Google Launches Closure Tools: A Javascript Candy Store

Google Launches Closure Tools: A Javascript Candy Store

The Google Code blog announced the launch of a compiler, library, inspector and templates for sites to use to improve their javascript usage. The tools were “all started as 20% projects and hundreds of Googlers have contributed thousands of patches.”

This central open source of all things javascript should prove very handy to web site owners and developers, as many of them are already being used by Google apps and widgets.

“Today, each Closure Tool has grown to be a key part of the JavaScript infrastructure behind web apps at Google. That’s why we’re particularly excited (and humbled) to open source them to encourage and support web development outside Google.”

If the tools become widely adopted it could also help create a uniformity in code use that would help the search engine - but also the wbe community in general.

Web Guide - A Guide to Web 2.0

Web Guide - A Guide to Web 2.0
A web guide for help getting started with web 2.0 including information on social bookmarking, social networking, widgets, wikis and other aspects of the social web.

Yahoo Introduces Widgets for Mail and My Yahoo

Yahoo Introduces Widgets for Mail and My Yahoo
Yahoo recently announced it is adding a number of third-party applications and widgets to some of its main properties, including Yahoo Mail and My Yahoo, that will allow users to, among other things, send a PayPal payment or publish a blog post without leaving Yahoo’s website.

Yahoo! Testing Localization on Global Homepages

Yahoo! Testing Localization on Global Homepages

Yahoo! has been testing a new homepage for a long time now. The latest test involves localization features for global homepages. For example, if you live in the UK, you can get local transportation information via a widget on the left sidebar. The India homepage will feature a cricket app.

Of course, the US homepage is getting apps, access to email accounts (including non-Yahoo! ones) and social networking. You’ll be able to check network updates from a variety of sources directly from the homepage.

I’ve been able to check out the new homepage when signed in and using Firefox as my browser. It definitely has a sleeker design and the widgets are cool if you can make a new habit of using them. Usually, I just get distracted by a front page story or two before I go on to my normal browsing.

Have you seen the new homepage? What do you think? Share your impressions in the comments below.

Did-It Does It Again - Uninformed Controversy As Publicity

Did-It Does It Again - Uninformed Controversy As Publicity

It seems that being controversial is a major way to get new business in the Web 3.0 world over at Did-It, if the company’s editor-in-chief Steve Baldwin’s article about this week’s SES conference is any indication.

Remember, one of the company’s founders, Dave Pasternak’s statements about SEO “not being rocket science” and a company that can’t get you into the top 5 on Google as worthless. His statements met strong criticism and obviously got the company a lot of attention and links which they most probably redirected to improve their ranking. Hey “not rocket science” but crafty manipulation works.

So this morning as SES NY begins they are at it again. An article that cleverly takes shots at the conference in a backhand way got my attention and no doubt will hit the major online blogs and publications. But what is it saying? Baldwin lists 10 things no longer being discussed at the panels this week. His “lost buzzwords” that apparently he spent hours looking over previous agendas to compare against this week’s panels.

First, and foremost, he should have spent more time looking at the current agenda and not just the titles. SES has moved away from titling their panels - Paid Inclusion, Widgets, etc - obviously the audience is more educated about our industry and can comprehend more interesting titles than SEO 101. But let’s look at the points one by one.

1. Paid Inclusion - Yahoo still offers it but it is now branded as Search Submit and has been discussed at many recent panels - hell I did one last month in London and was the least attended of all sessions. Guess people know about this long standing service and want to know more about other things. Generally this is mentioned during advanced ppc since you have to pay per click once indexed. I wonder if Did-It has that in its proprietorial conversion tracking software?

2. Blogs, boards and posts - True boards do not get as much play as they used to - guess the no follow stuff has killed a lot of the impact - but Steve in case you did not know Twitter is microblogging. Plus many sites are now run on blogging software as CMS which gets attention at sessions. Those “rocket science” methods you guys used to do SEO are called spam now. But the “Online Communities” session covers this area and the “Blogging for Business” and “SEO Through Blogs & Feeds” sessions he just must have missed.

