Shareable Google News badges for your favorite topics

Google Important Links ********************** It's war as Google aims to pip Apple in the new tech race By John Meagher Saturday August 20 2011 Apple became the world's most valuable company just 12 days ago, worth an estimated $337bn (e235bn). Yet, no sooner had it pipped oil firm Exxon in the rich stakes than another behemoth was flexing its muscles. On Monday, Google stunned the technology world by acquiring Motorola Mobility in a massive $12.5bn (€8.7bn) deal. It's a move that almost certainly means the search engine giant is going after Apple's lucrative hardware market -- chiefly smartphones and tablet computers...   ***************   August 19, 2011, 12:01 PM ET Dealpolitik: Google Is Taking a Big Risk on Motorola M&A is all about taking risk. And Google can afford a lot of it. You’ve probably read that Google has agreed to pay an eye-popping $2.5 billion to Motorola Mobility—or 20% of the purchase price– if Google can’t make it past the government gauntlet...  ***************   Official Google Webmaster Central Blog Introducing new and improved sitelinks Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:15 PM PDT Webmaster level: All This week we launched an update to sitelinks to improve the organization and quality of our search results. Sitelinks are the two columns of links that appear under some search results and ads that help users easily navigate deeper into the site. Sitelinks haven’t changed fundamentally: they’re still generated and ranked algorithmically based on the link structure of your site, and they’ll only appear if useful for a particular query. Sitelinks before today’s changes Here’s how we’ve improved sitelinks with today’s launch: Visibility. The links have been boosted to full-sized text, and augmented with a green URL and one line of text snippet, much like regular search results. This increases the prominence of both the individual sitelinks and the top site overall, making them easier to find. Flexibility. Until now, each site had a fixed list of sitelinks that would either all appear or not appear; there was no query-specific ranking of the links. With today’s launch, sitelink selection and ranking can change from query to query, allowing more optimized results. In addition, the maximum number of sitelinks that can appear for a site has been raised from eight to 12, and the number shown also varies by query. Clarity. Previously, pages from your site could either appear in the sitelinks, in the regular results, or both. Now we’re making the separation between the top domain and other domains a bit clearer. If sitelinks appear for the top result, then the rest of the results below them will be from other domains. One exception to this is if the top result for a query is a subpart of a domain. For instance, the query [the met exhibitions] has www.metmuseum.org/special/ as the top result, and its sitelinks are all from within the www.metmuseum.org/special section of the site. However, the rest of the results may be from other parts of the metmuseum.org domain, like store.metmuseum.org or blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/about. Quality. These user-visible changes are accompanied by quality improvements behind the scenes. The core improvement is that we’ve combined the signals we use for sitelinks generation and ranking -- like the link structure of your site -- with our more traditional ranking system, creating a better, unified algorithm. From a ranking perspective, there’s really no separation between “regular” results and sitelinks anymore. Sitelinks after today’s changes These changes are also reflected in Webmaster Tools, where you can manage the sitelinks that appear for your site. You can now suggest a demotion to a sitelink if it’s inappropriate or incorrect, and the algorithms will take these demotions into account when showing and ranking the links (although removal is not guaranteed). Since sitelinks can vary over time and by query, it no longer makes sense to select from a set list of links -- now, you can suggest a demotion of any URL for any parent page. Up to 100 demotions will be allowed per site. Finally, all current sitelink blocks in Webmaster Tools will automatically be converted to the demotions system. More information can be found in our Webmaster Tools Help Center. It’s also worth mentioning a few things that haven’t changed. One-line sitelinks, where sitelinks can appear as a row of links on multiple results, and sitelinks on ads aren’t affected. Existing best practices for the link structure of your site are still relevant today, both for generating good quality sitelinks and to make it easier for your visitors. And, as always, you can raise any questions or comments in our Webmaster Help Forum. Written by Harvey Jones, Software Engineer, & Raj Krishnan, Product Manager, Sitelinks team  ***************   Official Google Webmaster Central Blog

---

New webmaster tutorial videos

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:35 AM PDT

Webmaster level: All

Over the past couple of years, we’ve released over 375 videos on our YouTube channel, with the majority of them answering direct questions from webmasters. Today, we’re starting to release a freshly baked batch of videos, and you might notice that some of these are a little different. Don’t worry, they still have Matt Cutts in a variety of colored shirts. Instead of only focusing on quick answers to specific questions, we’ve created some longer videos which cover important webmaster-related topics. For example, if you were wondering what the limits are for 301 redirects at Google, we now have a single video for that:



Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this round. You can be the first to hear about the new videos as they’re released by subscribing to our channel or following us on Twitter.

