.36 for the third quarter, on 311 million diluted shares outstanding. Non-GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $3.18, compared to $2.62 in the third quarter.

But stock falls 3% in After Hours trading to $484.83.

Via Yahoo News:

Google shares fell more than 3 percent to $484.83 after the company reported total revenue growth that was largely in line with Wall Street expectations, despite some investor hopes of an upside surprise.

The stock seems to be bobbing up and down right now. Track it at Google.

Posted at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting | Comments (0) (0)

This is the seventh 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 January 31, 2007:

• Yahoo Says Overture Keyword Tool Not Gone, Search Engine Journal
• Siktar mot månen, mymarkup.net
• Hot Career Prospects in SEO and SEM, Fired Blog
• Ask.com: Smart PR & Smart Feeds, Slaw
• Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - Meta-Google, KB Cafe
• Speed Linking Frowned Upon, Internet Marketing
• Овертюра в оффлайне?, SEO-PPC-FAQ
• Mais sobre palavra-chaves do Yahoo e Word Tracker, Marketing de Busca
• MSN Live Penalizing Back-Linking, The Search Engine Blog
• Wordtracker launches free keyword suggestion tool, Wordtracker.com
• Yahoo To Build New Keyword Research Tool & Wordtracker Launches Free Tool, Search Engine Land
• Wordtracker - ¡Versión Gratuita!, Internet Marketing MX
• New Yahoo PPC Keyword Tool In Pipeline While Wordtracker Offer Free Version, PPC Blog
• Andrew R H Girdwood: Success?, ARHG.net
• SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 31, 2007, Search Engine Land

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 31, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (0) (0)

As the day went on, it didn't seem like a busy day, but looking back at things, wow - did a lot take place! Here is what I wrote today.

I wrote a longer piece on PageRank, which I hope people take time to read. I reported that Yahoo! is working on a new keyword tool, Overture tool is dying and Wordtracker released a free version. YPN started showing completely unique ads on the same page. Google Local gets bolder with reviews and a larger presence in the search results. Site Explorer added some nice features. Yahoo! said the no yahoo directory tag is coming soon, again. Gmail supports Google Docs and Spreadsheets, include Microsoft Word and Excel. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! asked the US government for some help with international censorship. Gmail locked out some greasemonkey users and accidently deleted Gmail contacts. Yahoo is going to build a "brand universe". Google is not allowed to use the name Gmail in Europe. Keyword counts and SEO really don't play a huge part. I released the archive for the 17th edition of the Search Pulse.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Why Do Some SEOs Want Toolbar PageRank To Go Away?
2. New Free Yahoo! Keyword Tool Coming; Overture Keyword Tool Suffering; & Other Tools
3. Yahoo! Publisher Network Seems To Be Showing Completely Unique Ads
4. Google Local Results in Google.com Get Larger & Opinionated
5. Yahoo! Site Explorer Adds New Features: Change Your Yahoo! Password
6. Yahoo! Still Working on No Yahoo Directory Title Tag
7. Google Docs & Spreadsheets in Gmail Supports Microsoft Word & Excel
8. Search Pulse 17: Googlebombs, Yahoo Titles, YouTube Rev Share, Panama Monday, SEO, AdSense, PageRank, Groups & More

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Google, Microsoft, & Yahoo Ask For Help With International Censorship
2. Yahoo To Build New Keyword Research Tool & Wordtracker Launches Free Tool
3. Gmail Locks Out User For Using Greasemonkey & Reports Of Gmail Contacts Disappearing
4. Yahoo To Build "Brand Universe" To Connect Entertainment Brands
5. Google Can't Use "Gmail" Name In Europe
6. How Many Words Should My Articles Be To Rank Well?

Posted at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

Monday, I told you who I ping via the Search Engine Roundtable, when I update my blog entries. Today, I figured I share a bit more, by telling you which FeedFlares I opt to use via FeedBurner on my feeds.

First, was is FeedBurner? FeedBurner is the company I use to manage the RSS feeds for the Search Engine Roundtable. They not only do they provide the rss feeds and host them, they provide detailed stats on the feeds, they manage my RSS ads (and pay well) and they give me the ability to add FeedFlares easily.

What are FeedFlares? FeedFlares is FeedBurner's name for the ability to add links to 3rd party tools that help build communication and interactivity into your content. For example, I have a del.icio.us link on my blog entries at the Search Engine Roundtable. del.icio.us is basically a online bookmarking service. New entries automatically have this link, via a FeedFlare, that enable my readers to easily, with one click, bookmark the blog entries I write.

You see, above is a picture of the del.icio.us feedflare on my site. If you click on the "Save to del.icio.us" link, it will automatically fill in the blog entry's URL, description (uses the title) and then lets you enter in tags and notes, if you like. After you save the bookmark at del.icio.us, it then takes you back to the blog entry. It speeds things up for my readers and also shows you blog entries that have been tagged, as you can see from the image directly below the top one.

So which FeedFlares do I use?

On my feeds, I use:

• Email this
• Digg This!
• Add to Technorati Favorites!
• Advertise Here
• Save to del.icio.us
• Stumble It! - Danny just created the StumbleUpon FeedFlare

On my site, I use the follow FeedFlares (yes, FeedBurner allows you to add it to both your feed and your site):

• Email this
• Digg This!
• Subscribe to this feed
• Save to del.icio.us
• Stumble It!

FeedBurner really rocks!

Posted at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (3) (0)

For a while I have been using the Apple Mighty Mouse, but it was working against me. After a few months of use, I had to constantly (several times a day) clean the little scroll ball, because it got dirty and would scroll. So I gave up on the cool looking, simplistic mouse for a more functional and sturdy one.

I bought the Logitech VX Revolution and after owning it for a couple months, I can say, I love it. Of course, like any new mouse, it took a couple weeks to get used to. But the features and durability rocks.

I am able to configure the dozens of buttons on this mouse on a per application basis. I actually just set them all to do the same thing for all applications. My most favorite features outside of the scroll wheel working are:

• Side buttons that allow me to use it to go forward or back in my browser - huge time saver
• Find button that I programmed to bring up dashboard
• Pressing the scroll wheel, does Expose on my Mac
• Left and right scrolling is neat in Photoshop
• Zoom buttons are nice
• Wireless is nice, no cords to trip over

Posted at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Category: Apple Macs , Computers | Comments (5) (0)

This is the sixth 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 January 30, 2007:

• SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 29, 2007, Search Engine Land
• "Google TV Beta" a Fake, Business 2.0
• Why This PR Is Doing A Shadow Dance?, CommonSense with Markk
• Is The Overture Keyword Suggestion Tool Dead?, Internet Marketing Blog/a>
• No More Link Love From Wikipedia, CREN BLoG
• 5 Minute SEO for Your Blog, SoloSEO Blog

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 29, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (0) (0)

Today I covered that Yahoo! updated their site explorers tool with badges and URL delete. AdWords may add a more detailed budget analysis report. Microsoft adCenter has been caught sending more traffic. Danny spent some time in Google's Kirkland office. Orkut is testing SMS for Brazilian users. Google updated their local results on Google Search. Google Docs & Spreadsheets are now in Gmail. Google released a new Google Mino. Elite Retreat and Search Summit seminars are coming up soon.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Google To Provide AdWords Customers With More Detailed Budget Analysis?
2. Yahoo! Site Explorer Wants You To Show Off Your Links With Badges
3. Elite Retreat Gets Kawasaki & Search Summit Sydney
4. Microsoft adCenter Beta Driving More Traffic?

