Search Headlines & Links: August 29, 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…

  • Social
    Media Optimization: It’s Like SEO, For Social Sites
    One of the coolest things about the rise of social networking and sharing
    sites like MySpace and YouTube are the new opportunities they offer to
    marketers, even to search marketers. Into that space seems to have come a new
    term, SMO — social media optimization….
  • New
    Search Patent Filings: August 29, 2006 – Yahoo looks at Interactive TV and
    VOIP
    Yahoo patent filings include one detailing bidding for placement in paid
    search filed this past April, another that details a very interactive
    environment for watching television programming, a third describing a method
    of soliciting consumer reviews, and a granted patent for a Voice Over IP (VOIP)
    system that doesn’t require Telephony Interface Cards. Microsoft had two new
    patent applications published, including one which provides a means of
    suggesting alternative spellings for words, and another that interacts with
    searchers to help them construct queries. IBM filed a patent application for
    building social networks within a business organization, and was granted a…
  • Update
    On Coupon Shortcut, Yahoo Adds Cheap Shortcut
    Last week I told you about Yahoo’s new Coupon Shortcut. In that post, I said
    that the comments on Adam Viener’s Revenews post seem to suggest that Coupon
    Cabin is providing the coupon codes, but Chris Saito of Yahoo! Shopping told
    me that Yahoo! “aggregates coupons/rebates from multiple sources but hasn’t
    released specific partners.” When I talked to Chris, he also alerted me to the
    new ‘cheap’ shortcut which highlights products which have been marked down in
    Yahoo! Shopping/Yahoo! Product Submit. Just search for ‘cheap [insert
    product]’. Here are some examples: cheap plasma tv, cheap shirts, cheap
    jeans….

  • InsiderPages’ ‘Answers’
    InsiderPages, one of the top “social directory” sites, has launched its
    equivalent of Yahoo!’s Answers: “Insider Advice.” It’s only available to
    members but allows people to ask open-ended questions of the community. The
    press release offers an explanation and some examples: Posting a question on
    Insider Advice is quick and easy. Members simply click on the Insider Advice
    button, type in a question and hit “submit”. They can add as much detail or
    background to their question as they like. Insider Pages alerts them to
    replies to their queries via email and then they can sit back and read the…
  • AOL
    Launches New Music Store
    Reuters reported yesterday that AOL has lunched a revamped AOL Music portal.
    AOL has reportedly added a new music store and a subscription based service
    that includes “audio and video streaming, programmed radio and downloads that
    can be transferred to compatible digital media players.” The store has over
    2.5 million songs and videos and costs $10 (5 pounds) to $15 a month for
    access to AOL Music Now….
  • Flickr
    Adds Geo Tagging
    Techcrunch reports on the Flickr blog announcement that Flickr has added Geo
    Tagging to their feature set. Geo tagging will enable Flickr users to mark the
    pictures with geographic specific information, this way people can know where
    you took that photo. You can also search for photos within a specific location
    and then refine that search based on a keyword. Flickr has two very useful
    screencasts on (1) how to geotag your own photos and (2) searching and
    exploring geotagged photos. These are neat features, for sure, but I think
    they seriously need to work on making the registration easier…
  • Yahoo
    Revamps Real Estate Portal
    The Yahoo Blog announced that they have revamped Yahoo Real Estate. They have
    also added some more Yahoo Shortcuts that pulls data from Yahoo Real Estate,
    directly on Yahoo Search. For example, a search on suffern, new york mortgage
    rates brings back a Shortcut with a chart of rates, with more links to more
    detailed information. They added some more shortcuts, including a listing
    short cut, so if you search on chicago real estate you get links to Yahoo Real
    Estate, if you search on home values you get a instant home valuation tool, if
    you search on a specific…
  • Stepping
    Down From Search Engine Watch
    I’m leaving Search Engine Watch as of December 1, given that its owner
    Incisive Media and I have been unable to agree on terms to renew my contract.
    I’m also leaving the Search Engine Strategies conference series at the end of
    this year. Leaving Search Engine Watch on my personal blog Daggle explains my
    reasons for departing in more detail. I won’t get all mushy and sad to say
    goodbye to readers yet, since I’m still planning to work just as hard as ever
    for Search Engine Watch through the end of November. I have no news on who
    will…
  • Google,
    Favored Sites, and Editorial Opinion
    There’s a lot of blog coverage of a new patent from Google, System and method
    for supporting editorial opinion in the ranking of search results, which was
    originally filed with the US Patent Office in December of 2000. I’m seeing a
    lot of questions related to the patent……
  • New
    Search Patent Filings: August 28, 2006 – Identifying Web Spam and Adult Images
    New Microsoft patent applications include one that attempts to identify web
    spam based upon signals within the content of a page, another looks at ways to
    search using pattern matching and relevance to answer specific questions, a
    third describes a method of relating people to each other during a search
    based upon things such as being co-authors of documents, a fourth defines a
    process of refining searches based upon previous searches for the same query
    or by providing additional context to searchers, and a fifth allows users or
    communities of users to provide reviews of web pages independently of the…

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