WebProNews

Google Says Goodbye To "Hello"

Google is shutting down Hello, Picasa’s photo sharing service which was part of the Picasa acquisition back in 2004. On the program, Wikipedia writes:

Google Pictures Better Product Image Search

Research presented by Google suggests they are on track to improving image search to a level of relevancy on par with their core web search service.

Cutts Says No Conspiracy Over Aboutrika Image

Some site publishers in the Middle East believe Google struck a controversial picture of Egyptian striker Mohammed Aboutrika from its index, but Matt Cutts said that never happened.

Google Denies Censoring Egyptian Footballer

At the end of January, Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika was the talk of the soccer world. Scoring the winning goal to defeat Sudan's team, Aboutrika raised his shirt to reveal a message of Palestinian sympathy.It read: Sympathize with Gaza.

Are Google Earth Images In Real-Time?

Images on Google Earth are highly detailed but do not show imagery in real-time. Many people according to Frank Taylor at his Google Earth Blog believe the images are in real time. He believes that is because of weather satellite photos that are a few hours old or because of live weather radar. He goes into detail how Google collects its images for Google Earth.

SES Round-up

Jolina and Mike had a great time at the Search Engine Strategies conference in Chicago. Not only is it the windy city, but a festive, cold and snowy one too by the sounds of it.

Digg Adds Images Category

It seems like Digg users have been asking for–and Kevin Rose promising–a category for images and photos forever. Well the long wait is now over and you can finally uploaded your favorite lolcats image. At the Digg blog, Kevin Rose announces the launch of image support and also better organization of existing categories. Here’s what Digg users are waking up to today:

Digg Scoops Up Images, Tweaks Categories

It took a while but Digg finally has an images category available for contributions and sharing with other Diggers.

Off to Speak at SES Chicago

Brrr!  I am off to Chicago in the morning to speak at SES. Temperatures below freezing and snow already on the ground.  For a little African lizard like me used to blazing heat it's way too cold.  I bought myself some thermal underwear and pulled out my down parka and off I go.

The Danger of Aggressive Ad Placement

When I did a recent Q&A thread one of the recurring themes with sites that were struggling was AdSense ads positioned above their content. Many websites are never given the chance to grow because they monetize too aggressively and look to spammy to enjoy the benefits of organic growth and community building.