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Where In The World Is Danny Sullivan? Google Kirkland
2. Google Releases New Google Enterprise Search Application
3. Google To Test SMS Feature In Orkut Brazil
4. Google Adds Local Reviews In Search Results
5. Yahoo Adds Link Badge In Site Explorer
6. Google Officially Adds Docs & Spreadsheets Integration With Gmail
7. Yahoo Site Explorer Adds Features: Delete URL From Index

Posted at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

I thought I was a geek by proposing via Ask Jeeves, but this guy totally geeked me out!

On a Mac, if you press the F12 key, it opens up Dashboard. He somehow got onto his girlfriend's Mac, and customized the dashboard to look like this:

I guess this is a similar concept. I sat my wife down, asked her to search her name on Ask.com, and up came a Smart Answer. Here, he asked his girlfriend to press F12 and up came a widget.

Nice touch man!

Posted at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting | Comments (0) (0)

My brother, Ronnie, has completed his detailed review of Xavix. Xavix is a game console, like the Wii, but focuses on real exercise.

The main difference, outside of the exercise aspect, is that the games themselves come with the controllers. So, with the Wii, you get this game controller that you can use with all the games. The Xavix doesn't come with a game controller. For example, if you buy Tennis, it comes with two Tennis rackets. Baseball comes with a bat and ball. Etc...

Ronnie, reviewed the various products and accessories, plus uploaded videos and screen captures. His conclusion?

If you are looking for something to get you off your couch and don't want to hang your clothes on it to dry, I recommend the Xavix. If you are looking for more exciting games with better graphics, try the Wii. It is worth noting that the Xavix does have other games including Baseball, Bowling, Fishing, Golf and a Scale. For more information on these, please see http://www.xavix.com/ and http://www.xavixstore.com/

Check out the full review named Stay in Shape the Techie Way.

Posted at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers | Comments (0) (0)

The folks over at Play65.com (not sure if I can or should mention names) sent me a sweet backgammon set while I was away on my honeymoon. When I got back, it was waiting for me in my office. I used to play backgammon a lot when I spent a school year in Israel - I think Israeli's like the game. In any event, I printed out the game rules and I hope to play with my wife this weekend. I used to love this game. Here are pictures:

Thank you guys!

Posted at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Category: Buddies , SEO Tips , Travels | Comments (2) (0)

Most blog software automatically supports methods of pinging different blog services. Pinging, in the blog world, means to send a blog search engine a notification that your blog has been updated. It is like when you ping a server, to make sure it is live. Here you are pinging a search engine or other service, to let them know of something new - a new blog entry.

So which services do I currently ping at my various blogs?

• blo.gs
• weblogs.com
• technorati.com
• http://api.moreover.com/RPC2
• http://ping.feedburner.com
• http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2
• http://rpc.pingomatic.com/
• http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2

Plus, all my blogs are pinging Movable Type's software.

Posted at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

This is the fifth 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 January 29, 2007:

• Google TV Hoax - No DNS Information Found, Techmeme
• China, Premium Ads, Panama, and Miserable Failures (A Round Up), John Battelle's Searchblog
• 200+ U-Turns, blog.rightreading.com
• How To Use Pagerank Prediction Effectively, Sizlopedia
• Dave Pasternack of Did-it.com How to Fix Your Problem, Wolf Howl
• Why YouTube Revenue Sharing May Work, rogerd’s notebook
• Апдейт PageRank?, SEO-PPC-FAQ
• Mobile Search, its future and how to optimize it, Joe Whyte
• Google Site Command Shows Sub-Domains, Darren McLaughlin
• Buzz TV: Buzz TV - 01/29/07, Technorati
• A Visit to Google Kirkland, SEOmoz Blog
• PageRank update, some PR6’s added, Joost de Valk

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 29, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (2) (0)

The weekend was filled with a Google TV hoax and discussion of a Second Life by Google. YouTube is to share revenue with users, is this the beginning of tons video spam? Tax season is here, H & R block AdSense ads. There are Live.com page submission tool bugs. Overture's keyword suggestion tool is buggy also. Aaron Wall discusses how to get Google SEO clients. Brin calls Google China's efforts a "net negative." And the Google AdWords professional seal is not verifying all the time.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Google AdWords Professional Verification Seal Not Verifying
2. YouTube to Share Ad Revenue with Users - "Spideos" Here We Come?
3. Tax Season Is Here: Google AdSense Ads H&R Block Ads
4. Google TV Hoax - No DNS Information Found
5. Continued Reports of Live.com Page Submission Tool Problems
6. Overture Keyword Suggestion Tool Offline?

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Google To Build Second Life Metaverse On Google Earth In China?
2. Trust In How To Get Good SEO Clients
3. Google's Brin Calls China Censorship A "Net Negative"
4. Google TV Rumors Not Legit

Posted at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

Aaron Krane emailed me notifying me that my post named Google TV Hoax - No DNS Information Found at the Search Engine Roundtable was featured on Technorati's Buzz TV. The video post can be found here, but I have embedded the video for you right here.

Click To Play

Posted at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

I hate getting voicemails on my cell phone, more than I hate getting voicemails on my business line. With my office, I have a web based console that allows me to listen to my voicemails via Web site or via email - in addition to over the phone.

CallWave has a service that allows you to add that type of service to your cell phone's voicemail. It basically overrides your current voicemail service from your provider and hosts in at CallWave. But the service allows me to manage my cell phone voicemails via the Web or a Mac Widget (or Yahoo! Widget) (download widget here).

You can listen, delete or undelete your voicemails via the widget, web site, or via your cell phone.

Again, this completely overrides your service provider's voicemail service. You can switch back at any time.

I am using the free service, you can also, just go here. The paid service adds a few features at $10 per month, features, I personally do not need. In addition, you do not get a voicemail indicator on the phone, instead you can opt for a text message that gives you a wealth of information on the voicemail.

For example, yesterday, I was out of range, I received a voicemail, but I didn't know from who, because the call never reached me. The text message would have said, I received a call from ABC at this time and the voicemail is X long.

I am giving it a try and so far, so good. I'll let you know if I ever switch back.

Posted at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Category: Computers | Comments (0) (0)

When I read, USA Today's Verizon rejected Apple iPhone deal, I was begging the article was not true. I so want the iPhone, but I would not switch to it, unless two conditions be met.

(1) It runs on the Verizon Wireless network
and
(2) It has the high speed broadband network

Right now Cingular is the exclusive wireless provider for Apple's iPhone. Plus, it won't support the EVDO network.

But when I read that Verizon turned down Apple, "almost two years ago", because Apple "wanted a percentage of the monthly cellphone fees, say over how and where iPhones could be sold and control of the relationship with iPhone customers." It made me sad.

I honestly, would jump at this phone if it was on Verizon and used the high speed network. But I guess now I will have to wait probably two years to get it. Which is probably good anyway. Right now, I am very happy with my Treo, it does everything I need.

But as a Mac guy, this phone fits perfectly with my applications and style. It does not currently fit with my need for speed and wireless provider.

