SEO and Tech Daily

Happy Holidays !

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 16:42:00 +0000

It comes as no surprise to many of my old friends that I've been working in a different industry for some time now. A different time. A new and exciting challenge.

This blog and a few other websites still remain, as I still remain in touch with many of you (and you never know when I may get the urge to 'break a story' :)

It's been an interesting year in tech and on the web as I continue to follow the trends regularly (and follow many of you on various networks).

This simple post is to wish all of you a Happy Holiday season with health, joy and prosperity as we look forward to 2013.

Fond wishes to all ....
Charlie

One Year in Tech - An Eternity

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:12:00 +0000

As some of my closer colleagues know, it was a little over a year ago that I decided to drop my SEO, viral advertising and Social Media consulting ... for a 'day job'.

Things are changed exponentially on the tech landscape during that time. It's truly amazing and continues to be fascinating.

There were many factors that led to my decision but the most prevalent was a series of 'high intensity' clients and just a much needed change of pace ... after three decades spending way too much time in front of a computer. (My wife's desire for a little sanity around here played as well :).

I e-mailed a few friends in the industry and the response was interesting. I wasn't the only one. The invasion of self-proclaimed experts, many of whom knew next to nothing, was driving a lot of top-shelf Internet marketing and PR people crazy.

While the challenge was always a chase and satisfying, the price you pay in stress can be high, whether in-house or independent. I've done both.

As I have since the early days of the PC, I still spend a couple of HOURS a day staying current with the trends, valuations, changes in search ... and the tech landscape. The only surprise was that Google had shutdown Google for domains, and the parked domains that I had owned for years stopped creating a secondary income 3 weeks ago.

No biggie. I must have missed the memo :)

The reason for this post is simple.

While I have stayed mildly active on Twitter, Google+ and numerous other places (rarely on Facebook but that's another story), I have received short notes and comments like "Where did Charlie go?".

Happy to say my family and I are doing fine. I'm still very much here and doing what I enjoy.

Over the summer, I've decided to reach out to some of my long lost tech and marketing friends for no other reason than to say Hi and see how you're doing. Many of you can probably guess who you are.

I may even get totally carried away ..... and do a piece right here about today's tech valuations ... and the continuation of the 'tech paper economy'. I don't know about you but Apple's market cap along with Facebook's coming IPO remind me a lot of the AOL acquisition of Time Warner. Hmmm...

To be continued ... Feel free to ping me

All the best
Charlie

Google Adds +1 To Blogger Pages and Speech Search!

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:17:00 +0000

Earlier today, Google announced the widespread availability of it's '+1' recommendation button for blogs and websites. In the announcement, the company said it would be available in other Google products such as Blogger.

Despite the fact that I have been off doing other things and haven't haven't the time to write as much as I'd like in recent months, I decided to mess with the +1 documentation and see how easy it would be to try it out right here.

I went to the notes .... and there was nothing about adding it to Blogger.

Why?

They already did.

Alongside the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons at the bottom of each post (here), '+1' was added and turned on by default!

Sure, it can't hurt, and you are using Google's software for free (Blogger), but it still seems like a pretty bold move. Shades of the early Buzz implementation within Gmail?

On another Google note, the company has been testing a search by voice 'microphone' on the main Google page almost all day. I've been waiting for someone (anyone?) to write about this but apparently it's being overshadowed by the coverage of D9.

Curious? You won't see it in IE Explorer or Firefox. You will see it at the right of the search bar (at least here in the States) using the Dev-M version of Google's browser Chrome. I looks like this.

Click it and it scan your hardware for a mic ... and tests it.

Pretty neat stuff.

Update: June 2 1:30 AM ET - Apparently you will only see the 'mic' currently on the Dev version for Windows according to a brief note I just received.

Update 2: Blogger Buzz has a video about +1 and using it in Blogger. It appears that since I had the 'other' sharing buttons turned on, +1 now goes along for the ride.

Update 3: Don't rush to install the Dev version of Chrome to see this. The test is apparently over. The 'mic' is gone!

The Google Gaming Debacle - What's Next?

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:12:00 +0000

For those of you that haven't already read it, the weekend tech news brings us a piece from the NY Times about a major retailer who apparently simply hired the wrong SEO firm.

