Some search industry pundits have expected Google market share to come down a bit as other search engines catch up in terms of the quality of their results. Microsoft in particular has been considered a threat due to their aggressive investment in search technology. Even AskJeeves has been rebranded as Ask.com and is being promoted using television ads. Well, it turns out that the inevitable slide in Google’s market share wasn’t quite as inevitable as some thought. Recent statistics described in a CNET News article, Google’s market lead widens, show the opposite is happening: Continue reading »
Mar 292006
Mar 252006
For years, I’ve complained that a good reader for electronic books didn’t exist, and that was what was holding back the adoption of books and other printed items in electronic format. Readers were too big, too clunky, or too limited in what they could display. This whole area has been one of great frustration for me – I can carry half a dozen books in audio format on an MP3 player the size of a match box, but I have no viable way to carry (and read) those books in text format – despite the fact that the storage requirements in text format are far smaller than audio recordings. When I go on a trip, I end up lugging several books, usually hard cover, because there’s no convenient electronic format.
Mar 242006
Yesterday, we mentioned the lawsuit filed by Kinderstart against Google lawsuit last week; the firm blames Google for a major drop in rankings and traffic. Well, it looks like Kinderstart’s strategy worked – their traffic is back and probably much higher than before. They cracked the Alexa Movers & Shakers list, which reports that they went from being ranked #253,243 to #5,862 – a 5,000% improvement by Alexa’s math. Of course, this impressive traffic increase has nothing to do with improved rankings, and everything to do with suing the world’s hottest tech company.
Mar 232006
InformationWeek reports on Claria’s change in Adware Pioneer To Exit Market, Sale Could Lead To Consolidation. Claria, founded as Gator, earned its early reputation as a firm that installed persistent adware applications on user PCs while masquerading as a benign password storage app.
Mar 232006
At the end of last week, the breaking news was that Kinderstart, a U.S. firm, had filed a lawsuit against Google after it experienced a precipitous drop in rankings. Since the early days of search engines, we’ve seen complaints like this – “I was #1 for two years, now I’m nowhere, I’m losing money, I’m going to sue!” The frustration of these site owners is understandable, although most simply get back to work on reranking their old site or building new ones. Search engine pros take ranking changes and even penalties in stride, assuming that no great ranking will last forever.
Mar 152006
While one might assume that book downloads are the main way to make money with online books, rather like music files, Google is proposing a different approach to publishers. Google will offer browser-only access to books for a payment to be determined by the publisher. Google’s program description says, Continue reading »
Mar 152006
Though I’m not a privacy paranoid, I’m beginning to believe that there is merit in some kind of data retention legislation, like the bill authored by Rep. James Markey. That bill, titled the “Eliminate Warehousing of Consumer Internet Data Act of 2006” would require websites to delete any personally-identifying information about visitors, including e-mail addresses, that aren’t needed for “legitimate business practices”.
Mar 092006
According to an article at PC Pro, Microsoft makes Search Live, Microsoft has added a search component into its Live services, and has released a beta version of a Windows Live Toolbar. Continue reading »
Mar 082006
Assemblyman Peter Biondi of New Jersey has introduced a bill that would require ISPs and site operators to require all posters to register with their name and address to prevent anonyomous posting. CNET News provides some in-depth analysis and commentary.
Mar 082006
Predictably, Google’s GDrive “leak” is sparking plenty of commentary and discussion. The main topics seem to be the privacy implications of giving Google your data, and speculation as to whether the leak was intentional. The Silicon Beat blog, published by the San Jose Mercury News, seems to think that the information release was indeed accidental. In What’s going on at Google, they wonder if the firm is coming apart at the seams, and came up with an amusing “Bungle” logo in Google colors. The In Search of Utopia blog, meanwhile, pointed out that many users already are using GMail for online storage, and that GDrive would just make it official. Meanwhile, the Digital Inspiration blog wonders why privacy advocates aren’t making more noise.