3. Viral marketing - funny - kind of like what you are doing with your article - so where do I stick the Mentos? Viral marketing is very much alive and living in social media - but then it is not paid search so I guess you have missed that one over at Did-It. The “Branding Without Borders” is viral session - guess we should have written the title in 25 characters so Did-It could understand it.

4. Click Fraud - well I am on the Click Quality Council and we have a dinner, but as far as panels… I am sure it will be discussed at “The State of Search” and “The Advanced Paid Search” sessions. “In these hard times, it’s more fun to talk about silly tweets than evil cheats,” he notes. But could it be they are becoming an alternative that may impact click fraud?

5. Rich Media - there are sessions on “Beyond Googling”, “Update on Social Media Optimization” - Steve - YouTube is social in case you “didn’t” know. “Small Voices, Big Impact” and “Thinking Outside Your Website” are two that come to mind that cover this directly.

6. Podcast optimization - well podcasts are now videos and most are hosted on YouTube. There are plenty of sessions about them - try “Video Search Engine Optimization: 2009 and Beyond”.

7. Search Convergence - you are reaching here and I hope the Did-It software is better updated than your understanding of industry terms. “Universal and Blended Search” may be the session for you.

8. Widgets and Gadgets - okay at this stage I know Steve spent no time reading the agenda for this conference. Mobile apps are discussed at “Getting Mobilized! Mobile Marketing Strategies” and “SearchAppalooza - Kick-Ass Apps Contest & Talking Search Beyond Google” jump off the conference agenda.

9. Pay Per Call - yes was predicted to be big and tanked - but including a phone number in your PPC works and gets you free clients. And there is an interesting session on “Pay Per Conversation” but not quite on topic.

10. Cashing out your company - well yes in these economic times it is harder and the model has shifted, but companies are still being bought and sold. The conference this year does cover the new buzz term of economic hardships.

I know Steve will cry he was discussing “buzz terms” but really mate. Do a little better journalistic research before weighing in with an attention grabbing article - your founder should have told you that… but then he has disappeared like the frogs you used to hand out at the booth - guess they lost their buzz too.

I may suggest you attend this session - “First Timer’s Guide to SES and SEM”.

Yahoo! to Launch New, Comprehensive Mobile Portal

Yahoo! to Launch New, Comprehensive Mobile Portal

Yahoo! will launch a new mobile experience called, wait for it, Yahoo! Mobile. It will be available via mobile web and downloadable mobile applications for the iPhone as well as smartphones powered Nokia, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. An app will also be available for smartphones with the Windows Mobile operating system.

Yahoo! Mobile will feature a ton of stuff including:

• Yahoo! oneSearch - Yahoo!’s award-winning mobile search service providing the most current, relevant answers you need.
• Today - The most interesting stories buzzing on the Internet right now, selected by Yahoo!’s editorial team.
• Yahoo! oneConnect - Yahoo!’s service designed to provide consumers everything they need to stay in touch with the people about whom they care:
• Email - Access to Yahoo! Mail and other popular email service providers, including Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail and AOL Mail.
• Pulse - Access totheir social networks, including Bebo, Dopplr, Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, Last.fm, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.
• Yahoo! Messenger - An upgraded version of Yahoo!’s popular mobile instant messaging service.
• Yahoo! Address Book - Keeps consumers’ contacts always handy and in sync.
• Yahoo! Calendar - View, add and edit appointments when users are away from their PCs.
• Yahoo! News - Breaking headlines across popular topics.

Yahoo! onePlace - Access and manage your favorite content, all from one location including news topics and sources, RSS feeds, weather conditions, sports scores, stock quotes, websites/blogs, horoscopes and movie theaters.

Smartphone apps will include:

• Yahoo! oneSearch with Voice - Allowing users to launch searches by simply speaking.
• Maps - Powerful improved tools that let consumers locate, learn about and get directions to points of interest.
• Opera Mini 4.2 - An integrated version of the world’s most popular mobile web browser, with easy return to the Yahoo! Mobile app, that launches when web site access is needed.
• Widgets - Enhanced mobile-optimized experiences for services from Yahoo! and other brands. Users can browse, add and remove these at anytime according to their tastes.

