Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: Main Headlines

Google to use Gmail to challenge Facebook

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:01:00 GMT

Google will today announce some big changes to its social media strategy. It is believed these will include changes to Gmail that will allow users to post messages in a similar way to Twitter or Facebook.

That social media sites Facebook and Twitter have a huge potential for advertising in the future will not have gone unnoticed at Mountain View, CA.

Google recently announced that its only social success to date; YouTube, has started to make a profit. Google bought the already successful but loss making YouTube in 2006, and has steadily increased the amount of advertising on the site since.

Google has numerous products that have some form of social aspect to them. Reader, Calendar, Bookmarks and others all encourage sharing, there is a full social network site in Orkut, Google Profiles links in well with Wave the much maligned collaboration tool. Then let's not forget SideWiki which allows users to leave messages on any site via a browser add-on.

The problem that Google has had is that these products have been too disparate. There hasn't been a single combining element that has allowed all the best features to appear in one single interface in a way that could compete with Facebook. It sounds like Google is attempting to make up for lost time now.

Before a speculative guess at what Google may be announcing today, it is worth pointing out that both Microsoft and Yahoo! have already attempted to introduce social features to their mail services. Neither attempt has been particularly well thought out or successful.

Google is less likely to go down the same route as the other big payers, or at least if they do go down the same route, they'll go much further.

Linking up Gmail and Profiles is the obvious first step and adding additional social functionality to Profiles would be a simple second but in order to really make things work, it'll have to do something extra that Facebook or Twitter doesn't already do. That's the tricky part and one even Google doesn't always get right. See Google Wave as an example.

Expect something with status updates today, linking up two or three Google properties but don't expect too much functionality straight away. Google's normal modus operandi is to launch, test the water and add more as time goes on.

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Advertising sector expected to return to growth

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:13:00 GMT

The advertising sector is expected to return to growth in Q3, spurred by increasing revenues from both cinema and internet advertising.

Alongside most industries, the advertising industry has been in a recession. However, industry experts are expecting it to come out of recession by the end of the third quarter in 2010, according to newly released figures from the Advertising Association and research company Warc.

According to the figures, advertising spend is expected to return to growth with spending expected to rise by around 2.8 per cent.

The advertising industry has been in recession since Q2 in 2008 and - if it returns to growth in Q3 of this year - it will have endured nine negative quarters.

Although the industry fell into a decline, two sectors saw growth during Q3 of last year, internet advertising and cinema advertising.

Internet advertising rose by 4.2 per cent year on year while spending on cinema advertising increased by a massive 10.2 per cent year on year.

Even though cinema spend rose, it wasn't all good news for the entertainment industries - TV advertising revenue fell by 12 per cent during the quarter, with radio following close behind.

However the sector to get hurt the most was press, with advertising spend falling by 21 per cent year on year. It is thought that the decline of the press is directly related to the growth of the internet, with more and more advertisers taking advantage of the expanding online advertising market.

Rufus Olins, chief executive of Warc, said, "There is clear evidence that the UK 's worst media recession in three decades was bottoming out by autumn 2009, and prospects for a return to growth in ad spend later this year are now good. However, as recent UK economic data has shown, the recovery is still fragile."

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Facebook drives mobile web boost

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A new study has revealed that Facebook is leading the way when it comes to mobile web use, with the social networking site gathering more hits on the go than search king Google.

The GSMA Mobile Media Metrics report provides insight into mobile web use, and its first findings, released on Friday, revealed that Facebook was leading the way, with five million unique users accessing the site from mobile devices. Google was hot on its heels however, with 4.5 million users accessing its various sites.

According to the report, around 16 million people - more than 25 per cent of the UK's population - were using their phones to surf the web in December 2009. This increasing number could have something to do with the fact that one fifth of UK mobile subscribers are the proud owners of smartphones. However, the way in which the general public has chosen to put their high-powered pocket organisers to use may be a shock to some.

