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Ways to Earn Money Writing
If you are a keen writer then you will know that to find Ways to Earn Money Writing is not that easy. Making M…
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ways to earn money writing

When writing a letter of resignation, keep it short, positive, and simply include the date, your mailing address, a brief statement, and your signature. I don’t recommend that you use the letter as a …
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resignation writing tips from famous letters of resignation

More and more, the Internet is the method of choice for staying up-to-date on what happens in the world, and that includes the literary world. Because readers and writers connect online on a global sc…
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get in the express lane how to use the internet superhighway to fuel book promotion

Writing college term papers are a very common requirement when you reach the upper-division courses. You will find that it counts as an influential part of your final grade. Remember that you are no l…
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how to write an excellent college term paper

There was a new service launched at the beginning of the month that follows all uses of your brand, domain, special keywords and more - Search Monitor. And before you jump at me for the plug I am not associated with it at all.

I was sent the press release and information about the product and from what I have seen so far this could be a great tool for reputation management, keeping an eye on competitors using your name etc. or even to track affiliates.

The press release states:

The Search Monitor (“TSM”), an online monitoring service that tracks competitive advertiser activity on paid search, blogs, news, and web sites, announces the product release of three new automated monitoring utilities: Competitor Monitor, Trademark Monitor, and Affiliate Monitor.

With this launch, interactive agencies, marketers, affiliate managers, and compliance teams gain critical insight into search marketing strategies, affiliate activities, trademark abuse, and brand buzz. The Search Monitor offers important information that can only be gained by careful 24×7 automated monitoring, and surfaces the information in 3 easy to use reporting sections:

1. Competitor Monitor gives insights into competitive bidding strategies, competitor market share and visibility, ranking on sponsored search, ad copy strategies, and promotions like free shipping, trials, or sales.

2. Trademark Monitor eases the tasks associated with reputation management by auto-detecting advertisers sponsoring branded keywords, use of trademarks and slogans in ad copy and display urls, and brand buzz on blogs, news, and web sites.

3. Affiliate Monitor simplifies oversight of affiliate programs by auto-identification of affiliates using sponsored search to detect violations of rank requirements, keyword restrictions, ad copy
requirements or restrictions, and landing page copy requirements or restrictions.

Search engine marketing has become a critical component for advertisers. According to the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), North American advertisers spent $12.2 billion on SEM in 2007 and that figure is estimated to more than double to reach $25.2 billion by 2011. The Search Monitor was developed to provide the tools necessary to optimize the sizable investments being made in this medium and to protect brands from competitive threats.

“There is a big problem in the industry known as ‘Piggybacking’ which is when smaller advertisers use the trademarks or slogans of bigger advertisers in ad copy or display urls to lure consumers into clicking on their ads”, says Shaun Martinec, a TSM founder. “For our larger brand clients, we have discovered as many as 1 in 10 competitors engaging in this practice. We were quite alarmed to learn that some violators are parked domains, phishing, and spyware sites. With The Search Monitor, our clients are able to catch these activities and react quickly.”

Another advantage of having a monitoring tool such as The Search Monitor is that marketers and agencies can glean insights into competitive online advertising campaigns including ad copy, promotional offers and ad placement strategies.

There are some products out there that cover some of the elements, but the interface is easy to navigate and provides some valuable monitors that many of us can use.

If you’re a Blackberry Pearl user in the US, then you have a new way to conduct searches on Google Mobile Maps: voice search. The feature has been made available for models 8110, 8120, and 8130. The Google Mobile Team says the feature is experimental and should improve better over time as more and more people use it.

And here’s how to access the feature on the device, according to the Official Google Mobile blog:

1. Press “0″ to center the map view around your location
2. Press the left-side key and hold it while you say the name or type of business you’re looking for (for example, “pizza”)
3. When you’re done speaking, release the left-side key, and our voice recognition technology will figure out your request and find the business you’ve been looking for, no typing needed.

Do you have a Blackberry Pearl and have tried out the voice search for Google mobile maps? Let us know in the comments.