Why Verizon, it works best in my area here - plus it is solid where ever I travel. I am loyal.

Posted at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Category: Apple Macs , Computers , iPhone | Comments (0) (0)

Being a kosher person, I found this video very interesting. It is a 9 minute video from Hogan Knows Best, Hulk Hogan's reality show...

They move to a Jewish neighborhood in Miami, Florida and want to have the neighbors over...

Posted at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Category: Religion | Comments (0) (0)

As of yesterday, some time, a search at Ask.com on barry schwartz returns an RSS Smart Answer. What is an RSS Smart answer

Now, when you conduct a web search for many of your favorite blogs, RSS feeds, or news sites, it's likely that at the top of the web results list, you'll find the last three posts from that site’s feed. New items appear very quickly after the publisher hits the publish key. Of course, you'll also find a direct link to the blog or news source to see the entire post.

When Ask.com first introduced it, I was lucky that they included the Search Engine Roundtable in the RSS Smart Answers. But now, I am even luckier that my name returns the Smart Answer.

Just kinda hoping they add next to "Other Matches: Search Engine Land" also this blog. Hint, Hint....

Thank you Ask.com, The Smart Answers Team and I suspect Gary Price.

Posted at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

This is the fourth 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 January 26, 2007:

• AdSense Gains Ad Placement Other Features, Web Pro News
• Google Updating PageRank Again; Yay for Us!, Marketing Pilgrim
• SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 25, 2007, Search Engine Land
• Google Algorithm Defuses Bomb?, SearchAnyway
• Yet Another Pagerank Update - Normalized Differently?, Caydel
• Custom Placement Packs - Besting Adwords (and Adsense), KB Cafe
• Google desactiva las Google Bombs, Internet Marketing MX
• Panama Postscripts, Searching Beyond the Paid
• Google blows up Google Bombs, The eMarketing Blog
• AdSense Gains Ad Placement, Other Features, Revenue Source
• SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 26, 2007, Search Engine Land

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 26, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (0) (0)

Talk of the day was about Google defusing Googlebombs. I gave some advice to Yahoo! on search marketing and the publisher network programs. Google is offering "custom placement packs" to many AdSense publishers. There are reports of PageRank updates. YouTube is now on Google Video Search. AdWords has an editor for Mac. Microsoft lowered they expectations. Dan Cohen of Yahoo is CEO of Pageflakes. Google tops the popular brand list. Google Book Search sports Google Maps. Intel won back Google's business.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Google Bombs Defused? Google Updates Link Analysis Algorithm
2. Open Advice to Yahoo! Regarding New Search Marketing Tool, Panama
3. Google Offering "Custom Placement Packs" AdSense Publishers
4. Yahoo! Publisher Network Advice to Yahoo!
5. More PageRank Changes at Google?
6. YouTube Videos Now in Google Video Search
7. Google AdWords Editor For Apple Mac

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Microsoft Lowers Search Growth Expectations
2. Dan Cohen, Ex-Yahoo Lead, New CEO of Pageflakes
3. Google, YouTube, & Wikipedia All On Top 2006 Brand List
4. Google Book Search & Google Maps Team Up
5. Intel Wins Back Google's Server Business

Posted at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

When I arrived in Israel for my honeymoon I noticed the LCD screen on the camera was press in, and broken. The camera itself worked, but I couldn't use any menus or advanced features, nor preview images after they were taken - due to the LCD not functioning anymore.

I was about to buy the newer model of my camera, I have the SD 500, the SD 600 is pretty good. But my brother informed me that it might be under warranty. He offered to fill out the online repair request form for me and when I got back from Israel, I mailed the camera with the form to Canon.

Five days later, it showed up in their online repair tracking system and then a day later, they fixed it, and shipped it to me via FedEx two day.

During the process, they informed me that the repair was free, since I was under warranty. I would never have imagined. I some how accidently smashed the LCD screen, so that is broke. I would never of thought that it would not cost me anything. Heck, I broke it. But I am not complaining, they fixed it and charged me nothing, even though I told them it was my fault.

Here is the official "examination" report:

Impact/pressure damage. LCD screen cracked. Check all functions. Repair to good working order.

Here is the official "service details" on the report:

Replaced panel, LCD, checked all functions and cleaned. CXB19I68

The bottom, fine print, said this repair was not under warranty, but they did it as a courtesy. That is nice.

Thank you Canon. Maybe they knew it was my honeymoon? :-)

Posted at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Category: Computers | Comments (4) (0)

You know you have poorly designed your blog categories when the author of the blog entries can not easily find content they have written in the past, using the categories the blog author set up. That is me. With the Search Engine Roundtable, I normally find things through my categories fairly quickly. At this blog, I am lost!

I guess some blogs need to rethink their categories after a while. I did this way back with the Search Engine Roundtable, where I planned out new categories and then implemented it. Yes, it was a ton of work, but in the long run, it paid off big time. I just need to find a Sunday to do the same for this blog, hopefully soon.

The current categories for this blog are:

• Buddies
• Computers
  • Apple Macs
• Daily Grind
• Daily Link Finds
• Daily Search Coverage
• Family
• Homey
• Just Funny
• Just Interesting
• Just Weird
• Motor Vehicle
• Music
• Polls
• Rambling
• Religion
• RustyBrick
• SEO Tips
• Shopping
• Sports
• Travels
• Web Development

The next post you see on this topic will contain a list of revised categories. I will make sure to document the process I use to revise my category list, maybe it will help or possibly hurt someone.

Posted at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Category: Rambling | Comments (0) (0)

I walk outside this morning about 6am and I get in my car, turn it on and bam - it read 6 degrees Fahrenheit. As I drove to work, a bit later, it dropped down to 5 degrees. Brrrr.

Right now at 10 AM (EST) it is 10 degrees:

But honestly, I cannot complain, it has been like Fall most of the winter.

Posted at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Category: Rambling , Weather | Comments (0) (0)

This is the third 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 January 25, 2007:

• My Search Marketing Custom Search Engine, Tech Mentat
• SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 24, 2007, Search Engine Land
• SEO Godmother of Search Race Between Jill and Kim, Cre8pc
• Google Webmaster tools y sitemaps, A Big Door
• Yahoo Improves Ads? What Am I Missing?, Brand Alchemy
• Google AdSense Tests New Features: My Publishers, Ad Placement & Message Inbox, Search Engine Land
• How to Never have a Google Ranked Site, thetapestry.org
• Google RSS Snippets Misfiring, Faithful Web
• My List of Search Marketing Blogs, Karl Ribas.com Blog
• Neues bei Google AdSense, Internet Marketing News.de
• Mixed Reactions to Updated Google Image Search, Internet Marketing Monitor

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 25, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (0) (0)

We can call today, Google AdSense day, because they released three new features; ad placement, message inbox and my publishers section. I wrote about search engine friendly titles. SES London is coming soon. A new blog search Google custom search engine is out. Fox subpoenaed YouTube over 24 and Simpsons. Google Video now has YouTube results. Google launched a test and bug blog. I looked at a scenario where Google would have video ads on the search pages. That was January 25th.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Google AdSense Adds Channels By Advertiser: Ad Placement
2. Google Tests AdSense Message Inbox & Personalized AdSense Optimization Tips
3. Writing Search Engine Friendly Titles
4. Vote For The Godmother of Search
5. SES London 2007 Coming Soon
6. "My Publishers" Tab Found in Some Google AdSense Accounts

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Speculation: The Google Search Results Page With Google Video Ads
2. Search Search Marketing Blogs With A Google CSE
3. Fox Subpoenas Google's YouTube For Identity Of User Who Uploaded "24" Video
4. Google To Share Bugs & Bombs At Google Testing Blog
5. Google Video Search Now Includes YouTube Results
6. Google AdSense Tests New Features: My Publishers, Ad Placement & Message Inbox

Posted at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

Talking about a die hard Chicago Bears fan. Woman offers pregnant belly as ad space for Super Bowl tickets tells the story of a devoted Chicago Bears fan that wants tickets so bad to the Super Bowl that she is willing to sell her pregnant belly's ad space to get a pair of tickets.

