Thursday Web Search News Headlines

I turned on the new gas fireplace this morning, and it smells like popcorn. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. Well, anyway, here's some headlines from the worlds of Web search, technology, and general geekery.

• eBay is pushing hard for Christmas (CNet): Have you seen these ads? The slogan is "You can get "IT" on eBay." I liked the old ones where they featured obscure items instead. This is a bit too, je ne sais quois, hoity-toity.
• Print Photos on Flickr (Flickr Blog): Yay! Only in the US for now: "You can order prints to be delivered by mail, or pick them up at your local Target store for one hour printing, even. In both cases, you get 10 free 4x6" prints to get started." Double-yay! Get thyself to Flickr, sign up for a free account, and begin browsing.
• Hooligans and Whippersnappers Online Scaring Shoppers ((InternetWeek): "Fear is the driving force behind consumer behavior. The study found 4 in 5 Internet users were at least somewhat concerned someone could steal their identity from personal information on the Web, and nearly 9 in 10 said they had made at least one change in their behavior to try to protect themselves." You know, a little fear can be healthy, but it's sad that so many people are avoiding shopping online all together. At the end of this post I'll give you some resources for dealing with this.
• Blogs are the New Black (Hitwise): People like blogs, y'all. "Hitwise data shows that searches for "blog" and "blogs" are up 80% and 149%, respectively, when comparing the week ending October 22, 2005 versus the week ending October 23, 2004." Here's a few of the top searches for "blogs" right now:
  • hacker blogs
  • soldier blogs
  • free blogs
  • sex blogs
  • spanking blog (your guess is as good as mine)
  • celebrity blog
  • and my favorite: "blog glasses reading". That's probably my mom.
• Ask Jeeves En Espanol: Very nice, with all Spanish-language results.
• Google Base Up...Kinda (Charlene Li): "Google Base is Google’s database into which you can add all types of content. We’ll host your content and make it searchable online for free." This is being described as "Google's assault on eBay", among other things. The site is up, then down, then up again; you can go to Google Base right now and see what happens. I got a 502 server error a few minutes ago, but yesterday I was able to sign in (using my Google Account) and still do nothing, but at least the site's bones were up. It's kind of like going to a construction site while the big KEEP OUT signs are still up.

Related: Shopping online doesn't have to be a horrible experience. Check out my reviews of shopping search engines, comparison shopping engines, and online auctions, including luxury auctions,computer auctions, government auctions, and more. You should also read my Consumer s on the Web article; I write about how you can protect yourself from shoddy merchandise. And lastly, check out safe shopping from Marcy Zitz, the About Guide to Family Internet.