Nobody really knows why thousands of links (as evidenced by this article by Vanessa Fox) landed around the web, making for a classic case of what is known in the industry as 'Black Hat SEO'. It could have been anyone, inside or outside the company, a subcontractor, or even an employee trying to look good to his (or her) boss.

Some of the comments on this morning's take by TechCrunch are (very) disturbing as well.

Anyone that has corresponded with Matt Cutts or Vanessa Fox over the years knows they're simply trying to do the right thing.

So here's a story for those doubters out there.

It's one of the primary reasons I left the industry a while back, and yes it is a serious problem for Google that is going to get harder to tackle as the Internet continues to grow and coders (and spammers) get even smarter.

It was about 5 years ago that I dropped in on a 'major' SEO company. At the time, I was debating going to work for them rather than staying independent. The company was well known in the industry and the CEO highly respected for a number of ventures he was then successful at.

As I entered the 'SEO area', I was introduced to ONE person who seemed to have a very general knowledge of White Hat SEO. Then I was introduced to the staff. There was a row of college students that were, yes, planting links. They had a program and were hitting all kinds of discussion boards, comment areas, and just about anywhere else they could land a subtle link without bing noticed.

I brought it up with the manager and the response was "Hey ... it works".

It didn't work for me. I left having found exactly what I expected and that's really sad.

Keep in mind this was about 5 years ago. Webmaster Central was alive and well and they had to know exactly what they were doing.

Then there are the 'rocket scientists'. The coders that sell themselves to companies with that 'super script' that'll make them rank in Google in two weeks under 500 or a thousand search terms. I watched one of these scenerios years ago. The company DID get caught by Google's spam team and over 45 sites (that I had worked years on) plummeted to position 60 or lower. Google caught it almost immediately. The company suffered big time.

We have an industry where there are now thousands (not hundreds as the Times piece says) of well-intentioned SEO companies and individuals working hard to do the right thing. They work day and night hoping to wake up the next morning and see that their efforts have worked.

In many cases, the fruits are short-lived and replaced by a Black Hat effort.

Should they all start using the reporting tool? Probably not.

Even this blog which has been mostly dormant the past month gets spammed every day. Seriously, you may not be seeing comments and that's because Blogger and Disqus are catching them. 99% spam ?!

Everyone loses in the end. Inevitably, Google finds these 'invasions' and weeds them out but, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars have been paid to the wrong people prior to the discovery.

The SEO industry doesn't need to be regulated as has been mentioned by some over the years .... but SEO's do need to start self-policing. If your 'friend' is gaming the system, it's time that you tell him. If that doesn't work, the reporting tool isn't a bad idea.

Google (and Bing) NEED SEO's to help the algorithm. Nobody ever writes that but it's a fact.

With a HUGE Internet out there with no end in sight, bringing solid content to the attention of the two major search engines is important. Very Important.

So all of this is really nothing new. It's not Google's fault. It's probably not even the company's fault that got caught.

Social Media won't do it all. If you haven't notice, it's a bit saturated.

If you hire an SEO firm, put it in the contract. Tell them you want 'White Hat' techniques within the guidelines of the search engines.

It's a start.

You may be surprised that it may take a tad longer ... but it will work just as well.

Where Did SEO and Tech Daily Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:31:00 +0000

In response to (more than) a few e-mails, I'm making this brief post to keep you up-to-date on this blog and future plans.

As some of my friends know, I made a rather radical career change last year embracing another one of my passions ... cars.

It's all probably more than you want to know but suffice to say, it's required all my attention and left little time to do any unique or interesting here.

There have been many times I've been tempted to post an opinion, prediction, or my own take on the 'next chapter' and the hyper changes we continue to see not only in tech, but how those changes are changing many other industries on a wholesale basis.

Frankly, it's all mind boggling and I doubt if anyone has the answers 5 or ten years down the road.

Like many of you ... I still visit Techmeme each morning (and sometimes evening) for the breaking 'take' on what's happening and Gabe Rivera's team continues to do an awesome job aggregating the world's tech and Internet news. The most recent implimentation on Twitter within the Techmeme landscape makes a great deal of sense considering as any tech author knows, that's where most of these stories break to begin with.

