« October 2007 | Main | December 2007 »

November 30, 2007

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 30, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

Google experimental is messing with SEO's minds. Welcome ACAP! Download your AdSense reports soon. Is Google Media Bot messing breaking your URLs? Tune up your Yahoo campaigns. Dell's lawsuit may impact Google. Google released a mobile phone locator. Smart priced and wondering why? December conference coverage schedules are live. Google added a malware report form. Danny & Rand chat. Google Reader adds features. Search in Pictures is out.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Google Experimental Offers Vote Up Search Listing: End of SEO?
  2. Will Webmasters Adopt The New Robots.txt Proposal (Automated Content Access Protocol)?
  3. Download Your AdSense for Search Top Query Data Before Google Deletes It
  4. Google AdSense's MediaBot Crawler Breaking URLs?
  5. Tune Up Your Yahoo Search Marketing Campagn
  6. Lost? Google Mobile Phone Locator Will Find You
  7. Will Google AdSense be Impacted by the Dell Lawsuit?
  8. Tips to Tell if You've Been Smart Priced with Google AdSense

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. SES Chicago & PubCon Vegas Next Week: Can't Make It?
  2. Google Adds Report Malicious Software Form
  3. Danny Sullivan & Rand Fishkin Talk About Search Ads Vs. Facebook Ads
  4. Google Reader Adds Recommendations And Drag & Drop
  5. Search in Pictures: Matchbox20 At Yahoo, Ask Tattoo & Yahoo Paintball

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 30th 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 November 30th, 2007:

How To Make Your Phone Bill Cheaper Without Switching To VOIP

verizon-logo.gifQuestion: How can one make their phone bill cheaper without actually switching to a VOIP solution?
Answer: Threaten to switch to a VOIP solution!

We use a PBX box from Fonality at RustyBrick. It allows us to use a hybrid of VOIP and analog lines for our phone calls. By default, almost all calls go out over the VOIP lines to save costs while incoming calls go over the analog lines.

My VOIP bills are dollars per month (we pay maybe pennies per minute). My analog bills are over a hundred per month.

I was thinking of swapping out the remaining lines to VOIP lines from a new provider. So I decided to call my phone carrier and tell them the story. I did and then I was convinced I should switch. The next day, I get a call from a manager at the phone carrier telling me they will match the prices of the new VOIP lines I would get.

So I was planning on getting four lines at $25 per month, each line. They matched it. I got my first bill and I am now paying a lot less!

Good deal!!!

Quick SMX Israel Update

Just a quick update on SMX Israel.

The planning is going well. I hope to have a page up somewhere at SMX with a registration form, agenda, location and times shortly.

Give me a couple more business days and we should be set!

Configured Ads To Rotate Positions

Search Engine Roundtable AdsI basically have two ad positions on the Search Engine Roundtable site. The ad units look like what you see in the top right picture here.

Ever since day one, I set up each ad to run in the same position. So on every page refresh, ad box 1 would have the same banner in it, every time. It wasn't really fair to my advertisers. One would have a top right ad, while another would have an ad in the bottom left (possibly under the fold). So finally, I set it up to rotate the ads randomly.

Using OpenAds, it is easy to configure.

(1) Set one on single zone.
(2) Link all the banners you want to see in that zone, to the zone you set up above.
(3) On the "Invocation code" section of that zone, select "Yes" for both "Don't show the banner again on the same page" and "Don't show a banner from the same campaign again on the same page."
(4) Select the JavaScript code from that page.
(5) Copy and paste that JavaScript code for each ad spot on that page. In my case above, I inserted the same ad code six times.

Now all my advertisers get a fair shot and the premium - premium spot. Plus, I never have to rebuild the site for those premium ads.

And a big welcome to Compete, who has launched a new analytics package named Compete Search Analytics!

Trouble With Hardware

Shawn Hogan at DigitalPoint Forums explained some of the trouble server people have to go through with servers and hardware breaking. Oh, how I can relate.

I am exhausted...

Sequence of events...

