Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
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Daily Search Forum Recap: January 12, 2010
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 10:00pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Search Forum Recap
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Google Adding Favicons to Webmaster Tools Site List?
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 2:51pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Google Optimization
A DigitalPoint Forums thread has an image of Google adding Favorite Icons (favicons) in the site list. I personally do not see them, but here is a picture from the thread:
I am pretty sure this is new, because the favicons are not showing up in my Webmaster Tools console.
What does this do for you? Not much - but it does help you differentiate the sites in the list a bit faster.
Forum discussion at DigitalPoint Forums.
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Google AdWords Refund Bug for Pre-Pay Advertisers
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 2:40pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Google AdWords
There are always complaints from Google AdWords advertisers about not being able to be refunded for one reason or another. A new Google AdWords Help thread reports the issue in detail, with the use of a video.
Google said there is a bug with refunding advertisers who have used pre-paid account. AdWordsPro Sarah said:
The reason you are unable to cancel your account is because there is a bug affecting some prepay advertisers that prevents us from issuing a full refund when you cancel your account. We are aware of the issue and should have it fixed shortly- at which time you can close your account and get your money back.
About 1 minute and 15 seconds into the video it shows the issue with getting a refund:
Again, this is a Google bug they acknowledge. They said they will fix it soon, but there is currently no ETA for that.
Forum discussion at Google AdWords Help.
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Google SafeSearch May Block Graphic Dental & Surgery Images
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 2:32pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Other Google Topics
A Google Webmaster Help thread has the owner of NYCDentist.com (great domain by the way) complaining his images are being blocked by Google's SafeSearch filter.
He said:
I personally write and publish NYCdentist.com, which offers over 2,500 pages of free content in academic dentistry. The content shows dental procedures including surgery in detail based upon visitor choices. There is NO sexual content in all 2,500 pages
I didn't know this, but it does make sense, Google may block "particularly graphic or violent" images. And if you look at some of the images on that site, I think some of you may get a bit queazy in the stomach. But what is interesting to me, is that the dentists don't see it that way. I have a dentist right next to me in my office building. He borrowed my camera once to take before and after pictures. I had to email those pictures to him afterwards and let me tell you, they were extremely graphic!
In any event, Googler, Susan Moskwa said:
I'll pass this along, but FYI SafeSearch filters non just sexually-related content, but also stuff that's particularly graphic or violent. Some of your surgery photos may be graphic enough that they fall under our filtering criteria. I'll try to get some more feedback on this from the Image Search team. Thanks for reporting this here.
So technically, I am not sure where this would fall - but personally, I would not like to see these images come up for a search on [teeth].
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.
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Yahoo To Kill Shopping API & Outsource to PriceGrabber, Not Bing
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 2:24pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Yahoo Search Marketing
Yahoo quietly announced they are discontinuing their Yahoo Shopping API, because they are going to be outsourcing the Yahoo Shopping component of their site to PriceGrabber.com. Greg Sterling has excellent questions and observations about this decision. The main question is why isn't Bing going to power this search feature?
On a webmaster note, just look at the first comment in the Yahoo announcement:
This is very disappointing to me. Several of my web apps depend on the API it for their real-time data needs. Pricegrabber is not a replacement. I suppose this means I'm collaterally going to shut down my own services as well. A big sarcastic "thanks" goes out to the Yahoo team for this.
A WebmasterWorld thread both sympathizes with those in this trap and also somewhat mocks them. For example one said, "This is yet another lesson for lazy or naive webmasters that build their sites around the services provided by third parties (mostly by Google in these days)."
incrediBILL adds, "The most amusing part is it probably requires no maintenance to leave the API function as-is." httpwebwitch explained the other value in this API:
The Yahoo! Shopping API is/was a really good product, too. Well designed, with massive amounts of excellent data. One of the best data API's out there, IMHO - I've often used it as an example when teaching others about APIs and XML.
I have several apps out there that depend on it, and projects in development that also rely on it. All those projects will be scrapped.
This is not the first time some webmasters were 'burned' by using a free and open API.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
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Baidu's Domain Name Snatched by Hackers For Four Hours
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 2:09pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Other Search Engines
Imagine going to Google.com and seeing that it has been hacked and taken over by hackers? That is what happened to Chinese searchers, with their favorite search engine, Baidu. @mranti snapped a picture of the Baidu home page, when it was hacked:
The news can be found on Techmeme, but in short, it seems like they took over Baidu's domain name for about four hours. Now, when I go to Baidu.com it redirects me to http://202.108.22.5/, which is a server operated by Baidu.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
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Google Webmaster Tools Sends Out Google Ad Planner Ad?
Posted: January 12th, 2010, 1:55pm CET by rustybrick
Tags: Other Google Topics
Back in 2007, Google released a message center in Google Webmaster Tools. It was used for penalty notifications, hacks, exploits, bandwidth issues, and many other webmaster oriented technical issues.
Today, I log into my Google Webmaster Tools account to find, what appears to me, as Google Ad Planner advertisements. Now, I am a big fan of Ad Planner, it is a really neat, free tool. But it just didn't seem incredibly webmaster related, on the technical side. I received about six of these "messages", each for a different site.
Here is what they said:
Increase Your Website's Visibility with AdvertisersJanuary 7, 2010
Dear Webmaster Tools User,
If your website accepts advertising, we invite you to increase your site's visibility with advertisers in Google Ad Planner, a free media planning tool used by tens of thousands of media planners and buyers. This is done through the Google Ad Planner Publisher Center, a section within Ad Planner that lets you take charge of your site profile.
THREE STEPS TO VIEW YOUR SITE PROFILE
To see how your site profile looks in Google Ad Planner, follow these steps:
1. Visit www.google.com/adplanner
2. Type your site's URL into the blue box that says "View a site listing"
3. Hit "enter" to get to your site's profile
If your site profile is not complete, don't worry, we have lots of ways for you to add information to the profile.EIGHT WAYS TO UPDATE YOUR SITE PROFILE
Use the Google Ad Planner Publisher Center at www.google.com/adplanner/publisher to make your profile more complete. For example, you can claim your domains or subdomains, write a site description, provide a URL for advertising, and update your site's content categories and ad specifications.
You can also opt-in your site's Google Analytics data, invite additional users to edit and maintain your site, and promote your profile with a Google Ad Planner Site Badge.
GET STARTED
Sign in with your Google Account today at www.google.com/adplanner/publisher to get started.
-- The Google Ad Planner Team
I have some pictures here and here.
Again, this is likely useful information, but just doesn't seem all that technically relevant to the Google Webmaster Tools area.
Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Tools.