John Battelle's Searchblog (Excerpts Only)

The Year's Half Over. So How Are My Predictions Tracking?

2009-07-01T22:40:51-08:00

I like to do this exercise from time to time - asking how my predictions for the year are holding up given six months have passed since I posted them. Well, let's see, shall we? 1. We'll see an end to the recession, taken literally, by Q4 09. I think... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Bing Starts to Get Real (Time)

2009-07-01T21:29:22-08:00

I've been complaining that nearly no search engines surface real time data (for now, that's Twitter, but Facebook is coming soon enough, and there will be tons more). In fact, I complained to Microsoft about this well before the launch of Bing, and then complained some more when Twitter results... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Juxtaposition Fun

2009-06-30T19:07:19-08:00

Seen in my feedreader just now. I dunno, it just struck me, Google can't do a helluva lot to help you, Newspaper Industry.... (Go to Searchblog Main)

It May Be Free, But It's Sure As Hell Underwritten

2009-06-30T18:57:30-08:00

There's quite a wonderful authorial kerfuffle happening between Chris Anderson, whose recent book "Free" has been the target both of plagiarism charges (from Wikipedia, of all places, oh the wonderful irony, one might think Chris actually planted the whole damn thing...) and Malcolm Gladwell, who never met a clever anecdote... (Go to Searchblog Main)

And a NYT Profile of Aardvark..

2009-06-29T07:56:07-08:00

..which I've been talking about for some time...from the piece: Having humans, not software, supply the advice is important. Max Ventilla, who formerly was at Google and is now Aardvark’s chief executive, said, “Often the most useful answers don’t answer the original question. Example: ‘You don’t want to go to... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Profile of Google Lobbyist...

2009-06-29T07:35:57-08:00

...in the NYT today. Google has begun this public-relations offensive because it is in the midst of a treacherous rite of passage for powerful technology companies — regulators are intensely scrutinizing its every move, as they once did with AT&T, I.B.M., Intel and Microsoft. Some analysts say that government opposition,... (Go to Searchblog Main)

When Value Is Created, Let It Be Curated At Scale

2009-06-25T15:17:15-08:00

Facebook's opening up even more, as CNet reports. Facebook has posted an update to its "Publisher" settings - basically, the instrumentation to your status updates - that makes it possible to broadcast the value you create in the social web through composition - of a status update, a blog post,... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Google v. Facebook? What We Learn from Twitter.

2009-06-22T20:41:23-08:00

Last week I wrote a post in which I opined a bit about Facebook search. In it I wrote: Facebook is way more than its newsfeed, and its search play is key to proving that value, and extending it....No doubt building Facebook search today is akin to building Google ten... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Thoughts on Online Marketing

2009-06-21T20:23:36-08:00

Many folks have asked me when CM Summit videos would be posted, several are up now. They include the opener, above, in which I give a short overview of the state of online marketing from my perspective - start at about 6 mins in if you want to miss the... (Go to Searchblog Main)

A Wish List for Facebook Search

2009-06-17T07:26:09-08:00

It's taken a while, but I finally have time to rewrite the post I wrote this morning about Facebook search. For some reason my blog editor ate the post, something that has never happened to me and really threw me off. In any case, this morning I noticed a post... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Worth Noting: Search By Voice on Google Maps/Android

2009-06-15T21:51:01-08:00

This is another step in what I've been calling the conversational interface...... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Hunch

2009-06-15T21:17:19-08:00

I have not yet grokked Hunch, the decision engine from flickr co-founder Caterina Fake and co., but from the coverage, the launch is a hit. Here's Caterina's post announcing it...... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Microsoft Goes After Click Fraudsters

2009-06-15T21:09:37-08:00

It's been a while since I've seen click fraud in the news, but this Times story caught my eye, in particular because it was Microsoft. Google usually gets all the headlines around this issue, but it's interesting to see Microsoft leading the charge in this arena. The story is worth... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Mashable on a Tear

2009-06-14T20:36:32-08:00

I'm finding Mashable, an FM site, on a tear lately. These headlines over the past two days caught my attention: Google vs. Bing Battle Heating Up: Is Google Scared? Google to Launch a Twitter Search Engine? Social Media Goo: Cadbury Campaign Going Viral Apparently I am not alone in noticing... (Go to Searchblog Main)

Facebook's Namespace Land Grab? Or Maybe...It's Just Useful

2009-06-11T13:38:12-08:00

Much buzz over the past few days about Facebook's plans to let folks (and, ahem, brands) claim their namespaces on Facebook. IE, Starting this weekend, I should be able to claim www.facebook.com/johnbattelle, just like I already "own" www.twitter.com/johnbattelle (sort of). Anil Dash has a very funny send up of all... (Go to Searchblog Main)