Italian prosecutors have - sort of - tried to put several Google executives (and the company's former CFO) in jail. The prosecutors requested sentences ranging from six months to one year in connection with a case that involved a YouTube video and a disabled boy.
It's easy for businesses to get caught up in Google's expectations for their sites, when trying to market through search. That's certainly a wise thing to do, considering Google dominates the search market by a huge margin. Still, there are other search engines that people are using, and it is also wise to make sure your site is performing to the best of its ability in those too.
Is there a better way to kick off the Holiday season then slowly dragging yourself out of your tryptophan induced coma to go shopping during the wee hours of the day after Thanksgiving a.k.a. Black Friday?
Just in time for the shopping craziness that is Black Friday, Google's made it easier for companies to get coupons to consumers who are on the move. Google Local Business Center users can now make their coupons accessible to people through mobile devices.
Yes, assuming that shoppers don't lose the use of their fingers due to standing outside in the cold since 3 AM - or having them crushed during a stampede - getting discounts through their cell phones will be a relatively simple matter.
Do you want to tell the world what you're thankful for? Will the Twitterverse suffice? How about you followers and the few people that go to TurkeyTwitter?
Microsoft has launched a new site for Bing, where users can go to find out the latest features that have been implemented into the search engine (excuse me, "decision engine"). The site's called Behind Bing.
Bing has managed to turn retailers' heads in a big way. After looking at statistics from part of 2008, SearchIgnite reported that retailers spent almost 50 percent more with Microsoft's search engine this time around, which puts Google and Yahoo partly to shame.
So many of the traditions we adhere to and enjoy during the holiday season is based on myth. Santa Claus (hope no kids are reading this), mistletoe dates back to Celtic mythology, and if many people on the internet have their way Cyber Monday could join the list.
Will you shop online during Cyber Monday? ... let us know.
Google is now offering some new formats for search ads. They have already been testing them in the U.S., so there is a chance you have already seen some of them if you live here.
Some of them include videos. Some include maps. Some include multiple links for different landing pages. Some of the new ads include product images with corresponding links and prices. Some actually offer comparison shopping functionality.
Take a look at some examples:
A couple of major publishers are siding with (or at least edging towards) Rupert Murdoch in the News Corp./Google content dispute. MediaNews Group and A.H. Belo execs have said that they're interested in keeping Google away from parts of their sites.
Let's talk about MediaNews Group first. It operates 54 daily newspapers with a combined daily circulation of 2.4 million. Corresponding websites are part of the mix, as are a TV station and some radio stations.