Goog IPO

Google jumps on news of S&P 500 entry

2006-03-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

Google will enter the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index at the end of March, news that lifted the company’s stock on Friday as mutual funds that track the index acquired shares in the Internet search leader.

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Google Sued Over Lowering Company’s Ranking

2006-03-20T02:48:00.000-08:00

Kinderstart.com, a parental advice site, has filed a lawsuit against Google for unfairly lowering it’s ranking without a reason or warning. They claim that in March of 2005 their site fell in the ranking and as a result had lost 70% of it’s traffic and about 80% decline in revenue. As a result they seek financial damages as well as details about Google’s ranking algorithm.

Web Site Files Complaint Against Google
Suing Google Over Search Results
Google sued for falling web traffic
Google sued over search ranking
Suing Google Over Pagerank

Google 2006 Strategy

2006-03-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

The Web world was abuzz this week over rumors that Google is preparing a service that will let people store every bit of their data online.

Details about the GDrive product leaked onto the Web after Google accidentally posted notes online from a slide presentation given by executives during the company's analyst presentation day.

Bloggers quickly picked up on the notes, which stated that

"with infinite storage, we can house all user files, including e-mails, Web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc., and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc.)."

Garett Rogers from ZDNet writes:

"The GDrive service will provide anyone (who trusts Google with their data) a universally accessible network share that spans across computers, operating systems and even devices."

Google subsequently took the original presentation, and the notes, offline.

Google Drive: What we know so far
Google 'planning total storage'
Google lets slip talk of online storage service

Ask.com Gaining Market Share

2006-02-27T04:23:00.000-08:00

In officially becoming Ask.com, the former Ask Jeeves search site has today unveiled its new main page, featuring a new logo, a simplified interface and new tools including enhanced maps and driving directions, encyclopedia search and web-based desktop search.

Ask.com is minimal in design, with the red logo against a white background, the search box and a new customisable "toolbox" with shortcuts to 10 default search tools including maps, images, weather, dictionary and local search.

Ask Looses Jeeves, Gains New Features
Ask does a Google
Ask.com shows Jeeves the door

In addition to a new site, Ask.com is actually gaining market share, not just rising with the tide. But is Google (GOOG) losing market share, or is Ask.com stealing it from other competitors such as MSN?

Also on the horizon is the 2007 expiration of the company’s deal with Google, which handles the advertising links on Ask’s search pages. After AOL.com, Ask is the largest contributor to Google’s ad network; some analysts think Ask will be positioned to create a lucrative bidding war for its traffic among Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. It’s also announced plans to develop its own advertising network.

Google Unveils Web-Design Tool

2006-02-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

Google has added another service to its portfolio of online offerings with the launch this week of Page Creator, a free tool for creating personal Web sites.
Over the past several years, Google has rolled out several online tools, but Page Creator represents the company's first foray into the world of Web hosting.

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Judge sides with Perfect 10

2006-02-22T04:18:00.000-08:00

A federal court judge has concluded that an image search service run by Google Inc. infringes on the copyrights of adult entertainment company Perfect 10 Inc. by displaying small versions of its images in search results.

"The judge ruled that because Google receives advertising money from offering search functions, it is not entitled to the same level of free use of the images as other entities would be."

Google Perfect 10 thumbnails 'breach copyright'
Partial Victory for Perfect 10?
Google oogling Perfect 10

SERPS get a 'new' layout

2006-02-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Send a Text Message to Your Mobile Phone

2006-02-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

Use google to send [SMS] text messages:
http://toolbar.google.com/send/sms/index.php

Money For Content and Your Clicks For Free

2006-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

Seems like all kinds of books are coming out about how to make money off your website. Most have to do with Google AdSense and are repeats of what made it to market first. JD Frazer's (the cartoonist behind the tech cartoon User Friendly) book stands far above that stack. His book is an easy read, but don't let that fool you. It is crammed full of helpful advice and useful information that you can put to good use immediately upon closing the cover.

Money For Content and Your Clicks For Free : Turning Web Sites, Blogs, and Podcasts Into Cash.

Google challenges EU plan to regulate the internet

2006-01-29T05:34:00.000-08:00

Google, the company, which last week said it would self-censor its Chinese search engine to appease the country's government, is to lead industry opposition to new proposals from the European Commission to regulate online content.

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AdSense referrals changed to include a 90-day limit

2006-01-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

When you make somebody sign up for the AdSense program, you get paid $100 as soon as that referred advertiser makes $100. But wait. Google just added a footnote on the bottom of the AdSense referral page:

"An AdSense referral is counted when a publisher, who has never previously enrolled in AdSense, creates an account and earns at least $100.00 within 90 days of sign-up."

AdSense Referrals Paid Only Within 90 Days
Webmasterworld.com: AdSense referrals changed...
AdSense silently adds a 90-day time limit

Google's Achilles Heel

2006-01-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

Does Google have an Achilles heel?

Based on recent events, you have to wonder. Its stock price reached $475 after two significant announcements (Google Video Store and Google Pack) at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. Then, just 10 days later, Google announced the $102 million purchase of dMarc Broadcasting, which develops an online system for advertisers to buy radio airtime. Google said it plans to move its advertising juggernaut into radio.