Jennifer Gordon "self-professed "die hard" Chicago Bears fan is offering up her nearly nine-months pregnant belly space for advertisers to paint. She'll showcase it at the Feb. 4 Super Bowl, when the Bears play the Indianapolis Colts in Miami."

Her Craigslist ad reads:

I will agree to have your message painted on my belly visible to Super Bowl attendees and the millions of fans around the world who watch

This kid better be a sports fan, if not, he/she will have a sad life. I think the idea is cool - but I doubt my wife would ever do that. ;-)

Posted at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Funny , Sports | Comments (1) (0)

Today was the first day I spotted a Google AdSense Flash ad on Cartoon Barry. I noticed a little X box at the top right, when I moused over it, it said "close". So I decided to document the whole process.

The H&R Block TaxCut Google AdSense Flash Ad During Animation:

The H&R Block TaxCut Google AdSense Flash Ad After Animation:

Mousing Over the X Box on the Top Right of the Google Ad:

Clicking Close Actually Made the Ad Disappear:

It came back after I refreshed a few times, but I honestly thought it wouldn't close out the ad, I thought it would take me to the AdSense Feedback Form, I guess I was wrong.

Posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

Every morning, when I get into the office, I pretty much open the same four tabs in my browser. I use Apple's Safari as my browser, and I thought I share with other Safari users, how to speed up their daily web usage grind.

I personally open up my blog admin for SER and SEL, my forum and a RB backend application. But for my example, I am going to show you how to open up Ask.com, Google, Yahoo!, and Live.com in a jiffy using Safari. Honestly, this tutorial is for my Dad, because he asked me how to do this. :)

Step One: Create a new bookmark folder on your toolbar by clicking on the book icon or by selecting "Bookmarks" "Show All Bookmarks." Once you are on that screen, there should be two plus sign icons at the bottom of the browser, click on the one on the right side. It will then give you a new folder, it looks like this.

Step Two: Name your bookmark folder, I like to use symbols for those types of folders, I used ☼ (thanks Fox). You should now see the bookmark in your toolbar, directly under the URL bar.

Step Three: Navigate to the URLs you want to bookmark and drag them by the favorite icon (or the blue globe) into the bookmark folder OR you can click on "Bookmarks" and select "Add Bookmark" and place the URL within that folder. I did this for Ask.com, Google, Yahoo! and Live.com. It looks like this:

Step Four: You are done, now right click (no right button, alt key plus mouse click) and you will see "Open in Tabs." Click on that, and presto, all your bookmarked pages will open in tabs. Repeat only Step Four every morning or whenever you need those tabs, and you saved about a minute or two of repetitive processes each day.

It looks like this in my example:

Hope this helps some folks.

Posted at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Daily Grind | Comments (4) (0)

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted a good deal I found. I spotted a great deal, FREE, on a Kingston 512MB USB drive at buy.com. It cost $27, no shipping, but you get a $27 rebate back and it is free.

You know what they say, you can never have enough of these USB drive (well, I don't say it. So pick up your free when you can. :)

Posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0) (0)

This is the second 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 January 24, 2007:

• Actualités du référencement en vrac, Veille référencement
• Sitepoint Kicking Butt in rustybrick’s new search, Peter T Davis
• SearchCap: The Day In Search, Jan. 23, 2007, Search Engine Land
• Clinical Cases and Images - Blog: Map directions: Make 200 U-turns to get to New Jersey
• Searching for Parrot: Bad Monty Python Impression Waiting to Happen, Traffick
• Does Google See Sub Domains as Part of Main, Web Pro News
• Google AdWords Quality Score Impacting AdSense Ads, Search Engine Journal
• Search SEO & SEM Forums With Google Custom Search Engine, Search Engine Land
• Yahoo Fixes Lower Case Titles Bug In Search Results, Search Engine Land
• A Design Change For Google Images, Search Engine Land
• Yahoo Search Marketing To Launch New Ranking Model February 5th, Search Engine Land
• Google Rips-off Micrsofts Live Search, Marketing Shift
• Make your web site mobile friendly, Paul Allen

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 23, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (0) (0)

Yahoo! announced the "early" release of the Panama ranking model for February 5th. That helped Yahoo!'s stock price climb, even though their 4th quarter financial results were not too positive. Yahoo! also fixed a bug with the titles showing in the search results. Google also fixed a bug with their AdWords sorting feature. Google Images and Groups have new looks, also we looked at Google New Image optimization. The quality score does affect AdSense ads, even site targeted ads. Baidu was accepted to produce content in China. Norway is going to inspect Google's privacy matters, when it comes to search history. Large Google Checkout icons were found on AdWords ads. Finally, I published the 16th edition of the Search Pulse.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Ready Or Not, Here Comes Panama: New Yahoo Sponsored Listings Ranking Model Coming Feb. 5th
2. Yahoo! Fixes Titles in Search Results Sourced From Internal Anchor Text
3. Getting Images Ranked in Google News
4. Google Images Undergoes Redesign
5. Google AdWords Sorting Bug Now Fixed
6. Google's Quality Score To Impact Ads on Content Network (AdSense)
7. Google Groups Launches New Design
8. Search Pulse 16: Wikipedia Nofollows SEOs, Google Follows Wikipedia, Yahoo! Search Update, SEO Titles, Google Site Command, Google Germany, 301s vs. 302s & More

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Yahoo Search Marketing To Launch New Ranking Model February 5th
2. Yahoo Announces 4th Quarter Financial Results: Stock Up In Pre Market
3. Google Groups Beta Design Comes Out Of Beta
4. A Design Change For Google Images
5. Yahoo Fixes Lower Case Titles Bug In Search Results
6. Baidu Earns License To Produce News Content In China
7. Search SEO & SEM Forums With Google Custom Search Engine
8. Norwegian Data Inspectorate To Investigate Privacy Issues With Google
9. Google Checkout Testing Large Buttons On AdWords

Posted at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage , Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

My brother, Ronnie, sent me an invite to Geni, a site that is basically a linkedin concept, but for family. The site is very cool and a lot of fun. It works where you (1) build out your own profile and (2) build your family tree.

What is it in short?

Geni is a website that allows families to collaboratively build their family tree. Family members can then use the tree to learn more about each other, share knowledge about common ancestors and relatives, and stay in touch with each other.

(1) Your own profile is information about you such as, where you work, how tall you are, your education, methods to contact you and your interests.

(2) Your family tree is where it gets cool...

It builds out this Web 2.0 enabled (Flash tools) family tree, where you can keep adding branches too. For example, look at this screen shot...