Google Friend Connect Launches “Social Bar”

Google Friend Connect Launches “Social Bar”

Google Friend Connect is a tool that helps web developers add social networking to their sites. Thankfully, Google realizes that adding such functionality can take up precious page real estate. Their solution to such design woes is a feature they’re calling the “Social Bar.”

The social bar is basically a social toolbar, but instead of residing in the browser, it resides on your website. It can be placed at the top or the bottom or your site. It enables drop-down menus to host widgets, a space saver indeed.

Here’s a screenshot of the social bar and below that is a basic introduction to adding social bar to your site.

Yahoo Gets Into the TV Business (Kinda), While TiVo Gets Into Search (Sorta)

Yahoo Gets Into the TV Business (Kinda), While TiVo Gets Into Search (Sorta)

The news coming out of this year’s CES is turning out to be a showcase for the way things are changing for the internet, which in turns affect how people use search (for both searching and marketing).

First, Microsoft had its major Live Search announcements. Then, we saw a device with Android to compete with the iPod Touch.

But another major topic is the merging of TV with the Internet. This isn’t anything new, it’s just getting cooler. You or your grandma may have used Web TV before. Remember those good ol’ days? But it’s online video sites like YouTube and now Hulu which are really driving the convergence.

Electronics companies such as LG and Samsung are debuting new televisions that are Internet connected. Yahoo is taking advantage of the opportunity.

Yahoo has developed a Widget Channel for these new devices. The channel is powered by their Widget Engine. Developers can create widgets to enhance a viewer’s TV watching experience.

Here’s what a Yahoo! weather widget looks like:

eBay, CBS and MySpace have widgets on the channel, with more expected soon from Netflix, Twitter, the New York Times and more.

“Yahoo! has combined key attributes of the Internet, including openness, community, and personalization, with the power of television,” said Patrick Barry, vice president, Connected TV, Yahoo!. “By creating this revolutionary new Internet experience, and combining our technology with the global distribution of major consumer electronics partners, we enable consumers to access the relevant information and content to enhance their television watching experience.”

Last but not least, TiVo has updated the search on their digital video recording service.

“What Google did for the Internet, TiVo is now doing for the TV, bringing people a combination of excellent search results and innovative discovery that can’t be found anywhere else,” said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo. “TiVo has always been known as the best way to watch what you want, when you want it. Now we’re taking that to a new level, using TiVo technology to find just the right program from hundreds of channels and thousands of broadband options, all in seconds. It is clear TiVo is leading the way in providing more choice, and also leading the way in finding content quickly. TiVo Search is a new way to find what you’ve been missing.”

With the marriage of TV and the internet, TiVo could rise as a player in search.

What do you, dear reader, think about these new developments? Share your thoughts on the convergence of TV and the internet in the comments.

Google Website Optimizer Integrated with Magento Open Source Ecommerce Platform

Google Website Optimizer Integrated with Magento Open Source Ecommerce Platform

Open source e-commerce platform Magento has released a new version of its software, and with it is a Google Website Optimizer integration.

All you have to do is cut and paste a URL into Magento’s GWO tool and bam - you’re ready to optimize that landing page.

Seriously, if you’re not convinced you need to be testing - then stop everything and read these links:

Landing Page Optimization: Guessing vs. Testing
Coherency in Landing Page Testing
Landing Pages: Test Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
Testing Applies to Widgets and Accessories, Not Just Landing Pages
Testing Landing Pages Includes Testing Best Practices
Assembling Your Landing Page Optimization Dream Team, Part 2

Web 2.0: Companies Will Spend $4.6 Billion By 2013, Forrester Predicts

Web 2.0: Companies Will Spend $4.6 Billion By 2013, Forrester Predicts
Some of the companies adopting social networking, RSS, blogs, wikis, mashups, podcasting, and widgets will be presenting at the Web 2.0 Expo show this week.

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