So what's next?

While I continue to put most off my efforts in making a comfortable living for my family, I haven't yet decided whether to merge SEO and Tech Daily with my (currently dorment) personal blog, or just take a break.

There are many fine online publications reporting 'the news' and others giving great hints on the latest in SEO and the world of Search Engine Optimization.

The bottom line is I'm still here, reading a lot, working hard, and for some reason more of you are following me every day on Quora than anywhere else. I LOVE Quora but I've been a 'fly on the wall' if anything. Just crazy stuff.

So Yes. Happily, I'm still breathing :) My wife and I are just getting settled in to our new home here in Central PA and all is well .... and I more than appreciate those e-mails!

What's next? We'll see ... in a few weeks.

Thanks you guys as always.
Charlie

Newsday (LI) Drops Paywall Temporarily

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 03:52:00 +0000

On occasion, I think we all check on the news in a place we used to live.

For many years, Long Island's Newsday was, in large part, the primary newspaper for those who lived in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

I grew up reading it .... as did my parents and grandparents.

Newsday has changed hands a few times over the years and some time ago became one of the first major newspapers in the nation to put up a paywall. (IE: If you wanted to read it online, you had to subscribe).

Those of you that have read my stuff know how I feel about monetization via paywalls (except in certain circumstances). Newsday (and their advertisers) lost this guy's business when the paywall went up a while back ... and it wasn't too difficult to find alternate sources. In fact, a few entrepreneurs found opportunity and started brand new websites.

This evening, I was curious about how Long Island was doing with the first major snowstorm in a while. I was also curious if Newsday would drop the paywall during an emergency (for visitors and others?!).

I wandered over to Newsday.com to find the site wide open.

The photos were good. The copy was (very) current. Overall the paper looked great ... online.

The official explanation had nothing to do with a pending emergency:

"Enjoy open access to the new Newsday.com until January 7, 2011, courtesy of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular".

Cablevision's News 12 (which still has it's paywall in place) can also be viewed live (and open) via a link at the bottom of the Newsday main page.

I'm writing this piece not only for those that might be interested in the weather (and airport) coverage .... but also because if enough people point to this (Tweet it?), maybe, just maybe, the Cablevision / Newsday Interactive oligopoly might just realize how many pageviews the site is capable of ... without the paywall.

I'm not hopeful considering the past, but for now, if you're stuck on Long Island (all the major New York area airports are closed at this hour) or you're just curious, Newsday and the live feed from News 12 Long Island can be found here.

Merry Christmas (and Changing Times)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 19:24:00 +0000

I just took a look at the site analytics for this blog, that I started back when 'early adopter' was a relatively new phrase.

Given the fact that I haven't had time to update it as often as I used to, I was surprised to find that over 90 per cent of you (recently) have been new visitors. (So much for 'sticky' ? :)

That's a long road from when it was the complete opposite and SEO and Tech Daily had a 'regular following'.

First .... welcome! I hope you'll find something here occasionally that you find interesting (or just makes you smile :)

2010 was a year of hyper change on the Internet and all industries effected directly or indirectly by the web. Governments, Social structures and Businesses everything literally ran to adapt and ...

..... There are more websites and blogs (and others) trying to get your pageviews than ever before.

That has never been a real mission here.

Originally the blog was started to re-brand my own name after having spent over 5 years very quietly doing in-house SEO.

Then came Friendfeed (now owned by Facebook) and a community that I truly believe has yet to be rivaled in it's intimate networking by like minding people. Friendfeed has changed since it's acquisition but suffice to say I met more of you (electronically or in person) there than on any other Web 2.0 start-up, rivaling only going personally to a conference or meeting.

Two years ago, I made a career switch (Think that's easy at 54 ?? :), but I continued to self-educate myself on the rapid changes on the Internet and tech in general ... something I've done my whole life.

If I write something here now, it's either some sort of experiment, or because the fact is, that I simply enjoy doing it, and, over the years, so many of you have dropped e-mails that just make me feel good.

I continue to prognosticate occasionally, or report unreported news. I also still maintain a few legacy accounts ... people or companies that I just LOVE helping out.

