Featured posts from the Search Engine Watch blog, as well as our customary search headlines from around the web. If you’re not familiar with our blog, click on any of the links below, or visit the blog’s home page at.
MSN Windows Live Search Getting Answers Service; May Partner Or Acquire Eurekster
Via Threadwatch, Microsoft Gets Social from BusinessWeek has news that Microsoft may be buying or partnering with Eurekster to bring social search features to its MSN Window Live Search service. An question answering service is also coming.
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Terrorists & Extremists Worry About Their Search Privacy
Worried that governments might spy on you through search engines? So are terrorist and extremist groups. Terrorists’ Web Chatter Shows Concern About Internet Privacy from the Washington Post covers how one extremist web site warns against using Google and the Google Toolbar (which the post calls a relatively new product. It’s been around since at least 2001).
Talking With Frucall, New Comparison Shopping Service For Your Phone
Frucall, a mobile shopping comparison service, launched in beta last week. There’s already been some good coverage.
I’ve tested Frucall for books and electronics and found the system fairly easy to use (figuring out bar codes turned out to be the most difficult part of the process). More importantly, when I tested Frucall in a local BestBuy, the service consistently delivered competitive prices. I’m still waiting for a barcode scanner to attach to my phone (as I believe this product exists in Japan), but Frucall is a solid solution.
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Traffic-Power Case Against SEO Book Dismissed
A bit of catch-up, Aaron Wall of SEO Book notes that the case against him filed by Traffic-Power.com was tossed out of court on jurisdiction issues. Traffic-Power has 30 days to appeal, but Aaron’s hopeful this means the case is over. The case against Traffic Power Sucks has yet to be resolved, he also notes. For background on the Traffic-Power suits against both TrafficPowerSucks and SEO Book’s Aaron Wall, see these past posts:
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Google’s Chinese Censorship “Absolutely The Right Move,” Says CEO Schmidt
Wow. Google’s apparently not feeling bad about censoring for China anymore. When it happened, there was all that hand-wringing about balancing a compromised mission versus not being there at all. Google even created an evil scale to decide just how bad censoring would be. Now along with news of Google’s new Chinese name, Google Blogoscoped points to an Associated Press article where Google CEO Eric Schmidt is quoted as saying the decision was “absolutely the right one.”
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DNS Cache Poisoning & Hijacking Search Results
I reported earlier this morning that some scam artists are using DNS Cache Poisoning to redirect your PPC and organic listings to other pages. First reports of this come from WebmasterWorld, where it has been documented that an advertiser was targeted and exploited. Basically, the attacker will poison your DNS cache (if it is possible) and then “redirect a popular search engine to a pop-up ad site,” or something similar.
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Yahoo Publisher Network Launches YPNBlog.com
The Yahoo Publisher Network has jumped on the blogging bandwagon and launched their own blog at YPNBlog.com. They plan to keep the publisher community up-to-date with news, tips and advice, publisher profiles and interviews, a weekly Publisher Spotlight, as well as guest columnists writing on issues important to YPN publishers.
There is a full rundown on the new blog at JenSense or you can visit the blog here.
Gary Price Takes On Anti-Tagging Role
Former SEW news editor Gary Price is pretty well known for being dubious about tagging. Why here he goes again after a Newsweek cover story on the topic. Gary’s now at Ask, of course, but it turns out he’s moonlighting on the anti-tagging front. More details are covered this Denver Post story that Chris Sherman passed along to me, explaining how Gary Price has overseen the 2.4 million square feet of paint used to cover tagging in the city.