Posted by Michael Wyszomierski, Search Quality Team

***************

Official Google Webmaster Central Blog

---

A new, improved form for reporting webspam

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 01:47 PM PDT

Webmaster level: All

Everyone on the web knows how frustrating it is to perform a search and find websites gaming the search results. These websites can be considered webspam - sites that violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and try to trick Google into ranking them highly. Here at Google, we work hard to keep these sites out of your search results, but if you still see them, you can notify us by using our webspam report form. We’ve just rolled out a new, improved webspam report form, so it’s now easier than ever to help us maintain the quality of our search results. Let’s take a look at some of our new form’s features:....

***************

Google rolls out experimental Hotel Finder

Caleb Garling August 1, 2011

Google Hotel Finder aims to make planning your next trip easier and perhaps cheaper.

Perhaps one of Google’s most interesting (or annoying, depending on your perspective) qualities is a willingness to release half-baked products and make changes on the fly. Today Google released Hotel Finder and called it an “experimental search tool.” Like newly released Google Plus, there is a “Send Feedback” link prominently displayed; the company acknowledges it won’t be perfect....

***************

Google Denied Bid To Have Internal Android Memo Sealed

TECHNOLOGY AUGUST 1, 2011, 5:53 P.M. ET

By JOHN LETZING

Google Inc. was denied a bid to have an internal memo that proposed licensing Oracle Corp.'s Java software sealed and redacted from the public record, as part of litigation over Google's use of Java in its Android mobile phone software...

***************

Google cuts deal for Dealmap
Can I get a discount for some Groupon envy treatment?

By Cade Metz in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Financial News, 1st August 2011 23:52 GMT

Free whitepaper – CA application performance management

Google has acquired Dealmap, a California-based startup that will fuel Mountain View's efforts to mimic Groupon.
Launched in May 2010, Dealmap aggregates "daily deals" from hundreds of sources, and according to the company, its various services are now used by over 2 million people...

***************

Google History... I love this must see...

The Google Story from Studio Hansa. on Vimeo.

SEO Firm Sells Google 'Plus Ones' for Profit

July 29, 2011 10:15am By Jill Duffy

A new search engine optimization firm called Plussems is offering package deals on Google +1 button clicks, The Atlantic reported this week.
The +1 button, which Google launched earlier this year, lets online users who hold a Google account vote up or give kudos to a site, search result, or online advertisement...

****************

Google refines search experience for big-fingered tablet owners

By Joseph Volpe posted Jul 29th 2011 10:12PM

Having trouble selecting those tiny links with your big, ol' digits on that swanked-out slab? Don't you worry, Google's just made some slate-friendly improvements to its bread and butter search site, and it's available for iPad and Honeycomb 3.1+ users...

********************

Jul 29th 2011

Google Knows What Chicago Bears Don’t – Vernon Gholston is a Bust

AUTHOR: Boomer | IN: Free Agency | COMMENTS: None Yet |

The Bears made a bunch of signings on Friday, but one stood out for me – Defensive End Vernon Gholston. The former Jets’ first round draft pick – the sixth pick overall – will join the Bears to be a pass rusher. Here’s the problem – in three seasons with the New York Jets he has ZERO career sacks. It’s such a typical Bears move to bring in a pass rusher who can’t rush the passer. When I heard the name Vernon Gholston, two names came to mind – Michael Haynes and Gaines Adams, rest his soul. Do either of those names inspire confidence?

********************

Google launches 'Hotel Finder'

(AFP) – 6 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Google, which purchased a leading flight software company earlier this year, has launched a new tool for finding hotels.
Hotel Finder is an "experimental search tool" designed to help users locate and book hotels, Google software engineer Andrew McCarthy said in a blog post.
Hotel Finder, which is restricted to the United States for now, lets a user refine their choice by geographic area using Google Maps and select hotels using various criteria including price, the number of stars and user ratings...

********************

Google+ Passes First Tests, but Challenges Remain

By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Jul 29, 2011 12:10 pm

Showered with intense praise and criticism during its first month out in a limited beta trial, Google+ has eluded the failures of other Google social networking efforts, but it's too early to tell if it will fulfill its ultimate mission as a Facebook slayer...

********************

Google Buys IBM Patents, Boosting IP Portfolio

By Kurt Mackie 07/29/2011

Google earlier this month purchased more than 1,000 patents from IBM, covering a broad array of technologies.
The 1,030 patents address server and router architectures, chip fabrication, and search technologies. The purchases were recorded around mid-July and were first described in a blog post by SEO by the Sea. Media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg received confirmations of the deal from Google.

********************

Save your friends from outdated email

You’ve probably already improved the lives of your friends and family members by helping them switch to Gmail, but what about that one friend who still hasn’t made the switch? It’s time to take a stand and stage an intervention.

Don't worry. We'll help you out.

********************

Feds Are Taking A Long Look At Google's AdMeld Buy (GOOG)

Matt Rosoff, provided by

Business Insider July 27, 2011 04:00 AM Copyright Business Insider. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Google has hit a delay with its planned purchase of AdMeld: the feds are asking for more information before they sign off on the $400 million deal.
Google revealed this afternoon that the Department of Justice has issued a "second request" for more information...

