Date Archive: September 2006

Last time, I discussed the unclear future direction of Ask.com. Would the search engine cut it’s previous plans to launch and develop a world class platform? TBD. As for now, the only clear conclusion is that Ask wants more traffic and is willing to go to great advertising lengths to get it.
The plot thickens:
At an [...]

Preventing SQL injection isn’t all that hard — yet 11% of sites haven’t got it right yet.

Search data not be used for commercial purposes? Too much money at stake — never going to happen.

When your ads get syndicated out to an advertising network, all bets are off.

Some day, in far distant future — I’d predict about five years out — sites might be able to make reasonable guesses as who is using the site, just by their browsing behavior.

Mixed messages on the future of Ask.com paid search platform. Will Ask ever compete with the big players?

Two tidbits of wisdom from A-list bloggers.

RKG turned three this month. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in three fast years. I’m appreciative of our great clients for their business. And I’m appreciative of the great folks who’ve joined me in this vision. We look forward to sharing where we’re headed.

Shares of Yahoo! closed down 11% after reporting third-quarter results would come in low.

Nice post from Denny Hatch citing Robert Scotton clear web writing: simpler words, shorter sentences, less fog.

Never send informative error messages to the browser.

Google is testing serving AdWords positions 1 and 2 on the right rail for users who don’t click on the ads when they’re atop the organic listings

Google personalized home offered tabs on 14 September.

While much has changed, much of Brett Tabke’s “Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone” suggestions are still valid.

the direct cost of SEM software is dwarfed by two other related costs:
the cost of trained staff to run that software, and the opportunity cost of using that software poorly or well.

Jottings and interesting bits from Debbie Weil’s Corporate Blogging Book

We hope rkgblog makes our firm more transparent, letting folks see who we are, what we’re thinking about, and how we think. So we’re avidly reading some of the more prominent blogging books out there.

Yahoo’s settlement agreement with OMS raises interesting questions about open vs closed auction bidding.

SEM Pricing: Bundled Prices vs A La Carte. Are you better off buying services for SEM, CSE, Affiliate Management, and SEO all under one price structure, or buying each service separately? George Michie discusses the value of the a la carte model.

The etiology of the GBS medical condition (“Google Blinders Syndrome”)

Windows Live, the replacement for MSN Search, is in early beta at www.live.com. I’m going to switch to Live.com for the next week or so as my personalized homepage for browsing feeds to see how it goes.

Been reading about BzzAgent through their many blogs (90days.bzzagent.com, blog.bzzagent.com, oldblog.bzzagent.com) Their transparency is amazing — and inspiring.

Google’s “How Fictitious Clicks Appear In Third-Party Click Fraud Audit Reports” wasn’t attacking those concerned about fraudulent clicks, Google was attacking firms promoting weak methodologies which attempt to estimate fraud. Reading Google’s response was like watching someone shoot fish in a barrel — not at all difficult for the shooter, and decidedly unpleasant for the fish.

I recommend reading The Wisdom Of Crowds as an organizational behavior management book, esp. Chapter 10.

Thoughts on BzzAgent’s Word-Of-Mouth Campaign for Seth Godin’s new book, “Small Is The New Big”