Here you see a picture of me, and you see I clicked on the left arrow. That opens up a branch for me to add a brother, sister or wife. So I went ahead and invited my wife, who is now on my right (but you don't see that). My brother invited my other siblings, so I didn't have to invite them. Above me you see my dad on the top left and my mom (I blurred her out) on the top right. My dad can then add his brothers and sisters, plus branch up to his parents (if he wanted to plot that information).

The cool part is that if my wife branches out, her family tree can then grow and I can see it. This grows virally and what is best, it up keeps itself, by user participation. So far, I think it rocks.

There is a complete FAQ over here and you can check out their blog here.

Posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Category: Family | Comments (3) (0)

I received a comment spam like I do every now and then, but this one was weird...

It actually had the attribute, nofollow, appended to the link.

Here is the exact comment added to Google Personalized Home Page Adds Expand & Collapse Per Post:

Very nice. <a href="http://www.aesistech.com" rel="nofollow">Aesis</a>

That is the first time I have seen that...

More details on what is the nofollow attribute here.

Posted at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird , SEO Tips | Comments (2) (0)

This is the first 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 January 23, 2007:

• Google Checkout Icons on Google AdSense, Gstories
• How Much Traffic Are Your Competitors Getting?, Flyte
• adCenter Testing Content Network In US, PPC Blog
• Yahoo Offering One Time Only Bulk Uploads?, PPC Blog
• Google Continues Towards Mediocrity as The Giant Hypocrite, Eric Lander’s Blog
• Google.de a Parked Domain?, Apogee Weblog

That is the discussion I have found via Google Blog Search around the posts at Search Engine Roundtable for January 23, 2007. Thank you for contributing!

Posted at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Link Finds | Comments (1) (0)

I have taken an extended break from posting these Daily Search Coverage roundups, but today is a good day to get back into. What I missed, I missed, but here are today's new topics.

Google.de went "kaput." AdSense is to host Warner Music Group and Sony BMG's content. More Google Checkout Icons found on AdSense ads. Google Personalized home page is sporting plus signs on their RSS feeds. Yahoo is to offer one time bulk uploads for free. Wikipedia and Google love. Rand wrote about SEO titles. Microsoft offers donations in exchange for your searches. Google offers unlimited site exclusions. Google to invest in India's Seedfund. SEMPO launched the SEMPO Institute. I built a Google custom search engine for searching SEM forums, give it a try.

1. Google Germany (google.de) Offline?
2. Google To Expand MTV Video AdSense Test With Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment
3. More Reports of Google Checkout Icons on AdSense Ads
4. Google Personalized Home Page Adds Expand & Collapse Per Post
5. Yahoo! To Offer One Time Free Bulk Keyword Upload To Customers
6. Google Treating Wikipeda Too Well?
7. Search The Search Marketing & SEO Forums With Our Google CSE

1. SEO Your Title Tags
2. Google Adds RSS Snippets To Personalized Home Page
3. Use Microsoft Live Search & Microsoft With Donate To Charity
4. Google's Site Exclusion Tool Enables Unlimited Site Exclusions
5. Google Takes Action To 'Strip' Confidential Information From Google Blacklist
6. Google To Test New Video Ads From BMG and Warner Music Group Over AdSense Network
7. Google To Invest In Indian Companies Via Seedfund
8. SEMPO Institute: Online School For SEMs Announced

Posted at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

The latest SEM contest is out, Chris Boggs is running it, and he posted the details at his blog; New SEM Contest: Quit Tobacco.

I don't smoke, never did, so I can't join this contest, but maybe you can?

Rules? Well, who knows, since it is based on the honor system.

Good luck guys and good luck Chris!

Posted at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

I just got this package from Microsoft, they sent me a black fleece, with the Windows Live logo on it. Here is a bad picture of it, my camera is in the shop...

Thank you Microsoft!

Posted at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

My head feels so congested... I saw the commercial the other day for Mucinex, and those little green guys, well, that is what I feel like. It has been days now and these little creatures won't leave me alone yet.

I am strongly considering hiring Mucinex to beat these Mucuses.

You can check out all the commercials here.

Of course the wikipedia entry for "mucus" ranks number one in Google.

Mucus is a slippery secretion of the lining of various membranes in the body (mucous membranes). It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes (such as lysozyme) and immunoglobulins. Mucus is produced by goblet cells in the mucous membranes that cover the surfaces of the membranes. It is made up of mucins and inorganic salts suspended in water. Phlegm is a type of mucus that is restricted to the respiratory tract, while the term mucus refers to secretions of the nasal passages as well.

Posted at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Category: | Comments (0) (0)

Niall Kennedy posted a picture on his Flickr account of Google putting a T-Rex on their campus. Here is a picture:

Funny...

Posted at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird | Comments (0) (0)

Since Yahoo bought MyBlogLogs, I decided to give it a try.

I am happy I can test things out here, before deciding to give it a try at the Search Engine Roundtable.

So I added the tracking code yesterday and I just added the readers widget to the sidebar now.

It looks like:

I will watch it over the next week or so and see if it would be cool to add to the Search Engine Roundtable.

If you think it would be cool to add, vote here:

Posted at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Category: Polls , SEO Tips | Comments (2) (0)

Not much I can say, just be careful!

Posted at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting | Comments (1) (0)

Yes, last night, I walked out of the office and I had a layer of snow on my car. It stopped snowing soon later. But then I walked out this morning and it was snowing, flakes were dropping.

Here is a live Web Cam from Weather Bug so you can see the snow, in real time.

For Suffern, NY - not to have snow until January 19th, is crazy. We normally have tons of snow by now.

I am not complaining, my car sucks in the snow. I get in this morning, put it in reverse, and my wheels keep spinning. But thanks to the traction control features, it wiggled its way out.

I don't think it will be that much snow, but we will see.

Posted at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Category: Weather | Comments (0) (0)

Last night I saw a bit of ABC News, a story named How to Solve a Rubik's Cube, which highlighted 8 steps to solve the rubik's cube at rubkis.com.

My recent increased interest in the Rubki's Cube came when I watched the The Pursuit of Happyness a month or so ago.

In any event, if you want to figure out how to beat the cube, you can learn the steps above or look up other solutions.

All I need now is a Rubik's Cube to practice. I may pick one up at Toys R Us.

Posted at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting | Comments (1) (0)

If you have been to any SES conference in the past year or so, you probably recognize Ramez Naam's face, he sits next to Matt Cutts, Tim Mayer and one of the few people who Ask.com sends to the conferences.

I was watching PBS's 22nd Century show last night, because it had a piece on cochlear implants, that my wife is very involved with in her job.

Ramez was one of the expert guests who talked about 'cyborg' technology within this very interesting show.

You can read Ramez's PBS Interview here.

Ramez's wikipedia entry is here and he is well known for his book named More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement.

Very cool Ramez!

Posted at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

I wanted to DVR 24, but I messed up. I knew 24 was airing on Sunday for two hours. I thought the Monday showing would be a repeat of Sunday's show. So I did not DVR it.

Anyone know how I can see it? :)

Oh, and Prison Break starts their new season Monday. Monday's will be jammed packed with TV viewing... 24 and Prison Break - the two shows I like, will be aired on Monday.

