If you’ve seen Google ads for a book called Queers In History, then count yourself lucky. According to author Keith Stern, Google is about to suspend ads for the book – a collection of 900 biographies of gay and lesbian historical figures – claiming that it isn’t “family safe” despite the book containing no graphic sexual content. Is …
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Bad Company: How Poor Service Upped One Site’s Google Rank
For website owners, a spot on the first page of Google’s search results for a given query is the holy grail. Google uses a proprietary algorithm to determine a site’s influence on the web and assigns it a “Page Rank,” named after Google co-founder Larry Page.
Though the full details of how the Page Rank system works are a …
Yahoo! Clues Teaches You About Searching Online
It might just be personal curiosity or a necessary part of a business venture, but at one time or another we’ve all wondered who is searching for what terms and when they are doing it. Most search engines have this information, and now Yahoo! is showing what we look for online by revealing the data in their latest project,
Google Eyes Yelp with ‘Hotpot’ Personalized Recommendations
Google’s new Hotpot service aims to leverage the data the company has on 50 million places of interest around the world to serve you personalized recommendations for businesses in your area. The company bills Hotpot as “a local recommendation engine powered by you and your friends.”
You’ll need to do a little priming first, as Hotpot …
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You Should Be Using Wolfram|Alpha
Over at TIME.com, you’ll find my new Technologizer column. It’s about Bing, Blekko, and the whole idea of competing with Google–and in it, I mention how dangerous it is for a new company to set itself up as a Google rival, or to be perceived as a Google killer. I mention Cuil, the definitive failed Google killer. But there’s another …
Google Now Gives Searchers ‘Instant Previews’
As rumored about a month ago, Google has now officially unveiled Instant Previews, a feature that grabs full page snapshots of the web sites returned in your search results. You can try it out now by going to Google.com/InstantPreviews or wait until it’s automatically rolled out.
Each search result will have a little magnifying glass …
Google Brings ‘Instant’ Search Feature to iPhone and Android
In early September, Google unveiled its new "Google Instant" search initiative. If you’ve been using Google Instant in your computer’s web browser, you’ll have noticed that your search results change and update in real-time as you type your search terms.
The same feature is now available for iPhone and Android devices, though its
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Bing Gets Facebook Integration: Be Careful What You ‘Like’
Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, now has Facebook integration. The integration hasn’t gone live for all users quite yet, but it should be “rolling out in the days to come,” says Microsoft.
When you search for a specific person by name using Bing, you’ll see “the people closest to you based on your social connections on Facebook,” …
Google Testing Full Page Previews in Search Results
Reports are rolling in from various corners of the world wide web that Google is testing full page image previews in search results. You’ll know if it’s turned on inside your browser if you see a little magnifying glass icon next to each link that’s returned after you search for something.
By simply hovering your cursor over one of the
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Yahoo to Revamp Mail, Search, Make iPad App, Integrate Twitter
Remember Yahoo? Some say it’s lost its way.
Others, like Yahoo’s Chief Product Officer, Blake Irving, say that the company has “delivered habit-forming communications products, highly intuitive search functionality, and awesome content services that make us central to the online lives of vast audiences on global scale — in turn, …
The Snoop In Your Browser: An Alternative
In my last post I said some companies do better than others at scrubbing your confidential search logs as time passes. Google appears to be the worst of the major search engines from a privacy point of view; Ask.com, with AskEraser turned on, is among the best.
But there’s a far better answer than looking for the search company that …
Google Announces Instant Search Results Feature
Google revealed “Google Instant” today—you can try it out here if you like, though it may already be activated within your browser at Google.com.
It’s pretty much just how it sounds. You begin typing your query into Google’s search box and your search results change in real-time with each additional letter you add, displayed …