The cluster lost one of the blades today for the first time ever (this blade is the 2nd master DB server). The primary master writes everything to the 2nd master, then the 2nd master replicates out to all the slaves (read only access). Something happened with mysqld before, but this time it was a hardware issue.

I screw with it remotely as best I can. Once I figure out it's a hardware problem, I go to data center.

The blade is on, but not able to be pinged. Okay.... let's just power cycle it.

Weird, the power button doesn't work on the blade.

Check the full post... Sorry Shawn!

November 29, 2007

F The Big Three?

fthebigthree.comAt first I thought this video was created by Ask.com, but then I looked deeper.

The video is to promote the launch of FTheBigTheThree.com, which takes place December 1st.

But if you look at the title tag, it says, "Social Media Marketing, Social Network Optimization." So now it appears that a Social Media Marketing and Social Network Optimization company owns the name.

The whois information is private, so no hints there.

So anyone know what this site is about?

Here is the video:

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 29, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

Google received rights to a spam patent application. Is Google selling PageRank? Google malware problem is solved, for now but search spam is a serious issue. Google fixed AdWords diagnostic tool bug. Should you place ampersands in the title tag? PDFs get contextual ads. Gore's site gets spammed. PubCon and SES coverage schedules are up. Google Sitelinks were updated. Google Experimental offers digg voting style. Yahoo Search Marketing ads a campaign bid tune up feature.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Google Spam Patent Explorer: "Identifying Manipulated Articles"
  2. Google Selling PageRank 7 Links on Google.com Domain
  3. Fake .CN Google Spam "A Huge" Malware Problem
  4. Google Says AdWords Diagnostic Tool Bug Now Fixed
  5. What is the Best Format for an Ampersand in the Title Tag?
  6. Make Money From Your PDFs: Yahoo Teams up with Adobe
  7. Al Gore's Website Hacked by Spammers
  8. Are You a Blogger Going to Pubcon? Show Tickets Available!
  9. Pubcon's Wednesday Night Activity: Werewolves
  10. Search Engine Roundtable Conference Coverage: December 2007 Package (SES Chicago and Las Vegas Pubcon)
  11. Google Sitelinks Update on November 29, 2007

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Search Spam Is Getting More Dangerous Every Day
  2. Directly Influence Your Google Search Results At Google Experimental
  3. Yahoo Contextual Ads To Power "Ads For Adobe PDF"
  4. Yahoo Search Marketing Adds Campaign Bid Tune-Up & More

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 29th 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 November 29th, 2007:

$48 For Selling My Old Treo to CellForCash.com

Remember I wanted to cell my Treo 700p? I blogged about CellForCash a place to sell your cell phone with ease? Well, I finally got my check for $48 from them.

Here is the timeline:

October 11th - Submitted Request
October 12th - Box Mailed to Me
October 22nd - They Received My Phone
November 29th - I Got My Check

Here is the check:
Cell For Cash Check

I Am In A Card Game: The "Search Spam Card Game"

seomoz werewolf cardsSEOmoz announced a new game they are releasing at PubCon Vegas next week named "Search Spam."

Basically, they have adapted the card game Werewolf for the Search Marketing industry. I am privileged to be one of the characters, see the left card, that is me.

There are 24 cards and you have to register for the event to be invited in. I won't be there, but SEOmoz promised to send me a deck this Monday - so I am looking forward to getting it.

If you will be there, the event is at Wednesday, December 5 from 8-10pm in the South Hall. Don't forget to register. It sounds like a blast!

In short, this game is a way for Googlers, SEOs, Black Hats & industry mavens to kill each other without actually hurting anyone. Nice concept. :)

ALSO: PubCon goers... If you want free tickets to shows in Vegas, check out Joe's blog now!