Posted at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Category: Homey | Comments (3) (0)

I got back yesterday, I tried my best to stay up as late as possible. My wife was sleeping by 7:45, once she was out, I think I was out 30 minutes later.

So I woke up at 4am. I was able to go back to sleep.

But I am worried that I will be zonked for my 9pm basketball game tonight.

We will see.

Posted at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

We arrived at Newark about 45 minutes later than expected. It was almost a 13 hour flight from Israel to NY. We landed at around 5:30am, finally got bags and into service at about 6:30am and then got home at 7:15am. Quick shower and some misc things and I got into the office about 8:00ish.

Now I have to go through tons of mail, and some email (since I replied to most emails while away). I will do some blog posts at SER and catch up on SEL.

Tomorrow, I hope to be back to normal.

I hope to stay up as late as possible today, to try to knock out any possible jet lag.

Posted at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (2) (0)

I like when airports have free wifi, Israel's new Ben Gurion Airport has free Wifi. I like Ben Gurion Airport.

Just a post to say I am here at Ben Gurion Airport with free Wifi. :)

The new airport is really nice.

I am typing like a two year old.

See you in NY!

Posted at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

My wife and I decided to visit Yad Vashem our last day in Israel. Yad Vashem is one of the most famous Holocaust museums in the world. I last visited Yad Vashem probably about 8 years ago. They have totally renovated the place.

There is not much I can say about Yad Vashem. It is an amazing place and it is horrific to see and hear the stories.

Afterwards, we said farewell to the Kotel, I prayed afternoon services there. They were inducting new Israeli soldiers into the army there, well, they were prepping for the ceremony. We then walked to Geula, said goodbye to my brother who works in that area and then back to the hotel for dinner and packing.

Next stop, Ben Gurion Airport (Tel Aviv), to New York. I should be back, nice and jet lagged, tomorrow morning.

Posted at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (1) (0)

A week and a half ago, I created my own wikipedia entry. Shortly after, it was up for deletion. Well, today, I noticed, it is officially a KEEP as a wikipedia entry.

Wknight94, Wikipedia administrator, at 02:14, 13 January 2007 (UTC), wrote;

The result was Keep. Sure there were SPA's but JzG voted twice so which is worse? (No I didn't really factor that in, JzG, but tsk tsk).

Cool!

Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Schwartz_%28technologist%29.

Thanks for everyone's help! I did mail out one bag for the person who created the entry (I created one and someone else did also).

Thank you.

Posted at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (4) (0)

Friday morning we went to the Jerusaelm Biblical Zoo, Wiki Entry... Here are some fun photos I thought I share with you all...

As we walked in, this monkey was watching new visitors enter the Zoo...

I caught this bird eyeing me...

My wife then felt this picture would be appropriate, yes it is a mule...

This baby monkey was staring back at the kid through the window...

After the Zoo we went to my brother and sister-in-law for the weekend. I am here now writing this...

Posted at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

So my wife and I decided to go to Mini Israel today. It is basically a mini golf course, but a miniature sized Israel. If you come to Israel and don't have time to see much, go there, and you can see everything. It is amazing how real everything looks. For example...

Yesterday we went to Tel Aviv and I saw a nice looking building by the water named Opera Tower. I took a picture... Then at Mini Israel, we saw the same tower in the Tel Aviv section. Take a look...

The one on the left is obviously real.

In any event, I will be taking a picture of the kotel, from this view, so you can see the difference from the same view.... hopefully I'll do this Sunday...

Posted at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

So I was meeting a client in Israel, Tel Aviv, this afternoon. They are named American Israel Cultural Foundation, they basically give scholarships to talented musicians and artists in Israel and abroad. So I went there to meet with the Israeli team, they have a NYC office as well, and pick up some more documentation for the project...

I was sitting waiting for the meeting to begin and notice the painting behind me was done by "Buky Schwartz."

So I had my wife take a picture. I thought that was funny. Seems like Mr. B. Schwartz is a famous artist. Check him out at BukySchwartz.com.

Anyway, very nice area, the beach is right there. Maybe I can convince Danny to throw a search conference in Tel Aviv?

Posted at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

We woke up very early this morning, but went to sleep very early last night --- time zone thing takes time to get used to, as you can image... We had a nice breakfast buffet - something I was looking forward to, since I normally cannot appreciate that in the States (i.e. Kosher).

We then walked to town again, and bought presents for all our nieces and nephews. I wanted to get these bouncing, ceiling, penguins, but my wife stopped me... We did also buy my nephew Naot leather clogs, looks like this, he asked for them...

We then went back to the hotel and then went off to meet my wife's best friend some where for lunch. I think it was called Cafit. Her friend is in medical school, in Haifa - she came down to visit us, very nice of her.

On the way to the lunch place, we passed this sign, which I thought was funny.

Yes, it says, "Danger of Death", full size image here.

After lunch, the three of us met my brother in Geula, where we bought some art for our home, at a small store in Geula. We bought two pieces - all I have to say is, thank you Viv! I am not good at, "Do you like this?"

We then went up to the place my brother now teaches, and the place I spent half my school year in Israel at. After that, we said goodbye to Yisha's friend, she got on a bus back to Haifa. I showed my wife around Geula a bit more and then we went back to the hotel.

Soon we go out with my best friend, who also lives in Israel. Dinner with his wife, (possibly his kids), and us.

Posted at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (1) (0)

So we decided to walk back to the hotel the long way... We went back through the old city, through Jaffa Gate, then up through Ben Yehuda street, then a left on King George street.

Besides for the good exercise...

We met a woman on King George who told us that she locked her keys in her car and needs to pay a locksmith to open it up. She said she can't get her money, because she cant get into her house. She said she was being a 100% honest.

I replied, I don't believe you and walked away.

When that happens, you call a cop or you tell the locksmith you will pay him when he opens the car, so you can get your money.

This woman was obviously preying on tourists... such a same to see. No pics taken of these events. :)

Posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (1) (0)

After showing my wife some of the hidden places I knew about the old city, we walked down to the Kotel (aka Western Wall). As we walked down the Israeli stone stairs, I snapped a picture of Israeli soldiers leaving the Kotel.

Then I took this picture of the Kotel from those stairs...

After going through security, my wife took this picture of me. We did not take pictures directly next to the wall, it is not polite to disturb the prayers by snapping images of individuals praying. Although some people are there with cameras and video cameras, literally in people's faces (I felt bad).

Yea, I am squinting because I am tired...

Posted at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

It seems like they paves over my old soccer field, the one I played in like 8 years ago, when I spent the school year in Israel. For half of that year, I lived in the Old City. In the old city, there isn't much grass. Now there is less...

Posted at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

So after we check into the hotel, we walked across the street to grab a bit at this lunch place named Cup O' Joe. When we were about to walk in, there is a security guard checking people. So my wife had her bag with her and he had to check it out before letting us in. I snapped a picture of the guy while we were eating.

Yea, that is life in Israel. Every store you walk into, every building, etc. has a security guard. Well not every one, but lots.

Oh, the food wasn't too bad. I think I was to tired to taste it.

Posted at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

Our flight was filled with college kids, on group tours to Israel. We were placed right smack in the middle of them during the flight. So no sleep at all the whole 10 hours. We arrived at 6am (Israel time), leaving NY 1:30PM (EST). My wife and I are so tired.