Facebook also topped the charts when it came to the number of minutes spent on the site:

Number of minutes mobile users spent on sites:

1) Facebook 2.2 bn
2) Google 396m
3) Microsoft Sites 166m
4) Orange Sites 139m
5) AOL (and Bebo) 106m
6) Apple 104m
7) Vodafone 89m
8) BBC sites 84m
9) Flirtomatic 55m
10) Yahoo! sites 49m

The report was undertaken with comScore as well as operators O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and 3UK. It was based on anonymised, census-level data for mobile Internet usage across a number of mobile networks. This was then augmented with demographic data that has been collected with the consent of a representative sample of mobile Internet users.

One thing is certainly clear from the results; Facebook has stolen the heart - and time - of the UK's mobile users. Maybe they're finding the answers to all of their questions on the social networking site? Or maybe making and keeping friends is more important than ever, now that the internet is ever-present.

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Facebook signs new ad deal with Microsoft

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:49:00 GMT

Social networking giant Facebook has signed a new advertising deal with Microsoft to regain control of its display ads and integrate Bing more fully into the site's search engine.

Smart Company reports that Microsoft will continue to sell text-based search ads on the social networking site, but the decision was made to replace Microsoft's banner ads with Facebook's own as these were felt to integrate better into the site's culture. Facebook's banner ads target users based on information in their personal profiles, and the company stated that this move will provide better value to its nearly 400 million users.

Facebook stated: "Ad formats that feature social actions perform better and provide a better user experience since they are more consistent with the look and feel of Facebook.

"This combination of targeting and social relevance is the primary driver behind the shift in strategy."

The original advertising deal between the companies lasted until 2011, but has been halted early and will see Microsoft's banner ads being taken down over the next month. Microsoft will instead re-focus its efforts on powering Facebook's search function with its Bing search engine.

Facebook explained: "Bing will continue to exclusively power the web search results on Facebook. This change will also enable Microsoft to continue its focus on driving strong performing campaigns across our own social media and communications tools, including Windows Live Messenger and Hotmail, and via rich content environments across MSN and Xbox Live."

No financial details of this changed partnership have been revealed, but analysts believe that some financial element will be included, as the social networking giant has recently put more emphasis on its internal figures. Microsoft became a Facebook shareholder in 2007 after paying $240 million (approx £154 million) for a 1.6 per cent stake.

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Does Google's Super Bowl Ad raise awkward questions for YouTube?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:48:00 GMT

When the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, used Twitter to suggest that "Hell has indeed frozen over", speculation began that Google was about to do something it's never done before - run an ad. In fact, Eric pointed our attention directly at the Super Bowl.

Sure enough; Google ran its first ever TV ad during the Super Bowl.

There's no doubt. It's a very Google ad. It's simple but effective and showcases the power of Google's Universal Search solution.

This morning, many popular blogs are displaying the ad as a video embed. The ability to let bloggers display YouTube videos was one of the keys to the video sharing site's success. It's great social media.

But what about search? This morning this writer fired up YouTube and started searching for the video. Search terms like "Google super bowl ad" turned up nothing. In fact, Google's chosen to title the 52-second long video ad "Parisian Love" rather than something more topical.

Now, just a few hours later, the same search produces parodies and copies but does not point to the original.

The problem is not that YouTube's own search function can be slow and awkward at times. The problem is that users don't always search for videos using keywords the advertiser/video producer expected - although, surely, in this case Google might well have thought to use "This was Google's Super Bowl ad" in the video's description.

One of the likely reasons the phrase does not appear in Parisian Love's description is that the video was originally uploaded to YouTube on the 19th of November in 2009.

YouTube didn't really give Google an easy way to reinforce the old video's very important and very real time connection to the Super Bowl ad. In today's advertising world, where ad buyers are increasingly looking at ways to use YouTube to maximise value from video productions, this is a problem.

Does Google's Super Bowl Ad raise awkward questions for YouTube?