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Google Video

2006-01-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Google Video is a new service that allows users to buy videos from major content partners through Google's Web site. Hopes were high, but now critics are wondering: "has Google lost its mojo?"

We Sat Around Waiting For Google Video And All We Got Was This?
Is Google's Tech Heading Downhill?
Google's Copy Protection.
Google to Offer Video Downloads, Software Pack.

Google Earth now available for Macs

2006-01-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

Google has released a beta of the Mac version of its standalone satellite imagery and mapping application, Google Earth.

The Mac version offers the same features as its PC equivalent, such as animated driving directions, zoom in and out capabilities and 3D buildings view, and more.

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Google Faces Patent Infringement Lawsuit Over Google Talk

2005-12-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

Rates Technology Inc (RTI) has brought a case against Google for patent infringement over the voice-over-Internet portion of its Google Talk instant messaging and voice chat program. The patent-holding company claims that two of its patents, dating back to 1991 and 1995, have been infringed. Both relate to technology designed to minimising the cost of calls over the internet.

RTI has demanded damages and court costs, and an injunction to prevent Google using the technology.

A Google spokesman said: "We believe the lawsuit is without merit and we will defend against it vigorously."

RTI has sued Nortel, Sharp and others over patents it holds and has gone to court more than 25 times in the last 15 years to defend them. It generally asks for a one-off payment to go away.

Google’s recent deal to buy a 5 per cent stake in AOL for $1 billion could help it sidestep the litigation. Under the terms of the AOL deal, Google Talk users will be able to talk to users of AOL’s TotalTalk system. Analysts noted that Google may also be able to licence AOL’s VoIP technology. However, the case will still be an unwelcome distraction for Google.

Patent troll bites Google
Google sued for talking

Much Ado About Google

2005-12-07T06:57:00.000-08:00

Right now, it seems Google can do no wrong. One analyst recently broke away from the pack to declare that its stock will hit $500 over the next 12 months. I wouldn't buy Google at $500, but I wouldn't short it at $500 either. So what's an investor to do?

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AdSense Section Targeting: How To Make Your Google Ads Relevant And Profitable

2005-12-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

If you have been disappointed with the results and profits turned up by having integrated Google AdSense ads within your web site or blog, do not despair. Getting AdSense to work is never been an easy trick, unless you fully understood the mechanism governing both the ad delivery as well as those influencing the end user decision to click on them. But something truly revolutionary makes managing...

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How AdSense Lowers Site-Self-Esteem

2005-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

While AdSense makes it easy to monetize a Webpage or a weblog, are Webmasters selling themselves short by putting their prime real estate on sale for a fraction of its worth? Google has the luxury of exploiting not only their own effectiveness and reach, but also the ignorance of the online marketer. Sometimes, a well-crafted in-house campaign is nothing short of a Stuart Smalley proclamation of...

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Gmail AntiVirus = Sophos

2005-12-06T05:04:00.000-08:00

Ryan McGeehan tried to find out who provides the antivirus software Google uses to check its Gmail emails... and thinks it’s likely to be Sophos.

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Google stock turns into windfall for Stanford University

2005-12-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

Stanford University has made $336 million on the sale of its stock holdings in Google Inc., the Internet search engine giant created by 2 of the university's graduate students.

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Stocks Open Up Despite Yahoo Downgrade

2005-12-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

U.S. stocks are trading higher Wednesday despite the second broker downgrade of Internet search engine Yahoo Inc. this week.

The Dow Jones industrial average is up 6.48 points, the S&P 500 is ahead 0.60 of a point and the Nasdaq 100 is up 0.15 of a point.

On Tuesday, markets couldn't hold onto early gains, with the Dow falling 2.6 points to 10,888, the Nasdaq Composite losing 6.7 points at 2,232 and the S&P 500 ended up 0.02 of a point at 1,257. Markets also fell on Monday after a strong holiday-shortened Thanksgiving week.

Google Base Security Hole

2005-11-22T02:34:00.000-08:00

"Google Base arrived recently, sharing the same domain as gmail, so cross site security holes in Google Base will allow access to all the gmail emails, as well as XSS phishing attacks using the google brand. Of course as you would expect for a new product from a major internet company, there’d obviously been no security testing and there were trivially obvious XSS holes in it."

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"Add to Google" Button

2005-11-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

If you have this button on your blog, you allow Google Reader users to easily subscribe to your RSS or Atom feed.

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Yahoo out of talks on AOL stake

2005-11-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

Internet media firm Yahoo has said it has pulled out of talks to buy a stake in Time Warner's internet unit AOL.

The move came after Yahoo chief executive Terry Semel met Time Warner executives in October, Yahoo said.

"After we learned what their proposed deal terms were we passed and we've never looked back," a Yahoo spokeswoman told the Reuters news agency.

The withdrawal of Yahoo leaves Google and Microsoft as the two favourites to do a deal with AOL.

Ballmer: Products Define Microsoft Success

2005-11-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told shareholders Wednesday that the software behemoth measures its success by its products, not its share price.

"We have never really used the stock market itself as a barometer of our success," Ballmer said at the Redmond company's annual shareholder meeting in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb.

Microsoft shares have been trading at about the same level for several years.