November 28, 2007

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 28, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

Social news site moderators make mistakes. Google tests campaign template tool. Google is to launch storage service. Make money with revenue sharing forums. Should you use custom or default 404 pages? How long does it take to approve Google image ads. Are hyphens a bad thing in your domain name? Google Maps has street views in the balloons. Matt Cutts speaks up on bad cloaking. Google's malware warning isn't working too well. Google Gadgets will work on Apple's Dashboard. I wrote my 5,000th article at the Search Engine Roundtable.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. 7 Mistakes from a Social News Moderator's Perspective
  2. Google Launches Campaign Templates for AdWords My Client Center Accounts
  3. Google to Release Online Storage Service
  4. Can You Earn Money in AdSense Revenue Sharing Forums?
  5. Do Search Engines Prefer Default or Custom 404 Error Pages?
  6. Reviewal Time Frame for Google Image Ads
  7. Can Multiple Hyphens in the Domain Name Raise a Red Flag with Search Engines?
  8. My 5,000th Post at the Search Engine Roundtable

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Google Maps Balloon Now Contains Street View Image
  2. Google's Matt Cutts On Cloaking & Search Snippets
  3. Google AdWords Tests Campaign Template Feature For My Client Center Users
  4. Google's Malware Warnings Not Working?
  5. Google Gadgets Meets Apple's Dashboard Widgets

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 28th 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 November 28th, 2007:

Getting Use To SmartAccess: Driving Without a Key

SmartAccess - Keyless Car AccessIt has been a day and a half since I got my new car and I am still adjusting to it.

The main thing that throws me off is the SmartAccess feature. In short, this car doesn't have a real key. You have this key but you don't put it in the ignition, you just press a start button where the ignition would be. Here is the description from Lexus's site:

With a unique secure code, the SmartAccess key automatically enables you to unlock and open all four of the vehicle’s doors and its trunk without removing the key fob from your purse, pocket or briefcase. There’s no visible key cylinder. As soon as the sensors detect the presence of your SmartAccess key, the door unlocks when you touch the handle. SmartAccess even activates the lighting entry system to illuminate your points of entry from the exterior puddle lights to the ignition button. It just takes one push to start the engine.

(1) When I open the car, I need to remember, no need to take the key out. Just wrap my hand around the door handle and pull. It automatically disarms the alarm and unlocks the car when it senses my hand. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.

(2) When I leave and park the car, I no longer need to press the lock button on the key. I just close the door and press a button on the door handle. The car is armed and locked. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.

(3) When I get in the car, I press a "Engine Start" button to start the engine. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.

(4) When I shut the car off, I press "Engine Stop" button. Yes, you need the key to be somewhere on your body.

There are other things the key can do that I haven't even learned yet. Trust me, I will be reading the manual over the weekend.

This SmartAccess feature will probably save me a few seconds each time I use the car. I like that. :)

Funny Jewish Tallit Bag: שמאק

Schmuck Talis BagOrthodox Jewish men typically put on a Tallit every morning for morning services. So typically, the Tallit goes in a Tallit Bag.

The above picture is a typical tallit bag. At the top, typically, you see one's initials or Hebrew name. If you know Hebrew, this one may make you laugh. Why? Well, it reads "שמאק" which in English sounds like "schmuck."

The definition of a "schmuck":

When used as a pejorative, schmuck is a noun meaning a detestable person, or a jerk. The word also means a stupid or idiotic person. In these senses, schmuck entered English as a borrowed word from Yiddish, where it is an obscene term and an insult.

I received three different emails about this picture this morning. So I guess it is new.

Search Engine Roundtable Milestone: 5,000 Posts

5,000 Articles at Search Engine Roundtable
I just hit a major milestone today at the Search Engine Roundtable. I posted my 5,000th article over the course of just under 4 years.

So of the 6,570, I wrote 5,000 - over 75% of the articles there. I average just about 5 articles per workday since starting writing at the site back on December 2, 2003.

5,000!

I have a longer write up on it at My 5,000th Post at the Search Engine Roundtable.

November 27, 2007

Health Insurance & Employee Feedback

oxford health plansJust a few hours ago, I made the final decision for our company to switch from GHI to Oxford for our health insurance benefits. Why did we switch, well - this time Oxford had better prices and since Oxford has a larger network than GHI in this area, it was a no brainer.