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Google unveils plans for tablet to rival iPad

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:25:00 GMT

Never one to stand idly by while competitors garner industry hype, Google has unveiled concept designs for its own version of Apple's iPad.

CNN Money reports that it is unlikely Google's tablet will be available until at least 2011, but preliminary designs have already been posted to chromium.org, the website of Google Chrome OS.

Observing the design mock-up, CNN explained: "The designs showed a user interface that includes large, square icons and controls, navigation tabs on the side and the ability to run multiple programs in separate, side-by-side windows at once.

"The tablet running Google Chrome OS would also include a virtual keyboard at the bottom of the screen or a keyboard that could be opened in a separate window that could be placed in different areas of the screen. Applications would be placed at the bottom edge of the screen and could be opened with an upward dragging motion."

Google's much-anticipated open source operating system is set to launch in the second half of 2010, and according to chromium.org it has been optimised for tablets with a five- to 10-inch screen, though it could also work on other devices. Google is reportedly still focusing its operating system principally towards the netbook market, as originally announced, but Chrome developers have stated that the OS "could eventually scale to a wide variety of devices," which presumably includes tablet computers.

A Google spokesperson recently stated: "Google Chrome OS is still in development and we are constantly experimenting with various user interfaces to determine what designs would produce the best user experience."

As was the case with Google's Nexus One smartphone, which was built by HTC, it seems likely that Google will look to partner with one or more hardware manufacturers to design and produce the Mountain View giant's answer to the iPad.

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Microsoft brings more than Bing to London

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:12:00 GMT

Microsoft is serious about Search and serious about the looming Google threat. Even as Google attacks the software giant with cloud based alternatives to desktop software, Microsoft fights back by pushing and promoting its new search engine Bing.

Seemingly to good effect, ComScore reported in January that Bing's market share was up another half a percent.

While Microsoft clearly has its sights set firmly on search, it is also true that the company is active in the wider picture. A good example of this is Bing's presence in Search Engine Strategies - a global search engine marketing expo to arrive in London in February this year. Microsoft's representative in the search marketing community, Mel Carson, will be attending and involved in more than the usual SEO, PPC and search marketing conversations.

Carson will be chairing both the "Social Media 101" and the "Social Media & the Marketing Mix" sessions on Day 2. Speaking exclusively for bigmouthmedia, Mel Carson explained why Microsoft sees social media as an important element in the marketing mix.

"From a B2B perspective we've been engaged in social media marketing for over 4 years through our blogs and forums, and more recently on Twitter adCenter, MSAdvertising and Facebook too. There's no getting away from the fact the internet has given consumers a platform to stand up and be heard and it's crucial that brands and businesses listen to their customers and react accordingly.

"There are piles of data out there that companies can mine for insight into how they can be better at what they do. And there are armies of people willing to contribute to and share your businesses success. If social media platforms are the tools, then social media marketing is the discipline than marketers have to get into the groove with or get left behind."

Carson, who looks after the Microsoft Advertising Blog, also sees the chance in Search Engine Strategies to remind prominent search advertisers about Bing. He said: "Bing is obviously a huge bet for us right now and the feedback we keep getting is amazingly positive.

"We've known for some time that the quality of the traffic our advertisers get through our PPC platform adCenter is second to none, it's just the volume was so low. Bing is our response to that gap.

"We've figured out a way to grow share but also provide a different experience for our users by addressing some of the fundamental issues with search engines to date like actually helping you make the right decision quicker. Research says that 40% of queries get no answers. Bing is about helping you get where you want to go quicker and more efficiently."

Carson also revealed that Peter Maxmin will outline the thought process behind the new search experience and why it is beneficial to PPC advertisers and SEO effort at SES.

As the UK economy begins its recovery it looks likely corporate investment in digital advertising will hasten. Officials from Search Engine Strategies say the conference is already more popular than the 2009 event and with the predicted last minute surge in ticket sales still a week away.