My brother picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at the hotel.

I jumped on the computer to download emails. And now I am writing this...

I can barely type normally...

More later...

Posted at 2:24 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (0) (0)

So as you know, my wife and I are on our way to Israel for our Honeymoon and that means we need to take a huge jet to get to Israel. We booked with EL AL a while back. We are on the double decker, 747. Here is a picture of the plane from the terminal window...

Now, I have taken the 747 before. Once, when I was about 18 years old, I was flying home from Israel. When checking in, I asked the person at the counter, issuing tickets, if we (my brother and I) can have good seats. She said sure.

To my surprise, when boarding, they sent me upstairs, to business class.

Now that is the way to fly for a 10 plus hour trip.

This trip, we have normal tickets, did not get upgraded. But as of now, the seat next to us (3 in our aisle row) is open, so we are hoping for that to be open. If not, not.

Anyway, next post will likely come when we land in Israel.

Posted at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Category: Travels | Comments (4) (0)

This is my last daily search coverage post until I get back from vacation...

Today I wrote about MSN indexing pages with the noindex specified in the robots.txt file. Google is doing some sort of update. I wrote more about the duplicate content filter. Google is crawling CSS files again. We won the best SEM blog award. Google hired NBC's Steib. Matt Cutts is for sale, not. Yahoo Local launched a quick add business form. Google added features to the search appliance. Search Engine Journal released almost all their awards. Thank you everyone and good luck over the next ten days or so.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. MSN Indexing Pages With No Index Commands?
2. Google Update & Back Link Update at Google.com
3. More Tidbits on Google's Duplicate Content Filter
4. Is Google Sending GoogleBot CSS Hunting: Google Crawling CSS Files?
5. Best Search Marketing Blog Award From Search Engine Journal
6. Programming Note: Vacation Until 1/17

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Google Hires NBC Video Executive, Michael Steib
2. Marketers Answer; "Would You Hire Matt Cutts" Away From Google?
3. New Features Added To Google's Enterprise Search Appliance
4. Yahoo Local Adds Quick Add / Edit Business Listing Feature
5. Search Engine Journal's 2006 Blog Awards Announces Winners

Posted at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

My wife are now married around 7 months and we are going to be going on our honeymoon. I will be away for about ten days. I posted a programming note with Search Engine Roundtable coverage schedule for the next ten days or so.

I actually hope to post stories and pictures here during the honeymoon. We will be in Israel, Jerusalem, specifically, for most the trip. But I do have plans to meet with clients and possibly visit Google's office (if time allows) while in Tel Aviv. Both my wife and I have family and friends in Israel, and we hope to connect with most of them.

Last time I was in Israel was after SES Sweden in late October 2004. I actually flew to Sweden, from NY to Denmark, then stayed in Sweden overnight for the two day conference. I then flew from Sweden to Denmark, to London, to Israel. I stayed in Israel for the weekend. I then took a direct flight back from Israel to New York. I can tell you, I was so tired after all that flying.

This trip will be more relaxing, just two flight, both direct. It is still a long flight, but direct is nice.

Before my October 2004 trip, I was in Israel twice before. Once for another brief visit. But I did spend a school year in Israel, after I completed high-school, but before college. For half of the school year, I spent my time in the Old City the remainder of the year, I spent my time in in Jerusalem still but in a area named Geula.

So it will be nice taking a break. I am a bit nervous about leaving everything here, just my nature but I will try to relax about it. I am sure I will enjoy the trip, it will be fun and the best is my wife gets me to herself (except for two hours per day of Internet) for the whole trip.

Posted at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Category: Family , Travels | Comments (7) (0)

As I wrote at Search Engine Roundtable, I am completely delighted we won the Best Search Engine Marketing Blog Award from Search Engine Journal. I am also honored that Search Engine Watch (the site I wrote at all year) and Search Engine Roundtable have come in first and second place for Best Search Engine News Blog of 2006, it really meant a lot to see our hard work appreciated by the community.

I can't be greedy, but I honestly wanted to win the Best SEO Blog of 2006 but Rand's SEOMoz took that, and we took second place - after thinking about it, they do deserve it. The quality, advice, transparency and honesty of Rand and company's posts at SEOMoz go unprecedented in the SEO Blog community, they deserve it!

Now to the Best Search Blogger of 2006...

Honestly, coming in third place kinda upset me a bit. I know, I know, I came in third to Danny Sullivan (the non-disputted leader of the search community industry) and Matt Cutts (the face of Google to the SEO community). But counting my posts, I often write about 20 blog posts per day, most on search (i.e. 15+) at two of the most popular search sites out there. I lose a ton of sleep and other personal things to give this effort to the community.

Now that is how I felt initially. But then I stepped back and looked at who I lost to. Danny Sullivan, heck, he has been giving his life to the search community for about 6 more years than I have. He definitely deserve the award more than I.

Matt Cutts, well, between fighting spam at Google, being an engineer, going to tons of meetings at Google, responding to forum posts, reading thousands of blog posts per day, and responding to a nice number of them, emailing worried webmasters, answering PR (press) questions and then writing some of the most useful and insightful blog posts at his persona blog... He probably sleeps less than me and Danny put together. So he should win this contest.

So overall, I am privileged and honored to have come in the third spot for that award and to win some and come close to winning some of the Search Engine Journal awards.

Congrats to all the winners and those who were nominated.

I hope people don't think I am a selfish and thankless individual from this post. I honestly, deeply, am very grateful for everything you guys have done for me. I am privileged to be in the position I am in. The least I can do is keep doing what I do and not complain about it.

Why did I post this? Well, I thought some people would like to see what goes through my mind with these contests. I bet it doesn't phase Matt, Danny, Rand or the others - but I use them as a meter to see if the content we are producing is useful to the community. And from what I have seen, we are doing an OK job. So thank you and I hope this post isn't taken the wrong way.

Posted at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Category: Rambling , SEO Tips | Comments (2) (0)

Whacky day today...

On the search front, I looked at the question of Google listing Digg results. Google is not showing all .com's in country specific searches. Is Google testing AdSense Google Checkout icons? Can you place Google image ads near Google text ads? Google Reader added trends features. Google Calendar is doing very well. Amazon is promoting Askville. YouTube is to be shut down in Brazil. Google removed the tips feature. A sincere best wishes to AdWordsAdvisor.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Should Digg Pages Be Listed on Google.com?
2. Google Not Showing Localized Pages Within Country For .COM TLDs
3. Wishing AdWordsAdvisor & Family Good Health
4. Is Google Testing Google Checkout Icons on AdSense Ads?
5. Idea To Place Google Image Ads Near Google Text Ads As Alternate

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Google Reader Adds Personalized Trends
2. Google Calendar Set To Pass Yahoo Calendar
3. Amazon Promotes Askville & LinkedIn Launches Answers Services
4. YouTube Forced To Shut Down In Brazil
5. Google Removes "Tips" Feature After Recent Blog Controversy

Posted at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (1) (0) | Speak

A few months ago, there was no entry at Wikipedia for Barry Schwartz but now there is and it is for the famous psychologist. I kinda want one also. Danny Sullivan, the technologist, has one - but it does need to be updated. Matt Cutts got one and Gary Price also has one.

I tried writing Wikipedia entries in the past but no luck.

