Search engines spruce it up for the holidays
Click on the Yahoo holiday logo, and you'll be taken straight to the Yahoo Holiday Traditions page; resources for every winter-themed holiday you can think of.
Click on the top left hand corner (where it says "Peel back") and you'll see a toolbar with the latest and greatest deals at Ask.
Google's holiday logo takes you straight to this somewhat cryptic page:
I'm guessing that we're going to see more logos for Google, how about you?
More about Google, Ask, and Yahoo
Web search news wrap up for Dec.14-19: Google and Yelp, Twitter hacked, Facebook privacy concerns
- Making URLs shorter for Google Toolbar and FeedBurner: Yet another link shortener (Five ways to make that link shorter), this time from Google.
- Facebook releases first ever demographic look at users: A study of who really uses Facebook.
- YouTube, Google, Facebook and Sex top kids searches: Symantec has released a list of the top kids searches for 2009, with sex and Twilight topping the list.
- Twitter Hackers Warn: "Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples": Twitter was hacked this week, causing the site to go down for several hours.
- New privacy changes concern security advocates: New privacy changes mean that your Facebook status updates might actually be public.
- Amazon.com makes ad links easy on Google's Blogger: If you have a Blogger site, you can now add Amazon affiliate links.
- Google In Discussions To Acquire Yelp For A Half Billion Dollars Or More: Google might be buying the popular local consumer review site.
Did I miss something? Let us know in the comments!
- The Fourth-Most Used Search Term By Toddlers This Year? Porn. Porn! [Wrong] (gizmodo.com)
- Yourl Very Own Branded Link Shortener (ducttapemarketing.com)
- How to Promote Your Work (chrisbrogan.com)
- The Next Web's Weekly Recap: GPhone, URL Trimming and...Twitter. (thenextweb.com)
- Should Twitter be Banned at Conferences? (chris.pirillo.com)
- Remains of the Day: Don't Expect Great iPhone Service Friday Edition [For What It's Worth] (lifehacker.com)
- Local Reviews: Stop Counting Stars and Just Try the Tacos (gigaom.com)
Twitter trends in 2009
Twitter has released their list of the top trending topics (say that three times fast) of 2009, divided into News, People, Movies, TV Shows, Sports, Technology and Hash Tags (user-created tags for topics). Here are a few picks from each category:
News: Iran election, Swine Flu,Gaza
People: Michael Jackson, Susan Boyle, Adam Lambert
Movies: Harry Potter, New Moon, District 9
TV Shows: American Idol, Glee, Teen Choice Awards
Sports: Super Bowl Lakers, Wimbledon
Technology: Google Wave, Snow Leopard, Tweetdeck
Hash Tags: #musicmonday, #iranelection, #sxsw
More about Twitter
The top YouTube videos of 2009
YouTube has released their statistics for the top viewed videos of 2009, and here they are!
- Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent
- David After Dentist
- JK Wedding Entrance Dance
- New Moon Movie Trailer
- Evian Roller Babies
- Pitbull "I Know You Want Me"
- Miley Cyrus "The Climb"
- Miley Cyrus "Party in the U.S.A."
- The Lonely Island "I'm On a Boat"
- Keri Hilson "Knock You Down
YouTube also compiled the fastest rising search terms per month:
Fastest Rising YouTube search terms by month (Global):
January: inauguration
February: christian bale
March: the climb
April: susan boyle
May: pacquiao vs hatton
June: michael jackson thriller
July: michael jackson
August: usain bolt
September: kanye west
October: paranormal activity
November: bad romance
December: tiger woods
Fastest Rising YouTube search terms by month (U.S.):
January: obama inauguration
February: on a boat
March: watchmen
April: susan boyle
May: pacquiao
June: michael jackson thriller
July: wedding
August: send it on
September: kanye west
October: paranormal activity
November: adam lambert
December: tiger woods
Tell us what your favorite video is on the list....or was there another favorite of yours that didn't make it? Tell us about it!
More about YouTube
Mobile Web access predicted to be TWICE as active as desktop computer access
An intriguing report released by financial analysis firm Morgan Stanley today postulates (using tons of historical data) that in the next few years, people all over the world will access the Mobile Web more than twice as much as they access the Web via desktop computers.
The report is extremely detailed (you can read the whole thing here: The Mobile Internet Report Setup, The Mobile Internet Report Key Themes, and The Mobile Internet Report), but the main takeaways are as follows:
- Looking back at the last 50 years of technology innovations, it is safe to say that we are in the fifth - and possibly most disruptive - cycle. Access to the Web via mobile devices is expected to outpace previous cycles by at least a factor of ten, possibly more.