So there's a very brief update. No Year in Review (yet?!) ... No Negative or title-blazing stuff.

Just Thanks ...

.. to the many of you ... way to many to count ... that have been part of my tech life one way or another or contributed to this blog in some way since it's launch.

From my family to yours ..

Happy Holidays .... and many years of health and happiness!

Your friend,
Charlie

Paid (Promoted) Tweets Move to More Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:39:00 +0000

Twitter's first attempt at monetization is called 'promoted Tweets'.

Paid trends that usually appear in the top ten with a defining label.

It started with the Twitter home page (both new and old versions) and the popular Twitter client Hootsuite.

It appears the Adobe Air version of Tweetdeck has joined the fray this morning, automatically turning on Worldwide Trends for some users including promoted Tweets.

A screenshot from earlier this morning appears below.

Google Sends Mass Thank You E-Mail and 20 Million for Charity

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 01:34:00 +0000

Checking my Gmail tonight, I came across this:

Well, you're welcome Google, and even though my wife is going through the same thing that Kristine Gray is going through, we're very happy to be part of your success ... and certainly grateful that you were able to give $20 million to various charities in 2010.

It's an exciting (and challenging) time for the web. It's been a fun ride, and I, for one, can't wait for the next chapter. I don't ever remember technology and communications changing at this pace, and the success and failure stories that have come along with that change.

I should point out that the link in the e-mail goes here.

Enjoy .....

.... and the Happiest of Holidays to readers of this blog and the occasional others I contribute to ....

Together, we ALL can make a difference.

A Significant Windows Update Later Today

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:15:00 +0000

Users of Microsoft operating systems and software will be receiving some significant security updates later today.

Most users with Windows Update (or Microsoft Update) set to auto-update will likely be prompted to re-boot sometime Tuesday (as some of these updates effect core OS components).

17 bulletins, addressing a variety of security issues, will be patched on current and some supported legacy operating systems. The December version of the 'Malicious Software Removal Tool' will also be part of this package.

Office and SharePoint products are on the complete list, which can be found in the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for December here.

Microsoft Montage Takes a Direct Shot at Paper.li

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:23:00 +0000

Microsoft's latest from Fuse Labs was introduced at LeWeb.

It's a personal aggregator that you can set up and publish to the web dubbed Montage.

Personal web-based aggregators are nothing new but they've have been maturing.

In the right column of this blog you can click through to my own 'personal collection' at my.alltop.com, created just after the service was introduced. (Admittedly, it hasn't been refined in months but still serves a purpose for me).

The most talked about personal aggregator in past months and weeks has been Paper.li. LOTS have already been set up an are posting updates to Twitter.

It's notable that Guy Kawasaki maintains an interest in both Alltop and Paper.li. Kawaski has shown a keen interest in 'online magazines'.

I wandered though the Montage Gallery this morning. The tech crowd, as can be expected, have already created more than anyone else. It's a interesting journey and can be found here.

Take the ride. See what you think.

Great Weekend All
Charlie

Firefox Updates to Version 3.6.13

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:38:00 +0000

Firefox users should check their latest version number if they haven't been auto-updated.

Earlier today, Mozilla released the latest stable version of Firefox, now version 3.6.12 .

This latest version fixes a variety (over 50) of security and stability issues.

Simply tap 'Help' at the top of the browser then 'Check for Updates' in Windows.

Linux and Mac users can find the latest version of Firefox here.

The Year in Review - According to Google (Updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:49:00 +0000

A short time ago, Google posted a new video to YouTube.
As of this writing, it's only had about 300 views so it's pretty 'fresh'.

Sort of Google - ized Year in Review 2010 ... (so far).

I found it interesting, disturbing, thought provoking ... and actually pretty good considering it's short length.

Thought you might too.

The first of many I'm sure. Google's version of 2010 is here:

Update: Apparently this post was a touch premature.

More on Google's Zeitgeist 2010 video has now been posted to the Official Google Blog here.

Update 2: Google apparently changed the 'embed code' earlier today. The video is now back above.

The NY Times Best Seller List and The Best of the FREE

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:29:00 +0000

Earlier in the week, I noted the opening of the new web-based Google Book Store.