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US Government agency to analyse Google attacks

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:13:00 GMT

In an unprecedented meeting, the world's largest web search company, Google, will be coming to an information-sharing agreement with the National Security Agency, a powerful digital surveillance department of the United States government.

Ellen Nakashima, writing for the Washington Post, reported that while the deal has yet to be finalised, it looks set to allow the NSA to analyse Google's recent victimisation in an espionage hack-attack that originated in China.

Though both Google and the NSA refused to speak to the Post about the tentative agreement, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C Blair called the recent attacks a "wake up call" for the search company and that the web needs a "collaborative effort that incorporates both the U.S. private sector and our international partners."

The NSA has existed for over 50 years in the US, and functions to intercept and analyse communications both domestic and abroad. The department has drawn criticism in the years since 9/11, as former president George W. Bush authorised the tapping of phones without obtaining a warrant.

Google is turning to the government agency after announcing in January that its systems had been compromised in a series of attacks late last year. Targeting the firm's source code, the infiltration reached more than 30 other companies, as well as select Gmail accounts worldwide.

The incident brought rising tensions with the Chinese government after Google threatened to cease operations in the Far East country. The company wants to operate in the country unfettered, though no new terms have been come to with China.

The Post reported that Google approached the NSA shortly after these attacks, and that it would mark the first of any information-sharing agreement with the agency, after refusing to work with the NSA on its Terrorist Surveillance Program.

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Twitter resets targeted accounts after phishing scam

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:49:00 GMT

After once again becoming the target of malicious individuals on the web, Twitter has reset all accounts affected by a phishing scam perpetrated by phony torrent sites.

According to a blogpost by Twitter, the company suspects file-sharing torrent sites of compromising users' login details. Specifically, it believes several torrent sites - designed by one person or one group of people and sold to enterprises looking to establish their own download site - that require login details, have been exploiting users' propensity to share email/password combinations across multiple sites.

"[The designer of the sites] waited for the forums and sites to get popular and then used those exploits to get access to the username, email address, and password of every person who had signed up," the company said, citing systems rife with "security exploits and backdoors throughout" facilitating the theft.

As users - against the warnings of web security experts - often share login details across many different websites, the rogue programmer may have used the sensitive information to log in to third party sites, the company said.

This news comes on the heels of security firm Sophos' annual threat report, which assesses past breaches in Internet security and forecasts for the year ahead. A survey conducted for the report identifies social networking sites as the prime source for concern over corporate web activity.

Though Facebook garnered the highest amount of contempt, Twitter was listed as third, following MySpace, according to Sophos.

Twitter said: "We haven't identified all of the forums involved (nor is it likely that we'll be able to, since we don't have any connection with them), but as a general rule, if you've signed up for a torrent forum or torrent site built by a third party, you should probably change your password there."

Password reset requests were sent to anyone thought to be targeted, and the popular social site also encouraged users to select unique passwords and user names for each site they join.

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Google releases Nexus One software updates

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:48:00 GMT

Google has released a multi-touch software update for its Nexus One 'superphone'. In addition to enabling multi-touch functionality on a number of applications, this update aims to fix problems with 3G connectivity.

NYTimes.com reports that the multi-touch update has been anticipated since Google launched its smartphone last month, and that some users in Europe had already found ways to activate the function ahead of the update. Multi-touch improves ease of access, allowing pinch-to-zoom style navigation in applications such as Google Maps, web browsers and the photo gallery.

Other updates to Google Maps include synchronisation of "starred items" between different versions of the phone and personal computers. The device's built-in web browser will also offer search suggestions that take into account a user's previous search history, improving the user experience.

However, perhaps the most significant aspect of the update is its fixing of the problem that saw poor performance on the phone's 3G connection - a hot topic on the Nexus One forum. Google has announced that this new software update will "improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones."

Google informed users: "In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone's notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones - and most users might not receive the notification until the end of the week. We hope you enjoy these new features and look forward to your feedback."

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