Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on TwitterBe a Facebook FanTumble us!

23 Jan 2012 23:37

tags

Tech: New bookmarklet turns Google’s unofficial motto against itself

  • “Don’t Be Evil” tool cuts back on Google’s self-promotion: Remember Google’s new social search feature? It features results from your friends — and Google+ accounts — before other results, even if the other social sources are more popular than the Google+ account. The new “Don’t Be Evil” extension “looks at the three places where Google only shows Google+ results and then automatically googles Google to see if Google finds a result more relevant than Google+,” according to Focus On the User. Would you install this? source

19 Feb 2011 22:48

tags

Tech: Google wants to improve search results by asking your friends

  • Question of the day: Do your friends make your search results better? A couple of days ago, when we were worried about Glenn Beck, Google announced an update to their social search that makes it easier to integrate your friend’s social streams from multiple networks into Google’s search results. If your friends suck and offer terrible advice, you need new friends. Which is also why you shouldn’t use this. But even if their advice is sound, does this cross a privacy line? source

08 Sep 2010 21:04

tags

Tech: Google Instant Search looks awesome but has downsides

  • Google’s Instant Search is pretty darn cool, yes, but it has some possible downsides. A lot of businesses have built their models around Google’s SEO and paid search benefits, which could be harder to grab using this model. (If people aren’t misspelling words, for example …) Search Engine Land is particularly concerned about the effects on “long tail” searches: “With our example, starting the query with “Las”, shows ads for Las Vegas. Some of those ads are for hotels. Why would a user continue typing if they see hotel ads already?” Gawker, on the other hand, is more concerned with finding unfortunate word combinations that come up, such as the one above. source

27 Jan 2010 08:17

tags

Tech, World: Google’s “older sister” wants it to stick around in China

  • Sister was very happy when brother gave up the thought of leaving and stayed for sister.
  • A message on the “Goojje” Web site • Regarding Google’s possible leaving of the Chinese market. In Chinese, the syllable “gle” is pronounced like the word for “older brother.” Goojje, a new search engine, takes advantage of this, using the syllable “jje” to stand for “older sister.” Who’s mama bear, Baidu? source

20 Jan 2010 07:45

tags

Tech: Did Apple just tell Microsoft they wanna make Bing? WTF?

  • Apparently, they did, according to sources. The desktop rivals may be ready to share the same phone after Google overstayed its welcome on the iPhone last year. Apple’s considering making Bing the default search engine, as well as making it an option on Safari. This would show exactly how far the business relationship has fallen in the wake of the Google Voice app fiasco, the Nexus One, Android, etc. Can you imagine using Bing on the iPhone? The more interesting note, though? Apparently Apple’s thinking of creating its own search to compete with Google. Whoa. source

21 Dec 2009 09:36

tags

Tech: Small Bing! sues big Bing, creates sucking effect on Internet

  • Microsoft apparently doesn’t check trademarks before they go with names. Bing! Information Design, a St. Louis-based infographics/design firm, has sued Microsoft for trademark infringement. Something about a search engine. Anyway, the company has been in business over a decade, which is a bit longer than Bing’s been operating. Do they have a case? We’ll find out. (In other news, a small St. Louis-based design/infographics firm is getting great PR this week after they were covered in The Guardian.) source

29 Jul 2009 09:12

tags

Biz, Tech: The stock market really doesn’t like the MS-Yahoo deal

  • 7% tumble in Yahoo’s stock following the deal’s announcement source
 

19 Jul 2009 14:23

tags

Biz, Tech: The search collaboration that wasn’t may be back on

18 Jun 2009 11:01

tags

Tech: Microsoft’s Bing is gaining in popularity week by week, guys

  • 16.7% Bing’s overall share of the search engine market last week source

15 Jun 2009 00:50

tags

Tech: Google SEEMS calm about MS’ Bing, but are they really freaking out?

  • The New York Post sez yes. The Post, in their usual overwrought style, claimed that Google was so surprised that Bing was actually good that co-founder Sergey Brin is actually taking a desperate hands-on approach to making improvements to the engine. Yeah. Sure. source
  • The New York Post sez yes. The Post, in their usual overwrought style, claimed that Google was so surprised that Bing was actually good that co-founder Sergey Brin is actually taking a desperate hands-on approach to making improvements to the engine. Yeah. Sure.
  • But is it just marketing? Despite Bing’s solid search, really, it may just have killer marketing. Larry Dignan of ZDNet argues that Google is just search when sites like Bing and Wolfram|Alpha are actively offering more than that. A new branding approach may be key for Google. source