Since then, Google has hit the web with a barrage of announcements.

The difference, this time, is that Google is delivering stuff you can use right now.
Some fun ... some productive ... and some simply mind-boggling.

I'm the first to admit I stayed up late (very late) last night with Canary messing with various apps in the new Google Chrome WebStore.

Previous to that, I had been dual-booting the closest thing to an easy, out-of-the-box simplified Linux (Ubuntu) based product, Jolicloud (who notably, yesterday, released their much improved Version 1.1).

Jolicloud is probably the closest thing you can find right now to the upcoming Google Chrome OS but Google has chosen (for now) to stay hardware specific, which should, after some testing, make it MUCH faster.

I'm pretty much thinking the 'cloud' is coming home in 2011 (and NOT liking the way Microsoft appears to be attempting to brand the term "to the cloud" in it's TV commercials).

But I digress?

Back to the title.

Unlike my late Grandfather, my Mom ... and my daughter, I've never been much of a book reader. No doubt I've missed a lot .... but with the attention span of a hamster, it's always put me off.

Revisiting the Google Book Store this evening, I noticed two cool changes on the greeting page.

The NY Times Best Seller List is there. It was kind of sad to see Elizabeth Edward's book being discounted.

The next section was the 'Best of the Free'.

I paged through and one notable title was Moby Dick. There were others, most in their original typeface (cool stuff).

It's never too late for a little catching up.

A vision that others have tried and ailed in the past is here.

I might just curl up later ... with my laptop ... and a good book.

If you missed the first post, be sure and checkout the Book Store here (as well as the online reader).

Kudos to Mountainview this time around.

Just great stuff.

Period.

Google Chrome Canary 10 - Designed To Mess With

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:41:00 +0000

There are numerous versions of Google's Chrome web browser that have been released for different audiences. Most often mentioned here have been the 'Stable', 'Beta', and 'Dev' versions.

Earlier this year, Google released a separate version of Chrome (for early, early adopters) they call Canary.

The difference between Chrome Canary and the others is that it can be run along side any of the other versions ... without changing them.

That's where today's barrage of announcements from Google comes in, and how you can try them out without effecting your current settings in Chrome.

If you missed any of this press from Mountainview, there's a whos who of coverage at Techmeme.

An update on the development of the much anticipated Chrome OS (along with a 'test notebook'), a re-launch of the Chrome App Web Store, and Chrome itself with a new 'Crankshaft' V8 compiler, taking the browser to yet another speed benchmark.

(The Official Google post can be found here and a great rundown from Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Land is here).

Back to Chrome Canary. Earlier today, I tapped the Canary 'wrench' (at the riht top of the browser), then 'about' and the browser updated to version 10.0.603.3. Significant or not, this is the first time we've seen a 'Ten' in any release of Chrome.

Crankshaft, a new compliation infrastructure for V8 is already onboard for testing.

More importantly, you can test out the apps in the Chrome Web Store while leaving your existing Chrome install just the way it is. Canary will run separately and even, in most cases, simultaneously with other versions of Chrome.

I had a lot of fun trying out various apps this afternoon using Canary. Printing from anywhere to your home and office printer has been made easier. Tweetdeck has a new web app and much more is in store at Google's App Store.

In the past two days, Google has just gone from 'throwing stuff at the wall' to see what sticks (or what users like) .... to taking on just about every competitor in some way while embracing a slew of new 'partners' ...... not the least of which is Verizon who was chosen to deliver 3G to the test laptops in the US.

This launch event was 'Preview 2011' andit looks like an exciting year for developers ..... and all of us!

Edited 1:15 ET 12/8/2010 for content, links

Google Opens eBook Store Just In Time For The Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 06:25:00 +0000

Amazon found the market in late 2007 with the introduction of the first Kindle.

Many doubted it's success. Others touted it as the next big thing.

Other companies had tried in this space for over a decade but Amazon's Kindle was destined to change the way people read books.

The competition came quickly with Barnes and Noble introducing the Nook and many others including Sony entered the market with numerous devices.

Apple's iPad added to the market disruption and upcoming Android-based tablet computers are destined to do the same thing.

This past year, even die-hard paper book readers have become fans of e-readers, as the latest generation of devices improved features, contrast, connectivity .... and cost A LOT less.

