Free Google Account Passwords...Ooooopps

Not good, Google:

Google Inc. has quietly patched a potentially dangerous security flaw in two of its business-facing services after a private security research outfit warned that malicious hackers could exploit the bug to hijack sensitive user information.

The vulnerability was 'flagged and fixed' in the Google AdWords and Google Services subdomains.

Because both sites use data from the Google Accounts username/password system, security experts said the flaw presented a major identity theft risk.

As if click fraud wasn't a bad enough issue. As they continue to collect and cross reference information they need to be careful with that user privacy issue.

Primitive Search Technology

Spam Google - just the noise

[added: Some people ask how can I tell a quality link from a low quality link, etc. In general, most of the pages in the Spam Google database would be great examples of low quality pages.]

Eeekkk, I Started a Blog about Blogging

Blog Goodies...a blog about blogging.

I was posting too much blog stuff here and started to felt like it was drowning out the other stuff, so it now has it's own channel.

My first semi original useful post on my blog about blogging is about socially conscious automated blog content generation

Volunteer Edited Directories

I was just looking through the Google Directory and noticed there are less than 10 DMOZ listed volunteer edited general directories, and even some of those are no good.

With all the rubbish spend $19.99 and get your link here general directories that have sprung up I find it a bit perplexing that there are so few profitable general directories. Are they being replaced by folksonomies & the wisdom of crowds? Is it just far more profitable to blog on your favorite subjects?

A while ago I said I thought directories would become more Wiki like, but other than Wikipedia I can't think of any general wikis that have really taken off, and there hasn't been a decent general directory launched in what, about a year.

I think a large reason for the demise is most people willing to work for free to organize information probably want to be able to say more than a sentence or two about the topic.

Interview of Google Software Engineer Matt Cutts

The man, the myth, the Mick Jagger of search, well I guess he doesn't really go by that name ;) but...

Matt Cutts was nice enough to answer a bunch of questions I asked him via email.

For the gray hat in the crowd, I asked Matt what fields SEOs should look at as search advances. He said:

If you're creative, I'd look at the marketing/buzz aspect of things. A person who is savvy about marketing will often have a good leg up on interactions with people. If you are a talented backend person, there's a ton of neat start-ups right now. 2-3 people in different places can collaborate on some nice stuff. If you're a button-pusher, I'd try to diversify that skillset. ;)

for tips on building a search engine & doing SEO read more of the Matt Cutts interview

Sergey Brin + Others on Video Talking Search

Berkeley has been recording lectures from some of the best minds in search. So far some of the videos include Norvig, Battelle, & Brin. Gary posted a bit about Sergey here.

I am not sure what the problem was, but my connection kept breaking in the middle of the shows, which is annoying. They have a wide variety of Podcasts available here.

Average CPC & Selling Ad Space

Now, don't get me wrong here, I like WordPress, but I don't understand how a website that was recently in sore enough shape to need to do large scale search spam can want $10,000 for a one day home page text link sponsorship.

Certainly there has to be some middle ground in between needing to upload 100,000 AdSense pages and needing $10,000 for a single text link?

1-Day Text Link $10,000.00 average clicks 4 cost per click $2,239.64

Who would look at those numbers and eat that up? Maybe an online casino looking to spread a viral story?

I do not do much in the lines of ad sales, but sometimes the key is to charge lower rates to help boost demand, and then raise them after advertisers see the value. Some of my friends give ad space away off the start.

Even if the traffic is not well targeted people will pay money if they believe the value is there, but I think it may help to place a blank ad for a friends site on the home page just to get a test sample of CTR data. You need to prove the value or have a ton of buzz before people will want to rent uncertain pixels.

What is the most you ever paid for a click? Was it worth it? How did you know before and after you bought it?

Google Feed Reader Lauched...I Like

I have not been reading my feeds in a while, so I figured the launch of the Google Feed Reader would be a great excuse to start again :)

Unlike Nick, I waited a few days to avoid the user rush and associated launch problems, and found the Google feed reader rather useful. There are a few things I think that would make it better:

  • allow you to move the pieces like they do on the Google customizable home page

  • allow you to add in links or widgets near posts, for example a link to Google blog search for citations of a post
  • as Gary Price mentioned...they may as well have search on there. If local & maps are one and the same then blog readers and blog search should be one and the same, at least from a search company
  • for viral marketing I think they should also let you chose to make pieces or all of your subscriptions private or public, and maybe later also let you determine who you would want to share your subscriptions with...ie: social cirles like with My Yahoo!
  • make the feed reader quick tour / FAQ section still easy to find without requiring people to log out

Although I have not used it much, I like their filters and labels concept better than folders, because many information streams can be classified in a variety of ways.

Calvin Mooers Laws

People will avoid certain types of information they need:

An information retrieval system will tend not to be used whenever it is more painful and troublesome for a customer to have information than for him not to have it.

How do you get people to find information they do not want to find?

Mooers Second Law of Documentation:

In the same manner that color samples provide a test for the detection of color blindness in a person, the descriptor technique provides a means for the detection of the "word-bound" or "idea-blind" person. Such detection is important because a word-bound person may not be able to provide idea-based (word-independent) retrieval service of the kind which is most congenial and most desired by the non-word-bound part of the population. - source

The concept sure highlights the need for writing to the audience the way they speak and think.

Calvin Northrup Moores background - learn more about the man who coined the term Information Retrieval

Blog Noise & I Need a PHP Programmer

As noise continues to increase, those who are already well established and those who understand ways to create ideas that spread will continue to gain market share as people (and scripts) recycle content, create keyword driftnets, and search engines fight it off.

For a while, due to a variety of factors, I was pretty stressed out and have been a bit lazy with my reading. To me the best blogs are not usually determined by what they write, but by how much they read and how well the distill information. When stressed and / or busy I usually only read about 5 or 6 blogs. The blogs in that group rarely change because their authors read so much and have unique perspectives.

I have been posting a bit much about blogs of late. I am half tempted to sell my soul and create a separate blog about blogging. Already got a name and a logo...just would need to set up the site and know when to post what where.

I have a bunch more SEO tool ideas (like the one mentioned in last post), but my friend Mike is crazy busy at school, and I don't think I can convince him to drop out just yet. We just increased his site profitability 15 fold yesterday, but I am not certain if that helps or hurts me longterm...I think I need to find another programmer for when Mike is too busy. If you are well skilled at PHP and are looking for some flow shoot me an email. Also if you hired a great programmer who has some free time and would not mind recommending them I am all ears.

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