Getting Granular: The DigitalGrit Blog

Trackback Spam Experiment Completed

After a few weeks of monitoring our trackback spam, I've found that two posts get the lion's share of sping: The oringal post on the topic, "Typepad Trackback Spam out of Control" and a recent post on Yahoo's new homepage, "More Sparring in the Search Wars: Yahoo Unveils New Homepage."

I'm not sure what it is about these two posts that makes spammers fall so madly in love, but each post was spinged nearly a dozen times over the weekend.

Needless to say, trackbacks on that post are officially off now. But feel free to comment if (a) you're an actual human being and (b) you've got any insight as to why these are so darned attractive.

Trackback Spam Experiment Completed

After a few weeks of monitoring our trackback spam, I've found that two posts get the lion's share of sping: The oringal post on the topic, "Typepad Trackback Spam out of Control" and a recent post on Yahoo's new homepage, "More Sparring in the Search Wars: Yahoo Unveils New Homepage."

I'm not sure what it is about these two posts that makes spammers fall so madly in love, but each post was spinged nearly a dozen times over the weekend.

Needless to say, trackbacks on that post are officially off now. But feel free to comment if (a) you're an actual human being and (b) you've got any insight as to why these are so darned attractive.

Microsoft Buying eBay? Shut up!

Just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier, MarketingVox reports (via McPaper)that Microsoft is considering the acquisition of eBay. (You know you've got some bucks when you can just buy eBay.)

Microsoft has been in talks for several weeks about a possible acquisition of eBay, reported the New York Post on Friday, citing sources close to the issue. Apparently, Microsoft has considered buying eBay and merging it with MSN in a bid to challenge Google for internet supremacy, but as a result of antitrust concerns the talks have "cooled somewhat," according to the Post.

Moreover, last week eBay and Yahoo announced a strategic advertising and e-commerce alliance that may have dampened the talks as well, though one source has suggested the partnership would not necessarily deter Microsoft from going after eBay.

I've been referring to the recent flurry of news about Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, eBay, et.al. as the "search wars," but I think "portal war" is a more appropriate term.  It's a race to own full-service corner of the web, like AOL did back in the 1990's.

Does the adage "You can't be all things to all people" have any significance here here?

Microsoft Buying eBay? Shut up!

Just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier, MarketingVox reports (via McPaper)that Microsoft is considering the acquisition of eBay. (You know you've got some bucks when you can just buy eBay.)

Microsoft has been in talks for several weeks about a possible acquisition of eBay, reported the New York Post on Friday, citing sources close to the issue. Apparently, Microsoft has considered buying eBay and merging it with MSN in a bid to challenge Google for internet supremacy, but as a result of antitrust concerns the talks have "cooled somewhat," according to the Post.

Moreover, last week eBay and Yahoo announced a strategic advertising and e-commerce alliance that may have dampened the talks as well, though one source has suggested the partnership would not necessarily deter Microsoft from going after eBay.

I've been referring to the recent flurry of news about Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, eBay, et.al. as the "search wars," but I think "portal war" is a more appropriate term.  It's a race to own full-service corner of the web, like AOL did back in the 1990's.

Does the adage "You can't be all things to all people" have any significance here here?

Google Gets Bulk of Traffic from MySpace

MediaPost expounds upon a Hitwise report that MySpace is Google's #1 traffic source:

GOOGLE, CURRENTLY REPORTED TO BE in talks with MySpace.com, receives the highest percentage of its traffic from the social networking site--accounting for 8.7 percent of the search giant's total traffic during the week ending May 6, according to data released Thursday by Hitwise.

The traffic numbers reveal the high stakes of the search partnership talks that Google and MySpace are engaged in, according to a report from the Financial Times. The same report also stated that competitor Microsoft was likewise engaged in talks, meaning that Microsoft's gain could be Google's loss.

According to Bill Tancer, Hitwise's general manager of research, the deal is a defensive one for Google. Similar to the AOL-Google deal last year, where the search giant bought a major stake in AOL amid rumors of a possible AOL-MSN deal, Google is engaged in an effort to protect one of its major traffic sources.

Don't cry for MSN, though. ComScore reports that they have the most popular blog service online. I think they'll be okay.

Google Gets Bulk of Traffic from MySpace

MediaPost expounds upon a Hitwise report that MySpace is Google's #1 traffic source:

GOOGLE, CURRENTLY REPORTED TO BE in talks with MySpace.com, receives the highest percentage of its traffic from the social networking site--accounting for 8.7 percent of the search giant's total traffic during the week ending May 6, according to data released Thursday by Hitwise.

The traffic numbers reveal the high stakes of the search partnership talks that Google and MySpace are engaged in, according to a report from the Financial Times. The same report also stated that competitor Microsoft was likewise engaged in talks, meaning that Microsoft's gain could be Google's loss.

According to Bill Tancer, Hitwise's general manager of research, the deal is a defensive one for Google. Similar to the AOL-Google deal last year, where the search giant bought a major stake in AOL amid rumors of a possible AOL-MSN deal, Google is engaged in an effort to protect one of its major traffic sources.

Don't cry for MSN, though. ComScore reports that they have the most popular blog service online. I think they'll be okay.

So Much Yahoo/Google/Microsoft News, who can keep up??