********************

Google Deal Lets SAP Customers Map Data

Google Maps meets SAP: Partnership includes exclusive mashup capabilities and discounted pricing for geospatial data.

By Doug Henschen InformationWeek
July 27, 2011 04:36 PM

SAP has teamed up with Google to enable its customers to mashup data with the search giant's mapping capabilities so they can visually report on business conditions such as sales by territory, loan risk by region, or defaults by neighborhood...

********************

Shareable Google News badges for your favorite topics

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

On Google News, the average reader of political news has read 20 articles about politics in the last six months. Where do you stand?....

Google News - Search and personalize the world's news

********************

Google Lawyer Says Patents Are ‘Gumming Up’ Innovation

By Susan Decker - Jul 26, 2011 3:12 PM PT

Google Inc. (GOOG) General Counsel Kent Walker said the smartphone industry is in an arms race for patents that is hurting consumers and leaving the company to “sort through the mess” of litigation...

********************

Google Street View cars nabbed locations of Wi-Fi devices

By Matt Weinberger | July 26, 2011, 11:45am PDT

Google Street View cars are at the center of a brand new privacy scandal after it was revealed that the search giant collected the street addresses and unique identifying information for millions of laptops, media players, and other wireless devices. And until recently, the data was available to anyone who put in the right Google search...

********************

SEO Peddlers See Value in Google's +1

By Ed Oswald, PCWorld Jul 26, 2011 1:48 PM

Search engine optimization companies have started targeting Google's +1 feature--you can now pay companies to "+1" your website.

SEO companies, such as SEO Shop, are now offering packages of Google +1's. SEO Shop sells its +1's at Plussem.com, where you can purchase 50 +1's for $10, 250 +1's for $30, and 2,000 +1's for $170. SEO Shop has, naturally, gone to great lengths to conceal its activities from Google itself...

********************

Jul 26, 2011 1:00 pm

What the New Google Places Means for Your Business

By Ilie Mitaru, PCWorld

Google has removed third party review sites from Google Places. Previously, Places pulled reviews from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Urban Spoon and CitySearch, as well as their own Google Places reviews. When the service initially launched about a year ago, these third party sites griped that their content was unfairly being used by Google, and that the Places reviews were appearing above their content...

********************

Official Google Webmaster Central Blog

---

Improved handling of URLs with parameters

Posted: 22 Jul 2011 12:52 PM PDT

Webmaster level: Advanced

You may have noticed that the Parameter Handling feature disappeared from the Site configuration > Settings section of Webmaster Tools. Fear not; you can now find it under its new name, URL Parameters! Along with renaming it, we refreshed and improved the feature. We hope you’ll find it even more useful. Configuration of URL parameters made in the old version of the feature will be automatically visible in the new version. Before we reveal all the cool things you can do with URL parameters now, let us remind you (or introduce, if you are new to this feature) of the purpose of this feature and when it may come in handy...

********************

Google spent $2.06 million on federal lobbying in Q2

By Matt Weinberger | July 21, 2011, 11:24pm PDT

According to papers filed late on Wednesday, Google spent $2.06 million on federal lobbying in the second quarter of 2011 - up from $1.48 million in the first quarter, and a 54% boost over the same period last year...

********************

	Google Plus gaining ground in social networking space Press Trust of India / Boston July 22, 2011, 12:26 IST

Google's latest offering 'Google Plus' is steadily gaining ground in the social networking space, so far dominated by Facebook, with the internet giant's social network attracting about 20 million visitors in the initial three weeks and nearly half of these visitors hailing from US and India...

********************

Google Plus vs Facebook: amid comparison Google+ iPhone app launched

19 July, 2011Google Plus vs Facebook fight may take sometime to decide the winner. Meanwhile Google+ iPhone app launched after weeks of wait and watch...

********************

Google+, No Space For You in Social Network Arena: LinkedIn CEO

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner made his thoughts about where Google+ fits in the social network arena known to the public at an event this week...

********************

Validation: measuring and tracking code quality

Posted: 18 Jul 2011 03:53 PM PDT

Webmaster level: All


Google’s Webmaster Team is responsible for most of Google’s informational websites like Google’s Jobs site or Privacy Centers. Maintaining tens of thousands of pages and constantly releasing new Google sites requires more than just passion for the job: it requires quality management.

********************

11 hours ago by Ben Parr

G.Co: Google Has a New URL Shortener

Google has unveiled g.co, a new URL shortener that will link only to Google products and websites.

********************

Privacy watchdog sets sights on Google

By Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen July 19, 2011 3:05 AM

********************

19 Jul, 2011, 11.52AM IST,IANS

Will rivals do to Google what Facebook did to MySpace?

********************

18 Jul, 2011, 04.05AM IST,New York Times

FB vs Google Plus tech wars: Why Facebook should begin to worry

********************

July 18, 2011 03:43pm EST

Google's Android 3.2 SDK Eases Tablet Screen Size Adjustments

Read More