But this time, we decided to offer our employees two options for health benefits. It gives more flexibility, and can save them money. We no longer cover 100% for our employees, effective December 1.

What was very interesting to me was that all the single males selected the cheapest possible insurance product available to them. Their rational? "I never see doctors" and different flavors of that. While all families selected the most expensive plan available.

If I wasn't married, I also would likely choose the cheapest plan. But now, I clearly don't make all the decisions. But when you start having to worry about others and not just yourself, clearly you want to have the best available coverage for those who depend on you - no matter cost. So that is what most selected.

Every year I go through this process and every year I learn a thing or two.

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 27, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

Viral up those YouTube videos. Google snippet is now explained. PubCon's event list is live. AdWords has two bugs. Got beef with AdSense? Want to get educational links? Yahoo Stores were down on Cyber Monday. Google Groups had email latency issues. Google may be offering online storage soon. Google Israel had to hand over Blogger's IP information. Structured search is on it's way to Yahoo. Google Maps added a terrain view.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Effective Viral Videos: What Are Your Criteria?
  2. What is the Google Snippet?
  3. Going to Pubcon? Unofficial Events Guide Posted
  4. Google AdWords Redirect Bug within Console
  5. Google AdSense Suggestion Box: Send Complaints Here
  6. AdWords Editor Not Downloading CPC Placement Campaigns?
  7. Need Help Getting Links from Education (.EDU) Sites?
  8. Yahoo! Stores Go Down on Cyber Monday
  9. Google Reports Google Groups Email Latency, Now Fixed

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Google Online Storage Coming Within Months? Real Google Platypus Screen Shot
  2. Google Israel Forced To Hand Over Blogger's IP Address To Court
  3. Structure Search Coming To Yahoo
  4. Google Maps Adds Terrain View, Replaces Hybrid View

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 27th 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 November 27th, 2007:

Apple MacBook Power Button Earrings

Apple Power Button EarringsI was thinking up the best present for my wife this Chanukah and then I saw these puppies.

Silver post PowerBook earrings reported by Tuaw. You can buy them at 925Works.com and they come in earrings, as shown above or bracelets, or Cuff Links.

Now that is style!

Pretty sweet.

Israel Wins Award For Largest Flag

Giant Israeli FlagGiant Israeli Flag Breaks World Record from the AP reports Israel now has the world's largest flag.

The Israeli flag measures 2,165 feet long and 330 feet wide and weighs 5.7 tons has broken the world's record. The flag is now in Masada, a Jewish desert and was created by a Filipino evangelical Christian named Grace Galindez-Gupana.

She explained she created it "as a testament to her love for Israel and the Jewish people and as a celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel."

"This flag expresses the friendship between the Philippines and the state of Israel, and also the friendship between Jewish and Christian communities," said Shaul Zemach, director of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

November 26, 2007

My New Car: Lexus IS 250 AWD 2008

lexus is

This morning I said Farewell to my Lexus SC 430 2005. The car will be missed, that is for sure. But it is time I move on and think about things that are more important.

Why did I go for the Lexus IS 250 AWD?

  • There is an awesome deal on this car this month through a a national program.
  • It is all-wheel drive and can actually work in the snow.
  • Much better fuel efficiency than my old car.
  • Much less expensive than my old car.
  • Fits three more people (5 people in total) when compared to my old car.
  • Much smoother car, it is made for normal roads.
Trust me, I will miss the speed of my old car. I will miss the power of the engine. I will miss the hard top. I will miss the memories. But I think this new car will be great.

