Search Headlines & Links: June 13, 2006

Below, a recap of stories posted today to the Search Engine Watch Blog, along
with other items we’ve spotted but not blogged separately:

From The SEW Blog…

• MySpace
  Looking To Auction Search To Google, Microsoft or Yahoo
  We heard last month that MySpace is interested in partnering with Google or
  Microsoft. Now Yahoo appears to be in the running. MySpace-owner News Corp’s
  Chief Operating Officer Peter Chermin said today MySpace plans to “auction off
  our search business of of the three biggest, Google, Yahoo and MSN, and see
  the best we can get.” I thought Yahoo was already powering the results at
  MySpace, since you can see Yahoo results coming up when you search over there.
  This Reuters article mentions the same. But Yahoo tells me that’s not the
  case. It’s a Yahoo partner, Revenue Science, that’s…
• Yamanner
  Worm Targets Yahoo Mail Users
  Silicon.com reports on a Yahoo Mail worm named Yamanner that comes in the form
  of an email named “New Graphic Site.” When you open the email, it infects your
  computer and spreads the worm to your Yahoo Mail address book….
• 
  Searching for a Place to Live, Part 2
  SEW correspondent Greg Sterling continues his roundup of a number of the most
  popular new real estate search verticals in today’s SearchDay article, A Real
  Estate Vertical Search Roundup….
• A Look
  At 20 Googlers Via Orkut
  Philipp Lenssen complied a list of 20 Googler Orkut profiles. Orkut is
  Google’s social networking software, and many Googlers have profiles and
  accounts with Orkut. Some of the 20 compiled by Philipp include; Sergey Brin,
  Adam Bosworth, Jeff Huber, David Krane, Marissa Mayer and more. Nice work!…
• Yahoo
  Answers Launches “Ask the Planet 2006” Campaign
  Yahoo Answers has launched a new promotional campaign named Ask the Planet
  2006. The Yahoo Answers blog describes how this feature will work; Each
  weekday a new category will be featured, and each one will be accompanied by a
  question asked by a notable celebrity, expert, or even a featured user. For
  each best answer you receive in the category of the day you will get one entry
  for a chance to win the prize for the day. The full press release can be found
  here and if you want to see the big brain in times square check out…
• Google
  Earth: An Emerging ‘Geobrowser’
  I often hear people say about Google, “Other than search it’s just a bunch of
  ‘me-too’ products.” Whether or not you agree, you have to admit that in the
  case of Earth and Maps that’s clearly not true. Although maps have become an
  important “battleground” in the so-called “search wars,” it’s an area where
  Google has clearly innovated with its developer tools and user experience.
  There were a number of technical things about the new Google Earth rollout
  yesterday that went over my head; I’m not a developer and I was in a room of
  developers and engineers who were…
• New
  Flavor Of Expand & Collapse Results
  Back in April, Google was testing expand and collapse results that contained
  more detailed information about a site when expanded. Then, Google used an
  arrow to expand and collapse the results. New details, I reported at the
  Search Engine Roundtable this morning, shows screen captures of Google now
  testing a similar expand and collapse feature, but this time with using plus
  and minus signs. You can see an image at the Search Engine Roundtable. Want to
  discuss? Join our forum thread named Plus button for more info on results….
• Search
  Companies Energetically Seeking Electricity
  The Wall Street Journal reports that the search companies, including
  Microsoft, Yahoo, Ask and possibly Google are looking to find cheap
  electricity to power all the computers and hardware that power the companies.
  The article says that one large data center can use as much energy as a city
  of 40,000 people! The search companies are looking for locations next to cheap
  energy sources such as former defense bunkers, near hydroelectric plants, and
  other locations where electricity is cheaper. Microsoft’s data center
  consumption of power doubled over the past four years, so this is a serious
  concern for Microsoft and…
• 
  Duplicate Content Solutions
  Yesterday, Bill Slawski wrote about some of the issues with duplicate content
  and how it can hurt your rankings. Todd Malicoat (aka Stuntdubl) followed up
  Bill’s analysis with some solutions for duplicate content issues. The
  combination of Bill’s and Todd’s posts make for the most recent and
  comprehensive duplicate content guide I have possibly ever seen. Both are
  worth a read: + Duplicate Content Issues and Search Engines by Bill Slawski +
  How to Remedy Duplicate Content and Magical % Thinking by Todd Malicoat…
• 
  Submitting Your News Site To Google News
  Google News can drive a nice amount of traffic to a site. A few months ago, I
  had the privilege of having my site included in Google News. Since then others
  have been asking the question, how can I get my news site included in Google
  News? This morning, I did my best to answer the question with a post named
  Getting Into Google News Revisited. I outlined the technical requirements, the
  editorial requirements and what you can do to encourage Google to accept you
  into Google News. If you are interested in Google News inclusion, check it
  out….
• Tips On
  Across The Engines Ranking From SEO Book
  People are beginning to remember again that there are search engines beyond
  Google. This reawakening is one reason why I added the Can You Please Them
  All? session to our upcoming Search Engine Strategies San Jose show next
  August. Aaron Wall over at SEO Book has also clearly seen the renewed interest
  in pleasure more than Google. Out today is his excellent Google vs Yahoo! vs
  MSN Search: Defining Search Engine Relevancy piece today….
• Google
  Earth Won’t Have Distribution Blocked
  Google Earth is out in a new version with new features, as Greg Sterling will
  be detailing more on the blog later today. But meanwhile, Google escapes
  having an injunction against the software. Judge won’t block distribution of
  Google Earth from News.com covers how Google is being sued by Skyline Software
  Systems over a patent dispute on terrain mapping. The judge in the case has
  denied a preliminary injunction request to block downloads of Google Earth….

Other Things We Read, Didn’t Blog But You Might Want To Read…

• 
  More gadgets, more places, Official Google Blog
• 
  Ask.com RSS Search – NOT!, Chris Pirillo
• 
  Yahoo! Web Services blog: Yahoo! Maps? You Don?t Have to Ask, Yahoo
  Developer Network
• TNS Ups Internet Ad
  Spend Forecast, ClickZ
• 
  A kinder, gentler Microsoft, Fortune
• Are
  we too snobbish to deserve a British Google?, Silcon.com
• Google
  News Arabic, Google Blogoscoped
• Top 10 Fastest Ways
  to Squash a Spider, SEOmoz
• Link Vault Banned
  From Google?, Search Engine Journal
• 
  Marissa Mayer’s daily schedule explained, Valleywag
• 
  Microsoft invites UK advertisers into AdCenter, VNUnet
• 
  Microsoft invites UK advertisers into AdCenter, VNUnet
• Social networks
  poised to shape Net’s future, News.com
• 
  Googlebomb Campaign for Egypt Blogger, Google Blogoscoped
• Introducing
  Microformats Search and Pingerati, Technorati