There's a good chance that you may get one of these from someone for the holidays. A very good chance.

Enter Google. Their new Google eBookstore is now live on the web.

All of those devices you see lined up in Borders now have a home and a source of millions of books, both current and out-of-print.

Over 3 million.

An excellent take on the publishing 'deals' and more has been posted by Matthew Ingram at GigaOM here.

The official announcement from Google to the Official Google Blog is here ... or ... you can head on over and check out the eBookstore here ... It's live ... for now ... just in the US.

Google Continues Local Advertising Push

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:41:00 +0000

Google is serious about local advertising and all indications are the company is just beginning to integrate their 'local' initiatives.

Local advertising online is becoming more and more important. With a host of local products in the marketplace having success in attracting users over the past few years, Google isn't about to be left out.

Foursquare is on the move to San Francisco from New York with their expansion. Numerous other location based products, mostly for mobile, are growing.

Geo-location is now the norm for both home and mobile users, and it's a target market that's hot .... very hot.

One sign, an important one, was the job description shift of veteran and highly respected Googler Marissa Mayer to the position of Vice President of Geographic and Local Services recently. Mayer was Google's first female engineer and is largely credited with many of the innovations and growth of Google Search as well as the 'look' of various Google products (and more) in her previous role as Vice President of Search Products and User Experience.

Earlier today, Google announced integration of Google Places with the Enterprise (paid) version of Google apps.

Google Places needs current information and users to be relevant.

In an increasingly connected mobile society and with businesses both opening and closing, user input is imperative in keeping Google Places a viable, relevant and growing product.

Introducing Google Places to the existing Google Enterprise audience, a place where you can list your local business for free (and/or multiple locations, etc.) is a solid step in that direction.

Keeping it current may prove to be difficult as has been demonstrated recently as questions begin to crop up about occasional glitches with the main Google indexes and pure algorithmic search. Google responded directly to the issue raised last month by the NY Times on the (main) Official Google Blog. (Google's webspam team, no doubt, with have their hands full in the coming years).

In the meantime, one step at a time, Google continues to do everything they can to keep you searching ...

.. and to use Google to do it.

AVG Releases Fix for Windows 7 Nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:04:00 +0000

Users of Windows 7 64-bit version that use AVG Anti Virus may have encountered more than a little problem with the most recent security update.

The update is crashing computers.

Apparently, AVG has gone into stealth mode to rectify the problem and has begun to address the issue on both Twitter and Facebook as well. They have also posted information on their blog and website including a 'fix' (which may be a little challenging for some).

Update nr. 3292 is the culprit and so far has effected only 64-bit versions of Windows 7.

If you are using the product and don't have it set to auto-update, AVG is advising that the coast is now clear (with the file removed from their servers), and the most recent update works fine.

Another New Toy for Gmail Users

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:30:00 +0000

If there's one thing that Google's Gmail users can count on, it's not only ongoing development, but coders 'playing with new toys' within the product .... for you to try first .... in 'Labs'.

(Note: Labs add-ons are available on numerous Google products)

A hodgepodge of experimental features (and just some fun stuff) that Googlers try out first in Labs. Turn them on or off. It's up to you.

Some even make it as permanent features, or as Google calls it ... "graduate" :)

Clicking Labs in Gmail greets you with the title "Gmail Labs : Some Crazy Experimental Stuff".

Productivity, fun ... and a little tongue-in-cheek like the lab feature that lets you return Gmail to Beta (in case you miss it).

Each time the team launches a new one, it usually makes it quickly to the Gmail Blog, and this evening is no exception with the announcement of Smart Mute, which can be read about in the actual blog post here.

For me, it's another opportunity (or reminder) to re-visit 'Labs' and tweak my own settings.

This latest visit was eye opening.

Be sure and check out 'Labs' at the top of your Gmail screen ... there's some neat stuff waiting ....

The Quiet Black Friday Deal from Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 02:29:00 +0000

Many of us expressed disappointment when Microsoft discontinued the Windows 7 Family Pack, especially those of us that had extensively tested the beta(s) and provided extensive feedback.

Last month, Microsoft returned the Family 3-Pack to the Microsoft Store (... at least for now).

