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  Daily Search Forum Recap: June 1, 2010

  Posted: June 1st, 2010, 11:00pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Search Forum Recap  

  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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  Report: Google Dropping Windows OS Due To Security Issues

  Posted: June 1st, 2010, 3:17pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Other Google Topics  

  Let me start of by saying that although this post is not SEO related, I couldn't resist. I am a big Mac guy and pretty anti-Windows - I have been this way since I was under ten. So I can't pass this up.

  The Financial Times reports Google is no longer allowing the Windows operating system on their computers. No desktops will have them and only laptops with special permission will have Windows installed on them. The article alludes to the Google being hacked by Chinese earlier as one of the reasons Google no longer wants Windows OS on their computers and network.

  Anonymous Google employees told them:

  We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort.

  Many people have been moved away from [Windows] PCs, mostly towards Mac OS, following the China hacking attacks.

  FT.com added, "in early January, some new hires were still being allowed to install Windows on their laptops, but it was not an option for their desktop computers. Google would not comment on its current policy."

  This is currently the number one story on Techmeme and I have yet to see an official response from Google on this as of yet.

  Forum discussion at DigitalPoint Forums.

  
  

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  Google Increased The Title Tag Limit To 70 Characters?

  Posted: June 1st, 2010, 3:08pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google Optimization  

  A WebmasterWorld thread says that Google has increased the title tag limit from 66 characters to 70 characters. By that I mean, some are reporting Google is showing the blue clickable link with a maximum character limit of up to 70 characters, which is up from 66.

  Some are even saying that the title tag is wrapping to the second line. Personally, I do not see that but I am seeing some titles that are up to 69 characters and I am sure if I dig around enough I can find some that are 70 characters long.

  Tedster, the WebmasterWorld administrator, validated this observation by saying:

  I think you're right - I am seeing 70 characters on some titles, although in my browser, it's still just one line. Can't say for sure when that change happened, though.

  Some are saying this dates back to March but I am not sure if anyone noticed back then.

  Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

  
  

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  Did Google Beef Up Their Interest Based Ads?

  Posted: June 1st, 2010, 2:58pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google AdSense  

  Yesterday I was searching for [ipad cases] and then have been noticing AdSense ads with ads for iPad Cases, even though the ads were not relevant to content on that page.

  I then spotted a thread on WebmasterWorld from the AdSense moderator, martinibuster who said the same thing but dug deeper. First let me show you what I mean and then I'll share martinibuster's comments.

  I was searching for [ipad cases] and clicked on a bunch of search results. I then was checking some feeds and web sites and noticed ads for iPad cases, such as this one:

  So it seems to work and work quickly. Try it yourself. Search for something that would generate ads in Google, then go to a web site with AdSense ads on them. They should show you interest based ads, which technically launched a year ago. I should note that AdSense publishers can choose to disable IAB (interest based ads) from showing on their sites.

  Now, read martinibuster's post:

  I have been clicking AdSense ads like a chicken on corn for the past two weeks. I've been researching fishing gear and keep seeing these ads for fishing outlets and sales on fishing gear.

  I needed photos for a project I'm working on. Researched at different sites. Then I started seeing ads for discounts on stock royalty free photos at leading websites. My fingers started clicking on ads everywhere I went, chasing down offers like 10 free and 15% discounts.

  I have never clicked on ads before. Since IAB rolled out I have clicked on dozens of ads. I buy stuff online. So yes, I have made purchases as a result of the IBA's. I was researching my purchases. Ads for discounts popped up. For me, as a consumer, IAB worked.

  Is IAB resulting in an increase in earnings for me? No. I have not noticed a dramatic increase in earnings. But I'm not seeing a decrease either. Earnings are doing fine, but I can't say positively whether that is a result of IAB because I have not seen a dramatic lift in earnings.

  I am not saying that IAB is a good thing. I am only stating that for the first time in my life I am clicking on AdSense ads.

  Do you agree? I mean there is something a bit creepy about seeing ads on third-party sites based on your Google search query. But there is also something nice about it as well.

  Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

  
  

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  Is Google News Getting Spammy?

  Posted: June 1st, 2010, 2:46pm CEST by rustybrick

  Tags:  Google Search Engine  

  Over the past month or so, I have seen an increase in the number of complaint posts in the Google News Help Forum. Now, these complaints are mostly complaints about spam sites or irrelevant sites coming up in people's news alerts on Google News.

  The thing is, there have always been complaints. Just it seems the complaints have increased. The increase can be due to a number of reasons, including but not limited to:

  • More people using the forums
  • More people using Google News
  • More spam in Google News
  • A broken algorithm but we know that got better

  So I won't go out and say Google News is now worse than it was three months ago. But I will point out the Google News forum is much more active, in regards to spam reports, than it was three months ago.

  Michael Martinez who has a keen eye to stuff like this posted a complaint in the Google News Help forum, which did not receive a response. He wrote:

  Over the past few weeks I have increasingly found personal blog "articles" populating Google News query results (I mean, news.google.com and not news injections in Google's Web search results).

  These articles are usually irrelevant, ill-informed, opinionated, foofy, frivolous, amateur thought-meanderings that don't even remotely resemble news stories.

  I'm sure you're trying to improve the service but this is NOT an improvement. I rely on Google News Search every day for both personal and professional research. The noise-to-signal ratio is screamingly out of balance.

  Please undo whatever you did to include all this useless fluff from personal blogs in Google News Search.

  Do you think Google News is any less relevant than a few months ago? If so, why?

  Forum discussion at Google News Help.