Looking forward to driving it in health every day, except Saturdays. ;-)

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 26, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

The US exchange rate is also impacting quality scores for some. Google helped a wife catch her husband cheat. Publishers aren't happy with AdSense video. Banned in Live Search? The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button is a costly Google feature. Give Ask blog search a try. Importing 3rd party campaigns into Yahoo Search Marketing is fun. Jotspot coming to Google Apps soon? Google loses their seasoned ad guy.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Canadian Google AdWords Advertisers Change to US Dollar But Take Hit Anyway
  2. Google Helps Wife Discover that Husband Hid Lottery Winnings
  3. Publishers Complain that Google AdSense Video Units Aren't Targeted
  4. How Do You Complain if Your Site is Banned from MSN Search?
  5. $110 Million Annually is Wasted by Google With the "I'm Feeling Lucky" Button
  6. Sick of Blog Search? Time To Give Ask.com a Try
  7. How to Import Campaigns from a 3rd Party to Yahoo Search Marketing

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. New Signs Of JotSpot & Google Wiki?
  2. Google Loses Local Ad Guy, Preuss, To MeetUp

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 26th 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 November 26th, 2007:

Rake Them Leaves

Barry: Rake LeavesYesterday, I had a bunch of house chores to do. So when I got home from work in the late morning, I got to it.

First I cleaned out my car so I can easily turn it in today. Then I swept out the garage, the first time since buying the house. Then I tried to rake the leaves...

I decided to start with the driveway area. About a half an hour later, and half the driveway later, I noticed I wasn't getting too far. Looking at what remained, about 6/10ths of an acre, I decided to call it quits. It would take me days to finish the whole yard. So I finished most of the drive way and put the rake down.

I then turned off the water to the outside hoses, so it doesn't freeze.

That was about it for my chores. I may hire someone to do the leaves or I might just leave it as is. Still need to decide on that.

Farewell Lexus SC 430 2005

Last 24 Hours with Lexus SC430 2005

Within 6 hours, I will be returning my car for a new car. Yes, I am the type that leases cars. And it is time for my current car, the Lexus SC 430 2005 to go back to the company and for me to get a new car. What am I getting next? That will be a different post. Let me first write my tribute to my SC430.

My car isn't the most practical car out there. It doesn't fit boxes too well, It often gets stuck in the snow and the tires are expensive and break often.

I enjoyed driving with the top down on many occasions. Yea, it is a pretty car.

So pretty, it once got broken into and often people would flash me, because of those High-Intensity headlights. Heck, I even found nice little surprises on my dashboard after snow storms.

But what I really liked was the Lexus customer service, in fact, they have surprised me once or twice with that.

So, now, it is time to say goodbye. Just in time for the winter season. I hopefully won't be blogging about not being able to get to work or being stuck in the snow. I will miss you SC430. Your speed and comfort was very enjoyable, but it is time I get more practical with my cars and more economical as well.

For more of my car stories, check out the motor vehicles archive section on this site.

Thanks for all the memories!

November 23, 2007

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 23, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

Check out some of the Thanksgiving logos. Google added more AdSense reps and showed of the webmaster central reps. Google sent out a tax update. Shared IPs are good like dedicated IPs. AdSense slumps during Thanksgiving. Google updated webmaster guidelines. The products link replaced the video link on Google. You can add multiple email address to your Google account. Design your site with SEO in mind first. Search in pictures is out. I got some YouTube tips for you. Ask.com is to expand in China. A wife sues her husband for cheating financially on her.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. Thanksgiving 2007 from Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Dogpile & The Search Industry
  2. Google Adds More AdSense Support Reps to Google Groups
  3. Google Accidently Send Out AdSense Tax Updates Via Email?
  4. Google Confirms Again that Shared IPs Are Just as Good as Dedicated IPs
  5. Google AdSense Publishers React to Thanksgiving Day Slump
  6. Google Updates Webmaster Guidelines: Selling Links is Evil
  7. Google Replaces "Video" Link with "Products" Link on Main Page
  8. How to Add Email Addresses to Your Google Accounts
  9. Design Your Website with SEO in Mind, Not After

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Search in Pictures: Yahoo Ping Pong, Google Ski Mask & Thanksgiving
  2. YouTube Tips: How To Market Via YouTube
  3. Google Webmaster Help & AdSense Help Support Staff
  4. Google Adds "Selling Links" For PageRank To Link Schemes Page
  5. Ask.com Plans On China Expansion
  6. Google Drops Videos For Products In Top Navigation
  7. Wife Googles Husband, Discovers He Kept Lottery Win A Secret

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 23rd 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 November 23rd, 2007:

Black Friday - Not For Me

Black FridayToday is the day called "Black Friday."