While the software giant is busy promoting the new Windows Phone on TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet, the best deal from Microsoft is hiding in the fine print at the Microsoft Store.

It's a safe bet that many aren't ready to adopt cloud computing and there are still tens of millions of people using (very) outdated versions of Microsoft Office.

For the holidays, Microsoft has cut the price of Office Home and Student 2010 .... but it's the fine print that makes the difference.

The special includes 3 licenses (for use on home PCs only) making it a family pack.

The Home and Student version includes Word 2010, Excel 2010, Powerpoint 2010 and OneNote 2010, and unlike the Windows 7 copies I've purchased so far, this bundle includes both 32 and 64 bit versions.

As with the Windows 7 Family Pack, there's no saying whether or not the Office Family Pack will continue, but at this price, it's simply a great way to upgrade those home PC's .... including the one you'll probably come home with tomorrow :)

More info can be found at the Microsoft Store here.

A Google Doodle You Can Eat ?!

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:44:00 +0000

Google is rolling out their latest home page 'Doodle' here in the US, celebrating the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Clicking on the Doodle, you'll find six (inspiring!) recipies from cookbook author and TV chef Ina Garten.

Hunting for that last minute recipe?

Google's got you covered from the main dish to desert.

The New Google Journalism Tag Could Work in Reverse

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:26:00 +0000

Yesterday, Google announced a new Meta tag for journalists and bloggers.

The new tag is designed to give credit to the publisher who originally 'broke' or published a story.

Anyone who's worked in the news field knows that breaking a story is considered a huge accomplishment.

The writer, publication, and every one who worked on the piece feels good .... not to mention bringing additional credibility to the organization.

Back in the day, you had a local news team and two teletype machines. One was from UPI and the other, if I remember correctly, was AP. You paid for these services and could use the content in your publications and/or broadcasts.

These days, especially since the advent of 'real-time' and more specifically Twitter, coupled with almost instant RSS delivery of press releases, the lines of who's breaking what have not only become grey, but at times, it's simply been impossible to determine who published what first.

Last year, the FTC issue a ruling (PDF) that bloggers and others disclose any affiliation between their posts (tweets ?!) and the company they were promoting. I wrote this at the time and it's pretty much panned out. The ruling has gone largely ignored, even by some pretty prominent writers.

Now, in what appears to be a good faith effort by Google, they re proposing two news Meta tags. One for attribution and the other for syndication.

Two problems:

1) Many reputable blogs and news organizations have, in fact, been crediting their source with a link. They could decide to drop that protocol and just use the tag in which case the original writer loses ... big time.

2) With LOTS of publications switching to popular blogging software, it would take time for some sort of plug-in to be developed for this, and, in some cases, would necessitate a complete re-write of code.

At one point, 'copping stories' from Twitter became so prevalent that Reuters informed their staff NOT to break stories there.

My thinking is that those that have been 'generous' enough to cite the original article (complete with a link) will now implement the tags instead, feeling completely justified with their 'lift and run'.

The syndication tag, on the other hand makes complete sense. Google is trying to prevent duplicate content in their index but that too could be ignored as some content appears in the main index and some syndicated content appears in Google News.

Time will tell but, over time, there's gotta be a better way.

Google Launches hotpot - Your Reviews in Places and More

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:45:00 +0000

Google has just launched a new product called Google hotpot.

hotpot (not capitalized) let's you join the reviewers from Google's partners and others in Google Places. You can network and review restaurants, hotels, and just about any type of place ... in any place.

In addition, hotpot is it's own social network (surprise ? :), letting you connect with others using your contact list from Gmail.

Accessing hotspot, you are greeted by a welcome screen which lets you upload a photo and choose a hotpot nickname:

From there, you're taken to a simple screen (which seemed very accurate in both city and rural searches), where you can look for hotels, restaurants and more.

Photos, ratings and existing reviews all come together there with links mostly going to Google Maps.

Photos are collected from both Google and non-Google web properties, making extensive use of Google owned Panoramio, which up until now appeared mostly in Google Earth.

If all of this is starting to sound confusing, perhaps the best part is .... that it's not.

Using hotpot is a snap and self-explanatory.