So here is the deal. The person that gets me a listing at the Wikipedia, will get a free RustyBrick Bag with Search Engine Roundtable Yo Yos.

You can get most of my details at my linked in profile and in the about me page. For a picture of me, there are many here.

You just need to send me proof that you made the entry, I guess take screen captures of your contribution list and the page you submitted to Wikiepdia.

Well, I made a wiki entry for myself here.

Posted at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (9) (0)

I wrote about link building strategies for 2007. Yahoo! Panama does not migrate old reports. I shared an AdSense case study. We discussed some Google patents and lawsuits. The Search Pulse is archived. errr

About 20 posts per day on search and I am #3.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Linking Building Strategies for 2007
2. Yahoo's Panama Upgrade Does Not Bring Over Old Data from Reports
3. Google AdSense Publishers Shares His Guide to Success in 2006
4. Google Awarded Patent for Duplicate Content "Similarity Estimation"
5. Google Sorting Ad Groups by Clicks Bug
6. Search Pulse 14: Search Holidays, New Years, Google Update, Blog Tips, Social Links, Paid Reviews, Ask.com X, AdWords & More
7. Google AdSense Site Diagnostics Tool Bug?

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Google Changes Hiring Process To Meet Job Opening Needs
2. Google & Earthlink Said To Be Near Start Date Of WiFi Network
3. Google Beta Testing Keyword Based AdSense Competitive Filter List?
4. Intertainer Sues Google For Patent Infringement On Online Video & Audio Distribution
5. YouTube Hiring Advertising Sales Representatives
6. First Results Of Google's Newspaper Ad Test Published

Posted at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Category: | Comments (0) (0)

I finally took the time to update my LinkedIn profile and I see they added some new features since I originally signed up, I think it was a few years ago. So I added a bunch of positions and asked for some recommendations, handed out some recommendations and updated some other things.

In addition, I set up a public profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/rustybrick, so I secured rustybrick, which is nice.

I wish they let me sort "my positions," since RustyBrick should be number one...

Anyway, its cool, normally, I ignore all the invites I get to "connect" but I will try not to in the future.

Oh, I added a button to it on About Cartoon Barry, next to my amazon wish list.

Posted at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (2) (0)

More info at http://www.mysuperproposal.com/.

Also see Wanted: $2.5 Million Super Bowl Spot -- For Free.

Guys, go to the poll over here, and vote yes, take the time to register if you have not, the site has great content.

Should a marketer with a Super Bowl spot turn over the time, or part of it, to "J.P.," who says he wants to propose to his girlfriend during the Big Game?

Heck, support this because, I First Ever Wedding Proposal via Search Engine.

Posted at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting | Comments (1) (0)

While I was covering the fact that Google is hiring lower GPAs, it reminded me that I graduated from Baruch College, City University of New York, with a pretty high GPA. I know it was above 3.8, but I forgot the exact number - and I forgot where I would have put those papers.

In any event, my diploma has a cool line that says;

Summa Cum Laude

Which is the highest honors you can graduate from Baruch with. The Latin Honors Policy says;

• Summa cum laude shall be granted to those students whose scholastic index in all subjects is at least 3.85 (3.8 for those entering prior to fall 2004 who remain in continuous attendance until graduation)
• Magna cum laude shall be granted to those students whose scholastic index in all subjects is at least 3.75 (3.5 for those entering prior to fall 2004 who remain in continuous attendance until graduation)
• Cum laude shall be granted to those students whose scholastic index in all subjects is at least 3.5 (3.2 for those entering prior to fall 2004 who remain in continuous attendance)

Here is the Wikipedia entry for Latin Honors.

Honestly, the honors did not phase me until my last semester. It was then I learned that my current GPA was good enough to earn Summa cum laude, so I did my best to make sure I didn't hurt my GPA at the end.

Unfortunately, my second to last semester, I took a work study course (worked for myself), and I got an A. But the teacher accidently filled out on a scantron that I scored an F for not showing up to something, when I did. I confronted the teacher and he said he aligned my name up to the wrong box and gave me an F and the student that earned an F my A. After a few months and a bunch of red tape (CUNY's are like that), I got my A back and my GPA was secure.

I was a good test taker at school, because I was able to anticipate the questions on the test prior to the test. I normally finished my tests in a very short amount of time. I remember one test being allowed 75 minutes. He gave us 75 multiple choice questions with one essay. He figured you should be able to do a question in 30 seconds or so and have some time for the essay. I finished that test in no time, and I think I scored well.

Many of my intro classes were in huge theater like rooms, with second floors. Only way to test the students were scantron tests, all multiple choice. I loved those tests. The scores were then posted on the wall, the following week, by social security number or by name.

Posted at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Category: Rambling | Comments (5) (0)

The day after the last day of $20 Google checkout discount it seems that Buy.com has removed Google Checkout as a payment option. Since then, I have tried to see if I can buy a product on Buy.com using Google Checkout, but I can't seem to be able to pull it off.

Am I missing something? Or did Buy.com use Google for the promotion and drop them cold turkey after the discount was over?

I mean, Google reportedly spent $20 million on this promotion...

Update: I was told it is still there, they just moved it to a later page and it is harder to find. I am pretty sure it was not in that spot yesterday... Anyway, you can still order with Google Checkout and Paypal.

Posted at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Category: SEO Tips | Comments (0) (0)

Happy 2007 everyone! Today I wrote about the top PPC factors affecting ad clicks. I looked at a thread on WebmasterWorld's top threads. I looked at a patent application coined PhraseRank. Google fixed their broken calculator. They also patched the serious Gmail bug. Google's traffic estimator is a joke. I took a look at Google's Manhattan office again. Is Google going to be blogging more? If so, will the Q&A Google spam stop forever? YouTube's delayed software may cause issues for Google. Finally, please vote for the Roundtable!

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

1. Happy 2007 New Year From The Search Engine Industry
2. Top Factors in PPC & AdWords That Determine Your Click Through Rate in Google
3. WebmasterWorld Threads of 2006
4. Fighting Search Spam With PhraseRank: The Latest Google Patent Buzz
5. Google Calculator Breaks On New Years
6. PPC Managers Laugh Off Google's Traffic Estimator
7. KBCafe Blog Awards: Vote #11

Search Engine Land Topics:

1. Google's Manhattan Office Attractive & Inviting
2. Google To Make Stronger Effort With Blogging & Communication In 2007?
3. Google Patches Serious Gmail Contacts Bug
4. More Google Q&A Spam
5. YouTube's "Content Identification System" Delay May Hurt Google's Plans

Posted at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Category: Daily Search Coverage | Comments (0) (0) | Speak

I want to DVR 24 Sunday the 14th and Monday the 22nd. The DVR I have from CableVision allows me to record shows that I like, but you cannot do that, unless the show is currently on the channel guide. A show that has not aired yet, won't be on the channel guide. So you can schedule a manual recording for shows that are not on the channel guide, but you cannot go past two weeks in the future, which is kinda dumb. I can set the DVR to record all shows on Monday at a certain time - which is what I will have to do, but I can't tell the DVR to record Monday, January 22nd and 9pm at this time, which is what I want it to do.

If I had the TiVO series 3 then maybe I could schedule the recording from my trip and wouldn't have to go at it backwards.

Posted at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Category: Homey | Comments (1) (0)