Category: RoundUps

Microsoft Live (Search) Desktop

Microsoft announced its version of an integrated-search desktop that can scour the desktop, corporate network and internet. It’s now available to download. “Windows Live Search” is the tentative title, but the product is apparently separate from the other beta by the same name, which is internet-only search. As Geeking with Greg points out, it sounds very similar to Google’s Desktop Search, a imitation Googler VPs told the AP they long expected.

Google Notebook Live

Google Notebook went live in the labs earlier this week. Downloading the Notebook extension places a shortcut tool (displayed in the bottom right of the browser) with which to scrapbook pages, links, and notes. (One can also login and begin playing with the capture and note-taking tools without the extension, but it remains a bit awkward.)

A Faster, Even Viral Google Video

After an inauspicious start (trumped by YouTube), Google Video is changing gears. Users can now feed their videos directly online, eschewing the desktop upload program and editorial submission time-lag. That’s exactly why YouTube ran ahead, and that’s why Google is responding.

And amid the popularity of the promotional DaVinci Code game (but the movie is getting hammered), Google is trying a viral video marketing venture with the new movie The Break-up. In addition to offering previews, Google is hosting a page where users can share digital shorts of their own humorous trips to splitsville. (John here – does this feel…well…dumb to anyone else?)

Java-to-AJAX Toolkit (for Programmers, with Love from Google)

Google releases the Web Toolkit (Beta) free to the public. The toolkit aims to assist in coding dynamic web applications (like Gmail) by allowing programmers to develop AJAX tools in Java. Helping to navigate a myriad of browser eccentricities, the toolkit features include retaining full Java debugging support for ultimately AJAX apps.

Notebook Snooping

ZDnet goes snooping about the Google Notebook source code and finds some tantalizing bits, or rather hanging questions: Integration with Gmail? Third-party add-ons? Options like in Google Page Creator? (Via Lenssen who also points to a Achewood Cartoon on Google.)

StumbleUpon new sites

StumbleUpon, launched new features early last week, lets users wander through new websites recommended from like-minded users. Still in trial mode, Stumble just added photo, video and Wikipedia stumbling to its Firefox extension. Recently moved to San Francisco from Canada, the start-up just completed an angel round of funding with big tech names. Investor Mitch Kapor remarked in the press release, “Search when you know just what you’re looking for, stumble when you don’t.”

Job Trends at Yahoo, Google

Tracked by the Swiss research group UBS: Google job growth is still explosive–new positions composing 27% of its current headcount, compared with 23% last year–while Yahoo’s has flat-lined (from 12% to 8%). More at GigaOm.

A little innovation at the business school

On the online business journal Knowledge@Wharton, Wharton is internally converting search terms into article labels. Terms that result in an article selection automatically become tags in the related articles box and link to all similar articles. (tip from Kurt Oeler)

List of New Search Patents

…Including eight from Microsoft, two from Yahoo, and two from IBM. From Resource Shelf

Small Biz Bloggers Wanted

Jan Jantsesh is looking for bloggers to join the growing channel network at Duct Tape Marketing. See his post for details.

I’m interviewing Jeff Weiner, who runs Yahoo Search & Marketplace, tomorrow in Detroit. So Yahoo’s analyst day this week is of keen interest. Here are some thoughts from across the web:

Cnet: Focuses on the new ad system, covered here earlier. “Yahoo’s new ad system is designed to let marketers target prospective consumers not only by the search terms the people use, but also by their demographics, location and what they do on other areas of the Yahoo network, executives said.

The system, scheduled to launch in the U.S. in the third quarter, offers enhanced ease of use, advanced testing features, geo-targeting and automated analytics, Tim Cadogan, vice president of search, said during the company’s analyst day in San Francisco on Wednesday. ”



Paid Content: A round up as well, starting with Llyod Braun’s pushing user generated content.

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AdWords on Google Base

The Google Base Blog announced that users can now use AdWords ads to drive traffic to their Base listings, automatically geo-targeted with the keywords targeting based on the ad copy (screenshots, via SEW).

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Melanie has been hard at work poring through feeds, looking for items of interest. She’s already got a bunch of great stuff, and as I’ve been behind, here are some highlights of stories from the past two days:

Adsense is allowing text links for referrals. And Matt is coy about using Toolbar data for search relevance. As I wrote in the book, I think clickstreams could be the next step in relevance.

A major new grassroots net neutrality campaign. Om says it’s missing some angles.

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