Your recommendations could appear in Google Places as well as your own Google Profile and you can select whether to view Friends, Rated or ALL reviews.

Privacy? Google makes absolutely no secret that the more you interact with hotpot, the more Google is going to try and tune recommendations to your specific tastes:

In fact, the second time you log in, Google will try and geo-locate you and provide a local page full of restaurants, hospitals, even public school systems ... and you can do it right from your PC (No smartphone required).

You can try out Google hotspot right now here.

It's live ..... and no 'invite' is required.

Refreshing :)

Update: You can find out more about Google hotpot on the Google LatLong blog here.
Two more good pieces have been published by Vanessa Fox here and Jolie O'Dell here.

GoDaddy and Columbia - Crazy (Updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 15:04:00 +0000

GoDaddy is trying a little experiment on their front page.

At first, I thought it was a web designer's mistake.

Not so much.

Domain Name Wire first reported the story here.

It's virgin territory for domainers (or squatters?) ..... for as long as it lasts.

In a move that 'domainers' are considering brilliant and others are calling an outrage, the largest domain registrar in the world has defaulted their home page domain search to the .co domain.

You read that right. DOT CO. Not DOT COM.

So what gives?

Large brands (and even small brands), as well as lots of others, are always cognizant of owning their own name. Most also buy a variety of misspells just to be sure you land on their page when you're typing in the browser bar.

It's BIG business.

Back when I did in-house SEO in the travel industry, the company I worked for owned hundreds of domains for this very reason. The other reason, of course, is that there are still those that type domains into the browser address bar thinking they're automatically searching.

Nobody wants you to 'land' somewhere else.

Back to GoDaddy.

I've had relatively good experiences with them over the years. I even still host some stuff there for myself and others. Say what you will about his edgy advertising, Bob Parsons has been a marketing genius.

In this case, I'm hoping GoDaddy has doubled their customer service staff.

.co is the domain name for the country of Columbia. GoDaddy is betting that you'll want to reserve this potential mispell to preserve your brand or website (at 29.99 US).

Back when Twitter was a brand new company (and when Facebook offered personalized suffixes), the prevailing wisdom among social media experts was to grab those before someone else did. Of course, they were FREE. You can see just a few of mine here. I still do it, and so do MANY others.

If you combine the social media logic with big brands outright fear, GoDaddy already has a potential million dollar hit on their hands.

On the flip side, the amount of people registering these by mistake will probably also be pretty huge considering it's the default.

It's brilliant. It's sneaky. It'll probably work well for GoDaddy.

I seriously doubt Google or any other search engine is going to be hot on this although most buyers will probably redirect those domains (if they're smart) to their primary.

I'm not buying it.

Are you?

Update: Nov 14, 2010 10 PM ET: The Next Web is reporting that GoDaddy was running an experiment and has returned to .com as the default on their main page.

Mozilla - The Browser Wars Are Far From Over

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Anzman) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:19:00 +0000

The browser buzz this week was all about RockMelt.

There were many that wondered why anyone would enter this crowded field, especially with 'giants' like Google, Apple and Microsoft competing ... with FREE products.

There actually are some pretty good answers but that's another post for another time.

Of course, the continued favorite of many bloggers and techies remains alive 'in the wings'. Mozilla's Firefox remains a favorite of many, especially developers and Linux users.

With the 'big three' actively playing in the browser space, some had expressed some wonder about the future of Mozilla.

Then, there was ... ugh ... today.

Mozilla released the latest beta of Firefox 4.0, now version 7.

Simply put, these guys aren't kidding around. They're not done yet. Nowhere close.

I wrote this a while back. Sure .... "Your results may vary ..." but there was simply no question, at that time, that Firefox (using Windows 7) showed visibly improved speed on several test boxes.

Earlier today, Mozilla raised that bar again (for real) with the release of Firefox 4b7.

On two computers with completely different configurations (both Windows 7), Firefox 4 Beta 7 screamed speed, especially when I wandered over to Hulu to take in a few favorite shows.

No Steve, Flash isn't dead.

It's even faster, smoother ....

..... and hasn't crashed here at all ....at least, so far :)

More info can be found on the Mozilla blog here.

The download is here.