It is the day after Thanksgiving. It is typically the busiest shopping day of the year. Where stores have great deals and people buy presents for the upcoming holidays.

I never went shopping on Black Friday. I don't think I ever will?

Why?

(1) I hate shopping, hate it!
(2) I work on Black Friday.
(3) Wake up at 3am to get to stores by 4am? Kidding me?
(4) Crazy lines, crazy customers, crazy traffic.
(5) Do they really have great deals? Deals you can't find at deal sites throughout the year? No tax? No shipping? Crazy coupons? Buy as an affiliate? etc.

So I don't shop on Black Friday. Do you? Am I wrong on the deals?

I Did Not Meet My Thanksgiving Day Goals

Ask.com Thanksgiving Logo 2007Yesterday was Thanksgiving and I was all excited to go at the turkey.

I was prepping myself all day... I came into the game with high expectations. But since I was sick on Monday with some sort of stomach bug, I was a bit worried about my performance. I tried to have positive thoughts throughout the day.

But when it came down to stepping up to the turkey... I was very disappointed in myself. I estimate that I ate only about 4 or 5 slices of white meat from the Turkey. 4 or 5 slices! That is a serious joke. I would have been happy with 8 - 12 slices, but 4 or 5!

My stomach simply did not hold up.

I hang my head in shame on the day after Thanksgiving.

November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now, how did I get in there?

Image warped from this site.

November 21, 2007

Daily Search Coverage & Link Finds: November 21, 2007

cartoonbarry_speakicon2.gif

Daily Search Coverage:

You want the gOS? Click through statistics seem level after the AdSense change. Google is messing with how they handle certain commands on your robots.txt file. The difference between domains and subdomains. PageRank did not impact Google rankings yet. Use CSS to help your Google listings. You can move that Google Maps marker, if you like. Want to go to a conference? tell your boss. Privacy groups attach Facebook on their social ads. Google Base redesigned their bulk upload dashboard.

Search Engine Roundtable Topics:

  1. The "Google OS": Will You Install It?
  2. Google AdSense Clickable Area Change 'Not So Bad'
  3. Double Check Your Robots.txt: Google Testing New Crawler Directives
  4. What's the Difference Between a Subdomain and Domain?
  5. PageRank Goes Down but Google Rankings Aren't Affected
  6. How to Remove Menu Bar Navigation from Google's Search Results
  7. Move the Map Marker on Google Maps: A Screenshot Tour
  8. So, How Do You Justify Going to Search Conferences?

Search Engine Land Topics:

  1. Privacy Group To Attack Facebook's Beacon Ads
  2. New Clean Look For The Google Base Bulk Upload Dashboard

Daily Link Finds:

Daily Link Finds GraphicThis is the November 21st 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 November 21st, 2007:

Does My Israeli Brother Live in Kid Nation? Beitar Illit ביתר עילית‎ 63% Children

Mr American brother-in-law sent me an article named Children's Day: 30% of Israel's Jewish Population are Children. It basically explains that 30% of the Israeli Jewish population are kids. Looking at other countries, Israel is not too far off. 25% of the US population are kids also.

But then I read deeper and the kid to adult ratio is unusually high in the city my brother lives in. My brother lives in one of the most Jewish orthodox cities in the world, it is named Beitar Illit (ביתר עילית‎). Beitar has tons of children, actually 63% of the population there are kids.

Beitar Illit

I've been to Beitar to visit my brother, my sister-in-law and their two kids a few times. I didn't particularly notice an overwhelming number of kids. But when I go in February, I will make sure to be looking for it.

Wikipedia has some stats but I can't confirm it is 100% accurate:

According to Israel Central Bureau of Statist