- Within five years, more searchers will connect to the Web via a mobile device than desktop computers. This is huge.
- There are five basic services that are collaborating to make mobile Web use bigger than anything we've seen yet: 3G adoption + social networking + video + VoIP + mobile devices that are able to handle all of the above.
- The companies that "get" how the Mobile Web is taking off are Google, Apple, and Facebook.
- Japan is far ahead of the US as far as mobile Web usage, in fact, most developed countries with a significant mobile user population are ahead of the US and have been for years.
- Mobile carriers are scrambling to provide more coverage and services as mobile Web users demand them.
- Access to the Web will become more distributed with the low barrier that Web-enabled devices provide.
That's it in a VERY small nutshell; the report is hundreds of pages long and I'm still slogging through it. I'd like to hear from you:
More about the Mobile Web
Search for rentals with Zillow
Zillow, a popular real estate site that gives homeowners the ability to see how much their home is worth, has added another useful tool: a rental search feature.
More people than ever before are looking for rental properties online, and Zillow makes this as easy as possible: you can filter your search for the perfect rental by how much you're willing to pony up in a monthly payment, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, and more. Plus, Zillow will calculate how much you might pay for a similar home in the area for sale, giving you the option to compare renting vs. ownership.
Got a house you'd like to advertise for rent? Zillow does that too (for cheap!), so you can find the perfect renter for your property. Go ahead and give the new Zillow Rental Search a try and tell us what you think; there aren't that many rentals up as yet since it's a brand new service debuting today, but I am predicting that this will take off quickly.
More about Zillow
Estimate your home's value with Zillow: Zillow is a great (free!) service that allows you find your estimated home price, along with many other home appraisal services.
More places to find rentals on the Web
Five Things You Can Do With Craigslist: Did you know that you can find a house to buy or rent on Craigslist? Interact with people all over the world in a variety of forums? Barter your services for something else? That's just the tip of the Craigslist iceberg. Here's a few more things you can do with Craigslist.
Where can I find free printable coupons?
As the holidays draw closer, I've gotten a few reader emails asking for the best free printable coupon sites. Check out my list of the best sites to find free printable coupons for both online and offline stores - you'll be able to save some serious money and find some great deals.
Web search news roundup for Dec.7-11: Twitter in search results, seniors and the Web, Facebook privacy settings
I've got some serious holiday baking to do today (and of course, some serious holiday sampling...got to make sure it tastes good, right?), and I bet you do too, so let's get right to the news in the world of search this week:
- Two new features enhance search beyond the results page: Google adds universal search results and a neat new extension to Google Chrome.
- Yahoo Adds Twitter to Search Results, Google's Twitter Results Now Live: Now when you use these search engines to search for something, you'll see relevant Twitter results included.
- AOL Returns As Independent Company, Search Decision Looms: AOL is no longer part of Time Warner.
- NY asks social networking sites to remove sex offenders: Bebo, Orkut, and Flickr are among the services that are complying with New York state's request to remove registered sex offenders from their services.
- Six Million More Seniors Using the Web Now Than Five Years Ago: "In the last five years, the number of seniors actively using the Internet has increased by more than 55 percent, from 11.3 million active users in November 2004 to 17.5 million in November 2009."
- New Facebook privacy policies: New settings for Facebook updates are somewhat controversial.
- Health Searches on the Web: Studies are showing that searchers start with a general search engine query when researching health issues.
Did I miss something? Let us know about it in the comments!
Find local and national weather updates on the Web
Do you use the Web to check the local and national weather? If so, how do you do it?
I tend to use a few different sources, depending on what I'm looking for. For local weather, I use Yahoo Weather or Weather Underground. If I'm looking for storm information - anywhere in the world - I'll use the NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as Intellicast or AccuWeather. I don't usually use my local weather stations, but if there's something big going on, such as a snow storm or heat wave, I'll periodically check in (you can find your local TV station simply by typing your city + "TV station" - "chicago TV station" for example). Oh, and if you're looking for possible weather-related flights delays, you'll want to check out the FAA Flight Information Center, the official source of information for these issues.
How do you check your weather? Tell us in the comments.
More weather and news resources
A decade of the Web's most influential people
The first decade of the '00s saw incredible advancements in Web technology. Online videos, shopping on the Web, blogging, RSS, social networking, and Web search grew by giant leaps and bounds, spearheaded by visionary leaders who worked tirelessly to make their visions tangible. Here are the ten most influential people on the Web.
And some people that became influential accidentally:
- Top Twenty Web Celebs: Here are the Top Twenty Web Celebs: the people who didn't necessarily set out to be well-known, but ended up famous anyway due to the viral power of the Web.