Lot of search engine news today...I'll just share some AP links (wink, wink!) and the headlines:

• Yahoo, eBay Join Forces in Partnership - Internet powerhouses Yahoo and eBay are joining forces in an alliance that further defines the battle lines in an online brawl with rivals Google, Microsoft and AOL.
• Microsoft to License InfoUSA Database - Microsoft Corp. has agreed to license infoUSA Inc.'s business listings database to beef up the software company's online local search offerings, the companies said Wednesday.
• Google, Dell in Deal on PC Software Package: Source - (Reuters) Google Inc. and Dell Inc. have reached an agreement for the No. 1 personal computer maker to factory-install a package of Google software on its systems, shoring up a test-run between the two companies, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

And there's probably more that I've missed. There was one item about AOL enhancing its search now that their users are taking off the training wheels and going broadband en masse, and something else about Google partnering with media-favorite MySpace.

But who the heck can keep up? I think I need an intern just to aggregate search engine news!

So Much Yahoo/Google/Microsoft News, who can keep up??

Lot of search engine news today...I'll just share some AP links (wink, wink!) and the headlines:

• Yahoo, eBay Join Forces in Partnership - Internet powerhouses Yahoo and eBay are joining forces in an alliance that further defines the battle lines in an online brawl with rivals Google, Microsoft and AOL.
• Microsoft to License InfoUSA Database - Microsoft Corp. has agreed to license infoUSA Inc.'s business listings database to beef up the software company's online local search offerings, the companies said Wednesday.
• Google, Dell in Deal on PC Software Package: Source - (Reuters) Google Inc. and Dell Inc. have reached an agreement for the No. 1 personal computer maker to factory-install a package of Google software on its systems, shoring up a test-run between the two companies, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

And there's probably more that I've missed. There was one item about AOL enhancing its search now that their users are taking off the training wheels and going broadband en masse, and something else about Google partnering with media-favorite MySpace.

But who the heck can keep up? I think I need an intern just to aggregate search engine news!

Want Better Visibility for Your Blog? Link to AP Stories! AP Announces Partnerships with Technorati and Topix

The Associated Press today announced to partnerships that will be of interest to SEO-minded bloggers:

Under the first, Technorati Inc., the leading search engine for blog postings, will provide links to blogs that cite AP stories.

The AP also will assist search engine Topix.net, controlled by three major newspaper companies, in sending readers directly to the sites of newspapers when stories in the AP report are based primarily on material from those members.

The deals highlight efforts by AP, a not-for-profit cooperative owned by U.S. news organizations, to help member newspapers and broadcasters in a world where many people get their news from the free-wheeling and chaotic Web. ("The free-wheeling and chaotic web."  I love it! We're all a bunch of party animals out here in Cyberspace, aren't we, kids?)

Technorati will search blogs for postings that include links to AP stories. Links to those postings will be available along with the original AP stories on 440 member Web sites served by AP Hosted News, a service that uses AP servers to display AP content on member sites. There also will be a box featuring the "Top Five Most Blogged About" AP stories.

Clicking on the links takes the reader to a Technorati page listing the relevant blogs. Revenue from ads on the page will be shared by Technorati and the AP, but the revenue is not expected to cover more than the cost of the project, said Kristie Bouryal, AP's deputy director of online for U.S. newspapers.

Well, this is certainly another big step for Web 2.0. AP buy-in certainly legitimizes blogs even more, and also further muddies the line between press and blogger:

"The truth is there are not that many of us who are breaking news anymore, that have people on the ground ... the whole notion here is to spotlight those who are real content creators and not make news such a generic commodity on the Web," [Jane] Seagrave [AP's vice president of new media] said.

The move is also beneficial for Topix, which is not among the more popular news sites, currently.

Want Better Visibility for Your Blog? Link to AP Stories! AP Announces Partnerships with Technorati and Topix

The Associated Press today announced to partnerships that will be of interest to SEO-minded bloggers:

Under the first, Technorati Inc., the leading search engine for blog postings, will provide links to blogs that cite AP stories.

The AP also will assist search engine Topix.net, controlled by three major newspaper companies, in sending readers directly to the sites of newspapers when stories in the AP report are based primarily on material from those members.

The deals highlight efforts by AP, a not-for-profit cooperative owned by U.S. news organizations, to help member newspapers and broadcasters in a world where many people get their news from the free-wheeling and chaotic Web. ("The free-wheeling and chaotic web."  I love it! We're all a bunch of party animals out here in Cyberspace, aren't we, kids?)

Technorati will search blogs for postings that include links to AP stories. Links to those postings will be available along with the original AP stories on 440 member Web sites served by AP Hosted News, a service that uses AP servers to display AP content on member sites. There also will be a box featuring the "Top Five Most Blogged About" AP stories.

Clicking on the links takes the reader to a Technorati page listing the relevant blogs. Revenue from ads on the page will be shared by Technorati and the AP, but the revenue is not expected to cover more than the cost of the project, said Kristie Bouryal, AP's deputy director of online for U.S. newspapers.

Well, this is certainly another big step for Web 2.0. AP buy-in certainly legitimizes blogs even more, and also further muddies the line between press and blogger:

"The truth is there are not that many of us who are breaking news anymore, that have people on the ground ... the whole notion here is to spotlight those who are real content creators and not make news such a generic commodity on the Web," [Jane] Seagrave [AP's vice president of new media] said.

The move is also beneficial for Topix, which is not among the more popular news sites, currently.