Related Reading:
Google Updates BlackBerry Search Results Pages
AT&T iPhone Google Deal Pits Apple Against Blackberry
Google Releases Google Talk for Blackberry

Despite a search advertising deal with Google, Yahoo shares are down and rumors are on again about Microsoft buying just the search chunk of Yahoo. But just how big is that chunk? Would it destroy Yahoo as a whole if sold separately? Not necessarily, according to Hitwise Vice President of Research, Heather Hopkins.

Hopkins analyzed the US internet hits for the top 20 Yahoo properties in the month of June. Yahoo Mail by far saw the most traffic, at 37.47%. Yahoo.com saw 30.62%, and remember that’s a portal not just a search page like Google.com. Yahoo Search came in third but only saw 12.10%. The remaining 17 made up a combined 19.83%. Here’s the full breakdown of Yahoo’s top 20 properties.

Hopkins also took a look at what search referrals look like for the above 20 properties. Yahoo Answers, Finance, My Yahoo, Mail, Flickr, Fantasy Baseball, Hot Jobs, Sports, and Groups all received more referrals from Google search than from Yahoo search. Check out the full chart below.

These numbers are only for the U.S., and Yahoo is more popular in Asia. Attempts to reach Hitwise for Asian data were not immediately returned.

Remember when Google and Viacom were friends? Ah, those were the days. But not anymore. Over a year ago, Viacom filed suit against Google for the copyright infringment found on YouTube videos. In the latest plot point in the ongoing saga, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton has ruled that Google can keep its source code secret, but must hand over user logs for the popular video sharing site.

Viacom says it wanted the code to prove that Google could use it to “purposely” find the content in question. Nice try, Viacom. Google’s code, of course, is a trade secret. But it’s almost a wonder the judge protected the code, because he ruled that Viacom can have access to the user logs. Data to be released includes user names, IP addresses, and videos watched.

Google has often defended its data collection, saying it’s not a threat to privacy. It appears the argument worked a little too well on Judge Stanton.

For a history of the Google-Viacom battle, check out these links:
Google Fights Back in Viacom/YouTube Copyright Suit
Others Join YouTube, Google Copyright Lawsuit
Viacom Would Rather Not Sue, Chief Counsel Claims
Google to Viacom: Don’t Turn YouTube into SueTube

The Official Google Webmaster Central blog has posted steps on how to get reincluded in the search results should you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of being exempted. Mariya Moeva, of the Search Quality Team, hosts an entertaining how-to vid explaining the steps you should take when your site is Google-less. For those who can’t or don’t want to view the video, look below for the steps in text.

1. Check your access. Log into your Webmaster Tools account and check the Overview page to see what happened when Googlebot visited your site last. Also, check your robots.txt file to make sure there aren’t any pages blocked that you want seen by Google.
2. Check your messages. There could be a message in your Message Center inbox of your Webmaster Tools account regarding your site.
3. Read the Guidelines. Make sure you know what Google does and does not allow for sites it lists in its search results.
4. Help Group. When all else fails, join the webmasters help group where other webmasters and Googlers can help determine what’s going on.
5. Fix your site! Once you know what’s wrong, fix your site!
6. Submit a Reconsideration Request. After you’ve made the fixes, submit a request for Google to check your site again.

Have you ever submitted a reinclusion request? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

Related Reading:
Google Updates SEO Recommendations Article

MerchantCircle, a network of local business owners, has announced a new partnership with Yahoo. As a newly minted Yahoo! Local Ambassador, MerchantCircle members will have exclusive access to Yahoo Local online marketing services. MerchantCircle has seen dramatic growth since December 2007, when it began a new push for its online advertising products. The network has now surpassed 500,000 members.

“Yahoo! is one of the most important brands on the internet – one that really appeals to our local business members. Local business owners tell us they want to advertise on Yahoo! to get more local customers to their storefront,” says Darren Waddell, Vice President of Marketing, MerchantCircle. “This partnership creates an important product option in our growing suite of advertising products for local merchants.”

Merchant Circle expects its members to get access to the program by the end of the summer.

MerchantCircle offers its members SEO-friendly profiles on its site. Last November, MerchantCircle announced a partnership with Citysearch, where members can be featured on the popular online local guide.